Lamentations

Ordo Aeternus Diaboli

The Ordo Aeternus Diaboli is, on the surface, a fraternal order like any other. Founded in Philadelphia in 1779, its original purpose was to unite influential Americans under a shared ethos — furthering the American cause. Its initiates were chosen based upon a number of factors, the foremost of which were societal stature and innate talents in arcane sciences. As is often the case, not everything is as it seems on the surface. Beneath its noble cause was a quest for control over the public sphere. As its numbers grew, so did its imprint on society as a whole.

Casa Diaboli

With a façade as imposing as the order itself, the Temple Aeternus Diaboli serves as headquarters for the order's undertakings. Known colloquially as "Casa Diaboli," its austere presence and murky history have given birth to plenty of urban legends since its construction in 1789.

The two-story, thirteen room stone manor is in itself a massive structure, but its complete footprint is now known to be much larger. Multiple subterranean expanses are linked via passageways directly beneath the primary residence. The purpose of these catacombs is not yet known.

Alchemical Drug Operation

Covert intelligence has revealed the existence of a drug manufacturing operation linked with the order. Synthetic drugs — primarily psychedelics and dissociatives — bear the seal of the Ordo Aeternus Diaboli as well as obscure symbols known as "sigils.” In several documented cases, users have been admitted to the E.R. for psychotic breakdowns and schizophrenic eruptions resulting from high doses.

A senior initiate was apprehended as part of a sting operation last year. His testimony was the first to reveal details of the purported operation and the order's foray into sadistic psychological experiments with the ultimate goal of mind control. The experiments — some of which were performed on the initiates themselves — were part of an initiation rite, a ceremony wherein the individual is bonded with other initiates through spiritual means.