So, last post I mentioned the name "the Once-White Wolf." This is a nickname I've heard given to the Black Dog in reference to a bit of Runner folklore, one of which I happen to be partial to myself. The story goes that the Black Dog used to be pure white, but when it took on the duty of punishing sin, its fur became black as night, stained by the ash of guilt. They say it wasn't only the fur of the Dog that was made ashen, but its very soul; being among the guilty and punishing evil with evil lead it to become a force of darkness itself.
Like I mentioned, I'm partial to that idea. I've never been one for punishing evildoers (certain notable examples aside), and the notion that the Black Dog became evil through doing so speaks to me, in a sense. It's poetic, I guess.
Mind you, there are those who claim the Fears are impartial and cosmic, not truly evil. I'm inclined to disagree. The Fears are all too willing to place stakes on our personal lives, and raise them, for that matter. Otherwise, why bother? Seems a bit odd for a being of sheer alien indifference to seek out servants and murder humans. No, the Fears are evil, the purest personification humans can ever hope not to encounter.
And, of course, I'd know.
- Poe
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Blood-Hound
As if the birds weren't enough to deal with, now I have to deal with a dog too. The Once-White Wolf, the Long Slash, the Blood-Hound. The Black Dog.
It visited me last night and it gave me a single raven feather. Very subtle.
I was under the impression it only came for you if you had secrets, anyways. Everyone who reads this blog knows about what happened to Addie. What does it want with me, in that case? Or are those just rumors, and does it come for you no matter what you do, an implacable and unrelenting incarnation of guilt?
...That was melodramatic.
Sorry. I'm still feeling a little shaken.
I was sound asleep, but I jolted awake when I felt hot breath running down my neck. I looked around, and it was there, carrying a bird's feather in its mouth. I was the only one who was awake. It disappeared into the shadows before I could wake up Eric or Giles, leaving nothing to testify to its ever having been there but my memories and the feather on the ground.
(Do you suppose the Black Dog realizes that possession of raven feathers is illegal in the United States? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service definitely needs to get on this.)
- Poe
It visited me last night and it gave me a single raven feather. Very subtle.
I was under the impression it only came for you if you had secrets, anyways. Everyone who reads this blog knows about what happened to Addie. What does it want with me, in that case? Or are those just rumors, and does it come for you no matter what you do, an implacable and unrelenting incarnation of guilt?
...That was melodramatic.
Sorry. I'm still feeling a little shaken.
I was sound asleep, but I jolted awake when I felt hot breath running down my neck. I looked around, and it was there, carrying a bird's feather in its mouth. I was the only one who was awake. It disappeared into the shadows before I could wake up Eric or Giles, leaving nothing to testify to its ever having been there but my memories and the feather on the ground.
(Do you suppose the Black Dog realizes that possession of raven feathers is illegal in the United States? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service definitely needs to get on this.)
- Poe
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Their Condor Wings II
It's been a long few weeks.
After the encounter with the Carcass, we entered ARC headquarters without much further hassle. I'd describe it, but I don't want to give any more information on it than necessary. Suffice it to say that most of it is underground, the majority of it being an innocuous-looking building on the surface (which is a bit of an unintentional double meaning). I'm not sure what's going to happen to Clara and Caledon in the future, but currently, ARC is taking care of them and watching the latter closely.
As we left, we were ambushed by Puppets. They'd trailed us, I guess. Before they could attack us, they disappeared in a dark cloud. A figure stepped out, surrounded by birds.
"You have to be kidding me," Eric muttered.
"Unfortunately, no," said the Nest. "But look on the bright side, I got rid of those Puppets for you." He smiled, but it quickly turned to a grimace. "The name's Giles. Giles Grimholt."
"That sounds made-up," Eric noted.
"It does, doesn't it? But it's not. It's my real name. Real as a name can get, anyways. ...Ah, I sound like Kaden, that crazy weirdo. I just wish I got the chance to talk to him one last time after he went the Mountebank route. I think he's dead now, you know," he said, shaking his head. "Tried to save you two and Clara."
"Kaden? You mean the man who called himself Asher Lyall and saved us from the Puppets underground?"
"Aye, that's right. Kaden Crowley, if you can believe it. Well," he said, taking a drag from a cigarette, "even though I don't much like the idea of you letting my Kaden run off to die, we don't have to fight. See, I want something you have."
"And what's that?"
"Freedom. Freedom from the Convocation, and more to the point, safety from what they'd do to me if I abandoned them. As you may have guessed, I'm a Nest. However, they usually just flock around near me, so theoretically it should be possible to keep them away from me. I think maybe it's because they don't like the smell of cigarette gunk and alcohol.
"So here's the deal I'm offering: I join you. You don't turn me in to ARC and you don't let the Convocation get me, and I protect you from whatever other threats you might face, and I don't fight you."
"Because making a Faustian bargain worked out so well for us the last time," Eric said, crossing his arms.
"Oh, it could've worked out much worse, my friend. You could've died." Giles laughed.
A few moments passed in silence. I finally spoke:
"Alright."
Both turned to look at me. It was the first I'd said since this conversation had started. Giles started to laugh. "Who're you supposed to be, again?"
"I'm, uh, Poe."
"You want to tell me who you really are, or should I name myself after a dead goth too?" Giles asked, raising an eyebrow.
"H—."
"H—! Always liked that name. Well, alright, then, H— and Eric. We're friends now?"
"Allies," Eric corrected.
"Friends are just allies you like. Close enough, I'd say."
With that, we set out, accompanied by our new ally. We've had spotty Internet, so I haven't been able to post anything much. Sorry about that.
And don't even ask about the fact that this guy works for the things that killed Addie. Believe me, I've thought about it. But he clearly doesn't want to work for them. The only thing stronger than my hatred for those things is my fear of the possibility of becoming a bad person.
- Poe
After the encounter with the Carcass, we entered ARC headquarters without much further hassle. I'd describe it, but I don't want to give any more information on it than necessary. Suffice it to say that most of it is underground, the majority of it being an innocuous-looking building on the surface (which is a bit of an unintentional double meaning). I'm not sure what's going to happen to Clara and Caledon in the future, but currently, ARC is taking care of them and watching the latter closely.
As we left, we were ambushed by Puppets. They'd trailed us, I guess. Before they could attack us, they disappeared in a dark cloud. A figure stepped out, surrounded by birds.
"You have to be kidding me," Eric muttered.
"Unfortunately, no," said the Nest. "But look on the bright side, I got rid of those Puppets for you." He smiled, but it quickly turned to a grimace. "The name's Giles. Giles Grimholt."
"That sounds made-up," Eric noted.
"It does, doesn't it? But it's not. It's my real name. Real as a name can get, anyways. ...Ah, I sound like Kaden, that crazy weirdo. I just wish I got the chance to talk to him one last time after he went the Mountebank route. I think he's dead now, you know," he said, shaking his head. "Tried to save you two and Clara."
"Kaden? You mean the man who called himself Asher Lyall and saved us from the Puppets underground?"
"Aye, that's right. Kaden Crowley, if you can believe it. Well," he said, taking a drag from a cigarette, "even though I don't much like the idea of you letting my Kaden run off to die, we don't have to fight. See, I want something you have."
"And what's that?"
"Freedom. Freedom from the Convocation, and more to the point, safety from what they'd do to me if I abandoned them. As you may have guessed, I'm a Nest. However, they usually just flock around near me, so theoretically it should be possible to keep them away from me. I think maybe it's because they don't like the smell of cigarette gunk and alcohol.
"So here's the deal I'm offering: I join you. You don't turn me in to ARC and you don't let the Convocation get me, and I protect you from whatever other threats you might face, and I don't fight you."
"Because making a Faustian bargain worked out so well for us the last time," Eric said, crossing his arms.
"Oh, it could've worked out much worse, my friend. You could've died." Giles laughed.
A few moments passed in silence. I finally spoke:
"Alright."
Both turned to look at me. It was the first I'd said since this conversation had started. Giles started to laugh. "Who're you supposed to be, again?"
"I'm, uh, Poe."
"You want to tell me who you really are, or should I name myself after a dead goth too?" Giles asked, raising an eyebrow.
"H—."
"H—! Always liked that name. Well, alright, then, H— and Eric. We're friends now?"
"Allies," Eric corrected.
"Friends are just allies you like. Close enough, I'd say."
With that, we set out, accompanied by our new ally. We've had spotty Internet, so I haven't been able to post anything much. Sorry about that.
And don't even ask about the fact that this guy works for the things that killed Addie. Believe me, I've thought about it. But he clearly doesn't want to work for them. The only thing stronger than my hatred for those things is my fear of the possibility of becoming a bad person.
- Poe
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
The Horror of Blood III
We had just arrived at ARC's local headquarters. Caledon heard something growl from the bushes. Pretty quickly, we figured out something was wrong. Clara ran inside as soon as the thing showed itself. I suppose she realized that a fight between a teenager and a Dying Man shard wouldn't end well for the teenager. Eric shot a few times at the Carcass. It didn't do much.
Caledon, meanwhile, took out a long combat knife and made a swing at the Carcass's neck. It didn't do much, but it seemed to cause the Carcass pain.
I, meanwhile... well, I provided moral support. (I'm not much of a fighter.)
Caledon, meanwhile, took out a long combat knife and made a swing at the Carcass's neck. It didn't do much, but it seemed to cause the Carcass pain.
I, meanwhile... well, I provided moral support. (I'm not much of a fighter.)
But seriously, I did help somewhat. The Carcass, as has been established by now, is rather stupid, and there was a rock by my feet. I threw it while the Carcass had its eyes closed for a moment, and it honest to God looked to see what made the sound. So Eric took the knife from Caledon and stabbed it into the Carcass's leg. The Carcass howled and swatted at Eric, scratching up his face.
That did it. I took out my own knife and stabbed the Carcass in the eye as it moved downwards to bite Eric. The Carcass, apparently acting on what was left of its human instincts since it had been possessed, ran back into the woods with a limp, bleeding from several spots.
That did it. I took out my own knife and stabbed the Carcass in the eye as it moved downwards to bite Eric. The Carcass, apparently acting on what was left of its human instincts since it had been possessed, ran back into the woods with a limp, bleeding from several spots.
After that, we followed Clara's lead and went into the headquarters. The situation is... being worked out right now, what with Caledon's being a former member of both ARC and of one of its most personal enemies, and Clara's being a teenager with a Puppet for a mother and a father who is, to my knowledge, absentee.
And... I feel really bad for suggesting the Carcass was David. I mean, I know what survivor's guilt feels like, I know what it's like to feel as though the people you once knew want vengeance from beyond the grave, and I know what it's like to be told you're right. That's not something I would wish on anyone.
I guess I was just projecting.
I guess I was just projecting.
- Poe
Saturday, February 23, 2019
The Winged Seraphs
In short, I became a new man, and lived a man's life.
It was Alan Roach. It was his footsteps I heard.
Or rather, it was the man I met while he was wearing the mask of Alan Roach, and playing that part. (That mask, if you're curious, is a good old-fashioned devil mask.) Currently, not-Alan is going by Asher Lyall, and he's wearing the kitsune mask to match. Really, he's indistinguishable from your average Mountebank, complete with the tattoo of a hand shaking a red glove on the back of his neck. However, he said he wasn't really... working with the Mountebanks for that particular mission.
Unfortunately, Eric, Clara, and I were all unable to save Asher. He had cleared out the Puppets nonlethally, mostly through his sharply-honed stealth skills (and, apparently, actual magical abilities, though I... think he was joking about that?), and gotten to the cell where Eric and I were being held, but some other people came after him. Angry Mountebanks, I think. I don't know if they've captured him yet, or what, but it doesn't seem like things are looking up for him. He told us to get outside, and to leave him down in the tunnels.
He said it was his battle to fight, not ours. I didn't argue. (...Should I have?)
Shortly after leaving the tunnels, we came across a man with long hair and a long beard. Eric recognized him, called him "Caledon." He had the Archangel seal on his hand, though he tried to cover it up when I looked. Evidently, he was Zagreus, the former ARC agent/current Timberwolf I talked about a few posts ago.
He asked us to kill him.
We refused, of course. Even though Eric had seemed... pretty mad, he pretty quickly decided not to do what Caledon had asked; instead, he brought him along with us. I think Eric's planning on turning him in to ARC. We're headed back to their local headquarters anyways (again; hopefully we don't get attacked by Puppets this time around) as it stands.
Not sure what ARC will do with him.
- Poe
It was Alan Roach. It was his footsteps I heard.
Or rather, it was the man I met while he was wearing the mask of Alan Roach, and playing that part. (That mask, if you're curious, is a good old-fashioned devil mask.) Currently, not-Alan is going by Asher Lyall, and he's wearing the kitsune mask to match. Really, he's indistinguishable from your average Mountebank, complete with the tattoo of a hand shaking a red glove on the back of his neck. However, he said he wasn't really... working with the Mountebanks for that particular mission.
Unfortunately, Eric, Clara, and I were all unable to save Asher. He had cleared out the Puppets nonlethally, mostly through his sharply-honed stealth skills (and, apparently, actual magical abilities, though I... think he was joking about that?), and gotten to the cell where Eric and I were being held, but some other people came after him. Angry Mountebanks, I think. I don't know if they've captured him yet, or what, but it doesn't seem like things are looking up for him. He told us to get outside, and to leave him down in the tunnels.
He said it was his battle to fight, not ours. I didn't argue. (...Should I have?)
Shortly after leaving the tunnels, we came across a man with long hair and a long beard. Eric recognized him, called him "Caledon." He had the Archangel seal on his hand, though he tried to cover it up when I looked. Evidently, he was Zagreus, the former ARC agent/current Timberwolf I talked about a few posts ago.
He asked us to kill him.
We refused, of course. Even though Eric had seemed... pretty mad, he pretty quickly decided not to do what Caledon had asked; instead, he brought him along with us. I think Eric's planning on turning him in to ARC. We're headed back to their local headquarters anyways (again; hopefully we don't get attacked by Puppets this time around) as it stands.
Not sure what ARC will do with him.
- Poe
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Mere Puppets II
Clara snuck in my phone.
I guess I should give context for that. Eric and I got kidnapped by Puppets as we made our way to the local ARC HQ. One of the Puppets is named Henrietta Bendis, and she has a daughter named Clara who's being trained to become the Princess of Puppets, meaning the Wooden Girl will take control of her body if her current one gets destroyed.
Currently, Eric and I are being held in an otherwise-abandoned tunnel. Evidently, this city has a lot of those lying about. Just our luck. The Puppets are usually very picky about leaving Clara unwatched, but I guess they were busy dealing with some sort of intruder, and they decided Clara was too vulnerable to be exposed to anything like that.
I'm going to give my phone back to Clara after I write this. I don't want the Puppets to suspect her of anything; her situation is clearly not working in her favor, and it wouldn't surprise me if they mistreated her upon finding out that she let me use this. I actually tried to convince her not to give it to me, but she insisted, so I figure I may as well leave a post and update you
Footsteps
I guess I should give context for that. Eric and I got kidnapped by Puppets as we made our way to the local ARC HQ. One of the Puppets is named Henrietta Bendis, and she has a daughter named Clara who's being trained to become the Princess of Puppets, meaning the Wooden Girl will take control of her body if her current one gets destroyed.
Currently, Eric and I are being held in an otherwise-abandoned tunnel. Evidently, this city has a lot of those lying about. Just our luck. The Puppets are usually very picky about leaving Clara unwatched, but I guess they were busy dealing with some sort of intruder, and they decided Clara was too vulnerable to be exposed to anything like that.
I'm going to give my phone back to Clara after I write this. I don't want the Puppets to suspect her of anything; her situation is clearly not working in her favor, and it wouldn't surprise me if they mistreated her upon finding out that she let me use this. I actually tried to convince her not to give it to me, but she insisted, so I figure I may as well leave a post and update you
Footsteps
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
The Tell-Tale Heart
Eric says he's okay if I post this here. So... I guess I will.
We swapped stories last night. He already knew about Addie, so I didn't tell him about that. I don't... really want to talk about what I told him in such a public place, though. It's hard to explain. Just suffice it to say that I've told you all about some pretty terrible things... and this was worse.
Eric, meanwhile, told me about his own past. It happened pretty recently, actually. It turns out his circumstances aren't all that different from mine.
Eric was camping in the Appalachian Mountains with a guy named David. A friend of his, evidently. It was cold, and they were alone. David heard something. Eric didn't. It got pretty tense; Eric eventually agreed to go check with David, but at some point they got separated without realizing it. Eric heard something, something horrible. In a panic, he searched for David. He found him, all right. Just... not living.
The official answer was highly unclear. They thought it was some sort of wild animal that did it, but they couldn't get any further than that. It wasn't human, at any rate.
ARC contacted Eric soon after. They didn't say what did it, because they didn't know. They just told him they didn't think it was natural. They did say they'd had an eye on him for a while, though; he was a law enforcement ranger, and they believed that, despite the tragedy inherent in the situation, it was the perfect opening for a job offer. And now Eric works for ARC.
I think David was the Carcass.
It all clicks. I think, in some way, the Carcass was vengeful.
It sounds crazy, I know. But then, is the idea that it could feel residual anger really more unbelievable than that it could exist in the first place?
I don't know.
This all feels weird.
- Poe
We swapped stories last night. He already knew about Addie, so I didn't tell him about that. I don't... really want to talk about what I told him in such a public place, though. It's hard to explain. Just suffice it to say that I've told you all about some pretty terrible things... and this was worse.
Eric, meanwhile, told me about his own past. It happened pretty recently, actually. It turns out his circumstances aren't all that different from mine.
Eric was camping in the Appalachian Mountains with a guy named David. A friend of his, evidently. It was cold, and they were alone. David heard something. Eric didn't. It got pretty tense; Eric eventually agreed to go check with David, but at some point they got separated without realizing it. Eric heard something, something horrible. In a panic, he searched for David. He found him, all right. Just... not living.
The official answer was highly unclear. They thought it was some sort of wild animal that did it, but they couldn't get any further than that. It wasn't human, at any rate.
ARC contacted Eric soon after. They didn't say what did it, because they didn't know. They just told him they didn't think it was natural. They did say they'd had an eye on him for a while, though; he was a law enforcement ranger, and they believed that, despite the tragedy inherent in the situation, it was the perfect opening for a job offer. And now Eric works for ARC.
I think David was the Carcass.
It all clicks. I think, in some way, the Carcass was vengeful.
It sounds crazy, I know. But then, is the idea that it could feel residual anger really more unbelievable than that it could exist in the first place?
I don't know.
This all feels weird.
- Poe
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