In reply to The Keeper (msg # 45):

"Funny." Chi-yin muttered. "Why isn't there anything here?"

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 46):

The cat, Asenath, had disappeared after waking when the car stopped. At that point she decided to reappear. Walking across the hot sand towards the massive edifice she soon stopped and meowed in pain, scampering back to the shade under the car. She began licking her paws.

Going over the dream guide again to see if she could pick up something they missed, Chi-Yin was drawn to the annotation by the seemingly hidden portal. "When Khonsu hides his face" Something about this passage, in particular the name "Khonsu", jumped out at her. It was the name of a God of ancient Egypt, she seemed to recall, but his role and aspect somehow seemed to elude her.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 05:33, Thu 21 July 2022.

Cynthia will follow the cat's trail, even pulling off her boots to better replicate the kitty's experience, feeling for heat or magic or any other nonsense.

"I do not look forward to experiments that involve shovels, but that would be my next guess... Do we have any other clues to follow up on? I've seen more than a few events that would defy scientific explanations."

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 48):

She decided that she would research Khonsu to remind herself what he was the god of, and any other attributes that he might have.

Cynthia is not so eager to drive all the way home with nothing to show. She intends to spend a few hours leveraging Darwin's greatest lessons of science; wander about and harass the local wildlife. She'll try drawing symbols in the sand, calling out whatever strange utterances she can recall the loonies at Penhew having said or written out, and generally being odd until she eventually tuckers out.

In reply to Wong Chi-yin (msg # 50):

The site at Giza was splendid on its own. One day, perhaps, tourists from all over the Empire, perhaps the world, would descend on it to witness the mysteries of antiquity. For now, it was fairly deserted. Small parties of academics from Cairo would visit to take measurements, occasional work teams would continue the restoration effort that had been ongoing for years. Right now, there were a few locals keeping to the shade as threy eyed the investigators, ready to offer their services as guides or sell food and water to visitors.

Something about "Khonsu" jogged Chi-Yin's memories. He was the Egyptian god of the moon, also called "the traveller". The inscription referred to when Khonsu hides his face. Could this be referring to a phase of the moon? Perhaps a time when it would not be visible? There would be a new moon about a week before the end of the month, in just over two weeks.

In reply to The Keeper (msg # 52):

She decided to make notes of everything.

In particular, she circled the inscription "When Khonsu hides his face" and wrote above in small letters, " Possible meaning new moon? "

"We heard elsewhere that the new moon was special. So now we know the time and the place. It would be nice if we knew the 'who'."

Cynthia surveys the terrain. It doesn't look easy to set up an ambush here. But that also means the enemy would struggle to defend it. Still, there's no way five armed people could face off with a whole army of cultists.

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 54):

Bedford, the RAF pilot who was their driver, lit a cigarette.

"It sounds to me like this mysterious door will, I don't know, become visible during the New Moon. Which is a couple weeks away.

"A new moon is also when those cultist blokes had their ceremony a few years back. Where Warren Besart went crazy and that Egyptian worker who saved him got his bloody face and body melted.

"If we don't think of anything else before then, I say we maybe kit ourselves up right and proper, come back here for the new moon, and Bob's your uncle? Maybe catch the lot of 'em with their pants down?"

"How hard would it be to put on a real fireworks display? Frankly, if this place is so awful, I wouldn't shirk and leveling the whole thing. We're not in a village, anyone within range is here for a reason."

In reply to Roger Bedford (msg # 55):

Chi-yin got interested when she heard that. "Really? Maybe they were attempting some ritual."

"Yes, Chi-Yin, I think they were conducting a ritual at that time five years ago. Dr. Khafour said the fragment that Nyiti took when he rescued Warren Besart was some kind of protective rune. Maybe that other ritual was to break or breach some kind of ward or protective spell on something. That pyramid where that, er, Nyarlathotep chap had his throne room was near where the ritual happened. I wonder if it's missing it's capstone?"

"As for fireworks, we can ask Alexander. The Old City has the Gunsmith's quarter. He said we can get any firearm made there, and war surplus weapons if we ask the right people. We have a Lewis gun and a case of Mills bombs. I wonder if we can round that out with some German stick grenades? Or maybe a 13mm Tank Gewehr anti-tank rifle? Or a flamethrower? They say nothing cleanses like fire!

"For that matter, we still have an aeroplane armed with machineguns, the "Brisfit". We could drop some petrol bombs. I and JM could take that up, although I suspect that whatever peril we face will be underground."

As a former RAF pilot, taking a plane into battle once more appealed to him immensely!
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:25, Fri 30 Sept 2022.

"Precisely, if it's underground... How hard would it be to collapse or even booby trap the building with dynamite? I anticipate narrow hallways and very heavy stone. At least setting the wire should be easy. I do imagine that we need to disrupt whatever is happening there. Sealing them in just means they have a thousand pounds of limestone protecting their work. But if we're able to blast whatever their artifacts are into dust, I have no compunctions against leaving them for eternity buried with their dead gods.

Perhaps an awful question, but... did they not use some sort of poisonous vapors in the war? Is that achievable somehow?"

Cynthia lost her dearest bodyguard in the last brutal attack at the Institute, and does not look forward to losing anyone else with unnecessary valor.

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 59):

"I don't suppose it would be too hard, if you knew how to use dynamite." Chi-yin voiced her thoughts on the matter. "Poisonous gases, on the other hand, sound a little too dangerous."

"I do not... but Egypt was a participant in the Great War. I wonder how difficult it would be to find a specialist. And we hardly need it to be elegant. Even if the explosives are obvious and detected, it delays and directs the cultists."

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 59):

"Explosives? We could get our hands on a case or two of Dynamite, easily. Even if we don't collapse the tunnels ourselves perhaps we could see if Dr. Khafour or Alexander know someone who could? Over the last couple weeks Alexander has contracted a crew to begin dismantling the pyramid where... that godlike being you told us about has his throne room."

Indeed, the dismantling of the small pyramid housing Nyarlathotep's temple and throne room (the "Lesser Bent Pyramid") was so thorough that eventually little more than the base remained. To complete the process of erasing this abomination from history the record was changed to show this was not a true pyramid thousands of years old but a reproduction built by a French nobleman just a century ago.

"I have heard of Germans being rooted out of deep bunkers using thousands of gallons of petrol poured down into their tunnels and then set alight. That might be beyond our capabilities.

"As for poison gas? Beastly stuff! I think Chlorine and Mustard gas are both heavier-than-air. Who knows if these beings even breathe air? I know stockpiles are being kept in Iraq to use on tribesmen. We might be able to obtain some."

He then looked at Chi-Yin, "say, do you think you should warn your friends at the dig? Miss Agatha and James Gardiner? The last time these cultist bounders had a ceremony both here and in England they involved human sacrifice! I am not saying Sir Clive is a cultist, or connected to them. But still, it might not be terribly safe for your friends to remain in that camp near the new moon when the ceremony is like to commence."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:29, Thu 13 Oct 2022.

"How many of those people in camp do we trust? Perhaps better to invite them elsewhere on false pretenses. A letter indicating a death in the family, or an offer of employment elsewhere. Government documents requiring them to be in Cairo in person to sort out. A warrant issued in error, for instance. I do not wish to give the dark brotherhood any advantage they do not already possess."

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 63):

Chi-Yin only really knew and trusted Miss Agatha, but she somehow felt the rough Scottish archaeologist James Gardner was also not involved.

They did know Dr. Khafour, who's department at the Cairo Museum regulated archaeological activity throughout Egypt.

The Count listened to the back and forth as he sipped the water Mr Perkins had provided. He was feeling a lot better being out of the sun at least. When the use of gas was mentions he pulled a rather sour face, his lived experience coming to the fore.


-

The count's face does not go unnoticed.

"I defer to your wisdom on the matter, sir. I know I favor vengeance against these beasts, but I have no real experience in the matter to speak of."

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 66):

"Even if we could find the gas in a weaponized form that we could readily use its deployment is always hit and miss. I would say we would have to pick our "battlefield" as it were, but there are so many things that can go wrong with this stuff."

"My own input would be to see what is available first in regards to explosives and then we go from there. Egypt has be quarrying stone for thousands of years there is bound to be someone who is expert with dynamite in the city."


-

"Very well. I am prepared to go shopping, and to engage our allies on what support we can get."

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 68):

The sun sank towards the horizon.

Now the heat was abating, the evening tours started to arrive. They were arranged by the luxury hotels in Cairo, Europeans could ride a camel or donkey to see the Great Pyramids of Giza, taking pictures as they climbed up the massive stone blocks or gawked at the Sphynx.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voTJvoQfjJ8

The plan now seemed to be to hole up at Alexander's estate, using the time they had to equip themselves. They would then make a foray into the mysterious tunnels they thought were located beneath the Great Pyramids through a secret entrance that only showed itself at the new moon, a time when the Cult of Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh would likely hold a ceremony which (if they were true to form) involve human sacrifice.

If so, and assuming Sir Clive (a known associate of England's now-dead Cultist high priest Edward Gavigan) was also a cultist, then perhaps those who were innocent and ignorant of the threat, like Miss Agatha or James Broadmoor, would be in great danger!

In reply to Cynthia Jane Holloway (msg # 63):

Chi-yin agreed with Cynthia. "I believe that they have nothing to do with the cultists, but we cannot draw attention to ourselves. On the other hand, a faked letter of some sort would do well to keep them away from the danger."

Their musings over, the investigators left the Sphynx and pyramid to the much-diminished groups of tourists. Most tourists had been shuttled from the Cairo hotels in open touring cars or riding lines of camels and donkeys. But they came in the cooler mornings. There was a second wave that would come in the late afternoon to witness the sun setting in the desert to the west behind the pyramids.

Traveling across Nile on the English Bridge they turned north and arrived without incident on Alexander's Gezira island estate. If they went straight across the island they would cross the Kobri el Gezira Bridge to downtown Cairo.