Call of Cthulhu, Episode 26 - 'Who Ate all the Stormbringer Pie?'

 Having agreed to help Grant Winwood and rescue Professor Methridge and his students from Easter Island, our heroes make their way to the massive airship hanger south of LA, where the Rosinante is moored.

 It is crewed by Winwood’s hired professionals (lackeys by any other name): Captain ‘I know what I’m doing’ Jensen, Fat ‘do I have to?’ Pedro and Ronnie ‘I’m the apprentice but I’m really in charge’ Van Zant.

Captain Jensen - confident as any drunk Australian can be...

 Also in evidence is a multitude of foodstuffs, under the care of Consww...Consuel...Winwood’s housekeeper. When quizzed about the amount of food, Winwood mentions how the number of students might be 20 or more, and Easter Island is run by the Chilean army, and they will seen as an American rescue mission...and some 'barter items' might not go amiss.

Long corridors and dodgy hydrogen bladders.

 McLeod stays on the bridge, convinced that Captain Jensen McCloy perhaps does not know what he is doing and Apprentice Ronnie is there to keep an eye on things. Taking off, gaining height they hook on an ‘ex’ US Navy seaplane, for good measure. More height, and compass bearings to head south, and they narrowly miss the 'Hollywoodland' sign, oops not missed after all...and now it says simply ‘Holywood’.

'Let's get outta here mayte!'

 In addition, in order to get better range, the airship is using hydrogen filled bladders, rather than helium (very available in the US at this time, and far safer), and also carrying – as Pedro points out with a cigar in his mouth – additional containers of hydrogen in the stowage. What could go wrong? I mean, it’s not as if there have been any major accidents...yet?

Picking up the plane no one can fly

They head south, out across the ocean. In the gondola, McDade starts to investigate the composition of the loaded foodstuffs...finding a large pumpkin pie – the bottom of the deep, and seemingly ancient dish – bearing an elder inscription that they have seen before. Our heroes immediately devolve into argument as to its meaning, with Sinead (now having rejoined the party after a spell in the same sanitarium as the Prof) arguing that they should not throw it over the side. 

'Whatever you do, make sure you've got a risk assessment...'

Even though she has been having very strange dreams since having her new necklace made – funnily enough with the same symbology – she believes the pie bowl to be harmless. 

The dreaded symbol, in the bottom of the dreaded...pie bowl...there purely to ensure that the baking is effective.

 Fat Pedro quickly removes the evidence of there ever having been pie inside, ...clearly to help the characters out ‘eh senor...did anyone else want pie?’

Long narrow corridors in hydrogen filled, fiery explosive potential...what could go wrong?

As the characters argue, McLeod learns from Jensen how to pilot the airship...roughly, as they head into a patch of bad weather, and it grows dark. Sinead has a vision of a worm faced hooded thing, astride a Shantak...staring at her, but manages to keep her sanity intact, and look away... the Prof informs her, that she had a vision of Nyarlathotep ... is that bad?

Into the storm

Then all hell breaks loose as two Byahkee, clearly summoned by nefarious forces, and homing in on the still on board pie-bowl...which Pedro has kindly cleared…

...seems a little hungry

McLeod stays on the bridge, bravely looking away, as McDade and the Prof start shooting with solid slug...far, far away from the hydrogen, and Sinead hides under the table.

Close range solid slug eventually does its duty, as the foul flying things manage to miss the characters...but, something has rent open one of the bladders and the airship is losing pressure fast. The characters, with shotguns, make their way to the keel and spine of the airship, walking delicately between bladders hunting down the remaining Byahkee. 

Balancing on the edge...

The Prof, McDade and Sinead find one, dispatch it, and shut down the pressure leak as the airship descends to 6,000 feet, but there is still something on top of the blimp. McDade volunteers and climbs the vertical access ladder, opening a hatch on top rising into the dark, wind and rain, seeing the thing that has rent the canopy come lurching toward him. He has no time to reload and the beaked monstrosity takes a bit out of him, hanging on to his shoulder and sucking blood as he screams, reloads and blows its head off, before kicking it away, climbing back through the hatch, and managing his way back down the tube, bleeding… but still alive.

Not recommended...

Sinead throws the pie bowl out one of the holes rent by the byahkee in the gondola. Fat Pedro asks if there is any more pie...and can he lick the bowl first.

Destination ahead...(see what I did there)

A few days later, the Rosinante reaches Easter Island, and the ship does a circuit so that they can scout the island, before landing about a mile north of the only settlement at Hangaroa so that Ronnie can carry out repairs to the damaged outer skin and the hydrogen bladder.

South West portion of the island

 They have of course attracted the attention of both the local populace and the Chilean army, whose trucks filled with armed maniacs, now head to their position on the coast.

The discourse seems, roughly jovial, with Captain Manuel Pereira - the Chilean officer in charge, wanting to have the ‘missing Americans’ problem solved, and assuming correctly that this is the rescue party. Though, at the Prof’s persuasion, he allows them one handgun with a full load of ammunition, much to the chagrin of McDade and Sinead, who have ideas about umm...hiding ammo…

Convinced by what they have, they are brought into town, and immediately taken under the care of Father Jorge Haedo, the local Priest (who also likes his food), and who brings them into the church where the stricken students and the now drunk Professor Winthrop Methridge are holed up.

Father Jorge tells them of the ancient legends of the island, proudly displaying his large book collection – occult, historical and...the Prof notices an ancient text, clearly copied many times, but displaying aspects of the same cuneiform language that he taught himself during the flight and whilst in hospital.

He has found a journal it seems...the record of the last days...of Lord Belphegor of Mu and the sacred quest for the lost steel blade of Mu…an ancient sword and Easter Island...something familiar about it all from the party’s time in Scotland.

A journal containing details of the final doomed voyage of four ‘heroes’ at the end of the pre-historical, antediluvian world, when ‘serpents’ from the sky (definitely not comet fragments at all...no...no) had impacted the Earth and shattered empires: Lord Belphegor – Warrior Priest, Septimus – Noble Warrior, Kall the savage brute and ShanTryan – Atlantean slave to Lord Belphegor…

He starts to read of a time of magic; a time of noble warriors; a time of elder races striving to survive, and win back the remnants of a shattered Earth...

 Tune in next week ...

Call of Cthulhu, Episode #25: 'Hot Barrels and Helium Zeppelins'

 Having driven around the movie set and spotted 'something' nearby via the lens handily attached to the Lewis guns, McCleod opens up at 110 yards...'FOLLOW MY TRACER!'

'I feel that this needs a Risk Assessment and Method Statement mate!'

Ten round bursts tend to be quite definitive from our friend Lewis, and whatever the invisible thing is, it gets torn to pieces by the impacts, apparently starting to age fast and melt away, though no one gets too close. 

'Become a spectral horror, they said, it'll be fun they said...no one mentioned a f'kn Lewis gun???'

Spotting a slight blip a mile away at the Hotekh Indian site in the side of the mountain, the car trundles along the rough scrub and brush, though can only close to 1/4 of a mile from the site, without getting stuck.

'It's slow, insurance is a nightmare...but you get a free dog.'

 

The party leaves the car pointing the right way ('in outta here direction'), and they proceed on foot.

 

'...and as with all our whacked out real estate ladies and gentlemen, the doors are of course, on the roof...'

 Discovering an elaborate and ancient stairway leading up to the site, the party proceed in single file - McCleod with the Lens on the Lewis Gun, then McDade with solid slug double barelled shotgun, then the suspiciously nosey journalist Roseanna Bartlet, and the Russian Paulie Pavlov, with the Tommy gun.

 All seems fine, as they approach the first level, scanning..scanning...this will work, I'm sure...then a shriek from Roseanna as Paulie is grabbed by something at the rear of the party, which yanks him by the head and pulls him up into the air, blood spouting and drenching its invisible spectral form as Roseanna freezes with temporary insanity. 

'Wasn't there only 4 of us?'

 McDade turns quickly, close range, both barrels with the solid slug, and manages to do max damage, creating spray where once there was a spectral horror...Paulie ends up with ONE hit point and survives barely, and McDade manages to save his life, though he is unconscious.

How it happened in my head...

 Being the caring characters they are, they tuck the insane Roseanna and the unconscious Paulie into a corner nook, and give her a revolver for protection. What nice chaps.

McDade and McCleod proceed...thinking there were three of the things in the phantom movie, and they have killed two...right?

 

As they reach the upper levels, looking for a vertical entrance into the tallest tower, a 'special' roll on McLeod's spot hidden and he sees the third 'thing' making its way toward the nervous Roseanna's position ...time for more Lewis gun discipline...and multiple rounds from McDade push the thing over the cliff in tatters, as Rosalind starts firing into the wind, mad as a box of bees.

Clearing the tower, the two surviving sane members of the party lower themselves into what looks like some sort of sacrificial pit...covered with runes and cuneiform snake markings, clearly identifying worship of Yig, or worse...but something slimy is moving in the sand between the steps downward and the fire-pit...McLeod fires a burst and McDade jumps badly, narrowly missing having his crotch bitten off by something with a big mouth...

'ere we go, down pit..'

As he starts to analyse the pit, finding a stone tablet and three wicker dolls of the Hotekh who gave their souls up to become spectral horrors, a scream from Rosanna outside indicates that the spectral horrors are re-forming, and that spell-work is required...and FAST!

Time for the spell, and McDade aces it, burning each effigy as he recites the words at the unholy altar..hearing mingling horrible screams outside as the spectral horrors die once more, and Roseanna goes full GAGA. 

'ummm chaps?'

Pulling free the stone, they realise that they have in fact found, the 'Arc of Vlactos' - a tablet with cuneiform writing and a map of R'lyeh, indicating points of safe passage to the important places. This, and the disc, were what the Order of Silvery Twilight were prepared to kill for, since it would grant them safe passage on the cursed isle, or at least, what path to follow... Now, it seems, unless they can capture the party, they may have to do things the hard way.

They leave quickly, carrying Roseanna and Paulie back to the car, keeping careful watch with the lens ...just in case, and they return to Los Angeles.

Debating whether to go back to Winwood, they first take the mad and the injured to the sanitarium where they had left the Prof (under Winwood's advice), where the head of the place, Dr. Hasselblad, seems very interested in McLeoud's burns from the alien weapon received aboard the Mauretania, after McDade asks about something to heal his ongoing damage problem.

'I sink I zee zee problem...'

 He is also aware that the Prof is acquainted with Winwood's hired investigators - McDade's colleagues, and assures them he has taken great interest in the Professor, who will be healed shortly thanks to pioneering new research...

'who loves ya babay?'

 McDade meanwhile lies to Winwood, stating that as far as the movie set was concerned, there was 'nothing to see here', though he warns about Conswe...Consuell...the housekeeper, being less than trustworthy, but Winwood has bigger issues now, having heard from another colleague - Professor Winthrop Methridge, whom he and Edward Call had managed to convince to go to Easter Island, on a 'research' expedition with his students.

He has received word via telegram from Easter Island via Pearl Harbour, that all is not well...and aid is requested.

He asks the characters if they will help...revealing that he has a fast way to get there...pointing to a picture of his finest airship, 'the Rocinante'...on the wall. 

The Rozzy

McDade happily agrees - not really listening to the fact that they will need hydrogen rather than helium due to range - being more excited about airships than saving the world, and shakes on the deal, before going to get McCleod from the sanitarium. As he enters the office of Dr. Hasselblad, he notices an empty jar, which reminds him distinctly of something he has seen before, though last time, there was a Mi-Go embryo inside...curiouser and curiouser.

Not jam

Next stop...Easter Island. 

Shadowdark #14: 'Join ME and together we will rule the kingdom as Father and son...I mean daughter...'

 Joining our heroes once more, as they make their way through the secret way, trailing a surviving orc, straight into what appears to be the bandit lair.

uhhh...ok?

 ...a seemingly useless guard, finds some use in his last moments...and screams a warning, such that Fergus the disgraced knight and his fam...get the heck out of their living room, and alert the rest of the bandit compound to the presence of intruders. The place is coming down with smuggled trade goods, and anti magic powder...(as opposed to coming down with smuggled white goods, as that would be washing machines, and that's not half as exciting).

'It's ok...I'm sure there won't be a clatter of bandits at the other end....'

 Added to the party's  ill fortune is the fact that the Orc Leader 'Ruckin White-eye' is now approaching with his tattooed 'protection rune' guards, from the other end.

'Spare the girl!' he screams. "She is my fam!'

 Combat ensues at both ends of the party, with Bjorn and Jeralt heroically fighting off the bandits, whilst Nijel the (new)cleric of eeevil, Leeta, Dagmara and (not) Llewellen  ...Lyall, that's it, defend against the orcs.

It seems dire, though manageable until, White-eye screams at Dagmara the half orc 'The Witch Maureen never told you what happened to your FATHA!" (you can see where this is going right?)

Dagmara is perplexed in a 'wtf' kind of way., as White-Eye announces "I am your FATHA!"...that is bad enough, but more distracting is the fact that ...'and Maureen the witch, is your MUTHA!'  ...(sound of screeching wheels and needle jumps on records on the movie track)... 

perplexed in a 'wtf' kind of way ...obviously

 Wide eyed, she uses the Witch ring to turn invisible and distracts herself by searching the bandit Lord Fergus's apartments, finding paperwork enough to create confusion at the keep as to who is really behind what, and 400 odd gold pieces.

 

As the party rear pulls back to the party front at the bandit fight, seeing a way out via the entrance to the cave, Jeralt pulls an absolute flanker...and not in a good way.

 

Rolling a 1 for a fumble, he manages to get to roll 3 times on the table, whacking his ally Bjorn for max damage (ouch), breaking his sword in the process (double ouch)...oh, and twisting his wee ankle. Poor lad. 

'oops, sorry mate...I didn't read the Risk Assessment!'

 Back at the orcs, Lyall manages to steal the back-scratcher that White-eye has at his belt, realising that it is actually  Maureen's long lost wand 'I'll have that!'

"we got the wand - RUN!'

 The rear of the party runs for it, ...as white-eye catches up with the slowest and splatters Nijel the Cleric all over the floor (new members of the Party appear to be like Spinal Tap drummers at this rate).

Another unknown drummer goes down...

 They manage to force the bandits back, and hold off White-Eye who tries to convince Dagmara to 'join him and rule the galaxy..I mean the valley..side by side' . 'Not until I have had a word with me Mum about this confusing and yet dramatic situation!', Dagmara shouts back, in not so many words.

"Stay 

"STAY BACK! I have a sword and a bloke that keeps fumbling! ...and my injury claim is PENDING!'

 Jeralt, manages to whistle for the griffin transport, and they start to get out, the trap at the cavemouth spotted by Jeralt as he jumps over it, whilst carrying the wand wielding Lyall...and they ultimately get away.

'GO! GO! GO!'

 there may be questions to answer back home... 

'ummm...did I forget to tell you?'

 

Call of Cthulhu, Episode #24: 'The 1925 Technical'

 As the Professor recovers, and Sinead is missing somewhere in Los Angeles, the next port of call is Pierre Baptiste...the French cameraman on the ill fated 'Prince of Babylon' movie. McDade, McLeoud and Pavlov 'Paulie' with the Tommy gun, get the reclusive Frenchman's address from Winwood the Producer...and find a deserted warehouse well south of LA.

A premier example of an early 20th century Scottish 'Technical' deployed in the Mojave Desert...AI says

 Entering, it looks like Baptiste has surrounded himself with his trade - photographs, reels of spent film, cameras...and...he might have just topped himself, though they determine he is drunk and the shot missed, whacking an expensive camera instead.

'Can't yoo zee ahh am bizzeeee?'

They soon determine that he is as mad as a box of madness, and is only semi coherent when drunk...so they feed him the expensive brandy they brought, and find out about a very specific 'lens' which von Varnstein (the dead Director) had ordered in order to see 'something' on the desert set. Baptiste designed it, to von Varnstein's peculiar specification - but never saw a thing.

The lens...certainly not suitable for strapping to a firearm...oh no no No, the vibration, the lack of zeroing, the potential for falling off..yeah, f**k that sh1t

 Swapping a 2nd bottle of brandy for the lens, Baptiste tells them he is 'never going back' to the site...mind you. all the characters want is the lens, reasoning that they can both re-watch the film, and get the jump on the so called 'spectral horrors' that must have been the reasoning behind the curse.

Outside, they realise they have been followed by Roseanne Bartlet - a Holywood reporter with a New Yawk accent...who wants the story on the 'ghost-hunters' that Winwood has hired...she could be useful so the party agree that she can tag along (extra SANs always helps). 

'All I want is the story dahling!'

At Atlas studios, despite the ravings of James Raven (the only main surviving actor) they find the receipts to the lens in von Varnstein's garbage bin, and determine to re-watch the movie excerpts with the lens in place on the projector...they then see what they are dealing with - the invisible spectral horrors are revealed by the lens (SAN ROLLS!!!)...and clearly something to do with the dead Indian tribe near the set. 

...also mad as a box of ticks...

Time for Library use...they determine that indeed, the invisible stalkers have benefited from a spell, and the tribe was not altogether wholesome to begin with.

Preparing to leave, they also notice that ...Conswella,... Coinsuella, ...Kawn se....'Winwood's Head of the House' is wearing an elder sign... of sorts.

Nothing to see here...

Time for action. The journalist and Paulie accompany McLeoud and McDade to the film set...though McLeoud makes some 'modifications' to the vehicle that Winwood has loaned them..raising the trunk, and securing the Lewis gun on the roof, then strapping the lens to Lewis gun (securely of course), and loading up with 1 in 5 tracer rounds...'FOLLOW MY TRACER!' What can go wrong.

Looks like my back garden, to be fair...

Confident in their early version of the 1980s African 'Technical' vehicle they have developed (TM) in 1925, they find the movie set 40 miles to the south of LA...and drive around slowly...as partial remnants of wooden castles and offices flap in the dry wind...then...'worm sign' as McLeoud sees a faint flicker of a blue tinged head near a sand dune, then a lolloping clawed arm...'CONTACT!' ...what could go wrong? 

"That's...not so good...'

This is the original 1925 Scottish version of the 'Technical'...aye

 

It's only a model...