Omphalos Event: Attack!
On returning to the Omphalos, the next day after completing the Trial of Omphale, before entering the sanctuary itself, in a dark alley near the cemetary of Hannah Coutrouy's mausoleum, Henry spots something unexpected: a Omphalian Horror! Were these things all around us all the time and only now, with the forbidden knowledge Henry now possesses, is he tuned into their presence? There is no time to muse further on this, as the beast notices Henry and its attention turns to him. Henry has enough time to grab the ivory knife of Bocchus from his bag.
The creature is fast and strong, Henry is barely prepared when the beast is on him with its slashing claws; Henry fumbles the knife, "$%!t" More ravaging teeth and claws as Henry picks up the knife again. Composing himself and keeping the beast at bay with threatening slashes through the air, the two start to circle each other, both looking for an opening to strike. Henry's unable to avoid another slash of the claws, and unable to gain anything on the beast; his thoughts turn to running into the night, if the beast were not so obviously faster. He fends off the next strike and tries to pick an opening; all he is finds are more viscous claws.
Reeling around, he sees his opening and thrusts the knife home. The creature is repelled, but not for long. Another viscous strike makes its mark on Henry; his wounds are stark: deep criss-cross rends to his arms, chest and face. A surge of energy and he makes another palpable strike on the creature, which finishes it off. Gasping, gaping, Henry watches as the creatures corporeal form dissolves into the ground. There is almost a tear in his eye as he collects his composure and fishes out some bandages and pain killers from his bag. They work somewhat to raise his spirits again; feeling half-dead he trudges onward to the Omphalos.
When entering the sanctuary, there seems to be some commotion surrounding someone in the main lobby. Although unknown to Henry, this person seems to be regarded as some sort of celebrity. Henry's state after the unfortunate encounter with the Horror leaves more than a little to be desired in terms of first impressions.
Looking around talking to a few people it is established that there are representatives from the Kadmonites and Mesu-Bitesh orders present in the Omphalos.
Asking around there seems to be a raid being planned for the supposed base of operations of a knot of the Covenant of the Glorious Dawn sited in a near by house.
Feeling up to the task, Henry agrees to make a late night recce of the property. The house is a few miles outside of the M25 in a leafy area in Surrey. It's a large building and has woods surrounding it.
Sneaking up round to the back yard, hoping to gain entry from the rear, a cultist is spotted getting some night air. Henry attempts to sneak past, but is spotted; he then tries to persuade the cultist that he's one of the neighbours, going for a walk in the woods. The cultist does not buy this, at all and immediately fishes out some gem powder from their pocket which they mutter words into to cause searing pain in Henry's body. After some to-and-fro, some more magic casting, Henry lays into the person with his ivory knife. Looking weak at one point, the cultist reaches into their pocket to retrieve something that they immediately quaff which brings them a renewed air. Despite the sorcery, Henry soon defeats the cultist. With blood now on his hands, he tells himself that it was in self-defence as he binds up his wounds. Searching the body he finds some useful gear: a banned firearm, a baggy of gem powder and another dose of the healing remedy. Also 36 more Obols.
As this is happening, Henry is plagued by self-doubt about this path that he has chosen. Shrugging this off he takes a look around the yard. On a garden table, presumably where the now dead cultist was sitting, is a journal. It recounts a journey through a desert, but the scrawling writing and rambling, maddening language vexes and taunts the reader. His mind reeling, Henry slams the journal shut and throws it to the floor.
The back door is unlocked. Opening it carefully, Henry finds himself alone in the house's kitchen. Now able to dress his wounds more carefully, he feels a little better. However, as he dries his hands, he senses more insidious magic at work. He is unable to shake the feeling of weightiness. However, he must try to find out more about this place. On the kitchen table, next to a chopping board and knife which are smeared with blood, is a large weighty tome. Looking at the pages it is open at, it seems to describe method of human sacrifice. The animals! Henry needs to be sick in the kitchen sink.
The kitchen has a door down into a cellar and a door through to a dining room. Unable to face the cellar at this point, Henry heads through to the dining room.
The dining room is very grand, with exquisite antique furnishings and large table to seat many diners. There's nothing remarkable about any of it. There's a door leading a hallway and one to the sitting room. Checking both rooms, there is no one in either. Henry heads to the hallway.
A sense of deep foreboding meets Henry, but he manges to shake it off. There are three other doors off this hallway. One is obviously the front entrance and one is the sitting room; checking the other one, it is a library and is not occupied. There seems to be someone outside the front entrance, probably keeping watch! There is also a staircase which goes up to the first floor.
Henry heads into the library. There are signs here that a ritual has been taking place: candles and sigils are all around the space. It doesn't have an significance to Henry at this point. There is a room leading off the library. Trying the door it seems to be a private study. It is unoccupied, but as soon as Henry enters his senses are overwhelmed by a thick stench. It seems that the butchered human remains that may have been prepared in the kitchen were brought here. Henry holds on to the rest of the contents of his stomach.
Backtracking to the hallway, it is still deserted and so is the sitting room. The guard at the entrance has gone and there are noises coming from the dining room. Readying a pistol, Henry looks to face whoever it is making the noise.
They are ready for him and the same rending pain sears through his body as the person casts the offensive spell. Henry uses the pistol he took off the dead cultist outside, misses with one shot but connects with the second. A palpable shot causes a severe wound to the sorcerous assailant, but another searing shot wracks Henry's body, dropping him to the floor and leaving him writhing. Henry can hear a gunshot and feel more pain; the cultist must have pulled a gun out. Henry fires back and connects. The opponent, quaffs some concoction and looks enlivened, but another shot from Henry and the figure drops to the floor.
Henry binds up his bleeding wounds and searches the body. A dose of regenerative substance and a useless, but seemingly well-read copy of the Satanic Bible. He takes his fallen opponent's pistol, which might be worth something to someone at the Omphalos.
Feeling like he might need to sleep for a week (or two!) Henry heads back out through the kitchen and back yard.
To his disbelief, there is someone in the kitchen. They must have come in the back door or up from the cellar. The individual spots Henry and again the searing pain is felt. Henry gets a shot off with his pistol before another dose of magical agony is felt, he then charges at the cultist with his bone knife: this is a struggle to the death. Being able to both parry the cultists dagger and inflict serious damage with his knife, Henry overcomes his foe.
Wiping his blade, he makes a hasty retreat to the back yard. There's no one around and Henry is able to slip off into the woods and back to the Omphalos.
Henry is on 33/150HP. At a rate of D10/day, this would be about three weeks to be fully healed. Although, Henry has sustained gun wounds, he has imbibed some magical regenerative remedy; which seems to have had some effect of healing even these very serious wounds. At the Omphalos, there is a service to heal up wounds. The rate is 1 Obol/HP and the HP will recover at 1D10/day, but the effect will be as if the best surgery has been performed.
Henry also sells two pistols for 400 obols a piece. He isn't able to talk up the price, although he tried.
