Dst – The Tainted: Prologue

Introduction: I’ve decided to try and look into a new story setting rather than continuing any of my old ones for now. AS of yet I’m still musing characters and fleshing plot outlines, but I thought I’d give one part I did finish. A conceptual prologue to introduce some basic concepts. The state of magic in the modern world, the historical presence of demons and the lasting presence of the Tainted and how they fit into generic mythology.

The world will be a generally modeled after today’s world, likely without the current political mess. It’ll be a bit darker than today’s world as well, though indications of this will largely be domestic. The story will center around two main characters as the protagonists and an as of yet undefined antagonist cabal. Should I satisfy myself with laying more groundwork, I’ll continue the story and likely make a series of indexes for it like I did for CMM.

Wish me luck and, as always, comments are welcome and encouraged. And now, let us begin.

The Tainted: Prologue

Most esteemed Sirs,

I know that you will meet this with skepticism, but demons have existed for longer than humans can remember. I will not venture to know where they come from, nor what their existence outside of our dimension means in regard to the studies of physics and metaphysics. I assert only that they did exist and, in a way they continue to walk amongst us.

I have come upon documents and books that were not penned by human hands. Nor in common inks for that matter. They are the ones included in this package that I send to you now. I have had them tested for their properties and provided copies of those results. You may verify them if you like. These books and documents tell a tale some will consider fanciful, but which I find disturbingly plausible in context to the other evidence I have provided. Within these pages I have read our pre-history told through eyes that are not of our species.

There is magic in this world. But it has been so long that few remember how to tap into it now in our age of science and reason. When the Earth was new, this magic was more abundant and our earliest ancestors were born with the instinctive knowledge of how to effect it. Every living thing in this world had the seed of magic within it. Though primitive, our ancestors were powerful because they had this magic at their disposal.

It was the only weapon that could be used against the Demons. A spear could slay a saber-toothed cat, but it couldn’t penetrate the preternatural skin of a Demon. The greatest among those who learned to harness the raw power of magic protected their kin from the supernatural beings that hunted them for sport. Still, many were killed by them, yet it is those who survived attacks who should now concern us.

They are called the Tainted, who have been poisoned inside by the wounds given to them by demonic attackers. Somehow the foul essence of the creatures lingered even after the victim had healed, like snake venom in the blood. Days later every one of them would fall ill and most die, speaking of some hunger that could not be sated. They would be come violent, attacking their kin like ravenous beasts before being restrained or killed.

Fortunately for our world, the demons were banished long ago. As the first trappings of society crawled toward maturity, the power of our ancestors grew to challenge them. It was a sacrifice to banish them from our world, but it was done as it had to be done. But the Tainted were left behind. The most potent among them escaped destruction, spreading their taint.

These creatures gave rise to the ancient myths of vampires, werewolves and other violent supernatural beasts. The demon blood is of a nature that it can change the Tainted if they do not mind their hunger. They hunger for blood because the demon blood that runs through their veins slowly destroys their human blood. They have to ingest more to stave off a slow and painful demise.

Moreover, it was written that the demon blood taint would effect how blood ingested effected the imbiber. If animal blood were taken in, the demon blood would somehow cause the Tainted to take on animal attributes. The first signs very minor, almost insignificant, but the more that is consumed, the greater the effects, apparently. And the changes the tainted goes through are inherited by any that they infect. If you have a Tainted drinking the blood of wolves often, you can get what would have generated the werewolf myth, no doubt.

There is more, but I will leave my introduction here and leave you to plumb the volumes provided for more. A very high price was paid for these volumes, in money, sanity and lives. I cannot hope to impress upon you the urgent need I have for you to safeguard them from the forces that stalk me now. I can only hope that they will not be able to trace this to you. I have taken every precaution I can think of to make sure these volumes disappear from their sight. And I can only hope that these resources will do more for you than they have for me. More for all of humankind, before it is too late.

Regards,
Edward R. Ramon
Archtech Chief Archeologist