The Lost City of Florida pt 1.

DC, June, 1925

Irina spent some time in New York, finding that The City was quite full of Russian ex-pats, so much so that she is able to purchase some treats from the Old Country.   Her mother offered her the sable stole, but it was too heartbreaking to take away.  Jack seemed all right for the most part - but that Wand was always around.  Even if he put it down, or in a desk drawer, the next time he checked his jacket, there it was.  Looking into subzero survival is rough, given all the accounts of deaths, frostbite injuries, and other horrors, and there is mention of a fourth traveller in Shackleford's South Georgia crossing that is strange, as only three men were there. There is probably more research somewhere in Trevor's laboratory.

Jack sat out in the perimeter during the Spell with Bitsie, Thorne and Fritz, who had organised a whole rota of perimeter checks so that by dawn, his feet were killing him.  The spell was done and the whole office went home, apart from some of the mice.   Nothing untoward had happened in the casting of the spell as far as he could determine.  His suggestion of a cornerless 'safe room' was met with approval.  Irina was his bastion of sanity.  The trials the Raiders had faced so far seemed to be nothing compared to what they would be getting into at the South Pole.

Spider looked into the whole Bureaucracy thing, seeing that it was already giving Ben headaches, though Edith was the one who was running the office with apparent ease.  The mission board for the Antarctic adventure was getting more and more added to it; the departure was now loosely set for August.  The mission itself is "find the lost city".  The hope was that something in that city might help the BPRD prevent the rising of Cthulhu.  The idea that they would face something as terrible, or possibly worse in the Antarctic was the stuff of nightmares.  And all Spider had was the tenuous promise of a future that involved thin black rectangles with glass fronts, an annoying Roman, and a time machine.  The time machine that for the moment, was still inert and resting in the deserted back corridors of the Grey Building.
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Pressure is brought to bear by the Florida Governor, John W. Martin, who was clearly concerned about the Everglades problem being a stumbling block in his quest to increase tourism and land speculation.  He wanted the Bureau to investigate the swamp disappearances and if that meant razing some forgotten city to the ground, so be it.  Since the launch of the icebreaker for the Antarctic expedition would be from Florida, it was politically expedient to send a team to investigate the Everglades and come to some conclusions about what was going on there.   With many concerns relating to the Antarctic, the agents accepted their assignments, and the large truck was supplied and sent to Florida.  The small truck went to Rhode Island, to deal with the most haunted place on the East Coast.
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GM:  Any actions you wish to do before heading to Florida, or if you wish to stay in DC and research the Antarctic expedition, please respond by Saturday, 16 January, next post Sunday.  Hope everyone is managing the pandemic.  Sorry to hear you're stuck, Richard.  Hope it improves or at least doesn't get worse. I'll email the post to Paul.
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Since it's the first port of call, Irina will try to benefit from the research Jack did on Florida. 'Wet season' implies all kinds of waterproof clothing and some good boots. She'll try particularly to find something on Seminole writing, or possibly the address of someone in Florida who can understand it.

The area to cover is daunting but I see that most recent disappearance and the glyphs are not far from the supposed 'Lost/Ghost City', so that's presumably our starting point?





It's pretty bad here, but cases seem to be falling now, and the vaccination programme is going well. I have hopes that 2021 will at least end up better than 2020.
Thanks for the recap on the Antarctic mission.
Stay safe, everyone.

Richard

The Lost City of Florida pt 2

The Research Results are in:

Located 8 miles south of Alligator Alley, the abandoned Seminole village covers about three acres.  Talofa Luse is the Seminole or Muskogean name of the village, or at least what it's called now - "Moon Town"- the original name, and why it was abandoned hundreds of years ago, are not known.
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There is one notable mention of the place in the journal of a Confederate Sergeant, Robert Murphy, who had quartered there during the War Between the States.
The entries of interest are from 1864, 3 August and end on 16 August.   The journal was mailed to Anne Murphy, the wife of Robert Murphy in 1872, and was in generally poor condition - waterstained and tattered.  It was mostly illegible due to damage.

3 August.  Came to Moon camp very sore.  Rain all night, flooded, in a quandry what to do. Stross much distressed at word of enemy lines redrawn at home.  No word from the Brigade.  No one sleeps.  It is never safe.
[two pages illegible and torn]
7 August  Skirmishing with Indians, Burke is miserable cut from battle, we are all disgusted with this fix.  Staid on post through night, lost Staunton to the swamp.  Never saw him start from camp.  No sleep.

8 August.  Burke layd to rest, rained hard.  Weighted him down with stones from the wall.  Snake bit McQuaid and he is fevered.  Horses are sickend by the bad grass.  Curst by the Devil on all sides.  We are much distressed.

12 August.  Two horses snakebit.  My new mare gone already.  Message from Brigade to stand ready to jine the Cavalry.  Indians chantin.  [illegible passage]  No sleep.  Rain hot as the Devil.
[at least one page torn, another half-torn and illegible]
16 August.  It comes in the night.  [illegible passage ]The chantin.  We are all dead men.  Anne, my puddin, I may never see you agin.

There are no records of any of the soldiers mentioned in the journal rejoining the cavalry brigade; the camp was presumably abandoned.
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The Seminole Indians are at home on the waterways of the swamp, building shacks up on stilts as needed and using canoes to travel.  They have had to learn this because the United States has waged three wars against them, nearly extinguishing the Seminoles; some were captured and transplanted to Oklahoma, but a few hundred managed to evade capture and hid in the Everglades.  There is a notable similarity between Mayan glyphs and Seminole glyphs, and mention of a House of Warriors, where songs were chanted in an unknown tongue.  It is also mentioned that the Seminole may have come to Florida from across the sea, possibly the Gulf of Mexico.  The glyphs of the Seminole feature eyes, often multitudes on one form, circular mazelike patterns and bold stick figures where glyphs do not serve.  The Seminole are also said to be mound builders, where the mounds might have been burial sites that have been plundered.  It could not be said that the Seminole Indians are happy with the United States, nor its agents, given the history.
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As near as can be determined by Trevor, the glyphs found near the latest 'disappearance' might mean, "the Dark Water Prayer" or "the Night Water Place", or something like that.
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 Irina makes certain that there are waterproof clothing and boots, and looks up a  Dr. W. Stanley Hanson, Jr, who founded the Seminole Indian Association in Fort Myers in 1913.  He is a friend and doctor to the Seminoles living on the Big Cypress Reservation where the Everglades meet the Big Cypress Swamp - an excellent resource for the Agents to contact.    The Wet Season in Florida means it will rain, every day.  Possibly all day and night.  The Seminole have a word for what you get after you've waded through a lot of water and there's a lot more water to go through - Ocalee, which means 'still water'.
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With whatever preparations deemed necessary the Agents board the large truck and bicker over the driving shifts, the travel food, and the mission on the road to Florida.  It will take three days, given the roads, to reach the Big Cypress Reservation and hopefully more information from Dr. Hanson.
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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc, upon arrival in Florida, or if your PC has opted to stay in DC.  Hope you are all well and coping.
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In reply to The GM (msg # 3):

Snakes. Irina hadn't thought about snakes - the only dangerous species found in European Russia is the adder, and they were hardly ever seen in St Petersburg. She'll make sure to stock up on antidotes and antivenom.

Is Dr Hanson connected to whoever employs the game wardens? If not, then she'd also like to check in with whichever organisation does (Department of Agriculture?), since they asked for her by name - presumably thanks to some connection with John Stuart.

See if we can get some idea where the men might have been going, and of course news of any other strange occurrences in the vicinity.

And yes, ask Dr Hanson if he's heard of a God of Dark Water or the like, and what he knows of Moon Town.

Do we have to get about by boat?

Jack will call ahead to Dr Hanson, explaining that they are federal agents coming to investigate the missing men in the swamp. He will take pains to explain that they do not wish to disturb the Seminole people, and that any diplomatic or translation help the doctor could provide would be most appreciated.
Besides the rainwear and snake remedies that Irina mentioned, he will be sure to pack plenty of ammunition for his .45 and 12 gauge (including any special ammo Fritz can supply), as well as a pair of flare guns and a dozen flares, a silvered dagger, a dozen sticks of dynamite with 20 feet of all-weather fuse, and his research notes on the local geography, natives, folklore, etc.

Post 3: The Lost City of Florida pt 3.
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 It is not currently illegal to hunt alligators.   To this end Fritz has packed a spear gun, an elephant gun, and ammunition that Bitsie Black had performed some kind of blessing spell on; the bullet casings were an iridescent green and the lead oxidized to dark grey.  In addition to snakes (the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the timber rattlesnake, the dusky pygmy rattlesnake, the coral snake, the cottonmouth, and the copperhead, and the eastern diamondback rattlesnake has the most lethal bite), there are crocodiles, alligators, panthers, and spiders, the brown recluse, the Southern black widow, and even sharks, the bull shark being known for going from salt to fresh water.   Spider almost feels at home with all the deadly wildlife.  Contacting the boss of the wardens prior to arrival gets them the office of Harold Ramsdell, who seems surprised and gratified that there is a government agency taking an interest.  "I can't get anyone to go into the Glades now, and that's where we need to be," Ramsdell said on the telephone. "I had a call today to look for a missing fisherman and no one to send, nor a boat to send them in." It did look that boats would be involved, and he didn't seem to know about Dr. Hanson.  The missing wardens are Harry Gleeson, Martin Scobey and Johnny Dumas, according to Harold Ramsdell, supervisor of the commission's game wardens.  Harry Gleeson's Bowie knife was found by the "Dark Water God" glyphs, the man was never without it, including sleeping with it under his pillow.  The disappearances are all fairly recent; Dumas was last seen 12 February, Scobey was heard on a radio on 31 March, and Gleeson's knife was found 13 May.  All three were working for the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission as game wardens, responsible for patrolling the Everglades at the times of their disappearances. Mostly, this is related to hunting for bootleggers.

Supervisor Harold Ramsdell has his office in Tallahassee.  He can provide more information on the missing wardens as well.  Johnny Dumas was a Creole, 42 years old and a family man, noted for being very good with boats, though there were suspicions of bootlegging raised more than once.   He and his boat have not been found.   Martin Scobey was 50 years old, an expert hunter and fisherman, and had last reported that he was in pursuit of another boat.  He and his boat were never found.  Harry Gleeson, 31,was a known brawler and troublemaker, but also an experienced fisherman who had recently taken fifteen gators in one day; his Bowie knife was top-quality, one of a kind, and found damaged near the glyphs - and there were bloodstains.  He has two more wardens in the area, Robert Dooley and Faro Wheeler.  Dooley is two weeks to retirement and will NOT leave the office, and Wheeler has broken his leg falling out of his mistress' second floor bedroom window.  Ramsdell has a map with the location and reads off the exact latitude and longitude of the site where the knife and glyphs were found.  He seems content to let the agents take all the risks.   He does mention to Irina that he was told to ask the BPRD for help by John Stuart, a classmate from University.
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Jack telephoned Dr. Hanson, leaving a message for him with his son, and received a call back requesting to reverse the charges.  Hanson seems a very likeable man, and his interest in the local tribe is genuine.  "You know, the government is trying to drain the swamp, and they're building like mad around here in South Florida," he said. "We're seeing a whole environment changing over months.  I don't know much about legends and suchlike, I'm usually too busy checking tonsils and stitching up wounds, but I do know who to ask. You'll need a guide who really knows the Everglades."  He knows Harold Ramsdell by name, but not really much more than that.  "Most of the Seminole have a few choice words to say about the game wardens," he told Jack with a chuckle.  He gives Jack directions to his house and promises to bring the agents to the Seminole reservation. He hasn't been to Moon Town, and was warned to steer clear of it, as there were several aggressive crocodiles in the area, so fishing was too dangerous.
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It takes a few days of rough travel but the agents arrive in Florida easily enough, heading down South to the infamous Alligator Alley.   "There's my new shoes," Thorne said, pointing to a huge beast rippling along on the water.  They trundle onwards to the Hanson residence, finding the Doctor just arriving too, pulling up to a ramshackle dock with a flat boat, about 10 o'clock in the morning.   Clouds are rolling in and it looks like rain. The Doctor's son, a youngster of 12, moors the boat and helps his father offload a string of bass and some tackle.  The house is built up on stilts, though the ground is currently dry.  "You must be the agents," Doctor Hanson greeted them.  "This is Stan Junior, I'm Stan Hanson Senior.  Come in and have some fresh orange juice."  The son was dispatched to clean fish while the Doctor served up the orange juice and some biscuits.   "We can head out to the reservation when you like," he said. "I can fit three people in my boat.   We might be able to borrow my neighbour's boat, he can fit five.  Can any of you pilot a boat ?"
"Yes," said Thorne.
"It's the easiest way to reach the reservation, from here.  There are some back roads but they tend to flood out and we're going to get rain again." the Doctor said.  "It would be good if you kept in mind the horrific treatment the Seminole have endured over the last hundred-plus years.  They're surviving on land that no one else wanted, but now that the swamp is being drained, they may lose that too.  This Tamiami Trail is going to cut more land off them." He was referring to the east-west highway being built across Florida, which would indeed bisect the Everglades.   As they packed up to head out, after borrowing the flat boat from next door, the Raiders set off into the swamp.  Dr. Hanson had packed his medical bag and a rain slicker.
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GM:  Who's heading out into the swamp, is anyone staying at the house, or in DC ?  Please respond by Saturday, 30 January, next post Sunday.  Hope all is well or as well as it can be expected
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In reply to The GM (msg # 6):

Irina will head out into the swamp. She'll ask Hanson if he knows a wise woman or medicine man among the Seminole that he could introduce us to.

The Lost City of Florida pt 2

Irina and Spider get into the boat with Hanson, while Thorne goes over the flat boat from next door, evicting a small possum from the cargo box.   Hanson answers Irina's question with a smile.  "The Medicine Man is Holata, the Alligator.  He's at least 90 years old, has bad cataracts, arthritis.  I've been trying to talk him into surgery for the cataracts, I know an excellent surgeon in St. Augustine, a friend of mine from medical school. Holata knows some excellent salves and ointments for a variety of illnesses - and he will probably be able to tell you what you want to know."  The warm rain came down a few minutes later, drenching the agents.  Irina was best prepared for the deluge.  They reached the reservation almost an hour later, weaving through long alleys of cypress trees and tall grass, hearing various animals in the underbrush.  A swamp rabbit splashed across the bow of the Doctor's boat, narrowly avoiding a medium-sized gator, and a cottonmouth swam alongside Spider's boat for just long enough to cause concern.  The rain stopped just as they were easing into the docks of the reservation.  A Seminole woman in a bright patchwork cotton dress stood under a palm tree, watching them silently.  "Good afternoon, Hachi," the Doctor said to the woman, with as courteous a bow as could be made from a boat.  "I have some friends here who would like to speak to Holata."
"He knows this," the Seminole woman said, simply, and caught the rope the Doctor tossed to her, quickly mooring it to the tree-trunk dock.
"Do I have any patients today ?"  Doctor Hanson asked.
"The same as last time," Hachi said, looking at each of the agents with a keen gaze. There was no change in her expression at all; but she did blink once, when she got to Thomas Thorne, who shrugged.
Doctor Hanson climbed out, held out a hand to assist Irina, and let the men offload themselves.  He also took up his medical bag.   "I'll take a look at little Micco's cast, if you will please take my friends to Holata," he said to Hachi.  She nodded once, and gave a slight hand wave to indicate that the agents should follow her.  The settlement itself was plain and utilitarian, with palm fronds forming the roofs of simple pole tents, open to the air on all sides.  A few youngsters were running around in the background, playing some kind of tag game, and a pair of old women were shelling peas into woven straw baskets.  The clothing was handmade, and usually featured patchwork and bold colours.  The agents had a sense of being watched, but it wasn't overt or threatening.  Hanson set off into the reservation with purpose, waving hello to the old women and the children.

Hachi led the agents on a winding path, where more lean to shelters were apparent, some with possessions settled near them, a bright basket, a homemade fishing pole.  The palm-thatched dwelling of the medicine man was well-decorated with bright yarn ties and seashells, and an ancient-looking man was quietly smoking a clay pipe, seated on a cushion of blankets.  His clothes were also patchwork, with shell beading, and what little hair he had was white.  His eyes were also heavily clouded by cataracts, but he was smiling and his face was turned towards the agents.  There was a short exchange in Seminole, and Hachi sat down near the old man's left side. "My English, it sometimes is not good," the old man said.  "The wind told me you were coming.  Who among you has the totem of the owl ?  Who speaks for you ?"

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GM: Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few minutes of gametime, by Saturday, 6 February, next post Sunday
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In reply to The GM (msg # 8):

Irina looks about, but will speak up if no-one else does.

"We come from Washington, but we are not the kind of Americans you may have dealt with in the past. We come because men have gone missing - rangers, and I know you may have had your differences with such men in the past. But not only because of them - also because there are rumours of magic, and the God of Dark Waters." She will show Hachi a picture of the glyphs. "We have encountered such spirits in the past, and would like to try and understand what it is that is happening here. What can you tell us of the history of this place, and the powers the dwell here?"

OOC: Sorry I’ve been distracted. Had to suddenly choose either to reapply for my job (which is changing from contract to in-house) or find a new one with my agency at another site. Figured it out Friday.

IC: Jack will greet Hanson and say they spoke on the phone, thanking him again for his assistance. He will certainly go along on the boat trip to the Seminole. He is an experienced boater from growing up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
He will wear wet-weather gear and bring a knapsack with most of his weapons packed in oilcloth, except for his .45 in a belt holster for quick protection. The shotgun will come along in an oilskin cover so as not to appear threatening to the Seminole.
He will smile at the women and children, and wave if they wave. He will thank Hachi when they get to Holata’s home. He will leave his pack and wrapped shotgun outside the entry and dip his head respectfully to the man. He doesn’t add anything to Irina’s excellent summary of their reason for coming.

The Lost City of Florida pt 3
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The agents notice that the Seminole are carefully watching them as they go to speak with the Medicine Man Holata.  The women and children did wave back at Jack.   Irina spoke, noticing that Holata turned his face towards her, smiling gently.  Hachi spoke to him in Seminole after looking intently at the glyphs Irina showed her.
"I can say many things, to those who would listen," the old man said.  "You are one who knows the hidden ways of power, lady from far away to the East.  Hachi -" he spoke in Seminole for about a minute, the woman nodding and frowning as she listened.
"The spirit of - of the waters.  Of the land, this place, it is an old spirit.   It shifts its form, the Dark Waters."  Hachi spoke, looking at Irina and company with a calm gaze, translating what Holata had told her.  "There are other spirits here too, like it, perhaps part of it.  They are owl-people.  We do not speak their name for they will hear it and come for us.  The place where you seek is deep in the swamp, what we call now the Moon town.  It is not safe. It is more dangerous than death."  She asked Holata something in Seminole, and he replied, shaking his head.
Hachi spoke again, after thinking about what to say.  "He says, the swamp itself is in more than one place, one time, one shape.  And it is - unhappy. The signs say, this offering is made to appease it."
Holata spoke again, and drew the blanket closer around him, though the day was quite warm.  Hachi paused, then spoke.
"He cannot take you to the place you seek.  I will take you there.  And you will do what you can to make the Dark Water God become peaceful again."  She stood up, took a machete in a deerskin sheath, clearly ready to go.
"Ahhh...." Thomas Thorne, typically unable to shut up for long, spoke up.  "Is there any idea what happened to the missing game wardens ?"
"Yes.  Their hearts were eaten, and they are dead," Hachi said matter-of-factly.
Holata spoke again. "Beware of owls," he said.  Hachi set off towards another dock, where two canoes were moored.  One looked like it was in dire need of repair, but she went to the better-looking one.  "There are no men to spare, so I will take you to that cursed place," she said.  "You must follow in the smaller boat, the doctor's boat - there are places where a large boat cannot fit.  If one of the men of your kind can row a canoe and is a good shot with a gun, he may sit in my canoe." She whipped her long hair up into a bun, securing it with bone spikes, and laid a fishing spear inside the canoe, preparing to depart immediately.
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GM:  Actions, etc, for the next hour or so of game time.  Anyone going in Hachi's canoe, or in the doctor's boat ?  Anyone staying in camp and asking more questions ?   Please respond with actions, etc, by Saturday 13 February, next post St. Valentine's Day, Sunday.  Hope everyone is all right and staying healthy.  Sorry to hear your job situation is a mess, Jack, hope it is resolved to your liking.
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Jack will ride with Hachi. He finds a couple of small chunks of wood to rest his shotgun on so it’s up out of any water in the bottom of the canoe. He will attempt to keep track of their direction of travel with a pocket compass and the sun. He will follow Hachi’s directions on when and where to paddle, stop, etc., without question since she obviously knows what she’s doing.

In reply to The GM (msg # 11):

Irina doesn't know one end of a boat from the other, and hopes that Thorne does. She'll take the doctor's canoe and paddle to someone else's directions if she won't be an impediment, or ride shotgun if not.

The Lost City of Florida pt 4

Irina opts to get in the doctor's flat boat, with Thorne piloting.  The Southerner seems to know what he's doing.  Fritz secures his rifle and takes the bow, ready to deal with anything that might try to eat the boat or the passengers.  Jack takes the second seat in Hachi's canoe, noting that the draft of the canoe seems shallow, so that they would be able to skim over most of the swamp.  "If you see an owl, tell me," Hachi said, "We will be watched.  That is why I allow a ghost man in my canoe today, so that you will be seen to be welcome.  The kill shot on an alligator is right behind the head, the top of the neck."
"Noted," said Thorne, who nodded at Fritz.  Hachi used her machete on a sapling as they passed, making a trail mark.  She continued to do this as they went, adding a slash each time.
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It was hot and sticky, now that the rain had stopped, and the insects were merciless.  The smell of the swamp surrounded them, along with the strange sounds of unseen animals and shifting water, the rattle of swamp grass in a slight breeze, the splash of paddles and the puttering of the boat's motor.  More than once Thorne had to stop to cut the rotor free of weeds.  On a mudbank to the West, a pair of immense crocodiles were sunning on the bank - both of them easily 12 feet long.  Thorne was clearly interested in bagging one, and was just about to turn to tell Fritz to shoot one, when an owl called, and was answered by another.  No one could see any owls, and Hachi kept on paddling.  The sun crested overhead, and there was still more swamp.  Jack checked their bearings, but found the compass was giving strange readings - sometimes the needle just went spinning and would not settle.  Hachi marked another cypress root with some cuts.  "We are close," she said.
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Then silence fell; only the water splashing as it was displaced by the boats, and a faint rustle of the sedge grass.  It was eerie and unsettling.  Something rocked the canoe from underneath - Jack caught a glimpse of a massive alligator in the murky water, easily bigger than the canoe, as he struggled to keep it from tipping.  Then there was the loud report of Fritz's rifle, echoing through the overhanging cypress, and the alligator thrashed away.  The owls began calling again, one, then two, then more.  Ahead, there seemed to be a heavily overgrown island, vines claiming what look to be stone blocks of a ruin.  A broken gateway, what was apparently a round gate at one time, is the landing point, the mudbank being low enough to drive the canoe up onto it.  "Moon town." Hachi said, keeping her voice low.  "Take nothing from this place.  Do not lose sight of each other. You will not find your way back."  She got out of the canoe, mooring it to a stone block with a length of rope, and called out to the town in Seminole.  There was no reply, just the lapping of water.  Silently, like a shadow from the depth of night, a huge Great Horned owl soared out of the cypress trees to land on the broken moon gate, staring at them with big golden eyes.
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GM:  Please respond with actions, etc for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday, 20 February, next post Sunday.
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(posted for Spider)

Spider helps paddle but keeps quiet.  He does his best to do whatever Hachi suggests, helping cut weeds off propellers, and being ready to shoot gators and/or crocs.  Once they are at Moon Town, he just keeps looking around, trying to see trouble before it gets to them.  Once they see the large owl, he whispers to Hachi, "Do we bow down, make an offering, shoot it?"

Jack frowns at the spinning compass and pays close attention to Hachi’s trail blazing as they go further in. When they arrive, he will follow her lead, getting out when she does, and he will bring his pack and cased shotgun with him. He will eye the bird politely and give a nod in its direction. If nothing else occurs, he will let his eyes roam over the nearby area, looking for signs of activity, markings on the stonework, etc.

In reply to The GM (msg # 14):

Irina will carry her shotgun over her shoulder, stay close to Jack, and take her lead from Hachi. Does her archaeology (or indeed Cthulhu Mythos) tell her anything about the ruin?

The Lost City of Florida pt 5
Somewhere in the Everglades


Hachi whispers urgently to the Agents. "Don't shoot anything here.  Even if it attacks !"  She then bows to the owl, speaking in Seminole, with a staying hand towards the Agents.  "I have asked their permission for you to look at the place where the last sacrifice was made - only four of you may go.  It is a number sacred to these people."

Irina looked closely at the ruins, as does Jack.  The island is maybe a half-mile or less, with swamp overgrowth over everything they can currently see.  The worn carvings half-hidden by vines definitely reminded her of Mayan petroglyphs, morphed humanoid animals with depictions of wind, moon, and water.  Even the stone looked out of place - not the expected coral, more like limestone.  It would have had to have been quarried elsewhere and moved.  But what was worse - as she watched, a black shadow oozed along the bottom of one wall, pooling on the ground, then creeping along another broken block of stone.  There was nothing there that could cast such a shadow.  Jack doesn't discern this so much, but Irina clearly sees the deliberate independent movement of something deeply unnatural - it is the same soul-rending feeling she had when the Dark Young was on the attack.

"Hey-" Thorne hissed, pointing at the water.  Darkness was bubbling up, like oil from beneath the water and spreading, surrounding the canoe and the flat boat.  Both vessels rocked as they were lifted up by thick black stuff.  Questing tentacles slid up along the edge of the canoe, tracing a Seminole pattern painted on the hull.  (Sanity rolls....(Jack -2 san, Irina -5 san, phobia: darkness, Spider, -3 san, Fritz -8 san, phobia: darkness, Thorne, -1 san, Hachi, -2 san)..)  The normally stable Fritz bolts from the boat in a standing leap that would win awards, and scurries up onto a stone block, clutching his rifle.  "Dammit !" Thorne said under his breath.   " Macht nichts, mit ihnen gehen, sei vorsichtig."  Fritz stared back, wide-eyed.  "I'll be right here when you get back, Fritzi," Thorne said.   Hachi was fumbling in the canoe, pulling out a beaded feather fan.  She began to wave and flick it, intoning a nasal chant in Seminole.   Spider notes that she seems very scared, but determined.  Carefully, cautiously, Irina, Jack and Spider moved out onto the overgrown island, the huge owl turning on its perch to watch them go.  It takes some persuasion to move Fritz, but eventually he moves.  The pooling darkness trails after them like oil, spreading and slinking along.

The ruins seem to have been a large structure, perhaps a temple.  No wall is undamaged and the vines are heavily overgrown - apart from one flat area where the stone blocks are stained with dark brown gunk, by a heavy stone slab with thick grooves cut into it, also clogged with the brown goo - dried blood.  There is no body, but the glyphs are the same as from their earlier information.   Just at the edge of their vision the Agents see owls moving around on silent wings, keeping to the outskirts of the ruin.  As they observe the scene, the darkness following them pools larger and thicker, bubbling obscenely.

GM:  Actions, please, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by Saturday 27 February, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all well and coping !
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Jack tries to shake off the horror creeping over him and recites the 23rd Psalm under his breath as they go. In the temple, he will walk carefully around the altar, looking for tracks, marks, or other evidence apart from the obvious.He will NOT go out of sight nor let anyone else do so.

The Lost City of Florida pt 6

The Lost City, desolate ruins in a swamp, site of what must be a ritual sacrifice.  It's clear that at least one person, possibly more, have been sacrificed here at the grooved stone block.  There's too much blood for one person.  And notably the flies are staying away from it.  In fact the only living things the Agents have seen have been owls, and that gross tarlike mass that is following them.
----------------------
Jack calls upon his faith as he moves around carefully, and once again finds the wand in his hand; but he kept everyone in view.  The slurry of black goo continues to slowly follow after them, emitting bubbles that pop with ugly wet sounds.  A small brown owl alights on one of the broken stone walls, watching them with large yellow eyes.

Then, fast as a bolt of lightning, a huge light grey owl dives across the clearing, seizing the small owl in its talons and carrying it off.  Owls wing back and forth in great consternation, but stay well away from the temple area and none land where they might easily be seen.  The bubbling darkness draws back, oozing into a thicker mass.  To the Agents' surprise, Fritz pulls out a slab of white chalk and eyes the darkness with cold intent.  Perhaps it is no mystery that Fritz' sanity is more easily challenged - studying the Mythos has its effects on one's sanity.
---------------------------------------

Please respond with actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday 6 March, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all doing as well as possible.
---------------------

In reply to The GM (msg # 20):

Irina scuttles away from the spreading darkness, just about managing to heed Hachi's warning not to shoot anything.

She rests a hand on Fritz's shoulder, and shakes her head.

"I think throwing rocks probably counts as well," she tells him shakily. "It's *wrong*, I know, so keep an eye on it - but don't hit it yet."

The Lost City of Florida pt 7

Irina went to Fritz's side.  The German seemed to be having trouble with English at the moment, but he had one intent.  On the reverse side of the agents' badges, an Elder sign was inscribed.  Fritz  knelt down, dragging the chalk along the stone paving, copying the symbol while keeping a weather eye on the monstrosity.  The seething darkness seemed to recognise what he was about, too - it began sinking back through the cracks in the paving.  As Irina stared at the sight, she noticed something else, nearly hidden in a patch of weeds; a brown leather billfold, such as a man would carry.  Inside was a card identifying Harry Fenderson as a licenced New York driver, residing at #132 Sixth Street, Scotia, NY; a tattered photograph of a smiling woman in a flapper's dress, twelve dollars, and a couple of slips of paper with numbers on them.  A rank breeze riffled through the vines and weeds, carrying with it a distant chanting of deep voices, unnervingly resonant, with the smell of ozone.

Then the blast of a handgun, fired once, then again.  Owls scattered from their hidden perches, moving away fast.

GM: Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by 13 March, Saturday, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all as well as can be.

Heeding their guide’s admonition against firing guns, Jack readies the Fist spell and runs toward the gunfire.
“We’re here to help!” he yells as he runs.

Posted for Spider:
Spider had been standing, almost frozen place, but the sound of the handgun seemed to snap him out of it.  He turned in that direction and began moving cautiously in that direction, rifle at the ready.

A Madman in a Swamp pt 1

The Raiders hurry towards where they think the shots came from, and abruptly find themselves at the end of the island ruins- no boat, no canoe, no Thorne, no Hachi, just - swamp.  And a gaunt, raggedly dressed tramp is standing on a mangrove root thicket and waving an old Colt Navy pistol.   Rotten teeth show in his heavily bearded face as he howls "You go on and git out !  It's MY treasure !  MINE !"  He aims the Colt Navy at Jack, just as Spider slides up along a ruined wall with his rifle.  Irina is behind the two Raiders and no one knows where Fritz is.

GM: Actions, etc, please respond by 20 March (Saturday) next post is Sunday.  Hoping we can all look back at this some day and laugh.  Preferably not locked up in the psych ward while we're laughing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:50, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

Jack holds up his empty hands to show the strange figure that he is unarmed, while keeping the fist spell near the forefront of his mind.
“We’re not here for any treasure,” Jack says in an even tone, trying to calm the man. “We are looking for three missing rangers. Can you tell us what’s been going on out here? “

In reply to The GM (msg # 25):

[Apologies - work got on top of me last week]

Irina picks up the billfold and puts it in her bag - it's something that can be looked into later. Is that name familiar at all?

------

She tries to call out to the old man, not sure if he is real or a figment, but not wanting to shoot him either way. It's just barely possible he could be a survivor of the missing Confederate soldiers, which would make it a miracle that the pistol is even working.

"We're not after your treasure, sir! We're just looking for some missing wardens! Please put the gun down and let's talk about this - we have three guns to your one as it is."

She decides mentioning that they work for the US government might be a poor decision if he's a Confederate soldier. She tries to remember the name from the diary.

"Do you know a Sergeant Robert Murphy?"

(posted for Spider)
Spider fires a shot aiming at the mangrove tree near the tramp's head, hoping to startle him.  "Drop the antique, mate!  We're not after your treasure!  We're looking for some folks!"

A Madman in a Swamp pt 2

The madman ducked and scrambled behind the bulk of the mangrove thicket once Spider's shot splintered a branch off the mangrove.
"Devils !  Forrin devils !"  the lunatic howled at them.  It takes a moment, during which they're sure he's reloading, before he responds, and his accent is deep South.  "What you want then ?  Who sent you ?" A bloodshot, suspicious eye peers at them through the mangrove roots.  At Jack's request, he thinks about what to say for a while.  "I am lost," he says at last, in almost a moan, sinking down into the mangrove roots.  "I am lost and I will not find home.  I will not find my treasure."  Whatever madness grips him is more than he manage.  With a keening sob, he sinks down into the dark water....and his flesh melts, darkens, and quickly flows into the water, leaving a rotten brown skeleton behind, one bony hand still gripping the now rusty Colt Navy.

A deep roll of thunder echoes across the spit of land they are standing on, and the skies darken, winds whipping up the leaves of the mangroves.  As if roused by this sound, the skeleton wobbles to its feet and clambers back onto the roots, shambling away from them deeper into the swamp, as a blistering hot rain begins to lash down at the agents.  (San rolls please.....)


(OOC: The name in the billfold is not familiar to Irina).

GM: Actions, for the next few minutes, please respond by Saturday 27 March, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all well, and I am very happy to have you all here !  And to think, a year ago today I was locked in at work for two weeks....

In reply to The GM (msg # 29):

SAN roll 52 - success

Irina watches the skeleton slouch off with a feeling of sadness for the man he once was, somehow kept animated by the dark spirits of this place, and hopes that the same will not happen to them.

"Poor man," she says. "I should have let you talk to him," she says to Jack. "You're the Southern gentleman among us, after all. No wonder Russian and Australian accents confused him... it... whatever he has become."

She adjusts her rain gear and gestures after the skeleton.

"Should we follow?"

(posted for Spider)

Any ease Spider feels upon the lunatic seeming to give up quickly vanishes when he melts into skeletal remains.  And that quickly changes to terror when the skeleton gets to its feet.  His rifle snaps back up as the form begins to head back into the mangroves...

OOC:  Please roll for me.  If he fails, have him snap off a shot at the skeleton's skull.

(I had the dice roller give me a 22.  Even the virtual dice like the players.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:58, Sun 28 Mar 2021.

A Madman in a Swamp pt 3


Despite the gruesome spectacle, with the added joy of boiling hot rain slicing down onto them, the agents do not lose their perspective on the situation.  It was highly unsettling to see a man dissolve, then shamble off as undead.  No doubt the visual will provide nightmares for some time to come.  The agents hold their fire, and the creature is soon lost to view in the steaming rain.  Irina voices the query about following the skeleton, as the weather begins to worsen, debris and branches starting to fly around as the wind whips more fiercely.   The sky darkens to a strange shade of green.  Shadows are flickering with the rising winds, flying owls and more humanoid shapes, hard to discern as a hail of sharp pine needles lash at the agents with gusts of wind.  They begin to stagger to try to stay on their feet - and find that there are vines coiling out of the ruins to wrap around their feet and ankles.   Added to the whistling wind was a rising and falling yell, visceral and wild.  They had heard it before, when Thomas Thorne faced off against werewolves with an old cavalry sabre.  It was difficult to tell what direction the yell was coming from.
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GM: OOC:  Actions, direction heading, dealing with the local flora, please respond by Saturday, 3 April, next post on Sunday.  Hope you are all doing well, and that at least the weather is improving.
-----------------------------------------

(posted for Spider)

Spider just shouted over the wind, "We can't stay here!  Let's go!"  He glanced around and tried to gauge if there was any direction that might offer fewer vines to elude than any other.  Failing that, well, maybe they were leaving the skeleton alone, and he'd follow that way.  But if he figured out the direction of Thorne's bellowing, he'd definitely head that way.

In reply to The GM (msg # 32):

Irina nodded her agreement with Spider, and grabbed Jack for support.

"You lead, we're with you. Was that Thorne?" She will try to listen to see if she can gauge where it is coming from, and if necessary point Spider in the right direction. Failing that, following the skeleton seems the only bet.

She will try to fend the vines off with the butt of the shotgun, still remembering the admonition not to shoot anything but finding it harder to obey by the passing minute. She tries to remember any kind of protection spell that might help.

Jack sticks with Irina and Spider. He will try to cast a spell of protection to keep the vines at bay as the trio moves through them. If they are about to be overwhelmed, he will pull the wand out, but not before.

Servants of the Dark Water God pt 1

The wind and the blistering hot rain made it impossible to guess where the Rebel Yell had come from.  The Agents struggled to avoid the pervasive vines, until Jack cast a Protect from Harm at the ground - once again the Wand had come unbidden to his hand.  That gave them a chance to move more quickly.  As they staggered against the gusty wind, the yell came again, with two more voices added to it.  It was hard to guess the direction, though Irina and Spider seemed to think it was in the same direction the skeleton went, so the Agents clambered along the mangrove roots.   As they moved further along, a faint whisper on the wind sounded like a woman chanting in Seminole.  The Rebel yells sounded again, several more voices, the combined ululation sending chills along their spines.

Passing by a fallen tumble of stone blocks overgrown with vines, the Agents catch a glimpse of something familiar - the chalked Elder Sign that Fritz had made.  As soon as they approach it, the wind faded away and the rain cooled to a warm drizzle.  "I was about to go find you," Fritz said, from atop a big stone block.  "You came out of a fog." The vines were inert and all seemed quiet now, then the Rebel yells came again.  This time it was easy to follow, and the four Agents were soon at the mooring point for the canoes, where Thorne was holding a shotgun and facing a number of undead - some skeletons, bearing rusty weapons, and some fresher undead, notably three men in warden uniforms, and a fisherman in tattered clothes, about fifteen in all.  The fresh undead have definite large holes in their bodies right where the heart should be located.  Several carried weapons but none seemed to be readying for battle.  Hachi was still hoarsely chanting and waving her feather fan, though the undead seemed to be at a standstill and watching Thorne.  They slowly rocked back and forth, turning to look at Irina, Jack, Spider and Fritz, but did not move towards them.  The darkness in the water bubbled, but did not grasp at the canoe or the flat boat.   Soundlessly a huge grey owl soared to the bow of the canoe, settling with a flip of its wings and staring at the scene; it is the same owl that killed and carried off one of the others.  There was no sign of any other owls, nor of the weather that had just been so much trouble.

(-2 San for seeing walking skeletons and other undead.)

GM: Actions, etc, for the next few minutes of game time, please respond by 10 April, Saturday, next post is Sunday.  Hope you are all well and things are improving everywhere.

-------------------------------------

Jack moves to Hachi’s side to be sure she is not attacked. He holds the wand in front of him, ready to cast further protection if necessary.
He says in a level tone, looking at the owl but speaking loudly so whatever else is listening may hear, “Release these mortal remains and let them have peace.”

Servants of the Dark Water God pt 2

"It is not within my power to release them,"  A calm woman's voice seemed to emanate from the owl, which bobbed its head slightly, golden eyes fixed on Jack.  "They belong to this place and you must bargain for them with their god."  It seemed their welcome, if it could be said to exist at all, had been worn out at the Lost City, or the Moon Town.

Hachi kept up hoarsely chanting, the feather fan looking somewhat shredded now. The wavering undead didn't attack, advance, or do anything but watch them; Fritz carefully moved past two of them to make a quick leap to the flat boat.  Thorne immediately shifted position so that Fritz could make a clean shot if it was needed.   Jack kept guard over Hachi as she moved in the canoe to give him room to board; the wand tingled in his grip, as if to remind him of the power it held.  The undead seemed puzzled, but none of them advanced, and Irina walked past them carefully, as did Spider, moving through the moon gate towards the boats. Once they were all off the island, Hachi stopped chanting, the feather fan disintegrating into fragments - she looked exhausted.   Thorne untied the ropes and hopped into the flat boat.  The undead wobbled back and forth but did not move towards them.

The big grey owl took off from the canoe's bow and flew silently above them, in sweeping circles, causing some far-off hooting of the other hidden owls.  "We are getting out of here before dark," Thorne said in a low voice, shoving off of a knot of mangrove roots to get the flatboat turned the right way.
"He is right.  We go," Hachi grated, sipping from a leather water skin from the canoe's storage.  The sun was unseen, blocked by too much swamp flora, but it was definitely getting dark fast. The Lost City was quickly lost again to view.


------------------------------------
GM:  Jack, please roll Navigate to find the way out; everyone, hope you are doing well, or at least well enough.  Please respond with actions, etc for the next few minutes of game time, by Saturday 17 April, next post Sunday

----------------

Jack sighs at the owl’s response about the dead men.
Once they’ve pushed off and the boats are moving, Jack relies on his outdoor skills and pilots the boat toward safety (13).
“We barely got out of there. How can we go back and bargain for them?” Jack says to no one in particular. “And what’s beyond that gate?”
He keeps his eyes on the water ahead of them while he pilots the boat.

Servants of the Dark Water God pt 2

-------------------------
Jack navigates following the trail markers that Hachi had cut into the mangrove roots and other flora.  The sky was darkening fast and they were hearing owls, far too many for it to be normal.  The big grey one occasionally winged past.  Jack's question hung in the air.

"Some of them were Confederate soldiers," Thorne said finally.  It was unusual for him to be so quiet for so long.  "When I gave the Yell, they stopped coming towards us.  Then they yelled back."
"You are lucky to have lived," Hachi hoarsely told Jack.   The Agents made their slow way back to the Seminole settlement just before night fell.  Doctor Hanson is waiting for them at the dock, with two small children who look very relieved to see Hachi again.
"It's too late to head back to my house, we'll stay overnight in the big hut," the Doctor tells them.  "The gators feed at night and we won't be able to see them.  There's hominy in the big pot by the fire and a plate full of fried gator tail for you, with biscuits and gravy.  We'll sleep in hammocks.   Did you find what you were looking for ?"  He handily ties up the boats to the dock and helps offload people.  Torches light up the perimeter of the village, showing the Seminole people moving around the place.  Children are laughing, and adults are talking.  It seemed normal and pleasant.  A great difference from shambling undead and amoeboid monstrosities.   The big grey owl takes up a roost in the tallest tree by the large chickee hut, where a pit fire is keeping the food warm for them.  The owl is noted by several Seminole, who watch it and quietly gather to discuss its presence.   Hachi was dragged off by the children, but another young woman came along to shyly hand off pottery plates and fetch heavy mugs full of some kind of sweet soft drink.  The food was plentiful and filling.  Gator had the flavour of fish with the texture of pork, fried in a sweet batter.
"There was a lot of talk about whether you'd come back at all," Doctor Hanson told them in a quiet whisper.  "Holata told them to make the big chickee ready for you to return, and if you didn't come back the next day, to do the same again for two more days, with different people preparing it each day.  That's a burial custom.  Everyone was...is... very nervous."
------------------
GM:  Please respond with actions, etc., for the next half hour of game time, by Saturday 24 April, next post is Sunday.

-------------------------------------------------

Jack very politely accepts some food from the young woman. After feeling some of his composure restored, he walks to a spot near the tree where the gray owl is perched. He will make eye contact with the owl and say in a low voice, “How can we bargain with this god? What does it want? And how can we approach it to bargain without losing our lives to the black slime and the walking dead? Can it be sent away somehow? Would destroying the gate have any effect?”

(Posted for Spider)

Spider ate mechanically, listening to the others. He finally said, "I've seen lots of strange stuff in my years with the Raiders.  Been attacked many times.  But that was about the most disturbing encounter I've had in a very long time.  I'm not sure what we can do to, um, clear this problem.  Jack, Irina, you got any ideas?"

To the doctor, Jack replies, “ thank you again for your help. We found some answers, and more questions. The three men are dead, as we feared. We could not bring them back with us. Although I hope to be able to do so. The evil presence in the swamp is very powerful, but we haven’t given up just yet.”

Servants of the Dark Water God pt 2
------------------------------------------------
Spider spoke, echoing the thoughts that others seemed to be having, since Thorne nodded - and had been quiet for a considerable time.   It was almost a surprise that Fritz spoke next.  "It stayed back when I drew the Elder Sign and charged it with mana.  But it was resisting.   I could feel it."
"No more magic," Thorne said, turning toward Fritz with an angry look.  Fritz raised one eyebrow, impassive.  "You almost lost it," Thorne snapped, keeping voice low. "Look at the Boss.  He's one chant away from the bughouse."
"It is another weapon," Fritz said quietly, not backing down.
"I do not want to be an undead...thing....stuck in a Florida swamp," Thorne snarled, "And you are not going to read any more of them damned books."
"Wrong," Fritz said.  Thorne looked about ready to explode, but with effort, got his emotions in check.
------------------------
Dr. Hanson nods at Jack's words.  "I didn't think it would have a good outcome," he said, in a low voice.  "Most people of the world we come from are eager to dismiss the ways of people who are more connected to nature and their past.  So I appreciate that you are willing to help.  If I can be of more assistance, let me know."  He does not join in with the Raiders' conversation and there is a general feeling that the doctor can keep a confidence.
-----------------------
Jack goes off to look at the big owl, which silently floats down to a low branch near him.  The watching Seminole note this but do not approach.  "Gods such as that one require sacrifice," the grey owl said.  "It is not from this world, it possesses no intellect that we understand, and it has spread itself throughout the swamp.  No simple ritual will dismiss it."   The owl blinked, turning its head.  "The god Cthaat also has servants who shapeshift as owls.  I am being hunted, and I do not tolerate such disrespect."   With a flip of its great pale wings, the owl launched itself into the dark sky and is lost to view.   Somewhere up in the treetops, a shrill shriek is suddenly cut off.   Jack finds himself being watched by at least ten Seminole; none of them overtly armed, but all very cautiously watching him.
----------------------------
There was a ripple of sound, a murmuring throughout the settlement, and three people were seen to be approaching through the torchlit night; all Seminole, a young man of about twenty, a girl about twelve, and old man Holata, carefully shuffling between them, guided by their hands.  "I have heard the story of your adventure," Holata said. "If my English fails me, my grandson or granddaughter will translate.  You have faced the servants of the dark god and returned alive, and -" he breaks off suddenly, as a large brown owl's body hits the ground near his feet.  Its head has been ripped off.  "And you speak to the right owls.  Tell me what my tribe can do to be rid of this evil.  No one will deny you."
--------------
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GM:  Actions, etc, please for the next half hour of game time by Saturday 1 May, next post Sunday.  Hope you are all well or at least coping.

----------------------------

“Fritz, I think you may be onto something,” Jack says. “Can we make a more powerful Elder Sign? Draw it in something more durable than chalk, maybe on something portable? And all lend power to it? Even the people of the tribe, since they want to help. With that much good energy, maybe we could drive it away.
“Or, on the other hand, I brought dynamite. We could go back out there and try to blow up that gate, or whatever seems to be the focus of its power. Hell, we could even do both...”

How to Banish a Great Old One pt 1

--------------
Fritz nodded, while Thorne silently fumed.  "I may have a plan," the German said, with a slow smile.  "Does anyone have a map of the swamp ?"
Doctor Hanson immediately went for his doctor's bag and pulled out several sheaves of folded paper.  "These are less than a year old - but the channels can change with any storm."
"I am thinking, Friday the 13th," Fritz said, accepting the maps with a slight bow. "But I will need the skill of a master of strategy.  Thomas, please help."
Thorne's expression went from stormy to surprised, taking the maps that Fritz offered him.  "Friday the 13th could work.  Let's get out of earshot of the owls - and get a couple of good lanterns."
"If the - owls - are listening, we'll need cover noise for our planning," Thorne said, already going back to his normal boisterous self.  "Maybe the kids can sing, or, my favourite, sling stones at any owls we don't like.  Except for Jack's owl.  Chief Holata, we'll need your help."
The old man said something in Seminole to the young man, who raced off into the village, calling out.  The girl helped the chieftain to the chickee, and Thorne spread the maps out on the table they hastily cleared off.
"This plan hinges on every person involved being in exactly the right place at the right time," Thorne said, as the rest of the Seminole kids started banging drums and blowing flutes around the chickee.  "Every person who can swim, walk, or paddle a canoe has to be ready to strike at the same time."
"The correct ritual must be cast to dismiss the entity," Fritz said, carefully. "Elder signs can only contain it for a little while."
"So we use the dynamite as a distraction so that can happen," Thorne said.  Holata asked a question of the girl, who rapidly translated.
"You want to make a great noise, we will call upon the Thunder god," Holata said.
"All right, you people cast spells, I just make plans and type," Thorne said, "So what do we have to do, if this god thing is spread out all over ?  What will give us the best chance to pen it up so you can...dismiss it ?"  He looked at the maps, carefully noting the area marked as "Lost City", and the vast expanse of swamp around it.  The little girl continued to translate to her grandfather.
"The owls - you will be seen." Holata said.
"Then we declare war on the owls right now." Thorne said, setting a pottery cup on the edge of the map to keep it from folding back up.  "They'll be less likely to get close enough to figure out what we're doing if they're worried we're going to shoot them."
"And here is the second white man I have ever liked," Holata said with a smile, after his granddaughter repeated it in Seminole.
-----
GM: Plans, etc, for the battle against the Dark Water God, please respond by 8 May, Saturday, next post is Sunday.  Hope you are all well and managing to deal with the pandemic.
-------------------------------------------
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:55, Mon 03 May 2021.

Jack says, "So we're going to use the dynamite, and the--" here he looks at Holata for confirmation -- "Thunder God to distract it? Should I put the dynamite in the city, maybe throw it at the gate? Is that the type of thing you mean? Then when the creature gathers its focus there to defend from further attack, we contain it with the Elder Sign that everyone makes? And then banish it with the ritual?  I'm not sure I understand."

(posted for Spider)
Spider almost grinned.  "Well, Fritz might be better, but I'm a fair hand with a long gun.  I can help with picking off owls.  As long as some of the locals make sure I target the bad ones."

How to Banish a Great Old One pt 2

----------
The Agents began their planning.   The military pair of Thorne and Fritzi went to work.  "The key element is the simultaneous execution of the plan," Thorne said, examining the map closely.   "Did it look like this god thing was located mainly on the island ?  Does it protect it for some reason ?  Does it need the - ah - undead - to, ah, guard something ?  Because if that is the case, the best use of the explosives is to change its focus from us to the island.  Which gives us a chance to attack it there and dismiss it.  I'm not about to suggest we might be able to kill it, but we might be able to knock it down hard.  We want to hit the island with as much damage as possible, and if the gate can be blown up, that's better."
"We don't have the dismissal ritual," Fritz said patiently.
"Well go get it then, look it up," Thorne said.  "Must be a 'get rid of it' spell in that damn bookbag of yours."
"I was able to use the Elder sign - the symbol on the back of our badges - to restrain it for a time.   There is a simpler Elder sign that is not as powerful, but if used in abundance, may permit us to control a perimeter."  Fritz mused, looking at the map.
"Listening," Thorne said, as the children's drumming and flutes shrilled in the background.
"Carve spears with the Elder sign and everyone strikes at once - when the first stick of dynamite is detonated - the signal for attack.   The spears will be driven into the swamp as the dark water god IS the swamp.  It will recoil to its point of strength, the Lost City, in theory."
"Then the main explosion at the City will give everyone enough time to send it off, and if we can get help from a thunder god, I'm for it," Thorne said, "In theory, how long do those things take ?  And don't say 'all night long' like that eye spell."

Irina knew from experience that it was trickier to pull off a banishing than one might suspect, having dismissed a Dark Young all by herself in the high hills of Pennsylvania - especially when the creature in question was looking for victims at the same time.

"I don't know," Fritz said. "We also have the - undead to consider.  Will they be forced to attack ?  Can they be freed ?  What can the owl creatures do ?"
"We do not speak their name, for that summons them," Holata said.  "They can look like anyone, and they can become strong owl monsters that eat human hearts.  Hachi knows the chants to keep them from you.   She can also cast the black salt to turn the dead ones. She will go with you."
"If there are shapeshifters living in this settlement, we have to take that into account," Thorne said.  "How do we find out who is a spy ?"
"I will call the tribe before me, and learn what I must," Holata said. "I will place a blessing upon you all.  If any refuse the blessing, we will know they are tricksters."
"And the owl squad, bless them first." Thorne suggested, taking out an opisometer from his jacket pocket and measuring distances on the maps.  "Maybe we can talk business on a 'keep out the evil' spell too.  Jack will coordinate the dynamite with whatever the Thunder God can provide.  Maybe we can make the Elder signage extra potent.  Distill it.  Can you do that ?  Can you cap the whole island in it ?  It's about three acres.   Spider, you got that big Sharps rifle - just don't shoot that grey owl that likes Jack.  Everyone with a magic spear gets a sidekick to shoot at owls.  Make them run.  Keep them running."

---------
GM:  Who wants to do what ?  Stay at the village to protect those who cannot fight ? Go after the Heart of the Lost City with explosives ?  Take your chances in the swamp against hostile locals and aggressive wildlife ?  Please respond with actions, etc, for the next hour of game time, we will be advancing to the combat shortly - by Saturday, 15 May, next post is Sunday.  Hope you are all well and continue to be well.
------------------------

“I’ll take the dynamite into the city,“ Jack says to the group. “I’ll need some signal that we are all in position, and then I can set off an initial explosion. That will be the signal for everyone to stab the swamp with the Elder-Sign spears, correct? And then when should I set off the main charge? And do I need to know anything about the thunder god’s contribution?” Once the details are clear, he will set up a single stick with a short fuse for the initial blast, and prepare the rest of the dynamite for the main charge. He will triple check his shotgun, pistol, and trusty lighter, too!

(posted for Spider)
Spider finally took a deep breath, feeling a little better that they had a plan of action.  And he also had the typical Aussie pride about the variety of lethal flora and fauna that inhabited his homeland, so he said, "I'll help deal with the swamp locals.  Both living and dead."  He held Matilda in a tight grip and said a silent prayer to Quatermaine, asking for his aid in aiming at their enemies.

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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