Curse of Blackthorn Keep

Prologue

Blackthorn Keep has fallen under a shadow older than memory. The fortress that once stood as a beacon of House Vex's power now festers atop its ridge of black stone, its ancient walls weeping corruption. A pact made in desperation by a previous lord—a bargain struck with something ancient and terrible known as the Hollow King—has come due at last. The entity's hunger cannot be denied, and with each dawn the curse spreads further into the surrounding lands, turning the earth hostile and twisting all it touches. The current lord lies dying, aware of the family's dark secret but powerless to stop it. His heir has disappeared into the dungeons beneath the keep, fleeing into shadow for reasons unknown. Villages on the borders of the blight are emptying as refugees flee south, while those who remain speak of unnatural thorns growing in twisted patterns, of shadows that move with purpose, and of a cold that no fire can warm. The Church of the Silver Dawn has sent investigators, and local lords have posted a reward for any who can break the curse—but time is running short, and with each passing night, the Hollow King's presence grows stronger. Somewhere in the depths of Blackthorn Keep lies the answer: the source of the pact, the heir who vanished, or perhaps the terrible truth that breaking this curse will demand a sacrifice no one is willing to make. The blighted lands wait. The keep watches. And in the darkness below, something ancient and hungry stirs, eager to claim what was promised.