Kingbeast's Lair

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 4th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play. The narrator is shown in italics.]

In this hair-raising adventure of Tesla’s Power Corp you can follow the exploits of the following heroes:

Stiffed

Mike Callahan gets a knock on his door. In walks an older woman holding a weather-beaten travelling case. After introducing herself as Mrs. Jennifer Brakespear she tells Mike the story of how her husband, the noted explorer Ernest Brakespear, returned from his trip to the Yucatan Peninsula. The part that concerns Mrs. Brakespear is how “Ernie” avoided meeting with her. This went to the point of him leaving quickly in a taxi. As he left he dropped his case. After consoling Mrs. Brakespear the P.I. opens the case and examines it for clues. The main clue is a personal diary. This details many of the logistics of his trip to somewhere west of Merida in Mexico. The last entry details his returning to New York and a description of a strange man with a scar near his eye. Mike takes the case. After doing some research he discovers that the last page has been torn out. Using a pencil he finds a simple message with an address. The message reads, “Liam will know what to do.”

As Mike reaches the address in the diary he notices that the door has been bashed in. At this moment Liam returns from his trip to Crete. He checks the apartment door then opens it. As Liam enters he asks Mike to wait at the doorway. In the next room Liam finds a body. The body is that of his friend, Ernest Brakespear. He worked as a pilot for Brakespear in Mexico for a stint. In the body’s neck is a strange black needle. There are no other signs of a struggle.

After getting Mike away from the apartment the pair talk about what P.I. is doing at Liam’s apartment. Mike explains the situation. At this point Liam calls Nikola and tells him to send backup. Tommy and Johnny quickly arrive on the scene. Tommy looks around and finds some scuff marks on the window ledge near the fire escape. He thinks the murderer likely entered by this method. More importantly he also finds a gold disk in the hand of Mr. Brakespear. The disk has an Aztec head on one side and writing on the other. Eventually Liam and Mike decide that the best course of action is to contact Mrs. Brakespear.

When Mrs. Brakespear arrives and is informed that Ernest is dead she is horrified and faints. At this point Mike and Liam decide that they need to get to the bottom of his death. Mike consoles Mrs. Brakespear then the group heads to the American Museum Of Natural History to speak with the President, Trubee Davison, about the gold disk. Nikola says that he will be sending an expert in the phantasmagorical to the meeting to provide some assistance.

Museum Mayhem

At the museum the Corp and Mike meet in the office of President Davison. In his office the group is introduced to Miles Ravenwood. At first the Corp is reluctant to speak with Miles until he explains that Nikola called him. When the group shows the gold disk to Trubee he says that he wants to get his expert Melissa Garcia to examine it. She is an expert in Mesoamerican history and culture. With a book from her collection Liam and Melissa translate the writing to “Tzitzimime”. This is the name of an Aztec spider god. At this moment the door busts open and a group of men wearing feathered headdresses and carrying ancient stone axes enter! Acting quickly the heroes fight back. Tommy uses knives to take down two warriors. Mike blasts down Aztec warriors with two-fisted Colts. Miles starts confusing the warriors with an arcane spell. Johnny gums up one with his glue. Liam grabs Melissa and pulls her around the corner to safety.

When the Aztec warriors have fallen the group starts to examine the situation. The warriors have gear made using ancient techniques and old materials but they are in immaculate condition. The men have no signs of being from the modern world (i.e. they do not have wallets, watches, or rings). As they examine one of the bodies a spider emerges from his mouth and the body turns to ash! Acting quickly Miles scoops up a spider in a jar from Johnny. In the basement the group finds a small crate with a broken urn. The urn has some ash inside. There is also another sealed urn which Miles takes as he fears what would happen if it was opened. The crate is from Riverside Shipping in New Orleans.

The Cultists’ Lair

After landing in New Orleans the Corp acquires a car then drives to the Riverside Shipping Company. At the address is a warehouse. The warehouse is located on the waterfront. Tommy investigates the warehouse by climbing up a drainpipe then sneaking through a window. While standing on the catwalk that surrounds the interior of the warehouse he sees a group of men wearing feathered headdresses. Unlike the warriors in the museum these men are wearing normal clothing. The cultists are being led in a chant by a man wearing a strange wooden mask. At one point the man speaks up in English. He begins to preach that now is their time to strike! It is time to let others know about the power of the spider! With that Liam drives the car through one of the warehouse doors! The rest of the Group jumps out of the car and goes on the offensive. Tommy throws a gas canister on the cult leader. Johnny opens up with a chemical flame burst that levels half of the cultists! Miles cuts loose with lightning bolts on the cult leader sending him down in flames! Callahan jumps out of the car and grabs cover behind some crates. In seconds the cultists are taken down.

Miles and Tommy carefully search an attached office. In the office they find a map with lines that form a spider-like web pattern. The center of the web is west of a small town on the Yucatan Peninsula called Merida. Liam confirms that this matches his notes on the location. The book appears to be a coded log. After spending a few minutes Miles is able to decipher the book. The entries are names, addresses, and phone numbers. Scanning the list Miles notices that Mellissa Garcia on the list.

Boarding Brawl

In Merida the Corp hires a riverboat that can take them to the center of their map. The riverboat captain and his two men are wary but need the cash. On the second night of a three day journey Tommy wakes unexpectedly. When he awakens he sees a man with a spider tattoo and knife in his teeth climbing onboard the boat! After yelling loudly he climbs up on deck to face the men. Callahan comes up with gun blazing! Miles starts confusing the spider warriors while Liam jumps into the skiff in case things get out of hand. Johnny puts out a lantern that the warriors knocked onto the deck. The warriors manage to kill one of the crew members but they are stopped before any other losses are incurred. The Corp steels themselves as they await their final journey to the center of the spider cults web…

In our next adventure the Corp takes on the venomous leaders of an ancient spider cult! It will take all of their courage to avoid being caught in this tangled web of evil!