MUMMIES
Raised by dark funerary rituals, a mummy shambles
from the shrouded stillness of a time-lost temple or
tomb. Having been awoken from its rest, it punishes
transgressors with the power of its unholy curse.
Preserved Wrath. The long burial rituals that
accompany a mummy's entombment help protect
its body from rot. In the embalming process, the
newly dead creature's organs are removed and
placed in special jars, and its corpse is treated with
preserving oils, herbs, and wrappings. After the body
has been prepared, the corpse is typically wrapped in
linen bandages.
The WiJJ of Dark Gods. An undead mummy is created
when the priest of a death god or other dark deity
ritually imbues a prepared corpse with necromantic
magic. The mummy's linen wrappings are inscribed
with necromantic markings before the burial ritual
concludes with an invocation to darkness. As a
mummy endures in undeath, it animates in response
to conditions specified by the ritual. Most commonly,
a transgression against its tomb, treasures, lands, or
former loved ones will cause a mummy to rise.
The Punished. Once deceased, an individual has no
say in whether or not its body is made into a mummy.
Some mummies were powerful individuals who
displeased a high priest or pharaoh, or who committed
crimes of treason, adultery, or murder. As punishment,
they were cursed with eternal undeath, embalmed,
mummified, and sealed away. Other times, mummies
acting as tomb guardians are created from slaves put to
death specifically to serve a greater purpose.
Creature of Ritual. A mummy obeys the conditions
and parameters laid down by the rituals that created it,
driven only to punish transgressors. The overwhelming
terror that foreshadows a mummy's attack can leave
the intended victim paralyzed with fright. In the days
following a mummy's touch, a victim's body rots from
the outside in, until nothing but dust remains.
Ending a Mummy's Curse. Rare magic can undo or
dispel the ritual that gave rise to a mummy, allowing it
to truly die. More commonly, a mummy can be sent back
to its endless rest by undoing the transgression that
caused it to rise. A sacred idol might be replaced in its
niche, a stolen treasure could be returned to its tomb, or
a temple might be purified of despoiling bloodshed.
More ephemeral or permanent offenses, such as
revealing a secret the mummy wished kept or killing
an individual the mummy loved, can't be so easily
remedied. In such cases, a mummy might slaughter all
the creatures responsible and still not sate its wrath.
Undead Archives. Though they seldom bother to
do so, mummies can speak. As a result, some serve as
undead repositories of lost lore, and can be consulted by
the descendants of those who created them. Powerful
individuals sometimes intentionally sequester mummies
away for occasional consultation.
Undead Nature. A mummy doesn't require air, food,
drink, or sleep.
MUMMY LORD
In the tombs of the ancients, tyrannical monarchs and
the high priests of dark gods lie in dreamless rest,
waiting for the time when they might reclaim their
thrones and reforge their ancient empires. The regalia
of their terrible rule still adorns their linen-wrapped
bodies, their moldering robes stitched with evil symbols
and bronze armor etched with devices of dynasties that
fell a thousand years before.
Under the direction of the most powerful priests,
the ritual that creates a mummy can be increased in
potency. The mummy lord that rises from such a ritual
retains the memories and personality of its former
life, and is gifted with supernatural resilience. Dead
emperors wield the same infamous rune-marked
blades that they did in legend. Sorcerer lords work
the forbidden magic that once controlled a terrified
populace, and the dark gods reward dead priest-kings'
prayers by imparting divine spells.
Heart of the Mummy Lord. As part of the ritual that
creates a mummy lord, the creature's heart and viscera
are removed from the corpse and placed in canopic jars.
These jars are usually carved from limestone or made of
pottery, etched or painted with religious hieroglyphs.
As long as its shriveled heart remains intact, a
mummy lord can't be permanently destroyed. When
it drops to 0 hit points, the mummy lord turns to dust
and re-forms at full strength 24 hours later, rising out
of dust in close proximity to the canopic jar containing
its heart. A mummy lord can be destroyed or prevented
from re-forming by burning its heart to ashes. For this
reason, a mummy lord usually keeps its heart and
viscera in a hidden tomb or vault.
The mummy lord's heart has AC 5, 25 hit points, and
immunity to all damage except fire.227