"It was complete chaos. More innocent blood was spilled than the ground could drink up. Never had so many kind-hearted Luftkuns turned feral. The shame and guilt were so overwhelming that we have never been back to the Festival grounds. I shudder to think of what twisted evil could have sprung from that night." - Luftkun Historian, M. Washfulton. Transcribed by Burnside Thornton JR III, The Cob.
The Terrible Bad
Long ago, the different races of Luftkuns from across The Lost Place would gather for their yearly Festival of The Great Double Full Moons in the clearing at the summit of Mount Amaranthine. It was at this festival that the first cases of The Lunar Sweats are known to have occurred. A brutal bloody night followed. In the morning, as The Lunar Sweats receded, the surviving Luftkuns had to face the reality that the mounds of the deceased and puddles of gore were created with their hands. I can't imagine that level of horror and guilt that must have overtaken them as they faced this sobering conclusion. The remaining Luftkuns vacated the clearing as murderers and vowed never to return. The Elders of all the varied Luftkun races made the festival grounds a forbidden location.
As with typical teens, it didn't take long for the Luftkun teens to view this forbidden location as a place to show off one's defiance of society's rules. This location also served as a place for their blooming courage by venturing to the mountain clearing.
Dead Luftkuns Tell No Tales
Very few Luftkuns have made it off of Mount Amaranthine. Over the one hundred or so years there have been thirty-four young Luftkuns that have gone to stake their claim on adulthood by conquering the haunted mountain to never return. One can only surmise what happened to them.
Survivor Luftkuns Tell Few Tales
For the most part, what has taken up residence in that hellish place of loss is a complete mystery. The few Luftkuns that have returned to their villages have done so forever changed. Their sanity is left in the clearing by whatever horror awaits the foolish adventure drunk on his or her own hubris. Once, a young Luftkun girl returned still able to talk. She didn't say much. Most of her remaining verbal abilities were just the gibberish expressions of her shattered mind.
"Gone. All gone. Terrible bad, all dem gone. Oh, so dey comes from the holes. Cold bad bad cold; oh the terrible bad. Terrible bad bad screams so loud loud," The Luftkun girl said.
She sat on an examining table in the Pumpkin Hill Infirmary. She never looked away from the roaring fire warming the one-room building.
The Luftkun Nurse tending to the child sipped at her mug of coffee. Her arms exploded in goosebumps at the insanity in the girl's voice. Just when she thought she couldn't handle another second with the girl, the Infirmary's doors opened and Dr. Habersham walked in with the girl's parents. Tears glistened on the mother's face
in fear of her child's uncertain state. The father had his arm around his wife clutching her tight to him.
"She is quite startled by what she has been through," The Doctor said, attempting to sugarcoat the situation.
The girl laughed again. The loud sound echoed in the small silent room. The Nurse dropped her mug and ran out of the room. She had had her fill.
"Loud loud and cold cold the Terrible bad bad. Comes for you. Bad bad cold cold on legs. Grabs for holes," she laughed again and nodded in agreement with herself and the shocked room.
Dr. Habersham was about to discuss a prescription of rest and tea when she jumped off the table.
"BAD BAD SO COLD!" she screamed. For a brief moment, she returned. She looked at her parents, "I'm sorry momma. I shouldn't have gone."
The mother stepped toward her daughter.
"I'm so cold." the girl said. Her eyes glassed over and she laughed again.
"Bad Bad cold!" she screamed and ran across the room and dove into the crackling fire.
The doctor and the nurse tried to save her but she was too far gone by the time they could get her out of the fire.
A Father's Duty
The fathers of Pumpkin Hill and a few from The Misty Valley formed a posse, meaning to climb to the top of Mount Amaranthine and put a stop to the evil that resided in the clearing. They got as far as halfway up to the summit. They could hear cries for help and screams of insane attackers. A deep chill overcame them despite it being in the summer season. The number of men still climbing dwindled. When the last Luftkun father could see his own breathing escaping in little white clouds, he turned tail and cowered back to his village. To this day there is no real knowledge of what is really in the clearing at the summit of Mount Amaranthine.
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