Episode 5, taking place in a deep, dank cavern, was difficult to visually chronicle. But suffice it to say that the Adventurers, guided by the undead Viking Draugr, delved into a series of tunnels and caves, fighting deep ones and spectres until they confronted and defeated Ananais and his vampire minions. They were able to rescue more of the colonists but some remained in the clutches of Ananais' master. In searching the chambers they found Ananais' continued journal that detailed his alliance with the Sea Witch, a descendant of Dahut, High Priestess of the sunken city of Ys, to bring the Great Old One Dagon to this world and begin a new age. An age where the sea would eclipse the land and all would be sunken beneath the ocean surface.
We now come to the final chapter:
To bring about the coming of Dagon a great sacrifice would be required and the Sea Witch intended to use the remaining colonists in her keeping to that purpose. The time for the sacrifice was but a few nights away. The Adventurers would have just enough time to return the surviving colonists to the ship and replenish their powder and shot.
But before they left the caverns, the Draugr had a final gift for the adventurers. They gave Sir Philip Sidney an ancient horn, carved with runes. The Draugr said that the horn, once appeased, would summon the Elder God Nodens, who could aid them greatly in their fight to come. The leader of the Draugr translated the runes that set out the requirements for summoning Nodens.
When the chief of the enemy host takes the field, call me and I will come. Do not tempt to entice me with lesser warriors, followers or heralds.
The knives of my followers must feed upon the flesh of their enemies. Nine times must your enemies be struck and their blood spilled.
Blow the horn then and I shall come, and the sea shall come with me.The League then set off on the day long hike that would take them across the island to the place where the journal indicated the summoning ritual would be performed.
Pictures and more follow:
As they crested the rise leading to the beach the adventurers spied a foreboding sight: The remaining colonists, tied to posts in the sand. It became apparent quickly that the rising tide would soon drown them all if they were not rescued.
Drowning may certainly be a possibility but the daughter of ancient Dahut had a far more terrible fate in mind for the colonists. They were to be a sacrifice to the Great Old Ones. The Sea witch began chanting in a voice like the crashing surf and her minions, the deep ones, rose from the water.
The deep ones moved in on the colonists and began slapping the waist deep water in an ancient rhythm, both hypnotic and terribly alluring.
The Dutch gunners van der Gleek and the Koffie brothers took up a position at the edge of the beach and began to fire on the deep ones...
...while other members of the League made their way into the water, swords and pistols drawn. The fight was on!
The eerie percussion of the deep ones bore terrible fruit. Nightmare eels began to rise from the water, snatching the colonists in the maws and dragging them below the surface. The adventurers were able to kill several of them but the waters soon ran red with the blood of the sacrificed colonists. Many were rescued, cut from their bonds and returned to the beach, but they numbered less than half of those that were put into the water as sacrifices. The Native member of the League, Manteo was slain by a massive leader of the Deep ones while rescuing one of the colonists.
The Sea witch's pitch grew higher. Her words now strange yet discernible: "Ia! Nyarlathotep! Hai! Bak Sha! Nyarlathotep! At the utterance of the horrible name many of the deep ones fled, sinking quickly below the waves.
The water churned and a whirlpool formed near the Sea witch. A creature fit only for the nightmares of raving madmen surged from the center of the whirlpool. The Sea witch exulted and laughed in maniacal joy, greeting her master. Her joy was short lived as she became the monsters first victim. Her body smashed to the reef and tossed down into the whirlpool. The monster's gaze swept over the assembled heroes and followers, several were paralyzed with a fear falling into the water and drowning. All the heroes remained upright. Solomon Kane and Sir Richard Grenville were the first to sink their swords into the demon.
Sir Philip Sidney, decided the time was ripe to blow the horn given them by the Draugr, for surely this was the Chief of the Enemy host that was spoken of in the carvings on the horn.
The fight with the Great Worm continued. Solomon Kane was tearing great chunks from the flesh of the beast. The mystical staff in his hand bit deep into the creature. But in a turn for the worse the creature smashed its great trunk down onto Kane and he was driven down into the depths. Sir Philip, having blown the magical horn, jumped into his place in the hope that they would still be able to hold the beast until their summoning arrived.
Arrived he did in great fashion. A huge wave swept across the strand and the air was ripped with a fanfare of strange horn like calls. Nodens had come! But all was not done. For in its final thrashings the great worm had completed the sacrifices and was able to open the gate and summon Dagon, the Great Old One, to the land. Nodens, seeing his ancient enemy, made straight form him. His wake swept all aside. The Great Worm was swept completely away while the adventurers clung to the reefs to keep from drowning.
The boom of surf was their meeting. Nodens smote Dagon and locked him in his arms in a vice like grip and bore him down into the sea.
After that all was quiet. The Adventurers and the surviving colonists, after gathering the wounded, collected themselves on the beach, built a fire and then they gathered and Sidney led them in a prayer of thanks for their rescue. They sang a hymn and as the notes of the final bars fell off a disturbance was seen in the water.
A hand, gripping a cat headed staff, thrust itself from the depths. Following it was the dour puritan himself. Kane was alive!
He strode up the beach towards the gathering, sword in one had staff in the other. His clothes shredded and his visage grim. When he arrived he spoke quietly, and sternly to the assembled survivors:
"Where's my hat?"
My thanks to all the guys for playing in this mini campaign. Special thanks to Richard, who lost not one, but two major characters to martial trauma. I promise I didn't do it on purpose.
And thanks to you readers for your gracious and encouraging commentary.
Mike
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April 28, 2024, 04:26:04 AM
October 29, 2007, 12:06:18 AM