Nephren-Ka

Nephren-Ka
Difficulty
Medium
Setup
Starting Doom	12
Mythos Deck Size	15
Mysteries
To Solve	3
Available	6
Game Set
05

The Dark Pharaoh

Evil stirs beneath the sands of Egypt as the Brotherhood of the Beast, a cult with mysterious loyalties, searches for the final resting place of the Dark Pharaoh Nephren-Ka, seeking to fulfill the prophecy of his resurrection.

Gameplay

Front of Nephren-Ka's sheet

• : Each investigator may move 1 space toward The Bent Pyramid. Then each investigator that did not move loses 1 Sanity.
• When 3 Mysteries have been solved, investigators win the game.
• When Nephren-Ka awakens, flip this sheet and resolve the "Nephren-Ka Awakens!" effect on the back.

Setup

Set aside all Nephren-Ka Special Encounters. Set up the Egypt side board.

Cultists

Cultist
Toughness:  1
	1
-1	1
: An investigator on this space or an adjacent space loses 1 Health or 1 Sanity.

Mythos Deck

Stage I:	0	2	2
Stage II:	1	3	0
Stage III:	3	4	0

Mysteries

	Mystery	Type	Set
	Exploring Egypt	Eldritch Tokens	05
	Haunter of the Dark	Epic Monster	05
	Stricken from History	Research Encounter	05
	The Beast	Epic Monster	05
	The Black Wind	Special Encounter	05
	Worshipers of a Forsaken Pharaoh	Miscellaneous	05

Research Encounters

City Encounters:

ID #	Set	Encounter
1	05	You are hired to deliver a strange package to a retired professor on the edge of town (). If you pass, you see the package shift, and carefully open it to reveal a poisonous asp; gain this Clue. If you fail, you see the professor's name in the following morning's obituaries; advance Doom by 1.
2	05	At a well hidden pawn shop, the proprietor offers, for a fair price, to bestow upon you the magic of her ruby-encrusted scarab amulet (-1). If you pass, gain this Clue and 1 Glamour Spell. If you fail, she calls you greedy and turns the power of the amulet against you instead; impair .
3	05	You search through police files for old records on Church of Starry Wisdom activity (-1). If you pass, you learn that they funded a dig in Egypt; gain this Clue, and you may shuffle the Expedition Encounter deck. If you fail, the police grow suspicious and refuse you further aid; impair .
4	05	You wake to find hieroglyphs scratched into your door, and try to understand their meaning (). If you pass, you recognize the symbols for death and fire, and leave through the window; gain this Clue. If you fail, the door bursts into flame when you try to leave, burning you badly; lose 1 Health.
5	05	You find markings in the margin of a timeworn text on resurrection. You ask the librarian for a list of who has checked out the book (). If you pass, she finds the names for you; gain this Clue. If you fail, she refuses, and you are attacked during the night; a Cultist Monster ambushes you!
6	05	You visit with a world renowned cartographer, and he gladly shows you the maps he has drawn of the passages and chambers within the Great Pyramids. Gain this Clue. You hastily make copies of the maps for your own collection (-2). If you pass, the copies prove useful; gain 1 additional Clue.
7	05	You bump into a young man, knocking him off his feet (-1). If you pass, you catch him grabbing your wallet, and he promises to help you if you do not turn him over to the police; gain this Clue and 1 random Ally Asset from the deck. If you fail, you realize later that you have been robbed; impair .
8	05	Seemingly from nowhere, the city is engulfed suddenly in a tremendous sandstorm. You tell yourself that you have to keep moving (-1). If you pass, you manage to find shelter until the storm passes; gain this Clue. If you fail, you collapse in the street, blinded by the stinging sands; impair .
9	05	The Brotherhood of the Beast has you marked as a thrcat in this city, and you try to keep a low profile while you spy on them (). If you pass, you remain undetected, and witness them turning the city's water supply black; gain this Clue. If you fail, a Cultist Monster ambushes you!
10	05	You inspect the municipal library's transcribed copy of the Rw nw prt m hrw, the Book of the Dead, after the book was found on the body of a dead cultist (M-1). If you pass, you realize that all of the pages regarding resurrection have been torn out; gain this Clue and 1 additional Clue.
11	05	A team has returned from the pyramids with many treasures, but claim the objects are cursed. You insist that you can handle them safely (-1). If you pass, they let you take one to study; gain this Clue and 1 Relic Unique Asset. If you fail, they dispose of the dangerous treasures; discard this Clue.
12	05	An archaeologist probes you for information about a recent dig (). If you pass, you realize he belongs to the Brotherhood of the Beast and that they are searching for something; gain this Clue. If you fail, you speak without reservation, and hear later that the dig site was raided; spawn 1 Monster on the Active Expedition space.
13	05	You attend a banquet for the reveal of a beautiful jewel uncovered recently in Cairo. When you leave, you are startled to find the jewel in your coat pocket. You think at first to return it, but it begins to whisper praise and promises of power in your ear. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to gain this Clue and the Shining Trapezohedron Artifact.
14	05	The Brotherhood of the Beast offers to let you attend one of their meetings, provided that you pledge your allegiance to the Dark Pharaoh. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to gain this Clue and 1 Relic Artifact. If you do not gain the Condition, a Cultist Monster ambushes you!
15	05	The library is rumored to have one of the lost manuscripts of the Necronomicon, but their filing system is absolutely atrocious (-1). If you pass gain this Clue and the Necronomicon Artifact. If you fail, you cannot find the book, but its proximity erodes your mental state; impair .
16	05	The young Egyptologist's interest is peaked by your arcane ability, and she offers to teach you a blessing from the Book of the Dead if you share your knowledge with her (-1). If you pass, gain this Clue and 1 Glamour Spell. If you fail, her teachings prove too difficult to comprehend; lose 1 Sanity.
17	05	A large crowd has gathered around a man who has handcuffed himself to a street lamp. The crowd cheers with glee as he miraculously escapes his bindings (-1). If you pass, you manage to deduce how he did it, and he introduces himself as Erich Weiss; gain the Erich Weiss Unique Asset.
18	05	An eccentric collector offers you a piece of his collection of Egyptian heirlooms, provided that you can distinguish it from amidst a room full of clever replicas (-1). If you pass, gain this Clue and 1 Relic Unique Asset. If you fail, his private security throws you out onto the street; lose 1 Health.
19	05	A package from someone named Abdul Reis el Drogman is addressed to a local merchant. To your horror, a corpse bursts from the package upon delivery. A Mummy Monster ambushes you! If you pass the test, the grateful merchant rewards you handsomely; gain this Clue and improve .
20	05	You watch the house of a known Starry Wisdom Cult member, and wait for him to leave (). If you pass, you find his journal, and learn that the cult worships a winged creature with burning eyes; gain this Clue. If you fail, you prick your finger on a trap he left behind; gain a Diseased Condition.
21	05	The Order of the Silver Twilight claims to have conducted surveillance on the Church of Starry Wisdom, and that it would be mutually beneficial to join them. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to learn of the Church's ties in Cairo. If you gain the Condition, gain this Clue and 1 additional Clue.
22	05	You search the weathered papyrus scrolls for information about Nephren-Ka, but the ancient Egyptians tried to expunge all records of the Dark Pharaoh from existence, so information is scarce at best (-1). If you pass, you find a brief mention of his rule; gain this Clue.
23	05	You knock on the door of the plain blue house indicated in the unsigned letter you received earlier in the day. Nobody answers, but you enter and search the house anyway (-1). If you pass, you find documents linking the Church of Starry Wisdom with a dig site in Egypt; gain this Clue.
24	05	Since touching the idol at the Egypt exhibit, you have heard whispers when you are alone (-1). If you pass, you translate the words before the voices stop; gain this Clue and 1 additional Clue. If you fail, the voices only grow louder; lose 1 Sanity for each Relic possession you have.

Wilderness Encounters:

ID #	Set	Encounter
1	05	You meet a confused looking traveler on the road and offer your assistance (-2). If you pass, the traveler claims to have been exploring a dark passage deep within the Great Pyramid of Giza only moments before; gain this Clue and 1 random Ally Asset from the deck.
2	05	A dark wind brings soft whispers of death and famine to your ears, simultaneously offering you the power to prevent it. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to gain this Clue and improve and . If you do not gain the Condition, the wind murmurs of evil to come; gain 1 Bane Condition.
3	05	Washing your face in a pool of still water, your reflection shows you not in life, but in death (). If you pass, you swallow your fear and study the reflection, noting a dark pyramid rising ominously in the background; gain this Clue. If you fail, you recoil, and the image vanishes; advance Doom by 1.
4	05	Rumors of Brotherhood of the Beast activity lead you to several outlying farms, but the area appears to be completely abandoned. You take a look around to see if you can figure out why (). If you pass, you realize that the harvest has been decimated by swarms of locusts; gain this Clue.
5	05	You hurriedly search the cultist's campsite while they are away (-1). If you pass, you find a scroll detailing Nephren-Ka's reign and fall, along with an object he allegedly used to control his subjects; gain this Clue and 1 Relic Unique Asset. If you fail, a Cultist Monster ambushes you!
6	05	You attempt to stay hidden while following members of the Brotherhood of the Beast to their ritual site (). If you pass, you see them slaughter a goat and then resurrect it; gain this Clue. If you fail, you stumble into their poisoned spike trap; lose 1 Health and gain 1 Illness Condition.
7	05	Your skin is beginning to rot where an apparition of Nephren-Ka touched you in a dream. You may spend 2 Health to carve the infection from your arm. If you spend the Health, the flesh crumbles to sand; gain this Clue. If you do not spend the Health, gain a Diseased Condition.
8	05	A dark power compels you to travel through the unknown for miles. You come at last to a shrine covered in hieroglyphs, upon which lies the source of the calling. If you have a Dark Pact Condition, the power compels you to smash the object to bits; discard this Clue. If you do not have a Dark Pact Condition, you take it; gain 1 Relic Unique Asset.
9	05	The Brotherhood of the Beast is known to partake in occult practices in the area, and you search for the spot (-1). If you pass, you locate the ritual site and destroy it; gain this Clue and retreat Doom by 1. If you fail, the cult's work goes uninterrupted; spawn 1 Monster on the Active Expedition space.
10	05	You discover a warning written in hieroglyphs on the lid of a now broken sarcophagus. You try to translate (-1). If you pass, you learn that a piece of Nephren-Ka's body was housed in this tomb, far from the rest, that it might never be whole again; gain this Clue. If you fail, you fall ill after being exposed to the stale air; gain a Diseased Condition.
11	05	A set of hastily scrawled treasure maps, recently recovered from a raid on the Brotherhood of the Beast, lead you to a secluded area reported to house some of the Dark Pharaoh's cursed treasure. It is well hidden from anyone unsure of what to look for. You may become Delayed to gain 1 Relic Artifact.
12	05	You are captured and strapped to a stone altar by the Brotherhood of the Beast. You struggle against your restraints (-1). If you pass, you break free and escape; gain this Clue. If you fail, they bleed you as part of a sinister ceremony; lose 2 Health.
13	05	After an inexplicable firestorm, you search the burnt earth for what might have caused it (-1). If you pass, you find the remnants of a shattered gem amongst a pile of smoldering rags; gain this Clue and 1 additional Clue. If you fail, exposure to the smoke burns your eyes; impair .
14	05	You try to convince your companions that the Brotherhood of the Beast is searching for a way to resurrect the Dark Pharaoh. (-1). If you pass, they acquiesce, and you work together to come up with a plan; retreat Doom by 1. If you fail, they berate you for your naiveté; impair .
15	05	Someone has etched a series of hieroglyphs into the earth. You translate them to the best of your knowledge (). If you pass, the markings depict a sunken pyramid rising up from the sand; gain this Clue. If you fail, a hooded man attacks you without warning; a Cultist Monster ambushes you!
16	05	You observe the cultists from a distance, but have trouble identifying their faces (-1). If you pass, you notice key members of both the Brotherhood of the Beast and the Church of Starry Wisdom; gain this Clue and 1 additional Clue.
17	05	After tailing a suspicious man for several hours, he turns suddenly to make sure he is alone. You try to remain completely still (). If you pass, you observe him meeting with a tall, imposing man dressed in gold; gain this Clue. If you fail, he catches sight of you and flees; discard this Clue.
18	05	A looming, faceless apparition offers to lend you its power, foretelling of an eternity of misery and sorrow under the cruel reign of Nephren-Ka, the Dark Pharaoh. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to retreat Doom by 1. If you do not gain the Condition, advance Doom by 1.
19	05	You follow a group of cultists to a back country shrine, where they leave an offering to the Dark Pharaoh. As more cultists arrive, you decide it best to leave, but you try to find your way back the next day (-1). If you pass, you ransack their offering; gain 1 Relic Unique Asset.
20	05	You inspect the charred remains of a ritual sacrifice, hoping to discover information about the perpetrators (). If you pass, you find the hieroglyph "ankh" carved into the skull; gain this Clue. If you fail, the sight of the human sacrifice is too much to bear; lose 2 Sanity.
21	05	Locusts have destroyed the foliage in the area, leaving you without enough rations (-1). If you pass, you realize that the locusts were summoned by the Brotherhood of the Beast; gain this Clue. If you fail, you split what meager rations you have remaining; if you have an Ally Asset, lose 2 Health.
22	05	You come across a forgotten sack at an abandoned campsite. Lifting the flap to peer inside, you find a deadly asp coiled atop a stack of papers (-1). If you pass, you snatch the papers quickly and shut the flap; gain this Clue. If you fail, you startle the snake, and it bites you; gain 1 Illness Condition.
23	05	The stones of the long forgotten temple have been smeared with glyphs written in blood. You recognize them as hieroglyphs and translate (-1). If you pass, the message reads "the time has come;" gain this Clue. If you fail, you translate the message as "the end has come;" gain 1 Madness Condition.
24	05	You barter with a recluse to tell you what he knows about the Brotherhood of the Beast (). If you pass, he tells you that the Brotherhood is looking for a suitable vessel for the return of Nephren-Ka; gain this Clue. If you fail, he bites your arm; lose 1 Health and gain 1 Illness Condition.

Sea Encounters:

ID #	Set	Encounter
1	05	A violent gale roars across the sea, and you think you hear a strange chant upon the wind. Suddenly, the water turns to sand, and your ship appears to be stranded (-1). If you pass, you manage to dispel the illusion; gain this Clue. If you fail, move to The Sahara Desert and become Delayed.
2	05	A ship belonging to the Brotherhood of the Beast is carrying catalysts to be used in Nephren-Ka's resurrection. You try to sneak into the ship's cargo hold (-1). If you pass, you discover a carefully wrapped treasure; gain 1 Relic Artifact. If you fail, you are captured; gain a Detained Condition.
3	05	You notice a shady passenger aboard the ship, and sneak into his cabin to snoop (-1). If you pass, you find documents linking him to the Brotherhood of the Beast; gain this Clue and 1 additional Clue. If you fail, he catches you red-handed; a Cultist Monster ambushes you!
4	05 .	The disembodied head of an Egyptian pharaoh speaks to you in your dreams. "You are mine!" he says, and you can feel your memories vanishing. If you have a Dark Pact Condition, discard all of your Clues. If you do not have a Dark Pact Condition, you wake up, heart racing; gain this Clue.
5	05	During the long days at sea, you study the history of ancient pharaohs and try to commit their genealogy to memory (-1). If you pass, you uncover the secrets of Nephren-Ka's past; gain this Clue and improve . If you fail, the hours wasted studying drain you; lose 1 Sanity.
6	05	Looking out over the water, you strain to identify a large, floating mass in the distance (). If you pass, you see that thousands of dead fish have floated to the surface of the water; gain this Clue. If you fail, you are so distracted that you fall over the railing and crash to the lower decks; lose 1 Health.
7	05	You gaze wistfully at the stars, wishing only that they would provide you with the answers that you crave (). If you pass, you see a shooting star cross the sky, and you feel empowered; improve . If you fail, the burden of your quest crushes your spirit; gain a Despair Condition.
8	05	The ghost of a priest wronged in life by the Dark Pharaoh visits you at night. He offers to lend you his strength, if you can contain it (-1). If you pass, gain this Clue and 1 Glamour Spell. If you fail, your body breaks under the strain; impair .
9	05	Your ship is being tailed. You chart a course using sea channels to outpace them (-1). If you pass, one of the crew is impressed and joins your entourage; gain 1 Character Unique Asset. If you fail, the unknown ship will not relent; gain 1 Bane Condition.
10	05	A vision of an ancient pyramid rising out of the desert sand comes to you in your dreams. Gain this Clue. When you wake, you try to convince the captain to change course (-1). If you pass, you may shuffle the Expedition Encounter deck.
11	05	Dozens of voices speak to you when you close your eyes. You attempt to find a correlation to what they say (); roll 1 fewer die for each Relic possession you have. If you pass, the voices whisper of Nephren-Ka's resurrection; gain this Clue. If you fail, lose 1 Sanity and gain 1 Bane Condition.
12	05	One of the passengers, craving adventure, wishes to join you, but owes a sum of money to a shady group from Cairo. You try to pay it off lest it end in violence (-1). If you pass, gain this Clue and 1 random Ally Asset from the deck. If you fail, the debt is exacted from you as well; lose 1 Health.
13	05	The first mate offers to give you something he found if you can solve his riddle (-1). If you pass, gain this Clue and 1 Relic Unique Asset. If you fail, he teases you relentlessly for the rest of the journey for being unable to solve the riddle; lose 1 Sanity.
14	05	The crew will offer you a share of the loot they recovered from the Brotherhood of the Beast if you can remove the hex that lies upon it (-1). If you pass; gain this Clue and improve . If you fail, you accidentally free a trapped monstrosity; spawn 1 Monster on the Active Expedition space.
15	05	You seek audience with an oracle said to have lived in the time of the pharaohs (). If you pass, she speaks of the Dark Pharaoh, Nephren-Ka, and the places where he conducted his cruel experiments and sacrificial ceremonies; gain this Clue, and you may shuffle the Expedition Encounter deck.
16	05	You barter with the captain to tell you what he knows about the Brotherhood of the Beast (). If you pass, he agrees, but only if you help the crew with their duties; gain this Clue and improve . If you fail, he suspects you are one of the cult yourself, and rifles through your things; if you have a Relic possession, gain a Detained Condition.
17	05	You plead with the captain for passage, but he is distrustful (); roll 1 fewer die for each Ally Asset you have. If you pass, you discover that he recently came into the possession of a piece of the Dark Pharaoh's treasure; gain this Clue. If you fail, he charges an exorbitant price; impair .
18	05	An account of Nephren-Ka's atrocities was written in code after all traditional records were stricken from existence. You attempt to translate during your time at sea (-1). If you pass, you learn that he ruled from within a dark pyramid; gain this Clue. If you fail, the work makes you seasick; lose 1 Sanity.
19	05	After a run-in with the Church of Starry Wisdom, a spectral terror appears in the sky, its burning eye flaring as it spins a dark hex upon you. You attempt to disrupt its awful power (). If you pass, the terror fades; gain this Clue. If you fail and you have a Dark Pact Condition, flip that Condition.
20	05	The crash of thunder rolls loudly across the water, waking you from a deep slumber. At the foot of your bed, a swarthy man in pharaonic garb stands, watching. He does not speak, but he extends his hand. You may gain a Dark Pact Condition to gain this Clue and 1 additional Clue.
21	05	An unnatural storm rages, and a colossal wave tosses you overboard. As the sailors scramble to pull you up, you feel something brush against your side. A Spawn of Sebak Monster ambushes you! If you pass the test, you get a good look at the crocodilian beast before being rescued; gain this Clue.
22	05	You notice an oblong box being loaded onto the ship. After the voyage commences, you try to find it in the cargo hold (). If you pass, you discover a mummified corpse in the box and dispose of it; gain this Clue. If you fail, you are attacked that night; a Mummy Monster ambushes you!
23	05	The sailors warns you to stay off the deck at night. Curious, you sneak above deck, only to witness a member of the Brotherhood of the Beast undergo a monstrous transformation. Gain this Clue. A Mummy Monster ambushes you! If you defeat the Monster, gain 1 additional Clue.
24	05	You watch the crew carefully during the lengthy voyage (). If you pass, you deduce that some of them to belong to the Brotherhood of the Beast and keep your distance; gain this Clue. If you fail, you fall ill under mysterious circumstances; gain a Diseased Condition.

Special Encounters

Black Wind:

ID #	Set	Initial Text	Pass Effect	Fail Effect
1	05	The wind shrieks and wails, sucking moisture from the atmosphere and withering plant life into dust. Suddenly, the air ignites, and a curtain of flame begins to spread outward, leaping from structure to structure. You invoke the water spirits in the area to halt its advance ().	The sky opens up, and a heavy rain begins to fall. The advancing flames flicker and die, and the spirit of a shimmering, leonine woman appears before you. You attempt to sway the spirit to banish the Black Wind (). If you pass, place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, the goddess censures you; lose 1 Sanity.	The water spirits fail to heed your call, and the fire washes over you. Lose 2 Health. You try to keep calm and extinguish your burning clothes (). If you fail, your panicked flailing only serves to fan the flames, and you are severely burned; impair .
2	05	The once tranquil Nile churns and seethes, turgid waters whipped into a frenzy by the wicked wind. A low rumble can be heard in the distance as the water rises and the banks begin to flood. You plead with a priest of Sobek to call upon his god to calm the raging rivers ().	As the flood rises to your knees, a gigantic crocodile emerges on the opposite bank. It opens it maw to roar, and the turbulent waters subside. You begin a ritual to banish the Black Wind before it can cause more harm (). If you pass, place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, the wind rends your skin; lose 1 Health.	The priest flees in terror from the river. You despair as a row of river dwellings is washed away in the flood. Lose 1 Sanity. You try to escape from the swiftly rising water (). If you fail, you are swept away in the debris; gain 1 Injury Condition.
3	05	A devastating sandstorm rages for miles in every direction, the Black Wind swirling at its center. Abruptly, the wind ceases to affect you, and a tiny orange cat wanders by, seemingly unaffected as well. It pauses a moment to regard you, and you try to follow it ().	The cat leads you to the eye of the storm. You feel the divine favor of a powerful being surge through you, and you attempt to banish the Black Wind (). If you pass, place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, you hear hideous laughter through the murderous winds; gain 1 Madness Condition.	Following the spry feline proves to be impossible, and the biting sands sting your eyes. Impair . You stumble upon a dwelling and beg to be let inside (). If you fail, you must weather the storm outside; lose 1 Health and 1 Sanity.
4	05	The Black Wind drifts silently from one place to another, leaving only death and disease in its wake. The goddess Isis visits you in a dream, commanding you to disperse her blessing upon her people, such that she may ease their suffering. You try to use her power to heal those afflicted ().	Word of your healing powers spreads. Sensing the turning tide, the Black Wind attempts to possess you directly (). If you pass, you dispel it from your mind; place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, your blessing is turned against the people you intended to save; lose 1 Sanity.	Despite your efforts, you fear the sickness is spreading. Gain a Diseased Condition. Enraged, Isis appears to you once more, demanding an explanation (). If you fail, she withdraws her blessing; impair .
5	05	At night, the Black Wind swirls about the graves of the recently deceased, and not long after, the dead claw their way to the surface. You search through a collection of ancient papyrus scrolls, hoping to find a way to send the risen dead into the afterlife ().	You find a suitable prayer to Anubis, God of the Underworld, and undertake the accompanying ritual (). If you pass, Anubis, made furious by the encroachment upon his domain, banishes the Black Wind; place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, Anubis is not roused, and instead, he whispers the date and time of your death; gain 1 Madness Condition.	Try as you might, you can find nothing in the scrolls that will help you. Lose 1 Sanity. You try to combat the risen dead (). If you fail, one of them bites you during the ensuing struggles, and the wound festers; gain 1 Illness Condition.
6	05	The Black Wind blows over the skies of Egypt, obscuring the sun and casting the Earth into shadow. Inky coils spiral downward from the sky, infecting the soil wherever they touch down. Anxious and afraid, you call upon a chant to invoke the old powers to show you a sign of hope ().	No sooner than the words leave your mouth, you are visited by an aspect of Khepri, who pushes the sun across the morning sky. Long abandoned by his followers, Khepri's aid is not easily enlisted (). If you pass, Khepri ejects the black wind from his realm; place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, he rebukes you; gain 1 Injury Condition.	Your prayers are answered only with darkness. Gain a Despair Condition. You try to convince the municipal government to evacuate local residents (). If you fail, they question your connection to the Black Wind and savagely beat you; lose 2 Health.
7	05	One moment you trod upon solid ground, and the next you are floating in a starry void. A towering figure with the head of a baboon appears before you, arms crossed. Beside him, a simple golden scale rests on a stone pedestal. He invites you to speak freely of the Black Wind ().	Beyond nodding occasionally, he never moves, but you see the scales tip slightly in your favor. Before sending you back, he teaches you how to use his scales against the Black Wind (). If you pass, the Black Wind suffers swift judgment; place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, the scales refuse to obey you, and burn you when touched; lose 1 Health.	The scales tips in opposition, and he casts you from his domain. Lose 1 Health and 1 Sanity. The future is bleak and the sting of your failures fresh. You try to keep your spirits up (). If you fail, you fall into a deep depression; gain a Despair Condition.
8	05	You stand atop a sprawling sand dune, watching the Black Wind blow swiftly across the desert. From city to city it blows, smothering anything that stands before it and leaving only smoking ruins behind. You examine your map carefully to determine where the Black Wind will strike next ().	You reach a small village before the Black Wind, and you call out to the spirits of those it has slain (). If you pass, you are infused with the righteousness fury of Sekhmet, Goddess of Vengeance, and banish the Black Wind from the village; place this Eldritch token on the active Mystery. If you fail, the wind washes over you; gain 1 Illness Condition.	When you arrive at the village, it has already been destroyed. Lose 2 Sanity. Grief stricken, you attempt to perform basic funerary rites for the slain villagers (). If you fail, their spirits are spiteful, and harm you out of resentment; lose 2 Health.

Awakening

Tomb of Nephren-Ka

The lightless temple beneath The Bent Pyramid has risen above the sands, and the insidious Nephren-Ka has returned, though he has yet to realize the full extent of his power.

[ Show/Hide the Back ]

Back of Nephren-Ka's sheet

Nephren-Ka Awakens!
Place a Mystery token on The Bent Pyramid and place 3 Eldritch tokens on this sheet.

Final Mystery
As an encounter, if 3 Mysteries have been solved, an investigator on The Bent Pyramid may confront Nephren-Ka; he draws and resolves a Dark Pharaoh Special Encounter.
When there are Clues on this sheet equal to half , the Final Mystery is solved and investigators win the game.

The Dark Pharaoh

• Investigators on The Pyramids or the Egypt side board cannot recover Sanity as part of a Rest action.
• Each time Doom would advance, discard 1 Eldritch token from this sheet instead. Then, if there are no Eldritch tokens on this sheet, investigators lose the game.
• : Each investigator may move 1 space toward The Bent Pyramid. Then each investigator that did not move loses 1 Sanity.

Cultist
Toughness:  1
-1	1
-1	2
: Each investigator on this space or an adjacent space loses 1 Health or 1 Sanity.

Dark Pharaoh Encounters

ID #	Set	Initial Text	Pass Effect	Fail Effect
1	05	You encounter Nephren-Ka at the end of a long, illuminated hallway, but he does not seem to notice you. He works tirelessly, as if possessed, carving visions of the future into the walls of the crypt. As you advance towards the Dark Pharaoh, you marvel in his prophetic illustrations (-1).	You speak to Nephren-Ka and tell him that you too have the gift of prophecy (); you may spend any number of Clues to add 1 success to your test result for each Clue spent. If your test result is 3 or greater, Nephren-Ka reels at your prophecy of his downfall; place 1 Clue on the Ancient One sheet. Otherwise, he tells you of your imminent death; lose 3 Sanity.	Enthralled, you come at last to a prophecy that puzzles you. The subject of the panel looks eerily like yourself and lies dying at the base of a sprawling tapestry. Too late, you feel the Dark Pharaoh's breath upon your neck. You are devoured.
2	05	Deep within the pyramid, you come across a pair of statues of the Blind Apes of Truth, surrounded on all sides by stone sarcophagi. Upon closer inspection, you find that the intricately carved sarcophagi depict not human bodies, but those of demons and other dark creatures (-1).	You work to translate the inscriptions on the sarcophagi (). If you pass, you discover that the sarcophagi are filled with the remains of Nephren-Ka's victims and suspect that burning them may diminish his power. You may gain a Cursed Condition to place 1 Clue on the Ancient One sheet. If you fail or do not gain the Condition, lose 3 Sanity.	Horrified, you stumble backward, falling heavily upon your side. Fazed, you attempt to stand, only to find yourself gazing into infinity through the eyeless sockets of a grinning ape. You are devoured.
3	05	While searching for Nephren-Ka's chamber, you are blinded by a sudden flash of light. When you can see again, you are startled to find yourself standing before an older, weary version of yourself. Your double claims to have been sent from the future to help you, but you are wary (-1).	You recognize a mark upon the hand of your double to be the sigil of the Faceless God. You turn down the gifts offered to you, but ask for help dealing with the Dark Pharaoh (); you may gain a Dark Pact Condition to roll 3 additional dice. If your test result is 3 or greater, you join forces; place 1 Clue on the Ancient One sheet. Otherwise, gain a Cursed Condition.	Convinced that your doppelganger means no harm, you accept the gifts given to you freely, and when you are beckoned to peer into the light of a beautiful shining stone, you do so eagerly. Gain a Dark Pact Condition and 2 Relic Unique Assets.
4	05	The sound of hurried footsteps echoes through the halls of the pyramid, and it occurs to you that Nephren-Ka may be holding people captive within. A frantic young man appears, looking worriedly over his shoulder, threatening to kill you if you come any closer. You try to calm him (-1).	The young man introduces himself as Robert Blake. He claims to be possessed and begs you to help him imprison the darkness that haunts him (). If you pass, you may discard 1 Relic possession to place 1 Clue on the Ancient One sheet. If you fail or do not discard the Relic, he flees, and you glimpse the specter of a winged terror close behind him; lose 3 Sanity.	Just when you have given up trying to pacify the young man, he suddenly grows quiet and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, his eyes are tri-lobed and ablaze with a dark fire that burns away everything that makes you whole. Impair each of your skills.
5	05	You hear Nephren-Ka's voice coming from all direction at once, reciting an eldritch invocation. The chant grow faster with each verse, and you can sense him gaining power. You draw a deep breath and focus your senses, listening carefully to determine where his voice is coming from (-1).	You find Nephren-Ka in the eleventh hour, and in desperation, you sacrifice some of your essence to annul his dark litany (); you may spend any amount of Health to roll 1 additional die for each Health spent. If your rest result is 3 or greater, he is substantially weakened; place 1 Clue on the Ancient One sheet. Otherwise, he retains most of his power; advance Doom by 1.	You run through corridor after corridor, but the voice is always just around the next corner. The hallways begin to stretch and warp, and when you throw open a door and see only the infinite void, you know that you have failed. You are devoured.
6	05	You run into a group of priests patrolling the halls of the pyramid. They tell you that Nephren-Ka has commanded that they search the premises for intruders, and demand to know your business. You claim to be an agent of the Dark Pharaoh, and ask to be taken to meet with him (-1).	As the priests lead you into a narrow antechamber, you seize the opportunity and attack them (); roll 1 fewer die for each Cultist Monster on the game board. If you pass, place 1 Clue on the Ancient One sheet. If you fail, the priests chant in vile harmony; gain a Cursed Condition, then gain 1 Bane Condition.	Unamused, the priests throw you into a bloody pit. As you scramble to your feet, the light in the room is extinguished, but not before you catch a glimpse of a horror that could only be the inspiration for the Great Sphinx. You are devoured.
7	05	A man dressed in golden Pharaoh's garb stands before you, but it is not Nephren-Ka. You shudder as his icy gaze passes over you. If you have a Dark Pact Condition, you are devoured. He smiles, radiating an aura of dread and despair. You plead with him to let you pass (-1).	He agrees, but only if he judges you to be a worthy adversary, and locks you in a penetrating gaze (); roll 1 fewer die for each investigator with a Cursed Condition or Dark Pact Condition. If you pass, place 1 Clue token on the Ancient One sheet. If you fail, he claims you owe him a debt for allowing you to live; discard all of your Relic possession.	Devoid of emotion, he hexes you and casts you out into the sands. You hear his wicked laughter upon the wind, and you fall to your knees, coughing up blood. Gain a Cursed Condition. Each investigator on the Egypt side board gains 1 Illness Condition.
8	05	You come to a central chamber, and Nephren-Ka is performing a ritual within. He is surrounded by hundreds of statues and idols, all carved in the likeness of horrible, faceless creatures. A man lies bound upon an altar, screaming for help. You try to tip one of the larger statues (-1).	The statue shatters, and Nephren-Ka howls savagely, breaking into a fierce chant that withers your flesh into dust. You feel yourself weaken under the gaze of the faceless idols, but you attempt to conjure a ward (); roll 1 fewer die for each Relic possession you have. If you pass, place 1 Clue on the Ancient One sheet. If you fail, lose 3 Health.	Deathly silence permeates the air as the Dark Pharaoh completes the blood sacrifice. Empowered, he waves a hand in your direction, and pain erupts throughout your body as you are eaten from within by ravenous scarabs. You are devoured.

Strategy

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Lore

In the shadowed annals of ancient Egypt, where the sands whispered secrets and the pyramids cradled forgotten mysteries, there arose a pharaoh whose name echoed through the corridors of time like a chilling wind. His name was Nephren-Ka, a ruler whose thirst for power reached beyond the realm of mortal understanding.

Nephren-Ka, adorned in regal splendor, walked a treacherous path bathed in the dim glow of forbidden knowledge. Beneath the veils of opulence and majesty, he harbored a sinister desire—an insatiable hunger for immortality that led him down a darkened corridor, away from the light of the sun and into the heart of unspeakable darkness.

Hidden deep within the labyrinthine chambers of his pyramid, Nephren-Ka delved into the forbidden arts, calling upon eldritch forces that slumbered in the abyss between worlds. The air within his unholy sanctum became thick with the stench of ancient malevolence, as he uttered incantations that no living soul was meant to comprehend.

With each sacrilegious ritual, Nephren-Ka's connection to the mortal coil waned, and an otherworldly pallor overcame his countenance. His eyes, once radiant with life, now mirrored the void of eternity. The whispers of the damned echoed in his ears, guiding him through the macabre dance of forgotten incantations that promised everlasting existence.

As the years unfurled like a tattered scroll, tales of Nephren-Ka's unholy pursuits spread fear among the people. Legends spoke of ghastly visions haunting the dreams of those who dared to gaze upon the ruins of his accursed pyramid. Unspeakable horrors were said to stir in the depths beneath the shifting sands, and the very air seemed to carry the weight of an ancient malevolence.

But even the mighty are not immune to the relentless march of time. Nephren-Ka's once-grand empire crumbled into the dust, swallowed by the same desolation that birthed his insatiable ambition. The remnants of his dark legacy lingered like a lingering curse, waiting to ensnare those who dared tread upon the ruins of his once-majestic kingdom.

And so, the legend of Nephren-Ka endures—a cautionary tale whispered in the dark corners of forgotten temples and within the haunted winds that sweep across the barren expanse of the Egyptian sands. The pharaoh who sought to defy the natural order, to transcend mortality, now stands as a spectral reminder of the abyss that awaits those who dare to grasp at the forbidden threads of eternity.

Rulings, clarifications, and reminders

• When Nephren-Ka's Reckoning effect occurs, if an investigator doesn't move, either by choice or is unable to (such as being already on The Bend Pyramid or has a Detained Condition), he will lose 1 Sanity.

References

Ancient Ones
Abhoth Antediluvium Atlach-Nacha Azathoth Cthulhu Elder Things Hastur Hypnos Ithaqua Nephren-Ka Nyarlathotep Shub-Niggurath Shudde M'ell Syzygy Yig Yog-Sothoth