The Eye of Anubis: Book Six

Kaitou Kage · Post by **Kaitou Kage** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:53 pm

Kuzan watched the fiery symbol with a mixture of trepidation and eagerness. He perked up suddenly, scanning the area around with a hawklike intensity. Where is she...Where?

"We'd better let the others know," he murmured quietly.

Nathan of the FoS · Post by **Nathan of the FoS** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 7:52 pm

If Charles is surprised to have a woman he's never met before give him a kiss within a few minutes of their introduction, you would never know it by his reaction. "But of course, m'selle," he replies, bowing and grasping her hand in a friendly squeeze. "For what do we live but to render assistance to damsels in distress?" This with a very slight ironic lilt--this damsel is obviously quite capable of handling herself, after all. But then, the circumstances are unusually distressing.

At the interruption of this strange and untoward breeze, he braces himself carefully, keeping to his feet and glancing around him. "That's...uncanny," he mutters, more to himself than to anyone else. "Oh! I say." He offers Miss Collins a hand up, his blue-grey eyes wrinkled with worry. "Quite a blast, wasn't it, m'selle? Are you all right?"

The Whistler · Post by **The Whistler** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:48 pm

Otto starts a bit at the sudden gust, but is heavy enough to be good with inertia; it's a surprised flinch, not an off-balance one. Seeing that Charles is helping out Mary, he gives most of his concentration to the half-heard sounds whipping by his head, cocking his head to one side like a dog (or something similar to a dog) at a whistle. He muses something short, vague and inquisitive under his breath; the beginning bits are in Lamordian, and the end is probably: "...Odd."

OOC: Moot point now, I guess, but I rolled a 25 on the Listen.

NeoTiamat · Post by **NeoTiamat** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:11 am

Mrs. Roshna's, Kermanshah, The Kermanevar, Sebua
June 23rd, 761, 10:06 AM; Day 98 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"I thought it was nice." The kid said, his voice quiet, and perhaps a bit thoughtful after Lia's tale. He fell silent for a long moment, and you couldn't help but wonder just what the child was thinking. "Thanks."

"And I thank you for your coins, milady." Roshna said formally, continuing her weaving. Whatever the woman was creating, it was not something she set aside lightly. "I'll have what you need upon the morrow."

As Tomas and Lia turned to leave however, they did hear a short whisper following them.

And the winds would cry,
And many men would die
And all the waves would bow down to the Lady Grey.

What bothered the two explorers was that it didn't really sound like Nouri's voice. There were two of them, for instance.

The Temple of Osiris, The Kermanevar, Sebua
June 23rd, 761, 9:59 AM; Day 98 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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The letters of dripping fire gave no answer to Andre's request. In fact, after another minute they began to gutter and die, a series of short-lived candles sputtering out their life. One by one, the letters of fire fell silent, leaving only a faint tracing of ash upon the walls of the Temple of Osiris.

Javed hadn't even come out of the church.

Still, after a few more moments, it was clear that Kuzan was right. Nothing in this ledge in the cliff-side offered answers. All that the two theologians saw was the opposite cliff, and with it Kermanshah, and the old bridge across the river. No Anubite was to be seen.

You had best tell the others.

Kermanshah, The Kermanevar, Sebua
June 23rd, 761, 9:59 AM; Day 98 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"I'm alright." Miss Collins took Charles's hand and lifted herself up. Her skin was pleasantly warm to the touch. "Sometimes the winds can get a bit odd here with all the canyons and such."

She didn't seem to be quite convinced with her own explanation.

"So... M., when should I come by for the message? Do you really think you can help me contact my family?" Mary Collin's eyes went wide with relief and anticipation.

[OOC: Alrighty! Unless Tomas, Lia, Andre, or Kuzan much want to do something else, I suggest the lot of you congregate towards the main street of Kermanshah where the others are.]

Rock of the Fraternity · Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:22 am

Lia frowns behind the safety of her mask, but refrains from commenting out loud. 'Was that a compliment?' she wonders as she walks along, heading back to the main street and the other members of the expedition. 'I am wearing grey ... But what 'waves' did those voices refer to? And why are they speaking through a little boy? Perhaps I should ask Kuzan to accompany me and have a look at the child tomorrow morning. A cleric may notice something that I did not ...'

Lia gently shakes her head and keeps walking. She eyes the tents, shops and folk of the oasis as she goes, intent on ... something. Anything. A feeling of unease has crept up on her. It is disturbing how familiar it feels by now. 'I really have become an adventurer,' the Mordentishwoman thinks to herself with an internal sigh. 'I had best talk to the others before I seek out this local mage ... or the temple ... or this supposed compatriot.'

DocBeard · Post by **DocBeard** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:44 am

Tomas is quiet for the most part, largely because the kid was so...not a kid that it freaked him out.

He almost drew his sword upon hearing the ghostly voice, but a look at Lia confirmed that he was probably just hearing things. Still shook up after...

Rubbing his wrist, Tomas looks over to Lia. "Who taught you all that stuff?" He can't help but ask. "Um. Sorry. I know it's kind of personal, but after what you said about your dad, I was just wondering if you taught yourself all those poems and nursery rhymes."

Rock of the Fraternity · Sat Jul 12, 2008 8:45 am

"I ..." Lia starts to say, then pauses and coughs. "I learned to rhyme from my maternal great-grandfather. I met him only once, but he had a flair for rhyming and poetry, and I suppose it rubbed off on me. As for the stories, well ... I've spent a lot of time reading. My father hated me since I was born, but his library was a lot kinder to me. And of course, once I managed to get out of that house, I could read other books. And ... there used to be a nanny who was rather fond of me. She told me some stories. The tale of Noontime Shade ... Umm. That's just a little embarrassing to say ..."

Abruptly, Lia's voice drops and she starts to walk closer to Tomas. "Now, though ... Did you hear those voices, just as I did? I did not wish to draw attention to it near the tailor woman, just in case ... Well. You know. Ridicule or conspiracy? Enslavement or adoration? We do not know the relationship between any mysterious voices here and the locals."

steveflam · Post by **steveflam** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:10 am

Ishaq is used to gusts of winds in the desert. That being said, he's never really paid attention to them as they are a fact of life. Was it a mere coincidence that having paid attention, he heard voices?, and female at that? Very peculiar, I will mention it to the others once we are alone.

Charles, Ishaq, and Khalil all hear a faint, feminine laughter on the wind, high-pitched and really rather cruel sounding. (Met the DC 20)

Ishaq and Khalil realize that they are hearing not one, but two voices on the wind. (Met the DC 25)

And so, once they left the newcomer, Ishaq brought up the voices he had heard. Looking around nervously he leaned into the others as they walked, speaking in a low voice "Did any of you hear the two women laughing?"

Nathan of the FoS · Post by **Nathan of the FoS** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 12:44 pm

"Well, if you've no pressing business to attend to, you might accompany us directly," Charles says, bowing slightly. "We can introduce you to M'selle d'Envers and let you arrange matters with her. She's a reporter for one of Port-a-Lucine's more...dramatic...publications--L'Interrogateur, perhaps you've heard of it. At any rate, getting information back to the Core is her stock in trade, as it were."

Kaitou Kage · Post by **Kaitou Kage** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:37 pm

"Hey!" Kuzan flagged down Lia and Tomas once he caught sight of them, "Hey, we have news."

He paused for a moment to survey his surroundings, then spilled the news.

"The Anubite is here."

Rock of the Fraternity · Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:56 pm

Lia pauses for a moment, then ... sighs. "Marvelous," she grumbles. "First the voices of strange women on the wind, now the Anubite. What did she do? Attack you in broad daylight? Dump another corpse on our camp, perhaps?"

yalenusveler · Post by **yalenusveler** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:13 pm

"No, thankfully. She just decided to give a riddle, just with a bit of a flair for the dramatic. Any clue what Beneath song, Beside Life, when death meets birth means?" Andre offered. He was trying to suppress the nervousness that came with the Anubite being present. On one hand, talking to her would be fascinating. On the other...it could lead to them all being very dead.

DocBeard · Post by **DocBeard** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:28 pm

"That's nice. Your grandfather sounds interesting!" Tomas says, smiling sincerely and meeting Lia's gaze while she talks. He seems to be honestly interested. "And." A pause, and a sigh, "I know it's not easy for you to talk about your childhood. You don't have to be embarrassed about that-I see you work every day to make yourself a better person, Lia, even if you stumble sometimes. I admire that-it takes a lot of courage to keep trying when you get punched in the knee by someone who's supposed to love you no matter what."

He then taps her shoulder with his fist, too much of a Guy to finish the whole 'expressing your feelings' thing.

"Hallo, Kuza-" The Anubite! Tomas's brow furrows in contemplation of their ancient enemy, and then he...pops what seems to be a mint into his mouth, chewing for a second before raising his hand and quickly checking his breath. "Right! Let's stop her before we get thrown out of another charming desert town! Because, seriously, we're running low on charming desert towns."

The Whistler · Post by **The Whistler** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:59 pm

tarlyn wrote:"Did any of you hear the two women laughing?"

The gunsmith didn't speak, as he walked toward the gathering of expedition members in the main street, but he did *nod,* quietly. It was the kind of nod that said "Thank you for letting me know that I wasn't hallucinating."

yalenusveler wrote:"No, thankfully. She just decided to give a riddle, just with a bit of a flair for the dramatic. Any clue what Beneath song, Beside Life, where death meets birth means?"

Otto stared concertedly off into the middle distance for a second or two, then...

"No. However, as all of the Anubite's other tactics to forestall us have involved a good bit of bodily harm, I doubt that she has now chosen to prevent us from the Tomb by means of distractingly clever puzzles. Although it would make a refreshing change of pace..."

Rock of the Fraternity · Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:57 am

yalenusveler wrote:"Any clue what Beneath song, Beside Life, when death meets birth means?" Andre offered.

"We need to get us a map of the region," Lia states flatly. "This sounds like the same riddle we received in Hazlan ... Or else we need to check local mythology. In any case, it seems we shall be meeting this wizard-merchant sooner than I had expected, yes?"

Café de Nuit

Welcome, friends, to our establishment.

The Eye of Anubis: Book Six

Re: The Eye of Anubis: Book Six