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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: 5707483" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 58 "Information for Sarah” (Episode Two, Chapter Eighteen - Friday, September 9, 1882, 9:00 A.M.</strong></p><p></p><p>At Tanis, Merimee leads Abigail (magically disguised as the French actress Sarah Bernhardt) out of the tent and to a sand dune off to the left, away from the remainder of the camp. The area smells awful as it is adjacent to the camel pen, but the animal sounds will keep any conversation from carrying.</p><p></p><p>He says, "Sarah, we are now alone. Four of my team have abandoned me, only Rodin remains and he is currently deep inside the ruins. But before we start discussing your current distress let me ask you this, that other man with you, can he be trusted? He does not look Egyptian but I am assuming that he is, and a powerful enough wizard to cast a Transportation Spell to bring you here."</p><p></p><p>She says, "I trust him absolutely, I wouldn't have let him bring me here otherwise. But please, update me on what is going on here." Merimee states, "Dearest Sarah, for you to have traveled here and in this mood can I safely presume that your team leader Gay-Lussac explained the tasks that you and Mr. Sardou must play in order this entire mission to succeed?" She grunted and folded her arms across her chest, looking out at the camel pen and waited for the man to go on.</p><p></p><p>He approaches her and wraps his arms around her, closing them across her. "Sarah, I understand, those who devised this plan are of an earlier generation than I, they grew up around Napoleon and shared with his ambitions. They think little of the moral implications, seeing the world as a giant chess board, one that is on the verge of being taken away from them. </p><p></p><p>They desperately need us, they need you. The two wizards who died last winter, Pascal and Monteblanc, they did not perish in an accidental fire as was previously stated. They were the first who Chevreul and Daguerre tied to have infiltrate the Royal Palace in Cairo. It was assumed that the advanced magical transformations would be completely undetectable as is almost always the case. But the King's fortress protections can apparently detect even the best of magics. They were captured, tortured and killed, never revealing their true identities or nationalities. </p><p></p><p>That is our group's true weakness, our dependence upon magic. Chevreul only took me into his confidence about the mission because he needed you and Sardou for your superior acting and disguise abilities. There is no other way to get Moissan's elixir into the building." She states, “There is always another way to get something done, there is only lack of imagination. Maybe they should have their chess board taken away."</p><p></p><p>He removes his folded hands from around her waist and begins to pace. "You could say we HAVE had OUR chess board taken away. The rest of the ruling council did not take kindly to our attempts to retrieve the Atlantian artifacts from America last spring. Both Victor Duruy and Empress Eugenia Maria have been stripped of their council positions. We no longer have any of our group, or any mages at for that matter, influencing the affairs of France. And the Druidess who runs the council is now talking about registration and restrictions on all Wizards and Magic."</p><p></p><p>She replies, "Registration and restrictions? What kind of restrictions? If the mission to America has been successful they would have been lining up to kiss your feet." He replies, "Louise Michael is trying to gain favor with the British and the Italians, as well as to reconcile with the Americans. France stands to no longer be a nation that supports the use of Wizard magics. That is the impetus behind Daguerre and Chevreul's bold plan, so that we will not need France as our base any more, we will have all of Egypt instead." Abby nodded seriously, her concern all too real. She certainly didn't mind these French bastards getting some of their own back, but the loss of a wizard friendly country was disturbing. "It would have been good to know this before, not that I like the mission any better." </p><p></p><p>Merimee states, "Of course you don't, that is because you are a good person. To be asked to participate in a mass murder is unpleasant to all of us with morals. But dearest Sarah, it is the only way, and all depends upon you and Sardou. The Egyptian King will never make peace with the Rebels. It is only through the elimination of him and his sons that we will be able to rule through our puppet Queen."</p><p></p><p>Abby quickly dropped her head so Merimee wouldn't see her reaction. As he finished she let her shoulders slump. "France will be lost to us forever. We guarantee and validate the distrust of wizards and arcane magic. And for security, for the lifetime of a puppet-Queen, I fear we may be short-sighted."</p><p></p><p>He replies, "I do not disagree, but I have little say in the matter. Durey and the Empress have caused the others to distrust all of us performers and politicians represented by the diamonds suite. They only brought me into their confidence because of their need for the two of you to get the elixir into the palace. </p><p></p><p>That is why I have reinvigorated my search for the Atlantis gateway. If we were to find it within the next three days the royals can be spared, as the Egyptian King would gladly form a partnership to share in the treasures of Atlantis. I am certain it is here in Tanis, unfortunately two-thirds of my team have abandoned me, and the British archaeologists who were here before us appear to know nothing of the gate." She sniffed derisively. "The British knowing nothing does not surprise me. But what happened with your team? Why have they gone?" </p><p></p><p>Merimee curses a sting of choice explicatives and then states, "Because three of them are engineers and not archaeologists. They had orders to return to Port Said and the study the canal AFTER we found the gate, but under Ampere's leadership they decided to abandon this site early. He said they needed to fully study the engineering now before we turn it over to the British. I have already filed a protest with Chevruel, he is after all the Ace of Clubs, and Ampere reports to him as his Jack. </p><p></p><p>I have also requested that Dominique Larrey's team be relocated here as soon as possible. They have real archaeologists upon their team and I estimate that the Nubian site has only a ten-percent likelihood of having the Atlantian gateway, while this site is estimated to be at a sixty-percent probability."</p><p></p><p>She asks, "You think perhaps Ampere is trying to sabotage you?" Prosper replies, "No, but I do think is was a mistake for us to have stopped by the canal first. Once they saw the engineering station and technologies that were employed there that is all Ampere, Eiffel and Fouccalt would talk about. They had no interest at in all searching here for the gate. After two days they extracted the miniature dirigible prematurely and convinced Laveran to be their pilot and navigator."</p><p></p><p>"Garden variety selfishness then." Abby paused and put on her most childlike face. "I'm not sure I can do this... do you at least think the plan is sound?" He replies, "I think that the plan is overly complex, but has worked as planned thus far. There has been one possible complication in Zakazik, a small group of rich American tourists. Daguerre feels that their presence can work to our advantage, as they will be witnesses to the wedding of our future Queen and the rebel General. But we must be extremely careful, the matriarch of that group once studied magic with Jules Verne's mother. Yet again I am saddened that Verne was forced to resign from our group, his son Michael is a poor substitute."</p><p></p><p>Abby states, "Americans are independent and unpredictable. They cause complications with every footstep. Do you think I'll have to be careful of them myself?" He replies, "No, they seem content to remain in Zakazik. They are going nowhere near Heliopolis or Cairo. Regarding Heliopolis, do you anticipate any difficulty with the shepherds? And how is Gerome doing with convincing that fanatic Abdulla to get his rabble to attack the Palace?"</p><p></p><p>She states, "Abdulla is a fanatic, and like most of them, he's a little more enamored of himself than he should be. Gerome is taking a little more time than he'd like, trying to at least make it so Adbulla can lie to himself about it all being his idea.” Prosper smiles and says, "That is good. It is fortunate that we have found the perfect scapegoat to blame the royal family's deaths upon."</p><p></p><p>She continues, “The shepherds should be much easier." Abby rubbed her temple then laid her hand against her chest for a moment. "I'm sorry, every since I got here I've had a bit of a headache." His face takes on a stern look and he says, "Sarah! Never underestimate a spell caster. The woman who you will be impersonating is a skilled druid, more than capable of defending herself. And the other shepherds are skilled fighters, experienced with protecting the royal flock from both bandits and desert jackals. You will only have a short window of opportunity as they near Cairo and you must take them without attracting undue attention."</p><p></p><p>She states, "I didn't mean it that way, of course I will take her seriously. I meant only that compared with Abdullah, at least this part is straight-forward. Don't worry. I want to return from this mission, even if it will haunt me."</p><p></p><p>He replies, "Good, and you do not need to worry about the shepherds, they are innocent and will not be harmed. Moissan has an elixir that will cause them to simply forget what transpired for half a day. Gay-Lussac can even place thoughts in their minds so that they will even remember delivering the animals. Sarah, please, promise me that you will carry out your part of this plan, and that you will convince Sardou too as well. I understand your reservations but we must do this. Now is not the time for us to be weak, Portugal and Spain both came close to setting foot upon Atlantis, we must win this race rather than them."</p><p></p><p>Abby looked down but nodded yes. "I won't let you down, I promise. With what is at stake... We will get it done." He embraces her, kisses her forehead, and states, "I know you will my dear. You must not linger here too long, if August Rodin sees you here I would have much to explain." She says, "Of course. I will see you again, after... I hope it's all worth it." With that Abby turned and hurried back toward the tent, trying to keep her pounding heart in her chest.</p><p></p><p>Back in Zakazik, Mina and George follow Daguerre into the dirigible. They note that the lower level is covered with framed papers stating directions in both French and German. The lower level has all of the cannon and ammunition and closely resembles warships that both have been upon before. Daguerre appears rather spry for a man almost a century old as he bounds up a metal spiral-staircase to the upper level, gesturing for the two to follow.</p><p></p><p>"Louis here says they have found a way to use magic that can aide the process of taking a photograph with a short aperture time to facilitate photographs from say the dirigible. I would like to have to look at it. I am very keen to see how this is done." explains George as he motions Mina before him on the staircase.</p><p></p><p>As they reach the upper deck they see that the forward section has the airship controls and the rear section appears to be some type of workshop, with wooden tables. The center of the room has a ten by fourteen foot section blocked off with thick black curtains and George smells the distinct aroma of photographic chemicals. They also note the spring mechanisms used to reduce the size of this section by half during the recoil of the gun fire. Mina concludes "I do not think I would enjoy being here when the floor moves, it would be worse that the rides at the World's Fair."</p><p></p><p>"No worse than a ship on a rough ocean I would suspect, nor would I expect Louis would be developing during combat. Well unless surveillance photos are needed" says George with a wink to Louis. Daguerre laughs and says, "No sir, I agree with the lady, this vessel would be too much for my old bones. I will keep to the other dirigible." He calls into the canvas area in French stating "Gabriel, come out here, we have distinguished company." George waits to meet Gabriel.</p><p></p><p>A young man exits, his hair matted in part to the side with photograph chemicals, silver dust on the sleeves of his worn work shirt and his necktie loosened. The man looks to be no more than a teenage but George suspects him older. </p><p></p><p>Daguerre states, "This is my apprentice Gabriel Lippmann, may I introduce you to George Eastman." The man's jaws drop and he exclaims "THE George Eastman! it is an honor to make your acquaintance sir! George has heard before of Lippmann, a chemist and photographer who is actually George's senior in age. Most notable are innovations of Lippmann's on optical lens technology used for cameras.</p><p></p><p>"It is my honor as well Gabriel" replies George. "If this dirigible crashed now it would set the science and art of photography back a hundred years!" laughs George. "I suspect that the three of us could spend a decade discussing photography. But I would not wish to bore my companion here. Louis here tell me you have developed some magical means of drawing in light more effectively and closing the aperture faster thus enabling shots from moving dirigibles. I am most keen to see such a development and Mrs. Parker here. My forgiveness for not introducing her," as George conducts introductions all around, "is my magical adviser."</p><p></p><p>Lippmann says, "Yes, the former Mrs. Wilamina Hamilton. Your reputation precedes you." Looking back to George he states, "The engineering is not overly complex, essentially the camera is built to incorporate the same magics used when a Wizard casts a 'Haste' spell, but instead of speeding up the person's metabolism it speeds up the image being drawn in. A very powerful wizard is needed to cast the spells at the precise moment that the lenses are being shaped, but once that is accomplished it is done." </p><p></p><p>While they are talking Daguerre heads into the darkroom and returns carrying a sheet of photographic paper, 10 by 8 inches in size. He states, "Gabriel has one other innovation that might be of interest to you. He shot this two hours ago while flying over General Orabi's artillery brigade." The sheet is turned over, clearly depicting an army column moving across the desert, in vivid color rather than black-and-white. George gives Mina a knowing look as if to ask if she could replicate the lens. George starts at the color photograph though. "Now this is a marvel. The holy grail we have all been pursuing for so long. Please if I may ask how you can to this break through."</p><p></p><p>Lippman replies, "Through the simultaneous casting of a simple spell onto the paper just before the lens is opened. I call it a Color Cantrip, a zero-level spell that can be taught to almost anybody." "I would be very grateful if you would be able to teach this cantrip to Mrs. Parker if she is willing." asks George. "I would be honored to," Lippmann replies. Meanwhile, Daguerre is busy studying several of the recently taken photographs of Orabi's rebel army.</p><p></p><p>George leaves Mina to learn the spell from Gabriel and heads over to join Louis to examine the photograph more closely, both to see how well the colors come out but also to see the composition of the army and its location. Daguerre shows them to him and says, "On the subject of commercial ventures, how well do you think a book would sell that shows photographs of both armies as they move towards battle as well as their initial clash?"</p><p></p><p>'I think that it would sell tremendously well, provided the cost was not too prohibitive. There are many historians around the world who would wish a copy. I think though that I would love to see photographs of the world's great paintings published as a book. Imagine being able to see Monet with having to travel to the Louvre. How art could be spread reducing the need hopefully for photos of armies." replies George.</p><p></p><p>Daguerre replies, "My artist colleagues have expressed similar comments, including Claude Monet. This book will be more than just a historical record of a minor skirmish between an Empire's army and some upstart rebels. When the book becomes a best seller it will also serve as free publicity for the viability of our two primary commercial ventures, color photography and the many uses of dirigibles. You see Mr. Eastman, my French companions have expensive tastes and we are no longer subsidized by either the French Government or the various Universities in Paris. We need to come up with other means to survive, and the money made from our inventions will serve as that source."</p><p></p><p>George responds, "I quite well know that technical innovations can finance philanthropic ventures. But do not dismiss the wonderful resource that the book would be as a historical record. Perhaps aerial photographs of the pyramids and other wonders. Not to mention their value to geographers and surveyors." They continue to looks at the photographs for a while. George and Mina then head back downstairs in search of where Ruby has gone to.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 5707483, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 58 "Information for Sarah” (Episode Two, Chapter Eighteen - Friday, September 9, 1882, 9:00 A.M.[/B] At Tanis, Merimee leads Abigail (magically disguised as the French actress Sarah Bernhardt) out of the tent and to a sand dune off to the left, away from the remainder of the camp. The area smells awful as it is adjacent to the camel pen, but the animal sounds will keep any conversation from carrying. He says, "Sarah, we are now alone. Four of my team have abandoned me, only Rodin remains and he is currently deep inside the ruins. But before we start discussing your current distress let me ask you this, that other man with you, can he be trusted? He does not look Egyptian but I am assuming that he is, and a powerful enough wizard to cast a Transportation Spell to bring you here." She says, "I trust him absolutely, I wouldn't have let him bring me here otherwise. But please, update me on what is going on here." Merimee states, "Dearest Sarah, for you to have traveled here and in this mood can I safely presume that your team leader Gay-Lussac explained the tasks that you and Mr. Sardou must play in order this entire mission to succeed?" She grunted and folded her arms across her chest, looking out at the camel pen and waited for the man to go on. He approaches her and wraps his arms around her, closing them across her. "Sarah, I understand, those who devised this plan are of an earlier generation than I, they grew up around Napoleon and shared with his ambitions. They think little of the moral implications, seeing the world as a giant chess board, one that is on the verge of being taken away from them. They desperately need us, they need you. The two wizards who died last winter, Pascal and Monteblanc, they did not perish in an accidental fire as was previously stated. They were the first who Chevreul and Daguerre tied to have infiltrate the Royal Palace in Cairo. It was assumed that the advanced magical transformations would be completely undetectable as is almost always the case. But the King's fortress protections can apparently detect even the best of magics. They were captured, tortured and killed, never revealing their true identities or nationalities. That is our group's true weakness, our dependence upon magic. Chevreul only took me into his confidence about the mission because he needed you and Sardou for your superior acting and disguise abilities. There is no other way to get Moissan's elixir into the building." She states, “There is always another way to get something done, there is only lack of imagination. Maybe they should have their chess board taken away." He removes his folded hands from around her waist and begins to pace. "You could say we HAVE had OUR chess board taken away. The rest of the ruling council did not take kindly to our attempts to retrieve the Atlantian artifacts from America last spring. Both Victor Duruy and Empress Eugenia Maria have been stripped of their council positions. We no longer have any of our group, or any mages at for that matter, influencing the affairs of France. And the Druidess who runs the council is now talking about registration and restrictions on all Wizards and Magic." She replies, "Registration and restrictions? What kind of restrictions? If the mission to America has been successful they would have been lining up to kiss your feet." He replies, "Louise Michael is trying to gain favor with the British and the Italians, as well as to reconcile with the Americans. France stands to no longer be a nation that supports the use of Wizard magics. That is the impetus behind Daguerre and Chevreul's bold plan, so that we will not need France as our base any more, we will have all of Egypt instead." Abby nodded seriously, her concern all too real. She certainly didn't mind these French bastards getting some of their own back, but the loss of a wizard friendly country was disturbing. "It would have been good to know this before, not that I like the mission any better." Merimee states, "Of course you don't, that is because you are a good person. To be asked to participate in a mass murder is unpleasant to all of us with morals. But dearest Sarah, it is the only way, and all depends upon you and Sardou. The Egyptian King will never make peace with the Rebels. It is only through the elimination of him and his sons that we will be able to rule through our puppet Queen." Abby quickly dropped her head so Merimee wouldn't see her reaction. As he finished she let her shoulders slump. "France will be lost to us forever. We guarantee and validate the distrust of wizards and arcane magic. And for security, for the lifetime of a puppet-Queen, I fear we may be short-sighted." He replies, "I do not disagree, but I have little say in the matter. Durey and the Empress have caused the others to distrust all of us performers and politicians represented by the diamonds suite. They only brought me into their confidence because of their need for the two of you to get the elixir into the palace. That is why I have reinvigorated my search for the Atlantis gateway. If we were to find it within the next three days the royals can be spared, as the Egyptian King would gladly form a partnership to share in the treasures of Atlantis. I am certain it is here in Tanis, unfortunately two-thirds of my team have abandoned me, and the British archaeologists who were here before us appear to know nothing of the gate." She sniffed derisively. "The British knowing nothing does not surprise me. But what happened with your team? Why have they gone?" Merimee curses a sting of choice explicatives and then states, "Because three of them are engineers and not archaeologists. They had orders to return to Port Said and the study the canal AFTER we found the gate, but under Ampere's leadership they decided to abandon this site early. He said they needed to fully study the engineering now before we turn it over to the British. I have already filed a protest with Chevruel, he is after all the Ace of Clubs, and Ampere reports to him as his Jack. I have also requested that Dominique Larrey's team be relocated here as soon as possible. They have real archaeologists upon their team and I estimate that the Nubian site has only a ten-percent likelihood of having the Atlantian gateway, while this site is estimated to be at a sixty-percent probability." She asks, "You think perhaps Ampere is trying to sabotage you?" Prosper replies, "No, but I do think is was a mistake for us to have stopped by the canal first. Once they saw the engineering station and technologies that were employed there that is all Ampere, Eiffel and Fouccalt would talk about. They had no interest at in all searching here for the gate. After two days they extracted the miniature dirigible prematurely and convinced Laveran to be their pilot and navigator." "Garden variety selfishness then." Abby paused and put on her most childlike face. "I'm not sure I can do this... do you at least think the plan is sound?" He replies, "I think that the plan is overly complex, but has worked as planned thus far. There has been one possible complication in Zakazik, a small group of rich American tourists. Daguerre feels that their presence can work to our advantage, as they will be witnesses to the wedding of our future Queen and the rebel General. But we must be extremely careful, the matriarch of that group once studied magic with Jules Verne's mother. Yet again I am saddened that Verne was forced to resign from our group, his son Michael is a poor substitute." Abby states, "Americans are independent and unpredictable. They cause complications with every footstep. Do you think I'll have to be careful of them myself?" He replies, "No, they seem content to remain in Zakazik. They are going nowhere near Heliopolis or Cairo. Regarding Heliopolis, do you anticipate any difficulty with the shepherds? And how is Gerome doing with convincing that fanatic Abdulla to get his rabble to attack the Palace?" She states, "Abdulla is a fanatic, and like most of them, he's a little more enamored of himself than he should be. Gerome is taking a little more time than he'd like, trying to at least make it so Adbulla can lie to himself about it all being his idea.” Prosper smiles and says, "That is good. It is fortunate that we have found the perfect scapegoat to blame the royal family's deaths upon." She continues, “The shepherds should be much easier." Abby rubbed her temple then laid her hand against her chest for a moment. "I'm sorry, every since I got here I've had a bit of a headache." His face takes on a stern look and he says, "Sarah! Never underestimate a spell caster. The woman who you will be impersonating is a skilled druid, more than capable of defending herself. And the other shepherds are skilled fighters, experienced with protecting the royal flock from both bandits and desert jackals. You will only have a short window of opportunity as they near Cairo and you must take them without attracting undue attention." She states, "I didn't mean it that way, of course I will take her seriously. I meant only that compared with Abdullah, at least this part is straight-forward. Don't worry. I want to return from this mission, even if it will haunt me." He replies, "Good, and you do not need to worry about the shepherds, they are innocent and will not be harmed. Moissan has an elixir that will cause them to simply forget what transpired for half a day. Gay-Lussac can even place thoughts in their minds so that they will even remember delivering the animals. Sarah, please, promise me that you will carry out your part of this plan, and that you will convince Sardou too as well. I understand your reservations but we must do this. Now is not the time for us to be weak, Portugal and Spain both came close to setting foot upon Atlantis, we must win this race rather than them." Abby looked down but nodded yes. "I won't let you down, I promise. With what is at stake... We will get it done." He embraces her, kisses her forehead, and states, "I know you will my dear. You must not linger here too long, if August Rodin sees you here I would have much to explain." She says, "Of course. I will see you again, after... I hope it's all worth it." With that Abby turned and hurried back toward the tent, trying to keep her pounding heart in her chest. Back in Zakazik, Mina and George follow Daguerre into the dirigible. They note that the lower level is covered with framed papers stating directions in both French and German. The lower level has all of the cannon and ammunition and closely resembles warships that both have been upon before. Daguerre appears rather spry for a man almost a century old as he bounds up a metal spiral-staircase to the upper level, gesturing for the two to follow. "Louis here says they have found a way to use magic that can aide the process of taking a photograph with a short aperture time to facilitate photographs from say the dirigible. I would like to have to look at it. I am very keen to see how this is done." explains George as he motions Mina before him on the staircase. As they reach the upper deck they see that the forward section has the airship controls and the rear section appears to be some type of workshop, with wooden tables. The center of the room has a ten by fourteen foot section blocked off with thick black curtains and George smells the distinct aroma of photographic chemicals. They also note the spring mechanisms used to reduce the size of this section by half during the recoil of the gun fire. Mina concludes "I do not think I would enjoy being here when the floor moves, it would be worse that the rides at the World's Fair." "No worse than a ship on a rough ocean I would suspect, nor would I expect Louis would be developing during combat. Well unless surveillance photos are needed" says George with a wink to Louis. Daguerre laughs and says, "No sir, I agree with the lady, this vessel would be too much for my old bones. I will keep to the other dirigible." He calls into the canvas area in French stating "Gabriel, come out here, we have distinguished company." George waits to meet Gabriel. A young man exits, his hair matted in part to the side with photograph chemicals, silver dust on the sleeves of his worn work shirt and his necktie loosened. The man looks to be no more than a teenage but George suspects him older. Daguerre states, "This is my apprentice Gabriel Lippmann, may I introduce you to George Eastman." The man's jaws drop and he exclaims "THE George Eastman! it is an honor to make your acquaintance sir! George has heard before of Lippmann, a chemist and photographer who is actually George's senior in age. Most notable are innovations of Lippmann's on optical lens technology used for cameras. "It is my honor as well Gabriel" replies George. "If this dirigible crashed now it would set the science and art of photography back a hundred years!" laughs George. "I suspect that the three of us could spend a decade discussing photography. But I would not wish to bore my companion here. Louis here tell me you have developed some magical means of drawing in light more effectively and closing the aperture faster thus enabling shots from moving dirigibles. I am most keen to see such a development and Mrs. Parker here. My forgiveness for not introducing her," as George conducts introductions all around, "is my magical adviser." Lippmann says, "Yes, the former Mrs. Wilamina Hamilton. Your reputation precedes you." Looking back to George he states, "The engineering is not overly complex, essentially the camera is built to incorporate the same magics used when a Wizard casts a 'Haste' spell, but instead of speeding up the person's metabolism it speeds up the image being drawn in. A very powerful wizard is needed to cast the spells at the precise moment that the lenses are being shaped, but once that is accomplished it is done." While they are talking Daguerre heads into the darkroom and returns carrying a sheet of photographic paper, 10 by 8 inches in size. He states, "Gabriel has one other innovation that might be of interest to you. He shot this two hours ago while flying over General Orabi's artillery brigade." The sheet is turned over, clearly depicting an army column moving across the desert, in vivid color rather than black-and-white. George gives Mina a knowing look as if to ask if she could replicate the lens. George starts at the color photograph though. "Now this is a marvel. The holy grail we have all been pursuing for so long. Please if I may ask how you can to this break through." Lippman replies, "Through the simultaneous casting of a simple spell onto the paper just before the lens is opened. I call it a Color Cantrip, a zero-level spell that can be taught to almost anybody." "I would be very grateful if you would be able to teach this cantrip to Mrs. Parker if she is willing." asks George. "I would be honored to," Lippmann replies. Meanwhile, Daguerre is busy studying several of the recently taken photographs of Orabi's rebel army. George leaves Mina to learn the spell from Gabriel and heads over to join Louis to examine the photograph more closely, both to see how well the colors come out but also to see the composition of the army and its location. Daguerre shows them to him and says, "On the subject of commercial ventures, how well do you think a book would sell that shows photographs of both armies as they move towards battle as well as their initial clash?" 'I think that it would sell tremendously well, provided the cost was not too prohibitive. There are many historians around the world who would wish a copy. I think though that I would love to see photographs of the world's great paintings published as a book. Imagine being able to see Monet with having to travel to the Louvre. How art could be spread reducing the need hopefully for photos of armies." replies George. Daguerre replies, "My artist colleagues have expressed similar comments, including Claude Monet. This book will be more than just a historical record of a minor skirmish between an Empire's army and some upstart rebels. When the book becomes a best seller it will also serve as free publicity for the viability of our two primary commercial ventures, color photography and the many uses of dirigibles. You see Mr. Eastman, my French companions have expensive tastes and we are no longer subsidized by either the French Government or the various Universities in Paris. We need to come up with other means to survive, and the money made from our inventions will serve as that source." George responds, "I quite well know that technical innovations can finance philanthropic ventures. But do not dismiss the wonderful resource that the book would be as a historical record. Perhaps aerial photographs of the pyramids and other wonders. Not to mention their value to geographers and surveyors." They continue to looks at the photographs for a while. George and Mina then head back downstairs in search of where Ruby has gone to. [/QUOTE]
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