The Eye of Anubis: Book Four

[Kaitou Kage]

"We still don't know for certain that Cavendish is responsible," Kuzan pointed out, "It's a good hunch, but it's still just a hunch. And even as insane as he is, attacking Phiraz under the Prophet's watch would require complete idiocy. And Cavendish wasn't stupid. A madman, but there's an intelligence in insanity. The way he set us up was not a product of idiocy. Either way, we can't operate on the idea that it's definitely him until we know for sure. Otherwise we're blocking off other possible leads."

He nodded in agreement with the anti-Anubite idea. "If there is contact to be had with her, I will not take part in it," he said, "It is unwise and could endanger all of us, not just the person making the contact."

[The Whistler]

Otto lifted his chin from his hand and ratcheted his expression from "stern and thoughtful" to "slightly less stern and thoughtful."

"Motive," he said.

"Motive. If the two chief goals of Cavendish seem to be, one, reaching the Tomb of Menetnashte before we are reaching it, and two, dispatching us before we are reaching it, then making many complex killings in this city before we are even arriving seems a rather bit pointless to those ends. Even if we presume that he follows us, I am with Kuzan--if we cannot even be conceiving why he would do such a thing, we cannot assume that he is responsible."

He scratched the side of his cheek contemplatively. "Unless...the chief confessor was under mental control, of which we know that Cavendish is capable. If our perennial foe was being a crafty man...might he create these murders, then suggest to this confessor to involve us within them as an investigating team, then kill us in a manner that was looking to be merely another ritual murder, so that our deaths would appear merely another strike of the defacer...?"

He shook his head. "Possible. Possible things need not be likely things. Find out the source of the undead, and find out who is controlling them. If it is Cavendish, then so. If it is not, then so. Our responsibilities are being the same in either case."

[NeoTiamat]

Dementlieuse Embassy, The Foreign Quarter, Phiraz
May 24th, 761, 1:16 AM; Day 68 of the Menetnashte Expedition
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


More or less on that note, the group parted, turning to their various beds in hopes that sleep might bring understanding, or at any rate, a slightly less extreme state of nervousness. There is a certain state past fear, past horror, wherein the mind is simply too tired to do any more worrying.

Defacers! Entombers! Mind-controlled Confessors! Mass murder!

If it was Cavendish, he had certainly been busy. Even more than the explorers had realized, as they would learn very, very soon.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Knock! Knock! Knock!

There is an instinctive fear in mankind of the midnight knock on the door, even if the aforementioned knock arrived at one in the morning. This is reinforced when the fist doing the knocking belongs to a policeman. The fact that Judge Jalil al-Shirazi was on the side of the Expedition was of limited mollification.

By the time the various Expedition Members groggily came down to the stairs to the waiting room of the Embassy, they were confronted with the appearance of the little clerk from earlier confronting the somber Judge.

"Lord Judge, I really must protest, mmm-hmm. These are the sovereign grounds of Dementlieu." The clerk Emmanuel D'Abigne seemed to need no sleep, for the slim, neat man was ready when the harsh-faced Confessor opened the door.

"Save your protests, Dhimmi." Al-Shirazi saw you look out from doors and down stairwars in various stages of dishabille. "There have been more slayings." This got everyone's attention, in a grim fashion. Unfortunate, but not unexpected. What al-Shirazi said next was, however. "Seven deaths at the University of Phiraz, an hour ago. I was informed by a night watchman, for my home is near the University."

"And this time the demon stole something as well. Seven ancient skeletons from the Hall of Elder Beasts."

[OOC: Rather than get into the nit-picky details, we'll assume that Kuzan healed up Tomas, and that you have rested sufficiently to regain spells. This may not always be the case, but there's no real need to get into it this time.]

[yalenusveler]

Andre looked a little groggy..but the revelation of a new murder..no, group of them had him wide awake. "Faculty or students? And were they all in one central location, or spread out?" His mind was already racing "And what skeletons were stolen? And I'm presuming we'll be heading directly to the scene?"

[Kaitou Kage]

"Well, now we know what to look forward to when we find this thing," Kuzan remarked sarcastically.

The priest looked disconcerted. Whether because of the murder news or something else was hard to tell, but his golden eyes reflected grave concern. He glanced briefly to Lia and to Charles, then turned to al-Shirazi.

Another series of slayings, and in another part of the city. By the time they caught the culprit, it was likely they'd be narrowed down to one part of the city.

Kuzan just kinda grabbed his satchel and finished dressing as al-Shirazi started leading them off. He was the practical sort and understood that luxuries weren't often available when pressing matters arose, so you just had to do things on the fly.

"Are the bodies still there?" True to form, the medic had a very direct concern. "I'm sure I know what to expect but I'd like to take a look just the same. You never know if you'll find something new."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Why don't we ask questions while we go?" Charles says, appearing in the passageway fully dressed and buckling on his rapier as he walks down the hall. "Please, lead the way, Reverence," he says to the judge. "Someone's been busy, it seems."

[lostboy]

Khalil nods at Charles suggestion, "time may be of the essence Affendi, we should move swiftly."

Then finsihsing sliding all his various blades into place, and securing several pouches, he whistles low then high calling Small Star and Karsh. With the Hawk perched on his shoulder and the Wolf by his side he follows the others out into the night.

[DocBeard]

Tomas breathes, standing back up. Despite all of the basement talk, he's...scared. He almost died, after all. And that was just the prelude, apperently, and now there's a demon and stolen skeletons and, well.

Well, is he a do-gooder or not?

Shaking his head, Tomas stands back up, and wordlessly follows the rest of the group. Well, for a given value of wordless. "I brought the rug from the bathroom." Tomas asides to Andrei and Charles and the rest, "Just in case."

[NeoTiamat]

Dementlieuse Embassy, The Foreign Quarter, Phiraz
May 24th, 761, 1:19 AM; Day 68 of the Menetnashte Expedition
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"What's going on...?" Professor Carter stumbled a little sleepily out of the room he shared with Prof. Marchand-Renier, underslept but interested in just what the clamor was about. Quickly, the Mordentish archeologist was filled in on the salient details, and you could see the change come over Carter.

"Well then, you'll need my help." The Mordentishman smiled, just a little grimly. "It's my field, after all."

There was little argument. You dressed quickly, gathering weapons, spellbooks, and other tools of the investigative trade, while the clerkly D'Abigne finally succeeded in persuading al-Shirazi to wait outside. Finally, you were ready.

The Muzeavh, The Academic Quarter, Phiraz
May 24th, 761, 2:08 AM; Day 68 of the Menetnashte Expedition
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The night was dead.

There were no other words for it. A crescent moon hung in the sky, providing a slim sliver of dead-white light onto the deserted streets of the city. The curfew and fear of the Defacer had killed whatever limited nightlife Phiraz had. No one could predict where it would strike, nor could anyone seemingly stop it. It was as a serial killer, but a dozen times worse, for the Defacer slew not just the body, but the soul.

The University grounds were the worst.

A university is meant to be a vibrantly alive place. It's a place of young students, of old knowledge remembered, of hundreds of youth's dreams and beliefs and loves. At night though... there was nothing. The wide, gorgeous parkways were empty and bare, the halls that should have bustled with life were devoid of any movement, and only the quiet, chittering sounds of the bats flying periodically overhead.

The Muzeavh, as the University of Phiraz's museum of history was called, was one of the more unique public buildings in the city, assuredly. To begin with, it was not constructed of the blinding marble of most Pharazian architecture, but rather of grim, heavy blocks of sandstone. It seemed less a testament to knowledge than a brooding sentinel, a guardian who refused to divulge its secrets.

Judge al-Shirazi, flanked by two Confessors who had ridden with him to fetch you, opened the front doors of the Muzeavh. Immediately, the coppery scent of blood assailed your nostrils, mixed with the musty scent of old bones and dust. The large building was dark, pinpricks of light from torches and candles creating a more somber atmosphere still, wreathing the place in heavy, silence-filled shadows.



You proceeded up the stairs, to the Hall of Elder Beasts, your footsteps echoing throughout the Muzeavh. The rich scent of fresh blood was stronger now, and some of you remembered the appalling carnage of the other crime scenes. This time, there were more deaths. And they would be fresh.

The Hall of Elder Beasts was a smaller room than you had expected, but the exhibits were like nothing you had ever seen before. The sands of the Amber Wastes preserved the old bones like nothing you had seen elsewhere, and so the beasts were..... magnificent. In one corner stood a skeleton roughly man-like, its thick rib-cage and broad shoulders supported by iron stands. Elsewhere, a small elephant skeleton raised its tusks to the ceiling, the strange, cyclopean beast awesome in the dark Muzeavh.



Pride of place, however, was granted to the skeleton at the end of the room. Fully forty feet in length, the beast was like nothing you had ever seen. At once bird-like and reptilian, the figure stood on two massively-taloned legs, its long, whip-like tail curled behind it, supported by an iron frame-work. Its arms were tiny, puny in comparison to its great bulk, but the head made up for it. Huge, the vast, rounded reptilian head was undeniably a predators, teeth like long daggers, ajar, and for a moment, it seemed as though it would come alive, and down your body, mind, and soul in one gulp.



But even the skeleton of the massive terror beast couldn't hold your attention long. Before it, in a ring, were the victims of this night's festivities. Once, perhaps only hours ago, this had been a sight of awe. Eight stands stood in a circle before the feet of the terror-beast, like propitiating worshippers, a congregation of predators. One stand still remained untouched, the iron frame supporting the stone bones of some great, long-toothed cat, ready to spring and embed those evil-looking fangs into some victims warm flesh.

The other seven stands, however.... their proper occupants were gone, carried off to who knows where. Instead, the seven faceless victims of the Defacer stood as replacement exhibits, a mute testimony to the kind of demonic madness that no sane person could concieve. From the blood-spattered clothing and form, you could identify them by class and occupation, if nothing else, for their faces were gone, unbroken, mannikin-like expanses.

Two guards, helplessly overmatched by whatever monstrosity had destroyed their lives and stolen their souls. An older professor, a teacher and friend, the wisps of his beard dead-white. A custodian in the robes of the lower class, and three students, a boy and two girls, not a one past the age of majority.

Contrary to the others, these seven corpses were slain neatly, almost respectfully, their necks wrung by immense strength, none of the hideous tearing and rending as had happened before. Instead, and perhaps worse, each of the bodies had been mounted atop the seven empty stands. The iron-framework was moulded and twisted, as though by great strength and foul magic, and turned the tormented corpses into a display.

A display of suicide.

Each of the unlucky victims' bodies was twisted and shaped into a representation of some method of self-inflicted death. One guard held out a short-sword, reversed, and had fallen forward upon it, while his hapless comrade held his blade to his throat, the head half-decapitated. The cleaner, meanwhile, held a noose about his own neck, pulling the rope taut.

The old professor had, perhaps, the most peaceful faux-death, holding a book in one hand and a jeweled cup in the other, a representation of death by poison. His students faired worse, the boy holding a dagger to each wrist, slitting the veins there, the still-fresh-blood still occasionally dripping the floor below. His two female comrades thrust daggers into each others' hearts, a hideous representation of a suicide pact.

"Behold," So said Judge Jalil al-Shirazi, "The work of Angra Mainyu."

[OOC: DC 18 Horror Check. Apply a +1 to your save if you're evil, a -1 if you're good, a +1 if you succeeded on the Horror Check at Stefan's cottage, and a -1 if you failed the Horror Check at Stefan's cottage.]

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia visibly twitches at the grotesque spectacle, then goes very, very still, frozen in place. Except for the trembling. Lia's whole body trembles from head to toe, while her eyes remain fixed on the scene for about twenty heartbeats. Once that time has passed, she relaxes slightly, but the trembling continues. Except now, the feeling coming off of her in waves is not fear or horror, but unadulterated rage. If anything, it is worse than what Lia was putting out earlier, at the embassy. This time, she is clearly holding her temper by a thread, her hands clenching and unclenching into claws ...
"Whoever you are," she hisses at the vanished killer, "you will pay. Even if I have to beat you down with my bare hands, for this you will pay!"

[Kaitou Kage]

By the time the group arrived at the museum, Kuzan was dressed in studded leather, a rare sight for the priest. His concern over whatever was bugging him before transformed into intensity and focus by the time they reached the gruesome spectacle. He set his jaw and drew his quarterstaff out of his bag and tentatively took a step into the room. When no skeletons moved to attack him, he took it as a cue to walk to the nearest body.

al-Shirazi's mention of the Angra Mainyu again made him shiver. I wish they'd stop saying that name, he thought, holding back a wince.

The iron bars that held whatever was there previously had been moved to support the suicide display. Something twisted them to support the corpses. Kuzan shuddered again, but continued his observation. By the time he got to the third corpse, he noticed enough similarities to make his conclusion.

"They died quickly," he said, breathing a tiny bit easier, "The monster snapped their necks immediately, then moved them into these positions. Thank the gods they at least did not suffer that pain." He didn't care to imagine what pain their souls might be suffering right now. If they had any soul left.

"The creature took them from behind, grabbed shoulders in one hand, head in the other, and snapped their necks like a twig. It's possible some of them didn't even realize what happened before they died. To snap someone's neck like this, you have to make a lot of force very, very quickly. The maiming came quickly after they died, which is why the blood runs..."

He shuddered once more and started walking back toward the rest of the group. "I'd guess it was a warning but there are more than seven of us here."

Horror save passed with flying 24s. (yay cleric)

Heal checks of various flavors sent off to our most excellent DM.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles stops dead at his first sight of the grisly scene, his face blank and eyes unseeing. After a long, long time--twenty seconds, give or take a few--his unnatural stillness relaxes slightly and he exhales heavily.

"Damn it black," he mutters, slowly forcing his fingers to release the hilt of his rapier and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. His usual affability is entirely absent, replaced with a slightly disturbing flatness. "Bigger in scope and more dramatically staged than anything previous," he notes distantly, eyes wandering. "The moralizing tone seems unlike Cavendish, but he would love to play with creatures like the ones missing."

[The Whistler]

The gears in Otto's mind take a while to start turning again.

Even then, all that moves is his mouth.

"...So."

He pushes his spectacles up on his nose, walks five steps to the first body, examines, turns, examines, kneels, examines, stands, walks three steps to the next body...

Using his movements as a metronome, one could tick off the seconds.

Taking 20 on a Search check for a 31--anything of note?

[Nathan of the FoS]

"You know," Charles says, arriving at the foot of the long-toothed cat and staring at it speculatively, "the easiest way to make off with so many specimens would be to animate them by necromancy and march them off. That would have to leave tracks, and, quite possibly, witnesses. Shall we see if we can find traces of their passage? M'sieur Khalil, perhaps you would care to join me?"

Charles is about to step out the door when a second thought strikes. "Or perhaps...they're still here. That would be logical, he can't very well have marched them through the city without betraying himself. Well, we'd still better look, but everyone prepare yourselves. We may have some rather exotic un-dead to deal with very soon."

[steveflam]

OOC Horror check 21 Phew.

Ulsaon recoiled at the sight of the dead bodies. Visibly shaken, she reaches to her hip and removes a waterskin. Taking a deep pull on the skin, she averts her eyes. Swallowing, she then takes a deep breath to steady herself and moves out of sight of the gruesome scene, listening to what the party has to say.