The Eye of Anubis: Book One

[Nathan of the FoS]

OOC: Horror check 22, Listen check 16.

I'll assume that passes the Horror check and that I don't hear anything for purposes of this post.

IC: Charles was on his feet and moving toward the window almost before the broken glass had stopped ringing to the floor. Looking quickly around the ballroom as he walked quickly to the window, he vaulted lightly onto the windowsill and pulled the body forward, cutting at the rope with a dagger produced from...somewhere...while he held the body forward with his left hand, scanning the garden below briefly as he did so. The body freed, he lowered it into the room and let it rest on the floor; turning back to the window, he looked carefully upward, then down into the garden again, before turning his attention to the body and its note.

OOC: Spot checks to see a) if anyone in the ballroom is reacting oddly (i.e., not screaming, immediately fleeing, smiling smugly) at the corpses appearance, b) if there's anything unusual up where the rope is tied or down in the street. Results are 25 and 19, respectively.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

[OOC: Horror save: 25. Listen check: 17. I'm assuming I passed the Horror save for the purposes of this post; if I've failed, let me know and I'll edit.]

There is another crash of shattering glass.
Lia was frozen with shock at the sudden noise and the appearance of the dead body, but now she's managed to properly process what has happened, her glass slips from her fingers. Wine stains her shoes and the hem of her scholar's robes, but she does not care.
"Someone used a dead man to pass a message like this," she thinks to herself. "Someone used a poor, dead body to pass along a message." The words are like drops of oil on a flame, causing it to swell and warm Lia up from the inside. "Some motherless animal used a dead body like this!" Lia is seething with anger. This is as bad as grave robbery, maybe even worse. It's despicable!

Quiet but determined, Lia makes her way to where Charles is freeing the dead man's body and steps beyond him, looking out into the night. After a moment, she shakes her head and comes back to Charles. "Any idea who he might have been?" she asks softly. "Or what he died of?"

When Charles reaches for the note, Lia at least tries to forestall him. "Perhaps you should be careful of that," she whispers. "A poison needle, hidden in the folds. Or a curse on the paper. An exploding spell. Caution is important in these matters."

[Nathan of the FoS]

Quiet but determined, Lia makes her way to where Charles is freeing the dead man's body and steps beyond him, looking out into the night. After a moment, she shakes her head and comes back to Charles. "Any idea who he might have been?" she asks softly. "Or what he died of?"

"Poorly dressed...a sailor, maybe?" Charles muttered as he arranged the body in an attitude of repose. "The note...let's have a look at it. "

Raising his voice, he said, "Someone go upstairs--several someones--and see where the rope is tied and if anyone is leaving the building now. Michel? Guy?"

At Lia's whispered remonstrance Charles nodded abstractedly. "I won't touch it," he said. "Nor the dagger. Yet."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"At least use a knife and fork to open it, if you insist on reading it now," Lia urges. "Who knows what treachery is afoot, when someone is depraved enough to do something like this to a dead body?" She shakes her head. "It's disgusting."
"And he might have been anyone, from any walk of life, no matter how he's dressed now," she thinks to herself. "The kind of filth that can do something like this should have little trouble with changing a man's clothes after death."

[DocBeard]

"Was ist los-" Crash! Tomas is right behind Charles, dashing towards the source of the disturbance...

...and the screams. "That's a person." Tomas mutters, mostly to himself as he stares dully at the gruseome sight, harrowed at the utter callousness of it all...only, it's not very callous, is it? The body's state, the way the message has been placed in the chest, the type of knife used, dousing the lights...

...the thought that someone, or someones, deliberately planned this for effect, intending to spread as much misery with the action as possible, to hurt as many people, is what snaps Tomas out of his shock. Charles has the body well in hand, so Tomas hops up on a nearby chair, cupping his hands in front of his face and speaking in a clear, authoratitive voice;

"Everyone!" Tomas Announces, booming in his best 'Being the only TA standing between a horde of angry undergraduates and a professor with a touch of hangover.' voice, "Please calm down! Everything is under control! Panicking will put you and those around you in danger!" Well, okay, everything's not under control, but damn if Tomas is going to let whoever did this add 'Got the rubes to trample themselves to death' to their list of crimes.

(OOC: Not sure what I should roll for this. My gut says Diplomacy, but I'm not sure if that applies to panicked crowds.)

[Nathan of the FoS]

"At least use a knife and fork to open it, if you insist on reading it now," Lia urges. "Who knows what treachery is afoot, when someone is depraved enough to do something like this to a dead body?" She shakes her head. "It's disgusting."

"This is quite probably only the beginning," Charles said grimly. "Already these waters are deep enough to drown in; with a start like this, it's virtually certain this won't be the only unexpected corpse we see on this expedition." Looking up, he says, "You may be right about the note. Find a savant to examine it for traces of magic or poison. Get someone to keep an eye on this fellow with you; we'll never get this place calmed down if he becomes...lively. I'm going to go upstairs and see if I can find any trace of the person who arranged for our visitor."

As Tomas attempted to gain the attention of the crowd Charles nodded at him in approval. Walking quickly toward the door, Charles looked for security officers or others--military officers? Gendarmerie? who could be trusted to keep their heads. I wonder if I'll need to find a way to get to the roof...if I can find someone in security I'll ask.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Very well," Lia says, standing aside for Charles when he leaves. As soon as he is out of earshot, she checks that no one else is too closeby and mutters harsh-sounding syllables beneath her breath, her fingers writhing as if she's eager to throttle someone. "Vile, vicious," she snarls as she kneels next to the body.

[NeoTiamat]

[OOC: Possible Checks (If you think of others, tell me so):

• -Heal Check to determine cause of death
  -Search Check to see if the note or dagger are trapped
  -Search Check to search the body
  -Diplomacy Check to calm people down

"What in the Legion's Name is going on here?!" Maleagant had run up not too far behind, a dagger in hand. Prof. Carter, with a drawn pistol, and Professor Marchand-Renier were with him. He heard Charles's command and added his voice to it. "You two heard him, do it"

Across the room, de Angelis seemed frozen, but Benoit heard the orders, amazingly, and reached across the card table to shake his friend. Not long afterwards, the two of them left the room, presumably for some stairs.

All around, chaos reined. Vignettes of humanity could be seen, Prof. Devereux trying desperately to calm a screaming noblewoman, Miss D'Envers looking decidedly green around the gills but nevertheless writing everything down in her little notebook, one old professor fainting against the wall.

The note itself was in a bizarre, gothic copperplate script, bold letters running across the top of the paper. Below that, the dagger was entered, and below that still, not a signature, but a strange set of symbols within an oval. The writing was Mordentish, and took the form of a four-line poem.

• I, too, sought Anubis's Eye
  And for that crime I must die.
  Turn back now, before it's too late,
  Or you shall share my sorry fate.

Those of you who knew Ancient Akiri recognized the symbol below as a Cartouche, and it said,

Ancient Akiri
.-The Cult of Anubis.

[DocBeard]

(OOC: Wowzers, I got a 27 on my diplomacy roll. I think I'll keep the pose as-is, though; a simple "Y'ALL CALM DOWN" seems most fitting for the situation.)

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Professor Renier!" Lia calls out sharply. "Professor Carter! This note" - she indicates the note in question - "needs your skills, I think."
Lia rises again, dusting off her skirts. She wouldn't know how to proceed with searching this poor man, and she has no intention of damaging anything which would make the research more difficult for whoever comes next. With firm tread, she crosses over to where professor Devereux is trying to calm the noblewoman.
"Try giving her wine, sir," she suggests coolly, "or brandy until she calms down - or goes unconscious, for preference. Tell me, how can we best contact the gendarmerie?" And, mindful of Charles' warning about the body potentially becoming lively: "And a qualified cleric? Or several? Are any of the people present tonight skilled and experienced as clerics?"

[Nathan of the FoS]

Across the room, de Angelis seemed frozen, but Benoit heard the orders, amazingly, and reached across the card table to shake his friend. Not long afterwards, the two of them left the room, presumably for some stairs.

Charles reached the door in time to see de Angelis and Benoit in the hallway. "Michel, Guy," he called, hurrying toward them. "Let's make sure we have all the staircases covered. No reason to make it easy for our prankster to escape."

OOC: If necessary, howzabout a Knowledge (architecture and engineering) check--result 22--to locate stairs in an unfamiliar building? I knew that skill would come in handy.

[NeoTiamat]

Thanks to Tomas's quick thinking and loud voice, a measure of calm was being restored. Those who still had their wits about them were shepherding the others out, although here and there pockets of confusion still reined.

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The two academics exchanged glances, then Marchand-Renier, kneeled beside the corpse to read the note aloud. "It's a threat," he said, finishing, "and its signed the Cult of Anubis."

"And this," Carter took up the thread, looking over the dagger carefully, "Looks like an Akiri Jambiya, if I don't miss my guess."

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"Er, yes, good idea. I think Prof. Pelletier has summoned the University guards, they should be here soon." Devereux was badly flustered, but restrained it somehow. "I think there's some brandy left at the buffet..."

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[OOC: K:A&E Result: The building basically consists of a big auditorium and a big reception hall, with some kitchens or similar adjoining. Four stories tall, the two main rooms take up all of that height. Two stairways lead to the roof, one at each end.]

"Good idea." Benoit nodded. "I'll take the far stairs, come on Loup!" The ex-militiaman and the Alsatian loped off to the other end of the building.

De Angelis grinned. "Well mon ami, I guess we have this staircase, let us go!"

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The roof of the Guignol Reception Hall Building was a low, sloped roof, with wide-overhanging eaves. The stairways came up on opposite ends of the building, leading to the sole flat sections of the roof, with a small guardrail around the tiny platforms. Not long after Charles and Michel came up, they saw Benoit and Loup at the far end.

Looking above where you knew the broken window to be, you saw an iron spike had been driven into the roof, and the rope tied to it.

The rain and wind were intense.

[OOC: Spot check please. DC 15 balance check to run or charge.]

[DocBeard]

"I used to sing bass in the town choir." Tomas explains, face reddening. Well, just goes to show that no panic is too strong for a healthy dose of reason!

Hopping down from the table, Tomas blinks at the name, "Huh, that's funny. Second time someone's mentioned Anubis. Is he a popular figure in Akari legends?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Er, yes, good idea. I think Prof. Pelletier has summoned the University guards, they should be here soon." Devereux was badly flustered, but restrained it somehow. "I think there's some brandy left at the buffet..."

"Try and get it into her, do," Lia encourages the professor. She gives the hysterical woman a brief glance and shakes her head. "And please try to stop people from going too far. Fine and well to get the hysterical ones out of the room, but please do not allow them to leave the building. Please assert your authority, professor."
Having said as much, Lia stalks back to the dead body and the people surrounding it.

Marchand-Renier, kneeled beside the corpse to read the note aloud. "It's a threat," he said, finishing, "and its signed the Cult of Anubis."
"And this," Carter took up the thread, looking over the dagger carefully, "Looks like an Akiri Jambiya, if I don't miss my guess."

"So someone is using scare tactics to try and stop us from going on the expedition," Lia says, her voice soft but cold. "Either they are truly from Har'Akir, or they are cheats trying to frighten us away by presenting us with ghoulish artifacts. And whatever they are, they have committed murder to intimidate us." For a moment, Lia's voice trembles with fury. "Inexcusible!"

Hopping down from the table, Tomas blinks at the name, "Huh, that's funny. Second time someone's mentioned Anubis. Is he a popular figure in Akari legends?"

"The god of the dead, I believe," Lia replies absent-mindedly. "Weigher of the souls of the deceased, guardian of the places of the dead ... The jackal-headed god. It would make sense for his worshippers to want to prevent us from opening up a tomb. On the other hand, it also makes sense for deceivers to use him as a boogieman to frighten us away, simply because it is plausible. What a tangled web we weave ..."

[Nathan of the FoS]

Looking above where you knew the broken window to be, you saw an iron spike had been driven into the roof, and the rope tied to it.
The rain and wind were intense.

[OOC: Spot check please. DC 15 balance check to run or charge.]

Spot check 7. !@#@$@!!! I wasted my good Spot check downstairs!

"I doubt our visitor is still here, but we had better check," Charles mutters, wiping rain from his eyes and squinting; he had gotten an eyeful of water as the door opened and was still blinking to clear his vision. Exchanging a look with Michel, he sighs and shrugs. "I'll do it. Loan me your pistol?"*

Taking the gun he edges along the ridgeline of the roof, walking slowly and carefully and looking to both sides as he goes. "Do you see anything?" he shouts to Benoit.


*I think de Angelis was carrying a pistol...if not I'll come back and alter this.