The Sands of Arashin-Ral

GM NOTE: Players should have provided you some story about their character, and you can use that
to come up with a reason they are in Eruk. If you don’t have anything to work with, the PCs were
working as mercenaries/blades for hire out of Eruk, where they met a man named Cornahn Dimmit,
who offered them an opportunity to become rich beyond their wildest dreams in exchange for their
escort to the location of the treasure. “A massive hoard beyond that any king has known since
Atlantis fell. Rubies the size of apples, crowns cut from single diamonds, and enough gold to fill the
tallest towers in Aquilonia…”

SCENE 1

The adventure begins in the city of Nakhmet, one of the last “safe” locales before entering the raiding
range of Stygian slavehunters. A sandstorm has beset the town, and no one has been able to come or
go for the last two days. The Player Character (PCs) arrived just before the storm began, and the
townsfolk who are used to such acts of nature expect the storm to die down in the next few hours,
maybe by morning.

The PCs are in a tavern with Cornahn, who is introducing them to Khadid, a Shemite scout he wants to
hire to help get them through the desert to the location he has heard about. He explains that he has
heard of a temple to the south of a rock formation known as The Eye of Arashin-Ral. When Khadid hears
this, he gets a look of superstitious fear on his face, and says if he is to accompany them to that accursed
place, the price is going to be much higher than they had agreed upon. Cornahn is a stingy man, and
doesn’t want to give him any more than the price they had agreed to earlier, as it’s already enough for
the man to retire on. Khadid wishes them luck making it there without someone who knows the way
over the dunes to the south, and takes his leave. Cornahn grumbles to himself, pulls out a map, and
says that they’ll be fine with this map as long as they bring enough supplies with them.

Cornahn suggests they stock up on what they will need for the journey, and meet in the morning after
the storm breaks to begin the trek.

SCENE 2

(4 x # of PCs) Bandits (Slavers) attack a few hours after leaving Nakhmet. Group them in mobs as
desired. Khadid joins the fray near the end of the fight and offers Cornahn his services again, at only a
10% increase in his rate. Cornahn begins to “refuse,” but Khadid brings up the fact that he knows this
area better than anyone in the party, and they will have a much faster journey if he joins. After the
fight, Cornahn is more willing to listen to him, but it’s up to the party if they want to bring him along.

SCENE 2.5

If the group allows Khadid to join the team, the time to the temple should be about three days , as
Khadid wasn’t bluffing and knew how to navigate the desert. If they refuse, the journey takes much
longer, and requires passing two D3 Survival checks, once every few days, to find the Temple. Feel free
to spend some DOOM and throw in a bandit encounter if they are taking too long, along with giving
some good descriptors of what the scene is like (when it isn’t endless sand). D1 Resistance check each
day of travel, suffer 1 Fatigue if failed. There should be an opportunity to rest prior to starting SCENE 3,
where recovery tests can be attempted to regain the vigor lost.

GM NOTE: If PCs start to lose too much Vigor from Fatigue, consider throwing in a D2 Discipline check
from the mental exhaustion of a march through a scorching (or freezing, if traveling at night) desert,
and 1 point of Despair if failed.

SCENE 3

Arrive at Temple of Arashin-Ral. PCs make their way into the temple without problems, and descend a
long stair into the earth before coming to a torchlit room full of chanting (2 x PCs) Cultists, (1 x PCs)
Guards, and (0.5 x PCs) Sorcerers. It is suggested to give the Sorcerers Form of a Beast for a spell (D3 to
change into Giant Scorpions. Alternatively, pay 3 DOOM per Sorcerer to cast this spell), as well as a
supply of Globes of Exploding Liquor. One of the Sorcerers is holding a dagger with a scorpion for the
hilt. The room can look like whatever you want, though it should have some kind of ritual alter near the
center where the cultists were gathering

The cult is about to sacrifice a young Stygian female to Arashin-Ral. She is chained to the altar in the
center of the room. She is wearing typical sacrificial garb, and has a large golden scorpion pendant
around her neck. Anyone familiar with Stygian language can make a D0 Insight check to hear one of the
Sorcerers chanting about an offering. If they choose to roll, momentum gives the following:

 “This offering is to Arashin-Ral, Hedetet’s chosen avatar”

 “He will crush the worshippers of the false god Set”
 “She is the chosen one to unlock his tomb to grant us his greatest secrets”

GM NOTE: In my playthrough, the players did not have any interest in rescuing a Stygian. I spent 3
DOOM to change her into a Nemedian, which was the nationality of a Noble Knight in my group. This
motivated them to rescue her, and felt like an interesting way to spend DOOM like players get to
spend FORTUNE.

If the PCs attempt to surprise the group, but it will be very difficult to approach the sacrificial alter
undetected by the large number of people in the room. If they do surprise them, there is a good chance
the girl may be forgotten in the surprise and survive the encounter. If the surprise fails, the dagger-
wielding Sorcerer can spend 1 DOOM and begin the final chants before the PCs act, striking the death
blow on the next turn if not stopped.

If the girl, Astara, survives, she tells the group she was taken two weeks ago from her village near the
Purple Lotus Swamp (or wherever else if you have to change it). She joins the group as they venture
further, as she has no chance of making it back to civilization on her own.
GM NOTE: If Astara dies prior to the end of the adventure, make sure to give her a chance to give her
pendant to a PC if she dies prior to entering the tomb. She asks them to return it to her people in the
south before passing away.

If they search the bodies after the fight, the PCs can take a few Globes of Exploding Liquor from the
corpses of the Sorcerers. They will be useful later, but PCs don’t need to know that. One of the
Sorcerers has a small mirror inlaid in decorative stone, as well. If they fail to search the dead, you can
put the mirror and a Globe or two into a chest that’s near the door described below.

Searching the room reveals there’s a massive stone door in the back. Inspecting the door with a D2
Insight check reveals the door has carvings on it showing a snake and a scorpion battling for what looks
like a planet. Any PC familiar with Stygian lore reduces the DC by 1. Momentum generates the
following:

 This depicts Set and Hedetet, scorpion goddess of poison and death, battling for earth
 Set ends up the victor, and locks Hedetet and her followers under the earth for all time

The PCs can force this door open with a D3 Athletics check. If they fail to generate the amount of
momentum needed, you could pay 1 DOOM to have the door open, but a Spike Trap (4[CD], Piercing 1,
Vicious 1) goes off with a D4 Acrobatics check to avoid.

GM NOTE: Alternatively, there could be a lever hidden nearby that opens up. Make the call
depending on how the group came out of the last fight, and how you like to run your game.

SCENE 3.5

PCs and their NPC co-horts enter a long, dark hallway. Cornahn won’t lead, but Khadid will if pressed
into it and no other PC will. If this happens, add 1 doom per PC for cowardice in the face of adventure.

If desired, spend 2 DOOM to trap the hallway. Suggested traps could be poisoned darts per Lotus:
Stygian Black, Spikes per Short Sword, or Burning Alcohol (4[CD] variety].

SCENE 4

PCs enter a large, pitch black room with no floor beyond a yard or two from the entryway. There is a
lever that does nothing when pulled, and will be explained later. Torchlight does nothing to piece the
darkness, and dropping a torch into the void reveals a several hundred foot drop. When the torch hits
the bottom, the PCs see a skittering mass sweep away from the fire. These PCs must make a D1
Discipline check, or suffer 3[CD] mental damage from the shock of the sight and the thought of what a
gruesome end awaits anyone who falls down there.

A D1 Observation test (D0 if there are no torches being held by anyone) reveals a faint ray of sunlight
coming in from above. A PC can use the mirror to reflect light around the room, eventually passing over
a green gem in one of the walls. Holding the light on this for a few seconds “charges” it, which causes
the gem to shoot out a light effect similar to that of a laser against fog. This light forms a path leading
away from the ledge the PCs are standing on, and leads into the darkness. A grinding sound is heard,
and the light moves to be held on the gem. The path can only be seen by the green light, torches must
be extinguished to cross.

GM NOTE: This path can be formed of magic, or it could be the light is tracing out a stone path. It can
be straight, or have a few turns in it. Just make sure that it’s still there later if the PCs need it.

At the end of the path, there is another ledge similar to the one at the entry. Torches can now be used
to see the ledge, though the green light provides a dim outline of the ledge. A similar lever is on this
platform. When the gem is “on,” the levers reset the system, remove the light from the gem, and return
the room to its original state. Sunlight is on either side, and the system can be reactivated from either
platform with the mirror.

There is a door that is locked shut with a small inlay in the shape of the mirror. Putting the mirror in the
inlay causes the door to unlock. The mirror remains exposed, and removing it closes the door.

SCENE 5

GM NOTE: All rooms in SCENE 5 are lit by eerie, smokeless green fires that line the walls of each
chamber and hallway.

SCENE 5.25

PCs walk down a short hallway (2 DOOM a trap, if desired), and enter a large, square room. This
appears to have been a central chamber of some kind, with large archways on all sides of the room. It
doesn’t matter which direction the PCs choose, but they first encounter a room full of decaying bodies.
Some of these were previous sacrifices, others were tortured to death, and a few are in the process of
being mummified. PCs make a D2 Discipline check, or suffer 3[CD] from the sight. A D1 Observation
check of the walls show a depiction of people making sacrifices to a tall man with a scorpion tail, then
gaining great power, both politically and learning darker magics.

SCENE 5.5

Returning to the central chamber, the PCs have two directions left to go.

GM NOTE: If the PCs are taxed, or you want to wrap up the session, go straight to 5.75. If you think
they can handle another encounter, continue 5.5

The PCs go through a short hallway into a large, decorated room, with doors to the left and right of the
entrance, though the right side has caved in.. There are (1 x PC) Giant Constrictor Snakes and (0.5 x PC)
Giant Scorpions, though these can be changed out for Minion types if desired. They attack the PCs on
sight, which is shortly after entering and beginning to assess the room.

After the encounter, the PCs can return to the central chamber, or go to the door in this chamber.
Either way, proceed to 5.75
SCENE 5.75

PCs enter a very large room that is more well-lit than the others. There is a stairway leading up to a
massive stone door. Along the central path of the stairs, there are dozens of solid gold sarcophagi
standing in ranks. Each stands eight feet tall, and appear to have no way of opening them when
inspected. There are small offerings strewn about the front of the door, and a PC will find bloodstains
on the door when inspected. A D1 Observation check of the door reveals an inlay in the shape of the
scorpion pendant. When placed in, a bright green light ripples across the door, flashes brightly, then
begins to fade while the door grinds open…

SCENE 6:

PCs walk through the door into a large arched hallway, which leads to a large circular room with a large,
gilded dome. The room is dark until the PCs cross the threshold of the doorway. Once they do, green
and yellow burst into flame around the room (fires line the walls, as well as there being pillars with
flames atop them about the room), revealing a massive trove of treasures. Gold, jewels, chests, pearls,
and scrolls are strewn about everywhere, and at the center sits a massive gold throne in the shape of a
scorpion. Columns supporting the ceiling are around the room, some of them showing signs of damage.

Kahdid (if he’s still with the party) yelps with delight and exclaims that they’ll need a caravan to bring all
this back before running to a nearby pile stuffing his pockets. Cornahn watches him dive into a pile of
gold, then starts looking around the room with a little more discern than his partner, no doubt looking
for just the right item to bring out with him. The PCs should be encouraged to do the same by asking for
a D0 Observation or Thievery check, whichever the PC prefers. Each PC finds treasure based on the
number of successes from the table below. PCs can buy more d20 using DOOM if they choose. Be
descriptive on what kind of treasure is found, then give the values listed below.

0. 15 gold
1. 30 gold
2. 30 gold plus a Masterwork Weapon
3. 50 gold plus a Masterwork Weapon
4. 60 gold plus a Masterwork Armor
5. 80 gold, plus a Masterwork Weapon and Masterwork Armor

GM NOTE: A Masterwork Weapon adds Vicious 1 to a weapon, or adds 1 to Vicious X if it already has
the property on it. A Masterwork Armor provides an additional 1 soak. Feel free to specify an armor
location if using hit locations. PCs should be given a moment to put them on if they so choose.

Once they finish looting, they hear Cornahn shout. They turn to see him holding a grand staff, made
from solid gold with gems inlaid from top to bottom with a jeweled scorpion on the top. He holds it
with both hands over his head and exclaims that this was what he was looking for, and he’s going to be
filthy rich. As he brings it down, he gets a shocked look on his face; he can’t let go of the staff, no matter
how hard he tries.
At that moment, the scorpion at the top of the staff becomes animated, and skitters down the staff, and
up Cornahn’s arm. Cornahn is screaming in terror, and the rest of the NPCs are standing slackjawed in
fear of what is happening. Before anyone can do anything , the scorpion stabs Cornahn with its stinger.
Cornahn screams in agony and falls to his knees. Anyone close enough can see his veins throbbing
through his skin, which start to glow the same eerie green coming from the torches. He begins
convulsing, hard enough that his bones snap as he writhes on the ground. His blond hair begins to
blacken, which is the last thing the PCs see before the glow in his veins becomes so bright they can’t
look directly at it anymore. PCs should make a D1 (or higher, +1 per DOOM spent) Discipline test or take
4[CD] mental damage from the shock.

When the light subsides, Cornahn is no longer there. Instead, a naked man with long black hair is
kneeling where the Brythuntan once stood. He stands, looks around the room, looks at his hands, and
begins to laugh (the evil kind of laugh when a villain thinks he just won). He motions toward the staff,
which flies into his hand. He slams the butt end on the ground, and in a puff of smoke is clothed in
extremely fine garb that looks Stygian, but in an ancient style.

If the PCs try to speak to him, looks at the one that speaks with disgust, says something in a language
that sounds like the root of Stygian, but is different enough that a person who speaks Stygian can’t
understand him. If anyone says the name Arashin-Ral, he glares at them with green glowing eyes.

He blinks/teleports to the throne and sits on it. He speaks a few words, and a loud sound is heard from
the previous room, followed by the sound of shuffling feet. (1 x PCs) Toughened Ghouls and (1.5 x PCs)
Minion Ghouls (describe as larger and smaller mummies) march in from the entryway. They form into
two rows blocking the doorway until Arashin-Ral speaks some commanding words, causing them to
attack the PCs.

The fight goes as usual until most of the mummies are down. At that point, Arashin-Ral joins the fight.
Treat as a Mummified Sorcerer that knows whatever spells you see fit.

GM NOTE: If you want to add some intimidation to his entry to the fight, have him blink behind
Khadid right after he attacks one of the mummies and kill him by stabbing him through the chest with
his (previously unseen) scorpion tail. 2 [CD] mental damage to anyone standing within Reach of
Khadid when this happens.

The fight continues until Arashin-Ral takes a wound or two. This enrages him, as no mortal should be
able to harm him. He blinks back to the center of the room and picks his staff back up. The scorpion
skitters down to his open hand, and he brings it to his neck and allows it to sting him. His body begins to
contort, and he transforms into a gigantic scorpion that fills most of the room.

At this point, the PCs should realize they have no chance at winning in a straight up fight. If they saved
some of the Globes of Exploding Liquor, they can use them to try and bring down some of the columns.
If they manage to bring down two of them, the room starts to collapse. If they don’t have any more
Globes, they can use FORTUNE to find out they kept one or two safe or find a few in the room.
Otherwise, they can try and bait the scorpion into destroying the columns.
After a few columns are down, rumbling can be heard coming from outside the chamber and the roof
starts collapsing. The PCs should begin running for their lives, though how they escape can vary. They
could go back the way they came, and they can escape easily enough if they left the path from SCENE 4
activated. However, if they deactivated it (or you want to spend DOOM to deactivate the system from
the collapsing structure and make it more challenging), they won’t be able to use that path. If this is the
case, they can find a secret door in the central chamber or offshoot rooms from SCENE 5 that is now
exposed from the collapsing structure (but make them sweat a little before they find it). This path leads
through a winding hall that brings them back to the entry room, though the door is ten feet off the
ground. They can then dash out of the tomb before it finishes collapsing into the sand.

Wrap up how you see fit. If Astara survives, a potential hook exists for the next adventure of getting her
back to her people.