Session #16 – Daring Tales #8 – The Island Of Terror
[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 16th 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:
- Clyde Beatty – Whip crackin’ animal expert with a troubled past.
- Johnny Kelly – Self-taught mechanic and chemist who knows he is the best at what he does…just ask him!
- Mike Callahan – Tough private-eye with a zest for life.
- Tommy Kelly – Teen thief with a “Robin Hood” complex.
- Miles Ravenwood – Mysterious man-of-means with knowledge in all things arcane.
Crash Landing!
The adventure begins in medias res with the team in a seaplane that is fighting to stay airborne over a rough Caribbean. With a crash the plane is struck and the propellers stops. The group flashes back to a scene where Tesla and Trubee are asking the group to investigate the disappearance of one of their expeditions that has gone missing on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. The front window smashes inward. Mile’s hired pilot is impaled by what appears to be a pteranodon! As the dangerous dinosaur snaps about the cabin Miles lets loose with a bolt. The lighting bolt goes off target and puts a hole right through the dashboard and outer hull of the plane. As the uncontrollable plane starts to dive Johnny dives under the control panel in an attempt to repair the rudder controls. Mike lets loose with his rifle on the pteranodon sending it sliding off the front of the plane. As the plane nears the water Miles grabs the controls and remembering a single flight lesson that he took back in England pulls back on the yoke. After navigating around some rocks and through a stone arch Miles lands the seaplane near a rocky cave.
Ancient Byway
After securing the plane the members of Tesla’s Power Corp gather up their equipment from the plane and head towards the nearby coast. Once on a small black sand beach the group starts a fire to dry their gear. After getting dry they head out of the cave through a small tunnel. The tunnel leads to an ancient cobblestone road that runs at the bottom of a steep canyon. Tommy decides to climb up and look around. He sees a dense jungle surrounding two peeks. The second peak is volcanic and is smoking with an eerie glow.
After walking down the canyon there is an earthquake! As the ground shakes part of the walls start to fall down on the heroes. The heroes dash down the road avoiding falling rocks, boulders, trees, and a skeleton. It is only with careful help from the nimbler members of the team that they are able to survive. As the sun sets the group has entered the jungle and found an some old ruins where they can put up camp. Clyde starts a small fire and the group puts down for the night. They decide to setup watches.
At midnight, while Mike is on watch, Tommy awakens when he hears a noise. Clyde is also aroused. Although Mike does not hear anything due to his damaged hearing from his time during the Great War Tommy assures him that someone is approaching. Suddenly the thick jungle wall explodes with action! Deranged tribesman yelling terrible chants race forward! They are wielding clubs and appear to be trying to subdue the team. Initially the tribesman do some damage but as soon as the entire group is awakened they manage to scare them off.
Trail Tracking
Once the sun is up the members of Tesla’s Power Corp decides to track the tribesman back to their camp. Led by the brilliant eyes of tracker Clyde Beatty the group follows the trail through the dense jungle and across a river. The journey is slow going but the team is moving quickly.
In the late afternoon they emerge from the thick jungle to find them selves at the foot of a great stone bridge. As the group start to cross the bridge the ground shakes violently. To their surprise it is not another earthquake but it is instead a herd of triceratops! The team quickly dash across the bridge. When they reach the other side the large dinosaurs run onto the bridge sending half of them down the steep canyon walls.
When the heroes continue down the trail they enter what appears to be an ancient plaza but it has collapsed leaving only pillars. As they start to explore the area they hear a roar and from out of the trees a tyrannosaurus-rex emerges! As the beast clears the trees the group separates. Mike lets loose on it’s head with two powerful rifle shots! It rears back but keeps coming. Miles cuts loose with a spell but it just seems to make it madder! Tommy climbs a tree and waits for it to get closer. The large creature approaches Mike and narrowly misses him with teeth the size of large knives! Tommy then hurls a bottle of nitroglycerine down the beasts throat in a perfectly thrown shot. After a brief pause the beast rocks back and explodes in a blast of chemical fire! Upon taking some claws and fangs from the t-rex the group moves out of the plaza. Clyde notices that in the track of the beast is a crushed sheet of paper with Greek writing. With that the group decides to follow the t-rex trail not the savages.
The t-rex trail leads to a crushed camp. It appears that a group of Greek explorers under Stephan Andropolous, the devious mobster that they encountered during their adventure in Crete, is also on the island. The group finds a book written in English from the lost expedition with symbols and their translations. When the group hears a whining noise they investigate and find a small baby t-rex. Clyde approaches the beast and by feeding it some raw meat gains its trust.
Temple Trouble
Now following tracks that lead from the camp the members of Tesla’s Power Corp come upon a stepped pyramid. On top of the pyramid are a large group of the deranged savages. They are beating drums and chanting. As their chanting reaches a crescendo the tribesmen bring forth an olive skinned man and appear to be preparing to sacrifice him. Acting quickly Miles grabs the sacrifice with his telekinesis. Mike cuts loose on the tribal leader with rifle shots. Johnny starts shooting tear gas pellets. Tommy sneaks up one side trying to get past them and into a side tunnel. Clyde and the baby t-rex rush up one stairwell surprising the deranged tribesman with their yelling and shooting! This gives them the split second the group needs to start taking them out. Some of the savages manage to run down and confront the heroes but soon they are taken out.
What will our group face when they actually reach the volcano?!?
Things get hot as our heroes enter the heart of a beating volcano! What evil threat waits within this terrible mountain of fire!?! The brave members of Tesla’s Power Corp are up to task and plan to find out!