Book of Worms
|
No. # 1567
Issued: 28/07/2018 |
Book of Worms  |
fig.1
 |
| Artefact Notes: |
| -Leather book cover -Parchment made of silkworm fibre -High spiritual stature |
Safety Procedures
No safety procedures necessary.
The artefact is to be secured in an MO storage unit, with nullifying charms placed in an unbroken ring around it. Stationed personnel must maintain constant vigilance, as visual and auditory hallucinations will actively attempt to lure, mislead, or coerce them into unlocking the artefact’s containment.
All physical media containing transcriptions or reproductions of MO1567 must be immediately destroyed under supervision. Digital records of the artefact are prohibited in its original Latin form or in any Romance language, including but not limited to Spanish, French, and Italian.
Any individual or staff member who has been exposed to MO1567 without appropriate protection rites or approved religious benedictions must report without delay to the Head Office of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO) for assessment and clearance.
Synopsis
A plain leather-bound notebook reinforced with copper plates. Its design suggests the object was created in the late 18th century. Its parchment, composed of silkworm fibre, contains Latin text encrypted in symbolic prose. The text is accompanied by diagrams of mathematical formulae, ritual schemata, and detailed illustrations of worms. There are 199 pages in the book, with the 200th page seemingly ripped off. Attempts to read MO1567 invariably induce severe discomfort; prolonged reading frequently escalates into panic attacks and suicidal ideation.
Scholars who have briefly examined MO1567’s pages indicate that MO1567 documents an unknown branch of solar thaumaturgy based around the Nihil archetypes. Several sigils reminiscent of the Enochian script1 are inscribed within the manuscript and exhibit no identifiable correlation to any recognised system catalogued in the Codicesia, suggesting the presence of an entirely new branch of thaumaturgy. It is further hypothesised that these symbols were intentionally obscured or encrypted by members of the Visconti Family, who are historically believed to have authored the text for the purpose of safeguarding its content.
Individuals within a 5 m radius of the artefact report short-term memory lapses and blurred vision. Spiritual analysis ranks its metaphysical presence above that of a daemon. Its spiritual "reservoir" is significantly greater than that of a human; thus, prolonged exposure to its vicinity would likely induce psychological harm.
Participants who have studied MO1567 consistently report dreaming of wandering within an autumn field of silver fog. No entities nor revelatory events are reported in these dreams.
CLASSIFIED
 |
Acquisition |
|||
|
To: Codicesia, RCS |
fig.2
HistoryMO1567's creation is attributed to the Visconti family, a wealthy and influential house of Northern Italy, long suspected of having affiliations with a Nihil cult. Over several decades, the Auctoritas Imperata issued multiple warrants to investigate the family, yet each inquiry yielded no evidence sufficient for prosecution. This changed in 1822, when the entire Visconti household was discovered dead following what appeared to be a shared last supper. All twelve members with the exception of the family patriarch had taken their own lives through poison. Eugonio Visconti was found with his head missing while clutching MO1567 on its missing final page. The Auctoritas seized the artefact, but, recognising the potential dangers of its contents, issued a mandate forbidding its opening and consigned it to a sealed archive in the Vatican Library. Despite this precaution, over the following sixty years, numerous Vatican scholars and archivists died by suicide under unexplained circumstances, while many others were discovered wandering around in Northern Italy during autumn, amidst silver fog. A formal inquiry was undertaken with assistance from Monarch Security investigators, ultimately tracing the deaths to prolonged exposure to MO1567. Determining that the artefact could not be safely researched or held within papal custody, the Vatican ordered its transfer to Monarch Security in 1883. MO1567 has since remained under strict confinement within the headquarter of East London Station. CLASSIFIED |
|
|
Analyses No. 1567 01 |
||||
|
To: Codicesia, RCS |
30/07/2017 The Vatican Primacy Congregation has extended Monarch Security aid through St. Luke's Institute,3 and has allocated some funding for MO1567's research.
MO1567 Analysis Report 01Statement of: Marvin Lawrie, Dr. Aesopica
Lawrie: Statement of Marvin Lawrie, that's me, 30th of July, 2017. (Lawrie holds up a stack of paper and shows it to the camera.) Lawrie: As you can see here, we've made two major discoveries this week. We—we… (…) Lawrie: Bloody hell… keeps doin’ that. (Glances at MO1567, then immediately flinches.) (…) Lawrie: Fuck. (Reads the MO1567 but immediately panics from looking at it.) (Lawrie takes a break to recover from the visual hazard of the book.) Lawrie: This is gonna take forever. (Dr. Aesopica enters the room.) Dr. Aesopica: Marvin, use this. (Dr. Aesopica gives Lawrie blue-tinted spectacles and goes on to place two buckets next to him.) Lawrie: What’s this then? One of them Videric things? I can already see spirits with decent amounts of effort, it doesn’t take much— woah (laughs) — holy shit! (Lawrie now looks at the MO1567 without feeling its memetic effect.) Lawrie: Where'd you even get this? Now this is proper gear, that's what! Dr. Aesopica: (Analyses the book with him) Levett from St. Luke's Institute. Gave her a spiritual physiology report, with the grove-metre, she got us this. Lawrie: (Laughing) Cheryl Levett? That the Primacy lass we met? That's mint. How’s it work then? Dr. Aesopica: It directs most of its psychic ailments. So, its memetics move on from your soul to your body. Lawrie: So it makes you sick in the body instead of sick in the head. Dr. Aesopica: That's the plan. Lawrie: Oh so that’s why you have a bucke—(vomits on the bucket.) (Dr Aesopica pulls his bucket closer to himself.) Dr. Aesopica: It works. Lawrie: (Panting, Lawrie drinks water) Bloody brilliant (laughs). We’ll get through this notebook in no time. One page and we’re basically learning a whole new branch of magic. And we only need to chuck up our bowels every few minutes instead of turning ourselves into a Bacchy. (The two researchers begin digitising and transcribing MO1567.) Lawrie: It’ll take a while to translate all of this text, all these made-up symbols and autumn field and silver fog, but look! It’s literally written in the style of the London school of thought instead of the Parisian model! Dr. Aesopica: Don’t write in too much. We don’t know how tainted these texts are; we might accidentally trigger a ritual and call up some hidden existence. Lawrie: Aye, aye. You lot at HMSO are proper joy-killers. Dr. Aesopica: We have to be. Otherwise, the Curse sets in. Lawrie: Look, I’m sure it’s fine if we translate a full page today instead of doing one paragraph a day. Dr. Aesopica: This is serious. Especially around me, you run the risk of being inebriated. Lawrie: Around you? What, you cursed or summat? Dr. Aesopica: … Close. God knows, the Hanover Curse4 might accelerate within you if you dare let me run my mouth on and on. Lawrie: Oooh~ mysterious. Fuck off mate, you're lame. Dr. Aesopica: Whatever. But if the historical account of the Visconti family being Nihil is true, you'd best not regularly interact with Nihilites. Lawrie: (Realisation sets in) Holy fuck. You’re Nihil? Dr. Aesopica: By definition, yes. I used to be a part of the [WITTHELD] cult, but I still hold some of their… let's say "gnostic" beliefs? Lawrie: You don’t look like a Nihilite. Dr. Aesopica: What—What do you expect children of Nihil to look like? Lawrie: Dirty, decrepit, skinny, weird, ugly. Dr. Aesopica: We’re not cavemen! Lawrie: I was just describing you. (Dr. Aesopica groans.) Lawrie: Not my fault you picked the wrong religion, pal. Dr. Aesopica: Says the Evangelical. Lawrie: Pffth— (Both Dr. Aesopica and Lawrie begin laughing.) Dr. Aesopica: Seriously though… we can’t be talking about stuff like this while the record is still on. Lawrie: Oh, right! Anyway. First discovery of the week: this grimoire, this absolute marvel, has a ritual address. Its spiritual magnitude’s so high, you can literally pray to it. And here’s the address— oh, Aesop, better flick the lights on first so we don’t accidentally start the bloody ritual. Dr. Aesopica: Right. (Goes to turn all the lights on.) Lawrie: We’ve not got the full text, but it goes something like: “To the ever-present (something), the unchanging ink writ on top the canvas of (your arm?), the (existence) from beyond the fog that clouds the sun, the Book of Worms. Second big find: we finally know which sun archetype this book’s tied to. Obvious in hindsight. It’s the Worm-Sun: Moth-that-was.5 (A distant light flickers on and off erratically) Dr. Aesopica: That better be an electric malfunction. Lawrie: Did some of the ritual leak through? Dr. Aesopica: The grove-metre detected a bit of ley resonance, but it should be fine. Worst case scenario, this thing can mask its own spirituality to hide from us thaumaturges. Lawrie: This book is fucked up. (…) Lawrie: Hey, Aesop. Dr. Aesopica: Yeah? Lawrie: Don't kill yourself. Dr. Aesopica: I… wasn’t planning to? Subject: the Visconti Artefact4 August, 2017 3:24 PM  Cheryl Levett How's the spectacles I got you guys? Took some convincing from St. Luke's to hand the model over to you guys, but this artefact has been a huge pain in the ass to the Primacy for so long, I bet they see you guys studying and understanding it as a sort of revenge. Replied: 4 August, 2017, 3:27 PM  Aesopica It works. Thank you. Replied: 4 August, 2017, 3:41 PM  Marvin Lawrie Stomach's been acting bloody awful, but it's worth it. Replied: 4 August, 2017, 3:46 PM Cheryl Levett Just be careful to study the grimoire slowly and steadily. You guys have all the time in the world. Every time I look at that awful thing I get a really uncomfortable feeling. Replied: 4 August, 2017, 3:50 PM Aesopica That's normal. Don't worry about it, East London Station is safe. Replied: 4 August, 2017, 3:54 PM Cheryl Levett Look, I'm just saying. There was a Bacchanal outbreak just a few days ago in Hampshire Station. Replied: 4 August, 2017, 3:56 PM Marvin Lawrie Was it someone we know? Replied: 4 August, 2017, 3:58 PM Cheryl Levett No, it was Mr. Colier. An old military guy who used to go on sailor missions. He found out about stuff he shouldn't have, believed himself to have a power to change fate and bring back the things he lost, but it didn't work out the way he thought it would. He corrupted himself and turned into this thousand-legged rampager before he was put down. BACCHANAL RAMPAGE IN WHITBY Read more Replied: 4 August, 2017, 4:01 PM Marvin Lawrie Jesus. Replied: 4 August, 2017, 4:04 PM Cheryl Levett Just be careful. Especially you, Aesopica. INTRODUCTION TO THE VISCONTI NOTEBOOKDr. Aesopica, Marvin Lawrie ABSTRACT 
The aspect of the Worm-Sun figured in the text. RITUAL TEXTS Transcription of the original Latin text has been observed to reproduce, at least in part, the artefact’s anomalous spiritual field. By contrast, translation into a non-Romance language significantly reduces its effect. For this reason, the following rendering has been produced entirely without recourse to Latin or other Romance-derived vocabulary. The address to the Visconti Grimoire may thus be given as follows: English (Germanic-only translation) RITUAL ANALYSIS
CLASSIFIED |
|
|
Analyses No. 1567 02 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
To: Codicesia, RCS |
04/10/2017
MO1567 Analysis Report 02Statement of: Marvin Lawrie, Dr. Aesopica
Lawrie: Now that I think on it, isn’t the Moth-that-was archetype a bit of a newcomer compared to the rest? Dr. Aesopica: That would be the Eleventh Deity. Lawrie: Nay, nah, that’s not what I mean. Nothing about this book screams “traitor.” I’ve been scrabbling through the archive for anything on the Worm-Sun that might help us reconstruct the grimoire without looking straight at it, but not's come up. Dr. Aesopica: Book of Wyrms… There are mentions of Bacchus encrypted all around the book. Lawrie: Dionysus? God of Wine? He’s more Radiant-Joy, innit? Trivia and Janus seem more like it to me. Dr. Aesopica: One thing of note is that the Bacchic mysteries survived past the Hellenistic mysteries and might even be older. Bacchic cults span as far as Elfame,7 where you'll find nothing but an autumn field and silver fog. There's a reason we call our mutants Bacchanals. Lawrie: I'm not convinced. Dr. Aesopica: The Aesymnetes Isodaetes, the God of the Bacchanals? He who comes and gifts his followers with divine madness. He used to follow the Moth-that-was archetype more closely as a deity of lies before the Greeks appropriated him to be more, well, radiant-joy-like. Lawrie: Hmm… Dr. Aesopica: The suns aren’t as rigid to their archetypes as you think, you see. They change over time. Not too long ago, we used to have the Twilight Harmony8 before it was split into Exiled Sun and Early Light. Lawrie: (Sinks into his chair) Ten suns all one, one split into ten shards… and all that imagery. Y’know what I reckon? Dr. Aesopica: What? Lawrie: This grimoire… I reckon it's nothing special. Dr. Aesopica: What do you mean? Lawrie: It’s not a holy codex. It’s a notebook. Look at the handwriting, the margin notes. Reads like a transcript, written in another tongue to dull down the cognitohazards. Same as what we’re doing: rendering it into plain Germanic English. Dr. Aesopica: Interesting theory. Lawrie: Here’s how I see it. There used to be one codex that spoke of all solar aspects. Visconti only transcribed a chunk that happened to line up with what we call the Moth-that-was. Dr. Aesopica: Right, sure. What language do you think this hypothetical grimoire could be? Lawrie: Closer to Latin than Germanic. An Estonian mate of mine in Cornwall tried rendering it into his tongue and said the effect was as strong as the original Latin. (Lawrie grabs a linguistic dataset of MO1567's memetic property and shows it to Dr. Aesopica.) Lawrie: I don’t reckon it’s some made-up magical language. Nay, I surmise it was written in a common tongue. Otherwise, the memetic reach wouldn’t survive translation. Dr. Aesopica: … It’s Greek. Lawrie: What? Dr. Aesopica: The grimoire was originally written in Greek. (…) Lawrie: Fuck me. Dr. Aesopica: (Chuckles) I guess we're not giving this book away to the Orthodox then. Lawrie: If this book is actually attributed to Bacchus, this would change the the working theory I've had for the past month of it being based on one of the seven archons. We're on the fourteenth page now, and while there are some pretty rough drafts for Nihil-adjacent thaumaturgic arts, they don't make any mention of their god. Dr. Aesopica: Not exactly. If you see reference P5-S34 and S44, it makes a lot of mention of this "you who hide past the mist" figure. He's been brought up again and again without any actual role. Lawrie: I interpreted him more as a reflection of Visconti, maybe. Dr. Aesopica: If the book is only a fragment of a larger holy text, like you say, then it isn't personalised for Eugonio Visconti. Lawrie: (Rubs face in frustration.) What if we got it all wrong? It's not… Let it be writ on the leather of Visconti. Still-ink set in wing-cloth, hearken. Those two are just part of the introduction to the true name of the book. Dr. Aesopica: You're saying this text only needs four stanzas? You're joking. That's the level of demigods. How can a fucking book be the level of demigods? Lawrie: Dunno. Maybe they transcribed it from a vision, or an entity. (…) Lawrie: Are you sure you want to continue studying this? We're only page fifteen out of two hundred pages, but… fuck, I can feel its influence crawling toward me already. Dr. Aesopica: I don't like it either. But we have to. Besides, it's only a hundred and ninety-nine pages; there is still one page missing. […] Lawrie: Don’t look so down and sober, cheer up, mate! God of wine and excess, sounds fun, sounds fun, innit? If this is big ‘ol Bacchus we’re dealing with, who knows, maybe we’ll find a cure to the Hanover curse. Dr. Aesopica: (Sighs) If Bacchus has anything to do with the Bacchanals we have to deal with, I’d be surprised. Completely different subject, I say. Lawrie: You never know! Hey, we’re making good science here, I sense we’re gonna do something huge, not just for Monarch Security, but the whole bloody world! Dr. Aesopica: (Chuckles.) Lawrie: Oh, come now. You’re looking at me as if I were— Dr. Aesopica: Retarded? Yes, you do look the part. Lawrie: Piss off. Subject: progressOctober 29, 2017, 1:20 PM Cheryl Levett So, how's the progress in the research going? Are those spectacles still working? Replied: October 29, 2017, 1:42 PM Dr. Aesopica We've made lots of progress since we first started. We're currently cataloging 36 different solar archetypes into 12. With the right tools, we can create a corresponding talisman that will help alleviate the cognitohazard of the notebook. Replied: October 29, 2017, 1:48 PM Marvin Lawrie It lost its effect around a month ago, sorry. We've been using our own spiritual barrier ever since to tank the book's influence. Thankfully the spiritual drainage is rather consistent. Replied: October 29, 2017, 1:53 PM Cheryl Levett ? What kinda video game logic is that? That’s really fucking dangerous and not at all how it works. Don’t fucking do that. Replied: October 29, 2017, 1:57 PM Marvin Lawrie Relax, we have the incense and protective talismans around our lab, it's fine. Replied: October 29, 2017, 2:00 PM Cheryl Levett This isn't a joke. Have any of you two taken your weekly psychological assessments? Replied: October 29, 2017, 3:38 PM Cheryl Levett Hey, I'm asking you two here. THE BACCHIC HYPOTHESISDr. Aesopica, Marvin Lawrie ABSTRACT OBSERVATION The following list of deities appears to draw inspiration from the 1798 edition of Francis Barrett’s9 classification of solar archetypes.
The 36 archetypes are each given a special numerical designation, which is then laid down in the format of a magic square, resulting in the correspondence of the Table of the Sun. The Table of the Sun
When all 36 icons are placed within this sequence, it becomes a key to unlocking the various solar thaumaturgic art encrypted within the notebook. Great focus is given to the Wyrm, and the process of spiritual alchemy associated with its correspondence. 
The personification of the Primordial Bacchus depicted in the notebook. ANALYSIS Where Dionysian texts describe the manic ascent into divine union through ecstasy, MO1567 presents instead a somber intoxication, a drunkenness without joy. This points to a theological severance between two once-unified archetypes:
If intentional, this redaction signals a late-medieval reinterpretation of divine madness not as a union with life, but as a surrender to light. The ecstatic body is replaced by the contemplative mind; the festival becomes the vigil, Bacchus is supplanted by the Moth. The Radiant Joy no longer focuses on ascending beyond the material world through spiritual pleasure; instead, it now centers on carnal and physical pleasure. Meanwhile, the Moth seeks spiritual ascension through the complete transformation of the soul. The Visconti family’s suicides may therefore be reinterpreted as the terminal phase of ritual ekstasis as an intentional shedding of mortal form during a failed or incomplete solar ascension. In this context, their suicide may be an initiation ritual to ascend to the next stage of life, symbolizing the Bacchic central myth where Dionysus is torn to pieces by Titans and then resurrected.
CLASSIFIED |
|
|
Analyses No. 1567 03 |
||||
|
To: Codicesia, RCS |
12/01/2018
MO1567 Analysis Report 03 AStatement of: Marvin Lawrie, Dr. Aesopica
[…] (Dr. Aesopica appears uncomfortable, constantly looking back at the air.) Lawrie: Aesopica, we’re friends, right? Dr. Aesopica: We are? […] Dr. Aesopica: … We are. Lawrie: Friends ought to know each other’s names, at the very least. Dr. Aesopica: It’s Aesopica. Lawrie: It’s not. Dr. Aesopica: As far as you or anyone else here is concerned, it is. Lawrie: That’s not really fair. (A timer beeps. Lawrie pulls Dr. Aesopica out of MO1567’s trance. Aesopica gasps, taking deep breaths, counting his pulse, grounding himself.) Lawrie: Cheryl’s been pestering us for the better part of a week. She's been looking the other way a lot, as per my request-or-err—begging. There's only so many things we can get away with until even she says enough is enough. Dr. Aesopica: (Panting) She's only an entry manager for St. Luke's, she can't do anything to us. Lawrie: Primacy's starting to take notice, too. What's your game plan once the Hospitallers or Templars barge in and deservedly hack you to death like the heretic you are? Dr. Aesopica: You're a heretic too. Lawrie: Ehh— there's level to this. Dr. Aesopica: (Sigh) She’s a good kid. It’s better for her own good if she doesn’t associate with us. After all, after what happened to her sister, she knows better than either of us what Bacchanals are like. (Aesopica gets out of his seat and stretches.) Better we keep ignoring her. Lawrie: After all we’ve been through? Cold, that. You’ve got to have summat left in you resembling a soul. Don’t you feel bad? Dr. Aesopica: I’ll feel worse if she gets caught in the crossfire of our research. Lawrie: You mean your research. Most of the papers this past month’ve been all you, while I’m stuck cobblin’ together this bloody talisman. Dr. Aesopica: And you’re doing a good job. Keep working on it. (Dr. Aesopica returns to the artefact. The trance takes hold again.) Lawrie: (Groans) Oi, just ‘cause you’re a Nihilite doesn’t mean you’re more resistant to this book than the rest of us. Dr. Aesopica: It very much does mean I’m more immune to the Curse. Lawrie: And what the hell am I supposed to do if you turn into a Bacchanal and try to cave my skull in? Dr. Aesopica: Pistol in the drawer. Demon-piercing bullets next to it. Ever heard of Chekhov’s gun? That’s your sign. Shoot me in the head if I lose control. Lawrie: Don’t—don’t fucking jinx it. Dr. Aesopica: Make the talisman, and we won’t have to shoot each other in the head. How about that? Lawrie: Fuck you. […] Dr. Aesopica: (Frowns faintly, and softens his voice.) We're doing something good here, Marvin. If we solve this book, we can— we can solve everything. Help those in need. It might be the key to curing the Curse. Bacchanals no more. Lawrie: How can you know that? Dr. Aesopica: It just feels right. We’re friends, we’re in this together. (Lawrie smacks Dr. Aesopica's head) Dr. Aesopica: What was that for? Lawrie: Making sure you're not inebriated. And 'cause I want to. (Lawrie goes back to creating the talisman.) This first one's going out to Cheryl. I'll make the stronger rest for us later; a crown perhaps, make that empty throne of yours you lot worship empty no more. Dr. Aesopica: You do you. Lawrie: Do you drink? Dr. Aesopica: Sometimes. You? Lawrie: I didn’t use to, not once. But ever since I've been studying that notebook, I’ve gotten into it. Dead odd, that—seeing as I’ve always said booze tastes like piss. Dr. Aesopica: Of all people, I never would have guessed. Lawrie: A talisman to illuminate the silver fog, and keep sobriety in the sane mind. Fix it up with the monohymn and you've got yourself proper gear. Dr. Aesopica: That would be convenient. Does it repel apparitions, too? Lawrie: I don't think so. Why would it? […] Dr. Aesopica: Right now, is there someone standing with us in this room? Lawrie: It's just us. Dr. Aesopica: (Sighs and points at the air) You don't see him? Lawrie: (Lawrie looks at where he's pointing.) Are you sure you're not inebriating mate? What do you see? Dr. Aesopica: A worm… or a man… I don't know. He's been staring this whole time. Lawrie: (Exhales uncomfortably) A ritual we might've accidentally done perhaps. Best we close the research for today and focus our efforts on the talisman. (Dr. Aesopica waves his arm around the air.) Lawrie: Don't fucking touch it, mate. Ignore it. THE MONOHYMN TALISMANDr. Aesopica, Marvin Lawrie ABSTRACT The Worm is depicted as an aspect of the godhead to be worshipped but also feared, a power that can drive madness unto unsuspecting victims. While the Worm was given some manner of reverence, this cult appears to have vilified the aspect of the Radiant Joy. THE MONOHYMN Among the contents of this overarching story, a poem can be extracted that appears to function as a hymn associated with the █████ ███ ███ █████. Unlike the rest of MO1567's content, this hymn has no negative memetic effects. Its devotional focus is the Sol Monad, presented as a proto-figure to the Engineer, and his use of the █████ ███ ███ █████ as a force for good. The poem is essential for the construction of a protective talisman intended to mitigate or neutralize the artefact’s underlying malediction. Of the Monad May the Anointed Crown, The Pillar Absolute is my anchor; The holy pillar of the the Demiurge So let the Light endure. THE SOLAR TALISMAN
The ritual compass that corresponds with the Pillar Absolute. To create the talisman, the following materials must first be prepared: ██████, █████, ████(██████ ████ ████████ ██) Then ██████████████████████████████, ensuring ██████████████████████ remains aligned with ████████████. After █ minutes, when the █████████ begins to ██████, apply █████████████ and rotate ██████ until resonance with ███████ is achieved. Note the ███████ the ██████ before ██████████ has fully ████████████. “███ ███████ ██ ████████, ████ ██ ███████ ███, ████████ ██ ███ ████.” FURTHER INFORMATION WITHHELD NUMEROUS MALEDICTIONS AND COGNITOHAZARDS HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN THE RESEARCH PAPER
CLASSIFIED |
|
|
Analyses No. 1567 04 |
||||||||||||
|
To: Codicesia, RCS |
09/02/2018
Dr. Aesopica's Dream ReportStatement of: Dr. Aesopica
Dr. Sleep Author: Now, can you repeat your dream? […] Dr. Aesopica: There's someone behind you. Dr. Sleep Author: I assure you, Dr. Aesopica, it's only us in that room. Dr. Aesopica: He doesn't have a face. Dr. Sleep Author: Please, repeat your dream. […] Dr. Aesopica: I’ve had this same dream, again and again. Dead red and yellow leaves, crunching beneath my feet. The smell of wet dirt. A dim light shrouded. An endless mist, no path forward, no trail backwards. Only the autumn field and silver fog. The only thought in my own mind is my own name, the only thing I truly own. […] Nothing changes… What does it mean? Dr. Sleep Author: I don’t think any answer would satisfy you. Fogs represent uncertainty, an obscured clarity that hides revelation. Perhaps it could represent the process of alchemical transformation of the spiritual sorts. Dr. Aesopica: But there’s always a catch to these kinds of visions, isn’t there? That’s the plot twist: there’s always some figure hidden behind the fog, there’s always a destination to an endless trail. Dr. Sleep Author: If anyone had found that destination, it would’ve been you, Aesopica. No one else studied the artefact more than you. Dr. Aesopica: Has anyone else had new revelations, at least? Dr. Sleep Author: If there were, it is against my oath to disclose it. Dr. Aesopica: I see… (Mumbling) You who hide past the mist, we see you. Are you the one behind the mist? Dr. Sleep Author: No, I'm not. Dr. Aesopica: No, not you. (Dr. Aesopica massages his temple.) Dr. Sleep Author: Is it possible that it is time to put a hiatus on you and Lawrie's study on MO1567? Dr. Aesopica: What? No, we're so close to making another breakthrough. Dr. Sleep Author: You've sent a cursed research paper to the Codicesia. If Cheryl wasn’t there to intercept it before it went public, your life would’ve been over. Dr. Aesopica: It wasn't cursed; none of the information I transcribed into the research has any memetics in it, believe me. Lawrie and I proofread them, again and again using our own spiritus for the verdict. The paper itself is a talisman; if you've read it or keep it with you, even in a digital format, it'll protect you against the influence of Visconti and the Worm— […] I know… I know how insane I sound at the moment, but you have to believe me. If I could harness that just one bit, I could figure out a way to reverse the Hanover Curse, stop Bacchanals from happening. Dr. Sleep Author: Do you truly believe that? Dr. Aesopica: Of course I believe tha— stop that! (Dr. Sleep Author looks back at when Dr. Aesopica was pointing at, then looks back at him.) Dr. Sleep Author: There's no one there. That's just a mirror.
Dr. Aesopica's Dream ReportStatement of: Marvin Lawrie
Lawrie: I saw him, I did. Dr. Sleep Author: Who did you see? Lawrie: Aesopica. Behind the mist. Dr. Sleep Author: Did you do anything? Lawrie: Nay, no, I didn’t. I just… stood there. Dr. Sleep Author: Why? Lawrie: Dunno. But I know it was him, proper him. We were both asleep at the same time. Dr. Sleep Author: Interesting. This is the first time such a phenomenon has ever occurred. It’s because of this book that both of your fates have been interlinked. Lawrie: I don’t believe it. Dr. Sleep Author: You don’t have to. Lawrie: Only God has command over fate and inevitability. Dr. Sleep Author: Sometimes fate and inevitability have free will of their own. […] Lawrie: Do you think this shared dream I've been having with ██████ might be cursed? Dr. Sleep Author: Who's ██████? Lawrie: He—that's… That's Aesopica's real name, innit? Dr. Sleep Author: Dr. Aesopica has never revealed his true name in any of our official documents, nor is he the type to reveal his real name to anyone. Lawrie: That's… odd. Dr. Sleep Author: Nevertheless, from the extensive research of the Ministry of Analyses and oneiric study, there is not enough data to make a conclusive statement of whether or not your and your partner's recurring dream is cause for concern. They are merely a side effect of the subconscious trying to understand the presence of the book. Lawrie: But even artefacts can mask their true spirit, can’t they? Dr. Sleep Author: That is true. Do you perhaps feel compelled to continue on your study of this artefact? Lawrie: I do. Dr. Sleep Author: Does it have to do with any personal attachment you have to this project? Or perhaps you have unfinished business that the completion of your study will help alleviate? Lawrie: : Nah. It’s not like that. It’s just… there. Pulling on me. I could stop if I put my mind to it, I could—it’s not hard doing no work at all. But every waking minute I’m thinking of that notebook. Dr. Sleep Author: Then perhaps the artefact wants you to study it. Lawrie: Aye. I know. It told me… (Sigh) A strange thing, it is. Books have voice to speak, no ears to hear, no eyes to see, no mind nor will to act. But I’ve gotten a different perspective of things since then, that things aren’t what they seem, and something like a book can have a mind, a will, and a heart. […] Lawrie: Does anyone else know about what has happened? Between me and ██████. Dr. Sleep Author: Only me and Miss Levett. Neither of us has reported you to the Curia Arcanum. […] Dr. Sleep Author: I see what your intentions are with the notebook; you want to pave the way for curing the Curse. But if the Hunters and Hospitallers found out what happened, they will execute you for treason. […] Lawrie: I know… Thank you, Dr. Sleep Author. 11/02/2018 Subject: Respond to my fucking messagesFebruary 16, 2018, 11:29 PM Cheryl Levett Lawrie, Aesopica, come to the office, L2 GFS 1 after lunch. We have to talk. Replied: February 16, 2018, 11:32 PM Dr. Aesopica Yes, we will. Replied: February 16, 2018, 11:34 PM Marvin Lawrie I'm listening. Relax. Replied: February 16, 2018, 11:37 PM Cheryl Levett I told you two to do your psychological assessments properly. How fucking hard is it for you idiots to understand something so basic? People are spreading rumors about you two as if we were going to get another bacchanal outbreak any minute now. None of the things I'm putting you guys on are optional. I was given responsibility over both of your well-being, so listen to me, or I'll fucking kill you myself before either of you shows the slightest hint of inebriation. Replied: February 16, 2018, 11:37 PM Marvin Lawrie Alright, we're really sorry, Cheryl. We'll meet you soon.
DisciplineStatement of: Dr. Aesopica, Marvin Lawrie
Levett: You actually came. (Levett runs towards Dr. Aesopica and Lawrie) (The two researchers took a cautious stance but were surprised when they received a hug.) (Dr. Aesopica and Lawrie hesitate before returning the hug.) Levett: (Voice shaking) Do you have any idea how much I’ve worried over you… Dr. Aesopica: We’re sorry. Levett: Sorry isn’t enough for the trouble you’ve put me through. If anyone from the RCS found out what you wrote on that paper, the hunters and hospitallers would be out and ready to slit your throat. What do you both have to say for yourself, eh? Lawrie: Aye… well… we were wrong, we were. Levett: (Laughs in frustration.) Wrong? That’s it? That doesn’t cut it. Look at you! Your face, your eyes. You’re tired, both of you. And it’s that cursed book’s fault. Dr. Aesopica: We had to study it, we were close to finding a cure for th— Levett: Cure? Are you taking the piss? Do you even hear yourself? There's no cure, especially not in that wretched thing. Lawrie: He's not wrong! I can attest to it, if we just studied it a bit mo— Levett: There's no more studying! No more! No more pokin’, prodin’, or “just one more page.” I can sense it in your eyes; neither of you are doing this out of your own free will. A book with a will of its own only wants one thing: to be read. You're lucky you're even breathing right now. You're not doing this for the good of the world, you're doing it for yourself! […] Levett: Just go home. You've done enough. Lawrie: … B-before that, see here. (Lawrie pulls out a poorly wrapped box and hands it to Levett.) As sorry. Levett: (Levett’s mouth twitches slightly) Too late for that. Dr. Aesopica: Marvin worked hard on it. Levett: (Hesitantly, Levett opens the box.) Meagre gifts don’t change things between us, just to let you know. I’m just curiou— holy shit! (Levett flinches and drops the item to the floor.) Levett: Is that the sun protection talisman? Why in God’s name are you handing me that!? (Levett backs away from the talisman.) Lawrie: Hey— hey. It’s safe. Honestly. I just… wanted you to have something that’d keep you safe, yeah? Me and Aesop are probably still cursed anyway. And it’s… kinda pretty? Levett: Is that a joke? Lawrie: Look, I did have a proper apology gift sorted, but it won’t arrive for a week. So… um… ██████, back me up here? Dr. Aesopica: Don’t call me that. Levett: … (Levett begins silently laughing.) There are meanings to all numbers. Many of the very thaumaturgic arts employed draw their powers from mathematics. But the way we classify things is arbitrary; it's only there to create a satisfying pattern. What once were separate beings now reveal themselves to be a fractured face—no longer 36, no longer 12, now, only 10. Now the suns are emanations of the infinite divine. The Demiurge, Thaumiel and engineer, is a self-mutilator. He shattered the mirror of his own awareness, never again to behold his true form. His corpse was abandoned upon the newborn earth, its flesh decaying into a drifting miasma that seeped into all things as death incarnate. From that corrupted soil, a wyrm writhed upward. A creature among countless filth-born siblings, each drunk on its own festering abundance. Yet this one imagined itself luminous, resplendent, as it feasted upon the dissolving remnants of the world-maker. The rotten eyes of the engineer fermented like grapes; filled the wyrm with a pleasure beyond mortals’ reckoning. When its gut is swollen with pleromatic spoil, it will seal itself within a cocoon of mist and shadow, awaiting its metamorphosis. It shall not speak, instead it shall sing. It shall not hear, for now it shall feel. There was no longer need for reason, it shall act on its own will. The wyrm will grow a thousand legs and be blessed with a thousand eyes that see the invisible path no man can see. It will spread its wings and ascend into the night sky with radiant joy in its empty heart. But it was no noble butterfly. It was merely wyrm, one of many. Countless. This is a story I heard from someone I used to know. I would've forgotten it, but the story was retold by the faceless man in the mirror. Reality obscures truth, and sometimes transformation is merely an object revealing its true form. So many things in this world aren't what they seem; they're crooked reflections of their true self in the world of forms, clouded by mist. A man in an autumn field of silver fog would appear like a monster if all you see is his crooked silhouette. And a book appears like a book if you nevere open its contents.
CLASSIFIED |
|
|
Analyses No. 1567 05 |
||||||||||||
|
To: Curia Arcanum, RCS |
04/04/2018
Marvin Lawrie, Dr. Aesopica - RecordStatement of: Marvin Lawrie, Dr. Aesopica
Levett: (Cheryl sets down a meal for three.) This one’s on me. Lawrie: Cheers, lass. Dr. Aesopica: Thank you, Cheryl. […] Cheryl: …You two look like ghosts. Lawrie: Feel like one and all. Dr. Aesopica: We’re just… adjusting. Nothing more. Cheryl: “Adjusting.” That's what you’re calling it? You're doing a piss poor job at it, I think. (Aesopica smiles reassuringly.) Levett: I only banned you from the research. I didn’t ban you from living. You could try doing something normal for once. I dunno, go out, touch grass, interact with people. Lawrie: We're talking to you. Levett: I don't count. Besides, I'm maybe not gonna be on Whitechapel for long. Dr. Aesopica: Why so soon? Levett: It's the Pontifical Academy.10 Sir Nicodemus wants a hearing for every St. Luke's staff at London. Lawrie: With how awful you are, I sometimes forget you're a holy woman. (Levett lightly smacks Lawrie's head without resistance.) Lawrie: (Chuckles) So, Aesop… what now, eh? When dear Cheryl buggers off to Rome, what’re we meant to do with ourselves? Dr. Aesopica: I still have other assignments. You should be asking yourself that question. Lawrie: What do you mean you have other jobs? Dr. Aesopica: There's only so many sane Nihilites on the staff list. Not to mention, I am a thaumaturgist… unlike you. (Exhaling sharply, Aesopica looks down into his tea.) Levett: You two could at least try a hobby or… something. Anything. You’re driving each other mad just sitting around like this. Lawrie: We tried. Went for a walk last night. Levett: And? Lawrie: Got lost. Sat on a bench for an hour. Didn’t say owt. Levett: (Laughs) How romantic. Lawrie: Get your mind out of the gutter. Dr. Aesopica: We don’t need to talk. Lawrie: … Aye, he understands me. We already know. […] (A group of HMSO passes by hurriedly, catching the three's attention.) Levett: There’s been a moth infestation for the past few days. They’ve been flocking up to all lamps and eating up the parchments. Lawrie: You reckon we’ve got summat to do with that? Levett: Something so mundane? Lawrie: You never know. Levett: Maybe it is your fault. And I wonder… if any of you two are still… Lawrie: Cursed? No. Levett: I meant tired, you div. Dr. Aesopica: We're not compelled to study the book anymore, thank you for your concern. Levett: I didn't— no that's not what I'm talking about. Okay, shut up about the books, yeah? Let's just hang out normally! (Lawrie and Dr. Aesopica stare at Levett with suspicion, then continue eating.) […] Dr. Aesopica: There's been another Bacchanal yesterday in Birmingham, and is still on the loose. Levett: (Uncomfortable) Already? It's only been a few months since the last one. Lawrie: (Reading off of Dr. Aesopica's computer.) MI-13 junior investigator ███████ ██████, missing before investigated by the Black Hunters before for possible inebriation… Levett: (Staring at the screen, Levett is visibly shaken.) Could we… maybe talk about something else? Lawrie: Bloody hell, she's barely older than you. Levett: Guys, I'm serious. […] Dr. Aesopica: I always wonder what it feels like. Not dying—I assume they don’t die, but inebriation. Their faces shift into these versions of themselves. Things they wished they were, things they feared they were. Hard to tell which. Levett: (Tense) Aesopica— Dr. Aesopica: It’s not pain, from what we can tell. More like a sort of numbness. A forgetting that happens when you're drinking too much of your own life. When you let fear take over, your hatred fester, and your regrets linger on. You let drinking yourself half blind with your own misery, the curse creeps into your skin and wraps its thorned fingers around your heart. Levett: (Leans back, angry.) Shut your fucking mouth! What are you trying to do here? Scare me? Dr. Aesopica: You still hold that talisman when you're near us. Are you perhaps already scared of something happening? It's not the physical transformation you're afraid of, is it? It's the soul. How could someone's immortal soul be so corruption, it renders them into an unthinking beast? How can this world be so cruel as to let the innocent and guilty suffer complete disfigurement? Lawrie: (Sigh) Aesop, that's enough, you're scaring her. Levett: I'm not scared. Dr. Aesopica: You're not. You're angry, aren't you? After all, that's why you joined the Primacy. Levett: (Stands abruptly) … Eat while it’s warm. I’ll… I'll see you later. (Levett leaves hurriedly.) […] (Alone, Dr. Aesopica and Lawrie relax. Lawrie then hits Dr. Aesopica in the face, hard.) Dr. Aesopica: (Rubbing his face.) I deserve that. Lawrie: Honestly, lad. Should've left it at the article. Dr. Aesopica: Many members of the Primacy will wear a mask that depicts them with cruel and stoic faces to hold on to the vestige of their legacy. In the end, they're just as scared as the rest of us. Lawrie: (Mumbling) Fucking Nihilites… (Looks at where Levett sat.) She left her recording device behind. Dr. Aesopica: That, she did. Lawrie: It's bullshit, you know. She still doesn't trust us, acts all friendly so the Vatican can keep an eye on us. Dr. Aesopica: She's right not to. Lawrie: Aye, that's true. […] Lawrie: Do you still see him? Dr. Aesopica: Who? Lawrie: Him. Eugonio. Dr. Aesopica: He's sitting right next to you. Lawrie: (Lawrie looks besides him and moves away, shivering.) Fucking creepy. Is it a curse? Dr. Aesopica: No, I don't think so. If it is, it is of my own doing. I'm sure I can shoo it away permanently whenever I want. Lawrie: Then why don't you? Dr. Aesopica: I don't know. Lawrie: Maybe he's that missing 200th page we've been theorizing about all day? Objects and information can still exist in the spiritual realm. Dr. Aesopica: Maybe… 21/05/2018
MO1567 Analysis Report 03 BStatement of: Marvin Lawrie, Dr. Aesopica, MO1567
[WITTHELD] Lawrie: Have you ever done an ██████ ██████████ ritual before? Dr. Aesopica: Back when I was in my church— Lawrie: Cult? Dr. Aesopica: Church, the pastor used to put a lot of emphasis on transcendence above the spiritual realm. That there’s this silver cord that links the spiritus to the body. And that we must be careful, or else we might get stuck on the spiritual realm, forever and ever. No matter how empty the throne, a king always sits on it, he may be silent. Lawrie: I should be the one doing it. Your soul is already stressed as it is. Dr. Aesopica: It’s fine, Marvin. It really is fine. Lawrie: I insist. If I turned into a bacchanal, I bet it’s something super weak. Definitely something that looks cooler than yours, though. Dr. Aesopica: I don’t want to see you turn into a bacchanal. If anyone here deserves it, it would be me. Lawrie: Oh, give over with that martyr act. […] Dr. Aesopica: I'm ready. (MO1567 is placed in the ███████ device while Dr. Aesopica rests on a magic circle. Faint static can be heard as Lawrie adjusts the protection talisman.) [WITTHELD] Lawrie: What do you see? Dr. Aesopica: An autumn field and silver fog. A window. A family Lawrie: Who is it of? Dr. Aesopica: The Viscontis. Thirty-six thousand heartbeats before their death. Lawrie: Do you see Eugonio? Dr. Aesopica: Yes, I see him. The nobleman sits at the end of the table, writing on something with an ink and a quill. Lawrie: That thing he's writing on, is it the notebook? Dr. Aesopica: It is, but it isn't. He's writing on a silk cocoon. Lawrie: (Lawrie becomes visibly distressed, but continues on.) And what about you? Who do you appear as? Dr. Aesopica: A beast, a head with no body, two hundred wings with ink writ on my wings. And I hear the family sing around me. Lawrie: What are they singing? Dr. Aesopica: A hymn. The crown, the pillar, a craftsman, and his arrow. The lance turned into a rope, and the rope was tied to a noose. Lawrie: What happens next? Dr. Aesopica: They drank the wine. (Dr. Aesopica begins tearing up blood.) The 200th page… It's my— [WITTHELD] Dr. Aesopica: They cried the wine. I see the shining ████ ██ ███ ███████ ███ ███████ ██ ██! (More blood pours out of Dr. Aesopica's eyes as Greek text slowly emerges on Dr. Aesopica's skin.) Lawrie: (Lawrie grabs Dr. Aesopica's head and shakes it.) Look away! Dr. Aesopica: █ ███'█ ███'█ ████ ██ beautiful… █ ████ ██████ ███. (Dr. Lawrie begins to frantically deface the magic circle and switch the ███████ device off) Lawrie: No, we— This has gone too far. (Lawrie forcefully ejects Dr. Aesopica out of the device) (Dr. Aesopica jolts up and vomits blood. His eyes are showing signs of inebriation, as wine began seeping out of his tear ducts.) Lawrie: You're okay. (Hugs Dr. Aesopica) You're okay, mate. You're okay. Just breathe, breathe. (Lawrie forcefeeds Dr. Aesopica a bottle of water.) Dr. Aesopica: (Gasps for air and spits out excess water out of his throat, panting.) █ ███ ██ ██████ █████ ███ ██████ ███.11 Lawrie: What’re you on about? Dr. Aesopica: ███ ████ ███ █████████ ███ ███. ███ █████ ████ ███████ ███████. ████ ██. Lawrie: No, I can't. At least, not now. You're okay! I can clearly see you're okay! Just shut up about everything! Shut up! (Lawrie clutches the protection talisman.) I-I really thought you were gonna die. If you became the last page of that book you might've— Dr. Aesopica: ██████ ████ ██████ ██ ██! (Greek text from MO1567's content slowly appearing out of Lawrie's face like a tattoo. Upon realizing this, Lawrie immediately splashes his face with water.) Dr. Aesopica: ███ ████ ████ ████████? ██'█ ██████████ ███! Lawrie: This doesn't mean anything! After everything we've been through, you're just gonna give up now!? Dr. Aesopica: ███. (Dr. Aesopica approaches Lawrie cautiously.) Lawrie: (Frightened, Lawrie clutches the talisman and displays it in front of Dr. Aesopica.) (Dr. Aesopica takes MO1567 and begins tearing its pages apart. A piece of skin was ripped out of Dr. Aesopica's face.) Lawrie: What the fuck are you doing!? (Lawrie attempts to stop him, but Dr. Aesopica continues pulling apart the artefact's pages.) (Dr. Aesopica's face reddens as more and more skin is peeled off.) Lawrie: Stop! I said stop! [WITTHELD]
MO1567 Analysis Report 03 BStatement of: Marvin Lawrie, Dr. Aesopica
(Dr. Aesopica is seated on the table with a makeshift bandage covering his bloodied eyes. Lawrie sits on the floor, holding on to what remains of MO1567.) Lawrie: Why did you do that… Why on God’s name did you do that!? Dr. Aesopica: We almost summoned whatever beast was inside that book. And I stopped it happening. That’s what happened. Lawrie: Beast? What the bloody hell are you on about now? Dr. Aesopica: Y-you were right about the Holy Codex. It wasn’t just one text. They were all transcribing the same source, but the source wasn’t a book; it was a being. I saw him. Eugonio. He was studying me, writing on something—something alive. A worm, or… or what will become a cocoon. A textual imitation of the Visconti beast. A child of it. Lawrie: It’s a book. A book you just destroyed. And what’s gonna happen to us now? Dr. Aesopica: Is that all you care about? If that thing had actualised, it would’ve torn through the world! Lawrie: I care about you too, you piece of shit! Of fucking course I care about the world— (voice cracks) —but you had to destroy the notebook. They’ll kill me, they’ll kill you! God… I never should’ve started studying this thing. Never should’ve been your friend. Never should’ve met you! It’s all your fault! Everything’s been your fault! Dr. Aesopica: My fault? You’re just as responsible for pushing this! Lawrie: I was only in it for fun! I didn’t have some… emotional tie to it. I did it ’cause it looked interesting, but you? (points at Dr. Aesopica) Tragic, mysterious little Aesopica, always soddin’ stoic and quiet. I don’t know what sick shit went on in that cult of yours, but it’s twisted your head if you’ve got this obsessed with the notebook! Dr. Aesopica: This has nothing to do with that. Lawrie: It’s got everything to do with that! At least I— (chokes on breath) I don't even know how much of the things I did was of my own free will. I knew I was cursed but I didn't want to admit it. The wyrm pushed its fate unto me… but you… (gestures weakly) you were always free, weren't you? You could’ve walked away! You could’ve stopped any time! Dr. Aesopica: Are you blaming me? You’re an adult, Lawrie. Act like one. You can’t throw responsibility onto everyone around you! Lawrie: Maybe! I don’t bloody know! […] Lawrie: Were you ever cursed? (choking on his own breath) Or were you pretending. Did that notebook ever even… did it ever affect you? […] Dr. Aesopica: … It never did. CLASSIFIED |
|
|
MO1567 |
|
To: Marvin Lawrie |
In the end, it was all for nothing. We learned nothing from the artefact, and all the sacrifices we made to ourselves led to nowhere. I wonder if the Visconti family felt this helplessness, too. All that's left is the autumn field and silver fog. CLASSIFIED |
The Cornwall Institute is one of the oldest surviving thaumaturgic schools in the United Kingdom. Originally established as a sanctuary for orphaned paranatural children, the Institute grew into a formalised college dedicated to training practitioners in practical applications of magic and ritual ethics.
St. Luke's Institute is composed of licensed healthcare practitioners and clergy, working together to address theological concerns across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It is sanctioned by the Royal Congregation to provide healing and medical care to patients suffering from supernatural ailments.
| Moderate, Removed, Artefact, Nihil, VSSP |