[Setting]
First Story:
1. Front Door
A wide, heavy door make of oak. No matter what is tried, it will not open and cannot be broken down.
2. Entry Way
A grand entrance room that speaks of old glory, beautifully designed to wow anyone who enters the house. An umbrella stand occupies the corner, filled with umbrellas and an oddly shaped cane that seems too short for a normal person. There is a table with an arrangement of flowers, freshly cut and often changed by an attentive, unseen servant.
3. Coat Closet
To the right of the room stands a coat closet, filled with fur coats and parkas, suited for a cold environment. Gloves and scarves hang on the door, ready to be grabbed at a moment’s notice. Rain boots litter the floor and something has made a nest of what once must have been a very pretty hat. Several hat boxes can be found shoved in the back corner of the shelf, as well as a hand knitted shawl. An old wooden box can be found in the back shelf for someone enterprising and inquisitive enough to climb, nearly as large as the hat boxes it shares space with, though it is, for the moment, quiet solidly locked.
A close look reveals an engraving on the dark wood, but most has been obscured by time and constant handling. All that can for the moment be read is “For A”. A curious find in an otherwise unremarkable closet.
4. Parlor
A large and elegant room, suited to the house it occupies. There are plenty of comfortable chairs and a silver tea-service that seems to be waiting for guests. An elegant and perfectly tuned piano occupies the corner, obviously meant to entertaining. The room is sparsely decorated. No pictures adorn the fireplace; no personal touches relax the room. A large grandfather clock stands over the room; dark wood gleaming as it slowly ticks the time. The hands move incredibly slowly, unnaturally so, but no attempts to wind the clock fix the problem. There is a window to either side of the entry way, cozy little nooks almost out of step with the rest of the room. Well worn afghans and pillows make these cozy and well hidden nests for those who want a quiet moment away. A pair of double doors dominates the wall by the piano, decorated with elegant frosted glass. The glass is unbreakable and obscures completely whatever might lay beyond.
5. Formal Dining Room
A large formal dining room obviously meant for entertaining, with cherry-paneled walls and deep claret shag carpeting. The vaulted ceiling houses a truly magnificent chandelier, the table and chairs--which can easily set up to twenty--seem to be made of heavy crystal softened with carpet-matching plush cushions to sit on. Each wall is lined by display cases holding a bewildering array of gorgeous crystal animal figurines, and a delicate crystal vase holds a centerpiece of a dozen roses--each and every one carved impossibly intricately from ruby. When all the lights are turned on, the room shines with a breathtaking prismatic light.
6. Blue Kitchen
The kitchen is decorated in a pale shade of blue, everything from the walls to the counter tops to the pot holders shares this fetching shade. The appliances are surprisingly modern, with a refrigerator, oven, two stoves, and a microwave. It feels surprisingly welcoming and a pot of stew bubbles merrily on the stove no matter the hour, as though the cook had only moments ago stepped away. There is a dumbwaiter to your left as you enter the room, almost innocently set into the wall. Perhaps it leads somewhere, but there is only one way to find out. You can find anything you expect to find in the cabinets and fridge, ranging from commonplace to a rather ominous can of Soylent Green taking up a corner of the fridge. If you stand very still, you can occasionally hear a sound, like rats scrabbling in the lower cupboards, but when opened, there is nothing but dust and the occasional forgotten pot lid.
One of the doors in the corner leads to the servant hallway; the other is solidly locked.
Someone has recently added two food bowls and a larger bowl for water, filled will food appropriate for cats and dogs. These bowls are kept constantly full, though no one is ever seen filling them.
7. Doll Bathroom
A large bathroom detailed in ivory and baby blue tile, dominated by an antique bathtub with a lace curtain and painted wooden shelves lined with doilies occupying every inch of available wall space from floor to ceiling. Dozens of elegantly painted and coiffed porcelain dolls fill these shelves, all with extravagantly beautiful Victorian outfits. Their eyes are chillingly lifelike, and no matter what is done to them, they will always return to the bathroom, always positioned perfectly to stare at its occupants, whether smashed or taken or simply turned around--sometimes even in the space of time it takes someone to turn around themselves. A particularly large and ornate doll directly across the room from the mirror seems to be the centerpiece of this collection, dressed like a magnificent princess and surrounded by her court. She almost seems to be directly meeting one's eyes through her reflection--as serenely beautiful as she is; her lifeless face and gaze seem somehow accusing.
The mirror has been shattered, and looking behind the glass would reveal nothing but a blank wall.
8. East Hallway
As with the Entrance Room, there is little to see here. The floor and ceilings are made of beautiful polished marble, with artistic plaster decorations on the walls, and a table with flowers unobtrusively off to one side.
9. Library
The room smells of dust and age and old leather. A maze of book shelves filled with books, ranging from literary fiction to poetry to cook books. Hidden within the shelves are small reading nooks with comfortable chairs and tables and lamps. It would be easy to hide in this room, or get lost. A small corner, practically made a room by the way the bookshelves are angled holds entirely children's books. An old battered couch covered with blankets and pillows makes this place a comfortable place for a nap. A small staircase leads to a second story, just as crammed full of books and shelves. A door should lead to the rest of the second story of the house, but it is for the moment locked. A woman’s scarf lays draped across the back of a chair at one of the tables, still smelling faintly of a floral perfume, the book laying open on the table looks blank, but if you pick it up it starts filling with text. Oddly it seems to be narrating everything you do for as long as you hold it. Once laid down it goes blank again.
The non-fiction section of the library is sporadic in its topics, covering a wide but sparse range. There is a pile of books set aside on the floor in one corner, mostly covering history and monsters. Each book's contents are destroyed-- many pages damaged, most missing. The missing pages are nowhere to be found.
10. The Study
This room is accessed either from the hall or a door leading from the library. It’s a rather nice office, something that looks like it might have once belonged to the librarian who kept up the library next door. A faded, hand knitted afghan lays across a comfortable arm chair, perfect for curling up with a good book. A more private selection of books occupies the smaller shelves, including one rather battered tome, blood splattered and burnt, of which only the title can now be read. Sadly, it looks like it may have been useful, as it is titled “Where the Lost Things Are”, but someone has taken great pleasure in destroying it. The desk is well used, but sturdy, and the drawers are filled with writing supplies. Left as though the writer has only stepped away for a moment is a quill pen. A piece of paper has been left on the table, filled completely with writing. The words “They took” are repeated over and over again, though there is no indication of what might have been taken.
A window sits over the desk, allowing light from the Dawn Room to penetrate, but a close examination of the wall from the other side reveals no hint of its presence. The natural light does help lighten the gloom.
11. Dawn Room
A pretty room decorated in marble, this room seems like a less formal parlor, it feels more lived in than the parlor ever could. The furniture is done in warm colors and a painting of a sunrise dominates the wall above the smaller fireplace. Several small grouping of tables and chairs allow for private conversations to occur. A small tea cart occupies the corner and the elegant china cups have a flower theme. A ship in a bottle sits on the mantle under the painting. The ship and sails are all made of cloth and wood, there is even a beautifully carved anchor chain.
12. Closed Closet
This closet apparently once had a door leading into it from The Study, but that has long since been completely sealed. A good ear and investigating the walls would discover that this room is indeed still there and hollow, but there seems to be no way to reach it. A close look at the wall reveals long, brown tracks, the color of old blood and what seem to be knife marks, as though someone attacked it from the outside to try to get whatever was inside it out.
13. Locked Door
There is a door in the study. Occasionally the sound of a music box can be heard, playing a haunting tune. A rocking chair squeaks if you listen long enough. The door won’t budge, no matter what you try.
14. The Dollhouse Room
Seven giant dollhouses, each on their own table, occupy this room. A closer look will reveal that two dollhouses have their doors standing wide open, but the other five are closed and locked up. Trying to open the tiny doors will net you nothing. In the corner of the room is a small crack in the wall, about six inches tall and four inches wide. Wide enough to stick your hand in, though you won’t get far. If you strain, you can feel something cool and likely metal in the back, but you can’t see anything and you can’t reach it. In the center of the room is a small table with a small crystal decanter full of a fruity smelling liquid and a plate of very tiny cookies on it. Drinking from the bottle will make you shrink to the size of a doll, allowing you to enter the crack or the one open dollhouse. The cookies will make you grow, but you can’t leave the room as a giant.
15. The Dollhouse
The inside of the dollhouse is the house done in miniature, minus a few details. The room you are in is nowhere to be found. But everything else is perfectly mirrored to the house, there are even dolls showing the placement of your fellow house guests. You can wonder at your leisure, it’s strangely silent and very dark.
16. The Crack In The Wall
Leads to a very tiny bedroom, perfectly sized for your characters current form. A thimble full of match sticks and needles guards the door, and a large metal box, far too large for you to open, serves as a wall to hide this tiny place. A small fire place, several sets of bunk beds, and a small table give this room an almost welcoming air. The movement of a music box rests against the wall, though no music box is in evidence.
17. Maid Hallway
This is a rather simple hallway. It’s very clean, wood floors and white walls; a table at the end of the hallway holds a vase of poppy flowers. It is a servant’s hallways, nothing fancy.
18. Clean Bedroom
This room is utterly spotless, clean and white. Any mess that occurs in it magically vanishes, there’s a bed, a small table and a trunk at the end of it. Staying in this room gives you a clean refreshed feeling, but it is otherwise unremarkable.
19. Dirty Bedroom
All the messes from the Clean room end up here. The room is filthy and smells rancid, though in layout it does not differ from the other rooms in the hallway. There’s a bed, a small table and a trunk. Unlike the other rooms, this trunk is unlocked and opening it will grant you a vision of a mummified corpse. There are scratches on the underside of the lid, implying that she must have been alive when she was locked in, though the lock is broken and seems like it shouldn’t have stopped her from getting out at all. Her hand is now broken, the key removed from her grasp.
20. Closet Room
Opening the door leads you into a space just large enough to turn around in, with a door on each wall. Each of the doors leads to another closet, each with three doors in it. This continues seemingly endlessly, with no end of doors or closets. Go far enough and you can hear a child crying, sobs interspaced with the occasional apology or plea for understanding and forgiveness. Strangely taking all rights seems to take you closer to the voice, perhaps if you go deep enough you’ll be able to find her.
21. Smoke Room
The smoke is so thick in this room it makes your eyes burn, it’s a little hard to breathe even just standing in the doorway. Inside a still lit cigar burns in an ashtray and a small box full of cigars sits on the table. Three jars full of pipe tobacco sit on a shelf above the bed, along with a rather charming pipe. The trunk at the foot of the bed is solidly locked, though covered with a fine sheen of ash.
22. Yellow Bedroom
This room feels pleasant and welcoming; the soft smell of flowers lingers in the air without being overpowering. A fresh vase of jasmine cuttings and yellow roses sits on the table a small stuffed rabbit occupies a place of honor on the faded pastel quilt. The bed is a bit larger than the twin beds in the other rooms, and soft. The window is open a tiny crack, though it seems to be jammed, letting a tiny bit of fresh air into the room, someone has taken advantage of the crack to hang wind chimes, but a string has become tangled with them and they make no sound. The trunk at the end of the bed is covered with a knitted blanket and locked. A glance under the bed will reveal a sketch book and a small case of colored pencils.
There is a note on the table, but it seems mostly gibberish. "Su fo emoceb lliw tahw. Ecno elpoep neeb evah tsum yeht."
23. Vanity Room
This room is full of elaborate clothes, the table clogged with makeup and a rather strangely glowing silver box. A note written on the mirror in lipstick reads "give it all to me." Touching the box gives you a cold, unnerved feeling. Like you should put it down right away. There is a trunk at the end of the bed.
24. Ivory Bathroom
This room is completely white, done up in shades of ivory. Everything from the towels to the fixtures are bone white. A small shelve with three carved elephants sits above a linen closet full of fresh towels and toothpaste and basic first aid supplies. Lifting a towel too fast will cause a bag full of marbles to scatter across the floor; they are as white as the bathroom.
A note clinging to the towel says simply "I found them."
25. Door To Basement
26. Supply Closet
This room holds everything needed for the upkeep of a house this size. Fresh linens, bedspreads and cleaning supplies jam the selves. Freshly starched suits and dresses for the staff lay neatly stacked next to a washer and dryer crammed at the end of the room.
Second Story:
1. Hallway
This is a rather simple hallway, sparsely decorated and very unassuming. The floors are made of wood and covered with a line of carpet. Lamps adorn the walls, though they seem to need someone to light them.
2. Princess Bedroom:
This room was designed with a young girl in mind, a rather wealthy one at that. Everything is done in pinks and purples, with silk seeming to be the fabric of choice. The walls are covered with beauty pageant prizes and trophies and trinkets litter the room. It’s almost excessive to have so many, and yet no pictures of the occupant. A small vanity with an almost throne like chair is covered in makeup and jewelry. The bed is king sized, though there is only one pillow, and there are three dressers filled with rich, finely made clothes. Seemingly out of place is a shelf full of music boxes, ranging from a small, intricately hand carved affair to a cheap and gaudy ballerina box. It is the only sign of personality in the room.
3. Princess Closet:
Stuffed full of dresses and shoes and excess jewelry, this closet could provide anyone who wishes with a full wardrobe. If they don’t mind wearing frills and silks and skirts. Rooting around a bit will reveal several riding outfits and some tall riding boots, sized for a very small pair of feet.
4. Mirror Bedroom:
In an almost unpractical gesture, as it seems impossible to keep clean, this room is made of mirrors. Floors, walls, ceiling and even the furniture are all coldly mirrored glass. The resulting effect is almost like a fun house. Everywhere you turn, you see yourself reflected back.
As a result it is rather cold, and very uncomfortable to try to sleep in. The bed is a hard lump of mirrored glass and even with the insulation of a blanket you can’t help feeling chilled.
On occasion the far wall seems to ripple, distorting the room. The reflection becomes that of another room entirely, a room that you are not in and have never seen before. Though touching the wall reveals that it is solid glass, despite the other worldly ripples. There is nothing hidden behind it.
Though mirrored, the walls never seem to smear or crack; the floors show no scuff marks. It remains as pristine as when you entered, no matter what you do.
5. Journey Bedroom:
Opening the heavy wooden door reveals a room that seems a testament to a well traveled life. It seems almost unnatural to see it still and contained within a single room. The mementos that cover the walls, ranging from street cart knickknacks to what look like actual artifacts, could have easily decorated an entire house. An ornamental sword, tasseled and bright decorated, hangs just next to the door, though a more practical saber leans just behind.
A locked trunk sits at the end of the bed, stamped with the names of places both real and imagined and covered with a travel dust. A passport sits on the bedside table, but the cover page with the picture on it has been ripped out, it is filled with colorful stamps in a wide variety of languages.
There is a kit on one of the tables, what seems to be suited to an archaeologist or an explorer. The tools inside are all broken and prove to be completely useless.
Another table is completely covered with maps, some of countries the characters may recognize, others complete unknowns. They have been tossed around as though someone has gone through them in a great hurry, many are stacked haphazardly, some spilling onto the floor. The room itself looks well lived in, as though a traveler has been forced to settle here almost unwillingly.
The sound of footsteps can occasionally be heard, pacing back and forth through the room, but no one ever appears.
6. Fairy Bedroom:
This room is decorated in pretty, ethereal shades of pink, purple, and blue. Everything is dainty and fanciful, and gorgeous fairies are painted on the walls, which almost seem to move and change their expressions at night when nobody is watching; those who bother to check near the floor might see pretty mushrooms ringing the room, painted near the floorboards and bottom of the door in a traditional fairy circle. The ceiling is painted as a stunning twilight sky, with rich gem tones and pearly wisps of clouds, a silver moon and stars seeming to shine with their own light.
A lighted display case stands beside the door, showcasing all manner of fairy figurines, from carved wood to crystal to feathers and silk; the largest figurine, a richly appointed fairy queen, has a tiny silver key worn around her neck--surely too small to fit into any normal-sized lock. All furniture in the room is made of light woven wicker and topped with soft cushions, the bed small but comfortable, the desk--glass-topped, to allow for easy writing--provided with a book full of illustrated fairy tales. Pushed to the far back of one desk drawer, a hand-stitched drawstring bag can be found; in it is a fairy stone, with a leather cord strung through the hole to allow it to be worn as a necklace, and a still smaller pouch with a note curled around it. The note reads "Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings", and inside the bag seems to be some sort of fairy dust--a soft, sparkling powder that smells faintly perfumed. Everything in this room suggests the beautiful and benevolent side of the fairy mythos, but how many people have heard of the darker side of these delicate mythical creatures, as well?
7. Red Bedroom:
In contrast to the other rooms on this floor, this room seems almost normal. It is decorated in red and mahogany; everything is very opulent and sexy. A table and two chairs sits next to the window, red candles and settings for two. A bottle of red wine is chilling on ice, everything perfectly set up for a date or a romantic evening in.
The bed is covered in red silk sheets and a satin comforter with down pillows. A single red rose sits on the pillows, replaced as soon as you turn away. A box of chocolates sits on one of the side tables, filled with creamy dark truffles. The entire room feels warm and welcoming, the bed comfortable. A small dresser is filled completely with silk nightclothes for men and women in a variety of sizes, all well made and perfectly comfortable.
Oddly, one of the drawers seems shorter than the others, though there seems to be nothing behind it and no way to remove it from its tracks. The closet filled with robes and dresses and shoes to match. Everything feels very rich, almost excessively so, and yet you feel privileged to be here.
8. Mask Bedroom:
Opening the door to this room brings you face to face with hundreds of faces, though unlike the Mirror bedroom they are not your own. The walls are covered with masks in a variety of shapes and sizes. The masks range from cheap to extravagant. Feathered and carved and glass and leather, these masks cover every available surface and cover a wide array of mundane and fantastical creatures. Putting one on fills you with a strange sense of déjà vu, and leaving them on for too long will give you a headache. You may even find your hands moving without your consent, or find, as time goes on that you are starting to lose time, to arrive in place. As though something has happened. The masks are very strange, leaving a lingering feeling of disquiet for anyone who wears them, even for a moment, after they are removed again.
If you are willing to put up with the sense of constantly being watched, the bed is quite comfortable.
9. Trophy Room:
This room is a hunter’s paradise, or at the very least fit for bragging purposes. A table set with a crystal decanter and four elegantly carved crystal glasses encourages entertainment, occasionally one can smell a hint of cigar smoke or hear masculine laughter. Opening the cabinets under the table will reveal alcohol and a fine stock of imported cigars. The walls are covered with big game of all sorts, ranging in size from mice to elephants, and lighted displays fill the room. A few of the displays are very humanoid in their appearance, though they are displayed just as the animals. Several fantastical creatures are represented on the walls; a unicorn horn occupies a place of honor on the mantel and several delicate looking creatures, almost fey in their appearance, are pressed between glass. Covering another wall are sport’s trophies, medals and other memorabilia of a successful life, there are no names in appearance, though all are first place.
A small alcove reveals a veritable treasure trove of weapons. A pair of crossed spears and an axe hangs on the wall, seemingly a family crest. A small glass case displaying several guns sits beneath it, a pair of dueling pistols and a revolver nestled in red velvet above a sawed off shot gun, as well as three well made knives of varying sizes. A small compartment in the bottom of the display holds ammunition for the weapons. Neither guns nor ammo replace themselves when taken, though the spears somehow always find their way back to the wall the moment you aren’t looking at them properly.
There is a large painting on the far wall of a handsome gentleman with a distinguished looking mustache leaning on a rifle and staring smugly down at the room, the painting seems a little removed from the wall and giving it a little pull will reveal a safe hidden behind it.
10. Gallery:
A rather formal art gallery, it seems out of place in a personal residence. The walls are designed to display pictures, lighted and powered to provide them with the best light possible for viewing the paintings. A few freestanding statues occupy the center of the room as well as several comfortable couches, designed to allow for someone to sit and study the art. Though the setting is nice, the paintings are rather boring, a few landscapes mixed with bowls of fruit and impressionist paintings. Still, it is a nice room and climate controlled.
11. Observatory:
A charming room that seems rather well suited for entertaining, it is nicely done in shades of black and white and brown and more relaxed than a formal parlor. The couches are comfortable and the windows allow a stunning view of islands floating in the distance. East facing, it also allows a great view of the sun rising. The room is climate controlled, with a thermostat next to the door, though a formal fireplace occupies the far wall with a full accompaniment of tools and fuel.
12. Sewing Room:
This room is very pretty, for all that it serves a very obvious purpose. Skeins of yarn and bolts of cloth line the walls, baskets filled with spools of thread scattered throughout. A rather old looking sewing machine occupies a place of honor in the middle of the room, ready to be used at a moments notice and already threaded. A close look reveals that the thread is made of gold, seemingly calling to mind the tale of an odd little man.
There are mannequins in the far corner of the room, clothed in all manner of dress from formal and expensive to street walker, spanning every conceivable time period. A change of clothes could easily be procured from the room.
The mannequins seem to move when you're not looking, they change positions without warning and one could almost swear they hear giggling, as though someone is having a laugh at their expense. The rooms itself seems almost welcoming to some, in a very strange way. As though the mannequins might like some sighted company for a little while.
13. Glass Bathroom:
Everything in this room is made of glass. From the toilet to the sink to the tub, even the soap is oddly clear. It is impossible to do anything in complete privacy and you are always filled with the unnerving sense of being watched, even if there is no one else in the room. Occasionally out of the corner of your eye you can see what looks like hands and faces pressed against the inside of the wall, but a closer inspection will reveal nothing at all. Even with the shower on, this room feels constantly cold.
14. Perfume Bedroom:
This room is rather simple in design, it is not uncomfortable. The walls are covered with pictures of flowers and the vanity in the corner is absolutely covered with bottles of perfume. There is a small table covered with the makings of incense and cologne, a small flower box sits inside the window. The cupboard beneath the table is full of teas and herbs and salves and further supplies, some of them might even be useful, but most just smell pleasant. Though the room has an agreeable scent, it starts to become overwhelming the longer you stay inside. Sleeping in this room will cause you to wake with a massive headache. The sound of feminine laughter or humming is sometimes heard.
15. Door to the Library:
A key rests in the lock of this door, unlocking it allows you into the upper floor of the Library.
16. Cherry Hallway
This hallway is charmingly decorated with pictures of cherries and beautiful cherry wood paneling. A small table near the middle of the hall has a vase full of cherry blossoms, wonderfully fragrant. The are very fresh, as though they have just been cut from their parent tree.
17. Thin Bedroom:
This room at first glance seems completely normal. There is a bed, a dresser and a small desk against the wall. The bed is narrow, barely qualifying as a twin, and though the mattress is thin it is comfortable enough. The desk is barely more than a shelf, hardly wide enough to sit a book on comfortably. It seems like it might be comfortable enough to stay here, should anyone want to claim it. It is only after some time is spent inside it that the resident might begin to feel that something is wrong. They begin to feel stretched, uncomfortably so, and if they fall asleep in the room they may wake with the uncomfortable sensation of being stretched on the rack. The room is good for short stays and quick naps, but anyone risking a longer stay will find that the effects take longer to fade each time.
18. Dark Bedroom:
The window to this room looks over the ballroom; barely any light manages to make its way across the space to get in the room. The lights don’t work and any light brought into the room dies quicker than it should. While it burns, it barely seems to chase the shadows away and doesn’t penetrate to all corners of the room. The shadows seem unusually animated, moving seemingly with a life of their own. If you turn off the light and lay on the bed you can watch them seethe and move across the ceiling and walls, covering the windows and making the room completely dark. It’s rather unnerving. Strangely, the shadows seem less threatening the more time you spend in the room. You may even notice the shadows streaming to welcome you like satisfied cats when you enter after an absence. The room is unusually cold and occasionally it feels as though something has touched you, but the bed is snug and comfortable.
19. Light Bedroom:
This room looks out over the green house. One wall is taken up completely with windows, floor to ceiling, with gauzy curtains doing little to dampen the light. A skylight only allows more light to enter the room. The blanket on the bed is down filled and incredibly warm and comfortable without feeling too heavy. The walls seem to be illuminated by some light source you can’t see; even at night the room is incredibly bright and welcoming. The desk is pale wood and covered with paper and notes and sketches of the sunrise. There is a balcony outside, but the windows won’t open to allow you outside. The clothes in the closet are very well made yet extraordinarily light weight and airy.
20. Loft Bedroom:
This room hangs over the grand ballroom, open to anyone who looks up. It’s a rather normal bedroom, just very very open and impossible to secure. The bed and dresser sit against the room's one wall. The view is quite good; you can see the entire ballroom from the ledge. It would be well suited for spying or for people watching. You can often hear music from bellow, but the organ is turned in such a way that you can't see the player. Hunkering down against the short wall will render you invisible, but attempting to leave through the door means that anyone down bellow can see you. It's quite the drop, and there seems to be no way to get to the floor quickly. To the left of the room, hidden behind a shelf, is a narrow set of handholds that might let an adventurous house guest climb down, though the handholds curve out of sight under the balcony.
21. Ink Bedroom:
The small window in this room looks out over the ballroom, but it is covered with a heavy curtain. The room itself looks rather industrial, with pictures of elaborate tattoos covering the wall. The pictures range ancient looking scrolls to shiny, glossy posters that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern tattoo shop. There are several beds and chairs obviously meant to be laid on to get a tattoo done on various parts of your body. Several different styles of tattooing instruments and piercing guns occupy the counter, ranging from animal quills and hammers and colored inks to high tech tattoo guns that don’t cause any pain and can be programmed with the design you want. Everything you could need for tattoo application and care is held in heavy industrial cupboards on the walls. The room feels very professional, though the beds can be slept on and are fairly comfortable.
22. Mosaic Bedroom:
This room is absolutely covered with beautifully, meticulously colored tiles. The mosaics are constantly shifting, changing from one shape to another in varying complexity. It makes it difficult to judge the shape of the room, though the shapes are otherwise harmless. The cover on the bed is embroidered with colorful threads that seem less inclined than the walls to stay in their proper place. The pattern shifts constantly, thread writhing like snakes on the fabric. Aside from the disinclination of things to remain still in the room, it seems otherwise unremarkable and is quiet comfortable. There are no odd smells or sounds, and nothing obviously wrong with it. It simply has a mind of its own.
23. Day Room:
This isn’t so much a bedroom as a parlor, situated at the end of the hall where it branches to the Floating Hallway. Much like the Light Bedroom the walls are taken up with large windows, allowing a great deal of light into the room. Attractive couches and chairs circle small coffee tables, on a table in the corner are a beautiful silver tea service. There is always fresh hot water in the tea pot and a charming arrangement of small cakes and tea sandwiches. A tapestry and a small table with a bowl of cherries add a comfortable and welcoming feel to the room. The tapestry hangs a little oddly and pulling it aside reveals an odd little door set in the wall. There is no knob or keyhole, only a circle of missing wood.
24. Narrow Hallway:
Right off the Day room is a narrow hallway that ends in a dead end. There are four windows that look into the Blind Bedroom, allowing for observation. There is also a window that allows you to look into the open bathroom’s shower.
25. Store Room:
This is a very utilitarian room, with a concrete floor, white plastered walls, and shelves lining the walls. It's filled with boxes and bins of all sorts, with a good supply of things you'd need to keep up a house of this size--like linens, cleaning supplies, and a few boxes of very thoroughly tangled wire coat hangers. There are candles, matches, flasks of oil, cloth wicks, and lanterns in abundance as well, and oddly, art supplies--from blank canvases and brushes, to oil paints, to charcoal sticks, to boxes full of fresh wet clay that would need to be glazed and fired in a kiln.
While the room looks normal enough, for some reason, being in there for much longer than five or ten minutes tends to produce strange nausea and migraines, and stubbonrly staying for too long in spite of this leads to increasingly strong compulsions to tear one's eyes out. Measuring this room will also yield something odd--while the room seems to be a neat square, with each corner a right angle, the walls all measure as different lengths from each other, no matter how many times you try to check, and the corners all measure as 66 degrees.
26. Open Bathroom:
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this bathroom is that the entire wall of the shower is mirrored. It makes the room more chilly than is exactly comfortable, but the water stays hot for longer than any of the other rooms. This bathroom also locks a tub, having only a glasses in shower stall with white tile. The medicine cabinet on the wall is full of first aid supplies and some unlabelled medications. It is otherwise a normal bathroom.
27. Blind Bedroom:
This room looks fairly normal, unremarkable next to all of the bedrooms. Perhaps the only thing out of place are the four perfectly square mirrors on the far wall. There is a desk and a chair and a small bed. The desk has a neat stack of papers and a small plastic cup of pencils. A closer look will reveal that the chair is flimsy and would not stand up to any sort of impact and the desk and bed are bolted securely to the ground. The door has an external padlock.
There is a note on the desk that says "You put too much faith in your eyes."
28. Floating Hallway:
This hallway is completely glassed in, allowing light in. It's quiet comfortably warm and a nice place to get a little sun, for those who are missing the great outdoors, though it lacks the comfort of fresh air.
There are planters equally spaced along the hallway, as well as several benches for anyone who wishes to take a moment away from the rest of the house. Looking down reveals a very open, very green space and the occasional movement of a far away creature, though it is too high up to pick up any detail. There seem to be no supports holding the hallway in place, and in many places the floor is glass as well, offering the eerie sense of falling.
At the end of this hallway is the doorway to the second house.
The Gardener's Wing:
1. Main Room:
This room can only be accessed by braving the handholds from the Loft Bedroom through a small window that looks down at the ballroom bellow. The room is more of several connected rooms than a single large room. The far wall is made up almost entirely of windows, allowing light to pour into the room. The windows look out into a bright, green space, seemingly protected from the snow outside. Anyone looking up will see the eerie sight of the floating hallway, completely unsupported and having no real reason to remain in the air. The main room is full of shelves of seedlings and carefully tended Bonsai Trees. Many sorts of herbs and familiar vegetables can be found here, needing only a little tending to become fruitful. Seed packets and watering cans are stashed on shelves, as well as anything that might be needed for tending these fragile plants. The plants are all alive, filling the room with the comforting scent of growing things. In the corner of the room, a large furnace works hard to keep the main room warm, though it becomes colder the further one gets from it. There is a locked door that seems like it might lead outside, judging by the placement of the windows, but it is quiet solidly locked. Another locked door stands in the doorway by the bathroom, placed in such a way that it might lead deeper into the house. Of the gardener, there is no sign, though a compost bin sits tucked under one of the windows.
2. The Green Room:
This room is painted entirely green and is somewhat smaller than many of the rooms in the house. In many ways this makes it homier. The blankets on the bed and the sheets covering the straw stuffed mattress are obviously handmade and well tended to. There are many patches covering them to keep them in use longer. The bed frame itself has the look of something made by someone who was less than knowledgeable about his craft but no less made it with care and love. The dresser is very similarly made and filled with clothes for men and women, all handmade and as patched as the blankets on the bed. Though nothing in this room is particularly grand it is no less very serviceable, as though the people who lived here were used to making due with little, but were happier for it.
3. Half Bath:
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this room is the fact that it lacks a tub, though there is a large wash basin suited for washing bodies or clothes, it is not a proper bathtub. A line for drying clothes hangs above it. The room is small, and painted a pale brown, but is obviously very well used. The cupboard above the sink is full of medical supplies and two used toothbrushes. There are several well worn towels, which have been used to the point that their original color is difficult to determine.
4. Small Kitchen:
This room has everything you might need to make a meal, albeit a very simple one. A small stove occupies the corner; there is also a small fridge and a sink. There is not enough room in the kitchen for more than one or two people at a time, and it is stocked with nothing more than the basic essentials. Looking through the cabinets would find you a substantial amount of canned vegetables and plenty of pre-packaged food such as hamburger helper and rice-a-roni, as well as some rice, beans, and basic spices. The water works; though it smells a little earthy it is perfectly clean and suitable to drinking or cooking.
5. Garden Closet:
Tools and fertilizer and other things one might think were needed to tend a garden are neatly stacked in a closet. There are heavy leather aprons and gloves also stashed in the closet. More seeds and empty pots, as well as shovels and other gardening tools are neatly stored by type in the large closet.
6. The Empty Hall:
This hallway is unremarkable, lined on either side by four doors with a single door at the end, and completely lacking windows. The floor is wood with a faded carpet going down the center. There are no windows and no pictures on the wall. The door leading into the Gardener’s Room is marked with deep gouges, as though something tried to get out at some point. The doors are mostly locked for the moment, all save one.
7. The Radio Room:
Dominating this room is a large table with old fashioned shortwave radio equipment stacked on top of it. Though the room has power, the radio equipment has been damaged to the point that it is no longer useable. The head set has been ripped in half and many wires have been ripped out of the wall, dials and other important bits have been moved and one entire station has been smashed beyond repair. The damage seems somehow purposeful, though it is difficult to tell what exactly that purpose might have been. It seems possible to repair, but it would take some work and some knowhow to get the radio station in operation once more. The corpse of a man sits slumped at the table, one arm torn completely from his body. Disturbingly, there is no blood in the room, though the man has been savaged to the point that it is impossible to tell much about him, perhaps the only useful piece of information that can be gleaned from looking at him is that he, like the room, seems to be military. There is a cot and a small footlocker tucked against the wall, it seems the soldier was intent on manning his post without any relief.
A diligent explorer will find a box with a large field radio and ten walkie talkies. They are old, and quite large, but seem to mostly be in working order if only there were batteries. Clips allow them to be hooked to belts or packs, though there are no headsets or any modern conveniences that might have allowed for quiet communication.
A small cupboard on the wall holds a basic military issue medkit, the sort a field medic might carry, two old fashioned flashlights and a small box of odds and ends. Among the bits and pieces is an extra bulb for a flashlight and twelve batteries. A few stacked boxes in the corner reveal other supplies that look military issue, though the packages are not labeled in any language anyone in the house can speak. Some appear to be food, though none of it seems exactly appetizing. One box, when opened, reveals several sticks of carefully packaged dynamite.
Green House:
1. Greenhouse
Stepping off the stairs into the greenhouse is like stepping into another world entirely. The cold air of the house vanishes into a strange sort of effervescence, as though the humid air is carbonated and pops as it settles against the house guests. The plants that at first seem far away are suddenly close and far larger than they should be. Where the house is prone to sudden switches and compressed spaces, the greenhouse is huge and open, smelling at once familiar and alien, with a faint hint of almonds and iron. The greenhouse itself is easily the size of a football field, the far reaches of the area are deeply cloaked in a strange smelling mist that seems to lure the unwary like a ship drawn to deadly rocks. Anyone attempting to travel into them would quickly become lost. Some of the flora seems unusually large, the grass in some places standing tall enough to hide a person within them, though there is little remarkable about it aside from the size.
Patches of grass and wild twists of growth are interspaced with neatly laid out vegetable patches and rock gardens, giving the rather eerie thought that perhaps, much like the house, this garden is only a patchwork quilt made up of some madman’s dream. A hedge maze starts in the corner, though much of it is still lost to the fog. The small gardens are full of fresh things, some familiar and some utterly alien, but easy to harvest for anyone willing to spend the time. Small creatures dart in the underbrush, unseen and unrecognized in the quickness of their movement. Something has left a nest in a patch of taller grass, easily large enough that ten men could sleep in it comfortably. It is comfortably humid, temperature controlled and tended by unseen things, and those looking up will spot the floating hallway, unconnected to either house. In the distance, shapes can be seen, but for the moment they are utterly lost to the dense fog that surrounds the known area.
As strange as this place seems, as driven by the chaos of its conflicting elements, it takes some time for the true oddness of the situation to become clear. Though the sunlight streaming through ceiling seems real and warm, and the building itself is comfortably temperate despite the snow still falling against the glass, there is absolutely no wind. Not a blade of grass is disturbed; no whisper through the trees, not even a hint of fresh, clean air disturbs the untouched radiance of the garden.
The Attic:
1. Attic:
Leading from the gallery, this room is rather dusty. Old empty boxes are tipped on their sides, wooden packing crates long stripped of anything but packing materials. The floors are wood, as are the walls, light peeking through the slats rather grudgingly. Though there seems not method of entry or exit, the dead appear here, waking in the dust amid the crates as though they have only fallen asleep. On the wall farthest from the staircase, there seems to have once been a door, though it has long been boarded over and is completely impossible to access. A fireplace full of soot and dust occupies the corner, and should someone wish it they could likely start a fire.
The Basement:
1. Basement:
The basement is perhaps the most normal room of the house, shelves line the walls and a heavy locked door stands behind the house guest who gets to the bottom. Behind one of the shelves is a hidden door that swings easily open once it is discovered.
2. Dirt Hallway:
Behind the unlocked door in the basement, the entire hallway is made of hard packed dirt and wood supports, very much like a mine tunnel. It is very dimly lit with lanterns every hundred feet, and smells damp and dank. It ends abruptly in a solid wall that seems completely impassable. Though a close look to the right might reveal a patch of dirt that doesn't look quite right, it’s simply too regular. To your left stands the artificial brightness of the Doctor’s wing, easy to explore.
3. Waiting Room:
There are two vending machines against the wall, well lit and filled with products. This might be useful if you had an idea what the packets might be. But the writing is in a language you can’t see and the alphabet for choosing your selection is just as strange. The coin slot seems to take any money the character might have in their possession, but nothing is ever dispensed. The glass is unbreakable, but a solid blow or someone with a small arm might be able to dislodge some of the items inside.
The waiting room is filled with old magazines and newspapers, though the newspapers all have their crosswords done. None of the events mentioned in the papers seem familiar, though you might find a tip on how to whiten your teeth. A few sad looking potted plants round out an uncomfortable waiting area, the walls painted a pale green color that someone must have, at some point, convinced a designer was comforting.
The receptionist’s desk holds a small computer, far more advanced than anything your characters have ever seen, no matter their tech level. The keyboard is covered with more of the unfamiliar symbols which do little to help the fact that the screen demands, quite clearly, a password of some sort. The computer is unhackable and very frustrating, as it seems like it should hold the logs of the patients and might help you in your quest to unlock the secrets of the house. There are two locked drawers and a lime green stapler, as well as a number of small, brightly colored notes, but nothing that at first glance declares itself as useful to figuring out the person who once sat here. The desk's seat is currently occupied by what appears to be a nurse, though its face is entirely featureless. Unless addressed, it does not move.
There is a small playset in the corner, with legos and a box full of well worn and abused children’s toys and books, placed contently next to the oddly placed windows looking out into the dirt hallways outside.
4. Doctors Office:
Perhaps the most notable element of this office is the window. Though the office is underground and this room should be as well, the window looks out into what appears to be a normal, well kept lawn. The glass is unbreakable and the window is impossible to open, but even during the night, the sun seems to be shining in this one isolated area.
The walls are covered in heavy bookshelves, full of medical tomes, random knickknacks and a few books of poetry. The shelves are built into the walls and quiet impossible to shift at all. The desk itself seems to be made from a heavy, dense wood, though nothing failure to anyone looking. There is a small placard on the desk, the sort that would normally display the name of the doctor in residence. It seems as though someone took issue with it at some point, as the name has been so badly defaced that the word ‘doctor’ is barely legible, much less the name of the office’s owner. There are several picture frames throughout the office, the sort one might use to hold family photos or fishing trips, though all are completely empty. A porcelain frog sits at the end of the desk, staring at anyone who enters the room. It seems somewhat out of place in the dark wood and leather of the office.
A leather binder sits open in front of the chair, waiting for the doctor to begin taking notes, but most of the pages have been ripped out and those left behind are completely blank. Medical degrees line the walls, though many have been removed from their frames or defaced like the placard on the desk. Those that remain are so badly torn and water damaged that nothing is legible any longer.
Surprisingly, most of the drawers are unlocked and completely accessible, though the contents might prove less than useful to the average houseguest, unless they’re in sore need of office supplies. The occasional unusual item has snuck in, a bright orange golf ball hidden in the corner of the bottom drawer and a lucky rabbit’s foot tucked away in the middle. But for the most part, you find what you expect. The top left drawer is solidly locked.
There room seems to have been designed to be welcoming, with a small box of toys for younger patients and comfortable chairs for consolation, but now it feels empty.
5. Supply closet:
This small room is full of useful supplies, everything from medicines to tongue depressors. A ready supply of straitjackets, neatly arranged by size, sits just to the left of anyone entering the room. A large fridge holds all manner of medicines and treatment supplies, though many are simply labeled with their purpose. Some more recognizable items, such as saline drips for IVs and what seem to be packages of blood for transfusion occupy the door. The blood is labeled neatly by type, and some of it is rather strangely colored.
The drawer holds packets of what claims to be nutrient goo, perhaps created to sustain a patient unable to unwilling to eat.
The fridge also holds several tiny containers of ice cream and small cans of generic 7-up for younger patients, though considering the contents of the rest of the fridge, it looks a little out of place.
A blanket warmer full of soft, clean blankets hums against the wall. A pile of spare scrubs make this room handy for any house guests in need of a quick change of clothes. Some of these seem as though they must have belonged to someone, a pair of pink scrubs with little stars all over it suggests someone trying to be welcoming to a young patient. There is a small tape in one of the pockets.
Sitting rather innocently just inside the door is a crash cart, primed and ready to be used in the ward next door.
6. Recovery Ward:
Just beyond what looks like a small nurse’s station and the supply closet is a large, sterile room with four hospital beds. It seems perfectly set up for observation before and after surgery. There are heart monitors sitting next to each bed, unplugged for the moment. Though anyone laying down on the bed will find themselves hooked up to the machines. The beds have restraints on them, and falling asleep will result in waking up tied down. Falling asleep here at night may also result in waking up to being prepped for surgery. It is quite impossible to escape the restraints alone, and the nurses have a tendency to sedate you if you try. But IVs and feeding tubes will keep the unwary lone explores alive for whatever the doctor desires.
7-11: Examination Rooms:
These rooms are exactly what you might expect to find in a doctor’s office, down to the uncomfortable beds and posters of anatomy on the walls. A ready supply of cotton swabs, tongue depressors, and paper gowns can be found in the cupboards, but there is little else of use here. The beds can be slept on, should you wish, though the stirrups look more than ready to hold the unwary in place.
12. Treatment room:
This room looks like something out of a mental patients nightmare, or perhaps a general nightmare. Tanks are set up for hydrotherapy and electroshock, as well as other more sinister devices for which the usage cannot be immediately determined. The room smells of disinfectant, though a close examination will find small spots of dried blood throughout. The equipment is well tended to, though apparently often in use. One can almost hear the screams of the patients that have once occupied the devices.
But surely that is only your imagination.
13. Surgery Room:
This room has a very centralized operating platform, complete with spotlights and what seem like video feeds to allow any observers to watch the surgery. The bed is adjustable, with restraints to hold the patient completely immobile. A wide variety of tools are laid out neatly, in preparation for something to come. A wicked looking saw and drills are positioned on a larger table, waiting to be needed. Drains are set into the floor at regular intervals. Many things are set into rails, allowing them to be dragged to the bed, including a needle assembly for quick delivery of chemicals. This room has an unnerving feel to it, almost gleeful, manic and focused on how many things can be done with these tools. Staying too long makes it seem impossible to leave, as though the bed and its straps are calling out and demanding your presence.
It looks so comfortable, so right, to lay down. To let the doctor do his work. Shouldn’t you comply?
14.Ward:
This looks more like a hallway full of doors, each with a slot for a chart next to it and a small space at the bottom of the doors for food.
There seems to be some sort of staging area right outside, wheel chairs and restraints waiting patiently to be needed. The rooms themselves are identical. They are small, white, and padded. There is a small hole in the corner of each for a character to relieve themselves, but little else. Any character stepping inside one of these rooms will find the door locked, and will wake after falling asleep for the first time wrapped in a straight jacket.
It is impossible to escape these rooms without external aid, though it is very possible to survive, as food will appear at regular intervals for anyone trapped inside them.
15. Morgue:
This clean, spotless room smells very faintly of formaldehyde. Sterile metal tables are evenly spaced through the room and metal trays and instruments stand ready and waiting. Everything needed to perform an autopsy is in evidence, including metal drawers to store the bodies in between exams and drains in the floor for any fluid loss. There are straps on each table, sturdy things more than capable of holding you average body builder in place. A filing cabinet stands in the corner, though it is solidly locked.
A description of the second house can be found here.
Room Claiming
If you would like to claim a room for your characters, you may do so by replying to this post with the following form. Do note, however, that this is largely an OOC thing-- we fully encourage gate crashing, after all. This list is to know who is occupying which room, and therefore whom you should ask about using the room, since those characters are likely there. If you claim a common room, such as a parlor or one of the studies, a claim is only an indication that your character sleeps there a lot. Please be aware that most of these rooms lack beds, and some of the Parlors and the Art Gallery do not even have comfortable seating. This is not to say that you can’t claim them, but that they will likely be traveled through by people wishing to go to other areas in the house.
Room:
Character name and journal: (
Gatecrashing?: Y/N
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