by Avell Kro
spirit. The Church saw his brother's exploration into the afterworld as heretical and counter to the
beliefs and teachings of the Church. If it were not for the events that took place on Napoleon
Bonaparte’s expedition to Egypt and the work of one young Necronist in particular, the Guild may
have become a footnote in occult history.
The accepted reason for Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt and Syria fifty-nine years earlier was to
establish France’s leadership in Egyptology, it was more to exhert influence in the failing Ottoman
empire. General Napoleon sought to offset the expanding influences of England, and the Russian
Empire by leading a French scientific expedition with a military contingent for protection; the
mission would show his ability to project a force into the Middle East. The research detachment
included a Metaphysicist and Guild member, Sebastian Crocus to lead the group that found the
Rosetta Stone. The tablets provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics and allowed for the origin
of Egyptology through the translation of the symbols to ancient Greek and eventually to all other
languages.
Another discovery was made in the royal tombs, the Oraculum, stones scriptures that allowed for
decoding messages from the ancient oracle. The Necronist Seer translated the tablets and
instructed the General on the uses of the Oraculum. Napoleon consulted his translated version for
every significant political decision, finding it to be indispensable, it was the secret behind what the
world perceived as military genius.
While the expedition devoted most of its resources to collecting antiquities and detailing the history of the ancient Egyptians; it was the Necronist Crocus who used the Rosetta stone to
unravel the mysteries of the Egyptian priests and the experiments they were conducting to open
and close gateways into the afterlife. These discoveries became the basis for the two areas of
study in the Necronist Guild: divination and rejuvenation.
Ultimately, the Guild became competent in prophecy through its research of the Oraculum and
other works of antiquity. It was during a séance the Guild Seers traced a thread of the future where
Napoleon took Moscow but lost his army, not through conflict with the Russian Empire but by the
savagery of the weather and desolate land conditions. The Grand Army never left Poland; held back
by Bonaparte’s obeying the warning of his spiritual advisor and confirmation by his own
divination from the Oraculum. From that point, the fates of the Necronists, France, and Napoleon
Bonaparte were inextricably linked.
Gerrard was snapped out of his daydreaming by the appearance of Emperor Napoleon’s entourage
arriving at the Necronist Guild House. He was still depleted from Angelica’s assault but his
presence was required when the Dictator came to visit. The special detail of imperial guardsman
rode on horseback, entering the courtyard then taking position to protect the area. The rest of the
guard deployed around the perimeter of the Necronist campus. Two steam carriages entered the
gates of the campus, the first carried Dr. Phila, Gold Seer, Napoleon’s personal surgeon.
The second car, an imperial carriage, pulled up in front of the large double doored entrance to the
Guild House. An imperial guard stood waiting at the ready and opened the door for the Emperor
of France, who in the next year would celebrate his ninetieth birthday.
Dr. Phila made haste to reach the entrance before the Emperor exited his car to speak to his
brethren. “Master Crocus, why wasn’t I given more notice, I appear a fool to his majesty as I have
no reason to insist he receives another treatment so soon.”
High Guild Master Crocus was in the courtyard along with his assistants to meet the Emperor.
“Saint-Yves has made an impressive acquisition, and we decided it would please his Highness to
receive this new medium directly,” Crocus instructed under his breath.
Napoleon stepped up to the Wyrding of Necronists.
“How well you look, your Majesty,” crooned Crocus.
“Sebastian,” acknowledged the Emperor. The two men looked at each other with genuine affection
and exchanged a handshake that was almost a hug. No one else had this relationship with the
Sovereign of France. A cursory observer would guess that Sebastian was twenty years the senior
to the Emperor yet he was ten years younger, Crocus was prudent in his use of revitalization, he
did not fear death like his Monarch did.
The assembly made their way through the verdant garden, the blossoms were in full bloom. A
placid summer day, it was a serene yet contrasting scene: the pleasant trickling of the fountain
maintained by Necronist novices dressed in black cloaks appeared to be in mourning of a loved
one, not gardening. The inner forum served as a transition from the outside to the interior of the administration building among remnants from the medieval hospital built by the Church. Savants
and followers of the most powerful guild in France lingered at the entrance. The huge doors were
open letting the warm summer air mix with the cool interior atmosphere of the stone building.
The large cast iron doors were covered in vignettes of the cult’s history. The party’s pace was
deliberate traveling through the solemn gothic hallways to the verticulator that lead to the sub-
levels.
Few were admitted beyond the entrance to the Cenaculum Mortale Rejuvination, the chamber of
mortal rejuvenation. The crowning achievement of the Necronists, where life could be extended
and living tissue regenerated. The elite savants of Necronist arts, known as the white wyrding
under the leadership of Guild Master Hume conducted research into the world of metaphysics and
improved techniques to tap into and control spiritual energy.
Gerrard was toward the rear of the retinue as they entered the ante-chamber the Guild had gone
to considerable effort to represent the space as Egyptian to remind the Emperor of the expedition
to Egypt that cemented the alliance between Napoleon and Crocus. Gerrard new better than
anyone it was what Hume and he had studied in Haiti that had provided the significant
breakthroughs in divine energy transmission not Egyptian tablets. What his dead paramour could
manage with sticks and her incantations the Guild had industrialized to make the process
reproducible by those that had limited spiritual talent, like Crocus and others.
Here the King’s personal bodyguards took a position as sentries either side of the double metal
doors within the ante-chamber. They followed every movement of their liege with exception to his
study and sleeping quarters and beyond this point at the guild house.
Inscribed above a small narrow archway that was the entrance to the most sacred space of the
Necronist Guild was:
Through Death, I am Humiliated
Through Death I am Exalted
The enclave moved through a narrow passage that compel ed the company to move through in
single file. Great effort had been made to leave an entrant with the claustrophobic quality of delving
into an ancient mausoleum. This was another place where French Imperial protocols were
ignored, Crocus led the group into the chamber rather than all walking behind the Emperor. The
inner chamber was simply constructed, a large pyramid shaped vault of stone, with walls covered
with carved inscriptions. The permanent objects in the chamber; cente
red in the room on a raised
dais were the Conoptic vessel, the tub where a subject was treated and an ornate cantilevered
armature that upheld the lid of the tub. Both the tub and its cap were sculpted out of alabaster.
Purposely hidden beneath the vessel were the piping, tubes, and conduits that connected the tub
to the complex process that drove the of the chamber one level below. The necronist’s brought a
scientific and industrial approach to the manipulation of supernatural forces but went to great lengths to hide the appliances to create mystery and to leave the Emperor with the illusion it was
the Guild Masters themselves that imbued him with life-force.
Saint-Yves and the other Guild Masters took their positions around the tub. Only these few Masters
and Dr. Philas understood the extent of the treatments and how dependent the Emperor had
become on this secret process to his lively state at such an advanced age.
No one spoke until the Emperor started conversation. It was important to leave the King with an
impression that the Guild Masters were subordinate and humbled in his presence.
“What happened to you Guild Master, an experiment gone awry?” questioned Napoleon, grinning
at Gerrard.
“My Emperor, this scourge was inflicted upon me while in service to you my liege and to the Guild.
It is a small price to pay to secure the medium we will use for today’s therapy,” replied Saint-Yves.
Crocus interceded, “My Emperor and dear friend, Guild Master Saint-Yves has made extensive
sacrifices and was in mortal danger to secure this special spiritual medium to infuse into the
healing bath, and your interceding on our behalf with the British government helped to secure his
safety and assure we have the full complement of Masters to conduct the infusion.” Crocus was
more carnival huckster now that a metaphysical savant prepared to say just about anything to
build illusion in the monarch’s mind.
“Your service to the Empire has always been exemplary Guild Master and I hope that your
brethren wil provide you a similar treatment to reverse your unfortunate state, as to the English
you can be assured that your personal protection is a priority of the Empire.” Stated Bonaparte as
he removed his sash and sword.
“Thank you, your Majesty for my safe passage back from London and soon I too will have this
mortal damage repaired,” replied Gerrard, wondering if the Corsican even could remember
Gerrard’s name. Crocus and the other Masters had gone to great extent to leave Napoleon with the
impression that his treatments required a full complement of Guild Masters, he might just think of
us as important tools to extend his life.
“Excellent. All will be right for you and I soon enough,” said Napoleon “I was wondering why you
called for a treatment outside of the usual schedule.” The Emperor’s traditional treatments took
place every three months.
Dr. Philas helped Napoleon out of his uniform, placing the items on a portable suit valet. The
Physician, a high-level Necronist was reduced to the duties of valet as he unbuttoned the
Emperor’s shirt.
“Saint-Yves, I appreciate all you have done for the Empire you sure you shouldn’t take some time in
the chamber first?” recommended Napoleon. Gerard was pleasantly surprised that the King
remembered his name and offered to wait.
He had a different plan for his treatment as he touched the ampule in his coat, “Thank you, your Grace, but the rejuvenation of a Guild master is a different process and takes preparation” replied
Gerrard. Crocus shot Gerrard a sly smile of approval for his comment. I too can be a huckster, and
the ringmaster approves.
The self-coronated Emperor of France used the wooden steps near the conoptic tub to reach the
edge of the huge stone vessel and lowering himself into the ichor. “Can one of you discover a less
foul and cold substance to be immersed in?” The King made a face of disgust as he limped into the
viscous pool.
“We are constantly researching improvements, your Majesty,” replied Dr. Philas.
The High Guild Master used the cantilevered arm to lower the massive lid of the tub into place. The
other Guild Masters secured the seal of the tub, “All is in place” relayed Guild Master Hume, the
Chamber Master. The entourage left the interior chamber once they were sure Napoleon was
sequestered. Dr. Philas rolled out the Emperor’s clothes, Hume removed the steps, leaving the
chamber empty but for the diminutive man in the tub. All the Master’s exited through a secret
passage that led to stairs to the mechanical level. At the end of the treatment, the Guild masters
would approach the chamber through the antechamber leaving the bodyguards wondering how
the Seers exited.
Hume signaled for the treatment to begin as the other Guild Masters left to fulfill other duties, in
the case of Gerrard he had an interest in seeing how Hume had adapted the process to transfer the
contents of Angelica’s Orb.
He followed Hume through the walkways that passed between the large pieces of equipment and
had a seat by the main control station. He was easily tired in his current state.
The mechanical level was a hive of activity, looking more like the boiler room of a steamship than a
spiritual sanctum. Lower order necronists of the White Wyrding monitored the equipment worked
the valves, adjusted the gas levels, read gauges and scurried to double check the various
subsystems that made up the rejuvenation process.
“So, Hume how did you deal with the material not coming in an ampule?” asked Gerrard.
“I must agree with the man in the tub you should get treated immediately,” said Hume.
“After him, you can treat me”
“How bad is it?” asked Hume.
“Do you remember when Lafayette had poisoned us all with the soul worm and how bad you felt
just before Huey returned and we were given the antidote?”
“Oh yes, all my bones hurt and I was filled with such a fear because I felt my spirit waste away…”
“Wel , it’s like that again but worse because I’m older with less constitution. I never thought I would
live this long to feel this bad again,” Gerrard laughed at himself.
“Why didn’t you have me go? I didn’t have the same emotional connection the two of you had. It had to be horrible to see” said Gerrard’s friend.
“It was a complete, fucking failure Arno, tragic. Just as I thought I was getting through to her or at
least felt we could keep talking that nitwit Englishman comes through a wall like he is Merlin the
Magnificent. Oh, the look on his face when she cast this illusion and he realized he had lost
concentration I will never forget it. You should have seen her Arno, she was ten times the Hougan
Lafayette was, no entourage to augment her power just her. Hell, she even summoned the old
witch doctor to scourged my life force. I have spent my whole life with a hole in my heart because
we were apart but always had the hope of seeing her again to offset it now that is gone.
Hume looked at Gerrard for a few moments as if he was going to say something then he patted
Gerrard on his shoulder. “I can’t fix that broken heart of yours but I will prepare a nice bath for
you later, guaranteed to take five years off your life or in your case twenty.
“Look here this is our traditional transfer chamber,” he pointed and a metal chamber with a
glass
door It looked sturdy and industrial. Gerrard was familiar with the design. “Our ampules have metal
contactors to allow a current to pass through the ampule and conduct the spiritual essence into
the machine. The contacts slip into the four electrodes you see there. Of course, the orb does not
have contacts so we need to crack it open then conduct current through it, without allowing the
spirit to escape. Now look over here,” said Hume as he pointed at a heavy bronze sphere with a
large glass portal, it looked like a deep-sea diver’s helmet. “I crafted a special chamber with a holder
for the orb, see how it holds the orb.”
Gerrard looked and observed through the portal inside the bronze sphere the glass orb was held in
a set of prongs suspending it in the center, within the glass the swirling smoke could be seen.
“Now I throw this switch and we now bypass the conductor through this chamber” Hume patted
the bronze sphere. “To get the spirit essence into et viventem perpetua, the machine of everlasting
life, we need to approximate what is going on inside the ampule’s soul serum. To do this, I will
now pump a gaseous coagulation agent, this gives the immaterial spirit something to cling to in
the material world," He turned a faucet handle and pressed a button and a pump reciprocated
pushing a pinkish fume into the chamber.
“Gerrard go lie down, you look if you might keel over from the boredom of this technical session,"
“No, please continue this is a once in a lifetime treatment I want to see how you are doing it,"
replied Gerrard, he was not bored he was just tired.
Hume pushed a button causing green lights around the floor to signal the others to man their
stations “I begin now.” Hume smiled, “This reminds me of the early days when we first began
experimenting,” said Hume. The hall filled with the thrum of dynamos and the calls of men as they
read off the variables from gauges and levels. Pumps started to recirculate the ichor.
“The electrodes will be pressed into the orb causing it to crack mixing the aether gas and spirit,
after an initial reaction the electrodes would have current applied and conduct the medium into
the chamber.” Hume watched through the thick glass portal, and the pinkish mist of the aether gas