The Awakening - Part 5

Begins Wednesday, June 8, 1921. The investigators began by reviewing their old notes and discussing the mysterious word "T'gath'cha," which they had encountered in Alex McMorne's house alongside a dead sailor and strange jumbled letters. They established that the current date was Wednesday, June 8th, 1921, and recalled that McMorne's untidy notebook contained cryptic references to his "pets" brought from Africa and a place called T'gaorl in the African jungles. The entries described how McMorne had become increasingly isolated, feeding his growing creatures and receiving unwelcome Christmas gifts from villagers who feared him. Reverend William Grainger and Everett Reed discussed their plan to reseal the mysterious jar themselves, based on cryptic messages from their friend Teddy Sharpe Lockhart, who had been found in a delirious state in an asylum in Epsom. The Reverend shared a disturbing dream he'd had about the jar melting walls, with only St Albans Museum remaining safe, which convinced him they should take the artifact there. Meanwhile, Alfie Quinn reported his failed attempt to secure employment at Montague House, and the group debated whether to trust anyone else with the jar or attempt the sealing ritual themselves. Thursday June 9, 1921. At 11am the Reverend and Everett then met with lawyers Ross Albright and Beth Chilton at The Ritz, while John Anderton and Alfie observed from a separate table. Ross explained they were searching for their missing colleague, Wayne Devers, who had last been seen at the hotel incident. The Reverend fabricated an elaborate story about a tornado causing a gas explosion at the hotel, explaining the missing material and strange occurrences like furniture appearing in Regent's Park. He provided information about the scroll's antiquity—approximately 3,000 years old and written in Aramaic—and deliberately directed the lawyers to speak with Nigel Finley, hoping to cause trouble for the man who had previously detained them. The Reverend also revealed that Carl Sherwin had been found in hospital suffering from partial memory loss. After the meeting, the group decided to travel to St Albans with the bowl and journal they had retrieved from Scott's house. They arrived at the research facility where Dr. Vernon Nowell and Dr. Brandt were already studying the previously supplied drawings. The investigators presented the bowl and journal, explaining their connection to Scott's estate and the jar. Dr. Brandt examined the journal and identified multiple ancient languages in the ritual text, including Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and the mythical non-human language called Aklo, which was associated with dark and otherworldly forces. The party discussed the warning glyph that Brandt had previously translated, which indicated the jar attracted creatures from other dimensions and leaked psychic radiation. The Reverend explained Teddy's cryptic statements about the bowl being the "seal" and mentioned witnessing unnatural, crack-like lightning during a recent thunderstorm. Dr. Brandt confirmed the ritual was for "sealing a crack" or "fracture" in reality. When Dr. Nowell decided to test the bowl's properties by rotating it, a blue light appeared, followed by a crack in reality itself. Before anyone could react, a horrifying slug-like creature slithered through the crack. Alfie quickly snatched the bowl from the frozen Nowell and used it to repel the creature, discovering that the bowl seemed to protect against these otherworldly beings when kept horizontal. John drew his gun and fired twice at the creature, the second shot destroying it completely, causing it to explode like a melon and spray slug-like pieces across the room. The encounter left Dr. Nowell catatonic and Dr. Brandt strangely excited, appearing vindicated by the discovery. The investigators debated the trustworthiness of Dr. Brandt, noting her unsettling enthusiasm for the occult phenomena. They decided that Reverend Grainger and Everett would remain in St Albans to work with Brandt on translating the ritual, while John and Alfie returned to London. Dr. Brandt stated she could translate the ritual and teach it to someone by the next day, though teaching multiple people would take longer. The party discussed the need to find the jar to perform the ritual, suspecting it might be in the hotel ruins or somewhere in Regent's Park. When John and Alfie returned to London, John received a troubling message from Freeland, the fire investigator. Nigel Finley had arranged for the hotel site to be closed from Friday evening until Monday, with his men scheduled to begin digging on Monday morning. This closure would prevent the investigators from searching the ruins over the weekend, forcing them to reconsider their timeline. They realized they would need to either act before Friday evening or find a way to sneak into the closed site, despite the likely presence of Home Office personnel. That evening, John noticed the lawyers' car parked outside the house and Alfie crept closer to investigate. He overheard Ross complaining about being kept in the dark about their work and other "weird shit" that had happened. Suddenly, Beth snapped her fingers, and Ross became stiff, twitching as if having a seizure. Beth whispered to the incapacitated Ross that Wayne Devers had been "incompetent and impatient" and that the scroll was "somewhere in London." Ross then bowed to her submissively, saying he had "forgotten his place," revealing the true power dynamic between them. As Alfie attempted to sneak away, he accidentally kicked a rock, alerting Beth to his presence. She turned and looked directly at him with an intense, knowing gaze. Defiantly, Alfie pointed at her and shouted, "I know what you are!" before attempting to flee. Beth immediately cast a spell that caused Alfie intense racking pain, blistering his skin and clouding his eyes with blood, rendering him temporarily blind. He collapsed to the ground, and when John returned, both Alfie and the lawyers' car had vanished. Alfie eventually regained consciousness, finding himself in darkness, possibly in the boot of a car, his fate uncertain as the investigators' situation grew increasingly desperate. Ends in the evening of Thursday June 9, 1921.