Responses to Chapter Nine:

M. Antony Flaxton (Mike) Responds:

Ian
In an attempt to make up for previous tardiness, a few points!


1. The Monster Hunters Club (see files MH#0001-8532)
I'm a little upset that we only have files 1-8532 - I would have expected more! :-)


2. Two minor security alerts occurred on 27-6-01
I'm intrigued by the security alerts in 1901 (or was it 2001?) – I assume these to be a typos for '51.

[IW REPLIES: Indeed. I may correct that later.]


3. The MHC do know that there are some pretty old and powerful wards upon the Tower of London, and they know that former Monster Hunters Tommy Stone, John Hamble, and Henry Hamble are "recognised" by those defences. There is at least one other person known to the Club who is likewise acknowledged but the Club are not aware of this.

My money is on Gaston LeClair (or, possibly, the so-called Count St.Germaine) for this one!


4. Interestingly, after spending a day searching the house and considering this, both Emmanuelle and Magda find their own hemlines have shortened by a couple of inches as well.
This seems like some sort of temporal effect - perhaps some sort of temporal fashion elemental?


5. He sees the girl tied naked between two trees in a dense forest. She has some unfamiliar blue characters pained upon her body.

See if Qayrawun can sketch these designs, for further research by the team (possibly Magda). If not, see if something can be done with hypnosis.


6. "There is old evil come to the bay, called forth by older evil, in service of older evil yet. We will not go there, for if our gills were filled with that evil we would be evil. We will not think of the evil, lest it hears our thoughts and comes for us. We charge you, Albrechtus Arnheimus, to go forth and destroy this evil in our name."
This sounds somewhat Cthulhic - perhaps linked to the Starksborough incidents. And I still reckon the Lich is a pretty old evil.


7. Zany sends for Endelby’s oldest remaining friend and fellow Endelby Library trustee, Dame Edith Chanterness.
An excellent call - I don't like the similarities to the Buffy/Angel situation!


8. Selkirk indicates that there are some fascinating passive micro-portals all around the place, and that they would not show up as magical unless used because "they've been here so long they're effectively natural". He exchanges excited and expensive telegrams with Selkirk

Only Selkirk could exchange expensive telegrams with himself. I assume/hope this is a typo, and would like to know with whom he is corresponding, as I feel it is relevant to my investigation.

[IW REPLIES: It should read telegrams to Meridian, but knowing Selkirk…]


9. A vast man sits on a two hundred foot high throne, and he is crowned with pale gold. Angherad hangs in chains before him.
I think this is probably Bran the Blessed (as previously mentioned by Tony)


The follow-up.


a) Further research requirements at H.M.S. Edrachillis. What Albrecht does now. Who wants to go out in Prototype 3?
I'll leave this to those up North, I'm a little tied up with a not-so-small matter myself!


b) Emmanuelle and Aveyard’s reactions to their little dilemma.
I'll leave that to the team themselves - I have no advice to offer, other than to avoid the blades and acid!


c) Any further research or actions for Qayrawun and Magda.
Please refer to thoughts above - investigating blue markings.


d) What Flaxton and co. do next, and how they answer the big chap’s question.
I suggest we declare our hand - "We are trying to discern who summoneth evil, such that we might detroyeth those whose evil threatens the land, and disturbeth his most deserved rest."


e) 5xp to the first person the name the giant by the way.
My first choice would be Bran the Blessed (probably played by Brian Blessed) with a second choice of Tiwaz.


Hope this is enough to be going on with.


Mike (for and on behalf of)
M Anthony Flaxton
(Secretary)
Chillwater House (AWOL)
Empty Plot, 144 Chillwater Street, Highgate, London
Temporarily - Edward Endleby Memorial Library (or Revell's pub down the road) Harrogate


Et partes visitatas videre potes!
You can generally tell where they've been!
Web Site:- http://m-h-c.org.uk

 

From Inishail "Crannog" Duncan (Chris L):

Ian,

Sorry you 'aint getting much response from me, but I am currently up to my neck in it, culminating in a night shift next week.

I am reading it, honest...

Chris.

 

From Redvers-Ainderbury (AJ):

Hello Ian.

"The MHC do know that there are some pretty old and powerful wards upon the Tower of London, and they know that former Monster Hunters Tommy Stone, John Hamble, and Henry Hamble are "recognised" by those defences. There is at least one other person known to the Club who is likewise acknowledged but the Club are not aware of this."

Neither is he, I think.....

"Two minor security alerts occurred on 27-6-51. At 0213 hours a perimeter sentry fired two shots at "a shadowy intruder by the gatehouse". Recovered bullets indicate that he did indeed hit something, but there is no sign of
blood upon the casings. At 0251 hours a metallic clanging noise was heard within the prototype hanger bay but a thorough search revealed no cause for the sound."

"Redvers-Ainderbury interviews the soldiers who were present at the alleged security breeches. The man who fired the shot is certain that he hit his intruder, but that the intruder then "vanished". Ballistic tests on the recovered cartridges indicate that it hit something soft and organic – the lab man wants to say necrotic tissue - but did not draw blood from a living creature."

What weapon was the soldier using? If he had a firearm it would normally be a Lee-Enfield rifle. I presume you meant the bullets rather than cartridges in the second quote.

[IW REPLIES: Indeed.]

What was the surrounding terrain?

[IW REPLIES: H.M.S. Edrachillis is a land base on the coastal plain, with pretty clear views over heather and grass plains for a couple of miles inland and a shingle shoreline. It has a barbed wire perimeter and an internal electrified fence. At night it is floodlit.]

I'm puzzled as to how they recovered the bullets in a state that they could tell anything about the target. If they went through it they would keep going for quite a way unless they hit something else, which would destroy any evidence of the first target. The only way to get them back practically would be if they only just penetrated, and if the target was soft (i.e. not armoured) it would have to be very tough for that to happen. Of course, if it dematerialised and the bullets didn't, that would explain it but Rupert wouldn't think that and if the bullets were just lying on the ground with no evidence of impacting a hard target then major questions would be raised.
Test the weapon concerned to establish it's muzzle energy. Check the unfired rounds from the same batch as the fired ones. Examine the cartridge cases to see if there is any evidence of tampering. Compare them to normal fired cases, and get the armourer to pull the bullets out of a few rounds, extract various amounts of cordite, and replace the bullets. Fire the modified rounds and see if the cases look any different depending on how much propellant was in them. It's possible that there was collusion and that the bullets were not travelling fast enough to penetrate.

[IW REPLIES: We’ll cover this and the points below in Chapter 10]

Another possibility is the use of some form of dummy or decoy, possibly a dead animal on a string?

[IW REPLIES: At least it will entertain the somewhat nervous base personnel.]

How good a shot is the soldier who fired? Why did only one fire? What rank are the soldiers concerned? How experienced? Have they seen active service or are they peacetime only? What sort of security vetting have they been put through? How many were present at the time? Standard procedure would be two, unless it was actually at the guardhouse or during a changeover. Interview them all separately, and also interview their comrades, commanding officers and the senior NCOs. I want to know if they are regarded as steady, reliable men and if the general feeling is that there was or wasn't anyone there. How often are there shooting incidents at the base? What are the rules of
engagement that they were operating under?

Can I bring an experienced sergeant from the Regiment or from grey ops with me? He'd have a better chance of getting the NCOs to talk to him, especially if he complains behind my back about having to act as nursemaid to the stuck up cavalry toy soldier. I doubt any of the soldiers here would be very keen on me, actually. Unless I can win them over with my charisma. Rupert will go out of his way to be chummy, and not refer to his beloved regiment any more than absolutely necessary. Of course, he would have to defend Regimental honour if anyone impugned it. Which reminds me - if it's a naval base I presume the guards are actually Marines, not soldiers.

How big is the garrison (I mean the fighting men, not scientists and technicians) and how much perimeter is there? What are the defences like? Do they have guard dogs on patrol? If not, get some ASAP. What has the weather been like since the 27th? If it hasn't precipitated in the meantime it might be worth getting a tracker dog to see if there's a trail from where the intruder was seen. What was the ground like? Any footprints? Would I expect footprints or is it too hard? How about the surrounding area? If it hasn't been done already Rupert will want patrols sent out to scour the surrounding countryside to look for any suspicious activity, particularly any signs of recent camping etc. Pay particular attention to anywhere that offers a good view of the base.

I think Rupert (and his sergeant, if present) would like to draw a Sten, plus a reasonable supply of ammunition and the webbing to carry it. Six magazines would be standard load. (at 30 rounds per magazine) He also wants some flares, of the white illuminating variety. Or a flare-pistol and some starshell. He'll want a bed in the guardhouse (one of the cells will do if there's nothing else) so he can be on hand in case anything else happens.


Rupert (having been here before) would like to borrow a landrover to come in, as being more practical than his car. Unless he can borrow one from the base. He'll need a driver too. The sergeant can fill that role. (Officers aren't allowed to drive themselves. It's to do with responsibility and liability. Other ranks don't have to pay for things if they break them; officers do.)

[IW REPLIES: I imagine the base could assign Rupert a vehicle (and a driver if necessary)]

He'd be useless on a submarine, so he'll help secure the base.

And he'll send Emmanuelle a postcard.

I think that's enough to be going on with ;-)

Cheers.
AJ

From Emmanuelle LeClair (Nicky)

> Bonnington is aware of Emmanuelle's war service. That's why he doesn't want so accomplished a spy anywhere within a hundred miles of a top-secret UK naval installation.

Well, it would have been more sensible to invite her in, be exceptionally polite to her and then ask her very nicely to promise not to tell the French government all about it. As things stand just now Emmanuelle is peeved. She may have to break into the base and steal something just as a matter of principle once young Deborah is safely rescued.


Possibly Monsieur Bonnington might find his uniform flashes missing one morning. Or maybe she'll leave her calling card in his hat brim just before some important parade. She amuses herself by secretly plotting mischief.

As to the skirt shrinking - Emmanuelle always was a leader of fashion. Short hemlines will be all the rage in a decade or so....


Make checks on Emmanuelle and Magda's clothes. Has the fabric shrunk? Are the horizontal threads in the weave closer together than the vertical ones? Or is there just less cloth in the skirt now than there was before? Is it only the skirt which has shortened? Are blouses, jackets, gloves etc affected?
Presumably Deborah's clothing has not shrunk.

[IW REPLIES: The fabric on Magda and Emmanuelle’s skirts have not shrunk. Any skirt-like undergarment is also slightly shortened. There is no discernible stretching of the weft of the fabric. No other garments other than those which are skirts, dresses, or underslips are affected. Deborah’s clothes remain unaffected, and this is the only occasion that anybody other than Mrs Stankey’s clothing has been altered.]


The missing dress fit Maureen when she first tried it on, but didn't fit her at home. And the arrival of the dress in the house coincided with the start of the poltergeist activity. Is that correct? So is the dress haunted? Why did the cat like it so much? What sorts of ghosts do cats like?

This poltergeist seems to have an unhealthy interest in shortening women's clothing.


Emmanuelle politely enquires as to whether Magda is... how shall we put this delicately... experienced in matters of men?

[IW REPLIES: Magda was the subject of childhood sexual abuse from the warlock she was apprenticed to up to the point she killed him, and has also been known to dally with men of her own volition. Those females in the current MHC who would pass the unicorn test are (I believe) Dawn, Aurora, Genevieve, and possibly Angherad.]


She recalls that many dubious and unpleasant characters such as Jack the Ripper seem to have developed unhealthy obsessions with ridding the world of what they described as "immoral women". Emmanuelle finds this attitude
deplorable - personally she feels that going around murdering people is a lot nastier than, for example, extending an enjoyable dinner date until the following lunchtime...
Poor Maureen seems to have paid a rather high price for her unwise liaison.

And the shambling figures with acid and carving knives:
That acid would really spoil Emmanuelle's rather stylish (though short) outfit.
Is Aveyard fit enough to take evasive action such as running away? If so, this will be Emmanuelle's first choice option. How fast are the things shambling? Do they look as if they might be able to climb? If not, perhaps a daring rooftop escape would be quite fun. You see them in all the movies....
How far is it to MHC headquarters from here?
Perhaps a few magic missiles on the acid bottles, Dr Aveyard? That would remove some weaponry from the shambling types, and also, with luck, inconvenience them as the acid falls on them.

Are the figures human? If not does Aveyard know what they are? Has Emmanuelle seen anything like them before?

[IW REPLIES: The Edward Endelby Memorial Library is about 200 miles north. The Chillwater Street site is a damp hole in the ground at the moment, but is only a few miles across Hampstead Heath. Aveyard is of the opinion that the assailants are zombies, which is bad news for a psychiatrist mage who only has spells which affect the mind (and can’t do, say, magic missile). One might almost suspect the undead attack was chosen precisely because neither Aveyard nor Emmanuelle have much of a defence against it. The zombies are relatively slow.]

If escape proves impossible then I would expect Emmanuelle's general approach to combat to involve a lot of dodging, using dexterity, etc. She'll only do any actual hitting of things when she's reasonably sure of a clear
shot.

Were Qayrawun and Magda still at the Stankey residence? If so then Emmanuelle will want to go back there and check that they haven't met any acid or carving knives once she and Aveyard have escaped.

[IW REPLIES: We’ll cover the rest of this in Chapter 10.]

 

From Revell (Tony):

Ian,

I have not had much time to look through Ch9 so this is all a bit garbled.
I will take a print-out home and give a more considered view on Monday.

Scotland
What happened to Nemo?
May we visit the rather pleasant nymph and enquire of her as to what is
special about the bay and why? (I note that there are no females in the
Scottish group so this may be difficult).
The 1905 opening is interesting. This is roughly the same time as Gareth
was drawing crowns. Have another look at case from that period.
Take as many weapons as we can find out into the bay and back again – you can never have too many magic weapons on your side.
Dr Lionel Plantagenet is an odd name - how well known is he?
In terms of prototype 3 I favour diving once we have talked to the local
fishermen, had our weapons blessed, received the sonar report, got hold of diving gear and talked to either the nymph or Dame Edith. In response to the crab findings we will take some penicillin with us too.

Finchley
Could the forest be the nearby one?
Emmanuelle and Aveyard - run away and get back-up from Qayrawun and Magda.

Troia Nova
The giant will be either Lud or Bran In either case a selection of choruses from 'Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner', 'London Pride' and 'Down at the Old Bull and Bush' should soon in him over. On the off chance that this strategy fails point out that the team is British (Genevieve can hang back) and that he is required to look after you and to help you fight the evil that is threatening the shores of fair Albion.

Library
Have Zany explain everything to Dame Edith and see if she can shed any light on things.

Miscellaneous
We will write to Mallory for the Irish connection the team have rather circumvented the Guardians of old London research so our assistant can go back to the Horne and Whiteneck stuff.

Regards,

Tony


From Qayrawun (Clive):

 

Hi, Ian. Once again, I've not got my finger out on this scenario.

Couple of Qs from Qayrawun:

1. What sort of trees were in the forest wherein Miss Stankey was tied up?

2. Can Aveyard "jog" Qayrawun's memory to aid recall of the runes/markings on Miss Stankey? Can I then attempt to identify (note lower case "i") the markings, or Comprehend them (note capital "C")?

3. Qayrawun asks Emmanuelle if she would buy a dress for him.
He would ordinarily buy his own clothing, but he feels that (as his clothing appears unaffected by the magical shortening) clothing purchased by a female, and of a feminine nature, would be more appropriate. As all other types of dress in the house have mysteriously reduced in length, Qayrawan wishes to study this by observing said purchase, with Detect Magic and Identify at the ready, please.

That's all I can think of for now - more when I get home.

Clive

From Albrecht Arnheim (Chris M):

 

To check with leads to do with the Elemental plane of Water – Albrecht

Thank-you all ( and particularly Flaxton ) for this wonderful opportunity to lay my life on the line with NO backup.

The waters are theoretically open, but there seems a heavy naval presence just now. However, Albrecht may wish to review his actions in the light of the events described below, and thank Flaxton for dropping him in it.

Oh, I do!

Admiral George Potter briefs the arriving men on the investigation so far. He is out of his depth and admits it. His principal scientists, including team leader Dr Lionel Plantagenet, were in the missing vessel, which has damaged his ability to bring Prototype 3 back into service (certain key parts were cannibalised into Prototype 4, including a nuclear reactor).

Get the team to demand security papers for Plantagenet and major members of the technical and security team. Check:

Background and where His Majesty’s Government appear to be getting their nuclear experts (for future reference).

Check for clues in tracking back the personal history of Plantagenet- it’s too strange a name not to be suspicious !

Initial arcane detections on the base discover no dweomers to alarm the group. A close inspection of some of the weaponry built and stored here however discovers that they have effectively been blessed – the variant used to make a missile +1 on firing however long it is stored. Only those weapons which have been carried on vessels crossing the bay and returned unused are so enchanted.

Needless to say I’m sure that the group will wish to test this themselves. How big is the bay and how far does the area claimed by the Navy extend?

Redvers-Ainderbury interviews the soldiers who were present at the alleged security breeches. The man who fired the shot is certain that he hit his intruder, but that the intruder then "vanished". Ballistic tests on the recovered cartridges indicate that it hit something soft and organic – the lab man wants to say necrotic tissue – but did not draw blood from a living creature.

Points to our mysterious man in tweed. We still have little or no lead in identifying his nature.

Initial arcane detections on the base discover no dweomers to alarm the group. A close inspection of some of the weaponry built and stored here however discovers that they have effectively been blessed – the variant used to make a missile +1 on firing however long it is stored. Only those weapons which have been carried on vessels crossing the bay and returned unused are so enchanted.

Needless to say I’m sure that the group will wish to test this themselves. How big is the bay and how far does the area claimed by the Navy extend?

Redvers-Ainderbury interviews the soldiers who were present at the alleged security breeches. The man who fired the shot is certain that he hit his intruder, but that the intruder then "vanished". Ballistic tests on the recovered cartridges indicate that it hit something soft and organic – the lab man wants to say necrotic tissue – but did not draw blood from a living creature.

Points to our mysterious man in tweed. We still have little or no lead in identifying his nature.

Radshaw is already familiar with the Nautilus design and both shocks and impresses the remaining base scientists by immediately grasping what they are trying to do and improving upon it.

Someone please jump on Radshaw before he moves Britain to the front in the nuclear arms race.

Crannog takes a walk along the shoreline and is surprised to find some sick crabs. The species is indigenous but should have migrated away by now. He notes they have a greenish mucous substance over them, which may be suppurations from sores or might be pollution.

Get a sample sent back to Zany (who I’m sure is being incredibly careful at present). Based on the MHC having experience of the negative effects of radiation we need to know if this is due to the reactor or whatever is under the water.

Interestingly, after spending a day searching the house and considering this, both Emmanuelle and Magda find their own hemlines have shortened by a couple of inches as well.

We need someone to do a check for extant magics here. It is probably only a residual dweomer but it doesn’t sound like something that should be left running.

Magda’s reconstruction suggests that whoever forced the murders and final adulteries in the house was trying to get the power at work in the house to reveal itself. Effectively the enemy had the passion-play performed so as to goad the power that had been manifesting the poltergeist-type activities to show itself by replicating the triggers that had previously provoked it. This plan appears to have worked.

This again sounds remarkably like the occurrences at the Horne Barn where a resident magical effect was provoked to allow it to be corrupted. While there is no evidence that whatever was going on here was positive or neutral I think we can be sure that whatever it was used for was negative.

Qayrawun can check further the mirror explodes, and three fragments of the glass burrow into his flesh. Magda leaps forward with her Remove Curse ability and the three shard stop moving towards Qayrawun’s heart and can be painfully removed. [In game terms, Qayrawun takes 16 points of damage].

Do we have any record or any person or being having this, very powerful, ability to react to scrying – it may give us lead or who or what we are facing.

Knowing how keen Qayrawun is on Aveyard I hate to suggest it but we need to use every technique to get some idea of what those runes were.

It is just getting dark as Aveyard and Emmanuelle return to their car. Then four shambling figures stumble out of the dark, each wielding a carving knife and a bottle of acid and moving determinedly towards Miss StClair.

I really would suggest using a blunt instrument to attact in this case. I would suggest a car at speed!

"By ancient pact we can tell nothing of the treasure of Edrachillis. Only a brave man may know it. Only a fool would use it."

Who could hold the elementals to a pact? – Our old friend Q leaps to mind but the rest doesn’t seem his style.

Does this set of abilities match wit those ascribed to the Hallows?

 

Albrecht is much comforted by this visit to the Elemental plane of Water, especially when he finds he has surfaced from it at midnight in Edrachillis Bay.

This is obviously a new form of the term comforted that I am unfamiliar with!

My aim is to gently swim ashore, preferably outside the base as I don’t want to be shot. Find somewhere to hole up and report in to Harrogate. Attempt to gain contact with the team inside the base. Continue original plan aiming to interview local fishermen about how long these lights have been appearing.

Selkirk has a happy time looking at "the absolutely best intradimension networking I’ve ever seen," – i.e. the hole where Angherad disappeared, and from which the Pit Field body was dug, at Waterloo. Selkirk indicates that there are some fascinating passive micro-portals all around the place, and that they would not show up as magical unless used because "they’ve been here so long they’re effectively natural".

This is rather worrying. There are very few alternate changes available at Waterloo underground.

Dawn suggests trying to communicate to this spirit. Selkirk mumbles happily, triggers a conduit, and the operating team disappears. Dawn may have to clarify things with Selkirk later.

Vote of no confidence in the fruitcake – I say this recognising that floating over the major evil in the scenario with no backup is a wonderful demonstration of my sanity!

The giant man turns his burning eyes upon the quartet. "Tell me why I shouldst not destroy thee?" he challenges.

Knights of St George, Defenders of Good speech anyone ?

 

 From Emmanuelle (Nicky):

Hi Ian (cc Clive)

Emmanuelle rather likes the idea of using the car as a weapon against the zombies.
Whose car is it? Will they mind a little acid on the paintwork?

She's quite happy to buy the Master Stud of the Celestial Heavens a dress.
She insists on measuring him first to make sure it'll fit properly, though - men never seem to know their own clothes sizes.
She recommends that he avoids yellow, as it really wouldn't match his complexion. There was a quite fetching purple outfit she noticed in a shop on the local High Street on her way to investigate Maureeen's dress. A little daring, perhaps, but she's sure he could carry it off... It would match those nice pointy slippers she's seen him wearing around the library.

Current plan for annoying that impolite military gentleman, General Bonnington once Deborah is rescued - she'll turn up at the next Mess Dinner at the base as his guest, carrying a personally handwritten invitation with his own signature on it. It'll be nice to see Rupert again too, especially wearing his Mess Dress, which has those rather fetching tight trousers. So sweet of him to send a postcard.

As to the shrinking skirts. When there is time Emmanuelle marks her underskirt in permanent ink with increments of centimetres in length - actually, since Britain, unlike civilised nations such as La Belle France is still using inches she can probably only find a measuring tape in inches, so the increments will be half an inch and numbered from the waistband down to the hem. She hopes to find out which bit of the skirt is disappearing.

She offers sympathy and a small elegant hip flask of brandy to Magda after hearing her sad tale. She's relieved that Magda has enjoyed some happier liaisons since her terrible experience. She's also pleased to hear of the warlock's death - she hopes it was a painful one.

Nicky

 

From Revell (Tony):

Ian,

Thanks for holding Ch9 open for me. In the end I decided that looking through Geoffrey of Monmouth might be viewed as cheating. I am sticking with Bran as my main guess for the giant - main alternatives are going to be Lud, Gog and Magog. In any case the party should take my previous advice possibly adding a bit about being descendants of Brutus' band.

Back in Scotland Revell would like both he and Radshaw to have a good inspection of prototype III before she sets sail (or do submarines 'take the plunge'?). Specifically they will be looking for extra bits - in case the mysterious clanging from prototype IV was anything like a tracking device being bolted on.

I await Ch10.

Regards,
Tony

From Genevieve (Sally):

Genieveves Actions: I have no idea who the giant is. As the cavern is large, she will start to dance, so she can respond if necessary.

Magda and Emmanuelles shortening skirts: Genievieve and I think also Dawn have been to the Finchley house and there was no alteration to hemlines. Could the magic in the house be detecting a womans virtue (or lack of it). Genieveve will discuss this at a suitable time with Dawn (not Magda and Emmanuelle and definitely not with the men). A Magic item used to test a womans suitability as bride (or virgin sacrifice) does seem to fit the effects seen at Finchley. (? Any Arthurian links with this?)

 

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