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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: 5281300" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 46, "A Great Responsibility" (Episode Two, Chapter Six) - Wednesday, September 6, 1882, 7:00 P.M. </strong></p><p></p><p>Ruby exclaims, "Evil down below? I wonder what THAT could be?? Perhaps the spiders? But those didn't seem all that difficult to get rid of. Hmmm...," Ruby tapped at her lips then shrugged. "I really have no idea. Nana, how do you think we get this door open? Magically?" Ruby looked it over for traps and to see if it was locked in a traditional way. </p><p></p><p>Mina says, "Sure, we'll just have to get the one among us who is most 'pure of heart' to open it. I'm afraid that I won't quality due to a number of indiscretions from my youth." Ruby quirked an eyebrow, "What KIND of indiscretions Nana?" Then Ruby laughed. "I suppose I'm off that list too. What about George? He's pretty pure, though I have been working on that..." She broke out into a fit of giggles.</p><p></p><p>Abby asks, "The question is, what would the Egyptians have considered pure of heart? Their attitudes about a lot of things were more liberal than in modern America. They valued other things to be of higher worth." Mina replies with a laugh, "Well, they definitely had a different description of purity than Queen Victoria. Virginity, or sexuality at all, would not have been a factor. </p><p></p><p>Followers of Bast viewed their goddess as a protector and defender of the Pharaoh. Essentially, she was a divine mother-figure. So purity would have been seen as protective loyalty and dedication, as well as tenderness. So Ruby, I think I'll agree with you. Of the eight of us the one who best matches that description is probably your George. He also knows clerical spells, which is probably what is needed to get this door to open."</p><p></p><p>Hardin grins..."Wonder why I don't fit the bill...must have something to do with that whole purity and light thing. Although I am a lawyer now...that must count for som'thin'." He winks at Mina. Mina replies, "Yes John, I am afraid that you probably won't qualify." Lawrence quips, "I think that lowers your chances, Mr. Hardin. I'm too old to be pure of heart, so it can't be me."</p><p></p><p>She turns and looks towards Abigail and says "However, you might be a viable candidate Miss Marsters." Fish keeps his filthy thoughts to himself. She replies, "Humility aside, it's possible. I can't say I ever been mean or disloyal, that's for certain." Abby got closer to the door and took another look. "I'm out of magic for the day already though, I can't look at it that way. What do you reckon I'd need to do?"</p><p></p><p>Mina says, "I think that a Commune spell might be in order. Nanuet and I will place our hands on each of your shoulders and he can repeat my spell after me. We will then each cast a spell, him a clerical and myself a sorcerer. That should channel enough energy into to your body to cast your own spell, with the remnants of both the clerical and sorceror energy." </p><p></p><p>They get into position, Nanuet placing a hand on her shoulder and the other on his amulet. Mina waves her and states "Aljaa brohh sanatista johaa", then nods to Nanuet who repeats it. They then simultaneously cast their own spells. Ruby is able to discern colored auras flowing from Nanuet and Mina's arms and into Abigail, Nanuet's being gold in color and Mina's being a pinkish-red. Abigail immediately feels a surge or energy flow into her, with a light-headed sensation similar to being intoxicated.</p><p></p><p>Abby stands momentarily frozen, focusing on the rush of power flowing through her. She watched the text on the door flicker and play, and her mind began to pull together bits and pieces of spells she knew. At the core was the knock spell, one she had studied but was not yet powerful enough to cast on her own. Behind them were the simple spell that opened and closed small things, and the spell she did know that would hold a door shut. With all this extra power floating through her, Abby took a chance and recited the untested knock spell, hoping that her inexperience wouldn't work against them.</p><p></p><p>There is a slight rumbling followed by a thin puff of dust from the doorway. The stone doorway before them slides, not inward or to the side as previous doors in this series of chambers but instead, upward, rising ninety-percent of the doorway. Light shines outward into the corridor, far brighter than the group's lantern, as the chamber within appears to have a Continual Light spell within in. A rush of bad air washes over the group in the corridor, causing a few to gag. Mina comments, "It has probably been sealed for several millennia. We need to wait a few minutes for this outside air to circulate in before we attempt to enter."</p><p></p><p>From the corridor most of the thirty-foot square stone room can be viewed. The ceiling is twelve feet high with an inlayed-stone portrait of Bast set into it, with large red rubies for eyes. There are no visible exits to the room. The back wall is lined with five wooden bookcases, each four feet wide and ten feet tall, with small stone altars between them. Each bookcase has its own collection of items. One has shelves of scroll cases, another of wooden boxes, another of ceramic urns, another of rolled tapestries, and the final has stacks of wax candles. </p><p></p><p>On the right wall of the room are three low beds, with blankets atop padding. On two of the three beds are mummy-like bodies wrapped from head to toe. The third is empty. Beside each bed is small wooden cabinet. The left wall contains a man-sized statue of Bast made entirely of gold save for the rubies that represent her eyes. Fish casually lifts his hand to his face and tucks his bottom lip to keep from drooling. The spell illuminating the room appears to originate from the statue. Gold candleholders are on alters to either side of her, one with the candle burnt down to the stub, the other new. Tapestries depicting Bast adorn the wall behind the statue. </p><p></p><p>In the center of the room is a large wooden table, made of a thick dark wood not native to Egypt. Twelve ornately-carved chairs of the same wood are around the table. All are unoccupied save for the one at the head of the table, where a mummified body of a white haired man wearing priest robes and gold jewelry is seated. A parchment is lying on the table before him. Lawrence coughs, then says, "Wow, this is some room. What kind of room is this? Did they bury that man alive?"</p><p></p><p>Mina says, "This would have been the room for the High Priests. I doubt he was buried alive, if this room has a surface exit. He was probably the one who sealed the entrances from the inside, although why is anybody's guess." "That is odd. He's starting to give me the creeps, though. "Glancing back towards the secret entrance into the other section of the temple she says, "We should shut that other doorway, we wouldn't want Champollion and his team to know about this room." "John, Fish, can you give me a hand with the door?" Tearing his eyes away from the loot glinting in the eye sockets of the venerable relic, Fish volunteers lustily, "Of course I'll help you!"</p><p></p><p>Ruby stood, momentarily speechless at the sight of the room. "Um, okay. LOTS of questions... Why are there three beds and one is empty? Is that third bed for this guy?" She thumbs towards the mummy sitting upright. "Why is one of the candles burnt down and one new? Who else is down here? What does that piece of paper he was reading say? What kind of magic is so powerful that it can last all this time?" She paused and tapped her lips in an all too familiar I'm thinking of something pose, "And most importantly, WHY are this guy's..." She points to the statue of Bast, "Uh, girls? - eyes all red?? Is that significant? What was this Bast person all about?"</p><p></p><p>Mina says, "Here in Bubastis she was deemed The Protector, seen as a nurturing figure to those of the city, as well as the protector of the Pharaoh. However, Bast was also known alternately as the sun goddess and the war goddess, either one of which could explain why red is used here by her priests to depict her eyes." Ruby exclaims, "Ah that doesn't sound SO scary... Still, there are a lot of questions here we need answered." She moved toward the mummy sitting at the table and peeked at the parchment.</p><p></p><p>She cannot read it, but recognizes it to be the same language that was on the first lower line of the octagonal room doors, namely the elite form of ancient Atlantian. "Nana, do you want to try to read this? It's that ancient magic language again." Mina says, "This is the rare version of the language, at best I could guess at every fifth word or so. We will need Alsoomse to translate it."</p><p></p><p>Ruby moved to the back wall and began to inspect the bookcases and their contents. Ruby does not detect anything magical about the contents themselves, but does sense a magical aura from the wall behind the center bookcase. She exclaims, "Hey, there is something behind the bookcase here. Perhaps a secret door? Let's move it out and check it out." Ruby points George towards the correct bookcase expectantly and waits for the others to help. </p><p></p><p>After helping Lawrence secure the door, Fish turns his attention to the bookcase. He searches for any trip mechanism first, figuring that anything worth concealing behind a bookcase is worth booby-trapping too. He sees no traps but does notice that instead of being flush with the wall as the other four bookcases are this one is approximately one-eighth of an inch out and there looks to be something ceramic and eight-inches tall along the wall near the midpoint of the bookcase. Fish immediately informs Lady Wilamina.</p><p></p><p>Mina exclaims "Wait, don't anybody touch or move anything in this room until after George has photographed it." Ruby freezes, looking guilty, her hand just about to touch something on a shelf, stating "Good idea." Fish admires her lithe fingers. Lawrence states, “Well, that'll take a while. It won't hurt to just look around, right?" He wanders over to another shelf. Fish stands off to one side of the cat statue and squints at the rubies.</p><p></p><p>People continue to look around as George sets up and uses his photography equipment, continually telling people to move so that they won't be in each shot. He then has them all move outside so that he can take a few of the full room from the doorway. Fish estimates the rubies to be worth several thousands of dollars, probably even more to a collector given their historical significance. Once the pictures are completed people reenter the room and start looking around again. George stores the film away safely, glad that he did not have to lug around this many plates. Still, the dust may affect the development, but he wouldn't know that until he got back to the lab. If he got back to the lab that is.</p><p></p><p>Ruby says, "Now that business is done... let's get back to that bookcase. I'm curious to see what's behind it. Will someone help me?" Ruby waits for the big strong men to help move the bookcase out of the way so she can investigate further. Hardin lends a shoulder on the bookcase. Nanuet lends a hand to Hardin. The men are careful moving the case so as not to topple any of the ceramic urns on its shelves. They lift from one side, pivoting it out into the room. </p><p></p><p>Behind the bookcase is a stone doorway with a curved arch on the top. It stands two-feet wide and seven feet high in the center. There is no door, although both Ruby and Mina detect a magical aura where a door would be if there was one. Immediately on the other side of the doorway whatever passageway or room that might be there is covered with hard packed dirt going from top to bottom of the doorway itself. </p><p></p><p>At the base of the doorway is a ceramic statue of Bast, eight inches high and three inches wide and deep. Most of it is sitting in the doorway itself, inside the magical aura seen by the two sorcoresses, with only the very front of the statue out into the room. The statue has a black glaze to it, save from the eyes that are painted red. Fish feigns nonchalance and begins rolling a cigarette. He ducks his head forward to get a whiff of the hidden doorway. There is no discernable smell.</p><p></p><p>"That thing is giving me the heebie jeebies!" says Fish, before licking, tucking and sealing his spliff. Fish's discomfort goes beyond not liking the looks of it, his long-honed instincts say for him to stay away from the object. He steps away. Fish wanders over and takes a closer look at the bling on the corpse. "Certainly this dead guy has no need of his finery..." he thinks to himself. George steps up and asks everyone to step back as he take a photograph of this new statue. "Hrmm, a guardian of some sort?" Lawrence continues to inspect the shelves. He takes quick glances at Bast's statue. </p><p></p><p>Abigail feels drawn to the object, gaining a sense of comfort and peace as she nears it. Abby took several deep breaths as she stared at the statue. "Mr. Eastman, are you finished with your photographs? I'd really like to examine that statue," she said with a faraway lilt in her voice. "No, no I am not." replies George as he steps closer and sets up another photograph. He then steps closer still and sets up another photograph, and yet another, inching closer and closer to Bast. As he moves nearer, like Abigail, George too feels a welcoming draw towards the small replica of Bast.</p><p></p><p>Abby exclaims, "Good gods, man! Just walk up and touch it if that's what you want to do! I'll be an old woman by the time you're finished!" George stares at Abby and opens and closes his mouth wordlessly before looking at Ruby. "George, hurry up!" Ruby smiled but curiously moved closer to take a peek at what was causing all the commotion. </p><p></p><p>George nods resolutely. He carefully puts away his camera. He takes a deep breath and steps forward inches from the statue. He kneels down facing the statue. "Ok Miss Bast, you have protected this area for a long time. I respect that guardianship and we mean no harm to anyone or thing you protect." With introductions done, George slowly reaches out to pick up the statue. </p><p></p><p>As George's hand touches the statue his head is flooded with a cascade of images and voices. He sees a trio comprised of two Priests and a Priestess of Bast. The image fills with the living face of a single priest of Bast that appears to be the exact same man sitting mummified at the table, although the man in the image is attired in much fancier robes and carrying a staff. The image speaks to him in the ancient Egyptian tongue, although George hears and understands every word. The man says:</p><p></p><p>"Worthy believer, you must assist me in keeping the world safe from the dark ones below. We know not if they are allies of the Persians or if the dual attack was only one of opportunity. The image of the Goddess before you will keep those of evil intent from coming any closer." </p><p></p><p>The priest then tells George the incantation to both deactivate and activate the Wall of Protection that surrounds the statue, which is an unbreakable barrier combining the abilities of the Wall of Force and Protection from Evil spells. The barrier will expand to fill any doorway, corridor or room within the Temple of Bast or any other location also dedicated to a good-aligned Egyptian deity. The commands are a mix of the Atlanian and Egyptian languages and can only be stated by a Spellcaster who is Pure of Heart, in fact anybody else who attempts to touch the statue or barrier it protects will suffer great pain, or even death with continued contact. The priest concludes saying "A great responsibility has been thrust upon you. Keep the world safe." </p><p></p><p>George nods reverently to the statue. He sighs and stands, turns and relates what he has seen and heard. "So it appears we now have a burden of responsibility added to us, though we have some extra measure of protection. My main concern is what was meant by 'the dark one below' and what ancient evil attacked the temple. I know how to disable the barrier that exists in the doorway, though I do not see it. But we may also let in any evil on the other side." Mina says, "Do we have a choice? We have to get out of here to stop the British from destroying the place, and going the other way would alert the French."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 5281300, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 46, "A Great Responsibility" (Episode Two, Chapter Six) - Wednesday, September 6, 1882, 7:00 P.M. [/B] Ruby exclaims, "Evil down below? I wonder what THAT could be?? Perhaps the spiders? But those didn't seem all that difficult to get rid of. Hmmm...," Ruby tapped at her lips then shrugged. "I really have no idea. Nana, how do you think we get this door open? Magically?" Ruby looked it over for traps and to see if it was locked in a traditional way. Mina says, "Sure, we'll just have to get the one among us who is most 'pure of heart' to open it. I'm afraid that I won't quality due to a number of indiscretions from my youth." Ruby quirked an eyebrow, "What KIND of indiscretions Nana?" Then Ruby laughed. "I suppose I'm off that list too. What about George? He's pretty pure, though I have been working on that..." She broke out into a fit of giggles. Abby asks, "The question is, what would the Egyptians have considered pure of heart? Their attitudes about a lot of things were more liberal than in modern America. They valued other things to be of higher worth." Mina replies with a laugh, "Well, they definitely had a different description of purity than Queen Victoria. Virginity, or sexuality at all, would not have been a factor. Followers of Bast viewed their goddess as a protector and defender of the Pharaoh. Essentially, she was a divine mother-figure. So purity would have been seen as protective loyalty and dedication, as well as tenderness. So Ruby, I think I'll agree with you. Of the eight of us the one who best matches that description is probably your George. He also knows clerical spells, which is probably what is needed to get this door to open." Hardin grins..."Wonder why I don't fit the bill...must have something to do with that whole purity and light thing. Although I am a lawyer now...that must count for som'thin'." He winks at Mina. Mina replies, "Yes John, I am afraid that you probably won't qualify." Lawrence quips, "I think that lowers your chances, Mr. Hardin. I'm too old to be pure of heart, so it can't be me." She turns and looks towards Abigail and says "However, you might be a viable candidate Miss Marsters." Fish keeps his filthy thoughts to himself. She replies, "Humility aside, it's possible. I can't say I ever been mean or disloyal, that's for certain." Abby got closer to the door and took another look. "I'm out of magic for the day already though, I can't look at it that way. What do you reckon I'd need to do?" Mina says, "I think that a Commune spell might be in order. Nanuet and I will place our hands on each of your shoulders and he can repeat my spell after me. We will then each cast a spell, him a clerical and myself a sorcerer. That should channel enough energy into to your body to cast your own spell, with the remnants of both the clerical and sorceror energy." They get into position, Nanuet placing a hand on her shoulder and the other on his amulet. Mina waves her and states "Aljaa brohh sanatista johaa", then nods to Nanuet who repeats it. They then simultaneously cast their own spells. Ruby is able to discern colored auras flowing from Nanuet and Mina's arms and into Abigail, Nanuet's being gold in color and Mina's being a pinkish-red. Abigail immediately feels a surge or energy flow into her, with a light-headed sensation similar to being intoxicated. Abby stands momentarily frozen, focusing on the rush of power flowing through her. She watched the text on the door flicker and play, and her mind began to pull together bits and pieces of spells she knew. At the core was the knock spell, one she had studied but was not yet powerful enough to cast on her own. Behind them were the simple spell that opened and closed small things, and the spell she did know that would hold a door shut. With all this extra power floating through her, Abby took a chance and recited the untested knock spell, hoping that her inexperience wouldn't work against them. There is a slight rumbling followed by a thin puff of dust from the doorway. The stone doorway before them slides, not inward or to the side as previous doors in this series of chambers but instead, upward, rising ninety-percent of the doorway. Light shines outward into the corridor, far brighter than the group's lantern, as the chamber within appears to have a Continual Light spell within in. A rush of bad air washes over the group in the corridor, causing a few to gag. Mina comments, "It has probably been sealed for several millennia. We need to wait a few minutes for this outside air to circulate in before we attempt to enter." From the corridor most of the thirty-foot square stone room can be viewed. The ceiling is twelve feet high with an inlayed-stone portrait of Bast set into it, with large red rubies for eyes. There are no visible exits to the room. The back wall is lined with five wooden bookcases, each four feet wide and ten feet tall, with small stone altars between them. Each bookcase has its own collection of items. One has shelves of scroll cases, another of wooden boxes, another of ceramic urns, another of rolled tapestries, and the final has stacks of wax candles. On the right wall of the room are three low beds, with blankets atop padding. On two of the three beds are mummy-like bodies wrapped from head to toe. The third is empty. Beside each bed is small wooden cabinet. The left wall contains a man-sized statue of Bast made entirely of gold save for the rubies that represent her eyes. Fish casually lifts his hand to his face and tucks his bottom lip to keep from drooling. The spell illuminating the room appears to originate from the statue. Gold candleholders are on alters to either side of her, one with the candle burnt down to the stub, the other new. Tapestries depicting Bast adorn the wall behind the statue. In the center of the room is a large wooden table, made of a thick dark wood not native to Egypt. Twelve ornately-carved chairs of the same wood are around the table. All are unoccupied save for the one at the head of the table, where a mummified body of a white haired man wearing priest robes and gold jewelry is seated. A parchment is lying on the table before him. Lawrence coughs, then says, "Wow, this is some room. What kind of room is this? Did they bury that man alive?" Mina says, "This would have been the room for the High Priests. I doubt he was buried alive, if this room has a surface exit. He was probably the one who sealed the entrances from the inside, although why is anybody's guess." "That is odd. He's starting to give me the creeps, though. "Glancing back towards the secret entrance into the other section of the temple she says, "We should shut that other doorway, we wouldn't want Champollion and his team to know about this room." "John, Fish, can you give me a hand with the door?" Tearing his eyes away from the loot glinting in the eye sockets of the venerable relic, Fish volunteers lustily, "Of course I'll help you!" Ruby stood, momentarily speechless at the sight of the room. "Um, okay. LOTS of questions... Why are there three beds and one is empty? Is that third bed for this guy?" She thumbs towards the mummy sitting upright. "Why is one of the candles burnt down and one new? Who else is down here? What does that piece of paper he was reading say? What kind of magic is so powerful that it can last all this time?" She paused and tapped her lips in an all too familiar I'm thinking of something pose, "And most importantly, WHY are this guy's..." She points to the statue of Bast, "Uh, girls? - eyes all red?? Is that significant? What was this Bast person all about?" Mina says, "Here in Bubastis she was deemed The Protector, seen as a nurturing figure to those of the city, as well as the protector of the Pharaoh. However, Bast was also known alternately as the sun goddess and the war goddess, either one of which could explain why red is used here by her priests to depict her eyes." Ruby exclaims, "Ah that doesn't sound SO scary... Still, there are a lot of questions here we need answered." She moved toward the mummy sitting at the table and peeked at the parchment. She cannot read it, but recognizes it to be the same language that was on the first lower line of the octagonal room doors, namely the elite form of ancient Atlantian. "Nana, do you want to try to read this? It's that ancient magic language again." Mina says, "This is the rare version of the language, at best I could guess at every fifth word or so. We will need Alsoomse to translate it." Ruby moved to the back wall and began to inspect the bookcases and their contents. Ruby does not detect anything magical about the contents themselves, but does sense a magical aura from the wall behind the center bookcase. She exclaims, "Hey, there is something behind the bookcase here. Perhaps a secret door? Let's move it out and check it out." Ruby points George towards the correct bookcase expectantly and waits for the others to help. After helping Lawrence secure the door, Fish turns his attention to the bookcase. He searches for any trip mechanism first, figuring that anything worth concealing behind a bookcase is worth booby-trapping too. He sees no traps but does notice that instead of being flush with the wall as the other four bookcases are this one is approximately one-eighth of an inch out and there looks to be something ceramic and eight-inches tall along the wall near the midpoint of the bookcase. Fish immediately informs Lady Wilamina. Mina exclaims "Wait, don't anybody touch or move anything in this room until after George has photographed it." Ruby freezes, looking guilty, her hand just about to touch something on a shelf, stating "Good idea." Fish admires her lithe fingers. Lawrence states, “Well, that'll take a while. It won't hurt to just look around, right?" He wanders over to another shelf. Fish stands off to one side of the cat statue and squints at the rubies. People continue to look around as George sets up and uses his photography equipment, continually telling people to move so that they won't be in each shot. He then has them all move outside so that he can take a few of the full room from the doorway. Fish estimates the rubies to be worth several thousands of dollars, probably even more to a collector given their historical significance. Once the pictures are completed people reenter the room and start looking around again. George stores the film away safely, glad that he did not have to lug around this many plates. Still, the dust may affect the development, but he wouldn't know that until he got back to the lab. If he got back to the lab that is. Ruby says, "Now that business is done... let's get back to that bookcase. I'm curious to see what's behind it. Will someone help me?" Ruby waits for the big strong men to help move the bookcase out of the way so she can investigate further. Hardin lends a shoulder on the bookcase. Nanuet lends a hand to Hardin. The men are careful moving the case so as not to topple any of the ceramic urns on its shelves. They lift from one side, pivoting it out into the room. Behind the bookcase is a stone doorway with a curved arch on the top. It stands two-feet wide and seven feet high in the center. There is no door, although both Ruby and Mina detect a magical aura where a door would be if there was one. Immediately on the other side of the doorway whatever passageway or room that might be there is covered with hard packed dirt going from top to bottom of the doorway itself. At the base of the doorway is a ceramic statue of Bast, eight inches high and three inches wide and deep. Most of it is sitting in the doorway itself, inside the magical aura seen by the two sorcoresses, with only the very front of the statue out into the room. The statue has a black glaze to it, save from the eyes that are painted red. Fish feigns nonchalance and begins rolling a cigarette. He ducks his head forward to get a whiff of the hidden doorway. There is no discernable smell. "That thing is giving me the heebie jeebies!" says Fish, before licking, tucking and sealing his spliff. Fish's discomfort goes beyond not liking the looks of it, his long-honed instincts say for him to stay away from the object. He steps away. Fish wanders over and takes a closer look at the bling on the corpse. "Certainly this dead guy has no need of his finery..." he thinks to himself. George steps up and asks everyone to step back as he take a photograph of this new statue. "Hrmm, a guardian of some sort?" Lawrence continues to inspect the shelves. He takes quick glances at Bast's statue. Abigail feels drawn to the object, gaining a sense of comfort and peace as she nears it. Abby took several deep breaths as she stared at the statue. "Mr. Eastman, are you finished with your photographs? I'd really like to examine that statue," she said with a faraway lilt in her voice. "No, no I am not." replies George as he steps closer and sets up another photograph. He then steps closer still and sets up another photograph, and yet another, inching closer and closer to Bast. As he moves nearer, like Abigail, George too feels a welcoming draw towards the small replica of Bast. Abby exclaims, "Good gods, man! Just walk up and touch it if that's what you want to do! I'll be an old woman by the time you're finished!" George stares at Abby and opens and closes his mouth wordlessly before looking at Ruby. "George, hurry up!" Ruby smiled but curiously moved closer to take a peek at what was causing all the commotion. George nods resolutely. He carefully puts away his camera. He takes a deep breath and steps forward inches from the statue. He kneels down facing the statue. "Ok Miss Bast, you have protected this area for a long time. I respect that guardianship and we mean no harm to anyone or thing you protect." With introductions done, George slowly reaches out to pick up the statue. As George's hand touches the statue his head is flooded with a cascade of images and voices. He sees a trio comprised of two Priests and a Priestess of Bast. The image fills with the living face of a single priest of Bast that appears to be the exact same man sitting mummified at the table, although the man in the image is attired in much fancier robes and carrying a staff. The image speaks to him in the ancient Egyptian tongue, although George hears and understands every word. The man says: "Worthy believer, you must assist me in keeping the world safe from the dark ones below. We know not if they are allies of the Persians or if the dual attack was only one of opportunity. The image of the Goddess before you will keep those of evil intent from coming any closer." The priest then tells George the incantation to both deactivate and activate the Wall of Protection that surrounds the statue, which is an unbreakable barrier combining the abilities of the Wall of Force and Protection from Evil spells. The barrier will expand to fill any doorway, corridor or room within the Temple of Bast or any other location also dedicated to a good-aligned Egyptian deity. The commands are a mix of the Atlanian and Egyptian languages and can only be stated by a Spellcaster who is Pure of Heart, in fact anybody else who attempts to touch the statue or barrier it protects will suffer great pain, or even death with continued contact. The priest concludes saying "A great responsibility has been thrust upon you. Keep the world safe." George nods reverently to the statue. He sighs and stands, turns and relates what he has seen and heard. "So it appears we now have a burden of responsibility added to us, though we have some extra measure of protection. My main concern is what was meant by 'the dark one below' and what ancient evil attacked the temple. I know how to disable the barrier that exists in the doorway, though I do not see it. But we may also let in any evil on the other side." Mina says, "Do we have a choice? We have to get out of here to stop the British from destroying the place, and going the other way would alert the French." [/QUOTE]
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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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