[←Chapter 61] [Cover Art] [My Links] [Index] [Discord] [Subreddit] [Chapter 63→]
Balae and Kieren managed to compose themselves before Aya had a chance to speak.
​
“Excuse us, excuse us,” said the older merchant, attempting to straigten his robes, “yes, yes, I certainly know that house symbol.”
​
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Aya said, terrified that she’d caused some great offense to this friendly man.
​
“Nothing’s wrong my dear, it’s just…” Balae began, his eyes trailing toward the device in her hands.
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“You carry with you a personal sygil of a house, young lady,” cut in Kieren, “that’s synoptic bronze, and might very be centuries old. It’s priceless.”
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“That’s why we were so shocked. It’s not something you simply give!” laughed Balae, although it had a nervous edge, “your mother must’ve been treasured by her family to receive something that precious.”
​
Aya’s hand retracted slightly, holding the bronze close to her breast, and thinking about the expression of her mother when she’d handed it to her. Had she known it was that precious, she would’ve been more careful with it. Thank the Lost that she’d not lost it in the river when she fell in under the earth.
​
“Well, my friend,” said Balae, “I think we can be of some aid. However, the city canals are blocked off in preparation for the festival. And I don’t doubt the house of your mother is up to the gills with work! It’d best be settled in the morning when everyone is fresh and rested. Have a good evening, and we can absolutely find them in the morning.”
​
“Of course,” Lillian said, “thank you so much. Aya, please, if you would.”
​
“Thank you,” she said, offering a little bow as she was carted away.
​
“Think nothing of it!” they called to her, as they were taken to another exit from the pyramid.
​
They were lead up a wooden stare case, into a series of apartments. It was a very strange building, with only a few solid central walls. The rest of the rooms were made of sliding panels of wood and paper. Every room had mats of interwoven reeds that softened the step and warmed the floor.
​
The place they were led was a partition of two separate rooms, one for the girls, the other for men. There was a large, covered bed that Lillian insisted that Sorore and Aya take, while the housekeeper promised to send for additional blankets for her. As soon as they were alone, the paladin took Aya by the hand and looked her sternly in the eye.
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“It wasn’t wise to do that,” she said, “to present your family’s sigil.”
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“Why not?” Aya asked, genuinely confused.
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“We’re only planning to be in the town for a few days, nothing more,” Lillian said, “whatever reunion you might have would be short, and would likely only serve to complicate matters more.”
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“What?” Aya said, holding Lillian’s gaze firmly, “what do you mean ‘complicate’ things? I want to see my mother’s family while I’m here. Why would it matter if it was only a few days?”
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“I’ve said my piece,” Lillian said, letting go and turning away to strip her heavy plate.
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“No you haven’t,” said Aya, grasping her firm shoulder and attempting to turn her around, “look at me. You’re not telling me something.”
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“I have told you everything you need to know. Now, I suggest you get some rest,” Lillian said, removing one shoulder plate and setting it carefully down on the ground.
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“Why are you avoiding the question?” she said.
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The paladin said nothing, and Sorore stepped forward to sooth the girl.
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“Come on,” she said, “let’s prepare for bed. We can talk more about it in the morning, when we’re all less tired.”
​
She and Aya washed and dried themselves, in basins provided by the housekeeper. She was careful to note that towels were made in Nieth, hand embroidered and used in their great baths. Sorore was first to crawl under the light covers and settle in, turning towards Aya.
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“Come on,” she said, reaching out for her in a playful way, “sleep will make things better. It’s so nice having an actual bed.”
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“I… don’t feel tired,” said Aya, “I think I’m going outside. Just to the balcony. Am I allowed to do that?”
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She gave a sharp look at Lillian, who was in the middle of addressing a cut along her side that had opened.
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“Am I going to have to run after you?” she said, returning the look.
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“No. Unless the balconies are going to kill me,” retorted Aya.
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“Then you may,” she said, turning back to dress her wound.
​
Aya pushed open one of the sliding panels, walked across the hallway, and opened one of the doors to the balcony. The air here was so delightfully warm, even in the middle of the night. The mountain air was chilly even in the height of summer. The balcony was large, running across the entire length of the floor that she was on, with a solid railing running across it.
​
She was glad for the railing as she slid her thin legs between the slates, looking out at the dense city before her. Her eyes carried her out towards a cloudless sky, where the moonlight glittered on the dark waters of the sea beyond. The only thing that broke it up was the thousands of vessels of various sizes, whose lamps cast a warm orange glow across the water.
​
She lay her head on the top of the railing, closing her eyes and letting the breeze flow over here. Even the salty smell of the waters beyond and below was comforting in a way the mountains had never been. There was something deep within her that called to this place - it made sense that her mother had come from this place, and had seemed so out of it in the mountain village.
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She wondered what exactly her family was like here, and what they did. Her grandmother was a chief, or was - perhaps she was retired to happy family life now. She imagined a kindly woman in the recesses of advanced age, all wrinkles and grey hair, sitting back in a chair by the fire. She would tell stories of all the happenings of the city, and all the mischief that she’d gotten up to in her youth. Perhaps she’d even take the time, weary as she was, to cook with Aya, and share secrets that had taken a lifetime to accrue-
​
“Hi,” came a voice, as something sat with a thump besides her.
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Her eyes flickered open at the interruption, and there was Frare, his red hair dark in the evening.
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“What are you doing here?” she sighed, closing her eyes again and trying to get back to that dreamlike state.
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“Got bored. Niche is boring,” he said with his now familiar bluntness, “besides, I don’t like being in those rooms. Too small. I always preferred being… out.”
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“And why are you talking to me?”
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“Because you’re not boring, most of the time.”
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“Thanks,” she said, opening her eyes once more, knowing that the tranquil calm she’d felt was permanently shattered.
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“You’re welcome,” he said, either oblivious to or ignoring the sarcasm.
​
There was a silence for a time, broken only by Frare kicking his feet against the balcony.
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“So, why do you think they’re all lying?”
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“What?” Aya said.
​
“The paladins, the trader, they’re all lying,” he said, with perfect confidence, “it’s obvious.”
​
“Lying about what?”
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“You think they were surprised at the device? Nope. That was quick thinking by Kieren. They only reacted after they saw the sigil. So, they were terrified because of who your family is.”
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“Oh,” said Aya, the doubts in her head falling into place with the words.
​
“You didn’t notice. Well here’s another thing,” Frare said, clearly pleased with himself, “Lillian was panicked as soon as you started asking about your family. It was written, all over her face, plain as day.”
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“Really?” she said.
​
She’d known Lillian wasn’t telling the whole truth, but she’d not had the chance to look at her during the exchange with the merchant.
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“Yup,” Frare said with a grin, “so she knows, or suspects, that your family is trouble.”
​
“Huh,” she said.
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“Not the first time that she’s kept stuff from us,” Frare said, “I think she pretends to be stupider than she really is.”
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“Well, there’s no point to it,” Aya said, closing her eyes once more, “we’ll settle it in the morning.”
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“You really think so?” Frare said, tapping his feet on the balcony struts.
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“You doubt the hosts?”
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“Oh, absolutely. Would you leave it to the morning if you were them?”
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“So, you think that they’ve… what?”
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“Well, from the way they reacted, it sounds like your family’s cursed. Wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to kill us.”
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“What?!” Aya said, her eyes snapping open to try and detect any sense of sarcasm from the boy.
​
She found him still grinning, but not in a way that suggested that it was humorous.
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“That’s ridiculous,” she said, raising her head, “they’re our hosts.”
​
“And the paladin’s are supposed to be protectors. What kind of protectors lie to their wards?” Frare shrugged.
​
Aya found that she had no good argument to that, though she did try.
​
“Although, maybe I’m wrong,” he said, “perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow, we’ll see soon enough I suppose.”
​
“You seem to be making an awful effort to be careless,” she said, noting his dangling feet’s persistent effort to tap out a whole song on the struts.
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“I don’t care,” Frare said, “it’s just the way things are.”
​
“Uh-huh,” she said, “if that’s so, then why did you not bring it up to the paladins, or your sister?”
​
“What good would it do? With the paladins, they’d just refuse. As for Sorore…”
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He looked down at his feet and kicked them harder, as if trying to drive off doubts.
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“She gets worried easily,” he said, “I wouldn’t want to make her upset.”
​
The insight, quite unannounced nor predicated on any physical sight, plopped right into Aya’s head.
​
“I don’t think you’re talking about your sister,” she said, looking at the boy with renewed interest.
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“What? Of course I am. I said ‘Sorore’,” he said.
​
There it was, the nervous flit of the eyes, subtle, but definite. How could she not have noticed before? It was plain as the nose on his face.
​
“Oh really?” she said, “then tell me, if things are just the way they are which you certainly don’t care about. Why are you trying to explain them to me? Why even bother, why not just go to bed, and skip the boring parts?”
​
Frare faltered, just for a moment, but it was enough to seize upon.
​
“Maybe it's because you’re afraid of the dreams?”
​
Right on target. His eyes fell, the kicking grew louder, and his fingers began to twitch ever so slightly.
​
“Well,” he said, “there’s also that.”
​
Aya blinked - she thought he would bluster, would deny, and yet here he was giving it all up without a fight. Her emotions melted from annoyance and jeering if playful conflict, to a sense of solidarity.
​
“Yeah, there is,” she said, running her fingers through her hair, “I had one this morning. It was like, an endless lake, mirroring the sky. And there was something big in the water, circling me. It almost… said something, I think.”
​
The boy was silent for a moment, trying to piece together something to say.
​
“I did too,” he finally spoke out to the world, as if it was some shameful secret.
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“Do tell,” she said, yawning.
​
He looked at her, and she could see a genuine pang of fear.
​
“It was a tree, a big tree, bigger than this house, than this entire city,” he said, “its bark was… just… drenched. Red, red everywhere. Waterfalls across its whole length. There was the sound of weeping, from within the tree, so I went closer.”
​
His face was hidden in his hands.
​
“I tried to push into the tree, tried to find the voice,” he said, “I got covered, then I realized… it was all blood. The red.”
​
The boy was trying to choke back a sob at the word ‘blood’. Aya, unable to stop herself, reached over and pulled him into a hug. Quietly, terribly, he began to cry, his shoulders shaking in her arms. They stayed like that for a good few minutes, even after he’d managed to calm himself.
​
“I’m sorry,” he suddenly said, pushing her away, face burning with shame.
​
“No, it’s okay, I-” she said, reaching for him as he stood.
​
A hurried ‘good night’, and he vanished into the corridor before she could stop him. She sighed, and looked out once more to the moon and the silver sea. It was a moment before she realised that a pale light was bleeding through her arms. There was no pain, nor disorientating visions, only the steady pulse of thin lines, etched into her skin.
​
“Why are you doing this?” she said to the lines, hoping against hope that there might be a response.
​
There was nothing. Figures.
​
“I should go apologise to him,” she said, leaving ‘and check if he’s okay’ unsaid to the air.
​
“She be fine, she always is,” said a voice from behind her.
​
“Who said that?” she practically shouted.
​
She whirled, finding only Lillian there with a surprised expression.
​
“I didn’t say anything, my lady,” she said, looking around.
​
“I thought I heard… never mind, it was some errant wind I guess,” she said quickly.
​
Lillian shut the sliding door behind her as she came to sit beside the girl. She looked uncomfortable without her armour on, as if it was a second skin that had simply vanished into thin air. Still, she kept a short sword at her side, along with a significant knife. Aya had no doubt if they experienced any interruptions tonight, a threat would find her just as dangerous as with full plate.
​
“My lady,” she said, “I feel as if I owe you an apology.”
​
Her annoyance returned, hotter than before.
​
“Well? Get on with it,” she said.
​
“I feel… I feel as if we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot,” she said, her smile weak, “afterall, even I forget that we only meet… my word, less than a week ago. We hardly know each other, and I took you from your home, farther than you might’ve ever been.”
​
Aya waited for her to continue, her own feet beginning to drum on the struts.
​
“I know that I seem secretive and unresponsive at times,” she said, “I do withhold information that I think would be harmful to you. Things I don’t think you need to know, and might cause you grief. Others have done the same with me, and I can understand if you begrudge me that.”
​
​
“Well, if there’s to be a new spirit of honesty between us,” Aya cut in, with a little more searing sarcasm than she meant, “tell me two things. Just two.”
​
The paladin nodded.
​
“One, why did you panic when I talked about my family?”
​
Her face twisted as she tried to process the question.
​
“The commander… he warned me that you had a family in Karkos. A wealthy one,” she said, “I don’t know how he would know, but… that’s what he said. He advised me that it would be wise, to avoid complicated the situation further. I agreed with him. What if your family tried to keep you here?”
​
Aya felt her annoyance give way to astonished fury.
​
“You- The commander-” she said, “you tried to keep me from my family?”
​
“I recognize that- It sounds worse than-”
​
“It sounds worse than it is?!” she said, her voice rising, “You lied to me, tried to stop me from asking? Why? To make it easier on you?!”
​
The paladin was clearly regretting her attempt to make peace. She raised her hands, trying to placate the anger girl, but there was no stopping Aya as she shot to her feet.
​
“What about me?” she cried, “did you even think about what I wanted?”
​
“I-”
​
“And two!” she said, pointing an accusing finger at the paladin, “what’s the dirty secret you won’t even tell Niche about? The one about how you were sent to the far north with only a handful of soldiers.”
​
Lillian’s face went white with shock.
​
“How could you possibly-”
​
“You think we’re deaf? Do you think we’re stupid?” Aya practically screamed.
​
She could hear rustling inside the house, perhaps Sorore or Niche were rousing at the noise. She didn’t not care one whit about it.
​
Lillian’s face was cold, focused, steeling itself from the onslaught of words.
​
“What I do is to keep you safe,” she said, pulling herself straight, “it is my duty, and my honor.”
​
“Safe from what? Doubt?!” Aya said.
​
Anger. Anger was a catalyst. Anger was Emotion. She wanted Lillian to go away, to leave her alone to find her family. Something crackled in the air, something snaked around her shoulders, whispering in her ear. Aya was beyond using just words.
​
“My lady,” said Lillian, looking at the scars of pale light opening on her hands and forearms.
​
Before the power that was building up could be released, in what form Aya couldn’t guess, the door was thrust open. Distracted, the pair looked to the newcomers, and found a tall man in brass armour studded with pearls and seashells.
​
“Lady Aya?” he said, looking directly at her.
​
“Who are you?” she said, her rage momentarily forgotten.
​
“I am captain Hilario Dominata,” he said, with a small bow, “of the legion of sea and salt. I have come to retrieve and escort you to the Eisen estate, on orders of your grandmother matriarch Aysatra.”
[←Chapter 61] [Cover Art] [My Links] [Index] [Discord] [Subreddit] [Chapter 63→]

I am primary interested in getting Growing Up, available through the Pixel Pride bundle on Humble Bundle. And maybe also Super Lesbian Animal RPG while we're at it. I am however open to other offers.
Here is my IGSRep page
And a list of my available games:

• 198X
• 60 Seconds!
• 911 Operator
• A Story about my Uncle
• A Story Beside
• Aaero
• Absolver
• Acceleration of SUGURI 2
• Aegis Defenders
• AER Memories of Old
• Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe Edition
• Ageless
• AI War 2
• Almost There: The Platformer
• American Truck Simulator
• Ancestor's Legacy
• Aven Colony
• Aviary Attorney
• Backbone
• Backbone
• Basingstoke
• Batman™: Arkham Origins
• Battle Chasers: Nightwar
• Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Season One
• Bear With Me: Collector's Edition
• Beat Hazard 2
• Beholder 2
• Beholder x3
• Bit Blaster XL
• Blade Assault
• Blade Assault
• BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend
• Bleed 2
• Bombshell
• Book of Demons
• Boomerang Fu
• Boreal Blade
• Capitalism 2
• Carmageddon: Max Damage (F)
• Chasm
• Chess Ultra
• Children of Morta
• Colt Canyon
• Company of Heroes 2 - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Charity Pattern Pack DLC
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
• Crazy Machines 3
• CROSSBOW: Bloodnight
• Crusader Kings II
• Crying Suns
• Cryofall
• Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX)
• Cyber Hook
• Dandara
• Dark Future: Blood Red States
• Darksburg
• Darkside Detective
• Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition
• Darksiders Genesis
• Darksiders III
• Day of Infamy
• Dead In Vinland
• Dead Island Definitive Edition
• Death's Gambit
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Desert Child
• Desperados III
• Dirt Rally 2.0 + 3 DLCs - (included H2 RWD Double Pack, Opel Manta 400, The Porsche 911 RGT DLCs)
• Disciples: Liberation
• Distrust
• DLC Frostpunk: THE RIFTS
• Do Not Feed the Monkeys
• Don't Escape: 4 Days to Survive
• Driftland: The Magic Revival
• Dungeon Rushers
• EARTHLOCK
• ELEX
• Eliza
• Endless Legend - Tempest DLC
• Endless Legend 2x
• Endless Space - Collection
• Epic Battle Fantasy 4
• Epic Chef
• Eterium
• Etherborn
• Evan's Remains
• Fallout 1
• Fallout 76
• Family Man
• Felix the Reaper
• Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark
• Figment
• Finding Paradise
• First Class Trouble
• First Class Trouble
• Five Dates
• Flat Heroes
• Fluffy Horde
• Fobia - St. Dinfna Hotel
• Forged Battalion
• Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard
• Frostpunk
• Full Metal Furies
• Fury Unleashed
• Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition
• Galactic Civilizations III
• Gloom
• Golf Gang
• GoNNER - Press Jump To Die Edition
• Gray Matter
• GRID 2
• GRID: Ultimate Edition
• GRIP + 1 DLC - (included Artifex Car Pack DLC)
• Guild of Dungeoneering
• Gunmetal Arcadia Zero
• HackyZack
• Hand of Fate
• Hard Reset Redux
• Heave Ho
• Hellpoint
• Highway Blossoms
• HIVESWAP: Act 1
• Holy Potatoes! We’re in Space?!
• Horace
• Horizon Chase Turbo
• Hotshot Racing
• HunieCam Studio
• Husk
• I Am Not a Monster
• Ice Lakes
• Immortal Redneck
• Imperator Rome
• In Other Waters
• Interplanetary
• Iris and the Giant
• Jalopy
• Just Cause 3 XXL Edition
• Kaichu - The Kaiju Dating Sim
• Kingdom Two Crowns
• Kingdom: New Lands Royal Edition
• Kona
• Kyle is Famous: Complete Edition
• Lara Croft GO
• Laser League
• Last Day of June
• Later Daters - Premium
• Lawn Mowing Simulator
• Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager
• Legion TD 2 - Multiplayer Tower Defense
• Levelhead
• LiEat
• Little Misfortune
• Little Nightmares
• Lost Castle
• Love is Dead
• Mafia III & DLC
• Mages of Mystralia
• Main Assembly
• Maize
• Medieval Kingdom Wars
• Mega Man Legacy Collection
• Men of War: Assault Squad 2 - Warchest Edition
• METAL GEAR SOLID V: Ground Zeroes
• Metal Unit
• Metrico+
• Metro Exodus
• Minit
• MO:Astray
• Molek_Syntez
• Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
• Monstrum
• Moon Hunters
• Mordheim: City of the Damned (F)
• Morkredd
• Morphblade
• Moving Out
• Mr. Shifty
• NAIRI: Tower of Shirin
• NBA Playgrounds
• Nebuchadnezzar
• Necromunda: Hired Gun
• Neon Drive
• Neon Space
• NEOVERSE
• NeuroVoider
• Niche - a genetics survival game
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
• Niffelheim
• Night Call
• Okhlos
• One Step From Eden
• Opus Magnum
• Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You x2
• Othercide
• Overgrowth
• Overload
• Paratopic
• Path of Giants
• Pathologic Classic HD
• Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
• Pesterquest
• Police Stories
• Pool Panic
• Popup Dungeon
• Project Warlock
• Punch Club
• Purrfect Date
• Raiden V: Director's Cut 雷電 V Director's Cut 雷電V:導演剪輯版
• Railroad Corporation
• Railway Empire
• Rapture Rejects
• Ratz Instagib
• Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered
• Red Faction: Armageddon Path to War DLC
• Red Solstice 2: Survivors
• Regular Human Basketball
• Relicta
• Remnants of Naezith
• Resident Evil Revelations
• Retimed
• Rise of Industry
• RIVE
• Road Redemption
• Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder
• Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break
• Rover Mechanic Simulator
• Running With Rifles
• Sakura Spirit
• Samorost 2
• Satellite Reign
• Savage Lands
• Scanner Sombre
• Screencheat
• Scribblenauts Unlimited
• Seasons After Fall
• Sega Bass Fishing and Eastside Hockey Manager
• Serial Cleaner
• Seven: The Days Long Gone
• Shady Part of Me
• She Remembered Caterpillars
• Shenmue III
• Shenzhen I/O
• Shiness: The_Lightning_Kingdom
• Shining Resonance Refrain
• Shoppe Keep 2
• Shoppe Keep
• SIMULACRA 2
• SIMULACRA
• Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity
• Size Matters
• Skully
• Sky Break
• Slash It 2
• Slime-san
• Smile for me
• Snake Pass
• Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts
• Spin Rush
• Splasher
• STARWHAL
• Steel Rats
• Still There
• Stories Untold
• STRAFE: Millennium Edition
• Struggling
• Subterrain
• Sudden Strike 4
• Super Blood Hockey
• Super Cloudbuilt
• Super Magbot
• Super Magbot
• Super Rude Bear Resurrection
• Supraland
• Survive in Space
• Sword Legacy Omen
• Swords and Soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon
• Tabletop Playground
• Tempest: Pirate Action RPG
• The Adventure Pals
• The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut
• The Beast Inside
• The Division + Survival DLC
• The Dwarves
• The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game
• The Hex
• The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Final Cut
• The Invisible Hours
• The Journey Down: Chapter Three
• The King's Bird
• The Messenger
• The Norwood Suite
• The Sexy Brutale
• The Stillness of the Wind
• The Swords of Ditto: Mormo's Curse
• The Turing Test
• The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
• The Wild Eight
• Them's Fightin' Herds
• Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
• Tiny Echo
• TOEM
• TOEM
• Tokyo 42
• Tomb Raider
• Tower 57
• Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt
• TrailMakers
• Train Station Renovation
• Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
• Tropico 5
• Truberbrook / Trüberbrook
• TSIOQUE
• Tumblestone
• Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
• Turok
• Underhero
• Upside Down
• Valfaris
• ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area
• Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition
• Vane
• Verlet Swing
• Void Bastards
• Wandersong
• Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War
• WARSAW
• Warstone TD
• We Were Here Together
• When The Past Was Around on Steam
• Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
• Wildfire
• Witcher 1
• Wurm Unlimited x2
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds
• X-Morph: Defense
• XCOM 2
• Yoku's Island Express
• Yooka-Laylee
• Youropa
• Yuppie Psycho
• Zwei: The Arges Adventure
• Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection

Several months ago, I was put onto this alleged "twin flame journey". Everything felt slightly forced and orchestrated, it brought me tons of anxiety and depression and an obsession with this SP that felt almost out of my control. I typically have never felt this type of way with anyone and it is pretty unusual for me to be diving deep into spirituality. This person resembles characteristics of mine, we have some similarities and I've had some freaky experiences feeling this persons prescence, and dreams. We almost look a bit similar and are the opposite sex. We have similar family dynamics and are of the same ethnicity, They are overall very kind but I've been forcing no contact on my part. This person is unaware of what I am going through. I'm pretty sure they see the same repeating numbers at the same time as I do. 1:11 2:11, 3:11, 4:11, and it goes on. I saw all the signs and syncronicities, but around this time that the "twin flame journey" started my emotional and mental health started to dramatically decline. I started feeling random urges to hurt myself, lash out, do drugs, compulsively have sex, and I've felt possessed. I deal with tons of anxiety and feel like there are spirits or beings that are watching me, bullying me and are attached to me. I physically feel like I am always on edge, my nervous system feels very weird and I feel just freaking watched all the time. I am able to understand logically this sounds insane.. However I can't help but to think that this is forced. Like I dealt with the chakra activation and alleged "kundalini" but I feel like I'm getting taken advantage of and sucked out of by something. Before this, I was happy calm and normal. I was able to do more things, I would go outside more and talk to people more. Now, I feel like I am observing myself at a 3rd person point of view. Before this I had felt like something big was coming. energetically I felt a massive shift and couldn't understand what was going on. But I want to escape this because it's terrifying. It's been one sided. I am depressed. I am losing hope that I will be able to feel normal and like one autonomous person again, I am bombarded with mental reminders of this bullshit. I want to go back to normal. I wonder if this person is a true TF but I want it to stop. I don't text them or anything and I can't do it. I have been very spirituality vulnerable and have been a lonely conspiracy theorist since forever but I was more logical and earthbound. I need help and I'm wondering if there is any type of people who actually invest into things like this? Like remove spirits? For reference I am a young female. I have considered if I am psychotic but I feel like that wouldn't answer any of the coincidences and events that have happened with me and this person. It's like we go through the same things and feel similar emotions at the same time. I notice when I'm down and depressed he also is too. When I look in the mirror sometimes I see his face. Yet this feels entrapping. When I was about fifteen I would occasionally deal with sleep paralysis of being abducted at night by little alien greys. I remember telling my therapist about it. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with this but yeah. I need help to get out of this entrapment and potential psychosis. Feel free to message me because I need some guidance on what is going on.

Several months ago, I was put onto this alleged "twin flame journey". Everything felt slightly forced and orchestrated, it brought me tons of anxiety and depression and an obsession with this SP that felt almost out of my control.
I typically have never felt this type of way with anyone and it is pretty unusual for me to be diving deep into spirituality. This person resembles characteristics of mine, we have some similarities and I've had some freaky experiences feeling this persons prescence, and dreams. We almost look a bit similar and are the opposite sex. We have similar family dynamics and are of the same ethnicity, They are overall very kind but I've been forcing no contact on my part. This person is unaware of what I am going through. I'm pretty sure they see the same repeating numbers at the same time as I do. 1:11 2:11, 3:11, 4:11, and it goes on.
I saw all the signs and syncronicities, but around this time that the "twin flame journey" started my emotional and mental health started to dramatically decline. I started feeling random urges to hurt myself, lash out, do drugs, compulsively have sex, and I've felt possessed. I deal with tons of anxiety and feel like there are spirits or beings that are watching me, bullying me and are attached to me. I physically feel like I am always on edge, my nervous system feels very weird and I feel just freaking watched all the time.
I am able to understand logically this sounds insane.. However I can't help but to think that this is forced. Like I dealt with the chakra activation and alleged "kundalini" but I feel like I'm getting taken advantage of and sucked out of by something.
Before this, I was happy calm and normal. I was able to do more things, I would go outside more and talk to people more. Now, I feel like I am observing myself at a 3rd person point of view. Before this I had felt like something big was coming. energetically I felt a massive shift and couldn't understand what was going on. But I want to escape this because it's terrifying. It's been one sided. I am depressed. I am losing hope that I will be able to feel normal and like one autonomous person again, I am bombarded with mental reminders of this bullshit.
I want to go back to normal. I wonder if this person is a true TF but I want it to stop. I don't text them or anything and I can't do it. I have been very spirituality vulnerable and have been a lonely conspiracy theorist since forever but I was more logical and earthbound. I need help and I'm wondering if there is any type of people who actually invest into things like this? Like remove spirits?
For reference I am a young female. I have considered if I am psychotic but I feel like that wouldn't answer any of the coincidences and events that have happened with me and this person. It's like we go through the same things and feel similar emotions at the same time. I notice when I'm down and depressed he also is too. When I look in the mirror sometimes I see his face. Yet this feels entrapping.
When I was about fifteen I would occasionally deal with sleep paralysis of being abducted at night by little alien greys. I remember telling my therapist about it. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with this but yeah. I need help to get out of this entrapment and potential psychosis. Feel free to message me because I need some guidance on what is going on.

Several months ago, I was put onto this alleged "twin flame journey". Everything felt slightly forced and orchestrated, it brought me tons of anxiety and depression and an obsession with this SP that felt almost out of my control.
I typically have never felt this type of way with anyone and it is pretty unusual for me to be diving deep into spirituality. This person resembles characteristics of mine, we have some similarities and I've had some freaky experiences feeling this persons prescence, and dreams. We almost look a bit similar and are the opposite sex. We have similar family dynamics and are of the same ethnicity, They are overall very kind but I've been forcing no contact on my part. This person is unaware of what I am going through. I'm pretty sure they see the same repeating numbers at the same time as I do. 1:11 2:11, 3:11, 4:11, and it goes on.
I saw all the signs and syncronicities, but around this time that the "twin flame journey" started my emotional and mental health started to dramatically decline. I started feeling random urges to hurt myself, lash out, do drugs, compulsively have sex, and I've felt possessed. I deal with tons of anxiety and feel like there are spirits or beings that are watching me, bullying me and are attached to me. I physically feel like I am always on edge, my nervous system feels very weird and I feel just freaking watched all the time.
I am able to understand logically this sounds insane.. However I can't help but to think that this is forced. Like I dealt with the chakra activation and alleged "kundalini" but I feel like I'm getting taken advantage of and sucked out of by something.
Before this, I was happy calm and normal. I was able to do more things, I would go outside more and talk to people more. Now, I feel like I am observing myself at a 3rd person point of view. Before this I had felt like something big was coming. energetically I felt a massive shift and couldn't understand what was going on. But I want to escape this because it's terrifying. It's been one sided. I am depressed. I am losing hope that I will be able to feel normal and like one autonomous person again, I am bombarded with mental reminders of this bullshit.
I want to go back to normal. I wonder if this person is a true TF but I want it to stop. I don't text them or anything and I can't do it. I have been very spirituality vulnerable and have been a lonely conspiracy theorist since forever but I was more logical and earthbound. I need help and I'm wondering if there is any type of people who actually invest into things like this? Like remove spirits?
For reference I am a young female. I have considered if I am psychotic but I feel like that wouldn't answer any of the coincidences and events that have happened with me and this person. It's like we go through the same things and feel similar emotions at the same time. I notice when I'm down and depressed he also is too. When I look in the mirror sometimes I see his face. Yet this feels entrapping.
When I was about fifteen I would occasionally deal with sleep paralysis of being abducted at night by little alien greys. I remember telling my therapist about it. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with this but yeah. I need help to get out of this entrapment and potential psychosis. Feel free to message me because I need some guidance on what is going on.

Several months ago, I was put onto this alleged "twin flame journey". Everything felt slightly forced and orchestrated, it brought me tons of anxiety and depression and an obsession with this SP that felt almost out of my control.
I typically have never felt this type of way with anyone and it is pretty unusual for me to be diving deep into spirituality. This person resembles characteristics of mine, we have some similarities and I've had some freaky experiences feeling this persons prescence, and dreams. We almost look a bit similar and are the opposite sex. We have similar family dynamics and are of the same ethnicity, They are overall very kind but I've been forcing no contact on my part. This person is unaware of what I am going through. I'm pretty sure they see the same repeating numbers at the same time as I do. 1:11 2:11, 3:11, 4:11, and it goes on.
I saw all the signs and syncronicities, but around this time that the "twin flame journey" started my emotional and mental health started to dramatically decline. I started feeling random urges to hurt myself, lash out, do drugs, compulsively have sex, and I've felt possessed. I deal with tons of anxiety and feel like there are spirits or beings that are watching me, bullying me and are attached to me. I physically feel like I am always on edge, my nervous system feels very weird and I feel just freaking watched all the time.
I am able to understand logically this sounds insane.. However I can't help but to think that this is forced. Like I dealt with the chakra activation and alleged "kundalini" but I feel like I'm getting taken advantage of and sucked out of by something.
Before this, I was happy calm and normal. I was able to do more things, I would go outside more and talk to people more. Now, I feel like I am observing myself at a 3rd person point of view. Before this I had felt like something big was coming. energetically I felt a massive shift and couldn't understand what was going on. But I want to escape this because it's terrifying. It's been one sided. I am depressed. I am losing hope that I will be able to feel normal and like one autonomous person again, I am bombarded with mental reminders of this bullshit.
I want to go back to normal. I wonder if this person is a true TF but I want it to stop. I don't text them or anything and I can't do it. I have been very spirituality vulnerable and have been a lonely conspiracy theorist since forever but I was more logical and earthbound. I need help and I'm wondering if there is any type of people who actually invest into things like this? Like remove spirits?
For reference I am a young female. I have considered if I am psychotic but I feel like that wouldn't answer any of the coincidences and events that have happened with me and this person. It's like we go through the same things and feel similar emotions at the same time. I notice when I'm down and depressed he also is too. When I look in the mirror sometimes I see his face. Yet this feels entrapping.
When I was about fifteen I would occasionally deal with sleep paralysis of being abducted at night by little alien greys. I remember telling my therapist about it. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with this but yeah. I need help to get out of this entrapment and potential psychosis. Feel free to message me because I need some guidance on what is going on.

The Pathfinder RPG has a very detailed character background generator in Ultmate Campaign, and I've seen several generic fantasy generator tables, but nothing like it for Deadlands. So, I thought I'd make one.
Since character creation is done with cards instead of dice for the random tables, I decided to follow suit. I'm going to start with 14-15 entries per category, but would like to expand to a full 54.
All of these should be flavor only to work with Classic, Reloaded, or any other system. I want to make sure they are Weird West flavored, but not overly specific yet
6 Card Draw

1. Hometown
   
2. Family
   
3. Formative Event
   
4. Personal Secret
   
5. Motivation
   
6. Notable Characteristic
   

Hometown- Where you're from or at least the closest major town/city.
2 Boston, Massachusetts
3 New York, New York
4 Chicago, Illinois
5 Atlanta, Georgia
6 Memphis, Tennessee
7 New Orleans, Louisiana
8 Little Rock, Arkansas
9 Des Moines, Iowa
10 Wichita, Kansas
J San Antonio, Texas
Q Denver, Colorado
K St. Louis, Missouri
A San Francisco, California
Joker. Salt Lake City, Deseret
(Note: Should have been founded by 1830s or 40s. May be non existing by present day.)

Family- Who raised you?
2 Nuclear Family: Both parents and 1d3 siblings.
3 Big Family: One or both parents and 1d6+6 siblings.
4 Surrogate Parents: You and any siblings were raised by family members other than your parents.
5 Adopted: You were taken in by another family, with 1d4-1 kids of their own and 1d3-1 other adopted children.
6 Orphaned: Both parents died when you were young. You may have spent time living on the street or in an orphanage.
7 War: One or both parents were killed due to the Civil War, either as a soldier or civilian casualty.
8 Step-Family:
9 Abusive:
10 Boarded: You were shipped off to boarding school at an early age. Your teachers did more to raise you than your parents.
J Abandoned: You were abandoned at birth or soon after. You don't know who your parents are or if they're still alive.
Q Single Parent: One parent raised you and your siblings by themselves.
K Strict: One or both parents were unusually strict and demanding, even by the standards of the period.
A
Joker:

Formative Event- What made you who you are today?
2 Meeting someone famous or infamous.
3 Death of a close friend or loved one.
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
J
Q
K
A
Joker:

Motivation- What drives you? What is your goal?
2 CAREER: This is your job, how you earn your living, nothing more.

Secret- What do you keep hidden?
2 ABILITIES: You have extraordinary (or arcane) abilities that you don't want generally known.
3 EVIDENCE: You disposed of a weapon or other item that
4 TRAGIC ACCIDENT: You are responsible for the accidental death of a close friend or relative.
5
6
7
8
9
10
J
Q
K
A
Joker:

Notable Characteristic- What's the first thing people notice about you?
2 Hair (or facial hair): Is it really nice, really messy, an unusual style, etc?
3 Accent: You have a distinct regional accent. Where is it from? Is it real or fake?
4 Clothing
5 Jewelry
6 Scent: Unusually strong or offensive body odor or breath? Strong or distinct perfume or cologne? Other scent (tobacco, smoke, horse, etc.)?
7 Eyes
8 Smile
9 Vocal Quality:
10 Scars or Tattoos
J Accessories: What do you have to have with you at all times?
Q
K
A
Joker: You are remarkably unremarkable. You would blend in to any crowd.
(Note: May be physical, behavioral, gear, etc.)
I would love any input and ideas from the community. I will be adding more to this later. Thanks in advance, and hopefully this will be useful for someone.
EDIT: Fixed some formatting issues.

This is Part 2 of this write-up. Please read part 1 first. This is the link:
https://www.reddit.com/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/143r7l9/felix_vail_the_pedophile_serial_killer_caught/

PART 2:

ANNETTE CRAVER:

Born on the 7th of December 1965, Annette Craver was intelligent and creative. At 15 she was a singer-songwriter and in her senior year at a private school that specialized in medicine. Her dream was to become a midwife.
http://charleyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/vail_annette6.jpg(A photo of Annette Craver.)
In the summer of 1981, she and her mother, Mary Rose greeted people at a friend’s yard sale in the Montrose neighborhood in Houston, Texas. They had just returned from a vacation in Mexico, and Annette felt heartsick, still infatuated with a boy named Adolfo, who was unable to join her in America.
VAIL MEETS ANNETTE
While people browsed the sale, Vail pulled up on a motorcycle and spoke with Annette. He was 41 and had done some carpentry work in the area. “When I saw her, I thought, ‘That’s going to be my new girlfriend,’” he said about the 15-year-old.
In April 1982, Rose and her daughter invested in a Tulsa home that had a rental cottage behind it. Rose began renovating both. After graduating from high school, Annette joined her mother in Tulsa. Vail appeared a few days later, and convinced Annette to leave with him on his motorcycle. They lived off the $500-a-month Social Security check that she received from her father’s death 3 years prior. It would be over a year before Mary Rose would see her daughter again.
That fall, Annette (who was still 15) would fall pregnant, and Vail would force her to have a painful abortion.
Jerry Woodall, reportedly friends with Vail later recalled an embarrassing scene, where the 42-year-old Vail was in a sleeping bag, having public sex with a 16-year-old Annette, only 20 feet away from him and his then-wife Meredith McMackin. Annette grinned and waved at them. Woodall and McMackin did their best to ignore them.
McMackin would later say that Vail had “this coldness and controlling aspect to his personality. Annette was so open and alive, but I think he just totally dominated her. He would try to convey that he was this higher form of being. At first, I thought maybe he was evolved, but then I realized it was this arrogant act.”
Later that summer, police in California would arrest Vail for violating probation a dozen years earlier. Annette telephoned Woodall, who gave her $200. After Vail walked free from prison, he and Annette decided to get married. However, as a 17-year-old she needed permission.
Annette told her mother that she loved Vail, that they were already “spiritually married” and that they would travel to Mexico and get married there if she refused. Not wanting to lose her daughter completely, Rose said OK.
On August 15th, 1983, in Bakersfield, California, the couple were wed.
AFTER THE MARRIAGE
Four months after the marriage, Annette turned 18, allowing her to collect more than $98,000 ($293,500 today) from life insurance policies on her late father. Accompanied by Vail, she withdrew all the money in cash from a San Antonio bank. She bought a Fiat convertible that Vail liked and paid for his dental work.
In April 1984, Rose returned home to find Annette waiting at her door. She told her she wanted to divorce Vail, and enroll in college. She talked about Vail’s temper, including an incident where he had broken his hand trying to punch his wife. He missed and hit a wall.
A few weeks later, Vail showed up. The couple fought constantly, and Vail left after a few days. Mary Rose said that Vail was “insanely jealous” and would become furious when Annette spoke of her desire to go out with younger men.
She and Annette worked on renovating the two homes after Vail left, enjoying their time together. The 2 even started a garden together.
Annette received a letter from Vail, who vowed their time apart would fuel their love. He wrote to her: “After we hung up, I went out to a park and ran and hung and talked with God and smoked some and shot some pool and rode with the top down out through the marsh playing ‘Iron Butterfly’ [“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”] and bathing every inch of your body-spirit being with love.”
He referred to being away from Annette as “deprivation jail” and to her ego as “his jailor.”
“The idea of her cutting away ego’s “feeder roots and creating roots between your spirit and the cosmic ground of loving makes me hot for you. My mind is kissing you everywhere.”
After that, Vail would return to Annette’s life. Rose said, “Annette told me, ‘Felix is the wisest person in the world, and I can’t make decisions without him.’” His influence on Annette had only grown stronger. According to Rose, she even compared Vail to God, a comparison Vail agreed with.
After this, the couple angrily insisted that Rose move out and deed the house to Annette. Accompanied by suicidal thoughts brought on by Vail’s continued control over her daughter, Rose left for California to stay with family and friends, deeding the house to Annette for $7000 ($21,000 today) before she did.
Annette would add Vail to the deed, and a month later had deeded him both homes, leaving him as the sole owner.
ANNETTE’S DISAPPEARANCE
Mere weeks after deeding the houses to Vail, the couple told neighbors they were leaving on vacation. When Vail returned in October, he was alone.
Vail told a neighbor that Annette had a lot of money wither her when he’d left her, and that she was likely visiting friends in Denver.
Upon learning that Annette hadn’t come back with Vail, Mary Rose called him. “He told me that while they were camping, Annette had a sexual dream about being with other men in Mexico, and she wanted to go there,” she recalled to an investigative reporter years later. “He claimed that the dream made them both realize that she should have her freedom.” The next day, Vail told her he had put Annette on a bus with $50,000 ($150,000 today) but didn't elaborate.
On Oct 22, 1984, Rose filed a missing person’s report. She told the Tulsa Police Department that each person who spoke with Vail “gets a different story about the amount of money that Annette took with her and where she might be. We all believe that he knows where she is or has done something with her.”
On January 22, 1985, Detective Dennis Davis and another officer questioned Vail at his home (This is obscenely late to start questioning him). By this point, Vail had filed for divorce, citing an inability to find her after a “diligent search.” Davis said her mother, Mary Rose, mentioned her daughter had received more than $90,000 from her father’s estate. Vail confirmed this was true, saying the couple had spent much of that money traveling in foreign countries. He said they kept their money in cash because they didn’t trust banks and that he had found about $10,000 in cash when he returned home.
The next day, Vail called a lawyer, who promised to talk with the officers and tell them to “leave me alone,” as he wrote in his journal.
When Davis returned five days later, Vail had a detailed alibi: The couple left Tulsa between noon and 3 p.m. on Sept. 13, 1984, and stayed the night in a hotel in Claremont, Oklahoma. After two nights of camping on the river, Annette woke up and told Vail she had decided to leave him. He took her to the Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis and left before she bought the ticket. (There is no Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis, and there has never been a Trailways Bus Station in St. Louis.)
He told the officers that she had told him she was headed for Denver, where she planned to get a fake ID card and leave for Mexico. When asked if he would take a lie detector test, Vail said no.
After Davis left, he wrote a letter to Rose. He blamed her for the “bad things” about Annette, told her that after the couple had returned from Costa Rica Annette had been “seeing friends and relatives --- completing her relationships with them for the purpose of getting ready to drop everybody and start over.” He wrote that Annette “disappeared herself from you” because Rose kept imposing her “value system” on her, and said Annette viewed her mother, grandmother, and herself as “zero self-image whores for approval.”
He explained the 2 had no plans to communicate, he did not know where she was, and that “I also assure you that even if I did know, I would not tell you.”
When Rose returned to Tulsa in April 1985, she entered the cottage Annette used to live in, only to find almost all the young woman’s belongings were gone, including her clothes and her diary.
Inside a Barbie suitcase, Rose found a photograph of her daughter and several of her identification cards. She also located things that Annette had written, including a Feb. 17, 1984, note that contradicted Vail’s claim that the couple had spent most of her inheritance on their travel to Mexico and Central American countries.
Instead, the note detailed how they used the money to buy the Fiat, pay off all of Vail’s loans, and deposit $36,000 into Louisiana Savings. It said that as of that day, they had $41,600 ($125,000 today) in cash.
Rose shared the information with the police. Detective Davis showed up again, and Vail told Davis the couple divided the money into smaller cashier’s checks, contradicting his earlier statement that they kept the money in cash.
After a while, Davis left, and despite the (seemingly obvious) suspicious behavior of Vail, closed the missing person’s case.
AFTER ANNETTE’S DISAPPEARANCE
Rose kept calling Vail after this and was finally able to reach him on September 14th 1985.
When asked about Annette’s whereabouts he refused to tell her.
When asked about Annette’s missing clothes he said he gave them to charity.
When asked about the insurance money, Vail told her ‘That’s all she really cared about.’ Rose hung up.
Two years later, fed up with the lack of progress in Annette’s case, Rose would return to Tulsa. She spent thousands of dollars on private investigators to locate Vail. When that failed, she simply went and found him herself.
Tipped off that he was staying at someone’s house, she went there with a friend and found him sitting outside. When asked where Annette went, he replied “Mexico.” When asked where in Mexico, he said the 2 had made a pact to contact each other every 5 years, contradicting his statement that the 2 didn’t have plans to communicate. Rose didn’t believe a word of it.
The whole time Vail never looked up, never stood up and never looked her in the eye.
BETH FIELD
Some time after this, Vail began dating Beth Field. Soon the couple had began arguing, and Vail would call her a “whore.” During a December 1987 argument, he would strike her so hard he ruptured her ear drum. She told Vail there was no justification for violence, to which he responded, “If you quit behaving like a whore, I’ll quit hitting you.”
In August 1988 Beth received a call from Rose, sharing details about the disappearance of her daughter, Annette. From that point forward, Field said she began to examine Vail’s words more closely, realizing that he had likely murdered her.
Four months after the call, he entered her home unannounced. Already drunk, he accused her of “imagined promiscuity,” according to a court order. He slapped her, struck her, and threw her across the bedroom. She asked if Vail was going to kill her, to which Vail replied, “It depends on what you tell me.”
A judge gave her a protective order, requiring Vail to keep his distance. Two weeks later, the sheriff reported that Vail was nowhere to be found.
While Field was visiting a meditation center in Texas in 1990, Vail arrived. After composing herself, she told him “There is a part of you that goes off, and it’s sick and it’s dangerous.”
He looked at her and asked, “Really?” She said “yes, really.” This time, the message seemed to go through. Vail left the next day, and with a single exception about five years later, she never saw him again.
MARY ROSE LEARNS ABOUT THE OTHER 2 CASES
In the summer of 1991 (6 years after Annette's disappearance), Rose drove over 2000 miles to Canyon Lake, Texas to speak to Sue Jordan, Felix Vail’s sister. Jordan said that Vail had told her that Annette wanted to leave, that he took her to a bus station and that she left with some Mexican men, heading for Mexico. Jordan also mentioned that Vail’s first wife had drowned, which was news to Rose.
Before she left, Jordan also told her, “Oh, you know, there was another woman that disappeared. I remember her mother calling my mother for years, checking to see if they’d heard from her. I think her name was Sharon.”
After the conversation, Rose sat down at a typewriter, writing every word she could remember. She also called the public library in Lake Charles.
The librarian remembered the 1962 drowning of Vail’s first wife, Mary Horton. She told Rose that he had taken out life insurance policies on his wife prior to her drowning and that the insurance companies were suspicious and didn’t pay the full value. The librarian made copies of newspaper articles and mailed them to her.
After reading them, Rose reached out to Mary’s family in Louisiana, speaking to Will Horton. He shared her suspicions about Vail and a copy of the 1971 National Enquirer article made after Vail's son Bill reported him to the police. When she read it, she learned that Sharon’s last name was Hensley.
In 1994, she read in the newspaper about Dolores Strehlow’s disappearance from Medford, Oregon, seven years earlier. Police had just arrested her husband, thanks to the work of Detective Terry Newell. She contacted Newell, who helped her find the family of Sharon Hensley. When Rose dialed the Hensley family, Sharon’s mother, Peggy, answered. Rose asked if Peggy knew a Felix Vail. Peggy replied with "you bet I do"
THE INVESTIGATION HEATS UP… AND COOLS DOWN
The detective who helped Rose before, Terry Newell, contacted Jim Bell, a national expert in serial killings working for the FBI. When Rose talked with Bell, she felt like she'd finally gotten somewhere. He was interested in working on the Vail case if he could swing the time. He still remained busy with active serial killer cases, helping train task forces across the U.S. Vail’s son, Bill, told Rose that he was willing to testify, as long as authorities provided protection to his family. Both the Tulsa police and the district attorney’s office in Lake Charles revived their investigations into Vail, now considered a suspected serial killer.
Bell suggested the victims’ families gather with authorities at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, to share information on Vail. He was unable to work on the case and left the FBI in 1995. The meeting in Quantico never materialized, and the cases involving Vail grew cold once again.
A QUICK RUN DOWN OF EVENTS
In the fall of 1997, family and friends held a mural for Annette.
Diagnosed with esophageal cancer, Vail’s son Bill heard from doctors that he didn’t have long to live. He’s quoted saying “now I’ll get to be with my mom.” Months before passing away in 2009, Bill talked about his father in a recorded interview with his pastor at Grace Church in Overland Park, Kansas.
On Jan. 3, 2009, Bill died, and Vail wrote in his journal, “I feel a large empty hole in my being where his life presence has been for 47 years,” before writing about getting a good haircut. He drove to Kansas but didn’t attend his own son’s funeral. If he had, he would have heard the recording, with his son detailing how he had overheard his father talk about murdering Bill's mother, Mary.
When Vail learned of the recording, he wrote to Pastor Tim Howey, asking for a copy. He blamed his son’s statements on “false memories,” saying, “I have not known about it until now and am stunned.”
In 2012, while attempting to confront Vail with reporter Jerry Mitchell whom she had contacted to write about Vial, Rose was stopped by Kaye Faulkner, Vial’s sister. She told Rose and Mitchell of the recording and urged Mitchell to get a copy of it. She also said that she believed Vial had murdered Mary Horton, Sharon Hensley, and Annette Craver.
She gave the reporter Vial’s number, as well as the numbers of her other brother, Ronnie, and her sister, Beth. Vial didn’t answer those calls, so Mitchell left a message. Ronnie promised to speak to his brother on his behalf.
MITCHELL INVESTIGATES
Mitchell arrived in Lake Charles and stopped by the Southwestern Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Library, which shared copies from old city directories. He began tracking down people who had lived in the Maree Apartments with Felix and Mary.
Many described Mary’s fair of drowning. A close friend of Vails, Judson McCann II described Vial as a ladies’ man, and insinuated he was a cheater. “Many nights, his car wouldn’t be home, and Mary would be there with the lights on. When Felix was gone, it wasn’t because he was trotline fishing.”
Another close friend, Bob Hodges described Vial’s story of Mary ‘falling’ in the river as “horse manure.”
A college roommate of Mary, Sandra Sudduth Pratt, said “Nobody believed it was an accident.”
Mitchell shared Mary’s autopsy report with pathologist Dr. Michael Baden of New York City, who concluded that foul play had taken place in her death.
The report showed large bruises with bleeding into tissues on the left side of the neck, which he said suggested she suffered forceful neck trauma before entering the water. There were hemorrhagic bruises to the right calf and left leg above the knee, which he said were consistent with a struggle before her submersion. But most convincingly of all was the scarf authorities found around her neck that extended 4 inches into her mouth, which suggested traumatic asphyxia before entering the water.
“Somebody had to push that scarf into her mouth. She had to have that scarf wedged in her mouth before she was put in the water.”
A cousin put Mary’s brother Will Horton in touch with former detective “Rabbit” Manuel, who had headed up the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Office’s investigation back in 1962. He had never forgotten Mary’s death. “Felix’s story just didn’t add up. The fishing tackle was dry. The trotline was dry. The boat was dry. Even Felix’s cigarettes were dry, despite him telling the deputies he dove straight in the water to save Mary.”
He and Manuel met with “Lucky” DeLouche, who directed an elite task force unit that investigated homicides. Three young detectives took notes as they talked. Manuel shared details from the case, saying deputies (officers) wanted to prosecute, but the district attorney wouldn’t let them. Horton shared the autopsy report, Vail’s letters and his belief that Vail was a serial killer. Horton said DeLouche replied, “This absolutely fits the profile of a serial killer,” to which the other detectives agreed.
Shortly afterwards, DeLouche left the task force, and for seemingly the hundredth time, grew cold again.
After Mitchell posted a story about Vail titled “Gone” (It’s nearly 9,000 words long, and the precursor to the 35,500 word story I have drawn heavily from) a man named Wesley Turnage contacted him. He told him of a conversation he had had with Vail in 1963 during a car ride.
According to Turnage, Vail called Mary a bitch and said she thought another child would help solve their marriage problems. He quoted Vail as saying, “She wanted to have another kid. I didn’t want the one I got. I fixed that sorry bitch. She will never have another one.”
Mitchell would make another discovery. District Attorney Salter Jr. had ordered that the judge dismiss 882 criminal cases — more than three cases for each working day.
Will Horton told Mitchell the original detectives in the case told him that Salter wouldn’t allow them to present the evidence they had collected against Vail. That matched the stories Mitchell had heard from grand jurors’ families.
Horton then contacted District Attorney John DeRosier, who said he would be willing to reopen the case if there was enough evidence.
Then came an interesting wrinkle in the story. Finding Vail.
He’d disappeared, returning on Labor Day weekend 2012 to sell his property, before disappearing again. Luckily, another reader of "Gone" came to the rescue. He phoned Mitchell, telling him where Vial was. Canyon Lake, Texas.
Mitchell then contacted Enzo Yaksic, founder of the Serial Homicide Expertise and Information Sharing Collaborative. Yaksic then contacted Armin Showalter, acting chief for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, which specialized in serial homicide investigations.
Yaksic shared a copy of GONE with Showalter, who in turn called Calcasieu Parish Deputy Randy Curtis, now taking on the Vail case. Curtis phoned Mitchell to find out where Vail was. A few days later, he called back to say the FBI had discovered Vail purchased property at 737 Shadyview Drive in Canyon Lake.
On Jan. 18, 2013, Curtis decided to confront Vail. He found him at that address, living in a storage shed. Curtis said he read Vail his rights before asking him about the death and disappearances of the women. Vail refused to say anything, accusing families and The Clarion-Ledger (Where "Gone" was published) of lying about him. The whole time, Vail couldn’t stop smirking.
​
Will Horton gave Mitchell the number of his cousin, who was a caretaker for 90-year-old Isaac Abshire Jr. When Mitchell sat down with the man, he shared a haunting story.
Abshire had worked with Vail and offered him a room to rent out. Once Vail and Mary were married, Vail had moved out. Abshire viewed himself as “a big brother” to Mary, calling her “a sweet little girl.”
After the marriage, Vail had become angry at work, talking about how ugly his wife was when she was pregnant, and how he didn’t like his baby. On the Friday before she was killed, the couple visited Abshire, bringing Bill, who was still an infant. Mary privately asked Abshire if he thought Vail could take her baby away.
Two days later, Mary was dead.
Abshire and two other workers went out the next day to drag the river. The next morning, Oct. 30, 1962, he returned with one of them, Jimmy May, to continue dragging.
Abshire said while they were talking, “something popped up. A guy with binoculars asked, ‘Does she have blonde hair?’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s her.’”
They recovered the body, and Abshire could never forget what he saw. Her body was rigid, and a scarf was wrapped around her neck before going into her mouth. Blood boiled on the boat, everyone voicing the same opinion. Vail had killed Mary.
Abshire had kept photos from that day for over 50 years. He said he had given them to Deputy Curtis as well as a copy of the 1962 sheriff’s report, which listed 15 points suggesting Vail’s guilt.
Despite being behind on major bills, Vail had managed to pay an entire year’s premiums in advance for a $50,000 ($150,000 today) life insurance policy on his wife. He had a second life insurance policy on her for $8,000 ($24,000 today), which promised to pay double if she died by accident.
It was almost as if he knew she was about to die.
Deputies had reported witnesses claims that Vail had told them he didn’t love his wife, that she looked stupid and vulgar, and that he had had sexual relations with multiple women, and at least one man.
Vail told deputies that his wife was wearing an off-white leather jacket when she went into the water. But she wasn’t wearing the jacket when her body was recovered. Inside his boat, deputies found two life preservers. Mary had not been wearing one, despite her fear of drowning. As for the trotline the 2 were supposedly running, deputies found it still inside Vail’s tackle box.
Most witnesses the Deputies had spoken too felt that Vail was capable of killing his wife.
When asked if he believed Vail killed his wife, Abshire said “Oh, my God, yes.”
THE CHASE & THE FINAL CLUES:
Ever since Vail had sold his Mississippi property, Mary Rose had wondered if he would eventually sell the Tulsa property, the one she and Annette had lived in. He did. Vail sold it for $149,000. Rose asked the question on the mind of everyone investigating. “What is he going to do with all that money? --- He could be running.”
On April 30th Mitchell got a call saying that Vail had left Texas. He was pulled over by police in Columbus, Mississippi after hopping the fence of his now dead brother Ronnie’s property. Curtis told Mitchell that the Columbus police were sending him a photo of Vail and the white pick-up truck he was pulled over in. He once again warned Mitchell that Vail could be running.
Vail’s sister called again, saying she heard her brother was heading to Montpelier. She wondered if he was driving to the home of possible witness Wesley Turnage.
Mitchell called Turnage to let him know that Vail might be headed his way. Turnage replied “If he sets foot on my property, there won’t be no trial.” He called Mitchell back later, saying no one in Montpelier had seen Vail.
Private Investigator Gina Frenzel, who had questioned Vail herself, including pretending to be his girlfriend, called Mitchell with good news. Vail had contacted her and told her he was back in Canyon Lake. Mitchell informed Curtis.
On May 17th 2012, authorities arrested Felix Vail for the murder of his wife Mary Horton.
In telephone calls from the jail in Lake Charles, he shared his explanation of what happened the night of Oct. 28, 1962, when Mary died.
He referred to his first wife as a “coon-ass lady,” saying she was “half kneeling” on his feet when she “saw one of the float buckets that were on the line.” He said the boat was “going real slow along the edge of the bank when the boat hit a stump ... and it dumped her right out.” Vail said he shut off the motor and dove in “where she had plopped in the water. I mean, nothing. The river had sucked her right in.” He said he “dove around until I was exhausted, and came in immediately to the police station in town and reported the accident and that was it.”
This story differed greatly from his story in 1962 when he said his wife was sitting on top of a boat seat when she fell out, not that she was kneeling on his feet. Back then, he said nothing about hitting a stump — just swerving to miss it.
It also differed from the story he had told his son, where a wave from another boat had dumped Mary out.
Vail told Frenzel that the case “has been an avalanche coming down the mountain all that time, waiting to hit my head, and it finally has.”
He blamed the families and Mitchell, “an evil, shrimpy reporter,” for what had happened, calling the charges “fabricated” and insisting that “a large amount of money, hate and political ambitions are behind them.”
At Vail’s request, Frenzel returned his truck to his home and went inside to take care of a few tasks. While there, she spent 16 hours photographing all his journals, more than 2,400 pages. She also photographed letters, documents, photographs and business cards, some dating back to the 1960s. She found a collection of women’s jewelry, old buttons, pins, and even a glass dildo.
Disturbingly, if at this point unsurprisingly, she found a photograph of a naked 3-year-old girl. Frenzel later spoke with the girl, now a woman. The journals revealed that Vail had stalked her for years.
Frenzel discovered the birth certificate of Annette Craver, who had used it for previous trips to Mexico.
Mitchell and Frenzel poured through the journals she had photographed. They noticed gaps in them that lead them to believe Vail had ripped pages out, including times when he should have been with Sharon and Annette.
His journals were dominated by sex, dreams of sex and reflected an obsession with children. In a March 27, 1986, entry, Vail wrote about the visit of a woman and her daughters in his home. “The little girls were delicious --- We massaged some, hugged & kissed some & it was 12 (midnight) & time for them to go.”
On Aug. 29, 1992, Vail walked into the Wal-Mart in West Point, and as he wrote in his journal “a 1-year-old white girl looked in my eyes loving me like there was no age difference between us.”
When Mitchell interviewed Kert Germany, a co-worker of Vail in 1977 he said that Vail attracted women wherever he went, and that Vail had told him the best sex of his life had been with 2- or 3-year-old girl.
It was that this time that Alexandra Christianson, Vail’s ex-wife called Mitchell and told him her story. She also put him in contact with Bruce Biedebach, the man she had been on a date with when she left with Vail. Biedebach would tell Mitchell that during a party in 1965 that turned into a “boast-fest” Vail had boasted about something he had done, that no one else had done.
Killed his wife.
He told the men at the party that he had held his wife’s head underwater until she drowned.
Biedebach then put Mitchell in contact with Rob Fremont, who had bicycled around California with Vail when he was 13. He said that while riding with Vail, he had told him that he hit his wife on the head and drowned her. Fremont never rode with him again after that.
With as much evidence as they could possibly gather, the case went to trial.
THE TRIAL:
Vail’s trial began on August 8th, 2016.
District Attorney John DeRosier laid out the evidence clearly.
He spoke of the evidence against Vail about Mary’s murder on October 28th, 1962.
He spoke about Vail swearing to Sharon Hensley’s mother that she wanted to start a new life in 1974.
He spoke about his letters to Mary Rose, telling her he wouldn’t tell her where her daughter Annette was “even if he knew.” Vail smirked at that one.
Finally, he spoke to the jurors.
“Mary Horton Vail is gone, Sharon Hensley is gone,” DeRosier said, “and Annette Craver Vail is gone.”
“You’re going to write the last chapter, and it’s simply going to read, ‘And justice was finally done. William Felix Vail, guilty as charged.’”
Prosecutors called all three families to testify.
Will Horton told jurors of his sister, “Mary was the kind of person you would want as a friend.” He broke while talking about visiting his nephew after he death in 1962. “I just wanted Bill to know how much his mother loved him.”
Brian Hensley told jurors that he last saw his sister, Sharon, with Vail before the pair left Bismarck, North Dakota, in 1972. Other than a telephone call and letter in the months that followed, he said no one had seen or heard from her since.
When Mary Rose took the stand, Vail bowed his head.
This was the woman who had been working for 32 long years to bring him into this court.
This was the mother who had waited 32 years for this moment.
She called Annette “a huge light in my life. We were always loving toward each other.” She testified that Vail ran off with her daughter on his motorcycle and married her. She testified that Annette, who inherited nearly $100,000 and received two homes, disappeared weeks after deeding those homes to Vail.
Wesley Turnage, Rob Fremont, and Bruce Biedebach swore under oath that Vail said he killed his first wife. Biedebach said he asked Vail if Mary was a bitch, to which Vail had said yes. Vail laughed in court as he told the story.
The current coroner, forensic pathologist Dr. Terry Welke, testified that in most drownings, the body comes up in a “dead person’s float,” with the back of the head surfacing first and the limbs hanging down in the water.
After sharing a series of pictures to show it, he showed the court two black-and-white photographs of Mary Horton when her body was recovered on Oct. 30, 1962, less than two days after she reportedly drowned. Her body was stiff, with her hands over chest as if she was in a coffin.
They also saw the videotaped testimony of Isaac Abshire Jr, who had died in 2014. He said her body was stiff when it surfaced either sideways or face up when she bobbed up in the Calcasieu River.
That testimony helped contribute to Welke’s homicide conclusion. So did the unbroken grease-like stain across her Chi Omega sweatshirt, which he believed could have come from a tarp covering her. Welke concluded Mary was dead and stiff before her body went into the water, explaining why rigor had set in.
Testimony was heard of Vail not paying for his own wife’s funeral, despite having made thousands from her life insurance.
THE VERDICT
The jury didn’t even take a half hour to reach their verdict.
William Felix Vail Sr was unanimously found guilty of murdering Mary Horton. He was sentenced to life in prison.
After the verdict, the prosecutor also revealed that the FBI had found out that Vail had molested a child over 30 years ago. They were unable to put him on trial for it, as the statue of limitations had passed.
Finally, nearly 54 years after she was murdered, Mary Horton had found justice.
Finally, 42 years after her disappearance, Sharon Hensley had found justice.
And Annette Craver, with the help of her mother Mary Rose’s tireless efforts, had finally found justice after 32 years.
https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/f75084c7dce4fb08e12e45ccba5e40a1
This a photo of Mary, Sharon and Annette. I felt it was fitting to end off with. May they all rest in peace.
MY SOURCES:
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/8284?nav
https://charleyproject.org/case/annette-michelle-craver-vail
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/felixvailgone/2016/12/29/felix-vail-gone-one-wife-dead-two-other-missing-jerry-mitchell/95895894/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5796622/mary-elizabeth-vail
https://charleyproject.org/case/sharon-hensley
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/20525?nav

Yesterday I had multiple people ask me to post this, and their comment has 552 likes at the time of me writing this, so I have spent the last day and a half editing, and adding information so it's up to standard. Overall, it has taken me close to a week to make. It probably isn't perfect, but I will edit it if I notice any mistakes. I hope you enjoy ❤
I would like to start this off by saying that this is an incredibly long write-up. This case spans 54 years, and this write-up is over 8650 words long, and is in fact so long that it exceeded the character limit, forcing me to make 2 parts. u/that1guywiththehat has already covered this case, and their write-up is much shorter. I will link it here, and you can check it out if you'd like. They did a fantastic job. 😊
https://www.reddit.com/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/g3wqcc/after_18yearold_annette_craver_vail_vanishes/
Secondly, this write-up borrows EXTENSIVELY from "Gone," a 35,500 word book about the life and crimes of Felix Vail. It contains information that you simply cannot find anywhere else, and I'd estimate that around 80% of this write-up uses it's information. While it's extremely long, being over 4 times the length of this write-up, it is well worth the read. I will also link it here so you can check it out if you'd like.
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/felixvailgone/2016/12/29/felix-vail-gone-one-wife-dead-two-other-missing-jerry-mitchell/95895894/
Now with that out of the way...

PART 1:

MARY HORTON:

​
Born on the 16th of February 1940 to Floyd and Lillie Horton, Mary was popular, beautiful, and well liked. She became homecoming queen at Eunice High School and wrote for the school newspaper. After graduating she began attending McNeese State University where she was so popular that all 5 sororities invited her to join. She eventually chose Chi Omega.
https://www.clarionledger.com/gcdn/-mm-/d313713be82928fb5c54a52348e9f0b6fbe9ca88/c=0-232-3288-4617/local/-/media/2016/12/27/JacksonMS/JacksonMS/636184665129485321-mary-horton-0001.jpg?width=300&height=401&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
(Mary Horton from 1957, as Eunice High School homecoming queen.)
A FATEFUL ENCOUNTER
In 1960 she began dating William Felix Vail Sr, who goes by Felix. He was 6’, slender and in the words of another sorority girl “looked like he’d been touched by heaven.” In her diaries and messages to friends, Mary spoke of being happy and excited. However, not everything was sunshine and rainbows for the young couple.
On June 20th, 1960, Mary confided in a friend “I really do love Felix, but I don’t think that I like him anymore. He really is sweet, but we don’t see eye to eye on things.” She requested that a friend set her up on a date with another man in the hopes that Felix would leave her.
In response to this date, he came to Mary saying he suffered from a disease. She asked what disease he had. He meant Mary.
The 2 had a conversation that Mary described as ‘Felix doing all the talking, and her just listening.’ He told her that he had changed, and she said that she had too.
The 2 began dating again, but Mary continued to see other people. She attended a house party with Kelley McFarland, who afterwards heard that Vail was so angry he ‘wanted to kill him.’ McFarland tracked him down, eventually meeting him in dark woods. The 2 exchanged no blows, and they went their separate ways.
After this incident, Mary described herself as “miserable” and Felix as “jealous”, although she reiterated her love for him. There was reportedly an incident at a pool party where Felix “walked up to Mary and just slapped the heck out of her,” according to Mary’s high school boyfriend Leonard Matt.
Despite everything, Mary continued to defend him, calling him a “wonderful person.”
THE MARRIAGE
On July 1, 1961, in Eunice, Louisiana, Mary Horton and Felix Vail got married.
https://www.clarionledger.com/gcdn/-mm-/3a212b032aef874dfc60297c45f3a63946f5aeee/c=0-304-1765-2658/local/-/media/2016/12/28/JacksonMS/JacksonMS/636185193505145184-1022maryhorton003.JPG?width=300&height=401&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
(Mary Horton in her wedding dress, July 1st, 1961.)
In the fall of that year, Mary began her job as a second-grade teacher at Moss Bluff Elementary School. That December, she found out she was pregnant. Another teacher, Myrtis Quinilty said Felix didn’t want a child.
Her sister-in-law, Sue Jordan, told Mary the only reason Vail believed she wanted to get married was to have a baby, and not because of him. Mary blamed herself, saying “I can see, looking back, from many things I said how they could have been misunderstood.” Mary insisted that the couple were happy but did comment on how unattractive she felt while pregnant, a sentiment that Felix shared.
On their anniversary, Mary gave birth to William Felix Vail Jr, who they called Bill.
https://www.clarionledger.com/gcdn/-mm-/c701d4cdc0e5ff127e79b575a1c137adfa57d585/c=0-0-180-240/local/-/media/2016/12/28/JacksonMS/JacksonMS/636185195986996911-TCLBrd-08-11-2016-ClarionLedger-1-A001-2016-08-10-IMG-636047953682196834-M-1-1-G0FAJ00I-L860703094-IMG-636047953682196834-M-1-1-G0FAJ00I.jpg?width=180&height=240&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
(Mary holding Bill in 1962)
Within a month, Mary suspected that she may be pregnant again. At this time, strange things began to happen in the couple’s apartment. One morning, the couple awoke to find their front door had been removed from its hinges. Another time, they found the front door of their apartment wide open. Nothing was stolen.
Mary began receiving threatening calls. The couple concluded that whoever was calling must be watching them because the caller only ever did it when Felix wasn’t home.
Mary spoke with her mother about divorcing Felix. Her mother, a devout Catholic, urged her daughter to stay and work things out. It would be a fatal mistake.
MARY'S DEATH
On October 28th, 1962, at 7:30pm, Felix Vail drove up to Shell Beach saying that his wife had fallen in the water of the Calcasieu River while they were running trot lines. It took 2 days to find her body, close to where Vail had said she disappeared.
Her funeral was held on October 31st. Vail never paid a cent for it.
On November 4th deputies arrested Vail at work, hauling him to jail and questioning him. He refused to take a lie detector test. The coroner ruled Mary’s death an “accidental drowning,” a sentiment not shared by the officers who found her body, or the community at large. Days later, Vail was released without charge, as the D.A declined to prosecute.
Months later, he picked up his son, Bill, from the Louisiana home of his late wife’s aunt and headed for Mississippi. According to Bill years later, Vail told him that he and Mary were out fishing, that a boat had come by and caused a big wave and knocked her out of the boat. Mary didn’t know how to swim, had no life jacket (despite being afraid of water) and so immediately sank and drowned. He said he had almost died trying to rescue her.
I will go further in depth into Mary’s death further down this write-up when I go through the investigation that followed, decades later. There are more details that I will cover there.
ROBIN SINCLAIR:
In this section I will cover his relationship with a girlfriend between the murders of Mary Horton and Sharon Hensley. Vail was a full-time scumbag and I want to illustrate that, as well as show some of the other lives he’s impacted, and other people he’s hurt. I will be covering multiple instances like this one. If you only want to read about the 3 murder victims, feel free to scroll down, I have them clearly marked for convenience.
AN 11 YEAR AGE GAP AND A DEAD-BEAT DAD
In 1967, Vail met a 17-year-old Robin Sinclair at a bus stop in San Diego. (Vail would have been 28 at this time. Large age gaps will be a theme in this write up.) She was spending the summer there with her sister, and the 2 began dating. When summer break ended, she left without him, returning home to San Francisco.
In October of 1968 while attending an Iron Butterflies concert, Vail appeared again. Sinclair took it as a sign that the 2 belonged together. He had his young son Bill, and the 3 bounced from place to place together. Sinclair would later describe how Bill was poorly looked after, neglected and that Vail would even give the young boy drugs. Bill would later recount his father giving him LSD as a child.
While watching over another couple’s home during the Christmas holidays, she learned she was pregnant and shared the news with Vail. He said, “Well, I don’t think you’re emotionally stable enough to handle the pregnancy.” The next morning, Vail and his young son had vanished. A friend told Sinclair that he went back to Mississippi, that it was time for his son to go to school and that he didn’t want to be with her.
Heartbroken, Sinclair would move in with her parents. In August of 1969 she gave birth to her daughter, who she named Simone. She wrote Vail an angry letter, and 2 months later he showed up on her doorstep. She told him to leave, and that she never wanted to see him again. She never did.

SHARON HENSLEY:

​
Sharon Hensley was born on December 20th, 1948. Growing up in the state capital of Bismarck, North Dakota, she dated football players and belonged to the high school’s 'Demonettes', an award-winning dance team founded by a former Rockette.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT-drYY1YZjqadja6gpHI_j8-zHNTiww7XDLwZ3pq-m&s
(A photo of Sharon Hensley.)
She graduated in 1966, and attended Bismarck Junior College, where she took classes in dance and acting, performing in a play with her older brother, Frank.
In 1967, aged 19, Sharon discovered she was pregnant. Wanting to escape her hometown, she followed her brother Frank and other classmates to San Francisco. After arriving, she stayed in a home for single mothers, where she gave birth to a girl she named “Cherry” after the popular Neil Diamond song. She told friends she wanted to keep the child but was unable to. Two years after leaving for California, Sharon was in jail and her mother, Peggy, headed there with a $5,000 cashier’s check to bail her out. When she returned, Sharon wasn’t with her.
“She said she had lost her daughter,” her younger brother Brian would later say. “She cried almost every night. She was never the same after that.”
MEETING VAIL
While house-sitting in a high-rise apartment, Vail would meet his future girlfriend, Sharon. She was 20, and attractive, having even modeled in her teens. They became friends, and then started a relationship despite the 10-year age gap.
While hitchhiking across California, Vail would confess to Hensley that he had killed Mary, something his son Bill overheard. Because of this, Bill would later go to the police to report his own father for murder. The police at first didn’t believe Bill, but after camping out on the front steps, one detective listened. He told the detective that he was hungry, tired of using the drugs his father gave him, that he wanted to go back to school, live like other kids, and that he had overheard his father admit to killing his mother.
At a beach along the Merced River, police found his father and Hensley, carrying a bag of LSD capsules. Police charged the couple with LSD possession and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Vail received a six-month jail sentence, plus three years’ probation, after pleading guilty to a lesser charge of LSD possession.
California police shared their information with Louisiana authorities. Once again, the district attorney in Lake Charles once again passed on prosecuting Vail for murder. Another fatal mistake.
Bill returned to Mississippi to live with his grandparents, who then gained full custody. On January 23rd, 1971, Vail and Sharon showed up in the driveway. Bill thought Vail was there to kill him, and his grandmother had to reassure him that he was safe.
The father and son eventually sat down and had a talk. Vail told Bill that he didn’t blame him for the time he spent in prison, but instead blamed Sharon, which the young boy found strange because “she had nothing to do with it.”
The family wondered how the couple could even legally be in Mississippi if they were supposed to be on probation in California. They couldn’t. After a visit from the Sheriff, the 2 were smuggled out of town and given enough money to get back to the West Coast.
In the Summer of 1972, the couple appeared unannounced at Sharon’s childhood home in Bismarck. The more the family saw of the couple, the more horrified they became. Sharon wore a mini skirt with no panties and had armpit hair and leg hair "like a man." She had been losing weight and losing clumps of hair.
Her younger brother Brian said it felt like his sister had been brainwashed. If someone asked her a question, “either Felix would answer the question for her, or she would look at Felix while she was giving the answer.”
The couple left then North Dakota and traveled to Mississippi, where they stayed with Vail’s family. On the dairy farm the family owned, they helped paint the home. The couple also sunbathed in the nude, drawing the ire of neighbors.
Peggy Hensley received a telephone call from Sharon, who said she and Vail were heading to New Orleans and then to Miami to make pornographic films. She believed it was a cry for help as “what daughter tells her mother she’s going to do a porno?” Sharon’s parents wanted to travel down to get their daughter back but couldn’t. (The 2 did end up shooting pornographic scenes together, but I won’t get into any of that.)
In early 1973, Sharon called and talked of traveling to South America with Vail, where they would eat natural foods and write a book. It was the last conversation the family would ever have with her. Soon after, she would send her final letter. It contained a photo of her holding a pen, captioned “making travel notes.” It was the last picture ever taken of Sharon Hensley.
https://www.clarionledger.com/gcdn/-mm-/94195697544ea2e63b0b95e33a6de88a8b4f1e2b/c=0-50-399-276/local/-/media/2016/12/28/JacksonMS/JacksonMS/636185487179588030-Sharon-Hensley.jpg?width=399&height=226&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
(The last photo ever taken of Sharon.)
THE DISAPPEARANCE
In March of 1974, Peggy received a letter from Vail, claiming he was in West Florida. He wrote that he last saw Sharon about a year before in Key West, with an Australian couple that was traveling around the world. All he recalled was the first names of the couple (John and Vanessa), who were talking with Sharon about “island hopping around South America, the West Indies, --- Hawaii for a while, maybe a couple of years in the Philippines, then India, Egypt and the Mediterranean islands and coasts. I don’t know which of these (if any) they decided on or in what order.” Peggy didn't believe a word of it.
In the fall of 1975, Vail’s mother wrote to the Hensley family, saying that her son was surprised the family hadn’t heard from Sharon during that time. Interestingly, Vail told his mother the names of the couple that Sharon left with were Frank and Sally, different names than he had given a year earlier. Vail explained to his mother that before Sharon left, she had burned all her identification cards, got new IDs, and declared that she would become a completely different person.
Bill recalled his father mentioning Sharon. “He said she would never bother anyone ever again.” The words upset Bill, who believed his father had just confessed to another murder. “There was not a soul I could tell about it because I had had my experience in court when I was 8, no one would believe me. It would be my word against his, and no one would believe a 13-year-old.”
​
SHARON CAMPBELL:
I want to talk about this relationship because of the egregious age difference. For reference, Campbell is only 4 years older than Vail’s son.
While riding a bus to north Mississippi in 1975, Vail sat next to 17-year-old Sharon Campbell. Despite being literally twice her age, he commented on how fit she looked, saying "he needed someone like her to keep him fit." In spite of this, she felt flattered and shared her telephone number with him. Not long after she got home, Vail appeared in a yellow Volkswagen bug.
Vail said he wanted Campbell to travel with him, and she told him the only way her parents would allow it was if they got married.
On July 24, 1975, they did, honeymooning in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
In court years later, she would tell prosecutors that they never consummated the marriage because “he was unable to obtain an erection.” (This isn’t relevant, I just wanted to include it out of spite because fuck this guy.)
Several weeks later, she went with Vail to visit his relatives in Louisiana. There, she said a niece told her, “You probably need to know that he killed his first wife --- they arrested him. We all believed that he did it, he drowned her out of a boat.”
Campbell didn't believe them, telling herself that he would be in prison if he was a murderer. But as the months passed by, she concluded that he “had no value in the female gender,” and that “he hated women.”
She later traveled with Vail to his parents’ home in Montpelier. While there, he was outdoors working on the Volkswagen and Campbell walked closer without him noticing. He opened a compartment, and she said she saw “sinister, surgical looking saws of all shapes and sizes in a neat formation.” To her, the sight screamed evil. “It scared me. I said, ‘I’m not going anywhere with you.’” She left, annulled the marriage, and never looked back. It was likely the best decision she ever made.
After the divorce he would marry a woman named Carolyn in 1977. The relationship would end after he cheated on her with a woman named Alexandra Christianson during a double date. When Carolyn called Vail’s mother and asked her if the behavior surprised her, she simply replied “no.”
After being served the divorce papers, Vail smashed his car into her MGB Sports Car. A month later he would call her saying “I love you.” She did not reciprocate. She would later describe Vail as “mentally deranged.”
​
ALEXANDRA CHRISTIANSON:
Alexandra is the woman Vail cheated on Carolyn with. She eventually got married to him in Mexico after he officially divorced Carolyn. Not long after their marriage, she heard that Vail was cheating on her.
After a motorcycle accident, he came to rest up at her condo in Costa Mesa, where she confronted him about the cheating. He reportedly got agitated and said, “you know my first wife died.” When she replied saying he’d told her she drowned, Vail shot back “I could have saved her, but I chose not to.”
After telling him to leave, she went to have a shower. While in the shower, Vail attacked her, wrapping his hands around her neck. Hearing her screams, Alexandra’s young brother came in, grabbing Vail and forcing him to the ground. Vail then left.
Soon after this, she found out she was pregnant. The child was still-born, and Alexandra was heart-broken. She would later lead important investigators to witnesses that were used in Vail's eventual trial.
In part 2, I will cover Vail's final victim Annette Craver, and the lengths her mother went to to finally secure justice.
Here is Part 2:
https://www.reddit.com/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/143riqi/felix_vail_the_pedophile_serial_killer_caught/
MY SOURCES:
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/8284?nav
https://charleyproject.org/case/annette-michelle-craver-vail
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/felixvailgone/2016/12/29/felix-vail-gone-one-wife-dead-two-other-missing-jerry-mitchell/95895894/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5796622/mary-elizabeth-vail
https://charleyproject.org/case/sharon-hensley
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/20525?nav

Kristi Suzanne Krebs was born on December 29, 1970 and lived in Fort Bragg, California with her parents. Kristi graduated from high school in 1989 and went straight to work at a local Round Table Pizza full time. Little else seems to be known about Kristi's early years.
Kristi was usually an upbeat person that worked very hard, and this extended to her workplace. However, it soon became clear that Kristi had begun to develop a very unhealthy obsession with a male coworker who was married. Unsolved Mysteries referred to this as an "unhealthy obsession." On April 30, 1990 (three years prior to her going missing), Kristi's coworkers described her as "unnaturally euphoric," and was fantasizing about a wedding and having kids (presumably with the married male coworker, but this is unclear). After work, Kristi drove around town aimlessly and eventually ended up in a forested area. Kristi's car ended up being stuck in the mud. Kristi kept gunning the engine to get the car unstuck, which caused the engine to overheat, which in turn caused the car to catch on fire. Kristi obviously became panicked, causing her to have a trauma educed mental breakdown.
The morning after this event, railroad workers found Kristi wandering around, dazed and disoriented. One of these railroad workers recognized Kristi and called her parents. Kristi's came to pick her up, initially wanting to take Kristi home, but while in the car, Kristi kept chanting, patting herself and just "acting weird." So they took Kristi to the hospital, where according to a Medium article, "she spent the next four weeks recovering in a private mental facility, though it would take several months before her memory completely returned." But after this initial hospital stay, Kristi was in and out of the hospital where doctors would diagnose her with a trauma educed psychotic break. At one point in her treatment, an occupational therapist recommended that Kristi start off her recovery by only going back to work part time, about twenty hours a week.
At first this arrangement seemed to be going well, but then Kristi began working "more and more," even taking on a second job at a local Burger King. Due to the two jobs, sometimes Kristi was working up to 12 hours a day. Kristi's parents also noted that she didn't seem to be sleeping very much and was going to the gym a lot. And again, Kristi began seeming very happy with her life. Kristi's father would state that these things made him wonder if Kristi's mental health was going downhill again.
Despite this new hectic pace, Kristi seemed okay, so her parents didn't want to worry. At one point, one of Kristi's managers asked her why she was so happy, and she responded "it's not what you think." Kristi did not explain further and went back to work. At around 10pm on August 9, 1993, Kristi left work in "high spirits," and told her coworkers that she'd be heading home. However, Kristi did not end up going home and began driving around.
The next time that Kristi was seen was by a park ranger at McKerricher State Park, just north of Fort Bragg, at around 10:30pm. He spotted Kristi's red Toyota Tercel parked in the lot, so he went to go speak to the driver--which was Kristi. The ranger asked Kristi if she was okay and that the state park's lot closed a half hour before, so she needed to leave. Kristi told the ranger that she was relaxing after work and if she could stay. The ranger replied that she could not stay, and Kristi said she'd leave. This ranger would later tell police that the interaction was friendly and that Kristi seemed okay.
After this encounter, Kristi drove south through Fort Bragg, headed towards the small town of Mendocino. Kristi ended up in Mendocino Woods State Park, where she continued to drive a remote dirt road near a creek bed. And like three years before, her car became stuck and she began revving the engine to make the car start again, which again caused the car to catch fire. A car jack would later be found near her car, which lead authorities to believe that she attempted to jack up the tires to get the car going (admittedly I don't drive, so I don't know if I explained that correctly). When this didn't work, it apparently made Kristi angry, and she began bashing the car hood with a rock. She then took out her wallet, shredded the pictures inside and ripped out the car stereo.
Kristi had been wearing jeans and her work shirt when she left her job, but both of these items were found in the backseat of the car. It is believed that Kristi took them off because they'd gotten wet in her attempts to free the car. Kristi kept gym clothes in her car, so it is believed that she changed into those. When Kristi didn't come home, her parents reported her missing and a full scale search was launched. The Mendocino County Sheriff's Department searched the area surrounding Kristi's car and even an air rescue squad helped in the effort. The search of the park went on for a week, but nothing was found.
Kristi's family and authorities believe that she may be out there somewhere, with memory loss. There have been sightings of Kristi after she vanished, one of the first sightings was by a woman who claimed to have seen a woman resembling Kristi attempting to hitchhike. There were also sightings from Texas to Salt Lake City, Utah. However, there are two sightings that the police believe are the most legitimate. One occurred in March 1994 in Humboldt County (north of Fort Bragg), a woman who's daughter was a classmate of Kristi's claimed to have seen Kristi along Highway 101. When the woman called out to "Kristi," she turned and walked back into the woods.
The other sighting happened in June 1994. An off duty highway worker named Mike Case picked up a female hitchhiker in Visalia California, 300 miles south of where Kristi vanished. According to Mike, this woman "didn't seem to have it all there," and was in "a world of her own," and at first thought she may be on some kind of drugs. But as he began talking with her, Mike noticed tow slash marks on her wrist. When Mike asked about it, the woman responded that she'd had a breakdown and a boyfriend that "wasn't very nice." Mike and this woman were in the car together for about 90 minutes where the woman spoke about a boyfriend that seemed fake, having relatives in San Jose and liking the ocean. These things seemed true to Kristi's parents. Mike dropped Kristi off in Hanford, California and didn't think anymore about the encounter until he saw Kristi's picture in a trucking magazine. Mike contacted Kristi's parents, who sent more photos of Kristi and it was the woman Mike said he saw.
There has been one more sighting of Kristi, also by a woman named Alicia who picked up a hitchhiker in August 1993, two days after Kristi vanished. The woman who picked up this hitchhiker woman told authorities she picked up the woman near Salt Lake City, Utah. Alicia said the woman identified herself as "Kris," and Alicia only picked her up because she was standing at a dangerous spot on the side of the road. When "Kris," got into Alicia's car, she said "you're looking at the happiest girl in the world!" Apparently this was something Kristi said on a regular basis. Kris also began telling Alicia that she'd fallen in love with a trucker and she was meeting him in Amarillo Texas so they could get married. And when Alicia dropped off this woman off at a McDonald's in Park City, Kris said "Burger King is better."
There have been no other confirmed (or unconfirmed) sightings of Kristi Krebs. When Kristi vanished, she was 22 years old, 5'2 and around 140 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes and her thumbs curve inward. Kristi had been suffering from emotional distress with symptoms like amnesia before she vanished.
Unsolved Mysteries episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l0JCuG_UVY&t=1177s
https://medium.com/@jennbaxter_69070/the-bizarre-disappearance-of-kristi-krebs-ea93de24cd23
https://www.advocate-news.com/2019/05/09/where-is-kristi-krebs/
https://charleyproject.org/case/kristi-suzanne-krebs
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/808dfca.html
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/1268
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/fort-bragg-parents-use-technology-to-look-for-missing-daughte
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Kristi_Krebs
https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=53441147&itype=cmsid
https://www.advocate-news.com/2016/04/21/missing-but-not-forgotten/

Don’t you toke and ride in the snow too?
“Dear Unofficial Networks Editor,
I write to you today, despite not being a fan of your so-called “publication”, but because I understand that it has an immense reach with drug users who partaken in skiing and more likely snowboarding.
I write with a pressing concern that demands our immediate attention: the unrestricted use of marijuana at ski resorts. As a renowned health advocate, I feel compelled to shed light on the potential hazards associated with the unregulated consumption of this substance in recreational settings. The following explains why it is imperative to ban marijuana within the confines of these cherished winter wonderlands.
The intoxicating effects of marijuana can pose a substantial risk to a person’s coordination, balance, and mental acuity, all of which are paramount on the slopes. By impairing reaction times, motor skills, and judgment, marijuana can sow the seeds of accidents and jeopardize the safety not only of users but also of those around them. The consequences could be dire, resulting in severe injuries that leave lasting scars on the slopes and in our hearts.
Furthermore, ski resorts are a sanctuary for families seeking wholesome outdoor activities. They are vibrant hubs of togetherness, where people of all ages can revel in the joys of winter sports. However, the uncontrolled use of marijuana within these family-oriented destinations exposes our children to an environment that normalizes drug consumption. We must ensure that our slopes remain sanctuaries of innocence and unity, free from the discomfort and conflicts that arise when confronted with the presence and effects of marijuana.
I strongly advocate for the prohibition of marijuana at ski resorts. Our utmost priority should be safeguarding the well-being of skiers, snowboarders, and families who seek solace and exhilaration in these treasured destinations. By adopting a proactive stance on safety and responsible behavior, ski resorts can maintain their revered status as guardians of health and vitality, cultivating an environment that nurtures the well-being and joy of every visitor.
With great concern for our collective welfare,
Dan from Salt Lake City” Sauce- https://unofficialnetworks.com/2023/06/06/letter-to-editor-the-urgent-need-to-prohibit-marijuana-at-ski-resorts/

Some interesting reading from wiki-

Psychosis

In historical accounts of retroactively diagnosed Wendigo psychosis, it has been reported that humans became possessed by the wendigo spirit, after being in a situation of needing food and having no other choice besides cannibalism. In 1661, The Jesuit Relations reported:
Ce qui nous mit plus en peine, fut la nouvelle que nous apprismes dés l'entrée du Lac, à sçauoir : que les deputez par nostre Conducteur, qui deuoient conuoquer les Nations à la Mer du Nord, et leur donner le rendez-vous pour nous y attendre, auoient esté tuez l'Hiuer passé, d'une façon estonnante. Ces pauures gens furent saisis, à ce qu'on nous a dit, d'vn mal qui nous est inconnu, mais qui n'est pas bien extraordinaire parmy les peuples que nous cherchons : ils ne sont ny lunatiques, ny hypocondriaques, ny phrenetiques; mais ils ont vn mélange de toutes ces sortes de maladies, qui, leur blessant l'imagination, leur cause vne faim plus que canine, et les rend si affamez de chair humaine, qu'ils se iettent sur les femmes, sur les enfans, mesme sur les hommes, comme de vrais loups-garous, et les deuorent à belles dents, sans se pouuoir rassasier ny saouler, cherchans tousiours nouuelle proye, et plus auidement que plus ils en ont mangé. C'est la maladie dont ces députez furent atteints; et comme la mort est l'vnique remede parmy ces bonnes gens, pour arrester ces meurtres, ils ont esté massacrez pour arrester le cours de leur manie.[23]
What caused us greater concern was the news that met us upon entering the Lake, namely, that the men deputed by our Conductor for the purpose of summoning the Nations to the North Sea, and assigning them a rendezvous, where they were to await our coming, had met their death the previous Winter in a very strange manner. Those poor men (according to the report given us) were seized with an ailment unknown to us, but not very unusual among the people we were seeking. They are afflicted with neither lunacy, hypochondria, nor frenzy; but have a combination of all these species of disease, which affects their imaginations and causes them a more than canine hunger. This makes them so ravenous for human flesh that they pounce upon women, children, and even upon men, like veritable werewolves, and devour them voraciously, without being able to appease or glut their appetite—ever seeking fresh prey, and the more greedily the more they eat. This ailment attacked our deputies; and, as death is the sole remedy among those simple people for checking such acts of murder, they were slain in order to stay the course of their madness.[24]
Although in many recorded cases of Wendigo psychosis the individual has been killed to prevent cannibalism from resulting, some Cree folklore recommends treatment by ingestion of fatty animal meats or drinking animal grease; those treated may sometimes vomit ice as part of the curing process.[25]
One of the more famous cases of Wendigo psychosis reported involved a Plains Cree trapper from Alberta, named Swift Runner.[26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. Twenty-five miles away from emergency food supplies at a Hudson's Bay Company post, Swift Runner butchered and ate his wife and five remaining children.[28] Given that he resorted to cannibalism so near to food supplies, and that he killed and consumed the remains of all those present, it was revealed that Swift Runner's was not a case of pure cannibalism as a last resort to avoid starvation, but rather of a man with Wendigo psychosis.[28] He eventually confessed and was executed by authorities at Fort Saskatchewan.[29]
Another well-known case involving Wendigo psychosis was that of Jack Fiddler, an Oji-Cree chief and medicine man known for his powers at defeating wendigos. In some cases, this entailed killing people with Wendigo psychosis. As a result, in 1907, Fiddler and his brother Joseph were arrested by the Canadian authorities for homicide. Jack committed suicide, but Joseph was tried and sentenced to life in prison. He ultimately was granted a pardon but died three days later in jail before receiving the news of this pardon.[30]
Fascination with Wendigo psychosis among Western ethnographers, psychologists, and anthropologists led to a hotly debated controversy in the 1980s over the historicity of this phenomenon. Some researchers argued that, essentially, Wendigo psychosis was a fabrication, the result of naïve anthropologists taking stories related to them at face value without observation.[31][32] Others have pointed to a number of credible eyewitness accounts, both by Algonquians and others, as evidence that Wendigo psychosis was a factual historical phenomenon.[33]
The frequency of Wendigo psychosis cases decreased sharply in the 20th century as Boreal Algonquian people came into greater and greater contact with European ideologies and more sedentary, less rural, lifestyles.[5]
In his 2004 treatise Revenge of the Windigo on disorders and treatments of the behavioral health industry in the United States and Canada that are peculiar to indigenous people, James B. Waldram wrote,[34]

...no actual cases of windigo psychosis have ever been studied, and Lou Marano's scathing critique in 1985 should have killed off the cannibal monster within the psychiatric annals. The windigo, however, continues to seek revenge for this attempted scholarly execution by periodically duping unsuspecting passers-by, like psychiatrists, into believing that windigo psychosis not only exists but that a psychiatrist could conceivably encounter a patient suffering from this disorder in his or her practice today! Windigo psychosis may well be the most perfect example of the construction of an Aboriginal mental disorder by the scholarly professions, and its persistence dramatically underscores how constructions of the Aboriginal by these professions have, like Frankenstein's monster, taken on a life of their own.

The 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) classifies "Windigo" as a culture-specific disorder, describing it as "Rare, historic accounts of cannibalistic obsession... Symptoms included depression, homicidal or suicidal thoughts, and a delusional, compulsive wish to eat human flesh... Some controversial new studies question the syndrome's legitimacy, claiming cases were actually a product of hostile accusations invented to justify the victim's ostracism or execution."[35]
​

As a concept or metaphor

In addition to denoting a cannibalistic monster from certain traditional folklore, some Native Americans also understand the wendigo conceptually. As a concept, the wendigo can apply to any person, idea, or movement infected by a corrosive drive toward self-aggrandizing greed and excessive consumption, traits that sow disharmony and destruction if left unchecked. Ojibwe scholar Brady DeSanti asserts that the wendigo "can be understood as a marker indicating... a person... imbalanced both internally and toward the larger community of human and spiritual beings around them."[36] Out of equilibrium and estranged by their communities, individuals thought to be afflicted by the wendigo spirit unravel and destroy the ecological balance around them. Chippewa author Louise Erdrich's novel The Round House), winner of the National Book Award, depicts a situation where an individual person becomes a wendigo. The novel describes its primary antagonist, a rapist whose violent crimes desecrate a sacred site, as a wendigo who must be killed because he threatens the reservation's safety.
In addition to characterizing individual people who exhibit destructive tendencies, the wendigo can also describe movements and events with similarly negative effects. According to Professor Chris Schedler, the figure of the wendigo represents "consuming forms of exclusion and assimilation" through which groups dominate other groups."[37] This application allows Native Americans to describe colonialism and its agents as wendigos since the process of colonialism ejected natives from their land and threw the natural world out of balance. DeSanti points to the 1999 horror film Ravenous) as an illustration of this argument equating "the cannibal monster" to "American colonialism and manifest destiny". This movie features a character who articulates that expansion brings displacement and destruction as side effects, explaining that "manifest destiny" and "western expansion" will bring "thousands of gold-hungry Americans... over the mountains in search of new lives... This country is seeking to be whole... Stretching out its arms... and consuming all it can. And we merely follow".[38]
As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. Joe Lockhard, English professor at Arizona State University, argues that wendigos are agents of "social cannibalism" who know "no provincial or national borders; all human cultures have been visited by shape-shifting wendigos. Their visitations speak to the inseparability of human experience... National identity is irrelevant to this borderless horror."[39] Lockhard's ideas explain that wendigos are an expression of a dark aspect of human nature: the drive toward greed, consumption, and disregard for other life in the pursuit of self-aggrandizement.
Romantic scholar and documentarian Emily Zarka, also a professor at Arizona State University, observes that two commonalities among the indigenous cultures of Algonquian language family speakers are that they are situated in climes where harsh winters are frequent and may be accompanied by starvation. She states that the wendigo symbolically represents three major concepts: it is the incarnation of winter, the embodiment of hunger, and the personification of selfishness.[2]

'Faze'.
At the, "Dere-Licht," Manor, upon the Steps of the Stairs, a Smoked Pipe was placed. In the very Centre of the Meeting Hall (the Room off to the Side from the Bottom of the Stairwell), there was another one, as well. Okay well, throughout the entire building... More like, a GREAT number!
Avem had them placed all throughout that Rebuilt Old Character House, and within that Glorified Mansion, there were Smoked Pipes, In and On Cupboards, Resting Upon Windowsills (with the Drapes Pulled or Left Open), upon Countertops, Hidden Inside of Bookshelves (if not Resting Upon them), of course on the Mantle, Hidden In and Around Corners.. at Every End, Above and Slightly Adjacent to Entrances, and even some, which were included upon the Tabletops...
All of these Smoking Pipes, some with Ashen Remainders in them, some only Constructed Models of, what we imagine, would have been kept for their Interest Sake, were watched by a Careful Set-Up, of Video Surveillance.
The Surveillance, Signaled Hanging Display Monitors, all throughout the House, and also at Avem's Lab in Tokyo. Some of these Monitors, were Hanging from the Ceiling, at the Walls, Facing Down and Into the Rooms. Others, in the Bedrooms, were Level with Sitting Chairs, where one might want to Sit Down and Look At Them.
They were Set Up, Primarily, To Catch Every Angle and Motion of Light or Shadow Upon or Within the Pipes. This Recording of Smoked Rememberances, took place Every Night and Day, from the Rising to the Setting of the Sun, all Throughout the Years. What were the Ashes for?
…
Granny Smith, he yelled. I'm telling you! She didn't believe him one bit. And you pretend you weren't looking for me!?...
She interrogated him fearsomely. Do you know who I am???
Do you know who I am, "Roared," Perry, back at her, bleakly. He was terrified. Though, he somehow managed to pull off a tone, which mirrored her own, with mock mavery.
Down the hall, there was a beep. Close the door, Swarma commanded, looking out through the interrogation Room's Exit. There was the sound of a, "fwoosh," and a, "click," outside of it. Nobody had been at the Exit, either to push or to pull it's heavy door, closed. There was also no telling, of where that other door might be. She took a swab and daubed Perry with it quickly, before leaving. Wait right here, she cackled, smiling a leerily-wisening old grin, as she left him to total.
What's doing this to you? shrieked Ren. June had actually been, in all fact, sobbing and in dread. Her body, becoming purple, as it was, "cast," with some thick layer of unknown chrysoform, which continued to cover her in variegating patches, no matter how much she scratched or peeled. It seemed to keep leaking out from her pores in beads, which coalesced over her skin, recombined, and matted. Heaving, she threw a chunk at the Vending Machine.
She was sitting in Emergency, having just made it through Triage. These are for you, said the Faithful and Believing, Catholic Lady Friend of Wells, who passed her some Pamphlets from the Lecture.
The Professor had stopped everything, to see to it that this kind Lady, would bring Juniper to ER, post-haste. June had brought Ren along as a Study Buddy, for Note-Taking, with a Bribe.
Initially, June went out to the Mountains, to collect Perry's belongings from the Rented Cabin. Upon arriving back in town, both she and Ren decided to Drive out to the College for a Lecture, and to Sight-See, while asking people around the Area if they had Seen or Heard from Perry. Could he be haunting her somewhere? Was there any hope?
Although... the Professor HAD, abruptly interrupted his Lecture to find one of his CPR-trained staff to escort Juniper to the nearby Hospital E.R., in the event that she might not make it there herself, and was, "Truly," facing a Medical Crisis.
The Vending Machine, went lame, and the lights in ER flickered for a moment. I'm getting creeped, said Ren. That's all!
June's problem stemmed back, from when she ate the Oatmeal, which Perry had left behind at the Cabin, while she was inside it, looking at a Newspaper and Doodling.
Some of Avem's Team, had been in the Trails previously, and Driven a Snowmobile through them, tracing Chemicals through the Snow. A or Spoken Split. It had been at just one of her Lab's Testing Zones.
Avem had caught onto Perry, first, when her Voice Exploded from a Crackling Ice Wyrm/ “i”’Sāqa-Šaqqa, in the Cabin's Fireplace.
Avem had been Writing her Vocals into the Chemical Strains of the Ice-Wyrm Constituency Potion, which she concocted in her Lab, and Spread Rumours about, then Codifying it with Automatic Cyber-Sentience Response-Forms, which took initiatives, based on Environmental Factors, and in turn, fed back Information. This Data, was made readable by her Reverse Tonic, which Tabulated it, by Codices, which had Variables in her own Mental Inter-Framing. Cog-Notes, if you will, to her own Cognition. All of, these, Variables, which entered her Consideration, let her Pry, both on Known, and Unknown, Territories. She frequently Drank her Cyber-Tonic from a Vial in her Lab, while going over Her Work.
Perry Wheeled, and Stumbled around the Room, trying to avoid the Icicle Firecrackers, which were Sounding Off whenever he Slid and/or Stepped upon them. He'd apparently been Mega-Dosed, and was now about to Learn what in the World of a Mega-Dosed, Felt Like when Under and In It.
The Wyrms were Sounding Off, in an Acoustics Array, and Perry, Bounded and Rebounded Turning Listless as the Chrysalids Exited him, and Becoming Reinterred into Motion Again, by their Sounds. He was now, well... Not Feeling Like a Perry. That and he was Done, Done, and, "Roared," out. He could No Longer even Find his Own Vocal to Bless How He Felt. Avem came back in, when the Turnabout was Over. She had Observed Perry by a Camera Hidden in the Room, which was Hooked up to her Monitors for Surveillance, as well. Turning on a Ventilation Fan, from outside, which led the Room's Air into a Separate Chamber, she had Two People, Dressed in Dark Robes, walk in, and move Perry back to his Chair, now Limp. They Swept Up, the Remaining Crystalline Deciduates, and Drains Opened, which Took the Little Bit of Liquidine Debris, Out of the Room. Perry, was now Toned.
Swarma, Placed her Hand on his Forehead, at First to Take his Temperature, and then, Mentally Calibrating his Vocal Remembrance within Herself, Uttered a Word to him, While he sat Slumped over the Chair, Catatonic. The Word.
And Therein, may be a Key... His Subconscious Mind, would most certainly Remember. She Had Uttered It, in His Very Own Vocal Tone. Why? It Rendered him Cognizant and Triggered His Mentality, as though His Own... Though, Truly?... Her Own.
Perry was allowed, with the other Time Wraiths as escort, to slowly move around the Manor and familiarize himself with it. He was being taught by them, how to remain very still for long periods of time. Many of the Time Wraiths, were flown out to the Lab down in Tokyo, to use the computers on their Night-Watch Network. The Lab there, housed her prized Hua Niu ("Black Diamond") Apple, Bonsai, kept under specialized lighting, plus numerous other artefacts. It was set up like somewhat of a Museum, with one dimly lit, humming room for computer observancy, which apart from Monitor glare, left much to the realm of the keen observer.
The 34, often formed a Large Pentagram, with two people at each of the five elemental points, two people between each elemental point encompassing, two people between each elemental point intersecting, two people in the very centre, and two people encircling round about. Underneath them, was stone masonwork in black basalt, and a large star outline, traced with gold inlay.
A chandelier hung above them, and the room had an overview of the gated entrance, where birds were often seen in trees, and light could pour in, but at night, the glass of these windows turned sheet-black to buffet them in, high enough up that none might peep.
By no commotion of ceremony, the participants would stand and hear the NicNeven recite her Canon address. The fruits her Science had yielded, sounded in the Hall, and into their collective memory, which disbanded when they did, after she read from her book.
The book, made from gene paper, was their Canon, and this... only a meeting hall. Despite its congressional form, summons were not of sell out to World Teachings. She ranked as their Science-elected, matriarch, of mental-modernity, by the facet of old typings and tyings, to, "new," teachings.
Ruminations from the fruits of her labwork, thereat would be discussed. For if nobody would have them, they most certainly would. Then, and only then, would the lines be codographed (some of the Night-Watch, were also very good hackers). They were secretly culted-over, but by few, and their practicum bore method, not mere devotion. The team were, "Nec-Will'O’Mancer"-affiliate.
An Addendum/Add-On on The Hadena/Gaudy Hadibi/Gift, Out Of Hades/Hell, by Hoodoo (Through Sinter Croft Sinchery, or, alleged Ho-Doctorate).
~ In Other Words: The Elaborately Sinched False-Label on Tobacco Smoke. ~
…
That It Came From, Túḫ-ḫa-a-iz-zi: "To Produce Smoke."
A Variant Of This Hittite Language Word (In Imperative Plural), Is, "Tuḫḫāndu."
…
Because, 'Tuh': Means to, "Pour"/"Give Birth"/"Lay Eggs"/"Touha (Which, implies, by, "Desire")," And/Or, "Tuha," https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/tuh
This, As Well As, 'Tuhh': "Thousand"/"Grand"/"Tonn,” by the Proponent of Measure. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/tuhh
&
... 'Tuha': "Tuba." https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/туъһа
Where, ... 'Tuba' (Malay Language): Is a, "Poison That Is Made Out Of Root." https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/tuba
Plus, it’s, 'Tuba' (Malay Language), Gives "Duva (Fijian Language),"
For 'Dūbǭ' (Dutch Language): https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dūbǭ * 'Dūbǭ', Can Mean, "Dove." *
Thus, “Height.” Though, Holy Spirit (Or Prayers) still, “Intemn”/”Imprison,” you as Indebted by Material Snare (Karmic-Causal Renditions), if not off of it.
…
~ After Tuh, Which Too, Is Tuha.. And Tuha, Which With Tuhh, Is Thousand.. ~
... Kamba Language: "Andu,” for, “Mundu."
• Making, "Tuḫḫāndu."
…
The Reason Why, Is Because,
"Andu (Kamba Language)": "Mundu,"
And "Mundu (Kamba Language)": "A Man,"
When,
"Mʊ̀ntʊ̀ (Proto-Bantu Language)": "Kɪ̀ntʊ̀"/"Thing,"
And "Kɪ̀ntʊ̀"/"Thing,"
When Translated To Nyasa, Chichewa Language: "Chinthu."
This Last Addition Indicates The

• "Co."

Which Is, The, "Man," "Thing," Or, "World," Of It, So To Speak.
Which Would Be The World, If Not By Dove-Letterate.

• Jehu, Jehu, He’ish I Say too. *

Ishi (Hosea). …

• Anyhow, the Natives know it by another name. Hope you've enjoyed the Lesson!

What did you have me on? Some sort of Cerelium Slick? El, in Perry, broke out bawling. Something so licentious that I can’t tell I’m licked. HaHa.
His stupor adored him with affection, and he had a hammering affectation from it. It caused him to clout his knowing, though only briefly.
Perry came through, yamming… I’m looking back on days of Candy Cloaker Gobstoppers! You mean you literally had me erased… or, where am I?
You Hide no Burger, in Finding Fries, Perald. Daytime is where I have you.
At that, there had been an unconventional or out-of-the-norm convening, where not-an-one of all the attendants had-in, to agree, "We are Necropolitan"... Though, their greed to know, would grow.
Perry led himself back in, looking for his girlfriend, strangely feeling sold out of his nut.
…
Ironically, it was just at that point that Juniper had made it there. She too was undergoing her thought detexturing, “rinse,” that is, the opposite of any detox, after looking like a Raisin May's, “In.”
This was to be the, “Turnabout (a new Ceremony was declared by Avem’s Host in Relative-Caster Company, and held somewhat like a House Party).”
A $9,000.00 Maitland Smith Dollhouse Bar Cabinet, was off in isolated room of the newly Renovated Manor, with a load of Porcelain Dolls and cameras to watch it.
That room was off limits.
Juniper had had it in her know long afore, in dream. Now to hack Avem… oh, where?
…
"Osa," circuit of my air... How can, "I," enfold you? Swarma asked, with a vestitude, which only, behooved to surmise her, with surreptitious guiltiness of paridyllic refrain.
She, “The NicNeven,” winked meaningfully, holding an extremely rare pipe up, skyward.
The Time Wraiths all sat, in their, “F”arm-Ended Theatre apart from the once-Ballroom.
Quieting down, it was in their circle that a cast occurred, but in truth they were no relative summoners and Avem’s Mafia had elected them afresh.
That is… that as they were all a, somewhat afraid and eerily sketched out, “Fresh Crop,” yet and though, she would in fact, have them richly afforded, in Good Time.
…
Avem’s Mafia had sent the former Nec-Will’O’Mancers over to her Manor for the Renovations.
Avem, then, was Crowned, “Accorded,” and the Newly Selected Time Wraiths, could be Trained.
Avem’s Clue In, in her new Role, while in her old Manor seemed to live in it’s espies.
I mean, they must have had her drugged for the whole house to be enchanted, somehow, but the only question is who set it up, and when?
One of her clues, came from a former Nec-Will’O’Mancer silently shadow-encoaching a novice approved in the group, by his far larger boding of path had, in-the-off. She heard the man in her head as well, ruling that Smith had to explore her ties in the Mafia, through rank, a second time, and thus a later, termed-submission as a right of accession, had been officed.
She, once again (the man went over in his mind) being indoctrinated into Mafia rank, though slowly, because her freedom-release methods, were her own merital device, and she needed a longer time to work at them.
Avem, had canned herself intentionally, to stay at a head, but nobody fully knew, how it was done.
Reptilian Mind Control.
-‐-
How could that be?
Look to the Wind, and we shall ride. ~ "Phantom Riding The Whip," where one is not standing on top of a vehicle, but rather, riding over a different type of, "Whip," as a, "Phantom-Circuit." ~
"Now we admonish," they recited.
"Peace be," stated the NicNeven. She inhaled from the lit pipe.
They all, “doned,” her infuriatingness, with amicability.
Now yes, your highest love, and what’s our gift they forecried, awaiting something.
Not of in an any Dib of forgery… You will undoubtedly see. She canned.
Please don’t mess us or master us mental, Avem, one girl joked, admitting the kind dark lair WAS weird.
That's Missus, Avem relegated ghasting.
…
Now, I have here the document they stole it from, a man entering the room said. He read aloud,
The remains of a, "chicote"/"cigar butt"/"cigarette butt."
The Nec-Will'O'Mancers, then stated in unison, reading off of the pamphlets they'd previously been handed out, though in a less clear-and-determined tone, or well (it seemed), in a way that hummed and wandered.
"... Far l'fo, Ho glow. How we sway. How does a hard tar, Lie her thieu, In a chi, icy high..."?
When they were finished reciting, the man continued speaking.
By, "sukunai," "少ない," the man continued in Japanese… a word, which means, "few or little," with the root word, "少し ("すこし," "sukoshi").""
Avem exhaled. "The synonym for, which is, "chotto," she said. So yes... in other words? "A little." "ちょっと ("chotto")," may I add, it has a root word in the adverb, "chito..." "... "ちと ("chito")," as in, "slightly," "a little," "a bit," or, "somewhat," where, "ち ("chi," means, “small”)," and, "と ("to," is an adverbial particle). "と ("to")," is also a noun, which is short for, "と金 (tokin)," which will now indicate a promoted, "歩兵 ("fuhyō," or, "pawn”)," that, "moves," like a, "金将 ("kinshō," or, “gold general”).""
Thus, what might have been inferred, perhaps, was that a, "Chicote," in a pipe, was, more or less, alike unto a, "Chi Chót," if it did indeed implicate such.
A, "Chót," of course, meaning something at the, "Bottom," "Lowest Extremity," or, "End," of something, and from there, or at that point, perhaps even then moving forward.
Chicote, apart from being a form of Tobacco, was also, in all truth, a form of, "Whip," known for being a Scourge, in places like the Congo.
The NicNeven, had already caught wise to this, and also how, this form of Tobacco, may have had it's own "Xicohtli (a Nahuatl word, for, "Bumblebee")."
I guess, what needed to be said most (as a nod to the Indigenous People), was that they were good to hold a Peace over the Herb, and also Bow...
Some people may have needed a Peace Blessed over them, knowing the Nature of how all Words exist with ties to Power.
…
This time, however, she was not merely dreaming with the pipe. She aimed to begin work on something more pivotal. Holding her peace, over them, as though the Time Wraiths had not, in fact, been led by her to keep a different mindset, themselves, she kept them aware, of the part of her mind they were let in by.
A part, they would not be able to share. When inhaling, she did so with a strickening wind, through sympathetic diacords and resonance fields, and from a region locked onto by the Time Wraiths collective awareness. The NicNeven (we presume, remaining silent somewhere at the top of an, "imaginary," but quite irregal, circuit of Heaven, and with her pipe), had her whole lot hidden safely away, and blessed unseen.
She, "wind-let," her chosen remote area, with the pipe, from a distance, as though it were a whip and a scourge, creating yet another (this time stronger), bane.
Her smoke summons, were such that, she hoped to collect and open them, one day, as a portal, to dawn on the World.
As for the pipe vision. This one was well formed. She might have make a centrepiece of it, on table somewhere.
Many of them, rested on glass plates, with glass cases overtop. After their Surveillance Circuit had run, "Ash-Line Data," or, "Pipe Particle Intel," was fed through a Computer on the Ash-Configuracy, Analysis-Observancy Program, of the, 'Night-Watch Circuit', of the, "Time Wraiths"-Network, and for a Number of Reasons...
One, being that the Data, would often be used to reproduce these, "In-Pipe Visions," as, "Viable Product-for-Sale ("Furnishings from the, "Furnace,"" so-to-speak)," and so they needed a Good Record of Analysis kept for Reproduction. "Pipe Reproductions," would be made using more Durable Materials, and Non-Smokable Materials. The Data, would also allow the group to Configure Predictions of Ash-Shift, with a Matrix, once Measurements and Variables were Plugged into an appropriate Coded Program Logarithm, which helped them see, potential Shift Patterns, which may yet arise. The Furnishings, were to be kept as Permanent Pipes... Artefacts, for the Mansion, and Museum, of Swarma.
'Necrolith Spectre'. ~ The NicNeven's, "Necrolith Spectre," had a very real premise. She, had drawn Chi through her Summon of Feiz, by a Fix. ~
"Chi (# 14)": https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%A1
"Summon ("Korean," Language)": 徴 https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%BE%B4#Japanese
"Feiz ("Zhuang," Language)": https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/feiz#Zhuang
"Fix ("Bouyei," Language)": https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/fix
Andrew wrote obscurely,
My thought is that the Jinwen Bian, Bronze Inscription, of, "Fá (in the Mandarin Language)," ties itself over to, "Fät (in the "Volapük," Language)," and thus relates to, "Fate," and, "Karma."
"Fat (in the Cantonese Language)," means, "Buddha," and is related to, "Fá (in Mandarin)," while, "Fät (in the Voläpuk Language)," is characteristic of, "Buddhist Philosophy."
Does anyone else see the Structure of the Modern, "Wheel," in the Mandarin, "Fá?" - A.W.T. (November 18th, 2020).

• No-one knew why. *

‘A, “Marrow Vin Gean”’.
The Holy Spirit Sword cuts through to the Marrow. This is intended to mean that it is versatile. Only, more to the point, that it is not intended for vice.
How this happens, is that it has verses, in tandem occurrence, operating in relevant reflection, on Scripture, and is designed to heal. That is… before having thought of attack or rendering anyone ineffectual.
Wisdom from Jesus, in Scripture, teaches us, that, without Doctrinal relevance, and Revelation, we live on a Dying Planet and cause it.
~ Falling out of our mouths, if I may add. ~ The tongue is a venomous instrument, which apart from destroying, needs to be bridled with Scriptural Truth and or the Gospel, or healing falls away from what we know of vital spirit, sowing, growing, engrafting, and planning.
However picking up on any dead line of “Prayer Chain (for things truly are, by introspection, a righteously bidden, divine godly judgement's in of how to live by a planetary Monodeism and not just by correspondence, but mainly faith in Him),” to help, Christianly, defeat the death of the soul. [Angelic parameters, of what’s barred, of course had in, or it’s out a’barren]
Marrow is where the Blood Cells are created before reaching the Circulatory System.
This is in the bone.
Luz is the Catholic-Bidden Vertebrae/Spinal Column Bone for Resurrection.
As Jesus commands one to Live or the Tree not to grow for being of ill time, Our lines have a prayer solvency to that line of fess, by the Vin, or vine, and gean or Spirit.
However, Merovingeans are babylonian Dragon order. We needed it bidden less graven.

• Remember the Holy Ghost is of the Burning Bush, with Moses, in Exodus, in The Holy Bible (and not only there).

A Spirit Sword (Of The LORD), bids first how to save. One, “should,” not desire to dare another into fire, as God graces the time by his hand.
Made of Heaven, wise, the sword knows the hairs on the heads of the utilizers and counting unequal, may perform.
That is, off for bolder lead, and even balded for baring, out of the Worker’s Parable of God’s Constance and Unequal Nature, bearers of it's Fire, may see, and do oft’ find some in their know, of the Church Hold on Word.
Obvious?
This is the Rate Of Pay, in the Vineyard Parable, of the Workers who worked (un-in Mammon), for their Lord (Christ), earlier, and then some other, later (ie. When, in Truth, found bidden in and by Him, a fair constant is maintained, no matter World Climate, in the Fellowship), for and not toward, the forever, for they may not be bidden.
God unriddled.
Jesus, is the Amen in Revelations 3:14, He Ransoms Believers Souls, through Self Sacrifice and Sovereign Service, his father, created and lawed through the covenants, and the commandments, and owned all heaven host and hierarch, and the Holy Spirit, Blessed the Way.
'On What Could Have Been'.
An expensive matryoshka was brought in for Ralph to look at...
He received the package at his Estate, and had a hard time with his spectacles, adjusting them trying to read the fine print.
The brown paper parcel, with white sticker, opened to a smaller purple gift box, within it. The gift box was about the size of an order of chow mein, and from within the lilac tissue paper inside, was a golden doll. Andrei, Fu, and Evelyn, had driven back and were now seated around Mr. Dizzmith.
Well, here it is, he stated. No word of who it's from, not to mention that I'm not working anymore.
Is it another antique asked Andrei?
Yes, and well, I think it is, replied the Senior, but the thing is, I don't know how to open it. It's a Matryoshka or Russian Nesting Doll, and this one is rather expensive, but the Middle Circumference of the Doll has a Twistable-Dial Lock, and I've never known that to be the case before.
Would you wager all the others inside it are like that, too? asked Evelyn. I know what Matryoshkas are, but you're right. This one DOES seem a little bedeviled.
Perhaps said Ralph.
Do you think there is anything inside, asked Fu.
It looks a little weighty. Is it a bomb? Asked Evelyn.
Nobody would bomb a man like Mr. Dizzmith, said Andrei, but just to be on the safe side, I'll look it up. Andrei pulled out his Smart Phone.
Most bombs don't have Passcodes, said Fu. Look, the Passcode is right here on the box.
It says the code can be adjusted and is made to be matrilineal.
This is most definitely a finely-crafted specimen then, but how does it work? asked Ralph.
Well, it looks like every Doll has two turnable dials at the vertical middle, which run horizontal and around the circumference. These are adjusted from within, when open, and numerically set with dates for a passcode, before the top and bottom on each doll are latched, that is. Each doll is secured, around and over the former one, which has been latched or fastened, and each, in so doing, has its dials consecutively scrambled from the outside, before putting the next doll on it. The dolls are hollow, and increase in scale, to fit, while the locks operate by Birth Years of mothers, or rather, daughters. If one Mother or Grandmother, leaves a Sum, in her Will, to the, 'Matryoshka Fund', it will Increase in Interest, and if they send an Heirloom in With the Money, once the Company is Informed of the Birth of the Final Child, they will send the Doll to the Final Child, Heirloom within It. The Family History, and Records are Sent too, as the Locks are Set with Birth Years, of Mothers, in Chronological Order or First to Last, and this Prevents the Wrong Families from Accessing the Contents.
If No Contents, are Sent by the Ancestral Will-Bearer, Gifts-in-Shop, may also be Included, upon Initial Order Selection.
The Company/Fund, occasionally Touches Base with the Families, but this is Less Common.
Who is it for? asked Evelyn.
I have no idea, but there's some Weird Vial in it!
What could it be of, though?
Well, Matryoshka's are generally not compartments, made use of, for containing things, but this appears to be a Vial of Oil.
"Oyle," is a rare name for the Saviour, "Jesus Christ," remarked Andrei.
"Oyle ("Middle English," Language)": # 2.4. https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/oyle Maybe an Heiress, then? said Ralph. WHO could she have been?!

Check out part 1 for context
The Tonpa Kingdoms Part 1 (Overview and The Gods) : worldbuilding (reddit.com)
There are 5 connected Kingdoms that have Tonpa as their main religion these are.
Jangshun
A Place of snow-capped Mountains and green Valleys, said to be built upon the ruins of the ancient Jungar people who controlled much of the area of Jangshun and the nearby kingdoms of Monyul and Taishigang.
Very little is known about the Jungar, their ruins are scattered throughout the landscape of Jangshun, and are often characterized by simple stone structures, pottery shards, and other artifacts. Based on these remains, it is believed that the Jungar were a relatively simple society, with a lifestyle that revolved around farming, herding, and other basic activities.
Despite their lack of sophistication, the Jugar are an important part of the history and culture of the region many myths and legends have grown up around them, the people of Jangshun often see the Jungar as a symbol of the enduring spirit of the region, and take pride in the fact that they were able to survive and thrive in a harsh and unforgiving environment. In addition to their physical remains, the Jungar have left a lasting impact on the people of Jangshun in other ways. Their language, customs, and traditions are thought to have influenced the culture of the later kingdom, and many people still feel a strong connection to the Jagun and their way of life.
The Capital of Jangshun is called Druktse, founded by Dragon Priests and the legendary Namgyal dynasty the city is known for its unique architecture, with buildings made of wood and stone, intricately carved and painted with colorful designs and motifs, the streets are narrow and winding, with prayer flags fluttering in the breeze and the sound of temple bells ringing in the air.
At the center of the city is the Royal Palace of Jigme Wangchuk, a majestic building that serves as the residence of the Royal Family, the palace consists of several wings and halls, each with its own specific function. The main hall is the center of political and ceremonial activities, where the king held court and received important guests. The royal family's private quarters were located in a separate wing, with opulent living spaces and lavish decorations.
One of the most impressive features of the palace is the Eagle Tower, a tall structure that houses the elite Eagle Guards, who were responsible for the king's security the tower is covered from top to bottom with intricate carvings of the bird of prey.
The palace is surrounded by lush gardens and fountains, and it is guarded by soldiers in traditional Eagle attire, the Eagle Guards of the palace of Jingme Wangchuk are an elite group of soldiers tasked with protecting the king and the royal family, known for their fearsome reputation and exceptional combat skills, the Eagle Guards are considered one of the most prestigious units in the Jangshun army.
The guards are named after the majestic eagles that inhabit the mountainous regions of Jangshun, and they were trained to emulate the hunting tactics of these birds of prey. They are adept at using the terrain to their advantage, and are particularly skilled at scaling steep cliffs and mountainous terrain to surprise and overwhelm their enemies. In addition to their exceptional combat skills, the Eagle Guards were also known for their loyalty and dedication to the royal family. They undergo rigorous training and were selected based on their physical prowess, intelligence, and character, to become an Eagle Guard, applicants must be graduates of both the School of the Father and School of the Dragon.
The Eagle Guards are outfitted in distinctive uniforms that featured a stylized eagle emblem, and they were armed with a variety of weapons, including bows, spears, and swords. They were also known to use eagle feathers and talons in their armor and equipment, as a nod to the unit's namesake.
Druktse is a hub of cultural and religious activities, with several monasteries and temples located throughout the city.
The most famous of these is the Tashicho Dzong, a stunning fortress monastery that serves as the seat of The Gyelpa (The Duke) the secondary ruler of Druktse and the center of Druk-Ta worship. The dzong is surrounded by high walls and towers, and is accessible through a grand gate that is guarded by soldiers. The interior of the dzong is a maze of courtyards, chapels, and offices, all connected by narrow passageways and staircases.
One of the most impressive features of Tashicho Dzong is its towering central fortress and monastery, which rises above the rest of the complex and can be seen from miles around. This fortress is home to the Dragon Priests and is one of the most important structures in Jangshun. The fortress monastery is also famous for its beautiful architecture and intricate artwork. The walls of the courtyards are adorned with colorful murals and paintings, while the chapels are filled with statues and other religious artifacts. Visitors to Tashicho Dzong can tour the complex and learn about Jangshun history and culture, as well as observe the daily routines of the monks who live and work there. The Monastery is open to the public during certain hours of the day, and visitors are advised to dress modestly and remove their shoes before entering the chapels. Even though the current royal family of Jangshun are connected to The Father, The Dragon holds a special place in Druktse.
The people of Druktse are known for their warm hospitality and their strong sense of community. They celebrate several festivals throughout the year, including the annual Tshechu festival, the 3 Gods Festival which features colorful dances and rituals performed by monks and laypeople.
To the north-east of the Kingdom lies the second biggest city in Jangshun, the city of Lhagyal, often called “The Fire-proof City”
Lhagyal is a mass of stone walls and buildings with precious little wood being used at all, the walls of the city are imposingly high and even the central palace is relatively flat and does not rise above the walls, there are 4 gates made of pure steel and those are the only entrances and exits.
Inside the city walls, the streets are narrow and winding, with tall, tightly packed buildings constructed from rough-hewn stone. The architecture is distinct, with flat roofs and ornate metal doors decorating the doorways and windows, many of the buildings are built into the city's walls, their backs resting against the ancient stones.
There is more to the city than what meets the eye. Beneath the streets lie a labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs, built for both practical and spiritual purposes. Some are used for storage or as escape routes, while others are filled with ancient artifacts and sacred relics. The catacombs are also home to a complex network of underground temples and shrines and busy streets that are home to underground residences and businesses.
Despite its rugged appearance, the city's architecture is a testament to its resilience. It has withstood numerous attempts at invasion over the centuries, including attacks by powerful enemies armed with the latest in siege weaponry. The city's fortifications are a marvel of engineering, designed to withstand even the most devastating attacks and yet, for all its defensive prowess, the city has never lost sight of its cultural heritage.
The most famous instance of this was when the neighbouring Confucian Kingdom of Jinyun attempted to invade Jangshun with its impressive military might, scores of loyal foot-soldiers hardened by decades of conflict and advanced siege technology that included weapons that used fireworks.
The city withstood months of warfare with Lhagyal earning its nickname of “The Fire-proof City” The stone structures withstood the fireworks and the hard rock of the walls withstood the Jinyun catapults, outside the city several guerilla efforts by the Eagle Guards, The Company of the Hand and The White Tigers from Monyul lending their support repelled attempted on-foot invasions by the hardened Jinyun soldiers.
In the south-west of Jangshun, near the borders of Monyul and Taishigang lies the town of Gyalpeling, a place revered by monks and pilgrims alike. Gyalpeling, meaning "Abode of the Victorious" is a small yet vibrant town located in a remote corner of the kingdom. Its strategic location, surrounded by imposing mountains and blessed with fertile lands, has made it a crucial hub for spiritual activities and monastic life. The town is centered around a grand monastery, which serves as the heart and soul of the community. The monastery, known as Samtenling Monastery, is a majestic complex of ornate buildings adorned with colorful murals, fluttering prayer flags, and the sound of chanting monks echoing through the air. It is a revered place of worship and learning, drawing scholars, practitioners, and seekers of wisdom from far and wide. The streets of Gyalpeling are lined with modest housing for monks, adorned with intricate woodcarvings and colorful paintings. The locals, known for their warm hospitality and deep reverence for Tonpa, every activity the townspeople engage in helps the monastery in some way, whether trading, farming or craftsmanship, every resident of Gyalpeling helps out the monastery in some way. The town also boasts natural hot springs, believed to have healing properties, which attract pilgrims and visitors seeking solace and rejuvenation. The pristine rivers and lakes surrounding Gyalpeling add to its enchanting beauty, serving as places for meditation, ritual ablutions, and scenic walks. Gyalpeling is not only a place of spiritual significance, but it also serves as a center of learning, with numerous scriptoria, libraries, and meditation caves where monks engage in intensive study, contemplation, and meditation, prospective monks come from all over the 5 Kingdoms to study in Gyalpeling, as monks educated within its walls are valued in any court of the Tonpa Kingdoms.
One of the most valuable cities in Jangshun isn't far from the capital, a short 1 hour horse ride east of Druktse stands the city of Jangtse, a jewel in the crown of the kingdom. Jangtse, meaning "Silver Peak" in the local tongue, owes its fame and prosperity to the rich veins of silver that run through the nearby mountains, making it a thriving center for mining and trade. At the heart of Jangtse rises a magnificent conical palace, known as Jang Potrang, or the "Silver Palace." The palace, glistening like a beacon atop the tallest hill in the city, is adorned with silver-plated roofs, walls, and pillars, reflecting the sunlight and casting a mesmerizing glow over the surrounding landscape. It serves as the royal residence, where the Count holds court and conducts affairs pertaining to the area between Jangtse and Druktse. The streets of Jangtse are lined with buildings that boast silver-plated facades, creating a surreal and shimmering sight as one walks through the city, often shining gold from reflecting the sunlight, the wealth of the city is evident in the intricate silver filigree work that adorns windows, doors, and rooftops of temples, mansions, and markets alike. The silversmiths of Jangtse are renowned for their craftsmanship, producing exquisite silverware and jewelry that are sought after by collectors and traders from distant lands. The city is a bustling center of commerce, with a vibrant market square where merchants from across the region gather to trade in silver, gemstones, textiles, and other precious goods. The sounds of bartering, laughter, and the clinking of silver coins fill the air.
The Armies of Jangshun are known for their ferocious foot-soldiers, the every-day rank and file soldiers of the Jangshun armies are regarded as the best in the region and are a feared prospect to face on any battlefield.
The soldiers of the army of Jangshun are highly disciplined and skilled in the art of warfare, and are renowned throughout the region for their courage and loyalty. They are trained in a variety of weapons and fighting styles, including archery, swordsmanship, and hand-to-hand combat.
It is said that the success of the army comes from the fact that many men and women who fight in it are from mountainous regions and are conditioned from a young age to move over mountainous land with ease, their armies can easily traverse land that would be impossible for normal armies to travel over, due to the fact that the soldiers know the land.
The army of Jangshun is led by a commander-in-chief, who is appointed by the common foot-soldiers and is responsible for the overall strategy and tactics of the army. Under the commander-in-chief, there are several generals and officers who oversee different units of the army, each with their own specific roles and responsibilities. The soldiers of the army of Jangshun are equipped with a variety of weapons and armor, including shields, helmets, and chainmail. They are also skilled in the use of traditional weapons, such as the da and the gochu, which are types of swords. In addition to their skills in battle, the soldiers of the army of Jangshun are also highly respected for their loyalty and devotion to their ruler and country. They are known for their strong sense of duty and honor, and are willing to lay down their lives in defense of their homeland. The army of Jangshun is often called upon to defend the kingdom against invading forces, and has a long history of successful battles and campaigns. Their reputation for courage and skill has earned them the respect of their neighbors and allies, and they are a source of pride and inspiration for the people of Jangshun.
One of the most famous regiments from Jangshun is the “Wheel of Steel” A heavily armored longsword unit founded by Princess Jamyang Daughter of King Kunga and Sister of King Yangchen of the Yeshe Dynasty after she travelled to Europe and witnessed people fighting in full suits of armor, this was a foreign concept in the areas around her and she implemented the idea with her Father's (And later Brother's) full support they were first deployed in aid of Taishigang who were experiencing an invasion from a nearby Dharmist Kingdom. The longswords cleaved through the invading forces lack of armor and their steel plates deflected blows.
Monyul
Monyul is a land of vast open spaces and stunning natural beauty. The kingdom is home to a proud and fiercely independent people, who have built a rich culture and a strong military tradition, its plains are green and warm during the summer but snow is not uncommon in winter. Dharmaling is the capital city of Monyul and is nestled in the hills, surrounded by winding rivers and vast grasslands. It is a city steeped in tradition and culture, with a rich history that stretches back centuries.
Dharmaling was built as the northern most outpost of the Dharmist Indraprastha Empire but was conquered by Tonpa forces from a tribe that would eventually become known as the Monyul. The city is built around a central marketplace, where merchants from all over the known world come to trade their wares. The marketplace is a bustling hub of activity, filled with the sounds of bargaining and haggling, and the aromas of exotic spices and perfumes.
The Company of the Wind have their main offices in Dharmaling and use the bustling 10 storey wooden building to plan its operations throughout the known world. The streets of Dharmaling are relatively wide due to the constant horse carts that pass through them. The buildings are made of stone and wood, with intricately carved facades and ornate balconies. Many of the houses have flat roofs, which are used as outdoor living spaces during the warmer months. At the heart of the city lies the great monastery of The 3 Gods, unlike in other cities which have separate monasteries for the three Gods, this temple combines them as a display of unity between the three sects. The massive structure dominates the skyline, with its towering walls and intricate carvings. The monastery is home to a community of monks, who dedicate their lives to the study and practice of Tonpa. Surrounding the monastery are the homes of the nobility, who are known for their wealth and power. These grand estates are filled with beautiful gardens and courtyards, and are often adorned with intricate carvings and colorful murals. Outside the city walls, the landscape is dotted with small villages and nomadic encampments. These communities are home to herders and farmers, who make their living tending to the region's yaks and sheep. Despite its remote location, Dharmaling is a city of great importance, both culturally and politically. It is a place of pilgrimage for Monks, Merchants and laypeople from all over the world, and is also a hub of trade and commerce. The people of Dharmaling are proud of their heritage and their way of life, and are fiercely protective of their city and its traditions.
A 30 minute walk to the west of Dharmaling lies the Temple of Tong Thang, the Beehive Temple, as visitors approach the temple, they are greeted by the gentle humming of bees that buzz around the entrance, seemingly inviting them inside, the entrance is adorned with ornate wooden doors intricately carved with depictions of bees in flight, the temple is home to hundreds of bee colonies. The interior of the temple is a marvel of craftsmanship.The walls are adorned with honeycomb patterns carved into the stone, creating a mesmerizing visual display. Soft light filters through small openings in the dome-shaped ceiling, the centerpiece of the temple is a large altar made of honey-colored stone, adorned with intricate carvings of bees and honeycombs, where devotees offer their prayers and offerings. The Temple of Thong Tang is a place of worship dedicated to the reverence of bees and their significance in nature and the cycle of life, every day priests and priestesses of The Mother make their way to the temple to tend to the bees, bringing them water and sliced fruits, every year there is a festival outside the temple where priests and priestesses of Caihong distribute honey gathered from the bees.
Monyul is home to a large lake called Jangchub Tso, the lake is bordered by lush green forests and snow-capped mountains to the south-east, a product of Monyul's border with Taishigang.
On the edge of the lake there is a large city called "Gangri Thang", which is known for its fish markets and skilled boatwrights, nobles from the surrounding Kingdoms often commission boatwrights from Gangri Thang to build grand freshwater barges for them.
Several villages surround the lake, mostly fishing and farming communities, every spring fishermen from these villages make their way to Gangri Thang with hundreds of fish, hoping to hock their catch to fishmongers, tourists and Company of the Wind officers.
The fish they carry is mainly the several species of trout that live in the lake but a few of the lucky ones carry the Golden Mahseer, a gleaming fish variety that is said to be very difficult to catch, although the taste of the fish pales in comparison to the trout, the Golden Mahseer is revered for its scales that give off a vibrant golden glow, these scales are often used in ceremonial dress of the region adoring clothing and jewellery.
The people of Monyul are also skilled artisans, known for their intricate weavings and pottery. The kingdom is home to many workshops and marketplaces, where merchants sell their wares to buyers from all over the region. The people of Monyul are known for their skill at horsemanship, and the kingdom is home to some of the finest cavalry units in the region. The army of Monyul is also composed of archers and spearmen, who are trained in the art of mounted combat and guerrilla warfare.
The most prestigious regiment of Monyul is a cavalry unit called the White Tigers, the horsemasters of the White Tigers are known as the strictest in the Tonpa Kingdoms, if a horse fails a single training drill both the horse and rider are deemed unworthy. The White Tigers main weapon is a thick spear, painted red with a bronze spearhead, it has a heavy counterweight at the back that also doubles as a blunt weapon. Their secondary weapons are a heavy sword and a short bow.

See the previous posts: https://www.reddit.com/JurassicPark/comments/1419mpy/jurassic_world_the_hegemony_of_biosyn_dominion/ https://www.reddit.com/JurassicPark/comments/142b35e/jurassic_world_the_hegemony_of_biosyn_jwd_rewrite/

Act III - The Gathering of the Clouds

Mia Everett
Visually confirming Rainn's revelation, Victoria is shown in a cage inside Amelia Everett's lab, within Biosyn's Citadel. Mia does her best to comfort the scared and depressed Achillobator and her motivations are explored shortly after. It's revealed that due to her experience within the team who made the Indominus and the Indoraptor, Biosyn tasked her with reviving InGen's IBRIS program by breeding raptors with high obedience potential. However, none of the achillobators cloned by Biosyn proved to be trainable enough for the program's ambitions (even though they attempted to mimic Owen's experience by having keepers being there at the animals' birth), which displeased Dodgson and the other higher-ups, who are now favouring another research team, who focuses on a more intrusive way of controlling dinosaurs. Basically treated as a second-class researcher amidst a rather toxic work environment, Mia became desperate enough to hire poachers to capture Blue, which she intended to breed with their achillobators in order to finally have trainable individuals. As Victoria is not sexually mature, Mia is in front of a considerable setback and fears that Dodgson will pull the plug due to her lack of results, especially in this troubled period for Biosyn.
The tying noose
The next day, the intel collected by the UN agents (people involved in the Black Market, Biosyn's connections with it) are sent to the nearby countries, including Italy, where an arrest warrant is launched against Kayla.
On his side, Isaac Gibbon is contacted by Bigelow who tells him about the debacle of their mission in Malta, saying that Claire and Owen saved the grey guards from disaster. He orders her to stay in Italy for the moment and wait for new orders. Shortly receives, he receives a candidate for a desk job in the DSD: It's Franklin. Gibbon tells Franklin he heard about his bravery during the 2019 incidents and his past connection with InGen (Before the DPG, Franklin worked for it as an IT Technician), before asking questions about Claire as he is aware that she collaborated with him not only on some occasions in the past few years but also in the 2019 Costa Rican incident, where Franklin was the couple's companion while they were running from InGen's agents and the authorities.
Dubrovnik
The inhabitants and tourists of the Croatian seaside city of Dubrovnik are surprised when a Biosyn Quetzalcoatlus descends upon the old town and starts attacking people. As a joke similar to one in TLW with the Japanese businessman and his reference to Godzilla, some extra could yell in Valyrian "I left Westeros because of this!" or "By the Seven, not again!" (Dubrovnik was one of Game of Thrones' filming location).
Ramsay's email
In a manner similar to the Hawaii attack scene in Gareth Edwards' Godzilla, the Dubrovnik scene cuts just as the Quetzal swoops on the bystanders and we are now in the bar of Biosyn's employee village. Wu is watching the news of the Dubrovnik attack on the TV (there is even a declaration from Zoe Murdoch, in which she denies the pterosaur came from Auronzo's Sanctuary and was probably created by a rival company who somehow put their hands upon Biosyn Quetzalcoatlus DNA. In the bar, someone whisper that one of their Quetzals did escaped from the valley thanks to the temporary deactivation of the invisible fence system and that Dodgson has launched an investigation to know who's responsible) when he receives a mysterious email from Ramsay, which includes the name of some woman. Wu search it on the internet and ends up on IMDB where he discovers that the adult "Charlotte" on the videos is actually an actress who lives in London.
Arrest
In Rome, early in the morning, Kayla is arrested in her flat by the police as she is accused of illegal smuggling.
Viscontini
Following all the incidents in the Alps, the clash in the Sabine Hills and the recent Dubrovnik attack, people gets pissed at Biosyn and protests occur in several locations, including Rome. In the Italian Ministry of the Interior, Viscontini has an argument with Pazzi, declaring that they need to take severe actions against Biosyn but the minister retorts that taking large-scale actions against the corporation might trigger a whole deal of undesirable consequences, including deteriorating US-Italian relations due to the close ties between Biosyn and the US government. He won't risk that just because of some rumours, weak proof and small incidents. Viscontini retorts that soon, Biosyn might have an angry mob showing at its gates with the goal of driving it out of Italy.
Following Vuillier's instructions, Claire, Owen, Nyamu and Dougal leave Malta the same day and fly to the Eternal City, where they have to meet Viscontini in the AISI headquarters. There, they have a video call with Vuillier. He and Viscontini wants to send the trio of WDMC agents to Auronzo Valley so they can infiltrate Biosyn's facility, find compromising information and transmit them to the Italian authorities, hoping to finally convince Pazzi and the rest of the government to take action against Biosyn. However, one of the agents points out that they will need an entrance ticket as one doesn't simply walk into Auronzo, since the borders of Biosyn's lands are guarded and monitored while some people disappeared after going too close from the Sanctuary (anti-Biosyn activists, reckless adventurers, Grendel Corporation's spies, others from the AISI's and Austrian government). Viscontini declare they might have that ticket.
We cut to Kayla in her prison cell. The guard announces she has visit and she is brought to a room where Viscontini and Dougal waits for her. The head of the AISI and the WDMC agent then negotiate with her: In exchange for her freedom, she will bring Dougal, Claire and Owen to Biosyn's Sanctuary. However, Viscontini precise he'll have her hunted down if she ever betrays them.
Kayla raises the fact that she can't show up at Auronzo like this and needs a motive. Viscontini and Dougal then talk about the animals seized in Malta's black market.
Theo's Mission
That day, Wu summons Theo, explain the whole issue with the fake Charlotte and ask him to go to London, find the actress and question her about the videos so they can have proofs to show Maisie, who started to really become insufferable because of Dodgson's bad influence (in that part of the story, one of the few scenes where she's likeable is one where she and Drummond bonds over the common passion for dinosaurs). The ex-mercenary soon leaves Auronzo, taking a bus for Venice in the nearest village while Wu explains to Pellegrino and Dodgson that Theo had urgent family matters to deal with in the UK.
Leaving San Francisco
Desiring to supervise the Dolomites Crisis more closely, Vuillier fly to Italy.
Nine containers
As evidence of Biosyn's possible connections to the Maltese black market has been discussed on the news, Dodgson knows it's a matter of time before Vuillier, the Italians or the Austrians send people in Auronzo and expose Biosyn's misdeeds.
We then follow Pellegrino's POV as she oversees the exit of nine large mysterious containers from the Citadel and their departure from the airstrip just outside the valley. One of her subordinates asks what's inside and she answers that she has no idea, with Dodgson only giving her a series of instructions. They watch the containers being flown abroad.
The following day, Pellegrino speak about it to Wu and other employees with anti-Dodgson sentiments like Drummond. She notices that Wu is uncomfortable as they talk about it and realize he must be hiding something. Ramsay, who just arrived from the US in preparation for a big corporate event in the Citadel, almost surprise their discussion. As they're not sure if they can trust him or not, they pretend it's nothing. Wu then phones Theo and asks him about his secret mission's progress.
London
In London, Theo finds the actress from the videos and initially posing as a reporter, filming her in an interview, he then ask her questions about the videos and after some hesitations, she concedes to give him answers and reveals among other things that the shooting occurred a few months ago in some local warehouse, that the director of those videos is none other than Colin Trevorrow (who, desperate for a job after the debacle of the Jurassic World film, accepted to participate to that project, oblivious that Biosyn was behind it since a dummy company took care of the production).
AISI
Vuillier arrives in Rome and meets with his agents, Nyamu and Viscontini in one of the AISI headquarters' conference rooms, where a map of Auronzo Valley and its surroundings has been laid. Kayla is also there and offscreen, our characters talk about the plan.
At the end of the meeting, everyone but Vuillier and Viscontini leave the room. Both have a secret conversation during which the Italian say that the Grey Guard's Mediterranean Company, supported by the Austrians and secretly by him (as he fears that Biosyn has informers within the Italian government), are deployed in one of the villages near Auronzo, and is supposed to act as a Plan B should the Claire-Owen-Dougal trio fail, by taking a secret path through an old mine and a mountain pass before breaking into Biosyn's citadel. The WDMC agents don't know that and when Vuillier ask why, Viscontini answers that it's better that way (should the agents be captured ant tortured, they won't tell Biosyn that there is a second team) and that the secret path isn't safer as one of his spy was killed by some creature after taking it and arriving in sight of the valley. He thinks that a small dozen of grey guards have better chances surviving the pass' guardian(s) than three civilian agents.
To the Dolomites
The next day, in the middle of the morning, Kayla is preparing her plane in some airstrip near Rome and the seized creature from the black market is loaded in the hold (I have no idea which species to choose). Equipped by the Italians, Claire, Owen and Dougal say farewell to Vuillier, Nyamu and Viscontini. The Frenchman tells Claire that it's time to unleash the She-wolf upon Dodgson but Claire correct him by saying "Not the She-wolf. The Dragon." (in this AU, she has a particular connection with the dragon-like Indominus), implying she'll get the mission done whatever it takes. He and the other two men wish them good luck and the trio of WDMC agents climb aboard the plane. They soon take off.
Biosyn's aerial defense
Kayla's plane arrives in sight of the mountains which delimit Biosyn's Sanctuary. Informed of their mission by Vuillier and Viscontini, one of the grey guards is watching the plane through his binoculars as it passes over the village where they are staying.
Kayla is soon contacted by the Citadel's control room as they detected the aircraft on their radars and they ask her why she's coming. The pilot answer that she collected an animal which might interest them (she told the WDMC agents and the Italians that Biosyn doesn't have this particular species in their Sanctuary) and ask to land on their airstrip. While the Biosyn employees discuss, the plane is about to enter Auronzo Valley by the east, as that part of the sanctuary is the furthest from most of the buildings (while the airstrip is in the northernmost parts of Biosyn's lands, beyond the mountains with the frozen dam lake) and thus where Claire, Owen and Dougal has the best chances of landing unnoticed. The trio of agents take their parachutes and prepare to jump, but at the same time, Dodgson, who heard that Kayla was arrested by the authorities just a few days ago, fears that her plane is a Trojan horse and decides to activate the valley's "aerial defense". On the screen of one of the room's monitors, we see a group of dots heading straight towards the plane. It's actually a group of pteranodons, from the same toothed variant as those who appeared in Jurassic Park 3 (there is even at least one black male identical to the scrapped one from Johnston's film), and they just collide with the plane, crashing against the cockpit and getting turned to shred by the rotors' blades, damaging the plane (the scene is partly inspired by a cutscene from the Ninth Mission of Paraworld's campaign). Owen wonder why those pteranodons behave in a suicidal manner. Suddenly, the pteranodons retreat and as their window is shrinking, the agents know they have to jump now (they've reached the middle of the valley and their trajectory deviated northwards, towards the mountain dam). Claire jumps first but as Owen is about to jump in his turn, the plane is attacked by a Quetzalcoatlus and the Raptor Whisperer sees another and a few pteranodons chasing her fiancée, whose parachute opened. Claire shakes the pterosaurs off by disappearing into the valley's dense forest. As they will be grabbed by the attacking pterosaurs as soon as they leave the aircraft, Owen, Dougal and Kayla stay inside it and brace for the crash. The plane crashes down at the surface of the frozen lake by the mountain dam in the northern part of the valley.
Back in Rome, Vuillier, Nyamu and Viscontini are worried as they heard the agents and the pterosaurs' screams (they had an open channel all that time with Kayla's plane). They hope the agents will survive this ordeal and activate the beacons they were given before their departure.
Note: The fate of the animal they took with them is still unclear for me. It really depends on the chosen species. If it's something large and potentially dangerous, Kayla would probably want to drop it in the valley in order to have a lighter plane and not deal with it after crashing. But if it's a creature about the size of a small dog for example, they could free it as they leave the wreckage.
Gigantoraptor
We then cut to Claire hanging in the trees but instead of a Therizinosaurus (which already appeared in TRQ. Moreover, Claire had a small arc with this species in that story), she is threatened by a Gigantoraptor. The scene plays out much like the Theri scene from Trevorrow's version, with Claire hiding in a pond etc.. Once the Gigantoraptor walks away, Claire gets out of the pond and sees the fumes from the plane's crash in the distance, behind the mountain dam.
The dam lake
Before it sinks in the lake, Owen, Dougal and Kayla leave her plane and step on the ice. Under it, they notice a large shadow and know they better move away from the lake. They notice a ladder by the dam but as they head towards it, a Quetzalcoatlus or a Pteranodon lands on their way. They step back, moving towards an opening on the lake's surface. Suddenly, a giant 9-meters long temnospondyl (based upon an unnamed and fragmentary genus from Lesotho) burst out the water, almost killing one of the characters. Ensue a scene where our three protagonists have to evade both the pterosaur and the amphibian. The pterosaur ends up being dragged underwater by the temnospondyl but other pterosaurs arrive and to escape them, our trio climbs on the dam and rushes to its elevator, going down in the valley. Down at the dam's base, they notice it's dilapidated and Kayla tell her two companions that Biosyn sell some of its power to the nearest villages.
Note: The main doubt I have about this scene is having a temnospondyl living in the icy water of a mountain lake. It might be too much of a stretch so if you think it's not realistic at all, it will be scrapped from the scene (and perhaps be replaced by a juvenile Baryonyx or something like this, an animal which could be also the one our characters brought with them in the plane.
Plan B
Since the agents lost their beacons during the pterosaurs' attack and the crash, they couldn't tell Rome that they were still alive. Vuillier and Viscontini fear the worst and send a message to Laurenzo Cesare.
Droppings
Meanwhile, Claire started walking towards the dam, hoping to find her companions on the way if they made it out alive from the crash. When she hears a racket in the woods, she hides and a Biosyn tyrannosaur arrives. But it's not on a hunting mode and instead, it just leaves some droppings on a log near Claire's hiding place. After the predator leaves, she approaches the log and smears her face with the droppings, remembering her "Walk in the Park" with Owen when they searched her nephews during the Fall of Jurassic World (the droppings hide her smell, dissuading the other animals to investigate her).
Argument
An argument bursts out between Owen, Dougal and Kayla while they're walking south. The first wants to find his fiancée, the second says that their mission is more important, and Kayla is mad at both men since she lost her plane (and livelihood) because of the WDMC's mission. And unsure about her intentions, the two men distrust her but she tries to reassure them by saying that Biosyn can fuck off since they are also responsible for destroying her plane.
However, the Sanctuary's denizens remind them that they better be united or else it will be the failure of their quest.
At some distance, in the middle of the fog, they see the recognizable silhouette of a sauropod, that of an Argentinosaurus (the species was seen in the distance and mentioned earlier in the story. Instead of Argentinosaurus, it could also be another large titanosaur). However, this herbivore has the particularity of having a symbiotic relation with some small carnivore species within Biosyn Sanctuary (I'm more thinking about a pterosaur or a flying/semi-arboreal theropod than a strictly ground-dwelling predator. For now, the baboon-sized Variraptor is my candidate), with the Argentinosaurus letting those carnivores eat its parasites and the insects flying around it while the carnivores will let out an alarm call shall a large predator approach. It could be illustrated in a scene where an Acrocanthosaurus (the one from the Drive-in scene) is spotted by the carnivores as it passes by. The Argentinosaurus turns to face the larger predator, adopt a defensive posture, and as the acro hasn't yet moved, the smaller carnivores take off from the sauropod and flies straight to the acro's head. Harassed by those creatures, the Acrocanthosaurus retreats. Thus, if those small carnivores (which we'll call the Argentinosaurus' suite) are brave enough to attack a megatheropod, our three protagonists know they're not safe and that they better move away.
The Sanctuary's true nature
While still heading north, Claire's path crosses that of a bull Shantungosaurus. She move out of his way and stay still. She and the audience recognize the animal as he was already in the JW rewrite and TRQ (in the first story, he gained some scars after a fight with a few Metriacanthosaurus), where he was a secondary "character" (and a threat in a few scenes). Both have a peaceful scene where they make eye contact but that quiet moment is shattered when a gunshot resounds in the forest and the hadrosaur flees, badly wounded. Claire hides and in the distance, she sees a hunter, accompanied by a couple of Biosyn security guards and another employee which she presume is some sort of supervisohunting guide. Watching how the hunter is dressed and how he behave in the wild, she knows he's not a professional hunter but just a rich hobbyist and then realizes the Sanctuary's true nature: It's a hunting reserve. As the Shantungosaurus escaped them, the hunter express his discontentment at the guide, which promise to find him another quarry. They leave and following the blood trail left by the hadrosaur, Claire finds him by a stream. His wounds are too grievous and he's too weak to lash out at Claire, who kneels by his head, trying to comfort him in his last moments, up until his last breath. Watching another of her former park's animals dying fills Claire with not only grief, but also anger. She change her plans and heads back south instead of continuing northward, following the hunting party's track.
Note: It doesn't necessarily have to be a Shantungosaurus in the role of the animal shot by the hunters, but it have to be a recognizable animal from the previous installments for emotional impact and Claire's development (another candidate could be the Therizinosaurus from TRQ)
She later finds another hunting party. One of its members, a Biosyn guard, pulls out an item she recognize: a raptor resonating chamber. The guard use it like a bird call and soon, an Achillobator, arrive, believing it heard one of its kind. The poor animal is shot by the hunters, who scream in satisfaction before taking a picture with their quarry. They then brings it to the Biosyn vehicle waiting nearby but before they leave (after having a short conversation during they mention that another team captured the rex and is bringing it the paddocks), Claire deliberately attract the attention of one of the guards, the same one which used the resonating chamber, and he say to his companions he won't be long. He move away from the road and deeper in the woods, he fall into Claire's ambush. She kill him, loot some of his equipment (including the resonating chamber), hide his body and leave. Worried for his colleague, the other guard with the hunters orders the guide to drive them back to the lodge, and search his friend. But he too is murdered by Claire, who takes a small metallic box on him. Activating the box, she realize it's a sonic weapon she has seen before, in the hands of InGen Security's elite troops during the fall of Isla Nublar (it's like a weaponized version of the box Dodgson and his companions have in Crichton's TLW). She turns it off, take it with her and follows the hunters vehicle's tracks on the road, towards the lodge.
However, Claire ignores she's being watched, and not by human eyes...
Over hill
Cesare and his men leave their accommodation and head for the frontiers of Biosyn's lands. Leaving their vehicles near a ruined fort, the grey guards start their trek while the sun is setting behind the mountains ahead of them.
A bed in the trees
As walking through the valley at night would be too dangerous, Owen, Dougal and Kayla decide to find a resting place and climb in a tree. From it, they have a panorama on a nearby lake and notice they are approximately halfway between the dam and the Citadel. At this moment, we also have peaceful scenes with the valley's denizens at dusk (Pelecanimimus fishing in the lake, herbivores drinking nearby, the same Spinosaurus from the report at the beginning peacefully sitting on the bank like an oversized duck...).
Theo's peace
In the evening, just a few hours before his flight to Venice, Theo also passes by his former home, which he left years ago before joining Ken Wheatley's mercenary company. His ex-wife still lives here and noticing that she started a new life with another man and seems happy, he walks away in peace, leaving behind him the last picture he had of himself and her (earlier in the story, Theo is seen looking at said picture).
The secret path
Back in Italy, the grey guards find the entrance of an old mine and enter it, taking the path that will allow them to pass under the limits of Biosyn's lands.
Mercenaries
Mercenary troops land in Biosyn's airstrip and their leader is brought to the Citadel. He has a discussion with Dodgson behind closed doors.
Foes... or allies?
A few hours after nightfall, Claire finally finds a large old chalet with typical Tyrolean architecture: The Hunting Lodge (it's implied that it was built way before Biosyn bought those lands, when the area was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before WWI). Claire remarks it's surrounded by an invisible fence (identical to the one from Jurassic World Evolution 2's Biosyn DLC) which prevents the animals from getting too close. Aware that the lodge wouldn't be a shelter for her and that its occupants probably outnumber her, she turns away from it, continuing to wander in the woods. But just a few minutes later, she hears sound in the nearby bushes. Aware she might be hunted, she is ready to use the ultrasound box and fight for her life. A pack of Achillobators shows up, menacingly walking towards her. At the same time, it starts to rain.
Claire first thinks of using the box and running away while the predators would be bothered by the sound but she knows it will be useless in the long run as they could track her all across the Sanctuary. She then remembers the reports she read earlier in the story, and especially that of the 2001 incident on Sorna, where Alan Grant and his companions walked out alive and unharmed from a close encounter with raptors.
In dire straits, she makes up a desperate plan and carefully, she pulls out the resonating chamber she stole from the Biosyn guards. She uses it and due to their bad experience in the sanctuary with the resonating chambers' usual users, the raptors get agitated but their pack leader tells them to calm down as Claire doesn't seem to be a Biosyn guard or a hunter. The pack leader walks alone towards Claire and sniffs the dried blood on her hands and clothes, realizing it belongs to other humans. Nothing happens for a moment and then the pack leader lets out a bark. Behind Claire, two raptors move aside. Slowly walking backwards, watching carefully the raptors' moves, Claire exits the circle made by the surrounding predators and continues doing so until she's at a respectable distance. At the beginning, the raptors just watch her but as she's heading towards the Hunting Lodge, she hears them following her. However, she is aware that they would have already pounced on her if they wanted to eat her and knows that they're more intrigued. Meanwhile, the rain intensifies (there could also be a storm).
Claire reaches the invisible fence, crosses it, and searches for its power source. But as she's sabotaging it, the Lodge caretaker (a gnarly-looking old local man) spots her and frightened by her look, runs away towards the building. She is forced to catch him and, after a short struggle, kill him with her knife before he can raise the alarm. After showing some trouble due to killing a probable innocent, she resumes her sabotage and the fence is deactivated. The raptors cross it and see Claire entering the lodge. Near its entrance, she finds a sword hanging on the wall as a decorative element and noticing it's still sharp, she takes it along with its sheath and heads for the rooms. Behind her, the raptors open the door and silently enter in the lodge. In the hallway which leads to the rooms, Claire stays still when the raptors walk past her as they head to the rooms and grin as her audacious plan is working. Claire enters one of the rooms, raises her sword blade over a sleeping hunter and when the time comes, thrust it into his body. Meanwhile, the raptors open other doors and entering the rooms, they rush on the sleepers. Slaughter ensues and only those who locked up their doors have the time to wake up, grab a weapon and fight for their very survival. Some of the lodge's occupants offer some resistance in the lounge but there, Claire activates the sonic weapon she stole and an ear-piercing sharp sound comes from it. While the raptors back off behind her, their common enemies kneel and scream in pain and Claire (who put on some earplug) slashes their throats, deactivate the weapon, and let the raptors tear the hunters alive while she raids some items (stuff like snacks, water, a first-aid kit, a map...) and leave, disappearing in the woods.
A bit later, she finds a small cave whose entrance is high from the ground and rest in it, sleeping until mid-morning.
The mountain's pass
At the end of their night-long ascent, the grey guards arrive in a pass/cave where they found human bones, which they presume to be those of the AISI's spy Viscontini told them about, and the remains of a Biosyn drone. Soon after, they are attacked by the guardian animal(s) the corporation left there to kill any trespasser coming from that direction. (I haven't chosen any species yet). They manage to defeat it (or them) and dawn break out as they arrive at a vista point which overlooks the valley. The grey guards observe it, the eyes of Cesare stop on the Citadel for a moment, and they retreat back inside the mountain to rest a few hours before descending into the valley. They send a message to Vuillier and Viscontini, telling them that they're inside the Sanctuary.
Traces of a slaughter
During their early morning patrol, a security team discovers that a massacre occurred during the night in the Hunting Lodge. They find clues indicating that someone helped the raptors and participated in the killings. The control room check the Lodge CCTV footage and fear spreads like wildfire among the staff when they discover the culprit is a sinister-looking black-clad hooded woman. Seeing that one of the figure's hand is a prosthesis and that the other wear a silver ring with a red gem, they realize it's Claire and Dodgson pretty much start to crap his pants (partly because one of the hunters was a very wealthy and powerful foreign client whose disappearance won't go unnoticed). Since she made it out alive from the plane's crash, Dodgson fears that the other WDMC agents might have too. When asked about the slaughter itself, Dodgson orders his staff to cover it up for the moment, as he don't want to worry the board of directors who are set to arrive later that day for a big event he planned in the evening.
Theo's return
Theo returns to Auronzo and Wu, who just learned about Claire's presence in the valley, tells him that they must get Maisie out of the facility as soon as possible since disaster tends to follow Claire like a shadow.
Taking the gloves off
However, Maisie has meanwhile discovered that the videos were another lie, by recognizing one of the scientists from the video, who also work at the Citadel (and who didn't aged, even though the adult Charlotte's video was supposed to be taken fourteen years ago). Aware that the gentle method is no longer considerable, Dodgson decides to use the hard one and Doctor Lesser locks Maisie in a cell within her lab, to which Wu can't access. Lesser reveal that it wasn't Wu who told Dodgson that she was a clone but the spy he has among Lockwood Manor's employees, and that the only true part in the video was the one about the genetic disease: Charlotte did had it, just like her mother Elizabeth before that (she died in 1993 and it was because of her Lockwood and Hammond fell out), and had the car accident which took her life didn't happened, the disease would have killed her a few years later. As he wanted Maisie to have a long life, Benjamin Lockwood asked the scientists he hired (there is a whole subplot about what they became in TRQ) to cure it and they did find a way. As the scientists' notes were accidently destroyed, the solution is now within Maisie's body, and Dodgson wants it so he can put new drugs on the market.
Before it's too late, Wu and Theo, with Ramsay's help, start organizing Maisie's evasion. The geneticist mentions a secret trail from WWI in the northeastern mountains: It's their escape route. He then heads for his lab, planning something else.
Tracking Claire
Curious about Biosyn's movements around the Hunting Lodge, Owen, Dougal and Kayla investigate it after the departure of the security troops. They discover evidence of Claire's passage and Owen tries to follow her fiancée's tracks. Kayla and/or Dougal make comments about the slaughter of the hunters.
Bigelow's last chance
Isaac Gibbon gives Jessica Bigelow a new mission: Go to Auronzo and ensure the evacuation of Lewis Dodgson and Biosyn's most important research. The agent ask her boss why and he said that he just received news that Biosyn is compromised. He also precise that it's her last chance after the Malta fiasco. Bigelow leave her safe house in central Italy and goes north.
Shady preparations
Continuing south, Owen, Dougal and Kayla see mercenaries positioning some sort of moveable antenna on a ridge which overlooks the road which connects the Citadel to the valley's northern continue, as finding Claire and entering the Citadel is more urgent.
The gathering of the clouds
One of the control room's employees ask Dodgson to come. He shows him footage from the Biosyn lands's southern gate, near the employee village.
Before the gate, a group of Carabinieri stand, showing to the guards and the security cameras a search warrant: The government finally decided to act against Biosyn. But Dodgson refuses to open the gates for the Carabinieri and orders the mercenaries who arrived during the night to intimidate them. The Carabinieri move away from the gate, with their leader warning against the consequences of such an action. At a respectable distance from the gate, Vuillier, Viscontini and Nyamu watched the scene. Soon, other groups of Carabinieri are deployed along the other entrances to Biosyn's lands. The siege of Auronzo has started.
Hearing about the siege's situation, some employees leave their post and head for the metro (which connects the Citadel to the village. Another loop also connects the Citadel to the various facilities across the Sanctuary, including the seven towers and the dam), in order to go to the village and then hoping to be able to leave Biosyn's lands before things starts to get too ugly but Dodgson's has the metro's station locked and commands them to go back to their posts. Seeing their CEO starting to act like Hitler in his bunker, they are afraid.
​
End of Act III.
See you tomorrow for Act IV

I do not accept paypal, game trades only
My rep from indiegameswap
Have:
FEBRUARY 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE
MARCH 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE
11-11 Memories Retold
2064: Read Only Memories
20XX
7 Grand Steps
7 Billion Humans
A Good Snowman is Hard to Build
A Hat in Time
A Mortician's Tale
American Fugitive
A New Beginning - Final Cut
Aaero
The Adventure Pals
AER Memories of Old
As Far as the Eye
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe Edition
Age of Wonders III
Agents of Mayhem
AI War: Fleet Command
Alien Spidy
All You Can Eat
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines
ADOM (ANCIENT DOMAINS OF MYSTERY
Ancestors: The Humankijnd Odyssey
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
Assassin's Creed® Origins
Assault Android Cactus
Baba Is You
Bridge Constructor Portal
The Ball
Bastion
Batman Arkham Origins
Basement
Battle Chef Brigade
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Season One
Beat Hazard Ultra
Beholder
BEE SIMULATOR
Bendy and the Ink Machine™
Binary Domain
BioShock™ Remastered
Blazing Beaks
Blue Fire
Biped
Bleed 2
Bone - Episode 1 & Episode 2
Broken Age
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Brutal Legend
Burly Men At Sea
Bury Me, My Love
Bridge Constructor Portal
Call of Cthulhu
Chasm
CHUCHEL Cherry Edition
Carto
Coffee Talk
Company of Heroes 2 +Pattern Pack
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters
Crawl
Crazy Taxi
Cepheus Protocol
Crowntakers
Curious Expedition
Cultist Simulator
Darkside Detective
Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
Darksiders Warmastered Edition
Death Squared
Drake Hollow
Dirt 5
Deleveled
Deadly Days
Distance
DISTRAINT 2 + Soundtrack
Distrust
Dungreed
Door Kickers: Action Squad
Double Fine Adventure Documentary
Drawful 2
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
DUCATI - 90th Anniversary
Duck Game
Dungeons 3
Dusty Revenge: Co-Op Edition
The Dwarves
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + dlc and shit
EarthNight
Elderborn
Eastside Hockey Manager
Elite Dangerous
Ellipsis
Endless Space - Collection
Euro Truck Simulator 2 + Austraila paint dlc
Europa Universalis IV
Encodya
EVERSPACE™
Evergarden
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Feather
Fibbage XL
Finding Paradise
The First Tree
Fluffy Horde
Framed Collection
Freedom Force
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich
Frog Detective
FTL
Full Metal Furies
Full Throttle Remastered
GameMaker Studio Pro
The Gardens Between
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GNOG
God's Trigger
Gonner
GRAV (Early Access)
GRID 2
Guns of Icarus Online
Gunscape
Hacknet + Hacknet Labyrinths DLC
Hand of Fate 2
Hard Reset Redux
Heroes of Hammerwatch
Hello Neighbor Hide and Seek
Hexcells Complete Pack
Hidden Folks
HIVESWAP: Act 1
Hammerting
Hollow Knight
Hyper Light Drifter
I'm not a Monster
In Between
Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
I am not a Monster: First Contact
INK Deluxe Edition
Into the Breach
Jackbox Party Pack 4
The Journey Down: Chapter Three
JumpJet Rex
Jurassic World Evolution - Deluxe Dinosaur Pack
Kerbal Space Program
Killing Floor 2
Kingdom Classic
Knights of Pen and Paper 2
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Layers of Fear
LEGO® Batman 2 DC Super Heroes™
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Premium Edition
LEGO DC Super-Villains Deluxe Edition
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition
LEGO Marvel's Avengers
LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game
LEGO® Worlds
Lethal League Blaze
Leviathan Warships
Lostwinds
Lobotomy Corporation Monster Management
Lumino City
Luna's Wandering Stars
Machinarium
Mad Max
Magicka
Majesty 2
Majesty Gold HD
Marooners
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom
Massive Chalice
Metro Redux Bundle key only
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY
Mini Metro
Minoria
MINIT
MirrorMoon EP
Monster Loves You
Moonlighter
MOTHERGUNSHIP
Mr. Shifty
Mushroom 11
Music Maker EDM Edition + 10 dollar voucher code
My Memory of Us
My Time at Portia
NBA 2K20
No Time to Relax
NIMBATUS - THE SPACE DRONE CONSTRUCTOR
Necronator: Dead Wrong
Neo Cab
Neon Drive (Steam)
Newt One
Niche
Nine Parchments
Ninja Pizza Girl
No Time to Explain Remastered
Not Tonight
>observer_
Offworld Trading Company + Jupiter's Forge
Old Man's Journey
OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood
Operation Flashpoint: Red River
Opus Magnum
Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You
Out of the Park Baseball 18
Out There: Ω Edition
Out of Space
Overgrowth (plus a secret link)
Overlord II
PAC-MAN™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2
Pale Echoes
Paper Fire Rookie
Paperbark
Paradigm
Party Hard
Pesterquest
Pikuniku
Pinstripe
Plague Inc: Evolved
Paradise Killer
Planet of the Eyes
Plunge
Primal Carnage: Extinction
Police Stories
Project Highrise
Project Highrise
Psychonauts
Puzzle Agent
Puzzle Agent 2
Q.U.B.E. 2
Q.U.B.E: Director's Cut
Quest of Dungeons
Quiplash
Rapture Rejects + Safari Outfit DLC
Realpolitiks
Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville
Regency Solitaire
Regions of Ruin
Regular Human Basketball
Remnants of Isolation
Resident Evil Revelations
Retro Game Crunch
Rime
Rise and Shine
Rising Dusk
Rituals
Road to Ballhalla
Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball
Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder™
Rocket Birds: Hardboiled Chicken
ROCKETSROCKETSROCKETS
Rusty Lake Paradise
Sam & Max: Season 1
Sam & Max: Season 2
Satellite Reign
S.W.I.N.E. HD REMASTER
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Secrets of Raetikon
Sigma Theory
Shadows Awakening
Shelter 2
Shenmue I & II
shutshimi
Sigma Theory: Global Cold War
SimplePlanes
SIMULACRA
Slipstream
Sniper Elite
Sniper Elite 3
Sniper Elite V2
Song of Horror
Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing
SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising
SOULCALIBUR VI
Speed Brawl
Spelunky
Spirits
Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy
Squad (Early Access)
StarCrossed
State of Mind
Stealth 2: A Game of Clones
Stick Fight: The Game
SYNTHETIK: Legion Rising
The Stillness of the Wind
Streamline Early Access
Streets of Rage
Stronghold Crusader 2
Subsurface Circular
Sunless Sea
Super Daryl Deluxe
Super Galaxy Squadron EX
Super Hexagon
Super House of Dead Ninjas: True Ninja Pack
Super House of the Dead Ninjas
Super Time Force Ultra
SUPERHOT
Superliminal
Surgeon Simulator + Anniversary Ed. Content
Surviving Mars
Sword Legacy Omen
System Shock 2
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Tank Mechanic Simulator
Tales of the Neon Sea
Tangledeep + Soundtrack
Team Indie
theHunter: Call of the Wild
Telltale Texas Hold'em
Think of the Children
Thirty Flights of Loving
This is the Police
This War of Mine
Throne of Lies® The Online Game of Deceit
Tilt Brush
TIMEframe
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
Tokyo 42
Tooth and Tail
Torment: Tides of Numenera
Total Tank Simulator
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
Tower of Guns
Tower Unite
Train Simulator 2017 + Platform Clutter, Town Scenery
Tropico 4
Tropico 6 El Prez Edition
The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Undertale
Unexplored
Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
Vampyr
Verdun
Vertiginous Golf
Vikings - Wolves of Midgard
Void Bastards
Volgarr the Viking
VVVVVV
Waking Mars
Wargroove
Warhammer: Chaosbane
Westerado: Double Barreled
We Were Here Together
Windward
The Witness
Wizard of Legend
World of Goo
Worms Revolution
Yooka-Laylee
YAKUZA 3 REMASTERED
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK HEADRUSH
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK MOVIES
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK SPORTS
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK TELEVISION
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 1 XL
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 2
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 3
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 4: The Ride
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 6 The Lost Gold
Ziggurat
And other shit i probably have from recent bundles
Deck Builder Bundle
Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Bundle
Humble Bundles I have
August 2022 - December 2022
July 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
January 2022
November 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
March 2021
February 2021
Figmint
Vermintide
Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition
Sudden Strike 4
The Surge
Pony Island
Little Nightmares
Zombie Night Terror
Screencheat
Freedom Planet
American Truck Simulator
Tales of Berseria
Kingdom: New Lands
KEYS ONLY
PC Building Simulator
The Beast Inside
Children of Morta
Overcooked! 2 + (DLC)
Path of Giants
Pathologic 2
Shining Resonance Refrain
Still There
Struggling
Tabletop Playground
Zwei: The Arges Adventure
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
Crying Suns
Darksburg
Darksiders III
Darkwood
Imperator Rome Deluxe Edition
Little Misfortune
Rover Mechanic Simulator
Smile For Me
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Tsioque
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Youropa
Autonauts
Basement
Fae Tactics
Fantasy Blacksmith
Goat of Duty
Iron Danger
Lightmatter
Shadows Awakening
The Suicide of Rachel Foster
Sunless Skies
Tropico 6 El Prez Edition
The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
A Case of Distrust
American Fugitive
Automachef
Call of Cthulhu
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters
Genesis Alpha One Deluxe Edition
Hello Neighbor
Little Big Workshop
Through the Darkest of Times
Vampyr
Wargroove
We Were Here Together
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe Edition
Basingstoke
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Season One
Beat Hazard 2
Don't Escape: 4 Days to Survive
Earthlock
Metal Unit
Railway Empire
Sigma Theory
Secret Neightbor
STUBBS THE ZOMBIE IN REBEL WITHOUT A PULSE
WORMS RUMBLE + LEGENDS PACK DLC
Panzer Paladin
MILKY WAY PRINCE - THE VAMPIRE STAR
Desolate
Other Keys
Battleborn Starter Skin Pack
GUNS UP! Starter Pack + TV Head
Mage and Minions - $10 In-Game Currency
Star Trek Online - Humble Trekkie Pack
Shadow Complex Remastered (epic launcher key)
Killing Floor - Community Weapon Pack 1 DLC
Killing Floor - Community Weapon Pack 2 DLC
Killing Floor - Community Weapon Pack 3 DLC
XCOM® 2: Resistance Warrior Pack
XCOM® 2: Reinforcement Pack
Effie
Darksiders Genesis
Hellpoint
Disjunction
Cook Serve Delicious 3
levelhead
Fury Unleashed
Size Matters
Morkredd
Relicta
Retimed
Family Man
Vane
Elex
Kingdom Two Crowns
WWE 2k battlegrounds
Hotshot Racing
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Cyber Hook
Pesterquest
Ageless
Boreal blade
Valfaris
Lovecraft's Untold Stories
Iris and the Giant
Boomerang Fu
The Wild Eight
Train Station Renovation
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE HEART OF THE FOREST
OUTWARD + THE SOROBOREANS AND OUTWARD SOUNDTRACK
Want:
Offers (Ignore means no)
Oneshot (multiple copies are preferable)
Subnautica (multiple copies are good)
Wandersong
Indivisible
Xcom Chimera Squad
Hollow Knight
Everhood
Wishlist is sparse but im open to any offer
Anything on my wishlist
Feel free to offer any games for one of mine, preferably a list to browse

I do not accept paypal, game trades only
My rep from indiegameswap
Have:
FEBRUARY 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE
MARCH 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE
11-11 Memories Retold
2064: Read Only Memories
20XX
7 Grand Steps
7 Billion Humans
A Good Snowman is Hard to Build
A Hat in Time
A Mortician's Tale
American Fugitive
A New Beginning - Final Cut
Aaero
The Adventure Pals
AER Memories of Old
As Far as the Eye
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe Edition
Age of Wonders III
Agents of Mayhem
AI War: Fleet Command
Alien Spidy
All You Can Eat
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines
ADOM (ANCIENT DOMAINS OF MYSTERY
Ancestors: The Humankijnd Odyssey
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
Assassin's Creed® Origins
Assault Android Cactus
Baba Is You
Bridge Constructor Portal
The Ball
Bastion
Batman Arkham Origins
Basement
Battle Chef Brigade
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Season One
Beat Hazard Ultra
Beholder
BEE SIMULATOR
Bendy and the Ink Machine™
Binary Domain
BioShock™ Remastered
Blazing Beaks
Blue Fire
Biped
Bleed 2
Bone - Episode 1 & Episode 2
Broken Age
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Brutal Legend
Burly Men At Sea
Bury Me, My Love
Bridge Constructor Portal
Call of Cthulhu
Chasm
CHUCHEL Cherry Edition
Carto
Coffee Talk
Company of Heroes 2 +Pattern Pack
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters
Crawl
Crazy Taxi
Cepheus Protocol
Crowntakers
Curious Expedition
Cultist Simulator
Darkside Detective
Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
Darksiders Warmastered Edition
Death Squared
Drake Hollow
Dirt 5
Deleveled
Deadly Days
Distance
DISTRAINT 2 + Soundtrack
Distrust
Dungreed
Door Kickers: Action Squad
Double Fine Adventure Documentary
Drawful 2
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
DUCATI - 90th Anniversary
Duck Game
Dungeons 3
Dusty Revenge: Co-Op Edition
The Dwarves
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 + dlc and shit
EarthNight
Elderborn
Eastside Hockey Manager
Elite Dangerous
Ellipsis
Endless Space - Collection
Euro Truck Simulator 2 + Austraila paint dlc
Europa Universalis IV
Encodya
EVERSPACE™
Evergarden
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Feather
Fibbage XL
Finding Paradise
The First Tree
Fluffy Horde
Framed Collection
Freedom Force
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich
Frog Detective
FTL
Full Metal Furies
Full Throttle Remastered
GameMaker Studio Pro
The Gardens Between
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
GNOG
God's Trigger
Gonner
GRAV (Early Access)
GRID 2
Guns of Icarus Online
Gunscape
Hacknet + Hacknet Labyrinths DLC
Hand of Fate 2
Hard Reset Redux
Heroes of Hammerwatch
Hello Neighbor Hide and Seek
Hexcells Complete Pack
Hidden Folks
HIVESWAP: Act 1
Hammerting
Hollow Knight
Hyper Light Drifter
I'm not a Monster
In Between
Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
I am not a Monster: First Contact
INK Deluxe Edition
Into the Breach
Jackbox Party Pack 4
The Journey Down: Chapter Three
JumpJet Rex
Jurassic World Evolution - Deluxe Dinosaur Pack
Kerbal Space Program
Killing Floor 2
Kingdom Classic
Knights of Pen and Paper 2
Last Oasis
Late Shift
Layers of Fear
LEGO® Batman 2 DC Super Heroes™
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Premium Edition
LEGO DC Super-Villains Deluxe Edition
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition
LEGO Marvel's Avengers
LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game
LEGO® Worlds
Lethal League Blaze
Leviathan Warships
Lostwinds
Lobotomy Corporation Monster Management
Lumino City
Luna's Wandering Stars
Machinarium
Mad Max
Magicka
Majesty 2
Majesty Gold HD
Marooners
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom
Massive Chalice
Metro Redux Bundle key only
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY
Mini Metro
Minoria
MINIT
MirrorMoon EP
Monster Loves You
Moonlighter
MOTHERGUNSHIP
Mr. Shifty
Mushroom 11
Music Maker EDM Edition + 10 dollar voucher code
My Memory of Us
My Time at Portia
NBA 2K20
No Time to Relax
NIMBATUS - THE SPACE DRONE CONSTRUCTOR
Necronator: Dead Wrong
Neo Cab
Neon Drive (Steam)
Newt One
Niche
Nine Parchments
Ninja Pizza Girl
No Time to Explain Remastered
Not Tonight
>observer_
Offworld Trading Company + Jupiter's Forge
Old Man's Journey
OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood
Operation Flashpoint: Red River
Opus Magnum
Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You
Out of the Park Baseball 18
Out There: Ω Edition
Out of Space
Overgrowth (plus a secret link)
Overlord II
PAC-MAN™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2
Pale Echoes
Paper Fire Rookie
Paperbark
Paradigm
Party Hard
Pesterquest
Pikuniku
Pinstripe
Plague Inc: Evolved
Paradise Killer
Planet of the Eyes
Plunge
Primal Carnage: Extinction
Police Stories
Project Highrise
Project Highrise
Psychonauts
Puzzle Agent
Puzzle Agent 2
Q.U.B.E. 2
Q.U.B.E: Director's Cut
Quest of Dungeons
Quiplash
Rapture Rejects + Safari Outfit DLC
Realpolitiks
Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville
Regency Solitaire
Regions of Ruin
Regular Human Basketball
Remnants of Isolation
Resident Evil Revelations
Retro Game Crunch
Rime
Rise and Shine
Rising Dusk
Rituals
Road to Ballhalla
Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball
Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder™
Rocket Birds: Hardboiled Chicken
ROCKETSROCKETSROCKETS
Rusty Lake Paradise
Sam & Max: Season 1
Sam & Max: Season 2
Satellite Reign
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Song of Horror
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Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy
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Stealth 2: A Game of Clones
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Streets of Rage
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Surgeon Simulator + Anniversary Ed. Content
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System Shock 2
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Tank Mechanic Simulator
Tales of the Neon Sea
Tangledeep + Soundtrack
Team Indie
theHunter: Call of the Wild
Telltale Texas Hold'em
Think of the Children
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Throne of Lies® The Online Game of Deceit
Tilt Brush
TIMEframe
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
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Tooth and Tail
Torment: Tides of Numenera
Total Tank Simulator
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Tower of Guns
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Tropico 4
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Undertale
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VVVVVV
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Warhammer: Chaosbane
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YOU DON'T KNOW JACK HEADRUSH
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK MOVIES
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK SPORTS
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK TELEVISION
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 1 XL
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 2
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 3
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 4: The Ride
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK Vol. 6 The Lost Gold
Ziggurat
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Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Bundle
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May 2022
April 2022
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Figmint
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Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition
Sudden Strike 4
The Surge
Pony Island
Little Nightmares
Zombie Night Terror
Screencheat
Freedom Planet
American Truck Simulator
Tales of Berseria
Kingdom: New Lands
KEYS ONLY
PC Building Simulator
The Beast Inside
Children of Morta
Overcooked! 2 + (DLC)
Path of Giants
Pathologic 2
Shining Resonance Refrain
Still There
Struggling
Tabletop Playground
Zwei: The Arges Adventure
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
Crying Suns
Darksburg
Darksiders III
Darkwood
Imperator Rome Deluxe Edition
Little Misfortune
Rover Mechanic Simulator
Smile For Me
Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
Tsioque
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Youropa
Autonauts
Basement
Fae Tactics
Fantasy Blacksmith
Goat of Duty
Iron Danger
Lightmatter
Shadows Awakening
The Suicide of Rachel Foster
Sunless Skies
Tropico 6 El Prez Edition
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A Case of Distrust
American Fugitive
Automachef
Call of Cthulhu
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters
Genesis Alpha One Deluxe Edition
Hello Neighbor
Little Big Workshop
Through the Darkest of Times
Vampyr
Wargroove
We Were Here Together
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe Edition
Basingstoke
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Season One
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Don't Escape: 4 Days to Survive
Earthlock
Metal Unit
Railway Empire
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Desolate
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Battleborn Starter Skin Pack
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Mage and Minions - $10 In-Game Currency
Star Trek Online - Humble Trekkie Pack
Shadow Complex Remastered (epic launcher key)
Killing Floor - Community Weapon Pack 1 DLC
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XCOM® 2: Resistance Warrior Pack
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Effie
Darksiders Genesis
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Cook Serve Delicious 3
levelhead
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Lovecraft's Untold Stories
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WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE HEART OF THE FOREST
OUTWARD + THE SOROBOREANS AND OUTWARD SOUNDTRACK
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Wandersong
Indivisible
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Hollow Knight
Everhood
Wishlist is sparse but im open to any offer
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Feel free to offer any games for one of mine, preferably a list to browse

Hello, I (27m) am currently dating a member (23f) who has expressed since the beginning of our relationship last August all of her gripes with, doubts of, and disillusionment from the LDS church she’s dealt with for several years before I even met her. She’s from one of those extraordinarily strict and obsessively perfect Mormon families you hear about in horror stories, and I am looking for ways to encourage her to leave it behind.
I have lived in Salt Lake City, Utah all my life and have been an atheist since I was about 13. I was never very religious as a child, and my family is not LDS, though I’ve had some experience with the church through living here. Like I said, when i started dating my girlfriend, she told me she was a member but was very disillusioned from the church because of multiple valid reasons; I would not have started dating her were it not for this fighting spirit and resistance to the BS she had.
Recently in the last couple of months however, she admitted to me that she has been feeling like returning to the church so that she could be a better person, and wants me to convert so that she can marry me and get sealed in the temple. Obviously this is physically impossible, so it’s caused a great deal of friction between us and I am now looking into ways of bringing her back out of it, or ending it with her before it gets too difficult to do so.
I recently learned about the CES Letter, and I am wanting to know if this is a reliable source of information that I could share with her, and also if I even should share it with her. I’m wanting to know if I’m even doing the right thing here in wanting her to get out of it for good. She’d be leaving everything behind, and her family, while unfair and downright cruel to her, is basically all she’s ever known due to her upbringing. I feel like I’m trying to save her from the jaws of the beast and if I let her go I’d be leaving her to the wolves. She’s an amazing woman and I want to be happy with her but I just don’t know if I’m within my right to destroy her faith, however shaky or invested in the wrong place it is.
Thank you in advance for any help you can provide, she’s very important to me.

Introduction
As a big guy myself, standing at 6’4” with a size 13 shoe, I often wonder about what it would actually take for someone like me to disappear. I’m the type or person who friends use as a marker to find their way through a crowd, and I’m almost instantly recognizable walking down the street.
That being said, there is one place where I could almost certainly disappear without a trace: the wilderness. I think many underestimate just how easy it is to go missing in the wilderness, even a rather small wilderness. A single wrong turn or a mistaken landmark can spell doom for even seasoned woodland travelers.
Honestly, I attribute this underestimation to the popularity of “Missing 411” cases. Many assume that those who went missing in heavily wooded areas or national parks must have disappeared as a result of something supernatural or conspiratorial, simply because they can’t accept just how easily and remorselessly nature can gobble us up.
If I suddenly decided to go missing within society, I think I’d be found in no time. But if I went missing in the wilderness, it’s always possible that I would never be found, even if my body came to rest nearby well-traveled thoroughfares.
I bring all this up because I think much the same for former American professional basketball player Rico Harris, who is even more recognizable than myself. Harris is a Black male, who stands at 6’9” tall, weighs 300 lbs., and has distinctive tattoos, such as one that reads “BALLIN IV LIFE” across his left forearm. If he’s alive, he’s almost certainly worked very hard to keep his presence secret, both from his family and from law enforcement.
Police investigators have suggested that Harris simply walked away from the scene of his disappearance, got in a car, and headed somewhere to start a new life. While there are certainly factors that point to this being a logical possibility, at least in terms of where Harris was in his life mentally and emotionally, I think that the lack of sightings of an individual that matches his description in the almost nine years since he went missing makes it far more likely that Rico Harris’ body is lying somewhere in the wilderness near where he vanished and that it simply hasn’t been located by anyone.
I feel that police assertions that Harris may have simply left the scene to start a new life are wishful thinking, designed to provide the family with false hope and perhaps prevent law enforcement from having to conduct further searches to recover Harris’ remains. Regardless of your opinion on the case, let’s review what we do know so that we can make an educated guess on what we don’t.
Rico Harris’ Life and Struggles
Rico Harris’ life followed a tragic path tread by far too many young, talented athletes. He had the physical talent to play in the NBA but none of the mental or emotional intelligence and maturity to deal with such instant stardom.
Harris seemed to maintain a sort of love/hate relationship with the game of basketball and had actually taken a break from it before returning for his final two years at Temple City High School, where he quickly became a local star, with scouts comparing his play style to that of NBA player Lamar Odom.
Harris was soon recognized as one of the nation’s top 100 prospects and received scholarship offers from such blue-blood basketball programs as Connecticut, Kentucky, and UCLA. Ultimately, however, Harris would commit to Arizona State. He would never play a game there.
He wasn’t eligible to play during his freshman year but stayed on campus, away from family and other positive role models in his life. He struggled academically and socially before being accused of unlawful imprisonment and sexual assault by two young women on campus.
These women stated that Harris and two of his other teammates had prevented them from leaving and forced them to perform sex acts on them. However, after further investigation, police dismissed the charges against Harris and his teammates after noting discrepancies in the girls’ stories. Nonetheless, the Arizona State basketball team had seen and heard enough to sit Harris for his upcoming sophomore season.
Deciding that he needed to pursue his basketball career elsewhere, Harris transferred to Los Angeles Community College where, surrounded by inferior talent, he began to shine once again and again became a star, attracting NBA scouts to games who still saw potential in the young phenom.
After the season, Harris planned to transfer to Rhode Island. However, a failed class prevented his transfer from going through, and he chose to return to LACC for a second season. An offer from Rhode Island remained on the table next year, but Harris shocked everyone by instead transferring to Cal State Northridge, stating to one confidante that he believed that the LACC coach was merely trying to use him to help out his friend, who was the Rhode Island head coach.
Instead, he wanted to remain closer to home and work with a coach he trusted. Harris sadly had a long history of rejecting and mistrusting men who tried to play a fatherly role in his life, likely an issue stemming from his own broken relationship with his father, who could quickly turn from friendly to violent and who his mother eventually moved away from with the children to escape.
Eventually, Harris would also be suspended by Northridge as well, which officially brought about an end to his collegiate career. Harris spoke out about feeling pressured by everyone around him; this pressure led him to increasingly turn to drugs and alcohol, which likely further hampered his performance on the court.
In the 1999 NBA Draft, no team decided to take a risk on Harris, leaving him to go to the now defunct International Basketball League. In 2000, Harris joined the Harlem Globetrotters, and it felt like his big break. Their fun-loving antics seemed like a great fit for his skills and talents.
Unfortunately, only about a month after joining the Globetrotters, Harris was driving with his girlfriend in South Los Angeles, when he got into a dispute with several individuals. He got out of the car to confront them when someone cracked him in the back of the head with a baseball bat.
Though Harris recovered from the wound, his balance never fully returned, and he continued to suffer from frequent intense headaches. Harris’ basketball career was, sadly, over.
Harris Spirals, Then Seemingly Recovers
Harris felt completely rudderless. He did not know what to do with his life now that his basketball career was over. His alcohol addiction worsened, and he began to develop dependencies on heroin, methamphetamine, and crack.
Harris was arrested over one hundred times, most often for public intoxication, and he was clearly struggling. His lowest moment came in 2007, when he overdosed on prescription medication and nearly died.
After a lengthy rehabilitation period with the Salvation Army in downtown Los Angeles. Afterwards, he began working in security, a role that he seemed ideally suited for and seemed to enjoy well enough.
In 2012, he began dating Jennifer Song, an insurance broker from Seattle that he met while working a security detail. In September 2014, Harris abandoned his apartment in Los Angeles, intending to move in with Song full-time up in Seattle.
Though Song reported that they had a good relationship, many of Harris’ friends and relatives saw quite a bit of tension in their relationship leading up to Harris’ disappearance. Based on Harris’ history, it seems likely that some of this tension was connected to his living away from home, which had always caused problems in the past.
But despite this perceived tension, Harris seemed to have truly turned his life around, with his addictions in the rearview mirror, when he suddenly went missing on October 10, 2014.
Rico Harris Vanishes
On October 9, 2014, Harris visited his family home with the goal of completing his move in with Song. His visit was brief. He apparently purchased a new phone for his younger brother, which shows that his financial struggles likely were not at the forefront of his mind.
He also spoke with his mother. Song told police that she thought Harris was seeking closure related to some difficult childhood events. His mother later stated that she did not feel that he got what he was looking for.
Harris’ close friend David Lara had spoken to Harris on his trip down to Southern California and reported that Harris seemed optimistic and was looking forward to marrying and starting a family with Song. Little is known, however, about Harris’ mood after visiting with his family.
Harris began his drive back up to Seattle, heading north on Interstate 5, stopping for gas in Lodi before continuing up north of Sacramento. There, about 10:45 am on the morning of October 10, Harris decided to get some rest, convinced by Song’s urging since had now been awake for 36 straight hours. He left Song a voice message, telling her that he was going “up into the mountains to rest.”
I’ve always found this phrasing particularly odd. I’ve heard people say they’re figuratively going “into the mountains” to find a place to pull over or find a motel, but the full “up into the mountains” has always struck me as being very literal, and perhaps a sign that Harris was already suffering through a bit of a mental breakdown before officially stopping for the day.
Regardless of intention, at 11:15 am, Harris turned off his phone. He has not been officially seen, heard from, or positively identified since.
The Search for Rico Harris
Friends and family initially assumed that Harris would just turn up. It wasn’t unusual for him to disappear for a couple days at a time. However, by October 14th, after missing an interview he had been excited for in Seattle, Harris was finally reported missing.
Later that day, Yolo County police located Harris’ vehicle, seemingly abandoned in a county park parking lot near Cache Creek. The inside of the car was a mess. It was also out of fuel and had a dead battery.
A mile south of Harris’ car they found his backpack. Inside was his cell phone, which was dead but otherwise seemed fine.
There were also two plastic bottles, one filled with a solution that seemed to be hard liquor mixed with an energy drink. The other was empty but smelled strongly of liquor. Sources seem to disagree on whether the bottles were found in his car or his backpack. Regardless of where they were found, it is clear that Harris had either relapsed or had been successfully hiding his addiction as of late.
Police combed Cache Creek Canyon without success. They used infrared imaging from planes, perused the area on foot and on ATVs, and brought out tracking and cadaver dogs. There was no sign of Harris, and nobody could imagine how such a large man had simply vanished.
Several sightings were reported of a man who matched Harris’ description, and to be quite frank, I can’t imagine there were that many men who could be mistaken for Harris in the area at that time. He was spotted walking along the side of the road and sitting on a guardrail, looking at the creek. These sightings took place on October 10 and 11, shortly after Harris’ last known contact with family and friends.
Police found selfies on Harris’ phone showing him posing joyfully beside a sign welcoming him to Yolo County; perhaps he was amused by the name, with YOLO being common parlance (particularly at the time he went missing) for “You only live once.”
There was also an apparently accidental video that showed Harris rifling through his glove box, singing along to his music and seemingly in good spirits despite his somewhat erratic behavior.
Had Harris’ story ended here, it would have still been compelling, but it went further. On October 18, a truck driver reported seeing a man who matched Harris’ description walking near the parking lot where his Nissan had been left.
Imprints were later found in the parking lot that were not defined enough to have a cast made. However, they were apparently not consistent with animal prints and were large enough that they could very well have come from a size 18 shoe. As someone who wears a size 13, I can tell you that that’s a huge footprint and not something that could be left by just anyone. The shoeprints were allegedly leading away from the parking lot.
No legitimate sightings of Harris have been reported since.
Analysis of Harris’ Disappearance
Let’s begin by looking at the official police narrative of Rico Harris’ disappearance. Law enforcement has asserted that there is no evidence of foul play in Harris’ disappearance. I tend to agree with this assessment. By all accounts, Harris came to Yolo County alone, and there were no signs of a struggle surrounding his disappearance.
Furthermore, if you find the eyewitness testimony of those who allegedly saw him reliable, as I do given his unique stature, he was never spotted with anyone else.
Where I differ from law enforcement is in my belief about what happened to Rico Harris and his intent throughout the whole process. Police believe that Harris only arrived in Yolo County by accident, that he took a wrong turn and ended up out there.
I’m not sure he did. He told Song that he planned to go “up into the mountains.” Perhaps this is what he meant; perhaps something within him led him to stray from his established path, perhaps because he was having a mental breakdown or for spiritual reasons or simply because he felt like he needed a place off the beaten path to rest.
I think it’s possible that he took a wrong turn and got lost, but neither his selfies nor his communications with Song (where he mentioned nothing about being lost) nor his actions thereafter really suggest this.
Next up, police don’t seem to have any kind of theory, at least publicly, as to what happened in the days between Harris’ initial disappearance and his return to the parking lot on October 18th. I doubt he was in town anywhere nearby, since local law enforcement was actively working to ensure that locals knew they were looking for Harris. Despite this, there are no reports of him in town, despite his size which would have immediately set him apart.
I theorize that Harris was likely out in the woods during this time. If he had relapsed on alcohol, it is not beyond reason that he may have had access to other drugs as well. Perhaps Harris turned this incident into an unexpected retreat. Detectives say that Harris looked like “a free man” in the videos found of him. Perhaps this inspired him to go into nature, even with or without the influence of drugs and alcohol.
So why did Harris not return for eight full days? Maybe this is when he ran out of drugs. Maybe he had become lost and only found his way back by that point. Perhaps he had finally had a reality check and decided that it was time to return to his life.
Regardless, I do believe that Harris returned to the parking lot. The shoeprints along with the sighting are enough to make me feel that this was legitimate. After this, police suggest that Harris either went into the woods or into town. One detective goes so far as to suggest that, “We have no sightings, so he probably got a ride.”
This is where I strongly disagree with law enforcement. I don’t think that Rico Harris left to start another life. He seemed to struggle mightily with being far from home and family, and I can’t imagine he would run away, then spend almost nine years without so much as briefly contacting a family member or friend.
And to return to the subject at the beginning of this piece, I don’t mean to suggest that it would be completely impossible for Harris to vanish into a new life, but his physical circumstances would make that especially difficult. I think that it would take a whole lot of work for Harris to disappear into another life fully, and I just don’t think the evidence points to him either being at that point or being willing to commit himself to so difficult a project.
Personally, I find it far more likely that Harris wandered back into the woods, dejected to find his car missing, and either committed suicide or accidentally died, having seen his missing vehicle as the final proof that he wasn’t meant to return to ordinary life.
Looking at photographs of Cache Creek Canyon, I’m honestly surprised this is not brought up more often. Police often speak as if Harris went missing in a small city park and that they’d certainly find him if he was there.
I’m just not so sure. Cache Creek Canyon looks like it contains plenty of dense foliage. I feel like a body, even one the size of Rico Harris’s, could easily evade detection, particularly if located far from the main trails.
Conclusion
Unlike many cases I cover on here, where the victim has been missing for far too long to realistically still be alive, Rico Harris has been missing for less than a decade. If he did indeed run away, as the police seem ready to accept, he could very well be alive.
If you know a 6’9”, 300 lbs. Black man with a “BALLIN IV LIFE” tattoo and a mysterious past, please consider contacting Yolo County law enforcement. Heck, if you are Rico, consider contacting them yourself. I don’t know anything about the demons of your past, but I do know that there are people who love you and who deserve to know that you’re okay.
However, I find it far more likely that Rico is still out there somewhere near Cache Creek Canyon, his tale sadly having come to an end in a corner of the park that nobody’s checked yet. Maybe he’ll stay there forever, unfound and unburied.
This is truly a case where I just don’t know what to think. I don’t understand why law enforcement’s active theory, or at least publicly promoted theory, is that he hitched a ride and drove away. It just doesn’t add up to me, and I can’t help but wonder if they have additional reasons for thinking this that they haven’t shared with the public.
Nonetheless, I hope we can find Harris one way or another, so that his family have can closure if nothing else. These days, they sit around wondering what happened to him, and wondering if one word, one phrase, one answer could have changed things entirely.
Sources
https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-missing-basketball-player-20190316-story.html
https://www.vizaca.com/rico-harris-missing/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/rico-harris
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rico\_Harris