Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Part 1...

This was originally conceived to be a single note. As I started to write it I began to realize if I tried to condense it too much then I was certain to leave out some details and truthfully it's became sort of a writing exercise for me. Furthermore, as I started reviewing the evidence last night I encountered some "noteworthy" (get it) items. So ... to make this easy, in the event you're not interested in certain parts, or any of it for that matter, I have titled each section so you can skip along as you wish.

Enjoy!

Why the Asylum...?

As someone who almost certainly would not, under any circumstance, pursue anything even remotely paranormal I would have to classify this adventure as a somewhat cathartic experience. Facing one's fears has to be one of the most common primal urges that plague us throughout our lives; especially for me. Having been traumatized at a young age by my older brother (whom I love dearly by the way, but was maybe just a bit misguided in his youth) who locked me in dark rooms for long periods of time, dangled me off the roof of a two story home by my ankles, and just generally terrorized me for a number of years, I have dealt with various fears associated with the dark, heights, and the paranormal.

Time has a way of healing many wounds, and with age we tend to deal with childish things in a more adult manner, but no matter how deeply we try to bury those fears that shaped us growing up we never truly overcome those we do not face.

Even until recently it was not uncommon for a program like Ghost Hunters to sometimes evoke an "uneasy" feeling for me while watching under certain circumstances. That fact not withstanding I was still intrigued by the idea of pursuing a paranormal experience.

When I discovered that TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) regularly conducted fan investigations across the country I began to watch the schedule of upcoming events until I found a location that was near enough to attend..., thus the trip to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.

Preparing for the hunt...

First of all, it is important to have an understanding of the sheer enormity of this structure. Without actually being there it is difficult to grasp. With 242,000 square feet (5-1/2 acres) under roof, the four-story main hospital building is the oldest, and largest hand-cut stone masonry building in the United States, and second only to the Kremlin in the world.

The entrance of the main building also houses a fifth floor with a huge looming clock tower above it that's spire reaches a height of 200 feet to the tip. Built in an architectural style known as the Kirkbride plan, the building branches out several hundred feet to the east and west of the main entrance into two long rambling wings, or wards (4 total) arranged in a receding staggered formation. At each end of the last wing of the first floor there is yet another long single story wing, each with three separate wings of its own extending perpendicular to it; all in all creating a huge expanse to explore.

After checking in at the Asylum with my daughter, Tabitha, a meet and greet with the TAPS celebrities (Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango, and Amy Bruni), a presentation by Amy on the origin of ghost hunting in general, and a Q&A session with Steve and Tango, our group, one of five, was paired with Steve to lead us into our first investigation.

Enter the Asylum...

Having no idea how this was going to play out our group of 22 followed Steve and the Trans-Allegheny guides to the back entrance to the first floor common area. Since the east wings were designated for administrative and event organization only the west wing of the first floor was open to us for investigation. Upon entering the first ward we were given a description of the basic floor layout, a brief history of the paranormal activity, a few tips on investigation methods, and much to my surprise, released with an hour of unfettered access to the entire wing to conduct our own investigation.

Try to imagine being placed into a corridor several hundred feet long only dimly lit by the eerie red glow of exit signs, roughly 16 to 18 feet wide, with numerous doors on either side leading into rooms that ranged from the size of a small bathroom to that of a large meeting room. Some of these rooms were completely void of light, while others were bathed in the soft glow of the waning moon as it shown through the windows.

It took Tabitha and me a few minutes to fully embrace the situation at hand before we ventured off into the darkness to begin our search for the paranormal. Our tools for this undertaking consisted of an HD digital camcorder set for low light with an external infrared light source, a digital recorder, and a small flashlight with separate white, red, and blue light sources.

As a group we had been asked to try and avoid the use of flashlights as much as possible; especially around other investigators so as not to interfere with, or diminish their experience. For the most part people did their very best to comply with that request with only occasional splashes of light filling the corridor to illuminate their path.

Tabitha and I quickly discovered that the presence of ambient light wasn't nearly enough for the night setting on my camcorder to work properly, and the vast openness of the wards was too great for my external infrared light source to sufficiently fill.

Basically ... we were recording darkness.

Luckily for us the use of red and blue lights was acceptable since the light was very concentrated, and not apt to interfere with other investigators. That is unless we, or they, happened into each other's immediate area.

The first floor was pretty much trial and error for the first forty minutes or so. We found ourselves fumbling in the dark for power buttons on the equipment, and trying our best not to tread on an area that had all ready been staked out and was in use by another group. By the time we had started to make progress in these areas we had made our way as far into the furthest west ward as we possibly could.

Time had dwindled quickly on our first floor investigation at this point so we decided to make our way back toward the first ward where we had originally entered. As we moved through what is referred to as "The Civil War Area" (the long single story wing furthest west of the main entrance) Tabitha stopped abruptly and asked me to shine the light at her feet. In this wide open room, supported by columns spaced roughly 25 feet in each direction, she had been struck in the shin, about half way between her ankle and knee, by something. Lying at her foot we discovered a piece of broken tile roughly the size of a quarter. As far as we could tell this was the only thing close enough to her that could have struck her, and there was no one in the immediate vicinity that could have thrown it. We could find no cause, or explanation for how this chunk of tile could have struck her the way, and where it did.

It's important to note this building was constructed between the years 1858 to 1881, and was a working hospital until 1994. It was closed because of the state of disrepair at that time, and has since fallen into an even greater state of deterioration. With that in mind the building is strewn with pieces of broken tile, peeling paint from walls and ceilings, as well as various other small pieces of debris.

Having left The Civil War Area feeling somewhat invigorated by the possibility that something otherworldly had interacted with us we passed through the second ward and into the first intent on visiting Lilly's room.

Lilly, we had been told during the highlights of the first floor activity, was a child patient who had lived on the first floor. The purported activity associated with Lilly included full body apparitions, interaction through toys and flashlights, and disembodied or electronic voice capture.

We waited patiently until the group in her room had finished and then entered to start our own investigation. At this point we had just a few minutes until it was time to meet up with the rest of the group and proceed to the second floor. Tabitha and I quickly arranged the toys that were in the room (two rubber balls of different sizes, and a balloon) on a chair positioned against the opposite side wall. Then we trained the camcorder on the chair, and started the digital recorder for an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) session.

If you've ever watched the show you know there are some basic questions, and or requests that the investigators always ask. We followed that same pattern asking questions like; is there is anyone here? Can you tell us your name? Can you move one of the balls, or the balloon for us? Feel free to touch Tabitha...that sort of thing. After a few minutes, and no visual, or audible responses time eventually ran out and we had to hurry to rejoin rest of the group.

As far as visually, to the naked eye, we didn't see anything, nor did we hear anything audible at that time. Notice...I said at "that time".

First Floor Evidence...

I have yet to review the visual evidence, but I don't really expect it to yield any results on the first floor simply because up until we entered Lilly's room we were still figuring things out with the video. But upon listening to the digital recorder, the forth EVP … Lilly's room, there are three very distinct childlike voices directly following a question. The first two responses are indistinct at this point, and will require additional analysis, but the third is a clear succinct answer to a direct question.

Next, The Second Floor...

Forgive me Father... (Continued From Father Nathan Darke)

“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.” The words repeat themselves in rapid succession over and over again in Nathan’s head. So much so that Nathan loses complete focus on the situation at hand. As she pulls his jacket back over his shoulders the next five words she speaks don’t register with Nathan at all… that is, until he feels the sudden stabbing pain in his right side. “I have killed many men”, she had said. Her attack had been shrewd, indeed. After binding his arms with his own jacket she had plunged a long needle sharp hairpin deep into his side. He knew she had targeted the kidney, which she would have hit if it wasn’t for the fact Nathan’s right kidney had been removed as a result of a gunshot wound. His misfortune would become her ultimate mistake.

The pain brought him back to reality, and just in time. The second hairpin, this time aimed at Nathan’s left kidney, had just pierced the skin when he reached across and grabbed her wrist to stop the attack. With a powerful snap of his arm Nathan slings the young woman off the bed and she slams to the floor a few feet away from the fold-out bed. Nathan stands and rolls his shoulders forward to pull the jacket back up into place. Reaching to his right side he pulls the long needle sharp hairpin slowly out of the wound. Holding it up he eyes it; a trickle of blood runs down the length… his blood, as the young woman, clutching her shoulder which is obviously dislocated, slowly gets to her feet in front of him.

“You won’t kill me… I know you won’t”, voice cracking as she speaks, “you’re a God damn priest… you–won’t–kill–me”!

Nathan eyes her as he steps closer, “You’re correct” he says, “I will not be responsible for your death, tonight”… Nathan pauses before he speaks.

In obvious pain, tears welling up in her eyes, she still manages a slight, but relieved smile.

“The fall will kill you”, says Nathan. Even before the words had finished departing his lips Nathan lunged forward and clamped his powerful right hand around her throat with such force her feet left the floor. Continuing the same motion Nathan twists his body back toward the fold-out under the window, the woman’s feet whirling around slightly behind her body; Nathan takes one great step toward the window and hurls the prostitute forward like a human shot put. Her body first levels out and then folds over with arms and legs out-stretched as her back smashes through the window.

Whether from pure shock, or utter disbelief, the woman never manages to scream until just before her body crashes into the pavement.

The 10th Choir

Angelology, the study of Angels, varies greatly amongst the many diverse religions. Catholicism states that there are 9 Choirs of Angels from the highest order or choir, Seraphim who are said to be the guardians before God's throne, to the lowest choir, Angels who are closest to the material world of human beings. In the early years of man a darkness descended upon this world and demons rose up against humankind. For many years man fought back but to no avail. As the human race's population rapidly declined, the demon population swelled to far outnumber mankind. When finally it looked as if all hope was lost God dispatched the 8th Choir, the Archangels, to fight for the survival of man. Grossly outnumbered, and still unable to completely protect human beings from the demon hordes the Archangels created the 10th Choir.

It’s said that 40 humans were chosen to fight alongside the Archangels. Each human fashioned their own unique crucifix which were then imbued with Angelic power by the Archangels and became the embodiment of an Angel of the 10^th Choir. Each 10^th Choir Angel had it’s own name, personality, and powers which manifested themselves only in the presence of evil, and were unique unto their bearer. This war took thousands of years, and when it was time, either by the death of it’s bearer, or old age, the crucifix would be passed on to a sibling or human who had earned the right to bear a crucifix. Once the 10^th Choir Angel had manifested it’s powers, those powers would not change with the change of the bearer. The Angel’s powers, psyche, and personality were formed from the union with it’s original bearer. Any mortal or souled being who died at the hand of the bearer or in the presence of evil, souls would be absorbed into the crucifix's well of souls, thereby adding power to the Angel itself. As the years passed many bearers and their 10^th Choir Angels were lost. Each time this happened their soul well would flow to the nearest living 10th Choir Angel. When the war was finished, and the last demon vanquished, there remained only two 10^th Choir Angels, Salguod and Risen. Drunk with power and control over his Angelic form, when Salguod was commanded by the Archangels to give up his crucifix, he refused. As he took a defiant stance, preparing to strike out at the Archangels Risen defied his attack and struck a death blow that killed Salguod, and thus his bearer as well. As Salguod’s well of souls flowed into Risen's, he took his human form as Coshnar, removed the crucifix, knelt, and offered it to the Archangels. Having proven himself loyal, Coshnar had earned the right to keep the crucifix, and use his the unique powers of resurrection that Risen possessed to repopulate the Earth with those who had been wrongly killed during time of war. Coshnar was to procreate and pass on Risen to those he deemed worthy until the time the resurrection had been completed, and at which time Risen’s fate would be determined.

Father Nathan Darke

“Looking for a good time–father?”

The question echoed in his mind as he glanced at the young woman. She was in her late teens, or at least that is what he chose to believe. Like so many young women, runaways, who ended up in the big city with dreams of becoming an actress; she had turned to prostitution to feed herself.

It had been some time since he had entertained the thought of having sex, and even longer since he had actually been with a woman.

“I don’t have any money,” he said studying her face. She was pretty, maybe even beautiful, he thought to himself? Under the heavy makeup and dark circles around her eyes, probably from drug use, she was beautiful.

“Are you really a priest?”

Nathan thought about that as they stood looking at one another. Yes, he wore the clothes of a priest; had been trained as a priest. And for the past twenty plus years had lived the life of a priest. So much had been sacrificed throughout those years because of one fleeting moment in time, one gut reaction, and one mistake that changed his life forever.

Not so unlike this young woman, he thought to himself, who stood before him propositioning a man dressed as a priest. She had at some point made the decision to leave the life she had behind. And because of that, and for whatever reason, that one decision became her mistake.

Now, here they stood. A woman dressed as a prostitute propositioning a man dressed as a priest and all Nathan could say was.

“Are you really a prostitute?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation, but you could tell she wasn’t proud of it.

“Then I’m a priest,” said Nathan.

As he turned to walk away she reaches out to him brushing his arm with her hand.

“Maybe we can help each other?”

Considering what she was saying Nathan asks, “How?”

Looking up with her head tilted down she slides her index finger into her mouth, then slowly pulls it out with her full lips wrapped tightly around her finger.

“I can do something for you if you will do something for me?”

For the first time Nathan can see the street smart prostitute side of this young woman. She has made her target and will use her assets, her only assets, to reel him in. The shy innocent young woman with hopes and dreams of becoming a famous actress and owning this town had been replaced by the homeless junkie turned to prostitution to support her habit.

Just as he had come to New Eden twenty years ago with the prospect of saving souls and had his hopes dashed when the only souls he was saving didn’t deserve to be saved in his opinion. And here he was faced again with yet another soul that needed saving; yet another soul that had made her own bed and should have to lie in it, or…buried with it.

So, why shouldn’t he get something out of it for a change? After all, once he took off the clothes that made him a priest wasn’t just the man left? He had given so much without expectation since becoming a priest. And they had all accepted without offering restitution. This time was different; this time the restitution was coming in anticipation of his help. No matter what she wanted of him he would accept her offer first.

“Ok!” He said…spoken simply and direct without even a hint of regret in his voice. “Where do we go from here?”

“I have a room in this building.” She says looking behind her.

She reaches for Nathan’s hand and leads him into the building. There had been a slight breeze outside making the night air cool and bearable, but there was no breeze inside this building. No air conditioning, no fans, not even an open window. This building, like so many older buildings in the big city, had that dank feel and musky smell; like mold, urine and rat feces all mixed in some gruesome concoction and sprayed on the walls and floors. There was no elevator, of course, and the stairs creaked and moaned with every step.

As they made their way toward the fifth floor Nathan began to wonder about his decision. After all, what sort of woman would proposition a priest in the first place? This woman, this whore had a lot of nerve to approach him during this most vulnerable time in his life.

He had been struggling with being a priest for some time and this day had been particularly difficult. When he ran out into the night to get away he never imagined it would end up like this. As a matter of fact he could barely remember the confrontation that had caused his hurried exit.

Purging that thought from his mind he again focused on the young lady leading him up the stairs. She had managed to get a few steps ahead of him and for the first time he turned his attention to her body. The short tight red dress she wore hid very little of her shapely figure. Her long legs were very toned like that of a gymnast or runner. A firm tight ass filled out the back of the dress; with no panty lines he imagined she was wearing a thong or no panties at all. Strong shoulders and toned arms led him to believe she had been an athlete.

In his younger days, before he became a priest, even before he became… became what lead him to the priesthood; he had liked that kind of woman. He himself had been an athlete. In high school and college he had had his pick of women, mostly cheerleaders or high society types; always beautiful–always built.

She fumbled for her keys in the little clutch purse she carried with her. Nathan wondered why she even bothered to lock the door. It was weak, cracked in several places, and wouldn’t take too much effort to break down if someone really wanted to.

She opened the door to her apartment, if it was even hers. He presumed it belonged to her pimp or dealer and was used by several girls on any given night. It was a small corner apartment. The kitchen was a single counter along the side facing the alley. The living area faced the street and had a fold out couch and a double window that looked down on the street. The opposite wall had a bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower. The hardwood floors were scratched and worn with small dirty throw rugs of various shapes and sizes scattered about the floor like giant pieces of confetti leftover from some long forgotten celebration. Other than the fold out couch the compact apartment was completely absent of furniture. No table to eat at, no chairs to sit in, and no television to watch. It was clear this space had a singular purpose.

“Make yourself comfortable–father,” she said in an innocent childlike voice Nathan imagined turned most of her clients on. That, coupled with her youthful appearance gave the illusion of an under age girl. As he studied her closer he thought this may not be an illusion at all. He would put that thought out of his mind. An agreement had been made. There would be an exchange. She would give herself freely to him and in return he would help her–with–something.

“But what?” Nathan thought to himself. He hadn’t considered what her request might be. At this point it didn’t matter. After what he had been through today not much of anything mattered to him anymore.

Nathan made his way over to the bed and sat at the foot facing the young woman. She had just turned off the light and was moving slowly toward him unbuttoning her top with every step. He would get what he came for, and then honor her request. As her top hit the floor, and her knee rested on the bed, she leaned forward and whispered in Nathan’s ear “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned”…

One Year, Three Months and 13 Days...

since I made my last post. With that in mind I would have to consider my first attempt at blogging a dismal failure. Especially since I conceived this blog as a way to rekindle my creative juices.

Now, with this technically being the third year of my blog, and the beginning of a new decade, my sixth, I feel the need to begin this experiment anew. Truthfully, much has happened during my hiatus, and some of it has been helpful in rekindling my creative nature, only in a completely different direction than I was shooting for. While the writing skills I had hoped to nurture have continued to languish in the realm of mediocrity I have discovered a new found love for woodworking.

I have always enjoyed working with wood, but have not ever considered any of my projects as "woodworking". Now true woodworking is an art and well beyond my level at this point and not necessarily my goal. I'm happy to be able to build nice looking sturdy pieces and learn as I go, hopefully, making each project more pleasing to the eye, and better than the one before it.

My first attempt at building anything lasting was some Adirondack chairs for the deck. It took a little Googling and a prototype chair to get a design down that was a pattern for the rest. I had built three chairs and was beginning on a rocker when the another project fell into my lap.

My wife had decided to purchase a waterbed for her youngest son, my step-son, for Christmas and asked me if I thought I could make the Captain's Bed frame for his bed, and if I could make it for less than it would cost to buy, about $800 to $1,000 in the stores. A little more Googling and a visit to the waterbed store to see one first hand convinced me I could. The real question should have been, do I have enough time.

I make my living estimating the cost and manpower needed to build construction projects costing anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to twenty or thirty million, and do pretty well at that. I've discovered that my skills are seriously lacking at calculating, accurately, how much money, and how much time a Captain's Bed will cost me.

While I would consider this project an overall success since it did cost significantly less than purchasing one in the store, about half, it was much more time consuming than I had anticipated. It began on Thanksgiving day and I

pretty much put all my weekends, holidays, and vacation days into getting this finished in time for Christmas minus a little football watching and occasional half day here and there. Even at the last minute, a miss calculation on my part, kept the project going until 3:15 am Christmas morning. That's when we had finally fully assembled the bed and began filling the mattress.

The second part, the headboard, wasn't completed until after Christmas.

All in all there was much learned during this process that should help me with the next big woodworking project. For now, it's back to completing the Adirondack chairs, tables, and rockers for our deck, and then finishing the fireplace hearth and trim so I can start building an entertainment center.

These projects, and the later part of this year, have led me back toward the true purpose of this blog which is the inspiration to be creative. Once the creativity is fueled it will spread to many areas and inspire many things. And since I have shared my Bigfoot Trap with a few of my close friends I have been inspired through them to continue with what I have started here. My goal is to set aside time, at least several days a week, to continue the New Eden saga I have started here and share the current, upcoming, and ongoing endeavors planned for this year. Most of all, many of these projects, the woodworking not withstanding, will involve collaborating with some good friends in many different ways.

Partum Per Unus Res (Created By One Being)

This implies a god-like entity, but New Eden's creator was neither a god, nor a man. Adam, or Great Adam, a moniker he would eventually embrace as his own, was a creation of science. Grown in a lab, and born of a human DNA, he was genetically engineered to be a bigger, stronger, and a more intelligent soldier. Bigger, stronger, and more intelligent he was. His intelligence was far beyond human capabilities. It was soon discovered that a side effect of super intelligence was incredible, and unheard of psychic abilities. Telekinesis, telepathy, extra sensory perception, empathy, and on, and on.... These abilities were manifesting themselves at an alarming rate, and even more alarming was how effortlessly Adam was able to take command of the abilities.

One thing he was not, was a soldier. He seemed to have no predisposition for violence of any kind. But still, he was viewed as a threat. And the decision was made to terminate Adam. The secret lab where Adam was created was a United States Military installation located in the upper Michigan Peninsula. Ironically, or maybe not so ironic was that the lab, because of its purpose to create life was designated as, New Eden.

The decision by the base commander to terminate Adam was his and his alone. Because of Adam's abilities he determined it needed to be done quickly, away from the base in an isolated area, and with as little forewarning as possible. The scientist whom Adam regarded as his father, and three soldiers assigned to protect Adam would take him off base under the premise that the base commander wanted to test how Adam reacted to unforeseen circumstances. Each of the soldiers would be given a cell phone. Once they reached their destination, and at a designated time, they would each receive a call simultaneously with instructions. Two would be told to stand down, and the other to kill Adam.

While the plan was well conceived and the execution of the plan perfection, no one could have seen the conclusion, not even Adam. Adam's abilities had developed to such a level that he not only knew what was happening, he knew it before the base commander's decision had been made. Adam was content to accept his fate, whatever that fate may be. He would allow this scenario to play out as the base commander had envisioned. Adam had already seen the whole ordeal play out in his mind, but he hadn't seen the conclusion. And he wanted to know how it ended. He saw the phone call to each of the soldiers. He saw two soldiers confused by their apparent orders, and stand down. He saw one soldier's conflicted expression as he drew his pistol and raised it toward Adam's head. He saw the horrific expression of the scientist he regarded as his father as the soldier pointed his weapon at Adam. He saw the depth of the confusion deepen on the faces of the two soldiers standing down as the situation played out. And in his mind he heard the shot... then nothing.

As the circumstances Adam had seen in his mind played out in real life there was one thing Adam could not have experienced in his mind, the emotions. That was why he hadn't seen the result because it wasn't a foregone conclusion. In the few days since Adam's creation he had developed many magnificent abilities. Among them, empathy was the most confusing, because the range of emotion he experienced was confined to a small group of stoic military men and scientists. 

Now, in the midst of this exigency, the flood of emotions is overwhelming, and time - stands still. The bullet stops dead in the chamber, and the scientist and soldiers are frozen. Adam absorbs the deluge of unfamiliar emotions that are bombarding him. Fear, anger, confusion, and sadness radiate from the men surrounding him. With time still frozen around him Adam steps away from the bullet's inevitable path. As he moves amongst the men experiencing and deciphering their emotional states, he begins to believe there is so much more that he could accomplish if he lives. Adam sees this as an awakening. Not only is he able to read their emotions, but he truly understands because he is reading their minds; making their memories, and their knowledge his own. As he walks a few feet further and away from the small group of men he feels yet another surge of emotion. An even broader range of familiar, and unfamiliar sensations. Then he sees the city... Sault Ste Marie

New Eden... My Gotham City

Many of my early artistic endeavors, whether written or drawn, centered around the comic book genre. New Eden, its creation and inhabitants were the product of my comic book influences. Geographically New Eden exists on the border of The United States and Canada; specifically, where the upper peninsula of Michigan and Ontario meet, and the real world the city of Sault Ste Marie stands today. It's neither a normal place, nor a part of the United States or Canada even though it occupies the soil of both countries. While Rome may not have been built in a day, New Eden literally came into being overnight, and was populated in a very short period of time to become one of the largest cities in the world. Its motto, "Partum Per Unus Res (Created by one being): Orior Oriri Ortus In A Singulus Dies (Risen in a single day): Prognatus of Pugna (Born of conflict): A Civitas Unto Ipsum (A City-State unto itself)" tells the story of New Eden’s creation.  

I wish I could take all the credit for the original concept of New Eden but I can't. The truth is I don't remember for certain how much, if any of it was my own. It was 1985 and I had only been out of high school a little more than a year. I was working construction with the company my father and brother were employed with, and at nineteen years old, with a pregnant wife, 900 miles away from home we found ourselves in a little town in Louisiana called Sulphur.

This was my second construction project and the very first time out on my own, so to speak. My wife and I had found a small furnished apartment in this little town and settled in. I worked on the construction site with my father, and she found a job at a local pharmacy. Not knowing anyone there she made friends with some co-workers and I, of course, sought out the local comic book shop. This is where I must have met Victor, Gary and Matt. They were high school age, probably juniors, so 16 or 17 years old. I'm fuzzy on the details because it was so long ago, but some how we struck up a conversation and decided to game together.

Besides the comic book passion I was also, at that time, an avid role playing gamer. I had been introduced to Dungeons & Dragons in my freshman year of high school and played often with my best friend at that time, Donny. He and I spent hours playing, adapting, changing, and creating new and exciting adventures, magic items, creatures, and characters for the game. We eventually took another passion of ours, Star Wars, and coalesced it with the Dungeons & Dragons gaming system to create our own game. 

If the word nerd or geek has entered your mind while reading this then banish that thought immediately. In reality I don't think either of us, that is Donny or me, fit that mold. Quirky maybe, but not nerdy, or geeky. There were no computers per se, like we have today. Electronic gaming systems were limited to Pong and Atari so my friends and I spent much more time roaming the woods, playing baseball, and many other physical activities than we did playing games. 

Now, Victor, Gary, and Matt were borderline nerds. Besides the comic books, and role play gaming, they enjoyed medieval festivals. This included dressing up for these events and fighting with foam covered mock ups of medieval weapons. Admittedly, that was a little weird for me. I will say that I learned to appreciate those festivals, and may have partaken in medieval combat on an occasion... or twelve. But I can say with complete and utter certainty that I have never dressed in any garb other than my regular attire to attend any festivals, movie openings, or conventions. That, for me, is the difference between being borderline nerdy, and full blown nerd. Not that there's anything wrong with that….

So, I've met Victor, Gary and Matt. Probably at the comic book/ gaming store and we've some how formed a friendship and decided to game together. Up until this point my gaming experiences had been limited to Dungeons & Dragons and while I knew there were other types of games out there I had never been exposed to them. When I met these guys they introduced me to something completely new, superhero role playing. This was awesome! The system was Hero Games and it was surprisingly well developed and much more realistic in the cause and effect of actions than what I was used to. I don't know how I found the time, but I know we played often. Mostly weekends and evenings when my wife was working and I'm sure some times at Victor's house when she wasn't. In any event I found the time and it was out of these gaming sessions that New Eden, along with many other ideas to be discussed later, were born.

Like I said, I can't take full credit for the creation of New Eden; not in name anyway. And I'm not sure what part, if any, of the original concept was mine. New Eden, as it was, as it began, stood in Victor's superhero world before I came along. It was his idea, and his setting for our adventures. The New Eden in my writings uses some elements of his concept, but for the most part is completely different in its origin and design. 

So, why Gotham? Even if you've never read a comic book you have no doubt heard of Gotham City. A dark corrupt place where crime is king and those who are dedicated to serve and protect are all but insignificant. If not for its personal champion, the Batman, Gotham would have ceased to function as a city many years ago. Gotham can easily be compared to several real world cities at some point in history. Chicago and New York during the height of organized crime resemble the Gotham of comic book lore. These cities were so corrupt that they stood at the brink of destruction if not for their own champions. In the real world though, our champions are not super powered, and our villains are just misguided, or in some cases evil, people. 

Although the name, New Eden, shouldn't conjure images of darkness or corruption it's important to note this is the current state of being, and not its origin. In the beginning New Eden was a prosperous untroubled place. All that came to live and work there were successful in their ventures, and enjoyed a happy fruitful existence. There was no crime, sickness, unemployment, homelessness or unhappiness. It was, in every sense of the word an Eden. Though many marveled at New Eden’s miraculous birth, few knew the dire portent of its existence, or it's creator.