Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1
Moshedayan is gird in a suit of bronze plate
armour in the style of the Giant Kings of Kuth
2
Ardashir is a member of the hereditary fire
priests, the magi of Zadj
3
The Giant Kings said to have quarried a strange
purple stone for the construction of their cities
The Clay Tablet of Zhaol 4
One of the slave-tribes of the Giant Kings who
chose to head south after the desolation of Elder
Men of bronze1, masters of fire2
Kings of black jungles beneath a purple spire3 kuth rather than northeast like the rest of their
Mad blind hands reach into the night kind.
5
To plumb abysses dead to human sight The guardian in the temple of Nataka in Katanga
The Sons of Ishrah4 adorned with glittering stones has a single, three-lidded eye. Moshedayan, a
The earth yields riches but claims black bones temple guard, also has but one eye
Tunnels in the earth, and vaults, too 6
Nataka, a rendering of Belet-Lil in her aspect as a
Secrets of a lost age remain taboo fertility goddess and the Mother of Monsters
The one-eyed keeper of secrets5 knows the way
To the ivory goddess6 who holds the key all must pray
Part Two: Into Trackless Wastes Thanking the party for its intervention, the
two groups join together and spend a
The large caravan strikes out into the rugged relatively trouble-free trek through the lands
wastes south of Zul-Bazzir. As it skirts of the Azimbans into the lands of Mashota,
perilously close to the Risen Hamunaptra, but King of Kings of Shoma, to whom N’Kruma will
eludes its hungry guardians. Apep tries to commend the party.
feign surprise, but it is clear that this
development was not unexpected… The
perilous lands known as the desolation of
Elder Kuth are avoided, and instead the
expedition’s guides head for the Bahir Oasis in
Yar-Ammon, where tributes are paid to the
local Badawi tribesmen who lay claim to it,
and thereafter, skirting the haunted tomb
hills, though the frontiers of Zadj, where
Ardashir holds some sway, being careful not
to encroach upon the lands of the Slave
Sultans of Al-Qazir.
1. Temple Compound
The temple is an ancient stone tower, circular
in shape, four stories and 80 feet tall. The
Temple of the White Goddess and Precincts tower is surrounded by a 15 feet tall wall with
three gates. One temple guard is always
Ardashir manages to learn a little of posted at each gate, day and night.
N’Kruma’s business in Azimba: there are During the day, both priests and visitors to the
reports that the smiths of Zimballah have temple can be found wandering around in the
learned the secret of iron, which N’Kruma can spacious yard in front of the tower. In the
confirm. Immediately he dispatches some south-eastern corner of the compound is a set
loyal retainers to his Order in Zadj to convey of great wooden drums, which the temple
the news. He also learns of the bitter priests employ to communicate with fellow
infighting within the royal house of Mashota, priests in the villages of Shoma using the
and the atmosphere of mistrust which he secret language of the talking drums.
fuels.
4. Priests’ Quarters
The shaven-headed priests live in large
common rooms on the first floor of the tower.
Each room holds six priests and their personal
belongings. Among the priests, there is an
individual named N’Kruma who is willing to
betray his fellow priests if the reward is great The Ivory Goddess
enough (see above).
6. The Inner Sanctum
5. Antechamber The marble floor (odd in a mud-brick tower…)
At the top of the stairway to the second floor around the dais is covered with cuneiform in
hangs a black silken curtain. Behind the cur- archaic, proto-Susrahnite script. Danho is able
tain is a small antechamber. At the other end to read the words: “Praise the Ivory Goddess!
of the antechamber is a wooden door inset Praise the Mother Goddess! Her lips are
with ivory pieces in the shape of a skull. sweet, life is in her mouth.”
Returning to his companions, Apep reveals Two large braziers are either side of the
what he has discovered. Of significance is the statue. These are lit to reveal the inner
absence of an idol of the White Goddess; he sanctum, a 50 ft square room surrounded by
postulates it must be deeper in the tower, opaque black drapes. A symbol is etched into
somewhere. The King of Kings will receive the an older slab of marble, a flagstone of sorts,
visitors in three days, so time is short. which is stylistically similar to the one on the
Moshedayan, whose wounds have been manuscript sent to Danho, and clearly part of
tended by Manustishu, as almost made a full a larger sigil. Danho commits it to memory.
recovery. He knows the secrets he seeks will
be revealed only with the aid of the Meanwhile, Moshedayan can hear a seductive
Prophesied One. He offers to take up his post gurgling sound from behind the curtains. He
and allow the party access to the temple after resists its lure, while Danho counters with a
dark. tune of his own. Taking a moment to steel
The Kuthian’s suspicious behaviour is noted himself, Moshedayan ventures forth only to
by another temple guard, who challenges him. confront an undreamed-of, three-lidded one-
The reply is swift and bloody, and in moments eyed alien monstrous temple guardian (7.):
the corpse of the guard in unceremoniously
stuffed into one of the great talking drums
and the rest of the party enters
surreptitiously.