Death from Above

During World War II, the scholar and well-acclaimed occult expert Everett Himmel (and therefor his beastly compatriot, Gryphon) reported directly to the powers that be, operating as the head of a special unit directly involved with countering Axis occult involvement. Everett, despite his good work, won a fair amount of disfavor by 'loosing' or seeing many valuable objects, weapons, and other curiosities unintentionally destroyed before they could be brought into the service of Great Brittan. But in the end it was undoubtedly for the good, as most if not all were beyond the control of men, through which no good could truly be wrought, despite the intentions of their bearers. Also his results could not be contested, and much of his success was due in good part to his loyal companion.

This was a very minor skirmish, a small low-ranking guard easily countered in the mountains of Romania. The site turned out to be of little interest, as both sides had mistranslated copies of an important text on various Waters of Life lacking a single letter in a key part of the place description. This put the two parties far off of the fabled resting place of a known small vial of Apa Vie (which can bring life back to the dead but not heal their wounds. Apa moartǎ is required to heal the wounds of the dead first, but it cannot give them back life on it's own). The vial, empty but for one tiny drop, was found in a cave system fifty miles to the North.