Sylvia studies the artifacts with increasing dread. None of them make any particular sense to her, but the faces...if such monstrosities can be said to have faces.
"Thank you Inspector. This was helpful." She isn't actually sure it was, but it seems the appropriate thing to say.
"We should check out the Misr House. If Gavigan is planning to perform a ritual there, we need to stop it." She remembers the flayed skin and shudders. "Any ritual that man would perform can't be good."
Colt views the objects with the others, and though bile rises in his throat at the 'Wrongness' of the objects, he is resolved, that if he can do anything to slow down or end this macabre scenario, he must do so.
"Yes. I agree Sylvia. At least that is a known target. Let us go there and see what the awaits us".
Colt you can identify some of the mechanical components- the valves are probably used in some kind of reaction motor control. Most of the parts are simply baffling, however.
Colt and Sylvia you recognise the stature of the bat winged creature as of African or possibly Australian origin but it is impossible to date.
You think that the larger statue dates to the Egyptian third dynasty (2650 TO 2575 BCE)
The horned Devil like figure dates to 17 century New England
The knife, known as a Kris knife is of Indonesian, Thai or Malay origin but the details don't quite fit. The symbols are meaningless and correspond to no known language.
Sylvia you think what the conch shell is a Horse Conch, one of the largest species of sea snail.
Sylvia you think that the skin from the feet is over 100 years old and the victims would have been between 20 or 30 years old at the time.
Jake will hire a touring automobile and driver for the trip out to Essex. He tells the company he's taking some friends to explore the English countryside and tips the driver generously not to ask any questions.
Jake manages to secure a car and driver. It is comfortable enough to seat all three of you. You leave London and head to Harwich in Essex. Misr House is situated on an island in the River Naze.
The journey takes about 4 hours and you arrive about 2pm. Your driver takes you off the main road to a dirt track and stops about half a mile down it. The dirt road leads to a 6 foot high stone fence which seems to mark the outer border of the estate, with an iron gate barring the way. You can see before you get close that there is a gatekeeper's hut to one side.
Jake had the driver stop somewhere along the road still in sight of the estate.
There he makes a show of the team getting out and 'stretching their legs', while also scoping out what can be seen of the estate and mansion itself.
After that, he'll direct the driver some bed and breakfast place they can stay at while sketching out a map and making a plan.
"I would think we might be able to ask any neighbors, or perhaps if we find close by lodging we might get a feel for the activities in the manor. In any case any further investigation should probably wait for the cover of darkness... especially since they've been uncovered a bit. They'll probably be on high alert".
Jake smoked as he thought, blowing out a stream of grey smoke.
"I am a little concerned about dogs. Did anyone see any signs back at the estate?" He asked, slowly stirring his Scotch.
[i]Jake, you did not see any sign of dogs when you got near the gate. Asking the neighbours about Gavigan does not produce much in the way of results, all they tell you is that Gavigan bought the house some years ago and rented out some of the land to private farmers. He keeps himself to himself and is rarely seen.
One of the more talkative neighbours says that the land and mansion were formerly owned by an enthusiastic Egyptologist and occultist named Neville Lloyd-Price. It is rumoured that Lloyd Price went broke and was forced to sell the property and the land on which it stood.
This particular neighbour allows you to walk around his land onto the Naze itself, although you can't get much of a better view of the house due to the 6 foot wall you can see a few other features. At the northernmost end appears to be a obelisk of limestone (area A). Slightly to the south of this is a stone tower which rises up to 26 metres, once used as a navigational aid by sailors but now locked up and unused (Area C). Finally a little close to the estate is a ditch filled with dirty water (Area D)
"Going to be a long walk, no matter how you cut it." Jake said, looking over their map in a room at the Walton.
"We'll need flashlights at least."
Walton on the Naze is a small town so you could purchase basic equipment such as flashlights, etc
"Rope too, if we're going to try climbing the wall." Sylvia isn't particularly athletic, but that seems like a better prospect than going in the front gate. "Any chance we could get to that tower? We might be able to scope out the place easier from a higher vantage point."
Jake nods at Sylvia.
"Yes, and some nice steaks all wrapped up for a doggie distraction. Just in case." Jake said, agreeing with Sylvia about equipment.
"What do you think about an approach? Overland from the Southwest? Or take a boat around the spit and land to the North?"
"I believe I might have some sleeping pills we can lace the steaks with. I am in favor of the overland approach. I'm not very strong, and couldn't help much rowing a boat... even if one is available".
Moving across the marshland you make your way to Naze tower. Using the crowbar you manage to break the lock and lever the door open. Climbing the 111 steps of the tower you manage to get to the top. The top of the tower does provide a 360 degree view. Whilst you can't get a clear view of the house due to various trees and foliage you can see the grounds.
Jake looked and listened all across the field of vision, as much as he could of the grounds at night.
"Alright, looks clear from here."
Sylvia breathes hard for a few minutes as they crest the top of the tower. She's not out of shape exactly, but that many stairs had still been an effort.
Once her breathing slows, she joins Jake in looking around the grounds. She's specifically checking for anyone that might be wandering around, (and could therefore spot them if they moved in closer), but she'll take notice of any unusual features that stand out.
The majority of the afternoon is quiet apart from the occasional boat sailing on the estuary, no one disturbs you or seems to have noticed you have broken in.
As the night comes on it does become colder, particularly as you are exposed to the open air. At around midnight you see the occasional flashes of strange light coming from the grounds of Misr House, together with strange low chanting in a language which none of you understand.
Jake led the way overland towards Misr House.
When nearing the mansion, he stopped, puzzled.
"Does anyone hear chanting?" He whispered.
"I hear it as well," Sylvia whispers back. "Do you think it's the ritual starting?"
You all easily climb over the estate wall. The estate is wooded with many fine trees and shrubs. Making your way through them you can get near the house. The chanting and lights seem to come from possibly a basement area. As you get nearer to the house you can smell the faint odour of burnt hair.
"Seems like..." Jake whispered back.
Approaching the Library windows quietly, Jake eased around to peek inside.
Whilst the library is not fully lit there is enough ambient light to see that it is a finely decorated room with bookshelves lining all of the walls, the shelves are full of books and manuscripts.
"Let's go around the back of the house. Maybe they'll be a less conspicuous entrance". Colt begins to edge around the house counter-clockwise.
Moving around the house counter clockwise the first thing you notice is light coming from a window. This looks into a great hall area, although it appears as if the area has largely been left to gather dust. Dominating the room is a magnificent stone fireplace flanked on either side by dusty suits or armour which have been attached to the wood lined walls.
Sylvia wrinkles her nose as they approach, holding up her hand briefly. "Do you smell that? The scent of burning hair wouldn't last too long. Whatever...whoever they burnt must have happened recently."
As they circle the house she pauses, looking up. "Any place we could climb up to the second floor? From what we've seen before," (a bitter smile briefly appears on her face), "It seems this sort of people like basements for their nefarious deeds. Might be less likely to hear anything from higher up."
There is some dense ivy on this side of the house, it should be possible to climb up this to the second floor area.
Climbing up the ivy slowly you manage to get to the second floor. There is a window which with some time you can force open and you find yourselves in an small, well decorated bedroom.
Jake quietly approached the door, listened, then opened the door a crack to peek out.
In the far distance you can hear chanting, it seems as if it is coming from far below you. This floor seems to consist mainly of guest bedrooms apart from one larger room which seems to be a master bedroom.
Jake moved silently down the hallways, poking in each door as he went along, towards the stairway leading down.
The majority of rooms on the second floor hold nothing of any real interest.
The master bedroom is different however. It is clearly the most well kept room on this floor. An ornate four poster bed takes up a great deal of the space. On a dressing table, next to a folded piece of paper stands a wooden mannequin head on which rests an ornate headdress constructed of interlocking eyes made of gold and inset with jet gemstones. On a wall hangs a large oil painting of an Egyptian pharoah, a modern-looking clock, and a ceremonial club with a large iron spike driven through its head. A small dressing room to the side contains a selection of country wear as well as what looks like high priest's robes.
Colt follows Jake down the hallway, trying to catch his breath from the arduous climb. He waits in the hallway flashlight in hand, as Jake checks out each room, and keeps alert for any signs of detection.
Stealth (25%)... and for a change is actually quiet.
Sylvia follows Jake into the master bedroom, being as quiet as possible.
Which is far louder than she'd like, but hopefully obscured by the chanting coming from below.
Poking around she notices the folded piece of paper, which she picks up and reads. "What's the plan? Go downstairs and confront them? Set the house on fire and flee?" Arson wasn't something Sylvia had ever considered doing before, but under the circumstances...
The chanting was setting her every nerve on edge. What are they doing down there?
The letter appears to be from an Egyptian called Omar al Shakti (copy in images folder). You know from previous things you have seen that the painting is a painting of the Black Pharaoh. No one seems to have noticed you are here, you can still here the distant sound of chanting.
"So do we see what the chanting all about and try to stop it, or just burn the place to the ground. We've made ourselves obvious, so if we go for the arson route we'll have to make ourselves scarce ASAP".
"Maybe see if we can get closer without being seen ourselves?" Sylvia isn't too happy with the idea, but she isn't too keen on just burning the house down either. (Despite being the one to suggest it.) "If we can learn more about what's going on, maybe we can figure out how best to stop it."
Heading downstairs you find a number of basic rooms such as a pantry and drawing room, all of which seem barely used and poorly decorated. The Great Hall (Area 10 on the ground floor map- see maps link) is much more ornate.
Dominating the room is a magnificent stone fireplace flanked on either side by dusty suits or armour which have been attached to the wood lined walls. You spot on either side of the fireplace are two secret doors, one on each side. The chanting is more noticeable in the great hall and is clearly coming from somewhere below you
Easing his way downstairs, Jake worked his way through the ground floor until he found the Great Hall. Admiring the scene, he poked around the walls until he stumbled over a secret door.
He motioned to the others at the find, then quietly eased it open...
At the bottom of the stairs from the left hand fireplace door is an unlocked iron door. The door opens into what appears to be a workshop of sorts. It holds a bizarre array of medieval torture devices, including a rack and an iron maiden. On a workbench rest tongs, pincers, thumbscrews and some modern looking knives. A lit brazier stands in the centre of the room. Against the opposite wall are a desk and three more tables all cluttered with an assortment of jars, small boxes and tins, as well as statuary, scrolls and books. Sitting on the shelves are four unhealthy looking plants in pots, each approximately 12 inches high. In the distance you can hear the sound of chanting, it seems to be coming from another room.
Colt steps forward, and begins to search for a secret entrance / exit from this room.
Spot Hidden (40%)