The Eye of Anubis: Book One

[The Whistler]

For a split second, Otto starts back a bit; turns pale. Then-- Steady there, old boy. The gunsmith straightens his back, then inclines it in a respectful bow--at least, he's pretty sure that it qualifies as respectful, having never before been introduced to someone even remotely as important as the man in front of him.

"Sir, the pleasure--and the honor--must be all mine. And let me tell you: I have only been in attendance here six months, and what I have learned of the mechanics behind our world--well, it has only whetted my taste for more. I am only grateful that the University has allowed me to...well..."

He gestures broadly at the crowd, indicating the whole scene with a residual bit of wonder.

[lostboy]

Sitting on a chair at the end of the first row is a figure swathed in dark blue robes and the finest black leather armour, loose trousers and well worn boots complete the picture. His exotic heritage is evident in the lustrous black hair that falls to his shoulders, the lightly ebon gleam of his skin, the silver rings adorning his ears and nose, and the faint network of scars spidering in designs across his cheeks. His green eyes, strange for one of his heritage, have not once left the face of the man talking and he has sat motionless for the whole two hour speech.

Khalil had actually enjoyed the first ten minutes of the reception. His exotic appearance always drew attention and judgement, something he always used to his best advantage. However here with the cream of Dementlieu society he was also attracting somehting else, he had noticed it a few minutes after arriving and had purposefully unwound his head scarf to let his face show. Yes, there were several here who were staring at him with with barely concealed horror. His face impassive he smiles satisfyingly to himself at the reaction he has provoked.

Unfortunatley the speeches started soon after, forcing his attention back to the stage. After two minutes he had decided that the pompous fool on stage was just in love with the sound of his own voice, and had nothing vaguely important to say. Fortunatley patience was a virtue he had cultivated in the wilds, and quieting his mind he uses the time to meditate, clearing his thoughts and becoming like a grain of sand on the desert wind.

The applause brings him back, and he lightly claps and then sits silently watching the crowd mill about. Decadent fools all of them, full of their own pomp and importance. He thinks silently as he scans the absurdly dressed masses. Two months I have spent in this tiresome place, if the money wasnt so good I would have been gone long before now. Still it affords many opportunities." Stroking his fine tooled armour he stands and takes a cup of tea from the table, discarding the pointless saucer and sipping slowly he scans the room.

There were many here he would quite happily leave out naked in a sandstorm, yet there were a few who intrigued him. Several of the learned ones could be very beneficial to talk to, but not now, there was someone else he wanted to speak to first. Zeroing in on the thin man he glides through the press of bodies before appearing almost in front of him.

"As the sands of the desert are to the weary traveller, so is too much speech to him who loveth silence, eh my friend?" He speaks in Akiri to the wiry, dusky man before him. "I am Khalil, once of the Gebel nomads, and a guide for this....expedition, you I believe are the one known as Fassahd al Muharin." Khalil takes another sip of his tea, swallowing slowly before continuing "I would be most pleased to be enlightened by your experiences."

[yalenusveler]

"Now, what's amusing is that one of the Akiri gods is a eunuch..Osiris, to be exact. But this becomes far less unusual when one considers hi.." Andre cut himself off as Charles approached, and nodded politely in response to Charles' acknowledgment, digressing from the mild mockery of supposed supreme beings for a time.

[NeoTiamat]

Tomas---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Heh... in my case I can't afford the chance to get some actual money, I'm broke." Dieter smiled as he shook Tomas's hand, his grip firm and strong. "But yeah, three of us, I think. Guess someone has to keep the Expedition on track. That's Sam's job though, I don't envy it."

Dieter raised himself on tiptoes for a moment, barely gaining enough height to look out over the crowd towards the buffet table.

"Come on, lets see if we can get something to eat, I'm starving."

Charles - Andre-----------------------------------------------------------

Vedarrak turns to examine just who this newcomer was. Something unreadable flashes behind his eyes, than he smiles and inclines his head to the graduate student.

"One never knows, with the group being assembled here tonight, I imagine we'll mobilize a division or two around Lekar when you pass by, just in case." Vedarrak's brief laugh didn't reach his eyes.

"But no, my Lord Drakov has nothing to do with my being here tonight. I have always been interested in ancient cultures, but I'm afraid there aren't very many opportunities to indulge myself in the course of my work."

Lia--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...and so it is only through suffering, through pain and weakness and despair that we are able to understand just how fortunate we are, in that we do not hunger or want." The speaker was an earnest young man with brown hair, clad in the usual Dementlieuse fashions and speaking forcefully to his companion, an elder man in academician's robes. "Do you think any of the aristocrats here understand, in the depths of their soul, just how fortunate they are? Do you? Do I? Only in true suffering can we understand."

"Congratulations de Penible, you've just elevated the wretched peasant to the pinnacle of society. Bra-vo, bra-vo." The second man was older, in his early seventies, with a severe, professorial look and a fringe of white hair about his bald pate.

"You just do not understand, you are to sick with luxury and vigor." The young man turned to Lia as they passed her by. "Tell me, milady, does one not need to suffer in order to understand the joys of not suffering?"

Otto------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A proper attitude for a scholar." Lord Balfour nodded approvingly. "Come to me in a few years, and perhaps we'll see about a more thorough grounding in our world. And now, I must bid thee adieu, if I do not go and entertain Lady Chantreaux, I fear for our budget."

With a tip of his hat and a murmurred goodbye to Otto and Prof. Pelletier, the President of the University went back into the crowd.

"Breathe boy, breathe..." Pelletier says, smiling.

Khalil-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Er... hello." Fassahd shrinks back from the imposing desert-guide. He is a small man, wearing the classic Dementlieuse costume, the sole concession to his heritage being the turban about his head.

"Fassahd, of the village of Muhar in Har'Akir. A Gebel? I didn't know the nomads travelled as far as this." Fassahd's voice was worried, but he rallied gamely.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia blinks, startled at being addressed so suddenly by these strangers.
When she replies, her voice is soft, obliging the two men to strain a bit to hear her words: "I do not think that firsthand experience of suffering is strictly required to enjoy the state of being free of suffering, sir ...? After all, a man who never suffers an instant of woe in all his days may still be quite happy.
But once one has suffered, the state of being free of suffering is more appreciated, certainly. Also, one may hope that one who has endured and overcome suffering shall thereafter become more compassionate towards those who suffer still, more willing to lend them a hand where it is needed in order to improve their circumstances. In that sense, suffering may ennoble a person, I believe.
Of course, there are worse outcomes one might consider." Lia's voice grows more forceful and colder as well. "There are those who harden their hearts, becoming so determined never to suffer again, that they visit hardship on everyone around them, so as to improve their own lot. And yet others grow fond of visiting their own suffering on others, so they may feel mighty."

[steveflam]

Allikhain almost knocks the man down with her Quarterstaff but thinks better of it and ends up gripping it tightly instead. "Mind where you walk" she says icily. "I'm fine." She passes him by without further ado and slowly walks around the hall, Quarterstaff now held loosely in her right hand, alert.

...........................................................................................................

Ulsaon notices the different dialect but says nothing to Sarari. " It does take some getting used to if you aren't used to big crowds. I presume in Sithicus you are fewer and you don't live in cities but the forest among nature, Sarari?"

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles - Andre-----------------------------------------------------------

Vedarrak turns to examine just who this newcomer was. Something unreadable flashes behind his eyes, than he smiles and inclines his head to the graduate student.

"One never knows, with the group being assembled here tonight, I imagine we'll mobilize a division or two around Lekar when you pass by, just in case." Vedarrak's brief laugh didn't reach his eyes.

"But no, my Lord Drakov has nothing to do with my being here tonight. I have always been interested in ancient cultures, but I'm afraid there aren't very many opportunities to indulge myself in the course of my work."

"No, I would suppose not," Martel says, smiling politely. "How fortunate for you, then, that your current posting allows you the enjoyment of the intellectual. But, Professor, I'm afraid I interrupted your description of your work--comparative religion, isn't that right? Please, enlighten us as to the principle features of the Akiri religion."

[lostboy]

Khalil-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Er... hello." Fassahd shrinks back from the imposing desert-guide. He is a small man, wearing the classic Dementlieuse costume, the sole concession to his heritage being the turban about his head.

"Fassahd, of the village of Muhar in Har'Akir. A Gebel? I didn't know the nomads travelled as far as this." Fassahd's voice was worried, but he rallied gamely.

Khalli grins widely, although whether this is a show of warmth or enjoyment at the other mans discomfort is up for debate. "You are right my friend they do not. It has been many years since I have claimed the life of a nomad of the wastes, however I have wandered many other of the wilds of these lands."

Taking a final sip of his tea, he continues. "I must congratulate you on such a historic find, see all the furour you have caused amongst the learned community of this land." He glances about the room, "I personally am particularly interested to hear about how you made this discovery, how did you learn of the tomb and its location?"

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan fidgeted just slightly. He fully expected the shocked gawks, curious stares, and derisive glares, but he didn't really expect anyone to try to talk to him. How was he supposed to respond? The clerics of his faith had very little interaction with foreigners unless those foreigners were somehow part of a shipwreck. They had even less interaction with noble foreigners. Most priests of Ajad worked directly with sailors. If not sailors, they usually worked wtih Sri Rajian merchants and nobles whose ships had run afoul of reefs, storms, sometimes even the beaches themselves. The church made a fair profit in the business of recovering goods lost at sea.

On the other hand, he hadn't been drilled in the ways of Dementlieuse high society. He was a smart young man and he rapidly figured out that there were certain ways you responded to certain greetings and certain phrases you couldn't say except on the tenth of the month and only if that falls on the third day of the week. He sensed the myriad unspoken rules of conversation, but he'd be damned if he actually figured out what they were. Fortunately, the buffet grew closer and the young man hoped the salvation promised by the buffet was more than an illusion.

Kuzan didn't recognize the man, though he was sure this fellow was part of the expedition. In light of that, he decided to keep it simple, in hopes that he wouldn't be too offensive.

"Yes, I'm Kuzan," he replied, smiling pleasantly, "And you are?"

Hopefully the formalities would vanish on their own once the expedition finally went underway.

[NeoTiamat]

Lia--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The older man seemed triumphant at Lia's remarks.

"You know, de Penible, if my argument was so weak that a child could pierce its flaws, than I would consider that it needs more work."

"You see, you advocate seeking out pain as a means to learn suffering, as if 'pain' and 'suffering' were synonymous. Yet 'suffering' implies endurance of the undesirable circumstance: not mere physical anguish, but the emotional misery and distress which unsought torments bring about. To truly suffer is an experience of the mind and soul, not of flesh alone."

"So how can pain ever aquaint one with suffering, if one voluntarily seeks it out? True suffering is an imposition, not an indulgence; your very decision to embrace pain negates its presumed instructive value. Getting what you desire is not 'suffering', but the birthright of superiority, however obtuse or self-flagellating the nature of that desire."

At this point de Penible threw up his hands. "And you? You advocate success as if it was granted by some divine authority as a reward, not the brute luck of life. The poor are not inferior for their poverty. Bah, why do I waste my time with you." The younger man stormed off.

"There but for the grace of a working intellect go I..." The elderly man murmurred musingly. He turned to Lia and bowed shallowly. "Forgive my colleague's rudeness, Miss Mournswaithe. My name is Lord Adrian Ramsey. You are here with the Expedition, are you not? That whelp Carter's student."

Ramsey paused for a moment, as though thinking of something. He continued. "So tell me, Miss Mournswaithe, how do you enjoy our fair city of Port-a-Lucine?"

Allikhain--------------------------------------------------------------------

"So very sorry..." Devereux got his book and quill back and stood up. He hurried after Allikhain.

"You will excuse me, I'm sure, but I was hoping I could speak to you for at least a little bit, I'm hoping to write a book about the Expedition, and I'd very much appreciate an outsider's perspective on this grand Dementlieuse undertaking."

Devereux looked so very earnest.

Ulsaon----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarari frowned. "We are fewer, yes, but there are cities in Sithicus, Hroth and Har--Thelen and Mal-Erek. How is it that one who is half-elf does not know this?"

The elf-woman's voice turned suspicious as she looked at Ulsaon through narrowed eyes.

Charles & Andre-----------------------------------------------------------

"Indeed, Professor Theroux, do go on. I suppose the two of us may constitute an audience now." Vedarrak smiled again, his eyes still cold however.

Khalil-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Luck mostly. I was herding goats when I came upon it." Fassahd looked somewhat queasy. "Excuse me, I think Professor Carter would like to speak to me."

The short Akiri all but fled from Khalil, seeking refuge in a conversation with the previously unsuspecting Carter. He sent a few backwards glances toward the desert-guide, if only to make sure he wasn't following.

"My, my, what did you say to him?" A woman came forward to stand beside Khalil, a visage of loveliness that compared favorably with any other in the room. Golden-blonde hair, the body of a nymph, and intelligent blue eyes caught Khalil's attention. She caught the desert-guide's look.

"Lily D'Envers, with L'Interrogateur. But you can call me Lily." The woman smiled winsomely at the black-armored figure.

Kuzan----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Samael Aurelius Maleagant. My mother didn't like me." The black-haired man ducked through the press of the crowd by the buffet table, returning shortly with two glasses of red wine balanced in one hand. "Ho! I come bearing liquor."

He held out a glass to Kuzan. "I hope this isn't against your religion. Come on, let's move somewhere we can talk in peace. I don't know about you, but I'd rather remain untrampled."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia carefully sets her glass and plate aside, then performs a polite curtsy for Ramsey.
"A pleasure to meet you, your lordship," she says. "Yes, I have been fortunate enough to be selected as an aide de camps to professor Carter. The city is ... interesting. Quite large and cosmopolitan. You are, yourself, a native?"
"Odious little man," she thinks in the privacy of her mind, "that De Penible. And if what he said of this Ramsey is true, then he is not that much better. A masochist and an elitist ... what beguiling company."
Just as she reaches out to pick up her glass again, a thought strikes her and Lia pauses for a second. "I am but one of many explorers and surely not the most remarkable among them. Why would a member of the peerage have bothered to memorize the name of a mere student?" The next instant, Lia has reclaimed her wine, but she feels slightly uneasy ...

[DocBeard]

"Well, I'd say your luck's looking up, friend!" Tomas grins widely, "I mean, it's not every fellow without funds that gets a full on university banquet. Did you know they serve three different kinds of duck here? It's amazing! I thought ducks were something of a lowest common denominator in the animal kingdom, but I suppose learning things is what we're here for, yes?"

Clapping his countryman on the shoulder, Eisenwald starts walking towards the most important part of any formal function: the free food.

[The Whistler]

Otto exhaled.

“Hooh! ...Could you tell?”

He chuckled a bit, relaxing his shoulders. Pelletier might come across as a bit condescending (“My boy?” Really? I’m 33...), but the gunsmith figured that was par for the course; he did seem nice enough, all told. Certainly easier to talk to than Lord de Casteele.

“I don’t suppose that’s the sort of thing I will ever get used to. You know, it is true, though: if you are a craftsman--” here he gestured to himself “--you make your living by putting mechanical theory into practice; you enjoy it. So for me to learn that a new set of natural laws is just behind the ones I know--and to actually learn how they are applied, outside the classroom--well, you can imagine...”

He paused to sip his drink. He wasn’t actually sure if the Professor could imagine, but the principle was still there.

“You know, as we’re talking about it, I had meant to ask you... Do the Akiri use different techniques to enchant their magical devices than the mages of the Core? It is fascinating to me that one set of arcane principles can be applied in so many ways...”

[steveflam]

Allikhain--------------------------------------------------------------------

"So very sorry..." Devereux got his book and quill back and stood up. He hurried after Allikhain.

"You will excuse me, I'm sure, but I was hoping I could speak to you for at least a little bit, I'm hoping to write a book about the Expedition, and I'd very much appreciate an outsider's perspective on this grand Dementlieuse undertaking."

Devereux looked so very earnest.

Allikhain stopped dead in her tracks. SHe acknowledged Devereux with a look but was more concerned with the strange feeling she'd just had. She shivered once and looked for Ulsaon. Maybe she'd have an answer for this odd feeling I just had. This dolt has got to be kidding. What is he going to be good for except getting in any guard's way from accomplishing their task at hand, HE might have first hand knowledge of this place we are going though so I shoul perhaps be civil with him. She sighed inwardly.

"Pardon me for my rudeness. I am a guard after all, and as you can see by my attire, I do take my travail very seriously." She lowered her voice next as she spoke to him. "Besides teaching are you experienced in arcane matters? I just had this icy chill crawl up and down my spine and it's not from the draft I presume. Your thoughts on this?"


.........................................................................................................


Well she is a trusting soul. I am thinking that there are not that many half-elves elsewhere in this land.

"Why I am not from Sithicus and have never been there. Listen all I want to do is talk with you and get to know you better. We will be spending an enormous amount of time together. I do know that most humans here think of us as little less then dirt. But not I or my friend Allikhain. To me everyone is the same, whether an elf, dwarf or even a halfling or a gnome. I care not."

She paused a moment then continued "I am sorry if I have offended you in some way. Accept my sincerest apologies. I tend to be blunt at times, forgive me."

[lostboy]

Khalil arches a dark eyebrow at the small mans hasty retreat, his grin never leaving his lips. Interesting, he muses.

His musing is interrupted by a voice like honey, Khalil turns and is struck by the woman before him, the slight dusk of her skin and those piercing eyes grab his attention. "Dauwarte aleik tul en-nahar" he murmurs under his breath in Akiri.

" I am known as Khalil, The Dragoman" he says simply bowing from the waist. "How may I be of service to you this night my lady".