LOST TOMBS OF KARKA DÁN 2

 

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 tombs of the Sun Princes are carved from whatever rock forms are on the islands of the Sun Sea. These tombs are carved from limestone. There are four entrances, typically, in such tomb complexes. The Ashamites start in the south, then move east, then west, then north. It's a metaphor for rebirth from the Underworld, represented by a rune that looks like a lightning bolt, consisting of three lines, always drawn from the bottom, diagonally right, then horizontally left, then diagonally right, again. First in the Underworld, the Realm of Death, Mamlakat Almawt, then the Realm of Chaos, Araduhush (The Beastlands), then the Realm of Law, Jazirat Alejayib (The Isle of Wonder), then, finally, north, The Realm of Life, Mamlakat Alhaya, back to the world. It is in this last tomb, the Dervish Prince Musayad, last of those interred here, was laid to rest. The centipedes cannot enter the complex, due to the Lawful, good magic in its stones, but, the power of Strixa was enough to raise the dead from their resting places. They wander inside, awaiting the call to service, contained by the magical protection of The Lady of Light and the wills of the Sun Priests of Asham. The Ashamite Princes cleanse these tombs, when they are returning to lay their dead to rest, but, the older tombs they leave, due to more pressing concerns, priorities, that keep them busy elsewhere. The dead are contained. That is enough, until they can send someone to lay them to rest, properly. Prince Musayad resides in the tomb with a stepped approach to his sarcophagus. There are two other bodies with him, his son, Ramo, a former general in his armies, and Musayad's wife, Salwa.