PYRAMIDSCHEME Written by: Oli Schacher Cover art: Chibs (www.chibs.ch) Cover Font: "Choko Font" by Måns Grebäck ( https://www.fontspace.com/choko-font-f23776 ) Playtesters: V. Procacci as Morgolor Morningstar, S. Roth as Nogminik "21" Gnubbelbli, M. Knopf as Drae, M. Raschle as Marly Lichtbaum Map piece Font "Aceh Darusalam" by Gunarta ( https://www.fontspace.com/aceh-darusalam- font-f17754 ) Map background by Corey Johnston ( https://www.dmsguild.com/product/271419/Layout-Elements-Purple-Marble-Backgrounds ) Egypt pyramids and Palms Icon by Iconka.com - http://www.iconka.com Special thanks: Sandra Roth, Mike Bichsel, Olga and Tatyana Nikolayeva

This is my first D&D adventure, written during the Summer 2021 course "Write Your First Adventure" by the Story Telling collective - www.storytellingcollective.com

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , , , , the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

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1 INTRODUCTION DRAMATISPERSONAE BACKGROUND Salem Human, stats of Tavern owner, A magic artifact holding "the truth" is rumored an Assassin hustler, to be hidden in a lost temple, buried under the mastermind sands. Many adventurers had been searching behind the fake for it, but the temple was never found. treasure hunt Eventually, the explorers had given up and left Bahrbra Drysand Dwarf Merchant, loves the desert deeply disappointed. Obviously, this commoner puns had been bad for business for the denizens of Jeriska Payra half- Actress, pretends commoner to be a beggar Amukesh, the only settlement in the region. Flebbli Gnome Engineer, handles They did what every good business person commoner the technical would do: reinvent themselves. details of the "If adventurers want a treasure hunt, let’s fake treasure hunt give it to them!" Orrian Mage Evil rival With the help of gnomish engineering, a adventurer, not-so-lost pyramid was repurposed as a wants to steal tourist attraction for adventurers to get a good the artifact from the players fight after a scavenger hunt through the desert. Philida Drow Assassin Evil rival Adventurers who have completed this quest adventurer, are then encouraged and incentivized to tell Orrian’s partner their friends about this opportunity for treasure, providing a constant money influx to the people of Amukesh. ADVENTUREHOOK But imagine if one day an adventuring group stumbles across the location of the real lost The characters acquire a mysterious piece of temple... paper which reads

My contact in Amukesh is in posession of a map to THE OVERVIEW ARTIFACT. Tell the contact that The Paladins of Sandy Shores have sent you. Get the map, nd the artifact, and • The characters arrive in Amukesh, looking bring it to me! Finally, we can learn THE TRUTH for a map showing the path to a hidden – F. artifact • Getting the map turns out to be surprisingly easy. In fact multiple identical copies can be How the group finds this piece of paper is up acquired from various denizens of Amukesh to the DM. Here are a few suggestions: • Following the path through the desert laid out on the map leads them to a temple • They steal it from a competing adventurer where they fight a mechanical, remote • They win it in a poker game against a controlled monster which allegedly is drunken sailor protecting the artifact • They find it in a chest • A "friend" gives it to them ("Perhaps you • After defeating the monster, it turns out the treasure hunt was actually a tourist want to do something with this. My attraction orchestrated by the inhabitants of adventuring days are over.") Amukesh • Twist: In the temple’s gift shop the characters learn that the instructions on the PART 1: AMUKESH map should actually be applied backwards - The town of Amukesh is located in the middle indicating that there is real treasure to be of the desert. In the Forgotten Realms setting, found it could be placed in the Anauroch desert, near • Another trek through the desert leads them the black road. But any desert in your toSample a hidden entrance to a buried temple. campaign will do. You mayfile use the Extreme • In the temple, a riddle needs to be solved to Heat rules from Chapter 5 in the Dungeon open the chamber where the characters Master’s Guide. finally find the artifact The people of Amukesh speak common. For • An ambush by a competing adventuring the right desert-feeling you could give them a group constitutes the final fight in this middle eastern accent and throw in a few adventure arabic words here and there:

2 arabic phrases magic spell and ask Salem about it, he claims Habibi (m) / Habibti (f) My beloved that he didn’t know about this effect and it’s Ahlan Wa Sahlan! Welcome! also pretty useless in the desert, isn’t it. In Ma asmuk? What is your name? truth, Salem dabbles in alchemy and has Naam Yes created this pesto sauce specifically for La No adventureres, in the hopes that they will Shukran Thanks discover the real temple. Its entrance is The characters arrive in Amukesh in the underwater. evening after several days of travelling through When asked about the treasure, Salem will the desert. The town only consists of a handful become very mysterious. small one- or two-story stone houses with flat roofs. The buildings are arranged around a Ah, treasure you seek! You’ve come to the right place.. I town square with a small well in its center. have a rare map piece in my posession, which I believe A dwarven merchant is just closing up her shows the way to a long lost artifact. Whoever nds it, stall. A young half-elven woman sits will know... the truth! I myself am too old to go search for cross-leged on the floor, leaning against the it, but you seem up to the task! For a mere 50 gold well. Her eyes are closed, and she is snoring a pieces I am willing to part with it, and I hope you’ll nd little. what you are looking for! The characters hear clanging noises of dishes being cleaned from one of the two-story houses. This seems to be the local tavern. With a DC11 Charisma(Persuasion) check, the price can be lowered. The characters may Everyone is in on it! also trade something other than money for the All denizens of Amukesh know about the fake treasure map piece, win it in a bet, etc. The players hunt, but will feign ignorance to give the adventurers a good show. Everyone is eager to sell the players their could also steal the piece, which Salem keeps "very rare" map piece and tries to get the best price for in a drawer behind the bar. Even if Salem it. would notice the theft, he pretends not to and If the characters become suspicious and start asking lets the characters run away with the piece. questions, the NPCs claim they have no idea what’s going on. Only if compelled by magical means or excessive force Salem will they admit, that the treasure hunt is staged. In that Salem, the owner of the Lurching Camel Tavern is the case, they encourage the characters to "play along" and "mastermind" behind the fake treasure hunt. It was he promise them great enternainment value for their money who came up with the idea and produced the map and urge them to continue. pieces for the other denizens to sell. He is also the only person who knows the location of the real temple. THE LURCHING CAMEL TAVERN The small tavern only has a handful low tables MARKET STALL placed on beautiful rugs. Floor pillows are During the day the market stall is occupied by placed around the tables. a female Dwarf named Bahrbra Drysand. She sells several goods including some adventuring As you enter the tavern, an elderly human male wearing gear and healing potions, however quite a white turban greets you with a smile. "Welcome to overpriced. She loves to haggle though and Amukesh, habibis! Please, let me bring you some tea! My with DC 11 Charisma (Persuasion) checks she name is Salem. Tell me about yourselves, honorable can easily be persuaded into making a special adventurers!" price. When the players approach, she greets them If this module is played as a oneshot, this is by saying "How are you dune?" and cracks up a good time to let the characters introduce and about her own joke. "Get it? Dune! HAHA!" If describe themselves. the player visit her a second time, she greets After introductions, Salem offers something them with an even funnier "Long time no sea! to eat. All meals come with Salem’s special Get it? Sea! In the desert! HAHA!" desert pesto, with ingredients unique to the Like everyone else in Amukesh, she has region (see magic items). Salem does not "recently acquired a very rare map drawn on mention that this pesto sauce is actually magic sandpaper". ("Get it? Sandpaper! HAHA!") and andSample provides the effects of a Potion of Water is willing to sell this preciousfile item to the Breathing. This will be important later in the players (see "The map piece"). adventure, when the players buy this pesto If she is called out on the duplicate map again from the gift shop in the temple. At this piece, she appeases the players ("Ah come on. point, describe the pesto sauce as "not Don’t be a drama-dairy! Get it? Drama-dairy! especially tasty and rather dry". Should the HAHA!") and tries to send the players on their players notice anyway, for example by a detect way.

3 More of Bahrbra’s extremely funny puns • The lettering looks really ancient and d6 Pun authentic 1 Before you go into the desert, make sure you • The drawings have a slightly different color acquire a thirst-aid kit. and seem more "modern" 2 There’s a guy out there who can send anyone to • The parchment seems to be treated to look sleep in seconds. He’s called the Sandman. older than it actually is 3 Back in the day I tried selling camels. But they were • All map pieces look completely identical so sweet the sun turned them into caramels. 4 May I interest you in this orphan cactus? It feels so lonely because it was deserted. PART 2:SCAVENGER 5 If you’ll need to hide in the desert I could sell you this camelage! HUNT 6 The best protection out there is dry humor. Once the players have acquired one or more map pieces, they are likely to look for an oasis, which seems to be the starting point BEGGAR mentioned on the map. An oasis can be found The young half-elven woman sitting next to the about 1 hour north of Amukesh. All denizens well is Jeriska Payra. When the characters know this oasis and happily point the group in approach her, she asks them for a few pieces the right direction. of copper. ASIS If asked about herself, she will tell the O players a heartbreaking story of how she fled The small oasis constitutes the first stop in from her parents because they wanted to their scavenger hunt. When the characters get marry her against her will. She was then closer to the water, they are attacked by a kidnapped and transported through the desert crocodile. This should pose no significant along the black road ( or wherever you have threat for a group of level 5 characters... hence placed the adventure ) where she managed to a giant crocodile (likely the smaller crocodile’s escape her captors. She is now begging for mom) joins the battle shortly after. money so she can afford the travel back into the civilisation where she wants to attend OBELISKINTHEDESERT acting school. Following the instructions on the map, the This story is fake, she actually moved to group travels east. After four hours they reach Amukesh voluntarily and is already proficient a small obelisk amidst the scorching sands. in acting. Hence it will take a DC 18 wisdom The four-sided pillar of black stone is about (insight) check to realize she is lying. 15 feet tall and 5 feet wide. A hand is carved If the players are kind to the poor beggar, into one side of the obelisk and is pulsing in a she thanks them by giving them a map piece slightly blue light. (see: "The map piece"). She has stolen this If the players touch the hand, a piece from two other adventurers a few days compartment opens, providing them with ago, who have been very mean to her and refreshments. The obelisk is not magical, it is kicked sand in her face when she had asked actually a gnomish invention. Everything is them for money. If asked for more details, she mechanical and uses the sun as energy source. will describe the other adventurers as two dark This can be determined by a DC14 Intelligence elves, one with a dagger and one with a fiery (investigation) check, if the compartment is staff. These two dark elves are Orrian and open. Philida, an Assassin and a Mage which may later in the adventure try to steal the treasure from the players. REPURPOSEDANCIENT TEMPLE THEMAPPIECE Hidden between large dunes lies an ancient The map piece is provided in Handout 1. pyramid. On one side, stairs lead up to an On a piece of parchments the following text entrance, close to the top. is written in ancient symbols, which resemble With a DC13 wisdom (perception) check, the todays common words: characters notice signs of other adventurers OASIS - 4H - EAST - 2H - NORTH - who visited the temple in recent weeks. Empty TEMPLESamplebottles thrown to the side,file tracks in the sand Below the text a bit left of the center there is etc. But no one is around. a drawing of palm trees. Above the text, a bit Except for the opening on the top of the to the right there is a drawing of a pyramid. stairs, there are no other entries into the A closer investigation of one or more of the temple. map pieces may provide the following Looking into the opening, they can see a information: large hall.

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