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Synopsis of The Lair of the Star-Spawn
We begin with the narrator, Eric Marsh, telling us about the disastrous Hawks Expedition to upper Burma, of which he was the only surviving member. He was disconnected from the group by chance when a group of small humanoids named Tcho-Tcho attacked and slew all of the people in the expedition and left.
Eric gathers their belongings and moves forward into the Plateau of Sung they were exploring. Civilization is on the other side of the hills, and it should be closer than going back. He notices a far off ancient city called Alaozar on the Plateau, in the Lake of Dread. He encamps for the night nearby. As he does, he notices a line that fires up from the city into space, and then falls asleep. He awakens to noises by his horse and he is clubbed unconscious
He wakes up in Alaozar, imprisoned by the Tcho-Tcho. One Dr. Lo-Fan accompanies them, and the Chinese doctor has bandaged his wounds and explains what is happening. This place is called The Isle of the Stars in China, because they believe that a long time ago, people from stars like Rigel and Betelgeuse arrived. These were the Elder Ones that included people like Cthulhu, Hastur, Lloigor and Zhar. The Old Ones were here as well, and they fought a powerful war for Earth. At the end, the Old Ones won, and they imprisoned Cthulhu in R’lyeh, while Lloigor and Zhar were imprisoned here, underneath the Plateau of Sung. The Tcho-Tcho people are the servants of Lloigor and Zhar and are trying to release them so that they can conquer Earth once more.
Both Dr. Lo-Fan and Eric are expected to help in this endeavor. Eric doesn’t believe Lo’Fan., so he takes Eric down below the city and they see hundreds of Tcho-Tcho worshipping a great tentacled thing that is Lloigor. The Dr. has a plan. He has been trying to send his consciousness via telepathy to Rigel to appeal to the Old Ones there to assist in taking out the Tcho-Tcho and their twin masters. Eric’s task is to guard his body while he is gone.
Dr. Lo-Fan leaves to beseech the Old Ones, and Eric begins watch. Nothing happens for hours and Lo-Fan returns. They must leave the City and open the gates for the Old Ones’ Star-Warriors to ascend. They meet with the leader of the Tcho-Tcho, and Dr. Lo-Fan convinces him that Zhar has contacted him telepathically and wants to be released this day. The gates are opened, and they are escorted out of the city by four of the people, so they can prepare. Instead, they slay the four accompanying them and win their freedom.
They witness the Star-Warriors riding down to Earth and destroying the Tcho-Tcho, before moving down into the depths. Then one light snakes out and teleports Eric and Dr. Lo-Fan miles away for safety. Later, a pilot flies over the area and spies giant rotting corpses in the plateau that were decaying, and newspapers reports lights that evening from the Plateau of Sung.
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