The Journal of Eric Parker: 

Dime Novel: Interludes

Real World Date: March 2009

Game World Date: May - June 1879

Season Three, Christmas Special

Time has passed since you all came back to Freedom. The first 24 hours were very emotional as your comrade in arms left this world for another plane. But time continues to march forward. In the next 4 weeks the town of Freedom has become a busy haven of work as it begins rebuilding. Along with your house, General Sheridan is planning to construct a small Fort in Freedom to protect the railroad that the Union has started building. They hope it will be able to run from Virginia City to Sacramento to Freedom and to Fort Lincoln. After the inability to move troops and resources quick enough, the General has decided to make this one of his priorities. 

During this time Mr. Conkling has made sure your pay has been brought up to date so each of you receive a sum of money in the currency of your choice in the amount of $5,000.00. As Mr. Parker has mentioned before other monies for your retirement are still in a bank in Virginia City. Captain Harrison’s money has been divided up among his men and their families. Some of his money has been put into a fund to help children who have lost their families during this war. 

Mr. Conkling has also asked that everyone prepare to take a trip around the world as you will need to hunt down pieces of a journal that Reverend Grimme wrote after he was taken over by a spirit sent by the Reckoners. The belief is that these items will help in being able to finally defeat Grimme and his army of followers. Mr. Conkling will be sending Mr. Parker with you to help in matters of finance and gathering information with people he knows in the world. Also Mr. Conkling mentions he has several guides in England that he has prepared to help show you around Europe and he feels that they will be a welcome addition to your group. 

During this time, Fairfax and his men have stayed in Freedom and they are usually seen talking with Cassandra. After Fort Lincoln has been relieved of the siege upon it by Grimme’s forces, Colonel Wembley comes out to talk with General Sheridan at Freedom. Mr. Conkling meets with them and discusses the future of the war with Grimme. It is during this time that Mr. Conkling asks James Thomas for help in arranging travel for all of you. At some point Horatio, Mr. Thomas’s friend, makes it back to Freedom and they are reunited. A week before everyone is set to leave you'll see James Thomas setting up a ritual circle under a tent in Freedom. He spends most of the week working on a very intricately designed circle that uses runes and Latin. During the week Mr. Parker lets you all know that instead of traveling overland and then by sea to England, that Mr. Thomas has offered to expend some of his resources to create a gateway to London. This way the group can save over 2 months of travel time. James Thomas explains that when he opens up the gate you will need to enter and walk on the golden path and to not stray from it. If you leave the path you will most likely be lost forever in another metaphysical plane. He says that you will need to walk for a few hours on the path before it will end with another gate, which after walking through you should find yourselves in London. 

The day for leaving arrives and everyone says their goodbyes to their friends. Mr. Conkling, General Sheridan, and Colonel Wembley give their blessings and wish you all good luck. Fairfax, Jebidah, and Gabriel ask to come along as they need to get to England and this would help them immensely. Then James Thomas starts his incant in Latin at first and then switches off to an older tongue and within a few minutes the ritual circle glows with a golden and blue light and then the gate way itself opens up and you see the path you'll need to follow. The path is gold with blue lightening on the sides. Nothing holds up the path way and everything else around it is dark. The only other light you see is a blue glow very far off in the distance. After following the path for a few hours you come to the other gateway leading out. As you walk through the gate, your feet splash into a brownish green liquid and a foul smelling air assaults your nose. You look around to find gaslight lanterns along the walls. It looks like the gate sent you into the sewers. As the last of you walk through the Gate, you hear a scurrying noise down one of the other tunnels and you see rapid movements of shadows. Suddenly you see some men in slovenly clothes and robes jump out from many tunnel entrances. At the same time giant rats start squealing and running out of the pipes and tunnels towards you. You hear a lady's voice; “Welcome to London, Ladies and Gentlemen, now let us have some fun!!”