Project Kingslayer #

Experiment of Neosages Mantra (Cult)

There is also a file called Kngsl@yer_EncrypMsg.codek, which takes place later in the story during the VSPR-37 pandemic.

Yes, that Skys. The “Brain Butcher”, the infamous leaser of MANTRA. The man who terrorised the world by pushing people to transcendence through trauma, blood, and neural rewiring, People still talk about the horrors he inflicted like it was some nightmare you couldn’t wake up from.

Rebecca in her November 2027 Grumblr post

Project Kingslayer is a twisted experiment to reach enlightenment through torture. Cult leader Skys was an influential man, leading the Mantra Cult/Neosages with his many allies. The research was supported by brilliant scientists Dallus Lauren and Karl Strassman. Skys also had a close friend by the name of Alfgram, who he built the foundations of Ecliptism with.

Background #

Origin #

Project Kingslayer takes place in the Neosages cult, better known as the Cult of Mantra. The cult had established itself at a location named October Palace years earlier, after Skys returned to Novosovia in 2004. Skys’ mystical powers had convinced Lauren and Strassman to join him in his experiments, despite Dallus’ initial hesitation.

In 2015, Operation Kingslayer started, with the goal of torturing others to achieve mysterious powers and access to other dimensions. Alfgram was the first to accomplish this, becoming patient zero for the operation.

Shortly after starting the project, Skys sent out a message to the youth of Novosovia looking to recruit. The message fell into the hands of Victor Carmine, leader of Arc/Hive. He was a powerful leader in the DTC that was in a Cold War with Skys’ home country of Novosovia. Wanting the research for himself, he sends in his daughter under the code name Medea to seduce Skys and gain access to his knowledge. It was love at first sight for Skys, and Medea eventually falls for Skys’ too, having at least two babies with him, according to the third episode of Unbeleevable.

Dallus and Strassman were concerned about the experiments. Dallus left the cult, but Strassman stayed behind with a pregnant Ava. One night as they decide to leave October Palace, Ava goes into labour. Strassman and Ava turn to Dallus Lauren, who lets them stay. Strassman safely delivers the baby, but Ava passes away shortly after giving birth.

Skys confronts Strassman #

Skys finds out about the poems between the couple and ends up at Lauren’s to confront Strassman on his betrayal. He severely beats Strassman, who then confesses to his love for Ava and everything that happened, including her death. The cult leader quickly starts manipulating Strassman into coming back using false promises. One of these promises is that he will change and stop conducting Project Kingslayer. In reality, he moves the gruesome experiments to the basement of the palace.

This decision causes divide in the cult. Alfgram, the very first subject of the experiments, is enraged that they continue behind closed doors. He leaves the cult in the night along with a handful of his disciples and goes on to found Ecliptism, a movement that resurfaces much later in the DTC. From the Book of Eclipse we learn that Skys and his men ended up hunting Alfgram down and killing him.

Medea contact Arc/Hive #

Contradiction?

In episode 3 of Unbeleevable, we learn that Medea was pregnant with twins. Episode 4 only speaks about Medea carrying one baby. We are currently not sure how to interpret this.

Unbeleevable Episode 4 tells us that Medea has been worrying about her family back home and the baby she was carrying. She ends up back in contact with Arc/Hive, who have been monitoring her with the bio chip that was implemented when she entered the cult. Feeling pressured, she reveals the research Strassman and Skys were conducting with gifted children, as well as that Strassman’s daughter seems to have unexplainable powers. Feya learns about this call and reports it to Skys.

Fall of Mantra #

In 2020, the cult of Mantra falls when the Novosovian government intervenes in an event named the October Massacre, after the October Palace the cult resides in. The trinity, Skys, Dallus, and Strassman, are rescued in Operation Trinity as ordered by Arc/Hive. Along with the men, the company extracts several others to the DTC, including the men’s families and six special children (later mentioned in the Project D.U.S.T. proposal). Elena Lauren goes into labour with Lyra Lauren during this operation, but eventually successfully gives birth at Arc/Hive.

Project D.U.S.T. is Carmine’s continuation of Operation Kingslayer, an acronym for Deaths Unknown Spiritual Terrain (referring to the October Massacre). Sof speculates in their journal that even the Chapel incident in 2040 seems to be a consequence of the research into Skys’ powers that started with the Mantra cult.

Rebecca’s November 2027 Grumblr refers to Skys as “The Brain Butcher”, which is seemingly the nickname the public gave him for his horrific experiments during Operation Kingslayer. At the time, Rebecca is also aware of ecliptism, as she draws a comparison to an “ecliptist ritual”.