OFFICIAL VEKN GANGREL-ANTITRIBU NEWSLETTER VOLUME 7 NUMBER 8 AUGUST 2004 ******************* In this Height-of-the-Silly-Season Issue ..... FICTION: The House of the McNabs chapter 5; The Black Spiral [more transcribed CoC d20 adventures from Legbiter Hall]. DECK: What to do with Blaise. [Henrik Oscarsson's Halmstadt tourney-winning deck] ******************* FICTION: The House of the McNabs chapter 5; The Black Spiral [more transcribed CoC d20 adventures from Legbiter Hall]. Brilliant sunshine bathed the breakfast table at Pitkerro Mearns, where Jack and Shona sat fortifying themselves for the day ahead with toast, tea and scrambled eggs. Below them, the valley of the Tay and Fife beyond were shrouded in a thick brownish mist that eddied disturbingly. Jack looked at his watch. "Where's that dratted bog-trotter O'Keefe, i'ld like to know! A little more tea, esteemed colleague?" Jack reached for the pot but at that moment there was a flash of bright light in the fog followed by a rumbling detonation. Some of the window-panes shattered and the trees in the grounds bent before a sudden malodorous wind. Shona and Jack leapt to their feet and rushed to the window. In the direction of Dundee, from whence the flash had come, the fog was now bulging and swirling. There was a sense of hideous presence, and the two friends felt obscurely glad that its outlines were concealed by the mist. Colum had reached staff HQ in Dundee much earlier that morning and, having delivered his report, had been detailed to investigate a break-in at the Dundee Institute of Technology. With a squad of soldiers and an armoured car he made his way to the location, which turned out to be the Research Library where Jack and Shona had been working the previous evening. Two white-faced policemen awaited them at the entrance to the Institute. "Morning, Inspector! You requested armed help, i believe?" "Yes, sir, it's still there - a huge dog, badly mauled two of our fellows. We dursn't go near it." Colum repressed an inward sigh. Bolshie-watcher, Nat-hunter, Slug-Dodger and now Dog-catcher, That's What I Did In The War, Sonny. "You three fellows, with me. You others, spread out in pairs and cover the corners of the building. Shoot on sight if it tries to leave." Drawing his Webley, Colum and his companions made their way towards the shattered door. Inside was a scene of devastation - ripped manuscripts and shredded books, furniture upended and thrown about. And sitting in a chair in the midst of all this was a strange, hairy figure, with a long dog-like snout and mane, set on a lanky humanoid torso and legs. The figure took a swig from a whisky bottle and tossed it over its shoulder. "You're under arrest!" The figure shimmered, and smiled. As it did so its face seemed to shrink, the skin flowing as if it were a viscous liquid. There was a crackling sound as of bones realigning. Colum felt sick. "Then you must take me away. But first, Major, i would value a word or two in private." "Mc .... McNab?" "The same." "You fellows, wait outside for a minute. If I don't call you in five minutes, shoot this blighter." The soldiers obeyed, and Colum walked over to the chair. McNab was in a bad way - pale-faced, black-lipped and pin-pupil eyed. His breath came in thin short rasps. "I don't have long, so just listen. Tried to warn the good Professor, but my strength gave out. They came last night, just at Sundown. German agents, in league with some of my own people, or so i thought. They overpowered myself and the loyal staff, then took us up to the hill. They had the missing stones and they had put pegs into that flat altar thing, do you remember it? Then they tied me to it, and there was one with an iridescent robe and a great pagan mask. He began this horrible chanting, it seemed to reach right into my mind, into my bones, and i could feel myself changing ... and the worst of it was, the more i changed, the more of the chant i understood ..... father Dagon, great three-fold Wyrm, hear us from the star-dark distant reaches of time and space, come forth o great one from the hidden corners and spread thy might over this land, let not this sacrifice prove unworthy. Ia! Shub-Niggurath! Ahai Foebock! Ahai Carnala! .... and then they cut me, but i broke my bonds and ran .... you have to stop them, Major. It's not about Scotland or Germany or the Empire or the International Brotherhood of Man anymore, d'ye see? This thing drank the life of the pre-Cambrian monstrosities and it will drink ours, and that's all its thinking and being - eternal feasting and devasatation, everything for it and nothing for anything else. Please .... stop .... it ....." McNab coughed, and doubled up in agony. Colum reached to help him, and then sprang back with an oath, wringing his hand. "You bloody well bit me, you blighter!" But Angus McNab, the Last of the White Howlers, was finally beyond reproach. Thoughtfully, Colum wandered back out to where his patrol was waiting. They looked at him questioningly, and he opened his mouth to give an order. Just at that moment there was a massive flash of light and a thunderous roar. Colum was blown to the ground, and everything went black. How long he lay Colum could never say, but that he awoke face-down probably saved his life. Looking to his left he saw British army boots and heard a bubbling sound. Then the feet in the boots gave way and their owner hit the ground, his horribly-distorted face not a foot from Colum's. Gas, thought Colum instantly, and he reached for his respirator. Once it was securely on he stood up, and took in a scene of utter Mayhem. The proud city of Dundee was flattened, on fire and everywhere strewn with corpses. Tendrils of thick poisonous brown mist roiled at ankle-length around the ruins, and scuttling amongst these were iridescent bubbles that hovered over the corpses, swelled and then moved on. Discreetly, stealthily, Colum made his way over to the armoured car, and turned the starting-handle. And it was in the armoured car, much later, that Colum finally arrived at Pitkerro Mearns. Shona and Jack were in front of the house, just finishing loading a pony-trap. Leaving the engine running, Colum got down and greeted them. Quickly he described his encounters with the thing from the deep, and the fate of Dundee. Shona nodded. "It's as i feared, the thing they call the Long Man is back." "Wasn't it supposed to be invisible?" "Once it dries out, it will be. Poor McNab! i wonder if he ever guessed about his family curse. Ah well, it dies with him." "What are we to do?" "There is one chance. They are calling it with the Maddening Power of a Pictish werewolf clan, the Black Spiral Dancers. McNab was the last of the uncorrupted clan, the White Howlers, which is why he was the correct sacrifice. That he escaped is the one hope, for it means the Spiral is hungry. i know the words, but we will need to get to the site! Do you have enough petrol?" They did, and in about an hour they were toiling up the shooters' track to the hill. Shots rang out from the summit, glancing harmlessly off the vehicle's thick armour. Jack had taken the wheel, so it was Colum who replied with several accurate bursts from the turret-mounted Maxim gun. Breasting the earthwork the armoured car lurched into the circle, firing all around. The German agents fought bravely but hopelessly, and once they were all dead the remaining Scotsmen broke, fleeing down the hill in several directions. The friends did not pursue. Alighting, Shona began to prepare the ritual, while the others inspected the bodies. "Is this your Naval Attache?" "Yes, handsome fellow ain't he? Not sure about the mask and dressing-gown, though." "They must really hate us. Odd people, the jerries." "We disappoint them, i think. Money-grubbing degenerates is one of the kinder things they call us. Brave chaps, in any case." "Gentlemen, when you are ready?" "Sorry, Shona! Where do you want us?" Taking up their positions, the three friends prepared to Save the Empire. Down on the flood-plain of the Tay, a scratch-force of Territorials was hopelessly engaged in the same task. 18-pounder field guns flashed and banged at the advancing mist, and machine guns and rifles popped and crackled. In a forward position, Lieutenant Marsden's sanity finally cracked. Emptying his revolver at the oncoming mist, he began to sing, muffled up in his gasmask. "i'm forever blowing bubbles! Pretty bubbles in the Air! They fly so high, they nearly touch the sky Then like my dreams they just fade and die!" Apparently in response to the song, a steepling cloud of bubbles towered out of the mist, then toppled slowly forwards onto the shrieking British soldiery. And then the wind blew up. To poor mad Marsden it seemed that a hill far to his left had grown a black tower that became a black arch, coiling over to hover above the brown mist, which was drawn up into it, swirling and writhing. A wind so strong it caught your breath seemed to come from the end of the arch, which now that one looked at it properly was the end of a great spiral conch, black-walled, pulsing and pregnant with madness. Into that hideous gulf the summoned creature passed, and the Empire was saved once more. So ended the career of Professor Shona Maconochie, CH OBE. Although she lived on for a good many years it was in complete retirement, her eccentricities tolerated by a grateful nation. As for Jack and Colum, their adventures were not over, and indeed their fate lay years in the future on the distant frontier of ... but no, that was another tale, and this is the end of the House of the McNabs. FINIS **************** DECK: What to do with Blaise. Here is a nice deck from Henrik Oscarsson which shows a possible answer to the question of what to do with one of the neglected oddball !Gangrel, namely Blaise. i give the deck in the context of the complete tournament report which was written by Henrik Isaksson, and thanks to both gentlemen and all tourney participants for providing me with some, er, news to write about. "18 persons showed up for the annual HalmiCon tournament in Halmstad, Sweden. Results: Final Rank Name Prelim GWs Prelim VPs Final VPs TPs 1 Henrik Oscarsson 1 4 3 102 2 Haviet Kok 1 5,5 1 132 3 Henrik Isaksson 1 4,5 1 132 4 Michael carl 1 5 0 136 5 Joakim Rapp 1 4,5 0 124 6 Martin Johansson 1 3,5 108 7 Marcus Brissman 1 3 120 8 Sten During 1 3 116 9 Beatrice During 1 3 96 10 Daniel Bakken 1 2,5 120 11 Erik Cardell 0 2,5 102 12 Archibald Zimony 0 2 106 13 Per Hylander 0 1,5 112 14 Daniel Ahlberg 0 1,5 96 15 Roger Carhult 0 1 100 16 Martin Petersson 0 0,5 88 17 Johan Carlsson 0 0,5 78 18 Carline Hyll 0 0 76 Final was seated: Michael Carl (!Malk bleed/politics) -> Henrik Isaksson (Nu the Pilar doing anarch stuff) -> Haviet Kok (Giovanni "toolbox" (toolbox=mostly bleed)) -> Joakim Rapp (Helena/assult rifle block all) -> Henrik Oscarsson (+1 str, Cel and a little pot) Giovannis quickly bled Helena down to only a few pool, because Helena was all alone, meaning all that was needed for a successfull bleed was a seduction or a call of the hungry dead. Meanwhile the !malks did quite some damage on my Nu deck, but it can bloat quite heavily and recycle the bounce, so I was ok. The crushers, who was in perfekt position as he wasn't bothered by his predator, torporized both the !malks and some giovannis. Pretty much at the same time, Helena and the !malks were ousted. Crusher and Nu made a peacy treaty until the giovannis were ousted, and that was pretty quick. Finally Crusher (with a sport bike) had a great draw of wakes and grapples as he torporized all Nu's minions trying to do +1 stealth actions. Winning deck: Deck Name: Crusher! Created By: Henrik Oscarsson Description: Crush... Crypt: (12 cards, Min: 20, Max: 33, Avg: 6,75) ---------------------------------------------- 2 Crusher CEL for PRE POT 9, Brujah:1, Primogen 2 Bianca CEL pot pre 6, Brujah:1 2 Richter CEL for POT pre 7, Brujah Antitribu:2 1 Miller Delmardigan aus CEL PRE pro 8, Toreador Antitribu:2 2 Parmenides CEL qui 4, Assamite:2 1 Parnassus aus CEL QUI tha 7, Assamite:2 2 Blaise ANI CEL obf vic 7, Gangrel Antitribu:2 Library: (88 cards) ------------------- Master (19 cards) 7 Blood Doll 1 Carver's Meat Packing and Storage 1 Erciyes Fragments, The 3 Fame 1 KRCG News Radio 1 Leadership Vacuum 1 Path of Lilith, The 1 Rumor Mill, Tabloid newspaper 2 Tension in the Ranks 1 WMRH Talk Radio Action (10 cards) 1 Aranthebes, The Immortal 9 Bum's Rush Reaction (8 cards) 7 Forced Awakening 1 Pack Tactics Combat (46 cards) 6 Blur 4 Disarm 2 Fast Hands 9 Immortal Grapple 2 Preternatural Evasion 1 Psyche! 2 Pulled Fangs 6 Pursuit 5 Sideslip 5 Taste of Vitae 1 Torn Signpost 1 Weighted Walking Stick 2 Zip Gun Retainer (2 cards) 2 Mr. Winthrop Equipment (3 cards) 3 Sport Bike" ****************** And that's it for August! Next month will probably be late because it is beach time and we are off to Corsica, again. Whilst there we will ring up random people in cold and/or ugly places so as to gloat. If you are one of them, we will give you a free card when we get back, probably Regaining the Upper Hand [near-mint]. See you in September! Address for correspondence: james"dot"mcclellan"at"port"dot"ac"dot"uk