The Two Headed Serpent – Savaged! / Session 1 (21/06/2018)
Bolivia, 1933.
The convoy travelled slowly through the dense, green foliage of the Gran Chaco rainforest. The rough terrain had forced them to abandon their vehicles some miles back and continue into the jungle afoot. Packs bulging with much needed medical supplies were shouldered as the assembled aid workers set off towards the village of Bamba Rumi. For the last few weeks, the territory around Bamba Rumi has been hotly contested by the armies of Bolivia and Paraguay. The aid workers represent the charitable organisation Caduceus, delivering supplies and respite to the civilians trapped in the middle of the conflict. Three days after leaving their vehicles, the convoy was finally reaching its destination.
The convoy is led by an Italian doctor called Arturo Ursini. Normally a pretty amiable chap, the doctor has grown increasingly agitated as the party approaches the aid camp nestled in the ruins of the war-torn village. Freddy (the self-styled ‘Flash’) Pinkerton notices the Italian’s unease and queries it.
“Damn it, you should never have been sent out here without knowing what we’re really doing!” Ursini curses in his native tongue, “Caduceus is more than just a charity, it is – urk!!”
A single gunshot, muted by rainfall. Blood splattered across Freddy’s face as Doctor Ursini toppled forward, crimson leaking from a ragged bullet hole where his left eye used to be. Ducking behind the broad trunk of a hardwood tree, Freddy glimpsed a group of grim-faced soldiers advancing on the stalled convoy. Lady Ermintrude raised her shotgun and returned fire, incapacitating two of the armed men before they could bring their own guns to bear.
“Stop shooting! Stop!” Father Ryggs cried, praying his voice could be heard over the roar of Lady Ermintrude’s thunderous boomstick, “We come in peace! We are bringing medical supplies to the aid camp at Bamba Rumi!”
A moment later, a gruffer voice replied in Spanish, ordering the convoy to lower their weapons. Reluctantly, Lady Ermintrude complied. A shorty, swarthy villain emerged from the thorny foliage, flanked by a squad of grim-faced Bolivian soldiers.
“I am Sergeant Angulo, of the Bolivian army,” he said, “We are posted at the village, in order to keep this area clear of Paraguayan rebels. When we spotted your group, we believed you to be working with the rebels. I fired a warning shot.”
“Your warning shot killed our expedition leader!” Freddy yelled, pointing to Ursini’s corpse, “You shot him right through the head!”
“My apologies for your loss,” Angulo replied insincerely, “But this is a battle zone. We can never be too careful. There are rebels and rebel sympathisers everywhere. If you are worried about getting shot, you should not have come to Bolivia in the middle of a war. We will escort you the rest of the way to the village, to ensure there are no further misunderstandings along the way.”
“Misunderstandings?!” Freddy exploded, “My god, a man is dead and you call it a misunderstanding?!”
While Father Ryggs tried to soothe the volatile American, Daedalus van Halen examined the Bolivian soldiers injured in the brief shoot-out. He found it both curious and alarming that the soldiers seemed completely indifferent to pain as he carefully dug the bullet fragments out of their scarred flesh. In fact, he could not elicit any response from them whatsoever. It was almost as though they were asleep….
The Bolivian soldiers escorted the convoy to the aid camp. They were greeted by a harried, middle-aged doctor who introduced himself as Hector Gomez. Doctor Gomez was mortified to learn of Doctor Ursini’s violent demise. The dead man’s body was stored in the medical tent until burial arrangements could be decided upon, as there was no way to return the body to North America before it started to rot in the hot, humid climate. Whilst cataloguing Ursini’s belongings, Freddy noticed an unsealed letter amongst the dead man’s other possessions. Recalling the doctor’s last words, Freddy unfolded the document. Freddy immediately recognised the Caduceus letterhead and continued reading. The letter tasked Ursini with securing a mummified body from a lost temple, a temple that had previously been unsealed by fighting in the vicinity. Worryingly, the letter also warned of a temple guardian that would hinder the mission. Unsure how to deal with this new information, Freddy stole the letter and presented it to the rest of the party. After some consideration, the group decided to continue Ursini’s investigation and attempt to recover the specimen.
To be continued….
