The Haunting of the House of Crum
Page 7
The reason for this is that it is currently occupied by a middle-aged man who looks somewhat like the man in the adult portrait hanging on the wall of Room G17 of the lower level. Despite appearances, this is not, in fact, Crum returned from the dead. Rather, it is Soso, the sole survivor of a previous expedition into the estate. Crum’s consciousness found the man’s broad resemblance to his mortal form amusing and so instructed his undead servants to treat Soso as if he was, in fact, the estate’s master.
Soso now spends most of his time in this bedroom, waited on hand and foot by Tobias and the other household servants, who provide him with a regular supply of the finest meats from rats and other small creatures as they can find, occasionally supplemented with the flesh of travelers who die on the grounds and whose corpses are not stolen away by the other servants in the basement beneath the estate. Because of his diet of human flesh, Soso is slowly becoming less than human in appearance, as the years crawl on, but he has also gained functional immortality—a process that has claimed his sanity as well.
Soso does his best to play the part of Crum but even a few moments of conversation with him reveals how utterly mad he is.
Provided the characters play along, Soso is quite content to entertain them with stories of his imagined life as lord of the estate. He will even go so far as to offer them a tour of the place, summoning Bruce and Brice, if they have not yet been destroyed, to accompany them for as long as they require. Soso will never leave the master bedroom himself, claiming that he is “simply too busy with his correspondence” to be able to do so. He will then point to his writing desk, which is piled with papers, ink pots, envelopes, and the like.
The moment any character draws attention to anything that suggests Soso is not actually Crum, he grows angry and attacks the characters, calling on “his” servants to aid him. Provided they have not already been destroyed, Tobias, Friday, Bruce, and Brice arrive in 1d Rounds to defend Soso. Aside from the opulent furnishings of the room (which could easily fetch $4000 or more, if they could be transported from the estate) Soso possesses a large sack containing $600 and an enchanted sword that he uses in combat. The sword once belonged to Crum himself and only demonstrates its enchantment after it has been used to slay someone living. Once so activated, every strike landed on a target causes a Moderate, Lasting Condition that can only be healed by the Healing special Ability.
Soso: Converse: 2; Deceive: 3; Marksman: 3; Melee: 5; Scholarship: 3; Will: 4.
U14. Game Room
A large wooden table and several chairs can be found here. During Crum’s life, this is where he and his guests might play chess, ayo, cards and games of chance.
U15. Bathroom
This room was used for bathing and contains a large metal tub and a washbasin. There is also a mirror on the western wall. The mirror is encircled in copper knot-work, which reflects red in any torch or lantern light. It stands about six feet tall, stretching from slightly above the floor to slightly below the ceiling.
It is, in fact, a magical mirror. It can be passed through, leading to Milton Davis’ astrology shop in Galveston, Texas—see the Be Free adventure in Steamfunkateers. Davis has a similar mirror at the back of his office. If characters step through the mirror, appearing in Milton’s office, Milton will be shocked. He will whistle loudly and within 1d Rounds, a dozen of his Street Sparrows will appear, ready to do battle if they must. PCs can step back through the mirror or explore Galveston if they wish.
U16. Guestroom
This locked bedroom is now the haunt of Elise Vanderbilt, a mistress of Crum, who locked herself in this bedroom without either food or water in order to “punish” him for his having taken another lover. Elise had hoped that Crum would express his love for her by saving her from wasting away, but, to her surprise and dismay, he found her actions diverting for a time and ordered the room (included its windows) bolted from the outside as well. He took pleasure in listening to Elise begging for him to release her from the room, as well as her claims to have forgiven him for his “indiscretion.” The jilted mistress eventually died in the bedroom and her vengeful consciousness remains here, mad with grief and rage. She will attack any who enter the room until either she or they are destroyed. Elise Vanderbilt’s mortal remains can be found atop the rotting bed. There are two rings on the corpse’s fingers, one of which is worth $50 and another, set with an emerald, is worth $200.
Elise Vanderbilt: Melee: 2; Will: 3.
U17. Guestroom
This is another guestroom. Its original contents consisted of a bed, a chair, and an armoire. All of these furnishings have since been smashed to pieces, the debris scattered about the room in several piles.
U18. Destroyed Bedrooms
The ceilings of these two bedrooms have collapsed, as has part of the outside wall, which has allowed rain and other adverse weather conditions to damage their furnishings. Each room is 10’x15’. The floors have also been damaged, making them somewhat unsafe to cross. For every 10 feet crossed, the GM should roll 1d. If a 1 is rolled, the floor will collapse, dropping the PCs into either Room G24 or Room G25 (GMs decision) on the lower level.
U19. Observatory
This room served as an observatory during Crum’s life. He had set up a telescope here, along with star charts and other related paraphernalia, all of which are still here. There is also a small library of books on astronomy and astrology, about half of which are damaged due to age, worms, water, etc.
Henry is here, assuming he has not been encountered elsewhere or destroyed previously. He will be using the telescope and will beckon anyone who enters to take his place, saying, “The Master said he sometimes asks questions of the stars—and they answered him! You can ask them, too, if you dare.” Any character that looks through the telescope has the option of using it to ask a number of questions of a star.
The number of questions is up to the PC.
All questions are answered with a one-word reply and there is only a 50% chance the answer will be truthful—roll 1d: the answer is the truth on a roll of 1, 3, or 5). In addition, there is a chance per question (noncumulative) that the questioner will become possessed by an ancestral spirit that is dog-like in its actions, but can still speak as a human and use his or her skills and special abilities, for a number of weeks equal to the number of questions asked. If the PC role-plays this faithfully and well, the GM should reward him or her 2-4 points of Vigor.
Attacking Henry results in an immediate roll on the Random Event table. Henry will attempt to flee from the room and seek out Bruce and Brice for protection.
Should anyone destroy Henry, in addition to the penalties to Crum’s Fun noted on p.27, she merits Crum’s special ire:
All subsequent negative results from the Random Event table target that character first and foremost for the rest of the time he or she is in the estate.
Basement
The basement level of the estate consists of both the chambers worked from the stone beneath it, as well as a series of natural caverns that connect to those chambers.
B1. Wine Cellar
This chamber is not naked rock but is instead carved into a regular shape. When the estate was inhabited by the living, it served as a wine cellar, as evidenced by the large number of shelves containing bottles of various sorts found herein. Most of these shelves and bottles have since been smashed or otherwise damaged, but a small number have not. There are 18 intact bottles in the cellar, each of which could fetch $222 if sold to a connoisseur.
The room is otherwise empty.
The northern and western doors out of this chamber are locked and require the use of either the key possessed by Tobias or Crum’s signet ring to open.
B2. Alchemical Laboratory
Crum used this large room to practice alchemy, engaging in research he hoped would alleviate his world-weariness. He spent large sums of money to acquire an impressive collection of chemicals and equipment, but he soon discovered that he lacked the dedication to take up alchemy ser
iously. Thus, he abandoned the laboratory, allowing it to molder and collect dust behind its locked doors. The lock is not trapped and can be picked. Otherwise, only Crum’s signet ring will open it.
The walls of the laboratory are covered with many shelves, cabinets, hooks, and other storage devices. Inside of them are innumerable vials, bottles, and beakers, each of them filled with liquids and powders, along with many strange tools of use to alchemists. Taken together, the materials here are worth in excess of $400 to those knowledgeable in this field, but transporting it all would prove difficult, at least until the curse on the estate is lifted.
If anyone chooses to imbibe or consume the contents of any of the vials in the room, roll 1d to determine its effects from the table below. Except for the poisonous ones, the following effects are not cumulative. If a character already under an effect drinks another bottle with the same effect, nothing occurs.
1-3: Poison. Perform a Physique check. Success means you suffer no effect. Failure means you die.
4: The imbiber becomes semi-transparent, which grants them a +1d bonus to Stealth rolls and incurs a -2d penalty on anyone trying to Spot him or her. This change is permanent unless removed through Special Ability Nullification.
5: The imbiber is healed of all negative physical Conditions. If the imbiber is not damaged at the time, he or she instead gains a point of Vigor.
6: Dream Drug. Perform a Will check. If the PC fails, he or she falls into a deep slumber for 1d Turns, during which time the character’s mind leaves his or her body and enters a nightmarish realm. This realm is inhabited by strange, ethereal beings that seek to wreak havoc in the waking world by possessing the bodies of sleepers. Characters who consume this dream drug must perform a Will roll, with a -1d penalty for every Turn the character is asleep. Failure indicates the character has been possessed and will henceforth attempt to do damage, betray, and otherwise harm his or her companions for a number of hours equal to the PC’s Vigor.
B3. Storage Room
This room contains numerous barrels and crates, which once contained dried foods, fresh water, and other provisions for use in emergencies. All of them are now either smashed or empty. There is nothing of value in the room.
B4. Servants’ Quarters
This large room served as the servants’ quarters during the lifetime of Crum. Originally, the servants lived off the grounds of the estate itself, in a separate wooden building that has long since been destroyed. As his ennui increased, Crum wanted his servants to live within the walls of the estate so that they might be readily available should he ever need them for any purpose. These quarters were constructed to house them. The quarters also served as a dining room, where they ate their meals.
The quarters are currently inhabited by those servants that retain a corporeal existence in death. GM, roll 1d: if the result is 4, 5, or 6, Alfred, Tilda, and Lucy Mae are here, if they have not already been encountered elsewhere or destroyed. These servants are extremely territorial and resent the intrusion of anyone into their quarters, attacking them immediately and fighting until either they or their opponents are dead or they break morale—in which case they flee up the passageway that leads to the fireplace in Room G15.
There is some furniture in the room—a large table, several rough chairs, and a couple of folding screens intended to provide some measure of privacy. Behind one of the screens is a tub filled with stagnant water, in which some of the servants continue to “wash,” despite their undead state.
Consequently, the water is infected with a disease. Anyone that places their hands within it must roll 1d: if the result is a 3, then that PC has contracted the disease and can spread it to others by physical contact (anyone touched must score at least 2 successes on a Physique check or they are infected, too). Anyone that contracts the disease has a chance of lapsing into a coma—PC, roll 1d: if a 1, or 6 is rolled, the PC falls comatose for 1d weeks.
In addition to the passageway leading to the meeting room, there are three exits from this room. The door to the north is locked and can be opened only by Tobias’s key or Crum’s signet ring. The door to the west is not locked and leads up to the surface, some 100 yards away from the grounds of the estate. Unfortunately, it is affected by the curse and anyone who walks more than 40 feet down its length will find themselves blocked by a magical barrier like that which bars most other egress from the estate’s grounds.
The third exit leads to the wine cellar and up to the kitchen.
B5. ‘Shroom Room
This cavern is damp and musty, giving off an unpleasant odor from some distance away. Its interior is covered in patches of yellowish-black mushrooms about 4 to 6 inches in height. These mushrooms sense vibrations and burst forth a cloud of noxious and choking dust when a living—not undead—creature comes within 10 feet. All those in the area must make a Physique check. If a PC fails, they suffer a Mild, Lasting psychological Condition. Even if the roll is successful, an affected PC suffers the Stunned Condition for 1d rounds from fits of choking and coughing. Cold instantly kills these mushrooms.
There are three patches of mushrooms, one near each of the cave’s entrances.
B6. The Vault
This chamber appears to be empty, but its contents are hidden by an illusion of a rock wall that can be overcome by anyone who makes a successful Spot check. Those who are successful will see two chests and three coffers in the southeast corner of the room. The two chests are locked, while the coffers are not. None of them are trapped.
Chest #1 contains $600.
Chest #2 contains $200, 3 gems (each worth $400), and a necklace (worth $100).
Coffer #1 contains a cursed brooch that afflicts the wearer with a wasting disease that kills in 1d months, even if the brooch is removed. Each month the victim survives, he or she loses 1 rank of Will and 1 rank of Physique. The disease can be eliminated by means of the Healing special ability, but lost Will and Physique ranks do not return.
Coffer #2 contains $200 in silver coins.
Coffer #3 contains a scroll of Healing (works just like the special ability).
B7. Frog Idol
This small cave is empty, except for a large (5’ tall) carved stone idol in the shape of a strange being that resembles a frog with fishlike features, such as a dorsal fin and tail. The image has been defaced and cast to the ground, but it is clear that it once was placed in a niche in the wall of the cave.
B8. Underground Lake
This large cave is the site of a freshwater lake. Located at the edge of the lake is a stone altar carved with demonic, froglike images. Its surface is covered with brown stains and there are bone fragments that litter the area surrounding it. When he was alive, Crum used this altar to summon the lake’s inhabitants by offering them sacrifices. The lake is but one small part of a much larger subterranean water system that extends deep beneath the earth.
These creatures take great interest in anything that enters the waters, which is why Crum entered into a pact with them: in exchange for monthly sacrifices, they would allow him to make use of the water in any way he chose. Anyone else entering the water will find it cold and home to blind cave fish but otherwise benign. The water is quite murky and surprisingly deep—close to 50 feet at its deepest. There is an underwater tunnel that leads down into the depths beneath the estate. It is immune to Crum’s power and characters could use it to escape if they possess the ability to breathe underwater. Unfortunately, the tunnel goes about a quarter-mile straight down before opening into a large underwater cavern containing an underwater city where the lake’s froglike inhabitants dwell. GMs are free to develop this city as they wish or simply to declare that any characters that travel to it are captured by its inhabitants and never heard from again.
Any time the characters enter this cave, roll one die: on a 1 or 4 result, 1d Frog-Men will be present. The creatures miss the sacrifices that Crum provided to them and will thus relish the opportunity to kill more humans. They will gleefully attack any living being they enc
ounter and will pursue them outside the cave if they should flee. The creatures are unaffected by the robe found in the Preparation Room (B13).
Frog-Men: Athletics: 5; Melee: 4; Physique: 2; Will: 4. Superb Agility [Master]; Wall-Crawling [Master].
B9. Empty Cavern
This large cavern is completely empty save for some harmless phosphorescent fungi and lichens that give the room an odd greenish glow.
B10. Small Lake
The underground lake found elsewhere also bubbles up into this chamber. Two demonic frogs, gifts to Crum from the entities dwelling in the lake, lurk here. Being demonic beings, the two frogs do not require earthly sustenance, but they do enjoy the opportunity to kill and maim living beings. They will quickly attack any who enter this cave. The demonic frogs will not attack anyone who enters the chamber wearing the robe found in the Preparation Room (B13); their companions, however, are not similarly immune to attack.
Demonic Frog: Athletics: 6; Marksman: 7; Melee: 5; Physique: 4; Will: 6. Slowing [Master; Stop]; Superb Agility [Master; Mighty Bound]; Wall-Crawling [Master; Rebound].
B11. Webbed Cavern
This cavern is filled with large spider webs, hanging from what appear to be the desiccated corpses of several humanoid beings. Despite appearances, there are actually no spiders, giant or otherwise, to be found within this room and the “corpses” are well-crafted mannequins placed here as a jest by Crum. The mannequins have no value in and of themselves and, other than the tattered clothes they wear, have no possessions. The strands of the webs are flammable.
B12. Torture Chamber
This very large chamber is accessible only by means of a locked door, the key to which is in the possession of Tobias (Crum’s signet ring also works). The room is filled with all manner of torture devices and implements—racks, branding irons, cages, pillories, etc. Some of these devices are stained with long-dried blood, as are the floors and some of the walls of the room. On one wall, there are a series of hash marks (numbering 256), indicating the number of prisoners who died while in this room decades ago. There are also a number of sketch books that contain drawings of the various tortures put to the unfortunate souls that entered this place.