#occult triangle lab

[farvn]

"Could you help me out of my slings, and get me a new shirt?" Part 8 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded! WATCH HERE

[justasmolliv]

L3: Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim

An ambitious visual novel which takes advantage of the medium, but cannot escape equivalent exchange.

I always appreciate a visual novel which understands that you'll play it multiple times, and makes your choices have a lasting impact across its narrative. While usually this manifests as a number of different endings which have to be navigated to reach a "true" final ending, Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim takes this a step further with its Fractal Madness mechanic to a mostly brilliant effect.

In Black Heaven you play as Uzo, a former scholar at Itzon Academy, a magic school dedicated to research on attaining immortality. Unfortunately, Uzo and his mentor Ru accidentally created a plague which caused uncontrollable growth and eventually destroyed most of the world. After the outbreak, Uzo fled underground and attempted to continue to find a cure, and it's here where the game begins.

As Uzo continues his own research, he is approached by a masked man who calls himself No-Eyes. No-Eyes offers Uzo a deal - if Uzo brings him the ghosts of Ru and his classmates Izagi and Lyse, he'll create a time loop for Uzo to relive his happiest memories of Itzon forever. No-Eyes will use the three ghosts to pursue his goal of chronomancy, a taboo area of necromancy research within the academia circle, and promises Uzo the luxury of forgetting about the death he helped to cause.

As Uzo travels back overground and towards Itzon, you play through his memories of his time there. You go to class, try to socialise with the other students, and attempt to woo Ru, Isagi, and Lyse. Despite my choices heavily leaning towards Izagi, I ended up romancing Ru. This was confusing to me, and I was disappointed by the lack of impact my choices seemed to have within this first third or so. 

I'm putting the fewest number of spoilers I can get away with in this review as Black Heaven is certainly a visual novel I think should be experienced. As Uzo explored the ruins of Itzon, it became clear why my choices couldn't have much impact. The true deplorability of his past actions is revealed as Uzo revisits the memories of his friends. This plot twist was one I hadn't seen coming, and it had me genuinely shaking my head at how cleverly I'd been duped as Uzo sat in front of a panel and was confronted by what he'd done.

Once you learn the truth about what happened, it's up to you how to deal with Ru, Izagi, Lyse and No-Face. Do you hand them over as he asked, or set them free and return empty-handed? There's definitely bad endings, and even worse ones, but there's an obvious good path which the game encourages you towards.

This is where I feel the Fractal Madness mechanic lets Black Heaven down while still enhancing a playthrough. Fractal Madness accrues as you reload the game to revisit choices, something I'd been doing a lot to attempt to get myself onto Izagi's romance route. I'd try out all available options to see what the characters' reactions would be, before reloading once again and choosing the one I liked the most. The more you revisit decisions, the more things become distorted. As Uzo was sneaking around the burnt husks of the lavish buildings I'd once seen, the music started to stutter upon itself. Memories would start to become distorted and gruesome, before Uzo reminded himself those events didn't really happen. I really enjoyed this effect, as I never knew when it could kick in and start to make me question whether what Uzo was really experiencing and remembering was the truth.

But the caveat is that all the reloads and choices happen in a single playthrough. As I explored the knock-on effects of earlier choices, I ended up with a lot of manual saves which I had to remember the order of, whereas other visual novels might handle this with a branching map you can dive back into. Overall, I was quite nice to Ru, Izagi, Lyse and No-Face, and I could explore their endings without really needing to change the choices I had made during the game. Replayability is tied into a single playthrough, where you're encouraged to reload and try different options, rather than a branching narrative which acts like a reiteration of events.

I'd have loved to see Fractal Madness go even more unhinged and bring in more horror and uncertainty, but in general I think Black Heaven is a well-written, engrossing story which uses the medium of visual novels and the habits of its players to great effect. Its own mechanic somewhat becomes its own limit, and one plot twist in particular is quite easy to figure out early in the game, but I have to commend Black Heaven for attempting something new with the meta of visual novels.

As I said before, I think Black Heaven is a visual novel which should be experienced. Its characters are well-written and relatable, the music is haunting, and the way it tries to tell its story is ambitious. If you're also looking for a good old musing on metaphysics and philosophy then Black Heaven is one I'd recommend.

[A copy of the Steam version of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim was provided by developer and publisher Occult Triangle Lab.]

[aeonknight]

My brain is braining. Something about a Gravity Falls AU where Dipper and Mabel get sent by their parents to live with their responsible gruncle Stanford for the summer, only to discover he's living with his twin brother/best friend, his lab partner, and his interdimensional abiguously maybe still evil triangle muse.

Bill was bent on world domination, and so he tricked Ford into building the portal. When Ford was sucked in, though, Bill realized how much he cared about him and had a change of heart. He worked with Ford to get him back to Earth much quicker than in canon. He was originally going to go back to dimension hopping aimlessly after that, but Ford invited him to stay. Bill is still kinda evil, but in a petty saturday morning cartoon way and he doesn't mind control people anymore on principle, so he really doesn't have much power. Nobody really has the heart to stop him. His "evil" is all like canon early Fiddleford tier.

Fiddleford saw through the portal, but it was CONSIDERABLY less horrible (since even before redemption, Bill was less bad). He didn't erase his brain. He just kind of distanced himself from Ford. However, he can't live with the guilt of letting Bill in. He goes to confront Ford and tell him what he saw. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, the day he does is the same day Stanley comes to visit Ford (uninvited and much earlier than in canon, he's on the run and missed his brother because people know how to healthily communicate in this AU). He sees the portal activate through a window or doorway or something, and he sees Stan's unexpected arrival startle Ford, causing him to trip backward into the portal. From then on, he worked with Stan to hopefully reopen the portal and bring Ford back. They grow closer in the time it takes, and they end up living together in the shack. Once Ford is back, they have full lives in town and so they stay.

So then, that's how four unlikely personalities end up living together in the shack when Dipper and Mabel arrive. Of course, their parents have no idea that there's anyone other than Ford there, but the twins aren't complaining. In this AU, the house is very full, with the downstairs absolutely needed to house everyone comfortably, so the tourist trap portion of the shack is actually mostly outside, with a small visitors center built off to the side. The attractions are a lot more real. They have an interdimensional dream demon (he mostly doesn't even realize he's an exhibit. They kinda talked and agreed, but he wasn't paying attention. It's mostly just a window in his gamer lair, but he's fine with it), they have good relations with the various supernatural beings of the woods (the manotaurs respect Ford for surviving across dimensions for so long, the gnomes will work for anyone who feeds them, and Bill's minions all were out of a job when he left so they move in in various areas around the woods), and they even have a relationship with some of the universities with occult programs to make the place into a technically accredited museum. After all, most museums won't take supernatural objects, even if they're real. They are also doing some research into using the (still intact) portal to venture into some safer dimensions on safari, and so that's the majority of the work that Dipper and Mabel do at the shack, or, as it's called now, the Museum of Mysteries. Stan wanted to call it the Myster Tour, Ford wanted to call it the Museum of Occult Phenomena, and they compromised.

[theparanormalperiodical]

The Real Story Behind Suspiria (2018) And The 5 Other Paranormal Places You Need To Know About

It’s the classic Hollywood story:

Girl moves to a different country to pursue her dreams of stardom.

Girl auditions for dance academy.

Girl is selected as the new host for the head witch of a coven.

Oh and there’s some Nazis in there as well!

Okay, so maybe it doesn’t fit in the Netflix Rom-Com section…

But regardless - it is all based on a series of true stories. 

It was only last year that a remake of the 1977 art classic - Suspiria (2018) - hit Amazon Prime and a handful of theatres. And joined at its hip was a flurry of top-rated reviews that swooned over its artistic rehashing of the horror genre.

Well, I say top-rated...

For a horror movie it faced a standing ovation, but it was still on the receiving end of many a ‘meh’. 

Nevertheless, fit with an intricate plot and fleshed out with garish gore, this is undoubtedly one of the best horror films of this decade. 

(It it here that I realise that we are about to enter a new decade and I feel like lying face down on the floor and having an existential crisis.)

And it turns out that it’s twisted plot is actually set against a very real backdrop.

Yet despite the intricate set of stories providing the foundation to this tale, Suspiria rarely wears the ‘based on a true story’ label.

Sure, one of the writer’s own stories is often discussed when it comes to this film, but the reality actually goes much deeper and much further than this.

For the last week I’ve been attempting to keep us with the winding story, but it is little discussed, well, anywhere. 

Nevertheless, I’ve brought together everything I could uncover, and present to you this complete guide to the real story behind Suspiria!

Today’s post will cover the essay that served as the main inspiration, the tale it is directly based on, and the paranormal phenomena of magic triangles that support it, too.

Let’s get spooky.

First, Let’s Recap The Plot Of Suspiria

It’s the 1970s. We are in Germany, near the tripoint-border of Switzerland and France.

The main chick from 50 Shades of Grey rocks up to, like, the hottest dance academy to try her hand at being America’s next drag superstar the next big thing. 

Problem is, the academy is run by 3 matrons who worship the Three Mothers - a group of witches determined to bring tears, sighs and darkness to the world!

(mwahahaha)

When someone does call them out for being witches, they get tortured and killed.

Oh, and it all happens through the medium of dance!

No, seriously. 

All the big moments of the plot coincide with dance numbers.

It’s like the prom scene in films about high schools, or maybe the big game!

Anyway - this new kid gets voted as the host for the freshly elected head witch of the coven. And accurately, the other witch who wanted to be elected isn’t happy.

When one of the dancers gets kidnapped, a fellow student investigates, and finds clues in her journal which leads her to the witches’ inner sanctum.

This is where the witchy stuff goes down.

They #roadtrip it to the inner sanctum, and find the kidnapped student who is being used in a ritual.

And this all happens at the same time as the prom big dance! 

The ritual ends up being done incorrectly, and the new kid is possessed by the Jeremy Hunt of the witches.

The possessed new kid then avenges anyone who didn't vote for them. 

This witchy-posessy-death-fest ensues and features as a part of the big dance. 

Witchy control of the dance academy ensues. 

TL;DR - just watch an episode of Dance Moms.

Suspiria Is Originally Based Off The Essay Suspiria De Profundis

The film might be traced back to many paranormal phenomena, but the basis for the film starts here in 1845.

Thomas De Quincey, the author behind Suspiria De Profundis, wrote a collection of short essays which centre on psychological fantasy. 

It is even believed that he wrote these essays based on his own visual experience of Opium; this clearly births the artsy-fartsy nature of the film.

However, it was a screenwriter’s use of these essays to create the original 1970s Suspiria which tied all the strings this post will talk about together.

The inspiration from the essay centres on the three witches known as The Three Mothers. 

And even though this seems a small literature-based link to the film, Argento expands the focus on the Three Mothers to other paranormal phenomena that mirror this.

And this paranormal phenomena includes The Magical Triangle - a region in Europe where occult communities come together and paranormal events are amplified.

However, it turns out that there is not just one magic triangle.

There are five. 

But before we take a roadtrip round all these triangles, we have to discuss the story that directly influenced the film.

Nicologidi’s True Story That Inspired Suspiria

So, we know that Argento’s knowledge of paranormal phenomena directly influenced the film...

But it’s the other screenwriter - Nicolodi - which has a story which directly mirrors the events of the film.

Well, to an extent, that is. 

Nicolodi’s Grandmother went to a Piano school in the area Argento is so obsessed with, and the Grandmother claimed that at this school they practiced black magic.

Clearly this is a simple tale not dissimilar to the other films toting ‘based on a true story’.

However, it’s how Argento expanded this to include other paranormal phenomenon that rightly bestows upon it this classic - and often misused - tagline. 

Argento’s Magical Triangle

“There’s very little to joke about. It’s something that exists…”

Argento clearly based Suspiria on real paranormal phenomenon. 

And it starts here, with The Magical Triangle

It is claimed that the area where France, Germany and Switzerland meet has a history closely linked to the occult.

Whether it’s cursed cathedrals or the collection of occult communities, this triangle was one of the core pieces of inspiration for the flick.

And one of the factors contributing to the occult-focus of this triangle is the teachings of Rudolph Steiner.

(note - this is not steiner in this gif)

Steiner - a social reformer and occultist - created a anthrosophic community in this area. This includes the Waldorf School which was rumoured to have practiced both paganism and satanism, mirroring Nicolodi’s story and the film itself.

Unfortunately, I can find very little information on this triangle itself.

But the other magic triangles I have discovered have received their own fair share of attention.

The 4 Other Magical Triangles You Need To Know About

There are 2 other magic triangles in Europe, alone.

And both actually come together and meet in Turin - a city which is considered a hub of supernatural activity.

The first triangle of these triangles is the Black Magic Triangle:

This includes San Francisco, London, and Turin, and its history dates back to the Roman Era.

Said magic is believed to come from the energetic currents that flow through the cities, with Turin staking its claim as the most magical - and this is because Turin is supposedly suspended between good and evil.

The white magic triangle involves Turin, Lyon and Prague - and all I can find on it is this:

It is claimed that ‘those who know’ go to this area to pay homage to the ‘grand old man’ - make of that what you will..

This magical and mysterious area is further inferred by Turin’s position on the 45th parallel.

“Turin is the place where my nightmares are best.” - Argento.

Yes - that quote is from Argento, confirming the influence of multiple magical triangles in the creation of Suspiria!

And why wouldn’t his nightmares be best here?

This Italian city has witnessed its own history of paranormal events and phenomena, and is even believed to house the hidden gate to hell.

Take the Piazzo Statuto:

Not only has it seen a bloody battle back in the 18th century, it’s angel statue represents the dichotomy between the good and evil Turin allegedly contains.

The angel can also look like the devil, and even bears the mark of a 5 pointed star.

Turin also is claimed to have once housed alchemical labs underground with rumours of metal being converted to gold, a myth relating to the legend of the Philosopher’s stone which has its own paranormal associations.

Ghosts have also been said to roam the streets, such as that of Christine Marie who pushed past lovers into the river to drown.

#brutal

The final paranormal phenomena of Turin I want to discuss is that of Palazzo Trucchi di Levaldigi.

Fit with a hell-inspired door-knocker, this is yet another reminder on the mish mash of magic triangles spread across the world.

Indeed this building is the city’s tarot manufacturer. And the building number? It’s 15.

The tarot card with the no. 15 is the card of the Devil.

The 40,000 satanists rumoured to be lurking the streets of Turin and performing rituals in basements confirms its mysterious existence further.

Our next magical triangle is probably the most famous mystery in existence:

The Bermuda Triangle.

This triangle deserves it’s own post given the sheer volume of evidence, debunking and discussion given to its name. Nevertheless, it further reinforces the reality behind Suspiria.

Also known as the Devil’s Triangle, this is an area from which travellers who sail or fly through often go missing.

The recorded occurrences began in 1950 with the loss of Flight 19.

Whether it’s the claims of UFOs, or the lost city of Atlantis’ technology, this triangle be a spooky one. 

Our final triangle is a little less international, and resides in the state of Massachusetts in the US of A:

It’s the Bridgewater Triangle.

Named by paranormal investigator Loren Coleman, this 200 square mile triangle has been a home to many a creature in its time.

From a huge black dog back in 1976, to tall, winged creatures, and even Bigfoot, this is a hub for paranormal sightings.

Weirder occurrences such as mutilated cattle have also been discovered, confirming that Suspiria’s story goes much deeper - and further - than we would like…

The True Story Behind The Three Witches

The last piece of paranormal phenomena we have to discuss is that of the Three Witches. And no, Suspiria isn’t the first piece of pop culture to make note of witches coming in threes.

Sure, Shakespeare beat Thomas to the chase with the Weird Sisters in Macbeth, but three is actually a very spiritual number. 

Clearly the most obvious claim to this is the Holy Trinity: God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost. 

But mirroring this is the stages of the moon; the concept of Mind, Body and Spirit; and Mother, Maiden, and Crone.

The last trinity points to pagan beliefs regarding the seasons, but also relies closely on their perspective of witches, particularly in British folk religions. Witches were often believed to come in threes, and contained a mother, a maiden, and a crone.

And thus, as triangles have 3 corners and 3 sides, we see how a link is forged between the 3 witches in Suspiria, and the magical triangles already explained in this post.

This is especially true given the importance of a triangle as a symbol in paganism.

Whether its derived from paranormal theory, or sought from the tales of terror lurking around the world, Suspiria isn’t just based on 19th century literature. 

Indeed, it has pointed us to a paranormal phenomenon - that of magic triangles - little discussed among us mere mortals.

So - what’s your verdict?

Do you think Turin is haunted by the clash between good and evil?

And who else wants to roadtrip round the triangles with me?

[donnnoir]

Alien Invasions...

Alien Invasions…

Starting in 2020-2021, Non-Terran entities will set upon our world to claim what was promised to them by “Treaty”.  It will be as an orchestrated “invasion” and “war”.  Since the probability is that the population of the world is NOT going to go along with giving away portions of the Earth in pursuit of the agendas of the Ultra-Elite, principally those of the Blood Occultic Families.  As per the terms of this “Treaty” these beings are to receive the “Pacific”; from the Aleutian Islands down to the equator including the coastlines anywhere from twenty to hundred miles inland. I suspect that that will just be the beginning of the process. Eventually these invaders will want to take possession of the entire world.  This is why in the media we are being presented “trans-humanistic” thought and that it will require us leaving the Earth to survive.  The realities associated with this is that it calls for a very small fraction of less than one percent that get to leave.  And should this initial “invasion” fail there are others planned which are scripted very differently...

Anyone acquainted with UFO / Flying Saucer mythology and lore will be familiar with the allusion of a predecessor to NASA.  It is commonly referenced when dealing with several presumed technological advancements or anomalies circa Roswell and before.  Without going too far afield of the focus of this essay; it should be noted that “visitors” have interacted with the human race continuously for the majority of our time upon Earth.  Much like from the old “Star Trek” series there are varying rules to the types of interactions, think “Prime Directive”.   It needs to be recognized that Not all visitors are the same, nor of benevolent intent.  Shocking as that may seem to some of the New Age crowd.  Nor are they necessarily from Our Reality, Realm, or Dimension.  Some of the entities we meet and interact with are not even representative of the beings we presume they are.  Rather they are actually a bio-mechinoid entity that is piloted or driven by its host from a great distance away; as is the case with the classic “Greys” that populate UFO mythologies (previously addressed in another essay).  

At the turn of the last century before our present, as the world industrialized and prepared for war.  The majority of the world leaders and governments, or rather those of the industrial powers and the West had at least been visited by Non-Terran entities and felt like they had the initial footing to develop an ad hoc diplomatic envoy.  At least that is what they were lead to believe.  Soon enough the world was embroiled in WWI, and the horrors of war in an industrialized era were unleashed.  Following the cessation of hostilities and the signing of an armistice.  WWI had been a slug-fest with both sides slaughtering each other, never to gain the advantage.  Human nature as it is did Not learn to beat their swords into plow-shears; instead we rushed headlong into finding better means of slaughter.  The blame and thereby reparations for WWI fell on Germany.  Strangely something called the League of Nations was formed in 1920.  People were told it was for the purpose of preventing further conflicts, as if that has ever worked.  Or at least that is what they would have us believe.  I say The League of Nations’ actual and sole purpose they accomplished within the first twenty-four months and as it became increasingly irrelevant it subsequently disbanded.

We created this “International World Governing” body with its power to enter into a “treaty” with any foreign power (even of Non-Terran origins).  As in this particular case the foreign power was a group of Non-Terran visitors.  Principally represented by the “Greys”.  The Bio-mechinoids whose drivers / pilots are from a lower harmonically resonating Realm / Dimension.  These beings are possessed of a hive mind.  Our ancestors in times past usually referred to them as “demons”.  Admittedly though their warrior class has a highly ritualized sense of combat giving them an appearance of “honor” when engaged, in single combat.  It is as close to the concept as these beings are capable.  

The nations of the world sought accelerated access to the technologies these Non-Terrans had displayed during their interactions with said world leaders.  For us the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve there is a loophole in the operations of the “Prime Directive” as it were.  The visitors are barred from giving or offering to give us their technologies of their own volition.  We, however may choose to barter our lives and birthright away.  It is the sum of free agency, and election.  We get to weave plenty of new rope, tie it off into a hangman’s noose, place it around our necks and jump off the roof.  And so we did, entering into a treaty with these beings.

As a consequence of WWI, with Germany being unjustly burdened with the blame for WWI and the associated reparations; their National Pride was injured.  With the rise of the National Socialist Party and their underlying Occultic beliefs and perspectives they readily pursued acquiring any advantage they could.  Thus the NAZIs were more effective at manipulating access to this alien technology.  Setting up a military base in antarctic and quite possibly the moon.  The “urban myth” of which is the bases of the recent cult classic “Iron Sky”.  A delightful case of Art imitating Life.

I have Not seen a copy of the actual “treaty”.  I have been able to deduce some of the terms of the “treaty”, if that is what we can call it (since the general population of the world, whom it impacts the most were NOT a party to the process).  For Americans and those of Western Culture and thought, we have a problem with issues where we lack representation; having fought wars over that principle. Nonetheless as to the “time period” prior to the terms and transfer of possession (the transfer of ownership to the new owners) is the standard 99 year time frame.  Which means 2020–2021 promises to be a watershed year of fun.  The terms oblige us to DE-Terra Form our world making it more habitable for the new owners.  These new residents prefer a much higher background radiation than do humans. The biosphere must be degraded to accommodate them, otherwise the microbes of a health ecosystem could readily defend our world (think “War of the Worlds”)  Additionally, We are suppose to DE-Tune the resonance of our world.  The Earth rings with its own unique pitch and tone, that favors us, humans.  It tends to make beings from other places ill, especially over time.  If you understood these requirements of the “treaty”.  You would understand why global powers have elected the courses of actions they have over the past nearly one hundred years.  Why we as a species have always selected and done the worst possible when given choices.  Worse yet why we have so obsessed with perpetuating and compounding our stupidity in some doomed attempt at trying to save our world.

These Demons are to receive for their participation – basically the entire Pacific.  Most countries have written off their coastal populations; or as is the case in America we are seeding the coastal areas as sacrifice zones.  Those that survive the initial wave and onslaught, will be a ready food source, labor pool and hosts for the invaders.

Understanding this also explains the unnecessary fifth column actions currently destabilizing Europe.  And why the current administration is attempting to mitigate a similar situation here.  Granted the administrations attitude and means generally needlessly aggravates the process.  Not that Trump is the Great American Hero; he just represents a particular faction that is uncomfortable sacrificing America for this process.  Because as amazing as it may seem there are elements that do NOT trust these Demonic “aliens” to hold to the terms as agreed.  Some of this opposition within the ranks basically disagree with the treaty.  They can NOT openly ferment their dissent, as it would violate their oaths and subject them to “treason” charges.  So they hedge their bets, and wait for the inevitable.  

“Crazy” and “Fantastic”, yeah I know.  Do you and yours a favor and simply look to the night skies.  Those are NOT satellites or sky-lab you see, they are an alien invasion force.  Elements of the Sky Warden Force have been fighting them for close to a decade.  If you have access to fourth generation night vision and some powerful optical binoculars or telescopes.  Look to the night sky, know that the long black triangles are Our forces fighting these aliens and their crafts.  Good Luck and G-dspeed to us all...

[nem0c]

Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue | 1992

Illicit lab set-up Computer monitors: Check Assorted biology clutter: Check Multiple lit candelabras even though there’s electric lighting: Check Poster of the ‘Devil’ card from the Thoth Tarot Deck: Check Assorted GD imagery (Cross within triangle on one wall, multi-coloured hexagram-cross imagery off-frame): Check

Illicit Occult Biotech Experiments: In Progress

[theonyxpath]

Are you reading me?

Good, it’s Matthew Dawkins here. The last time we spoke about the Contagion Chronicle crossover extravaganza for the Chronicles of Darkness, I posted up the Cryptocracy faction. The faction is just one of the Sworn, the groups of playable creatures in this upcoming game.

Today, we’re doing something a little different. Today, we’re going to look at the False.

The False are everything the Sworn hope not to become. Where the Sworn (by and large) wish to contain or destroy the Contagion riddling the Earth, its people, and the God-Machine, the False choose to weaponize it, take their destructive aims too far and commit acts of genocide against innocents, or fully embrace the coming end of the world (as we know it).

This faction is the Crucible Initiative. You can probably see how they were once Sworn, but they’ve fallen to the ranks of False. Here they are, in their full glory, as written by “Marvelous” Meghan Fitzgerald.

Enjoy!

The Crucible Initiative

Contagion as Plague

Yes, I know you’re not infected. Yet. But given half a chance, you would be — please stop screaming, it’s distracting.

I picked through the ruins, listless. We were so close. We could have ended it. All we needed was another day, maybe two. A few more tests, a few tweaks, and this outbreak — this nightmare — would have been over. But all that work was gone now, nothing but ashes. Even the word “ruins” was generous.

“Who did this?” the changeling asked me, voice shaking like a leaf.

“I don’t know,” I said, but even as I did, I brushed ash and dust from a hunk of broken yellow plastic. It revealed a stylized flame inside a triangle, painted in black and red. A warning? Or a calling card? “But whoever it was left evidence behind. So we’re not done yet.”

What Is the Contagion?

What does it sound like? The Fire-Bearers think all the others — False and Sworn alike — are finding excuses not to call it like it is, so they can go about doing whatever they want, blatantly ignoring the obvious solution in front of their eyes. The Crucible Initiative treats the Contagion like exactly that: an epidemic, an incurable plague that only stops when they eradicate every last scrap of infection from the face of the Earth. They believe no hope exists of finding some mystical panacea that will cleanse the Machine once and for all, or any kind of treatment that could mitigate the blatant threat of annihilation. They warn their fellows not to take pity or show compassion; that way lies doom. Treating the symptoms — or pretending they’re not symptoms at all — without addressing the root of the problem gets no one anywhere. The only way to stop a supernatural cancer from reducing everything to wrack and ruin is to cut it out now, before it’s too late.

What they stand to lose: Everything. It will be a complete breakdown of reality. Some of them remember the Black Death because they were there in person. They have seen exactly what happens when a plague is allowed to spread freely, and they don’t intend to let the same happen to them, regardless of whatever justifications the others come up with to be anything less than merciless.

What they stand to gain: What, survival isn’t good enough? They get to live another day (or exist another night, anyway), and that’s plenty for them. They’re not interested in continuing their petty enmities or pursuing other goals while an outbreak endangers their livelihoods and the continuation of their kind. They sure as hell aren’t interested in mercy, lenience, or “finding another way.”

Where They Came From

In the 1330s and 1340s, famine and pestilence in Asia created the perfect conditions for the spread of the bubonic plague, so deadly it came to be known as the Black Death. Millions upon millions perished, hacking up blood from infected lungs. Though monsters escaped this fate on the whole, the epidemic didn’t end when humans stopped dropping dead in the streets. It just mutated. After the Black Death petered out (the first time, anyway), the Contagion struck directly on its heels, and across Europe and Asia the reaction was immediate and brutal. No more, they said, and began the purge.

The formal Crucible Initiative came out of China in the 1860s, when the mortal plague returned. No sign of the Contagion showed itself then, but in anticipation of its inevitable outbreak, a pack of Chinese Pure made contact with an angel and proposed a coalition that would soon blossom into an international operation. The God-Machine’s agents gathered select night-dwellers throughout the world, inviting those with the will and the means to join forces in vigilance against the illness that would certainly return. They called it the Crucible Initiative, for they would burn the impurities out of the world until only the strong and unsullied remained.

Once, the willing specimens of Genome studied the Contagion’s nature directly, infecting themselves on purpose to examine how it ran its course and develop individualized immunities. These Sworn delved too deeply into the Contagion’s secrets and became something else, something awful. Many of the Sworn tried to reclaim these grotesque things, hoping to restore them to their previous states. So the Crucible Initiative stepped in and exterminated them. Unfortunately, records show they might not have managed to quite get them all. Almost no one knows those records exist.

What They Do

The Initiative employs a scorched earth policy when it comes to the Contagion. Raze it all to the ground, burn the fields, salt the earth. They destroy all Contagious on sight, as well as anything or anyone that’s infected, possibly infected, or even potentially a vector. Anything that might give the plague a foothold is a target. “Them” and “us” don’t matter anymore; they abandon all but the direst enmities and most primal urges in favor of their mission. Likewise, pursuits they otherwise treasure fall by the wayside. Prometheans who join the Fire-Bearers inevitably become Centimani if they weren’t already. The Bound round up infected ghosts and dispose of them, abandoning their krewes or twisting them to new purpose. Changelings leave their freeholds to swear Huntsmen and hobgoblins to the cause, borrowing Bridge-Burner philosophies to justify it to themselves. No group draws more of the God-Machine’s own angels than the Crucible Initiative; they claim it’s pure practicality, but some take it as evidence that even the Machine knows fear.

The surgeons also act to preserve what’s not yet infected, by any means necessary. They call it “quarantine” when they kidnap those suspected to be vectors or infected, and they call it “preventative care” when they kidnap those in high-risk demographics or deemed too valuable to the recovery of a post-purge world to leave at large. They lock up their prisoners somewhere sterile and isolated, then poke and prod them until the diagnosis is certain. Once it is, they either immunize their captives through unpleasant occult means to be absolutely certain they’re clean, or set them ablaze and dispose of the ashes. Those who turn out clean might end up locked in quarantine indefinitely anyway; if released, they might go back to their risky behaviors and end up infected anyway, so what would be the point?

The Initiative performs research and experiments to find ever-more efficient and effective ways of holding powerful beings in quarantine, destroying them more thoroughly or in larger numbers, and getting more accurate diagnoses. Such experiments occasionally invite the Gentry into the world to take infected humans away to Faerie, or prompt angels to Fall, or lead to generative acts that create Prometheans (and Pandorans), and other such outcomes. They also, incidentally or purposefully, often lead to bolstering the Fire-Bearers’ lower ranks with loyal clones, spirit-ridden, stigmatics, slashers, and others.

How they organize: They structure themselves like an international government program with local divisions or branches, a bloated hierarchy, and many specialists. They offer benefits to their members, which vary in form depending on the nature of the creature in question. Letting an Insatiable live in the basement lab and feeding it Beasts once in a while until they loose it on a bunch of unsuspecting Contagion victims might not count as “employing” the Lamashtu, but it’s on the books regardless.

When they commit to wiping out the Contagion, surgeons hearken back to their origins among the Uratha and hunter angels, embarking on a hunt to destroy a living threat and bring proof back to show they’re willing to do the job.

Against the Sworn: The Initiative considers the Sworn a bunch of naïve fools whose work actively contributes to the Contagion’s threat. It raids Sworn headquarters whenever it finds them, taking what’s useful and torching the rest. It doesn’t care about hiding its actions; what difference does it make who takes the blame? It’ll turn into credit later, anyway, when anyone who might have complained is either dead or the beneficiary of the Fire-Bearers’ gift of survival.

Who They Are

   An alchemist who collects samples of infected Prometheans and other beings, working to perfect a formula that will unleash a true killer virus — one that only targets creatures who carry the Contagion

   A Devoted Chimeric created from werewolf DNA, whom the Initiative coerced into joining as the perfect Contagion-hunting weapon. They let her off her leash just long enough to sniff out the epidemic’s taint

   An Insatiable of the Void who creates quarantine chambers from stolen Lairs, emptying them out completely and stashing victims there to scream soundlessly until the Initiative determines they should burn

   An angelic project manager who oversees the construction of mobile Elimination Infrastructure platforms and personally leads the clean-up crew after they’re deployed, delivering the remains back to the God-Machine for inscrutable purposes

   A vampire of the Ordo Dracul who rounds up Kindred Contagion vectors and performs experiments on them before sending them to see the sun, hoping to discover a new Coil that will make her immune to the infection

Nicknames: Fire-Bearers, surgeons

[farvn]

"...oh, Mr. Gravedigger, you're fun." Part 4 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded! WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/_Esc906x__U

[farvn]

"Whenever you walk into a room, all eyes are on you." Part 20 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!

[farvn]

"You're here? You're real? ...Why can't I touch you?" Part 19 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!

[farvn]

"You killed Uzo! There's no one left! I'm alone!" Part 18 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!

[farvn]

"No...lying... there will be a cure." Part 17 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!

[farvn]

"Don't struggle, you'll ruin your skin." Part 16 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!

[farvn]

"Are you inside Itzon yet?" Part 15 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!

[farvn]

"Let's go deeper! I want to see which performers showed up." Part 14 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!

[farvn]

"Uzo... I've said some petty, nasty shit in my time, but hearing you say that..." Part 13 of Black Heaven: A Necromantic Dating Sim has been uploaded!