Merkabah Rider

Creator: Edward M. Erdelac

Characters:

Kabede

Dick Belden

Adon

Faustus Montague

Jeroen DeKorte

The Rider is the protagonist of the Merkabah Rider series, about a Hasidic mystic gunslinger tracking the renegade teacher who betrayed his Jewish order of astral travelers (the Sons of The Essenes) to the Outer Gods of the Lovecraftian Mythos, across the southwestern territories of the 1880’s. Along the way, he encounters a possessed ex-Confederate sharpshooter, Doc Holliday, an infernal cannon, half-demon outlaws, a bordello of antediluvian succubi, and a silent master gunslinger constructed from the body parts of various deceased famous gunmen, among other things.

The Rider himself is a Hasidic man in his thirties, with a black beard and peyot curls. He dresses in a black rekel coat and black wide brimmed hat, with a white shirt underneath. Though he wears no spurs, he clinks when he walks. This is because under his clothes, his body is draped with talismans, bodyguards and amulets he has collected over the course of his adventures. He wears a pair of blue tinted spectacles mystically embossed with Solomonic seals that allow him to see into the spirit world (or Yenne Velt), and is armed with a gold and silver chased Volcanic pistol stamped with dozens of Solominic wards and Jewish amulets which allow him to carry it with him when, through ecstatic meditation, he leaves his physical form and travels into the Yenne Velt and various heavenly and infernal planes.  Although called the Rider, he has taken an oath as part of his initiation not to burden any animal with his own weight, and so leads a pale pack onnager wherever he goes. For this reason, the Apache call him Rider Who Walks. He hid his true name long ago to protect himself from malevolent spirits.

Kabede – Another member of the Sons of The Essenes, Kabede is an Ethiopian Jew (or Beta Y’srael) and a member of the hidden Balankab Enclave. He wears a white, blue trimmed burnoose and desert headdress, sports a curved, engraved dagger, and simple cotton clothes. He was born without out a philtrum above his upper lip, marking him as having all the knowledge of heaven in infancy (because, before a baby is born, an angel instructs a soul about heaven, but then strikes its upper lip to make it forget…yet the angel in charge of Kabede’s soul became distracted at his birth by the onset of war in heaven), and his skin is covered with Hebrew and angelic symbols that appear as tattoos but are in fact birthmarks. His special spiritual power makes him able to wield the Rod of Arron, an ancient artifact dating back to Creation and holding untold powers.

Dick Belden – the Rider’s oldest friend, a disgraced US cavalry sergeant, avowed drunkard and profligate.

Adon – The Rider’s mysterious instructor among the Sons of The Essenes, who recognized his talents and taught him about alternative paths to God that were nothing more than preparation for the revelation of Azathoth and the Great Old Ones. Unfortunately for Adon, the Rider left the Order of the Essenes and enlisted in the Army to fight in the Civil War, having perceived a stirring of evil in the coming conflict. Adon, left without his star pupil, murdered the San Francisco Enclave, and set out to gather a force of new acolytes (The Creed), trained in astral travel and combat, but dedicated to bringing about the Hour of Incursion, when the Great Old Ones will reclaim reality.  Adon’s origins are far more sinister than even the Rider knows.

Jeroen DeKorte – A Dutch merkabah rider who betrayed his enclave and joined Adon’s Creed. DeKorte, once known as The Bone or Het Bot, dedicates himself to the study of necromancy with terrifying results.

Faustus Montague – A mysterious old medicine peddler in a blue velvet suit and topper, who drives a camel-drawn gilded vardo wagon which always seems to have room for new occupants and cargo. Faustus claims to be an angelic being who has pursued the dark power behind the Hour of The Incursion from another universe.

The Rider appears in three books consisting of four novella episodes each, one standalone short story, and a full length novel.

Chronologically, they are -

The Shomer Express (in The Trigger Reflex: Legends Of The Monster Hunter II)

Merkabah Rider: Tales Of A High Planes Drifter (containing The Blood Libel, Hell’s Hired Gun, The Dust Devils, and The Nightjar Women)

Merkabah Rider 2: The Mensch With No Name (containing The Infernal Napoleon, The Damned Dingus, The Outlaw Gods, and The Pandæmonium Ride )

Merkabah Rider 3: Have Glyphs Will Travel (containing  The Long Sabbath, The Mules Of The Mazzikim, The Man Called Other and The Fire King Triumphant)

Merkabah Rider 4: Once Upon A Time In The Weird West

The Hooded Hunter

The Hooded Hunter

Creator: Steve Mitchell

Characters

Burton Roberts

Barton Terry

Allison Frazier

Harold Louis Wassermann

The Hooded Hunter is a tall, spare man in a gray double-breasted suit, and a fedora hat. A tight-fitting hood covered his entire head except for his mouth and chin. From the hood a pair of steely gray eyes glared. A revolver was grasped in his right hand.

Barton Roberts is a special investigator for an anti-fascist group based in Empire City. He has authority and jurisdiction throughout the United States. When on a case, he often works as The Hooded Hunter to battle Nazis in the U.S.

Martin Terry is similar in height and weight to Barton Terry, and he has an aggressive thrust to his jaw. He assists The Hooded Hunter when called upon.

Harold Louis Wassermann is Head of the Board of the anti-fascist group that Barton and Terry work for.

The Hooded Hunter was created by Steve Mitchell, and is thinly based on the Matinee serial, The Masked Marvel. Plus, it is written in serial style with cliffhangers and dialogue. Each chapter ends with a fistfight or gun battle. The character also has similarities to Dan Fowler of G-Men Detective. Barton Roberts is Dan Fowler, and Martin Terry is Larry Kendal. There is even a girl in the story, Allison Frazier, who plays the part of Sally Vane. Wasserman is the F.B.I. Director, of course. So the story works as either a serial or Dan Fowler novel.

            There have been two stories in the series so far.

“The Hooded Hunter” CLASSIC PULP FICTION STORIES #17 & 18*

“Brothers In Arms” DOUBLE DANGER TALES #30**

(*Also reprinted in TALES OF MASKS & MAYHEM V#4
(**Also features The Shape.)

The Royal Occulist

CHARLES ST. CYPRIAN, THE ROYAL OCCULTIST

CREATOR:

·      Josh Reynolds

CHARACTERS:

·      Charles St. Cyprian

·      Ebe Gallowglass

“Formed during the reign of Elizabeth I, the post of the Royal Occultist, or ‘the Queen’s Conjurer’ as it was known, was created for and first held by the diligent amateur, Dr. John Dee, in recognition for an unrecorded  service to the Crown. The title has passed through a succession of hands since, some good, some bad; the list is a long one, weaving in and out of the margins of British history and including such luminaries as the 1st Earl of Holderness and Thomas Carnacki.

It is now 1920, and the title and offices have fallen to Charles St. Cyprian who, accompanied by his apprentice/assistant Ebe Gallowglass defends the battered and dwindling British Empire against threats occult, otherworldly, infernal and divine even as the wider world lurches once more on the path to war…”

The Royal Occultist is the man or woman who stands between the United Kingdom and dangers of an occult, otherworldly, infernal or divine nature. Whether it’s werewolves in Wolverhampton or satyrs in Somerset, the Royal Occultist will be there to confront, cajole or conquer the menace in question. There have been many Royal Occultists, and there will be many more, thanks to the strong British sense of tradition, bloody-minded necessity and the ridiculously short life expectancy for those who assume the post.

The current occupier of the office is Charles St. Cyprian.  St. Cyprian is Rudolph Valentino by way of PG Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster—impeccably dressed, handsome, and a bit of a twit. He is a slim man in his late twenties, with an Old College, Oxford intonation and an inordinate fondness for the sartorial creations of Savile Row. Prior to occupying the foremost occult office in the Empire, St. Cyprian was a stereotypical example of the ‘idle rich’ with an attention span limited to the retention of cricket scores and the occasional bout of auto-polo. While he takes his responsibilities seriously, St. Cyprian is nonetheless prone to thinking that he’s cleverer than he actually is. 

He’s aided in his efforts to investigate and occasionally suppress that which man was not meant to know by his assistant, Ebe Gallowglass. Gallowglass is a short, slender woman of Egyptian descent in her early twenties, with a propensity for dressing like a cross between a Parisian street-Apache and a newsboy. In contrast to St. Cyprian’s hapless earnestness, Gallowglass is murderously effective, and often heavily armed.  

St. Cyprian and Gallowglass made their first appearance in 2010 in the short story, “Krampusnacht”. They have since appeared in close to twenty short stories, in a variety of anthologies and magazines. A novel, THE WHITECHAPEL DEMON, is forthcoming in 2014. 

To see the available stories go to: http://royaloccultist.wordpress.com/available/. 

To see forthcoming stories go to: http://royaloccultist.wordpress.com/forthcoming/.

To download the ROYAL OCCULTIST PRIMER, a free PDF containing three previously published stories go to: http://db.tt/olBj1ufo

To visit the site, set your browser for: http://royaloccultist.wordpress.com/

The Fox

The Fox

Creator: Marilyn Morey

Characters

Kit Volpe

Ichikuro Komoyuki

Justin Hawthorne

Jack Blacker

Pete

Based in Orlando, Florida, the Fox made her debut in “Trouble Times Three”, where she teamed up with Debra DeLorme’s The Scarecrow in an operation to take down one of the Corona's hierarchy members known only as Emerald.  Little is known of her origins, though she does make mention in her first story that she once worked for the villains she now fights, ending with “I didn't know there were children until it was too late.  That's when I decided to stop their kind”.  Making that decision, she began training with Ichikuro Komoyuki in martial arts. 

The Black Orchid is a prominent nightclub in Orlando that is both a local and tourist destination as it hearkens back to the clubs of the 1930's, from appearance to songs.  Her home base is referred to as the Fox's Den and is equipped with state-of-the-art computers, lab and so on.  Her organization is small, but loyal, and serves not only the Fox but her alter ego at the nightclub.  She tends to run a for-hire business but has worked in conjunction with the FBI on cases. 

Kit Volpe - The Fox has dark red hair with deep green eyes, and is petite.  As Kit, she's a blues and torch singer.  As the Fox, she dresses as a ninja.  Her weapons are primarily those generally used in martial arts, such as sai, sword and throwing stars, but she's also a crack shot and will carry a gun if the mission calls for it. 

Justin Hawthorne is an ex-Texas Ranger, now serving as the FBI director in the Orlando region and is the Fox's federal contact.  Despite his origins, he doesn't have a Texas accent.  He hangs around the Orchid during his off duty hours, and hires the Fox when the case calls for a touch that isn't in the FBI rulebooks. 

Ichikuro Komoyuki is Kit's sensei and father figure.  He works as a bouncer at the Orchid.  Bonsai master.  He perished at the end of “Trouble Times Three”. 

Jack Blacker is a computer hacker, communications expert, and so on. 

Pete works as the bartender at the Black Orchid.  Primarily, he is the go-to guy when it comes to transportation and he's good at procuring things, such as telephone company uniforms.

There were only two stories in the series.

“Trouble Times Three”, with Debra Delorme & Scarecrow DOUBLE DANGER TALES #18 & 19

“The Chinese Connection”  DOUBLE DANGER TALES #24 & 25*
(*Also reprinted in TALES OF MASKS & MAYHEM V#2)