Post 88:  Summer of Horror pt 1
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Jack Sterling did his utmost to convey his best wishes to the distraught Amanda Adams, as well as find out if there was anything that stuck in her mind.  There was a long pause, filled with sniffling.  Then the girl said, "It didn't seem to know what was going on.  Confused.  It could have easily killed me but it didn't."   With the temporary cessation of the 'fog experiments', since the agents took the fog machine, it might be some time before anything more happens down in Maryland.
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Back in Washington, DC.
Ben Weintraub has spent a lot of time at the White House and various other offices around the city.  Their dog sled training for the Antarctic is slated for September 1925, and the equipment is on order.  The caseload is ongoing and advertisements have been placed for new agents to join the Bureau.  No one ever thought so much paperwork would be involved with investigating the strange and odd, but there you have it, government in action.  The agents settle in and write up reports, review old cases, and are finally called to the kitchen where boxes of fresh donuts are waiting for them - it's time for some new cases.  Edith reads out the list as Ben contemplates the glazed versus the powdered sugar.
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New Cases:  May 1925.
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---Haunting in Rhode Island----
---A colonial-era house AKA "The Conjuring House" with a bad reputation for ghosts, the Arnold family is so upset by the events in the house that they are begging anyone to come look at it, for a fee.  This was passed on by Thorne who got the story in one of the local speakeasies.   He knows all of the local speakeasies, to no one's surprise.
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----A Cult in Florida-----
---Deep in the Everglades swamps, several game wardens have gone missing; there were strange markings found on trees, drawings of which have been sent to "the Bureau that deals with weird stuff".  The drawings indicate what could be sacrifical glyphs to a god of the swamp, or perhaps the swamp itself, the Seminole glyphs corresponding most closely with "the Dark Water God".  The area to be searched is about 7,800 square miles.  Three wardens have disappeared in the last six months, but the glyphs were only found in the past two weeks.  The report reached the Bureau as 'a colleague in Pennsylvania recommended the agents of this Bureau, specifically one Agent Irina Pallenberg'.
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----A Strange Report on the Great Chicago Fire of 1871---
-----Found in an old trunk by a descendant of General Phillip H. Sheridan, a faded journal indicates that the Great Fire of Chicago, Illinois, the Peshtigo Fire of Wisconsin, and the Great Michigan Fire in Holland, Michigan, all of which occurred almost at the same time, were the result of a demonic fire creature summoned into the world - a living flame.  It mentions how the services of a wizard were paid for to make the creature depart, and that there was a warning that it could return in approximately fifty years, 'when the stars are right'.   This was given to Trevor by Joseph Sheridan, who is a student at Washington University.    There is also a faded  tintype photo of a cow skull heavily inked with symbols.  No idea where the skull is now, either.
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After Edith read off the cases, and Ben finished off his first donut, Professor Mills raised his paw.  "I'd like a look at the journal and the picture," he said.
"All right by me," said Ben.  "The Florida case sounds time-consuming and dangerous.  And Mr. Stuart sent this."  He handed an unopened letter to Irina, addressed to her in the precise print of John Stuart, with the posting address of the Forestry School.  "The haunted house, well, we get a lot of those, and it's usually best handled by Agent Black.  But I leave it to you to decide where you want to go.  We don't have a lot of resources at the moment, I'm still securing what will be needed for the Antarctic.  I was able to convince our Commander in Chief that saving the world was a necessary expense.  I only advise a strong team to go into Florida - that is a huge swamp and it is full of snakes and alligators, and if it has a Mythos entity in it, it's highly dangerous."
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GM:  Please respond with what cases are interesting to your Agent, and I will carry on from there.  Please respond by Saturday, 14 November, next post is Sunday.  Hope you are all well and able to carry on as the pandemic continues.
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In reply to The GM (msg # 1):

The Chicago Fire one sounds interesting, but Irina is happy to do any of them. She is a little wary of the Florida one, but acknowledges that she did come recommended...
It would be nice to be with the other PCs this time, especially Jack, whichever one it is we do!

She'll open and read the letter from John Stuart.

Post 89:  Summer of Horror, pt 2


"Florida might be nice," Thorne acknowledged, taking the file from Edith.  "I might enjoy a pair of alligator shoes."
"What is difference, alligator, crocodile ?" Fritz asked.
"About a hundred dollars," Thorne said.
"Crocodiles are bigger," Edith said.  This did not seem to dismay either one of them.  Edith rolled her eyes pointedly at Ben, who shrugged and picked up a glazed donut.
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Irina looked at the file that Edith had opened up for Professor Mills.  The little green mouse was already squinting at the photo through his tiny spectacles.  "I think the designs are in colour," the mouse said, though of course the photograph was monotone.  The file has clippings of the newspaper articles covering the fire stories - a multitude, including the Chicago fire - the Peshtigo, Holland, Manistee and Port Huron fires also occurred from October 8th to 10th, and there were two other nearby fires in Windsor, Ontario and Urbana, Illinois.  The Peshtigo was the deadliest fire in history, with estimates of 1500 to 2500 killed.  The Peshtigo fire also mentioned a fire whirl - a fire tornado that threw rail cars and houses into the air.  "I'll need transport to the Library," Mills was already muttering.  "And someone tall who can fetch books and turn pages."
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The Conjuring House file was accepted by Miss Black, who had Angus hanging over her shoulder to read it. "Looks like a big haunting, probably more than one ghost," she said.  "Tommy, what are they offering to pay ?"
"I heard it was at least a hundred dollars," Thorne replied.  "Hey, remember that cave in New Jersey ?  Maybe it's the same monster, kind of thing.  I can pick up more phosphorous and dynamite."
"Doctor Weintraub ?"  Miss Black asked.
"Ben," said Ben.
"Ben, we bring the money back to the office, am I right ?"
"I think you would earn it as a bonus, Agent Black." Ben replied.   "Since Agent Thorne intends to poach alligators for some bespoke shoes."
Thorne grinned.  "And some tail meat for a good dinner."
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GM:  Actions, decisions, for the future cases.  Irina, I sent you a private message with the letter contents, please let me know if you can or cannot access it.  Please respond by Saturday, 21 November, next post Sunday.   Everyone, take care of yourselves !
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This message was last edited by the GM at 01:25, Mon 16 Nov 2020.

“If we need a strong team in Florida, and Irina is going, then count me in, too!” Jack says with a smile.

Spider shrugged.  "Honestly, the one I'm most likely to be useful on is Florida.  And staying warm as long as possible before we head to Antarctica makes sense to me."  He paused.  "I'll have to clear it with Cressida, of course."  He and Jack looked at the file.  The swamp was enormous and the game wardens had 'disappeared' but there was evidence on the latest one, blood found at the site with the glyphs, that strongly suggested the man could not have survived.  A Bowie knife known to belong to the third warden, Harry Gleeson, was found on the scene - the blade broken and the wood grip shredded.
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The meeting was informal, and the files were passed from hand to hand.  "I've had enough for a while of things wit teeth," Angus said, passing over the Florida file to Spider.  "I'll back up Bitsie at the haunted house, if she so chooses, or take a trip to the library for the Professor."
"I'll share the bonus," Agent Black agreed.   She flipped open the folder, scanning the page within. "Seems really haunted.  Definitely want you along, Scotty."  She passed the folder to Angus.
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"Florida for me," Thorne said, grinning, "I'll pack my summer shirts."  He hadn't looked at the file but didn't seem to care about that.
"I have a meeting with the DOD," Ben said, eyeing the clock on the wall.  "Let me know your decisions by this afternoon.  Pack the big truck accordingly.  There is no spare money in the budget, so pull what you need from our on site supplies.  Thorne, expense out the explosives but be gentle with the petty cash."
"I can trade for it, if need be," Thorne said.
"Good.  Meeting over.  Tell Edith what's going on and she'll let you know if you need to file any paperwork."  Ben slipped out of the room quickly and left Edith holding the fort yet again.
Edith gave them all a steely look.  "If you're headed to Florida, check out the truck before you go, test the brakes, the engine, everything.  Our mechanic is in the cooler for bootlegging."
"Okay," said Fritz, removing his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves, heading to the corridor.  "I will check the truck."
"Professor Mills, I'll set the journal up at your reading area," Edith told the mouse, who solemnly nodded while he perused the photo.  "Everyone, let me know your plans.  I'll -"
She suddenly broke off, as a blast of cold air ripped through the building, whipping papers around and knocking the mostly empty donut box to the floor.  Something somewhere in the building howled, an ugly ululation that belonged in Hell; then they heard shots fired in the corridor, a Parabellum - such as Fritz carried.
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GM: Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of gametime, please respond by Saturday, 28 November, next post is Sunday.  Hope you all are well and managing to cope
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Irina grabs for a weapon and immediately heads towards the sounds of the gunshots.

"Maybe Florida is looking better after all..." she muttered.

Jack pulls his .45 and readies a Fist spell, yeliing, “Fritz, what is it?!” as he joins the race for the door.

Summer of Horror pt 4.
May 1925; The Grey Building, daytime.
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The corridor was hazy with swirls of dark smoke, whipped to and fro by icy wind.  As Irina, Spider and Jack came out of the door, neither could see Fritz, but they heard the gunshots, with a short pause for a new clip to be loaded.  The howling had cut off with a yelp, then resumed with a nasty snarl, punctuated with three more shots.  They approached through the smoke, ready to fire, and saw Fritz crouched by the janitor's closet.
"That big dog creature, one like it," he said to Jack, standing up as the agents drew closer.  "I had special clip with me."  The dark mist was clearing, the wind fading to nothing, but tell-tale splatters of blue ichor showed that something of the mythos had been in the corridor.  Edith had also followed, carrying her clipboard like she was going to whack anything that came too close.
"This is our OFFICE !"  she declared angrily.  "How DARE they ?  It's one thing to have a Hellhound in the warehouse, but this is not allowed !"  The rage was boiling off her such that Fritz took a step back in alarm.
The blue ichor was slowly sublimating into a hazy gas.  By now the rest of the office had come into the corridor, some carrying weapons.
"Is it dead ?"   Thorne asked Fritz, who shrugged.
"All right, I have had enough," Edith said, the anger cooling off into the subzero temperatures. "I want a team on doing whatever it is that you do, to make the place magically fenced off from monsters.  No monsters here, ever.  If anyone can do it, you can.  I will make sure you can get to Florida safely.  Agent Trachenberg, let's go to the garage and have a look at the truck."
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It was some time later when Ben returned, brow furrowed from a headache, and was told of the incident.  "It makes sense to ward the building.  There should also be safe rooms within the building where nothing unpermitted can enter - unless requested.  It's not too difficult to ward areas temporarily but they will need to be refreshed, and that takes mana.  We only have so much mana."
"We have a warehouse full of weird stuff that discharges lightning into the ceiling rails, is that mana ?"  Thorne asked.
Ben snapped his fingers.  "We store it in batteries instead of running it to ground.  That potentia - it is a form of power and we can tap it like mana once we have figured out the tolerances of the batteries."
Angus and Fritz returned from stocking the truck with canned goods and jugs of water and petrol.  "And you - " Ben indicated Fritz, "Are going to learn a spell.  It is a binding spell for a Hound of Tindalos.  We are all going to study a spell, that we will need to speak together; it is stronger than the Elder Sign.  It is the Eye of Light and Darkness.  It must be cast at moonrise and it will finish at moonset, which will be roughly midnight to noon of the next day.  I know that not all of us are comfortable with magic, having been already affected by it, but I will need as many casters as we can get.  We will cast it before you leave for Florida, so arrange your schedules.  It will take time to learn the chant and prepare yourselves to cast it.  Edith and I will write up the procedure.  The optimal time for casting is during the full moon, the next is the 6th of June.  The spell requires the blood of innocents, too, so we may have to beg for some help from relatives and friends.  The blood will be offered onto a stone symbol I'm going to carve into the topmost part of the roof, it will protect the entire building.  And everyone who casts must deeply believe they are a force of good, not evil, and that the purpose of the spell is good."  It was no coincidence that Ben was looking at Thorne while he said that.  "The spell has a lag time of one lunar month for its best benefit, and we will have to move some stuff out of the warehouse, perhaps destroy it - nothing evil can be on the premises during the Eye spell."
"What do we do with Bruno ?  The Hellhound ?  Put him in a kennel ?"  Thorne asked sourly.
"We send him back."  Ben said.  The telephone rang; Edith answered it.
"Um," Trevor said, from way in the back. "I don't want to sound difficult, it's just that a lot of the gate magic will be adversely effected by any spell of that magnitude."
"Oh my head," grumbled Ben, "All right.  Let me know all your complaints and concerns and we'll map out what parts of the building are to be included or excluded."  He accepted the telephone that Edith offered him like it was a very dead mackerel.  "Yes, Mr. Hoover.  I understand you have some reservations about my project.  I will not be able to address all your concerns until the next Cabinet meeting; there are some pressing matters here.  Can I call you back in a few minutes ?"
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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few days, including if you are going to participate in the Eye of Light and Darkness spell, and any preparations before heading to Florida, or to anywhere else, by Saturday 5 December, next post is Sunday
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Jack shares Edith’s concern about this violation of their headquarters.
“What was it after, this hound? Are they more intelligent than normal dogs? Do they work or hunt for some kind of supernatural master?”
He will search around to make sure it’s gone and didn’t damage or steal anything. He’ll also try to learn more about them from their research library.
Aside from that, Jack is very keen to help cast the Eye spell and will work with anyone who wants help, to make sure they have as many casters ready as possible. The mention of clearing out evil artifacts reminds him of the wand, which he had managed not to think about for quite a while now. He quietly says to Ben, “Well, the wand definitely causes problems and exacts a toll. Does that make it evil? And if so, where can we safely store it away from here? Or should we cordon off some area that we still protect in other ways, but which would be excluded from the Eye spell?“
Finally, still feeling like they didn’t accomplish much on the werewolf case, Jack will spend the rest of his time studying the area they’re going to visit in Florida — history, legends, folklore, unusual crimes, etc. He wants to be as ready as possible.

OC: Sorry so late! Hope you are all staying well.

Post 91:  Summer of Horror pt 5

Jack queried the group at large about the Hound.  Ben considered the question, but Trevor piped up from the back again.  "They hunt people who have travelled in time, or ones that have specifically caused them harm."
"Where've you been ?" Thorne regarded Fritz with a raised eyebrow, grinning.
"Not a joking matter, gentlemen," Ben said grumpily.  "Agent Trachenberg, you're going to go with Trevor and learn a spell today.  No matter what else.  This is not negotiable," he added, as Thorne opened his mouth to try to interrupt.  Fritz obediently trotted after Trevor Bruttenholm.
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Jack cornered Ben as the agents scurried around trying to figure out what to do to block off parts of the building for the Eye spell.  "The wand is very dangerous," Ben agreed, choosing his words carefully, eyeing the slight bulge in Jack's jacket pocket.  "I'm not sure it will be separated from you.  Since that's a possible problem, don't cast the Eye spell with the rest.  Any evil in the area when we cast will make a great deal of effort for nothing - the spell will fail."
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Jack threw himself into research on Florida.  There were stories of a monster similar to the one in Loch Ness, in a freshwater lake, Lake Clinch in Polk County, and tales of a 'skunk ape' in the Everglades.  Apparently the area has both alligators and crocodiles, and is a known dumping ground for corpses.  The Seminole Indians are indigenous to the area and have had both good and bad relations with the rest of the world.  By the time the agents can reach Florida, the "wet season" will have begun, so daily rainfall and storms can be expected.  There is reputedly a "lost city" or "ghost city" in Broward County, an abandoned Seminole settlement over a thousand years old, and there is a story that some Confederate soldiers stole gold from the Union and hid out there.  It is not far from "Alligator Alley" - and not far from the area where the latest missing warden was last seen.  There is a folklore tome at the library regarding all manner of Southern legends, but it's nigh on five hundred pages.
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OOC: Jack, you're quite correct; there was a subplot in Maryland.

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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few hours of gametime, whether or not you are going to cast the Eye spell, etc, but Saturday 12 December.  Please carry on being healthy.  Next post on Sunday.  We will be having our usual holiday break soon, I know this has been a trying year for everyone, and this holiday season especially odd.  Take care. M
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“Hold on, now, boss,” Jack says to Ben. “I didn’t even think about the damned wand the whole time we were chasing around Maryland. I want to put it away somewhere, so I can help with the Eye spell and also so I can go inside its protection after it’s cast! If I hang onto the wand, I’ll be stuck outside of the protection with it. There must be other tainted items that we’re going to keep safe somewhere outside the spell. Let me just put the wand with them. You or Trevor or someone can come with me and help me do it right.”
Aside from that, he also wants to learn the defense against the Hounds of Tindalos, having traveled in time a bit himself.

Post 92: Summer of Horror pt 6

-----Jack-----
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"If you think you can put the Wand down, then do it now," Ben told Jack gently.  "It will be back with you before you know it - it's tied to you.  But try.  If it works, and you're confident, we need your help."
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--Spider----
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Spider cornered Ben as Jack left.  "I think he might have picked a new one up by killing one of them - since he was physically stabbing it when it died.  And then, someone may have sent one on his track.  As for the Eye Spell, I'm not even sure -I- should be casting it.  Edith is right - we need to have a safe zone for all of the agents, someplace we can fall back to in case something terrible happens.  Not all of us can wield magic.  And - the inherent dangers of the building itself -"  For an instant, Ben's worry showed through.  The Grey Building had turned its previous tenants into green mice.  There would be risks.  "And since you were with the Hound Hunters, maybe you'd better sit in on the spell class.  Just in case.  If I don't call that dog-faced wretch Hoover back he'll be my personal Hound."  Thorne, lurking in the background, made to step up next - Ben glared at him but the Southerner was resistant to such threats. "All right, make yourself useful, Mr. Thorne. Find out how to get Mr. Hoover to leave off bothering me."  Spider checked out the spell lesson, since it was saner to be in Trevor's lab than the rest of the offices.
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--------Both Jack and Spider--
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Jack hurried after Trevor and Fritz, who were headed towards Trevor's messy laboratory area.  Trevor had to shift piles of books and folders off chairs in order for the agents to sit down.  In the background on a table something was bubbling in a complex glass apparatus, emitting a minty aroma.  There were several large slate boards on stands, some of them featuring complex equations of symbols that made no apparent sense.  Suspended by cords in a small wooden platform, one of the green mice was drawing on one of the boards, then going back to erase part of the equation.  "Hyperspace physics," Trevor said, then addressed the mouse.  "Doctor Abrahms, I'll need the back of one of the boards for some basic tutorial on spellcasting, if that's all right with you ?"  The mouse paused, bobbed its head, and went back to work.
Trevor carefully rolled the board around and noticed Jack had joined them.  "Oh, hello.  Mr. Sterling, if you can perhaps help me explain spellcasting, I am sure I am going to use terms that Mr. Trachenberg doesn't know, that would be very helpful.  Some people pick it up easily and some don't.  What I am going to try to do is teach you a spell that will bind a Hound of Tindalos so that you can command it.  The more mana you use in the spell, the stronger the spell will be.  If the Hound is already bound by a command, you'll have to work a stronger command on it.  And they are by their nature resistant to spells."
Fritz had already gotten out a small notebook and was jotting notes.
"Why are they resistant ?"  he asked,  as Spider walked in.
"They are creatures of the Void, and they inhabit the angles of time; we live in the curves.  It's a whole different reality and our magic is based on our planes of existence."  Trevor opened up a fresh pack of chalk and drew a circle on the board.  "This is the Earth; our home, our planet, in our dimension.  Our magic starts here. To spellcast successfully you have to be able to channel your awareness into a form of energy, which we call the magical potential energy, or mana.  Everyone has some amount of it, and the only way to find out how much is to experiment.  If you have a peaceful mind, it should be easy to focus on the mana and access it.  What I learned to do was meditate, to help my focus.  Some people use a talisman to help focus, or a prayer.  The first spell I learned was one to light candles.  It takes concentration and a physical component, like snapping your fingers, as well as intent - what the spell is meant to accomplish.  Once you learn it, you practice it with distractions around you, so that you can call it any time you need it.  We will try that first."  Trevor rummaged in his desk and found a box of candles, handing one to each student.  "The primary thought to have in your mind is fire; use a word like Ignis, or Flamma, to concentrate.  Heat the wick of the candle and light it.  I can tap the candle and light it."  He demonstrated, the wick flaring into fire within seconds.  Fritz looked calmly at the candle he'd been given, and snapped his fingers near the wick.  On the third try, a spark flared and died.  A few more tries later, Fritz had the candle lit.  Jack and Spider had considerably better success.  Trevor let them get lunch, then it was more practice.  "When you are ready to say the spell for real, you will do it in the following order, because there is a mana cost to cast the spell.  The component is some kind of thread, cord or rope, with the intent to bind the Hound.  First line of incantation with first set of gestures.  Second line of incantation with second set of gestures.  Third line of incantation with the repeat of the full set of gestures, finalised by tying a knot in the cord.  You'll feel the mana drain.  Then you have to hope you have spent enough mana to overcome the Hound's natural defences."
"If not, then shoot it," Fritz said calmly.  Trevor looked at him with trepidation.
"They're monsters from a dimension we can't even try to comprehend, Mr. Trachenberg," Trevor said slowly. "I can barely sleep at night thinking about some of the horrible things I have only read about.   Their very appearance is a test to our rational minds.  They are monsters beyond our nightmares."
"Only if you let them," Fritz said, with a slight smile.
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Then came the hard part; the incantation for binding the Hound, with the corresponding gestures.  Hours later, everyone had a headache.  Fritz checked his ammo twice, noting he only had four bullets left that were effective on the Hounds.  "And Bitsie, meine shatzi, gone to hunt ghosts." he sighed.
"Remember, the Hound manifests from corners, as wide as 120 degrees.  A dark smoke or fog will precede it, then its head and its body, moving in angles we can't comprehend.  They are intelligent and there are theories that they speak and know spells of their own.  And they never stop tracking."
"Smarter than Bruno ?"  Fritz asked.
"I'm worried that you have named the Hellhound," Trevor said, slowly.  "Did - you and Mr. Thorne somehow attach yourself to it ?"
"What ? We feed it, we walk it.  It is guard dog."
"And - it doesn't scare you at all."
"It is dog." Fritz said, shrugging. "We have dachshunds.  They are more demanding."
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GM: Please respond with actions, etc for the rest of the game time evening by 19 Saturday, next post will be Sunday, then we will have a Holiday break until the New Year, which will start the Florida adventure and lead up to the Mountains of Madness.  Hope you are all well and coping with the insanity of 2020.
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Irina has not encountered Hounds of Tindalos, so is not sure if she needs to learn the binding spell, but will do so if Ben feels it necessary. otherwise she will concentrate on preparations for the Eye of Light and Darkness; helping clear and prepare the area for the casting, and teaching the chant to those who need it.



OOC: I think 2020 has been hard on my SAN, but I'm hoping its only Temporary Insanity. Fortunately I'm likely to fail the INT roll to realise the significance of what I've seen.
Merry Christmas to one and all.

Richard

Post 93: Summer of Horror pt 7
Washington, DC
----The Agents of the BPRD------
Spider cautioned Cressida, who took it fairly well.  "I'm thinking about driving back home to Boston anyways, now that they're behaving,"  she said.  "Call me there when you're done working."  The woman had never worked a day in her life, having been born into a ton of money, and still didn't fully grasp what it meant to be employed - especially by a place like this.
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Irina concentrated on the Eye Spell, noting that it required a small amount of the blood of an innocent applied to the eye carving as the incantation was spoken.  "My eldest son has volunteered already," Ben said, with a scowl.  "As much as I'd like to keep him out of applied magic, he is determined to learn everything."  The spell itself was not particularly complex, but did require each careful step to be done in order, with the correct chant, for a long duration that would surely tax even a very experienced spell caster.   Edith organised the office into those studying for the chant and those moving items in or out of the area to be protected.  Trevor had refused to include the labs as it would make studying darker magics impossible, and to find the flaws in such magic was essential to the service of the BPRD.  Thorne skulked to and fro the offices and the warehouse, carrying boxes and complaining about the dust and grime on his new shirt.  Phyllis and three of the mice also practiced and the area to be under protection was precisely marked; the main office, the kitchen, most of the corridor and the smaller offices, with the exception of Agent Black's workshop, Trevor's labs, the warehouse and the corridor that went off to a blank wall.  The back room off the kitchen was only partially protected and the janitor's closet was likewise.  A debate occurred over the dollhouse apartment complex that Thorne had given the mice, and it was moved within the protected zone, from Thorne's office.  Cameron's office was also outside the barrier, and the Djinn was quite concerned about the spell, most certainly planning on being as far away as possible when it was cast.  The final preparations were made shortly before the full moon, and Angus decided to join in the chant, though Bitsie Black did not.  "My magic crosses the lines," she said.  "I hope you can complete the spell, it will be of good service.  And I will stand well away from the building and guard against any who would try to stop you.  And you will too, Tommy, and so will Fritzi, and that's that."  As far as Jack's wand went, it would not be put away, but constantly returned to his pocket.  Ben let Jack decide if that was good, or not, so that it was Jack's decision whether to participate in the Eye Spell.  Lastly, Thorne hauled the Hellhound out into the pine trees and gave Bruno a whole ham shank to chew on, to keep him busy.
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The evening came, with an array of clouds that rendered the evening sky in deep reds and purples.  The setting sun dipped to the horizon as the moon rose and the chant began.  "Sama, sama, teyo, sama," the chanters intoned, with the drum beat done by the three mice and a rigged assembly.  Donald Weintraub had won the coin toss against Phyllis and supplied the three drops of blood needed to fill the tiny pit in the Eye symbol that was embedded in the roof now.  The Spell dragged mana from the casters slowly, but the event could have been worse - the weather was good, and the full moon cast a beautiful silver light across the rooftop.  (And the GM rolls some dice).  The spell seems to be taking well, and the donors will have sore fingers tomorrow.  The moon set with a gentle hush of a breeze, as dawn glimmered in the East.  "We'll know at the next full moon if it was successful or not," Ben said, propping up a weary Donald Weintraub.  "Right now, it's time for a large breakfast and then a day off."  Trevor failed to stifle a yawn as he nodded agreement.
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The spell casters shuffled off to rest, while the rest of the office was on light duty, such that felt able to answer the telephone.   Bruno the Hellhound did not survive the spell, and was dispersed into a pile of soot and coke. Or maybe not, as Thorne didn't seem particularly upset about the whole thing.
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Days went on, with the normal flow of oddness.  The agents settled into their arctic training, in fairly easy weather up in Alaska, under the tutelage of master drover Leonhard Seppala.  Their dog teams were freshly trained and the going was easy, though crossing the lakes was impossible.  Their gear was ordered, some of it custom made, and the plans to visit Antarctica were laid out to the agents.  It would be a trip on an icebreaker ship to an ice shelf, then travelling by dog sled to the site.
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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc for the next month of game time, we will start next year with the Mountains of Madness...........Hope you are all hanging on out there with Coronaphobia and other related difficulties, and the sanity loss is bearable.  Best of the Holidays, in spite of it all, and hope to hear from you all in the New year.  Please respond by 2 January, even if it's only to say, "I'm hungover."  Take care.  M
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"I'm hiring new agents," the Boss said, as the next truckload of artic exploration equipment rolled into the garage.  "We were able to force the Department of Defence into giving us some money provided we promise to 'help' them now and then.  They were not smart enough in their wording of the contract so that help may consist of a telephone call.  I thought you should know."

OOC: Hoping you all are well. I’ve had a sore throat since Christmas, but it’s not serious; something I get most every year.

Jack reluctantly sits out the protective spell, not wanting to risk ruining it even though he sincerely believes he can use the wand only in extremis and only to good ends. He’s just not sure the universe would agree. He will do as Miss Black said she would, guarding from outside — either with her, or wherever provides the most strategic coverage.

He will also suggest constructing a “safe room” with no corners of 120 degrees or less.

In reply to The GM (msg # 14):

OOC: Sorry I didn't reply sooner - I wasn't sure when you were going to restart after the Holidays and New Year, and usually I take the posts on Yahoo as a reminder - stupidly I forgot that they stopped them, so I didn't actually think to look here until last week. D'oh!
We're all trapped in our homes here now, with the new variant of the virus stretching hospital services, especially in London where I live. Life goes on though... I hope that everyone else is keeping well.
Richard

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IC:
Irina will take some time off, see her mother in New York, maybe see if any furs survived from their escape from Russia. She knows that the Antarctic will be cold, but surely the ice cap in summer (we *are* going in summer, aren't we?) can't be that much colder than St Petersburg in winter?

Seeing if she can get Jack to stop thinking about the wand might be good as well - it seems to have an unhealthy influence over him.

[I don't know if it came up when I was out of the game for a while, by the way, but I'm not 100% clear on why we're going - obviously I've read At the Mountains of Madness, but I'm not clear how much the characters know. Either way, Irina will try to do some reading up on (a) practical matters relating to antarctic survival and (b) mythos matters relating to what we're likely to encounter.]

(posting this for Paul)

Spider will probably go to Florida with whatever team goes, but also spend some time learning a bit more about running the unit.  He fears the future where he is running the group, but wants to be prepared in case it comes to pass.  He is occasionally heard muttering, "Maybe I won't come back from Antarctica."