C3

Catastrophic Cosmic Cataclysm; by Galahad Desuam

Holding a focus on a variety of characters as their stories come and go through an overarching journey; C3 takes place roughly 50 years post-Cataclysm, an apocalyptic event that devastated the planet. The precise year is debated, most agree, however, that it's 2058. Starting off in Georgia, the setting of the story spans across the country as individuals fight to survive the hell-scape that has become home.

A handful of the focused characters are; Drew, Het, and Shaun.

Story

Chapter 1: Birth & Death

The Writer:The sun rises over the fracture sky partly obscured by the gaping tear in the sky that is the maw. The City of Lymoria is held together with broken concrete and scrape metal. A light aura of red covers the city and its surroundings showing the protection of the god Lymoria for which the city was named. The walls are guarded with people wielding poorly maintained guns and wearing cloths to cover their faces from the smell and wind. In the main street a group of priest walk down the main street if a procession with a women in chains on a wooden table being wheeled along. She is screaming in pain as it becomes apparent that she is in the middle of child birth. The women is cut by a jagged blade of bone which bleeds with a constant stream. The reach the center of the town where the the church resides. The priest and priestess form a circle around the a circle in front of the church where groves are cut into the ground leading to a drain in the center. The frothing ocean can be heard as the chanting begins to fill the air. In unison the priest and priestess chant "Umr alo'um hu'vel Lymoria". The chants and the beating of the ocean on the coast swells into finally it reaches its zenith and the bleeding blade is brought down to slice the women's throat. A gurgle is made from the women and the chanting stops and the oceans goes silent before a cry is heard as the baby is born. The crowd that followed all step up and slice their hand letting flow with the woman's into the drain. The now dead women is removed from the table and thrown into the ocean and the baby in washed with her and the crowds blood before being taken away. Drew finds himself at the back of this crowd having watched the ritual from afar. Drew:As he watches, tears form behind his mask as he had developed heavy breathing during the ritual, having even gave a small sacrifice of blood himself as he had gave a slight cut to his side. The Writer:As drew cuts his side, the noise from around him stops. The sound of a screaming crashing wave shakes the world around him. In the distance towards the sea he sees a massive wave approaching him. Frothing blood and tangled bodies form this massive wave that completely obscures everything. Drew is frozen in place and finally the wave crashes over the shore and into the city. As the wave engulfs him, he feels the sweet and suffocating embrace of a mother. His vision is filled with bodies and detached limbs. A voice that reverberates the water calls to him and as it does he feels himself being pulled along with it. There at the center is whirlpool of bodies and bones clumping together to make the form of a giant woman

The woman reaches her finger to him and he feels her love and care. A gift is given and received. She givers him a smile made of flesh and agony before he is pulled back. His body is yanked from the water as the blood sea recedes. He blinks and finds himself still standing at the front of the church slowly bleeding from his side. Lookin around most of the crowd is gone and the sun hangs lower then it did before Drew:A wide smile creeps through his mask as he lets out a bit of a laugh, his eyes a bit shot as he seems to have lost himself into the sea's gaze The Writer:Attached to his hands he finds a set of gloves with long blades and the end of the fingers. The base is made of dark black coral that seems to move ever so slightly like the tide. As the coral reaches the hands think segmented bones with think sinew and tendons make the rest of the glove to the fingers. Sharp pointed bones make the blades with light coral giving it a strong edge. The sinew and tendons trail all the way to the fingertips where small drips of blood form at the end. Drew:He stares at his new attire for a short period, raising his head at a tilt, his eyes begin to fill with tears that don't seem to fall as he whispers something to the sea mother before flexing his hands and letting them fall to his sides, more than secure and happy with this gift His smile lingers as he turns to leave the church. The Writer:As drew leaves the church and begins walking around the city he hears a man yelling at the top of his lungs. He sees the man not long after hearing him coming from of the many back alleys. He shambles from the street with a crazed look on his face. Crazed man:"I hear them! I know them! I am a them!" He shouts as he looks to the sky with his hands raised "Glory to me who has claimed that which has eternal lie. For I am the gaping mouth that will swallow the world. I am the Maw!" The Maw:The man stops and starts convulsing as his mouth unhinges. The sounds of his jaw bone breaking fills the air. All at once he stops and with gut retching roar he charges at a man who had stooped to watch *Stopped

The man tries to fight him off but The Maw pushes him to the ground before he rips out his throat

Slowly chewing as he stands he looks before puking a think black mud looking substance out. It smells putrid and seems to burn the ground bellow. His body begins expand with each breath as if his muscle is going to rip through his skin like a shell Guard William :Suddenly a shot rings through the air The shot goes wide hitting the wall behind the Maw

"Fuck" Drew:Drew has stopped and gained the stance of his picture, watching the scene through shot eyes and past wild hair that occasionally is blown past his face The Maw:His skin begins to tear and thick cords of black striped tendrils rip from his back Guard William:"Fuck! FUck! FUCK!" he shouts as he fires a second shot from his rifle The bullet rips into the Maws chest which forces it to take a couple of steps back Drew:His breathing picks up as the scene escalates The Maw:It stops whatever process it was going through halfway as the creature jumps at the Guard. Pointed tendrils and gaping mouth towards him ready to tear into the man. A single long tendril rockets towards William before the others Drew:Drew rushes to slash at it with his new gloves The Maw:William mange's to doge and roll the right as the tendril missies him. Drew slash barley missies the maw by mere inches as he flies through the air toward William Guard William:*Drews attack almost his the tendril but before he could make contact it jerked its wat back to the maw "I'm blow you fucking head off with your damn maw you piece of shit" He bring his rifle up quickly and takes another shot

Which goes wide and hits a roof The Maw:The maw jumps on the man and brings his maw down onto his body The Maw tears a massive chunk of flesh and protective gear from Williams as he screams in pain Drew:As the Maw munching down, Drew runs over and goes to jump onto the possessed, bringing his arm around to cut the creature's throat as he does so The Maw:Drews blade slices deeply into the Maws throat. Deep black liquid spurts from it as the Maw as he rears up in pain Guard William:Guard William with a yell of pain grabs his rifle and sits up and aims for the maws gaping mouth and fires The recoil makes him jump and the shoot goes wide

The Maw with a cut throat let of a gurgled bloody scream as his tendrils shoot to impale William

Most of the tendrils manage to miss but one stabs William in his left leg Drew:As it's tendrils shoot, Drew goes for another slice along it's throat, now trying to cut it's fucking head off The Maw:Drew manages to cut most of the Maws throat before hitting his thick spine bone where his blade catch

Even with all the pain William manages to stay awake

He aims the rifle right at the tendril impaling his leg

The bullet passes through the tendril and then hits the maw right in the pelvis

The maw swing his hand back to grab Drew from his back and throw his off The Maw:The maw manages to push Drew from his back onto the ground Drew:Hitting the ground with a thud and a grunt, Drew lets out a growl as he uses the momentum to roll over his back and back on his feet, instantly running back towards the Maw and letting out a flurry of attacks, aiming for his spine, but going for anything that'll land The Maw:The maw mages to doge his flurry by jumping over him *Manages

He shakily brings his rifle and fires his last round in the clip at the maw

The bullet punches right into his chest leaving him huffing on the ground barely alive Drew:Drew turns and as William fires a shot into his chest, he superman-punch swipes the Maw's neck, attempting one final time, to sever it's head The maws head and neck lay hanging at the perfect angle for Drew superman-punch to completely sever his head. It drops to the ground with a meaty wet thud. His body sits there motionless with think bubbling black blood slowly oozing from what's left of his neck Guard William:"Oh thank the Mother" Drew:As the head hits the ground, Drew's attention snaps to William

He lets out a growl followed by a load, impulsive war cry before stomping and kicking the head towards him

After which, he points to Williams and stares at him for only a second before bending down and stabbing his dagger fingers into the sides of the Maw's underarms, and begins to try and drag it's body

The head lands near his wounded left leg. He lets out a little cry of pain and fear before passing out

Even if it takes him all night and into the mid day of the next day, Drew fights and does everything he can to drag the body to the sea The Writer:Drew struggles with the heavy body for a hour or two before he finally reaches the sea by the dock, a think trail of blood shows him his path to where the fight began Drew:Finally getting to the sea, he claws and hits the body a few times before dragging his mask off, cutting his face as he does so and headbutting the body with another yell before finally stopping and beginning to calm down, as his heavy breathing begins to slow.

Resting his head on the body for a few moments, Drew raises up, marks had formed along his face as he pressed it against the body. Hooking his hands into the body, he pushes it into the water before staring at the sea for a moment.

After a brief wait, Drew's eyes grow dim and he lets out one final heavy breath before grabbing his mask and poorly putting it back on.

His breath shutters as he gets back to his feet, and looks over to see a child staring at him from the shore.

He thinks for a moment, staring back to the child before walking away.

Following the trial of blood he had just formed, Drew gets back to the Guard and examines the area to see if anything had changed since he was away Drew:trail* The Writer:The guard seems to have been take away as a group of heavier armed and armored men seem to be looking at the maws and the surrounding area. On the shoulder of their armor is the symbol of a confederate flag with a flaming sword in the middle. The words 101st brigade are stitched under the symbol. Drew:As he sees this, Drew decides he shouldn't do anything further to the situation and instead of stopping keeps walking, going past them and moving on, continuing his life, heading for the crop fields outside the city, where he was originally headed before this detour He walks pass without any issue

As he makes his way to the farms the buildings begin to become more disperse and less maintained. Entering the ruins before heading off to the fields where he see the wall stretch into the woods and lands around a ways. Small farm houses fill up the area while larges farms take up the majority of the area. A few orchard's lay at the end of the area by the wall.

A decent number of guards are on the wall watching the ruins of Savanna and the forest beyond Drew:Stumbling through the fields, and jumping some of the fences, Drew makes his way to one of the sheds that litter them, having grabbed one of the cabbage like vegetables that're growing, he tosses his mask on a sticking out rusty nail next to the door and falls onto a bed of grass, taking bites out of the dwarf cabbage Staring to the ceiling, he collects his past few days, glad to finally be home as he dons a tired and worn out expression.

After several minutes of munching down, he grabs a nearby bucket of water that seems to nearly be gone, causing him to grow a bit agitated, swiping at the bugs that seemed to have been gathering around it before grabbing one and eating it as well, using the water to wash it all down

He goes to scratch his arm but winds up cutting it with the blades from the gloves, causing him to pause. Watching the newly opened wound, Drew only looks away when his blood trails down his arm and drips onto his bed, causing him to finally take the gloves off and toss them on a make shift table across from his bed

He lets out a sigh before drinking the last bit of his water

With his cabbage mostly eaten, his protein downed and his water gone, all there is left for Drew to do now that he's home, is to turn his attention towards Wonton, as he grabs and cleans off his little monkey friend. In reality, it is a tiny stuffy animal that is filthy beyond recognition. Drew:After giving it a few pats, he places it on the other side of his bed and stares at it for a moment. After a moment, he begins fiddling with it, moving it's ears, tilting it's head, turning it's face.

This seems to give him some form a joy as he cracks a slight smile as opposed to the depressed expression he had given behind his mask during his travel back here.

After awhile, Drew eventually lays his head onto the leaves, with only a small clump of mildewed clothe to give him a pillow

Closing his eyes, Drew fades into a deep sleep, after several days of journeying, ending with watching another glorious birthing ritual.

The quill goes silent. The ink dries. The pages close. The chapter ends... for now.

Chapter 2: The Burning Flame of Purity

The Writer:A couple days have passed since the fight with the Maw. Since then the city of Lymoria has been put on high alert. The appearance of a Yod'ygross has caused fear and panic to spread and forced the church to respond. They have done so by calling in knights of the cleansing flame. Who are warriors and investigators who find and kill Yod'ygross who yet to fully change.

During their investigation the city has been searched thoroughly. Many have been put to the flame for possible corruption and a number of Yog's have been found and disposed of without incident. But in the middle of the night on the third day a Yod'ygross managed to get into the church of Lymoria. It rampaged through the church before wounding and nearly killing the Hight priest. The beast was brought down by Alex Turner himself. Now both the guards and Knights patrol the city and put large portions under martial law.

We find the focus of our story in one of these martial law zones. Inside the Drowned Drake a popular pub sits Het. Along with her most of the people in the martial zone are waiting. The Knights and guards have gathered the populace here to do a final check before lifting martial law on this area.

Barkeep: The barkeep sits back on stool behind the counter with a tired look on his face. Grumbling about the lateness of the Knights before a man shouts for a drink near where Het is sitting. "Alright I'm coming quit your bitching" he slides off the stool and filling a dirty cup with dark brown beer before bringing it over to the man

He grabs a light bronze coin from the man before heading over to where Het has been sitting. "Lass you want anything before I head back to sit on my ass?" Het:She looks to the keep and shakes her head, dark circles around her eyes from restless nights. Her mask lays on the table next to her as she takes out a piece of candy she had found a few days before, finally feeling in a comfortable enough spot to take it out and eat. Barkeep: He grumbles a little bit "Fine suit yourself. Call me if you want to spend some money. Lymoria know I need it." he finishes the last bit under his breath while making his way back to his stool The Writer:A short time passes before the doors to the bar open. Walking in is a small group of guards with a large man in armor leading them. Het:She peeks over, curious as to their commotion, but tries to be casual about it, not wanting to attract any attention. The Writer:Looking over she sees the guards fanning out while the knight brings out a gold sword. He motions to the guards to stop where they are before walking to the center of the room. Het:Her eyes seem to focus on the sword as she places a hand on her mask, sucking on the little ball of candy Sir Gunnar:The sword is a large one handed curved saber made completely out of gold. The blade is masterfully made and has small writing along the blades edge that can't be made out. It seems to glow and shine like a flickering fire and seems to heat the air around it. The handle seems to be in the shape of a Christian cross. As he reaches the center of the bar he brings the sword down and slices the floor first into a cross and then with a x overlapping it. He then mummers something to him self seeming to be a prayer.

The symbol glows with a faint light before it stops.

Gunnar raises his blade to his shoulder while walking to the barkeep

The few people sitting at the bar quickly scurry away when they see the knight approach. The Barkeep slides of his stool and falls to the ground. He rolls himself up just in time to be face to face with the knight Het:She is sitting completely still, not moving a muscle, hand still on her mask, ready to run if she needs to Barkeep: "What did you fin-" Sir Gunnar:The knights blade quickly slices the head clean off. his fat head flies through the air before landing on the bar counter the right. His body stays up for a second before a dark brown liquid spurts out. The blood catches flame and ignites his entire body in a bright gold flame. His body swells and twitches blowing up like a ball before he implodes into nothing. Leaving nothing but his nearly completely burnt head and the smell of burnt flesh and shit. Het:As the knight swung his blade, she jumped off the stool and hit the ground, quickly looking back to see the head hit the bar just to her right, her breathing picks up and she begins trembling but keeps herself from screaming, too much in surprise to even think of crying.

As the body swells, she covers her face, balling her body, attempting to get as little of his innards on her as possible.

After a moment and feeling nothing hit her, she looks to find that instead of exploding blood and guts everwhere, the body is instead gone and the smell of burnt flesh and feces fills the room, causing her to exhale and cut off her breathing, holding her breath as she stares to the scene before her, unsure of what exactly to do now Sir Gunnar:Sir Gunnar slowly slides his blade back into his scabbard, Slowly he turns and yanks the head off of the counter and bringing it to his face. A small gout of golden fire pours out from the holes in his helmet lighting the head on fire. Dropping it to the ground he stomps the head into a paste that continues to burn the flesh, bone, and brain. Looking around the room with slow panning movement he stops on Het. Starring at her for a couple of seconds. He looks away to begin walking in a counter clockwise fashion around the room talking to each person for a time before moving on *Staring Het:Having not actually ever seen a Purifier's work in person, and having just spoken and sat just next to a creature for an hour, she is shaken, but after a moment, she steels herself and takes a deep breath, ignoring the odor and gets to her feet. Making sure to avoid all of the officials and trying to take things slow and not cause any suspicion, she instead walks to one of the walls away from the bar and leans against that, believing that leaving now may cause some form of issues later. Sir Gunnar:The knight continues to make his way around the bar before stopping at the man who ordered the drink from the barkeep Gunnar quickly grabs the man and place his hand to his mouth. The man screams and fights the knight but can't get free from his hold. A light emits from the hands covering the mouth of the man causing him to freeze in place

She starts to shake as her eyes widen, unsure if she had made the right choice when they first entered to stay instead of run with everyone else.

when they first entered to stay instead of run.* Sir Gunnar:The man drops to the floor before vomiting a thick brown substances out of his mouth. The knight leaves on the ground laying in his own vomit *him Het:Seeing that yet another person in this bar wasn't a Norm, she raises her hand to her mouth as she begins to feel nauseous, knowing they were in the city, but not expecting so many to be surrounding her. Sir Gunnar:He finally reaches Het one of the last in the bar Het:She gulps. Sir Gunnar:He walks up to about a foot away from her and stoops Het:She stares into his helmet's slits. Sir Gunnar:He stares back with dilated green blood shot eyes that have slight glow to them

"You will answer everything I ask truthfully, do you understand?" He says with a rather oddly calming voice that has an undertone malice to it. As if it could shift from one to the other in an instant. Het:She nods, lowering her hand but her stomach still turning as she feels as though this judging crusader will strike her down if she makes even the slightest hint of disobedience. Sir Gunnar:"Good. First where you born in this city? Second have you left the city's protection in the last week? Third have you have any mental instability, paranoia, or unusual need for extreme violence? Lastly how does this phrase make you feel? Ingloria adverm quintius luminai" Het:She does another hard gulp, taking a moment to think, her breathing the only thing she can hear as her nervousness raises. She nods a few times after he finishes speaking. "I've only left the city a few times, but none recently.. I-.. I try to avoid violence.."

She begins to feel a bit dizzy, but gives her final answer to the phrase

"... T-.. Terrified." Sir Gunnar:"Good that's what you should feel. You are free from taint and may leave. May the blessed sun guide and protect you" He finishes the prayer with hand gesture making the same symbol that he carved into the ground. He gestures at the guards who open the door and begin to leave with the Knight in tow behind them Het:She decides to wait, allowing the knight and his men to take their leave from the bar, vomiting from nervousness after the door closes behind them. The Writer:Het pukes in the almost empty bar as most of the people have left before the knight and guards did. The sun shines through the open door seeming to comfort het before the clouds obscure it. The Writer:Two days after the purifying in the Drowned Drake, the area has been reopened. The Knight's have now moved on into the outskirts of the city. Slowly making their way to the edge by the farms and ruins. Het, along with everyone else deemed pure, has been allowed to travel freely. But only in the areas of the city which have been cleaned as well. Het has been called to a meeting with a guard she had done odd jobs for in the past. The guard in question being a fellow by the name of Quake. A relatively small man with a somewhat ironic name. He's set the meeting at the old park overlooking the docks around noon. She's currently not far from the park, being in the heart of the city. There are a couple businesses around the area she could visit to burn some time before the meeting. Het:With her mask covering his face, she peers around the markets and their inhabitants, only glancing and window shopping as she makes her way towards the park. A gust of wind cools her face as the salt of the sea hovers within the air along with the blood of the bodies that fill it. The Writer:She passes by several stores, most being food, clothing, weapons, and the like. A few she spots are more interesting. A store selling wards and artifacts from powerful beings and deities. Another is claiming to sell visions and dreams of the future and past. The final shop being one selling old pre-cataclysm equipment and offering to repair them. Het:Dreams of the future and past catch her eye as she mosies into it, peering around at it's aesthetic The Writer:Like most of the buildings around the area, the building is made of reused brick. The windows are reinforced with natural metal bars instead of the Scrape metal most have. Inside the windows are displayed smartphones, pocket calculators, an old Gameboy, and a type of eye cover with wires attached to the back. On the reinforced door sit a small sign that blinks on and off, showing that it is open. It seems the store is dead, with only a couple of kids looking at the window in fascination. Entering the store has a drastic appearance change—tools, wires, and electronics litter the shelves. Weapons, toys, and all sorts of other things that Het can recognize are packed around the store. Giving the place a claustrophobic feel with just how much there is. At the end of the hallway of shelves sit a counter with small lights showing off the good held within. And a mad standing in front of it with an apron and welding helmet on who seems to be wielding something out of view

*Can't

*And a man

In the far back lies another door with fabric covering it with the words "In the depths rests dreams that hides the truth" over it. Het:She gives a passing nod to the tinkerer and wonders past him, heading for the backroom. The Writer:The man nods back while keeping to his work

Walking into the back room through the fabric and door, Het is hit with a smell of honey and blood. Giving the room a sickly sweet aroma. The place is near pitch black when the door is closed, with the only light being a candle sitting on a table. Behind the candle on the opposite part of the table sit a silhouette of a person. A voice echoes from in front and behind Het. Telling her to sit in the chair in front of the silhouette. Het:She turns as she walks towards the table, peering around the darkness to see if she can find any source of the voices before fumbling into the seat The Writer:Looking around the place she finds no clear source for the echoing voices

Dreamer: "Hello there Sleeper. What has brought you into my domain? What question do you have? What dreams do you wish to dream?" The candle flickers as the person speaks seaming to pulsate as they talk Het:She places an arm on the table and stares to the figure for a moment, thinking of how to respond "Do... Will... Will the world..."

"No..."

She takes another few moments, looking down to her hands

"Is everything corrupt?"

Dreamer: "In my slumber, I have seen many parts of the world many can not. The rot of corruption has its tendrils almost everywhere. Almost. The safe havens keep many parts of our world safe and pure. And the souls of man act as a beacon of hope of a return to the old. But eons in time without any action to stop it. The maw will swallow this world and all of us with it." The Writer:*Can't Het:"Is there anything we can do?"

Dreamer: "Many, few, and sometimes none. Time is fickle and changes from one breath to the next. In some dreams, humanity surges into the Maw with great armies being lead by heralds of gods or nations. In others, a hand stretches out from the Maw and crushes the world in its palm. The only clear path forward, it seems, is to gather power for humanity and finding a way to close the Maw. How to do that, though...? Even my dreams do not know." Het:"Is sacrifice an absolute?" Dreamer: "Yes. All things require sacrifice. Nothing is above this law, not even me and my dreams. For I lose a piece of my soul in each dream, I visit. And one day, I will be but fragments of a flame. Nothing more than ash and kindle. But one that can hopefully create a new flame from my kindling." Het:"Will there be something after us?" Dreamer: "Abominations and their corrupted gods. Along with anything that manages to crawl its way out of the Maw. In scant few dreams I have even seen star spawn come and retake the Earth for their own."

The candle on the table begins to flickering faster, threatening to go out at any moment. The Dreamer looks down and notices it before looking back at Het. "It seems this dream is ending for me. I hope you have gained some measure of understanding from me. Before I leave, I will tell you one last thing. In the future of uncertain date, This city will befall a rather gruesome fate, spawning from a man of eternal hate." With the last word spoken in a whisper, the candle goes out, and Het is left in a room of pure black. In a split second, she comes to and finds herself standing and staring at the wall where the door was to the Dreamer. Only to find it gone and a regular wall in its place Het:She lets out a sigh as her hands begin to tremble, only stopping after she shakes them a few times and quickly making her way back out of the shop. The Writer:A little disturbed by the event and noticing the time passed outside. She slowly leaves the store behind. Walking through the main street and past the last building before coming to the church. Which seems to be empty today with the gate closed and the outside courtyard barren of priests. Continuing with the few people she sees staying far away from her and anybody else with apparent paranoia in their eyes. She finally makes her way up to the park on the hill overlooking the docks. Several wide black trees are scattered around the park, with dark green bushes next to them. Following along the broken stone path leading to the summit of the hill where she finds Quake sitting on a bench. He looks back and sees her and giver her a lazy wave.

Quake: "Yo, Het took you long enough to get here. Been waiting here for over an hour for you. What took you so long?" Het:"I was..." She looks back to the shops, stopping for a moment

Quake: She can just spot the outline of the store from where she stands "Het are you alright? You see one of the those Yigs or something down there?" Het:"N-.. No, I just got a bit hung up on something." She looks back to Quake

"Don't worry about, sorry to have kept you waiting."

Quake: He looks worried for a second before nodding and relaxing on the bench he's sitting on. "Its alright. I didn't have shit to do anyway so your good. Anyway I got a job that pays pretty well if your interested?" Het:She takes a moment before nodding "What kind?"

Quake: "Mainly the information gathering kind."

"You heard about the attack on the High priest a couple days ago right? The one that got those sword wielding fanatics to come cleanse our city?" Het:She thinks back to the bright sword she had encountered at the bar, nodding. Quake: "Good, that saves me the explanation. The people in charge of the guards have a lot of questions about the attack. But not a lot of answers, they want me to fix that. And by proxy I want you to fix that. I need you to investigate the attack. How the Yig got in, where it came from if you can, and if there were any conspirators. Find out what you can about all that and then come and tell me. Get a large sum of money and a favor from yours truly. Sounds pretty good right?" Het:May as well call this bitch a bobble head because she's giving another nod Quake: "Great, well, in that case, you can start by talking to a member of the Church who agreed to speak. But not to any guards, and that's where you'll come in. Ask them some questions and investigate the best you can without getting yourself into any trouble, as I can't bail you out of that. The Church has way too much power for that shit. Once you got the information you need, you can give me a write-up and get the money. You can find this priest waiting for you in the decrypted book store not too far by the Church. The Readers hollow? No, that wasn't it. The Scholars den, that's what it's called. Meet them there and start the investigation. That's pretty much it. Got any questions before I head out?" Het:She shakes her head and looks out to the docks. "What do you I do if I find anything?"

Quake: "Well, I give to the people who want to know, and then they do whatever they want. You know how it goes. I'm just a middle man. I don't ask, and they don't tell. A good relationship that." Het:She nods "Alright."

With that, she turns and begins for the Scholar's den, not wanting to wait to start, knowing every second is more damage to evidence

Chapter 3: Unfolding Truths

Never continued.

Introduction Information

Set around 50 years after the "Cataclysm," an apocalyptic event that devastated the planet. The precise year is up for debate. Most agree, however, with it being 2058. The game is set in Georgia but can take you to many places around the splintered world. The Cataclysm started with a mass wave of severe paranoia and mental illness that started massive civil wars and conflicts. The conflicts insisted mass-degeneracy and rioting, creating new cults that supported where the world was heading.

The world's governments began forcefully squishing most of these riots, but the chaos consumed large states. Such as Germany, France, South Africa, Japan, China, and many more fell. The U.S.A. held to power for most of the early 2000s but broke up into warring states that ended with massive nuclear exchanges. At the peak of Armageddon and madness, the sky tore, and a flood of whispers and horrid creatures flowed from the Gaping Maw. Structure from around the world appeared with non-Euclidian geometry and alien otherworldly designs. Gods and elder deities lorded over large segments of the world, fighting with each other sending their mutated hordes to wage war.

The early fighting and nuclear Armageddon has left the world completely shattered. Safe havens have been created in a few parts of the world using ancient artifacts, magic, and advanced technology. These split up into factions with their ideas and agendas for the new world. You will find yourself in one of these safe havens, the haven of Lymoria. Located in the ruins of Savanna, the city of Lymoria was founded by the bleeding church of Lymoria. A church dedicated to the Flowing god of sacrifice. Lymoria is one of the more pleasant gods of the Maw. She is depicted as a rolling flood of blood and bodies which forms a tsunami. She protects those that give her the bodies in death and their blood in life. She is commonly associated with the sea and with childbirth.

Outside of the Safe havens are large land areas fused and meshed with the Maw and Yig'nar'lorr's realm, the great breeding chaos. If animals and people are in these areas for too long, they are changed and reformed into mutants of their former selves. Whole new species and organisms have evolved from these mutations and changes. The creatures from the Maw and other dimensions from the beyond fight and compete in the corrupted lands. Humans exist along with the Ascended and a few more in the safe-havens. Now that the summary is through, I'll tell you what you can expect from this game. Survival, fighting, investigations, religion, war, politics, madness, other mental and physical afflictions, and many other Lovecraft-inspired things. Things that inspired this game include, In the mouth of madness, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, the metro games, the Lovecraft mythos, Event Horizon.

Further Detailed Information

The City of Lymoria

The City of Lymoria was founded in 2036 by the High Priestess Acadia Addington of Lymoria's church. Given the Bleeding Blade by the swelling blood sea of her god, to protect her and the church. The Blade creates a protective barrier around the city with the blessing of Lymoria. The Blade must be fed a constant supply of blood to keep working through ritual sacrifice. The Blade is kept in the center of the city inside the church. It is held by the High Priestess at all times. The city is split up into three distinct areas. The church and residential section are in the center of the town. The markets and port are by the east of the sea. And the ruins, farms, and crafters are to the west into Savana proper. The church handles the rule of law, and Alex Turner, a military veteran, oversees the guards and hunts. 

Nas Euclidia Miotheans Overview

Excerpts from the scholar Reynold O'Connor's book' Nas Euclidia Miotheans: A look into the void

Nas Euclidia Miotheans is the name/title given to the god-like being that exists outside of the primary reality of the setting. Most of the gods and deity's in the setting fall under this categorization. Only a few beings have been born or created on earth that can be compared to Euclidia Miotheans. These unique beings are referred to as Eür Eucldia Miotheans. The name itself is a reconstruction of their original name, which, if spoken or read without proper conditioning, can lead to severe insanity. Many scholars debate why this is but the most accepted reason is that the original is a fragment of the very concept of their being, so to say or read it is to comprehend their being literally. For this reason, the new name was created so that they can be referenced without madness or angering these beings.

The appearance of the Miotheans is varied and often fluid in such a way that it becomes hard to comprehend. On top of that, they can also mold their forms and appear as they wish to most beings. This makes it hard to tell what being is and tell what being you might be dealing with properly. Most Eucldia want this, as that is one of the few ways we have to keep away from their grasp. So to fool us and misguide us is a common tactic they employ to corrupt or confuse and play with us mortals. There is no way for an ordinary mortal to see through their trickery. That is not to say there is nothing one can do. If one knows the correct magic, they can force the guise to drop and see the actual being behind the lie.

Names are another form of understanding a being will lie or use aliases to stop an individual or group from knowing who they're dealing with. However, names are more binding than their appearances are. As much like their title Eucldia Miothean, it is a part of them. So any name they use is a part of them, and the more they use, the more they separate elements from themselves and the power that they hold. Whole new beings have been created just from this as the name and concept become so alien to have an apotheosis of itself to create a new god separate from the original. The exact way this happens is not known and almost impossible to know for those who have not gone mad. We who study this field have concluded that the name is always about an element of the being.

When given a name, this element becomes a concept that holds a portion of power and identity in proportion to that element of the being in which it spawned. With enough use and power given or thought about that concept, it can separate. All of this is to say that a being will not use another name unless they have to or are so mad that they do not care for the consequences of its usage. Invoking their true name can also force the being to drop the charade less. They give more elements of their power by denying their own identity and continuing to claim to be that name and concept. At this point, the reader might be beginning to become confused with how context needed the usage of the terms "concept" and "Elements" are. It is for that reason we scholars have created the terms "Idolis" for the use of concept and "Fractus" for the usage of "elements". Idolis is derived from the word Idol, as a concept becomes an Idol that a Euclidia may wear. The word Fractus is derived from the word Fracture as the Eucldia's powers and being fractures and empowers the Idolis until it becomes a Euclidia itself.  

The wants, desires, goals, and personalities of the Nas Eucldia Miotheans are strange and varied. Most of the powerful beings are well understood and can be explained to most without misunderstandings or confusion. That is, however, a lie. Any person who thinks this is either misinformed or a fool. These beings are chaos manifest writhing horrors that take great pleasure in our foolishness and stupidity. They are opposed to all structure and rule few go against this, but those that do are in the absolute minority. I would go into detail about the many Nas Eucldia Miotheans, but it would both be too long and outside the purview of an overview. Generally, I would encourage you never to speak, deal, or interact in any way with a being that you do not know of. Even in interacting with a being you know well and have good experiences with prior, I would plead caution as they are beings of change and are unpredictable by nature.

If one is dead set on interaction, then I feel I must give the reader the best chance of success and survival:

1. As I outlined earlier, information is critical. Always know who and what you are going to be dealing with.
2. Prepare as much as you can with sacrifices, protection, and make sure your demeanor and speech are according to the being's liking.
3. Always have an escape plan and way of defending yourself if things go awry in the interaction.  

For the final part of this overview, we will take a small glimpse into where these beings came from and possibly reside. Now contradictory to what most think and believe, not all being come from the Maw. We scholars have concluded that the Maw is but one of many realms that exist in our reality. Furthermore, the Maw itself is a collection of multiple realities that have, like ours is beginning to do, been eaten and absorbed by the Maw. The Maw itself is a mystery and enigma that we have no clue about. We can only tell what we can see from peering into the Maw itself, which is very little.

Outside of the Maw, we also know about Yig'nar'lorr's realm, often called Elysium after the supposed greek afterlife. Those who worship Yig'nar'lorr state that it is a paradise full of beauty and pleasure. Most dreamers who are not a part of their faith denied this as a blatant lie. From their dreams into the realm, it is nothing but pleasure, a heaving mass of sexual orifices spasming in orgasmic delight. People are forced into copulation with any an all beings or sexual genitalia from the realm itself. People's bodies are contorted in painful ways that go against their anatomy for the pleasure of the pain it causes them and for the new sexual delights that it brings.

Man and beast and all other combinations, both recognizable and alien, put to mating to the disgusting pleasure of the breeding chaos. Beyond the battle, this has started from the dreamers and believers. It has given us more information than we know about any other realm. This may only be because Yig'nar'lorr hopes to entice these dreamers and those who hear the tales with the delights and pleasure of its domain. One thing that is clear any worship of any being will net one into the beings control and domain after death. What isn't clear is if humans go anywhere after death if they worship nothing. If there is a place no one has returned to tell us.

Religions

Order of Pater Luminai

The Order of Pater Luminai is the religion followed by the knights of the cleaning flame. The primary and only god they worship is Pater Luminai. He is often depicted as the sun or wrathful flames held in chains. The faith is highly militaristic and is followed by many in central and north Georgia. The religion is widely known for its powerful and diverse magic, with warrior mages being able to fight and cause true death to many abominations. The belief has few allies with outside religions deeming most to be false gods and slavers of humanity. Those that they do have an alliance with are still kept at arm's length.

Most believe the god was a corrupted idea of Luminai and so carry some of the teachings of Christianity. These teaching are few and heavily changed to fit Luminai and the Orders will. The single biggest argument for the strength and power of Luminai is the ability for the sun to cross the Maw and return from it each day. The tale spun from the journey is that Luminai fights his way through the Maw before breaking out and resting before doing so again. The most zealous of believers wish to cleanse everything from the earth. Every god, deity, abomination, and any who have been tainted and who let the faith be lost on them. Going so far as to wish to cleanse even the Maw and claim it for humanity and Luimnai.

The Bleeding Church of Lymoria

The Bleeding God of Lymoira is the central faith of the faction of the Drowned Pact. The primary and sole Goddess is Lymoria, often depicted as a sea of blood and broken bodies in the form of a tsunami. The Goddess is often seen as motherly but demanding with a need for constant sacrifice and attention. Bloodletting is the main form of prayer and sacrifice to god. She is associated with the sea, childbirth, protection, suicide, and manipulation.

The faith is headed by the church of Lymoria, located in the city of Lymoria. The church is a black coral stone tower stretching into the sky like waves crashing over each other to rise to the maw. The top of the tower funnels it like a whirlpool of water. Funneling into the front of the church. It has a similar design with a drain in the center that flows out into the ocean.

A familiar ritual is the sacrifice of the birthing mother. A woman at the eve of childbirth is taken and paraded through the city. She is slowly cut and lacerated by the Bleeding Blade. She is then si brought to the front of the church. Then the words "Umr alo'um hu'vel Lymoria" are chanted by the priest and priestess as the woman is birthing the child. At the height of the ritual, the Blade is used to slice the mother's throat so her blood may spiral down into the drain and into the sea. The baby is then pushed out with the dying mother's final heave before being blessed by her blood and town members. The body is then thrown into the sea to complete the ritual. And those who are faithful are encouraged to mix their blood with her into the sea.

Many come to the church to practice the faith. However, many also use homemade shrines. Any request requires a sacrifice of blood. To sacrifice to her, one may cut themselves and praise her name. One may also take this a step further and break or maim a part of their body. The more damaged and destroyed the person, the more she is pleased. This is the only way to satisfy her no animals, no drink or food or song, only blood and the destruction of bodies.

Another ritual is the night of the shore. The night of the shore is held on the first blood moon of the year. It is considered the holiest day for the mother and the faith. Men and women are cuffed and tied to the shored. To be beaten and battered by the waves and rocks. Before they finally drown and are taken by the mother. While the mother is caring and protective, she askes much of her children. Even though this may seem brutal. She is actually considered one of the kindest gods around.

Factions

The Drowned Pact

The Drowned Pact is a faction based around the faith of Lymoria, with the city of Lymoria being the faction's capital. United around their faith and their shared use of the sea, the faction's primary focus is spreading the faith and keeping isolated and safe. The coalition is mainly made up of villages and small port towns the dot the Georgia coastline. Their primary food source comes from fishing and farming the lands that have yet to be tainted by the Maw. Given their closeness with the god of blood and bodies there appearance is often slightly bloated like a corpse left at sea. They also have a slight red hue to their body and appearance. This isn't to say everyone looks like this, but it is typical for most factions, prominently the most faithful.

The coalition's stability is strong, with only Alex Turner threatening the balance and the church's rule. Alex Turner was former US army captain and then Brigadier General of the Southern Confederate States of America. Having survived the wars before and after the cataclysm is a significant feat, and if you count that the majority of the men he led survived too, then you got yourself a living legend and one tough son of a bitch. Alex controls most of the fighting forces of the faction but doesn't seem too keen on the church's faith. While he hasn't fought them or even made any attempts to undermine them, he has a lot of power and has never gone to the church, neither do most of his men. The prominent leader of the faction is Amora Addington, the daughter of Acadia Addington, the founder of the coalition and city of Lymoria. Amora is commonly seen as a shadow of her mother and usually keeps to the church, where she rarely leaves. There have been talks among church members about possibly usurping her as the high priestess, but these are merely whispers. 

Spawn

Yod'ygross

Yod'ygross are humans who have been physically corrupted by beings from the Maw or even the Maw itself. At the beginning of the corruption, humans will begin acting erratic and violent. This is then followed by madness and mental instability. The final stage is denoted by physical mutation and disfigurement that reshapes the person into a full Yod'ygross. Yod'ygross has many different appearances depending on several factors. The main one is the force or forces corrupting them. A strong second is the personality and beliefs held by that person. Several other things and factors go into play when the physical mutation occurs, but those are the main two.

No matter what the form they take, Yod'ygrosses are violent and destructive to anything around them. With time a Yod'ygross can evolve and morph into more inhuman and distorted conditions. Some may even reach the level of worship and praise as a minor deity. Many seeking to escape from their weak mortal flesh will actively seek out to be transformed. These Yod'ygrosses will be more intelligent and have more of their human faculties even after the transformation.

They are one of the many called the ascended. And are considered the most dangerous and deadly of the Yod'ygross. Yod'ygross hunting is a significant concern for any safe haven/faction. Most will actively send out kill squads to cull and eradicate them. The knights of the cleansing flame is an order which hunts out Yod'ygrosses that have yet to complete their transformation. They exist in many factions, and those with them have something similar to stop their spread and destruction.