recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
The Holder of the Equation

Go to any college or university's math department, find the senior professor's office, and tell him you are looking for the Holder of the Equation. If he replies that you can't possibly be serious, tell him, "I've been studying my whole life." He will shake his head, and lead you down to an elementary school classroom where several children are taking a test.

Wander around if you wish, but take care not to look too closely at their test papers; if you do, you may realize that two plus two is not necessarily equal to four in this realm, and the knowledge will destroy the fragile logical structures holding your mind together in this place.

Once their test is over, the teacher will collect the tests and begin to grade them. This is the Holder of the Equation, and he will only threaten you if you fail his test. Approach him, and ask "What do they add up to?" He will look at you with an intrigued look, and hand you a blank test from underneath the desk. Pick it up, take it to a desk, and start working on it.

It's quite simple. If you reach the end, you pass. If you find yourself unable to progress further, you should start teaching yourself how to solve the problems on the test, or you may be here a long time. There's no time limit, you'll never be hungry or thirsty, never need to do anything but solve these problems that just get harder and harder. Countless Seekers have gotten stuck on this test and many just resign themselves to their fate, staring blankly at the one problem they can't solve, hoping for a spark of insight that will never come.

After what may actually be an eternity, you will discover that you have solved every problem in mathematics that has ever existed or will ever exist. Once you've passed the test, stand and shout, "I have passed your test, Holder! I will understand your answer!" The Holder will stand up, come over to your desk, and start to explain how He first solved the equation, and what it took to prove his solution. He will explain how the Objects are solutions, and why their existence gives meaning to things like Pi, E, and the Golden Ratio. He will then pull an old, folded up piece of paper out of his pocket and hand it to you. Close your eyes. You will be on an elevator in the building you started in, and its doors will open to the lobby.

Written on paper is the Equation, Object 223 of 538. When you learn to solve it, you will know how to bring them together.
The Holder of Uniqueness

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, tell the receptionist you are here to visit "The Holder of Uniqueness". Should the receptionist laugh, then you have failed, for someone has already come here and succeeded. Your only chance now to die painlessly is to kill yourself before anything else gets a chance. However, if the expression on the receptionist's face becomes one of deep sorrow and misery, you mustn't feel pity. Instead, you must laugh at her plight. She will look at you angrily and lead you to a hallway.

As you walk into the hallway, you will begin to feel the urge to see your guide's face. Don't ignore this urge; simply say, "I wear no mask, so remove yours!" If she keeps walking, pray to any god you think can save you; your death is coming soon by her hands.

If she stops, smiles, and asks you to close your eyes, do so. When you open them, your guide will be gone, and in her place there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of headless figures standing in the hallway, and they will conduct you towards your goal. As you continue your walk down the hall, you will begin to get flashes of the most horrifying aspects of the human world: corpses, torn apart; unimaginable sexual fetishes, people in the direst of circumstances. As you continue, your guides will begin to laugh, softly at first, but growing into a mad cacophony. To survive this, you must join in. If you can laugh in the face of horror, your guides will stop at a door. As you enter it, announce to them, "I knew you'd deliver; you always do." They will bow slightly to you and return down the hallway.

In this room, you will see a pastiche of every life that's been ruined out of spite, every good thing that has ended because of hatred. A man, dressed the same as your guide but wearing a white mask, will be sitting in the middle, chuckling softly. Ask him one question: "Why do they laugh?" He will begin to tell you their stories, and why they have no face. He will tell you how the world treated them, and that to escape, they laughed at it. And then, he will tell you how he gave them a face and a name, and how they conquered. After he finishes his story, say "I wish to join the legion." He will ask you to write your name for him, and he'll give you a slip of paper and a pen. When you're done, he will take the paper and burn it, and the last thing you'll hear before you pass out will be "Expect us."

You will wake up in the middle of a large city. You are now part of the legion, and as proof, in your right hand will be the mask the man was wearing. On the inside is the inscription, "Operor non indulgeo. Operor non alieno." While you are wearing it, neither you nor anybody else will be able to recall your name or anything else connected with your earthly identity.

The mask is number 453 of 538. If you wear it, not even He will know who you are.
The Holder of the Mist

In any city in any country go to the nearest pond or lake on a cloudy night. Point your finger thrice to the sky and call for the clouds to descend from their perch. If they heed your call, and a mist begins to roll in from the water then remain stationary, if not then quickly jump into the water and stay under until you can hold your breath no more. If you are not killed when you emerge then try again on the next full moon.

However, if the mist does roll in from the water, then consider yourself lucky. Walk slowly forward, do not fear the water, for it shall never touch your feet. As you travel farther into the mists horrible screams will grace your ears. Roars of animals not seen by man will rip through the air, but do not fear, while you walk in the mists none shall touch you. If the mists begin to thin, quickly turn and walk a different direction, for leaving the mists will result in a quick death.

After what seems like hours of wandering, rays of light will begin to pierce the cloudy world. Keep walking until you emerge onto a vast arid desert. There will be a swarthy man with a turban sitting next to a large cactus. This is the Holder Of The Mist. Do not approach him, you must stand in the hot sun without water until a tumble weed blows by. Once that happens you may approach the man.

There is but one question you may ask him, "What happens when they can see no more?"

The man will grunt, and reach inside of his turban to pull out a water-skin. If he drinks from the water-skin then prepare to die slowly from dehydration. However if he hands you the skin, sprinkle a little bit of its contents on the ground and the mists will return. Walk into the mists and do not stop until you are back at the body of water where you started.

This water-skin is object 392 of 538. When you can not see, the only way left is forward.
The Holder of Vibration

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house that you can get yourself into. Ask the receptionist if you can see the "Holder of Vibration." If the worker clamps his hands over his ears while you are saying the last word, quickly do the same - the sound that you have triggered is no ordinary sound.

With your hands over your ears, follow the worker down a dusty hallway. Do not try to listen for the sound that is still being made. Ignore it to the best of your ability, no matter how fascinating it seems. Keep your hands over your ears even after the worker has removed his, and told you it is safe to remove them. He will lead you through an open door to a decaying cell.

The creature inside the room will be nothing you have ever encountered in your life, even if you have been hunting for Objects for as long as you can remember. With your hands firmly planted over your ears, shout as loud as you can at the creature: "What resonates with them?"

The creature will turn towards you and try to remove your hands from your ears. Do not let this creature's sound touch your ears, or you will understand why it is no shape that you recognize. No matter how forcefully the creature tries to pull your hands away from your ears, keep them there, because it is grunting and moaning to try and force your hands. No matter how long it takes, keep your hands firmly in place over your ears until the creature tires. If even one of your hands is dislodged, then the creature's sound will reach your ear, passing through your hammer-and-anvil and eventually leaving its permanent mark on your brain.

If, however, the creature tires of struggling with you, it will begin to speak. Now you can concentrate on what the creature says, but keep your hands over your ears while it talks. It will tell you about how and why it feels the objects belong together, along with horrifying tales of what was done when they were one. After it finishes its tale, it will ask you to spare it, to let it live and be free once more. Do not allow this creature the freedom it wishes - it was made into its form for a reason. Instead, with your bare hands, you must rip the creature to shreds. It will scream its mighty yell, weakened by a physical form that is being destroyed. If you are even the slightest bit distracted by anything you are doing, you are doomed to become a piece of the creature. You must feel no remorse while you do this, lest the pieces of the creature perceive you as weak. You must put this creature beyond any form of repair, or else the pieces will come back to life and assimilate you into the creature's next form.

If you succeed, the creature's pieces will be scattered all over the floor, with a tuning fork underneath one of them.

The tone that plays if you strike the tuning fork is Object 290 of 538. May you never match its pitch.
The Holder of the Celestial Spheres

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution you can get yourself to. Enter and approach the front desk. Wait for the worker at the desk to address you, and then ask to see the Holder of the Celestial Spheres. The worker may ask you to repeat yourself. If they give any other reply, apologize and leave, the object you seek is not there. If they do, do not repeat yourself. Ask, instead, to see the Person Who Hears the Music. The worker will give you a name and a room number.

Go to the room. There will be more than one person within. As you approach, they will begin leaving. When only one person remains in the room, enter it.

The person within may be male or female, of any race. They may be young or old, they may be healthy, or they may be ill. It does not matter, if events have unfolded this way, you have found the person you seek.

The person will look at you, curiously, waiting for you to speak. Address them, but not by the name you were given at the front desk. If you address them by that name, they will become angry, and begin ranting at you, until the hospital workers come to escort you out.

Take a few moments, then, to think on the name you were given. Shortly, a new name will come to you, unbidden, as though nested within the name you were given. Address the person by this name. They will not respond, but they will sit back, smiling. Do nothing.

Soon you will hear music playing. It will be beauteous, bringing you peace of mind, or it will be hideous, filling you with anxiety. In either case, it will be no instrument you have ever heard. Do not acknowledge it, or the person will become angry, and you will be escorted out. Simply listen, and let it permeate you.

After a short time, strike up a conversation. If you have allowed the music to fill your mind, it will tell you the topic. If you do not, and you speak on the wrong subject, the person will grow angry again. If, however, you choose correctly, the person will engage you in a pleasant conversation for hours, until it is time for you to leave. As you leave, the person will hand you a matryoshka doll.

If you anger the person, before you exit, the person will collapse into their chair, smiling.

Thereafter, anyone you encounter, even those who have known you all your life, will address you by a name not your own, and you will soon find yourself committed to the same institution, as your protestations will be taken as a sign of slipping sanity. You will find that the person you had visited was no longer there - in fact, the workers will insist they had never been. On your first day, you will have a visitor. The visitor will be the person you had visited. They will say nothing, only hand you a matryoshka doll and smile beatifically. Soon, more visitors will come, until the room holds more people than it seems as though it should. They will only leave when a Seeker comes to visit you.

The matryoshka doll is object 432 of 538. The faces of the dolls seem strangely familiar...
The Holder of the Northern Light

In Kenai, Alaska, go to the highest point possible, be it a hill or the roof of a building. Bring a weapon, preferably something powerful. There, you will meet a man of thirty-five with short, gray hair. He wears pants, boots, a trench coat, and a hat, all black. In his right hand is a folded black umbrella. He will look at you. The smile he gives you will be unnerving, his glacier-blue eyes staring straight into the depths of your already tortured soul. He will remark about how nice the weather is. Do not agree with him. Instead, say, "It's a little hot for me."

Upon hearing this, his already eerie smile will intensify, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction. As he opens his umbrella, you will begin to notice the snow that falls around you is falling much harder than it was, and that the temperature has dropped significantly. Eventually, you and he will be the only ones left, staring out into a vast field of white. The sea itself is completely frozen, and the land around you has begun to transform, turning from city streets into bare, cold wilderness. The man will look up at the sky and smile. Above is the aurora, in all its beauty. Look deep inside of it. To simply admire it is not enough, and you would have wasted your visit. Study it as if it were the most fascinating thing you have ever laid eyes upon. If you still fail to notice something odd, then thank the man and walk away. When you return to civilization, get rid of whatever Objects you may already have. Give them to other Seekers, destroy them, whatever you deem to be fit. You are not the one to reunite them, and your effort has gone to waste. Go on with your normal life, if it still exists.

If you are a true Seeker, one of the few there are, then you will notice an anomaly in the maze of lights: A small door, made of translucent light, sits in the aurora's center. Acknowledge its presence by nodding and saying, "I see the way to broken dreams." Please note that nothing will happen if you say this without seeing the door. If you truly see the door, and you feel calm, a stairway of scintillating colors will lead towards it.

Take the stairs. The walk will be long, tiring, and cold. Press on. The knowledge that you are truly one of the chosen is precious enough to drive you forward. Do not stop, lest the Holder change his mind. Eventually, you will reach the door. Open it with a clear mind and a calm expression.

Inside is a small floating island of ice. The man will be waiting for you, his hat tilted to hide his eyes. Nod respectfully towards him and offer your hand. What happens next is his decision. If he disapproves of you, then ready your weapon. His umbrella instantly freezes anything it touches, and it is going to be used against you shortly. However, if he believes you are truly worthy of your title, he will shake your hand, leaving in it a small, transparent crystal. The inside of the crystal dances with the exotic colors of the northern lights themselves.

Thank the man and walk out the door. You will find yourself outside of a cafe near your home.

The crystal is Object 206 of 538. When the lights come forth once more, the end will be nigh.
The Holder of the Remains

In any city, in any country, go to any graveyard or cemetery you can get yourself to. When you reach the site, find the gravedigger and ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of the Remains". At first, the digger will ignore you. Do not say a word. Just stand there and watch him. Soon, the digger will grab a nearby shovel and lantern, and walk out onto the graveyard. Follow him, and be respectful to the graves as you walk; disturbing one will enrage the souls buried here. After a long walk, the digger will stop at an isolated, unmarked grave, and start digging. As he does, night will fall quickly, lights will douse themselves, and soon, it will be pitch black, with the only light coming from the lantern the digger brought.

If, for any reason, the digger stops digging, say, "It must be done! I just want to talk" If the digging continues, you are in the clear. If the digger does not resume, run, and stop for no reason. Get as far away from the graveyard as you can. If morning comes, you managed to escape. If your world is forever dark, then they will not stop until they find you.

Several hours will pass as the digger finishes. He'll crawl out of the now deep, unmarked grave. Inside, there will be a simple wooden coffin. Jump down and open it; within will be a beautiful woman. Her skin is cold as death and white as the palest moon. There is only one thing to ask "What awaits them?" If you say or do anything else, the digger will knock you out with his shovel and bury you alive.

The moment you finish the question, her body will decay rapidly before your eyes. Do not turn your eyes in disgust; you must honor her and watch her return to the earth, even the coffin rots away into the ground and her bones disintegrate. Although it is dark, the light from the lantern is enough to see. When the process is complete, a white rose will grow from the ground. It is beautiful, with a pristine bleached bud and a long green stalk. The petals are cold to the touch. Be careful of its thorns. Pluck it and exit the grave. The digger will be nowhere to be found; his shovel and lantern have likewise disappeared. Smelling the flower yields a heavenly scent, warming your soul from within. If you examine the grave that you just exited from, you will find that it has been reburied, and looks as though it were completely undisturbed. Upon the once-blank tombstone, however, are the words, "They must never come together. Never."

The white rose is Object 99 of 538. It was grown solely from the remains in the grave. Even after death, life persists.
The Holder of Treachery

Whenever you're at home, call up any courier company and ask to speak to "The Holder of Treachery." The person at the other end of the line will breathe a sigh of relief, ask for your name and address, and hang up. Before the next sunset, you will receive a large box from that company, addressed to you but with no sender listed. The box will have air holes, but you will not be able to see or hear anything inside.

Open the box, and know that no matter what you do, you will not be able to avoid cutting yourself on an edge -- nor will you be able to prevent a few drops of your blood from landing on the white cat inside. Your life will be linked to that of the cat; should it suffer, you will suffer. Should it die... you don't want to know what will happen to your soul if that cat dies. Should anything happen to you, however, the cat will merely laugh.

Your task is to keep that cat alive until midnight, one week after receiving the box. This will prove difficult, as the cat will try to end your life in every way it can, and it will happily endanger its own to do so. It is unnaturally cunning and will try everything it can think of to lure you into your own death. As the week passes, these traps and plots will become more ingenious and harder to thwart, and you will need all of your wits and strength if you are to even have a hope of survival. If you have faced the Holder of Honour, I pity you: you will not survive the week, and your death will be a mercy compared to what awaits you afterwards.

If, after a week has passed, you are still alive shortly before midnight, the cat will enter a frenzied rage, launching itself at you and attacking you for the final time. The animal's harmless appearance belies its incredible strength and tenacity, and death at its claws will plunge your soul into torment for eternity. Defend yourself -- without harming the cat -- until midnight.

The cat will scream, "Why won't you die?" You must answer, "Because I am not a traitor." If you give the answer without fear or hesitation, the cat will cease its struggles, look you in the eye, and say, "Then you will learn." It will scratch your hands and flee, vanishing as it leaves your sight. Go straight to bed and sleep. When you wake, your hands will now bear claws.

Those claws are Object 159 of 538. They bring betrayal to all who oppose you.
The Holder of Sympathy

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Sympathy." If a look of sadness comes across the worker's face, do not proceed. Flee that building and try again later. But, if a grin of satisfaction and glee comes across his or her face, then the time is right. If this happens, ask again. After finishing your query, you will immediately faint and wake up seconds later in a dark and abandoned hospital, full of dying children.

Reach into your pocket. You will find a vial. Show no sign that you hold the vial, for if the children find out, the urge will be too strong to resist. They will rip you, and each other, apart in an attempt to recover the vial. It is the one thing they desire.

After finding the vial, continue walking in the hospital. If you stray from your path, or make eye contact with any of the children, then they will immediately discover that you have the vial. This event would be quite unfortunate, and would result in your untimely death. The children will cry for your help, you must not give in. Do not look at them, do not acknowledge their presence. Ignoring them will make you hate yourself in the deepest way possible, but you must not give in.

There are multiple paths, all which lead to the same point, but it is not guaranteed that you will survive certain paths. If you are lucky, you will take a long, but safe, walk. It will seem like forever, but you will find a door at the end of your path. The children will began to rally against you. Act quickly, and find a way to open the door.

If you succeed, the door will lead to a bright hospital room with a solitary bed and a single man lying on it. Remove the vial from your pocket and remove the cap. After doing so, a pungent scent will emanate from the vial. It will smell like formaldehyde. Be warned, the smell will make you lightheaded and the sensation will threaten to distract you from your task.

You must pour the liquid into the man's mouth. While getting close, you'll realize he is dead. He is a nice enough looking old man, and seems to pose no threat. But as soon as you pour the substance into his mouth, look away, for if your eyes seek his, you will be trapped in those eyes forever, just another soul lost to the Holder of Sympathy. After you hear him stir behind you, you must ask "What is the price of sympathy?" The Holder will put a hand on your shoulder, and wordlessly transmit the answer to you via memory flashes. All who have gone before you have gone mad and have been doomed to live in the hospital, begging for the poison in the vial, begging you to be their angel of mercy. Begging for sympathy. But if you survive, the man will die again, as a result of the poison, and you will make your exit with the vial which will have refilled itself.

The vial which you hold is Object 231 of 538. Hope to any Gods you may have heard of you never have to use it.
The Holder of the Ego

In any city, in any country, go to any barn or farmhouse you can get yourself to. When you walk in, whether or not anyone is there, ask to see someone who calls himself "The Holder of the Ego." The room will become immediately filled with water that is both clear and opaque white at the same time. You will find that you can still breathe while submerged in it. You will feel your consciousness slip away and at once will see nothing and everything, and you will know that this is what death feels like.

An eternity will pass.

You will find yourself standing in the same farmhouse, with a lit cigarette suspended in mid-air. Take it and inhale deeply - the smoke will bring the worst pain you've ever felt into your lungs, but don't exhale or the smoke will hardly be the only thing expelled. Only after you hear a bell, you may exhale. The smoke will take the form of yourself - only ethereally at first, but gradually developing bones, then organs, then muscle. Its skinless face will shout at you: "Who wants to know?" Say nothing. Don't even blink. He will shout the same question at you in a louder voice than you've ever heard. Say nothing. The voice will shout at you with a force that could shake the foundations of the greatest buildings in all the world. Should you go without moving until this point, you may reply "I want to know." If you have moved, you'd already be experiencing an eternal darkness.

Your doppelganger will take off like a man possessed, dashing through mazes of walls and fencing that seem to sprout up around him. If you take the time to look at any of these walls, he will be long gone and you'll be left to wander the maze forever.

When you reach the end of the maze, you will see expanded before you all your memories and experiences. These will stay with you for the rest of your life, and you'll be able to recall with perfect clarity anything that's ever happened to you. You'll suddenly remember a needle that's been in your jacket pocket for who knows how long.

This needle is Object 147 of 538. Reality itself is pierced by it.
The Holder of Reality

In any city, in any country, go into any mental institution or halfway house you can get into. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Reality." The receptionist will lead you up a flight of stairs that run much higher than it seems the building should be, before finally coming to a top floor, where you will find nothing more than a single door. As you approach the door, the receptionist will make herself scarce. At this point, you could turn around and look for said receptionist, but doing so will only get you lost in the halls of the mental institution forever. Instead, open the door, and continue inwards.

Inside that door, you will find a man sitting on an office chair, playing a game on a game console that you have never seen before. The console is a bizarre design, with a case made out of wrought iron, etched and painted in twisted, demonic designs. In the game, he is torturing a person with methods too horrifying for words. Once you come to the inevitable realization that his unwitting victim is in fact you, you will become your avatar in the game, and be forced to endure any torture his mind may devise, until the game finally ends.

The game can only end in one of two ways. You probably will go insane, in which case he will tear your very soul apart purely for his own delight. However, you might successfully endure the torture, and be granted the privilege of asking him a single question. If you ask him why you are in the game, he will force you to relive the entire game, in its entirety, repeatedly, for all eternity. Instead, you should ask him: "Why do you play?"

With that question, he will scream in agony, and the console will reset. You will now be sitting on the office chair, the game console and controller resting on the floor next to you. He will be staring at you through the T.V. screen, a look of unspeakable fear on his face. However tempting it may be, do not play the game. It probably is best to not even touch the game controller. Simply switch the console off, remove the game cartridge, and take it with you, leaving the console behind.

That cartridge contains Object 56 of 538. You were in it once; remember that before you think of playing.
The Holder of Trust

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Trust". A wave of terror should flow over the workers face. They will stand and open a steel panel at the end of a hallway. Go down the ladder slowly. You will begin to hear two children laughing. If the girl stops, get back to the top of the ladder as fast as you can, lest you find what has been waiting for you. If the boy stops continue down. Should you reach the bottom, there will be a door. Open it slowly and close it behind you.

A man will stand before you with no face and in all white clothing. You will notice a necklace that seems to be broken in half. It is made of bone, and will draw you towards it. Be resilient and hold your place. If you get too close he will break every bone in your body before he will kill you. Ask him this question, "Who will help me find them?". His 'face' will not move, but in the most horrific voice that will ever befall your ears will tell you your answer. He will walk behind you. Open your arms in a "T" shape. He will say "Am I the one you shall trust?". Do not fall into his arms, lest you be thrown into a fate worse than death. Close your eyes, quickly turn around and fall. You will feel wind passing your head as you fall for what seems like forever. Do not open your eyes, or there may be a bottom of this fall.

If you keep your eyes closed and your arms spread you will stop. Open your eyes and you will be back in the institution entrance. Reach into your pocket and you will reveal the other half of the man's necklace.

This necklace is Object 236 of 538. Is there no one that I can trust?
The Holder of the Anvil

In any city, in any country in the world, go to any mental institution or hospital and tell the attendant that you wish to see the "Holder of the Anvil". A moment, an hour, an eon will pass as you see the world's every failure reflected in his eyes. You will see the ending of things - daughters tearing strips of flesh from their mothers with hooks of steel and bone, fathers feasting on the eyes of their sons, and you will know that you have given them their torment. Their anguish will be your own and the only way to escape is to let your cry join theirs, but give no sign that you know this or the attendant will turn away and all hope with him.

An eon, an hour, a moment will pass and the attendant will drop his eyes in defeat, turn, and open the door behind him. Follow him with care; he is treacherous and will leave you in dark places where your screams will never be heard, your bones never found. At the end of this path, when the skulls of infants crunch beneath your feet, you will find a young man chained to a ragged iron slab. Your guide will turn and offer you a hammer in one hand, a blade in the other. If you take the blade, you will abandon your search and you should beg for a quick end. It will not be given. You should take the hammer, and when you do, drive it into the young man's head with all the strength you have and more. Although he is innocent, allow no mercy, for mercy has abandoned you. Cover the skulls at your feet in the gore and the blood. When their debt has been paid you will be delivered back to your world outside of the asylum. The hammer will still be in your hand; the blood will never wash off. Its thirst has been satisfied for now.

That hammer is Object 53 of 538. It will only be used once more, to split the world and find the secret heart that beats within. Pray that yours will not be the hand that wields it.
The Holder of Sorrow

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house in you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Sorrow." The worker will frown and bite his lip. Hesitantly, he will lead you deep within the facility until you reach a rusted, charred iron door. He will open the door for you, and you must enter the darkness beyond it in complete silence. Once you are inside, the worker will quietly close the door and bolt it shut.

You will hear the many screams of tortured souls within a few meters of you. Should the screams stop at any time, quickly scream at the top of your lungs, "I do not feel sorry for you!" If they do not resume, hope for a quick death, as it is useless to run. However, if the screams return, continue walking forward in darkness. Keep walking until you see a dim light glow in front of you. Once this happens, immediately halt and stare at it.

You will be tempted to look upon the faces of the tormented beings hanging on the walls, and they will plea for your help. Do not answer their cries, for if you avert your eyes from the light, your mind will instantly be shattered and you will reflexively begin to gouge your eyes out.

The light will reveal a man standing with his back to you, and his presence will cause the screams around you to subside. He will only respond to one question "Who will be spared when they come together?" He will whirl around to meet your gaze, and answer your question with excruciating detail. Do not interrupt his speech. What would happen if you do could not be described by the most sick and twisted criminal in the history of the world.

When he is done, he will hand to you what appears to be an ordinary rock. He will back away from you, the glow of the mysterious light fading away. The words will begin to ring in your mind, "He who is without sin shall cast the first stone." Close your eyes and count to ten. When you open them you will be standing in front of the front desk in the institution.

The stone is Object 85 of 538. It can only be thrown when they come together.
The Holder of the Firefly

In any country, go to any deep cave you can get yourself to. It need not be tall enough to stand, but it must be deep enough that you can walk for a while and be totally encased in darkness, and when you look behind you, no trace of the light from the outside is detectable. Once you are in such a situation, position yourself with your back to a wall and knock on the ceiling seven times. Wait for five seconds, and then knock six times more. (If the ceiling is too high to reach, you can instead knock as high up the wall as you can reach, although results are not guaranteed if you do.)

You will be taken to a deep part of the cave that every cave has - the part that the cave always chooses to keep a secret. Once there, you must look and walk swiftly and resolutely forward into the darkness. If you stumble or glance in any other direction, you will be caught in the enveloping black and will be forever lost.

Eventually, voices will start singing throughout the cavern. It will be an ever-changing song, and each change will invoke a different sensation; some will be emotional, and some will be physical. It is essential that no matter the sensation, from boiling anger or crippling pain to overwhelming depression and feverish passion, you must continue on, steadfast and unwavering.

When you have finally passed the chamber of songs, you will come to a large statue of a snake winding about a large gas lantern. From within the lantern will emanate a faint greenish glow. Navigate your way around the statue until you are standing directly before the snake's head. Then ask with a stout heart the following question: "What has befallen the guiding light?"

In response, the snake will unwind itself from around the lantern, and the source of the glow will be revealed as a small green glass pendant with no chain. Do not take the pendant, as it is merely a decoy, and will decay the arm of any poor Seeker that touches it. Instead, overturn the entire lantern onto the ground. It will crush the snake, which will convulse violently for a time, snapping at anything that comes close.

Once the snake is dead, go to its mouth and retrieve one of its fangs. Once the fang has been removed, it will begin to leak some of the snake's poison, which will soon evaporate into thousands of small yellow lights.

The Poison is Object 297 of 538. It will guide your journey, but you may not find the destination to your liking.
The Holder of the White Moon

In any city, in any country, go to any church or place of worship you can get yourself into. Find the father/ leader of the place of worship and ask him to see someone who calls herself 'The Holder Of The White Moon'. Should a peaceful smile come across his face you shall know you came to the right place. He will lead you to a door that you didn't notice before, the door is a thing of beauty carved from pure white moonstone with a crescent moon inlaid with silver carved on the front. You need to only push the door open to enter and it shall close behind you.

You will find yourself in the night sky no matter what time of day you entered the building and will find no ground below you, do not panic, lest you fall from the sky and into the pits of Hell, proof that you were unworthy for this task. However, if you manage to keep your wits about you; you will begin to drift to a large white cloud. As you land on that cloud, ,you shall see The Holder, a beautiful creature who's a cross between an elf and an angel. Fall to your knees and bow your head to this holy creature, only those will a pure soul can approach her.

The Holder will smile at you and lay her hand upon your head and speak to you.

"Let the trial begin."

Instantly, you will be put through your own personal Hell, all your fears shall strike you at once, all your loved ones shall die horrible painfilled deaths. However, you must remain strong through what happens, if your heart weakens at these sights, all of them shall come true. If your heart does not falter, you will be brought back to reality. The Holder shall sit upon her throne. Do not get up or move, to do so would be a sign of disrespect. She will ask you one question.

"What can burn through the darkness of the blackest night?"

You must answer. "The light of the white moon."

If you fail to answear correctly, well, let's just say that you should throw yourself off the cloud before her sister can take ahold of you. If you answer correctly, she will tell you to rise and she shall clasp a necklace around you. The necklace are beads of pure white malachite with soft grey stripes. You will then fall asleep, you shall awake on the steps of the place of worship. You now have the power to wield the light of the moon, but you will weaken in the light of the sun.

This necklace is object 382 of 583. You are now the guardian of the white moon, beware it's dark twin.
The Holder of Tranquillity

In any city, in any country, go to any coin fountain you can find. Drop in thirteen coins of any kind, and say aloud, "I wish to meet the Holder of Tranquillity"

You will suddenly find yourself in the middle of an open meadow, filled with many wildflowers and butterflies. Do not harm a single flower. Do not disturb a single butterfly. To even do them the smallest amount of harm will damn your soul to unimaginable torment.

Sit until the sun sets. Do not move. Do not speak. When the sun finally touches the horizon, you may walk towards it in the purple-streaked sky. Do not deviate from that path, or you will wander the meadow forever, seeking escape that never comes.

Finally, you will reach a gazebo. Seated inside is a beautiful woman wearing a white wedding dress, gently stroking a harp. When you approach her, she will look at you with her lovely deep blue eyes. Stare into them and smile, and she will ask, "What is the key to inner peace?"

Never wandering from her gaze, answer, "Tranquillity comes from the heart" Any other answer will doom you to the beasts that watch from the taller grasses.

When she hears the correct answer, she will begin to writhe in agony. Blood will seep from her eyes, nose, and mouth. Eventually, she will rip open her dress, and her heart will burst from her chest. Then, the meadow will go dark and you will see your reflection in the fountain, change in your pocket, and a still-beating heart in hand.

Her heart is Object 441 of 538. It beats to your own heart's rhythm.
The Holder of the Influence

This man used to work for a certain country's intelligence agency (he won't say which one). Over the course of his experience there, he learned certain techniques that are known to be effective in gathering data. Whether or not he approves of these methods used this way is, sadly, left to speculation. Whatever the case, he now speaks at seminars, and sells a packaged crash course of a modified version of the technique he was taught. He is known to be based in Florida, but you'd be hard-pressed to find him there, since his work calls for travel.

This is where the Object comes into play. He knows about the certain threshold of brain frequency that one crosses as one is falling asleep, and in fact by now it is common knowledge to those who have been shown even a passing glimpse of the realms of alpha and theta waves.

The delta band, although placed at different frequencies for everybody, is where one is when he, or she, is in such a deep sleep that there are no dreams present; indeed, everyone who trains in meditation knows that it is actually a portal, a gateway, if you like, into a higher level of mind operation. This has been tagged as many things; "enlightenment," "awakening," and other variations of such a concept. It is not an accident that in normal human beings, the only time they will show a dominating arc of delta waves is if they are deep in Stage 4 sleep. Very few humans have ever been capable of slowing their brain frequency down to the Delta band without falling asleep, because the knowledge granted the person during this state is not meant for the unprepared. The Holder himself calls it the "God-like" state. Be forewarned; if you attempt this excursion unguided, you must maintain total trust in yourself, a task easier said than done.

The man has decided to teach this technique to any and all who can afford it. Whether or not this is truly a good thing, we can only do our best with what we have and let the chips fall where they may. If you have encountered this state of mind, then you should already know to be alert, because it didn't stick with you for no reason.

The conscious state of Delta is Object 205 of 538. Use it well.
The Holder of the Unseen Colour

In any town, in any country, go to any soup kitchen or optometry's practice. When you reach the front of the queue, ask for the Holder of the Unseen. They will feign ignorance, but should you repeat the name loud and often enough they will relent and take you through a curtained doorway into a back room. The room will be long and narrow, with a single hard, wooden chair at one end, and a white wall at the other. It will be lit only by a single, bare, flickering light bulb, suspended from the ceiling.

The light bulb will burn out. Do not leave the chair.

You will hear clacking, chirping rustling, as though a thousand noisome beetles were crawling towards you in a shifting carpet of chitinous black. The noise will draw closer and closer, until it feels as though they are beneath your very feet. The noise is hungry. Do not leave the chair.

A voice, not like any you have heard since your childhood nightmares, with breathe beautiful words things into your ear. Mistaking it for a hallucination will be impossible; its hot, wet breath will caress the skin of your ears and neck. With the most glorious words in existence, it will describe what it will do to you - what it did to you. Do not leave the chair.

The world will seem to invert about you: up becomes down, down becomes up, and you will instinctively grasp the seat or legs of the chair in an irrepressible urge to keep yourself from falling into the unfathomable Dark below.
Do not let go of the chair.

Hanging in the pitch darkness, you will be assaulted with questions in howling voices. They promise a reward of light. The questions will seem easy; you may even know the answers to some of them.

Do not answer any of them.

One voice will sound above all others. It will ask you its name.

You must reply: "Methuselah". Pronounce it correctly, or he will be displeased.

It will describe the Unseen Colour. You do not see this colour with your eyes, and will perceive it wherever you look. You cannot hide from this colour behind your eyelids. It will lead you closer to the next object, if you let it.

Do not let it.

That object is 399 of 538. No man has ever been blinded by Darkness.
The Holder of the File

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of The File". Should a look of pain and worry come over the face of the worker, you will be taken deep within the facility.

Beyond a myriad of twists and turns, far more than there should be in a building of this size, you will be taken to an old-style jail cell. Within will be darkness, and one single noise. The rasp of a file against metal. Should at any time the rasping stop, quickly turn and run. Run as far and as fast as you possibly can, and don't worry about taking the wrong path. Getting lost in the depths of this facility will be the least of your worries.

Should the rasping continue unabated, however, walk up to the bars and stick a hand into the darkness. You will feel an object placed into your hand. If it feels warm, drop it and fall to your knees in prayer. Pray you were fast enough, so that when you look up you will still be outside this cell. If you were too slow, an eternity of filing will never get you past those bars again.

Should the item feel cold, however, voice one question aloud into the cell and pull back your hand. The only question to receive an answer will be, "Which side are they on?"

You will feel the file in your hand begin to move. As it shreds your skin and wears through your bones, you must concentrate not on the pain but on your question. The file will rasp away your flesh and bone until nothing left of your hand remains. Should you make it through this ordeal without giving in to the pain, you will find the answer to your question in your mind. Your hand will be whole, and once more you will be outside the facility, a cold and rusty file clutched in your hand.

Many go mad with this knowledge; some use the file to repeat the process in an attempt to remove the words from their heads. If you manage to endure, you will find yourself among those at the reunion.

That file is Object 54 of 538. It will smooth your way to the reunion, but cannot help you from there beyond.