The Veritas League and the Quest for the Tome of Tangiers: Epilogue

Report of Rev. Allon Oryza, CSP

To: Ignatius Cardinal Murphy, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Defense of the Faith, Rome

 

My Dear Cardinal:

 

This is my final report on the Quest for the Tome of Tangiers. I am pleased-- and not a little relieved-- to report to you that the John Dees copy of the Necronomicon of Abdul Al'Hazred has been destroyed, and the threatened release of the fiend Cthulhu has been averted. Attached you will find what documentary recollections we have been able to assemble, providing incontrovertible testimony to the existence of dark beings of inconceivable power who seek the subjugation and destruction of the entire human race. Through God's manifold grace, and the courage and sacrifice of my companions in the Veritas League, Cthulhu rests again in the deathless sleep of the interdimensional Limbo of R'lehy.

 

In the course of our travels, we have encountered a rare form of desert wraith whose touch appears to drain from living victims the very essence of life, the energy that sustains us on the most cellular level. These aggressive spirits were successfully repulsed by means of improvised technology, as well as the centuries-tested methods of exorcism we have long employed. This experience suggests we further research the use of electro-mechanical technology to both defend against and dispel those agents of Darkness that still roam our world unchallenged.

 

With regard to my childhood friend and later enemy Emil Reynard, the Silver Talon, I am wracked with regret that our conflict resulted in his demise rather than his conversion and redemption. I must confess to you, Excellency, that seeing the abomination he had become, I felt only disgust and horror. In those last moments of his life my heart was filled not with pity or compassion, but with a hatred I have rarely experienced. On a deep spiritual level, I was wounded by the beast he became. On my next visit to the Eternal City I will seek out the help of my confessor, Fr. Albertus, to try to recover some willingness to forgive Emil for his betrayal and his mad rejection of his very humanity. I struggle to pray for God's mercy on him, while fearing that he deserves an eternity in the hell he has chosen. My mind knows that such judgment belongs properly only to God Almighty, but my heart still seethes with hatred.

 

While Emil Reynard is dead and gone, our other opponent in this conflagration, Belladonna Aconite, is still at large. Apparently she managed to slip away from the Hoever Carriage after planting the explosives that nearly blew us all to Kingdom Come. Although she acted in concert with Reynard, her self-interest was unclear in his plans to construct armies of man-machine chimeras. While Emil was acting out of his own madness and the seductions of the Necronomicon; I am convinced that Aconite was serving another master. Although she may have been in the open desert when Professor Fumolato's molecular explosive detonated, I would not presume her dead. My intuition tells me that many of the marionette strings on Reynard and Aconite were being manipulated by a man whose ultimate agenda has yet to be revealed: the Gearmaster.

 

I would be remiss if I failed to point out the terrible price that has been paid by the members of the Veritas League for the continued security of an unsuspecting public. To a man (and woman!) they have acted selflessly and courageously in the face of evil that would paralyze lesser men.

 

Perhaps the most damaged by these events is our mentor, Professor Gunther Wasserstrom. Overcome by grief following the death of his wife, Helena, he sought a means to mitigate his loss by bringing her back to this life. Long experience has shown us that such follies always end in terror and tragedy, as they certainly did in this instance. We are hopeful that with successful treatment Wasserstrom may be healed enough to resume a normal life. We are doubtful that he will ever return to active participation in the work of the Veritas League. Professor Fumolatro has spoken to me of some research in which Wasserstrom may play a part. We plan to take him to the League's Chicago facility to begin his recuperation.

 

Regrettably, Wasserstrom's two assistants were lost to the dark forces of the North African desert. May God have mercy on their souls.

 

Karl Eckhardt, for many years a valuable agent of the League, as well as talented barrister and explorer, has literally paid with his life for our success. Although he remains among the living, he is in many ways a changed man. His eyes hold a coldness of gaze which hints that a vital part of him is somewhere else, somewhere not on this Earth. As we traveled from Col du Zegotta to Tangiers, he was forced to walk, as any approach he made to the camels caused them to spit and back away. In moments of camaraderie his humor and vitality appear unchanged, but he often spends more time alone, in the silence and darkness, listening for he knows not what. As I have previously described, his new-found power of psychometry causes him more distress than useful insight. Young Jesse Phillips has suggested that he travel with Eckhardt to the American West, where some of his contact within the native tribes have useful experience dealing with-- and learning to control-- such singular abilities.

 

Lord Phillips himself seems the least altered by our encounters. Despite his experiences traveling the world for the League, he still maintains the innocence of youth in a way that makes each of us cherish his friendship all the more. His unflagging energy and unparalleled marksmanship have served the League admirably during this mêlée, and it is my hope that he will continue to develop the strength of character that we have come to rely on in many a crisis.

 

All of us owe an enormous debt to Lady Eugenia Porkshanks. Even though she was momentarily in the thrall of some evil djinn or eldritch power, it was her strength of will as much as the unearthing of the Necronomicon that broke the spell that compelled her. I am convinced that the oppressing force which briefly turned her away from us has altogether departed, and her wise council and ingenuity are once again at the disposal of the League. I believe it only proper that the Holy See reimburse Lady Porkshanks for the damage and salvage charges sustained to her amazing conveyance, the Hoever Carriage. I have attached receipts and documentation for Your Excellency's approval and signature.

 

Without the ministrations (and compelling right hook!) of Dr. Manleigh Haggis, all of us would today be bleached vulture-picked bones in the North African desert. Long a man of significant appetites, I have some concern that the Doctor's recovery from our expedition may have had as a consequence some developing dependence on several rather potent pharmaceuticals. God knows, there have been nights since our return to civilization when I was tempted to withdraw into the quieting arms of the absinthe bottle or opium pipe. Nevertheless, as with Lady Porkshanks, I am willing to vouch for the Doctor's integrity with my own life, and I believe that his recovery will take time.

 

Most changed by this expedition, of course, is my dear friend Professor Angelus P. Fumolatro. His devotion to the Truth, and to the protection of innocent human life, have consistently proven to me that although he rarely speaks of matters religious, he is as solid a defender of the Good as any man I have ever known. It is only through his deft leadership and willingness to sacrifice his own comfort and safety that we succeeded in destroying the evil Book, and dashing the plans of the Silver Talon and his cabal. All of us in the League are hopeful that he will fully recover the sight of his injured eye; that healing is in the hands of Dr. Manleigh Haggis and Almighty God.

 

The singular matter that remains baffling to us is the precise mechanism by which we managed to escape the detonation of the bomb placed in the Hoever Carriage. The account of a most reliable witness places Prof. Fumolatro at multiple locations simultaneously, saving both us and himself through his direct actions and the information he conveyed to his colleagues. While bilocation is not unheard of (see: St. Alphonus Ligouri, St. Severus of Ravenna, and many others), I do not believe that miraculous capability was operative in this instance. In particular, accounts describe one instance of Professor Fumolatro as looking distinctly older, and wearing an eye patch. The most logical explanation, as unlikely as it seems, points to the possibility of multi-temporal displacement, or time travel. Although researchers at the Vatican Observatory and the Gregorian University have posited the theoretical possibility, I believe that this is the first substantial evidence of actual travel through time, and disruption of the Universal Natural Laws of Cause and Effect.

 

Fumolatro professes to know nothing of time travel, and protests mightily that such a thing ought to be impossible. In recent days we have had lengthy discussions regarding the philosophical and physical implications of multi-temporal displacement, and the sole undeniable consequence has been two devastating headaches-- one for each of us. Still, if there is even the most remote possibility that some person or agency has discovered a way to manipulate or disrupt time, then this must present an even greater threat to humanity than that which we have just opposed. Should such a technology-- dare I say weapon-- fall into the hands of the still-at-large Gearmaster, any event in human history is subject to un-doing. (The possibility that such technology might even interfere with our Eternal Salvation by travel to the Palestine of 1890 years ago fills me with unspeakable horror. May God forbid it!!!)

 

Because of the possibilities of this unprecedented new threat, I respectfully request an extension of my assignment from the Special Forces of the Holy See, to serve with the Veritas League. With Your Excellency's blessing, and the grace of God, there is yet more dangerous work ahead for the men and women of the Veritas League!

 

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Allon Oryza, CSP

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Here ends the Quest for the Tome of Tangiers.

Watch these pages for the League's next expedition: The Veritas League and the Flight of the Time Trippers. Coming to a flickr near you in 2009.

 

 

Done