King’s Dulcarnain, on the Suffolk sea-marshes, is only a shadow of its former prosperous self. During the middle ages the natural harbour had not been claimed by the tides, the cliffs had not eroded spilling church and churchyard and half the houses into the cold North Sea. By Victoria’s time, a scant thirty houses clung to the perilous shore, and by 1951 that number was reduced to twenty-one used properties, including a small Methodist chapel and the George and Dragon public house.

But the quiet dying village had one last moment in history, and it began on the night of June 23^rd 1951, as an unusually fierce storm lashed King’s Dulcarnain, breaching the sea defences and claiming yet another few feet of crumbling cliff. Along with the sandstone fell part of the long abandoned Horne Barn, and thus began a mystery which would take those who pursued it to the very essence of mystery itself.

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Present: Miss Dawn D’Aosta (President), Dr Dorian Aveyard (Vice President), Mr M. Antony Flaxton (Secretary), Mr Patrick Revell (Treasurer), Dr Richard Selkirk, Dr Angherad ap Griffeths, Miss Tanzania Quilp, Miss Magdazarta Maledicta, Mr Giles Meridian, Mr Albrecht Arnheim, Miss Genevieve Fauçonburg, Mr Maraud Qarawun.

The absence of Mr Radshaw was noted. It was also remarked upon that Dr Selkirk had remembered to come to the meeting, but this was later explained as Selkirk thought it was last week’s meeting.

Matters Arising: Dr Selkirk, Miss Maledicta, and Mr Meridian continue to investigate the disappearance of the contents of Fry’s Chocolate machines from observed machines on the Waterloo line. Mr Meridian is convinced that no standard extraplanar activity is going on to explain it. Miss Maledicta suspects Faerie involvement, but is uncertain how such things could happen inside what is effectively an iron tube. Dr Selkirk has noted minor changes in the operating current of the third rail which may have some significance. The investigation proceeds. Mr Revell will submit an interim invoice to the London Underground.

Miss D. D’Aosta, Mr Arnheim, and Dr Aveyard reported on the closure of the Tooting Pump House investigation, which has been satisfactorily explained as fraud on the part of a disgruntled worker. Attempted sabotage has been detected, and the police have made an arrest. Dr Aveyard may be called to give testimony for the prosecution.

Miss Fauçonburg, Mr Arnheim, and Mr Flaxton reported on their investigation of an alleged poltergeist haunting of a council house in Finchley. As is common with such cases, the phenomenon had stopped entirely once investigation began. The only feature of distinctive interest was the constant crown motif that had allegedly appeared in the arrangement of small items such as spoons and on the graffiti on bedroom walls. It was agreed to place this case on the inactive file.

Mr Qarawun outlined his most recent researches into the whereabouts of his missing sister who has been lost to him for over a decade now.

Brother Indexer appeared for one item only to make a report on the restoration of the library’s good order after the recent incursion of Faerie, and to indicate additional security measures which had been taken to prevent a repetition. This caused a spirited debate in which Ms Maledicta objected to the "draconian and barbaric" measures used to isolate the Library from Fey influence. Dr Selkirk added that he had always liked bran muffins.

New Business: Miss Quilp and Dr ap Griffeths presented an update on known extraplanar menaces in the light of the fall of the Dreamlands Mind Flayers and their Thought Priest allies. The Dreamlands now appear to be closed to direct human visitation, but further information is being sought of the Scholar-Ghouls of Notre Dame. Chia Caranques los Llanos is presumed to still lurk behind mirrors in her new role as Queen of Darkness in the parasite demiplane of Ravenloft. The Black Librarian’s status and indeed continued existence remains a mystery after the "lost time" episode where the Club entered his realm to attack him and awoke a week later with no memory of what occurred. The Baatezu Devils continue their attempts to break through the Astral portal into the Web of Time where many of the Club’s members and retainers are trapped. The whereabouts of the Lych are not known.

A number of potential cases were considered and prioritised [notes taken but not included here for brevity]. Mr Duncan brought correspondence regarding a potential fall of frogs and a toad in a hole, which were categorised as Grade III: Possible phenomena, non threatening - for investigation. Mr Duncan and Miss Quilp agreed to conduct initial desk and laboratory investigations, and report back at the next meeting.

Lieutenant Rupert Chalfont Edward Redvers-Ainderbury and Miss Ettienne LeClair appeared before the meeting to report on information gleaned from the Knights Occulta of Malta on new patterns of cult activity in the wake of the destruction of the Ordo Templis Occulta (Caradoc’s organisation). Miss LeClair asked that the minutes note she wore a daring Dior number in green chiffon with matching accessories.

However, this report was interrupted by a telephone call from the Harrogate Infirmary indicating that Mr Radshaw had just been admitted after being found in a severely beaten state inside a pillar box by a very surprised postman. Mr Radshaw was stable but had received a "professional" and "serious" working over. Pinned to his unconscious form was a yellow index card with the words "Do not go to King’s Dulcarnain" written on it in Mr Radshaw’s blood.

The King’s Dulcarnain case was therefore upgraded to Grade II: Possible phenomena, life threatening - immediate action, and the meeting adjourned to deal with the situation at once.

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Over to you, folks.

I am assuming that Turn 1 deals with the next few hours only, which really means the Club’s researches will be confined to Harrogate and its environs or to anything that can be done by telephone. Should the Club subsequently wish to travel to any desolate remote East Anglian locations or elsewhere subsequent to Chapter 2, people need to tell me who is going, when, and with what equipment.

Chapter Two should be ready on Friday 15^th January. When the next chapter is ready for distribution I shall e-mail people to remind them to check this site again.