Everyone assumed that thus divided, a time of peace and settlement would reign, but this was not to be. Soon after The Great Schism ordained by the Brother and Sister, the Duke of Darkness emerged from the void created by it. ~ From Artifact #1

A worldwide search continues for a lost manuscript. The Haag committee was formed to track down the whereabouts and bring to justice the entity called Many Things, now known as the Duke of Darkness. The Haag committee considers the lost manuscript, called the A-Dumba Papers, to be the sole lead to discovering the identity of the Duke of Darkness. Written by people long since scattered throughout the world, the pages of the A-Dumba papers have been found in many locations: Buffalo, New York, Haag, Sweden, South America, New Zealand, and Greenland. The Haag committee must still determine whether the Duke was chemical, mineral, or viral. The Duke manifests, many believe, an evil manifestation; some consider The Duke a Virulent Virus, others a single disturbed man. All consider The Duke to be extremely dangerous. Random disappearances have been reported throughout the world.

These disappearances leave behind confusion and disorientation in their wake.

Witnesses recount an unsettling atmospheric occurrence in the aftermath of the disappearances, a palpable sense of malevolence that permeated the air like a suffocating fog. The Duke was often depicted in London, England, even though no evidence confirms disappearances occurring there. During the time of his origin story, the Duke was still on the lamb, clouded in mystery, with no evidence of his existence. The legend of London persisted, possibly explaining the origins of the Duke’s name. This smoggy Atmospheric Occurrence, the Duke’s signature, was a yellow-black with sooty particles that choked the air, a true pea-souper, as it was once known in London Town. This left citizens in a haunted state; their memories of those who disappeared were mysteriously erased, but those left behind continued to be tormented by nightmares and paranoia.

Those whose memories had not been erased were consigned to what would eventually be called The Dregs. No one believed these lost souls with their true visions.

Prior to the Duke’s appearance, witnesses reported a surge of whispers and rumors among the affected communities, hinting that those who vanished were somehow marked by the Duke beforehand. This was followed by a sense of foreboding as if an unseen force was watching, and then a Dark Aura began to loom at dusk and dawn. Witnesses described glimpses of it and its absence down darkened streets or alleyways, along a stretch of woods, and even as they open closets or cupboards, quickening the dread of its next appearance.

The disappearances appeared random during the Duke’s Reign. No one pinpointed an underlying pattern or method to the Duke’s actions. The Hague Committee was formed to collect and report on witness testimony and other data.

Eventually, The Whisky Chickens lead Cosmo and Goat T. to The Dregs. This duo was the first to recognize and record what had once been considered the ramblings of those consigned to The Dregs to be the true story of The Duke of Darkness.