Utterly Mad

Ok, here it is.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9m627mcokmcgxes/utterlycataclysm.zip?dl=0

The crate was built and sealed. Someone would come by eventually, they would find his body perhaps. They would also find this crate. Hopefully, it would serve as a boon to whoever found it. The world seemed so dark, and all he had wanted was to help create a bastion where survivors could congregate in relative safety. This new world had conspired against him though. He'd helped clear out the small office complex near the refugee center, he'd even secured the office tower for the survivors. There was no reason life had to be hard except every reason it seemed. The evening they burned the pile of bodies, a scout came in reporting a large movement of a massive horde of the living dead. They swept through the refugee center and Kent Kamps hopes like a wave. He'd escaped to the north, but as he fled something else watched him. The wolf. He began cutting down trees and making boards in some last ditch effort to make some kind of a safe haven, and then the silent wolf attacked. His axe had made short enough work of it but the wolf had done for him as well. Lying against this crate, his last effort to aid humanity in some way, Kent waited for his lifes blood to finish it's unavoidable evacuation from his body. Somewhere nearby in the darkness, a moose called. Listening to it, Kent closed his eyes for the last time.

((As you can guess, a wolf mauled my character while I was doing some things. It nearly killed me and left me with a ":" of health in my characters head after I managed to stop the bleeding. I was killed in the dark by a moose. As you may have also gathered though, I built a crate and filled it to bursting with useful stuff I had collected. If you find it, it's yours. There are books and tools. All the tools you need to start a base in fact, except for a hacksaw and welder. There is also a highly desirable copy of the "DIY compendium" in the crate. Get out there and find that shit. I WILL NOW CALL UPON THE APA!))

The moose tolls the bell, and it tolls for thee. D:

Ok, apathetic isn't ready. Buuuuut Mr. "Random_Archdragon, lord of the dark krater and sorcerer of the fourth ring" seems raring to go. SO! It is now randoms turn. PMing him the link.

JUST SO YOU KNOW! I did the thing and packaged a copy of cataclysm, sans save, in the zip file. When you are ready, simply copy the save into the cata save folder.

Double-posting because eh, why not.

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Had it really been over a year? By countless gods, we prevailed for so long. From many disparate faiths, we cast aside our schisms and petty quarrels, to fight back against what we thought was the End of All.

But we were blind. Chasing cultists and heretics while all we held dear crumbled away. We slew the wicked, fought the monsters, but the world we left behind needed no such dark powers to destroy itself.

And when the last bastion was destroyed from within, I had nowhere to go. The sanctum was compromised, and the modern world I renounced almost a decade ago fared even worse. I lost track of my comrades in arms, and found precious few survivors in this new world. And fewer still I could trust.

But I hold hope. Though the dead arise and demand recompense from the living, and though I know little of whatever strange forces caused all of this, I know of unfinished work. In the grand scheme of things, otherworldly gods and blood cultists almost seem trivial now.

But I do what I can, so long as the Sun shines upon the Earth. If it prevents one more horror from destroying the world, then may the gods smile upon me.

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The structure we approached filled me with a sense of dread. A massive crater that had blasted the forest around it to ashes, and hovering above it was some strange temple. I knew of the cult that once maintained it, and of strained relations between my brethren and theirs. But it never reached the point of outright conflict like our pursuit of The Sanguine Order.

I had but one ally from the "blind" world, a survivor by the name of Kristin. I'm not sure how she survived so long, emboldened by the spirits to advance towards the flimsy stairway leading into the abandoned temple.

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I scrambled to help her, even as she seemed to turn back, finally taking stock of the situation. She didn't even bring a weapon, and I had only my trusty hammer. As I saw strange unfathomable things swarming her, only a few vaguely recognizable as humanoid, I turn and ran like a coward, my initial attempt to save her only earning me several searing gashes over my arm, and what felt like a cracked rib.

When I made it into the treeline, I managed to catch my breath for but a moment, and tend to my wounds as best as I could. The last of the purified essence withered away as I channeled the power of the cloak I wore, and I felt a jolt of pain course through my body, not that it was much worse than the injuries I took in that brief scuffle. I felt a bit less faint from blood loss, but the largest of my wounds wasn't any less bloody.

They're still following me. Even with the bleeding stopped, I can't handle them in a straight fight. I need to put some distance between mysel and them, then think up a plan.

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Also amusing, there's a fucking island temple nearby too.

Just use the tiles build and set it to ASCII mode. Or at least do that if you intend to make someone else play your save. ;-;

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Finally lost the homunculi. Disgusting things, vaguely humanoid yet an overt mockery of anything of this world. I'm starting to realize I took on this holy mission with very little in the way of preparation or supplies. I'm going to need something to hold water in, fire, and a knife. I think Kristin had some supplies, but that's a moot point now.

And on top of all that, a bear attacked me. Not as severe a threat as those...things, so if I had the means to butcher it I'd at least have food. Farther south are more monsters, but they don't seem to be part of the group infesting the crater. Odd.

I need some form of cordage to safely hold any sort of decent makeshift knife. I finally made it to the wetlands near the river, only to nearly get killed by one of those acid-spitting revenants. No matter, at least it has some clothes I can salvage for material. If I can...

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What is this catch-22 horseshit? To make a cutting tool, I need rags or thread. But all accessible means to do so require a cutting quality.

EDIT: AND WHAT IS THIS BUTTFUCKERY? I need this short rope unfucked pronto to make a knife, but...



EDIT 2: Debugged for 6 small strings. Apparently there is a bug affected ropes for some dumb reason.

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Ventured towards the road. Seems clear, and there's a broken-down car nearby. Think I can strip down some of the upholstry to properly wrap a cutting tool.

Eventually I had a crude knife, a fire drill, and a makeshift waterskin. I'm freezing half to death though, but I'm clinging to life better than I was yesterday.

Finally got a camp set up by the road, safely away from the gods-forsaken temple. I will avenge the fallen, soon. I wonder why I keep occasionally encountering the undead out here, but I assume they are wanderers, adrift in the absence of prey in the cities. Or perhaps they dispersed in pursuit of wildlife and survivors.

No matter. I feel bad about stripping the bodies and using their clothes to keep from freezing to death, but I hope that giving their spirits peace is penace enough.



Now it's just a matter of resting up, letting these wounds mend. I spent the afternoon of the third day reading the book of our order. Much of the teachings within are beyond my understanding, but I renew my resolve, and learn what I can until nightfall.

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EDIT: This version seems to have a weird bug with recipes. Sometimes lets me try to make something I lack components for, only for it to error at me. Should I see if the latest version is unfucked?

That is weird, because all I was doing was using rags, and none of them were on fire. No matter, I'll stick with the current version I grabbed.

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Finally healed up, it's been...if I recall, five days since the spring equinox? Far as I'm concerned, fifth day of my attempt to stop running, stop scavenging, and actually do something useful.

My first target is the clearing west of the cursed structure. I can see some form of imp wandering the area, along with the chitinous monster I had a brief scuffle with. The imp was chasing after a wild moose it seemed, while the abominable thing was easily chased down and crushed. Now I witnessed it, grasped the lingering life force of this hideous thing. I am reminded of my mission, and that this otherworldly power represents everything we have fought against.

The others of my order believe these motes of essence are fragmented pieces of these monsters souls, unable to pass on due to being trapped in our world. Not only is it dangerous to use this as a source of power, it is disrespectful to the dead, alien in nature as these beings may be. The ritual thus not only renders it harmless, but is meant to pacify their lingering spirit.

I'm not sure what the consecrated energy left behind is meant to be, though. I vaguely recall the teachings mentioning that the power that drew them here is in some way involved. All that matters is this remaining energy is a necessary evil.

There are other bodies scattered about the clearing. Possibly those who strayed too close to the impact crater. I meditate once more, before continuing my advance.

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On the wind I hear chanting. Strange sounds, voices. I visited one of these cultist enclaves before, when our orders were on friendlier terms. Their chants and hymns did not sound so unnerving. Have they changed, corrupted by their pursuit of an otherworldly god? Or is something else at work here?

The flying...tentacle things are overtly the greatest outside threat. Fast and hard to kill, if I recall. I decide to wait until nightfall to begin an attack.

First I see the visage of a strange floating eye, engulfed in foxfire that lit up its surroundings. Meeting its gaze was sickening, but the light it gave off made it my first target. That it seemed to see me even in the dead of night was further reason to target it first.

But stepping into the light attracted attention. A few shuffling forms, mere revenents. These weren't the common undead I've seen wandering near the roads though. They wore robes and other apparel marking them as servants of the Veiled God, or whatever the ones attending the floating temple were called. In my earlier panic, I did not get a good luck at them, and did not see that they had evidently succumbed to some calamity. But that means the source of the wicked hymns is no living being.

I finally reached the crater, where I found the body of my companion. I feel terrible for taking these supplies from her, but I must. But these flying monsters were soon enough upon me again, and in disgrace I am forced to retreat a second time.

More revenants meander along the road, a morbid source of clothing to salvage. I have managed to repair and reinforce most of my gear, but my gilded aegis is in bad condition. Not confident of my ability to repair this, so my best option may be to simply stash it for now, to not risk further damage. To go into battle without the ability to mend wounds is bad, but losing it permanently is worse.

Instead, I have a plan. The golden scales of this cloak, while better than nothing, aren't really ideal as armor. They're more of a symbol, overtly declaring who we are. I need to figure out how to make proper armor, to match the helm I wear, the gauntlets and boots as well. I managed to make a simple padded leather manica to protect my arms, but that is only part of my plan. Until then, I cover myself with a simple coat, providing more pockets as well.

And at last, the busywork of procuring armor is out of the way.

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It's almost been two weeks since my first ill-fated assault on the crater. I've spent the time preparing myself, gathering supplies, fending out the occasional roaming undead. In doing so, I now have adequate armor. At least, better than what I went into battle with.

I've also passed the time studying The Cleansing Flame further. I feel I will be better prepared now. Tomorrow will be the 13th day of my quest. I shall spend the remainder of today purifying the energy I've gathered during my second attack on the structure, then I shall attack after a night's rest.

May the gods guide me.