Averoigne: The Abbey of Perigon

Okay, here are the updated notes, incorporating the new text you provided. I have avoided repetition and maintained a concise, fact-focused approach.

Story Setting and Context

• The story is found among the papers of Christophe Morand, a young law student from Tours.
• Morand disappeared during a visit to his father’s home near Moulins in November 1798.
• The narrative is set in the forest of Averoigne during a sinister, brownish-purple autumn twilight.
• A storm is imminent, contributing to the oppressive atmosphere.

Morand's Journey and Arrival at the Abbey

• Morand is traveling on horseback, his horse exhausted from a journey begun at dawn.
• He loses his way on the main highway and finds himself on a narrow footpath.
• He sees a glimmering light through the forest-boughs which leads him to an open glade.
• In the glade is a large building, with several lit windows, which he believes is a monastery.
• Morand uses a heavy brazen knocker in the form of a dog’s head on the oaken door.
• A tall, ruddy-featured monk opens the door and welcomes him to the abbey of Perigon.
• Another monk takes charge of Morand’s horse.
• A storm breaks with tremendous gusts of rain and thunder as the door closes behind Morand.

Hospitality and Introduction to Abbot Hilaire

• Morand's host observes it was fortunate he found shelter before the storm worsened.
• The monk leads Morand to the refectory, providing a meal of mutton, brown bread, lentils, and red wine.
• The monk, Hilaire, sits opposite Morand as he eats prompting Morand to scan the monk more attentively.
• Hilaire is tall and stoutly built with a broad brow and powerful jaw, suggesting intellect and love for good living.
• Hilaire exudes delicacy, refinement, scholarship, good taste, and good breeding.
• Hilaire identifies himself as the abbot of Perigon, a Benedictine order.
• Hilaire says the order believes in living in amity with God and all men, and enriching the spirit without mortifying the body.

The Library of Perigon

• Hilaire mentions the abbey's well-stocked butteries, cellars with old wines, and library with rare tomes and manuscripts.
• He boasts of the library containing the finest works of heathendom and Christendom, including unique writings that survived the holocaust of Alexandria.
• Morand identifies himself as a law-student on his way home from Tours to his father’s estate near Moulins.
• Morand expresses his love of books and eagerness to inspect the library.
• They discuss the classics and quote passages from Latin, Greek, and Christian authors.
• Abbot Hilaire displays uncommon erudition, in ancient and modern literature.
• Morand experiences a sense of well-being, physical comfort, and mental alertness.
• Abbot Hilaire invites Morand to visit the library, and Morand assents with alacrity.
• Hilaire leads him down a long corridor with cells belonging to the brothers of the order.
• Hilaire unlocks the door to a great room with a lofty ceiling and several deep-set windows with a huge brazen key.
• The library is overcrowded with books, rolls of papyrus, parchment, and vellum.
• It features Byzantine or Coptic bibles, Arabic and Persian manuscripts, incunabula, and monkish copies of antique authors.

Hidden Treasures and Forbidden Manuscript

• Abbot Hilaire brings out volumes for Morand's inspection with loving and meticulous care.
• Hilaire presses a hidden spring in one of the library tables and draws out a long drawer.
• The drawer contains treasures that Hilaire does not share with many.
• Hilaire shows Catullus odes, a complete Sappho poem, lost tales of Miletus, a letter of Pericles to Aspasia, a Plato dialogue, an Arabian work on astronomy, and the Histoire d’Amour by Bernard de Vaillantcoeur
• Morand sees a thin volume with a plain, untitled dark leather binding in a corner of the drawer.
• Hilaire's face assumes a melancholy and troubled expression when Morand picks it up.
• Hilaire says there is a curse on the pages and warns Morand of dire peril to body and soul if he peruses them.
• Hilaire takes the volume back and returns it to the drawer, after crossing himself.
• Morand questions how danger can be in a few written sheets of parchment,
• Hilaire says the might of Satan is manifestable in devious modes and manners, there are evils no less subtle than irresistible, and there are hidden heresies, and necromancies other than those which sorcerers practice.
• Hilaire forbids Morand from further questioning, stating that the danger would be doubly great because he is young, ardent, and full of desires and curiosities.
• Hilaire replaces his troubled look with his former benignity and diverts Morand's attention.
• Morand's curiosity is awakened, and he can think of nothing else for the rest of the evening.

Night and Morning

• Hilaire leads Morand to his room, reserved for visitors, with more comfort and luxury than the monks' cells.
• Even after Hilaire leaves, Morand's brain whirled with questions concerning the forbidden manuscript.
• Morand has a dreamless, profound sleep.
• Morand awakes to a river of sunshine pouring through the window.
• He sees a world of autumnal forest and fields sparkling with rain.
• He sees the ruins of an old chateau on a distant hill, which draws his gaze irresistibly.
• The chateau has some indefinable fascination, similar to that exerted by music, poetry, or a beloved face.
• Morand loses himself in reveries that he cannot recall afterward, but which leave a tantalizing sense of delight.
• The abbot knocks on the door to check up on him.

The Fatal Day

• Morand expresses gratitude for Hilaire's hospitality and announces his departure.
• Hilaire's regret and urgent invitation lead Morand to stay another night, influenced by the manuscript's mystery.
• Morand cites his intent to pursue studies with the aid of the library as a pretext to stay.
• Hilaire gives him the key to the library, mentioning he will be away from the monastery for a few hours.
• Morand hastens to the library with the sole intention of reading the proscribed manuscript.
• Finding the table with the secret drawer, he presses the spring and draws forth the drawer.
• Morand is driven by an obsession and a fever of curiosity that borders upon actual madness.
• Seating himself near a window, he begins to peruse the six pages of the thin volume.
• The writing is peculiar, with fantastical letter-forms and old, barbarous French.
• Despite the difficulty in deciphering it, a thrill runs through him at the first words.
• He experiences all the sensations of one bewitched or having drunk a philtre of bewildering potency.
• The writing is a narrative about Gerard, Comte de Venteillon, who, on the eve of his marriage to Eleanor des Lys, meets a strange, half-human creature with hoofs and horns in the forest.
• Gerard, a valorous knight and true Christian, bids the creature stand and give an account of itself in the name of Jesus Christ.
• Laughing wildly, the satyr cries that Christ is less to him than the weeds that grow on Gerard's kitchen-middens.
• Gerard is appalled by the blasphemy and would have drawn his sword, but the satyr tells him a secret.
• The satyr says Gerard will forget Christ, his bride, and the world without regret.
• Gerard lends the satyr an ear, and it whispers to him something unknown.
• The satyr speaks aloud again, saying the power of Christ has prevailed like a black frost, however, pagan loveliness and ecstasies still reside in cryptic caverns of the earth far underground.
• The satyr laughs again its wild, inhuman laugh, and disappears among the trees.
• From that moment, a change is upon Gerard de Venteillon, who returns to his chateau with downcast mien, scarcely heeding anyone around him.

Gerard's Journey and Disappearance

• Gerard de Venteillon did not visit his betrothed as promised.
• Instead, around midnight under a red waning moon, he secretly left the chateau.
• He followed a trail through the woods to the ruins of the Chateau des Faussesflammes, opposite the Benedictine abbey of Perigon.
• The ruins are ancient and avoided by locals due to their association with evil legends, foul spirits, sorcerers, and succubi.
• Gerard ignored the ominous reputation and ventured into the ruins.
• He went to the northern end of the courtyard and stepped on a triangular flagstone between two central windows.
• The flagstone revealed granite steps leading down into the earth.
• Gerard lit a taper, descended the steps, and the flagstone closed behind him.
• Eleanor des Lys and her bridal train waited for him in vain at the cathedral of Vyones in Averoigne.
• Gerard was never seen again, and his fate remains unknown.

The Manuscript and its Effect

• The narrator read about Gerard’s disappearance in a forbidden manuscript with no date or author.
• Despite the lack of verifiable information, the narrator immediately believed the story.
• The narrator became intensely curious and obsessed with discovering what Gerard found.
• The narrator connects the ruins in the manuscript to those seen from the chamber window.
• The narrator felt an "insane fever," driven by a frenetic, unholy excitement.

Encounter with the Monk

• The narrator questioned a monk about the ruins visible from the abbey.
• The monk crossed himself, showing fear at the mention of the ruins called Chateau des Faussesflammes.
• The monk stated the Chateau des Faussesflammes ruins are rumored to be the haunt of unholy spirits, witches, and demons.
• The monk mentioned the ruins were sites of unspeakable festivals.
• According to the monk, no weapon, exorcism, or holy water has ever worked against the demons
• The monk mentioned brave cavaliers and monks have disappeared.
• The monk said that an abbot of Perigon tried to fight the evil there, but his fate is unknown.
• The monk described the demons as either serpentine hags or beautiful women with deadly kisses.
• The monk admitted he doesn't know if the rumors are true, but he wouldn't dare venture into the ruins.

The Narrator's Resolve

• Despite the warnings, the narrator resolves to go to the Chateau des Faussesflammes to learn the truth
• The narrator's impulse is described as immediate, overwhelming, and ineluctable.
• The narrator felt as if the abbot's warnings hid a delectable mystery and world of pleasures.
• The narrator planned to go that afternoon, before the return of Abbot Hilaire.
• The narrator prepared by taking a taper, bread, and a dagger.
• The narrator told the brothers in the courtyard he was going for a walk in the woods.

Journey to the Chateau

• The narrator headed toward Faussesflammes through the forest, which was pathless and overgrown.
• It took about thirty minutes to reach the top of the hill where the chateau was located.
• The chateau was in ruins, with trees growing in its walls and bushes blocking the gateway.
• The narrator went to the northern end of the courtyard like Gerard in the manuscript.
• The narrator found the triangular flagstone and pressed it with his right foot.
• The flagstone tilted, revealing dark granite steps.

Descent into the Vaults

• The narrator hesitated momentarily, considering the horrors but was overcome by a sense of charm.
• The narrator lit the taper and descended the stairs and the stone silently moved back into place.
• There were a dozen steps leading to a low, narrow, musty vault and a small doorway led to a larger vault.
• The narrator passed through vaults and into a long tunnel with rubble, dampness, and a foul odor.
• The narrator thought he saw shadowy serpents in the darkness.
• The tunnel unexpectedly led to an opening with sunlight.

Arrival in a Strange Land

• The narrator emerged blinking into the sunlight.
• The sun was near the horizon, though it had been early afternoon and the light was brighter and mellower.
• The sky was intensely blue, unlike the autumnal sky of Averoigne.
• The narrator found himself in an unfamiliar landscape with rolling meadows and a golden river leading to a blue sea.
• There were laurel-trees, which don't grow in Averoigne.
• The scene resembled a land of classic myth, with emerald grass, violets, asphodels, and ilex-trees.
• The narrator saw a marble acropolis and felt a growing ecstasy with the utter beauty of the landscape.
• The narrator walked towards a white roof in a laurel-grove, feeling a strong allurement.

Encounter with Nycea

• The narrator heard laughter in the grove and saw vague forms.
• A goat-like creature with a human head ran across the narrator's path.
• In the grove, there was a marble palace with a portico of Doric columns.
• Two women in ancient slave costumes greeted the narrator in Greek, saying their mistress, Nycea, awaited.
• The interior had a barbaric luxury typical of Greek decadence.
• A woman of goddess-like beauty reclined on a couch called Nycea.
• The narrator experienced an intense, immediate love for Nycea as if he had loved her forever
• Nycea said she knew the narrator would come and that her beauty and love had drawn him.
• Nycea welcomed the narrator to her palace and her arms.
• The slaves disappeared, and the narrator kissed Nycea's hand.
• They conversed, and Nycea felt soft in the narrator's arms.
• Servants lit lamps and served a meal of meats, fruits, and wines.
• The narrator and Nycea fell asleep.

The Abbot's Intervention

• The narrator awoke to the sight of Abbot Hilaire in the doorway.
• Hilaire looked horrified and gibbered in Latin, with fear and hatred.
• Hilaire carried a bottle of holy water and an aspergillus.
• Nycea gave the narrator an affectionate, pitying smile.
• The abbot called Nycea a foul vampire, an accursed lamia, and a she-serpent of hell, raising the aspergillus.
• Nycea vanished through a door to the forest, saying the narrator would find her again if brave and patient.
• Holy water fell, and the scene faded into darkness with a loud crash as of many thunders.
• Nycea told the adventurer to wait for her, that they will meet again.

Back in the Vaults

• The narrator woke up on a heap of rubble in one of the vaults.
• Hilaire was there, looking concerned and full of pity.
• Hilaire said he knew the narrator had read the manuscript and fallen under its spell.

Nycea and Faussesflammes

• Gerard de Venteillon and others have fallen victim to a lamia in the vaults.
• The lamia is Nycea, an ancient vampire who dwells in the vaults.
• Nycea maintains a palace of illusions in the vaults.
• Nycea's origin at Faussesflammes is unknown, predating human memory.
• She is as old as paganism and known to the Greeks, was exorcised by Apollonius of Tyana.
• In her true form, Nycea is a monstrous serpent instead of a voluptuous woman.
• She devours those she loves, draining their life with her kisses.
• The laurel-wooded plain, ilex-bordered river, and marble palace are satanic delusions from dust and corruption.
• These illusions crumbled at the touch of holy water.
• Nycea escaped and is feared to rebuild her palace and continue her sins.
• The narrator resents Hilaire's interference, lamenting the loss of his happiness.
• The narrator remembers Nycea's kisses and feels no one can arouse the same love and delight.
• He conceals his feelings from Hilaire to avoid being seen as a lost soul.
• The narrator leaves Perigon and returns to his father's house near Moulins.
• He writes an account of his adventures, vividly remembering Nycea.
• Nycea's farewell: "Have no fear. You shall find me again if you are brave and patient."
• The narrator plans to return to the Chateau des Faussesflammes and the vaults.
• Despite esteem for the abbot and admiration for his library, he doesn't want to revisit Hilaire.

A Rendezvous in Averoigne

• Gerard de l'Automne, a trouvère, is on his way to meet Fleurette in the woodland of Averoigne.
• Gerard is a guest of the Comte de la Frênaie, whose castle has dominion over the forest.
• Gerard met Fleurette, the daughter of Guillaume Cochin, a mercer from Vyones.
• Fleurette agreed to a woodland tryst in her father's absence with Gerard.
• The servants are to withdraw discreetly, leaving the lovers alone.
• The wood has ill repute among peasants.
• The ruinous and haunted Chateau des Faussesflammes and the tomb of sorcerers Hugh du Malinbois and his chatelaine are located in the wood.
• Tales of loup-garous, goblins, fays, devils, and vampires infest Averoigne.
• Gerard dismissed these tales, but the servants required a bribe due to superstitions.
• Gerard nearing the beech-tree, abandoned his incomplete ballade for thoughts of Fleurette.
• A shrill scream arose from the pines, followed by hurried footfalls and scuffling.
• Gerard heard a woman in distress and plunged into the boughs to help.
• He saw a woman in emerald green struggling with three ruffians.
• The woman had pale skin, faery beauty, and blood-red lips.
• The men were dark, with red, slitted eyes and animal-like bristles and seemingly club-footed.
• The woman looked beseechingly at Gerard as he sprang forth.
• Gerard struck at the head of the nearest ruffian, but his staff hit unresisting air.
• Dazed, he saw the figures vanish, but the woman smiled from a pine before disappearing.
• Gerard understood he had been deluded by phantoms or demons.
• Now he believed in the legends and ill-renown of Averoigne.
• The path he had been following was gone, and the forest features were unrecognisable.
• The foliage turned sad and funereal, and a tarn of dark waters replaced the purling brook.
• The waters were dark and dull similar to clotting blood, and which gave back no reflection of the brown autumnal sedges that trailed therein like the hair of suicides
• Gerard realized he was the victim of an evil enchantment.
• He had answered a cry for succor and entered the circle of its power.
• He didn't know the forces at play, but felt supernatural menace.
• The scene was desolate and lifeless like a place for cadavers and demons.
• Moving lights and drowned faces appeared, and a castle emerged from the tarn.
• The castle was ancient and vast, coeval with fear and darkness.
• Gerard knew the castle was the source of the sorcery.
• He fled, thinking of Fleurette and her safety, praying to the saints.
• The forest was a maze, and the trees impeded his progress.
• He broke through to a trail, ran, and returned to the tarn and castle.
• Gerard resigned himself to the compulsion drawing him to the castle.
• The castle was surrounded by a moat of stagnant water with iridescent scum.
• The drawbridge was down, and the gates were open to receive him.
• Barred windows looked down on the vacant courtyard, and a door revealed a dark hall.
• A tall, cadaverous man in old black garments stood on the threshold.
• The man had strangely red lips, a bluish beard, and pale, luminous eyes.
• The man's eyes and smile repulsed Gerard, seemingly reserving secrets dreadful to be disclosed.
• The man announced that he was the Sir du Malinbois
• The sieur du Malinbois said that the Fortune has willed that Gerard should become his guest.
• "Fortune has willed that you should become my guest," the man went on."The hospitality which I can proffer you is rough and inadequate, and it may be that you will find my abode a trifle dismal.But at least I can assure you of a welcome no less ready than sincere."
• Gerard thanked him but said he was in need of directions, but the offer seemed empty and hopeless.
• Gerard seeks directions to Vyones, stating that he is lost.
• The stranger said there are no paths from his chateau to Vyones.
• The sieur du Malinbois says the rendevous will be kept in another manner at another place then the one appointed.
• The sieur du Malinbois insists that Gerard accept his hospitality.
• The sieru du Malinbois asked Gerard asked the sieur du Malinbois to leave his staff at the door
• Gerard retains his staff despite its apparent uselessness
• Gerard states that he has promised to carry it with him in his right hand, or beyond arms reach , until he had slain two vipers.
• Gerard retained his staff despite its use.
• Gerard asked the sieur du Malinbois for his indulgence if he retained the staff
• the sieur du Malinbois states that Gerard could do what he wished with the stick.
• Gerard followed Sieur de Malinbois unwillingly with one glance at vacant heavens.
• The darkness closed without moon or star after the narrator.
• The darkness was thick as a serecloth, airless and stifling like the gloom of a sepulcher sealed for ages.
• Gerard was aware of a corporeal and psychic difficulty in breathing as he crossed the threshold.
• Gerard noticed that cressets were now burning in the dim hall

The Mysterious Hall and Dining Room

• The illumination in the hall was vague, with numerous shadows creating a sense of disquiet.
• The dining-room had dreary lighting that touched faces with a gloomy distortion.
• Shadows that looked like figures lingered around the table.

Characters at the Chateau

• Gerard recognized the woman in emerald green who had previously vanished in the pines after calling for help.
• Fleurette Cochin appeared pale, forlorn, and frightened.
• Fleurette's maid and man-servant sat at the lower end, reserved for inferiors.
• The Sieur du Malinbois formally introduced Gerard to his wife, Agathe.
• Agathe nodded slightly, without speaking, and indicated a chair for Gerard opposite Fleurette.

The Bizarre Meal

• Servitors moved preternaturally swift and noiselessly, their features indistinct.
• Gerard felt they resembled the ruffians who disappeared with the woman in green.
• The meal was described as a weird and funereal affair, filled with constraint, horror, and oppression.
• Gerard and Fleurette were unable to speak.
• The Sieur du Malinbois and his lady exchanged glances of secret and baleful intelligence throughout the meal.
• Fleurette's maid and man-servant were paralyzed with terror.
• The foods were rich and strange, and the wines were old, but Gerard and Fleurette barely touched them, while their hosts didn't eat or drink at all.
• The chamber grew gloomier, the servitors more furtive, and the air was laden with unformulable menace and black necromancy.

Recalling Legends of Averoigne

• Gerard's memory was jogged; he recalled tales of a malevolant Sieur du Malinbois and his evil lady, buried in the forest for hundreds of years.
• The peasantry avoided their tomb for fear of their continued sorceries.
• Gerard recalled folklore about wooden stakes and realized the Sieur du Malinbois' interest in his hornbeam staff.
• Gerard unobtrusively placed his foot on his staff for protection

Preparations for the Night

• The host and chatelaine invited their guests to their rooms, and Gerard and Fleurette requested to share a room with their servants.
• The thought of being alone in the castle was unbearable.
• Gerard and Raoul's room had a couch and a great bed with antique curtains and funereal tapers.
• They heard the lock engage after the Sieur du Malinbois left.
• Gerard found the window gave little light and he was enraged at being separated from Fleurette

Fears and Plans

• Gerard and Raoul discussed their situation; Raoul believed they were lured by evil sorcery.
• They agreed to sleep in shifts, with the one on guard holding the sharpened hornbeam staff.
• Gerard carved a cross on the staff to increase its efficacy.

The Vampire's Visit

• Fleurette, Angelique, and Raoul had been led astray by a sobbing woman.
• Raoul fell asleep first, then Gerard succumbed to an irresistible drowsiness, hearing whispers and ominous sounds.
• In the morning daylight, the tapers had burned to their sockets, Raoul was pale and lifeless, with a wound on his neck, and he reeked of the woman's perfume.
• Raoul remembered nothing of what happened during the night.
• Gerard found the door unlocked and the castle still.

Action and Resolution

• He found Fleurette and Angelique safe, but with similar wounds to Raoul's.
• Gerard planned to find and confront the source of the evil.
• He instructed Raoul to remain strong to defeat the owners of the castle
• Gerard and Raoul searched the castle by reconstructing in their mind the exterior.
• They found a tomb in the donjon, weather-worn and blotched by sun-exposed lichens.
• The tomb was covered by a heavy slab, which they removed with great effort.
• Inside, they found the coffins of the Sieur Hugh du Malinbois and his lady Agathe, appearing to slumber peacefully.
• Gerard drove the stake into both of their bosoms and the walls dissolved.
• The chateau vanished, revealing a forest glade with Fleurette and her maid nearby.
• Only the tomb remained.

Introduction of Comte de la Frenaie

• Comte de la Frenaie was unsuspicious by nature.
• His wife Adele had a close friendship with Olivier du Montoir, a young poet.
• The Comte was proud of the attention Adele received from Olivier, who wrote poems celebrating her beauty.
• The Comte did not understand poetry.

Escalation of the Poet's Boldness

• As spring arrived, Olivier visited Chateau de la Frenaie more often.
• Adele and Olivier spent time alone as Adele's husband did not have the capacity to comprehend the conversation
• Olivier's ballades and villanelles grew more and more bold.