Betrayal at House on the Hill

[angelcage]

[ You sleep, the ground cold beneath your cheek. The ground is hard as stone, cold marble beneath a fine layer of dust that doesn't come anywhere near acting as a cushion. The dust stirs with your breathing.


>> Wake up ]

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PENTAGRAM CHAMBER - BASEMENT LEVEL

[angelcage]

[ Something is wrong. With the air you breath, with the stale atmosphere of the room as you step forward into a room thick with malice. Thick with the scent of blood. Chalked on the floor is a giant pentagram, blood stains… a trunk lying open, scratch marks on the inside. Rope, tossed carelessly aside.

The candles all around the room flicker to life when you enter ]

Re: PENTAGRAM CHAMBER - BASEMENT LEVEL

[withintreason]

[ FORTUNATELY I HAVE DEALT WITH SUCH CREEPY DISGUSTING WRONG SCENES BECAUSE OF, MY OWN MOTHER,

wrinkles her nose, looking around from the end of the room for some fucking doors ]

[angelcage]

[ The amulet Miles holds warms as the both of you enter the room. The atmosphere dissipates— no longer oppressive.

You can no longer feel it at all.

There's no other doors. But in the center of the pentagram, a girl lies— bound. Alone. Trapped. Her eyes are blindfolded, and she's breathing hard her wriggling in place getting more frantic at the sound of you opening the door. ]

[withintreason]

[ i absolutely expected this ]

. . .

What's this . . .

[ mmmmmm MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMM

stepping closer i guess ]

[angelcage]

[ She struggles harder, still blindfolded, still bound. ]

[withintreason]

[ mm

is she gagged ]

You. Can you understand me?

[angelcage]

[ She whimpers.

She's not gagged, but she's still slow to respond— eventually, she very carefully nods her head. ]

[withintreason]

[ hmm ]

Who's the one who bound you? Is it the same person who's trapped us all in this mansion?

[angelcage]

[ In a weak voice, she answers: ]

I don't know.

I didn't see.

But please, untie me.

I don't want to die here.

I don't want to die.

[ Her answers are short, coming in halting pauses. She's crying. ]

[withintreason]

[ why are humans so ]

This had better not be a trap. Understand that if you make the slightest false move, I'll cut you down before you can blink.

[angelcage]

Please don't. . . [ Deep breaths, to stop herself from hyperventilating ]

Please don't hurt me. [ In the same small voice, she agrees: ]

I know.

It isn't.

[withintreason]

[ takes a moment or two, watching her, and clicks her teeth - before moving to cut the bonds with her blade. ]

[angelcage]

[ She stiffens, still unable to see as Mordred's blade cuts her free. When her hands are free, the first thing she does is move them up to her blindfold, and yank it down.

She turns to look at Mordred. Her and her awful burns, her sleepwalking partner.

Then— at the door behind them. No one else coming it through it, not yet. ]

We can't stay here.

There's. . .

I heard about a ritual.

[court_chesster]

[Simon has shut himself in with one of his rats. He turns to it.]

Okay, Scampers — now what do we do?

[angelcage]

[ It looks up at him and squeaks adorably.

And then, like his namesake, scampers from one part of the pentagram line to the other. The another. And another.

It's time for fun with rat rituals: memory game edition. ]

[court_chesster]

Can we really still do this without a sacrifice?

[But who could resist that precious little whiskered face? Despite his misgivings, Simon follows its movements closely.]

[angelcage]

[ Squeak, squeakum, squeak squeaker. Scampers gets on its furry hind legs and its tail wriggles behind it while it goes in a circle.

Ehhh, worth a shot. ]

[court_chesster]

[Okay, he thinks he understands this. He has no tail to wriggle, but he also goes in a circle and repeats what he thinks he heard the rat say:]

Tráde, quaesó, mihí caseum.

[angelcage]

[ A big chunk of gouda appears at one of the points of the pentagram.

The rat looks super pleased. ]

[court_chesster]

...Seriously, Scampers? If all this was about cheese, I could've bought you cheese.

[He wants a bite of it, too.]

[angelcage]

[ Scampers shakes its head.

No, you're thinking too small. This is phase one, phase one of the ritual!

Continue, great squeaker!! ]

[court_chesster]

[Okay. Phase one. He can do this. He scoops up the rat (yes, it can keep the cheese), sits in the middle of the pentagram with the animal in his lap, closes his eyes, and lets inspiration come to him.]

[He squeaks.]

[angelcage]

[ Images fill his mind: not this meager army he's amassed within the house. But within all the walls, tearing and ripping all the flesh of those within to pieces. Judgement for those who have done wrong at the teeth of animals, innocent of sin. They want to eat. They want to swarm. He has many he can offer them.

But first, they need to outnumber.

He can open his mind and channel them: he can bring more here. Reach into the house, and pull out its front door. Through there, they can enter. ]

[court_chesster]

[Then he bids them come. Destroy, feed, leave none alive.

...Except me. Leave me alive. There's more cheese in it for you.]

[angelcage]

[ In the entrance hall: the outline of the front door begins to trace itself out on a bare wall. ]