Gameplay

Robert goes for the satchel first, which is definitely a product of this century. The sack beside it chinks as he pulls the satchel toward himself and looks inside. Within is a trowel, a flask half filled with fetid water, a German passport, a stick of dynamite and a leather-bound journal.

At this point, Eugen has brushed the entirety of the stone and has found nothing.

The passport identifies him as one Sascha Karner, born August 2nd 1880, place of residence - Berlin.

There is a demolitions skill for more complex use, but using a single stick won't require any special skill though using it might cause the tunnels to collapse so there is risk involved. Absent Demolitions, Mechanical Repair would come a close second, or at a push, a Hard Know roll would find a good spot at the entrance (and three rounds preparation).

The translation takes some time as Robert stumbles over some of the words. In that time, the first candle (held by Eugen) reaches the end of its life, leaving you with just one candle lit. The tentacles on the ominous inverted cross-like shrine seem to reach out further toward you.

There are entries dated from 1910 to 1916 describing Sascha Karner's time as an anthropologist. It also outlines his trip to Egypt and his attempts to unearth ancient Egyptian artifacts. In addition, Karner writes about his English companion, an archaeologist named Dr Gerald Sutton.

There are many entries outlining the difficult work environment due to the Great War and often Karner praises Sutton for his assistance in dealing with the English authorities.

The final four entries appear to be the most significant.

The mural on the northern wall depicts a sickening scene of an Egyptian city being attacked by an army of horrific beings. There are two notable types of creature: those with the bodies of men and the heads of animals, who wield various weapons, and those with the bodies of animals and the heads of men.

Black tendrils burst from the ground and sky, tearing the city and its occupants apart. Some of the creatures eat corpses that have been laid upon tables, while others frolic in the chaos. A pharaoh, robed entirely in black, is depicted with an impossibly dark face and seated atop a pyramid-like throne borne by the hybrid monsters; he is being carried through the horrific scene.

Clara stands looking at the shrine, identifying this Egyptian symbol of life has been inverted to represent something sinister. The shrine holds countless pieces of ancient incense in small compartments, honeycombed throughout its base. Nearly 100 tiny statues of men stand around the base of the shrine. She also realises the tendrils are not actually moving, it's a trick of the light and they are in fact motionless.

The final pages of the journal...

As Robert translates the final lines, there is suddenly a noise, a muffled scraping sound followed by a loud heavy clang.