About Four Scythes

When even death itself is no respite…

On the outskirts of the small, fog-shrouded town of Wedgewood, stand the decrepit walls of Vespers Mortuary, a decaying relic amidst the tangled vines and the crumbling memorials of the overgrown cemetery encroaching upon its door. This once elegant premises, now a ghostly shadow of its former self, wears layers of dust and peeling paint on its weathered wood. Limp draperies hang in crooked doorways, where the scent of damp and moldering halls mingle with the slightest hint of the stale perfume of floral bouquets. The place feels heavy, weighted with the collective sorrow that has seeped into its cracks, whispering now from hidden corners.

Alistair Vesper, funeral director, has long been the friendly face and calming support that comforts the suffering souls of the families of the recently departed that seek arrangements and the services of this establishment. Alistair is a widower, having lost the love of his life, Rosalynn, to a tragic accident very early in their courtship. He constructed a great private mausoleum to hold and protect his beloved “Rose” just outside of his mortuary, so that he may always keep her close and look after her for the remainder of his days, longing for the time when they could be together again. This personal tragedy serves to shape Alistair into the funeral director that he is, letting the familiar feelings and the pain of loss guide his services with empathy and grace.

Soft spoken and kind, the personable Alistair stands in stark contrast to his brother, and business partner, Mordecai Vesper. Mordecai, with his solitary and withdrawn nature, had rather bury himself in the clinical sciences of embalming and preparing the remains of the deceased than to pretend to care about the feelings of the living. Cold and seemingly emotionless in his tasks, Mordecai perfectly complements the warm affable nature of Alastair. The brothers Vesper have dutifully operated their little funeral parlor in service to the community for decades, where Vespers Mortuary has been a place of quiet mourning and solemn farewells. But recently, a sinister transformation is taking place within its darkened halls that threatens the future of the citizens of Wedgewood, and beyond.

Unknown to most of the natural world, a supernatural conflict has been raging for eons in the dark recesses of our existence. Warring clans of vampire races amass armies of loyal undead to compete in territorial power struggles for control in their underworld. An ancient vampire, Lord Silas Daegal, recently risen from centuries of slumber, has chosen this little town and its humble servants to begin growing his legion of minions while seeking to rebuild his coven and reclaim the powerful seat he once held. Drawn by the allure of the dark history of pain, sorrow, and heartache surrounding Vespers Mortuary, he has taken up residence in the catacombs under the funeral parlor. Lord Silas wasted no time in gaining the allegiance of the Vespers, promising everlasting life and power in exchange for operating their business under his guidance. Vespers Mortuary would no longer be the place in which lifeless bodies were prepared to rest, but would now serve as a cursed birthplace for the immortal undead.

Mordecai, with his naturally darker tendencies, took little convincing. He eagerly accepted the transformation, willing to exchange his mortal existence for the opportunity to study this new form of life and continue to perfect his clinical craft. Some would say Mordecai actually began to enjoy the intoxicating power he now held in his hands. Alistair, however, was resistant. He was not so interested in joining forces with the vampire, as he dearly cared for the people of Wedgewood and could not bear the thoughts of corrupting the bodies and souls of his acquaintances.

Yet the evil Lord Silas had no trouble finding the weak spot to exploit in Alistair’s resolve. Rosalynn. Alistair so longed to be reunited with his lost love. Only with the promise that his dear Rose could rise and walk again, that the lovers could once again share an embrace, that he could once again look upon the face that was etched into his memory, did Alistair finally break and consent to serve the Master. The Vespers became vampires.

Under the guise of the trusted family-owned funeral parlor, Vespers Mortuary has become a den of iniquity. The once silent halls now echo with the whispers and footsteps of the newly reborn undead. Instead of embalming the deceased, the diabolical vampire Silas Daegal and his loyal servants perform a dark ritual. They siphon out the blood of the dead and replace it with their own cursed vitae, transforming the corpses into bloodthirsty vampire creatures. The change that takes place in the newly turned can be quite frightening. The physical features become animal-like, with lengthening of the ears, arms, and hands, some gain unnatural eyes, and some may even form crude bat-like wings. Nearly all will grow more pale with each passing day as life drains from them, becoming creatures of the night armed with terrible claws and fangs. The affliction affects everyone differently, depending on the strength and of the will of the individual. The weakest among them will almost immediately become savage feral beasts with a mind consumed with nothing but the thirst for blood, while the more intellectual and strong-minded individuals take on the changes very slowly.

While the outward appearances of those “Bloodborne” may become startlingly wicked, the internal conflict that sometimes rages can be the ultimate battle. Alistair Vesper may now look like a monster, but every night when his brethren rise and he himself begins to feel the instinctive savage urges, his target isn’t another hapless victim, but rather his rage is focused on none other than Lord Silas Daegal. Ever since his Master made good on the promise to reunite Alistair with his beloved Rosalynn, the heartbroken funeral director has regretted the fateful decision to follow through with the cursed plan. Rosalynn does “live” again, but at what cost? The beautiful face that haunts Alistair’s memory is replaced by a gaunt and twisted specter of what it was. The soft and gentle nature of his once constant companion is now lost to a cold and heartless murderous abomination of the woman he loved. There is nothing left of his Rosalynn in that thing that now lurks in the shadows, closer in allegiance to the beast Silas and his desires than that of his own. With his brother Mordecai also hopelessly lost to the night and his Master, there is nothing remaining of his life for Alistair to fight to maintain. He will not exist as a monster to be feared, and so he decides to change his fate, and that of those that remain in Wedgewood.

The town of Wedgewood now plagued by mysterious disappearances and reports of shadowy figures lurking about, the townsfolk live in fear of the night, and their days are filled with whispers of dread. Desperate for salvation and deliverance from the guilt of this nightmare, Alistair has summoned the members of an ancient guild of elite monster hunters, known as the Aurorean Guard, to gather here and put an end to this wretched plot, even though it means his time is also numbered. These fearless and battle-hardened sentries are a diverse group of warriors, scholars, and supernatural beings dedicated to eradicating the forces of darkness. Their mission here is clear: infiltrate Vespers Mortuary, navigate the darkened labyrinth of the corridors and the catacombs beneath, and vanquish Lord Silas Daegal and his growing coven of vampires. There is but one request from Alistair Vesper: begin the slaughter with Rosalynn, so that she will not be warned of its coming.

As the Guard descend into the depths with their grim task, they must rely on their wits and their unbreakable bond to survive the horrors that lurk in the shadows. The fate of Wedgewood, and perhaps the world, rests on their shoulders. However, their numbers are too few, so the Aurorean Guard will need to recruit some brave souls to enter the darkness to assist their assassins with this fight against the growing evil. The hunting party must tread carefully, for the decaying mortuary and the tombs and catacombs beneath are a twisted maze of chambers teaming with blood-soaked peril. Each step leads closer to the heart of darkness, where the vampire Lord himself awaits, surrounded by his loyal and deadly progeny. Will you join the Aurorean Guard and face the terror that lies ahead, or will you succumb to the darkness and become one of the Bloodborne? The choice is yours. But beware, for within the walls of Vespers Mortuary, and beyond, the dead do not rest in peace…

Vespers Mortuary, a once elegant funeral home in the fog-shrouded town of Wedgewood, has fallen into decay and become a den of darkness. Run by two brothers, Alistair and Mordecai Vesper, it now hides a sinister secret. Alistair, a widower who lost his beloved Rosalynn, has always been compassionate, while his brother Mordecai is cold and detached. Their business becomes entangled in a supernatural conflict when the ancient vampire Lord Silas Daegal takes control, turning the mortuary into a breeding ground for vampires. Mordecai eagerly embraces this dark transformation, but Alistair, reluctant to serve, ultimately succumbs to Silas’ promise to resurrect his lost love.

However, the reanimated Rosalynn is a monstrous shadow of her former self, driving Alistair to regret his decision. With Wedgewood now plagued by mysterious disappearances and growing dread, Alistair summons the Aurorean Guard, an ancient guild of monster hunters, to destroy Lord Silas and his growing vampire coven. Alistair pleads for them to begin with Rosalynn, hoping to end the nightmare he helped create. The Guard must navigate the perilous labyrinth beneath the mortuary to face Silas, recruiting brave souls to aid them in their mission. The fate of the town—and perhaps the world—hangs in the balance.