The Descent to Madness (Mini Series)

There he was alone in the forest cleaning his kill, a boar. When the thought struck him... I am alone. He waited kneeling next to the dead beast for something to happen, moments passed when he decided just to brush it off and continue his cleaning process, but than a voice spoke to him "I am here for you." He fell to the floor drawing his blade in a tremble peering through the deep forest looking for his responder, but no one was there. He called out "Where are you!?" No answer, the only sound was that of the wind through the leaves of the trees. He became concerned and quickly threw the beast over his shoulder without finishing the cleaning and ran home. The door burst open with the man hurrying to lock the door and light the candles of his small wooden cottage. He threw down the beast and sat down to catch his breath. He thought to himself "there are violent men out there and today I was lucky." Coming to his senses he looked down at the boar when suddenly the voice spoke again, "the only violent man today was you!" He pressed himself against the wall and demanded to know who it was. To which the voice responded "I am you, you are me and together we are one." Shaking his head in disbelief the man denied his fear. This time the voice screaming a deafening squeal spoke "I AM YOU, YOU ARE ME AND TOGETHER WE ARE ONE. IT WAS YOU WHOM KILLED YOUR FAMILY AND IT IS YOU WHOM DECIDED YOU NEED TO STAY ALONE!" The man passed out. Hours passed and when he woke he felt different as if nothing was there. Only the difference was that he had an insatiable hunger lurking in him the smell of blood from the boar left by his feet. He grovelled to lick the blood off the floor coming to the realisation that this will not satisfy him and that only one thing would...

The next day he went out to pursue and indulge his curiosity and hunger. It took much time to lure his prey in to his home, but it was well worth the wait.

He convinced the man to sit down at his table and eat. He had many conversations with the man eluding subtely to the fact that he was hunting human. Holding back the truth that the dessert was poisoned and that the moment he took a bite from the cake that a cleaver would be quickly placed into his back. His prey did not notice him put on his apron and leather gloves. He didn't want to spoil the day with blood spewing all over himself. Noticing these actions had been unnoticed he passed the man the cake insisting he take a bite. When the man took a bite he struck with the cleaver, only to his suprise the man resisted and attempted to flee! The struggle continued outside of the sanctuary of the house until finally the poison and the deep wounds from the cleaver forced the man to fall to his death.

Satisfying... he thought to himself.

Only the urge of his previous profession of skinning and gutting was just as strong. He used the cleaver to slice the body in to manageable parts bagging the body, but keeping the left leg to be turned into a trophy. He slipped the body in to the bag leaving behind the possessions of the man where he died... Theft was not his interest. Dragging away the body back to his cottage he stowed it until he could decide what to do with it.

Time passed and the murder seemed to satisfy him until new urges came in to the light. The urge to eat, an overwhelming feeling that could not be controlled. Luckily the leg he saved would have to satisfy that desire until he could kill again and the bone would be his new found trophy. Realising the atrocity he committed and would continue to commit he knew the Gods had cursed him to a life or mortality. Upon his death he would be no more, but until that fateful moment he would continue hunting his new found prey...

This story has been added to the oral history of Paws.

MEMORIZED!​

Also, all villagers will be advised to keep a tight curfew and avoid dinner invitations from strange woodsmen.

His hunger grew insatiable beyond belief he ran in to town with haste looking for a willing prey to be lured in to the woods. To his dismay he was unsuccessful, until he had the idea to ask people to answer a riddle with hopes of a reward... The reward was genuine, he does not like to consider himself a liar, but the overall intention was left in guise. It took the man some time to answer the riddle, but he finally could. Too which the hunter asked him to come back to his cottage to receive his gift. The man agreed after being told the details of the travel plan. They arrived. He invited the man in while he searched his chest for the reward he promised... a boat. The man complemented his decorating skills.

As he searched through his chest he noticed the man take a seat down at the table. To which he asked if he would like to eat dessert. The man replied with a warming yes! Excellent... the hunter thought to himself. The hunter changed his shirt quickly and put on his apron and leather gloves. He stowed his cleaver beneath the apron. The murderer pulled out the boat telling the man "here it is thanks for playing my riddle." The man was quite happy with the gift, after all the hunter may murder his victim and eat his flesh. but he does like to please his company as well. It is not their fault that his hunger is insatiable. The murderer pulled out a pie for the man only to be told that the victim would take the pie back home with him. Reluctantly the hunter insisted the man take a bite, sensing this uncomfort the victim tried to break the tension and make haste when he was blocked at the door by the man. The hunter desperate for the man to not get away finally revealed his intention and took the risk of slaying the man at his full potential. He hacked and hacked away screaming for the voices to cease until there was nothing, but the bloody corpse of a man bent over the chair next to his dinner table.

He quickly threw all the possessions of the man in to the container he was carrying and threw it outside... after all he is not a thief. He began the intoxicating task of butchering the body in to small parts and of course keeping the left leg bone as his trophy. After the process he bagged the parts he displeased of in to a round bag and quickly began cleaning the floor and chair...

He threw the body parts in to his chest alongside the previous body from the day before. He still had not figured out what to do with the bodies, but a plan was brewing... he had to keep these acts a secret, no one must ever know...

Mortal madness, quite the curiosity. What drives one to such actions? If they only knew what lies beyond that thin veil which separates them from their mortal existence, that is to know true madness.

Caution to those that would tread such a path as the Guardian walks this realm. A shadowy portent of a winter's frost, leaving dry husks of what once was vibrant life in his wake.

Satisfied from his haul from the days before he returned back to town attempting to lure in unsuspecting victims at first to only be met with skepticism. Until after much trial and error he finally had someone caught in to his lure. He asked the man the riddle and received the appropriate answer, he told the man to depart with him back to his cottage. The man agreed, of course. They travelled until they finally arrived at the moss covered cottage, the hunter jumped off his horse in excitement and invited the man in. The victim refused this request and claimed he would wait outside out of respect. Much back and forth went on here to no avail on the murderer's part, frustrated with his decision he barged in the house grabbed the boat and quickly threw it at the man where he than spoke his respectful farewell's and departed. The murderer's blood boiled with rage and hunger as he watched the man ride off in to the dark woods, he couldn't believe this had happened. Days had passed with several murders in the wind and no one was the least bit wiser until today. Was he too charming or did he notice the blood stained floors on the inside of the cottage when the hunter opened the door or perhaps it was the stench of the bodies that had been left to rot in the chest as the murderer still had not decided what to do with the body parts. What ever the answer may have been the hunter locked up his door to the world and went back to scheming his next plot.

Much time had passed the hunter sat in his cottage knawing on the parts left over until there was nothing left, but bones. He preserved the innards for some further concoction or sinister creation. His hunger for the kill had grown exponentially, but everytime he attempted to lure in someone they would wise up quickly running in the forest frantically screaming for a local briar. Despite the fact that he had previously eaten his past victims the smell still lingered and there was still much blood strewn about the cottage. He decided enough was enough he had to get rid of the remaining parts. However, being caught up in the moment he acted hastily and placed the bags containing the parts in several mailboxes around the world on his travels looking for his prey. On his travels he decided his location would no longer suffice and he needed to move to a more favorable location to charm his victims more easily.







(Going to throw this out there since no one has guessed yet. This is an active quest at the moment for anyone willing to partake. The murderer is actively hunting as is his own quest. The quest for everyone else is discovering the murder, his location, and whether or not he is killed while in quest. Look at the pictures and read the stories for your answers. Expect many of these active quests in the future.)

Desperation began to set in. He had lured in several other people only for them to run away at the last minute. At this point he had given away many free rewards with out a reward for himself. He decided to make another trip in to town to attempt to lure in others. When he stumbled upon a sleeping lumberjack. He waited and waited to see if the lumberjack would notice his presence. Ten minutes went by but there was no response. He ran back home and retrieved his suplies, he was desperate for the kill. He waited some more for a response he doesn't like his prey to be limp, but it had been days this could be an exception. He looked around town to make sure no one would notice or miss him and when the time was right he struck. For the first time he risked exposing himself to the outside world by committing his murderous atrocity outside the safety of his cottages. When the deed was done he quickly chopped the body in to pieces, threw them in his body bag and ran as fast as he could. Only when he got home would he be safe to sheer the parts even further.

(Rushed Kill, no screenshots)

Feeling rejuvenated from his kill earlier that day he ran back in to town to complete his quest and attempt to lure someone back in to his lair. He quickly got a bite when he demanded a thief come with him to retrieve a free boat. Suprisingly he accepted and followed him back in to his latest estate a ghastly storage cottage. He let the man in, dug through his containers and retrieved the boat all the while dressing himself for the kill. He handed the man the boat and at that very moment revealed the cleaver that was expertly placed under his apron and slashed off his hands. The thief turned as fast as he could when he received a second blow to the back. He burst through the door stumbling and crawling on the floor while the murderer walked behind him knowing the kill was completed it was only a matter of time until his victim would bleed to death. The thief made it to the tree line and collapsed unto the ground taking his final breaths. The murderer took a sigh of relief from a more than successful kill, picked up the corpse and dragged him back in the house where he would more peacefully cut the body in to multiple pieces... how he enjoyed it. He placed the thief's leg bone to the side it was officially his fourth kill.

[ooc - really enjoying these stories - looking forward to trying to track this down]

The rewards will be...

Jupiter gazed into the Sapphire Pond. The ripples in the pond swirled to reveal a bird’s eye view of the greater continent of Britannia. He knew he did not need to search the islands; he was certain this hunter dwelt somewhere on the mainland.

As Jupiter peered into the pond, he realized this hunter was no simpleton. It took great acumen to hide a house full of death and blood. At first he’d passed the region where the home stood, but something about it the moss covered cottage seemed almost too tidy. Despite Jupiter’s best efforts, the pond’s view could not pierce into the hearth of that common home.

Jupiter had reclaimed all the hunter’s trophies, but he had no intention of returning them for reward. This tormented soul would receive a game in kind – Jupiter meant to spring a trap for the hunter himself. Although such an endeavor would not be easy, and would first require he travel to the hunter’s haven.

Taking the form of a forest creature, Jupiter hoped would be his best option for eluding the hunter’s attention. His tactic worked, although it seems the hunter had employed an ettin as a sentry. Daring not to break his cover, Jupiter lunged at the two headed oaf in his bear-like form and quickly the ettin submitted.

Then Jupiter left some clues of his own. For the Hunter he left a curse, a binding spell to see that the Hunter carried out his own sentence. For once the Hunter embarked on Jupiter’s quest, the only outcome would be the hunter’s black heart, sealed by his own hand, and buried in a tomb of fire.



gazing


bags




Change to wolf form


Defeating sentry


Wolf leaving clue




Saunter off

The murderer awoke upon his bed noticing a strange omniscent light outside so he peeked out his window and saw a torch. He opened the door and looked around noticing there was no danger and upon this he collected the items. As he read the parchment and became aware of its curse he began to gasp, "somone has discovered my humble home! Was it the lingering stench? Was it the blood-stained moss?! What could have given me away!" He sat for a while on his bed concerned a great deal until he remembered one thing ........... But what would he do about this parchment and curse? He fixed himself up and decided to visit every mailbox he left body parts in until he found a clue in a small little village. He broke open the mailbox to discover his box as was mentioned and than he hopped the rune next to it to the next location where he discovered the rune to his prison. He decided the key was meer wizardry and put it out of his mind. Now he was mad someone had plotted his downfall ending with his demise by tearing out his beating heart and placing it in the box in a dark dusty dungeon. He began to plot and scribbled down a note for his discoverer something so vague it would take a keen mind to know. He than ran home to place in it the desired object, however, he would not pull out his own heart rather a small heart turned black by age and rot that he had been keeping something that had been stinking up his cottage. He laughed as he put it in the container the specific nature was none he put in a few other things in it as well and ran back again to the village where he placed the box, the rune, the heart, the curse, and the message with its gifts from where he found it!


After he had done all this he decided to satisfy his rage and slay some unsuspecting victims out in the open! He caught two for the taking and felt satisfied again. His murder count was up to 6 now!

The Watchman stumbled and put his hand out against the rough bark of a massive Yew. He could practically feel the ancient life force thrumming through the towering tree. The leaves seemed to shimmer with it, and suddenly a waive of pain and darkness rolled over him. The Watchman sunk to his knees, and groaned. A few agonizing moments later, it had passed. The Watchman stood and took a deep breath.

Something was wrong.

As he pulled his hand away from the Yew, the tremble of power lessened. It was as if the Tree itself were crying out. Ascher was left with a hollow aching in the pit of his stomach. Deep within, he knew something was wrong in Paws. He was needed.

Ascher slipped his spear into a case on his back, and pulled out a carefully inscribed scroll and a rough runic stone. He read the words of power aloud and poured his concentration into the scroll as he did so. The scroll shimmered, then caught fire and flashed into nothingness.

The world around him began to twist in on itself, and The Watchman closed his eyes as the Recall spell took effect.

The alarms and security measures around the entire village had been deliberately sprung, but had not drawn anybody’s attention. Even the deep root telepathy system had been activated; but that was one that was only supposed to have been triggered by a villager – Jupiter was quite perplexed that someone could even discover it was there, not to mention activate it.

Jupiter heard the familiar sound of air being displaced. Over the years, he had learned to tell recognize precisely who was recalling by judging the amount of air that was displaced and the manner in which it was displaced. The nature of Kal Ort Portation was tied to a person’s very core – for in order for the spell to function properly it had to transport the entire person, not just their body but their mind and spirit as well. Thus, the air around a person in balance with nature tended to envelope with tranquility, no different than a gust of wind forming a brief dervish. While a person out of balance dispersed the air with malice, forcing the air away and causing branches of nearby shrubs and trees to sway. One could not control the nature of their Kal Ort Portation, without changing the nature of their very core. Without turning his attention from the book in his hand, he was pleased to know it was Ascher that moved the air.

“Wizard, I heard the call through the deep roots. Every tree in Yew seems to be calling out. What is it?”

“I’m afraid to say, all is well in Paws, Ascher my friend.” Jupiter continued, “All of the villagers are accounted for, none of the homes have been breached, and our treasury remains untouched. In fact, the only thing amiss is that all our alarms say otherwise. Every last alarm, protective spell, and countermeasure has been set off.”

Ascher knew the culprit was not apprehended, but asked “And was the intruder captured?”

“Well, what troubles me most are the underlying questions to your question: how can an intruder be captured if nobody knows he was even there? Why were none of the villagers alerted to the alarms that all seem to have been set simultaneously?”

Jupiter’s response gave Ascher pause. “So you mean to say that some intruder managed to roam the village while all of the alarms were sprung?”

“No,” his attention still on the book, “what I mean to say, is somebody managed to gain access to the village proper, to roam the entire village, without so much as sounding any of these alarms and then sprung them all upon his departure.”

“Do you have any clue after this person’s intent?”

“A game,” Jupiter said closing the book. “It seems I have started a game with a madman; a madman trained after an ancient order of Hunters.”

“A hunter?,” Ascher’s unease was apparent, “but that order has been silent for generations. Not to mention, they are not known for any malice towards man.”

“This is not all,” Jupiter continued, “this one does not answer to the pack leader. He is definitely trained to the fullest extent of the Hunters’ skills, but determines his own prey and his own games.”

Jupiter closed the book and handed it to Ascher, “I fear I have invited this lunatic to a game. I had hoped the curse I left at his moss covered cottage would be enough to settle this matter, but he somehow managed to evade my trap. He now has a cursed box, the rune to a sealed tomb, and an even stronger desire to play. And what’s worse, I’ve no means to decipher the words of a lunatic.”


TL;DR
Here is a picture of the game left for Jupiter. If any of the realm can decipher these words, you are invited to share them with Jupiter and Village of Paws. Be warned, if you enter this game, you risk becoming the Hunter’s prey.

I was able to guess the Hunter's First game, but this second one I am helpless to figure out.

What I have determined so far:

Key clues seem to be the first paragraph, the middle phrase "Ails Cuts Five Us", and the last phrase: "Drear Thews A Grebe Twill Coifed Ivory Us Armed Encysts Lams Ye."

The words appear to be cryptic in nature

Drear = Dreary
Thews = muscle or muscle tissue
A Grebe = a freshwater diving bird
Twill = a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs
Coifed = wearing a coif
Ivory = Ivory or something made out of Ivory (most likely a statue)
Us = ?? probably referring to two or more inanimate objects of the same type
Armed = Something equipped with weapons
Encysts = to be enclosed in a cyst?
Lams = ???
Ye = ??? old English for the pronoun 'you' addressing more than one persons

The murderer sat in the background as the chatter amongst the crowd intensified over the speculation behind his encrypted message partook. He had to contain his laughter as he heard the proposed ideas began to unfold. He thought to himself "not even close my hunter." He began to walk away knowing his secrets would be safe another day and than tomorrow he would go back to hunting his prey.

Old wizard! It is said : at night comes counsel to the wise...


Armed ivory encyst, on green grass : Skeletons ?

It is a shame we haven't thought about the crypts and graveyards around the world!



*don his bear form and patiently wait for his loyal wolf companion*