The Mystery of Balar

The following is the script of an unaired episode of the paranormal podcast, Hidden Depths. Little is known of the fate of the podcaster, one Nickolas Omen – if that was, in fact, his real name. Some say that he simply never returned from a walk in the Rocky Mountain National Park in his native state of Colorado. The case of his disappearance remains unsolved.

The script included below was discovered on an encrypted cloud storage service – one he often named as a sponsor. The file is dated 13 September 2023, a day before his alleged disappearance.

Did this script have anything to do with his fate? Did he uncover something that some wanted to keep hidden? Or is it merely a strange coincidence? Read the script and decide for yourself.

(Note that the paintings were also stored in the same folder. It is unclear whether or not these were connected with the story, but I have included them just the same.)

The Hiker

“They were just standing there, watching me, a whole row of them. I called out to them, but they didn’t even react. I felt like I did not belong. It was so long ago, but I still see them now. Clear as day.”

— Leonard Magar, witness

On the 14th of October 1998, a Romanian hiker named Leonard Magar and a few of his friends were hiking the Carpathian Mountains. They hoped to make the dangerous trail to the top of Moldoveanu, the tallest peak in the range. Most of the party had not made the ascent before, but their leader, an experienced climber, assured them that all will go well, as long as they stay together.

While the route was arduous, with the sheer cliffs presenting a constant danger, the party reached their destination. A breathtaking sight by all accounts. A sight that would have left a positive impression on the mind of Magar, if it wasn’t for what followed.

Their leader did not want them to get caught on the trail in bad light. Losing little time, the party took a final look at the mountainscape and the vast surrounds and began their trek back down the ridge.

This was when Magar became separated from the group. He had been taking in the view when he realised that the others were already gone.

“It was as if I lost time. One moment they were there and the next they were gone. I am not usually that unobservant. With everything that happened afterwards … I only now realise how strange this moment was.”

— Leonard Magar, witness.

Panicking, Magar tried to rush down the route they came. At least, that is what he believed he was doing. Several twists and turns down the track later, he realised that he was profoundly lost – the tall trees and other landmarks looked wholly unfamiliar.

“What could I do? I could not just stay there. The light was fading. At least the path I was on was leading down. Down meant off the mountain, surely? All I had on me was near-empty water bottle and a chocolate bar. I had to keep going.”

— Leonard Magar, witness.

He followed the track, calling out as he went. No one answered, for he was out here alone. Panic rising, he quickened his pace. In his haste, he lost the track entirely. Finding himself surrounded by tall evergreens, feet crunching through the undergrowth, Magar continued downhill.

In the waning light, his weary eyes made out strange shapes among the trees.

“I called out, thinking they were my group. But they did not answer, they did not move. They were just standing there, watching me, a whole row of them. I called out to them, but they didn’t even react. I felt like I did not belong. It was so long ago, but I still see them now. Clear as day.”

— Leonard Magar, witness

He alleges that he saw a dozen men and women simply standing there. Their features were obscure as if in shadow. Some wore broadbrimmed hats while others sported walking sticks or similar. Regular listeners might find these similar to the Dark Watchers (Los Vigilantes Oscuros, as Spanish settlers of the Saint Lucia Mountains called them).

Whatever they were, unnerved Magar. He made a run for it.

“They didn’t come after me. I couldn’t look back. I didn’t hear anyone run after me or anything like that. I just knew that I had to get away, you know. I can’t explain it. I knew I had to run for my life. I just knew it.”

— Leonard Magar, witness

He is unsure how far or how long he ran for. What is known, however, is that his path suddenly became blocked. In front of him, running through the otherwise untouched wood, was a large fence. A most unexpected discovery. Magar alleges that the barrier consisted of two twelve feet tall chain link fences running parallel in a perfectly straight line that cut through the foliage for (what seemed like) miles in either direction. He also alleges that the top portion of it was electrified – something that should have been near impossible considering the remoteness of the location.

He walked along the fence, determined to continue his route down the mountain. But the fence blocked his progress downward. There were no doors or access points or any breaks for a good two miles along it. It was pristine as if it was new, or at least regularly maintained. The only interruption in the monotony of latticed wire was the occasional warning signs.

“Warning, Area Quarantined, Entry Strictly Forbidden!”

A warning repeated in five languages. It bore no other identifying marks – only a single word: “Balar”.

To most, the word means little. But to those of us who seek to understand the strange and the unnatural – whether to debunk it or to prove what we already know – Balar is a rabbit hole.

Ever since Magar stumbled upon the cordoned off area in the middle of nowhere in 1998, people began digging. What they found surprised them – a mystery that has gone unsolved even until today.

Join us as we discuss the Mystery of Balar.

Balar does not appear on any modern maps or records. Even satellite imagery of the area reveals little more than mountains and trees. Since Magar’s hike, few have been able to find it. Those who brave the rugged tracks report an increased presence of park rangers and strange paramilitary guards that advise truth seekers to turn around.

Authorities ignore any and all requests for information. Even this show was flatly ignored – even after several strongly worded emails. This, my friends, seems like eastern Europe’s Area 51.

To find any information about Balar, one has to look into the past. Old records, old books, old accounts. Things so out of date that even the powers that be have forgotten about it. If you dig deep enough and see what is not there, you begin to uncover the truth.

Someone tried very hard to erase Balar from the history books.

What I have here is what my paranormal research network and I have been able to cobble together. We do not know everything and perhaps we never will.

What Do We Know?

Balar was a bustling town. It was founded sometime in the late Sixteenth Century as a religious mission. The discovery of silver in the surrounding rockfaces is what drew people to the area. Town grew so large that it had its own railway station in the Nineteenth Century, becoming a regular stop off for those travelling between Europe and Asia.

We have found several accounts of Balar in those who passed through. Many a traveller make mention of a grand cathedral at the centre of town.

This area was once said to be part of the principality of Sacali. A petty territory which has since been absorbed and divided between the provinces of Muntenia and Transylvania. It is said that the last prince of Sacali was Ignacio Luthon, who had no heirs and is believed to meet his end in the town of Balar.

Our main source of information about this region is a mysterious figure known as Soren Moreau. He is mysterious because there is little trace of him anywhere else. Some of his writings suggest that he spent some time in India while it was still under brutal British rule, but little else is known about this man. Many believe that Moreau was a penname. He kept extensive journals that detailed the daily goings on in Balar near the time of its abandonment (which we will come to shortly).

Some of these journals survive today, but they make for disturbing reading. Alongside the notes about the town, the pages are filled with dark sketches and delirious ramblings. He was apparently plagued by night terrors filled with monstrous visions. He believed that these visions were given to him by a foul creature that perched on his bed every night.

As such, his reports should be taken with a pinch of salt. The only reason we give them any consideration, however, is that many of his lucid records are in some part corroborated by heavily redacted church documentation.

What Happened to Balar?

One night in December 1895, it is said that the residents of Balar simply packed up and left. Leaving the place a ghost town. No one knows exactly what occurred that night. While there are copious written accounts of other events in the town – not all of which can be detailed here – of that night, we know nothing.

We have spoken of other “ghost towns” on Hidden Depths before. For the most part, their desertion was gradual, with people finding better work in larger cities or similar factors. The sudden abandonment being nothing more than conjecture. Yet, this case seems different. Everything in Balar simply stopped one night in the depth of winter. No trains went to Balar, preferring safer routes. No trade, no exports or imports. No pilgrims came to the famed cathedral. It simply all stopped.

No one knows why. No one knows who erected the fence.

What are they hiding from us?

A Famed Place

A place simply vanishing would be strange enough, but there is more to this story, truth seekers. For one, many psychics, remote viewers, and several secret societies (including the Thule Society [citation needed]) have made mention of Balar throughout the centuries. There are even reports of illustrious visitors that made sure to visit the town. These include Professor Adam Weishaupt (someone we mention a lot on this podcast), the Count of Saint Germain, Francisco de Goya, and a young Grigori Rasputin to name a few (it is a list that includes popes, monarchs, and famed artists).

What was there in Balar that they all came to see? Did some long-forgotten secret society meet there?

Perhaps we will never know.

A Cursed Place

What we do know is that Balar was a haunted place. Ghosts, shadows, and phantom trains are mentioned by those who passed through. What few records of the townsfolk survive, tell of wolfmen and pale creatures that dig themselves out of their graves. Creatures that suck the blood of the living.

Some write of a ruined castle on the hill overlooking the town and a mysterious stranger that resided there. A detail that one Bram Stoker mentions in one of his notebooks. Balar, a place of dark inspiration, indeed.

Some investigators have discovered records of a police service operating in town. They seemed to have been hunting a serial killer (dubbed the Tailor) at some point before the town was abandoned. A contemporary of Jack the Ripper, it seems.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The more you look, the more you find in terms of paranormal activity. Mysterious disappearances, a secret order of monster hunters, vanishing children, doppelgangers, changelings, ghosts, ghouls, and anything you can think of.

It almost sounds too good to be true for truth seekers like us, doesn’t it?

A Hoax?

What if this is just wishful thinking? What if the lack of information is what is fuelling the paranormal fire? All entirely possible. Remember, we here at Hidden Depths try to keep minds that are not only open, but critical as well.

Be that as it may, the fact remains that the Romanian government is keeping the area sealed off. What occurred in Balar? What is so dangerous there that they need to fence it off?

[Continue tomorrow with interview with Luthon family. Get Vincent to mix a creepy soundtrack, one that really sets the scene.]

Find the Truth

Discover the truth about the mysterious town of Balar in the Balar series!