|| NIGHT 036: GENERAL
As the sun sinks beneath the horizon the guests will hear the doors to the houses unlock, permitting them once more to go inside.
Seemingly between moment and moment, their weapons and supplies are returned, though their clothes and all clothing within the house is still missing.
Nor do the Children return tonight; guardians left without their charges still.
Though there is nothing particularly notable about dusk, it does seem to cause some anxiety in the house-guests watching it. An uneasy feeling, as though the loss of the sun has offered a personal threat. But there is nothing unusual about the sun setting in the sky, or the coldness that follows. These are simply the normal patterns that the house follows, and meant to cause them no alarm.
A burst of light appears over the lake, glowing fireflies that seem to offer a bit of illumination as the day dies. They will remain throughout the night, though it is impossible to catch them.
The dragon snorts and backs away, unfurling her wings before she takes flight and vanishes over the trees.
The Rats fill the houses, peering around corners to watch them as they enter rooms, skittering ahead of them only to pause to watch them walking down halls. They do not seem to be threatening, but the moment a house-guest thinks they are alone they will turn to discover that they are being watched by the unblinking eyes of the creature.
Something seems to be wrong with their shadows, though it may take them some time to figure out. Though they seem to follow normally, if a guest stops suddenly it seems to take a moment for the shadow to realize. When they move the shadow seems a bit ahead, or a bit behind.
It doesn't seem threatening, just somewhat odd.
Their reflections seem to be caught by the same effect, turning to look at them even when they aren't looking at the mirror, reaching to tap the glass as though seeking their attention. There is something wrong with the eyes of their reflections, something missing that they can't pin down. Whatever it is, it would take a close study of the Mirrors to figure out.
Any guest over the age of 18 will find themselves being shadowed by a skittish shape that peers around corners and hovers by doors, as if unsure of approaching, only seen when they're alone. The figure following them varies from person to person, but will invariably be whatever would be most physically attractive to the person being shadowed; the gazes cast around obstacles are adoring and longing, while the figures are unarmed, wearing only loose robes.
Should a guest attempt to invite them closer, they'll find that their new companion will hover close by them, behaving almost reverently; they do not speak, but will follow simple requests pertaining to the guest's comfort or desires.
A guest who falls asleep after inviting them near will wake to find the Admirer curled close against or around them, and may find it difficult to extricate themselves from the embrace for a time, although they seem more clingy than hostile. They will flee the room, disappearing quickly, should the object of their affections enter a room with another person or have another person intrude on them. They offer no sign of harm or threat, although a guest that meets the eyes of their Admirer will find themselves with a nameless sense of sinking dread, as if something horrible might happen if they look away.
The Hellhounds wander freely tonight, a small and tight-knit pack. They refuse to separate from one another, truly relying on their strength of numbers, yet that is their only caution. They are somewhat more aggressive than usual, on high alert for even the barest of scrapes and cuts. When the coast is clear, however, they seem far more inclined to ignore the houseguests and tend to one another, grooming the young and herding each other through the halls.
Anyone who stands quietly enough in any hallway will soon come to feel that they are not alone. At first it seems nothing more than a feeling, but then the sound of something scratching along the walls and ceilings becomes more distinct. Sharp claws scratch at them, capable of tearing into their skin. Nonetheless, even if they hold still, they cannot see it.
Maybe if they're very lucky, it can't see them.
Shortly after dusk, houseguests will begin to understand that something is about to happen elsewhere, and will feel slowly drawn to another place. Anyone who makes it to the second floor of the first house will be witness to this drama that they felt in their bones, two figures at odds who seem oblivious to anyone else who might appear to them. As soon as they are in sight, however, the houseguests will find themselves unable to move, only able to watch until the scene plays out.
"It's not fair!" The young woman's-- Rose's-- voice is high and angry, as she stares Estella down. Her hands tear at her own hair, matted strands framing a wide scowl. "You can't do this, it's not fair!"
"Life ain't fair," Estella says gently, seemingly unmoved by the tantrum. "You're gonna have to learn that one way or another, sugar."
Tilting her head in warning she lifts the Lantern, turns to leave.
Rose twitches a moment, hands dropping from her hair, then lets out a childish scream of rage.
"No!"
She abandons all decorum, kicking a small table over in a less than ladylike manner and leaving it to skid across the floor toward the woman's retreating back.
Rose does not exit after her, instead settling into the Day Room to seethe angrily. Although mostly in place in the centre of the room from time to time Rose launches herself to her feet, shouting as she stamps through it. Whenever she finds something in the room, she tends to kick it over or pick it up and throw it against a wall.
Sometimes when she sits on the floor, she wraps her arms around her knees and sobs.
The First House is almost free of chains, though it feels somewhat empty as a result. The Rats are quieter here, and seem somewhat uneasy with entering it.
A wall of semi-liquid metal covers what was one the door to the Trophy Room, the extreme heat making it difficult to approach it. It shifts from time to time, but offers not opening for entry.
In the Gallery, there is a reappearance of The Art Enthusiast. While he seems more melancholy than aggressive, any who approach too readily will find this to be misleading. He lashes out at any who come within arm's reach of him, the ghost moaning in despair even as broken hands collapse around windpipes.
The sound of children laughing can be heard in the Gardener's Wing, and those who pause in the hallway will at times hear these invisible children run past them. Stepping in the way will cause an impact, and the confused voice of a child speaking to another child.
"Something's there." "There’s nothing there, you just tripped, come on." "But I felt something there."
The voices do not resolve themselves into people, though the children will continue their game after the interruption. There seem to be other children involved in the game, and the sound of them giggling can be heard throughout the area.
The Dollmaker's workshop looks like someone has cleaned it thoroughly. The tools and paints are neatly lined up, the dust gone from the shelves and the room over all much bright. The pair of life-sized dolls are missing, and many of the spare parts that covered every inch of the room before seem to have gone too.
The answer to where is answered by the faint click-clicking sound that passes through all hallways. The Doll-spiders are out in force tonight too, crawling over higher surfaces and watching guests curiously as they go about their business. Their freakish arms and legs bend and cling to shelves and the tops of doorways, cracked faces and tangled hair peering down.
Someone has been making breakfast in the Blue Kitchen, and the remains of that breakfast feast can be enjoyed by those that find their way here.
The door to the Study is open, and something writes at the desk, pen dancing over page. But there is nothing there.
In the nursery, something sleeps in the crib, but those who attempt to get closer will find themselves shoved firmly from the room by something very strong. They will find it impossible to get close enough to determine what rests there.
The pen at the desk never stops moving.
The roses in the Rose Garden have completely overgrown, creeping into the open hallway. Their thorns are sharp, and will cut anyone who tries to handle them, leaving deep, painful wounds that do not seem to heal correctly.
A trail of blood leads away from the bushes, weaving as though whoever has left it is badly hurt. The blood trail leads back through the second house and into the first, though it vanishes there.
In the Chapel the altar has fresh blood pooled upon it; no matter how late into the night it gets, it never seems to lessen or dry. Standing over it is the Priest, face ashen and a silvered knife in one hand, mouthing prayers in a language none of the guests can understand; he does not seem to be aware of, or acknowledge, anything else in the chapel, so long as the altar remains undisturbed. Any guest that attempts to tamper with it, the blood on it, or to physically jar him will find themselves grabbed with inhuman force and drug to it, his grip nearly unbreakable as he moves to slice their throat open with no interruption or pause in the strange litany.
A Siren has made herself comfortable in the Playboy Bedroom. She sings softly under her breath, though it does not seem meant to entice; rather, she is wholly focused on plaiting thin braids and stringing beads into her hair. From time to time she even becomes distracted by something else in the room, wings spread out over the bed, talons gripped tightly to a chair or a desk. She is only innocent when viewed from afar, however. As soon as her attention has been captured by any guest, her smile turns sultry and predatory. Her golden eyes beckon them closer, and her voice raises in pitch until it is impossible to resist. Stepping inside will cause the door to lock behind them, and the guest will quickly be seized upon by vicious claws.
Those who enter the Fourth House will find themselves immediately beset by whispers, though they remain quiet and never resolve themselves into closeness.
The whispers seem to be snatches of conversation, and the speakers range from male to female, young and old, but the tone of the conversation remains the same throughout the house. "We have to." "There isn't a choice." "I want to live; please, I just want to live." "The others will be angry with us, we can't." "There isn't a choice. We must. The children are starving."
The conversations break off abruptly.
Something is being cooked in the ovens of the Servant's Kitchen, and meat is piled haphazardly on one of the heavy wooden tables. Periodically, flaky pies appear to be offered to the guests, their tempting golden crusts and bubbling filling imploring those who grow close enough to eat. They are filled with chunks of meat and withered vegetables, though the taste of the pie is amazing. They will find themselves eating the entire offering if that first bite is taken. Hunger overwhelms them, goading them onward.
The whispers pick up again, gently goading. "That's it, eat, live. Eat."
Anyone who eats the pies will find that the Hellhounds will not touch them, even if they become injured during the night.
The door at the bottom of the Cramped Stairs is cracked just slightly ajar tonight, though it will budge no further. The opening does little except allow the sound of crying to grow to a fevered pitch; a young child sobbing, terrified and in pain.
In the Fifth House someone is singing quietly in the Abandoned Nursery, and the rocking chair moves from time to time -- though the dust cover remains undisturbed. The singing is soft, soothing and almost imploring.
Despite the time the house-guests might spend in the room, they will never hear a baby cry.
The sound of breathing pervades the Leaky Basement, though there appears to be nothing there. The putrid odor of slow decaying fills the area, discouraging those who might linger long enough to find a source. Looking long enough reveals something oozing mud in one of the corners, water slowly bubbling up from beneath it and bringing it with it the heavy smell of mold and rot.
The safe room tonight is The Student Bedroom.
|| 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 Courtyard 14. Priest's Room 15. Priest's Bedroom 16. Hallway 17. Locked Door 18. Rough Kitchen 19. Junior Dormitory 20. Bell Tower 21. Courtyard
Third House
1. Wind Tunnel Hallway 2. The Front Door 3. Sitting Room 4. Leather Study 5. Gentlemen's Lounge 6. Diamond Dining Room 7. Professional Kitchen 8. Stable 9. Locked Door 10. Orchard 11. Hanging Tree 12. Hot Springs 13. Locked Door
1. Red Hallway 2. Herbal Bedroom 3. Costumed Room 4. Bell Bathroom 5. Locked Door 6. Playboy Bedroom 7. Statuary Bedroom 8. Candy Store 9. Stalker Room 10. Satin Room 11. Scented Bathroom 12. Birdcage Room 13. Hedonist Room 14. Carved Parlor 15. Silk Room 16. Get Away Cabin 17. Vanity Bathroom 18. Velvet Bedroom 19. Wax Bedroom 20. Husk Bedroom
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. Upstairs 2. The Nest
1. Leaky Basement 2. Ruined Apartment 3. Drained Parlour 4. Decaying Bathroom 5. Jammed Door
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allthekeys) wrote2014-08-09 12:00 am
no subject
In terms of supplies, would that cover things like the sheathes for weapons and bags too, or just the items themselves without anything to carry them in?
And also are there linens about still or are those gone along with the clothing?
Oh! And does that blood trail disappear right as as you cross into the first house or further in?
...alright, so that was three questions anyway. Whups.
no subject
There are no linens, but you might find more towels.
The blood trail stops just outside the bathroom. Do you investigate?
no subject