What Happens Next
Respen replies, "Oh yes, Duncan, we sure did."
GM: |
Respen gives a brief explanation of what's been happening since the party entered the tent.
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The party stocks up on foodstuffs and waterskins, which the nomads freely provide, in lieu of the party's generous monetary donations to their chieftain.
GM: |
The water and rations were free; anyone who wants one can buy an exceptional (trained) camel for 100 gp., or a normal camel for 75 gp. Just make a note of it on your sheet, and subtract the appropriate amount of gold. I am not going to keep track of minutia such as this.
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GM: |
Since I am not a mind-reader, and since I cannot guarantee that everyone buys themselves a camel, I am going to assume a mixed party (some bought, some didn't) meaning that some camels will have two riders. It will therefore take 4 hours to reach your destination. Results of random encounter checks: 0 (no encounters.)
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The party, somewhat mounted, and well-stocked with food and water, are grateful to give their feet a rest as their camels take them slowly but steadily toward their intended destination. The trip is short, and uneventful. You surmise that the scarcity of wild beasts has to do with the proximity of the nomad camp, which is an effective deterrent against all but the mightiest of magical beasts.
After hours of toiling over dry wastes, you notice the terrain becoming much more broken with jagged hills and treacherous gullies. Soon, you arrive at the mouth of a narrow valley with sheer cliff walls:
The Valley of the Queen.
The Valley of the Queen lies just inside the borders of the Barren Hills, about 5 miles south of the Nomad Camp. As the dry earth of the wastes begins to rise into the rocky hills, a narrow valley cuts into the stony hillside. The valley itself is about 1,200 feet long, and 350 feet wide, with steep walls that rise up to nearly 300 feet.
In the center of the ravine are the ruins of an ancient pyramid, which look crumbled and unapproachable; in front of the pyramid stands an ancient statue of a crowned Gynosphinx, slightly worn from millennia of desert winds, but otherwise unmarked. The colossal sculpture stands 150 feet tall, 75 feet wide, and 300 feet long, and is made from a strange, gray stone that seems almost luminescent in the bright sunlight. The stone is unlike any native to this area, and the workmanship is extremely fine. You surmise that during the dark hours, this statue probably glows brightly enough to illuminate the entire valley as if by torchlight.
The statue of the majestic female sphinx depicts her wearing a simple crown, and special attention has been paid to her facial details and muscular tone; she is shown with her paws extended in front of her, which form a shadowy alcove at the base of the statue, perhaps cloaking a doorway...
EVERYONE: What Do You Do?