Greenfield
Adventurer
Well, there was a sudden turn in fortunes in our game. The Wiz/Cleric died, and the lone front line fighter died.
For those who didn't know (or care), we run a "Round robin" game, where the DM duties pass from person to person, and where several of the characters split class in highly inefficient ways.
Also, we dropped Raise Dead and it's relatives in favor of a different mechanic for bringing back characters. We use Plane Shift, or Shadow Walk or something similar to run a side adventure where characters make a trek to the land of the dead" to bring the characters back.
Well, the Wiz/Cleric was a Priestess of Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic. The fighter "respected all religions" but didn't have a specific deity or pantheon he worshiped into. Which means, of course, that we don't have a clue where his soul would go.
The DM who presided over the deaths admitted that he isn't prepared to run such a side adventure, so now it falls to me.
I have two main options regarding the fallen fighter: We were adventuring in the lands of the Vikings, so he may have been claimed in a territorial fashion, or he may have held a base belief from his homeland, in which case we're dealing with North Africa.
I'm tempted by both prospects, actually. North Africa would pretty much default to Egyptian, since their influence spread all throughout the region. On the other hand, Valkyries are kinda cool.
Still, I could use some help and inspiration as to what to throw at them on such a trek to the underworld.
A little (very little) research on Egyptian mythos said that the sun god Ra was the one who actually collected the souls of the dead during the day, and escorted them to the underworld when he made his passage there every night.
He had to fight his way past Apophis, the guardian serpent of Set, then take them to the Hall of Two Truths, where they would be judged. Judges and deities, 42 in number, sat there, and the person's heart was weighed against an ostrich feather by Maat, goddess of truth/justice. Pass this test and you went to the good place. Fail and you were cast to The Devourer, the crocodile god of the Nile.
The palace itself belonged to Anubis, of course, and the way was lined and guarded by jackals, the guard dogs of the afterlife.
Now that's all well and good. In our world, however, the deities themselves are "missing", engaged in a long and protracted war against forces unknown.
That means that somebody who isn't the sun god is piloting that chariot across the sky and collecting the souls. It also means that Maat and a number of the other deities are unavailable for their duties in the Palace of Two Truths.
Presume a Solar filling in for Ra. It's kind of fitting. He'll need help against Apophis, since he really isn't a match for the god himself.
For story purposes, by the way, I think this Solar will not be the first to hold this duty. Others have perished doing it.
Now, the party will be using Shadow Walk to get there. The Bard who's casting the spell is my character, and had bargained with the gate guardians before (successfully I might add. +27 on Diplomacy will do that.) To keep my character's role to a minimum, the guardians will say something like, "We remember you. You may attend, sing your songs or cast your spells, but if you speak even one word...."
And now we come to the purpose of this request: I'm looking for challenges, inspiration, things to throw at the party to make the trek a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.
The party will consist of a Ranger5/Druid6, a Wiz3/Rogue7, a Monk10/Tattooed Monk1, and a Wiz1/Rogue9. The Bard9/Sand Shaper1/Sublime Chord1 will be available for some spell support, but mostly as an NPC guide/chauffer.
So, dazzle me with your brilliance, your deviousness, your depravity and your Machiavellian scheming!
For those who didn't know (or care), we run a "Round robin" game, where the DM duties pass from person to person, and where several of the characters split class in highly inefficient ways.
Also, we dropped Raise Dead and it's relatives in favor of a different mechanic for bringing back characters. We use Plane Shift, or Shadow Walk or something similar to run a side adventure where characters make a trek to the land of the dead" to bring the characters back.
Well, the Wiz/Cleric was a Priestess of Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic. The fighter "respected all religions" but didn't have a specific deity or pantheon he worshiped into. Which means, of course, that we don't have a clue where his soul would go.
The DM who presided over the deaths admitted that he isn't prepared to run such a side adventure, so now it falls to me.
I have two main options regarding the fallen fighter: We were adventuring in the lands of the Vikings, so he may have been claimed in a territorial fashion, or he may have held a base belief from his homeland, in which case we're dealing with North Africa.
I'm tempted by both prospects, actually. North Africa would pretty much default to Egyptian, since their influence spread all throughout the region. On the other hand, Valkyries are kinda cool.
Still, I could use some help and inspiration as to what to throw at them on such a trek to the underworld.
A little (very little) research on Egyptian mythos said that the sun god Ra was the one who actually collected the souls of the dead during the day, and escorted them to the underworld when he made his passage there every night.
He had to fight his way past Apophis, the guardian serpent of Set, then take them to the Hall of Two Truths, where they would be judged. Judges and deities, 42 in number, sat there, and the person's heart was weighed against an ostrich feather by Maat, goddess of truth/justice. Pass this test and you went to the good place. Fail and you were cast to The Devourer, the crocodile god of the Nile.
The palace itself belonged to Anubis, of course, and the way was lined and guarded by jackals, the guard dogs of the afterlife.
Now that's all well and good. In our world, however, the deities themselves are "missing", engaged in a long and protracted war against forces unknown.
That means that somebody who isn't the sun god is piloting that chariot across the sky and collecting the souls. It also means that Maat and a number of the other deities are unavailable for their duties in the Palace of Two Truths.
Presume a Solar filling in for Ra. It's kind of fitting. He'll need help against Apophis, since he really isn't a match for the god himself.
For story purposes, by the way, I think this Solar will not be the first to hold this duty. Others have perished doing it.
Now, the party will be using Shadow Walk to get there. The Bard who's casting the spell is my character, and had bargained with the gate guardians before (successfully I might add. +27 on Diplomacy will do that.) To keep my character's role to a minimum, the guardians will say something like, "We remember you. You may attend, sing your songs or cast your spells, but if you speak even one word...."
And now we come to the purpose of this request: I'm looking for challenges, inspiration, things to throw at the party to make the trek a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.
The party will consist of a Ranger5/Druid6, a Wiz3/Rogue7, a Monk10/Tattooed Monk1, and a Wiz1/Rogue9. The Bard9/Sand Shaper1/Sublime Chord1 will be available for some spell support, but mostly as an NPC guide/chauffer.
So, dazzle me with your brilliance, your deviousness, your depravity and your Machiavellian scheming!