Perriman set the book on the floor by his chair and collected his pipe. “This is foreboding news… ominous. How much do you know?”
“Not enough, apparently.”
“How much do you care to know?”
“As much as you want to tell me.” The Professor pulled a match from his vest pocket and proceeded to relight his pipe. After several puffs, he leaned back and crossed his legs. “Are you familiar with either the Brotherhood of Purity or the Secret Doctrine?”
I shook my head while the Professor continued. “If you like, I can tell you about the people who murdered Roy O’Brien. By doing so, you’ll be in the same danger your friend was in.”
“A little more danger won’t make much difference.”
Perriman nodded. “The Habuh, the statuette, is the sacred talisman of an occult cabal known as at the Brotherhood of Purity. The origins of this group predate written history.
The order was started in the Far East among a small group of men, whose concepts reached literally thousands of years into the future. While other more primitive men were barely learning the uses of metal and stone, this brotherhood was embracing the rudimentary principles of eugenics. Are you familiar with the term?”
“You bet.”
“Of course, even these advanced thinkers were limited by lack of technology. The Brotherhood’s trail is only faintly traceable for centuries. It is not until around 400 BC that we begin to see clear indications of its presence. To those familiar with the Secret Doctrine, there is much that can be interpreted from many of the Greek philosophers’ teachings.
“The Brotherhood of Purity grew steadily in power during the rise of the Roman Empire.
Despite its enormous wealth and influence, it’s anonymity was strictly preserved. The number of those who were initiated-and who received the teachings, signs, and passwords-was kept to a bare minimum, ensuring complete dedication and fealty, as well as avoiding the dilution of quality, which inevitably comes with overpopulation.
There was also no need for a large following. As I have learned, the Secret Doctrine is filled with prophecies that would not reach fruition for many years. The order was concerned primarily with maintaining the rituals and making sure that the Brotherhood continued on toward the day when it would fulfil its destiny. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
“When the Roman Empire fell, the Brotherhood survived unscathed. In fact, it is speculated that the order hastened the downfall for its own ends. The empire had grown obese and sedentary and was no longer conducive to the higher ideals of the
Brotherhood of Purity. In keeping with early prophecies, the members of the order cast their eyes toward the fierce and hungry tribes of Angles and Saxons, which were not as intellectually advanced as the Romans, but had not suffered the physical and spiritual decline.
“Many pivotal and powerful figures of the Middle Ages became secretly affiliated with the Brotherhood of Purity, including Charles the Great, Henry the Lion, Otto the Great, Philip of Swabia, Conrad IV, and Frederick Barbarossa. While Emperor Charlemagne was not deemed intellectually suitable for the Brotherhood, his closest adviser and confident, Hugo von Touron, was a high-ranking member. His influence on
Charlemagne drastically affected the course of Europe’s, and the world’s, history.
“Counted among the members of the Brotherhood were not only kings and statesmen, but also religious figures, such as the Bishop Klingsor, the Count of Acerra, and Eckbert of Meran, the thirteenth century Bishop of Bramberg. The Spanish Inquisition was instigated by a single radical member of the brotherhood who held a high position in the papal order. It is commonly believed that the thousands were put to death because they refused to join the Catholic faith. In actuality, these deaths were the result of an enormous ethnic cleansing. This was done, however, of the brother’s own volition and was not a sanctioned act of the brotherhood.
“Throughout the Middle Ages and into the 20th century, other factious branches sprang from the brotherhood. The Crusades were in part associated with one of these branches.
Eventually, the main body was able to pare off the splinter groups, but not without great bloodshed and civil war. Most of these conflicts have been misinterpreted by history, which in and of itself proves the extreme and far-reaching power of the brotherhood.
“Heinrich Himmler, who was in charge of the Nazi Occult Bureau at the height of the Nazi movement, somehow obtained a manuscript of the Secret Doctrine and showed it to Adolf Hitler. They were greatly influenced by the brotherhood’s principles, though they almost certainly were never allowed to enter the Order. It took many years for the brotherhood to undo the damage done by these madmen. Even in the years since, the main core of the brotherhood has had to deal with other contentious splinter groups, some of which have grown to massive proportions before the brotherhood could bring them under control.”
Professor Perryman paused to empty his pipe ash into a trash can. I felt fairly sure that I was keeping up with him, but I had a few questions.
“So, what is the point of this brotherhood? You mentioned something about fulfilling their destiny, but it doesn’t sound like they have done much more than keep themselves a secret from the rest of the world. And how is it that you know about them?”
The Professor ran a hand over his long beard. “I’ll answer the last question first. I stumbled on to them quite by accident. When I was a student, years ago, I was doing research for my doctorate in a library in Vienna. I was searching through a dusty volume on German folklore when I came across an ancient manuscript, handwritten on brittle, yellowed parchment. In those days, my knowledge of the German language was marginal at best, but I was able to understand some of the contents. It was on that page that I first saw the terms Brotherhood of Purity and Secret Doctrine.
“The parchment had been placed between two pages, one of which displayed a lithograph of a painting. It was dated 1604 and signed by a man named Basilius. From what I could gather, it was an allegorical path to enlightenment, filled with symbols scattered along the way up to what I can only describe as a wizard’s kitchen, filled with crescent-moon and sun designs. I’ll never forget the symbols: a black raven, peacock, swan, pelican, lion, and eagle. Over the years, I have learned that each of these has a distinct attribute that must be attained by members of the Brotherhood.
“I was not allowed to take the book with me from the library, and when I returned later to take another look at the book and the parchment, they had mysteriously disappeared.
Despite diligent searching, I never did see it again. My interest, however, was piqued.
Since that day, I have been absorbed in learning the history behind the contents of the parchment.
“As to the brotherhood’s self proclaimed manifest destiny, I have gleaned only bits and pieces, though I have no doubt that it’s clearly stated in the pages of the Secret Doctrine.
Since the origin of the order, the names and acts of the founders have been passed down orally for hundreds of generations. It wasn’t until the third century AD that the genealogy, philosophy, and icons were set in print. A group of men, known to outsiders as the Docetists, composed an expansive tome, attempting to summarise the order’s history and doctrine. This text became known as the Secret Doctrine.
“I have never seen a verified copy of the text, though several reputedly authentic excerpts have come to my attention. Regardless, from what I have read, been told, and overheard, I’ve assembled a partial description of the brotherhood’s objectives, as they are contained in the prophecies within the sacred text.
“The Secret Doctrine describes an entity called the Incubus, which the Brotherhood would summon when all its prophecies had come to pass. The Incubus would then create something or someone that translates literally to the Moon Child. This Moon Child would be the destroyer of the impure and the guardian of the pure and faithful.”