A Manuscript Recovered from the Personal Effects of One “Nicholas Fleming” Following His Mysterious Disappearance on the 22nd of March, 1997

Dear                       ,

        The Committee is delighted to confirm the Eiffel Tower as the venue of the Black Auction of 1889 this coming June 21st, extending sincere gratitude to the Académie Républicaine de Philosophie Occulte for their assistance in this matter. Constructed as the centerpiece of this year's World’s Fair and located along the crossroads of over a dozen leylines, the Tower provides a stellar view of the Parisian skyline. Accommodation in the surrounding areas should prove plentiful; we request that any attendees struggling with such make contact with the Committee through the usual channels.

        The Auction proper will begin at midnight, however the Committee strongly encourages guests to arrive some time in advance, both to acquaint themselves with the City of Lights and to properly prepare themselves for the night's proceedings. The Exhibition occupies much of the area surrounding the Tower and is home to a great many entertainments, including a number of displays that may be of a particular interest to attendees of the Auction. Following the formal luncheon at midday on the 20th, time has been set aside for relaxation and sight-seeing—local guides are available on request for those interested in visiting such sites as the Musée de Louvre or Napoleon’s sarcophagus, touring the Seine, or of course taking in the city's famed catacombs.

        Catering for the duration of the event will be provided by the brilliant Mamadou Saganogo, head chef to the imperial household of the Kong Empire in Western Africa prior to the nation's unfortunate collapse this recent year. Any guests with particular dietary requirements are urged to inform the Committee in advance, or make alternative arrangements. At 7p.m. on the evening of the 20th, a private performance by the celebrated Opéra-Comique has been arranged in the Théâtre de la Ville on Place du Châtelet, followed by another meal prepared by Mr. Sagonogo. After dinner, we advise attendees to use the remaining time before the Auction to suitably prepare themselves for the proceedings; space will be made available for any seeking to commune with a Higher Influence for protection or guidance. The Committee will of course go to every measure to ensure the needs of all guests are met, however must ask that participants provide any necessary instruments for such rituals themselves where possible.

        As always, the Committee is pleased to welcome attendees from all across the globe, including for the first time the esteemed Nassereddin Shah, ruler of the Qajar Emirate of Persia, renowned inventor Nikola Tesla, and acclaimed artist Antoni Gaudí. We are also deeply gratified to announce the return of the distinguished Comte de Saint-Germain, as well as his donation of multiple artifacts from his personal collection to this year’s Auction. A delegation from the Grand Orient de France will also be making an appearance, for the first time since London; we thank them for their orchestration of the Taxil affair and its immense success.

        The Auction will starts at the stroke of midnight. Neither weapons nor personal grudges are allowed in the Auction room. Any guests not present in the room at that time will be refused entry; the Committee’s security for the evening will not hesitate to bar late entrants. We kindly ask that any individuals not affiliated with the Auction seen attempting to gain access are reported in due haste—we make particular note of Mr. Edison.

        The Committee trusts that you await the Auction eagerly, and looks forward to welcoming you to the Tower on the solstice. Within is enclosed a partial catalogue of items for sale this year; we of course cannot guarantee the continued availability of all entries, but encourage attendees to sift through it in advance.

Yours in Confidence,
    The Black Auction Committee
    February 27th, 1889

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LOT 1. EL REY CON TÚNICA AMARILLA.

The fifteenth entry in Francisco Goya's famed Black Paintings, originally painted directly onto the wall of his isolated country home. Created in the artist's final years, it depicts a lone figure on a black background, garbed in a golden-yellow vestment with a crown atop their head. Their face lies shrouded in shadow, and across the robe is painted a shifting sea of spiral-like symbols. Viewing is unfortunately unavailable prior to purchase.

LOT 3. EGYPTIAN BURIAL JARS.

Five in number, a set of genuine sealed canopic jars recovered from a tomb near the Valley of Kings by enterprising locals. In addition to the traditional four ceramics—containing the lungs, stomach, liver, and intestines, each adorned with a son of Horus—a fifth one is present, found placed in a separate chest at the centre of the burial chamber. The Committee's cryptoarchaeologists have thus far failed to identify the creature on the urn's lid with any known deity of the region, nor any extant manner of animal. All surviving members of the discovery party have refused interview.

LOT 9. YANGTZE MUD.

A jar of clay recovered from the source valley of the 長江 in the Tibetan Plateau, granted as a gift to visiting European dignitaries by the Guangxu Emperor in 1876, discarded and thought lost until its recovery in a street market in Shanghai. Bears restorative properties, capable of mending rifts and healing ailments, in addition to making any contract sealed with it binding before heaven.

LOT 12. MAGNI OPERIS PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA (ANNOTATED).

The lesser-known counterpart to the First Principia, the Magni Operis is a comprehensive collection of Isaac Newton’s notes and findings on the Great Work; only a handful of copies from its lone printing survive, the rest destroyed. This lot, in particular, was previously the personal copy of the preeminent Comte de Saint-Germaine, bearing in many places his personal commentary. Contains such secrets as the transmutation of lead into gold, the crafting of divine ambrosia, and the secrets by which one might transcend the laws of equivalent exchange.

LOT 17. MAP TO CHRIST'S TOMB.

Directions to the true location of Christ's body, located in a cave on Pech-le-Cardou in the south of France. Contains, additionally, the necessary instructions to reveal the tomb entrance, as well as the charms required to Witness the Lord's corpse and survive. Independently authenticated by Auction experts; veracity guaranteed.

LOT 26. TAROT READING.

An individual session with an avowed Master of the Etteillan tradition, who wishes not to be named. They have offered a single personal reading, with accuracy assured; they claim to be capable of Sight both past and future, having previously predicted and claimed responsibility for Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power, the Haitian Revolution, and the selection of Leo XIII (who once again graces our patrons this year) to the papacy. In the event of customer dissatisfaction, the Committee accepts no liability.

LOT 34. POLAR SPICE.

First recovered and sampled by the doomed crew of the HMS Bravery, of whom only two members returned, a seasoning sourced from the bottom of a crevasse near the Antarctic Great Ice Shelf. Its taste is pliable—resembling that which the collective agrees it to be, or simply that which its consumer craves most—and capable of replicating non-gustatory sensation, including feelings of despair, disgust, and awe. Incurs mild-to-middling hallucination (depending on quantity ingested) and promotes mental openness, having demonstrated great success in attempted communion with certain Higher Powers.

LOT 51. TARTARIAN DIADEM.

The royal crown of Tartary, the antediluvian civilisation responsible for the construction of many now-lost wonders, including the Tower of Babel. Silver-coloured and bearing a metallic sheen, it is encrusted with a variety of gems, including most notably a large septagonal topaz above the forehead. It demands a toll of its wearer—often resulting in severe exhaustion, dehydration, and fainting, with numerous recorded deaths—yet in return grants the monarch complete and utter authority over those around them.

LOT 39. HUMAN SOUL.

A captured soul, free of tangible form. Isolated by Doctor Victoire Fischer, real-world basis of Mary Shelley's The Modern Prometheus, through a thanergetic experiment that remains obscure. Authenticity assured—guaranteed suitable for ritual, barter, or imbuing into corporeal form.

LOT 45. HORN OF UNICORN.

The horn of an extinct Northern European unicorn, obtained by a member of the Old Hermetic Lodge from the traditional grounds of the Wild Hunt. Purported to act as a panacea of remarkable strength, it bears prominent place in the alchemical mythologies of Hermes Trismegistus. Wholly intact and preserved in pristine condition, it further carries great symbolic power and an intense international notoriety. Currently one-of-a-kind outside of private collections.

LOT 53. ROD OF MOSES (IMMORTAL SNAKE).

An ageless serpent, once the staff of the Abrahamic prophet Moshe, now transformed permanently into their current ophidian form. Previously held in Solomon's Temple, then Constantinople, now offering its services on the private market, it proffers an accurate rendition of Biblical truth, in addition to comprehensive knowledge and understanding of more than 460 assorted mystical traditions. Note that this is not an offer of ownership, but instead of a professional arrangement.

LOT 70. ERASURE.

Expulsion of a single individual from the akashic record. Evidence or memories of their existence will vanish or be dismissed. Those in the future shall be incapable of remembering them afterwards. Usable either on the self or upon an enemy of one's choosing.