The Eye of Anubis: Book Five

[steveflam]

Ishaq stops and removes a sunrod from his pack, then looks to the others and mimics throwing it in the general direction of the crick crick. Then he waits for a response.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia squints against the glare of the sunrod, but quickly draws her pistol. It could just be a rat, she knows. But then again ... Her eyes shoot left and right, flicking from the cell to the rest of the corridor, alert for surprises.

[lostboy]

Khalil crouches by the bars, grasping his blade in a white-knuckled hand. Shaking his head slightly to clear it the desert guide peers intently at the far corner of the cell, searching for any sign that the noise is a natural one.

[OOC: Knowledge:nature 28 , Spot 28]

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan peered into the darkness beyond the torchlight. His eyes had taken on a dark cast, as if covered in shadows. Maybe he could see what others couldn't.

Peering into the darkness with darkvision (60'). Spot check 25

[yalenusveler]

Andre strained, trying to figure out where exactly the scratching was coming from, while shielding his eyes against the glare of the sunrod.

OOC:11 on a listen

[NeoTiamat]

The Dungeons, Sub-Level Two, Dežbār Keep
May 29th, 761, 6:00 AM; Day 73 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Kuzan peered into the darkness beyond the torchlight. His eyes had taken on a dark cast, as if covered in shadows. Maybe he could see what others couldn't.

The sleek, black rat gazed back at Kuzan imperturbably. It sat upon its haunches, turning a little piece of something too small to make out between dextrous front paws. Dark brown eyes glittered in the torchlight as the rat looked at you.

Then, rather deliberately you thought, it put whatever it was into its mouth, dropped down on all fours, and with immense dignity strode deeper into the shadows, disappearing in a crack between the stones.

[Kaitou Kage]

"Just a rat," Kuzan said, sounding a bit relieved, "It ran off. Should be okay now, but keep your guard up anyway, right?"

[steveflam]

"I don't ever remember having seen a rat with dignity before. This keep must be making me see things" Ishaq says the then putting away his sunrod, he puts the familar feel of his old friend, his greatsword, back into his hands.

[yalenusveler]

"We shouldn't be so quick to judge vermin, I suppose.." Andre said, half joking as he began to methodically examine the room they were in.

OOC:Taking 20 on a search, for a 32

[NeoTiamat]

The Dungeons, Sub-Level Two, Dežbār Keep
May 29th, 761, 6:07 AM; Day 73 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Once the particularly self-assured example of Rattus Rattus departed, searching the ninth cell of block four proceeded apace. To be fair, there was not exactly much to search. One of you could stand in the center of the cell and, stretching, touch your hands to the opposite walls.

The Governor's Hotel, Dezbar was not.

On the other hand, visitors to Port-a-Lucine's most prosperous hostel usually left lighter by enough money to feed a family for a year. You, however... Finding the paving stone that lacked mortar was not the greatest challenge you had ever had. Prying it up with a sword and some muscle power, you found below it a sturdy box covered in oiled cloths to keep the damp out.

Unwrapping it, a lock requiring three keys presented itself. Barely containing the glee of discovery, you opened the locked chest with the trio of keys you had found around the Keep.

Inside, a good mound of silver coins glittered and gleamed, two-hundred-year-old Pharazian shekels from before Diamabel began coining his money in bulk. Scattered amongst the golden coins were bits and pieces of jewelry of many makes and styles, and not one, not two, but five scrolls.

After giving the scrolls a cursory examination, you reluctantly closed the chest. Dawn was coming soon, and the clock, as they say in Lamordia, was ticking.

[OOC: Loot time! I'll divvy up the loot to top everyone off, and send out PMs containing the details of each person's share. What you do with it later is your concern, but I prefer seeing that everyone gets equal amounts from me and some of you are ahead in gear compared to others.]

The Cistern, Sub-Level One, Dežbār Keep
May 29th, 761, 6:29 AM; Day 73 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Returning back to the cistern below Dezbar Keep was an exercise in slightly delayed panic. In not too much more time, the fiend would be expecting an answer, and none of the options that came before you at that point were what one would call appealing. Lying to a fiend was never a good idea, but refusing to join in one's plans was almost as unhealthy. If Ishmael was to be believed, Marchosias has sufficient power to kill the Mordentish explorers that arrived some time before.

You stood near the Bey's body as you came up, the skeleton of Dezbar's ruler far enough from the break in the causeway that it had only been discommoded by the cistern-thing's attack, not thrown into the water. As you stood by it though, you came to an unfortunate realization, however.

The Sefer Raziel HaMalakh could be anywhere. If the way Charles and Tomas described the body bore true, (it was in a different position now), then the Bey had flung the book out into the water with his dying move. This left a rather large chunk of cistern available for exploration, since you really had no idea how strong the Bey had been or how heavy (or aerodynamic, for that matter), the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh was.

You did know this, though. You needed to get the book, and the sooner the better.

Two notes.

-One of the scrolls in the Bey's chest is a scroll of Water Breathing. It can be cast by any of our casters, and can be divided into giving each of the eight PCs a little over an hour of water time.

-Secondly, you need to get the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh. Confronting the sea monster is incidental to your true goal.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"So!" Charles says, eyeing the water with suspicious enthusiasm. "Who's for a swim? Kuzan, I know you're always up for this sort of thing. We do seem to spend a rather unusual amount of time underwater for a desert expedition, don't we?"

[steveflam]

Looking to Charles, Ishaq says. "I haven't swum yet though, Effendi. Perhaps if you permit, I'd like to join you."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Shouldn't we flush out and deal with this guardian first?" Lia suggests. "I'd rather hate to assume he were asleep or somesuch, send someone down, and then suddenly see blood and bits of cloth floating to the surface. Why not toss down a small bomb, Otto? A minor shockwave should bring snaky longkins out to play without causing too much damage."

Something seems to give Lia pause. "Can't believe I forgot this before ... Seeing as the item we seek is so corruptive, whoever goes down there might want to take a cloth sack or somesuch, so they don't have to touch it. You never know how strong the effect is."

[NeoTiamat]

The Cistern, Sub-Level One, Dežbār Keep
May 29th, 761, 6:37 AM; Day 73 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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It was probably a good sign that not everyone was completely engrossed in the discussions of what to do and how to do it and whether you should do it, because this way you had a little bit of warning.

Something about the pale, ominous shape in the water, moving far too quickly for anyone's comfort, brought your attention rather precisely on the present.

Do or Die time, gentlemen. The shape in the water is heading your way, so if you wish to act before it does, now is the time. You may take a round's action, and then wait for me to catch up. Or you can wait for the Cistern Thing.

Your call.

[Kaitou Kage]

"Looks like we may not have to worry about it!" Kuzan cried in reply to Charles, "But here, just in case!" The priest belted out his prayer, placing his hands on everyone in the party, including Grimmric. Each person felt a sense of buoyancy, as if deep water wasn't something to be feared anymore.

"Grimmric," he addressed Lia's familiar, "Those eggs I gave you. This would be a good time to let a couple of them hatch."

Casting water breathing on everyone, then moving toward the middle-rear of the group. By my count, there are 9 targets, including Grimmric, so everyone should get 2 hours' worth.