S2E4: "Who will lead me?"

From the Beginning: 

https://rigglew5totk.blogspot.com/2019/07/part-1-tatters-of-king.html

[Last seen, Mikael was still in Bombay detained by the police for the ship attack.]

Thursday, 17 January: Small creatures, unlike anything they’d ever seen. Jen calls them pygmies standing 3 feet tall, but their hairless black-as-tar skin suggests non-human. Morning sun glints off the Tcho-Tcho’s sharpened teeth as they grin at John while pointing to the cliffs. Fortune they see John as a god and bow to him; otherwise, they could easily swarm and kill all of the humans. Lionel pulls out the picture of Anzalone to show to the creatures: their grin widens as they laugh while pointing to the caves above. “Sounds like we’re supposed to go into that particular cave where Anzalone’s team entered. Grab food, ropes, and climbing gear; leave the rest as too heavy.” John grabs his oxygen backpack but the pygmies rush forward while pointing to the rest of the men. George interprets, “I don’t think their god is supposed to labor.”

S2E3: Across Country and Up a Little Hill Called the Himalaya

[Tony (aka Mikael) was unavailable to play]

Monday, 31 December: Having disembarked the liner Viceroy of India and accepted Mrs. Tullis’ offer to “stay at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel as my guests”, the group is just about to climb into cabs when they are confronted by local police. “Mr. Androvich? Mikael? If you’ll please come with us; there is a matter of assault aboard the ship. Please, hand over your passport.” John tries to intervene, “We’ve already settled this with the ship captain. The stoker compensated. Mikael is under my employment. Our sponsor will pay for his release.” Mikael is led away.

Bombay streets

Siva

Jenny stands at her room balcony overlooking the city, “Oh my, look at the crowded streets. Row upon row of factories belching smoke, throngs of people cramming the streets. It’s like someone kicked an ant-bed and thousands upon millions came pouring out.” A new voice speaks up from the front door having been let in, “Yes, it is a marvelous city isn’t she. We are a loving people of large families and even the children are put to work in those factories. Hello, I am Siva. Mrs. Tullis said you needed a guide? Where would you like to go? Sightseeing?”

S2E2 Chasing Malcolm, Hither and Yond

Friday, 14 December:  Silence at Nugs farm having survived the encounter with Gresty’s summoned horrors. A tourniquet on George’s leg trying to control his ruptured leg artery. John battered and bruised by thumping from the tree (cracked ribs and broken arm). Lionel sporting his own claw marks from the goatmen. Hillary left in total control of her farm, “Tell Malcolm I still love him. How Sarah is safe. Now go find him.”

“We’re not chasing anyone till we get medical care!” So, it’s a long drive back to London. George stretched across the backseat with Jenny monitoring his tourniquet as Lionel drives. John riding shotgun in his own car with Mikael driving… hitting every bump and pothole. John grimacing at each jolt as his broken ribs grind. Mikael comforting him, “U kri like a baby. I geet U dare in one maybe two pieces.”   

Saturday, 15 December: Early morning hours when they pull up to the hospital. [Credit Rating – failure; viewed as lower class] Longer hours waiting to be seen. Finally! “I stitched the artery and stopped the bleeding. No permanent damage as long as you stay off it. Rest and let it heal. As for you, Mr. Roberts, I’ve splinted your broken arm. Not much I can do for your broken ribs. Keep your wrappings tight and try not to bump into anything. It’s going to hurt like hell to breath, but better than the alternative. Take 2 aspirin every hour or laudanum if you can afford it.”

John takes a swig of laudanum before slowly climbing his museum steps. [Persuade – extreme] “Boss, I’ve come across information of some art pieces to add to the Wallace collection. Seems there is another Maiolica plate in Italy up for sale. With your financing, I’d like to take a crew to Italy to secure it.”

Meanwhile, Lionel is in contact with the ‘Thomas Cook’ travel agency. “Ship passage around Spain and thru the Straits of Gibraltar to Italy would take 4 days costing 2 pounds per passenger. But I’d recommend the ‘Simplon Orient Express’ thru Paris and around the Alps to Milan. 2 days and 1 pound per passenger. Give me a day to buy the tickets.”

S2E1 (British Gods): “We Ain’t Out of the Woods Yet”

Player	Max	Brian	Matt	Tony	Bill
Character	Jenny	John	George	Mikael	Lionel
Remarks	Beautiful aspiring actress; killer with her machete. Bout of madness.	340 lb museum curator.	Dockworker searching for fiancé kidnapped by cultists.	Ukrainian dockworker who escaped ‘White Russian’ purge.	Scotland Yard Inspector now involved per ghouls at Bacon’s house.

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.”

Part 9 Epilogue: Police Reports and Follow-Ups

SCOTLAND YARD POLICE REPORT INVESTIGATOR: Inspector Lionel Taylor              DATE: 3 December, 1928 TITLE: Police Blotter Call #451273; neighborly call regarding foul odor. LOCATION: 112 Liverpool Road, Holloway, North London INITIATING ACTION: Call by Mrs. Gladdis Knight, at 110 Liverpool Road, complaining about foul odor from neighbor’s house. DETECTIVE REPORT: The house belongs to the deceased Mr. Lawrence Bacon, found murdered on 28 November, blocks from his home. I Interviewed Mrs. Knight who reported seeing a large man enter the house over the last 3 days; beginning 2 days after Mr. Bacon’s demise. She’d seen the same man in the company of 4 others back on 27 November: a woman, a larger man, and 2 others she could not describe because of shadows. I entered Mr. Bacon’s house confirming the foul odor coming from the kitchen where I found the most horrid creature gnawing on a human femur. Raising it like a club, it tried to attack me. But 3 bullets quickly felled the thing. I was able to snap a picture of the beast (photo evidence #23) just before the creature began to decompose and turn to dust. I searched the rest of the house, finding dirt tunnels below the kitchen, in the food cellar. Red-beady eyes starred back at me till I fired another 3 rounds. I climbed out of the tunnel and pushed furnishing into it to block their passage. I then climbed out of the cellar and shoved heavy furniture atop the trap door. Upon further investigation, I’ve learned the original large man to be Dr. Oliver Richardson; the psychologist we occasionally hire to assist with profiling serial killers. Last reported by his secretary, Mr. Oliver is on a business trip to Scotland. Upon his return, I will interview him and his known associates to ascertain just what has been going on at the Bacon house. EVIDENCE: Photo #23 (ghoul), one book titled “An Artistic Study of Ghouls” by Walter Pickman. REVIEWED BY:                                                     STATUS:

Part 9: Paradise and Road Kill (You only have to be faster than the slowest)

Sunday, 2 December: The group has made idle conversation with Henry Lister; a cultist and friend of Alexander who wrote the book, Der Wanderer Durch Den See. Lister recognizes the book Oliver holds, “Hey, I actually know that author, Alexander Roby. Going toward Inverness to meet him. He’s one of the group. Maybe I can introduce you. What’d you say your names are?”

And that’s what prompts the team to eliminate Lister, “If he describes meeting us to Coombs or Edwards…”

Monday, 3 December: 1am when the team walks the empty corridor of Lister’s sleeper car. Oliver stops at the car door, “Dad and I will keep watch for the porter. Dad, you go watch at the other door.” The others tip-toe toward Lister’s cabin. The clickity-clack of the rails drowns any noise they make, but John is still on edge when Jenny stoops to pick the lock. “Click.” Jenny steps into the dark room. Moonlight peeks around the shades to reveal the sleeping form.

Jenny grabs the spare pillow and covers the snoring face. She hangs on for a wild bucking ride as Lister struggles for breath. John enters the room to put his 340 pounds atop the pillow. The bucking ride soon ends. George is already opening the window.

John and George struggle to shove the body out the window and into the cold Scottish night, after emptying Lister’s pockets and taking his whistle. “Here’s his Machine-Press ID and a business card for a ‘Glenaffrie Cars’ in Inverness.”

The train wanders thru beautiful countryside but the team is too absorbed in planning to enjoy. “We could be days or weeks ahead of the ceremonial event. If not a full year early. Let’s search for the trucking that delivered the stones. Scout out the lodge and maybe find the stones where the ritual is to be performed. But stay undercover. Jen, maybe you and John can pretend to be a married couple.”

Part 8: Bacon, Ghouls, and a train ride north to Inverness

Wednesday, 21 November: George remembers the search of Evan’s (aka Montague Edward’s) house in Weobley, “The refrigerator was full of Scottish food. I recognized the haggis. Assuming he’s Scottish, maybe we should research that area for the report of the stones transported north.”

21-26 November: Down time to research and practice. “If we’re going to confront Bacon next week, we’d best practice our shooting. Oliver, the way you made Coombs laugh at your wild shots, YOU could use some lessons.” And so, George takes John and Oliver to the range to instruct. [George: Firearms failure 93 versus 90]. Oliver pulls the trigger and the round ricochets back, zinging past their ears. George pushes his instructions [Firearms failure 97 versus 90]: John turns to ask if he grip is correct …”Blam!”… the derringer bullet grazes George’s forearm. “God help us!”

George gives up instructing and uses the rest of the week to dig for information regarding his missing fiancée Emma. John takes Oliver back to the Seven Sister’s Library to research the Scottish link. John fails to find any cult or pagan articles of interest. Oliver searches for historical landmarks similar to Stonehenge; nope. “What about the last name Edwards?” Success! An Edwards’ lineage…Lord of Mullardoch. An estate on the slopes of Loch Mullardoch west of Inverness.