0:02

Welcome to Masks of

0:04

Nile Athertep, Session 2. Our

0:08

characters had made the long

0:10

voyage journey across land or

0:12

sea to Peru and Lima

0:14

where they were to meet

0:17

up with the expedition that

0:19

would take them into the

0:21

mountains in exploration of... a

0:24

forgotten pyramid. A pyramid

0:26

potentially housing all manner

0:28

of golden treasures. Each

0:31

of them in their

0:33

own way responded to an

0:36

ad in the world's

0:38

papers advertising this expedition. Augustus

0:42

Larkin is its head and

0:44

he had requested that they

0:46

meet up with him at

0:48

an allotted time and date.

0:51

Being prudent investigators, everyone arrived

0:53

little early, whether to perform

0:55

some preliminary investigation before meeting

0:57

with Larkin, or just to

0:59

get to know one another

1:02

and the lay of the

1:04

land. Each of them

1:06

has found Lima interesting in their own

1:08

way, though some have had

1:10

to rush through it. And

1:13

now, at the Hotel Mori, on

1:16

the day before... Meeting

1:18

up with Augustus Larkin for

1:20

the first time, you

1:22

are getting to know

1:24

your fellow investigators, not

1:27

just each other, but others

1:29

who have responded to the ad

1:31

for the expedition. Sitting

1:33

in the Hotel Maury Bar, each

1:36

of you telling stories about how you

1:38

made it here, who you were in

1:40

the days before, all of

1:42

this, you've come to know a

1:44

few others. There's Jesse

1:46

Hughes. An

1:49

antiquarian he actually comes

1:51

from New York, so

1:53

well you may not

1:55

be neighbors Madeline there

1:58

is a certain commonality

2:00

and what's more Jesse

2:02

Hughes is a man

2:04

of African -American origin

2:07

and Frankly, he feels quite

2:09

a home among such a cosmopolitan

2:11

crew As soon as

2:13

he realises that the rest

2:15

of you are from all over

2:17

the place, his guard drops

2:19

immediately and he's laughing and joking,

2:21

very excited for the expedition. You

2:24

also encounter one, Hugo

2:27

Metzger. And,

2:29

just like you, Felix, Hugo

2:32

served in the Great War. He

2:34

was a corporal. And

2:37

like you Felix, he doesn't

2:39

feel terribly inclined to discuss

2:41

those four years in great

2:43

detail. But there's

2:45

a kinship that you form

2:47

there. A certain camaraderie

2:49

that can only exist between

2:51

veterans of war. And

2:54

finally Isabella Melquiades,

2:57

an academic who has

3:00

made her way here, well...

3:02

because she believes this could be

3:04

the archaeological find of decades, if

3:06

not a century. She

3:09

saw the ad and has

3:11

long been interested in the

3:13

idea that there could be

3:15

pyramids of the Incas deep

3:17

in the Andes just waiting

3:19

to be unearthed. So you

3:21

sit around with your

3:23

drinks toasting each other, excited

3:25

about the eventual meeting with

3:28

Augustus Larkin. Isabella

3:30

leans over to Madeleine. So

3:33

tell me Madeleine, she says. Glass

3:35

in hand, cigarette in the

3:38

other. What is

3:40

your background? Is

3:42

it... University? Do

3:44

they... And she catches herself.

3:46

I mean no offence. In

3:50

America, she

3:52

says, pointing upward as if up

3:54

means north. Do

3:57

they allow...

4:00

Black women in

4:02

universities? Jesse

4:04

clams up a little at

4:06

that. Isabella seems

4:08

genuinely curious but also unsure

4:11

whether this might cause

4:13

offense. You just beat me to

4:15

another psychology role because I wanted to figure out

4:17

whether that was like a condescending jab or whether

4:19

this was coming from a place of genuine curiosity. So...

4:22

the toasting and the talking, I've

4:24

definitely been contributing more of a careful

4:26

contribution to the conversation. But the

4:28

one thing everyone would notice is that

4:30

I do not drink alcohol. Whatever

4:33

I'm toasting with is probably just whatever

4:35

the local juice is, if not just

4:37

water itself. Sitting in

4:39

the chair, I'm going to pull

4:41

my knees up where the backs

4:43

of my heels catch the bottom

4:45

of the chair. I'm going to

4:47

lean back with a very disarming

4:49

aura. And I'm going to look

4:51

to Isabella's like, OK. Before I

4:53

answer your latter question, allow me

4:55

to invite you to guess the

4:57

first. What do you think

4:59

my background is? Well, this

5:01

is a... Big question, she says,

5:03

and she puts her glass

5:06

down, takes a drag on her

5:08

cigarette, thinks

5:10

you are well

5:12

spoken, you... have

5:14

made your journey here apparently

5:16

by yourself, so you are

5:18

clearly well equipped for adversity.

5:21

I would therefore assume

5:23

that you are

5:26

someone who has travelled

5:28

before. You clearly

5:30

explore experience, not necessarily

5:33

an explorer. I

5:35

nod encouragingly. Ah,

5:37

maybe you were

5:39

part of a travelling

5:42

circus. You're

5:44

an entertainer. You are

5:46

familiar with different groups. People

5:48

may be hostile to

5:50

you sometimes. People may be

5:52

interested. People may be

5:54

kind. But you let it flow

5:56

off of you like water because

5:58

it is all part of life's rich

6:00

tapestry. A smile breaks out

6:03

across my face. I'm genuinely impressed

6:05

with her. And I nod and

6:07

I go, I am well -traveled.

6:09

And I do sing, yes. Now,

6:11

for your latter question, I have a

6:13

question for you, Mrs. Isabella, because you

6:16

are an academic. You are not, correct?

6:19

See, I am a professor in

6:21

Madrid. This is my first

6:23

time in South America, but there is

6:25

much here that is familiar to me. Okay.

6:28

Let me bring you up

6:30

to speed on just a small

6:32

hint of a American culture.

6:34

So in the 1800s, I think

6:36

it was 1830 and I

6:38

will Go over to Jesse, almost

6:40

inviting him to engage in

6:42

the conversation versus, you know, being

6:44

offended. I think it was

6:46

1835? 37? He's

6:50

nodding along. America established

6:52

something called the HBCU. Isabel, are

6:54

you familiar with what that means? I

6:57

am not, she says, taking

6:59

another puff. That is

7:01

a historically black college and university.

7:04

Yes, there are black aptitude mix in America. As

7:06

a matter of fact, we have black universities. Oh,

7:09

I mean, in Spain

7:11

it is... There is,

7:13

of course, prejudice. There

7:15

is prejudice everywhere, especially

7:17

against women. But

7:19

there is

7:22

also integration. And

7:24

so here, in

7:26

North America, you

7:28

have black universities

7:30

and white universities. There

7:33

are a lot of things that are divided

7:35

in America, yes. However...

7:37

opportunity does find a way for

7:39

those who are courageous enough to

7:41

find it. Please do

7:43

not assume that I am completely

7:45

ignorant as to world affairs,

7:48

she says. I am often so

7:50

absorbed in my books, in

7:52

my studies, in history,

7:54

but ancient history, that I

7:56

sometimes lose track of, and

7:58

Jesse fills in here, the

8:00

state of the world, he

8:02

says. See, yeah.

8:07

It is, I guess, what

8:09

you might call a paradox

8:11

that the longer you study, the

8:14

more you lose touch

8:16

with what is going on

8:18

just outside your door. But

8:21

please, I mean no offence when I ask

8:23

these questions. It is because I want to

8:25

learn. I throw a wink over at Jesse

8:27

and I say, oh no, no offense taken.

8:29

Some of us prefer to study the past

8:31

and some of us have our eyes on

8:33

the future. Mm -hmm, he says. And

8:36

he likes a cigarette of his

8:38

own. No, I wasn't around in

8:40

the 1830s, he says. But

8:43

there's some progress that's been made. He

8:46

offers you a cigarette, Madeleine. I

8:48

actually politely declined. No,

8:50

no, thank you. Ah, he

8:52

takes it back, offers it around the

8:55

table. Now that it is protruding from

8:57

the pack, it would be impolite to

8:59

tuck it away again. Uh, I'll take

9:01

one. It's been a while since I've

9:03

had some American cigarettes. He

9:05

gives you a nod at that.

9:08

Immediately, Shelby, you

9:10

can tell that for Jesse, this

9:12

is something of a test. There are

9:14

people who would refuse to take

9:16

a cigarette from a black man's pack.

9:19

and the fact that you

9:21

do so without hesitation

9:23

implies something about you. Either

9:25

that you are open -minded,

9:27

accepting, or you're

9:29

just completely ignorant, but the one

9:31

thing it shows that you're

9:33

not is outwardly bigoted. Yeah,

9:36

and it does remind me of

9:38

the times when I was growing up

9:40

in Atlanta where I ended up

9:42

actually spending more time with

9:44

some of the Chinese population

9:46

there even though many of my

9:48

peers Looked down on me

9:51

for such fraternization and that's actually

9:53

where I picked up a

9:55

strong command of their language because

9:57

I just felt More comfortable

9:59

with them and never quite understood

10:02

the dichotomy, but I also

10:04

knew that I couldn't openly question

10:06

such things because to be

10:08

honest my parents are still alive

10:10

that led to beatings.

10:13

So I relish the opportunity to

10:15

feel like I can express my own

10:17

interests in this area in a

10:19

way that's not going to be as

10:21

judgmental even though I still understand

10:23

that that's not going to change the

10:26

world. He holds

10:28

out a match, lights your

10:30

cigarette, lights his own, waves

10:32

it off. Now I'm

10:34

from New York he says. It's

10:37

far from paradise. And

10:39

there's a lot of work that needs to be done. But

10:44

if you want the

10:46

proverbial melting pot, he

10:48

says and he rolls

10:50

his eyes at that

10:53

There aren't many cities

10:55

quite like it. We've

10:57

got Italians Jews Spanish

10:59

black people of course

11:01

and We all have

11:03

our districts. We all

11:05

have our spaces, but

11:07

at the fringes You're

11:09

starting to see the

11:11

blend. You're starting to see

11:13

people cross over. It's interesting.

11:15

It's interesting to live it. It's

11:18

interesting to go to a

11:20

bar and see people sat with

11:22

each other, chatting, laughing. Laughing

11:24

with each other's important, I think.

11:27

There are lots of cities

11:29

in the US right now

11:31

where I'd almost say you'd

11:34

get more trouble for laughing

11:36

with a black fella than...

11:38

I don't know. Serving him

11:40

in a store. Or

11:43

allowing him to sit in

11:45

your auditorium. It's...

11:48

a funny thing. It's

11:50

a vulnerability, I think.

11:53

That's, uh, what people are afraid of,

11:55

letting their guard down. But

11:58

I don't mean to bring anyone down or

12:00

nothing like that, I mean... it is what

12:02

it is, right? And

12:04

now we're in a whole different world down here. Alex

12:07

Hale, uh... One full

12:09

of cigarette smoke. I

12:11

can agree with

12:13

that. Certainly,

12:16

Georgia is not as much cosmopolitan as

12:18

New York, I'll say that. Although it's

12:21

been a few years since I've

12:23

lived there. I've spent a little

12:25

bit of time in Georgia, but only a

12:27

little, and that should tell you everything you

12:29

need to know. I understand completely. Look, there

12:31

are worse places, don't get me wrong. Oh,

12:33

absolutely. When you're in

12:36

the community, he says... And he levels

12:38

his hand with you in a, you

12:40

know, this isn't an

12:42

accusation way. When you're

12:44

in the community, you're fine. But

12:46

I found the... it

12:48

isn't just a Southern thing.

12:50

But there's plenty of

12:52

places where even in what...

12:55

in New York we

12:57

would call the Black community.

12:59

And he says that with some derision. Unless

13:02

you're already a part of it,

13:04

you're seen with suspicion. You arrive, you're

13:06

on the outside, and immediately the

13:08

people on the inside start thinking, what

13:10

does this person want? Does this

13:12

person want what little we have? That

13:15

kind of toxic brew, it

13:17

ruins everything for everyone. I'm

13:19

hoping things... I'm thinking things

13:21

will get better in the

13:24

next 10, 20 years. Felix,

13:27

you haven't had a great

13:29

deal of input on this, and...

13:31

good reason. You can observe,

13:33

you can learn, you can listen. And...

13:38

Well, you've been

13:40

somewhat itinerant. You've

13:43

seen a lot of different cultures,

13:45

a lot of different peoples in

13:47

your movements from Europe to South

13:49

America in recent years. And

13:51

yeah, there have been times when you

13:53

felt like an outsider, but not in

13:55

the way that Jesse or Madeline are

13:57

describing here. Hugo...

14:01

A man who is older

14:03

than you by about ten years,

14:05

gives you a look. He

14:09

says, we are very

14:11

fortunate in Germany, I

14:13

think. Oh? How do you

14:15

mean? I feel the

14:17

war, as terrible as it

14:20

was, shook some cobwebs

14:22

loose. Perhaps that

14:24

is true. I

14:26

don't know. I

14:30

just think of it as

14:32

such an immense waste of

14:34

life. Oh, it

14:36

was. It

14:39

was, definitely. These

14:41

people do not want to hear our war

14:44

stories, I'm sure. Have

14:46

you ever been to a

14:49

cabaret, Herr

14:51

Bauer? Yes, I suppose I have

14:53

been. Yes. It's

14:57

interesting as I'm

14:59

smiling. Fun

15:01

interesting very fun.

15:03

I saw one where

15:05

the Kaiser Damn

15:07

his name Was being

15:09

lampooned on stage

15:12

Dressed in there was

15:14

this what they

15:16

call a drag performer

15:18

In a gown

15:20

like a queen but

15:22

with the pickle

15:25

howl and the moustache

15:29

performing this screeching song

15:31

it was it

15:33

was painful on the

15:35

ears and you

15:37

can see there's a

15:39

rosiness to Hugo's

15:42

cheeks as he's recounting

15:44

this but hilarious

15:46

like a puppet show

15:48

but with living

15:50

performers it was strange

15:52

when I was

15:55

there I I

15:57

felt deeply uncomfortable.

16:00

The cabaret of course

16:02

has the dancing girls

16:04

and it has the

16:06

comedy and live music

16:08

and all of that

16:10

I felt very lost.

16:13

Like I was too

16:15

old. I was out

16:17

of my element. This was for

16:19

a generation that came after

16:21

mine. And then I

16:23

saw the Kaiser as

16:26

a queen on this stage

16:28

and I Was laughing

16:30

louder than anybody in that

16:32

entire club must have

16:34

been cathartic seeing I mean

16:37

we were taught to

16:39

look at him as pretty

16:41

much of well living

16:43

God in some ways, right

16:46

and there he is

16:48

being humiliated being Laughed

16:50

at, something that would have been

16:52

unthinkable. Just years

16:54

before. The world,

16:56

it changes so quickly. Quicker

16:59

than I feel like I can

17:01

adapt sometimes. Yeah,

17:03

yeah. That is

17:05

true. One day you were stood among

17:07

men that you know and love and

17:09

treat as brothers and the next you

17:12

were the only one left. That's

17:14

not the truth. Yeah.

17:17

Yes indeed. Uh,

17:21

if I may, says Rupert.

17:23

He stands up, glass

17:25

in hand. Now

17:27

I've known Shelves here

17:29

for... For I'm sure

17:31

what he would say

17:33

is far, far, far

17:35

too long a time. But

17:38

if there's one thing

17:40

that Shelly and I truly,

17:43

truly love,

17:47

and the one thing that

17:49

we agree upon, More than

17:51

anything else more than how

17:53

much we hate these damn

17:55

mosquitoes It's how much we

17:57

love meeting new friends. Yeah

17:59

We we've obviously come a

18:01

long way to be here

18:03

and I have to say

18:05

that I was having nightmares

18:07

on the road on the

18:09

road on the ship and every

18:12

dratted place we happen

18:14

to hang our hats

18:16

that, well, would just

18:18

be us surrounded by

18:20

a bunch of Peruvians.

18:23

As it is,

18:25

we're surrounded by

18:27

civilized people, Europeans,

18:31

Americans, and,

18:34

well, about to embark

18:36

on a big old

18:38

adventure. So I'm

18:40

sure we'll be seeing Mr. Larkin in

18:42

and he checks the watch in

18:44

his pocket. Oh gosh. Very

18:46

soon it looks like we're going to be heading

18:48

to dinner. But

18:52

until that time and

18:54

after it, I'm sure, let's

18:56

declare ourselves a true

18:59

fellowship. Heading

19:01

into the mountains together. Rage

19:03

my glass to that. Yes, I will

19:05

do that as well. the

19:07

the the comment of course of about

19:09

this being a group of civilized

19:11

people being different than the the locals

19:13

does uh i mean i know

19:15

the people here they're they're people and

19:17

there's no real difference but i'll

19:19

just raise my glass because i don't

19:21

want to have a conversation about

19:23

that right now i do not give

19:25

a here here to this but

19:27

i am deathly curious of the responses

19:29

of the other people around the

19:31

table Is it just like the polite

19:33

buy -in? Is it the yeah? Is

19:35

it like yeah new friends? It's

19:37

just I absolutely love reading just responses

19:39

across any table that she sits

19:41

at. Biomeeds make another psychology role

19:43

there Bridget for Madeline and see if

19:45

you can pick up on anything hidden. Oh

19:47

baby I rolled a 52 and I

19:50

believe that is gonna be over my psychology

19:52

a 45 but you know what? It's

19:54

early in the game. Let's start the suffering

19:56

off. May I burn the luck to

19:58

make that a success? Do you want to

20:00

burn seven luck already or do you

20:02

want to burn one and get a reroll

20:04

on risk of critical failure? We're going

20:06

to go for that. So I'm going to

20:08

burn the one lot and we are

20:10

going to reroll 39. That's a

20:12

success then. So going

20:14

around the table, clearly Rupert is

20:16

loving this right now. He's the

20:18

center of attention and people joining

20:20

in his toast, at least most

20:22

people that he cares to observe. you've

20:25

already heard how Shelby

20:27

and Felix are responding

20:29

Isabella is raising her

20:31

toast and again you

20:34

get the strong impression

20:36

that yeah she is

20:38

definitely a curious person

20:40

but she is also

20:42

oblivious she has a

20:44

complete undercurrent of ignorance

20:46

to her because ultimately

20:48

she knows very little

20:50

about people She doesn't

20:52

realise there was an

20:55

insult spat out. Metzger

20:58

is

21:00

very cautious.

21:02

He seems to be

21:04

mirroring Felix and Shelby

21:06

here. They're toasting, but

21:08

certainly not the letter

21:10

of what Rupert just

21:12

said. And then you

21:14

get to Jesse. Jesse

21:17

threw quite literally

21:19

clenched teeth. raises

21:22

his glass and says

21:24

to civilized people. It

21:26

is apparent that he

21:28

has not gained a

21:30

good impression of Rupert

21:32

Carruthers. Okay. Internally,

21:34

I'm already starting that cataloging process

21:36

where I go, okay, Isabella is a

21:38

liability socially, but she's probably going

21:40

to be brilliant if we stuff her

21:42

in a library to do some

21:44

research. Jesse is going to be temperamental

21:46

in situations that involve this, that

21:48

and the other. I think that one

21:50

over there speaks fluent Spanish. Yes,

21:52

he said he was. So I'm doing

21:54

that inner cataloging, uh, and that,

21:56

um, almost compartmentalization where it's like, okay,

21:58

these are the value structures of

22:00

these people. These are the weaknesses of

22:02

these people. Got it. Got it.

22:04

Got it. it. Got it. And I

22:06

will raise my glass of whatever

22:08

again, the local juices that they have.

22:10

And so our party of investigators

22:12

make their way to the bar Cordano,

22:14

a restaurant and bar in Lima

22:16

district of Lima. Well you will for

22:18

the first time encounter Augustus Larkin. The

22:21

meal that is laid out for

22:23

you is really quite fine. It

22:26

is a seafood, a bevy

22:28

of seafood, of varying types

22:30

and Peru excels in its

22:32

seafood but this is really

22:34

quite something. There's a

22:37

lot of reds and greens, tomatoes,

22:39

peppers and so forth,

22:42

spices. And the

22:44

Eskabeshe, a hot, sweet

22:47

and sour fish

22:49

dish, is most exquisite.

22:52

You aren't just

22:54

the party of

22:56

you here with

22:58

Augustus Larkin. He

23:00

is joined by

23:03

someone you vaguely

23:05

recognize, Shelby. I'm

23:07

gonna need you and I very

23:09

rarely ask for one of these because

23:11

I tend to think memory is

23:13

good enough But I'm still gonna ask

23:15

you to make a roll for

23:17

it an idea roll So idea is

23:20

your int characteristic? 5880

23:23

You recognize the man

23:25

who shot you both

23:27

a an accusatory look

23:29

from the hotel lobby

23:31

He is sat to

23:33

Larkin's left Larkin himself

23:36

to give you a description

23:38

has all the effects

23:41

of being a moderately wealthy

23:43

colonial in the sense

23:45

that he is he is

23:47

dressed with you know

23:50

pith and tan he has

23:52

a signet ring on

23:54

one finger on one pinky

23:56

and he has a Pale

24:00

glaze to his

24:03

skin implies his

24:05

European origins. Though,

24:08

amidst all of that, it's

24:10

quite apparent he

24:12

often dwells in hot

24:14

climates. His skin is

24:16

ruddy in places, tanned in others. a

24:18

bit blotchy, all told. It isn't an

24:21

even tan. And in fact, if

24:23

there's one thing that can be said for Augustus Larkin,

24:25

is that he does not look all that well. His

24:28

cheekbones are prominent, but not

24:30

from a place of handsomeness.

24:33

It is more that the flesh on

24:35

his cheeks has sunk. Likewise,

24:37

his eyes are quite pitted, almost as

24:39

if he hasn't had much sleep

24:41

lately. Now, that

24:43

may be cause for concern,

24:46

as you all take your seats

24:48

and start devouring your food,

24:50

but on the other hand, getting

24:53

ill in climates like

24:55

this, whether it's

24:57

dysentery, malaria or just

24:59

common food poisoning, isn't

25:01

hugely uncommon. It

25:03

is quite possible, that's the reason

25:05

he's unwell, but that doesn't mean

25:08

you can't ask after his health.

25:10

Now, next to

25:12

that pale, thin, greasy

25:15

fellow, Augustus Larkin, you

25:17

have, and he introduces him,

25:19

Louis de Mendoza, his

25:22

guide in the

25:24

local area and companion.

25:27

Louis acts as his butler

25:30

and batman and is

25:32

someone who knows Lima and

25:34

the surrounding areas very

25:36

well indeed. Now, Louis

25:38

doesn't speak much. He

25:41

isn't exactly one for conversation. When

25:44

he speaks with Augustus, he's

25:46

speaking in Spanish. and

25:48

he doesn't direct conversation toward any

25:50

of you. But

25:52

Augustus himself is

25:54

welcoming. After

25:56

you have all experienced

25:58

your first course of food,

26:01

he finally stands. I

26:03

am so grateful that all

26:06

of you made it here,

26:08

and you must excuse that

26:10

I wished for us to

26:12

partake in the... Exquisite food

26:14

before we started our conversation.

26:16

I know many of you

26:18

have traveled a very long

26:20

way and Appetites, ladies and

26:23

gentlemen. Appetites must be at

26:25

the forefront of our mind.

26:27

I believe that one does

26:29

not much on an empty

26:31

stomach. He says that almost

26:33

like some army brigadier, but

26:35

he does not look in

26:37

any way like a military

26:40

man. Far too slight for

26:42

that. So thank

26:44

you all for coming

26:46

and I hope that

26:48

your travel here was

26:50

without issue The Mendoza

26:52

here is my personal

26:54

aid And ah I

26:56

see Jesse Hughes Jesse

26:58

raises his glass He's

27:00

a folklorist from New

27:03

York City The last

27:05

of our expedition I

27:07

must say last to

27:09

respond to my telegraph

27:11

but I see so

27:13

many of you have made it. Some

27:15

did not. But

27:18

you have. And

27:20

it is you and

27:22

I who will reap

27:24

the rewards of this

27:26

great, great expedition. May

27:29

I ask for each of you

27:31

to introduce yourselves? I can guess at

27:33

names and faces, but I would

27:35

hate to get any of them wrong.

27:38

And so he gestures around

27:40

the table, starting with you,

27:42

Madeleine. It's one of

27:45

those things where I'm kind of shocked for a

27:47

moment that I'm the first one going, but

27:49

the smile spreads across my face and I look

27:51

at most of the individuals who were all

27:53

colleagues and best friends and civilized individuals. I

27:56

will spread that smile across the table.

27:58

I was like, yes, thank you for the

28:00

out call. This is an incredible opportunity.

28:02

I'm looking forward to it. My name is

28:04

Madeleine Hopper. I came across the news

28:06

article actually in Harlem. It was quite a

28:08

journey down. Yes, indeed.

28:11

Ms. Hopper, I am given

28:13

to understand that you

28:15

are something of a traveling

28:18

entertainer. Now, do not

28:20

worry we're not going to

28:22

be expecting you to

28:24

keep us all entertained on

28:26

our road through the

28:28

mountains rather I am hoping

28:30

that if adventure greets

28:32

us you might be able

28:34

to turn this into

28:36

some kind of stage play

28:38

compose a song or

28:40

two about our journey you

28:42

know in the ancient

28:44

times it would be people

28:47

like us that they

28:49

would write poets about Hang

28:51

on, they would write

28:53

poems about he corrects himself

28:55

and shakes his head.

28:57

My apology. What do you think?

28:59

Do you think that's on the cards? I

29:01

am going to force the most

29:04

polite smile ever to just assume that

29:06

he didn't just mansplain oral tradition

29:08

to me. I'm just gonna give us

29:10

some polite smiles like... Well, anything

29:12

is in the cards. Opportunity abounds. Quick

29:15

peek at that hanker chief.

29:18

Is there any blood on it? Make

29:20

a spot hidden roll, Bridget. Because

29:22

we're two sessions in and we haven't

29:24

asked for a spot hidden role yet,

29:26

so we're doing something wrong. That's a

29:28

68 over my 45. That is a

29:30

fail. I'm not gonna try to re

29:32

-roll on that one. Okay, he tucks

29:34

the handkerchief away more quickly than you

29:36

can observe its contents, which may be

29:38

for the best. And he

29:41

moves on to you, Shelby. I

29:43

stand up. I'm

29:45

a relatively

29:48

short man. I

29:50

have... skin, the kind of

29:52

tan that you gains a child

29:54

and you ever entirely lose

29:56

even if you're in an overcast

29:58

rainy country. And

30:00

there's certain stockiness

30:02

about his body which

30:04

belies his occupation. As

30:07

he says, I'm Shelby

30:09

Shattuck. I'm recently from

30:11

Oxford, although for my

30:13

accent obviously I'm not originally from there. And

30:17

I'm actually, I am an

30:19

author, although I do have

30:21

quite bit of knowledge of

30:23

literary and other historical components,

30:25

let's say. Very

30:27

interesting indeed. Shelby

30:30

Shattuck here is also something of a

30:32

fabulous, an author of

30:34

fiction, like the Sherlock

30:36

Holmes stories. Isn't

30:38

that right, Mr. Shattuck? Yes,

30:41

Sir Arthur certainly was a bit of

30:43

an inspiration, in terms of at

30:45

least... way to gain some good incomes

30:47

when you're a student. So

30:50

maybe we could have our own king, what

30:53

was his name's gold story out

30:55

of this? Hopefully with more

30:57

better research, yes. And,

30:59

uh, and the next

31:01

two, I'm guessing you are

31:03

either Felix or Hugo,

31:05

he says, looking at Felix.

31:08

I'm Felix, yes, Felix Bauer. Most

31:10

recently from Argentina, but before

31:12

then Germany. I'm here to keep

31:14

you all safe. If

31:17

there's any wild animals or anyone

31:19

threatening the expedition, I'll shoot them

31:21

and keep you alive. That's what

31:23

I'm here for. Well,

31:25

I do hope that that isn't

31:27

necessary. We're hoping

31:30

not to rattle

31:32

the locals too

31:34

much with gunfire. Excuse

31:38

me. And so

31:41

that would make you, Hugo

31:43

Metzger. They are

31:45

corporal Hugo Metzger. He says

31:47

standing like Felix here.

31:49

I am here to act

31:51

as bodyguard to the

31:54

troop as we make our

31:56

way through the wilderness. When

31:59

it comes to

32:01

archaeology and he gestures

32:03

over his head.

32:05

That's quite alright. Corporal

32:08

Metzger, we don't expect

32:10

everybody to be academically

32:12

inclined. And

32:14

that means you

32:17

must be Isabella Melquiades.

32:20

See? She stands

32:22

up. I am Isabella Melquiades, professor

32:24

at the University of Madrid, antiquarian

32:26

studies, though I hope that in the

32:29

next few years we will follow the

32:31

rest of the world and rename it

32:33

archaeology. The

32:35

very excitement, the

32:37

possibility that this journey

32:40

could see us

32:42

discovering a pyramid. Well,

32:45

there is much we do not know

32:47

about the Incas. Well, we will

32:49

cover that while we're on the journey,

32:51

Professor. And so

32:54

you are... Oh, Rupert

32:56

Carradas. Charlie really should have

32:58

introduced me himself. We're

33:01

something like partners in crime.

33:03

I had the utmost faith be able

33:05

to just yourself there, shall we? Ah,

33:08

well, yes. Honestly, my

33:10

role here is for

33:12

the fun, he makes

33:14

a sort of left

33:16

hook, right jab gesture.

33:19

And I come with a wanted load

33:21

of cash. And that isn't to

33:23

say that I'm just going to be

33:25

throwing it around. It's that I

33:27

know that expeditions like this need finance,

33:29

but that there's also the financiers

33:31

and he rubs his fingers and thumbs

33:33

together. I have every

33:35

faith that this collection of

33:37

adventurers will find treasure and

33:40

that people like me will,

33:42

well, benefit off the

33:44

back of it. I suppose there's no

33:46

point being backwards in coming forwards

33:48

about the subject. So, let's

33:50

get moving! And...

33:53

And... And finally...

33:55

Mr. Jesse Hughes.

33:59

Well, you already know me, of course. We

34:01

spoke in the bar. I maybe spoke

34:03

a little too long. My

34:06

name's Jesse Hughes. I

34:08

study folklore, write about

34:10

it, myths, legends, and

34:12

so on in New York

34:14

City. I've...

34:41

Can I ask... Are

34:44

any of you, or

34:46

all of you, watching

34:48

Jesse as he talks? I'm

34:51

watching everyone as they talk, so yeah. Oh

34:53

yeah, for sure. Dialed in. It's the polite

34:55

thing to do. I will allow all of

34:57

you then to make a psychology role here.

35:00

Absolutely. Now

35:03

only one of you needs to

35:05

make a success here. Well, I'm

35:07

sure 89 over 20 is not

35:09

gonna help me out, so... 54

35:11

over 10. Oh dear, so

35:13

did anyone succeed, Bridget? No,

35:15

I actually felled on this one

35:17

to 62 over that 45. Yeah,

35:20

entirely up to you if any of you

35:22

want to spend a lot and get a re

35:24

-roll here, but it's alright, there's not going to

35:26

kill the story if you fail. I

35:28

have critically failed. Oh. Well,

35:31

I re -rolled and got 24 of

35:33

20, so. So the

35:35

way I tend to run critical

35:37

fails in Call of Cthulhu

35:39

is unless it's an action scene,

35:43

Shelby What do you make of

35:45

this? Because whatever you

35:47

make of it is what

35:50

you believe and so Jesse as

35:52

he looks around the table

35:54

and he says it's Looking forward

35:56

to being here with such

35:58

good people. I believe all

36:00

of you are good people and

36:02

I think that we're going to

36:04

find out some some truths that

36:07

are going to Set the world

36:09

on fire You know, Pshelby is

36:11

going to take all that absolute

36:13

base value. That is, when I'm

36:15

to tell the truth, he's not

36:17

in any way disambiguing. Excellent.

36:21

And so with that, Augustus

36:24

lifts a toast. And

36:27

those of you who are on

36:29

the mango juice can enjoy that instead

36:31

of yet more booze. And

36:33

then Larkin starts talking

36:35

about his intent. My

36:38

plan is that we will head

36:40

up to the Highlands. locate the

36:42

site of the Lost Pyramid and

36:44

recover some valuable artifacts. Simple as

36:46

that. It's a pure

36:48

archaeological expedition, he says, looking

36:50

at each of you in

36:52

turn. And I

36:55

expect all of you

36:57

to become wealthy, or at

36:59

least realize some measure

37:01

of success within your chosen

37:03

fields. You

37:06

see, this isn't just

37:08

a hunch I'm operating

37:10

on. I bought a

37:12

few interesting items near

37:14

a city named Puno

37:16

from an alpaca farmer,

37:19

who claims that his grandfather recovered them

37:21

from tunnels beneath a pyramid high

37:23

in the mountains. The

37:25

grandfather never returned to the site

37:27

because of superstitious fear, but he

37:29

told his family that there were

37:31

other treasures in the tunnels. Now

37:34

this farmer couldn't give me

37:36

the precise location for that site,

37:38

but... My subsequent research has

37:40

provided enough detail to narrow it

37:42

down and make this expedition

37:45

viable. At which

37:47

point he snaps his

37:49

fingers at the Mendover

37:51

who unfurls a dirty

37:53

cloth which is rolled

37:56

out on the table

37:58

before him. These

38:00

are the two items that I

38:02

bought from the farmer. One

38:05

is a pendant in the

38:07

form of a man holding two

38:09

rods or staves, is embellished

38:11

with rectangular shapes. The

38:14

other is a golden cup, carved

38:16

with geometrical patterns and

38:18

circles and inlaid with turquoise.

38:21

Please pass them around the table, all

38:23

of you examine them. I would

38:25

hate for any of you to doubt the veracity

38:28

of what we're doing. I would like to doubt

38:30

the veracity of what we're doing. Can make multiple

38:32

rules, took them, and these, or do I have

38:34

to pick one? Uh, so you

38:36

should choose a skill, for instance, archaeology,

38:38

if you have it. I was actually thinking

38:40

more occult, but yeah. Uh, occult can,

38:42

uh, can function as well. 41,

38:44

I'm spending a point of luck to get down to 40.

38:47

Okay. So, using

38:50

occult, what you're looking for

38:52

here, um, the geometric

38:55

patterns, the

38:57

individual, uh... sketched

38:59

in or carved into

39:01

this golden tablet. See if

39:03

there's anything you recognize

39:05

here. The

39:07

golden cup you

39:10

are pretty certain

39:12

based on its

39:14

engravings is Incan

39:16

design. Probably century.

39:19

You can make head nor tail

39:21

of the small pendant. with

39:24

the man and the rectangles. What

39:26

you glean from the geometric

39:28

patterns while you aren't necessarily

39:30

fluent in Quechua is this is

39:32

going to be a mystics

39:34

cup. Now I know

39:37

that's very nebulous, but there

39:39

would have been priests and

39:41

wise men and women in

39:43

the Incan Empire who would

39:45

have conducted ceremonies, not all that

39:47

dissimilar to Catholic mass. and

39:50

a goblet or

39:52

chalice is central to

39:54

many, many faiths.

39:56

The geometric patterns, just

39:59

based on repetition,

40:03

it tells you there is a

40:05

ritual component here, as in

40:07

it's like a prayer has been

40:09

engraved around this cup repeatedly. Probably

40:12

something that would have

40:14

been chanted or prayed aloud

40:17

to reinforce a point. But

40:20

undoubtedly, this was central

40:22

to a ritual, and yeah.

40:24

You would say, probably around 500

40:26

years ago. How

40:29

about the rest of you examining

40:31

this? Do any of you wish

40:33

to attempt something like archaeology, history,

40:35

or occult while examining them? This

40:37

isn't really my forte, but as

40:39

we're talking about how these items

40:41

were found, I will also relay

40:43

the stories that I heard at

40:46

La Taverna about this gold that

40:48

was found by the farmers and

40:50

how, well, they're no longer there,

40:52

how they ended up disappearing. Just

40:55

to see if that's in any way connected. Larkin's

40:58

eyes widen at

41:01

that. Really? Really,

41:03

more f - well, this

41:05

could be very, very

41:07

dangerous. I

41:09

don't mean that the farmers might

41:11

know something, gosh, no, nothing like

41:13

that. More that, if others know

41:15

of it. We may not be

41:18

the first to discover it, but

41:20

then it would have made its

41:22

way to the papers. No, no,

41:24

I'm still convinced. We are the

41:26

ones on the on the true

41:28

path here. I imagine everything you've

41:31

heard not not to discredit your

41:33

own investigation about is purely rumour

41:35

and innuendo. Certainly,

41:37

I have no way of confirming

41:39

its veracity. It's very possible. But

41:41

if there would be any truth

41:43

to it, it could, as you

41:46

say, indicate that Perhaps there's other

41:48

people also looking for these very

41:50

valuable things. So yes, we best

41:52

stay alert. That's why me and

41:54

Hugo are here after all. Demon,

41:57

those are is staring at

41:59

you and there's no psychology

42:01

role needed here. He

42:03

is staring daggers at you

42:05

as you are speaking, Felix. It

42:09

almost looks like he

42:11

has to restrain himself from

42:13

snarling. as he stares. That

42:17

is interesting. Is

42:19

there any reason I can think

42:21

of for that? I mean, it

42:24

couldn't be about the war. We weren't

42:26

on different sides there. No,

42:28

you've not met this man before. Maybe

42:31

something you said? Yeah.

42:34

You passed the

42:37

trinkets on. How

42:40

about you, Madeline? Is there any

42:42

role you wish to make while investigating

42:44

them? And by all means, you

42:46

don't need to make a role. You

42:48

can describe if there is something

42:50

you're looking for, for example. No, absolutely.

42:52

I am far from an archaeologist.

42:54

I'm far from an academic. I am

42:56

far from an occultist. But what

42:58

I am very, very good at is

43:00

leveraging other people to do that

43:02

shit for me. So when the pendant

43:04

comes to me, I am going

43:06

to rise from my seat, walk around

43:08

the table and then scoot in

43:10

directly next to Isabella. As if I

43:12

am looking for inspiration or coaching

43:14

or perspective, I have a thirst for

43:16

knowledge and I've identified her as

43:18

a person of interest that can provide

43:20

it, especially since she's socially awkward.

43:22

I'm going to slide right into the

43:24

chair next to a place that

43:26

I know she's comfortable. Okay. Tell

43:28

me what you see. And I'm going

43:30

to hand her the pendant. She

43:32

holds it up and she

43:35

examines it under the

43:37

light and she looks at

43:39

you. coy

43:41

smile and gestures at it

43:43

with her head and says

43:46

a lot of men especially

43:48

examine jewelry like this flat

43:50

on a table they do

43:52

not realize that to get

43:54

the best of it you

43:57

need to look at it

43:59

how it is worn how

44:01

the light might glisten off

44:03

of a piece of it

44:05

how you might see an

44:07

etching or shape You

44:10

know, on a 2D plane is

44:13

just not visible. And

44:15

I, um, convinced

44:17

that this is an

44:19

authentic relic. This is indeed

44:21

ancient, the way that

44:23

it has been treated and

44:26

worked. And

44:28

she bites her lip. Hmm.

44:33

And she lowers her voice. And

44:35

she lowers the pendant. But

44:37

something is strange. I

44:40

would place, without further

44:42

examination, keep in mind that

44:45

hypothesis is the death

44:47

of reason, that

44:49

this pendant dates

44:51

back to, I would

44:53

say, the century?

44:57

Long before conquistadors

44:59

and colonists from

45:01

Europe arrived

45:03

here. This

45:05

chalice is from much later. It's

45:08

almost Catholic in design,

45:10

except for the etchings,

45:12

which seem questuar in

45:14

origin. There's

45:16

a thousand years I would suggest

45:18

between them. Wow,

45:20

indeed. The pendant, she

45:23

says, is... This is an

45:25

ancient treasure. In

45:27

Europe, the excitement we

45:29

have when we find

45:32

Roman coins are a

45:34

Greek temple. That

45:36

is what we should

45:38

be experiencing now, looking at

45:40

this pendant in such

45:42

fine condition, wherever it has

45:45

been that has been preserved, unmolested

45:48

by time and

45:50

the elements. I

45:52

wrink on my nose at her as

45:54

she's speaking, because again, everyone

45:56

has a lane, everyone has a purpose,

45:58

everyone has a passion. If you

46:00

can tap into it and just watch

46:02

them go, it's... it's a beautiful

46:04

thing to behold and in this moment.

46:06

I am genuinely further impressed with

46:08

Isabella and I just wrinkled my nose

46:10

that are in Almost like a

46:12

gratitude max mixed with a certain degree

46:14

of awe Then I'm gonna look

46:17

to Larkin and say mr. Larkin. I

46:19

am curious When you made the

46:21

decision to embark on this expedition, why

46:23

did you go to the papers

46:25

to do an outcall versus? I

46:27

don't know selling this

46:29

opportunity to people in

46:32

your own Circles or

46:34

specifically approaching individuals from

46:36

university. I'm just curious

46:38

why you chose the

46:41

outreach method that you

46:43

did He smiles at

46:45

you and all told

46:47

it's a sickly look

46:49

I Miss Hopper I

46:52

have no desire to

46:54

share our findings We

46:56

go to a university

46:59

We find an archaeological

47:01

group. You

47:03

sign up to a

47:05

government or sponsored expedition. Nothing

47:08

that you claim is

47:11

truly yours. And

47:13

that is not to say that

47:15

we are simple looters, and he gestures

47:17

to calm voices that weren't raised. But

47:20

it is to

47:22

say that we should

47:25

earn our due. If

47:27

we are the only folk

47:29

who wish to explore this, who

47:31

are putting our own money

47:34

and lives at risk to do

47:36

so, then why ought we

47:38

not be rewarded? Quick

47:40

glance over at Jesse and then another

47:42

quick glance over at Shelby. As a

47:44

non -academic, I have no idea whether

47:46

he was just blowing complete smoke up my

47:48

nostrils or whether that was true. Just

47:50

as a glance over at those two

47:52

individuals, does that feel authentic to them? Well,

47:56

in Jersey's case, he...

47:58

He doesn't seem happy with

48:00

this. Okay. He has

48:02

an expression that is not

48:04

concealed. He is clearly...

48:07

Troubled by this idea that,

48:09

oh, we've been hired

48:11

to loot a pyramid. Yeah.

48:14

And he doesn't raise his voice about it.

48:16

Maybe he doesn't feel it's the place to

48:18

do so. How

48:20

about Shelby? I'm a

48:23

little more withdrawn about it. She

48:42

is currently hypnotized with the pendant

48:44

which she has not moved on to

48:46

someone else. Jesse

48:49

does speak up. I

48:51

just want to make something

48:53

clear. I'm here for academic reasons.

48:56

Sure, it'll be great if all of us end up

48:58

with a little bit of coin in our pocket. And

49:01

he gestures at Rupert. Clearly

49:04

it's your... ...main reason for

49:06

being here, Mr. Carruthers. And

49:08

I appreciate how... ...open you

49:10

are about that. But...

49:13

...I'm not here to carry off a

49:16

sack of gold. I

49:18

may be a folklorist...

49:20

...uh... ...but I'm not...

49:22

tomb robber. Oh,

49:25

no, no, please, please, please, uh,

49:27

Mr. Hughes, uh,

49:30

is, uh, you, you

49:32

misunderstand, I think. Uh,

49:34

that was my fault. The

49:36

truth is, there is far

49:39

too much oversight, too much red

49:41

tape, you know, forms to

49:43

fill in, checks that... People, quite

49:45

frankly, he says, conspiratorially, you

49:47

have to bribe officials. when

49:50

you get involved with

49:52

governments and official organisations. It

49:55

is a lot simpler to do.

49:57

This is a private enterprise, which

49:59

is what I am doing. I

50:01

apologise. I misspoke. We

50:03

are not tomb robbers. Let me

50:05

make that absolutely clear. No

50:07

one is going to be robbing

50:09

anything. Jesse does

50:11

not look mollified by this, but he doesn't

50:13

speak up again. Okay. As

50:16

the main course is finally

50:18

served, And you

50:20

tuck into your delightful meal

50:22

Questions follow and conversation is thick

50:24

and fast as Interrogations ensue

50:26

but gentle ones They're interrogations in

50:28

the sense that people want

50:30

answers people want to know more

50:32

about this this farmer people

50:34

want to know more about this

50:36

pyramid this gold where it

50:38

was found what might be find

50:40

in Puno how are we

50:42

going to get there what? Transport

50:45

arrangements have already been put in

50:47

place The conversation is

50:49

dense with questions and although Augustus

50:51

has to break from it

50:54

occasionally to cough or walk away

50:56

from the table, he

50:58

always returns and always

51:00

supplies answers. Joining

51:15

us as our Keeper is none other than our

51:17

dear friend Matthew Dawkins and we were also joined

51:19

by Bridget Jeffries and Eddie Webb. The

51:22

music was made by AgriSonus and

51:24

Halgrath and we've also used CryoChamber's Lovecraftian

51:26

compilation albums. All of this with

51:28

the permission of CryoChamber. Check out their

51:30

website at cryochamber .bankcamp .com or their

51:32

YouTube channel for some moody dark ambient

51:34

for your gaming table. We

51:36

would like to give massive thanks to our

51:38

champions of the Red Moon, Martin Horshaw Bear, Simon

51:40

Cooper, Julia, Camilla, Bob Lange, Cameron, Graham Berry,

51:42

Dick Thompson, Lily, Maché. Black Templar, Dennis Saletsky, and

51:44

Leonhard for their generous support. You would of

51:46

course also like to thank all of our other

51:49

Patrons. Without your support, this show would not

51:51

be possible. If you want to support our work,

51:53

please check us out on Patreon. You can

51:55

access to bonus campaigns for Cultivity Lost, Call of

51:57

Cthulhu, Warhammer Fancy Roleplay, and Warhammer 40k Imperium

51:59

Melodictum there, and you can also get early and

52:01

raw access to all of our recordings, and

52:03

hear your name read on the show as a

52:05

champion of the Red Moon, as well as

52:07

even play some cult with us. Most importantly that

52:09

supports what keeps the show going so do

52:12

check us out there. Thank you again for listening

52:14

and remember I am last,

52:16

I tell the Audient Void.