8: Papers

Aubentag 3rd Kaltzeit

Session eight began on the evening of Aubentag 3rd Kaltzeit in the aftermath of a pub brawl at The Duke of Parravon. Haakon, disturbed by something that happened during the brawl wandered off on his own, or something. Klaus, Thijens, Bart, and Zombrie all went back to The True Kipper to recover. Over a few beers you decided you would go back to the Cloos household and offer your services once more as guards for the sarcophagus. As you approached the house you noticed a couple of groups of men loitering a bit at either end of the street.

The housekeeper at Cloos' house seemed to be expecting you and you went down to the museum and set up shop. The first thing you did was try to shift the sarcophagus' lid. You all prepared torches and Thijens accidentally set fire to an ancient exhibit which burned readily. As Bart grabbed the ancient Arabyan clothing and tried to put it out, he inadvertently set fire to some papyruses hanging on the wall. Eventually you managed to put all the fires out. Then you did move the lid away and beheld the gold and lapis lazuli death mask in all its glory. Klaus prodded the mummy with his short sword.

You were inspecting the body and wondering what to do with it when an object broke the window at the front of the house, and burst, spreading oil across the floor. A few moments later the oil erupted into flames. Klaus threw his coat to Bart who tried to put out the fire. Then two more incendiaries came through the windows. One didn't break and Klaus picked it up. The other started a fire down the other end of the museum. Thijens raced to put it out, and Bart helped him. Zombrie ran out the front door and scared off a couple of people. They looked like mercenaries, or something, and ran off down the street. Bart went out the back door trying to find the perpetrators but they had scarpered.

You tidied up the mess a bit and made a pile of flammable stuff in the corner to help counter a further threat. The housekeeper came down and Zombrie managed to stop her looking into the museum while everyone else tried to slide the lid back on the sarcophagus. The housekeeper invited Zombrie up for a cup of tea, and brought you tea and biscuits down, impressed by your bravery.

Zombrie had no conversation with Mrs. Cloos as she spoke Old Worlder until Jaeger turned up. He translated as they talked about the problem. Ofra Cloos seemed to think the problem was connected with Drexol and her late husband's falling out with him. There had been something wrong between them ever since they found the sarcophagus. She dumped a load of papers and correspondence on Zombrie for him to look through to try and find out what was going on. They also agreed that any fees for the party's services should be paid directly to the temple of Ulric.

You boarded up the windows to the museum and tried to get some sleep. Nothing much else happened for the rest of the night. Zombrie and Thijens (still moving his lips when reading) went through Cloos' papers looking for clues. So far, you have managed to find the following:

My dear Arnold,

We have travelled together, blown by the four winds, to the furthest reaches. We have braved storm of sea and sand, the dangers of men and monster, of course. It is strange that it should come to this.

I beg you most strongly to reconsider what you do. My research is most necessary to the safety of a great number of people. You must surrender the means to do this. A simple whim is no excuse for the obstacle you put before me and my work.

It is an age-old story, I suppose, that our friendship should be destroyed by the caprice of a beautiful woman. But please, Arno, consider the good of mankind, before you consider your wife, consider all we have done together and consider the fate of the Tomb Kings.

Respectfully,

Fredrick

Arnold Cloos,

I cannot put my master off any longer. This thing is out of our hands now. I did my best, for our old friendship's sake but now I am no longer your friend.

I pity what will become of Ofra for I can see no way that you will be there to protect her much longer. She may need protecting. Perhaps I shall take on that role myself.

Then again, soiled goods are less appealing to a man of means such as myself.

Fredrick Drexol

Dear Arno,

I trust this small missive finds you in good health and good spirits. I hope you have looked after yourself in the savage wilds, that the carrion bird is not picking out your eyeballs and feasting on your liver in some Verena forsaken wasteland (yes, I have not forgotten our discussion on Thanhkaten / Verena parallels in ancient Remean literature, but remain unconvinced).

In your long absence, I have had a chance to visit the library and have discovered a number of dusty tomes that you will find interesting, directly referencing the matter we discussed. You should be especially interested in The Book of Shapesh, a translation from the lost Arabyan original, if I am not mistaken, and a good one too. There are some nuances, in key texts, which elucidate some of the matters with which you are particularly concerned.

Although, as you know I am no expert on the period, some of the verses, as I have interpreted them, leave me worried. I hope you may set my mind at rest but fear that they may worry you a great deal more. This has also left me fearing for Fredrick's motives.

Make no mistake, this is an important and urgent matter and you should visit me as soon as you are able.

Yours faithfully

Ernst Goffman

...The dig goes well. The Mamelukes are keeping their distance, mostly. I think we have convinced them that we are more trouble than we are worth. We relocated the site of the Ushabti chamber and have been exploring the antechamber and two side passages. The glyphs are ambiguous, but we are on the right track...

...A huge bird flew over this morning. It seemed to be made only of putrefying flesh and bone. Its wings beat against the air, but were more hole and sinew than muscle and feather. Most strange. It chilled me, but the Arabyans were struck with fear. They ran for shelter. A number did not return, preferring to brave the desert with few provisions than work for us any longer. Whatever that flying thing was it was not wholly natural. I will talk to Goffman on my return. He will surely know what that was all about...

...Great news, we have broken through to a second grand chamber. This could be the one. Ofra may be within our grasp at last. I am interested in some glyphs on the altar-wall. They are obviously key to the construction, but seem to be of an especially ancient and primitive form. They are perhaps some kind of warning...

...I discussed the matter with Fredrick. He seems either oblivious to the danger, or actually relishing it. How could someone appear so blase in the face of something so potentially terrible. I am having second thoughts about the whole thing. I am tempted to pack in this dig and go up to the coast, where there are some interesting Nehekharan temple mounds. Nothing like this, but at least our expedition will not be totally wasted...

...At last we have what we came for. There were two large sarcophagi in the final room. Mahamod said they were protected by some ancient curse and insisted he and his friends perform some sort of binding rite before we could go anywhere near them. Each to his own, I guess. I really wanted to open them here, of course, just to be sure, but Fredrick insists we return with them intact. Good news, Ofra has agreed to become my wife, we will be married aboard ship, or something. Despite my failing health, I can offer her some future...

...We were married this afternoon...

...I have been poring over the papyruses we managed to save. There is some terrible secret held within them. I have to read between the lines and now wish I had studied the ancient glyphs more closely. Whatever happens I cannot let Fredrick have access to them. They are much too dangerous, and he seems to have no inkling with what he meddles. Or perhaps he has, perhaps he knows only too well...

Marktag 4th Kaltzeit

In the morning, after some nice breakfast you all set off for van Klincker's house. No one seemed to be hopeful that his promise of one thousand Guilders for your not doing anything about the missing credit notes would be honoured. Zombrie and Bart were invited into the reception while their 'servants', Klaus and Thijens went for bacon sandwiches in the kitchen.

A few minutes later a piercing scream was heard from upstairs. Everyone rushed up to see what was going on, except for Thijens who couldn't resist a few more bites of bacon sandwich. Upstairs, there was a maid in a doorway screaming, still. Zombrie tried to comfort her while Bart entered the room. Soon everyone else piled in, too.

The room was in a strange state. It had obviously been a well-appointed master bedroom with a four poster bed and some nice furniture. Now, some strange construction had been created in one corner, out of all the bits in the room. It looked a bit like a castle with the wardrobe as part of the wall, and the posts from the bed as towers and bedclothes making a shelter behind the walls, and stuff. Behind the wall was the fat, blue body of Baron van Klincker. He lay in his own faeces and his face was contorted into some terrified death mask. You noticed lots of small cuts on his upper torso which had a strange blue stain in them. One of the cuts was particularly fresh and blue.

Klaus noticed a nearly full vial on the floor which contained a clear-ish, viscous liquid and picked it up. He also noticed the window was closed but not locked. He also noticed a couple of Black Caps approaching.

The Black Caps were a bit surprised to find a bunch of scruffs climbing all over the death scene, and after a few words of cheek from said scruffs decided to take them down the station for questioning. Zombrie, who had stayed out the way during the altercation with the law, then convinced the Black Caps to let him have a few moments to bless the deceased.

After an hour or so in a filthy, tiny cell the three were let out for questioning. You all stuck to pretty much the same story (ie the truth) but Thijens interview went less well than the others. After a few hours you were shown to the magistrate. Klaus and Bart pled guilty and got a three Guilder fine, each. Thiijens (up on four charges) pled not guilty and was remanded to appear in four days to make his defence. Zombrie, as an honourable man of the cloth, convinced the magistrate to hand over responsibility for Thijens to him, until the trial.

Everyone, after paying some fines, was free to go. A few minutes later an unsightly altercation erupted outside the Guilderveld Courthouse. Three ruffians seemed to be hurling abuse at a priest of Ulric and threatening to burn him alive or lock him in a sarcophagus, or something. But they soon calmed down.

Everyone tried to get some sleep before the next night's watch. Thijens decided that Nipper had been locked up in the Hole for too long and took him for a long walk, and decided to take him to work next time. Everyone turned up for work and had a nice meal, which the housekeeper had prepared. When she had gone, you decided to slide open the sarcophagus again. You lifted off the death mask, rather cautiously but nothing happened. It was very heavy. Zombrie stuffed it into his pack. Klaus found a golden, snake headed staff next to the body and a ceremonial whip type thing and had them away. Then you all played cards for a bit and tried to get some sleep when you could.

Backertag 5th Kaltzeit

In the morning you woke to the sounds of an argument raging above you. Bart went out the front to have a look. Some weather beaten, rich looking guy was screaming at the housekeeper that he be allowed in, and that he owned everything, or something. He had a couple of hard looking bodyguards with him, but when Bart shouted at him he walked off, but said he'd be back, and Bart would be sorry. The housekeeper seemed very impressed that Bart would defy so important a man as Fredrick Drexol. And she made a nice breakfast, again.

You all waited for Jaeger to turn up and 'renegotiated' your contract with winter deities taking a reduced cut. Ofra Cloos said she wanted someone to accompany her to the funeral, which would be later this day, and it was thought that Zombrie would be the best choice.

Zombrie first went off to the temple of Ulric and hid the death mask there, somewhere, without telling his head priest. Klaus and Thijens made their way down to Wasplaatz in Kruiersmuur and Bart just felt the need to go for a long walk.

Klaus and Thijens visited the armourer on Wasplaatz where Klaus picked up his new leathers, and they looked pretty cool. They also got measured for some armoured skull caps which the armourer, Ludo, said would be ready in a couple of days. He seemed to be selling them a bit cheap, but he had never made one before so was unsure about the amount of work involved. Klaus also bought a cosh.

Then Klaus went to see Harry Stubfoot who had been interested in the ceremonial daggers that Klaus had swiped form Cloos' museum. The frontman in the pawnshop remembered Klaus and sent him straight out the back. The heavy, reinforced door was opened and Klaus let through. Behind the door Stubfoot's office was a little tacky. Expensive carpets covered almost every surface. There were a number of large canvases on the walls depicting brave halflings in a variety of grand poses. Klaus noticed halfling riding destrier and halfling in plate armour with huge weapon, and tried not to snicker. Behind a huge polished wooden desk sat Stubfoot himself, bedecked in ostentatious jewellery and pulling on a pipe with a huge intricately carved bowl.

After brief pleasantries and some respects paid, Stubfoot explained that he liked the daggers a lot, but what he really wanted, on behalf of an unnamed client, was the sarcophagus. He explained that Klaus had what it took to become one of Stubfoot's 'men', but in order to earn this honour, he would have to get the sarcophagus for him. He needed Klaus to get the rest of the guards out the way that evening, as a personal favour to Stubfoot.

Klaus tried to suggest a possible amendment to the plan but the halfling got suddenly angry and animated. With a stream of invective Stubfoot made it quite clear that his was the best plan, and no other plan should even be mentioned. Klaus made his excuses and left.

Zombrie attended the funeral with Ofra Cloos and Jaeger. Drexol was there and so was Ernst Goffman. Zombrie engaged Goffman in stimulating academical repartee, or something, and mentioned that he was interested in the Book of Shapesh. Goffman was initially wary, but swung by Zombrie's obvious eloquence and academic excellence Goffman invited Zombrie back to his place in Goudberg. On Goffman's boat, the old scholar explained some aspects of Nehekharan ancient history to him and gave a brief outline of the prophesy of The Return contained within the Book of Shapesh. He said something a bit like this:

The body shall be protected by two huge constructs imbued with the souls of dead heroes. They shall be made from the detritus of battle and shall watch over the queen. When the six daggers spill the ancient blood of six hearts in the sign of the six then shall the third queen of the third dynasty rise and take her place at his right hand.

You realised that you had better work fast to avoid a nasty conflict of interest for Klaus. You planned to remove the body from the sarcophagus in time for Stubfoot's men and hide the other items, but when you got to the Cloos house it was violently ablaze. There was no way you could get into the house or the museum. You spoke to the shocked housekeeper who said that everyone seemed to be safe, and that Ofra should still have been at the wake.