In the beginning, the Seven Gods—divine embodiments of the seven Holy Virtues—created the world, in all its beauty and cruelty. Mountains and valleys, rivers and lakes, forests and vast grassland plains, deserts and marshland… all brought into being in a moment.
But the new world was vast and empty, and so the Gods made many creatures to fill the void, some with intelligence enough to tend and care for the rest of creation.
And that was when the world’s troubles truly began…
Twenty five years ago, everything changed.
Magic, that precious gift of the gods, began to flicker and fade. For some, it grew weaker or disappeared altogether. For others, it became savage and unpredictable, lashing out at its wielder like a wounded animal. Unreliable, dangerous, broken.
It was also the time of the first monstrous births; children of all races, born with strange and beastly mutations—a wolf’s ears, a fox’s tail, a raven’s talons—and the ability to alter their form into that of an animal. These “Shapeshifters”, as they became known, were said to be a curse. A sickness deep in the world’s soul.
A sign of the end times.
It has been twenty five years since then, and the world has not yet ended. The first Shapeshifters are adults, more are born every day, and still no one knows why.
The people of the world have turned to panic in the face of the incomprehensible. Some give themselves over to fevered research, desperately seeking answers where there may be none. Others indulge in hedonistic pleasures, reasoning that if these are their last days, they might as well live before they die. Still others embrace their doom, welcome the horror, even attempt to usher in the Age of Darkness.
Which brings us to the city of Montevelian, to reports of strange sightings on the islands to the West. To the anxious Grand Duke, determined to defend his people.
To you.
This may not the first death cult you’ve investigated. But it might just be the last.
Hosted and narrated by:
Mysterious Stranger (Furare)
Completed 02/04/20.
Scenes played: 20
License: Community License
