Levi - Descent Into Madness - Topic

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Sep 10 2018 01:19am

The patter of rain on my face snaps me out of a trance and I find myself in what appears to be a town of absolute squalor that I've never seen before. "Hello", says a man standing next to me dressed in all blue and gray, with a look on his face that is equal parts shock and dismay. His clothes, dark and tattered as they are, seem to match his inner emotions. He seems tired, not from physical activity, but as though fear had recently drained him near-to-death of his energy. Why is the rain hitting my face the last thing I can remember? Or, now that I came to think of it, the only other thing I remembered or even knew of myself is that my name is "Levi".

The man, whose name I come to learn is "Warriv", refers to me as a "Paladin". He goes on to say that "my people" hadn't been seen this way in a long time. I know neither what a Paladin is nor who "my people" are. Confusing as Warriv is, he seems nice enough, but I am eager to get away from him. I next come across a woman who seems as though that if I were to look at her too long that she might kill me. Her eyes are fixated on the open gate to this town, arms crossed, body tense. I think she sensed me looking, and turned to me, arms still crossed, and introduced herself. I thought for a moment to raise my shield and sword as she turned to me, but she quickly loosened the tension in her body. It was also at this time that I realized I had a sword and shield. Why?

She introduced herself as Kashya, and spoke of her people being ran out from their ancestral home. I felt compelled to ask her about this ancestral home, for maybe her answer would provide insight into where my home is. Where "my people" that Warriv spoke of were from. Who were my people? Who was I? All of these questions and more I wanted to ask Kashya, and seeing the sparks of curiosity light up my face, Kashya hastily suggested that I speak to a woman in town named Akara. Kashya seemed to be of little words, and she turned her sights back to the open gate. At Kashya's suggestion, which almost felt like a command, I sought out Akara who gave me insight as to what this town was.

Her description gave context to this town, and I felt I understood it more. That I was becoming more aware of my surroundings. That the downpour of rain that had awoken me was no longer the only thing I could hear. Faintly, but surely, I could start to hear music...

This post was edited by Handcuffs on Sep 10 2018 01:42am

Handcuffs

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Sep 10 2018 01:35am

As Akara began to speak to me, she mentioned a nearby den that had become infested with demons that had slain a countless number of her people, and who surely would continue on to invade this town. As she spoke, the music I heard became louder and louder, and more clear. It got to the point where I could no longer even hear Akara speak although she was right before me. As the music grew louder, I started to look around for its source, only to find none. There was nobody playing music. Then, similar to the trance I had been in before, my feet began to move on their own. My mouth, bound shut by a force I could not explain, and as quickly as I had "entered" this town, I found myself walking out of it, directly to this den. As I got to the entrance, I felt a harrowing chill flash down my spine, but I could not stop my feet. Into the den I went...

Right as I entered, I was immediately greeted by the foulest of demons and zombies. They were the embodiment of disgust and their bodies seemed hastily stitched together by some natural misfortune. They sensed me immediately and began to attack, and yet I didn't feel scared. My hands, no, my entire body, began to move on its own, not just my feet anymore. Shield and sword in hand, I felt the blood rush into every muscle of my body as I began slashing away at anything that approached me. "Kill! Kill! KILL THEM ALL", said a voice in my head that shook me to my core. Was that my voice, or someone else's? All that I knew is that I quite enjoyed slaying these abominations. Some of them had the magical power to resurrect the ones I had already slain, but I was so blood thirsty that I let them keep resurrecting their fallen allies so that I could kill the same demon 5 times, 10 times, 20 times! Kill them until their blood blanketed the floor of this den and gave it the most exquisite shade of red I had ever seen. It was shades of cardinal. No!, of rose, or of garnet. I don't know...perhaps there's no word to capture how beautiful the blood was...

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Sep 10 2018 03:17pm

I was fascinated, almost obsessed, with the ability these demons had to resurrect one another. I had to know more and to see it be done again. In speaking with the people in town, I heard of Blood Raven, a former member of the townspeople who had been slain by demons, resurrected, and now slaughtered and resurrected everyone who crossed her path. I had to pretend that my desire to know where I could find Blood Raven was anything other than pure curiosity and fascination. Surely, I would slay her and enact vengeance for the people in this town, or at least, that is what I told them. Through the wilderness and into the burial grounds was where I was told I could find Blood Raven, and I quickly set off to find her, my feet no longer a mind of their own. Some might say that the burial grounds were a ghastly and disturbing sight, with undead shambling about and rogues hanging from trees, but all of this was eclipsed by the absolute beauty that was Blood Raven. Yes, she may have been a demon, but she was nothing like the filthy, vile creatures in the den before. She was the embodiment of purity...or so I thought. I suddenly had remembered the backstory the townspeople had told me about Blood Raven, about who she used to be before her untimely demise and demonification. If Blood Raven had been resurrected and clearly couldn't remember anything about her old self, then perhaps I too was a demon now? The thought of myself being similar to the creatures in the cave made me want to vomit. This feeling of disgust was Blood Raven's fault, and I felt compelled to kill her in the hopes that it would kill this feeling she caused inside me.

Killing Blood Raven won me great praise from the people in town, but none more than from Kashya herself who ordered one of her warriors, Abhaya, to accompany me. Why? I do not know, but to have someone beside me brought me comfort in this strange world, and so I allowed Abhaya to stay with me.

Abhaya was so young, but also so strong, battle-weathered I'm sure from the missions that Kashya sent her out on. She seemed eager to join me, especially after hearing about how I killed the demons in the Den and also Blood Raven herself. Still, I could not shake from my mind that every time I looked into Abhaya's face, all I could see was her mangled corpse hanging from a tree...

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Sep 10 2018 07:12pm

Akara mentioned that there was one critical person that the town was missing, but who was alive. His name is Deckard Cain and he's revered in town as a great scholar; one of the most intelligent people in the world actually. Perhaps this Deckard Cain would have more information on what was going on and where I was, and so I agreed to search for him. Whispers had it that he was in a town called Tristram and that in order to reach him I would need a scroll from the sacred Tree of Inifuss. Abhaya and I set out and made quick work of all the demons that stood in our way.

Upon my return to town, scroll in hand, my feet began to have a mind of their own again, and instead of heading back to Akara to decipher the scroll, I found myself staring at the fire in camp. I was beyond captivated by the fire, and I could hear the whispering of a demonic voice I had never heard of before, that kept saying "Burn it!" over and over. My eyes glazed over, unblinking, as I stared deeper into the fire, now with the scroll in hand and trembling. Louder, the voice began to roar, "BURN IT! BURN IT NOW!"

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Sep 12 2018 12:14am

"Well met, noble Paladin", said a voice near me that snapped me back into reality. It was Warriv, who upon spotting that I had successfully retrieved the Scroll of Inifuss suggested that I "go speak with Akara who can decipher it for you. Perhaps it'll guide us to Deckard Cain". I was still shaken by the voice in my head that had just moments go seized nearly all control of my body, but it seemed to have stopped, for now. I made my way to Akara who quickly deciphered the scroll for me, and I ventured out to the fabled town of Tristram where Deckard Cain was said to be held imprisoned. I used the scroll that practically commanded me to touch strange stones in the middle of a field, and as strange as this may have seen, it felt completely "normal". Then again, what was "normal"? None of this made sense, yet everything was clear. I entered Tristram, the remnants of a once great town torn asunder by hellfire and demons, dispatched a grotesque demon known during his human life as "Griswold", and then made my way to Deckard Cain.

There was something extremely satisfying by the power that I found myself having after I reached Deckard Cain. Despite his old age, you could tell that he was especially gaunt and weathered, nearly on the brink of starvation. And yet here I was, with neither human nor demon around us, with all the power over Deckard Cain's life. I enjoyed momentarily watching him grasp the bars of his prison, eyes flashed awake by the sudden promise of salvation, and I savored the taste in my heart of the potential of ripping that all away, leaving him to rot. I could just as easily leave him here to die, return to camp and say that I had no luck in locating Deckard Cain, and nobody would be the wiser. But yet, as the minutes ticked by, and Deckard Cain began pleading with me to save him, I could hear the voice of a man who was so desperately weak that he could no longer help himself. In that moment, for the first time since awakening in this strange land, I felt sorry for another person. The thoughts of leaving him here disappeared like the morning fog on a summer day, and I decided to free him and let him return to the encampment. Life seemed harsh and amoral in this land, but I'll concede in saying that I did feel "good" about rescuing Deckard Cain, although I can't explain why.

BMar5452

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Sep 12 2018 10:48pm

gl with wt
cant wait to see when u get bored writing a paragraph for each character and quest u meet

Handcuffs

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Sep 13 2018 12:12am

Quote (BMar5452 @ Sep 12 2018 08:48pm)

gl with wt
cant wait to see when u get bored writing a paragraph for each character and quest u meet

Time will tell. Thank you!

Since I forgot to specify it anywhere, this is of course a hardcore players 8 walkthrough.

I have ladder runewords enabled, but I do not use Plugy.

Handcuffs

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Sep 13 2018 12:29am

Upon rescuing Cain and heading back to town, we each spoke of my alleged "heroism" in slaying the demons of Tristram. Taking a fancy to my storytelling of demon slaying, Charsi requested that I let her forge a new weapon for me. Upbeat and approachable, I found myself quite fond of Charsi and could tell from her wares that she was quite the accomplished blacksmith. She spoke about how in this "war" against the demons that she sought significant ways for her to contribute and that being a blacksmith was one of those ways in which she found both success and pride. She mentioned, however, that she was crestfallen at the loss of her magical hammer, but that since I had success in rescuing Cain, then perhaps I could retrieve the hammer from the demonic Smith, and in so doing Charsi would imbue for me the highest quality weapon around. I wanted to see Charsi's skills first-hand, and so I quickly and happily sought out this fabled hammer.

Hammer in hand, I returned to town, and the way in which Charsi's eyes opened and glowed upon my return were akin to the brightness of sunrise after a long, cold night. I provided her the hammer, and in quick fashion she imbued the most stunningly beautiful, golden weapon I had ever laid eyes on. As ecstatic as I was, I found myself unprepared for the reaction Charsi gave me as she handed me the new sword. Her eyes no longer seemed welcoming and kind, but instead were bloodshot with the strain of utter mania.

"I did it!", she yelled, "I made the ultimate weapon for you to kill every single last vile demon in this land! YOU MUST GO, KILL THEM ALL, LEVI! SLICE THEIR BODIES OPEN, DECIMATE THEM TO NEAR-ASHES, BUT LEAVE ORGANS AND BONES BEHIND AND BRING THEM TO ME. I WILL CREATE MORE WEAPONS FOR YOU FROM THEIR MANGLED CORPSES! THE MOST GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL WEAPONS!". She was snarling and practically foaming at the mouth at this point.

Her mania startled me, and I thought for a moment that she would take the sword from my hand and cut me open if only to use my body as materials. I knew not who stood in front of me now, but it was not the Charsi I knew. But then again, how was I to be sure? I hardly knew myself.

This post was edited by Handcuffs on Sep 13 2018 12:30am

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Sep 13 2018 12:52am

New weapon in hard, and getting away from Charsi, I came across Akara once again who noticed that now that I had a new high-quality weapon to aide my battle against the demons that it was time to prove my self in the fight against one of the major Evils of this land: Andariel. Akara could barely utter her name, as I learned that Andariel was to blame for so much of the anguish here in town, and for the demonification of loved ones. I remembered earlier how disgusted Blood Raven had made me feel, and if Andariel was the cause of the fate of Blood Raven, then it meant she was the cause of the disgust I once though I had rid myself of but realized had come back like a flash flood after these dots were connected. If I wanted to liberate myself from this profound feeling of disgust, then I knew I must seek out Andariel and destroy her. Akara let me know that Andariel had made an impromptu throne in the bottom of the Catacombs, and faster than the change in Charsi's demeanor, I set off.

Almost like a warning to all humans foolish enough to come across it, I found a bloodied altar outside the Catacombs that was like a totem warning all that they had two options: Either turn away and flee, or die. I approached the altar with its crimson-stained hue and found myself compelled to touch the blood that painted it. It was still fresh, but not warm. For a split moment, I pictured the possibility of me being surrounded by demons, unable to fight back, and being ripped open at this very altar. I wondered if Abhaya would enjoy that sight? She had seen so many of her sisters in such a position that she was probably numb to it now, or maybe even enjoyed it? If our mission failed then we'd surely find out, and if death were to come in such a way, then there's many worse things in life I can imagine than my last glimpse of the living world being Abhaya's face and seeing her in absolute ecstasy as I get ripped apart.

Fate would have it though that no demon could stop me on my mission to find Andariel. In reaching her throne though I become distraught of this unshakable feeling that I loved, quite literally loved, Andariel. As we burst open the wooden door guarding her lair, Abhaya was visibly shook to the core by the sight of decaying carcasses, maggots, demons, and ultimately, Andariel herself. I, on the other hand, found myself feeling euphoric upon laying eyes on Andariel. Her essence, to me, radiated that of motherhood. Andariel was my mother, I was sure of it. I wanted nothing more than to approach, to embrace her, and ask why all of this was happening to me. Mother would surely know. As I approached though, Andariel swung at me with her talons, and I was torn asunder, not physically, but emotionally. How could she do this?!

In that moment, I had a breakthrough in realizing that Andariel was a fake. No mother would attack her child. I cursed her for sullying the purity of motherhood. She had to die.

Final blow struck, Andariel's disheveled corpse lay lifeless on the ground, and I thought for a moment that perhaps I was wrong. Maybe she was, in fact, my mother. She had left behind powerful items for me upon her death. It was almost like as though she had written a will, and that I was the sole recipient of everything. I no longer knew whether I should feel happy in having killed Andariel, or become overrun with shame and self-flagellation.

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