Night 032

[allthekeys]

|| THREAT DOWN

|| NIGHT 032: GENERAL Night falls and the chimes of the clock once again announce the hours. The sound is stunning, leaving those who hear it briefly stilled until it fades away. The bells in the Bell Tower are also ringing, but seem slightly off in some way even those musically inclined can’t quite pin down. It leaves those in the house with an uneasy feeling that fades slowly as night goes on. Those in the first house may hear an increase in activity in the Trophy Room just as night falls, before the safe is shoved so violently out of the wall that it damages the door to the Fairy Bedroom. A rush of thick, stale air filled with the fetid stench of unwashed flesh and brackish seawater fills the hall. The smell is strong enough that anyone remaining for long in the upper story of the First House will find themselves becoming light headed. The chains move, curling around light fixtures and snuffing candles. They will attack anyone who brings a light into the first and second floors of the First House, though they will mostly leave alone those who decide to stagger through the dark. While during the day they remained near the ceilings, now they blanket the floor in a seething, dangerous tangle of movement. In the Ballroom the child at the center of the circle jerks, body convulsing as though in pain as the chains wrap around the barrier, warping it out of shape before it dies in a nearly blinding flash of light. The child vanishes. The flickering flames in the fireplace die, snuffed by the pressure of the chains. In the Dawn Room the Pigtailed Girl kneels on the floor. She is surrounded by dolls, two fairy statues and a mannequin looks on. They form a circle about her, and she appears to be coughing heavily. In each corner of the room stands a golem. The fire in their eyes appear to have dimmed, but the clay-glass creatures are not entirely devoice of sentience. Her skin has a greyish tint, and her coughing frequently turns to retching. Her palms brace against the floor to try and stop herself falling, but her arms struggle to hold her weight -- and every so often she whines as if in pain. Anyone entering the room may find that between one blink and the next all the dolls, statues and the mannequin have turned from their concerned vigil to watch them. It would be better to tread softly here. The Gallery appears to have been overturned, a few paintings knocked down and statues overturned. Writing has appeared on the walls again. I'm Sorry. I tried. WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN? Help us, please! Why have you forsaken me? Forgive me. Lurking by the stairwells and patrolling the room respectively are the Broken Woman and The Art Enthusiast, known by some as Don Marks. As they pass they seem to shoot each other weary looks. The Dollhouse room has an eerie stillness about it tonight, as if anticipating something. It is safe, for anyone who can sense such things, but there is an uncomfortable feeling to it. As if something is coming, very soon. As if they are being watched. In the Gardener’s Wing the chains have wrapped completely around the furnace until the light cannot escape it. In the Glass Blower’s Room the fire in the furnace has been forced to die, the room strangely cold with its lack. A golem stands frozen solid in the corner, the fire in its eyes gone completely. The glass jar surrounding the Firefly has been shattered, though the creature for the moment seems to be evading the chains. There is silence in the halls for a moment, the lack of noise hanging, as though waiting for something. The wall in the Trophy Room is spider webbed with cracks, some of the heavier displays already cast to the floor as more chains work their way out of the walls and into the room. Something steps free of the walls, human shaped but so wrapped in chains that it seems impossible that it is anything alive. It collapses to its knees, hands covering where eyes might be as though the dim gloom is still too bright for it. As though in response to the apparent pain the light causes, the chains begin to creep over windows, attempting to blot out the distant light of the full moon. The Chained Beasts crawl out into the halls, slow but piteous, begging for release and trapping those who attempt to help them in their hell. They do not leave the first house, and are easy to avoid, as they are very slow. The only thing that might cause the guests to hesitate is the very familiar eyes that peer from beneath the chains, the gaze is known to them, and now suffers. The look each wears begs the men and women who behold them to end their torment. Despite the chaos in the upper stories the Doctor is in and seeing patients, the lights in the clinic spill into the hall. The chains do not enter the basement, and those who have been under the Doctor’s care before will find that he welcomes their presence. Sitting at the bottom of the stairs in the First House between the first and the second levels, are the Mute Ghost Girl and the Boy Twin. The girl holds a candle in her lap, the flame carefully shielded from view, her eyes wide as she watches the chains wind down the walls around them. The boy next to her is pale, his eyes wide, though it is difficult to read the emotion on his face. Both children are very still and very quiet, and do not move from their perch as the night goes on. In the Second House, something is clearly wrong, though the chains have not crept here yet. Lock stands just inside hallway to second house, staring at the chains as they slither across the floor, his hand clutching at his chest as though in pain. He’s unusual pale, but there seems to be some sort of ambient illumination surrounding him, though it seems for the moment to have no source. Perhaps it is only something stuffed into one of his many pockets. The chains will not move past him. The Rose Garden appears to be fading too, tonight, as if the colour and life are simply being drained from it -- not withering, just... fading. It does, however, give anyone who enters a sense of peace. This area is safe tonight, and anyone who enters is filled with the understanding that this is meant to happen. That this is how things should be, and it is unavoidable. In the Chapel the pews are filled again, though the parishioners have seen better days. Their weather beaten bones are all that remain, yellowed and twisted, still covered in the remnants of their graves, but seemingly unable to return to that rest. Those who pause and try to look at them from the corner of their eyes will see the parishioners take shape, flesh and clothes filling in the space left by the bones. The Priest is walking a measured path around the edge of the walls, a censer of incense hanging in front of him as he walks, intoning prayers in an unfamiliar language. He is utterly focused on this task, to the point of aggressively ignoring the still skeletons filling the pews. The Shadow Man follows in his wake, matching every step and motion, though he holds nothing at all. His hand reaches out occasionally to stoke the walls, and where he brushes his fingers, the walls seem to crumble a little. He seems to be humming something under his breath, taunting the man who walks ahead of him, though he makes no move to close the distance. All throughout, the mess littering the floors has yet to be properly cleaned; it seems somewhat thinner for traffic, the debris more broken up into pieces than previously. The floors are covered in scattered shards of bone and detritus. Anyone opening the Dark Room tonight will be immediately overwhelmed by the scent of blood. Curled up in the corner is the Tormented Girl, and she appears to be bleeding heavily. She does not respond to any attempts to rouse her, having lost too much blood, but there are other clues about what may have happened. Hanging up, and littering a few surfaces, are photographs that appear to be of her. In most her eyes are turned away, her body language uncomfortable. In a few, she appears to be running. Looking over the photographs gives a guest a crushing, terrible sense of despair and uncontrollable wave of fear. It's no use, someone is watching, they can't hide, he'll come, there's nowhere left to run. This is it. Removing a photograph from the room causes the Foul boy to abruptly leave the Shelter Bedroom and head through the Photography Bedroom toward them. The Foul Boy paces the Shelter bedroom restlessly tonight. He seems tense, unhappy, and blood smears the front of his clothing. His fingers flex as he paces, and anyone entering the room tonight will find he immediately turns on them -- paces quickly towards them with intent and reaches out to grab them in a deadly grip. Orion’s Carriage appears from the mist at both the exits to the Greenhouse in the first house, and the Courtyard in the Fourth House. Those who have been touched by the Lady In White will find any ward or protective charm they are wearing warming on their bodies, as though power is moving within them. Even those charms she did not cast will begin to warm, a deep and alluring sense of rightness seeping out from them. Those carrying an item she has cast upon will begin to hear the faintest sound, almost like a second heartbeat a beat slower than their own. It seems to come from nowhere, but it remains persistently present. As the night creeps on, they will find themselves drawn to the Second house, seemingly against their will, though it will never become more forceful than a vague awareness that they are meant to be somewhere. As they travel into the house they will smell a faint hint of greenery, dirt and earth among crushed leaves. It is faint at first, but grows concentrated by the time they arrive at its origin: In the Wall Papered Parlor the Wax Son, Crawling Boy and Wax Daughter sit with the Lady In White, huddled close to the woman for protection. The children do not face outwards towards the rest of the area, but the woman holding them does. The Wax Father looms in the doorway, a smirk distorting his face, a bat held tightly in his hand. The Wax Mother is nowhere to be found. Though the candles are all lit in the Bar, the Bartender is absent, the door behind the counter solidly locked. There are no signs of a struggle and the mess that was caused during the day is missing. The Silenced Woman is also missing. Anyone who ventures into the Chamber of Purification tonight will find a Siren seated comfortably on the desk. Her eyes are hypnotic, one leg swinging idly as she drags a comb through golden hair. In one hand she holds a bottle of alcohol taken from the hidden section of the desk, and she holds it out to the guest -- gaze locked on them, compelling them in. "Drink," she encourages, and her voice is so sweet. So hard to resist. What harm can it do? Her claws seem little worry when she's so beautiful. A light glows just over the Lake, moving as though some sentience directs it. It seems to have no visible source, and at times vanishes beneath the water, leaving the night in darkness once more. It always reappears, never drifting closer to one shore or the other. Anyone entering the Horrific Hotel Room tonight will find the Hell Hounds curled up resting around the foot of the bed. They seem to almost be hiding, uncertain, but at the first sign of intrusion they jump to their feet, shake themselves off and begin to growl. Any injured guests will be chased the length of this house, however anyone else will only engage in a fight until they make it back over the threshold and away from the room. The Butchers have reappeared at their stations, though they do no work tonight. Their dark eyes seem to be focused straight ahead, their hands slack at their sides. They do not even seem to breathe, though they are quite vicious, even deadly, if touched. Their knives are sharp and quick to remove life and limb from those who dare to disturb their strange watch. The Carved Priest his back dripping with blood, kneels on the stage in the Cafeteria, in one hand he holds a whip, in the other a knife. His breathing is uneven, desperate, and something has been smeared a crossed his forehead. He will attack anyone who enters the room, shouting in a language they do not understand. If he can manage to pin them, he will start to cut letters into their skin. He is surprisingly strong, for someone looks so easy to break. The Bakery is almost unnaturally quiet after the activity outbursts of the last few days; while the cases still hold bread and pastries, and anyone entering would find enough for a few people, they seem sparse, picked over, as if what's present is the leavings after the ovens have been shut down. The counters and work-spaces are cleaned, but anyone looking closely can find bits of flour still around corners, some things left not quite finished. The Empty Kitchen is similarly silent; some of the bins and displays are empty, others show only a handful of pieces, and on a couple of displays there are broken fragments left behind that have yet to be cleared away. More stubborn bits of sugar and fillings have cooled around edges and corners of worktables, a bowl of hardened chocolate with a spoon still in it tucked away out of direct line of sight. The Path connecting the Fourth and Fifth Houses is strangely chilled. While the weather of the surrounding area has been gradually warming over the past few weeks, the path seems resistant to this trend. The dirt is almost phosphorescent, a dull, inviting glow lighting the way along it. It is so comfortable, the perfect place to just pass the night without a care. Or at least, it would be were it not for the Beggars and Wraiths who creep out of the surrounding area with seemingly no warning. The beggars claw at the guests, asking for their energy so that they might be revitalized. The wraiths, however, are much more likely to kill. The Drowned Woman sits at the edge of the Boat House, looking distraught as she drags rotting, cracking fingernails over the wood of the door. She weeps loudly, waterlogged skin peeling away and dragging away splinters with each pass. She seems wholly intent on her task, but this proves false. Anyone who approaches the boat house will find she is very much listening to their approach. Drowned, bleeding hands are no less fierce for all her distress. In the Abandoned Nursery the Hatch sits ajar. It is jammed to the point that it cannot be opened or closed to any other degree, but it seems as though it might be large enough for something small to crawl through. Anyone who stays here too long or attempts to climb the ladder will hear the cracks and pops of the thing that looks like a child as its bones endure the stress of it dragging itself out of its hiding place. It is vicious and adamant, but fortunately slow to remove itself from its prison. After it has escaped, however, it moves alarmingly quickly. Anyone attempting to cross through Leaky Basement will find an unpleasant surprise. The entire floor smells of rot and death; stale blood makes the air almost impossible to breath. The entire area is bathed in pitch darkness, but from time to time the eyes of the beast seem to glint in the dark. If the visitor does not move quickly enough, it will not hesitate to lunge, claws snagging and blunt teeth grinding. The Safe Rooms tonight are the Doctor's Office, the Dollhouse Room, the Rose Garden and the Student Bedroom. The Third House remains locked fast. || THREAT DOWN First House: 1. Front Door 2. Entry Way 3. Coat Closet 4. Parlor 5. Formal Dining Room 6. Blue Kitchen 7. Doll Bathroom 8. East Hallway 9. Library 10. Study 11. Dawn Room 12. Closed Closet 13. Nursery 14. Dollhouse Room 15. Dollhouse 16. The Crack In The Wall 17. Maid Hallway 18. Clean Bedroom 19. Dirty Bedroom 20. Closet Room 21. Smoke Room 22. Yellow Bedroom 23. Vanity Room 24. Ivory Bathroom 25. Door to Basement 26. Supply Closet 27. Ballroom 28. Oak Hallway 30. Theater 31. Backstage 32. Locked Door 33. Music Room 1. Hallway 2. Student Bedroom 3. Student Closet 4. Mirror Bedroom 5. Journey Bedroom 6. Fairy Bedroom 7. Red Bedroom 8. Mask Bedroom 9. Trophy Room 10. Gallery 11. Observatory 12. Sewing Room 13. Glass Bathroom 14. Perfume Bedroom 15. Library 16. Cherry Hallway 17. Thin Bedroom 18. Dark Bedroom 19. Light Bedroom 20. Loft Bedroom 21. Ink Bedroom 22. Mosaic Bedroom 23. Day Room 24. Narrow Hallway 25. Store Room 26. Open Bathroom 27. Blind Bedroom 28. Door To Floating Hallway 29. Corkscrew Stair 1. Basement 2. Dirt Hallway 3. Waiting Room 4. Doctor's Office 5. Supply Closet 6. Recovery Ward 7-11. Examination Rooms 12. Treatment Room 13. Surgery Room 14. Ward 15. Morgue 1. Main Room 2. Green Room 3. Half Bath 4. Small Kitchen 5. Garden Closet 6. Empty Hall 7. Radio Room 8. Carpenters Room 9. Painter’s Room 10. Shared Bath 11. Glass Blowers Room 12. Tapestry Bedroom 13. Dollmaker's Workshop 14. Pottery Room Second House: 1. Straight Hall 2. Public Restroom 3. Glass Half Empty 4. Fake Bedroom 5. Model Bedroom 6. Locked Door 7. Viewing Bedroom 8. Memory Bedroom 9. Photography Bedroom 10. Dark Room 11. Shelter Bedroom 1. Stairwell Room 2. Wallpapered Parlor 3. The Open Door 4. Plain Kitchen 5. Pantry 6. Dining Room 7. Hallway 8. Half Sized Bath 9. The Blank Library 10. ??? Room 11. Open Hall 12. Rose Garden 13. Chapel 14. Priest's Room 15. Priest's Bedroom 16. Hallway 17. Locked Door 18. Rough Kitchen 19. Junior Dormitory 20. Bell Tower 21. Courtyard 1. Catacombs Fourth House: 1. Hanging Hall 2. The Slaughterhouse 3. Meat Freezer 4. Cheese Room 5. Salt Room 6. Preserved Storage 7. Fresh Storage 8. Hallway 9. Distillery 10. Humidor 11. Cramped Stairs 12. Hook Hallway 13. Smoke House 14. Drying Shed 15. Hot House 16. Lift 1. Tea Room 2. Cafeteria 3. Entrance Hall 4. Courtyard 5. Bakery 6. Patisserie 7. Overstuffed Kitchen 8. Ladies' Room 9. Mis-sized Dining Room 10. Men's Room 11. Servant's Kitchen 12. Unidentified Restroom 13. Empty Kitchen 14. Opium Den 15. Seedy Bar 1. Checked Hall 2. Wine Room 3. Green Bedroom 4. Soft Bedroom 5. Carnivore Bedroom 6. Herbivore Bedroom 7. Sweet Bedroom 8. Chamber of Purification 9. Nasty Bathroom 10. Horrific Hotel Room 11. Locked Door Fifth House: 1. Outside Door 2. Plastic Hall 3. Bachelor's Kitchen 4. Garage 5. Abandoned Nursery 6. Boarded Room 7. Rough Hall 8. Old Bedroom 9. Bathroom 10. Pillow Room 11. Empty Bedroom 12. Patio 13. Poet's Room 14. Forgotten Storeroom 15. Mildewed Hallway 16. Broom Cupboard 17. Den 18. Unfinished Stairs 19. Workman's Room 20. Guest Bedroom 21. Lily Bedroom 1. Leaky Basement 2. Ruined Apartment 3. Drained Parlour 4. Decaying Bathroom 5. Jammed Door