TEXT: 1
  About the Adventure
  The Uncanny Curse of Sekhmet is a GURPS Cliffhangers ad-
  venture although it can be easily translated to other pulp-
  style systems (a pulp Call of Cthulhu version is also available 
  on 1shotadventures.com). Set in August 1936, the adven-
  ture hurls the heroes across Italy and Egypt in a search for 
  the legendary Tomb of Hetshepsut. Racing against them to 
  find the treasures of ancient Egypt is the Testament of Vi-
  pers, a rogue group of nefarious mercenaries who are des-
  perate to replenish their funds so that they can influence the 
  fate of Europe before war breaks out.
  The Uncanny Curse of Sekhmet is suitable for three-to-five 
  150-point characters. The end of the adventure includes 
  seven pregenerated pulp characters.
  Characters introduced for the first time in the adventure 
  are noted in ALL-CAPS. Skill rolls are in Small-Caps. Sec-
  tions marked with a map 
   are side-quests and adventure 
  hooks, and not important to the overall plot of the adven-
  ture. Sections marked with a person 
   are opportunities 
  for specific PCs, notably the pregenerated characters from 
  the end of this adventure.
  Adventure Summary
  Like most pulp serials, The Uncanny Curse of Sekhmet be-
  gins in the middle of the action. The PCs are moments from 
  capturing the famed gangster Skeet Skitshaw, a Chicago 
  bank robber who escaped prison, took a trip to Europe, 
  and robbed four more banks as part of his vacation. With 
  a big bounty on his head, the PCs tracked Skeet and his 
  girlfriend to Rome. They barely get onto his getaway plane 
  just as it takes off, only to find their cover blown and guns 
  drawn.
  After surviving the incident in the air, the PCs find them-
  selves stranded near the ancient, cliffside city of Calcata. 
  There, a young woman begs them to rescue her retired fa-
  ther, an acclaimed theology professor. The professor has 
  been taken captive by Count Malefik, a cruel man who 
  leads a secretive group of mercenary revolutionaries called 
  the Testament of Vipers. 
  The Vipers are completely out of funds and are searching 
  for the location of the Tomb of Hetshepsut, which suppos-
  edly contains a vast treasure of forty golden chariots. The 
  Count believes one of the old professor’s medieval manu-
  scripts describes the location of the tomb and its riches. 
  The manuscript points the PCs to an archaeological dig at 
  Leontopolis, ancient Egypt’s City of Lions. Hidden at the 
  site is a description of the location of Hetshepsut’s tomb. 
  The Vipers, however, are difficult to outmaneuver. They 
  ambush the PCs in an attempt to kill them and retrieve the 
  location of the Tomb of Hetshepsut for themselves.
  v1.0
  by J.C .Connors
  
  2
   THE DESPERATION OF VIPERS
  In the summer of 1936 it was clear that the British were going 
  to depart Egypt. The recently negotiated Anglo-Egyptian Treaty 
  required all British troops to leave the country, except for about 
  10,000 soldiers required to guard the Suez Canal.
  The secretive mercenary group the Testament of Vipers were 
  excited about this prospect. Without the British interfering in 
  local politics, the Vipers could infiltrate the Egyptian govern-
  ment and use the country as a base of operations. There was 
  only one problem. The Testament was broke.
  The recent invasion of Manchuria had cost the secret brother-
  hood a fortune. Then a handful of Irish thieves pulled off a stun-
  ningly-executed heist and stole the Testament’s remaining gold 
  stash from their Swiss vault. In just a few years, the Testament 
  had gone from being one of the world’s most effective and well-
  funded revolutionary mercenaries to being utterly incapable of 
  mounting even the smallest international mission.
  The leader of the Testament, COUNT MALEFIK knew that 
  times were changing. If he wanted to be a participant in the 
  new world that was coming, he had to find funds quickly. That’s 
  when he learned that Queen Hetshepsut’s undiscovered tomb 
  hid forty solid gold chariots inside... a find that would fund him 
  for years to come. How hard could it be to locate the tomb of 
  one of Egypt’s most famous pharaohs and rob it?
  Three kidnapped Egyptologists later, Count Malefik learned 
  that the site of Queen Hetshepsut’s tomb was harder to find than 
  he thought. He had discovered that its location was only hinted 
  at in the medieval manuscript, The Mourning of Janshai. There 
  were two copies of the tome in existence.  One was in the librar-
  ies at Oxford, the other was held in the personal collection of an 
  Italian scholar, ALBERTUCCHIO DANIELI.
  Preferring a trip to England, Count Malefik went to Oxford to 
  steal the book. In a stroke of ill-luck, the count was discovered 
  by a British scholar in the same section named JAMES CURLE. 
  Overhearing what Malefik was looking for, Mr. Curle stole the 
  book from the library before the count could find it. Eventually 
  chased, locked in Oxford an office, and cornered, the scholar 
  burned the book in a trash can and escaped out the window.
  Angry and more desperate Count Malefik knew his best hope 
  was to steal the second copy of The Mourning of Jonshai from Al-
  bertucchio Danieli. He chartered a plane to Rome and tracked 
  the old man down to his home in Calcata – which is where the 
  PCs find him...
  GM’s Note: A PC making a successful Hidden Lore (Conspira-
  cies) or Politics-4 roll will have heard of the Testament, its lead-
  er, and its financial troubles. Enough time and a Research-2 roll 
  will uncover that Count Malefik was last seen in Oxford.
  After fending off the Vipers, the PCs find themselves at the 
  ancient pseudo-pyramid of Meidum. Somewhere in the an-
  cient mastabas that surround the pyramid is the chamber 
  that holds Hetshepsut’s resting place... and a treasure that   
  will make any man rich. Unfortunately, even if the PCs have 
  escaped the Vipers, they discover that the pyramid is being 
  robbed by a beautiful and obsessively curious German ar-
  chaeologist and her team of treasure hunters.
  If the PCs outmaneuver their many foes and use their wits 
  to discover the lost tomb, they discover the unnatural secret 
  that awaits them at the eternal resting place of Queen Het-
  shepsut...!
  The Skies of Viterbo, Italy, 1936...
  The adventure begins aboard an Imperial Airlines civilian 
  airliner. Having just departed Rome, the plane is headed 
  north to Milan. The PCs boarded the plane hoping to ap-
  prehend notorious bank robber SKEET SKITSHAW who is 
  fleeing the country with a satchel full of stolen lire worth a 
  half a million dollars.
  Unfortunately, the heroes’ plan went south fast. Just after 
  takeoff, Skeet’s girlfriend, BETTY SAGE, recognized one of 
  the PCs. One of Skeet’s goons pulled a gun on everyone, and 
  now there’s a tense standoff 8,000 feet in the air.
   If playing with the pregenerated PCs, Betty recognizes 
  Duke Duckworth, the detective investigating the death of 
  her friend, starlet Lauren St. James. Otherwise, the GM can 
  invent a reason Betty recognizes one of the PCs.
  Skitshaw’s Crew
  In addition to the PCs, there are five passengers on board 
  the airplane, all of whom work for Skeet Skitshaw in some 
  capacity.
  •	
  Skeet Skitshaw is at the front of the plane, his gun drawn 
  and pointed at the PCs.
  •	
  Skeet’s right-hand goon, GEORGIE FELDSMAN is 
  next to him.
  •	
  Skeet’s drunk girlfriend, Betty Sage, is behind Skeet, ex-
  tremely annoyed that her vacation is at an end.
  •	
  The pilot, Skeet’s uncle JOHN “FLYBOY” SKITSHAW, 
  is in the open cockpit, studying the map binder to fine 
  tune his course to Milan. Note that on this older model 
  civilian plane, the cockpit is inaccessible from the pas-
  senger compartment!
  •	
  Betty Sage’s new friend, up-and-coming Italian actress 
  ELENA ALTIERI is in the lavatory due to airsickness. 
  She has no idea what’s going on in the cabin.
  
  3
  A Precarious Start
  The PCs begin the scene in the rear of the passenger com-
  partment, staring down Skeet and Georgie. 
   For added kickoff adrenaline, the PC with the highest 
  Piloting skill (if any) managed to talk themselves into a 
  co-pilot role on the plane – and begins the adventure stuck 
  up front in the open cockpit with Skeet’s uncle. The PC with 
  the highest DX, or the Daredevil or Unluckiness advantage, 
  was held up on the runway by some of Skeet’s friends... and 
  is now desperately clutched on to the starboard wing of the 
  bi-plane! 
  Skeet points his revolver at one of the PCs in the cabin; 
  Georgie has his shotgun pointed in their general direction. 
  The heroes’ one bit of leverage is that they managed to grab 
  Skeet’s briefcase, which has half a million dollars of stolen 
  lire in it. Skeet is furious.
  “You interrupt my vacation... like this? Seriously? I’m away 
  with my squeeze here, enjoying myself, and you crash on to 
  my nice plane like a buncha zealous junior coppers? And you 
  have the nerve to steal my money? I’ll make this simple. You 
  boys got ten seconds to throw my man Georgie here that brief-
  case, or else your cause of death’s gonna be altitude sickness 
  via lead poisoning.”
  If the PCs look like they are going to try something funny, 
  Skeet reminds them:
  “I got twenty guys with tommy guns waiting for me on the 
  runway in Milan when we land. My uncle John is flying this 
  plane. What do you think’s gonna happen to you if you touch 
  me up here?”
  The Open Cockpit
  John “Flyboy” Skitshaw is oblivious to any action inside the 
  plane.  He’s just dutifully flying the plane to Milan. There’s 
  no way for him to know what’s going on inside the cabin, 
  unless someone physically signals to him from the wing. 
  Even gunfire will likely go unnoticed.
  Outside the Plane
  If one of the PCs is on the wing of the plane, they add a few 
  new options to the scenario. The wing walker is at -2 DX 
  due to the wind and turbulence and can move from strut 
  to strut on the wing, but only at Move 2. Any faster, and the 
  wing walker must make a DX roll to avoid tumbling off!  
  Because the cockpit is open, anyone on the wing has a rea-
  sonably clear shot at the cockpit (-2 to hit the pilot’s torso). 
  They can also get a shot into the cabin (-3 through of the 
  large windows), or scramble to a window, slide it open, and 
  squeeze inside. It’s also possible to climb from the wing to 
  the cockpit, but this involves climbing up the fuselage, to 
  the top of the plane, and then down into the small cockpit 
  (this feat requires a Climbing roll to pull off).
  Every few turns, the bad guys in the cabin should make a 
  Perception roll at -3 to notice the wing walker. This will 
  certainly surprise Skeet and his allies inside the plane, but 
  they won’t take shots at the wing walker until they’ve dealt 
  with anyone inside the cabin first.
  If Flyboy the pilot sees a wing walker, he’ll try to shake him 
  off by jinking and rolling the plane. This causes everyone 
  inside to gain a -2 DX penalty and make a DX roll to stay 
  on their feet! The wing walker must make a DX or ST+2 
  roll (whichever is higher) to grab on for life. Moving safely 
  while the plane is jinking requires a DX-6 roll! If the pilot 
  fails to shake off the wing walker, he’ll pull his revolver and 
  take a few shots at the daredevil passenger.
  Dealing with Skeet
  The PCs have two big challenges to overcome on the plane. 
  The first is Skeet and his trigger-happy goon Georgie point-
  ing guns at them in the cabin. The second is that Skeet’s 
  plane is going to land in Milan, where Skeet’s friends – 
  armed to the teeth – are waiting there at the runway to pick 
  him up. If they see something has gone amiss, they’ll shoot 
  first and ask questions later.
  THE HANDLEY PAGE W.8F
  The old, three-engine Handley Page 
  airplane should have been retired 
  years ago, but when Skeet Skitshaw 
  wanted a plane immediately, Imperial 
  Airlines scrambled and made due. 
  The Handley has an enclosed cabin 
  for 12 passengers, along with two 
  crew in an open cockpit. It was the 
  first airliner to include an onboard 
  lavatory, which was located in the 
  center of the plane, behind the pas-
  senger “saloon” and in front of the cargo area.
  The hull of the aircraft is made from spruce and only provides 
  DR 3 as protection. The large windows of the aircraft can be slid 
  open for ventilation.
  The Handley Page W is not a fast plane by modern standards, 
  just able to reach 103 mph. It can fly as high as 13,000 feet, but 
  usually flies lower. The plane engines are noisy (-3 to Hearing 
  rolls inside the cabin).
  Flying the Handley requires Piloting (Heavy Airplane). It 
  has HT 11f , Hnd/SR -2/+3, DR 3, and SM +6. 
  
  4
  The Skitshaw Gang
  SKEET SKITSHAW
  ST  
  12 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 12
  IQ  
  11 
  Per: 12 
  HT  
  12 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 6.0 
  Punch: 1d-1 cr 
  Move: 6  
   
  Dodge: 9 
   
   
   
  Traits: Bad Sight (Farsighted); Bad Temper; Charisma 1; 
  Kleptomaniac; Lecherousness; Overconfidence; Reputation 
  -2 (Gangster); Secret (Having an affair with actress Elena 
  Altieri); Status 2; Wealth (Wealthy). Holds long grudges. 
  Big tipper. Loves to hear himself talk.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Carousing-13; Driving-11; Gam-
  bling-13; Escape-11; Fast-Talk-12; Guns-13; Interroga-
  tion-12; Intimidation-13.
  Equipment: S&W .38 (2d pi, Acc 2, Range 110/1,200, 
  RoF 3, Shots 6(2i), Bulk -2, 2 lbs.)
  J. “FLYBOY” SKITSHAW
  ST  
  11 
  HP: 11
  DX  
  11 
  Will: 11
  IQ  
  10 
  Per: 11 
  HT  
  10 
  FP: 10
  Basic Speed: 5.25 
  Punch: 1d-1 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Bad Sight (Farsighted); Contact Group (Imperial 
  Airlines); Language (Fluent Italian); Sense of Duty (Fam-
  ily); Overconfidence. Smells like soap.
  Skills: Area Knowledge (Italy)-12; Brawling-13; Guns-
  11; Mechanic (Airplanes)-11; Navigation-10; Para-
  chuting-11; Piloting (Heavy and Light Airplanes)-15; 
  Soldier-10.
  Equipment: S&W .32 (1d+2 pi-, Acc 1, Range 120/1,300, 
  RoF 3, Shots 6(2i), Bulk -2, 1.3 lbs.); aviator hat and 
  goggles; leather pilot’s jacket (DR 1).
  GEORGIE FELDSMAN
  ST  
  11 
  HP: 11
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 9
  IQ  
  10 
  Per: 10 
  HT  
  12 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 6.0 
  Punch: 1d-1 cr 
  Move: 6  
   
  Dodge: 10 
   
   
   
  Traits: Appearance (Attractive); Bloodlust; Combat Re-
  flexes; Duty (Skeet Skitshaw); Impulsiveness; Phantom 
  Voices (Annoying); Wealth (Poor). Never combs his hair. 
  Skills: Brawling-14; Carousing-12; Driving-12; Fast-
  Draw (Knife)-12; Filch-13; Gambling-10; Garrote-13; 
  Guns-14; Intimidation-11; Knife-12; Shadowing-12.
  Equipment: Ithaca Auto & Burglar 20G Shotgun (1d pi, 
  Acc 2, Range 40/800, RoF 2x7, Shots 2 (3i), Bulk -3, Rcl 
  1, 5 lbs. Inside the plane’s close quarters, the shotgun does 
  3d pi damage with a RoF 2). Dagger (1d-2 imp, Reach 
  C, Parry 9).
  BETTY SAGE
  ST  
  9 
  HP: 9
  DX  
  11 
  Will: 9
  IQ  
  9 
  Per: 9 
  HT  
  12 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 5.75 
  Punch: 1d-3 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Alcoholism; Appearance (Attractive); Fit; Gull-
  ibility; Secret (Was the one who snitched on Skeet in 
  Chicago); Secret (In an affair with a famous Hollywood 
  starlet’s boyfriend); Status 2. Wears too much perfume; 
  Loves bad boys. 
  Skills: Acting-8; Administration-10; Carousing-13; Con-
  noisseur (Wine)-10; Fast-Talk-10; Filch-13; Guns-11; 
  Savoir-Faire-11; Sex Appeal-13; Singing-12.  
  Equipment: Bottle of champagne.
  
  5
  There’s a few good ways for the PCs to extricate themselves 
  from both situations, though clever players will find many 
  more. In the cabin:
  •	
  While Skeet’s unlikely to peacefully cut a deal – since 
  he believes he has all the leverage – he’s prone to keep-
  ing a conversation going. A good Fast-Talk or other 
  social skill roll might distract him long enough to get 
  the jump on him.
  •	
  Threatening to dump Skeet’s briefcase of stolen money 
  out of the plane will also give him pause and keep him 
  talking. However, actually tossing the money out of 
  the plane will enrage the gangster... he’ll actually try to 
  force the PCs out the window to “retrieve” his money.
  •	
  Skeet’s got a soft spot for Elena Altieri, who is in the lav-
  atory and green from airsickness. While his girlfriend 
  Betty doesn’t know, Skeet’s recently started an intimate 
  relationship with Elena, who thinks he’s an upstanding, 
  wealthy American businessman. If the PCs can put to-
  gether the truth about Skeet and Elena, they can proba-
  bly tempt drunk Betty to get mad and smash Skeet over 
  the head with a champagne bottle.
  •	
  The cargo area in the back of the plane can be accessed. 
  There are some canvas straps (good for tying people up), 
  several trunks filled with expensive clothes luggage, a 
  single parachute, and a large, sealed crate which is la-
  beled the “Sarcophagus of Princess Neferura” – though 
  in reality is only a movie prop. A Search roll finds a 
  heavy wrench in the back of the cargo area, left during 
  the last repair. In a pinch, the wrench can be used as an 
  improvised weapon (sw+1 cr, reach 1, Parry 0U, 3 lbs.)
  In the cockpit:
  •	
  J. “Flyboy” Shitshaw is a skilled pilot with hundreds of 
  hours flying bombers in WWI. Tricking him that there’s 
  a flight emergency is very difficult; he should resist such 
  tricks with his Piloting-15 skill.
  •	
  Intentionally causing a flight emergency (i.e., disabling a 
  propeller) requires a Piloting (Heavy Aircraft) roll.
  •	
  Control of the aircraft can also be seized by knocking 
  Flyboy out. If an extended brawl breaks out in the cock-
  pit, there’s a great chance the map binder will fly from 
  the plane, making long distance navigation harder.
  •	
  Once Flyboy loses control of the aircraft, an IQ-based 
  Piloting roll, Navigation (Air) roll (both at -4 if the 
  map binder was lost), or an appropriate Area Knowl-
  edge roll finds a destination. The options include flying 
  back to Rome, landing on an old country road, or land-
  ing in Milan (which is a terrible idea – three cars and a 
  dozen well-armed men await Skeet’s plane on the single 
  runway). If the pilot fails the Navigation roll, landing 
  on an old country road is the only real option.
  A Safe Landing!
  With some luck, the PCs can subdue or kill Skeet and his 
  pals, and land the plane. 
  Safely the plane requires a Piloting  (Heavy Aircraft) 
  roll, at -2 if landing on a road. A failure by 1 indicates a 
  rough landing; everyone takes 1 HP damage from bruises. 
  A total failure rips the wheels off and tears a wing off the 
  bottom of the plane – everyone inside takes 2d cr damage 
  (anyone still on the wing takes 6d cr damage!).
  Whether the plane landed in Rome or somewhere in the 
  country, it does not take long for the local Italian police to 
  arrive. Assuming Skeet Skitshaw and his friends survived 
  the ordeal, they are quickly arrested and hauled off to be 
  tried for armed robbery. Of course, Skeet will vow revenge 
  on the PCs for their involvement in his capture:
  “One day, when you’re least expecting it, friend – bam, you’re 
  gonna feel lead FIRE burning through your skull!”
  With expected arrogance, the Italian police do not offer 
  foreign PCs any reward or assistance after the apprehen-
  sion of the gangsters. If the PCs try to talk up the police 
  and get a Very Good or better reaction roll, they’ll get a tip 
  that the nearby town of Calcata has some good food, but 
  to stay away from the old town because it’s been recently 
  ordered clear due to the instability of the cliffs.
  ELENA ALTIERI
  ST  
  10 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  11 
  Will: 9
  IQ  
  11 
  Per: 10 
  HT  
  11 
  FP: 11
  Basic Speed: 5.5 
  Punch: 1d-1 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Appearance (Attractive); Charisma 1; Fit; Impul-
  siveness; Language (Italian Native and English Accented); 
  Status 1.
  Skills: Acting-12; Carousing-12; Driving-10; Perfor-
  mance-13; Riding-11; Savoir-Faire (High Society). 
  Personality: En route to her first real film shoot in Flor-
  ence, (Queen of the Scala), Elena Altieri was thrilled 
  when Skeet and Betty volunteered to fly her there in style. 
  While she’s a bright woman, she has no clue she’s in the 
  company of wanted bank robbers. If she discovers this is 
  the case, she’ll be horrified and want nothing to do with 
  Skeet and his friends.
  
  6
  Assuming Elena Altieri is still with the PCs, she will flirt 
  with the police officers and convince them to take her to a 
  telephone so she can call her director and explain her delay.
   The PC Duke Duckworth was motivated to get on the 
  plane to interrogate Betty Sage, who he suspects has a key 
  piece of information in the Lauren St. James murder case 
  he’s working. If he can intimidate or otherwise convince her 
  to spill the beans, she reveals that she had been having an il-
  licit relationship with Lauren’s boyfriend, Hobby Malcolm. 
  And that one night, in his sleep, he screamed “I’m gonna kill 
  you, Lauren!” angrily. While this piece of information isn’t 
  important at all to this adventure, this gives Duke a clue as 
  to who the murderer might be in his big case.
  Calcata, Italy
  Assuming the PCs land on a country road, they find them-
  selves within sight of Calcata, an ancient fortified town 
  built on 150-foot tall volcanic cliffs. (If they landed far from 
  the Italian countryside, see the text box “Landing Back in 
  Rome?” for ways to pull them back into the countryside.)
  An appropriate Area Knowledge or Current Affairs 
  roll recalls that the government recently condemned the 
  city and forced residents out of Calcata because they feared 
  the cliffs would collapse. Now, the former population is lo-
  cated in Calcata Nuova, just a mile or so away from the old 
  town.
  Sure enough, the road to the old town is barricaded and 
  closed. A handful of burly, rude police officers guard the 
  barricade and yell at the PCs in Italian, saying that they can-
  not go into the old town unless they have four legs and are 
  also a cat. If asked about nearby accommodations, the po-
  lice bluntly tell them to walk a mile into the newer part of 
  town and ask around.
  Calcata Nuova
  Because there are no hotels yet open in Calcata Nuova, a 
  Streetwise roll is required to find someone who will rent 
  a spare room for the night. The room is located across the 
  street from a small restaurant, Il Massimo, which appears 
  to open at 8 p.m. The restaurant has a menu that offers deli-
  cious gnocchi with red potatoes, lasagna with wild mush-
  rooms, and a fantastic selection of local wines.
  A successful Streetwise roll also picks up that the resi-
  dents are angry that Mussolini ordered the old town closed. 
  The fascist national police quickly and brutally forced peo-
  ple out of their homes over the last few months. They have 
  even fired shots at people who have tried to go back to col-
  lect forgotten items. No one believes that the cliffs are 
  actually unstable.
  Dinner Interrupted
  Just as the PCs are relaxing, and perhaps espresso is 
  being served to the table, the door the small restau-
  rant bursts in. A woman wearing a plain white dress 
  comes rushing in. She sobs at the feet of LORENZO, 
  the elderly owner of the restaurant.
  First in Italian, and then in heavily accented Eng-
  lish as she notices the PCs paying attention to her, 
  MIRELLA DANIELI frantically tells her story. She 
  exclaims that her father, ALBERTUCCHIO has just 
  been abducted!
  LANDING BACK IN ROME?
  It is possible that the PCs wrenched control of the plane back 
  and were able to navigate back to Rome. In this case, the GM 
  has a couple ways to get the PCs to Calcata.
  If the PCs made a good impression on Elena Altieri, she’ll rush 
  off to call her film director to tell him that she will be late to the 
  set in Milan. He tells her to instead meet him in Calcata, where 
  he plans on doing some test photography (this actually is an op-
  portunistic ruse to be alone with her). With few other transpor-
  tation options at her disposal, Elena begs the PCs to escort her 
  to Calcata, which is only about 30 miles from Rome.
  The other option to get everyone out of Rome is for the PCs to 
  come under suspicion by the Italian police, who immediately 
  lock down the airport after Skitshaw is arrested. The PCs may 
  have helped apprehend criminals, but the police don’t appreci-
  ate being shown up by foreigners. The police captain will tell the 
  PCs that unless they leave Rome immediately, he’s opening an 
  investigation on them. With the airport locked down, the PCs’ 
  best option to leave the country is to drive north to Florence. 
  
  7
  Albertucchio was forced from their nearby home by strange 
  men and is being taken back to the old town. She describes 
  the strangers as bearded men all dressed in white shirts and 
  wearing baggy black pants. Mirella recalls that her father 
  gasped, “the vipers found me just as they did Mr. Curle!” 
  when they battered down the door to their cottage. Her fa-
  ther urged her to hide in a closet, where she got a glimpse 
  of an older man who told her father he needed a look at his 
  library, while he menacingly fingered a jeweled dagger.
  Mirella begs Lorenzo to help, reminding him that he was 
  her father’s best friend, and without his help, she thinks 
  these “vipers” will execute her father, or cause him to disap-
  pear, as so many others have disappeared recently. Alas, old 
  Lorenzo is too fearful to help, causing Mirella to go to the 
  PCs for their assistance.
  •	
  Mirella doesn’t know who the older man was who 
  threatened her father. She explains that her father kept 
  many books in a locked library in the cellar of their 
  original home in old Calcata. However, he father did 
  not have time to relocate his books to his their new 
  home before the police forced him to relocate.
  •	
  If asked about her father’s occupation, Mirella says that 
  he is retired, but was once a professor of theology at the 
  University of Padua.
  •	
  An Archaeology roll recalls that James Curle is an 
  expert at Scottish archaeology and lectures at Oxford. 
  A Current Affairs (People)-2 roll recalls that he re-
  cently was involved in a scandal where he got drunk 
  and burned a valuable medieval manuscript.
  •	
  A Hidden Lore (Conspiracies) or Politics-4 roll 
  identifies the men as members of the Testament of Vi-
  pers, a Turkish organization of mercenaries that were 
  once used by the German kaisers to perform kidnap-
  pings. The sect was founded and still led by COUNT 
  MALEFIK, a once-wealthy man who wants to exert 
  his will into national 
  politics. Rumors are that 
  the count and his group 
  have run into severe fi-
  nancial difficulties lately.
  •	
  Old Lorenzo can be 
  guilt-tripped into of-
  fering assistance with a 
  successful influence skill 
  or a Good or better reac-
  tion roll. He’ll loan the 
  PCs his precious 1912 
  Fiat Zero Torpedo auto-
  mobile. On a Very Good 
  or better reaction roll, he 
  offers to try to distract 
  the Italian police who are guarding the entrance into 
  the old cliffside town.
  •	
  Mirella will also agree to help in any way she can, al-
  though she’s not terribly skilled at covert operations. 
  She can give good directions to her old house at the 
  western edge of old Calcata.
  •	
  If Mirella is asked about compensation for the rescue 
  attempt, she’ll only say that her father has many rare 
  and valuable books still in his library, and that perhaps 
  one of those will be worth their effort.
  Mirella insists that the PCs move fast. She fears the Vipers 
  will get what they want from her father and kill him.
  MIRELLA DANIELI
  ST  
  9 
  HP: 9
  DX  
  11 
  Will: 11
  IQ  
  11 
  Per: 11 
  HT  
  12 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 5.75 
  Punch: 1d-3 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Appearance (Beautiful); Dependent (her father); 
  Pacifism (Cannot Kill); Secret (Anti-fascist); Wealth 
  (Struggling). Talks a million miles a minute.
  Skills: Animal Handling (Cats); Area Knowledge (Cal-
  cata)-12; Cooking-10; Diplomacy-11; Driving (Motor-
  cycle)-11; Hiking-12; History-12; Research-12; Theol-
  ogy-12. 
  Personality: A teaching assistant at the University of Flor-
  ence, Mirella has taken the summer off to help her father 
  relocate from old Calcata. She hates what Mussolini has 
  done to her country and is considering escaping with her 
  father to France in the fall.
  
  8
  Entering Calcata Vecchia
  There are multiple paths to the walled old city, but the only 
  gate past the city’s wall is are guarded by six, well-armed ir-
  ritable Carabinieri national police officers. Two motorcycles 
  are near the men, along with a Fiat truck, its headlights on 
  and engine running.
  The Carabinieri claim to know nothing about the kidnap-
  ping or the Vipers. The Carabinieri are under orders from 
  Count Malefik and his Vipers to not let anyone into the city. 
  They’ll quickly bully anyone who hangs outside too long. 
  No amount of diplomacy or fast-talking will get the PCs in-
  side, although an obscene amount of bribery, at least $300 
  for each man, will cause them to agree to patrol in the op-
  posite direction for a few minutes.
  A Climbing-3 roll enables someone to scale one of the 
  city’s vertical walls. A second roll enables them to climb 
  down into the city itself. A rope reduces the penalty to -2 
  up and -1 down. Unlucky climbers may find one or more of 
  Calcata’s infamous, feral cats waiting for them on the walls, 
  ready to loudly caterwaul when they see humans intruding 
  into their territory!
  Inside the walls, the city is being patrolled by two groups of 
  Vipers, each a handful of men. A good vantage point and 
  an Observation roll can easily discovery this fact. While 
  Count Malefik ordered them to keep watch for nosy Cara-
  binieri or townsfolk, only one of the groups is making a real 
  effort to patrol the town. The other has broken into a house 
  in the center of the city and looting it for valuables.
  Sneaking to the Danieli’s old house requires the PCs to ei-
  ther create some diversions to keep the patrol away from 
  them, or win a quick contest of Stealth vs. the patrol lead-
  er’s Perception 12.
  If the one of the Viper groups spot the PCs, they’ll shout 
  an alarm. The Vipers know that murdering locals is bad for 
  business, so they’ll first try to intimidate the PCs, brandish-
  ing their guns and knives and warning them they need to 
  leave immediately. If the PCs resist, the Vipers will violently 
  try to expel them.
  The Danieli House
  Two Viper agents stand guard outside the door to the small 
  Danieli house. Dim lantern light can be seen inside the 
  house – the only house with light in the old town.
  As the PCs come closer, a Perception (Hearing) roll hears 
  muffled shouting inside the house. If the PCs make the roll 
  by three or more, they’ll hear a man warning another:
  SONS OF THE VIPERS
  ST  
  12 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 10
  IQ  
  10 
  Per: 11* 
  HT  
  12 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 6.0 
  Punch: 1d-1 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 10 
   
   
   
  *The leader of each Viper group has Perception 12.
  Traits: Combat Reflexes; High Pain Threshold; Intoler-
  ance; Trademark (draws an eye in the flesh of their vic-
  tims); various Odious Personal Habits. 
  Skills: Brawling-14; Driving-11; Guns-14; Intimida-
  tion-12; Knife-14; Shadowing-12; Stealth-12; Thrown 
  Weapon (Knife)-14.
  Equipment: Fine large knife (1d+1 cut, reach C, 1, or 
  1d imp, reach C; Parry 10); Pickert Arminius Modell 10 
  .32 revolver (2d-1 pi-, Acc 1, Range 120/1,300, RoF 3, 
  Shots 5(3i), Bulk -1, Rcl 2, 1 lb.); airline ticket to Cairo; 
  electric torch.
  Inside the Danieli’s house, a Viper thug holds an awkward 
  Beretta 9x19mm SMG (2d+1 pi, Acc 3, Range 160/1,700, 
  RoF 15, Shots 25(3), Bulk -5, Rcl 2, 16 lbs).
  CARABINIERI BuLLIES
  ST  
  12 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 10
  IQ  
  10 
  Per: 11 
  HT  
  11 
  FP: 11
  Basic Speed: 5.75 
  Punch: 1d-2 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Bully; Fit; Military Rank 1.
  Skills: Area Knowledge (Calcata)-9; Brawling-12; Driv-
  ing-12; Guns-13; Intimidation-12; Knife-13; Law-10; 
  Riding-12; Shortsword (Baton)-12.
  Equipment: Beretta Mod 1934 pistol (2d pi, Acc 1, Range 
  120/1,300, RoF 3, Shots 7+1(3), Bulk -1, Rcl 2, 2 lbs.); 
  Baton (1d+2 cr, reach 1, Parry 9, 1 lb.).
  
  9
  “Unlock it faster! Else I think you are intentionally stalling 
  me, Albertucchio...”
  This is the voice of Count Malefik. He is hurrying Albertuc-
  chio to unlock the cellar door to his library. In a few mo-
  ments, Albertucchio finds the key on his massive keychain 
  and unlocks the padlock on the door.
  The inside of the cottage is small – only a kitchen, living 
  room, and two small bedrooms. A small door in the kitchen 
  leads down stone steps to the heavy, medieval cellar door.
  Inside the cellar is Albertucchio’s library, a room adorned 
  with dusty centuries-old bookshelves and over a hundred 
  rare books on theology, mythology, and philosophy.
  As the PCs enter the house, they’ll hear Albertucchio, 
  Count Malefik, and a Viper armed with a submachine gun 
  down inside the library. A bearded, spectacled Count Male-
  fik holds an old oil lantern and a revolver.
  “Now, you will pull the book I’ve asked for, professor...” 
  threatens the Count in a rich, deep voice.
  The count has exceptional hearing, and it is unlikely the PCs 
  will be able to sneak down the stairs without him hearing.
  Confronting the Count
  Count Malefik is here for one purpose – to recover the sin-
  gle copy of The Mourning of Janshai, an illuminated manu-
  script written by a monk who visited Egypt after his broth-
  er died from the plague. Albertucchio Danieli has the only 
  known copy in existence. In all scenarios, the count will 
  use Albertucchio’s life as a bargaining chip. 
  If the PCs get the jump on the count and his minion, it’s 
  possible that they can defeat the Vipers and escape with 
  the professor. If a fire fight ensues, the count will do every-
  thing he can to survive and escape. First, he’ll grab Alber-
  tucchio to use him as a human shield. If this isn’t working, 
  he’ll throw his smoke grenade or oil lamp and try to escape 
  up the stairs. Meanwhile, his henchman will be aggressive-
  ly shooting away with his SMG to keep the count safe.
  If the PCs confront the count, he’ll be amused.
  “You foreigners are all alike,” he says. “You can’t help but 
  sticking your nose in other people’s business.”
  The Count simply insists he is here for an old book “out of 
  curiosity,” and says that he’ll let Albertucchio go once he 
  gets what he wants. He is  perfectly willing to make a trade 
  COuNT MALEFIK
  ST  
  13 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 14
  IQ  
  13 
  Per: 13 
  HT  
  12 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 6.0 
  Punch: 1d cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Acute Hearing+3; Combat Reflexes; Hard to Kill 
  2; High Pain Threshold; Fit; Obsession (Bring wealth to 
  the Testament of Vipers); Status 3; Voice.
  Skills: Boxing-14; Diplomacy-13; Guns-14; Hypnosis-13; 
  Intimidation-14; Interrogation-14; Knife-14; Occult-
  ism-14; Physician-12; Stealth-12; Tactics-14.
  Languages: English; Italian; Spanish; Turkish.
  Equipment: Pickert Arminius Modell 10 .32 revolver (2d-1 
  pi-, Acc 1, Range 120/1,300, RoF 3, Shots 5(3i), Bulk -1, 
  Rcl 2, 1 lb.); smoke grenade (7-yard radius for 60 seconds); 
  oil lamp; airline ticket to Cairo (see Handout A).
  Personality: Ruthless and arrogant Count Malefik estab-
  lished the Testament of Vipers when he realized that no 
  political leader would give him an ounce of power unless 
  he forced it. Unfortunately, his mind for details is severely 
  lacking, and his funds dwindled to nothing in just a few 
  years. Now he’s desperate to find a quick source of riches.
  
  10
  for Albertucchio’s life. 
  If the PCs let him proceed, Albertucchio points to an dusty, 
  thin tome on his shelf, which Count Malefik will happily 
  take. At that point, Malefik will leave the house, still using 
  Albertuccio as a hostage to ensure his escape.
  Count Malefik is ruthless, however, and does not want the 
  PCs to tell others about him. If given the opportunity, he’ll 
  betray any deal the PCs make with him. For example, if he 
  makes it up the stairs, he might throw his oil lamp down 
  into the old bookshelves and then lock the door the cellar, 
  hoping to suffocate and burn his opponents. Or, once out in 
  the city, he will rendezvous with any surviving Viper patrols 
  and order them to kill the PCs once they emerge from the 
  house. Finally, if he makes it out of the city, he’ll tell the Car-
  abinieri to kill the PCs. (While the Carabinieri are bullies, 
  they don’t like the idea of killing locals based on the orders 
  of a foreign count; they can be talked down or bribed.)
  GM’s Note: While Count Malefik will do everything possible 
  to escape with his life in this encounter, it’s okay if he doesn’t 
  survive. It’s also fine if he doesn’t leave with the book! In fact, 
  it’s impossible for him to actually escape with The Mourn-
  ing of Janshai, because clever Albertucchio will give him the 
  wrong book. As smart as Count Malefik is, he can’t read Lat-
  in, and in the heat of the moment, won’t think that the scared 
  old professor has tricked him.
  The Mourning of Janshai
  Once the PCs have rescued Albertuccio and escaped the 
  old city, the scholar invites them back to his newer cottage 
  to thank them. (GM’s Note: If, in an unusual turn of events 
  Albertucchio was killed during the “rescue,” then Mirella can 
  take over this role.)
  Albertucchio pours everyone some strong grappa and 
  shows them the book that Count Malefik tried to steal:
  “I am mystified why the Vipers would want to steal this old 
  book. It is not even one of a kind. There is another copy in 
  the libraries at Oxford. But I’ve perused it several times, and 
  it is merely the sad and scattered thoughts of Vicar Eustace, 
  a priest who was overcome with grief from the death of his 
  brother. It has nothing to do with the tomb that the count 
  desperately sought.”
  Albertucchio goes on to explain that Count Malefik told 
  him that he was looking to find the tomb of Queen Het-
  shepsut, one of the few women pharaohs of ancient Egypt. 
  The queen is said to have been buried with forty chariots 
  made from solid gold. Whoever found the tomb would be 
  very rich.
  An Archaeology or History (Egypt)-2 roll recalls that 
  archaeologists have searched for Hetshepsut’s tomb since 
  King Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922, but all their digs 
  have ended in vain.
  If the PCs ask about the other copy of the book at Oxford, 
  Albertucchio tells how his acquaintance James Curle was 
  chased by the Vipers for the very same book a few weeks 
  ago. Any further research on the topic, most likely done 
  through contacts, discovers that the second book was re-
  portedly burned by a drunken professor six months ago.
  Albertucchio’s only explanation why the count wanted The 
  Mourning of Janshai is it contains a story where the author, 
  Vicar Eustace, was nearing the end of his sojourn in Egypt. 
  He fell asleep in a place called the Contemplation Chamber 
  of  Sekhmet, where he received a vision of Queen Hetshep-
  sut visiting him and inviting him to live with her in his pal-
  ace. He believed the vision to be a warning that he would 
  be tempted by the devil if he stayed longer in Egypt, so he 
  soon took a boat back to England. Albertucchio shows the 
  PCs the page in the book (see Handout B).
  Albertucchio does not know where the Contemplation 
  Chamber is located. The old man is a theologist and has 
  little expertise or interest in mythology. To recall the loca-
  tion of the chamber, the PCs must either rely on Contacts, 
  or make a successful Archaeology-1, Occultism-2, 
  History (Egypt), or Research roll (using the dozens of 
  books the professor keeps in his newer house in Calcata 
  Nuova). If the PCs botch all the rolls, Mirella can recall the 
  location!
  The ruined temple of Sekhmet is in the  city of Leontopo-
  lis, the “City of Lions,” located in the Nile Delta in Lower 
  Egypt. In 1921, archaeologists unearthed a contemplation 
  chamber there. 
  The City of Lions, Egypt
  The ancient city of Leontopolis is located 39 miles north 
  of Cairo. The most direct route for the PCs is to fly out for 
  Florence and land in Cairo and then hire a driver to take 
  them north to the dig site. The whole trip costs about $150 
  per passenger.
  The dig site is several miles from civilization; the nearest 
  modern town is Mit Ghamr, located on the Nile, where a 
  reasonable hotel can be found.
  If the PCs hire a talkative driver, or make an Archaeol-
  ogy roll, they’ll learn that excavations are actively under-
  way on Leontopolis’ largest mound, which contains both 
  
  11
  the palace of Ramesses II as well as a 
  temple to Ramesses III. The lead of the 
  site is a renowned Egyptologist known 
  as DR. C.C. EDGAR, who has come 
  out of retirement to lead the excava-
  tion. An Archaeology+2 or His-
  tory (Egypt)+2 roll recognizes the 
  name, as he was recently the director 
  of the Cairo Museum.
  A local will also impart the informa-
  tion that a squad of British army sol-
  diers has recently been dispatched to 
  the dig site. 
  To officially gain access to the ruins, 
  the PCs need permission from Dr. 
  C.C. Edgar. 
  The Ruins of Leontopolis
  The ruins themselves are not much 
  to look at. Sand and dirt have long 
  covered both the temple and palace 
  here. The only sign of the city’s ancient 
  existence are pieces of an intact wall atop a hill, and a 20’ 
  red-granite column that still stands and is well-preserved. 
  On the same hill is a hole that leads through the ceiling 
  of Queen Kama’s burial chamber and the Contemplation 
  Chamber of Sekhmet.
  A dozen or so archaeologists that are part of C.C. Edgar’s 
  group are present on the mound during the day. They are 
  busy digging in the southwest part of the mound, where the 
  Temple to Ramesses III is being slowly uncovered. The men 
  are being guarded by two British soldiers, who mostly sleep 
  during the day but patrol the ruins at night.
  If the PCs are stealthy, they may be able to sneak on to the 
  mound and enter the burial chamber without anyone find-
  ing out. This is most possible at night, although they’ll have 
  to avoid the two British soldiers. If the British soldiers ob-
  serve the PCs sneaking into the site, they’ll first fire some 
  warning shots to scare them off. If the soldiers catch the 
  PCs, they’ll question them see if they’re up to no good. Due 
  to the recent invasion of Ethiopia, the soldiers are extremely 
  distrustful of Italians sneaking on to the property. They as-
  sume they are spies and immediately take them into cus-
  tody. 
  Dr. C.C. Edgar
  C.C. Edgar is a famous Egyptologist and, until recently, the 
  Director of Egyptian Antiquities for the Cairo Museum. 
  Having gotten bored of studying papyrus back in the UK, 
  and fearing Egypt will soon be pulled into war, he recently 
  came out of retirement to lead up the excavation of the 
  temple to Ramesses III. The director is in his mid-sixties, 
  very Scottish and energetic, and utterly obsessed with an-
  cient Egypt, especially Graeco-Roman Egypt.
  Dr. Edgar is excited to get western visitors. If the PCs casu-
  ally approach the ruins, he and some of his men come over 
  to openly greet them (although not without getting the at-
  tention of the camp’s two British soldiers).
  On a Good reaction or better, Dr. Edgar invites the PCs to 
  tour the archaeological site. He’ll show them the current 
  dig site on the temple of Ramesses III, along with five beau-
  tiful bronze lions he recently recovered from it. He’ll also 
  show them other interesting artifacts, such as the Column 
  of Merenptah and the entrance to Queen Kama’s burial 
  chamber.
  •	
  If asked about the presence of the British soldiers, he 
  sighs and explains that a group of well-armed locals 
  recently tried to scare them away from the site. He 
  confides that they were members of a revolutionary 
  group know as the Testament of Vipers. He pulled 
  some strings and had a squad of soldiers stationed here 
  to protect the dig, which ends in a few months. Un-
  fortunately, what started as a full squad of guards has 
  whittled down to just two as the British have grown 
  more nervous about an Italian invasion from Ethiopia; 
  
  12
  the rest were recently sent to Suez.
  •	
  If asked more about the Contemplation Chamber, 
  Edgar explains that the two-room burial chamber 
  of Queen Kama was found in 1921. He laments 
  that her sarcophagus was badly damaged due to 
  water, but they recovered some jewels from her 
  mummy, which were sent to the Museum in Cai-
  ro. The adjacent chamber, known as the Contem-
  plation Chamber of Sekhmet, contained many 
  beautiful images of Egyptian mythology on the 
  walls, but much of the art was also destroyed by 
  water over the centuries. Other than the art, he 
  insists the chamber is empty and devoid of any-
  thing valuable.
  •	
  Unless he has reason to suspect the PCs mean to 
  damage the site, C.C. Edgar allows them to visit 
  the chamber.
  The Column of Merenptah
  This 20-ton sandstone column is in near-perfect 
  shape. A History (Egypt) roll identifies it as a dedi-
  cation to the Pharaoh Merenptah and his victory over the 
  Libyans around 1200 BC. 
  Tool Storage and Truck
  The archaeologists keep their heavier tools here, including 
  some winches, hemp rope, and additional tents. A ten-year 
  old Willys Overland Crossley lorry is here as well, which 
  the archaeologists use to travel into town for food and other 
  supplies.
  Queen Kama’s Tomb
  A 6-foot diameter hole is cut into the rock here. Seven yards 
  below the surface lies the tomb of Queen Kama. Jumping 
  down without Acrobatics talent is foolish (2d cr falling 
  damage), but PCs can find rope at the tool storage area. A 
  Climbing-1 roll allows a person to shimmy down (or they 
  can be tied and lowered). 
  Due to its location below the water table, the floor of the 
  tomb is wet, with up to three inches of water on the eroded 
  tile floor. 
  There are two connected chambers in the tomb – Queen 
  Kama’s burial chamber, which is empty and strewn only 
  with broken tiles and heaps of mud. A worn statue of Het-
  shepsut, complete with a man’s beard on her chin, resolutely 
  watches over both rooms. 
  The second room is the Contemplation Chamber of 
  Sekhmet, which has walls painted with figures of Egyptian 
  mythology. The most prominent figure in the wall paintings 
  is Sekhmet, a statuesque goddess with the head of a lioness, 
  said to be a warrior goddess and protector of the pharaohs. 
  Sadly, most of the paintings are rubbed away, destroyed by 
  dripping water. 
  Someone studying the paintings and making an Occult-
  ism-2 roll (due the damage) finds that most of the paint-
  ings tell traditional stories of Sekhmet. There is, however, 
  an unusual story that seems to be unique to this tomb, one 
  where Sekhmet appears to be shielding a young Hetshep-
  sut from fiery light (see Handout C).
  The Secret Room
  Unknown to the archaeologists, the Contemplation Cham-
  ber holds a secret door in its south wall. The door is per-
  fectly concealed and locked by ancient, master architects. 
  The only way to unlock the secret chamber is to place over 
  200 lbs. of weight on the statue of Hetshepsut while some-
  one else pushes on the image of Sekhmet on the southern 
  wall of the Contemplation Chamber. This causes the statue 
  to sink down into the floor up to its knees and the wall with 
  the image of Sekhmet to push inwards.
  For someone to discover this architectural secret on their 
  own, they’d have to thoroughly examine the room and suc-
  ceed a quick contest of Traps vs. the ancient architect’s 
  Traps-25 – extremely unlikely!
  The tomb, however, is a strange place with eons of his-
  tory emanating from its walls. Anyone who sleeps in the 
  chamber will experience a strange dream that hints at the 
  strange way the door is opened – exactly like Vicar Eustace 
  
  13
  did hundreds of years ago when he wrote his book, The 
  Mourning of Jonshai
  The Dream of Eustace
  Soon after falling asleep, those who sleep in the tomb will 
  vividly see a large lioness suddenly perched atop the statue, 
  staring at them with piercing yellow eyes. As the dreamer 
  backs up to escape the lion, they feel their back pressed 
  against the cold wall of the tomb. Suddenly, the arms of the 
  goddess Sekhmet wrap around them, as if protecting them 
  from the lion. With that, dreamers feel the wall behind 
  them fade away as they find themselves in another chamber, 
  beautifully preserved and filled with golden lion statues.
  This dream should be a strong hint as to what to do to find 
  the secret chamber. If the players can’t figure it out, the 
  GM can allow them to more easily discover the outline of 
  a door surrounding the painting of Sekhmet (perhaps with 
  a Perception roll) as well as the pressure mechanism in 
  the statue.
  The Chamber of Lions
  The hidden chamber is dry, somehow avoiding centuries 
  of water damage. The room holds six brass lioness statues 
  which would be fantastically precious to any museum.
  A lioness-headed stone statue of Sekhmet rules over the 
  other lions. High above her head she holds a bronze and al-
  abaster, single-masted boat. The artifact is the size of a large 
  child’s toy but weighs 6 lbs. Removing the boat from her 
  hands is easy as it is held loosely by the statue. The artifact is 
  very valuable, worth at least $2,500 to a reputable museum.
  Carved on to the wall behind the statue is a depiction of a 
  five-stepped pyramid – the Meidum Pyramid, also known 
  as the “pseudo pyramid” – which any History or Archae-
  ology roll will identify. It is a unique stepped structure 
  that looks markedly different from traditional pyramids. In 
  hieroglyphics underneath the pyramid is a description of 
  Tomb of Hetshepsut:
  When the sun sets above Meidum and the shadows fall on the 
  mastaba tombs of the dead princes, Sekhmet’s pointed shadow 
  shall take the living to the eternal sun halls of Hetshepsut.
  Once inside this secret chamber, a Traps roll can figure out 
  how to reset the locking mechanism, which involves rotat-
  ing one of the bronze lions (a two man effort). Once this 
  happens, the door reseals itself after about one minute, giv-
  ing anyone inside the room time to escape.
  A Testament of Trouble
  Unfortunately for the explorers, one of the C.C. Edgar’s as-
  sistants is in league with the Testament of Vipers. When the 
  PCs arrived, he managed to send a message through one of 
  the locals who delivers meals to the archaeologists.
  A truck full of six Vipers arrives soon after the PCs dis-
  cover the Chamber of Lions. Their brute force strategy is to 
  drive at full speed straight up to the mound, park next to 
  the ceiling entrance, and then drop a tear gas grenade into 
  BRITISH SOLDIERS
  ST  
  12 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  11 
  Will: 10
  IQ  
  10 
  Per: 11 
  HT  
  11 
  FP: 11
  Basic Speed: 5.5 
  Punch: 1d-2 cr 
  Move: 5  
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Duty (British Army); Fit; Military Rank 1.
  Skills: Area Knowledge (Egypt)-9; Brawling-12; Driv-
  ing-10; Guns-13; Intimidation-10; Knife-11; Naviga-
  tion-9; Savoir-Faire (Military)-12; Soldier-11; Survival 
  (Desert)-9.
  Equipment: Enfield SMLE rifle (6d+2 pi, Acc 5, Range 
  800/3,300, RoF 1, Shots 10(5), Bulk -5, Rcl 3, 9 lbs.); 
  Brodie helmet (DR 3, rarely worn).
  VIPER RAIDERS
  ST  
  11 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 10
  IQ  
  10* 
  Per: 11 
  HT  
  11 
  FP: 11
  Basic Speed: 5.75 
  Punch: 1d-2 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  * Their leader, Radames, has IQ 11.
  Traits: High Pain Threshold; Intolerance; various Odious 
  Personal Habits. Radames has Combat Reflexes.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Driving-11; Guns-13; Intimida-
  tion-12; Knife-13; Throwing-12.
  Equipment: Most of the Vipers wield older Mauser Mod-
  ell 10E rifles (7d+2 pi, Acc 5, Range 1,000/4,200, RoF 
  1, Shots 5(3), Bulk -6, Rcl 5, 7.5 lbs.). They also carry 
  small knives.
  Two of the men have Beretta SMGs (2d+1 pi, Acc 3, Range 
  160/1,700, RoF 15, Shots 25(3), Bulk -5, Rcl 2, 16 lbs). 
  These men also carry one stick grenade apiece (5d cr ex, 
  1.3 lbs; takes two Ready maneuvers to ready).
  
  14
  the burial chamber. 
  The grenade instantly fogs up the first two chambers (-3 to 
  Vision per yard). Victims must make two HT-2 rolls, one 
  to avoid coughing (-3 DX, -1 IQ), the other to resist blind-
  ness. Ill effects endure for as many minutes as the margin 
  of failure. 
  The high-ranking leader of the raiders, a man named RA-
  DAMES, will call down to anyone in the burial chamber, 
  saying he has far more deadly grenades to gift them unless 
  they surrender to his men.
  Radames enjoys having the upper hand and gloating about 
  it. If the PCs are intransigent, he isn’t above sending some of 
  his men to capture C.C. Edgar or any of his archaeologists 
  to use as bargaining chips.
  There are several ways to escape the Vipers’ ambush. First, 
  if any of the PCs were stationed outside the burial cham-
  ber, they’ll likely have seen the truck speeding up and might 
  have been able to take cover or duck out of sight. These PCs 
  could lead an attack against the Vipers, perhaps with the 
  British soldiers’ help.
  Second, if the PCs stall too long or irritate Radames, he’ll 
  make good on his threat and toss a grenade or two into 
  the chamber to kill or scare the PCs into surrendering. An 
  explosion causes a terrible calamity in the unstable under-
  ground chamber (see text box), which gives the PCs a dan-
  gerous opportunity to escape.
  Finally, while Radames isn’t stupid, he can be manipulated. 
  He only wants the information on the location of Hetshep-
  sut’s tomb that he knows is down in the burial chamber. If 
  the PCs give him what he wants, he’ll leave (though will 
  throw a grenade or two down for good measure). It’s also 
  possible a clever plan or great roleplaying might convince 
  him to pull the PCs up out of the tomb while he 
  sends his own men down inside.
  GM’s Note: If the PCs ask Ramades whether Count 
  Malefik survived Calcata, Ramades will say that 
  he is dead and that he is new leader of the Testa-
  ment of Vipers. He’ll tell the PCs this regardless of 
  the actual truth.
  Once the PC’s defeat or escape from the Vipers, 
  they should now know the location of the Tomb 
  of Hetshepsut – somewhere near the Meidum 
  Pyramid, which lies about 90 miles south of 
  them. If brought into the excitement of it all, C.C. 
  Edgar will happily lend the PCs his lorry to make 
  the grand discovery (and, on a Good reaction roll or better, 
  even agree to accompany them).
  Edge of the Western Desert, Egypt
  The Meidum Pyramid is located on the edge of the Western 
  Desert, about 62 miles south of Cairo. The PCs can drive 
  here in a few hours along a lonely desert road, or rent a 
  boat that takes them down the Nile and deposits them on 
  the western shore near Meidum.
  RAGING WATERS OF THE TOMB!
  Queen Kama’s burial chamber is located underneath the wa-
  ter table. The walls have been seriously weakened by the water 
  damage over the centuries. An Architecture or similar roll 
  identifies that the tomb is in serious structural jeopardy.
  If the Vipers detonate explosive grenades inside the tomb, the 
  walls begin to dramatically crumble, cracks stretching up to-
  wards the tall ceiling of the chamber. With the weight of the 
  truck atop the tomb, the entire ceiling collapses. Anyone within 
  8 yards of the ceiling entrance comes crashing down into the 
  tomb, taking 3d cr damage from the fall and the heavy debris. 
  PCs below the collapse can take cover in the adjacent cham-
  ber before the ceiling falls, but anyone stupid enough to stick 
  around below the collapse takes 4d cr damage from falling 
  stones. The tomb then begins to rapidly fill with mud and water.
  Surviving Vipers will desperately try climb out of the chamber 
  to escape the water – they can’t swim! Climbing out requires a 
  Climbing-2 roll, though this gets harder as the tomb walls start 
  to get slick and wet from the rising water.
  Only Radames is resolute enough to try to accomplish his origi-
  nal mission during this crisis. If he’s still in good shape after the 
  fall, he’ll try to prevent the PCs from escaping, trying to shoot 
  them as they climb out. Finally, he’ll try to rush into the Cham-
  ber of Lions to glimpse its secrets before finding an air pocket in 
  the crumbling tomb to survive until he is rescued.
  
  15
  Surrounding the towering pyramid are a dozen mas-
  tabas, square mudbrick tombs that contain various 
  princes and high-ranking servants. Most of the masta-
  bas have been robbed years ago and now only contain 
  empty chambers are hastily dug robber tunnels. Some 
  of the mastabas, however, are still sealed, unmarred by 
  both tomb robbers and archaeologists.
  An Archaeology roll recalls that the Meidum site 
  was most recently excavated in 1928, but has now been 
  abandoned for a few years. Sure enough, as the PCs ar-
  rive, the place looks deserted.
  Unfortunately for the PCs, the Meidum site has now be-
  come the home of a team of Nazi treasure hunters, who 
  are hidden in one of the mastabas, crating up archaeo-
  logical treasures. (See text box on p.16 for details.)
  GM’s Note: If the PCs somehow gave away the location 
  of the Tomb of Hetshepsut to the Vipers, the site will soon 
  have a truckload of mercenary visitors. This can also hap-
  pen if Ramades was able to escape into the Chamber of 
  Lions in the tomb of Queen Kama. When he is rescued a 
  few hours later, he notifies his allies to rush to Meidum, 
  and will arrive soon after them (see p.17).
  The Tents
  Two canvas tents sit outside the Meidum Pyramid. The 
  western tent contains six empty crates, each big enough to 
  hold a large amount of tools or artifacts. There is also a box 
  of flares and a several coils of heavy rope.
  The second tent contains a cheap plywood table and stools. 
  A map of the dig site is on the table, held down by rocks (see 
  Handout D). The map seems to show that progress is being 
  made exploring the various mastabas around the site.
  Shadow of the Pseudo-Pyramid
  Towering 213 feet above the desert, the 3-stepped great 
  Meidum pyramid resembles an ancient tower more than a 
  traditional pyramid.
  Climbing the pyramid is treacherous and requires five 
  Climbing rolls, the last three are at -3 due to the sheer walls! 
  The climb takes about an hour, but PCs who take their time 
  get +1 to their rolls (and double the required time).
  The top of the pyramid is strewn with rubble. An Archae-
  ology roll recalls that the pyramid likely collapsed over 
  4,000 years ago.
  As the sun sets, the pyramid casts a long shadow towards 
  the Nile. Majestically, the shadow stretches and grows and 
  just as the sun fades below the horizon, its tip almost touch-
  es one of the northern mastabas – the False Tomb, which 
  is located in a thicket of grass and palm trees at the edge of 
  the desert. This is sight is true to the directions written on 
  the wall of the Chamber of Lions in Queen Kama’s tomb. 
  The shadow points towards the final resting place of Het-
  shepsut!
  The shadow, however, lies. The pyramid has eroded over 
  the years, and was once much higher – about 70 feet high-
  er! The GM can allow an IQ roll to realize that the pyramid 
  of 1936 looks different from the pyramid depicted on the 
  wall.
  An IQ roll would realize that the shadow should extend 
  proportionately further, deeper in the grass and brush, 
  while a Mathematics roll can pinpoint the exact location 
  the higher pyramid’s shadow would point to.
  The False Tomb of Hetshepsut
  The false tomb is a sturdy, square mastaba set atop a 
  mound  overgrown with thick grass. A narrow slab still 
  seals the tomb shut. Carved into the slab is a faint outline of 
  Sekhmet holding a boat above her head – the same likeness 
  that was in the Chamber of Lions. Unsealing this tomb’s 
  entrance would require industrial machinery.
  The Nazis, however, have already found a way into this 
  tomb, via a northern tunnel that was originally started by 
  tomb robbers. This tunnel is the only practical way inside.
  
  16
  Nazi Treasure Hunters!
  The Nazi treasure hunters are led by the vibrant and stun-
  ning historian, MARGRIT KEHLER. The team has secretly 
  dispatched to illegally loot the remaining mastabas of their 
  gold. They have made their base in one of the largest mas-
  tabas (German HQ on the map), though have erected two 
  tents that they use to temporarily crate and store treasure 
  until a plane arrives to transport them back to Berlin.
  If the PCs arrive in Meidum noisily, or explore the pyramid 
  and surrounding mastabas, they’ll likely be spotted by one 
  of the Nazis. Kehler, thinking that their illicit operation has 
  been discovered, first radios a plane for pickup, which ar-
  rives in about an hour. But soon Kehler’s curiosity gets the 
  better of her and she ventures out of her mastaba to talk to 
  the PCs. She uses a convincing cover story that she is an 
  archaeology student working with the Cairo museum. She 
  deploys her acting skill, sex appeal, and her ability to put on 
  a perfect London accent to perfect the ruse. Kehler’s objec-
  tive is to discover what brings the PCs to Meidum.
  If asked about the tomb of Hetshepsut, Kehler says that she 
  has already discovered it, via a robber’s tunnel, and points 
  to the False Tomb. Kehler honestly believes she has discov-
  ered it, as the hieroglyphics in the False Tomb do describe 
  the resting place of Hetshepsut. She describes the tomb as 
  “beautiful but empty”. In reality, her treasure hunters stole 
  most of the artifacts inside the tomb. Half were cargo-
  planed out of Egypt days ago, the other half is in her HQ 
  inside one of the larger mastabas.
  Unless the PCs are utterly convincing, Kehler is likely to 
  grow suspicious. She offers to lead the PCs to the tomb... 
  but has positioned her Nazi assistants inside the mastaba to 
  capture the PCs, and interrogate them for information. If 
  Kehler ever discovers that the PCs are searching for some-
  thing special, her intense curiosity takes hold of her and she 
  may agree to work together to find it. Kehler is not blood-
  thirsty, so she will hesitate to kill the PCs, especially before 
  any treasure is found. Her men, on the other hand, do not 
  agree with this approach. But her loyalty to the Third Reich 
  is strong, and it is likely she will do anything she can to seize 
  any priceless treasures for her country’s future glory. 
  When Kehler’s plane eventually arrives, she will order her 
  men to destroy any vehicles at the site and then try to escape 
  with any remaining artifacts in the Germans’ possession. 
  MARGRIT KEHLER
  ST  
  11 
  HP: 11
  DX  
  13 
  Will: 13
  IQ  
  13 
  Per: 13 
  HT  
  12 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 6.25 
  Punch: 1d-2 cr 
  Move: 6  
   
  Dodge: 9 
   
   
   
  Traits: Appearance (Beautiful); Duty (Third Reich); 
  Courtesy Rank 3; Curious (Severe!); Greed; Fit; Language 
  (German, English, Hieroglyphics); Obsession (Recover 
  artifacts); Status 2; Perfect British accent.
  Skills: Acting-13; Archaeology-14; Diplomacy-13; Driv-
  ing-11; Guns-13; History (Egypt)-15; Holdout-13; Lead-
  ership-14; Merchant-13; Occultism-12; Savoir Faire-14; 
  Search-13; Sex Appeal-15; Stealth-12; Traps-13.
  Equipment: Walther Modell 8 .25 pistol (1d pi-, Acc 1, 
  Range 90/950, RoF 3, Shots 8+1(3), Bulk -1, Rcl 2, 1 lb.).
  Personality: Obsessively curious with a deep love for an-
  cient Egypt, Margrit Kehler loves her job. She naively 
  has no idea that the Third Reich will melt down these 
  artifacts to build steel tanks, and not keep them as his-
  torical treasures. 
  NAZI GOLD HuNTERS
  ST  
  12 
  HP: 12
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 11
  IQ  
  10 
  Per: 12 
  HT  
  11 
  FP: 12
  Basic Speed: 5.75 
  Punch: 1d-1 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
   
   
  Traits: Duty (Third Reich); Fit; Military Rank 2.
  Skills: Archaeology-9; Brawling-14; Driving-11; Guns-
  14; History-10; Interrogation-11; Intimidation-11; 
  Knife-12; Search-13; Stealth-11; Traps-10.
  Equipment: Walther PPK .32 pistol (2d-1 pi-, Acc 1, 
  Range 120/1,300, RoF 3, Shots 7+1(3), Bulk -1, Rcl 2, 
  1.7 lbs.). The Oberleutnant has a brand new Bergmann 
  MP34 SMG (3d-1 pi, Acc 3, Range 170/1,900, RoF 6, 
  Shots 32 (3), Bulk -4, Rcl 2, 10.9 lbs.)
  
  17
  The false tomb has a low-ceiling and is decorated with beau-
  tiful carvings of Hetshepsut and the lioness-headed goddess 
  Sekhmet. 
  A wooden chariot used to be the centerpiece of the cham-
  ber, but it has fallen apart and now lies asunder. The Nazi 
  treasure hunter Margrit Kehler believes that this chariot is 
  the only thing true about the original legend of Hetshepsut’s 
  forty golden chariots.
  An opened sarcophagus inside the false tomb contains 
  a mummy – but this mummy is only a high-ranking 
  servant, not the preserved corpse of the great Queen 
  of Egypt. A careful examination, and an Archaeol-
  ogy-2 roll notices that the mummy is not wrapped 
  with the usual care a pharaoh would receive.
  The Nazis took most of the golden valuables from this 
  room. The only thing left of value is the Amulet of 
  Ahmose, a beautiful pectoral that shows two lionesses 
  jumping at each other. It is made from gold and inlaid 
  with turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian, and garnet. It 
  would easily fetch thousands of dollars. The amulet 
  was removed from a box found in the room, but it 
  slipped behind the sarcophagus of the mummy. A 
  Search roll can find it.
  The German HQ
  The Germans have occupied the inside of one of the 
  largest mastabas at Meidum to use as their base of op-
  erations. Inside the tomb:
  •	 A table holding a battery-powered portable radio.
  •	
  Three crates filled with golden treasures looted from 
  the tombs at Meidum. Solid gold burial masks, per-
  fume boxes, alabaster chests, headrests, and pendants 
  are all carefully wrapped in straw, ready for shipment.
  •	
  Cots, blankets, and food for a few days.
  •	
  Digging tools, including picks, brushes, and shovels.
  •	
  A first aid kit.
  •	
  A small, locked metal box labeled “Dynamit”. There 
  are only two sticks left (9d+1 cr ex, 0.5 lbs.).
   THE RETuRN OF THE VIPERS!
  If the PCs left either Count Malefik or his high-ranking servant Ramades alive, they 
  are likely to dramatically arrive in Meidum to seize the treasure that the believe is 
  theirs. The Vipers’ arrival is not necessary to the adventure, so GMs should use 
  their judgment as to whether they show up based on how well the PCs covered 
  their tracks in the previous chapters of the adventure.
  The Vipers have no alliance with the Germans and will treat everyone at Meidum as 
  an obstacle standing between them and their treasure. Unless the Vipers know ex-
  actly where the Tomb of Hetshepsut is located, their plan is to gun down any resis-
  tance, take a few knowledgeable hostages, and force them to help look for the tomb.
  To ensure their success, the Vipers arrive with a truck-full of raiders (see p.13). They have also commandeered an armored car! 
  The cheap, German-made car is heavy and not very maneuverable, but holds a bloodthirsty, amateur gunner who is prepared to 
  gun down anyone in their way (assume Gunner-12). If either Count Malefik or Ramades survived to arrive at Meidum, they will 
  be in the gunner position, excited to fire upon the PCs that have embarrassed them so many times already.
  Vehicle  
  ST/HP Hnd/SR HT 
  Move 
  LWt. 
  Load 
  SM 
  Occ 
  DR 
  Price
  Kfz 13 Adler 
  46 
  -2/3 
  10f 
  3/34 
  2.4 
  .25 
  +3 
  1+1 
  22/15 
  $750
  The Adler has a tripod-mounted 7.92mm MG (7d pi, Acc 5, Range 1,100/4,400, RoF 8, ST 11B, Bulk -7, Rcl 2, 21 lbs).
  
  18
  The Tomb of Hetshepsut
  The actual tomb of Hetshepsut is a square mastaba 
  overgrown by Nile grass and palm trees. From the out-
  side, it looks crumbled and long-robbed – a false door 
  looks like it has been broken into, its entrance filled 
  with fallen rubble.
  However, a careful search atop the mastaba finds loose 
  sand and dirt covering a heavy, flat stone slab. The 
  slab weighs over 2,000 lbs. – at least four strong men 
  are required to drag it. When the slab is pulled away 
  from it’s opening, a massive plume of foul-smelling, 
  hot dust roars out of the tomb. PCs within five yards 
  of the opening take 1d-2 large area damage from the 
  burning dust and must make a HT roll or wheeze and 
  cough horribly for thirty minutes (-3 to DX, -1 to IQ, 
  makes stealth impossible!). 
  The slab covered a steep shaft that descends fifteen 
  yards into the dark tomb. A Perception (Vision) 
  roll, however, spots a faint whitish glow emanating 
  from the tomb’s bottom.
  Climbing down requires a heavy rope, or a daring 
  Climbing-3 roll. Falling down the shaft is deadly, 
  with hapless victims taking 4d cr damage!
  The Tomb of Sekhmet
  The shaft leads directly into the most treasured vault 
  of Meidum – the Tomb of the Sekhmet and the Great 
  Pharaoh Hetshepsut. Sealed for over three thousand 
  years, the tomb was undisturbed until this moment.
  There are only two chambers in this tomb – the large 
  chariot vault and the burial chamber itself. When the PCs 
  rappel down into the tomb, they see a bright white glow 
  emanating from the burial chamber, the backlight effect 
  making it impossible to see the burial chamber’s contents.
  The Gold Chariot Vault
  The central vault is a large, square room. The corners of 
  the room hold raised platforms; each contains a solid gold 
  chariot! Contrary to the legend, there are only four chariots 
  in this room, not forty. However, each chariot is worth over 
  half a million dollars! 
  The Queens’ Tomb
  The centerpiece of the burial chamber are two mummies 
  lying on a raised platform at the end of the room.
  A mirror-like wall behind the mummies is made from pol-
  ished silver and flecks of crystal, which somehow creates an 
  intense, bright glow that is difficult to stare directly at. 
  A casual investigation and an IQ roll determines that there’s 
  not enough light coming into the chamber to actually cre-
  ate a glow of that intensity. A closer examination discovers 
  that the strange crystals seem to actually be emitting light! 
  A Geology-2 roll identifies the crystals as a rare variety 
  of fluorite. If the PCs take a sample and get it back to a lab, 
  they will learn that the fluorite appears extraterrestrial in 
  nature, likely recovered from a meteor impact.
  The two mummies are wrapped in white bandages that still 
  look new. Very little, if any, decomposition has affected 
  these mummies.
  One mummy holds a glass-striped, bronze crook and flail, 
  the symbols of pharaonic authority. A History (Egypt)+2 
  roll clearly identifies this as the corpse of Queen Hetshep-
  sut, one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
  
  19
  The second mummy is well-built and significantly taller 
  than the other. The preserved body looks not-quite seven 
  feet tall. Furthermore, the mummy has a fierce, silver li-
  oness mask covering its head. A closer look at the silver 
  head shows that the metal is inscribed with thousands of 
  tiny hieroglyphics. However, anyone who can read hiero-
  glyphics, or a History (Egypt)-2 roll, spots that there are 
  anomalies in the symbols. The language here is gibberish, 
  and furthermore, several of the glyphs are wholly new and 
  very much non-Egyptian.
  If curious PCs remove the mask off the mummy, they see 
  that the actual anatomy of the corpse has the head of a li-
  oness! 
  The PCs seem to have discovered the actual tomb of the li-
  on-headed goddess, Sekhmet... or perhaps a queen of some 
  unknown ancient species that lived and died alongside 
  the pharaohs. This unnatural realization causes a Fright 
  Check-3! A closer examination, and a Physician roll, re-
  veals that this is no mere stitch work – the creature they 
  have discovered actually seems to be a hybrid of man and 
  panthera leo.
  GM’s Note: If the German archaeologist Margrit Kehler is 
  with them, she most certainly removes the mask out of sheer 
  curiosity. If any of the Vipers or Nazi treasure hunters are 
  present, they’ll likely grab the mask out of greed.
  Removing the mask of Sekhmet, however, unleashes a 
  curse upon intruders in the tomb, starting with a burst  of 
  terrible energy. See the next page for details on the curse.
  Finale
  With up to four factions of explorers fighting over the con-
  tents of the tomb, the finale of the adventure can play out 
  in many ways.
  •	
  Margrit Kehler is motivated by her intense curiosity, 
  love of artifacts, and loyalty to the Third Reich. She will 
  try to escape the tomb with something valuable. Once 
  her plane arrives, she will happily escape Egypt and re-
  turn to Berlin.
  •	
  Kehler’s Nazis are greedy and looking for loyalty. They 
  have no problem killing the PCs to take all of the trea-
  sure of the tomb of their own. Obviously, once the 
  curse brings undead chaos to bear, the Nazis’ first pri-
  ority becomes defending themselves and escaping the 
  tomb.
  •	
  The Vipers are motivated purely by greed, regardless 
  of whether Malefik or Ramades is leading the group. 
  They both need a large amount of gold to survive. 
  Whether the Vipers charge headlong into the fray and 
  are in the tomb with the PCs and the Nazis at the end... 
  or bide their time to ambush the PCs after they escape 
  the tomb is entirely up to the GM, and how badly the 
  PCs have angered or embarrassed the Viper leaders 
  over the course of the adventure.
  •	
  The guardians of the tomb have the simplest motiva-
  tion! They wish to kill the intruders and reseal the 
  tomb, protecting the secret of Sekhmet forever.
   
  Either way, the adventure is concluded once the PCs have 
  dealt with their foes and escaped the tomb. If the PCs are 
  fortunate, they will have also escaped with an artifact, or at 
  least a deeper understanding of the goddess Sekhmet and 
  her true nature. 
  Unfortunately, recovering the chariots from the tomb is ex-
  ceedingly difficult. A winch and heavy machinery is need-
  ed to lift the golden chariots out (the Vipers’ Adler would 
  do it). But the presence of the radioactive wall causes sick-
  ness and other health issues, giving true validity to the idea 
  of an ancient curse upon tomb robbers. If the PCs leave it 
  up to the Egyptian government to retrieve the treasures, 
  they’ll pull out one chariot and then quickly give up on 
  the mission due to sickness and exhaustion... resealing the 
  tomb for another thousand years.
  For completing the adventure, the PCs should receive 2 
  character points. They should receive an additional 1-2 char-
  acter points for good roleplaying or excellent performance. 
  Retrieving any of the legendary artifacts from the Tomb of 
  Sekhmet is also worth a bonus character point. GMs should 
  also confer various Reputations, Contacts, or Patrons for be-
  friending any of the influential folk in the adventure. And if 
  the nefarious Vipers survived the adventure, they make excel-
  lent long-term Enemies for the player characters!
  Special thanks to thispersondoesnotexist.com for photo reference 
  for the various characters in this adventure. Thanks also to Ajay 
  Viknesh on Fiverr for creating the 3D model of the various tombs.
  If you enjoyed this adventure, or ran it for a group, all the author 
  asks is that you give a shout out and let me know how it went. 
  Send a note to @SageThalcos on Twitter or dispatch a telegram to 
  thalcos@hotmail.com 
  
  20
  The Doom of Sekhmet!
  Within a minute of the mask of Sekhmet being removed, 
  a Perception (Hearing) roll hears scratching sounds 
  coming from the interior of the tomb’s walls. At the same 
  time, the mummified corpse of Sekhmet begins to twitch 
  and move, causing a Fright Check for anyone who no-
  tices it.
  Within another minute, the corpse is pulled into the air, 
  as if by a wire. It floats, upright, in front of the large mir-
  rored wall, its fingers clenching spastically.
  Suddenly, a burst of energy explodes outwards from the 
  wall flecked with crystal. Although the PCs will likely not 
  realize it, this is a 20-rad burst of radiation! Anyone in 
  the tomb must make a HT roll or suffer its ill effects:
  •	
  A critical success, or a PC carrying the Amulet  of 
  Ahmose from the False Tomb, shrugs off the effects. 
  •	
  A success burns the victim, suffering 1d of injury HT 
  hours later.
  •	
  A failure additionally causes nausea. After HT hours, 
  the victim suffers a 1d loss of DX, IQ, and FP, and 
  gains Hemophilia. This will wear off in a few days.
  •	
  A critical failure causes all of these results instantly.
  Simultaneously, the scratching sounds in the walls grow 
  louder. Suddenly, bursting out of the tomb walls are the 
  undead guardians of the Sekhmet – two tomb guardians 
  and ten skeletal servants (although the GM can tune this 
  depending on his group, whether Nazis or Vipers are 
  present to help fend them off, etc.). This ambush calls for 
  another Fright Check-2!
  As chaos breaks out in the tomb, the corpse of Sekhmet 
  continues to float, twitching lifelessly, bathed by the 
  glowing light of the mirrored wall. However, the radia-
  tion emitting from the wall slowly starts to disintegrate 
  her body. First her bandages dissolve away, revealing the 
  desiccated corpse of a creature that looks like a combi-
  nation of a woman and a lion. Her hands are claws, her 
  teeth are canines, and a withered tail hangs from her but-
  tocks. Soon, her dried flesh body is torn away to a skel-
  eton, which eventually turns to dust and blows across the 
  tomb.
  TOMB GuARDIANS
  ST  
  16 
  HP: 20
  DX  
  12 
  Will: 10
  IQ  
  10 
  Per: 10 
  HT  
  10 
  FP: n/a
  Basic Speed: 5.5 
  Punch: 1d cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Parry: 12
  Dodge: 10 
   
  Block: 11 
   
   
  Traits: Compulsive Behavior (Kill intruders); Doesn’t 
  Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Fragile 
  (Combustible); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Meta-
  bolic Hazards; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, 
  No Brain, No Vitals, Unliving*);  Temperature Tolerance 
  10; Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Unkillable 1 (Achilles 
  Heel, Fire).
  Skills: Axe/Mace-14; Brawling-14; Driving (Chariot)-14; 
  Shield-12; Spear-14.
  Equipment: Bronze lion mask (DR 2); small shield (DB 2); 
  khopesh (2d+2 cut, reach 1, parry 0U, 3 lbs. Can also hook 
  opponents for 1d-1 cut at -5 to hit - see Low-Tech p.54)
  * Unliving targets take x1 damage from impaling and 
  huge piercing, 1/2 from large piercing,  1/3 from piercing; 
  and 1/5 from small piercing!
  SKELETAL SERVANTS
  ST  
  11 
  HP: 15
  DX  
  10 
  Will: 10
  IQ  
  9 
  Per: 10 
  HT  
  10 
  FP: n/a
  Basic Speed: 5.75 
  Punch: 1d-1 cr 
  Move: 5  
   
  Dodge: 8 
   
  Parry: 8 
   
  Traits: Compulsive Behavior (Kill intruders); Doesn’t 
  Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Fragile 
  (Combustible); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Meta-
  bolic Hazards; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, 
  No Brain, No Vitals, Unliving);  Temperature Tolerance 
  10; Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total).
  Skills: Brawling-12; Knife-12.
  Weapon: Large ceremonial knife (1d-1 imp, reach C, 
  Parry -1, 1 lb.)
  
  21
  Handouts
  Handout A - Airway ticket found in the pockets of the 
  Count Malefik and his Vipers
  Handout C - Translation of the new myth of Sekhmet 
  found in the Chamber of Lions
  
  22
  Handouts
  Handout B - Translated page from The Mourning of Janshai (originally in Latin)
  
  23
  Handouts
  Handout D - Map of Meidum found in the nearby tents
  
  24
  Player Safe Maps
  The Handley
  
  25
  Player Safe Maps
  The Danieli’s House
  
  26
  Player Safe Maps
  
  27
  Player Safe Maps
  The Contemplation Chamber of Sekhmet
  
  28
  The False Tomb
  Player Safe Maps
  
  29
  Player Safe Maps
  The Tomb of Hetshepsut
  
  12
  12
  11
  12
  12
  11
  12
  12
  6
  0
  10
  -
  Carlo Grandi
  150
  -
  23
  0
  170
  5’10”
  Shockingly good hair distracts from a baby face on this well-rounded, anti-fascist army officer
  0
  0
  5
  0
  1d-1
  1d+2
  6
  0
  29 lbs
  6.0
  29
  0
  58
  87
  174
  290
  Combat Reflexes (+2 to Fright Checks, +6 to recover from mental stun)
  15
  Fit (+1 to all HT rolls)
  5
  Stubbornness
  -5
  Chronic Hip Pain (9 or less, lasts 4 hours, -4 DX and IQ)
  -10
  Secret (Anti-Fascist)
  -5
  Still gets nervous thinking about grenades
  -1
  Sneezes more often than you’d expect
  -1
  Animal Handling (Goats + Horses)
  2
  10
  Artillery (Cannon)
  1
  10
  Bicycling
  2
  13
  Brawling
  4
  14
       Two-handed Punch
  2
  14
  Cooking
  2
  11
  Driving (Automobile + Motorcycle)
  4
  12
  Farming
  1
  10
  Forward Observer
  1
  10
  Guns (Rifle)
  8
  15
  Knife
  2
  13
  Navigation (Orienteering)
  2
  11
  Parachuting
  2
  13
  Riding (Equines)
  2
  12
  +1 when hair is styled
  +1 from Military Rank
  20
  40
  20
  20
  Gunner (Machine Gun)
  2
  13
  Protective of women (especially older ones)
  Regularly sends money to his mom and grandma
  -1
  -1
  Hard to Kill +1 (+1 to all HT rolls to avoid death)
  5
  Military Rank 2 (“Maresciallo Capo” of the 3rd Bersaglieri Company)
  10
  11
  (Brawling)
  Collects Mickey Mouse Weekly comics 
  -1
  Guns (Pistol)
  2
  14
  Languages
  Jumping
  2
  13
  Duty (Bersaglieri, 9 or less, extremely hazardous)
  -10
  Hiking
  2
  12
  Soldier
  2
  12
  Savoir-Faire (Military)
  2
  12
  Area Knowledge (Rome)
  1
  11
  Great hair
  1
     Italian (Native)
  0
     English (Accented, Literate)
  4
  Stealth
  2
  12
  Survival (Desert)
  2
  12
  Throwing
  2
  12
  Traps
  2
  11
  Phobia (Cats)
  -5
  
  Brawling punch
  1d-1 cr
  C
  11
  Brawling-14
  $150
  $20
  - lbs.
  $2
  - lbs.
  Bersaglieri uniform
  Comb
  Pocket
  Extra socks
  $1
  - lbs..
  $10
  1 lb.
  $10
  4 lbs.
  Bag
  Army watch
  Wrist
  Army boots (DR 2)
  Feet
  1 lb.
  $1
  - lbs.
  387
  8
  Owns a house outside of Rome worth about $8,000
  You were in Ethiopia in 1935. But six months into 
  the conflict, you had seen enough. You had no idea 
  what Italy was doing there. Almost as soon as you 
  had that realization, you got hit by a grenade and 
  shrapnel almost tore your leg off. You got a metal 
  for your wound and were sent back to Rome. 
  There, you made friends with some of the anti-
  fascists. Although they were angry you were still in 
  the military, you felt that maybe you could help their 
  cause from behind a desk. When one of your 
  friends, Carolina, told you she was going to the 
  airport to capture an American bank robber, you 
  decided you weren’t about to see her get hurt - so 
  you went down to the runway to lend a hand.
  Two-handed punch
  1d+1 cr
  C
  13
  Brawling-4, only one
  Parry allowed at +2
  Beretta Mod 1934 pistol
  2d pi
  1
  120/1300
  3
  $300
  1.9 lbs.
  7+1 (3)
  8
  -1
  2
  $5
  Satchel
  Mickey Mouse Weekly, Vol 1, #9 
  Guns-14
  
  12
  13
  11
  12
  12
  10
  11
  12
  6
  0
  10
  -
  Appearance (Attractive)
  Marisa Santarelli
  150
  -
  24
  0
  140
  5’8”
  Exuberant Italian stunt performer, so-so actress, and daughter of a notorious mafioso
  0
  -5
  10
  0
  1d-1
  1d+2
  6
  0
  29 lbs
  6.25
  29
  0
  58
  87
  174
  290
  4
  Born Entertainer
  5
  Combat Reflexes (+2 to Fright Checks, +6 to recover from mental stun)
  15
  Impulsiveness
  -10
  Lecherousness
  -15
  Wealth (Struggling)
  -10
  Dislikes police, thinks they are all corrupt
  -1
  Competitive, especially with other actresses
  -1
  Italian  
       
   
         Native                Literate 0
  Acrobatics
  4
  13
  Acting (includes +1 from Born Performer)
  1
  11
  Body Language
  1
  10
  Carousing
  1
  12
  Connoisseur (Film)
  1
  10
  Current Affairs (Popular Culture)
  1
  11
  Dancing (includes +1 from Born Performer)
  1
  13
  Driving (Automobile)
  2
  13
  Driving (Motorcycle)
  1
  12
  Guns (Pistol + Rifle + SMG)
  3
  13
  Piloting (Light Aircraft)
  2
  13
  Sex Appeal (includes +1 from Appearance)
  1
  12
  Streetwise
  2
  11
  Whip
  1
  12
  +1
  +0
  +0
  20
  60
  20
  20
  Piloting (Heavy Aircraft)
  -
  11
  Loves bad horror films
  Holds grudges forever
  -1
  -1
  English  
   
        Accented              Literate
  Fearlessness +2 (+2 to Fright Checks)
  4
  Fit (+1 to all HT rolls)
  5
  Hard to Subdue (+1 to all rolls to avoid unconsciousness)
  2
  4
  -
  +1 from Born Entertainer (crowds)
  Enamored with anyone even mildly famous
  -1
  Savoir-Faire (High Society + Mafia)
  1
  11
  Patron (Uncle Pierluigi, 6 or less, mafia don, extensive social power)
  8
  Performance (includes +1 from Born Performer)
  2
  12
  Stage Combat (includes +1 from Born Performer)
  2
  14
  Obsession (Becoming famous)
  -10
  Riding (Equines)
  1
  11
      Breakfall
  1
  14
  
  Punch
  1d-2 cr
  C
  10
  DX 13
  $20
  $40
  1 lb.
  $10
  -
  Expensive leather boots (DR 1)
  Compass (swiped from her last film)
  22
  2
  Has $4,500 of stuff in her apartment in Rome
  You were AMAZING in your last film - The 
  Crown of Spartacus. The director said he’d never 
  seen anyone thrown from a balcony with such 
  gusto - and he meant it. You wanted to KILL him 
  when he then refused to cast you into a speaking 
  part in his next film! Your luck returned when you 
  heard that your friend, Elena Altieri, got cast in 
  a BIG film - and she convinced the director to 
  give you lines! But then you met some new friends 
  who told you Elena had gotten in with some bank 
  robbers. You casually mentioned this to Elena, 
  but she told you to screw off! Then she went to 
  sneak out of town without taking you along. No 
  way was that going to happen...!
  
  12
  12
  11
  12
  12
  11
  11
  12
  5
  1
  9
  -
  Acute Vision +3
  Jonny Talon
  150
  -
  29
  0
  175
  6’1”
  Soft-hearted cropduster pilot - always has a steady expression to accompany his crazy ideas
  0
  0
  0
  0
  1d-1
  1d+2
  6
  0
  29 lbs
  6.0
  0
  29
  58
  87
  174
  290
  6
  Charisma +1
  5
  Daredevil (+1 to rolls when taking unnecessary risks)
  15
  Chummy (when alone, -1 to IQ-based skills)
  -5
  Debt (owes $1,000 per month for his flying lessons)
  -10
  Impulsiveness
  -10
  Has a recognizable square jaw
  -1
  Soft spot for farmers - never turns down jobs to help dust crops
  -1
  Hates unpolished shoes
  -1
  English  
   
         Native                Native
  0
  Brawling
  4
  14
  Carousing
  2
  12
  Current Affairs (People)
  2
  12
  Fast-Draw (Pistol)
  2
  13
  Fast-Talk (+1 from Charisma for Influence rolls)
  2
  11
  Gunner (Machine Gun)
  1
  12
  Guns (Pistol)
  2
  13
  Mechanic (Airplane)
  2
  11
  Navigation (Air)
  4
  12
  Piloting (Heavy Aircraft) (includes +2 from Drivers Reflexes)
  2
  14
  Piloting (Light Aircraft) (includes +2 from Drivers Reflexes)
  4
  15
  Scrounging
  4
  13
  Swimming
  1
  11
  +1
  +0
  +0
  20
  40
  20
  20
  Riding
  2
  12
  Introduces himself as “captain”
  Always overcomplicates his plans
  -1
  -1
  Driver’s Reflexes +2
  10
  Empathy (you can deeply assess people’s natures on an IQ-3 roll)
  5
  Fearlessness +2 (+2 to Fright Checks)
  6
  9
  (Brawling)
  +1 from Charisma
  +2 from Driver’s Reflexes (passengers)
  Driving (Automobile) (includes +2 from Driver’s Reflexes)
  2
  14
  Driving (Motorcycle) (includes +2 from Driver’s Reflexes)
  2
  14
  Code of Honor (Professional’s - “Always get the job done right”)
  -5
  Appearance (Attractive)
  4
  Farming
  1
  10
  Parachuting
  1
  12
  Extra Sleep (2 extra hours a night)
  -4
  
  Punch
  1d-1 cr 
  C
  9
  Brawling-14
  -
  - 
  S&W .44 Special (Revolver) 2d pi+
  2
  140/1500
  3
  $600
  2.5 lbs.
  6(2i)
  9
  -2
  3
  Guns-13
  $270
  $10
  1 lb.
  $50
  4 lbs.
  Small leather bag
  Shoulder
  Leather pilot’s jacket (DR 1)
  Polished leather shoes
  $30
  1 lb.
  $1,500
  - lbs.
  $10
  - lbs.
  Feet
  Banana yellow Piper J-3 Cub aircraft Raleigh, NC
  Pilot’s goggles
  Bag
  Binoculars (10X)
  $10
  1 lb.
  Bag
   2,230
  10
  Has about $6500 invested in a house in Florida
  Your old man always told you that you were 
  flawed because you wanted too much. He told 
  you to be content living in Idaho. He told you to 
  be happy being a cropduster mechanic. But you 
  knew that wasn’t enough, so you pestered the 
  pilots until they taught you how to fly. Then you 
  blew all your money on a new Piper. To make 
  ends meet, you found a high-paying stunt pilot 
  gig in Rome for a new talkie. After you finished 
  the job, an Italian military officer named Carlo 
  offered you a drink. He said that he was hot on 
  the trail of some gangsters and he could use a 
  pilot’s expertise to nab the guy. Carlo offered you 
  some good money for your time, so you signed up.
  Whittling Knife
  1d-3 imp
  C
  5
  Knife-8 (default)
  $20
  1/4 lb.
  
  10
  11
  14
  10
  10
  14
  14
  10
  5
  0
  8
  -
  Charisma +2
  Carolina Ezzat
  150
  -
  23
  0
  130
  5’5”
  Ex-law student turned angry protester and journalist, Carolina is set on taking down Mussolini
  0
  0
  0
  0
  1d-2
  1d
  5
  0
  20 lbs
  5.25
  20
  0
  40
  60
  120
  200
  10
  Fit (+1 to all HT rolls)
  5
  Intuitive Statesman 1
  10
  Bad Sight (Nearsighted, Glasses)
  -10
  Enemy (Carabinieri national police, 6 or less)
  -15
  Stubbornness
  -5
  Hates fascists - really hates them
  -1
  Feels like she is in the shadow of her mother, the great professor
  -1
  Archaeology
  1
  12
  Architecture
  1
  13
  Bicycling
  2
  12
  Current Affairs (Politics) (includes +1 from Intuitive Statesman)
  1
  15
  Diplomacy (add +2 for influence rolls from Charisma)
  2
  14
  Driving (Automobile)
  1
  10
  Explosives (Demolition)
  1
  13
  History (Egyptian + Italian)
  4
  13
  Law (includes +1 from Intuitive Statesman)
  2
  14
  Observation
  2
  14
  Politics (includes +1 from Intuitive Statesman)
  1
  14
  Professional Skill (Journalism)
  2
  14
  Public Speaking (includes +3 from Charisma and Statesman)
  2
  17
  Riding (Equines + Camels)
  2
  10
  +2 from Charisma
  0
  10
  80
  20
  Leadership (includes +1 from Intuitive Statesman)
  2
  17
  Loves sailboats (but self-aware she can’t swim)
  Always finds new causes to talk about
  -1
  -1
  Photographic Memory
  10
  -
  +1 from Intuitive Statesman (political folk)
  -1 from Stubbornness
  Believes in the best of people
  -1
  Musical Instrument (Violin)
  2
  12
  Languages: 
      Italian and English (Native)
  6
  Intimidation (add +2 for influence rolls from Charisma)
  1
  13
  Photography
  1
  13
  Selfless
  -5
  Occultism
  1
  13
  Stealth
  4
  12
  Shadowing
  1
  13
      Arabic (Accented, Literate)
  4
  Survival (Desert)
  1
  13
  Teaching
  1
  13
  Writing
  1
  13
  Guns (Pistol)
  2
  12
  
  Punch
  1d-3 cr
  C
  8
  DX 11
  -
  -
  $100
  $15
  - lbs.
  $5
  - lbs.
  Leather purse
  Journal and pencil
  Purse
  Photo of her family at the pyramids
  -
  - lbs.
  $15
  - lbs.
  Purse
  Fashionable sunglasses
  Purse
  235
  2
  Has an apartment in Rome with $8,000 of furnishings
  When you overheard some Americans talking 
  about how there was a $23,000 reward for 
  the capture of a bank robber - and the robber 
  was in Rome - you talked them into giving you 
  a cut of the reward if you helped them track 
  him down. That kind of money would really make 
  a dent in equipping your anti-fascist friends! 
  Plus you have a ton of friends with their ear to 
  the ground of what’s happening in Rome, and 
  tracking an American bank robber who loves to 
  throw money around wouldn’t be that hard. Sure 
  enough, you located him in 24 hours. Now you’re 
  making sure you’ll be there when he gets nabbed, 
  so no one screws you out of that reward! 
  Walther Mod 4 .32 pistol
  2d-1 pi-
  1
  120/1300
  3
  $200
  1.7 lbs.
  7+1 (3)
  7
  -1
  2
  Guns-12
  
  11
  12
  12
  12
  11
  12
  14
  12
  6
  0
  9
  -
  Contact (veteran reporter, Research skill 15, 12 or less, somewhat reliable)
  Duke Duckworth
  150
  -
  33
  0
  165
  5’10”
  Tough detective from Detroit, known for being involved with a starlet’s murder
  0
  0
  10
  0
  1d-1
  1d+1
  6
  0
  24 lbs
  6.0
  24
  0
  48
  72
  144
  240
  4
  Danger Sense
  15
  High Pain Threshold
  10
  Reputation -3 (Careless detective, Americans only, 10 or less)
  -3
  Stubbornness
  -5
  Unluckiness
  -10
  Wealth (Struggling)
  -10
  Carries glasses to look smart (but doesn’t need them)
  -1
  Always dresses for warm weather
  -1
  English       
   
         Native                Native
  0
  Acting
  2
  12
  Boxing
  4
  13
  Climbing
  1
  11
  Current Affairs (Headline News)
  2
  13
  Detect Lies
  1
  12
  Diplomacy
  2
  11
  First Aid
  1
  12
  Forced Entry
  2
  13
  Gambling
  1
  11
  Guns (Pistol)
  2
  13
  History (Europe)
  4
  12
  Photography
  1
  11
  Search
  2
  14
  Stealth
  1
  11
  Streetwise
  4
  13
  +0
  +0
  -3 from Careless detective
  10
  40
  40
  20
  Lockpicking
  2
  12
  Calls his favorite gun “my third fist”
  Whistles when he’s alone
  -1
  -1
  9
  (Boxing)
  -1 from Stubbornness
  Respects physicians, regrets not becoming one
  -1
  Observation
  4
  15
  Guns (Rifle and Shotgun)
  1
  11
  Shadowing
  2
  12
  Truthfulness
  -5
  
  Boxing punch
  1d-1 cr
  C
  6
  -2 to parry kicks
  Colt .38 Special (Revolver)
  2d pi
  2
  110/1200
  3
  $475
  1 lb.
  6(2i)
  9
  -2
  2
  $15
  $6
  - lbs.
  $3
  - lb.
  Cheap leather briefcase
  Body holster
  Torso
  Sinclair Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here
  $2
  - lbs..
  $1
  - lb.
  Briefcase
  Journal and pencil
  Briefcase
  51
  1
  Take notes here...
  Lauren St. James. Talented, drop-dead gor-
  geous, and those battleship gray eyes that could 
  sink a man’s soul. After two drinks with her 
  at Mikey’s - right after she finished shooting 
  her scenes for her new movie - you knew you 
  had it bad for her. But three days later she 
  turned up dead, and you were the first suspect 
  they arrested. Sure, eventually the Detroit police 
  realized they were goof-offs and let you go, but 
  it killed your reputation big time. But you swore 
  you’d find the no-good SOB who killed Lauren. 
  When you heard a socialite friend of hers, Betty 
  Page, knew who Lauren was with that night, you 
  grabbed a plane to Italy to talk with the broad. 
  -3 to parry non
  thrusting weapons
  Guns-13
  
  11
  13
  11
  12
  11
  10
  11
  12
  6
  0
  10
  -
  Appearance (Attractive)
  Solange “Patience” Paquet
  150
  -
  25
  0
  130
  5’7”
  A resourceful junior agent in French intelligence; does not tolerate fools
  0
  -5
  0
  0
  1d-1
  1d+1
  6
  0
  24 lbs
  6.25
  24
  0
  48
  72
  144
  240
  4
  Combat Reflexes (+2 to Fright Checks, +6 to recover from mental stun)
  15
  Bloodlust
  -10
  Dependent (Daughter Agnes, loved one, 6 or less)
  -10
  Insomniac (Mild)
  -10
  Intolerant of fascists - especially German ones
  -1
  Loves horses
  -1
  French       
   
         Native              Literate
  0
  Acting
  4
  12
  Brawling
  4
  15
     • Brawling Disarm
  2
  16
  Climbing
  1
  12
  Connoisseur (Wine)
  1
  10
  Cryptography
  2
  10
  Current Affairs (Headline News)
  2
  12
  Fast-Draw (Knife + Pistol) (includes +1 from Combat Reflexes)
  2
  14
  Guns (Pistol + Rifle)
  4
  14
  Observation
  4
  12
  Riding (Equines)
  1
  12
  Savoir-Faire (Police + High Society)
  4
  12
  Scrounging
  1
  11
  Shadowing
  4
  12
  +1
  +1
  10
  60
  20
  20
  Intelligence Analysis
  2
  10
  Has no patience for show-offs
  Distinctive purple-gray eyes
  -1
  -1
  English                                Accented           Literate
  Fit (+1 to all HT rolls)
  5
  Military Rank 1 (member of Deuxième Bureau - French intelligence)
  5
  Status +1 (privileged)
  5
  German                               Accented           Literate
  4
  4
  11
  (Brawling)
  Loves her wine and cocktails - probably a bit too much
  -1
  Knife
  1
  13
  On Alert (you always have an emergency bag packed)
  1
  Filch
  1
  12
  Research
  1
  10
  Duty (Deuxième Bureau, extremely hazardous, 9 or less) 
  -10
  Psychology
  1
  9
  Stealth
  4
  14
  Skiing
  1
  10
  
  Brawling punch
  1d-1 cr
  C
  11
  Brawling-15
  $500
  $15
  - lbs.
  $2
  - lbs.
  Expensive purse
  Nice lady’s hat
  Bag
  Suitcase full of clothes for all occasions
  $50
  - lbs..
  $10
  1 lb.
  $10
  - lbs..
  Hotel
  Nice Swiss watch
  Wrist
  Leather shoes (DR 1)
  Feet
  327
  3
  Owns an apartment in Paris
  Deuxième Bureau, French intelligence, wants you 
  nowhere near Mussolini’s fascists while you’re on 
  assignment in Rome. That’s why they told you 
  to go track down an American bank rob-
  ber - Skeet Skitshaw - who somehow escaped 
  prison in Chicago, vacationed across Europe 
  with his dumb girlfriend, and then robbed four 
  more banks in Italy when he ran low on cash. 
  This is the case you get assigned? Fortunately, 
  Mr. Skitshaw is as easy to track as a bear in 
  a bookstore, and you were able to buy a ticket 
  on to the plane he’s using to escape Rome to 
  Florence...
  Fine dagger
  1d-1 imp
  C
  9
  Knife-13
  $40
  - lbs.
  Mauser C14 .32 semiautomatic 2d-1 pi-
  1
  120/1300
  3
  $200
  1.6 lbs.
  8+1 (3)
  7
  -1
  2
  Owns a Meier-Bac motorcycle (but still learning to ride it)
  Guns-14
  
  10
  11
  12
  11
  10
  12
  12
  11
  5
  0
  8
  -
  Artificer 1
  Willy Van der Woodson
  150
  -
  20
  0
  160
  5’10”
  Broad-smiled, bright, and incredibly wealthy, Willy loves funding races and grand adventures 
  0
  0
  0
  0
  1d-2
  1d
  5
  0
  20 lbs
  5.5
  20
  0
  40
  60
  120
  200
  10
  Charisma +1
  5
  Independent Income 5 ($2,500 monthly trust fund)
  5
  Compulsive Spending
  -5
  Curious (Extreme, resist on a 6 or less)
  -7
  Odious Personal Habit (big, almost-fake smile all the time)
  -5
  Overconfidence
  -10
  Buys overly nice gifts for friends - can be embarrassing
  -1
  Loves expensive cars - obsessed with race cars
  -1
  English       
   
         Native               Literate
  0
  Archaeology
  2
  11
  Bicycling
  1
  11
  Carpentry (includes +1 from Artificer)
  1
  13
  Climbing
  2
  11
  Current Affairs (Science & Technology + Travel)
  4
  13
  Driving (Automobile)
  4
  12
  Engineer (Materials) (includes +1 from Artificer)
  1
  11
  Explosives (Demolition)
  1
  11
  Fast-Talk (+1 from Charisma on influence rolls)
  1
  11
  Games (Poker)
  1
  12
  Machinist (includes +1 from Artificer)
  2
  13
  Market Analysis
  1
  10
  Navigation (Air)
  1
  11
  Occultism
  1
  11
  Piloting (Light Airplane)
  2
  11
  Savoir-Faire (High Society) (+1 from Charisma on influence rolls)
  2
  13
  +0
  +2
  +1 from Charisma
  0
  20
  40
  10
  Guns (Pistol)
  1
  11
  Never gambles with friends
  Loves his mom, writes to her almost every day
  -1
  -1
  Arabic                                 Broken               None
  Intuition (GM rolls vs. IQ when you have tough choice to make)
  15
  Status +2 (includes +1 from Wealth)
  5
  Wealth (Very Wealthy, 5x starting wealth)
  30
  Latin                                   None           Semi-literate
  1
  1
  -
  +2 from Overconfidence (young people), -2 (experienced)
  -1 from Odious Personal Habit
  Calls guns “bean shooters” (thinks it’s cool)
  -1
  History (Egypt)
  2
  11
  Doodad (once per game, pull out a piece of insignificant gear)
  1
  +1 from Merchant (when buying or selling)
  First Aid
  1
  12
  Mechanic (Automobile + Plane)
  4
  13
  Enemy (Richard Maskhaven, a rival, 9 or less)
  -5
  Mathematics (Applied)
  1
  10
  
  Punch
  1d-3 cr
  C
  8
  DX 11
  $2,500
  $10
  - lbs.
  $2
  - lbs.
  Leather carrier bag
  Travel diary and pencil
  Bag
  Nice European suit
  $30
  - lbs..
  $10
  1 lb.
  $30
  - lbs..
  Hotel
  German PERTRIX flashlight torch
  Bag
  Rolex “Oyster” watch
  Wrist
  - lbs..
  $20
  - lbs..
  Italian leather shoes (DR 1)
  Feet
  542
  1
  Owns a house in New Haven, CT
  It’s not like you need the money, but when you 
  found out there was a $23,000 reward for the 
  capture of the notorious escaped bank robber, 
  Skeet Skitshaw, you couldn’t resist. Plus, you 
  and he were already in Rome thanks to that 
  whole affair with the sword of Julius Caesar 
  that you’d prefer no one found out about. But 
  capturing a bank robber would make the whole 
  trip worth it, not to mention the coverage you’d 
  get in the papers if you pulled it off! So you 
  rounded up some reliable friends, bought a ticket 
  on to Skeet’s plane, and are 99% sure that just 
  waving a bean-shooter at the guy will get him to 
  surrender pronto.
  S&W .38 Safety Hammerless 2d-1 pi
  1
  90/1,000
  3
  $400
  1.5 lbs.
  5(2i)
  7
  -1
  2
  Proud owner of two 1932 Talbot 65 Coupes ($650 each)
  $40
  Racing bicycle - Oscar Wastyn Special
      (+1 to Bicycle skill)
  Hotel
  Has about $30,000 in the bank
  Guns-11
  
  Jonny Talon
  Barnstormer
  Duke Duckworth
  Bad news detective
  Per 11
  Per 14 • Danger Sense (12) • UnluckinesS
  
  Marisa Santarelli
  High-energy STunt WOMAN
  Willy Van der Woodson
  Rich, Very Rich
  Per 11
  Per 12 • Intuition (12) • Enemy (9)
  
  Patience Paquet
  French intelligence
  Carolina Ezzat
  Determined Anti-fascist
  Per 11 • Dependent (6) • Duty (9)
  Per 14
  
  Carlo Grandi
  Wounded war captain
  Per 12 • Chronic Pain (6) • Duty (9)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/Adventure/GURPS 4e - Uncanny Curse of Kemeth.pdf