Nicodemus Crake

Nicodemus at the Mother Well in St. Denis

## Arrival in the Commonwealth

Nicodemus Crake was a writer of fiction whose first novel, *Hungry Hollow*, was published in 1900. In it, Crake wrote: “The double hook: when you fish for mystery you catch darkness too.” These words have come to haunt Crake as he became the subject of his own strange story not long after arriving to the Commonwealth in May 1902.

## Chapter 1: Arrival in St. Denis

Upon arriving in St. Denis, Crake set upon his usual - yet unconventional - practice of initiating a "story game" to serve as inspiration for a new story. Crake, ever the observer, watched from the margins - in rooftops and shadowed alleyways - and placed five clues as part of a scavenger hunt of Lemoyne. The first three clues were placed in St. Denis. The final clue near the abandoned town of Pleasance.

The scavenger hunt failed to elicit any creative inspiration so Crake sought solace in a nearby cemetery. It was there that he came upon the body of a strange, shriveled creature. Disturbed at the sight, he left a poem, a reflection on the collective human experience that read:

>
> “Remember me as you pass by,
> As you are now so once was I,
> As I am now so too you’ll be,
> Alone for all eternity.”
>
>
>
>

Shortly after leaving the cemetery, Crake was robbed of his belongings, including personal diaries and his writing notebooks.

The citizens of St. Denis began to find Crake’s writings scattered throughout the city. The Editor of the St. Denis Times Tribune, Maxine Van Zandt, reported on this and, recklessly, associated Crake with the rumors of a vampire and other gossip which tarnished Crake’s reputation. This experience left Crake traumatized, angst-ridden, and unable to write.

## Chapter 2: Pleasance

Crake fled St. Denis after the St. Denis Times Tribune irresponsibly published excerpts of the writings found around town. The reports hinted that Crake was somehow linked to the vampire and other copycat notes threatening others that began to appear throughout the town. Crake provided a cryptic clue to some key people of St. Denis of his whereabouts. In a telegram he wrote:

> i am off to investigate another realm of this unreal commonwealth: a Pity as i had onLy just begun my “story games” in st. denis. a double hook: the promisE of adventure and rewards for its citizens while serving as inspiration for my new book. Alas, only one was able to complete the task and i learned that when you fish for mystery you catch darkness too. it is no longer Safe for me here. i, the silent observer, the curious soul, stANding atop balconies and rooftops, glimpsing into the lives of those down below. now, i am preoCcupied, frazzled, in a disturbed state of fear and anxiEty. what happens next? a farewell game: decipher my location in the clue above and come find me there. I will reveal all that i know.
>
>

While in Pleasance Crake experienced a bout of severe melancholia possibly induced by eating expired blueberries. He kept a diary to keep track of his thoughts but the writing became more strange, more mysterious, with each day. In need of help, Nicodemus reached out to Mambo Sirène Des Eaux Noires, a Voodoo Priestess, and Barb Dwyer, a mysterious figure associated with a church dedicated to the world serpent.

## Chapter 3: I am the Well, the Well am I

Crake told Sirene that he would leave a note on the Pleasance town sign for every day he was in exile. Unfortunately, Crake's exile was often interrupted by curious visitors. On the third day, Sirene visited Crake in Pleasance, along with her cousin Isaiah, where Crake appeared with a bloodied bandage around his eyes. Crake spoke of having having been driven down the well behind the ruined church because lawmen had come frequenting the area. Crake feared Maxine's reporting had escalated into a "vampire hunt" and that he was in grave danger so he had taken refuge underground through an abandoned well - despite Sirene's (thru Mami Wata's) earlier advice that he avoid wells.

Crake's experiences in the well were confusing and vague. He claimed, "I have given my eyes to the well" though, when he removed the bandage wrapped around his head, his eyes appeared unharmed.

During their meeting, Crake spoke to Sirene of "a new purpose", claiming a renewed approach to his writing process. This process was a form of automatic writing, sometimes referred to as spirit writing, which allowed his hand to disconnect from his mind in order to tap into a meditative state. Crake believed he was hearing the voices of the 10 lost souls in the Pleasance cemetery, who were looking to guide anyone who sought answers or solace to any issues they might be experiencing. Crake believed the automatic writing could be used to help people, to be an act of service, but with each "gift" from the well more darkness began to surround him.

Nicodemus wanted to understand the "gift of the well" more and through his explorations discovered four wells in the Lemoyne area which he named The Head (located in Eris Field), The Heart (Pleasance), The Hearth (behind the church in St. Denis slums) and the Faucet (also known as the Mother Well, located near a carriage house in St. Denis). In naming the wells Nicodemus believed each "spoke differently": the Head Well, with its horrible history offered warnings; the Faucet tended to be protective, strict, but mostly comforting.

## Chapter 4: Traveling Magic Lantern Show

Nicodemus shared the gift of the well with a few people in the Commonwealth, eventually advertising it as a business similar to tarot readings. However this only brought him harm as nefarious characters used it as an opportunity to lure Crake to a remote location and rob him. After one frightening incident at the Head Well in Eris Field, Nicodemus decided to stop listening to the wells so that he could pursue other creative work and regain some semblance of a normal life.

In June 1902 *The Bookshop of the Damned* premiered at the Fontana Magic Lantern Theatre in St. Denis. Adapted from one of Crake's short stories, the combination of narration, music and illustrations were warmly received by audiences from Lemoyne to West Elizabeth and so Nicodemus became the proprietor of a traveling magic lantern show that toured the Commonwealth.

## Chapter 5: The Vampire of St. Denis

After the success of the first film, Crake began work on his second production inspired by the strange goings-on that occurred when he first arrived to the Commonwealth. While working on the film, Crake began to learn more about Dr. K and Dr. Kane Aries: two enigmatic "mad doctors" who - though often confused to be the same person - were actually independently attempting human experiments. The former, accompanied by his assistant "Jennifer", used a serum that promised enhanced "superhuman" abilities. The latter was believed to have disfigured a number of people who later became known as the "pig men" as they had pig masks sewn to their faces (along with missing tongues and lips).

Crake became more intrigued with the story of both doctors eventually learning from Michael Molasses, a popular lawyer in Blackwater, that Dr. Kane Aries had been held in Sisika and had recently been executed. Barb Dwyer revealed that the whereabouts of Dr. K and "Jennifer" were unknown. Crake began to post "coming soon" advertisements around St. Denis to promote his next film. Soon after, he received an anonymous telegram advising him not to adapt the story of the vampire.

One day, after leaving his library, Crake was shot in the neck and back. He was discovered in the swamp by Sirene's fiance, John, and taken to the medical office where he exhibited signs of a seizure during the operation. Days later, he received a check up by Dr. Craig Dooley who advised that an x-ray revealed "a shadow" present on Crake's brain. Soon after, Crake decided to relocate to Blackwater to continue work on his film. While there he learned that his chosen family, those who had formed Sirene's "tribe", had left St. Denis and closed the Voodoo practice without telling him.

*The Vampire of St. Denis* premiered on August 10, 1902 at the Imperial Theatre in Blackwater. At the screening Crake spoke of his inspiration for the story and eluded to strange occurrences that had happened while making the film. Crake further explained, "The film signals something of an end for my own story and, perhaps, a beginning so that those who can no longer speak for themselves may find their truths told someday." The film's final reel included a dedication that read, "In memory of Dr K."

After the premiere, Crake disappeared. A note was found in the lobby of the Imperial Theatre that read: "Can I tell you a secret? Something unfamiliar - of what it is to know what you don't know. You'll find me in the mystery, searching fields and hollows. I am ready for the darkness to lead me and to follow."

## Gallery

Nicodemus outside the Fontana Magic Lantern Theatre in St. DenisNicodemus' library in PleasanceNicodemus in Pleasance