MORTAL SOULS

It began with the Soul Wars. An endless conflict, ravaging the world since time immemorial.

No one remembers why the war began, only, that it is prolonged by an insatiable lust for Souls.

And the unimaginable power they bring.

Each Kingdom had a vital purpose for their light, but none more so than the Kingdom of Wuuheim.

King Rame, its ruthless leader, discovered the twisted art of Demon Magic: Demonica.

With it, he and his soldiers corrupted the Souls of countless people.

Changing their precious life essence into armies of ravenous Demons.


Art by Zdzislaw Beksinski

The other nine Kingdoms were forced to band together against this overwhelming force, but it wasn't enough.

His reign of terror knew no bounds. Rame, now known as the Demon King, was unstoppable.

The world should've ended. But it didn't, thanks to the actions of Rame's own son, Leocadius.

He drove a sword through his father's back, betraying him at the turning point of the war.

The Kingdoms, who once united under fear of Rame, now united under King Leocadius, their savior.

Throughout his long reign, Demonica was banned, and peace flourished.

But shadows are not so easily buried. Pain is not so easily forgotten. And fate would not be denied.

Without warning, an otherworldly abomination emerged from the earth.

And in a day, the mighty Kingdom of Doraine was reduced to ash.

The Phantasm, as it came to be known, could devour the Souls of the living with a single touch.

And no mortal could stand against it.

Which is why, when it carved a bloody path to Wuuheim, Leocadius reluctantly called upon the hated art of Demonica.

He sacrificed his Soul, and the Souls of all his subjects, to destroy the Phantasm. But it survived.

The world's hope was riding on his shoulders, and yet his attempt failed.

Wuuheim too crumbled. But the impact of the king's dread spell opened a gash in the earth.

A pit of shadows that repulsed the Phantasm's Soul-like form.

And as it wandered away from the absence that was once Wuuheim, the world gazed downward. Into the deep.

Ashes of Aeons. Seas of Souls. All this and more was discovered in the dark ruins beneath the earth.

By the few who ventured down and lived to tell the tale.

And so humanity lived in fear of the shadow.

Now the Phantasm is regaining its strength, returning. And the only way out is down.

With doom close at hand, a new band of Explorers file into the Ruins beneath the earth.

To light the way for those behind them.

But what awaits them below is a mystery to all that live.

INTRO REGION: THE DESCENDANT TOWER


Art by Krekian

Multitudes gather at the mouth of the pit. At the borders of the place that was once Wuuheim.
Though the din of the masses is frightful, they all walk forward with singular purpose.
And yet some faces glance back, their grim expressions illuminated by the unearthly glow on the horizon.
The Phantasm, its dread aura towering above the world, outshining the sun.
You near the center. Yet, the further you go, the more difficult it is to move on, and soon you see why.

The great bowl of the pit is lined by hapless mortals, as far as the eye can see, and nine massive rope bridges connect the earth to a black stone structure in the very center.
It swings gently, but with clear power, as if it were some leviathan thrashing in the deep.
Massive iron chains anchor it to the wall of the pit, littered with the bodies of those who gave in to despair and threw themselves into the abyss. And those are the lucky ones, the ones who don't miss the chains and tumble deeper and deeper into the unknown.

That is the Descendant Tower, constructed by the very first Explorers. A tower built in reverse, aimed downwards rather than at the sky.
But something has gone wrong, and the crowd halts. Moans of worry are replaced by screams of agony as those who attempt to cross the bridge are mercilessly cut down by... something.
It looks to be a man's shadow, but cast on reality instead of on a wall.
Free of a source, it writhes and walks and kills under its own power, wielding a shadowy sword and shield, both indistinguishable from its flesh.

You approach the abomination, and unsheathe your blade. The crowd struggles to make room, knowing better than to get between a knight and their prey.
Your encounter is a short but violent one, as you parry its blow and run it through, spattering its black insides onto the wooden bridge.
You put your sword away, only to stagger as the world shakes below your feet. Now the whole crowd is screaming, like a hellish symphony.

The ground shakes again, and the bridge sways. The footsteps of the Phantasm ring out, weightier than any mortal step.
You dash across the bridge as the multitudes pile on, trying to escape their fates.
Several bridges snap, and most who make it across are slain, by still more of the shadow creatures, emerging from the tower's peak.
You push through, flailing through the shadows, and tumble down the stairs. The sounds of outside are muffled, and for a moment, there is relative calm.

Though your body is bruised, your armor is breaking, and your equipment is on its last legs... you are alive. And you intend to stay that way.



AREA OVERVIEW:



The Descendant Tower is a short, relatively unchallenging area meant to acclimate the player to the basic mechanics of Mortal Souls.

As such, the only enemies are low-level Shades, and the threat of death is slim to none, and there are few instant death pits, except in places where the player would literally have to jump off themselves.



(Difficulty Level: [1] Unchallenging)

APPEARANCE:



The Descendant Tower is a massive hanging tower, descending into an even bigger pit. Inside, it is ramshackle, built around a wooden skeleton with emergency supplies and rotting food festering among the Shades. Corpses only carry the scantest of supplies, and the faded remnants of their Souls.

Out the frequent holes in the side of the tower, the walls of the pit gradually give way to thick, storming clouds that swirl around the structure.

Silhouetted against them are the figures of people, falling from above.

Some, already dead. Some, with only a sudden stop awaiting them below.

BOSS: PENUMBRA (The Earthborn Shadow)



The Tower is crawling with the shadows, but you manage to scrape by with your life. They're like nothing you've ever seen... striking with repetitive thrusts and swings, never tiring. And when you strike one down, more seem to rise from dark corners. On your last legs, you descend the final staircase of the tower, leaving its black walls and stepping onto a metal elevator.

You get your first real view of the Aeon Ruins, and the view strikes you with awe. Below the tower, a pale stone island lies, with 6 of its own towers, sitting on a vast expanse of water with four wooden docks stretching past the horizon in all directions. The biggest one in the center is clearly a lighthouse, and its light sparkles over the glass-like still of the sea. Is this place... truly beneath the earth?

However, you have little time to enjoy the scenery. A strange sound from behind you catches your attention, like dripping water, and as you turn, you see droplets of shadow oozing from the tower above, fusing into a misshapen mass on the elevator. A bizarre chain scythe weapon materializes in its chunky hands, and it lumbers towards you, its weight having set off the elevator's slow descent. You ready your blade once more... but what good will it do against such a monster?



BOSS OVERVIEW:



Penumbra is the first boss of Mortal Souls, and the game's first real challenge. Players are immediately thrust out of the comfort zone they might have gained throughout the Descendant Tower, suddenly in a small arena with instant-death drop-offs on all sides, and trapped there with a large enemy whose attacks deal massive damage compared to the Shades fought earlier.

New players are not expected to survive, but the game continues even if they die against Penumbra. Instead, they must fight him later, in a secluded area of the Lighthouse Dock. And even if the player wins, they will die afterwards anyway as part of an in-game event, to demonstrate the death mechanics of Mortal Souls.

DROPS:



-Abandoned Soul:
A violent Soul, that vibrates and twitches in one's hand.

Penumbra, the great Shade at the bottom of the Descendant Tower, seemed to fight more in self-defense than anything else. Compared to a Shade's usual feral nature, that is strange indeed.

Use this cowardly Soul to gain a large amount of Souls, or else create a unique treasure with its essence.



IF THE PLAYER DIES:



YOU DIED
Your Body shall rot, but your Soul is doomed to wander...

Your body battered and beaten, you can only feebly hold up your arms as the shadow advances.

With a final swing, the chain whips against your body, and the scythe catches on one of the chains.

Having dealt with too much already, the elevator pitches, and you topple from it as the chains holding it up shatter.

As blood seeps from your wounds and your vision fades, you become aware of a great light about you...

and as you turn your head, you see a burning beam of light turning... turning... and engulfing your form.

Before blackness takes you, this painful, blinding light is all you can see.





IF THE PLAYER IS VICTORIOUS:



SHADE DISPERSED
The shadow lessens.
But the light that borne it will never fade.

As you wrench your blade through its half-corporeal form, the shadow emits a garbled roar and falls backwards onto the elevator.

Its massive weight rocks the metal disc, which pitches back and forth in the air, threatening to throw you off. And it does, and you tumble through the cold air.

You turn your head just in time to see the great beam of the lighthouse turning to meet you, blinding you on the spot, and rendering you dazed.

You don't know which end is up until you hear a sickening cracking sound... and then you hear nothing.



PROCEED TO: THE LIGHTHOUSE DOCK