egypt ♔ is this called living or something else

[lissatrinall]

♬ amsterdam - daughter

WHO || Lis'sa, Riddick, Phineas, Ella, Dimitri, Raegos, the Mithril Scarab, and more [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights head to Egypt to try and ascertain the location of a lost pyramid
WHERE || Cairo, Egypt
WHEN || Jan 21st, mid-day[forwarddated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

The party arrives in the bustling city of Cairo around mid-day, where it's a beautiful 70 degrees outside compared to the cold London January they came from. Along with whatever gear they brought individually for tomb raiding*, Wynn has also sent them with a chest of 2,000 gold pieces - because the woman who has promised to take them to meet Raegos (the only living man who can claim to have seen the lost tomb) plans to meet them at an antiquities auction.

Wynn has pre-arranged with the woman, who goes by the name of the Mithral Scarab, to recognize the party by the fact that they will cast several bids at the auction - and all of their opening bids will always be exactly ten gold more than the starting price. Once she has recognized them, she will find a way to show them a symbol of the Knights of the Silver Dragon discreetly to identify herself, and they are to follow her away from the crowd. Raegos' rumored paranoia concerning anyone else learning his location seems well demonstrated by the levels of security embedded in Scarab's directions.

The auction itself is a direct result of the recent elemental-driven storm that has unearthed a number of structures long buried in the desert. Some industrious tomb raiders have already taken to looting the lesser pyramids, and this underground sale promises to deliver some of the discovered goods into the hands of eager collectors. Wynn's generous supply of furnished gold was delivered to them with explicit instructions to purchase anything that they thought might be an item of actual valuable historical or magical significance, to become the property of the Knighthood.

* Don't forget to make a list of all items your character is carrying in an entry in their journal before tagging into this post! Please try to stick close to your character's maximum carrying capacity.

Comments

[sorceresslite]

[ sir if you are trying to understand the thought process of ella, you're gonna have a bad time. maybe she is just taking pity on the auctioneer who had to start the bidding so hideously low. maybe she feels bad for him. she raises to 80. maybe she thinks fake star charts would be a good learning tool for squires to teach them how to figure out that they're fake. maybe all of the above. ]

[paracount]

[ the halfling scowls and goes to 100, much to the auctioneer's surprise ]

[sorceresslite]

110. [ the auctioneer's reaction is exactly why ella is doing this. well, that and the halfling's reaction isn't half bad either. but she'll be done after that, gently using the fan to fan herself. ]

[paracount]

[ the halfling boldly jumps to 200. 8| meanwhile, the woman behind phineas, lightly brushes his arm with her hand to get his attention again. ]

[thesleeper]

I suppose that's a bit high for some inauthentic star charts... Shame, really. There's often good mysteries ciphered into forgeries and the like.

Ah, well. [He sighs, and looks back at the woman.] My apologies, miss, we were discussing some... potential business?

[paracount]

[ her smile returns from where it had dropped, the instant he looks back at her, and she slinks one hand onto her hip.

"Hopefully, yes. I'll be honest, I'm looking for an expedition crew to travel with, but it's hard finding one that doesn't already have a translator. But you won't find anyone else who can do it as quickly and accurately." ]

[thesleeper]

[Voice in head: Well I should probably check with-] Sure, the more the merrier! I should introduce you to the rest of my group... Oh, but where are my manners. [He turns back to her in a sweeping sort of bow.] I'm Phineas Dantalion. Sorry, I got all caught up in the moment, star charts and all, nearly forgot myself. [He throws her a wink.] Shall we? [He gestures back toward the rest of the group.]

[lissatrinall]

{ "Neferet Anu," she says, looking entertained at his bow, and nodding for him to take her back to the group. lis'sa raises an eyebrow when he comes back with the woman in tow, as the final lot of star charts goes to the strange looking halfling.

dryly: ] Making friends? [ meanwhile, ella is brought the charcoal rubbings that she purchased, as the paracount, arch docent, crook bearer, and halfling collect their respective goods as well. ]

[thesleeper]

Associates would be more apt... for the time being. Everyone, this is Neferet Anu, a local linguist and translator... She'll be able to help us make some sense of those charcoal rubbings! Miss Anu - meet Lis'sa, Dimitri, Ella, and Riddick. Don't worry, he doesn't bite. [Phineas winks. Also Arden wants everyone to make Spot Checks on her.]

[likeagod]

It's a pleasure to meet you.

[As he nods his head politely, though his eyes are basically analyzing her. (Spot check 28)]

[lissatrinall]

[ dimitri would be struck by the realization that other than her hair and modern clothing, neferet bears a striking resemblance to the figure that was carved on the figurine up for auction, that had been purchased by the crook bearer.

meanwhile lis'sa is staring at phineas like rly. ] A translator? [ she asked, oh so flatly ]

[sorceresslite]

'lo! [ ella is too busy looking at her treasures to even glance up at the woman (spot 5, she's really paying attention wow). except, her head pops up. ] Wait, she's going to translate these ones? [ ew no, sharing is not caring. ]

[lissatrinall]

[ neferet glances at phineas and ducks her head with a little smile.

"That was the agreement, yes." ]

[thesleeper]

They'll... be more useful, and probably more valuable, properly translated... And - I mean - I could do it myself given enough time [He's pretty confident about that, given he's spent most of his life translating dead languages...], but Nef here actually has some experience with these local scripts... May speed the process up quite a bit.

[lissatrinall]

[ lis'sa's permafrown doesn't really move, but she doesn't argue either, because he makes a good point. it's at that point that a shapely woman taps ella on the shoulder, her face covered in a white shawl. she unrolls a map of cairo, pointing at it as if asking for directions, but her finger lands on a very subtle image of the Knights symbol woven into the map's compass rose. without another word, she nods as if thanking ella for answering her question, and then starts heading out of the auctionhouse. ]

[sorceresslite]

[ ella's eyes are immediately drawn to the symbol she knows so well and she looks up at the woman, murmuring something like "you're welcome, of course" in arabic (int 18, she read the common phrases book) as she watches the woman walk away. she turns to lis'sa slowly. ] Lis'sa. [ she nods toward the woman. ] I think I've found our Scarab.

[lissatrinall]

[ lis'sa nods, and silently indicates for them to follow her. the scarab leads them out into the streets, towards the edges of a street bazaar. neferet follows alongside phineas, and the scarab stops outside a tattered tent, standing in front of the flap and turning to regard them.

she draws back her veil and those with decent spot checks can see the pointed ears that mark her as a half-elf. she's darkly beautiful, a snake-like bracelet around her arm.

"In order to meet Raegos," she explains in accented English, "you must satisfy his paranoia by leaving behind every piece of paper you have on your persons. These are his terms." she gestures to a small basket for them to put such things in. ]

[thesleeper]

Very well.

[PLOP. Phineas just drops his backpack filled with reference books and notes, then fishes through his vest, and pulls out his small note-filled leather-wrapped journal, and gently places it in the basket slowly, looking none too pleased.]

Take good care of my books. [He looks about as happy as a cat taking a bath.] Please.

[sorceresslite]

[ ella pulls a handful of postcards from one of her pockets and sets them down with her new sketches. ]

You're, like, really pretty. Why paper? [ these two things are not related, but with her spot of 17, ella can't help but be distracted by the pretty. ]

[lissatrinall]

[ a spot check of 18+ might notice the slight frown that tugs at lis'sa's lips at ella's comment, as she draws out a few books of her own and deposits them with the others, gesturing to dimitri or riddick to do the same, if they have any. neferet draws out a very small notebook, which she drops in the basket as well.

the scarab watches them all with a careful eye, particularly lis'sa, even as she responds to ella:

"Raegos' ... experiences in the pyramid of the Four Pharaohs altered him, in many ways. I have done much to aid him in the past months, for which he is grateful, as it is... difficult for him to live with these fears of his. He brought home with him a great terror, that has haunted him. You will have to assuage him of his fears, most likely, but I have assured him that you are all good people, and that you will not allow harm to come to him." her eyes sweep across the group, as if deciding whether her faith in them all is well placed. they narrow, as if she's not sure she's come to a positive conclusion, but lis'sa says quickly, and with a surprising lack of her usual bristly demeanor: ] We appreciate all you've done for us. Hopefully we can repay you fully some day. [ the scarab's eyes sweep towards the snakeblooded woman, looking her over, but then she seems satisfied and nods. ]

I'm here I'm here!!

[notafraidofthedark]

[Riddick's eyes are locked on the Scarab as he draws his book out of one of the cargo pockets on the side of his pants. He looks at Lis'sa as she draws her papers out, then holds out his hand for them. He tucks her papers into the front of his book, then drops it into the basket. He says nothing, just stands next to Lis'sa, crossing his arms once more.]

[likeagod]

[Dimitri deposits the one item he has with paper, a western that he brought to read on the plane.

That done, he looks between them, ready to continue.]

May we proceed, then?

[lissatrinall]

Let's.

[ the scarab leads them inside, lis'sa right behind her, and neferet trailing behind the last member of the party.

inside this battered gray tent is a home of humble means, complete with a small cooking fire. the tent's hominess is disturbed, however, by dozens of strands of string, intertwining in a complex web as they run from various pieces of furniture to the bed at the back of the tent.

an older man is using one of the pieces of string to find a seat, which he has to do because he is wearing a blindfold over his eyes. ]

... Raegos?

[ he nervously turns towards them, raising his chin as he tries to listen to how many of them there are. he looks anxious and sounds as much when he speaks.

"You are the ones the Scarab said wish to speak with me? I'll warn you: I do not like to speak of the... expedition in question." ]

[thesleeper]

[Phineas shuffles in quietly... And makes an attempt at making a good impression, with a Diplomacy check of 15;]

Thank you so much, for deigning to meet with us, sir.

[lissatrinall]

[ phineas' courtesies seem to put him more at ease, and he gestures for them all to take a seat.

"Come, sit, sit." he sighs, settling in himself. "Where to begin?

I was hired by an elderly scholar named Imivus to fill out his expedition. He brought ten of us with him, a number he said was important. Imivus had a preference for those with reputations for following orders and asking few questions. I was young, foolish, and desperate for coin. I remember Imivus was always in a hurry. He might have been an astronomer, because he seemed obsessed with the idea that his campaign could only succeed while Saturn was in its ascendancy and that his window of time was waning. He never really explained and we didn't ask.

What he did tell us what that the pyramid of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension was hidden on another plane of existence. I don't know where, I just knew enough from the scholar's description to know that it was a horrible place. Imivus explained that hte pharaohs thought they would live forever after they crossed into the afterlife, so they designed a funeral mask that would enable them to call the pyramid back to our world once again, in case they ever needed to return.

I remember the mask well enough. It was inlayed with gold and adorned with a headdress of feathers, dyed both red and black. After Imivus brought us miles to the southeast, to the base of four pyramids exposed by a sandstorm, he put on the mask. There was a great shimmer of light and a gigantic pyramid suddenly materialized in between the other four.

The pyramid was a massive temple of green stone. I'd never seen anything like it before. Once deep inside, Imivus' apprentice deciphered several of the inscriptions that littered the walls and floors. According to the inscriptions, the four pharaohs had declared that all intruders would be doomed to live out their existence as eternal guardians of the tomb. Apparently, anyone who saw the four symbols of the pharaohs' namesakes would forever become enslaved monsters.

At first, I thought it was bluster designed to scare off thieves. I remember that Imivus ordered us to simply ignore the first few symbols as we came across them inside the tomb. But then Seraton suddenly cried out in alarm, warning the rest of us to avert our eyes - he had seen the fourth and final rune. Moments later, Seraton transformed. He became a withered husk, like the embalmed bodies we had expected to find. And he was filled with a terrible, smoldering anger. I remember Seraton driving his entire arm through Imivus' chest, exploding him into dust. As Imivus disintegrated, the funeral mask landed at my feet. I still don't know why I did, but I remember grabbing the mask, and running for my life.

Everyone else followed. I remember the long terrible run back through the pyramid shaft to the exit, our numbers growing fewer and fewer each time I looked back. It was as though somehow the pyramid itself was pulling everyone else back into the clutches of the monster that Seraton had become. Only I escaped. Probably because I was lucky enough to have grabbed the mask." ]