How to Survive in the Maw pt. 1
I woke up to wailing voices around me, crying out for relief in this stream of agonized souls. At that moment, I knew I wasn’t with the Light. I was somewhere worse.
Cold air seeped into my exposed bones as I stared up at the shattered sky. Fragments of reality glimmered in the air like shards of broken glass. Two pillars of black smoke wrapped around a dark tower looming above me. The top was forked like a grim trident, a monument of misery and a hopeless reminder of no escape.
My name is Gregory Thornbolt. I don’t know much about where I am. Other survivors call this place the Maw. They say it’s a place where evil souls go to suffer, a bleak prison where the most vile and corrupt are chained. I don’t know what I did in life to deserve this fate. I believed in the Light. I paid my dues. I gave to the poor, I protected my family, and I helped the needy. I guess the ‘why’ doesn’t matter anymore. All I know is that this place takes its toll on you, and the best thing you can do is to not let it break you.
If you’re here, then you must either be someone real bad or something’s gone wrong with fate. Either way, you’re here with the rest of us. Surviving your first day in the Maw is rare. But here’s a few tricks that I wish I knew when I woke up here:
Rule #1: The Mawsworn are not your friends. This rule should seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many new people turn up here and look to the dark-armored torturers for help. They’re not help. They’re not here to save you. Rather, it’s the opposite. They’re here to rip you apart; torment you; wear you down; and, ultimately, break you. You’ll find no aid with the Mawsworn. And this leads into the next rule.
Rule #2: Keep a low profile. I don’t care how many wars you’ve fought in, which gang or guild you were a part of, or how good you are with a weapon. It doesn’t matter here. The Mawsworn are more vicious, violent, and cruel. You’ll die, regenerate, then keep dying again if you don’t learn how to stay quiet. Trust me. The more noise you make by fighting the Mawsworn or doing flashy Keeshan shit, the more attention you’ll draw from the Presence.
I don’t know what it is. But the Presence always feels like a hundred eyes boring holes into your soul if you make too much noise. It sends kill squads after you, catapults artillery at you, and even orders in swooping Mawsworn to pick you up and drop you from a hundred feet. I can’t stress this enough: Don’t draw attention. If you somehow survive all of the things it throws at you, it’ll begin tearing your soul apart, it’ll feel like a sting stabbing at your soul. But over time, it’s as excruciating as getting ripped apart limb from limb. And when your soul dies, you regenerate, and then you’re put right back here to experience it all over again.
You’re not going to impress anyone here. Forget your pride. Forget trying to be tough. Passing unseen will keep you alive better than your recklessness ever could.
Rule #3: Your needs. They don’t exist. You’ll feel thirsty, hungry, and tired. There isn’t any food or water in the Maw. And places where you can get a couple hours of sleep undisturbed are few and far between. Get used to your dry throat and rumbling stomach. There’s nothing but bleak rock, ash, and blood in this place. Save your energy for evading the Mawsworn.
Rule #4: Band together. Trying to roll solo in the Maw is a death sentence. There are other survivors if you look hard enough. These little pockets of civilization and normalcy are what keep you going in this terrible place. Two heads are always better than one, and the more the merrier. If you’ve got no other choice, you’ve got a chance at taking on a Mawsworn if you outnumber them. Just try to make the fight quick and quiet.
If you’re able to kill one of the Mawsworn, grab their weapon. Ways of defending yourself here are scarce, and anything is better than your bare hands. And if you don’t know how to use a spear, sword, bow, or whatever, you better learn now.
Rule #5: Don’t lose yourself. The most terrible thing about this place is that you can feel it changing you, tearing at your mind, erasing who you are and replacing it with misery, hopelessness, and agony. If you let it break you, there’s no going back. You become one of them, the Mawsworn. And when you are, there is no redemption. No relief. All there is will be eternal damnation.
You need something to hold onto while you’re here, an anchor: The memories of a loved one, a child, spouse, best friend, something. Someone. Carry it with you while you’re here. Remember it, and keep it close to your heart. It’ll carry you through when all seems hopeless. It’ll give you strength when you feel powerless. But most of all: It keeps the Maw from changing you.
Rem, I don’t think you’ll be reading this book any time soon, or ever. But, well, I suppose this part’s more for me: I love you, and I always will, no matter how bleak my situation is or what forces of death surround me, you are my light. And as long as I’ve got you in my heart, I’m not letting this place break me.
I don’t know how many days, weeks, or even months have passed since I’ve come here. But there has to be a way out. I have to go now. I can hear the clanking armor of approaching Mawsworn. Maybe I’ll write more advice when I get the chance.
To anyone else that may be reading this: You can do this. You can survive. If you want to find me, look for a forsaken with a red handkerchief tied around his arm. That’s me, Gregory.
But until then, remember the five rules. You’re not here to conquer or win against this place. There isn’t any winning here. Most you can do is delay the loss.
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