Our world was conceived when the world went dark. Nobody noticed at first, how the night seemed to get blacker and more absolute as time went by. When there were literally thousands of stars in the sky, what was wrong with a few missing here and there? They weren't even visible over city lights, under which most of humanity strolled obliviously in their promenades. Few people missed the stars in the beginning.

The socalled "sensitive" was the first group to uncover the truth. Television psychics and pop occultists found themselves possessed with a meaner, more primal streak than before, as they waxed poetic on the darker aspects of the psyche. More and more spirit mediums found their companions becoming restless and violent. Those possessing any faith in the divine suddenly found it more difficult to maintain. Both the New Age public and the arcane underground slowly transformed to fit a coming era.

And still the stars went out, one by one.

The people of science were next. When the distinguished gentlemen and honorable ladies of civilization discovered that things were not as they should be, they dutifully stayed by their devices and their theorems, determined locate and fix the problem as they had done many times before. But this task turned out to be impossible, and as it frequently happens, panic soon ensued in the halls of academia.

Having the general public find out was inevitable. The days were becoming much too short to not notice.

The moon was a dying shade of blue, and the stars were now a feeble mass of lights, barely enough to make a mark in the sky. The dark was oppressive, almost living, swallowing up the light before it seemed to get blacker and more absolute as time went by. The sun itself almost seemed afraid to rise, and when it did, it was a red, angry thing. It showed less and less with each passing night, and soon it was gone entirely.

Riots and demonstrations filled the streets, as terrified masses began to construct mammoth bonfires to stave off the darkness. Thousands knelt on the pavement and prayed tearfully before the flickering light for salvation.

Churches were filled to bursting, as men of the cloth tried desperately to give the people strength that they didn't have themselves.

The governments of the world tried to control its citizens, but what could they do? For once, even they didn't know what was going on. No one had any idea, and a confusion this deep could only create fear. Alone in their rooms, presidents, ministers and kings privately wondered if this was the end of the world.

In the end, a terrible savior answered the prayers of mankind.

From the night, from the darkness that seemed infinite and eternal, a crimson light began to shine. Like the unforgiving Eye of God, the red star harshly gazed upon the world, offering humanity the light it had been begging for so earnestly. The world became warm again with the pulsing heat of blood, and the world became visible in shades tinged with scarlet.

Then the dead rose to greet us.

And that is the way the world has been ever since.

HUSK is a project unlike anything seen on the Project thusfar. It is at once a parallel World of Darkness that takes place after the Time of Judgment, and a nexus point for three different games: you can use it as a companion to Wraith, Orpheus or Exalted: The Abyssals, or combine those books in any fashion or combination you desire.

HUSK has no official rules, and doesn't require them. Writing supplemental material for this game is purely rule-free, allowing players and Storytellers to apply whatever mechanics best suit their game. If you wish to write material for HUSK, be sure not to include any rules.

What you can include are modules that focus on specific places, groups or character types. You can write fiction, sample characters, special item descriptions, alternative powers, or entirely new ideas on any of those things. If acceptable, the material will be marked as "official canon", and worked into future revisions.

Please send all submissions to JL Williams.