plot

plot

what we know about the story so far

Once upon a time, there was a house at the top of a hill. It was a pleasant looking house, but at the same time there was something strange about it. People would walk inside and not come back out again. Those that walked inside were trapped, unable to open the front door no matter what they tried. And once inside, they found something even stranger waiting for them. A hallway of rooms and their name on one of those doors.

Someone had known they were coming, and had prepared a place for them. More unnerved by this finding than comforted, they looked for another way out of the house besides the front door. But door after door after door was locked to their touch, and any windows could not be shattered. With no choice but to bide their time, these prisoner-guests were forced to settle into their new lives at the house on the hill.

It did not take them long to wonder who had gathered them here, and toward what purpose. Some had seemingly stumbled upon the house by accident, but others had been lured by letters from a mysterious B.M. Who was this B.M. and what was his connection to the strange house? Because the house was very strange indeed, supernatural incidents happening around almost every corner. Gradually, as they explored the house, in constant search for a way out, they began finding clues.

Something terrible had happened in the house. Who was the little girl lost in the house? What had driven the madman insane? Where did the mysterious B.M. fit into this? Maybe the answer was in the two coded letters that were found. One by one each letter was changed, until the prisoner-guests could read the chilling tale of Bartholomew and Vanessa contained within. The letters told of a love affair between the two, and hinted at something rather dire happening to Vanessa's husband. Some began to speculate that B.M., Bartholomew, and the System Manager who liked to taunt them over the network were one and the same.

But even as the pieces started coming together, the prisoner-guests had to deal with a betrayal of their own. One of their number was a traitor. Day by day, night by night, for a whole week he turned them against each other, guided by a small black sphere he'd found. Some people he was able to trick or coerce to help him, the others he killed or had killed. And then, as suddenly as it began, it ended. The strange object that had incited the betrayal vanished, and all the rooms that had been found were suddenly locked again.

Those trapped in the house had to start over. To say the least, they weren't pleased, but as always they longed for a way out of the house, a way home. After a few more weeks, their first real progress was made toward getting out of the house. A key half was found. True, it was only half a key, but it was a key that looked like it would fit the front door nonetheless. But before any clues as to the location of the other half could be found, a curious invitation arrived.

It seems the enigmatic B.M. was holding a ball, and all were invited. Some took it as a chance to have a little fun, others took it as an opportunity to find out more about B.M. And find out about him they did, for at the stroke of midnight, he revealed himself to the guests, giving his name as Bartholomew. But before anything else could be revealed, a horrified scream was heard from the main hallway. Those that hurried there were treated with the sight of a woman hanging from the ceiling. Soon the guests were to learn that this woman was Vanessa, mother of Hannah, wife of Andrew, and former lover of Bartholomew.

But before much could be done with this information, a second traitor surfaced. Unlike the first traitor, the second worked alone. Attacking even those who had been his friends, the traitor searched the house for the shards that would complete the broken mirror he carried. This time however, luck seemed to be on the side of the housemates as they soon discovered how to get rid of the mirror shards they found. Ultimately however, time ran out for the traitor and the mirror took his life. Making its way to the graveyard to collect its missing pieces, the mirror was ultimately stopped by Bartholomew.

This time however, the rooms did not lock. At least, not right away. For while the traitor had been trying to complete the mirror, a monster had appeared in the house. Slow but powerful, the zombie started to attack the housemates, infecting them one by one. Within less than a day it's first victim had become a zombie as well and went on his own lumbering hunt. Just when things were starting to look desperate, the second key half was found and the front door opened. As the sunlight streamed into the house, the infected housemates were cured, and everyone was free to step outside.

residents

they lurk in the halls

There are residents of the mansion, who may or may not chose to let themselves be known. Certain Haunts may bring about necessity for their presence, or perhaps they will just come out to play for fun. The account for all NPCS is betrayedbynpc

For the moment, the major NPC's are:

The Girl; Hannah | Isao | A lonely little girl who misses her parents, Hannah questions why they left her in this strange house all on her own.
The Madman; Andrew | Rema | A madman now regaining his sanity, just what Andrew is after is a mystery. Revenge for Bartholomew seducing his wife perhaps?
Vanessa | Erica | A woman torn between two men, Vanessa regrets her decision to leave her husband. Nevertheless, she is a loving mother to Hannah.
Bartholomew M. | Rema | A strange man who invited even stranger people to the house on the hill. But for what purpose and to what end?
The System Manager | Rema |
The Ghost | Isao |
The Dog | --- | A strange dog capable of speech.