The Eye of Anubis: Book Ten

[lostboy]

Sascha gets to his feet as the old man does and thuds a fist against his chest. " If it is within our power, we will ensure the return of Shenti's body, as for Fassahd , well I know him not , but I shall endeavour to keep an open mind and your wishes upmost in it."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I will accept that Fassahd did not murder Shenti," Lia replies to Kheldun, without even a hint of irony or pretense. "But as for sparing him ... I know that vessel is there, even if it is not physical. A chain about his neck, and I imagine the one who put it there was ... the demon in the sepulchre. How do you recommend removing such a thing, such a shackle, then?"

[yalenusveler]

"A point I hate to raise, but I feel it needs saying.." Andre said finally, speaking up from where he made himself as comfortable as he could, considering the situation.

"We had a rather unpleasant encounter earlier. Do we want to head back, recuperate, and then tackle the situation fresh tomorrow.. or go forth now, since if we return it's entirely likely we might not get another opportunity to slip away." Andre stood up and stretched in such a way as to suggest his cat might be influencing him ever so slightly.

"I've mostly a full mind of spells, and am not at all adverse to forging ahead now while we have the chance."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"The alternative of staying here and resting up is, of course, unthinkable," Lia says in a quiet tone of voice. "We'd be dropping the professors, Harris and Remy in the stew if we did that and the Falkovnians discover we're gone."

[DocBeard]

"We've come this far." Tomas offers, "Might as well go a little farther."

[NeoTiamat]

The Cave of Kheldun, Har'Akir
August 27th, 761, 9:01 PM; Day 163 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"But as for sparing him ... I know that vessel is there, even if it is not physical. A chain about his neck, and I imagine the one who put it there was ... the demon in the sepulchre. How do you recommend removing such a thing, such a shackle, then?"

"Should you find that he is possessed, then I shall pray that your course of action is clear to you." Kheldun said carefully. "There are likely ways."

" If it is within our power, we will ensure the return of Shenti's body, as for Fassahd , well I know him not , but I shall endeavour to keep an open mind and your wishes upmost in it."

"Thank you, my friend." The old man said gratefully. "Come, I will show you the tombs. Kimri, with me."

One of the jackals disentangled itself from the pack of animals around the bowl and trotted towards Kheldun. In short order, however, the entire pack had formed up into a vanguard of silver-striped animals.

"It is not too far."

The Tomb, Har'Akir
August 27th, 761, 11:23 PM; Day 163 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Kheldun lied.

Or at least, he had a very strange idea of what 'not far' meant. As a matter of fact, the old man and his canine escort had you traveling through the carved canyons of Har'Akir for over two hours, a trip made all the more enjoyable by the freezing winds that sheared the skin and on the whole reminded Sascha of Vorostokov entirely too much.

"Kuzan, if there was more water." Dieter muttered, running his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to get warmer. "This'd be a blizzard."

Finally, mercifully, the old man came to a stop in one of the side valleys northeast of Muhar. He wasn't even winded, though several of the jackals had long since gone off to explore other things, or possibly to return to their dens.

"It is here." Kheldun raised his staff and pointed it towards one of the caverns in the wall of the valley. It was, to your eye, quite indistinguishable from any of the other pauper's tombs you had seen before.

[First of all, yes, the NPCs are with you. Edmund, Sarari, and Dieter. Also Menetnashte.

Secondly, in the interests of moving things along and in light of the somewhat muted response in favor of continuing, here we are. If I'm mistaken, let me know.

Otherwise, step right up and head for the tomb!]

[The Whistler]

Otto peers at the tomb for a long moment.

The gunsmith starts to remove his spectacles--then catches himself, glancing briefly at Tomas, and puts them back on.

"Ahem. Never let it be said that we do not act when it is most sensible--especially when lives may be at stake. In this case..."

He looks back over his shoulder at the others, stepping forward. "Shall we?"

[DocBeard]

Ah, cold weather. Just like home....

Tomas hutches his shield onto one arm, and draws his sword with the other. The paladin takes a few practice swings at the air, viciously rending any invisible fiends in three pieces. He smiles at his companions, before taking the lead and heading for the tomb.

"Into the breach, ja?" Tomas offers, the chill winds enhancing his courage a bit.

[NeoTiamat]

The Tomb, Har'Akir
August 27th, 761, 11:36 PM; Day 163 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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He looks back over his shoulder at the others, stepping forward. "Shall we?"

"Into the breach, ja?" Tomas offers, the chill winds enhancing his courage a bit.

"Good luck." Was all Kheldun said. He clicked his staff on the ground and waved a hand to his jackals. "Come Kimri, Jival, Dierk. Home."

Menetnashte's eyes followed the old man as he left for his little hermitage. Afterwards, she turned to gaze off into the distance, towards the dark cliffs of Har'Akir. You recognized the movement. Wherever the Anubite's thoughts were now, they were not with you.

================================================

The actual tomb turned out to be much smaller and much less impressive than one would expect. It was a small cavern, not more than ten paces to the side, and most of it was filled with the various trinkets and offering people leave for their ancestors the world round. A few small clay pots, the dessicated remains of a meal (one that looked as though some animal had been at it), a few other miscellanea.

At the far end of the little cavern, however, was a wall of mud-brick. It was here that the sculptors had spent most of their effort. In the middle of the wall there was a stoud wooden door, so dry as to be petrified, and it was flanked by a raised relief of two jackal-headed figures.

They were of somewhat better quality than the rest of the tomb, holding their arms out to hold a circular disc over the door. Some writing was on the disc, presumably telling you the name and rank of whoever rested in this modest tomb.

Who, nevertheless, was not the only current occupant of the tomb, if one was to judge by the soft, gentle sobbing that you heard coming from within.

[DocBeard]

Sobbing. Awesome.

Tomas frowns, stepping forward. "Hallo?" He tries to get a better view of the source of the tears. "I'm sorry to interrupt your grief, but I feel it prudent to announce my presence, as surprises can be unwelcome out here."

[Kaitou Kage]

"Ah, Tomas," Kuzan murmured after staring at the disc, "You may wish to stay back."

He pointed at the inscription. "Here lies Jershil the Carpenter," the priest translated, "May he rest eternal, and may any who disturb him be cursed with a plague of a thousand leeches."

Spot/Listen 35 each.

"But that is the voice of a young woman," he observed after a second, "Is Jershil a girl's name?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I can open that door from here," Lia announces, eyeing the wooden portal, the jackal-headed statues, the disc. "But would someone be so kind as to check whether there really is a curse here? A functional one? I ... dislike ... leeches. Also, it might be good to check for more mundane traps once the issue of magical ones has been cleared up."

[yalenusveler]

"If he did, whomever put that inscription up really had better rethink their usage of pronouns." Andre said with one of those smiles one only got when trying distinctly NOT to think about a plague of leeches being visited upon him.

"Maybe it's a mourner? There were people visiting here, were there not?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Whoever it is," Lia pipes up again. "Tomas. Look at them, please. You are our only defence against Cavendish's shapeshifting trickery at the moment. So please."

[Kaitou Kage]

"Er," Kuzan glanced oddly at Lia, "Can't you check it for curses? You'd know better than most of us."