bookwyrn_149 11/15/2020 (Sat.) 11:28:09 #56490127
Good morning Parawatch bros. A friend just gifted something to me that I think a lot of you would be very interested in. A scroll which I believe came directly from the Library of Alexandria. Yeah I know this sounds like a horrible attempt at attention farming straight from a 2016 youtube vid, but I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't have a good amount of evidence first. I know it sounds insane but please let me explain before jumping to conclusions.
bookwyrn_149 11/15/2020 (Sat.) 11:32:49 #56490127
First of all, I'm Egyptian. I've lived my whole life in Alexandria. If there was anyone who'd manage to find a scroll from the Library of Alexandria, it would be someone from here.
This all started a few months ago. Basically, I've never really been too social. I've spent most of my life as a socially isolated, book addicted recluse (hence the username), but I wanted to try making a change. So, I started making some small changes. Going out to book clubs, attempting to socialize at cafes, stuff like that. My results were…varied (TALKING WITH STRANGERS IS HARD), until one day where I got lucky and someone approached me for a change.
This happened a few months ago. I was sitting at a cafe, reading this book called "A Comprehensive Study in Egyptian Archaeology" (trying my hardest to stall approaching people) until this dude came up to me. Looked to be in his late 20s, had a small goatee. I assumed he was from the area due to his look and accent. Said he could tell I needed friends badly.
He said the book I was reading caught his attention because he got a gig as an archaeologist at an excavation site in some nearby ruins. We talked for a while and I asked for his socials so we could stay connected. After that my attempts to socialize with other people started to be more successful, and now I'd say I have a pretty solid group of friends, but this dude is pretty much my best friend now. We talk almost daily about pretty much anything at this point. Mainly books and history.
bookwyrn_149 11/15/2020 (Sat.) 11:34:05 #56490127
Anyways 2 days ago he called me to tell me he found a really high quality scroll at his job site. Said he wanted to give it to me instead of turning it in. Told me I should try "giving it a read" despite the fact I don't know Ancient Greek lol. Is there anyone here that does? Tried to use Google Translate but all I'm getting is mostly gibberish. PM me for close-ups. (picrel)
hector912 11/15/2020 (Sat.) 11:54:40 #49755027
Your friend sounds kinda sketchy. Isn't he worried about getting fired? Aren't you worried about him getting fired? Sounds like a bad idea to casually admit your friend stole a scroll from his work site. I can sort of speak Greek but I am in no way fluent so don't give me too much credit but this scroll seems to at least be comprised of actual Greek.
From what I understood, this scroll seems to be a guide of some sort. It's telling the reader to burn something I think? Says at the end that following the steps will "create the gateway", whatever that means. Might be a form of religious ritual.
spicycrustypizza_036 11/15/2020 (Sat.) 15:01:27 #42195099
Hey I'm a student of Ancient Greek at the Academica Vivarium Novum1! I haven't graduated yet but I have a good amount of experience in the language. Can you send me a few close up images of the scroll? I could give it a shot at translating the whole thing.
bookwyrn_149 11/15/2020 (Sat.) 15:04:25 #56490127
spicycrustypizza_036 Yeah sure, check your PMs. I just sent 5 close-ups. Should cover the whole scroll.
rjqnr331 11/15/2020 (Sat.) 16:27:09 #59996184
OP I think your friend is either insane, trying to troll you, or very financially irresponsible to miss a cash out like this. Keep that scroll safe and make sure to update us though, I'm dying to find out what's written on it.
EDIT (11/22/2020): Has that guy updated you yet? Also has your friend gotten caught?
bookwyrn_149 11/22/2020 (Sat.) 9:44:16 #56490127
rjqnr331 Nope, and unless my browser is bugged, it says the PM was already read. Maybe he's too busy with college work. I might call some other translators just in case he completely forgot about this. My friend's doing good btw. He says he doesn't suspect to get caught because his place has no CCTV cameras and he clocked out "sick" when he found the scroll.
hector912 11/22/2020 (Sat.) 10:54:42 #49755027
Well I took another crack at translating this. Here's what I got:
Step 1 - Collect an empty scroll
Step 2 - Give it knowledge exclusive to your eyes
Step 3 - More repetitions of step 1 and step 2 will create better results
Step 4 - Focus on the knowledge of the scroll(s)
Step 5 - Burn the scroll(s)
Step 6 - Gather the ashes in a circle
Step 7 - Continue your focus
Step 8 - Created the gateway
bookwyrn_149 11/22/2020 (Sat.) 10:59:26 #56490127
What?😭
Creepy ass scroll
Should I try out what the scroll says for the lols?
Earl8312 11/22/2020 (Sat.) 11:01:13 #79102731
Update us when you get cursed by an eldritch horror.
hector912 11/22/2020 (Sat.) 11:01:15 #49755027
Sure lol.
bookwyrn_149 11/24/2020 (Mon.) 12:25:16 #56490127
UPDATE POST
OK SO I JUST DID WHAT THE SCROLL SAID AND I CAN'T FEEL MY FINGERTIPS ANYMORE.
I had a hard time interpreting the instructions, but I assumed "Give it knowledge exclusive to your eyes" meant writing stuff like secrets you've never told anyone. I went to buy some blank scrolls from an arts and crafts shop and wrote down some childhood secrets. Old crushes, nightmares and dreams I had as a kid, stuff like that. I then went to an isolated area in the desert. Burnt the scrolls, collected the ash, made a circle. And then….
BANG
I see a massive flash of light coming from the circle. And fire. Lots of fire. Some of it reaches me, and now all of my fingers are covered in burn marks. I end up passing out and I have a dream where I'm in some sort of library. I met a librarian there (who looked strangely similar to my friend) who explained the history of the library to me. Don't remember any of it though, I was so out of it that I didn't pick up anything he said.
We kept walking around the library for a while until we saw some men in black tactical gear with assault rifles running around the place. I panicked and ran away until I found a doorway and walked through it. Then…
I woke up. Still in the desert, severely dehydrated and sunburnt. About an hour had gone by. The ash was gone now. No clue what to make of anything that just happened.
Earl8312 11/24/2020 (Mon.) 12:35:13 #79102731
Guess you did get cursed by an eldritch horror then LOL
keyboards413 11/24/2020 (Mon.) 14:45:13 #78091273
What did you use to light the scrolls on fire? The material and flame must have contributed to the explosion. Also you sure you even had a dream? What you saw might have been due to heat exhaustion. Cool story either way. What do you plan on doing with the scroll?
bookwyrn_149 11/24/2020 (Mon.) 14:57:21 #56490127
Butane lighter, and the scrolls were made of parchment. Don't think it was heat exhaustion though. Definitely a dream. I'm used to the heat out here and I took precautions.
I'm gonna keep the scroll hidden in one of my drawers for now. I want to get a display for it but I am currently too broke for that. Probably not going to reattempt this in the future.
bookwyrn_149 11/30/2020 (Sun.) 9:44:16 #56490127
UPDATE POST
I might have just had the worst week of my life. First of all the scroll got stolen on Monday. My windows got bashed in by some dudes wearing the same gear as the dudes in my dream. They took the scroll and ran away right in front of me. Completely ignored me, I'm not even sure if they saw me. Bolted for the scroll and instantly left. At least I didn't get my brains blown out. Insurance says they'll cover it, but I don't exactly love the fact that I'm sleeping with taped up windows until it gets fixed.What's even worse is that I haven't heard from my friend since he gave me the scroll, and I don't expect to hear back from him in a long time (possibly ever). Hasn't been online since he gave me the scroll, and I haven't seen him around the spots we usually hang out.
After the scroll got stolen, the police arrested ME over it and took me to some dudes that I think were from INTERPOL. They kept me in an interrogation room for like, 10 hours or something, maybe even more. I spent most of that time alone in the interrogation room. They said they were "processing my information"; by the time they got there I had already been there for more than 8 hours.
They wanted to ask some questions about my friend and the scroll. At first I refused. But then they told me I was being counted as an accomplice and could spend decades in prison if I didn't comply (Also, they brought out a box of Spicy Crusty Pizza. Come on, all of you would've folded too). I can't recall everything but I'll try reciting some of the questions they asked me:
> "Didn't that scroll look a little too pristine to be ancient?"
> "Where and how did you meet [FRIEND'S NAME]?"
> "Has [FRIEND'S NAME] ever given you any similar artifacts?"
> "Did you meet [FRIEND'S NAME] at a time when you were particularly emotionally vulnerable or socially isolated?"
> "Did this scroll contain instructions that, per se, seemed to be for the purposes of a religious ritual?"
That interview was where I found out my friend wasn't even an archaeologist. According to them, he was a foreign national who broke into an abandoned site to steal leftover artifacts. My later research indicated that there were indeed no active archeological sites in the range of the city. They alleged that my friend was affiliated with a group dedicated to the theft of artifacts like this, and that I was being viewed as a possible recruit. Asked for a name but they told me that was on a "need to know basis" and I do not "need to know".
After that all they told me was to stay out of things and not tell anyone and they'd let me off the hook. I'm too distrustful of authority to actually go through with that though. I'll comply after this for my own safety, but I couldn't leave everyone here hanging. Requesting an admin locks this thread.
🗿realsquirrel 11/30/2020 (Sun.) 9:51:43 #56490127
[THREAD LOCKED]
