Rumors to Conspiracy
Rumors regarding unethical behavior at the
North Island Reserve had been circulating for a number of years, but no verifyable evidence emerged. The rumors/accusations centered around theories on how some of the monsters held in the park were replenished after being killed by adventurer tourists. The numbers never seemed to fall - no tours were ever canceled or delayed whilst numbers were replaced.
Authorities announced and undertook investigations that found no wrongdoing. The rumors persisted but were slowly being disregarded by the general population.
But now an account has been relayed that may reignite the concerns.
The following is a shortened version of an account told by a regular North Island Reserve adventurer tourist to Seth Hedra, Head Librarian of
The Library of Learning & Culture. It was relayed in an inn called 'The Painted Lady' on the outskirts of the City of Churiss.
"Seth, I'm telling you this is true. Let me explain what I know!"
Duty & Love
The Eillani family lived in a community of farms in central Ascadia where they scratched out a tough but fulfilling life. There were three sons and the youngest child a daugther - Silvi.
As the eldest brother it fell to Dain to protect his sister. He did this willingly. He was nine when he first saw her face as their mother introduced them on the day of her birth. Even then he knew he would die to protect her.
He helped her learn the working of their farm, and chased away boys - none were suitable for her - none could ever be in his eyes. Silvi was beautiful, with an elflike grace, so this was a regular task!
The father died in an accident when Dain was only seventeen. Their lives became even harder. He took over as head of the household and tried to keep the farm, and family, together.
The Festival
As is tradition, when Silvi was sixteen she chose a tattoo to be inked on the back of her neck. Silvi chose the image of a golden dragon in flight - for her, a symbol of her own desire to one day leave the community and discover the wonders of the wider world.
In that same year, Silvi was allowed to go to her first Summer Festival. Dain, as usual, took charge, and after warnings of being careful and not mixing with any strangers, Dain left his sister with her friends and withdrew to the beer sellers stall, knowing he'd find his own friends there, waiting for him.
It didn't hit him until early evening that he had not seen Silvi for some hours. He sensed that something was wrong and berated himself for drinking too much. He ran through the crowds shouting for his sister but there was no sign of her. Finally, one of the visiting market traders remembered spotting her with a young man leaving the festival. He had no reason to suspect any foul play, assuming they were brother and sister - he had been jokingly warned by the other traders to watch out for young women's older brothers!
Dain roused a search party and followed the directions of the trader but they could not find her. Silvi was gone.
The Search
Dain left the farm to his two brothers to run with their mother. He set out in search of Silvi. He followed any lead he could find, no matter how tenuous.
Two more years went by and he had all but lost hope. But then he came across credible intelligence that Silvi had been seen on a caravan to Churiss - the individual remembered her clearly for he was taken by her vivid beauty. The caravans carried those accepted onto that nation's program to become future citizens. Dain's hopes soared.
But the Authorities in Churiss could find no record of that particular caravan. Only his duty and love for his sister stopped him from ending his life. Drinking in the city's local taverns was the only way to take an edge off his enduring pain.
New Hope
Two months later, drunk at his usual table in the Dancing Lights Inn, he overheard a tale being spun by an obvious tourist. He was sickened by the ignorance of the person boasting about killing monsters for sport on the North Island Reserve. But, as he was about to trudge back to his room for the night, he heard the man say something that caught his ear:
"..yeah, I felt sorry for her - I've never seen one cry before, but I couldn't pass up the chance to kill a golden dragon now could I - even if it was painted on the back of a bloody zombie girl!"
Dain rushed to the man's table and grabbed him by both arms screaming at him to tell him more.
There had been an Undying creature that vaguely matched the general description he gave of Silvi. The man explained that the tattoo had actually been on its neck but he had missed his bow shot.
Dain realized that his sister had somehow come to an unthinkably horrible fate. He told the man that he was going to the island, where the monsters were kept, to find out more. Whatever the man said as warning not to do it was to no avail. Dain's mind was made up.
"I can see you still don't believe me Seth, but I'm telling you it is true - it was me - I was the tourist. After I told him what I saw we went to his room and he explained all this to me. To be honest I, like you, didn't really believe it. But yesterday I was back in the Reserve and I saw that girl again... but this time there was another Undying by her side, like it was shielding her. It was faster than the others, stronger, it fought like someone that was alive. Then I saw its face, horrible, contorted, decaying. I caught its eyes, and it.. stared.. straight.. back at me like it knew me. Seth, I swear to you..... it was Dain!"
Adventure Tours Incorporated
The North Island Reserve is run by a private company called
Adventure Tours Inc. It is known to run other tourism-related operations across the region and also some magical research projects under another name. The latter is explained by the company as
"...magical healing research to help nations, particularly developing nations, in the fight to control disease".
However, rumors and conspiracies regarding the company have gained traction about their intentions and actions not being what they say they are. The main stories now discussed quietly in local taverns in Churiss tend to focus on the following.
- the company's so-called 'magical healing research' is actually a weapons development project funded by various allied nations - it is assumed that Churiss is one of those nations.
- one such facility is located on the island holding zone just off the south-west edge of the North Island Reserve. That's the key reason for the heightened security and not because of any monsters being held there pending transport to the main Reserve.
- people are being forcefully taken to the holding zone and turned into monsters - that's how they keep the monster population high in the Reserve and it keeps their previously spiraling costs low.
- many leaders of Churiss have 'dirty hands' and are intrinsically behind the unethical practices of the company - that's why authority led investigations into the company have not found any evidence of criminal activity or even examples of malpractice.
- the company has control of The Reservists - it was their money that funded that program and this is another reason why the authorities of Churiss are so afraid to act.
Silvi Eillani
Beloved sister of Dain, her brother, and protector.
The Undying
Undying are more casually referred to as zombies. They are the dead risen.
Their appearance varies, not just a reflection of their former selves, but also because some become very decayed, whilst others retain a good part of their former appearance.
Many find that those of the latter category are the most disconcerting to see.
The 'Zombie Girl'
The image of the zombie girl he saw in the park is now burned into the mind of the tourist.
Oh my goodness! You got me hooked from the start, but that ending was like icing on a cake. I got goosebumps reading those last sentences.
Thank you! :)