*Cycles of Ruin is an exploration of a role-playing game, left to its own devices. A simulation of a fantasy world which is, in some ways, more real than the reality its creators sought to escape; a simulacrum, if you will. Civilizations rise and fall. Kith build them up and monsters, led by powerful dungeon keepers, bring them to ruin. For three thousand years the cycle has been maintained by the Guild of Chaos and its endless hordes of minions who—in absence of their long lost creators—have taken it upon themselves to keep the realms of the universe in balance. The Guild and its dungeon keepers have grown efficient at this task, but some among their ranks have begun to ponder the utility of a universe that has been robbed of the very possibility of change. Basil von Doom is one such dungeon keeper working for the Guild, leading an army of loyal minions from one conquest to the next; burning civilizations and sifting through the ruins in search of forbidden knowledge that the races of kith were never meant to possess. But, having spent more than half a century in pursuit of glory and fame, trying to live up to the legacy of his father, Basil has grown indifferent towards his work. Desperate for a worthy challenge, but bound by his duties as a dungeon keeper, he has begun to question his role in the Cycles of Ruin; the ultimate fate of his cruel creator and the strange intentions of his most trusted minions. Now the Master of House von Doom must balance his growing interest in uncovering the secrets that were buried alongside his father with the responsibilities that come with running a dungeon under the supervision of the Guild of Chaos. To remain in good standing with the Guild, and to disguise his true intentions, Basil has even accepted the task of mentoring an apprentice dungeon keeper, a young succubus named Elnora. It is at the tail end of her apprenticeship that the story begins; with a civilization poised to fall—its greatest heroes gathering for one last assault on the heart of darkness—and Basil sat upon his throne, awaiting their arrival. For the kith heroes this was to be their finest hour; for the dungeon keeper this was just another conquest, but for the rest of the universe this was the beginning of something new. *This is a rewrite of my story that was first posted on RoyalRoad a few years ago.