“If that first day aboard the Ghostlight Express was a taste of purgatory… what came next was a whole buffet.” —Beau
pre-game
games canceling happens, that's life.
Lines & Veils discussed
Welcoming out newest player: Osiera
Recap:
We spent last session freeing ghosts and winding up in the tender only for the tank to explode, Zoras shadow breaking at the neck, and the party being thrust into the woods to fight an angry spectral train.
The party stands there in the aftermath of the battle staring at the train. Trick had just given them his goodbyes and Mr. Druskenvald had just thanked them and given the party tokens of gratitude when Jiwho spots a figure attempting to hide in the woods.
Oseira:
She finds herself at home in the woods, the fog surrounding her home is thicker than usual and carries whispers in the wind. As she goes around doing her normal daily tasks, gardening and making wicker toys for the spirits, she notices the mist doesn't disperse. She sees a light in the distance calling her from inside the fog.
It's hard to look away from, no matter how unsettling it is. "Dierdra?" she calls for her sister. She waits and no one answers. As she looks around it's strange, it's almost as if her sister had just vanished, leaving her belongings behind. Osiera finds a journal in her sisters room. She runs outside screaming for her sister, looks for tracks... no luck. She wonders if it's in the direction of the light and runs after it.
Trees and mist surround her as she runs. The trees become tall and overbearing. Above she sees a terrifying moon staring down at her with a crooked nose, crooked teeth, and a crooked gaze. Smiling. This reminds her of when her sister began complaining of terrifying nightmares of a man with a crooked smile and a bent neck.
Ahead of her she spots five adventurers standing with two well-dressed people. This is when Jiwho spots her. The party sees a very tall elf with unkempt matted grey hair wearing a basic tunic. She has a staff that looks like a big stick with some wicker wrappings around it.
Party meets Osiera:
She seems very panicked and is making a poor attempt to go unnoticed by the party.
Z: "We see you."
E: "Are you Alright?"
O: "What the fuck is going on? Where am I?"
B: "You're in Druskenvald."
O: "What do you mean? I was just at home."
(Beau at some point says "Don't worry, I'm native to these parts" like okay??? We're just gonna gloss over that? I see you Beau.)
O: "Have you seen my sister? She looks like me but prettier."
B: "You're the first soul I've seen out here."
Mr: "If you're looking for someone the best bet is hitting up civilization. we're going to Wickermore Hollow, it isn't far."
The party convinces her to tag along, it isn't safe in these woods.
Osiera tells the party how she ended up here.
Mrs: "oh darling that must have been so terrible. But you're here which means you are here for a reason. As soon as we get back to the estate I'd love to read your cards."
O: "uh sure I guess, that sounds fine... uhm.. ok .. ok yeah if i cant find my si... yeah ok" she says shellshocked.
Wickermoore Village:
It's a quaint town. In the distance the party hears a church bell as they arrive at the circular town square. they see a weathered statue of a man in front of an old tree covered in hundreds of carved faces. Suddenly they hear a screech and notice something staked to the ground at the base of the tree. Across the square they see a pack of wolves approach the figure with guttural deep growls and eyes filled with bloodlust.
Staked to the ground seems to be a burlap sack filled with a human shaped figure. Eleana lets off a magic missile towards the wolves before beau could charm them and a battle ensues. All the wolves are killed by the party except for the dire wolf which was charmed to be loyal to Beau for 24 hours.
Mr: "Aren't you going to kill the dire wolf?"
B: "The wolf won't hurt anybody."
The wolf runs away
(In Beaus head): "Some creatures here have already been tamed by another master."
B: "Can't have shit in here."
Meeting the Villagers:
Mayor Summerton:
A door on the square opens and a man appears. Short, portly, middle aged, and wearing a fine 3 piece suit with a bolar hat.
"A thousand apologies, you caught us in the middle of one of our sacred rituals." He gestures to the Druskenvalds, "So pleased you finally accepted the invitation to our humble community. Welcome everyone. I am very sorry for what you've witnessed, that was our yearly ritual we do as a sacrifice to the woodland creatures for the Green Queen."
*Mayor Summerton says the name with high regard and looks toward the party as if something is bothering him.
Reassuring the apologies of the party, Mayor Summerton pulls a baby goat from the burlap sack and explains that the blood they spilled should be enough and they can save the creature for next time.
O: You just wanted to feed the tree?
MS: Well you see, the Green Queen is the deity here, she blesses us with harvest. This is our way of offering to her.
The mayor gestures to the Druskenvalds that they should find their estate while he shows the adventuring party around. They say their goodnights and invite the party to their estate the following day for dinner.
Exploring the town:
O: Have you seen someone come through here that looks like me but… pretty?
MS: I don’t think I have, but they may be here in the village. Perhaps try the Green Queen Inn. Maybe they have a room with Ms.Farnum.
Beau detects thoughts on Osiera and asks questions about her sister in order to get a clear image of her.
B: You say that she looks like you but pretty, I have no metric of that.
O: She’s, you know… a bit… cleaner than I am. She takes more care of her appearance. Her hair isn’t matted or crazy… it’s short and it’s straight and she brushes it every day. And it’s brown. But our faces are almost identical. She’s a bit younger and slightly shorter. Probably wearing something similar to this. (She gestures to her tunic) … She’s just… her facial features are… just softer. People tend to like her more… Does that help?
B: It helps a lot actually. (He holds out his hand) Beauregard LaRoux
O: Osiera, my sister’s name is Dierdra.
Beau conjures an image of Osiera but groomed in his hand and shows the party.
Zora pulls out her compass and notices it’s spinning again. She looks sad as she puts it back and follows the party.
E: Come on guys! (She walks into the inn)
Before Osiera walks into the inn, she leaves a wicker doll at the base of the tree.
Green Queen Inn:
The place is not too busy, people are sitting at tables and drinking at the bar. The energy is off though, people are silent and they hang their heads down. A stage is set up inside with a sign next to it, reading: “COMING THIS WEEKEND FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY – COMEDY SHOW – HEADLINER TBA”.
The innkeeper (Ms. Farnum) welcomes them, “Well, I don’t get a lot of people like yourselves in Wickermoore. Welcome. What brings you all here friends?” Her outfit and hair give off an air of quiet authority. She’s got a scowl but is never rude.
B: Unfortunate train accident, you know the type. -- Pardon, but have you seen this woman? (He conjures the image again)
F: Unfortunately I have not, though I’ve been busy with the sacrifice today. It’s been a slow day.
B: I’d imagine there would be quite a few people for a spectacle.
F: Wolves are dangerous, so they watch from windows.
Grimm growls at that comment.
Eleana does an insight check because she feels as if though the whole town is mad at them for disrupting their ritual. She feels stares from the denizens, some are shooting daggers at them. Osiera wonders if they are in danger. Beau reassures them that they are not in immediate danger but something is definitely off. The party relaxes. Osiera makes tea from the twigs in her hair while Grimm tries to drink the bar dry. Zora heals Grimm who insists that she drink with him even though she is a lightweight. (spoiler alert she gets wasted)
Beau decides to people watch from the porch as the hour grows late and he notices two guards, a Constable and her Deputy, patrolling around. Anytime he makes eye contact with the townsfolk they look away, sometimes even slamming their doors or windows shut. He also notices that everyone in town seems to have the same air of depression about them.
Finding a Lead on Osiera's Sister
After a few minutes, Osiera says her goodnight to the group and heads to her room. Just before going to sleep she decides to look at her sisters’ journal. While normal in the first few pages, the further she reads the stranger it all becomes. She stops on a drawing that turns her stomach. In chicken scratch before her is a twisted manor and a crooked man, bent out of shape with a massive smile and the word “crooked” written seven times across the page.
She runs the party in exasperation, “I think my sister is a Druskenvald manor. I want to go there now.” The party seem confused as Osiera looks towards the manor with fear in her eyes. She blinks and the twisted deformed image of the manor before her returns to normal. The party attempt to console and reassure her but explain that they are spent, Zora is drunk, and they have no proof nor plan. Osiera explains that she doesn’t trust the Druskenvalds. Beau glances at the drawing, “They have been hospitable to us. We should go as planned.” The party turns in for the night.
Zora's Sidequest
Zora noticed an abandoned church upon their arrival and decides to head there before bed to pray. Along her walk she sees a person serving a punishment in the town square, their body sandwiched between blocks of heavy stone.
Z: “What did you do?”
Man: “I stole food… hard to speak… hard … to breathe.”
Z: “These are the wages of wickedness.” She covers her own mouth, the words shocking Zora herself as she says them with a tone of damnation and righteousness.
She then continues to the church to pray, using her compass as a focus. It points to the trading post.
The Town Gets Weirder
The group wake up with the moon still high in the sky but the smell of breakfast wafting up to their rooms. They all do their morning routines and meet up together to head to the Druskenvalds. As the party walks they pass all sort of strange happenings. There is a man with crazy hair stumbling about in their direction. A group of children get scolded for singing a nursery rhyme about a crooked man. Zora notices the man from the previous night had been released with no trace of punishment at all.
All of the sudden, the crazy man bolts in their direction screaming: “CROOKED MAN, CROOKED HOUSE… LAUGH EVERY STEP LEADS TO ITS RETURN RETURN. DEATH. DOOM. PAIN. THE CROOKED MAN. THE CROOKED HOUSE. THE CROOKED QUEEN. THEY FEED. THEY LAUGH. EVERY STEP LEADS TO ITS RETURN. HER RETURN. DISINTEGRATION. ANNIHILATION.” The party try to calm him but he continues screaming and running to town.
The gate of the manor is wide open and standing nearby is a small family smiling and waving. The party approach. The dad, Walter, speaks in sign welcoming them. The mom chimes in, “Welcome, we’re the Jenkinson’s, we’re the help. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jilly, this is Walter, and this is our daughter Danny.” Danny greets the party in a very unsettling tone.
J: “The druskenvalds are all moved in, we haven’t seen them yet today but we were pleasantly surprised yesterday. By the way, this is shock,” She motions to their wiener dog.
G: Intimidates the dog
E: “Did you see the man screaming and running towards town?”
J: “That’s Rusty, he’s the groundskeeper of the entire village but he’s a bit off his rocker. He gets some crazy ideas in his head sometimes.
O: “He was talking about the crooked man and the crooked house. Do you know anything about that?”
J: “It’s superstitions, a bunch of hooey, no need to bring it up anymore.”
Pretending Everything is Fine
A cat hisses at the party as they approach the gate.
E: “What’s the game plan?”
B: “Go in, pretend everything is fine.”
O: “If my sister is in there… I don’t owe these people anything.”
B: “A wise man once told me: Charm opens more doors than violence.”
Z: “Honey and flies and all that.”
Monster House
Their plan quickly fell apart as they walked towards the door. A wave of nausea slams into them as in front of their eyes the house changes shape and begins to bend at strange angles. The façade becomes shadowed and patchy with mold and rot, the green garden withers and dies, and they hear a loud creek from the door where a strange figure emerges. Peering out is a twisted and lanky man with a neck that appears to have been snapped. He wears a tattered suit and bent top hat. “Welcome to the Crookeddd houusssssssse friends, we’ve been expeeecting yoou. Phillip and Adella are inside getting to know the house… or more accurately the house is getting to know them.” He lets out an unsettling and long laugh. “Go in, enjoy the refreshments. Phillip, Adella, you and all your kind will turn from whence you came in blood and fire.” He pulls his hat off, bows, and vanishes.
Zora clamps her head as the undead energy is overwhelming. Osiera throws up, pulls out one of the charms she wove that morning and tucks it into a gap on the porch. It begins storming as the party venture inside. The crooked man appears and vanishes again like a ghost, smiling.
Paintings on the wall:
Family plaque (Eustace Lockwood, Petunia, Sally, Arthur, and a frail mother
Adela, standing stoic adorned with with a woven wicker choker, vibrant flowers in her hair, Phillip is weeping with tarot motifs
Every single person in the party including Osieras sister staring directly at the party with crooked wide grins and no teeth
Osiera tries to take the portrait of the wall but it’s stuck. Beau and Eleana take two psychic damage. Beau walks into the parlor and sees furnishings that were once elegant are now caked with dust. Infront of the cobwebbed fireplace he spots a spirit board with the initials AD. The front door slams shut and the handle disappears.
End of Session