Corpse Saga (Invite-Only)

Death. For as long as humanity has existed, they have had to deal with the harsh reality of the inevitable end of their lives. Life and death are opposite sides of the same coin, they cannot exist without each other. Death is inevitable, that is the eternal truth that mankind has struggled to overturn. It is this that struggle that lead to the creation of a new form of life: Prometheans. Created by alchemists in search of immortality, their research instead lead to the creation of a new life form... created using the corpses of humans. Stronger, faster, and gifted with amazing abilities, it should be a given that mankind would celebrate their new creation. Instead, they reacted in fear and hatred, killing and chasing out any Prometheans they could find, all without a thought. Even Prometheans lucky enough to be born without deformity were quickly hunted down and disposed of. It became clear that humans had an innate hatred for their creations, as deep down they knew what they had made. Prometheans were unnatural beings, those who should not exist. All life around them seemed to understand this, and turn against the Prometheans without thought. The creation of Prometheans, sometimes called Frankensteins, or simply "Corpses", was outlawed. To this day Prometheans hide in the shadows, fearful of the world. There is only one hope for a Promethean to achieve true happiness, they must go on the legendary "Pilgrimage". A journey that once completed, according to legend, will grant true enlightenment and humanity to any Promethean. Though sought after by all Prometheans, the so-called legendary pilgrimage's path has forever stayed a mystery, lost to both mankind and the Prometheans...

___________________________________________________________________________________________
Deep in the countryside, in a small village known as Falkenberg.
It was a dark, still night. The sky was pitch black, save for a single, crimson moon. A lone wolf howl echoes through the village, a sign to the villagers that a harsh, savage world awaits them if any dare leave the confounds of the village. The village itself is quiet, at this ungodly hour, only the town watch are awake. And in this small, run-down village, the most they ever have to do is kill a savage wolf or two, once in a blue moon. Falkenberg itself is just a coupe dozen run down homes, with a church towering over it. Criminals are hung at the local guard station, a fitting fate for those that would prey upon a small village such as this. Only one other landmark stands out in a land such as this, a large, towering manor sits atop a hill on the outskirts of Falkenberg. This manor, unlike the rest of the village, is actually kept in shape, its Gothic architecture makes it stand out from the rest of the village. Rumor has it that a lone doctor lives in the manor, but the superstitious villagers would never dare leave the comfort of their village to find out. Instead, both the manor and its mythical doctor are left isolated from the rest of Falkenberg.

It will almost be dawn soon, the sun was going to rise at any moment. Then -they- appeared, six figures on horseback. Each in a cloak donning the insignia of the House of Luxen. They rode through the village, not stopping for a soul. Even the town watch, the adamant guardians of Falkenberg, didn't lift a finger. Even if they tried to stop them, the insignia of the House of Luxen was a sign, a sign that any who get in the way of these men was dead. The men in cloaks continued to ride through the village, soon moving out of it and heading up hill... towards the lonely manor that loomed over Falkenberg.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________
The interior of the manor was dark and dreary, it looked as if no one had taken care of the building in decades. The lighting was poor, with only a single candle lit in the distance. Spider webs seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the interior. If Annabell didn't know any better, she would think that she'd just stumbled into an abandoned mansion. And then an old, croaking voice echoed through the foyer of the manor "I'm here... I'm here... be right down..." his voice was worn out, it was the type of voice you'd expect from an elderly man in his last years. And then he appeared, slowly limping down the stairs that lead to the second floor of the manor. He stood at nearly 8 feet fall, but he was as skinny as a stick. His legs and arms seemed to go on forever, making his body appear more like a ragdoll than that of a human. His fingers seemed contorted and twisted like old tree roots. He wore an old, beaten pair of pants with suspenders, with a torn up shirt that looked like it hadn't been taken off in years. And worse of all was his skin, which was so rough and contorted it made the man's skin look as if it was dead forestry. He looked like a monster, yet despite all of this, his eyes were truly human. They showed an expression of worry within them, but they also showed another trait: he was tired. His eyes were that of an old man that had seen so much of the world, yet on the verge of giving up on life. The lanky figure limped down the stairs, eventually reaching the end, and then he began turned his head to the girl "Annabell- what is wrong... you're usually not here at this hour..." he asked her, lighting a candle near the end of the stairs.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Father Theme - Sorrowful Stone

___________________________________________________________________________________________
"Horsemen... the House of Luxen...?" the man rose an eyebrow to Annabell, the House of Luxen were a powerful noble house that ruled an entire city not too far from town. For horsemen to be riding towards the manor baring the signet of that house... it could only mean trouble. Yet, the old man didn't seem very worried "Ah... no worries..." he spoke with a small smile on his face, instead the man began to walk to a door on the other sign of the foyer "I have a friend... an old friend... he'll talk to the horseman... no worries..." he continued in a mellow voice "Actually I'm glad you're here... I have all the preparation done..." he limped to the door, then slowly opened it "I've been working all day... soon... soon we'll be done..." he told her "I'll have a family-"
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Father Theme - Sorrowful Stone

___________________________________________________________________________________________
The seemingly old man seemed to stop his walk down to turn to Annabell. Oh how foolish of him, he really should have explained this all much better "Oh I'm so sorry! I really should be explaining myself better... I forget things you see... it comes from the age..." and boy did he know, he'd lived much longer than most on this planet "Do you remember that conversation we had the other day...? For as long as you've remember, you've been the only one in the village who could travel up here... and the only one to see me without reacting in terror or anger... there is a reason for this deary..." the old man pulled out a pare of rusty circular glasses, placing them on as he began to walk further downstairs "You're old enough now to understand... what I really am... and why you're so special..." as the elder walked down to the basement, a whole lab stood before him. It was filled with alchemical books and trinkets. Jars of strange magical potions and equipment to use them "Long ago... a guild of alchemists sought out immortality... and though that quest failed... they managed to accomplish something -much- greater... they created life..." Father walked to a table in the middle of his lab, it was covered by a white cloth, Annabell would be able to see lumps on it. The cloth was hiding something on top of the table "Unfortunately... the alchemists reacted in shock and horror at their creation... but it was not their fault, you see? It was a curse... all life made by man is doomed for eternity to be hated by all nature for their ungodly origin... I am one of those with the curse... a being created by man. The church calls us Prometheans..." the man began to pull on the white cloth, slowly unwrapping it "For longer than I can remember... I have lived alone... until you visited this manor, I hadn't seen a human in... well..." centuries "It doesn't matter... what I mean to say is... I have lived a lonely life... I've dedicated it to understanding the alchemy my creators used to make me..." the old man stopped, taking a deep breathe "I'm sorry... this is probably too much for you..." the man stopped pulling off the cloth on the table before whatever it was hiding could truly be seen "Those men riding to this manor are here to kill me and destroy my research... if my friend fails than I fear they will be here in a matter of minutes. You should leave... you're in danger..." as for him, he wasn't going to leave, he wasn't going to leave his daughter.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Father Theme - Sorrowful Stone

___________________________________________________________________________________________
Father seemed to be gathering as much of his research, confined to ragged notebooks, and piling them up "The least I can do is hide my work... there's always a chance that another survivor will find my research... maybe live a happier life-" and then Annabell spoke. The old man turned to her as she spoke, listening to her with an expression of disbelief on his face. He had never met anyone, especially a human, kinder than this girl "..." a single tear fell down the old man's face, before he turned back to the table "I'm not giving up..." he spoke in a weak voice, suddenly pulling off the cloth from the table. This revealed.. a girl, or at least the body of a girl. Her skin was an odd, blue-ish color, and her face looked almost doll-like, though she certainly looked much more human than the old man, something about her was obviously not human, or even life like "My daughter... Velouria..." he looked down at the girl for a few moment, the only hope he had of attaining a family in his life, his sole goal "I am working on her sibling... two more... but they're not complete yet... so I suppose that makes Velouria the older sister then... right...?" the hapless old man pulled out a few books and opened them up, then opened up his notes "Annabell..." he looked to the girl with a determined look in his eyes "Will you help me...? I'm afraid my body has grown weak... I may not be able to complete this ritual in time..." he knew the risks, just because Annabell seemed to be immune to the curse around him didn't meant she would be immune to the curse around Velouria, but he had to have hope in the situation.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Father Theme - Sorrowful Stone

___________________________________________________________________________________________
Father looked to an old clock, it was rusty, beaten, but it was never off. Father had had that contraption for so long, he wondered if it was older than him. Either way, he turned to Annabell after reading the clock "My friend should be back any moment now... I do hope he's okay..." he muttered, then he looked back down at his books. Turning a few pages, he let out a sigh, then he looked back up to Annabell "Yes..." he pointed to a paint bucket left open in the corner of the lab "I would like for you to pain circles around the table... one large circle... and nine smaller circles within the large circle. Understood...?" he told her, before walking over to his 'daughter' holding a few vials. Father began to mix them, until they glistened in a beautiful blue light "Yes... my work is almost done..." Father began to pour the vials onto the body, before placing his hand on the book he had turned the pages of earlier. It was a grimoire, a book of spells "Once you're done... I can begin..." he told Annabell, letting out a few coughs. His body seemed to have been growing weaker lately, as if all the power in his bones was giving away.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Father Theme - Sorrowful Stone