The Congo was a jewel any colonialist would kill for. And the lot fell to Henry Morton Stanley to colonize it for King Leopold II.

Stanley had made two "journalistic" trips to Africa, first in 1869 to find David Livingstone. The second was in 1874 where, starting from Zanzibar with 356 people (mostly Africans), he "attacked and destroyed 28 large towns and three or four score villages" (his own words) as he plundered his way down to Boma and the mouth of the Congo River on the Atlantic coast.

In 1879, Stanley was off again to Africa, this time under commission from King Leopold to colonize Congo for him. Stanley used guns, cheap European goods and plain-faced deceit to win over 450 local chiefs and their people and take over their land.

Now, some eight years later, the colonial outpost of Leopoldville, perched on the south bank of Stanley Pool, begins to swell with the rush of trade and adventure-seekers. These are their stories.

Arrival in the Congo Archive 1

This first collection of logs detail various early meetings between characters as they arrive in the Congo.

Strangeness on the Eastern Barrier Archive 2

A series of strange encounters start on the Eastern Barrier. These uplands mark a geographic boundary between the jungle of the Congo basin and the savannah that stretches to the east and south.

The St. George Archive 3

The mid-sized steamer under contract to the Anglo-Belgian Ivory and Exploration Company, the St. George, lurched her way to moorings at the Leopoldville dockworks. Word is that the boat has made the arduous journey all the way from Stanley Falls Station far upriver, laden with ivory, ore, and a small amount of palm oil. But what really has people talking is the crew: wan, sickly, wide-eyed and tight-lipped, like men awakening from a long illness or a frightening dream.

Into Darkness Archive 4

Mlle. Russell's father disappeared somewhere deep within the Congo; the Scottish lass is determined to discover what became of him, even at the cost of her soul.

Mvwala, Taklah of the Nine Staffs Archive 5

General archive of logs concerning the Bastet Caern and Taklah.

Stormclouds Gathering Archive 6

The Garou of the Leopoldville begin to organize; and immediate challenges begin to take form from the darkness. This archive details the socio-political developments within and among the various Garou factions.

The Unfortunate Tale of Major N. Archive 7

"Ah, you know what I hear, I heard the old Major's come back. Ja, for true. I thought that was the end of it, right there, when his wife took ill and died and him going on back to Belgium, but you know, here he is again. And he's got him a new wife. Now, there's something you can admire, even in a Walloon, lazy little Frenchies they are. Knock him down and he stands right up again."

Rose House Archive 8

Madame Rose's fledgling business -- of the oldest sort -- begins to blosson along the bank of Stanley Pool: it is the kind of place where a man can get himself a bath or a shave, a bit of continental civility in heart of darkest Africa.