Having put much thought (and research) into a new story arc that will be the backdrop to a new series of stories, I’ve just about finished the first story that will likely weigh in at some 6,000 – 7,000 words. I’ve dubbed this cycle of stories the Wetumpka Cycle for the name of the town and its history in Alabama. These stories are to be integrated into the Cthulhu Mythos and will draw on much of the creatures, deities, and arcane literature that many authors before me have contributed to the Mythos.
Of course I will be adding my own elements to everything. A few of the books I’ve decided to draw on are real books: Tyson’s Necronomicon, the Nocturnicon, and The Book of Nod. There are various other real books that aren’t contemporary works that I’ve researched and will use. Mostly they are books on witchcraft, demonology, Hermeticism, and alchemy.
The plot of the larger arc that unfolds is based on some very real events in Alabama’s history. In Wetumpka, Alabama is the site of the state’s only confirmed impact crater. Matter of fact, I currently live inside of the caldera. The asteroid that caused it impacted the Earth many millions of years ago and was estimated to be as large as a football stadium. The result is that the current crater is about 5 miles in diameter. In the Mythos, this asteroid contained an alien metal that possessed sinister powers and was a conduit through which an alien, outside force could project its influence causing the psyches of the humans that would come to settle the area and come into contact with the metallic ore of the asteroid to change. The result usually being a gravitation towards madness, violence, evil, abuse, and various other dark behaviors.
The metal lay dormant for millions of years waiting to act on a sentience. The Native Americans were the first people to settle the area and they were the ones to discover the metal. Sensing the uniqueness of the metal, they revered it and incorporated it into their rituals. When Hernando de Soto came with his conquistadores through Alabama in the 1500’s they took the metal and fashioned it into a set of shields; but before they could leave the area the Indians rose up at the Battle of Mabilla and took back the shields. After that they were re-incorporated back into the rituals of the natives – thus becoming the object of the Brass Plate Dance in the Creek’s Green Corn Festival.
History lost them after white settlers arrived and the Creek War ended. Many legends as to their fate have circulated but the plates’ whereabouts remain a mystery. That is until it’s explained in the Wetumpka Cycle.
Visions of the Dark 
3 Comments
Wow, this gives me two great ideas: a cycle of stories and a meteorite that isn’t so much a meteorite as an artifact.
I realize that I already have a sort of story cycle (I should probably call it the Aachiang Cycle, see my blog).
I found this blog from the HPPodCraft podcast and your comment about being the Alabama Lovecraft gave me a great idea too. I’ve been meaning to do the same sort of thing with Chicago and Illinois. I think I’ll concentrate on that even more now.
I’m looking forward to looking at more of your posts.
Thanks for stopping by, William. I checked out some of your blog. We have several things in common. I too am a military man. I’ve been in for 22 years now (13 years enlisted medic and 9 years personnel office). If you’re willing to share, I’d like to read some of your Lovecraftian styled stories.
Sure. Fortunately, or unfortunately most of it is out, almost all of that is in my blog. I need to compile Nightmares of Katrina into one story. Currently it is 20 blog posts and they were posted over about 3 years (though they are easy to find if you use that tag). There are a few typos in it, but I think it’s a pretty good story, and it’s true!
I look forward to your comments.