Cursed

*Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light...**This article is about The Dark Pictures Anthology's third installment,* ***House of Ashes***
***.***

## Chapter Guide

**Cursed** is the official prologue of *House of Ashes* and the first chapter overall.

The player controls Balathu (Theatrical Cut) and Kurum (Curator's Cut) as the Akkadians and the Gutians are at war, only for both sides to deal with something far more dangerous.

## *Temple, Akkad, 2231 BC*

Some crows are seen on a branch. Later, the screen shows a quote from Hosea 8:7. The game then tells that the player's choice has consequences, before saying some decisions save lives while other cause death. As the sentence "choose wisely" appears, the crow flies away from a skull in the sands, before zooming in onto one of the eyes.

A view of a person's eyes is shown. As the screen zooms out, a scarab is seen climbing on his head before showing several Gutians lying on the sacrificial table as Balathu pushes Kurum onto it. He is about to kill Kurum with a dagger, but is stopped by a guard who says that the king demands his presence. Balathu orders another guard to take Kurum back to the cell as he and the first guard go to the throne room.

* Theatrical Cut
* Curator's Cut

Upon reaching the door, the guard tells Balathu that they need to leave this place, as the temple is cursed and the king's madness will consume them all. Balathu refuses, saying that he would rather die in the cursed temple rather then perish to the plague and famine outside.

Entering the throne room, Balathu watches as Naram-Sin tells a Gutian woman that she has been sent by the Moon God to destroy his kingdom. He then tells Balathu that the Gutian army is approaching and they must prepare by sacrificing prisoners. In response to Balathu's words that there are hundreds of them and sacrifices will take time, Naram-Sin says that time is out of their hands and sacrifice will be fullfilled, starting with the Gutian woman. As Balathu holds a dagger to her throat, Naram-Sin tells him that the woman looks like Balathu's daughter, who was lost to the plague. Naram-Sin then comments how the plague is a tragedy, before commanding Balathu to kill her. Balathu can either be compliant or reluctant.

* If Balathu is reluctant, Naram-Sin says that the girl must die as every blood will bring them closer to salvation.
* If Balathu says nothing, Naram-Sin then angrily asks if Balathu wants to sacrifice his own blood instead, before asking him to kill the woman again.

Regardless, the Gutian woman grabs the dagger away from Balathu and attacks him with it. Balathu then has to complete two QTEs to fight back (failing the second QTE will result in his left arm being slashed). The woman tries to escape the throne room, and Balathu can complete a QTE to throw a spear at her.

* If Balathu successfully throws the spear, Naram-Sin will clap. He then approaches the corpse and takes the spear before decapitating her. He then throws her head to Naram-Sin before walking out for battle.
* If Balathu doesn't throw the spear, the guard will kill the woman instead. Naram-Sin will criticize him for losing his edge after killing too many Gutian prisoners from the cells. Balathu and the guard approach the girl. Balathu then says that "she's just a girl", while the guard believes he sees nothing but a Gutian demon. Naram-Sin then asks Balathu that if he can't kill for his name, then he can die, before wishing him luck.

Kurum is thrown into a cell by an Akkadian guard before being locked up. Kurum then gets up and approach the guard outside the bars. Noticing Kurum's cylinder necklace, the guard asks him where did he steal it from and who did he murder. Kurum will then tell the guard that he's not a thief. The guard then tells Kurum that he's unique among his kind, but also believing that Kurum lies being a thief.

The guard then takes Kurum's necklace, mocking the Gutian clan as he grabs the cylinder. Kurum then becomes furious. The guard tells Kurum that he has no right in the temple, and that all favor is owed to the sons of Naram-Sin. Hearing the battle cries, Kurum mentions the Gutian army. The guard then taunts Kurum, calling him lucky as he gets to hear his people fall and scream to the Akkadians. Kurum can then be afraid or furious.

Either way, the guard continues to mock Kurum, calling the Gutian clan "a worthless pack of feral dogs that couldn't survive another day". Kurum then attacks the guard and can complete two QTEs (failing the second one will result in Kurum injured). As he grabs the knife, Kurum can complete a QTE to stab the guard's jaw.

* If QTE is completed, the guard will die. His body then falls onto the ground.
* If QTE is failed, the guard will free from Kurum's grasp. The guard runs away as he commands his comrades to prepare themselves and defend the king.

Kurum finds a key on the ground. He then picks it up and uses it to unlock the cell door before exiting.

* If the guard was killed, Kurum will loot his corpse. Before moving on, Kurum remarks that the guard is right about the former being a thief.
* If the guard ran away, Kurum will grab a sword and immediately move on.

As the Akkadians stand ready, an eclipse begins and Naram-Sin observes it through a hole in the roof. Hundreds of Akkadians and Gutians charge at each other, and their fighting causes the ground to rumble, awakening something underground.

Kurum enters the throne room and sees Naram-Sin and the guards dead. At the same time, Balathu runs into the room and locks the door against an unseen threat. Kurum attacks him, but Balathu dodges and asks the Gutian for help. He says that the king cursed them when he sacked the temple in Nippur and then built this temple as a sign of forgiveness.

* If Balathu was reluctant about killing the Gutian woman earlier, he will lament that he should have seen the truth after his daughter's death and his relationship with Kurum will increase.
* If Balathu was willing to kill the Gutian woman earlier, he will be shocked at the king's death and his relationship with Kurum will decrease.
* If Balathu said nothing earlier, he will say the king's demand was answered, and his relationship with Kurum will remain unchanged.

Struggling to keep holding the door, Balathu says that they can get out through the catacombs and Kurum has to believe him, having no other choice. Both of them then make a break for the catacombs.

Balathu and Kurum descend into the catacombs and reach a door. They then have to complete a QTE to open the door.

* If QTE is failed, one of the characters will taunt the other, decreasing their relationship.

After opening the door, Balathu states there's an exit through the tomb. Kurum is shocked while Balathu states again the tomb is for the builders when they finish the job. After talking, an Akkadian helmet falls from nearby, and the two see an approaching shadow of a creature. They are hiding behind a pillar and must perform Keep Calm segment, although the shadow turns out to be a rat. Balathu then inspects the Akkadian helmet on the floor, only to be scared by a scarab crawling out of the opening. The two can then explore to find:

* A picture.
* Carvings. Kurum will ask why Naram-Sin raid the temple and Balathu will answer that for the sake of gold and glory and Kurum will complement that for greed.
* The door to continue to the secret passage. If Kurum did not kill the Akkadian guard earlier, the guard's corpse can be seen inside, and the relationship between Balathu and Kurum will decrease as Kurum retrieves his cylinder and laments the fact that he didn't kill the guard himself.

In the passage, Balathu is interested in the cylinder seal around Kurum's neck while he asks how to escape. They can show respect by talking about the carving with the story of Gutians/suggesting to work together, or arrogance by saying that the carving is none of Balathu's business/suggesting watching out for themselves. Approaching the next door, it opens and a monstrous hand appears from it. Both then start to run and must complete a QTE. Whichever character that completes the QTE gets to exit the hallway faster, giving them advantage. Both escape back to the catacombs as the corridor fills with darkness. The entrance turns out to be stuck and everyone decides whether to fight or betray the other. In singleplayer or Movie Night, the character who isn't being controlled will choose to fight if Balathu and Kurum have a positive or neutral relationship, and betray if they have a negative relationship.

* If one chooses to fight and betray the other, the betrayer will injure the other and knock them over.
* If both decide to betray each other, one will beat the other and knock them over, but is also injured in the process.
* If both choose to fight, an unseen creature bursts into the room and charges at them, and they each must complete QTEs to fight it.

In any case, the one who failed more QTEs or was betrayed will be knocked out on the ground and creature will approach them drooling before attacking.

* If the survivor has completed all QTEs, they will open the door, only to find four claws wrapping around the door and charging at them.
	+ In Shared Story, if both characters have completed all QTEs, one of them will guard the other as another opens the door and is attacked.
* If the survivor also fails QTE but is less than the killed one, they will crawl to the door in fear and the creature will slowly approach them before screeching at them.

The screen then goes dark.

## *Meeting The Curator*

After the intro, the player meets with The Curator. He then claims that the choices made by the player are of the utmost importance if they want to survive. He claims that such difficult decisions affect the lives of others and that their consequences will become clearer to the player over time.

* If the player has save files of *Man of Medan* or *Little Hope*, the Curator will say, that it's good to see them again and they probably are keen to get started, so they won't dally with Curator any longer.
* If the player doesn't have any save files, he will ask, whether the player knows who he is or where they are.
* (In Shared Story or Movie Night) The Curator will note that not all parties end the same way they started and that some can leave their guests a little the worse for wear. Then he smiles and adds that he is getting ahead of himself.
* (In Shared Story if someone already has a save file of the game) The Curator will ask the players whether they are ready to descend into the unknown once more. Then he will remind them that a party is nothing without a "host" and that he will play his part, as he is sure that players will play their roles.

After that he finally will introduce himself as the "custodian of tales", remarking that he will record all decisions made by the player throughout the story. He then introduces the player to the repository and flies to the bookshelf in a crow form. The Curator explains that several untold stories of many kinds can be found in this place, emphasizing those regarding "life... and death" as he retrieves the "*House of Ashes*" book. The Curator then states that while he is not there to assist the player in any way, he quietly admits that he is interested in doing so, as he is known to bend the rules occasionally.

* In singleplayer, he will say that to descend into the unknown alone is either extremely brave or extremely foolish, claiming that there is more to the player than it meets the eye.
* In Shared Story or Movie Night, he will say that "many minds burning bright with the same idea" and that some choices will bring players together, while others will push them apart.

The Curator then explains the pictures mechanic to the player, and advises the player to search for them throughout the game to assist them in their decision-making. The Curator then states that their time has run out and that the player will speak to him again later to see how they fared or failed.

In the Curator's Cut, the Curator welcomes the player again into the game, stating that the story still has secrets to be discovered and that the player's part is far from over. He then questions whether the player is ready to go "once more unto the breach". The rest of the conversation with the Curator plays out similarly as to the one that happens on the Theatrical Cut, with the exception that the Curator will state that the player already knows who he is (but will introduce himself nonetheless).

## Collectibles

### Pictures

* Arisen - On the floor of the catacombs.

## Deaths

### Inevitable

* Naram-Sin - Mauled by a creature.
* A Gutian woman - Impaled by a spear.
* Numerous Akkadian soldiers - Killed by Gutian soldiers, creatures, and possibly Kurum.
* Numerous Gutian soldiers - Killed by Akkadian soldiers and creatures.

### Determinant

Balathu

* If Balathu is the final survivor, he is infected offscreen.

Kurum

* If Kurum is the final survivor, he is infected offscreen.

## Trivia

* This is the first game prologue to have a collectible and a relationship status. *Man of Medan*'s prologue gained a relationship status in a later update.
* The one who survived will later become a vampire known as the The Ancient One and one of the antagonists of the game. The other character will be discovered by Jason and Salim half preserved in cocoon fluid in The City.
	+ Although the survivor appears in the main story as a vampire, it's unknown if he was infected alive and died because of this, or if the vampires killed him and then infected his corpse.