Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (New York Part#6)

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer)

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

At the last minute, Nigel has a change of heart. Instead of pulling the trigger, he pulled out a grenade and, leaving the pin in, throws it at the fleeing guard.  Which hits the man in the head and knocks him out cold. The team drags the unconscious man back into the office and ties him up. But unfortunately the other guards have heard and come to investigate. Oz, hiding in the bathroom, manages to fast talk them into leaving, impersonating the guard and saying he's just having some stomach issues. Once the guards leave, Zeke sneaks back out into the warehouse and moves to the edge of the piled crates. Beyond he can see the big bay doors overlooking the river, in front of which are posted four more guards. Above is a large gantry crane, controlled from a small mezzanine in the upper right corner. There is also a large covered hatch in the floor, and a set of stairs going down. 

Assuming the information or proof they are looking for is in the basement, the team hatches a plan. They decide to start a fire in the office to draw off the guards, then sneak downstairs. The plan partially works; the fire does attract a few guards, but two remain by the bay doors. So the team charges in, guns raised, and successfully intimidates them into dropping their weapons. Marching their captives before them, the team goes downstairs. Where they immediately run into two more very alert guards. A short gun fight ensues, with one guard going down right away, and the second shot as he ran towards a glassed-in control room at one end of the warehouse. And now the team sees what fills the rest of the space: suspended from the ceiling are huge pressurized canisters. Tubes run from these canisters and flow into huge glass pipes, six feet across and a hundred feet long that contain hand-sized mutated mosquitoes, flying in a green cloud. Airlocks at the end of each tube allow access—in a couple of these are the near-mummified remains of bodies drained of their bodily fluids.

Momentarily there is commotion upstairs, sounds of running feet and the firing of Tommy guns. Figuring they're sprung some sort of trap, the team quickly examines the control room. It is full of dials and gauges of a type that even  Zeke can't quite understand. There is also a radio, which Nigel picks up , hoping he can use it to delay the people upstairs. It links, however, to Caduceus headquarters. So Nigel has inadvertently alerted the whole organization to the break-in. 

Zeke figures out how to turn on the gas, and starts to over-pressurize the mosquito chambers, meaning to break them and hopefully kills the bugs. At about the same time, a group of men in trench coats and carrying Tommy guns burst into the lower level. Not knowing who they are but assuming the worst, the rest of the team opens fire with gun and grenade, cutting down a few while Zeke sets a dynamite charge to blow a passage out into the East River. His plan is to open an escape route and flood the basement at the same time. The first works, but the water flow is pretty slow and it's likely the mosquitos are going to escape the building. But as the team climbs back into their rowboat and starts back across the river, they hear another round of gunfire and then the warehouse goes up in a massive fireball.  At least they've left no tracks behind ...

The team makes it's way back to their hotel, and wait to see what happens next. They read about the explosion in the newspaper, as well as an article identifying them as the 'rogue' team that attacked the Caduceus headquarters a few days earlier. But perhaps the most interesting piece is the announcement, buried on the back pages in the culture section, that the Cobra Crown is about to go on display at the India Museum in Calcutta! Now they really need to get the Serpent Scepter!

First step is to get back in touch with their Mafia connections, to tell them what the team learned at the warehouse (i.e. there are no illegal drugs there) and see what their associates have learned of the Serpent Scepter. After a few days in hiding, their usual driver Lucio knocks on the door and bundles everyone into his car to meet with their handler, Bonventre. Oz hypnotizes their driver, and learns that as far as Lucio knows, the meeting is a safe and friendly one. They arrive back at the Green Garden Cafe just after dark. This time there are just a half dozen mafioso soldiers, and Bonventre sitting alone at a table in the back. He greets the team and offers them a drink, then gets down to business. The tell him their tale, giant mosquitos and all. He does not seem too surprised by that news, and the team learns the trenchcoated men at the warehouse were part of Bonventre's crew, sent to back up/check up on the team. He seems nonplussed by the deaths of his men; just the cost of business. 

Pressed to fulfill his end of the bargain, Bonventre pulls back a curtain hiding the end of the bar nbehind him, revealing a very bloody and bruised man tied to a chair. On closer examination, the team realizes it's actually a disguised serpent man. Bonventre thanks the team for the warning that his organization might be infiltrated, and introduces Martino Bresciani aka Hlysa. This was the 'man' who altered the family to the possible presence of drugs in the Redhook warehouse. Bonventre reveals Hlysa works for some organization called the Inner Night, headed by Rose Meadham. His job was to stir up trouble for Caduceus, but Bonventre didn;t learn exactly why. As for the Serpent Scepter, Bonventre tells the team it was stolen from their plane by a man called Canning; and that both Joshua Meadham and Canning have just this day left for Calcutta on urgent business. 

Bonventre offers the family's help in getting the team to their plane and out of New York, probably for good. And a short time later, the de Havilland Dragon is in the air and headed for Calcutta ... 

Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (New York Part#5)

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer)

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

The team spent the next week laying low in the cheap hotel to which they'd relocated their centre of operations. Zeke did slip out to make contact with some old friends, returning with a resupply of weaponry, ammunition and dynamite. Oz locked himself in the bathroom with the two fearful tomes liberated from Joshua Meadham's library. But otherwise they waited for any hubbub arising from their gunfight at the Meadham Building to die down, and discussed what to do next. They decided to make contact with the Bonanno crime family, who'd been making efforts to connect with the team over their last few visits to New York. Ivy dropped some hints to he friends on the streets, and she was not surprised to find, a few days later, a large car pull up in front of the hotel, driven by Lucio and Filemone Casale, their erstwhile Mafia contact. Casale bundled the team into the car, and by a circuitous route, drove them deep into Brooklyn, stopping in front of the Green Garden Cafe. 

Although the sign said the restaurant was closed, all the tables appeared to be full, and Casale led them inside. There, leading them past tables of rough looking men in bad suits, he introduced them to four men at a large table in the rear: Giuseppe “Joseph” Bonanno, Phillipe Rappa, Francesco “Frank Caroll” Garofalo, and  Giovanni “John” Bonventre. Ivy recognize Bonanno as the head of that crime family, and the others as his highest advisors. After some polite banter and good Italian cooking, they get down to business.  Bonanno questions the team about their role with Caduceus, experiences, and their recent falling out with their employer. The team is pretty forthcoming without getting too far into the details of 'the Mythos is coming'. Impressed by their candor, Bonanno has an offer for them. The family has gotten intelligence that Caduceus is edging into the illegal drug market in New York, a market which the Bonanno family currently dominates. Using a cover story of ensuring the drug supply is 'clean', Bonanno makes the team an offer. They help Bonanno find out what Caduceus is up to drug-wise, and he will help them find the Serpent Scepter (which he seemed to know all about). He directs them to a pair of warehouses in the Redhook district, both owned by Caduceus. One is obviously used for supplies related to Caduceus' humanitarian cover. The other they do not know, but suspect it is related to the drug trade.  Bonanno send the team on their way, and lets them know “John” Bonventre will be their contact going forward. 

Deal made, the team takes a taxi down to Redhook to scout the location. The two buildings lie in a maze of other warehouses. One is quite busy, but poorly guarded. The other is largely silent, but the guards appear much more active. Both are surrounded by fences, with a vehicle gate facing the road and large cargo doors facing the docks on the East River. The team crosses over to Manhattan to size up the docks, and decide their best bet is to approach from the water late at night. That night, they obtain a small rowboat and row with muffled oars to the seemingly inactive warehouse, timing their arrival to avoid the guards walking the perimeter.  Once on the dock, they listen at the bay doors, and hear voices inside. At least 4-5 men by the sound of it. They then split into two parties (Ivy & Zeke, Oz & Nigel) and move into the shadows on either side of the warehouse, in the hopes of surprising and chloroforming the two outside guards they'd seen on their earlier scouting trip. Ivy & Zeke pull it off with ease, but Oz & Nigel stumble a bit in the dark and have to clobber their guard with a pistol butt to knock him out. Thankfully before he can call out for help. 

Tying them up and stripping them of their uniforms (one of which fit Oz nicely, Nigel with the other not so much), they move towards the front entrance. Seeing and hearing nothing inside, they use the guard's keys to get into the building, finding themselves in the office area.  They silently sift through paperwork, finding the warehouse seems to hold lot's of construction related equipment and supplies, as well as some other undisclosed 'special' items. They also learn there are likely 10 guards on site, which definitely points to something of value and great danger to the team. However, they carefully open the door at the end of the office area which leads into the rest of the warehouse. And are confronted with a maze of wooden packing crates, large and small, blocking their view. They grade a small one by the door, and carry it back into the office to open. It contains a mix of tools, just as the contents painted on the side suggests.  Hoping to find one of the 'special' crates, they head back into the warehouse and carefully move their way down the passages between the rows. But turning the corner, Nigel runs headlong into a security guard. He tries to take him down silently, but the guard dodges, and turns to run. Presumably for help. Nigel raises his revolver to shoot the fleeing man in the back ...   

Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (Belgian Congo Part #3 / New York Part#4)

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer)

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

The team heads back to the basement of the pyramid to contemplate next moves. Should they go through the gate, even through they're not sure where it leads and what might be waiting for them? Or take their chances with the jungle and get back to civilization the old fashioned way? They decide on the gate, but only after Oz tries his clairvoyance on it and learns it leads somewhere they've been before. And that the control panel doesn't control destination, but activates/deactivates defenses on the other side. So Oz deactivates the defenses, while Zeke examines the serpent person laser staffs and figures out a way to jury rig two together and fire a continuous beam. Which he sets in place to destroy the strange power plant, and then follows the rest of the team through the gate..

Which drops them into a long concrete corridor, and standing ready about 40' away was the head of Caduceus security, Frank DeLuca, and four security guards, two of whom carried tommy guns. The security guards open fire, and the team responses. In short order, the guards and Mr. De Luca are down for the cost of a minor wound to both Nigel and Ivy. Examining the bodies the team is horrified, but not surprised, to find the guards were all serpent persons in disguise and Mr. De Luca was some sort of serpent person / human hybrid. They relieve the dead of their weapons (and Mr. De Luca of his key ring) and get moving before anyone comes to investigate the gunfire. Assuming they are at Caduceus HQ, they find stairs and go up. They avoid the next floor, with signs of laboratories and commotion, and instead make their way into the mechanical  and janitorial spaces in the 'real' basement. Determined the search the upper floors for the Serpent Scepter and more information, they disguise themselves as the evening janitorial crew and make their way to he main lobby. It being Friday evening, the building is largely empty, but they do note lot's of chaotic activity at the security desk. They slip into the main elevators and head to the topmost floors; they have never been there, but assume they must hold Mr. Meadham's private offices which would be the most likely place to search.

Using the Chief of Security's keys, they are able to make it past locked doors and into what appears to be Meadham's private secretarial pool. They search through the locked file cabinets and uncover a few more hints of the Caduceus operation. These confirm much of what they already know about the plans to access the lost continent of Mu via a gate on the "Ilha da Queimada" off the coast of Brazil, but that the Cobra Crown is needed to bypass the gate guardians.  But finding no sign or mention of the Serpent Scepter, the team presses on, stumbling into a security office guarding an elevator and set of stairs going to the 18th floor. They bypass the guards with a flurry of gunfire, and use the private elevator to head up to the top floor. This they find is Joshua Meadham's privates rooms, with a large well appointed conference room and office. Carefully searching, they find more documents (and a curious serpent dagger) in a hidden safe with more information of the Hidden Night and Tyranissh. Oz discovers a pair of curious and frightful old books on one bookcase, while Ivy discovers a strip of dried skin in the attached sauna that is a strange hybrid of human and serpent. But they do not find the Serpent Scepter nor any hint as to it's whereabouts. Maybe it's been taken to Meadham's Connecticut estate? Or maybe Caduceus didn't steal it; maybe it was the Mafia? In any case, a glace from the rooftop cupula showed signs of security teams heading up the stairs to the buildings' upper floors, so the team decides to get out while they can. Luckily, the private elevator takes them to a back entrance, and they flee into the night. Quickly hitting their usual places of residence to gather all their gear and warn friends and family to flee to safety, the team reassembles in a new hiding place to lay low for a bit and plan next moves ... 

Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (New York Part #3 / Belgian Congo Part #1)

 DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer)

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

Returning on the train from Oklahoma, the team discussed future plans. Although they were all starting to question exactly what Caduceus was up to, they decided they would at least report to headquarters for debriefing on this latest mission and see where that would lead. Arriving at Grand Central Station, Nigel stopped at a payphone to call the airport to check on his plane. He was disturbed to hear there had been a break-in at the hanger. Even though he was assured nothing was damaged or disturbed, his thoughts immediately turned to the Serpent Scepter hidden onboard. So the team decided first stop would be the airport to check it out. Just as he was hailing  a cab, Nigel felt someone grab his arm. A young man stopped him, saying in a thick Sicilian accent "No need for a cab. I have a car waiting for you" and led them to a nearby black sedan. Questioning reveled he (Lucio) represented some 'friends' who were doing the team a favor; closer hypnosis questioning by Oz confirm what they already suspected; their new friends were the Mafia. During the questioning, Ivy recognized the name of Lucio's bass, one Filemone Casale, a low level Mafioso soldier with the Bonanno crime family.  

Taking advantage of their 'friends' largess, the team headed for the airport. Where a check of the plane revealed subtle signs of careful searching; and that the Serpent Scepter was gone. With nothing else to be done, they had Lucio drive them to a hotel to freshen up before reporting to Caduceus HQ for debrief. Lucio dropped them off at Caduceus before finally disappearing into traffic. Inside the building, the team was lead to an eighth floor meeting room by a secretary. As she opened the door, however, they were surprised to see the room occupied. Inside sat the serpent mummy they'd recovered in Bolivia, very much alive and strapped tight to a chair as a scientist in a white lab coat injected something into her arm. Tyranissh turned to glare at the team as the secretary, realizing with a gasp she'd brought them to the wrong place, closed the door and lead the team into the adjacent room.     

There the team was joined by Dr. Gonzales for the debrief. This was shorter and more perfunctory than before, and while he congratulated the team on a job well done, there was the distinct impression that the missions' success was not key to whatever was going on at Caduceus.  Questioned further about the mutated people of Bingham, Dr. Gonzales waved off their concern saying simply 'such things will be dealt with'. He then took his leave of the party, telling them to stay in New York as there may be another mission for them in the near future.

As the team prepared to leave, they suddenly heard screaming and a great commotion next door. Rushing into the corridor, they ran into office staff shrieking and running away. And the door to Tyranissh's room lay smoking on the floor, while inside was a scene of destruction. The room was starting to burn, Tyranissh had broken free of the chair, and the two scientists had been brutally slain. And on the wall a strange swirling portal was forming.  Oz tried to talk tothe serpent sorcerous in Naacal; she turned to face him and yelled back “You are as bad as each other! I refuse to serve the Father of Snakes or the Mother of Darkness! May you all be struck down!” And with that, she stepped through the portal. And with just a moment of hesitation, Zeke pushed into the room and followed her, quickly trailed  by the rest of the team ....

... who found themselves in a sweltering hot jungle. Nigel recognized some of the vegetation and guessed they were somewhere in central Africa. And 10 feet away stood a rather hostile looking Tyranissh. But Oz was able to talk fast and convince her they meant no harm and wanted to talk, to learn more about what the heck was going on. The serpent sorcerous confirmed what they'd started to suspect; Caduceus was up to no good. The organization was a front for the serpent people followers of Yig, who'd replaced all the chief people (including Joshua Meadham) with serpent people. Their goal was not that different from the Inner Night. Whereas the followers of Tsathoggua wanted to eradicate humans, the followers of Yig planned to enslave humanity to fuel the rise of a third serpent person empire. Tyrannish came from a time before the split between Yig and Tsathoggua, and was a worshiper of Ghatanothoa, the Lord of the Volcano. She and her kind believed men and serpent people could live together and share the earth. And she intended to follow through and thwart the plans of both Caduceus and Inner Night. Both organizations sought the Cobra Crown, which would allow them to tap the lost power and technology of the Citadel oo the lost continent of Mu. She intend to beat them to the Crown. And finally making their break from Caduceus, the party offered to join Tyrannish and help by recovering the Serpent Scepter, to pair with the Crown. 

Alliance made, Tyrannish then prepared to gate to Calcutta, the party having told her of the rumors of the Cobra Crown being seen there. Asked how the team could get back to New York, the sorcerous waved vaguely to the north-east and said humans could be found to help them there. And then she disappeared into the jungle, while the team turned to and did then same. After a few hours they came to a road, which led them to a clearing the jungle in which stood an abandoned open pit mine. Over the gate hung a battered sign: Société Internationale Forestière et Minière du Congo - Lukenie Diamond Mine". Curiously, a new chain linked fence,  topped with barred wire, surrounded the facility.  Oz broke the lock on the gate, and the team moved carefully inside the compound. Getting closer to the open pit, they observed four relatively new lifts going done into the open mine. And then were shocked to see a large black pyramid filling most of the pit. A covered entrance could be seen, as well as a large number of people just shuffling zombie-like around the pyramid. When some experimentation showed the people (based on their clothing, from all parts of the globe and all walks of life) were harmless, the party descended into the pit and headed to the pyramid entrance. It was a simple metal door, with serpent person hand-shaped sensor plate to one side.  No one wanted to risk touching it, so Nigel and Oz scanned the crowd around them for signs of a suitable serpent person. They found none, but did spy one man who showed strange signs of scales where a previous injury had healed. So he was gently lead over to the door and his hand placed on the pad. And the door opened with  a click .... 

Pulp Cthulhu - The Two Headed Serpent (New York Part #2 / Oklahoma Part #1)

 DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Zeke Broda (Grease Monkey / Mechanic)

Ivy Guinness (Outsider / Nurse) 

Oz the All Knowing (Mystic / Entertainer)

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

Over the course of the four days flying back to New York, Ivy spends time studying the sketch Pangea map from the serpent person outpost. She  locates four of the red dots on the current map of the world; North Borneo, Iceland, Belgian Congo and New York. Meanwhile, Zeke begins to air his doubts about their employer with the rest of the team. He gets everyone in line with his thinking, that there are many  more secrets under the Caduceus cover, and they need to find out more so they know what they are getting themselves into on these missions. And if they're really working for the good guys. 

As such, on arrival back in New York, they report to the Meadham Building for debrief. And this time push back, demanding to be told more information, pushing the fact they need to know more if they're putting their necks on the line. Their interviewer, a stuffed shirt named John Adams,  tells them nothing. And they figure out quickly he doesn't know anything to tell them.  But the push does get Ms. Parville, Mr. Meadham's personal secretary, involved. She agrees to arrange a meeting with her boss, and let's it slip to Nigel that Mr. Meadham has already expressed interest in meeting the team. 

Left with many days to spare before their meeting with the head of Caduceus, the team spends some time digging for more information. A trip to the New York City Library uncovered some more information on Rose Meadham. It seems she is still alive, but estranged from her father and somehow changed (both physically and mentally). Attempts to learn more about Joshua Meadham turned up nothing they didn't' already know. But they did find building permits for his Connecticut estate that dated from about the time he sold his pharmaceutical business and started Caduceus. In seems he built some sort of  unusual structure around that time, but details were unclear. 

Ivy then turned to her street contacts, but likewise was unable to learn anything new. But did learn that people had been asking about her. And that she was right now being tailed, her contact pointing out a trenchcoated man standing in a doorway just down the street. When she informed the rest of the team, tthey quickly realized they were being followed as well. 

After about a week, the team is summoned to the Meadham Building. Arriving by cab, they have a curious encounter. As Zeke is about the pay the cabbie, a man steps out of the crowd and pays instead. The man then simply says "Fugetaboutit. Let your friends take care of this one for you" before disappearing  into the crowd.

The team is led into a 7th floor meeting room, and are seated at a table opposite two men. One they recognize as Dr. Goncalves, the Caduceus head of research. The other is a 7' tall giant of a man who simply stares unblinkingly at the party, making them feel increasingly uncomfortable. Relief arrives in the form of Joshua Meadham, a white haired old man with a cane who sits between the other two.  He begins by praising the team and their efforts in Bolivia and North Borneo, somewhat callously noting the success of their recent mission and seemingly unconcerned with the loss of innocent life involved. He also made some snide comments' about their ability to kill off team leads, before appointing Nigel as their new lead. Zeke and the others try to pry more information out of Mr. Meadham, but the presence of the huge bodyguard (Canning) throws them off their game. They do draw out a promise to provide more information on missions when possible. But there is a sense of urgency. When asked how far advanced the serpent person plans are, Joshua Meadham is unhesitant when he says they are very close to completion and time is critical.  But it is not clear which to which plans he refers, and when Oz uses his clairvoyance on the meeting room table, he is troubled by the sense that the last meeting in here involved creatures of the Mythos! 

But for now, they turn to the briefing for their next mission. A cult worshipping Yig, the Father of Snakes, has come to light. They are situated in a small town in Oklahoma and are using the guise of a Christian church. A heavy-handed approach is not needed at least, not to begin with. Caduceus needs to find out the root cause of all this. Find out how this backwater town has turned to worshipping this particular god. Be on the lookout for serpent people. Remember the Inner Night is dangerous and can appear just like a human! Mr. Medaham and Canning then leave, and Dr Goncalves takes over the briefing. He plays them a recording from Radio KFOC in Oklahoma City. It's a broadcast by the preacher from the little town of Bigham, a man by the name Kornfield. It seems at first to be a standard radio sermon, but when Dr. Goncalves makes a few adjustments on the record player, a second recording is heard praising Yig instead. 

The team draws some equipment (including a serpent person listening device) and hops the train to the dustbowl of Oklahoma. Dropped on the platform in the town of Bingham, they make their way to the only hotel and get rooms. Using as a cover story that they have been drawn by the reverend's preaching on the radio, they hear nothing but praise for the Kornfield. The hotel co-owner, Delbert Adams, tells them how the reverend was always a good man, but some months ago went into the wilderness to fast and pray, and returned a new man. A few other folks they talk too likewise have nothing but good to say about the Rev. Kornfield ... 

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