The Desert

The Desert is a long, narrow stretch of sand on the far side of a portal in the Cottage. The portal stays sealed while the Goblin Warlock lives and tears open when it falls. Beyond it the sand runs east past a dry riverbed, an abandoned caravan camp, a grove of palms and the ruins of an old temple, to a throne heaped with treasure at the far end, and beyond the throne a second portal leads on into Heretic's Mire.

Overview

You arrive at the western end of the Desert, between the fire bowls that burn beside the portal back to the Cottage. From there the way runs east, past bodies wrapped in old linen that lie in the sand as if the wind had half buried them. They are not dead: each is a Mummy, and it gets up when you come near.

Reaching the Desert

The portal stands in the Cottage, by the desk where the Goblin Warlock keeps its spellbook. Nothing of it shows until the Goblin Warlock is dead; then it grows out of thin air and stays open for as long as you remain in the Cottage. Leave the Cottage and come back, and the Goblin Warlock is waiting again with the portal shut behind it.

The Way East

• The dry wash: a bed of cracked mud between bleached, dead trees, where a broken pot lies in the dust, a spear still stands upright in the sand, and the first of the wrapped bodies lie waiting.
• The caravan camp: a rug spread among crates, jars and a low bench, with braziers burning and the camp's flags swinging in the wind.
• The palm grove: palms and tufts of grass standing together in the open sand.
• The ruins: broken walls, a colonnade and a column still standing over stony ground, with the pieces of others scattered around them and packs of the dead lying among the stones, each Mummy in a pack getting up when one does.
• The throne: at the eastern end, a great throne between stone lions and burning braziers, with coins and gold spilled before it and an altar standing between two lamps on the way up to it, where one last pack lies guarding the way.

The Chest

An ornate chest waits at the foot of the throne. Opening it flops its contents onto the ground beside it, rolled from a pool of weapons and armor.

Connections

• The Cottage: The portal at the western end leads back into the Cottage, where the Goblin Warlock will be waiting.
• Heretic's Mire: A second portal stands beyond the throne at the eastern end, open from the start, and leads on into the cold bog where the drowned walk.

Tips

• Make room in your bag before setting out, so whatever the chest gives you and the dead drop can be picked up.
• Take the packs in the ruins one at a time: a Mummy getting up wakes the rest lying with it, but not the next pack along.
• The way back is the long walk west to the portal, so finish what you came for before turning around, or go on east through the second portal into Heretic's Mire.