The Diary of Raoul Grincheux

Part 68

In which our heroes go back to the Shadow-Council and plan a trip to the Trolllands…

Godsday, Disorderweek, Darkseason, 614 – Sir Hector’s secret study, mid-morning

Regal an’ Stella bofe know bout demons – they’z never ‘eard ov this Yog-Sothoth geezer but they reckon we shood be worritin. All I knows bout demons iz that fitin’ ‘em iz reely scary. I’z even got a dagger wot’s baned gainst ‘em but I’d rarver not ‘av to use it, know wot I mean?

The last fing left in ‘ere iz the booze cabnet. It’z not trapped an’ opens easy. Inside iz three bottles ov booze, brandy, whisky and rum. Stella knows all bout booze ‘cos it’z her famly bizniss an’ she reckons it’z good stuff.

An’ there’z a box wot haz a trap but Oleg deals wiv it, easy. Turns out it’z full ov munny – five wheels an’ thirty shillins. Stella reckons the box iz worf ten bob az well.

While they’z doin’ that, I looks the shelvs ova an’ I reckon there’s a gap in the shelvs where a book shood be. Ov cors, Sir Hector had sum papers out on hiz desk an’ uvver stuff but I reckon at least wun, mebbe two books iz missin’ from the books in the secshun bout the Mythos – so wot’s missin’?

Finkin’ Sir Hector may ‘av hidden sumfink on top of the shelvs, I climbs up an’ haz a gander but all I sees iz spiders.

By now the uvvers iz talkin’ bout wevver Sir Hector mite ‘av bin workin’ wiv enywun else – ‘Anuvver player’ is wot Stella sez. Evrywun’s told uz he woz a loner but I point out the two chairs by the card table – it looks to me like he must ‘av had a viztor sumtime.

Stella asks Oleg if he finks the Trolls wood gang up on the Tiara Troll like they did wiv her great-great-great grannie? Oleg reckons Tirana got a seein’ to ‘cos she woz a Wraithe cultist wot made ‘em not like her much. All I can fink iz that peepl haz bin tellin’ us the Trolllands iz in a bit of a mess at the mo, wot’s how she’z gettin’ away wiv it.

Regal finks we need to go frew all the books before we go back to the Shadder-Council but after talkin’ evrywun decides to make strait for the portal ‘cos we can get there for Clayday and the Shadder-Council wood probly do more wiv the books than we cood.

Godsday, Disorderweek to Waterday, Harmonyweek, Darkseason, 614

So we travels back to the portal.

Clayday, Harmonyweek, Darkseason, 614

So it’z back in the cave, leavin’ Grigori to look after the ‘orses – Florence sleeps all the bears. Then we get to the back ov the cave an’ the wall ov black glass iz still there. Oleg reaches out an’ his ‘and goes rite frew! So we all go frew an’ we’z back in the council room. They seem to be spectin’ us so we tells ‘em wot we’z learned an’ show ‘em the books.

They’z bin readin’ up bout the weerd box – they fink it’z demonic, ov cors, ‘not ov this world’, like. They say they’z gonna go frew the books an’ we shood cum back in a week. I’z hopin’ we cood go back to Sophia but evrywun else wonts to stay wiv the Ducks on Lake Balaton ‘cos they’ll put us up for free. We leaves the Shaddertower the way we cum in but this time the passij iz ded strait an’ there’z no maze at all.

Clayday, Harmonyweek to Waterday, Deathweek, Darkseason, 614

So we travels back to the Ducks wot’s ded glad to see us. Regal an’ Stella quiz Beak Wellard on wot’s happnin bout Lord Tranquil. Beak Wellard sez, “It’s not good – he has powerful frendz but we hav frendz who can make poltical moovs but it’ll all take time.” They’z still got the Ogre priznors.

We stops a few dayz, keepin’ chilled, then hed back to the Shaddertower.

Clayday, Deathweek, Darkseason, 614

It’z anuvver strait passij to the tower an’ our mate on the Shadder-Council sez, “Hav we got a story to tell you?” They’z bin frew the notes bout theze books, ‘Nameless Cults’ an’ the ‘Pnakotic Codex’ but wivout the books it’s hard to get yer hed round, like.

But they’z worked out that Nameless Cults iz bout fings from anuvver world wot cood be demons or gods. Wun ov ‘em iz Shub-Niggurath, wot the gorgon we killd last year woz into. Anuvver varmint iz Kthoolhoo wot sleeps beneef the sea, mebbe on anuvver world. But the notes go on an’ on bout wun kritter wot’s called Yog-Sothoth wot’s the ‘Opener ov the Wayz’. That song we found iz a portant bit ov a rityool to bring him in our world.

Blimey! We’z got summonin’ rityools in King Rat but they just brings a cuppl duzzin’ rats if yer lucky.

They reckon bofe the books woz in anuvver lingo but woz translated to sumfink Sir Hector cood read. Parrently, the rityool’z gotta ‘appen on a speshul date. Only trubbl iz, the date in the books iz in a calendar from anuvver world so it ain’t eezy to know wot it iz but the Shadder-Council reckon it’z in Seaseason.

Then they talks bout the Codex – it’z bout sum insect fings called the ‘Fungi from Yuggoth’ or mebbe ‘Mi-Go’. (How can they be insects if they’z shrooms, then?) The Shadder-Council dunt reckon they’z enyfing to do wiv Trolls but Trolls mite be able to talk to ‘em.

Theze Mi-Go can make fings, sorta like Dwarvz can make metal fings to do stuff only the Mi-Go’s fings are good for talkin’ a long way off an’ also they duz wands that zap yer wiv majic. They reckon the box iz wun ov theze an’ they reckon it’z for trappin’ souls. Oooh! Putain!

Stella asks if the uvver calendars uses difrent roons – “Completely difrent!”

Sir Hector woz ded scared ov all this an’ I dunt blame him – I’z not an ‘appy rat!

So Regal asks bout Yog-Sothoth an’ our mate sez he’z a demon wot’s a danjer to the Shadowlands. They sez our World iz ded majik, wot makes it reely tasty for sum demons. The Shadowlands iz ‘ere to hide our World from outside by makin’ it look dark an’ dry an’ nasty. But Yog-Sothoth cood brake down the walls tween the Shadowlands an’ the Sunlit World. The Shadder-Council dunt wont this to ‘appen an’ I dunt eyver.

So Regal asks bout this fing bein’ bilt in the Shadowlands out in the Trolllands. “It’z unlikely it’z a cowinsidents an’ must be vestigaited.” Wot means they wonts us to do it, ov cors, ‘cos we’z ‘powerful, reesorsful an’ work well az a team’. Dunt get me wrong, I likes the Trolls and I’d reely like to know how Gertrude’s gettin’ on, but Trolls iz big an’ scary an’ I dunt like the idea ov trekkin’ all cross the Trolllands. But the Shadder-Council haz a portal wot can get us most the way an’ Oleg knows all bout it.

Oleg sez hiz full name iz Oleg Bolshoy-Krasnyy an’ the portal will put us near hiz sister wot he reckons will help if he asks nice – seems like hiz sister iz a Mistress, I reckon, so she’z got a lot ov clout, know wot I mean?

“It wood be wize to go frew the Trolllands wiv a Troll escort,” sez Oleg, “an’ I dunt mean just me ‘cos my cult ain’t well-regardid.”

Rite, we’z doin’ the Shadder-Council’s dirty work so Regal asks if they can giv us eny ‘elp, like, “gifts that ‘elp us in hidin’”, iz wot he sez. They giv us three fings: wun iz a matrix ov Countermajik; anuvver iz the loan ov a matrix ov Det Demon; the uvver iz a weerd lookin’ black cloff wot Stella reckons iz Troll hide (Trolls dunt mind that ‘cos they likes to use up the bodies when they die – wot iz why they eats ‘em) – they sez bildins in the Shadowlands can be ded hard to get inside but this bit of Troll hide iz a ‘portubbl door’.

So we got a door to get us in this Shadder-bildin’, a matrix wot will find them Mi-Gos an’ the Shadder-Council sez me baned dagger will work on the Mi-Gos too. Looks like we’z almost reddy but they reckon it’z gonna be a few dayz, a week mebbe, before they can send us frew.

Regal sez he wonts to show hiz presheeayshun an’ givs all ov us fifty shillins each az a freebie – Wow, fanks! I reckon this shaman’s a good bloke – almost a toff!

Fireday, Deathweek to Clayday, Fertilityweek, Darkseason, 614

I want sum roonmajik if I’z doin’ a Hero-Quest so I nips cross to the nearest town wot’s calld Hungry. There I mooches bout the streets till I spot a cuppl ov us were-rats. They sez I’z got a funny accent but I’z a Ratlord so they’z ded spectful an’ take me to their Mischief so I can pray for Purge Disease an’ Gnaw. I givz the priest a wheel for hiz trubbl an’ heds back to the Shadder-Tower.