Corbin's Videos

1. Found in THe Queenswoods:

The timer on the video says this is from about three months ago.  Still nice and forested here.  Corbin is walking through the wilderness at night, describing how he snuck away from the Ranger ROTC trip to Fort Reuben and got out here.  Seems he saw some guys with those weird tattoos hitching out of town as well so ended up following, and got lost.

After a bit of time, the girl with short hair and pale skin jumps down from the trees in front of him.  Corbin falls on his ass in surprise.

Girl: "Why do you keep following me, Corbin Whitacre?"

Corbin: "God you scared the shit out of me least warn me or something.  And I wasn't following you but those dudes with the tats; guessin you killed em by now eh?" She nods.  "- wait, you know my name?  I mean I know that whole thing at the ski resort happened but...didn't think you remembered.  I don't even know -your- name."

Girl: "Yanala.  Yes, you saved my life that day.  And I paid my gratitude to you.  It is a small miracle you have not been slain yet for poking your nose into matters further."

Corbin: "Huh, that's pretty...and...well...uh...nice to see you too, I guess...but yeah how did you, well, uh..?"

Yanala: "Is it that much a surprise, Corbin?  Your family is hardly without history in matters such of as these.  The Whitacres were to be one of the founding members of the order, but your predecessors decided they had their fill of adventuring and refused the offer.  Even today I imagine they would accept entry of any of your family."

Corbin: "Yeah, uh, I think you lost me."

Yanala seems a bit frustrated. "Surely you know of your heritage." The camera nods.  "It is an extension of such, one that you were spared from until now.  If it's not me your following, then why are you here?"

Corbin: "Look, I just want to figure out what the hell going on here with these stupid dolls, those kids in the towns, the dudes with the tattoos...seeing you again was sort of a bonus I guess." He laughs.

Yanala: "...So you wish to learn, then."

Corbin: "Should I call ya teacher then?"

Yanala:  "I am not the one to decide that, but I imagine the others would welcome you with open arms.  Blood goes a long way in our circle."

Corbin: "What sort of brotherhood is this anyway?"

Yanala: "Regionally, we are referred to as The Keeper's Cult."

Corbin: "Oooooh, nifty.  Where we heading then?"

Yanala: "I have a parcel I need to deliver.  Come."

She starts off toward a nearby...lake? the moonlight makes it look like such.  Corbin clips the camera off.

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2. The Defiled Temple

Corbin and Yanala are sitting at the small circular stone table with a beautiful, dark skinned woman with long hair and a simple toga.  She seems ecstatic about having visitors.  Yanala gives her a box full of novels, which she puts aside for now.

Woman: "Thank you so much, Yanala. These novels are pretty much my only entertainment these days aside from the occasional Explorer.  I suppose that is a good thing, that times are at least somewhat peaceful.  Well, least here."  She looks to Corbin. "Would Corbin here be your boyfriend?"

Corbin chokes on whatever he was drinking.  You can see there's a few marble cups on the table as well and a plate of fruit.  Yanala recovers a bit more gracefully, but has a slight blush.  Even here she's wearing a neckpiece of sorts that makes it hard to get a good look at her lower face.  Seems she doesn't trust the camera.  "No, Lady Yemaja, to call us an item would be incorrect.  He is however interested in joining our Order."

Lady Yemaja: "Aw...Well, I suppose I should introduce myself to you then."  She speaks for a bit about her responsibilities, and what she is.  That she's actually the region's Mespirit, and as one of the lake guardians, charged by Bondye with the task of quelling any issues that arise in the future due to the acts of a Keeper or one of The Forgotten Gods.  She is fairly young for her kind, as she was not born until after The Great Calamity, and has in the last two decades reincarnated for the first time.  Outside of that she is a a guardian of lost children, and recounts that one of her first acts in this incarnation was convincing Odin to adopt a young human child lost in his domain.  She wonders what becomes of that child, and Corbin tells her that it was most likely Valdis Stormhammer, who is quite well.  Yemaja recognizes the name and rejoices. "I would love to meet her again and hear her tale.  I am certain it is a heartwarming one!"  Corbin asks her about the missing children who have been popping up in Visiwa, and she seems very confused by this, as she is unaware of it.  She explains the way 'lost' to her works is that the child themselves feels misplaced or away from home, so these children must be here of their own will and while she can look into it, it might be out of her domain.  Yanala tells her about the thugs she encountered on the way over, seems she only knows they have been dealing with local gangs and possibly the Firefoot Terrorists.  Yemaja doesn't seem the least bit worried ; her kind is well equipped for dealing with those who would wish harm upon them.

The talk continues for a bit as Yemaja recounts tales of days of old.  It's quite an interesting video to a historian or anyone interested in Cryptozoography.  God you can't even imagine how much something like this would actually be valued.  The Lake Guardians are notorious for being much more menacing than this.

Eventually they make their exit and start back up the path they came, Yemaja seems a bit sad to see them go, but Yanala promises she'll return the next month.  Yemaja makes her promise to bring Corbin as well, and she reluctantly agrees to it.  Corbin a bit later asks Yanala why he shot down them being a couple so quick, to which she rolls her eyes, yanks the camera from him and turns it off.

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3. The Burial Chambers

This one seems to be a series of short videos starting about a week after the last ones.  First one seems to be in Corbin's dorm room.  You see Yanala looking out the window at something as he approaches her.  Looks like she's wearing one of his shirts.  It's the first good look you've gotten of her - seems she's been growing out her hair some.  She looks a -little- older than Corbin, but not by that much.  Also pretty damn attractive - but huh she seems rather serious.  "What the heck is that commotion down there anyway Yanala?" The camera looks out the window as well.  You see a bunch of students in a courtyard, and a man in a suit, standing on a bench preaching out to them.  "Nothing that unusual from him..." Yanala answers, biting her nails.  "He's talking about his life up until now and how religion saved him.  Bringing the teachings of Arceus to a tribe of atheists...Nothing to odd."

"What's eatin' at you then?"

"The...man next to him.  I know him.  He's was the head Chronicler of the Keeper's Cult.  Or was.  He vanished about a year ago.  Why is he here?"  Sure enough there's a man standing next to this preacher in a white robe of sorts.

"Okay...strange...what's his name anyway?"

"Husk."

"And the preacher man?"

"I don't know.  Come on, let's look into this."  She starts to get changed immediately as Corbin clips off the camera.

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This time it seems they are at some sort of village out in the swamps?  It's a big group dinner that quite a few tourists are filming as natives speak with visitors.  Yanala seems to have a wig on and is wearing a scarf over her mouth.  Seems rather uncomfortable.  They are watching this preacher from before talk with some elders in this village.  Seems most the other guests are members of this guy's congregation, they all have the same emblem of a stag's horns.  "So we got his name now.  Mr. Ruth.  Seems alright enough...he's been teaching that tribe that was just found a few months ago about Arceus.  Seems they were atheists before now, completely taken with his teachings.  Seems weird those actually exist huh?"

Yanala: "If it's all you ever knew, it's not odd."

Corbin: "They seem pretty...taken with whatever he's tellin' em.  They got this huge aesthetic going on now with antlers and such, declared themselves The Stag Lords.  Seems they are druidic or somethin'? I dunno but they got pretty swag hot springs here."

Yanala: "And you said we were here for research."

Corbin: "Two Pidgies with one Rock Throw!  Lord you are always so serious even though you were enjoying yourself in the springs earlier"

Yanala: She looks up from her serving and stares with a vengeance.  "...And how would you know that?"

Corbin: "Uh. Shit." CLICK

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It's night time by the shore.  Hell this looks familiar, it's probably not far off where you landed at.  Corbin and Yanala are hiding in some bushes in the swamp watching a man in the robes of that preacher's congregation.  Older guy with an eye patch.  He's got a kid with him - don't recognize the kid, just he sort of looks Asian.  The man is holding a lantern out into the water, flickering it.

Corbin: "The heck is this guy doin' with a foreign kid out - "
Yanala: "Shhhh- watch."

Corbin protests until...something emerges from the waters.  A human figure, a woman, topless with the lower body of a serpent. or fish.  Milotic?  It's hard to say.  You can tell both Corbin and Yanala both stop breathing as they witness this, completely shocked.  It seems the man and the creature exchange conversation for a bit.  She holds out her arms and the young boy steps forward.  The woman embraces him as two more of the creatures rise from the deeps, each presenting a small chest.  The man takes them both, opens them and confirms their contents with a nod and a few more words.  The three descend at once, taking the boy with them.  The man turns and leaves.

They stay still for a long while, their breathing is shaken.  "What. The fuck was that." Corbin finally speaks up.

Yanala: "...I...I don't know.  I honestly do not.  We should leave this place.  Now."  Click.

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4. Agwe's Adobe

This scene begins with Corbin, alone, in the woods.  He's running, panicked, scared, bolting through the brush.  In the background you can hear the sounds of shouting and screams.  He's being chased.  He hits a cliffside, and can't quite stop himself and falls over it, landing on a narrow ledge below it.  He rests here, looking down to see the cliff goes..well, really far down. "Jeeezus I lucked out.  Think they won't find me here." He whispers as he flips the camera to face him.  "We found a camp of raiders and Sons of Grant out in the woods, Yanala got closer to investigate and I stayed behind.  Lucky me gets spotted by a guy taking a piss, and here I came.  Oh shit here they come."  He quiets up, then stands a bit and peeks the camera over the edge to look at what's up there.

You see two shirtless, tattooed Sons of Grant, both with assault rifles, looking around, catching their breath themselves.  "You think he fell over?"

"Naw.  Probably just lost him."

"Yeah don't think he's dumb enough for that.  Let's head back I guess..."

As they turn to leave, a buzzing sound starts.  The Sons pause.  "You hear...?"  Then music... "Oh...fuck us." They start to tremble.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_UHO60tkdg . It's not like Corbin added this music later, it's coming from the woods itself.

A figure appears from the darkness.  A man in dark formal clothing, and a matching cloak.  A top hat, and black gloves as well.  He's humming, a sort of synthetic voice mixer is obviously in effect.  His face, a white, full head hard mask.  Sewed lips, eye slots with painted blood running down them, and no ears.  The eye slits themselves glow red.  "Wonderful fall night, isn't it, gentlemen?" the figure says.

The two back up slowly.  "You stay back, monster," raising the assault rifles.

"Rude." says the man, as he steps forward, flicking his wrists to reveal two shadowy knives not unlike the ones Genevieve purchased from his sleeves.

The two sons begin to yell as they open fire.  The muzzle flashes illuminating the area.  Every burst of light shows the figure in a different location.  A tree, to the left, to the right, back some, sometimes there's more than one of them...

Click click.  As they find themselves out of ammo, the two of them are surrounded by several look-alikes of this man.  There's quick screams as they knives fall.  Then...the butchering, all the figures kneeling down over the bodies and making quick work of it.  Two of them yank out hearts of the men, the sinews on their masks begin to break as the mouths open, and they devour them.  NOW you hear Corbin speaking over it. "I was lucky to only hear this at the time, was so confused...woulda freaked the fuck out and blown my cover.  Or, well, I guess that wouldn't of mattered much..."

A gust of air flows, and suddenly all the extras of this man begin to fade away like mist.   Only one remains, a mask red with blood.  He approaches the camera, kneels down, tilts his head.  "Curious.  I wonder what all you saw.  Oh, no matter.  Pleasant night, is it not?  Allow me to introduce myself," he holds a blooded black glove to his chest, "I, am Dandyman.  Who do I owe this pleasure?"

There's a bit of a silence. "...Name's Corbin."

"Ah! So you can speak.  Good, good, now, I think we both know what the best course of action concerning this event is."  He raises a finger in front of the sewn together mouth of the mask, and 'shhhhhhh's.  Wind blows again, and his form fades like mist as well.  The music stops.

Yanala can be seen running toward this, pausing at the bodies, and the video cuts out as the two greet each other.

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5. The Temple of Xipe Totec

These are a series of short videos showcasing the day-to-day life of the cult members who reside a Keeper's Cult hide out.  It seems to be a stone temple in a cave somewhere.  Rosetta would recognize it, smooth carved walls with runic script, torch lights, a small library and modern day stuff all over the place.  Each of the people here seem to have a small room as well. A good bit of it is focused on Yanala in particular.  Seems she reads a lot, even while doing aerobic exercises (She holds the books up telekinetically), and spends a good bit of time meditating as well.  She seems quite distracted by the camera on her a lot of the time and often bats it away.

There's a quite a few humorous snippets with Hobbs and Yaretzi.  The first with Yaretzi is her watching guard out front and Corbin asking Yanala about her, like "if she's blind how does she know such and such."  She spends most her time playing with birds and dark types that she's dragged back to the temple with her.  Doesn't seem like one for Pokeballs.  There's one scene where the camera's on the side and she's sparring with Corbin.  After wupping his butt quite badly she announces that Yanala has poor choice in mates.  There's some laughter and it cuts out.

Next up is a series of videos of Hobbs doing all sorts of tasks.  Cleaning weapons while he explains things about them to Corbin (usually with a not so subtle disaproval that the boy doesn't know diddly about fire arms), cleaning, and cooking.  He seems to be the badass buttler.  There's a scene where Yaretzi is wary of what he cooked, and when she asks what it is he answers Tikka Masala.  She seems to think this is a person and asks why he killed TIkka and cooked her.  There's some more laughter...

There are a few quick ones with some others who you haven't met yet.  A pair of twins who Corbin can't quite get the identities of right.  A guy in a hoodie who always avoids his face being seen in the camera, and sometimes wears a mask to get around it.  Seems super paranoid that Corbin's filming things.  A middle aged lady who seems to have a metric ass ton of costumes,  a few others you don't get great looks at.

Quite a few shots of the three eyed Raven.  He seems a bit creeped out by it, but none of the others really seem to ever pay it much mind.  Roland's in a few of the clips, but these ones are more serious and eluding to bigger issues.  Even with the time stamp being about in November, he's already seeing signs that something weird is going on and some of the other cult members are going missing or turning up dead.  Husk has -just- gone missing as well.

Near the end there's a scene near the door like the one you're standing in front of now.  Corbin doesn't really seem to get the puzzle.  Yanala says the following. "It's not something most people would get.  You have to know what it represents to even have a clue of the answer, and be aware of the time period it was made in."

Corbin: "What happens if you screw up?"

Yanala: "Nothing.  It doesn't open."

Corbin: "No poison gas, spears or swinging axes?"

Yanala: "Of course not.  Traps are a very ineffective way of hiding something.  They only allure treasure hunters.  When you want to hide something, you try to disguise it as something that it's not..."

Corbin hrms about this.  "What's behind here, anyway?"

Yanala: "Hopefully answers to our questions." and the video cuts out as Yanala starts to solve the puzzle.

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    From the looks of things, this appears to be from a fixed camera that was placed someplace to observe.  The scene appears to be an arid field with small clumps of foilage and lots of open space.  Red clay is what most the ground looks like, a small bit of sand.  It's a very clear day, big blue sky.  The camera seems to be in the hollow of a cactus or something, given the bits of green around the top and bottom and sides.    Some text has been placed on the bottom as an editing effect. "We passed by here a few times during a week and I noticed some consistant tire treads.  Put a camera up and got lucky."

    A motorcycle approaches and stops.  Off steps a woman in a skin tight biker outfit.  She removes her helmet, and you notice her striking resemblance to Genvieve, just with black hair, different color eyes, and a tattoo of a black star on one of her cheeks.  A few seconds pass with her standing, waiting, until the wind picks up, and the sound of a child's laughter is heard.  A familiar figure in a dark cloak, dress clothes, a white mask and hat approaches.

    Jennifer: "The experiment's done.  The sanity issue that popped up in a lot of your earlier generation of them has been addressed."  She pops open a compartment on the motorcycle, and hands over a small box to Dandyman.  Her voice is an exact match, though she seems to lack Genevieve's sass.

    Dandyman opens the box and removes a vial.  "The path of the righteous is never without a few blunders and mistakes.  No matter - they were easily replaced.  How long does it take this strain to manifest?  Same method of administering it?"

    Jennifer: "Exactly the same, and the next batch of the drug is already being processed, and the improvements can be carried over to your earlier Cherubs as well."

    Dandyman: "Good, good...I trust the Angels are developing quite nicely as well?  What of the other requests I placed with you?"

    Jennifer ponders something a bit.  "What's the saying?  All is right heaven?  Operations are going as expected, which is to say with less hiccups than the Cherubs had, and the trapping devices you requested are currently under development.  Improvements to those dolls you favor will have to wait a bit, I'm afraid."

    Dandyman: "Yes, yes.  No matter.  The ones we have for now shall suffice.  Before I return to thwarting our enemies, however, we should discuss a new exchange point with our close friends soon."  That creepy mask with a trail of red tear stains, sewn lips and red glowing eyes looks straight at the camera.  He approaches it, gets very close to the lense, and says. "Ever vigilant, are you, Mr. Whitacre?" Click.  More super imposed text.  "He just turned it off and left it there.  I'd be lying if I said I don't check under my bed when I go to sleep now.  After this happened...well I got some help faking that I was still a student at NIU and layed low for a good while."

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    Another short scene, Yanala and Corbin in the jungle late at night.  She's annoyed, looking at him while laying in a sleeping bag.  Seems they are laying on tree branches.  "Corbin what the hell are you trying to film at this hour?"

    Corbin: "Just a second, I heard something, I swear...where's the flash on this..."

    Yanala sighs and continues to rant a bit about his paranoia about these 'Cherub' things as he turns the flash on.  Hanging from a branch directly behind her is a boy dressed in pitch black clothing, unnaturally lanky and stretched arms cling to a branch above, with the boy hanging maybe three feet from her.  The boy smiles and opens his mouth - but humans don't have mouths that wide, or ones that open that wide, nor do they have teeth that long, let alone teeth that protrude from their mouth like razor sharp stalagmites and stalactites at the entrance to an ancient caveway.  Corbin starts to scream as the boy chomps down at Yanala - who reacts as Corbin screams, and the camera falls to the ground with the sounds of 'OH GOD KILL IT KILL IT WHAT THE FUCK' from Corbin as a struggle starts.

    ...It goes quiet and Yanala hops down to pick up the camera, a few scratches, and a rather nasty bite on her shoulder.  There's blood all over her.  "...Next time, -I'm- keeping watch first."  Click.

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6. The Explorer Museum of Bravescar



    There are no words to this first clip.  It seems to be from a stationary camera.  It looks over the ocean and a beach from a palm tree - you can see the Misty Mountains in the distance, so you suppose this is on White Chord.  The light suggests it's dawn, as the sun is rising. A young man suddenly bursts from the water's surface, gasping for breath.  He's gangly, pale, and has long...green hair, you think.  He slowly swims to shore as a head pokes out from the water - also with green hair, but a woman's face.  There's a toothy grin (with razor sharp teeth, mind you) as their eyes meet, she waves goodbye submerges with the splash of a fish tail.  As the boy turns to the land again, three men approach: Dandyman, Husk, and Tialoc.  There's a brief exchange with the young man - who appears to be nude - and they toss him a towel and set of light clothing.  Before long, the four of them leave.

    It's worth noting, the Stag Lords you saw who had Aura capabilities, all had full head masks on and did not show their hair.
    ----

    This next video is quite similar.  It looks like it takes place on New Ivyhollow University, at night time.  This is dated about a month before Corbin was killed.  This candid camera is overlooking the statue of the school's founder, Teresa Vai Vetor, and actually has sound.  There are two children walking around: Jerome, and the kid from the earlier video.  They seem to be planting Wanga Dolls.  "So did Dandy actually tell you what these things are for?" asks the green haired kid.  The green haired kid is older by at least six years, but Jerome's the one familiar with the area.

    "Course the Dandyman told me, foo.  He said they is like...when Rapture comes the Angels will come at these things - like signal flares and shit.  Dandy's got all sorts of rad voodoo powers with em so they can fight if they need to, and he can control them.  And the ones with the metal balls?  Even we can order those ones around, eventually.  Dandy uses these things to bust caps in heretics all the time too.  Oh, and he said to slip some of that good shit in them too.  The Elixers from the Holy Mother."

    The green haired kid seems a bit confused with that. "How long does it take those things to start working, anyway?  They gave me one not long after my ascension, but..."

    Jerome laughs. "One all it take, nigga.  Sure you could down more and make it go faster, think I had like three.  Things taste like shit don't they?  Don't take too many though.  Niggas go craycray with too many.  Just need enough till -" he raises a hand and pulls a Wolvareen with claws coming out, and then he retracts them again.  "- it hits ya.  Don't leave ya once it do either. Lot of the kids don't got em yet though.  That's the main reason we be passin' these out.  Once they do?  Won't need them as much anymore."

    "What about the angels part?"

    "I dunno nigga.  If he gonna use em to fight those Letter Thugs though they best be packin' more heat than they is.  After all, they got those other niggas to deal with the cult guys bug man used to roll with."

    The two continue on and out of ear shot.

    ----
    You see Yanala sitting at a campfire in the wilds.  Corbin's obviously filming.

    "Okay, so, considering we've only been jumped by them and the shape shifter kids like five times now, there any tricks to identifying these guys?"

    Yanala stares at the camera - you can tell she's sort of confused why he's filming this while asking it.  "Physical traits don't help much, as you've seen.  There are some tells, however.  The first tell is not very helpful.  They hate sweets.  They make them sick.  Sugar in that form, to them, is like fire on flesh."

    "The second.  They cannot stand children.  Their targets rarely are, or have strong associations to children."

    "The third.  They don't bleed."

    The video abruptly cuts at that point.