In this latest entry for The Agency, we learn a little about the Pied Piper and his infamous flute. This entry contains child murder and the disappearance of large numbers of children. If this particular topic bothers you, please don't read any further. If not, however, enjoy.

Artifact 0145HF

History & Description

Artifact 0145HF is a rather legendary item. It is so well-known that it has been featured in many fairytales and stories. The artifact is known in those stories as the Hamelin Flute, and it belonged to the Pied Piper who led the children away from Hamelin in 1284. This much is true and known based on firsthand accounts from witnesses to the incident.

            The artifact appears as a wooden transverse flute with engravings of rose vines encircling the length of the flute. The only unusual facet of Artifact 0145HF is that the rose vines will change from blossoms to roses to wilted roses to bare vines when the artifact is played. Omicron researchers are attempting to work with Xi musicians to determine what this could mean.

Testimony 1284-06-26 (recorded 2014-06-26)

Arch. Doyle: Statement of Patrik Hopf, a witness to the first instance of Artifact 0145HF, initially given to Archivist Lennard Stoltenberg on June twenty-sixth, 1284, after the incident and translated by archival assistant Darryl Campbell. Recorded today on the seven-hundred-thirtieth anniversary of said incident by Archivist Miah Doyle. Statement begins:

            All the adults were at the church so they didn’t see him. I don’t know if they would have seen him anyway. They didn’t see him before when he took the other children away, but then…they never really paid attention to the other children anyway. They were orphans. No one cared or noticed, but I did. The other children did. We all saw him in his pied clothing when he led the orphans into the Weser River and we watched as they drowned. He went to the mayor and demanded payment for fixing the rat problem, but the mayor refused. The mayor was the only one that ever spoke to or seemed to see him. The piper left as silently as he’d come and we knew we hadn’t seen the last of him.

            When everyone was at the church for Saint John and Paul’s Day, he came back. He wasn’t colorful anymore. He was dressed in green like the hunters do and he was playing his flute. Everyone followed except me. Even Elias with his twisted legs crawled after him. Ulric was deaf and he still followed. Ludwig was blind and followed as best he could. Everyone followed but me.

            I don’t know why I didn’t follow. I heard the music, I heard how wonderful it was. I wanted to follow, but…he didn’t want me to. Even though I wanted to, the music and the piper told me to stay. I had to stay as a…I think he said reminder. A reminder to the town about what will happen when deals aren’t honored.

Arch. Doyle: Statement ends. Patrik Hopf was merely twelve at the time and the son of the mayor’s daughter. He was the only child left in town after hearing the music from Artifact 0145HF. The other children were never seen again nor were their bodies found. The people in town knew that the mayor had requested help with the “rat” problem and were angry the mayor’s grandson had been left alive while their children were taken. The mayor, his daughter, and Patrik Hopf were murdered by the furious townspeople, all three burned at the stake for, according to historical records, “making a deal with the devil and not honoring it.”

Testimony 2014-06-26

Arch. Doyle: Statement of Kerry Hayes, a witness to an incident involving Artifact 0145HF. Statement recorded direct from subject by Archivist Miah Doyle.

Hayes: I don’t really know what I saw. I just…it’s all so strange. So odd. Everything is hazy, like a half-remembered dream.

Arch. Doyle: It’s okay. Take your time. Just tell me what you remember.

Hayes: It was a normal day, just normal. I was at the park, enjoying the summer weather, sitting on the bench and trying to read a book. There were children playing on the playground nearby and I’d look up every so often to watch since my son, Logan, on the slide.

            It was just…such a normal day. Wispy clouds drifting lazily across the clear blue sky. Everything was normal. The noise from the children playing provided background noise to my reading. I checked on Logan, he was fine.

There were dozens of people there that day. Parents sitting on benches while their kids played. Joggers. A vendor selling hotdogs and soda. Everything was…there were so many people there. It was like a normal summer day.

I had just returned my attention to my book after checking on Logan again that I noticed how…quiet everything was. No birds. No distant cars. No children playing. No talking at all. But I did faintly hear music. I looked up and…everyone seemed frozen. The vendor was in the process of handing over a hotdog to someone, but there was no movement. Everything was so still and so silent, but I heard…I thought I heard…I thought I heard music. Just faint flute music.

I tried to get up, tried to get Logan’s attention, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get off the bench. I couldn’t speak. I could turn my head, but I couldn’t do anything else. Logan was standing at the bottom of the slide, frozen like everyone else. All the children were still, motionless. They all…their heads were all cocked to one side as though listening. They all heard the music, I’m sure of it. Then, they all began walking.

I tried to follow them, but I still couldn’t move. The music got louder and I saw a man dressed in green, playing the flute. Our eyes locked and…it was like staring into a black hole. Just…blackness and emptiness. He…it…smiled and kept playing the flute. The children all gathered around him. Logan was standing front and center, right in front of him.

The tune changed and the children began marching off in front of him. He lingered with Logan right in front of him for several minutes. Then, had Logan walk over to me and sit on the bench with me. Finally, the music stopped and the man vanished, leaving the flute behind.

Sound returned. Movement. Then the parents began to panic because their children were gone. Many people called the police. I called them too as I held Logan closely to me. After a few moments, the park was swarming with police and then one of the officers made a call. At the time, I assumed it was to the FBI to start an investigation of the missing children. Now, I’m inclined to believe that it was to your agency, but I don’t know for sure.

Your agents showed up then and asked me about the flute that had been dropped at my feet. I told them about the man vanishing and they told me to come here to give a statement. I said I would, but that I wasn’t leaving Logan at home or out of my sight. He’s out in the lobby with one of your agents, and I’d like to go to him now.

Arch. Doyle: Statement ends. Artifact 0145HF is currently residing in the museum and being studied by Omicron researchers and Xi musicians, though I do not see any wisdom in permitting someone to actually play the artifact. I will say that I am surprised that the artifact has been recovered on seven-hundred-thirtieth anniversary of the first incident.

Testimony 2018-06-26

Arch. Doyle: Statement of Curator Theo Hunter, regarding an incident involving Artifact 0145HF, recorded direct from subject by Archivist Miah Doyle.

Cur. Hunter: I don’t know what happened. Artifact 0145HF was in its designated spot in the museum. I was taking notes, observing it. The vine engravings had been bare when we acquired the artifact, but whenever support team Xi members played it, the engravings changed. They cycled through the lifecycle of a rose. Most recently, it had been left on the full rose. I was just observing it to see if the designs changed when it wasn’t being played and then I looked up from my notebook to check the designs and the artifact was gone. Vanished. Like how Artifact 0037LH and Tome015S vanish at times. I knew then that there would be more children missing soon.

            I was right. Collector Jasper Case returned with Artifact 0145HF and told me about the incident. Fifteen elementary-aged children on a field trip vanished. None of the chaperones saw or heard anything, but the artifact was found near a copse of trees. The design reflected bare vines, though I noticed that the vines seemed thornier than they had before.

Arch. Doyle: Statement ends. The fifteen children that vanished haven’t been found. Neither have the children who vanished from the park the day we first recovered Artifact 0145HF. It’s unlikely that they ever will be. The information about the changing vines is odd, but not on its own something to fear. Still, perhaps it would be best that support team Xi musicians refrain from playing Artifact 0145HF until we know more about how the artifact works.

Testimony 2020-06-26

Arch. Doyle: Statement of Collector Grant Cross, regarding the capture of Inmate 064 and an incident involving Artifact 0145HF, recorded direct from subject by Archivist Miah Doyle.

Coltr. Cross: We caught him. We finally caught the bastard. I don’t…I don’t know if it’s the same one from 2014 and 2018, but we caught one of them. Fucking…he’s a millionaire or a billionaire, one of those. Maximilian Hester. Yeah, him. He lured kids away this time, but I don’t know about the other times. I don’t think we’ll find those kids either.

            When Artifact 0145HF vanished this time, we were ready. We’d had so many support team members—Beta and Tau, mostly—monitoring different gatherings of children and different locations where children would likely be. Support team Tau member Chloe Key found it. Maximilian Hester was hosting some kind of party involving children. We got there as soon as we could, but it was too late. The children were gone, but this time, the Piper hadn’t vanished.

            Hester was there, holding the flute and looking appalled. When we told him to come with us, he begged us to keep Artifact 0145HF away from him. He came quietly and we handed him off to the wardens. I returned Artifact 0145HF to the museum.

Arch. Doyle: Any sign of the children? Did he say anything about them?

Coltr. Cross: No. He didn’t seem to know what happened any more than the parents did. Of course, maybe he does know something since he seems afraid of Artifact 0145HF. You could try interviewing him.

Arch. Doyle: Statement ends. It is…reassuring to know that Inmate 064 has been apprehended. It would be nice to know where the children are and what happened to them, but I don’t think we’ll find them. Hopefully, with Inmate 064 in containment, Artifact 0145HF will cease traveling and the disappearances of children en masse will as well.

This isn't the only entry involving the Pied Piper and the flute. There is an accompanying Inmate entry, "Inmate 064" which will possibly be shared.

Corbin Cove: Town Council

The last and most important organization present in Corbin Cove is that of the Town Council. Made of thirteen entities, the Town Council has existed at least since the founding of Corbin Cove, possibly even longer. The entities are unusual and nigh immortal as only their progenitors and fellow Council members can harm them. 

They have multiple forms, including humanoid ones. In their normal form, they are ethereal masses of eyes, tentacles, teeth, and void, the sight of which can cause people--even those used to the strangeness of Corbin Cove--to go into gibbering madness or utter catatonia. Their humanoid forms mimic that of normal humans, though without hair or genitals and with skin colors that are beyond those found in humans. At times, they also bear traces of their eldritch nature in human form, such as multiple eyes or tentacles or sharper than normal teeth. 

The majority of the Town Council avoids interacting with humans and the other residents in Corbin Cove if they can help it. Those who have the most interaction with mortals are The Devil’s Advocate, The Resourceful Scout, The Taciturn Soldier, The Peerless Prosecutor, and The Obscure Scholar. 

The Devil's Advocate is the youngest member of the Town Council, being only a few hundred years old. She acts as the representative for refugee demons seeking safety, he housing authority, and the one who meets all new residents when they move in. She also will sometimes deal with legal cases, taking on the role of public defender. She loves mortals, but hates their short lifespans. She has endured much teasing from the older members of the Town Council regarding her fondness for mortals. 

The Resourceful Scout is the second youngest and is the leader of the Scouts. He enjoys his job and loves mortals, though hides this fact from the others for fear of facing the same mockery The Devil's Advocate endures. He deals solely with the Scouts and all that entails: merit badges, a Scout gaining a new rank, and of course, candy selling. He knows how The Devil's Advocate feels about mortals and makes sure that the Scouts always carry her favorite Scarab Truffles when candy-selling season comes around. 

The Taciturn Soldier is older than The Resourceful Scout and The Devil's Advocate, and handles the law enforcement side of running Corbin Cove. He is in charge of the constables and the secret police. He is stern and rather cold in his external personality, but will let his guard down around The Devil's Advocate. He does love mortals, but hates this fact because previous members of the Town Council killed mortals on a whim whenever they wanted. 

The Peerless Prosecutor is approximately four hundred and handles the legal side of Corbin Cove. If any resident has a legal battle they want fought, they come to him. He is passionate about his job, but easily frustrated with mortals, especially when they hide information or lie to him. He acts cold and distant, but really enjoys debating with The Devil's Advocate when she steps into the courtroom. 

The Obscure Scholar is a mere three hundred years away from one thousand. He is one of the older members of the Council. He is stuffy and very proper, and in charge of education and the library. He is the only one capable of calming the Librarians when they are in a fury. He isn't a fan of mortals, preferring to keep his distance and only pass on information to the school board through letters. He does visit the library and is the only person that is known to have seen the Librarians and lived.

Artifact 2427E

Much like with "Artifact 0535C," this is entry from The Agency is written by my fiancé and shared with their permission. Initially, they planned on having this be an item to find in a Dungeons & Dragons game, but decided that it fit better with The Agency. 

They wrote the time-stamped section from the unlucky researcher and I framed the rest of this entry around it. Once it was finished, I decided to post this for our anniversary.

Artifact 2427E

Description

The artifact appears as a scaled egg, roughly the same size as that of a goose egg. It is off-white in color and was found inside the throat of a corpse, which was found riddled with holes from what appeared to be scavenging insects. When exposed to heat and carbon dioxide, the scales open so that the artifact resembles a pinecone. The “scales” are in fact human teeth, incisors. The teeth vibrate at ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit. What follows after this is documented in Testimony 2020-02-17.

            Containment protocol requires that the artifact be kept in a sealed, transparent box kept at a temperature of no higher than ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. Curators, Omega scientists, Omicron researchers, and even Zeta janitors are required to exercise extreme caution when interacting with the artifact.

Testimony 2020-02-17 (recorded 2020-02-19)

Arch. Crane: Statement of the late Omicron researcher Ezra Price. Statement recorded by Researcher Price and recovered by a team of collectors after the incident. Read by Archivist Omari Crane. Statement begins:

            0430: I’ll get this all typed up in proper format later. For now, cataloging. Artifact 2427E is an egg. That’s it. Just a scaled egg, about the size of a goose’s. It’s off-white in color, and it was reportedly found inside the throat of a corpse. As for the corpse, it was riddled with holes from scavenging insects and who knows what else. Time of death was put at two weeks ago. So far, no tests have yielded anything unusual—no magnetic fields, no delta or theta wave interference, no temperature changes. No signs the egg is rancid, though, either.

            0923: After running several more tests, something finally happened. Exposure to higher levels of carbon dioxide and heat have caused the scales to peel slightly. It resembles a pine cone more than an egg now.

            0931: Those aren’t scales. They’re teeth. Human teeth, or at least it looks like it. Incisors, over a hundred of them, all sticking out and vibrating ever so slightly. It’s most prominent at around ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?

            1211: One of the teeth shed onto the table, like a child’s baby tooth. There’s something pinkish-red beneath it, with a pocket where the root would be. I’m not getting any closer without a hazmat suit.

            1345: The teeth are shedding one by one. About half have fallen away now, leaving behind a viscous, fleshy mass underneath. If I’m being honest, I’m scared to go any closer. This is wrong on so many levels. I’ve gotten my hazmat gear on, but it was designed for your basic toxins and pathogens, not…whatever this is.

            1349: Scared or not, I have to investigate. It’s my job.

No, you didn’t, Ez. That’s not your job. That’s for collectors and Betas. You are—ahem, were—an Omicron. You didn’t have to investigate. You…you could have…ahem. Right. One more. Just…just have to read this last entry and then I can…I can never think about this again.

            1927: Inside. They’re inside me. I can feel them, crawling in my veins, scraping the inside of my skull.

            I looked closer at the holes in the mass. Touching it with tools knocked most of the rest of the teeth off, and I pried open one of the root pockets. One single compound eye stared back at me, then the whole thing started to pulsate. They erupted from it like a plague of Egypt, like…No. No time to get flowery.

            It’s too late now to save me. I can feel it growing inside, can feel them growing. Breathing is getting hard.

            Sarah, if they ever let you see this, I’m sorry. You said this job was too good to be true, and you were right. I love you, don’t forget that. Okay? And take care of Mom, tell her I love her too.

            Goodbye.

Arch. Crane: Statement ends. Ahem. That was…that was the last thing Ezra—ahem—Researcher Price ever wrote. He was found…found…God. I can’t. It was…I’ve seen the photos. They’re in the file. He…he was found dead with…with holes burrowing into—or out of—him and a…a scaled egg in his throat. The egg is currently in the museum with strict precautions in place. Too bad those precautions didn’t come sooner. Then Ezra might…might still….

So, that was another entry mostly written by my darling fiancé. I've got to say I'm rather glad they decided it fit better with The Agency. It was such a joy to transcribe what they wrote and write an entry around it. I hope they'll be writing more entries.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a nice day. Try not to think too hard about the teeth currently rooted in your mouths and what 

Corbin Cove Location: Gahanna Bowling Alley & Navarino Skating Rink

Welcome back to Corbin Cove, readers! Continuing our tour of this lovely coastal community, we'll visit two of the more popular recreation facilities the town has to offer: Gahanna Bowling Alley and Navarino Skating Rink.

These two facilities share a parking lot which acts as a dividing line and battlefield for them. The bowling alley and skating rink are the Hatfields and McCoys of Corbin Cove. They feud frequently, usually over the parking lot. Many citizens have been caught in the crossfire during their battles. Depending on whether the sanitation workers are on strike or not, the parking lot is often littered with the bodies of these unlucky citizens.

We're not sure how the feud started. All we know is that one day the two decided to stage a war that seemed to be over the parking lot and the temporary fatalities climbed. No one, not even The Devil's Advocate or The Peerless Prosecutor, could help solve the issue between them and the fatalities continued. Their war waged on. 

Anyone visiting either location risked being killed or wounded in the war between Gahanna and Navarino. Those who were able to enter, though, had the time of their lives and were able to enjoy glow-in-the-dark bowling or skating depending on which place they went to. In addition, they are able to enjoy a variety of foods such as nachos, fries, pretzels, burgers, and hotdogs, and popular music. Both locations provide a fun family atmosphere.

Gahanna Bowling Alley boasts several bowling teams and has a league night where the teams compete to win a trophy and bragging rights. Many of the teams sport scars from their narrow escapes and encounters with the Navarino Skating Rink roller-derby teams who act as soldiers in the war and try to prevent the bowling teams from practicing. Of course, the bowling teams aren't innocent in this and can often be found injuring or maiming the roller-derby team members and patrons of the skating rink. 

The war so far has been contained to the parking lot and not spilled over, though it isn't uncommon for a bowler to give a skater a dirty look when their paths cross and the skaters will often blame bowlers for anything that happens to be an inconvenience to them that day. 

That's all for this tour of Corbin Cove. The next time we'll be taking a look at the last organization in Corbin Cove worth noting: the town council.