Carte du Jour, Disciple

192: Ancestral Memories of Lost Cultures

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Brief message from the Patriarch:

For this update, we bring you two threads with similar themes in the form of columns written in this pirate publication known as the Lantern Bearer, that is run by the Doe Patrol, a band of vigilante freelancers who seeks to take down a nameless organization they call "The Circle". These two columns ropes in a bit of history, of long dead civilizations and their dark dietary practices, revived by men of ill motives. This is a large and challenging update, one that I hope you, my fellow DISCIPLES, will enjoy in terms of the art and the stories that lie within.

Bon appétit!

 

 

Column in the Lantern Bearer pirate publication regarding the Cook Islands and rumors of a connection to the Circle (undated)

Rarotonga, part of the Cook Islands. An island with a history of dark savagery now in large part tamed by Christianity and tourism. Some parts of the island bore witness to  horrific events: rumors of ghoulish rites, ghosts and strange disappearances. And local legend tells the tale of spirits of eaten colonialists who haunt the island, trapped forever by the dark deeds of their devourers. Strange lights in abandoned hotels & mysterious bonfires at the beach are some accounts we have heard of, but when we paid a visit to  these locations, we found no evidence of any foul play but merely the remains of a business turning south or remnants of an impromptu gathering with crushed beer cans, broken bottles, charred wood and graffiti of various protests against the establishment.

We at the Lantern Bearer must state that all we report here first and foremost, are rumors at best based on our endeavor to uncover a secret global conspiracy of the wealthy and powerful who use the entire planet as their hunting ground and humans as prey. Information about this island is at best, scarce. We however, can report having contact with locals during one of our expeditions there (or vacation, to be a little more honest and frank to you, our readers) that by happenstance, we have come across some peculiar nuggets of information that cannot be discounted.

One such report that we would like to highlight is the local legend of the "White Devil".

This tale reportedly takes place some time between the 1960's to the 1980's of a mysterious man who visited the island on dozens of occasions. He came on a lavish yacht, bearing gifts to the locals, all the attributes of the stereotypical "white savior" while also helping to build local businesses through the power of his wealth and influence. And even though his influence reached far and wide, yet not much is known about the man for he never linked his assets to his real name. Every manner of his ministrations was managed through the power of favors to local businessmen and politicians and hard cash.

But one such gift that he bestowed was that of something much darker. A sort of ritual, and through coercion, one that the locals, despite their reservations that through this day, many of the elders seldom want to speak of, was hard to deny.

As we all know, Rarotonga has had a history of savagery, if we dig through historical records, tales of the ship, The Cumberland and her captain, Phillip Goodenough, revealed a history of bloodshed, vengeance and cannibalism of her crew and in particular, of the first and only ever account of an European woman, Ann Butchers, to be eaten by Pacific Islanders.

By the time this "White Devil" had arrived, the belligerent nature of the locals had long since been pacified, and they welcomed him with open arms. But little do they know, this man had darker motives.

Through much persuasion, we had managed brief but nervous interviews with a few of the local elders who was said to have witnessed and participated in such events and also very adamant in keeping their identities private, had confirmed the truth of the story. Yes, there was an man of Caucasian descent who came to upon their shores on a ship, always with a young white woman in tow, and even sometimes an entourage of radiant European companions brought over from the mainland.

All that these elders managed to reveal in so few words was that the women never left the island and that part of the ritual involved demonic rites, dances and lavish feasts no man should ever be witnessed to. This was a gift they didn't want to accept which this man had forced upon them, stating to the locals that the celebrations were gestures of contrition, reparations for past misdeeds perpetrated by the European settlers. When pushed further of the details of these... "feasts"... the interviewees on more than one occasion had strangely remained coy and denied to speak to us further. We can only report that in observing their emotional state, that we are certain that certain fears and uneasiness, or perhaps, guilt still shroud them to this day.

And to you our fellow readers, we can only leave this to your imagination to what these people must have witnessed.

Who is this "White Devil"? Was he a real person or just a figure of myth? Was part of his motive in coming here was in large part related to the local historical events of cannibalism of the island? Do the local leaders know more than they're letting on? We can only say that on behalf of the Lantern Bearer, we will open a new folder to this case and await further details if it ever comes and of course, report back to you when we have more.

Stay vigilant!

Zacharias

 

 

Who is El Azteca? A Lantern Bearer Column (undated)

Mexico has seen its fair share of violence in more recent years especially due to the ever expanding reach by the U.S. in the war on drugs. Missing people, dead gangsters, a plethora of body parts strewn on the streets... but what of those individuals whose remains were not recovered by authorities? What of them and the fate of these vanished?

Here at the Lantern Bearer, we have uncovered yet another unsettling set of news, of the emergence of a new Cartel Leader known to some locals as El Azteca. Not much is known yet of this figurehead but some say that he represents a sign that the shadow of Anibal "El Canibal" Zepeda still looms large in the region. One part is known, local leaders know of a "successful" attempt at his life by the authorities, but no real identifiable body part could be discernible from the wreckage.

Rumors even purport that El Canibal himself may have risen from the ashes and rebranded himself as this almost cult-like mythical figure and religious leader known as El Azteca. The practices are rumored to be similar. An inner circle of his most loyal footsoldiers known as Los Jagueres seem to be largely influenced by the Aztec Warriors known as the Jaguar Cult tasked to bring a certain kind of nationalism to the people of the region. One cannot overlook that the Jaguar Cult has had customs and practices steeped in human sacrifices and cannibalism since the times of Hernan Cortes.

Recent archaeological discoveries, particularly in central Mexico at a dig site known as Tecoaque revealed a dark history of a Spanish caravan who had been captured, butchered and eaten by the local village. The horrors were compounded for the fact that the hostages' despair were drawn out over the course of eight months, each individual sacrificed befitting the astral calendar of the time, their flesh stripped from the bones which in turn were converted into grotesque trophies. Even the name itself translates in the Nahuatl language, meaning, "the place where they ate them". As an act of retribution, Cortes had sent a contingent of Spanish conquistadors to wipe out the village. Blood for blood. Savagery for savagery.

We believe that this new figure, El Azteca may be quite a fan of history, conjuring the dead spirits of their ancestral heritage, luring young, disaffected and impressionable Mexican men through promise of murder, sex, debauchery, and religious meaning, all in the name of power, never mind that it was one that is steeped in death and destruction. We have seen similar zealotry in the form of ISIS and this is one that the Lantern Bearer and the American authorities should not ignore as we have begun to receive reports of disappearances north of the border in Arizona and New Mexico.

One of our sources within the DEA has brought to us a set of unsettling reports about disappearances of women who are either related to informants through familial or even romantic means and no trace of them were ever found. This brings back the echoes of the same terror tactic that "El Canibal" employed to keep his followers and those under his pocket in line. The threat of death, not on the main transgressor but that of his loved ones.

Again, we are curious if this new organization is in any way related to the larger global cannibal conspiracy, whether it's an offshoot to the Circle, a partner or just a random unconnected emergence of a dark organization. this news is still in its fledgling state, and another new folder will be opened regarding this case, and here at the Lantern Bearer, we will stay true to you, the readers in exposing the horrors of the world so we can rise up and fight these monsters together.

Stay vigilant!

Zacharias

 

 

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