A Little Gray Box

Ben wasn't able to make it. We finished up the epilogue for Jess's last M&M mission real quick before starting this one. Dan didn't have a lot of time to write, so the second half was a bit free form.

We spend some time preparing for our trip to Ireland. My research doesn't come up with much useful information, although it appears that Scipio Mundus has publicly claimed he'll be marching on Spain next, to end the undead curse.

The box we're retrieving is about one foot on each side.

The zeppelin is waiting for us. A well dressed man directs us to the luxury zeppelin.

Inside is very posh, very much to my liking. In the parlor room, our guide is waiting for us. He's a wolf beastman, wearing a worn lined soldier's coat and a saber, and he introduces himself as Brenden Cruinn. Jess wants to keep the puppy.

I demand to know how Brenden knows Duchess Hambledon and Adella, and he simple says he owes Adeen a favor, and that's all we need to know.

Sidney sneaks around and pickpockets some rune casting stones from Brenden's pockets, but she shows them to him and gives them back.

The trip to Dublin takes seven hours. The captain is manning the helm, and he's mainly muscle with a great big bushy beard.

This trip is a lot better than our last trip.

Transportation in the form of ponies and a horse are already waiting for us when we arrive. The trip takes three hours, and when it turns into dense forest, we tie up our horses and dismount.

We reach the cave entrance, which is blocked by a door. Brenden Cruinn makes a torch, and luckily the door is slightly ajar, so we head in.

The tunnel goes on for miles, and after almost an hour, we reach another door, this one tall as well. This door is locked, so Sidney picks it and Brenden opens it revealing a feminine ghost-like figure.

It seems to be protecting this area, and the dead druids buried here. Frankly, it seems a bit terrifying.

She demands we prove our worth. Brenden does some acrobatics, and she lets Brenden pass.

Father Amorth steps forward, and she puts an hand forth as if to stop him, so Father Amorth tries to put her to rest. It fails, but she withdraws her arm, as if he had passed her test. Father Amorth tries again, and she disappears, banished.

Sidney and I follow, having avoided having to pass any test.

We continue on, and it's impossibly dark. Brenden leads us forward though, and before long, the area lightens up a bit, revealing a ramshackle grand hall.

A figure of light and a giant crow beast approach us. The figure (Moon) says nothing, but the other (Crow) greets us, and says that there is to be a party here soon. We're not on the guest list, but that is no matter.

It asks if we're with the other fellow who passed through. We're not, but we'd like to know where it went. One of the guests will know, Crow informs us. There is one simple rule we must follow though. There is to be no spilled blood.

The guests all arrive, six in total:

• The first is a fire fey, with many arms. Sir Sivert

• The second arrives, and is an old dead lich-like creature with a crow. Dreeis

• The third is a female mage Alice the Red

• The fourth is a fish-like monstrosity Larc

• The fifth is another fey, this one of water. She has a small pet. Sylvene

• The sixth and final is a faerie riding a corgi Lady Alderene

One of our hosts, the pale fey called Moon, is with the Sir Silvert and Dreeis. The Lady Alderene and the water fey Sylvene are conversing with each other, and the mage Alice the Red is talking to the fish-head Larc.

I introduce myself to Sylvene and Lady Aldrene. They introduce themselves. I ask about Scipio Mundus, and Sylvene says she knows who knows, but will only tell me if I douse out the fire fey Sir Silvert's flame. Lady Aldrene warns me that someone here is a liar.

Next, I introduce myself to Sir Silvert and the lich-like creature called Dreeis. Moon says nothing. I repeat my question that I had asked the previous pair, and Sir Sivert says he knows of him (but not where), but will only give information if I douse the water faerie's pet. Dreeis also claims he knows something, something he is sure would be useful, but his task of us would be to kill Larc, the fish headed creature.

Finally, I speak to the mage Alice the Red, and Larc, her acquaintance. Larc does not speak. Alice says she is quite familiar with him, but will only tell me about him if a certain black gem happened to end up in Lady Alderene's pocket, which she shows me.

I return to my companions, and we decide to fulfill Alice's terms. Sidney is caught sneaking the item into Lady Alderene's pockets. Lady Alderene takes offence, and Sylvene becomes distrustful, and when Lady Alderene has informed the host of our alleged, she is repaid by being turned into his next meal.

With that, our host flies off, probably to digest his meal alone.

I speak to the mage, and she is much obliged, but all she tells me is that...his name is Scipio Mundus. That's it. She's the liar.

I'm sad.

I guess we should try to avoid that again. Luckily the ones that seem like they are most feylike (and thus bound to their word) specifically said they only knew how or who to talk to. That leaves Dreeis's favor.

We hold down Drac while Father Amorth brutally murders him. Hopefully he'll be true to his word.

Dreeis is happy, and he says he know exactly where Scipio Mundus is head...directly to Dreeis's liege lord. He tells us what route we can take to get there.

I thank Moon for her hospitality (she giggles) and we leave. Dreeis crumbles to dust.

We go back out of the cave and get our trusty steeds, before returning on our path.

We head on the cave path for several hours, when suddenly it widens out. The ground begins to shake, and we can hear roaring, and then a colossal creature emerges from the darkness. It has four legs, enormous wings, and instead of a mouth, has a multitude of writhing tentacles, gnashing like teeth.

It slowly limps towards us, and fear strikes our hearts. There is no way we can possibly take it down, especially not without the late Edwin Ingram on our side. We decide to ride past it, and hope we can evade it's massive tentacles.

Brenden and I manage to make it past without much incident. I'm a bit scratched up, but that's about it. We wait in the narrowing.

The creature turns as Sidney and Father Amorth ride past it, and things look bad. Their ponies are charging forward as fast as they can, but Sidney and Father Amorth are knocked unconscious.

Luckily, they make it through too.

About a half hour through the narrow tunnel, Brenden sets up a tent, and we tend to our two companions wounds. They're badly wounded, but they should be a lot better after some rest.

We awake, and we can hear scraping back down where we come. We hurriedly gather our effects, and continue on.

We reach an archway. A pair of Skeletal Romans block the way, but they bash their weapons on their shields and then step out of the way.

On the other side of an archway is a court, with a skeletal king of sorts, with many attendants.

I introduce myself, and say we are following Scipio Mundus. I'm told Scipio Mundus is already gone, and that he bartered for the location of the box he sought. I wish to barter for it as well, but none of us have anything we're willing to part with.

The dread king offers us an alternative. A new fellow showed up in the middle of his lands, and he is willing to give us the location if we evict him. He gives us rings of wood to protect us. A guide leads us there.

The dead land gives away to a disgustingly picturesque clearing. Our guide leaves us, and we continue in.

There's a short guy with a big blue hat. We argue with him trying to get him to leave without killing him. Maybe it's because he is tired of being bothered, but eventually he accepts an ordinary ring from Sidney, and agrees to move.

We return, and we are rewarded with the location, and we are told who possess the box. It seems the dead like to keep their word.

A demon has take residence, and this dread king does not like her. He tells us diplomacy will not work, unless we're willing to give up a soul or two.

We take our mounts and leave.

We reach a cave, and it goes down. A small shimmering ring of fire is burning.

Sidney looks into the supernatural, and she sees a ghost just chilling there. He's wearing a toga with a purple slash across his chest, and he seems to be middle aged with short cropped hair. He yells out that we have visitors, and Sidney responds, surprising him, as he did not think she could see him.

He introduces himself as Scipio Africanus, and he's been dead for nearly two thousand years. He's a servant of Scipio Mundus. He wishes us luck.

We go down into the cave, into a grand hall. We can see several soldiers in fighting several demons. One is looks similar to Scipio Africanus, but more solidly built with two swords. Another has knights armor, as well as another in a tunic. Scipio and another solider are fighting a demon that clearly looks like a demon queen, with a strange baby in tow.

Sidney sneaks around the room, and spots the box sitting under the throne. The fight was about equal, but it turns towards Mundus's men. Brenden charges forward to keep the soldier's busy, while Father Amorth and I ready our guns.

Scipio Africanus suddenly materializes nearby.

Sidney grabs the box, and returns to us. Brenden is in real trouble, but there are far too many of them, and we have our object, so we abandon him.

Mundus's minions include Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc, and Spartacus.

Brenden Cruinn is captured, and his captors are not happy they didn't get the box. They want to know who Brenden's master is, as he wants to talk to them, and Brenden gives them Lord Gavin's name, and says Lord Gavin can set a meeting up.

His captors take him to Spain, before releasing him.

TODO: Research Mundus's power. It seems to summon heroic ghosts, and might have a limit on the range than can materialize them. Reach out to Bosmon and the Professor.