Shadowdark #13: 'ORCS MR. RICO! - Zillions of 'em!*''

 Having first visited Maureen the witch in the tower, the party get advice around taking the orc caverns - and rescuing Maureen's wand.

'Sort out that bloomin wand willya?'

 (* with apologies to Mr. Heinlein) 

While there, she asks Dagmara if she would like to be her apprentice. She agrees, puts on a 'locky bangle thing', and is told that when she gets back, she'll have to mop the floor (a typical modern apprenticeship these days), if she ever wants to learn the secrets of true magical power.

A local mercenary chaos elf cleric called Nijel, is recruited (he may even survive this time...though he does inadvertabtly whack Jeralt...ummm...)

NOT orcs

.Armed with scrolls and Maureen's invisibility ring, the party rush back to the caverns of chaos.

 

...Better

Jumping right in and rushing the caves, they pay scant attention to the 'wall o heads' in the entry way, pausing only to recognise the remains of Barnard, Balin and Elfin John, whose heads have been dug up and place in the orc trophy case. 

'Zillions of em!'

Too late, they see that one of the heads is actually a live orc who barks orders as the contents of the guard rooms rush the party from two sides...'separate the spellcasters' seems to make strategic sense, but 'spare the half orc wizard' seems to be a vert strange order...curiouser and curiouser.

'NEVER split the party'

The party get their asses kicked, very narrowly avoiding another death in the shape of Jeralt the paladin, and a critical is very narrowly avoided by Leeta, with every spell failing to work. They retreat after luckily dispatching the first band of orcs, back to Bruno's lab across the valley - noting that they are being watched by human bandits from the hill.

2nd time around - a little bit of Recon reveals a lot

They decide to be more cautious next time, and Dagmara goes on a recon with the ring of invisibility.

Mountainhome stops the dogs, as the party take on the orc main body

They spot another trap about to be sprung (these orcs ain't stoopid), and place the Mountainhome shield to guard against the orcs' vile attack dogs, while they take on the main force, with Dagmara spotting the orc chief 'Ruckin Whiteye' in his throne room - though he sees her with some sort of magical eye-piece. He looks tough!

I bet he drinks Carling Black Label

In addition, they find that the entire orc complex is a giant mine, refining the anti-magical white ore known as 'moon-stone' 

Hard fightin

  

Dagmara never looks good when she's invisible

With one orc left alive, they pursue him through a secret door, leaving White-eye for now, and heading toward what seems to be the human bandits' lair... 

Call of Cthulhu, Episode #21: 'Arrival at Black Knob - It makes a buzzing sound, and not in a good way...'

 Reuniting with Sinead back at the station in New York, the characters check they are not being followed. Sinead however, swears she sees something...or someone..tall. loathsome...who quickly disappears.

 

'Ok I would recommend that you read NONE of these!'

Consulting the books they have gathered, the party learn spells and benefits..risking sanity, but gaining forbidden knowledge. They now know for instance:

1. Septimus Crane and the Order of Silvery Twilight have the means and intention to open a gate to another realm and summon a bloody dangerous elder being; perhaps Great Cthulhu.
2. They probably won't be changing their minds anytime soon.
3. the characters are simply in the way...

They do everything to ensure that they aren't being followed...though Sinead has an experience on the LA Train sleeper carriage, with something horrific outside her room...later, the part find a strange symbol carved into her stateroom door. She wonders idly if one of the items that 'randomly appears to have fallen into her hands' may be to blame...acting as a beacon to those of malign intent.

I mean it looks perfectly safe?

 She sees the shadowy figure again at the halfway house station at Black Knob in midwest USA, where the Russian count has invited the party to visit him at his hilltop mansion. Consulting with the characters (with McDade rolling 01 for his Cthulhu Mythos), and their new found knowledge...they realise that this may be 'the worm who walks', a manifestation of dread Nyarlathotep himself. The others begin to stay a few tentative steps away from Sinead.

I bet he drinks Carling Black Label.

At Black Knob she starts to create some 'jewellery' with the local metalworker/farm machinist for ummm 'protection?' as the others settle in to get drunk with the local townsfolk, finding out that the Russian Count is not the only new person in town.

Seems perfectly safe...what could go wrong?

 

Black Knob station, before the characters start their normal antics...

 Arriving three months ago, Adam Smythe ingratiated himself with the locals, had a relationship with Margaret Brown the local librarian, drove her mad...and yet seems to be well liked at the same time? Oh, and he also ordered nine large stone blocks for no particular reason at all.

'This is how we sort out paranormal mysteries in Scotland laddie!'

Rolling a '01' (again with the 01s!!!) the Prof manages to find out that not only was the now crazy Margaret in love with 'Good Adam', but 'Bad Adam' seems to be aligned with some entities which go ...'bzzzz and not in a good way'. ...and that the local Sherrif is under some sort of 'glamour' spell that makes him leave Smythe alone.

I hate it when that happens...

 

It's solid slug time !

The party arms up with solid slug for the shotguns - there's vile Sorcerors and foul alien Mi-Go in them thar hills.

 

Call of Cthulhu, Episode #20: 'Is that a Book of Forbidden Lore in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?'

 Eventually reaching New York, as the most eventful cruise in world history comes to a close, the party firstly makes sure the precious Lewis Gun is unloaded, before accompanying the Count to his rendezvous with the 'money-men' who have promised to buy his book for the mysterious Septimus Crane of Arkham.

 A local newspaper tells of their patron Edward Call's savage murder in Arkham, together with Sophie - the Post Office operator who had been sending them messages in Scotland... 

Ok that's a problem!

The negotiation proceeds, and the characters follow the mysterious 'twins' one of whom at least appearing to have a very alien stammer.

Trust uzzzzzzzz....

 They promise that they will visit the Count in Idaho when their train gets there, arranging to leave well after he does, though are intrigued by the telegram that he receives upon landing...

 

The couriers, now with the forbidden book 'Monsters and their Kynde' proceed to Arkham, arriving late at night, of course inadvertently offering our intrepid murder-hobos a chance to ambush them.

Setting this up takes some time, but devolves into 'running up behind and using shotguns'. 

'Large area of park good for ambush of alien entities!' CHECK!

 Though that simple plan, goes less than well, as the human disguise sloughs from the twins revealing...what they really are.

SURPRISE!!!

 The 'Fungi from Yuggoth' though surpised, are hard to kill, narrowly missing grappling the professor, but ultimately, much ammo use later...they melt into the ground as if never there, blasted...with difficultly, by round after round. McLeoud takes the book from the icky mess that remains...(ewwwww)

 The characters find both the book and a strange letter on the bodies...realising at last, that they have been set up and that Septimus Crane, is working for the enemy - probably best not to go to his house after all.

Returning to his old digs, the prof makes arrangements to leave on the next train with the party...

 Arkham, the Order of the Silvery Twilight, and the whole damned affair turns into a world spanning conspiracy...and now, having got rid of Edward Call and Sophie, the enemy must know what the characters are up to. In fact they have been spied upon since Scotland! They realise from the letter that the Order may not need the disk at all now, and may have ways around its usefulness, and that things are happening on Easter Island, that are not altogether wholesome.

'All we wanna do is put your brains in jars...I mean, is that so baaaaaad?  zzz zzz zzz zzzz"

 Time to get to California, and find the fabled  Arc of Vlactos...before it's too late, and the Order raise this mysterious entity that they so revere, from the depths of the Pacific...