Night I
Counted the skulls again tonight. Four thousand four hundred and forty-three. Yesterday there were four thousand four hundred and forty-four. I checked the wall twice. No niche is empty.
The crypt
Every bone has a story. Most were never told.
Deep under a city that no longer remembers its dead lies the Ossuary: a vault where skulls were stacked wall to wall, niche by niche, for centuries. Each was marked with ink before it was laid to rest, a sign of who they were and where they fell.
They came from graveyards and haunted houses, from a carnival that never closed and a ship that never sank. Now the seal is breaking.
“We were sealed in ink, so the world would not forget us. The world forgot anyway.”Carved above the crypt door
Found in the lower crypt
The keeper's journal
Night IX
Woke with ink on my hands. Black, still wet, up to the wrists. I have not touched a pen in a week. The ink well on my desk is full. It was empty when I went to sleep.
Night XVII
The skull in the eleventh row had turned to face the stairs. I turned it back. By vespers it was facing the stairs again, and this time its jaw was open.
Night XXX
Someone is humming on the lower level. A carnival tune, slow and out of key. The lower level has been flooded and sealed since before I was born.
Night XLIV
Four thousand four hundred and forty-four again. I know where the missing one went. It was standing behind me the whole time I was counting.
The last page
If you are reading this, the seal is already broken. Do not count them. Whatever you do, do not let them count you.
Do not count them
Last words of Brother AldricThe fifteen
Legends in the dark
Fifteen skulls were never part of the wall. Each is a one of one, hidden at a random number among the 4,444, and each came with a story the keeper refused to write down. Their faces stay in the dark until the reveal. Their stories do not.
Questions
Before you descend
What is The Ossuary?
A collection of 4,444 skull NFTs on Ink, each one pulled from a haunted place. Every skull is unique, and fifteen of them are one of ones with their own names and stories.
Which chain is it on?
Ink, an Ethereum layer 2. You need an Ethereum wallet with some ETH on Ink to mint and trade.
When is the mint and what does it cost?
The date and price will be announced on X first. Follow along so you do not miss it.
Where can I buy and sell?
The collection will be listed on OpenSea. Only trust links posted on this site and our official X account.
Why is there sound?
The Ossuary is not quiet. You can turn the sound off at any time with the speaker button at the top of the page.