19 August, 1933: Two
weeks cooped up on the SS Coolidge; especially considering Cliff avoiding
Astor. The last blast that destroyed the pipe organ also accelerated Cliff’s
transformation: his fangs visible. Not to mention the investigation into who
destroyed Astor’s art collection. Yeah, they were anxious to depart when the SS
Coolidge finally anchored in Santos, Brazil.
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20 August: The
morning is wasted trying to hire a boat for travel to Snake Island. Fear; no
one willing to take them nor rent their boat. Especially when they learn no
anti-venom supplies are available; all sold out! “There was a doctor who came
by last week and purchased everything. Paid handsomely. He has a warehouse at
Dock 4. Ask for Dr. Cerqueria.”
It doesn’t take much searching to find the
all-too-familiar ‘Caduceus’ logo on one of the warehouses. Donning their fake
ID Tier-3 badges used in Iceland, they casually enter the building. Paulo
(forked tongue) immediately smelling reptilian odor. Oded finding small cages
of guinea pigs beside sleeping cots; noticing serpent folk in the shadows
moving crates around. Paulo reading the Portuguese labels as ‘anti-venom’.
Climbing the stairs, they find Dr. Sergio Cerqueria in the office.
“Joshua Meadham sent us to help move things along.”
Sergio caught off-guard, “I wasn’t expecting anyone. Let me call Victor
Gonsalves; he’s at the ship right now….OK, he’ll be here within the hour.” Oded
offering, “He’s a busy man; that’s why Meadham sent us. Just tell us what dock
and we’ll meet him. Got it; the freighter Asclepius at dock 3. Maybe we can
take some of the crates with us to speed things up.”
Whispered plans as they descend the stairs: eliminate
these serpent before dealing with Gonsalves. Sounded good. Except they fail to
account for the human Dr. Sergio. The first serpent screams as Paulo’s thrown
dagger starts to burrow under the scale. The boom of Porter’s shotgun and the
“rat-a-tat” chatter of Isaac’s tommy-gun add to the alarm while Oded fires from
his sniper position atop some crates. And that’s when Porter clutches his chest
having resisted a spell [Hard POW save]…cast from Sergio exiting the office.
Exchanged Laser-staff fire. Serpents dropping left-and-right as the allies use
cover behind the crates.
Isaac empties his tommy-gun drum on Sergio (dead); thus,
requiring time to reload. Which exposes him to serpent fire. Laser blasts back
and forth. Everyone wounded; Paulo unconscious from a direct hit. The wounded
treating the wounded as Oded gives covering fire. Finally, silence. Except for
Isaac’s heavy breathing and exclamation, “Damn. Now I got fangs.” One step
further along in his transformation.
Indecision. “Let’s just burn the place down. One
warehouse less supplies.” Then the idea, “Let’s set a trap for Gonsalves. We’re
too weak and wounded to actually confront him. Rig dynamite. Watch from across
the street.” Oded all over it. To an extreme; his insanity showing, “2 sticks
outa work. Short fuse. Tie a striker on one end of a string, a rat on the
other. He lunges for the rat-snack and sets it off.” Efforts to reason with the
nut are useless. Finally, “Yeah, brilliant idea. Just let me back up before you
set anything.”
Half an hour before Gonsalves arrives. With a little boy
also climbing out o the car. Paulo feeling guilt about the boy. Porter
admonishing Paulo, “Get back under cover; you’ll blow our trap.” Relief when
the doctor enters alone. Long minutes, “Way too go Oded. Too damn complicated.
I knew your trap wouldn’t…KABLOOIE!” The boy knocked to the ground. Then up and
running away, dropping a slip of paper. [Fortunate no-one noticed since the
drawing of a blinking eye activated a spell…’Coils of Yig’. Which would have
animated that person’s shadow to choke them to death.]
Fortunate they waited a little longer as Gonsalves
staggers out of the rubble. Till Paulo levels his laser-staff…”ZAAP!”
[Gonsalves spent all his Luck for death-save: he heard the fuse light and
ducked into the bathroom before the blast.] Sirens prompt their next actions,
“Let’s go find a doctor to treat these wounds.” A back-alley doctor in case the
police began a search. Porter the first treated as the others wait outside.
Till, [Medicine 000] “OUCH! Damn it doc.” Porter recovering from his anesthesia
finding blood seeping from his nipples while the drunk doctor blankly stares.
21-22 August: They
find a real doctor but Paulo and Isaac still need days to heal. Time to plan.
Indecision, “I say we sink the Caduceus ship.” “We killed Gonsalves so I think
our cover is still good. Use out Tier-3 badges to get aboard to sail to the
island.” Isaac offering, “I can build a jammer while Oded and Porter climb
aboard to set a charge. Once it’s in deep water, we detonate the bomb. We jam
all radio calls so they can’t warn the island.” Paulo suggests a modification,
“Jam their calls till the boat sinks. Then we call the island as if part of the
crew. Claim the boat is sinking and the island needs to send help. That’ll thin
the forces we’ll have to face on the island. Use the jammer to make the call
spotty before cutting out so they can’t ask questions that might blow out
story.”
Oded and Porter do indeed sneak aboard, eventually
[Navigation – failure] finding the engine room. Where Oded rigs [Demolition]
dynamite to the thin hull around the shaft. The timer rigged with the gearbox
for a higher gear used in deep waters. Porter asking, “You sure you don’t need
another rat?”
23 August: Obvious
the freighter is about to sail, they climb aboard their own boat to follow for
the 30 mile journey to Snake Island. An hour later, the ship
explodes. Isaac turns on his jammer. They wait, shooting “fish in a barrel” as
serpent survivors bob to the surface. Then the fake call, “We’re dead in the
water…send help.” [At least THAT wasn’t a lie.] But then the unexpected reply,
“No one available. The Citadel is under siege. We need those T-Rex!”
The plan to wait till dusk abandoned, “Head in now and
take advantage of the confusion.” An hour later the island comes into view,
“Head toward that dock.” Then Paulo pointing out something LARGE swimming at
them, “Is that a sea snake about the size of the one we killed in the Bolivian
temple?!”
All hands to the railing as they aim their laser-staff. Then hang on
for dear life as the beast rises out of the water having speared the boat down
the middle. “Abandon ship!” delayed for one more shot. That actually kills the
snake. [Considering the laser-staffs ignore armor.]
Waves grab at their feet as they try to climb out of the
pounding surf. Wet dogs. Worst: wet dynamite. All alert as they begin the slow
ascent toward the lighthouse on the southern end of the island. “Snake!” Eyes
looking left or right as they clutch their own vial of anti-venom. Just in
case. A labored climb. “Careful. Don’t put your hand there; snake!” They
finally reach the top and see the lighthouse just over the next rise. But what
really catches their eyes is the swirling cloud above the lighthouse.
Oded remembering another journey years ago up in the
Tibetan Mountains [The King in Yellow], “That looks like a portal to another
dimension.” Delay to look for movement but none. The camp around the lighthouse
deserted. “I’d guess Meadham has begun his assault. The Citadel is on the other
side.”
Their step thru the portal not as queasy as expected. In
fact, they all feel completely healed. [The gate disassembling them then re-assembling
their bodies healed all wounds.]
As they step upon a rocky plateau, they gaze
at the distant landscape. HUGE tentacles dance wildly under grey-black clouds. Craggy
rocks, a grassless valley, and a rugged mountain before them with a large
structure atop it, “The Citadel.” Paulo jumps when he looks down, spotting his
immediate surroundings littered with dead serpent bodies. “I think we’ve
entered a war zone. Remind me, what’s our plan?”
Trying to remember what lies ahead, “There are 3 factions
of snakes; the followers of: Yig, Ghatanothoa, and Tsathoggua. With Rose and
Tranissh dead, that leaves Meadham leading the Yig. Fighting whatever or
whoever currently occupies Mu. Which must be those tentacles. So all we have to
do is sneak into the Citadel and destroy it to close the gate and put an end to
all these snakes and their anti-humanity plans. Simple.”
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