Player
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Max
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Brian
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Matt
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Tony
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Bill
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Character
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Jenny
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John
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George
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Mikael
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Lionel
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Remarks
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Beautiful
aspiring actress; killer with her machete. Bout of madness.
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340 lb museum curator.
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Dockworker
searching for fiancé kidnapped
by cultists.
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Ukrainian
dockworker who escaped ‘White Russian’ purge.
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Scotland
Yard Inspector now involved per ghouls at Bacon’s house.
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Lionel’s stoic demeanor was shattered as he stood before the burning…tree. “I thought you told me Carcosa and the ‘King-In-Yellow’ were no more, since the gate collapsed up in Loch Mullardoch?! What the hell did we just encounter?! What the hell is Malcolm Quarrie up to?” Lionel tried to regain his composure as he reached for his pipe, then realized he had sacrificed it to ignite the… tree. Then realization he’d also tossed his flask of scotch at the thing, “God, I could use a drink right now.”
FLASHBACK: 1929 had begun as a respite for those who had escaped the horrors of Carcosa. Months with the Taurus constellation still shining overhead offered fitful dreams.
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Months
for Jenny to recover sanity while healing wounds. John wasn’t as hard pressed
to recover sanity as he became the new owner of Oliver’s renovated 1921
Bentley, complete with hardened springs to deal with his girth. In fact, him
driving the car is how he meet Inspector Taylor who thought he was apprehending
Dr. Richardson. It didn’t take John long to confess events of the latter part
of 1928. And to introduce the newest convert to Jenny. And introduced George
who still longed for news of his missing fiancée. Hope that the Scotland Yard
inspector could uncover details. Finally, George working the docks, introduced
another dock worker: Mikael Alexi Androvich. A Ukrainian boxer refugee who
fought against the White Russians.
What should have been a joyous new year, free of
Alexander Roby’s haunting book and Carcosa play, was a juxtaposition of
foreboding events. Taurus dipped below the horizon in March, giving relief to
the trio of Carcosa survivors. But then early May presented a Total Solar Eclipse.
The mid-day darkness causing a shutter for the trio. Then late May’s Penumbral Lunar
Eclipse caused the trio to fidget as if the ‘King-In-Yellow’ was taunting them.
But soon life was restored to normal. Business as usual. Till late October’s ‘Black
Tuesday’. The Stock-Market-Crash. Economic repercussions felt world-wide.
London plunged into another kind of darkness; a Great Depression. Then more heavenly
plunges into darkness: the November 1st Annular Solar Eclipse
followed by the 17 November Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. Is it any wonder the trio
began nightmares once more?!
The ‘Great Depression’ filled the streets of London with
homeless. Luxuries were a thing of the past. Artists without buyers, which
meant Jenny was struggling to make ends meet. Her payments to Delia shrinking.
No surprise for most when Delia became another name in the morgue, having
committed suicide. As a museum curator, John began each day wondering when HE’D
find the pink-slip of unemployment. At least inspector Taylor had a steady job;
for, streets packed with homeless meant a rise in crime. At least the shipyards
remained busy, which meant steady work for George and Mikael.
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Thursday, 13 December: Once
again, Taurus haunts the sky with Aldebaran shining bright. Lionel sends news
to his friends who accept the breakfast invite since he is buying. “Not to
bring up bad memories, but I remember you mentioning the name Gresty. Seems a Wilfred
Gresty has a morning court date I thought you might want to attend. A minor
charge of assault upon the Christ Church caretaker. The verger, awakened by a
high-pitched whistle, found Wilfred standing before the altar with bleeding
hands while screaming threats to someone or something. Discovered, Wilfred ran
but was soon apprehended by nearby bobbies.”
John was the first to
remember Gresty as Oliver’s pen-pal who had warned of Bacon’s midnight trek
along Regent Canal looking for sacrificial victims. “In his letter to Oliver,
Wilfred admitted to being a cultist who broke ranks with Edwards. Rambled on
about someone named Aderson or something at Nug’s goat farm.”
Lionel reached
into his pocket, presenting a folded letter, “I retrieved this from Oliver’s
case box. One of the Gresty letters you mention. The name was Atkinson at Nugs
farm. Not a goat farm but it does mention ‘The Goat’. Is that someone’s
nickname?”
George remembers a
conversation he had with the departed Persian, “Remember when Oded slipped into
the burnt-out bar in Claire Melford? He found a book titled British Gods,
penned by Malcolm Quarrie. We falsely thought him a university professor.
Anyway, Oded thumbed thru the book and found an entry about a goat named Shub-Niggurath.
He called it "The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand
Young".
The Magistrate Court is
almost empty except for court members and few witnesses to the proceedings. The
team getting their first glimpse of Wilfred Gresty: a small man with a
protruding gut, grey hair and billy-goat beard. “All stand for magistrate Iven
Edwards Snail. Mr. Gresty, what say you against the charges? I find you guilty
of assault; you are fined 2 pounds. Next case.” Wilfred is led to the clerk
desk to pay his fine; except, John intervenes placing 2 pounds on the counter. “We’d
like to talk to you about a common friend; Dr. Richardson. No, he’s not with us.
Let’s just say he’s found his paradise. 3pm at the Plough Bar? We’ll see
you then.” Lionel quietly observes Wilfred collect his belongings from the
clerk: one obsidian black whistle tied on a leather thong.
Gresty seems delighted
when they enter the bar, “Barkeep, another round… on them.” The ‘old’ Jenny
returns as she hard-presses Wilfred for information, “You’re another cultist.
Why shouldn’t we just kill you now? What do you have to offer?” Maybe Gresty
has had a few too many pints for he is not fazed by the threats. Lionel
mentions the black whistle. Gresty rips it off his neck and tosses it aside [George
retrieves it], “A false god. Edwards would not listen. I pray to
Shub-Niggurath. Long ago the earth was barren till the gods arose. She will
rise again. When SHE and Hastur spawn…” More rantings. “Cults? There are secret
societies everywhere. Just look at the American currency covered in the ‘All
Seeing Eye’. The mark of the Masons. My actions at the church? I was there to
banish God. To let him know about a greater god…She.” And that’s when Mikael
punches Gresty, “Blasphemy! You not speak anymore against my true God.”
Gresty continues, “I’m
destined to be her high priest. I will take the Quarrie woman. Atkinson marked
her as the chosen bearer even though she has already borne a false child. She
awaits at Nugs farm. We will breed the prophet of the mother, whether she
consents or not. Come join me.” Only the girth of John keeps Mikael from
attacking again as he whispers, “Let him bring his own rope to the farm where
we can deal with him. After he leads the way.”
Friday, 14 December: Jenny
climbs into Lionel’s car as the others pile into John’s Bentley for the long drive
west to Gloucester on the eastern border of Wales. Soon Wilfred directs turns
off the main road, then off side roads, onto rutted paths, before turning onto
bare ground that can best be described as animal trails. “We’re here.” Dilapidated
buildings; smoke rising from a few chimneys. “It’s good to be home; I’ve been
away for years. I need to talk with Atkinson. You can take the path thru the
woods to meet Hillary Quarrie. Those woods have been blessed by Her. Stay on
the path and you’ll be safe. I’ll be along shortly… to plant my seeds.” Once
again Mikael lashes out [Brawl – Extreme] but Gresty easily
dodges (extreme), “Tis, tis, my boy. You can have her after I’m finished.” John
holds Mikael at bay, “Remember, let him hang himself.”
Lionel hides behind to
follow Gresty as the others follow the path. Unnatural trees. One fallen tree
reveals rings unnaturally spaced; what should be a 5-year-old tree looking eons
old. George blinks in surprise [Spot Hidden – extreme] at what he
silently swears to be a hoofed human (a satyr?). They soon come to a stone wall
fence and gate surrounding a farm complete with barn. As soon as John opens the
creaking gate, 3 huge barking and snarling mastiffs come charging from a far
house. John barely makes it back thru the gate as the beasts snap at his
departure. “Johnson, Walter, Pig. Come here.” The 3 beasts retreat to the side of
an attractive woman stepping out of the house they barreled from.
Jenny is quick to offer apologizes,
“The crazed man sent us. You must be Hillary.” Indeed, Hillary laughs at the
description, “So, Gresty has returned. Foolish man always thought he could
seize control of the cult from me. Malcolm? You know my husband? Come in for
some tea.” John and George speak up, “Fear not. We will protect you from that
wicked man.” Jen even shows her machete. Hillary bursts into laughter, “Protect
me?! Child, you are so naive to think I need protection or that your simple
weapons will do harm. But yes, together we will vanquish those false prophets.”
Inside the hut, lit by with
flickering candles, they spot a family picture. “That must be Malcolm and your
child. Do you know where your husband is?” Hillary explains, “He went to the
continent. Ironic, him being a zenophobe. Forget him for the moment; which of
you is the strongest?” George follows her to the chicken coop where she
uncovers a chainsaw, “Not just any saw; this is blessed.” George quickly
realizing the rust is really dried blood. Once again George offers to take Hillary
to safety. “Leave? THIS is my home. I sent our daughter Sarah away. SHE is the
chosen; not those foolish men.”
Meanwhile, Lionel follows
Gresty who enters a house revealing an elder man in a rocking chair. The inspector
crouches at the window, eavesdropping. A ragged voice confronts Gresty, “You
failed the mother. And now you want to usurp me?” The men wage a battle of
words till Gresty rises, “Enough Atkinson. You are frail; your time past. Will
you call the young for me? With them, I can force her to commit to my will.” Defeated,
the two join in chanting as they light more candles. Long minutes before the
chanting stops. Sundown. Then the booming thump of something large stomping
thru the forest. Lionel shrinks into the shadows till the light of the full
moon reveals the source.
“Aaagh!” [Sanity
failure]. Lionel screams in fear of the LARGE tree that stands within the
clearing. What looks like a zipper for its sternum. Lionel bolts from hiding,
running… where… along the path where there is safety in numbers [you only have
to be faster than the slowest].
Meanwhile, at the farm, Hillary
directs the others to gather their bladed weapons. Mumbling some chant, she grabs
a chicken, rings its neck ripping the head off, then drizzles blood on Jen’s
machete and George’s chainsaw. To then lift the headless chicken to drink its
blood. George now starting to get nervous, mentions the satyr he saw in the
woods. “They are one of the blessed. HER offspring. Others look like trees.”
Mikael removes his rifle from his shoulder and checks his rounds. Hillary
scoffs, “Bullets will not harm her offspring. Maybe you can handle the weak.”
Mikael just now realizing the mess he has stepped into, turns to leave. Now
everyone rethinking; even Jen. Carcosa was denied when Oded blew the brains out
of Edwards.
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And that’s when Lionel appears at the gate. Mikael in the courtyard looks beyond the man and shutters at what follows. [Sanity – failure 00]. A half-dozen goatmen proceed a lumbering tree. Too much coverage to see the men (Atkinson and Gresty) following. Mikael’s scream is followed by his rifle shot which warns the others. John, standing behind Hillary, raises his gun… to shoot her! [Handgun – 96 failure/malfunction]. Click. Jen frozen in confusion. George lifts his chainsaw to advance at the rifle fire; stepping outside to witness the dark one. [Sanity – pass]. He runs inside another building; Jen following him, her eyes downcast.
Mikael braces beside a
building taking aim at a goatman. “Blam!” The goat collapsing. Lionel turns 90
degrees from his path, hoping the tree ignores him. He fires 3 shots at the
goatmen, dropping one. [POW check – 03 pass]. Lionel grimaces as
a withering pain seethes his arm before subsiding. Positioned at a window,
George fires his pistol at the beasts. Jen… moves further inside the building.
John leaves the chanting Hillary and enters the same building as the others
occupy. Fright hinders his efforts to clear his jammed pistol. The goats and
tree advance on the house.
While Mikael wounds another goatman,
Lionel moves to gain sight of Atkinson behind 2 goats. [Handgun –
extreme/hard/miss]. 3 shots ring out, followed by Atkinson’s skull exploding.
The 2 goats spring on Lionel who manages to fight them off. Mikael takes aim,
dropping one of Lionel’s assailants. Lionel finishes off the other with his
truncheon. Which gives Mikael time to search inside the barn he braced against.
And Lionel time to reload his pistol.
Meanwhile, George manages to
kill a goatman. Which gives him sight of Gresty. [Handgun –
extreme]. A fatal shot… if only the goat hadn’t jumped in the way [Gresty
burned 30 luck to avoid the shot]. Unable to clear the jam, John changes weapons
to then gaze (for the first time) upon the horror outside. [Sanity
– pass]. He whimpers, “Mother.” Meanwhile, if anyone cared to notice, Jen
slinks further inside the house, finding refuge in the bathroom.
No one can hear Gresty
chanting, but all hear the primordial scream of agony [POW check –
failure] as George’s femoral artery in his left leg ruptures. George collapses
unconscious. John too screams at the sight [Sanity – failure].
The dark young tree crashes
into the window where John stands. John grabs the chainsaw and swings at the
tree but misses. George’s scream draws Mikael from the barn who now sights
Gresty [Firearm – hard success]. Gresty slumps dead. Meanwhile,
John staggers (18 damage; broken ribs but CON save) when the tree
slams a thick branch against his chest. Lionel charges the tree with his drawn
shotgun [Firearm – extreme success]. Shock at the sight of the
pellets tinkling to the floor, “Oh shit!”
Finally, John hits the tree
with the saw, which draws a beastly scream of pain. John gags [Sanity
– pass] at the sight of blood and what looks like flesh inside the tree.
Enraged, the tree lashes once more with a branch, smacking John (16 damage;
broken arm but CON save. Down to 1 hit point). And that’s when
Mikael arrives, dousing the tree with a can of gasoline found in the barn.
Lionel recognizing the need to light his pipe and toss it at the tree. “WOOSH!”
Primordial screams. Barely standing, John manages to hit the tree once more
with the chainsaw as he manically screams, “Fuck you damn tree!”
Mikael and Lionel manage to
dodge the fleeing tree. Which makes it into the courtyard short of the gate,
before collapsing. Lionel approaches to empty his flask of Scotch… just in
case. Only then does Jen appear with a bottle of volatile perfume… which she
dumps on the tree. At least she was saved from the sanity check visage of
seeing the tree in its true horror. Hillary too emerges from her hut, covered
in even more blood. They will never know if her chanting had any effort on the
outcome. One can only hope her spells allowed the bullets to kill the goatmen.
As First Aid
is attempted for George and John, Hillary offers up two letters, “As promised
for your aid, Malcolm penned these letters that tell of his whereabouts. When
you find him, tell him I still love him. How I remember the pottery we made
together. How Sarah is safe.”
In his first letter, Malcolm
tells of his union with Edwards and the failed 1925 attempt to summon Hastur.
His realization Edwards was committed to a course that would fail. How Malcolm
realizes a link between Hastur and the Black Goat; their union to spawn more
godly entities: Yeb, Nug, Cthulhu, and Tsathoggua. How he is now in Milan with
another group that call themselves “The Pilgrimage of Grace.”
In his second letter,
Malcolm gleefully reveals the time is near, “December, early in the new year,
or as late as March.” The 2nd coming of the King-In-Yellow, “His
return to earth will be the greatest event in human history.”
Jen studies the letters, “At
least he gave contacts in Milan. Thomas Villiers at the shipping office of Giuseppe
Colombo. He also mentioned ‘Thomas Cook & Son’ at 7 Via Manzonni in Milan.”
John is the first to question, “It’s mid-December now. Who can afford plane
tickets to travel to Milan? Travel by ship and takes weeks?! Do we even have
time to intercede?” Mikael speaks up, “Da, you vorrie too much. Try we shall.
George and John can heal while we sail. Et will be fun, no?”
This George seems to be the true hero of the tale.
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