The exploits of the Monday Temples & Tombs group ...
- Dr Charlie Takajima (Andy)
- Hendricks (Lynne)
- Dr 'Frank' Francis Lionel Secord (Neil)
- Sam 'Ace' Kirby (Steve)
- Jenny (a plane) (aka Coughlin-Curtiss-Robin)
In Alexandria
The adventurers assemble !!!
Returning from looking for Pharaoh Hataheput's cartouche, in the Mabira Forest in Uganda.
We got to meet with Professor Henri (Egyptologist) in his office in Alexandria ...
He shows us a letter from "The Ancient Plumars", which was delivered by hand ...
It's discussing the "Knights of the Feather of Ma'at", who protect a precious artifact.
They need the feather returning to "its rightful place in Thebes".
But first we have to find them !!!
Henri knows a bit of the legend of the feather.
It was used to weigh the souls entering the afterlife.
Allowed them to learn the true secret in a persons heart.
Then it fell into Alexander's hand, and then the Romans came, took it, and went ...
And it was rumoured that Emperor Constantine had it moved to Constantinople.
Hall of Ma'at was discovered about 20 years ago. It was hidden by building a museum on top of it !!!
Knights of the Feather were mentioned 1204, just before the fifth crusade/sacking of Constantinople.
Professor Henri reckons we need to head to Constantinople ...
He has a contact, Asrah Teckin works at the Hagia Sophia Museum. She curates the Byzantine antiquities.
He says the hieroglyphs suggest that the golden feather of truth was used as part of the weighing of the soul.
And he warns us ... Do not enter the temple without the feather !!!
In Constantinople
Hendricks notices four gentlemen, similarly dressed, scattered around the room watching.
Ace Kirby sees two pairs of gentlemen, similarly dressed, in a pair of nearby cafes, watching people coming and going from the museum.
Asking for a light, they're Italian
Dr "prof" Frank is approached by a young lady; Asrah Teckin (middle eastern origin).
The "prof", Doc Charley, and then Hendricks go with her to her office to discuss matters.
Ace wanders into the museum, again asks for a light ... this lot is posh Brit's.
And one of them proceeds to walk around, telling Ace all about the building ... YAWN
Asrah focussed on the Roman period ...
The local knights, who were guarding the treasures of Hagia Sophia, aka the 'Plummers', evolved into the Knights of the Feather.
Said they spirited the feather away before the Crusader Knights sacked the city.
The city has vast underground chambers, tunnels, passages, etc, with access by barred gates, locked each night.
Mr. Hendricks gets shown the ossuary by Abdul, and takes Ace with him, down into the tunnels ... were we wander for the rest of the day.
He spots a Crusader marked route through to the inside of the wall, right next to small gatehouse, also with a Crusader mark.
The "prof" does his thing, and starts poking around the archives ...
He's found a letter, from Brother Thomas Ambrosia, signed as "Commander of the Knights of the Feather".
Address to the "Bishops of Hagia Sophia" ... We are going to remove the Feather under protection of Venetians, and funded by the minting of special coins.
Asrah points at their coin collection ...
Passing through the narthex ... spot a portrait of a knight, with a symbol on his shield ... Ma'at !!!
And in the background is a fortress ... in greek around edge, partial word "KOUF..."
Continue on to the collection, where there is a coin, supposedly Venetian, and on one side of it, a plume.
Checking the back ... another plume, and this has some greek writing around it ... "KOUFONIFI".
... the greek islands of 'Koufonisi'?
Whilst everyone is engrossed in the "prof's" examination of the coin, Asrah excuses herself, and heads out of the room ...
Hendrick, ever the gentleman, offers to escort her, but before he can catch up with her, she closes the door and there is the CLICK of a lock ...
Ace thinks ... "sadly, she hasn't seen Hendricks in action ... he's so amazing, it's like magic!"
Hendrick's picks the door with ease, and we give chase to Asrah through a crowded Hagia Sofia ...
Hendrick's catches up with Asrah at the main entrance
And gets warned about "Agents Ahead" (the Itie's) by one of her associates (the Brit's)
Hendrick's, Asrah and Brit agents jump into a car, and head off
The Italian's get into their car and give chase
Frank jumps onto the italians car's running board
And Sam hijacks a taxi, and joins the chase.
Gun fire is exchanged between Brit's, Italian's and Sam in the trailing taxi
We deal with the Itie's and head of towards the airport --->
Asrah reckons we're seeking "The Plume", and we should go with them to Koufonisi ... actually we should be the lead, and she and the SIS agents will escort us
Sam takes the planes controls, saying goodbye to Jenny leaving her in Istanbul, and the group heads for Koufonisi --->
Land the mail plane at Naxos, and get a boat over to the island of Koufonisi.
Walk up the hill towards the fortress on the hill.
There is a house with three old people sat outside ... Dmitri, Nicolas and Sophia.
... Frank reckons Sophia is understanding us speaking in English!
Frank gets them to admit to them being the last of the "Knights of the Plume".
They need "The Plume" needs to be returned to the Temple of Ma'at, but they are no longer capable.
We must show ourselves as worthy ... Inside the fortress is a passageway down, where there are guides who will direct you to the location of "the Plume".
The passageway splits into two; one has Anubis, the other has Set ... which is the right way to go?
Frank scratches his head ... and points at Anubis.
Continue on the passage, to a chamber with a "river" running through it, with a "coracle" on the side, and an overhead pulley system.
We all cross the "river", and proceed further ...
Hendrick spots some trip wires ... and warns the rest of the party.
Eventually is arrives at a cavern, with a niche on the wall.
This niche has an engraving of Ma'at over it, and in it, is a large, ornately carved box.
Frank reckons it contains the feather, and opens it to find a large blue & white ostrich feather.
We head back out.
Whilst crossing the river, Sam hears gun fire from outside
Cautiously advancing, avoiding the traps, the party emerges to find the French are attacking.
Trying to avoid them, while Asrah and the SIS agents keep them engaged, we climb down the fortress wall.
Frank and Sam descend ok, but disaster strikes when Hendrick has an accident ...
And even worse, he's brought down the rope, leaving Charlie stranded on the top of the wall.
Charlie yells to "meet me in Alexandria", and turns to face the attackers with the fake feather
Frank, Hendricks and Sam are stood at the bottom on a narrow ledge ... leaving Charlie is stuck on the top of the fort.
The three head down to the boat, gesticulating with the captain to leave now ! And the boat heads towards Naxos, and the mail plane ...
Meanwhile Charlie tries to negotiate with the French ...
They demand the "english agent" come out, and Asrah steps out.
She is taken away be the French agents ... and hear them moaning about the feather being a fake
... return to Alexandria and the party reunites ...
Head down the Nile to Luxor, and meet up with Professor Henri in his office.
Stepping in to his office, and are ambushed by two brit's with guns.
Henri apologies, and a third man (Bishop, SIS) comes in and goes to take Henri's seat.
Hendrick's dodges out of the room, barges into a third agent, dodges past him, out into the main body of the museum.
Bishop wants the plume returning to the temple, and is demanding it be done.
And reckons the path to the temple has been compromised.
He confirms that both Henri and him had sent, and lost, men to the underground temple beneath the museum.
Meanwhile Hendricks takes cover in a side office.
Swaps the plume for an ostrich feather.
The party head down into the underchambers, passing a card "For Nico, you will be missed".
Entrance way has a symbol for the god, Sia.
People have been sent through her, and none have returned.
The snake hieroglyph presses in, and there is a "click".
Frank leads the way, and spots a "blade trap", thankfully restrained!
Continuing on to the next portal ...
There is a body ahead, missing his head!
Ace crawls through, and a blade, and then a second blade sweeps across to de-head any person.
And there is a third portal, with a large snake, Stinger, where Ra would pause and draw breath
Charlie takes a deep breath, and steps forward ... there is a "sump" in the corridor, with a faint green gas in it.
And on to a fourth portal, with the hieroglyphs of the gods above the portal
And either side of the way is the hieroglyph of the mortals.
The two mortals can be "bowed down" by pushing the top.
Head through a low passage ... the "roof" is a large block
And another portal; next symbol is Apep, enemy of Ra, who would try and plunge the world into darkness.
The Apep symbol is all over the room, similar to plaster appliques to the wall.
Frank reckons we should remove them all ... and there is a "frump" noise as if something has settled?
Beyond is a room, with symbols carved all over for the gods, the sacred scarab, and many more ...
Hendrick reckons the "tiles" are very brittle, and there is nothing beneath them.
Frank reckons the scarab's are an outlier!
We have to jump across the scarab tiles ...
And now we're at the Temple of Ma'at !!!
There is a scale, which is just not level
Charlie, the young & fresh medic, goes forward with the feather and places ...
The scale balances level...
The temple starts shaking ... and it's coming down !!!
The party turns and legs it !!!!
We get back to the museum, with the dust bellowing out of the collapsed tunnel.
XP - take general talent [Stunt Person] ... You get a Hero Die whenever you use Stunt
In Lima, at the Hotel International, when get an invite to the Society of Global Naturalists
Black tie dinner party at Dr. Sara Luispe
The night of the dinner ...
Few members of the society are circulating around
Greeted by Dr Sara ... and chat about our search for the Andean "yeti"
Conversation moves on to the next expedition of the Society, using their latest equipment; a zeppelin
It has been customised with a zoological laboratory along with animal pens.
We're invited to crew the "Sky Zeppelin" in the search for the lost Alvarez expedition.
Dr Hugo Alvarez is a leading naturalist, working at the museum.
Just over 5 years ago, assembled a team of 28, who planned an expedition to the high mountains of Cordillera Blanca to investigate the source of some unusual large bones of a non-hominid ... an Andean elephant?
They headed to Yungay, and then a storm hit ... and they have not been seen since.
This area was a centre of the Inca, maybe even pre-Inca.
Only document, do not remove anything.
The original bones were from a "Dr Chambi"
Depart to Yungay taking 4 days in the zeppelin.
Head into town and met Dr Chambi.
He has a cupboard with more examples, including some which are as tall as Hendrick
Could have been from a predator, some 40' high!
Depart Yungay heading for the mountains ...
There is an enormous storm coming in ...
Turn the zeppelin into the weather ...
The ship is driven down, fortunately into a valley as opposed to the actual mountain.
Manage to land the ship ... the valley is a rainforest!
After a nervous night, dawn shows the plants are nothing like what we know ... it's a "lost world" !!!
Check the ship out, and find some damage that needs fixing before we fly ...
Suddenly a dinosaur (Spinosaurus) charges out of the jungle ...