Mexico Again

The party determine to return to Carmen's Hacienda to find and release the other prisoners of the necklace before Quetzelcoatl is released

Over to America

First phase of the journey involved the overnight LNER sleeper train from St Pancras to Glasgow. After quick stop for breakfast with (the much happier) Douglas (and a quick discussion of business between Marco and Douglas) they boarded the RMS Tuscania for New York on the morning of September 11th. 

The stark reality of the war was evident as they picked up a Royal Navy destroyer escort as they left the Clyde. The journey lasted 8 days and was peaceful (and still luxuriant) until the 19th as they entered American waters. They received a distress signal from the RMS Athinai which left New York a few days earlier with 438 passengers and crew of 70 and a cargo of coffee, rice, cotton and newspaper had a fire in her sealed lower hold and a general SOS was issued on the ship's wireless set. A number of ships including the Tuscania answered the distress call and passengers and crew were rescued with just 1 death.

A few days in New York were spent in New York which included wining and dining of some of the cities residents (bankers, politicians, journalist and an industrialists) and purchase of a loverly new blue Ford truck and red open top car as well as a number of other items which Marco arranged to be transported by rail. "How long are we going to be here?" Nell asked. "About 16 years for some of us at least" Marco replied.

By train across America

Then they set off by train from Grand Central Station. They travelled by rail down to Washington (where Marco spent some time and money) and Atlanta to New Orleans, over 1000 miles by rail but surprisingly quickly and in great comfort. 

Marco insisted that a few days stay was needed (for no good purposes according to Nell) and he was certainly late returning and looking rather haggard. This included a visit to to the Stag bar in Harry Ramos' Imperial Cabinet saloon for New Orleans Fizzes where 35 shakermen would shake the drink until their arms were tired, then pass it on down the line. "What are we doing here?" Nell asked. "Raising the stakes" replied Marco as the party spread out to find out more about Louis Villeroi. 

Next stage involved a quick trip to Baton Rouge and then rather less luxurious trains across the deserts of Texas and New Mexico, through the towns of Houston and San Antonio to the frontier town of Las Cruces. There they collected horses and a motorised lorry for the overland trek to Jaurez, across the Mexican border, and then to Jaurez and finally on to Estacion San Pedro near Casa Grandes (locals informed them that the region was known for the ancient Paquimé civilisation). The horse trek was over 400 miles and took nearly 4 days.

Arriving at the Hacienda

At Carmen’s Yucatan hacienda, Lyris notes that there are the confused ghosts of the recently dead… A surviving servant says that ‘Americanos’ came and killed everyone… Most were Texans… The house has been ransacked… The descriptions fit the group Marco remembers being with Carmen (Cajun, Texan and Mexican Federale general – the Texan is Henry Hodges and the Cajun is Charles Porter III)…
Carmen kept some of her necklace-links free range (3 plus Marco – including a journalist and a politician) and some in weave mazes… The Texan took all of the mazes (12)… According to the Professor, her Mayan astronomical calendar suggests that events are about to shift to the pacific and the USA… Nell finds the secret door to Carmen’s shrine to her father but it is protected by a demon so the party flees… George gathers the remaining servants and arranges for the estate to be tidied up and the legal aspects dealt with (Carmen left no will)… Marco visits Pancho Villa and after describing the raid asks him to assist by attacking the Five Rings lair near Columbus, New Mexico… As Villa desperately needs supplies after his defeat at the Second Battle of Agua Prieta and is eager to make President Wilson pay for allowing Carranza to transport troops across Arizona (plus US companies sold Villa defective bullets), he agrees – on the understanding that the party scout the house…
Diego Rodriguez and Izabella Sanchez accompany the party…
The ranch is at the head of a valley overlooked by an ancient Native American cave village… Hodges is a master of Navajo Witch Magic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_(Navajo) but his lair is protected by the ghosts he has harvested from the burial ground on which he’s built his house… Around the valley there are ghosts chained to their platforms… Lyris is outraged and Marco convinces her to sabotage the fetish skeleton crucified in the village and not release the ghosts until everyone is ready (she manipulates the fetish nightmare to make it slowly go dormant and empowers the sacrifice to start to resist)… Nell scouts the house and finds a hall of arcane mirrors… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qir5t9RbEHo... Heh heh heh…
Wisely she decides not to proceed any further and investigate what the mirrors are protecting! She also notes there is a puma ghost protecting the house but she notes that it reacts to movement and as long as she can see it she can probably evade its gaze…

After a few days in New York, they set off from Grand Central Station. They travelled by rail down through Washington and Atlanta to New Orleans, over 1000 miles by rail but surprisingly quickly and in great comfort. Marco insisted that a few days stay was needed (for no good purposes according to Nell) and he was certainly late returning and looking rather haggard. This included a visit to to the Stag bar in Harry Ramos' Imperial Cabinet saloon for New Orleans fizzes where 35 shakermen would shake the drink until their arms were tired, then pass it on down the line.

Next stage involved a quick trip to Baton Rouge and then rather less luxurious trains across the deserts of Texas and New Mexico, through the towns of Houston and San Antonio to the frontier town of Las Cruces. There they collected horses and unloaded the car and lorry bought in New York and made the overland trek aross the Mexican border, and then to Chihuahua and then on to Monterrey. The trek was over 400 miles and took nearly 10 days.

Journey to Mexico and Carmen's Hacienda

First phase of the journey involved the overnight LNER sleeper train from St Pancras to Glasgow. After quick stop for breakfast with Douglas (and a quick discussion of business between Marco and Douglas), a much happier man, they boarded the RMS Tuscania for New York on the morning of September 11th (Lyris did not enjoy the voyage). The stark reality of the war was evident as they picked up a Royal Navy destroyer escort as they left the Clyde. The journey lasted 8 days and was peaceful (and still luxuriant) until the 19th as they entered American waters. The RMS Athinai which left New York a few days earlier with 438 passengers and crew of 70 and a cargo of coffee, rice, cotton and newspaper had a fire in her sealed lower hold and a general SOS was issued on the ship's wireless set. A number of ships including the Tuscania answered the distress call and passengers and crew were rescued with just 1 death.

Death of Carmen

"Mierda, how did I not see that this bunch of pinche gueys would try and stab me in the back" crossed her mind as she grabbed her dagger and summoned the sword-demon. The dagger pulsed briefly but no more as the purple weave crackled over them, things were not getting better when Carmen realised that Angelica was blocked. 

"Still not enough" she whispered as the dagger slashed Dyal's throat and killed the most dangerous of the 5 inner circle. A slight frown crossed her face as she realised that he was not just slow but completely paralysed. A sting at the back of her neck made it all clear as she quickly flicked out the dart and wondered what posion it contained. 

She ducked quickly to avoid Dashwood's swinging blade and noticed the old warlock crumple to the floor. Perhaps the angels were with her tonight she thought as she dodged Cawthorne's blade and plunged the dagger to his heart. The dagger was humming gently, a few seconds more and she could activate her armour. Across the room one of the Hellfire members shouted "Dashwood" and the miserable betrayer, eyes wide in surprise, died as 2 bullets hit him in the chest. 

Before Carmen could react, another bullet hit her in the arm and threw her against the wall. She grimaced but called her demon armour forth. As the smoke cleared, the last cultist stepped forward, his hood back and eyes blazing. "Marco" she gasped, armour forming over her body but too late as he raised the gun. She cursed her luck and smiled as the bullet entered her brain.

Koniev's escape

Sensing that everything was going per-shaped, Petyr Koniev joined the neopytes streaming out of the caves. However, they didn't know about the side passage leading to the house but he winced slightly when he found the door stuck closed. He slipped back into the crowd but as they exited the caves ducked round the corner to miss the shining figures outside. Petyr was considering drawing a couple of spirits to him to help when he felt a blast of spiritual energy wash over him and he knew that Dashwood's Lich had just met his maker. "Chyort voz'mi! there must be a major shaman nearby. Make that 2." he chuckled as he let his ghosts slip away. "Time to get out of here."

3 hours later, Petyr stumbled into the Anarchists' lair, safe at last. His heart stopped as the welcoming faces instead reached for knives, clubs and guns. At that moment he hated Marco and Jones with a passion. Then luck swung his way as the young Anarchist, Alexei, barrelled into the romm shouting "Koniev's coming here!". Koniev dived through the open door and jumped down the stairs as a fussilade of bullets rang out. One creased his shoulder but he slipped through the backstreets and alleys of London to the Russian embassy. A week later he was safe in the Okrana headquarters in St Petersburg.