The Swamp of Terror

Flush with the success of our expedition we headed south for cities on Ibrahim's map that may prove even worthier of looting. While passing along the river valley to the south we came across an area that translated from the Araby was "the Swamp of Terror". In the past great effort had been made to control the river by the people who once lived here but in centuries of neglect the river had run over and created a foul miasmic plain.

The ruins of many villages had sunk beneath this plain and Alkar had warned us that the dead lay waiting beneath its scum encrusted surface. We still scoffed at this warning, but when three of our packhorses were dragged beneath the waters with a portion of our loot we heeded his advice in the future.

Along the way we could see in the distance fortresses, cities, towns, and monasteries that refused to be swallowed by the sands, but instead stood out as silent, bone-white memorials of the past. The Serpent warned us about venturing into these areas, for he claimed that the dead still fought for possession of these landmarks.

Khemri

Khemri, along the poisoned banks of what was known as the Great River is of the most evil and blighted places on this earth. In the past that there was a city here where people once lived, worked, loved, and died, but now all that remained were the monstrous testaments to the demands of the dead, their pyramids, tombs, and mausoleums.

In all that remains of Khemri, the halls in which the dead continue to scheme, the most awful are the two great pyramids, a blasphemous tribute to the perversion of the natural order. For it was here that the living slaved away to build for the dead, and it was here that the first and most evil of magics were worked by humanity. For it is claimed that it was here that the Great Necromancer first learned his arts, first experimented upon the living and the dead, and first defied the gods by challenging death, claiming eternal life for himself.

It is said that no land has seen as much death, as much violence, as much warfare and dark sorcery as this place, and after running the sand through my hand and seeing the charred and pulverized bone in every handful, I have no doubt that this is true. The bones of the dead are forever mixed with the earth, and the air itself is as foul as if it came from the lungs of the deceased. The area around was littered with the detritus of war, great siege machines, chariots, and other horrible instruments constructed of sinew and bone lay protruding from the sands that have spilled over into the city.

We did not need the warnings of the Serpent to keep us from plundering the Great Pyramid, the grave in which the Great Necromancer had buried his own sibling alive. At night we thought we could still hear his screams, entombed alive, along with the screams of others in a language we could not understand, but both Ibrahim and the Serpent claimed that it was the eternal torments of those who had taught Nagash their secrets, and this was the reward for these evil elves.

As for the largest pyramid there, none thought to even look at the Black Pyramid, whose malevolent nature cast a pall over the surrounding land. Nowhere in the world is there a place lacking in humanity, devoid of hope or redemption. It was here alone that the Serpent had wished to venture hoping to uncover its secrets, but upon gazing in horror upon that black edifice, that wretched and hateful man broke into tears and then suffered convulsions.
This place stifled our very nature, none of us sought out any of the treasures so precious that the dead still fought over them. Instead we spent our time seeking out the trail of even greater secrets that the dead possessed. Ibrahim took countless notes from the runes and hieroglyphs on tomb walls, and he and the Serpent summoned the shades of men long dead, quizzing them upon their lives and the things that followed after their death. We crept into dusty tombs, where guarded by powerful magics and grisly talismans, wards and amulets brought by the serpent, we spoke with liches, ghosts, and even exchanged words with a mighty Tomb King. Oh! Those dark things that I was educated in those shameful days and nights! The things exchanged between the living and the dead and the bargains that were struck I am bound to speak no more of.

It was among these mausoleums and crypts that we sulked about, dodging the undead that fought in its streets heedless of the hour of the day. The Serpent claimed that in the proximity of the Black Pyramid no incantations or rays of sunlight would allow the dead reprieve. It was upon our departure here that dissent rumbled within our group, and most of the party wanted to return to Araby with our prizes, for we saw little to gain and much to lose continuing this endeavor. It was then that the Serpent and Ibrahim told us of the secrets that they had learned, of the magical wonders that the ancient peoples here had discovered: the power to live forever, and that it was in this city that an Elixir of Eternal Life, and it was from this city that the jealous nobles had stolen the secret. Emboldened by the thought of eternal life we recklessly carried on.

Numas

We turned north, bound in a deal with the dead. The details of this contract will not be drawn from these lips, but we turned dutifully north, glad to be free of the oppressive air of Khemri and its dreadful towers.

We arrived at Numas, a great fortress that towered on a cliff above the murky and bloody waters of the Great Mortis River. This fortress and the city at its base were strategic during the Nehekhara's growth and it was one of the mightiest fortifications created. The brave defenders of the fortress who had died in battle were buried in a maze of catacombs and crypts that reached deep into the earth. Great heroes and powerful mages were entombed there before they rose to carry on their pursuits at the whim of their undead masters.
We, by the very nature of our beating of our hearts were able to perform rituals and incantations that were beyond even the ability of the Tomb Kings. With our stealth and dweomers we were able to penetrate deep into the fortified monastery. Despite the magics wielded it was mere luck that kept us out of the clutches of the cabal of powerful undead sorcerers that now lord over the fortress. As with many other details, I cannot speak of what transpired deep within the bowels of that citadel, but we left behind the body of Massoud, whose great strength was for naught when the witch ghost screamed and blood poured forth from his ears and his great heart stopped. We felt little loss, for our own shares of the plunder were now greater for his absence.

We never learned the exact nature of the dispute, but it seems as if the Serpent had known something we did not. Ibrahim and the Serpent argued for days over our next destination. For Ibrahim the choice was simple, to follow the path of those who had seized the secret elixir from Khemri and returned it to their city; the Serpent claimed otherwise. The Serpent announced that his charms were weakening and that a tower to the south would provide us with great magical power. He had learned in Khemri of the horde of items contained there, but it seems to me now that the Serpent knew before the expedition that within that tower was something he coveted. Ibrahim grudgingly agreed to a quick expedition to the south.