Jonathan Carcer

Status
Name and Rank: Jonathan Carcer

Alias: The Phoenix

Occupation: Proprietor of Mountain King Toys  Serial Killer

Status: Active At large  Incarceration in Bethlem Royal Hospital Unknown

Early Life
Jonathan Carcer was born and grew up to the age of 15 in Priest Town, the only son of Elizabeth and Gordon Carcer.

The family ran a trade of carpentry and toy making from the city centre, named "Mountain King Toys" (Gordon expressed he felt the name implied fantasy and wonder), with reasonable success. Gordon Carcer's work was of a well regarded stature, made affordable to most in shop, but sustained business through commission work from the upper classes for larger bespoke pieces of wood work, usually for children, with focus on rocking horses and highly detailed miniature puppets and figurines.

Elizabeth Carcer passed away due to sudden illness when Jonathan was 13. Whilst his father mourned, Jonathan was seen to be running the business, applying an adept level of skill to continuing his father's wood work. Though the community gave great moral support to the Carcers during this time, rumour began to spread regarding Gordon's absence and Jonathan's apparent lack of emotion regarding his mother's death or his father's state.

On Gordon's return to work, Jonathan left school and became a full time apprentice to his father. In a charitable act to support the business, the guild of clocksmiths provided free tutelage in their trade to young Jonathan whom appeared to be naturally atuned towards all things clockwork and wooden.

Guild Merchant Daniel Davids later commented to the media on Jonathan's apprenticeship:

"...[Jonathan] was a quiet, polite young man. He had an amazing talent for seeing a mechanism not just as a whole, but each piece's intermate workings. If you gave him a time piece, and told him nothing about it, he could have it running again in minutes and be working on the next thing. We were all incredibly impressed - not just with his skill, but with how humble he appeared. He never seemed to react to praise - and we never had to chastise him.

We often felt that his skills may be better suited for a higher calling, like a doctor....Though I suppose it's best now that he wasn't."

Mountain King Toys, Edinburgh
At the age of 15, Jonathan's father decided to put the past behind them and move the business to what he hoped would be more lucrative and a fresh start in Edinburgh. Their choice was bitter-sweet, with many of the community from various walks of life coming to show support to the family with fond farewells.

Mountain King Toys opened on a side street off the capital's city centre with great media coverage and reception. It is here that Jonathan began taking a consistant active role in the running of the business and production of new and more inventive toys, showing promise in his skills to outshine his father.

Jonathan spent much of his late teens and early twenties building his reputation as a master craftsman, being hired to work on constructions for various shows, as well as continuing his father's tradition of negotiating commission work for all classes.

By his mid-twenties, Jonathans father had essentially retired. Though Gordon Carcer's name carried a great deal of weight in craft circles, despite his son's greater skills in clockwork proceedure, it is now disputed at this time whether the work Jonathan had undertaken on commission for his father had, in fact, been his own work.

Jonathan began spending an increasing amount of time in Mountain King Toys shop, working late into the night on his creations, creating a living space in the storage warehouse behind the shop front. Later research shows he spent a great deal of time scouring bookshops and libraries for books discussing metaphysics and occult principle.

John Alexander, an antiquitarian and book dealer later commented:

"I asked [Jonathan] about his interest in such matters - he seemed to have an almost ravenous desire to collect the oddest of items and some rather rare books. Originally I had assume it was a passing interest, that his growing notoriety in craftsmanship allowed him to afford...He told me he was looking to create something truly unique and wanted to study different craft techniques from around the world. Later he would say he was working on a commission with "Special Interests". I hate to consider the implications of my facilitatin his so called work.."

The naval captain of a small transport barge, Cpt. Michael Deseraili however had a deeper distrust of Jonathan and had contacted officials regarding his distrust.

"I ship various things - people, supplies, materials - if you can pay me, and it ain't too much hassle I'll transport near enough anything that is legal and can be arranged. So shipping a few bits of crap to some kid from it's arrival in Newport wasn't any big concern.

''But when I got the stuff to [Jonathan] he wasn't what I expected. He turned up as we were docking, dishevelled and erratic. He near enough bit my hand off when I handed over the goods and I near had to chase him to get him to pay. I dunno where the shipment originated, and I dunno what it was. I do know you only see behavior like that in places of less repute though."''

A beautiful horror
In Jonathan Carcer's early 30s, Edinburgh came under scrutiny for it's policing as a series of vicious murders came to light. Every few weeks, body parts began to surface, in bags or simply discarded - though never full bodies. There appeard to be no pattern or correlation beyond the careful and neat seperation of parts, linking them to a single suspected killer/organisation.

Jonathan became noted for increasingly peculiar behavior, having began living entirely from Mountain King Toys, and rarely venturing out, constantly creating new and marvellous toys with intricate detail and mechanical movements for animation and clockwork music.

It was six months after the first of the body parts came to be discovered that the first potential link to Jonathan was made. A small intricate wooden puzzle box was delivered, apparently by hand, to the home of the Edinburgh Universities then Professor of History, Rosebury. The Professor's knowledge of various historical religions and cults allowed him to recognise several of the symbols inscribed in the box and open it - revealing a tightly sprung "Jack", that erupted with confetti and a piece of music from a clockwork movement.

Despite several informal, and one formal interview with Jonathan Carcer, there was not enough evidence to convict him in association with the murders - only speculative evidence based on the construction of the jack-in-the-box that implied involvement.

Over the next few weeks, further such items were found delivered to people with occult interest - pressumably as a challenge to solve them. Their true purpose has yet to be identified. Some samples have been shipped to Boston's Miskatonic University for study, where as most remain in evidence lockers (some are allegedly in private collections now).

The November of that year finally proved Jonathan's direct involvement when author Howard Philips visited Mountain King Toys with one of the peculiarities, that had been delivered to him. Jonathan insisted he knew nothing about it, but speculated that perhaps his father had been commissioned to construct it on request, allegedly stating that people may still "Pull his strings to get him to work."

Mr. Philips proceeded to visit the home of Gordon Carcer to make a gruesome discovery. The house, apparently long unattended, contained the slow decomposing body of Gordon Carcer - mutilated in the fashion of a marionette puppet complete with painted face and strings to manuever the joints.

Philips immediately reported his find to the police, implicating Carcer. However, Carcer had already made his escape, having planned for this event, leaving behind only a mocking nod to the investigators - a trip wire activated "Clapping monkey".

Hunt for a serial killer
Carcer's manhunt lasted a considerable time longer than police had anticipated. Though Carcer made frequent riddles and clues to trace him in the form of toys and dioramas, police appeared to be at least one step behind, arriving at locations to discover grisly murders, each styled in the fashion of childrens toys - sometimes animated with careful use of clockwork.

Study of Gordon Carcer's personal files described a growing fear of his son - starting at a startellingly young age. He describes his son to be without outward emotion and inclined towards morbid fascination and bizarre forms of entertainment, including fixation on taxidermy, insect collecting and implied torture and harm of smaller animals. Gordon had considered having his son taken into psychiatric care at the age of 12 - however with his wife's fast ailing health apparently became distracted from his original concerns.

Carcer's eventual capture came about through the unfortunate death of Mr.Philips, with whom he held a fixation. Philips had noted in his diary he felt that Carcer had taken a fondness to him due to his writings on the murders, with examination to the occult connections - speculating that the murderer was seeking some form of great power or conduct.

Philips was found drowned by means unknown in a derelict theatre house, following reports of his absence by friends. Investigation of the building found notes and details of Carcer's plans. Though these remain classified, rumour has it that they pertain towards dark occult matters and an obsession with besting those he considered peers in his field.

Through fast action, aided by the media frenzy at the toy maker's involvement in the murders, Carcer was captured in Greyfriar's Cemetary (though his motivations for being there are yet unclear).

Carcer remained apparently devoid of remorse or care at his capture, comfortably talking and making wry jokes on topical subjects with the police - despite facing public hanging.

It was through reading a quote from him in the local papers that psychiatrist Dr. Archebald Bar approached Carcer's representative to plead for insanity. Using Carcer's father own personal papers, in conjunction with the atrocious crimes as evidence, a ruling of severe psychopathy was agreed upon. For reasons of public interest, Carcer was to be inprisoned in the high security of Bethlem Royal Hospital.

"Carcer exhibits the most horribly beautiful example of advance socio/psychopathic nature I have ever witnessed. He not only shows no remorse for his actions, but I truly believe he neither feels remorse nor understands why he should. He has told me many times now that he is simply looking to improve mankind for a greater cause and seeks to do so through his own methods.

''Narcassitic, often capable of charm and charisma, wholly consumed by his "work", Carcer will use any tactic (be it through violence or charm) to aquire his goals and intentions. Worse, he is blessed with an abundance of patience. Though I respect Dr. Bar's recommendation, and we shall seek to help him come to terms with his humanity (if any) and to repent his actions, I gravely fear that the death penalty may have been the most appropriate.''

''It is my opinion that Carcer should and must always remain under strict constant supervision, with emphasis on isolation from any other inmates. He is to be considered highly intelligent, cunning and above all dangerous. Do not allow his ligh'ter frame to afford you a sense of security.''

For the time 'being he is to be restricted from all art and craft projects and only allowed reading material I have personally approved of.

...

A man of science, I do not hold with [Carcers] superstitions and belief in demonic or "Old Forces".

However: Combined with a first hand knowledge of his creativity and forwards planning, I remain haunted when I look into the darkness of his eyes and remember his promise to the journalists at his trial for the gallows: "The Phoenix Shall Rise.".."

Dr. Henry Seward