Part 1: Rise
The Darksign appears without warning... it may take hold upon you at any time, at any place - even while you sleep. . .
Evangeline of Jugo, Sola the Kind, Melodia Griffith
You awaken in near-darkness. Your bodies ache from sleeping in armor - save for Evangeline - but exactly how long you slept, you do not know. The three of you are in a dingy cell without windows, much too small to accommodate three people; the only light comes through its barred door by way of a torch set in a nearby wall. Everything smells of mildew and water drips every few seconds nearby.
Those cursed to bear the Darksign come from all walks of life... the squalid, the deceitful, even the devout. . .
Larae Ikara, Louie the Wizard, Samson Bergfalk
You appear, with little more than a slight glow, before a large wooden church situated on a cliffside hill. The doors are firmly shut. Behind you, down a hill, resides a hamlet of closely-knit buildings that look quite precariously built. Several people mill about slowly between them and do not seem to notice your arrival. Within the church you all hear the sound of quiet but hurried movement.
No matter how far you run, how well you try to hide... there is no way to escape the Curse, not even through death. . .
Kent of Rivia, Masked Freak Onryo, Ywis of the Great Swamp
You step through a doorway, but it is not the one you entered. Instead, you are inside a large, ornate room with a raised dais in the center, upon which a stone basin rests. The room is lined with unlit sconces, and light filters in through great square holes in the ceiling far above your heads. Behind you, a rectangle of white light remains in the doorway, constantly swirling like fog.
After long enough, you forget when it came... then you forget everything you've left behind because of the Curse. . .
Boudicca Cáit, Ludek the Sparse, Meredith Aria
You suddenly find yourselves standing before a titanic stone wall. You have to crane your necks to see the top of it, and it stretches to the horizon on either side. The bricks are crumbling in many spots, including several holes close to the top, and most of its surface is coated with thick carpets of moss. A wooden door is set in the wall before you, and behind is an empty plain, but you have no idea how you got here.
Everyone
The Darksign branded upon your flesh suddenly burns red-hot, and then fades just as quickly, leaving you all with a stinging pain upon your flesh.