Tears of Themis Secret of the Tomb event (end)

From 29th April to 20th May, join the NXX team as they journey to the mysterious Hessu ruins of Khaimit located in the middle of a desert. The Ita Desert stretches endlessly in the blazing hot sun as your team travels by jeep through the sandy terrain to the ruins. This is a fully voiced event that runs across four phases with new content and tasks which will be released gradually over 8 days. Complete all the tasks to earn the Roaring Sands badge.

Background: A week back, the team were notified of a case of 18 missing persons from Stellis City. After further investigation, it seemed all of them had recently travelled to Khaimit – some had disappeared while there and others became uncontactable after returning back to Stellis. A social media post by one of the missing person cited a miraculous encounter was your only clue.

According to the post, Pharaoh Hepharet didn’t die but found the way to eternity. The posts encouraged believers to follow the guidance of the Seth’s Bone to Hessu Ruins to find eternity themselves. While Luke and Marius discounted this as a fictitious post of an overly imaginative tourist, Vyn shared that one of the missing persons was his patient who greatly respected the ancient Khaimit culture. She wore a strange metal necklace called the Seth’s Bone which apparently can break the boundary between life and death. Her family had requested his help in locating her too. You suggested that the team head to Khaimit to investigate this mystery yourselves.

Unfortunately, your attempt to locate the ruins seemed to be a greater hurdle than expected. After driving for many hours, you don’t appear to be any closer to the ruins and the directions on the GPS system and your phone were giving mixed signals. In other words, you were lost. Though it was embarrassing to admit, you all decided to make a stop at a gas station to ask for help. A policeman named Yehya stationed there gave you the exact directions on how to get to the ruins, suggesting that you make a stop at the city of Mien to restock supplies as the ruins is in a very remote location.

With that settled, your curiosity was piqued by an excavation site nearby. Yehya tells you that is the site of the Tomb of Ita, a temple that was once the base of a group of thieves who buried all their loot here. After many years, the authorities have finally captured all the thieves and are in the midst of restoration works. Rubis Museum is heading up the recovery work and is looking for volunteers to help out.  

Faced with these options, you kickstart your adventure in Khaimit – head to Mien city to restock, help with the recovery works in the Tomb of Ita, or even visit the Rubis Museum to learn more about the local ancient artefacts. The choice is yours.

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Things you can do during the event:

Complete the main and side story to obtain Antiquated coins.

Exchange the Antiquated coins at the Khaimit Market for limited event Tears (2,400 coins per tear) and the invitation “Desert Road” for 36,000 coins.

Complete event tasks to earn event limited Tears, as well as event R cards of each guy.

At the Tomb of Ita, you can clear the excavation site to earn Exploration points. You can improve your results with tools that you find along the way and by cleverly working with the guys who give you different exploration bonuses. In order to strike a balance between work and play, there are limits on how many coins you can farm during each phase up to a maximum of 114,000 coins.

Each time you go on an exploration, you are limited by a set number of energy points which you can raise as you expand your Exploration Knowledge, with the experience you earn from excavating. In short, spend energy to excavate, the energy you use and the value of your discovery adds up to coins and experience earned.

With sufficient experience, you level up your Exploration Knowledge. Every increase in level gives you knowledge points to allocate across skills which can help you make excavation easier.

Raise your exploration rank to unlock Artefact tasks available at the Rubis Museum. These tasks essentially requires you to travel around Khaimit to get some tasks done.

This event also releases 4 new SSR cards of the guys decked out in Egyptian costume and oh this is so going to drain me of all the S-chips I have saved for Marius’ birthday! Why Mihoyo, why?! When you spend money during this event, it also brings you one step closer to obtaining an Total Purchase Limited Artem SSR card “Unusual Love” and its associated name card. As this banner is an event limited one, the pity pool for this does not get brought over to subsequent events.

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Main Story Episode 1: Shadows of Resurrection (I)

First stop is Mien City. The team split up to perform different tasks so you decided to walk around town and get some information. It turned out that the locals were indeed talking about paying tribute to the pharaoh at the holy land, i.e. Hesse Ruins and in return for their expensive offerings they could have their wishes granted or entirely healed. When you reconvene with the rest of the gang, Marius shares that he has managed to buy some of this holy water. Vyn suggested having it examined to check its composition. Artem shared that he knew a chemistry professor, a client of his who works at the Rubis Museum who could help with that. You offered to go with him much to the displeasure of Marius. Awww.

The professor said he would look into the liquid which will take a couple of days. Suddenly your attention was caught by a raucous taking place outside the museum. Apparently a local was quarreling with the museum staff that the mummy there was fake and that the pharaoh was actually sleeping in Ita Desert. You managed to stop the quarrel from escalating but wonder if this has anything to do with what you are investigating. Artem found him familiar too. Then you got a message from Luke about some new findings and you hurry back to Mien to regroup.

After recounting the situation with the group, Vyn commented that there was something vaguely familiar about his behaviour. Luke added that the Hessu Ruins have been around for a long time and was just one of many tourist attraction. However in recent times there has been an uptick in visitors. Marius shared that this sounded like a typical marketing gimmick to raise the value of a commodity. It seems like investigating Hessu Ruins itself is the logical next step.

At the ruins Marius gave a quick introduction, seemed like nothing has changed since he last came here with his brother. You all decided to split up to speak to the people so as not to raise any suspicion. You learnt that many of the visitors had come here to pray to the pharaoh statue and one lady even heard that a miracle would be happening in three days’ time. Based on the the mural on the wall, Seth is the god of storm and his will is represented by the pharaoh.

You bumped into Vyn in a heated argument with a middle aged lady. Vyn introduces her as Scarlet Arkwright, his patient who had gone missing. Sensing her hostility towards Vyn, you decided to tell a white lie that both of you are here on a sightseeing trip. She relaxed somewhat and told you about what she has experienced since coming to Khaimit. Apparently once a month, when believers pray towards a stone slab, they are able to hear the oracle of edict, words of wisdom from the pharaoh herself which cleanses the mind. The next day of prayer is in 3 days’ time. The Seth’s Bone is necessary for her to commune with pharaoh though she isn’t wearing it now as it needs to rest.

After bidding her goodbye, you all decided to check out the stone slab for more clues. Upon closer investigation, Vyn noticed that there were some markings on the side of the slab which seemed to be created by wires being around to secure something. You hypothesised that perhaps that was how the pharaoh was able to manifest herself during the day of prayer. Without further clues to go on by, the team decided to return to the ruins three days later.

Without anything else to do, it was time to check out the Tomb of Ita and help with the excavation works. The curator explained the scope of works to you. Your team has to be split into two where your partners will excavate while you stay on surface to guide them on where to go to find the treasure. There are varying levels of difficulty of excavation and you have to guide them to go as deep into the tomb as possible to retrieve gold nuggets with their available energy. When you level up in your exploration level, the curator will also assign you tasks related to artefacts retrieved so that they can be ready to be exhibited at the museum.

Phase 1 Side Stories

While waiting, you helped a camel owner locate her missing camels out at a desert oasis.

You also tried out line-engraving and settled on a scenery after checking out various sights in Khaimit.

You help a research assistant pass some presentation notes to a professor over at Mien CBD.

Phase 1 Artefact Missions

Scarab Talisman: Artem and you helped to catch a scarab to be displayed together with a talisman. Scarabs are revered as they are known to lighten the weight of one’s heart when weighed on a scale with the feather of Maat on the other end. If you are able to pass the test, it would determine your ability to be born into a new life. While Artem was interested to see the bugs for himself, he didn’t agree with the concept that one could lighten their sentence through such ‘cheats’.

Eagle Necklace: Marius and you sought the help of a professor to identify the composition of a gem studded necklace. The professor requested your help to buy a camel milk tea with pearls before he could concentrate on his work. After that he told you that the necklace belonged to a princess Nora who died at the age of 12. She was very different as she favoured fighting.

Stamped Ring: The stamped ring was used by persons in power to stamp their mark of authority on documents in the past. You helped the curator to investigate whom this ring once belonged to – it had belonged to the finance minister. Marius commented that he also owned one such ring which he uses only symbolically because most people prefer using electronic signatures now. You wonder if the finance minister would still need the ring if he had access to technology then, Marius shrugged and said that it was still a symbol of power that people won’t easily give up on.

Ornate Pot: A clay pot at least a thousand years old used to collect water. The curator noted that it seemed to be used only recently and suspected that this could be stolen from a nearby village. You located the owner who lives in Ita Desert and he happily volunteer to donate the pot to the museum since he has already bought a new water pot.

Clay Palette: You found a clay palette which contains the colors for painting a hippopotamus, a symbol of prosperity for ancient Khaimit. The curator requested your help to identify the pigments used in the palette from a professor in Mien. The lab was willing to help in exchange for your assistance to grind some colors for their experiment. This was right up Marius’ alley and he got down to helping in no time. With the identification results, the curator was able to pinpoint that this was an ancient artefact dated back 6,800 years ago. This inspired Marius to organise an art exhibition around Khaimit art and a new beauty line as well. Ever enterprising CEO.

Pyramid Ornament: The pyramid ornament seemed to be a gift from a certain Nutter to his child. The curator sent you off to Ita Desert to confirm its origin. Unfortunately, it seemed that the general did not have a child by that name Sitar. The staff at the excavation site shared that while this pyramid didn’t belong to the general, it was indeed found in the general’s tomb. Apparently it had been a keepsake from a child to her dad who is a grave robber, and had died when he triggered a trap about 200 years ago.

Jackal Cub Sculpture: The jackal cub is a rare sight and a sculpture of one even more so. However before you could examine further, it was stolen away by a large black dog. You give chase towards Ita Desert. With the help of a young you, you located the den of the dog and retrieved the sculpture. You noticed that the dog has also stashed away for itself many toys in the shape of a black dog. In return for his help, you treated the boy to fresh fruit ice cream. You learnt that Big Black the dog lost his brother awhile back and have since been finding and bringing back similar looking toys hoping to bring his brother back to life.

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Main Story Episode 2: Shadows of Resurrection (II)

The NXX team returns to Hessu Ruins on the Day of Prayer. While waiting for the ceremony to start, you wander around to hear what others are saying. Luke overheard someone saying that the pharaoh was able to attain immortality by trading her body for a younger one using the arts from the priesthood. Vyn heard that the pharaoh isn’t actually buried in the Hessu Ruins but living underground with her lover. Artem noticed that many of the visitors brought jugs of water to the ruins and wonder if this has anything to do with the ritual. Marius heard that the people believe that the pharaoh will return to rule Khaimit one day and restore Hessu Ruins back to its former glory as a palace. He certainly credits the storyteller with a great imagination.

Once the ceremony started, the exhibition around the stone slab transformed into a worship area with fervent believers chanting around the slab and placing their offerings of all kind at its base. It seems like all the missing citizens of Stellis were gathered here too. Suddenly a white mist appears and you see the image of a lady pharaoh descending down the stairs onto the slab. The believers raise their prayers in greater fervency and it seems to be all over too soon. The team suggested investigating the stone slab further to see if there are any changes to it.

Upon closer investigation, Luke surmised that such markings can only be left on the stone slab in the presence of water that came from the mist. If there is a source of the mist, then surely you would be able to locate the culprit for this magic show. Vyn investigated the stone wall where the shadow first appeared and noticed that it looked a shade lighter than the rest, suggesting that it was in constant exposure to light and water more so than it’s surrounding. This indicated foul play was afoot. You noticed some visitors quarreling near the pond, which contained the ‘holy water’. This was the reason they all came with jugs of many sizes. Marius suggested collecting some of these water to compare against the sample he had bought previously to determine its source. You noticed some believers have remained and continued to pray for a healing miracle refusing to listen to you.

With another closer look at the stone slab, Luke found a small hole in it that wasn’t previously there. Marius felt a draft of wind coming from it. Putting it together, you hypothesised that there could be an underground chamber that someone was blowing mist out of, and then using a projector to project whatever image he wanted to create the illusion of the pharaoh. However before you could determine if you were right, the believers noticed your team and chased you away since you were obviously visitors and the ruins were closed to visitors on the day of prayer. Since there was no way you can investigate further, your next step is to follow up on the composition of the holy water. Incidentally Artem received a call from the lab informing him that the results are ready.

Back at Rubis, the chemistry professor shared that there were no toxins found in the solution. Instead it seemed to contain cell culturing chemicals that promoted cell growth which were not harmful to the body, however it was also unlikely to cure any illness. Marius then handed over the holy water collected today and requested for the prof to test it out as well. You theorised that with all evidence put together, this seemed like a classic fraud case to cheat people of their possession using the resurrection of the pharaoh as a ruse. However Vyn felt that there was still some missing information, and there could be another motive behind this.

Just then another commotion taking place in front of the Rubis Museum caught your attention again. This time it was a different man, but he was saying the same thing that the mummy in the museum was some random king and not the great pharaoh Hepharet, as he has seen her with his own eyes. With the ongoing raucous, the museum staff threatened to call the police. Marius suggested speaking with the police about this incident to see if anything interesting comes up the radar. Turns out that the policeman is Yehya himself. He shares that this has been a reoccurring for the last 6 months though they haven’t been able to do anything about it, since the people of Khaimit revere the pharaoh. He seeks your team’s help to collaborate on the investigation to uncover what exactly is going on at the Hessu Ruins, in return, he will help clear the path for your investigation of the ruins.

At Ita Desert, you bump into Scarlet Arkwright who just came off a call with her family. They claimed that she’s being scammed but she insisted that they do not understand. Scarlet greatly respects the courage and ideals that Hepharet upholds and wants to be her most loyal subject. When you tried to encourage Scarlet to follow what she represented instead of the dead pharaoh directly, it stirred her up further in her reverence. It seems like uncovering the truth behind the pharaoh would be the only way to break these people out of their trance like behaviour.

Phase 2 Side Stories

Upon returning to Ita Desert, the grateful camel keeper updated you that he managed to locate his missing camels who were feasting on cactus. He invites you to observe them and one of them actually approached you to nuzzle you.

At Ita Desert, you bump into the boy, Danny, who was praying at the Hessu Ruins for his mum’s recovery. It seems like she isn’t keen to seek medical help but her condition is just getting worse. You decided to enlist help of police who told you that his father had died in a car accident. They will look into Danny’s case on how they can help.

You offered to buy dried minnows to feed the stray cats in Mien CBD.

Phase 2 Artefact Missions

Sistrum Investigation: The curator identified that the sistrum was a musical instrument that is still used by the Debu family lineage and this artefact could belong to their ancestor. You located the current member of the Debu clan and he promised to tell you the story of the owner if you attend his sistrum performance. After the performance Atta tells you that the sistrum is a dying art and he is worried about its loss. He shares that Ngu Debu’s mother had high hopes for him but he died due to a fever at age of 8.

Incense Bottle Pendant: A pendant which can be opened to reveal a balm with a unique fragrance. The curator identifies that this had once belonged to a lady who traded with merchants from other lands. He requested your help to find his friend who has expertise in fragrance to identify the mix. The lady issues you a challenge to identify the composition of 5 fragrances before she was willing to help and Vyn aced the test. The curator read the note which stated that such balms helped with insomnia and this helped him to narrow down whom this pendant might have belonged to.

Golden Knife: The golden knife was identified as having belonged to a general Suga. However you were curious about the carving of the name ‘Nana’ on it. You headed to Ita Desert to speak to the villagers who were his descendants. They testified that the knife did belong to him, and Nana was actually the endearment term he used to call his wife. The curator shared that the general and his wife, knew each other since childhood and formed a formidable pair as the former aced in battle, while his wife aided him as his military advisor. Unfortunately she died after contracting a disease and the general soon joined her after.

Slab Fragment (I): You found a stone slab with some ancient writing on it. The curator could not make out the hieroglyphics so requested your help to get it translated. It seemed to record a legal case of AI taking out a loan using his father’s mummy as collateral. However the slab is broken so it only recorded a portion of the case so we’ll have to excavate the rest of the slab to make sense of it.

Crocodile Mummy: You found a crocodile mummy which seemed to be greatly revered for it to be mummified. The curator shares that crocodiles were worshipped as one of the many gods. Since it is a good and rare find, the curator requested you get a proper coffin for its storage. Upon returning the curator requests for a good board for him to caution people from throwing coins at it to get good luck. He thanks you and hopes that the people of Khaimit religious they may be, would one day embrace science too.

Slab Fragment (II): You found the second piece of the fragment and returned to find the translator. She tells you that the slab recorded that AI’s father’s mummy dropped into the river and AI jumped into to retrieve it. However the waters swept him away and he was never seen again. As a result, the loan was never paid. However it seemed like some people spotted AI in another village few years later. Whatever the case may be, the author hoped that this case would help those in the future prevent similar occurrences. You returned to the curator with the story and learnt that he was once dating the translator but gave up on the relationship because she wanted to pursue her career. Both of them never wedded and continued to be good friends. Perhaps now it is timely to reconsider their relationship now.

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Main Story Episode 3: Shadows of Resurrection (III)

It’s been several days and there was no news from Yehya. You learnt that he had been outstationed and had only recent returned. The team decided to go down to the station to visit him. The chemistry professor also came back on the lab results of the holy water and confirmed that they were of the same composition as the sample.

At the station, Yehya updated on the progress by the police to contain the situation and educate the locals. Luke explained your suspicion of an underground chamber and asked if the team could speak to the person who discovered the Hessu Ruins, an archaeologist by the name of Barr Ralph.

At Hessu Ruins, there are much lesser visitors so the team can now conduct their investigation in peace. Marius spoke to a young boy wearing a Seth’s Bone. His mum told him that there was a door to the otherworld where she met the pharaoh near the mural.

You found Vyn deep in thought and he shared that the Barr Ralph was also well known as a scientific researcher in the field of space-time and survival techniques of ancient Khaimit. He was surprised to learn that he was an accomplished archaeologist too.

Artem stared at the stone trough where the holy water was collected. He wondered why the culprit poured the nutrient solution here rather than take advantage of the ruckus to put it near the stone slab. Meanwhile Luke conducted his own experiment to confirm the presence of a underground cavern under the stone slab. The next step is to find the door to the basement.

At the mural described by the young boy, you noticed visible scratches on the wall which hinted at possibility of a hidden door. Marius examined the mural further and discovered a groove that could be used to open the door. However it seemed like an item the shape of Seth’s Bone is required to open it. You suggested borrowing Scarlet’s necklace so you and Vyn decided to pay her a visit.

After convincing Scarlet that both of you wanted to learn more about the Pharoah Hepharet and have your prayers answered, Scarlet was willing to lend you the necklace glad that she had found others who also believed in her. Back at the ruins Luke helped to make a replica of the Seth Bone using materials he brought with him so as not to spoil Scarlet’s necklace.

After waiting an hour for the replica to be done, Luke takes the Seth Bone and inserts it into the groove. After adjusting it a few times until it fits, he gives the bone a twist and it unlocks the mechanism and a door to a passageway appears, leading you underground.

The stairs lead you into a huge chamber which looks like it has been lived in. It didn’t seem like Ralph would have made such a mistake over this discovery so it must have been deliberately kept secret. As you examine the murals, you came across one with some inscriptions on it. With Luke and Vyn’s help, you learnt that the Pharaoh had indeed loved a minister by name of Musen but due to rules at that time they could not be together. He died not too long after. This chamber seemed to be where she came often to visit his body and reminisce their unrequited love. Khaimit had flourished under her rule but she never married.

Further investigation confirms your speculation that the appearance of the pharaoh was a ruse conjured by someone who had been conducting lab experiments in this chamber. You decided to gather all the evidence to share with the police later. The manuscripts also contained information about Hepharet which claimed that she was buried in this tomb with Musen and that the mummy at the Rubis Museum was a fake. You recalled a similar story by the strange man at the museum. Vyn said that the handwriting seemed very similar to Ralph’s notes suggesting that locating him would help solve this mystery.

Just then Luke spotted a shadow running away and the team gave chase. Turned out your suspicions were confirmed, the culprit was none other than Barr Ralph who is the strange man who kept turning up at the museum. The professor admitted that he had been laying clues for you to find the place so that someone could share in his discovery. When you tried to push him for his reasons for lying to all the people, he threw a smoke bomb and escaped. With nothing left to do, you informed the police of what happened and wait for further updates from them.

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(I didn’t have time to complete blogging about this whole event in view of work exigencies. In terms of side stories, there was closure on Ms Scarlet part as she learnt about the scam. She will return home to gather her thoughts and decide what to do next. You help Danny buy lotus flowers to cheer his mum up. As well as Yehya who seems hopeless in love. And lastly helped a college student with a survey about Khaimit.)

Main Story Episode 4: Shadows of Resurrection (IV)

While waiting for news from Yehya, you walk around town and learnt more about the elusive Prof Ralph. He seemed to have weird scientific ideas that seemed to be before its time. Apparently he believes he can recreate the pharaoh through gene splicing after extracting her DNA from her mummy.

You receive news from Yehya who shares that the police have not been able to locate Ralph though he didn’t think he had left Khaimit. As he doesn’t have much experience exploring ruins, he enlisted the team’s help to investigate the ruins further to see if it offers any clues about Ralph’s whereabouts. You return to the secret chamber and after searching around, you find evidence that Ralph has returned here and also located another secret door leading to a level below.

There you find Ralph, relishing the moment that his life’s work to revive Hepharet would come to fruition. There are two coffins in this chamber and Ralph was sure that he would be able to extract her DNA from her mummy. However he was in for a rude shock when he finds the coffin empty. The team shares that though Hepharet loved Musen, after contemplating her choices, she decided to give up on her personal preferences and serve the people wholeheartedly. Thus her real mummy was indeed stored at Rubis Musuem.

Finally admitting defeat, Ralph resigned to be captured and handed over to the police. Before he got taken away you asked Ralph about the person who had shared data with him to perfect his formula but he refused to speak. (huh. Will there a part 2 to this event?) Yehya updates that all the affected tourists will be counseled and then encouraged to return back to their home land. With nothing left to do, the team decides it was time to let down their hair and enjoy the vacation in Khaimit.

Artefact stories not chronicled

Treasure Map – turned out it marked the spot where a villager had hid his gold from robbers.

Ship structure – a broken mast that needed fixing

Blue Crystal Lotus – water from the pond triggered a fragrance from the flower

And yes I finally got my Marius event card down to my last chip and 100th pull! Though I did end up with another Marius SSR so I guess it wasn’t that bad a result.

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