Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is a psychological horror video game released for the Nintendo GameCube. Developed by Canadian developer Silicon Knights, it was first released and published by Nintendo on June 24, 2002 in North America. It was the first video game published by Nintendo to be rated M for mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

Alexandra Roivas

You forget what it means to be human Pious! The human race will never go quietly into the darkness, for as long as you have spent summoning your lord people have struggled against you. Now, thanks to their efforts I have three of the Ancient’s essences. Now Pious, this is the end!
- When facing Pious Augustus

What have I done!?
- After killing Pious, realising the Ancient she summoned would destroy her world

As I gazed up at the Ancient I had brought into this world to stop Pious', my mistake was made clear. This Ancient could lay the world to ruin just as easily as Pious’ would have. And yet, as quickly as it began, it ended. To think, that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality. To see those who dwell behind…I was once a fool.
- After finishing the game for the first time

There was something more, like a hole being opened in my mind, disguising the thoughts there. I can almost see it; I have a strong ally, but where? I must look toward the future; my work is not yet done.
- After finishing the game for the second time

Where emptiness had been, new knowledge now seeped inside. Something happened then, I realized that I was not the only one. That there were many others like me, in other places, other universes, fighting the same fight, all to serve the needs of the great Ancient, and to have my world spared, from Eternal Darkness.
- After finishing the game for the third - and final - time

Edward Roivas

Flesh. Bone. Bound together with the oddest magickal incantation. This wretched book is where it all began so long ago. Before time, Before humanity. I am doctor Edward Roivas. I am a clinical Psychologist. I am also dead. This is not my story, nor even the story of the Roivas family. It is the story of humanity. Like it or not, believe it or not as you will. Your perceptions will not change reality, but simply colour it. Humanity has been on the edge of extinction for two millennia. Ignorant of so much, and dependent on so few. The guardians grow restless. Their time once again near. Whether by fate or misfortune, my family has crossed their path. And they didn’t take kindly too it. Their attention turns to my grand-daughter. For she is the last of my line, and the last hope of humanity.
- The game introduction

I cannot say what was the true beginning, nor am I sure of its end. So perhaps this is the best place to start: I am reminded of ideas I first encountered in Sir James George Frazer’s book “The Golden Bough: A study in Magic and Religion.” We are overwhelmed by our very human need to weave a web of meaning where there may be none. Since time immemorial, ancient peoples have dressed up their lack of knowledge as gods and demons. I have discovered that sometimes, the fates of gods and mortals intertwine – and legends are born...
- The second chapter introduction, Ellia's chapter

It is apparent that the endeavors of mankind are mere puppetry at the hands of the Ancients. Whenever a king vows reform, the ancients move quickly to stifle it. Under the auspices of Emperor Charlemagne the Frank, the new Holy Roman Empire was at the height of its power.
- The third chapter introduction, Anthony's chapter

Dreams: Modern psychology offers only unproven theories. Some see them as the meaningless tossing and turning of a brain settling into a restful sleep. Others see them as laden with symbols of our unconscious desires. To still others, dreams represent the upwelling of the archetypes, normally hidden deep within the recesses of the human collective unconscious. Of one thing I am certain: after a brush with the Ancients, our dreams metamorphosize into nightmares...
- The fourth chapter introduction, Karim's chapter

I will not argue that I was shocked by the sudden mention of my ancestors – the distinguished Dr. Maximillian Roivas! It chilled me to my bones! Where had this ancient book come from? How had my ancestor stumbled upon it? I feverishly began to read more, eager to learn his story. It seems that Maximillian had inherited his father’s mansion, just as I had. Alone since the death of his wife, and since his children had their own adult lives, he explored the house to discover his family roots...
- The fifth chapter introduction, Maximillian's chapter

The Ancient’s influence was incredible. From all walks of life, to all parts of our world, their tendrils crept and wrought their insidious damage. Their prisons decayed constantly as their Guardian’s work continued. I discovered mention of a breakthrough in satellite RADAR imaging that revealed the presence of a hitherto unknown temple mound in the Angkor Thom region of Cambodia. An archaeologist of some repute, Dr. Edwin Lindsey, took it upon himself to investigate the area, to reveal the secrets of history. Unfortunately, the local government at the time thought differently, requiring that Lindsey find other means into the country and to finance the expedition. He found these in Paul Augustine, a collector of rare items who professed an interest in the discovery and agreed to help. After a dysentery-riddled two-week venture, Lindsey and Augustine located the remains of an ancient City Temple, dating back to the 12th Century...
- The sixth chapter introduction, Edwin's chapter

In Europe, during the time of the inquisition, paranoia and corruption ran deep. With the fear of devilry running rampant, the Ancient’s corruption extended far beyond the knowledge, corrupting all that could be corrupted. My researches uncovered an interesting incident: A Franciscan monk named Paul Luther was travelling through the region of Amiens during the witch hunts of the inquisition. Now under martial law, the inquisition prevented anyone from leaving the town and its nearby Cathedral, for everyone was suspect...
- The seventh chapter introduction, Paul's chapter

Much has been written about the exploits of conquerors. In the context of history, one man’s champion is another man’s nemesis: hero or murderer. Much has been written, but what has not is far more interesting. The Tome of Eternal Darkness mentions a Venetian artist and architect of the Renaissance, named Roberto Bianchi. Roaming abroad for inspiration, he was captured by a warlord expanding his empire. He forced Roberto to use his architectural and engineering skills to construct a monument to his greatness. To complete his task, he must survey the site...
- The eighth chapter introduction, Roberto's chapter

The “War to end all wars” redefined how mankind looked at war, and the value of human life. Over 19,000 men lost their lives every day in the trenches of the Somme. Some say uselessly, some invoke a higher cause. I read accounts of the slaughter from many journalists who spent time in the trenches, but I found the account of a certain Peter Jacob to be the most horrible of all… His implication about the Ancient’s involvement with the war was hideous, and so obvious… With the horror of the Battle of the Somme scant miles away and the distant echoes of pounding artillery, a young journalist named Peter Jacob researched his latest story from the frontlines. His grim task brought him to Oublié Cathedral, now transformed into a field hospital…
- The ninth chapter introduction, Peter's chapter

My education in psychology did not prepare me. I would like to see how Freud’s view of his mother would change with the knowledge of Chattur’gha. How Skinner would incorporate Xel’lotath in his behaviourists theories. How Jung would accommodate Ulyaoth into his theory of the collective unconscious. Like my ancestor Maximillian, I too had an interest in my family tree. As a psychiatrist, I believed that science could provide answers into my family’s sordid, bizarre past. It was with great excitement that I began my search. The mansion’s history was filled with my colorful predecessors. Everything from convicted and hung witches, to committed madmen, each laying their own peculiar mark on its character. I intended to find their secrets.
- The tenth chapter introduction, Edward's chapter

Wherever disaster and death lurk, there is likely to be an Ancient just beyond our senses, waiting. They prey on our misfortune, and exploit it toward their own twisted ends. When hundreds of oil fields are set ablaze on the heels of war, the Ancients grip tightens, knowing that lives will be forfeit, and resources squandered. But a few people make a difference. People like Michael Edwards, a Canadian industrial firefighter hired to put an end to the insanity at the end of the war. Ironically for him, the insanity was just beginning.
- The eleventh chapter, Michael's chapter

Quickly Alex! We must bind this creature! It cannot be allowed to remain in this universe!
- After the fight against Pious, Edward's ghost uses the power of the city of Ehn'gha to bind the remaining Ancient

It is finally over my dear. The Ancients plans are finished, for now at least. You have proven to be an incredibly courageous young woman. Your mother and father would have been proud of you, just as I am. I’m sorry it had to be like this, it’s not quite the inheritance I had in mind for you, but there was so little time, and so much to do. Goodbye Alex, I will miss you.
- Edward's farewell to Alex, at the end of the game

And so it comes to pass. Of the three Ancients, there is nothing. The mighty Chattur’gha has obliterated the insanity of Xel’lotath. The madness of Xel’lotath has overcome the power of Ulyaoth. The boundless Ulyaoth has decimated the power of Chattur’gha. All at once, separate and simultaneous, for the universe is made of many time streams, many possibilities, all in harmonious synchronicity. Only Mantorok remains, slowly dying. Mantorok, keeper, overseer, warden of Ancients, chaos, an entity trapped between the veils of reality, and the enchanted stakes that impale its flesh. Unable to rally its Guardians, it could only rely on its subtle manipulations of the Roivas family to destroy its enemies. Knowing the nature of the Ancients, it used its pawns to play them against each other, resulting in their mutual annihilation. Now it will languish forever, festering in its tomb... Plotting.
- The very last narration of the game, after completing it three times

Pious Augustus

I had no knowledge of what was to come. Nor did I care. How the knowledge changed me... It will also change you. As you read this, you will come to learn fear as I have. You too, will come to understand, or you will perish. To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality, to see those who dwell behind. My life now has purpose, for I have learned the frailty of flesh and bone. I was once a fool…
- The first chapter introduction

Aeons have passed since then, and I have learned much. Chattur’gha’s power filled me, invigorating my dead body. With a touch, I could level buildings, rend the ground asunder, and channel power such as mortal men could only dream… Face me, and you shall surely perish!
- The first chapter ending if you chose Chattur'gha's artifact

Aeons have passed since then, and I have learned much. All at once, I understood. The forces of the multiverse all made sense under the transcending power of Ulyaoth. No mountain too high, no city too far. Face me, and you shall surely perish!
- The first chapter ending if you chose Ulyaoth' artifact

Aeons have passed since then, and I have learned much. I was once as naive as a child, but now my mind is sharp. With the power of Xel’lotath, I can now read the thoughts of others and make them raving mad with a mere suggestion. Face me, and you shall surely perish!
- The first chapter ending if you chose Xel'lotath artifact

Thy time is done, Great Ancient. Forever in shadow will you be, Master of Chaos! And to fade to nothing in obscurity will be thy fate. My master has planned many millennia for this day. It is the true chaos of all things that you now must be entombed amongst the beings of flesh and bone. You have a great monument here, Mantorok. It is a pity that no one will recognize it as yours. May the Darkness claim thee, crawling chaos and damned beast! No longer will thy reign be kept over the Ancients you have kept imprisoned. Thou hast seen the last of this world…

So, you are reduced to feeding on flesh and bone, Mantorok. How the mighty have fallen. You will surely fester for millennia to come, a slow and torturous fate for thee…
- Mocking Mantorok after he devoured two of his guards

My liege, the future is yours. The light in the Age of Darkness has been extinguished. The Pillar of Flesh has been constructed. The Master of Chaos – the “Keeper of the Ancients” – is long dead. The planets will be in alignment soon. All is prepared for your arrival. I will begin the final incantation that will bring you into our world within days. The next millennia will truly usher in a new age! Your guardians now prepare the gate!

[Impersonating Paul Augustine] For years, I have searched for it without success. Here, all along, clouded from us beneath the Great Ancient’s insidious magick! I am very pleased with your performance, Dr. Lindsey… Very pleased… In fact, so pleased, that I will give you an early bonus. [Draws a gun, but Lindsey manage to run away] You are a scholar, Dr. Lindsey – not a warrior. In that regard I have several centuries more experience than you! Don’t be a fool – die quietly, and you will not suffer. [Lindsey takes a shot at him, and Paul turns into Pious] You cannot escape me, Lindsey! This place will be your tomb, just as it is Mantorok’s! Guardians of (name of Ancient whose artifact you selected)! Kill him!
- During the sixth chapter introduction

I am not your food today! I am your master! Your task is to guard the artifact before you. Let no one touch it!
- After summoning the Black Guardian

Evil is merely a perspective which no longer concerns me, Luther.

[Impersonating an Arabian conqueror]I am the Scourge of God, appointed to chastise you, since no one knows the remedy for your iniquity except me. You are wicked, but I am more wicked than you. So be silent! [He turns to Roberto] Now you, architect. You are about to make your largest contribution to this project...
- During the eight chapter ending, while his guards are throwing prisoners down a pit

Fool! [Spits on Alex's body] I spit at thee! The darkness shall be Eternal!
- If you lose during the final battle

Ugh! The darkness... Is not so easily destroyed... No... My death is just the beginning!
- If you manage to beat Pious

Ellia

Not even these mythical fables can keep me amused. There has to be SOMETHING to do around here... I only wish that something fantastic and of higher purpose could happen to me.
- After reading Mantorok's imprisonment from the Tome of Eternal Darkness

Do not touch the heart, flesh and bone, lest you become like me: a dead, rotted husk. I have waited many centuries for you. It was not easy hiding from the dark ones as they searched for me. At first they passed by not thinking the heart was inside my dead body, but I was forced to find refuge here. You must seal the heart so it never contacts your flesh, and take it to the Gathering of Light. Take the heart there, or the world shall fall under a reign of Eternal Darkness! The veil of reality can only be pulled back so far, mortal. Take your stand, and fight the Darkness!
- To Edwin, when he found her cadaver at the core of the temple

Anthony

What sorcery is this? A spell! I am bewitched! If this was meant for Charlemagne, then what will become of him!? I have to warn him of this treachery!
- After reading a parchment intended for Charlemagne which contained a spell

Karim

The things I do for love...
- After Chandra ask him to sacrifice his life to protect the artefact

Maximilian Roivas

It has been two weeks since the death of my father, and it has finally come to me to look over the mansion. Now I am truly alone, and forced to start a new life, here in Rhode Island. I intend to make the mansion mine, and live in it as my forefathers have, to continue the family tradition. The mansion has its secrets, I’m sure, and in my time here, I have to make them mine.
- Max's monologue during the chapter's introduction

The accursed beast was dead, but not without its toll on me. That was but one, and there was an entire city of them... I could not hope to fight them all alone – I knew I had to get help! I knew there was a way – I just had to find it.
- After killing the guardian at the end of the chapter

I tried... I tried to tell them... But they wouldn’t listen to me... Damn them! Damn their eyes! They didn’t believe me. Strange creatures... The world in peril from unseen foes... The death... The darkness! Instead, they jeered and threw me into this forsaken place – a place of empty souls and fevered thoughts, reeking of foetor and decay, thinking me mad with delirium! The fools cast away their hopes of salvation, by locking me in this damned asylum! (rushed to and collides with the door) May the rats eat your eyes! I am now lost to your cause ! The darkness comes! It will damn us all!
- The chapter ending, where Max is seen in an asylum room

Corpses! Lumbering, rotting cadavers! What contrivance could have wrought this... this... this abomination?!?! Diseased science...?? Blasphemous occult rituals? How can something so... so dead, yet be so alive?!?! And hungry..! They lust for flesh... Human flesh... And feast upon all the sweetbreads a man has to offer!!
- Autopsy of a Mantorok zombie

These wretched creatures, these flayed corpses! Wandering, decrepit soulless vessels, content only to gnaw on human meat, to spill human blood... Even...even headless, their hate for the living grew in propensity...flailing maniacally in their blood lust...killing anything close!
- Autopsy of a Chattur'gha zombie

Neither the embalming salve of their wrappings, nor the numbness of death, could override the dominating madness that is Xel'lotath. Controlled...prodded into an existence by an incessant cacophony of voices, penetrating every level of their psyches, these corpses are coerced into life... Ambling... Moaning... SHRIEKING!
- Autopsy of a Xel'lotath zombie

Rotted from within. Worried apart by the ravening fish and parasitic foetor of their sunken graves... these drowned zombies emerged, spilling their festering entrails and slooping fluids with each pain ridden step... Each step hoping to bring an end to their pain by spreading it to others.
- Autopsy of an Ulyaoth zombie

There are worlds beyond this one, world as we've never seen...nor can we... Our eyes do not open far enough... Try it...try holding your eyes open...you can try holding them open as much as you want, but you'll never see...never ever see... The world beyond the veil... The Veil of Reality... It's there to protect us, from them: the Ancients...the Darkness...that...which...we...CANNOT...understand. Nor should we... Welcome the oblivion of ignorance!! For to have knowledge...is to be DAMNED!!
- Autopsy of a Trapper

They ARE amongst us! I knew they would come after me... Knew their devices... Their depraved methods! Creatures wearing human skins as we wear clothes - to cover their hideousness from our eyes! So they might consort insidiously with our species, infiltrating, manipulating, playing us against each other. DAMN OUR EYES!!! WE ARE BLIND TO THEM!!! But I knew... Oh yes... I knew! I knew they were there - plotting behind that door! One has to be careful... One must separate their heads from their bodies. And yes! Fire is the key...to purge their souls from this earth... sending them whimpering to their masters in the Beyond!!!!
- Autopsy of a Chattur'gha Bonethief

The devils inside the servants' skulls were trying to kill me! They plotted behind doors locked and barred and planned the downfall of the human race! I took care of the ones around me... Stopped their plans. There are others, I'm sure... Out there... Manipulating us... Secreting madness inside our very heads, while our souls are pushed into the corner's of our skulls...watching as our hands do task that we have no control over! Oh horrible...horrible...things... WE MUST PURGE THEM FROM OUR MIDST!! Kill them all!! CUT THEM! BURN THEM!!! It's the only way... I know... I've done it... It...works...
- Autopsy of a Xel'lotath Bonethief

They are so close their stench fills the air! You can smell them, I tell you!! Somewhere between the spice of vanilla and the bitter sweetness of pustulent rot! Those creature inhabit the bodies of men and women...exorcising the human soul and replacing it with their own putrid spirits. But they couldn't fool me...no...not at all... I could smell them, you see... They were all around me... Dear god! All around! I knew what I had to do...they had to go... By blade and bullet I had to get rid of them! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!! Dear god, I had to do it...had to... You believe me, don't you? ...Don't you?
- Autopsy of an Ulyaoth Bonethief

Oh, the Horror! The HORROR!! A behemoth of hatred incarnate! What manner of creature is that? A ton of flesh and sinew wielding muscles thick as ropes strung onto claws that could crush stone and sever metal as thought it were threshed wheat. Crushing, cutting... The walls shook with each step it took!! Oh, the HORROR!! An abomination... Its physiology remarkably abstract...no real organs or anything... It shouldn't work, but it did!! And the mouths...those gnashing scythes of teeth - I tell you, it existed ONLY to EAT!! To consume! To gnaw! To bite! To DEVOUR!!
- Autopsy of a Chattur'gha Horror

Eyes! Rot their eyes...! Their staring sees through your soul like looking through a window... And the lids... festooned with tiny, hook-like teeth...that gape and gnash... It doesn't make sense...no anatomy would form like that...but it has!! Was it natural? How could it be? Oh unholy beast, thou must be killed, lest you corrupt my world!! Have at thee! HAVE AT THEE...
- Autopsy of a Xel'lotath Horror

They have no eyes...! But they CAN see, I tell you!! No eyes...no! No eyes at all...but you can feel it LOOKING at you!! It stares through you...like looking through empty air, and you can feel it...raking you innards with their "touch"...! The shiver of their senses combing to your bowels through empty space...! Oh horribleness!
- Autopsy of an Ulyaoth Horror

They came from the darkness... Chittering, spider-like parasites! Infesting the city EHN'GHA!! EHN'GHA!!! They killed the city's inhabitants, using them for food, for slaves, for play... In the city's last, dark, doomed days, blood filled the waterways, drained upon the streets...a proud, mighty race, now nothing but bloody gobbets of meat in the gutters...so it has been for eons. The Guardians - those eternal parasites still swarm in that necropolis, feeding on those... Those that live in ignorance many miles above...US!! Damn you, listen to me!! They feed on US!! The Darkness... The Darkness comes!! It WILL consume us all!! We...must...fight them!! Or all is lost.
- Autopsy of a Chattur'gha Guardian

Oh...oh gibbering insanity wrought in flesh as though an artist sculpted it! Created from nothing by their mistress Xel'lotath, a canvas as grotesque as any!! Their bodies made no sense - no heads, no organs - an empty husk devoid of the trappings of nature... But it walked...it sang...it shrieked!!! A mockery of reason, both natural and mental!! A blasphemy from beyond the Veil!! The veil has opened!! And we should not see beyond!! We...we weren't meant to...never...ever...meant to!! Oh, give us the blessing of ignorance, the happiness of oblivion... Innocence can only be tainted, never returned!
- Autopsy of a Xel'lotath Guardian

Deep in those ancient caverns, a great city was lost... Long before we Humans... Long, long before... The proud city of Ehn'gha - decadent and trusting...and it was their downfall... When the Darkness came...and the Guardian's slaughtered them... Their existence was but a dying echo, shrieking from violated mouths... Resounding within their homes... Their tombs... If you stand alone, in one of those halls, quietly...ever so quietly...you can hear the cries of the people of Ehn'gha...rent appart by the unseen claws of the Guardians... Their echoes still linger...as do their souls...
- Autopsy of an Ulyaoth Guardian

Take them. And use them. They are humanity's only hope. Destroy the Guardians, Edward, and avenge my... wasted... death...
- He, as a ghost, leads Edward to the items he needs to fight the guardians and finish what he started.

Peter Jacobs

I find no solace in the purpose behind all the senseless violence that surround me. Young men die at a rate unheard of in centuries of warfare. Shelling, machine guns, and mustard gas rip, pierce, and burn their flesh. Men soak gauze in their own urine to stop the insidious gas... The hospitals here cannot cope with the torrent of the wounded.

Others

Dead Guard: You are one of the chosen many, flesh and blood. It is now your destiny to fight the Eternal Darkness. I give you a gift in return for an obligation. The gift is your life, sweet dancer. The obligation is this. You hold one of Mantorok’s hearts – the essence of the Corpse God! To some it is a source of great power. From these people, you must defend it, lest they use it to destroy what little brightness your world has left in it... Guard it well!
- The Dead Guard is a corpse manipulated by Mantorok. He asks Ellia to hide one of Mantorok's hearts in her own body.
Dead Monk: So... you have come to return my book. Very well... For your efforts, I promise a quick and merciful death.
- The Dead Monk shows up as the first boss of the game and battles Anthony.
Monk: You are a fool for trying to save him, Anthony. His fate was decided many centuries ago... as is the fate of this world! Despite your faith, there is little to save you from the power of... (Name of Ancient)! (Bonethief burst from him)
Chattur'gha's Black Guardian: You bore me, flesh and bone!
Xel'lotath's Black Guardian: Are you trying to fight me, or entertain me, little one?
Ulyoath's Black Guardian: My machinations are timeless, Peter. Your life is not.

Dialogs

Inspector Legrasse: Miss Roivas, is that your grandfather, Edward?

Alexandra: Yes it’s him, he’s wearing our family ring... I don’t understand, why are you showing me this? Can’t you check dental records or something? What's wrong with you!?

Inspector Legrasse: I’m… I’m sorry. It’s my job, lady. You’re the only living relative, and no, we can’t check dental records... There’s no head. Ah, none of this makes sense. There’s no sign of intrusion, and there was certainly a lot of force used here. I have never seen anything like this in my twenty years on the force. We have no evidence except for the body, and what’s left doesn’t say much. We don’t have a clue.

Alexandra: Well you had better find out who did this. I’m not leaving Rhode Island until you do. There must be some clue in this old mansion revealing what happened. I want answers.

Inspector Legrasse: So do I. I wish I had some...

After Inspector Legrasse showed Edward's headless body to Alexandra in order to identify it

Pious: Your Presence is long missed, my liege. I feel that my power is weakening from your absence.

Chattur’gha: Yes. Your power flows from me. Without me you are nothing.

Pious: My meditations reveal a flaw in our plan.

Chattur’gha: There is no flaw. Mantorok and the others move too slowly to counter our preparations. Once Mantorok is bound, its death with be prolonged for a thousand years. Its fate will assure that the balance of power over the opposing ancients will remain in our favor. And with the keeper nullified, my power grows stronger still.

Pious: And what of its essence?

Chattur’gha: Mantorok has employed others to defend it. It is of no matter... For the power I will wield upon my return will crush all those who oppose me. Enough of this – what of this Charlemagne the Frank? Is he still a concern?

Pious: His undoing has been planned in intricate detail. Those most loyal to him will be instrumental to his death. Nothing short of a miracle will keep him alive, and there hasn’t been one of those for a long time.

Pious: Thy presence is long missed, my liege.

Ulyaoth: The universe is a yawning chasm, filled with emptiness and the puerile meanderings of sentience. Why should you deserve special consideration within it, Augustus, above all else?

Pious: I am your servant, my lord, as always. That, and nothing more.

Ulyaoth: Yes, that, and nothing more. What revelations do you bring me?

Pious: My meditations reveal a flaw in our plan.

Ulyaoth: Our plan, Augustus? Mantorok is a shadow, ebbing in the light of our glory. It and the others are slow, weak – bound by the realm of a Universe. Unable to fight a common foe, they will fall one by one. Unfortunately, this is beyond your understanding. The binding of Mantorok will seal their fate, as its power over us is diminished. Such an irony, that the keeper itself be imprisoned within the walls of its own magick…

Pious: But what of its essence? Is that not the core of its remaining power?

Ulyaoth: Upon my seeping into the corporeal world, I will be the dominant over all, Mantorok included. Your worries are unfounded. You must turn your attention to Charlemagne the Frank. His continued presence within the world is far more serious to our cause.

Pious: As you wish, master. He will be dead before the week is out...

Pious: Your presence is welcomed, majesty. As always, I am honored.

Xel’lotath: Our dealings are a pleasure to us both then... He lies... As do we all... What is this flaw you wish to discuss with us...?

Pious: My concern is with the other Ancients. Ulyaoth. Chattur’gha. Should they unite with Mantorok, they will doubtlessly possess enough power to vanquish even thee...

Xel’lotath: As darkness abhors light, and light abhors dark... The others will not, cannot join forces! Mantorok will be bound, and the others will sink into insanity when I return... As has been foretold...

Pious: I was unaware.

Xel’lotath: There is much you do not know...and much you never will. Be certain to retrieve Mantorok’s essence. It is necessary to cement our place in your world...

Pious: Then what of Charlemagne the Frank? What do you intend for him?

Xel’lotath: The Frank is an instrument of light – he seeks to unite Europe under his banner. With this in place, my Guardians will be hard pressed to perform the functions you require...for your own schemes, Pious, think of your future.

Pious: Then Charlemagne will be removed from the picture.

Xel’lotath: Make sure he is dead...or insane... Or perhaps one, then the other... Just make sure he is removed from power.

Pious: Of course! He is as good as dead.

Karim: I have implored you for years, yet you ignore all my advances. You dominate my dreams and I can think of nothing else. I fear I desire you many hundred times more than you love me.

Chandra: My life has become a waking dream, Karim. For weeks I have dreamed of an ancient treasure, so precious that it changes all life around it. It must be mine, Karim... If you truly desire me, as you say, then you will find this for me. Bring this treasure to me, and I will be yours. Both of our dreams will come true.

Karim: I need nothing more than you – you have enthralled me to the point where I can think of nothing else. Promise: If I leave, you will not forget about me.

Chandra: You need not worry. I desire nothing more than the treasure you seek. Leave now, Karim, and I shall await you.

Chandra: Karim, we will be together forever...

Karim: Chandra? What?...What happened to you?

Chandra: Things change, my dear Karim...but even though my body is ravaged, I await you.

Karim: Who did this to you!?

Chandra: You were gone so long...I...I gave myself to a nobleman with a jealous mistress... She had me dragged from my bed, and in cruel revenge, flensed with knives... As the last blades were drawn across my body, and my blood cooled upon the floor, she cursed that I would only be with another in death…

Karim: So much for thinking only of me! I should never have left...

Chandra: I have seen my folly and have already paid dearly. I see so much more now. In death, I know the true value of the artifact which I asked you to find, and it is not for us to possess. If we are to belong together again, you must make a sacrifice. Only when that is complete will we be together.

Karim: Sacrifice? Why should I do anything for you!? You lied to me! Betrayed me! And you really don’t look so good anymore...

Chandra: You must forget the past. Despite who you are now, you will also become something more, just as I have. But the sacrifice must be made. We must remain here and guard the artifact! Dark things will come to claim it, and you must be strong to keep it from them. Without your sacrifice, the world will fall into eternal darkness!

Karim: The things I do for love...

Pious: Our Guardians have located the heart, master. Before the month is out, it shall be ours.

Chattur’gha: Do not underestimate the power of Mantorok, warlock! Its power cannot be defined in terms you understand! For seven centuries its corpse has corroded your Universe.

Pious: And during those seven, the denizens of the region have been either destroyed or driven away. There is nothing – no one, to stop us from collecting it. Mantorok, and its essence, lie unprotected in the jungle.

Chattur’gha: Then waste no more time. Retrieve it immediately! And pray to me that you do... Time is running short... And without me, you are mere flesh and bone... Remember that...

Pious: Soon, the heart will be in our possession, my liege.

Ulyaoth: Never underestimate the power of Mantorok. Even in death it corrodes all about itself.

Pious: It is unguarded – the presence of the Corpse God causes fear in all who come near it. It has torn entire villages asunder and made the region uninhabitable. Only the foolish would venture near it.

Ulyaoth: Even so, what may be easy to take, may be easily taken away...

Pious: Fear not. For centuries we have searched for something that was before us all the time – Mantorok’s essence never left the City Temple! And with it located, we are one step closer to your freedom, master...

Ulyaoth: ...Yes...yes... Make...haste...

Pious: Your Guardians have located the heart of Mantorok.

Xel’lotath: Yes, located within its grave...as we suspected.

Pious: It shall be retrieved at once.

Xel’lotath: Be wary. The power of Mantorok lingers still – corroding the Universe around its tomb. It will doubtlessly be guarded after these seven centuries. The beast has not been contained.

Pious: I can assure you that my binding of Mantorok, fuelled by your very own power, will be enough.

Xel’lotath: It is not your sorcery that we doubt, Augustus, but the power of the Dead God. How can you, a mere mortal, comprehend what that entity represents, or what power it can wield? We know not…and we know more than thou...

Pious: Your future depends on me, majesty. Without me to open the gates...

Xel’lotath: Yes....yes... Be quick, lest our power, and our faith in you, wanes to oblivion...it will never happen... I have seen differently...

Augustine [Actually Pious in disguise]: Welcome to Oublié Cathedral, brother Luther. I am glad that our sacred order can bestow hospitality on our Franciscan brethren.

Paul: I shall not impose, Excellency. I merely request lodging and a viewing of the sacred relic, the Hand of Jude.

Augustine: Many have travelled far and even risked their lives for a glimpse of the hallowed relic’s true splendor. Of course, it would be wise to keep quiet during your stay. The inquisition is here for a reason, Brother. We seek to purge the deviancy from this town.

Paul: I am sure that will not be a problem. Amiens appears to be a peaceful town.

Augustine: It appears to be, but deviancy is secreted in the most deceptive places. Which, I believe, is the case with Amiens.

Paul: Then I wish you luck in your search.

Augustine: The inquisition does not need luck, Brother Luther. Faith and purity are our guides.

Custodian: Ah, Brother Luther. Not a moment too soon. As you have noticed, dread things inhabit this place. Shambling corpses... And worse!

Paul: There is darkness at work here. In the midst of the Inquisition.

Custodian: I suspect it is worse than that, but I have no proof. Brother Andrew knew this also, and payed the price for it.

Paul: Why are you telling me this?

Custodian: Perhaps you could finish what Andrew started. (gives Paul a key) Here. Take this key. It unlocks the Old Tower. It's been sealed off since the Inquisition arrived.

Paul: I intend to uncover the truth behind this.

Custodian: If you manage to uncover the source of darkness, return here and I will do everything I can to help. Till then, brother, may your faith protect you.

Paul: Brother Andrew suspected Augustine all along. I managed to find remnants of his journal, and it all points to Augustine’s involvement with a paganistic cult operating inside the Cathedral!

Custodian: Aye, the Cathedral’s dark secret has been uncovered. I, too, suspected this, but was too afraid to act. Augustine himself is a heretic…

Paul: He has covered his tracks well. Claiming the sacred relic, the Hand of Jude, was stored here, he had those who came to see it murdered...The hand of Jude never existed!

Custodian: And with that realization, the trap closes, Brother. My days here are numbered. I awoke to find this cruel dagger placed upon my pillow this morn. It can only mean one thing. I know too much, and they are moving to silence me. I can only hope that what little faith I have left is enough to save my soul. Please, take this...thing...away from me! Its very sight troubles me to no end. May your faith protect thee, Brother Luther...for that’s all you have.

Augustine: You are a clever man, Brother Luther. Wanting answers to clarify your new position of fugitive, you seek them out, and this is what you find. Tell me, what does a man such as yourself, think of when he finds a viper’s nest of heresy? When he finds the very source of corruption?

Paul: I think of irony. Irony of what you, masquerading as a member of the inquisition, stand for – and that you stand for evil!

Augsustine: Evil is merely a perspective which no longer concerns me, Luther. You will be executed in the most painful manner imaginable, after we have broken your frail body and mind in the name of our true lord, Ulyaoth! [To a couple of bonethieves]Come, my children, feast on this morsel, and let us return to our preparations.

Karim , [now a ghost]: Venture no further, or be struck down where you stand!

Roberto: Who...what?

Karim: I am the Guardian of this temple – the Forbidden City. None shall enter except the Chosen. Speak! [He swing his Ram Dao at Roberto, but his blade go through him without hurting him]...You...are...the Chosen. For many years I have tested those who came here, and all have failed. You are unaffected by the power I wield...and thus must surely be the Chosen.

Roberto: I...?

Karim: Once I was as you were... Confused and without answers. Yet they came in time. Now my duty is complete. I can finally rest. My sacrifice was not in vain...

Servant: The Black Guardian grows restless, my liege. Its hunger, increases, and the binding continues to weaken. We feed it flesh, but I fear it will not guard the relic too much longer.

Pious: There is no choice in the matter. It must remain and guard the artifact until the time of planetary alignment. After that, the Guardian may return to its lair. Our master does not like failure. It is imperative to keep the binding intact.

Servant: Then we have to find more flesh and bone.

Right before the chapter during WW1, a perfect occasion to find more corpses for the Black Guardian

Peter [after telling Edward his story]: And that was how I came by it. I know it sounds crazy, but there you have it. The only proof I have is that... statue.

Edward: Hmmm, it’s a strange one. I’ve seen one like it before.

Peter: You have?

Edward: Yes – very rare, though. Very obscure.

Peter: I’ve had experts take a look at it. None of them know what it is, and you do?

Edward: I’m somewhat of an expert on these things myself. An interest I developed a long time ago, while I was a young man.

Peter: Then you should keep it – lord knows I have no interest in it. I’m sure it’s the cause of my sleeplessness. I keep thinking about it, as if it’s calling to me.

Edward: Then a drink, perhaps, for the gift? For an unusual objet d’art...

Pious: Everything is complete for your arrival master. Now we must wait for the planets to align, and that is not too many years from now. Another Roivas has crossed our path. This time, we will not be so merciful.

Ancient: Mercy has no place in this world. [Xel’lotath’s whisper:] There is only a place for me.

Pious: He will meet such a horrible death, that the rest of his line will not set foot in his house again.

Ancient: Pray to me that they don’t. [Xel’lotath’s whisper]: Pray to me anyway.

Pious: Master, I bring thee grave news. The colony of Guardians at the ruin of Ehn’gha has been decimated. Without them, I fear we are lost.

Chattur’gha: Your fears are unfounded servant, this news is irrelevant! I have seen the future that will come to pass. In this vision, I see myself crushing Xel’lotath, as I was meant to do. My many mouths consume its body from all sides, gnawing at it, until nothing remains. This I have seen. This is what will be.

Pious: And you would place all our faith, in a vision?

Chattur’gha: Yes, just as I have placed all my faith in you

Pious: Master, I am saddened to report the destruction of the Guardian colony at the ruin of Ehn'gha.

Ulyaoth: I am not without eyes servant. I knew of their loss as it happened. It is not a concern of mine. The Guardians were merely tools to forward the greater cause. Think of them as casualties of war.

Pious: But the balance of power has shifted with their loss!

Ulyaoth: Nonsense! Balance? There has never been balance. If anything we shall remove all balance! Our plan continues as predicted, I have seen the future Pious, and it portends a great battle between myself and the great being of matter. Chattur’gha will fall to my superiority. The power of Chattur’gha is useless against me.

Pious: Of course, as it was meant to be. The gates will be readied, just the same.

Ulyaoth: We shall overcome. Be patient my servant. Be patient...

Xel’lotath: Do you bring news of disaster Augustus? And if not, we wonder why not. Since disaster has struck.

Pious: Yes, your colony of Guardians in the ruins of Ehn’gha has been eradicated. A great magick wrought massive destruction there, not a single Guardian escaped.

Xel’lotath: Your concern is touching, but out of place! There are other Guardian colonies; the loss of one is meaningless. This is the only disaster you report?

Pious: Yes, my magnificence, there are no others...

Xel’lotath: And what of your treachery to us?

Pious: Treachery!?

Xel’lotath: All in good time. It matters not that you bear us ill will Augustus; it will come to no end. You lack the power to destroy me... Or even elevate yourself to out level! The future has unfolded before me in a vision... One of my many visions... A vision of my conquering the absent horror, Ulyaoth, master of the planes. The magick of the Planes is no match for the power of the mind. And thus, it will be destroyed.

Pious: Then the gates shall be opened. And once again you shall grace the earth with your presence.

Michael: What the hell happened!? They're all dead! McCormick, Patterson... All gone. [Behind him is the Pillar of Flesh, with Roberto right in front of him]...It looks like they’ve been buried alive, under tons of concrete.

Roberto [his ghost emerging from the Pillar and handing Michael an artifact]: Take this, guard it well, many have perished for it. Take it, take it to the ruins of Ehn’gha. [Ehn'gha is shown in a flash] At the ruins, a gathering of light. [The Roivas mansion is shown in a flash]

Michael [not even surprised]: You want me to take this to some ruins under a house in Rhode Island?

Roberto: Take it ! Save us... All...

Michael: Thanks for coming. I didn’t think you’d show.

Edward: Look, I have no idea who you-

Michael: I think you do, just as much as you know I know. Now let's be quick, the Guardians know where I am and I won't last the night. But that’s not the point.

Edward: What’s this?

Michael: Something you need...don’t open it here! Only in privacy, they can sense it if it's not shrouded.

Edward: Is it one of the artifacts?

Michael: You must leave now, but there is something I have to do before they get to me. I can’t protect you if they find us. Good luck!

Pious: Ah ha ha! Ms. Roivas, you’re just in time. The summoning spell I began two thousand years ago is finally complete. You will now have the honor of being the first morsel, for my Lord Ulyaoth. An appetizer, for the banquet your race shall provide.

Alex: You forget what it means to be human Pious! The human race will never go quietly into the darkness, for as long as you have spent summoning your lord people have struggled against you. Now, thanks to their efforts I have three of the Ancient’s essences. Now Pious, this is the end!

Pious: Mwa ha ha! The end indeed!

Pious then summons his ancient into the real world, and battle ensues

External links

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has an article about:

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem