Legend tells of a Scottish Thane who usurped his rightful king, only to be defeated by those who were once his allies. But superstition maintains that the traitor did not die, he retreated instead to the caverns below his castle where ancient forces kept him and his retinue in unlife. To this day, the place is shunned and the undead Thane remains below, hiding his face from the sun lest it rob him of his power. Gathering strength from the foolhardy fighters who trespass above he waits...down there...in the dark decayed.

In The Dark Decayed was the first level I released, back in late '97. It is intended to be as authentic a rendering of castle architecture as is possible within the limitations of Quake gameplay and mechanics; I live in a city surrounded by some of the most famous medieval buildings in the world, and as a wargaming kid I was long obsessed with the castles found all over Britain. Of particular influence were the castles of North Wales, such as Conwy and Harlech, built by Edward I ( the brutal English king in 'Braveheart' ). I had the opportunity to visit them on holiday many years ago and kept a lot of reference material. I guess I knew.

This version is not, however, a simple retexturing, but rebuilt from scratch to benefit from what I hope are the skills I've developed since then. The use of an all-black texture instead of sky is incorporated to ease the rendering somewhat.

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