The Tainted Moor {short story}
The Tainted Moor is a short story (6,700 words) that fits into the post-apocalyptic world of the science fiction & dark fantasy RPG “YELLOW DAWN“. You can read the story as a stand alone, or use it to gain further insight into the influence of the Great Old One – Hastur – through the zombie infection.
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The Tainted Moor
In the North East of England is a place where something so terrible has occurred, that the locals dare only to speak of it as a warning to survivors thinking of going there.
The Tainted Moor.
Man has tried to penetrate the chaos of the Infection and brought such calamity upon the battered Earth that even the Angels weep in despair. An indelible stain upon the bruised flesh of Mother Nature.
The Tainted Moor.
Do not tread in the crumbling footsteps of the decaying God, or survey the warped signs of its fury. For to see and breathe, and believe, is to be changed and so doomed forever.
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Background
This story is something of a personal homage to H. P. Lovecraft whose cannon of work has influenced my writing and affected my life in numerous ways. I’ve chosen to emulate his style, as a one-off, just because I thought it would be interesting to try and because I think it suits the flavour of this particular tale of outré horror. Lovecraft aficionados will hopefully recognise the taste of one of his classics, which I used as the source inspiration, with a contemporary dusting of fresh ideas from Yellow Dawn and some of my trademark plot twists.
Comments & Feedback
Genuinely scary stuff. There’s some truly disturbing imagery and ideas here, executed with a deft hand. I love the echoes of Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out Of Space” and “The Whisperer in Darkness”, and the greater inclusion of the Hastur mythology in the world of Yellow Dawn adds a wonderfully nightmarish aspect to an already chilling atmosphere. – Chris H, Bristol
The setting provokes an atmosphere of disquiet and unease. As the tale unfolded the quiet beginning of it developed into frightening and sickening revelations and the end left me feeling thoroughly unsettled. In a good way of course. That hollow from things left in a manner that doesn’t seem right in the ways of the universe at all. Twisted and perverse in a very dark fashion. I look forward to learning more about the universe of Yellow Dawn, and I love the aspect in which the “influence” and “Infection” originates. Enjoyed the read and the styles of writing you have used to approach both House of Heavenly Light and The Tainted Moor. - Sammi, Arizona
Letters
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YELLOW DAWN is a role-playing game described as a post-apocalyptic world for action adventure and investigative horror. Some aspects of the game draw heavily upon H.P.Lovecraft’s “Cthulhu Mythos” cycle of stories.
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