Colds winds howled in the back yard, chilling you and your friends to the bone. And just as you were uncertain if you could further face the dark night, where you imagine hidden eyes all around you, a member in your party finds a mysterious key in the Chapel. Fitting the key into the mansion's back entrance, you're delighted to see that it fits.

Marcheford Manor awaits. What will you find inside?

RESULTS:

Though festooned with cobwebs and blanketed in a layer of dust, Marcheford's opulence is proudly on display. As impressed as you and your companions may be, there is still an overwhelming sense of ominousness to the mansion's first floor.

Each of you chooses a room. Do riches reside behind the door? Or something more perilous?

The Conservatory offers nothing but broken pots and rotted, wicker furniture. You feel along the walls looking for a possible secret passage, but no luck.

Some old painting hang high up, far out of reach on the walls in the Lounge. Beside this, there doesn't seem to be much of value. One of you wearily plops down on the sofa and find that it's rather firm. Splitting the cushion's seams, gold is discovered inside!
Enough for 800g :gold: each!

The cupboards and drawers in the Kitchen are thoroughly searched. While you do find some rather nice copper pots, the bottoms have all corroded through. By the icebox you see a large sack labeled 'walnuts'. Curious as to what they may look like after a century, you peek inside... and find a sword? Was it used to crack the nuts open? The chef must have been mad.


Wanting to play it safe, you stayed out in the Hall. The others taunted you for your decision, but the choice turned out to be quite favorable. In the hall closet you discovered a finely, tailored coat. So take that non-Hall searchers!


Entering the Study, it is quite apparent that someone of great intelligence resided here. Charts and books and models, all much too confusing to a layman. An impressive looking weapon is displayed on the wall, just behind the desk. The plaque reads, 'Pudao of Good Fortune'. Well it's certainly fortunate for you.

---

Shhhh, don't make too much noise in the Library. It's resident ghost is likely to hear you. ... Whoops, too late.

~The Story of Sally Dupree~
Sally Dupree was Amelia and Sedrick's tutor. While perusing the shelves of the Library in search of material to supplement her lessons one afternoon, she came across a curious-looking tome high upon one of the shelves. Leather-bound and aged, it bore the initials "A.M." and had strange symbols on its binding. She had a sudden pang of conscience that she shouldn't be snooping, but her curiosity got the best of her and she stretched, tippy-toed, to reach the mysterious book.

She managed to wriggle the top edge free from the tightly-packed shelf, and as she tipped it to pull it down she heard a sharp "Clink!" Something small and silver had fallen from the book and hit the floor. Then another sound -- footsteps! Shoving the book back up into its spot, she panicked and fumbled for the item that she'd caused to drop. Groping madly, her fingers finally connected with the object. "What is it?" she wondered, turning it in her hand. "An idol of some sort? A key?"

A third sound. The ominous creaking of the large standing shelf behind her, as it tipped towards her slight figure. With no time to get out of the way, Sally met her end as the weight of old wood and a hundred books crushed her frame.

---

Welcome! The Ballroom's ghostly occupant is throwing a party. And you are cordially invited.

~The Story of Lawrence Paulson~
As others breathe air, Lawrence Paulson breathed sophistication. He was a shrewd businessman who had made millions and enjoyed spending it on the finer things in life. Rare wines. Expensive pieces of art. Vacation houses on exotic islands. See where this is goin'? ... Lawrence and his young wife Ruby came to Menewsha hoping to find their perfect getaway. And they found that perfect home in the Marcheford Manor.

Oh the locals warned Lawrence and his flashy, little bride about Marcheford's history, but Paulson wouldn't be persuaded. "Progress can't be built on a foundation of superstition," he was famous for saying. And with that he demanded to be shown the manor.

No one in the nearby town would set foot on the property, so Lawrence and his wife were left to their own devices. Superstition may hinder progress, but sometimes it can save you life. When the Paulsons didn't return to their hotel, townsfolks feared the worst. Fears that weren't unfounded. In the ballroom they discovered Lawrence dead, his face contorted into a grinning mask of madness.

---

Marcheford's serving girl waits for you in the Dining Room. And what she's serving... is death.

~The Story of Cara Ellison~
The months following the death of Eloise Marcheford were difficult for everyone, and the kitchen staff was no exception. They say each person processes grief differently; for Cara Ellison, it was pouring herself into her work that enabled her some semblance of relief from the deep sorrow she felt. Creating new recipes for the remaining household became something of a personal crusade for her, and she began to seek rarer and stranger ingredients with which to ply her craft. With each successful creation she felt a little more whole, and so she couldn't help but continue.

It was with a slight hint of madness that Cara envisioned her final masterpiece: a complex stew, made with the finest meats, imported spices, and vegetables from near and far. For her final ingredient, Cara disobeyed a longstanding house rule and trespassed into Mr. Marcheford's private garden to collect from unfamiliar herbs to add to the stew. As it brewed and bubbled, a curiously bitter aroma wafted into the air and Cara felt that she was at the threshhold of closure. A quick taste confirmed that she had created something truly unique. All that remained was to serve this glorious dish to the household, and then she would finally be at peace.

Unfortunately, that unfamiliar herb proved to be the deadly poison that would end Cara's life, forever binding her spirit in unrest as she attempts in vain to serve her final meal to souls long departed.

---

The Billiard Room is normally all fun and good times. Unfortunately, you've found Sedrick Marcheford while playing a game of hide and seek with his sister. And he decides to make a game of you.