Thu 17 May 2012 Session

Monday (continued)
In the afternoon we meet up with Bridgette at the docks. We discuss the possibility of simply buying the Cadis at the auction for Bridgette. She says she can provide us with about £8,000 of funding for this; based on our previous discussions with Johnstone Dives, we anticipate that this will not be enough.

Eventually, Paul Fletcher's ship arrives, and Bridgette points him out to us - he appears to have 2 trunks with him. Compton goes to the Broadgate Hotel, where Fletcher will apparently be staying, and checks in as a guest. Fletcher takes a cab, which Hengst and Fabrizio follow and confirm takes him to the Broadgate Hotel; they then go back to the bookshop, leaving Compton to observe Fletcher. Compton manages to eventually discover which room number Fletcher is in, and waits in the reception/bar to see if he comes or goes.

Back at the bookshop, Hengst and Fabrizio develve into the books available, trying to learn more about the Von Kants, our possible new allies. They learn that Bridgette Von Kant is married to Baron Herman, son of "mad", and now deceased Baron Earnst; who apparently went mad thinking a "black deity" was controlling his limb movements! Herman also has a half-brother by his mother, called Joachim Ferry, who is a controversial scholar. He has defended Earnst's translations of occult books, and has written books himself, such as "Notes on the Necronomican", based on an earlier book by Earnst.

Back at the Broadgate Hotel, around 4pm, Compton spots Fletcher going out, and follows. Fletcher first visits the Royal Astronomical Society, where he seems to be given short shrift, and thrown out, presumably for expressing his crazy views.

Fletcher then briefly visits an anonymous looking shop, later identified as an army surplus store, where he acquires a package, suspected to be a weapon of some sort, but seemingly a little too small to be a pistol. He then returns to the Broadgate Hotel.

Later that evening, whilst Compton was attempting to eaves-drop at the door of Fletcher 's room, Aston Drummel is seen visiting him. Compton was unable to overhear any details of their brief conversation, but Drummel was observed to leave in a dissatisfied demeanour muttering something like "nutter" under his breath.

Tuesday
We all arrive very early for the auction of the Cadis at the appointed time and place: ", Union Street, Whitechapel, 7pm Tuesday." Hengst and Fabrizio check out the church venue, whilst Compton studies the surrounding environs, particularly figuring out a circuitous route from the churches rear exit, through some winding alleys, to a main road where an omnibus or taxi may be readily taken. Compton then retires to a neighbouring buildings rooftop to observe arrivals at the church from a high vantage point. Whilst waiting and watching, Compton notices a figure on another rooftop over-looking the church. The figure eerily resembled the mysterious figure briefly seen at the bookshop window a few nights previous; bulky, and with no neck and little discernible head, and Compton feels peculiarly disquieted by this (1 point sanity loss.)

Drummel arrives ~6.30, Louis De Castris (2 arms, new one gloved) ~6.40, Dives and Bowers (separately) ~6.45, and Fletcher ~6.55. Compton then joins Hengst and Fabrizio in the auction. All potential buyers are invited to inspect the Cadis, which seems genuine, and bidding commences, during which Compton and Fabrizio keep an eye on all the participants, leaving the bidding to Hengst. With Bridgette's cash, Hengst enters into lively bidding against Fletcher, to begin with, but when Dives and Louis De Castris enter the bidding, it soon exceeds ours and Fletcher's limits. Dives eventually wins the auction, and rises to take his new possession.

However, Fabrizio had observed Fletcher behaving suspiciously regarding the package he had with him, and had moved near to him. Fletcher pulls out a mills bomb type grenade, and Fabrizio knocks it from his hand, but not before the pin is pulled. Fabrizio manages to kick it away, and it goes towards the main entrance of the church, exploding injuring Fletcher whilst Fabrizio manages to get mostly out of the danger area.

Meanwhile, Louis De Castris had leapt up with possibly super-human strength/agility and drawn what appeared to be a scalpel. He strikes at Dives, delivering a grievous wound to him, far out of proportion to the size of weapon he was wielding. Whilst all this was happening, Drummel had fled, Bowers was attempting to flee, via first grabbing the satchel of Bridgette's cash from Hengst, and Compton, Webley at the ready, was heading to grab the Cadis. Having felled Dives, Louis De Castris strikes at Compton before he can shoot, and inflicts a serious wound, sending Compton to the ground unconscious.

At this point, the previously seen mysterious figure, a hideously disturbing vision of a creature, crashes through one of the church windows, lands by Louis De Castris, and they engage in a vicious fight. Hengst and Bowers struggle over the money satchel. Fabrizio trips Bowers, who then flees. Hengst and Fabrizio then recover Compton, who they manage to barely revive, and clutching the book they flee the scene. Last they see leaving the church is Louis De Castris finally beating the disturbing creature, and turning to chase them, at which Compton got off a shot, slightly injuring him.

Outside the church, we flee along the pre-planned route, looking back only to see the entire church collapse - it seems Fletcher's grenade was too much for the dilapidated condition of the old church.