Chapter Ten

Uranus fathered the Titans upon Mother Earth after he had thrown his rebellious sons, the Cyclopes, into Tartarus, a gloomy place in the Underworld, which lies as far distant from the Earth as the Earth does from the sky; it would take a falling anvil nine days to reach its bottom. In revenge Mother Earth persuaded the Titans to attack their father and they did so, led by Cronus, the youngest of the seven, whom she armed with a flint sickle with which he castrated Uranus while he slept. When Cronus found himself in command he confined the titans in Tartarus with the Cyclopes, taking his sister Rhea to wife and ruling in Elis.

Hesiod’s Theogony

as translated by Robert Graves

Heli had three sons: Lud, Cassievalanus, and Nennius. Lud, the eldest of these accepted the kingship after his father’s death. he rebuilt the walls of the town of Trinovantium and girded it with innumerable towers. He ordered the citizens to construct their homes and buildings there in such a style that no other city in the most far-flung kingdoms could boast of palaces more fair… it was afterwards called Kaerlud and then, as the name became corrupted, Kaerlundein. In a later age, as languages evolved, it was called Lundres. When Lud died his body was buried in the above-named city, near to the gateway which in the British tongue is still called Porthlud after him, though in Saxon it bears the name Ludgate.

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Circa AD1136

Dr Dorian Aveyard

Monster Hunters Contacts File

"We are trying to discern who summoneth evil, such that we might destroyeth those whose evil threatens the land, and disturbeth thy most deserved rest." Flaxton tells the giant whose sheer presence is almost overwhelming. Behind him Genevieve begins to dance and Selkirk happily assesses the micro-conduits to Carcieri the Eternal Dungeon.

"We’re working to the same ends, great King Lud," Dawn assures the titan. "All we want to do is find out who’s disturbing the ancient way of things."

"I suppose a plot summary is out of the question?" asks Dawn plaintively.

"This is very old architecture you know," Selkirk notes. "Fascinating, really. I wonder who it belongs to."

"We really need to take our friend seeking with us," Genevieve points out, indicating Angherad hanging in chains beside the giant. "Please."

"She understandeth the old ways and will be much needed on our quest," adds Flaxton.

There is a burst of light, and the Monster Hunters (including Angherad) find themselves back in the bottom of the Waterloo excavation.

"So to the Qayrawun scrying. Assisted by Dawn and Genevieve, the sha’ir peers deep into the glass and tries to seek out the golden collar. Suddenly he shrieks in some foreign tongue (the Club later manage to reconstruct what he said as "Madness is your release!") at something looking back at him through the mirror. The glass shatters, sending shards into his face and chest.

Proceedings of the Monster Hunters Club, volume two hundred and thirty-five

The nature of the magic of the Mantle of Faithful Wives was this: that on a virgin or loyal matron it would be a gown of most pleasing aspect, but that it would wrinkle and take up a sour colour on any woman who had not been virtuous and faithful, and would not cover even the buttocks of an adulteress. In Arthur’s court there was no lady but was in some way shamed to wear the mantle save the wife of Sir Craddocke, and even on her it began to wrinkle at the toe until she made Full Confession: she had kissed Craddocke’s mouth once before they were wedded.

Summarised from "The Boy and the Mantle"

Child Ballad no 29

It only takes Aveyard a moment to realise that the zombies are not interested in him. their main intention is to harm and disfigure Emmanuelle. Aveyard therefore obligingly steps aside whilst Emmanuelle does acrobatic things to avoid knives and acid. Aveyard calmly starts up the vehicle, waits until Emmanuelle lines up the undead in a nice row, then runs them over.

A follow-up with the police indicates that the corpses are missing from a local chapel of rest. The constabulary put this incident down to a sick prank.

The rest of the day is spent finishing investigations at the Stankey house. More tests with skirts indicate that (a) there is no effect whatsoever when Qayrawun wears female attire (except for more note-taking by Aveyard), and (b) when Magda or Emmanuelle wear the same clothing their skirts are slightly shortened. More precisely, using Emmanuelle’s inch-marked dress, fabric vanishes from the bottom whilst the dress itself remains hemmed. This effect slows markedly though the day as if the power behind it is wearing off.

Aveyard works with Qayrawun to sort out the details of the genie-summoner’s scrying vision. He identified the trees as spruce, fir, oak, and pine. This suggests a Northern forest. The runes appear to be Pictish ogham characters, but cannot be recalled clearly enough for a Comprehend Languages to be effective.

It is Dame Edith Chanterness, old patron of the Edward Endelby Memorial Library and summoned by Zany to visit her old friend Endelby who is able to suggest the runes’ meaning. The old wise woman recalls a similar such ritual from older days, when virgins were staked out thus in order to capture a unicorn.

The Monster Hunters realise that the time they have to rescue Deborah Stankey is extremely limited.

Zany would have liked more time to talk to Dame Edith, also an old friend of Dr Quilp’s (Zany’s father), but the analysis of the slime-rimed crab from Edrachillis Bay diverts her attention – as described below.

Qayrawun instructs researcher Adele Walker to seek lists of Hallows and their legendary abilities.

"Me and Bodger – that’s Corporal Willis sir, was on watch when it happened. We patrol the water-side perimeter wire, sir, this side of where the dogs run. We have to always keep each other in sight. That night it was a bit drizzly, misty over the water, but clear enough on land. Anyway, as I was coming down towards the canteen and machine shop I saw this shadow move. I challenged, and the shadow moved towards me. Well the Sarge – that’s Sergeant Birkitt, sir, he says challenge then fire, and here its live rounds. So I took aim and got off two rounds rapid. Swore the first one hit, saw the bugger stagger. Then he just vanished sir. Blinked off, like. I could see his silhouette and he didn’t seem to run away, just go like a bleeding ghost, pardon my French. So I sounded the whistle, but by then Bodger was already here and the guard was turning out. And you know the rest."

NEMO DIED IN 1895 IN UNDERWATER NAVAL CONFRONTATION IN AZORES WITH MHC VESSEL WINDJAMMER’S REVENGE +STOP+ NEMO KILLED BY BACKSTAB FROM MONSTER HUNTER THOS. STONE +STOP+ NAUTILUS DESTROYED BUT PLANS RETRIEVED BY CLUB +STOP+ DAME CHANTERNESS SUGGESTS LINK WITH GARETH’S MADNESS AND RESTORATION AS ARTHURIAN PALADIN DUE TO ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY HENCE CROWNS +STOP+ A WALKER +END+

DR LIONEL PLANTAGENET RECRUITED FROM OXFORD 1938 AFTER POST-DOCTORIAL THESIS ON THEORY OF FISSION ADJUDGED CLASSIFIED IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST +STOP+ HAS NOT PUBLISHED SINCE PER M.O.W. CONTRACT +STOP+ STATIONED AT EDRACHILLIS 1945 +STOP+ ORGANISED FIRST SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF "EDRACHILLIS EFFECT" ON MUNITIONS +STOP+ IS IMPORTANT TO NATIONAL DEFENCE SO TRY NOT TO KILL HIM +END+

The Monster Hunters continue their investigations each in their own way. Redvers-Ainderbury and his Grey-Ops assigned sergeant question the troops and become more and more baffled by the intruder reports. This is because, from a Monster Hunters perspective, they only make sense if you believe in creatures which can’t be hurt when hit with normal bullets who can then teleport or render themselves invisible. R-A contents himself by drawing new armoury from the arsenal and by redrawing the guard schedules. He amuses the garrison by testing some ballistics theories by shooting a variety of dead animals.

Sergeant Blanchard of grey Ops also picks up a change in attitude to the personnel of the base from the people at the nearby fishing village. Previously happy at the marines as a source of income for their pubs and shops, the villagers have become far less friendly in the last few days, and several promising relationships with local ladies have come to untimely ends.

Crannog is disturbed by evidence of recent changes in the ecology of the seafront. Apart from the crabs he is also detecting other changes in fish migration patterns and other things which make very little sense to anyone other than a trained biologist. He is particularly worried to find a drowned dog whose carcass has been stripped or dissolved from its body. The animal has the same mucous in its lungs as was on the crabs, suggesting it may have drowned in contaminated waters.

Meridian does some genius-level things with the SONAR logs from the surface vessels tracking the lost Prototype Four and is able to discern a whisper of something like a whale, maybe thirty feet long or so, in the proximity of the submarine a few minutes before the reported light and loss of contact. He is also interested to note that several of the SONAR and radio operators reported having headaches after their shifts on the day of the disappearance.

Revell conducts his own experiments in the hopes of acquiring the Club an arsenal of miraculously-blessed ordinance. Unfortunately none of the "usual" methods for garnering virtue on missiles large and small appears to be operating today. Usual methods are basically to have the missiles ready for use – "sheathed" – on a vessel which passes on or under the surface at a particular area about three quarters of a mile out to sea in a straight line with the promontory known as Tuddle’s point. Revell does not have time to visit Galeili Worldsedge just now, but given the nymph’s weakness for spiriting handsome eligible men away for a year and a day to be her love toys this may be for the best.

Radshaw conducts a through sweep of Prototype Three with a view to seeking sabotage and hidden materials. He doesn’t find any. He has a happy all-night session getting the decommissioned vessel to work again using a spit-and-bailing-wire technique which would have sent Dr Plantagenet screaming for his mother. He also ensures that the experimental vessel is equipped with some of the remaining blessed torpedoes from previous journeys.

Albrecht asks for a telephone, contacts the Endelby memorial Library, and gets Zany to contact the H.M.S. Edrachillis team for an immediate pick up. Since the locals seem very keen for him to eat the stew, Albrecht Purifies Food and Drink before consuming it. It still tastes odd (but is no longer evil). Albrecht then develops a nasty headache, shrugs off a growing desire to get back into the safety of the water [15 on the d20], and runs like hell off up the road until Redvers-Ainderbury picks him up in a jeep.

Meanwhile Prototype Three has begun its voyage to search for the remains or whatever of Prototype Four. Amongst the crew are Revell, Radshaw, and Crannog. Meridian is manning the SONAR station on the lead surface ship, and has his extraplanar detection magics active and an Unseen Servant at the ready. The volunteer-crewed Prototype Three heads out into the dark cold waters at 1345 hours and follows the known course of Prototype Four.

Redvers-Ainderbury and Albrecht get back to the base in time to receive the urgent telegram from Zany after her latest lab analysis, and that is enough to send Albrecht racing for the radio to warn the Monster Hunters exactly what it is that they are up against…

And something large and silent moves through the waters.

So, for next time, the DM wants to know:

• What is the menace that the Monster Hunters face at Edrachillis Bay, and how will the Club deal with it?
• Where do the Club look for the missing Deborah Stankey?
• How do the Club interpret King Lud’s clue, and where do they go as a result of it?
• And of course any little points you may wish to raise yourselves.