Mythos Tomes
You have encountered the following esoteric books :
Équinoxe Divisé
French, by Ghyslain D’Aramitz, 1807. Octavo, soft calf leather binding, pages untrimmed.
Recovered by Basile Lerouc from the secret room in the basement of the Penhew Foundation. He started reading it on 25 February 1925.
The book is an account of a French merchant, colonial administrator and explorer telling of his experiences travelling around the world, with particular chapters devoted to cataloguing and comparing regional customs and beliefs in Northern Africa, Asia and Europe. D’Aramitz relishes in describing what appear to be outlandish (possibly fictional) practices concerning farming and hunting; however, these are interspersed with dramatic and chilling folk customs that have the ring of authenticity. A number of apparent medieval rituals, stemming from the south of France, are shown to have dark and murderous origins.
The book mentions several god-like entities which are worshipped, including one called The Bloody Tongue. There is mention of a mark cut into the skin of enemies of the Bloody Tongue. D’Aramitz gives a long and detailed description of an excursion to find the “Black Mountain where the Bloody Tongue dwells” in “Kirinyaga”, where he claims to have seen unholy rites.
The book describes rites and rituals with names such as, “Ruination of Evil”, “Call Satan’s Eye”, “Ritual to Tame Night Horror” and “Old Woman’s Blessing”.
Book of Dyzan
English, author/translator unknown, reputedly of ancient origin. Quarto, bound in goatskin, woven papers, distinct smell of sulphur.
Recovered by Jude Gregson from the secret room in the basement of the Penhew Foundation. As it is a handwritten document in some ancient English dialect, he couldn’t make any sense of it.
The book was then taken by Raskolnikov who deciphered it with help from a scholar at the British Library (who subsequently had a nervous breakdown). Raskolnikov started reading the book on 27 February 1925.
Alleged to be an account of the “wise and venerable words of those most exalted High Masters of Shamballah,” it describes generational transformations of consciousness beginning on a planet called Vellarros and ending on Earth. Enlightened beings of flame are said to have raised humanity when the lands of Hyperborea and Atlantis were young.
Africa’s Dark Sects
English, by Nigel Blackwell, 1920. Sextodecimo, blue pasteboard covers with marbled endpapers and blue-stained page edges.
Recovered from the basement of the Ju-Ju House in New York. Rebecca Shosenberg tried to read it and had a psychotic episode. Bessie Simons started studying it on 1 February 1925. On 29 March 1925, after being attacked by The Thing in the Fog at Limehouse, she jumped into the Thames and lost consciousness. When she woke up, the book was gone. Later she had a dream/vision that the book was taken from her by Edward Gavigan.
Written by explorer Nigel Blackwell during his travels across Africa, the book is an odd mix of travelogue and exposé of the ritual practices of a variety of African cults. Although the notes of his travels were obviously turned into a book, no publisher is listed on the title page.
The Final Confessions of Gaspar Figueroa
Spanish, written by Gaspar Figueroa, 1543. Octavo, handwritten on vellum.
Stolen from the Museo de Arquelogia y Antropologica of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru in March 1921. Later recovered by Raskolnikov from Luis de Mendoza’s meagre bundle of possessions. The text is currently stored in Arthur Bell’s warehouse in London’s docklands.