Update on Odysseus’ Bow

James McKenzie, the husband of Tamara Jenkins, professor of Occult Studies, was now in the thick of it. He had to find a descendant of Gilgamesh, one who could wield the power of Gilgamesh and complete the group needed to keep Nimrod from being released or if he was released, to imprison him again. James went to the Vault and began to seek the answer of where to locate the descendant.
Sumer is ancient Mesopotamia, which became Babylon, and eventually, Persia which is modern day Iraq/Iran. James began to think about this fact as to where to locate the right descendant of Gilgamesh when Thor appeared and told him that he would aid him in his search. Thor was one of the Norse Guardians, God of thunder, and protector of Humanity according to Norse Mythology. His knowledge was incredible, he had known Gilgamesh and had been present when they had imprisoned Nimrod.
Thor said to James, “Look for a descendant amongst the Cimmerians, it is where you will find your answer.”
James called for the volumes in the Vault that told the history of the Cimmerians and who their last king was. The most logical place to begin looking was to search in Crimea, that is where they would find the descendant of Gilgamesh that they were seeking. James armed with the knowledge of where to look went to bring Tamara and the others the news of what he had found with Thor’s assistance.
When James shared what he had discovered, the others were surprised, the last place they would have guessed to look was in Crimea. They traveled to Crimea and began the search for Gilgamesh’s descendant. What they found was a shock to them all. In a monastery, located on a lonely mountain was an orphaned boy, he was barely eighteen years old, dirty, skinny, and undernourished. His name was Haci, and he was a student at the monastery.
When the four Sorcerers approached him, Ysbrid began to glow, as well as the Swords of legend, Sgiath, and the Sword of Batraz. The boy, Haci, looked up and was shocked to see them. Appearing suddenly as if magic, he was almost about to call them demons when Sebastian spoke to him in Crimean. Haci looked at him, and in the back of his eyes, a glow began to emanate. Much like Tamara when she found Sgiath.
Sebastian transported them to an island off the Crimean peninsula. In a hidden alcove, was a doorway and it led to an antechamber, and once they entered, Sebastian used magic to illuminate the cave. Sebastian knew what was needed here. They required the weapon of the Cimmerian Kings. Fyall, the golden ax appeared, and as efficiently as Tamara had wielded Sgiath, Haci took the battle-ax and was amazed by the power that he controlled. Everything he used the blade upon was cleft in two, and nothing it seemed could withstand it.
Tamara is looking at Haci, decided that he needed a bath, new garments, and some hot food. She conjured a stone bath filled with steaming hot water and ushered the rest of the group out so that Haci could bathe. Once he was finished bathing, she gave him new garments, Tamara gave him food to sustain and strengthen him. The same food that Ihk Bin had once shared with her. Haci was glowing, and his body is responding to the heavenly food, began to pile on muscle and sinew. He looked the picture of health.
With his new garments, new found strength and health, they sat down with Haci and explained to him his ancestry, who they were, and why they had come. Haci was astonished, at first he didn’t believe them, but once they showed the weapons to him, and what they could do, as well as the evidence of their magical powers, he couldn’t argue with them. He was afraid though, this was a lot to take in on one conversation, and it took some time as well as showing him visions from the past to convince him that he was who they said he was.
Now came the time to enlist his aid in the battle against the Magus and to keep Nimrod imprisoned. Haci knew who Nimrod was, at least from the biblical sense; the monks had trained him well, his knowledge was quite extensive on the subject and contained more than written in the bible. Caladan asked him how he had gained such wisdom and he explained that in the depths of the crypts in the monastery, were rows of scrolls so ancient that not even the majority of the monks were aware of their existence.
Looking at each other, the four Sorcerers decided that those ancient records needed to be in safekeeping, James sent them all to the vault and sent duplicates to the Great Library. Knowledge is power, and he who has the secrets is most powerful, he also wanted to prevent the scrolls from falling into the hands of their enemies and most notably the Magus.
Once they had eaten and were all rested, Tamara decided that Haci needed some training, and this was as good a time as any other. At first, Haci was hesitant, he was fearful of magic, but Tamara coached him into relaxing, and as he tried and failed, she started to feel that they might have made a mistake when Caladan found something in the chamber. At the back of the grotto, was a small chest. Inscribed with symbols of protection and in ancient Sumerian was written, “Within lies, the power of Gilgamesh, use it wisely.” Caladan opened the casket and inside was the most incredible golden gorget that he had ever seen. Intricately made, and in its center was a large ruby, the size of an egg. Caladan handed it to Tamara, and when she placed it around the neck and shoulders of Haci, his eyes began to glow with a golden aura, and when he raised Fyall, the whole chamber filled with light.
At that moment, Tamara told Haci to repeat what she had spoken to him, a portal opened up and grabbing Haci by the arm, she propelled him through the portal and followed after him. They left the gateway and stood at the gates of the Underworld, in front of them was Charon, the ferryman of the dead, in his boat, waiting to ferry them across the rivers Styx and Acheron into the realm of Hades. James reached into the pouch he carried and produced a drachma, the cost of being transported to the Underworld.
Caladan asked Charon if the Magus had crossed the rivers recently and Charon indicated that he had not arrived yet. The only way for the living to enter into the Underworld was on his boat. That brought a little relief to the group. They had arrived ahead of the Magus and were still able to prevent him from fulfilling his plans and releasing Nimrod and Kronos. Tamara took advantage of the crossing to continue teaching Haci, and in a moment of rest, she asked Sebastian how he had retrieved the sword he carried.
Sebastian laughed and told them the tale of how he found the sword. “I was a student at Cambridge and being in Professor Argyle’s class was an eye-opening experience. The old man knew so much more than he ever taught. I asked him of the legend of Arthur, and that sparked a several months long private education into the myth of Arthur and the Sarmatian King Batraz, and how the two legends were so closely related. After I left Cambridge, I decided to attempt to find Excalibur. I had no luck in Brittain but followed the clues that the Professor had shared, and upon reaching the Sea of Azov, I discovered a hidden alcove and in it was written the story of Batraz. In it was the telling of how his most trusted vassal had brought the sword to the sea and when he had cast it in as commanded, a hand raised up out of the water and caught it. After that, I studied the lore to learn how to summon the spirit in the sea, and when she had examined me, found me to be Batraz heir, and gave me the sword. It is Excalibur for sure and certain. It is also the magical sword of Batraz.”
They were all stunned into silence, so Excalibur was here with them along with the Swords of Legend, Sgiath, Ysbrid, and finally Fyall. They realized that the only weapon they indeed had to worry about was Odysseus’ Bow. That one weapon could be their undoing, and it had to stay out of the hands of Nimrod.
The journey to Tartarus was not a simple crossing as had been with Charon; they would need to cross the river of fire, they would need to descend to the depths of the Underworld itself. Hades would surely be expecting them, and Tamara was aware that he would have many traps and snares laid out to prevent them from getting to Tartarus ahead of the Magus.
Hades as with all the Guardians was unable to release the prisoners of Tartarus, that power rested with the five that were traveling there and Ihk Bin or Athair. The battle to prevent the Magus from firing the bow and opening the sarcophagus that imprisoned Nimrod was at hand. He alone could release Kronos, destroyer of the world.
They had been fortunate so far, Hades was either unaware of their presence or felt they were no threat. Tamara felt like they were on borrowed time. Once Hades discovered their intentions, they would have not only the Magus to deal with but the Lord of the Underworld as well. They arrived at the Gates of the Underworld and Charon gave them a warning, “I know why you have come, the living usually does not enter into the land of the dead, surely Hades will know of your presence soon. I suggest you follow this path,” he pointed the way, “and avoid the main halls of Hades domain.”
Tamara thanked Charon, and they exited the ship. All of the party were on guard; they were leery of every shadow and dark place. Caladan and James formed a rear guard with Sebastian in the front and Tamara and Haci in the center. All of them prepared to fight at a moments notice.
They had traveled for what seemed like hours before the came to the first hurdle to overcome. Before them was Cerberus, the Hellhound, and he was angry. His three heads were moving to and fro looking for any of the dead who might be trying to escape. Using a concealing spell, they passed past him and were almost out of the chamber when Cerberus smelled them; he alerted all of the Underworld that something was amiss.
Hades appeared at his beckoning and searching for the intruders kept sensing they were there, but could not see them. He called to Tamara and said, “I can detect your presence Semiramis, it has been eons since we last met, I know you are here to stop the Magus from doing my bidding, you are going to fail.” Hearing Hades challenge, the Sorcerers ran forward and down the pathway that Charon had indicated, hoping that it is safe. They had no idea what to expect but were as prepared as could be for whatever Hades had devised to stop them.
They began descending shortly after entering the passageway. The Sorcerers saw the dead, and it caused them to catch their breath. The denizens of the Underworld were as an endless sea, and not only Greeks but from all ages and civilizations. Greeks, Romans, Scythians, Sarmatians, Christians, etc…, it was remarkable to see all these civilizations being held here waiting for judgment.
They continued descending and were on alert for traps, they came to an intersection in the passage and trying to choose which way to go, they looked for a clue of some sort when Caladan said that Charon said to continue going left until they came to the fork in the passage, then go right. Hoping that this was the fork that Charon spoke of, they went directly, and the hallway began to descend steeply. They were dropping at an alarming pace, almost losing their footing several times.
They came to a vast chamber and in the center of the room stood a sarcophagus made entirely of blue granite; Inscribed with symbols, runes, protections, and on it was the name of its occupant, Nimrod. Wary of what to expect next they began to search the area and look for any way that the Magus could enter without their knowledge. There were two entrances to the room and one exit, the other entry came through a maze, and unless the Magus went in that way, they were well equipped to handle an attack.
Getting set, they posted sentries on the doorways and settled in to make a stand against the Magus. He would come, no matter what they did. They continued to search the room and found many clues as to how their ancestors had trapped Nimrod here and put him into the sarcophagus. They had fought him for weeks on end, and he was about to defeat them when Semiramis and Gilgamesh tricked him into showing his hand, it was then that Batraz and Dagda trapped him and overpowering Nimrod, placed him in the sarcophagus where he had lain ever since.
Only the bow could break the seal that held him, they must not allow the Magus to fire that weapon and break the seal, if they did, they would have to fight both of them, and that might be more than they could do. This time though, Hades was on the side of Nimrod, and when the four had trapped Nimrod, he was still an ally. He wanted revenge against his brothers Zeus and Poseidon, and this was one way to get it.