When Matt and I finally decided which characters we would use for the game, we had the idea to write lore for each character individually. This has been a challenge, as I've talked about previously, but not one I've undertaken lightly. What has ended up happening is the creation of twelve short, self-contained "vignettes" that each reveal a piece of a larger narrative (as I talked about here, last week) - not whole short-stories on their own, more like scenes, but collectively giving the reader a pretty good understanding of the world we've created.
Meredith's story is one of grand ambition. It was Meredith's actions that ultimately led to the Dark Lord's downfall, though she was not present to witness it and certainly not in the way she'd planned. We learn more about Meredith's backstory through other characters' lore; the story presented here shows the reader the nature of the Dark Lord's punishment for his former servant and only hints at the larger narrative. I wanted to combine Kafka and a Promethean punishment (which should give you a good clue as to what the hell's up with Meredith) and the result is our spidery Blood Mage. This is one of the more individually focused vignettes I've written for Dark Lord and as a result is one of my favorites. I sincerely hope you all enjoy it too.
Cheers,
Bobby Dillon
Co-Founder, Dystopic Entertainment
Meredith's story is one of grand ambition. It was Meredith's actions that ultimately led to the Dark Lord's downfall, though she was not present to witness it and certainly not in the way she'd planned. We learn more about Meredith's backstory through other characters' lore; the story presented here shows the reader the nature of the Dark Lord's punishment for his former servant and only hints at the larger narrative. I wanted to combine Kafka and a Promethean punishment (which should give you a good clue as to what the hell's up with Meredith) and the result is our spidery Blood Mage. This is one of the more individually focused vignettes I've written for Dark Lord and as a result is one of my favorites. I sincerely hope you all enjoy it too.
Cheers,
Bobby Dillon
Co-Founder, Dystopic Entertainment
The demoness failed her. The cursed girl betrayed her. Her soul is bound to this place, never freed by the release of death. Each day the poison would cease her heart’s beating. Each day her soul would return to her body, clawing back into its vessel, forcing her heart’s progress, forcing the coursing poison through her veins to burn her from the inside out all over.
The spiders no longer terrified her. Their venom was as her blood itself. What terrified her now was eternity. Pain was nothing – the pain had become as normal as oxygen to her. Death? Death was a daily part of her existence, simply another routine part of life. Her eyes had even become accustomed to the darkness within the cave that was her prison. Her muscles were growing stronger again, after having atrophied from laying on the ground for so long, the weakness a product of the arachnids’ venom.
But eternity…such a loathsome fate for one such as her – she deserved better! Indeed, she would have better. She knew this, even as the spiders envenomed her anew, even as the spiders consumed her very flesh. She did not even notice such things any longer, so long had she been subjected to these horrors. The Dark Lord was truly a creative judiciary, inspired in his punishments for those who betrayed him. She admired him, envied his drive and power, even as she loathed his very existence.
She knew she had changed. She could feel…not her legs – other legs. She could feel the pebbles and dead spider corpses stuck to her hands, to the other legs. She felt stronger than she ever had before. Only the power of the Dark Lord kept her trapped in this prison. She smiled at this. For the first time in a century, there were those in the Land who were powerful enough to challenge him. She had been one of them, before the girl had betrayed her secrets – before the succubus had gotten herself ensnared in the soul eater’s nets. Had his discovery of her plot been intentional? Or, had he simply stumbled upon it? Was he truly enamored of the demoness?
She would know the answers to these and many other questions. One did not get to possess such power as He did and stay powerful forever. Eventually, a challenger would arise. And when that time came, Meredith knew…her eternity would change. But what if that day never came?
This question was terrifying in ways no amount of deadly, hungry, flesh-eating spiders could ever be. Her day was coming to an end. She felt the poison gradually reaching toward her heart. It would be but a minute or so. As her sight dimmed, as the poison took her life, Meredith knew what awaited on the other side, knew that on the other side of life was –
Simply darkness and pain.
Ceaseless screams without a source.
She didn’t believe there was a Hell until she’d entered the cave.
Now she knew a Hell of her own making.
Hell was eternity as a prisoner.
Suddenly, light, blinding and painful. It was as if she’d never opened her eyes before, so intense was the sensation washing over her eyes. Pain and discomfort filled her body, filtering in through her eyes. For what seemed hours, she lay there, angry, pained, screaming at the light though unable to remove herself from it. As he eyes grew accustomed to the light, she felt her body growing stronger.
She looked up and saw the cave open to the horizon. Surely this was a trap – surely this would simply be a sick game of the Dark Lord, though she had known him well. This was not his way. His was a direct and brutal malice, not one of cloaks and daggers or of subtle manipulation. That, she realized, was her way. She clawed her way to the opening, dragging legs behind her. In the distance she saw the Eye, smoke billowing from the summit, shrieks emanating from the surrounding crypts, caves, forests and graves.
She knew what had happened intuitively. She had planned for, hoped for, thought about, obsessed over this moment for decades. Even as she had aided the Dark Lord she sought to depose him. She sensed the vacuum of power left in his wake. She would take up his mantle.
She climbed from the entrance gingerly, making way toward the center of the Land.
The spiders no longer terrified her. Their venom was as her blood itself. What terrified her now was eternity. Pain was nothing – the pain had become as normal as oxygen to her. Death? Death was a daily part of her existence, simply another routine part of life. Her eyes had even become accustomed to the darkness within the cave that was her prison. Her muscles were growing stronger again, after having atrophied from laying on the ground for so long, the weakness a product of the arachnids’ venom.
But eternity…such a loathsome fate for one such as her – she deserved better! Indeed, she would have better. She knew this, even as the spiders envenomed her anew, even as the spiders consumed her very flesh. She did not even notice such things any longer, so long had she been subjected to these horrors. The Dark Lord was truly a creative judiciary, inspired in his punishments for those who betrayed him. She admired him, envied his drive and power, even as she loathed his very existence.
She knew she had changed. She could feel…not her legs – other legs. She could feel the pebbles and dead spider corpses stuck to her hands, to the other legs. She felt stronger than she ever had before. Only the power of the Dark Lord kept her trapped in this prison. She smiled at this. For the first time in a century, there were those in the Land who were powerful enough to challenge him. She had been one of them, before the girl had betrayed her secrets – before the succubus had gotten herself ensnared in the soul eater’s nets. Had his discovery of her plot been intentional? Or, had he simply stumbled upon it? Was he truly enamored of the demoness?
She would know the answers to these and many other questions. One did not get to possess such power as He did and stay powerful forever. Eventually, a challenger would arise. And when that time came, Meredith knew…her eternity would change. But what if that day never came?
This question was terrifying in ways no amount of deadly, hungry, flesh-eating spiders could ever be. Her day was coming to an end. She felt the poison gradually reaching toward her heart. It would be but a minute or so. As her sight dimmed, as the poison took her life, Meredith knew what awaited on the other side, knew that on the other side of life was –
Simply darkness and pain.
Ceaseless screams without a source.
She didn’t believe there was a Hell until she’d entered the cave.
Now she knew a Hell of her own making.
Hell was eternity as a prisoner.
Suddenly, light, blinding and painful. It was as if she’d never opened her eyes before, so intense was the sensation washing over her eyes. Pain and discomfort filled her body, filtering in through her eyes. For what seemed hours, she lay there, angry, pained, screaming at the light though unable to remove herself from it. As he eyes grew accustomed to the light, she felt her body growing stronger.
She looked up and saw the cave open to the horizon. Surely this was a trap – surely this would simply be a sick game of the Dark Lord, though she had known him well. This was not his way. His was a direct and brutal malice, not one of cloaks and daggers or of subtle manipulation. That, she realized, was her way. She clawed her way to the opening, dragging legs behind her. In the distance she saw the Eye, smoke billowing from the summit, shrieks emanating from the surrounding crypts, caves, forests and graves.
She knew what had happened intuitively. She had planned for, hoped for, thought about, obsessed over this moment for decades. Even as she had aided the Dark Lord she sought to depose him. She sensed the vacuum of power left in his wake. She would take up his mantle.
She climbed from the entrance gingerly, making way toward the center of the Land.
