May 6, 2024 2:34 pm
PART 1: SEARCH FOR THE FORGOTTEN PHARAOH
As the adventure begins, the Destined Delvers are in possession of the funerary mask of the Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I—now the artifact known as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh—and have learned of the Cult of the Forgotten Pharaoh, who seeks the mask for terrible reasons. Although the Destined Delvers defeated the cult’s members in Wati, you are fully aware that the cult will not be stymied so easily, and with the mask now in their hands, you will again find yourselves the targets of the cult sooner or later.
With the assistance of the Grand Mausoleum, you come to the realization that very few details on Hakotep I, the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh, or the Cult of the Forgotten Pharaoh can be found in Wati, but the neighboring city of Tephu is home to the Great Library, the largest repository of knowledge in the region, if not all of Osirion. If there is any information to be found, the Great Library of Tephu is the place to search.
Tephu lies downstream from Wati to the northwest, just a short boat ride across the River Sphinx. Ferries regularly ply the river, conveying people, goods, and livestock across the water, and their pilots cram the docks in the Veins and Bargetown—Wati’s harbor districts—looking for passengers. Wati’s ferrymen are forceful—some would say overbearing—and fall over themselves to obtain fares. The average fare for passage to Tephu is 5 sp per person (twice that for creatures larger than Medium or difficult to transport), though you may be able to negotiate a better rate. Low fares typically increase once a ferry is halfway across the river, and the crocodiles that inhabit the river make most passengers begrudgingly pay the new, higher rate to get safely across. A ferry journey is usually shared with farmers, heaped piles of goods, and livestock such as chickens, cows, and even camels, making for a noisy and smelly, but thankfully short, trip. The journey takes only a few hours and is uneventful.
Like most Osirian cities on the banks of the River Sphinx, Tephu is hot, dusty, and perpetually busy. Its streets are full of hawkers and peddlers, well known for their stubbornness, sham charm, and inability to hear the word no. You are immersed in this world as soon as you step off the ferry—you’re offered everything from savory minced lamb, limes, olives, mint tea, and water to carpets (some of which the sellers claim to be "magic" carpets), camel hide leather goods, hookah pipes, pesh, pots and pans, and even camels and dancing girls and boys.
Your task is to go to the Great Library of Tephu, gain access to the archives, and then research what you can. This is likely a lengthy process and could take weeks or longer. As such, you'll need accommodations for the duration of your stay in Tephu.
As the adventure begins, the Destined Delvers are in possession of the funerary mask of the Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I—now the artifact known as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh—and have learned of the Cult of the Forgotten Pharaoh, who seeks the mask for terrible reasons. Although the Destined Delvers defeated the cult’s members in Wati, you are fully aware that the cult will not be stymied so easily, and with the mask now in their hands, you will again find yourselves the targets of the cult sooner or later.
With the assistance of the Grand Mausoleum, you come to the realization that very few details on Hakotep I, the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh, or the Cult of the Forgotten Pharaoh can be found in Wati, but the neighboring city of Tephu is home to the Great Library, the largest repository of knowledge in the region, if not all of Osirion. If there is any information to be found, the Great Library of Tephu is the place to search.
Tephu lies downstream from Wati to the northwest, just a short boat ride across the River Sphinx. Ferries regularly ply the river, conveying people, goods, and livestock across the water, and their pilots cram the docks in the Veins and Bargetown—Wati’s harbor districts—looking for passengers. Wati’s ferrymen are forceful—some would say overbearing—and fall over themselves to obtain fares. The average fare for passage to Tephu is 5 sp per person (twice that for creatures larger than Medium or difficult to transport), though you may be able to negotiate a better rate. Low fares typically increase once a ferry is halfway across the river, and the crocodiles that inhabit the river make most passengers begrudgingly pay the new, higher rate to get safely across. A ferry journey is usually shared with farmers, heaped piles of goods, and livestock such as chickens, cows, and even camels, making for a noisy and smelly, but thankfully short, trip. The journey takes only a few hours and is uneventful.
Like most Osirian cities on the banks of the River Sphinx, Tephu is hot, dusty, and perpetually busy. Its streets are full of hawkers and peddlers, well known for their stubbornness, sham charm, and inability to hear the word no. You are immersed in this world as soon as you step off the ferry—you’re offered everything from savory minced lamb, limes, olives, mint tea, and water to carpets (some of which the sellers claim to be "magic" carpets), camel hide leather goods, hookah pipes, pesh, pots and pans, and even camels and dancing girls and boys.
Your task is to go to the Great Library of Tephu, gain access to the archives, and then research what you can. This is likely a lengthy process and could take weeks or longer. As such, you'll need accommodations for the duration of your stay in Tephu.
