Duat - the Egyptian Underworld

Because I haven’t seen a lot of new topics recently and since everyone contributed so many good ideas when I brought up the concept of a realm/demiplane/etc. for rakshasas, I want to get some feedback regarding some concepts for an Egyptian underworld. Apologies for the length of this as I usually try to keep my stuff shorter

Since I have a fondness for the Egyptian myths, I created two realms corresponding to the two halves of that religion’s underworld/hereafter. I labeled them the fields of Aaru (“heaven” where Osiris presides over the worthy) and Duat (the brutal environment that has to be traversed to reach Aaru). I am looking for feedback that would make Duat unique from other locales in the Lower Planes

Duat, the legend (in simplified form)
Ra (as the sun) enters a cavern in the west (i.e. the sunset) and then traverses twelve underground regions to emerge in the east on the next morning. Ra travels through these regions on a golden barge that also carries several other gods and the spirits of all those that died that day.
Ra is weakened during this underground passage (and is often depicted as being dead or comatose) so that his companion gods and travelers have to defend him until he regains his power.
Each region is separated by a gate that can only be entered by speaking magical words of power.
In the final region, Ra and his agents battle the serpent/dragon/demon, Apep so that the sun can break free and rise again to start a new day.
In conflicting versions, the dead souls either get off in the third realm or continue with Ra until Apep is defeated. In both versions, the dead disembark; are judged and then hopefully pass into the bliss of the fields of Aaru.

These regions are described as being filled with night and thick darkness (until the arrival of Ra and his light). They are sometimes described as underground caverns and as desert realms. The separating gates are covered with spears that drip poison and are typically guarded by giant (fire-breathing) serpents.

Duat, my take
Keeping in the spirit of this realm being an ordeal that one must endure; I defined it as six regions (arbitrary number, as 12 seemed too much to me) separated by impenetrable gates. Once one passes through the first gate, one MUST continue through all the gates or be trapped here forever. Teleportation, plane shifting, etc. will not work for any being less than a demigod.

The air in these regions is palpably dense and a visitor feels as though he is moving through syrup (I haven’t work out how this might affect combat – probably use “underwater” rules)

There is a river that flows through all the regions (and through the gates). The sections and the river follow a (gradual) downward spiral

Physically, I saw the region as a cross between an arid desert and the Underdark with different regions leaning more towards desert or Underdark caverns. Throughout the landscape, one encounters pools of black fire that provide a minimum of light and no heat (and are in fact, freezing to the touch).
In the more Underdark regions, one might encounter alien monsters like umber hulks, beholders, slimes, and aboleths. In the more desert regions, one might encounter (undead) serpents and crocodiles, minions of Set, an evil form of sphinx and vrocks (I’ll explain later)

For a “theme”, pictured this plane as sort of a dark planar opposite to Mt. Celestia. There, one strives to improve and climb higher to salvation. In Duat, one plunges deeper and deeper, testing oneself, as things look bleaker and bleaker.

The entry point to this plane is a port city called Lodestone. It is named after the Lodestone of Misery, an obelisk of obsidian that seems to drain hope from one’s soul. The Bleakers have a base here.
The city is bordered on one edge by an endless ocean (no islands or landmarks found yet) and bordered on the other by the walls and gates into the first area of Duat. Each night, the barge (or armada) of Ra briefly docks to take on supplies and passengers (mortal and petitioner); although all such passengers must vow to defend the barge from attacks from vrock and other attackers. Once boarding is complete, the gate then opens and the ship(s) sails through into Duat.
One may come and go from the city of Lodestone as one pleases but once one passes into Duat proper, the only ways out are to traverse its entire length or with divine intervention.

The gates only open with the arrival of Ra’s barge. To pass to the next area, one must board Ra’s ship(s) or find some means to sneak through along with the passage of the barge. Upon passing through ANY of the gates, one finds oneself no longer on the ship but in a random location of that region. The person must then avoid dangers, find the sacred river and wait for Ra to return the next evening. (The faithful and devout find themselves nearer to the river than others)
After passing the first gate, a person MUST have a sacred word or phrase to allow him to re-board the ship and continue to the next area. There is a different sacred word for each level and each sacred word is unique to each person (i.e. one cannot repeat a sacred word he heard another use). In Lodestone, there is a major business of augers and soothsayers who will provide visitors with one or more of these words of passage (for a “donation”) Be warned: there is a lot of unscrupulous business in Lodestone selling false words of passage.
It MIGHT be possible to bribe your way onto the ship (the Egyptians were obsessed with being buried with all their wealth)
Since it takes a minimum of one day to wait for the arrival of Ra and re-board his ship to pass on to the next region; even a devout worshipper who had learned all the words of power needed, would spend a minimum of six days traversing Duat to reach the Judgment Hall of Osiris at the end.

In keeping with the theme of this plane being one version of an opposite to the angels and the striving hope for improvement one finds in Mt. Celestia; I included a specialized from of vrock to populate Duat. I saw them as a sort of dark, vulture-related (also tying back to the desert theme) type of anti-angels (see /forum/ideas-needed-vrocks-and-plane-despair)

In the final region of Duat, lives Apep, a giant snake or dragon that is the chthonic antithesis of all that the good and lawful gods of the Egyptian gods stand for.

Random ideas
-In the actual early Egyptian religion, Set was originally the weakened Ra’s greatest defender on this journey. Later when Set was embraced by a group of invaders that controlled Lower Egypt, Set was demonized and took on most of the negative attributes of Apep.
In game terms: Given Set’s recent adoption of portfolios from the snake-god, Sseth; I interpreted this as a vengeful Set (upset by the lack of respect he got as Ra’s defender) seeking to gain more of the powers of the snake-like Apep so that Set will one day be powerful enough to conquer Ra and the rest of the pantheon.
For these reasons, I gave Set a second home in one of the more desert-like regions of Duat

-In Lodestone, there is a major temple to Set presided over by a greater mummy that serves as the high priest. This high priest is brilliant and manipulative

-I’m toying with the idea of an ailment called “the Wrenching” that involves a lose of WIS and increased despair

-A ziggurat in one area served by a group of evil sphinxes

**Adventure Ideas:
-Angel/minion of Ra or Osiris seeking to rescue someone from Duat or plant a “seed of hope” on this dismal plane
-(Egyptian) priests send PCs into Duat to help a soul that did not receive the correct words of passage
-An illness in the heart of the Egyptian pantheon is causing souls to be lost on way to Aaru. A group (minions of Set?) is stealing newly arrived souls to power magic item(s)
-PCs need a word of power to pass to the next section. A petitioner agrees to divine one if the PCs will protect him from horrors until Ra arrives
-In one area, minions of Set agree to take the PCs to their temple and a divinely powered exit from this plane provided the PCs eliminate a rival to their church. What are the ramifications of helping a known evil?

So in conclusion (finally), does anyone have any cool Egyptian-related ideas or themes that would fit in well here?