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Nyx: Chapter 1 Notes

Uh, well… shit.

I’ll be honest, I turned this thing on without thinking about what I was going to say. Don’t you hate it when that happens? Story of my life, I guess. I often forget to look before I leap. You could even say that’s what got us into this mess in the first place.

Anyway, it’s probably best to start with the basics.

I come from the Five Rivers, an intersection in space and time where the spirits of all things return through the five great rivers – Styx, Lethe, Archeron, Phlegethon, and Cocytus. This sacred migration is referred to as the Flow. The Five Rivers is also populated by a rather eclectic assortment of species and fauna, these creatures acting as “vessels” for the spirits. It is through fostering and nurturing such spirits that we may reach transcendence.

Or, at least, that’s the story the Oracles push. The truth is far less glamorous.

Did I forget to mention that vessels don’t have their own spirit? I’m just packaging for the real thing. Or so the Oracles claim anyway. Although, that seems like a major design flaw, at least if the goal is for vessels to actually transcend. And if not… isn’t that an admission the game is rigged? Either way, this has had some really fun and interesting ethical implications for the Five Rivers – such as rampant murder, torture, and enslavement. Real shame the Oracles didn’t foresee that.

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But the payoff is worth it, right? Right? Well, that’s not entirely clear. Let’s look at that term “transcendence.” Little vague. What does that even mean? Transcend where? To end up how? Getting fucked by whom? Because, in my humble experience, that’s how things work on any plane of existence.

Personally, I think they have it wrong – that I do have a spirit. Or maybe I just have a problem with authority… but we’ll get to that in a moment. Anyway, I see the Five Rivers less as a dumping-ground-turned-spiritual-deathmatch and more as an efficient form of recycling – one that just so happens to mercilessly purge anything deemed defective. Others would probably call that reincarnation. The word choice is up to you.

Now, I happen to be in a bit of a bind. My life to-date may have been, let us say, slightly less than ideal, but things are really starting to look bleak. Yet in the midst of that darkness, a question occurred to me… what if I’m right?

And that gave me an idea. Perhaps it might be possible to send myself a message. Write a note, stuff it in a bottle, and toss it out to sea in the hope of salvation – except I’m throwing this incredibly expensive gem into the Flow and I’m technically sending it to myself… Tortured metaphor aside, if my spirit happens to bump into it after I’ve shed this vessel, then I guess I’ll take it with me into the next life. And even if I’m wrong, with the way that time tends to work differently inside the Flow, well, it’s also possible that past me might find this. Or future me? In which case, I’m surprised you’re still alive. Congratulations.

I’m also not above tipping the scales in my favor. So, I’m leaving this with a dear friend – one quite good at swimming against the Flow.

So, that’s what this is. A backup plan. An experiment. A cosmic note in a bottle.

I’m honestly surprised no one has thought of it before.

Anyway, we should probably get started.

My name is Nyx and I’m Hollow.