THE BRIEFING
In 1912, Joshua Meadham of New York City sold the pharmaceutical empire he had built up over the previous thirty years. This was a surprising move, as he had acquired a reputation as a cutthroat businessman. No one who knew him could imagine him doing anything else with his life. Joshua Meadham took the proceeds of the sale and used them to found a charitable organization devoted to providing emergency medical care across the globe, especially for those areas affected by epidemics, natural disasters, and war. He called this organization Caduceus (pronounced cad-OO-see-us or cad-U-see-us), after the staff of Hermes. While many people incorrectly associate this symbol with medicine due to its similarity to the Rod of Asclepius, Joshua was amused by its more esoteric meanings. While Caduceus carries out the charitable works it espouses, it has a more secret purpose. In his business dealings, Joshua Meadham had a few brushes with the Cthulhu Mythos, most notably in the form of serpent people trying to use the growing global trade in pharmaceuticals as a vehicle to interfere with humanity.
Realizing mankind faced threats even more dangerous than those Caduceus purports to deal with, Joshua has used his considerable resources to seek out and combat Mythos menaces where he can, especially where serpent people are involved.
Most of those who work for Caduceus have no knowledge of anything beyond its surface mission to bring medical aid and relief to those in need, as directed by the head office in Manhattan. Behind the scenes, a smaller inner circle work on the true mission of Caduceus, using the guise of medical aid workers to gain access to dangerous places and carry out missions of assassination, sabotage, and subterfuge against Mythos targets, using the chaos of the local crisis to cover their actions.
The Terrible Secret of the Serpent People
The text outlines information that the Caduceus Foundation has been able to learn about the serpent people race. It appears that the serpent people are native to Earth, having ruled empires that have now faded into history, and walked lands long before the rise of humanity. A religious schism occurred many millennia ago that split the race in two. One side worships an entity called Yig, the Father of Serpents (potentially the progenitor of the race). The other worships an entity known as Tsathoggua, an evil toad-like monstrosity that revels in vile acts and atrocities. This latter faction refers to themselves as “The Inner Night.”
Caduceus has found, in their experience, the worshipers of Yig are content to hide from humanity, deep below the ground in subterranean cities. They know that to pick a fight with humanity could spell annihilation, despite their vastly superior technology. Conversely, the evidence that Caduceus has gathered makes the organization believe that the Inner Night (who were responsible for attacking Joshua Meadham) is working toward a plan that will spell disaster for the human race. The details of this plan are not yet known but it is imperative that it be discovered soon.
The Inner Night faction is organizing and coordinating its efforts across the globe. There might not be much time left.
By the time you have finished reading this briefing, you all gain +5 to your Cthulhu Mythos rating (minimum of 10). Note that might reduce your maximum Sanity (Maximum Sanity=100-Cthulhu Mythos). In addition, you each lose Sanity immediately.
Chakos listened to all of the briefing before responding, "look, as a soldier, I don't mind being sent on dangerous missions without knowing the background, or the goals, but I DO expect to be told that they ARE dangerous missions. With that said, everything you have said would sound entirely outlandish in a newspaper, and prior to this, I would have put it down as just the ravings of a fool. However, having seen these creatures with my eyes, I must admit to the possibility of these concepts being the truth. Now, you mentioned Joshua Meadham twice, and about some attack against him? What attack? Where is he now?"
Antonio reads through the paperwork carefully, occasionally having trouble with a word in English. He closes the binder and look up at Shapiro. "This is a joke, yes? Something to..." He pauses, thinking about the serpent-demons they fought and the temple. "This...this is real? You have been fighting these demons? And the world does not know? If there is such a danger, why do you not show everyone? Mobilize the armies. Fight back."
"And what has happened to the serpent-woman we found? Who is she? Why did you want her?"
When Chakos asks to study the papers, Shapiro says "I can make an office available for you to read them in, Doctor Hyluan, but those papers cannot leave this building, or indeed this floor. As to Mister Meadham, it was his nearly fatal encounter with a being he described as 'more snake than man' that caused him to change his priorities in 1912 and create the Caduceus Foundation. He is fine now, though quite elderly. I believe he is upstairs right now. The top floors of the building form his private apartments, although I suppose he could be at his Connecticut estate. You will no doubt meet him eventually."
Turning to Antonio, Shapiro says "The world is not ready for this knowledge, Father. Can you imagine what behavior it would excuse in the authoritarian regimes around the world, to say nothing of more moderate governments who fear them? There would be no general war. There would be a mad scramble to take sides, to acquire serpent people technology. This is the very thing we must avoid."
"Then too, if they feel threatened, the Inner Night possesses weapons beyond the understanding of modern science. They might slaughter millions in their haste to win such a war."
"Which leads me neatly into my next topic. I have an assignment for the group. A situation has arisen in North Borneo which demands our attention."
”There has been a serious outbreak of what is being called ‘infectious hepatitis’ in British North Borneo. It seems to be incredibly fast acting. The North Borneo Chartered Company has contacted Caduceus for assistance. Normally, persons exposed to hepatitis display first
symptoms two to six weeks after infection. Such symptoms normally last up to eight weeks, which can result in acute liver failure and death. In the recent outbreak, subjects have died just two days after displaying symptoms in North Borneo.”
”From the information Caduceus has been able to obtain, we believe that the outbreak could be the Yellow Death, a serpent person biological weapon designed to depopulate areas of human habitation. Thus, Caduceus suspects the involvement of the Inner Night.”
” Our team’s mission is to enter the quarantine site, allowing Caduceus scientists to determine whether or not this is the Yellow Death at work. The team will then determine whether there is an Inner Night presence, find out what their objective is, and stop them.”
”The airplane leaves from Idyllwild Airport in the morning. It will pass through San Francisco, Honolulu and Manila along the way to North Borneo. Your passports are ready for you.”
Chakos was taken aback at being address as "Doctor." While he had never returned to Miskatonic following the events of 1925 in the Congo, it was true that the University had considered his academics and participation in the expedition sufficient to grant him a full Doctorate in Medicine, and a second Baccalaureate Degree in Occult Studies in early 1926. By then, Chakos was wearing the kepi and fending off Berber tribesmen in North Africa, so those degrees were not high on his list of concerns at the time. When added to his previously earned degree in Biology, Chakos could be considered quite a learned man, and a credit to his father's aspirations for him.
With that said, Chakos didn't introduce himself as being a doctor of any sort, and he was surprised when Shapiro had used the honorific. He tried to hide his surprise, "yes, thank you, an office would be great."
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"This form of hepatitis, or Yellow Death as you call it, is it viral then? Do we know much about the vector of infection from patient to patient?"
Chakos searches his memory for anything he has learned about hepatitis, or any mention of this "Yellow Death."
Success (barely)
"I ain't one for waiting, Father. Not after what we've been through." Abraham nodded when the priest mentioned Enoli being upstairs, the young man had gone through the ringer out there as well. The offer for sphaghetti was met with a kind, if weary, smile as he lit another a fresh cigarette and nodded. "Maybe I will, maybe I will. You be safe out there, father." The lean man would throw his coat over his shoulder and make his way over towards the sidedoor where the metal stairs led up to Enoli's modest apartment. A few hours would pass and Father Gregory would come to take them to a delicious meal. As expected, the detective was no where to be seen.
A knock on the door awoke Abraham from his troubled sleep, the office door rattling. A silhuotte shadowed the window that had the words "Abraham Pierce, Private Eye" upon it. Putting away his half-full bottle of whiskey and grabbing his trusty pistol, Abraham carefully made his way to the door.
"The office is closed." Abraham said, his voice hoarse from the rough sleep and burn of alcohol the night before. The pistol was lifted up, ready to take a shot if the shadow moved suspiciously.
"Telegram, sir." The masculine voice on the other side said. Abraham balanced caution versus curiosity for just a moment before opening the door just a bit to peer at the young man waiting outside. There was no strange scaling around his eyes and lips, no sign of the danger he saw in the jungles. The young man offered the telegram a small tip before taking the telegram and opening it. An address and a time signed by the mysterious "Shapiro". It seemed that answers were finally coming to them all.
Abraham had arrived thirty minutes early to scope the place out but, despite him knowing better, the place appeared positively normal. Businessmen came and went, office workers coming in for work. He would eventually stomp out his cigarette butt and make his way inside of the gleaming entrance hall. The rough detective stood out amidst the finery but, outside of perhaps Minerva, so did the rest of them. He would greet his comrades with a nod of his head before signing the register with the receptionist. There was little time before they were retrieved by a young man who took them to the elevator and up floor by floor. This had to be Mr. Shapiro.
The first six floors had relatively easy access, the front-facing business of a charitable organization. Higher up though held the true secrets and Abraham couldn't help but feel a little bit of excitement at feeling the truth be pulled back that little bit. The office complex in front of him seemed simple but as they passed by offices and desks, the detective's eyes would flicker across the bits of information here and there. There was never enough to truly pull a picture together but from what he saw, the puzzle had only gotten more complex and interesting.
Settling into his seat, Abraham gratefully took a cup of coffee and sipped from it as he listened to Shapiro explain himself. The only reaction he gave was a slight rise of his eyebrows at the mention of a "secret war" to protect all of mankind. Leaning in, Abraham reads the binder along with Father Antonio. The binder was a ridiculous tale, a fantastical tale crafted by the mad or the truly creative. A race that stood before mankind did, worshipping of strange gods. Yet the notes were scientific, plausible, and Abraham could not deny the things he had encountered with his fellow associates.
Shapiro's words were reasonable and logical; the idea of these monsters living would scare humanity to the darkest corners. Tyrants would be unopposed to do whatever they needed to fight "the unknown threat". He had already seen the horror of one world war, Abraham had no interest in seeing one fueled by nightmares. While the others asked their questions, Abraham finished his cup of coffee before placing it on the table. Steepling his fingers together, the wolfish man sat forward with a furrowed brow and an inquisitive quirk to his head.
"This...this is both insane and uncomfortably logical. Operating in small units keeps the enemy from reacting too violently. I don't know if I can believe all of this...ancient gods and hidden races...but I'm not so scared as to not face it." Abraham murmured, half to himself and half to Shapiro and the others. His dark eyes focused on the man, giving him a nod. "I'll take the job, be on retainment for the Foundation. What is our support going into this? This is a quarantined zone, not a warzone, so I doubt they're letting us walk in with springfields and shotguns on our shoulders. Especially if the enemy is looking for agents like us."
Chakos asked about the Yellow Death and Abraham nodded in agreement. It appeared that Caduceus had encounters with this disease before.
Elliot seems slightly bemused as he follows the others through the building, past reception (where he signs his name) and into the 'secret' offices of the Caduceus Foundation. He reads the contents of the binders, and unlike some of the others seems to have little trouble in believing their contents. Perhaps it is his willingness to allow for the presence of the supernatural in this world. Ancient cultures all over the world have been said to have dealings with such, after all. Too, there is the fact that he and the others came face to face with these serpent people in Bolivia. To argue against what he saw with his own eyes is to entertain the idea of being entirely insane, and Elliot isn't eager to see himself in that particular light.
"I'm in." He says simply. The archaeologist allows the ex-soldier Abraham to take the lead in working out the fine details. Weapons would be a fine idea, perhaps they could find different types of shells to use in their shotguns - for the buckshot didn't seem to have any effect at all on the giant snake.
He also tries to get some time in on the documents that allow the translation of the exotic language called Naacal. Perhaps he and Chakos can help each other learn it during the course of the day they are given.
Antonio shakes he head at Shapiro. "Faith, Mr. Shapiro. If anything, humankind would band together against an outside threat. But as horrible as people can be, they are equally capable of amazing acts of kindness and grace."
He frowns though at the news of disease in Borneo. The priest shuffles through the papers, looking for a map to help him understand where Boreno was. As he looks, he comes across pictures of those infected or dead. "Dios Mio..." Antonio makes the sign of the cross on himself. "Yes, if I can help, I am willing. Do...do we need special training on how to handle the infected? And who among the team with us will know anything about the serpent-demons? I assume from your briefing that most will be unwitting medical professionals again?"
He pauses looking at the map of Boreno again. "May I pass a message through the Church about our trip? Perhaps I can get the name of a local priest there who can help us." He pauses to consider something. "Mr. Shapiro, if what you say is true, I find it hard to think the Church does not know of these Serpents. Our knowledge isn't perfect, but it is long. And defending the world against evil is at least one definition of the Church's purpose. Has Caduceus reached out to them for help?"
"This form of hepatitis, or Yellow Death as you call it, is it viral then? Do we know much about the vector of infection from patient to patient?"
Chakos searches his memory for anything he has learned about hepatitis, or any mention of this "Yellow Death."
”The Borneo disease itself is technically unknown to us, as we will be the first to study it. But the Yellow Death is thought to display viral characteristics, yes. You must understand that we know it only by description, almost all of which pre-date modern medical practices.”
Chakos is familiar with hepatitis, but has never heard of the Yellow Death.
"I'll take the job, be on retainment for the Foundation. What is our support going into this? This is a quarantined zone, not a warzone, so I doubt they're letting us walk in with springfields and shotguns on our shoulders. Especially if the enemy is looking for agents like us."
”On the contrary, Mr. Pierce. North Borneo is a wild and dangerous land where few travel outside the villages unarmed. Predators are many and large. I suggest that each of you go well-armed. If you do not have a favorite weapon, I can provide you with appropriate rifles. North Borneo is a British Protectorate and while it is run by the North Borneo Chartered Company, there is a small unit of British soldiers present to enforce the quarantine. Caduceus has worked hand-in-hand with the British government before and we have been cleared to do this work, since the Company asked for us specifically.”
”As for agents of the Inner Night, I suspect you are right. They will notice you if they are in fact present, but that is inevitable whether you are armed or not. But they do not know that Caduceus is on to them, and should likely regard you merely as interfering medical researchers. Or so it is to be hoped.”
He pauses looking at the map of Boreno again. "May I pass a message through the Church about our trip? Perhaps I can get the name of a local priest there who can help us." He pauses to consider something. "Mr. Shapiro, if what you say is true, I find it hard to think the Church does not know of these Serpents. Our knowledge isn't perfect, but it is long. And defending the world against evil is at least one definition of the Church's purpose. Has Caduceus reached out to them for help?"
Shapiro looks sharply at Antonio. ”I’m sorry, Father, that isn’t possible. You can of course tell your superiors that you’ll be gone, where you’re going and even where you are going. The Church will have no problems, I assume, with an errand of mercy. But under no circumstances are you to reveal to anyone what is happening here. You must understand that the Church is a vast organization and I have no doubt that it would try to help, but I am equally certain that a few of your most trusted members are in fact serpent-people in disguise. This is what they do.”
”If the Inner Night were to learn what Caduceus is, mankind would be in terrible danger. No. Each of you have been tested and we know who you are. No one else must know. You must promise me that, Father. Tell no one.”
He looks at you rather earnestly, willing you to agree.
Enoli stoically takes in the briefing and accepts what he hears just as he accepted it in the jungles. That there are evil creatures, demons or spirits does not surprise Enoli, but the scope of it all takes him back. Nothing in Grandfather's stories said anything of an empire of these creatures before men.
Enoli closes his binder and partially stands, leaning over the table towards Shapiro.
"Mr. Shapiro, we almost died against a small group of these snakes, some who were actually just controlled humans. How do you expect us to succeed against these? There we're other...things out in that jungle that our regular weapons could not harm. Do we get to take the strange weapons we found with us? Also in all these years has Caduceus not learned of other weapons or weaknesses? Has anyone tried to reach out to the Yig worshippers for help, with their own understanding and advanced technology?" asks Enoli.
I assume Chakos gets the impression that the medicos Caduceus are sending are better doctors than himself, right?
Chakos will request a couple of Colt 1911s, some spare magazines, and a sufficiency of ammo. And maybe a machete?
"Mr. Shapiro, we almost died against a small group of these snakes, some who were actually just controlled humans. How do you expect us to succeed against these? There we're other...things out in that jungle that our regular weapons could not harm. Do we get to take the strange weapons we found with us? Also in all these years has Caduceus not learned of other weapons or weaknesses? Has anyone tried to reach out to the Yig worshippers for help, with their own understanding and advanced technology?" asks Enoli.
"As I said to Mr. Pierce, I recommend a higher caliber of weapon, Mr. Black Fox. There are certain entities in this world and out of it that ordinary firearms cannot harm, but these are few and far between. I note that despite your difficulties, you -are- here. You did in fact overcome your opposition."
"As to Yig worshipers, if we have not apprised governments and churches of the issue, you may be certain that we have not told the serpent people themselves. To do its work, Caduceus must remain secret."
I assume Chakos gets the impression that the medicos Caduceus are sending are better doctors than himself, right?
Chakos will request a couple of Colt 1911s, some spare magazines, and a sufficiency of ammo. And maybe a machete?
I assume Chakos gets the impression that the medicos Caduceus are sending are better doctors than himself, right?
Chakos will request a couple of Colt 1911s, some spare magazines, and a sufficiency of ammo. And maybe a machete?
She makes her way slowly into the office building signing is as requested. She smiles at the young man who turns out to be Shapiro. "I almost died you know. All for lack of information. We might have prepared better if we'd know were weren't going to be dealing with humans. Maybe I wouldn't have gone at all."
Carefully taking a seat at the table she sips the offered coffee. "From one jungle to another. Tell me, do the serpent people ever do anything evil in Siberia? At least that's not a jungle."
After carefully studying the binder. She shivers and shakes her head. "This is so fantastical it must be true. Is there a way to tell the two groups apart? Should we assume if we find serpent people that they are the evil toad god followers?"
Elliot thinks on his own talk with his old friend Algernon and decides not to admit to the conversation. What harm, after all?
He too is interested to tell if there is a way to tell the two groups of serpent people apart. He suspects not, unless one gets involved in a religious conversation with them. And that seems highly unlikely, given their previous encounters...
Antonio shakes his head at Shapiro's distrust and secrecy, but looks very worried at the idea of the serpent people infiltrating the Church. "As you wish, sir, but if these demons threaten humanity, the Church may be a great ally. And surely you are mistaken about them taking positions in the Church? How many of them are there? The ones we saw in Paraguay wore their...disguises like cheap suits. Someone would be bound to notice. But, again as you wish. I will ask for a leave of absence to help with the outbreak."
"I normally frown on violence against our fellow man, but these are now demons we are dealing with. Perhaps some slugs for the shotgun, yes? You said the serpents lived underground? Are they affected by light or fire worse than we are? Fire seemed to do the trick in the jungle."
DATE: May 28, 1933
PLACE: The skies over British North Borneo, near Mt. Kinabalu
Our camera opens on a parchment map of the world, showing a red line departing New York and stretching west across the United States to Los Angeles. From there the red line hops again to Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands and to Manila, capital of the American Phillipines in the far western Pacific. Finally, the line moves southwest to the mysterious island of Borneo...
Our investigators are aboard a Ford Trimotor passenger plane, specially chartered out of Manila. The plane rattles gently as the pilot expertly moves into the unpredictable winds around Borneo’s tallest mountain. The nicely appointed cabin has been your constant companion since leaving Los Angeles three days ago. Now, with your target at last in sight, all of you are ready to get off this airplane and stretch your legs on Terra Firma.
Your gear is stowed in the rear of the plane, along with a large amount of supplies brought along by Mr. Shapiro. As you drop below the ever-present clouds you can see the land for the first time through the aircraft’s windows. Gentle swathes of coffee and tobacco plantations stretch out to the south and west while to the north stands giant Mount Kinabalu and a dense forest. Far below, at the forest’s edge, you can just make out the British army base and its tiny, primitive airstrip.
None of you recognize the shapes.
”Madre de Díos,”[b] Chakos exclaimed, as he pointed out the window, [b]”What are those?”
Elliot shakes his head, his eyes fixed on the shapes moving to intercept, and when Chakos calls out he moves toward the front of the plan and hammers his fist on the door (I'm presuming there's a door...) "Pilot! We need to get this plane down now! There's several things coming straight at us out of those clouds!" If the door can be opened, he'll do so and point out the shapes in case the pilot hadn't noticed.
Whether Abraham was happy or not at the news that the area they were dropping into was just as hostile, it was inscrutable on the constant frown that decorated the detective's face. They were working officially with the government there, which meant that they would have some access to help counter whatever intelligence that these serpent-folk had gathered. Abraham went silent once more as the others spoke. Minerva's charming and quietly venomous words earned the tiniest tug at his lip as he chuckled softly for a moment.
"I think that was the point Minerva. A baptism by fire makes sure that those who come out of it alive and in sound mind are useful for Caduceus. A brutal method only made more brutal by the fact that our guide was killed before we even knew the mission." He raises his hand at Shapiro before the man protests, shaking his head. "I don't mean that disrespectfully. In the war, you didn't know the kind of person you were until you had to go over the top. Some can do it, some can't. You don't know until you're there." Father Antonio's worry was evident on the holy man's face; the idea that the Church could be compromised was a terrible thought. Abraham couldn't think of a world where it wouldn't be compromised to some degree. It was just too powerful of an institution to do so. If this was a war, it was guerilla warfare.
Throughout the flight, Abraham passes the time practicing the language with his colleagues who had spent the time studying the local tongue, snoring away in his seat, and reviewing the orders that the Foundation had sent them with. It was a censored document, hiding the actual purpose behind their arrival here in Northern Borneo. It helped calm his nerves to keep busy on the plane as it swayed when the mountain winds buffeted it. As he was awoken from his latest nap with the talk that they were coming in close to the British army base and the long strip of clear dirt that constituted an airstrip, his eyes would drift outside of the plane and down towards the clouds below. Shapes moved in the darkness, winged things moving too strangely to be a trick of the light. Chakos's declaration made it clear; they were in danger.
"Son of a b%%@+." Abraham grunted out, unbuckling himself and moving towards the back of the plane. While he had his sidearm on his person, other weapons laid in the back with cargo. Ammunition and weaponry that could defend them as they approached the landing strip.
"Enoli! Help me get the firepower out. We have to protect the plane till we land!" Abraham shouts towards his dependable comrade. Seemed like things were going to go wrong right from the start of it.
Antonio squints to try and recognize the form of what is in the air. "What is it next? The flying monkeys?" He quickly looks down around the forest for any clear place to land that is closer than the British airstrip.
"What is it next? The flying monkeys?"
"I don't know about flying monkeys, but in Zamboanga, the monkeys have no tails. Bitten off by whales they say. I knew a guy from there."
Just then, several things happen at once, all of them bad.
Minerva looks out her window to see the hideous, eyeless face of a creature with long claws latch onto the aircraft and whip around a razor-sharp tail, ready to attack!
At the same time, a second creature crashes through a rear window and lands heavily on the bundle of your equipment lashed into the rear of the plane.
Simultaneously, more smash into the cockpit and rip the pilot and co-pilot out of their seats, dragging them outside the plane and hurling them to the deaths below!
Minerva lets out a loud scream as she sees the creature with no face. "It's on the wing. It's got a tail. We're going to crash!!!"
Minerva scrambles out of her seat and looks for something to use as a weapon. I hope I can find a bottle. "I'll even take a book at this point." she bursts out with the non sequitur.
"No!" Antonio nearly follows the pilot and co-pilot out the window, trying to grab at them. He stares in horror as they plummet to their deaths. The man scrambles back away from the the reach of the eyeless monsters, part of his brain noting that no one is flying the plane anymore.
Chakos moves towards the cockpit, and will fight if a beast is still there, or he will see about taking charge of the plane's controls if the beasts have moved on.
They flew off with their victims, but they'll be back!
Chakos, you have no skill at flying, but you can at least stop the plane from entering a steep dive with a STR check!
Abraham feels his stomach tighten as fear fills him. These faceless, winged, demonic creatures surge onto the plane and get between him and the equipment they desperately need to protect themselves. The screams of the pilot and co-pilot are registered, as well as the scream of Minerva close by.
"Get off our plane!" Abraham growls out, drawing his pistol and firing shot after shot at the creature in front of him.
Chakos, you have no skill at flying, but you can at least stop the plane from entering a steep dive with a STR check!
Chakos hops into the pilot's seat, noting the complete lack of restraints. "Probably they got ripped out with the pilot," he said to no one in particular. He grasped the stick thing that he knew the pilot used to steer the plane, and he made an effort to keep the plan from going into a steep dive.
"Ummm, guys," Chakos yelled, as he turned his head looking backwards into the passenger area, "the pilots are gone, and I think I just made things worse!" Chakos could feel his stomach coming up into his throat as the plane started rolling into a rapid descent.
Chakos started looking around for parachutes.
Elliot utters a startled shriek as the thing tears into the cockpit and drops the two pilots to their doom!
Chakos pushes past him, but seems to have problems in pulling up out of the dive. Getting hold of his mental faculties after the terrifying spectacle and the (perhaps moreso) terrifying prospect of plunging to the ground below, Elliot moves into the pilot seat to try and pull the plane out of its dive when Chakos vacates the seat and starts searching frantically, muttering about parachutes.
It seems to work! But Elliot starts sweating as he realizes that he's going to have to land this thing, or at least crash it gently enough so they can all walk away in one piece.
"Chakos! Get guns and get the others up here! That thing is gonna come back and I can't fight it off while I'm trying to fly this damn plane!" He has no idea that there is already chaos happening further back in the plane...
Not knowing how to fly a plane, Enoli keeps an eye out with his rifle drawn and ready to fire.
As the wind screams through the open front and back of the plane, Abraham puts a bullet straight through the head of the monster inside the plane. It falls back, dead. The other beasts scream in fury. Meanwhile, Chakos and Elliot struggle with the flight controls and manage to pull the Ford Tri-Motor out of a dive, for now, though you have no idea where you're going and there is a mountain out there somewhere in the clouds.
Chakos, there are no parachutes on this commercial aircraft.
The creature outside Minerva's window slams its razor-sharp tail into the planes fuselage and begins cutting through! It will be through in a moment. Another gaunt, blind creature crawls in through the back, with another right behind it still clinging to the plane. Elliot can see the two that killed the pilots coming back, winging through the clouds.
Chakos tells Elliot, "keep us in the air, and I'll go help with the creatures."
Chakos gives up looking for parachutes, and knowing Elliot has the controls in hand, he decides to turn towards solving the problem that only violence seems able to solve.
Chakos cross draws his two pistols and starts firing rounds at the "bird" near Minerva, as he advances down the aisle and growls, "get off my damn plane you bastards!"
54 - Hit for 10 damage
88 - Miss (unless within 12' of me)
Where one of these fiendish creatures fall, another flies up to take its place. Their only screams screech through the small plane, stifled only by the wind blowing through. Lifting his pistol again, Abraham takes shots at the beasts that are in the way of their greater firepower.