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Tuesday 24 March - Wednesday 25 March, 1925. Posted by The Keeper. | Group: 0 |
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Author | Message | Page: 16 ... 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 [all][bottom] |
The Keeper GM, 625 posts Tony Stroppa Tue 11 Dec 2012 at 13:22 |
It was a Tuesday. The day turned out to be cool and clear, save for a few light clouds at several thousand feet elevation. The wind was brisk off the ocean, an easterly breeze bearing due east. Karlheinz and John-Marc agreed it would have been a fine early spring day for flying. The weather held up for the day, although the people staying at the remote farm were waiting for night. A watch was posted in the barn by Major Storm to observe the road and the river and a rough plan was formed in case (against all luck) the Brotherhood attacked them. If they came from the south via the road, the Major and the Egyptian brothers would hold them off with the Lewis gun while the rest tried to escape by boat. If they came by river from the north or west, vice-versa but use the trucks to escape via road. If all else failed and they were unable to escape by river or road then any survivors would try to make it to the crumbling brick remains of the Naze lighthouse tower, and hold out as long as possible until someone (constabulary? Army? Freemasons?) arrived. Fortunately, nothing happened as they dozed through the day, conserving their strength. Soon enough, it was night. | |||
John-Marc Falcon player, 276 posts Former Flt. Lt., RAF Aeronautical Pioneer Wed 12 Dec 2012 at 03:49 |
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Karlheinz Bergmann player, 27 posts Fmr. Zeppelin Crewman Pilot/Navigator/Mechanic Wed 12 Dec 2012 at 06:28 |
Karlheinz stared up into the starry sky. There was no moon, of course, that being the key to this foul ritual. "Ya, enough light to see by, not enough to give us away. Would have been fuelling up the Zeppelins for a raid on a night like this." He smiled ruefully at the former RAF pilot, knowing they may have been on differing sides of the last conflict but were on the same one here. Karl had changed into wool trousers and a wool-lined long coat due to the cold. On his head was a black wool watch cap from his Imperial Navy days, he wore fingerless gloves. | |||
Count Sigismund Bathony player, 270 posts Antiquarian Book Dealer Owner Abingdon Rare Books Wed 12 Dec 2012 at 07:39 |
The Counts mood had become more sombre and he seem to engage less with group as the jumping off time approached. He did listen intently as the last of the plans where gone over fro the last time. these included any slight changes due to the weather conditions. He stood looking out over the water as people assembled. His rifle was slung over his shoulder and he had made a slight change to his uniform in that he had dulled the mirror shine on his high boots. During the wait Mr Perkins approached the Count and after several minutes they shook hands and the Count clasped his friends shoulder. With that he was ready to leave. One last thing the Count handed out red and white silk armbands to all taking part in the raid. | |||
Major Charles Storm NPC, 64 posts Major, US Army, Ret. Former Cavalryman Wed 12 Dec 2012 at 08:23 |
Accepting an armband with his thanks, Storm was bundled into his army great coat, scarf, gloves and his field cap. "Thanks, Count! Should help a lot for recognition." "John-Marc, we should start out soon for the front gates. You want to send up a flare for us to open fire, have us send up a flare to signal you, or we just time the attack for 11 o'clock?" | |||
John-Marc Falcon player, 278 posts Former Flt. Lt., RAF Aeronautical Pioneer Mon 17 Dec 2012 at 02:27 |
He looked over to Storm. "Move out now and be ready. We'll signal you when you should begin your attack. I'll wait until we are well into the complex before we have you open fire. There is no need to alert them until they are aware of our presence. Then your attack will confuse them and hopefully split their forces." | |||
The Keeper GM, 632 posts Tony Stroppa Tue 18 Dec 2012 at 12:54 |
After the sun went down it became overcast, a thick layer of clouds blocking out what little light there was from the stars. There was a smell of rain, but no drops pattered down, yet. An hour before they went "over the top", they groups split up, carefully getting into position. Storm and his group drove off, intending to park a ways away and then quietly get into position. The group with the boats loaded up and shoved off into the placid Naze estuary. It was still too cool to hear any insect buzzing or bird chirps until dawn. The experienced river men used dim hooded lamps to guide their way through the gloom. Using a map and compass, Imran and John-Marc successfully navigated the unmarked reaches and branches of the lower Naze. The boats ghosted quietly through the reeds, drawn by strong arms on the oars, coming to a stop at the branch that led to al Misr house about a half-mile away. Up-branch, they could see the lights of al Misr house reflecting off the water. It was too far away to hear anything but it looked like every light was blazing in the night. There were also torches lit elsewhere on the island, and what looked to be a tremendous bonfire near the obelisk. It was certain that anyone on the island would be quite night-blind if they looked into the blackness of the river during their unholy ritual. The time by JM's wristwatch (as befitting an aviator) and Imran and the Count's pocket watches read five of ten, almost time to go. https://maps.google.com/maps/m...p;spn=0.031,0.055189 Keeper's Note: At a half-mile distant, you should be able to row there in about 5-6 minutes. To cut down your final dash you can move a little closer (say a quarter mile) with some risk of being discovered, although it's very slight. | |||
Cynthia Jane Holloway player, 298 posts Dilettante Globetrotting Free Spirit Tue 18 Dec 2012 at 16:27 |
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John-Marc Falcon player, 282 posts Former Flt. Lt., RAF Aeronautical Pioneer Wed 19 Dec 2012 at 06:31 |
He holds up a hand to halt. "Let's stay back and make a dash rather than risk getting spotted." | |||
Count Sigismund Bathony player, 272 posts Antiquarian Book Dealer Owner Abingdon Rare Books Wed 19 Dec 2012 at 07:53 |
The Count riffled in his pocket and produced a small spy glass that he used to examine the fires more closely. He tried to see if the ceremony had started and if any victims were present. | |||
Molly 'Mungo' Fuller player, 163 posts Reporter for the London Scoop. Wed 19 Dec 2012 at 14:41 |
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The Keeper GM, 635 posts Tony Stroppa Thu 20 Dec 2012 at 08:54 |
The night was quiet aside from the soft slap of water against the side of the boat. He could hear no sounds. There was some movement near the obelisk, as some torchlight was occluded, and figures were silhouetted by the massive bonfire for an instant. The rest of the night was black as ink. The hour counted down to ten. A few seconds afterwards, there was a sudden flickering glow somewhere to the southwest, roughly in the direction of the gates. A split second later (due to the distance) a pair of explosions echoed across the water. Boom-booom! It was followed by the stuttering crack of a Lewis gun. The distance seemed about right for a mile distant, in the opinion of the veterans in the crew. | |||
John-Marc Falcon player, 283 posts Former Flt. Lt., RAF Aeronautical Pioneer Fri 21 Dec 2012 at 05:39 |
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