Chapter Text
Gregory Istavon Letter 1/ February 4th 1891
To my dearest Beatrice I hope this letter finds you well. I am unharmed and safe now that my unit, well me and two of my squad, has regrouped with the third and fourth shock armies. These Empyreans are bloodthirsty animals just as we were told in school. Elderly, sick, woman, children they kill everyone they encounter and destroy everything they see.
Not only that it would seem as though they have conducted some unholy ritual on their soldiers. While some would die when shot others not only lacked souls, but got up immediately upon being shot. These “men” behaved like animals with some even attacking their own. They don’t seem to be able to talk like you and I. They scream and groan but at the same time drive vehicles and shoot with guns. They are relentless in their aggression and hunger and kill everything they see. May Hoddar have mercy on us all. I fear the worst is yet to come.
Gregory Istavon Letter 2/October 31 1891
I am sorry my love. I… I failed you. The Empyreans and their wretched butcher Allen Wesly have been relentless in their goal to kill us all. And I must confide in you, I am terrified. Just yesterday they filled our trench with some chemical weapons from their artillery shells. I was lucky I was already wearing my mask, but the others weren’t so lucky. By the gods… I can still feel them grabbing at me while writing this. So cold and… strong until…
My squad is gone. We’re run out of space to bury our dead and those monster's swarm their bodies day in an out. My trench is soaked up to my knees and it’s a blessing I haven’t needed to get my legs amputated. It’s… hopeless here. No matter how many we kill they either get back up or get replaced by more soldiers.
I saw that mad man Allen a few weeks ago. He was charging through the killing field with his men, our artillery and bullets couldn’t stop or slow his advance. When they reached the trenches… by gods… the screams… the blood… we couldn’t do anything to stop him. I shot him in the head and he…
He laughed. That monster laughed at me. And he…he… I’m sorry my love. I promised you I’d be careful and come back to you like nothing happened. I was naive when I said those words. I thought I knew how cruel people could be, how horrible war could be… I was wrong.
I’m not coming home. I’m like them now. A dead man walking. Listen to me and pack your things and take our son as far away as possible. Go to the end of the world, build a new home on a remote island or anywhere else, do whatever you can to get away from this war. These are not men we fight, they are demons.
I’d pray for your safety, but the gods have abandoned us. Please, run far far away. I love you.
Empyrean Investigation Bureau Report: The Eastencian in this letter “Private Gregory Istavon” Has been confirmed as terminated following his suicide at his barracks following [REDACTED]. The experiment is confirmed to be successful as upon investigation it was determined that he had terminated twenty of his fellow soldiers and squadmates and five civilians before [REDACTED] where he regained control over his body and proceeded to terminate himself.
The procedure created by King Tirch is a success as every subject has terminated their companions, family, and squadmates. Mass mind control via [REDACTED] however remains a distant goal and until [DATA EXPUNGED].
The barrier must be broken. She must be free.
Beatrice Istavon Letter 1/March 13 1895
Father I know you disagree with my decision but I will not let those mad men send my son into the trenches! You would do anything to protect me, mother and my brother’s. So I know despite what you say, you know what I am doing is for the best.
I’m leaving this note in your office as a goodbye. I love you and mother, and I’m sorry but this war… There will be nothing left for any of us when this is over. We are destroying the ground and the air with our weapons. Every day countless children, mothers and wounded men die from contaminated drinking water, poisoned crops, and diseases as both our armies seem more content to simply commit mass murder than think for a moment about the long term consequences of their actions.
I fear for our future. I’d pray but what’s the use? Hoddar and Mella have left all of us to this nightmare. I know what you're thinking. I’m a coward, it’s not really that bad. Well how about YOU get out of your office and touch some grass for once? Oh wait, they’re all dying. I can’t even remember the last time I saw a single blade of grass that was still green, or a tree that had leaves.
I hope you and the others can save us all. But I fear it’s already too late for all of us.
I love you both. I hope I can see you again. Someday when this madness is finally over.
Beatrice Istavon Letter 2/January 20 1896
Demon’s are real. No matter where we run, no matter how many months at sea we spend they always find us. They haunt me in my dreams, I seem them in the shadows and at the edge of my sight. I also see… Gregory.
He misses me father. He misses our son. Every day he appears to me and begs for us to be reunited. He is… always with me. I can feel his touch father. I fear I’m going mad.
I have heard rumors that you are pushing those monsters back from our home father. I pray for your success and [INCOMPREHENSIBLE TEXT]. I pray this nightmare ends soon.
Beatrice Istavon Letter 3 March 13 1896
I… I cannot… I… I cannot protect my son any longer. Gregory is angry with me. He hits me, yells at me day in and out. I cannot sleep. I can’t go a second without feeling his hands around my neck and squeezing my heart at night. This morning when I awoke I…
So much blood on me, them. I… I didn’t! I never would’ve… There is no one left but me and my son. You were right father and I’m sorry I didn’t listen. I should’ve listened when you warned me about what they were doing to prisoner’s, to my Gregory. I never… I just wanted to protect our boy.
These things… I won’t let them take him. I’m sending him home. He knows how to sail. How to fish. He’s a strong boy. Just like his father was.
He’ll make it but it’s too late for me. Please look after my son father. Tell mother I love both. And I’m sorry I couldn’t come home.
Empyrean Investigation Bureau Report: Beatrice Istavon confirmed terminated upon discovery of her body at [REDACTED]. All inhabitants of the island are confirmed terminated following her [REDACTED]. The status of her son Issac Istavon is unknown. Investigation to current whereabouts are currently underway.
The Barrier is confirmed to be getting weaker. Strength of the seal separating the physical world from Hell is approaching critical levels the closer proximity becomes to the heart of the sunken continent. Estimate three more years until permanent breach is established.
She must be freed. She must be fed. She must grow.
Journal Entry 1 Issac Istavon December 1st 1899
I don’t know how to start this. They gave each of us this journal and told us to fill it with our thoughts, experiences, memories and all that stuff. Guess it's a way of helping all of us cope with the fact that this mission might be a one way trip before Hell swallows us all.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. I’m only thirteen but I’ve been fighting this war for the last three years. I don’t like thinking about what my mother did, but I know now it wasn’t her fault, or mine. That evil monster Tirch is the one who did this to us all.
He’s trying to shatter the barrier between this world and Hell using some kind of magic we’ve never seen before. What makes this difficult is that each and every person that dies makes the barrier weaker ever so slightly. According to our report’s, it’ll finally shatter by tonight at midnight during the blood moon.
Field Marshal Frando and some of our top wizards apparently managed to contact Hoddar and asked him for help. Looks like we haven’t been abandoned after all. It’ll be a close call but if we follow his ritual we’ll be able to re-seal the barrier and save the world. The problem is our wizards are going to need to be at the peak of Mt Ebbot for that to happen. Something to do with residual magical energy from some war fought a long time ago I didn’t really pay attention to it.
There's a city sitting right next to the mountain and it just so happens to have Allen Wesly’s entire army parked in it. I’m sure Frando already has a plan for kicking that butcher out of the way. He kicked him out of Eastencia and now we get to deliver payback on the Empyrean’s thanks to him.
I just have to hope we win. Cuz if we don't, no one is going to live to see tomorrow. But as long as we have Frando leading our army I know we’ll be fine.
Journal Entry 2 Issac Istavon December 10st 1899
We’re all still alive for now. Frando is… dead. He got his head blown open by a sniper but our wizards managed to complete the ritual. We’ll all get to live in this hellhole a little while longer. That’s where all the good news ends though.
Our tanks are gone, our supplies were bombed and Tirch did something to the weather and now it's below thirty degrees out. I heard some of our men finally managed to get a shot on Allen. Hopefully the monster finally dies.
Our morale is gone. Frando wasn’t just our leader, he was our savior. He was the only one who could beat Allen and now that he’s gone it’ll be like the start of the war again.
We’re on the run day and night. Their armies stopped chasing us but there are… things out there hunting us. I saw one bring down thirty men and a tank before we scared it off. We can’t hear them, can't see them until it's too late and… we all feel them watching us.
Sometimes I hear my mother out in the blizzard. Calling to me, telling me she misses me and wants to see me. I don’t want to fight anymore. I can’t sleep… I-I just want all of this to be over.
Journal Entry 13 Issac Istavon July 17th 1911
The war is over. The Empyrean’s dropped some kind of bomb on our last cities and completely destroyed them. To make matters worse we confirmed Tirch is still trying to break the barrier and now with Eastencia gone there's no one who can stop him.
But we’re not giving up. Tirch is the one who started this war, the reason so many good men and women died and my home is a desolate wasteland. I’ve gotten together with some other soldiers and Eastencian intelligence officers who managed to avoid being captured. Even if it costs us our lives, we will kill him.
We’re crossing the old border between Eastencia and The Third Empyrean Empire tomorrow. It’s heavily guarded but we found a guard who’s willing to take bribes. May Hoddar bless us with success.
And if I don’t make it. Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, thank you all for everything you’ve done for me. I won’t let your death’s be in vain.
Begin Audio Recording: Laboratory of King Tirch [REDACTED]/1911
Tirch: "Experiment number six two nine five subject Isaac Istavon. The subject bears a perseverance soul like myself and has demonstrated a remarkable will to survive. After testing I determined he was compatible with my ongoing Angel Project.”
Issac: “Those things are not angels!” [Background screeching and echo of flesh being ripped apart fills the room]
Tirch: “They are what I will them to be. As are you.”[the echo of footsteps follows] “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how your and your miserable little army ruined my plan to free Mella from her prison at Mt Ebbot. I’ve been waiting the last several years to pay you back.” [Issac scream in pain as something sharp pierces his skin]
Tirch: “But it matters not. Whether it is today, tomorrow, a year, a century the barrier will break and I-she will be free. The world is mine and I have engineered a system of suffering and slavery to break it. With the oncoming economic collapse and agricultural shortages I will solidify my control over my world and the slaves that I permit to inhabit it. The death and misery in the coming decades will push the world back to the brink and this time I'll ensure no one will be able to re-seal the barrier.”
Issac: “*coughs* You’re insane! *cough’s harder* You’re going to destroy this planet and kill us all! Don’t you realize YOU’LL be killed when the barrier breaks to?”
Tirch: “This world will be destroyed along with everything and every human on it, yes. It’s a good thing I relinquished my humanity and gave Hell my flesh.”
Issac: “What?!”
Tirch: “In any case the destruction of the world is inconsequential. Why worry about one petty little universe and world when I can have them all. As King of this world, The Master of Hell and soon all of creation. I'll have every soul, every nation, every universe will bow before me or face total annihilation!”
Issac: “You won’t succeed. Others will find the strength to stand against you.”
Tirch: “No they won’t. Once I strip away their free will, they’ll do whatever I demand of them. Now then, shall I demonstrate? My new angel of order.”
Issac was never seen or heard from again. Soon a crisis struck the world as the economy and food supply of the Third Empyrean Empire suddenly collapsed. In the midst of the chaos, lawlessness and fires raging in the cities and in the fields Tirch unleashed his "Angel's". Mysterious being's with power far beyond that of any human. With ray's of bright yellow light they set fire upon all those who opposed Tirch. Cities were turned to ash, families, villages, communities that had survived the Great War were shattered in an instant with power's that eclipsed that of the atomic bombs that were dropped. Most prominent of them all was Zoraz the "Angel of Order" who's power crushed many rebellion's and insurgencies with a simple flick of his fingers.
Tirch made it mandatory for all citizen's of the new Empire to worship him as a God. Be it fanaticism or fear the masses followed and bowed before him. They worship him and sacrifice to their deity daily. Hastening the demise of the world as the seal once again breaks little by little with each passing day.