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| Geraldine spent most of her life split between the top Academic institutions in England where she studied, and in South Africa where she lived. After graduating, she moved into her father's house in Cape Town especially as Colonel Archer was rarely there anymore - almost constantly out on travels with Fitzherbert Lockhart and eventually settled in [[Shadow Pond]] manor in Chicago. She would reside there until her father's death in 1928, after which she would travel to Chicago and take residence in Shadow Pond herself after resolving the mystery of his sudden illness and death. There she would reside with CJ, her half-sister born from her father's New Orleans affair years earlier, who she would meet after the death of her father, and become a Mythos investigator until her mysterious disappearance [and presumed death] in 1929, leaving her sister CJ as sole inheritor of the Archer estate. | | Geraldine spent most of her life split between the top Academic institutions in England where she studied, and in South Africa where she lived. After graduating, she moved into her father's house in Cape Town especially as Colonel Archer was rarely there anymore - almost constantly out on travels with Fitzherbert Lockhart and eventually settled in [[Shadow Pond]] manor in Chicago. She would reside there until her father's death in 1928, after which she would travel to Chicago and take residence in Shadow Pond herself after resolving the mystery of his sudden illness and death. There she would reside with CJ, her half-sister born from her father's New Orleans affair years earlier, who she would meet after the death of her father, and become a Mythos investigator until her mysterious disappearance [and presumed death] in 1929, leaving her sister CJ as sole inheritor of the Archer estate. |
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| == Cases & Adventures == | | == Cthulhu Case Files == |
| === The Death of Colonel Archer ===
| | [[Cthulhu Case File: The Death of Colonel Archer (Cthulhu)|Cthulhu Case File: the Death of Colonel Archer]] |
| ==== The Funeral ====
| | [[Cthulhu Case File: The Case of Mary Marsh (Cthulhu)|Cthulhu Case File: the Case of Mary Marsh]] |
| In early 1928 Geraldine received a note from Father Martin Maxwell informing her that Colonel Archer had been afflicted by a strange malady and his health was deteriorating fast. Geraldine flew over to his residence in Chicago but was too late and he died whilst she was en route. Despite her expertise in esoteric diseases, Geraldine was unable to even identify his affliction. She sent a letter to her father's old friend, Lord Fitzherbert Lockhart, informing him of her father's death and inviting him to his funeral, offering him residence at Shadow Pond during his stay. Unbeknownst to Geraldine, Fitzherbert had recently passed away himself, and it was his son and heir Guilderoy who received the letter and chose to travel to Chicago with his wife Caroline in order to represent his father and pay their respects. At the funeral, Geraldine stood stoically as Father Maxwell performed the service, her arm held supportingly by her good friend and Doctor David Pearce, a professor of Anthropology and occasional colleague of her father's, who seemed almost more upset than Geraldine herself. [[James Slade (Cthulhu)|"Jimmy the Jint"]], a Private Investigator whose life had been saved by Colonel Archer during the Great War, approached to pay his respects. Having been informed by a letter sent by Archer, in which he stated that if this letter had been received then he had been murdered, and imploring him to protect "my child Gerry", Jimmy made the mistake of assuming Gerry was David, and offered his condolences to the wrong person. Fortunately, Geraldine did not take offence, found a little humour in the moment, and thanked him. Jimmy stated that he needed to speak to her at her convenience over grave matters regarding her father. [[Marilyn Fox (Cthulhu)|Marilyn Fox]] , a New York Times reporter who had been contacted previously by Archer, informing her of his desire to meet her to discuss "events of a scandalous nature" of interest to her publication, also expressed her condolences and desire to converse with her. Marilyn also noticed a young woman wearing common clothing in the distance, hiding by a tree attempting to remain unnoticed, although visibly upset - but chose not to mention anything at this point.
| | [[Cthulhu Case File: Bad Moon Rising (Cthulhu)|Cthulhu Case File: Bad Moon Rising]] |
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| Guilderoy then introduced himself to her, informed her of his own father's passing, and offered his condolences. Geraldine remarked that their fathers had been close friends and she hoped they grow as close, and that it was unfortunate that it was such a sad occasion that would result in them meeting again. Guilderoy apologies to her but stated that they had, in fact, never met before this moment. Geraldine simply stated that she was sure they had met a few years earlier but admitted that perhaps in her grief she was misremembering and had simply heard so much of him from his father that she had mistakenly thought they had actually met. She gave her condolences over his death and asked about the nature of it - and it was quickly realised that it appeared both men had died of the same strange malady, although they were on opposite sides of the world and had not come into contact with each other in months, and the sickness was too virulent for them to have affected each other and it incubated so long. Geraldine expressed an interest to discuss things with all present, but stated that this moment was for saying goodbye to her father, and invited them to come to Shadow Pond after the funeral so as to discuss things further.
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| At Shadow Pond they discussed the circumstances of Archer and Lockhart's deaths and combined with the fact that Archer had something important to tell Marilyn, giving the impression he had "been silenced" before being able to do so, and that he posthumously hired Jimmy to investigate his own murder, anticipated before his death, made it obvious that the death of the two famed adventurers and friends was no natural cause or coincidence. Cryptically, in the letter to Jimmy, Colonel Archer had written ''"In umbra mos vos reperio verum"'' - something Jimmy could not translate but
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| Geraldine and the others who spoke Latin easily translated to ''"In shadow will you find truth"'', which they took to mean that the Colonel may have left something for them to find at Shadow Pond. They began to investigate Colonel Archer's office and they found a hidden drawer in his table which held an envelope marked simply "CJ" which contained photographs of an unknown woman who Marilyn identified as the woman she had sighted earlier at the funeral, distraught and keeping herself concealed. Leonard Pearce - Colonel (and now Geraldine) Archer's lawyer - commented on the Colonel being "quite the man" for evidently having a lover both so attractive and so much younger than he. When asked why he assumed she was a lover, Leonard stated that he had handled the purchasing of a Chicago apartment for "a Miss Cassandra Jones" and the Colonel had been secretive as to the reasons for the purchase, leaving him very much in the dark as to who it was for other than to who the legal paperwork must address. He stated that Colonel Archer is far from the only wealthy person to have a young lover, and a home they can use for their secret trysts is a very common gift, and discretion was a guarantee of his legal firm. When asked about her identity, he informed them that he knew that she was a singer at a local cabaret club with known affiliations to the Chicago mob.
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| On the table was a cryptic message about fire written in Afrikaans, one of the languages common in Cape Town where the Archer family resided. This led to the discovery of a hidden staircase behind the fireplace that led down to an underground cavern containing what appeared to be a small, hidden temple to a mysterious godlike entity known as Tsathoggua hidden under Shadow Pond. In this temple was also part of a Latin copy of the '''Liber Ivonis''' (translation: The Book of Eibon) written by Caius Phillipus Faber in the 9th century Anno Domini and a [[letter from Archibald Archer to Geraldine]] explaining the investigations that he and Fitzherbert Lockhart had shared with Gerard Reynolds, an accomplice who had become corrupted by the dark arts they uncovered. The letter stated that Gerard Reynolds intended to uncover the location of a greater Temple of Tsathoggua and use it to perform a ritual in the Liber Ivonis that would summon a "Great Old One" named Tsathoggua, a god-like creature of immense power, in pursuit of greater magical power. To prevent this, they agreed that Guilderoy would keep the Liber Ivonis to prevent it falling into Reynold's hands, whilst Colonel Archer would attempt to determinine the location of the main temple to Tsathoggua and prevent Reynolds getting any lore there and preventing him carrying out the summoning ritual detailed in the Liber Ivonis. The letter stated that if this letter was being read, it meant that he was dead and, the letter acknowledged Archer learning of Fitzherbert's death after his old friend sent him his part of the Liber Ivonis - the part with the summoning ritual - to prevent Reynolds getting it, and that Reynolds had certainly murdered them both.
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| Archer's letter pleaded for Geraldine to prevent Reynolds from getting his hands on the complete Liber Ivonis and gave indication of the location of the Tsathoggua temple, where Archer believed lay further Mythos lore and Reynolds would need to perform the profane ritual. Colonel Archer's letter ended with an apology and plea for Geraldine to stop him.
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| Following this, Geraldine and Maxwell began working together to study the contents of the section of the Liber Ivonis, whilst Marilyn and Jimmy reached out with their network of contacts for information about the cult of Tsathoggua that Colonel Archer's letter had mentioned and, specifically, any information possible on the faceless antagonist that had murdered both Archer and Lockhart - Gerard Reynolds. However, Geraldine could not get the mystery of this Cassandra Jones out of her mind and, prompted by Marilyn Fox, they decided to go to the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge and confront her about the nature of her relationship with Colonel Archer, convinced that she was a gold digger who had seduced a lonely old man for financial gain.
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| ==== Cassandra Jones ====
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| [[File:Cthulhu-CJ.jpg|50%|thumb|right]] | |
| They arrived at the Green Mill and observed as Cassandra Jones was introduced by the house band as "CJ" and sang a set of Blues songs. When the set ended and CJ went to the bar for a drink, Geraldine and Marilyn approached her and began to interrogate her about Colonel Archer. CJ was not forthcoming and desired for them to leave, leaving to a few unpleasant exchanges, and Marilyn Fox physically assaulting her, demanding answers, which resulted in the house band jumping in to defend CJ and tempers getting higher. Before things could escalate further, however, Cassandra screamed in response to Marilyn's insults about being a whore"He was my father!", to everyone's surprise. Tempers calming, it was quickly determined that during a brief time when Colonel Archer was in New Orleans, he took a lover. This would be a relationship that eventually failed because an immature, adolescent Geraldine learnt about her father having a new love and saw it as him "cheating on her dead mother", and the Colonel was forced to break up with the woman to appease Geraldine. Unbeknownst to the Colonel, his lover was with child but due to the break-up and the self-pride of Cassandra's mother, the Colonel did not learn of the existence of his other daughter until a few months before his death; and only because Cassandra's mother had become terminally ill and she was hoping that the Colonel would help Cassandra. Cassandra herself was unaware of this desire until after the Colonel approached her. They spent as much time as possible getting to know each other and, as she lived in squalor at the time, he indeed purchased an apartment for her to relocate her from New Orleans to Chicago to be close to him, and got her employment at the Green Mill, which he frequented and considered the owner a friend. Geraldine remained uncharacteristically silent throughout, with Marilyn leading most of the questions as to the nature of their relationship and past events. Eventually, Geraldine simply said "I have a sister!" and tearfully hugged CJ (who just froze, unsure how to react or even if she was about to be assaulted again) before apologising for ruining CJs life, admitting that she was "too young to understand my father's feelings and need for companionship at the time - I simply was not mature enough to see past my own grief at my mother's passing to realise how much pain my father himself was in." She realised that the Colonel had hidden CJs existence from her likely fearing a similar reaction to the news and hoped that the two of them might be able to get to know each other.
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| Soon after, Cassandra revealed that she was a "sensitive", a person with the ability to sense and hear the dead. She claimed this was an ability that ran in her family, including her mother - was and likely a reason why Colonel Archer took interest in Cassandra's mother in the first place. Although they initially scoffed at this, she stated it was this gift that led to her helping the Colonel locate "the temple in the fireplace" because "terrible things happened there, and the dead cry still." Events that would follow in time ultimately proved the veracity of this claim, including her suddenly seeming to realise there was danger just before a group of hired thugs entered the lounge and attacked the investigators. After they managed to drive away the attackers - presumably sent by Reynolds to kill them and take the second half of the Liber Ivonis from them - Geraldine surprised everyone by using an incantation she had learnt from the Liber Ivonis to heal a gunshot wound one of their number had taken, healing in moments what would have taken weeks to heal naturally. They then asked Cassandra to join them at Shadow Pond the next day to help with the investigation into Archer's death and stop Reynolds but she refused. She admitted that she was scared and not keen on dying for a sister she didn't know and for the memory of a man she only knew for half a year or so - much of which he spent travelling and eventually critically ill - stating "I would have liked to get to know him - he was kind to me whilst I knew him... but I barely knew him, and I have little desire to die for a man I barely knew or a sister who's rage left me fatherless and living in squalor my entire life." Despite this, she did actually turn up at Shadow Pond the following day, to Marilyn Fox's approval.
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| Since their initial meeting, Geraldine and CJ both made concerted efforts to try to become a family - but it would be a long road. Whilst Geraldine may snub the norms of high society, she was nonetheless upper class and born with a silver spoon, and therefore "out of touch with the real world" as Cassandra would put it, always getting everything she wanted and never having the need for anything. Conversely, Cassandra was born and lived amongst the working class her entire life, always struggling to work long hours in thankless jobs, putting up with constant abuse and adversity, to somehow be able to have something to eat and pay the rent for the Gallatin Street dump in New Orleans' lower French Quarter, where she cared for her sick mother. Curiously, despite their rocky start, CJ and Marilyn would quickly become fast friends - possibly closer than CJ ever got with Geraldine, perhaps as they were both strong-willed working women, and there was less emotional baggage between them to overcome.
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| ==== Temple of the Sun ====
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| Colonel Archer's clues indicated belief of a secret entrance under the [https://study.com/academy/lesson/temple-of-the-sun-at-machu-picchu-history-facts.html Temple of the Sun] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu Machu Picchu] that would lead to the cult of Tsathoggua's secret temple "in the shadow of the sun". Feeling short of time and desperate to reach this temple before Reynolds, they employed the services of "Crazy Ivan" - a Russian pilot who served during the Great War and Russian Revolution on behalf of the "white army" and had been forced to flee Russia when the red army was victorious - and travelled on his barely-legal ancient Sirkosky seaplane "Mishka" to the Machupicchu district of the Urubamba Province in Peru where the Temple of the Sun was located.
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| With various assistants and local guides, the investigators arrived at the Temple of the Sun and, aided by CJ's uncanny sense, located the hidden entrance. They traversed a labyrinthine mountain-cavern complex with an oil-based fire-torch light system that surprisingly still operated once they lit up the first fire torch. They noted strange holes in the wall all over the maze, along with various dead bodies wearing clothing from different eras, although they could not figure out the purpose of the strange holes. they ominously thought they may be some form of trap, considering the closeness of skeletal remains to them, but could find no actual mechanism or apparent danger. Just as CJ helped locate the entrance because she could sense it's presence, the further they progressed into the complex the more increasingly terrified CJ became as the voices of the dead turned from whispers into increasingly louder chants, in languages she could not understand but still understood their meaning - "danger - go no further" - at points them coming unfiltered out of CJs mouth as though the dead were using her as a mouthpiece, unnerving the group to the point where two of the local hired hands refused to carry on going further and left.
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| In their search, they mapped out the areas they discovered which included various rooms typical of what one might expect from secret temples - living areas for priests, storerooms, cells for captives and, eventually, came across a central chamber with an enormous statue of Tsathoggue, and a sacrificial altar by it, which tested their very sanities and caused one of their guides to lose control of his bladder. There were four large lamp-like golden poles, resembling upturned lampshades, each containing what appeared a large pool of oil-like substance. Considering the lighting system already provided lighting to this room, they wondered as to its purpose, perhaps as additional, ceremonial, fire lighting. The room was littered with additional skeletal remains and, on the central table by a well-dressed corpse, was a dusty old tome - the Book of Ebon (or technically, a 19th century English translation of the original Book of Enoch, which was published in 100 AD).
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| When Geraldine picked up the Book of Enoch (or perhaps it was her simply approaching the alter) the oily substances in began getting active - swirling around and starting to self-pour down the side of the receptacle onto the floor, despite no apparent method of transference, and vicious enough that they began to take a semi-solid, almost gelatinous form. As soon as this began, CJ collapsed to her knees, clutching her head in agony and she screamed loudly in multiple voices speaking German, Spanish, Incan and other tongues. Though the specific messages screamed differed, the voices had a clear overall message - "Death has arrived".
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| The investigators stood transfixed in horror as the viscous, oily substance took an unsettling, almost human-shaped form with no discernible features. Geraldine's bodyguard, Sanka, a large bear of a man nearly 7 foot in height and nearly as wide, interposed himself between Geraldine and the oily form closest to her seemingly out of protective instinct. Without warning, the creature suddenly attacked - its arms stretching forward as if oily tentacles with spear-like ends that punched through Sanka's mighty body, turned into a form of claw, then ripped back through Sanka's spinal column, tearing his heart out of his chest through his ribcage with effortless efficiency. Sanka's blood splashed all over the investigators' faces and, in the precious seconds it took for his body to realise he was already dead, Sanka slowly turned towards them with a look of stunned disbelief. As the titan collapsed in a bloody heap, the courage of the investigators failed them - and they ran. It was not an orderly retreat, but a disorderly route. They screamed in terror and horror every part of the journey back - even those whose courage had not completely given way to terror and madness nonetheless screamed and fled for their lives. It was then that they learnt the truth about the strange holes they had observed earlier - they were passageways for the oily creatures, temple guardians and servants of Tsathoggua, to quickly traverse the labyrinth. Moving at impossible speeds, the creatures would enter a hole and traverse walls and corridors in seconds, to shoot out of another hole in a flash of oil and blood as their exits tore apart whatever poor bastard was too close to the exit point. Many of them fell on the way out, with some of the local hands even using or pushing each other as human shields to escape. In the end, only Geraldine, CJ, Marilyn, Father Maxwell, Guilderoy, Jimmy and Dr Pearce made it out alive, somehow. The moment they passed the threshold of the Torii-gate like entrance into the temple complex, the creatures just stopped; observing them wordlessly as if waiting for and daring them to re-enter, and CJ fell unconscious - mental exhaustion overcoming her as the voices suddenly went silent (or at least distant enough to no longer overwhelm her). The investigators hurriedly made their way back to Crazy Ivan and his Sirkosky seaplane, and returned to Chicago.
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| ==== Reynolds Revealed ====
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| Returning to Shadow Pond, several days passed as the investigators attempted to come to terms with the events at Machu Picchu, and recover from their physical and mental wounds. Father Maxwell, relying on his strong faith, comforted and counselled them all, expressing concern about Geraldine virtually entombing herself in her father's study reading "that vile book of evil" (the Book of Enoch) which he feared was corrupting Geraldine's very soul and should be destroyed. Marilyn began writing her news article about how what began as an investigation into the death of a widely respected man had led to the discovery of a forbidden cult, and grew closer to both CJ and her friend and new photographer Bernard. Knowing how dangerous the situation was, and how worse it would likely become as Reynolds most likely would learn that they had recovered the Book of Enoch, and come for it, Guilderoy convinced his wife Caroline to fly back to London where, unconnected to active events, they believed she would be safe. Father Maxwell offered to take her to the airport, appreciative of something to do to help them, feeling somewhat useless as everyone's faith (even his own) had been shaken by recent events and revelations that they struggled to conform to their religious beliefs and world views.
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| A couple of days later, when she turned up at her official workplace, Marilyn was passed a telegram that had arrived whilst she was away at Machu Picchu - a response from one of her contacts as to her enquiries regarding Reynolds and his Tsathogguan cult. It simply read. "Gerard Reynolds alias. Real name is Martin Maxwell." Realising with horror that their enemy had been amongst them from the very beginning, Marilyn broke various traffic laws in her haste to return to Shadow Pond to alert her friends. Before she could arrive, however, the strangest thing happened back at Shadow Pond. Geraldine's loyal Boerboel ("Boer dog") Toby, renown for its friendly and passive attitude, suddenly became incredibly aggressive and attacked Conchita, Shadow Pond's maid. The investigators managed to restrain Toby without harming him - realising that this act was uncharacteristic of Toby, and with Marilyn's sudden arrival and the revelation that Father Maxwell was in fact Gerard Reynolds, they feared the worst and rushed to Archer's office where Geraldine and Maxwell were believed to be studying the Mythos tomes. There they found a used syringe on the table but no sign of either Maxwell or Geraldine (it would later be revealed that Maxwell surprise-injected Geraldine with a barbiturate in order to abduct her). They ran out of the building in time to see Maxwell's car (and accompanying vehicles) drive off into the distance - but the tyres on their own vehicles had been slashed, making immediate pursuit impossible.
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| Several hours later, as all the investigators got together (summoning those who were not at Shadow Pond during Geraldine's abduction) and discussed what their next course of action should be, Guilderoy looked in a mirror and was shocked to see his reflection change before his eyes. A moment later, it was Geraldine's harried reflection staring back at him, instead of his own. Her image lasted only a few brief seconds before reverting to his own, and spoke hurriedly and in whispered volume, as though Geraldine was attempting to prevent the notice of her captors. Geraldine's vision said simply "Machu Picchu. Summoning ritual." Guilderoy revealed this information to the other investigators, none of who were witness to Geraldine's vision but had noticed Guilderoy's alarmed reaction, and CJ came up to him gave him a small pill. She said that Colonel Archer had given it to her before he died, telling her that when the time was right it should be consumed, then added "my father is indicating to me that the time has come, and for you to swallow it." Although they did not know the significance of the pill, Guilderoy put his trust in CJ and swallowed the pill. The world swam around him, and he suddenly found himself in a large office, standing right in front of a very much alive Colonel Archibald Archer.
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| ==== Hello Archer ====
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| Despite it being night-time in Chicago when Guilderoy swallowed the pill, he now found himself in a sun-lit room that he recognised - Colonel Archer's office in the Archer plantation in Cape Town. A place he had frequented with his father various times. Colonel Archer stood before him but Guilderoy immediately realised that, in addition to not being dead, he looked younger than the last time they had met. The Colonel stood over various tomes and laboratory equipment and was holding up in observation a pellet like the one Guilderoy had just swallowed. Momentarily surprised by Guilderoy's appearance, the Colonel quickly regained his composure and, holding up the pellet, stated "as you are here, I assume this pellet worked?" The Colonel explained that the "plutonium pellet" was a form of time-spell that would bring whoever consumed it to this place and time, though "like an elastic band" he would soon be pulled back to his own time. The Colonel stated his assumption that he was now dead, which Guilderoy confirmed, and explained that he feared as much would happen. It was ascertained that this was just prior to the time mentioned in Archer's letter where he and Guilderoy's father decided to take and conceal the Liber Ivonis from Gerard, and the Colonel had began to fear the worst of their friend and companion's state of mind and impossibility of redemption. He said the pill was created to hopefully give him the ability to pre-warn himself of the future and so prepare for the eventual outcomes, as well as hopefully provide the ability to help whoever came back - which the Colonel assumed would be his daughter Gerry - to succeed where they had failed.
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| At that point the door opened and Geraldine walked in, exclaiming an apology and surprise at Guilderoy's unexpected presence, to which Colonel Archer exclaimed "I do not believe the two of you have ever met? My dear daughter, may I introduce you to Guilderoy Lockhart, Fitzherbert's son" making Guilderoy realise that when he had first met Geraldine at the funeral, Geraldine had in fact been correct when she stated she had already met Guilderoy some years earlier. Geraldine declared her pleasure in finally meeting Fitzherbert's son, who she had heard so much about, and inquired if she should have a room prepared for him, to which the Colonel indicated that, regrettably, Guilderoy would be leaving momentarily. Geraldine bid them well, handed her father some papers, and left the two men alone.
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| Guilderoy and the Colonel discussed the events of the future, of the discovery of the secret temple in Machu Picchu, and of Geraldine's capture and Reynold's intention to perform the summoning ritual. The Colonel explained that the Liber Ivonis had incantations that would grant control of the oil-like guardians of the temple, which "Father Maxwell" likely directed during their visit to the temple, hoping to kill Guilderoy and the others. He stated that the guardians would be needed as part of the summoning ritual - a bridge between Tsathoggua and our reality - and during the ritual would not be able to act as guardians, giving a glimmer of hope that they may not be the mortal threat they were presently considered to be. Nonetheless, fire would harm them very efficiently and perhaps keep them at bay or provide a form of defence. The Colonel stated that the ritual to summon Tsathoggua gave no control over the deity, stating "if you summon a God, you had better have a gift to appease him, lest you suffer its wrath". Without the offering, however, the Great Old One would feel insulted and return to where it dwells, but not before taking its anger out on the insignificant mortals who dared summon it without showing the proper respect. The Colonel stated his belief that Geraldine was likely still alive so as to serve as a sacrificial offering to Tsathoggua after his summons, as the books stated that Tsathoggua preferred the sacrifice of being fed those of pure heart. To possibly save Geraldine, if not the world, the ritual must be disrupted and Tsathoggua denied the sacrifice offered to him. The Colonel warned, however, that this might result in the Great Old One killing them all but, "it must be done. The price of Reynolds appeasing Tsathoggua and gaining the power he craves is too horrendous to consider."
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| Before they could go further, Guilderoy was surprised as the office doors re-opened and
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| ----
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| === The Case of Mary Marsh ===
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| ==== Investigating the Mythos ====
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| In the time since resolving the mystery of Colonel Archer's death, Geraldine became a serious researcher of the occult and this new hidden knowledge that she referred to as the "Cthulhu Mythos" - a term she encountered in the Liber Ivonis. Using her family's wealth and employing both legal (including the services of Jimmy the Jint) and not-so-legal connections, Geraldine managed to read or acquire various additional mythos tomes over the following year, and learnt a respectable repertoire of spells, charms, hexes, enchantments and incantations, in addition to mythos lore.
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| Her borderline obsession with this hidden lore has resulted in Geraldine almost completely retiring from her medical career to become a full-time Mythos researcher. It is more accurate these days to refer to her as being a Sorceress and Occultist, than an Epidemiologist.
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| ==== Where in the World is Doctor Archer? ====
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| Her friends had gotten used over the next few months to Geraldine increasingly disappearing for days at a time, although she usually kept in contact with CJ and Guilderoy in some form. But after several weeks of even CJ having heard nothing from Geraldine, even she was getting concerned... especially when representatives of the Chicago Mob were turning up asking about Geraldine's location in relation to financial matters she had to settle with them.
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| To be continued...
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| ----
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| === Bad Moon Rising ===
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| Coming soon...
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| == Personality == | | == Personality == |
Investigator Profile
- Apparent Age: Mid-30s
- Height: 5'8"
- Aliases: Gerry Archer, Dr Archer
- Education: Various PH.D's and Postgraduate studies
- Occupation: Doctor of Medicine (Epidemiology)
- Place of Origin: Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa
- Place of Residence: Shadow Pond, Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Social Status: Upper Class (Landed Gentry)
- Credit Rating: Wealthy
- Player/Type: NPC
Appearance
Dr Geraldine Archer is an attractive woman with dark blonde hair and clear grey eyes. She keeps her hair medium-length and loose, although it is naturally fairly wavy. The fact that it happens to match popular ladies' hair styles (discounting the new "flapper" hair-style growing in popularity amongst the lower classes and rebellious females) is pure coincidence - Gerry doesn't care much for fashion but finds long hair an inconvenience, so her hair alternates between her most recent "trim" and when it gets long enough to annoy her.
Geraldine is often described (negatively) as "thinks she's a man" and prefers to wear men's clothing. She claims this is because men's clothing is "eminently functional" and was raised in South Africa, where women's clothing was inconvenient for riding horses and being out in the wilderness. She is also quite tall for a woman, standing average male height, which she says adds to making male clothing easier for her than corsets and dresses. As such, it is rare to see her wearing a dress or skirt unless the occasion calls for it - she pays lip service to societal norms and will wear a dress or skirt to appropriate social situations, but will constantly complain about it and does so out of a desire to "prevent unwanted and unnecessary hassle about my clothing" rather than an actual desire to follow social etiquette or blend in.
This is all rather ironic considering that Geraldine comes from a renown British aristocracy and thus is one of the most upper-class persons in Chicago. She often describes Chicago's well-to-do as "pretending to be what I choose NOT to be." The sole exception is when Gerry is attending a ball, in which case she admits to quite enjoying wearing a (expensive) ball gown. She admits that this is because "even I enjoy feeling like a glamorous lady sometimes."
Most of the times she is fond of wearing men's trousers (usually khaki or other "earth" colours, sometimes black) matched with a shirt or blouse (usually white or near-white). It is rare to see her in bright colours, except when in a dress, in which she favours white, silver or gold. She rarely wears much jewellery, but when she does they are invariably diamonds and usually just ear-rings and perhaps (rarely) a necklace.
Her main concession to being lady-like is light use of make-up, usually on her lips and eyes. When out in the field, it is typical to see her lacking any make-up at all. Whilst generally quite hygienic, Gerry has been known to obsess over some recently-acquired tome and "forget" to bathe, change clothing or even sleep for several days in a row.
Background
Geraldine was born and raised on her family's plantation in South Africa and named after her grandmother. Her family were British "landed gentry" - the lowest form of British aristocracy title. This meant that they owned land and were extremely wealthy due to the land containing various profitable diamond mines, but were not considered proper aristocracy. This is something Geraldine has always found amusing, that her family have greater wealth but less status than higher aristocrats that frequently rely on her family for loans.
The Archer family, although wealthy, had always held a strong work ethos and interest in the medicinal sciences. She was the latest in a long line of doctors and science professors. Her father was a reputed surgeon and Colonel in the British army. Like Colonel Archer (her father), Geraldine took advantage of her family's wealth to get the best education their considerable money could buy. When she was just twelve, however, her mother died of liver cancer - an occurrence that would influence Geraldine into following her father into the medical field, although taking the more scholarly route of Epidemiology, rather than becoming a physician like her father and grandfather William Archer.
When not studying - as the desire to expand her knowledge had always been strong in her - she would frequently accompany her father into the Bush on adventures and hunting expeditions. Geraldine's closeness with her father was interrupted barely a couple of years after the death of her mother when her father took a lover in New Orleans. Although the fact that her father's lover was low-class didn't remotely bother her, the young Geraldine saw this as a betrayal to her mother's memory and it created a rift between them, ultimately causing Colonel Archer to leave his lover to appease Geraldine. Geraldine has since voiced regret over her behaviour at the time, stating she was "too young to understand my father's feelings and need for companionship at the time - I simply was not mature enough to see past my own grief at my mother's passing to realise how much pain my father himself was in."
Geraldine spent most of her life split between the top Academic institutions in England where she studied, and in South Africa where she lived. After graduating, she moved into her father's house in Cape Town especially as Colonel Archer was rarely there anymore - almost constantly out on travels with Fitzherbert Lockhart and eventually settled in Shadow Pond manor in Chicago. She would reside there until her father's death in 1928, after which she would travel to Chicago and take residence in Shadow Pond herself after resolving the mystery of his sudden illness and death. There she would reside with CJ, her half-sister born from her father's New Orleans affair years earlier, who she would meet after the death of her father, and become a Mythos investigator until her mysterious disappearance [and presumed death] in 1929, leaving her sister CJ as sole inheritor of the Archer estate.
Cthulhu Case Files
Cthulhu Case File: the Death of Colonel Archer
Cthulhu Case File: the Case of Mary Marsh
Cthulhu Case File: Bad Moon Rising
Personality
Depending on who you ask Geraldine is either a lively, friendly and loyal person with a singular wit, or dismissive, rude and obsessive. Geraldine is very open about what she thinks and feels, brutally so.
She has little patience and can be dismissive and unintentionally rude (to most people's standards - to the aristocracy her mannerism is quite normal, as manners and politeness are often reserved for the gentry but unrequired when dealing with lower classes and servants) if she is uninterested in what is occurring. She is headstrong and admits to being "rhino-headed" when her mind is set on things, pursuing things obsessively with little thought for other facts. When she likes someone she is usually generous to them and friendly, and whilst she may not be outwardly very warm it is obvious that she cares for her friends and close acquaintances and looks out for their well-being. Everyone else, however, appears to be simply resources. A notable example is the polarised relationship with Guilderoy Lockhart and his wife, Lady Caroline. Whilst Geraldine is visibly friendly with Guilderoy and often jokes with him, she is visibly cold with his Lady Caroline; rarely acknowledges her British aristocracy title(s) and most commonly refers to Lady Caroline as "her", "that woman" or (to Guilderoy) "your wife." The feeling of antipathy appears to be mutual. If this is brought to Geraldine's attention, she merely states "I am being civil to her - if she expects any more than common civility which any person deserves then she needs to climb down from her ivory tower and have a good look at reality."
Her friends have also become concerned at her recent behaviour. Since becoming a Mythos researcher she has become obsessive about studying it, and they have noticed an increasing hardness in her attitude and decreasing respect for life. On a recent excursion to a location she expected to uncover Mythos lore her party was attacked by native tribes with poison darts. Geraldine was visibly more upset about not gaining the lore she was after than the loss of two of her men.
Mental Health
Despite researching heavily various Mythos tomes, which must have had an effect on her sanity, Geraldine has no apparent issues - although friends claim her attitude has become colder and even a little morbid and jaded.
Mythos Tomes Read/Owned
- Liber Ivonis (Latin) - Translated by Caius Phillipus Faber; Published: 9th Century AD
- Magic and the Black Arts (English) - Kane; Published: 1896
- R'Lyeh Text (German) - Translated by Hans von Gerber; Published: 300 BC (original)
- The Book of Enoch (English) - Unknown author or translator; Published: 100 AD (original)
- The Book of Revelation (Greek) - St. John the Divine; Published: 95 AD
- Compendium Maleficarum (3rd Ed.) (Latin) - Translated by Rev. Montague Summers; Published: 1929 (translation)
- Gebri Regis Arabum Philosophi Perspicacissimi (Latin) - Abou Moussah Djabir al Sophie (aka Geber); Published: 1682
- Les Prophéties de M.Michel Nostradamus (Expanded Ed.) (Latin) - Michel de Nostradame; Published: 1558
- Le Musée des Sorcièrs, Mages et Alchimistes (English) - Translated by J.Courtnay Locke; Published: 1929
Connections
- Miss Cassandra Jones: Half-sister from New Orleans. Singer for a Chicago Blues band that performs at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.
- Toby: Geraldine's overly-energetic, overly-friendly, 6-year-old Boerboel ("Boer dog")
- Lord Guilderoy Lockhart: Her best friend
- Miss Marilyn Fox - Chicago correspondent for the New York Times. Whilst Geraldine wouldn't consider her a proper friend, Geraldine respects Marilyn's strength of character and thus favours her.
- Mr James "Jimmy the Jint" Slade - Private Investigator. Geraldine respects his skills and ability to do his job well, an employs him regularly.
- Mrs Conchita Sanchez: Geraldine's Mexican-American maid and cook. Conchita was actually employed by Geraldine's father to care for Shadow Pond manor, and continues to fulfill this role with Geraldine.
- Mr Ivan "Crazy Ivan" Kerensky: A Russian exile who works as Geraldine's personal pilot. Has a pet rat called Lenin.
- Mr Jonathan Coleman: Chicago lawyer for Kirkland & Ellis LLP, sent after Leonard Young's death, who handles Geraldine's legal affairs.
- Mr Samuel Hallowend: Geraldine's latest bodyguard/manservant/driver.
- Captain James Malone: Captain of the Lakeview area Police Department. Geraldine helped him prove the corruption of the previous Captain, which ultimately led to his arrest and Malone becoming the new Captain.
- Alderman William Hale Thompson: Notoriously corrupt Mayor of Chicago. The right "donations" to him grant Geraldine access to information, favours, and other benefits that suit her purpose which may be ethically dubious and often downright illegal.
Social Style
Geraldine is a no-nonsense person and has little patience for fools and time-wasters. The best way to approach her is directly. If it's something "of intellectual interest" she will gladly converse on the topic - but otherwise it is usually best to give her the key information fast, and then let her ask for further clarification about things that interest her. She hates it and gets visibly irate when people "beat around the bush" and usually leads to her interrupting and asking the person to hurry up.
Whilst she snubs high-society ettiquette (unless it is advantageous to do otherwise) she believes firmly in respect. Even when being abrasive or dismissive she is respectful (if curt) to others and expects similar civility in return. Note that civility/respect does not necessarily mean politeness. She often feels people are too soft-skinned and should learn to thicken their skin and not get upset over trivial wordplay.
Signature Posessions
- Revolver
- Vehicle: Chevrolet Superior (automobile)
- Vehicle: Sikorsky S-38B "Mishka 2" (Propeller Seaplane)
- Shadow Pond Manor
- Cape Town Plantation and family diamond mines
Signature Quotes
- "We lost those two men because they fired at the pygmies before letting me talk. Idiots. But more importantly, the tome I came in search of wasn't here! Such a waste of time!"
- "I didn't want to say anything... until I was sure. Until I was really sure. Despite the things I saw out the porthole as we travelled through time, I hoped I was wrong. Dear God I PRAYED I was wrong. But I was not. This... isn't our time. This isn't even our world, anymore. We didn't travel back in time as we believed and were promised - we travelled FORWARD. The world we knew moved on. It grew old, and our world died - even past that terrible future we came from. Even the universe itself ceased to exist. We travelled past the end of the universe - and then the universe was reborn anew. The universe was reborn, and a new cycle began; almost identical to the old. Everything looks much the same, but it isn't the same. This isn't our time, or our world. These aren't our families. Our families, are dead. Everyone we knew, and loved, are dead. They grew old, and died, billions of years ago. They lived their lives without us, knowing only that we left on this damn mission... and never came home. This is a new cycle, and the universe has created new versions of us and our families for whatever reason I cannot possibly fathom. The next in a cycle of death and rebirth of the universe, each likely identical but different in some ways, that has likely occurred an unknowable number of times. We do not belong here. We are pariahs outside of time, outside the very cycle of existence we were destined to be born and die in. And there is no way back. No way to undo this. My hubris led to this... To all of you following me on this fool's venture. And I have cost you everything you had, loved, and held dear. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry!"
