Masks of Nyarlathotep

March 2nd : we arrived in Shanghai harbor choked with thousands of sampans...you could almost walk across them to shore. 1.2M people divided among the various enclaves (French, American, British, Japanese, and even Russian). Rene hit the beach running, dockside, showing the photo of the "DAR" yacht while showing the matchbook. No luck, but directed north to the American (Hong Q) district where we check into the Ivory Wind hotel. After a slow rickshaw ride to the British consulate, we resume our inquiries... Found records of the yacht Dark Mistress – 90’ yacht built in the 19 th century registered to Alfred Penhurst (a wealth scientist doing experiments at sea) – shows up once a month – every 3-4 weeks at nighttime and gone by next morning; last here about 2 ½ weeks ago.   It's still early when we reach the Stumbling Tiger Bar in the bad part of town. We definitely stick out drawing stares from a group of Japanese. Rene slips into ...

18 Feb : James quickly sat up from what he could only hope a nightmare. And immediately regretted the act. His head throbbing, cotton mouth, sensitive to the slightest sounds. Such as Rene’s LOUD, warm welcome, “Morning sunshine. Wondered when the dead would rise.” Now there’s a relevant word…dead. Which stirred James’ memories of the prior day…   17 Feb : Noon tea with the captain of the African Rifles, then the group was off to seek new contacts. To the railway station looking for the gardener Sam Marega. The elder black remembering those years back when he led the Carlyle massacre recovery team, “Near the foot of the Kenya mountain, about 4 days from here. Dreadful. And cursed. Nothing grows there. What was left of the bodies…no rot, no scavengers, not even flies would touch the remains.” He remembered the team earlier in Nairobi. Their many visits with Tandor Sing in his tea shop in Browntown. “But if you want to know more about the Bloody Tongue cult, seek Johnston Ke...