Night 030

[allthekeys]

|| THREAT DOWN

|| NIGHT 030: GENERAL As night settles, the house is besieged by powerful winds that seem to shake the whole building. From any room with external walls, it can be heard, howling like a beast - or perhaps the night is simply full of beasts. Any window reveals no such threat, but the feeling of being watched and followed while near them is all-pervasive. As the night carries on, the masks begin to grow more comfortable, and more difficult to bring oneself take off. Those wearing them will find themselves slipping into habits and thoughts that align with their costumes, a blending of their normal personalities with the masks they wear. The monsters that haunt the halls ignore those wearing masks, however, making it a potential dilemma for those more wary of the effects. One of the doors leading out of the restricted area opens briefly, to a white rabbit and two fluttering animals of animated stained glass that lead a possibly familiar figure. Sil is dressed in a blue and white costume with decorations that evoke fins and a sea-serpent mask, sweeping into the area with an almost feral grin. Once inside, he bows to the rabbit, who bounds off through the door before it closes. He heads for the larger areas where people have gathered with a sense of purpose and energy he has not been seen with before. If guests, for that is what you seem to be here, choose to wander, there are several threats in the halls. Hellhounds patrol in pairs, and while they mostly ignore those in the halls, they are drawn to the scent of blood, swarming and attacking anyone without a mask that is bleeding. For anyone uninjured, attempts to interact with them are met with confusion and avoidance, although they might be coaxed into acknowledging some individuals with masks that approach them carefully. The only place they will not pursue a wounded target is the Theatre; once someone reaches its shelter, they will mill outside the door for a few minutes before seeming to forget what they were doing, wandering off to return to their patrols. Not bleeding is easier said than done, however, given that Wallcrawlers also move randomly, and a compound fracture will inevitable draw the hounds’ ire. Wraiths also linger through some junctions, ready to touch and draw out something even more vital than vitae. In the Ballroom, a phantom band plays an endlessly varying waltz, with odd faceless dancers sweeping across the center of the room. For those wearing their masks, there is a sense of unease and dread for the dancers, whose costumes and faces seem to shift, impossible to resolve into anything specific. For those without the masks, the majority of them seem to blur together into a pastiche of carnival finery, with an occasional familiar figure in a fitting costume beckoning them to join the dance. These familiar figures can be anyone fondly remembered from the world the person is from that is not in game. If the character accepts the invitation, they will join the dance, soon falling into a trance. Without the aid of another outside, they will continue to dance throughout the night, eventually collapsing.