Part 8, where we marshal our strength and resolve

The Aftermath of Tragedy

Reeling from the loss of our loyal foreman, Thomas Beckett, we find ourselves grappling with a reality far removed from the orderly world we once assumed. We begin to discern the outline of a terrible design, yet we possess too few pieces of this puzzle. Any misstep may bring immediate, catastrophic consequences. We must remain out of sight, irritating this cult through indirect means rather than direct confrontation.

We chose to bypass Detective Inspector Smythe-Higgins' channels at Scotland Yard to locate the address of Edwin Markham, securing it instead through the post office directory. We dispatched our more agile companions to reconnoiter. As I should have anticipated, their reconnaissance quickly escalated into direct action.

An assessment of the group

I feel it necessary to record my observations on our companions' mental fortitude.

Reggie remains remarkably even-keeled. His upbringing, career, and a healthy portion of British resolve keep him steady in the wake of Beckett's death and the horrors beneath London. His stoicism is a vital asset.

Phillip appears somewhat detached, yet he possesses a quiet, formidable determination. To emerge from a prolonged period of drinking, confront unnatural abominations, and immediately lose a fatherly figure like Beckett would break lesser men. I see a solid core in the lad. He will rise to this challenge.

My greatest concern is for young Nash. We have had our differences; he is brash, loudly unintellectual, and lacks traditional deference. Yet his courage is undeniable, and his care for Phillip reveals a moral spine. His natural optimism has occasionally buoyed my own spirits. However, his mind was not built for these stresses. His carefree laughter now rings hollow, and he watches the shadows of the room too closely. We require his skills, and I hope his resolve holds.

As for myself, I pride myself on an unshakeable will. Yet I am deeply rattled. The veil has been drawn aside, and I confess to feeling a cold dread. My sleep is plagued by nightmares of the thing beneath the tunnels, of dark waters, and a ruined London. I am not a man accustomed to fear, but this conspiracy presents an existential threat to our city, if not humanity itself.

The Markham House

Phillip  and Nash returned to the Higgins residence in a state of considerable disarray, their bandages soaked with fresh blood. Having refined our rudimentary medical skills, we treated them without summoning Dr. Radcliffe. After several measures of cognac, they related their experience.

The two approached Markham's residence with appropriate caution. Finding no movement, they elected to enter through the conservatory rather than wait for the rest of our party. Inside, rotting vegetation emitted a sickening stench, suggesting no human had occupied the house for some time. Rotting food sat upon plates. The interior doors bore deep scratches and embedded fingernails, indicating a desperate struggle.

In the study, they located a map of the British Isles marked with excavation sites pointing toward Gloucester. The master bedroom revealed further horrors: bloodstains and heavy chains secured to the bedframe.

They eventually descended to the cellar. The wooden door had been heavily reinforced and fitted with a massive lock. They bypassed the lock and entered. The chamber was filthy and reeked of decaying flesh. It was here they encountered the mutated remains of Markham's wife.

The combat was swift and desperate. The creature was slow but remarkably powerful. Conventional gunfire proved useless except when directed at the head. After suffering a severe blow to the chest, Phillip fired a desperate shot that struck the creature's skull, apparently neutralizing it.

While searching the room, they discovered a broken, expanded wedding ring, confirming the creature's identity. Before they could withdraw, the mutated woman rose once more, delivering a crushing blow to Nash. They managed a narrow retreat, securing the heavy cellar door just as the beast began battering it from within.

The recovered material

I spent the night analyzing the documents they retrieved. The cult has developed a method to detect the "resonance" of these so-called star stones, though the papers do not specify the required proximity. Furthermore, Holcombe Industries appears to focus its surveys specifically around ancient Roman ruins and early churches.

The wife's diary was particularly tragic. Suffering from a terminal illness, she was subjected to experimental doses of the black fluid by her husband. From a scientific perspective, her advanced mutation suggests she survived the treatments far longer than previous subjects, demonstrating a terrifying level of physical transformation. We also recovered a map marking three specific locations near the River Severn.

A new ally

To counter this growing threat, I resolved to recruit Percy, an archaeologist specializing in Roman antiquities. He is married to my wife's cousin thrice removed, and has previously attended our social gatherings. Unlike my more tedious guests, Percy showed a genuine, albeit skeptical, interest in my accounts of the exotic and unusual.

With the group's consent, I invited him to dinner. I gradually steered our conversation toward the unexplained. Though initially skeptical, a sentiment likely exacerbated by a heavily bandaged and distinctly inebriated Captain Nash, Percy became grave as I related the facts. Recognizing the reality of our situation, he formally joined our enterprise.

Return to the Markham Residence

We returned to the Markham house as a complete group, heavily armed to deal with the captive creature. The cellar door had held, though the beast struck the frame with terrifying force when we approached.

During our search, Reggie discovered a concealed entrance leading to a small study. Within, we found a collection of esoteric volumes, papers, and a pentagram inscribed upon the floor. We secured the documents and withdrew, leaving the creature to its confinement.

Among the papers was a letter to Markham from an unnamed Warden, dated May 3rd, 1883. It warned Markham against acting independently and explicitly commanded that any discovered star stones must not be disturbed. Touching them apparently initiates a countdown that risks awakening the "Sleeper" prematurely.

We also recovered a volume entitled Nameless Cults by Friedrich von Junzt, which contains detailed accounts of various esoteric organizations. We shall study this text closely as we plan our next move.

What we learned part I - The Confessions of the Mad Monk Clithanus

As I dived deeper into the writings of Clithanus, the urge to abandon all other work and just read, read into the night grows ever stronger. It is obvious that the book contains information that is highly relevant to our current circumstances, and that no one but me is able to piece it all together. The others simply do not have the context I have, having already spent a majority of nights poring over the maddingly cryptic text. 

There is little doubt in my mind that Clithanus' moniker is well-earned. The book starts innocently enough, but - like the journals of the men involved in the modern conspiracy - grows ever more unhinged and disconnected. That does not mean the writings are free from knowledge. Far from it. I am convinced the book will supply existential knowledge, both for our current case and about the larger universe. It just requires diligently separating fact from fiction. An admittedly complex task given the material at hand and my lack of anything resembling a frame of reference to sanity check my findings...Though I suspect our current experiences and other written materials we find will help. In either case. 

The monk talks about ancient stairs, far older than the Romans, below a church, and the smells of the sea. A hall, with openings ringing with the sounds of the distant surf. A longing to go forwards competing with fear. Twisting of time. 

He speaks of a presence, outside of normal space and time. He claims he saw cities (I am unsure of whether this was in dreams, a vision or something else) not human beyond foreign stars. Going back, he found a stone both warm and cold. At his touch, he saw further visions of "things no soul can be prepared to know". Together with his bishop, the returned the stone and tried to refuse the Presence (as I have come to call it). 

He dreamed of going even lower, seeing the makers of the place - not human, of course. He claims the "Deep Ways" was not a prison for the Presence - merely a container to delay its remembrance of the world. 

The parallells to the cultists' writings are striking. They too talk of water, sea, ancient tunnels, a Presence, and a hunger...of beings worshipping the Presence. It cannot be coincidence. 

I...do not share the full tale of the book with my companions. I tell myself it is to shield their minds. I tell them there are distinct parallells, and divulge the similarities when it comes to ancient architecture, the sea and talk of a Presence. I do not share the details of the otherworldly city, the description of a hole in reality or of the Presence merely slumbering. I do not fully believe all these things - for was Clithanus not truly mad? And yet...the similarities with the other men's writings cannot be a coincidence. I find myself carrying a cross for the first time in ages, gripping it so tight at times that my skin is pricked and blood wells out. 

What we learned part II - My dreams, by Edwin Markham

In his first dream, Markham seems to find himself in a hall similar to the one described by Clithanus. Impossibly smooth stone. Walls that tremble to the touch. And something pressing back when he touched it. 

In his second dream, it almost seems like he dreamt of Clithanus and his bishop sealing the entrance below their chuch. The description is eerily similar. 

In his third dream, he dreams of "the stone". I assume it is the same one. Of monks, or priests, trying to keep something hidden, by not acknowledging it. 

Dream four and five speaks of longing, and not being able to speak and acknowledge that which he seeks. Very abstract. 

Dream six and seven speaks of arriving at the place, seeing nothing, feeling something as he turned away. Of something being revealed. All very metaphysical - "there was no before", "nothing was revealed in the absence". 

Definitely connected with Clithanus' book (which I have yet to finish). He seems to have connected either with the Presence or something related to it - perhaps the beings that pray to It? This is based on Nash's readings, so I do not fully trust his ability to relate to such abstract writings. He does not lack the intellect (I think), merely the training in interpreting such literature. 

What we learned part III - the Black Testament of Edwin Markham

Even more metaphysical. No paths, but he has walked them all. Here, but nothing is here. Talk yet again of a Choir (I think Clithanus will cover this later in the book). He has recognized...something. 

He speaks of the stone. Evidently, it was never hidden, taken or buried. It always was (WHERE?!?). 

He thinks "the robed men" (Clithanus?) tried to close something, not understanding that they lost something profound in doing so. They refuse to acknowledge, and use prayer to help themselves. He seems to speak of a need for surrender, to give in, to not seek, to not try to separate onself from...something (the Presence?). Distinction. 

The stone seems to both be a physical object and perhaps not. The consequences of coming into contact with it seem dire - you will lose yourself entirely. Perhaps not physically (after all, we both met and killed Edwin Markham) - but more so spiritually and mentally. 

This is most definitely the star stone which the Order seeks. I believe our best path is to deny them this stone, rather than confront them directly. We will hinder their grand goal, which will awaken the Presence or the Dreamer, either through folly or through sheer insanity. The consequences, if we are to believe them true, will be dire for both London and perhaps the world. 

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