Universal date: 5/28 Let me start this latest of my /myriad/ journals with the usual assertion- I, Professor Bernard Finnley, am not a raving madman. I am merely a researcher of the odd, the unknown, the - admittedly - mind warping. I've seen things of almost manic beauty, heard the sweetest melodies in all the universe, yes- but so have I gazed upon horrors most unspeakable, heard things that should never have touched the ears of mortals. And yes, while I may have, on occasion, looked in to the dark, empty, bottomless eyes of a creature made of what one could reason is pure malice, I like to believe that I maintain a rather reasonable level of mental stability. At least for the time being, that is. It's popular belief that creatures such as those I have described in numerous past journals are a work of "Lovecraftian" fiction- and if people do believe the creatures to be real, they reason that they are of magic origin. Let me state that both of these camps are wrong. The creatures that I seek out, research, and, on occasion, destroy- they are no more magic than you or I. True, many of them are possessed of bodies incomprehensible by human minds, and even more have incredible telekinetic and psychic capabilities, but such a tawdry, twee thing as magic has nothing at all to do with it. The creatures (we shall call them Old Ones, for convenience) are what I believe to be the result of untold trillions of years of evolution. From what I have read, and seen, they have lived among the stars for immeasurable aeons, establishing their own domains and holdings. Only now, I believe, are the lesser races such as ourselves stumbling upon them. And the outcome of this contact can only be grim. Understandably, some people worship these Old Ones as Gods. A very curious practice, and one I am keen on researching- though often, such attempts end in near-fatal failure. I simply must improve my tactics ... I do suppose I'll make another, more informative log in my journal tomorrow. Until then, rest is a necessity.
