Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (New York Part #1 / North Borneo Part #1)

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer) 

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Nigel Thorne, VC, DSC (Thrill Seeker / Explorer)

Over the course of the 5 day trip from Bolivia to New York City, the team discusses their experiences and what they should do when they arrived back at Caduceus headquarters. Decision is made to tell Caduceus everything, but to hold back a few of the artifacts. Specifically the 'Serpent Scepter' and the 'Pain Whip'. They feel the team as earned some 'reward' for their troubles, as well as some vague sense that they shouldn't give their employer everything. Over the course of the debate, Oz picks up the scepter to examine it clairvoyantly; and is immediately struck by horrific visons of snakes that shake him to his soul and instill a deep ophidian fear into his bones. 

Having telegraphed ahead from their last refueling stop, the party is met at the airport in New York and brought to the Meadham Building, centre of operations for the Caduceus Foundation. There the serpent person mummy Tyranissh is whisked away and the team is brought to the previously out of bounds 7th floor. There they turn in their expense reports to Philip Connors, the special operations quartermaster, and then meet with Quinten Shapiro, who debriefs them on the mission. The team also asks him a few things about what they observed, but he is unable to any specific information. He also turns down a request from Nigel to meet Mr. Meadham and offer him a gift of fine cigars and rum they picked up in Cuba on the way back. But Quinten does have Mr. Meadham's personal secretary, Deloras Parville, take the gift and bring them to her boss. 

When the debrief is complete, Quinten repeats what they were told over the radio while in  Bolivia. That the team now knows the true mission of Caduceus, and having been thrown into the deep end (successfully he adds) they have been granted Tier Two access to the organization. And leaves them each a portfolio of documents to review, telling them they will meet again in the morning to be briefed on a new mission. 

The documents lay out the history of the serpent people (much as Oz has already learned from the 'Annuals of Mu' scroll in the mummy temple) and learn the serpent people remain active on earth today. But they further learn of a split between the serpent person followers of Yig and the followers of Tsathoggua. Those of Yig seem content to let humanity be, knowing they cannot compete with humans or they risk annihilation. The followers of Tsathoggua on the other hand have the elimination of the human race as their goal, spearheaded by a group known as the Inner Night. These were likely the serpent people the team encounter in Bolivia. The documents explain that sometime around 1912, the head of Caduceus Joshua Meadham had a violent encounter with the followers of Tsathoggua, which lead him to sell off his successful pharmaceutical business and devote his fortune and money to protecting humanity from the serpent folk under the cover of the Caduceus Fountain and it's charitable medical works.  

Somewhat shaken on having their suspicions confirmed, the party scatters to various haunts through the evening before meeting Quinten back at the Meadham Building in the morning. Their handler is packed and ready, and he tells them they must leave immediately for North Borneo. Caduceus has received a request from the North Borneo Chartered Company for assistance in combating an outbreak of what the company believes is a virulent strain of infectious hepatitis. Caduceus however believes it to be the Yellow Death, a biological weapon created by the serpent people to depopulate areas of human habitation. The team, led by Quinten, are to go to North Borneo and investigate. Quinten will be their scientific lead and focus on identifying the infection and how to address it, while the rest of the team assists him and determines if there is a connection between the Inner Night and this outbreak. Asked about treatment for the Yellow Death, Quinten notes the advanced equipment he is bringing may be able to produce an antidote depending on the exact nature of the strain. 

Quinten takes his leave, and the party reports back to Phillip to draw equipment and supplies.  Nigel take advantage of the foundation's library to do some research on North Borneo. And in the process uncovers a pair of misplaced documents. One is a report from the chief of security about a break-in at Mr. Meadham's Connecticut estate.  In it are curious references to a temple (of Yig?) on the estate, and other comments pointing to possible serpent person activity there. The second document is from Dr. Victor Gonsalves, Caduceus Chief Researcher. It is in reference to the Cobra Crown, and notes it was once located at the Temple of the Dreamer along with the Serpent Scepter, but reports over the centuries seems to locate it in Asia and more recently in Calcutta. Mr. Meadham seems especially interested in the Crown, and is ready to fly to Calcutta at a moments notice if it is located there. There is also a curious reference to Mr. Meadham's  daughter and her possible connection with the Inner Night.  When Nigel passes these documents onto the rest of the team, Ivy heads back to the library to look for information on this daughter. It seems Rose Meadham had once been her fathers 'right hand woman', deeply involved in the operations of the Caduceus Foundation. But around 1920 all mention of her disappears, with no indication of what happened to her. 

The team collect Quinten and his pile of equipment, then head to the airport and thence on another globe spanning flight. Five days later they are approaching their destination, a British Indian Army camp and airstrip at the base of Mount Kinabalu. As Nigel focusses on keeping the plane under control in the buffeting winds blowing off the mountain, Zeke gazes out the window. And notes a pair of clouds moving against the wind very quickly and in their direction. He shouts a waning as two shadowy bat winged night gaunts (creatures of the Dreamlands) crash into the side of the plane. And rip it open, climbing inside and grabbing Ivy before once more leaping from the the plane. As the pair of gaunts prepare to drop Ivy to her death, Oz grabs a rope and leaps out of the plane in an attempt to reach Ivy before she plummets to her death. He misses, but Nigel is able successfully maneuver the plane under her and catch her in mid fall. The creatures fly off, and Nigel brings the plane more or less intact to the ground. 

Met there by a Capt. Lancaster and a half dozen turbaned soldiers, the team is invited to the officers mess for lunch once they've unloaded gear and made necessary repairs. When the Captain departs, Quinten calls the team over for urgent news. During the attack, wild flying, or Oz's bout of rage afterwards, much of their equipment was damaged. Most importantly, a wooden box Quinten had kept secret until now. He calls it the Haftorang Device, a specialized incendiary weapon designed to sterilize an area infected by the Yellow Death. It has been brought along as a last ditch defense if needed; but the damage has started the time bombs' countdown and they now have less than 24 hours to compete their mission ...

LINKS

Letter- Estate Break-in

Report- Cobra Crown 

Map - North Borneo Quarantine Zone 

Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (Bolivia Part #4)

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer) 

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Nigel Thorne, VC, DSC (Thrill Seeker / Explorer)

Dr. Jayaprakash Singh, PhD, P.Eng (Scholar / Engineer)

March 18th - 23rd, 1933 

As the team ponders the preponderance of snakes, Nigel re-joins them after securing the truck. And they are likewise joined by the tardy Dr. Singh, their erstwhile companion on the flight down to South America. Several attempts are made to get past the snakes. Including Oz trying mass hypnotism, burning with a jerrycan of gas, and wild plans of laying a bed of tarpaulins across the snakes and simply walking over them. None of these are successful, so the team rigs up torches and uses them to force the snakes back and clear a path. This is successful, and the team finds the snakes thin out once they are around the bend in the tunnel. Further decent brings them to  an arched opening. It is plain on the near side, but is carved on the opposite side in the from of a pair of snakes whose heads meet at the top of the arch and point into the room beyond. Everyone notes the fist size green gems that form the snake's, but Ivy is the one who discovers the eyes start to glow is anyone breaks the plane of the entrance into the chamber.  In the large chamber beyond is a spiral structure which mirrors the corkscrew shape of the temple itself. At the top however there is a seat or throne on which a humanoid figure sits. Warry of the snake arch, Nigel and Zeke take pieces of canvas tarpaulin and cover the heads  before the party enters the chamber. Both are lucky to escape a blast of green light emanating from the eyes as they do so. 

Entering the chamber, the team crosses to the structure. It and the vaulted chamber are devoid of decoration. Nigel uses his binoculars to get a closer glimpse of the figure on the elevated throne, and finds it is a dried and desiccated serpent person clade in a scarlet and gold robe. Thinking this is the mummy they have been sent to recover, the team starts to climb. But as they get about halfway there, the structure begins to shake and crumble beneath their feet. From the dust and rubble emerges a great snake, four feet across and 100 feet long. It twists its head around and drives its open maw onto Zeke, swallowing him whole.  Desperate to save their companion, the others open fire on the snake. But their bullets and blades do little damage against it's thick scales. At least until Ivy notes a scale free spot just behind it's jaw, and directs the fire of the other three to this vulnerable spot. Meanwhile, inside the beast, Zeke lashes out with dynamite and manchette until  the combined effort of those inside and out slay the foul thing and Zeke is vomited forth from the dying beasts belly. Ivy proceeds to patch up both Zeke and Nigel, who was himself battered by the snakes tail during the battle. 

With the dust now settled, the team notes the throne remains above them, supported by a pillar. Nigel climbs the pillar to get a closer look at the figure on the throne. He reaches out to touch the figure, at which point it crumbles into dust and seems to disappear into the throne. Pulling himself up atop the throne, Nigel finds a hole in the seat, which leads down the middle of the pillar and into a small chamber below. Rigging up ropes to aid the climb and decent, the team heads deeper into the bowels of the earth. Taking the lead, Dr. Singh emerges into a small chamber, design-wise almost identical to the throne room above, albeit on a much smaller scale. Peeling paint on the walls show images of a female serpent person wearing a gold and jeweled crown with a snake motif, and holding a scepter formed of a snake with a giant pearl in it's mouth. She is  surrounded by prostrate worshippers. The rest of the walls are covered with images and writing, which Oz identifies as Naacal. But he is unable to translate any of it.

This small chamber leads into another, larger but decorated the same. But here in the centre is a plinth atop which reclines a female serpent person, fresh scales glistening in their flashlight beams. There is also a large stone chest at the head of the plinth. First checking for booby traps, the team moves into the chamber. Taking a cargo net salvaged from the battlefield, four of them quickly cover the serpent person with it while Nigel stands by the tie it up with rope if necessary. But the figure, though faintly breathing, does not stir. The team now turns to the chest. Carefully opening the air-tight container, they find inside a barbed whip, several sets of crimson and gold robes, a scroll, and two wooden boxes. One box is larger and squared, the other long and narrow. Opening the boxes, the find in the long one the scepter illustrated in the wall paintings. The other, however, is empty except for a velvet cushion that seems to have once held the crown. 

Oz takes the scroll and unrolls it and is unsurprised to find it is written in Naacal. As the others labor, he reads the scroll and learn it is a history of the Second Serpent Person Empire and the lost continent of Mu. It tells the history of Mu and describe the rise of the usurper race of humanity. Opinions about humanity among the serpent people are divided. One faction of serpent people saw the future of their race in coexistence with humans and went so far as to mix their genetic material with humanity. They constructed a temple, over a dead volcano and drew upon its arcane power to fuel their engines of transformation. The rest of the serpent people saw the human race as a scourge and something to be eradicated, fearing that interbreeding would contaminate the pure serpent person bloodline. The resulting conflict led to the growth of extremist factions and a civil war. The scroll also describe an assault on the Citadel in Mu by an alien race. This attack somehow resulted in the shattering of reality, separating Mu from the rest of Earth. Many of the serpent people were left unable to return home to Mu, destined to walk in the world of men. The final passages speak of the Chosen One: a serpent person whose destiny is to unite the serpent people and lead them home to glorious Mu.

By now, the rest of the team has hauled the serpent person and the items up and out of the chamber, and they now proceed back up the temple corridor to the outside air. But they halt at the top to look for trouble. And sure enough, they spot hiding the the brush a trio of Bolivian soldiers, one of who appears to the the captain who attacked them on their arrival in the jungle. Taking advantage of their cover inside the tunnel,  Nigel turns his rifle on the captain and cuts him down, causing the other two soldier to flee into the bush. But then a rifle shot rings out from the left where their truck is hidden. Swinging  around, they see more soldiers lead by the lieutenant. He is treated by Oz and Zeke the same as the captain, and once more the other flee. 

Their mission now seemingly complete, the team wastes no time getting back to the plane and loading their finds aboard. Nigel then revs the engines and they are soon airborne, winging their way north for the long journey back to New York City and Caduceus headquarters ...