(http://paintoholic.nl/pulp/shiftingsands.jpg)
This is the legend of the Scarab King who lived 2500 years ago. All historical references to this foul pharaoh were thought to be lost throughout the centuries. But during the Great War several scrolls have been found deep in the Egyptian desert. After centuries his tale has surfaced again. To most historians the scrolls tell a fairytale but have no truth in them. Only a handful sees more to the stories and tries to find the legacy of the Scarab King.
The story begins with Onuris and Aswad, twin sons of the Egyptian pharaoh Ibn Asim. The pharaoh was considered the great protector of Egypt. It was he who built a grand monarchy in the deserts of Egypt, to the west of the Nile. Ibn Asim built an intricate irrigation system which provided the kingdom with water and the means for his people to flourish. Ibn Asim built a large city with a single temple dedicated to the old God Ptah. The city Hasani was wealthy and attracted thousands of new inhabitants and pilgrims.
The twins grew up together and were best friends. As boys they were oblivious to their future and they led a perfect life. But when they turned to age, their father informed them of their future. Onuris would be the next Pharaoh after Ibn Asim passes away. Aswad was to be educated as high priest of Ptah. The ambitious Aswad was stunned…it was he who deserved to be the next pharaoh and not his docile brother. The intelligent Aswad easily mastered his education to high priest. He spent most of his days in the library, studying all of the papyrus scrolls…including the forbidden ones that detailed black magic. Aswad became more distant and more agitated, turning away from his family. Over time the small fracture between the brothers grew and the two best friends grew apart. And then Ibn Asim died.
Onuris was barely ready for the great task ahead of him and he knew he couldn’t do it alone. He needed a queen. After months of searching for the right women, he found Jamila and he knew this had to be his queen. The two were united as a couple and the whole kingdom celebrated.
Unknown to Onuris, Jamila had a relationship with Aswad and she left him for Onuris. The twin brother was furious. He approached the pharaoh and queen and cursed the two forever. He said he would return to destroy them and the kingdom, if it was the last thing he would do. Guards rushed in to apprehend the traitorous brother, but he escaped with black magic. Onuris didn’t see his brother alive again.
Two years later disaster struck the kingdom. Crops withered, people died of a mysterious disease and the irrigation channels became foul. In weeks the grand kingdom crumbled and king pharaoh had no solution. He tried as hard as he could and his advisors and priests tried everything they knew. Nothing worked. The pharaoh was desperate for any solution. From the desert the solution came, but not the one Onuris hoped for. With an army of walking dead and tides of scurrying scarabs, the Scarab King fell upon the kingdom. The army was quickly overwhelmed and the Scarab King made his way to the palace. Only few people escaped. There he confronted Onuris and Jamila and it became clear the Scarab King actually was Aswad. The twin had forfeited his life to claim this form and to get his revenge on the pharaoh and the queen. In an epic battle, brother fought against brother. Although Aswad was an immortal warrior priest, Onuris was a powerful fighter and he wouldn’t give up without a fight. The lash lasted an hour and in the end Onuris was bested by the Scarab King. The foul priest buried his long dagger in Onuris’ heart and ended his reign. Slowly Aswad came upon Jamila to see her beauty once more before killing her. Stroking her beautiful face with his scarab hands, he stared her in the eyes. The queen had carefully slipped a knife from her belt and in a single motion cut the scarab king’s necklace. Aswad cried in doom as the spell was broken, his magic fell away and he lost his form. The magic dissipated and Aswad’s army fell apart to dust. Jamila tried to escape, but was engulfed by the scarabs that had formed the Scarab King. The palace fell silent and so ends the tale of the twin brothers. The kingdom was considered cursed and nobody dared to return. Eventually it was forgotten and slowly the desert claimed it for its own. Within centuries all remnants of the prospering civilisation disappeared under the sand.
Some years ago in the Great War traces of the Hasani kingdom were unearthed, including papyrus scrolls with detailed information about the successful people. They told of the wealth and knowledge and gave vague directions on Hasani’s location. One scroll was a detailed tale of Onuris’ first advisor.
The scrolls have been studied by scholars of the Miskatonic University and they knew they must find this city soon. It would be an archaeological jackpot. Sending a small group to Egypt, Miskatonic has high hopes to find the old city and reclaim it for academic study and the museum.
Unknown to the scholars, Nazi occultists have also been sent to investigate the Egyptian desert. The Germans are not interested in the wealth and riches, but they want to find the scarab necklace as they suspect it has immense powers.
Finally there is the cult of Ptah…a small group of devoted protectors of the old God. It is their divine task to protect Egypt from the foreigners and keep them away from the Scarab King's remnants. They will do whatever it takes to stop the foreigners.
***
Rightyo, at the next Ducosim (Saturday March 2 in Amersfoort in the Netherlands) me and a couple of mates will play a couple of scenarios of Pulp Alley. I'll be designing some custom scenarios centered around the (corny) story of the Scarab King. We have three players by now, but we an always have more people...the more the merrier! So if you live nearby, come and have a chat and roll some dice :)
And there will be a report with photos afterwards.