The Gentleman From Hell |S1| Ep. 43

Speaker 1 Rusty Quill presents.

Speaker 2 Good evening, gentlemen and gentle ladies of hell. First and foremost, thank you for tuning in.
Your support keeps the flames of the gentleman from hell burning bright.

Speaker 2 If you're enjoying your descent into the infernal depths of our world and want to dive even deeper, consider supporting us on Patreon.

Speaker 2 There, you'll unlock exclusive content, including original art from Mark Angelon, housed in the legendary Gallery of the Damned, deep lore and world-building treasures within the memorabilia of the House of Sparrows, and coming soon, the Testimonies of the Damned, a Patreon-exclusive audio series that expands the twisted mythology of the gentleman from hell.

Speaker 2 Plus, fans of the wider Meltopia universe will uncover a trove of exclusive lore, audio dramas, artwork, behind-the-scenes videos, and much more. Ready to explore the deeper circles of horror?

Speaker 2 Join us at www.patreon.com forward slash Meltopia And embrace the darkness.

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Speaker 13 Looks like the sparrows are starting to leave.

Speaker 22 Morning's coming. I'm going to go ahead and guess they're not fans of the sun.

Speaker 19 Well,

Speaker 19 that's the last of the usable stuff from Oput's Hideout.

Speaker 13 Could you put those little statues we found over by the corner? I want to compare them to some pictures I found in a few books from the library.

Speaker 19 Sure thing.

Speaker 23 Is this just how it is now?

Speaker 24 Night after night with those things trying to get farther inside the mansion.

Speaker 6 Is there any way to boost the resonators' range?

Speaker 19 They slip past the speakers upstairs.

Speaker 13 Not without a lot of time, gear, and money. But I don't think we need all that.
If we can amplify the chime, that should do it.

Speaker 24 The resonators use parasonic technology to deliver a stronger dose.

Speaker 24 But the chime alone is enough to hurt them. All we really need is more speakers.

Speaker 9 And we can grab those in town.

Speaker 13 Still, the fact that they're pressing harder says a lot. They're starting to push back, even resist the chime if they have to.
We saw it at the mill when Mercy spoke through Gaffney.

Speaker 22 She didn't get through unscathed. I could feel how much it rattled her, the way she lashed out.

Speaker 19 Maybe they're not used to having to sing for their supper.

Speaker 25 It's not like they got someone on the inside this time. Not like they did with Ben.

Speaker 22 They had Hughes, and he seemed more than adequate to get us where they wanted us.

Speaker 23 I wonder

Speaker 24 if Ropart was some kind of familiar.

Speaker 23 Like the priest.

Speaker 25 If he was, he wasn't kin to the sparrows.

Speaker 19 He was a dead long before they ever set foot here.

Speaker 6 I'm thinking he belonged to that crab from Europe, the ones who snatched him up and dragged him into that old castle out in the outer barrens.

Speaker 13 Erlorn Castle?

Speaker 4 Huh.

Speaker 13 I wonder if that's the name of the family he descends from.

Speaker 25 Definitely worth checking out.

Speaker 19 Anyway, I'm gonna go check on Leon.

Speaker 6 He's been holed up with that book for hours now.

Speaker 24 I think I'll come with you.

Speaker 26 Come on in.

Speaker 19 We just finished hauling the rest of that crap out of Rupert's hideout.

Speaker 25 Figured we'd check in on you. You alright?

Speaker 26 Yeah, I guess.

Speaker 19 It's just...

Speaker 26 reading this thing feels like paging through the teacher's edition of the occult every chapter is dropping bombshells i didn't think were even possible it's a lot to take in mourning machines that record the damned and priests floating through thin air honestly yeah i'd almost rather not know why any of that happened.

Speaker 26 Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

Speaker 26 But this book

Speaker 26 spells things out, peels back the universe just enough to see what's squirming underneath. And I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

Speaker 9 Leon, why don't you take a break for a while?

Speaker 22 We're all going to get some rest before we do anything else. It's been forever since we've had a break.

Speaker 26 Remember that part I read earlier? Edgar talking about a person's share of darkness? How it seemed like you were either born with it or you weren't?

Speaker 22 Yes, when he was discussing how a familiar was acquired.

Speaker 26 Well, you were right to think it sounded off, because I found another passage where he explains exactly what he meant.

Speaker 26 Upon a night as black as the hollows between stars, the risen gathered about the first of our kind, and he spoke of truths which neither death nor damnation dared whisper.

Speaker 6 Which neither death nor damnation dared whisper.

Speaker 3 Know this above all,

Speaker 27 you were not damned by sins of thine own devising,

Speaker 27 but by that portion of the sin Father dwelling within us all.

Speaker 6 By his darkness alone were we cast low, and by that selfsame darkness were we raised anew.

Speaker 27 It was he who poured his essence into the blood of the creator's children, darkening the sacred well.

Speaker 27 And to redeem that blood, to cleanse what had soured beneath his shadow, the creator was compelled to shape a new thing,

Speaker 3 a place that could sift and store all

Speaker 6 that had turned bitter.

Speaker 6 Thus was Divalon wrought.

Speaker 3 Our lot was drawn before we knew breath. Our souls made only for damning.

Speaker 3 We now rise in darkest glory and vengeance

Speaker 6 to extinguish

Speaker 26 the light we were destined never to see.

Speaker 22 He's saying there's no free will. At least not for those who were sent to Diabalon.

Speaker 6 They're just...

Speaker 22 infected by this sin father being who is no doubt some forebearer for the concept of the devil.

Speaker 26 The whole thing reads like a take on original sin. Something people are just born with.
Except unlike what the Bible says, there's no way to be forgiven for it.

Speaker 26 You just go to hell when you die, no matter what.

Speaker 25 And this guy they all listened to. Their leader, apparently.
I'm guessing he's the one from the Paintin's.

Speaker 26 The gentleman from hell. Yeah, the first asshole to get free of Diabolon.
Sounds like he had a big powwow with all the rest of the damned, brought him up to speed.

Speaker 6 So, what's up with the whole sinfather pouring himself into the blood of the creator's children?

Speaker 26 Got me.

Speaker 26 But I do know all of this would likely be a lot clearer if Loctrum were here.

Speaker 26 I might know how to read Latin, but there's a world of difference between translation and really getting what it all means.

Speaker 26 I can't help but feel like I might be missing something important, something hidden behind the words.

Speaker 26 Still, even with what we have, it's clear enough what these things are after.

Speaker 9 To burn down creation.

Speaker 23 Where are you going?

Speaker 13 I was just going to listen to the rest of Ben's tape. We stopped it halfway through.

Speaker 24 You don't stop.

Speaker 23 Even for a moment, do you?

Speaker 13 What's wrong?

Speaker 13 You.

Speaker 24 You just keep going.

Speaker 24 Full speed ahead. Nothing fazes you.

Speaker 9 My God, Pat.

Speaker 23 A man was ripped to shreds in front of us.

Speaker 12 And then another was...

Speaker 24 was mutilated so he could be used as some kind of goddamn machine part and you're acting like it's just another day the office

Speaker 13 What do you want from me? I'm trying to get to the bottom of all this so we can get the hell out of here.

Speaker 9 I don't...

Speaker 23 I don't know.

Speaker 24 I guess I'm starting to feel a bit too much like you did when you and Dad would stay up all night talking all things dark and gruesome.

Speaker 13 Well, as I recall, you took part in all of those late-night conversations.

Speaker 24 I did.

Speaker 24 But not for the same reasons as the two of you.

Speaker 9 I'm not following.

Speaker 24 We got into this for completely different reasons, Pat.

Speaker 24 I never had you or dad's fascination with the paranormal.

Speaker 23 It terrified me.

Speaker 12 All I ever wanted was to find a way of making sense of it.

Speaker 23 Taming it.

Speaker 24 But not you.

Speaker 24 You wanted it all to be real. Beyond explanation.

Speaker 23 Supernatural.

Speaker 13 And yet, I went on to help create a technology that allowed for us to analyze it.

Speaker 24 We both know that's only partially true. My share of the resonator is for breaking the paranormal down, systematizing it.

Speaker 24 But not yours.

Speaker 24 Your share is a window where you can watch the horrors march by like some kind of graveyard parade.

Speaker 13 Holy god, you really think I enjoy all this? Is that what you're trying to say?

Speaker 23 I'm saying that I think you're far more comfortable with it than I am.

Speaker 13 Then what do you think we should do? If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears.

Speaker 24 It's like me, Sir.

Speaker 24 These things may only want us for the resonator. And I've half a mind to give it to them if it means we can finally wake up from this nightmare.

Speaker 13 And what's the other half of your mind say?

Speaker 24 That this is bigger than just us.

Speaker 24 And we have a moral obligation to see it through.

Speaker 13 And you might want to consider that they don't just want the machine, but also the minds and souls of the ones who made it.

Speaker 13 Where are you going?

Speaker 24 To listen to the rest of Ben's tape.

Speaker 24 Are you coming?

Speaker 13 Right behind you.

Speaker 21 While Rupert's room, a sign from its darkness, offered little of interest, the same could not be said for his car.

Speaker 21 He left for his morning walk not long ago, so I took the opportunity to investigate further. In the trunk, I discovered an unusual lantern.

Speaker 21 Were it an ordinary one, I might not have given it a second thought.

Speaker 21 But I've never seen anything quite like it.

Speaker 21 Antique in appearance, with strange designs etched around its base, and a foul, lingering odor.

Speaker 21 It had clearly been used recently.

Speaker 21 As for its purpose, I can't help but wonder if the dried mud caked on the vehicle's tires might offer a clue.

Speaker 21 There aren't many places in town where one could pick up that much mud, so it's likely Rupert's been travelling elsewhere.

Speaker 21 Of course, he has every right to come and go as he pleases, but he's made a point of giving the impression that he's always in town when when he isn't here, often sharing detailed accounts of his daily routines.

Speaker 21 Perhaps those extra details are meant to satisfy any curiosity I might have about his whereabouts.

Speaker 21 It's taken some time, but I've managed to locate Rupert's other residence.

Speaker 21 There's a rather sizable apartment building near the edge of town. A strange thing, to be sure, as I didn't believe the city was host to so many renters.

Speaker 21 It's also quite a handsome structure, made with a type of care only my own home seems to share. I wonder if they were built by the same person.

Speaker 21 I'm going to head back to the mansion and return the next time Rupert leaves for the night, to see if this is really where he's spending his nights.

Speaker 21 I've been sitting on my balcony since dinner, awaiting the fog that will almost certainly come, even though there is no call for it, at least not according to the weatherman.

Speaker 21 Rupert assures me that the weather often differs from the forecast due to Cold Sparrows' distance from Portafoy,

Speaker 21 where the forecast is more directly aimed. While I'm determined to see the fog form with my own eyes, the lids above those eyes are growing heavier by the moment.

Speaker 21 It is perhaps because of my tiredness that I find the fading day so dramatic.

Speaker 21 It feels less like the light is vanishing from the sky, and more like I'm slowly descending some vast distance, where the sunlit sky fades farther and farther from view.

Speaker 21 I've just woken up and the fog is thicker than ever. And higher, I can barely make out the grounds or the woods beyond them.

Speaker 21 My God, it's already 3 a.m.

Speaker 21 I've been sleeping for hours.

Speaker 21 The lights, they're so dim. Well, whatever's happening, it's gotten worse.
There's a thin veil of fog moving across the floor.

Speaker 21 I'm going to try to get this on video.

Speaker 21 God damn it, the camcorder, it's not

Speaker 21 working. All I can see through the viewfinder is static.

Speaker 21 I'll simply have to make do with the regular camera.

Speaker 21 Let's see, does it have film?

Speaker 21 Yes.

Speaker 12 Yes, it does.

Speaker 21 Seems to be working.

Speaker 21 I'm going to head to the study. Maybe I'll see.

Speaker 21 Well, what I saw the last time.

Speaker 21 One cannot photograph a hallucination.

Speaker 21 The fog is so thick. I doubt I'll be able to see anything.

Speaker 21 Just what I suspected. Just a wall of fog.

Speaker 21 Perhaps in the vein of something like spirit photography, I... And that crushes something I cannot see directly.

Speaker 21 Alright, I'm

Speaker 21 going to head downstairs. See if there's a useful view I might take advantage of.

Speaker 21 I... I must be going mad that

Speaker 21 a structure. A massive stone pile

Speaker 21 pushing right through the floor of the living room. This isn't real.
This can't be. Real, it can't be.

Speaker 21 I must.

Speaker 21 I must take home.

Speaker 21 The structure.

Speaker 21 It's as big around as an oak tree.

Speaker 21 There's horrible faces carved into it.

Speaker 21 Leering, monstrous things.

Speaker 21 It's nearly touching the top of the steeple ceiling. What is happening? How can this be?

Speaker 21 There's a

Speaker 21 there's someone knocking at the front door.

Speaker 21 Who's there?

Speaker 21 Go away, Samiria.

Speaker 21 Do you hear me? Go away!

Speaker 21 You can't keep me open forever,

Speaker 21 Ben.

Speaker 21 No.

Speaker 21 For God's sake, stay away!

Speaker 21 You sure you're okay, Ben? When I found you, you were face down on the floor.

Speaker 21 Yes, yes, I'm...

Speaker 21 I'm fine, thank you.

Speaker 21 All I remember is getting light-headed. I must have passed out.

Speaker 21 No doubt my new sleeping pills were a bit too strong.

Speaker 21 Or perhaps they mixed poorly with my other medications.

Speaker 21 At any rate, I'll check with my doctor as soon as I've eaten something. I'll mix something up for you in a gif.
No.

Speaker 21 Something wrong? No, no, no, no, not at all. I um

Speaker 21 I think I'll um just

Speaker 21 make myself some eggs and coffee getting up and moving around should help me clear the cobwebs. I should think.

Speaker 21 All right, if you're sure

Speaker 21 anyway, I'll be on back if you need me. I've got gardens in sore need of weeding.

Speaker 21 Weeds in the garden, indeed.

Speaker 17 What the hell was that thing, Doctor?

Speaker 6 If the voice on the phone is to be believed, it was a Nephilim.

Speaker 19 The child of the damned.

Speaker 16 I half suspected as much listening to Dr.

Speaker 28 Raglan's recordings.

Speaker 17 I don't care what the fuck it was, as long as it's behind us.

Speaker 9 If it can get through the chime, how are we going to keep these things away?

Speaker 6 I don't know.

Speaker 16 But once we find a place to hole up, I'll try and figure something out.

Speaker 17 They can get through the chime.

Speaker 9 Where the hell can we hole up?

Speaker 16 Just head straight into downtown once we're in the city. The biggest, brightest hotel we can find.

Speaker 19 They're no fans of attention.

Speaker 16 At the very least, it will make it more difficult for them to come after us.

Speaker 17 The noblest, the Galixiest hotel in town.

Speaker 9 It's not too... Bill, bill! Look out!

Speaker 6 Christ!

Speaker 23 Where did they come from?

Speaker 17 I nearly blasted them.

Speaker 9 Are you folks okay?

Speaker 9 Sorry.

Speaker 21 That's Gwen.

Speaker 3 Roger.

Speaker 6 And Drew.

Speaker 7 Bill, just go.

Speaker 7 Just go.

Speaker 9 But the doctor.

Speaker 3 Go!

Speaker 3 Go now!

Speaker 9 What the fuck? They just...

Speaker 9 They just came apart like smoke.

Speaker 23 Behind us! The lights!

Speaker 17 All the lights of the houses behind us are going out, one after the other.

Speaker 19 It's the Nephilim.

Speaker 3 It's right behind us!

Speaker 23 Faster!

Speaker 9 The pedal's flawed!

Speaker 6 The darkness.

Speaker 23 It's moving around us.

Speaker 9 Jesus Christ.

Speaker 17 I can barely see the fucking road. What the hell do we do now, Doctor? I.

Speaker 3 I don't know.

Speaker 3 Quick!

Speaker 23 Pair one of the phones to the car sound system. We should be able to boost the chime.

Speaker 17 On it.

Speaker 9 I'm driving blind.

Speaker 23 Everything's black.

Speaker 18 Okay, it's paired.

Speaker 29 I'm checking the volume.

Speaker 9 It's working.

Speaker 3 I can see the lines on the road.

Speaker 17 The lights from the city. We've made it.

Speaker 2 The Gentleman from Hell is a Maltopia production. Today's episode was written by Mark Ansalone and voiced by Stephen Zivick, Sam Stark, Aubrey Akers, Jesse Van Hove, Kelly Baer, and Matt Van Hove.

Speaker 2 Sound editing was completed by Stephen Ansloan and script editing was conducted by Walker Kornfeld. Be sure to rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

Speaker 2 And follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Meltopia. If you want unique art and animations of Meltopia's stories, visit our YouTube page or click on the link in the show notes.

Speaker 2 And for more exclusive content, such as additional lore, stories, and art, be sure to check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com forward slash Meltopia.

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