Map of the Damned

Twisted Map of the Castle

Patterns and repetition exist everywhere in the world, even Káto. From the outcroppings of various numbers of stalactites and stalagmites to the constant paths horrors and creatures follow through the dark caverns, patterns are inevitable, defining the lives of those who live them. The Castle of the Damned, for all its convoluted and twisting glory, is nothing more than an established pattern. Its rooms, its appearance, its death toll, it's all a pattern that is constant in its nature.
The origin of the castle is unknown. It could have been a myriad of things that brought the castle to rest on the veil between Káto and the Lost Paths. It has rooms of unknown occupants and traps, but each room is predictable in its placement. Much like the origin of the castle is unknown, its written counterpart, the Map of the Damned, comes from an unknown source, with its own hidden traps.
A black parchment written in white ink, the map makes little sense at first glance. Only once someone begins to fold the parchment into intricate patterns does the map begin to reveal its secrets. Folded correctly to show a room, the magical map then teleports the reader to the room pictured, often causing the reader's demise. Folded incorrectly...no one is sure what the map does in those instances. Those who see the map assume the worst, but the map has a mind of its own. It chooses its victims carefully, serving as just another trap in the castle.

Historical Details

History

The map seems to be as old as the castle, its blackened parchment a testament to its age. The twisted magic that keeps the castle existing is what seems to power the map, allowing it to be folded into various patterns and then warping unsuspecting readers to various parts of the castle. There is a possibility that the map has no humanoid creator and that the castle, with its unknown magic, created the map to serve as another lure for the victims that the castle must claim.

Type

Guide, Survival

Medium

Paper

Myth

Harrowing

Location

Castle of the Damned

Purpose

The Map of the Damned is meant to be a map of the intricate pattern of rooms that exist in the Castle of the Damned. Unfortunately, due to the twisted magic of the castle and the creator of the map itself, the map often tends to serve as more of a trap, whisking away those that read the map to some unknown location within the castle.