Chorcai
Member
One of them is Aisling O’Neill. A perfectly ordinary teenager from a small town on the Irish coast. Bit of a socially alienated, paranoid recluse. She suffers from deteriorated mental health and anxiety. Her only friends are people she met online and never met in real life, as her local peers see her as a weird nerd - her sense of style and uncommon interests only reinforce that notion. She’s a gaming addict, a wannabe musician and a bit of an amateur writer.
She has absolutely no idea about the Secret World, secret societies other than those mentioned in well-known conspiracy theories and novels. She’s in no way immortal, magically inclined or special. Her only exceptional qualities are her photographic memory, a computer of a mind, an unnaturally vivid imagination, and an amazing power of observation of even finest details. She’s a top grade student, if one was to overlook physical education and religious studies, both of which she simply doesn't give a damn about.
Perhaps one day she might handle magic, perhaps not. The bees seem to have spared her so far, but after all… there are many ways for a person to obtain supernatural abilities, especially once they find themselves on the other side of the veil shrouding the Secret World from the general populace. There is, however, a tiny string that links this unsuspecting girl with that mystical reality.
Since 1195 a cell of powerful necromancers has been hiding among a French noble family - the Beaulieu dynasty. The movement was started by Louis Beaulieu II who secretly began practicing arcane arts and developed a strong affinity for communing with the dead. In fear of leading his family into a bloody witchcraft trial he kept his studies a deep secret and only passed the knowledge to his son who continued their work and passed the knowledge to a single descendant of his own.
Louis and his son penned a codex for this cult, Le Cercle Noir or The Dark Circle, as they called their movement, which dictated that the rest of the Beaulieus were to never find out about the evil they meddled in. To pass on the knowledge they gathered, they would pass it on to one selected child that would carry on their studies in complete secrecy from the other family members. The Circle continues to exist this way generation after generation. One chosen child is introduced to the Circle to later bring in one of their own. They do this with such cunning that for nearly nine hundred years the whole dynasty lives their lives normally, shielded from the evil within by powerful magic and deception, unaware that few of their seemingly normal relatives lead a double life.
Members of the Circle exchanged knowledge and developed ties with the likes of Gilles De Rais, Nicholas Flammel, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Giordano Bruno, Johann Weyer, Giuseppe Balsamo, Isobel Gowdie, not to mention the highest profile names such as Crowley,Rasputin, Nostradamus and Faust themselves. They discovered the Secret World, bargained with Hell, and toyed with the delicate matters of life and death.
91 years ago newly born Amelie Beaulieu was chosen as the next member of the Circle. She was taught in the occult since childhood and took her role as seriously as most of her predecessors. As war raged across Europe, the Circle used their skills to ensure their family estates didn't fall into the hands of Nazis. Amelie, then a history student, was tasked with infiltrating the French resistance and worked with the movement until the end of the war. During the allied invasion of France she met Braden O'Hara, an Irishman serving in the British army. The pair fell in love and married after the war. They had three children - Catherine, Marcel and Madeline.
Madeline became a heart surgeon and moved to Chamonix where she now runs a private clinic with her husband. Marcel was chosen by Amelie as a descendant she would introduce into the Circle. Both he and Madeline had little interest in the Irish heritage of their father and never visited the country. They were very close to their mother. Catherine was different. She couldn't find a lot in common with Amelie, and instead stayed by her father's side. Braden joined the Parisian Gendarmerie after the war and made a life in France, but he often felt homesick and traveled to Ireland whenever he was able.
Catherine accompanied him numerous times, and during one of these trips met Tyrone O'Neill. One of three brothers who helped their family fishing business stay afloat, Tyrone fell for the half-Irish almost immediately The feeling was shared, and as a result soon later Catherine moved to Ireland where she lives to this day, happily married. She and Tyrone raised several children, most of which took to the sea with the rest of their family. Youngest of these children, yet the most rebellious one, is Aisling.
Back in France Amelie Beaulieu seemed largely unmoved about her daughter's decision and carried on her research with Marcel at her side. She was the first member in the Circle's long history to push the boundaries and publicly admit her interest in mystical subjects. Her approach allowed her to thin out the barrier between the two lives she and her son were living. She held a doctor's degree in ancient history and chose to specialize in history of the occult. Drawing from her vast knowledge of the Secret World and all things supernatural, she published a series of works which haven't been challenged by any specialist to this day. She began to teach her chosen subject at the Paris-Sorbonne University where she eventually took the lead of her own department. Marcel followed in her footsteps and the two became renowned experts in the field of occult. They are often invited to host guest lectures throughout the world.
Marcel went further than his mother and added archaeology to his studies, and with a few titles to his name he followed in his mother's footsteps. He lectured in the same department his mother led, and as she retired nobody question his qualifications to take over the department which he continues to lead.
In reality though, it's not all he teaches.
Amelie and Marcel were not the first members of Circle to take on apprentices, but they were the first to teach en masse. Being teachers in their day lives, they felt it was appropriate to use their expertise to raise a whole new generation of necromancers, but their key motive was an arcane powerbase they could construct in the process. A sect of followers whose loyalty would be rewarded with power, wealth and knowledge.
The extra numbers would give them an edge in a centuries-old war their family fought against rival sects that vied for dominance over the French supernatural underworld since the middle ages. A war that is bound to continue as long as more than one remains. The war could have ended hundreds of years ago, but the never ending power games and skirmishes seem to stimulate growth and progress in all groups that are involved in it.
Many outside enemies threatened to discover this secret war throughout the ages. Inquisition, Templars, Illuminati... There were many, and while hatred between the French cults never waned and their conflicts never ceased, at the same time they always seemed to work together in some ways to repel common enemies which threatened to tear apart the very realm they existed in.
Now, more than ever, this threat looms over the Circle and their rivals. In the modern world we live in very little can escape the Big Brother's watchful eye. Technology available to governments, media and even ordinary people makes it near-impossible to hide their operations, and it's the worst possible time to train a crowd of cultists in the middle of a capital city. Secret societies send their own agents to study at Paris-Sorbonne and find out just how the Beaulieus obtain their vast knowledge, a lot of which possible suggests ties to the Secret World. Nobody really knows who they work for, if anyone. Nobody knows what they do outside of their public life. Their residence south of Paris is a medieval fortress which proves very hard to penetrate, but no matter how dense the net, a single mosquito is bound to slip through it eventually.
That is especially the case when people hiding behind it seem to tear holes in their own shield. The Beaulieus drew a lot of attention throughout 2014. While there is no evidence and no accusations have been made, some people begin to feel the family could be up to something. Their name shows in the news more often than any professor of a niche subject should be heard of. They made mistakes, and the biggest was the size of their cult. With so many apprentices they lost a degree of control. Since the incident in Tokyo the secret societies have gone wild sifting through the Secret World, and escaping their attention grew more and more difficult. They began finding things which the Circle wanted to stay in the dark. If the Circle was to protect its centuries-old secrets something had to be done, but time after time matters slipped out of control. Worst of all, as Beaulieus desperately tried to cover their lackeys' tracks, the French police kept seeking their expertise on the obscure murders that shook Paris to its very foundations.
Forced into the spotlight, the Beaulieus are desperate to escape the growing attention and protect the Circle. They became key suspects in an Illuminati investigation, and the Templar are slowly catching up. They will have to work very hard to get out of their mess and prevent destruction of what their ancestors have built.
Meanwhile, under a warehouse complex in Brooklyn, an Illuminati agent rushes to his office to review what information his French colleagues gathered throughout the year. Just minutes ago all he had on his mind was a pair of shapely legs wrapped around his waist in his New Jersey apartment. He's pretty pissed off, but he simply couldn’t say no to Kirsten Geary.
All because she caught wind of some brat related to the Beaulieus who just landed in New York. His bosses wanted an insider among that family for a long while now. They really want to figure them out, and for some reason they want a peaceful approach. Why? What's so unusual about a child disappearing in New York? it happens every day... but no. As if it wasn’t bad enough, she’s apparently one of these special care, special needs kids. It was supposed to be a good day… Now he had to choose someone for the job of befriending and luring in a little bitch that looks to be as stable as a bottle of nitroglycerin and as as hot-tempered as his own boss. If his people fuck up, it’s his head that comes off first. Such a perfect day. He hangs over the paperwork strewn across his desk for a while, thinking of an appropriate agent, yet he can't think of one.
(This is what he sees. Go on - have a click, have a read. This is a short version of what was gathered by a Paris-based Illuminati cell and their insider among the Templar division in the city.)
Finally, he opens up his laptop. It has to be Toolbox. The message goes out. It's done, now it's in someone else's hands. Let freaks deal with freaks.
This is where the story begins. Nobody knows what the Beaulieus are up to, and it's nearly certain that the girl doesn't know either. But without any feasible evidence, she's better than nothing. She's not the best candidate among her family, but we have her right here, at our doorstep. She actually stays with her aunt who lives a minute down the road from the Labyrinth. She can be lured in and convinced to trust us. With a decent amount of believable bullshit she could be used to find something out, gain access to her French relatives. Perhaps, if she proves useful and cooperative, she could eventually get a microchip and be taught a few tricks. But now it doesn't matter. She doesn't matter. All that matters is how she can get us where we want to be.
As for Chayne - the second character mentioned at the start - he just happens to be another soul lost in America. He lives in the same area, completely unrelated to Aisling and the whole case. He’s a fresh bee, still unrecruited by any society. His story is told separately. What will happen to him once he sets out to pursue Aisling? Will he end up at the back of a black van? Perhaps a mysterious stranger will walk up to him on the sidewalk and divert his attention? It’s up to a different handler, a different team. Still, he’s been watching her, so it's best to find out who he is, what he knows.
She has absolutely no idea about the Secret World, secret societies other than those mentioned in well-known conspiracy theories and novels. She’s in no way immortal, magically inclined or special. Her only exceptional qualities are her photographic memory, a computer of a mind, an unnaturally vivid imagination, and an amazing power of observation of even finest details. She’s a top grade student, if one was to overlook physical education and religious studies, both of which she simply doesn't give a damn about.
Perhaps one day she might handle magic, perhaps not. The bees seem to have spared her so far, but after all… there are many ways for a person to obtain supernatural abilities, especially once they find themselves on the other side of the veil shrouding the Secret World from the general populace. There is, however, a tiny string that links this unsuspecting girl with that mystical reality.
Since 1195 a cell of powerful necromancers has been hiding among a French noble family - the Beaulieu dynasty. The movement was started by Louis Beaulieu II who secretly began practicing arcane arts and developed a strong affinity for communing with the dead. In fear of leading his family into a bloody witchcraft trial he kept his studies a deep secret and only passed the knowledge to his son who continued their work and passed the knowledge to a single descendant of his own.
Louis and his son penned a codex for this cult, Le Cercle Noir or The Dark Circle, as they called their movement, which dictated that the rest of the Beaulieus were to never find out about the evil they meddled in. To pass on the knowledge they gathered, they would pass it on to one selected child that would carry on their studies in complete secrecy from the other family members. The Circle continues to exist this way generation after generation. One chosen child is introduced to the Circle to later bring in one of their own. They do this with such cunning that for nearly nine hundred years the whole dynasty lives their lives normally, shielded from the evil within by powerful magic and deception, unaware that few of their seemingly normal relatives lead a double life.
Members of the Circle exchanged knowledge and developed ties with the likes of Gilles De Rais, Nicholas Flammel, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Giordano Bruno, Johann Weyer, Giuseppe Balsamo, Isobel Gowdie, not to mention the highest profile names such as Crowley,Rasputin, Nostradamus and Faust themselves. They discovered the Secret World, bargained with Hell, and toyed with the delicate matters of life and death.
91 years ago newly born Amelie Beaulieu was chosen as the next member of the Circle. She was taught in the occult since childhood and took her role as seriously as most of her predecessors. As war raged across Europe, the Circle used their skills to ensure their family estates didn't fall into the hands of Nazis. Amelie, then a history student, was tasked with infiltrating the French resistance and worked with the movement until the end of the war. During the allied invasion of France she met Braden O'Hara, an Irishman serving in the British army. The pair fell in love and married after the war. They had three children - Catherine, Marcel and Madeline.
Madeline became a heart surgeon and moved to Chamonix where she now runs a private clinic with her husband. Marcel was chosen by Amelie as a descendant she would introduce into the Circle. Both he and Madeline had little interest in the Irish heritage of their father and never visited the country. They were very close to their mother. Catherine was different. She couldn't find a lot in common with Amelie, and instead stayed by her father's side. Braden joined the Parisian Gendarmerie after the war and made a life in France, but he often felt homesick and traveled to Ireland whenever he was able.
Catherine accompanied him numerous times, and during one of these trips met Tyrone O'Neill. One of three brothers who helped their family fishing business stay afloat, Tyrone fell for the half-Irish almost immediately The feeling was shared, and as a result soon later Catherine moved to Ireland where she lives to this day, happily married. She and Tyrone raised several children, most of which took to the sea with the rest of their family. Youngest of these children, yet the most rebellious one, is Aisling.
Back in France Amelie Beaulieu seemed largely unmoved about her daughter's decision and carried on her research with Marcel at her side. She was the first member in the Circle's long history to push the boundaries and publicly admit her interest in mystical subjects. Her approach allowed her to thin out the barrier between the two lives she and her son were living. She held a doctor's degree in ancient history and chose to specialize in history of the occult. Drawing from her vast knowledge of the Secret World and all things supernatural, she published a series of works which haven't been challenged by any specialist to this day. She began to teach her chosen subject at the Paris-Sorbonne University where she eventually took the lead of her own department. Marcel followed in her footsteps and the two became renowned experts in the field of occult. They are often invited to host guest lectures throughout the world.
Marcel went further than his mother and added archaeology to his studies, and with a few titles to his name he followed in his mother's footsteps. He lectured in the same department his mother led, and as she retired nobody question his qualifications to take over the department which he continues to lead.
In reality though, it's not all he teaches.
Amelie and Marcel were not the first members of Circle to take on apprentices, but they were the first to teach en masse. Being teachers in their day lives, they felt it was appropriate to use their expertise to raise a whole new generation of necromancers, but their key motive was an arcane powerbase they could construct in the process. A sect of followers whose loyalty would be rewarded with power, wealth and knowledge.
The extra numbers would give them an edge in a centuries-old war their family fought against rival sects that vied for dominance over the French supernatural underworld since the middle ages. A war that is bound to continue as long as more than one remains. The war could have ended hundreds of years ago, but the never ending power games and skirmishes seem to stimulate growth and progress in all groups that are involved in it.
Many outside enemies threatened to discover this secret war throughout the ages. Inquisition, Templars, Illuminati... There were many, and while hatred between the French cults never waned and their conflicts never ceased, at the same time they always seemed to work together in some ways to repel common enemies which threatened to tear apart the very realm they existed in.
Now, more than ever, this threat looms over the Circle and their rivals. In the modern world we live in very little can escape the Big Brother's watchful eye. Technology available to governments, media and even ordinary people makes it near-impossible to hide their operations, and it's the worst possible time to train a crowd of cultists in the middle of a capital city. Secret societies send their own agents to study at Paris-Sorbonne and find out just how the Beaulieus obtain their vast knowledge, a lot of which possible suggests ties to the Secret World. Nobody really knows who they work for, if anyone. Nobody knows what they do outside of their public life. Their residence south of Paris is a medieval fortress which proves very hard to penetrate, but no matter how dense the net, a single mosquito is bound to slip through it eventually.
That is especially the case when people hiding behind it seem to tear holes in their own shield. The Beaulieus drew a lot of attention throughout 2014. While there is no evidence and no accusations have been made, some people begin to feel the family could be up to something. Their name shows in the news more often than any professor of a niche subject should be heard of. They made mistakes, and the biggest was the size of their cult. With so many apprentices they lost a degree of control. Since the incident in Tokyo the secret societies have gone wild sifting through the Secret World, and escaping their attention grew more and more difficult. They began finding things which the Circle wanted to stay in the dark. If the Circle was to protect its centuries-old secrets something had to be done, but time after time matters slipped out of control. Worst of all, as Beaulieus desperately tried to cover their lackeys' tracks, the French police kept seeking their expertise on the obscure murders that shook Paris to its very foundations.
Forced into the spotlight, the Beaulieus are desperate to escape the growing attention and protect the Circle. They became key suspects in an Illuminati investigation, and the Templar are slowly catching up. They will have to work very hard to get out of their mess and prevent destruction of what their ancestors have built.
Meanwhile, under a warehouse complex in Brooklyn, an Illuminati agent rushes to his office to review what information his French colleagues gathered throughout the year. Just minutes ago all he had on his mind was a pair of shapely legs wrapped around his waist in his New Jersey apartment. He's pretty pissed off, but he simply couldn’t say no to Kirsten Geary.
All because she caught wind of some brat related to the Beaulieus who just landed in New York. His bosses wanted an insider among that family for a long while now. They really want to figure them out, and for some reason they want a peaceful approach. Why? What's so unusual about a child disappearing in New York? it happens every day... but no. As if it wasn’t bad enough, she’s apparently one of these special care, special needs kids. It was supposed to be a good day… Now he had to choose someone for the job of befriending and luring in a little bitch that looks to be as stable as a bottle of nitroglycerin and as as hot-tempered as his own boss. If his people fuck up, it’s his head that comes off first. Such a perfect day. He hangs over the paperwork strewn across his desk for a while, thinking of an appropriate agent, yet he can't think of one.
(This is what he sees. Go on - have a click, have a read. This is a short version of what was gathered by a Paris-based Illuminati cell and their insider among the Templar division in the city.)
Finally, he opens up his laptop. It has to be Toolbox. The message goes out. It's done, now it's in someone else's hands. Let freaks deal with freaks.
This is where the story begins. Nobody knows what the Beaulieus are up to, and it's nearly certain that the girl doesn't know either. But without any feasible evidence, she's better than nothing. She's not the best candidate among her family, but we have her right here, at our doorstep. She actually stays with her aunt who lives a minute down the road from the Labyrinth. She can be lured in and convinced to trust us. With a decent amount of believable bullshit she could be used to find something out, gain access to her French relatives. Perhaps, if she proves useful and cooperative, she could eventually get a microchip and be taught a few tricks. But now it doesn't matter. She doesn't matter. All that matters is how she can get us where we want to be.
As for Chayne - the second character mentioned at the start - he just happens to be another soul lost in America. He lives in the same area, completely unrelated to Aisling and the whole case. He’s a fresh bee, still unrecruited by any society. His story is told separately. What will happen to him once he sets out to pursue Aisling? Will he end up at the back of a black van? Perhaps a mysterious stranger will walk up to him on the sidewalk and divert his attention? It’s up to a different handler, a different team. Still, he’s been watching her, so it's best to find out who he is, what he knows.