Also known as “Thoth’s Dagger” followed by “The City Without a Name”
1924 February 25th – Boston, Massachusetts to Egypt to Jerusalem to Sana, South Yemen, and back via Jerusalem, Alexandria and Greece
Characters
Player Characters |
Non-Player Characters |
Bateman, Sarah Ann – (me) | Bateman, Arthur – Sarah’s father, an Egyptologist |
van Buren, Charles – American, owner of the Silk Scorpion, smuggler and bootlegger (Braddon) | Cuttingham, Wilfred – British Consul (Yemen) |
Ervine and Levi – twin brothers (Barry) | Farquharson, Magnus |
Farquarson, Megan (nee McConnell) – Canadian, librarian for Kenneth Allard (Jenny), married to Magnus Farquarson | Omar – camel driver chief and guide |
McPherson, Mairi Catriona – English, Salvation Army Officer (Jenny) | al-Qusi, Butrus – Coptic Monk |
Rycroft, Scotty – (George) | Shenuda, Abba – Coptic Monk |
Sufyani, Mikhay’el – cultist |
Involvement
Sarah’s father asked her to attend an auction and bid for some Egyptian artifacts. She was outbid by Megan and drawn in from there.
Highlights
- The Auction – 25th February 1924
- From Boston to Alexandria – 25th February to 16th March 1924
- Alexandria
- Cairo and the Ruins of Hermopolis
- Monastery of Saint Pakomios – end of March to end of May 1924
- Jerusalem – end of May to start of July 1924
- From Jerusalem to Sana, South Yemen – early July to mid August 1924
- Sana, South Yemen
- From Sana to Iram of the Pillars – late August to 16th September 1924
- Iram of the Pillars
- From Iram of the Pillars to Riyadh
- From Riyadh to Alexandria
The Auction – 25th February 1924
Sarah was attending an auction of the estate of the late Dr. Karl von Petersdorf, a famed occultist and antiquarian and a Professor of Egyptology, hoping to buy something for her father who was investigating ancient ruins in Egypt. Dr. von Petersdorf had suffered a heart attack and stroke and died while working on his latest book, a radical new interpretation of Egyptology expressing his belief that the Egyptian gods were descendants of older, more powerful and much more dangerous gods.

The estate being auctioned just out of Boston included a Book of the Dead, a jeweled scarab beetle, a chair, a dish, a ceremonial dagger, a small statue and the mummies of cats, a baboon, a minor official and a royal from the 19th Dynasty, among other rare books and antiques. During the course of the auction it became obvious to Sarah that a rotund Egyptian man was desperately interested in the ceremonial dagger. He outbid all other interested parties with complete disregard for the rapidly rising price, and showed obvious relief when the dagger was finally his.
Sarah had lost the copy of the Book of the Dead to another young woman with two male companions, one a large Scottish man with red hair and beard, the other a very attractive tall, dark haired young American. After the new owner of the book had been decided, the American came over to Sarah, introduced himself as Charles van Buren. Charles said that if Sarah was still interested in looking at the book, he could arrange it with his friend Megan McConnell, the book’s new owner.

Sarah introduced herself to Charles and replied that she was interested in looking at the book. She admitted to herself that she couldn’t quite determine whether she was most interested in the book or in Charles. Her interest was reflected in Charles’ dark brown eyes and in the amused upward curl of one corner of his mouth. Here was a man who knew his way around women. Sarah held his gaze for longer than was polite between strangers. Wondering just what it would be like to be with Charles, she smiled warmly at him. An invitation.
At this point people leaving with their purchases distracted Sarah and Charles. The auction seemed to be finishing now that all the items had been sold. Suddenly, a swarthy Arab looking man who had shown little interest in the proceedings attacked the Egyptian who had bought the dagger, took the dagger from him and fled from the auction room. The Arab was pursued by a number of people from the auction, who caught him and held him until the police arrived to take him away.
Charles returned with the dagger to the distraught Egyptian, who thanked him profusely, introduced himself as Butrus al-Qusi, a Coptic Monk from the Monastery of Saint Pakomios near the shore of the Red Sea, and proceeded to explain the dagger’s importance. While Charles was still holding and looking at the dagger, Sarah, Megan and the Scottish man, whose name was Magnus Farquharson, moved over to listen to Butrus’ story.
The dagger was apparently connected with a powerful and dangerous Egyptian cult, and could not be allowed to fall back into the cultists hands, as it would give them access to great power. Butrus represented a group of Coptic priests who were opposed to the cultists and who wanted to keep the dagger hidden away from them. The dagger itself carried an inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphics that Sarah interpreted as a reference to some kind of power obtainable through a gateway.

While Charles was holding the dagger something very strange happened. He staggered slightly and fell into a trancelike state for some minutes. When he recovered he described vivid visions of a city in the desert. Butrus was extremely worried by this turn of events and believed that Charles had been cursed by the power within the dagger, a curse that would gradually drive Charles insane then cause his death. The only way to release Charles from this curse was to travel to the Coptic priests in Egypt where they could combat the power of the dagger.
Sarah decided to join with Charles and his companions, as she possessed skills that would be useful in Egypt and her father may even be able to help them if they could reach him in time. Sarah also wanted to go with Charles because of the feelings he had stirred within her, feelings she had not experienced since the guns of the Great War claimed the man she loved. She had suppressed those feelings in order to suppress the pain of losing Michael, but now one look from Charles cut through every emotional barrier she had constructed.
From Boston to Alexandria – 25th February to 16th March 1924
The party arrange for passage to Alexandria, Egypt, on a ship called the “Ramses”. The accommodation was in single first class staterooms and the ship sailed from Boston in the late evening. Sarah rediscovered the joy she always felt when she was at sea; even the expected roughness of the Bay of Biscay didn’t worry her. There was something about this particular voyage though, something that set it apart from the rest and that promised adventure, danger, excitement and possibly even love.
1924 was a leap year. On the 29th of February four days out from Boston, Sarah proposed to a number of men aboard the Ramses. So did her friend Megan, but both women made sure that the men they proposed to were either unable or unwilling to say yes, all except one. In Megan’s case that one eligible bachelor was Magnus, her travelling companion, while in Sarah’s case it was Charles. He surprised and delighted Sarah but not refusing immediately, saying that he wished to have some time in which to consider her proposal.
After two weeks of sailing the party were enjoying some quiet drinks in the ship’s bar one evening when a horrible scream was heard from the aft part of the ship. All rushed to the aft deck in time to see Butrus being dragged overboard by some horrible tentacled monster. Although shots were fired at the creature, it was too late to save Butrus and he and the monster disappeared into the ocean. This event was a severe shock to Sarah, who collapsed onto the deck and was carried back to her cabin by Charles. The next few days were spent very quietly, with the party trying to come to grips with what had happened and mourning the loss of the man who was to be their guide once they reached Alexandria.
Three days before the ship was due to dock at Alexandria, Charles was attacked in the ship’s gymnasium by two knife wielding Arab assassins. With a little help from Sarah he defeated the Arabs, who then used their knives to slit their own throats. After investigations by the Captain, there still appeared to be no reason for the attack.
Charles had been wounded by one of the assassins and this added to Sarah’s concern for his well being. The curse of the Egyptian dagger had begun to seriously affect his state of mind and he was spending over an hour a day in a trance experiencing frightening visions of the city in the desert. Charles was holding on to his sanity by sheer force of will and with the extra strength that being with Sarah gave him.
Sarah had decided that she loved Charles. She joined him in his cabin the night before the ship was due to arrive in Alexandria. By becoming his lover, abandoning herself to his kisses and caresses and to the passion he inspired, Sarah gave Charles his strongest reason to continue his fight for his sanity and his life.
Alexandria
The Ramses arrived in Alexandria on the 16th March 1924. Abba Shenuda, a Coptic monk acting on the earlier instructions of their previous guide, the unfortunate Butrus al-Qusi, met the party at the dock and took them to a very comfortable inn. Here the party prepared for their trip inland to the ruins of Hermopolis, about six miles northeast of modern Ashmunayn, up-river from Cairo.
Here the party also met Mikhay’el Sufyani, a Coptic monk acting in opposition to Abba Shenuda who said Abba Shenuda was a fraud and was actually planning to kill them. The opposing claims from the two monks placed the party in a dilemma, as there appeared to be no way to prove either man’s story.
After both monks were forcibly restrained, the party “persuaded” them to say “Narlethotep”, the name of one of the most powerful of the monsters that may have been opposing the party. Megan had become deaf after a previous encounter with cultists, but she had since discovered that she could hear cultists calling on their demon gods. She heard Mikhay’el calling his god and promptly started beating him with her fists until she was dragged away and comforted by Magnus and Sarah.
After Charles released Abba Shenuda from his bonds, Abba Shenuda explained that he was going to summon a creature to take away Mikhay’el, and warned the party that they would probably be very upset by what they were about to see. Sarah still remembered vividly seeing Butrus al-Qusi being dragged overboard from the deck of the Ramses by some nameless monster. She buried her face in Charles’ shoulder and held him tightly, trying to pretend that this really wasn’t happening. Abba Shenuda summoned a creature that dragged Mikhay’el through the window and carried him screaming into the desert. The party immediately began to wonder about their choice of guides.
The next day the party discovered that Ervine, who had joined them with Abba Shenuda, was missing. A thorough search produced no trace of him at all. Abba Shenuda believed that Ervine had been taken and killed by the cultists to avenge the death of Mikhay’el. This news upset Sarah, but she was now more determined than ever to follow this thing through and help Charles remove the curse that was slowly destroying him.
Cairo and the Ruins of Hermopolis
The party traveled to Cairo, a town of considerable prosperity and sophistication and a Mecca for those interested in Ancient Egypt, but who preferred luxury surroundings while not exploring sandy ruins. Here they collected what information they could about Hermopolis from the National Museum, before travelling by rail to Ashmunayn, then by camel to Hermopolis.

After arriving at Hermopolis and entering the underground temple complex, Abba Shenuda again astounded and disturbed them by summoning a ghoul to be their guide. While the party was following the ghoul to the main underground temple, a giant crocodile attacked them. This was finally destroyed and the entrance to the main temple lay unguarded.
It was here that the party met a distinguished looking gentleman in the robes of an ancient Egyptian priest. This was the nightmare demon himself in human form and he wanted his dagger back from Charles. Charles was thoroughly stunned by this turn of events and made no move to return the dagger, as Narlethotep demanded. In this moment of confrontation Abba Shenuda grabbed the dagger from Charles and stabbed Narlethotep in the stomach, taking the High Priest completely by surprise.
Narlethotep then began to change into his monstrous inhuman form, but before this change was complete the monster melted away as the effect of the dagger returned him to his own dimension, thus sparing the party the horror of seeing him in his true form.
This was all too much for Sarah, who promptly fell unconscious to the temple floor. Some ten hours later she recovered, having missed the dangerous escape from the temple during which the party were pursued and repeatedly attacked by fanatical cultists. She had also missed the ceremony conducted by Abba Shenuda through which the curse that had been placed on Charles was removed.
Charles had in his possession an Arabic copy of the Necromonicon, which he “found” during the escape from the temple. When Sarah asked him just what he thought he was going to do with that horrible book, which held between its magically armoured covers enough knowledge to send even the strongest reader insane, Charles replied that he would sell the book to Kenneth Allard, an exceptionally wealthy collector who would keep it safe from the cultists.
Sarah asked Charles if he had considered a price for the thing, to which Charles replied “do you like ships?” At this point Sarah decided the sun had adversely affected Charles and he was babbling. No book was worth that much, surely.
Monastery of Saint Pakomios – end of March to end of May 1924
Abba Shenuda invited the party to the Monastery of Saint Pakomios to recover from their ordeal. The party arrived at the Coptic monastery, located in the eastern desert near the Red Sea, towards the end of March 1924. They stayed two months quietly recovering from their ordeal, exploring the monastery, learning the ways of the Coptic priests and becoming more attuned to a desert lifestyle.
Here was the peace and tranquility that Charles required in order to regain his state of mind and recover from the mental and spiritual upheaval of the curse. Sarah persuaded Charles to teach her Japanese, a language he had learnt during the time he spent living in Japan. These language lessons, conducted in the privacy of their small room, usually ended with Sarah and Charles lying naked in each other’s arms in the small bed, resting quietly after having passionately explored the limits of each other’s sensuality.

Charles had experienced much while living in Japan. Sarah proved to be a perceptive student who, attuned to Charles’ responses, quickly turned his expertise at pleasuring her into insightful and ultimately very effective techniques for prolonging and enhancing his own pleasure.
Both had to stifle the other’s cries and moans for fear of alerting the monks, a fear which added a degree of illicit spice to their endeavours.
“Yes, I’ll marry you” Charles murmured, his lips against Sarah’s throat. Barely conscious but still within Sarah after one particularly intense and memorable session on the floor of the room, Charles finally accepted Sarah’s proposal of marriage from weeks ago aboard the Ramses.
Sarah wrapped her legs tightly around his hips, preventing him from withdrawing from her. “This afternoon Charles, marry me this afternoon, before anything else crazy happens.”
Sarah and Charles were married later that same day by one of the Coptic priests. It was the 1st of May 1924, and Charles gave Sarah a magnificent lapis lazuli ring that he had also “found” in Narlethotep’s temple. Everyone attended the simple ceremony, including Sarah’s father who had recently arrived from the Valley of the Kings in response to a letter from his daughter.
Sarah’s father, ever the libertine, gave the newlyweds an English translation of the Karma Sutra, much to Sarah’s surprise, and wished them well with a wink in Charles’ direction. Sarah didn’t think that Charles needed any further inspiration when it came to making love, but a brief glance at the beautifully detailed illustrations changed her mind. Every culture had something new to add to the mix and Sarah wanted to try some of the unusual techniques explicitly illustrated within the book. Charles was looking speculatively at Sarah, the same thought having crossed his mind.
That evening saw Charles and Sarah gently exploring the new ideas illustrated in the book in the privacy of their room. Much use was made of the bedclothes to quieten each other’s responses to new and intense sensations. Sarah was amazed at how Charles’ lightest fingertip touch applied in a tiny and most intimate circle of movement triggered such intense and pleasurable sensations in her body. Charles in turn was amazed at the depth and intensity of his eventual response to Sarah’s teasingly light and shockingly intimate tongue, flicking exquisitely over his rigid flesh at the very edge of his sensitivity.
Their gift to each other was an unforgettable wedding night, courtesy of the infamous book’s words and illustrations, their own stamina and a healthy curiosity for new pleasures. Each desired nothing more than to see the other succumbing completely and repeatedly to their intimate attentions. The bond between Sarah and Charles grew stronger every time one lay nearly senseless in the arms of the other. They finally fell asleep as the early morning light filtered into their room.
Jerusalem – end of May to start of July 1924
When the party left the Monastery of Saint Pakomios to journey home via Jerusalem, Abba Shenuda gave Charles some very important sealed papers to give to an Abbott there.
They took the road along the Red Sea, and on their way a lone rider who turned out to be Ervine’s brother Levi approached them. He had followed the party in order to find out what had happened to his brother, and now joined them on the journey to Jerusalem.

The party arrived in Jerusalem towards the end of May and spent five weeks in the Holy City. Charles and Sarah treated this time as an extended honeymoon and visited many places of interest. They enjoyed the colour, the variety and the exotic flavour of the city.
There was, however, one event that cast a shadow over their time in Jerusalem. The Abbott to whom they had taken the sealed papers died in very mysterious circumstances. When the party visited the Abbott, he read the papers and explained their significance. Using an ancient method known as gemmatria the Abbott reduced the words on the papers to their numeric equivalent.
The whole process was a little too much for Sarah, who found it extremely difficult to keep awake during the long evening. After so many nights exploring the Karma Sutra with Charles, sitting quietly in a small room for so long was more than Sarah could manage. She began to fall asleep. A discrete pinch from Charles woke Sarah up just as the Abbott was reaching a dramatic conclusion concerning the nature of their enemy.
The Abbot’s final calculations had indicated to him that an old and powerful evil was gaining strength in the desert. Just as he was about to tell the party what that evil was, he suffered a fatal heart attack. In his last moments of life the Abbott told the party of someone else who could help them, a sheikh teacher in a mosque in Sana, South Yemen.
After informing the authorities of the Abbott’s death and answering numerous questions from the police, apparently to their satisfaction, the party decided to travel to Sana and seek help from the sheikh. If they were going to fight some terrible evil they would need all the help they could get.
From Jerusalem to Sana, South Yemen – early July to mid August 1924
The journey to Sana was long and arduous. It began with a trip to Aqaba by truck where the party was delayed by four weeks when Megan fell seriously ill. When she was well enough to travel again the party boarded the Pride of Portsmouth, a beautiful white cruise ship, and sailed in luxury to Jidda.
During this cruise Sarah and Charles continued their exploration of the Karma Sutra. They were now experiencing a relationship of such physical intensity that they had to take care not to offend their hosts with any publicly inappropriate behaviour. Privately, their behaviour was wildly inappropriate and immensely satisfying. Sarah’s boldness delighted Charles, particularly when she took the initiative with a wicked caress, then energetically and thoroughly seduced him. She also discovered a lightly scented Egyptian oil that made her hands slide over Charles’ body and, much to his joy; she used this oil often on the cruise.
On arrival in Jidda the party transferred to an awful tramp steamer for the journey to Al-Hudayda and then a Rolls Royce armored car, converted to carry passengers, for the journey to Sana.
Sana, South Yemen
The party arrived in Sana in mid August 1924. On reaching their destination they found their way to the sheikh, a revered and respected teacher in a mosque. He agreed to help them by providing background and advice on what the party had begun to fear – some nameless evil growing and strengthening in the desert, preparing for its attack on mankind.
After speaking to the sheikh, the party prepared for an expedition into the Empty Quarter, an area of desert northeast of Sana that was totally devoid of life. This area was rumored to be the site of the legendary Iram of the Pillars, an evil enchanted place from which few people had returned. Those that had were dangerously insane.
As a protective measure Charles began teaching Sarah how to shoot, using a 38 revolver. Sarah disliked the gun intensely but knew that one day their lives and the lives of their friends may depend on her skill in using it. She persisted with the training.
They were ready to leave for Iram of the Pillars one week later. Accompanying them was a professor interested in astronomy who said that he knew where Iram of the Pillars was because he had studied old writings and star maps. Also travelling with them was Wilfred Cuttingham, the resident British Consul, an upper class English twit who spoke with a lisp and constantly got on Sarah’s nerves. However, the party needed all the help they could get and accepted his offer of assistance.
From Sana to Iram of the Pillars – late August to 16th September 1924
The journey further inland began with a three day trip to Mareeb, two days to a well, two days to another well, then three days to a small town where the party rested for a day. After another day’s travel the party reached Zamack. Here they delayed three days while the professor studied and copied an ancient star map carved in stone on the side of a mountain. Sarah spent some time looking at the star map with the old professor. With his help and her own limited knowledge of astronomy she came to understand the star map and how it pointed to Iram of the Pillars.
Towards the evening of the third day a tragedy of a very suspicious nature struck the party. An earthquake occurred, ripping open the ground and causing severe damage to the town. The professor was killed and the star map was buried under tons of rock. This event only served to confirm the party’s belief that something was trying to prevent them from reaching Iram of the Pillars, and made them all the more determined to succeed.
The party resumed their journey towards Iram, passing through Minwak after an evening’s travel. They were now travelling at night and resting during the heat of the day. The party arrived at a desert well after another two evening’s travel. Here the party rested for two days, and then they began the last leg of their journey to Iram on the second evening.
Conditions during the day had become almost unbearable and water was rationed. The party were now deep within the desolate Empty Quarter where the only living things appeared to be themselves, their guide and his camel drivers, and the camels on which they rode.
On the evening of 15th September 1924, four nights travel from the last desert well at which they had rested, the party was attacked by horrible sand dwelling monsters, seven in all. In the confusion of the resulting battle several party members were injured. Magnus was shot by Wilfred Cuttingham, the British Consul, while trying to prevent Cuttingham from slashing the water bags. It was now apparent that Cuttingham was trying to prevent the party from reaching Iram, and that he was part of the evil they were trying to defeat. He escaped into the desert and it was decided not to waste precious time looking for him.
In the Empty Quarter time meant water. Many of the water bags had been slashed and their contents spilt into the sand. The party had to find water at Iram of the Pillars, otherwise they would not reach the next well.
Iram of the Pillars
The party arrived at Iram towards dawn the next morning. The search for water around the ruins proved fruitless, but the party did discover the entrance to an underground chamber. Here the party gathered together the necessary requirements for underground exploration, then entered Iram’s world.
The party discovered endless corridors and large empty rooms. There was a hall of mummies, a corridor of murals depicting the previous inhuman builders and occupants of the city, and rooms that were knee deep or deeper in sand. On two separate occasions Cuttingham, who had followed them underground, and a number of sand dwellers attacked the party.
Eventually the party reached a pair of huge golden doors covered in intricate carvings. These doors were firmly shut, but when the party approached the doors a disembodied voice asked for the first number of the Great Cthulhu. The Abbott in Jerusalem had determined five numbers for Cthulhu through gemmatria, the first of which was 26. Charles said this number aloud in front of the doors, which then swung noiselessly open to reveal a circular room with three more closed golden doors, one directly opposite the party and one on either side of the circular room.
The party walked into the room and as the last one crossed the threshold, the great golden doors closed behind them, trapping the party in the room. This may have been to the party’s advantage, as Cuttingham and the sand dwellers were now on the other side of the solid golden doors.
When the second door was approached the disembodied voice asked for the second number of the Great Cthulhu. Charles said the number 53 and the door opened revealing a volcanic landscape with huge monsters swimming through molten rock. The door was a gateway to another world, a world of destruction and terror for any human foolish enough to enter. None of the party went through the gate, and it became apparent that the door was not going to shut of its own accord. This caused some concern, as it was feasible for the monsters to spot the party beyond the gate and attempt to enter the room and devour them.
The party was considering sending a volunteer through the doorway in order to close it. He or she would then be able to open the door from the other side using the number 53 and return to the room, the door closing behind them as the golden doors had done when the party first entered the room. This seemed dangerous in the extreme, as it was not known if the door would open from the other side or how quick the monsters would be to attack the human entering their realm. Luckily, the pragmatic Scotty Rycroft solved the problem by saying “close door”. The open door closed, shutting off the horrible landscape and its inhabitants.
The next door requested the third number of the Great Cthulhu, and opened when Charles said “187”. Through the open door was a spherical room of crystal glowing with a rainbow of colours reflecting through its multitude of facets. The room was empty and appeared to hold no immediate threat. Its use could only be guessed at and no one entered the room.
Charles opened the next door by saying “963”, revealing an altar of strange rock into which was embedded a sceptre. Magnus told the party this was the Sceptre of Iram, rumoured to have great powers. Scotty nervously retrieved the sceptre from the altar and was much relieved when he returned to the circular room alive and unharmed.
The door through which the party had entered did not reopen with the number 26, but with the fifth number of Great Cthulhu, number 1041. When the door opened Cuttingham was waiting on the other side with a number of sand dwellers, and he fired a shot into the room, narrowly missing some of the party. The door was immediately closed, but now the party knew they had to fight their way out.
When the door closed the party was once again in no immediate danger. In an attempt to find an alternative way out of the room, Scotty walked resolutely into the crystal chamber holding the Sceptre of Iram. When he came out again he was a much-changed man, not physically but mentally. The room was a communication channel to a thousand different worlds, providing knowledge on a multitude of different subjects and an insight into the nature of the party’s enemy. If the occupant could survive the enormous strain on his or her sanity then his knowledge increased in many fields.
Mairi, Megan and finally Levi followed Scotty. Sarah was terrified that Charles would be tempted by the gift of knowledge that the alien crystal gave, and would risk his sanity by entering the chamber. After all he had been through recently, she thought he would not be able to withstand the mental onslaught of the infinite number of images generated by the chamber. Sarah herself had no desire to enter the chamber, all she now wanted or needed was standing in front of her, and she desperately hoped he had decided not to enter the chamber.
Much to Sarah’s relief Charles told her that he had no intention of entering the chamber. He did not want to run the risk of losing his sanity again; he had already been through that once. Levi was the last person to enter the chamber and he had collapsed inside. Those who had not been in the chamber could not re-enter without serious risk to their sanity, and neither Sarah, Charles nor Magnus wished to enter at all. Levi was eventually dragged unconscious from the chamber via a combination of a rifle butt and some tangled rope.
While the party was recovering Charles volunteered to go out and fight Cuttingham and the sand dwellers. Magnus was still recovering from his gunshot wound and Scotty and Levi were recovering from exposure to the crystal chamber. Magnus, in a move that astounded Sarah, gave Charles magical armour by casting a spell over him. Charles then made Sarah promise him that she would not attempt to follow him out of the room, and that she would wait there until he returned for her. Implicit in that promise was the he would return for her.
Charles left the room, closing the door behind him and causing Sarah even more worry, as she could no longer hear him. After some minutes passed Sarah began to fear for Charles’ life. Even when Magnus reassured Sarah that nothing could hurt Charles in his magical armour, her fears were not alleviated. Finally Scotty, Levi and Magnus left in search of Charles, leaving the women in the limited protection of the circular room. Sometime later the men returned, having killed Cuttingham and two sand dwellers. The party then cautiously left the circular room and continued to explore the underground city.
Much deeper underground the party discovered a large cavern full of shifting sand. There appeared to be a huge monster lying in wait under the sand. Beyond the cavern an archway led off to other rooms. Magnus told the party that the monster was probably a Chthonian, many of which could cause earthquakes and widespread destruction. The Chthonian was protecting its young, located in the cavern beyond. It would allow the party to enter the other rooms, but would then prevent the party from leaving. The party would be trapped and would eventually become food for the growing Chthonian young.
Magnus, Charles and Levi decided to go past the Chthonian and attempt to destroy all the young, while Scotty took the women back through the upper caverns to the guide and his camel drivers. Charles explained to Sarah how he would return to her before he told her to go safely with Scotty. Magnus would create a magical gate in the cavern beyond the monster, which would teleport people back to the desert surface of the city, just near where the camels were resting. After they had destroyed the Chthonian young the men would escape through the gate rather than attempt to fight their way past the adult Chthonian.
Sarah left with Scotty, Mairi and Megan and they made their way uneventfully up to the entrance to the underground caverns. Here Omar was waiting with the camel drivers and their camels. He was very glad to see them alive. Omar agreed to wait a little while longer for the rest of the party, but warned that any longer delay could result in death from thirst.
After some minutes Levi returned through a pillar in the ruins carrying Magnus’ and Charles’ swords. This horrified Megan and Sarah, as they knew that neither man would be without his sword in a battle. Sarah’s heart missed a couple of beats until Levi assured both women that he had left Magnus and Charles alive and well. They were preparing to burn the young Chothonians to death with powder taken from their ammunition and flares, and with straw and wooden doors gathered from various rooms near the Chthonian young. The young were very vulnerable and could be easily destroyed by heat.
At this point in Levi’s explanation Charles walked through the gateway in the pillar. He appeared very surprised and troubled but was distracted from his thoughts by Sarah, who had been suffering from the effects of the heat and at that moment collapsed onto the sand. Charles rushed to help her and as Sarah regained her senses a massive explosion occurred underground, driving a huge cloud of sand through the entrance and collapsing the ground several feet inwards about 500 yards from where they stood. Every one stood and stared at the sand-filled entrance to the underground chambers. Magnus could not possibly have survived the explosion and the resulting collapse of the underground caverns.
Grief hit Sarah suddenly and tears welled in her eyes when she thought of Magnus dead. Megan was distraught and had to be sedated. Sarah remembered how she had felt when she had learned of Michael’s death and knew exactly what Megan was going through. She tried to comfort Megan, still not understanding how Charles had escaped just before the explosion.
Levi gave Charles and Megan letters from Magnus, letters that Magnus had entrusted to Levis’ safekeeping some weeks ago. Sarah could see that Magnus’ words came as a great shock to Charles. Although she did not want to press Charles for answers at this stage, Sarah wanted to know what had happened underground. She knew the party had no explosives as they considered it too risky to carry explosives in the desert. Magnus and Charles must have found some underground and Magnus had been killed when trying to destroy the monster and her brood.
Omar urged the party to leave the cursed place immediately as they were dangerously low on water and might not make the next well if they delayed any further. The party prepared for travel, taking with them the Sceptre of Iram and memories of a courageous man who gave his life to defeat their enemy, an enemy of mankind.
From Iram of the Pillars to Riyadh
The journey northward was harsh, an ordeal which almost destroyed the rest of the party. All the camels eventually died, as did two of Omar’s camel drivers. Heat and thirst nearly succeeded where the monsters had failed. Sarah thought it ironic that they would die in the desert after having survived Iram, Heliopolis and the demon Narlethotep himself. In her more lucid moments Sarah was fearful for Charles, he looked so gaunt and the shadow of death was in his eyes.
The prospect of dying did not frighten Sarah. She was worried that she would be separated from Charles and lose him in the desert’s blinding sandstorms and blistering heat waves. He looked more insubstantial than the mirage that constantly taunted her. Sarah believed that living or dying was unimportant, what mattered to her was that they stayed together. Either they perished in the sands, or they survived to return home. The thought of being without Charles was more than she could bear.
When the delirium of heat and thirst overtook her, Sarah imagined the mirage on the horizon was a distant ocean. She could hear the cries of the seabirds and the thundering of surf on an endless shore. She could smell the salty water and feel the cool ocean breeze through her clothes. Barely knowing who she was Sarah stumbled after Charles and Omar, her one desire to reach the sea.
The cries of desert scavengers circling lazily overhead attracted the attention of an Arab caravan leader whose men soon found the party. Sarah had stumbled and lay almost lifeless on the sand, unaware of Charles desperate efforts to get her moving again. Levi was almost carrying Megan and the rest of the survivors were dragging themselves along the leeward side of a large sand dune.
Sarah became aware of gentle hands prying for signs of life, the cooling caress of real water being rubbed onto her face and lips and the muffled sounds of Arab voices. She followed the voices like a lifeline back to awareness of the world about her. She lived, and the feel of Charles’ arms about her told her he lived also. They had survived the nightmare of heat, thirst and sand. They would return home.
The caravan took the survivors to Riyadh, where they stayed for several days recovering from their ordeal.
From Riyadh to Alexandria
From Riyadh the party traveled by train to the western shore of the Persian Gulf, to Ad-Dammam. From here a small Arab sailing vessel took them to Al-Basrah at the far northern end of the Gulf.
Charles and Sarah and the others wished to return to Jerusalem and Alexandria, to see again the Coptic monks and give them the news of the party’s success in the Empty Quarter. They did not wish to return to the Monastery of Saint Pakomios itself, but believed they could contact Abba Shenuda’s representatives in Jerusalem and Alexandria and give them a message for Abba Shenuda.
As no one wanted to cross the Syrian Desert on a direct route west to Jerusalem, the party decided to travel north by train to Baghdad, through Iraq to Al-Mawsil, through the very north-eastern tip of Syria into Turkey, along the Turkish border and south into Syria and the city of Aleppo. From here the train continued on to Homs, crossed the border into Lebanon and followed the coast south through Tripoli, Beirut, Sidon and into Jerusalem.
After making contact with the Coptic monks, the party travelled to the coast where they boarded a ship at Tel-Aviv and sailed to Alexandria.
Injuries Suffered
Severe exposure to heat and sun, nearly died of thirst in the desert.
Possessions Acquired
Lapis lazuli wedding ring
Copy of the Karma Sutra
Arabic copy of the Necromonicon