|| DAY 042: DUSK
As night creeps closer upon the house, something odd happens to the clock. The minute hand slows, stops, and then begins to move backwards at a rapid pace. The hour hand clicks forward at its normal space for awhile, and then stops entirely between the three and four, vibrating as though the clock is at want for a good winding. The second hand spins forward twice as fast as the minute hand spins back, completing rapid, nonsensical circles of the face.
The clock grinds internally, but does not chime. The sun halts in the sky, a phenomenon that will at first go unnoticed, until the snow begins to melt, rapidly. Puddles of water and thick, viscous mud will soon mark the paths, deep enough that it could easily steal a shoe from an unwary traveler.
Night does not fall at the house at its appointed time, the sun unmoving in the sky as though frozen. It is the only thing that remains unchanging.
Although the sun stays fixed in the sky, the moon continues its course across it. The sunlight makes it appear white and pale, almost translucent, but it’s clearly visible against the clear blue.
Even more visible is the other moon that slowly rises from the horizon. It doesn’t seem to reflect light as well as the first one, and is both bigger and slower than its sister. At first glance it appears red or orange but a closer look shows a muddled patchwork of colours that fight for space on its jagged, scarred surface. The large impact crater on its right side makes the moon look uneven and this coupled with its size and colour makes it a rather sinister presence.
The houseguests will soon find that their hair and nails are growing at an alarming rate; injuries are gained and then heal too quickly to make sense of, shoes wear out too quickly, and clothes frays as though it has been left too long in the sun. Though nothing else about their bodies seem to change, their faces appear the same when checked in the mirror, something about them seems to have altered in a frighteningly unpredictable way.
Guests with pets or creature companions will find that their companions are high-strung and agitated; more animalistic creatures will be overly energetic, swinging between hiding as if terrified of something and more aggressive, inclined to chase and pursue anything smaller than them that may be darting nearby, and may bite or claw if startled. More intelligent creatures, such as dragons or spirit beasts, are not immune, although those capable of some form of speech or other communication may be able to exert more self-control. Guests that are, themselves, possessed of more animalistic traits or tendencies will find those amplified along with a heightened sense of fight or flight, instincts swinging wildly between hunting and a hyper-awareness that they, themselves, are potential prey, while werewolves will find themselves reacting as though to a full moon.
The Hellhounds roam the houses in small packs. They are panting and salivating heavily, flecks of foam constantly collecting at the corners of their mouths and dotting the floor under their paws. Although visibly overheated, they skirt the flooded areas as much as possible, seeming reluctant to make contact with the water. They are agitated and twitchy all around, occasionally snapping at the air or shaking their heads as though plagued by invisible flies. Guests may find themselves needing extra caution around the hellish canines, as they are quick to bite even without free-flowing blood being present.
There is, however, one exception to this rule: a single, retriever-like hellhound covered in shaggy, matted fur the color of a used mop. It smells of mildew and swamp water and moves in a slow, plodding shuffle from room to room. It makes no noise, save for the click of its overgrown claws on the floor and jingle of a heavy collar hidden somewhere under the waves of tangled hair around its neck. Although occasionally flanked by fellow hounds, it seems to follow its own mental map around the house, although anyone observing it throughout the long daylight hours will soon be able to detect a pattern to its movements.
It travels to lit windows to the outside and sits quietly in front of them to stare out and upwards through wide, clouded eyes-- as motionless as the sun it's staring into.
The Sun Dog is not aggressive and will not attack even when directly provoked, although if it is accompanied by other hellhounds, they may leap to its defense. It also may plod directly into the legs of anyone who chooses to stand in its path while on the move-- it seems to bump into corners sometimes, too.
The Feral Deer are agitated and unusually aggressive; they circle overhead in open areas, and can be found in some of the upper floors indoors. They’re quick to attack anything other than one of them that crosses their path, pursuing and group-killing giant insects, guests, and Hunters alike. Often it will seem that they are gorging quickly on part of a kill, then leaving the rest to move on, with half-eaten carcasses scattered about as the night progresses.
Though the air still holds a slight chill of early spring time, it is no longer the bite of winter. The plants are responding almost aggressively to this sudden heat wave, the roses in the Rose Garden barely taking time to bud out before they shoot upwards, wrapping themselves in the bars that surround them.
The rats are out in force, although they will mostly pay no mind to the guests unless harassed. Their attention and energy are more survival focused, as they scramble through the upper floors and areas above the floodwater, find perches on bookshelves and higher shelves, and fleeing the myriad larger predators - insectoid and otherwise - that are loose in the halls. Despite their panic, they heal immediately if harmed; rats that are injured or killed will recover and continue their scramble for survival. Being eaten by one of the predators loose this night is no exception, although it delays the regeneration slightly; the result is an occasional grisly spectacle as one or more rats gnaws out of their would-be predator, killing the other animal.
Large numbers of unusual insects are squirming through floorboards, under doors, and swarming through the houses trying to escape the flooding in all of the Houses. None of them match the previous wildlife, and they range in size from a few inches across to the size of small dogs. Some of them are innocuous enough; giant leaf-insects and bright colored moths and butterflies, millipedes ranging from small to a couple feet long and several inches across. Others may be a risk of a painful bite or a good scare but not much more than that, including some heavy-bodied, furred spiders that can reach a couple feet across and large, ten-legged, thin-bodied creatures that look like stingless, pincerless scorpions with oversized, sharp-edged mandibles. A few are significantly more dangerous and venomous; giant centipedes that reach up to a few feet long, some spiders, and scorpions in varying colors. Of some note are large caterpillars the size of small dogs that seem fearless of anything and indeed, are left unbothered by other wildlife; the caterpillars have thick, wooly coats and are curious, even friendly in behavior, wandering up to guests and winding around legs or offered hands. Those who make contact with them will quickly learn how they can afford to be so fearless, as touching the fur has a paralyzing effect that spreads outward across a guest’s body; while the caterpillars themselves do no other harm, they soon grow bored and wander off, leaving the victim easy prey for other threats.
Also spreading throughout all of the Houses, often avoiding the larger predatory insects, are lizards; the comparatively small animals never seem larger than a foot long, with wide eyes and sucker-tipped feet that allow them to climb walls and ceilings. The lizards have an unpleasant habit of seeking refuge in drawers, cabinets, closets, and other hiding places; when disturbed, they lunge forward to deliver a nasty bite with a mouthful of sharp fangs, accompanied by a piercing shriek, before fleeing. They are more than capable of drawing blood and attracting the hellhounds.
Just above the water line of the flooding, scattered in much of the area, are bright-colored mushrooms and fungal shelves, some of which glow softly if removed from well-lit areas. A particularly bright-colored and vivid patch pokes out of the water and along the edges of the Courtyard in the Second House. While a cautious guest can pick through the area safely, approaching one of them too closely causes them to unleash a cloud of spores that are powerful hallucinogens, inflicting jumbled visions and nightmares of the guest’s home world and others for a few hours.
The Lady In White leaves the study a few moments after everything begins to grow strange, though she only seems interested in what is happening and is not in any way hostile. She can often be found in the Courtyard in the second house, the Rose Garden or near any of the other strange plant disturbances, though she also makes her way back to the Priest's Study from time to time. She seems rather irritated, frowning constantly and pausing near a few of the more aggressive plants with her hand extended to them.
The Priest remains living and human; his wanderings grow more agitated with the unnatural daytime and sudden change in weather, and he is scouring the houses as if searching. For those that are human he is approachable, and may even seek some out; to others, he is wary at best, if not outright dangerous. He is also functionally human enough for the time being to move freely, unaffected by safe rooms.
The Hunters have returned to the house; the reptilian creatures are hungry and hostile, although they are mainly staying to lower floors and ground areas. First floor and basement areas and hallways are particularly dangerous, as they prove fast and surprisingly stealthy with the flooding to use as cover.
The walls in the Student Bedroom are covered in patches of mould, and the clothes have all rotted away on their hangers. The mirror at the desk is spotted with moisture, the frame heavily tarnished and the paint peeling away.
The room smells heavily of mildew and mould, entirely unpleasant scents that make it hard to start there for long.
Vines creep into the house from all directions, leafy stalks that will soon prevent doors from closing, and resist even the sharpest blade. The way to the Fifth House is soon so covered in vines and mud that even the most daring houseguests might feel hesitant to venture there. As though the house understands this, the entry point has reverted to the First House at the Entry Way.
Though this will help them very little, as the mould that has been creeping up the stairs throughout the rest of the day has continued up the hallway, fed by the thick, yellow smoke oozing from the Smoke Room the wallpaper in the Maids Hallway is spotted here and there with mildew, curling off the walls, and spores of the rather thick mould dance in the air, making it hard for anyone who lingers in the hallway to breathe. The first fingers of the mould have started to force their way into the Blue Kitchen, the wood of the cabinets swelling as though it has been under water for quite some time, warping and twisting. The facet drips constantly, the pipe beneath the sink has cracked, adding to the pool of water from the snowmelt.
In the Yellow Bedroom vines have begun to creep in the window, tangling with the muddy bedspread and curling down to the floor. The red-head wakes as the vines begin to force their way inside. He rubs at his eyes and stares around, clearly confused and uncertain as to what is going on. His speech is slurred when he tries to talk, and he still seems prone to dozing, once he is given a safer place to do so. But he is awake.
Something moves within the warped door of the Closet Room; an uneven dragging sound that seems to go far deeper than the room has any right to go. Lights dim here, flickering out before the guest has gone very far at all.
The Lonely Ghost Boy walks around the ruin of the Ballroom. His face is covered with an elaborate bird mask, and the occasional haunting tune escapes from his pipe. The birds that are his constant companions swarm through broken windows, and keep up a loud, cacophonous screeching that rattles the nerves of those who try to linger here.
Though, for those who pause to listen for long, they sound almost like forlorn children wailing for their mothers. They are clearly agitated, small feathered bodies fluffed up, wings constantly spreading but never lifting them from their perches.
The boy seems oblivious to the noise, feet barely seeming to touch the ground as he circles the hole.
The woman in the Pool Room has remained still throughout most of the day. As dusk approaches and then rescinds, she begins to convulse. She vomits water out in obscenely large quantities, entire body trembling. She still appears to be human, but getting too close means that she can seize whatever limbs come near her. The grip of the Drowned Woman remains as deadly as ever.
Rose continues to wander the house, apparently aimlessly. She is distressed and distracted, ignoring her wounds still as they gradually heal. All monsters skirt around her, rendering her tentatively safe to be around, but houseguests who attempt to use this to their advantage will find her quickly hostile to their presence.
Rei appears agitated in the Photographer’s bedroom. Her hair shortly pools around her on the bed, obscuring her form.
Her face is luminescent, her body almost throbbing with power.
This room is safe for those who wish to linger here.
The door to the Viewing Room is being slowly forced open by the suddenly mobile vines, the hall filling with the wiggling tendrils. The creature that forces its way out of the bedroom a few hours later does not really resemble a human any longer, though there are traces of humanity left behind in the face and torso. Its lower body and hair is now composed of the root-like vines, varying so wildly in size and shape and in such constant movement that is difficult to see the creature's face.
It has no mouth any longer, though there is a gaping hole where one must have been. Dark, too smooth eyes occupy the ridged, upper half of its face and it is covered in a bark textured skin that almost seems to wish to behave as normal skin might, warm to the touch, soft and yielding.
It is not silent as it moves, and seems to have been energized by the heat, snatching up the bugs and houseguests alike with its vines, it wraps them in parts of itself, and holds them aloft until their struggles stop barely seeming bothered by their weight. Then, very clearly, it begins to digest them with a fluid secreted from the vines. It is impossible to escape the creature's grasp without assistance.
The Frozen Woman is sitting near the gate in the Catacombs her teeth chattering as she gazes into the darkness, arms curled around her knees. Here, the air is chilly, and around her frost has painted an elaborate picture from the snow melt on the rough stone.
She whimpers from time to time, crying out something in a language that no one alive has ever heard. The keening seems to reach something within them, though, and none who hear it can escape the chill that curls down their spines at hearing it. She will not rise, or attempt to chase anyone away.
The Burning Man is sitting on the stairs in the Third House and is not in any way helping with the heat. His face is pressed to his hands, the roaring inferno making it impossible for anyone to make their way up the stairs. He is very responsive to the presence of fire tonight, and anyone who so much as lights a match should expect a visit from him.
He seems incredibly upset about something.
Two people have taken up resistance in the Plain Kitchen, though they seem content enough to ignore the other person's presence.
Lock stand at the counter, constructing a giant sandwich, of which he occasionally snags a small ingredient and pops it in his mouth with little seeming care. He moves quickly, though there is a stiff line to his shoulders that suggests that he is irritated.
So near to the door that he might as well seat himself in the Dining Room is Lyhn. He blows softly at a cup of tea, taking the occasional sip. He seems entirely amused by the child's irritation, but makes no move to speak to him.
Both are glowing, not unlike those infected by the orbs of light the night before. This room is Safe.
Those who were students of the Lantern, will find that the glow has not faded, but they have become more comfortable with it. The warmth that has filled them extends to the houseguests around them, and the rooms they pause in will become Safe Rooms though the bugs seem to be ignorant of those barriers and the plants are just as much a threat as outside of them.
Outside of these individuals, only the Seedy Bar is safe tonight, and Dave seems rather annoyed by the invasion of bugs, constantly leaving the bar area to sweep a few of the more persistent critters back out the door.
[ ooc: Due to an overabundance of life, this update will last until March 13th. ]
|| 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. 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
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
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) wrote2015-02-21 12:00 am
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