This Encyclopædia documents some of the key colleagues, acquaintances, species and artefacts within the collection. It is by no means complete and is regularly updated.
Thomas Merrylin
1782 – 1942
Thomas Theodore Merrylin was born in 1782 in Hellingshire, Northern England. He was the son of a rich aristocrat and biologist, Edward Merrylin, and would eventually follow in his fathers footsteps of fringe naturalism. His mother had died in childbirth and he was raised by his dutiful father, until Edwards death at the age of 76. Thomas would become introverted and spend the majority of his life in seclusion, traveling extensively to collect bizarre specimens of species that were yet to be cataloged by reputable zoologists and naturalists. Amongst various anomalies attributed to his life, the most peculiar is his lifespan. At aged 80, he still resembled a 40 year old man, this being remarked upon perhaps more than his incredible collection when he eventually took his specimens on a tour of the americas. This brief foray into the press garnered much attention, his collection was condemned as a fraud and his life put under intense scrutiny. Yet it is noteworthy that whilst attending a few scientific functions he befriended eminent mathematicians and biologists who were fascinated by his knowledge of fringe physics and chemistry, and was also encouraged to release a paper of theories pertaining to the possibility of time travel. A brief accusation of theft from a fellow collector of the odd saw a public feud, where the impetuous spoilt child in Merrylin was brought forth. Any respect gathered from the public was quickly lost. He disappeared back into obscurity. He was presumed dead around the turn of the century, until in 1942 a man purporting to be Merrylin donated a building to a London Orphanage with the proviso that the basement never be unsealed. The man could be no older than 45, so was presumed to be a relative of Thomas. After this event, he was never heard of again.
In 2006, the basement was uncovered during a planned demolition of the building. Within, hundreds of large crates, filled with thousands of specimens, artifacts and diaries were found. It was dubbed the Merrylin Cryptid Collection, its mere existence would challenge the established scientific community if proven authentic.
Within his rather thoroughly detailed diaries, Thomas makes allusions to a number of esoteric ideologies concerning quantum mechanics, theories that were yet to be established at the time they were written. His knowledge of physics, and discoveries of artifacts that challenged historical accounts added to the enigma of his life, and his collection. It is also notable that he mentions an artifact called the Alabast, which could be attributed to his unusually long life.
Symbiotic Hominids
Of the hominid species that evolved alongside the lineage of Homo Sapien, few survived for long. As the migrations of proto humans moved into the Middle East and Europe, the indigenous populations were raped, murdered and eaten to extinction, alongside hundreds of mammalian species. Yet despite this, two groups of nocturnal hominid known as Homo Lupus and Homo Vampyrus did survive. They appeared to stem from the lineage of Australopithecus, our shared ancestor, perhaps most likely, Neanderthal, a hominid cousin which co existed for a short time with Homo Erectus. As the swathes of humans began to envelope the continent, most Neanderthal were wiped out, yet it appears that at some point a group encountered a symbiotic virus. This virus may have originated in another species of mammal or indeed in the water supply. Either way, the effect was remarkable. It did not kill the host, yet developed two distinct sub groups of hominid, perhaps those infected separated into tribes that no longer interacted, but the virus instigated changes at a genetic level, unique to each party. What was identical in both groups were the development of anatomical traits equipped to feed the viruses constant dependency on iron and protein – this “thirst” the only negative aspect of the infection. Over the next 150,000 years, the virus wove itself into the very essence of each species, thus distinct sub species grew. Both appeared to have thrived. Like their human counterparts, during the ice ages they hunted, and their diets were predominantly meat. Homo Lupus were nomadic, yet for a time settled in Mesopotamia, and are directly responsible for the birth of agriculture, whilst Homo Vampyrus traveled east to what would become Mongolia, where they became subterranean. Both species developed culture quickly, surpassing humans yet remaining somewhat secretive. Homo Lupus was hunted to near extinction by warring human parties wishing to settle in the Middle east. Their nomadic lifestyle took them north, where pockets survived. Vampyrus, closed off from the threat of humans within the Altai Mountains, flourished, and became the most successful civilization on earth.
Edward Harrell
Behavioral biologist and amateur archaeologist, American Edward Harrell traveled to the Middle East to excavate ruins in what was Mesopotamia, searching for the roots of agriculture. What he found there was evidence of a far older civilization, which appeared to be a form of early Hominid unlike that of man. Obsessed with understanding how and when this culture disappeared from the face of the Earth, he tracked folklore and legend, piecing together evidence that members of this species may have indeed survived. With firsthand accounts from eye witnesses and shreds of physical evidence, he began to focus his efforts on tracking this illusive creature, eventually discovering a small colony in the forests of Scandinavia. The species was dubbed Homo Lupus, due to its physical similarities to the common wolf. It shared no biological traits with this species, yet the presence of an elongated snout, full body hair, large ears and sizeable claws gave rise to the werewolf of myth and legend. In truth, Homo lupus is a secretive, nomadic mammal which distances itself from human populations.
Harrell eventually caught and dissected a number of specimens and discovered that the creature carried a transferable pathogen in its saliva, which could infect other hominid species, inserting genetic traits into the DNA of the host. The virus would adapt the victim to suit its needs, yet at great cost. Most died from infection, or eventually became Homo Lupus. The virus was named the Lupus strain, and the condition Lycanthropy. Edward was attacked in the year 1820 by a male Lycanthrope, and infected himself. He would spend the next three years trying to source a cure. This event had a profound effect on his life, choosing to adopt a much more ethical approach to his studies. He met Thomas Merrylin in 1830 at the University on Gower street.
Emily Anne Merrylin
Thomas’s sister, who lived to the age of 19 and vanished, from the earth and all recorded history on the day his father, Edward Merrylin also died. We are beginning to piece together the signficance of Emily, and her role in the collection. We believe that Merrylins research, the entire menagerie of Monsters and unknown science could simply be the bi-product of some desperate attempt to find Emily. Emily was a quiet, charming girl, with a great fondness for art. She was a skilled oil painter, one of her paintings hung in Thomas’s study for his entire life. The circumstances of her death are unknown.
Species: Homo Vampyrus, The Vampyr
The Vampyr is an offshoot of Australopithecus, along with the Lycanthrope, Homo Lupus became symbiotic hominids – both carry transferable Immuno-efficiency pathogens – viruses abundant in the blood and saliva that can be transferred to human and non human hosts, where these unique genetic traits are inserted into the DNA of the infected, taking on the characteristics of each species. Homo Vampyrus is a nocturnal hominid with a huge dependency on iron and protein. Their anatomy is highly adapted; their bones are flexible and incredibly light, rather like a bird, allowing them to move with great agility. They have a pair of retractable cuspids in the upper mandible which descend when the mouth is flexed open, these carry an anti coagulant that allow the species to feed freely. When feeding, Vampyr will eat all major organs for sustenance. Blood is predominantly water source. Their culture did develop many alternative forms of nourishment to quell their bodies need for a constant source of iron and protein. Their bodies are susceptible to light exposure due to a nocturnal lifestyle, but myth has painted a rather extreme image of their achilles heel. In reality, the Vampyr are almost immortal. Their cells constantly rejuvenate and DNA does not degrade like that of a human. Some Vampyr are thought to be up to 40,000 years old, with positive mutations and adaptation within a lifetime. This fascinating result of the symbiotic relationship with the Vampyrus strain was of great interest to many evolutionary biologists. Their cultural practices and the ascent of their civilization are similarly remarkable. See City of Thenis
Ernesto Sabatella
in the 1890′s, Ernesto Sabatella, a priest turned revolutionary biologist created a substance known as the Esheridadae compound. He used this in his experiments on skin grafting, and found that it removed the common problem of rejection. His research garnered a great deal of interest from the scientific community, yet his peers within the catholic church were not so impressed, and he was soon excommunicated. He took this very personally and it has been suggested that his research only began to veer towards fringe science with the advent of his dismissal. His work focused on the cross breeding and bonding of different species, with particular focus on discovering the essence of life, the illusive signature of god.
During the early 20th century he was drawn to the work of English biologist Thaddeus Belacleese, whose own nefarious work had earned him a death sentence. Ernesto traveled to England and recovered the body of Belacleese, using his own techniques to bring him back to life. They found a kindred spirit in each other and traveled to Europe, manufacturing cures for common diseases and selling the patents to fund their obsessions, eventually catching the attention of Grigori Rasputin. He employed their macabre abilities to make him impervious to death. A man hellbent on controlling the Russian establishment, Rasputin soon garnered the scorn of the Tzars cousin. Knowing that his life was in danger, he pursued the duo, after learning of their abilities to control and reignite life. They were successful and Rasputin walked away from stabbings, gun shot wounds and drownings. They would continue to work together for many years, until Ernesto perfected his procedures. This lead him to establish a self governed island in the Adriatic sea, where he continued his vile experiments. It is thought that he eventually died at the hands of one of his creations.
The Cleric Abramo
Around 1836, a cleric by the name of Abramo was called to perform an exorcism in the small town of Selia, 50 miles outside Rome. Here he was confronted with a child that displayed no supernatural affliction, besides heavy wounds to her neck and stomach. She soon became Vampyr – the product of a highly adapted immuno efficiency virus that had evolved a simbiotic relationship with an offshoot of early man. Adapted bone structure created the perfect hunter, but also immortality through spontaneous cell regeneration allowed a unique opportunity for a race of great thinkers to gain a wealth of knowledge like no other.
The Vampyr nation built the city of Thenis within a hollowed mountain in Mongolia around 40,000 BCE. Abramo lived and studied here for many years, becoming a loyal patron. He was charged with the challenge of hunting down blood thieves, those of the Vampyr race who left the city in search for human victims. Abramo traveled with a number of other hunters, both human and Hemophage, to hunt and kill these feral creatures.
Francis Gerber
Francis Gerber was a Swiss Physician, acclaimed for his writings on anatomical similarities between the great apes and Humans, he was often heralded as a prominent advocate for the idea that would become evolution by natural selection. His private interests were the study of what he called “The nocturnal hominid” – better known as the Vampyr. His research cases were perhaps the precursor to the work of Abramo, who incorporated a great deal of Gerber’s work into his own fanatical research. His most interesting findings were in relation to infection of Homo sapiens with the Hemophage virus, and the growth of “parasitic organs” found naturally occurring in natural born Vampyr. He was also one of the first great thinkers in the field to consent to infection and thus virtual immortality.
Species: Draco Alatus
Carrying the membranous winged attributes of the pterasaur with a theropod hipped pelvis, The huge carnivorous species Draco alatus, along with the dinosaurs which would eventually evolve into birds, managed to survive the mass extinction and thrived in the 65 million years before man could become the force it is today. Draco alatus was one of a small subgroup of theropoda which carried a unique self igniting glandular secretion. In the throat were four glands containing an enzyme, when sprayed from the mouth, reacted with oxygen and ignited. According to the little research that is known, these bizarre pyrotechnics are unique to this species, and were used in courting and mating rituals. Many preserved dragon skins carry thick burn scars on their flanks, which clotted and healed in various bizarre patterns, not unlike keloid scarring in some human practices.Their skin is like that of a rhino, yet accented with tough scale like plates along the spine. Their wing span at adult size was around 80 feet. Their society was female dominated, males being surprisingly smaller than the females. They are completely featherless, unlike most of their saurian cousins. The Merrylin Cryptid Collection added the head of a juvenile male draco in 1876, after tracking down a remote group of buddhist monks living in Gurkha Himal, Nepal. They were entirely cut off from civilisation and practiced a form of buddhism known as “agni” (Sanskrit for fire). To the surprise of the explorers, the monks revealed a large flock of Draco alatus living on the south side of a large mountain range. Dressed in coloured fabrics and bridles, the dragons seemed almost domesticated.
Thaddeus Belacleese
Chief physician to the Queen of England, Thaddeus Belacleese had once been a respected biologist and Professor of Anthropology. It was a chance encounter with the field of Esoterics, and Eastern mysticism that turned him to a more dubious line of research. Incorporating his fascination with the study of electricity, he began to purposefully take the lives of animals and insert electrodes into their cooling flesh, hoping to reignite that spark. He would spend many years perfecting his research, adopting the chakra, the neffen complex and far older principles into his work, with a view to finally give life to the dead. He eventually succeeded, and thus began his bizarre quasi murderous experiments, kidnapping the homeless and destitute, taking and then giving back life. No longer could he maintain that revered venire, his mind focused on this single goal. He was eventually arrested and hanged. But this was not the end of his journey. Please see Ernesto Sabatella.
Species: Homo Gluttiens
The Wraith virus is a mutated version of the Vampyrus strain, its origins are unknown. The most obvious differences are the way the virus spreads and the effect on the host. Vampyrism, along with Lycanthropy are Immuno-efficient pathogens, forming lifelong symbiotic relationships with the host, aiding the infected. The Wraith strain is an aggressive life ending pathogen, burning through the host like wild fire. The most infamous case of a Wraith outbreak was in New York City, turning the dockland slums into a hot bed of infection. Humans and animals alike were infected, turning healthy humans into ravenous monsters, whose infection drove them to consume flesh in any form. The Wraith virus causes cells to rejuvenate constantly, and this huge expense of energy weakens the host. This triggers an unstoppable urge to feed, burning through calories at an exponential rate. Wraiths that cannot locate a food source will begin to deteriorate, yet the hunger does not. The result is a creature that resembles the walking dead, like that of the zombi myth of Haiti.
According to Vampyr lore, the Wraith were used as guard dogs at the gates of the city of Thenis. Around 1080 AD, The Vampyr nations were divided, and the warlord Vampyr Aret stormed the mountain city. It was the Wraith that reduced his ranks to slathering monsters, feeding upon each other until nothing was left.
Ahmad Kassat
Theoretical Physicist, who in the 1950′s stumbled upon the research of Herbert Henrich and Robert Emille, German scientists living in England at the turn of the century. Their work was a mix of hard science and north African superstition, pertaining to the existence of an ancient structure hidden in the Sahara desert. He would spend many months searching for this illusive shrine, ending in defeat. Upon his return to Syria, he received an unmarked letter, within coordinates to a site in Cairo, Egypt. Here he discovered a series of 500 million year old artifacts, black granite like cuboids that emitted strong electro magnetic fields and a form of radiation that appeared to effect organic tissue. He published two papers on the items, dubbed the Kassat Objects, which garnered interest from the Syrian Government. All but one of the objects was stolen, yet he managed to secure one, which he continued to study. According to his notes he finally managed to remove a slither of rock from the seemingly impervious surface. beneath which was a brilliant white light. In this moment a man appeared before him, purporting to be the long dead german scientist Herbert Henrich, offering an explanation of Kassats discovery. This piece was added to the collection after Merrylins death. Another mystery.
Doris. S. Gerbeltod
Descendent of Francis Gerber, and daughter of a wealthy medical supplies manufacturer, specialising in adhesive plasters. Doris grew up in relative luxury, yet her self imposed solitude through adolescence worried her parents, so much so that she was sent to boarding school so that she would “learn to appreciate the goodness of others”. Doris used her time accordingly, finding friendship in the books and newspapers that lined the shelves of the library at Universität Zürich. Here she pored over arcane texts forgotten by even the librarians themselves. A partial volume of the Unaussprechlichen Kulten lead her to build a wealth of knowledge pertaining to Non-Euclidean Geometry, ideas in the fourth realm, and sight beyond sight – the “Unbekannt Mathematik”. She loved art, especially uncovering fraud and plagiarism, yet her keen eye for hidden ideograms and cultist symbols within the works of the great masters, gained her infamy, once those works were burned. It was often said that it was perhaps best if she didn’t divulge such truths as some truths are best left unknown. After graduating in biology and botany, she spent a number of years studying at Technikum Winterthur, she proposed that one day humanity would no longer need physical contact with one another, and even drew up schematics for a device that would allow the use of photography, the moving image and complex systems that incorporated aspects of the difference engine by Charles Babbage, to negate actual conversation. Her contribution to the Merrylin Collection is noted, and amongst the correspondence between Thomas and Doris there are letters that could be described as romantic, which would be the only time Thomas appears remotely capable of affection for another.
Hemophage
See Homo Vampyrus; The vampyr.
Professor Challenger
A stubborn yet incredibly bright explorer of the jungles of Africa and South America. Responsible for the discovery of the Amazonian Plateau and the temporal anomaly that resides there.
Kathleen Meredith
Established the Royal Society for the protection of Prehistoric species after the discovery and exploitation of the Amazonian Plateau, a raised Landmass which sported a temporal anomaly – allowing sporadic populations of species to migrate from various past eras. These species would either flourish or perish. The eminent explorer Professor Challenger discovered this curious continent whilst on expedition in Brazil.
Its discovery was fraught with problems, almost as soon as it had been discovered, a black market for the capture and export of species from the plateau began, with many animals suffering terribly as they were hauled across america in zoos and circuses. Kathleen Meredith gatecrashed the zoological research forum and demanded that the animals be offered some form of protection – the catalyst for this being the unfortunate corpse of an infant triceratops. Thankfully this spurred an immediate response and the formation of the RSPPS
Pnakotic manuscripts
The Pnakotic Manuscripts predate human civlization. The original manuscripts were penned at the city of Pnakotus, the library of the Yith. Originally a series of scrolls, they chronicle the ascent of Yithian culture, but soon became the source of many forgotten ideology and information pertaining to the old ones, a series of omnipresent extra terrestrial deities.
Aleksey Zhukovsky
Paleontologist at the Royal institute for Paleontological research, circa 1912. Paid a handsome fee for a perfectly preserved example of the species ornithosaurus – a bipedal carnivorous dinosaur with proto-feathers. Believed to have been perfectly preserved in salt deposits in Mongolia, and then later proven to be one of many living specimens taken from the Plateau.
The Holy Order
A group of ex Union soldiers, intrigued doctors and paid assassins brought together by the Cleric Abramo with the objective of eradicating the Wraith (Homo Gluttiens) threat on the East coast of the United States. The name coined by Abramo in jest, considering the less than moral leaning of most involved in the troupe, this ragtag team followed the path of the virus north. By now the President Ulysses S. Grant was made aware of this situation, a further blow to the fragile economy caused by nefarious individuals trying to corner the gold market. On the 24th september these two threats converged, as the Wraith plague reached Washington, carving a stained shadow over the poor and destitute. This day became known as Black Friday, as swathes of Wraith fed upon the weak.
John Cornwall
Rich land owner and rival collector to Merrylin. His fascination with cryptozoology began with the discovery of a subterranean village on his land. Merrylin and Cornwall had a public feud over an accusation that Merrylin had stolen the mummy of a vampyr child from Cornwalls property after loosing an auction earlier that same year. Merrylin lost a lot of credibility in his infantile behavior during the police investigation.
The Esheridadae compound
The word derived from a medieval tale of a Chimera like beast, the Esheridadae elixir is a potent anti rejection drug which appears to alter and drastically improve the bodies ability to bond with alien tissue on a cellular level. Some have questioned the validity of this drug considering no examples of it exist today. Created by shunned biologist Ernesto Sabatella.
Jack the Ripper
With recent discoveries within the collection we can now ascertain that at some point, in one specific time line, Merrylin not only apprehended, but killed the man responsible for the Whitechapel murders of 1888. A man whose own identity will always remain a mystery, the little we can gather, he was not any of the suspects both then and now – a man whose insatiable desires drove him to the most insidious and despicable crimes. Yet, Merrylins involvement with this man goes beyond this, and calls into question many fascinating and foreboding truths – a man given the power of a god, with a goal so unobtainable, what lengths would he go to and what does one do when the very idea of oneself is lost to time. We now understand the possible climax of Merrylins life was to become an apparition of his former self, and dwell in the bodies of those who stirred some memory of his former life, one of which was the ripper, acting out the crimes like some sordid pantomime. Thankfully, young Merrylin severed the chance of this event to ever come to pass, yet whether this monstrous nemesis still exists is unknown.
Henry O’malley
Theoretical physicist commissioned by the British government to fashion a series of huge electro magnetic batteries that would render electrical current impotent. Fears that super weapons would be developed in the wake of technological advancement, the Triplets – three huge triangulated devices – were housed in a secret facility in London, where various experiments were initiated. During some routine calibration, the triplets malfunctioned causing a spacial anomaly to form around O’malley. He was torn from our reality, reappearing in Oxford circus moments later. He had somehow moved through a series of extra dimensional realities, glimpsing realms never before seen. After a brief stint in an asylum, he fled London to seek out the academic works of one Charles Dodgson, a mathematician, theologian and author of a series of books, the contents of which were remarkably similar to the frightful images Henry had witnessed during his ordeal.
The Old ones
The universe we inhabit is but one facet of the greater realm, the multiverse, older than our ability to comprehend time, within it and outside it, entities have existed, grown old and died, grown old and died and never ceased, writhing in the cornea of collapsed stars, built of the amniotic slick of nebula. They are cacophonous monstrosities, speaking in gargled tones beyond the breach. But their influence upon us, upon all life is undeniable. They are the voices in the dark, The maddening silence. Azathoth, the nebulous wretch is the godhead, and his many sisters and brothers wriggle in the cosmic muck below him. They taunt and tease us and offer false hope. They want for nothing but blind obedience, and yet they are entirely indifferent to our cries.
Species: Homomimus Aquaticus
Icthyosapien, also known as Homomimus Aquaticus, the only known species of aquatic hominid. These human mimics are found at the equator, most frequently spotted around the island of Ponape. They are linked to the ancient mythology of the Deep ones, often mentioned in nefarious almanacs such as the Unaussprechlichen Kulten. In many respects these similarities are warranted, Homomimus are indeed amazing human mimics, and can disguise their fish like appendages and horrific complexions with bizarre skins sheaths which can retract along cartilage ridges. A particularly specialized species.
Books ( or scrolls ) of Scara
Written by the Prophet Kalmaridif on discovery of the shrine in Northern Africa, they describe communication with three “intelligences” which dictated to him various supernatural ideologies that would form the basis of the Helventine ideology.
The Order of Crasc
The order of Crasc is a primitivist movement of Vampyr who fled the city of Thenis during the transtition of power to the House of Demeclev in 1080 AD. Crasc considered themselves the true Vampyr, pure bloods who never surrendered their right to feed from human blood. In the preceding 2000 years, The four houses who had ruled had slowly but surely removed their dependency on human blood and found other sources of nutrients. They also had a huge city born population of humans who regarded them as mystic teachers, and gave their blood willingly to the Vampyr. The Crasc separated themselves from Thenis and went on a killing spree across eastern Europe, forging the demonic image of the Vampyr within human culture. The spread of the hemophage virus became rife and parties of soldiers loyal to the House of Demeclev left the city to hunt down the feral Crasc. Many were slaughtered but eventually brought under control. The Crasc, headed by the warlord Aret, fled from Europe and would mount attacks upon Thenis every few hundred years in an attempt to show opposition to the ruling class.
Grigori Rasputin
A cunning Russian transient who befriended the aristrocracy in the early 20th century, Grigori Rasputin wielded not only a silver tongue but also a great wealth of knowledge pertaining to the art of quantum coaxing. Far older than he appeared,Rasputin had learned from a conclave of Tarabestant monks the art of word weaving – The Cathen Howen, the ability to physical effect space time on a quantum level. This ability requires such a feat of concentration and cerebral prowess that few can achieve what Rasputin eventually accomplished. With this tool he sought out the men who would allow him to survive the oncoming murder attempt by those within the russian royalty to knew he was up to no good. He turned to Ernesto Sabatella and Thaddeus Belacleese who together made him impervious to death. He was eventually drugged, shot and stabbed and thrown into a freezing river, buried for a great many months, and then dug up and burnt after the revolution, yet he still survived, the flames imbuing his dormant cells with the energy they needed. It is unknown what happened to him after these events, yet perhaps the collection will yield further information pertaining to this enigmatic man.
Silent flood / Black Friday
Terms used to describe the spread of the wraith virus within the US. See Homo Gluttiens.
The Alabast
Little is known about this object, apart from some passing references in Merrylins own diaries and the diary of Robert Emille. The item is described as being ” shaped rather like a rams horn yet consisting of glass or ice. Observing the object, one can see fluid movement upon its solid surface. The object emits light and sound that could be described as organic in origin.” The Alabast is perhaps the most intriguing item within the collection. It has not been seen in over 70 years and no sign of it yet within the collection, although there are many crates yet to be opened. Emille writes of an encounter with a man purporting to be the son of Edward Merrylin (Thomas’s father). He visited Emille and Henrich at the culmination of their research on the Black cuboids, after hours of exchanging conjecture on the origins of these bizarre objects, Merrylin asked an odd question ” Have the cuboids spoken to you?” with this the cousins barraged Thomas with ideas on the almost supernatural qualities of the cuboids, and eventually Merrylin relented and explained his reasons for visiting them. He showed them the alabast, which he carried with him, and explained that his father had sought it for many years, after finding reference to it in the book of Scara. The myth surrounding the artifact was that the bearer would be imbued with longer life, but at a great cost. His father has used the item upon news of his diagnoses of fatal heart disease. The cousins asked what the price was for this longer life, Merrylin said with solemnity “the life of my sister”. No more was written of the conversation besides a simple pencil drawing of the Alabast by Emille, and the words “The alabast is a sentient artifact.”
City of Thenis, Houses of Thenis
Pronounced “Thee-nis” the stronghold city of the Vampyr nation. Built within the Altai Mountain range of Mongolia in 40,000 BCE by the burgeoning population of nocturnal hominids. The simple cave systems that allowed the Vampyr to survive the movements of the war hungry humans who carved a path of destruction through Europe were extended and eventually the entire internal cavity of the mountain was carved out – a 2 mile wide subterranean citadel, a mile deep and home to thousands of Hemophage. The central spire, a beautiful bone white structure was carved from the quartz rich stone and became the library. Thenis became a place of learning and over the millenia accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge, their technology far surpassing that of humans, yet never loosing the beautiful aesthetic of Vampyr sculpture and art. Some vampyr lived for thousands of years and became almost living statues. Four in particular; the heads of the four houses of Thenis – Demeclev, Dervolt, Aret and Mignus. All but one were progressive in their views on the hunting of humans, The house of Aret holding particularly strong ideology on the rights of Vampyr to feed on human blood. Wars were fought over this and eventually the House of Aret were driven out after an assassination attempt of Dervolt during his 3000 year reign.
In the 19th century, a select group of humans, including the cleric Abramo were invited to study at the libraries of Thenis. This saw the creation of the first successful treaty between human and Vampyr culture.
Augustine Sera
1265 – 1280
A Helventine pilgrim monk of the order of Tarabestant, a pre abrahamic religious movement centred around worship of a series of stone structures and artifacts in northern africa. According to the scrawled words on parchment found 650 years later, he fasted for many days and walked across the Sahara desert in search of the birthplace of his religion. He found a huge stone edifice at the apex of a gully. 500 feet up a zig zagging stair case cut into the rock, within a huge spiral opening, were a series of dark rooms, all leading off from a central circular hall. placed equidistant from each other within this room were bizarre geometric structures, each housing a cuboid object. The Monk recorded that he had an epiphany, or psychological episode, where he felt the rooms transform before his eyes. He died here, leaving his final words on parchment tucked into the mouth of one of the stone cubes.
Species: The Succubi
The exact nature of this species is unknown, the little research that exists is based around the studies of taken by the Cleric Abramo who excavated a hive in Texas in the late 19th century.
Conclusions are that the species is perhaps extra terrestrial in origin although has existed on earth for millions of years. The Anthropoid form may simply be a coincidence and bares no genetic qualities with any terrestrial hominid.
Succubi are bipedal creatures that grow to a maximum height of around 1 metre. They form massive subterranean hives made of a coagulate they secrete from their mouths. They hibernate for literally millions of years, and they do this by inducing a state of prolonged hibernation – activity in the cells dwindles to almost nothing, their skin forms a protective sheath and they huddle in tightly packed groups which gel together. Their reasons are only just becoming clear but it has been suggested that the succubi may be far older than anyone could imagine, and their physical forms are simply the vestiges of what they once were – they now exist in a shared consciousness, a blissful higher plane where they go when they are asleep, and their matriarch, known as “the great receiver” perhaps the most highly evolved of this bizarre species, links every mind together. They only ever awaken through a natural ebb and flow of their comatose state, and when they do, they feed, filling huge bellows-like cavities in their stomachs and backs that convert nutrients into forms of sugar. This is the only sustenance they have for millenia. Their bodies have huge adrenal glands which power their waking moments and “first flight” for food. If they do not feed within a few hours they die. This is the only instance that a specimen of the creature has been found.
The mythology surrounding the depth of knowledge within this collective hive is well known in Vampyr lore. The two species have encountered one another once or twice, the most prominent of which was the meeting of minds by the ancient Vampyr Gholu and the matriarch of the Succubi. In this he saw the mind of something beyond comprehension, a species above the highest echelons of understanding, which terrified him – but beyond this was the fear that one they would awaken again, and wipe life from the surface of the earth.
Lord Edward Merrylin
Father of Thomas Merrylin, Lord of Hellingshire. Fringe naturalist and aristocrat, Edwards life is the classic tale of a boy born into great wealth. After many years in the Military as a high ranking officer, he turned his attention to zoology. It was during his travels in the middle east that he paid handsomely for a copy of the book of Scara, a sacred text worshipped by the Helventine monks. He was a heavy drinker and suffered various illnesses due to this, and after being diagnosed with the hallmarks of impending heart disease, his mortality became of particular importance to him. He read the teachings of Kalmaridif and the Priory of Ele and began to seek out an object described in the scara. Known as the Alabast, it apparently had the ability to give extended life, but at a great cost. He spent 15 years looking for it, his own drive to succeed in this pursuit perhaps literally extending his life. He eventually found the object, the location is not recorded. He died at aged 76 from a heart attack in his home, a year later. Thomas was 20 at the time.
The prophet Kalmaridif
650 BCE
A man of middle eastern origin, allegedly 10,000 years old. According to the Books of Scara, encountered three non corporeal entities who wished to sway the will of man. Gave him the ability known as the Cathen Howen (the process of affecting physical laws with words) and told him to take “the truth” to the tribes of man. His story directly influenced the birth of Abrahamic religion, alongside the mythrasian religion, egyptian and far eastern principles. He bore one son, at aged 9508, Jeshuah.
Agni Monks
A small enclave of Buddhist monks residing in the Nepalese mountains near Ghurka Himal. “agni” is literally sanskrit for Fire. Worship the saurian Draco Alatus, an extremely rare species of winged theropod that survived the KT extinction and are the source of the Dragon myth. These domesticated animals are fed on flocks of cattle that are tended to by the Monks. They are incredibly secretive, perhaps aware of how these majestic creatures could be exploited.
William Dyer
Archaeologist and explorer for the Miskatonic University of Massachusetts. One of the few survivors of the ill-fated initial expedition to Antarctica to find evidence of pre cambrian fossils, in the process found the remains of an ancient extra terrestrial city hidden beyond the tallest mountain range ever witnessed on earth. Here his men found a phantasmagoria of pre human civilization culture, and the foreboding tale of a slave race that overthrew their masters and murdered the entire species. Dyer spoke of finding these horrific creatures still alive in the tunnels below the city which murdered all but him and a fellow explorer. He pleaded on live radio broadcasts for no further expeditions to take place, yet his words fell on deaf ears. A second party left a few years later and suffered a similar fate.
Cathen Howen
Also known as the reformation of the weaving way – the Cathen Howen – the rule of words.
The weaving way was the root of the chakra, it was the basis of abrahamic rites, the hidden runes of china, tibet – the fusing of ancient Scythic, hieroglyph, sanscrit – reshaped and molded to fit the characters of Cyrillic, Glagolitic – written down before the first flame was lit. Fire was forged by its penmanship – in chalk upon dry stone.The weaving was born of non terrestrial origins, bought down by unscrupulous malignant entities masquerading as gods. There were three of them – Alleher, Jayoven and Yewa- They wanted for nothing but to be worshiped. They divided the land amongst them and tempted the innocents to join their flock. These entities promised the world, and gave nothing, and soon grew tired of the people they entranced. They left, leaving behind a legacy of pain, and blind obedience, their doctrine the basis for all forms of Abrahamic religion.
But it was the weaving that was the ultimate gift to mankind. The ability to control exotic matter, energies invisible to the naked eye, and play with them with words – known to some as spells.To cast a spell, you simply spoke the words in order, like mixing chemicals to forge a reaction. This ability was adopted by the Helventine religion, in particular the order of Tarebestant, who used it to protect their dwindling belief from the encroachment of burgeoning abrahamic belief. It became a rite of passage to master the Weaving way, a feat not many could achieve.
Esot; the language of the Vampyr
Esot is one of the oldest known languages on the planet. It is considered as an entirely separate form than any other written or spoken language and is almost impossible to pronounce. It relies on a series of words augmented by clicks and tongue movements that Vampyr orchestrate due to the unique musculature of the lower and upper jaw. The written language is 48 characters, with over 20 “sub characters” which are used to create three dimensional pictograms. The language is read left to right, and also vertically depending on the subject. Mathematics is based around a similar systems of images.
Miskatonic University
The largest and most auspicious university in all of Massachusetts, famed for its department on occult, exo biology and the study of ancient pre human civilization.
Helventine ideology and the Order of Tarabestant
A pre abrahamic religious movement, formed around 9000 BCE. Their beliefs are vague, and have evolved somewhat in the eleven millenia since its inception, yet it appears the foundations lie in the Amour mountain range, in Northern Africa. There are rumoured to be a series of books, known as the Scara which tell of a stone structure buried deep within a vast gully. This structure is of unknown origin and the few attempts to find it have all failed, until cousins Herbert Henrich and Robert Emille happened upon it in 1930, after discovering the diary of a Tarabestant monk named Augustine Sera.
Robert Emille
Physicist Robert Emille, notable papers published on “unseen planes of existence”. worked alongside his cousin Herbert Henrich during the 1930′s after the discovery of an artifact in Northern Egypt. See the Order of a Tarabestant.
Herbert Henrich
Professor of chemistry Herbert Henrich, moved to England in 1912 to study alongside his cousin Robert Emille. Discovered a series of bizarre stone structures in Northern Egypt.
Coil Syndrome
The result of encounters with the Henrich Emille rectangle. coiled holes appear in the flesh, which occupy a different space/time and therefor do not effect the infectees health. Young children and animals appear to suffer greatly though. items can be dropped into the holes which will then disappear. See Henrich Emille cuboids for further information pertaining to the nature of this affliction.
The Henrich Emille cuboids
A series of ancient black granite-like cuboids, found in the ruins of a pre-human structure in Northern Sabha, Africa, by Robert Emille and Herbert Henrich. Made from an unknown exotic mineral. In one side of each cuboid is a coiled hole. by looking into the hole, it is immediately noticeable that the internal space is larger than the outside. It is proposed that the Henrich Emille cuboids exist in more than one plane of reality. After years of research, the cousins hypothesized a number of theories on the nature of the objects and their effect on organic tissue. The theory that seemed to correlate with their many experiments was the idea that the cuboids were a form of shell, formed from the excretement of silicone, built up over millenia by multi dimensional entities dwelling within. They hypothesized that these entities “bred” by releasing unique radioactive silica molecules which digest carbon and excrete silicone. This process helps the development of other multi dimensional entities which “anchor” themselves to our plane of existence by means of coiled maws in organic flesh. Their “bodies” exist in any number of universes, acting rather like sentient miniature black holes. It is believed that many civilizations have worshipped these entities, building shrines to them on Earth, and elsewhere. It is believed that the Prophet Kalmaridif based a portion of his ideology around the structure in Northern Sabha, which could quite possibly have been built by extra terrestrial hands as a temple to these bizarre stone dwelling entities.
The Kassat Object
A four inch long cuboid, made of an unknown exotic material. Discovered by Ahmad Kassat in the 1950′s. Made of the same mineral as the Henrich Emille Cuboids.
Dante Alighieri
In 1307 a political exile by the name of Dante Alighieri wrote a poetic verse of a metaphorical journey into the three domains of the afterlife – known to scholars as the Divine Comedy, Dante’s work was established as an important analysis of the christian mind, a contemplation and interpretation of the metaphysical within the realms of realism.He wrote the poem years after the early death of his lover Beatrice, and his political exile from Florence. He was a gaunt and tired man, punished by his own self loathing yet in an effort of rehabilitation – began to write again. Dante’s mental state was never questioned, despite the passion and fervent use of imagery that shaped our understanding of these posthumous realms.
In 1799, in the town of Ravenna, the place of Dantes death and subsequent burial, a small tremor had shifted the site of an unmarked family mausoleum, the local government had deemed it necessary to reconstruct the ornate marble edifice and workmen were commissioned to sure up the ground. Work began and soon haulted when a hidden vault, built under the tomb itself was unearthed. Within this sealed chamber was found a series of large wooden barrels, fortified with tar. the entrance to the space also sealed accordingly. The gaping hole in the sealing beside this allowed enough light in to establish that the room was for storage.
A group of Italian archeologists were called in to identify the find, among them an english Gentlemen, Charles Guilder. Here they found physical evidence of Dantes descent into the pit – including the fossilized body of a creature that could only be described as a demon. Guilder dismissed this evidence as trickery until much later in his life when he met theoretical physicist Henry O’malley, whose own research into extra dimensions could perhaps shed a little light on the possibility that Dante had indeed stumbled upon the realm that resembled the biblical hell.
The Pathway
The pathway is often invoked in relation to the Helventine religion, whose holy site is believed to be in the Amour mountain range of North Africa. Here a 500 ft tall facia is cut into the rock at the end of a gully. cut into this is a zig zagging stair case leading to a spiral opening. within this is a central room, a huge circular alcove, placed equidistant from one another, a series of stone altars. within each is a small black cuboid. beyond this first room is a corridor. Two explorations of the corridor were carried out, one by Robert Emille and one by Herbert Henrich. It was established that the corridor extended for many many miles, seemingly through the mountains. It was hypothesized by the cousins that the corridor, like the cuboids themselves, had extra dimensional qualities that distorted time space in some way. The Pathway is also the phrase used to describe the fasting and pilgrimage of the prophet Kalmaridif to the holy site.
Species: Homo Lupus
One of the three known surviving offshoots of Australopithecus, Homo Lupus is a simbiotic hominid. It is believed that at some point, Homo Lupus encountered an immuno efficient virus which drastically altered the genetic make up of this species of humanoid. Despite the positive properties of the virus, it consumed a great deal of protein and iron, forcing the host species to be a in constant state of hunger. Over many thousands of years It adapted to a nocturnal carnivorous lifestyle, and a skeletal frame to suit an agile hunter. Acute oratory senses, pronounced snout, stronger jaw muscles and elongated tarsals and metatarsals. Homo Lupus developed agriculture in what would become Mesopotamia, growing crops to feed domesticated cattle. It is believed that war with the burgeoning human population saw a return to a nomadic secretive existence. It is believed they became extinct around the turn of the 20th century, if not reduced to pitiful numbers by the encroachment of man.