It’s cold. Not enough to make you shiver, but enough to make you wish you were wearing more than a toga. You clasp your hands before your mouth and blow into them to warm them up. It doesn’t help at all. Your breath is cool, like the air inside a funeral urn. What happened to you? How did you get here? And where is here?
[[Look around]]
You look around. The light is dim and emanates from no source that you can see. Everywhere splotches of grey mist swirl, unfurl, and disappear. It’s so silent you think you should be able to hear your heart thumping, but you can’t.
[[Try to recall something about yourself]]
(link: "<img src='1.png'>")[
(goto: "Begin")
]
Your favourite colour is… Blue? No! Green. Wait, no, you hate green. …Or do you? Okay, calm down. Try again. Recall something even more basic about yourself.
[[Try to recall your own name]]Your name is… Oh no. It’s as you feared. You must have offended Mnemosyne, the Muse of Memory. She has robbed you blind and left you with only the present knowledge that you are cold, alone, scared, and in a state of total ignorance concerning yourself, the world, and your place in it. You sigh. If only you had a guide to help you get your bearings.
‘Heya there, you lost?’
[[Next]]
You nearly jump out of your toga. Whirling in the direction of the voice, you find yourself face to face with a pink-haired young woman smiling at you with an almost fatherly concern.
When she sees your face, her eyes go wide. ‘It’s you!’ She brings a hand to her cheek and looks at you with grave concern. At last, she says, ‘I think I can guess what happened.’ She pats you on the upper arm. ‘Big ups for picking yourself up. A lesser soul would’ve crumbled into dust after a letdown like that.’
[[Stare blankly]]
[[Attack]]Like a deep-sea fish yanked from abyssal waters onto the sun-soaked deck of a fishing boat, you stare with eyes glazed and mouth agape. The young woman, however, must be used to dealing with specimens like you. She moves the conversation along as naturally as your piscine awkwardness will allow.
[[Next|Next1]]The young woman’s skin is marble smooth. She has a sinewy look about her, like she threshes wheat for a living. She definitely knows how to use that scythe she’s leaning on. But, if it ever came to fisticuffs, you think you could take her. In fact, you feel very threatened right now. Time to let your fists do the talking.
[[Attack: DC 18 (Hard)]](set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll.(if: $roll >= 18)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
Fear not the fighter who has practiced a thousand punches one time, but the fighter who has practiced one punch a thousand times. In truth, you’ve done neither. Still, you wind up and pour every ounce of your might into a left hook, which glances off her shoulder, a folly-filled blow, such as an overweening child with delusions of physical prowess might deliver unto a solid plaster wall, thereby breaking every bone in their hand and shattering such delusions for good.
The pink-haired woman beetles her brows at you. She is obviously wondering what is wrong with you, and to be honest you are too.
[[Next|Next1]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 18)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
You’ve never been more wrong about anything in your life. You can’t take her. She just parried your haymaker like she was brushing away a mosquito. She’s giving you a look that says, ‘Go ahead. Make my day’. You drop to your knees and beg for your life.
[[Next|Next1]]
]
]
]
The pink-haired woman sighs. She obviously thinks you are practically hopeless. Practically, but not totally.
‘Listen,’ she says. She slides an arm over your shoulders and escorts you in the opposite direction. ‘One thing you oughta know about me is that I’m a big believer in the indomitable human spirit. Time and again, I have seen people go through some real shit and come out stronger for it. Believe me. And okay, sure, you blew your chance at a second life. That does suck, I’ll admit. But it’s no reason to give up, is it?’
That sounds like a great reason to give up, you think.
‘If you’ll just come with me,’ says the pink-haired woman. ‘I’ll help get you where you need to be, and you can take it from there.’
[[Accept Help]]
[[Refuse Help]]The gods must be looking out for you. They have answered your unspoken prayer and granted you a guide to help you surmount the trials that surely lie ahead. You grovel and bow and your exultations of gratitude are so vomitous that the young woman demands that you stop.
[[Next|Next2]]You break away from the pink-haired woman, shrugging her arm off your shoulder just as a recalcitrant ass might shrug the yoke of a farmer.
If there’s one thing you know, it’s that pink hair is sure sign of skullduggery. Or was a scar across the left eye the sign of skullduggery? At any rate, you turn down the young woman’s offer with no shortage of curtness. You’ll blaze your own trail, figure things out yourself in due time. You’re a strong, independent something-or-other and you don’t need no—
‘That’s the way to Tartarus. But, hey, if being bound in eternal darkness and torment is your thing, go right on your merry way. I won’t hold you back.’
Suddenly, you remember what a lost cause you actually are. Of course you need her help. You don’t even know your own name.
[[Next|Next2]]‘Name’s Calli. Short for Calliope. You might’ve heard of me.’ Calli pauses and looks a bit shamefaced. ‘They call me a Muse. Really I'm just a big fan of seeing people make stuff. Stuff like music and art, I mean.’ Calli looks around and winces. ‘Not a lot of art down here though. Or life, for that matter.’
She looks over at you.
‘You must miss that.’
[[Recollect: DC 10 (Medium)]](set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll. (if: $roll >= 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
// The sound of a lyre, expertly plucked, fills the air with a joyful melody, further enriching the celebratory atmosphere.
Someone’s getting married today. //
[[Next|Next3]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
There is a violent tug inside your chest, as if a drowning is victim snatching at your innards in a panicked attempt at surviving the sea of sadness that fills you. You grimace but can think of no cause for the sensation.
[[Next|Next3]]
]
]
]‘Well, things can always change. Eternity is a long time.’ Calli gives you a warm smile. ‘C’mon. First thing we gotta do is reach the river.’
You’d follow Calli into the deepest reaches of the realm of Chaos right about now. You hop after her like a duckling following its mama.
[[Next|Next4]]It is not a flattering light that falls on the landscape. You did not know so many shades of grey existed. Here and there, fanged outcroppings jut from the otherwise desolate waste, and a mournful breeze, weak as the dying breath of a dormouse, glides over the bare skin of your arms. Ever downward the ground tilts, though, somehow, it feels as if you are always walking uphill.
[[‘So, about this river…’]]
[[‘Pink hair, huh? What’s that like?’]]Calli’s mind is elsewhere. ‘Hm?’
You repeat yourself.
‘Ah, the river.’ She pauses and takes a moment to think. ‘Well, it’s not so much the river as what’s on the other side.’
‘Which is?’ you wonder aloud.
‘Don’t act like you don’t know.’ She gives you a friendly shove. ‘I think if you really try this time, you’ll come to like it there.’
[[Recollect: DC 10 (Medium)|Recollect2]]‘It’s like having hair except it’s pink.’
You thank Calli for the profound insight and walk on in silence.
[[Next|Kronii]](set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll.(if: $roll >= 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
// There is no Hope in the House of the Dead. //
[[Next|Kronii]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
A twinge of blinding agony spikes your skull and disappears just as quickly. You don’t stumble or cry aloud but walk on in a stunned silence.
[[Next|Kronii]]
]
]
]‘Seems our first obstacle is moping up ahead,’ says Calli out of the blue.
You follow her gaze and spy a blue-haired young woman languishing next to a pool of silver water. She sighs longingly and runs her fingertips along the contours of her reflection.
‘Just follow my lead,’ says Calli.
You nod and the two of you approach the blue-haired young woman.
‘Hey, Kronster. Fell in love with your own reflection again, I see,’ says Calli.
Kronii lifts her eyes away from the water just enough to see who has addressed her. She doesn’t look at you.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ says Kronii. ‘I thought you were dead.’
‘It’s complicated,’ says Calli. ‘Kind of a metaphysical grey area, if you ask me. Life is a spectrum and I’m pretty sure I’m closer to one end than the other, if you catch my drift.’
‘Huh?’
‘Never mind.’ Calli braces herself with a deep breath and exhales through her nose. ‘How many times have I warned you to stay away from pools of water?’
Kronii pouts. ‘I was thirsty.’
‘Then drink some milk. There’s no reason for you to ever seek out a hole in the ground to drink from. You’re not an animal.’ Under her breath, Calli adds, ‘Even though you act like one sometimes.’
Kronii snorts and puffs. ‘What are you, my dad?’
‘No,’ says Calli, leaning forward and offering her hand. ‘I’m your friend.’
Kronii slides her eyes over at you. ‘Looks like you’ve already got a friend.’
‘You might not believe this, but a person can have more than one,’ says Calli. ‘C’mon, take my hand. Don’t be a silly-billy.’
‘What if I want to be a silly-billy?’ snaps Kronii. ‘Huh? You ever thought of that? You ever thought that maybe I want to be a silly-billy?’
Calli lets her outstretched hand fall slack by her side. She shakes her head and looks at you. ‘She’s impossible when she’s like this.’ She turns and begins walking away. ‘Come on. There’s nothing we can do here.’
[[Give up on the blue woman]]
[[Don't give up on the blue woman]]Being a lost cause yourself, you know the usual symptoms, and this Kronii character pretty much has them all. You trot to catch back up with Calli. As you match your step with hers, you can’t help but look back over your shoulder.
The blue-haired young woman has gone back to pining over her own reflection.
‘Huh,’ says Calli. ‘Still willing to look back even after what happened.’
You snap your head around and look up at her. What did she mean by that? Why wouldn’t you look back?
‘Forget about her,’ says Calli. ‘She gets like that all the time. When she gets hungry, she’ll remember there’s more to life than staring at your own reflection. Such as eating food.’
You almost look back again, but something stops you.
[[Recollect: DC 10 (Medium)|Recollect3]]
In spite of her overwhelming good-looks, you feel sorry for the blue-haired woman and her fatal fascination with her own reflection. Where Calli sees a lost cause, you see a soul in need of saving. But how do you save someone from their own beautiful self?
[[Tell a riveting story with a moral]]
[[Listen to her woes and give her sympathy]]
[[Try to make her problems appear insignificant by magnifying your own]](set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll.(if: $roll >= 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
// Your feet feel light. You could walk on and on and never tire. But you’re almost there. Just follow him, and don’t look back. //
[[Next|Next5]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
A profound sense of betrayal collapses upon you. It’s so encumbering you almost fall to your knees.
Calli grabs your arm and holds you up. ‘You okay?’
You nod and keep walking. The feeling will pass, you hope.
[[Next|Next5]]
]
]
]The two of you pass through a blasted landscape pocked by flesh-flaying geysers and flaming fissures. Everything you see is inimical to life. This is not a path the living were meant to tread.
So why are you walking it?
‘Yep. This is some mighty rough country,’ says Calli, who must’ve noticed you struggling to take in the horrific landscape. ‘But you’ve passed through worse than this.’ She winks at you. ‘You’ve got true grit.’
You don’t know what she’s talking about, but she apparently thinks highly of you. You’d better do something to prove her confidence is not misplaced.
There’s a pit of burbling sulfur up ahead. Jump it. Prove yourself.
[[Jump the pit: DC 12 (Medium)]]
You sidle up to the pond and sit cross-legged across from Kronii. You give her what you hope is a commiserating smile.
She addresses your reflection in the pool when she speaks.
‘Can I help you?’
You bet you can. Through the healing power of storytelling, you shall free this young woman from being enthralled by her own beauty.
This is the story you tell.
[[Next|Next6]]This woman is obviously troubled. She needs a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on. Well, you’ve got no shortage of either ears or shoulders. Time to put them to good use.
‘Oh, sweetie,’ says Kronii after you ask her what’s wrong. ‘You don’t wanna know.’
You assure her that you do. The gods gave us speech so that we can share the hardships and burdens of being human with one another. No man is an island and all that.
‘Okay, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.’ Kronii lifts her eyes to the dark and interminable ceiling. Shadows play on her face as though winged manifestations of all humanly woes flutter and cavort in the air above her head. A whining westerly wind whistles a wordless dirge as she begins to speak.
‘Have you ever heard of the Arrow Paradox?’ says Kronii.
‘Oh, boy. Here we go,’ says Calli. She has backtracked to rejoin you. Her arms are crossed, and she is shaking her head slightly.
You’ve never heard of the Arrow Paradox and, at this point, you’re not sure you want to.
‘I will tell you about it anyway,’ says Kronii. ‘Picture this: an arrow nocked, drawn, and loosed. It cuts through the air, fast as a falcon in flight, until it hits its mark with a THWAP! Surely you can imagine such a thing.’
You say you probably can.
‘That’s what you think!’ shouts Kronii, suddenly becoming so animated you take a step back out of fear. ‘Can’t you see? Such a thing is logically impossible!’
The look on your face must’ve betrayed the doubt you feel, because Kronii wastes no time in explaining.
‘Time is made up of instants, correct?’
That’s sounds right, you guess.
‘And how long is an instant?’
You puzzle over the question. An instant is instantaneous. That is to say, an instant has no temporal duration. You feel very smart when you say this out loud.
Kronii grabs your shoulders and screams in your face, ‘EXACTLY!’
You look to Calli for help, but it’s clear she thinks you deserve whatever is happening.
‘An instant has no duration,’ says Kronii, speaking quickly. ‘That’s a huge problem. Do you know why? Because it makes motion logically impossible. The arrow cannot fly. Not one inch. Not even a hair’s breadth. It cannot move. Period. Think about it. Movement takes time. The arrow is frozen in place in each instant, because there is no time in any given instant to move. And don’t argue that it moves between instants. Because what is between one instant and another? That’s right. MORE INSTANTS! Do you see? Do you see how movement is all an illusion? Do you see how everything we thought we knew about the world is a lie?’
Kronii lets go of your shoulders. Her breath is ragged, and she is sweating profusely. She wipes her forehead with the back of her arm. ‘Whew. Hey, you know what? You were right. I do feel better after talking about it.’ She stands up and puts her fists on her hips. ‘I think I’m going to go fishing. Anybody care to join me?’
Calli claps a fatherly mitt on your shoulder. ‘Maybe next time. We’ve got places to be.’
‘You know what? I respect the hustle. Best of luck to you two.’ Kronii turns and walks away, waving over her shoulder without looking back. ‘Till next time.’
[[Next|Next5]]So, this pointy-haired blue lady thinks she’s got problems. Pah. She doesn’t know what suffering is. Let her have it. Cry havoc and unleash the sob story.
‘Is that it?’ says Kronii after you finish telling her how you have a rock in your sandal and how you don’t know who you are and how you wish you had more money so you could buy a nicer toga. ‘Girl, I am about to give you the gift of perspective. My whole life has been one long lament, one I’ve been perfecting since time immemorial. Prepare to bear witness to true misery.’
Kronii stands up, closes her eyes, and strikes a pose with arms braced above her head, probably intended to evoke a tragic figure crushed by the weight of cruel fate.
‘O what woe is mine! I am but a lonely, star-crossed wretch, cursed with incurable good looks and an amazing personality. Everything I see pales in comparison to my own reflection. It’s hard to find worthy company when I’ve set the bar so high by being so incredible. Such loneliness is self-inflicted, you may say. But have you ever considered that I did not choose this life? It’s true. This life was chosen for me. The Fates have ordained that I be overburdened with gifts. And that, my friend, is my curse. In a word, perfection. But what is a word? An excellent question, one I must expostulate upon at great length…’
‘She’s still going, huh?’ says Calli after you catch up with her.
In the background, Kronii is still alternately singing her praises, harping on about her miseries, and uttering unfiltered gibberish.
You thank Kronii for the gift of perspective and feel somewhat better about your own situation.
[[Next|Next5]]Once upon a time, there was a firefly. Of all the creepy-crawlies that buzz throughout the night, the firefly had the greatest amount of self-admiration. Though the centipede could boast of its many legs, and the cricket could sing its own praises all night long, none shone brighter in the absence of the sun than the firefly.
One night, the firefly flew over a puddle in a muddy road.
‘What marvelous incandescence!’ said the firefly, stopping to admire the warm glow reflected in the puddle. ‘I simply must find the source of such illumination so that I may worship its radiance.’
Imagine how pleased the firefly was when it found out it was its own light it had been admiring.
‘Oh, I must be the brightest bug in all of Bugdom! No need for the sun to rise ever again. I shall be the light this world needs.’
So mesmerized was the firefly by its own light that it was blinded to the swooping nighthawk. Gulp! Down the gullet went the firefly and out went its light forever.
[[Next|Next7]]
‘What the hell is a firefly?’ Kronii is glaring at you, her nose wrinkled in disgust. ‘You mean lightning bug?’
You inform Kronii that regional entomological terms are not germane to the point you were trying to make.
‘Well, what was the point you were trying to make?’ A pause swells between the two of you, then the silence bursts. Kronii gasps and claps her hands to her mouth. Her widened eyes are fixed, unblinking, on you. ‘I just got it. I understand everything now.’
It feels good to change a life for the better, you think as a self-satisfied smile spreads across your face.
‘You’re saying…’ Kronii gulps, then beams at you. ‘You’re saying I am the sun.’
You swear you hear wind howling, but that’s just the sound of your point whooshing over Kronii’s head.
‘You’re right. You’re so right. I am the sun.’ She looks down at her reflection and sneers. ‘What am I doing, basking in my own glow like this? The world needs me! It needs my warmth, my light… my radiance.’
You try to get a word in edgewise, but Kronii cuts your aspirations short. She jumps to her feet, puts her hands on her hips, and says, ‘Prepare for my arrival, world! Your dark ages are at an end!’
Then she runs off.
Next to the pool, you sit and stare into the dumfounded eyes of your own reflection until Calli puts a hand on your shoulder.
She leans down and whispers in your ear: ‘I told you so.’
[[Next|Next5]]
(set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll.(if: $roll >= 12)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
Hermes must’ve slipped his winged sandals onto your feet when you weren’t looking, because you sprint up to the pus-coloured stinking pit in a flash and leap it in one bound. You skid on the pebbles and come to a stop on the other side.
Calli walks around the pit in no apparent hurry. She doesn’t seem as impressed as she ought to be.
‘You know what has killed more heroes than anything?’ she says.
You try to recall the name of some mythical man-eating monster, but Mnemosyne is having none of it.
‘Hubris,’ says Calli. She taps the side of her head and gives you a look full of significance before walking on.
[[Next|Next8]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 12)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
Dionysus must’ve blown a cloud of bacchanalia smoke in your face because you sprint up to the pus-coloured stinking pit, lose your balance and go skidding on your belly over the stony ground. If not for Calli quickly snatching you by the scruff of your toga, you would’ve gone in headfirst and probably dissolved.
Calli helps you to your feet. ‘Listen. I’m not your dad. I’m not gonna give you an earful or anything,’ she says.
You can tell where this is going.
‘But what were you thinking? Just walk around. I mean, that was straight-up bone-headed. Even if you did make the jump, so what? Who are you trying to impress? Me? Bro, I was there when Jason killed the fire-breathing wyrm Python and stole the Golden Fleece.’ Calli drapes her arm around your shoulder. ‘Besides, I’m already more than proud of you. You have nothing to prove to me. Okay?’
Calli tousles your hair.
[[Recollect: DC 10 (Medium)|Recollect4]]
]
]
]Under dust clouds the colour of rust, a grim promenade rises up from the otherwise dead-flat ground. Gouged into the side of the cliff face is a door, unadorned except for a bronze crest above the mantel depicting a three-headed dog.
Mnemosyne must be coming around. She has allowed you to remember that you’ve seen this portal once before. It’s not something you ever wanted to see again.
‘Not a sight for sore eyes, is it?’ says Calli.
You clench your jaw and swallow. You feel sick.
‘It’s the worst day of any mortal life when the time comes to pass through this door.’ Beneath the pity, there is a waver of anger in Calli’s tone. ‘Nobody should have to step into Hades twice.’
Her words torment you like a swarm of gadflies as you walk down the long road. When did you ever pass through this door? You know you must have, but when?
And why?
Your uneasy musings are interrupted by an unholy racket.
‘BAU BAU BAU!’
Two fearsome hounds come bounding up at you, alerting all of Hades to your arrival. They wear complimentary tunics, pink and baby blue, stitched with the words ‘Fuzzy’ and ‘Fluffy’, respectively.
[[Next|Next9]]
(set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll.(if: $roll >= 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
// Your ankle throbs. The venom is coursing through your veins. The door to the House of Death is creaking open behind you, swinging wide to swallow you whole.
His will be the last living face you see.
//
[[Next|Next8]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 10)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
At mention of Python, a dormant loathing uncoils within you. //Snakes.// You hate snakes.
But why?
[[Next|Next8]]
]
]
]‘You tricked us! BAU BAU!’
‘Yeah! BAU BAU! You tricked us!’
You wonder what kind of history Calli has with these demon dogs. When you realize they are accusing you of trickery, you wonder what kind of history you have with these demon dogs.
‘I’m sure this is just a big misunderstanding,’ says Calli. ‘Let’s smooth our hackles a bit and talk this out.’
‘Talk!?’ screeches the Fuzzy One. ‘How do you think we got into this mess?’
‘Yeah!’ echoes the Fluffy One. ‘No more talk! Only BAU BAU now!'
‘BAU BAU BAU!’
You and Calli stand there, occasionally sharing concerned glances, as the demon dogs bark until they grow hoarse. Eventually, even they begin to understand that there are some predicaments that can’t be bau-bau’d away.
‘Fine,’ says the Fuzzy One, panting. ‘We will talk.’
‘But no funny business this time!’ says the Fluffy One, pointing an accusing finger at you.
‘Okay, from the top,’ says Calli. ‘What happened?’
[[Next|Next10]]
The twin demon dogs tell their tale:
‘Lord Hades told us to guard the door.’
‘Yeah!’
‘He said, “Let anybody in. But do not, under any circumstances, let anybody out.’”
‘Yeah!’
‘So that’s what we did!’
‘Yeah! Until you showed up.’
‘Yeah! You and that lyre player.’
‘You tricked us!’
‘You knew we couldn’t resist a good lullaby!’
‘Yeah! We fell asleep thanks to you two!’
‘And then you just walked out!’
‘Now Lord Hades is gonna be mad at us…’
‘Bau bau…’
The twin demon dogs finish their tale. Even though you have no recollection of any of this, you feel bad for making them feel bad.
‘Well,’ says Calli. ‘My friend here has come back to make things right.’ She looks over at you. ‘Isn’t that right, friend?’
You put on a false smile and nod with undue enthusiasm. The demon dogs, however, remain wary.
‘Oh yeah? And how are you gonna do that?’ says the Fluffy One.
‘Yeah! And if you think we’re letting you back through, you’re sorely mistaken,’ says the Fuzzy One, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks.
[[Persuade: DC 5 (Easy)]]
(set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll.(if: $roll >= 5)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
You’re not a logician, but you can string together an argument when the need arises. A basic syllogism should do.
‘All good dogs go to Elysium, correct?’
The demon dogs’ ears perk up. They eye you suspiciously before begrudgingly admitting that you are correct.
‘You two are good dogs, no?’
They agree that they are, in fact, good dogs.
‘Therefore,’ you say, putting on the airs of a philosopher propounding to an audience of eager pupils, ‘you two should go to Elysium.’
‘Can’t argue with that logic,’ says Calli.
The dogs look at one another, look at you, look at Calli, then back at each other.
‘What do you think, Moco-chan?’
‘I mean, it makes sense to me.’
‘Me too. We are good dogs.’
‘The best dogs!’
‘What’re we doing guarding the door of Hades?’
‘Yeah! That’s Cerberus’ job!’
‘Yeah!’ The Fluffy One takes the hand of her sister. ‘C’mon, Moco-chan. Let’s go.’
You watch the two demon dogs skip off, hand in hand, in what you assume must be the direction of Elysium.
Calli walks up to the threshold of the door to the House of Death and pushes it open.
‘After you.’
[[Next|Next11]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 5)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
You’re not a rhetorician and it shows. You try to move the demon dogs with honeyed words and fail miserably.
‘Forsooth! I am but a wisp of mist on a summer morning. Burnt to a crisp in a second! My life has ebbed away. The tide has gone out and never again will I feel the surf between my toes. Pity me, you austere hounds! Grant me passage so that I may wile away the rest of my days till the gods see fit to set me free.’
If there were any crickets around, they’d be chirping right now. Instead, a long silence entangles the four of you. Calli is looking like she is having second thoughts about the invention of poetry. The demon dogs are looking at you, their heads tilted at precisely the same angle, their eyebrows bunched in confusion and consternation to the exact same degree.
You can only wait for death to release you from this embarrassment.
[[Next|Calli save]]
]
]
]Calli’s smile is bittersweet. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen…’ She gestures to the wretched hellscape before you with a sweep of her arm. ‘…the House of Hades.’ Her arm drops to her side. When she speaks, it is as if she is apologizing for some grave offense. ‘Welcome home.’
So, this is Hades, the House of Death. It’s not very homely, you must say. There’s no furniture, for one thing. And the morbid ambiance is enough to make an open grave feel self-conscious. Some might find the landscape picturesque, i.e., those who enjoy watching public executions and natural disasters. Personally, it doesn’t align with your taste at all and the thought that this is where you’ll be spending eternity puts a sour frown on your face.
Calli notices your discontent. ‘I mean,’ she mutters, ‘it’s not all like this.’
Whether that was meant to cheer you up or to brace you for worse yet to come, you’re not sure.
[[Next|Next12]]
‘Err…’ says Calli. ‘I mean, that was beautiful and all, but I think there’s a simpler solution to this whole kerfuffle.’ She turns to address the demon dogs. ‘It’s a little thing called compromise. Here’s what I propose. You two let us pass, and I’ll pay Hades a visit myself and clear up this whole misunderstanding.’
‘I dunno,’ say the demon dogs in unison.
‘How do we know we can trust you?’ says the Fuzzy One
‘Yeah! You have pink hair! Pink is the most untrustworthy colour, don’t you know,’ says the Fluffy One.
‘HAEH!?’ screeches the Fuzzy One, bristling in her pink tunic.
‘Oh! Did I say untrustworthy? I meant precious. Yeah, yeah. Pink is the most precious colour because it’s my sister’s favourite colour. Isn’t that right, Moco-chan?’
‘That’s right! Pink is precious. Just like me.’
‘No argument here,’ says Calli. ‘So, anyway… Where do we stand now on the whole let-us-through deal?’
‘We will let you pass,’ says the Fluffy One. ‘But only because you asked nicely.’
‘And because you have pink hair,’ says the Fuzzy One.
‘Awesome. We’ll just be on our way then.’ Calli turns to you and gestures to the door sharply with her chin.
You’re not exactly eager to pass through, but there is nowhere else you can go.
Before following you over the threshold, Calli says, ‘Keep up the great work, you two. And don’t you stop being adorable.’
‘We won’t!’
‘Yeah! We won’t!’
[[Next|Next11]]
What kind of twisted individual could possibly enjoy existence down here?
‘BEEP YEAH! ROLL, BOULDER, ROLL! DOWN THE HILL WE GO!’
At first, the sound of this raucous, childlike outburst makes you think you’re finally waking up from a terrible dream and in a moment you’ll open your eyes to a world where there are children playing in the morning sunshine. A split second later, you have to jump out of the way of a boulder.
The cow-sized stone rumbles between you and Calli and crashes against an outcropping with a shin-shivering thud. Before your mind can form even the embryo of an idea as to what just happened, a short, purplish girl comes somersaulting down the hill behind you and takes out your legs. You hit the dirt hard on your back, your limbs splayed out in all directions.
You hear Calli’s voice.
‘Hey, Beebs.’
You hear a different voice.
‘Oh! Hi, Calli!’
There is a pause.
‘I think I killed your friend.’
‘Nah. She was already dead.’
[[Next|Next13]]
After you get up and get your bearings, you get the details on your assailant. Her name is Bijou, and she is some kind of anthropomorphized crystal or something. Apparently, Sisyphus has gone on holiday and Bijou has taken over for him.
‘The boulder ain’t gonna roll itself,’ she informs you, proudly.
By the sounds of things, she quite enjoys the struggle. She finds it motivating.
‘It’s so exciting, you know? Like, when you get to the top, and the boulder’s just balancing there, and you don’t know when it’s gonna go, and then it does go. Oh, man… It gets me so pumped!’ Bijou punctuates her excitement by fist-fighting the air for a bit.
‘Doesn’t it hurt when you tumble after it like that?’ asks Calli.
‘Nah. I’m made of way tougher stuff than the pebbles around here.’ She flips over a small rock in demonstration with her foot. Then she pointedly looks at you. A little smile creeps across her face.
The implication hits you like a hailstone to the dome: she thinks you’re weak!
Oh, yeah? Can a weakling do this?
You march over to the boulder, spit in the palms of your hands and rub them together and get in position. It’s boulder pushin’ time.
[[Strength: DC 15 (Hard)]]
(set: $roll to (random: 1, 20))
You rolled a $roll.(if: $roll >= 15)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
The spirit of Heracles must’ve been languishing nearby, because your limbs swell, your muscles bulge, and the boulder moves slowly but steadily up the hill. Sweat drips off the tip of your nose, dappling the shale that crunches and cracks beneath your feet.
You //need// to push this boulder to the top. You need to because you know you can. You know you’re strong enough.
[[Next|Top of Hill solo]]
]
]
]
(if: $roll < 15)[(live: 2s)[(stop:)
(transition: "dissolve")[
If Atlas can hoist the world on his shoulders, you can push a puny boulder up a small hill. However, when you try, not only does the boulder not budge, it somehow pushes back and you wind up on the ground in a heap. You vainly hope that nobody saw that. When you look over, however, your worst fears are confirmed. Calli is looking off, pretending that she didn’t just witness you fail miserably, while Bijou is lording over you like you just tripped in the market and spilled beans everywhere.
‘Need a hand?’ she asks as she leans over you.
[[Try again solo]]
[[Accept help|accept help2]]
]
]
]Your hands are bruised and bloodied, your knees are skinned. A veneer of grime and sweat coats your arms, legs, and face. Even so, you are happy. You sit atop the boulder, which sits atop the hill, marveling at the feat you’ve just accomplished, the heights you now know you can attain.
The small figure of Bijou scrambling up the hill wildly, like an ant trying to climb up the sides of an antlion pit, catches your attention. Her tone has changed, and she seems to think better of you after what you’ve done.
‘That was awesome! The way you rolled that rock—like a dung beetle rolling a huge wad of dung. I’ve never seen anything so cool!’
Unflattering analogies aside, you feel the praise is well deserved. You seek out Calli to see if she is as proud of you as you are yourself.
At the bottom of the hill, you spot her standing still and aloof. With difficulty, you bring her face into focus. She is looking up at you, but there is no pride in her eyes.
You slide off the boulder and land on your feet. Bereft of your stabilizing weight, the boulder shifts, cracking the shale beneath it, its momentum taking it over the edge. Bijou screeches and dives out of the way as the boulder rumbles back down the hill, passing close enough to Calli to send her hair fluttering and snapping in the backdraft. She doesn’t flinch in the slightest.
Under her gaze, the walk back down the hill feels more strenuous than the climb. But what exactly is this weight she is placing you under?
Calli lifts one of your hands when you reach the bottom and studies your wounds. She shakes her head and lets your hand go gently.
‘You really think you can go on like this?’ she asks.
One look at her face and you know the name of the burden she’s placed on your shoulders: Pity.
She pities you.
You don’t understand. You’ve never felt stronger, more confident. You don’t know why she should pity you, but you do know one thing: you can go on like this. You will struggle alone and forever if you have to.
[[Next|Next14]]//Take my hand. I’ll lead you out. Trust me. We’ll see the sun again. Together.//
[[Next|Get up]]You look at the outstretched hand, and some instinct urges you to recoil as if from a serpent. Your reaction draws Calli’s attention. She doesn’t say anything. She just stares at you, waiting to see what you’ll do next.
Against all the anxiety screaming at you to do the opposite, you force yourself to take Bijou’s hand. Her grip is strong and her arm is stronger. She yanks you to your feet and crams herself next to you.
‘Here, I’ll help you out,’ she says, laying her palms flat against the boulder. ‘The trick is all in the stance. You gotta really dig in with your feet and use your legs. That’s how you get the most power.’ She looks up at you and smiles. ‘Ready?’
You nod and smile back.
The boulder begins to roll, and you do your best to help it along. You look over at Calli. She looks pleased. Whatever fateful decision she thinks you’ve just made was the right one in her eyes.
[[Next|hill together]]You brush aside Bijou’s outstretched hand and push yourself to your feet.
No. Never again. Whatever must be done, you will do alone.
You get behind the boulder and push.
[[Next|Top of Hill solo]]
‘You thought that was fun?’ Bijou gives you a look that says, ‘You ain’t seen nothin’ yet’.
Together, the two of you stand at the apex of the hill, the giant boulder braced between you. Down below, Calli is clapping her hands in short happy bursts. You know this is not the top of the world—it’s the furthest thing from it, actually—but you think this must be what it feels like to stand on top of Olympus. Even the dead grey desolation of Hades, sprawling like a worn and tide-wracked fishing net in all directions, seems a land rife with riches and opportunity. This is not a view you could have attained alone, and you know it.
‘Ready to let it roll?’ asks Bijou.
Oh, you’re ready to let it roll, all right.
[[Next|Next14]]
With Bijou and the boulder far behind, the River Styx somewhere not far ahead, you wonder how much longer Calli will accompany you. The way the two of you drag your steps suggests this journey’s end is just around the bend, and neither of you are quite ready to face it.
There are many things you have learned about yourself during your time together, but there’s no denying the one terrible truth you have not had the courage to face, let alone speak aloud: You are dead.
Why and how this has come about are details you now need to know.
Mnemosyne has been little help to you. She withholds your memories as if out spite. Well, there are many Muses, and not all of them are against you.
You look over at Calli and find she is already looking at you.
‘You’ll need this,’ she says. She takes your hand and presses a cool gold coin into your palm. ‘For the ferryman.’
The coin is heavy in your hand.
[['How did I die?']]
‘How did I die?’ you ask.
The gravel crunching under your feet punctuates the silence. You know Calli heard you.
‘Does it matter?’ says Calli at length. She stares straight ahead. ‘All that is behind you.’
A vision of a broken lyre floating through the shoals of a stream flows through your head.
‘What’s the point in looking back?’
[[Look back|Next15]]
[[Don't look back|Don't look back]]You stop in your tracks. You will go no further. Not until you know who you were, and how it all came to an end.
Calli stops and faces you. ‘I know you think Mnemosyne has it out for you.’ She shakes her head. ‘You’re wrong about that. She pities you. Memories are wonderful things to have in life.’ Calli turns away and walks on. ‘You know there is no life down here.’
You stand your ground. There can be no future for you without a past. You need to know who you were.
Calli stops again. She turns and narrows her eyes. For long time, neither of you blink or look elsewhere. Then Calli’s shoulders sag. She seems to grow slight, almost frail, and there is a weariness about her eyes that has not shown itself until this moment.
‘So be it,’ she whispers. ‘Your name is Eurydice.’
[[Mnemosyne speaks|Next16]]//My name is Eurydice. I died on my wedding day, bitten by a venomous serpent as I fled the god Aristaeus. Dragged down by cruel Fate, down to the cold House of Death, I languished, weeping over the life I had lost. There is no Hope in the House of Death. What madness overcame me, then, when I saw you again? Orpheus, with your lyre, you moved the God of Death to tears, and you filled my heart with hope. I followed you. I kept my eyes fixed forward. And so did you all the way to the world of the living. But then you looked back, and you proved the adage true: there is no Hope in the House of Death.
When I see you again, I will have only one thing to say to you:
Why did you look back, my love?//
[[Next|Next19]]//Don’t look back. Don’t look back. Don’t look back.//
[[Next|Next17]]Calli’s right. It’s not about who you were. It’s about you are, and who you will be. Mnemosyne can keep your memories. They’ll bring you no joy or comfort down here anyway.
‘Keep your coin handy,’ says Calli. She hooks her arm in yours and walks you to the river’s edge. ‘Be brave, keep your head up…’ She smiles. 'And never look back.’
[[Next|Next18]]
After taking your coin, the ferryman helps you aboard the raft. The distant shore is shrouded in a deeper darkness than any you’ve yet seen, but it strikes no fear in your heart. The shadows are forms of possibility to you now. They say there is no Hope in the House of the Dead.
But that won’t stop you from finding it.
‘Goodbye,’ says Calli.
You turn and look back at her. She smiles up at you, and you smile back. The ferryman pushes off and you glide over the River Styx. The water is unfathomably dark, as if there is no bottom to river at all. The distant shore crawls out to meet you and eventually the ferryman runs the raft aground. You step off onto the basalt shoreline and the first thing you do is look back.
Across the river, standing on the far shore, you see a dab of pink hair.
You wave and whisper, ‘Goodbye.’
The End
[[Credits]]After taking your coin, the ferryman helps you aboard the raft. The distant shore is shrouded in a deeper darkness than any you’ve yet seen, but it strikes no fear in your heart. You’ve faced the worst: your own past. Nothing can hurt you now.
‘Goodbye, Eurydice,’ says Calli.
You say goodbye. You thank her for everything she’s done for you.
But you don’t look back.
The water of the River Styx is lovely, dark, and deep. You see your reflection and for the first time it is not the face of a stranger. You smile, and your reflection smiles back.
The End.
[[Credits]]Written by Leif Maplesson
‘Death Knows Your Name’ is an unofficial, fan-made, interactive adventure written in accordance with COVER’s guidelines for derivative works.
Thank you for reading!
[[Go back to the beginning->Title Page]]