Lore

**If you don't want to get spoiled on the lore, please, read the page anyway because you have nowhere else to find it.**

By gathering **Notes** around the map, you got to **read** Escape the Darkness' lore and backstory in the Bunker, in the **Lore Archive**. By taking a Note, you gained **500 EXP**

## Chapter 1

#### Summary of Chapter 1

An unnamed fishing village is the setting of this chapter, and it supposedly has a "Darkness" within its forest. This Darkness is rumored to be repulsive to life, and has made a villager named Jebediah leave (although it's more likely he was whisked away by the Darkness). The Notes are told through the perspective of an old villager. On March 28th, a stranger named Arthur V. arrives in the village. The old villager suspects Art is looking for the Darkness.

6 days later, on April 3th, the old villager visits the oldest woman in town named Ethel. Ethel claims that the Darkness keeps the village from "war and disease". He visits her again 4 days later, and its revealed they both suspect the Darkness and the forest aren't actually associated, and there's nothing stopping it from wandering its way into the village. 5 days later on the 12th, 2 weeks after Art has arrived, the old villager catches a glimpse of his room after he had been making "other-worldly" noises for the past while. In there, he observes many unknown gadgets that make him uncomfortable.

The very next day, a villager named Adam plans to raid the forest in an attempt to clear it of the Darkness. The old villager dismisses it as a waste of time, although many villagers agree with Adam and plan to join him. The day after, Art goes out to the edge of town and sets up an unknown device into the ground. The day after that, Art sets up an air conditioning unit in his room. 3 days later, on April 19th, Adam and his crew return to the village empty-handed. The old villager begins to think that the other villagers think the Darkness is in the village.

2 days later, Art has vanished completely. The old villager checks his room only to find it utterly empty, besides the air conditioning unit. Having been watching his room for weeks, and seeing no movement since last week, the old villager is bewildered. On the 25th of April, 4 days later, the old villager pays another visit to Ethel, that day being her birthday. They chat in a friendly manner and despite the old villager claiming the Darkness is on everyone's minds, she doesn't bring it up once.

The same day, the general store in the village closes, it being the 5th store to close that week. All of the villagers are prepared to leave, but all of them are too anxious to be the first one to actually do so. 2 more days pass, and everyone is paranoid. They believe the Darkness to be "walking among them", and everyone is suspicious of one another. The old villager proclaims to be tired and not afraid anymore, prepared for whatever is about to happen. The title of the last note implies something disastrous is to come.

### **Hysteria**

*Date: 16th March
Found in: Lakeside*

*I don't know what to do. The village is overrun with hysteria. It's on every tongue and every mind, the ' evil ' around the village... the darkness in the forest. Everyone was fine with it for generations, but it's clear now that the village people have had enough. I think I'm actually afraid. I've never felt this way before. Any fool can see that something big is bound to happen in this village... I know I've got to be strong, but I can't help being afraid.*

### **Jebediah**

*Date: 18th March
Found in: Lakeside*

*Jebediah left the village today. He had been talking about it for a while. It was strange, though. I didn't see him leave. I had been on the lookout for him, but he still got past me somehow. He practically vanished without a word.*

*It's no surprise he left, though. He never could come to terms with the darkness in the forest. Kids these days are way too impatient. Still, I can't help but wonder how he left, and more importantly... Where could he have gone?*

### **The Lake**

*Date: 24th March
Found in: Lakeside*

 *Barely caught anything today. Not a lot of fish in our humble little lake these days. I've heard the folk around the village... they say it's because of the darkness in the forest. Of course they do, they're a paranoid lot. They say the darkness is repulsive to life itself. That can't be true, can it? How can something drive away life, if that thing itself is alive?*

*It doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is me and the fish. Everything's getting harder for this old man... I'm not an idiot. I can see that fishing won't be sustainable anymore in a few months. I might try to become a store clerk, or a carpenter, or something similar... I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I think I'll just enjoy a nice trout.*

### **The Stranger's Arrival**

*Date: 28th March
Found in: Lakeside*

 *A stranger came to our village today. He asked a myriad of questions, but answered none himself. He didn't have to answer anything, though. All the answers I needed were written all over his face. He's here looking for the darkness in the forest.*

### **Reminiscence**

*Date: 3rd April
Found in: Lakeside*

 *I spent the evening with Ethel today. She's the oldest woman in the whole village. They say she's a hundred and twenty! It was by far the most fascinating conversation I've ever had. I wish I had gotten to know her sooner. She might be the only sane person left in this whole village.*

*She spent the evening reminiscing about her youth, when everyone was simpler and content with life. They were happy with the balance of life. There was a darkness in the forest around the village... but in turn, the village was free from war and disease. Like it all had some sort of meaning. I'll have to come back another day, to continue our conversation.*

### **Another Visit**

*Date: 7th April
Found in: Farmsteads*

 *I spent another evening with Ethel today. She was a happy and gracious host. She served me the darkest coffee I've ever seen. It was a delight, despite my 'refined' pallet. I can still smell its fragrance.*

We talked about the darkness in the forest again. There's hardly anything else to talk about these days. Actually, now that I think about it... she only referred to it as the darkness, and always neglected to mention the forest. I think she knows something. She knows that there's nothing keeping the darkness within the forest... there's nothing keeping it from coming to the village.

### **The Stranger's Room**

*Date: 12nd April
Found in: Farmsteads*

 *The stranger's been staying in a small room for the past 2 weeks. We never see him, but we know he's there. He's constantly making all sorts of strange, other-worldly noises. I don't like him. If I can just get my hands on him...*

*I tried to sneak into his rom the other day. I only caught a brief glimpse of what he had done to his room, but I was sick to my stomach right away. He had all sorts of wicked gadgets, of shapes and colors I never knew even existed. I almost collapsed just being in the room. I don't know what he's cooking up in there, but I'm gonna put a stop to it.*

### **Adam's Rally**

*Date: 13rd April
Found in: Farmsteads*

 *Adam stormed into the village square today. He was rallying people to raid the forest... and drive out the darkness. A lot of people took to it. All young men, of course.*

*I pulled Adam aside afterwards, and tried to talk him out of it. I told him to just live with it, like all the previous generations have. I told him that raiding the forest would be a waste of time, but I couldn't get through to him.*

*He laughed it off, the moron. He told me that if I wanted to keep pushing old village doctrine, that I should just shut up and write it down instead. That little dolt... what does he think I've been doing?*

### **The Stranger's Evening**

*Date: 15th April
Found in: Farmsteads*

 *The stranger slipped out of his room today. He thought he could sneak past me. Fat chance, I had been watching his room for almost a week. I followed him to the edge of the town. He set up some sort of device in the dirt, and spent almost the whole night fidgeting with it. He left an ugly spot in the grass... I told some folk about it, but nobody seemed to mind. I can't be the only person who sees that he's up to no good.*

### **The Noisy Machine**

*Date: 16th April
Found in: Farmsteads*

 *The stranger set up a sort of 'air conditioning' machine in his room. It's been constantly making noise since he installed it. It's driving me nuts. And the worst part is that nobody else seems to care! They're all too distracted by the darkness in the forest. It's worse every day.*

*I confronted the stranger about the noise. He only opened the door after I spent half an hour knocking. He apologized about the noise, and explained that it was hard for him to 'breathe' in the village. He said it felt like his neck was stung by a hive of bees. What a snobby little weasel. Everyone's been breathing the same air here for generations, and everything is just fine!*

*Arthur V. That's his name, or at least that's what everyone around the village has been calling him. Didn't even give anyone his last name. Arthur... Art... what a pompous name. I don't care. He's a stranger to me, and that's what I'll call him! And then he never shut off the air conditioner! I can still hear it as I'm writing this!*

### **Empty Handed**

*Date: 19th April
Found in: Graveyard*

 *Adam's little raid on the forest was a bust. They came back empty handed. They didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Just like I told them all. They didn't seem disappointed, though. They were just quiet. They didn't talk about it to anybody.*

*In hindsight, I wish they had found something... anything. They've been staying home as much as possible since the raid. I see them peeking out their windows... eyeing up everyone that passes by. I know exactly what's on their minds. In this village, the existence of the darkness is not a question. It's not disputable. So they all know... if the darkness isn't in the forest, then there's only one other place it could be.*

### **The Stranger's Departure**

*Date: 21st April
Found in: Graveyard*

 *The stranger's gone! I don't know how or when, but he just vanished! I heard the noise from his air conditioner stop, and when I went to check it out, he was gone. The room was empty. It was still a little painful, just being in his room, even after all his gadgets were gone. But I fought the discomfort and searched every nook and cranny in his room... nothing. He left nothing behind, except for the air conditioner.*

*It doesn't make any sense. I've been watching his room for weeks. The only time I left was when Adam came back from the forest, but that was a week ago, and the air conditioner just turned off today.*

*I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think he knew. I've been thinking about it as I write this all down, and it's the only thing that makes sense to me. I think he knew I was watching his room. He knew something was up, and I think he left that air conditioner on to trick me. He could have been gone for days or weeks. I can't believe I let that happen.*

### **Change of Subject**

*Date: 25th April
Found in: Graveyard*

 *I paid Ethel another visit today. It was her birthday, actually. We spent the day drinking tea and playing chess. I fully expected her to spend the day talking about the darkness again... who isn't, these days? But to my surprise, she wanted to talk about me the whole day.*

She asked me questions about my life. My childhood. My future. It's funny, I didn't have a clear answer for any of these. She laughed it off as me being young and indecisive. There was something insincere about that laugh. She might not have wanted to talk about the darkness, but I knew it was on her mind. Still, I appreciate that she gave me a reprieve from all that.

### **Ghost Town**

*Date: 25th April
Found in: Graveyard*

 *The general store closed today. That's the fifth shop this week. Every other person I see around the village is getting ready to leave. The rest are gonna get roped into leaving, too. But no one's brave enough to be the first to leave.*

*It's funny... a few years ago, I didn't think leaving this village was even possible. Now look at it. This place has history, though. Heritage. It's something to be proud of. It's something to love. That's why no one wants to be the first to leave. Me? I just miss eating trout.*

### ***Calm Before The Storm***

*Date: 27th April
Found in: Graveyard*

 *The stranger's gone... the raid on the forest's come back empty handed... and the village is restless. Paranoia is spreading fast. No, not paranoia... knowledge. They know the stranger was just the start of something big. They know the darkness isn't in the forest, but instead, it's walking among them. And they know something's about to go down.*

*I can't take two steps down the street without someone giving me some weird looks. I'm getting a little tired of the tension. I'm tired of the fear and the paranoia and the anger everywhere. I'm not afraid of them anymore. Whatever's about to happen, just come on and do it already. I can take it.*

## Chapter 2

### **The Assignment**

*Date: 20th May
Found in: Powerplant*

*Today marks the 20th of May almost two monts since the start os this assignment, and for the foreseeable future, I will be documenting this operation using traditional pen and paper. Due to the nature of my equipment, I belive that documenting everything digitally would end up being more cumbersome than it's worth, considering how frequently I'll need to relocate.*

*My employer has afforded me a small make-shift lab near an industrial area. All the goings-on of the nearby factories should draw attention away from me. The only downside is all air pollution in the area. Still, I could, be huffing down smoke straight from the factory chimney and it would still feel like taking a stroll through a dewy meadow compared to that terrible village.*

### **Empty Handed**

*Date: 24th May
Found in: Powerplant*

*I am glad I was able to gather most of my belongings before leaving the village, given how quickly I had to leave. But I couldn't stay for even a single day after that raid came back empty handed.*

*That might have worked out in my favor, howerer. Leaving the air conditioner running in my absence... The villagers might not even know I'm gone, even right now. But the villagers aren't the ones I'm worried about.*

### **Presence**

*Date: 26th May
Found in: Powerplant*

*I was clear that my presence was never welcome in the village. I could tell I was being watched, but I really did not care what a bunch of simple-minded villagers thought of me or my work.*

*But*

### **Watched**

*Date: 28th May
Found in: Powerplant*

*Story*

### **The Village Study**

*Date: 29th May
Found in: Powerplant*

*Story*

### **Ethel**

*Date: 3th June
Found in: Warehouses*

*Story*

### **Heavy Air**

*Date: 4th June
Found in: Warehouses*

*Story*

### **The Shutdown**

*Date: 6th June
Found in: Warehouses*

*Story*

### **Darkness Phenomenons**

*Date: 10th June
Found in: Warehouses*

*Story*

### **Darkness Phenomenons**

*Date: 11th June
Found in: Warehouses*

*Story*