Vault Acquisition: Scorpion Hill

Scorpion Hill is the eighth Arkham Files acquisition to the library vault at Miskatonic University. It is the sequel to Sands of Abydos and begins three days after the conclusion of events in the previous story.

With Miskatonic University on winter break, Neal and Peter have decided to fit in a trip to Marrakesh, Morocco. Elizabeth will go along on this trip. Peter is no stranger to Marrakesh. He was on a dig in Morocco a few years ago. As he explained to Neal in the first story, Visions from Beyond, he discovered some unusual cave art at a site in the Atlas Mountains south of Marrakesh. When he returned to the university, he discussed the art with Head Librarian Lavinia Armitage who believed they might resemble illustrations in the Necronomicon. That was Peter's first exposure to Abdul Alhazred's abstruse tome.

Peter has longed to explore the region further. When Neal discovered an entry by legendary archaeologist Laban Shrewsbury about unique cave paintings in a cave near the site of Peter's earlier exploration, his interest intensified. At the end of Sands of Abydos, Sara told the group that Interpol had heard of zoogs being spotted in Marrakesh. The trip jumped to the top of the team's list of priorities.

Henry remains very much a question mark. Neal is eager to reconnect but Peter is wary until he learns more about him. Neal wrote Henry that he'd be in Marrakesh, but has heard nothing back.

For those of you interested in the history of alien races on Earth, here's a brief snapshot. Sometime in the thirteenth millennium B.C., the Elnath first traveled via wormholes to Earth. The barrel-shaped, tentacle-crowned aliens established colonies and had an influence on scattered Neolithic cultures. The tadpole script found on starfish artifacts originated with the Elnath. In the tenth millennium B.C., another alien race, the Ymar, invaded Earth. During a series of protracted wars, they enslaved native populations as well as the Elnath and usurped much of their technology. In the seventh millennium B.C., the Celaenians arrived with the objective of driving the Ymar from our galaxy. They succeeded in banishing the Ymar to Tirelia, a planet located on a node connecting our brane with a parallel universe that Mozzie dubbed the A-brane. Since their banishment, the Ymar have not been able to return to Earth, but they have succeeded in mastering Elnath wormhole technology. The Ymar figured out a way to send subservient species such as ghasts, zoogs, and nightgaunts into our galaxy. Celaenians have periodically visited Earth in an attempt to minimize the Ymar threat. Meropians have assisted them since the fifteenth century.

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• Alien Worlds and Races in Arkham Files

Scorpion Hill on Archive of Our Own
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