Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 1

-----Everyone--------
The Agents went to look at the odd pattern of flashing lights, visible in the dim light of the low summer sun of Antarctica.  The lights were flashing high up on the black rock peaks of the mountains at impossible heights and positions that no human would be able to attain, and their pattern had an odd repetition to it.  At first Jack thought prime numbers were the key, then another series of flashes seemed to indicate a deeper cipher.   Now that Thorne had stopped making noise, the dogs quieted down.
"It's repeating," Thorne said suddenly.  "Left, far out, left of that, left, right, far out twice, and right, then three of those, then five of those.  It just started up, maybe a few seconds before I yelled.  I scan the horizon every sixty seconds.  It's a beacon."
"For the Elder Things ?" Ben asked.
"They can fly, so how else you gonna get the lights up that high?  And why ?"  Thorne sounded pretty sure of it.
"There is difference to the colour." Fritz said, looking through the binoculars. "Red, yellow red, yellow, bright yellow.  We are maybe 90 miles away."
With teamwork, the Agents were able to write down the repeating pattern, along with the colours depicted.  A few minutes later, the flashes stopped.
"Time, 1:42 am." Thorne referenced his wristwatch as Precious leaned on his leg and chirped at him, then yawned.
Spider's study of physics had included enough of the wavelengths of light to know that the colours had relevance, but also there might be light involved that was beyond the scope of human eyes to determine.
It took Jack hours, but he identified the pattern as a mixture of numbers and ratios that indicated the Golden Spiral, with a place marker that indicated Third Planet from the Single Sun  at 0.676767 in the Orion Arm.  He got to bed as Ben headed out to stand the last watch.    All was quiet for the rest of the 'night' - the flashing had stopped.

The extreme weather and the travelling conditions had already taken a toll on the Agents.  Nolan remained asleep, but seemed to respond to the oxygen.  No more of the dogs died, and the two injured ones were well enough to move around a little, but unable to pull in harness.  Precious seemed to have adopted Thorne as her personal servant and had a lot to say in yips, chirps and yowls.   The trip to the edge of the Mountains would take at least two more days, given the rough terrain; from Camp Two, the Agents would travel into the Mountains of Madness.  Thorne was paying for his climbing trip with a great deal of sore and stiff muscles the next day, and it was apparent from the grey in his beard that he was the oldest one in the camp.   Fritz went to harness up Bruno and mush the Hellhound's sled, while Thorne was stuffed into a sled with Precious, with Spider mushing, taking the first lead.  Nolan was in Jack's sled at the second position, with Ben mushing the third sled alone.  The fourth and last sled was always Bruno, who kicked up too much ice and snow to make it comfortable to follow.

The going was rougher than the relatively level ice flats; the sheets of ice had collided over time and created jagged ridges and gaps that slowed the Agents down.  Overhead, thin cirrus clouds swept past, their ice crystals shining in the full spectrum, the wind from the Mountains driving them along.  The same wind whistled at the Agents, its eerie piping sound grating on their nerves.  Only a lone albatross soared in the sky, its wings rarely dipping, sliding along the winds without effort, with the black basalt mountains as a threatening background.

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GM:  Actions, please, for the rest of the night and the next day, please respond by Saturday 16 April, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all well and life is beginning to approximate normalcy.
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Jack is pleased with himself for working out the math of the signals, but then realizes its unknown meaning represents another unknown factor. “Are they guiding reinforcements here from… out there?” he mutters to himself.
He is a bit concerned for Thorne’s well-being, and makes sure the Southerner gets enough hot food and some aspirin (or whatever painkillers the have) for his soreness, capped off with some fortifying brandy.
“We’re out of mint leaves, or I’d muddle you a mint julep,” he jokes.

Mountains of Madness pt 2

-----Everyone----------
That the Mountains were broadcasting some kind of coded message, visible to creatures of the Mythos, was unsettling to say the least.
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Jack noticed that Thorne did not appreciate being reminded of his age, though as a Southerner, the man would never express any complaints.   "Never was partial to Juleps, always preferred a good Bourbon," Thorne said, but he also cordially thanked Jack and accepted two aspirin from their medical supplies.  Precious was again sprawled across his lap, snoozing.  Fritz had noted the exchange and only went back to checking his rifle when Jack glanced his way.
"Good with the maths on that one," Ben complimented Jack, after coming in from the last watch, to Spider's breakfast spread.  The men ate and headed out onto the ice.
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The day was another long one, but the reward was evident, as the second permanent Camp was made, late in the day.  Camp Two was within a day's travel into the Mountains, and the way forward was made easier by the Radio Tracking device that had been delivered to them.    The Mountains loomed now, with the lowered sun again sparking the rhythm of lights in their universal pattern.
"Coleridge," was all that Thorne said about the albatross, watching it swirl in long, lazy circles, wings holding it aloft on the wind.  Bruno leaned on his left leg and Princess on his right leg.  Inside the tent Fritz and Spider were setting up the cots and the stove.  Ben was walking around the tent area, looking at the Radio Tracker and fiddling with the settings.   The machine beeped a few times.  "Camp Two is now locked into this thing," their Boss said.  "We can probably make the Mountains the day after tomorrow."
"Any idea of what might be there when we do ?"  Thorne asked casually.
Ben considered this, poker face blank of expression, but Thorne was his equal.
"Rumor.  Speculation.  Stuff I read in a book written by a madman twelve centuries ago."   Ben spoke slowly, but looked Thorne and Jack in the eye.  "I'll tell you what I know, or what I think might be there, when we're all inside and settled for the night.  We have been running hard for days and we need to rest."
"All right then," Thorne said, and addressed the two animals.  "Bruno, go watch the pack, they need you.  Princess, watch Bruno."  They trotted away, and Ben also was as good as his word.  After dinner, with the lamps bright and the world as safe as could be, given their location, with the eerie piping of the winds across the mountains a constant reminder of danger, Ben told them what he knew.

"The book is called the Necronomicon.  The one I read is in the Special Collection at Orne Library - a Greek translation of the original Arabic, of a book called Al Azif, written by Abdul Alhazred, translated by Theodorus Philetas in the 10th century.  The copy is second generation, written on vellum, and Faulkner keeps it locked in a safe - he claims it was brought from Salem during the Witch Trials.  There are other copies....some more complete than others.  Studying it is dangerous.   I read it very slowly and only after I had completed a warding circle.  In it, there is mention of the Elder Things, and the Shoggoth, giant shapeshifting creatures.   We have already seen an Elder Thing, but I'm willing to bet it wasn't at its full strength.  The Shoggoths are their servants, but there was an uprising, a rebellion.  The Shoggoths built the city we are going into and they apparently defeated the Elder Things, but in what way they may still be around, or if there are any more Elder Things around, I don't know."
Thorne, unsurprisingly, spoke first.
"Shapeshifting, how, exactly ?"
"You remember Doan," Ben said. "He - or it - isn't the same man as Captain Doan, but they look the same, at least until dawn, when it must refresh its appearance.  And yes, I know, it was dishonourable to have hired Doan.  I was told that if I didn't, then the future was endangered.   If the message had not come from my eldest son, I would not have heeded the warning.   Like it or not, the time travellers are helping us do something that needs to be done."
Thorne considered this, sipping his coffee. "Anything else ?"  he said, eventually.
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that you survive and return to DC."  Ben said.  "Someone has to save the world in 1937."
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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few hours of game time by Saturday, 23 April, next post Sunday.
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Spider finally said, "So what are we doing here, Ben?  I mean, most of these Mythos beasties I am more than happy to try to get rid of them.  But if these things mostly keep themselves down here, do we want to consider leaving them be for now?  Is this recon?  Or are we going in to wipe them out?  If so, how?  We barely took out an injured Elder Thing, and these shoggoths beat them.  I'm just worried we don't know exactly what our purpose is here."

Jack chimes in also: “Didn't you say we’re looking for some type of alien technology to affect the ocurse of the coming world-wide war in our favor? What exactly should we be looking for? Was it described to you by your son, too?”

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 3

--------everyone------------

Ben took in a breath.   "And I was specifically told not to divulge this.  Donald - you know him, about this tall, almost five years old -" he held up his hand to indicate the relative height of his eldest son, "-decided that the best course of action was to scare the living daylights out of me and tell me about the worst possible futures.  He was, he said, fifty-seven last week, but the timelines he was in charge of were showing abnormal divergence.   We have to find something in that alien city that will help prevent the end of the world in 1937."

"So, we're robbing a tomb.  Treasure hunting.   If we see a shoggoth, or an Elder Thing, or whatever else, we have options.  My offensive magic is pretty effective.  Our weaponry is specially designed to take out mythos creatures.  My plan is to go in, take whatever we think looks useful, anything that relates to the rising of a greater threat in 1937 - the reawakening of a Great Old One, Cthulhu.   In the South Pacific there is an interdimensional rift that reaches into R'yleh, a part of the multiverse that acts as a prison for It and other dangerous entities.  Donald said in 1937 he would have to fight Cthulhu and win, and we had to go into the City to facilitate this.  Most annoyingly, he told me I'd know what it was when I saw it."
Thorne grinned, an avaricious light in his eyes.  "That means you'll be there to see it, so therefore, to accompany you into the city is the best path to victory."
Fritz stifled a long-suffering sigh. "I will pack all the explosives we have."
"We leave tomorrow," Ben said, shaking his head slightly.  "So we had better get as much sleep as possible, because I don't think we'll get much rest inside the city.  If you have any ideas, concerns, or plans, we'll discuss them and decide the best course of action together."

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GM:  Actions, etc, for the next few hours of game time, please respond by Saturday, 30 April, next post is Sunday.
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Spider says, "I'll cook anything that needs  it now, so we can just heat and eat.  If we have time to heat, that is.  I'm betting we'll mostly eat cold dishes.  Also, everyone should carry some flares.  In a place this cold, I'd bet that most things don't like being burned."  He stood and moved towards the makeshift galley, muttering, "This one could probably have used an immortal Roman gladiator...where is he these days?..."

Jack listens attentively when Ben is speaking. He can’t help but chuckle slightly at the irony of Ben’s frustration at Donald’s cryptic instructions. He doesn’t have much to add.
When Spider mentions fire, Jack nods. “I agree. I packed extra flare guns and flares, if anyone wants some.”
Other than usual gear maintenance, Jack will spend his time meditating at his small shrine to Athena. He continues to pray for aid in their quest to stave off cataclysm from all humanity, and particularly for strength to use the wand without being consumed by it.

Expedition Stage 2; pt 3

"He's in Jackson County, Missouri, on a security detail," Ben replied almost absent-mindedly, as Spider mentioned the immortal Casca.  "We play chess by mail."

The Agents settled in as Spider baked biscuits and packed up tins of beans.  It would not be a great feast, but it was certainly better than going without.  Fritz went out to watch the horizon, reporting that the lights were flashing again, at about the same time.  Thorne slept, Ben slept, as Jack observed his small shrine and Spider went out to keep watch.  They got as much rest as they could, and repacked the sleds with only the essentials - taking weapons, ammunition, flares, explosives, food, rope, axes, medical supplies, one small tent, the radio tracker and its beacon.  As Thorne secured the last items in their sleds, Ben had to make a decision.   "If we take Nolan with us, we'll be taking him into unknown danger.  We can leave him here, and that is no promise that he will not be attacked in our absence, and he's still alive, with that oxygen feed.  He has not woken up.  I believe it is safer to leave him here, and go forward with the mission as planned.  I'll leave him written instructions; he has food, water, shelter, and the radio transmitter we brought from DC.  We'll also leave the injured dog with him, Kiska, with food and water for him.  They'll have to look after each other."
"I'm bringing enough food for the dogs for ten days," Fritz added.  "We should take them into the mountains as far as we can, because after that we will have to pull sleds ourselves.  We will need some way to take out what we find."
"We might have to leave the dogs at some point, though we should take Bruno with us," Thorne said, "And Princess.  They can sense Elder Things before we can."
"Bruno weighs more than two hundred pounds," Fritz objected, "What if we have to rappel him down a cliff ?"
"I'd rather have Bruno with me in an ancient city of eldritch horrors, thanks," Thorne said, as he laced up his boots in preparation to leave.  "But I'll ask him if he wants to go or not."

The dogs were put back in harness, and Camp Two was secured, as much as it could be.  High above them in the whistling wind, the lone albatross circled.   The Mountains loomed, sunlight sparking off the swirls of snow that blew past their darkness.   The Agents set off across the high plateau, pummeled by the driving winds, heading towards the Mountains.  With every mile, the Mountains seem larger and more threatening.  It is well into the day when the plateau begins to show ridges and cracks, where the ice beneath is less stable.  One of the sleds begins to slip sideways...and the ice falls away....
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GM:  Please make Spot Hidden rolls (d100), and roll on your Move Rate (d100), to determine what happens next and how fast you can react to it.  You'll only have a minute or two in game time to react.  Please respond by Saturday, 11 May, next post is Sunday.

GM:  Please roll for Spider. Considering what you have written, I would have Spider first try to steer his sled to safety, or try to leap with an ice axe out, while holding onto part of it (rope, harness, whatever) just to keep it from plummeting, taking people and/or dogs with it.

OOC:
And the GM rolled a 16.  Really, a 16%.  The Dice Love You.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:57, Thu 05 May 2022.

OOC: I sent a set of two rolls, but could not see if they went through. Then I sent a single roll prematurely. If you didn’t get them, please just roll fro me.
IC: Same thoughts as Spider! Also quick prayer to Athena!

OK, the rolls.
Ben rolled 1%, a super critical success.
Fritz rolled a 6%, also a critical success.
Thorne rolled a 38%, not much success.
Spider rolled a 16%, a very good success.
Jack rolled a 20%, a very good success.

Yes, the Dice Love You All.

For the amusement of the GM, who now has to deal with pulp hero PCs whom the dice love, I rolled again for me, and I got 81%, which is a failure. *Sigh*

So back to resolve our scheduled cliffhanger;

The ice cracked and fell away with a thunderous racket, sending tons of frozen death into a crevasse that had appeared so suddenly.   The next thing they heard was a scream, as Thorne's sled went sideways and Bruno's footing slipped.   Fritz had been in the lead and was looking back towards Thorne as the sled began to slip towards an icy death off to the right.   As Spider looked back, being in the sled closest to Thorne's sled, he saw the mad scramble of Bruno trying to regain control and Thorne trying to lean away from the gap, putting more weight on the sled runner that still had contact with the ice.   Ben grabbed the harness lines as Fritz bailed out of the first sled and Jack managed to steer past them.

Thorne's sled began to twist and fall, but the Southerner held on and shouted to Bruno, "HAW !"  Spider leapt from his sled, rope in one hand, ice axe in the other, and slammed the axe down hard to stabilise himself as he threw the rope towards Thorne.  Jack invoked Athena and ordered his dogs to "Whoa !"

There was a rush to get to the falling sled, as Bruno strained to keep it from going into the chasm that had opened up and Thorne to keep a hold on it.  Fritz threw himself flat on the ice and reached for Thorne, grabbing the rope the Southerner had gotten hold of.   Spider further anchored them and Jack ran towards them, Ben following.  As Jack looked back, there was a loop of rope around a spear driven deep into the ice - a primitive spear they had not brought with them, about two meters long with an iron shank, with Ben leaning on it to help brace them.   With a lot of sweat and swearing, the Agents managed to reclaim the Thorne and the sled - Bruno hauled it along free from the chasm and collapsed, panting, a safe distance away.

"Okay, okay, stop it," Thorne said to a frantic Fritz, though he was favouring the arm that had been wrapped in rope.  "I'm fine.  Nothing lost."
"We better keep moving, in case more of this falls away," Ben told them.  After the near accident their progress was slower, but safer.  In the lee of a glacier they made a camp, setting up one large tent and some wind breaks for the dogs.  Bruno had been made much of and was chewing on pemmican cakes with the rest of the huskies.  Thorne seemed to have suffered only a sprain of his left arm, which Fritz insisted on healing with a spell.  At midnight, Ben again set up the Candle spell and waited, but there was no response from Mikaela.  The tent wasn't big and comfortable, but the lantern lights gave off a warm yellow glow, and they were warm enough for now.  Outside, there were loud cracks now and then, as the glacier shifted and ice fell, fortunately far enough away that they were safe.  As they went closer to the Mountains, more peril awaited.

The following morning they looked out towards the South, where an opening could be seen in the wall of ice, a pass leading into the mountains themselves.  There was an odd symmetry to it, suggesting more than the work of nature.  Breakfast was warmed on a brazier and the Agents ate, considering their options.  "We'll be seeing rock mixed with ice, scree from the mountains, when we get closer," Ben said, proving that while he might be poor at climbing rocks, he knew about their formations.  "And we will take turns walking ahead of the sleds to make sure we don't have another sinkhole."   The 'tester' would be tethered to the nearest sled by a rope, just in case.  This slowed their progress, and also undeniably made it safer.  More than once they skirted an unstable area without trouble, and Thorne made sure to map it out and mark the trail.  They stopped for the night within reach of the gap, just as the light show began on the mountain peaks, the repeating pattern of flashes and colours, as unsetting sun lowered in the sky.
Now, it was accompanied by a faint and distant hooting, clattering sound, coming from the mountains, as if several animals were calling.  In the shadows near the mountain pass, something was moving in the snow.  By best guess, they were a mile away.

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GM: Actions, etc, for the next hour of game time, please respond by Saturday 15 May, next post is Sunday.
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Spider uses the rifle scope in an attempt to get a better look.

Jack will accompany Spider outside, and use a pair of binoculars to see what he can see. He will also look around for the albatross or any other birds. Back inside, he will pray once more to Athena, asking her to place her Aegis between the Raiders and their enemies, to shield them from harm and detection if it suits her will.

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 4

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The Agents picked up various items that enabled a better view.  Thorne had his spyglass, Fritz his rifle scope, Spider with Matilda's scope, and Jack and Ben with binoculars.  Something white was moving among the drifts of snow near the pass into the Mountains.  They watched for a while, and were puzzled by the way the white things were moving - just sort of blundering around, and that hooting and clattering sound continued.  Whatever it was, they were about the size of a man, pure white like the snow, and moving incoherently.  The sound they were making came up on the wind and faded as the wind abated.   Jack saw no albatross, but did see the shadow of one pass by him, a quick shape of darkness on the snow.

"No idea," Ben said after a while.
"Some kind of - pinguin ?"  Fritz asked.
"Maybe.  No, maybe ?" Thorne asked.  "Do they get that big ?  I'm just guessing on the size."
Spider checked his scope again, looking at the closest one.  It was a bipedal shape, not moving with any purpose, and had a strange shuffling gait.  Then the creatures seemed to be moving back through the pass, lurching around, and disappeared from sight.
"That looks like a way in though, if they came out," Fritz said, shouldering the rifle.  "Not a shoggoth ?"
"I don't think so," Ben said. "A shoggoth would have tried to eat us already."
"Not comforting," Thorne complained.
"Just telling you the truth."
"We keep watch there, to see if they come out again." Fritz said, looking towards the gap with a suspicious look.
"Fine by me, you have first watch.  Someone wake me for my watch." Thorne went into the tent.  The night was quiet, apart from the eerie piping on the wind, and there was no sign of the strange white creatures.
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Next morning the Agents prepared to go into the pass.  The plan was to go look at the pass and determine where to put a camp, provided nothing jumped out at them and tried to eviscerate them, and then proceed as far as possible with the sleds and dogs, depending on what they found.  Nerves were on edge.

The pass led to a shaped stone tunnel into the Mountains, and there were signs of the snow being disturbed by big paddle-shaped feet.  Etched in the wind-worn stone were a series of dots in a pattern, with some symbols on the theme of five-sided shapes.   Ben painstakingly wrote them down, while Fritz scouted inside a little ways with Bruno padding ahead of him.  There was a hooting sound, and a gruff bark from Bruno.

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GM: Anyone going in to have a look ?  Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday 21 May, next post is Sunday.
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Spider turned on his favorite miner's helmet with its trusty lamp and began to follow Fritz and Brun, flares in his belt and the rifle at the ready.  Seeing the footprints he mutters, "Just what we need.  Frozen Deep Ones, maybe?"

Like his companions, Jack is very curious about the shuffling white figures. He nods when Fritz mentions penguins.
“They don’t seem intelligent. Maybe local wildlife corrupted by the alien presence? Or possessed by ancient alien spirits? Probably best just to avoid them, if possible. And follow their tracks to get inside the mountain.“
When they encounter the markings, Jack joins Ben in taking copious notes, comparing their layout to the mathematical forms he derived from the flashing lights.
Other than that — onward, with shotgun, flare guns, and spells at the ready!

Expedition Stage 2: Mountains Of Madness pt 5

As Jack copies the dot patterns down, he again notices mathematical language.  The pattern is there, its meaning obscure so far.

The Agents ventured into the passageway, curiosity getting the better of them.  Up ahead the tunnel fanned out into a large anteroom, stone walls damp and thick with some reddish-green moss; at least a dozen huge albino penguins as tall as men were shuffling around, their eyes merely vestigial slits, their huge beaks open to allow purplish tentacles to roll forth and grasp at the moss.  Bruno and Fritz were standing there watching them, both looking puzzled.  A smaller penguin, possibly a young one, waddled over towards the big hellhound, chirruping; Bruno growled, and the creature jumped and squawked, prompting a round of hooting from the others.  With some flapping of their paddle-shaped wings and stamping of feet, the giant penguins eventually settled back down and slurped at the moss on the walls, cleaning it off.   The small one wandered back towards the larger ones and commenced eating moss, as if there was nothing to be concerned about.  While they were definitely weird, ugly creatures, they did not seem to be threatening.   Once they were done feeding, the giant albino penguins shuffled off further into the passageway, which had a slight phosphorescence in the ceiling, where some kind of strange lichen emitted a faint yellow glow.  Soon they were lost to view.    The Agents quietly talked.  "Don't look so mean," Thorne said softly. "But I wouldn't try to eat one even if I was starving."
"Then we avoid them, like Jack says," Fritz said softly.  "Easy enough; they are blind.  They rely on hearing, scent and memory."  The Agents slowly calmed down from high alert.

"Well then," Ben said, as the Raiders looked down the long corridor.  "While we might want to keep the sleds and dogs, I just don't want to get stuck in a place where we can't turn around quickly.  If we billet the dogs, and take the small sled by hand, or if Bruno will pull it, then we can make a sort of camp here.  Is it safe enough ?"
"We can block off the passageway with tent poles, though enough of those big penguins might knock anything down."  Thorne suggested.
"I will go and have a look in the passage," Fritz offered.
"No, we're not splitting up, so wait a minute," Thorne told him. "We'll set the dogs up in a pen, one they can get out of if they want to, with a good meal, then we'll go look in the tunnel of horror to find the monsters and steal their stuff.  Strategy."
"Commandeer their stuff.  This is a Department of Defense expedition, we don't steal," Ben said, but he was probably smiling when he said it.
"It's all in the paperwork." Thorne said, rummaging in the sleds for tent poles.
"Something moved down there," Fritz said, since he had been staring down the corridor.  There was a distance squawking sound, and the thumping of big flat feet, which quickly faded.   "It wasn't a bird."
"OK, we'll go carefully, with Bruno.  If it's an Elder Thing he'll know," Thorne said, ignoring the corridor as he tied together tent poles.  Bruno whined softly and backed up against Fritz' knee.
"That's not good," muttered the German, and looked through his scope to try to see better.  "Can't see it now.  We must be careful."
"Anyone have any great ideas, now's the time," Ben said, holding a tent support for Thorne to construct a shelter for the dogs.
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GM: Any thoughts on how to safely proceed into the Mountains ?  Please respond by Saturday, 4 June, next post Sunday.
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Jack speaks while keeping a wary eye on the corridor where Fritz perceived something besides a penguin: “If we come across a shoggoth, or one or more elder things, we’ll be physically outclassed and have to react fast. So we should go over some tactics before we get into the thick of it.
“As I see it, we can fight, retreat, or evade. We could easily lose a stand-up fight unless we expend a huge amount of firepower and magic, and even then we might take casualties. Retreat may not be possible given the slippery ice and the creatures’ home field advantage.
“So I propose we use stealth, as much as possible. If we have to fight, then we will, obviously. But can we make ourselves harder to perceive with a spell or ritual? Ben, we could contribute to it jointly, and I can use the wand. I feel that invoking Athena for protection is a pretty reasonable use of it.”

Spider helped put out food for the dogs, then a quick repast for the team, before they headed deeper into the tunnels under the mountains, keeping eyes peeled for ways that might lead up, or at least out to the other side of the ridge.

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 6
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Spider made sure everyone was fed and cared for; and noticed that Thorne was limping - and he was trying to hide it.  The dogs were secured, and though Bruno obeyed Thorne and heeled, Princess would not go any further into the corridor.  The Agents were now on foot, the small sled towed behind them with ropes, ready to load with whatever they might find.

"I vote for fighting," Fritz muttered, though it was clear that whatever lurked ahead, Bruno was afraid of it.  He brought his badge out, hanging it on a chain around his neck, the Elder Sign visible.
"Fighting costs resources.  We only have the ammo we came here with.  We also need to get into the city and this seems to be a way inside." Thorne said softly, leaning on the wall and considering the dark hallway.
"We're staying together - if we are attacked, it's the best chance for survival." Ben said quietly.  "We can cast the Barrier of Naach-Tith together, that will provide magical and physical defense.  You know this spell, I made sure of it.  It will hold for four hours, maybe longer - we may be able to cover a monster with the spell and imprison it, temporarily."
"So we sneak down there, cast it on whatever it is that's scaring Bruno, and then we'll deal with whatever comes after that."  Thorne offered in a hushed tone.
"Ah, dammit," Fritz muttered softly, as a dense fog came wafting down the corridor towards them, making whatever it was impossible to see.
"OK, backup plan - Prinn's Crux Ansata.  We can cast it on Jack's wand and it will ward against a shoggoth," Ben whispered, glaring down the corridor.  Nothing could be seen, just heavy swirls of fog, stained a dirty yellow from the eerie glowing moss in the ceiling of the passageway.   Ben fished in his pockets, bringing out a small porcelain ankh enamelled in a bright blue and handing it to Jack.  "Bind it to the wand with string or something.  The chant is easy - By the True name of whatever goddess you're worshipping now, thy will is bent to mine, thy influence avails thee not, thy strength is as nothing before Her, thou Shoggoth, dweller in the depths."
"How big are shoggoths ?"  Fritz asked quietly, as he considered which ammo to load into his rifle.
"Big," Ben whispered, as the thick fog bellied out towards the Agents.  Bruno actually tried to hide his muscular bulk behind Fritz, while the sniper calmly loaded a specially made clip of custom bullets.  Suddenly Ben doubled over with a yelp, wrapping his arm around his head as if something invisible had reached out of nothingness and belted him a sharp one.  That was enough for Fritz, who raised the rifle and fired dead centre down the corridor.    The shot echoed.  There was a gobbling sound, then a grunting, "Tekeli-Li !", from deep in the darkness.  Thorne sprawled across Ben's body to shield him, holding up his BPRD badge, the Elder Sign pointed towards the darkness.
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GM: Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by 4 June, Saturday, next post Sunday.


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Spider decided they needed something they could focus on visually.  He ignited a flare and tossed it into the fog.  Something coming past it would alter the shadows in the fog, at a minimum...he hoped.  He raised Quatremain's old rifle to his shoulder and waited.

Jack moves quickly near to Ben and Thorne, binding the porcelain ankh to the wand with a strip of rawhide and speaking the words of Prinn's Crux Ansata. He wants to be sure Ben is protected above all. After the spell is up, he urgently asks, "Ben, what can I do to help you?"

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 7

Jack hurried to Ben and Thorne, as Spider lobbed a flare into the darkness.  The fog recoiled, with an ugly oozing quality, peeling back from the light.  Ben was curled up tight from pain.  "It cast Wrack on me, I'm blind," their boss hissed, clutching his eyes with his hand.  "Don't let it get the first punch.  Hit it hard !"
Thorne's jaw was set and he was shielding Ben from further harm.  Once the Crux Ansata was activated, the wand glimmered with shifting light, each piece of inlay on it shining.  The wand felt heavier, somehow.

Spider raised Matilda, seeing the crepuscular mass seething down the corridor, maybe a hundred yards away.  Pops of reddish orbs came and went, as if primitive eyes were forming in the colossal ooze and blinking away from the flare's harsh light. The shoggoth wasn't coming closer, and it wasn't retreating either.  It was horrible to behold - costing him three points of Sanity to view it.   And what was worse, it wasn't behaving like an animal - it was weighing them up as much as he was weighing it up.

Fritz was muttering something that sounded like spellcasting, and fired his rifle again.  This time Spider saw the thing ripple from the shot, a shockwave, then draw back, its eye bubbles winking out in a huge wince.  Fritz laughed, a low evil sound, and fed another bullet into his rifle.

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GM:  Actions, etc, for the next minute of game time !  Please respond with your combat or non-combat choices by Saturday, 11 June, next post Sunday.
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Spider decided that he'd keep up his current course of action.  He ignited a second flare and threw it hard at the enormous oozing shape, hoping to actually sink the burning phosphorus into its mass.

If Jack can somehow use a spell to heal or relieve Ben while still maintaining the Crux Ansata, he will try to do so. If that's not possible, he will maintain and strengthen the protection from the Crux Ansata.

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 7

Spider threw another flare into the corridor, noting again that the shoggoth flinched back, oozing into a large mass about fifteen feet across.  Fritz casually shot it again, with the laugh.  It recoiled again, shaking in a disturbing manner, the red eye bulges narrowing.

Jack had only the idea that the caster of the spell would have the best ability to stop it or reverse it, and that Ben is still suffering, though Thorne is guarding him.   He faced the corridor, looking into the scene and (rolls dice, Jack makes his sanity roll so he loses less sanity (-1 pt).  The wand is heavy in his hand and he can see that whatever Fritz is shooting it with is affecting it, and that it does not care for flares.  The Fist of Yog-Sothoth ought to sort it out - though the Crux Ansata was apparently working.  The shoggoth had not attacked again and had even moved away.

The dark mass then rapidly flows, sloshing around into a coherent shape, though one that is markedly strange to see.   It condensed into the form of a human - a man about six feet tall, dressed in rugged cold-weather wear, a heavy sealskin hooded coat and trousers, a shaggy red beard hanging over the chest, goggles over the eyes.  The face was wind-chapped and rough.  It looked like a man - until the head slipped a bit, and was re-shaped.   "Stop," the thing said, in the glutinous voice of a shoggoth, then tried again, now sounding Scottish and much more human.  "Stop.  Stopping.  To stop."
One of the mittened hands waved in a complex gesture.  Ben gasped, unfolding and blinking.   "_I_ stop," the creature said, then observed its mittened 'hands' and carefully held them up.  As if a man was standing where the shoggoth had been.

Ben was sitting up, blinking furiously.   "Did it just speak ?  It's speaking ?"
"To speak, speaking," the shoggoth replied.  "D'ye ken ?"
Fritz settled another specially made rifle round into his rifle and raised it to fire.  Quick as a flash the shoggoth's human shape melted away, and it apparently disappeared, or had gone into some niche the agents could not see.
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GM:: Actions, etc., for the next minute of game time, please respond by Saturday 18 June, next post Sunday.
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In reply to The GM (msg # 27):

With the creature apparently gone, Spider retrieved the second flare and kept it held out in front of them as they continued to search this cavern until it went out.

“Wait, Fritz!” Jack urges. “Don’t shoot it again. It stopped hurting Ben.” He continues speaking rapidly. “Ben! Yes, it spoke. It’s clearly figuring out our language — and it must have encountered the Scots from the camp we found. It took on their speech and likeness. It’s trying to communicate with us. Maybe we can work with it, like Doane.”
Without waiting for Ben to recover, Jack yells down the corridor: “Yes, we understand you. There is no need for us to fight each other. We are here to look at the tools of your oppressors, to take them away and use them to fight those who would oppress us.”

Expedition Stage 2: Mountains of Madness pt 8

Spider went down the corridor about forty paces to retrieve the flare, noting it was still bright and happily, not hot.  As he did, there was a flicker of movement off to his left; a small red eyespot on an extension of black tentacle was observing him, with a suspicious squint.  It retreated into the shadows as he lifted the flare to get a better look.  He edged out of the corridor, but no other movement was seen.

Jack tried to stop the German from firing again; Fritz was searching for a target, though apparently the Shoggoth was good at hiding.  "Why not ?"  Fritz demanded, irritated to be denied his prey.
"Save some ammo," Thorne growled, as Ben unfolded and accepted a hand up to stand.  Their boss was blinking away tears but seemed to be out of danger.  "If it can speak, it's intelligent," Ben said, wiping tears from his face before they froze.  "I can see - getting clearer now."

Jack shouted down the corridor.  There was a pause, as Ben considered Jack's words and the Shoggoth considered the offer.
"Then no fighting," the Shoggoth responded, in the Scots accent.  "Passage; for passage, _I_ require service.  You provide service, _I_ permit passage.  D'ye ken me rightly ?"
"You are independent of the Elder Things ?"  Ben called.
"_I_ am that." the Shoggoth replied, gaining a better grasp of English by the minute.
"What are your terms of service ?  We want safe passage into the city, and to take whatever we want from it, and you will not harm us, our animals or our equipment."  Ben then looked to Jack, and whispered.  "I'm not sure we can trust it."
"Bollocks to you then, feartie," the Shoggoth replied, apparently having excellent hearing.  "Not sure _I_ can trust _you_ eejits."
Ben squinted down the corridor.  "I don't think you can leave," he said. "Or you would have, by now.  The man you are imitating, you consumed him ?"
"_I_ did that," the Shoggoth said, as if merely stating it was the same as giving out the time of day.
"You retain his memories, and that is how you know English ?"
"That is correct."
"All right; what do you want, for your terms ?"  Ben asked.
"Put away weapons.  No spells. No fires.  Remove shackles."  The Shoggoth seethed briefly in the corridor, a fearsome sight, a wave of ebony protoplasm, and slid back from view before Fritz could shoot.  Ben waved over the Agents to confer.
"We have to decide to trust it, or not.  It can spellcast at least as fast, or faster than me.  This seems to be a good way in if the Elder Things posted it here as a guard.  And it may have more information to give us."
"Seems like a Republican," Thorne agreed.
"If we agree to free it, we know what will happen to Captain Doan." Ben said.  "This decision will be reported as mine, and mine alone, and I will suffer the consequences for it.  Tell me how to word the contract and I will do what needs to be done."
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GM:  Bargaining with a Shoggoth ?  Please respond by Saturday, 25 June, next post Sunday.
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Spider suggested they make the thing stay while they are in the city, and cover their exit for a certain amount of time.  He examines the tunnel, obviously eying it for a possible cave-in, so as to trap this fearsome creature rather than keep their word and let it leave.  "If it is supposed to stay for a day or two, we might be able to leave it here regardless."

“I think we should trust it for a bit, to avoid fighting it and to learn what we can from it. We’ve worked with Doan before, although I imagine each has its own motivations and, um, personality. It mentioned shackles – do we know how it’s bound, and are we even able to free it? We can say we’ll try, but I wouldn’t guarantee success.
     “Also, it said no spells, but we may have to cast something defensive at any moment for protection or whatever, so I would just say we won’t cast spells to harm it intentionally.” He looks at Fritz and adds, “Or shoot it, unless it goes back on its word.
     “If it comes with us, we can ask it questions about what we find. I think that outweighs leaving it behind and knowing we’ll have to either fight it or give in to its demands to get out. Also, when we run into Elder Things or who-knows-what, it will probably help us fight them. Anything can happen in a fight...”

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 9

The Agents discussed their options.  "Then we will try to bargain," Ben said, "And whatever happens after we release it from whatever is holding it here, that's on me.  We should use every resource we can find to get the best possible outcome for this expedition."

Thorne made a point of standing in Fritz's way so the German couldn't get a clear shot at the monster as the Agents carefully approached the tunnel that held a Shoggoth.
"We're considering accepting your offer, to perform service for safe passage," Ben said carefully, "With the promise from you that you will not harm us, our animals, our equipment, nor will you encourage anyone else to do so.  You mentioned shackles.  Are these shackles magical or physical in nature ?"
"They are both.  You can approach me safely, Mage; I will show you.  Decide if you can break them.  If you cannot, we will have no bargain."  Now the Shoggoth was doing a pretty good imitation of Ben's Maine accent.
"I would regret leaving you chained, if we cannot free you," Ben said. "I think we might be able to come to terms in the matter of employment."
"Then approach." the Shoggoth said.  Ben took one of the glow sticks from his pack and snapped it, shaking it to produce a bright greenish light.

He slowly walked down the corridor, as the Shoggoth flowed along the walls of the construct, eyespots blinking.  Finally, just a pool of light showed where Ben was, with shifting shadows.  "I see the shackles," Ben called back to the rest of the Agents.  "They're definitely sealed with an enchantment and I can't translate the language.  But the anchor chain is bolted into the stone."
"If we use explosives to break the stone, will the tunnel collapse ?"  Thorne asked.
"No idea, not my area of expertise," Ben replied.  "Erm...Shoggoth...you can't change shape and get out of the shackles, but can you make your form harder, more resistant to damage, if we try to force the chain loose from the rock ?"
"The shackles are painful," the Shoggoth replied, "Our bargain is to remove them."
"All right, we'll need some help though.  Can you read the inscription ?"
"This servant is imprisoned to guard the entrance for eternity, for daring to defy its creators.  That is the closest translation in your language."
"Any suggestions on how to open the shackles would be welcome at this point," Ben said.
"I have pondered it for many centuries," the Shoggoth said dolefully.
"But now we're here.  Ben, come out and look at the box thing.  It's doing something, you need to see it," Thorne called.
The glowing light returned, with Ben looking somewhat unnerved by his close proximity to a Shoggoth.  "Two shackles, the size of Bruno's collar, each on a chain about four feet long and six inches thick, all made of some weird blue metal, inscribed with runes along the shackles.  There's no keyhole, no part that looks like it would be a hinge, and the chain runs directly into the stone floor.  What's going on with the box ?"
"Nothing, just wanted you the hell out of there," Thorne said under his breath.
"If we kill it, we can just go past it," Fritz said.
"We're not killing it.  It isn't an IT, it's an intelligent being and I think we have to save - the Shoggoth."  Ben said.
"OK, then, we have to get it loose.  Can we cut the metal ?"  Thorne asked.
"No idea.  I thought of trying to Cast Out the Shoggoth, but I think it would cause too much damage.  We need to disable the spell on the shackles or physically break them - maybe both."
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GM: Please respond with ideas, actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday 2 July, next post Sunday.
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Spider shook his head, sighed and whistled.  "You lot deal with the magic.  I'll just be ready to do as much damage to it or the tunnel as possible if things go sideways."  It was obvious he had reservations about freeing such a monstrosity.

"The shackles' magic seems beyond my knowledge and ability," Jack says to Ben. "You can draw on my energy to help power whatever you think will work..." He hesitates, then adds, "...or I could try the wand. It could probably break the shackles, at some cost to me." He shrugs resignedly.
     "Wait -- what if I used the wand to release it from the shackles and bind it to ME? As a sort of safeguard. It might be safer for us than making it a free agent, and Athena might prefer to have its abilities working for her, through us, rather than causing chaos in the world at large. It might even cost me less, if she likes that trade-off."
     This idea seems fairly good to Jack, and he will try it unless Ben vetoes it, or unless someone has a more workable idea.

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 10

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"He's right,"  Fritz said, nodding at Spider.  "Why would we think that a monster would have any sense of honour ?"
"Go to Hell, you bastard," The Shoggoth snapped, clearly able to hear them. "Your sense of honour is to the highest bidder.  It's only because of that other man that you have any decency to you at all.  And you humans are right to fear me.  Had I not sensed the magic you have, I would have eaten you with no regrets."
"Whoa, hold on," Thorne again got in the way of Fritz's rifle.  "He's being reasonable.  I have a good sense for reasonable folk."

"All right," Ben leaned back on the stone wall of the tunnel, looking off towards the seething darkness that was the Shoggoth, "We're going to try to solve this problem.   I don't think it will accept new chains.  Am I right ?"  he called the last down the tunnel.
"You are correct," the reply came back.
Ben considered this, then looked back at Jack.  "I'm not sure what gods want, most of the time, I just know that it's smart to be careful when you bargain with them.  It's clear the binding spell on the chains is a major one.  If you can drain power off the shackles with the wand, while we try to physically break the shackles, maybe that will work.  Erm...Fritz, you got some explosives that you apparently sent to yourself, from the future.  Are any of them small, as in small enough to break open an inch or two of solid metal but not destroy a tunnel ?"
"There is no damned way -" Fritz started, only pausing as Thorne shook his shoulder as a warning. "I don't know.  Maybe.  Why ?"
"Because we know this Shoggoth, or more accurately, we've met him before." Thorne said slowly.  "I'll word the contract, if you don't mind, Boss,"
"Be my guest," Ben said, pulling out his Book of Shadows from a satchel and riffling through the pages carefully.  "I'll try to figure out an Unbinding that will include the shackles.   Fritz, put the rifle down and look at your explosives.  Spider, stay ready, just in case something else comes along.  Jack, hold up the wand, I need some light, and you need to read the spell."
"Ahem," Thorne cleared his throat, "Shoggoth, we are proposing an agreement, based on mutual consent, which is considered ratification and meeting of the minds, in this offer, as follows; You will be released from your shackles as swiftly and in as good as condition as our abilities permit, and thereby become a free agent, independent of our control.  This does not obligate us to permit any attacks or other damages arising from your actions now or in the future, and will void our agreement of mutual consent.  Our safety from harm covers ourselves, these four humans, and any other human you find on the landmass here, as well as any human or other racial equipment, and of course our dogs, as well as the creature that currently looks like a dog but is really not, we call him Bruno.  You will be freed to move and make choices as an independent being.  In this offer we are seeking your compliance with our work, you will hold us blameless should we be unable to release you from your shackles, and you will not disrupt, interfere with, or sabotage our further exploration of this area and landmass.  If your acceptance of these terms is agreeable, I would like to add terms that include your willing release of accurate information, such that you have, on the city we are about to search, including whatever we might encounter.  Are there any terms you wish to add ?"
"Terms of revocation; this agreement will persist until you or your agents deliberately cause me harm.  Any subsequent contract will be negotiated separately in good faith."
"He's good," Thorne said.  "Your offer is acceptable.  Do you find our offer acceptable ?"
"I find it acceptable."
"Then we have a contract.  I would shake on it but you don't have a hand - er - all right," Thorne said, as a slim tentacle curled out towards him.  He shook it.
"OK; Jack will cast the unbinding, while I cast Deflect Harm to stop the explosion from blowing back at us; Spider will watch the entrance, Fritz will set the charge and Thorne will stay with Spider, so there will be two people who can try to rescue us if this doesn't work out."  Ben said.  "Hopefully it will work.  Jack will try to siphon off the magical charge on the shackles with an Unbinding and the physical damage might be enough to snap them.  I don't know how much this will hurt, Shoggoth."
"I accept this," the Shoggoth said.
"Give me the rifle, go and set the charge," Thorne said to Fritz, staring eye to eye.  "It's no different from any other job.  We're professionals."
"I hate you," Fritz grumbled, but went and did as told.
"Beyond this juncture, there is a tunnel sloping downward.  It will fork to the South and the West.  The South fork will continue downward into the centre of the city.  You will know it by the panels on the wall.  Observe them and learn the history.  Below, there may be more creatures, less independent than myself, but I have only seen one Elder Thing in these past hundred years, and I ate it."   The Shoggoth spoke with quiet assurance.  "The food animals live off to the West."

"All right then; I will lead the way, Fritz will be right behind me, Jack will follow, and we will let Fritz set the charge before beginning the spells."  Ben said.  "Are we all Okay with this plan ?"
Anyone going into the tunnel by the Shoggoth will need a sanity check !

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GM: Actions, etc., it is up to you if you go along with the plan or modify it - or the contract, prior to actions.  Please respond by Saturday, 9 July, next post is Sunday
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Spider silently agrees with Fritz, that this plan may be the most insane thing they have ever done.  But he moves back with Thorne towards the entrance and keeps watch outside.

Jack replies to Thorne, "Met him before? What, you're saying this *IS* Doan? Did we meet a future version of him? Or am I missing something? Also, there are five humans here, not four, although your wording covered all humans anyway."
     Other than that, Jack has no comments. He does spare a word to Spider, saying "Yes, it seems crazy, but I think it will work. But thanks for having our backs, should it not..."
     Jack readies the wand to follow Ben's plan and steels himself for a close encounter with the shoggoth, trying to bear in mind the professioanlism and even personableness with which Doan conducted himself during their past collaboration.

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 11

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"And, technically, Thorne is correct," Ben said slowly.  "There are only four humans here at the moment.  Isn't that right ?"
"Hey, I had to look after the contingencies, and an angry Fritzi has the wrath of the gods, which is why he's leading the rescue team," Thorne said.  "Show him, sugar."
The last was directed at Fritz, who then changed, the form shifting within the furs and layers of clothing to a more feminine one, with a dark face and gold eyes.
It was the Djinn.  "He made me do this," she said, pointing at Thorne from the depths of the cave.  The Shoggoth's eyespots blinked.

"When I tell her, she'll contact Secret Base and send out the rescue team, which has equipment that was made in 2025." Thorne said.  "We'll get Ben out alive because I made a promise to Donald."

"Who, in turn, made a promise to you, because that's how you work," Ben said, in that quiet tone that said he was keeping tight control of what he said and how he said it.

Thorne chuckled smugly.
"I think Doan is this Shoggoth, or this Shoggoth will become Doan, because I know Ben's guilty look," Thorne said to Jack.  "He's already admitted that he's taking responsibility for what happens to Captain Doan.  Which is why I ended the contract at the land mass. Captain Doan will be on the ship.  And that's why Ben asked if this Shoggoth retained memories of humans they eat.  We already know that Spider's going to be heading the Temporal Agency, so he can just sign off on the expenses in a hundred years' time."

"And Fritz will be alive then, too," the Djinn said, striding out of the tunnel.  "It is done."
"So all right then, Boss. Carry on."  Thorne said, waving at the tunnel.
"How long has Secret Base been around ?"  Ben asked.
"Oh, they've been listening on that little box thing since we got it, and camping on the South side for about a week or so," Thorne said.  "It's not like it's a lot of trouble, as they had Fritz with them the whole time.  He has my journal and her memory for reference.  Honestly, you thought you were going to get into the South Pole, raid the Elder Things' city and get out with only six men and forty dogs ?  We already lost Nolan."
"Should I even ask what else is going on ?"  Ben asked.
"Saving the world, Boss," Thorne said, with a satisfied sigh. "We'll detonate the explosives on your command."
Ben paused, as if about to say something, then simply walked into the tunnel.

Spider took up position next to Thorne, who was still holding the rifle.  The Djinn trailed after Ben, holding a switchbox that fit in the palm of her mitten, and Jack tries to mentally prepare for seeing a Shoggoth up close - as in inches away.
(GM  rolls sanity for Jack - got a 77- Jack if you wish to re-roll, be my guest; if you don't, please roll the d20 for your sanity point loss).  As the expedition slowly moved into position, the wind began to stream past the basalt peaks, the horrible piping sound grating on their nerves again, driving home the thought that they were entering a forbidden place where unspeakable horrors may lurk.

GM:  Actions, rolls, please, respond by Saturday 16 July, next post Sunday.  Very nice catch, Jack !

Additional: Jack sent me email, his roll is 35%, so we will go with that one
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:38, Sat 16 July 2022.

Jack shakes his head at Thorne’s revelations and the Djinn’s transformation. Ever the polite Southerner, he greets her: “It’s nice to have you with us again, Miss.” Then he looks Thorne in the eye.
     “I don’t mind the time jumping too much any more. Frankly, I enjoy thinking about how it all works. But I’m not happy that you changed the plan — even if it’s an improvement — without telling us. You don’t need me to explain that we all have to trust each other. Going behind our backs undermines that trust.”
     Then he follows Ben down the tunnel to free the shoggoth.

Expedition Stage 2: The Mountains of Madness pt 12

The Djinn nodded slightly at Jack's greeting.  She didn't look particularly happy.  Somehow, Thorne had gotten control of her away from Cameron.

Jack challenges Thorne, who offers up a sly grin behind the grey-shot beard he's been growing the past weeks.  "Easier to ask forgiveness than permission," the Southerner drawled.

Spider and Thorne remained outside the main tunnel, where the piping could still be heard and the air was cold.  As Jack approached Ben, the Djinn and the Shoggoth, the air was notably warmer and the annoying sound diminished; but there was an odd aroma permeating the air, a chemical smell.  The Shoggoth had shrunk back from the site of the shackles, spreading itself across the floor, walls and ceiling in a thin paste, though two tentacles were anchored by the strange metal shackles that Ben had described.   The sight of it was horrible, as was the sudden feeling that it could immediately surround and engulf them all; only Ben's sudden grip on Jack's shoulder stopped him from running (-7 pts sanity).  The shackles were now precisely covered by a pair of neatly shaped grey claylike patches, linked to each other by a wire, and the Djinn was checking them carefully.
"Steady," Ben said.    His jaw was set and his blue eyes were steely; Jack understood then that Ben was pretty damned angry, probably at Thorne.  "Steady, now.  As we planned it, I will cast Deflect Harm and Jack will power up the unbinding with the wand, taking shelter behind the spell and then Ginny sets off the explosive.  Say when you're ready and we'll go on a count of three."
"Ready," the Djinn said.
"Ready, " said the Shoggoth.
"Ready," said Ben.

Outside the corridor, Thorne settled the rifle on his shoulder by its strap and got out his camera.  "Can't miss this.  Keep a watch for whatever, Spider," and faced the tunnel, ready to take a picture of the Shoggoth situation.  Ben's voice raised in the harsh Akkadian that he always used for the strongest spells, and Jack was intoning something in Latin.  A bright blue glare limned the three figures in the corridor, in a nest of seething darkness; then there was the loud crack of an explosion, a roar from the Shoggoth, and a gout of smoke billowing from the corridor.  Thorne laughed and set up the camera for another shot.  Spider, the more responsible agent, looked around, seeing only basalt stones and giant penguin footprints in the snow; at least his exposure to the monster was limited.   There was coughing, cursing, and a deep echoing groan that must be the Shoggoth, from the resonance of it.    Ben staggered out first, with Jack next, the Djinn helping him keep steady.  The unbinding spell had given Jack a splitting headache, and the explosive had covered them all with a fine grey powder.  Thorne taking a photograph of this did not improve tempers.  Back in the corridor, the darkness flowed and gathered, twitching as if in deep pain, but it was moving more freely now.   The sight of a Shoggoth would haunt Jack's nightmares for life.

"Well, did it work ?"  Ben called into the corridor.
"Yes. You have fulfilled your part of the contract, humans...and other."  the Shoggoth said.  "I will need to heal, but I am free now."
"I'll be interested in making another contract with you, Shoggoth," Thorne called out. "But it's a personal one.  When it's convenient for you."
"I will consider this," the Shoggoth said.  "Now, you wish to go into the corridor; do so, without concern about me.  I will go and eat some of the food animals and regain my strength." The shadows shifted and whisked away, with a slithering sound.   The corridor was empty, with just the sickly greenish lichen glowing in the ceiling to light their way.

The Djinn helped Jack lean against the basalt wall, leaning close to Jack's ear to whisper, "He is hiding something from you."  She seemed to mean Thorne, who was putting away the camera as Ben glared at him.   The Djinn rested a gentle hand on Jack's forehead, and the agony of the migraine began to ebb.
"Secret Base ?  And who exactly is at Secret Base ?"  Ben demanded, squaring off with Thorne.
"Fritzi, and some other people we know, and some agents," Thorne said, evasively.
"So, mercenaries and some of the office staff ?!  Or people from the future ?!"
"Well, yes.  It was hard to say no to them, after they got all that gear and set up the path for us.  Though I guess you could say some of them are from the past, but then, with the Temps, it's hard to call it.  They wanted to help."  Thorne was pouring on the charm.
"I spent hours...days... on the details for this trip, and you had it all organised behind my back and didn't say one damn thing to me ?"  Ben was incandescent with fury.
"I wanted my last adventure to be a good one," Thorne said, "And it has been.  Let that be an end to it, Boss.  You'll get what you want. Your son will get what he wants.  And I will get what I want.  Everyone wins."
"Except Nolan.  And Doan."
"I can't save everyone," Thorne said softly.  "But I do what I can."
Then there was a horrific squealing sound and a thunder of feet in the corridor, coming fast.
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GM: Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by Saturday, 23 July, next post Sunday
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Jack swipes feebly at the dust covering him and mutters to himself as the djinn helps him back down the tunnel, “What have we done?…”
     He is grateful for the djinn’s assistance and gives the briefest of nods at her whispered warning about Thorne. He sighs a heartfelt “Thank you” to cover everything she is doing for him.
     As he listens to Thorne and Ben, and his headache fades, he adds to their conversation: “Why are you assuming this is your last trip, Thorne? Have you seen something in the future?”
     When the noise starts, he shouts “Penguin stampede!” and laughs crazily. He steps into the nearest alcove and tries to pull the djinn with him, hoping they can take cover from whatever is coming.

Spider had said, "Blame me.  If they're from the future, most likely I had a hand in sending them.  Or I will have a hand...crikey, sometimes I really want to just chuck it all.  This time travel stuff gets weirder and weirder."  At the sound of the feet approaching, he readies the rifle and asks everyone in general, "Can someone shed light on what's coming?"

Expedition Stage 2: the Mountains of Madness pt 13

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Jack, stunned by his recent experience, is still laughing as the Djinn looks back at the cave.  She yelps as he pulls her towards the nearest wall, as Spider gets a shove from Thorne.   "Out of the way !  Stampede !" Thorne yells.  Ben scrambles past them, towards where the dogs are sheltered, and they can hear him chanting a spell as he goes.  Careening off the walls of the corridor in literally a blind panic, a dozen weird albino giant penguins gallop along, knocking into each other and tumbling before scrambling back to their huge feet.   They honk and squeal in distress, buffeting the agents but not doing any real harm.   Thorne holds the camera well out of the way, preferring to take a body check from a blind penguin rather than lose his photographs.   Spider is easily able to climb out of the way and Jack and the Djinn are holding onto the stonework for dear life.   And Jack noticed that Thorne had purposefully not answered his question.

"Eugh !  Ugly !"  the Djinn declared, once the penguins had rushed past and out into the plateau.   The sled dogs were barking, along with Bruno's deep voice.
"This may nullify our contract in regard to disruption or interference with our expedition," Thorne said with a sniff, testing his bad leg and wincing.  "Though I'm not entirely sure how to enforce it."

Ben came back, brushing snow off his furs.  "I blocked them from running over the dogs and our gear.  They went out onto the ice."
"Master, we need to fix that leg," the Djinn told Thorne.
"I told you before, you have to call me Thorne, or Trip, or Tommy," Thorne told the Djinn.  "No one in my house uses the word Master."
"Whatever."  The Djinn pulled off her fur mittens, revealing the taloned hands, and knelt by Thorne, settling them on his bad leg, a faint green glow emitting from her palms.  "The bullet's still in there.  Is that a good thing ?"
"We're not taking it out here," Thorne said.  "It's been in there since the War."
"Is there any end to the secrets you keep, Agent Thorne ?"  Ben asked, with a sigh.
Thorne grinned.  "Now we can get Bruno to pull the little sled," he said.  "And I have to get more film."

A quick recon of the sled dogs showed them to be in good health and spirits, and Bruno was now happy to accompany them into the corridor that led into the Elder Things' city.  Thorne refilled his camera and handed off the flash powder to the Djinn.
"Look at this from another point of view," Ben said to Spider, as he puzzled over the Temporal Agency's machinations. "You have a hundred years to figure out how to fix the paperwork.  And your employees seem loyal.  Maybe they won't lie to you as much as mine do."
"Oh, don't count on that, Boss," Thorne drawled, grinning again. "If we worried you with every little thing, you'd never sleep again."
"Why, may I ask, did you ever decide to work for me ?"  Ben asked him, regarding Thorne with a watchful look.
"It wouldn't be boring, mainly," Thorne replied. "I mean, the pay is peanuts, I usually run through my government paycheck just buying sandwiches for the staff and Phyllis' tuition.  But you really need to hire a typist.  My wrists are getting arthritic doing all the damned typing."
"Noted," Ben said, poker face on. "Anything else you'd care to share at this juncture, Agent Thorne ?"
"That would be boring," Thorne replied, smiling.  The Djinn made a miffed sound, and walked into the corridor.  Bruno, hitched to the small sled, trailed after her, as if going on a walk in the park.

The corridor sloped downwards at a slight angle, so it was easy enough to keep their footing.  The floor was clear of dirt, but some small debris was left from the shattered shackles; Thorne stopped to pick up a couple of pieces of the metal.  "It may be useful to know what kind of metal can tie down something like our Shoggoth," he said.   The corridor split, with the one path being the one the Shoggoth took, the other leading subtly downwards.  Above them, the strange green lichen gave off enough light that they didn't stumble, but seeing any distance was difficult.  There was a slight breeze from outside.  Lanterns were brought out.  The floor had grit and dirt on it, probably stone dust.  There were cracks in the walls here and there, nothing too large.  It was some way down in the tunnel that there began to be carvings on stone slabs set neatly into the wall.  Dot carvings indicating writing of some sort edged each panel; the first one was a depiction of Elder Things coming to what must be a new planet; the continents were not as seen today, but in some sort of twisting clump, set in the middle of a massive sea.   "Wegener's Pangaea theory," Ben said.  "All our continents were once joined, and the rest of the world was an ocean called Panthalassa.  If that's Earth then the Elder Things arrived in the Early Permian Epoch."   Thorne took a picture of that, and of the next panels: they depicted the building of the city, by Shoggoths and some other odd-looking creatures, while the Elder Things directed them.  Then, the quality of the panel changed; the carvings were not so cleanly made, more like cave art than engraving; the Elder Things were shown as being cut down by Shoggoths, then the Elder Things fled the city.  The next panel was blank.  The corridor then opened up into a five-way split, with a large round room full of panels of Elder Thing writing, with more geometric designs based on five-sided patterns.
"Marbles," Thorne told the Djinn, who dug into a pocket and pulled out some clay marbles. "We want downward."  She set a marble in each corridor, and two of them rolled away into the gloom.  The left corridor was less ornately marked; the right had a lot of fancy work on the walls.  Thorne checked his watch and noted the information in his notebook, and took a picture of each of the passages, and chalked a notation on the way they'd come thus far.  "We've been walking for close to three hours and I want a rest," he said.  "Then we can decide which way down we want to go, servant's entrance or owner's."
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GM:  Decisions, actions, please, by Saturday 30 July, next post Sunday
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Jack giggles a bit more as the penguins hurtle past, but then regains most of his composure.
     “That was smart, protecting the dogs and gear,” he says to Ben with sincerity. “That’s why you’re the boss.”
     He is intrigued by the historical wall panels. When he gets to the one in more primitive style that shows the elder things being attacked, he says, “History is written by the victors.”
     When Thorne calls for a break, Jack nods in agreement. “That will give us time for you to explain why you think this is your last outing.”
     Regarding which path to take, Jack says, “The powerful weapons were probably with the leaders, not the servants. Unless the servants were soldiers, I guess. We can’t know for sure. Either way, I vote for the more ornate path.”

Expedition Stage 2, Into the Dark City pt 1

Jack recovers from his shock and acknowledges Ben's quick thinking in blocking the penguins from their dogs and equipment.
"Thanks," said his boss.  "I'm not sure I could explain away damages caused by stampeding penguins."

The Agents paused at the pentagonal room, where Thorne sat down on the small sled and gave Bruno a piece of beef jerky.   He had already photographed each entrance point, making certain to get as much of the dot-writing as possible in each picture.  At Jack's query, the Southerner gave him the side-eye for a split second, then rallied with, "My goodness, how manners have taken a tumble.  Far be it from me to enquire about anyone's personal business."
"Oh that is just swell coming from you," Ben said, in that level tone that said he was holding down his emotions, "You're the biggest gossip in the office."
"A gentleman might take exception to that," Thorne said, pulling his hip flask out of its inside pocket and sipping it.
"We're not leaving this place until you confess, so out with it." Ben glared.
"All right.  I'm retiring from active service upon our return to Washington.  And I'd appreciate it if I could withhold some details as it would make the rest of our adventure damned depressing."  Thorne, immune to glares, insults and the like, sipped again and put the flask away.    The Djinn was pacing back and forth, looking miserable, looking like she wanted to speak.
"And you swore Ginny to secrecy - of course."  Ben rolled his eyes.
"And I can take the fall for whatever happens to Captain Doan, since you have a wife and children, Boss.  It will all work out."  Thorne looked very pleased with himself.
"I wonder what Fritz will have to say about that," Ben said, in that deceptively calm voice.
"We'll both find out, it seems.  Okay, girl, off you go - bring help." Thorne pointed to the way back out, nodding to the Djinn.  In a flash she transformed into a small black falcon, and zipped out of the tunnel towards the outside.
"It will take them a while to get here, even with the fancy rides," Thorne said. "Let's go find some treasure."  He got to his feet with a wince.  Ben shook his head and picked up his satchel and staff.   "And I think Jack is right; the Elder Things would want to keep the good stuff apart from their servants."

The ornately decorated corridor sloped gently downward.  The floor was clean of dirt and dust, and the carvings on the walls were a repeating pattern featuring five-sided objects.  It was darker, too; the lichen seemed less bright, more patchy.  A series of deep gouges in the stonework told a tale of long-ago violence, but there were no stains or debris.  The only sounds are the sled runners grating on the stone floor and their footsteps.  Bruno, ambling along next to the Agents, suddenly pauses, sniffing the air.

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GM: Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few minutes of gametime, by Saturday 6 August, next post Sunday.
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Jack’s demeanor softens a bit when Thorne hints at health problems. He plans to keep an eye on him from here on out anyway, since he has proven himself willing to go behind Ben’s back.
     “I’m confused,” he says to Thorne in a neutral tone. “Why did you send her for help? We’re making progress as planned, are we not?” His question is genuine.
     When Bruno stops, Jack does the same and immediately steps quietly to the nearest wall. He stands still, listening and inhaling slowly through his nose. He loosens a flare gun in its holster and looks keenly ahead.

Spider, seeing Bruno's inquiring stance, moved to the side of the tunnel, ready to brace himself against the wall while aiming the rifle.  He thinks, {Of course now that we've sent for help, trouble will arrive before the help does...even that doesn't change in the future...}