How to Banish a Great Old One pt 3

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"Take one of my Very pistols," Thorne said to Jack, unrolling a heavy canvas roll to display a number of pistols and sidearms. He selected a snub-nosed brass pistol with a wide barrel and took out three heavy slugs the size of shotgun shells.  "Fire straight up.  These flares show bright white.  My flares will show red.  You see red, then we're in position, you detonate the first stick.  If you run into trouble, fire the Very."  He showed Jack how to load the single shot pistol and handed it off.
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Hachi arrived, wrapped in a bright patchwork shawl, carrying a flask she sipped from now and then.   The tribe began to gather around the chickee, as Thorne scrolled up the maps.   Holata strode forth, raising his hands to the sky, and began to sing in a creaky dialect that did not sound like the regular dissonant Seminole language, but Hachi translated hoarsely for the English speakers.  "We will ask the blessing of the Preserver of Life, that we may survive this conflict.  We ask the aid of Thunder, in this time of war.  May we strike true, may our enemies know great fear."
Dark clouds began to gather, with a deep rumble of thunder.  "Bless these warriors here today, who will go forth and fight.  Let Thunder guide them and make them strong of heart and soul, and the deaths of our enemies are gifts to him.  Send us your blessing, god of war !"
The boom of thunder and flash of lightning was almost simultaneous, and heavy rain pelted down for a moment.   One Seminole man turned and ran; a shot rang out and he fell, rolling to a sprawled stop next to the young woman who'd fed them.  She pulled a knife out of her belt and stabbed him through the heart.

The corpse of the man began to twist, the fingers elongating to vicious claws, the skull shifting to a heavy beak; the woman stabbed it again and again, rain plastering the hair across her face.  Carefully moving from the chickee, Fritz kept his sidearm trained on the creature.  She stabbed both the eyes and then cut the ragged skin off the corpse's misshapen head, scalping it.  Then she looked over at Fritz, who shrugged and lowered his weapon.
Hachi was already telling Holata what had transpired.  Without a pause, the old man shouted, "Burn the body !"

Next to Jack, Dr. Hanson was clutching his black leather doctor's bag, carefully wiping drops of rain off it.  His hands were shaking, but he had a look of grim determination.  "I will stay here and tend to the wounded," he said.
"You, and the big one, we will take the flat boat," Hachi told Jack as she pointed at Spider.  "I do not trust those two.  They are dangerous."  She flapped her hand at Thorne and Fritz, and sipped from her flask again, making a face.

Irina explained the simple glyph for the Elder sign, and the tribe began carving it into their spears, a small branching twig symbol.  Every canoe and boat was readied, giving them a fleet of 26 canoes, 8 flat boats and 4 rafts.  The warriors of the tribe, both men and women, numbered 67 in all.  Working through the night they prepared for their attack, while in the nearby water ruby spots glimmered as the alligators moved in search of prey, their eyes glowing red in the torchlight that illuminated the settlement.   The agents caught what sleep they could and at the first light of dawn, the tribe began to move out into the swamp, dispersing quickly.

The Agents also went forth, Jack and Spider in the flat boat with Hachi and all the dynamite they had.  Hachi herself was loaded for bear with three spears, a hatchet, her knife, a fresh feather fan, and a heavy bag of whatever else over her shoulder.  She wore red and black paint on her face, small slashes, and kept quiet, sipping from her flask, which contained some kind of pine tar cordial to keep her voice intact.   Pinned to her dress was one of the BPRD badges - since Jack and Spider had theirs, it had to be Thorne's or Fritz's badge.
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GM: Please respond with actions, etc, for the next hour of game time, supposing that Jack and Spider are indeed headed into the heart of darkness at the Lost City with a lot of explosives, any other ideas please let me know, by Saturday 22 May, next post Sunday
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In reply to The GM (msg # 52):

Irina will try to direct the Elder Sign placement and help with whatever protective chant is required.

"We may need some people to keep the opposition busy," she says. "It will try to use its minions to disrupt us, and these things are not as easy as they seem."

She gives Jack a fierce hug when he volunteers to carry the dynamite.
"Don't take any stupid risks," she tells him. "Come back in one piece."

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OOC: Apologies for dropping out for a couple of weeks.

(posted for Spider)

Yes, Spider is just helping get the to the Lost City.

How to Banish a Great Old One pt 3
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---Jack and Spider------
The two agents were unnerved by how low in the water the flatboat was sitting with its enormous payload of explosives.  Irina was behind them with the rest of the tribe, as well as a bickering pair of mercenaries, having stayed to keep the opposition from causing any trouble to the deployed forces.
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The large grey owl kept pace with the boat, occasionally veering off to offer a challenge to any other owls that dared show themselves.  Spider had to fire at a couple of very large, aggressive reptiles, one of whom was bigger than the boat.  Jack kept hold of the flare gun, and Hachi the steering.  The deeper they went into the swamp, heading for the Lost City, the darker the sky became, as if the sun could not pierce the evil all round them.   Then the water itself became dark as pitch, and the small rotor on the engine failed; they were mired, and at least a half mile from the Lost City.   There was a sinister growling sound, as if something was rasping around the thin hull of the flatboat, and then the boat lifted.......
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---Irina, stuck with the Annoying Pair-----
Back in the settlement, Irina kept a weather eye out for trouble, figuring that those left behind were at far greater risk of attack - the old and the young.  Holata was sitting in the large chickee with a worried-looking Doctor Hanson, as two young Seminole were laying out clean linens and bowls of water for the Doctor's use.   Irina placed what wards could be set down around the settlement and hoped for the best, waiting for her boat - the last boat - to be loaded and moved into position.
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It was almost amusing to watch Thorne and Fritzi having a row; they used at least three languages and her swearword vocabulary had some serious advances already.  They were packing a flatboat with weaponry as they went, checking and double-checking equipment with considerable efficiency despite arguing.  "This is not over," Thorne said at last, dumping the leather bookbag that Fritz had loaded onto the dock.
"It may be over today, if I do not know what I am doing," Fritz replied in icy tones. "Those books are worth a lot.  You 'appreciate' antiques."
"Not over," Thorne said, snapping his fingers. "Work now. Fight later."
Fritz snapped his fingers right back.  "Cheap hypnotism tricks do not work on me."
The two men glared at each other, then abruptly ceased with Irina approached.  Had she not witnessed a half-hour of squabbling, and knew Thorne's red face and Fritz's blazing eyes indicated emotion, she'd have thought the two were as competent and professional as always.
"We're ready to move out to the outside perimeter; we have our proximity warning system in place and have loaded the boat," Thorne said to Irina, in his sweetest Southern tones.  Fritz used the distraction to scoop up the bookbag and hide it in the cargo box, while Thorne held out his hand for Irina to board.  That Fritz had enough knowledge of the Mythos to accurately draw out a complex Elder Sign was somewhat soothing.  The boat set out into the swamp, passing by a raft and two canoes, the people on board waving, spears at the ready.   After a good hour of moving along waterways that were practically identical, even after trail marks were cut into the roots, Thorne at last cut the engine.  They could see two more canoes and a flat boat, all loaded with Seminoles.  Then Thorne yelled, "ONE !"
"TWO !"  came the next nearest boats.  More distantly, they heard, "THREE !" Until the callbacks came, ending with "FOURTEEN !"
"Damn, supposed to be Fifteen," muttered Thorne.  "Well, I think we got as much as we're gonna get."  He loaded the flare pistol and was about to fire it when the swamp was suddenly full of owls - screeching and flying right at them through the mangroves and cypress; one landed on the nearest canoe and swelled suddenly into the monstrous owl form, attacking the Seminoles in it; then three owls were headed straight for the Agents' flat boat.....

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GM:  Actions, please: Jack and Spider are 'stuck' in the swamp, Irina has to deal with the local monsters, please respond with actions for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday 29 May, next post Sunday.  Glad to have you back Richard, been a rough year again for us all
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Jack shifts the Very pistol to his left hand and draws the wand with his right. He wills the wand to propel the boat through the water at a reasonable speed, similar to how they were moving before the motor failed. If anything hostile (or even unfamiliar) comes out of the water, he will try to shoot it with a flare, but his primary attention will be on getting the boat moving again with the wand.

(posted for Spider)
Spider just reacted.  Something below was trying to upend their boat, so he leaned over the gunwale and fired his rifle at whatever was there, even if all he saw was water.

How to Banish a Great Old One pt 4
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-----Spider and Jack, stuck in the swamp---
Spider fired into the nightmarish black mass beneath the boat, splattering it with a heavy .50 calibre round from Matilda.  Shockwaves spread out from it at least fifty feet as Jack whips out the wand, flicking it towards the Lost City.   A deep vibration of power ripples through the air as Jack sinks to his knees, barely able to keep consciousness - the wand sucked a great deal of power out of him, but the boat is slowly lifting from the black goo.  The boat begins to float free of the swamp, the Stygian matter of the Dark Water God falling off as it levitates and slides forward on air alone.
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Spider looks back at Jack, sees him faltering, and notices the wand is glowing a deep blood red, the same light that is tracing the sides of the boat.  Beneath their boat the surface of the swamp is making hideous serpentine ripples, as if trying to figure out a way to get to them, but they are floating about four feet above the surface.   The big grey owl swept past them again, eyes glowing yellow, and onwards towards the Lost City.   Thunder booms, as dark clouds gather, a chill wind lifting from the West.    Hachi abandons the steering and takes up one of the spears, ready to send it towards anything that might cause them problems.  (GM: Jack roll % please).
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--Irina, being attacked---
The owl-creatures, their wings becoming feathered apelike arms and their faces swelling horribly behind sharp beaks, plowed into the three agents in the boat at top speed, straight into close combat.  The extra weight also caused the boat to tip and water sloshed into it, changing the balance.    The creatures' speed is supernaturally fast and each of the agents is stuck with one of them; Irina hears Thorne swear and catches the flash of his sabre out of the corner of her eye, as the one that landed on her tries to bite her face off; she can also hear Fritz hit the deck of the boat, and ripping and rending sounds, with the clack of beaks and the slashing of claws.  But then all she can do is try not to get killed by a monster !  Thunder rolls overhead, with a flash of lightning that scorches a nearby cypress.

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GM: Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday 5 June, next post is Sunday.   Hope all is well with you.
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(posted for Spider)

Spider calls out, "Jack!  If you need to, use me for that ruddy thing!  I've got blood to spare!"  Otherwise, he keeps up scanning for threats, and chambers a new round into Quatermaine's beloved rifle.

Jack tries to hold onto consciousness. He is just considering trying to use the wand as a conduit to draw power from something, anything, in their surroundings, rather than himself, when Spider offers. Reluctant to drag his friend into the wand’s orbit, but not wanting them both and all their comrades to die, either, he nods and wills the wand to draw power from Spider, and to minimize his own contribution for a while.

How to Banish a Great Old One pt 5
----------------The storm, the swamp, the monsters---------
---Spider and Jack-----
Spider calls to Jack, seeing his old friend and colleague reeling from the use of a magic wand.  Jack barely hears it, but the wand reacts, flicking a pattern of its own volition.  Spider staggers as mana is pulled from him, drawing the power from his very soul.  The eldritch black goo is unable to reach the flying boat and a sudden flash of lightning across the dark sky shows the broken Moon gate of the Lost City.  Standing sentry on the dock and the island ruins are the broken-down undead, many of them skeletal and missing parts, a few much more recent.  The stench of rot coming from them was as harsh as the hot rain and cracks of thunder.   Jack feels a chill grip his spine; the sight will never be far from his thoughts, and will haunt his dreams.   The boat is about ten feet from the edge of the dock, where at least five undead things are standing and waiting, with plenty more among the ruins of the island.  Even with the wind they can hear low, desperate groaning coming from the animated corpses - a harsh reminder of what the Dark Water God does with human beings.

  More worrisome is that neither of the two agents has seen the red flare that Thorne promised to send up.  They could not know if the rest of the tribe was prepared to attack, or not....

-----Irina-----
(Holding on until we get Irina's post)

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GM: Please respond with actions, etc, for the next minute of game time, by Saturday 12 June, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all coping well with the new normal.
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(posted for Spider)

Spider decides that they need to kick things off regardless.  He shifts slightly so that more than one of the animated corpses is lined up, and trusts in the large bore weapon to blast through multiple zombies with each shot.

Jack tries to hang on, grateful for Spider's help. At the dock, he readies the dynamite to toss. He looks around for the guidance of the gray owl, waiting to see if it directs them, and also to see if Spider is able to clear a path inward. He's still not quite sure where to put the explosives...

How to Banish a Great Old One pt 6

---------At the Lost City------
Jack readies the dynamite, snapping open his trusty trench brass lighter.  The rising, fetid wind threatens the flame but the fuse catches, as the big grey owl wings past their boat screeching at the sudden uprising of the other owl creatures; he throws the stick as far as he can.    Feeling drained of energy down to his bones, he struggles to keep his feet under him; the wand is still in his hand, glittering with supernatural light.   The canoe has drifted to a stop, hovering about four feet above the end of the dock.

Spider waits until the zombies line up and fires the heavy buffalo rifle; body parts go flying through the air.  The concussive force of a .50 calibre shatters bone and body, yet the zombies are not deterred, and shamble closer.  At least two of them are down now, the third in the wake of Matilda's wrath is crawling slowly forwards.

Hachi is crouched in the front of the canoe, spear at the ready; as the nearest zombie lumbers towards them, she strikes it solidly in the body, a hit that would fell anything human; the zombie is merely stopped, and topples over, still twitching.  She then ducks down inside the canoe as the dynamite explodes.  Stone fragments and clumps of vegetation are blasted into the air, raining down on the canoe and the seething tarlike mass below it.    Even with the storm, the sound of the blast would have been heard for miles.

Now they just had to figure out how to get through the zombies to deliver the larger payload of dynamite.  At their slow shamble, there is perhaps a minute left before the undead can reach the canoe.

------Irina, at the edge of the swamp--- (GM had to do a little NPCing to keep the momentum, apologies)

Irina's field of vision was a snapping beak with fangs inside it, as she struggled to fend off one of the owl-creatures.  She heard the hiss of steel just as the beak clamped down painfully hard on her shoulder, the fangs biting deeply, then the monster attacking her froze, twitched and let go, dragged aside by the two knives that Fritz had stabbed deep into its body.  The slender blonde man was head to toe covered in blood and gore.  (Irina, roll vs health, %).  She saw Thorne fire the Very pistol INTO another owl-creature, sending it backwards with a eye-searing red flare.  Thorne's left arm was hanging low, but he still had a grip on the cavalry sabre.  "Bitten ?" Fritz was shouting a question at her, but the world seemed to be getting darker and stranger.   Then she heard the blast of an explosion, some ways away, and an answering howl from the Seminoles.

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GM: Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by Saturday 19 June, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all coping !
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(posted for Spider)

Spider decides that they need to move fast, as opposed to not moving at all.  For one split-second he considers firing Matilda towards the stern, hoping to use the momentum to move forward, but still deep down a physicist, he knows there is not enough energy from the rifle for that.  So he does the only thing he can think of.  He slings the big rifle over his shoulder and hops out onto the dock.  He gets behind the boat and hopes it is essentially like pushing something on a frictionless surface.  He begins to push, legs churning for all they are worth.  Maybe, just maybe, they can get up a head of steam and he can jump back aboard.  Or if needed he can push and let it go, then find something he can climb up on and just defend himself until the others finish the job and come get him.

When Spider starts pushing, Jack will help Hachi and try to blast any remaining undead blocking their path with the Very pistol, trying to conserve what little energy he has left in case they have to use the wand to escape.

How to Banish a Great Old One pt 6

--Spider and Jack, at the Lost City--
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Spider slung his rifle and hopped out onto the deck, then ran behind the boat and shoved it forward.  The boat rushed over the rough deck planks as if they were made of oil, but the momentum caused Jack to struggle to keep upright and Hachi fell into the boat, dropping her spear.   Jack set off the Very pistol into the massed undead just as the boat slid forward.   The blast was eye-searing white, spotting Jack's vision for a few seconds.  The boat also ran through the nearest five zombies, splattering them like foul roadkill.  Hachi scrambled upright and grabbed her bag, and began flinging handfuls of some white powder onto the approaching undead; as the powder hit them, they slowed, then slumped to the ground in heaps of rotten flesh and stained bones.

As the boat skimmed along on air, it gradually slowed, then bumped into a broken stone wall well-wrapped with vines.  The undead were succumbing to whatever Hachi was throwing at them, but it looked as if her supplies were fast running out.  "You two must go forward and attack !" she said. "I will hold the dead here as long as I can !"
Out in the water, the black goo twitched and turned, unable to reach the boat or its passengers.   In the rising gouts of fog and wind the flapping of wings and the hooting of owls is heard.   As soon as Spider's boots were on the ground, he could feel shaking, as if the whole island was twitching.  Something had to be happening in the execution of their plans, for the Dark Water God's attention seemed split between the Lost City and elsewhere.   The sky then seemed to split apart with a crack of thunder so loud it rang in their ears and echoed in their bones.
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---Irina, at the perimeter--
Irina could hear the screaming of the others attacking the water, and saw Thorne take up a spear and send it into the black water by their canoe.  There was a feeling in the air, that horrible concentration of terror that had preceded the arrival of the Dark Young when it had been hunting - a primal fear.  Thunder boomed in the distance.
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(Still holding on for Irina)

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GM: Please respond with actions, etc for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday, 26 June, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all well and coping.
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(posted for Spider)
While very powerful, old bolt-action rifles did not fire very quickly.  So Spider just carried Matilda, firing her when he could spare the time to reload, otherwise just smashing her into the faces of the undead.  "Come on, Jack!  Let's go!"

"Right behind you!"
Jack reloads the Very pistol and leaps out of the boat after Spider, with the flare gun in one hand and the bundle of dynamite in the other. The wand is in his jacket, as he feels sure it will kill him (and more importantly, cause their mission to fail) if he uses it again.

Banishing The Dark Water God

---Jack and Spider-----

The two Agents went forward as Hachi began to sing in Seminole, using a fresh feather fan.  Her voice was rough - it might not hold out for long, but she was determined.  The thunder cracked along with her singing, as if it was punctuation.  There was a faint red cast to the sky to the south, where, theoretically, Thorne might be sending up a flare.

Spider found the heavy buffalo rifle to be as effective a 16-lb club as could be had, and managed to send another .50 calibre round off into a rank of undead.  Then he noticed something surprising; one of the undead, a fresh one, was actively tripping others near him.  His black hair was half-gone with his scalp on one side, showing exposed skull and half his face was ragged tears, and the hole in the middle of his chest was oozing dull red gore.  The one remaining sleeve of his uniform shirt had a stained patch on it.

Jack put the wand away again and slammed another charge into the flare pistol.  At worst, he could always use it to detonate the dynamite.   And, for once, the wand went back into its case, though how long it would stay there, who knew.   Jack felt beyond tired; that if he didn't keep moving, he'd simply keel over and have to be carried out.  Spider had paused to reload again, just as one of the zombies shoved another one out of the Agents' way and wind milled a half-skeletal arm at another walking dead, effectively distracting it.  The rest of the undead, in various stages of horrific decomposition, were still shambling towards them.    Jack aimed it at the nearest set of snapping jaws and fired, this time shutting his eyes for a second.  The bright flash of the Very pistol lit up the island like lightning and further confused the undead.  The Agents ran past the rest of them and into the ruins.

Their previous reconnaissance of the Lost City had been valuable.  Though the wind was whipping, and thunder cracking loud overhead, they were able to find the approximate centre of the island, not far from the still-visible Elder Sign that Fritz had chalked onto a stone slab.    Dark goo was seeping up between stone blocks on the ground, but it lacked any sense of direction and they were easily able to sidestep it (rolled 02% for evade).    All that remained was to set the explosives, light the fuse and run the gauntlet of zombies again.
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----Irina---
(Still hoping Irina finds her way back to us...)

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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday 3 July, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all doing well, or at least well enough.
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Jack places the dynamite with a fuse long enough (he hopes) for them to get back to the boat. He puts it near the Elder Sign in the hope that the black goo will not be able to tamper with it, then pulls out his lighter and lights the fuse.
"That's it -- let's go!" he yells to Spider. He will keep the flare gun ready, and pull his .45 with the other hand as they run back to Hachi.
As they pass back by the helpful undead, Jack will yell, "Thank you, ranger. You will not be forgotten!"

(posted for Spider)

As much as Spider enjoyed making things go boom, he had what he thought was a better idea.  "Jack!  I'll provide cover!  Get to it!"  He scrambled up one of the taller mounds of stones and used the height advantage to provide covering fire as Jack set the explosives.  He could keep himself out of reach of the zombies, keep reloading, and call out any that seemed to be getting close to his friend.  Then, once the charges were set and the fuse lit, he'd jump down and they could once more start blasting and smashing their way through the monsters.  He'd probably be low on the expensive cartridges anyway, so he would resort to using the rifle as a club when he had to.

Banishing a Great Old One pt 6
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Jack and Spider set the fuse on the explosives and run for the boat, which is listing badly now, the glimmering light just about faded.  Hachi is coughing and choking, unable to keep up her chant; she is desperately waving her feather fan and brandishing the BPRD badge at the tendrils of black matter that are arcing out of the swamp water at her.  The substance of the Dark Water God is repelled by the badge, but it is clear that the Seminole woman is struggling to keep on her feet.  The undead are in collapsed heaps all around, including the helpful one, abandoned like cast-off toys.

Then the explosives detonated, the sound louder than the peals of thunder, the ground shaking under their feet.  The boat fell onto the rotting wood dock with a solid thud, knocking Hachi down.  The lashing tentacles of black goo suddenly lost their cohesion and splattered down across the dock, the boat, Hachi, and the seething water.   Jack is staggering and exhausted from his exertion - Spider is partially winded but able to throw them both into the boat and shove off from the Lost City before the Dark Water God figured out what just happened, and who did it.  The thunder crashed all around them, but the skies did not open up with the heavy rains Florida swamps often enjoy.  It was a long trip back towards the Seminole settlement.   The darkness of the swamp seemed to have retreated; a large crocodile surfaced and kept pace with the boat for a moment, before submerging and going off on his own errands.  A tall grey water bird about three feet long paced on spindly legs along the banks, eyeing them carefully; there were no signs of owls.  Spider piloted the boat with Hachi unconscious in the bottom of the boat, and Jack not much better off.

At last the settlement was in sight, and the Agents pulled into the dock.  It seemed that the Doctor had been very busy; he was stitching up a wounded forearm on a Seminole child as at least eight other patients awaited their turns.   Spider could see that Fritz was in the chickee too, holding a flashlight and a tray for the doctor.  Thorne was seated near a platform, obviously on watch over the patient there - it was Irina.  She had been mauled on the shoulder by one of the owl creatures and apparently their bite was toxic.   Her condition was stable and she was breathing slowly, but would not awaken easily.  There had been several casualties, and another chickee had been set up to begin the funeral customs for the dead.   Thorne looked weary, bruised and angry, but seemed unhurt.  Fritz was clean and dressed in the local native's apparel, even down to moccasins on his feet, and serving competently as the doctor's assistant.   "Damn things were on us fast," Thorne reported in low tones to Spider and Jack, as they brought Hachi in.  "Three of them all at once.  Couldn't get to her fast enough.  Hanson says she'll be all right but it will take time."

The rain finally came, softly pattering on the roofs of the chickees, onto the thick reed matting.  It cleared away to a blue sky with a strong wind from the West, after a long time of Hanson at work.  The Doctor was so tired that one of the Seminole women volunteered to pilot his boat back to his house for him.  Through it all, the terribly old and frail blind man, Holata, Wise man and chief of his tribe, stood and listened.
"Your deeds will never be forgotten," he said, as the Agents prepared to leave.  "For all the time that my tribe is here upon this land, we will sing of this day.   You will always find a friend here.  Go with my blessing."

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GM:  I think we lost Richard, hope he's all right.  I'll put Irina on Medical Leave in-game, we may have another player coming in though with a new PC.  Have to keep the plot moving.
Please respond with actions, etc, by Saturday 10 July, next post Sunday.  Hope everyone's getting along in the real world, it's almost back to a weird kind of Normal where I am, apart from hysterically tyrannical rules at my workplace, where I am not since now I'm on medical leave myself for knee surgery.
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(posted for Spider)

Once they have returned to the settlement and surveyed the inhabitants and the Raiders, Spider put his first aid skill to use assisting the Doctor by taking care of the lower priority cases until everyone was too exhausted to continue.  As they finally made ready to leave, Spider turned to the Seminoles and their leader.  "I'm glad we could help.  But we certainly didn't do this alone.  Your actions will be recorded in our archives as well.  Thank you for everything."  He even volunteered for the first shift driving, since Fritz and Thorne were no less exhausted than he was.

Jack will wearily thank Holata also, and will make sure Hachi is being cared for. Then he will go sit by Irina's side until he can't stay awake. At that point he will find a place to lie down near her and fall into an exhausted sleep.

The Dark Water God Mission End
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----------Everyone----
The Seminoles were grateful for the Agents' assistance.  Many of them had been bitten by the Owl creatures, and were in much the same shape as Irina.  Most others had the typical wartime injuries, which was nothing new to Spider or to Fritz.   Hachi was worn out and voiceless until her throat healed, but she was able to return Thorne's badge to him.  Holata did have a warning for Jack, though.  "Be careful when you deal with gods," he said. "They forget we are mortal."
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The truck was reloaded with local supplies, which gave the Agents some better variety for their roadside barbeques.  After liaising with the Florida Fish, Game and Wildlife division, at least they were able to answer what had happened to the missing wardens, and even answer the question of where a missing fisherman from New York was last seen.  Of the Dark Water God, whatever had infested the swamp had retreated to the Lost City, a ruined island in the deep heart of the Everglades, its influence diminished by the Agents' actions.  Irina remained quiet, with only brief periods of consciousness.
Doctor Hanson had treated her wounds with a mixture of Seminole folk medicine and modern Western techniques; she was healing, but slowly.  Thorne had purchased some hides to make the shoes he was so set on having.  The borrowed Seminole outfit had been returned, as Fritz had again ruined a new suit in the service of the BPRD, but he kept the beaded moccasins, trading one of the Very pistols and some flares for them.
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Spider drove most of the way out of Florida; Fritz was able to take the wheel, but Thorne, Jack and Irina were mostly out of it. They did not rush back to Washington, given the driving schedule, and stopped in Georgetown, South Carolina for the night, staying at a hotel that had been built in the 19th century.   Next thing Spider noticed was that Thorne had disappeared.  "He'll be back.  He has to look at something.  Make a telephone call.  It is a family matter," Fritz said, unconcerned.  Thorne returned in about five hours, not looking happy, but said nothing about it.  Irina was carried into her room which was ensuite to a larger room with enough beds for the gentlemen; Fritz offered to watch over her, so that Jack could continue to rest.  Jack had also noticed a significant increase in the grey hair on his head; it was as if the use of the wand was pulling not only magic, but years of his life.  The Agents made the most of their time away from the office, as Thorne picked up the tab for their stay.
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The following day, the Agents made it as far as Richmond, where they were able to stay for free at the palatial estate of one of Thorne's many friends.  The Fenton family welcomed Thorne and Fritz as old friends; the married couple were obviously old money, well into their fifties, and very pleased to have company.  Their staff were efficient and polite and the household was run smoothly; the Agents sat down to a five-course dinner, and there was a pool table in the back room with an ample supply of bourbon to fortify their spirits.   Abraham Fenton had been a successful financier and his wife Martha a relentless patron of the arts; their children were married and moved away, so this visit was a welcome distraction.   Irina was settled into the Rose Room, where the extensive rose garden could be seen from the French windows.  All of their rooms, the 'guest' rooms, were well-appointed with large, comfortable beds.

 The gentlemen went to play or watch the game; they could hear the piano being played by Martha Fenton in the parlour next door, something cheerful and light.    Abraham Fenton used the time to ask Thorne questions about the financial markets.  "I'm concerned about the recession," he said, in mild tones, as he set up a shot for a striped ball that missed.
"A smart man would be," Thorne replied.  "The stock market is volatile; I'm diversifying into real estate and gold.  Though I have recently purchased some shares in the automobile industry."  Thorne sunk his target and moved to take the next shot.  "Willys, and a new company, called Chrysler Corporation." He missed the shot and yielded the table to their host.
"I want you to consider Russia," Abraham Fenton said in his gentle voice.  "You are well-placed in Washington.  You will know what to look for.  I am very concerned."  He  missed his shot again, and sat down.  Thorne proceeded to clear the table.
"If you have any concerns, you may always tell me," Thorne said, as polite as ever.
"War is my concern, old friend.  Another war.  But, let us speak of more pleasant things. What entertainment can be found in DC ?"
"It's a good city for the arts, but you have to deal with a lot of government backwash; they closed an opera house to turn it into a federal building, if you can believe that horror," Thorne scoffed.   He handed off the cue stick to the next set of players and settled down to watch.  The evening was pleasant and the Agents were well-rested to drive into Washington DC the next day.
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GM:  Please finish up with any actions you wish to take prior to your debriefing at Headquarters.   Irina is going to be on Medical Leave until Richard gets back online, and we are going to have a new Agent PC next week.  Please respond by Saturday, 17 July, next post Sunday.

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