𓋹 Darius "Dari" Khaled de La Garde 𓋹

~The Desert Jackal~

Dari is the son of Egyptologist Mariam El-Fouly - a member of the Arthur Initiative and the daughter of Khaled El-Fouly who serves as the director of linguistics at the Reliquary of Alexandria - and Olivier de la Garde - a French historian and thrill seeker from a rich family in France that often works closely with the Arthur Initiative.
When growing up, Dari was taught Arabic, French, Greek, and English, and later continued studying Latin, Coptic and ancient Egyptian. He's only truly fluid in English and Arabic, relatively proficient in Greek and French, but only somewhat adept in Latin, Coptic, and ancient Egyptian. He never had an interest in languages, but his parents insisted that he learn. His favourite activities include watching old adventure movies, playing puzzle games, and reading comic books. He also enjoys coming along with his mother on expeditions every now and then, as long as it's not too frequently.

He has an exceptional bond with cats, though not to a supernatural degree. Cats simply seem to be a bit more relaxed around him than other people. It does help that he loves cats too. And just like cats, Dari has an unreasonable fear of snakes. Just the thought of a snake could give him nightmares.

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𓋹 The Bracelets of Anubis 𓋹

Throughout human history, few cultures are as known for their love of jewellery as the ancient Egyptians. Although humans throughout the world have always fancied personal decor, the ancient Egyptian people took it to another level. Not only was jewellery a symbol of wealth, status, and cultural prosperity, it was also seen as and used for protection and empowerment. It was believed that jewellery could bestow the wearer with strength, luck, health, and protection against evil. This belief was so strong that certain pieces of jewellery were used for very specific purposes - not only for the living, but also the dead. Mummified bodies were often adorned with a decorated scarab on their chest to ensure that you’d not bear false witness in the Hall of Two Truths as well as serving as a substitute for the heart of the deceased should anything happen to their real heart.

Naturally, in a culture so focused on the power of accessories it would only make sense this was reflected in the religious beliefs. Symbols of the gods were often incorporated into accessories such as usekh collars, bracelets, pendants, and rings. Symbols such as the Eye of Horus and the Eye of Ra were very common, and the image of Khepri was often seen decorating the chest of the Pharaoh. Even the gods were seen brandishing such ornaments and even carried unique accessories that could even help identify the deity in question. Although the gods were depicted with these items, they were rarely officially named or documented. But even so, local myths and oral traditions survive and are carried from mouth to mouth until a clue or story is recorded by someone somewhere.

The Bracelets of Anubis were first mentioned in a letter written in demotic script on papyrus, signed “The Eye of the Gods, servant of Sekhmet”. The Eye of the Gods, Djiret-netjeru in ancient Egyptian, is an ancient sect that dates all the way back to the Old Kingdom with a strange and mysterious history. In the letter it was written that the Bracelets of Anubis would be located in the resting-place of Djoser, in a section not yet discovered and safe from the ravages of tomb raiders. The letter also mentioned the potential danger and power of the artefact and how it mustn’t fall into the hands of fools that do not comprehend its importance.

Mariam El-Fouly was born to Khaled El-Fouly, a prominent member of the Arthur Initiative in Alexandria. Khaled El-Fouly served as the director of Linguistics at the Mouseion of Alexandria, also known as the Reliquary of Alexandria, which was named after the old Ptolemaic institution which included the famous Library of Alexandria. Contrary to popular belief, the burning of the Library during Caesar’s civil war in 48 BCE was not the final end of the library, nor was it the start of its decline. In 145 BCE, Ptolemaios VIII Euergetes Tryphon began to drive intellectuals out of Alexandria. The head librarian, Aristarchus of Samothrace, resigned from his position and moved to Cyprus which officially began the decline of the Library’s popularity. By the time Julius Gaius Caesar’s civil war caused parts of the library to burn down, the library had already suffered the consequences of the centuries past. Although the library was rebuilt some time after Cleopatra’s ascension of the throne, it never truly returned to its former glory and by 275 CE the library was no more. Or at least, this is how it happened according to publicly available recorded history. In truth, Aristarchus originally worked for an organisation known as Ammit’s Vigilance, but wanted to make the secret aspects of the institution publicly available. His efforts were undermined by other members and the man was eventually exiled from Egypt altogether. The true reason for the Library’s decline was indeed funding. Ammit’s Vigilance operated within and underneath the Mouseion and as the operation was forced to expand it also required more government funding which came at the cost of funding for public institutions, such as the public library. Centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Holy Crusades brought the Arthur Initiative to the Middle East - and eventually to Egypt following clues left behind by Ammit’s Vigilance. Once the true location of the Vigilance’s headquarters was found, the Arthur Initiative turned it into their first African Reliquary.

As the daughter of such a prominent member of the Initiative, Miriam had a foot in the organisation since birth and although she didn’t inherit her father’s position when he died, she still remained a member, specialising in Archaeology. Not as prominent as her father, Miriam had no great loyalty to the Initiative and was often overlooked by the more important members. This rift caused her to delve deeper into Egypt’s history and its more occult aspects. This interest eventually garnered the attention of an ancient sect known as The Eye of the Gods, a group of individuals that still held onto many of the old ways and gods. Although discouraged by the intimidating cult leaders known as the Servants, Miriam was intrigued nonetheless. When she first got word of the letter mentioning the Bracelets of Anubis, she stepped forward and claimed that she could potentially access the hidden compartment of Djoser’s step pyramid through her connection to the Arthur Initiative, an organisation that had long worked in somewhat opposition with The Eye of the Gods.

After many months of correspondence between Mariam, the Arthur Initiative, and the Egyptian government, the excursion to Saqqara was greenlit and Mariam spearheaded the excavation with her son, Darius, in tow.

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Darius could feel something call to him from beyond the wall, like an irresistible urge to push himself through the rock towards whatever awaited on the other side. His hand traced the worn reliefs of the limestone facade within the blue faience chamber in the Southern tomb. He could sense something on the other side akin to a breath, or a heartbeat, as if something behind the wall was alive. A shiver ran along his spine as his eyes traced the outline of the limestone recess, framed with beautiful turquoise sintered quartz - ‘Tjehenet’, as it was called in the Old tongue. Suddenly, his sight became blurry as if plagued by tunnel vision. He felt the onslaught of a pulsating headache, now leaning towards the rock with both hands placed on the stone reliefs. Then, his mind went black, his vision turned dark and it felt as though he was falling through an endless abyss. Suddenly he was brought back into reality by an aggressive cough and he realised he’d somehow fallen through the wall itself. The worn reliefs, scattered around him and his lungs felt heavy with sand and dust.

As he began to recover consciousness, his eyes scanned the environment as he slowly got back up onto his feet. This room seemed to be taller than the blue faience chamber outside. He looked behind him and out from the hole in the wall he’d fallen through. His tools were still there, but before he could bring himself to grab them, he felt the strange calling return and his gaze turned back towards the very end of the room he was now in. There, by the far side he saw what looked like a small stone sarcophagus. It was rectangular but strangely tall. The stone was carved with some form of inscription that was difficult for him to decipher. But he could figure some of it out. Partial sentences and words describing some terrible evil and a tool to defeat it. The symbols representing ‘Inpw’, a name, ‘Inupau’, well known among those with a fascination for Egyptian mythology. It was the ancient Egyptian name for the god the Greeks would come to call Anubis. Originally, a Lord of the Duat, later replacing Uepauawet as the god of embalming. ‘Could it be?’ he wondered to himself as he approached the stone container. The second he laid hands on the lid, he could feel that strange breath again, this time strong enough that it almost sounded like words were spoken. He hesitated, turning his head towards the exit again contemplating whether he should call for his mother and the rest of the team. He was not given the time to make a decision before the lid of the sarcophagus-like structure seemed to crack along the middle, expelling a puff of sand and dust right into Darius’ face. He coughed and flailed his hands in the air as if trying to slap the cloud of dust away from him. When it settled, he realised the lid had somehow fallen to the floor, revealing the inside. He leaned in over the opening and glanced within. His gaze was met with a pair of golden bracelets with blue faience inlays and the image of the Scales of Ma’at etched into the metal. He recognised the symbol of the scales from the ‘Rau enyu peret am Haru-u’ - the Book of Coming Forth by Day, a funerary text that was used during the burial ceremony to help guide the soul through its journey to the Hall of Two Truths where you would be judged against the Scales of Ma’at. He realised that now would be a good time to call for the others, but he found himself unable to form any words. In fact, he found himself unable to even control his own body at all. Instead, he was forced to look on as his arms reached towards the bracelets on their own volition and just as he felt himself regain control. The bracelets seemed to latch onto his arms with thin strips of tough linen bands seemingly slithering like serpents around his arms until they were fully covered. He wanted to shout for help, but not a sound escaped his lips. Eventually, the bracelets seemed to attach themselves to his arms with the aid of the linen wrappings and before he could even attempt pulling them off, a booming voice send him stumbling and falling to his knees. “Darius, son of Mariam and Olivier, you have been chosen worthy of wearing the Bracelets of Anubis. Will you honour the ways of the Netjeru by battling the wicked forces of Apep and all those who would see the world cloaked in darkness?” the voice asked as a shadowy figure appeared in the corner of his eye. Although just a rough outline, the figure was unmistakable as Anubis. His heart pounded harder than it had ever done before. He had no idea what to say, or even do, but it seemed as though the figure did not need an oral answer. Instead it seemed to ask his very soul which seemed to have answered its question in a satisfactory manner. “Then by the power of the Ennead, you will be the champion of peace, order, and Justice. Rise now Desert Jackal, as the Guardian of Wearied Souls!”