GM Euan's Mummy's Mask (Inactive)

Game Master Euan

Hudjefa, sorry, I do mean core races, so I’m not allowing your Dhampir concept. I’ve tentatively added you to the submissions as race can be sorted later - though it is intertwined with your background.

Not a problem.

Like I said, the background works *almost* as well for a Mummy-cursed Human, so I just need to alter a few stats, the campaign trait, and pick up an additional Feat. The background is still fine.

I'll get the crunch updated sometime today.

Tetradia nods as the professor explains the details of the situation. "Ah, so it's about treasure, then. That hadn't occurred to me. When I heard the news about the opening, I was thinking of a different kind of opportunity."

She smiles as the server delivered her food and coffee, and smiles even broader when she tastes it, swallowing half the contents in one sip. Then she withdraws a stone pendant from underneath her tunic, and shows it to the professor.

"Do you know the Mystic Angel, Mr. Dickens? As one of his followers, I am sworn to defend and restore significant buildings. Tombs, shrines, monuments. That's what I do. I build new ones, too, of course, but that is practice, a way to hone the craft. Rebuilding what would otherwise be lost -- that's sacred."

"So others may have read the announcement and seen riches, but I saw the hand of Soralyon, pointing me here. Imagine Wati's necropolis, not stripped of its treasures, but restored to its glory. That is why I am here."

She takes a few bites of the goat, then wipes her mouth on her sleeve. "My mistake was thinking I'd be bidding against contractors, with a normal cost structure. I can see now that a standard restoration project will never get the rights, because I'll be outbid by one of these treasure-hunting fools making a gamble. I suppose my only hope will be to attach myself to one of those groups for my practical skills, and then do slow restoration work on my own time."

Tali gratefully accepts her grilled goat's meat along with the cacik, and tries to find a spot where she can squeeze in at the edge now that the place is filling up. She eats with her hands, tearing the strips of grilled goat into small bites and dipping them in the cacik before devouring them. She cranes her head to listen to the discussion between miss Hypaxes and Abdur, then when that business concludes she skips past the occasional flirting and then finally settles on listening to Tetradia's description of her sacred duty to rebuild the necropoli. She still chews slowly on pieces of the goat, slowing a bit as she thinks.

Abdur, having spent some time in his office, returns to the common room and shouts, ”Friends! A word, if you please!” As the room quiets down, one of his many servants brings parchment and pen. He speaks again, still loudly so he’s well heard, but he’s no longer shouting. ”My friends, I have found myself to be at something of an impasse. I have registered, and paid the fee mind you, for the upcoming opening of the necropolis under the name Hizb Almughamarat Almalaki, or Royal Adventuring Party for those of you who don’t know the ancient tongue.” A few of the regulars laugh, knowing something of Abdur’s lack of creativity when it comes to naming things.

He stares down a few of them, but with a grin on his face he continues, ”Unfortunately, the team I had made arrangements with is being sponsored by another and I find myself without anyone to work under my banner. For those of you who don’t know, in three days time there is to be a lottery. Registered teams may join the lottery where they will be given locations within the great necropolis to search… respectfully mind you! …search for treasures and other historical finds.”

”The priests of the Grand Mausoleum have decided on a lottery to distribute access to the tombs to make the process impartial and subject to the dictates of fate, in keeping with Pharasmin religious tenets of course.” He breaks out into a laugh and mutters something about other schemes and continues, ”The church has mapped the necropolis and designated selected sites within it for exploration, dividing them into different pools, from the smallest and simplest of structures to the largest and potentially most complex. Each party of explorers is assigned three sites, one at a time, so that a group must complete its exploration of one site before gaining access to another.” There are a few calls of ”If they survive!” along with the usual laughter.

Abdur laughs with the crowd before continuing, ”Anyway, the point of my long ramble is that I need a team. If you are so inclined, please step right up and tell me a bit about yourself, and why you’d be good at this sort of thing. And speak clearly now, and slowly - I don’t write as fast as I used to!”

Immediately a queue forms and folks from all over start telling the proprietor who they are and what they bring to the table. He dutifully writes down their names and a bit about them, asking questions of some.

”Oh wait!” he cries out, standing again. ”I almost forgot. I will, of course, be spotting your fee, and I’ll also be giving you a wand of cure light wounds with 42 charges on it. Almost full!!" he adds, ever the merchant. "In exchange, I get to pick, paying current market rates of course, from any items you procure. If you wish, you may have a priest from the church handle the appraisals so you know I’m not cheating you.”

Interestingly a few folks get out of line at that pronouncement, but a few others join in - eager for what seems like easy money.

You are not required to interact with Abdul, I assume you all put your names onto his list. Feel free to engage with him or others as you like.

Cahal makes her way inside. For a moment, she is blind and all she hears is the Royal Adventury Party speech, which turns her stomach.

What am I doing here!? These are serious people. They'll know I'm but an amateur!!

But as she regains her sight, she can see that most seem as green as her. Her breathing calms. With measured steps, she makes her way around the table, like a great lioness through the tall grass, with supple feline grace, her eyes darting from table to table, searching for signs of weakness, for an opening.

Group 3 - Khalid, Yozo, Nidhi, and Hudjefa

Finally, she settles on a group. They certainly look like they could use someone who can handle a fight. Certainly, the stranger might prove a match, given the size of his weird scimitar, but what did he really know of Wati, of the Necropolis, and would the others trust him?! Yes, she thought, she could be useful to them.

"May the Old Gods protect your steps. I am Cahal ud'Din. I am a professional fighter here in Wati and have won many fights in the arena. You will participate in the lottery, no? I could join you. I would protect you from harm. There are no better fighter in Bargetown than me!" she boasts.

Dreaming Warforged's application. Rough and tough mother of a three year old girl who needs money for a better life. I am still working on equipment, but the rest shouldn't change too much.

Announcement
One of the two players I had lined up has fallen by the wayside, and so I have four slots open instead of three. I try to strongly consider ‘new’ players in my campaigns. After all, if us old timers don’t invite the new kids to the table, who will? So with that in mind, the aforementioned spot will be filled specifically by a new player.

So there is one slot for a player who’s new to the Paizo boards, or new to Pathfinder. I think we already have two or three (ore more) of those among our current applications. Then there are three slots for the rest of you.

I feel we’ve hit the high water mark, but there may yet be some stragglers to the party. I’m going to close this recruitment on Friday, uh, the 13th. I’ll then go over your finalized backgrounds and make a decision, announcing it here on Saturday in the afternoon (Pacific Time, US). I’ll also PM the successful few.

Thank you all for applying, this is going to be a tough decision. Please continue to role play - it’ll help you find your character’s voice, and help me select the final group.

Cahal, good background. Can you talk about your child a bit more?

"May the Old Gods protect your steps. I am Cahal ud'Din. I am a professional fighter here in Wati and have won many fights in the arena. You will participate in the lottery, no? I could join you. I would protect you from harm. There are no better fighter in Bargetown than me!" she boasts.

It appears that most here have entered in pursuit of the Lady's lottery, although none have formed into a group as of yet. The Lady seems to have intended for most of the Watians to gravitate to this spot.

Finally taking the offered seat, Hudjefa continues.

Greetings to you Cahal. Know that we are not yet forged into a unit, but I find the company of those around me to be somehow... right. Feel free to pull up a chair and wait. We shall do the same until Abdur has made his decisions.

Zoda listens to Augustus and not so politely drink his drink. Though he does nod a thanks to Dilana for the drink.

Zoda begins day dreaming as he finishes the rest of his drink.
"Why did I come over here to listen to this so called vanquisher of orcs talk?"

Just then Augustus orders another round.

"Oh. That's right. They are buying drinks.

GM- No problem. I knew it was a long shot. Good luck with your game.

Almost done with the background
Another patron slowly enters the bar. Looking carefully left and right he chooses a place a bit to the side. Upon removing his headpiece, one can see he is of garundi blood, with ice blue eyes, dark skin and a few well made old osirion symbols tattoed on his face. Upon hearing the words lottery he smiles and speaks up. "May the sun be between you and all the dark places you walk. My name is Akil-Khalid. And I would like to join one of those teams selected to explore our ancestors tombs."

Grod the Cunning wrote:

Motioning a waiter over, he motions to the lion and says "Glass of beer for me, bowl milk for her. Meat for us both. We'll take whatever's best, I'm sure you know the menu better than I do." While removing his battleaxe, he looks around and says "She's plenty well behaved, swear to Sekhmet. I'm the uncivilized one." he then uses the battleaxe to motion toward the dead quarter, and continues "Anybody heard anything about parties forming up to go digging?"

The young woman looks quite frightened by the lion, and a little by the battle-ax as well now that you mention it. But she holds her own and takes your order. Another of the staff comes over before long, bringing what you requested and asking for permission to pet the mighty cat.

"If you'll wait a moment longer, I think Abdur is going to make an announcement about exactly that sir. Lovely animal..."

"She is that. Good thing too, she balances out how unlovely I am. Ha!" the man laughs, smirking at his own joke. He shakes his head and continues. "You can pet her if you like, she won't attack, except in her own defense or on my command. Just be gentle with her."

After Abdur makes his speech, Grod gets up and walks over to the line. When he reaches Abdur, he says "Well, there's the obvious. I'm a warrior. 'Tween may axe and my lady friend over there" he jerks his thumb at the table, where Miryam sits lapping up milk from the bowl in front of her "I can make a mess of most thugs, wild beasts, and the like. Might have a bit more trouble with magical foes, but if they bleed I can kill 'em. Eventually." he says, before switching to the new Osiriani
Osiriani:

Might want to buy a pack saddle for her, just in case. I wasn't thinking about using her as a beast of burden until just now. Decisions, decisions...

Dilana has clearly never had to deal with this many threads of conversation and has simply reverted to memorizing as much as she can about what is said.

There is a lot of bluster, I wonder if this is a normal day for this establishment. Of course I also wonder if there is a way. So many self proclaimed warriors in one spot, I wonder why my father wont let me simply hire a few.

Scanning the room.

Oddly I think I like the drunk fellow, he fills familiar.

She smiles at Zoda who fails to notice either the smile or its wooden nature.

While still waiting for the orange cat's permission to pet him, Shemei could not stop herself from intruding in the conversation happening in front of her, especially when the man she was looking for was participation. "I believe you are listening to ze wrong tales, girl..." Shemei directs herself to Tetradia. "Wati might be a small and unremarkable town from where you are, but it is imbortant in Osirion, and we are in Osirion, not in Taldor, where our rich relics tend to abbear mysteriously."

"Even if a couble few are indeed interested in ze history behind our country, or its incredible constructions, like you've said, most of zem are far more interested in our lost relics and treasures." The idea of someone bringing the old monuments back to its glory was a wonderful thought, but Shemei quickly dismissed it as pure fantasy. "I'm not saying zat you won't be able to restore zem... Tadia, right?... but I zink you'd need to wait for ze ozers to loot it first. If you ask me, greed is one of ze worst."

Suddenly remembering that she had not introduced herself yet, Shemei offers her hand to both women, and then, after a couple seconds of hesitation, to the professor. "My name is Shemei Ha-Norat-Ne, a local healer and yanni... scholar."

As Abdur makes his statement, Shemei doesn't rush to introduce herself, actually hoping to be the last one.

---
GM, added a couple more information to her background. Some parts were too generic IMO. She should be finished, unless you have any other request.

Abdur, having spent some time in his office, returns to the common room and shouts, “Friends! A word, if you please!” As the room quiets down, one of his many servants brings parchment and pen. He speaks again, still loudly so he’s well heard, but he’s no longer shouting. “My friends, I have found myself to be at something of an impasse. I have registered, and paid the fee mind you, for the upcoming opening of the necropolis under the name Hizb Almughamarat Almalaki, or Royal Adventuring Party for those of you who don’t know the ancient tongue.” […] “Oh wait!” he cries out, standing again. “I almost forgot. I will, of course, be spotting your fee, and I’ll also be giving you a wand of cure light wounds with 42 charges on it. Almost full!!" he adds, ever the merchant. "In exchange, I get to pick, paying current market rates of course, from any items you procure. If you wish, you may have a priest from the church handle the appraisals so you know I’m not cheating you.”

Interestingly a few folks get out of line at that pronouncement, but a few others join in - eager for what seems like easy money.

“It appears that most here have entered in pursuit of the Lady's lottery, although none have formed into a group as of yet. The Lady seems to have intended for most of the Watians to gravitate to this spot.”

Finally taking the offered seat, Hudjefa continues.
“Greetings to you Cahal. Know that we are not yet forged into a unit, but I find the company of those around me to be somehow... right. Feel free to pull up a chair and wait. We shall do the same until Abdur has made his decisions.”

Nidhi looks at Hudjefa, Khalid, Yozo and the woman who just introduced herself at Cahal ud’Din. “Are you guys thinking about getting in line?” Nidhi is unsure as to if she should stay and listen to Khalid’s conversation with Nes-maut or if she should get in line.

Upon hearing the words lottery he smiles and speaks up. "May the sun be between you and all the dark places you walk. My name is Akil-Khalid. And I would like to join one of those teams selected to explore our ancestors tombs."

Abdur notes your name and smiles up at you from his seat. ”Our ancestors ay? I like it when the locals get involved - increases the chances that the loot will stay local, you know? So, what can you offer to help our poor reputation survive. What do you have to offer the team?”

After Abdur makes his speech, Grod gets up and walks over to the line. When he reaches Abdur, he says "Well, there's the obvious. I'm a warrior. 'Tween may axe and my lady friend over there" he jerks his thumb at the table, where Miryam sits lapping up milk from the bowl in front of her "I can make a mess of most thugs, wild beasts, and the like. Might have a bit more trouble with magical foes, but if they bleed I can kill 'em. Eventually." he says, before switching to the new Osiriani...

Abdur grows wistful when he speaks of the old ways, and murmers a bit of poetry in the ancient tongue.

”sa'adhhab 'iilaa alma' maeak,
waykhruj lak yahmil samkatan humra',
alladhi hu mjrd haqq fi 'asabiei.”

"Sorry. It's all the poetry I know, but it sounds so beautiful in the ancient tongue!" He puts a note next to your name and calls for the next in line.

Zoda, looks good I’ll read shortly. Thank you!

Akil, let me know when you’re done with your background. Good start though. :)

Shemei, thanks for the update! I’ll take a look and let you know.

”I’m sorry, we’re fresh out of goat’s milk.” he thrusts a thumb in the direction of a great cat, lapping at a rather large bowl of the stuff. ”We do have a little sheep’s milk, but I personally find it’s not nearly as good. Yet it is milk if you want to give it a chance…”

"Oh, that's okay," Florence smiles. "We'll give it a try and see what we think, eh Bynx? This trip will be full of new experiences for the both of us."

She turns around to get closer to him when she almost bumps into two other woman who have just now entered Milky, both foreigners (Florence and Tetradia). "Oh, apologies, I did not see you there... I liked your eyes..." she said to the one with green eyes (Florence). "...and your cat." She then crouches to pet it but, before she does, she asks for permission to the cat. "Hello, beautiful friend. May I scratch your head?"

"Huh...? Oh, um...thank you," Florence replies a bit shyly to the tall, painted woman who addresses her.

Come on Flor, you need to be a bit more talkative than that!

"A gift from my mother," she gestures to her eyes, "and my brother," she finishes with a small chuckle as she nods down at the cat. "He's Bynx and I think he'll accept pets from just about anyone - but thank you for asking." She vaguely wonders if the woman can somehow sense that there's more to Bynx that he seems, but decides that it might be better not to ask, at least not right now.

***************************

"Of course. I just didn't think there would be so many. I mean, take Oppara. Do you know the city? Large cosmopolitan city, the jewel of the empire, not too far away. When I mentioned my interest in coming here to my family and their circles, how many do you think had even heard of Wati? Two, maybe three, and they only knew enough to make jokes about hangovers and feeling 'half-dead'."

"I've never been there myself, but yes...I know of Oppara," Florence responds as she glances over to the other Taldan woman. "And I guess you're right...even I'd never really heard of Wati until...er...until I heard about the contest, yes," she stammers, her face growing slightly pink.

Bluff: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

As she notices several others looking for seats, Tetradia scoots her chair over to make room, but making sure there would still be space for her food and drinks. "Please, sit. Pardon my manners -- you'd think I was raised on a worksite. I'm Tetradia, Tadia Muzaka. Of the Oppara Muzakas."

Leaping at the chance to try and push past what even she knew was a very unconvincing lie, Florence moves to join the Taldan woman at her table and beckons for the tall, painted one to do the same if she likes. "Um, thank you," she smiles as she pulls up a chair. "I'm Florence Corvina, formerly of Oppara. And Bynx, my friend and companion," she adds, gesturing down at the orange feline.

As the scholarly gentleman (Benedictus) also sees fit to join them at the table, Florence listens with interest to the chatter between himself and Tetradia. "...Really? You mean not everyone here is aiming for treasure?" she asks. "I know I said as much myself, but I had to admit that uh...I figured such people would be in the minority," she admits, looking a bit sheepish before turning her gaze to Tetradia. "You want to restore the monuments rather than pillage them? That..."

Can that be why I'm here? Not to pillage but to preserve?

"...that's very noble of you. And it would be a lot easier to research the history in places like this with said history actually being in one piece."

She looks up as Abdur makes his announcement and then at the others sitting at the table. "I guess our host won't have to worry about a shortage of applicants." A pause. "So all three of you are signing up?"

Thanks for the 'group' listings Shemei, definitely makes it easier to keep track of things. @Gm Euan - I can move the 10 Minute Background off the profile to a document; I mainly wrote it first to help me nail down the character details for the prose background anyway :)

"Hello, beautiful friend. May I scratch your head?"

"Prrt!"

Bynx happily rubs his head against the woman's ankles, clearly angling for as much attention as he can get.

I like her already! Can we keep her?

Note: Bynx looks much less scary and more ordinary than his avatar picture; Paizo needs more plain old cat pictures on here!

Abdur grows wistful when he speaks of the old ways, and murmers a bit of poetry in the ancient tongue.

”sa'adhhab 'iilaa alma' maeak,
waykhruj lak yahmil samkatan humra',
alladhi hu mjrd haqq fi 'asabiei.”

** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **

"Sorry. It's all the poetry I know, but it sounds so beautiful in the ancient tongue!" He puts a note next to your name and calls for the next in line.

** spoiler omitted **...

Knowledge(History): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Brows knitting and an odd look on his face, Grod responds. "From the tomb of Inherkhawy, if I'm not mistaken. You don't know what that passage is about, do you?" not waiting for an answer, he turns away. Odd man, who'd quote words without knowing their meaning. Half the beauty in a text is the meaning. At least, I'm fairly certain he didn't know.

Ben listens with eyes full of wonder to Tetradia’s ambitious plan. In his mind, he can envision the old monuments and crypts being brought back to their former glory, but he quickly dismisses the though as irrational, and…”Very unlikely to happen, I’m afraid. But your motives are an inspiration, milady. I wish our world was filled with people like you, instead of greedy treasure hunters whose only concern is wealth and fame. But I suppose I’m a dreamer just like you, milady, and even if it may not be that much…I’d be glad to help you restore those sites to their former glory, if you should happen to get the appropriate permissions to do so.” Ben offers Tetradia a warm smile, feeling a sort of natural connection to the girl’s goals.

---

As the middle-aged woman steps up, and addresses him directly, Ben smiles awkwardly, suddenly feeling small as the greensting scorpion hiding beneath his clothes. “Ehm, Uhm…W-Well, as I was saying to Mr. Abdur, I thought I may be able to help, you know, with the whole thing about turning profit from exploration and…oh, it doesn’t matter. I was never good at deceiving. All I was trying to do, to be honest, was to appease him into revealing me the name of the woman in purple with the holy symbol of Nethys…Do you happen to know her name? She struck me as someone who knows what’s up.”

---

As Abdur comes back, the scholar attentively listens to his speech. Uhm…Very interesting! It might actually work for me, as long as he allows me to appraise the findings…

Nervously glancing around himself, Ben sighs and respectfully queues up.

---

As he waits for his turn, Ben listens attentively to what Shemei is saying, and when the woman addresses him directly, he reacts with exaggerated stupor. “Wait, what? Me?” he mutters. That was the second time a woman introduced to him spontaneously. And the first one didn’t go well at all, resulting in Ben losing his chair as professor at the university. “Ehm, Uhm…Hm-Hm”, clearing his throat and trying to take on the most imperious tone he could (for a pretty comical result), Ben finds the courage to introduce himself. “Benedict West Dickens, I’m extremely glad to make your acquiescence milady. It’s always good to meet a fellow scholar, especially here”. There’s no sign of mock in his words. Ben was taught to respect all forms of study and inquiry into history and truth. Scratching the back of his head as he’s used to do when he’s anxious, Ben gives the woman a shy smile. “Your words are very wise, milady. Am I right in conjecturing that you’re a native?”

---

To Florence, Ben nods warmly. “Of course I am. Competition is going to be pretty hard, I know, but I hope that even reckless adventurers can value a foreign former professor of Osirian lore, and…Well, come to think of it, I believe I don’t stand a chance. This would be my first experience on the field, and I see many seasoned adventurers and dungeon delvers in this pub. But I’ll try, one can never know! Are you going to apply as well?”
_______________________________
Character’s sheet on the way…Should be able to finish it tomorrow.

Florence couldn't help but feel a rush of empathy for Benedict. Here was someone else who was, or at least felt, as much a fish out of water as she did. "I'll be honest...I hadn't really planned on it, not at first. But I'm looking for answers and I don't think it's coincidence that this lottery is happening here, at this specific time," she admits. "Of course I'm probably the last sort of person a group would want on their team, but as you said, all I can do is try - right?"

** spoiler omitted **

Tali shifts slightly to her right and says to whomever is there which I don't know because nobody has referenced me with a position, "Are so many people from beyond these lands this willing to throw themselves into peril? The rewards must be great indeed."

Yozo picks himself up and walks out, deciding it was not worth risking his new life to throw it away into an open grave.

Abdur laughs with the crowd before continuing, ”Anyway, the point of my long ramble is that I need a team. If you are so inclined, please step right up and tell me a bit about yourself, and why you’d be good at this sort of thing. And speak clearly now, and slowly - I don’t write as fast as I used to!”

Immediately a queue forms and folks from all over start telling the proprietor who they are and what they bring to the table. He dutifully writes down their names and a bit about them, asking questions of some.

"Welcome!" Khalid greets Cahal warmly. "I've seen a couple of your fights in bargetown. I would be glad for your protection!"

"Come, my friends." Khalid says to Nidhi, Hujefa, and Cahal. "Let us add our names to the roster. Only fortune awaits us."

Waiting in line, he eventually gets up to Adbur and speaks Osirian
"تحيات عبد، اسمي خالد صفر، نجل الخيميائي هاشم صفر. لقد تحتاج إلى إدخال مقبرة، وسوف يعمل معك ينجز الكثير. وأنا على استعداد لإعطائك اختيار الأول من المسروقات، بطبيعة الحال. أنا طلب العلم، والذهب قليلا، وهذا هو كل شيء."

Just so everyone knows, Hyir is quite talkative. In fact, he might never shut up if you get him going on the right subject. He will just never initiate the conversation.

Hyir finally looks up when Abdur makes his announcement. In fact, he nearly jumps out of his chair. However, once he recovers, he dashes over to the line and is the first there. He introduces himself to Abdur.
”H-hello, I’m Hyir, I d-don’t believe we’ve fo-formally met yet,” he stutters, “I-I’m a local sch-scholar with a specialty in Ancient Osiriani history and linguistics. I’ve gone on several expeditions before this, and I-I h-have quite the knack with di-disarming a-and manipulating even ma-magical traps. You see, most ancient Osiriani magical traps use a pattern of specialized runes and glyphs. While they’re very hard to notice, and usually all but impossible to disable, with the proper disturbance, whether throwing a pebble, adding an extra glyph or erasing an old one, I’ve found that nearly any magical trap or curse can be circumvented…” He trails off, ”Oh, so-sorry, A-Abdur, si-sir. I don’t mean to bore you. R-rest assured, I’m one of the best in the business of disabling curse wards and trapped corridors. O-oh, sorry. I sometimes apologize too much. Oh, sorry, I did it again. Oh dear. H-have a good day, Abdur sir. S-sorry.”

Later, when Abdur says his poetry, Hyir actually looks up from his book and raises a quizzical eyebrow. He wonders if Abdur actually understands what he’s saying in the context of the larger poem, or if he simply had a very unfortunate choice of passage.
Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Tali, I can be sitting next to you
The man sitting next to you looks up from his books and replies in a very timid voice that grows more confident as he goes, “Y-you’d be amazed. M-many people here are quite insane. Of course, I re-regularly v-venture into the ruins myself, so I’m hardly the best judge. I'm also local, mind you, and all foreigners are insane independent of their suicidal tendencies. But the rewards? Beyond measure. Lore, lost for untold ages, being brought back to the light. Piles of golden treasure, masterful works of art, studded with gems, and inlayed with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli. Magical treasures, ancient creations for whom the secrets of making have been lost for millennia. Yes, my dear, the rewards are beyond measure.”

Nidhi picked up her glass of water and threw back the remaining contents. She had finished her flatbread and honey. A trickle of water escapes the left side of her mouth as she drinks. Sitting the empty glass on the table, Nidhi wipes the water off the corner of her mouth with two fingers. Her hands are clean but her fingers appear to be stained with a red dye of some sort.
Nidhi’s gaze circled the table, examining each of her nearby companions? Khalid Safar, Yozo, Hudjefa, Cahal un-Din… She wasn’t sure what to call her new acquaintances but she was already finding comfort in their familiarity despite just meeting.

"Welcome!" Khalid greets Cahal warmly. "I've seen a couple of your fights in bargetown. I would be glad for your protection!"

Nidhi takes her time to examine Cahal, who had recently introduced herself and joined their table. Cahal looked pretty to Nidhi. From what Nidhi could see, Cahal appeared athletic, possibly in her 30’s. Nidhi appreciated the teasing shape of Cahal’s pink pouting lips which added to Cahal’s beauty without taking away from Cahal’s intimidating appearance.

"Come, my friends." Khalid says to Nidhi, Hujefa, and Cahal. "Let us add our names to the roster. Only fortune awaits us."

Nidhi moves her eyes away from Cahal’s lips, slightly embarrassed and thinking she might have stared too long.

Not too far away, Nidhi hears another woman:

Tali shifts slightly to her right and says to whomever is there, "Are so many people from beyond these lands this willing to throw themselves into peril? The rewards must be great indeed."

She must have entered Milki before I did. I didn’t remember seeing her come through the door. Nidhi saw that the woman’s skin was tanned like hers and that she covered herself in a burnoose and hood probably protection from the sun, Nidhi thought.

Nidhi stands patiently behind Khalid in line, waiting to talk to Adbur. Nidhi recognizes and understands the language Khalid is speaking to Adbur.

Tali pokes at a piece of the goat meat, somewhat more satiated now, and says to Hyir and Nidhi in equal measure, "The reward of gold balanced against the ancient curses and deadly magics of the tombs... some of which can span across generations," she finally says after some hesitation. "I suppose it depends upon what is at stake. Some riches may be safe to take, but it's true, some are better left undisturbed. Along with their slumbering owners."

"Ah, but that's why they bring me along," he replies, now grinning slightly and speaking much more confidently, though still with a slightly hesitant voice,"I tell them what's safe to touch, what should be left alone, and I even take some of the nastier curses off the nicer treasure. But yes, their slumbering owners c-can be... unpleasant."

"You are a priest, then?" says Tali to Hyir. "To remove curses and calm the unquiet spirits of the dead?"

Nidhi appears satisfied with Tali's answer and is interested in Hyir's abilities. Nidhi furrows her brows for an instant with a slight grin "You remove curses? That's pretty cool." Nidhi is amused that it wasn't the lioness that got Hyir attention, but the mention of treasure.

Nidhi continues to wait in line behind Khalid in order to speak to Adbur.

Brows knitting and an odd look on his face, Grod responds. "From the tomb of Inherkhawy, if I'm not mistaken. You don't know what that passage is about, do you?" not waiting for an answer, he turns away. Odd man, who'd quote words without knowing their meaning. Half the beauty in a text is the meaning. At least, I'm fairly certain he didn't know.

Abdur winks conspiratorially, but doesn’t follow up - so you’re not completely certain if he knows, or is just pretending that he knows.

Waiting in line, he eventually gets up to Adbur and speaks Osirian

"تحيات عبد، اسمي خالد صفر، نجل الخيميائي هاشم صفر. لقد تحتاج إلى إدخال مقبرة، وسوف يعمل معك ينجز الكثير. وأنا على استعداد لإعطائك اختيار الأول من المسروقات، بطبيعة الحال. أنا طلب العلم، والذهب قليلا، وهذا هو كل شيء."

Abdur responds in kind, smiling warmly at the man, ”Khalid, latif limuqabalatik. yjb 'an takun ealaa eulm, wallati sawf yatimm taeyin almahalliati, wanazaraan tawjihat muhaddadat lidhalik. La yumkinuk aldhdhahab faqat yatajawwal hayth yahlu lak. Ealaa aiftirad kunt ealaa aistiedad liaittibae alqawaeid, walays alhusul ealaa li fi wartatin, wakunt mawdie tarhib lilighaya!”

”H-hello, I’m Hyir, I d-don’t believe we’ve fo-formally met yet,” he stutters, “I-I’m a local sch-scholar with a specialty in Ancient Osiriani history and linguistics. I’ve gone on several expeditions before this, and I-I h-have quite the knack with di-disarming a-and manipulating even ma-magical traps. You see, most ancient Osiriani magical traps use a pattern of specialized runes and glyphs. While they’re very hard to notice, and usually all but impossible to disable, with the proper disturbance, whether throwing a pebble, adding an extra glyph or erasing an old one, I’ve found that nearly any magical trap or curse can be circumvented…” He trails off, ”Oh, so-sorry, A-Abdur, si-sir. I don’t mean to bore you. R-rest assured, I’m one of the best in the business of disabling curse wards and trapped corridors. O-oh, sorry. I sometimes apologize too much. Oh, sorry, I did it again. Oh dear. H-have a good day, Abdur sir. S-sorry.”

”Speak up man! I need to hear you over this rabble!” Abdur smiles warmly and leans in, capturing what he can of your speech. ”Ahh, I understand. Yes, your skills will be enormously useful in the necropolis. Many traps to waylay the would be thieves of these tombs. Very many.” he looks serious and puts a note next to your name.

Hyri - lol. No worries. I have you flagged as new from checking through your prior posts. Good luck!

When Khalid finishes speaking to Abdur, Nidhi steps up to Abdur and straightens to her full height of five feet and six inches. She brushes a stray hair away from her face and tucks it behind her ear.

Nidhi decides to copy Khalid and speak in Osirion in hopes of swaying Adbur:

عبد، قد لا تعرفني، ولكن اسمي نيدهي. جدتي وأنا تعمل على محل خياطة صغير في القابلة التي وجدت من أجل الأجيال. أعتقد أننا قد تكلمت عدة مرات في أمة الله السوق، على الرغم من أنني أعلم أنك رجل مشغول لذلك أنا لا ألومك إذا كنت لا تعرفني ".
وقال "لقد كانوا يعيشون في اتي حياتي كلها، يوما بعد يوم تعيش مع قليل من دون الاعتراف أو المغامرة. أنا تعبت من مجرد كونها نيدهي، خياط. أريد أن يكون شيئا أكثر من ذلك. أريد أن أحمل بلدي اسم العائلة الشرف، والشرف لجميع أولئك الذين يقيمون في اتي. يرجى النظر لي لقائمتك. إذا أنا المختار، سوف أكمل مآثر بطولية عظيمة في اسم إلهي، وأبذل قصارى

Nidhi watches Abdur’s expression, trying to gauge his reaction and determine if he’s taking her seriously. Nidhi isn't sure if Abdur shares the same loyalties to Pharasma as she does.

Crunch updated, along with a very minor change to the backstory. (Simply referencing the Mummy Curse)

Listening closely to the pleas of his companions, sifting through their answers for any sign of fabrications, Hudjefa waits to be the last of his group in line.

Speaking in the same soft voice that he has found influences most people to pay more attention to his words, he addresses Abdur.

Most Esteemed Abdur, these others choose to speak in our native language where you have chosen to start the conversation in Taldane. I do not know if they intend to hide details of their pleas from some foreigners, or if they seek only to flatter you.

I beseech you, sir, to include me in the team you assemble.

Zoda finishes off the sour ale he was drinking and places the cup gingerly on the table as if it might fall off with the tilting of the room.

"I think that will be my last drink of the afternoon, I have busssinesss to attend to with Abdur. If you will please excuse me it has been... So pleasant meeting you all," Zoda says to the group at the table. This time not making eye contact but instead looking around as if he had lost something. He pats himself down and feels the unfamiliar pouch of coin in side his robes.

Zoda steps into line but it appears too long, and is moving to slowly, and the bar is right there, and it's not as if he doesn't have any money. So he decides to order himself another ale.

"Tastes horrible but it does the trick," he thinks to himself as he steps back into line with a full mug in his hand.

As the line moves Zoda finishes of the mug and puts it on a nearby table. There are only two people in front of him when he realizes he has no idea what he is going to say and that he still looks like an old drunk. He quickly grabs a spare bow cord and ties his unruly dreadlocks back. As he looks down at his robes he is reminded of the beautiful ones that were stolen from him by Jasmine so many years ago.

"I wish I had spent some money on a decent set before coming here," he thinks as his turn to speak is finally upon him.

"Abdur my good friend," He starts moving his hand to clasp him on the shoulder but stops short and pauses, "You can't act friendly this is for a job, for you destiny, pull yourself together." He moves his hand up to his mouth and clears his throat "I mean hello, greetings Abdur and how are you this fine day. Do you notice anything different about me?" He spreads his arms wide to show of his new equipment. As he does he stumbles slightly from the change in stance and it doesn't help that the floor is rocking like Bargetown. He regains his footing and goes on. "I finally did it I saved up enough money to quit the guide business. I cashed in on all my hard work and was finally able to buy some proper gear. I know you have a lot of applicants so I'll keep it short I am the best guide Wati has to offer, probably the best guide in all of Osirion. If a group needs to get somewhere I'll get em' there fast and safe. Not only that but I'm going to be a legendary corpse hunter. My father was one and his father before him. It's in my blood. I don't fear the undead, they fear me." Zoda finishes speaking and realizes that his voice had risen from a quiet speaking voice to an almost yell. All effects of the alcohol had left him and he was standing tall with his chest puffed out. His dark muscular arms, glistening from the application of oil, were out stretched. And he realized that he couldn't remember what he had said to Abdur. Not a word. He was standing there with his arms open wide like some sort of half-wit. He let his arms drop to his sides and slouched over. "If thatsss sssomething you might be interested in." He adds in his familiar labored tone.

Cahal curses as Khalid adds their names. First the man with the strange scimitar got up and left without a word. She tracked his movements, unable to read the foreign features on his face.

Then she turned, only to catch the woman named Nidhi staring at her lip. Confused, she looked for an excuse to check if she had something stuck in her teeth, or perhaps her daughter Meria had put some makeup on her face while she napped? So she found her way to the large copper mirror in the back.

And found nothing, but when she turned, Khalid had put her name on the list!

She wished... Well, she was not sure what she was wishing for. A better life? For her daughter, for her. But was it the way? She was not sure...

Until Nidhi said out loud what she felt in her heart. The right words... And she grinned, then laughed, happy and relieved, letting go, her deep voice resounding and cutting through the other conversations. She took their hands and said: "And so we are bound, Khalid, Nidhi, and Hudjefa! I swear on the Old Gods that I will protect you from physical harm. We will show them all!"

Still laughing, she sat and lit a narrow cigar.

Added a bit about Meria in Cahal's background.

Finishing his meal, Grod rises from his lonely table. He directs Miryam to follow, then drags his chair over to one of the groups and sits down, before addressing one of the group. "You said you were a professor of Osiriani history, yes? I have long studied my people's past, and would be happy to speak with a kindred spirit. But what is it that brings you here, now?"

Addressing Benedictus, if that wsan't clear. Add me to group 2.

Tali says to Nidhi, "كنت خياطا؟ لدي بعض الكتان مصبوغ ناعم وقبيلتي قد تبدو للتجارة في وقت لاحق، ربما ينبغي لنا القيام بأعمال تجارية في المستقبل، إذا كانت هذه الفوضى لا تخرج عن نطاق السيطرة!"

Tetradia's face brightened when Florence told Ben she was from Oppara. "Oh well met, well met. What part of the Gilded City do you hail from? I don't suppose you've been to the Heraldric Sublibrary in Seven Towers, part of the Third Southwest Ducal Branch? That's probably my best work." She smiles distantly, than refocuses her gaze.

"But I was asking about you. Are you also here to study history, like Professor Dickens here? Don't sell yourselves short -- you've made it this far. The hardest part was getting on the ship. Even if you aren't part of this first round, there will be plenty of opportunities to be involved."

By the way, I've more fully fleshed out Grod's background and Miryam's crunch. Should be ready to go, though any feedback is welcome.

Whoops, I flubbed up earlier - meant to say that Florence is from Cassomir! Maybe Tetra has built something there, too?

"Did I say Oppara?" Florence responds, face turning bright red now with embarrassment. "I meant Cassomir! The heat must have scrambled my brains, I think. No, I've not actually been to Oppara but I've heard that it's a lovely place. And you're part of the reason for that? Then I'll count myself lucky to have had the chance to meet you," she continues, clearly serious.

"As for me...I'm an herbalist. No, really. Haven't a clue about ancient history, tombs, or even the finer points of treasure-seeking," she says, fidgeting as she does. "But I guess you could say that I've taken an interest in the history of this place and so here I am. The trip from Cassomir was..."

...actually kinda nice at times...

"...interesting, to say the least. Honestly I'm probably not the best pick for something like this unless you were worried about getting sick. That I could help with." Although obviously feeling out of her element among the tavern crowd, there is no hesitation or uncertainty in her voice on that last point.

Then, her brief moment of self-assuredness is gone in a flash as the man with the lioness pulls up a seat at the table. "Am I in the way? She can have my chair if you w-want," she stammers as she hurries to make some room.

So, just to be clear, the 'default' language currently being spoken is Common/Taldane, right? Also, Nidhi, Hyir noticed Tali's comment because she spoke directly to him, not the mention of treasure.

“N-no, friends. I’m no priest. Thoth isn’t one to give his power lightly, and we disagree too often for him to ever support me. I’m just a humble scholar, with a lot of practice and a knack with the supernatural. Also, I can’t remove all c-curses, bu-but I can usually prevent one from triggering. I just need t-to catch it in time. I-I’m no spellcaster, myself, mind, b-but I do love the spellwork of the ancient mages. I-I even think that Nethys himself raised the city of Sothis from the dust of the desert, if m-my readings are true a-and the legends are a-accurate. Which, as we all know, every legend is entirely true.” He says the last bit with a grin.

Abdur responds in kind, smiling warmly at the man, ”Khalid, latif limuqabalatik. yjb 'an takun ealaa eulm, wallati sawf yatimm taeyin almahalliati, wanazaraan tawjihat muhaddadat lidhalik. La yumkinuk aldhdhahab faqat yatajawwal hayth yahlu lak. Ealaa aiftirad kunt ealaa aistiedad liaittibae alqawaeid, walays alhusul ealaa li fi wartatin, wakunt mawdie tarhib lilighaya!”

Khalid grins, nodding in agreement. "وبطبيعة الحال، عبد، وأود أن التحقيق فقط المقابر المخصصة لي. أردنا أن ننظر إلى كثيرين، نعم؟ وهذه هي أفضل فرصة لقد كان منذ أن أصبحت رجلا."

This is becoming really tricky to follow!

As he waits for his turn, Ben listens attentively to what Shemei is saying, and when the woman addresses him directly, he reacts with exaggerated stupor. "Wait, what? Me?" he mutters. That was the second time a woman introduced to him spontaneously. And the first one didn’t go well at all, resulting in Ben losing his chair as professor at the university. "Ehm, Uhm...Hm-Hm", clearing his throat and trying to take on the most imperious tone he could (for a pretty comical result), Ben finds the courage to introduce himself. "Benedict West Dickens, I’m extremely glad to make your acquiescence milady. It’s always good to meet a fellow scholar, especially here". There’s no sign of mock in his words. Ben was taught to respect all forms of study and inquiry into history and truth. Scratching the back of his head as he’s used to do when he’s anxious, Ben gives the woman a shy smile. "Your words are very wise, milady. Am I right in conjecturing that you’re a native?"

While scratching Bynx's ears and back, Shemei nods to the professor, even if a bit uncertain how to answer him. "You are correct... I'm indeed a local no only from Osirion but also from Wati. On ze ozer hand, I zink I need to correct myself when I've said I was a scholar... a dabbler would be a much more abbrobriate term, specially when combaring myself to a brofessor."

She looks up as Abdur makes his announcement and then at the others sitting at the table. "I guess our host won't have to worry about a shortage of applicants." A pause. "So all three of you are signing up?"

To Florence, Ben nods warmly. "Of course I am. Competition is going to be pretty hard, I know, but I hope that even reckless adventurers can value a foreign former professor of Osirian lore, and…Well, come to think of it, I believe I don’t stand a chance. This would be my first experience on the field, and I see many seasoned adventurers and dungeon delvers in this pub. But I’ll try, one can never know! Are you going to apply as well?"

Grabbing her golden amulet, Shemei continued. "I believe Wadjet brotects me, and I wish to know more about her... zis is ze reason I'm here, and why I'm intending to sign my name to zat list. Yanni... where would I be able to learn more about the Ancient Gods if not in some ancient tomb?"

Finishing his meal, Grod rises from his lonely table. He directs Miryam to follow, then drags his chair over to one of the groups and sits down, before addressing one of the group. "You said you were a professor of Osiriani history, yes? I have long studied my people's past, and would be happy to speak with a kindred spirit. But what is it that brings you here, now?"

Not the one being addressed, Shemei remained silent while, unconsciously, using her other hand to give Miryan the same treatment she was giving Bynx.

Florence couldn't help but feel a rush of empathy for Benedict. Here was someone else who was, or at least felt, as much a fish out of water as she did. "I'll be honest...I hadn't really planned on it, not at first. But I'm looking for answers and I don't think it's coincidence that this lottery is happening here, at this specific time," she admits. "Of course I'm probably the last sort of person a group would want on their team, but as you said, all I can do is try - right?"

"...interesting, to say the least. Honestly I'm probably not the best pick for something like this unless you were worried about getting sick. That I could help with." Although obviously feeling out of her element among the tavern crowd, there is no hesitation or uncertainty in her voice on that last point.

"Not with zis attitude..." Shimei says, perhaps a bit more honest than she should have been, but, in her opinion, if the young woman really wanted to join one expedition, she would need to change her attitude really quickly. "Look around you, please." Shemei suggests, moving her hand to all the other tables in a discrete way. "All of zem wish to strike a deal with Abdur, and you can be sure zat he'll pick ze best. Many of zem are pretty sure about zere abilities, some of zem boasting openly about it, so if you really want to get chosen, you need to show Abdur zat he needs you... I'm sorry if I abbear to be harsh, it was not my intention. I wish only to helb you..."

---

GM Euan wrote:

Abdur responds in kind, smiling warmly at the man, ”Khalid, latif limuqabalatik. yjb 'an takun ealaa eulm, wallati sawf yatimm taeyin almahalliati, wanazaraan tawjihat muhaddadat lidhalik. La yumkinuk aldhdhahab faqat yatajawwal hayth yahlu lak. Ealaa aiftirad kunt ealaa aistiedad liaittibae alqawaeid, walays alhusul ealaa li fi wartatin, wakunt mawdie tarhib lilighaya!”

Khalid grins, nodding in agreement. "وبطبيعة الحال، عبد، وأود أن التحقيق فقط المقابر المخصصة لي. أردنا أن ننظر إلى كثيرين، نعم؟ وهذه هي أفضل فرصة لقد كان منذ أن أصبحت رجلا."

** spoiler omitted **

From her seat, Cahal pulls on her freshly lit cigar, listening at Khalid finalizing the agreement. She felt lighter than ever before. Life was suddenly full of potential and also full of purpose. If things worked out, she'd be able to move her daughter, perhaps her aunt and her father even, out of Bargetown! A real house... A real family, or close enough.

She turns to Nidhi and Hudjefa. That one looked a little pale. she wondered if he was sick and make it as far as the lottery. "Nidhi, you're from here I heard you say and so is Khalid, no? This is a great sign. It warms my heart that all of us have Wati's interest close to our heart. As for your, Honorable Hudjefa, you are a Pharasmin, are you not? Your presence among us is a boon and you sound focused on your divine purpose, which is good, but I did not catch where you came from." she asks.

Shemei, thanks for the group. It helped me A LOT!

"Well, I didn't think it was that b-," Florence begins to reply to Shemei, only to yelp as Bynx swats her leg and gives her a rather pointed look.

"Er, okay, maybe it was..." she says sheepishly. "You're right. As nice as it is to sit and chat with everyone we're all basically competing against each other for a spot on Abdur's team, aren't we? And with so many people he's got his pick of the litter, so to speak."

This is it...I'm still not sure how they're related but this lottery *has* to be why I was sent here! And if I can't get a spot on this team...what's there left to do? Turn around and go back home? Gods help me I don't even *have* a home anymore! I have to do this or all of this is for nothing and I may as well have actually died in that fire!

Her eyes narrow. "Well...maybe I'm no great warrior or scholar, but I know I can be useful just the same!" She stands up. "And I'm going to prove it. Excuse me, I'll be right back." With that, she marches over and takes her place in line.

****************************

When her turn comes to speak with Abdur, she takes a deep breath and tries to steady her nerves. "Greetings Abdur," she begins, offering a bow of respect. "My name is Florence Corvina and I've traveled here to Wati from the nation of Taldor. I...I'd like you to consider me for the team that you're forming."

She glances around at the multitude of hopeful applicants and then back at their host. "I'm no warrior or scholar but I have some magical talents and skill with treating wounds, poison, and other ailments. Although all of these applicants are skilled and capable, accidents still happen and I think I would be able to help set things right again when they do. As for what I seek in return, I...I...وقد دعوت هنا، من قبل شخص ما، وأريد أن أعرف لماذا. وأعتقد أن إجاباتي تكمن في اليانصيب ... بطريقة أو بأخرى..." she finishes, with some difficulty - her grasp of Osiriani is clearly that of a beginner.

This is a lot of content! It will probably lead to a long DM post. Looking forward to it GM Euan!

Shemei, I agree with Cahal: your list is extremely helpful. Thank you!

Hyir, interesting! It just seemed that way to Nidhi. She isn't sure if your character stutters because he is socially awkward, timid, has a speech impediment, ECT. (I saw on your profile Hyir only has 7 Charisma.) To be explored with more character interactions?

Hey, I think I'm done with my character's build.

The character’s sheet is pretty much complete. I only need to add all of those cantrips to his spellbook (they’re a lot, and I plan to provide links for each of them, so I may need a little more time in order to do that).

Well, it seems like it’s all. I’ll continue roleplaying in this thread until the winners are announced. I really hope to make the cut, since this opportunity is wonderful and I love this character, but should it not happen, well…I’d just read and enjoy the game as I’ve done for Euan’s Second Darkness. Good luck, everyone!

"I'll be honest...I hadn't really planned on it, not at first. But I'm looking for answers and I don't think it's coincidence that this lottery is happening here, at this specific time," she admits. "Of course I'm probably the last sort of person a group would want on their team, but as you said, all I can do is try - right?"

Ben nods at Florence with a warm smile on his lips. “Yes, you should!”

"You are correct... I'm indeed a local no only from Osirion but also from Wati. On ze ozer hand, I zink I need to correct myself when I've said I was a scholar... a dabbler would be a much more abbrobriate term, specially when combaring myself to a brofessor."

Ben giggles, finding an inexplicable humor in what Shemei has just said. “Oh, my tutor at the university was used to say that one day on the field equals one hundred days spent reading books. In this regard, you’re at least twice a scholar than me, apparently. But the way I see it, knowledge is something of a mix between theory and practice. No, no, no, this is commonplace. What I mean is that theory is a necessary condition in order to comprehend your experience regarding a particular subject, as experience is a much needed complement to theory, if you want to really know what you’re talking about. Now, that’s more like it, even though I’m not completely satisfied with my explanation…Anyway, the conclusion does not change. You shouldn’t be embarrassed by a lack of bookish culture. My father was completely lacking it, and still was the best man I’ve ever met, and he knew a number of things about Osirion that I still do not comprehend, despite years and years of study on this subject.”

"I believe Wadjet brotects me, and I wish to know more about her... zis is ze reason I'm here, and why I'm intending to sign my name to zat list. Yanni... where would I be able to learn more about the Ancient Gods if not in some ancient tomb?"

“Not to be repetitive, but…Have you considered books as an alternative source of information? I know, books are expansive and quite difficult to acquire, but reading a book is like dialoguing with people from ages past, and the best among them at that. Books can teach many things, when read carefully, although as I said before experiencing something is a different and perhaps more direct approach to it. As far as I know, books on Ancient Osiriani deities are not so common, but I know a famed Osirionologist who has been inquiring the matter for the last two decades. Perhaps I can send a letter to him and ask him to deliver me one of his books on the subject. Would you accept it?”

---

In all that conversation, Benedict turn has finally come. When in front of Abdur, the scholar smiles awkwardly, not knowing where to start from. “Well, uhm…I suppose I…As I was saying before you sir disappeared in front of me, I’m Benedictus West Dickens, former professor of Osirian History and Archeology at Egorian University. Since I know from your previous conversation that your main concern is the loot obtained from the exploration, as it’s natural for a man of your trade, I’m not going to bore you with a tale about how much I would like to see Osirion’s antiquities and relics with my very eyes. Instead, I’ll talk about money. Treasure. Loot. Isn’t that what the Pharaoh’s edict was about? Well, to keep it simple, one cannot recognize a treasure if he does not know its value. And even though I may not be good at slaying monsters and disable traps, or to carry out of the tomb all of the loot contained therein at that, I can identify almost any kind of magical and archeologically valuable item. Moreover, my knowledge of the history of Ancient Osirion could come in handy to every group of adventurers. I know the weakness of many monsters frequently encountered in tombs and crypts alike, and I can cast a few useful spell to ensure my group does not end up killed by some guardian left behind by the tomb’s builders. And if that still does not suffice, I’m also able to foresee what is going to happen. I’m not a seer by any means, of course, but I’ve been gifted with a mind quick enough to realize when danger is approaching and react to it before it’s too late. For example, that scrivener of yours…is going to drop his inkpen”

To impress the man, Ben makes an effort to grab the inkpen before it falls to the ground and gives it back to the scrivener. “No mystic power involved though. Only the wonderful rational power of an attentive mind. Your scrivener couldn’t keep up with my words because I voluntarily started to speak faster in order to push him to his limits and cause him to drop his pen. I’ve seen him doing five times before now, so I knew he could have done it again”.

As his speech ends, Ben respectfully bows to Abdur and gets back to the table he was sitting before.

... As for your, Honorable Hudjefa, you are a Pharasmin, are you not? Your presence among us is a boon and you sound focused on your divine purpose, which is good, but I did not catch where you came from."[/b] she asks.

My apologies, Cahal, I assumed that it was obvious. I have served the Grand Mausoleum here is Wati for my entire life. You may have seen me around the temple from time to time, though until joining the Inquisition I tried to keep myself out of sight as much as possible.

Cursed as I am, my appearance tends to make others nervous. Nervousness is invaluable during interrogation, not so much when assisting a midwife.

I assure you though, the curse is not catching, I simply have to take care of my health with extra zeal. Speaking of which...

Turning to the bartender, pointedly staring right into his eyes:

Tepid water and a plate of figs, if you please.

Turning back to the group:

Please feel free to share. I find them excellent for your regularity.