MoN 21: In a Hail of Gunfire

On the count of three, Ikil and Jezebel opened fire. The two kharisiri were killed instantly. Still. the explorers were taking no chances; they’d seen several of the foul creatures return to life after suffering fatal wounds. In short order, the two kharisiri were beheaded and de-limbed. Dr Dudley then examined the two for signs of a worm similar to the one he had removed from Dr Sanchez. Strangely, he did not find a worm in either of the two.

The explorers crawled onwards, probing to the west. They discovered a passageway heading south and the mouths of several more chutes, which corresponded to the locations of the shafts they had found on the surface. The investigators quickly realised that one of the passages seemed to follow the outline of the pyramid above.

It was then Jezebel made an important discovery. She discovered a band of beaten gold inset into the wall facing toward the pyramid. Its dimensions were identical to the golden rod they had discovered in the museum basement after Rizo’s murder. Excitement reigned. It seemed all the intrepid explorers had to do was find the spot from which the rod had been removed and replace it.

This was easier said than done, however. The tunnels were cramped and dark, and the explorers only possessed two torches.

Pushing onwards, they discovered what they first thought to be a pile of rags and sticks. However, a closer examination revealed it to be a skeleton which began to move as Ikil crept closer. Jezebel unleashed both barrels of her shotgun at it, to no noticeable effect. Ikil shot it, again, with no noticeable effect. As the thing crawled forward, the explorers unleashed a hail of gunfire—to virtually no effect. The thing reached Ikil, and he saw—in horror—a glistening white worm writhing about in the thing’s skull. He stabbed the skull with his knife but only succeeded in making a large hole for the worm to escape. As it crawled over his face, more gunfire broke out.

By now, the skeleton had had all its limbs blown off, but it still tried to bite Ikil’s ankle. Ikil finally killed the worm, and then Jacob severed the thing’s spine. It was dead. Dr Dudley made sure by smashing the skull into dust and splinters.

Shaken by the experience, the group took a few moments to gather themselves. Dr Dudley dressed Ikil’s wounds, and then the party pushed onwards.

Eventually—typically in the last section of the tunnel they explored—the investigators found the place from which the gold rod had been torn. Here, the stench was almost intolerable, and Ikil and Jezebel were reminded—horribly—of the stench he had encountered atop the pyramid. Unfortunately, replacing the band would not be easy. A crack ran down the wall, and a white, fatty substance oozed slowly from it. A wide pool of the stuff had gathered on the floor, and tentative exploration revealed it to be at least two-foot deep. It was impossible to reach the crack to replace the bar without entering the pool. No one seemed keen to do so.

Pondering the problem for a few minutes, the explorers finally hit on the idea of filling the hole with the many gold trinkets they had found in the room in which they had killed the two kharisiri. This the explorers began to do, slowly scuttling back and forth with armfuls of gold coins, Incan artefacts and more.

However—and perhaps not surprisingly—things did not go smoothly. As Dr Dudley dropped an armful of gold into the pool, another of the small white worms slithered forth. Dudley was shocked by this, and before he could react, the thing had crawled from the pool, up his body and onto his face. As the rest of the expedition rushed to his aid—alerted by a strangled screech from the doctor—two more of the worms crawled forth from the pool…

This post is a session summary for my weekly 7th edition Call of Cthulhu Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign.

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