Last weekend's Terra Incognita was very enjoyable for all the members of le Masque Noir, and we all had our own very unique experiences. But I'll try and attempt to explain how the evening was for me, as perhaps one of those who had a particularly intense time, as far as I can remember.
As a member of a magical group playing the role of a magical group it was predictable something weird would happen. Le Masque Noir played The Order, or did The Order play us? The Order were the group of 'alien intelligences' originally situated in Earth's Neolithic period who operated the interdimensional portals between worlds. Their mission was to create the ultimate portal that connected the 491 Gallery's representation of the unknown land with it's real unknown future. A portal through which everyone on leaving the gallery through would also begin their own journey into Terra Incognita.
The members of The Order were a diverse cabal of non-human intelligences that had evolved beyond the need for a physical shell, and operated on the material level by entering the minds and bodies of a world's natural inhabitants and remodelling them to their will. Despite not being able to communicate with a world's indigenous beings due to their pure alienness, The Order were able to collect selected artifacts and information from Terra Incognita that could be used to seed and build the ultimate portal into the future perfection of the world. Artifacts they took back to their secret dwelling on the edge of this domain, where the base form of the portal was being constructed and magically charged. To be installed later in the Gallery and the portal opened within it.
Manifesting first at the Fire Pit outside the Gallery, their ingress into Terra incognita, three bizzare beings, one 'birdform', one 'coneheaded scientist form' and another weird 'non-human shaman', drew energy from the fire and began their first mission into this strange world. While the play raged on and the band started playing these beings entered the building and observed and collected artifacts. The 'bird-beast' took biological samples, while the 'coneheaded' scientist took measurements and mathematical data, and the 'shaman' collected 'feelings'. Later a forth being joined them in another expedition, 'the veiled lady' who collected images. They returned to their secret lair to use this material to create and charge the portal. The members of le Masque Noir thus created a great work of art with their spontaneous collective expression.
Now here is where art and reality merge and cross fertilize. Having opened myself to a being from the ancient beyond, I slid easily into the 'role' of the 'coneheaded scientist' . Though it has to be said these titles are bad approximations of something very alien manifesting in human form. I wandered with the others through the building and gathered my material from both audience and artwork and took it back to the lair. Here he was fed with an analogue of the nectar of his world, known commonly as neat Absinthe. However something very strange happened now, while using the material to construct the portal I slid deeper and deeper into the Other. Until I was hit by an explosion of energy deep in my brain and a very different being emerged. A bestial, atavism that growled, hissed, spat and snarled suddenly emerged within me in parallel to my rational ego. My body had two 'drivers' and one of them was very, very aggressive. This was totally unplanned and unscripted and although manifesting through the alien entity I was consciously 'channeling' was almost its opposite. This was and is very hard to conceptualise, but perhaps asking a member of several Lovecraftian invocational groups to channel an ancient, non-human magical entity was asking for trouble! I felt an inrush of pure chaotic energy that needed expression, and so decided to use it in the construction of the portal. The energy was so intense however and in conflict with my rational ego that it threw me into an 'atavistic rage' in an apparent attempt to discharge the excess energy. This at one stage saw me writhing on the floor hissing, spitting and snarling, and later smashing a bottle, and some of my own working instruments, in another burn off attempt. Despite this my ego remained in enough control to limit my acts of mindless violence to insure no one was hurt (though I myself ended in masses of painful cuts and bruises). I refrained from some of the more spectacular events I was being urged to perform by the entity and managed to crawl into the corner for most rages. At the end of each rage the 'scientist' returned and made intricate geometric and mathematical marks on the portal, though still tinged with a raging primality. Before returning into rage as more energy flooded in and needed urgent discharge. Some of which was also transfered into the portal. After one such burst I also found the need for Tantric discharge which was similarly incorporated into the portal. Things only got dicey when a mad Thelemite attempted to tear the portal from the wall and damage it. He was chased away and later forced to pay a penalty, but the damage was done and the entity in me was now very angry indeed. It was at this stage that the regretable shower of glass occured as bottles began hitting walls. Though even her fortunately harm was successfully avoided. In a more peaceful mood the entity seemed to want to play strange experimental music using whatever items were at hand!
At the end of the event the portal was taken into the Gallery, but I have very little memory of events by this time, just a kaleidoscope of faces and images, and some throbbing music. By all accounts the portal was charged by several magicians from the audience, including a mysterious Man In Black, and his beautiful companion, as well as the 'shaman' who sacrificed a black bird to it, a voyager of the otherworld, who became the first to test the gate (in fact a roadkill that had died weeks ago and had 'agreed' to serve this purpose, as le Masque Noir do not engage in acts of non-consensual cruelty or senseless killing of anykind). This act itself caused an outrage that also empowered the process and tore a rift in the veil between the worlds. Alas the outrage also limited the duration of the ritual and the time the portal form remained installed and active.
The portal has since gone missing. We hope it has not been destroyed, as this will mean it can never again be closed.
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