THE ALLIES OF THE EMPIRE CLUB

The following persons are not actually members of the Empire Club, but rather are amici of the club and, nevertheless, have joined in many adventures. Their services and succor have always been appreciated.

PRINCE GANEFKHAMEN

The second son of King Fuad of Egypt and the younger brother of the former traveling companion of the Empire Club heroes, Prince Farouk, this dashingly handsome young prince has dedicated himself to a life of stealing from the heads of state and giving to the poor to add a bit of excitement to his otherwise over-privileged life. An outspoken socialist who will never have the throne of Egypt as long as his older brother is still alive, he has hired the greatest burglars in the world to teach him how to become a master thief. His exploits are world-renown and are attributed by the international newspapers to the mysterious "Prince of Thieves," a title which amuses him since, after all, he is in fact a prince. His eye for Juliet DuPont is a constant vexation to Max Galahad, and his unlimited resources and lavish gifts, the Prince hopes, will give him an edge over the brutish American.


PRIVATE EZEKIEL BAKER

During the Great War, this brave American doughboy, who lost his legs to a landmine, rescued Dr. McGreger from execution by Huns in the trenches of Mons, Belgium. Private Baker's dying wish was that Dr. McGreger inform his wife of his death, a request which sent Dr. McGreger around the globe in a series of adventures that ended in Hong Kong, where the doctor was forcibly recruited by a Chinese organized crime gang as personal physician to the Tong boss.


WOOK CHANG

Not quite an "ally" but neither quite an enemy of the Empire Club, this late Chinese gangster, who preceded Jimmy Sung as Tong boss, forced Dr. McGreger to study the ancient Chinese healing arts and dedicate himself to serving as personal physician to the Tong after discovering that Dr. McGreger was unable to save the life of Wook's granddaughter when she gave birth to Wook's great-grandson, Chandler Baker.


GUAI GIOK CHART "SHADOWLEG NUMBER SEVEN"

Seventh in the hierarchy of Jimmy Sung's Tong, the nefarious "Shadowleg Seven," as he is known to Jimmy and his men, was crippled many years ago when a rival gangster shot him in the hip. Since then, he has mastered his deadly "shadow kick," and uses it to assist Jimmy Sung, the rest of the Tong, and, occasionally the members of the Empire Club.


MA LOU BAHT "MONKEY NUMBER EIGHT"

Formerly eighth in the hierarchy of Jimmy Sung's Tong, the weak-willed "Monkey Eight" revealed the location of Jimmy Sung's hideout to rival gangster Tou Fu Baker, when the latter tortured the information out of the former "Number Eight" in order to find and murder Jimmy Sung. When Ma Lou Baht hung himself for his betrayal of Jimmy Sung, Claire "Cotton Palm Number Nine" Witherspoon rose in the ranks of the Tong and became eighth in the hierarchy.


PHALEN MCCABE

This son of the neighborhood "boss" was a master of the "hoop and stick" game when he and Max Galahad were children, and could target a soup can on a wall a half-block away. He accompanied the young Max on many "fun a'ventures," not the least of which occurred in 1910, when the nine-year-old Max saved daredevil airplane pilot Glenn Curtiss from airplane sabotage by the villainous stuntman Vito Amarone.


ANDREW "PORKPIE" SCHNICKELGRÜBER

This famous pitcher for the New York Yankees, known only as "Porkpie" by his friends, was one of Max Galahad 's closest friends in childhood. In 1910, the eight-year-old Porkpie assisted the nine-year-old Max Galahad in the daring rescue of airplane daredevil Glenn Curtiss when Curtiss' villainous rival Vito Amarone tried to "do him in" after his historic flight from Albany to New York City. Even as a kid, Porkpie always had the uncanny talent of being able to smell a pastry from any distance with extraordinary accuracy, and, in 1934, even gives Babe Ruth a run for his money as baseball's "heaviest hitter."


"MERLIN"

This poor street urchin, who went only by the name of "Merlin," carried everything he owned in his little red wagon when Max Galahad rescued him from neighborhood bullies as a child on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1910. The young Max and his friends came to Merlin's aid again, shortly thereafter, at Coney Island, when the phony stuntman Vito Amarone kidnaped Merlin and the young Amy Johnson.


GLENN CURTISS

In 1910, this daredevil airplane pilot made an historic flight from Albany to Governor's Island in New York City before the wide eyes of thousands of New Yorkers, among whom was the nine-year-old Max Galahad and his friends. When Curtiss' rival Vito Amarone tried to kill the pilot by first damaging his fuel tank before the historic flight and, later, sabotaging his airplane before a stunt show at Coney Island, the young Max and his friends scrambled to thwart the villain's evil plans and rescue their hero from certain death.


AMY JOHNSON MOLLISON

This famous female airplane pilot broke her own world's record when she flew from England to Capetown, South Africa in less than four days. As a child, she accompanied the nine-year-old Max Galahad on a daring rescue of their mutual hero and inspiration, Glenn Curtiss, when Mr. Curtiss' airplane was sabotaged by his dastardly rival Vito Amarone in 1910. As an adult, she was denied membership to the Empire Club because she was a woman. Recently inducted Empire Club member Deirdre Kayleigh Campbell has commenced her own personal crusade to sponsor Ms. Mollison for reconsideration for admission.


HENRY BASKERVILLE

An old friend of Wilhelm Lipshultz, this British Infantry Soldier accompanied Wilhelm and a young Heathcliffe Merryweather on a cruise on the White Star flagship The Titanic in 1912. Baskerville helped the young Merryweather rescue the wife of an Egyptian diplomat, and taught Master Heathcliffe many valuable lessons in becoming a man.


EMIL "THE ROACH" ROCHARD

This world renown safecracker cracked one safe too many when he crossed the path of Boston Police Detective Reginald Stanton in 1912. When Stanton attempted to bring "The Roach" back to Boston from Europe on the White Star Cruise Liner The Titanic, Rochard evaded justice one last time as he and his pursuer disappeared into the inky depths of the North Sea with the sinking titan, champagne glasses in hand as they toasted each other for "the grand chase."


DETECTIVE REGINALD STANTON

In 1912, this "bulldog of justice" from the Boston Police Department stopped at nothing to capture his arch-nemesis, world renowned safecracker Emil "The Roach" Rochard, even if it meant tracking him down to Europe and sailing him back to Boston on the White Star Cruise Liner The Titanic. Donning a trademark handlebar mustache, which a young Heathcliffe Merryweather admired, Detective Stanton taught Master Heathcliffe the tricks of hunting down elusive prey. The chase finally ended, however, when their transport to America hit an iceberg, and Detective Stanton and Rochard called a final truce to meet their maker together like gentlemen.


NICHOLAI PETROLOVICH

Nicholai is world renown as the greatest animal tamer in all of Europe and the Russias. He is seldom seen without his beloved traveling companion "Ana," who, it is whispered, may be the famous lost heir to the Romanov Czars, or without his loyal pair of trained circus wolves. When Nicholai captured Mr. Maisie, the ringleader of a traveling gypsy circus responsible for the death of an innocent circus spectator, the mad gypsy vowed that the "Baton" gypsies would exact their revenge on him someday. Nicholai joined the heroes of The Empire Club in a quick escape from Marseille, where Maisie's gypsies pursued Petrolovich, and Commander Jack Perceval and his Navy Marines pursued Sir Heathcliffe.


LEE CHAN

First-born son of the respected Honolulu Police Detective Charlie Chan, the young, dashing, and exceedingly hip "Number One Son" has assisted his father in many a difficult investigation. Besides becoming a respected investigator in his own right, Lee's main goal is to be offered admission to The Empire Club. Having a father who is Vice-President of the Hong Kong Empire Club, Lotos Mansion, makes it merely a matter of time before this legacy is globe-trotting side-by-side with the likes of Max Galahad or Cara Al-Moud.


"LEAF"

This teenaged street urchin, who goes only by the nickname "Leaf," has been living in the dark alleys of Hong Kong's seedy underbelly since before even he can remember. Living by his wits and his hodgepodge of scavenged martial arts maneuvers, he has managed to hustle a meager living by racing boats in Victoria Harbour. He won the attention of the impressionable Claire "Cotton Palm Number Nine" Witherspoon with his heroic feats of acrobatics and a set of mysterious tattoos on his back, some of which, much to young Miss Witherspoon's surprise, match the cryptic etchings on her bo staff.


LU WEN

When Cara Al-Moud was trapped on the ledge of a crumbling observation tower on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour, this Buddhist monk came to her rescue in the nick of time. Lu Wen is a devoted student of the millenia-old teachings of Xuan Zang, who, it is said, accompanied the Chinese deity Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King, on a spiritual quest. Lu Wen is last of his kind since the villainous monk Fung Chi all but wiped out the devotees of Xuan Zang. When Drs. Ralph von Koenigswald and Augustus "Augie" Laramie brought back a giant, prehistoric ape from the Arctic Circle, Lu Wen took it upon himself to return the "Monkey King" to its rightful resting place.


SIR LUCIEN FREDERICKS

Heir to the Fredericks Armory Company, official armorers to the British Crown, this nobleman is a master weaponsmith, and is the descendant of the creator of the trusty Fredericks Bull Rifle that has accompanied Sir Heathcliffe Quentin Merryweather III on every hunting expedition of his adult life, until it was destroyed by a misplaced gunshot fired from the pistol of Sir Heathcliffe's old friend Wilhelm Lipshultz. Sir Lucien accompanied Sir Heathcliffe and Wilhelm on that very expedition in the heart of the African veldt, where he field-tested the newest model of the Fredericks line, the "Fredericks Dragonslayer."


ALEXANDER "ZANDAR" BURGESS

This young man served as a magician's apprentice until he happened upon Alexandria's Empire Club, Enigma House, where he befriended recent Empire Club inductees Cecil Mbanke and Deirdre Kayleigh Campbell, and appropriated most of the valuables contained in the building. After having joined the young Alexandria club members on many an adventure, Alexander found himself in the company of several senior club members such as Cara Al-Moud and, later, Sir Heathcliffe Quentin Merryweather III as he, Sir Heathcliffe, and a band of hearty hunters fought for their lives against packs of giant lizards and a salt mine full of Nazi drillers.


NAKURU

Nakuru was the son of a great African chieftain of the Baturu warrior tribe. He was educated in the finest universities of Europe, but was also groomed by his tribe to take over someday as chieftain. When he sought the help of Sir Heathcliffe Quentin Merryweather III in ridding his village of a horrible beast of the veldt that had been killing off his tribe members, their adventures led them to a Nazi mining operation beneath the red clay of the Kenyan landscape. Nakuru died in a cave-in deep within the mineshaft in a noble attempt to lead the party to safety from the crumbling caverns.


THEODORE "HAM" BROOKS

Theodore Marley Brooks, known to his friends as "Ham," was one of Harvard's most erudite graduates and one of the best-dressed men in America. It is said that tailors follow him down the street to see how clothes are supposed to be worn. In The Great War, he was a Brigadier General, imprisoned in a German P.O.W. camp with Clarke "Doc" Savage and a crew of hearty soldiers, with whom he organized a daring escape. The men made a pact to band together to fight evil when the war was over. Their adventures have led them around the world in a series of capers almost as daring as those of the members of the Empire Club.


ANDREW "MONK" MAYFAIR

With an atavistic brow and arms that hang below his knees, Dr. Andrew Blodgett Mayfair, or "Monk," as he is called, may look like a Neanderthal, but he is, in fact, one of the most brilliant chemists in the world. He became part of the adventuring band of the famous Clarke "Doc" Savage during The Great War, when he served as a Lieutenant Colonel and found himself imprisoned with Doc and a group of hearty soldiers in a German P.O.W. camp. The group narrowly escaped the camp and vowed to band together after the war was over to fight evil around the globe. Their adventures have led them in a series of capers almost as daring as those of the members of the Empire Club.