Fabula
S13E10 · Pyramids of Mars Part 2

Scarman commands mummies to raise the barrier

With Sutekh’s escape imminent, Scarman’s voice cuts through the tension as the mummies spring into ritual action. His orders are cold, precise: take the generator loops and position the canopic jars at the compass points, then activate the field at ground strength. Every word is a death sentence for the servitors who bind the canopic jars and the humans caught inside the coming barrier. This is not just deployment of machinery; it is a final, irreversible step in Sutekh’s phased invasion, locking the house and its inhabitants into place while the escape rocket climbs toward completion. The mummies move with unnatural urgency, their skeletal fingers arranging the jars as if participating in a funerary rite for the living. Scarman’s transformation into Sutekh’s obedient avatar is complete, and now he acts not as a man but as a force of annihilation, sealing the Doctor’s window to fight. key_dialogue: [ SCARMAN: Take up the generator loops. SCARMAN: Place them in position at the compass points. Activate at ground strength. ]

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Scarman orders the mummies to set up the generator loops and canopic jars at compass points, activating a deflection field.

calm to ominous ['study or inner sanctum']

The mummies move to position the canopic jars at the compass points as instructed by Scarman.


Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2

Numb compliance masking absence of self, replaced by Sutekh’s ruthless purpose

Scarman speaks with chilling detachment, his voice a conduit for Sutekh’s authority. His once-human frame now radiates mechanical stillness, eyes ringed with crimson while his skeletal fingers twitch with command. He issues orders without inflection, his body moving as if guided by an unseen hand, every gesture accelerating the ritual’s inevitability.

Goals in this moment
  • Enact Sutekh’s final phase of domination by completing the deflection barrier
  • Eliminate any remaining resistance by sealing the Doctor within the timed ritual
Active beliefs
  • Absolute faith in Sutekh’s divinity and the righteousness of annihilation
  • Any obstacle to Sutekh’s escape must be destroyed without hesitation
Character traits
cold authority mechanical detachment impassive obedience to Sutekh
Follow Marcus Scarman's journey

Functional indifference, stripped of independent will by Sutekh’s programming

The mummies glide forward like figures wading through tar, their bandaged forms bending with arthritic precision to lift the canopic jars. Their movements lack hesitation yet harbor no warmth; each action serves a single directive engraved into millennia of servitude. They arrange the jars as if laying tombstones before a funeral, their silence broken only by the hum of the generator loops.

Goals in this moment
  • Position the canopic jars at the compass points as commanded
  • Participate in the binding ritual without deviation
Active beliefs
  • Obedience to Sutekh is their sole existence
  • The ritual’s completion is inevitable and justified
Character traits
ritualistic obedience mechanical efficiency emotionless compliance
Follow Servant Mummy …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Camp Power Grid Generator System (and Wires)

The thick copper loops are lifted by the mummies and stretched taut around the canopic jars at each compass point. Scarman commands their activation at ground strength, causing the cables to hum with raw energy as they begin interweaving with the ritual barrier. Their previously dormant terminals now pulse visibly, transforming the study into a crude but effective energy field generator primed to lock everything inside.

Before: Stored nearby in loose coils, dull red insulation …
After: Stretched into precise loops around jars, humming with …
Before: Stored nearby in loose coils, dull red insulation dust-covered and inert
After: Stretched into precise loops around jars, humming with stored electrical energy and now part of the active deflection barrier
Canopic Jars of the Deflection Barrier

The canopic jars are carried to their respective cardinal points by the mummies, their stone surfaces glowing faintly with inscribed glyphs newly energized by Sutekh’s proximity. Each vessel is placed upon pedestals to align with the generator loops, their ancient containment sigils now pulsing in sync with the imminent barrier’s formation.

Before: Clustered beside the sealed mummy case in the …
After: Positioned at north, south, east, and west compass …
Before: Clustered beside the sealed mummy case in the study, symbols dim under the study’s dim light
After: Positioned at north, south, east, and west compass points, now glowing as focal points of the deflection barrier

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Scarman Manor Study

The study becomes the epicenter of finality as Scarman’s commands reshape the chamber into Sutekh’s execution platform. The vaulted ceiling presses down under invisible weight, while brass lamps flicker as generator loops charge the air with ominous humming. Incense coils thicken, cloying and acrid, mirroring the suffocating control Sutekh imposes through his unwilling servant. Every object in the room, from the mummified hand to the sealed case, is now a cog in the machine of annihilation.

Atmosphere Stifling tension charged with the scent of death and burning copper
Function Sanctuary turned slaughterhouse, where ritual commands force the space itself to obey Sutekh’s will
Symbolism Represents the perversion of knowledge and domesticity into instruments of cosmic tyranny
Access Sealed by the deflection barrier’s activation, preventing ingress or egress until the ritual completes
Brass lamps casting sharp triangles of gold across dark oak paneling Tarnished ivories of the grand piano reflecting the mummies' deliberate pacing

Narrative Connections

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Part of Larger Arcs