The Poisoned Well
inspired by the song "Zatruta Studnia" by Jacek Kaczmarski
017.012 The Poisoned Well
Surrounded by jagged (and yet translucent) coral, this small island holds a single old woman, dressed in all black, sitting on a patch of grass, right next to an old, stone well. She holds an old bucket, and will lower it into the well for anyone who will ask her for the water she guards. No one but her can take the water from the well.
She is Dolores - The Forgotten Goddess of Pain (3 HD, unarmored, if killed in any way that may not kill a god, she will return in 3 days. The same will happen if removed from her island by force - she will not leave it for any reason). She does not feel usual human emotions, she wants to reveal the truth about the world as she sees it - a place of untold human suffering. Those who drink from her well will suffer from The Curse of Truth.
The Curse of Truth
This world is a place of torment. Love, joy, laughter. They are all illusions. Only pain is real.
Anyone who drinks from the well has their heart poisoned. They may not be lied to, as they will immediately recognize the lies as such. They also see the truth about their place in the universe - they immediately see the lies in themselves, too. How insignificant they are. How much they hurt each person they hurt. There are two paths this pain may lead to: self-destruction (the most common fate of the Accursed - suicide, after one may not bear the torment) or self-creation (the building of a philosophy that will give one a new meaning. It is not a cure, but only treatment for the Curse. Once one knows the truth, they may not unlearn it).