January 1, 2043

It's been a week since I last wrote but at the end of my previous journal entry, I discovered that I had reached some unexpected barrier but I don't know what that barrier is. When I tried to put in a new page, I got an error message which it only said "error" and nothing else. I also noticed that there were some rather bizarre discrepancies in the writing that appeared, some events had been changed and even stranger was an obvious presence of a foreign influence. Someone else has been tampering with my stories. Knowing this, I had to go digging around town for a new book to scribble in. hopefully, this "influence" won't find this book-

I aLreAdy dId...

In the past week, other than digging around Uskor for a new journal, I've been to the new zone. When Ichabod fell, a portal opened up in a side room. The Council of Protectors was reassembled early due to Night's Vampirism and along with that discussion went the portal. After sending a few people through, they returned with news of a new zone, an ever colder zone with deeper snow drifts and blizzard-like weather conditions. According to the scouts, this portal opens up near the next city which is apparently made of stone as well.

A cIteE of tHe daMneD...

I decided to go through the portal ahead of Dailin and the others. They wanted to wait in Uskor until a secure path was found to the next city. I wanted to find a cure as quickly as possible. I had to go forward unto dawn.

The other side of the portal was cold, much colder than the northern reaches of Uskor. This new land was several feet deep in lake-effect snow, thick and fluffy. Tangurple popped out of the portal and immediately sunk in the snow up to his chest. He couldn't trudge through snow this deep. Especially not in this gear. His plate armor weighing way too much to be supported by anything other than dirt and rock. He opened up his inventory and reluctantly unequipped it. Fortunately, he had back up clothes that, despite being thin, provided more cover than going nude.

Tangurple weighed only a fraction as much without the combat gear on but was significantly more vulnerable to attacks from mobs. Considering the deep snow all around him, he had his doubts about the presence of such mobs. He climbed out of the small ditch he was standing in. He sank only partially in the snow which made travel that much easier on him.

Ahead was a pine forest. Tall dark trees with needle-like leaves. The branches were angled sharply and to his eye, the trees seemed alive. He entered this pine forest and kept his eyes to the trees. Everything felt wrong about this forest. Even within the forest itself, the trees looked ominous as if they were hiding something. Due to the close proximity of one tree to the next, their size and branch extensions, the sun was rather blotted out; the layers of snow on top of them didn't help either.

Tangurple grew paranoid and every couple of minutes, pause. His eyes were messing with him. Something small, fast and almost animal-like would keep running between the trees just ahead of him. Tangurple pushed on despite the hallucinations. To ease his conscious though, he equipped the scythe and strapped it to his back.

Tangurple wandered aimlessly through the pine woods for hours on end. The snow only mildly affected him. He reached its other edge which opened to a small field. Mountains lined the distant horizon. The field was not empty like the one in Uskor. In the middle of this snow-covered field was a half-buried ruin.

From the standing remnants, it appeared to have been some sort of castle piece. Maybe even an ancient church judging by the arches. Cautiously, Tangurple approached it. He tripped over pieces of rubble that were buried underneath. Unlike the forest, this ruin felt a bit more reassuring. Tangurple walked up to the half-destroyed pylons and felt the cold stone. The cracks on them gave a sense of history to the place, more so than did the buried rubble.

The ruins that he was at consisted of several archways that grew in size to the next. And then just stopped. A corner pillar was still standing suggesting that the structure itself was tall, very tall.

From nowhere, a raspy old voice echoed off the stone. "I see you found the ruins."

Tangurple, out of fear, equipped his scythe and turned to face the source of the voice. "Who are you?"

"No one worth killing." the figure was dressed in tattered brown robes. He was old, wrinkly and grey in color. He walked with a severe limp and utilized a tall wooden cane as a crutch. "I'm as old as these ruins themselves, you know."

Tangurple sheathed his scythe. "Is that so?"

"Indeed. I was only a boy when this place went into service." The old man coughed violently and then resumed his monologue. "Back then it was a church. A church to the Celestials."

"Celestials?" Tangurple asked curiously.

"The gods of the time. Most folks aren't religious anymore. Anyways, these ruins were once a church for the Celestials. There was a handful of them, eight to be exact."

"Eight is quite a few."

"Odis, The God of Time and chief god of the pantheon. Syna, Goddess of the Cycle of Life, Death, and Mortals, burials and funeral rites. Vira, Goddess of Beauty. Etos God of Wisdom and Logic. Ulysses, God of Air, wind, sky and the Elements. Yona, Goddess of Love and compassion, Family. Amulius, God of Mercy, Justice, charity, luck, and righteous rule by might and merciful forbearance. Torcall, Hero-god of Mankind, God of Might, Honor, State, Law, Man, War and Governance. Ronarus, God of Work and Commerce, Trader God."

Tangurple was amazed that this old man remembered it all. "How did-"

"How did I remember? Simple really. I was a priest. This church was my home and workplace."

"What happened?"

"Boudal, Ydarr and the other minor deities. While the names of the main eight change from region to region, they are still the same eight. The minor deities, however, are exclusive to each area. Here in Ashua, we have a select few who stand out."

"Who are they?"

"It isn't important now. They're always around and you'll meet them soon enough. It's getting colder out here and in those clothes, you won't last a night. Come, I have a hovel nearby." The old man trudged through the deep snow towards the east. Tangurple followed him.

Tangurple kept in line with the old man and continued to ask him questions. "Why would Boudal go directly after the church?"

"A spit in the eye to the eight Celestials. But he didn't directly attack it. A decade ago, there was a famine due to disease and this snow. Eleven years ago, the snow was only half as deep. Boudal spread his plague across Ashua and killed off many people and the laid waste to the farmlands. With food shortage, there was much hatred being recklessly thrown about."

"So hatred destroyed your home?"

"War did. Hatred fueled the fires of rebellion and the people rebelled against the Jarl. The Jarl at the time had an army left over from the winter wars."

"Winter Wars?"

"The King of Uskor, Rothguard, fought the Jarl of Ashua over the territory and failed. The Jarl still had veteran soldiers left over and used them to end the rebellion. With all those people dead, food shortage was no longer an issue but other problems arose."

They arrived at the hermit's hovel. A small cone-shaped house made of pine logs lashed together by rope. The door was a large skin draped over the entrance. "It's a little cold since my door was smashed in."

Tangurple followed him inside. The place was tiny and cramped but they still fit inside with leg room to spare. The floor was made of shaved pine wood planks and layered in straw and cloth blankets. Tangurple sat down and falsely smiled. "Decent place you got."

"It holds, which is all that matters anymore. It's also far enough away from the current situation."

"Current situation?"

"Yes, current situation. Must you repeat everything I say? The area is facing war again. The previous one who fought the Winter Wars died recently and left the throne to his two sons, twins by Amulius' humor. One claimed the throne, the other is fighting for it. There are two cities here in Ashua: Randstad and Jonkas."

The old man continued, "Randstad is the provincial capital where the Mammoth throne is held. Jonkas was only recently founded and built to house the opposition. Naturally, the cities are on either side of the territory."

"What's the difference between the two?"

"Not much, both want the same goals but brotherhood rivalry and old laws created this friction. Even as a hermit, I still strive to be knowledgeable of the land around me should it become a battleground." The old man pulled a few large flat leaves from a hanging plant and chewed on them like gum. "Want one?"

"What is it?"

"It's called Hygfir. A plant that becomes almost gummy the more you chew it. Ain't poisonous and doesn't leave lasting effects. But it's a great time passer should you need something to do." The old man handed a leaf to Tangurple, "Try it, you'll like it"

Tangurple took the leaf and chewed on it.

It was like eating gum. Just that it tasted a bit leafier than the usual grocery store stuff...

"I forgot to ask, but who are you?"

"I thought I... must not have." the old man grumbled. "I am Melker, former priest to the eight celestials."

Tangurple nodded, "Tangurple, Sellsword."

"Sellsword? Either faction will want you. This war is draining manpower on either side."

"I'm only here because of Vampirism."

Melker paused and glared at Tangurple in horror. "Vampirism is back? May the Celestials guide us through this dark time. You're not the one infected are you?"

"No, my mate is," Tangurple explained the past month of events regarding the glitch and the rise of vampirism in Uskor as well as the appearance of Judas.

Melker was horrified. "Vampirism was destroyed when Judas was burned at the stake ages ago. Judas is as old as some of the lesser deities. If he's back, then that means trouble for all of us."

"What should we do about it? Do you know if either of these Jarl's has a cure?"

"Me? I'm staying out here, away from them. If Vampirism is on the rise, I want to be as far away from any source as possible. The Celestials will protect me. To my knowledge, no one has a cure for vampirism. Death would be the only solution, the only freedom from Judas' curse."

Tangurple stood up, "thanks, I'll be off now. I have to find something to cure her." He walked out the door of the hovel and off towards a distant city.

Melker shivered. "Gods be with you, traveler. Judas isn't far behind..."