Event:1925/06/30 Research and Interrogations
Victor goes back to the Egyptian Museum to talk to Dr. Kafour again. He asks if there's a way to tell if there's a spell cast on you because he feels a compulsion to abandon his companions and endanger himself. He shares that he's conversed with Nodens and was made his spear, but he's trying to determine if the compulsion is coming from Nodens or another source like Omar al-Shakti. He gains some insights and heads back to the hotel. He leaves a note, sets his affairs in order, and heads off to the sphinx.
The rest of us go to follow Faraz Najjar for the day. No one unusual appears to visit the shop during the day. Father Quinn approaches him with Saleem to translate. He asks him about the Clive Expedition[1]. Najjar invites him to come to the Al-Hussain Mosque in the evening. They go to a quiet room together, and Najjar explains that Roger Carlyle was seeking info on the Black Pharaoh whose reign was ended by Sneferu. Najjar had come into possession of a number of items related to the Black Pharaoh that he offered Carlyle via his agent, Warren Besart. He has not spoken to the Frenchman since and has no idea where he can be found. Quinn believes him[2]. Among the items given to Besart by Najjar was a scroll that detailed the underground passages beneath an unnamed pyramid. Another item was a bust of the Black Pharaoh, a statue whose description matches what we saw in the Penhew Foundation. He also has a strange circlet that was not sent to the Penhew Foundation. Quinn is skeptical and presses him, and he eventually discloses that he did not find these on a dig, but rather "obtained" from the house of Omar al-Shakti. His understanding is that Omar al-Shakti runs a cult, but he doesn't believe in that nonsense. Najjar's understanding is that there is a mummy that could possibly be moved. He suggests that if we really want to know more about the cult, we should look for a woman named Nuri El Wasta. He's unsure where to find her. He's clearly terrified about disclosing this information to us. He indicates that Warren Besart and Nuri would know more than he can tell us.
We return to the hotel and discover Victor's note. Charles is all for finding Victor and stopping him from committing what looks to be suicide. The rest of the group arms up as well and comes with him.
At the sphinx, Victor is approached by dragomen, but waves them off. He links up with a tourist group and hears about the general history of the site and legends associated with it. The rest of the group finds Victor sitting around waiting for night fall. We argue in hushed voices until Victor, while spinning around in frustration, sees a small opening near Mykerinos' Pyramid nearby that appears unguarded[3]. Charles leads us there. The opening is hidden beneath ancient stone slabs without any discernible carvings. Gunter looks for traps[4], but doesn't see any. He also notes that everything seems to be normal stone for the area. The passage descends sharply. Victor leads us down the passage. We descend 30 feet into a cube-shaped room. We look around, and Quinn notices that one wall looks recently patched up and newer than the others[3]. Charles examines it and doesn't feel like there are any mechanisms to open it[5]. Gunter determines that someone who knew what they were doing purposefully disguised this and made a solid wall[4]. Quinn suggests that Gunter get an excavation permit so we can make some noise, while the rest of the group investigates the lead we got from Faraz Najjar.
We return to our hotel and make some plans for the next day. Gunter will be finding a permit for digging and acquiring some of the tools. Victor will be looking into gas masks, molotov cocktails, and fire extinguishers. Charles and Quinn will be looking into Nuri. We go to sleep.
Skill Checks