The Haunting of the House of Crum

by Balogun Ojetade

  G3. The Armory

  The Armory is a long, covered walkway that connects the two wings of the estate. There are double doors at each end and another set in the south wall. The north wall houses many windows, some of which are now cracked but none have shattered. The windows provide superb light during the daytime hours, giving the entire area a strangely “warm” quality, unlike much of the rest of the estate. Black and white checkered tiles of marble cover the floor.

  Despite its name, the Armory contains little in the way of weapons and armor, except for three suits of plate spaced evenly along the north wall between the windows. These suits are completely harmless but are usable and worth $650 each, because of their fine manufacture.

  Along the south wall are three richly appointed wooden chairs and two armoires (worth between $50 and $100 each). If anyone enters the Armory unaccompanied by Bruce and/or Brice, these five pieces of furniture acquire a twisted semblance of life, as well as warped “faces” with which they snarl and growl. The furniture attacks until one of several conditions are met: the PCs flee the Armory, the furniture is destroyed in combat, or the furniture fails a Will roll (in which case it reverts to an inanimate state and will not spring to life again).

  “Living” Furniture: Melee 3; Physique: 2; Will: 4.

  G4. Pantry

  Shelves line the walls of this room, which hold sacks and glass jars containing dried and preserved foodstuffs, among other victuals. Now, the sacks and jars are mostly empty. There are, however, a couple of pans, one of which contains bits of tough but still pliable rat meat, which is the primary ingredient Johnny uses in preparing meals for Soso. The second pan contains fresher—though still tough—meat that is unmistakably that of human beings. This meat was obtained from the corpses of several travelers who had the misfortune to die while in the estate. Johnny managed to save some of their flesh from Alfred, Tilda, and Lucy Mae, who are always on the prowl for sources of fresh meals.

  G5. Estate Manager’s Room

  Tobias, Crum’s estate manager, dwelt here during his life. Even now, there is a chance (roll 1, 3, or 6 on 1d) that he can be found in this chamber, which includes a bed, a writing desk and chair, a chest of drawers, and a small fireplace. The chest of drawers is now largely empty, except for some scraps of rotted cloth.

  G6. Kitchen

  The large kitchen contains two food preparation tables, as well as many counter tops, shelves, and cupboards a wood-burning stove and a clay oven. There is evidence of meals having been prepared in the kitchen recently (wet stains on cutting boards, scraps of meat, etc.). Looking around the kitchen also reveals broken and chipped house-wares, some of which rest in a washbasin filled with dirty water. A more careful search reveals a false bottom in the drawer of one of the cupboards containing a treasure map to a cache buried outside the estate’s grounds. The cache consists of a coffer of gems (worth $1000), stolen from Crum by Johnny while he was still alive.

  The kitchen contains two fireplaces and a fire pit. Only the fire pit is currently lit and above it there is a bubbling cauldron. The cauldron gives off a foul odor that is noticeable as soon as anyone enters the room. The contents of the cauldron are hard to discern until a PC gets close to it, at which point they will see that it is filled with a clear gelatinous substance. Despite its unpleasant smell, the gelatin (made from the bones and skin of rats and other vermin) is edible and even healthful, healing one Condition (severity and duration). In addition to healing, the gelatin makes its consumer exude the same foul odor as the gelatin itself—lower Rapport, Converse, Deceive and Contacts skills by -2d. Only a passionate kiss can remove the curse. PCs must somehow figure this out AND must convince someone to kiss them while they reek so badly. There is enough gelatin in the cauldron for ten “meals,” but its effects, both good and bad, can be gained only once per consumer.

  There is a set of stairs just outside the kitchen that leads to the Wine Cellar and onwards to the Servant’s Quarters in the basement. The door atop the stairs is locked and the key is in the possession of Tobias. Crum’s signet ring (found in Room U8 of the upper floor) will also open the lock, should the PCs possess it. There is a chance that Johnny is present in this room (roll 1-4 on 1d), hastily preparing a meal or obsessively cleaning. Unless the characters disturb his activities in any way or if they annoy Flora, he will take no notice of them.

  If the characters find the treasure map mentioned above and present it to him, Johnny will seize it greedily and immediately turn to dust, as will the treasure map. If this happens, Johnny is permanently destroyed and cannot be reanimated. Such a turn of events will annoy Crum greatly, leading to an immediate roll on the Random Event table.

  Flora is always present in the kitchen, sitting in a chair along the eastern wall of the room. Between bouts of staring longingly out the window, during which she is insensate to anything else, she berates her husband, telling him to “work faster,” “stop wasting time,” and similar things. When in this latter state (roll 1, 3, and 5 on 1d)), she will also yell at any characters who enter the kitchen, telling them to “get out” because they are “not supposed to be here.” If they do not immediately take heed of her commands, she will order Johnny (if also present) to “deal with them” and he will attack. Flora will not shift from her chair unless she herself is attacked, even if Johnny is destroyed. If Johnny is not present, she will still loudly yell and insult the PCs, which has a chance of summoning Bruce and Brice to the kitchen (roll 3 or 4 on 1d), who will then attack.

  G7. Chef’s Quarters

  Johnny and Flora lived here in life, but it is now mostly uninhabited. If Johnny is not present in the kitchen, he will be here, pacing back and forth as he visibly tries to remember something. In this state, he is easily agitated. Should anyone touch him or even talk to him, he will fly into a rage and attack. Other than Johnny, the room contains only a bed and a chest of drawers.

  G8. Antechamber

  Once richly furnished and decorated, the finery of this small area has long since moldered away, leaving it bereft of almost anything of real value. Besides shattered plaster and the bones of small animals, the only thing of interest that remains is the Speck family crest, which hangs from the east wall. The crest includes the German motto, “Ich werde nicht ganz sterben”—”I will not die completely”—which has proven unexpectedly prophetic in the case of Crum.

  G9. Chapel Of Crispus Attucks

  Crum expanded and refurbished the family chapel, despite being an unbeliever and a blasphemer, and had it rededicated to Crispus Attucks—an American stevedore of African and Wampanoag descent, widely regarded as the first person killed in the Boston massacre and thus the first American killed in the American Revolutionary War. Attucks’ life was controversial, owing to longstanding, but unsubstantiated, rumors that he was a warlock rather than a pious son of the Church. Through his own research, Crum became convinced that the rumors of Attucks’ “faithlessness” were true. He sought out relics associated with the warlock (see below) and enshrined them here, occasionally employing some of them in profane rites he performed in the chapel and in his sanctum.

  The chapel’s rededication was nominal only; the only Masses celebrated here were black ones. The floor in front of the altar shows signs of a brownish staining, the result of Crum’s having slain Tobias here. There are also two reliquaries, one on the north wall and one on the south. Each holds a relic associated with Attucks.

  The reliquary on the north wall contains Attucks’ tricorn hat. Wearing the tricorn hat grants a +3d bonus to all Will and Empathy rolls.

  The reliquary on the south wall contains the skeletal remains of Attucks’ thumbs, which were severed from his hands by an angry mob that accused him of being a warlock (which, of course, he was)—the real reason he was killed at the Boston Massacre. Possession of the two thumbs grants the possessor 3 points of Vigor. However, each time a point of Vigor is ability is used, roll one die. If the result is 1, one of the caster’s thumbs will become blackened, shrive
l, and fall off. After both thumbs are gone, then the right index finger will be die. After the three points are used, no more fingers are in danger of decaying. A PC cannot choose to use Vigor he or she had before the three gained from Attucks’ thumbs. If the PC uses Vigor after possession of the thumbs, the first three used are the ones from Attucks.

  G10. Smoking Room

  The door to this room is locked and trapped. The lock requires Crum’s signet ring, which acts as a key, to open it. The ring can be found on Crum’s body in area U8. The trap is a poisoned needle that injects a virulent poison into anyone that attempts to tamper with the lock. Make a Physique roll. Failure results in immediate death; success invokes the Hallucinating descriptor on the PC for 2d Rounds. While under its effects, the PC sees his or her friends as foes and will attack them with the intention of killing them, and without regard for his or her own safety.

  The small chamber beyond is where Crum entertained his closest friends and associates, debating the meaninglessness of life while imbibing absinthe, opium and peyote. On the walls hang tattered paintings depicting lurid and degenerate scenes of human misery. If sold to a connoisseur of such depravity, they could fetch as much as $200, but finding such a buyer would no doubt bring with it problems of its own. The room’s other furnishings are luxurious, if dusty and worn with age. Transporting them from the estate would undoubtedly be difficult, but, if a means could be found to do so, they might sell to collectors of antiques for another $300 or more.

  Within the smoking room are all manner of liquors and spirits, some from far-off locales and others whose names are unknown to all but the most dedicated aficionados of such beverages. Most remain quite potable—and potent—even after the decades they have rested here. A few have spoiled but none are poisonous or otherwise dangerous. Together, this collection of obscure alcohols might command up to $150 to those with a taste for such things.

  The chamber also contains an ornate humidor (worth approximately $20) inside of which still rests a dozen carefully rolled cigars. Strangely, they appear fresh to the touch and smell, despite the many decades since they were likely made. Anyone who chooses to light one and draws its smoke into his or her mouth must make a successful Physique roll or be turned to stone. Anyone who succeeds feels relaxed and rejuvenated, regaining a point of Vigor.

  G11. Blue Dressing Room

  The walls of this room are painted blue. There are several wooden armoires here, all of which are largely empty. One armoire contains a silver brooch in the shape of a scarab and crescent moon. The brooch is engraved with an exotic cursive script that looks like Arabic but is in fact completely undecipherable. The brooch is worth $50 simply on the basis of its materials.

  G12. Blue Bedroom

  The walls of this room are painted the same shade of blue as those of Room G11. The room is well illuminated by a window on the north wall and a large bay window on the west wall. The shattered remains of a wooden bed can be found here. A door in the north wall leads to a staircase to Room U9 on the upper floor.

  G13. Red Bedroom

  The walls of this room are painted red. There is a single bay window on the north wall and a bare bed against the west wall.

  G14. Red Dressing Room

  The walls of this room are painted the same shade of red as those of Room G13. The room is otherwise empty, though there is evidence that there were once furnishings here.

  G15. Meeting Room

  The meeting room contains a wooden table long enough to seat thirty people comfortably. The table is still in the room, as are twenty chairs. The other ten chairs are broken up into fragments and scattered about the room. Chewed bones (mostly from rats) and bits of gristle are piled upon the table, which has dark brown stains in spatters across its length. The room contains a fireplace along the north wall; the remains of a chandelier hang from the high ceiling above. Like the Armory, black and white checkered tiles of marble cover the floor. Carved wooden panels cover the walls, depicting flowers and geometric patterns. High up, along the east and west walls, are windows through which those on the upper floor could view the hall below. The western window is much larger, since it is located in an area that Crum sometimes used as a musicians’ gallery, when he wished to entertain his guests in that fashion.

  A successful Spot check makes the PC aware that something is inside the fireplace. If examined more closely, the PCs can see that there appears to be a passageway beneath the grating of the fireplace. Indeed, the grating has hinges, enabling it to be used as a trapdoor. Anyone that makes a successful Physique roll can easily lift the grating, which leads to a narrow (but nevertheless navigable) passageway that descends 20 feet into the basement (location B4).

  Roll one die; if the result is 4, 5, or 6, the meeting room is currently inhabited by three members of the household staff, sitting at the table, eating the meat of rats or (if there have been any unfortunate travelers in the area recently) human beings. These three members are Alfred, Tilda, and Lucy Mae. If they are not here, they are in the basement and will react to the sounds of anyone moving the grating in the fireplace by ascending the passageway to investigate. They move silently while doing so, which increases their chance of surprise to a roll of 1–3 on 1d.

  G16. Grand Staircase

  The staircase is carved entirely of wood. Its posts are surmounted by top-hat wearing, lion-headed robots with mechanical scorpion tails. Their top-hats bear the Speck coat of arms. The bottom of the stairs is barred by a short wooden gate intended to prevent Crum’s dogs from ascending the stairs to reach the bedrooms. Each time the characters pass through this area, there is a chance (roll 1 or 5 on one die) that one of the dogs will be here, resting (unless all the dogs have been destroyed beforehand). The dog will attack anyone approaching it, but, if the gate is opened, it will desist and immediately run up the stairs with obvious glee across its decaying face.

  G17. Parlor

  The parlor is where Crum greeted guests and conversed with them while they waited for dinner to be served in the nearby meeting room. The room contains the remnants of many luxurious chairs and sofas. The curtains and other decorations are similarly damaged and decaying. The only items in the room immune to the passage of time are three different portraits of Crum, each one depicting him at different ages—as a child, as a youth, and as he was at the time shortly before his suicide. These portraits hang on the north, west, and south walls and show no signs either of damage or age. They are firmly ensconced on the walls and cannot be easily removed by any normal means without also damaging the walls on which they hang. Removal of a portrait destroys any magical qualities it possesses (see below) and angers Crum, resulting in an immediate roll on the Random Event table.

  If any PC stares intently at one or more of the portraits for longer than a minute, there is a possibility she may gain a bonus or suffer a penalty. The characteristics of each portrait are as follows:

  Childhood Portrait (North Wall): This portrait shows a young boy with long, curly, black hair dressed in blue velvet clothing. He is seated in a large, cushioned chair and has several dogs arrayed at his feet. One small dog rests on the boy’s lap. If the youngest PC in the party stares at the portrait, she must make a successful Will roll. If successful, nothing happens, but if the roll fails, the character’s hair turns black and curly (if it was not already) and he or she gains the special ability Animal Control [Animal Translator] to comprehend and communicate with ALL ordinary animals, once per day. Characters other than the youngest who stare at the portrait gain no bonuses or penalties from doing so.

  Youthful Portrait (West Wall): This portrait shows a somewhat effeminate looking adolescent male with long, curly, black hair of a bit kinkier texture than that of the child in the previous portrait. The youth is dressed in black silk clothes and wears a saber at his belt. He has a strange smirk on his face and his eyes seem to stare directly at the viewer. The first male character to stare at the portrait permanently gains 1 rank to his Empathy score but loses 1 rank fr
om his Spot score. Subsequent male characters or any female characters who stare at the portrait gain neither bonuses nor penalties from doing so.

  Adult Portrait (South Wall): This portrait shows a middle-aged man with shorter, wavy black-but-graying hair. He is dressed in green and brown garments and carries an almost phallic “rattle” in his hand. The rattle is carved in the shape of a nude, kneeling woman, topped by a curved phallic shape. The man looks thin, slightly ill, and wears a bored expression on his face. If the oldest character in the party stares at the portrait, he or she must make a Will check. If successful, nothing happens, but if the roll fails, the character’s hair turns white (if it was not already) and he or she is cursed with the desire to end her life. Until Special Ability Nullification [Full Nullification] is used on the PC, he or she will show no concern for her wellbeing, even in dangerous situations. He or she will rush headlong into battle, enter rooms without first checking for traps, etc. Of course using Full Nullification will temporarily strip the PC of the special abilities they already possess (see Special Abilities in the Steamfunkateers Core Manual).

  G18. Antechamber

  Once richly furnished and decorated, the finery of this small area has long since moldered away, leaving it bereft of almost anything of real value. Besides shattered plaster and the bones of small animals, the only thing of interest that remains is the Speck family crest, which hangs from the west wall. The crest includes the Latin motto, “Ich werde nicht ganz sterben,”—”I will not die completely,”—which has proven unexpectedly prophetic in the case of Crum.

  G19. Music Room

  Six fine but rotting chairs can be found here, in addition to a piano and its bench. The piano, though in ill-repair due to decades of neglect, still works. Playing the piano draws the attention of Tobias, who comes to the room 1d Rounds later. He will compliment the player of the piano and inquire as to whether he or she requires anything of him. He will acquiesce to one request to the best of his ability, though his knowledge is limited. If asked, for example, how to escape from the estate, Tobias will reply, “Entertain my lord,” or something to that effect, but he will provide no more specifics. If he is spoken to rudely or with disrespect, he will summon Bruce and Brice, assuming they have not been destroyed, to “toss these ruffians out.”