Gordon Institute Egyptian Adventure Episodes

Episode 1:

The operational mandate of the Gordon Institute for Archeology and Paranormal Study is to serve as both a teaching and practical field research institution in the fields for which it is named. As such, members of the institute have devoted themselves to study of the history and mysteries of this world and its cultures past and present. Thus it is that when historical research and modern stories begin to find a nexus around tales of a lost Egyptian temple and tomb complex, the Gordon Institute organizes an expedition to discover the truth behind these reports. The jumping off point for that expedition is the Nile port town of Qena. And so, the adventure begins.

Episode 2:

 Having arrived at the port of Qena, the Gordon Institute team makes an assessment of the town in terms of gathering needed supplies and finding sources of local information regarding what they believe to be the tomb complex of Men Her Ra. They fan out across the town to the shops and stalls of the marketplace and to local officials including the esteemed Imtiaz Ali Taj, a man of wealth, knowledge, and influence. The information thus gathered combined with the research done by Institute members before the expedition set out on their journey gives the team direction and renewed purpose.

Episode 3:

 With supplies refreshed and confidence in their quest affirmed, the Gordon Institute team leaves Qena and begins a journey of many days through a previously unmapped region of the Egyptian desert. Finally, their hard work and devotion to their search is rewarded when they come upon the ruins of a vast temple and tomb complex. They gaze with awe upon the grandeur of the architecture before them, and then establish their camp and begin a visual record of their discovery.

Episode 4:

With their camp established and an initial survey of the site confirming the significance of the location, the Gordon Institute’s team leaders send a message back to Qena to notify Egyptian officials of their discovery and plans for investigation of the site. This notification results in a visit to the site by Egyptian officials for the purpose of establishing the framework under which the work of the Institute can proceed. With government approval secured, the team begins to uncover the archeological wonders that rest just beneath the surface of the desert. With the uncertainty of government approval behind them and the archeological evidence beginning to be revealed, the team has time to take a much-needed break from the stress and hard work to enjoy some music and relaxation. That said, one unearthed stela/stone slab is the source of confusion and concern, but resolution of that confusion and concern remains for another day.

Episode 5:

After a short period of much needed rest, the Gordon team begins plans for their in-depth investigation of the site. To that end, the team divides into three working groups. One group’s task is the investigation of the interior of the great temple complex. The second group is tasked with the breeching of one of the two pyramids for the purpose of entering and searching for chambers within that would provide evidence of its specific purpose… evidence identifying the great figure who would have merited its construction. Is that in fact Men Her Ra? The third group is given the task of mapping the area of the overall site and locating areas of interest that were not as immediately evident as the temple and the two adjacent pyramids. That group is also to be responsible for the administrative and support functions of the overall team. The great temple complex offers the most immediate and obvious means of entrance whether through its massive front entrance or over its hulking walls. With access gained to the temple’s first courtyard, the members of that team are awed by the massive nature of the columns that dominate the space. The excitement among the members grows and one of the novice members, overcome by the thrill of the moment, moves forward with less care than a seasoned veteran would have seen as advisable. Moving quickly through one of the entrances to the next courtyard or temple chamber, that novice member becomes victim to a sea of giant flesh-eating beetles whose rest he has disturbed. The veteran members of the team are able to pull him free and send him off for urgent medical care. This near-fatal event speaks to them of the dangers that could face them as they venture forward.

Episode 6:

Once their colleague has been removed to safety, the Gordon temple team regroups and is reinforced by members of group three, the support team. With hard-earned caution they re-enter the second great courtyard which houses the inner temple that is bounded on either side by giant statues of Egyptian royals. Statues of Anubis guard the temple’s entrance and once within that chamber the team is amazed to find how well preserved it all appears to be. In one chamber they find themselves looking at a massive carved mural of Horus and to their complete surprise that mural begins to open. Through that opening there emerge dark figures… no, let me speak the truth no matter how unbelievable; those figures are mummies. Not the dusty, wrapped bodies of men long passed from this earth, but mummies, dare I say, alive and armed and anything but welcoming. They are accompanied by cult-like figures clothed in red, and they too are armed and threatening. Recovering from their immediate shock and disbelief, the members of the Gordon team draw their weapons, nail their courage to the sticking post and so press forward. Within, they discover that they are not, in fact, the first seekers to discover this place. Guarded by more red-robed cultists are the mummy-wrapped bodies of those unfortunates who have come before them.

Episode 7:

While Gordon’s temple-complex team is engaged in a life and death struggle known only to themselves, team number two which has been tasked with breeching a pyramid has succeeded in finding an access point and is moving through the narrow passageways that traverse the pyramid’s inner core. It is dark work; each step offers the potential for injury or death resulting from collapse of sections of the ancient structure or even purposely constructed traps intended to protect whatever or whoever is encased in that great structure. Progress is consequently slow, but then a passage stands above an open chamber and with the limited light the Gordon team has, they see wonders that bespeak one of the greatest archeological finds of all time. The chamber before them holds treasure of enormous historical and material value to say nothing of its wonderous esthetic beauty. The team members move through the chamber with great care realizing the gravity of their find and the profound work that is before them. There is also the realization that from this chamber there are other passageways to other sections of the pyramid, to other chambers containing what one could only imagine in one’s wildest dreams, and as they move through one of those dark passages, they come upon a sight that even their wildest dreams cannot have prepared them for. It appears to be a hatchery of some kind, but a hatchery of what for what, and then they see a sight that brings terror to all of them.

Conclusion:

Having followed the Gordon Institute team throughout this adventure, it is only natural for viewers to expect an appropriately dramatic ending. If this were the typical adventure or horror film addressing encounters with the unknown or supernatural, the Institute members might be saved by a magic potion or spell, a protective intervening supernatural force, an amulet with mystical powers, an unexpected though much appreciated act of nature, or even the power of love. But this is the Gordon Institute. These are men and women of science and reason as well as adventure. They know what power their knowledge can bring to these dangerous situations; they therefore applied their reasoned intellect, packed their stuff, and ran like hell. And so, they will adventure again.