Old diary

Old diary
Released							24 May 2018 (Update)
Members							Yes
Quest item							A Taste of Hope
Properties
Tradeable							No
Equipable							No
Stackable							No
Noteable							No
Options							Read, Drop
Examine							A tatty old diary.
Values
Value							1 coin
High alch							0 coins
Low alch							0 coins
Weight							0.51 kg
Advanced data
Item ID							22411

The old diary is obtained by searching the bed next to the staircase in Serafina's home. It can be obtained as early as partial completion of Darkness of Hallowvale after gaining access to the route to the Sanguinesti Meiyerditch hideout, however its contents are mostly relevant for the quest A Taste of Hope.

Written by Serafina's brother, the diary describes Ranis Drakan and Serafina making a deal to cure her brother of his illness, which players find out later in the quest was transforming him into the abomination. The same story, but from Serafina's perspective, can be read in her diary.

If lost, it can be reclaimed from Serafina's home or from a bookcase within a player-owned house.

The route to Serafina's home, where the old diary can be found.

Transcript

The following text is transcluded from Transcript:Old diary.

There was a strange man in our home today. He'd come to see Sera, but she didn't tell me why. The two of them went down into the basement to talk. When I asked later, she said she didn't want to disturb me, but I wonder if she had other reasons.

I got a good look at him when he left. There was something unsettling about him. He had a strange look in his eyes that I didn't like. He also wore a large medallion. It stuck out to me. It seemed far too fancy for anyone around here to be wearing it.

I spoke to Sera after he left and asked her who he was. She didn't tell me. She just said that everything was going to be okay now.

That strange man came back today. Once again, they went down into the basement. I thought about trying to sneak down to see what they were doing, but today was a bad one, and I felt too weak to move.

This fever has been extra bad recently. On days like this, I struggle to even leave the bed. I wonder if that's what this is about. She's tried to hide it, but I know Sera is worried. Maybe she thinks this man can help me. I know she feels responsible for my illness.

Sera's always getting herself into trouble. Too many fights with the wrong people. She said she was fine, that she could handle herself. She never thought it would put me in danger as well. Thing is, all it took was one cut. It was just a scratch. I'd had plenty worse, but the wound festered. Now, here we are.

The illness has progressed quickly. My mind thankfully remains undamaged, but I can't say the same for my body. I never leave the bed now. Sera is getting worried. It's only two more weeks until our sector is to be tithed. She worries I'll be too ill to cope.

To be honest, she isn't wrong. Getting tithed is draining at the best of times. With me in this state, who knows what will happen.

It's now only one week until it's our turn to be tithed. Once again, the strange man is back. Things were a little bit different this time though. After their usual chat in the basement, the man came to see me.

He stared at me for a long time, not saying anything. It was quite unnerving. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, he turned to Sera and said, 'he is compatible.' And with that, he left.

At this point, I knew something was wrong. It was clear that the man was coming here about me, but I still didn't really know why. I spoke to Sera and demanded she tell me the truth. We argued at first. She was clearly very uncomfortable. In the end, she agreed to tell me. Not today, but soon.

Three days until we are tithed. With not long left to go, I knew that whatever Sera was planning would be happening soon. I reminded her of the promise she made. I made it clear that she needed to tell me what was going on. Once again, she was reluctant, but eventually she agreed.

She told me that the man was here to help me, that he knew a way to cure my illness. She said that in a couple of days, he'd need to take me elsewhere so that he could perform an operation on me, one that would cure me forever.

Something didn't sit right with me. I asked her who he was and how she found him. She claimed that he was a doctor from sector five. I knew she was lying. No citizen, doctor or otherwise, could afford to wear clothes like that. Thing is, I didn't dwell on that. There was something bothering me even more.

I asked her how she could afford his services. We have close to nothing here, definitely nowhere near enough to please a man with that much wealth. She didn't answer, but as she turned away, I saw the tears in her eyes.

The tithing of our sector begins today. According to Sera, the strange man will be here soon to pick me up. I don't want to go. Sera clearly hasn't been thinking straight and I'm afraid of the deal she might have made.

Thing is, I'm helpless now. The illness has progressed to the point where I can barely move. Even just writing this causes more pain than I've ever felt before. With no way to resist, I decided to rest. At least, that's what Sera thought I did.

While I pretended to sleep, she sat next to me. For a long time, she just sat there, not knowing that I could see her. Finally, she said something that filled me with a fear unlike any I'd felt before. 'Forgive me.'

Changes

Date	Changes
[[{{#explode:4 June 2020| |0}} {{#explode:4 June 2020| |1}}]] [[{{#explode:4 June 2020| |2}}]] (update)	Some text was modified for the story to flow better, alongside fixes of capitalisation and minor grammatical errors.