LOST TOMBS OF KARKA DÁN 1

Hook: After sailing the sparkling water of the Sun Sea for a week, you were apprehended by Ashamite sailors. They look different than others you have seen. They are dressed in loose white linen robes cinched by black sashes at their waists, a woollen black cloak rests upon their shoulders, and an Imamah, a head covering consisting of a white cloth wrapped around a short conical hat. Tucked into their sashes at their waists is a single, curved blade in an elaborate bronze sheathe. They immediately took you to their Prince, Razon, the current ruler of that part of the sea. He doesn't like you being in his waters, and has tasked you with a way to prove your worth, or he will have you executed as spies, since you were sailing in a ship bearing the colours and symbols of The Beast. You curse your luck, and try to explain that you had to escape goblin clutches aboard one of their vessels. The Prince did not care... You are asked to visit one of their old tombs, the resting place of the Dervish Prince Musayad, direct servant of Amalthea, called Litahdia by the Ashamites, and cleanse it of the evil there. The tombs of their ancestors are frequently infested with agents of chaos and evil, and they cannot keep up with their cleansing, with matters needing to be addressed upon the sea, which is far more pressing than cleansing old tombs of those already dead. During the Strixian Apocalypse, Strixa raised the dead princes of Asham to aid her from the seaward side, to distract the Sun Princes while her landed forces attacked the western lands of Eräland and Antŵra and eastern land of Táryŵn... The curse persists after the war, but, the dead are devoid of purpose, and simply wander, until faced with the good or hated living, awaiting direct orders from Strixa or her kin. It has become custom for the Princes of Karka Dán to send those they want to test, or punish, into these tombs to liberate them, as best they can. Most never return... It is a test of purity. Razon says he will instruct his Dervishes to take you aboard one of their ships. They have already burned yours and sent it to the bottom of the sea... 

Details: The Lost Tombs of Karka Dán are the burial chambers of a dynasty of Ashamite, heroic warrior princes. They defend the seas and islands they rule bearing the royal standard of the sea unicorn with a black horse upper body, pearly white-scaled fish lower half, and white horn representing the petty goddess Amalthea, an agent of good and law. She is called Litahdia by the Ashamites, specifically the line of Karka Dánic Princes who serve her, directly, as ascetic healers and Dervish warriors. The limestone tombs are carved from the very rocks, usually on nameless, tiny islands capable of serving one or two such crypts. The tomb of Musayad is awash in evil. The dead have been raised, including the prince, himself. They wander the halls, restlessly, attacking any who come looking. A nest of giant, poisonous, evil centipedes, chaotic, evil examples of their smaller cousins, have taken up residence in the upper portion of the rock outcropping and attack any who try to enter. Statues of Litahdia are located near each the four entrances to the tomb complex. They guard the path, which is a narrow, cleared area the centipedes cannot touch. Neither can the dead. The paths to the tombs are sanctified with crushed rock crystal dust (now no longer visible) by the Dervish priests upon the interment of any new dead. The repeated effort has left the paths heavily protected by the powers of good and law. Evil or chaotic people will find it very difficult to stand on these paths, and must make checks to see if they can remain on them.