The Sand-Wracked City

Below is the full sidequest of the map we posted yesterday.  It will be one of the Pulp Adventures in our Sidequests Kickstarter. (Please select the notify link to show your interest.  Kickstarter will automatically email you when we launch.)

Background/GM Info:

The Lost Desert City of Julfar has been swallowed in an endless sandstorm for many years. Even if one can get in, it is nearly impossible to escape before being buried in the endless sand.

Getting the PCs Involved:

• The PCs save an elderly desert-dweller from bandits. To thank them, the desert-dweller tells them that a local sandstorm will soon weaken for a few hours, opening the way to Julfar and a rumored stash of gems hidden in the city.
• The PCs join a desert expedition which gets trapped in the sandstorm. They alone survive and push through to reach Julfar.

Encounters:

• The PCs are attacked by automatons in the shape of scarabs.
• The party reaches what seems like a gem-filled treasury, but it is filled with traps to slay thieves.
• The characters blunder into a patch of quicksand between two estates and must find a way to escape.
• The PCs must race to escape the city before the sandstorm picks up and traps them there forever.

Follow-Up Adventure Ideas:

• The party makes it to a desert town, only to hear that a local child ran into the sandstorm and has vanished. The PCs must find a way to rescue the child.