The Low-Tide Tombs of Pharaoh Iset-Ka

Description

Adventure Summary

Beneath the glassy salt flats of Khemet’s Mirror lies the sand-buried necropolis of Iset-Ka, a forgotten pharaoh erased from royal lists. Twice each day, when the ghost sea’s brine withdraws through ancient channels, the tombs breathe dry air and the dead walk. At high tide, black saltwater floods the lower passages and forces most undead back into stillness.

Use these five locations as a linked expedition site. The heroes can race the tide, bargain with suspicious guardians, break the curse, or preserve it once they learn what Iset-Ka’s undead are truly containing.

Background

Iset-Ka ruled a coastal desert kingdom that worshiped the moon’s pull upon hidden waters. In his final years, he discovered the Maw Beneath, a buried rift where something older than undeath dreamed below the seabed. To seal it, he sacrificed his court, his heirs, and his own name. His priests bound the dead to rise only at low tide, when the rift’s pressure weakened and mortal hands could maintain the seals.

Now tomb robbers have stolen the Tide Crown, an artifact of office made from gold, pearl, and black salt. Without it, the low-tide dead wander beyond their assigned stations. The apparent villain, the mummy guardian Vizier Sutekh, slays intruders and animates corpses to recover the crown. He is ruthless, but he is also the last mind still trying to keep the Maw shut.