It has been several weeks since you set forth from Cairo, but to your dismay, you have found no sign of the otherworldly gate to which the Brotherhood supposedly retreated. Just as you are considering returning to Cairo to conduct more research, you are summoned into Winlock's tent, where the weary expedition leader is examining a map of Egypt with calloused hands. "Oh good, you're here," he says, fumbling through his pack for an old, half-burned tome, which he places on the table in front of you. "Thought you might want to see what we found in that crypt to the south." You turn over the book, sifting through its charred pages, until you come to a map of the desert marked by Egyptian hieroglyphs. It is the same region depicted on the map in front of Winlock. "See that, right there?" He points to one of the hieroglyphs on the western side of the map. "It means 'door'." With a hint of a smirk, he then points to the same spot on his larger map, marking your destination. "That what you're looking for?"

Reality slips away as you cross the threshold of the gate. The sandy dunes fold into the foundation of the Earth, the firmament splits, and the colors of the world bleed into the archway. When next you open your eyes, you are in a place between worlds. At the opposite end of the corridor, a figure emerges from the doorway beyond, faceless and wielding a curved blade that pulses with dark power. "You shall be my next sacrifice," his voice seethes.

Xzharah cannot be stopped by means you alone possess. Perhaps if you learn more about the realm beyond the gateway, you can find a way to end this vile ritual.