Winter 1995-96

After returning to Hudson City the Omega Team is able to take several months off.  The organized crime situation in the city is quiet.  Many of the criminal organizations in the city are still in a period of rebuilding from the aftermath of the Retro affair.  Other vigilantes in the city are still active and are able to concentrate on the common street crime of the city.  The Omega team only engages in periodic information gathering and minor anti-criminal activity.

Andrew Hobbs soon notices that the headaches that he has suffered from have mysteriously abated.  He soon discovers that the tumor he has suffered from, that was terminal, has disappeared.  Dr. Thomas James hypothesizes that Mama Reginas healing elixir may be responsible.  His near brush with death has changed Andrew in other ways as well.  Many of his juvenile ways have been put aside.  He no longer considers his night job to be a game.

During the winter a new vigilante appears; he is called Mongrel and concentrates his activity, almost exclusively, on drug dealers and users.  He seems, to some, to go to extremes in his war on drugs.  Even street dealers and junkies are fair game in his, usually, fatal attacks.  Dancer becomes increasingly concerned over the new vigilantes zealousness.

March 6, 1996

Andrew Hobbs receives a letter from one of his former college professors.  Dr. Angus Gough is a former professor of Zoology at Harvard.  He is now in Scotland pursuing his real interest, cryptozoology.  He has been researching the ancient history of the Loch Ness Monster and now has called upon his former pupil for help.  Dr. Goughs letter indicates that he has made some startling discoveries about the lake creature but needs help to continue his quest.  The tone of the letter leads Andrew to believe that his old teacher is worried or possibly fearful of what he has discovered.  The exact nature of his discoveries is not enumerated in his letter.

Specter shares his letter with the rest of the Omega Team and invites them to accompany him to Glasgow to meet with Professor Gough.  The other team members are agreeable and look forward to this as an opportunity for a much-needed vacation.  Since Andrew Hobbs is loath to fly they book passage on a small steamer, the Susan Gael[1].  The vessel will depart Hudson City on March 9^th and will steam directly to Glasgow to arrive on March 20^th.

March 8

During the night Dr. Thomas James has a peculiarly clear dream.  He finds himself at sea on a ship that is surrounded by fog.  In the distance, far to starboard, a dark shape rises in a swirl of fog.  The ship veers toward the object as if drawn by a magnet.  The shape comes into focus as a huge iceberg and the ship heads on a certain collision course with doom.  Frantically Dr. James looks back at the bridge, a child stands at the wheel.  The child has long hooks instead of hands.  As the ship crashes into the glistening mountain of ice the child laughs with unnatural mirth.

March 9

Dr. James shares his dream of the previous night with his friends.  They take it as evidence that he needs the vacation that they are all about to embark upon.

The Susan Gael leaves Hudson City bound for Glasgow, Scotland.  On board are Andrew Hobbs and his butler Alfred, Dr. Thomas James and his lady friend Debbie Taylor, Joe Dishwasher and Eden Blake.  The other passengers are: Dr. Ramit Singhar, recently retired he is returning home to India to be with his family during his last years.  The MacCowan family, a husband and wife (Rufus and Arleen) and their three children (Danny, Lilah and Theo).  The commander of the Susan Gael is Captain Dace, a bluff old man of 50.  Lt. Lucius Maxwell is the First Mate.  The passengers are all given a complete tour of the ship.

The cargo of the Susan Gael is simple and not extensive: four antique automobiles, six breeding bulls, six cows, ten sheep, three Arabian horses and crates of machine tools such as lathes and grinders.  One of the automobiles and all of the animals are listed for delivery to a Mr. Davirr Cullough, Fort Augustus, Loch Ness, Scotland.

March 10

About 2 oclock in the afternoon a commotion starts.  A terrible accident has taken the life of one of the crewmen.  He has been found burned to death in the furnace of the old auxiliary, coal-fired, generator in the engine room.  The Omega Team members go to the engine room and it becomes quickly apparent to them that this was no accident.  The furnace door is to small for someone to have accidentally fallen inside.  Dr. James offers his services as a forensic pathologist to Captain Dace.

Dr. James, Dr. Singhar and the ships Doctor, Phillipe Fanshaw, all examine the corpse.  Though the body is badly burned, they conclude that the body does exhibit signs of a struggle and that the crewman was most likely alive and conscious when he was forced into the furnace[2].  After the examination the body is wrapped in sheets and placed in the ships meat locker.

That evening the doctors report their findings to Captain Dace who is very alarmed at the prospect of a murderer on board.  Captain Dace personally knows all his crew and believes that one of the passengers is most likely the murderer.  When an attempt is made to contact the authorities the radio refuses to work.  Examination of the radio can find no fault.  The Captain decides to continue on to Glasgow, but warns everybody to be on the lookout and urges them not to wander off alone.

March 11

At about 4 oclock that afternoon word comes that another crewman has been found dead.  He was found face down in a shower stall, drowned in 6 of water.  A towel had been forced down the drain to stop it up.  Investigation of the area leads Dr. James to discover scrapings of some sort of unidentifiable bone or horn that was used to stuff the towel down the drain.  The body displays the signs of a struggle.  The only fingerprints to be found are smooth, without texture.

The Captain now requires all people to move about in pairs at the least.  He still suspects some of the passengers are responsible and the Omega Team members seem to be the most likely suspects.  They have been seen practicing some martial arts on the deck of the ship during the day.

March 12

After a third victim is found the Captain orders all passengers to be confined to their cabins.  The available weapons (2 M1 Garand rifles, 2 .45 Cal. Colt Revolvers and a Colt M1911A1 Pistol) are distributed to the crew and guards are posted.

The third victim was another crewman found hanging from a light fixture.  His body also showed signs of a struggle.

That evening Joe Dishwasher has a dream of a swarm of cockroaches.  Unlike the previous dream that Dr. Thomas James had on the 8^th, this dream is pretty vague.

March 13

About noon a swarm of cockroaches erupts from one of the ventilation shafts near the passenger cabins.  Several crewmen and the passengers are witness to the disgusting spectacle that soon subsides.

After spending the day cooped up in his room reading, Andrew Hobbs makes a startling discovery.  He has been reading a book on ancient Scottish history and finds that several of the old druid deities accepted sacrifices that were made by burning, drowning and hanging.  He suspects that something doesnt want them going to Scotland to assist Professor Gough.

That evening Joe Dishwasher has another vague dream in which he sees of giant rats.

March 14

During the afternoon several rats of incredible size come out of the woodwork and attack the passengers.  A few people suffer minor bites before the creatures are slain.  The Omega Team members manage to defeat the rats that face them without revealing the hidden weapons they have smuggled aboard[3].

During the night Dancer has a vague dream of someone nearly being poisoned.

March 15

When lunch is served all seems well until Debbie Taylor touches a piece of chicken on her plate.  Instantly the chicken transforms into a rotted, maggot-infested, piece of meat.

That evening a vague dream of the ship becoming shrouded in fog is visited upon Andrew Hobbs.

March 16

The ship soon finds itself in a dense fog.  Though the radio still inexplicably refuses to work, the radar is working fine and the ship continues on its way.

This evening Joe Dishwasher has a vague dream of the ship striking an iceberg.

March 17

The Omega Team decides to seize control of the ship.  After several nights of dreams that have come true, they have no desire to wait and see if Joes will likewise fulfill itself.  The Omega Team easily overcomes the crew and takes over the ship.  Captain Dace, now a captive is convinced of the groups guilt in the murders and the recent strange happenings.  No one is seriously injured in the brief struggle to capture the ship.

Debbie Taylor is very distraught and confused about all of this.  Dr. James has a pistol unlike any she has ever seen before and he seems to be very good at all of this.  She has always considered Thomas to be a man capable of great compassion, but the activities of the last several days, and today in particular, have brought out a side of him she never suspected.  The emotional overload is almost too great and Dr. James gives her a sedative to calm her.  For the next several days she is calm and does her best to stay out of the way of Dr. James and his friends.  What she will say once, and if, they safely arrive in Scotland nobody can guess.

All the off duty crew and other passengers are kept in the mess hall, the largest room on the ship.

March 20

The ship eventually breaks out of the fog without the iceberg dream becoming reality.

Within hours of the ship reaching port the MacCowan family transform into their true shapes.  They appear as small, wrinkly skinned, humanoids with staring red eyes and bristly hair.  Each arm ends in a sharp curved hook.  They attack the Omega Team in a battle that is witnessed by most of the crew and the captain.  The creatures prove tough but are eventually all slain by the Team and a final shot by Captain Dace[4].

Captain Dace, though shaken by what he has seen, now realizes the Omega Team is not guilty.  The passengers and crew agree to come up with a story to tell the authorities in Scotland.  The bodies of the creatures turned to black goo that evaporated without a trace, once they were slain.

In order to make the arrangements for their cover story the Susan Gael will stay at sea tonight.

Hippocrates has another startlingly clear dream this night.  He finds himself in pitch-blackness.  It occurs to him that his next step could send him hurtling down into the bottomless, deadly stillness.  Ahead he becomes aware of the glow of the faintest of lights.  Slowly he heads toward it.  As he nears its source he is aware of a low, sinister hissing.

Eventually he arrives at the source of the light.  Around him sits a coil of thick rope.  As he watches in horror the rope unwinds, rising slowly into the air.  As it rises it bursts into a cold green flame.  From nowhere a bucket of water appears in his hands.  He throws the water on the rope: the fire fades, the rope screams as the water runs in red, thick currents down its unraveling strands.

March 21

The Susan Gael pulls into Glasgow at about 9 oclock in the morning.  The authorities are summoned.  Scotland Yard interviews all of the crew and passengers, but by noon they are able to disembark and go about their business. The party heads for the apartment of Dr. Angus Gough and arrive their about 12:30.

During the trip to Dr. Goughs apartment, Thomas James and Debbie Taylor have a long talk about the happenings on board the Susan Gael.  Dr. James is eventually able to convince Ms. Taylor that things are not as sinister as they seem.  The weapon he has is not a lethal weapon, but is merely a self defense item, sort of like mace, etc.

As they arrive at the apartment of Dr. Angus Gough it is quickly apparent that the door is open ajar.  Fearing what they might find, they have Andrews butler, Alfred, take Ms. Taylor to a corner caf for dinner.  Inside the apartment they find the bodies of Dr. Angus Gough (hanged), Professor Larry MacDonald (stuffed in the oven), and Dr. Charles Chargg (drowned in the toilet).  An unconscious fifteen-year-old boy is in the front room.  Dr. James is able to determine the boy has a concussion but is otherwise okay.

They awaken the boy and find out that he was sent by his dad to inform Dr. Goughs party that a boat is waiting to take them to the Island of Iona[5].  They also quickly search the apartment and find several things of interest; in the master bedroom is a packed suitcase with a note about Iona[6].  The library is full of signs of the study of the ancient Celts.  The library also yields a silver dagger the hilt formed into a ram-headed snake.  A fragment of ancient parchment with Sanskrit writing preserved between two sheets of amber along with a letter from Brother Pace explaining its meaning[7].  The letter goes on to explain that the document and its amber case came from a monolith located on the cliffs of Iona.  Books in the library indicate that a monastery was founded on Iona about 563 AD.

The safe in the library has scratches, burns and water stains on it.  The door is twisted as if something attempted to rip it from its hinges.  Dancer is able to crack the safe.  Inside they find a glass, iron and wood case and inside it is an ancient poem written in Gaelic.  Fortunately a translation is also in the safe.  The poem is about an ancient hero named Cuchulain.  It details how he battled three evil demons and tells how he defeated them.  On one wall in the library is a calendar with April 1^st circled in red and the word Lugnasad written down.  Andrew Hobbs recalls that Lugnasad is a Celtic holiday.

At about this time Nightstick, who has been acting as look out, warns of the approach of a suited man and two police officers.  The group quickly covers any traces of their snooping.

Inspector Campbell and Officers Roberts and Donald are the police that arrive.  Inspector Campbell relays that they have had an anonymous phone call telling that some murders have been committed.  The characters manage to get Inspector Campbell to believe that they are who they say they are and are permitted to leave after several hours of interview[8].  They are asked not to leave the vicinity of Glasgow until the police conclude their investigation.

They quickly check into the hotel that Alfred and Ms. Taylor have already arrived at, send the injured lad to a hospital for observation, and make a canvass of the area to see if they can acquire some black market weapons.  They are rushed for time, since they intend to meet with the boys father and sail for Iona as soon as possible.  They manage to obtain several combat knives and a .38 Special Revolver and ammo for Specter.  Next they dash off to the dock and sail for Iona.  They arrive late that night and resolve to begin their investigations in the morning.

March 22

The party spends the morning researching on the Island of Iona.  Most of the records here are written in Latin.  Fortunately Dr. James is literate in Latin.  Dr. James and Andrew spend most of the morning in the monasterys records.  They are able to find records of an attack on the monastery during the 7^th century by many terrible creatures.  Old documents tell of many hangings, burnings and drownings made in an attempt to restore the old Celtic gods.  Apparently a lord of evil and its druid priests lead the attack on the monastery.  It seems that the beast and his minions were driven back to a northern lake, referred to as the Lake of the Beast.  Other records hint at the existence of a tunnel that leads beneath the lake.

While Dr. James and Andrew study, Eden and Joe wander about exploring the old monastery.  They happen by the Abbots office.  On the wall is a huge map of ancient Scotland.  On the map the Lake of the Beast is clearly indicated as being what is now known as Loch Ness.

That afternoon they head to the cliffs of Iona and the monolith.  The monolith sits in a crevice set into the top of a cliff 70 feet above the seashore.  Examination reveals many strange carvings on the weathered surface of the monolith.

One shows the large head of a strange beast rising from the water where the blood of a sacrificed horse spreads over the waves.

Another engraving shows what seems to be a ram-headed snake in some type of room.  Dead horses lie about the strange creature, known to the Celts as Cernunnos, lord of animals.

One engraving shows another room filled with bones.  Two creatures stand amidst the bones, but their forms are weathered and unclear.

The best engraving shows several druid priests, with the body of a horse killed on an altar.  Lines lead from the base of the altar downward to a square.  Within the square is a circle containing the rayed head of a bull.  Other marks and symbols show this to be a holy or sacred place to the druids.

After they finish their examination they scout about the top of the cliff looking for any other clues.  Suddenly the bull moves out of the nearby woods and charges them.  As poorly armed as they are, they are still able to make pretty quick work of the bulls.  Only Brother Pace, their host, is injured.  He gets a nasty bump on the head when he dives into the crevice of the monolith to avoid a charging bull.  As the short battle subsides, Andrew sees a white heron winging away in the distance.

March 23-26

A few days are spent explaining to the police where they went and why they could not be reached all day yesterday.  Some legal wrangling starts as the police threaten to arrest them for material witnesses.  When they disappeared on the 22^nd the police checked out their record and found that they were passengers on the Susan Gael.  Due to the murders the police are very suspicious of the group[9].

March 27

Tiring of the veiled threats that Inspector Campbell is making Adrew Hobbs decides to obtain the services of one of the best barristers in the United Kingdom.  For a substantial incentive payment the barrister puts the rest of his work on hold and proceeds to threaten Scotland Yard with an harassment suit if his clients are not given some peace on their vacation[10].

March 28

The group is able to continue their vacation and around noon head to Fort Augustus, Loch Ness.  They arrive by early evening and get hotel accommodations.  They will begin their investigations tomorrow.

As they sleep Dr. James has another of his unusual dreams.  Again he finds himself in darkness; the air is cool and moist.  Something flutters past his head on hot, papery wings.

Suddenly the cavern is lit in an eerie light, rising from a crystal dome in its rock floor.  Around the dome crouch a number large stone statuesstatues of weird and horrible beings.

Quickly and silently the dome fills with water, which cracks its crystal surface and begins to rush out onto the cavern floor.  Now the statues begin to move, setting their stone hands on the cracks in the dome, trying to force the glowing water back to its source somewhere deep beneath the earth.

March 29

The day is spent sight seeing and inconspicuously snooping for information.  They soon learn several things of interest.

A man was found dead near the Cullough estate last night.  He looked as if a stag had gored him.  The dead man was known to have been a poacher on private lands.

Under the pretense of reading about old Loch Ness Monster sightings, they are able to determine that newspaper and police records indicate that the incidents of drowning, burning to death and hanging have nearly tripled in the last five years.  The number of these deaths is almost equal to each other.

Inquires about Davirr Cullough indicate that he is a breeder of fine Arabian horses.  Strangely nobody can seem to recall him ever selling one.

The local librarys archaeology records indicate that there is a place on the edge of the lake where the ancient druids used to worship and make sacrifices.  That place is now located on the estate of Davirr Cullough.

March 30

It is known in the area that Davirr Cullough gives tours of his operations and the old manor house on his property.  The characters decide to call Mr. Cullough to arrange one of these tours.  They are mildly surprised, and wary, when Mr. Cullough invites them out this very evening.  Dr. James makes some business excuses to Debbie Taylor and has Alfred take her on a tour of the lake[11].

After arriving they exchange pleasantries with their host briefly and then are given a tour of the property by Mr. Cullough himself.  Andrew Hobbs curiosity is aroused when he spots a path that leads into a patch of oak woods in the direction of the lake.  Mr. Cullough makes no mention of the trail and seems to hurry by the area.  Andrew Hobbs starts making all sorts of remarks about ancient druids, their impending holiday, and the sacrifices to recall the god Lug, etc.  Remarkably Mr. Cullough retains his composure better than some of the other characters.

As they approach the manor house Nightstick notices Mr. Cullough make a very subtle signal to someone watching from an upstairs window.  He quickly and quietly informs Dr. James and Ms. Blake.  He is also able to subtly signal Adrew to be ready for trouble.

When they walk across the back porch of the manor house they are ambushed by all of the household staff.  The attackers are armed with a variety of knives and clubs; the butler has a double-barreled shotgun. They never knew what hit them.  Soon the members of the Omega Team are standing over the broken bleeding remains of Mr. Cullough and about a dozen of his servants.

They tie Mr. Cullough, who has a broken nose and elbow, to a chair and start to question him.  Dr. James prepares his penethol while the rest of the team quickly searches the manor house.  As Dr. James prepares to administer the shot to Mr. Cullough, a huge gash appears on the estate owners head.  He expires almost immediately.  No attacker is seen and for a while the team fears an invisible enemy is at hand.

Examination of the wound reveals that it is very odd.  It appears almost as if a semi-sharp, long club of some sort was placed on his skull and pushed, not struck, with incredible force to cause the injury.  Never has Dr. James seen a wound quite like this.

The quick search of the manor house reveals a lot of reading material on Celts in the library and some duridical paraphernalia lying about, but little of any real use.

It is now rapidly getting dark.  As they head toward the unexplored path they hear a strange chanting and the frightened snorts of horses.  At the end of the path they find an ancient wooden altar and two men in druid robes.  A corral nearby holds three Arabian horses.  Upon three low, wooden stands are a magnificent stag, a bull and a deadly cobra.  Though they stealthily approach the snake seems to be aware of them[12].  In the quick battle that ensues they kill both of the druids.  One of them twice, after his fellow druid animated his corpse.  The bull and the stag give them a close call but are soon dispatched as well.  The cobra fades off into the woods.

They examine the area and release the horses.  Beneath the Altar they find a tunnel, carved with steps, that descends into the earth.  They start their descent.  Little clay oil pots weakly light the way[13].  They travel about a thousand feet under ground before they head out, under, the lake.  A huge, double set of oak doors awaits them at the end of the passage.

Inside the first room they encounter some strange little beings that are hidden inside four statues.  Until they tip over the statues and slay the nearly defenseless creatures, all their metal items begin to rapidly heat up.

The second room is covered with the bones of a great many dead horses.  It is here they encounter the first two powerful beings.  Kralecht (a tall spindly humanoid with the head of a stag) and Kravecht (a creature with a bulls head and the body of a muscular man, with no covering skin) await them.  The servants of Lug put up a tremendous battle.  The creatures are able hand to hand combatants and command evil magics.  It is only due to luck that none of the Omega Team are injured.  Indeed more than once a single pip on the dice saved a character from grievous injury[14].  They finally manage to overcome the creatures.  They hang the remains of Kravecht and drench Kralechts remains with water[15] thus destroying the creatures.

In the next room they encounter Zmija (a large flying snake with a skull for a head).  This time they are ready.  When the creature charges they cover it with an oil drenched overcoat and set it afire.  This destroys the creature.

In the final room they find a large glowing wooden dome on the floor.  An unnaturally, shimmering curtain is suspended from two oak pillars against one wall.  Three Arabian horses are in a wooden corral against the far wall.  The horses scream in terror as a huge ram-headed snake attacks them.  Andrews knowledge of the occult, x-files[16], and his recent studies of the Celtic material lead him to realize that if the horses die, Lug will be released into this world.  Cernunnos is the creature they face.  Fortunately the creature is intent on destroying the horses and Nightstick is able to attack the creature with the special dagger they recovered from Dr. Goughs apartment.  When struck by the dagger Cernunnos is forced to spend a Phase at 0 DCV changing forms.  In this state he is helpless and the characters are able to destroy him and put an end to the menace.  The horses are freed (except one that has to be destroyed) and the curtain is torn down.  Before leaving the underground the team rigs a small explosive charge to rupture the dome.  After they are safely out of the tunnel they trigger it, flooding the Drunemeton[17] forever.