Constable Hawkins lead them into a room that had been repurposed for the storage of an array of items retrieved from the Misr House.

The haul was tremendous, and Rosalie had seen much of it in the secret workroom beneath the Misr House.

Ill formed statues of beings from beyond the limits of his imagination alongside impossibly black idols of Egyptian countenance seemed to litter the room. There were inscriptions on the various statues in various known languages, from all corners of the world.Much of the jewelry bore ankhs, and there were rings and pendants inscribed with other strange symbols, along with a set of scepters similar to the ones that Vincent had recovered from the spice merchant's shop. Throughout the paintings there seemed a similar theme that he started to connect as he surveyed the hoard - that the individual depicted in much of the work could only be the one referred to as the Black Pharaoh. Some items seemed to be tremendously aged, though only an expert might be able to verify them.

Additionally, there were jars, tubes, wooden boxes, tins, bags, sacks, and pouches that seemed to be filled wth herbs, roots, pickled organs, strips of what appear to be skin and hide, a powdered red substance, pressed flowers, various colored dusts, powders, sands, and other things that they had seen on a shelf in the same area. There are two one-inch long metal vials, each bearing a strange symbol on its seal, and what appear to be a single, tiny, brittle looking larva in each one.

There were also dozens of what appeared to be old but very well cared for books in all manner of languages - Arabic, Hebrew, French, German, Frisian, and Spanish.

Minus what they had managed to take with them the previous evening, the rest of the items were present here - in addition to a very large ornae mirror along one of the walls. The golden frame of the mirror was subtly asymmetric, and strange figures had been worked into it.

OOC:

For the most part, this is an examination of clues that have previously been seen by some members of the group - though a first time for Dominic. That said, give me Spot Hidden rolls, and feel free to throw any Anthropology/Archaeology rolls at me that you wish...or anything else for that matter.

McNeil took in the contents of the room, something akin to awe laying hold as the full meaning of the artifacts he was viewing struck him. This was not merely evidence of a cult, whispered of fearfully for centuries, but one with global reach.

"Thank you, Constable," he told Hawkins as he stepped through the doors.

He stepped over to the nearest statue, regarding the figure with a mixture of curiosity and revulsion. "The Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. Phwk khea mi xyu." Although the books tugged at his curiosity, he focused on the statuary and jewelry at first, trying to discern the origin of the pieces and any insight they offered regarding the group's beliefs and practices.

08:21, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 71 using 1d100 with rolls of 71.  Spot Hidden - Spot Hidden 50%.

08:22, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 78 using 1d100 with rolls of 78.  Archaeology - Archaeology 80%.

08:22, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 13 using 1d100 with rolls of 13.  Anthropology - Anthropology 79%.

As McNeil passed his gaze over the room, he saw there was more, but dismissed much of it towards the far end as merely bric-a-brac trinkets that were inauthentic. There were some authentic decorative items from Egypt stored in other areas of the room, but the hoard that they were immediately standing in front of seemed to most significant of the lot.

Imagery of the Black Pharaoh could be frequently seen in much of the art that was laid before them.

OOC:

I'd also welcome Occult and Cthulhu Mythos rolls.

23:09, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 2 using 1d3 with rolls of 2.  Sanity Loss.

23:09, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 29 using 1d100 with rolls of 29.  Occult - Occult 60%.

23:09, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 45 using 1d100 with rolls of 45.  Cthulhu Mythos - Cthulhu Mythos 25%.

Dominic recognizes some of what he sees in a very vague manner, and starts connecting some dots based on strange observances in the past.

He halted in front of one of the statues. "The Bloated Woman," he muttered, genuinely surprised to find evidence of the obscure, East Asian cult here. His memory of their practices and beliefs was hazy, so he made a mental note to consult the library at the British Museum in the next day or so.

The jars, pouches, and various herbs weren't a mystery in terms of their purpose. They were tools set aside for the casting of spells. The question was, what specific ritual had they been prepared for, and what was its consequent aim? His mind drifted to the accounts of the survivors rescued from Gavigan's home and he wondered what terrors they had been subjected to.

He stepped over to the collection of books, surveying the titles slowly, hoping to come across something that might shed light on the rationale behind the Brotherhood's activities.

OOC: Keeper, let me know if there are any rolls you need from me.

Rosalie took a deep breath upon entering the room that housed much of Gavigan's holdings, a slight shake of her head at the immensity of it all.  It was easier seeing such a strange collection within the confines of the house, each item resting in its place, situated where Gavigan had placed it.  Here, in this massive clutter of sundry, it was almost... obscene.  Overwhelming, to say the least.  Rosalie had been exposed to much since the death of her cousin, but she'd not yet been desensitized to all of it.  She took a moment to catch her breath, hanging back while Dominic explored.

After a moment, when she acclimated, she began to peruse, as well, though her path took her in the most direct route to the large mirror that rested against one of the walls.



Just rolling all aces today...

23:11, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 3 using 1d3 with rolls of 3.  Sanity Loss.
23:10, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 73 using 1d100 with rolls of 73.  Spot Hidden (55).
23:10, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 79 using 1d100 with rolls of 79.  Archaeology (21).
23:10, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 100 using 1d100 with rolls of 100.  Anthropology (65).

Yay!

23:21, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 9 using 1d100 with rolls of 9.  Occult (27).

OOC:

Wow, that's a rare stroke of...the opposite of luck. Rosalie, give me a Luck roll too.

Much better:

22:14, Today: Rosalie Elias rolled 17 using 1d100 with rolls of 17.  Luck (80).

"Did someone in your room drop this?" he asked, holding up a small key.

"We can't find any locked compartments among these - and we've been quite thorough I assure you, and the Chief Inspector suggested that one of you lot may have dropped it."

"Why, yes, Inspector!"  Rosalie exclaimed.  "I was looking for that key.  Such luck that you should find it.  I thought it lost forever.  Thank you ever so kindly."  She smiled as she took it from him.

Retreating back toward the mirror, she pulled a small box from her satchel and tried the key in the lock that she'd previously not been able to budge.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Elias," Reginald replied, moving back towards the conversation with colleagues which had formerly occupied him.

Opening the box, Rosalie uncovered a pair of ornately designed spectacles, the lenses of which were tinted slightly purple. In the inner lid of the box is inscribed the phrase In Libros Veritas.

As requested:

22:30, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 46 using 1d100 with rolls of 46.  Spot Hidden - Spot Hidden 50%.

22:30, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 2 using 1d100 with rolls of 2.  Spot Hidden - Spot Hidden 50%.

22:30, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 11 using 1d100 with rolls of 11.  Occult - Occult 60%.

22:30, Today: Dominic McNeil rolled 10 using 1d100 with rolls of 10.  Cthulhu Mythos - Cthulhu Mythos 25%.

Shortly, Dominic and Rosalie were invited to join the police on a visit to the Penhew Foundation acting as their expert consultants.

The warrant was both generous and limited, allowing them to search the premises but limited them their investigation to items relating to Gavigan and his recent actions. Rosalie 'accidentally' activated the secret door that would lead them down into the basement, revealing a stench most foul. The police took the lead, finding a dead body located in the basement, killed below.

The pair were allowed to explore the room, which Rosalie had previously visit on her unsanctioned trip into this building with Vincent and Tommy. Both of them can tell that the place has clearly been ransacked, and very recently.

Looking to the larger of the crates, they could see that it was stenciled on the outside to read Ho Fong Imports, 15 Kaoyang Road, Shanghai, China in both English and Chinese. In smaller letters were the words Attention: Honorable Ho Fong. Opening the crate, he found within it a textured marble statue of a strange looking figure that appeared to be a hideous, bloated woman.

Moving on to the smaller crate, they sees that it is stenciled on the side Randolph Shipping Company, Port Hedland, Western Australia, Dominion of Australia. In smaller letters, it said Personal to Mr. Randolph. The top, however, has been smashed open hastily and whatever was once within it is now gone.

A small ornate chest appeared to have been hurled at the wall and sat broken, empty. All around a fine walnut bookcase there were books scattered about the ground in a hurry, as if someone was searching for something and in a rush to find it. There were volumes in German, French, Russian, Spanish, Latin, and two in English.




As before, there wasn't much to be found on their first foray into Gavigan's office, besides a safe with an open door, now emptied out. The police confiscated everything in the secret room beneath the foundation, taking it back to Scotland Yard for further examination.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:41, Tue 27 Nov 2018.

Curious about her find, Rosalie approached Dominic.  "Mr. McNeil, what do you think of these?  I'd wondered if they're for peering into this mirror of Gavigan's.  Or perhaps one of his books?  Very curious, don't you think?" She offered him the box for inspection.


OOC:  I'm going to hold off on making any rolls as I'll be absent for the next couple of weeks on vacation.  Feel free to parrot Rosalie and/or move her to wherever you need her to be while I'm gone.

"Fascinating, Miss Elias," McNeil said, gingerly lifting the spectacles out of the box. After examining them for a moment, he slipped them on, curious to see what the world looked like through the tinted lenses.

With the spectacles on, the world looked very much the same for a moment. They didn't sharpen his vision, nor did they dull it. For all practical purposes, it was as if he was looking out through nothing but clear glass, with a very slightly dark tint to it that was only noticeable upon close examination or once they were on.

Turning his head to take in the area around him, he saw a stack of books. The titles on their spines seemed to race into his head as he looked at them. Picking up a book, he flipped open one of the pages as if to confirm a suspicion. The book was on a mundane subject, the Franco-Prussian War, but before he realized it, he had flipped the page, taking in the next two as quickly before flipping the page again. From Rosalie's perspective, McNeil seemed almost to inhale the text. Realizing that the subject matter wasn't pertinent to anything at hand, even if interesting, he closed the book and set it down.

McNeil removed the spectacles, studying them momentarily with a curious frown. ”Hmm,” he muttered.

PM: