The party retired to Alexander's estate to plan their next moves. It had been a tiring and frustrating night, if exciting, and everyone enjoyed a stiff drink. After changing from his accustomed Bedouin robes into a dinner jacket Alexander played some ragtime records on his gramophone. A late dinner of lamb, rice and scalloped potatoes was served in the dining room. Later, they would retire to the rear patio for a smoke, with its view of sculptured gardens and the dark and deadly Nile beyond.

Perkins was working on his pipe when the others arrived back at the estate. He greeted them all with a hearty handshake very much glad to see them all in one piece. Once his pipe was lit and they had a moment he gave up the story of the car chase and subsequent involvement of the British forces from the garrison.
"Persistent buggers they were and I think the army fellows turned the tide on that engagement."

After dinner Mr Perkins took his usual fruit juice as they made their way to the terrace.

-

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 1):

"That was a frustrating evening." Alexander sighed as he sipped his gin and tonic, then lit a cigarette.

"We lost the Girdle. Or never had it anyways. But the old imam at the mosque gave you something, Count? A sword? May I look at it?"

In reply to Alexander Hussein Mahfouz (msg # 3):

"Of course, of course." The Count placed the sword onto the table and retrieved his glass taking a mouthful of the amber liquid.

"Frustrating it was and downright dangerous for some."

-

"Should we contact the old professor and see about using the mirror? I expect the girdle is gone, but... perhaps not quite yet?"

JM was nursing a whiskey neat and a cigar as they finished dinner and sat outside in the cooler air of the evening.  "The Girdle is of critical importance to them, enough for them to show their hand so openly.  We should do all that we can to recover it.  If the professor can help us with the Mirror then by all means we should set up an appointment tomorrow and see if we can track it."

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 5):

"I should hope Dr. Khafour would be willing to help!"

He went and got the mirror from the safe. "Here it is. We should bring it to him as soon as we can."

"Tomorrow?? I don't reckon they are driving through their tunnels with lorries. I know a midnight visit hardly meshes with good British manners, but I think the urgency is warranted tonight."

JM set down his whiskey and put out his cigar.  "Well spoken ma'am.  Can we borrow your car again Alexander?"

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 9):

"Tonight then ? So be it...." The Count thought for a bit "Do we know his home address, I doubt he will be at the museum ?"

-
This message was last edited by the player at 05:54, Sat 25 Aug 2018.

JM frowned. "We can start at the museum.  It is possible that the attack on the mosque drew him back to guard his treasures.  As well he might think that we would want to meet him there for his aid."

"Indeed, it's a slim chance, but I prefer it to none at all. Perhaps someone can stay here and make calls. We can reach back to the house by telephone or messenger to see if anything has come of it."

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 12):

Alexander checked the clock. "It is just shy of nine. Dr. Khafour should still be in his office. He is rarely gone before ten, often sleeps there. Very dedicated chap!

In reply to Alexander Hussein Mahfouz (msg # 13):

They arrived at the museum in short order. The lights were still burning. They entered via a side entrance, admitted by Abou, Dr. Khafour's short, wiry Bedouin assistant. "The master will see you now. Despite the lateness of the hour. I'll fetch some tea."
This message was last updated by the player at 07:32, Sun 09 Sept 2018.

In reply to Abou (msg # 14):

The Count thanked the man, glad to be behind some solid walls. The ride over had been rather stressful as he wondered when they would be attacked again. Perhaps now these people had what they wanted their minds would be elsewhere.

-

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 14):

After listening to their travails, the ancient wise man shook his head sympathetically.

"It is a shame our preparations were of no avail. That said, if it were known you were at the ibn-Tulun mosque then perhaps you would have all perished! For it seems my old fiendish nemesis, Omar Shakti, summoned a foul creature from the depths of the earth to obtain the girdle. Well capable of swallowing all of you whole. I feel sorrow for my old friend, Ahmad al-Dhahbi, the imam for the mosque. (Although it is not really a mosque at the moment and is being used as an asylum.) This is the old man you saw in the courtyard. Not the one with the sword.

"As well, he sent his Brotherhood assassins after your car, and had ancient creatures that live under the water attempt to steal the Girdle when you were sailing down the Nile. In other words, Omar and the Brothehood went through a great deal of trouble to get what they wanted. You were lucky you did not all perish! As well could have happened.

"That said, I can teach you how to use the Mirror of Gal. You had two powders, yes? One will allow you to view things from afar. The other will allow you to kill someone who's image is projected in the glass.

"And speaking of the sword, it is the famed "Scimitar of the hero Akm'allah." It seems like the cultist traitor stole that from the most ancient guardian, Nessim Efti. You would be wise to keep it hidden out of sight. But it is very powerful if used against the servants of evil and creatures of darkness."

In reply to Dr. Ali Khafour (msg # 16):

"Something is happening, all right. We don't know quite what.

"First the Tomb of Nitrocris is found across the Nike in Giza by the Clive expedition. The sarcophagus is stolen, guards vanished. Then the Girdle of Nitocris is stolen. Is it important in some way? What is the connection?

"We asked the "scholar" who was sacked from the Clive expedition, Jan van Huevelen, for information on the Clive expedition. He agreed to help, but only if we assisted him in translating some papyrus scrolls he claims are from the Temple of Bast. Plus he is being plagued by cats, surely a coincidence? Once he is completed his work in a week or two he promises to tell us what he knows about the Clive expedition, now in Memphis to the south of the city. He says he will then give the papyrus to the Cairo Museum but I have my doubts because if his papers are to be of real value in Europe they must accompany the original texts.

"Lastly, while we did find Penhew's agent, Warren Besart, he spoke a foul ritual practiced by some members of the Carlyle expedition that summoned a massive dark beast. It shattered his mind. He was rescued by one of the diggers, Unba. I asked Nigel, our newspaperman friend, to track him down. He lives a few hours south down in the Nile Delta, with his mother Nyiti in the town of el Wasta. Perhaps he knows something as well? Might be worth a look while we are waiting for van Huevelen to finish his work."

"Is there nothing we can do to retake the girdle? It is in transit, and perhaps vulnerable, as it was when we were shipping it. If it were so easy to retake, the Brotherhood would have seized it before we ever arrived. That our presence caused them to feel pressure implies they may have been ill-prepared."

"We should follow up where we can and strike after the Girdle if it is still possible.  We can learn the use of the Mirror while perhaps a couple of us follow up with the digger and see what he may know."

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 18):

"You may have something there, Miss Holloway," replied the ancient Egypican sage. "My suspicion is that the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh arranged for the switch of a fake girdle and then theft by their cultist inside the Mosque. That they chose tonight is no coincidence, I believe your involvement caused them to accelerate their plans. As to why this was such an elaborate and incomprehensible scheme to lure you with a fake Girdle, and yet attack your decoys, all I can say is we are not dealing with men to whom sanity and logic find a natural home. Perhaps as well one hand doesn't know what the other is doing?

"But there is another reason why they may have acted now. I believe the celestial positions are becoming more favourable for the resurrection here on Earth of the accursed queen Nicotris, bride of the Black Pharaoh!

"There are ways of scrying, that is, seeing things at a distance. One such way is by invocation. A spell, to be crude. Another is through the Mirror of Gal. I may be able to use it to spy upon Omar Shakti, the leader of the Brotherhood. Or the Girdle itself. It's use is less damaging to the psyche than invocations but there is still a cost.

"Will you fetch the mirror to me?"

"Ah... excuse me Doctor, but would a powerful sorcerer such as this Omar Shakti not be able to sense your scrying ?

Count Sigismund Bathony rolled 89 using 1d100 with rolls of 89.  San = 57%.

-

In reply to Count Sigismund Bathony (msg # 21):

"Hmmm. Yes, he probably would. But if we were trying to scry the Girdle he would not. But if the Girdle was in a room or a box we would get little information about it."

JM shakes his head.  "I think we have no other choice but try to scry him."

In reply to John-Marc Falcon (msg # 23):

In about a half-hour Alexander returned home, retrieved the mirror and then drove it back to the museum in his Pugeot. Accompanying him was his trusted bodygaurd and Bedouin guide, Selim.

As instructed he laid the mirror down on a work table in Dr. Khafour's study. Along with it were the two powders that worked with it. One for scrying, the other, apparently, to take the life of an enemy.

"There. Who is going to use this?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:53, Thu 20 Sept 2018.

Cynthia waits for someone else to offer first. She's feeling a bit winded since the boat. But if no one else takes it up, she's certainly not afraid of a mirror.