Madman's Knowledge
Soon I shall die, and in that I hope to find some relief from the burden of my folly which weighs heavy on my mind. Life is now fruitless, filled with feverish dreams and insane thoughts that make living unbearable. To add to this, I feel the constant and undeniable presence of something that watches me without end. Even now, the mere thought of it makes my hands shake violently and I find it near impossible to put pen to paper and transcribe this wretched tale. After writing this, I shall throw myself off the cliffs along the outskirts of Byrgenwerth, casting my body to the wind and these mad thoughts to oblivion. But first, in my brief lapse of sanity I hope to convey some knowledge so that you who reads this will not make the same mistakes that I so foolishly and wholeheartedly made in my pursuit of knowledge.
I was a scholar at Byrgenwerth; a good one at that. During my time there I excelled in science and natural philosophy, even being credited with several discoveries into the inner workings of the brain. Thus it was of no surprise that I was one of the first officials to learn of the numerous catacombs slumbering beneath the city of Yharnam and the strange artifacts contained within. This was of course a ground-breaking discovery that suggested the existence of a civilization that had ambitiously constructed these elaborate systems (for reasons unbeknownst to us). Aroused by the thirst for glory and promise of answers I immediately made the necessary arrangements to accompany one of the first expeditions into the labyrinths, led by Erwin Walton who originally visited my office concerning the matter at hand. The party consisted of several other workers and two excellent students that had begged to accompany me, upon recognizing my own obsession for knowledge in their youthful eyes, I consented. The group it seemed was very capable, equipped with torches, tools and rations we set off during the early hours of the morning in eager search of discovery.
Upon entering the catacombs after clambering down a dilapidated ladder, I was met by an overwhelmingly thick crypt-like smell which permeated the darkness around me. The torches soon cast light to the dusty air and the ancient craftsmanship of a long lost people was illuminated. Cobblestones paved the floor of the atrium which was decorated by several eldritch statues, standing on either side of the doors. Each face was contorted in expressions of agony and malice so realistically captured, it was as if the sculptor had seen the pain that he envisioned with well acquainted and intimate clarity. Seeing this was enough to immediately extinguish the spirits of the party and we walked solemnly through the great doors, a little wearier than before.
We passed through various maze-like passages each of which connected to a larger room adorned with more hideous architecture and cold stone walls. It seemed the further we got from the main chamber the more dilapidated and bare the rooms were. Thick roots broke between paving stones and crawled up walls, some rooms were completely covered in mud from the water that dripped loudly through cracked ceilings.
In a chapel-like room, one of the students found what seemed to be a rune of some kind, marked with indiscernible scrawling and dark grey in nature presumably used by the denizens in rituals of some kind for worship of a lost God. The larger chambers held more plentiful bounty that was quickly seized by the crew and packed into cases for further examination at Byrgenwerth. Strange instruments, fanciful carvings and intricate devices were among the invaluable treasures that were discovered. One particular item that captured my interest was a small brain like rock, latticed and grey about the size of one's fist. It held a certain fondness with me given my previous essays on the brain anatomy so I slipped it into my coat pocket as a memento of the adventure, now it only brings to mind pain.
Pausing now, I should have known then the imprudence of our endeavor. Not only did we take what should have remained entombed, but there was a certain feeling that was enough to make any man turn around with fright in those dark passages. Of course, I was not discouraged by this omen, instead it spurned me on deeper into the newly lighted abyss. My curiosity was a drug and I was addicted.
After a series of winding passages and small rooms we came to a great rounded chamber, yet again decorated with the familiar statues that had almost grown tame with frequent appearance. The hall was paved in a circular unfurling pattern, wild and ancient flora had reclaimed the chamber as a its own subterranean garden, giving life to a pungent sweet smell infused with the dusty heat. At the other side a rusted metal gate could be seen, presumably the main exit from the chamber that all passages led to, like veins to the beating heart. As we started across the vast expanse of the room there came a deafening crack and the floor gave way from under our feet, plunging us into complete darkness.
Pain shot through me and stole the air from my lungs as my body hit the ground. We had fallen a great distance into what seemed to be a natural cave system beneath the catacombs. Stalagmites and stalactites lined the edges of the cave like great teeth in the maw of a ferocious beast. The torches cast shadows off each and every one of them, creating a dozen more dark adventurers that bobbed their heads with every movement of flame. As I stood up to take in my surroundings, I noticed a jagged rock a mere arm's distance from where I fell that I am sure would have ended me (were I so lucky). Across from me, one of the students lay on the floor groaning in pain, his left leg contorted at an unsightly angle. The others appeared in better health although bruised and covered in mud from the sodden ground.
After gathering our wits and assembling around the crippled man we discussed the best way of transporting him, if at all since we were not yet certain of an exit. After a time nervousness grew to agitation, and agitation gave way to anger. Two of the more experienced explorers (against Walton's orders) were resolute of going ahead to discover an exit and stormed off in vexation, leaving me and the others to care for the unfortunate young man who was now delirious from the overwhelming pain.
We waited for what seemed like hours before giving up hope of them ever returning. As I dwelled on this morbid thought, a distinct noise sounded from the bowels of the dark, a dragging, shifting sound that resonated through the vast space of the cave to greet our fearful ears.
The shifting became louder and louder until finally, a probing tentacle entered the light of the torch. My eyes were led up the invertebrate limb to a mass of dark putrid flesh. Several eyes sprouted from the hulking monstrosity in all directions, pulsations from its vile heart were visible through the stretched pellucid skin that rocked its frame and pulsated the eyes in and out rhythmically with its apparent breathing.
It clawed its way towards us with gaping mouth. I felt myself in horrified awe of the creature and fell prey to its attention. A cold arm wrapped itself tightly around my waist and I was and raised several feet into the air without effort to its bulbous head. Suddenly dark, maddening images filled my mind. Vivid spectacles of the long past and short future were revealed through contact with the being. Eldritch knowledge that would be impossible to convey to you now was forced upon me. Inconceivable shapes and thoughts, fractals and patterns which culminated in a vision of a blood-red moon which told of the Yharnam's fate and the terrors that would be unleashed. At this point I couldn't help myself but scream in agony… in futility of my own existence and the fate ahead for Yharnam
I was brought back into reality when my body came to contact the floor, my head pounded like a rung bell and my sight was impaired by symbols and signs akin to those engraved on the runes. I scrambled to my feet to push past the others and run blindly through the dark, desperately attempting to flee and not knowing what I would find next. A glance over my shoulder showed the faint glow of the torch shrinking in the dark, the cripple trying in futility to crawl away. I turned back just as an unfurling tendril snatched one of the men up. A torturous scream followed the audible sound of flesh being ripped.
I ran and ran for what seemed like years, the sound of death and eldritch gurgling ever present. On the way I stumbled upon the fate of the explorers after I tripped and fell over a severed arm still clutching an extinguished torch that he had earlier snatched from my hands. I cannot remember past this, or before clambering out of the entrance covered in blood and muck however the unending scream of that thing fills the void of my memory with haunting clarity, bringing to mind me that poor student's defeated expression as I abandoned him to a ghastly death below. Despite leaving my friends and colleagues to save myself, I cannot say I regret doing so, the terror of the unknown is said to be the strongest of human emotions and its power held omnipotent sway over my actions.
Death sings to me and out the window of my office I see its smiling face through the rain that beckons me to comfort. I pray thee, do not let your thirst for knowledge blast your thirst for life. Do not awaken the terrors beneath us to bring our destruction any sooner. For you shall know when the thick sky turns red and the lofty moon hangs low.