Patterns of Darkness (Appendices)

The Faculty of Daemonology At the University of Teutonia
An Essay by Prof. S. von Groshnik, with updates from Professor Boris von Kaiserstein
Spring 1111 Edition

A companion document to Patterns of Darkness by Prof. S. von Groshnik.

Appendix 1

The Demise of Gustaf and Lothar Dasslar

The Statement below is a transcribed copy of the post-mortem document, which detailed the findings of Alchemist and Surgeon Marrius Strömberger in the winter of 1015 at the request of the Teutonic Knights.

“…From the evidence I have seen so far I am in no doubt that the deaths of both Dàsslar brothers are drug-induced murder. The renowned Dàsslar Alchemy Laboratory in which the bodies were found was utterly wrecked. Each and every object and piece of furniture had been smashed and over-turned. The floor was awash in a chaotic pile of wood, stone, glass shards, chemicals and blood. The renowned and utterly priceless alchemy set, which had belonged to the Dàsslar family for over a century, was shattered beyond repair. Half of the broken alembic was found lodged in the skull of the younger brother Löthar. Both bodies were covered in numerous cuts, bruises and gashes of varying severity. Many of the cuts, particularly in the arms and hands still contained shards of glass and splinters of wood, showing beyond reasonable doubt that the state of the laboratory was entirely at the hands of the deceased.

The sheer amount of damage each body sustained was amazing. Given the spread of the destruction and the spread of the blood around the room it is clear that the brothers physically tore the room apart, apparently with no motive nor care for the damage their bodies were sustaining. The deep scratch marks on the face and neck of the older brother Gustaf were without a doubt caused by the glass-shard encrusted hands of his younger brother. The alembic was in all likelihood lodged in the skull of the younger brother in retaliation. In both cases these vicious attacks appear to have been delivered with a ferocity and strength that neither of the brothers should have been naturally capable of. It also appears that these attacks that would have, without a doubt, have been fatal under normal circumstances, did not even seem to make a significant impact on the brothers in their struggle.

The evidence strongly suggests that the brothers fought on for several more minutes, despite the mortal wounds suffered by both combatants. Gustaf should have been dead from a deep gash in his left jugular vein and how Löthar remained standing with the ceramic alembic forced almost four inches into his left eye and brain is staggering.

In the unnatural melee that followed over the next minute the two brothers suffered no less than twenty-seven broken bones and three severed limbs between them. This is in fact not entirely accurate, as Löthar apparently chewed off Gustaf’s right ankle and foot. This act cost him seven teeth, which were found embedded in the flesh of his brother’s limb. The gruesome melee did not stop there. Löthar’s right arm was actually bludgeoned off at the shoulder with a blunt object, which after examining the evidence on hand could only have been his own left arm (which had apparently been severed earlier in the conflict). Damage sustained to the bloody stump and bruising on the wrist of the severed left limb confirms that it was used in this fashion.

My theory is that the only thing that prevented the melee from continuing to fight on past the point it did, was that neither brother was able to move due to loss of blood, bones and limbs. I cannot say how long they remained on the floor of their wrecked laboratory before finally dying, although I can confirm that they did have limited movement before they expired. However, according to all known logic they should both have been dead minutes before the melee ensued…”

Strömberger’s document went on for several pages detailing the various tests and procedures he performed on the corpses of the deceased Dàsslar brothers before reaching his final conclusion as to the cause of the incident.

“…Based on the findings, at the site of the ‘murders’ and in post-mortem examinations I believe I have finally found the answer to the mystery. A large amount of a black powder-like substance was found in the nasal passages, digestive systems and blood samples of both of the Dàsslar brothers. The substance appears to have fed off the internal organs and has caused swelling in the lungs, brain and muscles causing mutated internal lesions in what appears to be a totally uncontrolled way. The amount of the substance in each brother is similar, while the damage done is significantly varied in each case…”

“…It seems that both Dàsslar brothers entered some sort of unnatural frenzy, induced in both cases by the regular consumption of a variety of substances. The substance considered to be chiefly responsible is undoubtedly the black residue found in both corpses. After a detailed examination of the substance in question it seems to be a close match to powdered Bale Stone. The substance seems to have bound itself to, and in many cases reacted with, a number of other substances in each of the bodies. This in turn caused burning, paralysis, severe swelling and in a few cases physical mutation of the affected area. The evidence suggests that both brothers were snorting the substance on a regular basis for a short time prior to their demise…”

“…Based on the incident in question it is my opinion that this ‘Bale Stone’ is both a potentially dangerous and unstable substance with totally uncontrolled properties. It is my recommendation that the substance be deposited in the Dangerous Substances Vault at the alchemical facility in Prague and re-examined at a later date.”

Appendix 2

Gröt’sck Experiment Results

In a study performed by the Faculty of Daemonology in Trieste over the winter of 1104 a large number of material and artefact samples were tested and compared in order to determine their links to the Plane of Dark Spirits and other daemonic realms. In total one hundred and fifty-four samples were tested for daemonic links.

Due to the Daemonic Portal on the Campus, many of the samples had trace amounts of Gröt'sck and resonated with Dark Spirit energy. However, ten of the samples had levels of Gröt'sck or Dark Spirit energy that was at levels much higher than what could be expected from Portal Proximity.

The ten samples that proved positive were as follows:
1) Blood sample #3

Obtained: Spring 1104

Subject: Viktor von Geshalt

History: Summer 1103 possessed by J’Roth Daemon Prince

Result: The blood was found to be made up of mainly Gröt'sck and contained levels of Dark Spirit energy much higher than expected through Portal Proximity.

2) Blood sample #6

Obtained: Spring 1104

Subject: Dimitri von Trügelhof

History: Summer 1103 possessed by J’Roth Daemon Prince

Result: The blood was found to be made up of mainly Gröt'sck and contained levels of Dark Spirit energy much higher than expected through Portal Proximity.

3) Blood sample #2

Obtained: Spring 1104

Subject: Imp Fitrit (Proactive Defence Engineer)

History: Gifted to Doctor Rosamund von Trügelhof in the summer of 1103 by the Daemon Talabrina

Result: The blood was found to contain a small amount of Gröt'sck and contained levels of Dark Spirit energy much higher than expected through Portal Proximity.

4) Bone sample #1

Obtained: Spring 1104

Subject: Viktor von Geshalt

History: Summer 1103 possessed by J’Roth Daemon Prince

Result: The horn had large amounts of Gröt'sck within it when crushed. There was also Dark Spirit Energy present in higher levels than expected from Portal Proximity. It was postulated that, with the quantity of Dark Spirit Energy along with the amount of Gröt'sck within the horn, it could theoretically be possible for a dropped horn to evolve into an Imp with a decade if left lying around, or between 12–18 months with Portal Proximity.

5) Bone sample #4

Obtained: Spring 1104

Subject: Imp Fitrit (Proactive Defence Engineer)

History: Gifted to Doctor Rosamund von Trügelhof in the summer of 1103 by the Daemon Talabrina

Result: The horn had large amounts of Gröt'sck within it when crushed. There was also Dark Spirit Energy present in higher levels than expected from Portal Proximity. The fingerbone also contained Gröt'sck and some Dark Spirit Energy, but only enough to prove that portal proximity was not essential to its presence.

6) Artefact Sample #3

Item: Green Gem Prime Fetish

History: Recorded in Von Geshalt catalogue 1059. Transferred to Faculty of Daemonology autumn 1100.

Result: The Prime Fetish of the Faculty of Daemonology had incredibly high levels of Dark Spirit Energy. This is probably due to its link to the Daemonic Portal and its Portal Proximity. Other Fetishes were tested, and also showed high levels of Dark Spirit Energies. However, the Green Gem Prime Fetish also produces a thin film of Gröt'sck, something that the other Fetishes do not.

7) Artefact Sample #12

Item: Box of Kra’helnuk

History: Donated through a will to the University of Teutonia in 966, transferred to the Faculty of Daemonology spring 1099.

Result: The fine dust produced by the Box is Gröt'sck, and we believe that feeding the Box energy will produce an Imp. There were traces of Dark Spirit Energy but these were in line with Portal Proximity and we do not feel that the box possesses this energy innately.

8) Material Sample #1

Substance: Bale Stone

History: Locked in a vault in Prague in Spring 1014. Taken from vault Winter 1084 and added to Von Geshalt catalogue Spring 1085. Transferred to Faculty of Daemonology in Spring 1101.

Result: The Bale Stone was found to be pure Gröt'sck, and fully capable of evolving given enough Dark Spirit Energy. Dark Spirit Energy was present, but at levels consistent with Portal Proximity.

9) Material Sample #5

Substance: Blackrock / Fluxorus Crystal

History: Blackrock found on Roak Spring 1104. Fluxorus Crystal donated to Faculty of Daemonology for study by the Deadites of Eresh’Kigal autumn 1103. Faculty Alchemists have confirmed that they are the same substance.

Result: Both items showed many similarities to Material Sample #1 (Bale Stone) in their composition and Gröt'sck content. However, Blackrock is not Bale Stone. They have differences that have yet to be identified, and do not appear to respond to Dark Spirit Energies. We believe that this is a form of Bailast that feeds off a specific power source, rather than being able to use the nearest power source.

10) Material Sample #7

Substance: Dul’soth Carapace

History: Purchased at auction by Rosamund von Trügelhof winter 1094. Transferred to Faculty of Daemonology Summer 1100.

Result: The Carapace was found to contain much Gröt'sck, and indeed appeared to be transforming into the substance. There were trace elements of Dark Spirit Energy, just more than would be expected from Portal Proximity.

Appendix 3

The Mazarac Quesep Document

Below is a transcribed version of the Mazarac Quesep Document recovered in the wreck of the merchant vessel Stepharas, off the coast of what is now Mauritania in 842. The text was translated by Matiracles in 862. The Count von Trügelhof purchased both the original and translated version in 1983 in an auction in Trieste. The text remained as an asset of the Von Trügelhof family before being added to the Library of Daemonology in 1099.

“Woe to you, Children of Ap’tar. You, whose ancestors of old drew the bloody knife of slaughter and reaped a bitter harvest throughout the Desert Lands to the South. Remember their pact of genocide – for nothing has lived or breathed those places they went through in a thousand years. Their war of redemption sowed naught but the blood of the fallen into those black desert sands and the swamplands gained nothing but the sickly silence of peace.

Never forget Quesep, First amongst the Sons of Ap’tar that the lot drawn by your Father’s Fathers has not yet been paid for the Dark Fiends slain by your people are rising once more.

Even as I speak, you do not hear my words, just as they did not. You stare, deaf, with blank miscomprehension – hardly able to breathe with the over-bloated smugness of a fool. You will doubtless take my blood as your ancestors took theirs, but you will see the wisdom in my words before your life is ended.

Even as I speak the wheel continues to turn. The rain no longer falls and the very sky is darkening. Do you not hear that sound in the air? Do you not smell that stench in the breeze?

Beware Sons of Ap’tar for they are rising once again with bodies newly forged. They rise stronger than ever from the blackened bones of their fathers your ancestors’ ground into those desert sands and they rise from the dark blood of their fathers, your ancestors once made to flow in steams in the swamps. They are rising and they are coming for you. The old Lords Mazariel and Soggretharr have been reborn. Their bodies are newly forged but their minds remember.

Something is finally growing in the Desert, Son of Ap’tar and it is coming to reclaim the debt your people owe. This time it is they who wield the bloody knife of slaughter and your people who will be erased from this land.

Your brothers have grown fat and lazy on stomachs bloated with peace. Do they even remember how to fight?

But worst of all, Quesep, Son of Ap’tar, when the bodies of your brothers and Sons have been devoured and their bones have been ground into the desert and their blood has been mingle with the murky waters of the swamps – do you think they will rise again?

They will remember nothing and they will be nothing. They will be forgotten.”

Suggested Further Reading:
"Daemonic Classification" by Archchancellor V. von Geshalt;
“Discourse on Daemonology” by Prof. D. von Trügelhof;
“Daemonic Manifestation” by Archchancellor V. von Geshalt;
“Patterns of Darkness” by Prof. S. von Groshnik;
“The Art of Channelling" by F. Karrash-Morr;