Lady Florence Merica
I arrive in New York
20th January 1925
Tuesday 20th January 1925
I arrive in New York a few days after the agreed upon arrival date, I have not been able to contact Jackson Elias for some reason. I decide to travel to his hotel through a blizzard no less, only to find police in the foyer preventing anyone from entering the hotel proper. I manage to gain access to a stairwell without being noticed. Once on Jackson’s floor I discover the reason for the police presence, there has been a disturbance, on walking down the corridor, which had blood and signs of a brawl following this, I find this disturbance has started in Jackson’s room. It was a gruesome and disturbing sight, the window was broken, and there was blood simply everywhere, it looked like someone had severed several limbs and flailed about, the furniture has been broken and shifted around the room.
Most perplexing.
I have an appointment at Jackson’s publisher Propsers Press with Joanah Kensington, which I have been summoned too, in true Jackson style I am unsure what this is about. Once again out into the blizzard to get across town to the office. On arrival I find Charlie, Hans and Barthomew the chaps I met in South America a few years ago on another one of Jackson Elias’s schemes. There is also a nurse present who introduced herself as Elizabeth. It is explained that Jackson has been investigating the Carlyle expedition, the disappearance of Roger Carlyle in particular. It also seems that Barthomew and Elizabeth have also been investigating this and the disappearance of some African artifacts possibly from the expedition.
Trouble in Harlem
22 April 1925
After leaving the Medical office we visit the police station to see Lt Martin Poole once again, we want to ask him about the JuJu House and happenings in Harlem. Lt Poole has confirmed that Harlem closes ranks and the residents will not talk to outsiders or the Police, there is definitely some weird voodoo stuff going on. Fat Mabel's is definitely involved in the criminal activity in Harlem. We gather some information which includes business cards and a photo. After discussion we agree to go to the importer - Emerson Imports at the docks. They are closed the opening hours are 7am -5pm it is closed up tight we have arrived at 5.30.
We go to Fat Mabel's it is housed in an apartment building. It is an underground club based in the basement, with only once entrance and one exit. I enter and head to the bar, there is a large negro lady behind the bar . I approach her asking for " a drink Auntie" with a wink and a smile, again hoping for another alcoholic beverage. I receive a glass of clear liquid and when I slide $5 across the bar I receive a second glass with top quality Canadian Whiskey. Once again I find a table for the group. Charlie joins me first while Bartholomew is conversing with a lady at the Bar who I assume is Mabel. he then joins us and Mable brings a clean glass on a tray with a napkin to Bartholomew. My "glass" is a preserving jar so i am unsure at what Bartholomew has done to be issued such an honor. Bartholomew re approaches the bar to ask Mable about Anastasia, she tells Bartholomew that she has no recollection of Anastasia but does know of "Naderu" (Anastasia's African name) there is someone residing upstairs who possibly has more information. It is decided that Bartholomew and I will follow Mable upstairs to talk to the person of interest. As we follow Mable she takes us upstairs to the apartments and leaves us in a corridor, all the residents of this floor seem to be new arrives and have limited English, Bartholomew speaks to one of the gentlemen in Swahili, I can only understand the name Silas N Relane. As this conversation ends we hear gunshots from the street and hear Elizabeth scream. We head toward the stairwell with haste and descend with our guns drawn, as we are descending a couple of large figures are ascending. As they move closer to us we notice they are wearing African masks similar to those sold in the JuJu house, they are also carrying large machete type knifes. As they almost reach us Bartholomew shoots the one closest to him and he flails and falls down the stairs. the one closest to me raises his knife and slashes me, I shoot him in the stomach and hold my large wound on my arm with one hand. One of our attackers is still moving at the bottom of the stairwell. When we get to the bottom landing Bartholomew picks him up and slings him over his shoulder. We enter the bar through the hidden door to find everyone has their guns out there is blood splattered all over, Charlie and Hans are also injured. The group gathers and follows Bartholomew through the back door. Charlie barges past him and runs into the alleyway making his way far from the club, the rest of us follow his direction, I am very injured and cannot move as quickly as some of the others. I offer Bartholomew my rope to secure the assailant. We stop and rest as this happens. Elizabeth patches Hans and myself up. Charlie is grazed up also but says he doesn't need care at this time. As I look around I recognize the area, there is an airplane parts warehouse nearby, just outside of Harlem - the company is now defunct but the warehouse is still standing. When I share this we head that way and it should be a nice abandoned spot to question our assailant away from public eyes
To the Cotton Club
21st / 22nd April 1925
As agreed we meet Elizabeth and Hans at the speak easy upon opening. Antonio takes us to the back room where the high stakes poker and good liquor is hosted. He has a package with journals and papers which he hands over to us, he also shares that he knows about Harlem, the cotton club and the juju house implying human trafficking, the opiate drug trade into the city. He leaves us in the back room to discuss this as a group. Bartholomew, Charlie and I debrief Hans and Elizabeth about our visit to the Carlyle Estate. Elizabeth claims again to have no memory of the creature from the walls but queerly she recalls all of the damage it caused. Bartholomew also claims to have no memory of this incident.
After a drink and conversation we then head to the Cotton Club after opening hours. Once inside I order a drink at the bar, A soda water and lemon with a wink handing over a large note hoping for something a little stronger, this american Prohibition is terrible on the constitution of this lady. I find a table large enough for our group. When My drink arrives at the table I ask the waitress about Mr Carlyle, she doesn't know of him but she mentions that Saada might know him. Bartholomew says quietly that Saada means help in Swahili, so we need to keep an eye out in case it is a cry for help. Saada approaches the table and addresses Bartholomew and Charlie, Bartholomew asks about Roger and imparts that he has past away, Saada hugs him and wants to take this somewhere quieter - to the reserved area. Nyo is the bartender who looks after the reserved area, Charlie pays a large sum for us all to enter the area, it is roped off and has large attendants to prevent unauthorized entry. They step aside to allow us entry, our drinks are refreshed when we enter, and it is glorious - finally a proper drink. We see exotic woman dancing and serving, gambling, and drinking all occur in this "reserved area". Saada lets us know that she has worked here for quite awhile 10-15 years, she knew Anastasia who only worked here for 6-12 months, Dr Huston introduced Roger and Anastasia. Bartholomew speaks to Saada in Swahili and asks questions. Charlie gets a lead that we may want to check Fat Mabel's bar in Harlem as Anastasia also worked there.
As we have run to the end of our information gathering, so we head back to the hotel. We use this time to review the papers dropped to Charlie's office .
Noon on the 22nd April Thursday 1925 - Elizabeth and I go to the Medical Records office, a guard approaches us and and Elizabeth introduces herself. We are lead to Dr Adrian Ferris's office when asked about Dr Huston's papers as it seems his office has now been closed. The papers are here and are sent for so we can look through them. We learn that Dr Huston had an affair with a patient Miss Imelda Bosch, who subsequently committed suicide. It seems that Roger blackmailed him into joining the expedition with this information. There is also an oddity in Rogers records in that there is only 20 odd sessions and the notes get scarcer and scarcer as the sessions progress. ** We finish up about 2.30 at the medical records office
The Carlyle collection
Wednesday 21st 1925
As Charlie rejoins us Bradley is explaining his traumatic experience, the bad dreams he is also experiencing. He shares a drawing with me of the thing that "came out of the wall" he seems to believe this. It is a scribble - a child like smoke monster. Bradlely explains he doesn't want to end up like Roger and all the mumbo jumbo he ended up tangled up in, and also seeing a psychologist. He sounded very horrified at the prospect. From this conversation we learn that Roger was "dating" both Miss Masters the photographer on the expedition and the negro woman whose "white name" is Anastasia. he believes that Roger meet Anastasia at the cotton club. After meeting Anastasia who refereed to herself as an African Queen, Roger developed a habit of disappearing for days on end and when he returned home he was disheveled and it was assumed he had spent the time in Harlem.
Bradley requests the goons to bring in "the books" they are a selection from the Carlyle collection.
Life as a god - Montgomery Compton
Africa's Dark Sect - Nigel Blackwell
People of the Monolith - Justin Jeffery
PNarkotic Manuscripts - late 1400's manuscript
Livre D'Ivon - Loose pages
Monsters and their Kynde -
I examine the Geode on the cover of Africa's dark sect, it is wholly unnatural ! The structure looks biological but definitely is not of this earth. The book has an inscription to Roger from Anastasia.
Bradley describes a break in to Charlie. This happened a few months ago - Joe interrupts with "the dogs ate well that night"
and "it was negro's that time". It may have had something to do with the Carlyle Expedition.
The Carlyle Expedition members
Roger Carlyle -
Dr. Robert Huston - Rogers Psychologist - assumption of continued treatment
Miss Hypanthia Masters - Photographer and Girlfriend
Aubrey Penhew - English - has a large family African collection
Jack "Brass" Bradley - Good friend to roger - dodged a murder conviction due to his connections to the Carlyle family. He met
Roger at UFC
Anastasia - Negro Lady - Other Girlfriend
We leave the mansion and once we are outside Ricardo (one of the guards) approaches Charlie and Bartholomew about disposing of "the bodies" and that he has some of their belongings which will be taken to Charlies office . It is decided to head back to the hotel and place the books in the safe after the attempted theft at the Carlyle's. I order room service for the group who is meeting at the hotel, while Charlie heads to his office downtown. When Charlie returns he has a letter from Antonio in which he informs Charlie that he is doing business with the Carlyle's and to stay away. As it is still within business hours I try the Offices of Dr. Robert Huston - the phone is disconnected. All Medical records are stored at the Medical Affairs board downtown, so this will be our best bet on finding out more information on Robert Carlyle and if he had a mental disorder.
Once Bartholomew, Charlie and I are back together and fortified with food I collect the books from the safe and choose a book each to read.
I have the People of the monolith and I find it is a collection of modern poetry similar in structure to some romantic nihilism and horror titles I have previously read. It has a stark and avant garde feel so much I feel there must be other works and wonder if Justin Jeffery - the Author is still alive this feels so current.
Barthomolew has taken the task of reading Africa's Dark Sects which is written is Swahili, when I peeked at one of the pages I can see it is written in Roman Characters. Bartholomew reports that the book once belonged to Harvard. The book talks of the African people leaving the church and returning to the worship of Hattoo (ecstatic cult) because of the treatment of the Africans by the Belgium immigrants. The Cult has an emphasis on the rights of the African people with no pollution from other religions. The "true" religion has the symbol which was carved into Jackson's body and links into the "Bloody Tongue Cult" from Kenya this is worshiped in the scared space at the mountain of the black wind and is heavy in blood sacrifices.
Charlie has the task of reading Life a God. This is the book which looks bound in leather but Elizabeth has identified it as human skin. Charlie reports that the book seems to be written by a crazy person in an asylum. It follows the author in Africa and outlines an illness and his recruitment into a cult and his recruitment of others on his return to England.
The further we look into this the weirder is becomes, the link to Africa and the cult from the mountain of the Black wind is clear. I feel as we follow this trail we may end up in Africa and I fear for my companions and my sanity after watching Bradley's irritation and certainty that he saw a monster, the memory loss of Bartholomew and Elizabeth for the same night and the bodies of their fellows having to be "taken care of"
I am very worried about what is to come.
And it does get odd
Tuesday 20th 1925 / Wednesday 21st 1925
20th April 1925 - Continued
At the speak-easy -
I'm enjoying my drink at the speak easy as Charlie rejoins us, he had been talking to Antonio away from the group and when he comes back he shares that Antonio has no information for us. Bartholomew heads to the bar to ask about his "lost" evening last night, he discovers that Jimmy one of the heavy's at the Bar found him cold in ditch 30km north of the Bar toward the suburbs. Jimmy brought him back to the bar as he looked roughed up, possibly drunk and chilled to the bone. After finishing our drinks we go to my penthouse suite at the Waldorf (with the exception of Elizabeth who goes home to her apartment) with the agreement to all meet for breakfast at the Waldorf's restaurant in the morning.
21st April 1925
After meeting at breakfast, we head to Harlem to the JUJU house, as our appointment at the Carlyle estate has been confirmed for this afternoon.
We meet at the restaurant, eat and regroup and make a plan for the day. Bartholomew calls the Carlyle Estate to make an appointment to visit this afternoon. This morning we make our way to the Juu Juu Store, I drive my car and find a park close to the cramped dirty alleyway which is signposted Randsom Court. Bartholomew and I enter the alleyway, there is an abandoned, dusty windowed, boarded up store which was possibly a pawn shop in its previous life next to our destination. I enter the JUJU house it is a small, jam packed, crammed and oppressive store. the stock is mainly African. Looking around the shelves and tables are full of masks, non functional weapons, ivory figures, fertility goddesses, and stuffed toys including giraffes. The plan is that I distract the shopkeeper with enthusiasm and questions so Bartholomew can get a good look at the artifacts. The plan works perfectly with the exception of a small mistake on my part. I tried to get hold of a key around the shopkeepers neck. While I was close to the gentleman I look in his eyes and he looked so haunted, his eyes were black, I am shaken by what I saw in his face. I managed to bluff my way out of it luckily without a confrontation. I purchase a terrible stuffed giraffe to help the cover story. Bartholomew tells me that there was nothing of note about the artifacts in the store. When we leave the store Charlie is checking out the vacant pawn store.
As we arrive at the Carlyle Estate it is very clear there are renovations underway, in the upper corner of the upper storey of the house the roof and walls have taupulins covering them and scaffolding has been erected. A Mr Bradley Gray greets us in the doorway flanked by two large men who look like members of the Mafia. Erica is not here and we will meet with Bradley. We are lead into the foyer and are patted down, my small pistol and knife are taken from my boots and are placed on a silver tray for collection on leaving the property. We are then taken to the conservatory and offered refreshments and seated. Bradley makes mention of the renovations taking place while he pours himself a strong drink, we cannot be received in the study for this reason. I am shocked to find out that Elizabeth and Bartholomew were here when a theft took place yesterday which had casualties and this is why the guards are present today. Major offence is taken by Mr Gray when it is found out we are Jackson's fiends as he wanted access to Roger's private collection, and the belief he had the Roger survived the massacre. Looking out into the grounds it is very obvious that the property is guarded including with dogs. When questioned about this Elizabeth and Bartholomew have no memory of this, they ask about their companions are we are told they were the casualties. When we ask to see the study we are taken toward the part of the house that the renovations are taking place, as we move closer to the study it gets colder, so cold we can see our breath on the air. We reach the study and there is another Italian fellow guarding the door. When I step into the room I notice the roof is gone and the stone wall is destroyed, what has happened here !? Bradley starts to look agitated, he tells us something came through the wall, while pouring himself another drink, he is repeating "I can hear the screaming and the stone breaking" he is clearly traumatized by whatever has happened. When Elizabeth questions him he states that she was there with Bartholomew and their companions. Erica is somewhere safe and was pushed out the door when the "something" came through the wall. As this conversation progresses Bradley is getting more and more agitated and aggressive. Hans, Bartholomew, Elizabeth and I take Bradley from the room back to the conservatory while Charlie stays behind in the study.
Hitting the Books
Tuesday 20th 1925
After the meeting at Prospero Press we as a group decide to go to the local Police station first to see if we can speak to the African Gentleman who has been held in custody. Once we arrive Charlie Roberts speaks to the desk officer to try and gain access to the prisoner, we cant speak to him as he has committed suicide in the cells. The Head Police of this Prescient is known to Charlie, we are invited into his office: More chairs are brought in to accommodate us all. Officer Paul ? is very derogatory about the prisoner when questioned about him using terms like "fresh of the boat", one of those guys with african scars etc. I am shocked at the information of the suicide, He bit his own tongue off and choked on it. The mutilation of Jackson's body was the next topic discussed, there has been multiple bodies over the last 2 years with the same symbol carved into them. The community in Halem has closed ranks and will not talk to the police or share any information about the african. Office Paul ? was waiting on Mortici Lemming a doctor of folklore - to talk to the prisoner and gain some information but the blizzard prevented this before the suicide. As we are concluding this discussion Officer Paul eludes to the fact that in his dealings With Bartholomew and Elizabeth they seem to leave bodies in their wake.
We decide to go to the New York City Library (NYCL) to follow the lead of the books and authors we have gathered so far.
Mortici Lemming : published author - NYCL has some of his books. They are in the non fiction section but read like fiction and seem to not be fact based so unlike Jackson's books.
Jackson Elalis : published author - An Eassay on Black Power which relates to the occult symbol
Anthony Cowle : published author - NYCL has some of his books. The books are based on Australian Aboriginal Folklore - He was in town doing a lecture a few days ago, he has a residency at the University at Arkham (PEMU). He has just returned from South Australia . ** Hans calls the PEMU to speak Anthony Cowle, Anthony is not back yet. Hans speaks to a research assistant Louise Land - she doesnt have any information about carving symbols into bodies but knows about human sacrifice to the Father of All Bats. This cut dies out several hundred years ago and was based in Australia with links to New Zealand . The sacrifices were put through a gauntlet, while running the victims were hit with wooden bats covered in poisioned bat teeth. Lousie also tells Hans that Jackson and Anthony have been speaking and discussing Cults.
Miriam Atwright : Harvard University Librarian - Hans also calls Miriam at home to discuss the book Jackson was wanting from the Harvard Library (Africa's Dark Sect - Nigel Blackwell) this is no longer in the collection. Further information on this Cult can be found in the G'harne fragments which are held in London at the Penhew Foundation - on finding this out I feel this has a link to Sir Aubrey Penhew he was part of the Carlyle expedition . She also shares that Sir Amery Wendy-Smith has been translating the Winthrope expedition notes, These may be from an ancient civilization quite possibly not human! The G'hare fragments are on stone tablets very similar to the ??? fragments found in Suffolk England, the language is Arabic like.
As it is now late and visiting the Carlyle estate is out of the question we head to a Speak Easy for a drink, a hard thing to find during this ridiculous prohibition thing the yanks are doing. We enter through an all night pizzeria, head through the back to the speak-easy. As I order a drink and light my cigarette, Charlie looks for his contact Artino who is part of the Halian Familia (local Mafia). After finding a table we are all seated, Artino joins us, looks across at Bartholomew and states that he didnt expect to see him again so soon.