The Language at the Threshold

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Reginald can hardly believe the scene he just witnessed between Baines and Isaiah. But for now, he continues the chase.

Remembering the caution necessary in this scenario, and knowing that his prey is wounded and desperate, Reg slows down enough to let one of the BOI agents catch up to him and take the lead. He continues his pursuit in the basement, reloading his shotgun as he goes.

Reginald tries (and fails) not to think of the strange words he heard from Baines before the end....

[FrankL]

Harold Matthers

Harold stands for a moment as witness to the carnage. Was Baines recently compromised or was he part of it all along? Isaiah might be able to answer that question, but there is no time at the moment. It is obvious that Baines is dead, so no first aid will be helpful. Late to the party, Harold continues the chase with Reg. He trusts that Holmes will not arrest or shoot Isaiah. The important thing first is to catch the fleeing black man.

[Fulci]

Isaiah Bartlett, confused old man

This is not what he wanted. He wanted to question Baines, to understand just how deep the darkness was rooted in his mind. He pulled the trigger almost instinctively, a self-defense mechanism just kicked in. At first he didn't even realize the consequences... But the Holmes appeared and started asking question; and it dawned on Isaiah, that all this might be held against him. Luckily (not he realizes this too), his fellow investigators were present at the last, rather undignified moments of life for Agent Baines.

Nevertheless, even with the proof of Baines' manipulation with the Carcosa letters, and the witnesses' accounts, Holmes might put him under arrest. But Isaiah couldn't care less. The fight isn't over yet.

"He attacked me. He was one of them," he says to Agent Holmes and, finally, lowers his smoking shotgun.

"I.. will explain later," he adds, and slowly starts walking towards the basement, to catch up with the others. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out two shells, and starts reloading his gun.

[Grognardsw]

"Put down the gun!" Agent Holmes yells at Isaiah as he takes out shells to reload his shotgun. "Jenkins! Watch this man," he barks to another agent who just came into the kitchen. "Come on."

Reginald and Henry follow two BOI agents down the stairs into the basement. The large room (B1 on map) is clearly a storeroom, with boxes of bar and restaurant supplies and equipment, extra chairs, bar stools, and tables. There is a hallway in the east wall. After a cursory search of the room, during which time Agent Holmes and two more agents join, the group moves down the hallway. Single bulbs in the ceiling cast dim light down the 80' hallway, which has an open portal to the immediate right, doors halfway down the corridor in the north and south walls, and a door at the end (see map.)

Map

[FrankL]

Can we see a trail of blood or any blood on the floor? The man was hit, we should see some indication of which way he went. Likewise, can we hear anything from any of the rooms or hallway?

[Fulci]

Isaiah Bartlett, wise old man

Isaiah hands over the gun without hesitation.

"Let's go, son, you can watch my back" he barks to Agent Jenkins and heads down to the basement after the others (he wasn't told to stay in the kitchen). He displays no anger or aggression towards Agent Holmes (and really feels no such thing).

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Assuming we see no blood or other indications of where the black man went, Reginald tells Agent Holmes, "Your men should check the rooms. We don't want someone sneaking up behind us." He follows Agent Holmes down the hall, shotgun ready.

[Grognardsw]

Reginald looks about for blood from the wounded black man and he sees drops leading down the hallway. He points this out and the agents move ahead.

One of the agents opens the door in the storage room (into B2) as the rest go down the hallway. An agent opens the north door in the hallway (to B3.)

Isaiah comes down the stairs with two agents. He sees Reginald and Harold half-way down the long hallway.

Map

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Reginald follows Agent Holmes down the hall (towards B8), hoping to find and question the man he shot. As they pass the opening (at B5) and the door to the south (at B6), Reginald will direct BOI agents to check them out (unless already so directed by Agent Holmes).

[Grognardsw]

As they get closer, Reginald, Harold and the agents see that the door at the end of the hallway is ajar.

The BOI men check the north and south doors along the way. In the south door (to B6) room, Reginald and Harold suddenly hear: "You! Hands in the air! On your knees!"

The investigators pause, hoping it is the injured black man. By this time, Isaiah, Agent Holmes and two more BOI men join with the others. Reginald and Harold see that Isaiah is not handcuffed, but he does not have his gun.

Then from the room everyone sees a hand-cuffed Irishman walk out of the south room. They recognize him from the BOI "wanted" sketches. He is Darrin McCoy, a gangster with the Irish gang run by Danny Walsh.

"Upstairs is under control," snaps Agent Holmes. "Let's move on."

The investigators reach the end of the hallway and the ajar door. Two agents kick it open and lunge low inside. "BANG BANG!" The sounds of twin shotgun barrels ring loud, and blood and guts from two dead agents splatter into the hallway.

"Eslougior ghaflagin ai iar soth!" screams someone from inside the room. Isaiah has heard this language before, he remembers with dread. So has Reginald, in his strange conversation with Timothy Carver.

[FrankL]

Harold Matthers

Harold quickly loads two more bullets into his pistol, replacing the two he fired. "Isaiah, now would be an excellent time to pray!"

[Fulci]

Isaiah Bartlett, wise old man

Isaiah's first reaction when he heard the foul chanting, was exactly that - pray. He nods to Dr. Matthers. The next second he turns to the BOI agent: "Please, give me back my gun. We will need all our firepower."

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Reginald is almost paralyzed with fear. He keeps his shotgun up and ready, putting whatever cover is available in the basement room between himself and the door. Without taking his eyes from the door, he says to Agent Holmes, "Agent Holmes, I don't suppose you or your agents have grenades, do you?" They had grenades in 1925, right??

After seeing the two agents get butchered by whoever (or whatever!) is in that room, Reginald is resolved not to enter until the threat has been neutralized. If anything comes out of the room, he will fire his shotgun immediately.

[Grognardsw]

"No weapons - Holmes' orders," snaps the BOI agent watching Isaiah.

"No grenades, sorry," says Agent Holmes before he and the agents take the lead in going through the west door. They burst through, guns pointing left, right, and center. There is a great hue and cry as guns blast, men cry out in pain, curse in English and in that disturbing elder tongue. The smell of gunpowder wafts into the hallway, and a hideous stench of... something.

The lighting inside must have been hit, as the investigators see the room plunge into darkness. More grunts, two more shots, then silence.

The chaos lasted no more than 30 seconds. The investigators (with a cuffed Darrin McCoy in tow) stand outside, about to go in, when Agent Holmes' voice cracks the silence from inside the room.

"No - impossible!"

[FrankL]

Harold Matthers

"With all due respect, agent. This is beyond what Holmes expected. With whatever happened, we will need everyone ready to fight." He hands his hunting knife to Isaiah. He turns to the gangster. "Whose side are you one, Mr. McCoy? Are you still armed?"

Psychology roll to determine if McCoy is telling the truth when he answers about the side:
(51) [1d100] = 82

Persuade for the agent to let him hand the knife to Isaiah
(32) [1d100] = 87

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Still keeping his eyes on the door to the now-darkened room, Reginald calls out to Agent Holmes. "Agent Holmes, what is happening in there? Have you captured the one we sought?"

Reginald keeps his shotgun up, ready to fire upon anything leaving the room.

[FrankL]

Harold Matthers

Harold takes a deep breath and keeps his gun ready.

[Grognardsw]

A hand-cuffed Darrin McCoy nods his head at Harold. "No they took my weapons."

Harold sees that Darrin bears bruises and bandages that are several days old. He looks very tired with bags under his eyes. "I'm on the winning side," he says with a cryptic smile. "Is Carcosa here?"

Herald tries to hand Isaiah a knife, but the BOI agent watching him steps forward. "Orders were no weapons. This man shot an Agent. He's lucky he's not in cuffs."

Reginald calls after Agent Holmes and the black man. "We - something - the wall - got him," mutters Holmes, with some difficulty, from beyond the open door in the dark room.

The investigators and agents look at each other.

[SocraticLawyer]

Reginald Wilkins, bookdealer
Reginald keeps his shotgun in position. "Agent Holmes, we need you out here and we need you making sense. Come back where we can see you." Reginald fears that the agent's mind may be gone, driven mad by whatever it was he observed in the room. Reginald's only consolation is that at least the immediate physical threat seems to have been neutralized.

Reginald remembers what he heard about Carcosa disappearing into a mural. Is that what Holmes is talking about?

[MonkeyWrench]

Darrin looks over to the agents and others, "You guys don't know what you're fighting, you really do need all the help you can..." he motions as best he can with his cuffs.

So whats the ratio of people here? How many agents are standing around getting eaten by the walls?