Dark Seeker's Paper Chase IC

[Dark Seeker]

"I was supposed to have an exhibition at Miskatonic, but it's been canceled; I'll have to appeal to the gallery curator personally. Hopefully he is as reasonable as you say.:

"There are tales and then there is truth, Mr. Merriweather. I studied the odd and occult as a hobby, thought it all nonsense of course. But now I am not so sure."

"The villagers of Emberhead were involved in a cult, you see. I was to be the sacrifice; burned atop a large Beacon. I'm given to understand this took place every year for who knows how long. It was only thanks to the warnings of a young child that I even knew something was amiss, but by then it was too late.

"Somehow I was able to break out of the chains and escape the ritual. I had thought at the time the townsfolk were all made, of course. But I stayed and watched the Beacon burn, and something went wrong. Something rained down from the heavens, and the whole village burned. I barely escaped with my life, but so far as I can tell everyone died." Paul closes his eyes for a moment, still seeing Ruth in front of him. "And I realize now that me escaping caused the ritual to fail, and doomed the town. It almost makes sense now, why they did what they did. If they hadn't, they would all perish, as they did when I fled." He sighs.

"In any event, you likely think me crazy now. But I swear that's the truth."