by liamlawliet
In a fractured world where power is never free, everything is governed by the brutal law of Deferred Cost. Strength, survival, and even small miracles can be bought by mere mortals and paid for later, often in unpredictable ways. The higher one climbs towards power, the heavier their debt weighs on their shoulders. At the center of this system lies the Hill, a corrupted, shifting mass of reality itself, blackened and veined with unnatural purple light that stands as a monument of Man's failure. It's rumored to house the Heart of Virelan, an ancient artifact capable of reviving dead souls. Many pilgrimages and adventures have set out to claim the Heart, riches, and glory of scaling the Hill, but none has returned. Callahan Sinclair is different. He's been planning his journey for decades, ever since his father became the first man to ever return from the Hill alive, though he didn't stay like that for long. He passed down an ancient Map to his son, and over the years, Callahan has been training and planning out his route to do what no one else has. Ryker Bosvell, his best and only real friend, vows to travel with him in search of blood and glory. As the two travel, they are joined by other broken souls of the same fate. A brothel whore who trades pieces of herself for survival; a gladiator that is slowly being overwhelmed by the weight of his deferred debts; A hollowed elf that is yearning for a true life; A ruthless general that knows the economy of war more than loyalty; and a drifter riddled with regret that bears more than her costs. As they get closer and closer to the Hill, the cost of their sins amplify. The party faces larger threats: An unstoppable army of God-fearing husks, a bloodthirsty tribe that burn their cost ledgers, royal families full of deceit and lies, and most of all, themselves. At the summit, what awaits them is not only power, but the truth that will force the party to confront the real meaning of sin and survival.
