• Prolouge


    The first known records of the Chthonian Machine were found in the writings of Phonesis, a Greek philosopher. In his writings he spoke of a machine that was invented by the Sumerian inventor, Elamenme in the year 5300 BC. He did not specify what exactly the machine was capable of doing, but he did say that the machine could wield a power 'Greater than the gods themselves'.

    For some time the documents of Phonesis were lost, but in the year 1862, they were found by an Italian explorer, Agatha D'Angelo. Unable to translate most of the text, she took it to her friend who was a Professor of Ancient History, Arthur Bauldin. Almost at once, the project of translating the ancient text excited the Professor and he set to work at once with the help of one of his close friends and fellow history enthusiast. Between the two men it took a year to translate the text.

    When they presented what they had found to Agatha, she was the first to propose an expedition to find the Machine. The two scholars agreed full-heartedly, but they knew that if they left with what little information they had gathered from the Phonesis' writings, they wouldn't get too far. It took some convincing for Agatha to see it their way, but she eventually agreed and told the men that they could do their research and to call her when they were ready.

    It wasn't until 1874 that the two finally thought that they were on to something. They wrote Agatha. She was ecstatic to hear of their progress and wrote back saying that she would meet them so they could go off on their long-awaited expedition.

    In 1875 the three adventurers were finally able to set off. Unfortunately their expedition had disastrous results. After the unfortunate crash of their small airship, Agatha and almost all of their research was lost. Defeated, the two friends returned to Oxford. While his friend was able to move on with his life, Arthur Bauldin became obsessed with finding the machine and devoted his life to find it. Some say that his obsession drove him to madness and he lost almost all credibility that he once had in the academic world because of it. When they thought he was reaching his breaking point, they sent him away for a rest cure.

    It is now 1883 and a new story of adventure for Adelaide Bauldin has been sent into motion with the disappearance of her father and the arrival of a strange letter from an eccentric businessman by the name of Henry Elderidge.