The Isle of Siptah

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This is my new Conan Exiles story. You know the drill, click in screenshots to enlarge. The links are hidden screenshots that require my password to be viewed. If you don't have it, send me a PM.
Let us begin...




Hrongar, the Nordheimer had survived the shipwreck. He was being transported to the Exiled Lands on a prisoner galley out of Argos. Now it seemed only he had survived. He looked around at his new surroundings and began to explore...



While salvaging on the beach, Hrongar stumbled upon a scroll. It appeared to be a journal...



Day 5 of the month of Tobi, Year of the Gazelle
The journey from Khemi has been uneventful, which was to be expected. Our small fleet is probably more than enough to deter any pirates or raiders.
There is excitement among the group. As the sun was sinking, our captain informed us that when the sun rose tomorrow, we would arrive at the island. The high priest put together an impromptu ceremony in thanks to Set for our safe arrival and the Prince and his family were obliged to join him. I believe the sailors are still mopping the blood from the deck.  
I took the opportunity to slip below decks to my cabin and pen this missive. My wife Threa is asleep in the room, but otherwise I am alone.
I must confess, I still do not understand why I was chosen for this honor. My position as a minor scholar and scribe at the court of does not justify this elevation to Royal Scribe and Advisor to a Prince.
Or perhaps this is a form of Exile. It was not a popular decision to marry a Shemite noble. Threa is an outsider and Stygians do not like outsiders.
I feel... uneasy. There is a tension in the air, a building pressure like that which rides before a storm front. In my heart, thunder rumbles.

They reached the sanctum and plundered it...



In our desperation, we sought to replace that which had been stolen. We made contact with the entities of Yuggoth and under their guidance, we sought to recreate the angles of the original. It took almost all our power and strength, but at last it was done and the room at the top of the tower was empty no more.



The base kept expanding, shrines to Derketo and Set were added...




... However, worship of Mitra was still limitied to the old outpost...




The base was surrounded by palisades in order to create choke points and limit outside access to the foundations.

As the base grew, more thralls were needed and thus raids to capture enemies were necessary. And with a greater population came the need to expand the living quarters...



You would expect the enemy to strike before the base was fully fortified but so far it had remained calm. Didn't the enemy know they were here? They had to know. Maybe the base was too well defended for the enemy to even consider an attack. Whatever the case, Hrongar never ceased working on improving his new settlement...

The expanding thrall army received a new captain and a captured priest of Set was broken and put to work at the base's shrine...



Construction of a prison was begun and it was decided to go hunt for star metal...



They expected to find fallen meteors by the tower but found nothing of the sort. Hrongar's party could have entered the tower, but that was not why they had come this time. Disappointed not to have found a single meteor they left.

A maelstrom started as they were returning...



It eventually subsided...



At the leyshrine they found another journal entry...



Day 9 of the Month of Mekhir, Year of the Elephant
The construction of the artefact goes at a snails pace. To avoid the mistakes of the Elders I must proceed slowly and carefully - with each painstaking detail. Each facet must be carved and polished to perfection. It does not yet shine.
But it will.

From the latest expedition a Stygian Invader was taken alive and brought back to bae as a prisoner...



A giant spider was killed on another expedition near the outpost...



Near the base was located an elder vault populated by werewolves...



Hrongar operated the turnwheels that opened the path for his expedition...

There seemed no solution as how to reach the levers to open the door. In the end Hrongar in a great effort jumped across. He made it but it was so narrowly he could just as well have fallen and seriously injured himself.



The path seemed to lead into a cavern before it led back into the vault...

Try hard as they may, the werewolves could not prevent Hrongar's party from delving deeper and deeper...



The expedition was getting closer to the heart of the vault...



As the threat of extinction faded, so did our co-operation. The tower worked, and we each had access to its bounty. As centuries passed, we reverted to old ways and habitats. Each of us made a home on the island. Our winged allies claimed the high places. Our lupine brethren found solace in the rolling hills. Our demonic friends stayed close to the tower. And the serpent-men* Who knows which dark crevice they slithered into?

The priestesses were asleep when Hrongar entered their quarter. He was waiting for a woman who had agreed to be bedded by him for the glory of Derketo...

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Hrongar wanted an heir. But since the women had free access to contraceptives from the priests of Derketo, he had no certain way to impregnate any of the women, but through constant effort.

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He had bedded two of his closest female followers in quick succession. If either proved to bear fruit only time would tell. Hrongar turned his efforts back into building for the time being...



The new structure was to become the home of any woman conceiving his offspring. Maybe it would come into use soon or maybe it would be a long wait yet. In any case, Hrongar kept busy with his plans.

Hrongar took a few followers with him and visited the outpost...



They spent the night and Yela the Siren let him bed her...

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The expedition set out for the elder vault belonging to one  of the winged creatures...

After a precarious climb down the nesting places, Hrongar's party found themselves on the bottom floor...



The journey was pretty much straight forward from here...



But we had all of us forgotten our ancient foe. While we had remained exiled on our island, protected by our maelstrom of magic, the humans had been growing and spreading on the mainland. With our protection gone, the humans found us again. And despite the passage of years, their hatred burned bright. A fleet arrived at the island and the humans began to take their long-delayed vengeance.

Time for rest and relaxation were well earned after an expedition.



The nearby waterfall was a very popular place to bathe. Everyone used the waterfall as a natural shower. There were no inhibitions among Hrongar's clan members, be it military or working class, male or female...

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Scouts had reported increased activity by the Stygian Invaders near the camp...



They found a declaration from Prince Kraxus...

Be wary!
The Black Corsairs have taken an interest in our affairs and have begun attacking our fleet. You have nothing to fear, soldier, so long as you give no credence to the rumours of their savagery, cannibal ways and penchant for torturing those they capture.
Eyes open men!



Another piece of Siptah's journal was found...

Day 7 of the Month of Mekhir, Year of the Gazelle
The prince led a delegation of us south through the forest today to visit the new watchtower there, aptly named Southwatch Keep. Threa neglected to come with us, though I do feel that she appreciates being asked. She has warmed to me considerably since I made my recent overtures. Perhaps... but no, this is not the place to discuss my marriage.
When we returned from our inspection of the keep, something had changed. The streets were abandoned and the guards on the city gate were missing. The prince dispatched men, who ran off through the streets, while we awaited for their return.
Shaking, they guided us to the Vault entrance - where a crowd had gathered around the body of the High priest. his corpse was splayed across the altar, his stomach opened and his entrails spilling like a red waterfall down the side of the altar. It was as if some horrible cosmic haruspex had decided to do a reading.
On the stone walls that had been erected by the entrance to the vault, something was scrawled in the priest's blood. Glyphs in an ancient spidery language that was chilling to behold.
The prince and his family were shocked - though Amon-Tet was no stranger to blood. It was the death of the High Priest that shook him - an omen from Set that this fledgling colony might already be on the wrong track.
Amon-Tet instructed the guards to clear the crowd - I thought I glimpsed Threa as they herded them away. I stepped forward and examined the glyphs on the wall and something tickled my memory, a phrase I had seen written on an ancient tomb beneath the Black Pyramid at Khemi.
The Prince asked me what it said. I turned to face him and tried not to show fear in my eyes.
'Heretic'.

Scouring the ruins yielded another piece of Siptah's journal...

Day 15 of the Month of Thoth, Year of the Falcon
I have not found time to write in this journal lately - at least half a year has passed since the High Priest was murdered - and the cascade of changes that has wrought on this colony have been deep indeed.
In the days after his death, we made a determined effort to enter the vault, but it would not open. The runes on the outside of the vault are in a script that I cannot translate and though it seems likely that there is some keying mechanism - we have yet to find it.
As the shock of the death faded and the demands of the fledgling colony reasserted itself, the Prince dispatched a ship to Khemi to find us a new priest. But the ship has not returned and the consequences have been dire.
What I have realized, these past months, is just how fundamental the worship of Set is to the order of our Kingdom. A Stygia without Set is a Stygia without order.
When the fear of sacrifice is gone, when the punishment for transgression is forgotten, what then?
We are seeing the beginnings of this on the island. In the Wake of the High Priest's death, it seemed as though cults were springing up across the entire colony. Some fell to worshiping minor deities of Set's pantheon - but others turned to foreign gods.
Threa thinks it is admirable. Her eyes glitter with hatred as she speaks of Set and the cruelty of his religion. She has tried, more than once, to convince me to forswear Set and turn my faith to one of her foreign gods - Asura, I believe it was.
As the religious unrest grew, we had other problems. Our logging camps have been attacked in the forest by 'mysterious beasts' if the survivors are to be believed. This has put our plans for an expansive fleet on hold - and in turn the revenue that such a fleet would bring.
I have written multiple dispatches for the Prince, each one growing more and more desperate. He demands that his father send him more troops to 'tame the wild island'.
As for myself - I have explored the ruins that are closest to new Luxur, but those ruins seem to point to a larger Acheronian city on the Western Side of the island. I have learned all that I can here.
I've asked the Prince for support to make an expedition to the west - which he has granted - but only under the condition that I do not take any troops.
Bahk-hotep has agreed to accompany me and, surprisingly, Threa has also agreed to come.
We leave tomorrow.




An enemy camp was discovered by the river...

Hrongar was constantly overseeing the expansion of the base...



A new woman by the name of Sonia had risen to the rank of officer. She was called the She-wolf, and not only because of her ambition...



Sonia was determined to rise even further in the clan's hierarchy. There was only one way she could reach the top - by producing an heir - thus Sonia was eager to seduce Hrongar, who happily let her make her advances...

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Sonia was following Hrongar everywhere...



The clan's scouts reported enemies incoming. It was the Accursed again...



The first wave was repulsed, then the second but the Accursed kept regrouping and attacking...



Finally the enemy was defeated. Their casualties numbered dozens. Hrongar's clan had lost the loyal watchdogs Thor and Sigrid, otherwise apart from a few wounded there were no casualties. When cleaning up the mess after the attack, a half-dozen survivors were found among the enemy...

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There was some minor damage to repair after the purge. Hrongar had still not decided the fate of the prisoners. Flayed bodies of their fallen comrades had been placed on pikes to intimidate the crucified Accursed. 

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The clan's horticulturist had been busy. There were new planters and flower arrangements around the base. Hrongar prepared for another expedition. He brought Valeria and his closest followers. His expedition was joined by Cruewella, a relatively new officer in their ranks. She boosted their ranks with her own followers...



The expedition went into the nearby elder vault belonging to the Wolfmen. Hrongar had already led an expedition though here once before, but this time the gate he expected to open remained defiantly shut. It seemed the enemy had either secured the gate or the mechanism had failed. For whatever reason, that was the end of the joint expedition between Hrongar and Cruewella. Maybe they would team up again in the future...



It was time to check on the Invaders' camp overlooking the base...

The Invaders were slaughtered and their camp was looted. Then Hrongar's party continued to the nearest enemy stronghold...



They swept through the place, finding another entry from Siptah's journal...



Day 5 of the Month of Parmuthi, Year of the Dog
The Silent streets of New Luxur were too much for me to bear. I have moved my base of operation to a tower that overlooks the central plain - Siptah's Contemplation. Such a grand sounding name for a place where I do busy work.
Every night, I dream of the dark room at the top of the tower. Every day, I work to understand how I can get there.
It has become clear to me that the Tower is much more than a building. It serves a purpose beyond being a dwelling or a fortress. It is a sorcerous nexus, but for what?
I am mapping the leylines that run from the heart of the tower outwards. I suspect that the vaults exist along these leylines, but to confirm my suspicion I will need to so a full survey of the area.

The expedition continued inland...



Once again they passed by the tower at the center of the island...



The goal was to harvest starmetal...

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Hrongar had brought grease orbs and demon fire orbs to break through the outer shell of the meteor...

Dalinsia approached Hrongar. Her twin sister was held captive in their prison. She pleaded with him to see her and convince her to join their clan. "What are you willing to do?" Hrongar wondered. 

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They went to the prison. Dalinsia's sister was naked, shackled in the pillory. Hrongar had the jailor release the prisoner. Dalinisia was grateful but now it was time for her to pay the debt of gratitude...

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Hrongar hoped he could impregnate his clansmate, but he knew he'd have a greater chance with Dalinsia's sister who had been held in their prison for a while. The woman had no access to contraceptives in there, Hrongar could only hope he was fertile right now...

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After mating with her, Hrongar took the woman to the armourer. It was time to get the new member some equipment...

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The armourer took measurements and worked fast...



Now, time to see what this new recruit was made of. Hrongar took the twin sisters with him, along with Valeria and Yela...

Hrongar's party were ecstatic after killing the green dragon, but it would not end there...



They added the Red Mother and the Sand Reaper Quenn to their trophies.

The days passed and Hrongar's clan captured more enemy prisoners...

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Hrongar was hellbent on getting the female prisoners pregnant. There was nothing they could do but endure. The prisoners were stripped naked and strapped to various contraptions restricting their movement. The men lined up to have their tirn with the helpless prisoners...

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Of course, there ware male captives as well but they were of no value to the clan. The men were best used as sacrifices. Hrongar had them strapped to the scaffold...



The prisoner's hears would make offerings to Set.

When Aziza turned twelve she was sent to the Temple of Derketo. There she was taught all the skills in the art of pleasure. Turning fifteen Aziza was expected to begin serving men. On her fifteenth birthday she was introduced to her first customer, a fat Stygian merchant who had paid a small fortune for the pleasure of taking the young girl's virginity. Aziza was disgusted by the ugly, drunk man. She tried to get away from him but he was bigger and stronger than she was. Somehow, the young girl managed to get hold of a dagger she used with deadly precision, stabbing the merchant in the jugular. There was blood everywhere. Aziza made a run for it but she didn't get far. She was caught by one of the temple guards and the murder was discovered. Aziza was sentenced to be exiled. The next day she was loaded on a ship bound for the Exiled Lands.
The ship made a stop at the Isle of Siptah to restock on fresh water and meat. Aziza was held in a cage on deck. The jailor had eyed the young girl on the whole trip, now he was alone with her. He made his move, opened the cage and grabbed Aziza. She knew what he wanted but escaping his strong grip was impossible. But getting hold of the jailor's daggers and using them against her assailer. The jailor soon lay in a pool of blood. But then the taskmaster showed up. Aziza grabbed the kopesh from the body and defended herself successfully.

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Now there were two dead men lying on deck. Aziza knew she had to get away...



The young Stygian girl jumped overboard and swam ashore...

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Now she was alone on a hostile island...



But Aziza was lucky. She found the camp of the Castaways. She was taken in and given a home among the crew. Aziza lived with them for two long years, then her wanderlust led her to explore...



The isle was full of dangers and enemies, the Maelstrom probably being the greatest threat. But Aziza found a nice spot on the eastern coast. There she began constructing her new home. And she made a new friendship...



One of the fighters at the Castaway's camp had grown very fond of the young woman. Aziza had grown a little tller and her bust had developed while she lived there. Now that she moved away, he had sought her out and they became lovers...

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Aziza was a devout worshipper of Derketo, it was only natural to have a shrine to the Goddess of Pleasure and Death in the building.

Sonia the Shewolf had failed becoming pregnant with Hrongar's child and thus becoming matriarch of the clan. The resourceful woman quickly found another way to show her usefulness and rise in rank -- she would take charge of a new building project...



A gate should certainly make it harder for an enemy to harass their base through this pass...



Hrongar was pleased with Sonia's work. The new gate and barracks would protect the clan from attack from one side, but there were still all the other open sides around them that for the time being were just protected by palisades. 
Sonia continued her work, her next project being to please the Nordic clansmen and women by erecting a shine to Ymir...



The Nordheimers and Cimmerians quickly took a liking to the new addition...

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Aziza and Yagoth were settling in well with their new life together...



One one outing they came across a camp belonging to the hated enemy...



Yagoth was already a seasoned fighter and Aziza had become quite proficient herself since she had first arrived on the isle...

A deposit of black ice was a good find.



Further exploration yielded a brimstone deposit and more breathtaking views of nature...

Aziza and Yagoth approached the ruin where the Stygian Invaders had set up camp...



When the fighting was over they returned home. Yagoth was wounded but he would soon recover, and they had rescued a female bearer from the enemy. She joined their settlement out of gratitude. 

https://ibb.co/RjTdwWz



Hrongar was pleased with Sonia's accomplishments. After the inspection, he returned to his quarters with another woman. Only time would tell if he succeeded in planting his seed...

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