Professor Scarman's Mattock

A sturdy iron mattock with a broad, wedge-shaped blade mounted perpendicular to its handle, its wooden haft worn smooth from prolonged use. Professor Scarman wields it as a crowbar to force apart the sealed stones of the First Dynasty tomb, muscles straining as he pries open the inner chamber. The mattock’s metal gleams dully in the dim chamber light, its edges undented despite the stone’s resistance. It becomes the instrument of his undoing, its purpose twisted from excavation to desecration the moment it breaches the ancient seal.

3 appearances

Purpose

Tool for breaking and prying stone, repurposed as an implement of forced entry into an archaeological tomb.

Significance

Catalyst for the story’s escalation. This ordinary tool becomes the unintentional key to an ancient trap, triggering Sutekh’s awakening and transforming the dig site from a place of scholarly pursuit into a battleground of cosmic consequence.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S13E9 · Pyramids of Mars Part 1

Scarman claims the Eye of Horus

Scarman wields the mattock as a crowbar, driving its broad blade between the massive stone sealing the inner chamber, heaving against ancient resistance. The mattock’s iron becomes an instrument of sacrilege, not excavation, when the door opens. Moments later, the green light sears the air, leaving the mattock abandoned as Scarman falls.

Before: A sturdy, well-used field tool—functional, metallic, and purpose-built for excavation and forced entry

After: Dropped or discarded in the inner chamber, possibly scorched or unharmed but rendered irrelevant by the supernatural upheaval

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S13E9 · Pyramids of Mars Part 1

Workers flee as Sutekh awakens

Scarman’s mattock, wielded as a crowbar, pries open the sealed stone door of the tomb. Its iron blade and wooden haft strain against resistant limestone, creating the first breach. This act of forced entry triggers the ancient mechanism, causing the stones to slide open and releasing Sutekh’s curse. The mattock becomes the instrument of doom, its purpose twisted from excavation to desecration.

Before: Used for excavation and clearing debris; intact and functional.

After: Left embedded or dropped near the threshold after Scarman enters; possibly stained or scorched by residual energy.

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S13E9 · Pyramids of Mars Part 1

Scarman collapses to Sutekh’s curse

Professor Scarman uses the mattock as a crowbar and pry bar to force apart the sealed stone blocks blocking entry to the inner chamber. Its iron blade makes first contact with the ancient seal several seconds before the stones grudgingly slide open allowing entry. Once inside it becomes evidence of his transgression rather than a tool.

Before: undamaged and in Scarman’s possession at the tomb entrance

After: left wedged or dropped as Scarman falls clutching his chest

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