It’s a dreary, cloudy late-afternoon day in the village of Barovia as you walk down the main road towards the Inn (E2 on village map). You notice right away that the village is mostly deserted, with many empty rough looking houses which seem to have been neglected as they are quite weathered looking and not kept. There might be a few you notice that are occupied with fires going, but for the most part, everything is eerily quiet as you walk towards the inn.
You all have received separate message scrolls from ravens yesterday, stating that you were sought after for hire by the local Inn Keeper in this village to “complete a dangerous task”, but the scroll didn’t get into details other than the fact that you’d be extremely well compensated for your work.
Whether it was for the money, or for pure curiosity or for perhaps a different reason, you’ve all decided to come to this village and accept the work from the Inn Keeper. Or at least to inquire more about it.
You all arrive at the inn, likely around the same time as the message said to be prompt. "just before sunset", it said. When you enter, you notice that the inn is completely empty. There are lanterns lit and even a fire burning, so you know there’s someone here… but there are no customers anywhere.
Since your characters don’t know each other, please let us know what your character might say as a greeting or intro once you all see each other gathered in this empty inn, seemingly all waiting for the same thing… for the Innkeeper to greet you.
A rather stout woman of darker complexion and a mop of boisterous curls held back by a colourful bandana, pushed open the door of the inn and looked about.
Shrugging, Ignatia smoothed down her heavy blue woolen skirts and clumped over to the bar in her heavy boots, putting her overstuffed backpack down and brushing the road dust off her reinforced leather corset and flowing white cotton blouse.
She looked around with world weary eyes, " So who's the fecker in charge here then?"
Arriving right behind Ignatia is a human woman with an axe and dirty blonde hair. "...Watch your language,"she mutters in response to the other's question.
A relatively small human girl slips into the building, pausing to take in the two visible and then taking a longer look at the emptiness of the rest of the space. She cautiously approaches the two in conversation, keeping her hood up, "Are you two here for the thing?"
Up close, the girl's eyes are a curious blue and gold combination.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow" "No power in the 'verse can stop me"
Karlina shakes her head. "I'm not in charge. I'm just here for the job. The name's Karlina Falke." She gives a nod to the third person. "You're in the right place."
Renny nods, "Oh good.. because.. this town isn't the least bit creepy."
She pulls back the hood and runs her hands back through her brown hair a couple times and then promptly tucks her hands back under the cloak. She's a young girl with a cute roundish face standing just 5'3 tall.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow" "No power in the 'verse can stop me"
After you all introduce yourselves and the chat becomes more of an awkward silence, you notice an older human man come down the stairs from what must be the bedrooms of the inn. He looks a bit frantic… he’s clearly disheveled. "Ah yes, perfect…. ahem, welcome… welcome and thank you for responding to my call. I am David, the Innkeeper here and Mayor of the village… or at least what’s left of it."
He looks you all over with his rustic gaze and then specifically looks to Hilvira and her monstrous form: "Hilvira… The Half-Orc outcast from the Bloody Scalps clan I believe? Yes… you will be perfect. I’ve heard about you…" David shudders a bit.
Then looks to Karlina: "Karlina… I know your father… we were friends in your village before you were born… long before I came here. He is a great man. I understand he taught you everything he knows, and I’ve heard stories of your recent Werewolf kill… not sure I believe it, but I hope to hell it’s true given the task at hand."
Then to Ignatia: "Ma’am… thank you for coming. I was lucky enough to stumble across your name from a Warlock who left town a month or so ago. Seems he was quite fond of you and… well… your magic. You might be the best out of the lot for what might be experienced when you get into the house."
Lastly to Renny: "And you… Renny. I know about you…. and your power. It would be a great asset to this mission… we are going to need all of the help we can get." David won't look Renny in the eyes. That’s the only one of the 4 of you that he does not make eye contact with.
Spoiler just for Renny - about her background
David knows most of Renny’s backstory, including her origins. The ones that Renny doesn’t even know about. That is why he seeked her out, because he knows of her gold dragon blood and draconic / human lab mix birth, and knows her true power potentials. He knows she’s part dragon and needs someone with her power, whether she knows about them or not.
Then he speaks to all of you at once: "Listen… I’ll keep it short since we don’t have much time. It’s getting worse and worse by the day."
"There’s a house in this village, that’s possessed. Or something worse. Hell, I don’t know what is going on in there, but ever since the sick cannibalistic cult-family that lived there were all murdered, weird shit has been going on in and around that house. It’s been going on for years now, since the murders. They were all killed right in their own house. I mean, at first, like all of us, I was glad to see that horrific family get killed, but what’s going on there now is beyond the living. "He leans in closer…
"Let me tell you, one night myself and the blacksmith Lucy and a bunch of other locals tried to burn the whole son-of-a-***** down and well by **** didn’t the thing start to rebuild itself. Yep, within a few days, the house was completely rebuilt like nothing happened. I’m telling you, the god damn house is cursed or something after those murders, and it’s scaring everyone out of the town. It’s cult death magic or something. No one wants to live in a village with a haunted house. People have tried to go in… no one ever comes out. We’ve had a few soldiers from the militia even try… they were never seen again."
"You four are my last hope. I’ll be forced to leave the village if you fail. No one comes here anymore."
"You obviously can keep anything you find in that literal hell hole, and I’ll pay you this." David reaches down and drops a huge sack of coins on the table, containing 500gp. "I’ll also give you all your own homes here in the village… most of the homes here are now abandoned, but there are some nice ones still left. You all can have your pick of the lot. We can rebuild this village… together."
"Lucy the Blacksmith (E1 on map) and Laura the Shopkeeper (E3 on map) are still in business should you need any weapons or supplies. Otherwise, I suggest you head to the house before dark. It’s right on the northeast outskirt of the village… down the long pathway. You… won’t miss it."
How do you all respond, and what do you want to do next?
David chuckles "heh heh heh... discarded lover indeed. Don't worry, his feelings were not hurt from the sounds of it. He was a chicken shit though. Left a month or so ago."
"Something more? Well, you're the expert....god help us."
She lets that go for now since the guy who asked them all here shows up. As he goes around the introductions and gets to her she seems a little taken aback by his interaction with her which of course she doesn't understand, making her frown more and cast her eyes down.
Renny then notices Hilvira go for the coin on her won and this snaps her out that funk. In moments every bit of fire in the place flares brightly, "Hold it grabby..." sticking her arm between the half-orc and the table, a mote of fire floating just off the palm of her hand, ".. that's for all of us."
Like everything else the hearth of burning brighter, hotter and.. maybe shortly at risk of spreading...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow" "No power in the 'verse can stop me"
David's eyes are as wide as a deer's in headlights. From both Hilvira's boisterous tone, to Renny almost setting the Inn on fire. He tries to figure out the Half Orc's math, looks quite confused and then shakes his head and gives up.
"I was thinking you would be paid after the work is done... but honestly, the gold is not even important to me if nothing is done about the house. So yeah, sure, go ahead and take it now. Consider the payment up front. And you can pick your house when you're done
(Please add the gold to your character sheets now if you decide to take your share. Let me know if you do. Everyone's share is 125gp)
David looks at Renny, Karlina and Ignatia and says under his breath: "Can you... please.... make sure she doesn't blow this?" then kind of nods his head to Hilvira.
Then to everyone: "Now. Go. Get supplies or just go. You'll see the hell I mean once you get there."
David then turns and walks away, back upstairs.
You are all alone now in the inn. Hilvira is almost out of the inn walking at her pace. Will you go to the Blacksmith? Or the Shop? Or Neither and head to the house? Or split up and do both? Or something else?
OOC: As I am still getting used to all of your paces, please feel free to add content if your character would've said/did something that was missed because I went ahead of you (ie. in this case, David's left the room, but if Karlina would've said something to him, then by all means please post it and we assume that also happened.) This goes for any instance where I move the game forward before someone might've had the chance to respond. Once I get used to all of your different paces, I will be able to respond using the average time of all of you which should work nicely.
Game thread for Murder Mansion (2019-2020)
It’s a dreary, cloudy late-afternoon day in the village of Barovia as you walk down the main road towards the Inn (E2 on village map). You notice right away that the village is mostly deserted, with many empty rough looking houses which seem to have been neglected as they are quite weathered looking and not kept. There might be a few you notice that are occupied with fires going, but for the most part, everything is eerily quiet as you walk towards the inn.
You all have received separate message scrolls from ravens yesterday, stating that you were sought after for hire by the local Inn Keeper in this village to “complete a dangerous task”, but the scroll didn’t get into details other than the fact that you’d be extremely well compensated for your work.
Whether it was for the money, or for pure curiosity or for perhaps a different reason, you’ve all decided to come to this village and accept the work from the Inn Keeper. Or at least to inquire more about it.
You all arrive at the inn, likely around the same time as the message said to be prompt. "just before sunset", it said. When you enter, you notice that the inn is completely empty. There are lanterns lit and even a fire burning, so you know there’s someone here… but there are no customers anywhere.
Since your characters don’t know each other, please let us know what your character might say as a greeting or intro once you all see each other gathered in this empty inn, seemingly all waiting for the same thing… for the Innkeeper to greet you.
A rather stout woman of darker complexion and a mop of boisterous curls held back by a colourful bandana, pushed open the door of the inn and looked about.
Shrugging, Ignatia smoothed down her heavy blue woolen skirts and clumped over to the bar in her heavy boots, putting her overstuffed backpack down and brushing the road dust off her reinforced leather corset and flowing white cotton blouse.
She looked around with world weary eyes, " So who's the fecker in charge here then?"
Arriving right behind Ignatia is a human woman with an axe and dirty blonde hair. "...Watch your language," she mutters in response to the other's question.
Ignatia looked the the blonde up and down, " You in charge then?"
A relatively small human girl slips into the building, pausing to take in the two visible and then taking a longer look at the emptiness of the rest of the space. She cautiously approaches the two in conversation, keeping her hood up, "Are you two here for the thing?"
Up close, the girl's eyes are a curious blue and gold combination.
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow"
"No power in the 'verse can stop me"
Karlina shakes her head. "I'm not in charge. I'm just here for the job. The name's Karlina Falke." She gives a nod to the third person. "You're in the right place."
Renny nods, "Oh good.. because.. this town isn't the least bit creepy."
She pulls back the hood and runs her hands back through her brown hair a couple times and then promptly tucks her hands back under the cloak. She's a young girl with a cute roundish face standing just 5'3 tall.
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow"
"No power in the 'verse can stop me"
" Right...Bossy Boots, Ingenue and Shouty.....which makes me Chopped Liver."
" Welcome, Hilvira. Do come in, sorry didn't see you there you shy little wallflower."
" I am Ignatia, this is Karlina and this is....To Be Advised."
" And no, the person with the money isn't here yet...unless they're invisible....we are your fellow employees. Lucky You!"
After you all introduce yourselves and the chat becomes more of an awkward silence, you notice an older human man come down the stairs from what must be the bedrooms of the inn. He looks a bit frantic… he’s clearly disheveled. "Ah yes, perfect…. ahem, welcome… welcome and thank you for responding to my call. I am David, the Innkeeper here and Mayor of the village… or at least what’s left of it."
He looks you all over with his rustic gaze and then specifically looks to Hilvira and her monstrous form: "Hilvira… The Half-Orc outcast from the Bloody Scalps clan I believe? Yes… you will be perfect. I’ve heard about you…" David shudders a bit.
Then looks to Karlina: "Karlina… I know your father… we were friends in your village before you were born… long before I came here. He is a great man. I understand he taught you everything he knows, and I’ve heard stories of your recent Werewolf kill… not sure I believe it, but I hope to hell it’s true given the task at hand."
Then to Ignatia: "Ma’am… thank you for coming. I was lucky enough to stumble across your name from a Warlock who left town a month or so ago. Seems he was quite fond of you and… well… your magic. You might be the best out of the lot for what might be experienced when you get into the house."
Lastly to Renny: "And you… Renny. I know about you…. and your power. It would be a great asset to this mission… we are going to need all of the help we can get." David won't look Renny in the eyes. That’s the only one of the 4 of you that he does not make eye contact with.
Spoiler just for Renny - about her background
David knows most of Renny’s backstory, including her origins. The ones that Renny doesn’t even know about. That is why he seeked her out, because he knows of her gold dragon blood and draconic / human lab mix birth, and knows her true power potentials. He knows she’s part dragon and needs someone with her power, whether she knows about them or not.
Then he speaks to all of you at once: "Listen… I’ll keep it short since we don’t have much time. It’s getting worse and worse by the day."
"There’s a house in this village, that’s possessed. Or something worse. Hell, I don’t know what is going on in there, but ever since the sick cannibalistic cult-family that lived there were all murdered, weird shit has been going on in and around that house. It’s been going on for years now, since the murders. They were all killed right in their own house. I mean, at first, like all of us, I was glad to see that horrific family get killed, but what’s going on there now is beyond the living. "He leans in closer…
"Let me tell you, one night myself and the blacksmith Lucy and a bunch of other locals tried to burn the whole son-of-a-***** down and well by **** didn’t the thing start to rebuild itself. Yep, within a few days, the house was completely rebuilt like nothing happened. I’m telling you, the god damn house is cursed or something after those murders, and it’s scaring everyone out of the town. It’s cult death magic or something. No one wants to live in a village with a haunted house. People have tried to go in… no one ever comes out. We’ve had a few soldiers from the militia even try… they were never seen again."
"You four are my last hope. I’ll be forced to leave the village if you fail. No one comes here anymore."
"You obviously can keep anything you find in that literal hell hole, and I’ll pay you this." David reaches down and drops a huge sack of coins on the table, containing 500gp. "I’ll also give you all your own homes here in the village… most of the homes here are now abandoned, but there are some nice ones still left. You all can have your pick of the lot. We can rebuild this village… together."
"Lucy the Blacksmith (E1 on map) and Laura the Shopkeeper (E3 on map) are still in business should you need any weapons or supplies. Otherwise, I suggest you head to the house before dark. It’s right on the northeast outskirt of the village… down the long pathway. You… won’t miss it."
How do you all respond, and what do you want to do next?
Ignatia chortled, " Me? I'm your last hope? You poor bastard..."
" And whose this bastard who left town? How did he know me? Bah, doesn't matter....probably a discarded lover."
" Cannibal Cult.....aye, that'll set a curse....but strong enough to raise a house felled by fire? I think not."
" Theres something more there...something worse than greedy bellies and inbred faculties...."
She span on the spot and pointed to the others, " Shall we do some housebreaking then?"
David chuckles "heh heh heh... discarded lover indeed. Don't worry, his feelings were not hurt from the sounds of it. He was a chicken shit though. Left a month or so ago."
"Something more? Well, you're the expert....god help us."
Renny frowns, "Bossy Boots?"
She lets that go for now since the guy who asked them all here shows up. As he goes around the introductions and gets to her she seems a little taken aback by his interaction with her which of course she doesn't understand, making her frown more and cast her eyes down.
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow"
"No power in the 'verse can stop me"
Renny then notices Hilvira go for the coin on her won and this snaps her out that funk. In moments every bit of fire in the place flares brightly, "Hold it grabby..." sticking her arm between the half-orc and the table, a mote of fire floating just off the palm of her hand, ".. that's for all of us."
Like everything else the hearth of burning brighter, hotter and.. maybe shortly at risk of spreading...
"No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow"
"No power in the 'verse can stop me"
David's eyes are as wide as a deer's in headlights. From both Hilvira's boisterous tone, to Renny almost setting the Inn on fire. He tries to figure out the Half Orc's math, looks quite confused and then shakes his head and gives up.
"I was thinking you would be paid after the work is done... but honestly, the gold is not even important to me if nothing is done about the house. So yeah, sure, go ahead and take it now. Consider the payment up front. And you can pick your house when you're done
(Please add the gold to your character sheets now if you decide to take your share. Let me know if you do. Everyone's share is 125gp)
David looks at Renny, Karlina and Ignatia and says under his breath: "Can you... please.... make sure she doesn't blow this?" then kind of nods his head to Hilvira.
Then to everyone: "Now. Go. Get supplies or just go. You'll see the hell I mean once you get there."
David then turns and walks away, back upstairs.
You are all alone now in the inn. Hilvira is almost out of the inn walking at her pace. Will you go to the Blacksmith? Or the Shop? Or Neither and head to the house? Or split up and do both? Or something else?
OOC: As I am still getting used to all of your paces, please feel free to add content if your character would've said/did something that was missed because I went ahead of you (ie. in this case, David's left the room, but if Karlina would've said something to him, then by all means please post it and we assume that also happened.) This goes for any instance where I move the game forward before someone might've had the chance to respond. Once I get used to all of your different paces, I will be able to respond using the average time of all of you which should work nicely.
Thanks!!
Karlina takes her share and follows Hilvira to the blacksmith.