I have just finished season 1 for the first time. Here are my notes so far.
To be seen and understood is anathema to the supernatural, according to Jane Prentiss, as words can never adequately describe and yet still rob things of their fear.
The Institute - a place of books and knowledge, a place of sight and Beholding. Apparently the worms are sluggish in it. In one room in the tunnels, the worms wrapped around each other and tried to form what Timothy Stoker described as "what looked like a doorway"
Head Archivists may be a sort of mouthpiece for the supernatural.
Elias Bouchard - Head of the Institute. No-nonsense. Even more skeptical than Jon.
Jonah Magnus - Founder of the institute.
Gertrude Robinson - The last Head Archivist. Was seen in The Other London prior to her death, possibly at the hands of the People's Church of the Divine Host. Had also earned the ire of cultists of the Lightless Flame. The police already had her on file when she disappeared. Body was found in the tunnels under the Institute when Jane Prentiss attacked, surrounded by boxes of cassette tapes. She had been shot thrice, in the chest. The worms in the tunnels were faster and stealthier.
Jonathan Sims - Head Archivist. Bound for a "crimson fate," according to Jane Prentiss. Hates the word Spooky.
Martin Blackwood - Assistant Researcher. Portly. Hardly ever taken seriously. Was pursued by Prentiss and the Corruption for 13 days after following up on Arachnophobia. Likes spiders. Fled during Prentiss's attack and found Gertrude's body.
Sasha James - Assistant Researcher. Apparently not brave. Does most of the follow-ups and digging. Had a single corruption worm surgically removed by "Michael," but has been compromised in the attack, and the others don't know. Former artifact researcher. Has seen the Fractal. Having been infected, she only describes her experiences externally - like the worms remember what they saw. Not!Sasha has stolen the tapes for Strange Music (the dolls and the calliope organ, in which Sasha debates the pronunciation of Calliope) and Distortion (Sasha's encounters with Micheal)
Timothy Stoker - Assistant Researcher. Trusted to not be a prankster. Plays April Fools jokes. Very brave.
"Some Hungers Are Too Strong To Be Denied" - phrase used by Angela the Piecemeal Witch when the criminal told her to undo the curse he got in the way of.
Beholding - an occult organization symbolized by eyes; they use these eyes as sigils to protect against malicious magic. Protects against dangerous things like the Lightless Flame & Leitner's Library. Gerard Keay is one member. Graham Folger is another potential member. Dates back to the 1200s with Johann von Württemberg in Germany.
Johnann von Württemberg - Bastard of Ulrich I. Supposedly consorted with witches. Potential founding member of the Beholders. His tomb is bigger on the inside. Collected books which were put in his tomb (probably magic), the shelves of which were lined with Beholders' Eyes. Albrecht von Closen (friend of the Institute's Founder) found an arabic text (likely magic) there; an illuminated manuscript, along with a coin. Heads: sharp-faced young man with long hair, "J.W. 1279." Tails: 3 small words, "Für die Stille," which Google translates as "For the silence." The coin had disappeared by the time Albrecht left.
Albrecht von Closen - Friend of the Institute's founder Jonah Magnus. suspected for the murder of a worker at his nephew's estate (where Johann's crypt was), since the man had been stealing jewelry. Apparently dropped because the wounds were "beyond the capactiy for human violence." Ruled an animal attack. He proceeded to disappear. Distant relative of Gerard Keay; the nephew, Wilhelm, had kids. One branch of the family moved to England in 1908. Their daughter, Elsa, was the mother of Mary Keay, Gerard Keay's mother.
The Eyeless Man - Johann's crypt was guarded by a short, stocky, lower-class man with a broad-brimmed hat. Bald, with empty eyesockets. He followed the noble, saw him, and said something, and bowled him over, was going to do something, but proceeded to be distracted and vanished. Apparently kids used to play "Johann's Steps" (go into the crypt as deep as you dare and run if you get seen), until there was a scream.
The Lightless Flame - an occult organization(?) associated with the sumerian demon Assag. May be related to the Burned Out story of the construction worker w/ schizophrenia? Would then also be related to the cannibal priest's 2-parter
Jurgen Leitner's Library - Established dangerous collection of esoterically and magically dangerous books that can hurt people and have predictive abilities. Supposed to all have been destroyed. Each is associated with one 14 topics. Examples include Ex Altiora, dealing with things from above; The Boneturner's Tale, a gory expansion upon Chaucer's Canterbury Tales that was turned into a library by the old lightning-struck friend of the man who had acquired Ex Altiora
Jurgen Leitner - Norwegian businessman, had offices in the ground floor of the Reform Club. He was still alive in 1987. Portly and middle-aged, going grey. His office was bare but for a desk and chairs. Ordered a hole put through his floor (but not to the basement?) but resisted paperwork. "Things too important and powerful to be owned."
Jared Hopworth - His bones were turned and he became the shapeshifting owner of The Boneturner's Tale. He has escaped with it. Has "added some extra [limb]s"
The Piper - manifestation of war and death. Possibly related to the Boneturner; the Turner made a merry flute of the Miller's ribs (and did something horrible to him), and the Piper carries a bone flute.
The Shapeshifters - masquerade as people, and cut them up to get a better feel for things.
The People's Church of the Divine Host - based possibly in Hither Green Dissenters church, symbolized by a closed eye, worship the Man in Pitch, connection to Ny-Ålesund Norway (the northernmost city in the world), possible relation to the cannibal priest's first exorcism (MiP's worshippers strip wallpaper), possibly killed Gertrude Robinson. I may be conflating the Man in Pitch with the Long-Armed Thing.
The Long-Armed Thing - Grabbed Graham Folger and body-snatched him. Snuffs lights as it goes, and hates the occult serial killer dude.
The Anglerfish - Floating bodies, held at waist-height. Never seen in the light. Known victims: Jessica McEwan (Nov '05), Sarah Baldwin (Aug '06), Daniel Rowlings (Dec '06), Ashley Dobson (May '08), Megan Shaw (June '08), John Fellows (Mar '10). There may be more than one of them. One is in Old Fishmarket Close (Edinburgh), one in the Cambridge Military Hospital.
Sarah Baldwin - a victim of the anglerfish. Her skin is easily removed, and may be stapled back on after being refitted. Chainsmoker, unsociable. Wears a leather jacket and seems impervious to the cold. Avoids the abandoned Cambridge Military Hospital due to an Anglerfish there. May be working with Trevor the Tramp. See Trevor NLM.
The Hive - Infinite plane of wriggling, squirming things. The guy who had sex with whatserface has become infected, and Sasha ended up killing him and his worms. Sound-cued to squelching. Long grave-worms with black blood; can jump up to 6 feet; die by CO2 gas. Takes about a fortnight to lose focus. Wants to kill the Institute. It and its followers view the Fractal and its followers as fools. "Sing" to Jane Prentiss.
Jane Prentiss - patient zero of the Flesh Hive. "Practicing Witch." She is dishevelled, and her teeth are chipped and black. Her skin is greyish-pale and honeycombed with holes dug by the worms. Was once terribly mean and toxic. Might be drawn to the Hive by a need for love (not as I understand it, but need-fire). Her body was burnt to ashes.
Curator's note; "need-fire" is a particular translation of the Elder Futhark rune Nauthiz, as it is understood in modern pagan divinitory and magical practice. I use the term because I am familiar with it.
"Michael" - a gangly creature with too-big hands. Disguises as a tall, blond man. Hs disguise is penetrated by reflections. Cannot describe himself, but wants to help the Archivists, and offered to help Sasha save Jon, Tim, and Martin from... something (maybe the worms?). Knows more than he lets on. Surgically removed a Worm from Sasha, with his hands.
Trevor "The Tramp," - Supposedly dead by lung cancer. Vampire hunter and hobo. See Trevor NLM and Sarah Baldwin.
Vampires - Do not speak, but have telepathy. Are not human; more of a human-mimicking lifeform. Hypnosis powers. Shark teeth, thick sucker-like tongue. Easily flammable.
The Fractal - Graham's table has the Fractal on it (with a 6-inch square taken out), as does the box (about 6 inches square) with the spider-apple under the tree in Burned Out. The construction worker in Burned Out, his father was obsessed with it. Graham's table has since been delivered by Beacon and Hope to Jonathan Sims, Magnus Institute's Head Archivist.
The Fractal Vase - An antiques dealer named Andre Ramao bought a vase with the Fractal on it from Mikhail Selesa (an artifact dealer and smuggler who had dealings with the victims of the Piecemeal Witch), and Mikhail forgot about the vase, "I do not remember having that thing, which means it belongs to you"; the vase made Andre lose cherished things and others forget they existed, and returned forgotten things. It also wiped out all record of those items. It could not be sold, as the vase would be forgotten by prospective buyers. After Ramao fell asleep in front of it, it returned all of the items. Fingers crept out of it, with fingernails too dirty to be human. It took David, Ramao's husband. The marriage license is half-blank.
Mikhail Selesa - Smuggler and antiques vendor who has a knack for finding supernatural things. Had dealings with both of the Piecemeal Witch's recorded victims.
The Lucas Family - Evan Lucas died. His fiancée was lost in an old graveyard of forgotten things with a cloying fog, but Evan managed to save her with some post-mortem guidance. His grandfather(?) was wearing a suit that hung off of him like "Black flaps of skin," apparently the family is one of the biggest patrons of many acedmic orgs, including the Magnus Institute. Peter Lucas captained the Tundra.
Solace Shipping PLC - International shipping company owned by Nathaniel Lucas.
The Tundra - British cargo ship, operating under Solace Shipping PLC. Captain Peter Lucas. First Mate Thaddeus Darl (owns an antique Boatswain's Call). Carlita Sloane worked as an OS on the ship to get back home to England. The crew register has not changed in a decade. On the voyage, the crew never spoke; only Thaddeus did. The only non-vacant crewman was Sean Kelly, a fearful scot. All of the shipping containers were rusted in place, and evidently empty; there is no record of cargo having ever been loaded or unloaded. The lifeboat was an old rowboat with no supplies. Everyone on board except Sean boarded the lifeboat, and rowed out. Thaddeus blew his whistle; sounded distant and far too high. The men cried amidst the seasmoke (which shouldn't be there). Sean was never seen again, but people talked now, relieved. Sean's body washed up on the coast of Morocco in april 2011, 6 months later; but it had only been in the water for 5 days. Sean shares a name with Moira Kelly and her son Robert (the man who was swallowed by the Sky). Hypothetical; Thaddeus's whistle summoned something that took Sean as a sacrifice. Would explain the overpayment, and possibly the discrepancy between Sean's disappearance and washing ashore.
Curator's Note: I listed the entire Bosun's Call story here because I see minimal relation to other threads that I have identified.
The Other London - where the dead are seen choked in black vine-like veins. Domain of dreams, especially of one fellow who worked at the Barclay Building, and was possibly Graham Folger's ex. The Institute is red throughout.
"John" - gave a guy £10k just to watch over a coffin. Contents of said coffin scratched at what was placed on it and sang in the rain. The guy watching it almost opened it in his sleep and so froze the key in a bowl of ice in his freezer. When John and B&H Dekiveries came back to take the coffin, there was screaming and only the 2 workers came out, carrying the coffin.
John Amherst - Director of an old folks' home that was already signed off. After his joining, the place grew subtly dirtier. Black hair, blue eyes, too-big brown suit. Tall. Does not react to flies. Asked for a dead old man's ashes in the cheapest brass urn possible. The old man had creamy yellow rashes, providing home for hundreds of flies.
The Rash - creamy yellow. Touched a glove, but the hand underneath it still felt lik it was crawling eith rot. That woman later lost her hand.
Beacon and Hope Deliveries - Company that delivered John's casket, and also delivered a pale yellow stole to the church of the cannibalistic priest (this same color being the color of the stole he hallucinated). 2 workers. Raspy voices, seem to talk over each other. Delivered something to Sims direct to his recording room when it was worm infested.
Lost Johns - Caving experience; candles in the dark. "Take her, not me."
Simon Fairchild - Somehow related to the Sky, which... ate(?) somebody like shifting sand.
Grim Reapers - to say that they are skeletons is to say that a man is a wool suit. May play a game, as is traditiional in stories, to never die; if you win, that reaper becomes an immortal who cannot age and apparently has regenerative abilities, and you take his place. Nathaniel Thorp was a soldier in the revolutionary war who won one such game of Faro. Roulette freed him sometime in the 70s.
Trevor NLM - Old man with matted beard. Accompanied by a tall woman with a scarred face. May be Trevor the Tramp.
Entities
The sky (Tied to Ex Altiora)
Thematic Connections
Meat: seen with the endless abattoir, Toby the man upstairs who collapsed his downstairs neighbor's cieling with rotting meat nailed to everything, and "Silk will not stitch the butcher's meat," as seen in Cambridge Military Hospital. Related to expansion and greed.
Webs: somehow supernatural. Has a song, just like the hive. The spiders guard against the worms and Flesh Hive. "A pile of paper covered in webs." Sims recieved a package from Beacon and Hope; a zippo with a web design on it.
"A figure in the dark"
"A stranger who meant me harm"
"My skin burning"
The Disease - rot, squirming. Maybe the worms? Flies.
Zippo Lighters - Gerard Keay has one with an eye on it. Jonny Sims has one with a spiderweb on it (courtesy of Beacon and Hope). Angela the Piecemeal Witch's victim had one with a topless woman on it. Trevor the Tramp uses one to kill vampires.