25/09/2022 – Astor Manor under Attack! (19)

Preparing for Attack

Cassandra is convinced the cult is going to attack them tonight. Jeziah gets some shotguns and arms himself and the others.

Tiger starts thinking about how they can secure the house. He places weapons at strategic places and ambush points. He particularly likes the tower that rises above the rest of the house and provides a nice view, so he stations himself there and positions several loaded guns within reach, including his elephant gun.

Zalkador does a tarot reading, asking what is coming for them and how can they survive the night. Zalkador touches the strange, tentacle-faced statue he took from the Penhew Foundation before the reading, as he has found it gives him a warm, buzzy feeling when he does and it helps his readings.

Disturbing Readings

The cards say whatever is coming is disastrous, a hunter. Enlightenment will be needed to defeat it. They also suggest their enemies are in conflict in some way, a man and a woman. One of them, the male – Gavigan? - is in danger himself, which may be a way to survive the evening if used right.

They discuss both of these and Zalkador thinks “enlightenment” refers to the flying creature’s vulnerability to light and fire. As a car loving family, the Manor’s large garage works has a generous supply of petrol, but Cassandra is keen that the Manor is not burnt down in the process of defending it.

Zalkador does a further reading and gets a disturbing reading about a Pharaoh-like, dark figure behind the cult, who likes death and sacrifices. He also learns that the hunter monster that is coming wants a sacrifice and there will be consequences if it does not get it. Zalkador tells them the creature is coming for Tiger. However, the mention of the Dark Pharaoh has shaken him and he puts his cards away after that.

Tiger Panics

Tiger thinks he sees movement from the tower. There is light at the edge of the grounds, by the entrance. He alerts Alex downstairs, who sees 6 figures around the gate, carrying burning torches and a few others he cannot make out clearly. Tiger fires a shot at them and misses. One of the torch carriers runs away, but he is brought back by two others.

Tiger then notices a strange, churning, distortion effect in the air above where the intruders are. It begins to form – into another of those huge, flying worm creatures! The site of this creature emerging from beyond reality and realises that the creature cannot be killed. He panics and runs down the stairs to the wine cellar to hide from the creature, convinced it is coming for him.

His reaction worries everyone else, who are not sure what is happening. Jeziah panics too and runs after him, to “find out what he is doing!” He tries to get Tiger to come back upstairs, but Tiger shouts, “It can’t be killed and it’s coming for me!”

The Hunting Horror Closes In

Alex looks out from the ground floor and begins to see the Hunting Horror moving towards the house. He feels a little hungry from his last experience, but manages to keep himself together. Zalkador sees the creature and begins to realise that it has been sent to get him. Gavigan has made magical contact with him and he has sent the Hunter Horror for him. He decides to keep this to himself.

Alex and Zalkador discuss with Cassandra about fighting the creature, but they are struggling to come up with coherent ideas, while Jeziah tries to get the binoculars from the tower, but Tiger took them to the basement. Zalkador wonders if they give Tiger to the monster, it will leave. Jeziah says we aren’t losing anyone from this platoon. He then goes down to the basement to get the binoculars from Tiger, but he refuses to hand them over. Jeziah attempts to grab them, but Tiger punches him unconscious.

Zalkador now sees the Hunting Horror and is able to maintain his composure, but he backs away from the window in fear. He has got into a habit of regularly tapping the tentacle-faced statue he got from the Penhew Foundation in times of stress. Strangely, the creature has not yet attacked the house. It seems to be torn between the house and those who summoned it. Zalkador senses this is some significance to this, but he cannot work it out.

Smashing Its Way In

Alex goes down stairs and helps Jeziah to come round and come back upstairs. They meet back up in the living room, just as the Hunting Horror monster appears at the window and makes a horrific roaring noise. Cassandra is shocked at its appearance and screams herself, as does Jeziah. Zalkador runs for the basement, more out of cowardice.

The monster then smashes its way through the large window and begins to pull itself into the house, damaging the window frame. Jeziah grabs a shotgun and opens fire. The blast seems to just irritate the creature, but it seems reluctant to enter the room, while the electric light is on. Cassandra stays cool and keeps asking how they are going to fight this creature somehow, may be using light?

Battling the Monster

The creature withdraws from the window and moves around the house a little to another window in the hallway, where the lights are weaker, smashing its way into the hall with its bulky form. Jeziah moves into the hall wielding the re-loaded shotgun and gives the creature both barrels. The creature gives out a shriek of annoyance, but it seems to have very tough, leathery skin. He reloads, while the creature pulls more of its body into the house and suddenly it lurches forward, striking Jeziah and knocking him down.

The monster then continues across the hall, heading towards the basement door. However, it is bigger than the inner door and it is going to take a while to damage the walls around the door sufficiently to allow it to get through and reach the entrance to the cellar.

The creature’s long, thick body has now blocked Jeziah, Cassandra and Alex from the rest of the house. It is about 5 feet in diameter. Cassandra and Alex help Jeziah back onto this feet. He has been injured by the attack of the creature and seems rather dazed and confused.

Zalkador is the Target

Cassandra takes Jeziah into the living room and gives him some whisky. She laments their helplessness at the power of the creature. Zalkador realises that if the creature gets to the entrance of the cellar, it will trap him in, so he heads back upstairs. He finds himself only a couple of feet away from the gnashing face and mouth of the monster and runs into the dining room.

Zalkador then begins to break up the furniture, table cloth, candles and other items in the dining room to make a fire in front of the door. Eventually, after continued bashing and smashing, the Hunting Horror breaks through the door into the hallway that leads to the basement. However, it ignores the basement and heads for the dining room, confirming Zalkador’s worse fears that it is definitely coming for him.

Starting a Fire

Zalkador then lights the table cloth, but is disappointed that the thick cloth does not burn very quickly. In his panic he rips the curtains down and nearly stifles the flame by putting too much onto a small fire, but eventually uses some napkins to feed the flame and it begins to burn stronger.

The creature is now at the door of the dining room, smashing the door and trying to pull itself through another narrow doorway. Zalkador fans the flames as fast as he can, then backs out of the dining room, into the grounds keeper’s annex. There is no sign of the grounds keeper, but he goes has some useful equipment there, including some powerful electric torches with a large battery. Zalkador takes two of these, turns them on and goes back into the living room.

Using Light

He shines the lights into the face of the Hunting Horror and it shrieks in agony, with smoke coming off its skin where the powerful lights shine on it. It recoils from the doorway, but then comes back. He continues to beam the lights into the monster’s eyes and it hisses and shrieks, with the fire now getting bigger and brighter at the same time. It backs away and is unable to enter the dining room and get its prey. It then speaks, hissing in an inhuman voice for them to die.

Jeziah and Alex leave by a backdoor, crossing the yard and over to the other back door in the dining room. They talk to Zalkador and he tells them the creature does not like light. Jeziah suggests using the headlights of one of the motor cars the drive the creature away, but he insists on putting out the fire before they do so. Zalkador keeps the creature at bay with the electric torches, helped by Alex who grabs some smaller electric torches from the annex, while Jeziah puts the fire out.

Getting the Motor Car

The creature continues to thrash and bash the walls of the house, causing cracks and structural damage. Tiger meanwhile has recovered from his fear and has climbed out of the cellar via the coal shoot. He then heads over to the tower to get his weapons.

Once the fire is out, Jeziah heads over to the garage and starts up the largest car, reverses it out and turns it around, so that the headlight are pointing at the creature. When he turns the lights on, the creature makes a hideous shriek and recoils. It begins to retreat back the way it came as quick as it can. Jeziah continues to manoeuvre the car such as the headlight are beamed on it while it retreats as best he can.

Alex then spots half a dozen Egyptians with machetes have entered the yard and are closing in on them.

End of Episode Nineteen