▁f lock ▁of ▁Night ga un ts . ▁On ▁w aking , ▁Car ver ▁takes ▁Robert ▁into ▁town ▁to ▁a ▁literary ▁event ▁with ▁Lord ▁D uns any ▁as ▁its ▁guest ▁speaker . ▁To ▁Robert ' s ▁delight , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁other ▁at ten de es ▁is ▁none ▁other ▁than ▁Howard ▁Love craft ▁himself . ▁The ▁unw itting ▁Robert ▁introdu ces ▁himself ▁to ▁Love craft , ▁and ▁it ▁becomes ▁o min ously ▁apparent ▁that ▁their ▁meeting ▁has ▁been ▁pre - ord ained ▁by ▁dark ▁forces . ▁ ▁IX : ▁Out s iders ▁Robert ▁arriv es ▁in ▁Prov idence ▁to ▁meet ▁Henry ▁An nes ley , ▁a ▁scient ist ▁who ▁has ▁developed ▁a ▁pair ▁of ▁spect acles ▁through ▁which ▁he ▁can ▁see ▁the ▁extra - dimensional ▁organ isms ▁which ▁overlap ▁our ▁plane ▁of ▁reality . ▁An nes ley , ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁St ella ▁S ap iente , ▁tells ▁Robert ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁group ' s ▁history , ▁and ▁introdu ces ▁him ▁to ▁Howard ▁Charles , ▁a ▁young ▁gene alog ist . ▁An nes ley ▁obser ves ▁that ▁Robert ▁and ▁Howard ▁are ▁sex ually ▁attract ed ▁to ▁each ▁other , ▁and ▁suggests ▁Howard ▁show ▁Robert ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁local ▁land marks ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁' St ell ▁S aps '. ▁Howard ▁takes ▁Robert ▁to ▁St . ▁John ' s ▁Church ▁where ▁occ ult ▁meet ings ▁were ▁once ▁held ▁in ▁the ▁ste e ple . ▁They ▁go ▁inside ▁and ▁discover ▁a ▁sh ining ▁tra pez oh ed ron ▁in ▁a ▁box , ▁in ▁fact ▁the