[Monsters]

[allthekeys]

The Crows:

Though mostly sequestered to the Aviary, these creatures may at times be found in other parts of the castle. Their beaks are sharp and their claws just as dangerous. They never travel in a group smaller than five, which seems odd. They often seem to simply be watching the house guests, chirping comments about their attempts to explore their environment.

When roused, these birds are lethal, aiming for eyes and hair and other shiny things tucked on their victims’ bodies. They will steal anything they can manage, and show little mercy for anyone caught in their way.

Strangely, their cries sound more like the cry of an injured child than anything resembling the cry of a bird.


Echoes:

Method of Attack: The echo has no physical body, so the victim won’t feel a thing. They will experience a burst of deafening static in their head, and then they fall unconscious. Then the echo either steals the victim’s voice or infects the victim.

In the dark areas it usually inhabits, the victim will wake up unable to speak and the echo will use their voice to lure their companions into danger.

If it's wandered into a well-lit area, the echo can infect the victim’s body instead. It speaks in their voice and acts as they would act. It will never be directly offensive, but it will persuade their companions make bad decisions or lead them into danger.

Effects: If a victim has their voice stolen, all that comes out when they try to speak is a roar of white noise. Their voice returns at daybreak, when they die, or when the echo dies.
If a victim is infected with an echo they’ll basically be asleep as the echo acts through them. Mechanics note-- players still control their characters during this time. Just play them as infected. Have fun sabotaging your teammates!
Speed: Very fast.
Strength: N/A
Weaknesses: ???
Resistance: Physical damage, supernatural damage that requires a specific target.
Intelligence: Highly intelligent.
Ability to communicate: Fully able to communicate.
How far they will follow: If it’s been discovered, it will not follow. If it hasn’t, it will follow/lead you until it’s gotten you killed.


Eyeless Lads:

These eyeless figures are most often seen in the presence of the Lord or outside of his quarters standing guard. Though at first one might mistake them for identical, mostly owing to their more unnatural features, they are not all cut from the same cloth. Different colors of hair, slightly different builds, and other irregularities seem to imply that they are different people.

Still, they make for a horrifying view. Their eyes have been carved from their faces, leaving black pits of nothingness where once they rested. Their veins bulge with the same blackness, and despite slight differences in skin coloration, they all have an unnatural pallor. They wear the same uniform, a grey jacket with breaches done in the castle colors. Each carries a long sword at their side.


Feral Deer:

Appearance: At first glance, these creatures could easily be mistaken for the harmless herbivores they resemble. Their fur is soft and white, and even the females have antlers, but aside from the massive wings spreading from their backs, it would be hard for the uninitiated to realize that these creatures are far from harmless. A closer look at them might reveal that their skull seems strangely shaped, eyes focused forward, but that hardly seems like something dangerous. Their bodies are massive, easily the size of an adult moose, but their frames seem lighter. They are made entirely of lean muscle and fur. Their wingspan is well over twenty feet from tip to tip, feathers just as white as their fur. Their feet are split, forming two toes to give them better traction and better maneuverability. Their mouths are full of sharp teeth, though anyone who manages to get that close will shortly realize their error. Their first reaction to anyone approaching is to take flight, their maneuverability on the ground transforming into hawk like strikes on prey, antlers sharp and deadly.

Method of Attack: Goring with antlers, typically take wing before attacking.
Effects: Deep gouges
Speed: Faster than normal humans, especially on the wing.
Strength: Stronger than normal human
Weaknesses: Physical attacks, magical attacks
Resistance: They’re built rather tough and don’t go down easily.
Intelligence: Animal like
Ability to communicate: None
How far they will follow: They will not enter the house.


Gargoyles:

During the day, the castle is as decorated with stone carvings and statues as any; the statues down the walkway, decorative carvings on the outside of the wall of the castle itself, even some friezes, sculptures, and other carvings within.

When night falls, the assorted stone carvings come to life; some of them are content to near or on their pedestals, while others creep off their perches and out of their walls to roam freely. Unlike the other monsters, the guards are quick to stay out of their way, and will not hinder them or interfere with them.

They have a range of reactions to the guests; at best, they will hiss, growl, and make test-swipes that do not connect. They will harry, bully, and herd the guests, driving them away from rooms on upper floors, and may occasionally kidnap individuals to lock them in one or another of the rooms, while under other circumstances, some guests may find themselves outright attacked on sight or hunted.

When damaged, they seem to exhibit the same sort of strange healing as the walls and furniture.

Method of Attack: Varies - weapons, claws, fangs, blunt force
Effects: Physical injury, kidnapping
Speed: Varies, although many are fast-moving
Strength: Much stronger than human
Weaknesses: Unknown
Resistance: While a great deal of force can damage them, the stone begins healing almost immediately; time to full regeneration varies by the extent of damage
Intelligence: Special
Ability to communicate: Certain kinds of psychic communication only
How far they will follow: Varies


Glass Dogs:

These animals are not frequently seen indoors, found more commonly outside the house. They resemble something like large coyotes more than any tame dog, and they are, by nature, wild. The strangest feature of them, however, is likely their coat. The source of their name, the beasts are covered with a layer of nearly crystalline quills that feel like ice to the touch, enough so that one might suffer frostbite if in contact with them for prolonged periods. They are deadly sharp and the primary method of defense for these creatures, though they will not hesitate to use claws and fangs if they are cornered-- or hungry.

Method of Attack: Biting, pack tactics
Effects: Lacerations, cold-related injuries
Speed: Faster than normal humans
Strength: Natural canid; stronger than they look
Weaknesses: Physical attacks, magical attacks
Resistance: Fast moving and quick to dodge or run
Intelligence: Animal like
Ability to communicate: None
How far they will follow: They rarely enter the house, and will flee if seriously attacked.


Hellhounds:

Appearance: These massive dogs roam the halls and the town when night falls, once someone has been injured one will sound a howl as the hunt begins. The dogs always travel in small packs, following quickly and without pause. Their eyes seem to glow, mouth’s dripping with ropes of saliva when they hunt. They do not seem to tire. When passive, they appear much like regular, living dogs-- though their size would still dwarf a normal one. They are never seen without a pack of three or four, though most are dark in color.

Method of Attack: Much like a wolf pack, they surround and deal with the injured.
Effects: Death
Speed: Much faster than the average human.
Strength: Much Stronger than the average human.
Weaknesses: ???
Resistance: Ghost Weapons
Intelligence: They seem to be self-aware and at least communicating among each other.
Ability to Communicate: ???
How far they will follow: Until they kill you. Please note, the hellhounds can and will go through a door to get to you.


Hunters:

Hunters are the result, it seems, of someone’s bright idea to mate a shark with an alligator and give it wings. Their long, sinuous bodies transition easily from ceiling to flight and back again. Their claws withdraw, almost catlike, allowing them to carry prey without damaging it badly. Their eyes are cold, inhuman and vaguely reptilian, and gills open and close along their necks with every exhale. They seem to have no care for the dark, but they will not go into the light. It seems to damage them. A sharp, serrated grin is often the last thing their victims see.

Appearance: Sleek, black shapes that look like a fusion between a shark, an alligator and a manta ray. They look vicious, though they are hard to see, blending into the background
Method of Attack: Teeth and claws.
Effects: Being eaten
Speed: Faster than super human
Strength: Strong, capable of lifting a grown man
Weaknesses: ???
Resistance: Magical Attacks
Intelligence: Animal
Ability to communicate: ???
How far they will follow: Once they bloody their prey they will follow it until it drops.


The Merry Gentlemen:

Dressed in what might have once been fine clothes, these creatures have elongated to the point that their original shape is difficult to determine. Their mouths open too wide, and their teeth seem too sharp. The space between each rib is visible and their arms and legs stretched so long that they no longer seem to bend in the right places.

Each hand ends in five blades, where fingers might once have been. These blades are six inches long, the metal seeming to grow right out of their hands, and appear to be of high quality, though anyone getting that close to them is likely already dead. They are incredibly sharp ripping and tearing if they so much as graze the house guest they're hunting.

Their bodies are now so flexible that they will often wrap themselves around a house guest to make their task easier. Though their joints creak like hinges in need of oil, clearly protesting their unnatural movements.

These creatures seem obsessed with taking limbs, slicing arms and legs from bodies and carrying them away with no real care for the fate of their victim. Where they are taking these body parts are unknown, but they can often be seen winding through the house carrying their gruesome prizes. They can often be heard laughing, and the distortion of their mouths always makes it seem that they are smiling.


Not-child:

It is unknown what this creature was, though for some reason anyone who sees it is left with the impression that it is a child. The child of what they may not know, but they remain sure to their bones that it is a child. It does not have eyes, or even a place where eyes might be. It appears to have nothing more than a mouth, a wide, gaping maw that is dark inside. It appears hungry, but it would not be advisable to feed it.


Salamanders:

Nocturnal, these creatures hide out in dark recesses during the daytime, becoming more active at night; they are often first seen as wide, round silver eyes reflecting light in the darkness. They resemble some sort of chimera of a lizard and an otter, about the size of a medium dog; tufted ears swivel to catch sound, while a mane of scraggly fur runs from the back of the neck down the back to the base of the tail, in between two fins that stretch from the shoulders down their sides. Their feet are wide, clawed paws with webbing.

While they will trail any source of light or heat in an eerie - but docile - procession, they are particularly drawn to fire, growing aggressive in its presence; once their attention is drawn, little dissuades them from following, with the small mercy that they have difficulty working door handles and avoid the guards. Where one is alerted, there are often several more not far behind; those traversing the darker and deeper passages with candles or torches for light must take care to not find themselves surrounded. They can also be found in fireplaces or firepits left unattended, curling up within the flames; fires they have moved into seem dimmed, putting out little to none of the heat they should, and they will react violently to attempts to put out the flames or remove them.

Concealed in their jaws are curved, hooked teeth; once they latch on, they're incredibly difficult to dislodge, biting down and hooking in with a vicelike grip. After that, the unfortunate victim will find an unnatural chill creeping over them, as the salamander saps warmth from them and any heat or light source they carry; as the creature "feeds", the tufted fur glows, flickering with licks of flame itself. If they're allowed to keep hold long enough, the victim will eventually die of cold.

Those attempting to fight them off will find them to be more resilient than any creature their size should be, and injuries bleed smoke, as if they were hollow within.

Method of Attack: Latching onto with jaws and leeching heat
Effects: Some damage from teeth, hypothermia
Speed: Human walking speed, but can do short sprints of ~3 meters when close
Strength: Physically weak, but jaw strength on bites is unnatural
Weaknesses: Cold or water-based magic; submersion in water
Resistance: Physical attacks seem to have little effect
Intelligence: Unknown
Ability to communicate: Unknown
How far they will follow: Will not follow through doors unless unusually aggressive or motivated, will not enter areas with guards


Shadows

Shadows are capable of blending into dark places; they appear to be living patches of darkness with gleaming eyes and teeth scattered across them and malleable anatomy. They avoid lit areas, sticking to dark rooms and shadowy places, often seen when there are unnatural periods of darkness. They avoid the guards and will antagonize the gargoyles - and others who cross their paths.

They have yet to behave in a truly hostile manner toward the "servants", but they show tendencies towards swarming behavior that could be overwhelming if they did choose to attack.


Taxidermy:

The mounted animals in the Jungle Bedroom span a wide range of mammals, reptiles, and birds, all of varying types and sizes. Although they typically seem as lifeless as the furniture in the room, they will sometimes become animated after nightfall.

When aggressive, they attack as living animals would. Their forced, strained movements defy the rigid confines of their frames and pelts, splitting their stitching, cracking their molds, and causing them to bleed at the seams. This does not deter them from pursuing their targets, and they will press on with uncanny strength and speed, seemingly blind to the damage they are causing to themselves. They remain completely silent even when active, giving no warning to precede their attacks.

Method of attack: Teeth, claws, beaks, and talons
Effects: Mauling
Speed: Faster than the average human, as well as their own species
Strength: Stronger than the average human and their own species
Weaknesses: Physical attacks
Resistance: Magical attacks
Intelligence: Animal-like
Ability to communicate: ???
How far they will follow: They will attack relentlessly in the Jungle Bedroom, but will not leave its constraints


Wallcrawlers:

These creatures look wrong. To the point that it makes them uncomfortable to look at, they have no eyes, and no space where eyes should have been, merely a blank stretch of skin. They hunt by scent alone. Their limbs and bodies move unnaturally, and many are missing fingernails, leaving bloody trails where they cling to the walls and bloody hand prints as they run along the ceiling. They cling and climb, seemingly without any regards for gravity. They can often be found above doorways and staircases, waiting to drop at a moment’s notice. They’re incredibly strong and very quick, following easily down hallways and through large rooms, they cannot see, so hiding from them does little if they can smell or hear you. They tend to travel in groups of three or four, though some of the stronger ones seem to prefer hunting alone.

Appearance: Wallcrawlers are mostly naked, their appearance is not quite human, with mottled and bruised skin, twisted limbs, and no seeming regards for gravity, whether they’re defying it or using it to hunt. One of the most noticeable features is the complete lack of eyes, their mouths gape, unhinged like a snake, and the teeth that may have once been human are now brownish stumps of rot and decay. Their heads are capable of turning completely around, nearly owl like.
Method of Attack: Dropping from great heights onto their targets or dragging their targets up the walls and dropping them.
Effects: Broken bones, death.
Speed: Much faster than the average human.
Strength: Much Stronger than the average human.
Weaknesses: ???
Resistance: They are unaffected by magic.
Intelligence: Very difficult to say, they seem to communicate, they plan attacks together, but they never speak or give anything to indicate that they’re aware.
Ability to communicate: ???
How far they will follow: They’ll follow to the first closed door.


Wisps:

Glowing orbs that dart away when approached. If captured they resemble no more than a mote of light, fading in and out of existence. They seem to sigh when held, and occasional music can be heard as they move through the gardens. They are not hot to the touch.


Wraiths:

These creatures are rather insubstantial at first glance, little more than drifting bundles of bone and white fabric, impossible to touch. They are easy to ignore, as they do not at first appear harmful or at all interested in those that move near them.

For groups of houseguests, they do little but add another unnerving element to the night, one that is more than willing to leave them in peace. It is only when a houseguest is alone that they seem to take interest, drifting closer and closer in stages, brushing their bony hands against the living flesh of the guests. Those who come in contact with the Wraiths will find that it feels as though they are being drained of something more vital than blood. It is easy to move away from the creatures, easy to avoid them. A simple sidestep can see the houseguest safely parted from the ghostly creatures, the drain halted with the loss of contact.

It is only when they make eye contact that they find they are caught, unable to move away as the creatures drift closer and closer, hands brushing against exposed skin, pushing into hair in a twisted parody of intimacy. They will be unable to move as the creatures lean near to them, tasting their breath as they suck it from their bodies. Those caught in the wraith’s gaze will be unable to pull away on their own, despite their best efforts, despite the knowledge that death is nipping at their heels.

If left, the houseguest will die, another wraith rising from the corpse. The houseguest will wake after some time has passed, body achy and cold.

Method of Attack: Touch and eye contact
Effects: Loss of energy ultimately leading to death.
Speed: Slow, but insidious
Strength:Very deceptively powerful, easy to maintain contact with prey.
Weaknesses: ???
Resistance: Physical attack
Intelligence: ???
Ability to communicate: ???
How far they will follow: Once they have started to drain a guest, they will continue to follow until the guest dies or joins a group.




Setting ♦ Game Play ♦ Rules ♦ FAQ ♦ Timeline ♦ Bestiary ♦ Taken ♦ Wanted ♦ Reserves ♦ Apps ♦ Mod Contact ♦ Hiatus ♦ Drop ♦ Dedication