Gloom is a fantastic game with a wonderfully eldritch-esque story tying it together. Unfortunately, much of, if not all, is told within the item descriptions, which isn't great for those unwilling to go through repeated playthroughs to collect them all, or those who struggle with the difficulty. This guide compiles much of the in-game text and organizes it a chronological way for those people who want to learn the story, but don't want to go through the pains of obtaining it.

Keep in mind that many supplementray details have been left out for the sake of brevity, but I highly encourage you go into the game and discover the rest for yourself.

Some important information to know before getting into the whole deal.

Where the events of the game takes place; the Common Dream is a separate plane of existence inhabited by deities and the consciousness of any who end up trapped there.

the supposed creator of everything we know, including all the cosmic deities. It is said the Abyss, the deepest possible dream, is the purest representation of the Null One. Three core cosmic deities were spawned from it, of which most lesser deities originate from.

Leviathan: A cosmic deity that swims through time and space devouring everything in its way.
Ziz: An empathetic deity that actively helps mortal beings.
Behemoth: The most violent and powerful of the three, it seeks to defeat other deities and absorb their power into its own. It's offspring are created for the purpose of creating unique powers of which the Behemoth can absorb into itself, and seldom few escape this fate.

It all began in a small, old country called Nhypnos, whose residents were gifted with the ability of lucid dreaming. Among the people was a Nhypnian child who attracted the eye of being called the Yellow Monarch that haunted him in an attempt to possess him. However, despite successfully invading him, the boy was strong enough to remain in charge of his body and mind. Due to his nature of hosting a demon, the people forced him out of the country and he was forced to wander the land. He soon joined a mercenary band and tapping into the demonic powers within him, became a force to be reckoned with. He became the leader of the mercenaries then settled and founded a town on the side of a mountain, which would eventually grow into an entire kingdom. This kingdom was named after the boy; Domnhall, and he was was to be its king for centuries to come.

Back in Nhypnos in an undisclosed time after the Future King Domnhall left, there was a massacre of the people caused by a local lumberjack, driven mad by his nightmares, who killed the entire populace save for two twin brothers. The brothers, Nhpna and Nhador, would find themselves in the kingdom of Domnhall; Nhpna becoming a vicar of the church and Nhador becoming a conductor for the kingdoms theatre. As a result of their interest in the occult, the two would create a painting of the Common Dream and fall into a deep coma, entering into the place they depicted. For various reasons, the brothers became distant and separated, each going to carve their own place into the dream. Nhador would go on to establish the Amphitheatre, a place of unchecked hedonism, and become known as Maestro whereas Nhpna would form the Unholy Parish, a place of cosmic worship, becoming known as the First Dreamer.

Utilizing the painting made by the brothers in order to remain in contact with the First Dreamer, Domnhall made his way to Abyss, which is said to grant wishes, and asked for the success and prosperity for his kingdom. What he returned with was the Oracle, a girl who could predict the future. Domnhall also married a woman named Edna who gave birth to their only son Flynn who he left under the tutelage of his oldest comrade Leo, who was a part of the mercenary band he once led and was now one of the highest ranking soldiers in Domnhall's army. Thanks to the Oracle’s sight and the King’s might, the kingdom was becoming very prosperous.

The Kingdoms success was known widespread, and its king was said to be as powerful as the gods. This angered one known as The Renegade God, an assumed child of the Behemoth and who was unnaturally feeble. It was against the kingdom from the very beginning and it attempted to defeat the king but lost many times. These continued losses led it to create the divine plague which ravaged the kingdom of Domnhall and seemed unstoppable. In anger, the First Dreamer summoned the Renegade to the dream, stripping it of its title and subjecting it to eternal torture. In the waking world, The king tried his best to quell the plague, even going as far as asking one of his undeground agents Lonan, a swordsman from the distant country of Sombre, to massacre the populace of the lower city to prevent the spread of disease to the royal district. Lonan refused and was imprisoned, tortured, and killed for his actions. In a last ditch effort, the king went into the dream and asked of the First Dreamer to pull his subjects into the Common Dream where they could live their lives eternally. After the king was killed by his own son Flynn, who became possessed with insanity, he enacted his plan within the Common Dream.

It took only a few years for the reflection of the kingdom to fall under the chaotic nature of the dream. The citizens lost their memories or went insane and gloom fell upon the land. The First Dreamer left to the meadows of limbo, a space between dream and reality, to guide new dreamers in and preventing people from leaving. He left the Parish under the care of the Unholy Prophet who was one of his first disciples when it was originally founded. The Prophet had a hunger for knowledge and soon began inhuman experiments while others among the Parish began to worship a lesser deity known as Sataniel, another assumed child of the Behemoth, for earthly pleasures, further contributing to the downfall of the kingdom within the dream.

Back in the waking world, an unknown figure with an obscure past known as the Saint came to the dying kingdom of Domnhall. Wielding an enchanted scythe, the Saint stopped the plague and killed the possessed Prince Flynn. The surviving people asked him to lead them to which he complied. With the financial aid of an allied kingdom called Haven from the south, and the leadership of the Saint, the kingdom was rebuilt and thriving once more. The Saint fell in love with the Oracle, who had also survived the ordeal, and married her. He was the new king of Domnhall and she was both his advisor and queen.

Tragedy struck once more at the kingdom of Domnhall with the sudden assassination of the Oracle and the unborn child she was carrying. The Saint was stricken with grief and was unwilling to remarry. He learned about old legends of the kingdom and the Common Dream and in a bid to bring back his family entered into the Common Dream to wish upon the Abyss. It is here at the Saint's journey into the depths of the Common Dream does the game start.