Slade
Legacy Name: Slade

Covered in dirt and weather-worn, a neglected journal lays tangled in one of the bushes surrounding Slade's mansion...

Mariah came running to me today, dress hitched up in one hand while waving a parchment in another. She looked so happy! Fortunate news upon our family; the gracious Duke Slade has invited us to his Winter Ball. This is our chance to garner some sort of partnership with him, to get noticed. Have the Gods finally recognized our pleas, heard our calls? Even little Grace is excited! We haven't much time to prepare, our carriage arrives tomorrow eve!

If we can somehow... get Slade to offer an ear, if just for a moment or two, we can perhaps garner some pity from the man. It is a shameful thing to wish for, but when I look to Grace, smiling through the hunger, it matters naught. Nothing matters except the well being of my family, and if that means I must grovel before a Lord, then so be it.

December 25, 1850

It was close, but we made it. Mariah looks absolutely lovely in her gown, as does Grace. I've never seen the girl so eager to don a dress before, the foolish thing, so partial to her night gowns and lounge wear. I've told her to behave, and her reaction was quite humorous... the huff in her cheeks as she rightfully told me to stop treating her like a child. Ha! You'd think she were nineteen, not nine!

We've never met sir Slade personally, but there have been countless tales of his benevolence. He even extends a loving hand towards the poor, the homeless! A charitable man indeed. Hopefully he has room in his heart for my small family, although from what I've heard, that shan't be a problem. If anything, I'll have more difficulty prying Mariah from his arm, haha!

The manor approaches. Such a glorious estate. I expected there to be more traffic, are we late? I should hope not!

Mariah is chastising me about bringing my journal. If only she understood a writer's ambition - there is no way I'd squander such an opportunity for my muse! I'm already feeling the familiar itch in the back of my head, the tingling in my fingers and toes, the creativity flowing through me! This will be a night to remember!

We are in such wonderful hands. Slade himself greeted us at the door, and only us! We are special guests apparently, our invitation much earlier than the others - and on purpose! He wanted to give us a grand tour... us! I cannot stress that enough - our Lord, Lord Slade of Mercator, wanted to give my family and my family alone a tour of his mansion! Oh, Mariah could barely contain her excitement, I swear she almost fainted! This is exactly what we needed. Fortunes favor us, savor us.

The estate itself is the stuff of dreams, of fantasies! Luxurious in every way and so spacious, ceilings that never end and halls adorned with the most lavish of trinkets and accessories, treasures brought from every corner of the globe. I could write an entire novel centered around this palace, I'm certain! Slade even offered Grace a scarf he claimed was made by the finest tailors in Germany... Germany!

We are loved here, Slade told us. He is a gift from the heavens, a saint procured to bestow good fortune unto all of God's creatures, rich or poor. I am very optimistic that he will offer aid to us, he simply must!

The Duke rejoins us. We must away; exploration awaits!

Currently in the washroom. It feels as if we've been wandering for days, yet I know its only been an hour, maybe two. We are still rather excited, of course, but I can't help but wonder where the other guests are. It is already late, that much I know, shouldn't they have been here by now? Perhaps they were seen to by servants. Yes, that seems likely. After all, we're the special guests tonight... ha! I haven't felt so flustered in years.

Grace is beginning to tire, however, my poor, delicate flower. Here's hoping we can relax soon, perhaps to a nice genial meal with the Duke and his other guests, while we discuss the heart of the matter - assistance for my family.

I am honestly at a loss. I do not know what to think. Our Lord Slade saw Grace withering and inquired if we'd like to rest a while. We said yes, of course, but... this is... this is madness! He led us down many flights of stairs, the air getting colder with every step, until a gate shut behind us, locked. Slade once more proclaimed his love for us bid us rest before retreating back upstairs. We must be in some sort of underground parlor. I'm not really sure. But the other guests, they are here too! Except some are telling me they've been down here for days. Days.

There must be a reason for this! No right man would hold such a crowd hostage! For now I will attend to my family, but I will find the reasoning behind this!

The Duke is... mad. He makes appearances regularly, just beyond the gate, smiling so pleasantly at the people throwing themselves against it, pleading for mercy, for food. He still claims to love us, all of us, and that is why we must stay. He tells us of imaginary horrors that lurk outside to take us away from him, and that he is protecting us from them. We are slaves to a madman's misguided affections. How long has this been going on for?

I am terribly uneasy. This 'parlor' connects with the dungeons that the other trapped folks have been using a morgue. They are dying. Slade doesn't feed them properly, he merely throws scraps here or there and watches happily as the desperate families fight amongst one another for every morsel! It is gruesome, it is sick, it is horrifying.

I fear for the sanity of Mariah. She hasn't stopped shaking and is beginning to mumble incoherently. And poor little Grace... she is terrified. Her tears are as endless as her pleas to go home. So help me, I will find a way to free them. I will find a way to save their lives before we all end up dead and thrown into the cells, left to rot.

Damn you, Slade. You've seduced my family to their doom.

This is it. I have noticed a pattern with Slade; he comes sparingly to 'feed' us, but more often he comes to take someone with him. The others haven't told me where they go, they don't know for sure, but every person that has gone has yet to return. He must do something sick to those poor people. His selection seems to be random, but if I can catch his eye, perhaps he will take me. I will try my damn hardest to cut him down, but if I cannot...

There are footsteps above, he is approaching. I'm taking my journal with me. If I am unable to slay Slade where he stands, I will smash a window and throw my book into the wind. God willing, someone will find it.

God willing, they will send help.

Its hard not to adore them, my subjects. The way they show up at my castle gates, one by one, sputtering confessions of loyalty, of passion, of love... it drives me mad with affection. I spoil them, I do admit; every gift I part with makes their smiles shine brighter, my heart beat faster. It is truly beautiful. They are truly beautiful. Truly, truly, gorgeous. This world is far too evil for them to be wandering in. As their Duke, I protect them.

As their lover, I keep them.

They love being here, and taking part in the games we play. It is truly touching to watch them interact with one another, fighting to the death for the food I throw to them, for the love I share with them. They are especially fond of games, as I've discovered... their cries of delight pierce my very heart as I send them scurrying along the halls, fleeing from the blade in my hand. It is most exciting, a true act of courtship at its purest. And oh, if I catch one of them...they shower me with the most red of rubies, the most requited of love.

I've seen too many good men and women become swallowed whole by the outside world and all its monsters. Terrible beings lurk in every shadow, and it is from these fiends that I must protect my charges, my loves. In this manor they have not just a sanctuary, but a home - a place wherein they will stay forever, at peace and protected from evil.

Forever by my side.

Credits
Profile by Ringo
Overlay by Folara
Transparent Overlay by Brymbhel
Story by War