Burning Nile Scene 02 - In the Crocodile's Jaws

It certainly will take a long time to find whatever it is he's looking for if his strategy is to grab scrolls at random. As his master entertains himself with the arcane scrolls, Tefri wanders about the the area examining the masonry. Maybe this temple hides more than crocodiles and scrolls...

Tefri starts walking along the walls examining the stonework, occasionally he presses various spots on the wall before continuing.

Sabra is bored with these humans. He watches as the priest reads his scrolls filled with the writings of petty gods. He watches as the slave wanders off down dark corridors as Sabra begins to imagine the corridors that used to exist on this spot. My father once stood where these stones stand now. He can still hear the venerable elf chastising him for maltreating the workers of the land.

"Magnus! You should know better! How are you to rule these lands if all you have is cruelty in your heart!

He grew up with the education of a prince. Taught the ancient arts of calligraphy and swordsmanship from a young age, his father often found time to temper his pride with lessons in humility.

"Until you have suffered much in your heart, as you have made those farmers suffer, you cannot learn humility."

I have suffered now father. I have grown ever so humble working callouses into my hands and hatred into my heart. You said that the cruelty would leave. You were always such an honest liar.

Sabra shakes himself back to the present, watching the miller interact with the priest. He looks again for the servant but sees that the strong one has disappeared.

Sabra pulls his cloak up and tries to cover his face, moving to the side of the chamber and out of view. Friend or foe . . . it matters not. Whoever knows that I am here could be trouble.

My love, I will find you. I may only need to go to the depths of this temple and not the depths of the underworld as I had once feared. Tefri's excitement at his discovery energizes his legs as he runs back to the scroll room.

His sandals skid on the sandy floor as he storms into the room. Master Adom! I have found a hidden area of the temple! There are writings burned into the floor. Come and see!

Adom is reaching for yet another scroll when Tefri bursts into the room. A look of annoyance turns to interest as he explains. A hidden area of the temple? Why wasn't that on the plans? This... this could be the answer. Or at least an answer.

Standing up quickly, the priest accidentally knocks over one of the baskets. Scrolls go rolling off across the dusty floor, but he pays them no heed. "Where? Show me!" He hurries after the laborer, forgetting his search for the moment.

This way! Tefri guides Adom to the entrance he found and places his hand on the stone panel. This stonework seemed out of place, when I moved it I found this. He walks over towards the symbols in the floor, What does it mean?

Adom stares at the intricate symbols in the floor. His knee buckles slightly as he kneels to examine the burnt circles, but he hardly seems to notice. After a few moments of studying the symbols from on his knees, a thought strikes him. He turns to look up at Tefri.

"This may be exactly what we were looking for." He glances back toward the hidden opening. Smiling, he looks back at Tefri. "The gods have smiled on us both today. Thank you. Without you I doubt we would ever have found this place."

Tefri paces back and forth anxiously as Adom studies the symbols. Forgetting himself in his disquietude, the slave shouts at his master, Well?!... does it say anything useful or not?!

Adom looks shaken at Tefri's sudden outburst. The scrape on his knee from his earlier fall still stings a bit, and the hand he's running over the symbols hurts. But he'd been so lost in thought he hadn't realized how long he'd taken.

The priest shakes his head as he starts to explain. "This is no mortal power at work. The mark of Sobek lies upon each of these spots. Look at the symbols. See these lines here? These are the reeds. And here. These are the river, and then the crocodile, here. It means that either a powerful priest of Sobek, or Sobek himself worked a miracle here. One, two..." He gestures at each circle as he counts them aloud. "One for each of them. This must be what happened to her, Tefri."