Part 12
March 21
The Susan Gael pulls into Glasgow at about 9 o’clock in the morning. The authorities are summoned. Scotland Yard interviews all of the crew and passengers, but by noon they are able to disembark and go about their business. The party heads for the apartment of Dr. Angus Gough and arrive there about 12:30.
During the trip to Dr. Gough’s apartment, Thomas James and Debbie Taylor have a long talk about the happenings on board the Susan Gael. Dr. James is eventually able to convince Ms. Taylor that things are not as sinister as they seem. The weapon he has is not a ‘lethal’ weapon, but is merely a self defense item, sort of like mace or pepper spray, etc.
As they arrive at the apartment of Dr. Angus Gough it is quickly apparent that the door is standing ajar. Fearing what they might find, they have Andrew’s butler Alfred, take Ms. Taylor to a corner café for dinner. Inside the apartment they find the bodies of Dr. Angus Gough (hanged), Professor Larry MacDonald (stuffed in the oven), and Dr. Charles Chargg (drowned in the toilet). An unconscious fifteen-year-old boy is also in the front room. Dr. James is able to determine the boy has a concussion but is otherwise okay.
They awaken the boy and find out that he was sent by his dad to inform Dr. Gough’s party that a boat is waiting to take them to the Island of Iona (located off the west coast of Scotland). They also quickly search the apartment and find several things of interest: In the master bedroom they find a packed suitcase with a note about Iona (The note reads, “Iona, Southwest cliffs, careful, Brother Pace, AG”). The library is full of signs that Dr. Gough had been busy studying up on the ancient Celts. The library also yields a silver dagger the hilt formed into a ram-headed snake. A fragment of ancient parchment with Sanskrit writing preserved between two sheets of amber is found along with a letter from Brother Pace explaining its meaning (The writing tells of a horrible sacrifice of horses to a “god of the long hand.” This is clear evidence of a link between the Celts and the ancient peoples of India. A very significant archaeological discovery.) The letter goes on to explain that the document and its amber case came from a monolith located on the cliffs of Iona. Books in the library indicate that an ancient monastery was founded on Iona about 563 AD.
The safe in the library has scratches, burns and water stains on it. The door is twisted as if something attempted to rip it from its hinges. Dancer is able to crack the safe. Inside they find a glass, iron and wood case and inside it is an ancient poem written in Gaelic. Fortunately a translation is also in the safe. The poem is about an ancient hero named Cuchulain. It details how he battled three evil demons and tells how he defeated them. On one wall in the library is a calendar with April 1st circled in red and the word “Lugnasad” written down. Andrew Hobbs recalls that Lugnasad is an ancient Celtic holiday.
At about this time Nightstick, who has been acting as look out, warns of the approach of a suited man and two police officers. The group quickly covers any traces of their snooping.
Inspector Campbell and Officers Roberts and Donald are from the local police. Inspector Campbell relays that they have had an anonymous phone call telling that some murders have been committed. With some fast-talking, the characters are able to get Inspector Campbell to believe that they are who they say they are. They are permitted to leave after several hours of interview. (They even manage to convince the police that the dagger and writings are theirs. That they were going to have Dr. Gough examine them. When they leave they manage to take the items with them.) They are asked not to leave the vicinity of Glasgow until the police conclude their investigation.
They quickly check into the hotel that Alfred and Ms. Taylor have already arrived at, send the injured lad to a hospital for observation, and make a canvass of the area to see if they can acquire some black market weapons. They are rushed for time, since they intend to meet with the boy’s father and sail for Iona as soon as possible. They manage to obtain several combat knives and a .38 Special Revolver and ammo for Specter. Next they dash off to the dock and sail for Iona. They arrive late that night and resolve to begin their investigations in the morning.
March 22
The party spends the morning researching on the Island of Iona. Most of the records here are written in Latin. Fortunately Dr. James is literate in Latin. Dr. James and Andrew spend most of the morning in the monastery’s records. They are able to find records of an attack on the monastery during the 7th century by many terrible creatures. Old documents tell of many hangings, burnings and drownings made in an attempt to restore the old Celtic gods. Apparently a “lord of evil” and its druid priests lead the attack on the monastery. It seems that the “beast” and his minions were driven back to a northern lake, referred to as the “Lake of the Beast”. Other records hint at the existence of a long tunnel that leads beneath the lake.
While Dr. James and Andrew study, Eden and Joe wander about exploring the old monastery. They happen by the Abbot’s office. On the wall is a huge map of ancient Scotland. On the map the Lake of the Beast is clearly indicated as being what is now known as Loch Ness.
That afternoon they head to the cliffs of Iona and the monolith. The monolith sits in a crevice set into the top of a cliff 70 feet above the seashore. Examination reveals many strange carvings on the weathered surface of the monolith.
One shows the large head of a strange beast rising from the water where the blood of a sacrificed horse spreads over the waves.
Another engraving shows what seems to be a ram-headed snake in some type of room. Dead horses lie about the strange creature, known to the Celts as Cernunnos, lord of animals.
One engraving shows another room filled with bones. Two creatures stand amidst the bones, but their forms are weathered and unclear.
The best engraving shows several druid priests, with the body of a horse killed on an altar. Lines lead from the base of the altar downward to a square. Within the square is a circle containing the rayed head of a bull. Other marks and symbols show this to be a holy or sacred place to the druids.
After they finish their examination they scout about the top of the cliff looking for any other clues. Suddenly (seemingly out of nowhere) several bulls move out of the nearby woods and charge them. As poorly armed as they are, they are still able to make pretty quick work of the bulls. Only Brother Pace, their host, is injured. He gets a nasty bump on the head when he dives into the crevice of the monolith to avoid a charging bull. As the short battle subsides, Andrew sees a white heron winging away in the distance.
March 23-26
A few days are spent explaining to the police where they went and why they could not be reached all day yesterday. Some legal wrangling starts as the police threaten to arrest them as material witnesses. When they disappeared on the 22nd the police checked out their record and found that they were passengers on the Susan Gael. Due to the murders that took place on that vessel, the police are very suspicious of the group. (Remember that the characters are traveling in their normal Identities.)
March 27
Tiring of the veiled threats that Inspector Campbell is making Adrew Hobbs decides to obtain the services of one of the best barristers in the United Kingdom. For a substantial incentive payment the barrister puts the rest of his work on hold and proceeds to threaten Scotland Yard with a harassment suit if his clients are not given some peace on their vacation. Being frightfully rich makes the little legal entanglements so much easier to dispense with.
March 28
The group is able to continue their ‘vacation’ and around noon head to Fort Augustus, Loch Ness. They arrive by early evening and get hotel accommodations. They will begin their investigations tomorrow.
As they sleep Dr. James has another of his unusual dreams. Again he finds himself in darkness; the air is cool and moist. Something flutters past his head on hot, papery wings.
Suddenly the cavern is lit in an eerie light, rising from a crystal dome in its rock floor. Around the dome crouch a number large stone statues—statues of weird and horrible beings.
Quickly and silently the dome fills with water, which cracks its crystal surface and begins to rush out onto the cavern floor. Now the statues begin to move, setting their stone hands on the cracks in the dome, trying to force the glowing water back to its source somewhere deep beneath the earth.
March 29
The day is spent sight seeing and inconspicuously snooping for information. They soon learn several things of interest.
A man was found dead near the Cullough estate last night. He looked as if a stag had gored him. The dead man was known to have been a poacher on private lands.
Under the pretense of reading about old Loch Ness Monster sightings, they are able to determine that newspaper and police records indicate that the incidents of drowning, burning to death and hanging have nearly tripled in the last five years. The number of these deaths is almost equal to each other.
Inquires about Davirr Cullough indicate that he is a breeder of fine Arabian horses. Strangely nobody can seem to recall him ever selling one.
The local library’s archaeology records indicate that there is a place on the edge of the lake where the ancient druids used to worship and make sacrifices. That place is now located on the estate of Davirr Cullough.
March 30
It is known in the area that Davirr Cullough gives tours of his operations and the old manor house on his property. The characters decide to call Mr. Cullough to arrange one of these tours. They are mildly surprised, and wary, when Mr. Cullough invites them out this very evening. Dr. James makes some business excuses to Debbie Taylor and has Alfred take her on a tour of the lake (Fortunately Hippocrates had told his DNPC that this trip also involved some business dealing, so her suspicions are not overly aroused).
After arriving they briefly exchange pleasantries with their host and then are given a tour of the property by Mr. Cullough himself. Andrew Hobb’s curiosity is aroused when he spots a path that leads into a patch of oak woods in the direction of the lake. Mr. Cullough makes no mention of the trail and seems to hurry by the area. Andrew Hobbs starts making all sorts of remarks about ancient druid’s, their impending holiday, and the sacrifices to recall the god Lug, etc. Remarkably Mr. Cullough retains his composure better than some of the other characters.
As they approach the manor house Nightstick notices Mr. Cullough make a very subtle signal to someone watching from an upstairs window. He quickly and quietly informs Dr. James and Ms. Blake. He is also able to subtly signal Adrew to be ready for trouble.
When they walk across the back porch of the manor house they are ambushed by all of the household staff. The attackers are armed with a variety of knives and clubs; the butler has a double-barreled shotgun. They never knew what hit them. Soon the members of the Omega Team are standing over the broken bleeding remains of Mr. Cullough and about a dozen of his servants.
They tie Mr. Cullough, who has a broken nose and elbow, to a chair and start to question him. Dr. James prepares his penethol while the rest of the team quickly searches the manor house. As Dr. James prepares to administer the shot to Mr. Cullough, a huge gash suddenly appears on the estate owner’s head. He expires almost immediately. No attacker is seen and for a while the team fears an invisible enemy is at hand.
Examination of the wound reveals that it is very odd. It appears almost as if a semi-sharp, long instrument of some sort was placed on his skull and pushed, not struck, with incredible force to cause the injury. Dr. James has never seen a wound quite like this.
The quick search of the manor house reveals a lot of reading material on Celts in the library and some duridical paraphernalia lying about, but little of any real use.
It is now rapidly getting dark. As they head toward the unexplored path they hear a strange chanting and the frightened snorts of horses. At the end of the path they find an ancient wooden altar and two men in druid robes. A corral nearby holds three Arabian horses. Upon three low, wooden stands are a magnificent stag, a bull and a deadly cobra. Though they stealthily approach the snake seems to be aware of them. In the quick battle that ensues they kill both of the druids. One of them twice, after his fellow druid animated his corpse. The bull and the stag give them a close call but are soon dispatched as well. The cobra fades off into the woods.
They examine the area and release the horses. Beneath the Altar they find a tunnel, carved with steps, that descends into the earth. They start their descent. Little clay oil pots weakly light the way. (They also have several sets of night vision goggles. Combined with the weak lighting they are able to see pretty well.) They travel about a thousand feet under ground before they head out, under, the lake. A huge, double set of oak doors awaits them at the end of the passage.
Inside the first room they encounter some strange little beings that are hidden inside four statues. Until they tip over the statues and slay the nearly defenseless creatures, all their metal items begin to rapidly heat up.
The second room is covered with the bones of a great many dead horses. It is here they encounter the first two of several powerful beings. Kralecht (a tall spindly humanoid with the head of a stag) and Kravecht (a creature with a bulls head and the body of a muscular man, with no covering skin) await them. The servants of Lug put up a tremendous battle. The creatures are good hand to hand combatants and command evil magics. It is only due to luck that none of the Omega Team are injured. Indeed more than once a single pip on the dice saved a character from grievous injury (I really scared the hell out of them – GM.) They finally manage to overcome the creatures. They hang the remains of Kravecht and drench Kralecht’s remains with water thus destroying the creatures. (A good thing too. Both of the creatures would have revived shortly (fully whole) and renewed the attack.)
In the next room they encounter Zmija (a large flying snake with a skull for a head). This time they are ready. When the creature charges they cover it with an, oil drenched overcoat and set it afire. This destroys the creature.
In the final room they find a large glowing wooden dome on the floor. An unnaturally, shimmering curtain is suspended from two oak pillars against one wall. Three Arabian horses are in a wooden corral against the far wall. The horses scream in terror as a huge ram-headed snake attacks them. Andrew’s knowledge of the occult, x-files (he has a knowledge skill: X-files. It is used to represent knowledge of all the weird stuff he has studied), and his recent studies of the Celtic material lead him to realize that if the horses die, Lug will be released into this world. Cernunnos is the creature they face. Fortunately the creature is intent on destroying the horses and Nightstick is able to attack the creature with the special dagger they recovered from Dr. Gough’s apartment. When struck by the dagger Cernunnos is forced to spend a Phase at 0 DCV changing forms. In this state he is helpless and the characters are able to destroy him and put an end to the menace.
The horses are freed (except one that has to be destroyed) and the curtain is torn down. Before leaving the underground the team rigs a small explosive charge to rupture the dome. After they are safely out of the tunnel they trigger it, flooding the Drunemeton forever. (Drunemeton is the term for this place. An underground holy place of the druids.)
End of Part 12, this ends the 3rd, short, story arc. Part 13 (tomorrow) begins the 4th Story arc which is much longer.
Still playing/running 5ER in Oklahoma City.
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