Cafe and Diner - User contributions [en]

C-TTCB01 (Apr 15, 2020)

2024-04-18T00:03:17Z

AshBlack:

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-TTCB01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“A Sanitarian’s Meal.”<br>
Research | 2 Words</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">What could "Sanitarian" be in reference to?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Are there any books with that name?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">From that book, have any hotel-related words been coined?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Continental Breakfast</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">"The term [Continental Breakfast] originated in America in the late-19th century, first used in 1896 public hygiene book The Sanitarian" - Wikipedia</span></span>
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<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary to be added later!</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>

<span>
DATE: 4-15-2020<br>
MANAGER NO. 1<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-TTCB01<br>
TOTAL: $0.7<br>

Today started like every other day at La Sonim Hotel, with a terrible continental breakfast. However, we were finally greeted by Miss Guile and Miss Tisi today. In fact, everyone was there, even Umbra. Moreover, Takiyasha believes that we’ve had this exact breakfast more than once… no doubt due to Dolos’ temporal trickery. She said we need “action…” Hm. I wonder if there’s anything we can do to break this loop.

<b><i>S.O.T.</i></b>

Miss. Guile: Well, well, well. How has everyone been enjoying their stay at La Sonim Hotel?

No. 44B: Dolos!

Miss. Guile: Mm… something’s off.

No. 1: Off? What do you mean?

Miss. Guile: You don’t feel it, too? Odd. Well, not that it matters—

Miss. Tisi: MURDERERS!

No. 44A: Uh- excuse me?

Miss. Tisi: FILTHY MURDERERS! EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!

[Miss. Wednesday shrugged, looking over at Miss. Umbra]

Miss. Satsuki: Did you really trap us here so we’d atone?

Miss. Guile: You checked in all on your own. Consider this… an immersive form of therapy.

No. 44B: Therapy? Your “logic” escapes me, Dolos.

Miss. Tisi: SILENCE! You all bear the STENCH of guilt! I will have retribution for the lives you’ve all carelessly ended!

[Miss. Wednesday stuffed his mouth full of crickets]

Miss. Wednesday: Retribution. Very cool. Endless retribution? Kind of… futile. Especially against other Gods. What do you really want? Huh?

…

Miss. Wednesday: Well, what I want is another serving. Bellhop!

[Miss. Satsuki whispered to the Cafe and Diner employees.]

Miss. Satsuki: We need action. Not just reflection.

No. 44A: Huh?

No. 1: What are you suggesting, Takiyasha?

Miss. Satsuki: Have you failed to notice? In all of our time here—not a single day has passed. We have yet to see a true tomorrow.

No. 44B: Dolos…

<b><i>E.O.T.</i></b>
</span>

C-TTCB01 (Apr 15, 2020)

2024-04-18T00:02:46Z

AshBlack: Created page

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>CD-TTCB01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“A Sanitarian’s Meal.”<br>
Research | 2 Words</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">What could "Sanitarian" be in reference to?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Are there any books with that name?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">From that book, have any hotel-related words been coined?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Continental Breakfast</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">"The term [Continental Breakfast] originated in America in the late-19th century, first used in 1896 public hygiene book The Sanitarian" - Wikipedia</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary to be added later!</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>

<span>
DATE: 4-15-2020<br>
MANAGER NO. 1<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-TTCB01<br>
TOTAL: $0.7<br>

Today started like every other day at La Sonim Hotel, with a terrible continental breakfast. However, we were finally greeted by Miss Guile and Miss Tisi today. In fact, everyone was there, even Umbra. Moreover, Takiyasha believes that we’ve had this exact breakfast more than once… no doubt due to Dolos’ temporal trickery. She said we need “action…” Hm. I wonder if there’s anything we can do to break this loop.

<b><i>S.O.T.</i></b>

Miss. Guile: Well, well, well. How has everyone been enjoying their stay at La Sonim Hotel?

No. 44B: Dolos!

Miss. Guile: Mm… something’s off.

No. 1: Off? What do you mean?

Miss. Guile: You don’t feel it, too? Odd. Well, not that it matters—

Miss. Tisi: MURDERERS!

No. 44A: Uh- excuse me?

Miss. Tisi: FILTHY MURDERERS! EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!

[Miss. Wednesday shrugged, looking over at Miss. Umbra]

Miss. Satsuki: Did you really trap us here so we’d atone?

Miss. Guile: You checked in all on your own. Consider this… an immersive form of therapy.

No. 44B: Therapy? Your “logic” escapes me, Dolos.

Miss. Tisi: SILENCE! You all bear the STENCH of guilt! I will have retribution for the lives you’ve all carelessly ended!

[Miss. Wednesday stuffed his mouth full of crickets]

Miss. Wednesday: Retribution. Very cool. Endless retribution? Kind of… futile. Especially against other Gods. What do you really want? Huh?

…

Miss. Wednesday: Well, what I want is another serving. Bellhop!

[Miss. Satsuki whispered to the Cafe and Diner employees.]

Miss. Satsuki: We need action. Not just reflection.

No. 44A: Huh?

No. 1: What are you suggesting, Takiyasha?

Miss. Satsuki: Have you failed to notice? In all of our time here—not a single day has passed. We have yet to see a true tomorrow.

No. 44B: Dolos…

<b><i>E.O.T.</i></b>
</span>

FAB05 (Apr 15, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:57:24Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>FAB05</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Employee 611 briefs the CaD one last time before they fight Ojai the next day. Basically while 44B was trying to stop Astoria from tangling with Muriel/Abaddon and destroying the Otherside, Manager 1 was handling Ojai, who was pissed at them since the CaD had killed Satan, her master. Still, there are some questions - how did she come back? why now? and so on. They might have some time to talk to her before the CaD kills her, but still.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-15-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 611<br>
FILE REFERENCE: FAB05<br>
TOTAL: $0.19<br>

Well, tomorrow’s the day. The day we pay Miss. Ojai’s tab in full. Again. No doubt, she’s a dangerous customer who has earned her status as single. The last time the Cafe and Diner served Miss. Ojai was in 2003, at the second Cafe and Diner. While No. 44B was trying to keep Muriel from spilling the Salt and Pepper, No. 1 was busy keeping Miss. Ojai from smoking in the Cafe. Not only that, but Ojai was hellbent on lighting up the entire west coast. And between Muriel and Ojai, as I understand it, No. 1 had to make some unfortunate choices. Tragic choices.

See, Miss. Ojai was a devout follower of Padre Santos of the Open Doors Church. When Padre Santos went down South, Miss. Ojai wanted revenge. However, No. 1 was able to pay Miss. Ojai’s tab in full. Or so we thought. It’s entirely unclear how Miss. Ojai managed to open a new tab with us. Why would she wait 17 years to come back? And could she have possibly relocated from Ottawa to Quebec? Or is her reappearance tied to us inhabiting the church? So many questions, all of which I’m guessing will go unanswered after tomorrow.

I don’t think Miss. Ojai will be stopping by to chat. Though No. 35 did set up the Cafe in such a way, we might have a few minutes to try and ask her these questions. Though we’re all in agreement, no matter how interesting her gossip might be, she isn’t welcome here, and she has to go. If our service tomorrow is lacking or falls through, we’ll need to put the Cafe on high alert—neons might even need to go up. Even if she decides to dine and dash, we’ll ensure her tab is paid.
</span>

CD-LDOL03 (Apr 14, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:56:42Z

AshBlack: Created page

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>CD-LDOL03</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“The Dark’s Eye.”<br>
Knowledge | 2 Words</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">There is an organization in the Cafe and Diner Universe called "The Dark" whose logo is an eye.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Who was the leader of the Dark, again?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Sure, Umbra, but does he a less-common (or, more common to tourists) name?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">The Hatman</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">Umbra, also known as the Hatman, was the Eye of the Dark before it disbanding prior to the Cafe Crisis.</span></span>
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<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary to be added later!</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>

<span>
DATE: 4-14-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 44A<br>
FILE REFERENCE: CD-LDOL03<br>
TOTAL: $1.07<br>

Uhhh… problem? Mm… yeah. Problem. Big problem. I found out who the guest in room 112 is. It’s Umbra. The Hatman Umbra. The former leader of the Dark, Umbra. Currently trying to take over the Necropolis, <b><i>UMBRA.</i></b> I don’t know if he knows that we know that he’s here. I was getting a bit bored and nosy, so I slid my compact under their door to see who our other mystery guest was, and it was UMBRA. It has to be Umbra, I mean, I guess it could be another shadow person guy, but that definitely was Umbra!

So, like, what’s he doing here? Is Umbra after the antekeys too? Eugh. Yuck. I thought I’d never have to deal with the creep again. What would Umbra even want with the antekeys? To get into the End? Spoiler alert, I doubt there’s a stupid first bible in there. We kinda destroyed the only copy. Unless we didn’t? In any case, Umbra is OBVIOUSLY bad news regardless of why or how he’s here. Like, Wednesday and Satsuki make at least some sense. They’re Myths, and Guile is Myth, and so they’re sort of tied together in that sense, but Umbra he’s a… well, actually, I don’t entirely know what Umbra is. He’s not a demon. I don’t even think he’s an actual natural shadow person. I think he’s just a dude who turned into a shadow or something like that. Idk.

Whatever. We need to find this stupid other Antekey piece thing and fast. Maybe my dork can figure some way to beat this hotel maze. As far as I can tell, the hotel has 3 floors. We’re all on the 1st floor. There’s also an elevator that takes you to a random floor each time. Some doors are connected to other floors in a sort of… a… some sort of a nerd word for not a normal way. Like the layout of the hotel makes no sense, and sometimes doors that went one way once go another way when you go back through them. Well—maybe we can figure something out at breakfast tomorrow.
Return to Archive</span>

CD-LBN05 (Apr 14, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:51:30Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-LBN05</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Mr. Muldra Yonomo.”<br>
Knowledge | 3 Words</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Ah, yes. Our esteemed investor.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">You would think a Prince would have enough to deal with in their plane.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Try to nag a ram.</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Your Lord Mammon</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">This is an anagram of Mr. Muldra Yonomo.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Employee 53 suspects that the notebook is sealed by Prince-level magic, and suggests asking Mammon or Belphegor for help - alternatively, Leviathan, if that tips their hand too much. The Princes are the seven strongest mortals in all existence, so they don’t have many options.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-14-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 53<br>
FILE REFERENCE: CD-LBN05<br>
TOTAL: $0.51<br>

Notebook update: that thang don’t open. TRUST ME. I’ve spent two weeks trying to crack that nut, and boy-oh-boy, I’m starting to suspect magic is involved. I know, I know, we all figured it was magic, but the fun thing about magic is sometimes if you hit it with a hammer long enough, spells wear off. And sometimes, if someone drives over it in their car a few times, the spell will wear off. And, yes, on the odd occasion, you pop a magic sucker into the Microwave for a CRISP like minute thirty, and that’s enough to disrupt the spell. But not this thing.

I suppose this is Prince-Level magic here. And Princes get the distinction of being, well, Princes because they are so freaking powerful when it comes to magic. They are the seven most powerful mortals probably in all of existence. Wild. And we’ve slapped so many of their cheeks (literally and figuratively) by this point. Heck, now our boss is even one of them! Well, two if you count Sophie, but she’s like a distant business mom. Then again, I suppose Muldra is also a distant business mom. What is Muldra up to anyway? What, he only shows up when dozens of Elders pop up?

MULDRA! I bet he would know how to open this little Satanic Girl Tech Password Journal. Heck, I’m sure Muldra or Sophie could just pop it open if they wanted to. Though, doing so would then tell Muldra that we have this notebook, and he would also be privy to the information inside, good or bad. It’s a conundrum. We could also maybe get Levi to crack it open. It was tucked away on his tiny island. Of course, I’m just spitballing here. I still have a whole closet full of questionably legal items to try on this bad boy. Though I am just putting it out there that if we can’t get it open, we can always ask another Prince for help. We’d just need to decide if that’d be worth it in the long run.</span>

C-LDOL02 (Apr 13, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:49:39Z

AshBlack: Created page

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-LDOL02</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Brush up on the three parts of a whole Miss. Satsuki.”<br>
Research | 2 Words</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Who is Miss. Satsuki, again?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Oh, right! She's Princess Takiyasha</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Are there any famous three-piece paintings of Are there any three-piece paintings of Princess Takiyasha? And if so, who painted them?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Utagawa Kuniyoshi</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">Utagawa Kuniyoshi is the painter of the famous triptych, <i>Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre</i>.</span></span>
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<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary to be added later!</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-12-2020<br>
MANAGER NO. 1<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-LDOL02<br>
TOTAL: $0.19<br>

This hotel certainly crawls with Otherworldly royalty. Staying in Room 109, next to Odin, seems to be Princess Takiyasha. Unlike Odin, however, she actually has full control over where her memory and thoughts flutter, so she remembers me from when we met briefly in Japan. She claims she was brought to La Sonim Hotel by a rather shifty Tanuki, who alerted her to the presence of the Thunderbolt fragment here. While she couldn’t say why Odin might want the Antekey, she believes securing it may restore the missing light in her own Plane and perhaps pave a path back to the Kami.

I guess she is under the assumption that if her Antekey, the Chōchin, brings enough light for the Procession of 1,000 Yokai, perhaps another Antekey could further illuminate Nightmarch. Takiyasha wasn’t really in the mood to discuss what exactly happened to Nightmarch to cause it to fall into darkness and mist; she did mention that there were at least two other regions now lost in the darkness—the realm of Oni and the realm of Kami. While the mysterious Tanuki who led her here was partially right, the Thunderbolt is here… still, Takiyasha feels like she was tricked. I’m guessing Mr. Pike and the Tanuki were both Miss. Guile in disguise.

In other news, while time seems to be working in strange ways here, our CaDComs seem to still be partially connected to the CaDCom Database. I got word from No. 4 that Miss. Ojai has been around the Open Doors Cafe and even attempted to kill one of our own. I… I am glad I’m not there. I don’t know if I would have the strength to face him again. Not after the last time. No. 4 asked if they could go ahead with killing him, and honestly? I thought he was already dead, so I don’t see why not. Things won’t ever be the same, so why bother?</span>

C-FAB04 (Apr 13, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:45:24Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-FAB04</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Former tab-payer of Miss. Ojai”<br>
Knowledge | 2 Words</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">The Charleston Returns for a Second time, it seems? You wanna see that?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Maybe even the Fifth time?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Or maybe Face-off At Buffalo at 3?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">No. 1</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">In C-TCR02, CD-TCR05, and FAB03, it's heavily implied that Miss. Ojai was dispatched by Manager No. 1.</span></span>
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<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Manager 4 approves the plan to kill Ojai, and mobilises his entire team along with Manager 5 if possible, though he, Manager 0 and Employee 17 seem to have gone completely quiet. </span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-13-2020<br>
MANAGER NO. 4<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-FAB04<br>
TOTAL: $0.93<br>

<i>Consider this managerial approval.</i>

I concur with No. 116 and 35 and I want to crack some Char skull. He’s far too dangerous to keep around, even if he can be of some use to us. He’s already made a move on one of our employees, and thankfully it was an employee who could handle herself. I won’t let that happen again. Not on my watch. Besides, having all this fire around the Cafe never bodes well if the first, second, third, and Florida Cafes were anything to go by.

I did confer with No. 1. She says that she already assumed the Char Man was dead, so she sees no reason we can’t finish the job. Although she doesn’t want to be involved due to her past trauma involving the Char Man. That’s fine. I don’t want to put her back in that spot again. Me and No. 116 should be more than enough to pay in this errant flame’s tab for good. It’s time to put an end to this glorified sparkler.

Though, this is a Miss. we’re talking about. I know No. 116 has taken on worse customers, and so have I, but we shouldn’t play around with fire if we don’t have to. Like I said, fire tends to end up burning things down. So, I’ll need my entire team on board, including No. 26 and No. 611. It’d be nice to have No. 5 here as well, but I understand he is busy. If things go south, we might need his assistance as he is quite adept at controlling fire. Though I am not sure if he is tied up at the moment. In fact, I haven’t heard from him in almost two weeks. Well, I trust he is safe with No. 17 and No. 0.

That’s all.

-Manager No. 4</span>

LDOL01 (Apr 12, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:43:56Z

AshBlack: Created page

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>LDOL01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary to be added later.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-12-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 44B<br>
FILE REFERENCE: LDOL01<br>
TOTAL: $0.17<br>

Well… that’s rather strange, isn’t it? Miss. Guile, I was expecting to see—Miss. Tisi as well, but Miss. Wednesday? What the hell is she doing here? Is she also after the other Antekeys? Doesn’t she have one herself? She must, right? So far, our Quebec-based distributors have been a bit all over the place, mythologically speaking. Miss. Bad isn’t quite at the top of my mind for Apple Juice. Miss. Satsuki—well, she isn’t as odd, though Amazake, in general, still leaves much to be discovered. And Ichor is under the control of Miss. Nocturne, which is odd but has been somewhat explained. But Miss. Wednesday? She has to be our Mead distributor. Who else could it be?

Naturally, I had to investigate this further, so I decided to have a chat with Miss. Wednesday. She is the guest staying in room 108. She arrived at the hotel only hours(?) before we did, and she was apparently the first to arrive at the hotel. While she didn’t say exactly what brought her here, she did mention trying to stay one step ahead of a certain trickster. And while Miss. Guile certainly comes to mind, Miss. Wednesday is also associated with a rather well-known Québécois trickster. Unfortunately, it seems like Miss. Wednesday is otherwise at a dead end without Mr. Inn at her side.

Interestingly, Miss. Wednesday, did recall having a run-in with Mr. (For now, anyway) Pike. At least, Miss. Wednesday believes it was Mr. Pike who invited her to La Sonim Hotel. Unfortunately, the lack of memory and thought makes Miss. Wednesday a tough nut to crack. There was certainly something fishy going on at our Mead distributor’s warehouse. While she might have come here to claim the Antekey originally, she seems more focused on finding a way out—well, that, and eating a disgusting amount of the horrid continental breakfast. Eh—protein is protein, I guess.</span>

TEA-DDT01 (Apr 12, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:42:24Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>TEA-DDT01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Createor.”<br>
Knowledge | 1 Word</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Sounds... familiar.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text"><b>Crete</b>-or?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Crete creator?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Daedalus</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">Daedalus is the creator of the labyrinth in Crete.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Employee 71 leaves a receipt addressed to Manager 7, from the ‘Espresso Affairs’ - a group of the CaD researching the origin of the Otherworld. Daedalus has been known to exist - he’s Mr. Gehrels, an Amaymonian demon. However, the question is: is there an Otherworld Daedalus? 71 decides to get her and Manager 7 into the Amaymon to talk to Gehrels first, and then decide what to do after that. Also apparently the Necropolis is under siege.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-12-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 71<br>
FILE REFERENCE: TEA-DDT01<br>
TOTAL: TEA<br>

“Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story…”

<b><i>The Espresso Affairs.</i></b>

I know, I know, “Are You Afraid of the Dark” isn’t much of a sitcom, but I saw the opportunity and had to take it. Plus, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretzky. Now, onto serious business. If you are reading this, then I assume you are Julia Wandsun. If not, this message will explode in 10 seconds. Just kidding, it probably just got decaffed like all good things eventually do. I can’t imagine these Espresso Affairs going on forever. Assuming we eventually figure out where this “End” is. So, I suppose for the uninitiated and for good record keeping: The Espresso Affairs is the clandestine order of the Cafe and Diner devoted to discovering the truth behind the Otherworld phenomena.

But you already know that, so let’s tamp down. Daedalus. A legendary Amaymonian demon, architect of the Necropolis Labyrinth, master of Drosselmeyer, originator of the Icarian Folly, maker of xoanon, and the designer behind the legendary Mechanism. Needless to say, he’s an important demon who is well documented and also tied heavily into Greek mythology. We had assumed that the demon Daedalus, known to the Cafe and Diner as Mr. Gehrels, was a real Greek guy from ancient Greece who was good at building things. However, now we have this “Otherworld” with an Olympian plane full of Greco-Roman mythological figures like The Furies, Dolos, and Nyx. So… would we find Daedalus in Olympus? Also, side note, we’re calling the plane Olympus, but we’re 99% sure the plane itself encompasses Chthonic stuff too.

Our first mission, my dear Julia, if you choose to accept it, is to travel into Olympus with me to find the Daedalus of the Otherworld, assuming there is a Daedalus in the Otherworld to find. Though… we don’t actually know a whole bunch about how “safe” Olympus is for us. So, revised mission, we get Seth to warp us to the Necropolis to speak with the demon Daedalus. See what he knows of the Olympian Plane. And, if Daedalus is no longer in the Otherside, well, that’s very interesting. A high-profile demon like Daedalus doesn’t just go missing. He’s one of Asmodeus’ floofy fruity nobles. Crap. Asmodeus. I totally forgot; the Necropolis is sorta under siege at the moment. Well… I’d rather deal with the hell we know than the Otherworld weirdness we don’t.</span>

TLH04 (Apr 11, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:40:05Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>TLH04</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">44A leaves a receipt. It’s been a day to them, so there’s some weird time stuff going on. The hotel’s also a labyrinth and it’s really hard to find their way around. The bellhop’s strangely familiar to her as well. Lastly, there are three other guests: some guy with a huge beard and eyepatch, some unknown person and an absolute mystery.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-11-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 44A<br>
FILE REFERENCE: TLH04<br>
TOTAL: $5.90<br>

This place is totally wacky. Here I thought it's only been one day since we checked in, but my CaDCom is saying it's the 11th? Um, what the hell? Seriously. Then again, I suppose this is Miss. Guile we're talking about, so I guess this shouldn't come as that huge of a surprise. I'm sure whatever this weird jetlag thing she has tied to the hotel is… normal? At least for her.

At least the hotel is cute, I guess. A little tacky, but most hotels are. The bellhop is cute but a bit… mm… persistent. He keeps saying hi to me, which is weird. Though I could swear I've seen him before… I guess… I don't know? He's got a face that'd be hard to forget, but it might just be another funtastic effect of La Sonim Hotel. More like La Labyrinth hotel, I got lost SIX different times trying to find my way from my room to the continental breakfast and back. Though any excuse to not be in the same room as high-and-mighty is fine by me. Also, the breakfast was… weird. It was just a package of snack crackers, a bowl of live crickets, and some juice boxes. Good thing we brought our own food.

Oh, right, the whole reason I wanted to make a receipt thing. We're not the only guests in the hotel. I know that the bellhop/desk clerk/whatever already said that, but I've done a bit of snooping, and as far as I can tell, there are three or so other guests. One guest is in room 108, another in 109, and someone's in room 112. Or at least I think someone is in room 112. I can hear them moving around, and I swear I've seen shadows moving beneath the door. As for the other two guests, I did bump into one of them at "breakfast." He's a big BIG scary dude. Massive beard and crazy eye patch. He was kind of hot in like a silver fox meets Hells Angels kind of way though.</span>

FAB03 (Apr 10, 2020)

2024-04-17T23:39:30Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>FAB03</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Employee 35 preps the CaD for fighting Ojai, and suggests possibly bargaining with her to reveal the secrets of the notebook instead of just killing her outright.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-10-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 35<br>
FILE REFERENCE: FAB03<br>
TOTAL: $0.39<br>

I’ve got a table set up for Miss. Ojai, assuming she’s still eager to dine with us. I’m not exactly one for taking hats, but I know enough about taking coats to ensure she’ll be insulated at her next reservation. Speaking of, I assume she’ll be back for seconds, so we might as well take the initiative to pencil her in. While Miss. Ojai can be quite a handful to serve, she is Miss. after all. She is very picky about what she eats and where she eats it. Basic hospitality here would dictate a nice subzero dining environment, low O, and please let’s ditch the paper menus, only fine non-flammables for Ojai.

Which, if we are able to set the right atmosphere for Miss. Ojai, perhaps, she would be willing to help us out? Reading No. 62’s receipt from yesterday got me thinking. Sure, we could try our luck with the other ten customers, but Ojai is here now. If we can somehow get Miss. Ojai into this dining environment, she might be in a good enough mood to help us out. Then again… this is playing with fire. Even if this service would go off without a hitch, we’d have to contend with a very peeved-off Ojai afterward. Or… we could pay her tab in full, then and there. I know that Miss. Ojai’s been a rather rude customer in the past, and it might be for the best to serve her one last time and then bar her from our business.

Well, it’s not my decision to make. We’d need managerial approval for something like that, and I’d assume Manager No. 1 would want to sign off on it. Still, we don’t know what that little black notebook has written in it, and it might be better to deal with it as soon as possible, especially if it’s provoking customers like Miss. Ojai to frequent the Cafe.

C-LBN04 (Apr 9, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:57:45Z

AshBlack: Added transcript and password hints

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-LBN04</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Page turner straight out of Nirn.”<br>
Video Game Trivia | 2 Words</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Which video game series takes place on Nirn?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Are there any notable strange books found in Nirn?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">More importantly--are there any books that take you straight out of Nirn? Somewhere more... Apocryphal, maybe?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Black Books</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">The Black Books of the Deadric Prince, Hermaeus Mora can be used to leave Nirn and enter his plane of Oblivion, Apocrypha.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Employee 62 runs the notebook through an Otherside Scanner, and it shows that 11 demons had touched the book - and no sign of Satan. Strangely the readings were incredibly fresh, as if they were still touching the book. One of the 11 is Miss. Ojai, but the others are still unknown. He suggests finding one of them and striking a deal to get more info about the book, and plugs their signatures into the Ice Machine to detect them if possible.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>

<span>
DATE: 4-9-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 62<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-LBN04<br>
TOTAL: $0.57<br>

Heyo, itsa me 62. I know I’m not one to usually write receipts, but I’ve been studying Satan’s black notebook, and I’ve discovered something… strange. I decided to run the notebook for any known blood signatures to see if anyone we know has recently been in contact with the notebook. I was also somewhat curious if Satan’s blood signature would show up even though he hasn’t touched the book in roughly 20 years. I didn’t find Satan’s blood signature… but I did find 11 other blood signatures. Not only that, but these were also strong readings. Fresh readings. Almost impossibly fresh, as if the 11 signatures were here touching the book as I took the reading.

I’ve entered the blood signatures into the CaDCom system, and only one of the signatures matches a customer we know… Miss. Ojai. So, now we know that Ojai is somehow tied to this notebook and possibly 11 other customers. Now, and this is purely speculation, what if Ojai can open the notebook? It would make some sense, right? If the Char Man’s blood signature is literally tied to the notebook, perhaps he can open it. He and the other 11 Hauntaurskaldian-adjacent demons attached the book. Though I doubt the Char Man is looking to work with us, especially if he was just trying to kill one of us in cold blood. Or would it be hot blood? Eh, you get what I’m trying to say.

Still, there are 10 other signatures besides his. If my theory is correct, I’m sure one of those 10 would be willing to strike a deal with us. Demons love deals, right? Of course, we need to find those other 10 demons. Well, for the time being, I’ve plugged the 10 new signatures into the Ice Machine, so if any of those demons get within a few hundred feet of the church, it’ll let us know. I’ve also added a flag in the CaDCom systems to alert anyone who picks up any of their signatures.</span>

C-FAB02 (Apr 8, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:53:55Z

AshBlack: Added transcript and password hints

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-FAB02</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Stoner’s throw from the Republic of Encino.”<br>
Western Trivia | 1 Word</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">What might have been the "Repbulic of Encino?"</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Where there any "Stoners" in a Republic Western?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Gyp, Red, and Dusty might have the answer.</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Hellfire</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">Hellfire is a 1949 Western movie by Republic Pictures located out of Encino, California. The movie follows Zeb Smith as he evades the Stoner Brothers, Gyp, Red, and Dusty.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Employee 116 confirms it’s Ojai since he spotted him leaving, tends to 512’s wounds and then suggests killing Ojai outright since he’s clearly getting more dangerous. </span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>

<span>
DATE: 4-8-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 116<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-FAB02<br>
TOTAL: $0.51<br>

Yessir, that there is the work of a rather fiery Miss. Ojai, what have you. Assuming No. 512 can stomach my innermost feelings, I gave her a right ol' transfusion, and she should be perkin' up in no time. Now, I will say that it certainly sounded like it was Ojai, but I got the extra advantage of actually seein' the sorry son of a gun as he was tryin' to make his exit. I reckoned it was weird, but I didn't realize he had tried to burn one of us alive. I was mostly just expecting another note or letter, or maybe he'd light our grass on fire or something. This is certainly an escalation.

And you know what happens when customers get to escalatin', don't ya? Yessir, yessir, I reckon it's time we pay out Miss. Ojai's tab IN FULL. Now I know we ain't a violent bunch by nature or nothin', but I figure an eye for an eye seems mighty reasonable here. Just think, what if it wasn't No. 512 in the Cafe that day? It's only a matter of time before Ojai tries to light up one of our non-undying members, and I won't stand for that, no sir.

Besides, Ojai is a MISS ain't he? I feel like it is morally acceptable to take off our gloves and shoot for the hip when it comes to those customers. Plus, I reckon we already thought No. 1 killed Ojai back in the day. We might as well finish the job now. Though I would like to confer with No. 1 about it, she is tied up in that there nightmare hotel what have you, so I figure we'd best get it done before she gets back. If she's on board with it, she'll thank us. If she's against it, well, the poor girl has some strange trauma, and I reckon we did her a favor.</span>

CC-FABA (Apr 7, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:48:26Z

AshBlack: Created page

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>CC-FABA</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">Courtesy of Employee No. 1313</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Hey. Do you remember the name of No. 1313? Like their real name?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">She shares the name with a famous comic book goth.</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Rachel</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">This is Employee No. 1313's real name.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary to be added later.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
CADCOM CHAT LOG<br>
CHAT BETWEEN EMPLOYEE No. 1313 and MANAGER No. 3<br>
MESSAGES SENT ON 4-7-20<br>

I heard there was a fire. Is it dire?

No. 1313

I’m not sure yet. I have to meet up with the other managers. Katherine got burnt up pretty bad, though.

No. 3

Oh dear, I hope it’s not as bad as I fear. She is quite hard to kill, though fire might be her Achille’s heel.

No. 1313

Kill and heel? You’re reaching Rach.

No. 3

Oh, whatever. Is Katherine fine?

No. 1313

As far as I know. Travis is giving her some of his blood which I guess… heals her? I really don’t get how her powers work. Then again, I don’t think she understands how her powers work.

No. 3

Is everything… okay?

No. 3

By the way.

No. 3

You know, just checking.

No. 3

Yeah, why?

No. 1313

You seemed… down.

No. 3

Oh.

No. 1313

Yeah, I’m. Fine. Just… Fate takes its toll on me.

No. 1313

You know you don’t have to write prophetic poems, right?

No. 3

Yeah… I’m just… I don’t know.

No. 1313

If you need someone to talk to about it, I’m still here for you.

No. 3

Thanks.

No. 1313

Seriously. I don’t want things to always have to be weird between us. It’s been over a decade since we were together.

No. 3

I know. And I’m over it. And you’re over it. It’s just… The words I’m hearing… are… not easy to talk about.

No. 1313

Well, I’m here for you if you want to try. Any of us are here for you.

No. 3

Anyone?

No. 1313

Of course, you know that.

No. 3

Even zero?

No. 1313

Uhhhhhhhhhhh

No. 3

I want to say yes… why?

No. 3

These… “words” I’m trying to process. It’s about him. Or… I guess he’d be the one to talk to it about.

No. 1313

Is it like a Fated thing?

No. 3

In a way.

No. 1313

Oh, okay, I see. Yeah, I’m sure he’d like to talk to you about that when he’s back from whatever he’s doing in New Orleans. I can let him know.

No. 3

Blood pays blood and blood alone. Come forth, fire come forth brimstone.

No. 1313

Huh?

No. 3

What he’s doing in New Orleans. He is testing bonds and strengthening others which he has spun to ensure the day is yet still won. Blood pays blood and blood alone. Come forth fire, come forth brimstone.

No. 1313

Huh.

No. 3

OH. WAIT.

No. 3

Really?

No. 3

Says the words from the ill-fated source, should Fate stay its course. Thirteen come, and thirteen fall for a debt to be paid all-in-all.

No. 1313</span>

C-FAB01 (Apr 7, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:44:20Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-FAB01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">
“Did battle with Padre.”<br>
Angel Trivia | 1 Word</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">No. 512 is a follower of the Church.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">This must have been quite a <b>revelation</b> to you.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Padre refers to your friend and mine, Prince of the Hauntaurskald.</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Michael</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">In the Book of Revelations, Archangel Michael led the angels to war against Satan/Padre.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">There was a fire in the Cafe and Diner. Thankfully, 512, being a zombie, managed to put it out without dying. She suspects it’s caused by Miss. Ojai, since the place also smells of brimstone and sulfur which adds up to the whole ‘fire and brimstone’ thing.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>DATE: 4/7/2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 512<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-FAB01<br>
TOTAL: $0.51<br>

Hey. So. There was a pretty bad fire in the Cafe today. The entire sacristy caught on fire. Don’t worry. I managed to get the fire out and only got somewhat burned alive. Well, mostly burned alive. It sounds worse than it is. I feel fine. I just look very… crispy. I’ll just need some blood and rest, and then these burns should take care of themselves! Or maybe burns are permanent for me? If so, whoops. Well, if that’s the case, some makeup will probably do the trick!

I’m not sure how this fire started, but there was an unmistakable smell of brimstone in the air. I suppose that might be a preexisting feature of the Open Doors Church. Though this fire seemingly came out of nowhere along with the sulfurous smell. Luckily, I was the only one in the Cafe at the time because this would’ve probably killed anyone else. While the fire was intense, it was also very short-lived. Almost as if it had a mind of its own. And while most of the damage was contained to the sacristy, it seemed like the fire was searching for me specifically. Almost as if it was following me around.

Though I don’t think I was the intended target. Or maybe the target didn’t matter at all. This might’ve just been a customer trying to send a very aggressive message. Speaking of, I’ve done some research into the customer files, and I think this might be related to “Miss. Ojai?” She was sending threats to the Cafe and Diner before I joined, and this matches up with the whole “I want to see you burn in fire and brimstone” from the letter, right? It also matched up with her ability to control fire. I think maybe when I caught on fire, Miss. Ojai figured that her job was done and left. Guess she didn’t know I’m a zombie. Or am I more like a ghoul? It’s really unclear, honestly.</span>

C-TLH03 (Apr 6, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:42:52Z

AshBlack: Added transcript and password hints

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-TLH03</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“All’s well that ends well—enchanted even.”<br>
UFO Trivia | 2 Words</p>
</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Are there any US States with nickname involving "Enchantment?"</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">...It's UFO Triva regarding New Mexico. Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">All's WELL that ends WELL.</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Roswell Incident</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">The Roswell Incident is a very famous UFO sighting in the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">The three check into the Hotel. It seems to be manned by some guy with different costumes acting as literally all the staff. He’s definitely not human, and 44A seems to recognise him (and he definitely knows her). Also, he speaks incredibly similar to New Guy, a member of the Other Cafe. 44A ran that. So yeah it’s probably New Guy/Mr. Loveland serving them here. 44A and Manager 1 also seem to have some strange tension, which is kinda weird.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>

DATE: 4-6-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 44B<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-TLH03<br>
TOTAL: $0.17<br>

We’ve managed to check in, but there is something strange about this hotel. This might actually be the labyrinth we’ve been looking for after all. I was able to steal a quick glance at the interior of room 101, and, well, it certainly looks a lot bigger on the inside. I’m guessing this whole hotel exists in some sort of weird non-Euclidean space. Thankfully, no matter how big the hotel actually is, it seems the Pearl still works here. So, we should be able to track down the Thunderbolt relatively easily. I hope.

It’s also worth mentioning how… strange… the Bellhop is. He’s certainly not… human. I know that much. Though I don’t recognize him from any sort of Greek myths. Also, the Bellhop is the desk clerk, the housekeeping, and, well, I think he does every job in the hotel. There’s a strong possibility that the Bellhop is Dolos in a disguise of some sort. So, we need to keep an eye on him. Though my sister has a feeling that she’s met him before.

…I hate all this trickster God stuff.

<b><i>S.O.T.</b></i>

Bellhop: Hello! Yes, hello! Welcome to La Sonim Hotel! It is a very nice hotel, and I think, yes, I think you will enjoy your stay with us. Do you, perchance, have some bags that I could take to your room?

No. 1: We… don’t have a room yet.

Bellhop: Oh, I see! Yes, okay, yes, that is a very easy problem to fix. We only have four other guests at the hotel right now, so I think, yes, I truly think this. I think you could easily book a room. Go to the front counter to speak with the desk clerk about it!

No. 44B: Alright…

[The Bellhop ran very fast under the counter, quickly changing his hat, and reappeared as the Desk Clerk]

Desk Clerk: Hello! Yes, hello! Welcome to La Sonim Hotel! It is a VERY nice hotel, and I think, yes, I think you will enjoy your stay with us. I’m looking here at the bookings, okay, and I am seeing we only have two rooms available.

No. 1: But didn’t you just say…?

Desk Clerk: Oh, I see. You must’ve been speaking to the Bellhop. Yes, easy mistake to make. The Bellhop takes bags to their rooms but does not know how many people are staying at the hotel. I do. I am the Desk Clerk.

No. 44B: Okay… well, I’ll take one room and [No. 1] and [No. 44A] will take the other.

No. 1: Uh…

Desk Clerk: [No. 44A]?

No. 44A: No way. I am not sharing a room with [No. 1] Why can’t we just share a room, [No. 44B]?

No. 44B: I escaped that nightmare years ago. I am not going back to it. Besides, you two need to work through your issues at some point. This seems like a great time.

Desk Clerk: [No. 44A]?

No. 44A: What?

Desk Clerk: Hi.

No. 44A: …Uh. Hi.

Desk Clerk: Okay. So, let’s get you to your rooms, okay? The Bellhop can help you with that!

[The Desk Clerk dropped down behind the desk, switched hats, and returned as the Bellhop]

Bellhop: Hi. Okay. Let’s get you to your rooms! You’ll be staying in rooms 111 and 113. Also, there is a breakfast in the morning, okay, you’ll enjoy it, we have a VERY talented chef.

<b><i>E.O.T.</b></i></span>

C-LBN01 (Apr 2, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:35:55Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-LBN01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Sparks will fly between a young goose and the first fast-food man.”<br>
Movie Trivia | 2 Words</p>
</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">What's a young goose called? Who's the first fast-food man?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Sparks can be someone as well.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">With those three terms, you should be able to see a movie, which is No. 26 favorite pastime.</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">The Notebook</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">The Notebook is a movie, starring Ryan <b>Gosling</b> and Rachel <b>McAdams</b>, based on a book by Nicholas <b>Sparks</b>.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">26 decides to start investigating the Notebook since it’s something Zeh clearly wanted, and he collects super-rare things from cycles. Which means that it’s probably super important.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-2-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 26<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-LBN01<br>
TOTAL: $0.95<br>

Ugh, I am sick of warping people around. I mean, it’s probably better than actually flying right now. Public transportation, in general, is becoming a bit of a no-go lately. Plus, it’s definitely cheaper. Just exhausting. Everyone is back at the Cafe except for No. 1, No. 44A&B, No. 0, No. 5, and No. 17. No. 1 and the twins are trying to track down the next fragment of the Olympian Antekey, which is, I guess, in New Mexico somewhere. And No. 0, 5, and 17 are doing some sort of secret get-together at Blackwood Manor for incognito purposes. I assume it has to do with the painting that Friday wanted or whatever.

So! What are the rest of us going to do? Well, No. 3, No. 53, and No. 161 stole a strange black notebook from Asmayda (the small island in Mayda) that no one could open. So, I guess that’s our main goal at the moment. That, and deal with any usual Cafe and Diner business that may or may not come our way. But seeing as so far, we’ve got no new comfort foods to dig into, the strange notebook is our top (only) priority. We’ve also been highly encouraged to look into/research the Otherworld and Graeco-Roman mythology in our free time.

But… the notebook is way more interesting, in my opinion. It’s like the mysterious and infamous Oprah safe. We gotta know what’s in that sucker before someone buys the rights to it! As far as we can tell, the notebook might have been dropped by Miss. Zeh on her way out of the Black Tide. Zeh! THE Primordial Ape! The Grand Collector! His whole deal is that he collects the rarest objects from this cycle and ALL CYCLES. So, that means this little black notebook isn’t just rare; it’s probably unique to this cycle. So, I think it’d be worth our time to crack it open, right?</span>

TLH02 (Apr 5, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:33:18Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>TLH02</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"> Manager 1 finds Dolos’s (now known as Miss. Guile) labyrinth. It’s called the La Sonim Hotel. She decides to do some preliminary investigation first with the other two, and then start actively trying to get the Thunderbolt the next day since they’re on a time limit - many others are racing to get the Antekeys.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-5-2020<br>
MANAGER NO. 1<br>
FILE REFERENCE: TLH02<br>
TOTAL: $4.90<br>

I think we've found Miss. Guile's labyrinth and… it's a hotel? Just outside of the Taos Pueblo, near El Prado, there's a weird out-of-place hotel, La Sonim Hotel, “El sonido más melodico.” Más melodico might be a stretch, as this is the loudest the hum has been for us this entire time. It's practically unbearable here. And I'm not exactly sure how this qualifies as a "labyrinth," as it looks like there are maybe 10 rooms total. Well, I suppose we have nothing to lose from checking ourselves in and checking it out.

Okay, let me rephrase that. We have a lot to lose from walking into an obvious trap of Miss. Guile. She's is likely a highly unpredictable and chaotic customer at best and possibly a very malicious customer at worst. So, before we dive headfirst into a strange hotel in the middle of nowhere, listed on zero tourist maps, we should probably do some basic investigations outside of the hotel first.

Then again, we're on a bit of a time crunch. A maze takes time even if we run, right? And just because we'll be cautious doesn't mean others who are seeking the antekey fragments will be. So, I think we'll do the preliminary investigation today and see if we can actually check in tomorrow. I'm sending the hotel's location to everyone's CaDComs in case we cannot check out for some reason. Though, for obvious reasons, if we don't make it out, don't rush in either. We can't have the majority of the Cafe and Diner getting trapped inside some sort of labyrinthian hotel.</span>

LBN03 (Apr 4, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:32:36Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>LBN03</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">611 licks the notebook. It tastes salty. Also, it smells similar to sulfur and burnt paper. Upon further examination, there seems to be a recently-opened page that’s been burnt through. There’s also a very very soft faint crackling noise.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-4-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 611<br>
FILE REFERENCE: LBN03<br>
TOTAL: $0.55<br>

I've noticed something strange about the notebook. It has a very odd smell to it. I know, "Why are you smelling it, 611? What, did you lick it too?" Yes, and what else are we supposed to do? We can't exactly get the thing open right now, so the next best thing would be to use as many of our senses as we can to learn about it. Taste-wise it has a vague salty taste, which I blame on its prior home. However, smell-wise it has a powerful sulfurous odor. But not just sulfur, burnt paper too.

Upon a closer examination of the pages, it seems like at least one of the pages is noticeably darker than the surrounding pages. I'd even go so far as to say it was burnt. Now, I suppose it could have been burnt at any point, but I feel like the smell is too… fresh? Which could very well mean that the book has been opened recently and a page within it was burnt. I suppose that just creates more questions than answers, but at least if I'm right, it means that the book can be opened without Padre.

While I'm here, I might as well cover the other basic senses. Visually, as mentioned frequently, it's a little black notebook. It's relatively normal looking, and I'd guess it has somewhere between 100-200 pages. It's about eight by five inches. And there is, as mentioned, a noticeably darker page towards the end of the notebook. It feels like a standard notebook. It has a normal weight and all that. And sonically speaking, it is… a notebook. It doesn't make noise on its own. Though if you listen VERY closely, it almost sounds like a soft crackling noise is coming from within. Or maybe that's just my ear popping. Hard to say.</span>

C-LBN02 (Apr 3, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:31:36Z

AshBlack: Added new password

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-LBN02</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“One up to a thief—More than worth its weight in Gold.”<br>
Card Trivia | 1 Word</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">161 writes down what they know about the notebook: it’s similar to the Red and Black books that Satan used to have (see Open Doors) before he got killed and imprisoned by the First Cafe. She guesses that it’s similar to those two, being a contract (or related item) formerly belonging to Satan. And it can’t be the black book because that’s with IRIS, and not the red book because, well, it’s not red.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>

<center><b><i>Transcript from original release of April 2020 from the "Dark Fiction" Update. As such, it may not be accurate with current Archives!!</i></b></center>

<span>DATE: 4/3/2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 161<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-LBN02<br>
TOTAL: $0 CONVERSION RATE €24<br>

you know steal is such a strong word. at most we borrowed without permission ofc ofc. besidessss if it was gonna go to zeh anyway and zeh got thrown in bad nasty monkey timeout was a crime even really committed?? you tell me. actually dont tell me. id rather just believe what i want to believe. plus you all went off and had big elder fun and what were we supposed to do??? just sit around??? nonononono... you try and tell no. 53 that were just gonna sit back and do nothing. anywhozzz what do we already know about this little black notebook? wellll....

it almost certainly was at some point the property of satan prince of wrath lord of the hauntaurskald. see satan loved to keep notebooks/ledgers primarily as a way for him to divvy up power amongst the house of satan. his two most famous ledgers are his boogieman book and his legendary 'red book.' the boogieman book is basically all of his contracts with boogiemen and its what sets their terms and whatnot. the red book of satan was kinda like the boogieman book ultima edition. it was used for very special contracts that established a more direct connection to the power of satan/the hauntaurskald. we know that it was used for satans 'dark triad' of umbra, pleasant, and aka.

now as we all know satan GOT-GOT in 1997 by the first cafe and diner. following his defeat and imprisonment satans boogieman book was taken by the iris company. or like i guess they already had a copy of it?? something like that. theyre the only ones who really cared about that thing in the first place. as for the red book?? not. entirely. sure. what happened with that thing. pretty dangerous to have that lying around huh? BUT! that book was very famously red and this book is very distinctly black. sooo.... what is it? i think its safe to assume it probably is some sort of contract or ledger of contracts as that seems to have been satans main vibe. now we just gotta figure out how to open the darn thing. itd be a bummer if only satan could open it seeing as he is somewhere out of the picture atm. though i guess maybe one his siblings could open it?? hmmmmmmm. its a possibility!</span>

C-LBN01 (Apr 2, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:25:14Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-LBN01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">NO. 26 TRIVIA & WORD PUZZLE<br>
12 CHARACTERS 2 WORDS<br>
“Sparks will fly between a young goose and the first fast-food man.”</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">What's a young goose called? Who's the first fast-food man?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Sparks can be someone as well.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">With those three terms, you should be able to see a movie, which is No. 26 favorite pastime.</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">The Notebook</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">The Notebook is a movie, starring Ryan <b>Gosling</b> and Rachel <b>McAdams</b>, based on a book by Nicholas <b>Sparks</b>.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">26 decides to start investigating the Notebook since it’s something Zeh clearly wanted, and he collects super-rare things from cycles. Which means that it’s probably super important.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-2-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 26<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-LBN01<br>
TOTAL: $0.95<br>

Ugh, I am sick of warping people around. I mean, it’s probably better than actually flying right now. Public transportation, in general, is becoming a bit of a no-go lately. Plus, it’s definitely cheaper. Just exhausting. Everyone is back at the Cafe except for No. 1, No. 44A&B, No. 0, No. 5, and No. 17. No. 1 and the twins are trying to track down the next fragment of the Olympian Antekey, which is, I guess, in New Mexico somewhere. And No. 0, 5, and 17 are doing some sort of secret get-together at Blackwood Manor for incognito purposes. I assume it has to do with the painting that Friday wanted or whatever.

So! What are the rest of us going to do? Well, No. 3, No. 53, and No. 161 stole a strange black notebook from Asmayda (the small island in Mayda) that no one could open. So, I guess that’s our main goal at the moment. That, and deal with any usual Cafe and Diner business that may or may not come our way. But seeing as so far, we’ve got no new comfort foods to dig into, the strange notebook is our top (only) priority. We’ve also been highly encouraged to look into/research the Otherworld and Graeco-Roman mythology in our free time.

But… the notebook is way more interesting, in my opinion. It’s like the mysterious and infamous Oprah safe. We gotta know what’s in that sucker before someone buys the rights to it! As far as we can tell, the notebook might have been dropped by Miss. Zeh on her way out of the Black Tide. Zeh! THE Primordial Ape! The Grand Collector! His whole deal is that he collects the rarest objects from this cycle and ALL CYCLES. So, that means this little black notebook isn’t just rare; it’s probably unique to this cycle. So, I think it’d be worth our time to crack it open, right?</span>

TLH01 (Apr 1, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:24:11Z

AshBlack: Ensuring parity with Archive

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>TLH01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">The Thunderbolt group makes it to Taos. While Manager 1 and 44B wander around with the Pearl, trying to find a lead to the Thunderbolt, 44A decides to research in the library.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>
DATE: 4-1-2020<br>
EMPLOYEE NO. 44A<br>
FILE REFERENCE: TLH01<br>
TOTAL: $9.04<br>

So… is anyone else as lost as I am about the whole… I don't know… Whatever all of <b><i>that</i></b> was? I'm trying to wrap my head around it. Honestly, I am, but geez. I remember when things weren't this complicated. I feel I have no idea what's happening these days. At this point, I'm just going along for the ride. And now? Now I guess I've been chosen to go find a maze or something out in New Mexico with my brother and Little Red Know-It-All. Fun times.

No. 26 booked us an express flight to the Hum, and now we need to wander around with this Pearl-thingy until it glows, blinks, or does… something. Anything. I don't know. That's not my job. Something about the next fragment or whatever is hidden within a trickster's idle fun, grasped tight by morning's foe, within a maze that takes time even if we run. Or something like that. It's another one of those weird poems, or whatever. So, I guess that's really the only thing we have to go off of right now. Some sorta maze.

Totally a baseless guess at the moment, but maybe we need to go to the Pueblo adobes? Those look kinda maze-like, I guess? Though they aren't really a maze. That, or I'm pretty sure there are some spiral labyrinth petroglyphs around the area. Kinda seems weird, though. Like, I get how a labyrinth relates to Ichor… But why… New Mexico and their labyrinth petroglyphs? Sorta feels like two wholly different things to me. Like there's definitely something we're missing or something I'm missing. I think I'm gonna hit the library and do some research while the dorks walk around staring at a bauble.</span>

C-ENO06 (Mar 22, 2020)

2024-04-17T22:20:30Z

AshBlack: Added transcript and password hints

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-ENO06</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“Family fun, up until the 70s—too many croaked when they should’ve ducked.”<br>
Animal Trivia | 1 Word</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Are the any "family fun" games that were banned around the 70s?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Some games were banned which required you to duck from a thrown object to avoid dying?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">Are there any family of animals with a similar name/theme that are known to croak?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Dendrobatidae</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">Dendrobatidae, more commonly known as Poison Dart Frogs. Lawn Darts was a game banned around the 70s due to multiple fatalities. As this is animal trivia, you aren't looking for the game Lawn Darts, but the word croak should lead you to dart frogs.</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>MANAGER NO. 4<br>
DATE: 3-22-2020<br>
FILE REFERENCE: C-ENO06<br>
TOTAL: $1.35<br>
<p>Never seen something like that before. That is certainly one dangerous Elder. The Jut'tax, also known as the Alkahest, is the result of Alchemy gone wrong. Same as Zehhurozzm. Though, where Zehhurozzm is an infuriating klepto-megalomanic, the Jut'tax is pure, undiluted, Id. Alchemy can either be one of the most mundane of the supernatural arts or the most dangerous, and it seems as if there is never any in-between. Messing with the building blocks of the Universe, you'll either change very little or cause the whole tower to crumble down.</p>
<p>The Jut'tax is one of the Alchemical discoveries that threatened to bring everything crashing down. No one is sure what exactly happened, but in essence, it is said that a frog's heart was soaked in an unknown substance. An extremely potent base. A base that could hopefully neutralize Alkahest. When Alkahest was poured over the heart, it failed to dissolve. A great success in Alchemy, a base strong enough to counter the universal solvent—until the heart came back to life. It had reformed from a strange sticky tar-like salt, and the creature became known as the Jut'tax—a living embodiment of Alkahest.</p>
<p>As the Jut'tax hops around, its salt breaks down, leaving a thick trail of Alkahest behind, which melts whatever it touches. The normal counter to Alkahest is how rare the substance is. There simply isn't enough of it in nature to threaten the stability of the world. However, the Jut'tax seems to seep an endless supply of the rare solvent. As such, it is regarded as a potentially world-ending threat—as such, we have to stop it. I tried my best, but it was slippery and unpredictable. There were more than a few close calls where I almost lost an arm or leg to the beast. Even then, the only place that can contain it is the Black Tide itself. We need Leviathan's help… and I fear only Mr. Muldra Yonomo can grab his attention now.</p>
<p>That's all.</p>
<p>Manager No. 4</p></span>

Main Page

2023-04-05T16:19:52Z

AshBlack: Wasn't burn out.

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>Welcome to The Cafe and Diner Wiki!</center></strong></span>
[[File:CafeAndDiner.png|center|500px]]</span>
<b><span style="font-size:20px"><center>This is the Cafe and Diner Wiki, with solutions, archived transcripts, and lore recaps. The Cafe and Diner is an Alternate Reality Game about a secret organization working to capture cryptids.</center></span></b>
<span style="font-size: 20px;"><center>Want to begin on your journey? [https://www.cafeanddiner.com Click here to begin.]</center></span>
<span style="font-size: 20px;"><center>Unsure on how to access the archive? [[Archive Password|Well, we're here to help!]]</center></span>
<span style="font-size: 20px;"><center>Stuck on a puzzle, or searching for a summary? [[Archive|Click here to find the archive!]]</center></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>[[file:Lighthouse.png|40px]]DISCLAIMER: RECEIPTS FROM UPDATES 1-10 HAS BEEN UNLOCKED BY DIVISION TANGO. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE [[UPDATES 1-10 DECAFFEINATED|CLICK HERE]].[[file:Lighthouse.png|40px]]</center></strong></span>
<span style="font-size: 18px; color:orange"><strong><center>NOTE: The reason why certain receipts are 'decaffeinated' is because of low player engagement and therefore a decision to temporarily stop creating puzzles for all Diner- and And-level receipts.</center></strong></span>
<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

A Key of Three Summary

2022-12-10T01:28:09Z

AshBlack:

__TOC__

<h1>March 2020</h1>

<h2>STNO - Strange Things in New Orleans</h2>
The majority of the Cafe and Diner travel to Felix’s hometown of New Orleans to find the Olympian Antekey. Though strangely, none of the Cafe actually recall traveling to New Orleans. Instead, they awoke in Blackwood Manor having receipts already dated up to the 18th of March. These receipts would be classified as “Sequence II” and depict an alternate doomed timeline where [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan Leviathan] opened the Black Tide and unleashed a swarm of Elders on New Orleans. Additionally, the Cafe already had the Olympian Antekey—the Pearl of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poseidon Poseidon]—in their possession upon waking up. In a hidden receipt, Nick reveals that he was the one to cause Leviathan to unseal the Black Tide after stealing the Pearl of Poseidon from him. Nick notes a strange [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil sigil] carved into the floorboards of Blackwood Manor, which might be the cause of their temporal displacement. Unsure what exactly happened, Nick, made plans to speak with the only other person he suspects remembers the last 18 days, the half-Elder Shaka. Getting caught up in the strange affairs of New Orleans, the Cafe loses track of time and realizes that this month has a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th Friday the 13th], meaning the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogeyman Boogieman] Friday is likely to strike at them in revenge for stealing on his many eyes. Jericho is chosen to keep Friday busy while the rest of the Cafe takes the day off outdoors where Friday cannot reach them. Once all the other business in New Orleans is settled, the Cafe decides to split up, with Felix, Jean-Marc, and Jericho staying behind to deal with the mysterious portrait Friday was after. Meanwhile, Jennifer, Nick, and Nikki are sent to follow the Pearl to the next third of the Olympian Antekey hidden in Taos, New Mexico. And everyone else returns to the Open Doors Church to attempt to return to business as usual.

<h2>FRI - Friday</h2>
Jericho fended off the Boogieman Friday, and the captured [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Grunch_Road_Monster Grunches] escaped in the chaos. Interestingly enough, Friday, this time around, changed his usual nursery rhyme to include lines about fire and brimstone and panting with blood and fear, akin to the warning the Char Man sent to the Cafe two months ago. Additionally, Jericho felt less like he was being chased by Friday as he was chasing Friday. It would seem that Friday was preoccupied with looking for something hidden in Blackwood Manor, specifically a painting. Friday was unsuccessful, though, and returned to the Otherside until the next Friday, the 13th, in November.

<h2>GRM - Grim Grunches</h2>
Utilizing knowledge of what happened in the mysterious doomed timeline, the Cafe is already expecting to encounter the Grunches of Grunch Road. Though they also know that Shaka, for unknown reasons, deals with the Grunches himself every thirteen years they show up. Though in the doomed timeline’s receipts, they alluded to needing the Grunches to stick around, so the Cafe now has to attempt to keep them away from Shaka. Nick has his meeting with Shaka though their conversation is heavily obscured by codewords and secret phrases. Shaka reveals to Nick that the one who rolled back the timeline was the Greek God [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolos_(mythology) Dolos], son of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyx Nyx]. He did so to pay back a debt owed to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer] made sometime before her death in 2019. Shaka also hints that Nyx, and subsequently the Otherworld itself, is as old as the current Universe. Felix is able to capture the Grunches and hide them in the “Teal Room” of Blackwood Manor, which allegedly has powers stronger than that of Shaka. Upon further research, Jericho discovered that the Grunches, which are the animated testicles of the [https://paranormal-world.fandom.com/wiki/The_Algiers_Devil-Man Sunkenman], are Hauntaurskaldian in nature despite the Sunkenman’s ties to Mayda because the Sunkenman made a deal with Satan, turning him into a Maydaian Boogieman. Felix confirms Jericho’s findings and has a conversation of sorts with the Grunches, who also speaks of coming fire and brimstone and blood that pays blood alone. The Grunches claim that thirteen regents will come as one the break the bonds which the Cafe has spun. After the Grunches escaped the Teal Room on Friday the 13th, they were slain again by Shaka of Zulu. It turns out the longer the Grunches are Flipside, the stronger they become exponentially, perhaps giving a reason as to why Shaka feels the need to cut them down every thirteen years before they become Elder-like.

<h2>AWNO - A Werewolf in New Orleans</h2>
Having already dealt with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rougarou Rougarou] once before, Katherine sets out to deal with the Esterskaldian Boogieman once more, this time with more confidence. Katherine, a practicing catholic, plans to once again break her [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent Lenten vows] to attract the werewolf-like beast. Later, a strange man appears outside the window to Katherine’s room in the manor. He calls himself the Mysterious Benefactor, who claims to be in a more generous mood than he has been for centuries. He also claims that Katherine has the blood of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus Asmodeus] inside her. The Mysterious Benefactor claims to have knowledge of Katherine’s condition and would help her learn more about it if she gave him a tour of Blackwood Manor. Before leaving, the Mysterious Benefactor bids Katherine farewell, referring to her as “Dingane.” After Friday the 13th passes along with Friday the Boogieman, Julius and Katherine prepare to deal with the Rougarou similarly to how they handled it in the doomed timeline. Though this time around, things don’t go as well, Katherine is gravely injured, and Julius is forced to kill the Rougarou outright, paying its tab in full.

<h2>TLD - The Living Dead</h2>
Mikey watches Katherine’s unconscious body after her fight with the Rougarou. In her unconscious state, Mikey observed her conversing with an unknown entity, presumably the Mysterious Benefactor. Katherine speaks out loud a coded message intended for Nick, using the [https://vault.fbi.gov/hottel_guy/Guy%20Hottel%20Part%201%20of%201/view Guy Hottel Memo] as a book cipher to say, “She needs blood.” Mikey also notices while watching Katherine that certain fluctuations indicate that Leviathan has come Flipside and is now in New Orleans. Later, Katherine miraculously awakes from her comatose state, presumably after receiving blood from Nick off the record. Katherine confirms her link to blood after licking up a dried splotch of the Rougarou’s blood on her hand, which gave her the Rougarou’s feelings instead of its memories. Wanting to put Katherine’s new powers to the test, Felix supplies her with four blood samples, three from Cafe and Diner employees and one from a [https://www.brownmarine.com/story06.htm Fin Folk]. The first sample of blood fills Katherine with feelings of dread at the potential to lose someone dear. The second sample of blood fills Katherine with feelings of fear that they will become the monster they fear. The third blood sample fills Katherine with the inescapable feeling that they shouldn’t be here and that something is wrong. Lastly, the same of the Fin Folk’s blood reveals a split between the Fin Folk, where half worship [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despoina Despoina] and the other half worship the Sunkenman.

<h2>TFF - The Finny Folk</h2>
Joy reveals that everyone back home also experiences the strange rollback of time though she still has one of her prophecies from the doomed timeline. The prophecy warns of creatures with blood black and cold as death who have or had the Pearl of Poseidon and who worship Despoina, the daughter of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demeter Demeter] and Poseidon. The Cafe is uncertain whether or not the Fin Folk of the prophecy are truly Elders or not as they seem to be killable. Seth suggests acquiring a Blood sample to be sure. The Cafe plans to infiltrate the Fin Folk’s lair underneath [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Petit_Theatre_du_Vieux_Carre Le Petit Theatre] stretching out to [https://goo.gl/maps/nL2nFXBdy5wnFqcV6 Black Bay]. Amber describes with great pleasure how they “smashed them fishes.” In the apparent chaos of the operation, it is revealed that the Sunkenman and Despoina are siblings. The body of the Sunkenman, a Maydaian Boogieman, was possessed by an Olympian Demi-God related to Despoina. It’s also revealed that the Sunkenman stole Despoina’s ring, causing unrest between the Fin Folk, but Despoina was able to retrieve the ring from the Sunkenman’s guts by stabbing him. Though the conflict between Despoina and the Sunkenman was cut short by the arrival of Leviathan, who in this timeline did not break open the entire Black Tide, but did bring with him three powerful Elders, Mosi’vego, Zehhurozzm, and Jutax, leading to a massive clash between the Elders and the Cafe.

<h2>ENO - Elders in New Orleans</h2>
Jericho, Nikki, Katherine, and Rachel are tasked with dealing with Mosi'vego the Gimcrack [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel Angel]. Mosi'vego reveals to Jericho that they are the child of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raguel_(angel) Raguel, the Angel of Justice], who is still deliberating on the fate of Jericho, Joy, Julius, and Nikki for destroying the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian Enochian] Bible to keep it from Umbra and the Dark. Jericho questions why Mosi'vego would ally themself with Zehhurozzm and Leviathan, to which Mosi'vego claims that things are in motion and that the scales of balance are in danger of tipping should the Sunkenman gather all three pieces of the Olympian Antekey. Mosi'vego reveals to Jericho that the Olympian Antekey is not just the Pearl of Poseidon but also the Thunderbolt of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus Zeus], guarded by Dolos, and the Helm of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hades Hades], guarded by Nyx, and that each piece can find the next. Nikki was weirded out by Mosi'vego's strange angelic form of a half-bobcat half-scorpion made out of crystals, and Katherine was very excited to meet a real Angel. Rachel also taps into Fate to reveal information about the next piece of the Olympian Antekey, claiming that it is hidden in a maze. Meanwhile, Julius, Seth, Travis, and Zach deal with Zehhurozzm, the Primordial Ape. Julius already crossed paths with the Ape back in 2018 when he was recruited by Umbra as a member of the Dark. He speculates that the only reason the Ape would work with Leviathan is if he had some sort of prize that the Ape wanted. Seth and Zehhurozzm go head-to-head as they both have the power to warp, though Zehhurozzm outclasses Seth in this regard. Travis was pleased to have met another Elder, as he considers himself somewhat of an expert on them. And Zach mused about how the only thing stopping Zehhurozzm from killing any of them was his apathy towards them. Elsewhere, Jennifer, Felix, and Nick dealt with Jut'tax, the living [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkahest Alkahest]. Though this team remained hidden and only witnessed what occurred. Leviathan demanded the Pearl from the Sunkenman, who did not have it, then Leviathan proceeded to unleash the Alkahest onto the Sunkenman, killing him almost instantly. Though the Sunkenman's body was destroyed, the Demi-God [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenor Agenor] who was possessing the Sunkenman presumably escaped. Felix discovers that the secret to activating the Antekeys lies in the blood of Myths, specifically, the Myths tied to each Antekey. And Nick went on to recap what the Cafe knows about the Elders Leviathan was able to gather. While all this was going down, Jackie, Amber, and Jenny snuck off to Mayda to find either information or the prize promised to the Ape. What they found was a little black notebook which no one was able to open.

<h2>SON - Son of Neptune</h2>
In a hidden receipt, Jean-Marc reveals that he partially has his memories back after they were stolen by Mammon and Belphegor in the doomed timeline. He recovered them thanks to Nick, Katherine, and the Mysterious Benefactor, though he claims to have lost all of his memories of the prior universe. Jean-Marc also reveals that he was working with Leviathan and Despoina behind the scenes to secure the Pearl. Leviathan, believing Jean-Marc had lost his memories, executed the plan to unleash Elders to take the Pearl from the Sunkenman, but it turns out this was unnecessary as Jean-Marc had the Pearl from the start. Leviathan assures Jean-Marc that Mosi'vego resealed the Alkahest, and he was able to throw the Ape into the Black Tide, though the Tide won't hold him for long due to his warping powers. Leviathan also remarks on the notebook stolen from his plane though he claims it is not his, and he doesn't care where it is as long as it's in safe hands. Despoina then uses her Otherworldly blood to activate the Pearl, allowing it to point the way toward the next piece of the Olympian Antekey. Jean-Marc also hints that Belphegor is pleased with their progress in finding the Antekeys and implies that Mammon is pleased as well, assuming he will be given the Antekeys once they are all found. In the end, it is unclear if the Sunkenman was truly killed, though the Cafe assumes so, considering his gruesome demise. Agenor is assumed to have escaped and might cause further trouble for the Cafe, though his dispute was with his sister Despoina.

<h1>April 2020</h1>

<h2>TLH - The Labyrinth Hotel</h2>
Seth warped Jenni, Nick, and Nikki to Taos, New Mexico, to search for the next piece of the Olympian Antekey, which is supposed to be hidden in some sort of maze. Nikki ponders if it’s a puzzle of some sort involving the [https://www.taosnews.com/magazines/hidden-magic-of-taos-labyrinths-petroglyphs-and-waterfalls/article_e97bf1e1-8f4e-58d1-aded-74029e2c6dc7.html spiral labyrinth petroglyphs] in the area. The trio discovers a mysterious hotel near the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taos_Pueblo Taos Pueblo] named La Sonim Hotel (Minos backward). Convinced that this is Dolos’ labyrinth, thanks to the logo resembling the sigil of Dolos found in Blackwood manor last month, they decide to book a room in the strange hotel. Upon entering the hotel, Nick notices immediately that the interior is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Euclidean_geometry non-euclidean], confirming that there is a lot more to the hotel than what appears on the outside. There is also only one employee in the entire hotel, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loveland_frog Loveland Frogman], Ranoma L. Boyd. For whatever reason, he is playing the part of the entire hotel staff, and while he recognizes his former coworker, Nikki, she seems unable to remember who he is. Later, Nikki runs into the Norse god, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin Odin], at the continental breakfast. While it seems like only a day has passed, weeks have gone by for the trio trapped inside the hotel. Nick can confirm the identity of another guest staying at the Hotel, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takiyasha_the_Witch_and_the_Skeleton_Spectre Princess Takiyasha]. Julius, having realized the identity of the hotel’s bellhop, attempted to travel to the hotel with Seth to speak with Loveland. However, it seemed as if the hotel no longer existed. Nikki then discovered the identity of the final hotel guest, Umbra the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man]. Nick devises a plan to find the Thunderbolt piece of the Olympian Antekey using the hotel’s randomized elevator and Loveland to relay information on which door goes where. The plan works though it releases a dangerous [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur Minotaur] in the process, which, in hindsight, everyone should have seen coming. Loveland reached out to Julius, who came to kill the Minotaur. Once the Thunderbolt was in the Cafe’s possession, Odin and Princess Takiyasha mysteriously lost all interest in acquiring it. It turns out that Umbra wasn’t there for the Antekey in the first place. He claims the hotel did not have what the Morbid King was looking for and cautions the Cafe against interfering with the Morbid King’s plans.

<h2>LBN - Little Black Notebook</h2>
The rest of the Cafe and Diner employees begin looking into the strange black notebook Jackie and her team stole from Mayda. Jenny reveals that the notebook had to have belonged to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan Satan], the Prince of Wrath, notorious notebook haver. Though Jenny confirms that this is not the same notebook as his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogeyman Boogieman] book nor his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anathema Anathema] book. Though, seeing as Satan was imprisoned by the Cafe and Diner in 1997, there is a possibility that the little black notebook stolen from Mayda cannot be opened. During some hands-on experimentation, Zach notices that the notebook gives off a strong sulfurous odor akin to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_brimstone brimstone]. He also described how some of the pages in the notebook seemed to have been burnt and that, upon listening very closely, a faint crackling sound could be heard. Mikey attempts to pull Satan’s Blood signature from the notebook but discovers eleven unique signatures tied to the notebook, ten of which are unknown, one of which belongs to the [http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=77 Char Man]. Mikey sets up the Cafe and Diner’s tracking system, known as the Ice Machine, to alert the Cafe if any of the eleven signatures show up near the Cafe. Meanwhile, Amber tries everything she can to open the notebook, including putting it in a microwave. She concludes that only a Prince can probably open it. After the Cafe and Diner permanently ended the Char Man, the burning smell on the notebook got noticeably stronger, and the book became hot to the touch as if the pages inside were burning away. As the Char Man revealed before he died, his mission is to bring back Satan from his imprisonment using the blood of the Anathemas from the first Cafe. Joy later used the notebook to attempt a psychic reading on the remaining ten Blood signatures, though she got thirteen. Three signatures were very clear, the Sunkenman, the Rougarou, and the Char Man. Six were vague but still distinguishable, one with an obscured face, one with a sack, one who is wriggling mass, one who slips through cracks and crevices, and one who has a friendly face but conceals a killer. The rest were vague, revealing only a demon who waits across a bridge, a child made of moss and twig, the feeling of gear, a dark shadow, and the first and last. Joy speculates that these must be the thirteen regents the Grunches in New Orleans foretold. The notebook must be Satan’s Book of Regents, a group of boogiemen entrusted with freeing Satan.

<h2>FAB - Fire and Brimstone</h2>
A bad fire breaks out in the Cafe and Diner, destroying the entire sacristy and burning Katherine alive. Luckily she cannot die, and with a bit of blood, she’ll be right as rain. As the fire was burning, Katherine noticed the brimstone smell, leading her to believe this was a targeted attack carried out by the Char Man, who threatened to burn the Cafe and Diner down in fire and brimstone at the start of the year. Travis later confirmed Katherine’s hunch as he saw the Char Man light the fire. Travis, enraged that someone tried to kill a Cafe employee, decides it’s time to kill the Char Man once and for all, pending managerial approval. In the meantime, Kyle preps the Cafe to be as fire-proof as possible and suggests perhaps they can trap the Char Man and force him to help the Cafe with the little black notebook. Julius ends up offering managerial approval to trap and then kill the Char Man with the help of Zach, Seth, and Travis. The group plans to pull this off on the 16th. On the 16th, everything went according to plan as they managed to trap the Char Man in a room with low enough oxygen that he couldn’t create a fire to escape. They managed to get the Char Man to reveal his intention to free Satan from his imprisonment, and then Travis killed him.

<h2>DDT - Double Daedalus Trouble</h2>
Victoria officially begins her work with the Espresso Affairs, an incredibly secretive group of the Cafe and Diner tasked with discovering the truth of the Otherworld. Victoria’s first theory is that there must be two Deadaluses. One, the demon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daedalus Daedalus] who created the Labyrinth of the Necropolis, trained [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker_and_the_Mouse_King Drosselmeyer] and created the Icarian Folly used by the Third Cafe. But there must also be a myth of Daedalus in Olympus that has accomplishments more in line with that of the mythological Daedalus. With help from Seth, Julia and Victoria traveled to the Necropolis to meet with the demon Daedalus, a longtime ally of the Cafe and Diner. Daedalus discusses the current war that is raging in the Necropolis and then reveals that he feels Zeus, Nyx, and Hades are mythological figures, but [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minos King Minos] is real. Daedalus then supposes that beings like the Gods and Titans of Greek mythology were probably entities that, at the time, mortals lacked the proper names for, such as Princes and Elders. He further insinuates that Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust, is most likely where the myth of Hades and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_underworld Underworld] was born. Ultimately, Daedalus knows nothing about the Otherworld but theorizes that if there is an Otherworld version of himself, then the Otherworld itself is most likely a constructed realm and not a natural occurrence. To create life would take a significant amount of power, power only seen in that of the Cold Elders. Suppose there isn’t a counterpart to Daedalus. In that case, if it is a natural occurrence, it is most likely the Otherworld at one point existed and interacted with the Flipside shaping its mythologies before disappearing, similar to the fate of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_Eden Eden].

<h2>POS - Portrait of Satan</h2>
Jean-Marc makes a very strange update, vaguely hinting at what he, Felix, and Jericho were up to for the month of April. In his strange report, he hid the password to a later hidden report by Jericho, which confirms Jericho’s initiation into the Darn Defiance. While Jericho doesn’t explicitly say what he was up to over the month, he implies that it was dangerous and resulted in his eyebrows getting burnt off. He’s also confused about why they’re making such a big fuss over Satan when Mammon and Belphegor are actively trying to take over the universe. Felix also hints that the three of them are lucky to still be alive after the ordeal they faced at Blackwood Manor retrieving the portrait which holds Satan. As for why Satan is trapped inside a portrait, Felix explains that Princes are the most difficult mortals to kill, likening them practically to Elders with how often to avoid death. So, it made more sense for the First Cafe to imprison Satan instead of killing him. Though it would seem one of Satan’s contingency plans has been triggered, and thirteen powerful Boogiemen are after the blood of Jean-Marc, Sahir Bali, Aelan Anaul, Jennifer Hepburn, Nicholas Langley, Alex Gálvez, Salenna Whitaker, Felix Blackwood, and Nicole Langley to unseal the portrait which has imprisoned Satan.

C-DPG10 (Oct 11, 1995)

2022-12-08T16:46:53Z

AshBlack: Error in original receipt

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-DPG10</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">LOGIC PUZZLE<br>
4 CHARACTERS 1 WORD<br>
“Isadalawatatloapat…”<br></p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Five</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">??</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>RECEIPT #010<br>
FILED UNDER: CAFE-DPG<br>
DATE: 10/11/95<br>
EMPLOYEE #1313<br>

No one told me that Five was like actually five. Or, ten. Whatever. She’s like an actual kid. Well, now that I’m thinking about it, I guess little kids with major psychic powers is a total horror movie thing, right? Children of the corn or whatever. Did they have psychic powers? I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention when me and Red were watching it. Anyway, we dealt with Five and her goons. Hopefully, #26 and #17 were able to hold up their end of the plan.

S.O.T.<br>
Five: Really? This is the ultra-secret Cafe and Diner? It’s a literal Cafe?<br>
#53: What were you expecting, Five? We keep telling you guys that we’re just a generic combination Cafe—<br>
Five: —And Diner. Yes. Surely there is more to this facility… where are you hiding the Pseudo-Goat?<br>
Mr. Domenech: Baa.<br>
#1313: I would hardly say we were hiding him.<br>
Five: You can’t be serious. This? This is the Cafe and Diner?<br>
#53: What you see is what you get, kiddo.<br>
Five: Do not call me ‘kiddo.’<br>
#53: Sorry. Rugrat. Urchin. Ankle-biter. Bra—<br>
[Five grabbed #53 telepathically around his neck]<br>
#53: Someone… missed… nap time.<br>
Five: Get the goat. Now.<br>
[The Quebecers captured Mr. Domenech. Five then slammed #53 against the ground.]<br>
Five: I wonder what Alfa will do now that we know where your little Cafe is? Hm? Well, as always, it’s been fun.<br>
#53: …Has it?<br>
[Multiple targets have left the CaDCom Transcription range.]<br>
#1313: Are you okay, [#53]?<br>
#53: Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Not the first time I’ve ruffled Five’s feathers and ended up on the wrong side of a force choke.<br>
#1313: What’s the deal with her anyway? She’s like…<br>
#53: Ten. Yeah. Psychic prodigy. Astoria is notorious for scooping up troubled kids and molding them into agents. Five, though, she’s one of Alfa’s more deadly child soldiers. Something to do with her pineal gland and—<br>
#1313: Ha ha, pineal. Do you think it worked, though?<br>
#53: I hope so. She seemed mad enough to not notice the paint, at least. I’d say we bought Secret and Flower just enough time to send the real kid home.<br>
#1313: If not?<br>
#53: Five’ll probably psych this dummy-Cafe to the ground. Which is a shame. I really liked this one. And considering Alfa might just buy that this is our real digs, well, that could come in handy.<br>
E.O.T.</span>

Time

2022-12-07T13:13:34Z

AshBlack:

<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>

<blockquote>''Every decision tilts the Cycle into a new and unique Cycle.''</blockquote>

<p>Time is a precious thread in the fabric of our universe, and the same is true of the universe the CaD inhabits. However, the structure of time is a topic that often comes up in the Archives, but is rarely discussed completely.</p>

<p>Simply put, the CaD universe is constructed of an infinite number of timelines - or "Cycles" - formed into one universe; known as a "Hypersphere", or "Sphere", for short. Every choice made within a cycle makes it into a new, unique cycle, a process constantly taking place in every cycle simultaneously. Cycles are constantly being created and destroyed, but it is rare for a Sphere to be destroyed. To do so would require the end of every Cycle in the Sphere to be destroyed at once. Such an event has only truly occurred when the Devil has been released from his imprisonment. Similarly, the creation of a new Sphere is only possible through the use of God's Pocketwatch. That being said, there have been 15 Spheres prior to the current, 16th Sphere. Interestingly, new Spheres always begin on a Thursday. August the 4th, 1988, to be exact for the 16th Sphere. Everything that occurred before then is simply a copy of the events of the first, original Sphere. Theoretically speaking, other Spheres that do not include the events of the CaD do exist, but they are not within the purview of this story.</p>

<p>Nearly all mortals are affected by time in the same way. Generally speaking, they experience time as a linear progression of cause to effect, though some have the ability to "travel" through it. When a Cycle or a Sphere ends, the inhabitants of that Sphere end with it; when a new Sphere is created, the same people have no memory of the previous Sphere - they are "fresh copies", so to speak. That being said, not all mortals are affected by the hyperspherical nature of time. Most notably, Belphegor and her children exist on the outside of time, much like elders do, granting them a unique perspective. As well as this, the House of Solomon is able to avoid the changing of a Sphere, as it always appears on a Wednesday and returns to the Phantom Lane before the Sphere begins anew. As such, any mortal within the House when the Sphere ends will be able to move from one Sphere to the next, and will retain any knowledge they had of the previous Sphere. While no known mortal has been confirmed to have used the House in this way, some possibilities are Dr./Al Crow, the former owner of the House, and Shaka of Zulu, though whether his half-elder nature grants him the power to exist on the outside of time is unclear.</p>

<p>As previously mentioned, travelling through time is somewhat possible. It is apparently easy to travel forwards in time, though no documented evidence exists. More common is inter-cyclical travel; that is, travelling from one Cycle to another. Despite all beginning at the same point, different Cycles spin faster or slower than others, so many Cycles seem centuries ahead of the CaD's. Travelling between such Cycles would give the illusion of travelling backwards or forwards through time, but it is more akin to travelling sideways. Travelling across time is also possible, as that is simply travelling from the Flipside to the Otherside. Both of these phenomena are well-documented and have been performed by multiple Cafes and Employees. There are various methods to travel between Cycles: the Society of Nom de Plume seems to have a number of books that allow it. Miss. Slon also had powers that allowed her to travel between Cycles, provided she had a fetish or object attached to it.</p>

<p>That merely leaves, then, backwards time travel. By all accounts, backwards time travel is a nearly impossible endeavour that would require incredible power to achieve. As such, it has only been done once; Belphegor sent her child, "Daichi", backwards in time to set the stage for Eden's destruction, though doing so apparently incurred a Debt.</p>

<h1>Known Cycles</h1>

<p>Since its opening in 1992, the Cafe and Diner has encountered a number of cycles outside of their own. Here you may find a list of them.</p>

* CaD Prime: The Cycle in which the vast majority of the story takes place. Its universe is synchronous with our own time, but the events are, of course, very different.
* Dive Prime: Also known as the Tuskkin Cycle, it was mainly explored by the Third Cafe in [[Dive Fall]], though it seems to be a world of superheroes and villains. It appears to be roughly 94 years ahead of CaD Prime.
* Indigo Prime: The home Cycle of "John Doe". Though little is known of this Cycle, it is apparently not a pleasant place. This Cycle was heavily involved in the Indigo Wars, and is roughly 40 years ahead of CaD Prime.
* Wandsun Prime: The Cycle Julia Wandsun was sent to in December 2019, and where she gained her own unique Mantle. This is a Cycle in which the Gates of Hell were nearly torn apart, and an odd collection of people have gathered to close them. While the time difference between the two Cycles hasn't been stated, it is possible that it is behind CaD Prime, as both Lucifer and Satan appear younger. However, this may simply be due to the nature of the Princes.

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-27T13:09:18Z

AshBlack:

__TOC__

<h1>August 1995</h1>

<h2>COS - The Church of Satan</h2>
Satan has started operating in Long Beach under the guise of Padre Santos the head priest of the Open Doors Church. The powerful High Demon, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman Mothman] and the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man] Umbra, and Umbra’s assistant, the [https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/02/21/dangerous-games-summoning-red-man/ Red Man], are with him. It’s unclear what Mothman has to gain from the partnership, but it’s evident that Umbra is hoping for a favor in return. The Red Man has to do what Umbra says, so he’s along for the ride regardless. Additionally, Satan has an “other book” unique from his primary Boogieman Book. (It’s also different than his book of 13 regents later mentioned). <b><i>Mysteriously COS05, along with August 27th, 28th, 29th, and the 30th, is still missing from the Archives.</i></b> To discover more about Satan’s other book, the enigmatic Shaka proposed the Cafe should seek out some of Satan’s consorts.
<h2>AAA - An Alien Autopsy</h2>

London-based entrepreneur [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Santilli Ray Santilli] plans to release some “authentic alien autopsy” footage on Johnathan Frakes’ Fact or Fiction. One problem, that’s no alien… that’s a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douen Douen]. A small Maydaian or Amaymonian demon found in Caribbean folklore. Their feet are famously backward, and they potentially steal children from the shore. While aliens might not be a concern of the Cafe, actual demon footage airing on T.V. is. Alex takes on the task of “blurring” the footage to maintain the balance between the Flipside and Otherside. However, in the process, Alex discovers that Ray Santilli was working with Firefighter from Division Uniform of the Astoria 23rd Agency. It seems that Firefighter, Baseball Player, Milkman, and Schoolgirl created the hoax, and the most crucial part of this hoax was 5 minutes of the film that have since gone missing. What could those 5 minutes of footage hold? Mind control? Electrical magic? And will Division Uniform try and disperse it later?
<h2>TTE - The Time Traveler's Emails</h2>

The Cafe and Diner receive a strange message from a “John Doe” on their hidden message board. It bears a striking resemblance to similar messages sent by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor John Titor]. Like John Titor, John Doe requires an original CaDCom88 to decipher a Cafe Crisis Cipher left by his cycle’s “Last Cafe,” as cracking it is vital to his cycle’s survival. However, like Titor, Doe has taken a bit of detour from his initial mission to observe and interact with the current cycle’s timeline. John Doe has noticed a very pressing anomaly that has pushed him out of the shadows seeking the Cafe’s help. John hints that he knows the owner’s real name and that the proper people to deal with this anomaly won’t be around for another few years (By the by, this is <b><i>VERY</i></b> meta even for John Doe). As it turns out, John Doe is worried about the temporal anomaly that John’s timeline is “crashing” into the Cafe’s timeline. While cycles sometimes naturally crash into each other, this seems strangely forced and is most likely done by John’s version of Mammon. So, the Cafe and Diner must take a trip to John Doe’s cycle to deal with this problem, and they are accompanied by Shaka of Zulu to do so. And thus, begins and ends the mysterious Indigo Wars. The Cafe Returns the next day after having spent roughly a year in 2035 fighting against the 55 Society and Mammon, though they have more significant, more Satan-y fish to fry in 1995.

<h2>DPG - Domenech's Pseudo-goat</h2>
The Cafe gets a hit on their message board, alerting them to the presence of a [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Domenech%27s_Pseudo-goat Pseudo-Goat] somewhere around Texas A&M University. When Aelan reaches the campus, she is greeted by a swarm of Division Quebec members from the Astoria 23rd Agency, including Joliette, Rimouski, and Estire. Leading them seems to be Five from the 12th Division: Lima. Eventually, Aelan finds the Pseudo-Goat in the care of one of the college’s students, and she attempts to return it home to the Infernus; however, for whatever reason, it can’t return to the Infernus. When Aelan tries to force the Pseudo-Goat back into the Infernus, it causes a massive blackout in Texas and alerts the Astorians to its presence. Aelan manages to escape with the Pseudo-Goat and plans to lose the Astorians in Las Vegas as she heads back to the Cafe. The owner takes a liking to the Pseudo-Goat, naming him François, and lets him stay with the Cafe for the time being until a way home for it can be found.

<h2>WFS - Whispers from the Shadows</h2>
Felix notices something, or someone is watching the Cafe and Diner while attempting to mitigate a mysterious ailment in the Owner's eye. The entity lurking around the Cafe was shadow-like and roughly 6-8 feet tall with white eyes. Along with seeing this mysterious entity, the Owner heard whispers emanating from the entity's direction. Felix then waited for the Owner to inevitably fall asleep at his desk, and when he did, the entity returned, and it was none other than the Hatman, Umbra. Umbra ensnared the Owner with his signature sleep paralysis and began whispering an eerie chant of "gisgnagraphdongraph gonfam druxmed vehnavandonvehna" which triggered the CaDCom translation feature. Though the CaDCom struggled to translate it at first, the phrase was revealed to be "there is no church," as it would be spelled out in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian Enochian]. It seems that Umbra was attempting to lead the Cafe away from the Open Doors Church. The Owner and Felix then set a trap for Umbra in the back of the Cafe keeping him in a completely pitch-black room. Without a source of light, Umbra is unable to move as a shadow cannot exist in pure darkness. However, keeping Umbra at the Cafe would prove to be too dangerous, so Felix allowed Umbra to escape. Still, Felix was able to take a sample of Umbra's "sableblood," which will protect the Cafe from Umbra for the foreseeable future. Umbra doesn't reveal much about Padre's plans, but Felix speculates that the Mothman was specifically chosen to lure out a more dangerous entity—[https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Indrid_Cold Indrid Cold].

<h2>SKWC - Strange Kids Want Coffee</h2>
While it is true that the Cafe and Diner masquerades as a generic combination cafe and diner… they aren’t actually a cafe or diner. So, then it is quite bizarre that three teenagers, two girls and a boy, came into the Cafe to order three black coffees. Quick on his feet, the Owner served them some instant coffee he had lying around. Could they be pawns of Padre Santos? Or perhaps they are working for the Astoria 23rd Agency? Whatever the case, the teens returned the next week to rummage through the Cafe’s trash. Interestingly, one of the girls, the red-headed one, kept looking through a Ouija Board’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planchette planchette], but why? When the teens returned a few days later, the Owner decided to confront them directly and hired them as part-time employees #35, #44, and #1313.

<h1>September 1995</h1>

<h2>ASG - A Search for Gray</h2>
The Owner begins by revealing that one of the co-owners of the Cafe and Diner, Lucy Fireald (an anagram of Lady [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer]), left the Cafe about a year ago, in September 1994. The Owner wonders if Lucy leaving the Cafe is what emboldened her brother, Padre Santos ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan Satan]), to make a move in Long Beach. Whatever the case, they need to track down [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_Gray_(character) Dorian Gray], one of Satan’s Consorts, to move forward with their investigation. Consorts are the lowest tier of the House of Satan, comprised of “husbands, wives, boy-toys, friends, jesters, and muses” of Satan. Specifically, they are after Dorian Gray, a contemporary of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Oscar Wilde] in life and living embodiment of the fictional character in his afterlife. Satan painted a portrait of Dorian, which allows Dorian to travel between the Flipside and Otherside at will. However, the portrait requires a certain amount of “sin” to stay youthful and operational. As such, the portrait has a symbiotic relationship with Dorian Gray, and the more debaucherous Gray is in the Flipside, the more powerful he becomes in the Otherside. Additionally, any harm done to the portrait is harm done to Dorian Gray, similar to the novel.

Later in the month, Sahir receives word from one of his many contacts that Dorian Gray has been spotted hanging around “The Diamond Club” (later called The Ruby post 1995) in LA on Thursdays for their “[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-28-wk-kastle28-story.html Perversion]” nights. Out of the current staff, only Alex and Nikki could reasonably fit in at Perversion, though they are both still underage, so they’ll need a fake ID. To ensure that Dorian can’t leave the club, Felix is tasked with drawing protective sigils around the area. In the meantime, Alex does some digging and discovers that Perversion is a front for demons to enter the Flipside. Felix confirms this when he is confronted by the demon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naberius Naberius] while attempting to place the sigils outside of the club. Naberius and Felix have a chat, and it is revealed that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus Asmodeus] is also making moves in LA and is setting up these clubs and events for demons to come, chat, make deals, have fun, and then return to the Otherside. Felix doesn’t buy that, but he can’t press it at the moment and instead makes a deal with Naberius to leave Asmodeus and her operations alone to help corner Dorian. On the 22nd, Nikki and Alex track down Dorian at the club, and Dorian reveals that Satan’s other notebook directly gives those who sign their names in it a fraction of Satan’s powers. In contrast, his boogieman book only gives a fraction of the Hauntaurskald’s power and with strict rules on how it is used. When Nikki and Alex ask Dorian what other names are in Satan’s notebook, Dorian claims to not know, but [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Tom_Walker Tom Walker] would. Alex and Nikki then let Dorian use his portrait to return to the Hauntaurskald, but they take his portrait back to the Cafe for safekeeping.

<h2>DIS - Disasters in the Skies</h2>
While Alex was out walking at night, he noticed in a car’s rear-view mirror that he was being watched by a pair of bright red glowing eyes, presumably the Mothman’s. Alex explains that one of the Mothman’s primary attacks is inducing extreme paranoia, fear, nausea, and suicidal thoughts if you look into her eyes. However, the Mothman can only use this psychic attack once before needing to return to the Otherside so it can be avoided. Although, the Mothman is still very strong, fast, and deadly even without her hypnotic eyes. This run-in with Mothman prompts Salenna to set up a series of trail cams around Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach. The main concern is that the Mothman will attempt to cause one of his signature “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge disasters].” A few days later, Felix notes that an unusual and uneasy calm has washed over California. This is another power of the Mothman; he can spread a calm state over vast areas such as Long Beach. He does this to make it harder for normal people to see and fear him and to feel the need to actually stop what the Mothman is planning. And it isn’t clear what the plan is until late into the month on the 26th, when Felix puts the pieces together that Mothman has been creating a city-wide sigil to bring about a catastrophic disaster. Thankfully with the help of the Bird Beast of Var’s feathers, the Cafe was able to weaken Mothman’s ritual preventing a massive disaster. However, the redirected energy led to an explosion at the crux of the sigil, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-30-me-51513-story.html South Coast Plaza mall], though there were no injuries. As for why Mothman was conjuring this disaster… it’s unclear, though locationally, that the crux of the disaster aligned with a monument of some sort in the Otherside. Further investigations will be required. Though in stopping the Mothman, the Owner fears that it will put new pressure on the Cafe from the Open Doors Church, and so the Owner lays out a set of 12 esoteric rules for the Cafe to follow.

<h2>MOP - Memories of the Past</h2>
Jenni writes her first receipt for the Cafe explaining in vague terms how her unique powers work. In a sense, she can see into the Otherside from the Flipside, usually at weak points in the boundary lines but her powers also work just about anywhere when she can get them to work. Jenni was able to get a glance at the Otherside when she visited the Cafe’s “graveyard” with the others. While staring at the tombstone for the previous #35, Jenni got a flash of somewhere bright, sunny, and full of feathers in the Otherside. Jenni asks if it’d be alright to revisit the graveyard with her quartz lens planchette to get a better view of the Otherside. Nikki returned to the graveyard with Jenni later, though Jenni ended up passing out due to the intensity of her vision. From Nikki’s recollection, Jenni saw a birch tree with a snake on it. The snake in her vision jumped towards Jenni, which caused her to faint. After Jenni recovered, she clarified that the tree had golden eye patterns, similar to a birch tree with golden leaves. One of the tree branches turned into a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiptere winged snake] that got longer and longer before slithering behind Jenni, and then she passed out. This prompts the rest of the Cafe, sans Owner and new employees, to discuss the meaning behind Jenni’s visions. Aelan writes a receipt mentioning how Ciel warned that while Jenni was seeing into the Morningstar, the snake was undoubtedly one of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor Belphegor’s] children, an Ouroborian. Specifically, the snake seems to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_Trismegistus Hermes Trismegistus], one of Belphegor’s strongest children. What Jenni perceived as Hermes looking at her turned out to be Hermes looking at Ciel though Aelan doesn’t mention what, if anything, Hermes said or did to Ciel in the Morningstar. All of this prompts Aelan to wonder if the Owner was having an affair with Belphegor and if that was the cause of Lucifer leaving the Cafe. If only because the Owner seems to know more about Belphegor than Lucifer. Later in the month, Jenni has a weird dream where a massive fog-like being known as the Sagradopto Entity spoke to her in her dream, claiming that they would be reacquainted soon. While Jenni’s description of the dream is vague, it sparks Felix’s interest, and he decides he would like to study her dreams, though to do so, he will need a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonautics psychonautic] approach. However, Felix claims that psychonautics are not his forte and that perhaps the Owner would be better suited to tackling the subconscious plane of Jenni’s mind. In any case, it will take Felix time to prepare the proper “ingredients” to achieve this plan.

<h2>BBVR - Bird Beast of Var Returns</h2>
Aelan announces that the [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Bird_Beast_of_Var Bird Beast of Var], Ciel, has returned to the Cafe. He is a Morningstarian Demon who helped the Cafe in 1993 and then stuck around for a bit and ended up in a romantic relationship with Aelan before things ended on not the best of terms. Ciel has explicitly returned because he is worried about the Mothman. Both Ciel and the Mothman are Blooded Demons; demons are not reincarnated mortals but born in the Otherside typically as the children of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil Devil] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith Lilith], though Ciel and Mothman are of different nobilities. Ciel's family has been feuding with Mothman's for many years. Additionally, Ciel wanted to leave the Morningstar for a bit as it turns out that Lucifer has been on a post-break-up "mania," which has caused things in the Morningstar to become too hectic. Nick writes his first receipt excited to meet with Ciel because he feels that there is something special and potentially extraterrestrial about him. Nick also mentions that his family's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar familiar], Norbert Langley, has said before that Ciel and Mothman are not the children of the Devil, making them exceedingly rare, even for Blooded Demons. Ciel later pays Felix a visit and realizes that Felix is under Mothman's calm, curing him by giving Felix one of his feathers. Having come out of his unnatural state of calm, Felix immediately asks Ciel where Indrid Cold is, though Ciel does not know anything about Cold's whereabouts. Ciel ends their conversation by saying he is needed in Aurora, Morningstar's capital, and has to leave again for the time being.

<h2>CIC - Cryptid in the Computer</h2>
Salenna reports a strange hit on the message board, a customer that is seemingly entirely computerized. Having little to go off of, Salenna names the customer Xulfa which is “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux A Flux],” backward. Xulfa seems to leave bits of code wherever he is seen, specifically the phrase “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Things heat up in the case as their informant is presumed dead or, at the very least, missing. Worried that the Astoria 23rd Agency will be acting fast on this, Salenna and Sahir travel to Ohio to investigate the patron’s home. There were no signs of a struggle and only a printed note left behind: “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Salenna wonders if Xulfa could be a similar pseudo-technological entity like Mr. Cold is, as it would be difficult for a fully-digital entity to outright kill someone. Sahir confirms that the Astoria 23rd Division Sierra has been alerted to the disappearance and will investigate soon. Though Sahir was able to put the pieces together in time, Sahir was needed back in LA, and this would be a case that Salenna couldn’t handle on her own. Sahir asks an associate of the Cafe and Diner, the guardian of the Hot Bed, Daniel Hamilton, if he would be willing to assist the Cafe once again. As it turns out, Xulfa is a malicious [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_worm worm-virus] that was created to find a host system with the proper Otherside technology to execute its creation into a self-replicating nanobot or, in simpler terms, a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo gray goo]. Its creator, Dr. Crow, [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/connecticut/velvet-street-ct/ operates within a house that can disappear and reappear on Wednesdays]. This forces Salenna and Hamilton into a tight window to confront Dr. Crow, destroy the goo, and return before his house vanishes again. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, and during a week trapped within Dr. Crow’s house, Hamilton was consumed by the gray goo. However, the goo also consumed Dr. Crow putting an end to his strange occultic experiments. Salenna decides to stay in the Ohio/West Virginia area to make sure that Dr. Crow’s [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Melon_Heads remaining experiments] don’t cause any problems and to ensure that Hamilton’s wife and son are okay. Although… a very strange message appears in the CaDCom logs.

<blockquote><br>CAN YOU SEE THIS?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>DO YOU SEE THIS?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>CAN YOU ENTER HELL?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>ENTER HELL?</br>
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Testament De Salomon l’honneur et glorie]…</br></blockquote>

It would seem that Dr. Crow has, in a way, survived in death, retaining his human memories even as a demon. Crow threatens that the “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley beast must feast and feast it shall].”

<h2>TCV - The Cold Visitor</h2>
Sahir has a brief encounter with Indrid Cold. Though, per usual, Indrid Cold only speaks in looped pre-recorded messages. He warns that someone needs to get out of here because their chance to escape is coming soon. Indrid’s messages also mention finding a man and that someone should rest now and return to somewhere, though the end of the message is cut off. Indrid’s messages switch towards the end, and he asks Sahir if he has seen Daniel Hamilton before wishing Sahir a pleasant Friday evening. These messages would later be reused in a 2017 conversation with Cold.

A Key of Three Summary

2022-11-27T10:50:58Z

AshBlack: Created page with "__TOC__ <h1>March 2020</h1> <h2>STNO - Strange Things in New Orleans</h2> The majority of the Cafe and Diner travel to Felix’s hometown of New Orleans to find the Olympian Antekey. Though strangely, none of the Cafe actually recall traveling to New Orleans. Instead, they awoke in Blackwood Manor having receipts already dated up to the 18th of March. These receipts would be classified as “Sequence II” and depict an alternate doomed timeline where [https://en.wikip..."

Official Summaries

2022-11-27T10:43:15Z

AshBlack:

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>Official Summaries</center></strong></span>
<center>Some official summaries penned by Ash Black, the creator of the Cafe and Diner. <b><i>Heavy spoilers ahead!</i></b></center><br>
----
__NOTOC__
<center><font size=6><strong><u><i>Open Doors</i></u></strong></font></center>
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| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>August-December<br><font size="5">[[The Anathema Proxy Summary|The Anathema Proxy]]</b></h3>
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|}
<center><font size=6><strong><u><i>Otherworldly Adventures</i></u></strong></font></center>
{| style="width:100%;"
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| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>January-February<br><font size="5">[[Bad Omens Summary|Bad Omens]]</b></h3>
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>March-May<br><font size="5">[[A Key of Three Summary|A Key of Three]]</b></h3>
|-
|}

Bad Omens Summary

2022-11-26T15:03:34Z

AshBlack:

__TOC__

<h1>January 2020</h1>

<h2>BCO - Big Cat in Oregon</h2>
The new year begins under the new management of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammon Mammon], who acquired the majority share in the Cafe following the death of his sister [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer]. Following leads from last month, the Cafe looks into the appearance of a strange large cat near Crater Lake in Oregon, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath_Palug Cath Palug]. The Cath Palug is not quite a Cryptid nor Demon but is instead a Myth from the newly appeared “Otherworld,” meaning the Cafe will need to discover the secret to dealing with the beast. During an altercation with Cath Palug, Julia discovers that she is able to subdue Myths though she isn’t yet certain how to activate this power or how she obtained such power. It’s speculated that Julia acquired this power while she was missing in the alternate cycle, Wandsun-Prime. Additionally, Julia and Jackie confirm that Cath Palug’s legendary claws are made from some sort of mythical metal. In an exceedingly strange (or perhaps, normal?) Amber receipt, Amber reveals that she has somehow gotten in touch with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goibniu Goibniu], the Divine Smith in Celtic mythology. Goibniu revealed to Amber that the secret to defeating Cath Palug lies in its reflection, as the shield of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Kay Sir Kay], who slayed the beast in mythology, only had an iron shield coated in reflective aluminum. Amber also hints that by getting in touch with Goibniu, the Cafe now runs the risk of catching the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badb Badb’s] attention. Victoria puts Amber’s plan into motion and slays (or re-slays?) the Cath Palug by holding an aluminum shield up to the cat, which causes it to strike itself to death. Upon Cath Palug’s defeat, Julia’s Otherworld Tattoo began to glow, confirming some sort of connection between her and the Otherworld.

<h2>OWE - Otherworldly Eight</h2>
Jean-Marc finds Julia's interactions with Cath Palug very interesting. He then goes on to recap her strange appearance in 2019 and her being hunted down by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Loyon Le Leyon], acting as a corporeal proxy for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastur Wicked]. Jean-Marc theorizes that Julia must have had some sort of debt with Wicked that caused her to be the target of Le Leyon, but what that could be, he isn't sure. Felix later also theorizes about the strange connection between Julia and the Otherworld, honing in on the connection between the Otherworld and the temporal aspect of the universe. Felix concludes that when Julia went missing, she must have been moved into another cycle where something happened to her which tied her to the Otherworld. Towards the end of the month, Julia recounts an "otherworldly" dream she had. In the dream, she worked for an alternate cafe called "J's Cafe." While working for this strange Cafe, a mysterious woman came in and took her to a strange road with only one house in the middle of it. Upon entering the house, Julia saw various strange figures. Some of these figures' descriptions match those of Umbra, the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man], the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman Mothman], the [https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/02/21/dangerous-games-summoning-red-man/ Red Man], Shaka of Zulu, and [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Indrid_Cold Indrid Cold]. Then another figure entered the room, whose description matched with Complexico, who whispered to Julia in her dream, "Feel familiar yet, kid?" Then the figures in the house performed a ritual that gave Julia her tattoo and showed her a vision of each cardinal plane of the Otherworld. The next night, Julia has another dream of a white dog running through a forest near her hometown in Washington, causing the Cafe to go and investigate.

<h2>LEP - Little Evil People</h2>
Having captured a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coraniaid Coraniaid] the previous month, the Cafe now has to deal with an army of small, nigh-invulnerable creatures trying to break out their imprisoned comrade. Felix has to take extra precautions to not reveal where the key to the Coraniaid’s cage is due to the Coraniaid’s ability to hear anything spoken. Additionally, Felix ponders how the swarm of Coraniaids managed to get to Long Beach from the UK. As the month progresses, Nikki gets rather annoyed at the presence of the Coraniaids in the Cafe and mentions that despite Felix’s secrecy—the Coraniaids were still able to figure out where he said he hid the key. Nikki also mentions that the only way to kill the Coraniaids is with some sort of bug juice, which her brother Nick later finds out to be crushed up ladybugs. When sprayed with a mixture of water and crushed Ladybugs, the Coraniaids burst into energy, similar to how Cath Palug died. Nick believes one possibility is that when a Myth dies, it returns to the Otherworld to continually perpetuate the myth it originated from. Becoming annoyed with Nick constantly experimenting on and killing them, the Coraniaids leave the Cafe and Diner. However, it’s never explained how the Coranaids could tell what the Cafe was typing…

<h2>OZBEB - Quartz Brain Electric Boogaloo</h2>
Jenny continues her search for what she has dubbed “Third Vision,” a way to see into the Otherworld. She receives a letter back from the head of the Society of Nom de Plume, Nine, under the pen name of John Doe. Nine claims to not know anything more about this Otherworld than the Cafe but promises to look into it. Interestingly enough, Nine also claims he wasn’t expecting to hear from Jenny until next year. Following the letter from Nine, Jenny recaps what she has learned from her various sources about Third Vision. Jenny compares the Otherworld to a storm at sea, which the Cafe has found itself caught in, though Jenny feels that either Jennifer or Joy would be better suited to looking into the phenomenon further. Joy takes things a step further and uses [https://www.learnreligions.com/fire-scrying-ritual-2561755 fire scrying] to learn more about the Otherworld, revealing that the Otherworld is linked to Ouroboros Plane of the Otherside. This prompts Joy to suggest someone should go to Florida to track down her former co-worker [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpents_in_the_Bible Daichi the Serpent] to get his thoughts on the matter. Towards the end of the month, Jennifer mentions that they’ve collectively hit a wall with the Third Vision research and have opted to have a sleepover with Joy, Julia, Victoria, Jenny, and Rachel to see if they can combine their various powers to tap into Third Vision. However, Jennifer doesn’t expect much from the group divination session and officially tables the case for now.

<h2>DBT - Devil Bear in Tahoe</h2>
Julius is alerted by a friend of the Cafe that a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandi_bear Demon Bear] has been spotted on the California side of Lake Tahoe. Julius along with Travis and Zach head up to deal with the situation. Zach eventually figures out that the Demon Bear must’ve come through the portal at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party Donner’s Pass] which happens to be linked to the Esterskald as the Donner Party's deaths were caused by an act of nature. Zach went into the Otherside briefly to ensure that the boundary lines were stable and while in the Esterskald he saw an Ozhog symbol on one of the buildings. Though it’s left unclear what the Ozhogs were doing, setting up shop in the Otherside itself at the far edges of the Buzzing Planes.

<h2>TCR - The Char Man Returns</h2>
The Cafe and Diner receive a strange and threatening letter addressed to "J" (which could be any of the managers, realistically). The letter's author wants to see the Cafe and Diner burn in fire and brimstone and claims that "blood pays blood and blood alone." Mikey does a Blood analysis on the letter and links the letter back to a Hauntaurskaldian demon, most likely the [http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=77 Char Man]. The Char Man is described as one of Satan's more sycophantic boogiemen who was presumed to have been killed by Jennifer during the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_California_wildfires Fire Siege of 2003]. Later in the month, a mysterious fire breaks out near the Cafe prompting Victoria to investigate. She confirms that the Char Man conjured the fire. But more concerning than that, there was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigredo Black Blood] at the scene. Black blood is highly illegal and dangerous. Victoria suggested the Cafe call Ray, of Division X-Ray, to clean up this mess properly, even though it was only a few specks, but she'll wait for managerial approval. On his way out to Florida, Jericho stops by to assess the fire. He confirms that it isn't a fire caused by the Wicked's Blight, but when he arrived, the specks of Black Blood had pooled into a puddle. Jericho assumes some demon must be buried in the rubble and concurs that if there is one guy who knows how to clean up demon corpses, it's Ray. Jennifer later opens up that she has received over 20 more threatening letters from the Char Man. She also explains that the Char Man's terms are very explicit in that he can only come to the Flipside through a struck match between 3-4 AM, and he can only stay as long as the match is lit. So matches are banned in the Cafe, and if he tries it, Jennifer claims she'll take him to the IRIS Company herself. Nick then splits the Cafe into 6 teams. One to deal with high-priority issues and returning demons and cryptids, one to deal with Myths, one to deal with standard cryptids and demons, one to look into magical affairs, and one team mysteriously tasked with handling "Espresso Affairs." Though anyone is free to help with any case as they see fit. Nick also tabled the Char Man case as, so long as matches stay out of the Cafe, everyone should be fine.

<h2>KIF - Kansai in Florida</h2>
Jericho makes his way to Miami Florida where Daichi has decided to retire. Jericho mentions that Daichi, despite claiming to be nothing more than a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuchinoko Tsuchinoko], is actually the Serpent from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_Eden Eden]. Jericho also mentions that before he worked with Daichi in the Florida Cafe during Enter the Light, they worked together for the IRIS Company. When Jericho meets with Daichi the first time, Daichi asks if Jericho has finally come to settle his debts, though Jericho claims he plans to put those off for as long as possible. Daichi seems unaware of the Otherworld entirely and claims that he doesn’t tend to go to the Otherside all that often, as he prefers the warmth of Florida. Daichi does offer a deal of sorts to reveal what secrets he knows his mother, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor Belphegor], has been keeping. Daichi requires Jericho to attend [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJgLrLpSf1k a 60-minute timeshare presentation where upon completing it he’ll receive a free set of golf clubs]. Jericho reluctantly agrees to this, and does end up buying a timeshare property in Florida. In return for the “free” golf clubs, Daichi reveals that there is no [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God God]. At least not since the universe was recreated on [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Last_Thursdayism Thursday, August 6th, 1988]. Daichi claims that God can be found “In and at the End” at that’s all he’ll say about it.

<h2>LUX - Lucifer's Untimely Exit</h2>
In a one-off receipt, Jean-Marc documents how he knew God was missing and that he was from a prior universe himself. Jean-Marc explains the more celestial concept of time-space, at least as those who work Topside see it. He explains that not everything is reset when the universe is remade and that it has been remade 16 times now. Jean-Marc explains that he was able to retain his memories of the past universe because, for a time, he worked as the right hand of God as the “Otherman,” an entity tasked with ensuring time flowed as it should. The other reason Jean-Marc has held onto his memories is that to create the new universe, he made a devil’s bargain with Mammon and Belphegor to use God’s universe-altering “Pocketwatch” (usually capitalized and spelled as one word, not two) to bring back everyone and all the Cafes. This essentially gave the Cafe and Diner a second chance to get things right after an apocalyptic event occurred in the prior universe. Until Crisis, the events of the 16th universe roughly matched with the prior universe, though some events happened sooner or later or with slightly different people. After Lucifer’s death, things took an unexpected turn. Jean-Marc then reveals that he, along with Felix, Nick, and Jennifer, have been working together in secret for years following the destruction of the First Cafe to defeat a group of Cold Elders, Fate, Wicked, and Secret. (And Phantom, though Phantom wasn’t regarded as one of the primary Cold at this time.) He claims that God must be hidden somewhere in the Otherworld, and they need to find him before either Mammon, or the Cold do.

<h1>February 2020</h1>

<h2>CWWA - Cŵn Annwn in Washington</h2>
Jackie arrives in Washington with Seth and Nick to investigate Julia’s vision of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C5%B5n_Annwn Cŵn Annwn]. However, it would seem that the Astoria 23rd Agency has also started investigating the Otherworld phenomenon, though the Cafe throws them off the trail by claiming they are looking into a sighting of a Tuscumbia Space Penguin in Missouri. Meanwhile, Jericho and Nikki are tasked with looking into a magical means of dealing with Mythic customers. Jackie manages to capture the Cŵn Annwn though she is worried that the Snow Moon might increase its supersonic death howl. Nikki and Jericho confirm that the Cŵn Annwn, and all the previous Celtic Myths, are indeed from a non-Otherside plane of reality. Seth takes the Cŵn Annwn back to the Cafe while Jackie and Nick stay behind in Washington to look into reports of another customer nearby in Auburn.

<h2>HHS - Haunted Hollywood Sign</h2>
Joy alerts the Cafe of reports of an alleged haunting at the Hollywood Sign by the ghost of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peg_Entwistle Peg Entwistle]. Upon arriving at the nearby sign on Mount Lee, Joy, Felix, and Rachel see no signs of anything out of the ordinary except for an increased presence of Astoria 23rd agents. Assuming that the Astoria 23rd Agency will be monitoring this receipt, Joy also implies a very real and very legitimate sighting of a Tuscumbia Space Penguin in Missouri in an attempt to draw away the Agency’s agents. Mikey later intercepts an Astoria 23rd Document for a 23Z level secret Project [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_of_Bethany Lazarus]. According to the intercepted document, a subject known as “KW” has started to show signs of success; additional test subjects are requested, alive or dead. A few problems have also started to manifest with “KW,” namely that her sense of self is slipping away and her aggression is rising. She has also stopped eating or drinking, and her heart rate has slowed considerably. She is presumed to perish in the coming days. Additionally, the intercepted document reveals that the Agency is aware of the Cafe and Diner’s presence and mentions in vague terms a “7N-Entity.” This 7N-Entity turns out to be a group of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-eyed_children Black-Eyed Children], presumably sent by Division Zulu to keep the Cafe and Diner busy. Felix and Rachel handle the Black-Eyed Children, though they worry about strange cries from underneath the Hollywood sign. It turns out that subject “KW,” Katherine Wade, was subject to Zulu experimentation which killed her but then brought her back to life, turning her into a sort of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie zombie]-like creature. To regain her sense of self, she was compelled to consume one of the Zulu agents, Dingane/Randall Rune. Upon eating Dingane, Katherine “temporarily” (we’ll get to that later) received his memories which gave her information about the Cafe and Diner and the Astoria 23rd Agency. She used this information to send out a plea for their help which led Joy and Julius to shut down Lab A23LAZP1. Joy and Julius discover that Division Zulu was using some sort of Black Blood (presumably acquired last month) to create a synthetic version of immortality. Additionally, Felix and Rachel learn from the Black-Eyed Children that there is a great amount of unrest currently in the Necropolis plane of the Otherside due to someone attempting to challenge [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus Asmodeus] for her throne. Joy announces that a service will be held for the test subject, Katherine Wade, who passed away… though… The Cafe also gained a new member, Employee No. 512.

<h2>FCLS - Faceless</h2>
While investigating the Cŵn Annwn, Jackie received a tip about a nearby Shadowfolk in Auburn known as the [https://auburnexaminer.com/auburns-ghost-stories/ Faceless Roamer], last seen at the Auburn Environmental Park. Nick and Jackie were able to talk with the Faceless Roamer, who had been bound to the Flipside due to a vengeance spurred by Jericho, who apparently stole their face. Nick also heard the Face Roamer whisper something about the Everdark Pits, though he couldn’t quite make out what she was implying. Jericho fesses up to stealing the Faceless Roamer’s face back when he was dealing with Umbra’s sinister organization, The Dark. He claims to have lost it sometime around October 2018, but he is pretty sure it’s somewhere in the Necropolis or Morningstar. Seth takes Jericho and Julia to Morningstar, though there is no sign of the Roamer’s face meaning it was most likely in the Necropolis. However, the Cafe learns that one of the forces opposing Asmeodeus’ rule of the Necropolis is Umbra, who rightfully has it out for Jericho, Joy, and Julius after they stopped him from getting his hands on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian Enochian Bible] back in 2019, meaning the best option would be to just destroy the Faceless Roamer if they continue to pose a threat.

<h2>LFW - Looking for Wishes</h2>
Unsatisfied with having to potentially kill the Faceless Roamer over his own mistake, Jericho takes Nikki and Katherine to see one of his old mates, Hugo, a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapre Kapre]. Nikki is very annoyed by the whole affair as the humidity of the Philippines and the smell of Hugo was, in her words, “disgusting.” Nikki reveals the reason for visiting Hugo was so that Jericho could get his wishing stone, which Jericho was able to use to wish for the Faceless Roamer’s face. Felix comes to pick up Jericho, Nikki, and Katherine as Seth is still charging his warping powers. Though it’s revealed in a hidden Diner Diner receipt that Felix was also there to acquire a public key [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil sigil] to enter into [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beelzebub Beezelbub’s] Hollow in Esterskald, which Jean-Marc asked him to acquire so he could presumably meet with Beelzebub. It is further revealed that Jean-Marc used Jericho to reveal the location of Hugo, to get this sigil. Jericho finds out about this and is upset due to the risk involved in using Hugo’s wishing stone to find the Roamer’s face claiming that if the wish had gone wrong, it could have let the Cold into the universe. Despite his anger at Jean-Marc, Jericho wants in on their secret club, claiming to have the same mantle as Jean-Marc, if only a piece of a piece of it.

<h2>BMN - Bad Omen</h2>
Concerned by the appearance of the Otherworld, Jean-Marc plans to meet with the other two owners of the Cafe and Diner, Mammon and Belphegor, to discuss it. Meanwhile, it would seem that Amber’s warning has come to fruition as the Badb has paid a visit to the Cafe leaving behind a cryptic warning in the form of a poem. Jean-Marc implies that the poem left by the Badb is likely influenced by the mysterious Cold Elder known as Fate. The poem warns that the deal made between Jean-Marc, Mammon, and Belphegor is what caused the Otherworld to manifest. Jean-Marc then reveals his plan to steal the face of the Faceless Roamer to cause one of two outcomes. Either the Faceless Roamer will cause such an issue that Mammon and Belphegor will have to interfere, allowing him to meet with Asmodeus, or Jericho will lead Jean-Marc to a demon who can get him into the Hollow to meet with Beelzebub. In either case, Jean-Marc seems to have been courting favor with the other Princes of Hell. The Badb later leaves another warning poem describing the four cardinal planes of the Otherworld and implying that to find God at the End, the Cafe and Diner will need to trust their enemies. The Badb then leaves a third and final poem, now pointing the Cafe and Diner towards the first of four Antekeys which will open the Antechamber before the End. The poem implies that the Olympian Antekey has taken the form of a pearl which can be found in Felix’s hometown of New Orleans.

<h2>BAS - Big Ass Skeleton</h2>
Jennifer received a report of a troubling customer in Japan, specifically a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gashadokuro Gashadokuro] from Japanese mythology, implying the existence of a Japanese plane of the Otherworld. In keeping the Gashadokuro contained in the remnants of the [https://www.kagoshima-kankou.com/for/attractions/10957 Sogi Power Plant], the Cafe is joined by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takiyasha_the_Witch_and_the_Skeleton_Spectre Princess Takiyasha], the apparent ruler of the Japanese plane of the Otherworld, known as Nightmarch. Once the Cafe could fully contain the Gashadokuro, Princess Takiyasha gave them a “single use ticket” back to the Nightmarch. The ticket led to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inunaki_Village Inunaki Tunnel], which acts as a portal to the Nightmarch à la [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away Spirited Away]. Felix is able to deconstruct the single-use ticket, turning it into a sigil the Cafe and Diner can use to consistently travel to and from Nightmarch. Felix also ponders how the Otherworld is connected to the Flipside and how the residents of the Otherworld seem to have entire lives and memories spanning eons despite the Otherworld only existing for a few months. If the Otherworld influenced Flipside mythology, it certainly would have been around as long as the Otherside, but in a strange case, it seems the opposite is true; the Flipside somehow dictates the mythology of the Otherworld.

Complexico's Game

2022-11-24T14:24:46Z

AshBlack:

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>Complexico's Game</center></strong></span>
[[file:ComplexicosGame.gif|center|500px]]
<center>''In the games played by a madman whose buzzes always kill''</center><br>

<center>[[Complexico]], the mad god of arcane, obscure, and esoteric knowledge, is a longtime friend of the Cafe and Diner, often appearing when he is least expected and wanted, in order to play one of his deadly games. Here you can find records of his games elsewhere and elsewhen.</center><br>
----
<center><font size=6><strong><u><i>2020</i></u></strong></font></center>
__NOTOC__
{| style="width:100%;"
|-
| style="width:50%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>The 15th Sphere<br><font size="5">[[The Gambit Game (The 15th Sphere)|The Gambit Game]]</b><br></h3>
| style="width:50%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>Pre-Archive Otherworldly Adventures<br><font size="5">[[The Cyclical Game (Pre-Archive Otherworldly Adventures)|The Cyclical Game]]</b><br></h3>
|-
|}

Bad Omens Summary

2022-11-24T13:43:58Z

AshBlack:

Bad Omens Summary

2022-11-24T13:43:25Z

AshBlack: Created page with "__TOC__ <h1>January 2020</h1> <h2>BCO - Big Cat in Oregon</h2> The new year begins under the new management of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammon Mammon], who acquired the majority share in the Cafe following the death of his sister [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer]. Following leads from last month, the Cafe looks into the appearance of a strange large cat near Crater Lake in Oregon, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath_Palug Cath Palug]. The Cath P..."

Official Summaries

2022-11-24T13:34:22Z

AshBlack:

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-24T08:25:22Z

AshBlack:

__TOC__

<h1>August 1995</h1>

<h2>COS - The Church of Satan</h2>
Satan has started operating in Long Beach under the guise of Padre Santos the head priest of the Open Doors Church. The powerful High Demon, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman Mothman] and the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man] Umbra, and Umbra’s assistant, the [https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/02/21/dangerous-games-summoning-red-man/ Red Man], are with him. It’s unclear what Mothman has to gain from the partnership, but it’s evident that Umbra is hoping for a favor in return. The Red Man has to do what Umbra says, so he’s along for the ride regardless. Additionally, Satan has an “other book” unique from his primary Boogieman Book. (It’s also different than his book of 13 regents later mentioned). <b><i>Mysteriously COS05, along with August 27th, 28th, 29th, and the 30th, is still missing from the Archives.</i></b> To discover more about Satan’s other book, the enigmatic Shaka proposed the Cafe should seek out some of Satan’s consorts.
<h2>AAA - An Alien Autopsy</h2>

London-based entrepreneur [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Santilli Ray Santilli] plans to release some “authentic alien autopsy” footage on Johnathan Frakes’ Fact or Fiction. One problem, that’s no alien… that’s a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douen Douen]. A small Maydaian or Amaymonian demon found in Caribbean folklore. Their feet are famously backward, and they potentially steal children from the shore. While aliens might not be a concern of the Cafe, actual demon footage airing on T.V. is. Alex takes on the task of “blurring” the footage to maintain the balance between the Flipside and Otherside. However, in the process, Alex discovers that Ray Santilli was working with Firefighter from Division Uniform of the Astoria 23rd Agency. It seems that Firefighter, Baseball Player, Milkman, and Schoolgirl created the hoax, and the most crucial part of this hoax was 5 minutes of the film that have since gone missing. What could those 5 minutes of footage hold? Mind control? Electrical magic? And will Division Uniform try and disperse it later?
<h2>TTE - The Time Traveler's Emails</h2>

The Cafe and Diner receive a strange message from a “John Doe” on their hidden message board. It bears a striking resemblance to similar messages sent by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor John Titor]. Like John Titor, John Doe requires an original CaDCom88 to decipher a Cafe Crisis Cipher left by his cycle’s “Last Cafe,” as cracking it is vital to his cycle’s survival. However, like Titor, Doe has taken a bit of detour from his initial mission to observe and interact with the current cycle’s timeline. John Doe has noticed a very pressing anomaly that has pushed him out of the shadows seeking the Cafe’s help. John hints that he knows the owner’s real name and that the proper people to deal with this anomaly won’t be around for another few years (By the by, this is <b><i>VERY</i></b> meta even for John Doe). As it turns out, John Doe is worried about the temporal anomaly that John’s timeline is “crashing” into the Cafe’s timeline. While cycles sometimes naturally crash into each other, this seems strangely forced and is most likely done by John’s version of Mammon. So, the Cafe and Diner must take a trip to John Doe’s cycle to deal with this problem, and they are accompanied by Shaka of Zulu to do so. And thus, begins and ends the mysterious Indigo Wars. The Cafe Returns the next day after having spent roughly a year in 2035 fighting against the 55 Society and Mammon, though they have more significant, more Satan-y fish to fry in 1995.

<h2>DPG - Domenech's Pseudo-goat</h2>
The Cafe gets a hit on their message board, alerting them to the presence of a [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Domenech%27s_Pseudo-goat Pseudo-Goat] somewhere around Texas A&M University. When Aelan reaches the campus, she is greeted by a swarm of Division Quebec members from the Astoria 23rd Agency, including Joliette, Rimouski, and Estire. Leading them seems to be Five from the 12th Division: Lima. Eventually, Aelan finds the Pseudo-Goat in the care of one of the college’s students, and she attempts to return it home to the Infernus; however, for whatever reason, it can’t return to the Infernus. When Aelan tries to force the Pseudo-Goat back into the Infernus, it causes a massive blackout in Texas and alerts the Astorians to its presence. Aelan manages to escape with the Pseudo-Goat and plans to lose the Astorians in Las Vegas as she heads back to the Cafe. The owner takes a liking to the Pseudo-Goat, naming him François, and lets him stay with the Cafe for the time being until a way home for it can be found.

<h2>WFS - Whispers from the Shadows</h2>
Felix notices something, or someone is watching the Cafe and Diner while attempting to mitigate a mysterious ailment in the Owner's eye. The entity lurking around the Cafe was shadow-like and roughly 6-8 feet tall with white eyes. Along with seeing this mysterious entity, the Owner heard whispers emanating from the entity's direction. Felix then waited for the Owner to inevitably fall asleep at his desk, and when he did, the entity returned, and it was none other than the Hatman, Umbra. Umbra ensnared the Owner with his signature sleep paralysis and began whispering an eerie chant of "gisgnagraphdongraph gonfam druxmed vehnavandonvehna" which triggered the CaDCom translation feature. Though the CaDCom struggled to translate it at first, the phrase was revealed to be "there is no church," as it would be spelled out in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian Enochian]. It seems that Umbra was attempting to lead the Cafe away from the Open Doors Church. The Owner and Felix then set a trap for Umbra in the back of the Cafe keeping him in a completely pitch-black room. Without a source of light, Umbra is unable to move as a shadow cannot exist in pure darkness. However, keeping Umbra at the Cafe would prove to be too dangerous, so Felix allowed Umbra to escape. Still, Felix was able to take a sample of Umbra's "sableblood," which will protect the Cafe from Umbra for the foreseeable future. Umbra doesn't reveal much about Padre's plans, but Felix speculates that the Mothman was specifically chosen to lure out a more dangerous entity—[https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Indrid_Cold Indrid Cold].

<h2>SKWC - Strange Kids Want Coffee</h2>
While it is true that the Cafe and Diner masquerades as a generic combination cafe and diner… they aren’t actually a cafe or diner. So, then it is quite bizarre that three teenagers, two girls and a boy, came into the Cafe to order three black coffees. Quick on his feet, the Owner served them some instant coffee he had lying around. Could they be pawns of Padre Santos? Or perhaps they are working for the Astoria 23rd Agency? Whatever the case, the teens returned the next week to rummage through the Cafe’s trash. Interestingly, one of the girls, the red-headed one, kept looking through a Ouija Board’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planchette planchette], but why? When the teens returned a few days later, the Owner decided to confront them directly and hired them as part-time employees #35, #44, and #1313.

<h1>October 1995</h1>

<h2>ASG - A Search for Gray</h2>
The Owner begins by revealing that one of the co-owners of the Cafe and Diner, Lucy Fireald (an anagram of Lady [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer]), left the Cafe about a year ago, in September 1994. The Owner wonders if Lucy leaving the Cafe is what emboldened her brother, Padre Santos ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan Satan]), to make a move in Long Beach. Whatever the case, they need to track down [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_Gray_(character) Dorian Gray], one of Satan’s Consorts, to move forward with their investigation. Consorts are the lowest tier of the House of Satan, comprised of “husbands, wives, boy-toys, friends, jesters, and muses” of Satan. Specifically, they are after Dorian Gray, a contemporary of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Oscar Wilde] in life and living embodiment of the fictional character in his afterlife. Satan painted a portrait of Dorian, which allows Dorian to travel between the Flipside and Otherside at will. However, the portrait requires a certain amount of “sin” to stay youthful and operational. As such, the portrait has a symbiotic relationship with Dorian Gray, and the more debaucherous Gray is in the Flipside, the more powerful he becomes in the Otherside. Additionally, any harm done to the portrait is harm done to Dorian Gray, similar to the novel.

Later in the month, Sahir receives word from one of his many contacts that Dorian Gray has been spotted hanging around “The Diamond Club” (later called The Ruby post 1995) in LA on Thursdays for their “[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-28-wk-kastle28-story.html Perversion]” nights. Out of the current staff, only Alex and Nikki could reasonably fit in at Perversion, though they are both still underage, so they’ll need a fake ID. To ensure that Dorian can’t leave the club, Felix is tasked with drawing protective sigils around the area. In the meantime, Alex does some digging and discovers that Perversion is a front for demons to enter the Flipside. Felix confirms this when he is confronted by the demon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naberius Naberius] while attempting to place the sigils outside of the club. Naberius and Felix have a chat, and it is revealed that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus Asmodeus] is also making moves in LA and is setting up these clubs and events for demons to come, chat, make deals, have fun, and then return to the Otherside. Felix doesn’t buy that, but he can’t press it at the moment and instead makes a deal with Naberius to leave Asmodeus and her operations alone to help corner Dorian. On the 22nd, Nikki and Alex track down Dorian at the club, and Dorian reveals that Satan’s other notebook directly gives those who sign their names in it a fraction of Satan’s powers. In contrast, his boogieman book only gives a fraction of the Hauntaurskald’s power and with strict rules on how it is used. When Nikki and Alex ask Dorian what other names are in Satan’s notebook, Dorian claims to not know, but [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Tom_Walker Tom Walker] would. Alex and Nikki then let Dorian use his portrait to return to the Hauntaurskald, but they take his portrait back to the Cafe for safekeeping.

<h2>DIS - Disasters in the Skies</h2>
While Alex was out walking at night, he noticed in a car’s rear-view mirror that he was being watched by a pair of bright red glowing eyes, presumably the Mothman’s. Alex explains that one of the Mothman’s primary attacks is inducing extreme paranoia, fear, nausea, and suicidal thoughts if you look into her eyes. However, the Mothman can only use this psychic attack once before needing to return to the Otherside so it can be avoided. Although, the Mothman is still very strong, fast, and deadly even without her hypnotic eyes. This run-in with Mothman prompts Salenna to set up a series of trail cams around Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach. The main concern is that the Mothman will attempt to cause one of his signature “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge disasters].” A few days later, Felix notes that an unusual and uneasy calm has washed over California. This is another power of the Mothman; he can spread a calm state over vast areas such as Long Beach. He does this to make it harder for normal people to see and fear him and to feel the need to actually stop what the Mothman is planning. And it isn’t clear what the plan is until late into the month on the 26th, when Felix puts the pieces together that Mothman has been creating a city-wide sigil to bring about a catastrophic disaster. Thankfully with the help of the Bird Beast of Var’s feathers, the Cafe was able to weaken Mothman’s ritual preventing a massive disaster. However, the redirected energy led to an explosion at the crux of the sigil, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-30-me-51513-story.html South Coast Plaza mall], though there were no injuries. As for why Mothman was conjuring this disaster… it’s unclear, though locationally, that the crux of the disaster aligned with a monument of some sort in the Otherside. Further investigations will be required. Though in stopping the Mothman, the Owner fears that it will put new pressure on the Cafe from the Open Doors Church, and so the Owner lays out a set of 12 esoteric rules for the Cafe to follow.

<h2>MOP - Memories of the Past</h2>
Jenni writes her first receipt for the Cafe explaining in vague terms how her unique powers work. In a sense, she can see into the Otherside from the Flipside, usually at weak points in the boundary lines but her powers also work just about anywhere when she can get them to work. Jenni was able to get a glance at the Otherside when she visited the Cafe’s “graveyard” with the others. While staring at the tombstone for the previous #35, Jenni got a flash of somewhere bright, sunny, and full of feathers in the Otherside. Jenni asks if it’d be alright to revisit the graveyard with her quartz lens planchette to get a better view of the Otherside. Nikki returned to the graveyard with Jenni later, though Jenni ended up passing out due to the intensity of her vision. From Nikki’s recollection, Jenni saw a birch tree with a snake on it. The snake in her vision jumped towards Jenni, which caused her to faint. After Jenni recovered, she clarified that the tree had golden eye patterns, similar to a birch tree with golden leaves. One of the tree branches turned into a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiptere winged snake] that got longer and longer before slithering behind Jenni, and then she passed out. This prompts the rest of the Cafe, sans Owner and new employees, to discuss the meaning behind Jenni’s visions. Aelan writes a receipt mentioning how Ciel warned that while Jenni was seeing into the Morningstar, the snake was undoubtedly one of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor Belphegor’s] children, an Ouroborian. Specifically, the snake seems to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_Trismegistus Hermes Trismegistus], one of Belphegor’s strongest children. What Jenni perceived as Hermes looking at her turned out to be Hermes looking at Ciel though Aelan doesn’t mention what, if anything, Hermes said or did to Ciel in the Morningstar. All of this prompts Aelan to wonder if the Owner was having an affair with Belphegor and if that was the cause of Lucifer leaving the Cafe. If only because the Owner seems to know more about Belphegor than Lucifer. Later in the month, Jenni has a weird dream where a massive fog-like being known as the Sagradopto Entity spoke to her in her dream, claiming that they would be reacquainted soon. While Jenni’s description of the dream is vague, it sparks Felix’s interest, and he decides he would like to study her dreams, though to do so, he will need a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonautics psychonautic] approach. However, Felix claims that psychonautics are not his forte and that perhaps the Owner would be better suited to tackling the subconscious plane of Jenni’s mind. In any case, it will take Felix time to prepare the proper “ingredients” to achieve this plan.

<h2>BBVR - Bird Beast of Var Returns</h2>
Aelan announces that the [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Bird_Beast_of_Var Bird Beast of Var], Ciel, has returned to the Cafe. He is a Morningstarian Demon who helped the Cafe in 1993 and then stuck around for a bit and ended up in a romantic relationship with Aelan before things ended on not the best of terms. Ciel has explicitly returned because he is worried about the Mothman. Both Ciel and the Mothman are Blooded Demons; demons are not reincarnated mortals but born in the Otherside typically as the children of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil Devil] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith Lilith], though Ciel and Mothman are of different nobilities. Ciel's family has been feuding with Mothman's for many years. Additionally, Ciel wanted to leave the Morningstar for a bit as it turns out that Lucifer has been on a post-break-up "mania," which has caused things in the Morningstar to become too hectic. Nick writes his first receipt excited to meet with Ciel because he feels that there is something special and potentially extraterrestrial about him. Nick also mentions that his family's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar familiar], Norbert Langley, has said before that Ciel and Mothman are not the children of the Devil, making them exceedingly rare, even for Blooded Demons. Ciel later pays Felix a visit and realizes that Felix is under Mothman's calm, curing him by giving Felix one of his feathers. Having come out of his unnatural state of calm, Felix immediately asks Ciel where Indrid Cold is, though Ciel does not know anything about Cold's whereabouts. Ciel ends their conversation by saying he is needed in Aurora, Morningstar's capital, and has to leave again for the time being.

<h2>CIC - Cryptid in the Computer</h2>
Salenna reports a strange hit on the message board, a customer that is seemingly entirely computerized. Having little to go off of, Salenna names the customer Xulfa which is “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux A Flux],” backward. Xulfa seems to leave bits of code wherever he is seen, specifically the phrase “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Things heat up in the case as their informant is presumed dead or, at the very least, missing. Worried that the Astoria 23rd Agency will be acting fast on this, Salenna and Sahir travel to Ohio to investigate the patron’s home. There were no signs of a struggle and only a printed note left behind: “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Salenna wonders if Xulfa could be a similar pseudo-technological entity like Mr. Cold is, as it would be difficult for a fully-digital entity to outright kill someone. Sahir confirms that the Astoria 23rd Division Sierra has been alerted to the disappearance and will investigate soon. Though Sahir was able to put the pieces together in time, Sahir was needed back in LA, and this would be a case that Salenna couldn’t handle on her own. Sahir asks an associate of the Cafe and Diner, the guardian of the Hot Bed, Daniel Hamilton, if he would be willing to assist the Cafe once again. As it turns out, Xulfa is a malicious [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_worm worm-virus] that was created to find a host system with the proper Otherside technology to execute its creation into a self-replicating nanobot or, in simpler terms, a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo gray goo]. Its creator, Dr. Crow, [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/connecticut/velvet-street-ct/ operates within a house that can disappear and reappear on Wednesdays]. This forces Salenna and Hamilton into a tight window to confront Dr. Crow, destroy the goo, and return before his house vanishes again. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, and during a week trapped within Dr. Crow’s house, Hamilton was consumed by the gray goo. However, the goo also consumed Dr. Crow putting an end to his strange occultic experiments. Salenna decides to stay in the Ohio/West Virginia area to make sure that Dr. Crow’s [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Melon_Heads remaining experiments] don’t cause any problems and to ensure that Hamilton’s wife and son are okay. Although… a very strange message appears in the CaDCom logs.

<blockquote><br>CAN YOU SEE THIS?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>DO YOU SEE THIS?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>CAN YOU ENTER HELL?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>ENTER HELL?</br>
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Testament De Salomon l’honneur et glorie]…</br></blockquote>

It would seem that Dr. Crow has, in a way, survived in death, retaining his human memories even as a demon. Crow threatens that the “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley beast must feast and feast it shall].”

<h2>TCV - The Cold Visitor</h2>
Sahir has a brief encounter with Indrid Cold. Though, per usual, Indrid Cold only speaks in looped pre-recorded messages. He warns that someone needs to get out of here because their chance to escape is coming soon. Indrid’s messages also mention finding a man and that someone should rest now and return to somewhere, though the end of the message is cut off. Indrid’s messages switch towards the end, and he asks Sahir if he has seen Daniel Hamilton before wishing Sahir a pleasant Friday evening. These messages would later be reused in a 2017 conversation with Cold.

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-24T07:53:59Z

AshBlack:

__TOC__

<h1>August 95</h1>

<h2>COS - The Church of Satan</h2>
Satan has started operating in Long Beach under the guise of Padre Santos the head priest of the Open Doors Church. The powerful High Demon, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman Mothman] and the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man] Umbra, and Umbra’s assistant, the [https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/02/21/dangerous-games-summoning-red-man/ Red Man], are with him. It’s unclear what Mothman has to gain from the partnership, but it’s evident that Umbra is hoping for a favor in return. The Red Man has to do what Umbra says, so he’s along for the ride regardless. Additionally, Satan has an “other book” unique from his primary Boogieman Book. (It’s also different than his book of 13 regents later mentioned). <b><i>Mysteriously COS05, along with August 27th, 28th, 29th, and the 30th, is still missing from the Archives.</i></b> To discover more about Satan’s other book, the enigmatic Shaka proposed the Cafe should seek out some of Satan’s consorts.
<h2>AAA - An Alien Autopsy</h2>

London-based entrepreneur [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Santilli Ray Santilli] plans to release some “authentic alien autopsy” footage on Johnathan Frakes’ Fact or Fiction. One problem, that’s no alien… that’s a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douen Douen]. A small Maydaian or Amaymonian demon found in Caribbean folklore. Their feet are famously backward, and they potentially steal children from the shore. While aliens might not be a concern of the Cafe, actual demon footage airing on T.V. is. Alex takes on the task of “blurring” the footage to maintain the balance between the Flipside and Otherside. However, in the process, Alex discovers that Ray Santilli was working with Firefighter from Division Uniform of the Astoria 23rd Agency. It seems that Firefighter, Baseball Player, Milkman, and Schoolgirl created the hoax, and the most crucial part of this hoax was 5 minutes of the film that have since gone missing. What could those 5 minutes of footage hold? Mind control? Electrical magic? And will Division Uniform try and disperse it later?
<h2>TTE - The Time Traveler's Emails</h2>

The Cafe and Diner receive a strange message from a “John Doe” on their hidden message board. It bears a striking resemblance to similar messages sent by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor John Titor]. Like John Titor, John Doe requires an original CaDCom88 to decipher a Cafe Crisis Cipher left by his cycle’s “Last Cafe,” as cracking it is vital to his cycle’s survival. However, like Titor, Doe has taken a bit of detour from his initial mission to observe and interact with the current cycle’s timeline. John Doe has noticed a very pressing anomaly that has pushed him out of the shadows seeking the Cafe’s help. John hints that he knows the owner’s real name and that the proper people to deal with this anomaly won’t be around for another few years (By the by, this is <b><i>VERY</i></b> meta even for John Doe). As it turns out, John Doe is worried about the temporal anomaly that John’s timeline is “crashing” into the Cafe’s timeline. While cycles sometimes naturally crash into each other, this seems strangely forced and is most likely done by John’s version of Mammon. So, the Cafe and Diner must take a trip to John Doe’s cycle to deal with this problem, and they are accompanied by Shaka of Zulu to do so. And thus, begins and ends the mysterious Indigo Wars. The Cafe Returns the next day after having spent roughly a year in 2035 fighting against the 55 Society and Mammon, though they have more significant, more Satan-y fish to fry in 1995.

<h2>DPG - Domenech's Pseudo-goat</h2>
The Cafe gets a hit on their message board, alerting them to the presence of a [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Domenech%27s_Pseudo-goat Pseudo-Goat] somewhere around Texas A&M University. When Aelan reaches the campus, she is greeted by a swarm of Division Quebec members from the Astoria 23rd Agency, including Joliette, Rimouski, and Estire. Leading them seems to be Five from the 12th Division: Lima. Eventually, Aelan finds the Pseudo-Goat in the care of one of the college’s students, and she attempts to return it home to the Infernus; however, for whatever reason, it can’t return to the Infernus. When Aelan tries to force the Pseudo-Goat back into the Infernus, it causes a massive blackout in Texas and alerts the Astorians to its presence. Aelan manages to escape with the Pseudo-Goat and plans to lose the Astorians in Las Vegas as she heads back to the Cafe. The owner takes a liking to the Pseudo-Goat, naming him François, and lets him stay with the Cafe for the time being until a way home for it can be found.

<h2>WFS - Whispers from the Shadows</h2>
Felix notices something, or someone is watching the Cafe and Diner while attempting to mitigate a mysterious ailment in the Owner's eye. The entity lurking around the Cafe was shadow-like and roughly 6-8 feet tall with white eyes. Along with seeing this mysterious entity, the Owner heard whispers emanating from the entity's direction. Felix then waited for the Owner to inevitably fall asleep at his desk, and when he did, the entity returned, and it was none other than the Hatman, Umbra. Umbra ensnared the Owner with his signature sleep paralysis and began whispering an eerie chant of "gisgnagraphdongraph gonfam druxmed vehnavandonvehna" which triggered the CaDCom translation feature. Though the CaDCom struggled to translate it at first, the phrase was revealed to be "there is no church," as it would be spelled out in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian Enochian]. It seems that Umbra was attempting to lead the Cafe away from the Open Doors Church. The Owner and Felix then set a trap for Umbra in the back of the Cafe keeping him in a completely pitch-black room. Without a source of light, Umbra is unable to move as a shadow cannot exist in pure darkness. However, keeping Umbra at the Cafe would prove to be too dangerous, so Felix allowed Umbra to escape. Still, Felix was able to take a sample of Umbra's "sableblood," which will protect the Cafe from Umbra for the foreseeable future. Umbra doesn't reveal much about Padre's plans, but Felix speculates that the Mothman was specifically chosen to lure out a more dangerous entity—[https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Indrid_Cold Indrid Cold].

<h2>SKWC - Strange Kids Want Coffee</h2>
While it is true that the Cafe and Diner masquerades as a generic combination cafe and diner… they aren’t actually a cafe or diner. So, then it is quite bizarre that three teenagers, two girls and a boy, came into the Cafe to order three black coffees. Quick on his feet, the Owner served them some instant coffee he had lying around. Could they be pawns of Padre Santos? Or perhaps they are working for the Astoria 23rd Agency? Whatever the case, the teens returned the next week to rummage through the Cafe’s trash. Interestingly, one of the girls, the red-headed one, kept looking through a Ouija Board’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planchette planchette], but why? When the teens returned a few days later, the Owner decided to confront them directly and hired them as part-time employees #35, #44, and #1313.

<h1>October 95</h1>

<h2>ASG - A Search for Gray</h2>
The Owner begins by revealing that one of the co-owners of the Cafe and Diner, Lucy Fireald (an anagram of Lady [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer]), left the Cafe about a year ago, in September 1994. The Owner wonders if Lucy leaving the Cafe is what emboldened her brother, Padre Santos ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan Satan]), to make a move in Long Beach. Whatever the case, they need to track down [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_Gray_(character) Dorian Gray], one of Satan’s Consorts, to move forward with their investigation. Consorts are the lowest tier of the House of Satan, comprised of “husbands, wives, boy-toys, friends, jesters, and muses” of Satan. Specifically, they are after Dorian Gray, a contemporary of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Oscar Wilde] in life and living embodiment of the fictional character in his afterlife. Satan painted a portrait of Dorian, which allows Dorian to travel between the Flipside and Otherside at will. However, the portrait requires a certain amount of “sin” to stay youthful and operational. As such, the portrait has a symbiotic relationship with Dorian Gray, and the more debaucherous Gray is in the Flipside, the more powerful he becomes in the Otherside. Additionally, any harm done to the portrait is harm done to Dorian Gray, similar to the novel.

Later in the month, Sahir receives word from one of his many contacts that Dorian Gray has been spotted hanging around “The Diamond Club” (later called The Ruby post 1995) in LA on Thursdays for their “[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-28-wk-kastle28-story.html Perversion]” nights. Out of the current staff, only Alex and Nikki could reasonably fit in at Perversion, though they are both still underage, so they’ll need a fake ID. To ensure that Dorian can’t leave the club, Felix is tasked with drawing protective sigils around the area. In the meantime, Alex does some digging and discovers that Perversion is a front for demons to enter the Flipside. Felix confirms this when he is confronted by the demon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naberius Naberius] while attempting to place the sigils outside of the club. Naberius and Felix have a chat, and it is revealed that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus Asmodeus] is also making moves in LA and is setting up these clubs and events for demons to come, chat, make deals, have fun, and then return to the Otherside. Felix doesn’t buy that, but he can’t press it at the moment and instead makes a deal with Naberius to leave Asmodeus and her operations alone to help corner Dorian. On the 22nd, Nikki and Alex track down Dorian at the club, and Dorian reveals that Satan’s other notebook directly gives those who sign their names in it a fraction of Satan’s powers. In contrast, his boogieman book only gives a fraction of the Hauntaurskald’s power and with strict rules on how it is used. When Nikki and Alex ask Dorian what other names are in Satan’s notebook, Dorian claims to not know, but [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Tom_Walker Tom Walker] would. Alex and Nikki then let Dorian use his portrait to return to the Hauntaurskald, but they take his portrait back to the Cafe for safekeeping.

<h2>DIS - Disasters in the Skies</h2>
While Alex was out walking at night, he noticed in a car’s rear-view mirror that he was being watched by a pair of bright red glowing eyes, presumably the Mothman’s. Alex explains that one of the Mothman’s primary attacks is inducing extreme paranoia, fear, nausea, and suicidal thoughts if you look into her eyes. However, the Mothman can only use this psychic attack once before needing to return to the Otherside so it can be avoided. Although, the Mothman is still very strong, fast, and deadly even without her hypnotic eyes. This run-in with Mothman prompts Salenna to set up a series of trail cams around Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach. The main concern is that the Mothman will attempt to cause one of his signature “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge disasters].” A few days later, Felix notes that an unusual and uneasy calm has washed over California. This is another power of the Mothman; he can spread a calm state over vast areas such as Long Beach. He does this to make it harder for normal people to see and fear him and to feel the need to actually stop what the Mothman is planning. And it isn’t clear what the plan is until late into the month on the 26th, when Felix puts the pieces together that Mothman has been creating a city-wide sigil to bring about a catastrophic disaster. Thankfully with the help of the Bird Beast of Var’s feathers, the Cafe was able to weaken Mothman’s ritual preventing a massive disaster. However, the redirected energy led to an explosion at the crux of the sigil, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-30-me-51513-story.html South Coast Plaza mall], though there were no injuries. As for why Mothman was conjuring this disaster… it’s unclear, though locationally, that the crux of the disaster aligned with a monument of some sort in the Otherside. Further investigations will be required. Though in stopping the Mothman, the Owner fears that it will put new pressure on the Cafe from the Open Doors Church, and so the Owner lays out a set of 12 esoteric rules for the Cafe to follow.

<h2>MOP - Memories of the Past</h2>
Jenni writes her first receipt for the Cafe explaining in vague terms how her unique powers work. In a sense, she can see into the Otherside from the Flipside, usually at weak points in the boundary lines but her powers also work just about anywhere when she can get them to work. Jenni was able to get a glance at the Otherside when she visited the Cafe’s “graveyard” with the others. While staring at the tombstone for the previous #35, Jenni got a flash of somewhere bright, sunny, and full of feathers in the Otherside. Jenni asks if it’d be alright to revisit the graveyard with her quartz lens planchette to get a better view of the Otherside. Nikki returned to the graveyard with Jenni later, though Jenni ended up passing out due to the intensity of her vision. From Nikki’s recollection, Jenni saw a birch tree with a snake on it. The snake in her vision jumped towards Jenni, which caused her to faint. After Jenni recovered, she clarified that the tree had golden eye patterns, similar to a birch tree with golden leaves. One of the tree branches turned into a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiptere winged snake] that got longer and longer before slithering behind Jenni, and then she passed out. This prompts the rest of the Cafe, sans Owner and new employees, to discuss the meaning behind Jenni’s visions. Aelan writes a receipt mentioning how Ciel warned that while Jenni was seeing into the Morningstar, the snake was undoubtedly one of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor Belphegor’s] children, an Ouroborian. Specifically, the snake seems to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_Trismegistus Hermes Trismegistus], one of Belphegor’s strongest children. What Jenni perceived as Hermes looking at her turned out to be Hermes looking at Ciel though Aelan doesn’t mention what, if anything, Hermes said or did to Ciel in the Morningstar. All of this prompts Aelan to wonder if the Owner was having an affair with Belphegor and if that was the cause of Lucifer leaving the Cafe. If only because the Owner seems to know more about Belphegor than Lucifer. Later in the month, Jenni has a weird dream where a massive fog-like being known as the Sagradopto Entity spoke to her in her dream, claiming that they would be reacquainted soon. While Jenni’s description of the dream is vague, it sparks Felix’s interest, and he decides he would like to study her dreams, though to do so, he will need a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonautics psychonautic] approach. However, Felix claims that psychonautics are not his forte and that perhaps the Owner would be better suited to tackling the subconscious plane of Jenni’s mind. In any case, it will take Felix time to prepare the proper “ingredients” to achieve this plan.

<h2>BBVR - Bird Beast of Var Returns</h2>
Aelan announces that the [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Bird_Beast_of_Var Bird Beast of Var], Ciel, has returned to the Cafe. He is a Morningstarian Demon who helped the Cafe in 1993 and then stuck around for a bit and ended up in a romantic relationship with Aelan before things ended on not the best of terms. Ciel has explicitly returned because he is worried about the Mothman. Both Ciel and the Mothman are Blooded Demons; demons are not reincarnated mortals but born in the Otherside typically as the children of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil Devil] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith Lilith], though Ciel and Mothman are of different nobilities. Ciel's family has been feuding with Mothman's for many years. Additionally, Ciel wanted to leave the Morningstar for a bit as it turns out that Lucifer has been on a post-break-up "mania," which has caused things in the Morningstar to become too hectic. Nick writes his first receipt excited to meet with Ciel because he feels that there is something special and potentially extraterrestrial about him. Nick also mentions that his family's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar familiar], Norbert Langley, has said before that Ciel and Mothman are not the children of the Devil, making them exceedingly rare, even for Blooded Demons. Ciel later pays Felix a visit and realizes that Felix is under Mothman's calm, curing him by giving Felix one of his feathers. Having come out of his unnatural state of calm, Felix immediately asks Ciel where Indrid Cold is, though Ciel does not know anything about Cold's whereabouts. Ciel ends their conversation by saying he is needed in Aurora, Morningstar's capital, and has to leave again for the time being.

<h2>CIC - Cryptid in the Computer</h2>
Salenna reports a strange hit on the message board, a customer that is seemingly entirely computerized. Having little to go off of, Salenna names the customer Xulfa which is “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux A Flux],” backward. Xulfa seems to leave bits of code wherever he is seen, specifically the phrase “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Things heat up in the case as their informant is presumed dead or, at the very least, missing. Worried that the Astoria 23rd Agency will be acting fast on this, Salenna and Sahir travel to Ohio to investigate the patron’s home. There were no signs of a struggle and only a printed note left behind: “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Salenna wonders if Xulfa could be a similar pseudo-technological entity like Mr. Cold is, as it would be difficult for a fully-digital entity to outright kill someone. Sahir confirms that the Astoria 23rd Division Sierra has been alerted to the disappearance and will investigate soon. Though Sahir was able to put the pieces together in time, Sahir was needed back in LA, and this would be a case that Salenna couldn’t handle on her own. Sahir asks an associate of the Cafe and Diner, the guardian of the Hot Bed, Daniel Hamilton, if he would be willing to assist the Cafe once again. As it turns out, Xulfa is a malicious [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_worm worm-virus] that was created to find a host system with the proper Otherside technology to execute its creation into a self-replicating nanobot or, in simpler terms, a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo gray goo]. Its creator, Dr. Crow, [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/connecticut/velvet-street-ct/ operates within a house that can disappear and reappear on Wednesdays]. This forces Salenna and Hamilton into a tight window to confront Dr. Crow, destroy the goo, and return before his house vanishes again. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, and during a week trapped within Dr. Crow’s house, Hamilton was consumed by the gray goo. However, the goo also consumed Dr. Crow putting an end to his strange occultic experiments. Salenna decides to stay in the Ohio/West Virginia area to make sure that Dr. Crow’s [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Melon_Heads remaining experiments] don’t cause any problems and to ensure that Hamilton’s wife and son are okay. Although… a very strange message appears in the CaDCom logs.

<blockquote><br>CAN YOU SEE THIS?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>DO YOU SEE THIS?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>CAN YOU ENTER HELL?</br>
<br>Yes.</br>
<br>ENTER HELL?</br>
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Testament De Salomon l’honneur et glorie]…</br></blockquote>

It would seem that Dr. Crow has, in a way, survived in death, retaining his human memories even as a demon. Crow threatens that the “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley beast must feast and feast it shall].”

<h2>TCV - The Cold Visitor</h2>
Sahir has a brief encounter with Indrid Cold. Though, per usual, Indrid Cold only speaks in looped pre-recorded messages. He warns that someone needs to get out of here because their chance to escape is coming soon. Indrid’s messages also mention finding a man and that someone should rest now and return to somewhere, though the end of the message is cut off. Indrid’s messages switch towards the end, and he asks Sahir if he has seen Daniel Hamilton before wishing Sahir a pleasant Friday evening. These messages would later be reused in a 2017 conversation with Cold.

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-24T07:52:03Z

AshBlack:

__TOC__

<h1>August 95</h1>

<h2>COS - The Church of Satan</h2>
Satan has started operating in Long Beach under the guise of Padre Santos the head priest of the Open Doors Church. The powerful High Demon, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman Mothman] and the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man] Umbra, and Umbra’s assistant, the [https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/02/21/dangerous-games-summoning-red-man/ Red Man], are with him. It’s unclear what Mothman has to gain from the partnership, but it’s evident that Umbra is hoping for a favor in return. The Red Man has to do what Umbra says, so he’s along for the ride regardless. Additionally, Satan has an “other book” unique from his primary Boogieman Book. (It’s also different than his book of 13 regents later mentioned). <b><i>Mysteriously COS05, along with August 27th, 28th, 29th, and the 30th, is still missing from the Archives.</i></b> To discover more about Satan’s other book, the enigmatic Shaka proposed the Cafe should seek out some of Satan’s consorts.
<h2>AAA - An Alien Autopsy</h2>

London-based entrepreneur [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Santilli Ray Santilli] plans to release some “authentic alien autopsy” footage on Johnathan Frakes’ Fact or Fiction. One problem, that’s no alien… that’s a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douen Douen]. A small Maydaian or Amaymonian demon found in Caribbean folklore. Their feet are famously backward, and they potentially steal children from the shore. While aliens might not be a concern of the Cafe, actual demon footage airing on T.V. is. Alex takes on the task of “blurring” the footage to maintain the balance between the Flipside and Otherside. However, in the process, Alex discovers that Ray Santilli was working with Firefighter from Division Uniform of the Astoria 23rd Agency. It seems that Firefighter, Baseball Player, Milkman, and Schoolgirl created the hoax, and the most crucial part of this hoax was 5 minutes of the film that have since gone missing. What could those 5 minutes of footage hold? Mind control? Electrical magic? And will Division Uniform try and disperse it later?
<h2>TTE - The Time Traveler's Emails</h2>

The Cafe and Diner receive a strange message from a “John Doe” on their hidden message board. It bears a striking resemblance to similar messages sent by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor John Titor]. Like John Titor, John Doe requires an original CaDCom88 to decipher a Cafe Crisis Cipher left by his cycle’s “Last Cafe,” as cracking it is vital to his cycle’s survival. However, like Titor, Doe has taken a bit of detour from his initial mission to observe and interact with the current cycle’s timeline. John Doe has noticed a very pressing anomaly that has pushed him out of the shadows seeking the Cafe’s help. John hints that he knows the owner’s real name and that the proper people to deal with this anomaly won’t be around for another few years (By the by, this is <b><i>VERY</i></b> meta even for John Doe). As it turns out, John Doe is worried about the temporal anomaly that John’s timeline is “crashing” into the Cafe’s timeline. While cycles sometimes naturally crash into each other, this seems strangely forced and is most likely done by John’s version of Mammon. So, the Cafe and Diner must take a trip to John Doe’s cycle to deal with this problem, and they are accompanied by Shaka of Zulu to do so. And thus, begins and ends the mysterious Indigo Wars. The Cafe Returns the next day after having spent roughly a year in 2035 fighting against the 55 Society and Mammon, though they have more significant, more Satan-y fish to fry in 1995.

<h2>DPG - Domenech's Pseudo-goat</h2>
The Cafe gets a hit on their message board, alerting them to the presence of a [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Domenech%27s_Pseudo-goat Pseudo-Goat] somewhere around Texas A&M University. When Aelan reaches the campus, she is greeted by a swarm of Division Quebec members from the Astoria 23rd Agency, including Joliette, Rimouski, and Estire. Leading them seems to be Five from the 12th Division: Lima. Eventually, Aelan finds the Pseudo-Goat in the care of one of the college’s students, and she attempts to return it home to the Infernus; however, for whatever reason, it can’t return to the Infernus. When Aelan tries to force the Pseudo-Goat back into the Infernus, it causes a massive blackout in Texas and alerts the Astorians to its presence. Aelan manages to escape with the Pseudo-Goat and plans to lose the Astorians in Las Vegas as she heads back to the Cafe. The owner takes a liking to the Pseudo-Goat, naming him François, and lets him stay with the Cafe for the time being until a way home for it can be found.

<h2>WFS - Whispers from the Shadows</h2>
Felix notices something, or someone is watching the Cafe and Diner while attempting to mitigate a mysterious ailment in the Owner's eye. The entity lurking around the Cafe was shadow-like and roughly 6-8 feet tall with white eyes. Along with seeing this mysterious entity, the Owner heard whispers emanating from the entity's direction. Felix then waited for the Owner to inevitably fall asleep at his desk, and when he did, the entity returned, and it was none other than the Hatman, Umbra. Umbra ensnared the Owner with his signature sleep paralysis and began whispering an eerie chant of "gisgnagraphdongraph gonfam druxmed vehnavandonvehna" which triggered the CaDCom translation feature. Though the CaDCom struggled to translate it at first, the phrase was revealed to be "there is no church," as it would be spelled out in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian Enochian]. It seems that Umbra was attempting to lead the Cafe away from the Open Doors Church. The Owner and Felix then set a trap for Umbra in the back of the Cafe keeping him in a completely pitch-black room. Without a source of light, Umbra is unable to move as a shadow cannot exist in pure darkness. However, keeping Umbra at the Cafe would prove to be too dangerous, so Felix allowed Umbra to escape. Still, Felix was able to take a sample of Umbra's "sableblood," which will protect the Cafe from Umbra for the foreseeable future. Umbra doesn't reveal much about Padre's plans, but Felix speculates that the Mothman was specifically chosen to lure out a more dangerous entity—[https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Indrid_Cold Indrid Cold].

<h2>SKWC - Strange Kids Want Coffee</h2>
While it is true that the Cafe and Diner masquerades as a generic combination cafe and diner… they aren’t actually a cafe or diner. So, then it is quite bizarre that three teenagers, two girls and a boy, came into the Cafe to order three black coffees. Quick on his feet, the Owner served them some instant coffee he had lying around. Could they be pawns of Padre Santos? Or perhaps they are working for the Astoria 23rd Agency? Whatever the case, the teens returned the next week to rummage through the Cafe’s trash. Interestingly, one of the girls, the red-headed one, kept looking through a Ouija Board’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planchette planchette], but why? When the teens returned a few days later, the Owner decided to confront them directly and hired them as part-time employees #35, #44, and #1313.

<h1>October 95</h1>

<h2>ASG - A Search for Gray</h2>
The Owner begins by revealing that one of the co-owners of the Cafe and Diner, Lucy Fireald (an anagram of Lady [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer]), left the Cafe about a year ago, in September 1994. The Owner wonders if Lucy leaving the Cafe is what emboldened her brother, Padre Santos ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan Satan]), to make a move in Long Beach. Whatever the case, they need to track down [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_Gray_(character) Dorian Gray], one of Satan’s Consorts, to move forward with their investigation. Consorts are the lowest tier of the House of Satan, comprised of “husbands, wives, boy-toys, friends, jesters, and muses” of Satan. Specifically, they are after Dorian Gray, a contemporary of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Oscar Wilde] in life and living embodiment of the fictional character in his afterlife. Satan painted a portrait of Dorian, which allows Dorian to travel between the Flipside and Otherside at will. However, the portrait requires a certain amount of “sin” to stay youthful and operational. As such, the portrait has a symbiotic relationship with Dorian Gray, and the more debaucherous Gray is in the Flipside, the more powerful he becomes in the Otherside. Additionally, any harm done to the portrait is harm done to Dorian Gray, similar to the novel.

Later in the month, Sahir receives word from one of his many contacts that Dorian Gray has been spotted hanging around “The Diamond Club” (later called The Ruby post 1995) in LA on Thursdays for their “[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-28-wk-kastle28-story.html Perversion]” nights. Out of the current staff, only Alex and Nikki could reasonably fit in at Perversion, though they are both still underage, so they’ll need a fake ID. To ensure that Dorian can’t leave the club, Felix is tasked with drawing protective sigils around the area. In the meantime, Alex does some digging and discovers that Perversion is a front for demons to enter the Flipside. Felix confirms this when he is confronted by the demon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naberius Naberius] while attempting to place the sigils outside of the club. Naberius and Felix have a chat, and it is revealed that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus Asmodeus] is also making moves in LA and is setting up these clubs and events for demons to come, chat, make deals, have fun, and then return to the Otherside. Felix doesn’t buy that, but he can’t press it at the moment and instead makes a deal with Naberius to leave Asmodeus and her operations alone to help corner Dorian. On the 22nd, Nikki and Alex track down Dorian at the club, and Dorian reveals that Satan’s other notebook directly gives those who sign their names in it a fraction of Satan’s powers. In contrast, his boogieman book only gives a fraction of the Hauntaurskald’s power and with strict rules on how it is used. When Nikki and Alex ask Dorian what other names are in Satan’s notebook, Dorian claims to not know, but [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Tom_Walker Tom Walker] would. Alex and Nikki then let Dorian use his portrait to return to the Hauntaurskald, but they take his portrait back to the Cafe for safekeeping.

<h2>DIS - Disasters in the Skies</h2>
While Alex was out walking at night, he noticed in a car’s rear-view mirror that he was being watched by a pair of bright red glowing eyes, presumably the Mothman’s. Alex explains that one of the Mothman’s primary attacks is inducing extreme paranoia, fear, nausea, and suicidal thoughts if you look into her eyes. However, the Mothman can only use this psychic attack once before needing to return to the Otherside so it can be avoided. Although, the Mothman is still very strong, fast, and deadly even without her hypnotic eyes. This run-in with Mothman prompts Salenna to set up a series of trail cams around Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach. The main concern is that the Mothman will attempt to cause one of his signature “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge disasters].” A few days later, Felix notes that an unusual and uneasy calm has washed over California. This is another power of the Mothman; he can spread a calm state over vast areas such as Long Beach. He does this to make it harder for normal people to see and fear him and to feel the need to actually stop what the Mothman is planning. And it isn’t clear what the plan is until late into the month on the 26th, when Felix puts the pieces together that Mothman has been creating a city-wide sigil to bring about a catastrophic disaster. Thankfully with the help of the Bird Beast of Var’s feathers, the Cafe was able to weaken Mothman’s ritual preventing a massive disaster. However, the redirected energy led to an explosion at the crux of the sigil, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-30-me-51513-story.html South Coast Plaza mall], though there were no injuries. As for why Mothman was conjuring this disaster… it’s unclear, though locationally, that the crux of the disaster aligned with a monument of some sort in the Otherside. Further investigations will be required. Though in stopping the Mothman, the Owner fears that it will put new pressure on the Cafe from the Open Doors Church, and so the Owner lays out a set of 12 esoteric rules for the Cafe to follow.

<h2>MOP - Memories of the Past</h2>
Jenni writes her first receipt for the Cafe explaining in vague terms how her unique powers work. In a sense, she can see into the Otherside from the Flipside, usually at weak points in the boundary lines but her powers also work just about anywhere when she can get them to work. Jenni was able to get a glance at the Otherside when she visited the Cafe’s “graveyard” with the others. While staring at the tombstone for the previous #35, Jenni got a flash of somewhere bright, sunny, and full of feathers in the Otherside. Jenni asks if it’d be alright to revisit the graveyard with her quartz lens planchette to get a better view of the Otherside. Nikki returned to the graveyard with Jenni later, though Jenni ended up passing out due to the intensity of her vision. From Nikki’s recollection, Jenni saw a birch tree with a snake on it. The snake in her vision jumped towards Jenni, which caused her to faint. After Jenni recovered, she clarified that the tree had golden eye patterns, similar to a birch tree with golden leaves. One of the tree branches turned into a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiptere winged snake] that got longer and longer before slithering behind Jenni, and then she passed out. This prompts the rest of the Cafe, sans Owner and new employees, to discuss the meaning behind Jenni’s visions. Aelan writes a receipt mentioning how Ciel warned that while Jenni was seeing into the Morningstar, the snake was undoubtedly one of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor Belphegor’s] children, an Ouroborian. Specifically, the snake seems to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_Trismegistus Hermes Trismegistus], one of Belphegor’s strongest children. What Jenni perceived as Hermes looking at her turned out to be Hermes looking at Ciel though Aelan doesn’t mention what, if anything, Hermes said or did to Ciel in the Morningstar. All of this prompts Aelan to wonder if the Owner was having an affair with Belphegor and if that was the cause of Lucifer leaving the Cafe. If only because the Owner seems to know more about Belphegor than Lucifer. Later in the month, Jenni has a weird dream where a massive fog-like being known as the Sagradopto Entity spoke to her in her dream, claiming that they would be reacquainted soon. While Jenni’s description of the dream is vague, it sparks Felix’s interest, and he decides he would like to study her dreams, though to do so, he will need a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonautics psychonautic] approach. However, Felix claims that psychonautics are not his forte and that perhaps the Owner would be better suited to tackling the subconscious plane of Jenni’s mind. In any case, it will take Felix time to prepare the proper “ingredients” to achieve this plan.

<h2>BBVR - Bird Beast of Var Returns</h2>
Aelan announces that the [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Bird_Beast_of_Var Bird Beast of Var], Ciel, has returned to the Cafe. He is a Morningstarian Demon who helped the Cafe in 1993 and then stuck around for a bit and ended up in a romantic relationship with Aelan before things ended on not the best of terms. Ciel has explicitly returned because he is worried about the Mothman. Both Ciel and the Mothman are Blooded Demons; demons are not reincarnated mortals but born in the Otherside typically as the children of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil Devil] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith Lilith], though Ciel and Mothman are of different nobilities. Ciel's family has been feuding with Mothman's for many years. Additionally, Ciel wanted to leave the Morningstar for a bit as it turns out that Lucifer has been on a post-break-up "mania," which has caused things in the Morningstar to become too hectic. Nick writes his first receipt excited to meet with Ciel because he feels that there is something special and potentially extraterrestrial about him. Nick also mentions that his family's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar familiar], Norbert Langley, has said before that Ciel and Mothman are not the children of the Devil, making them exceedingly rare, even for Blooded Demons. Ciel later pays Felix a visit and realizes that Felix is under Mothman's calm, curing him by giving Felix one of his feathers. Having come out of his unnatural state of calm, Felix immediately asks Ciel where Indrid Cold is, though Ciel does not know anything about Cold's whereabouts. Ciel ends their conversation by saying he is needed in Aurora, Morningstar's capital, and has to leave again for the time being.

<h2>CIC - Cryptid in the Computer</h2>
Salenna reports a strange hit on the message board, a customer that is seemingly entirely computerized. Having little to go off of, Salenna names the customer Xulfa which is “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux A Flux],” backward. Xulfa seems to leave bits of code wherever he is seen, specifically the phrase “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Things heat up in the case as their informant is presumed dead or, at the very least, missing. Worried that the Astoria 23rd Agency will be acting fast on this, Salenna and Sahir travel to Ohio to investigate the patron’s home. There were no signs of a struggle and only a printed note left behind: “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Salenna wonders if Xulfa could be a similar pseudo-technological entity like Mr. Cold is, as it would be difficult for a fully-digital entity to outright kill someone. Sahir confirms that the Astoria 23rd Division Sierra has been alerted to the disappearance and will investigate soon. Though Sahir was able to put the pieces together in time, Sahir was needed back in LA, and this would be a case that Salenna couldn’t handle on her own. Sahir asks an associate of the Cafe and Diner, the guardian of the Hot Bed, Daniel Hamilton, if he would be willing to assist the Cafe once again. As it turns out, Xulfa is a malicious [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_worm worm-virus] that was created to find a host system with the proper Otherside technology to execute its creation into a self-replicating nanobot or, in simpler terms, a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo gray goo]. Its creator, Dr. Crow, [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/connecticut/velvet-street-ct/ operates within a house that can disappear and reappear on Wednesdays]. This forces Salenna and Hamilton into a tight window to confront Dr. Crow, destroy the goo, and return before his house vanishes again. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, and during a week trapped within Dr. Crow’s house, Hamilton was consumed by the gray goo. However, the goo also consumed Dr. Crow putting an end to his strange occultic experiments. Salenna decides to stay in the Ohio/West Virginia area to make sure that Dr. Crow’s [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Melon_Heads remaining experiments] don’t cause any problems and to ensure that Hamilton’s wife and son are okay. Although… a very strange message appears in the CaDCom logs.

<blockquote>CAN YOU SEE THIS?
Yes.
DO YOU SEE THIS?
Yes.
CAN YOU ENTER HELL?
Yes.
ENTER HELL?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Testament De Salomon l’honneur et glorie]…</blockquote>

It would seem that Dr. Crow has, in a way, survived in death, retaining his human memories even as a demon. Crow threatens that the “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley beast must feast and feast it shall].”

<h2>TCV - The Cold Visitor</h2>
Sahir has a brief encounter with Indrid Cold. Though, per usual, Indrid Cold only speaks in looped pre-recorded messages. He warns that someone needs to get out of here because their chance to escape is coming soon. Indrid’s messages also mention finding a man and that someone should rest now and return to somewhere, though the end of the message is cut off. Indrid’s messages switch towards the end, and he asks Sahir if he has seen Daniel Hamilton before wishing Sahir a pleasant Friday evening. These messages would later be reused in a 2017 conversation with Cold.

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-24T07:49:33Z

AshBlack:

__TOC__

<h1>August 95</h1>

<h2>COS - The Church of Satan</h2>
Satan has started operating in Long Beach under the guise of Padre Santos the head priest of the Open Doors Church. The powerful High Demon, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman Mothman] and the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man] Umbra, and Umbra’s assistant, the [https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/02/21/dangerous-games-summoning-red-man/ Red Man], are with him. It’s unclear what Mothman has to gain from the partnership, but it’s evident that Umbra is hoping for a favor in return. The Red Man has to do what Umbra says, so he’s along for the ride regardless. Additionally, Satan has an “other book” unique from his primary Boogieman Book. (It’s also different than his book of 13 regents later mentioned). <b><i>Mysteriously COS05, along with August 27th, 28th, 29th, and the 30th, is still missing from the Archives.</i></b> To discover more about Satan’s other book, the enigmatic Shaka proposed the Cafe should seek out some of Satan’s consorts.
<h2>AAA - An Alien Autopsy</h2>

London-based entrepreneur [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Santilli Ray Santilli] plans to release some “authentic alien autopsy” footage on Johnathan Frakes’ Fact or Fiction. One problem, that’s no alien… that’s a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douen Douen]. A small Maydaian or Amaymonian demon found in Caribbean folklore. Their feet are famously backward, and they potentially steal children from the shore. While aliens might not be a concern of the Cafe, actual demon footage airing on T.V. is. Alex takes on the task of “blurring” the footage to maintain the balance between the Flipside and Otherside. However, in the process, Alex discovers that Ray Santilli was working with Firefighter from Division Uniform of the Astoria 23rd Agency. It seems that Firefighter, Baseball Player, Milkman, and Schoolgirl created the hoax, and the most crucial part of this hoax was 5 minutes of the film that have since gone missing. What could those 5 minutes of footage hold? Mind control? Electrical magic? And will Division Uniform try and disperse it later?
<h2>TTE - The Time Traveler's Emails</h2>

The Cafe and Diner receive a strange message from a “John Doe” on their hidden message board. It bears a striking resemblance to similar messages sent by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor John Titor]. Like John Titor, John Doe requires an original CaDCom88 to decipher a Cafe Crisis Cipher left by his cycle’s “Last Cafe,” as cracking it is vital to his cycle’s survival. However, like Titor, Doe has taken a bit of detour from his initial mission to observe and interact with the current cycle’s timeline. John Doe has noticed a very pressing anomaly that has pushed him out of the shadows seeking the Cafe’s help. John hints that he knows the owner’s real name and that the proper people to deal with this anomaly won’t be around for another few years (By the by, this is <b><i>VERY</i></b> meta even for John Doe). As it turns out, John Doe is worried about the temporal anomaly that John’s timeline is “crashing” into the Cafe’s timeline. While cycles sometimes naturally crash into each other, this seems strangely forced and is most likely done by John’s version of Mammon. So, the Cafe and Diner must take a trip to John Doe’s cycle to deal with this problem, and they are accompanied by Shaka of Zulu to do so. And thus, begins and ends the mysterious Indigo Wars. The Cafe Returns the next day after having spent roughly a year in 2035 fighting against the 55 Society and Mammon, though they have more significant, more Satan-y fish to fry in 1995.

<h2>DPG - Domenech's Pseudo-goat</h2>
The Cafe gets a hit on their message board, alerting them to the presence of a [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Domenech%27s_Pseudo-goat Pseudo-Goat] somewhere around Texas A&M University. When Aelan reaches the campus, she is greeted by a swarm of Division Quebec members from the Astoria 23rd Agency, including Joliette, Rimouski, and Estire. Leading them seems to be Five from the 12th Division: Lima. Eventually, Aelan finds the Pseudo-Goat in the care of one of the college’s students, and she attempts to return it home to the Infernus; however, for whatever reason, it can’t return to the Infernus. When Aelan tries to force the Pseudo-Goat back into the Infernus, it causes a massive blackout in Texas and alerts the Astorians to its presence. Aelan manages to escape with the Pseudo-Goat and plans to lose the Astorians in Las Vegas as she heads back to the Cafe. The owner takes a liking to the Pseudo-Goat, naming him François, and lets him stay with the Cafe for the time being until a way home for it can be found.

<h2>WFS - Whispers from the Shadows</h2>
Felix notices something, or someone is watching the Cafe and Diner while attempting to mitigate a mysterious ailment in the Owner's eye. The entity lurking around the Cafe was shadow-like and roughly 6-8 feet tall with white eyes. Along with seeing this mysterious entity, the Owner heard whispers emanating from the entity's direction. Felix then waited for the Owner to inevitably fall asleep at his desk, and when he did, the entity returned, and it was none other than the Hatman, Umbra. Umbra ensnared the Owner with his signature sleep paralysis and began whispering an eerie chant of "gisgnagraphdongraph gonfam druxmed vehnavandonvehna" which triggered the CaDCom translation feature. Though the CaDCom struggled to translate it at first, the phrase was revealed to be "there is no church," as it would be spelled out in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian Enochian]. It seems that Umbra was attempting to lead the Cafe away from the Open Doors Church. The Owner and Felix then set a trap for Umbra in the back of the Cafe keeping him in a completely pitch-black room. Without a source of light, Umbra is unable to move as a shadow cannot exist in pure darkness. However, keeping Umbra at the Cafe would prove to be too dangerous, so Felix allowed Umbra to escape. Still, Felix was able to take a sample of Umbra's "sableblood," which will protect the Cafe from Umbra for the foreseeable future. Umbra doesn't reveal much about Padre's plans, but Felix speculates that the Mothman was specifically chosen to lure out a more dangerous entity—[https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Indrid_Cold Indrid Cold].

<h2>SKWC - Strange Kids Want Coffee</h2>
While it is true that the Cafe and Diner masquerades as a generic combination cafe and diner… they aren’t actually a cafe or diner. So, then it is quite bizarre that three teenagers, two girls and a boy, came into the Cafe to order three black coffees. Quick on his feet, the Owner served them some instant coffee he had lying around. Could they be pawns of Padre Santos? Or perhaps they are working for the Astoria 23rd Agency? Whatever the case, the teens returned the next week to rummage through the Cafe’s trash. Interestingly, one of the girls, the red-headed one, kept looking through a Ouija Board’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planchette planchette], but why? When the teens returned a few days later, the Owner decided to confront them directly and hired them as part-time employees #35, #44, and #1313.

<h1>October 95</h1>

<h2>ASG - A Search for Gray</h2>
The Owner begins by revealing that one of the co-owners of the Cafe and Diner, Lucy Fireald (an anagram of Lady [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer Lucifer]), left the Cafe about a year ago, in September 1994. The Owner wonders if Lucy leaving the Cafe is what emboldened her brother, Padre Santos ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan Satan]), to make a move in Long Beach. Whatever the case, they need to track down [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_Gray_(character) Dorian Gray], one of Satan’s Consorts, to move forward with their investigation. Consorts are the lowest tier of the House of Satan, comprised of “husbands, wives, boy-toys, friends, jesters, and muses” of Satan. Specifically, they are after Dorian Gray, a contemporary of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde Oscar Wilde] in life and living embodiment of the fictional character in his afterlife. Satan painted a portrait of Dorian, which allows Dorian to travel between the Flipside and Otherside at will. However, the portrait requires a certain amount of “sin” to stay youthful and operational. As such, the portrait has a symbiotic relationship with Dorian Gray, and the more debaucherous Gray is in the Flipside, the more powerful he becomes in the Otherside. Additionally, any harm done to the portrait is harm done to Dorian Gray, similar to the novel.

Later in the month, Sahir receives word from one of his many contacts that Dorian Gray has been spotted hanging around “The Diamond Club” (later called The Ruby post 1995) in LA on Thursdays for their “[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-nov-28-wk-kastle28-story.html Perversion]” nights. Out of the current staff, only Alex and Nikki could reasonably fit in at Perversion, though they are both still underage, so they’ll need a fake ID. To ensure that Dorian can’t leave the club, Felix is tasked with drawing protective sigils around the area. In the meantime, Alex does some digging and discovers that Perversion is a front for demons to enter the Flipside. Felix confirms this when he is confronted by the demon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naberius Naberius] while attempting to place the sigils outside of the club. Naberius and Felix have a chat, and it is revealed that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmodeus Asmodeus] is also making moves in LA and is setting up these clubs and events for demons to come, chat, make deals, have fun, and then return to the Otherside. Felix doesn’t buy that, but he can’t press it at the moment and instead makes a deal with Naberius to leave Asmodeus and her operations alone to help corner Dorian. On the 22nd, Nikki and Alex track down Dorian at the club, and Dorian reveals that Satan’s other notebook directly gives those who sign their names in it a fraction of Satan’s powers. In contrast, his boogieman book only gives a fraction of the Hauntaurskald’s power and with strict rules on how it is used. When Nikki and Alex ask Dorian what other names are in Satan’s notebook, Dorian claims to not know, but [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Tom_Walker Tom Walker] would. Alex and Nikki then let Dorian use his portrait to return to the Hauntaurskald, but they take his portrait back to the Cafe for safekeeping.

<h2>DIS - Disasters in the Skies</h2>
While Alex was out walking at night, he noticed in a car’s rear-view mirror that he was being watched by a pair of bright red glowing eyes, presumably the Mothman’s. Alex explains that one of the Mothman’s primary attacks is inducing extreme paranoia, fear, nausea, and suicidal thoughts if you look into her eyes. However, the Mothman can only use this psychic attack once before needing to return to the Otherside so it can be avoided. Although, the Mothman is still very strong, fast, and deadly even without her hypnotic eyes. This run-in with Mothman prompts Salenna to set up a series of trail cams around Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach. The main concern is that the Mothman will attempt to cause one of his signature “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge disasters].” A few days later, Felix notes that an unusual and uneasy calm has washed over California. This is another power of the Mothman; he can spread a calm state over vast areas such as Long Beach. He does this to make it harder for normal people to see and fear him and to feel the need to actually stop what the Mothman is planning. And it isn’t clear what the plan is until late into the month on the 26th, when Felix puts the pieces together that Mothman has been creating a city-wide sigil to bring about a catastrophic disaster. Thankfully with the help of the Bird Beast of Var’s feathers, the Cafe was able to weaken Mothman’s ritual preventing a massive disaster. However, the redirected energy led to an explosion at the crux of the sigil, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-09-30-me-51513-story.html South Coast Plaza mall], though there were no injuries. As for why Mothman was conjuring this disaster… it’s unclear, though locationally, that the crux of the disaster aligned with a monument of some sort in the Otherside. Further investigations will be required. Though in stopping the Mothman, the Owner fears that it will put new pressure on the Cafe from the Open Doors Church, and so the Owner lays out a set of 12 esoteric rules for the Cafe to follow.

<h2>MOP - Memories of the Past</h2>
Jenni writes her first receipt for the Cafe explaining in vague terms how her unique powers work. In a sense, she can see into the Otherside from the Flipside, usually at weak points in the boundary lines but her powers also work just about anywhere when she can get them to work. Jenni was able to get a glance at the Otherside when she visited the Cafe’s “graveyard” with the others. While staring at the tombstone for the previous #35, Jenni got a flash of somewhere bright, sunny, and full of feathers in the Otherside. Jenni asks if it’d be alright to revisit the graveyard with her quartz lens planchette to get a better view of the Otherside. Nikki returned to the graveyard with Jenni later, though Jenni ended up passing out due to the intensity of her vision. From Nikki’s recollection, Jenni saw a birch tree with a snake on it. The snake in her vision jumped towards Jenni, which caused her to faint. After Jenni recovered, she clarified that the tree had golden eye patterns, similar to a birch tree with golden leaves. One of the tree branches turned into a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiptere winged snake] that got longer and longer before slithering behind Jenni, and then she passed out. This prompts the rest of the Cafe, sans Owner and new employees, to discuss the meaning behind Jenni’s visions. Aelan writes a receipt mentioning how Ciel warned that while Jenni was seeing into the Morningstar, the snake was undoubtedly one of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor Belphegor’s] children, an Ouroborian. Specifically, the snake seems to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_Trismegistus Hermes Trismegistus], one of Belphegor’s strongest children. What Jenni perceived as Hermes looking at her turned out to be Hermes looking at Ciel though Aelan doesn’t mention what, if anything, Hermes said or did to Ciel in the Morningstar. All of this prompts Aelan to wonder if the Owner was having an affair with Belphegor and if that was the cause of Lucifer leaving the Cafe. If only because the Owner seems to know more about Belphegor than Lucifer. Later in the month, Jenni has a weird dream where a massive fog-like being known as the Sagradopto Entity spoke to her in her dream, claiming that they would be reacquainted soon. While Jenni’s description of the dream is vague, it sparks Felix’s interest, and he decides he would like to study her dreams, though to do so, he will need a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonautics psychonautic] approach. However, Felix claims that psychonautics are not his forte and that perhaps the Owner would be better suited to tackling the subconscious plane of Jenni’s mind. In any case, it will take Felix time to prepare the proper “ingredients” to achieve this plan.

<h2>BBVR - Bird Beast of Var Returns</h2>
Aelan announces that the [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Bird_Beast_of_Var Bird Beast of Var], Ciel, has returned to the Cafe. He is a Morningstarian Demon who helped the Cafe in 1993 and then stuck around for a bit and ended up in a romantic relationship with Aelan before things ended on not the best of terms. Ciel has explicitly returned because he is worried about the Mothman. Both Ciel and the Mothman are Blooded Demons; demons are not reincarnated mortals but born in the Otherside typically as the children of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil Devil] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith Lilith], though Ciel and Mothman are of different nobilities. Ciel's family has been feuding with Mothman's for many years. Additionally, Ciel wanted to leave the Morningstar for a bit as it turns out that Lucifer has been on a post-break-up "mania," which has caused things in the Morningstar to become too hectic. Nick writes his first receipt excited to meet with Ciel because he feels that there is something special and potentially extraterrestrial about him. Nick also mentions that his family's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar familiar], Norbert Langley, has said before that Ciel and Mothman are not the children of the Devil, making them exceedingly rare, even for Blooded Demons. Ciel later pays Felix a visit and realizes that Felix is under Mothman's calm, curing him by giving Felix one of his feathers. Having come out of his unnatural state of calm, Felix immediately asks Ciel where Indrid Cold is, though Ciel does not know anything about Cold's whereabouts. Ciel ends their conversation by saying he is needed in Aurora, Morningstar's capital, and has to leave again for the time being.

<h2>CIC - Cryptid in the Computer</h2>
Salenna reports a strange hit on the message board, a customer that is seemingly entirely computerized. Having little to go off of, Salenna names the customer Xulfa which is “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flux A Flux],” backward. Xulfa seems to leave bits of code wherever he is seen, specifically the phrase “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Things heat up in the case as their informant is presumed dead or, at the very least, missing. Worried that the Astoria 23rd Agency will be acting fast on this, Salenna and Sahir travel to Ohio to investigate the patron’s home. There were no signs of a struggle and only a printed note left behind: “Do you see this? Can you see this? Can you enter Hell?” Salenna wonders if Xulfa could be a similar pseudo-technological entity like Mr. Cold is, as it would be difficult for a fully-digital entity to outright kill someone. Sahir confirms that the Astoria 23rd Division Sierra has been alerted to the disappearance and will investigate soon. Though Sahir was able to put the pieces together in time, Sahir was needed back in LA, and this would be a case that Salenna couldn’t handle on her own. Sahir asks an associate of the Cafe and Diner, the guardian of the Hot Bed, Daniel Hamilton, if he would be willing to assist the Cafe once again. As it turns out, Xulfa is a malicious [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_worm worm-virus] that was created to find a host system with the proper Otherside technology to execute its creation into a self-replicating nanobot or, in simpler terms, a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo gray goo]. Its creator, Dr. Crow, [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/connecticut/velvet-street-ct/ operates within a house that can disappear and reappear on Wednesdays]. This forces Salenna and Hamilton into a tight window to confront Dr. Crow, destroy the goo, and return before his house vanishes again. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, and during a week trapped within Dr. Crow’s house, Hamilton was consumed by the gray goo. However, the goo also consumed Dr. Crow putting an end to his strange occultic experiments. Salenna decides to stay in the Ohio/West Virginia area to make sure that Dr. Crow’s [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Melon_Heads remaining experiments] don’t cause any problems and to ensure that Hamilton’s wife and son are okay. Although… a very strange message appears in the CaDCom logs.

<blockquote>CAN YOU SEE THIS? Yes. DO YOU SEE THIS? Yes. CAN YOU ENTER HELL? Yes. ENTER HELL? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Testament De Salomon l’honneur et glorie]… It would seem that Dr. Crow has, in a way, survived in death, retaining his human memories even as a demon. Crow threatens that the “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley beast must feast and feast it shall].”</blockquote>

<h2>TCV - The Cold Visitor</h2>
Sahir has a brief encounter with Indrid Cold. Though, per usual, Indrid Cold only speaks in looped pre-recorded messages. He warns that someone needs to get out of here because their chance to escape is coming soon. Indrid’s messages also mention finding a man and that someone should rest now and return to somewhere, though the end of the message is cut off. Indrid’s messages switch towards the end, and he asks Sahir if he has seen Daniel Hamilton before wishing Sahir a pleasant Friday evening. These messages would later be reused in a 2017 conversation with Cold.

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-24T07:41:03Z

AshBlack:

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-24T07:37:34Z

AshBlack:

The Anathema Proxy Summary

2022-11-24T07:26:01Z

AshBlack: Created page with "__TOC__ <h1>August 95</h1> <h2>COS - The Church of Satan</h2> Satan has started operating in Long Beach under the guise of Padre Santos the head priest of the Open Doors Church. The powerful High Demon, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman Mothman] and the [https://www.theweek.co.uk/97457/who-is-the-hat-man-the-nightmare-shared-by-dreamers-across-the-world Hat Man] Umbra, and Umbra’s assistant, the [https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/02/21/dangerous-games-summoni..."

Official Summaries

2022-11-24T07:10:53Z

AshBlack: Created page with "<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>Official Summaries</center></strong></span> <center>Some official summaries penned by Ash Black, the creator of the Cafe and Diner. <b><i>Heavy spoilers ahead!</i></b></center><br> ---- __NOTOC__ {| style="width:100%;" |- | style="width:33%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>Open Doors<br><font size="5">The Anathema P..."

Retrospectives

2022-11-24T07:06:29Z

AshBlack:

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>Retrospectives</center></strong></span>
<center>Some official musings on each update from Ash Black, the creator of the Cafe and Diner. <b><i>Heavy spoilers ahead!</i></b></center><br>
----
__NOTOC__
{| style="width:100%;"
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| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>Update 0.5<br><font size="5">[[Bad Omens Retrospective|Bad Omens]]</b></h3>
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|}

Bad Omens Retrospective

2022-11-24T07:05:30Z

AshBlack: Created page with "__TOC__ <h1>0.5: Bad Omens</h1> <blockquote>"You thought it wise a Devil’s bargain, which cleaved a new world's margin."</blockquote> Initially penned in February and March 2020, it's the oldest content in the Archives and was written well before the Archives were even an idea. Bad Omens was originally a reboot of the Cafe and Diner ARG from 2018 set in a new universe with most of the original cast back and working together. It was very short-lived due to the pandemic..."

__TOC__
<h1>0.5: Bad Omens</h1>
<blockquote>"You thought it wise a Devil’s bargain, which cleaved a new world's margin."</blockquote>

Initially penned in February and March 2020, it's the oldest content in the Archives and was written well before the Archives were even an idea. Bad Omens was originally a reboot of the Cafe and Diner ARG from 2018 set in a new universe with most of the original cast back and working together. It was very short-lived due to the pandemic, my grandmother's death, and my having to move across my state to return to school. Still, unlike the original ARG, all of the reboot receipts were archived, so they literally formed the backbone of the Archives in 2021. That being said… I have a lot of problems with Bad Omens.

<h2>The Good Omens</h2>
As much as I want to just shit on Bad Omens for being old and bad, I think there are a lot of good things this Update brought with it too. The most notable good that came from Good Omens was the premise of the current iteration of the CaDive Universe, also known as the 16th Sphere. The 15th Sphere (a.k.a. the original 2018 ARG) ended in a fiery confusing mess. It was so bad that I had to reboot the universe somehow to continue the story. And still, to this day, I love the premise of Mammon and Belphegor teaming up with Jean-Marc to use God's Pocketwatch to rewind the universe.

Part of Jean's stipulations for using the Pocketwatch to reset the universe was that he would get to have all of the Cafe and Diner employees return and be at his side. Now, of course, you might be thinking--well, if that's the case where's Miranda, Brent, Tyler, Ashlyn, Aelan, or Salenna? I think that the deal between Mammon on Jean-Marc was only set up to have all of the Cafe and Diner employees have the possibility of returning. And those who aren't present for the Fourth Cafe either join after Otherworldly or are doing their own thing… or are dead.

The other great thing Good Omens brought was the Otherworld itself. It's a fresh and novel concept for the Cafe and Diner to deal with and dramatically expands the available customers. Good Omens opens up with CWWA/Cowon in Washington (originally OSO/Other Side of the Otherside, though that was later amended to be an earlier case.) And in CWWA, Jackie is hot on the trail of a canine customer paralleling the opening of the original 2018 ARG, where Jackie was tracking down a Chupacabra. It's such a fun opening that calls back to the original ARG in such a nice way. It's also the return of Jackie as a character, as she originally went AWOL at the end of A Halloween Gambit in the original ARG.

<h2>The Bad Omens</h2>
But boy, oh boy, is there a lot of Jackie in Bad Omens. Almost entirely too much Jackie. Of the 49 Receipts in Bad Omens, Jackie has 6, and Felix has 7. And the other few employees who dominate the conversation are Jean-Marc, Jennifer, Jericho, and Joy. So… Managers plus Felix. This was a weird habit of mine in the earlier writing to only give focus to the Managers. My character balancing does improve later on, though, and it improves dramatically after Update 11 or so when I started ensuring that everyone got at least one receipt. Still, these earlier updates are very mono-employee, and Update 1 isn't going to be much better.

Another major flaw of Bad Omens is that the pacing is horrendous. It's easily my biggest regret with how Bad Omens is written. The pacing of CaD was never that great, however. For comparison, the Twice Third Temple and Welcome the Dark storylines in the original ARG were only three months long, whereas now they are both around 18 months long. The most notable flaw of Bad Omen's pacing is that Nightmarch is introduced halfway through February. Initially, the entirety of the Otherworldly Adventures was only going to take around 5 months. So, the Cafe would have gone to Nightmarch to get Princess Takiyasha's Antekey in April 2020. For comparison, now the Nightmarch story arc takes place in June 2020 and stretches until mid-August 2020.

<h2>The Ugly Omens</h2>
…And then there are the weird continuity errors and downright retcons that come with Bad Omens. Three major oddities stick out to me in Bad Omens. 1) Sequence II (obviously), 2) The Friday Reports, and 3) Julia-Wandsun/Babe of Lucifer.

So first off, Sequence II. The big old retcon in the room. Originally it was not written to be a retcon. I didn't go into writing it thinking I would end up redoing all of it anyway. In fact, I debated with not even including it in the Archives at all because it is no longer canon. What happened was I wrote myself into a bad corner in 2020 and when I came back to continue the story in 2021… I hated it. Partly because the pacing was terrible, partly because I had jumped the shark by opening the Black Tide, and partly because I just don't like my older writing all that much. So I made the decision to have Dolos reset time by a month so I could write it properly. Of course, the "real" March 2020 still has its problems, but I'll talk about that when I get to the Update 3 & 4 Retrospective.

Next, the Friday Reports. So very weird and out of place. The Friday Reports were released as part of the 2020 Reboot ARG and were sort of like a fun treat to show what happened in the past of this new universe and how it lined up with events of the prior universe using a reoccurring boogieman, Friday. The problem is, I wasn't planning on writing the Archives, so I was able to write whatever, and I didn't have to worry so much about shaping future content around them at the time. Now I have seven receipts that are just scattered throughout the Third Cafe that I need to write around, and over time I've had to update the Friday Receipts via Housekeeping to make them fit better with what's going on. On the bright side, at least, I wrote the Friday Receipts with much more forgiving pacing at the time… though it's almost a little too broad in some places. But I think that's a general limitation of Friday's terms that he could only come to Flipside on Friday the 13th.

Then there's Julia. Julia is a returning character from the very ill-fated J's Cafe reboot. Technically, the J's Cafe reboot was the first reboot of the Cafe and Diner in the 16th Sphere, but it didn't take place in the Cafe Prime Cycle. My issue with Bad Omens is that the reveal that Julia is the daughter of Lucifer was going to happen a lot sooner than it does in the Archives now. It was supposed to happen around June 2020… instead of December 2021. So the poem "Babe of Lucifer with locks of gold, Half-Prince unleashing horrors fourfold" was a bit too straightforward. It also makes it sort of weird that Jean-Marc doesn't press the implication of Lucifer having a child, and I still haven't really addressed that yet in the Archives, but I'm hoping to at some point.

In general, there are also some other oddities about Bad Omens and the Otherworldly Adventures. New customer classifications like Ms. and Mx. are never used outside of Bad Omens. Shaka has his name needlessly obscured. The Receipt Total system makes a lot more sense in the Twitter ARG context but is now just cumbersome in the Archives. The Pearl Antekey was originally the only Olympian Antekey. And the horribly awkward timing of Bad Omens taking place a month after Otherworldly started leaving a weird January 2020 gap to fill in later.

<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>
I don't like Bad Omens. I wasn't in a good place when I was writing it, and it received next to no attention when it was running. I love the premise and the setup, but the actual writing was too fast-paced and poorly balanced character-wise. I've done some Housekeeping work on Bad Omens to attempt to get it closer to the quality of future updates, but there are some rough spots that no amount of polish can really take out.

<h2>Neat Stats</h2>
Bad Omens has:
*49 Receipts
*16 Authors
*~10,000 Words
*21 Diner Receipts
*7 Cafe Receipts
*2 Cafe Diner Receipts
*1 Diner Diner Receipt
*18 Different Cafe Receipts
*11 Orders

Bad Omens takes place in Long Beach, New Orleans, Auburn, Hollywood, Mompong Island, the remains of the Sogi Power Station, and Richland.

Bad Omens is also the first appearance of the Zombie Kathrine Wade, the Badb, Princess Takiyasha, and Despoina.

Retrospectives

2022-11-24T07:05:21Z

AshBlack: Replaced content with "<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>Retrospectives</center></strong></span> <center>Some official musings on each update from Ash Black, the creator of the Cafe and Diner.</center><br> ---- __NOTOC__ {| style="width:100%;" |- | style="width:33%; vertical-align:top" | <h3 style="padding:4px;background:#3C3D36;border:5px solid #a49b92;color:white;text-align:center;border-radius:5px"><b>Update 0.5<br><font size="5">Bad Omens</b></h..."

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>Retrospectives</center></strong></span>
<center>Some official musings on each update from Ash Black, the creator of the Cafe and Diner.</center><br>
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__NOTOC__
{| style="width:100%;"
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Retrospectives

2022-11-24T06:59:30Z

C-ADD01 (Nov 28, 2017)

2022-09-02T01:04:26Z

AshBlack: I mixed up Relations and Resources.

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>C-ADD01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">DIFFERENT RECEIPT<br>
10 CHARACTERS 1 WORD<br>
“Human Resources Royally known as”</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">Who's Human Resources?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">When did a royal last come?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">What's their title then?</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Seamstress</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">In the ROR receipt, this is the title of H. R. (short for Human Resources).</span></span>
----
<br>
<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Summary</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>NUMBER: C-ADD01<br>
DATE: 28-11-17<br>
ORDER: FRUIT<br>
CUSTOMER: FLORIDA<br>
SERVER: H.R.<br>

We had a, well, um, a strange customer come into the Cafe today. Literally showed up at the Cafe. It was Robert. And he looked, well, worse than usual. We were right that Umbra did not take Robert’s stunt last month well. From what he told me, Robert nearly killed him, destroying all of his backup bodies and torturing his final remaining body. Robert was literally falling apart at the seams, so I took pity on him and helped sew him back up as best as possible.

It seems like Robert wants to help us, mostly to get revenge on Umbra but also because he’s genuinely scared of what Umbra is planning. I didn’t let him stay in the Cafe, obviously. And with all of his backup bodies destroyed, he really needs to stay at his museum to not draw the attention of tourists. Though… I don’t know. Maybe he could be of help? And at the very least, I feel like we should help him, right? I think it might be best if we could find a way to get him back to the Everdark, away from Umbra. Of course, we’d need to figure out how to remove him from his body.

At the same time, I don’t trust Robert. None of us trust Robert. And how can we trust him after the stunt he pulled last month? He wanted to become a Prince of Hell. Putting him back in the Otherside might not be the best idea. But leaving him trapped inside his only remaining body just doesn’t feel right. That’s almost a fate worse than death. Maybe… maybe we can look into a separation spell for Shades and see if he’s interested. Or… we could exchange that information for Robert’s knowledge of Umbra’s plans. This definitely feels like a group decision, so I’d like to know whatever one else thinks about it first.</span>