It has been quite the evening. Moving past the children's dining room and up the narrow staircase, you and your friends reach Marcheford's last floor. The manor has revealed a wealth of treasure, but also a wealth of terror. A haunting hedge maze. A ghoulish garage. A killer kennel. A bone-chilling ballroom. A devious dungeon. A frightening fainting room. A nightmarish nursery.
Each part of the estate has had its horrors, but also its safe havens. The attic is another story. It is brimming with ghostly malevolence and there is but one room that offers sanctuary, that offers your last chance for riches.
Choose wisely.
...
After more than a century, the tales of Marcheford's tragedies seem to be the only ones that survive. Very few remember the happiness that lived in these walls. Unbeknownst to you and your fellow explorers, Eloise Marcheford was once renowned for her love of art and her artistic skill. After they married, she asked Alexander for her own studio in the attic, to which he happily complied.
Eloise would spend hours in the
Artist's Studio, painting and sculpting. When the children came along, she gave to them her appreciation for art, as well as poetry, literature and drama. Amelia and Sedrick would put on plays in the studio and everyone would attend. Their mother, the staff, even their father, Alexander. And all would have a joyous time. To Eloise, this room was the heart of the house. And that is why no angry spirit dare cross its threshold... for in it remains strongest the energy of her love.
Tucked away behind a row of old, broken easels, the children's costume trunk is found. And opening it reveals Marcheford's greatest treasure.
A set of glistening, magical wings.
Choose one. ;)
A regal collection of peacock adornments.
And
1000g :gold:!
As well, everyone inside receives 2 Survivor Points! :)
...
You've done what others said couldn't be done. You've the searched the whole of Marcheford Manor and survived. The night is over and the sun is rising. A ray of light catches something you hadn't noticed at the bottom of the trunk. It's a key.
With it is a note. It reads:
"You've found the heart of my home and the key to my heart. Search for me in the cemetery."
What could this mean? You have to find out. You've come this far. Time to return to the cemetery.
(See Post #4)
The
Terrace gives a breathtaking view of the woods and the sea. You might say it's a view to die for.
~The Story of Thom Wallace~
Thom Wallace was a kindly old man with a talent for gardening. Due to an accident in his boyhood, he'd lost his hearing long ago. He hadn't been able to speak well since then, so for the most part he just didn't speak at all. Much of his life, people mistook his silence for dimwittedness, and he was treated rather poorly as a result.
Thom found an unlikely friend in young Amelia Marcheford. Little Amelia adored roses, as did Thom. He'd made a habit of picking a small bouquet for her each day, which he'd give to her when she inevitably "hid" from her brother in the rose garden during one of their games of hide and seek. The bouquets were always received with giggles of delight, and their brief meetings were something Thom quite looked forward to.
When Amelia and Sedrick disappeared, Thom sank into a deep depression. Rather than tend his roses down on the manor grounds, he spent his time on the terrace, pacing back and forth uttering incoherencies and staring off towards the Woods.
Thom was found out on the terrace, having suffered a heart attack. He lay on his side with his face turned toward the Woods, cheeks moist with tears and a small bouquet of white roses clutched in his hand.
I foresee the future for those who enter the
Attic Storage. And it is very grim, indeed.
~The Story of Sorcha Leven~
Sorcha Leven billed herself a "World Class Psychic." With people dropping like flies in the Manor, a desperate housekeeping staff pooled their apron change and hired her to divine the source of the trouble in hopes that they'd finally be able to put whatever-it-was to rest.
Upon arrival at the Manor, Sorcha pulled a long polished bone from a velvet pouch and began waving it around theatrically, chanting aloud in a strange tongue. She was "pulled" this way and that in her colorful skirts as her divination dragged her around the house. Zig-zagging upward with a handful of curious housekeepers in tow, she arrived finally at the door to the Attic Storage room. Shoving open the door with one chubby hand, she boldly proclaimed, "THIS is where we shall hold the seance!"
She whipped out a swatch of purple fabric and lay it atop a pile of boxes, kicking up an awful cloud of dust. The coughing fit that ensued was even more dramatic than her earlier performance, and though she passed rather quickly from an asthma attack, it took the butler poking her good and hard with his cane for the staff to believe she was really dead.
After all these years, the
Sauna no longer heats up. But there is still reason to sweat.
~The Story of Milicent Lollyworth~
Millicent Lollyworth, a distant relative of Eloise Marcheford, only wanted to enjoy her tea in quiet solitude. With the recent passing of her cousin twice-removed, however, the house was a flurry of activity and her usual perch in the Fainting Room was occupied by a mourning aunt. Growing impatient, she shuffled from hallway to hallway until she came upon the Sauna, where she was relieved to discover that not a soul was present.
Perhaps it was the heat of the room, the stress of the day's events, or simply a corset fastened a bit too tightly.. But Millicent began to feel the tingle in her spine, and then the tiny twinkling lights in her peripheral vision appeared -- those familiar, telltale signs that she was about to faint. As her unconscious body collapsed, her tea splashed to the ground and her head hit the sauna bench at just the right angle to snap her neck, killing her instantly.
Don't fret if you can't see in the
Dark Room, pretty soon you'll be able to follow the light.
~The Story of Hunter Puget~
Hunter Puget holds the unfortunate distinction of being Marcheford's most recent victim. Time tends to temper the weight of fear. The 21st century had dawned, and to the neighboring town's younger generation the stories of the manor had become less cautionary tale and more urban legend. Kids still feared the mansion, but there was an edge of fun to that fear.
Hunter was was your average teen. He loved music and enjoyed hanging out with his friends. One day, he and his pals got to talking about Marcheford. "I wouldn't go up there for a million gold," said his friend Todd. "You're sad. It's all just talk" Hunter replied. "If you're so brave, why don't you spend the night there?" Friend Richie added.
Now no young man wants to be seen as a coward in the eyes of his friend, so he agreed. The last Todd and Richie saw of him, he pulled on his headphones, climbed the rusted gate and disappeared from view. When Hunter didn't reappear the next day, authorities were sent to search the property. The house was checked from the bottom up, and at the very top, in the Dark Room, Hunter was found... dead. The coroner attributed the teen's demise to sudden cardiac arrest. But others say he died of fright.
As one can imagine, being a ghost doomed to wander the earth for all time can get a little boring. That's why the studious, Sally Dupree leaves her place in the Library every so often to survey the boundless sky in the Observatory. Lamentably, it's a cloudy, moonless night tonight and Sally needs something else for distraction. Maybe you can help her out.
Being dead is no excuse for letting yourself go. That's why when he feels the need for a little toning, our spectral friend, Rufus, floats up to the Gym. He's got a hell of a workout routine planned. Are you ready to exercise 'til you drop?
In life, Amelia Marcheford's favorite hobby was doll collecting. An entire wall in the Hobby Room was dedicated to these finely crafted figures, made of porcelain and china. Perhaps you would like to see her collection. Perhaps you would like to become part of it.
During his short time at the manor, one of Jarvis' duties was to make sure the house was properly dusted. Now, in death, he sees to it that each room is thoroughly covered. And he doesn't appreciate it when some 'flesh head' comes along to disturb the dust. And I'm afraid that's what you seem to be doing in the Map Room.