Call of Cthulhu, Episode 15..."Don't Look at It! Don't Look at It!"

With McDade on the inside, the knowledge that Leclair can only be saved if Ching Lung Soo is allowed to partially complete the summoning (cunningly disguised as a magic trick) that will bring the Lan Shi Star Vampire to Earth, we could say that the characters are (both literally and figuratively) playing a very dangerous game.

The definitively unique architecture of the Theatre in stunning 'not 20mm' scale. ...with clear indication to the players that their characters could, in true 1920s 'dangerous act' style, try and use the lighting rig at right of picture to balance, dive, jump and fall...I mean, I thought it would be obvious, a perfect stunt...no? Dang...it took me literally 5 minutes to cut that out of the cardboard and nobody used it!

 

Having returned to the 'teleportation box' and somehow ended up locked in it, Sinead manages to miss the main part of the show.

A similarly named Chinese bloke

 As Ching Lung Su announces "the greatest trick ever performed anywhere in the world..." in the Master of Arcane Lore's best Chinese accent, the characters manage to fast talk their way backstage. McDade, despite being caught trying to 'borrow' one of the robes for the stage chant, is caught, and forced to sidle up to the stage later, whilst the Professor and McLeoud..manage to persuade a constable that there is a threat to the Prime Minister from 'Chinese-Irish dissidents' (a clear threat in the 1920s - honest Guv'na) ... The Chinese henchmen have now erected the three part summoning archway on the stage, inscribed and daubed with appropriate magical cuneform (or something) runes, and containing the soul of Phillip Leclair as sacrifice to Lan Shi - the Star Vampire.

...and the back of a fag packet version (for our American viewers, a fag is a cigarette...no really)

 The ruse will work for a few valuable minutes, as the crowd watches with awe at Ching Lung Soo in his diabolically stunning red robes, surrounded by his Chinese henchmen in appropriately black cultist cloaks - who start to chant the incantation...that will summon the thing from another realm.

Appropriately armed with smuggled pistols...the party wait for a signal - which they 'hope' is the appearance of the trapped spirit of Leclair. ...and...as the foul words of magic continue...something is forming above the arch...a writhing body of a man?...in a suit...and he is starting to smoke (and not in a good way), and catch fire...flames writhing along his clothing as he floats. The crowd loves it!

"Summoning a Star Vampire - step 1 - make sure your miniature MDF archway is symmetrical"

 

The audience applauds madly, for it is all part of the new trick, right? The Professor and McLeoud rush the stones, McLeoud to try and topple them...McDaid and the Professor grab fire buckets full of sand trying to engulf the flickering, manifesting LeClair before he goes fully up in flames...McCleoud climbs the stone and yanks Leclair - still flaming - to the ground.. He then slams into the stone to topple it as the Prof dodges a knife wielding mad Chinese  maniac cultist...Mcdade is not so lucky being impaled badly by a Chinese blade, and falling unconscious...almost dead. 

The cheap seats

 With guns popping and Chinese cultists stabbing, the Police are totally confused, not least by the fact that the crowd are screaming and heading for the doors, since this is not the magic trick they were expecting. 

McLeoud manages to take down one granite post - dodging the falling masonry, as the Prof is wounded by knife wielding maniacs and Police start to fire at the Chinese men in black cloaks as they seem the obvious bad guys! The Prime Minister is ushered from the scene, as Police struggle to retain any sort of control, the Prof and McLeoud first aid McDade, then take after the escaping Ching Lung Soo, in hot pursuit.

A partially formed Star Vampire, behind the stone blocks...curses as its sacrifice in the shape of Leclair, is saved...and it remains in its horrific home dimension, unable to fully form  (note to self...if characters ask what it looks like - hit them with SAN roll ;)  ) 'Don't LOOK AT IT! DON'T LOOK AT IT!'

Rounds fly down range in the basement corridor as Ching Lung Soo, and most of his remaining party fall to the characters shots. ... a badly sliced up McDade looks away from the partially formed Lan Shi.

The Police are convinced (roughly) by the character's story, without necessarily accepting the whole 'alien fiend was about to be summoned to this mortal plane, and it would have been really bad!' tale, and opting for the preferred 'Irish-Chinese' plot to take out PM Stanley Baldwin. Seems obvious really. The Irish componenet seems to have escaped however. How strange. 

McDade meanwhile tries to ascertain the ease (or otherwise) of re-accessing the Magic Society's library, determining from the local constable and the American Magician Will Crowther - who has also re-appeared, that not  only has a lot of evidence been taken, but a bald man was seen to have made off with most of the books. Crowther also reveals that he managed to spirit Sinead away before she got arrested for being a disguised Irish lass impersonating a dodgy American Magician in the pay of Chinese Sorcerors, or something.

'Don't look at it! Don't look at it!'

 

In a definitive last act, having left LeClair back in the arms of his girlfriend Elaine...and after McDade has interviewed him (for the Cthulhu Mythos at least), the characters find Karl Weiss the German Magician who seems to be to blame for all of this, forcing him to hand over the strange book that started this whole thing... an immaculate English tranlation of the 14th centruy 'Ctahht Aquidatat', stamped with the markings of the British Museum and clearly nicked...The Prof pockets it.

I simply can't imagine what it looks like..ummm...DON'T LOOK AT IT!

 As the characters make their way to Southampton a few days later, a strange bald man with crates of what might be books, or something more sinister...appears to be awaiting his turn at the ticket office...