Spectral Soldiers of King Kush

The ghosts of King Kush's soldiers haunt the tombs of the Marble Palace. They possess an undying loyal to their liege and serve with single-minded dedication, ignorant of any other purpose or existence. They are equipped and fight in the style of Greek soldiers from around the time of Alexander. King Kush is being held hostage in the City of Brass, and the ghosts are willing to do whatever it takes to rescue him. The characters must deal with these specters before passing through the Marble Palace on their way to the City of Brass. The ghosts strike an amicable bargain if possible, but resort to force if need be, even going so far as to take one or more members of the expedition hostage to compel cooperation.

Kush himself was African, educated in Greece, and had served as an officer in Alexander's army. After Alexander's death he served Ptolemy as a regional governor, appointed king over the Western Desert.

Magic Might: 10 to 30 (Mentem) (Low ranking soldiers are in the 10–15 range; high-ranking officers have Mights from 20 to 30)

Characteristics: Int 0, Per 0, Pre 0, Com 0, Str +2, Sta +2, Dex +1, Qik +0 (scores may vary for each individual)

Size: 0

Age: Ancient (20 to 30)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Spirit (Ghost); Warrior, Dutybound

Qualities and Inferiorities: No Fatigue; Improved Abilities (x5); Improved Power, Lesser Power (x2); Restricted Power

* Specters with a higher Might score and more Qualities have further improvements to their Characteristics and Abilities. Officers may have additional powers, such as conjuring lower ranking soldiers.

Personality Traits: Dutiful +3, Loyal +3, Brave +3

Combat:

Short Sword/Round Shield: Init +1, Attack +10/+11, Defense +8/+11, Damage +7

Short Spear/Round Shield: Init +2, Attack +9/+10, Defense +7/+10, Damage +7

Soak: +9

Wound Penalties: –1 (1–5), –3 (6– 10), –5 (11–15), Incapacitated (16–20), Dead (21+)

Abilities: Area Lore: Egypt 3 (things to lament), Artes Liberales 2 (literacy), Athletics 3 (marching), Awareness 3 (in combat), Bargain 2 (haggle), Brawl 5 (dagger), Carouse 2 (drinking), Folk Ken 2 (warriors), Greek 5 (ancient), Profession: Soldier 5 (honor guard), Single Weapon 6 (with shield), Survival 2 (forage)

Strike, 0 points, Init special, Terram The soldier can strike to inflict injury upon corporeal beings, its weapon being made solid for that split second. Initiative is based upon the soldier's Combat scores.

CrTe10 (Base 5, +1 Touch); Lesser Power (10 levels, –2 cost, special Initiative)

the armaments it was buried

Animation, 0 points, Init –5, (Corpus) R: Touch, D: Sun, T: Ind The specter is able to animate its own skeletal corpse, including with. The specter can only animate its own corpse, not that of another, so if its corpse is destroyed it can no longer use this power.

ReCo25 (Base 10, +1 Touch, +2 Sun; Lesser Power (25 levels, -5 cost); Restricted

Equipment: Short sword or spear, large round shield, full scale armor

Vis: 2 Mentem in ghostly essence Appearance: The specters have the appearance of the Greek soldiers who occupied Egypt in ancient times.Though they can inflict wounds with their spectral weapons, if met in the tombs they animate their bodies and fight physically. This is more of an unconscious reflex than a purposeful decision.

The Magic Might of these spirits varies according to their soldierly rank. Most have a Might of 10 to 15, higher-ranking officers have a score as high as 30, and Prince Keshan has a Might of 40.

Magic Might: 40 (Mentem)

Season: Spring

Characteristics: Int +2, Per 0, Pre +3, Com +1, Str +3, Sta +2, Dex +2, Qik +2

Size: 0

Confidence 2 (5)

Age: Ancient (40)

Virtues and Flaws: Magic Spirit (Ghost); Magical Champion; Educated, Self Confident, Warrior; Driven: to rescue his father (Major); Dutybound, Visions

Qualities and Inferiorities: Focus

Desert Bandits encounter can be used as a warm-up combat. The Blessed Oasis can be used if the expedition is in sore need of aid and comfort, and should be reached before anyone suffers lethal injury from the sun. The Scorching Sand is used to inject an element of real danger.

The trails of North Africa are plagued by bandits who prey upon travelers and merchant caravans. Berber and Arab nomads form gangs of a dozen or more, supporting their tribes through thievery and plunder. A favored tactic is for one of their number to infiltrate a party posing as a fellow traveler or a laborer. He then steers the party into an ambush and robs them blind. The infiltrator may be discovered beforehand to give the characters an advantage, or the infiltration aspect can be discarded and you can have bandits simply jump the characters at some point where terrain is well suited for an ambush. Use the statistics given for 'Umar, a typical desert bandit, and adjust the size of the gang to suit the combat prowess of the expedition. To give the bandits an advantage, grant one of them possession of a Brass Bottle and command over an 'afrit with Magic Might 15.

The Blessed Oasis is easily mistaken for a mirage, and the storyguide may wish to tease the players by making it seem ever on the horizon, so that the characters arrive there suddenly when they have grown weary of chasing it.

The Blessed Oasis is a lush garden located in the middle of the desert, around the edges of a small pond of fresh sweet water. The air is fragrant and pleasant, and is invigorating to breathe. Intellego magic reveals that there is a