DR: Dolor @deaddominionsofdolor - Tumblr Blog

Now What? Part the Third (Explanation Post)

It’s our first Deadly Days! Now the plot is really underway. So, as said within the post, the Old Laws have changed. Get ready to deal with an influx of ghosts along the boundaries of the town, and the River City security thinning out a bit. This might just open up some new opportunities...both in the sense you’ll be able to (theoretically) talk to ghosts without them running away from you and maybe get some answers out of them, and that it’ll be easier to get in the Cities themselves.

This phase will be shorter than Dolorous Days, but much like the prologue we’re going to announce the specific time after getting a feel for how quickly people want to investigate. Please note that you aren’t strictly limited to exploring the River Cities! You can still double back to old locations if you want, and they may have some oblique hints in there too. Next chapter will bring new maps to look into so if you have any loose ends you’d like to pick up you won’t be wasting time by doing so.

After this, we’re going to move to the Town Hall phase! We’ll explain that in full once we move to that phase, but we wanted to announce in advance that unlike a murder trial in other games, giving an answer to the question posed by the Bear is not multiple choice, so investigate carefully.

As our mascot said, good luck, Sin-Eaters!

#chapter 1

Hand Me My Shovel, I’m Going In! | Deadly Days 1.3

The elder Sin-Eaters look amongst each other.

“...Great. Awesome.”

“I guess there’s one upside. If the population in the River Cities starts thinning out then it’ll be easier to sneak in.”

“Guess we gotta... take care of the problem at the source.”

“Well… ohh, some of you’ve encountered ghosts before, right? Though the River Cities ones are very, uhhhhhhhh.... Belligerent. Nevertheless, I’m certain we can find a way to handle this. On the upside, we might be able to learn more about our circumstances if we’re able to venture beyond Dolor.”

“The Crow had them run off with a lot of the records, books, and pretty much anything with writing in Dolor. There had to be a reason why. So...that’s one plan.”

“That’s not what bothers me. This isn’t supposed to happen. The Old Laws don’t change. And it didn’t sound like the Bear was doing it willingly.”

He lets that hang in the air. You’re left in the town center with even more questions than before, as now seems to be the way of Dolor.

#chapter 1 #plot

Hell is Other People | (Deadly Days 1.2)

There’s another few moments of quiet as everyone looks at each other.

“...Well. That doesn’t sound so bad, right?”

“Well, that depends on how the Law’s wording is interpreted. Perhaps it... means that ghosts who follow the Crow won’t be able to return to the River Cities?”

“The Plasm tithes they get in the Cities aren’t enough to keep them around. And since they all go to the Estuaries to scavenge…”

“Oh yeah!”

“...Oh shit.”

“Well, maybe they’ll think twice before coming here.”

“Sure, but they’re not going to be happy. Things are tense enough already.”

“...There is a way out. Nothing in the Underworld is given for free. The power that created this can be broken, but only if you set yourself upon the path to determine what has caused it.”

“Answer this question, and the Law will be lifted: what are the two institutions that trapped you here? I am permitted some time to let you investigate this. I will summon you when it is time to give your answer.”

The Bear stands again, lumbering off. But before they go too far, they turn back to you.

“I wish you luck, Sin-Eaters. I find it...distasteful to cause more strife within the Underworld when there is already enough. But there is little I can do.”

And with that, Dolor falls quiet again.

#chapter 1 #plot

I Fought the Law and the Law Won | (Deadly Days 1.1)

There’s been a lot to learn the past few days, or whatever passes for it in Dolor. From manors to murder schools to secret catacombs, there’s been a lot to keep you busy. Answers aren’t in ready supply but you’ve managed to pry a few secrets out of the Castoffs.

A murder game, and not one of you walked out of it alive. That’s a given, considering where you are. Still, it’s unlikely a single one of you thought that was how you’d meet your end. It seems unreal that some sort of mass murder reality TV show could have existed. Then again, you’re among the living dead now. Unreality is relative.

But there’s been a few days to recover from that realization. You’ve settled back into a rhythm. You wake up, as always, and you get ready to either recuperate from your latest experiences or go out searching for an escape route from Hell itself.

It’s not long before you sense it. There’s something wrong today. There’s a ripple of power that spreads through the town that sends a tremor up your spine. If it hadn’t been such a universal experience, you’d have dismissed it as a moment of discomfort.

Until you hear the Bear’s voice, at least.

“WHAT IS THIS?!”

...That doesn’t sound good. The Kerberos hasn’t made their presence known since your arrival, content that you’ve followed the Old Laws faithfully and that you’ve managed to only cause trouble outside of Dolor. You might not be able to hear it, but you can practically sense the deep breath they take to calm themself.

“Gather within the town square. All of you.”

And so you do. The Bear has their eyes closed, and looks almost forlorn. After a long pause, they finally speak.

“Sin-Eaters, it gives me no joy to do this.”

“But the nature of the Underworld itself has been changed. I am the Old Laws themselves. I cannot ignore this. It must be enforced. You, and all those within this domain of the Underworld, must obey.”

Their voice reaches across the Underworld, clear no matter how far away anyone would be from Dolor.

“Heed me. A new Law has been established. No ghost who leaves the boundaries of a River City may return to it again.”

#chapter 1 #plot

Maps Post 2: Outskirts

The World Fairgrounds has been uncovered!

The Stately Manor has been uncovered!

The School Campus has been uncovered!

The Estuaries are now available!

The River Cities are now available!

#maps #gm post

i am twelve years old and what is this pt 2 (Explanation Post)

And now we reach the main part of the game! Yay! The training wheels are off and new parts of Dolor are opened to you for exploration. Now, where to and what do? The new locations will have either clues to your own missing memories, provide further context to the plot, or give you mechanical benefits, or some combination of the above. There’s basic descriptions of them on the maps page, but they’re going to be a little barebones until you all start looking around and uncovering things. ;> Hisaya hasn’t gotten a chance to map things out there, after all.

This is going to look a lot like the investigations you went through within the prologue, just without the pressure to find an escape route. Poke around, gather evidence and clues, use your Haunts, and have fun! Remember investigation groups are not set by GMs, you can look around with whoever you’d like.

So! You can, of course, do regular, non-exploring threads with people much like in the first phase of prologue where you’re just exchanging info, getting to know each other, and so on. But if you want to go adventuring, let us know. Depending on our preferences, we’ll make either a group chat outside of DDD’s server or create a private channel for you and whoever else you want to work with. We would prefer to keep things within the server if possible, but go with what you’re comfortable with!

And that should be enough to get you started. Good luck, everyone! Let’s solve some mysteries!

#gm post

Chapter Summary 0

-The krewes of Dolor have been formed!

-The World Fairgrounds Castoff has been discovered!

-You gained +2 XP!

-The Seamerchant has returned to Sealed With a Kiss, and you may obtain blindboxes!

-Repeated acts of larceny has given you more stuffed animals than you know what to do with.

#plot #summary #prologue

...As Surely as Sparks Fly Upwards (Chapter 1.1)

A world beneath the Underworld, with, of all things, a decrepit fairground beneath it. A revelation you all were Hope’s Peak students once. It seems Dolor has no end to its strange secrets. You stand on the shores of the same Rivers you arrived on now after a long climb back up, this time with new arrivals. Malformed, skeletal buildings poke through the ground, their framework like a twisted crop of metal and wood. At least this time you aren’t being chased into Dolor, and you arrive without incident. The other Sin-Eaters welcome you back in with no small amount of fretting. It ends up sounding a lot like this:

”Are you okay?”

“No, seriously, that was a long fall...”

“You climbed up a what?”

On and on and on. But eventually, you catch enough of a break to rest and finally catch some sleep. It’s clear that your new friends weren’t lying about your resilience. Any injuries you obtained are gone once you wake up. Perhaps fortunate, given it seems misadventures might be a new constant in your un-life.

You awaken again to new shadows on the horizon. The half-formed skeletons of building look more complete. Hisaya is already outside with his arms folded.

“...Yeah. That’s a Castoff. Or several of them. Great.”

Castoffs. You’d had those explained to you on the tapes they recorded. Ghosts of buildings, impressions of places where something of great importance happened, usually traumatic ones.

“Well, might as well look around...not like we’ve made much progress on finding an exit, and they might have stuff we can st-- borrow. If the Crow’s still banished, it might actually be safe to travel.”

One small question answered, but countless new ones. It seems to be a running theme now. One concern less with the Reaper’s disappearance, many more to deal with.

But now, your fate is in your own hands. So what now?

#plot #chapter 1

Born Unto Trouble.... | Prologue 0.8

The past day has been draining. A place you would never have dreamed existed, a world that existed quite literally right under your nose the whole time.

Ghosts are real. Other supernatural beings are real. Magic, or something like it, is real. You’re dead, but you’re alive, but you’re neither of those. Even in this tiny little town, boxed in by hostile ghosts and whatever the Baleful Crow is, the world somehow feels so much bigger than you ever could have thought.

And so with the exhaustion of being chased into town, dealing with thoughts and emotions that aren’t yours, and the heavy weight of knowledge that humans never should have known, even the most insomniac of you all manage to snatch a few fitful hours of sleep.

Wherever you are, whether it might be resting in the barracks, socializing in the town square, or otherwise poking around your dilapidated surroundings, you’re interrupted by a faint rumbling. It’s minor, only enough to knock a few books off their shelves and rattle the rickety tables, so you go on with your day for a few minutes.

The next tremor is stronger.

You hear someone swearing in the town’s center. Then, the words “Shit! Cave-in! Everyone together! Get to the flatbed, it’s stable!” You think it might be Hisaya, though it’s not as if you have time to react.

A third tremor. This time it knocks all but the most agile of you off your feet. You try to stand and regain your balance, but the fourth hits. The ground is beginning to crumble around you. There’s nowhere to run, and you tumble down. You hit the ground hard enough the air is knocked out of you.

There’s a chill in the air now, even more than the usual damp cold you’re used to in the cave. Wisps of pale blue fog drift around you. You can see the shadows of towering buildings even in the dim light.

And as you look around you with the people you’re trapped with, one thing becomes clear. The elder Sin-Eaters are nowhere to be found.

You are now truly on your own.

#plot #prologue

Maps Post 1: Dolor

Click here for details!

#prologue #maps

i am twelve years old and what is this (Prologue 1 Explanation)

Welcome to Dead Dominions of Dolor! We have now entered the first game phase. In terms of in-game time, this will only last for a few hours. So! What is there to do? Firstly, while not mandatory, everyone will be assumed to be present for the Krewe Binding Ceremony. The mods will be hosting a thread for each one on the Discord server! If you’d like to get to know your krewemates right away and roleplay out how they react to the binding, please participate if you can! We’ll make sure this lasts long enough for everyone to get a chance to RP.

We’re pretty sure your characters are about in this mental state:

So, this is a good time to get out any questions they might have.

Outside of that, it is assumed there will be enough time in the few hours to get settled into the town and chat with other characters, including a handful of NPCs (which right now is just The Bear and the shopkeeper, the Seamerchant!) Accept as many threads as you can handle but please be mindful of your limits! Don’t get yourself stressed out or overburdened already. We are assuming most of these threads will take place over Discord. Please remember to add a mod to your thread, or ask us to create a channel for you!

Out-of-game, this will last for ten days (ending upon September 9th) to try and give everyone a chance to settle in a bit to their characters, get to know each other, and ask questions in order to gain IC knowledge of the setting. We will have a timeskip post coming up to that which will bring us into the more substantial portion of the prologue.

We hope you enjoy this part of the game! Please reach out to us on Discord if you have further OOC questions not covered in this post.

#prologue #mod post

Dim Days of Dolor (Prologue 0.7)

[music]

And one by one, they talk, presenting their thoughts and ideas.

The Furies, who want justice for the unquiet dead. The Necropolitans, fighting to make the unlives of ghosts less painful. The Pilgrims, trying to make sense of the Underworld. The Undertakers, working to change the very perceptions of death. The Mourners, who take back knowledge lost to death.

There are a few moments of silence afterwards. But, one person breaks off. Then another. One by one, even the most indecisive of you have found a krewe to join with.

You’ve all split off into your five groups. You look around at your...fellow travelers? Captives? Damned souls? Whatever you’ve decided they are, you’re all trapped together now. It looks like there’s no choice but to team up.

“Well, that’s that, huh? Or...mostly that. Gotta make things official, right?”

Damien pumps his fist.

“Hell yeah! C’mon, I’ll show you how it’s done. We just need some candles, salt, and some booze from the bar.”

Hisaya rolls his eyes and grabs the street preacher by the collar of his too-large leather duster.

“Hold on a second. There’s a few other things you’ll need to know if we’re going to be stuck here for a while.”

“...Right. The Old Laws.”

“You all saw that Bear? He’s something called a kerberos. Kind of like a guardian of the Underworld. They enforce the rules here.”

“It’s not...literal, like, law enforcement kind of enforcement. There’s an actual metaphysical force behind this. The kerberoi are the embodiment of it...probably.”

“If you break a rule, you get cursed. Or you end up like, well…” They wave their hand at the blue dust where the Baleful Crow had been. “That’s what he’s saying.”

Hisaya pulls out several sheaves of paper from inside his coat pocket.

“Here. They’re not hard to follow. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

He passes out the papers to you, one by one. They read as follow:

OLD LAWS OF DOLOR:

-Cause no violent conflict within Dolor. -Destroy no Castoff within Dolor’s city limits -All who come in good will must be granted shelter

“Oh! And just in case we ended up getting other people like us, we made some recordings explaining...y’know, everything that’s going on. Or you can just ask us about stuff. Whatever.”

“I’m sure we can figure this out eventually. But eh… welcome to Hell, I guess. Make yourselves at home.”

“....Mm, we’d be glad to help! We were where you are now, once. Not too long ago, actually. We’ll be seeing you around, then.”

A lot has happened within the past ten minutes. As nonchalant as the five who seem to have appointed themselves as your guides might be about it, there’s an uneasy reality settling in. It seems like this is your home for now.

You might as well get used to it.

#prologue #plot

Was He My Brother to Keep, O Lord? (Prologue 0.6)

“Uh. Right! Heh, kinda forgot in the rush. Closest one we’ve had a while. Name’s Keiichi Uoya. The one behind me is the Baroness. She’s kinda a temper, buuuuu-ut we’re working on it. Let’s get along, yeah?”

“Hisakawa. Hisaya. And that’s Lady Glass-Eyes. Guess you’re stuck with me.”

“It’s Damien. Just Damien. My Geist is the Lost Prince. Nice to meet ya! I’m pretty sure he thinks the same thing, he’s just not much of a talker.”

“Hm! Speaking of not talking much, you should spend time with him hovering over your shoulder. Oh, uh… him being the Silent Observer. And I’m Ori, short for ‘nothing more you need to know’. Uh, I hope for a pleasant time together!”

“Hisoka Fukuda.” A thumb is jammed at their chest. “The Eightfold Queen.” And back at the Geist hovering over their shoulder. “What? Do you expect me to be all like, ‘ohh, it’s soooo nice to meet you in Hell’ cause forget it.”

“Great. Nice. Better get used to us. We haven’t figured out how to leave Hell yet.”

“Hey, relax. There’s enough of us we...might have a better chance now! I mean, it’s probably safer to leave Dolor once in a while.”

Damien grins and stretches a bit.

“Well, if we’re gonna try and get out of here, it’s probably best you guys learn how to do Sin-Eater stuff. A decent amount of what we do probably comes from the Old Laws or some similar metaphysical force. There’s the things your Geist can do, of course, but if you do certain rituals, you’ll tap into a different power. That power.”

A flash of annoyance crosses Hisaya’s face. He opens his mouth, pauses, and then lets out a small sigh.

“Look, I’ll be honest. You eight are the first Sin-Eaters we’ve met who aren’t us. I have next to no idea how to do this.”

“I mean, you don’t know, per se. It’s kind of just an instinct thing? I dunno, just throw together some components that seem symbolically right and pray. I mean, I’ve been able to do it but honestly it’s a lot harder with just one person, so having more of you guys should help!”

“A-ny-ways, the catch is you need to be working with people who have the same sort of...general consensus on things? I have no idea how to put it. Ties into the whole symbolism thing, or something. This isn’t my area of expertise.”

“Ohhh, oh! How about we discuss philosophy? Our personal philosophies, as in... how we view death? We have a bit of a difference of opinion, but I’m sure that would help our charges understand how to approach their existence as a Sin Eater. Avoid more ontological crises from having to figure it out for themselves and all. Speaking from experience.”

“..................I don’t have any better ideas. Fine. Anyone wanna go first?”

#prologue #plot

Blood! Cried the Soil Where They Fell, O Lord [Prologue 0.5]

And with that, the Bear turns to you.

[music]

“...So once again, new Bound wash up on my shores. Must you five bring in strays?”

“Can’t help it if the cat dragged itself in. Don't know what else we were supposed to do with Beak Freak chasing us. And them... shit, the poor schmucks don’t even know what they stumbled into.”

The hat-wearing person jabbed a finger in your direction.

“Ah, you should have seen the looks on their faces when they woke up here… trial by fire may not always be the best method of learning, but on the positive side, I’m glad we didn’t have to resort to senseless violence this time!”

A pause.

“Senseless violence. Anyways, thank you very much for your intervention, Kerbearos.... no? Alright, thank you, Bear. Hm… and now that we don’t have to worry about that issue for a bit, shall we do proper introductions for our charges’ sake?”

As they spoke, the short, shabby person in the peacoat wandered closer to the Bear. They motioned as if to give him a pat, but apparently thought better of it and let their hand drop instead.

"Senseless? I'd love to know what your benchmark for 'sensible' is.”

"Cause no harm unless given a good reason, which... well, we were. Innocent people were involved and I was prepared to step in. I’m just saying that I’m glad the Bear intervened before the situation escalated further. You know I don't like... mm, even if I did, physical violence is forbidden here."

"Oh, really. You could easily defeat the Crow with- God, never mind."

The Bear’s shoulders rise and fall with a huff of air, in a strangely human imitation of a sigh.

“Do as you will, but cause no trouble in Dolor.”

The Bear turns and leaves, lumbering away. The moment he's gone, the reedy cybergoth kid collapses bonelessly to the ground and raises one fist in weak celebration. You can hear them wheezing behind their respirator.

“Whoo, yay, go team, we’re not dead! Again.”

For there being an apparent casualty to all this, the other four seem remarkably calm. The reason why quickly makes itself clear as there’s a small groan from the fallen man. Wisps of blue vapor drift upwards from the deep gouges in his chest. He sits upright, wincing in pain.

“Last time I take a hit for you people.”

He coughs again, letting out a few puffs of the same pale blue smoke rising from his wounds. You can’t smell blood, you realize. In fact, he doesn’t seem to be bleeding at all. The only signs he was ever injured are the torn clothes and a blue glow where he was struck.

The man with a purple fringe in his hair laughs and shakes his head.

“Yeah, yeah, you say that every time this happens. Can’t resist a fight, huh?”

The man in the waistcoat grunts as he takes to his feet.

“Not against them. Got the Bear to intervene, at least. Don’t expect a repeat performance.”

“Ah, don’t listen to him. He’s nicer than he acts.”

“...Look. Now that we’re not in mortal peril, maybe we should try to explain what the hell is going on.”

The ornery hat-wearing person sighs.

“Weren’t we saying something about introducing ourselves? Maybe we can start there.”

#prologue #plot

Red Fell the Stone from Their Hands, O Lord (Prologue 0.4)

A thunderous voice cracks through the air.

[music]

“YOU DARE IMPUNE THE OLD LAWS?!”

The water in the glowing rivers ripples at the sudden noise.

“BALEFUL CROW. It has been made clear to you, time and time again, that there will be no violent conflict within Dolor. Yet here you are, once more, dragging your petty grudges into MY DOMINION!”

The aforementioned Baleful Crow - as that was their name - froze and turned towards the bear.

“They disturb the natural order. For this, they must pay the same way the belligerent one has. Foolish bruin, step aside.”

The Bear slams one massive paw to the ground, baring his teeth.

“For people you insist are lawless anarchists, they seem to be doing a better job of obeying MY laws than you are!”

Even your pursuer couldn’t help but flinch. The other ghosts are already beginning to slip away while they’re distracted. When their voice returned to them, it had an uncertain edge to it.

“Your laws? Your laws? You claim this to be your jurisdiction, but you go against everything the Old Gods-”

“IF YOUR OLD GODS WISH TO TAKE THEM SO BADLY, THEN PRAY TO THEM TO STRIKE ME DOWN, HERE AND NOW!”

The only sound is the Bear’s voice reverberating through the caves and the ringing in your ears. It probably only lasts a few seconds. But in this mortal terror you find yourself in, it seems to stretch out into an eternity.

“...”

The not-so-good doctor stilled, ostensibly preparing to make a wicked comeback. What came out was not that. Far from it, as their tone was petulant, like a teen given authority that was scolded upon abusing it.

“What do you know about the will of the gods. Just you wait. I am a vessel of their desires upon this land, and it is not in the nature of the universe for those abominations-”

Somehow, you sense that they mean you.

“-to come traipsing about as they please.”

The Bear roars this time, not a metaphorical roar but a deep animalistic bellow. You can feel the reverberations from where you stand.

“ENOUGH WARNINGS! Baleful Crow, I banish you from my Dominion for three cycles of the ebb and flow of the River of Fate. So be it!”

There’s a gust of wind. With one last shriek, the being formerly known as the Baleful Crow turns into pale blue wisps of smoke that are carried away on a light desert breeze.

#prologue #plot

Round and Round Again (Prologue 0.3)

It’s not a moment too soon. Even with the potent surge of adrenaline running through your veins, it’s starting to wane in power, and each step is becoming painful. Your allies are starting to seem exhausted as well, and they seem all too accustomed to running from angry mobs.

“Oh, thank God. We’re almost there.”

“The Old Laws will protect us. You’ll see.”

Whatever these “Old Laws” were, they had better come into effect soon - the masked figure was almost upon you. As you reached the outskirts of the settlement you saw from far-off, you noticed it resembled… for lack of a better term, a ghost town. The wooden buildings were constructed in 1800s-style Old West architecture, and the entire place rested in the middle of the low-lying, rolling mountain range in view of a distant dried lakebed.

Some of you are already falling behind. The tall person with the hairfalls is more stumbling than running at this point, and the orange-haired individual is coughing and wheezing. The two are at the back of your little gang, and now the screeching ghost and their posse are within striking distance of the two of them.

Strike they do. It’s too hazy to tell what’s happening at first, but the shadows cast by the rippling light coalesce and the ghost seems to vanish. In an instant, they reappear a hair away from where the tall person and the orange-haired individual are, directing their stick at the pair. The shadowy crow-munculus follows their cue and erupts from the earth in a tangle of tendrils and talons.

Yeah, this is bad.

You catch someone moving in the opposite direction he should be. The red-haired man shoulder-checks the other two, shoving them out of the way of the attack. He stands tall in a brief moment of triumph, cut short by a beak of shadows erupting through his chest.

“....!”

There’s a wet ripping noise as something you can’t quite catch is torn away from him. His body goes limp and he hits the cave floor as the crow-munculus tosses its head, snapping down the torn flesh. The masked ghost waves their staff, causing their shadowy avatar to caw in triumph.

“Ha! Those who go against the nature of the Underworld pay dearly. You are no match for me, pathetic scoundrels. One down…”

They turn towards you. The shadows recoil in response as a breathy sound echoes through the landscape.

“...Several more of you to put back into the grave.”

The masked ghost begins laughing a raspy, unpleasant laugh. Their gloating is abruptly cut short as the earth itself literally shakes underfoot.

#prologue #plot

Pale and Unforgiven (Prologue 0.2)

[music]

They exchange looks.

“...Well. Shit. Everyone start running. Follow us. If you can’t run, find someone to carry you.”

“I told you we didn’t have time!”

“YOU CANNOT RUN FOREVER."

The hat-wearing person rolls their eyes at the outburst.

"Well, here they come again. At least they're being a good sport and announcing their presence. Shit, anyways… that’s who we were warning you about. Two options. Either run, or meet your real, for good, no-take backs end.”

“What was that you were saying about wasting time? Look…”

They turn back in the direction of the voice, gritting their teeth.

“They’re almost here-”

There came the sound of dry rushing wind, as if air was being sucked out of the surrounding mountain scrub. A figure manifested a few meters away, cloaked by an ornate, swirling robe. Though their face was obscured by a beaked mask, you could make an educated guess that this was the source of the voice, and that what they wanted was nothing beneficial to you.

Still, you feel a tiny surge of hope. It’s just one monster! There’s either thirteen or twenty-six of you! You outnumber them, so how bad could it be?

[music]

Out of the dead scrub emerge more figures, ghostly humans without the strange mutations the masked figure has. Each one carries some sort of makeshift weapon. Then more emerge, then more, and then it becomes clear you are facing a literal torches-and-pitchforks mob.

“This ends now. None shall interfere with the balance which you’ve so foolishly upset. Stop running like the yellow-bellies you are and face me, cowards.”

...Well, it’s only a few threats. Nothing of substance to back them up.

At least it remained that way for a few seconds. Dancing shadows cast by the weird lighting twitched and writhed before your eyes, coalescing into a towering crow-homunculus. Inky flecks splattered on the ground as the new monster screamed at you and lunged.

Current events were happening too fast to process, but you saw the crow-munculus miss the hat-wearing person by a hair. They yelped, turning to look at you.

“If you want to keep enjoying your second chance at life, run.”

They took off as they muttered under their breath about how they weren’t paid enough for this shit and how it always had to happen when they couldn’t get backup and other things that didn’t quite reach your ears as you hightailed it Who-Knows-Where.

The rest of you follow as close behind as you can manage, your pursuer ceaselessly punctuating the chase with enraged screams. It made for an unpleasant backing track as you raced along paths weaving through arid, low-lying mountains.

“You cannot escape me. There is only so much your Geister can do, and without them, you are weak, pathetic. I will savour it when I put you in your final resting place.”

Yelled threats and monstrous pursuers make for good motivation, and before long you see gables and spires rising up from the desolate landscape.

#prologue #plot

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