Pre-Game Staging - Chapter 000
When we finally get the whole group together, we'll start here:
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Days ago, your group of adventurers joined a desert caravan. Halfway across the desert, a terrible sandstorm struck, separating your party from the rest of the caravan. When the storm died down, you found you were alone. The caravan was nowhere in sight. The desert was unrecognizable, as the dunes had been blown into new patterns. You were lost.
You headed east, the same way the caravan was headed before the storm. Days passed. Your mounts died and you soon drank the last of your water. The end of the desert was not in sight.
The second day after your water ran out, you stumbled up one a number of stone blocks sticking out of a sand dune. Investigation showed that the sand covered the remains of a tall stone wall. On the other side of the stone wall was a ruined city.
The stone blocks of the city had toppled and cracked with the passing of time. Sand had covered most of the buildings. The stones that remained uncovered had been scoured smooth by the blowing sands.
In the center of the city towered a step-pyramid. It had five step-like tiers, each 20' high. The bottom-most tier was almost completely covered with sand. On top of the highest tier were three 30' tall statues. The statue on the left was of a strong, bearded man holding a balance in one hand and a lightning bolt in the other. The middle statue was of a winged child with two snakes twined about its body. The child held wand in one hand and a handful of coins in the other. The statue on the right was of a beautiful woman. In her hands she held a sheaf of wheat and a sword.
On the south side of the pyramid, a ramp with stairs led from the ground to the top of the highest tier. A quick search of the ruins revealed no source of food or water, so you decided to climb the pyramid. In the side of the ramp, level with the floor of the top tier, you found a secret door...