"And Also After"

Advanced search

witchhunter.net
back of beyond times
darkest africa
witchtown tales
mad painters diary

My Chess Stats
Challenge
Current Matches
Finished Matches
Leaderboard

[Wraith]

Gilgal Refaim Continued:

Storyline 2: ( The German Fortress)  Getting an early start, our heroes head to the (GILGAL REFAIM RUIN) atop Mount Harmon before sunrise.  Having learned that Gilgal Refaim means Circle of the Giants, out heroes are dubious on what they may find there. The ruin seems to be of little interest though, other than matching the diagrams among the  paperwork. A fortress style compound sits approx  600 feet (616 to be exact) to the West,  abutting the base of the small plateau upon which sits the ruin. The compound consists of  a 15’ tall walled  rectangle with higher  guard towers at each corner. The walls follow the contours of the land on the outside, remaining the same height at all elevations. The side of the compound farthest up the hill, has a guard house the entire length between the two flanking towers. They try to bluff their way in the front gates by posing as messengers of Liam, and get nowhere, till a disturbance interrupts their dialogue. Seeing this as their moment, our heroes burst past the guards in a hail of gunfire. The guards in the  towers open fire and it becomes a free for all until the fortress is taken. Eventually, the commander is put to the question… He speaks about the huge gates opening today and supplies arriving to be taken inside. That is all he seems to know.  Rifling the paperwork on the officers desk reveals (CALENDAR OF SOLSTICES)  All the German soldiers  in the compound have interesting patches on their coats. (GUARDS COAT PATCH). After binding the survivors, the compound is searched. Other than the normal personal effects in the barracks, the mechanics shed reveals  2 large battery operated spotlights, rope, haversacks and other implements that they decide to equip themselves with. Some magazines are noticed on the workbench.  (AMAZING STORIES MAGAZINE)

The sun breaks the horizon as they are poking about the compound Just  then, the set of huge doors set into the up hill  side of the complex begins to open, and  a bloody brown coated man is seen stumbling from farther within and falls in the chamber just inside the doors. Following close behind is a white-clad BloodGuard, Hell bent on dragging the fellow back in. Our heroes drop the Bloodguard in a hail of gunfire and rush to the fallen fellow. The man clenches Lars coat and burbles: (“Speak…’Ael…names”) , then he dies. A name tag reveals the corpse to be  DR. GRUEBER. On his brown colored lab coat is a  (SCIENTIST COAT PATCH) The body is searched to reveal: a  gore covered, (BROWN CRYSTAL CHIT)  found clenched in his hand and (EQUINOX AND SOLSTICE PAPER) in the Doctors pocket. A blood trail leads down the tunnel where DR. Grueber seems to have dragged himself along before succumbing to his wounds. O’Leary notices the gore on the fellow’s hand seems to have come from another source than his own wounds,  and a strange idea springs to his mind. Rushing over to the fallen BloodGuard, O’Grady begins to run his hands over the corpse, then he exclaims “FOUND IT!”. Pulling out his knife, he slits open the BloodGuards chest and pries something loose that is embedded into the breastbone… a rainbow hued crystal chit. Virginia cries out at the violent gusto at which O’Leary had sliced away.  Grinning strangely, O’Darby heads past a slot in the floor, exiting the chamber to follow a tunnel that leads into the hillside, under the Gilgal Refaim ruins. As he disappears into the gloom, switching on the lamp he is holding, a slab of steel starts to rise from the slot in the floor. Frost, Lars and Virginia look at each other, then leap over the rising steel slab and follow O’Leary into the tunnel.

The sides are smooth and the tunnel seems to be a new excavation hewn into the living rock. The end of the 600 or so foot long tunnel (which runs along the  33.33 degree north parallel, obviously) opens into a huge 6 pointed star shaped room approximately 600 feet from star-point to star-point. The floors, walls and ceiling are of a highly polished black material. , and each point of the star has a large, colored mosaic triangle in the center of it. Upon close inspection of the central area , it is noticed that the floor there actually seems to be clear, perhaps glass or crystal, though all the heroes see through it is the darkness below. Lars shines a spot-light from the military compound downward, and they see the sides of a shaft below,  with  platforms spiraling downward that resemble the mosaics that make up the points of the star in the room they are now in. Each platform is colored the same as the mosaic  directly above it.  The ceiling  extends some 100 feet overhead into the darkness, ending in a dome. When the spotlight is shown upward, (THE MURAL) is seen above, painted on the domed ceiling. Our heroes notice that when one of the triangle “mosaics” located upon the star points is stood upon by O’Leary, they illuminate, each one in its color, and a Nephilim Symbol appears in the center of the triangle, with 3 different, smaller ones on its corners. A little experimentation reveals that whoever is in possession of the rainbow hued crystal, will illuminate all the mosaics when standing on them. But the Brown crystal only illuminates the Brown triangle mosaic. Frost investigates the brown crystal chit, finally shining a light through it to see the (BROWN CRYSTAL CHIT HIDDEN MARKINGS) A little further investigations show that 4 of the central markings  match up with the symbols representing the 4 watchers from the 4 previous sites , and the markings within the brown crystal match up with Azak’Ael, from the first site on Kelpart island. At this point, our heroes are tired beyond belief, and after determining that they cannot re-open the outer rising steel door, they decide to camp just within it, in case it re-opens on it’s own. “Hmmm, the size of this complex is suitable for giants exclaims Virginia”, after they are set for the night. When questioned about it, she tells the other 3 that Gilgal Refaim actually means “ Circle of the Giants”

Storyline 3: (Secret of the Star Chamber) In the morning, they make their way back to the star chamber, as the doors haven’t re-opened. Virginia determines from the papers that they pillaged from the Nazi commanders desk that the doors open only on the solstices, which could bode ill for our band of adventurers. After 6 hours of fruitlessly searching the chamber, our heroes sit down to eat and converse. After a while, they hear a loud pop and turn to investigate. Bullets erupt from the far end of the room and a Red clad Bloodguard is advancing on them, spraying bullets as he comes. Diving behind their gear, the heroes return fire, finally felling the evil thing. O’Grisly sets about his grotesque task of recovering yet another crystal chit from the fallen foes breastbone, this time,  a red one. After bandaging a few minor wounds they received in the engagement, the 4 look about, trying to discover where the Bloodguard came from. They can find no hidden door in the rooms outer walls,  and are scratching their heads in frustration when Lars, now in possession of the brown hued crystal, suddenly remembers what Dr. Grueber had said to him the day before. Ergo; “Speak…’Ael Names”. He blurts out “Aels are Watchers!” Pulling out some of his notes whereon he has written down the names of the 7 Watchers,  he selects a  mosaic at random, which just happens to be the red one. He stands upon it and begins speaking the names of the Watchers. Nothing seems to happen though, and he moves to the brown colored star point. Again he goes through his list of Watcher names with nothing happening. He moves from the center of the star point to one of the smaller symbols in the corner of the large mosaic. When he says the name Azk’Ael, the room flashes and a loud POP is heard. Virginia screams as Lars seems to have vaporized right before her eyes.  Lars experiences something different.  The room changes before his eyes, unfortunately his friends have disappeared. Lars quickly scans the room and decides that it isn’t vaporization, it is teleportation;  he has been teleported to another  room. The room is a 6 pointed star the same size as the previous , but it is situated inside a hexagon. In the center of the star, a dark shaft extending downwards. A smallish hexagon shaped (MONOLITH)  floats in the center of the shaft, hanging unsupported in the air. Not wanting to go it alone, Lars goes after his 3 companions. A little experimentation with the symbols in the corners of the brown teleportation triangle, using the Nephilim name he previously used, returns him back to the chamber where his friends are greatly relieved to see him. After not a little explanation, followed by discussion, they all agree that their way forward is in Lars capable hands. Together with all their gear, they step on the red mosaics corner that Lars indicates, and speaking the name of the watcher Azk’Ael they await what happens, dubiously. Their ears pop and dizziness overcomes them. When their heads clear, they find that the room has changed dramatically, and they have all appeared in the chamber that Lars discovered earlier.

After the four heroes recover their composure and get their bearings, the place comes into focus. Lars seems to have been unaffected by the teleportation for some reason unknown to the other 3. A star similar to the 1 in the previous chamber covers the floor, the room is shaped a little differently, though and they set about exploring the room. The floating monolith has  a 6 pointed star graven into it’s top and is too far to reach easily. After O’Henry shines his light upward, they discover that the dark shaft extends upwards, and a device that seems to be a large version of the amulet that Frost destroyed, is situated high above within the shaft.  (EYE OF SEMIHAZ’AEL)  Frost notices that one of the sigils on the 3 corners of each star point is different from the ones in the previous room. Lars postulates that from his experimentation, he thinks that the different symbols lead to different rooms, and the names of the watchers match up with each teleporter. Also The colored crystals only work the color matching teleporter. “What about this one?” Interjects  O’Smiley. Holding up the rainbow colored crystal. “I don’t know.” Replies Lars, “But lets find out!”

[Wraith]

I am going to finish up the writeups before I get back to organizing the Modules. I hope you folks are patient!

I already have the 3 chapters following this one written up, so once I finish with Gilgal Refaim, the other ones will come in short order.

[Wraith]

(Brown Sector) HANDOUTS AND CLUES ARE IN CAPS AND BRACKETS:, AS USUAL

Holding the Brown Crystal, Lars leads the heroes to stand on a different symbol on the corner of the brown mosaic. He repeats the name Azk’Ael, and the earth shifts yet again to deposit the 4 on another platform. The place where they stand seems to be a twin of the brown star point, though there are no other star points, only the central shaft. Frost consults his trusty compass for bearings before pointing out that far down the shaft is the great “Eye”, and spiraling upward and downward are more platforms, representing the 6 different colors from the original star shaped room. There are  2 arched doorways leading to the north and west. O’Darby covers the westward arch while the other 3 move to the northward opening and peer through to see a room filled with electrical equipment of dubious origin.  O’Darby signals the all clear from where he is looking through the Western arch.  Frost, Virginia and Lars proceed through the northern arch and start looking about. “What the!” they are surprised by none other than Sergeant Erde, wearing the same brown duds that he had on at the Earth site back on Kelpart Island. Erde goes for his Broomhandle mauser, but it hangs up in the holster. Our heroes, already having their guns out, blaze away. Erde is hit, and dives behind a console. Lars dives beside the console and fires, then signals the other 2, for Erde was already dead, prior to Lar’s shot. O’Funky comes running,  his pistol at the ready, calling for a SITREP. Searching through Erde’s lab coat pockets, they find a large, brown, metal triangle (BROWN TESSERA) with an eye emblazoned upon it.  They continue through the room, finding more equipment of a biological nature, along with a large statue (EARTH STATUE) resembling a lion headed angel. In the room are huge vats, filed with simi-liquid matter that is being pumped through 6 large pipes into the floor.  Moving in a counter-clockwise fashion they exit an arch to end at the brown teleporter platform where they started.

Lars directs his 3 compatriots back onto the same symbol on the teleporter before he speaks the name Azk’Ae. The teleporter energizes, taking them to yet another platform that resembles the 1 they just left. Determining the level to be laid out as the one they just explored, they advance guns at the ready, again counterclockwise, ready for anything. The find a  (Hiding Scientist 2*).  The scientist is a lunatic, but his ravings seem to contain something of use. It seems that if a man enters into the open eye, he will go insane. Frost postulates that the  “EYE” obviously refers to the strange “Gates” that appear at each site wherein the ‘Aels can manifest to their minions… and if madness ensues upon entering…perhaps mortals cannot travel by them. Further exploration reveals a lab area with strange experiments and embryonic creatures in jars and  a furnace wherein biological matter can be disposed of.  (FLAMETHROWER  for bio disposal) Having found nothing more of use, and deciding that the raving scientist would only give them away, the 4 dispose of the atrocities, leave the man behind and return to the teleporter to travel to their next destination. Another area similar to the last 1 greets them as they res back into existence. Moving more quickly through this level, which also seems to be a  laboratory  of sorts, they discover test tube and petri dish experiments, more basic than the experiments in the last area. On a desk, Lars discovers a (SCIENTIFIC TABLE) that shows the basic elements. Our heroes determine that  experiments at the molecular level are taking place here. As they complete the circuit, they discover (Hiding Scientist 1*), underneath a lab table. The man is going into convulsions and frothing at the mouth. He tries to communicate, but dies before he can make himself understood. More searching reveals another corpse, as they return to the teleporter. As they stand on the teleporter, a cry sounds from up the shaft. “No, NO!...AAAHHHHhhhhhhhh!” Another scientist, clad in a brown coat, arches outward from overhead into the well, arms flailing, to fall downward, his screams echoing off the walls of the shaft. A wet crunch follows as he hits the floating platform , far below, then, slipping over the edge, he disappears into the darkness beyond.

 Reloading their firearms and  preparing to fire, the 4 heroes teleport to the next level, ready for anything. The teleporter room is empty, so Lars, Virginia and Frost head for the right archway, O’Leary heads for the left.  Lars leaps back and puts a finger to his lips, silencing the other 2. A brown clad Bloodguard is pacing the area, which seems to be a security room.. Some desks and cabinets are arranged around the place, as is a large cabinet that is sheathed in steel. O’Leary sees a squatting Bloodguard gnawing on the  arm that has been torn from a still living Lab assistant, who is trying to crawl away in a trail of his own blood.  A signal from O’Leary informs the others that another guard is in the westward room that he is covering. The 4 decide to charge them simultaneously. Lars pairs up with Virginia, and O’Darby with Frost. Frost gives the signal and the 4 charge through the 2 archways, firing as they run. Surprised, both Bloodguard try to return fire, the feeding one throws the arm he is eating first,  but they both go  down before they can inflict any casualties. “These Brown  Bloodguard seem to have run amok” States O’Sammy. “I don’t remember them being so barbaric before. “A quick circuit of the level reveals another brown clad  (BLOODGUARD ON A LAB TABLE), with his chest cut open. He has been dead a day or two, and they surmise that Dr.Grueber had removed the brown Crystal chit from this guard before trying to escape the complex.  The rooms where they killed the 2 BloodGuard hold 2 security lockers that O’Gradey picks. Inside 1 are some syringes labeled with symbols that nobody recognizes, the other holds 9mm ammunition. By this time, everyone has scavenged machineguns from the bloodguard, so they load up on the 9mm ammo. The next teleportation takes them back to the star chamber where they first entered the complex.

[Wraith]

(Grey Sector) HANDOUTS AND CLUES ARE IN CAPS AND BRACKETS:, AS USUAL

Our heroes take stock of their provisions before continuing onward. Having determined that some of the colors are matched to the colors of the 4 previous sites, Lars selects grey mosaic and they step aboard. No symbols light up though. Virginia has an idea, that they need a grey crystal to activate the grey teleporter. They don’t have a grey 1, but after some discussion, O’Leary pulls out the iridescent crystal. “Try this 1 .” He says. Lars takes the crystal and the glyphs light up. Lars than says the name of the Air Watcher, Barak’Ael, and they dematerialize, to be reconstituted on a lower grey level. The layout seems to be the same as the previous, though it is aligned differently to the compass points. They decide to make a quick run of the Grey Levels, of which there are probably 4, so they situate themselves appropriately, guns at the ready. Teleporting to sub level 1 in the Grey sector and finding nothing in the security areas to either side of the teleporter, our heroes continue counterclockwise into the large area they know to be there. There they find a Grey clad bloodguard among a room of slaughtered scientists in what looks to be living quarters. The heroes trade hot lead for a time with the Bloodguard until he succumbs to their superior firepower. After the gun battle, they find a scientist hiding under a bed.  Frost speaks to him for some time and learn that mortals will go insane if they travel through one of the EYES, as they will be exposed to “Ether” which makes up the void. Before he can tell them more, another Bloodguard bursts into their midst, and begins sweeping the company  with his machine gun. After dispatching the Bloodguard, they discover the scientist has died from a gunshot wound to the chest. They sweep the level for any more Bloodguard and finding none, they bind their wounds and search the place to find nothing of note but 2 security lockers in the security areas. O’Leary picks them and inside they find more vials of liquid and magazines for the Bloodguard’s machine guns.

Continuing to Grey sub level 2, they find it to be a lab area with work benches filled with ongoing experiments  which seem to be of an  anti-gravitational nature.  There is no one on this level.  Among the workbenches, Virginia discovers a (PAPYRUS FRAGMENT) in Greek that she translates. It says;  (“unto the ends of the earth thereof”). As they discuss the possible meaning of this fragment, Lars notices something in the shaft area. They make their way to the teleporter mosaic and notice a strange shimmering in the shaft that they know to be present when an EYE is energized. Peering over the edge of the niche to the great eye below, they notice that the eye is opened, and the grey fog is issuing from it. Floating above the open “eye” a figure in white converses with someone standing out of sight levels below to their left in what appears to be the white sector, due to the color of the teleporter mosaic that can just be made out. Amidst the guttural syllables of the lost tongue of the Watchers, the name Semihaz’Ael can be heard spoken by the unseen supplicant. The heroes look at each other knowingly, for that name is the name of the leader of the Watchers of old, the architect of Man’s downfall. The audience comes to an end and the vaporous figure dissolves as the eye closes. O’Stacey had been trying to get a bead on the man who had been talking to the watcher, but the fellow never came into view to offer a clear shot. Determining their search of this level to be complete, they proceed to Grey  sub levels 3 , weapons again held at the ready, with safeties off.  No Bloodguard or living persons are found on this level, but they do find another (GREY TESSERAE) metal triangle with an eye in the middle of it, that matches the Brown one found earlier. They tuck it into a rucksack along with the brown one and continue their search. The only other thing they find is a  strange (ARCHIVAL CARVING) before proceeding to the next level.

Grey sub level 4  has more interesting apparatus with 6 grey pipes running into the floor in the same manner as the brown pipes on the lower level of the Brown sector. Attached to the apparatus, control panels and graphing devices seem to display and record heart beats, breathing and similar life signs for 6 patients that have yet to be seen. Noticing that Sgt Luft is not present anywhere in the grey sector, Frost postulates that he didn’t survive the disastrous destruction of the floating city that he was named for….Or perhaps he is somewhere in the complex, adds Virginia.  She also notes it is strange that all of the gunshots and ruckus haven’t brought intervention or even seemed to get attention from many of the Bloodguard in the complex. Obviously, since the Bloodguard have been busy slaughtering any scientists, the carnage of the heroes just blended in with the background chaos. Lars brings to their attention that the screams of  victims being tossed into the well has subsided, and Now that the general slaughter has subsided, they need to watch the gunfire as it might draw unwanted attention. “The Bloodguard cant seem to leave their designated sector”, Frost speculates, “but can all go to the top most level…the star chamber as it were.” The heroes decide not to go to the top level unless completely necessary, as they are pretty beat up by now and determine that they may not be able to withstand the results of another gunfight.

[Wraith]

Moving along;

I have the chapter 2 module reorganization complete, and as soon as I can figure out how to convert it to a PDF, I will send it out to the previously interested parties who received chapter 1, which I can resend after converting to PDF also, if desired.

Anyone else interested just chime in and I will get you on the distribution list.

[Wraith]

Sent it out, let me know if you asked to be on the list and didnt get it.

Johnny C

[matakishi]

I got it, thanks very much, I appreciate all the effort you go to with this