The Scribe Configuration

THE SCRIBE CONFIGURATION

Written research by Paul Kane

Art research by Mark Buckle

The origins of the Scribe are shrouded in mystery and rumour. Some say that he hailed from prehistoric times, that his first attempts to make sense of the utterings told to him were crude cave paintings. Others say he first cropped up in Egyptian times, a master of glyphs during the First Dynasty, sometime around the reign of Qua’a. Some report him to be operating during classical times, that he was a contemporary of Homer or Horace, depending on who you speak to: but in either case, a poet offering insights of the era. However there is certain speculation that suggests he was operating during the period of the Qin Dynasty in China, circa 215 BCE.

Some histories have him flourishing during the time of the Scottish literary elite, producing texts in both Gaelic and Latin in the Second Century AD. Others depict him as a monk who had taken a vow of silence, transcribing scripts in a European monastery in the late 14th Century. Still others see him penning plays at the time of Shakespeare, around the late sixteenth century. Yet, given all this, no-one can point to any specific pieces of work by the Scribe, no matter which origins tale you believe.

All of these have the same thing in common, though; the way he was recruited to undertake his mammoth task. The way ‘The Whisperer’ approached him, feeding the history of the Order directly into his mind. The story goes that there were so many voices, and they overlapped so much, that it almost sent the Scribe insane; some say that it actually did send him mad – and that was the only way he could hope to function as the cipher of the Order. Because no man could hear those tales, let alone transcribe them, and remain sane. Such was and still remains the burden of the Scribe. Perhaps he was all of these people, or none of them. Someone granted long life, or destined to live out many different ones at the beck and call of the Order. We may never know.

The Scribe receives his LeMarchand box

Opinion also differs on the method of his transcription as well, the method used to record this chronology. Some say there is a room, a place between worlds, where all the records are stored once they have been set down and bound. Others say that the records are transported directly into the vast Library of Hell, that as the Scribe writes his records, the words appear on pages in tomes catalogued in that particular facility. There is also a theory that puts forward the idea of one, singular volume which contains all of the Scribe’s records. A never-ending book which can recall any part of the Order’s history when opened and with a particular unspoken thought. Only a select few are said to have access to this, for the Scribe’s work is meant to be a legacy for the ages to come.

The discovery of The Scribe Configuration was also accompanied by the discovery of a tome of sorts with an unknown origin which was translated by Paul Kane.

As a reward for his devoted services – not that he had a choice – it was decreed that the Scribe be given his very own puzzle box, the users of which would themselves end up in the archives he has been compiling over his lifetime. One of Lemarchand’s more unique designs, the aptly and succinctly named ‘Scribe Box’ offers the solver of this particular puzzle one of two options. The first is the more traditional immediate transportation to Hell, to experience the heights of pleasure and pain indivisible. The alternative is to use what is inside the box to simultaneously spread the word of and give tribute to the Dark Lord, ruler of Hell. For the Scribe Box has a double, hidden purpose: as an ink well which will never, ever run dry – and will also guide the user’s hand. Whether it is employed to compose music, to write plays, poems, short stories, novels, the result should be the same.

Alleged owners of the Scribe Box include Byron – indeed, it is rumoured that there was a box present at the Villa Diodati in 1816 when Mary and Percy Shelley, John Polidori and Claire Clairmont were in attendance – Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Rachmaninoff, Bram Stoker, William Hope Hodgson, Sibelius, M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft, Chekhov, Shirley Jackson, William Burroughs, Christopher Young and the so-called Shadow Writer, Herbert Lynch, to name but a few. Indeed, it is said that the Scribe Box inspired one particular writer, playwright, artist and filmmaker to such a degree in his early career that a cult built up around his works, directly and indirectly inspiring others to take up the mantle of Hell’s disciples.

While many of the pages and information contained within the original manuscript are not available for research purposes, Paul Kane and Pyramid Gallery can now present the avid researchers amongst you with an opinionated reference to the original manuscript. Each replica of The Scribe Configuration comes with a ten page collectible booklet, signed by The Shadow Writer, Paul Kane.

The original manuscript alluded to the many secrets hidden within the panel designs of The Scribe Configuration. Due to the restrictions placed on the publication by LMPS publishing, Pyramid-Gallery will not publish these discoveries. Another unrestricted reference to The Scribe Configuration has been found in "Robert Yaeger's Dictionaire Infernal"

"...with the Scribe Configuration comes the 8th rendition of the Schism. The patterns of Leviathan and the Labyrinth of hell can be found within its design. It is not merely a recording device but a type of projection device. "

- excerpted from "Robert Yaeger's Dictionaire Infernal" -

The influence and reach of The Scribe Configuration can also be found in a number of modern day artworks.

But the box’s influence does not end there. It can be felt in other areas, ranging from tattooists to graphic novels, screenplays and even design – indeed, any walk of life where ink might be utilised. In this way, it is not limited to what can be achieved with a quill or ink pen. It is therefore not difficult to see why, of all the boxes Lemarchand came up with, this one’s impact is the most wide-ranging and effective, with its exploits continuously being recorded by the Scribe himself in the Order’s countless files.

Photo by Alex Reed Images

Concept and Scribe Configuration story by Paul Kane
www.shadow-writer.co.uk

Booklet artwork by Mark B.
Based on concepts by Paul Kane

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