3411/Visiting the Monks of Toth

Visiting the Monks of Toth
Date of Scene:	18 September 2020
Location:	Cairo, Egypt
Synopsis:	Amanda, Alexander, and Lara go to visit the Monks of Thoth to learn more about Zalmoxis and his mysterious tablet.
Cast of Characters:	Amanda Sefton, Lara Croft, Alexander Aaron
Tinyplot:	Zodiac Rising

---

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Cairo, Egypt. Mid-afternoon. Back in New York, it's mid-morning, but here in the populous Egyptian city, the mid-day meal is well-past at the markets are bustling with afternoon business.

The walls of the old monastery date back to sometime toward the end of the Byzantine empire. Although Christians built it, it has always been a center of mysticism in this part of the world -- though always quietly, never drawing attention to itself. The sandstone is weathered and has been embellished over the years with Muslim touches. At the front gate, a deep archway leads into the monastery grounds, which are lush with carefully tended gardens. Gardens, unfortunately, that look like they've seen better days. Tiles are broken and plants are trampled. Where there was statuary before, broken plinths stand. Some effort has been made to clean up the damage, but the scars are still there.

Having received an invitation from the Monks, after several days of effort to contact the, Amanda Sefton now stands within the gates, along with her companions, and looks around at the telltale signs of a battle that was recently fought here. It doesn't bode well for what she's hoping to find.

She shades her eyes and looks toward a tower where a man in Coptic robes -- though without the usual beard and beanie -- emerges and walks toward them. The alert may also note there are other figures ghosting through the shade of archways around the perimeter, but only the one man approaches.

"Ahlan wa sahlan," (Peace be with you,) the man greets them as he nears. "I am Brother Zahur. You are Amanda Sefton?"

"I am," Amanda says, offering a slight bow and adjusting her head covering to help shade her eyes. "These are my friends, Lara and Alexander. Thank you so much for agreeing to see us."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara, dressed in a white button up shirt over a steel blue tanktop, has her backpack on over her shoulders and a pair of simple khaki trousers. Sunglasses over her eyes, she scans the area that they're at now, before looking to the man who greets them. She offers a small nod to him, and a similar greeting in the same language in return to him.

When Amanda introduces them, Lara nods once as she catches his gaze again, then looks to Alexander.

She can't stop herself though, from speaking up and inquiring a little. "What happened here?" Lara asks the man, her hands resting on her hips for the time being.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    At the introduction and mention of his name, now garbed in perhaps more fitting clothing for such travels, Alexander lowers his head in the form of a small bow as he touches a hand to his chest, then lowers it with the same ease of movement. He looks back up, gaze drifting around their surroundings and taking in the environment before he focuses on the conversation at hand.
    Like Lara he's more set for travel, though his backpack hangs off of just one shoulder and has that ESU logo on it, but he wears a loose tan overshirt that rests upon a white t-shirt, along with tan slacks. Small concessions to the weather assuredly, like that straw trilby hat he uses to shade himself from the sun.
    When Lara speaks up he seconds her question with a nod and turning to look to he approaching man for his answer.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The man nods his head to each in turn in greeting, but then looks around when Lara asks her question. A faint grimace touches his lips. "Egypt is not always as peaceful as we would like," he says. "I assure you, you are in no danger, now."

His head cants slightly. "What is it we can do for you? You implied you are seeking certain esoteric knowledge. I do not know how much help we may be."

Amanda looks around as well. "Is there a less open place where we may speak?" she suggests. "There are things we'd like to show you, but perhaps not out in the open."

Zahur considers the request and then gestures for them to follow him. He leads them through open sided, covered walkways around the monastery itself to a larger garden expanse to the rear of the building. As they walk, he politely comments on some of what they see -- buildings built throughout history and added upon by various abbots and masters of their order, not to mention pressures put on them by various religious movements from Christianity to Islam to various less well-known sects.

Finally, they arrive at a small pavillion that overlooks the larger gardens at the rear of the compound. Again, the damage is evident, particularly in the courtyard before a mausoleum in the center of the back garden.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara nods softly two times to the man's response for her before she looks to Amanda briefly, then back to Alexander on her left. Even with her sunglasses on, Alexander will probably note her demeanor suggests she's not really in favor of that vague answer from their greeter here today.

Either way, she starts to follow along after him, letting Amanda take the lead of their trio. Once they walk underneath shade, Lara's hand moves up to raise her sunglasses on to her hairline, with their limbs still behind her ears, helping hold some of her dark hair back off of her face.

She looks out at the grounds, trying to gather any additional info she can, simply by being observant.

When they arrive at the pavilion, Lara steps up to a railing and palces her hands upon it as she looks out at the battle-battered gardens. "It's a shame, there's great beauty here, or was." She comments before looking back to the man whom they were following.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Walking along with them, Alexander falls into step and settles in being the last in line in the group. He does take a moment to adjust the hang of his backpack with one hand then stuffs those hands into the pockets of his pants, still eyeballing their surroundings as they wander along.
    When they reach he pavilion he takes a moment to consider the sight, then says sidelong to Zahur with a nod to Lara "Yeah, this is a beautiful place." Which might well be a curious thing to say considering the damage that's visible there, as if such a thing didn't bother him.
    Though after he says that he folds his arms over his chest and lifts a fingertip to rub at the bridge of his nose, which lowers the brim of his hat just enough so he can hide his eyes from Zahur...
    And shoot a glance at Lara that conveys a similar feeling as she offered him earlier.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"There will be again," Zahur says, a look of fierce determination settling on his swarthy features. He waits for his guests to sit before he joins them.

As she sits, Amanda's eyes linger on the mausoleum, a tightening around her eyes betraying the tension she feels. She has a sinking feeling about just what happened here... and how likely they are to find what they seek.

She turns to regard the man for a moment, studying his face.

Those figures in the shadows from the front slowly filter into the garden itself. Three or four slender monks move between the garden beds, not obviously interested in the visitors as they tend to some of the plants. Still, there's a subtle wariness to their movements. They are guardians; there's no mistaking it.

Amanda lays her hand on her satchel, placing gently on the table. "Brother Zahur," she says directly to him, now, "we come to you in peace. Let there be only truth among us." There's a cadence to her voice as she speaks, a subtle hint of power that also glows briefly in her eyes.

Zahur straighten, blinking in mild surprise. His eyes dart to the other two as well and then to his guardians. Finally, he inclines his head formally to the witch. "Truth while peace remains," he agrees. And there's a little frisson of arcane power that quivers through the pavilion space. A bargain is sealed.

Amanda's shoulders relax faintly. She reaches into her satchel, now, and pulls out the first of the 3D replicas she carries. "This is a replica of a piece of a tablet once guarded by my friend, Radu Dragavei. He was attacked and nearly killed some days past. I have hidden the original piece, but I know the creatures that attacked him still hunt it."

She pulls out the second piece, the replica from Henley Crowne's estate and lays it alongside the other. "This piece belonged to an art collector in America. He died when some sort of demonic creatures came to steal it." Once more she looks about the grounds and gestures lightly to them. "What happened here?"

Zahur's eyes widen when he sees the first piece. He stiffens noticeably enough when he sees the second that the guardians in the garden watch the group openly now. "Put them away," he says quickly. "They must not be reunited. Even as replicas."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara steps away from the railing over the gardens and moves toward the seating area. As she does she removes her backpack from her shoulders and lets it rest against the chair that she ultimately choses to sit in. In truth, she has weapons inside of the bag, but she doesn't wish to wear them out in the open, at least not when there's any obvious threat.

Something about all of this makes her uneasy though, so the bag is kept in as close to her as she can keep it without coming across as... suspicious.

Her eyes scan the shadowy figures as they mill about, but she looks to Zahur-- and his reaction --when Amanda has the pieces put on display. This reaction makes Lara tilt her head. "Even replicas?" She asks. "Why is that?" She has a lot of ideas, mostly related to religious aspects of reuniting 'dangerous' items, but she wants to hear it spoken without coloring it herself.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    From his place at the railing, Alexander turns his head to consider Zahur and then toward Amanda as well, sharing a small glance but shifting his attention to their host. He rests his arms on that rail, easing his weight against it and crossing his legs at the ankle, presenting a casual manner even as he watches the guardians of the place going about their duties.
    A glance is spared at Lara's pack, but then he tilts his head to lift his voice in his polite tone as he says, "You also seem to legitimately be afraid of seeing those images unified, sir. I was wondering if you could speak to that."
    Which it is rare for Alexander to interject into a conversation that in a lot of ways is above his head, the others knowing who he is and what his sphere of influence is, will see that message for what it is. His own modest expert opinion.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Even replicas," Zahur replies. He glances to Alexander and then back to Amanda and her arcane promise. "This is the Tablet of Zalmoxis," he says. "My order has guarded the third piece of it for over a thousand years. Some nights ago, we were attacked, yes. But not by demonic creatures. Rather by ancient Avatars of the Zodiac, who should not have been of a mind to attack. But they have been corrupted. Many of my brothers died, trying to defend our piece of the tablet."

Amanda lets out a soft breath. "These Avatars... they took your piece, didn't they?"

Mutely, Zahur nods.

Amanda's head drops forward slightly. "That's not good." She puts the replicas back into her satchel, out of respect for Zahur. "That means they've got two out of the three pieces." Just like she does.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's been through this dance enough now to know what was coming, and it wasn't going to be good. She sits up in her seat and puts her hands together between her knees. "I'm sorry for those you've lost through all of this." She says to him, with a glance afforded to Amanda and Alex, before Lara looks back to Zahur.

"Do you know...specifics, on what happens if the pieces are put together?" She asks then. "I'm guess it isn't... peace and love for all?" She asks further with a faint smirk lacing the edges of her expression.

She then looks back to Amanda and Alexander. "It might be time to put some bigger alarms out about this, if there's real risk of further attacks such as this one. It wouldn't be reckless of us to not warn others of dangers related to... whatever is going on with the cult of Zalmoxis. I think we've pushed past this being something for only us to deal with."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    For a time Alexander looks closely at Zahur, gaze narrowed as he peeeers, but then he gives a nod and straightens up from his slouch against the railing. Another glance is spared for the gardens and their surroundings, including those shadowy figures before he rises back to his full height and adjusts the hang of his backpack.
    The Olympian youth tilts his head toward Lara and replies, "I think it's feasible we could handle this, but safer if we drew in more individuals." He takes a step forward and settles at a place slightly behind and to the side of Zahur, then looks across the way to Lara and Amanda.
    "I'm more along for the ride in some ways, but this fellow..." A glance given to Zahur, "I do not think he is telling us everything we should know."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Zahur shakes his head. "It is not the cult of Zalmoxis you need fear," he says, glancing over his shoulder briefly at Alexander. "Zalmoxis was a mighty sorcerer, one who is associated with Amun-Ra, Mighty God of Creation. Zalmoxis forged in death a lock to keep the Elder God Set, the Chaos Bringer, from being able to reenter the world and enslave it. To destroy it. Acolytes of Zalmoxis split the tablet into three to keep it from easily falling into the hands of Set's disciples. When assembled, it shows not only the location of Zalmoxis' tomb, but the means of disabling the locks and safeguards as well."

"Yeah," Amanda says to Lara as Zahur finishes his little speech and answers Alexander's earlier question in the process. "Yeah, this has gone way beyond what any of us can deal with on our own."

At least now she knows why the dark sorcerer that attacked her earlier did so using a giant snake. All the mystic references she's found regarding Set over the years (not that she's gone looking; she certainly hasn't) have indicated he's a big fan of snakes and reptiles.

She glances to Alexander and then to Zahur. "I know you're not going to like this, Brother Zahur. But we need to see that third piece, if we're going to keep Set's people from getting there first."

Lara Croft has posed:
It's been Lara's inclusion in the SHIELD agency that has made her change her tunes on keeping others in the loop. She might've been like Alexander, and believe that she could figure this out alone, if she hadn't been trained of-late to think otherwise, and trust in the help from others of equal, or even better, ability.

"So even replicas could potentially give away these secrets." Lara grimly replies, as she glances to Alexander, then to Amanda as she urges Zahur to help them find it. "She's right." Lara adds, for Zahur specifically.

"These... Avatars, are clearly on the verge of this information, and if we can't beat them to it, then they'll inevitably get what they're looking for." She motions toward the gardens with her right hand. "The evidence on display shows that they're willing to do seemingly anything to get it. That level of desperation isn't something to be trifled with. They must be stopped, by those willing to do what's right, to ensure they get no further than this, in... whatever dastardly plans they've concocted for all of this."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    And, to be fair, it's part of the reason why Alexander has been more alright working with a team of late. The Soul of the City helped him realize that he was not the end all be all of everything. That there were things beyond his and his people, which caused him to reflect.
    And which causes him to nod as well toward Lara and Amanda, "I know this might not be something our friend might like to hear..." Which has him stop... and look at Zahur. And then he perhaps decides in that moment to not say it in front of him.
    So he steps up and then leans in to murmur quietly to Lara and Daytripper. "Maybe we should..." His voice lowers then he says, "Look into destroying them somehow? Safely?"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Zahur shakes his head again. His guardians are drifting closer, though they do not appear aggressive. "We do not have the third piece any longer." He looks down at where the two pieces had lain, before reluctantly adding, "I *may* be able to use my knowledge of it, with what you have, to make a guess at what the completed tablet says but... the truth is my knowledge is limited. Only the Monkey knew all there was to know of the tablet we held. And, unfortunately, he is no longer with us."

Amanad pinches the bridge of her nose briefly at Zahur's words, coming as they do on the heels of Alexander's suggestion. "Looks like we might not have to worry about that," she tells the godling. "I can destroy the replicas easily enough, but Radu's piece is the only one these Avatars haven't gotten, yet, and it's nowhere on Earth to be found. I can't even get to it, right now." Though she is now deeply, deeply concerned that *Loki* can. She just doesn't say that, since a) they have a deal, Loki and she, and b) it would only add to Zahur's worry.

Thus, she looks to the monk. "I'll take anything you can give us. Lara's right. We need to stop them before they get to this tomb, wherever it is."

"You should know," Zahur says to them, now. "The Avatars of the Zodiac were created to defend the world from Set. If they are now working for him? It may already be too late."

Lara Croft has posed:
This is certainly getting more complicated the deeper into it that they delve, and with a slight shifts in her weight upon the chair, Lara places her hands atop her thighs and glances between them all. "They may yet being doing precisely what they were sworn to do, these Avatars, we can't say for sure yet that they are not. But they may be doing what they're doing, for reasons that still lead toward a dangerous ending for... well, innocents of all of this. What is assuredly true, is that we have to find out what precisely is going on here, and help push it in a positive direction." She adds.

With a slight exhale she shakes her head. "And barring any chance of finding this 'Monkey' we're going to need anything you can give us, Zahur. Whether that's any first hand accounts on leads that could show us where the Avatars went, or what the last lost piece might have looked like. Anything."

She glances back to Alexander. "I'm reluctant on destroying anything, it's not ... my goal, as an archaeologist. I'm more inclined to take possession of powerfully dangerous relics, and find the safest place to stow them, away from rogue elements, such as what we're clearly up against here."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Oh. Well." Alexander says as he rocks back on his heels, hands upon his hips as he looks to the others, first Lara then Amanda. "I mean, if it's already too late we should probably pack it in. Go get some lunch. Call it a day."
    But the body language of the youth gives the lie to those words even as he grimaces a little. He takes a glance at their surroundings again, then looks back to Zahur as if pondering the man entirely over again yet for the first time. A deep breath is taken.
    Then he finally accepts what Lara says with a nod, "I can understand that, but it might well beat the alternative." Then his lip turns up a little as some small hint of his old bravado returns as he murmurs, "Well worse comes to worst and it ends up being this horrible thing. Well, I'll just kill it and you guys can stand back and cheer me on." Because that would totally happen.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Monkey died when the Darkened Avatars attacked," Zahur says softly to Lara. "He was the most powerful among us, and the most learned." He sighs, now. "Show me your pieces again," he tells Amanda, "and I will tell you what I may."

"My condolences," Amanda says quietly, reaching back into her bag to pull the pieces out again and put them together. "I have a translation of these tablets together," she notes. "But what I don't know is where the map leads, and how the translation ends."

The monk nods faintly and studies the pieces for long moments. "The tablet speaks of twelve stars surrounding a crown," he says presently. "Those should have been the Avatars. Now?" He shakes his head. "The thirteeth star is darkened and leads to the underworld. To pass into the underworld, one must surmount three trials: Hand, Head, and Heart. Failing to do so will unleash the elements against you."

Finally, he lifts his head. "The best location I can give is that it is somewhere along the road between Acidava and Buridava." Those two places are the names of Ancient Roman forts in the southern Carpathian mountains.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's sunglasses come down again so she can more easily see the tablets as the description is given over on how this process works. But when the locations ... even if vague, are offered, she looks up and to Zahur, then to the others. "I can have setallite scans target those regions. They can start looking for any signs of what might indicate ruins beneath the surface of the ground. Generally this is primarily done in the Amazon, but... we can divert some of them-- possibly --to this cause. I'll have to make a few calls." She offers as an option of narrowing their search down.

A look is sent back to Zahur. "Thank you, for as much as you're able to give us." She adds with a faint smile before she reaches for her bag and pulls out her smart phone to raise it up, jotting down a few extra notes.

Alexander might note, for the briefest of seconds that her phone was on that Washington D.C. restaraunt's website he'd mentioned with that dish he'd talked about on their last outing, as if she was planning a trip or something!

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Resting his hands on his hips, Alex looks at the others and nods. "Well looks like we have our work cut out for us." He starts to step around the others, hooking his hand behind the strap of his backpack and then making his way back the way they came, but pausing in case the others had something else they wanted to impart or learn.
    He did not, however, notice that Lara had been thinking of stealing his idea to go to that restaurant he mentioned. But likely he would not begrudge her. "Are we good to go?"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Zahur gives a faint half-bow to the trio, his hands pressed together before him. "Qad yahmik aldaw' jmyeana," he says. (May the Light protect you all.) "You are welcome. But now, I think, you should go. Destroy those replicas. Especially the one Dragavei gave you. You are now the only ones who know the full scope of Zalmoxis' Tablet. Protect one another." Translation: Don't get dead.

Amanda puts the 3D prints away and rises. "Thank you again, Brother Zahur. If I can be of service to you, please do not hesitate to call." She lays a small crystal, inscribed with an acane symbol, on the table before him. Then, she turns to the others. "Alex is right. We should go."

Still, she nods to Lara. "But, yes. Let's follow up on your sources. And I'll get my friends at SI to do the same."

Hey, it's a start.

That more-or-less decided, she extends her hand to Zahur, who takes it and shakes it briefly in the limp fashion common in his country. Their farewell given, she walks with Lara and Alex back toward the front gate and, in the shadow of the archway, opens a portal back to New York.

There's work to do.