Return to Betrayal at House on the Hill, Group 1

[Kish]

As she predicted, Zostra finds herself in the gymnasium. Her attention is caught by a crystal ball precariously balanced on a weight training machine.

Spoiler: Gymnasium

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Once per game, each Explorer who ends turn in this room moves their Speed one place to the left. This happens for Zostra now.

Spoiler: Omen: Crystal Ball

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Hazy images appear in the glass. Once during each of your turns, only when the Haunt is active, you can attempt a Knowledge roll to peer into the crystal ball. On a roll of 4 or higher, you can search through the event or item deck and place the card of your choosing on top (shuffing the other cards afterward). On a roll of 1 to 3, you avert your eyes; move your Sanity counter one place to the right. On a roll of 0, you stare into Hell; move your Sanity counter two places to the right.

Make a Haunt roll by rolling 6d3-6; if you roll a 1 or 0, the Haunt begins.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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[Reinholdt]

"Oh my, so cluttered. Someone really should clean in here. It could prevent serious injuries."

Professor Longfellow moves back to the Upper Landing and heads for the unexplored area to the South, opposite the Chapel.

[Requilac]

I rolled 4, so the haunt was avoided. I also received an omen, so that is all my movement for this turn.

[Kish]

Professor Longfellow finds himself in the library.

Spoiler: The Library

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Once per game, when you end turn in this room, you move your Knowledge one place to the left. Professor Longfellow does not immediately benefit from this, because:

Spoiler: Event: Revolving Wall

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As Professor Longfellow briefly leans against the south wall, it spins around, dumping him in the servants' quarters.

Spoiler: Omen: The Book

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Professor Longfellow sees a strange leatherbound book laid out on a pillow.

Move your Knowledge two places to the left now. This will be reversed if you lose the Book.

Make a Haunt roll by rolling 6d3-6; on a 2 or lower, the Haunt begins.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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[Rocks_Fall]

Ox continues one space North.

[Kish]

Ox enters the dining room and is greeted by a bark.

Spoiler: Omen: The Dog

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A large, mangy dog trots up to you, wagging its tail. Move your Might and Sanity both one place to the left; these will be reversed if the Dog parts company with you. You can, on your turn, direct the Dog to move to any explored room up to 6 spaces away; it will automatically return to you at the end of your turn if not called back before then (it can’t end turn in a separate room from you). The Dog can pick up, carry, and/or drop 1 item at any point during this movement; you can have the Dog carry an item from you to another Explorer who you want to have it, or pick up an item that’s lying on the floor and bring it back to you. The Dog isn’t slowed by opponents, can’t use one-way passages or go alone through any room that requires a roll to travel through, and can’t carry items that slow movement. The Dog cannot take an item that cannot be traded away from an Explorer (but can pick one up and bring it to you or to a different Explorer who is within range, should it simply be lying on the floor). The Dog cannot take any item from an Explorer who doesn’t hand it over voluntarily (you can use the Dog to facilitate another Hero passing you the Revolver because your Speed is higher, but the Dog won’t help you steal the Revolver from the Traitor). The Dog can't be dropped, traded, or stolen.

Make a Haunt roll by rolling 6d3-6; on a 3 or lower, the Haunt begins.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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[Requilac]

Quick OOC question, how did a dog get in this abandoned haunted house? Is the house all rotted and torn dow making it easy for animals to get in and thusly the place is infested with similar beasts, or is this guy an aberration considering the circumstance? More or less, I am asking how strange is it for one of us to find a dog in this house on the hill.

[Rocks_Fall]

Haunt does not begin.

[Kish]

The house is sealed as far as you've been able to observe. Then again, you don't know what might be in the basement.

[Requilac]

The house is sealed as far as you've been able to observe. Then again, you don't know what might be in the basement.

Zostra has been in the basement for quite some time now and never saw any dog-sized or larger animals down there. I am guessing it is incredibly strange that the hound is here then?

[Reinholdt]

((It is quite strange. We shouldn't trust this dog. Or its owner. Hmmmmmmmmmm....
The book causes no haunt.))

[Ronnoc]

Peter slowly walks through the statuary corridor. The hairs on the back of his neck stand as he paces through the shadows of the looming cloth covered statues. Right as soon as Peter reaches the end of the hall he realizes the what was so unnerving. Despite the gale that had surged through the hallway, none of the sheets draping the statues had moved.

OOC: Peter walks through the statuary corridor continuing to head West.

[Kish]

Peter finds himself in a room where, he hopes, someone recently had an accident with a roast. Other explanations for the blood all over the room you would prefer not to consider.

Lying just outside one of the puddles of blood is what, if you didn't know better, you would think was a bundle of dynamite. Examining it convinces you that you do not know better.

Spoiler: Item: Dynamite

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The fuse isn’t lit…yet. Instead of attacking, you can throw the dynamite through a connecting door into an adjacent room. Each Explorer and monster in that room must attempt a Speed roll. On a 5 or higher, they avoid damage; on a 4 or less, they take 4 points of physical damage. Discard this item after you use it.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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Turn Four begins now. The results of an (assumed, automatic) use of the Spirit Board have been PM'd to Requilac. Everyone has 48 hours to move.

[Requilac]

Zostra holds the orb gingerly in her hands, studying it thoroughly. This is a scrying orb, and much like the ones she has used before, but there is something off about this one. Usually complex rituals are needed to activate them, but in this case he orb seems to constantly shift from hazy vision to hazy vision within an instant. That and something seems more menacing about this one, as if it could drag her to a place where here is no recovering from seeing. It does not appear to providing any visions distinct enough to give any information though. With the scrying orb and spirit board carefully in hand she continues her exploration, hoping to find more Eldritch items. Haunted houses are a lot more profitable then she first thought.

She tries to use the squeegee (no one ever told her that the correct spelling is ouija) board to ask the ghosts once more for what is in the next room, but they only blabber incoherently. With a grumble she opens the door to her right and continues with her investigation .

Zostra moves to the right.

[Kish]

The room Zostra enters is piled high with junk. It would be easy to sprain an ankle here--or worse; that point looks exceedingly sharp. What is it, anyway?

Spoiler: Junk Room

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When you leave this room, you need to make a Might roll; on a 2 or lower, move your Speed one place to the right.

Spoiler: Omen: The Spear

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Spear – A weapon pulsing with power. You roll two additional dice (maximum of 8 dice) when making a Might attack with this weapon. You can’t use another weapon while using this one. Weapons can only be used when attacking, not when defending.

Make a Haunt roll now by rolling 6d3-6; on a roll of 4 or lower, the Haunt begins.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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[Requilac]

Zostra looks upon the weapon glowing in the center of the junk pile. Green runes are written all along its shaft that whisper of untold secrets. What a strange thing to find here. She carefully picks it up, now dropping the squeegee board and scrying orb into her satchel. She holds The evil armament as if it were her destiny. Come whatever may demon house, for when the time comes you will be Zostra’s prey.

The haunt is averted. Zostra has no movement left.

[Ronnoc]

Peter gingerly steps around the blood smears and heads north.

[Kish]

Peter enters a gallery. Looking over the balcony, he sees an unfamiliar room; jumping over the balcony to go somewhere where the dangers are unknown is unthinkable. His attention is quickly drawn by a necklace hanging on a statue, anyway.

Spoiler: The Gallery

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When the Ballroom has been explored, anyone in the Gallery will be able to choose to jump down to it, spending no movement but taking 1d3-1 damage.

Spoiler: Omen: Medallion

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You are immune to the effects of the Pentagram Chamber, Crypt, and Graveyard.

Make a Haunt roll now by rolling 6d3-6; on a roll of 5 or lower, the Haunt begins.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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[Reinholdt]

"There's nothing more calming of mind than respite in a holy sanctuary." The Professor nods sagely as he continues moving to the South.

[Kish]

Professor Longfellow enters a research laboratory.

Spoiler: Event: The Lost One

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The Lost One: A woman wearing a Civil War dress beckons to you. You fall into a trance. Make a Knowledge roll. On a roll of 5 or higher, you break out of the trance; move your Knowledge counter one place to the left. On a roll of 4 or lower, roll 3d3-3 to determine where she leads you.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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[Rocks_Fall]

Ox bends down and scratches the dog under the chin, surprised by how friendly it is. “Now who are you? Can you help me find some service in this damnable place?” Ox’s hand catches the dog’s collar and a tag catches the light. “Will you help me... Cujo?” The dog barks excitedly and Ox takes that for a yes. The pair moves one room to the West.

[Kish]

Ox enters a kitchen which has a skull lying in front of a cabinet.

Spoiler: Omen: The Skull

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If you take mental damage, you can take all of it as physical damage instead. You cannot convert part of the damage, only all or none.

Make a Haunt roll now by rolling 6d3-6; if you roll 6 or lower, the Haunt begins.

Spoiler: Upper Floor

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Spoiler: Ground Floor

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Spoiler: Basement

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[Rocks_Fall]

Rolled a 3.

[Kish]

The Haunt will begin as soon as Longfellow resolves the Lost One event.

[Reinholdt]

Professor Longfellow recognizes the ghost after looking her up in his book with a roll of 5. No trance today.

[Kish]

The Haunt begins now. The details will need to wait on a decision by the Traitor, Madame Zostra.

[Kish]

((I applaud Requilac's thoroughly getting into the role, but the Hero Turn does come before the Monster Turn; the decision I needed was which Hero Death will appear with...and it's Ox. Hero QT will be PM'd shortly.))

[Requilac]

((I applaud Requilac's thoroughly getting into the role, but the Hero Turn does come before the Monster Turn; the decision I needed was which Hero Death will appear with...and it's Ox. Hero QT will be PM'd shortly.))

It would have been nice to tell me that ahead of time. I will delete the post then. You know who to target.

[Kish]

I thought I had. But you don't need to delete it--just the part with Zostra's actions.

[Requilac]

Oh so the traitor acts on the same turn as the hero? Fair enough, let me repost it. I saved all that spiel on a separate document.

- - - Updated - - -

Far away in the kitchen the grim keeper of souls emerges. Suddenly Ox's dog starts barking at something behind him. Ox turns and sees the shadows behind him writhing and morphing. Eventually they coalesce into a cloak the color of the night sky which hovers in the air, though there is no body within it. Somehow though the hood rises and from where its head should be an eerie blue light shines. Two spectral hands rise from the ground and come to the sides of the cloak, each one carrying something. In one hand there is a scythe that glows like silver under the moonlight but in the other hand he carries a... chess set? Ox's dog whimpers while backing away from the grim reaper. The blue light of death's non-existent head settles on the skull in Ox's hand.

"What are the odds that a mortal should ever touch the skull of Ebenezer Slocum ever again? Quite strange. But I see that I have been challenged once again. Oh well, it is true that the dead can find no rest then... So Ox Bellows you are not content with the concept of Death and wish to defeat it? I should inform you that I am not so easily defeated. Try and stop me if you really think you can, you will end up like all the others." The reaper places the chess set out in front of him. The Board is made from the stone of a crypt and the pieces are all made of bone. A graveyard fog forms over the board. "If you can take a single one of my pawns, then you shall be able to leave this house alive. You will find that objective much harder than you think though, for I have learned much over the years. Everytime I take one of your pieces though, you will lose something. I will suck more and more life force out of you and everyone in this house for every failure until you and everyone you care about are little more than a withered skeleton and a lost soul." The reaper uses some form of telepathy to push the chair aside and floats in front of the table, beckoning you over. "And if you try to run away and forfeit the game then your soul shall automatically become mine. Now... shall we play?"

Ox, make a knowledge roll contested by Death's knowledge roll.