The Countdown Trilogy is a series of text adventures created by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. It is a retelling of three events that transpire throughout various points of the timeline of the Chzo Mythos, expanding upon Jack Frehorn, Frehorn's Blade and the Order of Blessed Agonies. Each part is named after one of the Order's Blessed Agonies of the Body, Soul and Mind, and each of these is inflicted upon another in its respective episodes. The "countdown" to which the title refers is the countdown to the release of 6 Days a Sacrifice, the final installment of the series. All three episodes are bundled with the special edition of 6 Days a Sacrifice, which can be downloaded for free on Croshaw's website, Fully Ramblomatic. Playing the series is not required in order to fully comprehend the events of 6 Days a Sacrifice.
Part 1: The Body[]
The Body tells the story of Jack Frehorn shortly after he accidentally murdered Wilbur as seen in Trilby's Notes.
Shortly after the murder, Jack took an axe to chop up Wilbur's body and buried the remains. He tried to forget the horrifying events that led to the latter's death, but cannot escape his recurring nightmares. He told friends and family the Wilbur had permanently moved to France.
One year after the murder, July 28th 1779, Jack was visited again by the Prince, who wordlessly demanded that Jack fulfill his promise on pledging his entire being to the Prince and Chzo in exchange for his life being spared. Jack then carries out 12 ritual murders over the next 3 weeks using civilians from the streets. The knife he uses becomes the infamous Frehorn's Blade, which is capable of extracting the soul of the individual it kills.
On August 18th, 1779, Jack commits the 12th murder. He then proceeds to write the four books of Chzo, which become the documents used to found the Order of Blessed Agonies. Believing that the books were meant to detail the arrival of Chzo in the real world, the World of Technology, Jack tossed out the fourth book, which seemed to contradict the other three by stating a completely different purpose for the Bridge.
Even after these horrendous acts, Jack is still unable to find peace, for he had pledged loyalty and service to the Prince for an eternity, and the latter is intent on milking that deal for all its worth.
Part 2: The Soul[]
The Soul tells the story of Delia Reneaux, a new initiate into the Order of Blessed Agonies.
On January 17th, 2189, Delia joined the Order of Blessed Agonies after spending months attending meetings and sessions with Optimology, the Order's money making front. She decides to join out of her fascination with the concept of cleansing through pain, and the general lack of direction in her own life. Having gone through the Blessed Agony rituals for her mind and body, Delia kills her boyfriend, Jason, to complete the initiation.
Several months later, Delia is extremely remorseful about killing Jason and regrets joining the Order. Her life with the Order did not give her the happiness she sought, and keeps having nightmares about the normal family life she could have had with Jason. One night, she wakes up from another nightmare and goes outside to calm herself and runs into the Caretaker. The Caretaker offers her sanctuary from the order and redemption from her crime in exchange for stealing Frehorn's Blade from the Order. Delia accepts and manages to successfully steal the Blade.
After handing over the Blade, the Caretaker apologizes to Delia for lying to her about granting her protection and redemption, explaining that there is no true redemption for an action as short-sighted as killing a loved one for selfish gains. The Caretaker then disappears. Terrified of the repercussions of stealing one of the Order's most sacred items, Delia flees using a stolen car, only to die in a crash just six miles away. Whether this crash was intentional or not is unknown.
Part 3: The Mind[]
The Mind tells the story of how Malcolm Somerset got Frehorn's Blade as seen in 6 Days a Sacrifice.
On February 3rd, 2386, one year after the events of 7 Days a Skeptic, an unnamed mail carrier enters the New Delhi Mental Hospital to directly and discretely deliver an unmarked package to one of the patients. The mail carrier was given the package directly from the Caretaker, and was also given a thick bundle of cash for his troubles. The mail carrier sneaks the package by security using his mail bag and drops it off in Malcolm Somerset's room when no one is looking.
The mail carrier leaves without any further problems and enjoys his pay.