While our characters rolled through the endless plains of the Australian outback, we had an era-appropriate dinner, consisting of ship biscuits, beef jerky and canned beans.
Down to business. Exhausting our water supplies, we tracked the Wycrofts and finally reached them in the night. We approached on two sides with headlamps off, then stopped and turned them on to blind them. As we got out of the cars, Mortimer sitting in his own car turned on his headlamps, allowing his daughters to get out from under the car and rush us. Not that it did them any good, as we had our guns out. Sanchez shot Shula, and I finished her off with a semi auto burst, also hurting Mortimer. Amos blew Janice off with his shotgun. Gertie attacked with a baseball bat studded with bat teeth, but Amos counterpunched, and Dodge knocked her out with his boomerang. Mortimer tried running away, but we easily overpowered him.
With Gertie and Mortimer roughed up and tied up, we searched their car, taking their water and gas, and also a tome titled Wondrous Intelligences. We rested for a while to recuperate after our journey, then, just in case anybody would find the scene, we sat the two dead girls back inside their truck and set it on fire.
Mortimer was still mumbling and Gertie was not yielding any information either. Well, we did see her winged tattoo, in fact all the sisters had them. Finally, Sanchez demonstrated the blessing of Azathoth on Mortimer. This finally convinced Gertie that we are also baddies, and she agreed to show us the way and introduce us to her master. We agreed, throwing caution to the wind.
On the way, we lost some time due to random encounters; a sand storm here, a punctured tire there. We also met a miner riding a camel going home. Derby Dave had enough of the strange encounters this desert offers, including some sort of flying shape accompanied by a whistling sound. Earthquakes, aboriginals disappearing, and giant bats added up to make him leave his job.
At roughly 1 day from our destination, Archie (with some help from Lucy, willing to learn the rules of the wasteland) performed the ritualistic murder of Mortimer, intent on making an undead servant. The cast failed, and Gertie was unimpressed. We did lose sanity, though.
Finally, we met a roughed up Aboriginal woman trekking through the desert. With an offering of food and water, and plenty of slow talk, we calmed her down enough to hear her story. Apparently, a bunch of them were kept underground and forced to dig under armed guard. She escaped two days back. Given the events of the past days, we decided on performing at least this act for good, looking for an Aboriginal community to drop the woman off. Recovering some sanity, we also learned of giant winged creatures who abduct people, and armed guards around our destination shooting at anyone approaching. We also got two youngsters to come with us and help free their people.
On approach to the camp, Gertie made a sign and we did not get shot, in fact we made it to a small camp. We studied some obelisks sticking out of the ground while Gertie chatted with the armed guard around a truck, tent and generator. According to Dodge, the obelisks were at least 10.000 years old and were part of the same design. So far, so good. Gertie and the guard agreed to lead us in, and we made the Aboriginals guard the entrance.
After about 100 meters downwards some stairs, down corridors hit by spaced out lightbulbs and a second generator, we got hit by the cold of the underground. Massive basalt walls formed a corridor wide and tall, not made for humans. In fact, the carvings on the wall depicted cone-shaped creatures with tentacles. Acting on a hunch, I asked Gertie whether they are Yithians. She said they are even more wonderful in person. Also on a hunch, Sanchez asked whether the Master is Robert Huston. Gertie perked up. "Do you know him?" "No, but I can't wait to shake hands!"
As the corridors ended in a large space, we truly entered the underground city made up of streets and building. A group of 9 armed cultists came out of one, and promised to take us to their Master.
No comments:
Post a Comment