Introduction: This set was inspired by LEGO’s Adventurers and Pharaoh’s Quest themes. The goal of this new set was to offer a new and unique experience of a magical exploration. So I decided to design a new adventure, taking into account the playability and aesthetics of the construction.
The story of the adventure: An unnamed explorer has heard rumors that somewhere in the borders of the Sahara Desert, a gate opens into the world of afterlife, called “The Beyond Gate”. People would even say that this place is not lifeless and that a recent mysterious magic operates there; many of them would claim that it is the work of Anubis himself. Even a merchant in the streets of Cairo told the explorer this story while he was trying to sold him a stone, telling him that it came from this very place. The explorer took the stone immediately and started his research.
After days and days in the desert, our explorer accompanied by his camel, finally saw shiny golden reflections and tall black columns. It was the gate he was looking for.
And indeed, getting closer and closer, he realized, that it was not only ruins and a gate but a recent temple, built around the gate; the flames foretold that the place was occupied, the two enormous jackal heads undoubtedly evoked that Anubis was behind this work but the explorer did not seem intimidated at all. From there began the adventure and his legend.
Anubis' Machiavellian plan: No one knows when Anubis came back to set up his plan. Away from prying eyes, he built his temple around this gate that crosses a river. That is why he decided to build a boat to be able to transport the dead from the beyond bringing them back to this world to constitute his army. With this army he will be able to conquer the living world. Inside the temple, wooden logs were placed on the shallow river to slide the boat into it.
The composition of the set:
General :
The set is composed of 2300 pieces approximately, divided into a temple, a boat, some animals, 2 full black skeletons and Anubis as statues and the 11 following playable minifigures :
The temple :
On the left side of the temple, the quarters of Anubis are composed of :
A Throne room.
A place where he can cast spells and use a crystal to control the boat. This crystal has a replica on the boat to make the connection.
A quay where a wheel drives a mechanism to turn a log and thus move the boat forward.
A pit where his pets are found which are formidable hungry snakes and scorpions.
A staircase to go upstairs but BE CAREFUL because just at the end of the stairs a trap is waiting for you and that will please his pets! This trap keeps Anubis' personal armory safe. Anubis has recreated lots of relics that others Egyptian gods had in order to be even more powerful and to be ready to conquer the world! It seems that he has thought of everything. This is also why these relics look supernatural, forged in an unknown material that Anubis is the only creator. In the middle of all these relics stands his ferocious black crocodile.
The center of the temple is composed of a shallow river coming from the beyond and going to our world. To overcome this dry river obstacle, he set up wooden logs to slide the boat through the temple. Each log is free to rotate, the central one is activated by a mechanism of pulleys and gears.
The other side of the temple is composed of :
The armory for its men.
An area where provisions and construction tools are stored.
A pit with stakes at the bottom, which is just behind a secret passage. Oh! but that's where our explorer can enter, and the stone he bought can open this passage.
A room upstairs where Anubis brings the dead back to life, passing them through a succession of sarcophagi.
The front is composed of two enormous jackal heads standing on each side of the black gate, whose lower jaw rotates around an axis what makes stones falling.
Play features:
Falling rocks from jackal mouth.
A secret passage with a trap behind (pit with stakes).
The resurrection process of mummies.
The trap in front of the armory.
A catapult on the boat will protect the crystal, in case you try to steal it.
A crank and a mechanism help a wooden log to rotate and the boat to go forward.
Now, you know every secret of the temple, you might have an idea of how to help our explorer to defeat Anubis (maybe stealing one of the two crystals, or inverting sarcophagi to stop the resurrection process, etc).
