Man in front of us -- Count Andreiovitch (russian) -- has many bodyguards. Then a small pear-shaped man carrying (dropping) books. A priest boards. We board.
3 staterooms on A deck. 2 to a stateroom.
Algie + Peter
O'Reilly + Edward
Vendredi + Duvalier
Algie to deck - no-one there - find O'reilly
O'Reilly to lounge - pink gin. Algie - martini
No-one interesting.
Big man comes in - college student - American?
Walk in door says "Lunchtime" and goes to bar. friend - fanlnully
dreaml moustache.
Algie has a cigar.
Ship leaves.
Time goes on.
The priest drops by + looks aorund. Catholic? O'Reilly greets him, but he nods + leaves - needs a haircut?
In comes a pretty woman (30's), on her own. Algie introduces himself - Margaret Alvarez - Algie blathers as to his business - she apparently knows what it is from his description? She's American, returning from holiday in England.
Dinner - A Deck dining room
(Count Andreiovitch (Tsar's "son?" "cousin") served
by own people + has a food-taster)
Margaret joins us. Father in publishing (papers + books) Visits England once a year
O'Reilly notices that the priest does not stay for dinner... he's weird, not very available, just looking + sulking aorund.
Dancing, walk along deck.
Algie makes a pass at Margaret - does not return
to his room that night.
When Algie went back to toom - stick gone!
Meet Margaret for breakfast.
O'Rielly at breakfast - other priest does pass through -- tries to follow him but can't.
Lunchtime (Algie still spending an amiable time with
Margaret)
Afternoon - Algie + Margaret -- more of the same.
O'Reilly finds the priest sitting in a lounge chair reading a bible. He's reading the King James version - C of E. He says "hello" with an accent (European?). O'Reilly tries a conversation - he's not staying long in U.S., has no friends there - he tries to avoid O'R, but O'R stands with him. He walks quickly - then stops suddenly + says "Vill you leaf me alone!" + goes away.
Peter goes to game room to play small stalkes cribbage or other card game. He meets two college students who want to teach him bridge, Peter is OK at bridge. The fourth is a young woman who seems to be "chased" by the better-looking student.
(Margaret excuses herself for a couple of hours in the afternoon)
Someone Else has the Stick!
See the Purser + explain stick is lost. - the man doesn't seem too bright to Algie, but to O'Rielly he seems to be faking it. Algie offers a reward.
Duvalier tries to locate stick via spirits.
O'Rielly - priest comes to lounge, sees him + leaves.
A professor sits at table near him, sit's down,
+ reads book "Nameless Cults".
Edward tries to monopolise Margaret - both of us?
(Ed + Algie)
All three stroll on deck. Both go in for drink.
Eventually Algie leaves.
Edward has a wonderful evening - he searches room
- no stick. Nothing suspicious.
There's a yacht shadowing the ship - it's not answering calls or light signals apparently. looks like a northern port ship - cold weather - heavy bow, etc. - Russian? It's not flying a flag.
O'Rielly notives preist try to get to shuffleboard
area. Pulls out pistol + shoots steward. O'Reilly runs at him.
Someone throws a hand grenade. Edward notes who threw it + takes
cover. Duvalier ducks.
O'Reilly smashes into the priest/gunman - they go
over. One of the shuffleboard spectators jumps up + kicks the grenade
overboard. The bodyguards start shooting.
The grenade goes off overboard. The priest's
helpers are dead + the preists are rolling around fighting. The priest
shoots O'Reilly + breaks the grasp. O'Reilly plays dead. The
other priest rolls overboard.
Vendredi throws a dart at him + misses.
O'Reilly gets up + First Aid's himself.
Edward looks back at the yacht, which is closing
- he tells the bridge crew about it, but the Mauritania is leaving them
behind.
The Count thanks O'Reilly directly.
O'Rielly goes back to his cabin where the doctor will attend him.
Lunchtime.
Edward relaxes w/Margaret
Algie goes to a lounge + reads. See man reading "Nameless Cults." He's Harvard Professor Alvin Patterson. Algie tells him he has read "The Magus" - discusses it.
O'Reilly invited to Captain's table.
Algie invited by Alvin in watching him do a ritual
tonight - mentions this to Duvalier.
Dinner. the usual, except for O'Reilly.
"Women are only there to fill the time between sanity drops" -- Algie Armstrong
Algie + Duvalier will go to ritual. DSuvalier
says that the book is v. dangerous.
Algie writes a note + leaves it in his coat pocket
in his room.
He's begun the ritual - sitting on floor, brazier
in front smoking - a candle - a large magnifying glass to focus the light
on the wall. Incense, etc..
Asks us to sit down.
This is Glass of Mortland which will show a vision
on wall - answer to questions - but Glass not under control totally + can
show what it wants.
(Ritual from a different book - The Zanthru Tablets.)
Mixes stuff in brazier, reads chant, etc. - doing
more a "chemical experiment" style than a mystical one.
OK diene(?) -
Algie: "Who has the <stick>?"
Vision forms - people in
sailor uniform involved in chant + dance - machinery + pipes + stuff -
Algie memorizes location. Vision fades.
Jean: "What are the consequences of drawing from
this book?"
Vision - dancing + chanting
- naked - chanting gets louder + louder _ another vison fades in - cast
oceans starry voids - chanting louder - something condenses - dark slimy,
tentacles - Prof wants to stop vision. - creature - Professor takes brazier,
dumps over canlde w/puts it out, + vision fades.
Algie leaves, Duvalier wants to purify place byt
Prof wants to investigate, so leave....
Through "no admittance", down, back, + find engines? Gets dark. Wander around. Get lost for 20 minutes.
Get back. 1 am. Wake lawyer + priest.
Discuss options.
Hear noise at door. Peter opens it - the listener
takes off. We chase + chase + chase but he escapes into ship.
Burst into room - 3 w/knives. Algie stabbed.
Step back, slam door, slash @ a hand (miss) + run!
Peter is tackled. He fight back as Algie returns
carefully. Peter swings with the cane, + struggles to get clear.
Algie sets a trap, stabs the one chasing him.
Peter bites an attacker.
Algie stabs his attacker.
Peter is stabbed.
Algie is stabbed, the attacker goes down, search
him - pendant, + stone thing in pocket + knife. Take them.
Peter dies.
Algie runs.
One catches him - Algie kills him with two blows
and a cry of "Mighty Cthulhu aid me!"
Algie waits for the next one, who tries to sneak
up, so Algie runs. Algie escapes to passenger area.
Algie pulls out the pendant and stone thing -
Pendant - strange - has occult meaning, but - symbolizes membership in a cult. - stylized animal face - monkey? Made of reddish clay.
Duvalier goes to mix a remedy - + sees a body being brought in. O'Reilly looks at it - it's the Prof. He hung himself.
Duvalier checks Prof's room - locked. Fetches remedies.
O'Reilly looks for Purser.
Purser's office -- there's a purser!! Tells
Purser about stick, + concerned about Prof's death - glass missing?
if so, murder! He wants statements from everyone.
P collects people + go get statement from Algie.
Duvalier arrives w/the "remedy" - Algie claims he's his personal physician so the doctor lets hin in. Tastes foul, alchohol, drugs, etc....
Duvalier's statement is taken - truth. Adds coner(?) of at least two arcane books + mystical equipment.
Algie feeling great, but too incoherent for statement.
Edward wanders around for a while, finds note saying "We're in the infirmary" + goes there.
O'Reilly "wants" to exorcise the room + tries to
contact the Asst. Purser, who would have to contact Purser to unlock it.
Where's the Purser? Who knows? But he should be back later
that day.
He isn't there. This evening?
He isn't there. Cabin - not there. Purser
is missing
Talk to Asst Purser
Steward arrives + fetches AP = down some decks to
Deck E, + into room - people crowded - some v. bloody killing in there
(a woman travelling there) - some ripper?
O'Reilly leads assemble people in prayer for hte
dead.
AP goes to find P, w/O'Rielly + Grayson. AP
yells @ secty + yells "Where is ________?" Secxy doesn't know.
Goes to Capn + explains etc etc, -
O'Rielly + Grayson talk to Capn + try to convince
him what is going on. - how serious it is, how important to check Prof's
room, also consider that P is in trouble, + check crew manifest for South
Seas origin person (cult)
Walk route to vault (by P's office). Capn returns to duty.
Officers will examine South Seas people informally
- don't want to interrogate all of them.
Edward settles down to weatch P's office from waiting
area. O'R will take over later.
Algie wants to get up + find the book, glass, etc
to use to find the P. They don't want him to leave. Duvalier
tells the medical staff to keep Algie here because he has delusions.
Duvalier fetches O'R, + attempts to use powers to
find P.
Algie "breaks out" (w/pendant + stone) + goes down to where he was assulated. There's nothing there, so he searches.
Duvalier tries to locate P. Rituals don't work.
(O'R prays + meditates) after Ducalier believes
himself to be cursed + his powers are affected - wants to be blessed.
O'R does this. It doesn't do much for Duvalier.
Algie has hallunicinations of being pursued by the
entity, + winds up on the floor. Follows slight sound of chanting,
finds Purser leading chant w/others of South Seas origins. Culminations
- thing appears - this thin + purser looked straight at Algie! Ack.
pass out.
Vendredi hypnotises him - remembers more details
but nothing really useful.
Grayson goes back down to crews quarters + looks around, taking notes. - stays down there _ pretends to be sleepy (drunk?) - keeping an eye out for crew returning from ritual.
O'R has not fallen asleep, + neither has the P come
back. 7am. 9am. no P
Commotion at desk - some crew has called - said
found someone sleeping on stairs, delirious, dragging a chest. O'R
goes w/steward - Algie!
Take chest back to room.
Algie insists on taking chest back to Charlie w/o
opening, + guard it. - wants something from Duvalier so won't have
to sleep! - O'R goes to fetch him - finds that a steward is at Duvalier's
room to tell him his patient has been found - they had a ripper killing
last night + don't neeed any strange people wandering hte decks!
- go to Algie's room.
Should use glass to find Ripper?
Duvalier looks in chest - glass, brazier, book from room. Other than that, voodoo style occult ritual stuff. He favors destroying items if can - esp if ship docks w/o finding Ripper, as police will impound ship.
"Hook" desribes Ripper - nondescript, avge height, face, build, curly brown hair. Dressed in good casual clothers (1st class cabin).
O'R leaves to go to room to fetch Holy Water, + find lawyer.
Hook + O'R arrive back at Algie's room. Hook will have a steward tell him who was in the Ripper's room - William Hamblyn. O'R goes to fetch lawyer - ~11 am
All back at Algie's. Duvalier concocts something to keep Algie awake + gives it to him to take when he needs it. Duvalier goes out, fetches a coffee urn, + brings it back.
Algie does ritual. Fails. ACK! [-6 POW] Try again. Pass out.
Duvalier tries - nothing happens.
He burns the books, smaskes the brazier + crystal,
_ destroys all in trunk except for brazier + melts it + break into pieces.
Strom(?) stuff, which thrown overboard w/melted
silver. Destroy chest too.
Rumour - there's been another killing!
The rest go eat.
Jackson + Vendredi go see the AP - ask about Hamblyn
- no indication of profession ("Mr" not "Dr"). Jackson describes
him - should have bruise on chin - go down to the room - go in - nothing
unusual.
Police will come aboard before ship docks, but can't
do much else.
Jackson + Vendredi check 2nd class lounges, aft to
front. Takes most of evening. No sign of him. Aagh!
Should have checked 3rd class ones!
Check 3rd class - cafeteria. People there,
not recognize. Wanders through 3rd class + back up.
Midnight. Sleep. Lock door, etc.
1/2 hour later (12:30 am), man goes running down
1st class corridors, banging on doors, saying there's been another killing.
Edward checks it out, also Vendredi. Duvalier
goes to priest's room.
Murder - another pretty young single woman in 3rd
class - just like other two - wrote on wall "I love my work" (in blood)
Edward returns + talks with Duvalier.
Vendredi goes to wake up Jackson. Tells him there's been another murder. Both go to check.
Ed + Duvalier check passenger list for suitable other victims -
Someone trying to come in O'R's + Duv's room. Forced - O'R blasts the vaguely humanoid shapes. Lots of them. O'R keeps blasting, + the bodies pile up in doorway.
- V + J were at an aft lounge. go on to deck.
- Back at room - clearing bodies, so O'R blasts them - the creatures leave with their bodies. O'R closes door.
- V+J hear people jumping overboard. - see people climbing over railing + jumping in - fairly calmly. Just a few people. They go overboard + disappear in night.
-V+J - no missing liferaft - no sign where the people jumped over. go back to O'R's room.
- Ed goes back to O'R's (+ his) room - Algie's door smashed - give two short + one long knock. he comes in.
-V+J arrive. _ are let in reluctantly.
O'R notices some little stone things scattered outside
door - little stone tablets tha were in box thrown overboard - Ed postulates
that the tables are the dead creatures.
Jackson gathers them + puts them in a box.
- more likely that creatures came back w/ tablets
- a signal for the creatures to come for them - same as table Algie had
taken from sailor.
So what do with tablets now? Ed seals them
in wax, so don't contact water?
Late morning - police want to talk to "Hook" Jackson.
Stewards want to know where Algie is - vanished during panic - maybe jumped overboard?
The maid eventually recovers + remembers nothing.
Duvalier staying in NYC.
Next day newspaper shows "Cruise from Hell" 2 missing, 3 women dead, bunch of South Pacific crewmen found dead.
Charlie looks @ tablets - for contacting deep ones
- throw in ocean + deep ones bring them back. Put in vault - 4 tablets.
- do not destroy them. BAD THING. - it's a
curse to destroy them.
- if keep them, start having bad dreams.
So - donate to Miskatonic University.