London

Session 19: The British Isles

The journey to London lasted 12 days - with another half day of travel by train from Southampton to London proper, where Arthur's flat resides. As the team settled in for the night, Arthur decided to experiment with the copper disc and the spell he had learned from the Selections de Livre D'Ivon - and found that he could successfully cast Eibon's Wheel of Mist. The next morning they came up with a plan of action over breakfast at the local Pub. Their first stop was The Scoop, where Mikey Mahoney told them that Jackson had been doing research on a cult that he thought was pretty well connected in London. He hadn't given any details to him, but had pulled aside 3 past articles form the Scoop's files to research (though if he had made any progress before leaving London, Mikey wasn't sure): Shocking Canvases Craze, Police Baffled By Monstrous Murders and Slaughter Continues. Next, they decided to walk over to The Penhew Foundation. They inquired about meeting Edward Gavigan, the director, but as it was Sunday he was not in. His secretary, Thomas Kinnery met them and accepted the letter of introduction that Erica Carlyle had provided and said he would try to arrange an appointment with Mr. Gavigan the following day after lunch - around 1PM.

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Session 20: The Sins of the Past

After setting up their meeting with Edward Gavigan at The Penhew Foundation for the next day, Don, Arthur and Harley visted Watkins Books where Arthur procured a copy of the Cultes des Goules. They took a cab form the bookshop and Harley persuaded the cabbie, Frank, to take them to his brother-in-law, Biff's apartment in the Limehouse Docks district to procure some armaments. Biff took their order of an Elephant Gun, Bird Shot and Dynamite (along with permits) and agreed that they would meet again the day after next at 2PM. He also passed along the card of his landlord, Mr. Martin, when Don asked about finding a cheap flat that they could rent in the area. Afterwards, Frank took them back to the cafe across from The Penhew Foundation, where they ate and staked it out - finding that one guard roamed the grounds once an hour consistently. 

 

As it got later, the group retired to Arthur's flat - where he took them into his study and showed him that he could now cast Eibon's Wheel of Mist (the spell Nodens had told him to seek out). Harley and Don went to bed, but Arthur stayed up to skim the Cultes des Goules - but the dark knowledge it contained brought him back to a time in his past when he had a brush with the Mythos and he took leave of his senses for about an hour. He came to beaten and bruised just outside the entrance to the catacombs where he'd had his previous experience. He made his way back to the flat and woke up Don as he returned. Don saw a figure in the fog watching the flat but it fled before he could see who it was - leaving only a cigarette butt and a drop of blood behind. This added to Arthur's paranoia and he regaled his past to Harley and Don - and suggested that they find a hotel to stay at.

 

The group checked into a nice hotel a few blocks from The Penhew Foundation and found that they could see the grounds form their window - verifying that the security guard was still making his hourly rounds before turning in. In the morning, Arthur went to the bank and replenished his funds and rented a Safety Deposit Box where they placed the Cult des Goules, Africa's Dark Sects, the Selections de Livre D'Ivon, the carved African scepter, lion claws and marine chronometer. They then went to view the exhibit at the Penhew Foundation - finding nothing of note on display. However, Arthur was able to secure research passes to their Library.

 

The group met with Edward Gavigan in his office. Gavigan said that he had met with Jackson Elias very briefly to discuss the Foundation's role in setting up The Carlyle Expedition. He explained that Roger Carlyle obtained information, from “an African woman,” (Nichonka "Anastasia" Bonay) concerning a shadowy time in Egyptian history about which Sir Aubry Penhew had long been interested. In this ancient time a sorcerer was reputed to have ruled the Nile Valley. However, the information proved to be a hoax. In Egypt, the African woman disappeared with the expedition’s ready funds, in the amount of some 3,500 British pounds. Fearing the heat and disappointment of Egypt would seriously affect her health, as well as Carlyle’s, Hypatia Masters suggested that the group spend the summer months in the relatively cool Kenyan uplands, affording her a wonderful opportunity to use some new lenses to photograph African wildlife. Once there, the group injudiciously entered a dubious territory and, alas, paid for it with their lives. The vast share of the expedition’s records were lost in the incident, as Sir Aubrey took them along to work on, while matters were still fresh in his mind. He went on to say that the expedition did turn up some interesting artifacts from other periods, and was able to dig a number of test trenches to help continue Sir Aubrey’s systematic study of Dahshur. They also found some secondary sites in the wastes to the west of the Giza pyramids. Some of the artifacts were loaned to the British Museum, while a few of the lesser pieces came to reside in the Penhew Private Collection. Unfortunately most of the items are still being catalogued for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

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Session 21: The Unexpected Ally

Don, Arthur and Harley continued their talk with Edward Gavigan - asking about how expeditions are set up and the possibility of having The Penhew Foundation sponsor one for them. When they were finished, they stopped in the foundation's research library for a few hours. Arthur found a passage that mentioned the Black Pharaoh in Proceedings of The Antiquities Service of Lower Egypt and Don did some followup research on pharaohs in the 3rd and early 4th dynasties. 

 

When they left, Arthur convinced the group to go back to his flat to see if anything had been disturbed. When they arrived, it looked as though nothing had been touched - but they had received a telegram from Carlton Ramsey giving them contact information of a friend of Jackson Elias who was currently in London and looking for a project. They called Jack Marquette and set up a meeting at the cafe across from the Penhew Foundation. After discussing some of the things they had seen and hearing about some of Jack's misadventures, they invited him back to Arthur's flat to show him the African mask. Arthur put it on and was taken to Noden's Abyss but was not visited by Nodens directly. Don put it on and saw a terrifying vision of countless beings' memories being kept in dissolving bubbles. One of the sets of memories he experienced was from the point of view of an underwater humanoid creature - and gave him to a fear of the ocean. Jack decided not to try the mask for himself but as it was late and past his boarding house's curfew, he spent the night.

 

The next morning, after a breakfast at the local pub, Arthur called around to some local art galleries and spoke with an owner who told him that Miles Shipley (the painter referenced in The Scoop) had stopped showing at galleries and preferred to work privately with buyers (like Allister Crowley). The group made their way to the Shipley House in Chelsea and was met by Bertha Shipley, Miles' elder mother. She called a very jittery Miles down to speak with them and left to make tea as he led the group up to the 3rd floor garret. Inside the garret (which could be locked from either side of the door) were several finished paintings and a new work being sketched out on an easel. Among the finished paintings, both Arthur and Don saw a painting of The Ruins in Peru - and Don remembered the first time he looked into the Golden Mirror had seen Miles feverishly painting it.

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Session 22: The Artist

Don, Arthur, Harley and Jack were being shown paintings by Miles Shipley while Bertha Shipley went to make tea for the group. As the others looked at several disturbing works, Jack slipped away to explore the 2nd floor of the house. He found several unused bedrooms and one very lived in one. In the closet he found a syringe and small vial of green liquid and hid out in the bathroom until Bertha had proceeded upstairs with the tea. Then he slipped downstairs - finding nothing of significance - and picked the lock into the basement. Along the southern wall of the basement he found a hidden door which lead into a small room that strongly smelled of reptiles which was covered in runes and shelves filled with jars of different black substances and stone tub with a metal covering. He quickly found a bag and packed up the jars - hiding them in the bushes outside the house before returning to the grotto with the others.

 

Meanwhile the 3 men were being shown a number of paintings - in addition to the one of the Peruvian Temple. 'The Dark Pharaoh' showed a processional scene from ancient Egypt in which a golden chariot passes through a mass of people who have fallen to their knees in reverence. Atop the chariot is a pharaoh dressed in black and gold robes, whose face is turned away from the viewer. Behind the figure, two men have been impaled on stakes; eviscerated, their internal organs hang down to the ground and are being eaten by a pack of jackals. 'The Black Mountain' showed a towering mountain, possibly in Africa, over which rises a monstrous demonic creature, its head a great tentacle swathed in blood. Near a temple-like building, tiny human figures lift their hands imploringly skyward, in supplication to the hellish god-like entity. From each of the humans’ heads a red tongue or tentacle dangles; looking closely, these appear to be ceremonial headpieces. 'Drawn in Blood' was an unsettling and stomach-churning scene of a man being cut open with a silver dagger, held in the hand of a black-robed figure. An act of ritual blood sacrifice, upon the victim’s chest has been carved an occult-looking sigil, which seems to twist and move when viewed. Miles told them that all the ideas came to him in dreams. He agreed to sell both the Temple and The Black Pharoah as well as paint another new work for the group.

 

While they were looking at the paintings, Bertha returned with tea. She asked where the 4th buyer was and was told he was in the bathroom. She went to go check on him but Don distracted her with a coughing fit - saying he was allergic to something in the tea. When she went to get him some water he quickly picked up the hot tea kettle and started drinking water from the spout. When Jack returned to the group, Bertha suggested that Miles show them the special piece he's been working on - his masterpiece. Miles retrieved a large canvas from the locked door and showed them a mostly finished painting of a swampy area with an island in the distance that contained a large stone altar. As they watched, the painting began to appear 3D and move - drawing Harley, Don and Jack into the painting as Arthur watched. He tried to intervene but was stopped by a swiftly moving Bertha. Arthur saw the other 3 appear in the painting and tried to reason with Bertha before attacking her with his sword cane - but Bertha and Miles were too quick and tied him up and brought him down to the secret room in the basement.

 

Harley, Don and Jack found themselves standing in the landscape portrayed in the painting. Jack noticed that the plants were mostly extinct - existing around the time of the dinosaurs. They decided to head towards an island with an alter - dodging some swimming snake in the swamp. The alter was covered with glowing green runes - and as they examined them, something with a large eye surfaced from the swamp and began to watch them. Don took a shot at it and it disappeared under the water. Then, remembering how Arthur had infused his essence into the gold that they re-embedded into the pyramid in Peru - attempted to activate the runes in the same way. It drained the entire group to do so - but all 3 were transported back to the Shipley grotto (now empty). They went in search of Arthur - knocking out and tying up Miles on the way. Jack showed Harley and Don the secret room and they burst in just as Arthur surprised Bertha by shoving her into the stone tub (which she apparently used to hold the remnants of her last meal). When her head hit the tub - her disguise vanished and all 4 men could see that she was actually a Serpent Person. Before she could react, Don blew her to pieces with his shotgun and the others freed Arthur. 

 

They did a search of the house and took Miles down into the basement and got him to talk. Several years ago he met a man in a pub who said he could help him with his art - the man turned out to be Ssathasaa (the Serpent Person) in disguise. He gave him something called the Plutonian Drug which allowed him to see other times and places - which he began to paint. In return, Miles would help Ssathasaa feed by bringing him victims once a week or so. Ssathasaa was working with him on his 'masterpiece' in order to create a gate that he could use to bring more of his kind from the past into the present. They convinced him to give one last large art show and move to France - and Don hypnotized him to help him overcome his addiction to the Plutonian Drug and to not be able to become violent. They burnt his 'masterpiece' and took 'The Black Pharaoh' (and the drugs and the jars) with them.

 

They were able to make their meeting with Frank, the taxi driver, who drove them back to the Limehouse Docks to meet with Biff. On the way, Don noticed that a dark blue truck with a "Ferris & Sons" logo on it was following them. Frank was able to lose the truck and drop them off at Biff's. Biff came through with bag of Bird Shot bullets, an Elephant Gun, a box of dynamite and permits for everything. He also said that he'd spoken with Mr Martin - his landlord - who had a vacancy in a building not too far from his in the Limehouse District.

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Session 23: The Penhew Foundation

Having secured a hideout near the Limehouse Docks and a distraction to take place outside The Penhew Foundation by Biff during the guard's rounds, Don, Arthur, Harley and Jack went to the closest Farris & Sons rental location. Arthur convinced the clerk to let him look at the rental books and saw a 6 month rental to Thomas Kinnery. The group rented a truck and a large crate for the night and started to prepare their raid of The Penhew Foundation. Don disguised himself (pretty well) as Edward Gavigan and Harley and Jack as couriers. 

 

They staked out the building from the cafe across the street - seeing Gavigan leave and the building being closed up. During the guard's first round around the grounds, Biff and Frank crashed cars in front of the building - drawing the guards attention (and a crowd of locals). Arthur stayed outside to watch the distraction play out while the other 3 drove the truck to the back of the building and lockpicked their way inside - making their way to Kinnery & Gavigan's offices. After a search of Kinnery's office turned up nothing - they moved on to Gavigan's. Harley explored the floor safe, finding it unlocked and the only contents being about 100 pounds. At Gavigan's desk Don saw found a photo of a country mansion labeled 'Misr House' and found a Telegram from Dr Clive to Gavigan in the desk. Jack explored the closets in the back of the room, finding one set up as a bar, another filled with replacement suits and a third empty closet. The back wall of the empty closet opened up into another room - and while the guys were closing up the doors, Jack accidentally knocked over a port decanter which broke and spilled on the floor. The secret door lead into a dusty storage room where there were boxes arranged to block this back section, which contained a sarcophagus, off from the main hall entrance. Jack examined the sarcophagus and found it was fitted with some sort of electric wiring - and found that by pressing both eyes at the same time, the lid slid open to reveal stairs leading down into the basement. Harley overheard some movement in the main hall, so the 3 quickly descended into the dark basement.

 

Outside the accident had been taken care of and the guard returned to the building, so Arthur snuck around back and tried honking the horn of the truck to warn the others - but they were already in the basement out of earshot. The gaurd came out to investigate the honking but didnt see Arthur hiding in the truck.

 

The stairs led down into a secret workroom filled with books, scrolls, artwork, etc all having to do with otherworldly beings and things. Harley found 2 crates containing statues: one of a strange winged creature that resembled a deerhead with shipping labels for Randolph Shipping Company, Port Darwin, Northern Territory, Dominion of Australia - Personal To Mr. Randolph; the other of a very large corroded brass statue of a bulbous thing wearing an Asian rice hat; a snake pit of tentacles seem to be bursting forth from beneath the hat with shipping labels for Ho Fang Import/Export, 15 Kaoyang Street, Shanghai, China, Attention Honourable Ho Fang. He also discovered 2 Ornate Silver Daggers in a chest inlaid with silver depictions of unwholesome creatures, which look like a bizarre cross between an ape and a lizard whose arms are unnaturally extended. Jack found several interesting tomes (Equinoxe Divise, Book of Dzyan, and Liber Ivonis) and scrolls as well as a stone jar of black-grey dust on the bookshelf. Don searched the desk area, finding a .32 revolver and a box of bullets, a couple of false passports, and a number of bundles of used five and ten pound notes totaling 2,000 pounds ($10,000). Beneath the desk in a stout metal box were various receipts for goods and services, including deliveries to Henson Manufacturing, Derby for wood and coal, iron ingots, copper wiring, and an Ernst Whitfield receipt for a safe, a receipt from Ferris & Sons of London for the six-month hire of a truck and a letter from a Mr. Puneet Chaudhary of Ropemakers Fields, Limehouse, relating to the warehousing and shipment of “sundry antiquities” to Shanghai onboard a ship called the Ivory Wind. And underneath the pile of receipts, an Empire Spices Business Card. As they got ready to leave, Don and Jack took a quick look at the artwork around the room (mostly paintings and some statues) which mostly showed odd unworldly creatures. Jack dated most of the work to the 22nd Dynasty - except one  small statuette of a pharaoh-like figure whose face is obscured by a mass of intricately carved squirming tentacles which he dated to the late 3rd Dynasty (so they took it).

 

Outside, Arthur watched as 2 cars pulled up to the back of the building and several Arabic looking men got out and went in through the rear entrance. He tried honking again (again hiding from the one who came out to see what the honking was about). This time, however, Harley heard the honking. They also heard several men come into the storage room above and cursorily look around so they started exploring the workroom to see if there were any other exits. They found a large hidden exit that lead out into the main part of the basement and snuck up the stairs to find 2 men in the hall that led to the back exit of the building. Don tried to fool the guards into thinking he was Gavigan - and it worked long enough for the 3 of them to run out of the building. Arthur had been busy popping the tires of the additional guards' cars but readied the car as Don wedged the door shut. The group drove away just as their pursuers made their way out the back door.

 

They headed to their new hideout at the docks and Arthur, Harley and Jack started looking over the books and scrolls they had obtained while Don snuck into the now closed Farris & Sons to remove the log page with their contact information. The scrolls were written in several different languages and seemed to be prayers, poems and rituals devoted to different entities. While skimming the Liber Ivonis, Arthur went a little mad and started to rage against the group until he was eventually subdued.

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Session 24: The Egyptian Murders

Don, Harley and Jack helped to subdue Arthur's mist of rage - and continued to read the materials that they had lifted from the secret room beneath The Penhew Foundation - eventually falling asleep (in shifts). In the morning, they decided to split up and revisit some of their (possible) allies. Don and Jack went to talk with Biff  - who assured them that both he and Frank were well after the 'accident' the night before. They had him call one of his fence friends and ask some questions about Inspector James Barrington - the officer mentioned in The Scoop. His contact said that Barrington dealt with the more high profile cases and was known for being a good and straight edged man of the law. They also asked him what he might have heard about the Egyptian Murders - which wasn't much - but he did mention a members only club in Soho called The Blue Pyramid that catered to both local and traveling Egyptian nationals. He also said that he'd ask around the docks about Edward Gavigan and the Farris & Brothers trucks. Meanwhile, Arthur and Harley went to visit Mickey Mahoney at The Scoop. They gave him a 'scoop' on their experience with Miles Shipley and the Serpent People living among us in Chelsea - and on Shipley's farewell art exhibit - which they were paid for. They also asked about Inspector Barrington and was told that Jackson Elias said he was going to speak to him right before he left the country. Then he pointed them in the direction where they could purchase a good camera for evidence taking (and paparazzi shots).

 

The group met up for lunch at the pub near Arthur's flat to discuss each other's mornings. Arthur called Barrington and arranged a meeting with him later that afternoon. As they were nearby, they took a cab over to Arthur's flat and found that his library had been ransacked - and that there was no mail in the mail slot. They decided to leave and rent a new safety deposit box (at a different bank) to store some of the new things that they had acquired before going to meet Barrington at New Scotland Yard. During their interview Barrington told them that he had met with Jackson, who had shared that he believed the Egyptian Murders were part of a death cult called The Brotherhood of The Black Pharaoh. Barrington had followed up on the lead, speaking with Edward Gavigan who told him that the Brotherhood had long since disbanded - but that the method of murder (a spike-like instrument through the heart) was similar to the method that the ancient cult used to employ - and also that he felt Jackson was a sensationalist. The team started to dig deeper into how the Inspector felt and dealt with Gavigan - producing the false passports and several theories that they had (which unfortunately they had no backup proof for) - which seemed to make Barrington question their motives. Barrington agreed to look into the break-in at Arthur's but warned them all not to step out of line on British soil. Thinking it might be the murder weapon the police were looking for, Don tried to swipe one of the silver daggers that Harley had on him (from the secret room). This led to several hours of indivdiual questioning, the confiscation of the dagger and the holding of Jack overnight (as he had given a fake name and couldnt produce identifcation).

 

Don waiting at the Yard overnight for Jack to be released. Arthur headed back to their hideout in the Limehouse Docks and started to teach himself the spell Voomiir Singuliis - but not before reading about the spell Make Pale Blade. He realized that the daggers that Harley had found had been enchanted using this or a similar spell. Harley went back to talk to Biff - who told him that he didn't have any luck finding anything about Gavigan but had been told that a Ferris & Sons truck had been spotted frequently making deliveries to a warehosue on Ropemakers Fields owned by man named Puneet Chaudhary.

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Session 25: The British Countryside

Feeling pressure in London, Don, Arthur, Harley and Jack decided to follow up another one of The Scoop articles and researched travel to Lesser Edale. They found a train that would take them to Derby where they could transfer to a train that would take them to Edale - from there they would need to find transportation for the 5 miles into the town. Don remembered finding some receipts for metal supplies and an Ernst Whitfield receipt all for services at 'Henson Manufacturing' in Derby - and thought they might check it out on the way.

 

As they bought train tickets to Derby, Don noticed a man watching them in the crowds - and then saw him again talking to the ticket salesman. When they reached Derby, Harley found a pub near the station and found out that Henson Manufacturing was located on the outskirts of town - and overheard some locals talking about the haunted Old Bell Hotel. While they were drinking and waiting for the next train, Don noticed a young boy watching them - and confronted him. A chase ensued but the boy was easily caught. Don took him to the police station and accused him for stealing money from him. The police found out that he had been sent to get some supplies by the manager of Henson Manufacturing, Frank Marshall. They held him in the pen for the day and wished Don well. 

 

The men caught their train and then convinced a local farmer to drive them into Lesser-Edale as it was raining. They booked 2 rooms from Maddy Albright at the Laughing Horse Inn and enjoyed an evening of beer and food and chatting with the locals. They were introduced to Ned Loughton and Ernest Wallop who told them that the murders happened some three months back. Two were killed, George Osgood and Lydia Perkins. Both were torn to shreds on different nights. A day later, Harold Short was attacked and was lucky to survive. They heard the legend of the 'Black Dog of Edale' which talks of "a great beast, black as the night, with glowing red eyes. All who hear its howl can be sure death is coming." Maddy said that Alice and John Pitchlock and the Rev Jeremy Stratton both claimed to have caught a glimpse of the beast. Constable Hubert Tumwell came in and told Arthur that as far as he was concerned he had killed the dog that had done the deeds. He also told him that Harold Short, the one that survived, was knocked unconscious and suffered deep lacerations to the abdomen. He has gone to his brother’s house in Skegness (East Coast) to recuperate. That night Arthur mastered the spell Voomiir Singuliis and while on his watch, Harley noticed that a light was on at the Vicarage until about 3AM.

 

The next morning after breakfast, the group went to the Pitchlock General Store and spoke with Alice (who had seen the beast) - she said she caught a glimpse of it walking on its hind legs. She helped them purchase some supplies to visit Mam Tor later and ordered a large bear trap for Don that he could pick up in Edale if he could find transportation.

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Session 26: The Black Dog of Edale

Don, Arthur, Harley and Jack decided to go speak with the Rev Jeremy Stratton at the Lesser Edale Church and Vicarage. They met his housekeeper Sarah Bright who directed them to the Church where they found him practicing a sermon. After asking about the murders he told them his account of seeing the creature. He also told them about Castle Plum and how it was named for the now abandoned lead mines it was built on and near. He said he'd been working on translating a journal from one of the previous vicars that was written in Greek and it'd been keeping him up late at night. Since Harley was fairly proficient, he offered his services. While looking through the journal Harley found an account of Lady Evangeline Vane who, in 1608, was a prosecution witness at the trial of Annie Stafford and Jenny Greene. The two women were found guilty and hung for witchcraft. The book alleges that Annie Stafford called out a curse during Lady Vane’s testimony, putting the “Mark of the Beast” on the Vane bloodline.

 

While looking around the cemetery they found the graves of the beast's victims, George Osgood and Lydia Perkins - both with silver crosses hung on them. They questioned the standoffish gardener, Jed Wainwright who told them it was to keep them from 'turning' and that outsiders shouldn't mess in local business. As it started to rain, they went to the Osgood Farm to speak with the widow Edith Osgood whom they heard owned the only car in the village. Mrs. Osgood agreed to speak with them and lend them use of the car - which Harley and Don had to repair first. She told Arthur and Jack about the night her husband heard noise out by the barn and was attacked by a large doglike creature that ran off into the woods. The group offered to do some chores around the farm and pick up some extra supplies for her in town as Don and Harley went to Edale to pick up the Bear traps. She made them dinner and thanked them for their kindness.

 

That night, Don set up his traps near the Inn where he and Harley could see them from their rooms. As they watched, Arthur and Jack decided to patrol the foggy village by walking out by the church - they soon ran into a confused older man searching for his daughter Lydia. They decided to help him but he wandered out of the village limits and off into the fog where they heard him scream. They also heard a series of other howls far off in the distance in the direction of Edale. They came upon him being eviscerated by a large canine-like beast. Both men took several shots at the creature, which ran off into the fog. Hearing the shots, Harley and Don ran into Maddy Albright on their way to alert Constable Hubert Tumwell. They told the constable they had heard shots up near the castle and the 4some set off. Arthur and Jack tracked the creature to the Vane Mausoleum where Jack found a scrap of lace fabric that had been left to the elements for some time - and Arthur found scratch marks embedded into the crypt's door. Searching the Mausoleum, they found a lose stone in the lower level that led to a cave with a manmade tunnel that ended in a brick wall. Searching the wall, they found a latch that opened it into a dungeon-like cell made up with a mattress. Meanwhile the other group alerted Lawrence Vane to having heard howls and gunshots. He bolted into the castle and while the Constable stayed with Maddy. Don and Harley followed him through the castle, down into the wine cellar and eventually into the dungeons where they saw Jack and Arthur inside one of the cells.

 

As the 2 groups collided, the creature burst into the room through the secret passage attacking Jack and Arthur who were trapped inside. All 4 men began to shoot at it as Lawrence screamed for them to stop hurting his sister and began unlocking the cell. The creature darted back into the tunnels - followed by Lawrence who was set upon by it. The group continued to shoot and killed the creature who slowly morphed into the lifeless body of Eloise Vane. As they stabilized Lawrence, who was on he brink of death, the Constable arrived with Lord Arthur Vane who was devastated to see both of his children dead and dying on the floor.

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Session 27: The Pack

Don, Arthur, Harley and Jack explained to Constable Tumwell and Lord Vane what had happened. Constable went to call the doctor in Edale while Lord Vane explained that there was a old 'wives tale' passed through the generations that the Vane women would turn into beasts on their 21st birthday. Eloise Vane is the first natural born female Vane in 4 generations and he was shocked to find that the stories were true. She became ill and listless during the day and transformed on the first full moon. When he and Lawrence realized what was happening, they started locking her up in the dungeon during her transformations. She always woke in the morning with no knowledge of what she had done during her change. Arthur asked if there was any sort of family history they could look into and Lord Vane suggested they stay the night at Castle Plum and do some research in the castle's formidable library. The Constable arrived with the doctor from Edale and Lawrence was released to his care. The men spoke with the Constable about the possibility that there were more of these creatures nearby and the Constable agreed to try and round up a search party. Arthur noted that he started to feel a little slughish.

 

The next day, Don called Alice Pitchlock and spoke about the curse of the Vanes - warning her to not let the Vanes have a female heir. He also spoke with the Constable about death rates in the area and surrounding areas. After breakfast, the group started their research - even with Arthur feeling a little more off than the night before. After a days's search, Arthur came across a handwritten History of the Vanes written by Edgar Vane in the 16th Century. Edgar Vane states he found ancient records purporting to claim that his forebears once practiced devil worship and were dedicated to a blasphemous idol, named as “Mordee-ganee.” The accounts say that the family called upon the idol to satiate their foul desires, and suggests that charnel rites and cannibalism took place. Edgar writes that he could find no other evidence to corroborate the outlandish claims but states that such blasphemy could be at the root of the diabolical curse plaguing the Vane bloodline. The record jogged Don's memory about creatures that he had read about called a Ghoul that lived underground and mostly fed on carrion - and thought that Eloise might have been one of these as opposed to a werewolf as they had originally thought. Arthur also took a walk around the castle and found Eloise's diary - which described horrible dreams where she became something monstrous and attacked others. The dreams seamed to start happening on the days of the full moon but have been slowly getting longer as each month passes.

 

The group decided to return to the Laughing Horse Inn for dinner - and found that a good deal of the village had gathered and was all riled up about the Vanes. Arthur gave a speech that changed their focus to the threat of the other nearby creatures. The villagers decided to hole up in the Lesser Edale Church for the night for safety - they also set up the bear traps along the entrance to the village. While they were gathered there, Arthur snuck out and and sacrificed the goat that Don had purchased to cast Make Pale Blade on his sword cane. As he was finishing up, a series of howls were heard not too far off in the distance. He, Don, Jack, Constable Tumwell and John Pitchlock went to investigate while Harley stayed behind to protect the villagers at the church. They found one of the creatures caught in the trap - and 4 others hovering in the shadows. An epic battle ensued as the Constable went a little crazy and had to be coaxed down by John Pitchlock. In the end, all of the creatures were killed - however all 3 men were also wounded by the creatures.

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Session 28: The Factory

Don, Arthur, Jack, Constable Tumwell and John Pitchlock met back up with Harley and the rest of the village a the church. Several villagers volunteered to collect the bodies of the dead Ghouls and create a pyre to burn them. Then everyone retired to their homes - and the group headed back to the Laughing Horse Inn where they drank a couple rounds with Maddy Albright before turning in.

 

Both Arthur and Don were feeling under the weather the next morning - Arthur more-so than Don. They borrowed Edith Osgood's truck and drove into Edale where the doctor took care of them. It took several days for Arthur's infection to be fought off - but he finally came around (though a bit worse for wear). They arranged for Ned Loughton to drive them all to Derby - and immediately found and staked out Henson Manufacturing. When night fell and the workers left, they watched the 2 night watchman's routine and when the coast was clear, climbed the wall into the factory. They explored a building with a large furnace where Harley found some crates that had been shipped from Australia with Randolph Shipping Co Labels. When the 1st watchman made his rounds, Don ambushed him, knocked him out, tied him up and disguised himself in his outfit. The group then moved to the main factory building where Don pretended to be the security guard escorting the 3 other men. They quickly knocked out the 2nd guard  - with Arthur finding a house key with labeled with an address from just down the road. Harley and Jack explored the main factory area and found a large, expertly crafted, modern walk-in safe. Don took a look around the foreman, Frank Marshall's, office and discovered some very intricate Blueprints signed off by someone named Pale Viper - that seemed to be for very advanced pieces of circuitry and mechanical parts that probably work together to build some sort of sophisticated engine - perhaps for some kind of airplane. There were odd symbols drawn on the blueprints - some of which related to Nyarlathotep - and some related to an beings known as The Great Race. Don tried his hand at the safe but it could not be cracked - so they decided to blow it open with some of his dynamite. As a cover - they also decided to blow up the furnace in the other building at the same time. When Don went to set up the dynamite in the other building, he noticed that the guard was gone - and when he gave the signal to light the fuse, he saw 6 guards running on to the property. The team made a b-line for the wall they had climbed over but got caught in some attacks by the guards. Don used another stick of dynamite to blow a hole through the wall - making their exit easier. When the 2 sets of dynamite went off several of the guards were caught in the blast. When the dust settled Jack, Arthur and Harley went to find the address on the guard's key while Don went to check out the safe. 

 

After subduing the last of the guards, Don found large quantities of some of the components shown on the blueprints - but most of them where freshly minted some seemed ancient, almost fossilized versions of the newer ones. He took a few and went to meet up with the team - who had found the Bullrush Farm. Inside were several rooms that seemed to be occupied by the guards they had run into - Jack and Harley discovered a chain with an inverted ankh in one and a day planner with a date circled at the end of the week marked with Misr House. There seemed to be someone asleep in one of the rooms. Arthur kept guard while Don graffitied 'Cult of the Bloody Tongue' on one of the walls before hypnotizing the sleeping woman they found. From what she told them - Frank Marshall rents rooms for the 6 guards (who all seem like nice young men). They stole the car they found out by the Bullrush's barn and started making their way back to London.

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Session 29: The Thing in the Fog

Harley drove Don, Arthur and Jack back to London in the stole car - making incredibly good time. Under the cover of rain and morning darkness, they made their way back to the safehouse in the Limehouse Docks - to find that door had been pried open and the flat searched. Talking to the neighbors the next morning confirmed that someone had been making a lot of noise in there about a week back. Since the safehouse was blown, they decided to call on Biff down the street but there was no answer at his phone or door buzzer. After finding their way into the apartment they saw signs of a struggle and Biff's dead body. He had been beaten and stabbed in the heart. Looking around the apartment, they found Biff's little black book which had their information as well as cabbie Frank's - as well as a necklace with an inverted ankh that had most likely broken off one of the attackers. They called Inspector James Barrington and explained about their apartment and Biffs. Inspector Barrington came and examined the body - saying that he was killed in the same fashion as the Egyptian Murders. He agreed to assign 2 constables to watch wherever their new abode would be for extra protection - but again warned them not to get any more involved in these 'dangerous affairs' than they already were. 

 

Don, Harley and Jack went into the city to find a new place to say. They spoke with a solicitor who rented them a posh flat above a grocery a few blocks away from The Penhew Foundation. Meanwhile Arthur accompanied the Inspector back to New Scotland Yard where one of their experts developed the film they had shot in Lesser Edale. Arthur explained to the Inspector what had happened to them there - and after corroborating with both Constable Hubert Tumwell and Lord Vane, seemed more respectful of the group.

 

Arthur met the others back at The Scoop where they told Mickey Mahoney about their trip to Lesser Edale and sold him the photos of the Ghouls. They urged him to be careful and hire some protection for himself and then went to settle into their new flat. They met Constables Thomas & Mark, who would be their assigned watchdogs - and went for a very showy public meal at their favorite cafe across from the Penhew Foundation and then settled in for the night as a heavy fog settled in. Around midnight the phone rang - it was Mickey Mahoney saying that he was working late and had seen a number of scary looking individuals hanging out in an alley near his office. They told him to stay inside. Don, Arthur and Harley took Constable Thomas with them while Constable Mark waited with Jack in the flat. When they arrived at the Scoop - Mickey met them and showed them where the men were congregated. Don and Thomas went to confront them while Arthur and Harley circled around the other side of the alleyway to cut them off. It looked like a huge brawl was about to take place when one of the thugs began to choke as if something was suffocating him. Moments later Don felt something jelly-like squeeze into his nostrils and mouth, choking him as well. No matter how he struggled he couldn't pry whatever it was from him - it was as if the fog itself took shape to choke him. Harley and Arthur fired some shots - killing the choking thug and briefly illuminating the silhouette of a many tentacled being outlined in the fog with the blast of the shot. The thugs quickly vacated the alley as their thug-friend died and Constable Thomas began to choke and sputter. Sensing that light seemed to affect the creature, Arthur pulled out a torch and shone it in the direction of the thing - which quickly dissipated leaving Thomas and Don gasping for air.

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Session 30: The Blue Pyramid Club

Don and the Constable recovered from their attack as Arthur searched the alleyway and body of the dead cultist - finding that he wore the familiar inverted ankh. Harley checked on Mickey Mahoney - who was still safe inside The Scoop and explained what had happened. When the Constable came inside with Arthur and Harley to call in the attack, Mickey showed them an article he had written several years back about a man named Alan McGann who had also had a run in with a fog-creature - and gave them his contact information. The group climbed to the top of of the fire escape in the alleyway and Arthur spotted 2 of the fleeing cultists heading towards Soho. Arthur and Harley borrowed the Constable's car and chased them to a spot where Don was lying in wait. With both subdued - Don hypnotized one and learned that they had been sent on orders from someone high up in The Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. They also found a membership card for The Blue Pyramid Club on one of them. They dropped the car and criminals back off with the constable and went to go check on Jack who had stayed behind with Constable Mark.

 

When they got to the apartment, they found the door open and some dusty purple residue on the door frame. Neither Jack nor Mark were inside but the place had not been robbed or shown signs of a struggle. They found the constable across the street sitting on a bench staring up at the apartment. He seemed to be a little out of it and kept insisting that no one had been in or out and he'd been watching the whole time. When they brought him upstairs he continued to stare at the same window he'd been watching from below - and they noticed a tiny bit of the purple residue on his clothes. 

 

They decided to go to the police - but to stop off at The Blue Pyramid Club on the way. As it was very late/early in the morning, the club was closed so Don scaled the building and broke into the 2nd floor - finding himself in a large showroom with a bar and many tables scattered throughout. He could hear a man speaking on the phone. He said something along the lines of "I don't want him here -but if they're taking him tomorrow..." Don got the jump on the man, who introduced himself as Abdul Nawisha, the club's owner. Don hypnotized Abdul into telling him that a man had been brought in by the Brotherhood (who frequent the club). He was being held in the basement until they took him away the following day. Abdul took Don downstairs where Jack was chained to the wall. Abdul released him and Don influenced him further to write down a list of all the Brotherhood members who come to the club. 

 

The team then went to New Scotland Yard and waited for Inspector James Barrington to arrive. They filled him in on everything that had happened. The Inspector said he would make arrangements to obtain a warrant to search the club, look into the names on the list and would revisit the theory that Edward Gavigan was involved. He urged them not to confront him and stay within the lines of the law. Before leaving they used his phone to call Alan McGann - who told them that Gavigan had pressured him into selling his estate: Misr House. As they were leaving to go and confront Gavigan at The Penhew Foundation - a beautiful woman approached their cab and slipped them an Empire Spices Business Card - telling them to meet her there to discuss Gavigan. 

 

They arrived at the shop (which was 3 blocks from The Blue Pyramid) and were greeted by a young man named Edjo who took them to the back office. The woman introduced herself as Zahra Shafik. She said that she occasionally works with The Penhew Foundation - prepping expeditions on Egyptian culture and helping to set up guides, etc. She said that she was under Gavigan's thumb and that her boyfriend, Badru, had been kidnapped by Gavigan and the Brotherhood for starting a fight with a member who wasn't being gentlemanly with his sister, Yalesha - a dancer at the club. She told them that she knows they will kill him and so she wants to see Gavigan dead. They are already aware that Jack had been released and she'd heard that Abdul Narwisha had been killed. The Brotherhood meets at Misr House near Walton-on-the-Naze for rituals where their victims are sacrificed to horrible creatures that mate with them or rip them apart. She says that Gavigan is already there to prepare for the next ritual which would take place tomorrow night and that she could procure robes and cult necklaces as a disguise. She showed them how to get to the service entrance at the back of the estate via boat and told them to meet her there at 5PM tomorrow and she would sneak them in. Don said that he would come back later to pick up the disguises.

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Session 31: The Misr House

During the day while Zahra Shafik was out procuring robes, Arthur took Don, Harley and Jack to the basement of Empire Spices to teach them all how to cast Ebion's Wheel of Mist - which everyone was able to master. When she returned, she gave everyone a robe and necklace with an inverted ankh and explained how the ritual would play out. There would be a feast for the cultists while Edward Gavigan prepared in his workshop below Misr House. Then everyone would gather at the ritual space where they would chant and Gavigan would say prayers to The Black Pharoah - eventually they would bring the sacrifices out and secure them to the ritual Steele and all the cult members would beat them with their clubs in order of rank. Since Misr House was several hours away, the team planned to have several plants in the city: Edjo, Mickey Mahoney and Arthur's friend from Watkins Books to all report what was happening (or going to happen) to Inspector James Barrington - giving them time to do what they needed to without police supervision but to have them there to arrive as backup. Arthur visited a doctor friend and was able to acquire some Laudanum and used it to spike an Arabic wine - thinking that Zahra would be able to use it to help subdue the cultists at the feast. They also decided to drive to Walton-on-the-Naze and rent rooms at a small Bed and Breakfast.

 

The couple that owned the B&B gave them the name of a reputable boat company in town and warned them to stay away from Old Martin - a less reputable captain. Harley decided Old Martin would best suit their needs and procured his services for later in the day/night - while Arthur arranged an alibi with the more reputable company. The group rowed with Old Martin around the Naze tower and down the tributary that let out behind the Misr House. People were arriving and the estate was a buzz but Don took some time to locate the ritual area out amidst the trees and set up 3 gastank traps around the site. Then they met with Zahra and handed off the spiked wine. She told them the entrance to Gavigan's workspace was somewhere in the Library and pointed them in the right direction. Don, Arthur and Harley made it but Jack was talked into having a smoke with some passing 'fellow cultists'. They talked about all the trouble that the group had been causing them across England. Harley located a brick in the fireplace in the Library that revealed a secret entrance behind a suit of armor. Arthur was able to rescue Jack in the next room and all 4 descended into the dungeon-like workspace below.

 

They found Gavigan at work on something and got the jump on him. At first he seemed not to be harmed by their weapons but as shots were fired and he dove behind a table for cover - they continued to blast away at him. Gavigan released a noxious gas into the room that began to choke the group - but they blew him away before he could do much damage. Arthur donned the robes he'd been wearing and found two scepters tucked away in his desk. On his desk they found an unfinished letter written to Pale Viper. In the next room where several prison cells - mostly empty. 3 of the cells were occupied by an older man, a young woman and a young man - all asleep with purple residue around them. Harley and Don were able to remove the hinges to the doors and free them from their shackles. While helping, Jack found a forgotten wallet that belonged to an Inspector Gregory Munden.

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Session 32: The Betrayal

Arthur, Harley, Jack and Don did a final search of Edward Gavigan's workshop and dungeons - finding a book written in Arabic with a bookmark in it. They couldn't read it but decided to take it. As there were no keys Don elected to go in search of some and ran into Zahra Shafik sneaking away from the ongoing feast. She didn't know where the keys would be but suggested they look in Gavigan's quarters on the 2nd floor. She agreed to be a lookout as Don, Jack and Harley carried the young man and woman they had rescued out to the boat. They left them with Old Martin and returned to the house. Meanwhile Zahra showed Arthur (who was disguised as Gavigan) where Gavigan's room was upstairs. Looking around, he didn't find any keys but did find a painting of The Black Pharaoh painted by Miles Shipley, an intricate Headdress of Eyes on a stand and a letter from Omar al-Shakti to Gavigan. As he left to meet the others, Zahra blew some of the purple powder on him - which he resisted. He swiped at her with his sword cane but she healed right in front of him and then wiped the memory of their encounter from his mind.

 

Arthur met Don and Harley (Jack stayed with the boat) downstairs and while they were discussing what to do next, Zahra arrived and knocked Don out with the powder. A battle began with Zahra casting spells and the guys blasting her with their guns. Eventually other cultists showed up and restrained the 2 and Zahra put them to sleep. When they awoke, all 4 men (Jack included) found themselves stripped and chained to the Steele in the Ritual area with Zahra leading the cult in a chant and the ground littered with dead bodies of the couple they rescued, the man from the dungeon,  Old Martin and several nonArabic cultists. Zahra explained that she used the wine to subdue the cultists still loyal to Gavigan and that she was taking over as High Priestess because the brotherhood shouldn't have been overseen by an Englishman. She then began to summon the hearld - based on what they could understand of her Arabic. While she monologued, Don took Arthur's wire rim glasses and freed himself from the chains very stealthily. He wasn't able to free the others but as the ritual grew in intensity and the dead bodies around them began to twitch suspiciously, he flew into the circle of cultists, grabbed a torch and dived into the area where he had buried one of the gas tanks. It exploded - setting off the other 2 tanks. The Steele was knocked over, freeing Arthur, Jack and Harley but Don was killed in the explosion. As the explosion hit, Arthur, who had been quietly trying to summon Nodens, was mentally transported to the Abyss. Nodens told him to look to the direction where the sun rises - he would find a gift that could help them there. When Arthur was freed of the Steele, he crawled eastwardly and found that the cultists had stripped them onsite and their clothes and belongings were all there. When he found his sword-cane it seemed to glow and felt stronger in his hand. He plunged it into Zahra's back - she retorted by using mental suggestion on him to "Kill your friends". As Arthur continually tried to attack Harley, Harley fired a shot off at Zahra - killing her an ending her control over Arthur. To be sure, Arthur be-headed her.

 

The cultists retreated from the Misr House as the team regrouped and burnt the painting of the Black Pharaoh Arthur had found. Sweeping the house, they found a room upstairs that was used by Zahra. All they found were clothes and a photograph of her in Egypt posing with a distinguished Arabic man in his 50s.

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Arthur, Harley and Jack finished up at Misr House and drove the Bentley Harley found back to London. They arranged to meet Inspector James Barrington at New Scotland Yard and explained what had happened the night before. They showed him the wallet belonging to Inspector Gregory Munden and Inspector Barrington told them that Munden had led the investigation into The Egyptian Murders before he took over after his mysterious disappearance. He also explained that they had not received the messages the team had set up because someone had set some dynamite off at The Scoop mid day yesterday - killing Mickey Mahoney and another reporter. Barrington's crew also found the body of Abdul Nawisha at The Blue Pyramid Club around the same time. The Inspector told them they would ride out to Misr House and investigate seeing how all the evidence now seemed to point to Gavigan being behind the murders.

 

On the way back to their new lodgings, the guys saw a familiar Ferris & Son's truck leaving The Penhew Foundation and heading towards the Limehouse Docks - but unfortunately Harley had an accident trying to tail them without beeing seen. The team decided that they should lay low and make arrangements with Carlton Ramsey for Don Gallico's burial and their transportation to Cairo. Jack decided to stay behind in London and attend to some private affairs. During their mini-break, Arthur and Harley did some reading - and Arthur tried on the Headdress of Eyes, though nothing seemed to happen when he wore it.