Darkness on Cold: Initial Status Reports

Don't have time for a long report, just a quick update.  Matters are moving fast now that I've taken charge.  As Walter said, Lawrence and Gary are quite easily influenced.  All I had to do was get them drunk and Lawrence told me more in half an hour than Walter had learned in six months.  Beauregard is more cautious; he's not convinced as readily.

However, none of them are eager to act.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  They have no money and won't take the initiative to get any.  Gary and Beauregard have scruples against letting the Cult finance them; fortunately Lawrence will do that for me.  Once he has laundered the proceeds, the group should be set to run a full operation.

Walter died in investigating a dirigible facility maintained by the Cult at Lat/Long XXXX.  The group later went back and attacked it by air; the extent of damage is not known, but explosives did detonate on the hangar.  The facility is run by Inuit and it is confirmed it is not a government facility (Lawrence has a friend in the RCFC).

Gary and Beauregard both have had dreams of Inuit dirigibles flying north, beating against a huge door with a symbol on it, and when they break through an evil darkness comes pouring out.  Larry reports that the winter solstice in December 1930 will be the date of a great cold evil.  This, and other evidence, shows that the Cult of Silla/Ithaqua clearly plans a significant event in just over a year; they also have real power.  This is an essential operation for you and your associates.

The town of Endurance is a Cult base.  We deduced that the dirigible project is being supplied through the General Stores there and in Anchorage; there by Reinhold Blair, here by Walter Armstead.  It would set their operation back anywhere from months to years were either or both of them to withdraw from the business.  I'm looking forward to convincing them to do so.

Gary and Beauregard have both learned from Walter's notes.  They have a direct line to Ithaqua, should they choose to use it.  I might be able to use that to our advantage in asking Armstead a few important questions before he donates to our cause and quits his profession.  Armstead's retirement, if we're lucky, might buy us another year -- but it might not, so I'm not counting on it.

Blair will be much harder to convince.  Once Armstead quits, he's going to be alert to attempts at persuasion.  Arriving at Endurance ahead of the news would give us a real break, but I don't expect Lawrence can liquidate his new assets fast enough.  Our options here will then be restricted by the need for personal security.  That need will provide an incentive for getting on the road quickly.

So in the next few days I might go out of touch for an extended period.  I will try to get details out either tonight or tomorrow, and I'll update you whenever possible.  Be patient.

Oh, and if you can see if any of your old flying buddies from the War have come across any other dirigible facilities, that might be useful.  This might not be the only one.

Yours sincerely,