21/08/2022 – Misr House (15)

Around the Back

The cautiously approach the house, moving quietly and keeping to the shadows. It has three stories and there are no lights on at the front of the house. It is cold and the wind is biting. They head around the back of the house and see there are some extensions at the back of the house and between them is a fence, with a gap with an open gate.

They see lights on in one of the rooms at the back, which could be a kitchen. There are two doors, one on the side of the extension rooms, possibly a pantry and another between them in the main body of the house and the main back entrance. There is also a coal shoot. The door to the kitchen is open and light is spilling out into the yard, making hiding in the shadows more difficult.

Breaking In

They sneak up to the door to the storeroom, but it is locked. Zalkador tries the nearby window but it is latched closed. Jeziah takes out a small knife and opens the latch, then slides the window up. They carefully climb into the storeroom, narrowly avoiding knocking over a mop and bucket. Tiger stays back until everyone else is in, gun at the ready.

Zalkador sees two doors and decides to avoid opening the one leading to the kitchen and instead enters a long hall way that runs the width of the house, to the front door. There are stairs going up and four doors, two on the left and two on the right. The walls are wooden panelled, but old and dusty.

Exploring the Ground Floor

He takes the first door on the left, which leads to another hallway, with two water closets and a room at the end. They head down the hall and into the room beyond, which turns out to be a dining room on the corner of the house. There are several windows to the outside, but the curtains are closed and probably have been for a long time.

Either side of a fireplace are two large suits of armour, which initially spook the intruders before they realise. Zalkador turns on his electric light to check the room out. It is mostly empty, apart from an old dining table and the fireplace.

Secret Door

There is a lot of dust on the floor and they can see a trail that leads to one of the suits of armour by the fireplace, but there is no sign of why. The investigate further and can see a suggestion that the stand the armour is on slides forward, but pushing and pulling it does not work.

Tiger runs his hands up and down the armour, trying to find a switch, but no luck. Zalkador tries the mantelpiece and moves candlesticks, but they are not switches. Finally, Alex pushes one of the bricks and there is a clicking noise. When they now push the suit of armour, it slides forward, exposing a hole with steep steps leading down.

Torture Basement

Reluctantly, Zalkador / George goes down first, goaded by Jeziah that he is a butler now, apparently. The steps lead down to a large room, with a bizarre array of medieval torture devices along one wall, including pincers, thumb screws, knives and a brazier, currently cold.

On the opposite wall are some shelves with tables underneath. The tables are cluttered with jars, small boxes and tins, as well as statues, scrolls, busts and an untidy jumble of paperwork. On the shelves are strange and unhealthy looking exotic plants of various kinds.

Prison Cells

Beyond the room there appears to be a further area around a corner, with ten small rooms, looking like prison cells. Zalkador checks the cells and finds one of them is occupied, with Joe Quimby inside. The doors are locked but they find some keys hanging on the wall.

Alex helps release his friend Joe, even though Joe does not recognise him. He does not look well and has been tortured. He is rather weak so they give him some food and water, which he clearly needs. Tiger then picks him up and carries him back towards the stairs, followed by the others.

As they pass through the torture area, Zalkador picks up as much interesting looking paperwork from the tables as he can. He spots a bust of what looks like an Egyptian Pharaoh painted black and decides to take it as well.

Spotted by the Servants

They decide it is time to leave. They head back up the stairs into the dining room, and then back to the main hallway. When Zalkador steps in, he realises someone else is in the hallway. It is some sort of British man, badly dressed like a servant. He has noticed Zalkador.

Zalkador ducks back in and asks Tiger to deal with him. Tiger puts Joe down and heads into the hall. The servant asks what is going on and Tiger draws his pistol, pointing it at his face. He tells Tiger he should not be here and in response Tiger pistol whips his face. The servant cries out and stumbles back, but does not pass out. Tiger then grabs him and holds him with an arm around his neck.

A voice calls out from the kitchen and Tiger heads towards it, taking the servant with him, hand over his mouth. Another servant comes into the hall, asking what’s wrong. Tiger points his gun at him, but he calls out intruders then runs at him. Tiger shoots him but the man fanatically lashes out with his fists despite his injury. Tiger then throws one servant at the other and they both fall down in a tumble.

Guns, Knives and Fists

Alex sits Joe down on the stairs, draws his pistol and goes to help Tiger along with Jeziah, while Zalkador draws his throwing knives and gets ready to use them.

Another servant appears, carrying a knife. Alex points his gun at him and tells him to stop right there and calm down. He shouts and runs at Alex, who shoots at him, but misses. Zalkador throws a knife and wounds him and Alex shoots him in the throat. The servant collapses, dying.

Tiger meanwhile has been trying to keep the two servants he is fighting subdued, but the unwounded one escapes his grip and runs up the stairs. Tiger bashes the wounded servant’s head against the wall and dashes up after the escaping one, catching him just has he enters what looks like a weapons closet. Tiger is able to punch him out after a short fight. He then puts him in a headlock and takes him back down stairs.

The servant Tiger bashed against the wall tries to attack Alex, Jeziah and Zalkador, but they shoot him down.

Gavigan Alerted

No other servants appear, suggesting they have dealt with the small number of resident staff. They go back to the basement through the dining room and lock the two wounded ones in the cells, but the one shot in the neck is clearly dying.

As they are leaving the basement, Zalkador touches another of the busts down there. He suddenly gets a very odd feeling and realises that somehow Gavigan has just become magically aware that they are there. He lets go, but it could be too late.

End of Episode Fifteen