|
DOORWAYS IN THE SAND |
"Alexander wept when he heard from Anaxarchus that there was an infinite number of worlds; and his friends asking him if any accident had befallen him, he returns this answer: 'Do you not think it a matter worthy of lamentation that when there is such a vast multitude of them, we have not yet conquered one?'"
– Plutarch, On the Tranquility of the Mind
Synopsis:
The magi travel by sea to Alexandria, where they accept the hospitality of the covenant of Schola Concordiae. The covenant's magi welcome them for an awkward evening meal, in which Augustinius raises difficult questions about the region's politics and dangers. Minerva explores the city, and Miach the countryside, while the other magi make arrangements to use the covenant library.
Several days of research yield a number of possible covenant sites, but only fragmentary clues as to the location and nature of the City of Twilight. The group decides to investigate each possible site in turn. An expedition is prepared. Academus speaks with the maga Talpa Caenosa, and learns something more of the dangers of the desert and its inhabitants. Come the morning, the expedition sets forth to find passage by barge up the River Nile, on the first leg of their journey.
Synopsis:
The magi travel up the river Nile by barge. They decide not to enter Cairo, nor to visit the Pyramids at Gizeh, for fear of attracting unwelcome attention from the native magi. A row of robed figures watch their passing as the barge glides past the Pyramids.
The expedition visits a handful of ruined cities along the banks of the Nile. The city of Antaeopolis proves of special interest to the magi. An old man is encountered who speaks of a group of mysterious Guardians. A bargain is struck. The barge departs, to return after one season's time. The magi prepare to investigate the city's mysteries.
[Note: only three players present at this session.]
Synopsis:
Miach and Academus travel into the desert, hoping to follow the lines of power to the City of Twilight. Augustinius dreams of a council between the old man of the city and five masked images, who discuss the magi's presence and fate. He shares this information with Kandace and Minerva; together, they identify these images as the faces of the old Gods of Egypt. Kandace speaks to the old man, who tells her something of the nature of the old Gods, and warns her of a coming storm. A sandstorm scours the city the next day; the magi weather the storm unscathed.
Synopsis:
Traveling eastward along an ancient road, Miach and Academus encounter a weathered stone platform at the juncture of two other roadways. While investigating the platform, they are confronted by an airy spirit who demands tribute in exchange for their lives; either a service from each magus, or the life of their youngest grog. Miach retaliates with magic, and the spirit flees. The party turns back toward the city, but are caught by a sandstorm on the way back. Succumbing to the blandishments of a mysterious voice, Miach accepts its aid, at the cost of a future sacrifice. The tainted black flame which he calls forth is sufficient to shield his fellows from the storm.
As the expedition returns, Augustinius comes to the conclusion that the guardians of the city mean him and his fellows ill, and withdraws to establish a shelter on the banks of the river, beyond the city's bounds. The other magi speak once more with the old man. Miach sets off into the desert to sacrifice a serpent to whatever power aided him, while the other magi prepare another expedition into the eastern waste.
Synopsis:
With the help of Kandace and Minerva, Academus convinces Augustinius to leave his shelter on the riverbank. When Miach returns from the desert, Academus remains in the city while the other magi head east to further investigate the crossroads. There, they meet another airy spirit, who names them "Children of Adam" and warns them not to travel further east. Kandace speaks with the spirit for a time, despite Augustinius' warnings not to converse with an apparently demonic entity. Augustinius has a tantrum and gets heatstroke. Disheartened, the magi return to the city.
Synopsis:
The magi discuss plans for raising a tower at the crossroads. A northbound barge arrives at the docks, bringing supplies to the city's guardians; Academus sends a letter north with the barge's captain to Schola Concordiae. Kandace speaks once more with the old man, negotiating for blocks of stone from the city's empty buildings for a future favor. Kandace and Minerva remain in the city while the other magi return to the crossroads, where Miach employs a ritual to raise a stone tower. As Miach collapses from the ordeal, several airy spirits can be seen to approach from the eastern desert.
Synopsis:
At the newly raised tower, the airy spirits lay siege to the magi there. Academus and Augustinius raise wards of air and sorcery, while an exhausted Miach hurls bolts of flame. The spirits retaliate with a barrage of sand and stones, wounding Academus severely. Seeing a second wave of spirits approaching, Miach bargains once more with the mysterious voice, which demands the life of a cat in exchange for its aid. The dark magic thus called forth destroys one of the attacking spirits; the others are driven away by the second group of spirits, who appear to be of an opposing faction. The leader of the second group offers protection against the first, but makes no guarantees.
Augustinius leads the grogs back to the ruined city, where they reclaim the others and make preparations to move the group's possessions to the tower. Miach's manservant Octavian searches the streets of the city for a cat, without success. The magi regroup at the tower with their possessions, but their first efforts to settle in are interrupted by the sudden death in the night of the old grog, Rashid. Kandace calls back his spirit to learn more of his death, and concludes that dark sorcery is likely to have been involved. Augustinius interrogates Miach in this regard, and comes away satisfied that his fellow magus is not dealing with the Infernal.
The magi settle into the tower. The grogs haul loads of grain and stone from the ruined city. Augustinius starts to build a garden of desert plants upon the tower platform, with some assistance from Kandace. Miach goes into seclusion for a time. Augustinius, Kandace and Minerva arrange to send letters down the river. Academus commences work on a covenant charter.
Three weeks later, a troop of desert nomads arrive from the north. Despite their reluctance to approach such an artifact of sorcery as the tower, they accept the water and food offered them by the magi, and trade myrrh and frankincense for a few of the trinkets Minerva collected in her wanderings through the ruined city. Fully supplied, the nomads depart southward.
Close to a month later, a few days before the winter solstice, Little Ali wakens the magi with the news that strange lights have appeared to the west. The magi gather on the clawed battlements of the tower to view the flickering darkness on the western horizon. Academus uses his magic to view the phenomenon, and informs his sodales that a thunderstorm has gathered above the ruined city, its lightning striking the city's buildings and dancing in its streets.