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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: 5044404" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 42, "Doorway to Egypt" (Episode Two, Chapter Two) Wednesday, September 6, 1882, 8:30 A.M. at the Timucuan Conservancy, Jacksonville, Florida</strong></p><p></p><p>During the conversations Alsoomse has been flipping through a series of Greek parchments. She says, "Okay, I found it! It took a while. The Greek historian Herodotus visited Bubastis during the city's greatest era. He refers to the city as 'Per Basta'. The test translates as:</p><p></p><p>"Per Basta is situated on the eastern side of the Pelusiac arm of the Nile. The city is dedicated to the Goddess Bast, the animal sacred to whom was the cat. The temple stands in the center of the city and can be seen from any part of the community. The street leading to the temple is about 1,800 feet in length and 400 feet in width, paved, with trees planted </p><p></p><p>The temple of Bubasus is magnificent, some other temples being larger but no other ever being more beautiful. Bast's temple stands on an island surrounded on all sides by water except at an entrance passage. The water comes from a canal from the Nile that diverts around the temple. The side of the canals are lined with trees. Eachof the walls of the temple are 600 feet square. The vestibule is ornamented with fine figures eighteen feet high. The shrine room is 100 feet broad and 60 feet in height with a statue of the goddess in the center.”</p><p></p><p>"This must have been but a few years before Alexander began his conquest of Persia. I mean Alexandria wasn't even founded yet, and we have a Greek historian documenting the old city? Seems odd to me. But in any case, if the city was moved stone by stone, if the gate in the old location or was it moved and if so does it still function?" asks George </p><p></p><p>James states, "It is probably underground. In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte led a group of approximately 175 scientists, mathematicians, linguists and wizards from the French Academy of Science to Egypt. It was really just an 'excuse' to invade Egypt, with his Army soon following and fighting the British there. But several of these men of science and magic took their jobs seriously. Their top man, who essentially founded the modern school of Egyptology, was Jean-Francois Champollion. He was the one who later discovered and translated the Rosetta Stone in 1809. </p><p></p><p>While the general area where Bubastis had been was known, no real archeological digs had been done. It was Champollion who had the brilliant idea to survey the area from a hot air balloon, where from several thousand feet up you could see the variations in color of the sands, and actually see the outline of the canal that had surrounded the temple. </p><p></p><p>From the center of that he began digging, finding an underground section where the Priests and Priestesses of Bast had lived. When Mina and I visited the site some fifty years ago he had unearthed a series of chambers beneath the sands, including an altar room forty-feet wide, over one-hundred feet long and fifty-feet high, containing a massive statue of Bast with eyes made of huge rubies."</p><p></p><p>Mina says, "He gave a tour to James, Myself and the other members of our team of his diggings. At that time none of the rooms had a doorway like the one that we saw. But that was fifty years ago, he may have excavated more since that time." Ruby exclaims, "Right, so we'd be coming up inside the chamber and may not be able to easily to make our way out, right? Considering ours was covered up with all that dirt, theirs might be too. So we have to hope that they have found the room it's been hidden in."</p><p></p><p>Mina says, "Well, we won't know until we try. James, I would suggest that you stay here and coordinate things. I have no doubt that Jean-Francois Champollion has reached the same conclusion about the armies meeting at Bubastis. He will most likely do anything to keep his excavations from being destroyed by a war, it represents seventy years of his life's work. He would recognize you despite any magical or common disguise." </p><p></p><p>Ruby asks, “Would it be bad if we ran into him in the area of the gate?” James says, "It would, given that he is also a member of the French 'Weekly Wizards' group." Ruby answers, “That’s what I figured, so we should move quickly. But we have one thing they don't have, the gate. So we can get there before them then make sure we don't leave any trace of where it is. So I guess we’re going now? What kinds of things should we bring with us?”</p><p></p><p>James says, "Get whatever standard 'adventuring' supplies you might want to bring as well as any weapons you are proficient with." Abby asks, "What are the customs of dress there?” Hardin's ears perk up at the mention of "...any weapons you are familiar with". "Now that's something I can live with..." He grins wolfishly and starts heading for his room. Pausing in the doorway, he turns and says off-handedly, "Anyone need a hogleg? I have a few extras." </p><p></p><p>Lawrence says, "If you got something trusty, I'd be much obliged. I'm not much of a shot, but a deputy has gotta have a proper gun." Hardin provides Lawrence with a re-chambered 1860 Army Colt and holster. He grins... "Take care of her...she's a bit of an old lady, but still shoots straight!" Lawrence accepts the gun and straps on the gun belt. "I'll take good care of her, Mr. Hardin. Thank you." He draws the Colt and checks the cylinder before holstering it. "It's been a while since I've had to shoot a gun."</p><p></p><p>Abby comments, “Do we want to try to blend in, or are we going to look like archeologists? Or just dress for action?" Abby mulled for a moment. "I like the idea of going off without all you gents. I do like your company now, but ladies do tend to have their own methods when the boys are out of the picture." Ruby started running out of the room to gather her belongings but stopped short. "That is a good question. What kind of clothes would make us fit in there? Certainly huge ball gowns would not be appropriate in the desert of Egypt."</p><p></p><p>Nanuet says, "I'm not exactly sure how one like myself can blend in. I had hoped to bring Maska along with us as well, will that be an issue?" Ruby says, "Why would that be an issue? As far as I am concerned Maska is always a welcome part of our team. She has saved our butts more than once! If you think going through the gate might be dangerous she could go by boat, but since your name probably wasn't listed in the paper due to your ancestry than you can come with us through the gate and she probably can too."</p><p></p><p>Nanuet quietly went about his business. He headed to his lodge on the grounds and packed up his gear. He had done this routine many times before, this was nothing new, but something about this trip bothered him. He was torn between the thrill of going on a new adventure and worrying about the safety of his friends both old and new. Perhaps that is the nature of a healer he thought. Maska nuzzled up against him, knowing something was up. He tussled her hair for a moment and finished packing his gear.</p><p></p><p>Mina arrives attired in a white cotton long-sleeve shirt, sleeveless canvas dress with black woolen trousers beneath, felt wide-brimmed hat and tall boots. She has on a full backpack from which a sawed-off-shotgun is attached to the front outer left side, within reach of her right hand. Her belt has multiple leather pouches of various size and a holstered revolver. And on her shoulder rests Walter, the multi-colored parrot who belongs to their neighbor Alan MacKinnon. </p><p></p><p>Abby decided to dress for action. Or rather, for work. She reentered the room wearing brown trousers made of tough material tucked into knee-high flat-soled boots. A white man's work shirt was underneath her short, tan leather jacket and she carried a wide brimmed man's hat in her hand. Over her shoulder was slung an odd-looking rucksack.</p><p>"I hope someone's bringing something to eat. I'll try anything once, but there are a lot of things I will not eat twice." </p><p></p><p>Ruby had rushed up stairs and took her time returning down with her belongings all packed in her worn backpack. She wore her usual adventuring gear; though it was new to most of this company. She wore a snug white buttoned top which would allow for any movement and tight, flesh colored leather pants with knee high black heeled boots.</p><p></p><p>Once everybody is assembled back downstairs in the tunnel rooms Alsoomse places the octagonal key into the bronze plaque, causing the Atlantean and Timucuan lettering to light up. She reads the writing to herself and then removes the key. She says, "Before we actually open it I want to have each of you eight practice the incantations needed to open both the door to Florida and then the door to Egypt, so that any of you might be able to return through this means." She recites both incantations and asks each of them to repeat it. She then casts a 'Speak with Animals' spell and explains it to the parrot Walter, having him also then practice the incantations. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet listens carefully to the words Alsoomse says before repeating them back. His voice cracks ever so slightly as he attempts the Atlantean line for the Florida door but now that his voice is somewhat warmed up he manages to get the other three lines correct. "What about Maska? Does she need to 'sing' in order to pass through the doors? I don't think that will be possible."</p><p></p><p>Mina says, "Anybody can pass through the doors once they are open. We don't know what is going to happen on the other side, so as a contingency each of us should know how to get back to Florida if one of us needs to return for reinforcements. That's also why I borrowed Walter from our neighbor. It might not be possible for any of us eight to get back quickly, while he could always fly back and speak the commands words to get the others." </p><p></p><p>Lawrence clears his throat, "I gotta admit, I never sang in front of people before. But I'll give it my best shot." He begins to sing in an uncertain tenor, starting each verse strong. He struggles through the second part of each verse, but manages to complete them. George's rich baritone rings out clearly among the company as he practices the incantations. </p><p></p><p>Hardin manages to croak out some lines, but ends on a dismal note as he starts coughing. Abby took a deep breath and sang the lines in an untrained but pleasant enough alto, running out of steam a bit at the end. "Sorry, every now and then my accent gets the better of me." Ruby smiled as she listened to the others sing, she knew she would have no issue with repeating the words and tune. On her turn her angelic soprano voice rang out strong and true.</p><p></p><p>James comments to Mina, "Well my dear, it appears that we won't be able to start a door-opening chorus just yet, but over half of your group appears to be able to return on their own. The real issues will be the coin, as we only have one." </p><p></p><p>Sol brings down a pair of high-backed chairs telling Mina "Will these do?" She replies, "The height looks about right." From inside the octagonal room she places one chair beneath the plaque for the door to Florida. Alsoomse then has the parrot Walter stand atop the chairback, using it as a perch. She has him practice standing on one claw while holding the coin in the other and placing it into the slot with the other claw. Once this is completed she says, "Looks like we're ready to go. It's off to Egypt!" </p><p>The eight adventurers for the trek enter the Octagonal room. They are accompanied by Alsoomse, James, Luiz, Sol and Thomas, who while not going on the Trek can't resist seeing what is on the other immediate side of the doorway. The coin is removed from the Florida doorway and a minute-and-a-half later it closes. The coin is then placed on the Egyptian doorway as they wait for the plaque to light up. Ruby squeezed George's hand in excitement, holding her breath as she waited for the door to another world to open</p><p></p><p>Upon completion of the incantation, including the hard-to-pronounce Egyptian line, the doorway opens. Standing before them is a twenty by thirty foot room, ceiling twelve feet high, made entirely of stone slabs. The doorway is in the center of one of the longer walls, with another closed stone door on the opposite wall. In the center of the room is a small metal fire pit with ash inside it and beside the pit is a small table with a few stone tools on it. </p><p></p><p>The remainder of the room is comprised entirely of shelves along all of the wall, also made of stone slabs and supported by stone pillars. The first shelves all begin three feet above the ground, with ceramic and stone statues and urns on the floor immediately beneath them. The remaining shelves five shelves are each eighteen inches high and are filled with sealed bone scroll cases stacked atop one another. Luiz does a quick count and says, "I estimate that there are between twenty-five hundred and three thousand scroll cases in here." </p><p></p><p>Lawrence looks around the room in awe. "My gods. It would take years to copy all this. Do you think it's a library?" He goes one of the shelves and runs his fingers across the scroll cases. "This is practically a treasure trove." Abby, "There's no practically about it. This is a treasure trove. The possibilities of what might be in here are endless. Words that could literally change the world."</p><p></p><p>Ruby exclaims, "Treasure trove? It's just a boring bunch of words on paper. I bet behind that door," she points across the room, "Is real treasure." She strides over to it to have a look, pulling her hair back into a twist as she does. "I suppose I won't be able to get this one open either, we'll be needing the key. But I'll have a looks anyway." Hardin pokes around half-heartedly at the scrolls, but his eyes brighten considerably at Ruby's demeanor. "A woman after my own heart, Ms. West..." </p><p></p><p>Abby had been moving slowly around the room, drinking in what, if known publicly, would be a find to make a career a hundred times over. "Knowledge is power, Miss West. That dismissive attitude of yours is offensive. Beautiful, rich things are all well and good, but the collective knowledge of an entire civilization can change the world. Real treasure has the power to make change." </p><p></p><p>Fish thinks to himself, "Both those gals are very attractive! I'm staying outta this..."</p><p>Lawrence nods. "I learned that during the war. A few battles could have turned if orders weren't delivered on time or if the commanders had more information." </p><p></p><p>" A wise man cannot feed himself nor others Abby. It takes wealth to put knowledge into action, into real results. Your attitute can be just as offensive as Ruby's. The key to all things is balance. My employees care little for the scientific advancements they are part of, but the profit sharing they are a part of ensures a warm house and good food. Without those, no one can focus on knowledge" replies George in defense of Ruby. She squeezed George's hand tightly in hers. She could always count on him to stand up for her and defend her, even if it was with his own life.</p><p></p><p>Abby states, "I never said material things are without worth, Mr. Eastman. Just that they aren't the only things of worth. So we do not disagree, do we sir?</p><p></p><p>Luiz and James each open a scroll case, one from the left side of the door and one from the right. James says "It has dates in both the Egyptian and Altantean calendars, from the 23rd Dynasty, when this temple was built. This looks like an accounting of that month's expenses building the temple." Luiz says, "Mine also has writing in both languages, and the dates indicate they are from the final Dynasty under Pharaoh Nekhtharheb. That is consistent with when the Pharaohs were assisted by the Atlantean advisors. This one was written just four years before the Battle of Issus, where Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. it talks of the invading armies getting closer and how morale among the Egyptian Army was declining." </p><p></p><p>Alsoomse gestures around the room and says, "It is probably that these are all a chronological record of the millennia or so in between those two periods. If so, these are invaluable for researchers. The last Pharaoh also built a temple here in Bubastis, although its location has never been found." </p><p></p><p>James says, "Once your team leaves with the octagonal key we won't get able to get back in here." He turns to his Grandmother and says, "Alsoomse, why don't you head up to the library room and try to duplicate the low humidity and lighting conditions of this room. We could then safely move these scrolls up there and review them all while Mina and her team are away." Sol says, "I'll help. Some of the equipment that came in on the Magnificence will help to establish those room conditions." The two depart. </p><p></p><p>Another forty-five minutes pass as the scroll cases are all moved back to the Florida Library room, as well as the brazier that had been in the center of the room. The parrot Walter practices placing the coin into the plaque while standing atop one of the shelves near it. </p><p></p><p>The other door has no plaque. Ruby, Luiz and Mina all detect a magical aura around the other door. Luiz suggests using a simple 'Wizard Lock' spell on the other doorway. He casts the spell and the door opens, revealing a ten-foot wide and ninety-foot long stone staircase, with stone walls and stone ceiling twelve feet above the stairs, rising upward to a door at the top. </p><p></p><p>James and Mina embrace, with him giving her a passionate kiss and wishing her luck. He says that somebody will remain near the tunnel door on the Florida side until they return, and not to hesitate to return if they run into trouble. James and Luiz depart from the other eight and the key is then removed from the plaque in what had been the scroll room. Approximately a minute-and-a-half later the doorway closes and Mina says, "Welcome to Egypt everyone!"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 5044404, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 42, "Doorway to Egypt" (Episode Two, Chapter Two) Wednesday, September 6, 1882, 8:30 A.M. at the Timucuan Conservancy, Jacksonville, Florida[/B] During the conversations Alsoomse has been flipping through a series of Greek parchments. She says, "Okay, I found it! It took a while. The Greek historian Herodotus visited Bubastis during the city's greatest era. He refers to the city as 'Per Basta'. The test translates as: "Per Basta is situated on the eastern side of the Pelusiac arm of the Nile. The city is dedicated to the Goddess Bast, the animal sacred to whom was the cat. The temple stands in the center of the city and can be seen from any part of the community. The street leading to the temple is about 1,800 feet in length and 400 feet in width, paved, with trees planted The temple of Bubasus is magnificent, some other temples being larger but no other ever being more beautiful. Bast's temple stands on an island surrounded on all sides by water except at an entrance passage. The water comes from a canal from the Nile that diverts around the temple. The side of the canals are lined with trees. Eachof the walls of the temple are 600 feet square. The vestibule is ornamented with fine figures eighteen feet high. The shrine room is 100 feet broad and 60 feet in height with a statue of the goddess in the center.” "This must have been but a few years before Alexander began his conquest of Persia. I mean Alexandria wasn't even founded yet, and we have a Greek historian documenting the old city? Seems odd to me. But in any case, if the city was moved stone by stone, if the gate in the old location or was it moved and if so does it still function?" asks George James states, "It is probably underground. In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte led a group of approximately 175 scientists, mathematicians, linguists and wizards from the French Academy of Science to Egypt. It was really just an 'excuse' to invade Egypt, with his Army soon following and fighting the British there. But several of these men of science and magic took their jobs seriously. Their top man, who essentially founded the modern school of Egyptology, was Jean-Francois Champollion. He was the one who later discovered and translated the Rosetta Stone in 1809. While the general area where Bubastis had been was known, no real archeological digs had been done. It was Champollion who had the brilliant idea to survey the area from a hot air balloon, where from several thousand feet up you could see the variations in color of the sands, and actually see the outline of the canal that had surrounded the temple. From the center of that he began digging, finding an underground section where the Priests and Priestesses of Bast had lived. When Mina and I visited the site some fifty years ago he had unearthed a series of chambers beneath the sands, including an altar room forty-feet wide, over one-hundred feet long and fifty-feet high, containing a massive statue of Bast with eyes made of huge rubies." Mina says, "He gave a tour to James, Myself and the other members of our team of his diggings. At that time none of the rooms had a doorway like the one that we saw. But that was fifty years ago, he may have excavated more since that time." Ruby exclaims, "Right, so we'd be coming up inside the chamber and may not be able to easily to make our way out, right? Considering ours was covered up with all that dirt, theirs might be too. So we have to hope that they have found the room it's been hidden in." Mina says, "Well, we won't know until we try. James, I would suggest that you stay here and coordinate things. I have no doubt that Jean-Francois Champollion has reached the same conclusion about the armies meeting at Bubastis. He will most likely do anything to keep his excavations from being destroyed by a war, it represents seventy years of his life's work. He would recognize you despite any magical or common disguise." Ruby asks, “Would it be bad if we ran into him in the area of the gate?” James says, "It would, given that he is also a member of the French 'Weekly Wizards' group." Ruby answers, “That’s what I figured, so we should move quickly. But we have one thing they don't have, the gate. So we can get there before them then make sure we don't leave any trace of where it is. So I guess we’re going now? What kinds of things should we bring with us?” James says, "Get whatever standard 'adventuring' supplies you might want to bring as well as any weapons you are proficient with." Abby asks, "What are the customs of dress there?” Hardin's ears perk up at the mention of "...any weapons you are familiar with". "Now that's something I can live with..." He grins wolfishly and starts heading for his room. Pausing in the doorway, he turns and says off-handedly, "Anyone need a hogleg? I have a few extras." Lawrence says, "If you got something trusty, I'd be much obliged. I'm not much of a shot, but a deputy has gotta have a proper gun." Hardin provides Lawrence with a re-chambered 1860 Army Colt and holster. He grins... "Take care of her...she's a bit of an old lady, but still shoots straight!" Lawrence accepts the gun and straps on the gun belt. "I'll take good care of her, Mr. Hardin. Thank you." He draws the Colt and checks the cylinder before holstering it. "It's been a while since I've had to shoot a gun." Abby comments, “Do we want to try to blend in, or are we going to look like archeologists? Or just dress for action?" Abby mulled for a moment. "I like the idea of going off without all you gents. I do like your company now, but ladies do tend to have their own methods when the boys are out of the picture." Ruby started running out of the room to gather her belongings but stopped short. "That is a good question. What kind of clothes would make us fit in there? Certainly huge ball gowns would not be appropriate in the desert of Egypt." Nanuet says, "I'm not exactly sure how one like myself can blend in. I had hoped to bring Maska along with us as well, will that be an issue?" Ruby says, "Why would that be an issue? As far as I am concerned Maska is always a welcome part of our team. She has saved our butts more than once! If you think going through the gate might be dangerous she could go by boat, but since your name probably wasn't listed in the paper due to your ancestry than you can come with us through the gate and she probably can too." Nanuet quietly went about his business. He headed to his lodge on the grounds and packed up his gear. He had done this routine many times before, this was nothing new, but something about this trip bothered him. He was torn between the thrill of going on a new adventure and worrying about the safety of his friends both old and new. Perhaps that is the nature of a healer he thought. Maska nuzzled up against him, knowing something was up. He tussled her hair for a moment and finished packing his gear. Mina arrives attired in a white cotton long-sleeve shirt, sleeveless canvas dress with black woolen trousers beneath, felt wide-brimmed hat and tall boots. She has on a full backpack from which a sawed-off-shotgun is attached to the front outer left side, within reach of her right hand. Her belt has multiple leather pouches of various size and a holstered revolver. And on her shoulder rests Walter, the multi-colored parrot who belongs to their neighbor Alan MacKinnon. Abby decided to dress for action. Or rather, for work. She reentered the room wearing brown trousers made of tough material tucked into knee-high flat-soled boots. A white man's work shirt was underneath her short, tan leather jacket and she carried a wide brimmed man's hat in her hand. Over her shoulder was slung an odd-looking rucksack. "I hope someone's bringing something to eat. I'll try anything once, but there are a lot of things I will not eat twice." Ruby had rushed up stairs and took her time returning down with her belongings all packed in her worn backpack. She wore her usual adventuring gear; though it was new to most of this company. She wore a snug white buttoned top which would allow for any movement and tight, flesh colored leather pants with knee high black heeled boots. Once everybody is assembled back downstairs in the tunnel rooms Alsoomse places the octagonal key into the bronze plaque, causing the Atlantean and Timucuan lettering to light up. She reads the writing to herself and then removes the key. She says, "Before we actually open it I want to have each of you eight practice the incantations needed to open both the door to Florida and then the door to Egypt, so that any of you might be able to return through this means." She recites both incantations and asks each of them to repeat it. She then casts a 'Speak with Animals' spell and explains it to the parrot Walter, having him also then practice the incantations. Nanuet listens carefully to the words Alsoomse says before repeating them back. His voice cracks ever so slightly as he attempts the Atlantean line for the Florida door but now that his voice is somewhat warmed up he manages to get the other three lines correct. "What about Maska? Does she need to 'sing' in order to pass through the doors? I don't think that will be possible." Mina says, "Anybody can pass through the doors once they are open. We don't know what is going to happen on the other side, so as a contingency each of us should know how to get back to Florida if one of us needs to return for reinforcements. That's also why I borrowed Walter from our neighbor. It might not be possible for any of us eight to get back quickly, while he could always fly back and speak the commands words to get the others." Lawrence clears his throat, "I gotta admit, I never sang in front of people before. But I'll give it my best shot." He begins to sing in an uncertain tenor, starting each verse strong. He struggles through the second part of each verse, but manages to complete them. George's rich baritone rings out clearly among the company as he practices the incantations. Hardin manages to croak out some lines, but ends on a dismal note as he starts coughing. Abby took a deep breath and sang the lines in an untrained but pleasant enough alto, running out of steam a bit at the end. "Sorry, every now and then my accent gets the better of me." Ruby smiled as she listened to the others sing, she knew she would have no issue with repeating the words and tune. On her turn her angelic soprano voice rang out strong and true. James comments to Mina, "Well my dear, it appears that we won't be able to start a door-opening chorus just yet, but over half of your group appears to be able to return on their own. The real issues will be the coin, as we only have one." Sol brings down a pair of high-backed chairs telling Mina "Will these do?" She replies, "The height looks about right." From inside the octagonal room she places one chair beneath the plaque for the door to Florida. Alsoomse then has the parrot Walter stand atop the chairback, using it as a perch. She has him practice standing on one claw while holding the coin in the other and placing it into the slot with the other claw. Once this is completed she says, "Looks like we're ready to go. It's off to Egypt!" The eight adventurers for the trek enter the Octagonal room. They are accompanied by Alsoomse, James, Luiz, Sol and Thomas, who while not going on the Trek can't resist seeing what is on the other immediate side of the doorway. The coin is removed from the Florida doorway and a minute-and-a-half later it closes. The coin is then placed on the Egyptian doorway as they wait for the plaque to light up. Ruby squeezed George's hand in excitement, holding her breath as she waited for the door to another world to open Upon completion of the incantation, including the hard-to-pronounce Egyptian line, the doorway opens. Standing before them is a twenty by thirty foot room, ceiling twelve feet high, made entirely of stone slabs. The doorway is in the center of one of the longer walls, with another closed stone door on the opposite wall. In the center of the room is a small metal fire pit with ash inside it and beside the pit is a small table with a few stone tools on it. The remainder of the room is comprised entirely of shelves along all of the wall, also made of stone slabs and supported by stone pillars. The first shelves all begin three feet above the ground, with ceramic and stone statues and urns on the floor immediately beneath them. The remaining shelves five shelves are each eighteen inches high and are filled with sealed bone scroll cases stacked atop one another. Luiz does a quick count and says, "I estimate that there are between twenty-five hundred and three thousand scroll cases in here." Lawrence looks around the room in awe. "My gods. It would take years to copy all this. Do you think it's a library?" He goes one of the shelves and runs his fingers across the scroll cases. "This is practically a treasure trove." Abby, "There's no practically about it. This is a treasure trove. The possibilities of what might be in here are endless. Words that could literally change the world." Ruby exclaims, "Treasure trove? It's just a boring bunch of words on paper. I bet behind that door," she points across the room, "Is real treasure." She strides over to it to have a look, pulling her hair back into a twist as she does. "I suppose I won't be able to get this one open either, we'll be needing the key. But I'll have a looks anyway." Hardin pokes around half-heartedly at the scrolls, but his eyes brighten considerably at Ruby's demeanor. "A woman after my own heart, Ms. West..." Abby had been moving slowly around the room, drinking in what, if known publicly, would be a find to make a career a hundred times over. "Knowledge is power, Miss West. That dismissive attitude of yours is offensive. Beautiful, rich things are all well and good, but the collective knowledge of an entire civilization can change the world. Real treasure has the power to make change." Fish thinks to himself, "Both those gals are very attractive! I'm staying outta this..." Lawrence nods. "I learned that during the war. A few battles could have turned if orders weren't delivered on time or if the commanders had more information." " A wise man cannot feed himself nor others Abby. It takes wealth to put knowledge into action, into real results. Your attitute can be just as offensive as Ruby's. The key to all things is balance. My employees care little for the scientific advancements they are part of, but the profit sharing they are a part of ensures a warm house and good food. Without those, no one can focus on knowledge" replies George in defense of Ruby. She squeezed George's hand tightly in hers. She could always count on him to stand up for her and defend her, even if it was with his own life. Abby states, "I never said material things are without worth, Mr. Eastman. Just that they aren't the only things of worth. So we do not disagree, do we sir? Luiz and James each open a scroll case, one from the left side of the door and one from the right. James says "It has dates in both the Egyptian and Altantean calendars, from the 23rd Dynasty, when this temple was built. This looks like an accounting of that month's expenses building the temple." Luiz says, "Mine also has writing in both languages, and the dates indicate they are from the final Dynasty under Pharaoh Nekhtharheb. That is consistent with when the Pharaohs were assisted by the Atlantean advisors. This one was written just four years before the Battle of Issus, where Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. it talks of the invading armies getting closer and how morale among the Egyptian Army was declining." Alsoomse gestures around the room and says, "It is probably that these are all a chronological record of the millennia or so in between those two periods. If so, these are invaluable for researchers. The last Pharaoh also built a temple here in Bubastis, although its location has never been found." James says, "Once your team leaves with the octagonal key we won't get able to get back in here." He turns to his Grandmother and says, "Alsoomse, why don't you head up to the library room and try to duplicate the low humidity and lighting conditions of this room. We could then safely move these scrolls up there and review them all while Mina and her team are away." Sol says, "I'll help. Some of the equipment that came in on the Magnificence will help to establish those room conditions." The two depart. Another forty-five minutes pass as the scroll cases are all moved back to the Florida Library room, as well as the brazier that had been in the center of the room. The parrot Walter practices placing the coin into the plaque while standing atop one of the shelves near it. The other door has no plaque. Ruby, Luiz and Mina all detect a magical aura around the other door. Luiz suggests using a simple 'Wizard Lock' spell on the other doorway. He casts the spell and the door opens, revealing a ten-foot wide and ninety-foot long stone staircase, with stone walls and stone ceiling twelve feet above the stairs, rising upward to a door at the top. James and Mina embrace, with him giving her a passionate kiss and wishing her luck. He says that somebody will remain near the tunnel door on the Florida side until they return, and not to hesitate to return if they run into trouble. James and Luiz depart from the other eight and the key is then removed from the plaque in what had been the scroll room. Approximately a minute-and-a-half later the doorway closes and Mina says, "Welcome to Egypt everyone!" [/QUOTE]
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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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