Joled’s tomb
Priest King Joled was undoubtedly the most lenient sovereign of the Brinka’s cult. Joled was a man of medium height, paunchy, with a swaying gait. But despite this, an impression of grace and superiority emanated from the character. He governed his kingdom justly, and showed great generosity to his faithful.
The king, just as pious, reasoned and intelligent as he could be, had a disproportionate fear of anything that could disturb his life in the hereafter.
In an outburst of madness, Joled began construction of his last home well before the time of his decline. However, he made the wise choice to build his tomb in Woldavi. A small hamlet nestled in a remote valley in the green mountains of Praeldant. This peaceful little town, literally cut off from the world, is the perfect place to rest in peace for eternity. The king, helped by his most talented magicians, designed an inviolable tomb, looking like a magical labyrinth.
The entrance to the tomb is in the center of Woldavi, hidden in an imposing hundred-year-old oak grove, under a thick white granite stele which forms the floor of a finely carved and ornamented wooden kiosk.
On the death of the king, two high priests of the cult and four of his best warriors were selected to have the immense privilege of practicing the Kaen ‘Drah Cha. Thus, through this ancestral ritual, they were able to honor their beloved sovereign one last time, offering their lives as sacrifices to accompany and protect him in the realm of the dead.
At first glance, the underground construction of a fairly classic style for the time, looks so mistaken to the graves of other kings of the kingdom.
Two imposing representations of the god Brinka stand proudly in the hall, each of these statues conceals a secret passage. The great main room, with its multitude of granite columns supporting incredible arcades, is illuminated by two big eternal flames braziers which rest in a pool of crystal clear water.
On either side of this room are two crypts enclosing the dead workers during the construction of the underground building. As well as several funerary chambers containing the marble sarcophagi of the two priests of the cult, and the four others much less shining of the faithful warriors.
The King’s burial chamber, which usually lies behind the door in front of the entrance, is cleverly concealed thanks to a fearsome spell of magical doors. The secret passages beneath the statues lead to two cramped rooms, bathed in soft, subdued light, each containing a majestic white marble altar. A silver tray used for the offerings, decorated with beautiful arabesques sublimated by the flickering light of the candles, rests on each of the altars. Complex symbols, surrounded by several circular arcs, interspersed by lines of different lengths, are engraved on the back of each tray. You must break the two magic seals to disable the spell that prevents access to the royal tomb.
The king, like all the nobles and influential of the kingdom, was buried with many riches, including one particularly interesting. The sacrosanct relic, the ring of Raghal Zek ‘Brinka, the creator of worship, now considered as a god.
A large hall precedes the royal burial chamber. Two statues of clay golems overhang the passage and watch over the Joled’s coffin. These two clay monsters come alive as soon as a foreign presence is detected. Then, they begin to ask the same question over and over, with a gritty and monotonous voice. “Greetings visitors, only enlightened beings are allowed to pass. Do you know the answer to the big question? If no, we advise you to leave or we’ll have to use strength to force you to do so.”
Golems are disabled if visitors state one of Joled’s favorite quotes: “Only time will bring enough wisdom to catch an answer.”
Joled’s only heir was the opposite of his eldest. He ruled the kingdom with contempt and showed such cruelty that many wanted his assassination, and that is obviously what happened. Following the death of the young king, many conflicts broke out. Small local lords fought for power in violent clashes, and the survivors proclaimed their independence. After all this mess, the cult of Brinka gradually sank into oblivion.
A few decades later, the cult saw an important arrival of new worshipers, and consequently of popularity. It has really resurfaced with the coronation of a young priest king by the council of the wise men of Erathea’s city. But the poor wretch struggles in vain to impose the old dogma and restore unity within the kingdom. Egmond, the intendant of the new king, is looking for an adventurers group to recover the ring of Raghal Zek ‘Brinka.
Armed with this powerful relic, the young priest-king will finally be able to impose the voice of the Brinka’s cult in order to gather the different clans, and thus put an end to years of discord and chaos within the small kingdom.
Magic doors workings:
Active spell:
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Doors No. 1,2, 3,4, 5 and 6 lead to door No. 7 and 8. You can choose to alternate each time between doors No. 7 and 8, or completely randomise it to increase the confusion feeling.
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Doors No. 7 and 8 lead to the last room visited.
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Spell disabled:
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Door No. 7 leads to door No. 9, which is the tomb of King Brinka.
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Doors No. 1,2, 3,4, 5 and 6 lead to door No. 8.
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Door No. 8 leads to the last room visited.
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Advise: If the PCs wish to leave the tomb without having discovered the existence of the secret passages, have a little fun to make them turn in round before they get back to the entrance of the tomb.
The ring of Raghal Zek ‘Brinka:
The ring emits a slight vibration when someone tells lies to his wearer within a 5-foot radius.
The ring can also be used to insinuate ideas into the minds of others beings. The wearer must make the ring perform a series of rotation around his finger, while reciting a kind of mental formula including the full name of the target. This great power is not without danger, it requires a large part of the user’s life force. The latter finds himself totally exhausted after this, unable to undertake anything except of staying up.