[OOC] The Mummy: Curse of the Capstone [PG-13]
RATING INFO :: This RP is rated PG-13 in order to allow for as much creative freedom as possible without compromising the overall spirit of the 1999 Universal Mummy franchise. As such, this film may feature content including, but not limited to, the following.
- Action/Fantasy Violence
- Coarse Language and/or Innuendo
- Depictions of Occult Practices
- Partial and/or Implied Nudity
- Relatively Mild/Implied Sexual References and/or Situations
- Sensitive Subject Matter
THE
MUMMY
Curse of the Capstone
Spoiler: The Story So Far
EGYPT - 18TH CENTURY B.C.
Amarna. The Sun's Horizon. Or so it was once called.
Built by Pharaoh Amenhotep IV early into his reign, Amarna became a living tribute to Aten, the sun-disc, in whose honor the Pharaoh changed his name to Akhenaten.
Akhenaten's devotion to the sun-disc was absolute, so much so that he gradually excluded all other Egyptian gods during his reign and sought to establish a new religious order in Egypt: one in which only Aten was recognized as a god and Akhenaten himself was the sole intermediary between Aten and the people.
But although Akhenaten's new order did gain a following to some extent, the vast majority of his subjects continued to follow the traditional beliefs of their ancestors. In response, Akhenaten ordered the desecration of the temples of the other gods, especially those dedicated to Amun-Ra, and had them forcibly converted into temples of Aten. As time went on, Akhenaten imposed his new order with increasing force, and his retribution against those who resisted became all the more cruel.
As corruption and unrest in Egypt grew over time, Akhenaten realized near the end of his life that the new order he'd sought to create would not last long after he eventually passed away. And so, in his last act as Pharaoh, Akhenaten had the capstone of his Great Pyramid removed, cut into seven pieces, and scattered to different parts of the world. In its place, a final curse was inscribed at the summit of the Pyramid, intended to serve as a warning to the kingdom that Akhenaten knew would reject him after his death.
One day Aten's prophet would rise again, and when he did, all of Egypt would kneel before the sun-disc.
If not, Aten's wrath would consume the earth in seven days' time and destroy all life in its wake.
EGYPT - 1942
In the modern age, Egypt now faces a different sort of threat, having become one of the most crucial battlegrounds in Northern Africa in the midst of the Second World War. Beginning with a Fascist Italian invasion in 1940, and later joined by Nazi German forces, the Axis Powers have since continued to gradually force their way into Egypt, which has been a primary stronghold for the British since long before the war.
But although the war in Egypt is rapidly approaching a critical point, the Axis Powers - especially the Nazis - seek more than victory within its borders.
Having learned of Akhenaten's curse from an anonymous source, a team of specially-selected operatives has arrived in Egypt to seek out Aten's prophet and the pieces of the missing capstone.
Akhenaten's curse just might prove useful to them...
Spoiler: RulesNo godmoding, no powerplaying, stick to the rating (I.E. No cybering or anything like that) ... All of these should go without saying on this site, but there you go.
Don't hog the RP. This RP will be designed to give everyone a fair share of the spotlight and a fair amount of control over what happens in the RP, so please extend the same courtesy to your fellow players. Again, OC backstories and character interactions are fine, but it's not fair for any particular group of players to hog a scene in such a way that no one else can get involved or have any reasonable degree of control over the story. Likewise, it's not fair for any particular group of players to start constantly alternating posts among themselves on the IC thread without giving anyone else a chance to post; if a scenario comes up where you must alternate replies in this manner, you may put together a co-op post over PM's and then post the full co-op post when it is finished, provided that this is not done in such a way that other players are not given a reasonable degree of control over what happens in the RP (I.E. Powerplaying, Autohitting, etc.).
Multiple characters per player are allowed, as long as it doesn't reach a point where you monopolize the RP.
On the subject of characters, madeup profiles will be evaluated and accepted on a case-by-case basis. No profiles are needed for canon characters, but requests to join as a canon must include an RP sample for the canon(s) in question of at least 2-3 paragraphs.
Appearances by real historical figures in this RP (Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, etc.) are limited to cameos and references only. Having a character mention Hitler during a conversation, wave hello to Erwin Rommel as he passes by, or attend a party hosted by Bernard Montgomery is okay, but any more than that would put an unfair amount of pressure on RPers to come up with an accurate portrayal of them.
Use third-person story format for all posts. This may seem minor, but it's been my experience that using other formats can lead to confusion, or may make it more difficult than necessary to be descriptive with your posts, and for players to use different formats can also get confusing, so I've decided to set a clear standard for everyone's benefit.
Put a reasonable amount of effort into your posts. I won't nag you over every little spelling mistake, and I'm not requiring a full-blown novel in every post. But if your posts are so poorly written that no one can understand what you're writing, or if you don't include enough detail in your posts for other players to be able to write a decent reply, something's amiss.
And of course...
Have Fun!
Spoiler: Madeup Character SheetNAME
Self-Explanatory
AGE
Self-Explanatory
RACE/ETHNICITY
Of what racial and/or ethnic background is the character?
NATIONALITY
What country is the character from?
AFFILIATION(S)
What group(s) does the character belong to?
OCCUPATION
Can include the character's social status and/or their military rank as applicable.
POWER(S)
If applicable.
WEAPON(S)
If applicable.
FIGHTING STYLE(S)
If applicable.
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S)
What languages can the character fluently speak, read, and/or write?
SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)
What languages can the character speak, read, and/or write to some extent, but not as fluently as their primary language(s)?
OTHER SKILL(S)
If applicable.
APPEARANCE
Descriptions and/or realistic pictures preferred.
FAMILY
If applicable.
FRIENDS
If applicable.
RIVALS
If applicable.
ENEMIES
If applicable.
ROMANTIC INTERESTS
If applicable.
BRIEF HISTORY
Self-Explanatory
OTHER NOTES
If applicable.
RP SAMPLE
Provide an RP sample of at least 2-3 paragraphs featuring the character; this will not be posted with your profile in the OP.
Spoiler: Sample CSNAME
Yanit Al-Masri
AGE
18
RACE/ETHNICITY
Egyptian (Medjai Descent)
NATIONALITY
Egypt
AFFILIATION(S)
Medjai
OCCUPATION
Medjai Trainee
POWER(S)
N/A
WEAPON(S)
Yanit primarily uses the traditional Medjai sword, but is reasonably well-trained to use a pistol if need be.
FIGHTING STYLE(S)
The Medjai specialize in guerrilla tactics and fighting from horseback, typically preferring carefully-planned surprise attacks developed over the years to drive would-be treasure hunters away from Hamunaptra with as little bloodshed as possible. Although a Medjai rarely fights unarmed unless disarmed for whatever reason, unarmed fighting is known to include fist-fighting as well as ducking and rolling to avoid blows.
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S)
Arabic (esp. Egyptian Arabic)
English
SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)
Ancient Egyptian (still learning)
OTHER SKILL(S)
Yanit has a good practical knowledge of mathematics, including things such as estimating how long it would take to run out of air in a room filling up with sand, which has come in handy on a few occasions.
APPEARANCE
Like most female Medjai trainees in this modern era (see HISTORY), Yanit's training uniform consists of a loose-fitting dress and pants, as well as a more practical but still reasonably modest headscarf. For her civilian clothing, however, she is content to wear the more modest fashions typical of Egyptian civilian women.
FAMILY
Yanit is the only child in a long line of Medjai warriors, her father and grandfather (both deceased) each being highly respected warriors in their own right. On the other hand, her mother's side of the family consists mostly of Medjai informants in the cities.
FRIENDS
Yanit's friends consist mostly of the other new female trainees.
RIVALS
Female Medjai have historically been forbidden to become warriors; this ban has been lifted in recent years following the near-depletion of the Medjai's forces in the battle with the Army of Anubis, but many strict traditionalists still remain among the male warriors and trainees, and Yanit has had the occasional professional rivalry with a few of them.
ENEMIES
Imhotep (formerly)
Anything or anyone who might threaten her tribe or Egypt as a whole.
ROMANTIC INTERESTS
None yet, mainly because Yanit is more focused on her training than anything else.
BRIEF HISTORY
Yanit grew up in the midst of significant social upheavals in the 12 tribes of the Medjai. During the near-invasion of the Army of Anubis, several Medjai warriors (including Yanit's father) died in battle while holding back the vanguard of the army, and if not for the Scorpion King's defeat at precisely the right moment, the Medjai forces would surely have been wiped out altogether. Faced with a severe shortage of warriors and other jobs normally held by men, many women and girls were soon required to step up and take on more responsibility than usual, especially within the tribes themselves. Regarding female warriors, however, embracing this change proved to be much more difficult because women had historically been forbidden to become warriors, and thus most women of sufficient age lacked the extensive training of their male peers.
But although the acceptance of female Medjai warriors is still not quite widespread among the tribes, significant progress has been made since the days of old, especially after Commander Ardeth Bay became the first of the 12 Commanders to begin formally training female recruits in his tribe. Yanit was among the first of these new trainees; as an only child, she felt that it was her duty to continue her father's legacy after he perished against the vanguard of the Army of Anubis. Since then Yanit has made considerable progress in her training, especially in the wake of the Second World War, which has since prompted all Medjai tribes to accelerate warrior training for men and women alike in response to the potential threat of the war.
OTHER NOTES
N/A
RP SAMPLE
Based on a scene from "The Dark Medjai"
(Animated Series Season 2 Episode 3)
No man may reach the other side alive...
The bridge itself looked harmless enough - just a single wide pathway from one side to the other with only a few shallow horizontal cuts - but as Alex translated aloud the hieroglyphics at the base of the bridge, Yanit immediately knew that something was amiss.
"Looks pretty sturdy..." Alex mused, studying the bridge for a moment.
Yanit's eyes widened. Didn't he just read the warning aloud?! Was he seriously considering...?
...
He WAS!
Before Yanit could think to hold him back, Alex began to take a few tentative steps forward, only to suddenly freeze in his tracks as a large pendulum swung down at him. Thinking fast, Yanit reached forward and yanked Alex backward, pulling him out of the pendulum's way just in time as it passed harmlessly over one of the horizontal cuts. Several other pendulums had begun swinging across the bridge in short order, only for them all to lock back in place directly above the bridge once Alex was out of the way.
Alex said nothing at first, still momentarily frozen in shock, while Yanit's eyes wandered idly to the hieroglyphic warning once again.
"Is that really what it says? Word for word?"
"Yeah. Why?" Alex asked.
Yanit didn't reply, already bracing herself. She would probably regret this later, but Commander Ardeth needed their help, and time was running out.
Ignoring Alex's shouts of 'No! Yanit, don't!', Yanit began walking forward onto the bridge. This time the pendulums remained locked in place, but Yanit quickened her pace just to be safe, finally running the rest of the distance to the other side.
She would have a lot of explaining to do after this...
Spoiler: Character RosterSpoiler: Claimed CanonsNone yet.
Spoiler: Accepted MadeupsAllied Forces
&
Their Allies
Spoiler: Alexandria "Alex" Benton (*Nightmare*)NAME
Alexandria Benton (Alex)
AGE
37
RACE/ETHNICITY
Egyptian/English
NATIONALITY
English
AFFILIATION(S)
British Museum, Oxford
OCCUPATION
Head of the department of antiquities
POWER(S)
None she knows of
WEAPON(S)
2 browning high power
Hunting knife
FIGHTING STYLE(S)
Muay Thai, English boxing is what she had experience in.
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S)
English, Arabic
SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)
German, some Japanese, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient and modern Latin
OTHER SKILL(S)
She has skills in hunting and survivalist knowledge. This means she can live off the land for a little while and use stuff around her in emergencies.
Spoiler: Appearance
FAMILY
Alexandria is the daughter of once world renowned English explorer and archaeologist Gregory Benton and his wife Malika. She has two brothers David the oldest at the age of 43 and Eurus who is the youngest child at the age of 26. Their mother passed away soon after Eurus fifth birthday after she was murdered by an armed man that broken into their manor in hopes to steal Gregory’s treasures.
FRIENDS
Marcus Coner- they meet when they were younger after her father had hired his mother to watch Alex and her brother while he went off to explore. At the age of 18, Alex left and they didn’t meet again till she took the position as the head of the department of antiquities English branch where he worked. She has other acquaintance in the noble community thanks to her father and her brother. Which includes some professor, wealthy businessmen, and other explores that idolize her father.
RIVALS
Alex has three rivals but her major one is her father. Gregory Benton. The other two are James and Henry Anderson she worked with the two in an expedition which ended with them stealing everything leaving her stranded in the Amazon.
ENEMIES
She’s sure she has made enemies but if so they have stayed hidden.
ROMANTIC INTERESTS
None at this time.
Spoiler: HistoryAlexandria named after the lost library, had anything but a normal life growing up.While other children were in school or playing, Alex and her brother David named after the statute were traveling the world with their father and were becoming little celebrates as their faces were plastered all over magazines and newspapers thanks to her father being a renowned explorer hired by Oxford to find them treasures.
At five years old instead of learning how to read and write, she learning the English alphabet, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and ancient Latin as well. While other children played with dolls, Alex was taught how to hunt, how to defend herself, and about the culture of others. By the time she was 13 she was able to read and write ancient Egyptian, speak Latin, and had her own book written about her called Alexandria’s Marvelous World.
But Alexandria’s world was all but Marvelous, in fact, it was a lie that would lead to her father's downfall. Though the world saw them as a loving family and many young girls and boys envied their childhood, the truth was there was nothing to envy. Gregory was strict and often sought comfort in a bottle instead with his family. He made deals with treasure hunters for quick cash one incident causing Alex to be targeted by a group as leverage, thankful her brother had been there and was able to scare them away.
After another incident that ended with Gregory being shot, they returned home to London where he became a highly respected professor at Oxford. Soon her mother found herself pregnant again with Eurus named after her mother love of Greek mythology. Everything seem to be bighting up however, a darker day was coming.
On March 21 Alex (16) and Eurus (5) woke to the sound of breaking glass. Scared due to their father and mother having left for the evening the hide in their father study, unaware of the threat, her returning parents walked in on the robbery scaring the thief but not before he got off a shot that hit and killed her mother.
That night changed the family forever, but it also opened the door to the real family and their lives. As headlines started to read of her father getting into pub fights, racketeering, and his love for a young woman. At the age of 18, Alex could no longer stand it anymore and left to travel the world develop a name for herself instead of hiding in her father's shadow.
At the age of 21, she was accepted into the archeology program and thanks to her father and experience and was able to graduate at the top of her class. Soon after she found her name still being linked to the once great Professor Benton and his travels, though she didn’t like it, she allowed it due to the connections she was able to form. Now at the age of 37, she is Head of the department of antiquities which allows her to afford expeditions and rub shoulders with the wealthy.
Spoiler: Miss Delilah Richardson (The Texan Queen)Name: Delilah Iris Richardson
Age: 28
Race/Ethnicity: White
Nationality: French/American
Affiliations:
Occupation: Archaeologist/explorer/writer
Powers: None
Weapons: She always carries a small pistol and some knives.
Fighting Style: She’s never been in a position where she had to fight, but her father showed her a few moves to help defend herself.
Primary Language: French, English and German.
Secondary Language: Egyptian, Greek, Latin and Chinese
Other Skills: Amazing horseback rider, she also has a great connection with animals. She prides herself in being a proficient writer. Delilah can also be very sneaky and quiet when she needs to be.
Spoiler: Appearance
Family:
Mother; Emmanuelle Renee Richardson (maiden name Babineaux). Born and raised in France. Writer.
Father; James Allen Richardson. Born and raised in New York, but started traveling the second he graduated college. Retired archeologist, currently a college professor.
Brother (Deceased); Arthur James Richardson.
Friends: Delilah makes friends everywhere she goes.
Rivals: None.
Enemies: None.
Romantic Interests: None.
Spoiler: History
Delilah was born in France, but later moved to America when she was old enough for travel. Her parents met while her father was in France for a job, they began dating instantly and were married within six months of dating. They planned on going back to America after the wedding, but once they discovered Emmanuelle was pregnant they decided to put the move on hold.
The time came to leave France and while it was hard to say goodbye to their family and friends, they were excited to start the new chapter in their lives. James was especially excited to get back to working, he had done some work while living in France for three years but didn’t do much traveling. Emmanuelle was ready to see a new land and had recently discovered her passion for writing and wanted to start building her career. And Delilah was just excited to fly on a plane! They packed up their small apartment, said their goodbyes and left for America.
Delilah’s parents searched far and wide for a private tutor that would come and teach their daughter. They wanted her to start her education as soon as possible, education was extremely important to them. Eventually they found someone and their little three year old was taking to school like a fish to water. Delilah loved to learn and soaked up every piece of information thrown her way.
Just a few short months went by in their new home and Emmanuelle was pregnant again, this time with a boy! Delilah was delighted to hear that she would have a baby brother and couldn’t wait to be a big sister. Once he was born Delilah was the biggest help a now four year old could be. She changed diapers, fed him, played with him, sang songs to him when he cried and read books to him every night. She was so happy to have a sibling she wanted to spend all her time with him, well all the time that was free after schooling.
The early years of the Richardson family is probably everyone’s favorite. Delilah and Arthur loved each other, they hardly fought, they were well behaved and they were starting to take an interest in mommy and daddy’s work. Emmanuelle had her first book published, under a fake name but it was a big win for their family! James was traveling more, which was a goal of his he wanted to obtain. The family was flourishing and life was going so perfectly….
The family decided to go to the lake for Delilah’s sixth birthday, the lake was Delilah’s favorite place and she wanted it to be a family affair. They were all having so much fun, splashing about in the water, eating the yummy snacks their mother prepared and enjoying the company of one another.
James began to pack up, Emmanuelle was helping Delilah get some lake seaweed out of her hair. No one heard Arthur splashing in the water until it as too late. He had just taken one step too far and slipped into the drop off. Everyone blames themselves for what happened.
After that day James took on as much work as possible so he wouldn’t have to be home. Emmanuelle became so depressed she stopped writing and kind of disappeared into herself. Delilah saw how her family was crumbling so she buried her feelings and kept a happy face for her parents, she would wait until she was alone in her room to cry…she often times would slip into her brothers room in the middle of the night and cry in his bed. Eventually her family returned to a somewhat normal life and the pain of losing Arthur wasn’t so sharp.
Delilah decided to throw herself into school and any extracurricular activities she could to keep her mind off not having her best friend anymore. She really liked the idea of being like her dad, traveling everywhere and finding things hidden away in beautiful places. She also wanted to be like her mom and write, but she wanted to write about her adventures and the things she found.
Her school years were jam packed with homework, private tutor sessions (to make up for the lacking education provided to females), horseback riding, writing workshops and painting (a passion she discovered in high school). She often found herself feeling guilty for enjoying her life knowing that her little brother would never experience any of these things. Delilah would try and imagine what her brother would be doing while she was off at her horseback riding lessons, if he would help her study or sneak her snacks after bed time. As much as tried to not let her mind drift back to those emotions of her brother she often found herself there.
Time flew by and before she knew it she was graduating college, another guilty life moment. She saw an empty seat next to her parents when she was onstage accepting her diploma and she couldn’t help but think ‘Arthur should be sitting there’.
Just like her father Delilah took off after college and start traveling the world to find everything it has to offer and she doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.
Other Notes: She doesn't like deep bodies of water, it brings back bad memories.
Spoiler: Hadi Brewer (AvisCrown)NAME
Hadi Brewer
AGE
36
RACE/ETHNICITY
Egyptian
NATIONALITY
Egyptian, British
AFFILIATION(S)
Royal Historical society (British), Division of Archaeology of cambridge.
OCCUPATION
Professor, archaeologist, egyptologist, historian
POWER(S)
n/a
WEAPON(S)
Small pistol
FIGHTING STYLE(S)
n/a
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S)
English, Arabic (which includes varies dialects)
SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)
Ancient Egyptian, Latin, Greek
OTHER SKILL(S)
If applicable.
APPEARANCE
FAMILY
Half sister, Jenny Brewer.
Stepmother, Hazel Brewer
Father, Richard Brewer
His Persian cat, Bastet
FRIENDS
Very few
RIVALS
Too many to list, mostly academics.
Richard Brewer
ENEMIES
No one specifically.
BRIEF HISTORY
Hadi followed in his father’s footsteps. If that gives you some kind of idea that he admires his father, think again. He followed his father’s footsteps and became an archaeologist out of spite. Hadi’s father, a british man arrived in egypt on an expedition, liked many before him he came to find his prize, and in Hadi’s words pillage the rich history of Egypt. Hadi’s mother, was the daughter of a servant to his father’s benefactor. Hadi’s father would marry his mother, and Hadi would be born. From what Hadi understood his parents were very much in love but that didn’t change the fact that the marriage was a lie. His father was already married in England and when this was revealed his mother would commit suicide to avoid the shame. Hadi would spend the rest of his childhood mostly being sent off to boarding schools by his father, being keeps as a secret of the family. Of course his fate could have been much worse, his father could have completely denied his existence and he’d have died in a gutter somewhere. Still that didn’t stop him from hating his father, despite many attempts on his father’s part to fix his actions. Hadi would however get along with his half sister, Jenny, during holidays and would even begin to view his father’s wife as a second mother.
Hadi would go on to cambridge, and reconnect with his mother’s homeland through history. He’d would go on to study many ancient societies but he would focus mostly on Egypt.
Spoiler: Raymond Roy Rich Jr. (StormWolf)NAME
Raymond Roy Rich Jr.
AGE
30
RACE/ETHNICITY
Caucasian
NATIONALITY
United States, but also has French national status.
AFFILIATION(S)
French Foreign Legion, MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program)
OCCUPATION
Legion attache to a MFAA excursion (if we get an archaeologist character, I can have him be their attache)
POWER(S)
Does a hawk-eye and an iron liver count? How about easy friendship with animals?
Spoiler: WEAPONS
FIGHTING STYLES
Kickboxing, Glima
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S)
English, French
SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)
Arabic, German
OTHER SKILLS
Basic First-Aid, animal handling, and mechanics (particularly with vehicles and weapons)
Spoiler: APPEARANCE
Raymond is a smudge above average height, leveling out at an even six feet. Broad shouldered and athletic, with more mirth than melancholy despite his naturally pensive expression. He is a man who has seen the world and wants to see more. His skin has bronzed slightly under the Egyptian sun, despite his wide-brimmed hat and the plain ghutra he bought after his first nasty sunburn.
After the German occupation of France, much of the Legion's logistics fell apart and piece-mealed their uniforms together. Raymond was no exception. With relatives in the States, Ray was mailed "care packages" by his siblings at home and friends in the service. From home, his father mailed in his Colt, including the holster and a belt that looked more at home on the set of a western film. Friends in the US Army sent Ray some paratrooper boots and a set of African theater khaki fatigues. He still has a hold of his belted suede bush jacket that he shipped off to France with. Now that uniform regulation has more or less fallen in the shitter, he can wear what he wants. The kapi was the first thing to go, as it broadcasted to the world at large that Ray was Legion.
FAMILY
He's got Mom and Pop Stateside, Ray's youngest siblings (Regina and Robert) are wrapping up high school while he has a brother (Randy) in the US Army and a sister (Roslyn) in Oxford.
FRIENDS
Ray has made a habit of making friends with locals, especially at nearby watering holes and bazaars. Outside the locals, he has a few friends in various military circles. Thanks Roslyn dating some aristocrat in Oxford, Ray was brought into their "top secret historical preservation society", the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program.
RIVALS
Aziz. Fuck that guy.
ENEMIES
People who would wave a gun in his face. Aziz is okay, he buys Ray drinks.
ROMANTIC INTERESTS
Nothing stable or concrete, but he's a man with needs.
Spoiler: BRIEF HISTORY
Ray was always a wayfarer of sorts. Road trips across America, usually the driver for his father's shipping business. He got to see the wonders and natural beauty of his motherland in every shade of every season. While Ray was by no means unintelligent, he couldn't pursue schooling after he graduated high school. His parents needed him to make a living wage to support their ever-growing family. Frankly, Ray wouldn't have it any other way. He liked traveling, seeing the unblemished fields of history through the windshield of a truck.
Come 1936, Raymond had saved up enough money to take a brief tour of Europe. They way he saw it, he might not be able to for a while if he waited any longer. Touring Britain first, Ray would send packages of photos and postcards back to his family, as well as a map marked with all of his wayfarer exploits. Though when Raymond crossed the channel into France, the letters stopped coming for a long while.
Stopping in Normandy for the evening, Raymond found room and board in a little tavern. Packed to the walls, the American ended up sharing tables with some chummy. Drinks were had in great number, strong drinks. Raymond partook until he blacked out, waking up in the bed of a truck headed to God-knows-where with the soldiers he was drinking with. Not speaking a lick of the language, Raymond feared for his life. Why would they take him? His family wasn't well-off enough to pay any sort of ransom, so what? Human trafficking? He thought that only happened to girls...
So Raymond sat in fearful silence, stinking of stale vomit and body odor as the canvas covered truck. When it finally came to a stop, the air was cold and thin. Hauled from the truck bed, Raymond as stripped and bathed, tossed in uniform and sat with a variety of other men and boys who seemed to be in a similar state: shanghaied by the French Foreign Legion. Among them, the recruits were not permitted access with the outside world, no calls and no letters until their training was complete. Among the ranks of candidates, Ray was subject to a rigorous panel of physical and mental conditioning, hardening him for what teetered on the brink of the world stage. He was taught French and German, as well as Arabic for his pending deployment, should he pass the Legion's tests.
Once Raymond had earned a place among the Legion, he could finally write to his family, though he needed to be brief and couldn't tell them everything. Ray could only tell them that he was alive and well, volunteered with the French Foreign Legion in the light of mounting German aggression. It was 1939, and the world was at the brink. Receiving his deployment orders, Raymond was shipped off to Africa with the 13th Demi-Brigade to combat Fascist Italian advancement.
Ray fought among dunes, cities, forts, and bunkers with local militia and British armed forces. The 13th, or rather a shadow of it. Theirs was the vanguard, glorified scouts and guerilla fighters meant to monitor enemy movements and establish footholds for the Allies. Every week was a different fox-hole, and water was too precious to bother with bathing. Still, despite hardships, Raymond found time to write his letters and make scratches in his journals. Whenever he passed through a city or town with something resembling post, he would dispatch his letters to friends and family. It was through such letters he got in contact with his sister Roslyn's associates within the "MFAA", and learned of the "unspeakable horrors" the Reich had committed against the arts and histories. Great museums ransacked for the fuhrer's own collection, cities pillaged for their historical relics and treasures, and the work of modern artists burned. It was no secret that the fuhrer had a perverse obsession with the great Mediterranean Empires – Greece, Rome, Egypt. Until the rest of the 13th came, Raymond and his fellow scouts figured they might as well make hell for the krauts.
1940-41; The whole of the 13th Demi-Brigade deployed in Africa to reinforce the British in Egypt and Lybia against Italian invasion, but were cut off from their supply lines. Paris had surrendered to an overwhelming invading force of Nazis, meaning that the thinning ranks of the Legion needed to turn elsewhere for supplies. Ray called in favors from friends and family, locals he knew he could trust.
1942; a Roslyn wrote to Ray, telling him that her "Archaeological Society" was sending some experts out to the field in an attempt to beat the Nazis to the great treasures of history beneath the shifting sands. Ray was to keep the bookworms safe, because not only was their work of "utmost importance", but the archaeologists were also acting as mules, bringing in some much-needed supplies to continue holding the front.
OTHER NOTES
He keeps a strict log of all his endeavors in his field journal.
Medjai
Spoiler: Fadil Ishaq (Lady Celeste)NAME
Fadil Ishaq
AGE
20
RACE/ETHNICITY
Egyptian (Medjai Descent)
NATIONALITY
Egypt
AFFILIATION(S)
Medjai
OCCUPATION
Medjai Trainee
POWER(S)
N/A
WEAPON(S)
Medjai Sword
Lee-Enfield Rifle
FIGHTING STYLE(S)
The Medjai specialize in guerrilla tactics and fighting from horseback, typically preferring carefully-planned surprise attacks developed over the years to drive would-be treasure hunters away from Hamunaptra with as little bloodshed as possible. Fadil, however, prefers to be more balanced in terms of different tactics depending on the situation, and for this purpose he has recently taken to learning sharpshooting and other relatively unconventional tactics for a Medjai. Also, although a Medjai rarely fights unarmed unless disarmed for whatever reason, unarmed fighting is known to include fist-fighting as well as ducking and rolling to avoid blows.
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S)
Arabic (esp. Egyptian Arabic)
SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)
English
OTHER SKILL(S)
Fadil is an avid sports player, particularly in association football (soccer), which he first picked up years ago during a visit to Cairo.
APPEARANCE
FAMILY
Fadil's father was among the many Medjai warriors who died against the vanguard of the Army of Anubis; the remainder of his immediate family consists of his younger brother Safin and their mother.
FRIENDS
Fadil is on reasonably good terms with most of the trainees in his tribe, having become in many ways the de facto leader of the trainees, although many of them are not necessarily friends of his per se and think he needs a serious lesson in humility. The only known exception is Fadil's best friend, Hapu, who has essentially become Fadil's "right-hand man".
RIVALS
Fadil sometimes butts heads with Yanit, one of the female trainees who have been formally recruited in recent years, although they maintain a good professional relationship nonetheless.
ENEMIES
Imhotep (formerly)
ROMANTIC INTERESTS
None yet.
BRIEF HISTORY
As the eldest son in his family, Fadil effectively became the "man of the house" after his father died in battle against the vanguard of the Army of Anubis, even though he was still only a child at the time. This has since affected his personality in two distinct ways:
- On the one hand, Fadil feels the need to be a leader in virtually every situation, sometimes to the point of arrogance or stubbornness.
- On the other hand, Fadil takes his responsibilities very seriously, resulting in a perfectionist streak and strong feelings of guilt for any perceived failure or whenever anything goes wrong, regardless of how much at fault he really is or how much he realistically could or could not have done to avoid the problem.
In his youth, Fadil pushed himself constantly to excel in his training, and this coupled with his very forceful (if somewhat brash) personality commanded the respect of the other young trainees in his tribe, and even now he is often regarded as a sort of de facto leader of the trainees. At the same time, however, Fadil's not-so-gentle approach to this leadership role has earned him few real friends among the trainees, except for his younger brother Safin and his childhood friend Hapu, both of whom grew up together with Fadil in the same village and got to know him before the fateful battle with the Army of Anubis.
In the wake of the Second World War, Fadil has begun pushing himself even harder in his training, as the price of failure is now higher than ever.
OTHER NOTES
N/A
Spoiler: Yanit Al-Masri (Lady Celeste)NAME
Yanit Al-Masri
AGE
18
RACE/ETHNICITY
Egyptian (Medjai Descent)
NATIONALITY
Egypt
AFFILIATION(S)
Medjai
OCCUPATION
Medjai Trainee
POWER(S)
N/A
WEAPON(S)
Yanit primarily uses the traditional Medjai sword, but is reasonably well-trained to use a pistol if need be.
FIGHTING STYLE(S)
The Medjai specialize in guerrilla tactics and fighting from horseback, typically preferring carefully-planned surprise attacks developed over the years to drive would-be treasure hunters away from Hamunaptra with as little bloodshed as possible. Although a Medjai rarely fights unarmed unless disarmed for whatever reason, unarmed fighting is known to include fist-fighting as well as ducking and rolling to avoid blows.
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S)
Arabic (esp. Egyptian Arabic)
English
SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)
Ancient Egyptian (still learning)
OTHER SKILL(S)
Yanit has a good practical knowledge of mathematics, including things such as estimating how long it would take to run out of air in a room filling up with sand, which has come in handy on a few occasions.
APPEARANCE
Like most female Medjai trainees in this modern era (see HISTORY), Yanit's training uniform consists of a loose-fitting dress and pants, as well as a more practical but still reasonably modest headscarf. For her civilian clothing, however, she is content to wear the more modest fashions typical of Egyptian civilian women.
FAMILY
Yanit is the only child in a long line of Medjai warriors, her father and grandfather (both deceased) each being highly respected warriors in their own right. On the other hand, her mother's side of the family consists mostly of Medjai informants in the cities.
FRIENDS
Yanit's friends consist mostly of the other new female trainees.
RIVALS
Female Medjai have historically been forbidden to become warriors; this ban has been lifted in recent years following the near-depletion of the Medjai's forces in the battle with the Army of Anubis, but many strict traditionalists still remain among the male warriors and trainees, and Yanit has had the occasional professional rivalry with a few of them.
ENEMIES
Imhotep (formerly)
Anything or anyone who might threaten her tribe or Egypt as a whole.
ROMANTIC INTERESTS
None yet, mainly because Yanit is more focused on her training and her studies than anything else.
BRIEF HISTORY
Yanit grew up in the midst of significant social upheavals in the 12 tribes of the Medjai. During the near-invasion of the Army of Anubis, several Medjai warriors (including Yanit's father) died in battle while holding back the vanguard of the army, and if not for the Scorpion King's defeat at precisely the right moment, the Medjai forces would surely have been wiped out altogether. Faced with a severe shortage of warriors and other jobs normally held by men, many women and girls were soon required to take on more responsibility than usual, especially within the tribes themselves. Regarding female warriors, however, embracing this change proved to be much more difficult because women had historically been forbidden to become warriors, and thus most women of sufficient age lacked the extensive training of their male peers.
But although the acceptance of female Medjai warriors is still not quite widespread among the tribes, significant progress has been made since the days of old, especially after Commander Ardeth Bay became the first of the 12 Commanders to lift this ban and begin formally training female recruits in his tribe. Yanit was among the first of these new trainees; as an only child, she felt that it was her duty to continue her father's legacy after he perished against the vanguard of the Army of Anubis. Since then Yanit has made considerable progress in her training, especially in the wake of the Second World War, which has since prompted all Medjai tribes to accelerate warrior training for men and women alike in response to the potential threat of the war.
OTHER NOTES
N/A
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