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ITALY - TRIESTE
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JANUARY 1923
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The extraordinary rendition of the Turkish Brothers of the Skin is completed after overpowering him on the street in broad daylight with firearms
by bundling him unconscious and handcuffed into the back of a stolen car and driving to a quiet spot in the docks.
Trent, Simon and Wesley revive him and begin to interrogate him. He claims he has achieved his objective; his disappearance is a clear indication to his associates that we are indeed the investigators in possession of parts of the simulacrum. Weirdly he seems to think that we killed Mehmet Makryat. He is unimpressed by our claims that Fenalik is our lord and master as he does not know who this is. He says that his Lord, The Skinless One, is greater than any...  Wesley And Trent At this point his face starts to freakishly move, with skin sliding across his mouth to suffocate him. We grapple him and then Wesley makes an incision where the mouth should be, only to discover that he has swallowed his tongue and suffocated to death. Wesley conducts an on the spot autopsy which reveals that his right hand has been transplanted to the arm from someone else completely. Ergo, the Brothers of the Skin are a bunch of Frankenstein freaks, stitching body parts together (e.g. the vocal cords of the opera singer, etc.). Someone also tried to cast this SELL on Irma but he made his resistance roll (need to look out for this). Trent, whilst looking for a telephone is accosted by rent boy in the docks and gives him a kicking. Meanwhile, Gupta, still at the hotel, spots some Blackshirts on the street outside chatting to one of the hotel staff. They charge into the hotel and proceed to break into the room. Mindful of the vicious beating he got in Venice, Gupta foolishly draws his pistol to send the fascist thugs fleeing in terror. They return shortly with armed police who arrest Gupta and take him in for questioning. The Hotel Staff saw that Gupta did not leave the Hotel and were on our side. Why did the Black shirts and Hotel Staff come to Gupta's Room? They Brothers of the Skin are following us.  Gupta Singh Irma, Donnelly and Gaida have been out shopping preparing silver bullets, etc. for potentially neutralizing the Fenalik threat. They get back to the Hotel and ALSO see a Turkish Man keep tabs on our Hotel. They are following him as he turns down a road and vanishes. However, Gaida notices that there is a man, westerner, getting into a cab and he is dresses EXACTLY like the Turk. This must be the same person who changed his facial features. As a result of Gupta being NICKED we moved our stuff to another Hotel. The next day, Trent makes inquiries about Gupta at the police station whilst Wesley and Gaida go to the Museum Estorio Del Arte to try and find out more about the medals/medallions that were in the possession of Winkelmann. Trent and Simon go to the library and discover the name of a relative of Goivanni Termona who bought Winkelmann's journal after his death. The relative is Antoni Termona. He is missing his right arm (which is one of the parts of the Simulacrum which we are still searching for) which he apparently lost during the war. Simon notices that Antoni Termona's stump moves slightly. Joseph later make a Cthulhu Mythos roll 01 and remember that this is what we saw in France in the village with some people having tentacle in place of an arm which leads us onto the Lloigors etc and linked to the Ithaqua (From the COLD Wastes, Ice, Snow and Wind) the BORA wind too??.  Ithaqua Is Near Antoni Termona has Winkelmann's journal but it is written in ancient Greek (cipher or code? or just ancient script). He gives us the name of a linguist who can help us interpret the journal and he calls him a good friend but he told us he just knew who he was. Marco Montanelli, The wheelchair-bound linguist, provides a translation of the journal. It seems that Winkelmann was involved with a cult of Lloigors who worship Ithakatar. Putting 2-and-2 together we work out that Antoni Termona is almost certainly a member of this cult. The cult is probably hiding out in the cave that is 10 miles outside of Trieste. A medallion is required to enter the caves... some form of protection or a trade for a part of the Sedefkar Simulacrum?  Baby Lloigor Gupta is released on bail by the police minus passport and gun. Now we will have to think carefully about what to do next... On the evening of the 8th February 1923, as we are considering the implications and evidence of Winckelmann's diary, Irma spots a figure watching the hotel from the familiar alleyway opposite, with ginger hair and an unusual black forelock. We hatch a plan to surprise and then render the would-be spy. We begin to take up positions and Simon Grand steals a car for the purpose. Our plan suddenly falls apart when another car pulls up in front of the ginger spy, occupied by a number of Turkish gentlemen who proceed to speed off through the traffic with him. Gupta notes the number plate, but the pursuit in the stolen car soon comes to a futile htitle thanks to Grand's singularly poor driving skills. In the meantime, Pini has arrived in Trieste. He offers to keep watch over our expansive collection of weaponry.  Pini Arrives Grand, Wesley, Gaidar and Donelly decide to search in the docks for the Turks and their ginger prisoner. Despite turning up some evidence regarding the arrival and mooring of a number of Turkish ships, no new leads turn up. Meanwhile, the others dejectedly return to the hotel. Whilst lounging around planning our next move and the return of our 4 colleagues in the car, Irma spots a strange figure standing in the spying alley observing the hotel. The figure appears to be dressed in a manner more befitting the 18th century than modern times. Irma rushes out to apprehend the figure which then curiously vanishes, like a ghost... The situation of general unease is then compounded by a complete power cut at the hotel. Gupta decides to continue with his yoga exercises in the hotel room rather than risk the blasphemous fare being offered by candlelight in the hotel dining hall, but Trent and Irma opt to join the other guests. Strange things then occur - focused on Irma and Trent, which shock the guests, when a dining knife suddenly freezes into Irma's hand with which he then is compelled to wave menacingly at enemies unseen. Enough is enough, and, following the main course, our heroes decide to skip the supernatural dessert and return to their rooms. On the way, Trent decides to exorcize Winkelmann's diary by burning it. As he does so, he also experiences terrible burning sensations and decides to cease his actions immediately. The diary seems to have some singularly unusual properties...  Irma And Trent Even stranger things are then to follow, as the two interrupt Gupta in the locus position, whereupon there is a ghostly knock, three times upon the door. The door opens and the spiritual form of the long dead Winkelmann appears. A curious conversation in ancient Latin crossed with German then ensues during which Winkelmann explains that he has hidden the medallion and wants us to get it... He leads Gupta, Irma and Trent through the freezing late night streets of Trieste, the Bora blasting all who dare to hazard its icy winds. Finally we arrive at a deserted house - Winkelmann passing eerily through the door and leaving us outside. Trent and Irma shoulder charge the door only to be given a revolting ectoplasm glaze as they fly through the ethereal figure as they burst in. Winkelmann leads us to a spot in the house and points to the floor. Trent lifts a floorboard and finds the medallion wrapped in rotting leather. As he holds it, a warm glow passes through him. He feels the chill of the Bora no more... The medallion bears the figure of some hideous bipedal creature on one side, whilst on the reverse is an archaic inscription of hieroglyphs which we ascertain are probably hyperborean.  The Bora Winds Blow We return to the hotel, arriving in time to encounter our colleagues who have spent the evening checking out the harbour side whores. Strange dreams plague us in the night, with only Gupta able to recall a number of howling, unnaturally swift horrors. The plan for the 9th February is to head to the Postumia caves in Slovenia where we predict we will find a piece of the simulacrum. We also plan to take a lot of guns so we decide to hire a truck. Before leaving the hotel, members of the local constabulary arrive. Gupta is to be deported from the fledgling fascist state. His only crime: Threatening black-shirted bullies with a loaded pistol. Reluctantly Gupta agrees to accompany them, not wishing to jeopardise his colleagues by causing an unnecessary scene with the use of his Kirpan and some of his latest deadly yoga moves. We will rendezvous with Gupta in our next stop in Belgrade. He will aim to secure accommodation in the Serbian city when he arrives. Wesley and Trent decide to head out to try and locate a map of the caves, as they are outside the hotel, they encounter a pitiful figure with no arms and no tongue. Wesley learns that the poor fellow understands German. Communicating with shakes and nods of the head and an unpleasant grunting sound from the throat, we learn that he was tortured and mutilated by members of the Lloigor cult. His name is Helmut Grossinger and is hopelessly insane. He tongue was half cut and sowed back and he was missing his arms. He was the man that drove the car away from us and we think they have taken them and transplanted them on someone else.  Fancy A Pineapple Anyone?
With weapons and transport organized, we are now ready to head for the horrors that await us in the deep dark caverns of the Postumia grotto.. TO BE CONTINUED... |
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