Masks of Nyarlathotep

[Commando]

William takes a step back away from the burning figure on the floor, breathing heavily at all that exertion, before turning to face Poppy.

"Look, I know you probably have a lot of questions right now but they're going to have to wait. I'll explain everything later. Right now we need to figure out as much about this place as we can, because if anyone heard that gunshot earlier the police may already be on their way and I really wouldn't like to have to explain why we broke in here or why there are two burnt corpses on the floor."

Without waiting for an answer he hurries down the corridor and calls up to Evelyn. "Have a quick look outside, see if anyone's hanging around or peering out of the windows at the shop. I'm hoping nobody heard the shot with it being underground, but if there's any sign someone might have called the police then we need to get out of here, fast.

That done, he heads back down the corridor into the large room and takes a good look around. He also takes a good look at the corpses to make sure there's no sign of movement from either of them.

[Greentitch]

Outside Evelyn sees no sign of activity or alarm.

The large room underground appears much as it did when you first entered.

Some of the walls have a row of tall African drums along them and small alcoves high in the wall that seem to contain unlit torches.
In the right hand half of the room is a large circular stone block, eight-feet in diameter, set into the floor. Two ropes lead up from the block to a large pulley attached to the ceiling and back down to a winch. Two long, stout poles jut from the wall to your right. Long leather strips dangle from the poles.
Opposite the door on the far side of the wall is a pair of curtains, obscuring whatever lies behind them.

The burnt corpses show no sign of life or movement.

[Commando]

Holding the burning torch both as a light source and, if necessary, a weapon, William approaches the right-most of the two curtains and lifts the edge of it aside, peering behind it carefully while standing at arm's reach.

[Greentitch]

Behind the curtain is an alcove, six feet square. Against the back wall of the alcove is a leopard hide; from the lumps in it you would guess some small items are wrapped within it. Hanging from the wall is a long feathered shawl of shimmering colour. Poppy recognises the feathers as from flamingo and kingfishers. Hanging next to the shawl are a pair of gloves with large claws attached to the fingers. They appear to have been crafted to imitate the paws of a large cat. Also resting on two pegs in the wall is a carved wooden sceptre.

[accalia]

"Very well, I wouldn't want to have to explain the mad events here to the police either. I'm not exactly sure I can explain them to myself to be honest. I've never shot a man in cold blood, let alone burnt two."

Venturing closer to the corpses Poppy bends down to look at them better in the flickering torchlight. If nothing else she wants to get a good look at the marks on their foreheads and make a sketch in her note book. She will then go and examine the curtained are more thoroughly.

[Greentitch]

Although the marking on the forehead of the corpses are old and now slightly burnt it is recognisably the same as the one that was found on the forehead of Jackson Elias.

[Commando]

Leaving the first curtained area to be searched by Poppy, William heads over to the second and pulls back the curtain carefully again.

[Greentitch]

It's one curtained area with two curtains in front of it, like double doors

[Commando]

(Oh right, gotcha. )

Moving inside the alcove, William carefully lifts the leopard hide to see what lies underneath it.

[Greentitch]

William finds a number of items within the leopard hide:
A book called Africa's Dark Sects, it is stamped property of the trustees of Harvard University.
An African devil mask carved from some type of wood. Poppy believes it to be of Congo origin. Something like this but it appears to be a combination of four different faces.
A burnished copper bowl, etched with runes and signs that none of you recognised.
A headband of grey metal with some mysterious runes scratched into it.

Investigating the other items in the alcove, Poppy recognises the runes on the carved sceptre. They are very much like Egyptian hieroglyphics and she translates them as "Nyambe, Thy Power Mine".

[accalia]

"I assume these must be their most treasured items and maybe of some use to our investigation if they relate to the cult of the bloody tongue. Assuming of course that they are connected to the death of Jackson. Supposed we'd best take them, stealing is no worse a crime than any other we've committed tonight... Shall we see what's with the winch? Maybe James with his massive muscles would be best suited to the task with assistance from William. I fear Miss Price and I would be quite inadequate for the task."

[Commando]

William nods at Poppy and stuffs the book into a pocket of his overcoat before picking up the metal headband. "We may not know exactly what they've been doing down here, but creating those creatures is certainly not something I'd like them to continue. If these items are in any way important to them, better that they're in our hands than theirs.

"As for the winch... Evelyn said the block was set firmly in the floor when the men were dancing around in here, and it's still set there now. If they didn't raise it for the ritual, are we sure we want to do it ourselves? They didn't feel the need to seal up those undead creatures we just destroyed, so I dread to think what they might have trapped down there.

"If we're going to raise the block at all, I'd say it should be the last thing we do before we leave. And we should be ready to run."

[accalia]

"Not taking it all? And I agree it should be the last thing we do, but what else is there to do down here?"

Poppy looks round the room carefully checking for hidden exits and the like. Returning to the alcove to collect anything of interest and repacking her bag of tools so that she is ready to leave in a hurry if necessary.

[Commando]

William carefully puts the metal headband into another pocket and grins at Poppy. "There are only so many pockets in this coat, and I'd rather not be clinking like a broken clock when I walk out of here. I'd suggest we take at least the bowl, the mask and the sceptre. Perhaps those gloves as well.

"Also, could someone take a look at those drums? We heard chanting earlier but I don't remember hearing drums, and I don't believe Mrs McKay mentioned anything about hearing drum noises."

William wanders over to the long poles with the leather strips attached and examines them more closely.

[Greentitch]

Are you planning on looting everything mentioned from the alcove? Including the pelt, its contents, the cloak, gloves and sceptre?