Diary of Lisa Chan

December 31, 1964

I was invited to a so-called New Years Eve party at the estate of one Magdalena Carter in the Hollywood Hills. Mrs. Carter lives in The Ennis House, a place build decades ago by the famous architect, Frank LLoyd Wright. The house is interesting, incorporating elements of Mesoamerican architecture, and quasi-occult symbology engraved into the reinforced concrete. I could tell soon after entering that the ambient mana in the place was unusual.

I was driven to the party by a man named Holmes. Along the way we picked up an actress, whose connection to Mrs. Carter and the Prometheans I still can't figure. She seems entirely mundane in nature, with no real interest or knowledge in the occult. We were the first to arrive at the party. The house was beautiful, with exquisite grounds and interior design, and an amazing view of Los Angeles. The next guest to arrive was a man named Kuranes.

Kuranes struck me as a bit of an eccentric, but I like eccentrics. I later came to find out that he was a truly talented magician, with a command of a wide variety of incantations. I think it is unusual for one so young to be so skilled. I believe he is a prodigy, an up-and-coming master of the arcane. I hope to be able to learn a few things from him. Ever since my days with Wei in San Francisco, I have been without anyone to study with or learn from.

The next guests to arrive were Elaine Baxter and Jonathan Angel. Much like Kuranes, they seemed eccentric and in many ways lost in their own worlds. We did not do much mingling, to be honest. They kept to themselves, engaged with their gadgets. Elaine had a few cameras, one of which appeared very unusual, and was photographing everything in sight. I got the impression that she was not interested in the architecture, either. Jonathan had some sort of scientific instrument that he was using to... well, I don't really know what it was for. It was some kind of electronic device. Both Elaine and Jonathan have some paranormal gifts, but I do not believe they are schooled in magic. Jonathan exhibited an ability to sense things in time, both past and present.

It was not long after Elaine and Jonathan arrived that we had found ourselves in trouble. The actress I arrived with left with her husband as soon as he arrived with the scientist. She was upset about him for something, and we did not see them again that night. What did happen, though, was that Elaine found an old radio from the 1920s and started messing with it. I don't know why she did that, but suffice it so say, if she gets an idea in her head she acts on it. She does not seem like the type to wait around. It turns out the radio was not as it seemed, and housed an elaborate magical device. When Elaine turned the knobs, a thunderous sound boomed out, and the chatter of a thousand voices in a thousand languages reached my ears. It was nonsense as far as I could tell. Shortly thereafter, a more sinister voice spoke out, announcing that at last it had escaped and at last we would serve it. The sinister voice and the situation with the radio caused us more than a little distress. Elaine pulled a gun and shot the thing. All this did was make a hole in the radio.

It was at this point that the final guest arrived with a ring at the door. I answered, and looked up at the largest Indian man I had ever seen. His name was Jinda, and he was a quiet and reflective seeming fellow. I think he was about four times my size! He came inside and made immediately for the sandwiches at the bar (and kept going back for more).

Jonathan and Kuranes kept studying the radio. Through some means, Jonathan was able to discern a network of crystals embedded in the radio. Kuranes determined the crystals bore powerful enchantments, and after Kuranes and Jonathan studied the device further, they determined there was dangerous magic at work. Elaine ran outside for some reason and we heard another gunshot. We went to see what had happened, and found that the entire premises had been enclosed in a glowing purple dome, a magical barrier meant to prevent anything from passing. It was evidently bulletproof.

We went back in and set about finding a solution to our predicament. Kuranes analyzed the radio. Elaine worked on developing her photos, and I cooked some food for the seemingly insatiable Jinda (the various weapons hidden around the kitchen were an interesting decorating choice as well...). Kuranes determined the magic in the crystals was going to transport the entire house to another plane after about another hour or less. Elaine discovered via her photographs that there was a spirit housed in the painting of Calvin Alden that was watching us. Jinda was able to use his psychic powers to communicate with the spirit. He indicated to us that the device had been constructed by Xavier Hellstrom, a powerful mage who had been banished sometime ago, whose fate was unknown. It is entirely conceivable that he had been inadvertently freed by Elaine when she manipulated the radio. Whatever the case, we knew we had to figure out a way to halt the ensorcellment that was upon us.

After some deliberation, we decided to pool our strength and try to counter the plane shifting spell on the crystal. We came together in a magical ritual, and through an exhausting effort, we were able to destroy the spell. The magical barrier outside dissolved soon after, and we were clear. Holmes, who had been spending his time operating the manastat to assist us in our magicking, told us that we had been selected to be the New Prometheans, to work as investigators, troubleshooters, and general problem solvers for the Promethean Foundation. We all gladly accepted, and some of us even moved into the guest houses on the grounds adjacent to the Ennis House. I chose the house next to the one where Kuranes was already staying. I look forward to learning more about the foundation, its history and resources, and to some fruitful study of magic, and I think this bunch could all use some home cooked meals.