Gather information on the Black Star Conspiracy's plans
Reward
25 tsg each
What Has Gone Before
Having tracked down a coven of hags on Westover, Bishop & Bower have found and combined two books of shadows. Aside from some concert spells, the ITN of a steganographic demon is revealed in the reconstituted grimoire. This, it turns out, is the key to a message concealed in a von Thurn und Taxis stamp of a plough upon a field of grain.The message of the stamp reads "Lord of the Dew".
Two other stamps remain:
Impression of 8-spoked wheels of bronze war cart - Weapons of Naram-Sin, Babylonian; Tiglath-Pileser, historic King of Assyria, New Terra. About Italian invasion of North Africa, they will be supported by Devils on Black Marble.
Hyades, orange-eyed bronze bull - Mithras, red eye is Aldebaran, Hastur resides beyond. To Annises in Westover, instruction to look for a dead Order, symbol Crescent Moon with Serpent wrapped around it, investigate Blood Rites, Force Creatures, Phantasms, Mind Flayers, Corner Dogs.
Important notes
On New Terra
Germany has "invaded" Sudetenland, then advanced column upon column of infantry and armour, positioning them for an obvious attack against Slovakia and Hungary. Britain has declared war, although Poland has not been attacked yet. A lightning strike against Belgium has left it conquered and demoralised, a staging post for an assault upon France.
Italy has landed troops in Libya, staging for an attack against the British holdings in Egypt, after oil.
On Reich
The Black Star conspiracy has a multi-millenia history. Its membership includes a few undying, possibly a few non-humans, but the greatest proportion of its membership (including its leadership) is mortal humanity. They have a burning desire to see the end of immortals, although their reasons are not clear.
Their sicherdienst arm is the Holy Vehm, many of whom have been exposed to one or more Ubermensch programs, and all are highly trained. And yes, some of them are sufficiently fanatical to be able to use Pureheart Charms.
The Nazi apparatus has been infiltrated, in partuclar der Bestellung des Eisenbahn Ritus by members of the Black Star.
On Westover
Hag covens have been very quiet of late.
Scribe Notes
Introductions
Frysday 12th - 18th Meadow
Meet up at Kerberoth, shopping, fraternising, training.
Decide to find someone (mortal) to decode the other stamps, a specialist in the British Museum, London, New Terra.
Frysday 19th - 30th Meadow
Abyss to New Terra
W'ansday 1st - 7th Heat
New Orleans, Lord of Masks, Beauty, Lord of Wands.
Train to New Mexico, Bishop's Air Ship to Gotham.
Gotham is a ruin except for Grand Central Station and the department store.
Attempted travel through Gotham station aborted after overwhelming numbers of aliens.
Stamps
W'ansday 8th - 9th Heat
Seeking an alternate path, the Lady of Veils transports us to Vanity in Paris, Victoria. We ask her about getting visas for London but she can no longer issue them. She and her agent Joan suggest we ask Vitri, he is an active stamp collector and may know mortals who could help.
Venice, Vitri directs us to Kruft in St Mark's Square who is able to give us the keys to the other stamps.
Stamp 2 is of the Weapons of Naram-Sin, war carts of Babylon. The key is T'glath Plaser, ancient King of Assyria. The message is about the Italian invasion of North Africa on New Terra. The attack will be supported by demonics.
Stamp 3 is Mithras, his eye is Aldebaran, beyond which lurks Hastur. The message is to Westover, instructing those there to seek an ancient order identified by a serpent wrapped around the crescent moon. Also to seek information about Blood Rites, Force Creatures, Phantasms, Corner Dogs, and Mind Flayers.
Bishop wanting to ensure the dead are not disturbed, we decide to head to Westover.
Frysday 10th - 21st Heat
Abyss to Westover, the house of Brass. IN the north-east of Westover by the (grey) Moonlit Sea.
W'ansday 22nd - 24th Heat
We head north to the mountains and the temples of Metis, Half Moon, Crescent Moon, and Full Moon. There the Celestial Aspected are able to engage with the temples and make offerings.
We learn of the ancient order the message referred to, 12 priests were able to join in ritual to create a mile-long dragon. Their tower was on a Mesa to the south-east.
Travelling there we find it is where Bishop and Bower encountered the hags.
The complex is abandoned now, we find the portal they used to leave in the lower levels, it links to a portal on New Terra. Using the ritual found in the book of Shadows, the immortals concert-cast to open the portal and we go through.
Emerging in occupied Libya, Martyr's Square in Tripoli. The square is floored in Black Marble and patrolled by Blue Devils. We quickly and discretely exit.
Yuko senses traces of a hag moving east, we requisition a supply truck and follow.
Reapsday 25th Heat
We catch up with the hag late in the afternoon, she is riding in the side car of a motorcycle. At the next town we subdue her and Yuko takes her as an agent.
She was sent as a diversion to lure and kill any who followed. She was not privy to the plans but overheard some of them. They are taking the mummies by Air Ship, getting Canopic Jars from the pyramids at Giza then probably heading to Megiddo.
We travel through the night by carriage to Giza and to the archaeological camp. Sneaking in we disable guards at their store house, search around and find that the canopic jars were removed about 2 days ago. Going with Mr Morden's plan of pretending to be senior Nazi's and bullying the locals into telling us where they took the jars, we end up fighting a couple of Ubermen. The Alchemist (a mad scientist) and a fusion of 5 strong young men.
Sunday 26th - 27th Heat
We charter an Air Ship from Cairo to Megado.
There we find they are still half a day ahead of us, racing to the museum we speak to the curator who reveals they came for a Statue of Pessago, a god of Storms and Winds. We also purchase two enchanted wheels that resemble those of the stamp.
Following east through a pass in the north-south mountain range, we see a familiar peak to the south-east, Mt Seir. Scrying it from range we spot vast doors leading to a grand castle.
We also spot that we have just flown over two gate pylons concealed in the shadows of the mountains, Yuko senses Hags there.
Turning south we get dropped in the shadow of the mountains and discuss plans for assault and start preparing ourselves.
After dusk we are attacked by the hags, the Airship is destroyed and crew killed in the explosion.
They attack from a fold of night, observing us via a night of a thousand eyes. We target the fold as much as we can and engage the Green Hags and Sea Hags as they emerge. Many curses and gazes later the battle turns our way.
The Night Hag dislikes the rough treatment from Bishop, she rides off and then returns with Seir for help, Seir starts to talk so Bishop opens his coat. Seir's avatar and the Nightmare are ashed, the hag's undamaged corpse hits the ground.
Asteroid
The 4 surviving Green Hags swear to the service of Yuko. We loot bodies and then head towards their camp by the portal.
Duesday 28th - 29th Heat
Approaching pre-dawn we find their camp (of bound earth, water and fire) empty. Yuko senses the Black Annises are in a proximate dimension.
The (rk 28) portal has a couple more days work to activate, it is linked to hell - outside the City of Seven Gates, black marble is already spreading (requires the portal to exist but does not need to be complete or active).
We retreat and setup above the camp, waiting for the Annises to return and resume their work.
They don't. Then we see a large ship approaching, getting larger until we realise it must be an asteroid ship.
A dozen mind-flayers descend from the ship and investigate the camp. After a while most of them return to the ship which departs. We observe for a while, the 3 mind flayers appear to be on guard here long term.
We attack at dawn, sniping from our higher ground but their defences are too strong. They take cover and we approach, then they come to meet us. We're invisible and mind-shielded, limiting their attack options, they get within range of TK Sense of Touch, Yuko burns their fingers and puts one on the back-burner, we exchange ranged attacks, Rahne is transformed into a Frog but manages to sleep one and pull another to Anooke's waiting weapons. We take out 2, the last one flees but we bring it down.
We loot the flayers and drain the pylons and some (96 of approx 300) of the black marble of its power.
Then we hear the sounds of footsteps from beyond the horizon and decide to leave before the Lord of Dark Earth arrives, travelling by Word of Recall to the outskirts Tripoli.
There we hear that the Mile-long Dragon has manifested and done significant damage, it is resting at the Giza Pyramids. We guess the raised mummies of the order are within the Pyramids.
Can advance appreciation of beauty to 30 due to appreciating Beauty: Tsayoi, Rahne, ?
Deck Items
Tsayoi: Ring of Fire resistance; Spear +1
Rahne: Candle +2 ranks to all magic, 12 hours; Scimitar +10% +2 (60% D+5)
Deck Wishes x 4 for all.
Tsayoi: Healing (done), Fire Gate (done), a second ranger speciality, dissipation (done)
Rahne: Katana +1 rank; Self Healing; Always appear dressed in appropriate style; Ench Armour on self, CS attacks 1/3rks
Deck Gems
Rahne: 2 x Deep Blue Sapphires 25k each, Star Sapphire 5k, Red Diamond 3,250, Moon Stone 2,500, Green Crysoberyl 1,000, Deep Green Jade Scale 1,000, Dazzling Star Rose Quartz 500, Deep Blue Spinnel 500.
