Amethyst Model of New Haven

The **Amethyst Model of New Haven** (archived as "Table; amethyst") is a model replica of New Haven circa the 1850s, made purely of amethyst. The stone model has a dark past, having been used by authorities to determine the location of escaped slaves, many of whom were traveling through the Underground railroad.

Records of the model are sparse, with the provenance of the object still unknown to Lethe. The model is now located in the depths of the Peabody Museum basement. While Lethe House or any other House of the Veil are unwilling to officially claim the item, the model is nevertheless included in Lethe's armory archive.

## Power and Purpose

### Origins

Records of the table first appear to Lethe around 1930 after construction of the new Peabody Museum. While its power and purpose are clear, who created this table or donated it to Lethe House remains a mystery. It is speculated by Lethe to have been created in the 1850s.

### Description

The model was clearly New Haven in the 1850s, with the identical New Haven green area and the streets being marked with the same names, but with much of its later development missing. The massive rectangular stone model was white in color and showed no lines or cracks beyond the detailing of the town—appearing as if carved from one giant stone all at once.

### Power and Purpose

The model can track criminals. With the table in hand, a person must have specific concoction and say the Latin incantation, *'Evigilato Urbs, aperito scelestos*,' ('*When the city awakes, the criminals are exposed*.') and have accompanying members of the spell repeat the chant. Then, the person must say, "*Crimen proquirito...*" (*Having procured the crime \_*) and fill in the phrase with the Latin translation of a specified crime, such as murder or treason, etc. The members of the spell must repeat the second phrase once more before the first person can spray the concoction, using a spray bottle, fully over the model.

As the mist of the liquid settles, the model should come to life, with lights in buildings and on streets turning on, a buggy moving to mimic the motion of a car, etc. In addition, red spots should appear through the stone, showing the location of individuals who have committed a specified crime.

The amethyst model was originally used to locate escaped slaves.

The model is limited in that it only shows the location of an individual but no description or name. Furthermore, as more time passes and new development occurs in New Haven, the harder it is for a user of the model to orient where individual criminals as the map has never been updated since the late 1800s.

## History

The model is speculated to have been created in the 1850s. It was used before the Civil War to locate escaped slaves, many of whom were escaping through the Underground Railroad.

Records of the amethyst table first appear in the 1930s after the construction of the new Peabody museum.

During Prohibition (1920-1933), the model was used to find bootleggers and speakeasies. And while unconfirmed, the FBI may have tried to use it during the New Haven Black Panther trials (1969-1971).

### Hell Bent

In order to locate the fourth murder needed for the Gauntlet rite, Alex Stern, Pamela Dawes and Detective Abel Turner sneak into the basement of the Peabody Museum to use the amethyst table. Entering into a room filled with jars of Connecticut pond water, Dawes reached behind a shelf of pond water and with a clink, the shelf opened up to reveal the model covered in cloths.

Dawes leads the spell, with Stern and Turner repeating the Latin phrases and Dawes completes the second incantation, "*Crimen proquirito parricidii,"* (which can translate to Having procured the crime of murder). The spells works and Alex is able to spot the three dots that signify the trio underneath the Peabody and a single red spot where the Skull & Bones tomb was located.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 *Hell Bent* Chapter 17
2. ↑ *Hell Bent* Chapter 16