Shadowdark #15: 'It's a TWAP!'

 The characters resolve to return to the caves, though of course they now have new found information regarding Dagmara, the half orc wizard's parentage...stunning revelations; so much so that in fury, she returns the group to the caves in search of the apparently kidnapped babies...which of course is a ruse of devious nature.

'I hope this thing can fly?'

 They find tracks left by the kidnappers into a green mist filled cave...and discover that finding the clues is waaaay too easy.

'Wait...this seems far easier than...AHHHHHH!'

Entering a second entrance into the bandit lair instead, the bandits are reluctant to engage (after losing most of their number during the last encounter), but...they have a cunning plan (my lord). As the characters pursue the fleeing bandits, bags of 'anti-magical moonstone' cascade from the sides of the high chamber, stunning them and exploding amongst the magic users. Though they fight their way through, Dagmara is kidnapped and taken to the entrance, where harpies take her to the green mist cave, evading the descent of the party's 'Attack Griffin'.

 

Dagmara kidnapped by level 2 Bandit NPC morons! I mean...the embarrassment of it all...

With little choice now, the party rush inside the mist cave, discovering quickly that it is a maze and (DC15) checks must be made to stay together, which they invariably fail, except for Lyall the cleric, who dutifully finds the kidnapped Dagmara in the Harpy's lair (finding an ancient corpse on the floor, and a captured Dagmara in the nest above).

 His frantic Elven cries of 'HELP' reach the other characters, but they simply can not find him...though Fighter Bjorn finds a magical crossbow bolt of some nature in one of the rooms. The Harpies descend on the sole cleric, killing him in a few rounds., despite Leeta finding him, but being unable to save him.....when Bjorn and Jeralt reach the chamber and start to wreak vengeance on the winged hags.

Arriving home to discover that no one has emptied the dishwasher...AGAIN!

 In her vain attempt to escape, the bound Dagmara does find a secret entrance...apparently to the larger 'boss' cavern which has not been explored yet...and notes it for future reference.

Sadly, the characters regroup, and carry their once proud Spinal Tap drummer...I mean cleric, from the field of battle (cue music).

Death in the Harpy maze...

 Returning to the castle...there are things to discuss with Lady Maureen when they return her wand, whose big reveal as Dagmara's mother, makes many of the previous situations clear:

'I mean there is a chance, that I uhh, might not have exactly, precisely, told you everything?'

 

• 20 years previously, Dagmara, Trum, Byden the cleric and a fighter called Devlin (whose remains the party found in the Harpy nest), explored the caverns at various times. 
• Maureen found herself captured by White-Eye, escaping months later, and giving birth to her daughter in Boderfell (Borderfell...the Stroke City).
• She then headed north, leaving her daughter in the hands of the Boderfell/Borderfell rebels (who are really nice, honest)
• She returned here years later, in disguise, to wreak vengeance, find her daughter, or to determine exactly what was going on... 
• Trum had disappeared at one stage during the exploration - when returning to the party, he seemed 'different'.
• Clearly he, or his minion White-Eye, want Dagmara...Maureen believes that she is some sort of 'blood key', perhaps a blood sacrifice...that enables whoever is running the whole thing to escape somewhere...
• Maureen has also been passed 'moonstone' as a medicine but she realises now, that it is to dampen her magic. It came from Byden, who is clearly in the thrall of Trum too.
• When the characters tell of their 'eye of true seeing' magic item, and having seen Trum as some sort of Tabaxi/Cat person, behind his illusory human facade..Maureen gasps, grabs her ancient (1st ed no less) Monster Manual...and hisses 'Rakshasha...he is a Rakshasa! The real Trum is long dead then!' She shakes her head and sighs. 'This won't be easy.' 

Lord Trum...chillin'...with cheap fez that he bought from e bay, and pipe...

 

But what, gentle reader, is his devious plan...tune in next time... 

 

Cathulhu #2, 'I am here for the cemetery, not your weird shenannigans!'

Having been overheard by Lena...the cat of Paulie Pavlov, Whiskey and Fitz's discussion over the origins of the strange 'cat killer' are discussed by the new trio of investigator cats.

The gang - Whiskey, Fitz & Lena

 They resolve to investigate the last murder site, taking some milk at Fitz's hangout at Keenan's Laundry on East College Street. 

They look at the map in Brock's office, and mewl as they point to the sites of the four previous murders... Lena had also heard of some earlier cat murders in the cemetery to the south (one of her hangouts as she lives in the south east of the city with Paulie's family). She would like to return home of course, especially with a 'cat killer' on the streets, and persuades her two new friends to investigate in that direction. 

After a binned chicken dinner in Powder Mill Street, with a local cat called Maddox, he tells them of a house close to the cemetery, where the cellar was recently 'bricked up', removing it as one of Maddox's warm areas to sleep at night. Strange, unearthly sulphurous smells also emanated from the property at all hours. Mostly Irish immigrants live in this quarter, but there was a section of older richer houses on a large lot.

By mid afternoon, the party resolve to check the place out, finding a run down, though once expensive house. Fitz, whose speciality is opening doors, sneaks to the front. Finding it locked, he sneaks around the back and manages to enter via the kitchen, with Whiskey and Lena in tow.

 Their attention to the filth in the place is disturbed by a distinct banging from the basement, as if, something is trying to get out...present also is the voice of a man from below. 

They check out the living room and study, finding occult paraphernalia and messy 'insane' human notes. As they continue to search, they hear human 'can opener' footsteps coming up the stairs from the basement.Whiskey races to hide under the table, while Fitz heads for the chair...Lena heading for the fireplace, hoping to make her way out through the chimney...which turns to disaster, as she not only slips, but gets covered with inky black soot on the way down, convincing the approaching human...that she too is a black cat, and thereby, a target 'Here, kitty kitty!'

Terrified, the cats race from the room, though Lena is caught and dragged down the stairs to the basement...the next victim for the Black Cat Murderer?...the 'thing' that is making all the banging downstairs.

the 'horrible laboratory'

Fitz and Whiskey race to the bottom of the stairs, finding the basement and the horrific laboratory...where a door separates the 'thing' from the outside world. Whiskey tries to save Lena from the grasp of her human captor...whilst Lena herself manages to scratch and rip her way free, bolting up the stairs once more.

 

The cat that does not look like a D4, really...(well they have to useful for something)...

Fitz, bravely opens the door to the laundry room in the basement, revealing the horrific 'Cat from Saturn' which the human Montague has managed to summon from the Dreamlands and do his bidding, and help with his magical attempts to find eternal life and summon more cat demons, with the hearts of the black cats. With a lollop and a thrash, the thing tries to kill Fitz, who dodges and runs back up after his friends. 

 

the 'Cat from Saturn', and it hasn't had dinner yet...

Chased by Montague and the thing, the heroes race upstairs to the bedroom, with Lena and Fitz jumping onto the wardrobe.

Montague goes for a pistol in his drawer, whilst Whiskey races for the door...the cat thing lolloping toward the rickety wardrobe. Both cats pushing against the wall, they manage to bring the poorly balanced, heavy oak furniture down upon the cat-thing, hearing at least one bone break, but doing LOTS of damage, as they race for the kitchen downstairs...and the exit. Montague fires a shot from his revolver, but misses.

The old 'let's bring the wardrobe crashing down upon its alien head' trick.

They regroup back at Paulie Pavlov's house, where his young daughter feeds all the kitties some well deserved milk. Finally working out that the cat thing only comes out at night, they resolve to lay an ambush.

As expected, the the alien thing emerges for the night's hunt, though with one leg broken, and with a heavily wounded body. Clearly Montague could not repair it. Our heroes resolve to lead it to college street, where the traffic is heavy enough to cause an incident...taking it in turns to lead the thing in a merry chase for vengeance, they ultimately, in the darkness, manage to find an appropriate car, with a driver who could use better eye-glasses.

The cat thing misses one attack, as the heroes dodge effectively, and it is blinded by headlights from a driver who didn't even know it was there and ...SPLAT! Game over man! Game over!

That time when you realise that AI has absolutely no idea what you are asking for ...

 Breathing a sigh of relief, and with the thing's head not altogether attached properly, they retrieve their grisly trophy to return to Ricardo's gang...as proof of mission. Ricardo is grateful, having his gang feed on what is left of the 'thing' , and gives the party more catnip...informing them that his gang will take care of the 'can-opener' that had held the cat-killer.

'I mean this book is great and all, but where the heck did Kitty go???'

Returning to Lady 'Madame' with the Catnip, she is impressed (having never sampled it before) and hopelessly addicted.

Laughing at their triumph, the cats return to their homes, with Fitz returning to the Professor's home, near the University... a letter from London, an invitation to a lecture, has arrived... 

   TO BE CONTINUED ... in 'Horror on the Orient Express' (with added cat)