Burning Nile Scene 02 - In the Crocodile's Jaws

Adom keeps a careful eye on everyone they pass along the road, conscious of how he must look to them. A priest, an elven farmer with a sword, a hard-bitten miller, and a slave. It sounds like the setup of a bad joke.

Seeing the parched banks baking in the sun, at this time of year, is no less disturbing now that he knows there is some strange force at work. It is hard to believe that his little bit of... meddling... had been part of all of this. But... he had felt something strange. And he is too prideful in his heart to let go of the idea that he truly does wield such influence, even on accident. This isn't the path to his destiny he expected, but he will not be turned aside from greatness.

The great maw of the gleaming temple beckons to him. Such works of man echo the greatness of the gods and the smallness of man, but is it not the hands of men who build them? Someday, it will be he who stands atop the steps at such an edifice as this, waving a censer full of rich incense and delivering the words of Anubis, Lord of the Underworld. And yet here, today, the smell of burning braziers and incense is absent. The acolytes who should be here to greet worshippers are gone. Surely, Sobek would not be pleased by such a lapse.

Knitting his brows as they approach, he looks around carefully from the bottom of the steps. When there is no sign of anyone, he stops, closes his eyes, and calls out to Anubis. "Lord of Death, Keeper of Souls and the Underworld, hear my prayer. Please, in your greatness, tell me if the servants of Sobek have come to you for your judgement. Do their souls stand before you in supplication? Show me a sign." He tries to avoid picturing the corpses lying in the street outside of Ipwet's mill last night. He has no desire to stumble upon the rotting corpses of the temple priests if they have also been slain by that... thing.

A chill runs down Adom's spine. Being a servant of Anubis rarely leads to feeling of warmth and sunshine, even among the most casual of his faithful. For those blessed by the attentions of the Lord of the Underworld, his touch can be overwhelming in its coldness and shadow.

Adom's eyes widen as he sees the cloaked figure approach. The blackness of it seems to drink in the light of the sun and annihilate it. It is... profoundly unnatural, and yet this is the figure who waits for every last soul at the end of this life. This is the... entity who brings each of us to Anubis. And here he is, standing in front of the priest. Anubis has heard, and answered, his prayers before, but this... this is truly a wonder.

The skeletal hand extends and Adom follows it with his eyes toward the temple, tearing them away from the figure. Seeing the bones move with no flesh, no muscle to guide them is not as horrifying as it might be. There is no blood. Just pure, clean bone. In the direction the finger is pointing is the new temple, dry and silent. And then the spirits of the dead appear, as whole and solid as any man alive. And that one, that is Uday. What irony that the lower priest's name means... meant... "to materialize." For materialize he had. Perhaps Anubis' grave humor had driven the god to answer his prayer this time. For surely he knew his servant would recognize the jest, and appreciate his wit. The warmth of his god's amusement fills him, dispelling a bit of the hollow cold in his bones. But even in that, the warmth is touched with shadow.

Adom watches in silent fascination as the figures descend into the river. It is the clearest sign he has ever received from Anubis. But alloying his joy at hearing the voice of his god so clearly is the revelation that the temple has been visited by something that has slain the four caretakers.

Quietly, he says a prayer for the four souls he has just seen. "Lord Anubis, I thank you for showing me the souls of those so recently departed on their journey to your halls. May you find in them no lack of virtue and no excess of vice, for their sake, and may ever your servant be worthy of you."

Raising his voice enough for the others to hear, he says "I believe we will find the corpses of the four caretakers of the temple inside. Would that it were not so, but I have witnessed the truth as told by the omen of Anubis." His voice is strained. There is a mix of pride and fear in it. His prayer has been answered directly in unmistakable terms. He has the ear of a god. The God. Of the Underworld. That is something few can say, and fewer still will be able to oppose when the time comes. A certain woman comes to mind. Perhaps he will send her to meet his god personally eventually. But now is not the time to challenge a priestess of the sun. Now is a time to repair what is broken. To build from the ashes. To take the next steps on his journey.

Tefri walks down the road behind his master. What continues to catch his attention the entire trip is the sheer number of slaves being put to use. As numerous, as cattle, but used for such mundane purpose. Is it worth that man's soul to be carried around like a child? It is but one example among many of the excesses and falsehoods of the Egyptians.

Soon enough, a second and far more distressing example rises over his master's shoulder. The Temple of Sobek...Despite the enmity Tefri feels about all things related to this temple, he cannot help but appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship. It is beautiful to behold. The Egyptians toy with powers beyond their reckoning. They build temples that purport to be in service to a god, by men whose hearts only want the glory of having built a greater temple than his peer.

As Adom begins to mumble a prayer, Tefri prepares to have to catch the priest should he need to make a show of this prayer as well. He is surprised Adom announces the dead rather than fall. Four dead. That's awfully specific for a guess. Are there always four and he assumes that all have died? Perhaps Anubis truly did bless him with a response. I am not presumptuous enough to think I could explain the actions of gods.

Ipwet looks on in blatant skepticism. Despite last night's very clear sign proving the existence of the supernatural here in the mortal realm, her usual disbelief is ready at the tip of her tongue as she mumbles under her breath in response to Adom's prayer and apparent answer, "Ugh! Gimme a break...". However, that is just an automatic retort honed by years of smart-mouthing. Inside her head, she can't help but feel a small amount of curiosity, tempered with jealousy. As she takes in the city around her; the poor farmers struggling to make ends meet, the slaves hoisting the nobility above the masses (literally and figuratively), the children playing in the dirty street, her mind can't help but go to a dark place. The priest seems so sure of himself and the response his supposed god gave him. If they really ARE watching over us, why in the name of all that is decent do they allow nobles to reign with such impudence over good and honest folk? Why do they allow such horrible injustices to go unanswered in the dark alleys of this city? Why did they let a small girl come within moments of starving to death, alone and ignored, with no parents to care for her...

Ipwet feels tears of anger rising and shakes them away, turning her face away from the group. She decides to do something practical and her vision scans around the open square, looking for a beggar who might not have moved from their perch in some time. Or better yet, a street urchin who claims this area as their stomping ground.

As the farmer's cart passes by, Eurainon pilfers a single vegetable. The quality, lackluster compared to what used to grow in these lands but far superior to what he had spent the last fifty years learning to coax from the sand-choked and sun-cooked soil far from the banks. Seeing all these people, Eurainon pulls the hood of his garment up to hide his face and ears. He is unhappily biting into and chewing the leek when Adom has his vision. Ipwet had always been a pragmatic woman. It was why he dealt with her and not the other foolish humans. At least he had convinced himself he had a choice. She did not cave to faddish trends and she kept her house in good order, even if it, like her, was of low origin. But to scoff at the Gods...

The Gods are real. They simply use us for their amusement. If this one, gesturing to the priest whose eyes seem to be darting around in ecstasy even after his vision, is a vessel for their designs then we are in even more danger than I previously imagined.

Danger... Danger is walking amidst you humans. You have taken from me and now make me walk on my own lands as a stranger. There are no Gods that will save you. I serve Anubis almost as much as that charlatan his robes. But... If he speaks the truth, evil has crept into my home. First, use these... friends to exhume the evil. Then take back what has been lost. By sword or by song, you have my word Father.

Ipwet's scanning of the square stops short at the elf's comment. Her eyes grow wide for a moment, considering the possibilities, then her dark smirk paints her face. "What a collection of religious views we have between us; There are no gods at all, they have some grand design that all our combined suffering fit into, and the gods are simply children wielding powers beyond imagination as you say, Sabra. I do believe your scenario is the most frightening of all..." Then she turns to Tefri with an inquisitive look. "Where do you fit into our little menagerie, Nubian?"

Tefri stares intently at the temple as they approach it. He is lost in thought as the others discuss theology. The word, Nubian, returns his attention to his traveling companions. He hesitates before speaking and looks at Adom, Master Adom is the best person to talk to about such things. It is he who communes with divinity. After his curt answer, he quickens his pace to catch up to Adom.

Adom looks back toward Tefri, still awash in triumph and apprehension. Seeing the man's hesitation, he waits for his answer and then nods slowly. "Do not hesitate, Tefri. You have no need to hide your thoughts from us. But neither must you be compelled to answer. Simply know that I meant exactly what I said last night. Anubis has shown me this vision today, and I believe we have been brought together for a reason. Far be it from me to trod upon an actor in as great a plan as His."

This is... new territory. But if Anubis has seen fit to place this man in his path, in the way he had, surely the man must be important. Even if only to safeguard his master, he has a part to play in all of this, in Adom's ascension. And he would not fail to stand by his word.