14 NOVEMBER 1894 - ST. DENIS, LEMOYNE
A fucking lot to catch up on, the doctor thought to himself over a pint of stale ale.
Galen put the pen to paper. So much had happened in the last few weeks, and he knew he had to update the Order sooner or later. He had to admit that he'd been hesitating; duty and expectations accounted for, he still felt wrong divulging some of the secrets he'd uncovered. It gave him a twinge of that rotten guilty feeling he'd had all those years ago when he traded in the Flickermen to save his own hide. A cold draft of air whistled through the darkened tavern, blowing out his struggling candle. Swiftly, he lit a match and nursed the candle back to life -- that singular point of light that cast hope in the gloom and brought order to chaos. Darkness, he thought to himself, monsters. This discovery was bigger than Ed. He needed to write to the Grand Master himself.
Grand Master O'Callaghan,
St. Denis stands on the brink of oblivion. All that I have seen corroborates the literature that the vampyrs are like locusts. One lone ekon may exist in obscurity for decades or more, doing minimal damage on the population; but more than one, they become a scourge. I draw your attention to the writings of Zebulon Gerhard, that in times of upheaval or strife, an Immundovulnus -- supernatural focal point -- manifests like a beacon all manner of dark force are drawn to. I can only conclude it was born at the time of the Hurricane. In the short time I have been here, I have identified four more immortals. Of what lineage or variety, I cannot tell, but it is certain that two of them I do not find represented in my resources under any specie. One, however, by all accounts, appears to have been a Skal.
The skal's name was Baron von Bruegal, and he was discovered in a cave amidst countless bones of all varieties -- deer, elk, bear, human. There is no doubt he was a predator of immense strength and power. He has been staked, decapitated, and interred in the St. Denis cemetery. I have included 2 blood samples, a skin scraping, and tissue sample within for your research.
But this is not the end of the story.
For weeks now, I have been tracking a blood-drinker of some higher order. I have found 5 messages left by the creature detailing its obsession with blood and intent to kill. There is a well-established superstition amongst the populace here of a "Vampire of St. Denis." I believe this singular ekon is the source of the legend. Baron Von Bruegal, for all intents and purposes, was a normal man ten years ago, with a family and a love for mountain climbing. I believe he was turned by this ekon, but due to either some biological incompatibility or a weak inheritance, he became a skal instead. Skals, as we know, can feast on the corpses of living and dead and are not obligate predators of man. But where there is one...
This Phenomenon of the Immundovulnus has altered the very fabric of the Weft and seems to be drawing out the various humours of the blood, as there have been several other sightings of recent -- a crashed carriage carrying only a casket overturned and emptied headed this direction -- another moth attracted to the flame? A man standing dazed in broad daylight with wounds in the neck, utterly unresponsive despite the injuries. I regret I left him to his fate. The return of known lycanthrope Afiano Daniele, Scourge of Rio Bravo. And now even someone I had believed was the kindliest of human beings -- Deputy Danielle McAuley.
He stopped typing then. His heart tightened in his chest. It ached writing it out, seeing her name on the page included amongst the ranks of monsters. She had always been so warm, so human. That she claims to have sacrificed her own humanity to better the rest of it is the kind of argument one tells themself when rationalizing evil. Kane himself had done horrendous things in the name of a cause. Wars were fought over dogma alone. A gentle monster she may be, but a monster nonetheless. What is he supposed to do now? Trust her?
Still, she did not obfuscate nor lie. She explained the mechanics of her creation and how she was a bastard hybrid of vampiric heritage -- not a true vampyr, but something else, something with indeterminate fidelity. She claims to be immortal, but amongst the many treatises and theses written by centuries of occult researchers, hybrids never seemed to last -- their nature at odds with their humanity, devouring itself like some kind of accursed ouroboros. Perhaps some amount of her humanity remains intact. Perhaps that alone will keep the blood of hate at bay.
He sighed and resumed his typing.
McAuley is not like the others. She is the product of experimentation -- an alchemical hybrid of some sort -- vampyr blood combined with what I believe to be Lemaitre's black magic genesis (I have written to you about her before). The balance between the two humours appears to be stable for now, and McAuley has explained to me she does not sustain herself off the blood of humans, that she possesses few of the strengths or weaknesses of the Vampyr save for her longevity and durability. She has agreed to allow me to study her. For this, I beseech the Order to leave her be. I have read at least one instance of an ekon aiding the Order in the destruction of a far more dangerous monster. Perhaps her humanity can be of use to our cause. I understand the risks, of course, and assume responsibility.
There is also the matter of the serial killer (the "St. Denis Slasher"), who until last night I believed to be of mundane origin; however, an impromptu seance revealed evidence of the influence of an anathematismus diabola. I believe this Ezekial Blackwood, Jr to be the host of such. It is no surprise how it has ended up here if my theory is correct about the Immundovulnus.
The next steps are clear. Blackwood must be exorcised and the ekon that is creating the skals must be stopped before all of St. Denis tears itself apart. The Immundovulnus will only increase in power the more death and destruction takes place. Any resources you have, send them. I believe the Order is all that stands between The Five States and disaster.
Yours,
Dr. Kane
He leaned back in his chair and folded the letter into an envelope, sealing it with wax. He did not include his curious observations of the 4th theorized immortal, not including the two he already had documented. He did not have enough data yet to draw conclusions. Until then, he would keep that under his hat. It was unusual to have this many "vampires" in one place. If an Immundovulnus wasn't to blame, then what was? And how long until they were all at each other's throats?
He was exhausted, but with Salena sleeping in his room, he stepped out to finish his work. When he returned to the apartment complex, he slipped into Salena's room to collapse on her bed, falling fast asleep. He'd be sure to awaken before her and bring her breakfast as promised. It hadn't been an easy day for anyone.