Tomb of the Ancients
View all episodes in season three.
Welcome, adventurers, to the sun-baked wastes of the South Desert, a land where the wind whispers forgotten names and the sands swallow empires whole.
I am your Dungeon Master, and I tonight invite you now to peer into the heart of an ancient mystery.
You seek water, a vital reprieve from the scorching sun, but beware, for this pyramid offers more than mere sustenance. Within its half-buried walls, rival cults clash, each seeking to claim the tomb’s power for their own. You will uncover secrets that have slept for centuries, and perhaps, if you are truly fortunate, unstop the ancient waters before the desert claims you all.
Ahead of you lies not just a ruin, but a tomb of forgotten gods, clinging to the memory of primordial waters long stilled.
Episode 3
New life from near death. After the adventurers are stranded in the deep desert after a sandstorm swallows their caravan. Hope seems lost until they spot an ancient pyramid jutting from the dunes. The ruins are inhabitted by rival cults clinging to the memory of forgotten gods. At the heart lies a monstrous guardian—a god-serpent born of ancient blasphemy. To survive, the players must navigate faction politics, uncover ancient secrets, and confront the Blood of Lothan.
- Arrival at Khet-Nakor: The adventurers, traveling through the South Desert for water, arrive at the vast, half-buried pyramid known as Khet-Nakor (“Golden River”), which the narrative states is a tomb of forgotten gods.
- Encounter with Sentry and Rivals: The party finds the Sphinx, Minx, guarding the entrance, along with four antagonistic Dragonborn rivals, “Fortune & Glory”.
- The Riddle Challenge: Minx, confirming that the “best tasting most life-giving water” is inside, requires the party to solve riddles to gain entry. The party successfully solves the riddle whose answer is “Rumor”.
- Distracting the Rivals: The party orchestrates a distraction, tricking the rival dragonborn into moving away from the entrance, allowing the “Misbegotten Dust Riders” to find the hidden slide door and enter the pyramid.
- Sealing the Entrance: Upon entry, the stone slab “ratchets back into place with a definitive and metallic sound that echoes in the sudden silence,” plunging the room into darkness and sealing the party inside.
- The Wajette Statue Puzzle: In the first chamber, the party finds a statue of the snake goddess Wajette holding scales. To proceed, they balance the scales by placing the desiccated remains of a cobra onto one side, which causes the statue’s base to open, revealing a downward passage.
- Discovery of the Lotus Pool and Priestesses: Descending (with War using Featherfall), the party finds a room with a tranquil pool adorned with lotus leaves, inhabited by priestesses of the goddess Ashmunda, led by Ara.
- Consuming the Living Water: The party drinks the temple’s water (which Court initially jumped into, dirtying it), finding that it gives a “calming effect” and provides temporary hit points.
- Long Rest and Level Up: The adventurers decide to take a long rest and set a watch. All characters who rested are upgraded to Level 2.
- The Shrine Volumetric Puzzle: War investigates a snake shrine and, using his knowledge of volumetric math (7L, 3L, 1L), calculates how to pour exactly one liter of water into the central urn.
- Triggering the Pitfall: Successfully pouring the water causes the floor beneath War to give way with a “terrifying instantaneous shriek,” dropping him 30 feet into the room below.
- Combat with Giant Centipedes The party descends and encounters Giant Centipedes. Ralph immediately ends the largest threat by casting a maximized Guiding Bolt for 31 damage.
- The Rotating Bridge Chamber: The party moves into a large chamber featuring a pit of writhing snakes and a massive stone platform that rotates on a cantilever over the void.
- Discovery of the Kitchen and Snake People: Sin Biscuit opens a door and discovers a kitchen where half-snake, half-human figures (servants of Lotan) are prepping a meal of “snake of course,” leading to immediate interaction.
- Ambush and Ceasefire: The party is ambushed by armed snake people, but War shouts a plea for peace in Draconic, causing the attackers to lower their bows and agree to a ceasefire.
- The Dinner and Lore Revelation: The party is invited to stay for dinner and learns about the primary conflict: the priestesses want to “cleanse the temple” (kill the snake people), who in turn serve Lotan, the primordial serpent god of chaos. Court recognizes this conflict as a struggle between Bao (Order) and Lotan (Chaos).
- Ominous Cliffhanger: The party sits down to eat, contemplating their new mission: either abandon the water, or fulfill their Paladin duty and free the ancient waters while surrounded by hostile Lotan followers.
Act I: The Sealing of the Tomb
“The sprawling base of the pyramid rises majestically from the desert sands, its weathered stone steps ascending towards the heavens. At its foot, a colossal creature with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the serene face of a human female reclines, its golden eyes fixed on the horizon. Gathered near the ascending stairs, four figures with draconic features are visible: a gold-scaled paladin, a bronze-scaled cleric, a green-scaled rogue, and a red-scaled fighter, all observing the ancient monument.” -DM
Arrival at Khet-Nakor
“I’m a cobalt i am fascinated with socks i love to collect socks” –Sinbiscuit (Ranger)
“I’m the handsome one” Wark (Artificer)
“I am maybe not the most handsome of the two that you have in your party but I am the one that is better at math and that is now canon!” –Bang (Artificer)
The saga of the Misbegotten Dust Riders began not in glory, but in the grueling desperation of the South Desert, a land where the DM reminded them that the sands swallow empires whole. Driven by thirst, seeking “water of vital reprieve from the scorching sun”, they beheld the looming pyramid of Khet-Nakor, a “tomb of forgotten gods clinging to the memory of primordial waters longstilled”.
“We are looking for shelter and water at this point is any assistance you can provide as we are getting low.” -Cort (Paladin)
Encounter with Sentry and Rivals
“Riches? You speak our language! Have you also come to this tomb rob and plunder?” -Dosh (NPC)
At the base of the sacred stairs, the adventurers found their path blocked by two obstacles: the colossal, magically imbued Sphinx, Minx, and four heavily armed Dragonborn, known ominously as “Fortune & Glory.” Court, the Paladin, opened negotiations, pleading their case: “what we are looking for shelter and water at this point is any assistance you can provide as we are getting low”. Minx, noting the contrast with the aggressive Dragonborn, found the party “very different than this lot here”.
“There’s no way I’m going to let you in to catch Nakor not going in to rob and plunder this is a ancient tomb” - Minx The Sphinx (NPC)
The Riddle Challenge
“Oh you’ve heard this one haven’t you” - Minx (NPC) Minx, delighted by the chance to test her intellect, confirmed that inside was the “best tasting most life-giving water in the desert”. Ecstatic that she got to talk to someone after so long, she had multiple riddles.
Riddle #1 What can run, but never walk. Has a mouth, but never talks. Has a head, but never weeps. Has a bed, but never sleeps. Answer: A river.
Riddle #2 I have no breath, yet I whisper to all. I have no wings, yet I travel the world. I carry no weight, yet I can topple kings. What am I? Answer: A rumor.
Riddle #3 I come to all, yet none call me friend. I wait at every journey’s end. No crown nor coin can buy me away. What am I? Answer: Death.
Wark had riddle for Minx the Sphinx:
“They have not flesh nor feathers nor scales nor bones yet they have fingers and thumbs of their own what are they” —Wark (Artificer)”
Distracting the Rivals
“I don’t understand why are I say this loudly to everyone why do we not want the dragon born to follow why do we not want the fortune and glory” –Cort (Paladin)
Knowing they could not deal with the Dragonborn inside, the party resorted to cunning. Court approached the rivals with a lie, whispering that their Sphinx “really has something she wants to tell you it’s not a riddle it is about how to get in”. The Dragonborn rogue “starts heading down the stairs”, taking another with her.
“‘Hey uh Minx really has something she wants to tell you it’s not a riddle it is about how to get in.’ She said she wouldn’t tell us but she will tell you if you go down and ask.” -Bang (Artificer)”
Sealing the Entrance
With the rivals momentarily out of sight, the adventurers slipped through the secret entrance. The moment the last hero crossed the threshold, the world lurched. The stone slab “ratchets back into place with a definitive and metallic sound that echoes in the sudden silence”. Even amidst the tension, the robot Woot, sealed inside, could not help but shout his confusion: “why do we not want the dragon born to follow why do we not want the fortune and glory”.
“The slab ratchets back into place with a definitive and metallic sound that echoes in the sudden silence” -DM
The Wadjet Statue Puzzle
sounds like they’re filling up this place with gas are they all going to die but I wouldn’t worry about it” –W00t (Rogue)
Their path was immediately blocked by the chamber of the snake goddess, Wadjet. To open the way, the statue’s scales, currently weighted by a feather, needed balance. The grim solution was quickly determined by the artificer Bang: “we can put the snake there”, referring to the desiccated remains of a cobra. The offering was accepted, and the serpent’s base split open, revealing a new passage downward.
“We obviously tripped something in the room–rude! Sorry about that!” –W00t (Rogue)
Act II: Descent and the Waters of Ashmunda
Discovery of the Lotus Pool and Priestesses
The downward passage led to a cool, humid sanctuary—the Lotus Pool. Here, the head priestess Ara emerged, greeting them with cryptic grace: “The lotus opens for those who wait… do you seek rest or revelation”. They learned the inhabitants served Ashmunda, the goddess of “night and healing”.
Consuming the Living Water
“This water is now dirty” – Ralph (Cleric)
Thirst overcoming caution, the party rushed the pool. Ralph immediately ruined the serenity: “I’m running [and] dive into the water screaming hot hot hot… This water is now dirty”. Despite the immediate pollution, the water granted them a “calming effect” and temporary hit points. The robot Woot, however, maintained his skepticism: “I’m just going to say it now drinking bath water never turns out well”.
“I take a big swig out of it all right tastes good enough to me” –Cort (Paladin)
“I’m just going to say it now drinking bath water never turns out well” -W00t (Rogue)
Long Rest and Level Up
Minx, speaking through Ara via contract magic, offered an unsettling invitation during the night watch: “oh absolutely you can use my bunk she smiles do you want to join me she’ll be in it at the same time wishing for two is that what you wish”. The adventurers, however, prioritized self-improvement, choosing to rest and advance to Level 2. Woot articulated the meta strategy: “you’ll get to level two and you can pursue this afterwards and we can pursue it with level two intelligence”.
“Boom boom for the bang bang.” -Bang (Artificer)
The Shrine Volumetric Puzzle
The next challenge, a puzzle of water and volume, was ideally suited for the artificers. War correctly identified the geometry of the vessels: “the volutric size of the urn next to the statue seems to be about one liter or so and then the two containers off on the side are uh about seven and three liters”.
Triggering the Pitfall
War’s success in solving the math triggered immediate calamity. The floor beneath him gave way “with a terrifying instantaneous shriek and grinding stone sending you on a gut-wrenching plunge into the into the floor below”. Woot, watching the failure of intellect, could not resist the observation: “he wasn’t able to do the math that was not that was that was the breaking point”.
Combat with Giant Centipedes
After War saved himself with Feather Fall, the party descended into the ruinous room to face monstrous Giant Centipedes. The cleric Ralph ended the first threat with divine fury, shouting, “cravy crawers and I’m going to cast guiding bolts on the big one mhm for a nat 20 to hit… 31 points of damage holy smokes it goes down”.
The Rotating Bridge Chamber
The lower level featured a massive circular chamber with a bridge spanning a pit of “writhing snakes”. The party correctly identified that the stone platform could rotate on a cantilever, and Ralph, finding the lever, declared: “I try to push because look like something I can push”. The platform groaned and rotated, sealing off their entrance.
Act III: The Serpent’s Truce
Discovery of the Kitchen and Snake People
Sin Biscuit, moving ahead, “throw[s] open the door” to find a surprisingly domestic scene: a kitchen staffed by “five half snake half human people”. When asked about the meal, the cook’s reply was perfectly chilling and absurd: “snake of course”.
“What’s on the menu? Snake. Of course it is.” –Sinbiscuit (Rogue)
Ambush and Ceasefire
This brief encounter led to a tense ambush in the adjoining hall. Court was struck by an arrow and took four damage. Before the battle could escalate, War shouted in Draconic, “can you guys just chill for a minute”. The attackers immediately lowered their bows and backed away, conceding a fragile ceasefire.
“What’s the spawn’s name? Spawn of lotan–that’s not very original.” –W00t (Rogue)
“I never killed a spawn of a primordial god before but it’s before noon.” –Cort (Paladin)
“I am contractually bound to tell you that the longer we stay here the more likely it is that they’ll attack and kill us.” –W00t (Rogue)
The Dinner and Lore Revelation
The party was invited to an unsettling dinner. The snake-folk, led by Bossha, served them appetizers of “blended up centipede”, and made clear their fanatical loyalty to Lotan, the primordial serpent of chaos. Bossha declared the central conflict: “The priestesses want to kill buffering they’re interested in cleansing this place”. Court, bound by his code, realized the agonizing choice he faced, knowing that the conflict was the eternal struggle where “loton representing chaos bailac representing bringing order”.
“This grey stuff is blended up centipede. It has oh this most savory aftertaste” –DM (describing the centipede pâté)
Ominous Cliffhanger
Surrounded by the followers of Lotan, the party found themselves caught in a moral, tactical, and contractual web. Woot gave his final, urgent warning: “I am contractually bound to tell you that the longer we stay here the more likely it is that they’ll attack and kill us”. Bossha, unmoved, sealed their immediate fate: “we’ll hold you for dinner and you must tell us what you will go and do afterwards”. The adventurers, sitting down to a meal of centipede pâté, knew the real adventure—the choice between chaos and order—was only just beginning.