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Entry for March 27th, 1967-Investigation Completed? |
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I have finally returned home after my extended stay in Bosnia. I am sad to note that my journal entries for this time are lax at best, and lack many of the details of my experiences. As a note, I will be keeping my log book in the east wing in the third case. It has my observational notes in it for this occurrence. I have a feeling I'll need to find them again latter.
It began on February 12th of this year. I was contacted by Mister Hannibal early in the morning. He was over seas as per usual, but, as I have noted with our last few conversations, the vampire is not overly social and refrains from contacting me unless it is absolutely necessary. He frowns on my existence, much less my involvement with his affairs.
The conversation was short at best and ended with him informing me that I'd been sent for and that he expected my presence in Bosnia by the end of the week. He gave me no details as to why I was being hustled from my home, but I doubted I be in the dark very long. Sure enough, I was greeted a day and a half later by the appearance of Sable and William on my doorstep with all of the fare and briefing I needed. I was being collected to help remove a ghostlike entity from a theatre that had recently been closed there. Hannibal had apparently taken a fancy to the place and began living there when the problems began.
I arrived on February 17th. It was cold there and the streets were filled with unsettling activity for the harshness of the weather. I noted to myself that beyond the town, in the neighboring city I'd fist arrived in, it was mild. The wind didn't rape my skin and the ground wasn't frozen into this unseasonable brick of turf that I stood on. I was lodged in a small hostile (see log for name) with William. It was several days of uneasy silence before the theater was spoken of. The old boy looked a little shaken when I mentioned it, but he finally found himself willing to discuss the situation again.
More to come
 The Corinthian P13R · Mon Nov 07, 2005 @ 06:19am · 0 Comments |
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While passing through a lower province of the Ottoman Empire I learned something very interesting about vampires. I always knew they were incredibly adaptable, I have never know them to set ideological traps for humans until now. When I first entered the hamlet, I noted several strange things- well tended box gardens at the base of windows that bore no food and no flowers, small vials of seed set at thresholds, and an overabundance of freshly planted oaks. I wrote it off as simply eccentricities or vain attempts to soothe the Plague.
I met Lady Homer in this village about four days ago. She was residing in the small church aiding the clergy with the ill, watching over them at night while the others rested. While this came as no shock to me- after all, many vampires were taking up night deathwatches for unsuspecting villages- I was surprised by some of the things she told me.
You see, I had never realized that Lady Homer was a vampire, but it made sense. She told me that sadly her last revenant, a blind poet, had died of old age many ages ago, so her stories for the most part were going untold. She'd been searching for a new one, but no one had suited her needs thus far. Luckily, she told me, times had changed and women were beginning to be allowed to tell their stories themselves. She revealed that she had taken up residence in this village because it was prime feeding grounds. People were constantly falling ill, and no one noticed a dead body or two, not to mention they weren't at all distressed by her preference of the night shift. Also, she said that the people of the village loved story telling.
Two nights later, I met her at the local pub. I was surprised to find it still open since most places stricken by the Black Death closed the pubs in a hasty fashion. This one was wide open and full of drunken life, though. It is there that I learned about this new type of trap. Lady Homer told a story that night about vampires. She told the villagers that vampires were resistant to fire because fire was born of Hell.
Now anyone who has ever don even a small amount of monster hunting, or even Inquisitory work knows this is wrong, but still the villagers took this in as if it were Biblical truth. I realized that she was polluting the concept of a vampire for personal gain. When I confronted her on the subject she only laughed at me and told me this:
"It is a rare time indeed, when so many of my kind can live without fear of man and prosper at the same time. Louis, you know as well as I that this time is drawing to a close. As soon as the Black Death is gone, we will be forced to return to our former hunting methods. The youngest will starve and the oldest will drift out of existence.... We'll be pegged as monsters instead of as angels of mercy that are sparing the weak from this illness.... I'm just trying to ensure that we won't face a crisis comparable to this mortal trial as soon as the Plague is over."
She explained that the strange things I noticed in the village were because of her stories. The box gardens were called vampire gardens. They were supposed to make it impossible for vampires to use the window to get into a house because the plants were noxious to a vampire. On the contrary though, the plants in them were wonderful for vampires. In many cases they were emergency supplies of life-force that the vampire could feed on when injured. The seed vials were meant to be cast at the door step when a vampire approached, because said vampire would be forced to count each seed before entering. Again, it was simply a ploy- a greater distraction for the mortal than the vampire. She told the villagers that oak would ward away vampires, when in reality it had to be made into a stake and driven into the sleeping body of a vampire to be effective.
It is a clever ploy indeed, and I do not doubt that I will see more of it in later years.
The Corinthian P13R · Thu Oct 06, 2005 @ 04:10pm · 0 Comments |
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Asphodel-
A small, white, five petaled flower similar to Morning Glory in appearance. It grows in the same wild tangle of climbing vines and spreads through underground shoots extending from a main stalk. The flower, which only thrives in the rock beds of parts of Hades and a few astral abodes of wayward lesser gods, glows faintly with the ecto-force it absorbs in place of sunlight and water. The flower is difficult to harvest because of its semietheric nature which causes physical objects that lack enchantment to pass through it without actually damaging it.
This flower is useful in magic because of its existence in a half plane. When consumed or place in the body, the flower will absorb life-force. While the user is in astral projection, or is otherwise separated from the physical body, asphodel renders them safe from Souldeath by reserving a small amount of energy that cannot be destroyed through normal means. This energy is returned to the person through a rare cantrip.
I recently came across a wild sprig in the Vault which I'm harvesting. GotMaschine is currently bartering with me for part of it. The current price for 20 buds in a preserving flask is a pair of eternal light stones and necromancers stone circa 90 BC in a proper case.
The Corinthian P13R · Thu Sep 22, 2005 @ 07:37pm · 5 Comments |
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Jessabell Curse, Entry 2945 |
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I was recently introduced to a very interesting enchantment by the Lich. I've found no explanation for the name, but several excellent uses for it. I have a feeling it may have to do with the biblical reference to the woman called Jessabell, but why I'm not sure.
The spell consists of the target, some sort of small magic item (a ring, amulet, etc.)(optional), Three dried jasmine buds, onion, and a few other ingredients that are almost impossible to come by on this world OR the next. The target can be magical or otherwise, though it seems best suited for anything that can shift phases or skip worlds, like vampires and powerful mages.
The target is bound to the magic item or to some object through the psychic leeching and mixing of the special properties of the ingredients. The target will then find it impossible to phase shift or teleport without the item. It will induce great pain. It would prove to be useful against elder vampires as far as hunting goes. One would be able to keep them in one place and not fear them misting themselves out of harms way.
I also see an excellent use in destroying cursed items in the future. Binding an item and then air mailing them COULD in fact cause catastrophic failure resulting in the ultimate end of that item and without the risk of bodily harm should the item then wild surge as a result of its destruction. This is because the breakdown would happen between dimensional barriers. I'll have to run a few experiments to confirm this of course.
-L.V.
This section appears to have been written as an after though. The hand writing has changed considerably, and the ink appears to be of a more recent stock, smoother flowing and less faded.
I was incorrect in the assumption that catastrophic would occur between worlds. After a great deal of bodily harm, and a great deal of repairs to my lab and the Vault gateways, I have determined that this spell is far more devastating than i first thought.
It would appear that the space between point A and B in a spell like Dimensional Shift is almost nonexistent. I opened a gateway and attempted to send one of V's little presents into the vault. It did, indeed, suffer catastrophic failure, but the resulting surge destroyed half of my lab and caused a cascade failure that disabled three world gates and blew up a third of an acre of magic items. I could have destroyed the whole city.....
The Corinthian P13R · Mon Jun 27, 2005 @ 05:55pm · 4 Comments |
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This page is different than the others so far. It's just stuck into the book, it's unnumbered, and it's on slightly yellowed notebook paper.
The end is coming.
I suppose I should explain. The world is ending, and her birth marks the beginning of what I've been waiting for since I took my position. I will no doubt leave this plane to fight a higher battle soon.
My end is coming.
Jessi Marie Milharn was born today in Carvendale Illinois to her mother, my niece Mary Milharn, once named Mary VanDradee, and to her father, Johnathan "BJ" Milharn, one of the warlord brothers, the sons of Ripper. She was a healthy 11.8 pounds, born at 2:13am, two weeks later than expected (choosing to be born on her mother's birthday rather than on her grandmother's). She was named after her grandfather, my nephew, Jessi VanDradee. The birth was without complication, and Jessi is healthy and announces her arrival quite frequently and loudly.
Much to my sadness, I am not allowed to see her in person. None of the Family is, including William. Mary took the foresight to keep her from us and has even gone so far as to renounce Got. Whether this news has reached him yet, I do not know, but I suspect he will not be entirely pleased to respect their decision. She wants Jessi to have a future that isn't stuck in the darkness. But as I said, the end is near, and such a precaution will do little to stop the coming events.
I read Jessi's aura while she was in the nursery and my heart almost stopped. Not more than a few hours old and she had a psychic bond. It reached so far that I couldn't see where it went. V already has his hands on her, and there is no hope. If it is not his doing, then I fear for things far worse.
I will have to do research. I can only hope that she is bonded to her half brother, or one of her parents, maybe even Got. Such things do happen even if the child has never even been near the person they're bonded to. I just can't help but get the feeling that V has chosen her as his continuation, though.....
End
The Corinthian P13R · Thu Apr 28, 2005 @ 02:51am · 0 Comments |
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Optics al Rasheed, Entry III |
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I have come to own a rather peculiar magical item by way of the Great Lich Dannorask that I had never heard of until he presented it to me today. The item is a pair of beautiful old glasses. They have fine, thin golden wire rims (a bit tarnished), and extremely thick lenses, through which, nothing can be seen.
Upon giving them to me, he told me a story. I don't remember the specifics (Drat this aging mind of mine....), but it went roughly like this:
A great ruler once ordered the son of an inventor to be executed for treason (of which, the boy was innocent). The old inventor went to the king to beg for his son's pardon. The king agreed, on the condition that the inventor would give him the greatest invention on Earth. The old man presented him with this pair of glasses that very week. He told the king that he wouldn't see anything through the glasses but the face of an honest man. The King put them on in disbelief and looked over the crowd. Only one lowly servant in the farthest corner could be seen at first. He looked to the inventor and saw him as well. So, the King released the inventor's son, and he promoted the servant to a high office. He soon could no longer see the servants face and decided that no man could remain honest in high office.
There was a little more, but I can't remember the rest. Somehow the King lost his kingdom and the glasses ended up in Laos, where I got them.
I've tested them out, they seem to work. Dannorask certainly didn't show up, but Master William did. Strange.... I saw him with both of his eyes come to think of it....
I will write out the full specifics of the glasses later.
-Louis end
The Corinthian P13R · Sun Apr 10, 2005 @ 06:43am · 0 Comments |
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First Entry, Rumor of the Photo (translated from German) |
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In this dusty journal you will find a world of secrets and lies as seen through the eyes of a thousand different people, as told by their voices. I have collected them all in desperate hope that someone, one day, will read this and understand what I understand, perhaps more fully than myself.
As you read this, I am dying. My life is passing with that of the world, and I can only beg that you will carry on when my fingers can write no more. I beseech you, do not let my words fall into the wrong hands. There are those that will hunt you for what you hold in your hands, friend.
Please, be safe, and keep my secrets until the time is right.
-Louis VanDradee
The Retainer of the Family
The books pages are crumbling, and falling out, some peices seem to have been jammed in haphazardly back into the cover. Itsmells of must and mold. It's cover is peeling. It weighs a heafty bit, too and appears to be only the first of many such books.....
The Corinthian P13R · Sat Jan 22, 2005 @ 08:54pm · 1 Comments |
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