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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 4869712" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter Thirty-eight, “Captains Winslow and Wilkinson", September 5th, 1882, 8:00 A.M.</strong></p><p></p><p>Dawn arrives on the morning of Tuesday, September Fifth, and the house remains relatively quiet given how late everyone was out the night before. The ditch diggers and line installers arrive at around 9:00 AM with Alan MacKinnon taking up the supervisory chores. Luiz surprises everybody by cooking up a large breakfast of eggs, bacon, French toast, tea and scones. People begin to wander down for the meal, with Ruby and George apparently sleeping in. Roy says that he does not believe that Benjamin Trout has returned from Jacksonville yet. </p><p></p><p>As people arrive for breakfast they see a heavyset balding man with a beard who looks to be around sixty years of age sitting at the table chatting with James and Alsoomse. He is introduced as John A. Winslow, the Captain of the ship Magnificence. Some recognize the name from the war, as the Captain of the USS Kearsarge, which was victorious in a well publicized naval battle duel against the CSS Alabama towards the end of the war. </p><p></p><p>The heavenly scent of bacon reached Abby's nose. She dressed simply in slim blue slacks and a white blouse. She appeared in the kitchen to hear Roy mention that Fish hadn't returned yet. She comments, "I wouldn't worry too much about Fish, he seems like one who can take care of himself." She then turns to the new arrival and says, "How do you do, Captain? It seems a fine ship you're skipper of." He replies, "One of the two finest ever to sail the seas, and I have now been fortunate to be the Captain of both."</p><p></p><p>Alsoomse enters the room and says, "And I trust that you are taking very good care of my ship John?" Winslow looks up and says, "Absolutely Mrs. da Rosa, I will be happy to take you on an inspection tour later." Abby states, "I hope you wouldn't mind if I tagged along. I love sailing but I don't know a thing about ships. And of course, there's the sailing culture that must have developed over the centuries."</p><p></p><p>Lawrence comes down to breakfast in his work clothes. He sniffs the air. "Good morning everyone. Smells delicious. Oh hello, there." He shakes hands with Captain Winslow. "It's an honor to meet you Captain Winslow. I'm Lawrence. I remember reading about your service in the war from the newspaper." </p><p></p><p>James says, "Lawrence, this man is in my opinion the American Civil War's finest naval officer. He's too humble to tell you about himself so I'll do the honors. He was born eighty years ago and descends directly from Mary Chilton, John Winslow and Edward Winslow, Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower who Alsoomse knew when she was a child. John attened the Naval Academy back in the 1820's when I was an instructor there so we've known each other for the last fifty-five years. He has also always been a strong voice for the abolitionist cause.</p><p></p><p>He served under Commodore Matthew Perry during the Mexican-American war and was decorated for his gallantry. Ironically, his cabinmate on that ship was Raphael Semmes, the man who would later command the Confederate ship Alabama during their famous duel. During the Civil War he initially served as the Executive Officer and the Captain on ships patrolling the Mississippi River. He was badly injurred on his ship the USS Benton and was forced to spend the next year recovering in Boston. His next command patrolled the Carribean where he contracted Malaria and was forced to recover again back in New England, frustrated with having to sit out a good part of the war for a second time. </p><p></p><p>Then in December 1863 he was named as Captain of the USS Kearsage, which was currently in the Azore Islands, and left immediately for that assignment. When he arrived he found that his ship had sailed to Spain for repairs and he was to wait another four months at the Azores until it could return for him." Winslow says, "Yes, what I thought was another turn of bad luck but turned out to be quite the opposite, as I spent my time there in the company of the da Rosa family." </p><p></p><p>Alsoomse says, "Indeed he did, and it was quite necessary. The USS Kearsarge was a special ship, only the second to ever have been built from the trees from New Hampshire's Mount Kearsarge, the first being The Magnificence. The Native American deity Hoturu, the God of Wind and Weather once resided there and blessed the land and trees. I had received special permission from the Shamen who spoke to the diety directly to give me permission to harvest the wood. The Kearsarge was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and I had planned on it being the ship Captained by my Grandson James, but he opted instead to run his espionage team. So the Kearsarge became Captained by John here, and during his four months or so in the Azores we taught him how to use magics to take full advantage of the special secrets of his ship. The Kearsarge is still in active service in the Navy.” </p><p></p><p>Abigail states, "It's still strange to me, the easy way you all talk about magic here. I'm surprised permission was given to harvest such precious lumber." Alsoomse replies, "The Shaman said that our Gods recognize the works that I have done for our people." </p><p></p><p>Lawrence perks up. "What kind of 'special secrets' does the Kearsarge have? And does the Navy know about them?" Captain Winslow replies, "The Kearsarge is similar to the Magnificence, which James told me you have been on before Mr. Cantrell. The magic affords it extra protection to the hull, is blessed with good fortune, and most importantly, sails gracefully at a fast speed, and travels through weather conditions that would stop or slow other vessels." Lawrence whistles. "I'd always wondered why I never got seasick on the Magnificence. Very impressive."</p><p></p><p>Winslow concludes, "I am happy to now Captain her sister ship." Lawrence asks, "Does she live up to her sister? Winslow replies, "And more so, the Kearsarge is a bit shorter but a heavier vessel due the military design, 1550-ton Mohican-class sloop-of-war powered by both steam and sail. The Magnificence is sleeker and sail only, but much lighter and therefore also much faster. There is no faster ship on the seas under either steam or sail." Lawrence says, "Steam may be the wave of the future but, those boilers seem awfully heavy. But you're not at the mercy of the winds. Still she must handle well."</p><p></p><p>Lawrence says, “You have a mighty impressive record, captain. I spent some time serving the Union during the war, but much more low-key than you." Winslow replies, "The problem with an impressive record is that it got me promoted to Admiral and then higher commands. My last command was from 1770 until 1772, in charge of the entire United States Pacific Fleet. I still kept Kearsarge as my flagship then, but most of my time was spent behind a desk instead of at sea. That is why I retired almost a decade ago. I am thankful that James and I ran into one another in Lisbon six years ago, and he then offered me the Magnificence." Lawrence says, "That's a funny thing about the military. They promote their most skilled people out of the place they can do the most good. I'm glad you're here. Magnificence needs a good captain." </p><p></p><p>At the conclusion of the breakfast several of the men head down to the basement to resume the digging operation. Alsoomse and Captain Winslow head outside to talk to Alan MacKinnon. </p><p></p><p>Ruby enjoyed getting to sleep in. Her eyes had blinked open as the smell of a delicious breakfast called to her but it wasn't enough to drag herself away from a comfortable bed and her lover beside her. It was near lunch time when she finally dragged herself out of bed. Even George, who was normally a much earlier riser than herself was still resting. She dressed for the day in a new pale peach sundress she had bought in town the day before before her and George headed downstairs. She looked around for her grandmother, finding her on the porch. "Good morning Nana, well, I guess it is afternoon now. How did you enjoy the ball last night?" </p><p></p><p>Outside, Fish has just climbed down from his coach. He tips the driver handsomely, retrieves his cap, and marches up the walk, cane firmly in hand, grinning from ear to ear. Hearing Ruby’s question he chirps, "The ball was a ball!" Mina smiles at Fish then replies to Ruby, "I absolutely enjoyed myself, I hadn't worn that Turkish dress since the day that James and I were wed." </p><p></p><p>Fish states, "Miss West, you look lovely, as always," he says solicitously, almost slaphappily. "Lady Wilamina, you've not formally taken delivery of 'your package' yet. May I bring it down?" "Please do" she replies. Ruby says, "Thank you Ben. You look... happy. Seems you found just the right spot last night. To have fun that is."</p><p></p><p>After Ben walked away with a bounce in his step Ruby turned back to her grandmother. "Oh, I suppose now that I am all high society I won't get invited to the fun parties anymore," she pouted. "I used to BE the party." Her face was dour but she continued quickly, "I'm not complaining, of course, I love my George and look forward to all the fun we'll have together. It's just a different sort of fun." She cleared her throat and tried to change the subject so her grandmother wouldn't dwell on her unhappiness. "What package does Ben have for you Nana?" </p><p></p><p>She smiles and innocently says, "Just a little something that he saw and thought that I might like." Ruby replies, "Oh really? Now you've got me curious, though that isn't hard to do. Whatever could it be... oh hey, did you mention your gown from last night was also your wedding gown?" Mina replies, "Well yes, the wedding was on rather short notice and that was the nicest dress in the hotel's clothing store. And it actually was a Turkish wedding dress! Personally, I prefer the gold over plum color to the more traditional American white." </p><p></p><p>"Yes, it is a very beautiful color, especially with our hair color. White is hard to wear and not very practical. Though I am fairly certain George would like to see me wear white." Ruby paused in thought. "I can't believe I'm getting married! Why did you have to rush to get married?" Mina states, "It wasn't that we had to rush, it was just very spontaneous. We had just completed our mission in Istanbul when James proposed and Roy then rounded up a minister to perform the ceremony. I told you about that last week on the train ride here. "Awww, that was nice of Roy. But perhaps he did it just so he wouldn't be tempted by you Nana!" Ruby laughed heartily. "We redheads are hard to resist."</p><p></p><p>Mina says, As for your marriage, of course you'll wear white. I think that you and George make for an adorable couple. Unlike James and myself, you and George are both quite different, but your differences seem to compliment one another." Ruby’s smile diminished somewhat. "I am happy to hear you think we are a good match Nana. Sometimes I worry and have my doubts... not that we are a good match but that I am doing the right thing. For George that is. He has such an important life ahead of him and I wonder if I am just a distraction." </p><p></p><p>Abby was on her way back downstairs when Fish came bounding up. "I think you went to a better party than I did," she laughed. "Nice neck decorations you have there." He blushes and continues on upstairs without commenting. Fish returns from his room with Wilamina's prize, wrapped in a black cloth. He sets it down before her and takes a seat across the table, running his fingers through his tangled hair. It is a smallish shallow box, measuring 10" long x 4" wide x 2" deep, with a broad sliding lid. The sides are carved with cresting waves, either end with leaping fish, and the lid is etched with a large abstract design of intersecting knots. In the heart of each of three knots is embedded a fat black pearl.</p><p></p><p>Mina attempts a few spell in an attempt to open it, without success. She then goes and finds Luiz, the group's most powerful spellcaster but he too is upable to get it to open. Alsoomse examines the box and says, "Not just Atlantian, but early Atlantian, at least 4,000 years old. This may take some research to try to get it opened. I would suggest that we be very careful with it." "May I see it?" Ruby asks as she takes a closer look at the box. "Any chance you think I could open it?" </p><p></p><p>"You're welcome to try as long as you don't break it," Luiz states as he enters the room. Ruby smiled as she took the box. How would she know if she was going to break it until it was broken? She looked the box over carefully, turning it around and around in her hands as she searched for any kind of opening or crack she could manipulate. She used her skill to detect magic on it as she searched it thoroughly. She manages to locate what she believes to be a small keyhole, but after twenty minutes of manipulating lock-picks is still unsuccessful at getting it to open. </p><p></p><p>"Well, there must be something great inside or why go through such trouble of locking it? And if it's really old... Maybe it's the secret to Atlantis," Ruby teased. "I am certain one of our scholars will enjoy researching this," she said, handing it back to her Nana. She then asks, "Ben, where did you find that?" "Oh, I know some people who know some people back in New Orleans..." says Fish, throttling his own smirk. "That certainly is mysterious Ben. I wonder if we know any of the same people," Ruby smiled. </p><p></p><p>At around a quarter after eleven the men take a break from the digging and come upstairs to clean up before lunch. Jemima arrives shortly thereafter with a meal of breaded fried fish, corn on the cob, long-grain rice, orange-lemon bread and peach pie. Ruby says to Ben and Mina, "Well, let's have some lunch while we ponder what's inside the box." As he wipes his hands on a towel, Lawrence says, "Mmm. Miss Jemima, that smells heavenly. How do you do it?" </p><p></p><p>Once again they enjoy a delicious meal delivered by Jemima. Feeling more than a little guilty at having left the men to do the digging when she was perfectly capable of helping, Abby made herself useful during the lunch, keeping plates and glasses full. Despite her strength, she had never been particularly hardy, usually suffering at night for her labors during the day. Abby asks, "How goes the work? Do you need me to come down and lend a hand? I certainly can." Sol states, "We're really making a lot of headway today, the wheelbarrows are two-thirds full already. Feel free to lend a hand if you wish."</p><p></p><p> Afterwards Ruby asks, "So now that the ball is over, do we have anything to look forward to, aside from digging and digging?" Mina says, "Aren't you and George dining tonight with those actors?" "Oh right! I had forgotten. I'm so absentminded these days. I wonder why that is..." She shrugged. "Oh well. Thanks for reminding me Nana. Anything we should know about them before we join them for a meal?" Mina replies, "From what I hear, if you play to her ego you'll do just fine." Ruby states, "Well, I can do that... although I don't particularly enjoy doing that. Should be an interesting night out anyway." </p><p></p><p>Before the diggers return to work a large dual paddlewheel freighter is spotted on the river, turning around to the west and coming back to dock alongside the Magnificence. "It looks like our ship The Frolic has arrived," James states. James leads several of the group down to the water. They look out at the ship that is anchoring nearby. The 230-foot long schooner steamship has two center funnels, two rigging masts with sails and large paddlewheels on both sides. James gestures to it and says, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you 'The Frolic'." </p><p></p><p>Roy exclaims, "Yeah, right, call her whatever you want, but given all the trouble it took us to catch it I'd recognize the Confederate Naval Ship Advance anywhere." Thomas says, "Indeed, I do believe that Huggins is correct James. September of '64 I think it was. Is our past coming back to haunt us?" With a smile James says, "Absolutely, wait and see what comes next." </p><p></p><p>Once the ship is anchored a smaller boat is lowered and eight people row to shore. As it nears the land two men are clearly visible watching but not rowing with the other six crew. One is a large man in his early sixties with a round face with full beard and mustache. His hair is mostly dark but with some gray strands. The other is a rotund swarthy man with a long dark scraggly beard. Thomas exclaims, "As I live and breathe, John Wilkinson!" </p><p></p><p>James replies, "Sure, I figured that if I was hiring the Union's best Naval officer for one of our ships why not hire the Confederate's best for the other." Roy says, "I'll agree with that, after the chase he put us through with his ship Robert E. Lee back in late '63." Mina asks James, "The other man, isn't that your cousin Paolo?" James replies, "Yes, Paolo Vitalio is the ship's Executive Officer. The ship requires a wizard to execute many of its tricks. But the surprising thing is that I wasn't the one responsible for installing those or hiring Paolo, Wilkinson did all of that himself before the AGELESS Corporation was even an idea." </p><p></p><p>Ruby asks, "James, what do you use the Frolic for?” He says, He replies, "That is the freighter that carries all of the AGELESS Corporation's legitimate cargo from the indigenous people from our ports to the various other ports of trade." She then asks, “And aren't you concerned as to what will happen with these two Captains who were on opposing sides of the war come together?" James says, "Oh no, they've both put that behind them, and I wasn't the one who introduced them to one another anyway. My cousin Paolo did that close to two years ago."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 4869712, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter Thirty-eight, “Captains Winslow and Wilkinson", September 5th, 1882, 8:00 A.M.[/B] Dawn arrives on the morning of Tuesday, September Fifth, and the house remains relatively quiet given how late everyone was out the night before. The ditch diggers and line installers arrive at around 9:00 AM with Alan MacKinnon taking up the supervisory chores. Luiz surprises everybody by cooking up a large breakfast of eggs, bacon, French toast, tea and scones. People begin to wander down for the meal, with Ruby and George apparently sleeping in. Roy says that he does not believe that Benjamin Trout has returned from Jacksonville yet. As people arrive for breakfast they see a heavyset balding man with a beard who looks to be around sixty years of age sitting at the table chatting with James and Alsoomse. He is introduced as John A. Winslow, the Captain of the ship Magnificence. Some recognize the name from the war, as the Captain of the USS Kearsarge, which was victorious in a well publicized naval battle duel against the CSS Alabama towards the end of the war. The heavenly scent of bacon reached Abby's nose. She dressed simply in slim blue slacks and a white blouse. She appeared in the kitchen to hear Roy mention that Fish hadn't returned yet. She comments, "I wouldn't worry too much about Fish, he seems like one who can take care of himself." She then turns to the new arrival and says, "How do you do, Captain? It seems a fine ship you're skipper of." He replies, "One of the two finest ever to sail the seas, and I have now been fortunate to be the Captain of both." Alsoomse enters the room and says, "And I trust that you are taking very good care of my ship John?" Winslow looks up and says, "Absolutely Mrs. da Rosa, I will be happy to take you on an inspection tour later." Abby states, "I hope you wouldn't mind if I tagged along. I love sailing but I don't know a thing about ships. And of course, there's the sailing culture that must have developed over the centuries." Lawrence comes down to breakfast in his work clothes. He sniffs the air. "Good morning everyone. Smells delicious. Oh hello, there." He shakes hands with Captain Winslow. "It's an honor to meet you Captain Winslow. I'm Lawrence. I remember reading about your service in the war from the newspaper." James says, "Lawrence, this man is in my opinion the American Civil War's finest naval officer. He's too humble to tell you about himself so I'll do the honors. He was born eighty years ago and descends directly from Mary Chilton, John Winslow and Edward Winslow, Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower who Alsoomse knew when she was a child. John attened the Naval Academy back in the 1820's when I was an instructor there so we've known each other for the last fifty-five years. He has also always been a strong voice for the abolitionist cause. He served under Commodore Matthew Perry during the Mexican-American war and was decorated for his gallantry. Ironically, his cabinmate on that ship was Raphael Semmes, the man who would later command the Confederate ship Alabama during their famous duel. During the Civil War he initially served as the Executive Officer and the Captain on ships patrolling the Mississippi River. He was badly injurred on his ship the USS Benton and was forced to spend the next year recovering in Boston. His next command patrolled the Carribean where he contracted Malaria and was forced to recover again back in New England, frustrated with having to sit out a good part of the war for a second time. Then in December 1863 he was named as Captain of the USS Kearsage, which was currently in the Azore Islands, and left immediately for that assignment. When he arrived he found that his ship had sailed to Spain for repairs and he was to wait another four months at the Azores until it could return for him." Winslow says, "Yes, what I thought was another turn of bad luck but turned out to be quite the opposite, as I spent my time there in the company of the da Rosa family." Alsoomse says, "Indeed he did, and it was quite necessary. The USS Kearsarge was a special ship, only the second to ever have been built from the trees from New Hampshire's Mount Kearsarge, the first being The Magnificence. The Native American deity Hoturu, the God of Wind and Weather once resided there and blessed the land and trees. I had received special permission from the Shamen who spoke to the diety directly to give me permission to harvest the wood. The Kearsarge was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and I had planned on it being the ship Captained by my Grandson James, but he opted instead to run his espionage team. So the Kearsarge became Captained by John here, and during his four months or so in the Azores we taught him how to use magics to take full advantage of the special secrets of his ship. The Kearsarge is still in active service in the Navy.” Abigail states, "It's still strange to me, the easy way you all talk about magic here. I'm surprised permission was given to harvest such precious lumber." Alsoomse replies, "The Shaman said that our Gods recognize the works that I have done for our people." Lawrence perks up. "What kind of 'special secrets' does the Kearsarge have? And does the Navy know about them?" Captain Winslow replies, "The Kearsarge is similar to the Magnificence, which James told me you have been on before Mr. Cantrell. The magic affords it extra protection to the hull, is blessed with good fortune, and most importantly, sails gracefully at a fast speed, and travels through weather conditions that would stop or slow other vessels." Lawrence whistles. "I'd always wondered why I never got seasick on the Magnificence. Very impressive." Winslow concludes, "I am happy to now Captain her sister ship." Lawrence asks, "Does she live up to her sister? Winslow replies, "And more so, the Kearsarge is a bit shorter but a heavier vessel due the military design, 1550-ton Mohican-class sloop-of-war powered by both steam and sail. The Magnificence is sleeker and sail only, but much lighter and therefore also much faster. There is no faster ship on the seas under either steam or sail." Lawrence says, "Steam may be the wave of the future but, those boilers seem awfully heavy. But you're not at the mercy of the winds. Still she must handle well." Lawrence says, “You have a mighty impressive record, captain. I spent some time serving the Union during the war, but much more low-key than you." Winslow replies, "The problem with an impressive record is that it got me promoted to Admiral and then higher commands. My last command was from 1770 until 1772, in charge of the entire United States Pacific Fleet. I still kept Kearsarge as my flagship then, but most of my time was spent behind a desk instead of at sea. That is why I retired almost a decade ago. I am thankful that James and I ran into one another in Lisbon six years ago, and he then offered me the Magnificence." Lawrence says, "That's a funny thing about the military. They promote their most skilled people out of the place they can do the most good. I'm glad you're here. Magnificence needs a good captain." At the conclusion of the breakfast several of the men head down to the basement to resume the digging operation. Alsoomse and Captain Winslow head outside to talk to Alan MacKinnon. Ruby enjoyed getting to sleep in. Her eyes had blinked open as the smell of a delicious breakfast called to her but it wasn't enough to drag herself away from a comfortable bed and her lover beside her. It was near lunch time when she finally dragged herself out of bed. Even George, who was normally a much earlier riser than herself was still resting. She dressed for the day in a new pale peach sundress she had bought in town the day before before her and George headed downstairs. She looked around for her grandmother, finding her on the porch. "Good morning Nana, well, I guess it is afternoon now. How did you enjoy the ball last night?" Outside, Fish has just climbed down from his coach. He tips the driver handsomely, retrieves his cap, and marches up the walk, cane firmly in hand, grinning from ear to ear. Hearing Ruby’s question he chirps, "The ball was a ball!" Mina smiles at Fish then replies to Ruby, "I absolutely enjoyed myself, I hadn't worn that Turkish dress since the day that James and I were wed." Fish states, "Miss West, you look lovely, as always," he says solicitously, almost slaphappily. "Lady Wilamina, you've not formally taken delivery of 'your package' yet. May I bring it down?" "Please do" she replies. Ruby says, "Thank you Ben. You look... happy. Seems you found just the right spot last night. To have fun that is." After Ben walked away with a bounce in his step Ruby turned back to her grandmother. "Oh, I suppose now that I am all high society I won't get invited to the fun parties anymore," she pouted. "I used to BE the party." Her face was dour but she continued quickly, "I'm not complaining, of course, I love my George and look forward to all the fun we'll have together. It's just a different sort of fun." She cleared her throat and tried to change the subject so her grandmother wouldn't dwell on her unhappiness. "What package does Ben have for you Nana?" She smiles and innocently says, "Just a little something that he saw and thought that I might like." Ruby replies, "Oh really? Now you've got me curious, though that isn't hard to do. Whatever could it be... oh hey, did you mention your gown from last night was also your wedding gown?" Mina replies, "Well yes, the wedding was on rather short notice and that was the nicest dress in the hotel's clothing store. And it actually was a Turkish wedding dress! Personally, I prefer the gold over plum color to the more traditional American white." "Yes, it is a very beautiful color, especially with our hair color. White is hard to wear and not very practical. Though I am fairly certain George would like to see me wear white." Ruby paused in thought. "I can't believe I'm getting married! Why did you have to rush to get married?" Mina states, "It wasn't that we had to rush, it was just very spontaneous. We had just completed our mission in Istanbul when James proposed and Roy then rounded up a minister to perform the ceremony. I told you about that last week on the train ride here. "Awww, that was nice of Roy. But perhaps he did it just so he wouldn't be tempted by you Nana!" Ruby laughed heartily. "We redheads are hard to resist." Mina says, As for your marriage, of course you'll wear white. I think that you and George make for an adorable couple. Unlike James and myself, you and George are both quite different, but your differences seem to compliment one another." Ruby’s smile diminished somewhat. "I am happy to hear you think we are a good match Nana. Sometimes I worry and have my doubts... not that we are a good match but that I am doing the right thing. For George that is. He has such an important life ahead of him and I wonder if I am just a distraction." Abby was on her way back downstairs when Fish came bounding up. "I think you went to a better party than I did," she laughed. "Nice neck decorations you have there." He blushes and continues on upstairs without commenting. Fish returns from his room with Wilamina's prize, wrapped in a black cloth. He sets it down before her and takes a seat across the table, running his fingers through his tangled hair. It is a smallish shallow box, measuring 10" long x 4" wide x 2" deep, with a broad sliding lid. The sides are carved with cresting waves, either end with leaping fish, and the lid is etched with a large abstract design of intersecting knots. In the heart of each of three knots is embedded a fat black pearl. Mina attempts a few spell in an attempt to open it, without success. She then goes and finds Luiz, the group's most powerful spellcaster but he too is upable to get it to open. Alsoomse examines the box and says, "Not just Atlantian, but early Atlantian, at least 4,000 years old. This may take some research to try to get it opened. I would suggest that we be very careful with it." "May I see it?" Ruby asks as she takes a closer look at the box. "Any chance you think I could open it?" "You're welcome to try as long as you don't break it," Luiz states as he enters the room. Ruby smiled as she took the box. How would she know if she was going to break it until it was broken? She looked the box over carefully, turning it around and around in her hands as she searched for any kind of opening or crack she could manipulate. She used her skill to detect magic on it as she searched it thoroughly. She manages to locate what she believes to be a small keyhole, but after twenty minutes of manipulating lock-picks is still unsuccessful at getting it to open. "Well, there must be something great inside or why go through such trouble of locking it? And if it's really old... Maybe it's the secret to Atlantis," Ruby teased. "I am certain one of our scholars will enjoy researching this," she said, handing it back to her Nana. She then asks, "Ben, where did you find that?" "Oh, I know some people who know some people back in New Orleans..." says Fish, throttling his own smirk. "That certainly is mysterious Ben. I wonder if we know any of the same people," Ruby smiled. At around a quarter after eleven the men take a break from the digging and come upstairs to clean up before lunch. Jemima arrives shortly thereafter with a meal of breaded fried fish, corn on the cob, long-grain rice, orange-lemon bread and peach pie. Ruby says to Ben and Mina, "Well, let's have some lunch while we ponder what's inside the box." As he wipes his hands on a towel, Lawrence says, "Mmm. Miss Jemima, that smells heavenly. How do you do it?" Once again they enjoy a delicious meal delivered by Jemima. Feeling more than a little guilty at having left the men to do the digging when she was perfectly capable of helping, Abby made herself useful during the lunch, keeping plates and glasses full. Despite her strength, she had never been particularly hardy, usually suffering at night for her labors during the day. Abby asks, "How goes the work? Do you need me to come down and lend a hand? I certainly can." Sol states, "We're really making a lot of headway today, the wheelbarrows are two-thirds full already. Feel free to lend a hand if you wish." Afterwards Ruby asks, "So now that the ball is over, do we have anything to look forward to, aside from digging and digging?" Mina says, "Aren't you and George dining tonight with those actors?" "Oh right! I had forgotten. I'm so absentminded these days. I wonder why that is..." She shrugged. "Oh well. Thanks for reminding me Nana. Anything we should know about them before we join them for a meal?" Mina replies, "From what I hear, if you play to her ego you'll do just fine." Ruby states, "Well, I can do that... although I don't particularly enjoy doing that. Should be an interesting night out anyway." Before the diggers return to work a large dual paddlewheel freighter is spotted on the river, turning around to the west and coming back to dock alongside the Magnificence. "It looks like our ship The Frolic has arrived," James states. James leads several of the group down to the water. They look out at the ship that is anchoring nearby. The 230-foot long schooner steamship has two center funnels, two rigging masts with sails and large paddlewheels on both sides. James gestures to it and says, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you 'The Frolic'." Roy exclaims, "Yeah, right, call her whatever you want, but given all the trouble it took us to catch it I'd recognize the Confederate Naval Ship Advance anywhere." Thomas says, "Indeed, I do believe that Huggins is correct James. September of '64 I think it was. Is our past coming back to haunt us?" With a smile James says, "Absolutely, wait and see what comes next." Once the ship is anchored a smaller boat is lowered and eight people row to shore. As it nears the land two men are clearly visible watching but not rowing with the other six crew. One is a large man in his early sixties with a round face with full beard and mustache. His hair is mostly dark but with some gray strands. The other is a rotund swarthy man with a long dark scraggly beard. Thomas exclaims, "As I live and breathe, John Wilkinson!" James replies, "Sure, I figured that if I was hiring the Union's best Naval officer for one of our ships why not hire the Confederate's best for the other." Roy says, "I'll agree with that, after the chase he put us through with his ship Robert E. Lee back in late '63." Mina asks James, "The other man, isn't that your cousin Paolo?" James replies, "Yes, Paolo Vitalio is the ship's Executive Officer. The ship requires a wizard to execute many of its tricks. But the surprising thing is that I wasn't the one responsible for installing those or hiring Paolo, Wilkinson did all of that himself before the AGELESS Corporation was even an idea." Ruby asks, "James, what do you use the Frolic for?” He says, He replies, "That is the freighter that carries all of the AGELESS Corporation's legitimate cargo from the indigenous people from our ports to the various other ports of trade." She then asks, “And aren't you concerned as to what will happen with these two Captains who were on opposing sides of the war come together?" James says, "Oh no, they've both put that behind them, and I wasn't the one who introduced them to one another anyway. My cousin Paolo did that close to two years ago." [/QUOTE]
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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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