[AFTERMATH] Watch your backs—Startrek Ferngully is MAD

[Mapmaker]

Looks like Spukhafte is mad. Mad enough to send a video to his minions. Arthur's chronicled the problems on a page at the bunker. There are two notes of interest: one from Peter, which at least implies that he's not gonna kill Art (good news):

[Catherwood]

[Jjason]

So...

Is Exu or is Exu not Anwell Barierascu? Cause this video suggests that he is. Or more likely, that SF thinks that he is. From what I understand, the serious of events that lead to this video are:
1. Exu gives the NY Sentries the letter
2. The NY Sentries give the letter to the Sculptor
3. The Sculptor gives the letter to SF
4. SF calls for everybody to go all Kaiser Soze on Exu.
Now that I think about it, I think it's more likely that Exu isn't Anwell but is just claiming to be to get SF pissed off.

Also, the Bargain seems to the evil version of the Agreement, a community of people larger than Chorazos involved this the whole yog sothoth, forbidden works business.
_________________
WHO IS SAINT FENLINE?

"We remain convinced that this is the best defensive posture to adopt in order to minimize casualties when the Great Old Ones return from beyond the stars to eat our brains." - from The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross

[Dav Flamerock]

Okay so I've looked over the articles and letters and such that we've gathered. Here's a list of the FACTS, followed by a comprehensive "story" of what happened:

ARTICLE ABOUT BARIERASCU:

• Barierascu Charitable Fund gives lots of money to adoption facilities and such.
  
• Barierascu family estate is in Chorazin, NY.
  
• ANWELL was adopted by JORMA in 1943. ANWELL was 2 years old at the time.
  
• JORMA was adopted by VEKOSLAV in the late 1890s.
  
• JORMA died in 1962
  
• The Barierascu family has been into adoption for 6 generations.
  
• ANWELL has a son named GUSTEV, who he adopted in 1987. GUSTEV was at least 2 years old at the time, putting his birth year around 1984-85.

EMAIL FROM PETER ABOUT BARIERASCU

• Magicians have been known to make "black pilgrimage[s]" to Chorazin.
  
• There is a point of importance that I have not yet fully deciphered, but it goes something like this: "and some of them like Parsons made a point to flaunt Agreements they did not participate in by detailing the oaths it led to for others to try and follow." My take on that is that some magicians talk explicitly about agreements that they don't take part in and try to get other people to take part in them. Could this be the "Bargain" that Spukhafte refers to? (see the Chorazos Message)
  
• GUSTAV buried his father, ANWELL, in 2005.
  
• The Barierascu "family estate" belonged to a family known as the "van der Hyle"s prior to Vekoslav's purchase of the plot shortly before his death.

EDDIE POPE RESEARCH ON CHORAZOS

• "Modern record have the cult's HQ in upstate New York, near the Attica state penitentiary." It just so happens that the Barierascu family estate is near Attica.

EXU'S LETTER

• The names JORMA and ANWELL are crossed out in the "to" line, replaced by the name GUSTEV.
  
• For fourty-six years, the author has been hiding. Going back 46 years from 2008 puts us at 1962.
  
• The author has been waiting for GUSTEV to throw away what he stole from the author, while the author still has what GUSTEV wants.
  
• The author seems to have the upper hand, as GUSTEV's greed is enabling the author's plots.
  
• The author can see GUSTEV's dreams, in which GUSTEV desires artifacts from Yian-Ho that GUSTEV left behind. The author has relocated these artifacts to a more safe location.
  
• The author deciphered the [Book of the Hidden] and used the knowledge therein to open the "gate with the silver key" which then allowed him to read what was contained in the Temple of Yian-Ho. (Which GUSTEV has been searching for)
  
• The author has the upper hand over GUSTEV because he still has the "face" that GUSTEV stole from him.
  
• GUSTEV is of the mistaken belief that he killed the author, and this has allowed the author to learn more about GUSTEV than GUSTEV would like.
  
• The author explicitly states his desire to destroy GUSTEV's work. He specifically mentions a bargain. (see the Chorazos Message)
  
• GUSTEV is the author's father.
  
• The author calls himself ANWELL Barierascu, and claims that by killing GUSTEV, he will commit patricide.

WHEW!
That's a LOT of information. Some of it is very contradictory. For example: in the letter, Anwell Barierascu claims that Gustev is his father, when Gustev is actually his adopted son. However, as the letter seems to have been addressed primarily to Anwell's father Jorma, this may make more sense. Why Jorma and Anwell are both on the "to" line and are both crossed out is unknown. I will give a possible explanation below.

NOW, on to speculation. Here is the story as I believe happened. It takes the following assumption to be true: SPUKHAFTE FERNWIRKUNG is actually an ageless shapeshifter, incapable of growing older and capable of becoming whatever person he desires.

--------------------------------

Sometime in the 1800s, Spukhafte Fernwirkung bought the van der Hyle family estate in Chorazin. He did this under the name of Vekoslav Barierascu. Vekoslav then proceeded to adopt a son and heir in the 1890s, who was a man named Jorma. This swiftly became (if it was not already) a highly occult site, and the center of operations for the newest form of the Chorazos Cult. At some point afterwards, Vekoslav killed Jorma and shapeshifted into Jorma's body, becoming his son. This is when Vekoslav died.

Jorma took over Chorazos (rather, as the same person, he continued running it). In 1943 he killed Anwell's parents and "saved" the 2-year-old baby from adoption. He raised Anwell as his son and heir. When Anwell was 21 years old (1941-1962), Anwell discovered that his father, Jorma, had in fact murdered his parents. At that time, Jorma attempted to kill Anwell. Anwell survived, but Jorma believed that his son was actually dead. With Anwell out of the way, Jorma took on Anwell's persona and Jorma "died". Seeing that his father had taken over his life, Anwell changed his name to Jakub U (since he never did tell his students his real last name, he probably doesn't actually have one). He also took on the online monkier "eXu" at some point.

Anwell then became the head honcho of Chorazos. He continued what he had been doing for the past many-score years as the top of the Chorazos chain (while leading Chorazos, he called himself Spukhafte Fernwirkung). Meanwhile, Jakub became a professor at Miskatonic University and a prominent member of the Council. He also at some point became a powerful magician specializing in dreams, enabling him to rifle through his "father"s dreams, thus learning what his father desired from Yian-Ho. He then proceeded to hide the artifacts his "father" sought. This powerful magic that he learned to wield in regards to dreams also enabled him to manifest as the Drummer in the Dreamscape, which he would subsequently use to guide BA and learn about Emmet. Or something.

Meanwhile, Anwell adopted another heir in 1987, who he called Gustev. Gustev grew up and when he was around 21, in 2005, Anwell killed him and took over his body, as he had done to his many other adopted sons previously. As usual, when Anwell became Gustev, Anwell died, and Gustev's actual body was likely used as a proxy for Anwell, because Anwell was not the *actual* dead one. (I'm sorry for the weird name-changing business, but that's the problem with immortal shapeshifters like Spukhafte) Jakub watched this under the protection of an assumed death, and set his plans in motion to get his revenge and probably take down Chorazos at the same time.


----------------------------------

Did you follow that? It has only one flaw--which is that if the Barierascu Article that Johnny the Hack picked up was written in 2006, which I believe it was (Anwell born in 1941, and the article mentions him being 65 years old), then Anwell should have been dead. Because supposedly Anwell died in 2005. But that might have been an error of the author's, as he might have gotten confused over the whole shape-shifting thing. Of course, that assumes that the author is in the know about Spukehafte's true nature.

This speculation would also explain the odd three-named "to" line in eXu's letter (also known as Jakub U or Anwell Barierascu). Jakub first knew Spukhafte as his father, Jorma, which is why he keeps referring to his murder of Spukhafte as "patricide." However, he also knows that Spukhafte is no longer Jorma (hence the crossout), and he is no longer Anwell (hence the crossout), and he is now Gustev.

PS: I have something entirely different to say, this time about the Bargain: I like Jjason's spec that the Bargain is an "evil Agreement" but I do not think it is simply between members of Chorazos. Just like the Agreement covers all sorts of Council members (Forsythe/Knights of Mars Nodens, the Esoteric, and whatever organizations fight on the Temporal and Physical fronts), I believe the Bargain is some sort of inter-cult Agreement. So it's a Bargain that binds Chorazos, the cult of Cthulhu, and whatever other freakyass cults are out there.
_________________
~Dav Flamerock
"There are probably seven persons, in all, who really like my work; and they are enough. I should write even if I were the only patient reader, for my aim is merely self-expression." ~H.P. Lovecraft

I think this means something, but it's going to take a little more digging. ~ Eddie Pope
(Smith, Tessla, GreenieXIII, Anaru, KyubiKiitsune)

[Unfictionrose]

[Biff]

Good writeup Dav. I agree

One point. eXu is not a master of dreams. He seems to be able to travel to or manifest in the "underworld" through various means, but dreams are not his method. The dreamworld and underworld are parallel.

rose: interesting that you mention George as the source of the cylinder, I didn't see that explicitly stated (no surprise, I haven't gone through all of the evidence) but it makes lots of sense. I assumed the kids got it out of the temple and died in the "madlands/dreamlands/underworld" with the bleedin' iDiOTS. :p
If the cylinder got out through the Bryce ritual, then it would implicate Spukey Ferschlugginner as the one controlling Bryce's actions.
That said, I prefer the George theory.

[Jamescarson]

wow thats allot to take in in one sitting.

[Jjason]

[Biff]

Except for...
well...
This

[Jjason]

[Obtusitivity]

[Johnny The Hack]

[Jjason]

[Tessla]

don't know if someone else has noticed this before. This is from an email by Peter, that i found in the Spukhafte Fernwirkung thread (research).

[Johnny The Hack]