Torment

Torment is a modification created for SpookyJam 2021

Lately, more and more people have been losing their minds. It seems that ancient legends passed down through generations have turned out to be true. Perhaps, if you're careful, you can use them to your advantage.

Fortunately, you've found an ancient book that explains everything known about this phenomenon. Although there isn't much information, you believe it's enough to get a general idea. To start, you learn about the existence of dark rituals that can be performed at the cost of your mental health. Each ritual turns some of your hearts purple. You only have 10 hearts that can be colored, so you should carefully choose which rituals to perform. There's a small note in the book: "No one has found a way to undo these rituals, even after years." You have to resist the urge to throw the book into the fire.

But you keep reading. The following pages describe some of the dark rituals.

Ritual of the Angered Lightning

The Ritual of the Angered Lightning is activated by building the shown structure and eating a spider eye near it. The cost is 3 hearts. It is said that those who attack you will occasionally be struck by lightning. You don't know what to think about this and turn the page.

Ritual of the Miner's Magic

The Ritual of the Miner's Magic grants the player luck when mining resources. Sometimes, instead of one item, the player receives an entire block of the resource when breaking ore. This sounds useful. But a whole 2 hearts for this? And it's permanent? You're still unsure. However, there's one more ritual in the book. Before looking at the next page, you notice the required structure. It is said that to activate the ritual, you need to mine a block of raw gold.

Ritual of the Condemned Morality

The Ritual of the Condemned Morality is the most interesting. And the most expensive. For 6.5 hearts, you can subdue other mobs to your will by pressing a key (default V). To gain this power, you need this structure, and then you must burn a piece of paper in the fire while thinking an evil thought.

Next, you find information about the effects on mental health. It is said that having 5 red hearts left is enough to stop most effects. So either you perform only a few rituals or try to stay at full health all the time. Falling below five red hearts will make you hear things that aren't there. Later, you'll see misplaced blocks in the world. It is said that some people screamed about cows and pigs. It seems they saw them as creepers and zombies. Others were tormented by the feeling that everything was watching them. There is also a phenomenon called a "ghostie"—a little ghost visible only to the player it follows everywhere. There is no way to get rid of it. It doesn't do anything, it's just there.

On the last page of the book, it is written that a syrup made from glow berries may temporarily reduce the effects. Then the book ends with the words "So be careful. You never know." After turning the final page, the book burst into flames, so you couldn't reread it. But you think you know enough to make a decision. What will your decision be?