As the ancient steamboat “Maggie Weed” glided through the dark waters of Chateaugay Lake, its side wheels churning up the water, the passengers on board couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. They had heard whispers of the sea serpent that lurked beneath the surface, whispers that had grown louder with each passing year. Unseen eyes seemed to watch them from the shadowy depths, and a sense of foreboding hung heavy in the air — but it wasn’t until they heard the eerie sound of banjos echoing off the surrounding low hills around the lake that they really got worried.
Little did they know, they were not alone on the lake. The sea serpent that lurked beneath the waters of Chateaugay Lake was not of this world. Weird unexplainable ancient horrors were inexplicably drawn to the power of the steam engines that propelled the boats across the lake; they had been preying on the steamboat industry for decades, slowly driving it to the brink of extinction. However, the steamboat industry was a resilient one, and the promise of profit outweighed the fear of the unknown.
At Chateaugay Lake, there were those who refused to let the steamboat industry die. A group of steamboat captains had banded together, determined to rid the lake of the sea serpent once and for all. They trained in secret at the Standish Wendigo Lodge, a place of ancient power and dark magic. They even had a killer rabbit as a mascot! There, they learned the ways of the Wendigo Wushu, an ancient form of combat that had been passed down from generation to generation. Working with the Bellows cousins who built steamboats for the Chateaugay Ore and Iron Co. and other clients, Cassius, and Millard along with his son, Cub, the steamboat captains developed steam-powered weapons to take on the creatures, weapons that glowed with an otherworldly energy.
As the “Maggie Weed” neared the shore, the sea serpent attacked. But the passengers fought back with everything they had — including coconuts, which they banged together to make horse hooves sounds. The serpent’s tentacles, slick with algae and the stench of decay, wrapped around the hull and momentarily pulled the boat and its passengers into the depths of the lake. Those who survived the initial onslaught were dragged and sucked beneath the surface, where they were immediately consumed by the monster. But not before they shouted, “It’s just a flesh wound!”
Meanwhile, on shore, Olive Susan watched in horror as the “Maggie Weed” was almost dragged beneath the surface of the lake by the sea serpent. She had lost friends and family to the creatures, and vowed to avenge them. She trained under the tutelage of the Wendigo Master, Varthalox, a wizened old wily Wendigo with red eyes that glowed with an otherworldly light. And with the help of her friend, young Cub Bellows, a Chateaugay Lake boy who had grown up around steamboats in his father’s workshop and had a natural talent for mechanics, she developed her own steam-powered weapons. They even had a giant wooden groundhog to assist them!
But the sea serpent was not the only threat.
A rival group of steamboat pirates had their eyes on the “Maggie Weed” and its valuable cargo, and now attacked the boat as it made its way across the lake!
The passengers and crew fought bravely, but in the chaos, the sea serpent emerged once again, attacking both pirates and passengers alike!
As the battle raged on, Olive Susan realized that the only way to defeat the sea serpent was to destroy the steam engines that drew it to the boats. She and her companions fought their way through the chaos, disabling the engines of both the “Maggie Weed” and the pirate steamboat “Adirondack”, which had been built by M.S. Bellows, Cub’s father.
With the engines destroyed, the sea serpent retreated back into the depths of the lake, leaving behind a scene of carnage and destruction. The survivors of the battle limped back to shore, shaken but alive. And as they looked out across the dark waters of Chateaugay Lake, they knew that the sea serpent still lurked beneath the surface, waiting for its next opportunity to strike.
But the steamboat industry would not be driven away so easily. The captains and crew of the surviving boats banded together, armed with their steam-powered weapons and their knowledge of the Wendigo Wushu. They sailed out onto the lake, determined to hunt down and destroy the sea serpent once and for all, Olive Susan and the steamboat captains continuing their training and preparation at the Standish Wendigo Lodge with Varthalox. They spent long hours studying ancient texts, delving into forgotten lore about the sea serpent, and learning about a host of ancient creatures from a different dimension that haunted the lake, and devising new tactics and weapons to defeat them.
As they delved deeper into the mysteries of Chateaugay Lake, they discovered that the sea serpent and the weird otherwordly creatures were not merely mindless beasts, but rather ancient entities that had existed for eons, long before humans had ever set foot on the shores of the lake. They had recently been drawn to the power of the steam engines, which they saw as a source of energy that they could feed upon.
The steamboat captains and their allies (i.e., Olive Susan and young Cub) knew that they could not destroy the creatures by brute force alone. They would need to find a way to cut off their source of energy, while at the same time avoiding becoming prey to the creatures themselves.
After months of research and experimentation, they developed a plan. Cub would construct a massive steam-powered generator that would draw energy from the lake itself, using the same principles that powered the steam engines on the boats. The generator would be designed to emit a signal that would disrupt the creatures’ ability to detect and feed on steam engines, rendering them powerless and inert.
Cub, with the help of his father, Millard, Olive Susan, and the steamboat captains, worked tirelessly to build the generator, using every bit of knowledge and skill they had acquired in their training. It was a massive undertaking, requiring months of effort and countless resources. But at last, it was complete.
They loaded the generator onto Millard’s brand new experimental specially modified steamboat, the “Lady of the Lake”, and set out onto the waters of Chateaugay Lake. The sea serpent sensed the generator’s energy signature and converged upon the boat, its tentacles thrashing in the water. But the steamboat captains were ready.
As the sea serpent closed in, Olive Susan and her companions activated the generator, flooding the lake with a powerful signal that disrupted the serpents’ feeding patterns. The sea serpent writhed and thrashed in the water, unable to sense the power of the steam engines. And as it weakened and fell inert, Olive Susan and the steamboat captains moved in, armed with their newly-designed steam-powered weapons, and destroyed the sea serpent and its minion horde.
For hours they fought, the steamboat captains and Olive Susan battling the creatures that had haunted Chateaugay Lake for centuries. But in the end, they emerged victorious. The serpents, and all of their pesky buddies and helpers from somewhere beyond the bounds of our every-day reality on this earthly plane, were destroyed, and the steamboat industry was momentarily saved.
As they returned to Indian Point Hotel, battered and bruised but triumphant, Olive Susan and the steamboat captains knew that they had done something truly great. They had banished the ancient horrors of Chateaugay Lake, and paved the way for a new era of prosperity and progress. And as they looked out over the dark waters of the lake, they knew that they had made a difference. They had a killer rabbit, a giant wooden groundhog, and coconuts that made horse hooves sounds. What could possibly go wrong?
What mysteries of Chateaugay Lake haunt you?