Achtung Cthulhu! (Call of Cthulhu), Fire and Brimstone: Episode 1

Cast:

The Section M Team

Nora (Kathy), English Adventuress

Mr. Phillips (John), Retired Dutch Engineer – been dealing with the crazy longest

LT Arthur Tennison (Nick), British Navy, Secret Intelligence Service

Yago (Erikir), Indian Catholic Priest, Religious Scholar

CPL Ron "Ferret" Farnsworth (Kurt) - British Commando

David Rafael Manasseh (Colton) - Businessman, Spy and Trader of Secrets

...and Jamished, Kouresh, Habbib, Fritz Lieber Brandt, Detective Khalid, and Dr. Heinz Pringle as themselves.

January, 1940

The session started with the group reuniting in Bombay (after the events in the Jaipur Incident) and having decided to go after the Cup of Yima in Persia, instead of running back to England to piece together Section M (which was nearly wiped put in a German commando raid).

In Bombay, the group was to hop the first transport smoking for the Persian Gulf. Conveniently, the Emerald of Madras was sailing with the 3rdIndian Motorized Brigade (3 IMB). The 3IMB runs what in modern military terminology are referred to as ‘guntrucks’. More often than not, literal civilian automobiles, with a little armor and a mounted .30 cal Browning machinegun (or two). Their job will be to patrol the border of Egypt, and in the case of one large detached company to protect the oil facilities of the Anglo-Iraqi Oil Company (future BP) to keep the crude flowing for the war effort. The 3IMB was to make a brief stop in Iraq to deliver the one a Motorized Company, so the SIS group can tag along with the Iraq Company until Basra (where David had some business interests). The group hit the Bombay arsenal for gear and then joined the 3IMB on ship. After a couple of days at sea, there was a brief U-boat scare, but either the alarm was false, or the U-boat decided not to attack the Emerald for some unknown reason.

The next day, the port of Ulm was sighted and the Emerald docked and unloaded the lone Motorized Company. The group unloaded with, and rode with the gun truck company to Basra, where they split off to meet David’s contact. There, they also meet a ragged out LT Tennison, who has flown in on a very long DC3 flight to catch up to the team. David works with exhausted Tennison to set up a pay-for-information ring with Habbib, David’s man in Basra. Hibbib also found low profile (and low cost) transportation for the group to Istafan (Iranian city where the Cup of Yima was rumored to be ‘near’).  The transport turned out tp be a Bedouin camel caravan. After two weeks riding camels though the wilderness, the group was ready to kill David (especially Father Yago who had developed some serious saddle sores). David consented to popular demand and found two trucks for the rest of the journey. One was a piece of junk, but Ferret (to the tune of the A Team) made a few ‘combat repairs’ and between the nice truck and the Ferretmobile, the group was soon in Istafan.

Tired and wanting to get a good bath and rest, they headed directly to David’s man in Istafan – Kouresh, a ceramics merchant. Kouresh is clean shaven, with jet black hear, and frequently covered in ceramic dust. He has a bum leg and walks with the use of a cane.  Kouresh’s family had operated out of the Istafan Bazaar for as long as there was a Bazaar (and Istafan) and was an authoritative source on what was happening in the city.  The word on the street was “murder”. A number (unknown how many) of victims had been found on the outskirts of the city terrible butchered and with their eyes cut out and taken.

Mr. Phillips having been going through both the Book of the Machine and Eichmann’s journal, notes both some references to a city under a mountain, a guardian (or destroyer?) demon called the Thief of Sight, and references to ancient fire worshippers/cult called the Zorastrians. Yago shares that the Zorastrians were like a rash all over the origins of ALL the modern religions. Oldest monotheistic, kings/magi that came to Christ’s birth were Zorastrian priests, Zorastrianism was overthrown by the rise of Islam.  At this point Phillips spider-sense is tingling and he sets the party to find this cult…

…at which point, David’s contact mentions that his brother is a Zorastrian priest.

David demands Kouresh set a meeting with his brother right away, but Kouresh makes clear that his brother is a religious man, who will not jump to Kouresh’s or David’s request. He can seek his brother out, but is not sure he will accept the invitation. After much back and forth, it is agreed and Kouresh leaves to seek his brother.

After a night’s rest, and some ointment for Yago, is ready to investigate.

They meet with Kouresh’s brother, Jamished, a handsome bearded man of authority, wearing the white robes and head cap of a Zoroastrian Initiate. He politely listens to Mr. Phillips explanation of the Ehrlichmann notes…and is visibly effected. He clearly knows more, but explains that he feels he must get the permission of his superiors in the cult before explaining anything further. He promises to make a case for his superiors, and asks the characters to meet him the next morning at the Zorastrian Temple.

The charcaters though will not be idle.

David and Yago head for a local “bar” (ie Teahouse/Hooka) parlor while Nora, Phillips and Ferret head for a European bar downtown. David and Yago hear the locals talking about the murders and one loudmouth is calling out the Frenchmen/Westerners as responsible, and that is because of the Shah. The two watch as a man sitting alone shakes his head and stands to leave. Yago and David rush  to catch this man, as perhaps a voice of reason. The man tells them that the loudmouth is a fool; there have been four, maybe five murders, the rest of the people may just be visiting relatives. I am not sure what the objective or idea that Davis and Yago had in this confrontation, but the man gave some good information, such as the weapon killing the people may have been a knife, or some weapon that did damage like tiger claws (think Wolverine, True Believers…). The man then started asking Yago and David questions, and when pressed, he showed his badge. Crap…the Fuzz! He identified himself as Detective Khalid of the Shah’s police (Federal Police, like maybe US Marshall's or Italian Carabinieri). He recommended that the two not get involved but did give David his card at the Government Center.

The others found themselves at Fritz’s Café Deutsch and find themselves among other Europeans, mainly Germans. Most seem to be speaking German and they range from down on their luck looking laborers to high class folks…including the charming Fritz Lieber Brandt from the lovely city of Stuttgart. They return early, pondering the strange dichotomy of the Germans seeming relatively harmless and the French apparently causing all of the problems.

Mr. Phillips, being an old geezer, turns in early.

Nora and the rest decide to check out the French dig site as it is now getting dark. Piling in the Ferretmobile, they are soon at the site, but find it abandoned. They do see, in the fading light, a series of scaffolding around what appears to be a drill of some kind…they regret not making Phillips come with them! They could have used his engineering skills!

Nora thinks she sees something moving through the low hills in the area. Everyone moves back to the Ferretmobile, but they don’t leave. Nora is standing in the door, trying to catch another glimpse of what she saw moving earlier…and a rifle shot rings out! Nora falls back into the Ferretmobile with a bullet in her chest! The rest jump up to shoot, but can make out no targets – just as a number of other bullets pass very close to the truck! Crying out, Tenneson yells for them to get out of there and Ferret stomps the gas! As the truck tears down the road there are a few more (inaccurate) shots.

They arrive back at the bazaar with the gunshot Nora and carry her into Kouresh’s ceramics shop. As they stabilize her and start training to figure out what to do next, David decides to contact the Detective he met earlier. He rings the police station, but the unhelpful desk sergeant tells him that Detective Khalil is off for the night and he should mind his own business. David decides to go to the police station and (I am not sure exactly the thought process) inform the police of the gunshots at the off limits dig site (or at least trespassed upon). The desk sergeant is exceptionally unhelpful and with David admitting that he was near the French site, the sergeant sees a way to take care of two problems at one – clearly David is the Thief of Sight! He is arrested and beaten by the police with rubber hoses and a New Yorl City telephone book (kept for just such occasions) and coerced to sign a confession…which he does not do.

Yago meanwhile realizes that his comrade is probably made a mistake going to the police and had rushed after him. Entering the police station, his efforts to use his position in the faith fall of deaf (Muslim) ears, and he is on his way to being an accomplice serial killer…when Detective Khalid, very pissed off, shows up at the station. {Unknown to the players, one of Khalid’s loyal officers was at the station and sent a boy to run and get the Detective.} Khalid takes Yago and frees the very beaten down David (who having been stripped and found to be Jewish was getting the “extra” treatment by the dirty cops). Khalid yells at Yago to take his friend home, while Khalid chews out the police…

Still in a bad way, both David and Nora seriously need medical attention. Kouresh runs off to find a friendly doctor and soon brings back a German doctor with a bald pate, black bag and a monocle.  Despite the parties misgivings Dr. Heinz Pringle does a good job treating both wounded agents and quietly says a prayer in Yiddish with David before leaving as quickly and quietly as he came.

Ferret stays up all night guarding the ceramics shop, and is in no shape to go to the meeting with the Zorastrian in the morning.  So he stays with Nora and David as Mr. Phillips dreams of R’yleh.

So…its up to Yago and Tennison to keep the appointment with the Zorastrians.  The temple itself is surrounded by a lovely and peaceful garden. The two are met at the door by Jamishid who leads them into a quiet sitting area.

Jamishid explains that it is unusual that the leaders of his order would share any of this information with outsiders, much less ask for help. However, tey are convinced that while they believe the serial killer is NOT the Thief of Sight, a mystical winged lion demon, they DO believe that the ritualistic killings could summon the actual Thief of Sight – which could kill every human in the region. Thus, extreme measure must be taken and they have decided to freely share information and help the outsiders; the Persian government is unhelpful, as the Shah has supported the Frenchmen. Thus, no local can act against them and despite the good they would do – the violation of the Shah’s will would eventually be brutally repressed.

So they want the characters, who will leave afterward, to do their dirty work.

Sharing information, the characters reveal that they are looking for the Cup of Yima…Jamishid smiles slightly and explains, “Jamished is a version of the name Yima”. Suddenly the words of the Eherlichmann notes now seem to point to the Cup being under the mound.  Jamishid notes that the Elders believe that if they can trade the Cup for the end of the Thief of Sight – it is a good trade.

Jamished explains, that the French will not be able to access the ruins under the mound as the actual city under the mound is on another plane of existence and can only be reached through the Doorway, or Portal, of Fire. The Portal can only be opened by using “original flame” in a ritual.  He also explains that the original flame is in an ancient Zorastrian Temple in the south of Persia – they will be able to collect some coals and bring them back in a fire-pot. Also…they will need the ashes…for some other ritual.

{Through this, Tennison/Nick was playing the part of Peter Venkman (Bill Murry) from Ghost Busters, “yeah, yeah, right, right…cats living with dogs, blah, blah, blah” partially because it even sounded to ME like complete gibberish…oh, how I love the writing from Modephius…on the tenth read, I finally was able to summarize it as above. Anyway, it was one of those moments when I wish we’d record these sessions.}

At the end of the session, Jamished leaves for a moment and returns with a duffle bag of travelling cloths. Yago and Tennison look at each other as Jamished tells them that he will have to go with them…the elders of the southern temple will not allow heretics near the ancient flame.

End of the night:

- Yago, Tennison and Jamished are returning to the ceramics shop.

Nora and David are slowly recovering in the ceramics shop. Ferret is there sleeping, and Kouresh is keeping watch.

..and Mr. Phillips is waking from a good night sleep and heading down to a nice café for a coffee, met by his new friend Fritz Brandt of Stuttgart.

Next Session: On the Road Again…