One of Great Uncle Jack’s main reasons for being in Canada,
and Jasper in particular, was to search for the Sasquatch, a creature widely
rumoured to have been in the area. Even renowned cartographer David Thompson recorded
an encounter with the tracks of something unusual in the vicinity of Jasper
during his 1811 expedition. Whether it was a Sasquatch, an uncommonly large
bear, or even a small mammoth was left undecided, though all these explanations
were put forward. And although Thompson does not record the details, he does
mention that the area is supposed to be the haunt of one or more beasts of tremendous
size.
As per usual with Jack’s writing, it is cryptic and
disorderly, having clearly been written solely for his own reference. In
addition to that, the majority of the individual entries for the expeditions boil
down to ‘nothing of interest to record’ and a handful of figures regarding
distance travelled, change in elevation, and minor technical adjustments to the
Brazen Angel. I’ve taken the liberty of omitting these, and just concentrating
on the most relevant and interesting entries.
A couple of notes before we begin, so that I can let Uncle
Jack have the last word. Even though I’m not in Canada anymore, I’ll be trying
to keep things running here, and carrying on with Uncle Jack’s stories. This
particular story seems to be an experience he had early in his search for the
Sasquatch. It doesn’t relate directly, but it does represent the best start point as a balance
of completeness and chronological order, as far as I can tell. I hope you find
it interesting and entertaining.
With that out the way, let’s get to it!
I shall be setting out on the morrow to continue my
search for the elusive Sasquatch. Thanks to the Czar (that’s the Crypto-zoological
Association of the Rockies) I have the co-operation of both the Hudson’s Bay
and North West Companies. No small achievement, given the tensions between the
two, and the prestige available to whoever should capture the beast. I have
prepared my supplies and equipment. Along with the requisite food, water, fuel
for the Angel, and so on, I have the following:
Sasquatch bait; being various large cuts of meat, stuffed
with nuts, berries, mushrooms and potent sedatives.
Sasquatch traps; being the same as a bear trap, but bigger.
Hexagrammatic Harpoons; designed to fix the beast in
place physically, and neutralise any paranormal capabilities it may have.
Assorted ropes, chains, shackles and a collapsible cage
Assorted firearms, conventional and specialist, including
the Carbine and Arquebus.
Experimental Sasquatch call, being a specially modified
set of bagpipes.
I anticipate that this shall be an extended expedition,
since I have much to learn about the habits of the beast. Narrowing down its
range, tracking it to its lair, determining the best method of capture and so
on. The equipment I have at present is based on the stories I have heard from
other travellers, though I do not set much stock by them.
Having completed a preliminary investigation of the area,
I believe the most promising area of exploration lies to the Northeast. That
region I have tentatively named the Strangeness, which Jasper seems to sit at a
Southwestern edge of, marked by the Pyramid and the Old Fort. I anticipate that
there may be other interesting things in this area, which I would be loathe to
leave un-documented. The structures and anomalous areas I have encountered so
far have defied any explanation. All that I can say with confidence is that
there is a link between them, and that there is a great deal of Fey activity in
the area.
I think this promises to be a most interesting
expedition.
…
I am approaching
the area of the river head where the stories mention great beasts reside. I
intend to follow the flow of the river upstream, hoping to find both the source
of the river, and some sign of these monstrous creatures. I have yet to encounter
anything out of the ordinary. I have found a sizeable crop of edible mushrooms,
which I have added to my rations.
…
I have found some tracks of remarkable size. I have been
unable to follow them, unfortunately. They were a few isolated prints in a
patch of river mud in rocky surroundings. Although incomplete, I doubt these to
be the prints of the fabled Sasquatch- they do not seem to be simian in nature.
Regardless, it would seem that I am on the right track.
…
I have seen no more tracks, but there have been some of
those unusual marker stones. Whenever I have encountered these before, they
seem to have indicated areas high in unusual activity. Whether it is the
sasquatch or not I cannot be certain, but it would seem that I am on the trail
of something.
…
I have diverted from my original course. While passing a sheer
cliff-faces I noticed a small cleft in the rock face, which appeared to have a passage
behind it. I paused to take a closer look and found that the cleft did not
appear to be entirely natural. It seemed to have been widened with tools at
some point in the distant past. There were faint, weathered tool marks here and
there, as the passage rose in to the interior of the rock face. It remains narrow,
but navigable. The cleft extends to the top of the rock formation, allowing
sunlight in. At noon it should be quite bright, I think. I shall explore a
little further.
…
There are stairs carved in to the rock back here. And it
looks like the top of the cleft has been carved in some way. I think that when
the light is right it may create patterns of some sort. Though without knowing
whether that is a daily or annual phenomenon, I cannot tell. This is most
intriguing. There are a number of smaller markings as well, carved in to the walls
of the cleft. There appears to be some variation in style, between these markings
and those typical to the region, and between the different sections of markings
here. I have made a few sketches of some of these. I shall attempt to classify
them later.
…
This is remarkable! I have found a structure of some sort.
There is an elaborate door carved in to the rockface, with a long chamber
behind it. I cannot see how far back it goes and shall have to take a lantern
with me. I have made a sketch of the door as best I can in the fading light. It
was gone noon when I found the cleft, and it has taken a little while to
explore the cleft and take notes for the other file.
…
Whatever this structure is, it is substantially larger
than I anticipated. I shall explore it briefly now, and document it more
thoroughly tomorrow.
…
I have encountered many strange things in these mountains.
This may be one of the strangest to date.
As I entered the Tomb, for I can think of it as nothing
else now, the light of my torch caught strange patterns carved in to the walls.
I took me a moment or two to determine their purpose. They seem to be paths of
some sort, such that one could follow them buy running a hand along the wall. I
suspected that this was to allow someone to traverse the corridors in total
darkness; I am now certain that this is the case.
…
…sprawling network of tunnels of caves, carved from the
rock. The purpose of most of them eludes me. Ritual of some sort, I suspect.
Others appear to be libraries or studies, full of tightly rolled scrolls on shelves
carved in to the rock. Others seem to be burial chambers. In these rooms it
seemed that the bed had been replaced with an intricately carved sarcophagus,
and little else had changed. The carving seemed at first to be an irregular
pattern of curves and angles, but on closer inspection it seemed to be closely
packed text of a style I was quite unfamiliar with. The way the pattern seemed
to move in the light of my torch made me very uneasy, and I did not linger. I
noted, however, that the design seemed quite distinct from the carvings on the
path in. At a guess, those inside are the work of whoever built, or dug, this
place. Those outside I take to be the work of a later group. I suspect I would
have found more of the same script or symbols on the scrolls. Fearing they may
be fragile I did not open any.
After some time I came to a chamber similar to the studies,
or monks’ cells, as I had begun to think of them, but larger and better
furnished. This had a number of cushions arranged around the outer edge of the
circular room, each with accompanying low desk. The walls were honeycombed with
scroll-shelves, mostly full. It seemed designed that a group of scribes or
scholars might work with great efficiency, were every seat taken, as should any
scroll be required from the shelves, one would only have to turn around to take
it, or ask a fellow to pass it around the circle. In the centre of the room was
a larger desk, of the same low design. Upon it was an open scroll and a curious
writing implement. At the opposite end of the chamber was another door. The
design was similar to that of the outer door, though smaller and more refined. I
crossed the room and opened it. On the other side was a curious and horrifying
chamber. There were more doors on the far side, leading off at 3 different
angles. There were stone benches on the left and right. And occupying the room,
as though frozen where they stood were figures. Well dressed, in robes of red
and white, woven in strange angular patterns, withered, leathery mummified
corpses. Each eyeless, with empty, staring sockets. Each facing the door, from
all parts of the room, and in a variety of postures. Six or seven pairs of
black pits, all looking directly at me.
I decided that
further investigation should wait until the morning, since this was clearly a
much larger complex than I had imagined. I closed the door to that dreadful
room, and started briskly out of the scroll room back toward the entrance. As I
passed the low desk, I bent to pick up the open scroll. Being the newest- or
least old, anyhow- it seemed likely to be sturdiest. As I stooped to reach it,
I received a terrible shock. I heard the door behind me begin to creak open! I
started, and managed to both drop the torch and stumble over the desk at once. The
torch, which had been burning low by this point, went out. Plunged in to
sudden, terrible darkness, I heard a slow, shuffling step from the direction of
the door. In a panic, I tried to run for the exit. Disoriented by the total
darkness which engulfed me, I hit a wall, stumbled, and by tremendous good
fortune almost fell back out in to the corridor I sought. The slow shuffle
sounded once more behind me, and I bolted in to that lightless labyrinth. I
stuffed the scroll, which I still held, in to my shirt, and began to try and
feel my way out, reaching for the walls, and the strange patterns I recalled
seeing carved in to them. Desperately, I tried to recall if there was a pattern
I had seen at both the entrance and here in the depths of the maze of rooms and
tunnels. Failing to do so I set off as fast as I dared, sticking to the left
hand wall and searching desperately for some pattern that might guide me out. I
remembered only one from the outside. A sort of distorted chevron, pointing in
to the depths of this place. Whatever pursued me was slow, and that awful ceaseless
shuffling soon receded behind me as I fled. I continued, swift as I dared and
silent as I could, not trusting in haste alone to free me from this awful tomb.
I had spent the best part of a half-hour making my way in, and wished now that
I had spent more of that time with my attention on the route than on research,
for I had become lost and doubled back on more than one occasion on that
journey. Now I was stricken with fear that should I make such a mistake again,
I would find that dreadful slow shuffle ahead of me rather than behind.
As I paced those stygian hallways, I could still hear
that shuffling step behind me. And with each dead end corridor I traversed, it
sounded closer. It would recede as I hurried away, only to be there once more
the next time I was forced to double back. I do not know how the thing tracked
me through that warren, but its pursuit was relentless and precise. And for all
my speed, it seemed to be catching up to me, a little closer each time it drew
near. The fear that I would find my passage blocked, and some unknown thing
reaching out for me in the darkness shortened my breath and set my heart
racing. With each corner I feared I should run in to something, or yet another
dead end. And still that relentless shuffle sounded behind me. At last I found
the chevrons. The exit was near! Keeping my hand on the wall, I made as much
haste as I could. I had heard no sound for a minute or two, and dared for a
moment to think that I was clear of my pursuer. Mere moments after that
thought, I heard that shuffling sound again, nearby off to my right. Whatever
the thing was, it had known the tunnels well enough to take a short cut, and had
almost cut off my escape. I realised with growing dread that although the
wall-marks laid out a route through the passages, they did not lay out the
fastest route, even with the ingenious system markings to tell the user when to
switch between following with the right and left hands. Twice more I passed
junctions where that relentless shuffling thing had drawn even closer. On the
second occasion I am sure that I felt something snatch at the tail of my coat,
and that I heard the fabric tear. I broke in to a full sprint, desperate to get
away, and the shuffling thing pursued. It seemed faster now, almost keeping
pace as I fled. Then the door was in sight! Scarcely visible, the night outside
almost as dark as the tunnels, but with a glint of light on some of the
equipment I had left outside. Now a rasping and wheezing sound joined the
shuffling, as though by great effort my pursuer was pushing themselves to
greater speed.
I raced through the door, stumbling at the change from
smooth floor to rough terrain, but caught myself in time to slam it shut behind
me. Only as I shut it, something on the other side caught it and started to
push back, slowly forcing it open! I can only have been trapped in that awful
deadlock for a second or two, though it felt as though hours passed. I strained
every muscle, and yet was slowly inexorably forced back. Then some distant
cloud must have moved, for the moon suddenly shone full upon the door, in a
strange and elaborate pattern. Startled, I stumbled back. The door swung open,
and before me was one of those red and white robed corpses, staring with empty
eyesockets, and every bit as immobile as when I had seen it before. As I
stared, those places where the moonlight crossed it began to smoke and
smoulder. Jolted back to my senses by this observation, I hurled myself forward
and slammed the door shut. There was a terrible crunch. One of the things hands
had been stretched out past the frame, and now lay on the floor beside me,
where it burned and shrivelled in the moonlight, rapidly crumbling away to
nothing.
I stepped back. Now that I could see it in full, the
pattern of the moonlight was recognisable as a complex arcane sigil, of similar
design to the marks carved in to the walls and ceiling of the narrow pass that
lead here. Looking back, I could see similar signs along the length of the
route back to that strange cleft I had first noticed. I owed my life to whoever
had carved those symbols.
Little remains to be said of the events of that night. I
gathered my equipment and left, not stopping to draw the door or the ward that
seemed to seal it. The scroll, written with a strange ink that leaves a very
rough texture on the page, has defied all attempts at translation so far. I
have found no record of any inhabitants of this area, though some of the myths
regarding the Adlets, the wolf-folk from whom Europeans are supposed to be
descended, mention a war and allude to battles fought in the general vicinity.
All record of who or what they fought has been lost or destroyed. As such,
there seems to be no further progress to be made at present.
There is a later note that was at one point pinned to this
record. Sadly it appears they became separated at some point, and the note is
quite badly damaged. I have typed up as much as is legible.
…closer to some answers. Spoke to F at M.U. Some mention
of ancient death traditions involving… …including human sacrifice. Idea seems
to be trading a life for a life, or similar… …common belief, but the idea that
it actually works is…
… not very
similar, but seems to have been close enough for a partial translation. …deeply
concerning. …indestructible, but paralysed by… …some kind of research project,
seeking… …that they might emerge and reclaim… …if something isn’t done, it may
only be a matter of time before…
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