Heaven and Hell

Extract From The Vatican Encyclopedia: Entry for “Nephilim”

“…the Brandages lived out the last few years of their lives under constant surveillance. Spies, agents and observers from the Court and elsewhere followed their every move by methods mundane and magical, and they could barely take a step without reports flying across the globe on their activities. Meanwhile, two of the finest magical talents of their generation – sadly ensconced in the minds of an heretic and an abomination, the puritan and tomb-robber “Solomon” Jones and the clockwork “man” Medici – were doing the work of God despite themselves, as they prepared a magical trap for these abominations…

…most disappointing of all is that Christian men and women, even the corrupt Christians of Albion, could actually assist these archabominations in their quest to overthrow the hearts of men and ignore the omnipotence of God Himself. Lord Grover of Malborough and Lady Megan Annwn are listed as chief among those who capitulated to these creatures' demands, though all men and women of that heretic Archipelago are equally guilty of failing to prevent their terrible deeds…”

Extract from the Faculty for Hostile Archaeology's survey of the so-called “Brandage Effect”, occasionally replicable by highly advanced Sorcerous and Theurgic nomenclature-matrix oscillation-manipulation.

“…appears that the 'life' which the being known as Leah Brandage was imbued with was able, from contemporary accounts (many of which are highly dramatic and must therefore be considered suspect) and survey of the relevant geological strata, does not fall under the usual categories of Applied Witchcraft… the sick which were healed, the crops which were grown upon dead and blasted land even after the Sorcerous taints resulting from the Episcopal Crisis, appears to have been something entirely different in nature. Those who suggest that this was a manifestation of the Logos itself must be dismissed as speaking entirely without evidence…

…this paper is not intended to engage in the debate surrounding the critical school of 'Brandage Apologists', on either side; merely to lay out the scientific and aetheric effects of actions taken between 1648 and late 1652. The very fact that in early 1648, reputable and reliable sources were predicting a new series of Biblical Plagues, but that after the tireless magical efforts of the Brandage twins, such plagues simply dried up and vanished, leaving barely a stray locust exoskeleton for the diligent archaeologist to examine, should provide an idea of the scope of the power inherent in those two individuals for those four short years…”

Extract from “The Diaries of Myriad”, a sensationalist piece of highly dubious provenance purporting to be the diary of 'Myriad', the beautiful assistant of the travelling Conjurer and illusionist 'The Marvellous Mystico'. Critical debate still rages over the true authorship of the Diaries.

“…far in the Westerne Ocean. It seemes that they are indeed building a New Edenne; an Islande, moved Entire from the landes of Somersette in Albion to form the Base for this Garden. We did not passe close enough to see the Lande Itselfe, though I hop to journey there in later Yeares – but we did speake with many Sailors, Scholares and other Gentles who claimed to have Visisted the Isle, and received most Varying Reportes of its Nature and Provenance. Some declared it a very Paradis, holding within it all the Bounteous Fruits of Creation, and at the centre two Trees whos Scente was so Sweete as to call the minde to Holy Ecstasy; Otheres, that it was a Tainted Place, the Seedes of the Trees bought by the Bloode of Innocentes, the Curse of Blasphemy upon its Guardians, even the Lande Itselfe tainted by some Sorcerous Treacherie. These were only two of the Accountes which I hearde, and I mind there were as many Accountes as Scholares. I wondere sometimes if perhappes this new Edenne is not Alle Thinges to Alle Menne; if the Gardenne that One sees is never the same as his Brother's, much as I have hearde from those Soldiers who were with the Hereford Troops in the Assaulte on Heaven…”

It is widely recorded that the location of Eden became increasingly difficult to find as the years went on. By the time the Brandages were banished, it was already near-impossible without a skilled navigator and detailed maps. Within the decade, the location was fading, and sailors spoke of terrible, shadowy shapes that loomed out of the waves when they tried to approach, or of the sky turning to sand, or the sea to rock. Within the century, it was widely assumed that Eden had sunk beneath the waves or otherwise disappeared, since no ship which tried to find it ever returned successful…

Extracts from “The Real Medici Code”, a reference book intended to debunk the popular conspiracy theories surrounding the upsurge of interest in the Tomb of the Nephilim, 1962.

“…the technical details of the device (if it even truly existed) would beggar belief. Naturally all notes have now been burned, but there are several anecdotal accounts of an attempt to create a device similar to that which was reputedly used in the Hereford Assault, during which an Inventor supposedly actually entered Heaven itself; naturally the sensationalist nature of accounts from this era makes extracting the truth exceedingly difficult. However, at base, the device was intended to entrap beings of an Angelic or partially Angelic nature, sealing them permanently in a method similar to that ritual archaically known as 'Transubstantiation', but more permanent and less subject to the usual caveats and escapements which that ritual provides…

…of more interest to the modern scientist, even if only as a thought exercise, is the so-called 'Jones Entreaty'; the idea that a being of dubious provenance, one of the 'Nephilim' (if they ever really existed; Postlethwait & Marian [1893] have an exceedingly interesting article providing some good historicist evidence for the theory that the title was itself merely a fanciful reference to the Brandage twins' half-English, half-Prague parentage), could be Entreated and Bound in a Theurgic circle. The exercise of calculating radius, effect and possible manifestation of Theurgic backlash in such a case is one often given to undergraduates, but a theoretical model less often explored is precisely how such a thing could be done; possibly because every serious scientific investigation of the principles involved has come to the conclusion that it simply could not…

…even if such a device, a 'holding box' for quasi-Divine beings, reputedly imbued with some aetheric energy-matrix superstitiously referred to in the literature as the 'Apples of Eden', were to exist, it could surely not maintain integrity over the centuries. The recent trade that has sprung up in 'Medici Code' literature, with various mystics, pseudo-historians and conspiracy theorists claiming to have tracked the location and provenance of the Tomb of the Nephilim (usually claiming that the Rosicrucians, the Council of Rabbis, the Council of Druids or some other religious organisation has kept hold of it down the years), may increase popular interest in our field but frankly makes serious investigation exceedingly difficult due to the sheer volume of 'soft' data released onto the Aetheric networks…”

From “Mattean Theatre in Oxford: A Critical History”, Oxford: Cain's College Press, 1850

“…shortly after resigning his commission, 'Captain Orion' was arrested by the King's forces and offered some sort of deal. The precise details of the affair are murky, and different commentators give wildly varying accounts, but it seems clear that the device held by Nathaniel Medici – containing within it some terrible Infernal power, and already weakening – was given into the possession of Choronzon, who was then exorcised or otherwise returned to Hell with the assistance of Courtiers including the Cathayan Ambassador. We can only assume that the failure of the device once within the Infernal Realms had no great catastrophic effect on the terrain therein.

Historians and geographers of the Infernal Realms have written a great deal about later events, from the alliance with the Duchy of the Vale of Tears to the Glimmering Campaign of the early 1700s, but it is here that our story takes a different turn; for with the daemonic influence over the New Rose gone, the face of English theatre was one undergoing slow but dramatic change…”

From “Theseus, Orpheus, Azrael, Michael: Heroes and Rescues in Classical Hades and Christian Hell”, ed. Molyneux, 1828

“…indeed seems certain that the Angel Azrael's descent into Hell succeeded in rescuing Michael from his captivity and restoring his Sword unto the leader of the Host was, in the first part, successful. However, whether through some machination of the Infernal powers or merely a misjudgement, it seems that the two Angels were trapped within the Infernal realms; no longer imprisoned, but unable to accede to Celestial heights or even to return to the Mortal realms, fighting a series of defensive actions against an increasingly enraged hunting-party of demons from various Duchies, reduced to hiding within the Glimmering Wood. Yet it is certain that within this time, the two reunited Angels fought bravely against their Infernal foes, and prevented by their guerilla tactics the court of Pandaemonium from resting and recovering long enough to come up with some further diabolical plan…”

“…more commonly described by Infernal military historians as a 'tactical strike' rather than an invasion. Recent correspondence with the Celestial Bureaucratic History Faculty at the University of Beijing suggests that the move was not entirely unresisted on the Eastern side, inasmuch as such geographical terms are here relevant; it is said that the beings known as the Seven Spider-Queens and Lady Whitesnake opposed the opening of the Gate from Di Yu into Hell, but that the swiftness with which the Fucanglong and the armies gathered under the powerful Guardian Nine Fires Cap the Hills allowed a drive through established border-guard. The identity of the Sorcerer at the head of the charge, riding upon the great Fucanglong, the Dragon of Di-Yu, is popularly supposed to have been the Cathayan Ambassador, Tsung Chang-Mai, of whom much has been written elsewhere; the general of the armies, the red-armoured Fox-Guardian, is well-known to have defeated several of the squadrons of Imps sent against the force.

Cutting through the Circles with speed rather than force, the Fucanglong is said to have caused great consternation among the denizens of Hell, who, accustomed to the horrors of the Infernal realm, had never seen a being so swift or so terrible; the final rescue of Michael and Azrael from the pits of Hell was immediately followed by a swift withdrawal, though many scholars have speculated upon how the face of the Hells might have changed had the strike been a full invasion rather than a rescue mission…”

From “Bell, Book and Rifle: A Practical Guide to Infernal Geography for Albion Officers Abroad”, Scone College OTC, 1830. Chapter 3: History of the Duchies

“…three great influences on the politics of the Infernal Realm during the latter half of the seventeenth century: that is to say, the potentates of the Cliffs of Shattersoul, the Duchy of the Sublime and the Vale of Tears. Their dukes – Nicholael, Kerinalamathatis and the arch-heretic Haroun ibn Rasheed, whose Daemonic name remains even now obfuscated from the public eye – brought all the subtleties and fresh treacheries of the Mortal courts to the court of Pandaemonium, and for a while even the ennui of the oldest Archdukes was set aside, as matters of Infernal politics and border-wars became blindingly fast and hot. It has often been said that, if Nicholael and Haroun had been inclined to trust each other one millimetre more, the Duchy of the Sublime and the precious Hellgate within it might have fallen to their combined forces; but the paranoia of a Duke is matched only by that of a Sorcerer, and these beings had been both in their time…”

From “The Realms Celestial: A Study”, ed. Jones, Invisible College Press 1670.

“…if it is true that Azrael was once incarnated as a mortal man, then that might go some way towards explaining precisely why the Judgement of the Lord was, contrary to the predictions of astrologers and diviners, held back and not released upon the men and women of Albion in that fateful winter of '58. Perhaps it is only through such incarnations – if they are truly possible – that the perfect substance of the Angelic may be brought to a closer understanding of the base and fallen nature of mortal kind; but also to a closer understanding of the simple, honest virtue of man…”

“…the Crusade of Raguel, a crusade which never occurred. If the Angel was truly 'insane', as some deeply contentious authors have suggested, then surely the return of his brothers Michael and Azrael, and his removal from his position at the head of the Host, returned him to 'sanity'; though such judgements cannot be made about Celestial beings in any meaningful fashion. Hell and Heaven remained separate, with the Mortal realm, as it had been for so long before, a buffer between the two; and the schemes of demons, the holy plans of Angels, were once more fought out upon the game-board of the mortal world…”

“…a coda to the entire affair, those Angels which chose, in those latter years, to leave the Host and become 'Guardians of the New Eden'. The efforts of priests and Theurges to commune with these beings have been frustrated at every turn, and it simply cannot be certain whether these beings have vanished into legend, or become mortal, or Fallen, or whether they have changed into something else entirely…”