…shapeless lurkers and caperers in darkness, and vacuous herds of drifting entities that pawed and groped and

groped
and pawed; the nameless larvae of the Other Gods, that are like them blind and without mind, and possessed of singular
hungers and thirsts.

December 3rd, 1920

Elias and his replicant ally, RDN-38, made their way to Peru and spent four months in the southern Andean highlands, in
the region around Lake Titicaca, meeting the local people (such as Nayra, a wisewoman), and researching stories of the
kharisiri. They soon realized that many people saw the kharisiri not as stories from history but as a real and tangible
threat. While some could only pass on second-hand accounts, a few were able to recount seeing “pale-faced monsters”
from personal experience. Currently, Elias considers such first-hand information to illustrate the fact that a death cult is
still active in the region.

While speaking with the locals, Elias was warned about a man named Luis de Mendoza; a person mentioned by some as
a man to be feared. While no one was able to provide concrete proof of any wrongdoings, some referred to de Mendoza
as a kharisiri. Elias, ever the rationalist, took this as an indication that the man was a key figure in the death cult, rather
than an actual monster. Making note of the name, Elias was surprised to encounter de Mendoza in Puno, although the
two men did not actually meet there. Instead, Elias followed him from a distance, making notes of his movements and
contacts. In so doing, Elias learned of de Mendoza’s association with Augustus Larkin and, ultimately, Larkin’s plan to find
and explore a lost pyramid. While no one has been able to confirm the fact, Elias believes that the pyramid and
surrounding site are, somehow, linked to the kharisiri.

March 17th, 1921

Elias and RDN-38 have now followed Larkin and de Mendoza to Lima to try to determine their goal in recruiting foreigners
to join the expedition and what precisely this has to do with the cult. Using a pseudonym, Elias has volunteered to join
Larkin’s expedition, hoping that neither Larkin nor de Mendoza realize that he has been investigating them; however, De
Mendoza knows that an African man with an American accent has been asking questions—thus, he is already suspicious
of Elias.

Elias aims to learn more about Luis de Mendoza and Augustus Larkin and their activities. While de Mendoza may not
actually be a kharisiri, he may know information relevant to Elias’ research or be, somehow, involved in Elias’ supposed
death cult; the locals may think de Mendoza is a monster but Elias believes he is just a man; one who might have ties to
the dark truth behind the legends.