Chapter 1, Episode 2: The Blood-Red Fez
Jan 6th, 1923: at the Oriental Club we find Prof Smyth's business card with a White Chapel address: Middle Eastern residential area with a lot of folks who look a lot like Mehmet. 2nd floor room-4 we find Beddows. “Thank God you are here. Cultists tried to stab us at the mansion but settled for setting it on fire. With 3rd degree burns, Prof Smyth is planning to move to a home for veterans in Scotland under an assumed name. He made enemies in the past while on the trail of the Sedefkar Simulacrum thought destroyed in the 18th century by the Royal army. Turns out its parts were scattered across Europe during Napoleon's time frame: Milan, Slovenia, Bulgaria to name a few.”
Smyth (at death’s door) winces in pain and coughs as he recounts events. “Go, GO, quickly. I’ve encountered the Cult of the Skinless One.” Beddows hands over a folder with travel money to fund our expedition and tourist passes for the Simplon Express (allows us to hop off and on at any destination without a timetable). “We’ll communicate by telegram.”British Library to research: simulacrum mentioned in the 13th century. 1890s reference to Ottoman empire’s attempt to suppress the Skinless cult. Learned French noble that had Simulacrum was also known as Comte Fenalik. He was captured and put in the insane asylum as at the time nobles were immune from execution (that changed with the Revolution, but no info if Comte Fenalik was killed). The France National Library in Paris has more. We go back to the Oriental Club: members remember Smyth’s accounts of his encounters 30 years ago and his swearing “Never to go back to Constantinople!”
Jan 9th Library: find man in overcoat and
Fedora, slumped over at a table. Sanity check as we find him a completely
flayed corpse (killed days ago). An atlas opened in front of him displays
Constantinople and a Turkish note that translates to “The skinless one shall
not be denied.”
January 10th: London to Dover to take ferry over to Calais to board the Simplon Express. 40+ passengers, pleasant piano music. We each settle into our sleeping berths before joining up to open Prof Smyth’s folder:
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numerous older newspaper articles or notes about “The Blood-Red Fez …seekers of dark knowledge should consult the book ‘The Whispering Fez’.” Orson reasoned that was probably a book stolen from the house of the fez collector who was murdered in 1893. We also read his journal entry starting in 1893, exchanging telegrams with his Turkish friend professor Demir in Constantinople.
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The Investigators accompanying Prof Smyth in 1893 |
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(Bill) Yusuf
Efendi, 59yo Turkish Museum Curator |
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(Matt) Arthur,
27yo British Occult Author |
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(Duane) Wilbur,
26yo British coal miner |
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(Brian) Maj
James Blackwood, 40yo British officer, medically retired |
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(Tony) Effendi
Cyrus Ahmadi, 28yo Persian Diplomat |
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(Geoff) Vincent,
?yo ? |
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(Dave) Ezekiel,
38yo Engineer |
1893 Oriental Club where Professor Smyth left a hasty note: “At White Chapel… bring guns!” Thick fog – Middle Eastern man wearing Fez standing under a gaslight lamp casually walks away. Landlady Mrs. Grime, “The Prof is in the 1st floor room with that other doctor.” CON check for the stench and vomit. Room lit by two candles where Dr. Hobbs leans over a bed occupied by a wasted man (23-year-old student Matthew Pook) dressed only in his underwear and wearing a Fez hat. “Something is draining his life.” Per Hobbs and the landlady’s story: We were only to watch. Despite my instructions, 4 days ago Matthew decided to investigate closer and went missing. Mrs. Grime says a well-dressed man rented this room 4 days ago. On the 2nd night there were strange shadows. 3rd night loud shrieking. 4th night landlady called the police. “I was called in per my business card in Matthew’s pocket.”
No tattoos or runes carved into his skin. Fez hat seems attached as if flesh grown into it. Yusuf tries to cut it off, but the fabric restitches. James swats at it trying to knock it off without success.
Suddenly,
Matthew sits up with a high-pitched screen and lashes out with a long tongue as
if a cat-of-nine-tails, ripping the face off of Hobbs!
Numerous shots before the inhuman thing is killed; the Fez rolls off his head. Dr. Smyth pays the landlady not to say anything to the police as we scoop up the Fez in an ash can. Smyth explains how he assisted a friend 5 years ago in Istanbul. How they crossed Selim Marykit (Father of Mehmet?!) who established the blood cult.
NEXT SESSION: Chapter 1, Episode 3: 1893 Constantinople
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