Tatters of the King - User contributions [en-gb]

Session 14

2006-09-19T20:06:05Z

202.74.212.155: /* Tuesday February 14th 1930 */

==Session Report - Played Monday 18th September, 2006==

=== Thursday January 19th 1930 ===

The investigators have just 2 days left in Bombay to prepare fully for the long journey North to Mustang. [[Browne]] spends as much time as possible with Francesca, in between equipping for the trek across Nepal.

=== Friday January 20th 1930 ===

A farewell dinner is held at the [[Tullis]] home. Francesca and Patricia do not attend, as Patricia doesn't wish to be around [[Withers]] at the moment. Mr Tullis proves a somewhat curmudgeonly, blustering man. The typical ''sahib'', but the meal is fine.

=== Saturday January 21st 1930 ===

The train to the Northern city of Benares leaves first thing in the morning. All 4 investigators board with the Reverend [[Gore]], who offers to show them around Jabalpur if they wish to break their journey at that city.

The investigators' carriage proves to be occupied by a large Indian family, and only after the conductor has been payed some ''baksheesh'' is the problem solved. The train pulls out of Bombay and begins to head North. the investigators are sharing a 6-bed carriage with The Reverend Gore. [[Siva]] insists on more modest accomodation for himself.

Gore continues to show his great knowledge of India in conversation.

=== Sunday January 22nd 1930 ===

The train continues across India. The land is flat, arid and featureless, punctuated by small poverty-stricken villages characterised by communal reservoirs called ''tanks'', straving dogs and wild monkeys.

In the larger towns the platforms throng with passengers and well-wishers.

=== Monday January 23rd 1930 ===

The Reverend [[Gore]] disembarks in Jabalpur. the investigators turn down his offer of a short stay with him due to the difficulties inherent in getting all of their supplies off the train.

The investigaors are now alone and able to discuss their plans.

=== Tuesday January 24th 1930 ===

The train continues across India. As the train travels North the climate gets steadily warmer

=== Wednesday January 25th 1930 ===

As the train slowly edges its way through the suburbs of the city of Benares it passes a crowd standing near to the tracks. The crowd are chanting angrily and some are gesturing to the train. [[Siva]] says they are chanting 'The King Steps Down'.

Suddenly violence breaks out. Rocks are thrown at the train and one smashes a window and hits [[Withers]] on the head as he rumnmages for his gun. The rioters attack the train en masse just as the train grinds to a complete halt.

Withers fires at a man trying to enter the train through the broken window but misses as [[Umberto]] tries to stop him from killing anyone. In the confusion the maddened rioter enters the carriage, falling to the floor where [[Browne]] swings a foot at the man. The kick is ineffectual and the rioter sinks his teeth into Browne's ankle, driving him away and allowing the madman to leap to his feet and grab [[Saunders]] by the throat. A crack on the back of the skull from Withers' revolver finally puts him out.

Other rioters try to enter the carriage but are driven off just as the train starts to move again. Troops who were travelling at the far end of the train soon arrive to restore order. Apparently those rioters who boarded the train have now clamed now and don't seem to know what happened. Some say a man showed them 'the yellow mark' and they became enraged.

The train moves into the city centre and the invetsigators disembark. Their attacker is taken away by the soldiers. Siva arranges the movement of the exopedition's gear from the train to the platform for the connecting train to the Nepalese border. Despite the chaos of the station Siva proves most capable and nothing more important than a case of spoons has been lost.

Within 2 hours the investiagtors are on a second, older train, heading North.

=== Thursday January 26th 1930 ===

The train heads North to the border. This train is less comfortable than the Bombay service and the service is less efficient. Siva proves the difference between a pleasant journey and a tiresome one.

=== Friday January 27th 1930 ===

The train arrives at the railhead at Nautanwa. The expedition's gear is removed from the train and placed in storage until a guide and bearers can be found. Yet more ''baksheesh'' is paid to ensure nothing goes missing.

=== Saturday January 28th 1930 ===

In the town a boarding house frequented by Nepalese is located, and with the aid of [[Siva]] a merchant called [[Jigme Rinzing]] is found who is willing to guide the party as far North as Gori Padi where he will find then another guide for the Northern part of Nepal. Rinzing is not planning on leaving for a couple of days, however, which will make for a frustrating delay in this out of the way town.

=== Sunday January 29th 1930 ===

The day is spent in final preparation for the trek. Fresh food is purchased, water-bottles are filled and Nepalese outer garb procured to ease the crossing on the border. At Rinzing's suggestion facial hair is shaved off - very few Nepalese have any - and tea is rubbed into faces to brown them.

=== Monday January 30th 1930 ===

The trek to Drakmar - day 1.

After [[Browne]] manages to negotiate around some last minute concerns about the amount of baggage the Nepalese bearers are expected to carry, the expedition sets off for the border crossing. [[Siva]] agrees to continue with the party, as a translator is required.

Deciding on subterfuge rather than a difficult detour through woods in search of a gap in the border fence, the party almost passes by the customs officers without comment, but [[Saunders]]' pale Scottish complexion raises suspecions and it looks as if the British officer drinking tea in the guardpost may be called upon until Saunders produces a thick wad of rupees to persuade the customs man to look the other way.

Nepal is entered. Crossing the border the party pass through thickly wooded country and stops the night in an inn at the village of Butwal.

=== Tuesday January 31st 1930 ===

Day 2

Today's trek follows a gorge lined with terraced farms and ends at Tansing, a village notable for its fine metalwork.

=== Wednesday February 1st 1930 ===

Day 3

Everyone feels fit and healthy as the day begins, but by mid afternoon the tricky terrain and worsening weather makes for heavy going. It is necessary to camp outside tonight, as no village is nearby. Dreams of the King in Yellow continue to disturb the investigators' sleep.

=== Thursday February 2nd 1930 ===

Day 4

After a tricky morning's travel the expedition reaches the lakeside town of Pokhara, which supports a street bazaar. while exploring the bazaar the investigators meet a trader who sold cooking utensils to another group of Europeans some months earlier. through him they trace the Italian expedition's former guide, Yangser Chumpo.

Yangser needs to be paid to talk, but when he does he shares the following information:

- There were four white men, one spoke Nepalese and Tibetan

- They were going to Drakmar, above the Monastery at [[Te]], near the village of Kag.

- That is not a good place, as the ''chortens'' have fallen and the black ghosts inhabit the caves.

- When he realised that was their destination, Yangser Chumpo told them they must leave, and when they did not, he left them.

- He is sure the ghosts must have taken them

=== Friday February 3rd 1930 ===

Day 5

The ground rises steadily as the investigators trek past several small villages until the reach a place called Rigme, where effigies of a goddess called ''Dhaulitya'' adorn the houses. This intrigues [[Saunders]] who takes many photographs and notes, the villagers in these parts rocognise the investigators as westerners, but this deep into Nepal, none of them cares much.

=== Saturday February 4th 1930 ===

Day 6

At 5000ft above sea level the party encounters a narrow rope bridge. [[Nathaniel Browne]], suffering from acute acrophobia, proves quite incapable of crossing it until he requests and is given opium by [[Jigme Rinzing]]. When a second such bridge is reached later, Browne gets a second dose. The others worry that Browne seems used to the evil poppy.

The day ends at the market town of Hille on the main trade route to Tibet.

=== Sunday February 5th 1930 ===

Day 7

By the end of the day the party are 8000ft above sea level and have reached the village of Gora Pani, - [[Jigme Rinzing]]'s final destination, as his home is nearby.

It is just as well that the expedition will be delayed for a day while new help is found, as altitude sickness is beginning to effect the Europeans.

=== Monday February 6th 1930 ===

Day 8

The day is spent in Gora Pani. [[Jigme Rinzing]] locates a new guide, a Tibetan called [[Tsewan Pemba]] and hires a new group of 6 bearers, a smaller number than were hitherto being used, which requires some of the heavier items to be traded in the town for food and other necessities.

The day's rest enables everyone to recover from the altitude sickness of the previous day. From here, the Annapurna range fills the Northern horizon.

=== Tuesday February 7th 1930 ===

Day 9

[[Image:kali.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The Kali Gandaki]]
Today the Kali Gandaki river gorge is reached, a most impressive sight. the day ends at the village of Gasa, where the women threshing grain on the flat roofs of the houses creates whirlwinds of chaff.

=== Wednesday February 8th 1930 ===

Day 10

A day of slow progress, featuring more rope bridges and more opium for [[Browne]]. in Tukatcha, the first ethnically Tibetan village reached, the bearers have to be replaced, but the new ones are willing to go all the way to Kag. The investigators have decided not to talk of Drakmar

=== Thursday February 9th 1930 ===

Day 11

Now travelling 9000ft above sea level, the expedition passes the treeline today and reaches a land of barren rock and wind-eroded caves. Red, black and white-painted ''chortens'' abound and prayer flags blow in the wind like the tatters of the king in yellow. This truly is the Himalaya.

Altitude sickness begins the threaten again, and [[Saunders]] is feeling the effects.

=== Friday February 10th 1930 ===

Day 12

The expedition, growing weary from its long, high trek has a short day's travel. Reaching the village of Jomoson, where the investigators see their first yaks, the espedition rests as [[Tsewan Pemba]] wishes to meet with a man here about the possible marriage of his young daughter.

While exploring the town [[Saunders]] finds that amongst the five buddhas in the local temple is one that is quite clearly the King in Yellow. those painted white the statue disturbingly seems to take on a yellow tinge when looked at for more than a few seconds.

The monk in the temple say that the God in Yellow is a god of the sky.

=== Saturday February 11th 1930 ===

Day 13

At 10,000 feet, with the effects of altitude quite noticable to all, the expedition follows the Kali Gandaki to the town of Kag. Kag looks like a fortress perched on a cliff, its houses built together, surrounding a central square.

In the monastery at Kag, where Pemba has arranged for the Europeans to sleep for the night, a monk gives [[Umberto]] a book which proves to be [[Carlo Schippone]]'s diary ([http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/29_Carlo_Schippones_Diary_1.pdf Part 1],[http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/29_Carlo_Schippones_Diary_2.pdf Part 2],[http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/29_Carlo_Schippones_Diary_3.pdf Part 3],[http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/30_Carlo_Schippones_Diary_1.pdf Translation Part 1], [http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/30_Carlo_Schippones_Diary_2.pdf Translation Part 2]), which was brought here from the monastery at Te many weeks ago.

[[Umberto]] reads the diary and tells the tale of the Italian expedition - the use of sorcery to cloud the mind of Major [[Ricardo Delnegro]] - encounters with creatures called 'the Tsotowa' - the religious fervour slowly changing to fear, terror and madness - and in the end Schippone's sribbled ravings about 'Miri Nigri', 'The White Acolyte', murder, blood and monsters. It ends with the phrase 'What have I done?' scrawled over and over again.

That night, as the investigators try to sleep they hear their guide and bearers in animated discussion

=== Sunday February 12th 1930 ===

Day 14

The day's trek reaches the deepest river gorge on earth - 18,000 feet deep, an awesome sight. The party has to leave the river and climb to 11,000 feet. It is bitterly cold. As darkness falls the small village of Tayen is reached.

In tayan the locals say that there was a European at the monastery up at [[Te]]. The boy who came to the village from food for the lama told of him, and brought his book down to be taken the Kag in search of someone who could read it. According to the boy, the stranger came from drakmar, where the Guru Rimpoche slew the Ogress Balmo and stained the cliffs with her blood. The ghosts in the caves took his companions.

The boy has not come down for many weeks. the villagers of Tayen think that ghosts, or even Balmo herself, have taken the monks too.

=== Monday February 13th 1930 ===

Day 15

This morning [[Tsewan Pemba]] comes to Withers and says he and his men will go no further. Ghosts and demons lie ahead, and no sane man would walk into that. The bearers are paid off, and they leave.

[[Siva]] now approaches the investigators and says that he is too frightened to go any further, and he begs his friends not to go themselves. Siva reveals he has children, and he won't leave them without a father.

He agrees instead to stay at Tayen and guard the expedition's supplies. he has found a local who wishes to go to the monastery and ask the monks to help his sick son. this man will lead the investigators up there tomorrow if the really must go. Since [[Saunders]] still feels ill from mountain sickness the enforced day of rest is a blessing in disguise.

=== Tuesday February 14th 1930 ===

Day 16

This proves to be the hardest day's travel so far. [[Saunders]] is suffering and the terrain is treacherous. the investigators rope themselves together, which saves [[Umberto]]'s life at one point. Meanwhile their guidem who is at least a decade older than any of them, bounds ahead like a mountain goat.

Eventually the Monastery at [[Te]] comes into view, a boulder-strewn plain between the ridge and the building itself. As the investigators crest the ridge they spot a figure moving in a doorway. Before they can react, a shot rings out and their guide, a hundred yards ahead, falls to the ground.

The investigators dive behind boulders for cover as the gunman walks out of the monastery, carbine in hand, and moves forward quickly working the gun's action.

He fires another shot in the direction of Withers, but distance and cover make the shot impossible. Meanwhile Withers is carefully aiming his rifle. the captain fires a single, perfect shot and hits the gunman in the skull. He falls dead.

The investigators hurry to the two fallen figures. The guide is alive, though badlt hurt, but Withers is able to stem the bleeding. The gunman proves to be [[Carlo Schippone]], bearded and suffering the after-effects of frostbite.

The injured man is carried to the monastery, where the bodies of the three monks and their servant boy are found, shot dead an least a month ago by Schippone, and in an unpleasant state.

The complex is large enough for the investigators to camp indoors without the smell of the corpses being a problem.

While the others check out the complex and look for something from which to make a stretcher, Withers alone outside with the injured guide, catches a glimpse of something moving amongst the rocks on a high ridge. he is glad to get into the defensible surroiundings of the monastery.

Now the problem of what to do with the injured man is raised. He can't be carried back to Tayen, and nor can he be abandoned here. Its just been decided that someone needs to go back for help when [[Siva]] stumbles out of the darkness. Wracked with guilt at abandoning his friends and employers, he followed them after all.

The investigators tell Siva he needs to stay here with the injured man and wait for them for at least 5 days. Siva is glad to be of service - this way he is helping them but does not need to go to [[Drakmar]].

An uneasy night is spent at Te.

''Up the mountain to Te with a local guide. Schippone attacks and is killed by Withers. guide is shot. Into monstery. Bodies found. That evening Siva arrives.''

=== Wednesday February 15th 1930 ===

Day 17

[[Image:mustang.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Mustang]]
''On towards Drakmar, Siva stays with injured man at Te. Sleep on the mountain. Dreams reach their climaxes''

=== Thursday February 16th 1930 ===

Day 18

''Arrival at Drakmar''

Session 10

2006-08-26T09:23:45Z

202.74.212.74: /* Sunday December 15th 1929 - Night */

==Session Report - Played Monday 21st August, 2006==

=== Friday December 13th 1929 ===

With [[Saunders]] in Oslo, at a curators' conference on Viking culture, it is left to [[Withers]], [[Bartlett]] and [[Browne]] to go to court to see [[Gresty]]'s appearance before the magistrate.

Gresty turns out to be a scrawny man in his 40s, with protuberant ears, a scraggly beard and bad teeth. He appears contrite, and somewhat agitated in court, pleading guilty to the charge of breaking and entering, but not to assault.

Speaking in a strong West Country accent, Gresty says that he has been having trouble sleeping, and on the night in question was walking the streets in a fit of insomnia when he was struck by an impulse to pray - he can't explain why he did it, but he chose to break into [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church%2C_Spitalfields Christ Church, Spitalfields], cutting his hands as he climbed through the window, and that he was kneeling at the altar when he was disturbed by a voice. Turning and fleeing in sudden terror he must have accidentally knocked the verger to the ground.

Gresty appears genuinely sorry, and is fined 2 pounds plus the cost of repairs.

As Gresty leaves the court, Bartlett approaches him and introduces himself. Gresty is thrilled to meet his 'friends', and is most interested to hear that they went to Scotland and witnessed (indeed, caused) the death of [[Montague Edwards]]. He invites them to his local watering hole, The Plough Inn, for a drink and a chat.

Gresty explains that he is a true servant of 'The Goat' sent here from the West Country to infiltrate the worshippers of Hastur, and that he succeeded briliantly. He is proud of his role in the death of [[Lawrence Bacon]], and reveals that as the housemate and drinking partner of [[Coombes]] he was able to learn all of [[Bacon]]'s plans and work against them.

He says also that he has been awaiting the death of his superior in the Shub-Niggurath cult, [[Atkinson]], so that he can return home to inherit the role of leader, and that now that Atkinson is near death he has been summoned.

Realising that the influence of Hastur was once again strong, he decided to act against it by going to a place sacred to the 'British Gods' and calling upon their aid. He chose Christ Church because as one of the churches of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor] it is [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst;jsessionid=GtGQ0hW5bh6yVf231YWQt0SL3l861ZcnGx1XhmPvQSzvJSmnGvYn!-325043583!377065349?a=o&d=5002021737 in reality] a shrine not to 'the carpenter god' but to the true, old gods of Britain.

He sliced his hands open deliberately and called upon 'Shub-Niggurath and Y'Golonac', and was then interrupted by the verger, who he deliberately knocked to the ground in anger and being so interrupted.

At this point, having touched on a personal obsession, Gresty launches into a rambling discourse on Hawksmoor and his churches - going so far as to lead the investigators to Christ Church, where he stands on the pavement outside, excitedly proclaiming his beliefs.

When he calms down, and is offered Bartlett's hip flask, which he drains, Gresty explains that he is about to return to his home at Mercy Hill in the Severn Valley, where 'the woman at Nug's Farm' thinks she is Atkinson's heir, but that he, Wilfred Gresty will inherit.

With this, the now quite inebriated Gresty walks off into the London throng. At last the investigators have a location for the elusive [[Nug's Farm]], and with it [[Hillary Quarrie]].

=== Saturday December 14th 1929 ===

[[Bartlett]] and [[Browne]] have booked an early train to Gloucester, but there is a problem. Despite yesterday's promising lead, there is no sign of Mercy Hill on any modern map of the Severn Valley.

As time is thought to be of the essence it is agreed that [[Browne]] will head at once to the map room of the British Library and scour old maps for the location of Mercy Hill, and will give his friends the map reference by telephone. If Browne cannot locate it, at least the others can ask locally.

Fortunately, by early afternoon Browne has located a set of 1911 military survey maps of the area, and on them he locates not only Mercy Hill, but also Nug's Farm itself! The buildings that make up these settlements are in fact marked, though not identified, on the latest Ordnance Survey maps, which Withers carries, but oddly the local forest, [[Goatswood]] appears to have encroached significantly on them since 1911.

Browne phones the hotel where the others have just arrived and gives them the grid references. They head off to hire a car, but find that nothing is available and end up having to pay a garage owner an exorbitant fee to hire him to drive them to the area in the morning. The only other choice is a daily bus which stops at the village of Clotton, but this does not run at weekends.

=== Sunday December 15th 1929 - Day ===

Its a bitterly cold morning as the car struggles south along the minor road that heads into the [[Goatswood]] region. The driver explains that the people around here keep themselves to themselves and are not well thought of amongst 'decent people', but he's happy to take their money, and asks no questions.

Soon they are passing through grim little villages of ancient cottages, with hardly a sign of people or of commerce. They are dropped off in one of these places, a village called Clotton, which has no pub, no shops and apparently no electricity. The church is a boarded up ruin. The only sign of life is the movement of a curtain, but there is no answer to a knock on that door.

The driver agrees to return, but it must be before dusk, if they are not here when he arrives, we won't wait.

[[Withers]] checks his gun and the 2 men head across country to where [[Nug's Farm]] is marked on their map. They pass over a footbridge and find themselves following a very old footpath across the icy landscape. The region looks like it hasn't progressed in 200 years - farm machinery is horsedrawn, there is no sign of modern achitecture or amenities. Soon the path passes through a small wood that does not appear on the map.

The wood is thick, and strangely warm. A deep thrumming noise, almost below the range of human hearing, is just audible and starts to bring on headaches. Then the investigators spot a bizarre figure watching them through the trees. Humanoid, with a strangely goatlike face and naked from the waist up, the man, if man it truly is, seems at first to be wearing thickly furred trousers, but in the seconds before he disappears into the trees Withers and Bartlett realise that the fur is his, and that his legs are jointed the wrong way, and do not end in feet.

Realising that they have seen what seems to be a Satyr, Withers and Bartlett prepare themselves for the unexpected. Leaving the wood they see in the valley below a small, but well-maintained farm. Somehow this place seems more healthy, more homely than any other structure around here. On the far side of the farm sits the brooding bulk of Goatswood Forest itself, a long spur of the forest cuts the farm off from Mercy Hill to the North, and the hamlet is not visible from here.

The investigators head for the farm, trying their best to look like innocent ramblers out for a country stroll. In the yard of Nug's farm a labourer is working on repairing some tools. He sees the approaching strangers, enters the house and [[Hillary Quarrie]] emerges. The labourer has the inbred, unhealthy, goatlike appearance common to Goatswood locals, and reminiscent of [[Wilfred Gresty]], but Hillary is a normal, quite attractive woman, albeit somewhat dowdily dressed in overalls and boots.

As the investigators draw closer, Hillary whistles and 3 huge [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastiff mastiffs] (Pig, Bull and Walter) emerge from the house and stand by her. Hillary hails the strangers and asks what brings them to this place on such a cold day.

Withers and Bartlett cut straight to the chase, they are here because they seek [[Malcolm Quarrie]], and they were present when Malcolm's former friends brought [[Carcosa]] to Earth. Hillary invites them into the house, but seems more interested in listening than talking. She hears the entire story of the [[Roby]] case and the [[Hastur]] cult, then reveals that she knows almost nothing of these things, and cares little as she is quite confident that her Gods, the British Gods, will protect this land from such alien horrors. She states simply that [[Edwards]] could not have succeeded, for [[Shub-Niggurath]] would not allow it.

She offers the investigators some stew, and they notice, upon the mantle, a [http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/21_Photograph_of_Malcolm_Hillary_Sarah.pdf photograph] of Hillary, Malcolm and a baby outside Nug's farm. Before Hillary can tell them anything of real interest her farmhand, Will, calls her outside. Through the window the investigators see that [[Wilfred Gresty]] has arrived, and he has brought with him an entourage, half a dozen local men with the familiar goatlike look, but also 3 or 4 of the half-human creatures seen earlier in the woods.

Its obvious that there is some kind of confrontation going on - Gresty is animated and gesticulates wildly while Hillary is grim-faced and impeturbable. Only a few words can be heard from within the house, but its clear that Gresty is delivering an ultimatum and that Hillary is in no mood to accept. Gresty turns and storms off with his followers and Hillary returns to the house with a look of urgency.

Hillary goes straight to her study and starts bringing papers into the kitchen to burn in the pot-bellied stove. She is ripping pages from a book and shoving them into the flames when she seems to notice the investigators again. They ask what is happening and remind her that they know Gresty. Hillary pauses, calms a little and decides to tell her story. She tells them that she would like very much for them to stay here and aid her tonight, as she thinks she needs help, but that she understands fully if they don't wish to and says they will need to leave before nightfall if this in their choice. First, however, she sits them down and tells them everything.

[[Hillary Quarrie]]'s story is detailed on her page of this wiki, but the upshot of it is that tonight she will be fighting for her life, and the future of the Goatswood cult. Gresty has convinced Atkinson to act against her and she must defeat both of them, or die. She knows where Malcolm is, or at least where he was until recently, and as a sign of good faith she fetches the only 2 letters she has received from her husband since he went to the continent.

The [http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/23_Malcolm_Quarries_First_Letter.pdf first letter] was over a year ago, but the [http://www.artistmonkey.com/Downloads/24_Malcolm_Quarries_Second_Letter.pdf second letter] is only a few weeks old and gives an address in [[Milan]], Italy, through which Malcolm can be contacted.

The investigators read these letters, consider the situation and agree to stay to aid Hillary. She tells them that she has destroyed '[[The Revelations of Glaaki]]' in the stove so that if Gresty wins he will never have access to the secrets within that book. All they can do for now is sit and wait. Hillary asks them to promise that she will do whatever she asks tonight quickly and without question - otherwise they will be in great danger. They agree, but start to worry exactly what will be expected of them.

Will, the farmhand, turns up with several other men loyal to Hillary. She turns them away saying that she has help enough and that if she is defeated it is best that no other cult members be seen to have stood with her. Will and his friends leave, reluctantly, and the afternoon moves into evening.

=== Sunday December 15th 1929 - Night ===

Night falls. On the far side of the woods, in Mercy Hill, a bonfire is lit, its flickering glow clearly visible from Nug's Farm. Voices are raised in pagan prayer. There are chants and then a scream. Hillary tells Withers and Bartlett that now is the time, and leads them out into the yard, shutting her dogs up in the house. She tells the investigators to go to the henhouse and bring back 2 chickens each, and to hold them by the necks. Withers is perturbed that this means he won't be able to use his gun.

Fetching the chickens is less easy that it seemed, and both investigators get scratched and pecked, but soon they stand behind Hillary looking out towards Goatswood, struggling poultry in hand. They see the wicked curved knife in Hillary's hand and start to worry if this is an entirely appropriate activity for respectable Christian gentlemen.

Something huge stirs and begins crashing its way through the trees towards them. "It's one of Shub-Niggurath's Young." says Hillary, "I can deal with this." She raises her voice and starts to scream out the words of what can only be a spell.

''"Ishnigarrab!"'' she screams, slashing at one of the chickens, tearing it open with her knife, but not yet killing it.

''"Say it! Help me. Say it!"''

Both investigators repeat the word.

''"The Black Mouth!"'', and a second chicken is slashed. ''"Repeat it!"''

This time only Bartlett responds

''"The Black Tongue!"'', and another slash.

Once more, Bartlett responds alone.

''"The Black Lip!"'', and a final slash.

[[Image:darkyoung.jpg|right]]

This time neither investigator responds, for both have seen the vast horror which has emerged from the woods. A great writhing shadow the size of a house, huge trunklike legs supporting a mass of thick writhing tentacles. The stench of the thing is indescribable. For a second it stands still, seemingly transfixed by Hillary's ritual.

''"Ishnigarrab! Utug Xal"'', and Hillary turns and neatly decapitates the chickens held by the stupefied Bartlett, but as she turns to kill Withers' birds she sees that the Captain has dropped them and is instead levelling his rifle at the creature.

''"You fool!"'', she shouts, and darts towards the closest of the two injured chickens.

Withers fires. One shot, two shots, three shots. The only effect they seem to have is to stir the creature from its reverie, and it starts to move forwards towards the farm once more. For Withers time seems to slow down for a few seconds, as he assesses the situation.

Bartlett is staring slack-jawed at the approaching horror. Hillary had caught the third chicken and is has hacked its head from its body, and across the farmyard the final hen is fleeing for the henhouse. Suddenly Withers realises what he must do. He turns, levels his rifle, aims for a second and puts a bullet straight through the last chicken, completing the sacrifice.

Shub-Niggurath's Young stops in its tracks. Hillary, exultant, strides towards it, covered in blood from the chickens.

''"You will kill the ones who summoned you, and all who were there with them. Then you will go back to your Mother to draw on her teat!"''

The creature turns and begins to stride back towards Mercy Hill. "You might want to go inside," says Hillary, "you won't want to hear this."

Withers and Bartlett take her advice, heading inside the house and Hillary stands in the yard listening to the screams and crashes coming from beyond the trees as Mercy Hill is destroyed and Gresty, Atkinson and their faction meet their horrible, but well-deserved ends.

=== Monday December 16th 1929 ===

[[Withers]] and [[Bartlett]] wake up in the chairs where they slept the previous night. They both have chicken blood splatters on their skin and clothing. Hillary offers then breakfast and chance to wash up, then leads them to Clotton to catch the Northbound bus.

She thanks them for their aid and tells them that now the Goatswood Cult is in her hands she will use its power to bring about a new Golden Age for Britain. They have done a great service for their country, though she doubts they truly understand that. She hopes they find Malcolm, for although his plans are unlikely to harm Britain, protected as it is, the rest of the world is not so safe.

Finally, asked if she has a message for her husband, Hillary replies "Just tell him that Sarah is healthy and happy."

The investigators board the nearly empty bus and head back to Gloucester. Shaken by their experience, but carrying with them that which they have sought for over a year, a clear signpost to the location of [[Malcolm Quarrie]]. [[Saunders]] is back in London today, so an evening meeting at Bartlett's house seems apt.

Loch Mullardoch

2006-08-19T07:59:59Z

202.74.212.134:

[[Image:loch_mullardoch.jpg|right|300px]]

Loch Mullardoch lies 8 miles to the West of the small village of Cannich, 30 miles or so South of Inverness, Scotland. Its Eastern end is surrounded by the private Mullardoch Estate and the former hunting lodge called Mullardoch House lies there. The Loch is 8 miles long and a little less than a mile wide at its broadest. It runs roughly East to West.

On the North shore lies the East Benula Forest and the mountain slopes of Sgurr na Lapaich and An Riabhachan. To the South are the peaks of Beinn Fhionnlaidh, Tom a Coinich and Toll Creagach. At the Eastern end is Mullardoch House and the road to Cannich, at the Western end is the West Benula Forest. The mountains that surround the Loch reach up to 4000 feet.

[[Image:mullardochhousex.jpg|left]]

[[Montague Edwards]] styles himself 'Laird of Mullardoch' and he chose the Loch as the site to bring the city of [[Carcosa]] to Earth in December 1928, taking [[Alexander Roby]] there to aid him.

The [[Hastur]] Cult that had gathered around [[Bacon]], and [[Edwards]] were told to meet in Inverness on December 5th. By December 10th, Carcosa had appeared spread around the Loch, although it could not be seen from a distance. Instead one found oneself already surrounded by the city without ever having knowingly entered it.

Carcosa left this world on the night of December 11th 1928, apparently taking the lives of a dozen people from the nearby village of Cannich. Now all is quiet once more at Loch Mullardoch.

[[Image:mulloch.jpg|centre]]

2006-05-23T06:16:34Z

202.74.212.135:

Also known as '[[The Walker by the Lake]]', this book was written by [[Alexander Roby]] and published, in 1923, by Whitehall Press, a vanity publisher. The book is bound in all-white cloth, blank cover and spine. The title page gives the title, in german and English, the author's initials 'A R' and a quote from Coleridge - ''Suppression Prepares for Overflow''.

The investigators have been given a copy of the book by [[Delia Morrison]].

The text is split into halves headed 'First Act' and 'Second Act' and describes the dreams of an unnamed man, in the form of a case history. The dreams themselves are all recounted in german, though the rest of the text is in English. It seems a fair guess that the book is in some way autobiographical.

Neither narrative, nor poetry, nor drama, the book is nonetheless fascinating reading.

The dreams relate to a power that the dreamer slowly comes to know, a power he refers to as 'The King', 'Kaiwan' or 'the unspeakable one'. Eventually he visits the city of Carcosa, a place of beauty and contentment.

It is from this book that [[Doctor Lionel Trollope]] was reading, Roby reciting the text alongside him, when he had a vision of his own death, a vision that proved accurate.

[[image:quotations.jpg]]

Der Wanderer durch den See

2006-05-23T06:15:25Z

202.74.212.135:

Der Wanderer durch den See

2006-05-23T06:14:58Z

202.74.212.135:

Also known as 'The Walker by the Lake', this book was written by [[Alexander Roby]] and published, in 1923, by Whitehall Press, a vanity publisher. The book is bound in all-white cloth, blank cover and spine. The title page gives the title, in german and English, the author's initials 'A R' and a quote from Coleridge - ''Suppression Prepares for Overflow''.

The investigators have been given a copy of the book by [[Delia Morrison]].

The text is split into halves headed 'First Act' and 'Second Act' and describes the dreams of an unnamed man, in the form of a case history. The dreams themselves are all recounted in german, though the rest of the text is in English. It seems a fair guess that the book is in some way autobiographical.

Neither narrative, nor poetry, nor drama, the book is nonetheless fascinating reading.

The dreams relate to a power that the dreamer slowly comes to know, a power he refers to as 'The King', 'Kaiwan' or 'the unspeakable one'. Eventually he visits the city of Carcosa, a place of beauty and contentment.

[[image:quotations.jpg]]

Tatters of the King

2006-05-23T06:03:45Z

202.74.212.135: /* Literary Works */

[[Image:Tatters_Cover.gif|right]]
'''Tatters of the King'''[http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_info.php?products_id=773&osCsid=07f84f248e3a49f3cf6199ee7fbb6629] is a new Call of Cthulhu campaign written by Tim Wiseman and published by [http://chaosium.com Chaosium] and through which our role-playing [http://tentaclesandunderpants.info group] is currently being run. Play started on May 8th 2006. See [[current events]] for next session date.

The game is being played in the suburb of Ellerslie, in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland Auckland, New Zealand].

==Setting==

The game is initially set in [http://www.yog-sothoth.com/docs/article-london-guide-1928.pdf London], [http://greywolfnz.homeip.net/wiki/attachments/1928.doc 1928]. It is the start of a bitterly cold winter, the worst in decades.

London is the capital of an empire covering a quarter of the globe and governing one quarter of the human race. The people busy themselves with concerns of politics and government, finance and production, work and recreation. How fragile things are. What ignorance there is.

There are those whose engage in different pursuits - who would see an inhuman power come to Earth such that it would make mundane activity seem like a last twitch before dying.........

==GM==

The Keeper of Arcane Lore is [[Mark Chiddicks]]

==Players==

The players are:

[[Darryn Mercer]]

[[Julia Blackmore]]

[[Nicola Bishop]]

[[Marcus Gustafsson]]

==Player Characters==

[[Nathaniel Browne]] - A failed writer, looking for his big story, played by Darryn Mercer

[[Captain George Withers]] - Coldstream Guards. Career soldier. Played by Nicola Bishop.

[[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]] - Eminent research psychologist, played by Marcus Gustafsson.

[[Andrew Saunders]] - British Museum curator and proud Scot, Played by Julia Blackmore.

==Notable Non-Player Characters==

'''Prologue'''

[[Talbot Estus]] - American novelist, now debuting as a playwright

''The Group'' - an amateur theatrical troupe:

[[Michael Gillen]] - Retired publisher, amateur actor and acquaintance of [[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]]. Estus's friend and companion.

[[Hannah Keith]] - Amateur Actress and sister of [[Andrew Saunders]]

[[George Keith]] - Amateur Actor and husband of [[Hannah Keith]]

[[Walter Paige]] - Amateur Actor

[[Jean Hewart]] - Amateur Actress

'''Chapter One'''

[[Dr. Charles Highsmith]] - Asylum Superintendent

[[Alexander Roby]] - Incarcerated Madman

[[Lucius Harriwell]] - Incarcerated Madman

[[Price and Evans]] - Asylum Nurses

'''Chapter Two'''

[[Dr. Lionel Trollope]] (deceased) - Roby family physician

[[Grahame Roby]] - Financier, Alexander Roby's brother

[[Detective Inspector Andrew Taylor]] - of New Scotland Yard

[[Delia Hartston]] - Alexander Roby's former fiancee, now [[Delia Morrison]]

[[Vincent Tuck]] - Private Detective, hired by Grahame Roby

[[Lawrence Bacon]] - Antiquarian and occultist

[[The Tall Man]] - Sinister stalker, possibly named [[Coombes]]

==Literary Works==

[[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]] - a fantasy in two acts, [http://greywolfnz.homeip.net/wiki/attachments/CARCOSA.pdf script] by [[Talbot Estus]]

[[Le Roi en Jeune]] - a rare French play, playwright anonymous

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_in_Yellow The King in Yellow] - a collection of short [http://www.yankeeclassic.com/miskatonic/library/stacks/literature/chambers/stories/kinginye/contents.htm stories] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers]

[[An Inhabitant of Carcosa and Haita the Shepherd]] - by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Bierce Ambrose Bierce]

[[Der Wanderer durch den See]] - by [[Alexander Roby]]

==Locations==

[http://www.mdx.ac.uk/www/study/mapengwa.htm Map of England and Wales, 1928]

[http://www.yog-sothoth.com/docs/article-london-guide-1928.pdf London], England - [http://www.londonancestor.com/maps/roads-central.htm Map of London, 1926]

The [[Scala Theatre]], Charlotte St, London

[[St Agnes Asylum]], [[Weobley]], Herefordshire, England

[[Clare Melford]], Suffolk, England

==Sessions==

''As referred to in the session reports below, there have been a number of [[murders]] related to the Roby case.''

[[Session 1]] - Opening Night

[[Session 1.5]] - The Madman

[[Session 2]] - The Plot Thickens

[[Session 3]] - Alexander's Friends

Delia Hartston

2006-05-22T05:39:36Z

202.74.212.112:

[[image:deli.JPG|right]]

Delia Hartston is [[Alexander Roby]]'s former fiancee. When [[Dr Bartlett]] spoke to Roby, Roby initially seemed to think he was talking to Delia.

[[Grahame Roby]] expressed a distrust of Delia, suggesting she was in some way involved with the [[Roby murders]].

Her current location is unknown, but [[Captain George Withers]] has engaged a private detective to locate her.