History NightmareFuel / OctopathTraveler

!!Cyrus' Story
* In Cyrus' second chapter, his search for the missing villagers takes him to a hidden chamber in the sewers, with blood covering the floor and a drained corpse chained to the wall. A necromancer has been kidnapping and brutally murdering innocent people to create blood crystals. And of the ten missing villagers, Cyrus can only save three.
* A smaller but still horrifying moment occurs during Cyrus' Chapter 3. After Cyrus refuses to cooperate with Yvon, Yvon threatens to leave him locked in his cellar to starve to death, casually mentioning that nobody visits his home anymore, so no one would even know what happened to him. If [[SpannerInTheWorks Therese]] hadn't shown up when she did, this likely would've ''actually happened''.

** For added FridgeHorror, think about it if you haven't already completed Cyrus' second chapter. It's possible that Ali (and potentially Tressa) could be sold off to Gideon for use in his blood rituals.

* A smaller but still horrifying moment occurs during Cyrus's Chapter 3. After Cyrus refuses to cooperate with Yvon, Yvon threatens to leave him locked in his cellar to starve to death, casually mentioning that nobody visits his home anymore, so no one would even know what happened to him. If Therese hadn't shown up when she did, this likely would've ''actually happened''.

* A smaller but still horrifying moment occurs during Cyrus's Chapter 3. After Cyrus refuses to cooperate with Yvon, Yvon threatens to leave him locked in his cellar to starve to death, casually mentioning that nobody visits his home anymore, so no one would even know what happened to him. If Therese hadn't shown up when she did, this likely would've ''actually happened'.

* The sheer lengths that the [[KnightOfCerebus Mystery Man and Shady Figure]] [[{{Cult}} cultists]] would go to to obtain [[GodOfGood Aelfric]]'s Ember, kidnapping an innocent [[WouldHurtAChild child]] and sending a threatening letter to her father, the bishop of Goldshore, trying to pressure him to take the ember from Ophilia and give it to them or, in their words, "consider your daughter's life forfeit". Things go FromBadToWorse when Ophilia overhears them talking about how [[ILied they plan to kill both father and daughter whether the former gives them the ember or not]]. No wonder poor little Lysa was so frightened; [[AdultFear these two are a parent's worst nightmare]]. The fact that [[NoNameGiven their identities are never revealed]] adds another layer of unsettling to them.

** They are so devoted to [[DarkMessiah The]] [[ArcVillain Savior]] and his goals that the surviving cultist [[CyanidePill injects himself with a deadly poison]] just so Ophilia won't get any more information out of them. Even [[{{Determinator}} Primrose]] is disturbed by that!

* H'annit realizes a tree is a monster blocking a path and challenges it to a fight. It's true form almost resembles a smaller Galdera, with several snarling humanoid bodies sprouting out of the main one. Made worse when you consider H'aanit passes no remark on it, meaning they might be normal creatures and because it perfectly blends in as a tree they might be hiding in plain sight.

** Alfyn's second chapter ends with a rather literal example. After using a very potent sleeping agent to keep the corrupt apothecary from trying to escape before the guards get her, if Therion is also in the party, Alfyn and Therion have a brief conversation about the effects of the sedative he used. It not only puts people to sleep almost immediately, but also manifests the target's doubts and insecurities through horrifying nightmares they suffer through for the duration of their forced sleep. Even [[TokenEvilTeammate Therion]] is disturbed by that.

* H'annit realizes a tree is a monster blocking a path and challenges it to a fight. It's true form almost resembles a smaller Galdera, with several snarling humanoid bodies sprouting out of the main one. Made worse when you consider H'annit passes no remark on it, meaning they might be normal creatures and because it perfectly blends in as a tree they might be hiding in plain sight.

* Tressa's story is relatively light-hearted, which is fitting for Tressa's curious, optimistic personality. Nevertheless, her Chapter 2 has a disturbing moment when Morlock threatens to sell Ali into slavery, or worse. Makes you wonder if [[FridgeHorror he's done the same to other merchants that crossed his path, or if he'd do the same to Tressa...]]

* Primrose herself can be quite scary. There's no obstacle she won't strive to overcome, to get back at the men who killed her family. And all the while, she carries herself with TranquilFury and hardly ever raises her voice, but her confrontations with Helgenish and the Crow Men make it clear that she feels intense rage towards them for what they've done. A good warning ''not'' to mess with House Azelhart.

* The town of Wispermill isn't nightmarish in the 'horrifying' or 'depraved' sense, but more the 'unsettling' sense. The choice of music is one thing, but when you first arrive before starting Ophilia's Chapter 4, while the shops, inn and tavern are open, literally everything else you can interact with is dead silent, as if more a living statue than anything that passes as a human being. Talking to them just gives you dots ("..."). They do not react to any Path Actions. ''Even Cyrus gets nothing from Scrutinizing them.'' All of this just comes together to convey the feeling that something is just plain ''wrong'' with this town, and that this "Savior" is behind it. [[FromBadToWorse And then you actually start Ophilia's Chapter 4...]]

* Riverford is a town run by the man responsible for the fall of Hornburg, whom Erhardt was working for as TheMole. The prospect of someone like that with so much power is unsettling on its own, but how he runs it is downright horrifying. Ruled with fear and terror, and once a month, four criminals are burned at the stake to set an example. It started off as burning the worst of the worst, but soon people who do so much as pickpocket or act suspiciously are jailed and burned for it. One [=NPC=] you can talk to says his sister is next, and she's a 9-year-old completely innocent to the fact.

* Primrose herself can be quite scary. There's almost no depth to which she won't sink, just to get back at the men who killed her family. And all the while, she carries herself with TranquilFury and hardly ever raises her voice, but her confrontations with Helgenish and the Crow Men make it clear that she feels intense rage towards them for what they've done. A good warning ''not'' to mess with House Azelhart.

** In postgame, we learn something even worse. Redeye used to be Graham Crossford, a genuinely great man who inspired both Alfyn and Tressa to go on their journeys. Because of his bloodline, Lyblac used his wife's death to trick him into accompanying her to [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon the Gate of Finis]], where she tried to turn him into a vessel for Galdera. He finally realized what was going on during the ritual and was able to resist Lyblac's magic enough to attack her and disrupt Galdera's revival [[ThePowerOfLove by thinking about his deceased wife and living son]]. He fled, but eventually succumbed to Lyblac's magic, turning into Redeye and mindlessly wandering Orsterra. You can even find his last words scratched onto a pillar somewhere in the ruins you confront him, where he laments that his moments of lucidity are getting shorter.

* Primrose's story begins with men killing her father in front of her eyes, and her situation with Helgenish and the other dancers is horrifying--Helgenish only wants her for sex, the girls despise her pride and nobility, and when she gets an opportunity after years of tailing the Crow Men, Helgenish tortures her OnlyFriend and kills her before trying to kill Prim himself simply because [[DisproportionateRetribution she dared to defy him]].

* If you hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fziNJYEZp30 this music]] when entering a town, it often means something ''very'' wrong is happening behind it.

* Riverford is a town run by the man responsible for the fall of Hornburg. The prospect of someone like that with so much power is unsettling on its own, but how he runs it is downright horrifying. Ruled with fear and terror, and once a month, four criminals are burned at the stake to set an example. It started off as burning the worst of the worst, but soon people who do so much as pickpocket or act suspiciously are jailed and burned for it. One [=NPC=] you can talk to says his sister is next, and she's a 9-year-old completely innocent to the fact.

* Primrose's story begins with men killing her father in front of her eyes, and her situation with Helgenish and the other dancers is horrifying--Helgenish only wants her for sex, the girls despise her pride and nobility, and when she gets an opportunity after years of tailing the Crow Men, Helgenish tortures her OnlyFriend and kills her before trying to kill Prim himself simply because she dared to defy him.

* The true final boss, Galdera, is a god of infernal magic who has power over life and death. His physical form can be best described as a demonic beast composed of hundreds of partially digested bodies/souls, and he uses them in combat to fight you, and the second phase of the battle is a ''very'' daunting fight that can obliterate an unprepared party.

** In postgame, we learn something even worse. Redeye used to be Graham Crossford, a genuinely great man who inspired both Alfyn and Tressa to go on their journeys. Because of his bloodline, Lyblac used his wife's death to trick him into accompanying her to [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon the Gate of Finis]], where she tried to turn him into a vessel for Galdera. He finally realized what was going on during the ritual and was able to resist Lyblac's magic enough to attack her and disrupt the process [[ThePowerOfLove by thinking about his deceased wife and living son]]. He fled, but eventually succumbed to Lyblac's magic, turning into Redeye and mindlessly wandering Orsterra. You can even find his last words scratched onto a pillar somewhere in the ruins you confront him, where he laments that his moments of lucidity are getting shorter.

** In postgame, we learn something even worse. Redeye used to be Graham Crossford, a genuinely great man who inspired both Alfyn and Tressa to go on their journeys. Because of his bloodline, Lyblac used his wife's death to trick him into accompanying her to [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon the Gate of Finis]], where she tried to turn him into a vessel for Galdera. He finally realized what was going on during the ritual and fled, but at the cost of slowly turning into Redeye and mindlessly wandering Orsterra. You can even find his last words scratched onto a pillar somewhere in the ruins you confront him, where he laments that his moments of lucidity are getting shorter.

** In postgame, we learn something even worse. Redeye used to be Graham Crossford, a genuinely great man who inspired both Alfyn and Tressa to go on their journeys. Because of his bloodline, Lyblac used his wife's death to trick him into accompanying her to [[VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon the Gate of Finis]], where she tried to turn him into a vessel for Galdera. He finally realized what was going on during the ritual and fled, but at the cost of slowly turning into Redeye and mindlessly wandering Orsterra. You can even find his last words scratched onto a pillar somewhere in the ruins you confront him, where he laments that his moments of lucidity are getting shorter.

* The main antagonist of Primrose's story arc. '''Simeon'''. The man heads the Obsidians, was the culprit behind the murder of Geoffery Azelhart, and did everything in his power to ruin the life of his childhood love... all for the purpose of [[ItAmusedMe his own amusement]]. Despite trying to ''kill'' her and showing no regard for her well being, he's still violently smitten with her, to the point the play Primrose crashes in her hunt for him is a play about ''her'' life, ending with her character and Simeon's getting a happy ending. What the hell is up with this guy?

** Alfyn's second chapter ends with a rather literal example. After using a very potent sleeping agent to keep the corrupt apothecary from trying to escape before the guards get her, if Therion is also in the party, Alfyn and Therion have a brief conversation about the effects of sedative he used. It not only puts people to sleep almost immediately, but also manifests the target's doubts and insecurities through horrifying nightmares they suffer through for the duration of their forced sleep. Even [[TokenEvilTeammate Therion]] is disturbed by that.

* Primrose's story begins with men killing her father in front of her eyes, and her situation with Helgenish and the other dancers is horrifying--Helgenish only wants her for sex, the girls despise her pride and nobility, and when she gets an opportunity after years of tailing the Crow Men, Helgenish tortures her only friend and kills her before trying to kill Prim himself simply because she dared to defy him.

* In Cyrus's second chapter, his search for the missing villagers takes him to a hidden chamber in the sewers, with blood covering the floor and a drained corpse chained to the wall. A necromancer has been kidnapping and brutally murdering innocent people to create blood crystals. And of the ten missing villagers, Cyrus can only save three.

* Tressa's story is overall a light-hearted one, which is fitting for Tressa's curious, optimistic personality. Nevertheless, her Chapter 2 has a disturbing moment when Murlock threatens to sell Ali into slavery, or worse. Makes you wonder if [[FridgeHorror he's done the same to other merchants that crossed his path, or if he'd do the same to Tressa...]]
** For added FridgeHorror, think about it if you haven't already completed Cyrus's second chapter. It's possible that Ali (and potentially Tressa) could be sold off to Gideon for use in his blood rituals.

* The main antagonist of Primrose's story arc. '''Simeon'''. The man heads the Obsidians, was the culprit behind the murder of Geoffery Azelhart, and did everything in his power to ruin the life of his childhood love... all for the purpose of his own amusement. Despite trying to ''kill'' her and showing no regard for her well being, he's still violently smitten with her, to the point the play Primrose crashes in her hunt for him is a play about ''her'' life, ending with her character and Simeon's getting a happy ending. What the hell is up with this guy?

* Murlock threatens to sell Ali into slavery or worse. Makes you wonder if [[FridgeHorror he's done the same to other merchants that crossed his path, or if he'd do the same to Tressa...]]

* Primrose herself can be a little scary. There's almost no depth to which she won't sink, just to get back at the men who killed her family. And all the while, she carries herself with TranquilFury. A good warning ''not'' to mess with House Azelhart.

** Alfyn's second chapter ends with a rather literal example. After using a very potent sleeping agent to keep the corrupt apothecary from trying to escape before the guards get her, if Therion is also in the party, Alfyn and Therion have a brief conversation about the effects of sedative he used. It not only puts people to sleep almost immediately, but also manifests the target's doubts and insecurities through horrifying nightmares they suffer through for the duration of their forced sleep.

* One flashback of Therion's backstory in Chapter 3, where Darius betrays him by pushing him off a cliff. We know he survives, but it's dreadful to imagine Therion's fear that he could have died from such a fall.
** The city of Northreach, where many people live in fear due to the fact that it's a WretchedHive run by brigands who constantly harass visitors and villagers alike and take their stuff. Any sane person would want to stay far away from a city like this.

* H'aanit's first chapter boss, the Ghisarma. The way it's hunched over and drooling with crazy eyes just looks...wrong.

** In postgame, we learn something even worse. Redeye used to be Graham Crossford, a genuinely great man who inspired both Alfyn and Tressa to go on their journeys. Because of his bloodline, Lyblac used his wife's death to turn him into a vessel for Galdera. He finally realized what was going on during the ritual and fled, but at the cost of slowly turning into Redeye and mindlessly wandering Orsterra. You can even find his last words scratched onto a pillar somewhere in the ruins you confront him, where he laments that his moments of lucidity are getting shorter.

* If you hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fziNJYEZp30 this song]] when entering a town, it often means something ''very'' wrong is happening behind it.

* If you hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuzhFxy9R10 this song]] when entering a town, it often means something ''very'' wrong is happening behind it.

** In postgame, we learn something even worse. Redeye used to be Graham Crossford, a genuinely great man who inspired both Alfyn and Tressa to go on their journeys. Because of his bloodline, Lyblac used his wife's death to turn him into a vessel for Galdera. He finally realized what was going on during the ritual and fled, but at the cost of slowly turning into Redeye and mindlessly wandering Orsterra.