The Scarab of the Ages was a beetle once -- oversized and bloated, but alive -- before being touched by the hands of the Gods... or at least by the hands of Ethereals, which is almost as good. It is said the Scarab was used to bring wisdom to the Pharaohs, and that seems true enough, as the Scarab in its current form -- a heavy stone of blue and yellow, apparently formed by coating the original insect with a substance that solidified and has discolored over the centuries -- is a talisman of significant power, granting its holder Detect Lies/6, Knowledge: Economics/6, Knowledge: Political Science/6, Knowledge: Law/6, Savoir Faire/6, Emote/6 and Intimidation/6. One of the true mysteries of the Scarab of the Ages, beyond what kind of power could have created so complete a talisman, is how the skills the artifact grants seem to apply to whatever culture the holder finds himself within. So, a farmer in Ancient Sparta could speak intelligently on Spartan finances, the political structure of Sparta and the other Greek states, Sparta's laws and so on... and a farmer in Illinois can speak intelligently on Illinois finances, the political structure of Illinois and the United States, America's laws....
It is a powerful artifact indeed, and therefore it isn't surprising it would become a target. Having been discovered in an Egyptian exhibit by Elibbi, a Calabite of Theft, it was only a matter of time before it would be stolen and carried away.
The Scarab was stolen in New York. Elibbi didn't truly understand what she had, of course. She had never been a very bright Calabite, which made it hard to serve Valefor well. She knew she had an artifact, but not what kind. Perhaps, she reasoned, Valefor would be happy with her if she turned it in. So, she began making her way to the nearest Tether to Theft.
Of course, she was carrying the Scarab as she went, and naturally it began to open her thoughts to new possibilities. After all, it was clearly valuable, and while politically it would be wise to curry favor with her Prince, dramatic thefts made one noticeable. If she could convert the Scarab into other resources -- perhaps resources that fit her needs -- she could both get credit for stealing the thing in the first place and get some tangible benefit. This could put her in the enviable position of impressing Valefor without asking any reward -- a win-win situation! So, she needed to hold onto the Scarab while she worked out the best people to fence it with.
Even as her political savvy had expanded with the Scarab's influence, however, so had her economic savvy. She knew that there were many Princes in New York, and that they traded favors carefully. She had to be certain the party she sold the Scarab to would both reward her appropriately and wouldn't ruffle the wrong feathers. So, she carefully let out feelers while carefully observing all the proper etiquette for the sale.
Sadly, the Scarab doesn't make one precognitive. The feelers Elibbi sent out were enough out of character to make the Game suspicious of her. When the Game contacted her "to arrange the sale," Elibbi was able to see through their lies and back off. Using her understanding of mortal law and criminal etiquette, Elibbi was able to make life difficult for the Gamesters. Still, she decided that New York City was unhealthy for her, right that moment, and instead flew out to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she contacted the powerful and significant Mammon presence. It made more sense to broker the Scarab through the Mammonites when there was this much heat, especially when she was pushing Renegade status as it was.
The Mammonite she contacted -- an old 'friend' of hers named Nygerious -- was a powerful Balseraph in Las Vegas's largely demon controlled streets. Mammon might be a minor Demon Prince these days, but Las Vegas is his, after all. Nygerious made some inquiries about the Scarab Elibbi described to him, and figured out it might be the Scarab of the Ages. Knowing this, he contacted the nearest Tether of Death, and made a side deal, learning what the Samingans would pay for such a powerful and prestigious Egyptian Artifact (it being known Saminga wants inducements to learn more Necromancy from the Egyptians). Having learned how much he could get for the Scarab of the Ages, as well as a rough guess at what Elibbi would sell it for, Nygerious decided to 'reduce his overhead.' even as Elibbi's plane was landing.
The Mammonites met her at the airport, and tried to bully her into giving up the Scarab for far too little. She saw through their bluff and used her own (Scarab-enhanced) talents for Intimidation to back them off. When Nygerious joined them and tried to open negotiations of his own, Elibbi saw the way the political winds were turning and beat a hasty retreat. She fled into the heart of the city. Sadly, the Scarab didn't contain any skills in irony, so Elibbi thought nothing of getting a room in the fabulous -- and Egyptian themed -- Luxor hotel. While not *too* opulent, her room is halfway up the huge glass Pyramid, overlooking the strip. At this point, she considered returning to her Heart in Hell and simply seeking Valefor's protection, but having sought better rewards than his before, Elibbi's grown paranoid -- if she had successfully fenced the Scarab, that would be one thing -- but her coup in stealing the Scarab in the first place had been nullified by her mistakes in trying to sell it, her attracting the Game, and her problems in Las Vegas. This only grew worse when her paranoia and indecision led her to stay in the hotel for more than three days, starting a dissonance cycle.
Elibbi has started to build an organization of informants -- using her political savvy and savoir faire to good advantage -- while staying in the relatively safe confines of the Luxor. This has begun to make her dissonant, of course, but she hopes to cope with that later -- when the heat has died down a little. Realizing she needs money to really peddle influence (and buy herself back into the Mammonites' good graces, if not Nygerious's), she has begun to build up a stock portfolio (using the Scarab's Economics skill, of course). Stocks are the safest way for her to gather money, after all -- she has no particular skill in gambling and doesn't dare use her talents for Theft in the heart of Mammon's city. Not when she wants to get into Mammon's good graces.
Elibbi doesn't realize that her empire building is having repercussions, however. In many ways, she hasn't figured out just how powerful her Scarab is, or how it's affecting her way of doing things. The more money she amasses and the more recruits she takes into her organization, the more of an impact she has on the Las Vegas community. That impact has generally been beneficial, as well -- after all, true politicians know that the more you do for your constituants, the more they will do for you in turn. This 'positive motion' in the streets of Las Vegas has caught the attention of the Game, who have managed to learn Elibbi fled to that area. As she is staying in one area (a dissonant activity for any Servitor of Theft) and apparently doing the people in the area more good than harm, her Renegade status seems assured.
At this point, several forces are converging on Elibbi, who uses the Luxor (and its "family friendly" atmosphere) as the safest haven she can, right now. The Game is closing in on her as a Renegade. The Mammonites know where she is, but don't want an incident, so they're willing to wait her out -- counting on dissonance to reduce her to a puddle of Discord soon enough, which in turn will let them walk in and get the Scarab. The Samingans, knowing that the Scarab is probably in Las Vegas, have begun to move into the city in force, as Saminga himself is interested in the project now and proceeding with his customary lack of grace. Nygerious is trying to figure out how to get rid of Elibbi without offending his superiors, while scoring the Scarab for himself. And even Heaven is getting involved, as Marc's Servitors have noticed the greatly increased (and scrupulous legal) stock trading going on, as well as money being spread down Elibbi's organization, improving their lives. Having learned that the benefactors is a Renegade Servitor of Theft who's not moving, it is felt that Elibbi would be an excellent candidate for Redeeming, and perhaps would Redeem more easily than normal. This, of course, is what the Game is afraid of.
The PCs, naturally, are sent to get Elibbi. They could be Gamesters, whereupon their mandate is capturing Elibbi, stripping her of the Scarab, and dragging her to Hell for trial and punishment. The 'mainstream' Servitors of Mammon want to resolve the standoff in the Luxor without violence (and preferably by getting their hands on both the Scarab and a good chunk of Elibbi's new fortune) before too many major Demon Princes decide to get involved -- the PCs could be part of Las Vegas's Mammonite community or they could be 'freelance help' the Mammonites bring in to deal with the problem while remaining deniable. If serving (or hired by) Saminga, the PCs have to get the Scarab, preferably *with* an incident to spread a little death and spice things up. If they work for Marc (or otherwise are Angels), they're following up on the rumor of Elibbi going bright, and would seek to both pull her out (and to safety) and to keeping her organization intact, as a wedge against Mammon's strength in the city. Of course, any of the above would have to contend with Nygerious and *his* heavies -- but then the PCs could be hired or recruited by Nygerious to do *his* dirty work for him. He doesn't care what happens to Elibbi (and mostly doesn't care about her money) so long as he gets the Scarab and can finish his deal with the Samingans.
Of course... Elibbi *isn't* really a Renegade, and it's safe to say Valefor's watching. He has her Heart, after all. The PCs might be Servitors of Theft, going in to rescue Elibbi. Or, to steal the Scarab and abandon her. Or, to steal her fortune and abandon her. Or, to steal the Scarab *and* her fortune and abandon her. Plus everything that isn't tied down.
And who's to say the PCs couldn't have been recruited as a part of Elibbi's growing organization -- especially if they're themselves Outcast and/or Renegade. Or, a group of Renegades and Outcasts might be recruited by the Egyptian Ethereals to recover the Scarab of the Ages without either paying Saminga's price or anyone else's....
Regardless of the PCs' role, Elibbi is very hard to reach at this point. She's paid up several weeks in advance in her room, and most of the hotel's regular staff has fallen into her political and economic web. She's very highly regarded by the hotel staff and those near to the hotel -- perfectly generous, concerned and effective in getting things done when needed. As a result, simply breaking in and attacking Elibbi isn't likely to be effective. And, even if they *are* able to confront Elibbi alone, she won't go down without a fight -- and while Elibbi *is* dissonant (and possibly discordant at this point), she is still a powerful Calabite, and not at all easy to destroy.
Return to main Iron Rev page.