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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: 6967074" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 113, "The Trial" , September 12, 1882, 10:30 AM. </strong></p><p></p><p>Returning the the main chamber. There are a minimum of people present, Queen Neferka, her mother and both sisters, Barrister Sefu, Lt. Col. Hassan, Sabah-Bast, around a dozen servants, a half-dozen priestesses of Bast and twenty Egyptian soldiers. At the far side of the room are the other members of the AGELESS party (minus John Hardin, who hasn't been seen for several hours). </p><p></p><p>Ruby comes forward and bows before the Queen. "Queen Nerferka, we have questioned two of the wizards. I believe we have found the mastermind behind it all. The Frenchman Daguerre admitted it, though not in words. George questioned him while I read his mind without his knowledge. He did tell some truths but in his mind he admitted he is the leader of all these wizards and plots. He does keep to his story, in which he accuses us of being under Freya's control. The Bast Priestess confirmed from her that is not so."</p><p></p><p>"George states, "The only defense he puts forward is that Freya, who he believes is actually her Grandmother Astrid, beguilded many of his experienced wizards and made them perform the acts they were witnessed doing. He denies facts when presented with them and attempts to cast everything as a conspiracy against them. Had that been the truth, we would merely think him demented, as it is his evasion is evidence of his pernicious plot. Freya here submitted to a truth spell, where Daguerre would not, further undermining his credibility. Additionally, though he denies leadership, Bast herself told me of his guilt." </p><p></p><p>Sabah/Bast steps forward and says, "Yes, he is one of those involved in the conspiracy. I had read Gouraud's thoughts earlier when Barrister Sefu was questioning him. Fourteen of the French were directly involved in the conspiracy to murder the previous Pharaoh, ten of whom are in the rooms below, with the other four having already been slain." George interjects, "So Queen Neferka, what do you decree as justice?" </p><p></p><p>Neferka says, "We will bring all Nineteen French and their guards up here to stand before me. These ten will have justice dispensed and the other nine will stand as witnesses." Sabah tells Neferka "Some of those other nine are guilty of other crimes against your Kingdom." "Not to mention kidnapping a British General, they may want to either have a crack at them or at least know justice was meted out." adds George before he saunters back to an alcove an pours himself a brandy. Ruby exclaims, "We will stand by your side, Your Majesty. Just let us know what you need from us." Ruby and George go and stand over by the rest of their group. </p><p></p><p>Guards start to head out to retrieve the prisoners. Before any of them are brought to the temporary throne room, the silence of the room is shattered by the sudden appearance of a trio of people who teleport into the room. They are immediately recognized as John Wesley Hardin, the druidess Merin, and the Mexican wizard Manual Gonzales. All are disheveled, have torn clothing smelling of smoke and visible wounds, although none of the wounds appear to be serious. </p><p></p><p>"Teacher!" Ruby yells and runs towards him. "What happened? Are you alright?" He laughs, "Oh yes, my little bird. One second please, I have a task to perform." He removes the satchel from his shoulder and opens it. From it climb out a miniature centaur, six inches tall, and a six-inch tall dark-skinned warrior. Gonzales casts a Dispel Magic on them and they enlarge, revealing themselves to be the centaur druid Cetan and the Nubian Ogre Prince who Ruby met at the banquet. They also appear to be a little worse for the wear. Gonzales tells Ruby "I had to shrink them down for transport due to the weight limit of the spell." </p><p></p><p>George pours two more brandies and brings them over to Manual and John. "Here, looks like you needs these." Ruby's eyes went wide then she laughed. "I know you and they wouldn't be here if you didn't think it was necessary. If everyone is alright, then carry on." Both of them gladly accept George's offered drinks. Hardin downs his in one shot and hands the glass back to George adding, "Thanks, our little adventure built up quite a thirst, although I did manage to get a quick refreshment when our battle ventured near the wine cellar." </p><p></p><p>Gonzales walks over to Neferka and kneels down. "Your Royal Majesty, Pharaoh Neferka of Egypt. I am but a humble servant who has undertaken a task on your behalf. We were successful in our quest. I present this to you." He removes from his satchel an elaborate gold box, approximately six-inches square, with rubies and emeralds encrusted onto the design. Ruby steps up next to Gonzales. "I don't know what that is but it looks important. Your Majesty, this is my teacher and friend and he can be trusted." </p><p></p><p>Bast/Sabah nods to Neferka who now smiles knowingly and declares, "This box contains the French wizard's most precious artifact, the very jewelry which grants them long life." Gonzales says to Ruby and George, "It occurred to me that with four-dozen of their team here in Egypt, that only left four low-level members back at their manor house in France with the item." Gesturing towards his companions Gonzales says, "I was able to find some volunteers to help me go retrieve it." Hardin adds to Ruby and George, "It sounded more interesting than just standing around this temple waiting for you guys to arrive." </p><p></p><p>Ruby exclaims, "Wow, really? I mean... so what will you do with it? Use it to threaten them or actually, use it use it. However that works." Neferka says, "I have not decided yet." She summons Sefu over towards her and hands it to him saying "Keep this close, I will probably need it soon, but they do not need to know yet that I possess it." Ruby kept her eye on the box while escorting her friends back over to the larger group. "</p><p></p><p>She says to Gonzales, "My my teacher, you HAVE been busy! You and all your secrets... one day you'll have to tell me how you know so much of what is going on in the world!" He says, "I lived before in Paris, so was familiar with those wizards. They always guarded there manor house from outsiders. I just did the math once I found out that they had fielded six teams of eight here, so that didn't leave many there." Ruby sighed. "Ah, Paris. Another place I need to visit! Though I have to admit, this "vacation" didn't go as planned," she laughed. </p><p></p><p><em>[DM's Note: The assault on the Weekly Wizards castle in Paris had originally been intended for the module's climax battle. However, as I give players vast amount of freedom to go in any direction they want that wasn't how things were falling together. So I decided to still go through with the encounter, but to instead use NPC's and a pair of former PC's who hadn't been seen in a while.]</em></p><p></p><p>George motions one of the Egyptian guards over and starts a conversation with him. He starts to object pointing to his insignia and George silences him with a finger. He speaks very sternly to the soldier as he points to the Queen and Sefu. The soldier looks, gulps and nods. George and the soldier leave the room, but return in a few minutes with several other soldiers, all of whom are carrying chairs. George has managed to round up some more glasses and alcohol. "Hey if we are going to have a trial, might as well get comfortable right?" he says offering Ruby a chair. He also fills Barrister Sefu on more details of the prisoner interrogation.</p><p></p><p>Exhausted and in pain, Abby had quietly removed herself before George, Mina and Ruby had gone downstairs for the prisoner interrogations. Her thinking and memory were fuzzy from the fact that it was at least two whole days since she'd slept for more than an hour at a time, and the aching from her painfully pulled arms. So rather than try to question prisoners in that condition, Abby had asked for and gotten a clean gown, a chance to clean herself up, and best of all something for the pain. The exhaustion only sleep could cure. She sat, tall and quiet, with hair the color of honey hanging luxuriously down past her shoulders and her wire-framed glasses perched on her nose, and was unrecognizable to most who had seen her only in this mad scramble in Egypt. </p><p></p><p>The nineteen French are brought to the chamber in groups based upon the room and guard level they were at. The first set are the five diplomats who had been visiting with the King in Cairo, consisting of the former French Empress Eugenia Maria de Montijo de Guzman, her contemporary and diplomatic team leader Victor Duruy, the opera singer Jean Baptiste Faure, the philosopher and historian Maximillien Paul Emile Littre, and the painter Edgar Degas. They are given five comfortable chairs to sit in without restraints or gags. Queen Neferka's mother speaks primarily to her friend the Empress, telling the five that they are to remain silent unless directly asked a question by either Queen Neferka or Barrister Sefu. A few guards position themselves a short distance behind these chairs.</p><p></p><p>Next are the seven French under heavier guard. They consist of the Egyptology expert Jean-Francois Champollion, the philosophyer Hippolyte Adolphe Taine, the diplomat Frederic Passy, the physicist Joseph Louis Gay-Luccac, the writer Prosper Merimee, the very elderly inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard and historian Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot who George has just delivered from the battle at Tel El Kabir. They too are given chairs to sit in and their restraints are removed, and the gags over their mouths are loosened but not removed. Barrister Sefu informs this group that they are to remain silent and keep their hands on the chair arms at all times. If specifically asked a question, they are then to raise a single hand to lower the gag and answer it, otherwise any other movement of their hands will result in them being restrained further. An individual guard is positioned immediately behind each chair, while the leader of this guard squadron stands to the front side of this group where he can watch all seven of these prisoners. </p><p></p><p>Next are the trio that Lawrence and Callum have just brought in from Heliopolis, consisting of the alchemists Henri Moissan and Charles Robert Richet and the linquist Rene Belloq. They are brought into the room still tied and gagged in the chairs that they have now been secured in, an ogre guard carrying each chair. They are positioned separate from the first two groups but where they can see what transpires in the room. The ogre guards stay with the prisoners. </p><p></p><p>The remaining three men and a woman are carried into the room, with steel manacles still on their wrists and ankles and a heavy gag on their mouths. Each of the three men is physically carried by a quartet of guards. The woman is brought in on a blanket carried by a quartet of guards. They are each brought to a separate stone support beam in the room where each are sat on the floor sitting up, with their backs against the column. The men consist of the pair that the Princess and Freya had brought in, the inventor Louis Jacques Mande Daguree and the chemist Michel Eugne Chevreul, the third man is Napoleon Bonapare's friend Baron Gaspard Gouraud, who had previously been identified as the man who handed the fake Orabi the invisible gun used to assassinate the King. The woman is the actress Sarah Berhardt, who had been impersonating Princess Neferka. The quartet of guards remain with each one. </p><p></p><p>Neferka turns to Sefu and states, "Barrister, you may begin." He says, "We will derive the facts of this case and Queen Neferka will then pass judgment. Some, if not all, of you Frenchmen and Frenchwomen who came here under the guise of peace were here instead to support the rebellion and were directly or indirectly responsible for the assassination of the Egyptian King. We will ascertain the truth and the involvement of each. Nobody in the room is to speak unless directly addressed by either myself, Queen Neferka or the High-Priestess Sabah. Also note that any untruthful statements made will be immediately known by the High-Priestess and will be construed as an admission of guilt."</p><p></p><p>Sefu begins by detailing the specifics of what transpired in the small pyramid when the King was assassinated, which he was personally a witness to and how the invisible gun used by Orabi to kill the King had been handed to him by Baron Gauroud. He summons several guards, who bring in the dead body of General Orabi. Sabah steps forward and says "I will now dispel the magic" and waves her hand. The body transforms into that of the French painter Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. Many of the French in the room appear surprised by this revelation.</p><p></p><p>Sefu approaches Gouraud and orders the guards to remove his gag. Sefu says, "Answer only Yes or No. Were you aware Baron that the man beside you in the temple was Mr. Meissonier and not General Orabi." Baron says, "Yes, however..." he does not get any further when he is restrained and re-gagged. Sefu addresses the assembled room stating loudly. "When asked for a one-word answer please comply." Queen Neferka rises from her throne and approaches. She tells Sefu "This man's guilt has been established to my satisfaction. His confirmation of my husband's innocence has now been established as well. You may proceed with the others." </p><p></p><p>Next he approaches the woman Sarah Bernhardt and asks her a series of questions about her actions in the temple. She answers all questions asked, and Sabah nods affirmation of the statements. Bernhardt admits to having impersonated Neferka and that she knew that it was not the real General Orabi with her, however she categorically denies having had any knowledge of the invisible gun or the planned assassination of the King. Sefu has her re-gagged. Sefu tells the group of Chevrul and Daguree's teleportation out the temple following the assassination. He then turns to George and says, "Mr. Eastman, you know further of the involvement of these two men. Would you care to share your findings?" </p><p></p><p>George hands his bourbon to Ruby and stands up and came before the Queen. "All the facts will come out eventually, regarding the kidnapping of the Princess, General Orabi and the British General. The fact that some members of this group instigated the riot in Cairo, and shelled the royal palace. Some were seeking to steal the dowry, poison the royal family, oh goodness the list of nefarious deeds can go on. But it must be know that under interrogation Messier Daguree did identify himself as the leader of the entire organization, and is the mastermind behind the entire cabal for regicide." </p><p></p><p>Neferka states emphatically, "The mastermind you say. And do you know which of these others were part of the conspiracy and which were not? I am a fairly good judge of character and it appeared to me that Mr. Duruy and the Empress were sincere in their talks with my parents, seeking to find a negotiated peace." He replies, "I know of those whom I saw and had witnesses to acts they performed. With such a widespread effort, I was not able to determine everything. But no, not all of the wizards were involved, it seems this plot was concocted by a cabal at the top, of just fourteen members. </p><p></p><p>And as you have seen not all were given full knowledge of the plot. The Goddess Bast told me who was involved, rather than repeat what she said, since she is here, I will let her give direct testimony. I can validate though, that through interrogation we did establish beyond her observation, the guilt of several of that cabal" Sabah steps forward and her face transforms from human to feline. </p><p></p><p>"I am Bast!" she states, her voice resonating throughout the room and commanding the full attention of everybody present. She first gestures to the five French sitting in the nicer chairs and without restraints stating, "The Pharoah presumed correctly, these five are completely innocent. In fact, the conspirators original plan was to have these five perish from ingesting same poison as the Royal family. That would have provided coverage for the French involvement in the deaths, if several of their own, including two of their leaders, had also died." </p><p></p><p>She then turns towards the group of seven who are gagged but unrestrained. She points towards Frederic Passy and Hippolyte Taine, stating "These two are also innocent, rise and go join the other five." They do so. She gestures towards Sarah Bernhardt and says, "She did not know of the conspiracy to murder the royal family, but was still an accomplice, willingly impersonating the then Princess Neferka with knowledge that the goal was to manipulate her. The Pharaoh can decide her punishment."</p><p></p><p>Lastly she turns to Jean-Francois Champollion and states loudly and angrily "He was not involved with the plot to kill the Egyptian royal family, but he is guilty of an even greater crime. He is responsible for systematically desecrating my temples, destroying my statues and stealing the riches of Egypt itself. After the Pharoah has passed judgment on the others I request that he be given to me, to learn the true meaning of a God's wrath." "Granted", Neferka states as she gestures to several guards who pull Champollion from his chair and forcibly restrain him. </p><p></p><p>Bast steps back and says, "These other ten are all conspirators that were directly responsible for the death of the Pharoah and his sons." She gestures to them, specifically Daguree, Gouraud, Chevruel, Moissan, Bellocq, Richet, Jacquard, Gay-Luccac, Merimee and Guizot." Neferka says, "Testimony from these men is not necessary, the word of the Goddess Bast is fact." She turns to George and says, "Mr. Eastman, do you know what the motivation was for these men?" </p><p></p><p>He states, "While we cannot be absolutely certain, we do have a some evidence of their motive. France has long been a country tolerant of arcane magic. Recently, public opinion has been moving more in line with the majority of European nations in banning arcane magic. The French wizards were fearful of losing not only their prestige, but legal status. In Egypt they saw not only a country where arcane magic was tolerated and legal, but was undergoing enough political instability that a coup could be staged. </p><p></p><p>That is what their motivation was, to depose the royal family and establish a either a sympathetic ruler, or an imposter so that Egypt would continue to be a safe haven for arcane magic. They took advantage of the Royal family and army, General Orabi and the rebel forces and the British forces. They used the pretext of being a neutral party to manipulate all the sides, turning them further against each other and using the ensuing chaos to implement their plans. Which were present in redundancy to ensure their success. In addition, I believe that they were also intent upon plundering the country of wealth and ancient artifacts for personal gain." </p><p></p><p>Neferka turns towards George's companions and asks "Do any of you have things that you would like to add regarding these ten conspirators?" Ruby replied, "I believe George said it all Your Majesty. Though we are rather new to this whole plot, we have a lot of good people who were here helping in different ways to get what it was all about. I hope we have done well and been helpful." Abby stood and offered, "Beyond the word of the Goddess, more is not necessary. However, I can give more details about the roles of Belloq, Merimee, and Bernhardt if you wish to hear it." "Please do", Neferka states. </p><p></p><p>Abby states, "Before the successful assault on the King, another assault was planned by subtler means. Myself and some compatriots had infiltrated a French camp. Prosper Merimee was in charge at that camp, and Miss Bernhardt is his apprentice. I was magically disguised as Miss Bernhardt and he happened to see me, he assumed his apprentice had arrived to protest the mission she was given. We spoke at some length. Merimee spoke of two french wizards who had been caught attempting to infiltrate the Palace the year before, Pascal and Monteblanc, and were killed. They wanted Miss Bernhardt and Sardou to use mundane disguises to infiltrate the palace and bring with them an elixir created by Moissan. </p><p></p><p>When discussing the mission, Merimee said they had been "asked to participate in mass murder." He spoke of the elimination of the King and his sons so the French wizards could rule through a puppet Queen. Merimee expressed regret for the action, but was willing to go through with it. He expected his apprentice to object but also expected her to carry it out. In fact he begged her to do so and to convince Sardou as well. I also learned from him that they had someone whispering in the ear of Abdullah, to get him to attack the Palace so they could use him as a scapegoat. </p><p></p><p>He also encouraged his apprentice not to underestimate Meren, and described how the shepherds were not to be harmed and their best chance would be just outside Cairo. Myself and my compatriots took action to interrupt this plan, which is where I had the distinct displeasure of meeting Rene Belloq." </p><p> </p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 6967074, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 113, "The Trial" , September 12, 1882, 10:30 AM. [/B] Returning the the main chamber. There are a minimum of people present, Queen Neferka, her mother and both sisters, Barrister Sefu, Lt. Col. Hassan, Sabah-Bast, around a dozen servants, a half-dozen priestesses of Bast and twenty Egyptian soldiers. At the far side of the room are the other members of the AGELESS party (minus John Hardin, who hasn't been seen for several hours). Ruby comes forward and bows before the Queen. "Queen Nerferka, we have questioned two of the wizards. I believe we have found the mastermind behind it all. The Frenchman Daguerre admitted it, though not in words. George questioned him while I read his mind without his knowledge. He did tell some truths but in his mind he admitted he is the leader of all these wizards and plots. He does keep to his story, in which he accuses us of being under Freya's control. The Bast Priestess confirmed from her that is not so." "George states, "The only defense he puts forward is that Freya, who he believes is actually her Grandmother Astrid, beguilded many of his experienced wizards and made them perform the acts they were witnessed doing. He denies facts when presented with them and attempts to cast everything as a conspiracy against them. Had that been the truth, we would merely think him demented, as it is his evasion is evidence of his pernicious plot. Freya here submitted to a truth spell, where Daguerre would not, further undermining his credibility. Additionally, though he denies leadership, Bast herself told me of his guilt." Sabah/Bast steps forward and says, "Yes, he is one of those involved in the conspiracy. I had read Gouraud's thoughts earlier when Barrister Sefu was questioning him. Fourteen of the French were directly involved in the conspiracy to murder the previous Pharaoh, ten of whom are in the rooms below, with the other four having already been slain." George interjects, "So Queen Neferka, what do you decree as justice?" Neferka says, "We will bring all Nineteen French and their guards up here to stand before me. These ten will have justice dispensed and the other nine will stand as witnesses." Sabah tells Neferka "Some of those other nine are guilty of other crimes against your Kingdom." "Not to mention kidnapping a British General, they may want to either have a crack at them or at least know justice was meted out." adds George before he saunters back to an alcove an pours himself a brandy. Ruby exclaims, "We will stand by your side, Your Majesty. Just let us know what you need from us." Ruby and George go and stand over by the rest of their group. Guards start to head out to retrieve the prisoners. Before any of them are brought to the temporary throne room, the silence of the room is shattered by the sudden appearance of a trio of people who teleport into the room. They are immediately recognized as John Wesley Hardin, the druidess Merin, and the Mexican wizard Manual Gonzales. All are disheveled, have torn clothing smelling of smoke and visible wounds, although none of the wounds appear to be serious. "Teacher!" Ruby yells and runs towards him. "What happened? Are you alright?" He laughs, "Oh yes, my little bird. One second please, I have a task to perform." He removes the satchel from his shoulder and opens it. From it climb out a miniature centaur, six inches tall, and a six-inch tall dark-skinned warrior. Gonzales casts a Dispel Magic on them and they enlarge, revealing themselves to be the centaur druid Cetan and the Nubian Ogre Prince who Ruby met at the banquet. They also appear to be a little worse for the wear. Gonzales tells Ruby "I had to shrink them down for transport due to the weight limit of the spell." George pours two more brandies and brings them over to Manual and John. "Here, looks like you needs these." Ruby's eyes went wide then she laughed. "I know you and they wouldn't be here if you didn't think it was necessary. If everyone is alright, then carry on." Both of them gladly accept George's offered drinks. Hardin downs his in one shot and hands the glass back to George adding, "Thanks, our little adventure built up quite a thirst, although I did manage to get a quick refreshment when our battle ventured near the wine cellar." Gonzales walks over to Neferka and kneels down. "Your Royal Majesty, Pharaoh Neferka of Egypt. I am but a humble servant who has undertaken a task on your behalf. We were successful in our quest. I present this to you." He removes from his satchel an elaborate gold box, approximately six-inches square, with rubies and emeralds encrusted onto the design. Ruby steps up next to Gonzales. "I don't know what that is but it looks important. Your Majesty, this is my teacher and friend and he can be trusted." Bast/Sabah nods to Neferka who now smiles knowingly and declares, "This box contains the French wizard's most precious artifact, the very jewelry which grants them long life." Gonzales says to Ruby and George, "It occurred to me that with four-dozen of their team here in Egypt, that only left four low-level members back at their manor house in France with the item." Gesturing towards his companions Gonzales says, "I was able to find some volunteers to help me go retrieve it." Hardin adds to Ruby and George, "It sounded more interesting than just standing around this temple waiting for you guys to arrive." Ruby exclaims, "Wow, really? I mean... so what will you do with it? Use it to threaten them or actually, use it use it. However that works." Neferka says, "I have not decided yet." She summons Sefu over towards her and hands it to him saying "Keep this close, I will probably need it soon, but they do not need to know yet that I possess it." Ruby kept her eye on the box while escorting her friends back over to the larger group. " She says to Gonzales, "My my teacher, you HAVE been busy! You and all your secrets... one day you'll have to tell me how you know so much of what is going on in the world!" He says, "I lived before in Paris, so was familiar with those wizards. They always guarded there manor house from outsiders. I just did the math once I found out that they had fielded six teams of eight here, so that didn't leave many there." Ruby sighed. "Ah, Paris. Another place I need to visit! Though I have to admit, this "vacation" didn't go as planned," she laughed. [I][DM's Note: The assault on the Weekly Wizards castle in Paris had originally been intended for the module's climax battle. However, as I give players vast amount of freedom to go in any direction they want that wasn't how things were falling together. So I decided to still go through with the encounter, but to instead use NPC's and a pair of former PC's who hadn't been seen in a while.][/I] George motions one of the Egyptian guards over and starts a conversation with him. He starts to object pointing to his insignia and George silences him with a finger. He speaks very sternly to the soldier as he points to the Queen and Sefu. The soldier looks, gulps and nods. George and the soldier leave the room, but return in a few minutes with several other soldiers, all of whom are carrying chairs. George has managed to round up some more glasses and alcohol. "Hey if we are going to have a trial, might as well get comfortable right?" he says offering Ruby a chair. He also fills Barrister Sefu on more details of the prisoner interrogation. Exhausted and in pain, Abby had quietly removed herself before George, Mina and Ruby had gone downstairs for the prisoner interrogations. Her thinking and memory were fuzzy from the fact that it was at least two whole days since she'd slept for more than an hour at a time, and the aching from her painfully pulled arms. So rather than try to question prisoners in that condition, Abby had asked for and gotten a clean gown, a chance to clean herself up, and best of all something for the pain. The exhaustion only sleep could cure. She sat, tall and quiet, with hair the color of honey hanging luxuriously down past her shoulders and her wire-framed glasses perched on her nose, and was unrecognizable to most who had seen her only in this mad scramble in Egypt. The nineteen French are brought to the chamber in groups based upon the room and guard level they were at. The first set are the five diplomats who had been visiting with the King in Cairo, consisting of the former French Empress Eugenia Maria de Montijo de Guzman, her contemporary and diplomatic team leader Victor Duruy, the opera singer Jean Baptiste Faure, the philosopher and historian Maximillien Paul Emile Littre, and the painter Edgar Degas. They are given five comfortable chairs to sit in without restraints or gags. Queen Neferka's mother speaks primarily to her friend the Empress, telling the five that they are to remain silent unless directly asked a question by either Queen Neferka or Barrister Sefu. A few guards position themselves a short distance behind these chairs. Next are the seven French under heavier guard. They consist of the Egyptology expert Jean-Francois Champollion, the philosophyer Hippolyte Adolphe Taine, the diplomat Frederic Passy, the physicist Joseph Louis Gay-Luccac, the writer Prosper Merimee, the very elderly inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard and historian Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot who George has just delivered from the battle at Tel El Kabir. They too are given chairs to sit in and their restraints are removed, and the gags over their mouths are loosened but not removed. Barrister Sefu informs this group that they are to remain silent and keep their hands on the chair arms at all times. If specifically asked a question, they are then to raise a single hand to lower the gag and answer it, otherwise any other movement of their hands will result in them being restrained further. An individual guard is positioned immediately behind each chair, while the leader of this guard squadron stands to the front side of this group where he can watch all seven of these prisoners. Next are the trio that Lawrence and Callum have just brought in from Heliopolis, consisting of the alchemists Henri Moissan and Charles Robert Richet and the linquist Rene Belloq. They are brought into the room still tied and gagged in the chairs that they have now been secured in, an ogre guard carrying each chair. They are positioned separate from the first two groups but where they can see what transpires in the room. The ogre guards stay with the prisoners. The remaining three men and a woman are carried into the room, with steel manacles still on their wrists and ankles and a heavy gag on their mouths. Each of the three men is physically carried by a quartet of guards. The woman is brought in on a blanket carried by a quartet of guards. They are each brought to a separate stone support beam in the room where each are sat on the floor sitting up, with their backs against the column. The men consist of the pair that the Princess and Freya had brought in, the inventor Louis Jacques Mande Daguree and the chemist Michel Eugne Chevreul, the third man is Napoleon Bonapare's friend Baron Gaspard Gouraud, who had previously been identified as the man who handed the fake Orabi the invisible gun used to assassinate the King. The woman is the actress Sarah Berhardt, who had been impersonating Princess Neferka. The quartet of guards remain with each one. Neferka turns to Sefu and states, "Barrister, you may begin." He says, "We will derive the facts of this case and Queen Neferka will then pass judgment. Some, if not all, of you Frenchmen and Frenchwomen who came here under the guise of peace were here instead to support the rebellion and were directly or indirectly responsible for the assassination of the Egyptian King. We will ascertain the truth and the involvement of each. Nobody in the room is to speak unless directly addressed by either myself, Queen Neferka or the High-Priestess Sabah. Also note that any untruthful statements made will be immediately known by the High-Priestess and will be construed as an admission of guilt." Sefu begins by detailing the specifics of what transpired in the small pyramid when the King was assassinated, which he was personally a witness to and how the invisible gun used by Orabi to kill the King had been handed to him by Baron Gauroud. He summons several guards, who bring in the dead body of General Orabi. Sabah steps forward and says "I will now dispel the magic" and waves her hand. The body transforms into that of the French painter Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. Many of the French in the room appear surprised by this revelation. Sefu approaches Gouraud and orders the guards to remove his gag. Sefu says, "Answer only Yes or No. Were you aware Baron that the man beside you in the temple was Mr. Meissonier and not General Orabi." Baron says, "Yes, however..." he does not get any further when he is restrained and re-gagged. Sefu addresses the assembled room stating loudly. "When asked for a one-word answer please comply." Queen Neferka rises from her throne and approaches. She tells Sefu "This man's guilt has been established to my satisfaction. His confirmation of my husband's innocence has now been established as well. You may proceed with the others." Next he approaches the woman Sarah Bernhardt and asks her a series of questions about her actions in the temple. She answers all questions asked, and Sabah nods affirmation of the statements. Bernhardt admits to having impersonated Neferka and that she knew that it was not the real General Orabi with her, however she categorically denies having had any knowledge of the invisible gun or the planned assassination of the King. Sefu has her re-gagged. Sefu tells the group of Chevrul and Daguree's teleportation out the temple following the assassination. He then turns to George and says, "Mr. Eastman, you know further of the involvement of these two men. Would you care to share your findings?" George hands his bourbon to Ruby and stands up and came before the Queen. "All the facts will come out eventually, regarding the kidnapping of the Princess, General Orabi and the British General. The fact that some members of this group instigated the riot in Cairo, and shelled the royal palace. Some were seeking to steal the dowry, poison the royal family, oh goodness the list of nefarious deeds can go on. But it must be know that under interrogation Messier Daguree did identify himself as the leader of the entire organization, and is the mastermind behind the entire cabal for regicide." Neferka states emphatically, "The mastermind you say. And do you know which of these others were part of the conspiracy and which were not? I am a fairly good judge of character and it appeared to me that Mr. Duruy and the Empress were sincere in their talks with my parents, seeking to find a negotiated peace." He replies, "I know of those whom I saw and had witnesses to acts they performed. With such a widespread effort, I was not able to determine everything. But no, not all of the wizards were involved, it seems this plot was concocted by a cabal at the top, of just fourteen members. And as you have seen not all were given full knowledge of the plot. The Goddess Bast told me who was involved, rather than repeat what she said, since she is here, I will let her give direct testimony. I can validate though, that through interrogation we did establish beyond her observation, the guilt of several of that cabal" Sabah steps forward and her face transforms from human to feline. "I am Bast!" she states, her voice resonating throughout the room and commanding the full attention of everybody present. She first gestures to the five French sitting in the nicer chairs and without restraints stating, "The Pharoah presumed correctly, these five are completely innocent. In fact, the conspirators original plan was to have these five perish from ingesting same poison as the Royal family. That would have provided coverage for the French involvement in the deaths, if several of their own, including two of their leaders, had also died." She then turns towards the group of seven who are gagged but unrestrained. She points towards Frederic Passy and Hippolyte Taine, stating "These two are also innocent, rise and go join the other five." They do so. She gestures towards Sarah Bernhardt and says, "She did not know of the conspiracy to murder the royal family, but was still an accomplice, willingly impersonating the then Princess Neferka with knowledge that the goal was to manipulate her. The Pharaoh can decide her punishment." Lastly she turns to Jean-Francois Champollion and states loudly and angrily "He was not involved with the plot to kill the Egyptian royal family, but he is guilty of an even greater crime. He is responsible for systematically desecrating my temples, destroying my statues and stealing the riches of Egypt itself. After the Pharoah has passed judgment on the others I request that he be given to me, to learn the true meaning of a God's wrath." "Granted", Neferka states as she gestures to several guards who pull Champollion from his chair and forcibly restrain him. Bast steps back and says, "These other ten are all conspirators that were directly responsible for the death of the Pharoah and his sons." She gestures to them, specifically Daguree, Gouraud, Chevruel, Moissan, Bellocq, Richet, Jacquard, Gay-Luccac, Merimee and Guizot." Neferka says, "Testimony from these men is not necessary, the word of the Goddess Bast is fact." She turns to George and says, "Mr. Eastman, do you know what the motivation was for these men?" He states, "While we cannot be absolutely certain, we do have a some evidence of their motive. France has long been a country tolerant of arcane magic. Recently, public opinion has been moving more in line with the majority of European nations in banning arcane magic. The French wizards were fearful of losing not only their prestige, but legal status. In Egypt they saw not only a country where arcane magic was tolerated and legal, but was undergoing enough political instability that a coup could be staged. That is what their motivation was, to depose the royal family and establish a either a sympathetic ruler, or an imposter so that Egypt would continue to be a safe haven for arcane magic. They took advantage of the Royal family and army, General Orabi and the rebel forces and the British forces. They used the pretext of being a neutral party to manipulate all the sides, turning them further against each other and using the ensuing chaos to implement their plans. Which were present in redundancy to ensure their success. In addition, I believe that they were also intent upon plundering the country of wealth and ancient artifacts for personal gain." Neferka turns towards George's companions and asks "Do any of you have things that you would like to add regarding these ten conspirators?" Ruby replied, "I believe George said it all Your Majesty. Though we are rather new to this whole plot, we have a lot of good people who were here helping in different ways to get what it was all about. I hope we have done well and been helpful." Abby stood and offered, "Beyond the word of the Goddess, more is not necessary. However, I can give more details about the roles of Belloq, Merimee, and Bernhardt if you wish to hear it." "Please do", Neferka states. Abby states, "Before the successful assault on the King, another assault was planned by subtler means. Myself and some compatriots had infiltrated a French camp. Prosper Merimee was in charge at that camp, and Miss Bernhardt is his apprentice. I was magically disguised as Miss Bernhardt and he happened to see me, he assumed his apprentice had arrived to protest the mission she was given. We spoke at some length. Merimee spoke of two french wizards who had been caught attempting to infiltrate the Palace the year before, Pascal and Monteblanc, and were killed. They wanted Miss Bernhardt and Sardou to use mundane disguises to infiltrate the palace and bring with them an elixir created by Moissan. When discussing the mission, Merimee said they had been "asked to participate in mass murder." He spoke of the elimination of the King and his sons so the French wizards could rule through a puppet Queen. Merimee expressed regret for the action, but was willing to go through with it. He expected his apprentice to object but also expected her to carry it out. In fact he begged her to do so and to convince Sardou as well. I also learned from him that they had someone whispering in the ear of Abdullah, to get him to attack the Palace so they could use him as a scapegoat. He also encouraged his apprentice not to underestimate Meren, and described how the shepherds were not to be harmed and their best chance would be just outside Cairo. Myself and my compatriots took action to interrupt this plan, which is where I had the distinct displeasure of meeting Rene Belloq." [/QUOTE]
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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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