J&L: Game, Sutekh & Match (2)

The Red Tavern

Doctor: "Ah, so this is the revered and renowned Red Tavern then? Rave repository of revelry and refreshment?"

PGL: "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Doctor. He gets ever so jealous when someone tries to upstage him."

HGJ: "Hmm. What was that?"

PGL: "Oh, nothing Henry. Just acquainting The Doctor with the house rules, so to speak."

HGJ: "Ellie! Allow me to introduce you to..."

Ellie: "Oh I know who 'ee is alright!"

Doctor: "Ellie, please, we can talk about..."

*A powerful dry SMACK as Ellie strikes the Doctor with her open palm. A hush momentarily descends on the Tavern.*

Doctor: "I probably deserved that."

Ellie: "Not 'alf! Been waiting 80 odd years to do that, Doctor. Anyways, now it's over with, what can I get you folks? Ales all round?"

PGL: "Delightful, my dear."

HGJ: "I quite agree."

Doctor: "Actually, make mine a tea, thanks."

Ellie: "Tea?!"

Doctor: "Tea, yes. You know, a hot beverage brewed from dried leaves stewed in boiling water. Usually comes in dainty cups, stained mugs, or sometimes those awful disposable cardboard things with the fiddly plastic lid. Surely you know tea, it's Victorian London!"

Ellie: "I do actually know what tea is, Doctor. It's just this place is more in the business of serving pints."

Doctor: "Fair enough. Odd to drink tea from a glass, but you're the boss."

Ellie: "I'll see what I can do. Word of warning gents, 'ee's always like this."

PGL: "Grateful for the warning Ellie. Now Doctor, it's time we received an explanation."

HGJ: "For starters, who is this Sutekh cove exactly?"

Doctor: "Sutekh is an Osirian. A great and powerful race of gifted telepaths, whose power was said to eclipse even the Time Lords. They could dominate the minds of lesser beings, manipulate inanimate objects, and project their consciousness across vast distances."

HGJ: "Sounds dashed difficult to defeat. Don't suppose there are any friendly Osirians who could help us with this Sutekh?"

Doctor: "Sutekh is the last of his kind, I'm afraid. His appetite for destruction led him to raze his homeworld to dust, and blazed his way across multiple galaxies, leaving nothing but chaos in his wake. A small group of surviving Osirians managed to corner Sutekh on Earth, in Egypt. Together, they managed to seal him inside a pyramid, supposedly for good. These Osirians perished not long after, by all accounts."

PGL: "So, you're telling us that these beings became the inspiration for the Egyptian gods?"

Doctor: "Correctamundo, Professor!"

HGJ: "If Sutekh was sealed away by godly entities, what hope do we have now that he's breaking free?"

Doctor: "Because we have the unbeatable combination of a police pathologist and a theatrical impresario! The indomitable spirit of Victorian England! Besides, this isn't my first time battling old Sutekh."

HGJ: "Aha, Doctor! Daring defeater of dastardly destructive deities!"

PGL: "Perhaps a summary of your previous encounter might help us defeat the villain this time?"

Doctor: "Sutekh was physically trapped in his pyramid while an energy field dampened his psychic powers. However, so strong was his will that he could still manipulate some weak minded humans. Over the centuries, he created a cult, driven to secure his release. They would have succeeded in 1911 were it not for a timely intervention from yours truly."

HGJ: "But that's all in the future!"

Doctor: "Time traveller, remember. I managed to trap Sutekh in a time corridor It would have taken him longer than his lifespan to reach the exit."

PGL: "Let me guess, his mental powers allowed him to continue his influence over his cultists."

Doctor: "That's my working theory anyway.  Ah, here comes Ellie with our drinks."