The Accurst

Accurst

A man, driven by bloodlust, carves huge swathes of soldiers with his horrific looking greataxe. Each drop of blood seems to invigorate him as he leaps with demonic speed toward each victim. You notch an arrow at him as he passes under the shady bough of an oak tree, fading from vision momentarily. Frantically scanning the landscape, you feel a slight pinch in your neck before the world spins sky over ground. You hear a 'thud' and foot steps as his hulking form passes over your severed head, on toward his next prey.

A Call from the Shadows

In the worlds of D&D, there are many stories of creatures that lurk in the shadows.

Otherwordly perspective

Bearing a curse can be a heavy burden on the weak-minded. Many have gone mad trying to make sense of the constant whispers. What sane people view as a weakness, these dark mercenaries use as a weapon to end life.

The path to madness is not one a person chooses to take, but the accurst embrace it with reverence and become a living nightmare. Depending on the path chosen into madness, the accurst empower their bodies with supernatural strength, manipulate the shadows like magic abilities, or enthrall powerful creatures to do their bidding.

Creating an accurst

The Accurst class is for those looking for a journey toward darkness. Anyone can play the hero and save the day, but who is willing to pick up the mantle of villain? Criminals, spies, and anyone looking to fulfill an evil purpose can play as an accurst. Do you have what it takes?

Quick Build

You can make an Accurst quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity and Strength should be your highest ability scores, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the criminal background.

Class Features

Your Class gains the following features:

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d10
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Shadowborn level after 1st.

Proficiencies

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• Armor: Light, medium.
• Weapons: Simple, martial.
• Tools: Thieve's tools.

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• Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
• Skills: Choose four of the following skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Animal handling, Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Sleight of hand, Stealth, Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) leather armor or (b) scale mail
• (a) two one-handed weapons or (b) a two-handed weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• Two daggers and five javelins

Animus

Starting at 1st level, malignant whispers compel you to create a terrifying weapon. Choose a melee weapon with which you are proficient. You may replace the weapon’s normal damage type with bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. Additionally, it gains one of the following properties if it does not already: Finesse, reach, thrown (20/60), or versatile. You possess one weapon of this type at 1st level.

You may craft another animus at 6th, 11th, and 16th level, to a maximum of 4.

Expertise

Also at 1st level, choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with thieve’s tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

At 6th level, you can choose two more of your proficiencies to gain this benefit.

Darkvision

Additionally, at 1st level your affliction has allowed you to become attuned with darkness and gain darkvision up to 60’.

At 11th level, this ability improves to allow you to also see through magical darkness.

Cunning Action

At 2nd level, your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat to Dash, Disengage, or Hide.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Sanity

At 3rd level, you begin to hear the whispers from the Shadowfell, granting you supernatural powers at the expense of your sanity. You gain sanity according to the accurst class table above. The DC for your accurst abilities can be calculated (Ability DC equal to 8 + Proficiency bonus + Charisma ability modifier)(Ability attack bonus equal to Proficiency bonus + Charisma ability modifier). Your sanity is restored to maximum after taking a short or long rest.

Madness

If your sanity becomes 0, you go mad and appear covered by dark energies, giving you the visage of a hideous nightmare. You're unable to take any action other than to attack the creatures nearest to you, friend or foe, for 3 rounds or until incapacitated. All of your attacks have advantage and any attacks made against you have advantage. Any active accurst abilities are dispelled and you are unable to use any abilities that require sanity to cast until you've taken a short or long rest. You gain 1 point of Exhaustion.

Descent into Madness

At 3rd level, choose how you descend into madness: Cursed Soul, Cursed Body, or Cursed Mind, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th.

Necrotic Touch

At 3rd level, you can take an action to attempt to make an ability melee attack on a target creature, afflicting it with necrotic energy. On a hit, the target receives 1d6 + Charisma ability modifier necrotic damage and can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Until then, shadowy vapors exude from where you touched.

You may spend sanity to increase the damage. For every point spent, increase the damage by 1d6 necrotic damage.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Alternatively, you can choose a feat (see Chapter 6 for a list of feats).

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Fade

Starting at 6th level, your movements have become completely silent, except while wearing heavy armor. While in dim light or darkness you make no audible noise and are not detectable by the special senses of blindsight or tremorsense.

Umbral Mantle

Starting at 7th level, you can spend 1 sanity and take an Action to envelope your body in darkness for 1 minute. You gain an aura with a radius of 10 feet that turns bright light into dim light and dim light into darkness. This ability can be dismissed as a bonus action.

The duration of this ability is increased to 2 minutes at 14th level.

Revenge

Starting at 8th level, when taking damage from a creature within 60 feet, you may spend 1 sanity and take a Reaction to deal damage to a creature dealing damage to you. You point your finger and the creature is momentarily enveloped by shadowy tendrils. The creature must make a successful Dexterity Saving Throw against your ability DC or take damage. On a failed saving throw, it takes 2d10 necrotic damage.

The damage increase by 1d10 at levels 14 and 20 to a maximum of 4d10 necrotic.

Shadow Walking

Starting at 9th level, you gain the ability to slide into the darkness through a space between the Shadowfell and the material plane. When you are in dim light or darkness, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You can make a Stealth check after you teleport automatically as a part of using this ability.

Chaotic Movement

Starting at 10th level, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you may spend 1 sanity to take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, or only half damage if you fail.

Additionally, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can spend 1 sanity and use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.

Geminus

At 11th level, your animus weapons become corrupted by your constant manipulation of the shadows. They become magical weapons for creatures with resistance to non-magical attacks. The shadows of these weapons are much denser and darker than normal shadows in current light conditions.

Whenever you make a successful attack with any of your animus weapons, the dense shadows beneath them home in on the creature you attacked. Immediately after your successful hit, you may make a second attack with advantage on the same creature, once per round. The secondary attack triggered by this ability deals necrotic damage instead of its normal damage types and does not deal additional damage on critical hits.

Blindsense

At 11th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you. Additionally, you cannot be surprised and creatures you cannot see do not receive advantage on attacks made against you

Choking Darkness

At 13th level, you can spend 3 sanity and use an Action to target an area you can see within 60 feet, enveloping it in smothering darkness. The effect of this ability has a 10 foot radius and lasts for 1+1d6 rounds or until dispelled. Creatures in the area of effect are under the effects of magical darkness and Silence.

Unseen Presence

At 14th level, while in dim light or darkness, you are undetectable by divination magic and may make Stealth rolls as if behind cover.

Cover of Darkness

At 16th level, you are so evasive in darkness that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has advantage against you while you are in dim light or darkness, or aren’t incapacitated.

Bleak Despair

At 17th level, your blood has been replaced with shadow stuff and the veins and arteries under your skin appear black. You can spend 6 sanity and take an Action to target a point within 60 feet that you can see, unleashing the energies of the Shadowfell and crippling woe upon all creatures within a 30 foot radius. Creatures in the area must make a Wisdom Saving Throw against your ability DC. Creatures in the area of effect take 3d6 Psychic damage on a successful save. On a failed save, they take an additional 2d6 Necrotic damage and are Stunned for 1+1d4 rounds. At the beginning of each creatures' turn, they can make a Wisdom saving throw to escape being Stunned. Every round the creature fails the saving throw to escape being Stunned, they take an additional 2d6 Necrotic damage.

Creatures in areas of dim light or darkness have Disadvantage on their saving throw. Creatures reduced to 0 hit points by this ability are reanimated as Shadows for 1d6 rounds. They are not under your control, but attack the nearest available creatures and take their actions on a 1 initiative.

One with Shadows

At 20th level, you have fully attuned with Shadowfell, allowing you to travel to and from at will. By spending 10 minutes in ritual, you and up to 10 friendly creatures of your choice within 30 feet that you can see can teleport to a random or specific place within Shadowfell of your choosing. You may do so again to return to the Material Plane.

If your Hit Points become 0, you sink into the Shadowfell, regenerating with its latent dark magics at 1 hit die hit points an hour. You become conscious 1d8 days later with full hit points and are immediately able to use the ritual to return to the Material Plane.

You no longer require food, drink, or sleep and aren’t affected by Exhaustion due to lack of sleep or going mad.

You are immune to being charmed, frightened, poison effects, and poison damage.

Your hit point maximum cannot be reduced.

Descent into Madness

How you have been cursed can unlock different abilities that will aid you in your adventures. Choose between Cursed Soul, Cursed Body, and Cursed Mind. A Cursed Soul will have abilities that inflict curses on enemies and enslave creatures to fight in battle. A Cursed Body will have supernatural combat abilities that give an edge when fighting multiple enemies. A Cursed Mind will be able to manipulate shadows to cast dark versions of magical spells.

Cursed Soul

Your soul is branded with a curse from the Shadowfell. Everything you touch seems to wilt and you find that you are able to take hold over certain creatures, enthralling them to do your bidding. As your power grows, so do your powers over others on your path toward madness. Burning with corruption, you spread curses and enthrall creatures to do your bidding.

Corruption

At 3rd level, you can enthrall a creature, corrupting it into serving you on your adventures. Choose a beast or dragon that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower (appendix D presents statistics for the hawk, pseudodragon, and panther as examples).

Add your proficiency bonus to the thrall’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your level, whichever is higher. The thrall obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn’t take an action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can verbally command the thrall where to move (no action required by you). You can communicate telepathically with your thrall as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence.

If the thrall dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours enthralling another beast or dragon, either the same type as before or a different one.

Fell Curse

At 3rd level, you may spend 1 sanity and take an action to curse a target creature you can see in 60 feet, lasting for 1 minute. Only 1 creature can be affected by any of your curses at a time. Choose from the following curses:

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• Necrosis Each of your successful attacks on the affected creature add 1d6 necrotic damage.
• Torpor Each successful attack on the affected creature reduces its movement by 5 feet for 1 round.
• Thorns Each successful attack the affected creatures makes deals 1d6 piercing damage to itself.
• Draining The first successful attack the affected creature makes every round is reduced by 1d4 damage.
• Lucidity Once per round, when you make a successful attack on the affected creature, you regain 1 sanity.

Starting at 18th level, you can use Fell Curse on any number of creatures. Any one creature can only have a maximum of 2 curses from this ability at a time.

Fell Influence

Starting at 7th level, your influence grows and your thrall gains additional benefits. You may enthrall a beast or dragon up to CR 1/2 or below and it receives the following benefits in addition to its existing features:

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• Dark Resistance Your companion has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks while in dim light or darkness
• Shadow Blend. While your companion is in dim light or darkness, you may use a bonus action to have your thrall become invisible, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. The invisibility lasts until the companion attacks, is in bright light, or is incapacitated.
• Darkvision Your companion has darkvision up to 60 ft.

Additionally, if your thrall's hit points become 0 and it falls unconscious, you may spend 4 sanity and take an Action to draw your thrall through the shadows to your location from up to 30 feet away. It becomes stabalized with 1 hit point.

Consume Life

Starting at 10th level, when using abilities that deal necrotic damage, you receive hit points equal to the amount of half of the damage dealt, rounded down (minimum of 1 healing).

Ritual of Symbiosis

Starting at 15th level, you may choose from the list of beasts and dragons with a CR 1 or below to be your thrall. By performing a ritual of symbiosis, you can now enthrall more powerful beasts or dragons, up to a CR 2 or below. Additionally, your thrall is able to trigger the on-hit effects of Fell Curse and receives the benefit of Consume Life. Any sanity gained by your thrall from Fell Curse is transferred to you.

Creating a bond in this way has its drawbacks: Everytime your thrall takes damage, you receive 1d6 necrotic damage and everytime you receive damage, your thrall takes 1d6 necrotic damage. This effect cannot trigger from necrotic damage received.

Binding Sacrifice

Starting at 15th level, you can spend 4 sanity and use an Action to overwhelm your thrall with Fell magic, causing it to explode with necrotic energy. Your thrall and every creature in the in a 20 foot radius take 4d10 necrotic damage and other creatures in the area of effect must make a successful Wisdom save against your ability DC or are Restrained for 1d4 + 1 rounds. A creature Restrained by this ability can use its action to make a Strength check against your ability save DC. On a success, it frees itself.

Shadow Husk

Starting at 18th level, your eyes go completely black as you are completely consumed by the Shadowfell's dark power.

While in areas of dim light or darkness, you receive resistance to piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks. You may also take an action to go invisible while in areas of dim light or darkness. You remain invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or are in an area of bright light.

Cursed Body

Consumed by hunger, you cull the weak with superior combat prowess.

Advance Necrosis

At 3rd level, for any of your successful attacks with your animus weapons on a creature that has less than its maximum hit points, you deal an additional 1d4 necrotic damage, or 1d6 for two-handed weapons. On a critical hit, the damage is doubled and the target creature can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn.

You may spend additional sanity to increase the damage by 1d4, 1d6 for two-handed weapons, for each point spent.

Imposing Presence

Additionally at 3rd level, you have advantage on Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion, and Perception checks against creatures of the same size or smaller than you.

Burst of Malice

Starting at 7th level, you may spend 1 sanity and take an Action to momentarily infect nearby creatures with feelings of dread. Creatures of your choice within 15 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your ability DC. On a failed save, creatures are frightened and unable to take a Reaction to make an attack of opportunity against you until their next turn. Creatures that are injured make their saving throw with disadvantage.

Insatiable Hunger

Starting at 10th level, you are able to sense weakness and can move more quickly toward injured creatures. While moving in the direction of an injured creature, your Movement is increased by 10 feet.

Addtionally, you regain some of your sanity for every creature you kill and on critical hits. Once every round, you regain 1 sanity for any creature you killed that has a CR 1/4 or above, or on any critical hits you make.

Gorge Flesh

Starting at 15th level, you gain the ability to regain vitality for every creature killed. When dealing critical hit or killing a creature with a CR 1/4 or above, you regain 1 + Constitution ability modifier hit points. If you are at maximum hit points, you may apply the remaining amount as Temporary Hit Points. Temporary hit points gained this way do not stack.

Murderous Frenzy

Starting at 18th level, once every short rest you may use a Bonus Action to enter a killing trance after dealing or receiving damage for one minute. Your animus weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 and you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage from a critical animus weapon attack.

Cursed Mind

Embracing your madness, you are granted the power to mold the darkness into powerful abilities.

Twisted Thoughts

At 3rd level, you are invigorated by loss of sanity. For each point of sanity you spend on abilities or spells on your turn, you may use a Bonus Action to receive 1d4 + Charisma ability modifier hit points.

Soothing Darkness

Additionally at 3rd level, you regain 1 sanity at the start of your turn while standing in any area of dim light or darkness, if you have not taken any damage the previous round.

Shadow Molding

Starting at 7th level, You gain access to spell-like abilities that are created from nearby areas of dim light or darkness. You may only concentrate on one ability at a time and can only cast instant abilities while concentrating.

You may spend additional sanity to overcharge these abilities, increasing their effects. You may only overcharge an ability once. Choose from the following:

Shadow Blade

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 2 sanity
• Duration: 1 minute

You create a floating, shadowy sword within range that lasts for the Duration or until you cast this ability again. When you cast the ability, you can make a melee ability Attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your Charisma ability modifier.

As a Bonus Action on Your Turn, you can move the weapon up to 20 feet and repeat the Attack against a creature within 5 feet of it.

Overcharge You may spend 2 additional sanity to increase the damage to 1d12 + your Charisma ability modifier.

Animate Shadows

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 2 sanity
• Duration: Concentration, 1 minute

You summon up to two Shadows which appear in unoccupied spaces of your choice that you can see within range. Each Shadow disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.

The summoned Shadows are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned Shadows as a group, which have their own turn. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.

Unlike normal Shadows the ones you summon through this spell cannot create new Shadows by killing creatures with their Strength Drain attack.

The DM has the Shadows' statistics and they can be found in the Monster Manual.

Overcharge You may spend 2 additional sanity to double the number of summoned Shadows.

Shadow Snare

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 1 sanity
• Duration: Concentration, 1 minute

Twisting shadows reach out to grasp at nearby creatures in 20-foot square starting from a point in dim light or darkness. A creature in the area when you cast the spell must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be Restrained by the grasping shadows until the spell ends. A creature Restrained by the shadows can use its action to make a Strength check against your ability save DC. On a success, it frees itself.

Overcharge You may spend 3 additional sanity, dealing damage to and restraining creatures in the area of effect. When a creature enters the affected area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, the creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or take 3d6 bludgeoning damage and be restrained by the shadows until the spell ends. A creature that starts its turn in the area and is already restrained by the shadows takes 3d6 bludgeoning damage. A creature restrained by the shadows can use its action to make a Strength check against your ability save DC. On a success, it frees itself.

Shadow Darts

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 1 sanity
• Duration: instant

You create three ebony darts of magical shadows. Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range. A dart deals 1d4 + 1 piercing damage to its target. The darts all strike simultaneously, and you can direct them to hit one creature or several.

Overcharge You may spend 2 additional sanity to increase the damage of each dart to 1d8 + 2 piercing damage.

Blackout

Starting at 10th level, you may spend 4 sanity and take an action to extinguish all sources of light within 30 feet centered on your current location, covering the area with magical darkness for 1 + Charisma ability modifier rounds. Other creatures in the area of effect have their movement halved and your abilities that deal Necrotic damage are doubled for the duration. Creatures making Saving Throws against damage or effects of your Accurst abilities have Disadvantage while in the area of effect.

Art of Darkness

Starting at 15th level, you've mastered your ability to manipulate the shadows for dispatching your enemies. You can cast more powerful abilities from areas of dim light or darkness. Choose from the following:

Extinguish

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 3 sanity
• Duration: instant

A glob of featureless pitch hurls from your palm to a point you choose within range then expands rapidly, enveloping nearby creatures in darkness. Each creature in a 20-foot radius Sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 8d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The darkness spreads around corners. It extinguishes sources of light in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

Overcharge You may spend 3 additional sanity to increase the damage by 4d6

Shadowfire

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 3 sanity
• Duration: Concentration, 1 minute

Crackling shadows leap up to a target you choose within range, igniting a creature in burning darkness. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or be consumed by shadowfire. The target takes 5d8 fire damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much on a successful save. The target can make a successful Dexterity saving throw to put out the flames at the start of each of its turns or take 5d8 fire damage on a failed save.

Overcharge You may spend an additional 2 sanity to increase the area of effect for this ability. You create a wall of shadowfire on a solid surface within range. You can make the wall up to 60 feet long, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick, or a ringed wall up to 20 feet in diameter, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick. The wall is opaque and lasts for the duration. When the wall appears, each creature within its area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 5d8 fire damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. One side of the wall, selected by you when you cast this spell, deals 5d8 fire damage to each creature that ends its turn within 10 feet of that side or inside the wall. A creature takes the same damage when it enters the wall for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. The other side of the wall deals no damage.

Consume Magic

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 3 Sanity
• Duration: Instant

A blanket of thick shadow covers the target, snuffing out magical effects. Choose one creature, object, or magical effect within range. Any spell of 3rd level or lower on the target ends. For each spell of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a successful check, the spell ends.

Overcharge You may spend an additional 3 sanity to automatically end the effects of a spell on the target if the spell is level 6 or below

Unleash Nightmares

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• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Cost: 4 Sanity
• Duration: Concentration, 1 minute

You tap into the nightmares of a creature you can see within range and create a shadowy manifestation of its deepest fears, visible only to that creature. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target becomes frightened for the duration. At the end of each of the target’s turns before the spell ends, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 4d10 psychic damage. On a successful save, the spell ends.

Overcharge You may spend 5 additional sanity to increase the area of this ability. Each creature in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on a point of your choice within range must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened for the duration. The shadow calls on the creature’s deepest fears, manifesting its worst nightmares as an implacable threat. At the end of each of the frightened creature’s turns, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 4d10 psychic damage. On a successful save, the spell ends for that creature.

Become Shadows

Starting at 18th level, you become Amorphous (you can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing). Ending your turn in a solid object will push you to the nearest available space and you receive 1d10 Force damage.

Additionally, any creature entering or starting their turn in Umbral Mantle's radius has half movement.

Brandon Franklin ©2019

Credits:

Thanks to Christopher Martin, Crystal Perkins, and my beloved wife, Rachel for all of your help in bringing this creation to life. Without you, I would still be lost in the eternal darkness. Additional credits due to the artists whose work I've appropriated for this free document.