Not to distract from my misdeeds, but with Hustler gone, I think I can start sharin' with the rest of the class.
I present Occultic Manifestations and Aberrations and Esoteric Flooding.
You know, the Abyss Team's boss ain't keen on us passing all this classified info around, but I think we can worry about who knows what when the BPI ain't under attack.

Might have a little more to show, too, but I gotta rummage through all my notes first. Gotta organize my coat better...

Now that I am not being, suspected of murder, I can present my Traveler's Journal page.

Although I am, thankful to still be here, I cannot help but feel sorry for, Phenera... She held onto the, beliefs she was given, so strongly...

...That is a shame...

Alright now that Trial is over I'm done sandbagging. Welcome back Nancy et cetera.

I'd like to post the IRC chat I found tonight, as well as try a couple computer passwords I have to see if there are any more.

I'm also gonna present the file I got last night
Show the Memo: Flooded District file

You present a document, a small memo on the Submerged District.

Memo: Flooded District

WARNING: Due the usage of the drainage site as a reservoir for the cooling and venting of Project [REDACTED], please avoid extended exposure to any water sourced from the Submerged District situated to the northwest of the Observation Room. Large quantities of unrefined Chaotic Esotera are present in the district’s water and surrounding area, potentially causing unknown anomalous effects or acute Esotera poisoning upon extended exposure.

In case emergency maintenance on the liquid cooling system is required, the Submerged District can be temporarily drained by pressing the YELLOW, BLUE, and PURPLE switches in the Water Filtration room in that order. Please note, after one hour, the drained water will be returned to the district to mitigate employee forgetfulness. Please ensure that you work in pairs and situate one individual by the controls in order to refresh the drainage period or alert you if the timeframe is close to expiration.

---

Spooks, confirm that the Plague Sample in the Chem Room is history.

The sample situated within the Chemistry Laboratory has suffered prolonged exposure to extreme heat and bright light. As a result of this activity, the sample appears to have been neutralized!

Thank you for your service, [AGENT DESIGNATION - PEA]! That is one less potential hazard that I am required to monitor.

@Spooks are there any fish in the Flooded District?

This post was last modified: Aug 2, 2024 at 5:02 AM by Spooks?.

Not to distract from my misdeeds, but with Hustler gone, I think I can start sharin' with the rest of the class.
I present Occultic Manifestations and Aberrations and Esoteric Flooding.
You know, the Abyss Team's boss ain't keen on us passing all this classified info around, but I think we can worry about who knows what when the BPI ain't under attack.

Might have a little more to show, too, but I gotta rummage through all my notes first. Gotta organize my coat better...

In celebration of DXHustler's death, you present your files to the group - both appearing to be Bureau reports of some sort.

---

Memo: Occultic Manifestations

Much like collective faith is known to manifest and empower “deities” with the influx of Liturgic Esotera, an influx of Occultic Esotera carries the risk of potentially manifesting entities referred to in common vernacular as “demons” (or other cultural variants thereof) when utilized. Occultic Manifestations can vary in appearance, power, and demeanor based on a variety of factors, and can be manifested both intentionally (referred to as “summoning”) or accidentally as a by-product.

Factors capable of influencing the nature of an Occultic Manifestation are numerous, however many are linked to the mental state of the summoner and their perception of the Occult. If interpreted by the summoner as a blasphemous sin, the resulting manifestation will lean towards that interpretation. Likewise, a benign user of Occultic Esotera is capable of manifesting helpful entities such as traditional familiars - though even benign Occultic Manifestations are deemed untrustworthy due to Occultic Esotera’s inherit reliance on Chaotic Esotera (such as that which comprises a soul) to remain in existence.

Factors such as mythology and folklore are also capable of influencing the state of manifestations, with certain symbols (Such as the “demons” listed in the Lesser Key of Solomon) and artifacts growing to be associated with specific traits in the collective consciousness to where they become internalized and inherent to the focus of their summoning and may manifest upon heavy usage of the symbol or artifact regardless of the user’s intent.

Artifacts of Occultic power are frequently tied to such entities, and are sometimes imbued intentionally with a consciousness to facilitate future rituals, pass on a message, or act as a curse (see File 12-A [Stone Slab & The Pharaoh’s Curse]). Particularly powerful Occultic artifacts may develop their own manifestation spontaneously to facilitate the gathering of Esotera. It is recommended to evacuate the department or greater area temporarily when attempting to utilize an Occultic-aligned artifact in case of significant manifestation malignance.

File: Aberrations & Esoteric Flooding

RESEARCH LOG - 09/12/2024
SUBJECT - ESOTERIC ABERRATION
HYPOTHESIS: Aberrations form when a living being is introduced to heavy amounts of Esotera without the proper Synchronization Process, referred to as Esoteric Flooding. Unlike natural Anomalies, the Esotera introduced is not properly merged with the soul and therefore it should be possible to reverse the process and mitigate the increased risk posed by Aberrations.

EXPERIMENT 1: Depleted Esotera Crystals sourced from the Whisper Valley Mining Project were introduced to Liturgic Aberration BPI-1000-B in hopes of drawing out the excess Liturgic Esotera and reverting it to its prior form as Dr. [DATA EXPUNGED]
RESULT: Subject became agitated, however the crystals in question are too low-capacity to contain enough Esotera at a rate faster than replenishment in any reasonably quantity

EXPERIMENT 2: Somatic Aberration BPI-1099 [Sandman] was introduced to significant amounts of Telluric Esotera in hopes they would counteract each other and nullify the excess Somatic Esotera
RESULT: Subject violently exploded. More research needed.

EXPERIMENT 3: Utilizing a prototype [REDACTED] chamber devoid of Esotera, the Synchronization process was run in reverse in an attempt to draw excess Esotera out of Aberration subject BPI-5022 [Heart of Stone].
RESULT: Process appeared to be working, however prototype suffered a mechanical failure partway through the process, requiring it to be halted.

CONCLUSION: Utilizing [REDACTED] to safely draw out Esotera in the same manner as Synchronization implants it is promising in theory, however the prototype is not stable enough to facilitate the process. It is suggested that the experiment be attempted again upon finalization of the [REDACTED] Project.

Alright now that Trial is over I'm done sandbagging. Welcome back Nancy et cetera.

I'd like to post the IRC chat I found tonight, as well as try a couple computer passwords I have to see if there are any more.

Now that I am not being, suspected of murder, I can present my Traveler's Journal page.

Although I am, thankful to still be here, I cannot help but feel sorry for, Phenera... She held onto the, beliefs she was given, so strongly...

...That is a shame...

Now stop gawking like you've seen a horse, we've got a case to not solve. Shall we?

Called it!

Ah well! Time to present the file I found last night!

First, Morgan presents an IRC chat log that he allegedly found during the night. While everyone else is reading over it, he tries some passwords on a few other computers. The passwords work, however he doesn't actually find anything that hasn't already been presented. With a shrug, he rejoins the group.

IRC Log -???

22:20 <N-999>: The two of you need to focus. Our prototype needs to be functional long before the World's Fair, and that includes ironing out any... unexpected issues.
22:20 <N-999>: My presence here could potentially lead to a substantial power void in our Qstian operations, yet the functionality of the prototype takes obvious precedence. As one of the few capable of working with the Codex, I'll have to remain for the foreseeable future however.
22:20 <N-999>: So... what exactly appears to be the problem?
22:21 <C-240>: ok so first of all w/e idk idk it doesnt matter its just weird
22:21 <C-240>: tl;dr uh
22:21 <C-240>: since the last test theres been power failures, agitated anomalies
22:22 <C-240>: plague guy threw chem lab gary in the holding cell lol, he randomly shanked B-335
22:23 <B-335>: HE MISSED ALL VITAL ORGANS, I AM RECOVERING WELL.
22:23 <C-240>: dude we replaced your keyboard turn that shit off
22:23 <B-335>: Apologies. I did not realize.
22:24 <C-240>: k cool didnt ask anyway u deserved it u were supposed to order an evac dipshit
22:24 <C-240>: that includes chem lab gary!!!
22:24 <B-335>: Unnecessary, but I suppose I understand. I did attempt to order an evacuation however we do require staff to be present for facility upkeep reasons.
22:26 <C-240>: anyway the point is i knew there was something fucky in the test logs
22:26 <C-240>: i told dumb ass over there that it would be a problem but noooooo
22:27 <B-335>: As I said prior, the issues stem from the usage of the Codex as a power source and esoteric processor. Potential effects may be widespread across the site.
22:27 <C-240>: omg i know!!!!!!!!!!!
22:27 <C-240>: yea yea w/e when the codebase is finished it'll be replaced idc
22:27 <C-240>: point is we have to test shit and until the "codebased is finished" or w/e
22:27 <C-240>: if its affecting people now in weird ways thats shit that we need to isolate and make sure its not an inherent flaw ok codex or not
22:28 <C-240>: but hey u know i dont want to get stabbed big shocker there
22:28 <C-240>: so heres the deal we need a compromise here, cant isolate and fix shit if we have to evac but if we dont evac idk
22:28 <C-240>: stab stab etc
22:31 <N-999>: Oh, is that all?
22:31 <N-999>: That shouldn't be a problem. We can arrange for a near-total temporary replacement of on-site staff to assist in investigation of these issues. A new shipment of Anomalies is due regardless, and will require an escort.
22:31 <N-999>: Order an evacuation for all but a few key staff, there's plenty of fresh blood we can bring in to replace the rest while we observe the effects. Expendable sorts.
22:31 <N-999>: This shouldn't take particularly long, especially if we increase Abyss Team presence to deal with any... unexpected threats.
22:31 <N-999>: Leave the cat in charge. If nothing else, he's too stupid to cause problems.

---

Next up, Tinkaton presents what appears to be a printed-out email. It seems to concern the events that took place in 2008, as Tinkaton proudly boasts. You truly miss the days when she could not speak...

10-29-2008 Case Update

To: <[email protected]>
From: <[email protected]>
Subject: 10-29-2008 Case Update

Hey. Just giving you a bit of an update, I know you’re busy with that cult… situation down in Maine but I need to bounce some ideas off someone. The longer this case goes on, the more bizarre it gets - and it’s only getting harder to actually get anything done since the mayor decided to go ahead with the Halloween festival with a killer on the loose.

Well, anyway, remember that Langley guy I was telling you about? The one from the newspaper? Well, I got the reports back. Autopsy, the house search, etc. Until now I was under the impression that we were dealing with one guy, some psycho occulist - but now I’m not so sure. See, it took a while to find this thing because it was stuffed down one of his heating vents, but we found a key. Specifically, the key to that bathroom - the gas station one, the one where the first victim turned up.

So, I was thinking… Okay sure, killer dumped it there, makes sense. But then the autopsy came back and… that symbol cut into his chest, his stab wound…The knife’s angle of entry and the splatter pattern indicates that he did all that himself. No sign of a struggle either, so he probably wasn’t forced. For a second I was thinking we could finally call it there. Langley was into the supernatural, decided he was sick of relaying other people’s urban myths and wanted to start his own. Started killing using that symbol that Alexander Wexlyn was scrawling everywhere as a calling card to tie it back to folklore, and he finished the job by killing himself.

Except yesterday, we found another body, down in the temporary nightclub they have set up in this abandoned factory for the festival. Actually kind of cool conceptually, but anyway, one of the tech guys turned up dead in the storage room. Same M.O., meaning that if Langley’s behind this, he’s got an accomplice that’s still active. Either that, or there’s something darker going on here. I’ve got a few guys checking out that ancient settlement underground, making sure it’s safe and structurally sound before I head back myself. They’ve found a couple more instances of that same symbol down there, though whether it’s related beyond probably being where old Wexlyn picked it up from, hell if I know.

Oh, and I just got a call from Mom. Astrid’s condition is stable, thank god, and she’s picking her up tomorrow. They’re going out for ice cream, so don’t be surprised if you call the hospital and she’s not there.

---

Finally, Giffany presents an aged page of paper, much like the others before. This one, however, seems longer than the rest - and written with a far shakier hand.

Traveler's Journal (English Translation) - Final Page

I have spent much of life wandering the world, searching near and far for traces of the arcane. I had hoped to bring magic back to this world, to relieve our burdens at long last. My journey was born of altruism, of my desire to deliver my fellow man to a golden age of prosperity and leave my mark - the mark of a life lived with purpose.

That... is why my journey ends here.

I have seen what lies behind those great stone doors at the center of that accursed place, singing its siren song in tones of whispers and screams. The vile tome, even now threatening to break free of its ancient prison. Of course, it is not the only artifact of evil I have come across in my travels, yet something about it unsettles me in a way that has shaken me to my core. The old legends tell of the Black Scribe that brought ruin to our people with this tome, yet... no man could have penned the things that lie within its pages.

There is evil in this world, an evil that this tome merely glimpses. A fraction of the eternal darkness that waits beyond the veil, the Scribe merely an extension of its greater will.

I've realized now, where my destiny lies. I cannot allow this thing to leave these depths. Long have I traveled, across the great sea and the vast lands. Lived among countless peoples, and experiences the intricacies of their cultures. I have seen more than any one man, learned more than any other. I have lived an incredible existence - and I cannot let those who shaped that existence suffer should this accursed thing fall into the hands of yet another Scribe-to-be.

I have made my peace. This is how I shall leave my legacy. With the culmination of the knowledge I have gathered, and the latent chaotic magic of my own soul.

For the future of all mankind, for the world itself... The Chaotic Seal will be placed.

Music: Show

https://files.catbox.moe/bkr2ol.mp3

Since yesterday, I've felt that something is...amiss. Much like the Traveller, I'm less certain now about things I once thought I knew.

At journey's end, the Traveller began to question whether the tale of the Black Scribe passed down through their culture was fact or fiction. Did the scribe really exist, or were they merely a cautionary tale? Perhaps the story was fabricated to offer an explanation for certain forces that govern our world, like faith and the occult. I'm no more qualified to answer the question than they were, but I do know that the Codex is real, as is the masked evildoer trying to lay claim to it.

But who are they really? Are they truly an ancient and enigmatic evil made manifest?

Traveller's musings aside, there are a couple other pieces of evidence sowing seeds of doubt in my mind. Mr. Sinclair himself seemed to doubt whether one person was solely responsible for the 2008 murders, and it seems that those "murders" may have been elaborate suicides in the end. And then, there's Mr. Columbo's memo...

"Much like collective faith is known to manifest and empower “deities” with the influx of Liturgic Esotera, an influx of Occultic Esotera carries the risk of potentially manifesting entities referred to in common vernacular as “demons”

"Particularly powerful Occultic artifacts may develop their own manifestation spontaneously to facilitate the gathering of Esotera."

Is it possible that the true identity of the mastermind isn't the Black Scribe, but rather...a manifestation born of the Codex itself? A "demon" of sorts, created by the Codex to serve as its proxy and free it from its subterranean gaol. Based on the reports from 2008 and the latest IRC chat log, we can also posit that the tome is still radiating energies that affect people in the vicinity - whether to drive them to suicide, or to murder. It's feeding itself.

The BPI's tests utilizing the Codex as a power source may have caused it to reawaken. Thus, it summoned the "mastermind" once more after their defeat 20 years past, to begin the killing game and work toward the tome's release. Perhaps that may also be why so many seemingly well-adjusted people fell so quickly to the temptation of murder...

If that's true, then the villain in the shadows isn't some masked freak, but the Codex Nocturnum itself.



But...can it be true? Everything I've theorized until now rested on the assumption that the serial killer -and therefore the mastermind- was the Black Scribe. This case might have been flipped on its head...what a plot twist!

Normally I don't comment when any of ya start talking to yourself out loud, but I'm inclined to agree with Nashu's theory. Doesn't add up how the "mastermind" managed to get over here, how they managed to take over Spooks' body... unless they were already here.

Right! And maybe the reason they need us to open the seals for them isn't because they're already attuned to occultic energy, but because they are occultic energy. As an avatar of the book, they're not truly alive to begin with!

Holy heck... then, the mastermind we've been trying to deal with was all smoke and mirrors by the Codex?

I suppose that makes sense... it would explain why he doesn't have a name to give us. He keeps dodging the question like that's normal.

But... if that's true, what do we do about him? We can't just keep slaughtering each other until it's done eating. What are the implications of the Mastermind reuniting with its "main body?" There's not much time left to stall (since SOME of you assholes are still gunning for the Chaotic Seal) and find out more about what to do before we all get killed. Even worse if he can grab the book early.

...I miss when hitting the Mastermind really hard was a good way to beat them.