GR 37: The Mysterious Benefactor

A wealthy and seemingly powerful benefactor, whose identity remains unknown, gathered together a group of mid-level Etherics of various backgrounds and areas of expertise to retrieve coveted artifacts from ancient tombs scattered across the Gephtan desert. These Etherics were not acquainted with one another prior to being assembled, but all of them shared in a desire for the opportunity for wealth and power that the benefactor offered in return for the desired artifacts.
The party was first transported by their benefactor to the Tomb of Laral’Ket, the burial place of an ancient Solari warlord who was known as “The Lord of Sorrows”. After navigating many traps and secret passageways, the party was able to obtain the sought-after artifact, Laral’Ket’s Pendant of the Undying. Along the way, members of the group obtained several valuable and etherical items for themselves, including Nanush’s recovery of the Black Robes of Laral’Ket, which allowed him to ethereally pass through sealed portals. Lenni found a ring bearing a strange gear insignia, by which he was able to open locks. Unfortunately, his man at arms was crushed to death went Lenni sent him ahead to explore a chamber he had unlocked. In a strange chamber in this tomb the party found four glass-like cylinders that appeared to hold the bodies of four individuals. The party learned these were the four followers of Laral’Ket, who were warlords and powerful entities in their own right – Zornath, Leshar, Kor’Gal, and Morgar. In a follow-up session, the party explore further. Eventually finding the tomb of Larel'ket himself, the party retreived the Pendant their master sought, but they had to battle the mummy lich and his minions to escape.
For their second mission, the group’s mysterious benefactor transported them to the Tomb of Morgar (one of the minions of Larel'ket), where they were to find and return Morgar’s Atlas of Dreams. This tome was once the most prized possession of the thief-warlord Morgar, and allowed him to use the etherical maps within to distort reality and ethereally transport himself in and out of various locations. Entering through a side "workers entrance" which had been revealed by a cave in, they found this tomb protected by animated skelatal guardians. The crypts of many of Morgar's henchmen were found, including one in which Nanush found his signature red fez hat, a minor ethereall item he refers to as the Fez of Gonlith the Steward. After again navigating many traps and puzzles, and battling the undead guardians of the tomb, the group successfully completed their mission by acquiring the coveted Atlas.
For their third mission, the group found themselves ethereally transported to a dungeon complex of unknown location and origin, thought to be associated with Le'Shar, a female master-thief and minion of Larel'Ket. This time, however, the party's makeup was different; of the original group, only Nanush and Lenni remained. The others were replaced by new members Jax, Bill, and Skeevies, all of them with prowess in combat and martial skills rather than etherea like their predecessors (at that point, what became of Tari, Abe and Therod is unknown). With some brief background provided to the newcomers by Lenni and Nanush, the group quickly began exploring the ancient complex, looking for loot and any signs of powerful artifacts that their benefactor might desire. Skeevies, being of a roguish nature, took off on his own, only to appear later as a turncoat, trying to assassinate other members of the party. Lenni had an unfortunate encounter with a semi-sentient pool of acidic ooze that nearly cost him a foot, while Jax and Bill found and liberated a mysterious woman who was encased in a glass-like prison and had no recollection of who she was or how she got there. Nanush encountered a group of cultists around an ancient altar and sent them away after pretending to be their master. When the rest of the group arrived at the altar room, a battle ensued with a reptilian creature who at first appeared to be a statue of sorts. The monster was defeated, and Bill recovered a two-sided mask that the group believed may have belonged to Le'Shar. Along the way, the group had also recovered several pieces of what appeared to be an ancient circular Solari artifact ... but the adventure was cut short when their Benefactor suddenly pulled the party and the woman back by ethereal means after recovering the mask.
For their fourth mission, the group once again found themselves ethereally transported to a new tomb called the Catacombs of the Eye Tyrant. Entering a large chamber they came upon two large armored statues they suspected were automatons. However, that was not the threat. From the heights of a large arched-ceiling chamber, ethereal beams of energy were shot at them by some unknown adversary. After some exploration, the party found the tomb to be the lair of a powerful Beholder. Using secreted elevated tunnels, the Beholder was able to stay ahead of the party, appearing apparently out of nowhere. In obtaining their goal, Nanush was rendered unconscious. Therod had to use Nunush's cloak to allow them to escape. When the party reappeared before their Benefactor, with Therod still wearing the cloak, the Benefactor was quite angry, commanding Thored to return the cloak to Nanush. As they were leaving, Nanush caught sight of a red fez like his own on a shelf in the Benefactors chambers, but did not have the opportunity to ask about it.
The fifth mission opened with the party being chased to the doors of an ancient tomb by "desert eels". The mission bestowed upon the group from their benefactor this time was to recover the Ankh of Neko'Taren. While the henchmen dispatched the eels, the main characters (Nanush, Abe and Therod - only Vince, Greg and Jon were able to attend this session) solved a 3D "magic eye" puzzle and spoke the word of the image they found within (a dragon's head) to gain entrance. As they explored the tomb two of the henchmen were killed in horrific fashion - one by a tar-creature, and the other by what the group would later find out was a shapeshifting ghoul that inhabited the tomb. After defeating the ghoul in combat and much searching and exploration, a secret ritual room was discovered. Abe rang a magic bell while standing on a glyph that transported him to the burial chamber of Neko'Taren. The rest of the remaining party then followed, and after looting the sarcophagus and mummified remains of Neko'Taren, they recovered not only the Ankh, but also several other ethereal items and additional loot.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS: This campaign reunited the gaming group after a hiatus due to the Covid pandemic. It was unknown whether the group would be able to continue to meet regularly, so it was originally prepared as a “one-shot” adventure. The group would fortunately be able to meet and play again a few months later, but Steve’s move to North Carolina in May 2021 has relegated subsequent sessions to his visits back to Minnesota. The classic and simpler “dungeon crawl” nature of this campaign has made it easier for the group to pick up and step back into when there are many months between game sessions.
This campaign was also unique in that each player controlled not only their primary character but also a low-level henchman. This element of play was short-lived in the first adventure however, as none of the henchmen survived the Tomb of Laral’Ket. Keenan’s henchman met a particularly disturbing end when he was buried alive inside a room that became ethereally sealed off, preventing his escape. The mysterious benefactor would later provide more henchmen (i.e. redshirts) for subsequent missions, to replace those who were lost.

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION
Gaming Data:
Dates Played: Fall 2020 - current
Play Sessions: 6
Session Venue: Greg Krenz's House - Stillwater, MN; Vince Krenz's House - Cottage Grove, MN; Jack Raverty's House - Maplewood, MN
Rule System: SpiritQuest v. 9.3

SpiritQuest Setting:
Era: ?
Time Frame: ?
Region: Gephta
Origin: The palace of a mysterious benefactor
Destination: Various tombs in the Gephtan Desert
Player Characters:
Nanush, Tzemi, Lemind - Jon Raverty
Abe, Bill, Thor - Greg Krenz
Therod, Jax - Vince Krenz
Lenni - Keenan Raverty
Tari, Skeevies, Skeevies - Jack Raverty
Important Non-Player Characters:
The Unknown Benefactor