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Ramuel, a half-human, half-Rak outcast, fights to survive in a world that shuns him. His ash-colored skin and imposing frame make him a target of intolerance, often forcing him into menial jobs or even theft. One night, he accepts a vague offer from an elf to retrieve a mysterious chest, unknowingly binding himself to an Escheltirion ghost and a deadly curse. With no other magical means to break it, he must journey across perilous lands. Growing weaker by the day, Ramuel hires a crew and, through shared trials and secrets, forms unexpected friendships. It is in his final days, that he discovers the true meaning of life and companionship.
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Revenance is a character-driven story that follows Ramuel, an anti-hero battling personal demons and external conflicts. Born of a traumatic event during the sacking of his mother’s village by invaders from the Orakkan continent, Ramuel faces deep-seated prejudice and self-loathing. Those who are rak-born, like Ramuel, are often seen as monsters, rarely granted the right to life, and frequently abandoned in the woods like changelings. Despite being raised in a loving and nurturing home, Ramuel is torn between his own well-being and his family’s safety. Choosing the latter, Ramuel leaves to shoulder the burden of persecution alone, ultimately isolating himself from others.
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The hinges hissed against the silence as he pushed the door closed behind him, casting the room in arrant darkness. Though his surroundings appeared veiled in mordant grays, it took only a moment for Ramuel’s eyes to adjust. Across the room a set of heavy dark-colored drapes hung from the single window, keeping the room shrouded like a secret. Or a lie.
Why was this room so void of the same treasures that pervaded all the other rooms? Disregarding the oddity of such vacivity in a house choked by chaos, he let his eyes follow the bare wall to the one directly across from him. On the floor beneath an unlit wall sconce, sat a sizable footlocker. Ramuel rushed over, knelt down, careful of how he bent his aching knee, and pulled open the top. His greedy eyes grew wide, looking down on a dark oak dome-topped chest. Half the length of his arm from shoulder to palm, it sat alone in the shadowy interior of the footlocker. He ran his hand across the top, feeling thick hard bands. A sudden yearning to see for himself how much coin the chest held overwhelmed him. He tugged at the lid. Locked. But it was old, incredibly so. It wouldn’t take much effort to pop the hasp, he thought. But he’d have to be quick. Foregoing his lock picking kit, he slipped a dirk from his side. A glint of light reflected across the blade. Light? A cold dread raced up Ramuel’s spine as he spun toward the adventitious glow. Brice’s hunched figure stood dark against the now illuminated landing. The man’s cotton braises sagged about his waist giving him the appearance of the living dead. Ramuel’s heart pounded, and he begged his body to react. “I have to end it,” Brice rasped. His lungs heaving with the effort of his words. Beneath his vellum-like skin, every bone was highlighted by the flickering flame. Ramuel recoiled at the sight. Too late he surged to his feet as Brice lunged toward him with a wail so inhuman it couldn’t have come from the emaciated form. Weaponless, the man used all at his disposal as he raked thick hard nails across Ramuel’s exposed neck. “Shit,” Ramuel growled and swung his arm out narrowly avoiding the man’s yellow calcified teeth and knocking him back several steps. Barely effected, Brice came back arms swinging, teeth clacking. Despite how weak the man appeared his hits landed with such force it seemed his bones had turned to stone. |
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Cast of Characters
Mood Board
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YouTube playlist.
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