Welcome to Alternus, Hero.

We have been waiting for thee.

Alternus was her life's work, her masterpiece, her hobby and her reason for living.

For almost ten years she'd been building the MMO she wished she could play.

A sprawling, beautiful, virtual world where magic was real and evil

could be fought.

Except, she pulled up the time.

8.17 a.m. If she didn't hustle, she'd be late for work.

For years, it had seemed like the world was creeping inexorably towards global war.

Every step towards peace had been met with two steps backward as regimes changed, interests

shifted, treaties were negotiated in bad faith.

The wiser heads of the world got together and realized that if things kept going as they

were, we were going to blast our planet into a lifeless blob of glass.

So you're using my game for world peace?

Something like that.

The thing is, America has been losing. Not badly, but consistently.

We think the edge we need is your special insight into the game.

As the designer, don't you want the chance to live in your game world and see its potential?

To see it as if it were all real.

A low moan echoed across the meadow.

The earth began to heave below their feet.

Then clods of dirt turned over, revealing crawling tangles of maggots.

...