Lest you think me mad let me first state that I possess this information on the condition that I keep it from ever seeing the light of day - but as much as I need to bury it and forget I ever laid eyes on it, what I have learned is too monstrous to withhold. The (presumably) late Dr. Alexander Wir, a professor of medieval metaphysics at Miskatonic University, would have wanted this information released, for he would have understood the consequences of keeping it hidden. In accordance with his last will and testament (and also via the military, who is at a loss to understand what Wir revealed), it is I who have been given the stewardship of this information, and despite the military having sworn me to secrecy, the fact that you are reading this speaks volumes as to my respect for their desires. I wish to remain anonymous, however - and such I will be until this diabolical matter is resolved, for I fear the wrath of Shub-Niggurath more than that of the military. I will say only that I was a colleague of Dr. Wir, and nothing more, for he had many colleagues - far too many to interview to any great effect. Therefore, I present the remaining fragments of Dr. Wir's journal along with several digital photographs; the military agents that I spoke with refused to explain how these objects came into their possession. The affair began when Dr. Wir was contacted by the military to accompany an armed detachment of soldiers to a place he had been forbidden to mention by name; having read what remains of Wir's journal and having studied the three hateful digital photographs, I can only assume that the military has managed - through technology - to make progress where generations of occultists and metaphysicians have failed. It is also my opinion that despite their weaponry and Dr. Wir's vast knowledge of arcane subjects, they met their fate at the inhuman hands of entities none of us is truly capable of understanding. There were two additional military scientists on the expedition, both of them unknown to me - a Dr. Brathwaite, and a Dr. Andrews (Wir fails to mention their full names). What remains of the first few pages of Wir's notes hints at the existence of a gate, some sort of technological platform that allowed the group to move into another place, to transpose themselves into - well, it is here that my understanding fails me. Near the inner margin of the first page of his journal is the word "Quake?" It obviously perplexed him, much as it does me, and I have never known Alexander Wir to be in such a state for long. Indeed, only a few pages later, he made his first formal entry: [Entry #1] [top portion missing] "…of his own making. Fantastic! To think that the slip… [missing] …of neither energy or matter. It could help us to learn the truth. It could reveal, in time, the true origin…[page smudged]" The substance covering Wir's journal has done severe damage. It has scrambled his inks and so discolored the paper that it is a wonder I have deciphered any of it at all. In fact, even now the substance seems to continue its corruption. What I copied down from the first section is now totally lost. I transcribed all I could; the book lies now in my study, a blackening wreck. Of the fragments that contained whole sentences, or parts thereof, I can only say this: Wir stumbled upon a place that countless others have tried to penetrate; I submit the following entry: [Entry #2] "After the group moved on, something caught my eye - a stray shaft of light, flickering from a strange hole in the stone floor. Upon closer examination, the hole appeared to be surrounded by an ornately formed iron ring; peering within, I saw a pit, deep and dark, yet emitting at odd intervals a most hideous glow. I could hear the group in the distance urging me to follow. Forcing my camera down into the hole I took a picture. Giving the place a final glance, I could not help but feel that I had seen it somewhere before."
Several of Dr. Wir's later entries would mention that most dreaded tome, the Necronomicon, a thing he'd frequently consulted in his work at Miskatonic University. I, too, have seen this book - but only once, whilst aiding Dr. Wir in his researches; having paged through it, the photograph triggered a memory in me as well - there is a dark place, hidden and mysterious, where one may meet Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young - and I am convinced that Dr. Wir had glimpsed this place, and taken its picture… The journal continues: [Entry #3] ""It was as if a storm - some sort of alien wind - had blown through the military installation… [missing] …and it was not until the great sliding doors slammed closed behind us and the air became still that we heard the howling - the baying of mad dogs, moving closer… [missing] …these lost troopers. Their eyes, though human by design, were no longer human; filled with rage, they saw with some otherworldly perception. Never hesitating to fire, they often attacked each other. In time we learned to use this to our advantage, but not before paying a price. Several of our… [missing]"
Who these "troopers" were cannot be guessed at. The photograph, while the clearest and least disturbing of the three, sheds little light on my understanding of where Dr. Wir and his soldiers traveled. Perhaps it's here, on Earth - in another country. I fear, however, that it may not be, and that the truth may do more harm to me than good. The fourth and fifth entries are closely spaced - this appears to have been a time of constant activity, for Wir's notes are brief, as if he were on the run: [Entry #4] "We could not believe our eyes; standing before us, from another time - and perhaps another world - was a knight, his armor's sheen dulled, his sword bloodied... [missing] …shot them down, but our numbers are dwindling rapdily [sic]. Captain Leroux has issued a weapon to me. This is not a welcome… [missing]" [Entry #5] "[missing] …screaming into the dark. It was a loathsome thing - wretched, with a virulent stench; I emptied my weapon into its putrid body and it sank back into the filthy waterway; barely a moment had passed when it rose once more, groaning, hurling chunks of its own flesh, tearing them from its... [missing]" That Dr. Wir was forced to use a weapon should indicate the gravity of the situation he had found himself in. If you had known the man like I had, you would understand my own disbelief at this development. Of the minions of Shub-Niggurath, Dr. Wir was the expert, not I. That he could not identify his foes leads me to a dark conclusion - but I digress. The sixth ominous entry is one I can barely bring myself to type upon this keyboard: [Entry #6] "It was vaguely reptilian yet could levitate at will; it could bend its viscous, airborne poisons around columns and barriers to burn and disfigure our skin. Where there should have been arms there were only gnarled spurs of bone that seemed to… [page torn] …what dark, twisted world could have spawned such a terrible beast? I am not sure I can continue this journey." Nothing in my own long and patient studies has helped me to understand this passage - I have never encountered anything like it, not even in the Book of Eibon or within the despised pages of Francois-Honore Balfour's Cultes Des Goules of 1702. Wir's journal falls into complete chaos at this point. There are some fragmented sketches in the pages following entry #6, but dozens of pages are missing. Towards the end of the journal it is revealed that the group was reduced to three members: Dr. Brathwaite, Dr. Andrews, and Dr. Wir. They were armed but it became painfully clear to me that these men were not equipped to deal with the ferocity that would later confront them. [Entry #7] "There was nothing that could have prepared us for this brute; its ghastly origin can only be… [missing] …terrifying skill it cut down Dr. Brathwaite with a chain-saw, leaving a crimson arc of blood that seemed to hang in the putrid air." I cannot imagine what Dr. Wir must have been thinking; always the thorough researcher, I could see he was doing his best to remain calm in his journal entries. There was terror in his fading handwriting, however, and he seemed to know that a similar fate was awaiting him. The news of Dr. Andrew's demise came only a page later: [Entry #8] "Alas, I am left alone - the hideous fiend which came at us from the dark tore Dr. Andrews to pieces; only my luck at stumbling upon a loaded grenade launcher has allowed me to put pen to paper once more. This beast, this blinding demon with bony two-foot claws, stalks me still; I can hear it, wounded, somewhere beyond this doorwa... [page torn]" He seemed to take it well; his writing settled down and he began to sound more like the Alexander Wir I had known. It was almost as if the presence of the woefully ignorant military scientists had been interfering with his ability to analyze the situation. Wir delivers a vital key in his next entry: [Entry #9] "At last, I think I have identified the forces at work in this twisted realm; what relation to the mysterious 'Quake' they might have still eludes me. Regardless, I believ… [missing] …an eerie electric sound met my ears and in the distance I saw it - a massive toothy beast from another dimension - shambling towards me. I had read of them - described as sometime servants of the Outer Gods, or the Great Old Ones. Its massive claws and imposing size sent me diving from the bridge into the stagnant waters below, narrowly avoiding the creature's mighty bolt of electricity..." I freely admit that I am at the limit of my understanding; Wir had access to many arcane and forbidden texts that I only dreamed of consulting. Even so, I know of the Outer Gods and I have discussed the Great Old Ones with Wir on several occasions. Such conversations never left me in the best of spirits. I feel much the same now, for I know that I am powerless to prevent that which may come. Wir's final entry follows: [Entry #10] "I have seen this place before - this strange unholy… [missing] …amid the pages of the Necronomicon. I have reached another slipgate and before me in the stifling heat of a lava pit a great beast, possibly a Cthonian of unknown origin, has ris… [missing] …am crouching now, hiding in the dark. I write this in the hope that someone - anyone of sound mind - finds this and warns the world. If what I suspect is true, Shub-Niggurath may have been reunited with Hastur the Unspeakable. These strange creatures that decimated our expedition may be the wretched offspring of their union, and th… [missing] …I will attempt to reach the slipgate, if only to send my belongings through. That fiery thing knows I am here - it senses me - I cannot let it follow. I'm goin… [page torn]"
I do not know what became of Dr. Wir. I presume that he somehow managed to send his digital camera and journal back to our world; the only clue I have is the final digital image - a most hideous thing. The great shambling beasts loomed before his lens - their malignant intent quite obvious. As I stare from my window I can see an unmarked van parked along the darkening road. They are watching me; they know that I may not wish to help them. I wonder if they know what I have done, via the internet, and the reserved server at Miskatonic University? I have made this document as secure as possible and freely available - let the military attempt to hack Miskatonic U's server - I doubt very much they'll like what they encounter. Perhaps I will follow in Dr. Wir's footsteps, or perhaps they - the military - will deal with me in their own special way. It matters not, however. I believe my fate to be sealed. Shub-Niggurath may have spawned her Thousand Young!
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