Chapter 5: Pharaoh - Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Chapter 5: Pharaoh. Few deserts are as harsh and inhospitable as the Desert of Desolation, where the sun, the wind, and the land itself seem to despise all living things. The ghost of a long-dead pharaoh, Amun Sa (AH-muhn sah), roams the sun-scorched dunes, appearing to those who trek across the sands. Condemned to wander the desert for eternity, Amun Sa pleads with adventurers to free his cursed soul and save this doomed land-but none have returned from his pyramid. Within the pharaoh's tomb lie deadly traps, sinister threats, and the secret to ending the ancient curse. "Pharaoh" is designed for four to six 7th-level characters. The ghost of the pharaoh Amun Sa wanders the Desert of Desolation, searching for worthy souls to break his curse Background This section details the history of Amun Sa's curse and ways to involve the characters in the adventure. The Ruin of Bakar A Door to the Pharaoh's Pyramid Long ago, the kingdom of Bakar spanned what is now known as the Desert of Desolation. Though the land was already a desert, the mighty River Athis flowed through the region, making the land along its banks flourish. Animals, plants, and the citizens of Bakar prospered from its life-giving waters. The pharaohs of Bakar believed that if their bodies were prepared with specific funerary rites and then entombed with their wealth, they could ascend to their chosen afterlife. Amun Sa, the last pharaoh of Bakar, took this tradition further than any of his predecessors. He was paranoid of grave robbers, believing that if his tomb were plundered, it would bar his passage to paradise. To safeguard his treasures, Amun Sa commissioned a theft-proof tomb, a solemn pyramid unlike anything the region had ever seen. To fund this elaborate and impenetrable fortress, he declared war on Bakar's neighboring lands and taxed his own people into destitution. A Curse on the Land Downtrodden and impoverished, the citizens of Bakar revolted against Amun Sa to take back their kingdom. Durin...