,,The cold is as biting as ever this evening; the dark just as invasive. Huddled in your thickest coat you step out into the frost riddled night. You look wearily into the sky, and you recoil as a maddening screech erupts from above. Creatures of scarlet light and crackling fire begin to seep into the world through splinters in the heavens. The citizens of Yorkney scatter as twisting tendrils of insanity seep into God's Kingdom. Towering deities loom over the mountain, watching the chaos with eyes of swirling malevolence.
Your home is not safe. You flee through town to the **[[Fanshaw Estate,->Continue]]** hoping the Lord of the Manor will provide shelter from the horrors. As you run into town, you narrowly avoid a great crimson tentacle as it erupts out of the earth, piercing the chests of three men. You watch in horror as they bubble and boil, brilliant scarlet light shining beneath their skin. They screech, and burst into a maelstrom of miniature galaxies, which float into the night sky. You keep running.
You can hear terrified voices, singing in fear by **[[the old pub->Scared Singing]]**. The **[[abandoned church->Church]]** is to the south. **[[The Manor->Mountain]]** is to the north.(set: $love to true)
You head into the abandoned church you played in as a child. You huddle between the two dusty pews where the raven-haired girl kissed you when you were ten. Your mother warned you about that girl... but she was so sweet. You fumble underneath the pew, and you find the little doll she gave you - still here after all these years.
Eventually, you return to the street, recoiling as screaming people run past you with foam erupting from their eyes. At the top of the town hall, an enormous black eye with silky eyelashes has sprouted out of the red brick wall.
It blinks at you.
**[[Investigate the pub.->Scared Singing]]**
**[[Continue to the Fanshaw Estate.->Mountain]]**Inside the pub, four people are struggling to block the back door. They are all singing in fear, and two figures are desperately trying to push their way into the pub.
An elderly woman approaches you.
"The singin' is keeping those things back. You'd best be on yer way. They're horrors from beyond."
**[[Persuade them to let the strangers in.]]**
**[[Kill the intruders.]]**
You slip into the dark boundaries of the forest, ascending the gruelling mountain path. Through the silent void, you hear the distorted screams of a young woman, and the whispers of a thing unholy.
(if: $love is true)
[
**[[Attempt to save the young woman.->Help Alone]]**
**[[Return to the town for reinforcements.->Reinforcements]]**
]
(else:)
[
**[[Attempt to save the young woman.->Help Alone]]**
**[[Return to the town for reinforcements.->Reinforcements]]**
**[[Ignore the noises and press on.]]**
]
You grit your teeth and push the people aside, taking one of their guns. You fire at each figure, and they fall dead onto the snow. Crimson smoke erupts from their orifices, and you swear you can hear a woman singing.
You hand their pistol back to them.
"You're welcome." You grunt.
**[[Continue.->Mountain]]**
(set: $guts to it +1)
"What cruelty grips you?!" You cry.
"These are our fellow countrymen! God as my witness, I will not stand by and watch you discard these people to the madness outside!"
They look at each other. Reluctantly, they let the strangers inside. They are a man and a woman - both of them have milky white eyes.
"Thank you". The man whispers, a solitary tear in his eye.
**[[Continue.->Mountain]]**
{(set: $diplomacy to it +1)
(set: $kindness to it +1)}
{(set: $infected to true)
(set: $guts to it +1)
(set: $kindness to it+1)}
You stumble into the dark, finding a wriggling mass of severed arms swarming a young woman. You fumble in your pockets for a match, managing to set fire to a nearby branch. You swing the flaming branch at the writhing mass of limbs, which hiss and burrow into the soil. As they do so, a solitary hand leaps at your neck and scratches it, leaving a stinging mark.
The woman approaches you, not noticing the mark on your neck. She has blonde hair, dressed in a black trench coat that's covered in leaves.
She smiles.
"I'm Wilma."
[[Bid farewell to Wilma, and continue to the Fanshaw Estate.->Manor]]
[[Escape with Wilma.->Cowards Bliss]](set: $weapon to true)
You sprint back into town, gathering {(if: $guts is 1)[the remaining survivors from the pub.] (else:) [two capable fellows hiding in an alleyway.]} Your group returns to investigate the sound of the screaming woman...
...only to find a pile of bloodsoaked clothes.
"Terribly sorry." Your companions say to you. One of them presses a pistol into your hands. "I hope this helps."
They return to {(if: $guts is 1)[the pub.] (else:) [town.]}
**[[Continue onward.->Manor]]**A citizen of stature such as yourself shouldn't have to worry about the petty problems of others. You're cut from a different cloth, and your survival is paramount. You smile to yourself. Yes... this is how you made your fortune.
**[[A hunger to survive.->Inside]]**
(set: $kindness to it -1)
(set: $riches to it +1)(display: "PASTEBIN") There is a guard by the **[[gate->Inside]]**, and across the horizon you see a coal **[[shed]]** glowing a warm red.
When you approach the grimy coal shed, you can hear soft whispers inside. A woman’s whispers. You press the door open to find a woman kneeling by an altar adorned with hair, candles, and bone. Strange symbols are smudged into the floor with soot. The walls are piled up with coal, and a small bed lies in the corner of the room.
"Servants of à̶̱z̸̳̍ĕ̶̡ṇ̵͝ī̵̞e̴̹̋l, I praise your work. Like worms to an apple, you cleanse this kingdom of its malice. Make them know suffering as I have."
{(if: $love is true) [You recognise the woman. She has the same raven black hair, the same soothing voice. You squeeze the doll in your pocket.
**[[Talk to her.->Reconnect]]** ]
(else-if: $mission is true) [**[[You have a mission to complete. Kill her. ->Fight]]** ]}
(else:)[As you stare at the woman in the coal shed, she turns around and notices you.
**[[Fight her.->Fight]]**
**[[Flee.->Alone in the madness]]**](if: $riches is 1) [(display: "Classy Entrance")]
(else-if: $guts is 1) [(display: "Badass entrance")]
(else:) [(display: "Diplomacy")]
"Rowena? We've met before..."
You show her the doll.
She turns to look at it, and then looks deep into your eyes.
(if: $kindness is 2)
[
She smiles.
"…I remember you. You're as kind now as you were all those years ago."
She gestures to the sigils.
"They help me see the worth of a soul. I used them to bring strange creatures into our world. I'm sure you've seen them."
She pats the floor beside her.
"Join me. This world is rancid with cruelty. Together, we could cleanse it. A new world... just for us."
You sit by her side. She smiles at you, and holds your hand.
The two of you set to work.]
(else:)
["I knew you once. You were a sweet boy. But I see more warmth in this coal than I see in you."
**[[She gestures to the door.->Alone in the madness]]**
] (if: $infected is true)[The cut on your neck stings. You're (text-style: "emboss") [starving]. You lunge towards the woman, flecks of drool dripping from your lips. As you sprint across the sigils on the floor, the pain in your neck fades. You stop abruptly, and your arms and legs seem to be moving for you. You kneel before the woman.
"Good.” She says, mockingly. “Another sick dog to serve me."
You struggle against yourself as a foreign force stands you upright. With a flick of her wrist, you are sent stumbling into the night.
You have no other choice but to satisfy your (text-style: "emboss") [hunger]. ]
(else-if: $weapon is false) [You lunge towards the madwoman bare handed. As you do so, tendrils of burning coal erupt from the ground, gripping your limbs. You scream in agony as your skin burns.
"You're no different to the pig who keeps me here."
She turns her back to you as you slip deep into the void.]
(else:) [You steady yourself and lift your pistol to the back of her head. You take aim, and she lets out a soul-splitting shriek, before dissolving into a writhing mass of ashen worms.
You notice the morning sun rising through the windows. You step out into a brand new day, and feel your shoulders relax as you see no horrors in the sky. Whoever she was, her death undid the madness.
(if: $mission is true)[Lord Fanshaw rewarded you handsomely for your service, and you remained in his inner circle for the remainder of your comfortable life.
You quickly learned to turn a blind eye whilst in the company of his Lordship.]
(else:)[You were imprisoned for the murder of a young maid under the employ of the Fanshaw Estate the following Thursday.
The world won peace, and you lost freedom.]] Covering your neck, you extend your free hand to Wilma.
"I know this is sudden, but the world crumbles around us. If we run away together, we can seek shelter from the madness." You smile at her.
"Run away with me?"
She pauses in quiet contemplation.
Eventually, she grips your hand with icy fingers.
...
The two of you run into the night, finding an abandoned lakeside hut. She spears some fish, and you busy yourself with making a fire. As she cooks by the fire, you stare into the burnt red sky, filled with shifting, cosmic eyes. You rub your wound.
"Do you think they're demons..?" Wilma murmurs, handing you a cooked fish.
You're too (text-style: "emboss") [hungry] to care about that. The fish tastes wrong... unnatural. Its flavourless and cold. How can it be cold? Your neck feels hot... you're (text-style: "emboss") [starving].
Wilma bites into her fish, and winces as she burns her tongue. You notice she has a cut on her forehead - the rich stink of blood fills the air. You get closer to smell it.
She looks up at you. "What are you doing..?"
You're so (text-style: "emboss") [hungry].
"Please... stop that. You're scaring me..."
So (text-style: "emboss") [hungry]...
May God forgive you.You wander aimlessly into the mad, mad world.
You look to the sky, and across the horizon a god looks into you with burning eyes.
You smile. You finally see now.
They see so much more than you do.
Praise à̶̱z̸̳̍ĕ̶̡ṇ̵͝ī̵̞e̴̹̋l.(display: "PASTEBIN") The guard at the front gate recognises you. Of course he does - you're nobility. He opens the gate for you at once, ushering you into the **[[Fanshaw Estate.->The Lord]]** The guard peers down at you.
"Sorry. I'm not supposed to let common folk in. Trying times, you see."
You scowl at him.
"O-oh, you seem like the capable sort. I'll uh, let you in."
Avoiding eye contact, he **[[opens the gate for you.->The Lord]]**
The guard peers down at you.
"Sorry. I'm not supposed to let common folk in. Trying times, you see."
(if: $diplomacy is 1)
[You calmly explain your situation to the guard. He pauses.
"Fine. But if anyone asks; I never saw you."
**[[Continue.->The Lord]]**]
(else:)
[**[[Return to the shed. ->shed]]**]You push the doors open into the Manor. Its interior is lavish and luxurious, decorated with (if: $riches is 1)[tasteful](else:)[salacious] portraits. Looming windows are all that light the house.
A wispy man with long brown hair descends the staircase. His neck is peppered with bruises.
{(if: $riches is 1) ["Lord Fanshaw, it has been too long." You say, offering a formal handshake.
"Likewise." He shakes your hand. His palms are cold and clammy.]
(else:)["I am Lord Fanshaw. I must admit I am not familiar with your person." He says.
]}
You clear your throat.
"I know this to be a great request, but might I seek refuge in your home? I've nowhere to turn, and the Fanshaw Estate is respectably fortified."
The Lord pauses. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a dark shape peek out from the corner of an open door.
"Perhaps." He states. "But first, I need something from yourself."
The shape does not move. It seems to be attached to something...
**[[Ignore it.]]**
**[[Investigate the shape.->Push past him.]]**"I have a maid, who has permission to stay in my coal shed. She's terribly behaved, even with beatings."
He fidgets with one of his rings.
"Some nights, I hear her outside my door, whispering in a strange tongue. I think she may be linked to the ungodly horrors from the heavens.”
He holds your gaze.
"Kill her, and you may seek shelter here."
**[[Head to the Coal Shed.->shed]]**
(set: $mission to true){
(set: $guts to 0)
(set: $diplomacy to 0)
(set: $kindness to 0)
(set: $weapon to false)
(set: $love to false)
(set: $riches to 0)
(set: $mission to false)
(set: $infected to false)
}You arrive at the borders of the Fanshaw Estate. The once pristine gardens are now scorched and mutilated by unholy madness. In the courtyard, an armed militia pepper the sky with rifle rounds, sending writhing obsidian creatures plummeting to the ground.You push past the lord. Behind the door is a dead woman... she is slumped against the door, and her hand must have slipped through the opening. Inside the room are others... dozens more.
All in party clothes.
All rotten.
You're frozen to the spot. Clammy hands rest on your shoulders.
"Terribly sorry. My parties get so rowdy. There’s just so many guests… sometimes they break. They're so delicate."
Cold fingers slide up your neck.
"I did warn you. I'm sorry."
Icy fingers squeeze your throat, as you look helplessly at the faces who you will sleep alongside you for eternity.