The Eye of Anubis: Book Eight

[lostboy]

Khalil glares at the elfs back as he turns away, itching though he is to throttle the obnoxious idiot, he keeps his cool, for now at least. However that look should give everyone else a fair idea of what the desert guide would like to do to the elf, given half an hour of privacy.

Once the elf departs Khalil visably stills himself, then taking a deep breath he responds to Lia's question. "Well it appears there is something large and insectoid running around the monastery although according to him it doesnt exist". He gestures rudely after the elf.

"It also appears that walking in a stright line in this place doesnt necesserily take you where you think."

"Now Michel any chance of that rum?"

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Right, we'll remember," Charles says cheerfully. "Thanks awfully."

He pulls a face at Khalil once the elf is out of sight, then shrugs. "Yes, it does rather sound like vampires...or perhaps it's something to do with the nightmares? Some kind of protection laid over the rooms to keep them out? I do wonder if it wasn't a nightmare of some kind we encountered, given substance by our unusual location--we got lost and heard something heavy in the corridor just the other side of the wall from us, couldn't find it, got more lost still, and ended up here. Where we couldn't have gotten, in any space with a normal geometry."

Charles looks rather thoughtful as he says this last--as if this is really more interesting--and perhaps more worrisome-- than nightmares given substances ambling the halls of the monastery.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Already, this place reminds me of Dezbar Keep," Lia sighs. "Space and time twisted around ... Oh, joy."

[NeoTiamat]

The West Guestroom, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 16th, 761, 7:05 PM; Day 121 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Right, we'll remember," Charles says cheerfully. "Thanks awfully."

"I'm sure you will." The Venerable Tharivas replied, voice chill as a mountain stream. "One final matter..."

"I am, in addition to my other duties, in charge of the defenses and martial training of the denizens of this place. Every morning there are training and sparring sessions held in the cloister, and I hope that, as proven warriors and undead-slayers, some of you would see fit to attend." The Venerable Tharivas's steely eyes flashed, and his gaze rested on Khalil. "It would be interesting to see how you fight when not attacking from ambush. I hope I shall see you there."

"If you feel up to it, of course." A small, malicious smile crossed the Venerable Tharivas's lips for a fraction of a moment, before disappearing. "Good night. Come Ianthe."

Ianthe gave you a somewhat helpless shrug, mouthing 'I explain later', before falling in step behind the elf and closing the door carefully behind her.

[Sense Motive DC 25]

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Night fell not too much later. In addition to the stout door, which on closer examination proved to have not one, but two locks, and a deadbolt to boot, there was also a small window in the outer wall of the room, leading outside, though it was so small even a child would have had a hard time entering through the window. And even then, it was covered with a grid of steel wires.

Looking outside though, you could see the bloody sunlight illuminating the Jackal's Ruse. You couldn't see them, but you knew that the survivors of Cavendish's force would be out there, and for that matter, somewhere Cavendish lay in wait, licking his wounds and planning his return.

A loud 'Caw' drew your attention briefly as a reddish-black shape flew from somewhere above you out into the Jackal's Ruse, only to nestle as a black shape on a ship spar just at the edge of the sight. It was almost comforting, in a peculiar way. Wherever you went, you could count on that crow to be nearby.

[Alright, making this VERY clear, since I've had three people mixed up on it. The distribution of people is as follows:

Western Guestroom: Khalil, Kuzan, Lia, Andre, Otto, Tomas, Charles, Devereux, Dieter.

Southern Guestroom: Carter, Marchand-Renier, Samael, Lily, Remy, Edmund, Guy, Michel, Sarari, Fassahd, Jervis.

Personal Room: Pelletier.

You folks are interacting only with the group in the Western Guestroom, where you are. Clear?]

[lostboy]

I hope I shall see you there."

"Oh you can count on it" Khalil mutters under his breath, watching the elf depart.

[OOC: sense motive: 26]

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Khalil lay stretched out his mat, "not the comfiest but it makes a nice change from the tents" he says to on-one in particular.

"So do we set guard duty tonight, or do we trust our pointy eared friend and his door locks?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"I fear I require my sleep, friend Khalil, if I am to be any good to anyone in the morning," Lia says. "But to assist whoever does stay up to guard our safety, I shall cast a spell of Alarm on this chamber before I go to sleep." True to her word, the Wizard mutters some arcane phrases, sweeps her hands around as if to encompass the chamber, finally swinging a tiny bell on a gleaming wire so it chimes. "There," Lia says. "If anything as small as a mouse enters, as long as it has any substance at all, I shall know. Indeed, so shall we all: I set the spell to make an almighty din that anyone can hear. Now. Who wishes to lay odds that the Venerable one is acting so churlish because our 'ambush' managed to secure the Monastery's safety where his efforts could not?"

(OOC: Casting Alarm, the audible variant, which is good for 18 hours. My guess at the elf's reasons is no more than that: there's no way I can reach that Sense Motive DC, even with a natural 20.)

[Kaitou Kage]

"There some kind of password?" Kuzan asked, "I need to go check on the others before nightfall."

Will do my sense motive tonight when I get back home.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"There is, yes," Lia says. With a weary sigh, she levers herself up from the pallet and makes her way to Kuzan, bringing her masked face close enough to his ear to whisper a word into his ear. "Do not say it out loud, please," she says as she limps back to the pallet. "We do not want someone or something picking it up and using it to circumvene the spell. That would make casting it rather the exercize in futility, hm?"

[DocBeard]

"It's an achievement when you manage to be more creepy than the fellow in the immobile metal mask." Tomas mutters to himself as they are shoved into their room. Well, for a given value of 'room'.

"...so!" Tomas claps his hands once, sighing, "Rock, paper, scissors for who gets the beds?"

[The Whistler]

"So do we set guard duty tonight, or do we trust our pointy eared friend and his door locks?"

"Trustworthiness aside, it is better to be safe than to be sorry, yes? I shall be happy to take of a watch, providing that someone is willing to take my place several hours into the night."

Knocking himself out of the running for proper beds (rock-paper-scissors has always struck him as leaving too much to chance, anyway), Otto sets up his things near a pallet with a good view of the door.

Sparring, eh? Always thought monks were peaceful sorts, on average...though I guess if you count the odd ducks over at the Quickening Spark back home, it skews the curve. And if Ianthe's any indication, they're cussed good shots...be worth joining the practices for the day, at any rate. Guess this visit'll be a more educational experience than you expected.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles has been busy examining the room and misses the elf's exit, Ianthe in tow. At Tomas' suggestion of "rock, paper, scissors" for bed spots, he turns his attention back to the conversation.

"I won't sleep much," Charles volunteers. "I'll just catnap a bit, and keep an eye out for, uh, nocturnal visitors. Which I gather we can expect."

Sense Motive 16, on a natural 1. Obviously Charles was not paying attention!

[lostboy]

Now. Who wishes to lay odds that the Venerable one is acting so churlish because our 'ambush' managed to secure the Monastery's safety where his efforts could not?"

"That is how you say, the nail on the head my dear Lia, I suspect exactly that. I would say our friend is suffering from a rather large case of envy at our abilities in removing Cavendish from the area."

He pauses to feed Karsh a few scraps of dried meat, and Small-star some rather large scraps.

"But it appears he does not think we are worthy to have been able to succeed where he did not, especially myself. Still if it is a fight he wants tomorrow, then he shall have one."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"But it appears he does not think we are worthy to have been able to succeed where he did not, especially myself. Still if it is a fight he wants tomorrow, then he shall have one."

Lia shakes her head at this. "If it is so, then he is remarkably petty about the whole affair," she says, then stifles a yawn. "Please do not let his rudeness vex you too much, Desert Born; it would be awkward if you thrashed him halfway to his grave, when his order is currently giving us room and board ... and we still need to investigate said room. Now, I am weary. I shall sleep a bit, if no one minds."

[lostboy]

"Please do not let his rudeness vex you too much, Desert Born;

Khalil offers a lazy shrug, "Now I understand a little more, it is more pity than anger I feel towards him, however I will not tolerate his disrespect."

"I won't sleep much," Charles volunteers. "I'll just catnap a bit, and keep an eye out for, uh, nocturnal visitors. Which I gather we can expect."

"Very well, I will take the last watch for the hours before dawn if soneone will be good enough to wake me, although should we have visitors feel free to wake me then as well." He adds with a wink.

[yalenusveler]

Andre...had begun to pace, occasionally casting his gaze near Devereux, as if the man might know something truly dire. Though about what was a question which might have a myriad of answers. His gaze also cast towards Otto occasionally, almost conspiratory but at the same time just shy of accusing.

"If..whomever is on watch begins to hear a sound of whispering, or similar..wake me please. For whatever reason, I understand the almost speech of the things that haunt this place, or at least did once, and may do so again." Andre sounded as if that was most definitely not a comforting thing. In fact, it seemed to fill the scholar with no small amount of worry.

"Now then, Devereux, if you would be so kind, I need to chat with you in as much privacy as we can manage in our current lodgings." His voice didn't waver, but as Andre picked up his cat, it was obvious that the attention being paid to the orange feline was as much for Andre's comfort as the feline's own.