Ancient Egyptian '20-Squares'
Found! After years of careful and painful research, digging up blind alleys, and banging your head at dead-ends, you’ve located the hidden tomb of Neferkaptah; the legendary final resting place of the sacred scroll of Thoth. Now, in the streaming moon light, the tomb door beckons -- the same door that, according to legend, the great Prince Setna Khaemwese opened in Pharaoh Ramses-II time in search of the scroll. Around the door, engraved in stone, are images of Neferkaptah’s great struggle to free the scroll from its watery tomb at the bottom on the Nile, his fight with the great serpent and scorpions, the tragic loss of his wife and child, and his sad end as Thoth, through Ammon-Ra, took vengeance on him for saying the sacred spells and gaining the ultimate magic powers.
Now the scroll and its powers will be yours!
Drunk with dreams of power, you give neither Neferkaptah’s fate, nor Setna Khaemwese's harrowing escape from the scroll’s powers, a second thought as you force the tomb door open.
Whoosh!
The tomb gasps, breaths, and dusky air, trapped for centuries, is exhaled from the opening. Carefully, cautiously, you make your way down the steps and the long, narrow, passage-way deep into the tomb. Standing at the threshold, your light pierces the darkness to reveal splendid furnishings and treasures, untouched for thousands of years, giving testament to Neferkaptah’s wealth and stature. Gold and silver, beautiful wood work, precious inlays, delicate glass and calcite, all shimmer and sparkle as you sweep your light across the room in search of . . .
It’s here! At last, long last, you find it!
There on the table, gleaming in your light beam, and strangely translucent, lie the spells of ultimate power -- the sacred scroll of Thoth. Ignoring the wealth of treasure around you, and stepping forward, you carefully place the scroll into your pack and turn to leave . . .
BLINDING BRIGHTNESS!!! . . . Intense PAIN!!! . . . then utter blackness.
When you gain consciousness, you find yourself lying face-up on the floor of the tomb. Hovering over you, glowing eerily, the golden death-mask of Neferkaptah glares down at you.
Just a hunch, but you might be in trouble here.