Csejthe Town.
The castle bells rang through the mist, echoing across the valley where the town lay.
A group of robed believers circled the crumbling stone walls in a single direction, chanting strange hymns whose pronunciation did not resemble the common tongue.
They seemed to be carrying out some kind of ritual.
Without a doubt, they were worshipping something far from proper.
After all, any god worth relying on would not need this kind of ritual. The faith they required did not need to be expressed in such bizarre, demonic forms. If one wanted to pray, one could just pray—whether they listened was another matter.
Beneath the castle, an imposing, ornate door stood tightly shut. Fine reliefs were carved across its surface, depicting strange creatures descending beneath a full moon and bestowing gifts upon their followers.
But judging from the heap of chains, locks, and rather crude seals fastened over the door, it practically had "what's inside is extremely ominous" written all over it.
A priestess rested her hand on the door, as though sensing something.
"Has the final batch of adventurers arrived?"
Her voice was somewhat hoarse and androgynous, making her age impossible to discern.
Someone behind her answered.
"The latest will arrive tomorrow, possibly tonight."
"Good. Once they arrive, seal off the valley. Have the adventurers already in town begun attempting the commissions?"
"Two teams have explored the dense forest once. Another team set out this morning and has yet to return."
"It is time to awaken the hounds. Starting tonight, awaken them batch by batch. Use that team to test their condition."
"Understood—"
Night fell. In autumn, night arrived a little earlier.
Proof that there was an angle between this planet's orbital plane and the plane of its greatest rotational circumference.
The adventuring party in the dense