Chapter Text
Beneath the city of Yharnam, in the depths of the earth, lies a gigantesque network of underground galleries. A real labyrinth carved by the ancient civilisation of the Pthumerians, now extinct. It was their home but also the tomb of their gods.
It is said that the Pthumerians were superhuman beings who unleashed the wisdom of eldritch truth. Traces of this civilization can be found in many regions. After the disappearance of their gods, they began to name and crown themselves their own leaders. They built their capital in the middle of this gigantic maze, just below the heart of actual Yharnam.
But one day something terrible happened, all the different Pthumerian civilisations begin to disappear one after the other. Diseases, natural disasters, wars, monster attacks, mysterious disappearances... they seemed to be plagued by many calamities.
More than a century ago, a war broke out between the last great Pthumerian civilisation and the surface. Neither side came out victorious. Only a few warriors sent in the depths of the earth ever returned. Those who still got their mind, reported that all the Pthumerians had gone mad, they were deformed and much stronger and faster than an ordinary human. They had become monsters.
After that, the labyrinths under Yharnam were sealed, and the last of the Pthumerians with it. These impressive constructions are nothing but ruins now. All that remains of the Pthumerians and their knowledge are the few relics who were brought back to the surface.
A few decades later, in the city but also in its surroundings, new catacombs
leading to these ancient complexes were uncovered. With them came many new artifacts. Scholars, brilliant minds, families from noble birth, but also much more modest people who wanted to discover the secrets of this vanished civilisation.
"How did the Pthumerians become so powerful ? What did they discover ? Why did they disappear ? Did they really manage to make contact with the gods ? How could all this knowledge be used for a common purpose ?”
A unique place of knowledge and learning was needed to answer all these questions, to make the best out of it and to put them into practice. This is how the University of Byrgenwerth was founded.
One day, a group of scholars made an extraordinary discovery in the ancient labyrinth. They assimilated the eldritch truth and brought back a sacred medium with exceptional properties. It was said to be the blood of the gods. With the goal of ascending humanity and reconnecting with the great ones, their thirst for knowledge drove them to go further and further. However, their wild curiosity also leads them to repeat the same mistakes as their predecessors. This is how their dreams turned into a nightmare.
Hundreds of bones and skulls covered the walls of the ancient catacombs. These dark, cold and moist galleries where a few drops of water drip down and where silence seemed to reign forever. However, the echoes of footsteps began to be heard, they grew louder and louder. Behind the faint glow of a light piercing through the darkness, two shapes appeared.
Fortunately, they were ordinary, normal humans. With their brown uniforms and long black robes they had to be students or members of Byrgenwerth.
One of the two finally broke the cold silence and spoke softly to his comrade. "Are you sure it's this way? "
"Yes, it's this way. We went there the other day with the teachers" answered the one leading, a young blond man. After a few moments he stopped walking. Scratching and squeaking echoed in the tunnels. He asked his companion: "Do you hear that? "
His follower, another student with short brown hair, had stopped behind him and looked worried: "Is that..."
"Probably a rat, yes."
"It's very noisy for a simple rat, don't you think? "
He thought for a few seconds before answering. "Maybe there’s just a lot of them?"
His friend looked at him puzzled, but before he could answer, he added with a laugh. "They're pretty big too. You should have seen the one we saw the other day! "
Imagining such a thing just made him shiver. He just quickly answered him. "What are we going to do now? I don't want to get bitten or get sick because of them! "
"Don’t worry, we can make a detour over there. We're not too far anyway."
After a few minutes of walking, they finally arrived at their destination. They found themselves in front of a huge double door, several meters high. Their lanterns could barely light up the whole thing. In addition to the imposing arch above it, numerous bas-reliefs decorated the imposing stone door. It seemed very heavy and far too dense to hear from the other side. There was no lock, handle or anything that could be found on an ordinary door.
"This is the entrance to one of the ancient labyrinths! According to Master Willem and the other teachers. You know, the ones that were sealed long ago." He paused briefly. "I needed to show you."
"That's impressive!" marvelled the second.He pointed at the door. "Have they managed to open it yet?"
"Not for now unfortunately. No one ever managed to move it."
"These ornaments are so beautiful and detailed!" he exclaimed in wonder.
"That's true... You know, from what I've heard, they're going to ask some of the clerics in town if they can borrow their chalice to try to open the door. But I don't see how a simple cup could open a door. It's not a key for what I'm aware of..." He raised an eyebrow and looked at his comrade in anticipation of an answer from him.
"That's true but... look at the engravings. You can see the Pthumerians putting uh... various substances and materials into the chalice. It looks like they're performing some kind of ritual with it. Perhaps it's a clue? "
"Yes indeed, they seem to be putting some sort of liquid in it..."
They stared at the door for a few more moments in silence.
"Alright, shall we go back up now? " He asked him gently.
"Already? Are you scared? "
"No, but I don't want us to get into trouble, you know."
"At this hour there's no one around here" Normally "But yes, I showed you what I wanted, and it's done. You know, in the worst case we'll just run into one of the school guards and improvise! "
"Yes, like always!" The two burst out laughing.
"By the way, thank you for agreeing to come with me..." he muttered as he turned away from his friend.
"Of course! Thank you for showing me the entrance to the labyrinth" he replied warmly.
And so, they decided to go back to the surface. After a last look at the huge door their eyes were again greeted by the dark ground and the bones. But after a while, another pair of footsteps seemed to be heard. They both stopped to listen.
"Can you hear that!? "Whispered the worried brunet over his friend's shoulder.
"Yes, I hear it!" He managed to say in a low voice, trying to keep his composure.
The footsteps continued for a few seconds before stopping completely. They looked at each other puzzled, but before they could say anything, intelligible whispers reached their ears. They now stood motionless, both holding each other's arm.
After a few minutes the murmurs were still going. They seemed to get louder and louder, but it was impossible for them to understand anything.
Once both had calmed down a bit, they wondered if they should try to make some noise and signal their presence. It could only be one of the university staff or another student defying the rules. They were still in Byrgenwerth grounds, it couldn't be a tomb robber, right?
After a while they decided to try to call out the mysterious voice. They got no answer and the murmuring continued. They moved forward very slowly and then noticed that the whispers were coming from one of the side galleries connected to the main path.
They stared at each other in the eye. Despite their fear they had been bitten by curiosity, so they decided to go in the side alley. They only stopped a few dozen meters further, that's when they saw it. It was a very tall, naked humanoid with pale, almost blue, skeletal skin, it’s back turned to them. It looked like an undead corpse.
The two young men were left stunned. The brown haired one stammered to his friend, "Is... is that a... a Pthumerian? Isn't… it ?! "
The blond, trying to articulate, replied: "I... I don't know... I thought they had all disappeared. Shit! What do we do?"
"We can try to-"
"To what? Talk to him?! "
"Well... we can always try... can't we?! "After a few long seconds of silence, he began in a faint voice: "Are you one of the watchers of the labyrinth?" No answer. The being continued to mumble in its corner.
His friend decided to continue, but in a slightly louder tone. "Oh, proud and brave Pthumerian, guardian of the gods, have you come to share your great wisdom with us? "Still no answer.
The other picked up a small stone and threw it against one of the walls in the hope of attracting his attention. The murmurs stopped but still no reaction.The two students looked at each other without really knowing what to do.
The blond decided to call out to him, "HEY!!!" Still nothing but silence and the crackling of lanterns. The two of them were whispering to each other that it would be better to leave now, hoping the others would believe them when suddenly the figure slowly turned its face to them.
Its eyes were completely black, no one could discern whether it really had eyeballs in the darkness. His facial features reflected the deteriorated state of the rest of his body. His mouth was wide open, gaping and as black as its orbits.
Both were unable to move, staring at what was in front of them. Suddenly the creature let out a student scream and took two steps forward. One of them dropped his lantern, then as quickly as they could while screaming as well, they ran as fast as they could to the surface.
Contrary to what everyone had thought for many years, the Pthumerians were still there, hiding in the depths of the earth, patiently waiting for curious minds to reveal all their secrets.
Outside, the moon was already high in the sky when the teachers and guardians of the university finally finished securing the entrance of the excavation and its surroundings. They were now awaiting the next instructions from their superiors and were struggling to clear out the growing number of researchers and students who were crowded in front of them.
No one had been able to miss the scream echoing across the campus of the two students who had returned terrified from the underground. Everyone wanted to know if they had really witnessed a Pthumerian!
The staff and the higher-ups at the school doubted it, but after questioning the students and seeing how horrified they were, they realised that it couldn't be just a prank coming from them. Them who are usually so fearless... Something was definitely wrong.
Besides, with the mysterious disappearances that happened occasionally in the city's catacombs, they couldn't take this kind of thing lightly. Whatever they saw, they needed to make sure it wasn't dangerous. They couldn't risk bringing people underground and continue their studies in these conditions.
They really hoped that it was just a misunderstanding. Perhaps their sight tricked them or maybe it was just a bad joke from another student. But it could also be a dangerous tomb robber... and if it was really a Pthumerian, then this discovery would be crucial for the progression of their research.
Master Willem, the Provost of Byrgenwerth, decided to send some of the supervisors of the school to investigate. Once they returned to share what they had found, he would advise. Many of them seemed terrified to go, while others seemed a little too... enthusiastic. He offered the task to three people who were among his most loyal and resourceful subordinates. People who were quite capable of ensuring the security of the establishment and to find someone (or something) very quickly while keeping their composure.
Therefore, the small team was composed of :
Liam, the gatekeeper of the main entrance. He had a lantern and a rifle with him.
Dores, the guardian of the cemetery and the area just outside the college. She was armed with a thin butcher knife and a small saw.
Finally, there was Gehrman, the groundskeeper. He was in charge of maintaining and guarding the grounds of Byrgenwerth. He had brought with him a lantern and a hunting knife, but what was more noticeable about him was the scythe he was holding. He usually used it to mow the long grass but in the general confusion it was probably the first thing he could have got his hands on.
Willem also instructed that all the students and the crowd be sent back to their dormitories. As asked, many of them returned to where they came from, but some of them were still waiting quietly in front of the delimited area. Perhaps they hoped to get more information or even a glimpse of the mysterious entity. To make matters worse, some latecomers arrived to take the place of their comrades who had just been dismissed.
The mysterious creature was supposed to be near the large sealed door and only the lost lantern could be used to locate it. It might take a little while to go investigate it, then return.
Once these three had gone underground, those left behind waited for long minutes in an almost suffocating silence. Only a few people were still whispering among themselves and only a handful were still enthusiastic. Some were pacing back and forth or rubbing their hands nervously, while others had a worried expression.
After a couple of dozen minutes, Gehrman emerged at the surface, alone. He looked worried, even troubled. Several people immediately wanted to question him. He began simply by announcing in a calm voice that the others were fine and waiting for them further in the catacombs.
Before any more questions were asked, Willem took him aside. The young groundskeeper then whispered in his ear what must have happened. The Provost thought deeply, holding his hand on his chin. After a moment, he announced that they were going down into the catacombs. A dozen people, with at least one weapon each, would come with them. Those remaining would have to wait outside at the entrance of the excavation.
Once the group was formed, they began their descent underground. After reaching the complete darkness, the group stopped, then Willem and Gehrman explained to them the situation. It seemed that our guardians and the two students had indeed found one of the watchers of the ancient Pthumerian labyrinths.
Among those who had the privilege of accompanying the Provost, a newly appointed teacher had managed to slip into the group. With his small stature, much closer to the one of a foreigner than an ordinary Yharnamite, he might have thought he would go unnoticed. However, his friend had no difficulty spotting him.
While Willem was doing another lecture about the Pthumerians, their civilization and the ancient gods to the rest of the group, Gehrman came to stand right next to the promising scholar, staring at him for a few seconds before starting the conversation.
"I hope you asked Master Willem to come at least... Laurence ?"
"What question my dear friend, you know I always follow the rules" a man with dark brown hair replied calmly, a slight smile on his face.
Gehrman nodded with a little grin before adding, "And... Do you have a weapon at least ?"
"Of course, I always have my scalpel with me." He pulled a small silver surgical scalpel from his sleeve with a satisfied look. "And there's enough old weapons here if we need." There were indeed a few rusty swords and spears scattered among the bones, but they were completely useless.
"Oh everything’s alright then." Replied Gehrman sarcastically. Laurence then looked at his scythe, then he pointed at it before asking in an amused tone. "And is this effective at least ?"
"Like a big stick with a sharp iron tip at the end. I supposed..."
"Have you ever used it against someone ?" asked Laurence energetically. "Or something ? "
His friend looked at him confused, so he went on to cut the long silence between them. "Hm who knows..." Then his smile grew larger and he put his improvised weapon in Laurence's hands. " Here, why don't you try it for once.”
Laurence just nodded. "Very good" he announced, satisfied. Gehrman then went to the front of the group to guide them.
After some time, they finally reach Dores and Liam. They looked particularly nervous and were located a bit ahead to where the groundskeeper remembered to have left them.
Turning their heads towards the bottom of the tunnel the group finally saw it, the Pthumerian. He was curled up on the ground at the far end of the corridor.
Gehrman looked very surprised. "Uh...are you alright ?!"
Willem looked equally stunned, this was not the situation that was described to him. The watcher was supposed to be alive, not lying dead on the floor.
Liam was the first to answer, hesitating. "The Pthumerian he uh..."
Dores continue. "He just fell on the ground !"
"Yes he took his head in his hands, then started screaming and fell."
"We didn't even touch him! And he hasn't moved since..." Even Dores seemed worried, something very unusual.
"Is he... dead?" asked one of the scholars.
The two guards stared at each other before looking at the group with a gaze indicating how uncertain they were. They didn’t know.
Despite the concern of some of the scholars, many were fascinated. "A true Pthumerian..."
"In any case, we can't leave him here. We need to get him back !"
"This discovery is crucial !" added another.
Master Willem agreed. "We will learn a lot from it and maybe we will finally be able to break the seal of the ancient labyrinths!"
But there was still one problem to solve, they needed to make sure the Pthumerian was really dead. If he was alive their plans need to be a bit modified, then they could bring him back with them.
The Provost looked at his staff members one after the other, the professors did the same. Most of the pairs of eyes finished by laying on Gehrman. He looked around at everyone staring at him before taking a deep breath and retrieving his scythe from Laurence's hand.
In the silence, only the sound of his prosthesis tapping against the ground as he slowly approached the curled form could be heard. All the discussions had stopped and everyone was now looking at the same thing.
He observed the watcher from different angles before trying to move his foot with the wooden handle of his tool. No reaction. He then tried to gently move his torso. Still no reaction. Finally, he gently turned his head which was face down... nothing. He didn't even seem to be breathing. Gehrman turned back toward the group then nodded.
Master Willem decided to approach, the others stayed behind him at some distance but the three guardians stayed close to him.
He knelt down to watch the Pthumerian, completely fascinated. He looked at his head then lifted his skeletal elbow. He could feel a very weak and slow pulse, but without warning the being that seemed dead just a few moments ago violently grabbed the Provost's arm. Gehrman quickly stepped in and managed to push away the growling creature who was now moving frantically. Liam held the creature at gunpoint as everyone was starting to panic.
"Wait! We need it in one piece !" shouted Master Willem at him and waved the others to stay back. The Pthumerian began to gather speed to jump on them, but just before he could, Dores stepped in front of the others and punched the assailant straight in the face. The latter stepped back immediately, disoriented by the hit. The staff and researchers were now all ready to retort if necessary, but the Pthumerian turned around, walked a few meters down the corridor and then knelt on the ground, his back to them.
He held out his arms, doing a perpendicular angle with them. Then began to mutter some sort of prayer in an ancient language. The group was even more disconcerted by this unexpected reaction. No one was moving anymore. After a few instant that felt like an eternity, he brought his arms back then collapsed to the ground, dead. Really dead. Everyone was completely stunned by what had happened. They were simply stunned, transfixed, wide-eyed, some were even shivering.
His body was brought back afterwards to the surface.
Behind closed doors, some of the scholars had the privilege to witness the first medical examination of a Pthumerian in over a century. This first operation taught them many things.
The nervous system and the arrangement of his brain areas were unusual, which signify a great knowledge and an important arcane power. It was this knowledge that had given the Pthumerians great wisdom and enabled them to grow closer to the gods. They also discovered that his blood possessed remarkable self-healing and regenerative powers.
It was thanks to this blood and the chalice of Pthumeru that the scholars finally succeeded at unlocking the great door leading to the Pthumerian labyrinth. A new era of research, exploration and experimentation had begun.
An era that would change Yharnam and its inhabitants forever.