THE PENSIEVE PAPERS

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[Koha Jonë (Our Times) news article, published 1992, Tirana, Albania. Translated from the Albanian original.]

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Alexis Gage, 83, was found dead inside his Shköder cottage on Tuesday morning, 16 June. Gage, a French immigrant and liquor importer, had lived in Shköder County seasonally since 1986. The cause of death is unknown, but foul play is suspected.

Gage’s body was discovered at 9:15 a.m. after a neighbour reported a disturbance outside Gage’s cottage. The crime scene remains active, but a brief statement from Shköder’s police reports that Gage was recently found dead, unclothed and at least partially dismembered.

Little is known about Gage’s past or present actions in Shköder County. A member of the Gage family of French financiers, Gage inherited considerable wealth at a young age and spent most of his career in the wine and spirits trade. Gage lived in Shköder County and is said to have imported a large supply of rare French spirits. He had connections to restaurants and grocery throughout the region.

Neighbors report that Gage was secretive and vague. He did not speak Albanian or Serbian and rarely interacted with Shködran people outside of business capacities. It is not known why he may have been the target of the violent attack.

Rumours have followed Gage since his early years about an interest in the occult. Gage was acquainted with the famous British ‘magician’ Aleister Crowley in the 1930s and is said to have amassed a large library of witchcraft-related artefacts, including a valuable library of ancient and medieval texts amassed at his cottage. Associations with alleged occult activity in the nearby village of Theth have been proven, but no evidence suggests that Gage was involved in any of the so-called Knights of Kulshedra.

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