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The Sandman Will Keep You Awake - The Loop
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You come to a central chamber, and Nephren-Ka is performing a ritual within. He is surrounded by hundreds of statues and idols, all carved in the likeness of horrible, faceless creatures. A man lies bound upon an altar, screaming for help. You try to tip one of the larger statues (![]() |
The statue shatters, and Nephren-Ka howls savagely, breaking into a fierce chant that withers your flesh into dust. You feel yourself weaken under the gaze of the faceless idols, but you attempt to conjure a ward (![]() |
Deathly silence permeates the air as the Dark Pharaoh completes the blood sacrifice. Empowered, he waves a hand in your direction, and pain erupts throughout your body as you are eaten from within by ravenous scarabs.
You are devoured. |
The sound of hurried footsteps echoes through the halls of the pyramid, and it occurs to you that Nephren-Ka may be holding people captive within. A frantic young man appears, looking worriedly over his shoulder, threatening to kill you if you come any closer. You try to calm him (![]() |
The young man introduces himself as Robert Blake. He claims to be possessed and begs you to help him imprison the darkness that haunts him (![]() |
Just when you have given up trying to pacify the young man, he suddenly grow quiet and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, his eyes are tri-lobed and ablaze wit a dark fire that burns away everything that makes you whole. Impair each of your skills. |
You encounter Nephren-Ka at the end of a long, illuminated hallway, but he does not seem to notice you. He works tirelessly, as if possessed, carving visions of the future into the walls of the crypt. As you advance towards the Dark Pharaoh, you marvel in his prophetic illustrations (![]() |
You speak to Nephren-Ka and tell him that you too have the gift of prophecy (![]() |
Enthralled, you come at last to a prophecy that puzzles you. The subject of the panel looks eerily like yourself and lies dying at the base of a sprawling tapestry. Too late, you feel the Dark Pharaoh's breath upon your neck.
You are devoured. |
Deep within the pyramid, you come across a pair of statues of the Blind Apes of Truth, surrounded on all sides by stone sarcophagi. Upon closer inspection, you find that the intricately carved sarcophagi depict not human bodies, but those of demons and other dark creatures (![]() |
You work to translate the inscriptions on the sarcophagi (![]() |
Horrified, you stumble backward, falling heavily upon your side. Fazed, you attempt to stand, only to find yourself gazing into infinity through the eyeless sockets of a grinning ape.
You are devoured. |
A man dressed in golden Pharaoh's garb stands before you, but it is not Nephren-Ka. You shudder as his icy gaze passes over you. If you have a Dark Pact Condition, you are devoured. He smiles, radiating an aura of dread and despair. You plead with him to let you pass (![]() |
He agrees, but only if he judges you to be a worthy adversary, and locks you in a penetrating gaze (![]() |
Devoid of emotion, he hexes you and casts you out into the sands. You hear his wicked laughter upon the wind, and you fall to your knees, coughing up blood. Gain a Cursed Condition. Each investigator on the Egypt side board gains 1 Illness Condition. |
While searching for Nephren-Ka's chamber, you are blinded by a sudden flash of light. When you can see again, you are startled to find yourself standing before an older, weary version of yourself. Your double claims to have been sent from the future to help you, but you are wary (![]() |
You recognize a mark upon the hand of your double to be the sigil of the Faceless God. You turn down the gifts offered to you, but ask for help dealing with the Dark Pharaoh (![]() |
Convinced that your doppelganger means no harm, you accept the gifts given to you freely, and when you are beckoned to peer into the light of a beautiful shining stone, you do so eagerly. Gain a Dark Pact Condition and 2 Relic Unique Assets. |
You run into a group of priests patrolling the halls of the pyramid. They tell you that Nephren-Ka has commanded that they search the premises for intruders, and demand to know your business. You claim to be an agent of the Dark Pharaoh, and ask to be taken to meet with him (![]() |
As the priests lead you into a narrow antechamber, you seize the opportunity and attack them (![]() |
Unamused, the priests throw you into a bloody pit. As you scramble to your feet, the light in the room is extinguished, but not before you catch a glimpse of a horror that could only be the inspiration for the Great Sphinx.
You are devoured. |
You hear Nephren-Ka's voice coming from all direction at once, reciting an eldritch invocation. The chant grow faster with each verse, and you can sense him gaining power. You draw a deep breath and focus your senses, listening carefully to determine where his voice is coming from (![]() |
You find Nephren-Ka in the eleventh hour, and in desperation, you sacrifice some of your essence to annul his dark litany (![]() |
You run through corridor after corridor, but the voice is always just around the next corner. The hallways begin to stretch and warp and when you throw open a door and see only the infinite void, you know that you have failed.
You are devoured. |