Remembrancer of the Thames

The flickering gaslight casts long, skeletal shadows across the cobbled alleyway. Rain slicks the grimy stones, reflecting the distorted glow of distant streetlamps like scattered jewels in a pauper's crown. You pull your trench coat tighter, the damp clinging to you like a persistent ghost. The air hangs thick with the scent of coal smoke, cheap gin, and a desperate kind of silence. You are Elias Thorne, a Remembrancer. Not a title whispered in polite society, but one etched in the city's underbelly, where secrets fester and memories refuse to fade. London holds its history close, clinging to every brick and cobblestone, every whispered rumour and half-forgotten scream. And some memories… they don't want to be forgotten. They cling to the living, latching onto unsuspecting souls, driving them mad with fragmented visions and the echoes of the past. That's where you come in. You have the... gift... to absorb these fractured memories, to unravel the tangled threads of the past and piece together the truth. It's a dangerous talent, one that eats away at your sanity, leaving you teetering on the edge of oblivion with each forgotten life you delve into. But it's a necessary one. A crumpled note, clutched tight in your gloved hand, directs you to this very alley. It was slipped under your door, unsigned, but bearing a symbol you recognize – the mark of the Obsidian Eye, a clandestine society steeped in ancient lore and forbidden knowledge. They need your help. A young woman, found floating in the Thames, her body unmarked, her mind… gone. They suspect a Remnant – a particularly virulent fragment of memory clinging to her soul, effectively erasing her personality. The police are baffled. The family is devastated. The Obsidian Eye fears this is just the beginning. But time is of the essence. The longer the Remnant festers, the more dangerous it becomes. Not just for the victim, but for you. Each memory you absorb chips away at your own identity, blurring the line between past and present, reality and illusion. Are you willing to risk your mind, your sanity, perhaps even your soul, to uncover the truth behind the girl in the Thames? London's forgotten past awaits you. But be warned, some memories are best left buried.