Episode 9 – Le Mort de Deirdre
March 25th
The group filled Thaddeus Abbott in on what had been transpiring in the last week. The Count waited somewhat impatiently before they turned to him and asked him about Arthur. He told them that a few days ago he had been watching the theatre when he spotted a man coming out with the other man who had been imprisoned under the Hall of the Overking. He decided to follow the men and they lead him to a stone circle in North Wales called Moel Ty Uchaf. There in the middle of the stone circle were the remains of a gate that had been used to bring Arthur and the host back to Albion. Arthur was there with his Queen as well as Myrddin (Merlin) and the Fairy commandant whom he named Melenaria. He told the group that she was one of King Oberon’s chief lieutenants who had been sent to bring him back, together with a half a dozen of Oberon’s guards.
It seemed that the Count was wanted by Oberon for inciting a rebellion in Avalon many years ago that had failed and that he had history with Melenaria. When asked about that history he said that she was his wife and that she had betrayed him and his rebellion to the King. King Oberon obviously still wanted him dead and that the death of a partner was the only way for the separation of the partnership for a faerie.
Samhain talked to the faerie they had rescued and asked about what her thoughts were on Arthur. She said that she had seen Arthur kill her son Mordred and had no love for him, but was probably not capable of killing him herself. Samhain asked where she would go and she said that she would get a hotel as she could not go back home or to the theatre for fear of Christian Cooper who had kidnapped her. An offer of staying at Lambeth Palace was declined due to the proximity to the pervert George who she had caught in the past wearing her clothes. She declined to reveal her true name when asked.
Samhain took the fairy, Helen Barry back to a hotel and had a long chat with her before going back to his club for a quick smoke before returning to the others. By now it was late afternoon around 4pm, but Samhain convinced the group that they needed to travel to Llyn Bran, the lake that held the Lady of the Lake Nimwae. He wanted to convince her to give him Excalibur rather than Arthur. The Count agreed to take them there, but would not stay as he knew that the faerie host would be after him.
The group arrived at the lake and Samhain waded into the lake with an offering of jewels in hand and tried to summon forth Nimwae. She did not come to his call and Annie decided that maybe Deirdre could help. So he asked Thaddeus to look after the amulet for him and put it back on him the first chance he got. When Deirdre was released from her shackles she looked at Thaddeus and demanded he give her the amulet. Thaddeus and Deirdre argued for some time, and Deirdre eventually backed down for now.
Deirdre told Samhain he needed to throw the offering into the water to get her to come to the summons. He did this and the Naiad arose from the water, shimmering in her nakedness. She asked Samhain why he had summoned her and he told her that he offered her news and asked for a boon. The news he offered her was that Merddyn was not still under her spell and had been released by someone. Also Arthur had returned and he begged to be given Excalibur so that he could stop Arthur from wiping out the old Gods and Goddesses of this land. Nimwae said that she cared nothing for the Gods as she did not worship any, but the news he brought was disturbing and that she must go and look in her pools. She said she would be a while, but would return soon.
About an hour later she re-appeared. She told them that she had looked and seen that killing Arthur would only make the true enemy here more powerful and that they would need Arthur if they were to battle him. The true enemy had hidden himself well, but she had seen him briefly when he had freed Merddyn. Samhain described the man he had seen with Bran in the carriage and she confirmed that it seemed to be the same man.
The group waited around the lake until it got dark watching for Arthur, when Deirdre decided to blink away. She blinked back to her home, turned into a Wolf and killed her adoptive parents in bed. The Professor managed to hit her with a lamp, but had his throat ripped out shortly afterwards. Deirdre turned back into herself washed the blood off, changed her clothes and destroyed the amulets in the house. As an afterthought she took blankets back with her for the group to sleep out in the damp by the lake.
March 26th
Next day the Lieutenant Day killed a sheep with his pistol and George made mutton steaks for breakfast. Lieutenant Day then when up to the hill to watch out for Arthur. Around midday he signalled to the others that Arthur was coming and he came back down the hill.
Arthur’s host assembled on the top of the hill and sent a man down to talk to them. The man asked them who they were and what they wanted. Samhain replied that they wanted to talk to Arthur. The man agreed to relay the message. It was the two would meet half way between the two of them.
Arthur asked Samhain who he was and what he wanted. Samhain told him that he was Taliesin and that he wanted to stop Arthur for he had done him a grievous wrong. Arthur responded that he did not even know who he was and Samhain shouted aloud that he called forth his vengeance and summoned his sword and armour. Arthur drew his sword quickly but failed to parry Taliesin. He did however manage to hit Taliesin back. The host of faeries on seeing Arthur being attacked began to move up. Next round Taliesin hit Arthur again, fury steeling his strikes. The faeries began attacking Samhain with beams from his eyes as Lieutenant Day and George began moving up. As he moved up, George spotted Gwenhyfahr and noted that she looked very like Lady Patience.
Deirdre blinked behind Samhain as the faerie beams hit him several times. Samhain had just one chance to strike at Arthur, hitting him despite the fact that he now started to glow, before Annie teleported him away over the lake. They fell into the lake with a splash and seeing Samhain gone Lieutenant Day and George decided to retreat.
In the water Samhain cursed Deirdre who changed into a pike and dove down into the water. Samhain began to swim to shore. Deidre spotted a magical portal at the bottom of the lake and decided to go through. There the cavern sparkled with jewels and objects and Nimwae turned on the intruder. “Who are you who dare to enter my demesne?” she demanded.
“I am Deirdre ap Gwallog” she replied.
“Then you are my lost daughter” Nimwae replied.
Deirdre asked who her father was and she was told that it was Merddyn before she found that he was holding out on her. Deirdre aware that things were happening above said that she had to go and blinked to the edge of the lake.
Behind her Gwenhyfahr was healing Arthur as the Knights and Faeries got into battle formation. George headed back to where Deirdre was waiting and got to her just as Samhain did. Samhain tried to grapple her and George put an amulet on Deirdre as she blinked away to the beach near Aberystwyth. Once they got there Annie burst into tears and collapsed in a ball.
Meanwhile back at the lake Archdeacon Abbot and Lieutenant Day decided to get out of the area sharpish. They headed north east to the nearest village where they persuaded the local priest to get them a ride to Rhyll. There they got a train to Chester.
Meanwhile George took charge and got Samhain to get Annie some clothes as he tried to clam her down. Samhain was still very annoyed with Deirdre brought any back some men’s rags to wear. They got an inn for the night and George did his best to calm Annie down. Eventually she began to blubber that she had killed them both and George understand that Deirdre had killed the Professor and his wife.
March 27th
Next day George, Samhain and Annie took a train back from Aberystwyth to London and Lieutenant Day and Archdeacon Abbott took a train back from London to Chester.
On the train back Samhain used the coin to summon the Count whom they informed of what had transpired. He was interested in the news and said that he would need to go and talk to Nimwae about what she saw before he popped off.
Samhain went back to his club for a smoke, but the rest all went back to Archdeacon Abbott’s rooms in Lambeth Palace. There they told each other what had happened and George managed to get Annie to talk a little. The Archdeacon asked Annie if there was something that he could do get rid of Deirdre would she want him to do it. She said that she did and would support him if he could.
Archdeacon Abbott headed out to Bayswater to the wine shop of Cardinal Albanizzi’s contact was. He asked the wine merchant about the Opus Dei solution to Blue Demons. The man told him that they had a machine that can excise the demon from the Godly soul. Archdeacon Abbott asked whether it had been used before and he said that it had 3 months ago on a man who claimed he was Urien. The procedure had been “mostly” successful but they had excised a portion of the Godly soul. Archdeacon Abbott agreed to return in 3 hours with the subject.
When he got back with some laudanum to dose Annie with the Archdeacon told the others what he was going to do. George objected saying that he wanted to ask Annie first. The Archdeacon told him that he had already asked her and that the less she was told now the better. George headed into the room Annie was in and the Archdeacon began casting a spell at him. Seeing this Lieutenant Day went over to the Archdeacon and hit him before he could finish the spell. He shouted out to George that the Archdeacon was casting at him as George went through the door. He then put a chair against the door to stop the Archdeacon getting in. Annie told George that she wanted to be rid of Deirdre and was prepared to do what she must to get rid of her even if she died in the process.
Archdeacon Abbott told Roger Day to get out and shouted for guards (for dramatic effect). Roger left and went to see Samhain. George came out and glared at the Archdeacon but agreed to help him with Annie. The Archdeacon gave the laudenam to Annie who passed out.
Lieutenant Day went to the Garrick club and found Samhain taking Laudenam on the ceiling of his room. He told Samhain what the others were going to do to Annie before accepting a drink from Samhain and himself becoming affected by the Laudenam inside it.
George and Thaddeus headed to the wine shop and were then taken to a bakery in Ealing with a trap door down to a secret room. There the Opus Dei operative got his goons to strap Annie down to the table with an Aether machine above her. A bent-over old man started to look down a scope at Annie whilst George assessed the machine. He noted that they were infusing light with split Aether to try and surgically split the soul and asked if he could have a look. The old man gave way to him and George said that he would do the Operation himself. The wine merchant started to get his thugs to stop him when the Archdeacon intervened and persuaded him that they would take the risk for Annie of George doing the operation.
Carefully George excise the part of Annie’s soul that was Deirdre from her and that part once removed floated off back to the Well of Souls. They took Annie back to Lambeth Palace where later that night she awoke feeling sore but herself.
