Loading screens (The Dark Descent)

This is a list of the loading screens that appear when exploring the different areas of Castle Brennenburg.

Rose[]

The following loading screens show up at the beginning of the game, from when you exit the Rainy Hall up until you enter the Archives.

“
The door slammed shut behind him and he knew he would never again see the old tailor at Berkeley Square. Another lone soul in London – seemed appropriate somehow.
”

“
The other children cheered him on. His name voiced in a steadily rising pace, urging him to do it. “Am I really doing this?”, the young boy thought and struck his victim with a rock.
”

“
He fell to the kitchen floor. Tears were beginning to well in his eyes as he received the first kick in his stomach. Hazel remained hidden, in fear she too would be punished.
”

“
A fragrant taste of rose lingered his mouth. Turkish Delights, he thought, just like the ones at the consulate in Constantinople.
”

“
Traveling to Dover meant going through Canterbury. He made sure to pay a visit to avoid the sense of guilt connected with neglect of family.
”

The following loading screens show up in the Nave, after exiting the cells, when reading Daniel's diary page which triggers the Zimmermann Farm flashback.

“
Alexander became silent. He didn't know what to say. He could no longer recognize his friend sitting across the carriage.
”
Entering Zimmermann Farm

“
The crying had stopped and he could hear a whisper coming from the cell. They were up to something and he would have to punish them.
”
Exiting Zimmermann Farm

Catacombs[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Archives up until you enter the Wine Cellar.

“
The sand gave way to his tired body as he fell from the camel's back. He felt the wind gently sweep across his face and his dry, crusted lips.
”

“
It was done, the men said. The tomb had been revealed. Tin Hinan awaits, grinned the toothless foreman.
”

“
The statues were praying – gazing into the dark domed ceiling.
”

“
The desert dunes were like waves in a sluggish sea. While the caravan moved the land appeared motionless, but in camp the hills moved.
”

“
A handful of sand trickled from the crumbling stone ceiling and pushed down on the brim of his hat. He braced himself as the cavern suddenly shifted and settled.
”

“
The stone slab looked like a safety measure. It wasn't meant to be moved ever again.
”

Desert[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Wine Cellar up until you enter the Refinery.

“
After Enduring three days in Algiers, a sailboat was finally arranged to take him across the Mediterranean Sea to Gibraltar. Having reached British territory, it was just a matter of reserving a cabin on SS Hortensia, headed for London.
”

“
The cloth smelled of desert and damp musk. The pieces lay scrambled on top. Too many of them, he thought, or perhaps too few.
”

“
It became impossible to avoid. The commotion in the streets begged for his attention. As he opened the shutters the French soldiers opened fire on the two young men fighting back. Their voices silenced in a haze of gun smoke.
”

“
He sat down by the Casbah wall gasping for air. Sweat poured from his forehead and onto the sand veiled ground.
”

Water[]

The following loading screens show up between the Refinery and the Back Hall.

“
He crashed through the surface. The dark Atlantic water smothered him as he struggled to make sense of the situation.
”
Exiting the Refinery

“
Something large brushed against his leg and he felt himself being dragged along by the current of the beast. He pushed himself above the surface. “Help!”, he cried as the ocean swallowed him again.
”
Exiting the Cellar Archives

“
He felt himself being hoisted out of the ocean. The lacquered hull of SS Hortensia glittered in the soothing warm light of a setting sun. He turned his head to the calm ocean reaching towards the coast of Portugal and thought, "Is this another dream?".
”
Exiting the Archive Tunnels

Trunk[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Back Hall up until you enter the Guest Room.

“
Herbert's trunk was wrapped in rope. The lock had been broken, by thieves he assumed. He wondered if anything had been left considering all the hands it had passed.
”

“
"Is this another dream?", he thought, and screamed at the top of his lungs.
”

“
He returned the tea cup to the saucer and picked up the orb as one would an apple, and pondered on the strange happenings.
”

“
The thin cold mist brushed his face as he stepped outside. London weather could be cruel, but it was the kind of cruelty he could handle.
”

“
He climbed out of the bed and looked out the window. It was completely dark. He waited, glanced at the old clock, and waited some more. Four o' clock, he thought, it's enough.
”

“
He tried to fit the pieces together, but like the sand dunes, they shifted when you weren't looking.
”

Hand[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Guest Room up until you enter the Elevator.

“
Sir William Smith had been marked. There was no way for him to know that the young man from the other day cast such a terrible shadow.
”

“
Professor Taylor was the second death caused by his damned curiosity.
”

“
He panted heavily, trying his best to keep himself from screaming. The medicine cabinet had been overturned and lay collapsed on the floor. He reached through the broken glass door and grabbed all the sedatives he could find.
”

“
The strange letter frightened him, but it was the only one which offered him some comfort.
”

“
He flipped though the Book of Monarchs looking for etchings and counted. Nine different kings from all over Europe had been depicted with an orb resting in their hands.
”

Brennenburg[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Elevator up until you enter the Entrance to Cistern.

“
The dark towers of Brennenburg rose above the forest and were silhouetted against the snow white moon. He couldn't help feeling sad for some reason.
”

“
The morning sun flickered between the pine trees as the carriage approached the castle. A faint memory of reflections in the window pane repeated itself over and over.
”

“
Moving that orb was like pushing a star in the night sky. It wasn't supposed to happen. The Shadow isn't some vengeful spirit, it is the universe catching up with itself.
”

“
Carefully treading the unknown land, he looked over his shoulder at his travel companions. The outrider touched the brim of his hat as a final farewell.
”

“
He unraveled the cloth protecting the orb. Alexander reached out, picked it up, and held it up against the light. "Cover it", he said, "Keep it covered at all times".
”

“
The servants avoided him, yet he knew they were there. They all smelled of spiced wine, a mystic scent permeated by clove and sage.
”

Alexander[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Entrance to Cistern up until you exit the Entrance to Cistern for the Sewer.

“
The beautiful wild orchid seemed a testament to nature's strength, being able to grow inside Brennenburg. Alas, it was Alexander's studies and care which enabled the flower to blossom.
”

“
The purpose of the Inner Sanctum had always been to study the orbs and find a way to force them to yield their power. However, he was still unaware of this.
”

“
The blue light blinded him as it had done inside that murky tomb in Algeria. It was just as enchanting and he tried to approach it, but the baron's firm hand held him back.
”

“
He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but no shape or contour appeared.
”

“
The red taint burst from the walls as if they had begun to bleed. He cried out in fear as the spectacle began to consume the blue shimmer.
”

“
Alexander knew there must be a way to finish the ritual before it was too late. He had to teach his friend to harvest the vitae. That much was certain.
”

Well[]

The following loading screens show up from when you enter the Sewer up until you enter the Nave.

“
Henry Bedloe went to class carrying the anger of his bitter mother. He never cried, he made others cry instead. Pain is like that, you either become sad or you become angry. Henry always chose the latter.
”
Entering the Sewer

“
There is never any escape. Things like this live with you always. How could he know if Henry would show up down the road or even at his house? Is he that mad? Would he do that?
”
Exiting the Sewer

The following loading screens show up from when you get captured by grunts in the Chancel and get brought to the cells, up until you enter the Nave again.

“
Hazel spent all summer in bed. He used to read to her after helping father with his work. In his mind he was like Scheherazade, and as long as he kept telling the story she would not die.
”
Entering the Cells

“
When Hazel turned fifteen she had lived three years longer than doctor Tate had foreseen. Her parents had given up from exhaustion and decided to have her committed for permanent treatment at Canterbury Hospice, but she was still alive. She had embraced him and wished him a grand adventure in Algeria.
”
Exiting the Cells

The following loading screens are meant to show up between the Elevator and the Cistern Entrance, but get overwritten by the Brennenburg loading screens, and thus never show up in-game.

“
He wasn't particularly afraid of the dark, but he had always disliked going into the basement. His father urged him on to fetch the red dye. As he stepped into the dark, he thought, "I will never escape this".
”
Entering the southern block of the prison

“
The blue colored tint came crashing down. His father heard the jar break and yelled from upstairs. There was no need for punishment. He could already feel the sting of his father's belt.
”
Entering the northern block of the prison

“
He cried like the little boy he was. All alone in the dark basement, broken glass tearing at the flesh of his naked feet, and blood mixed with blue tint.
”
Entering the Cistern Entrance

Strappado[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Nave up until you get captured by the Grunts in the Chancel.

“
Something died inside of him that day. Watching that man slip away was more than his mind was willing to handle.
”

“
Such filth, he thought. Good men can safely cheer departure as they are nothing but a burden to mankind. They shall not be missed.
”

“
The fear had begun to drown him again. He reached once more the empty bottle of Laudanum. In frustration he smashed it against the bedpost.
”

“
It had gone too far. The man was suffocating as he could no longer breathe properly between the lashes. Displeased, he started to look for the Damascus rose oil.
”

“
The thick liquid spread across his tongue. He swallowed excessively to consume every drop. He looked through the window at the widespread forest and the morning sun. “Will this ever end?”, he thought.
”

“
Carefully cutting the man open made him think. “This is how father must feel about his craft. Being an artisan, relying on one's skill to perform something so delicate, grants a certain form of pride”.
”

Girl[]

The following loading screens show up from when you exit the Redux version of the Nave (which is the version of the Nave you reach after escaping from the Cells), up until you enter the Orb Chamber.

“
She cried and struggled as he pulled at her arm. Her flowered Sunday dress ripped and she fell into the mud.
”

“
He had turned angry. It was easy to take her insolence and make her the villain in this story. But she didn't deserve to die. Even he could see that.
”

“
Alexander saw that the evening had taken a toll on his friend's mind and barred him from the Inner Sanctum. He could no longer be trusted to be a part of the ritual.
”

“
The sight of her lifeless body crippled his psyche. He tried to remove himself from the scene, but he could not. Instead he fell to his knees and begged her for forgiveness.
”

“
All his life he had thought that he was a good man. Terrible deeds were only committed by terrible people, like Henry Bedloe, the bully in school, but now he had seen what he himself could do.
”

“
If it wasn't for Alexander, he would still be innocent and be able to die so.
”

Death screens[]

These loading screens will appear upon Daniel's death. Different messages are triggered and displayed for every action or inaction that caused his demise. The black screens with white text are purely intended to serve as "hints" so the player does not repeat the fatal mistake(s).

Keep out of the water... (Death by a Kaernk in the Cellar Archives)
Dead flesh can act as a distraction... (Death by a Kaernk in the Cellar Archives)
Block the path. Run... (Death by the Kaernk in the Archive Tunnels)
Tread carefully... (Death by falling into a chasm/well or by a Brute in the Sewer)
Do not venture too far... (Death by a Grunt in the Storage)
Darkness can act as cover...(Death by a Grunt in the Storage)
Move carefully... (Death by a Grunt in the Storage)
Think before running... (Death by the Grunt in the Refinery)
Hide in closet... (Death by the Grunt in the Guest Room)
Move quickly... (Death by the Brute in the Morgue)
The Shadow is closing in... (Death by the Brute in the Morgue for the second time)
Close... (Death by a Brute in the Sewer)
Create a distraction... (Death by a Brute in the Sewer)
Watch your step... (Death by falling into the well in the Nave)
Sleep... (Captured by three Grunts in the Chancel)
Hide and wait.. (Death by a Brute in the Choir)
Don't run.... (Death by a Brute in the Choir)
They are close... (Death by a Brute in the Choir)
Paths change as the world darkens... (Death by the Kaernk in the Cistern)
Run... (Death by a Brute in the Sewer or by the Shadow in the Cells)
You have to carry on... (Any death; the default hint)

Trivia[]

In one of The Dark Descent's loading screens, Daniel refers to himself as Scheherazade. Scheherazade is a woman from an old Persian tale who was threatened to be murdered by the King's men. However, she eventually managed to buy some time by telling stories to the King everyday. The King became very infatuated with her stories and spared her life because he was eager to hear the stories' endings. Daniel believed that as long as he "kept telling stories" to Hazel, she would not die of her sickness.
The Well loading screen in The Dark Descent is later used as the introduction to Amnesia: Justine.