2. Gimel, The High Priestess
Once
they leave the Magician's garden the party will find themselves back in
the meadow. About a mile away to the South they can see a large marble
building, fantastically intricate in design. It is standing on a small
island surrounded by a wide, fast-flowing river. There is no bridge and
the PCs will have to find their own way across. Beyond the building, on
the other side of the river is a vast forest.When they have forded the river the party will be presented with a wide set of steps rising about twenty feet up to the open entrance to the temple. Inside there is a plain ante chamber with a curtained exit from behind which the PCs can hear the sound of rushing water.
Passing beyond the curtain the PCs find themselves in a dimly lit room where Gimel the High Priestess sits on her throne with a stream of water flowing over her feet. She sits between two immense pillars, the one on her left is silver, inscribed with a 'J' the other is jet black, inscribed with a 'B'. The tops of these pillars are lost in the gloom way above the PCs heads. On her lap Gimel holds a half opened book, a perception roll of 7+ will notice the word TORA written on its spine. The Priestess wears a flowing robe of pale blue and silver and a head dress in the form of a crescent moon. Behind her is a second doorway in front of which hangs a curtain decorated with embroidered pomegranates.
Gimel
is a young woman of surpassing beauty yet she radiates an air of wisdom
beyond her apparent age and a feeling of mystery surrounds her. When
she speaks it is in a soft and gentle voice that falls on the ear like
music but also gives the impression that she is a being of immense
power. Her expression is always happy but her smile seems to imply that
she knows far more than she's telling, which of course, she does. She,
like many people in this land, will not tell the PCs either her name or
anything about the Four Kingdoms other than the fact that they are the
birthplace of all magic. Her full name is The Priestess of the Silver
star but she will only ever refer to herself as The Priestess.
Smiling at the party she will produce two keys, one black, the other silver, from beneath the book on her lap and say:'Welcome Aleph the Fool and welcome also to your companions. I am The Priestess and I hold here the keys that will unlock the two paths of Heaven and Hell. To earn the right to pass beyond me through the veil of the temple you see before you, you must travel the two paths and return here to consult my book. Only when you have accomplished this will you be able to part the veil and proceed with your quest.'
She then offers the keys to the party. Each key will fit a small lock on one of the pillars. The black key will open a portal in the black pillar leading to the Path of Hell and the Silver key will open a portal in the silver pillar leading to the Path of Heaven. When a key is used a portion of the pillar will change to become an area of swirling smoke about the size of a normal doorway which the PCs can step through.
The Path of Hell
Stepping through the portal in the black pillar the party find
themselves standing in a large dark cavern. In front of them is a vast,
still, inky black lake and behind them is a solid rock wall.By the shore of the lake is a large, black barge on which Charon the boatman stands ready to transport the party across. The PCs must pay one copper penny each for their fare, except for Aleph and Igack who are exempt. All must go together or none. If the PCs cannot pay they are stranded here forever. However, it should not be too difficult for them to create a few pennies. The coins must be copper and there must be one for each character.
The crossing takes about half an hour during which Charon methodically poles the barge with slow, deliberate movements. He will not speak to the PCs or answer any questions. Should someone decide to attack him they will have no effect on him and he will tip the offending character from the barge with his pole. The icy waters of the River Styxx will drag the character down to a watery death. Charon will graciously refund the dead character's penny to the remainder of the party.
The Second Cavern
On the far side of the river is a narrow stone jetty which leads to an ominous looking passage in the side of the cavern. The passage slopes downwards and a Perception roll of 9+ will allow a PC to hear moans and cries faintly emanating from it.
The passage has many twists and turns in it and descends for a considerable distance before emerging into a second large cavern. This cavern is thronged with the shades of the dead.
These shades are insubstantial and cannot harm the party in any way. However, they all reach out and try to grab the party members as they pass, perhaps in an attempt to steal back the lives that they have lost. Their cries and moans are incoherent yet, if a character stops and concentrates, he can almost make out the words. Any character who has lost friends or relatives will see them here. Stopping here for too long could prove fatal. Every turn a random character (not Aleph of course) will lose one Body level without noticing. If a character loses three levels he will collapse into a coma which will last until the party leaves this cavern.
The exit is on the far wall, about 800 yards away. It cannot be seen from the entrance that the party have used due to the poor light in the cavern. If the party choose to follow the cavern wall they will have to walk nearly a mile to reach it, pushing through the crowded shades and losing Body levels the whole time.
Waiting near the exit is a strange glowing shade. It appears as a human sized woman with an indistinct face. Once it sees the PCs approaching, which will be when they are about 50 yards from reaching the exit, it will move towards them to attack. A Perception roll of 7+ will spot it coming, a roll of 5+ will spot the exit itself.
Shade
| 1st Attack | Attack | Damage | Defence | Soak | Body levels |
| +10 | +20 | 1 Body drained | Only magic affects it | 15 +1 per level gained during combat | It begins with body levels equal to those lost by the PCs in the cavern and gains 1 every time it attacks successfully |
Special The Shade's attack can only be dodged not parried as it only needs to touch its victim. Corporem and Mentem spells have no effect. Taking damage does not affect its combat rolls in any way but as it loses levels it slowly shrinks and cannot attack once it has three or less remaining. At this point it still resembles a human, although it is only about 3' high. As it takes more damage it will curl up until finally, as it loses its last Body level, it will resemble a glowing orb about 6 inches in diametre. This orb may be picked up without causing harm to a character and feels like water although it keeps its shape. The silvery light it gives off is quite pleasant, not unlike moonlight. The party should take the orb with them as they will need it later.
Once the Shade has been defeated the PCs will no longer lose Body levels for being in the cavern and there is nothing to stop them taking the exit passage. Once the party is in this passage any characters that fell into a coma may be revived with healing spells or potions or whatever. The passage slopes steeply upwards for a short distance before it emerges into a room. This room is empty except for a row of doors on the far wall. There is one door for each character including Aleph and Igack.
The doors are wooden and open easily into the room but each will allow only a single character through before closing and disappearing from the wall. Looking through any of the open doors will show a 6ft passage with the same dimensions as the door itself apparently cut through soil. Beyond this the characters can see only a star-filled firmament.
As a character goes through a door he will feel it close behind him. Immediately after this he will experience a moment of vertigo and dizziness followed by the realization that he is lying on his back in a hole and looking up at the night sky. (There is no Moon but this will only be noticed if a player actually asks about it.)
When they stand up the PCs will see that they are in graves. All about them stretches a vast cemetery. Just visible in the distance, a large mausoleum stands brooding on a hill.
As they get closer to the mausoleum the PCs will be able to see it has a crescent moon on its roof. At about the same time the graves around the party will start to erupt as their inhabitants struggle to the surface to begin their shambling attack on the party.
The undead are mostly zombies with rusted weapons and only the barest remains of armour and clothing. Amongst these are also some skeletons in the remains of far older armour who brandish bronze weapons. The undead should attack in enough force to make the party consider running but there should not be so many attacking at once that the players are overwhelmed. The undead will keep coming however, in wave after wave if the characters insist on standing their ground. About two undead per character is usually sufficient, with a new wave arriving each round.
The only place of refuge is the mausoleum. It will take the party about three turns to run to it from where they are first attacked and the undead will rise to block them at every opportunity. Once the party starts running it will easily outdistance the pursuing undead and will only have to contend with the ones that climb out of the ground in front of them.
Zombie
| 1st Attack | Attack | Damage | Defence | Soak | Body levels |
| +3 | +6 | +9 | +5 | +17 vs. Puncture +12 vs. Other | 0 -3 D |
Skeleton
| 1st Attack | Attack | Damage | Defence | Soak | Body levels |
| +2 | +4 | +6 | +3 | +17 vs. Puncture +12 vs. Other | 0 D |
Special: All the undead are immune to Mentem spells.
The Mausoleum
The mausoleum is entered through a single door which is unlocked, once the PCs are inside the undead will mill around noisily outside but will not try to force an entry. Inside is a single room containing a massive set of silver weighing scales. These scales are presently unbalanced because a heavy black rock sits in one of the containers weighing it down. This rock has a strangely disturbing appearance, almost a malevolence about it.
The rock is a lump of pure ignorance and any character who touches it will lose 1 point of Intelligence permanently. If this should happen a Perception roll of 9+ will spot the rock grow in size a little. The rock is too heavy to lift.
The scales must be balanced by putting the glowing orb that is the remains of the shade on them. When this is done the scales will tip the other way and the room will flood with silvery light as the orb grows and rises through the roof to become the Moon which will take its rightful place in the heavens.
The mausoleum will then fade from around the party and they will find themselves back in the temple in front of Gimel.
The Path of Heaven
Stepping throught he portal in the silver pillar the party will find
themselves standing on a mountain top. Below them the land is
invisible, hidden by a thick layer of cloud that begins about 50ft
below their present position. Although it is light it is a strange,
dull vista that the PCs survey which has a feeling of lifelessness
about it. There is no Sun in the sky but this will only be noticed if a
character asks about it.Off in the distance, about a mile away, the top of a golden pyramid can be seen protruding up from the cloud layer.
The clouds will support the weight of a character if they try to walk on them. This will become apparent if someone tries to climb down the mountain because they will find that they are unable to push through the clouds. However, every time a character checks for a weak spot or hole in the clouds, they will find one. The way across is to trust. Flying doesn't work here.
The Pyramid
The
pyramid is smooth and slippery and rises 75ft above the clouds. Near
its summit, on the side facing the party, is a dark, rectangular
opening about 9ft square.Through he opening is a flight of stone steps that spiral downwards and end in a single, large chamber. In this room, which is about 100ft to a side, sits a large stone sphinx. Behind the Sphinx is a miniature Sun in a gold cage. The intense light from this illuminates the room. The key to unlock the cage hangs around the neck of the Sphinx and is in the form of an ankh.When the PCs approach the Sphinx it will open its eyes and fix them with its penetrating gaze. It will ask:'Do you seek the key?' An untruthful answer such as 'no' will anger the Sphinx and its massive paw will lash out and kill the offender instantly. The same fate awaits anyone who tries to take the key. Characters killed this way are too far gone to be saved by healing.
Once the Sphinx gets an affirmative answer it will continue 'Who amongst you is willing to take the test and answer my
questions three?'
The lucky volunteer must give the answers to
the questions but the part may confer beforehand. The Sphinx will give no
indication as to whether the answer to each question is correct before
continuing on to the next. If three questions are answered correctly in a row
it will give the answering PC the key to the cage and return to its dormant
state. If the party get one or more question wrong it will say 'Return tomorrow, if tomorrow comes.' It will then revert to its dormant state.
Tomorrow will never arrive because the Sun is in the cage. However, after 24
hours the party may try again, the Sphinx will treat them as if they're a new
group. They may repeat this until necessary or they die of starvation or similar.
The Sphinx's Questions
Choose from these or provide others in a similar vein that you prefer:
'I am the barge-rider, the life giver in
chains.' The Sun or Ra.
'I am life but not living, I am
freedom-giving.' The Ankh.
'See how I am three grown from four and
becoming one. I show my faces to the four winds. I contain secrets yet am
obvious to all.' A Pyramid.
'Khat is my body, Ba my soul and Khu my spirit.
Ka is my double, Ab my heart and Khaibit my shadow. Ren is my name and Sekhem
my power. The texts proclaim this and more: Heaven has my Ba and Earth my
Khat.' A Man (these are the Egyptian names for
the parts of a man).
'Iam the four elements. i am the Lion, the Bull, the Man and the Eagle.
Combined are they in me, the embodiment of the fifth and secret element.' The Sphinx.
The character that comes up with the correct answer to each riddle gets 1XP for
each one.
Once the party have the key they can open the cage. When they do this the top
of the pyramid opens like a flower and the freed Sun will rise up to take its
place in the heavens where it will burn away the clouds to let its light shine
on the lands below.
The pyramid will then fade away and the PCs will find themselves back in the
temple in front of Gimel. They will still have the Ankh with them and this may
be used as a healing item that will cure three Body levels per day (total) by
touch.
Back in the Temple
When the PCs have completed both tasks the Priestess will invite each character
forward in turn to look into her book.
Reading the book is an intensely personal moment for each character and is
impossible to describe adequately. It lets them see themselves and the Universe
they inhabit in a new light. In practical terms each character will have their
Perception raised by D4 points.
Once all this is done the Priestess will say:
'You are ready now to continue, use your new
insight wisely it will aid you in the trials to come.'
The party may now pass through the second
doorway behind the veil.
Rewards
Completing the Priestess' quests gains each character 3XP
Answering each riddle gets that player's Mage 1XP
The Priesress
When I lifted the first veil and entered the outer court of the Temple of Initiation, I saw in half darkness the figure of a woman sitting on a high throne between two pillars of the temple, one white, and one black. Mystery emanated from her and was about her. Sacred symbols shone on her green dress; on her head was a golden tiara surmounted by a two-horned moon; on her knees she held two crossed keys and an open book. Between the two pillars behind the woman hung another veil all embroidered with green leaves and fruit of pomegranate.
And a voice said:
"To enter the Temple one must lift the second veil and pass between the two pillars. And to pass thus, one must obtain possession of the keys, read the book and understand the symbols. Are you able to do this?"
"I would like to be able," I said.
Then the woman turned her face to me and looked into my eyes without speaking. And through me passed a thrill, mysterious and penetrating like a golden wave; tones vibrated in my brain, a flame was in my
heart, and I understood that she spoke to me, saying without words:
"This is the Hall of Wisdom. No one can reveal it, no one can hide it. Like a flower it must grow and bloom in thy soul. If thou wouldst plant the seed of this flower in thy soul--learn to discern the real from the false. Listen only to the Voice that is soundless... Look only on that which is invisible, and remember that in thee thyself, is the Temple and the gate to it, and the mystery, and the initiation."
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT by P D. OUSPENSKY
And a voice said:
"To enter the Temple one must lift the second veil and pass between the two pillars. And to pass thus, one must obtain possession of the keys, read the book and understand the symbols. Are you able to do this?"
"I would like to be able," I said.
Then the woman turned her face to me and looked into my eyes without speaking. And through me passed a thrill, mysterious and penetrating like a golden wave; tones vibrated in my brain, a flame was in my
heart, and I understood that she spoke to me, saying without words:
"This is the Hall of Wisdom. No one can reveal it, no one can hide it. Like a flower it must grow and bloom in thy soul. If thou wouldst plant the seed of this flower in thy soul--learn to discern the real from the false. Listen only to the Voice that is soundless... Look only on that which is invisible, and remember that in thee thyself, is the Temple and the gate to it, and the mystery, and the initiation."
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT by P D. OUSPENSKY
