Mel: James Hogshead
Graham: Len Scapp
Phil C.: Jonathon Hayward
Frances: Heather Mabel
Mark B.: Alan Whitaker (aka Doctor Futhark)
Mark C.: Perrin & Hargreaves
Jackie: Cora Zovdef
Chris: Edward Gotripp
Tommy: Richard O'Neary
Matthew: John Roberts
Certain characters are in O'Neary's flat, with a traumatised milkman, and Rupert Kelleway's body.
Certain other characters are in London, having been informed that Kelleway's aunt has been kidnapped.
In Gerry's office, "Hey Scapp, why don't you bring people up to date?"
"We were in London, keeping an eye on McLeod, vice-president of Baring's, and part-time sorcerer. Also sponsor of trip to Palestine. The other
"I understand that Agatha is to be exchanged for Kelleway?"
"Yes, but Kelleway's dead."
"McLeod hypnotised Kelleway to forget the trauma of the dig, and we hypnotised him to remember. He did, and then killed himself."
"I've been approached by that society with which you've had dealings. They still want to do the exchange..."
They suggest a little clearing in the woods, near Newbury, for the exchange. At 8 O'clock this evening.
"We'd also like you to find out what's happened with these Zealot chappies: whether they've gone back to Palestine, or whether they're still in London."
Hayward mentions the prophecy about "destroying the heart of the Empire."
Futhark is nominated (as a master of illusion) to make Kelleway presentable. An alternative plan is suggested to get Hargreaves to impersonate him.
O'Neary, Roberts, Scapp, Hayward and Whitaker head for the exchange point.
A large black car draws up to the other side of the clearing, containing four men and a little old lady. McLeod steps out, into the middle of the clearing, and calls Scapp out for the exchange. Scapp suggests that he deliver Agatha to our car, which is "over there", while Kelleway is delivered from "over here". McLeod demurs slightly, and a very embarrassing conversion follows. McLeod is invited to examine Kelleway, and Whitaker explains the circumstance of Kelleway's death (he was left unattended, and killed himself. O'Neary and Gotripp exchange looks).
McLeod asks about Kelleway's diary, which was stolen by the Gypsies. Everybody denies knowledge (of everything).
Conversation moves around to the Zealots. McLeod says they're looking for them, but the disturbance in the ether indicates that they're somewhere around London, and haven't returned to Palestine. They ought to be glad that McLeod turned up the hammer for them. The man wielding the hammer was a direct descendant of Eleazar ben Jair. There's a rustling in the undergrowth, heard by Mabel and McLeod. O'Neary suggests it's a badger, but Mabel disagrees. Everybody flees from the strange rustling.
O'Neary stops to look back, and sees the trees moving. "The trees, the trees!" he runs away screaming. Gotripp leaps into a car, and pulls along side him, pulling in. Everyone runs away from the approaching trees, but Mabel trips and falls over. She hears a slobbering noise approaching and amazingly for once manages to get to her feet! She climbs into the back of the van, and everybody leaves.
Scapp tells Aunt Agatha that Kelleway's take his own life, and she suggests that he was always a weak character... And at least she doesn't have to admit to the loss of her diary (to Rose, although Wenderby wanted it too. In fact, Rose didn't take it: she copied passages).
Scapp suggests that Cora, being a police pathologist, could hide the body in the police morgue. A protracted conversation ensues about how to deal explaining Kelleway's death and the state of his body.
Hargreaves and Perrin go to visit Agatha in the Randolph, and find her intentions for his funeral. They suggest leaving his body in a quarry for somebody else to find, and Agatha agrees this might be necessary. Alright then. Hargreaves agrees to take her back home, as her housekeeper must be wondering where she is. They agree to pick her up at 9:30.
Hargreaves, Scapp, Gotripp take Agatha home.
Others deal with taking Kelleway's body to a Quarry.
At Agatha's house, a neighbour says it's so terrible that Annie's died. "Oh well. Can't keep the staff." (She's still stoned!)
Cora adjusts Kelleway's body to disguise the method of his death. And then he gets dumped.
Gotripp checks to see whether any ley lines run through the location of the portal. And doesn't find any.
Heather starts mentioning something about needing to be chained up.
Hargreaves (on Perrin's behalf) finds news reports of the car being destroyed. And another report from the following day of the same men being sighted in Epping Forest.
Somebody else determines that Reverend Wenderby is due at a 6pm evening service, for about 45 minutes.
Hargreaves, Hogshead, Whitaker and Mabel attempt to break into the Vicarage. Mabel knocks on the door, and it's answered by a servant, so that plan is abandoned.
O'Neary, Gotripp, Hayward, Scapp and Cora go to the "Waltham Forest Gazette" office to talk to Ed O'torial about the article he's written about the Zealots in Epping. Scapp asks about strangers with a hammer. Ed says they're looking for a property to rent in Epping, but doing so in a somewhat violent manner: the estate agent had no property (Bairstow Eves), and they destroyed his office. They departed into the Forest. Scapp suggests they won't find anything there. Ed says there's a property nearby (Copped Hall). He asks if anybody's got any news, and Scapp ends up drawing a sketch of the Hammer. Various photos are taken of the "eyewitness."
They go along to Bairstow Eves, posing as journalists, and find the "particulars" of the visitors. They were looking for a woodland property to sleep 20-25 people. The frontman was English (of no given name). He was a youngish fellow, straggly brown hair, well spoken, old, but good, clothes. Early to mid twenties. Scapp gets a local map. And it shows there's a road from Copped hall to Waltham Abbey.
Back in Oxford, the group watching the Vicarage fail to come up with a plan. They check the vicarage, which is a townhouse, over three floors. In the end, Roberts goes to the church to distract Wenderby (by measuring his organ!). And Mabel goes to the front door, and puts on a distressed lady act. She manages to get inside the front door, and is shown into the parlour. The reverend will be back in half an hour. The housemaid calls the cook through with a cup of tea, and Mabel spins them a yarn. It is glorious, to do with men being scared of her size! Hargreaves sneaks in through the kitchen door. He heads for the study at the front of the first floor. A search is conducted, but only ministerial accoutrements are found. Hargreaves steps on a creaking floorboard as he heads to a different room.
Downstairs, the creak is heard, but Mabel swiftly distracts her audience.
In Wenderby's bedroom, Hargreaves finds a small locked chest at the bottom of the wardrobe.
At the church, Wenderby attempts to recruit Roberts into his "organisation". But Roberts steadfastly claims to only be there to attend to the organ. Wenderby claims there are powers on, and beyond the Earth, and they must be treated with caution.
In the box, they find some perfectly normal Masonic garb, which they replace. As Hargreaves sneaks back in to put the box back, he's spotted, and a frantic, farcical chase ensues.
In Epping Forest, some Gypsies emerge from the trees, and ask what the Investigators are doing. They say that the hall is a ruin, and nobody lives there. Scapp attempts to fast talk them, but fails. He asks if they're friends with the hall occupants, and this provokes a look of repulsion. He asks if he can trust Scapp. A knife is produced, and they blood bond.
The Gypsies lead them through to a well concealed encampment, with thirty or forty people. A conversation in Romany ensues, which is not understood.
In Oxford, notes are compared, and everybody agrees that Wenderby is a mason.
The Gypsies provide "haunch of hedgehog". An old man says "so, what do you know about these people?" "Some of this is going to sound a little bit strange!" Scapp explains. The Gypsies say that the Zealots are allied with local people, who are worshipping a dark power. It comes in Celtic clothing, and is called the Great Mother. Scapp's heard of that: due to the Wychwood warriors. He suggests calling in the Masons.
The Oxford group go to tell Gerry everything. He comments that he doesn't want the Masons to get the hammer, as it might provide enough power to counter them. He expresses interest in the cult of the Great Mother.
Gotripp and Whitaker research the history of the hall, and produce [a handout]. Scapp goes out to take aerial photographs, and determines that the garden is very overgrown. Some of the people in the grounds look up and watch the plane. When the photographs are developed, it's observed that the grounds seem to have too much growth, considering the fire six years ago...
Whitaker telephones McLeod, and arranges a meeting with him. At this point, he explains that the Zealots have been located in Copped House, and joined up with the Wychwoods. An assault the following evening (Wednesday) is planned. And there's a new moon on Thursday, which may be relevant to the Great Mother, based on past experience.
Scapp goes to warn the Gypsies about the impending attack. The Gypsies think that the Zealots are preparing something. The question is how to arrange that neither side gets the Hammer. There are a number of sturdy Gypsies with knives, and they have a source of power of their own, for example, a ritual which makes skin impervious to bullets and such like.
Scapp's hand is getting infected: Gotripp lances it, and rebandages it.
The following morning, at the Gypsy camp, there is uproar, as a lad has been kidnapped. Scapp suggests that a sacrifice would be scheduled for the New moon, i.e. the following night. The pair of kidnappers included a woman with long hair and fingernails: the converted Siobhan. Perrin blood bonds with a Gypsy, as he fancies the free life, with no responsibilities.
The Gypsies offer the power of invulnerable skin, and the resulting question is how to break through such protection if the Zealots have the same. The also attempt to teach the spell to confuse enemies, which only Roberts can master. In Mabel's case, she is traumatised by the teaching, and rushes out of the clearing, into the dark forest. Whitaker eventually traps her up a tree, and manages to talk some sense into her.
The mason force arrives: two lorries full of men with guns. The Old Gypsy intends to fan out along the Southern escarpment and watch in the moonlight. Each lorry is left with a driver, but Scapp suggests how to undo the Frobishire nuts to disable the lorries without alerting the guard. Hargreaves sneaks in to do this, leaving them on the silencers. On the way back, he and Whitaker notice two other men sneaking through the undergrowth. Hargreaves follows them, and decides they're part of the masonic fan.
Along the escarpment, the house looks eerie, with trees growing up through it. This reassures O'Neary, who claims that those trees can't move. The Gypsies watch the Masonic advance, and this keeps them amused. As the sun sets, a figure emerges from the house to light a pile of wood in a courtyard of the house. Eight further men emerge and process around the bonfire. O'Neary takes aim with his rifle, targeting the torch holder.
Black clad masons approach the back of the house, and explosions result. The cultists break off and run into an outhouse. Some of the gypsies take the opportunity to scream and charge in. Assorted others approach, carefully. O'Neary lets off a shot, managing to make one of the cultists stagger.
In the middle of the fight, a "whooomph" can be heard, as of a large weapon. Perrin (and gypsies) finds the outhouse empty, as it leads into the main house. They set fire to it, and then in one corner is a small red scarf, belonging to the kidnapped gypsy boy. They decide to charge on in to affect a rescue.
In the rock garden, Scapp, Roberts, Whitaker, find a trapdoor leading into a dark, dank space. They open it, and climb down.
Small arms fire can be heard within the house.
Perrin (and friends) find two zealots, and he releases both barrels at the first target. It all bounces off, unfortunately. The gypsies and Zealots engage with knives. One of the gypsies manages to punch his counterpart on the chin, knocking him flat.
Outside, up at the tree line, noises are heard of "something" moving up behind.
In the cellars, the noise of fighting gets louder, until they find stairs up. Quickly, they check the remaining rooms, and find a coal hatch, but no people. Up the stairs, and peering through the keyhole, Roberts can see the Gypsy lad, a Zealot, a Wychwood and Siobhan. He manages to cast confusion on her. Whitaker suggests confusing the Wychwood to avoid him realising that Siobhan's behaving oddly. This works, but the Zealot notices the third attempt, on him. He charges through the door, and receives punches from Roberts and Whitaker. Except that Whitaker manages to connect with Roberts. The other four simply push back, and shove them back up into the room, which is now empty. Roberts and Whitaker attempt to disengage to look for Siobhan or the gypsy lad.
From outside, a group can be seen coming out of the back door. O'Neary lets off a shot, but doesn't hit. This includes the Gypsy lad, and the watchers advance towards them. When they get there, the Siobhan has left, but the corpse of the Gypsy is lying, with his throat cut.
[ Insert bit I missed here, about Siobhan summoning things, I presume! ]
Elsewhere, Perrin and a gypsy find the Zealot with the hammer. From a far corner, a mason casts a spell, and a purple mist descends around the Zealot's head. For half a minute, nothing happens, and then the spell dissipates. The mason recasts it, and Perrin rushes in with a swift kick to the Zealot's vital area. Perrin hurts his foot.
A mason calls for this last Zealot to surrender, and Whitaker throws a flash-bang at him.
Outside, Mabel and Cora hear an approaching rustling noise, and run away. Hogshead and O'Neary follow the lead.
Inside the house, there's a standoff, until the end wall of the house is torn off by "a hideous monstrosity" It's as though a tree is walking. It's got dark, ichor covered branches, and is generally unpleasant. Gotripp opens fire, but misses. Roberts shouts out that Siobhan has betrayed them, and they should flee. The Masons start to panic, running around franticly. The Zealot runs over to the wall, and starts drawing signs on it. Gotripp blasts a chunk of the wall away. The Zealot turns and growls at him. He falls over, as his leg gives way. Realising that the Zealot's only got one hand on the hammer, Scapp and Roberts bundle him. A hideous black tentacle grabs Radco and sucks him into the creature. A second tentacle heads for Gotripp, but he dodges it, at the cost of losing his shotgun.
Roberts pokes the Zealot in the eyes, which seems to have no effect. Whitaker charges in and pours lamp oil over the zealot, and Roberts dodges another tentacle. Scapp sets a flash grenade off, setting the Zealot on fire. A monstrous tentacle grasps Roberts, and burns into his skin. The Zealot keeps drawing on the wall, and Scapp attempts to stab the tentacle. Roberts attempts to confuse the beast, fails, and passes out. Scapp stabs, Whitaker pulls, and the monstrosity munches. Roberts departs the mortal coil.
By morning, the Masons have got a bus home. The gypsies are in mourning.
The investigators are in mourning for ... um... oh... John, yes, that's it! Two knives are recovered from the bodies. Also some parchments and assorted notes in Hebrew. And Gotripp leg doesn't recover.