The town is at it again. The loud chimes of the church's bell echo through the empty, dead streets. So quiet, as if the end of the world was to begin in this miserable place they call Geonshore. I guess somebody denied the existence of one of the gods again. Stupid people. Why won't they just keep it to themselves. Shouting it out loud is a deathwish in here. 'Thou all the hazzle is good for my business. Most of the merchants leave their stores open and unguarded, in rush to hunt the heretic. Heretic. I love the echo of it. I tried to believe in a greater being, but life taught me to only trust myself. If there were any gods, they wouldn't let these horrific actions happen in their name.
 
I peek from the tiny holes in the wall of my so called home. I live in a small storage shack of an abandoned house. They say that the house is haunted. Nonsense! I have heard all of the stories behind it. One says that a loving and caring father went mad and killed his whole family with a butchers knife and buried them in the basement. The other says that a blasphemer lived there and worshipped the lords of darkness. I know not if neither is true, but as long as the stories keep the people away from the house, I'm willing to tell scary stories to people.
Streets lay as dead as the cemetary at nights. Stray cat running across the street, trying to hunt down a rat. I heard from a trustable source about some golden statue that arrived to church a couple of days ago. Normally I'd leave church alone, but when I heard the price, I couldn't resist the temptation.  While wandering along the streets I noticed a bakery all alone. It was waiting for me to grab some snack. I could almost taste the tiny cookies as I opened the door. My tastebuds tingle. I gently shout "Hello?", with no answer. "Anybody here?", I asked with a little bit louder voice. I know that if somebody was to come to the store, my little snacktime would end in a marathon. Quickly I grabbed some cookies into my pocket and ran out of the store. Nobody saw me, atleast nobody interrupted me. I have a slight reputation as a smalltime burglar, but knowing my past most of the citizens leave me alone. Once the old lady Wanhoff sent her pet raven to peck me for stealing an apple. It was horrific, having a dirty bird picking your head and the old lady screaming at you. Atleast I got the apple.
I stand in front of the tall church. At the top of the stairs is a man in stocks. Either he has fallen asleep or he has died from starvation. I wave a cookie at his face when he suddenly starts to scream and shout. "HERETIC! BLASPHEMER! THIEF!, he shouted from the bottom of his lungs. I fell on the ground as I got scared. I was trying to silence him, but he just continues: "WORSHIPPER OF IZIKCHUMM!". I had no idea who or what this chumm fellow was, but I rush inside the church and close the heavy door behind me. I still hear soft muttering through the door: "Thief, after the unholy gold. Summoning of Gharchio". Starting to feel a bit scared about the words, I eat another cookie and brace myself. "There's nothing to fear. Nobody, except that crazy person who saw you coming in.", I try to convince myself. I look around. The church sure seems powerful, with all the golden statues and a huge Icon behind the altar. The wooden floor squeaks as I head to the altar. I grab a dusty bible along the way. The altar itself is full of flowers, couple goblets and a bowl of holy water, I assume. Again, trying to get attention of some who might be inside. I try knocking on the altar and shouting: "Hello? Anybody here?". All I can hear is a few torches blazing and mice running under the floor. Examining behind the altar; nothing unusual or worthy of stealing. I was told that the statue might be in the priests room, behind the altar and next to the accessory room. Sneaking inside the cold hallway behind the altar I try to a make note of the squeaking boards. The hallway is dark and cold. I take a torch from the wall, just in case I have to run. Counting the stairs and trying to memorize all the tiny corners and turnings. I finally get to the priests room and open it slowly. 
The room doesn't have any windows 'nor were any candles were lit, so I assume nobody hasn't been here for a while . I open the door to it's fullest and wave the torch to illuminate the room. I can't believe my eyes. The golden statue I was after was in the middle of the room. Standing proudly, waiting for someone to pick it up. But what was around the room, sends chills thru my spine. These priests, trying to cleanse the world from evil and miscreants. These priests, ordering executions for blasphemy, ordering tortures due heresy. The room, it was full of unlit candles, in formation of the heretics symbol. The symbol itself was made from blood. There were animal heads in top of spears, human bones dangling from the ceiling. I couldn't move. I was completely shocked and disgusted by the view. I felt nausea hitting hard and I had to turn around to vomit. As I turned around, I saw one of the priests, holding a bludgeon. Quickly I tried to throw the torch at the priest and run away. Hallway went to total darkness as the torch died. Wondering in the deep tunnels of the church I tried to remember the way out. Left, left, right, left, and I was supposed to be inside the church again. Loud steps reflected from the stone walls behind me, but I didn't hear any shouts. The priest was totally mute. As the last turn was coming up I smelled something odd. I continued running the hallway and finally saw the two torches and the door. Ran to the door and whacked it open. Oh lord, how wrong could I be with the directions. I came into a giant room, with the same huge symbol I saw in the Priests room.  Animal sacrifices, human bones. The same I just witnessed in the priests room. In panick I just rushed in and closed the door behind me. I looked around, trying to find a proper hiding spot. A huge amount of coffins in the corner seemed like a good spot. I forced one of the coffins open, just to find a rottin corpse inside. The door screeched, the priest already got here. The coffin was my only option of survival. As I laid myself next to the corpse and trying to get the top on, the door opened. Finally the cover got into the railings and fitted in. The priest whistled to me like people whistle for their dog to come at them. I wasn't a puny dog, but I was going to die like one. The whistling got closer and closer. Then suddenly it stopped and I heard footsteps receding. Too scared to open the lid, I decided to stay inside the coffin for a bit longer time. At some point I heard drumming, it sounded like a shaman drum. Humming and suddenly a squeal of a pig being killed. The whacking and squealing lasted for a while, until the squealing stopped and I started to hear sounds of sawing. Trying to blow away all the disgusting ideas of what could've been happening, I couldn't keep myself awake. The drumming and humming affected my mind and I got drowsy. After a huge struggle I fell asleep.
 
As time passed I could feel the day turn into night, I started to get back to the world of the living. With a great timing as the corpse next to me started to shake and seem alive. How in the world could a rotting corpse move. I kicked the top off and jumped out, just to fall into ground. The corpse, it got my leg. It was far more powerful than it was in it's better times. Pulling me towards the coffin I grabbed a ledge and tried to pull away from the corpse. After struggling against a living dead, I finally got away from it's grip. I sighed and noticed that something still held my leg. It was the hand of the corpse, which must've snapped off from the rotted corpse. As I was getting rid of the hand, the corpse was climbing outside of the coffing. I used the hand as a weapon and whacked the corpse and ran like I've ever ran. But as I got to the huge symbol, I noticed something had changed. The golden statue was in the middle was covered in blood. Without hesitation I tried to look out for an another exit. In panic andready to faint, I finally found a door. I ran and ran. I stumbled and got up. I even strained my ankle but I was so full of adrenaline that I couldn't feel any pain. Finally I started to see some natural light. It was dim but it was there. I navigated towards the light, just to find that the exit leaded me to the forbidden forest. I observed my surroundings. I was far more deeper in the forest than I have ever been. I have hidden inside the forest for so many times, but I have never seen trees this dead and dark. Never have I seen mist risen this high, as it was making the trees walk. I was completely lost. Only way out was to follow the moon. It was bloodmoon, what a delightful coincidence for the day. The bloodmoon and the mist made my imagination go crazy. Beasts here and there, everything trying to eat me. To hunt me down. Trees were alive and haunting me, atleast I thought they were. Yet I kept wondering through the forest and navigate to one direction by watching the blood red moon. This was the time of witches and demons and I was stuck in middle of the forbidden forest. In the middle of the night.
I couldn't run anymore. My legs couldn't carry me anymore and my head was dying from sleep depravation. Even all of my cookies were either crumbled or fallen. I was ready to give up, lay down and give up my miserable life when I saw a cottage. Whoever lived in this forsaken place, had to help me, or eat me. As I got closer to the cottage I started walking slowly. Tried to check if someone actually was inside the cottage. I peeked inside the window and saw a totally normal house decorations and knocked the door. Tried opening the door. It wasn't locked, 'nor was anybody inside. I went in and locked the door from inside. Scavenging the shelves for food, I noticed the fireplace. I had to lit it. As the warmth surrounded the whole cottage, I lay down on the cozy bed. Didn't even take a minute for me to fall asleep. 
 
Images of animal sacrificial and human torturing kept me from getting a good nights sleep. Flickering images of some grotesque human-animal beast walking towards me. The last image I remember was this beast, trying to strangle and sodomize me. I almost jump up from the bed as I wake up to this brutality. I open my eyes just to realize that the cottage I slept in, was gone. My bed, was a huge rock covered in moss. I was also completely naked. All I see around me is darkness. Total darkness. 
 
I wake up again. A dream inside a dream? I'm utterly confused of the happenings. This time I woke up in the cottage, from the bed I went to sleep in. Day was on it's brightest so the cottage was illuminated by daylight. Now, I could see the real face of the cottage. Shelves were full of books about occultism, exorcism and witchcraft. Again, I have gotten myself into a deeper trouble than anybody could ever imagine. The door was still bolted, so nobody could've gotten in. I check the cauldron that was at the fireplace. Smell of delicious food make my tastebuds tingle again. After stirring the pot for a while, I start to feel sick. Fingers, brains, eyes and all sorts of insides boiling. These lately happenings start to be too much for me. My sanity is on a test. At the same time, I hear someone knocking the door. My heart starts pumping and I can feel nausea striking. There are no words to describe all the horrific pictures running in my mind. Again, somebody knocks on the door. At the same time I hear foodsteps from the basement. The trapdoor opens. I can't take it anymore. Everything turns into a haze and I blackout.