Come back at night, open the window, and patiently wait for her to return in the dark. Have a little chat with your squatter.

You'll let her live here as a housedoctor. Rent will be paid in making sure the residents stay alive and sane.

Kaktus 2023/04/15(Sat)13:14 No. 1061459 ID: 681cb5
File 168158966738.png - (111.28KB , 700x550 , 72.png )

Belle: “You know…” you ponder out loud as Chris closes the window, “I think someone might have been living in this room. Uninvited.”
Chris: “Really?” he looks over his shoulder at you, “What makes you say that?”
Belle: First you point towards the door where you came in, “The door was locked from the inside, wasn’t it?” before pointing towards the window behind Chris, “And the only other way out is that window that’s facing a tree, which we just found open.”
Chris: “Huh… that’s true…” the rabbit says as he stares out the window, “But who would come here?”
Belle: “It might be that old doctor I talked too…” you rub your shin, “She did mention that she had some kind of hidey-hole.”
Chris: “That old crow you were talking to earlier?” he continues looking out in silence, leaving only the sound of the rain smattering across the roof for several minutes, “I have a hard time imagining her climbing a tree and then jump over to the window, especially at her age.” Your husband leans closer to the window, clearly looking down towards the ground, “Though… maybe she used a ladder instead? Then again, that would be rather suspicious seeing a ladder right next to the front porch.”
Belle: “Maybe you’re right, maybe it wasn’t her.” You sigh while closing your eyes, “The key she had was made of copper and had some kind of engraving on it… while the key to this door was just a simple brass key.”
Chris: “And why should she stay here of all place?” Chris finally turns around and gesture into the room, “The only thing here is an old pile of straw and some ancient children drawings.”
Belle: “And some crayons.”
Chris: “And crayons!” the rabbit drags a finger across the top of the window, leaving it covered in dust, “No, it doesn’t look like anyone has been here for some time… we’re just lucky the open window hasn’t caused any damage to the house, really.”
Belle: “Still… why is there a pile of straw up here? And these drawings?”

Kaktus 2023/04/15(Sat)13:14 No. 1061460 ID: 681cb5
File 168158967652.png - (81.85KB , 700x550 , 73.png )

Looking over the drawings on the wall, you discover a familiar sight. One of them seems to depict the lighthouse down at the sea, though through the eyes of a child with crayons to munch on. There’s also a tree, a crow, a red house with a broken chimney and a huge door and finally a vase with some flowers in it. Of course, there’s also two other pictures that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

The first depicts a happy looking person holding hands with… some kind of purple octopus, with the text ‘Momy’ and ‘Me’ above them respectively.

The second picture though, is the one that really sends a shill down your spine. Somehow, this child has managed to capture the unhinged madness of those red rimmed eyes, those horrid eyes. They are staring right into your soul, searing into it with its pure malice.

Chris: “What did you find?” you didn’t even notice Chris walk up to you, let alone him leaning over your shoulder, “What is that purple thing even supposed to be?” he leans his head to the side, clearly confused, “And is that the painting downstairs? It got the same freaky eyes.”

[Inventory:]
Strange Flute
Puzzle Box
Torch
Old Photo album
Oil lamp
Rodent eaten Diary
Your Wedding ring

Huh. Looks like, if you live in a reality where drugged up evil cultists successfully to make or summon horrible eldritch abominations... those same abominations they summon aren't always evil, just freaky looking. Like one of the morals of that Men In Black movie, that being ugly or freaky looking doesn't necessarily make you evil! Good to know.

>>1061460
It's the "Bear" in the woods. It's a mutant child who lived here once. So... I'm guessing when they touched you by the church, they were playing tag. A harmless game. This is incredibly useful information, both proving you weren't hallucinating and proving that the "Bear" isn't dangerous. I wonder if the children are disappearing because the "Bear" knows something bad is about to happen, and is taking them somewhere safe? Hey, this explains the contradiction we ran into about how many children they had. They hid one of them away, and they survived the slaughter.
Tell Chris about the "Bear" you saw in the woods, and how you think it was this child that was living here. They must have ran away when things went wrong in the mansion.

The drawing has a music box in it. I bet if you found that, and then found the "Bear" again, you could befriend them with it.
The initials are "BP". Odd, shouldn't that be "BK"? For Kråkholme? Or maybe P is their middle initial.

Looks like the mother is holding some kind of music box? Or maybe it's a box that opens up to a certain sound?

Ah. Technically, you're relatives with whatever the hell the kid is.
You need to find that music box. It might act as a sedative or a control rod.
Draw up a pictorial message and tape it to the window. Have whoever's been squatting here to meet you at the front door for apple pie and a chat.

>>1061477

You don't know it's harmless for certain. Even creatures that don't intend harm can still injure or kill a person via accident. This just means that not every weird thing she finds may directly intend her harm.

>>1061460
Look at the way the first picture was drawn. It's all neat and tidy. Then look at the picture of the father. Look at how it's all shaky and scribbled. I'm guessing this kid was also afraid of their father, even the act of drawing him freaked out the kid!

Also, look at the dates. Whoever this kid is, if they're still alive, they ain't a kid anymore. They're an adult!

Kaktus 2023/04/21(Fri)12:16 No. 1061854 ID: 681cb5
File 168210458071.png - (152.32KB , 700x550 , 74.png )

Slight art error in the last update. The initials are supposed to be BK not BP. I don’t know why I wrote P instead of K, but it happened.

Belle: “No, it’s a drawing of Edwards father.” You hold up the ‘dady’ drawing for your hubby to see, before pointing towards the other one, “And this must be his mother, Anna, and his older brother Björn.”
Chris: “Wait, he had a brother? Really?” Chris scratches his shin a bit, his ears twitching slightly, “...did we ever get Edwards fathers name, bluebell? We know who his grandfather was, but his actual father?”
Belle: “I don’t think so, no.”
Chris: “Still, seeing how this drawings were made over 30 years ago, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.” The rabbit puts his hand tenderly on the image of ‘Björn’, “Someone that deformed probably didn’t survive for long, the poor thing.”
Belle: “I don’t know…” you shudder a bit as you recall what happened earlier at the church, “I… I think I saw him. In the woods. He might be the bear the townsfolk have been talking about?”
Chris: “In the woods?” he turns around and look towards the window, “That seem rather unlikely… how would someone like that remain hidden for 30 years? Or even survive for that matter?” Chris stops for a moment and look towards the ceiling, clearly considering something, “Though… I guess his mother Anna should have been taking care of him… until she died 10 years ago.” he then walks up to the window and looks out before continuing, “He would be… what? Almost 40 today? Edward was 37 when he died, and this Björn is supposedly even older.”
Belle: “Either way, I guess there is a relative of yours from these part still alive, eh Sunflower?”
Chris: “Ugh, don’t remind me, Bluebell.

>Hey, this explains the contradiction we ran into about how many children they had. They hid one of them away, and they survived the slaughter.
It does explain the contradiction, but this wasn’t a child that survived Edwards massacre. This is Edwards older brother, the one the former doctor refused to talk about.
>I'm guessing when they touched you by the church, they were playing tag. A harmless game.
You’re not sure about that. Whatever it was you saw out there, Björn or otherwise, was… let just say it gave you the same feeling as those red rimmed eyes, a barely contained madness hidden behind pure malice. Something tells you it would be a really, really bad idea to try and find that thing.
>I wonder if the children are disappearing because the "Bear" knows something bad is about to happen, and is taking them somewhere safe?
Haven’t the kidnappings been happening for years? Where would he even hide them all? …and why?

>Looks like the mother is holding some kind of music box?
Belle: “Hey, Chris…” you turn around to find Christ still staring out the window, “Have we seen a music box anywhere?”
Chris: “Don’t think so, no…” his voice trails off, his tone flat.
Belle: “I get the feeling it might be important.” Walking closer to your hubby, you lean over his shoulder to see what he’s looking at, “Just in case Björn is still alive out there.”
Chris: “That’s nice dear…” the rabbit mumbles, clearly not listening.
Belle: “What are you looking at?” But Christ doesn’t answer, leaving you in near complete silence if it wasn’t for the rain smattering against the roof. He doesn’t even react, as he’s seemingly completely mesmerized by whatever is out there, “Chris?”
Chris: “Huh? Oh, nothing… I’m looking at nothing.” he shakes his head a bit before continuing, “I was just thinking about how we should cut down that tree next summer. It's spoiling the view you know, dear.”

Looking outside, all you can see is rain, the front law and the woods beyond that. What was he even looking at? …and why do you get this feeling of being watched?

Chris: “Welp, I’m starting to get a bit hungy.” Chris suddenly exclaim in his usual jovial tone, “How about I make the dinner tonight, love? You can continue searching for that music box if you want too… or did you want to take a break?” he gives you a warm smile, “I mean, we still have not checked that picture gallery on the first floor nor the cellar… as well as the dining hall, though I’m not sure there’s anything there but a long table and some chairs.”
Belle: “And the crypt.” you say in a rather unsure voice, “We haven’t looked in the crypt.”
Chris: “…I’m not sure why we would, though?” the rabbit looks towards the window, “Especially in this rain.” Before turning around with a small hop, “Either way, I’ll make some dinner. We brought with us some rice noodles and chicken, right?”

Chris starts to leave, humming happily to himself again, as you continue looking out the window. Whatever was out there seems to be gone now… or at least it feels that way.

>>1061854
He saw Björn. Tell him if he's worried about Björn climbing the tree to get back into his old room... yeah, that's a reasonable fear. This is going to be a problem...

Oh. I just realized why Chris seems to be unaffected by the curse. Only one heir at a time is cursed! Björn is the most direct descendant, so he's cursed now that his father is dead. So long as Björn lives, Chris is safe. It remains to be seen if the amulet will work to keep Chris safe after Björn is dead (for whatever reason).

Let's keep looking around. Try the picture gallery.

It might not be that extreme of a physical deformity. They could maybe have abused the child enough so that it saw itself like that, regardless of what it 'really' looked like.

>>1061883
This might be the solution to your problems. He gets immortality, and you get to live your lives without going completely insane. Win-win. Having a murder butler that makes the Frankensteins look like Obies is also a plus.

But this can only work if we find a way to solidify Dragomir's experiments. Preferably without sacrifice.
We might need to reverse engineer the music box. Both the technical and thaumaturgic aspects, potentially one at a time to test effects and synergies.

Also, don't think about Corbin having sex with Björn because that's not a thing hahaha you're thinking about it right now aren't you.

Kaktus 2023/04/26(Wed)08:13 No. 1062140 ID: 681cb5
File 168252200532.png - (72.63KB , 700x550 , 75.png )

>Oh. I just realized why Chris seems to be unaffected by the curse. Only one heir at a time is cursed!
So what… it’s Björn that’s cursed now? And as long as he lives, Chris is safe? Even if that’s true, the curse will eventually return, as Björn won’t live forever… it’s like they said… he will return for his blood. He always returns for his blood.
>This might be the solution to your problems. He gets immortality, and you get to live your lives without going completely insane. Win-win.
Except… he’s not immortal, is he? Everyone else who’s had been taken by the curse are dead, no? Edward… his grandfather… how far back does it even go? All the way to Bövel… or even further than that?
>Having a murder butler that makes the Frankensteins look like Obies is also a plus.
…yeah, no, you’re not going to put some feral man living in the woods into the position of butler.

Belle: “Did you see him out there?” you ask your hubby, “Edwards brother, I mean?”
Chris: “Hmm?” he stops in his tracks right as he’s passing the doorframe, “Oh, no, I didn’t see anyone.” The rabbit is about to continue walking, before stopping himself and turning his head to look at you, “Though… it did feel like someone was looking at me… and I at them.”
Belle: “So he is out there…” glancing towards the window, you put your hand over your snout, “Watching us.”
Chris: “Belle, there isn’t some monster out there that’s going to break in here.” Chris says with a rather stern voice while thumping his leg into the floor, “Besides, if it can get through a locked window, it can just smash through one on the ground floor, no?”
Belle: “And that’s supposed to give me piece of mind?”
Chris: “Oh, sorry, bluebell.” He gives you a sheepish grin as he rubs the back of his head, “I didn’t mean it like that.” Taking a deep breath, Chris smiles at you and calmly says, “But if it makes you feel better, if it’s that deformed, it can probably barely walk, let alone climb a tree.”
Belle: “It might not be that extreme.” you glance towards the pictures on the floor, “It might just be how he sees himself.”
Chris: “Well, if he’s just a man, he will probably have a hard time breaking in?”
Belle: “I still want to find that music box… just in case.” your eyes are fixated on the picture of it, “There’s just this feeling that it’s important.”
Chris: “Then check the cellar and the gallery for it.” he gives you a nonchalant wave as he walks away, “I for one am going to make some Pangolin Thai for dinner.” before walking down the staircase, only turning around when only his head is visible to say, “Good luck, Belle!” right as he disappears completely.

>Let's keep looking around. Try the picture gallery.
The gallery is rather calming, actually, as the bright white of the walls and large interior dispel any claustrophobia you might have still been feeling. Of course, hearing your hubby happily hum to himself as he cooks does help as well. Inside the gallery there is an old piano as well as several smaller photos and art pieces, but the main feature are six large painting hanging on the walls, each covered by a white
drape, hiding their appearance to the world.

Kaktus 2023/04/26(Wed)08:13 No. 1062141 ID: 681cb5
File 168252201578.png - (146.18KB , 700x550 , 76.png )

>>1057801
The first picture is called “The old ways” and is signed with the name Emerik K 1876. It seems to depict some kind of ritual in the woods; with a large obelisk being surrounded by worshipping shadows… all the while the sky is being torn apart by red lightning. Wait, in the clouds… it’s hard to see but… is that an eye? It look just like the other red eyes you’ve seen everywhere else in this place… and it almost feels like it’s staring back at you.


Then, as you remove the sheet covering the next painting, the sight of it makes you recoil in fright. You know this scene… you have seen it before. Six pyres set ablaze before an obelisk… an obelisk you saw today on the town square, each one containing a screaming young rabbit girl surrounded by an unruly mob. The congregation is brandishing pitchforks and torches; all the while the priest chants something in the middle of the painting. Yet… there is a difference. The sixth pyre, the one you were tied to in the dream, is empty… there is no one there to be set aflame. The words “The purge of the unworthy” as well as the signature Emerik K 1873 is written at the bottom of the painting.

You shudder as you once again feel watched.

[Inventory:]
Strange Flute
Puzzle Box
Torch
Old Photo album
Oil lamp
Rodent eaten Diary (unread)
Your Wedding ring  

>>1062141
Hey, look in the lower-right corner.
...Did she give birth in the middle of a burning pyre? That might have been enough to unnerve the zealots and convince them to spare her. Imagine if Hissus' barn was set on fire because some psycho thought it would be funny.
... Okay now imagine it with an anime filter.
Write the sigils in your notebook, they might be important later.

>>1062141
Wait, is that a nun carrying away a baby? This seems worth investigating.
Is that first pyre not lit? It's just embers, maybe? A witch failed to burn? Could also inquire into that.

Next painting. Don't look at the eye any further, keep it covered.

>>1062141
Look in the bottom right corner. Looks like someone managed to escape being burned and they’ve got a baby with them.

>>1062292
>Is that first pyre not lit? It's just embers, maybe? A witch failed to burn? Could also inquire into that.
The skeleton above the pyre implies that the witch was burned and is dead. Nothing to inquire about there.

>>1062303
>skeleton
Looks like a white rabbit with its ears back, to me. Also, still has a dress on. Lastly, bonfires aren't hot enough to reduce someone to a skeleton!

Kaktus 2023/04/29(Sat)16:24 No. 1062340 ID: 681cb5
File 168281069008.png - (63.41KB , 700x550 , 77.png )

>Hey, look in the lower-right corner.
Down in the corner, you spot a young rabbit girl, no more than possible 16 or 17 years of age, running through the sea of green paint with a small babe clutched in her hands. Looking closer, you’re amazed at the details in her face, as it almost looks like a photograph even if it’s done with oil paint. It’s a bit jarring compared to the undetailed forest she runs through, as it’s nothing but a murky mix of abstract shapes. Is she the one who’s supposed to be on the last pyre? If it wasn’t for her black raven hair and brown fur, she would be a dead ringer for one of Chris nieces.
>...Did she give birth in the middle of a burning pyre?
That child is clearly at least a few months old. There’s no way she had them while being tied to a stake.

>Is that first pyre not lit? It's just embers, maybe?
Moving your gaze back towards the burning pyres, it becomes clear that the artist obviously went to painstaking lengths to depict the burning in ghastly detail, skin curling away from blackened flesh, hair shriveling, eyes boiling in their sockets and melting across cracked and splitting cheeks... repeated five times over, on the bodies of five thrashing, screaming rabbit girls. It turns your stomach to look at. One of them is nothing but bone and seared flesh even… though you’re unsure if a pyre can even do that?
>Write the sigils in your notebook, they might be important later.
You write them down, just in case you need them later. If anything, you can confirm it is indeed the same sigils that are on the obelisk in the middle of town square.

Kaktus 2023/04/29(Sat)16:24 No. 1062341 ID: 681cb5
File 168281069983.png - (282.09KB , 700x550 , 78.png )

>Next painting. Don't look at the eye any further, keep it covered.
After making sure the paintings are all covered, you move on to the third painting…

It depicts a young rabbit apprentice butcher learns his trade in a slaughterhouse. The older rabbit, one with blood rimmed eyes, holds his cleaver above a severed deer's head, looking expectantly at the boy as though demonstrating the proper technique. The boy, holding a smaller cleaver of his own, looks on attentively. It would be sweet scene, except for the frankly alarming amount of gore. The aprons and faces of both master and apprentice are streaked with blood; blood pools on the chopping block and overspills the gutters; blood drips from the walls and from the skinned carcasses that can be seen hanging in the background. The two butchers stand ankle-deep in a reeking abattoir.

And... there's something wrong with the boy. Most of the rabbit’s body is hidden behind the chopping block, but there are details about the parts you can see that... don't seem to fit quite right. The arm holding the cleaver is slightly misshapen, for example, the fingers deformed in a way that you can't quite make out. And his neck seems just a bit too thick, and his head seems just a bit too large and blocky. His face looks normal enough, except that it seems to have been placed just slightly off-center. It's a very subtly disturbing effect. It’s been named “Passing on the blood” and signed “Emerik K 1881”.

Covering it up again, you face the fourth painting, “The attunement” by Emerik K 1874…

A madhare, clad in a filthy, ragged robe of purple and gold, his thin body covered with dirt and sores, dances wildly on an alter between two massive, metal pillars. His long, brown beard whips about his face in an unseen wind; behind him, a massive obelisk rises into the sky and beyond that, darkness. He seems to be playing some strange sort of wind instrument, like a flute. The rabbit is staring right towards you, his blood rimmed eye filled with madness and malice.

Kaktus 2023/04/29(Sat)16:25 No. 1062342 ID: 681cb5
File 168281070799.png - (34.33KB , 700x550 , 79.png )

Shaking off that horrid gaze, you remove the sheet on the fifth painting… “Successor” by Emerik K 1880.

It depicts a group of old midwives, a rabbit, bird and a horse, who are clustering around a bed-ridden hare who is apparently giving birth. The old women are wizened and grim, with crooked hands and bloodstained aprons. They seem to confer with each other in dark whispers that the younger woman, who is drenched in sweat and obviously in great pain, cannot hear. By the corner of the bed, there is an ominous detail: a bucket full of murky, red water.

Strangely, though, the old women are not the only ones present at the birth. Nearby, in another bed, lies a shriveled, decrepit old rabbit of brown fur. Although seemingly at death's door, he struggles to raise himself, as if to see the birthing over the heads of the hunched midwives. His wasted visage shows an expression of satisfaction or approval, and he is reaching out with one skeletal arm in a manner curiously similar to the famous picture on the Sistine Chapel, of God giving life to His creation Adam. His eyes are rimmed with blood.

As you grab the curtain wrapped around the sixth and last painting, you get a feeling of dread. Something is very, very wrong with this picture and your mind is screaming for you to just walk away, to ensure that you’ll never see it… but you can’t. As you slowly start to pull away the sheet, you read the inscription on the frame. “Three days left”, signed Emerik K 1-30-1886.

It’s a star filled sky, with the moon taking up most of the painting while the mars is hanging behind it. You let out a sigh of relief… it was nothing here after all. Nothing but stars…

Then you spot it. A singular red dot in a sea of dark, its mere presence filling you with terror as it stares back at you. A singular red rimmed eye hanging in the sky, staring down at you with disgust, and it’s getting closer. As you stare, the red dot start to grow bigger and bigger, it’s presence closing in on you as you feel your very mind being devoured by its madness. This world is doomed... it has already seen us.

You blink. It’s just a painting. A painting with a small red dot on it. It hasn’t moved… nor gotten any bigger. It is just a dot of paint, nothing more. Yet, it terrifies you…

>>1062340
>witch burning
Artistic license. Victims of burning at the stake generally fall unconscious from smoke inhalation before the burns get that severe. The first one having been reduced to bones is probably meant to imply they were burned far before the others, which holds some significance probably.

>>1062341
>passing of the blood
That's clearly Bjorn. Huh, does the father have to do a ritual to pass on the curse? Then, what we really have to do is to keep Bjorn away from Chris.

>>1062342
Take all the paintings outside and burn them. Wait shit it's raining right now. Well, you can at least cover them up, take them off the wall, and put them in a pile face-down. I don't suppose there's any paint thinner anywhere?

Tempting to break the flute, now that we know what it's used for.

Maybe it's a coincidence, but why is the little red dot surrounded by a dearth of starlight?

>Art
Someone poured their life into these paintings. Corrupt as they are, they are history and insight; to destroy data for 'creeping you out' is luddite behavior and you're above that.
That said, if you think they glorify cruelty and suffering, you can have someone de-frame and store them for the archives. Data does not need to be glorified. Maybe some hero in the future will have a stronger stomach...

Are you sure you looked at all the painting? Because after the 1st painting you skipped to here >>1062341 to the 3rd and 4th paintings and here >>1062342 you looked at the 5th and 6th paintings. You never looked at the 2nd painting! You might need to go back and check it in case there's anything important on it!

Kaktus 2023/05/02(Tue)16:08 No. 1062569 ID: 681cb5
File 168306888152.png - (181.79KB , 700x550 , 80.png )

>Are you sure you looked at all the painting?
>>1057801 First: The Old ways.
>>1062141 Second: The purge of the unworthy.
>>1062341 Third: Passing on the blood.
>>1062341 Fourth: The attunement.
>>1062342 Fifth: Successor.
>>1062342 Sixth: Three days left.

>Maybe it's a coincidence, but why is the little red dot surrounded by a dearth of starlight?
…it is plunking the stars from the sky, consuming them as if they were nothing but insignificant gnats as it passes by…
>Someone poured their life into these paintings. Corrupt as they are, they are history and insight; to destroy data for 'creeping you out' is luddite behavior and you're above that.
While you would like nothing more than to burn this whole place down, it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. No, these things need to be archived… but that doesn’t mean they need to be left hanging for all to see! You grab one of the frames and try your best to pull it off the wall, but it’s not happening. These things are both huge and well fastened, it seems. In the end, you have to be content with just cover them up for now.


>That's clearly Bjorn. Huh, does the father have to do a ritual to pass on the curse? Then, what we really have to do is to keep Bjorn away from Chris.
No. You’ve had enough. You’re not going to just sit around and wait for whatever that thing is to come for him! No, it is time to take action! Something is threatening your hubby, and you don’t care if it’s just some deranged cult wannabes, some feral misbegotten child in the woods or some red star that curses people, you’re going to find them and show them why you don’t mess with your husband Chris!
>Tempting to break the flute, now that we know what it's used for.
Going by the painting, the damage is already done… and for all you know this thing might be the key to stop whatever is going on. So no, you won’t snap it like a twig. Instead you’re going to find whoever it is that’s behind all this crap and shove the flute so far up their ass that they toot each time they breathe!

Alright, let’s be proactive. You need to figure out what’s going on first and foremost… but how? Let’s start by exploring the last part of the house you haven’t been in yet… the basement.

Kaktus 2023/05/02(Tue)16:08 No. 1062570 ID: 681cb5
File 168306888948.png - (116.80KB , 700x550 , 81.png )

As the ceiling light flickers on, you’re surprised by just how bright and homely this place is. Well, the bars on the window are a bit of a downer, but compared to some of the other rooms in this house this is actual normal. Though, listening to your hubby humming while cooking dinner helps a lot.

Looking around, you can see the fuse box, an old gas boiler that’s currently chugging away, a washing machine and a dryer, an empty board that was probably used to hang tools on and finally… potatoes? Huh…

You don’t know what you were expecting down here, but it wasn’t this.

Kaktus 2023/05/02(Tue)16:08 No. 1062571 ID: 681cb5
File 168306889846.png - (156.20KB , 700x550 , 82.png )

And finally, the wine cellar. An old room that wouldn’t be out of place in fantasy flick, what with its stone architecture from the middle ages. At first you’re surprised that all the wine racks are empty, but then you remember something Chris mentioned before you got here. Edward was found by the police down here, smashing all the bottles and ranting about the blood in their names?

Still, there is a singular wine rack filled to the brim with bottles… all of them labeled The Moon and Star wine, like the barrel up in the attic. At least it doesn’t smell down here like it did up there.

[Inventory:]
Strange Flute
Puzzle Box
Torch
Old Photo album
Oil lamp
Rodent eaten Diary (unread)
Your Wedding ring  

>>1062570
Which keys are missing?

>>1062571
Two things. One, there's a blue thing in the wine rack. Grab it.
Two, one of the kegs has the spigot pointing the wrong way. Might be a false lid. Could check the keg that's standing up, too...?

Ah hell all these kegs are going to have spoiled wine aren't they? Try not to sniff it.

>>1062569
Despite the cosmic threat of that fantasy, you can't help but wonder about the technological potential.
A spacecraft or space-faring life form that can subsist on literal starlight spread across literal light-years? Imagine the intergalactic empires your world could build with that.
>>1062571
Oh, it's just a regular wine cellar. Invest by restocking; add cheese instead of wine and let the alcoholic environment age the fromage gracefully.

Try not to think about how your husband is constantly gaslighting you, cheerful when you're upset, dismissive when you're cheerful, every word he says carefully couched to make you feel less confident of your own judgement and more confident in his.

You're probably just imagining it.

Whats that blue thing in the empty wine rack?

Kaktus 2023/05/08(Mon)16:27 No. 1063066 ID: 681cb5
File 168358844141.png - (44.40KB , 700x550 , 83.png )

>Try not to think about how your husband is constantly gas lighting you, cheerful when you're upset, dismissive when you're cheerful, every word he says carefully couched to make you feel less confident of your own judgment and more confident in his.
He has been acting a bit strange ever since he inherited this place… but surely that’s just stress, right? He can’t already be possessed, right? It’s just your imagination… nothing more. He is still your sweet little Chris, and not some murderous ghost from the past. And he will never be, as long as you’re here!
>Despite the cosmic threat of that fantasy, you can't help but wonder about the technological potential. A spacecraft or space-faring life form that can subsist on literal starlight spread across literal light-years? Imagine the intergalactic empires your world could build with that.
Isn’t this how most Sci-fi horror stories start? They usually end with the world being unmade by the scientists’ folly, remember?
>Oh, it's just a regular wine cellar. Invest by restocking; add cheese instead of wine and let the alcoholic environment age the fromage gracefully.
…you know, that’s a great idea. You do like a good, aged cheese… like a delicious brie… or maybe a marquise even, if we can stand the smell?

>Which keys are missing?
Let see… the first key is for the front gate? There’s an iron gate on the road right before you get to the manor, but in such a bad condition that can’t really lock it even with the key in hand.
Then there’s the back gate… which you guess is somewhere on the opposite side of the manor?
The third copper key belongs to the garage, which you know is empty seeing as your car is currently being repaired in Arkham, and finally a key to the small tool shed out in the garden, which you assume contain the garden tools?

As for the two missing keys, one is apparently for the crypt while the other is for… hmm… the M. River S. House? What is that? Still, you can’t help but think that you’ve seen a copper key like this before somewhere rather recently...

Kaktus 2023/05/08(Mon)16:27 No. 1063067 ID: 681cb5
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>One of the kegs has the spigot pointing the wrong way. Might be a false lid. Could check the keg that's standing up, too...?
At first you’re a bit hesitant to approach them, seeing what happened last time you got close to a barrel of wine, but when you spot the marking on them that signify that they once contained whisky you breathe a sigh of relief. They are nothing more than a few empty barrels, probably done in by Edward when he went crazy down here. No false lids or secrets here…

But the wine rack next to it, on the other hand, is rather peculiar. On a closer look they aren’t real bottles, but wooden replicas, and as you try to pull one out you notice that they are built into the rack itself, which would explain why Edward didn’t smash these with the rest. As you’re examining them you can’t help but notice a bit of a pattern on them. Each one has a letter stamped on the wax seal of the bottle, right on the cork. Looking over the whole rack you can only come to the conclusion that each bottle has a unique letter, thus writing out the whole alphabet, from A to Z. What in the world…?


>Whats that blue thing in the empty wine rack?
It's a slim little blue book, no bigger than your hand, bound in imitation leather. Most of the pages has either been torn out or ruined by age, but the words “The Journal of Edward Kråkholme” can still be deciphered on the front of it. Whoever hid this clearly wasn’t expecting someone as tall as you to come down here, seeing as it was right at eyelevel for you. What's left of the journal reads:

“Desperate. Went back to the old twisting lane and found only a blank wall. Without the amulet, how can I resist --

Flute and Lens are still hidden… may he not find them…

Getting worse. People I have never met smile knowingly at me in the street. The police believe I am a child molester, but have brought no charges against me as of yet. Why? Head hurts all the time. I have turned the cellar upside-down... damn it all, where is it?

Dreamed of Father again. Dreamed of Grandfather. Those horrible, red-rimmed eyes...

-- into the safe, finally. 12-53-2. Won't forget THAT soon. Ha! Sigmund’s bloody eyes won’t mock me no more!

CANNOT DISCOVER ENTRANCE IN THE CELLAR!!! Secret eludes me still but I WILL FIND IT!!! The clue is in their names, that pestilential procession of names! If I could only --

The text breaks off as several more pages are missing. The last fragmented entry reads:

-- will fail. There is no recourse left. I know now what I must do. Julia, I am so sorry, please forg–“


You also remember you still have the small book you found in the bricked up children’s room, the one hidden behind the bed. Carefully, you turn the tattered pages, trying to find a title but to no avail. The handwriting is that of a young girl. You idly wonder if this might have been the diary of one of Edward’s daughters, but then you notice part of a date, just visible in the corner of the page: 1949. This must have been written several years before Edward was born. The mice really have been at it though, most of the pages have been chewed away, but the entries that are legible read as follows:

“...Father came again to my bed last night-- --mother doesn't-- tells me I can't-- to be a good daughter. Sometimes it hurts, but Father always tells me I shouldn't cry. Father says a daughter must do her Duty if she wants to get into Heaven. And I do want to get into Heaven...

[This entry dated 1957] ...my poor little Björn. Father calls him an aberration, child of the Devil, but I don't believe-- --locked in the attic. I go to see him whenever Father is away. I sing to him, sometimes, through the keyhole, and slip him sweets through the crack under the door-- --my baby is beautiful-- --can't let him hurt my dear baby Björn-- --to doctor Corbin, and she has a plan-- --I can never-- --the music box, Björn, so that you can always remember my voice. It is the only thing that soothes you…

Nothing else is readable except for one fragmented entry near the very end of the book, the date in the corner reading February 27, 1962:

--dead, but not dead yet-- --will not allow him to do to Edward what he wanted to do to Björn-- --have learned-- --given him the charm against the-- --never take it off, dear Edward-- [a page has been torn away] --fear to sleep-- --mist at the window– --he is here. He has returned for his blood.“


…Hissus Christ, what happened in this horrid place!?

[Inventory:]
Strange Flute
Puzzle Box
Torch
Old Photo album
Oil lamp
Child’s Diary
Edwards’ Diary
Your Wedding ring  

>>1063066
The old woman has one of the missing keys. My bet is the S. House. I guess it's *possible* she's staying in the crypt though... We need to investigate both locations eventually to see which one she's in, so that we can break/pick the lock to the one she's NOT in.
...ugh, the keys are all the same, aside from their teeth. We need to label them so they don't get mixed up! Do you have some markers somewhere? Or colored tape?

>>1063067
>will not allow him to do to Edward what he wanted to do to Björn
"He" being the thing that possesses people, I gather. Sounds like an alternate personality takes over the heirs. Literally a possession. Which means, yeah, it's one at a time, and Chris is probably fine for now, aside from the ambient corruption in the area, which you felt in your very head.

Sounds like Edward planned to kill himself to prevent a full possession? Then Björn got possessed because Edward didn't even know about him due to his alternate personality, I bet. It's very likely Björn killed the rest of his family, though... it's also possible Edward didn't kill himself in time and instead the demon did it during his death throes.

>names
Hmm. Might have to do with the names of the male heirs? If we can find a list of the heirs, then arrange the bottles on the left side of the rack matching the first letter of each name, and in order, that might work?
Might have to get into the crypt to collect the names, and also take into account Björn is the current heir.

Evil space ghost got someone pregnant and is using that connection to try to reach and presumably destroy the world. It's not a "what happened" so much as a what to do about it. For sure, getting the amulet to Chris is top priority. That is... assuming something isn't terribly wrong, and _you_ are somehow the descendent who is prey to the red star, not Chris.

Seems Edward was onto something, a different option other than sacrificing the red one's kin to keep him from returning, but he couldn't figure out certain things, and ran out of time and sanity.

There is apparently already some sort of supernatural influence over everyone, not just the prey, if they were influenced into thinking Edward committed heinous crimes. The amulet might protect against that, letting its bearer find things, where everyone else's perceptions were twisted to lead them to a blank wall instead.

Why did Edward give up his amulet to the gay fish dude? Something seriously wrong with that. Even if the red star is pure hogwash, and Edward simply an ordinary madman, he needed the amulet so desperately he would never have just... given it away. Why did the gay fish dude give it back? Guilt? Hm...

The wine bottles are clearly involved with Edward's "secret entrance in the cellar" but for the life of me, I can't figure out how they'd be used to open it. They can't be rearranged into a different order, they're built into in each slot. Do some of them sink in when pressed, like some sort of switch? No clue what the "pestilential procession of names" may be.

Kaktus 2023/05/24(Wed)13:08 No. 1064478 ID: 681cb5
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>The old woman has one of the missing keys. My bet is the S. House. I guess it's *possible* she's staying in the crypt though...
That’s where you’ve seen one of these keys before! That old crow had one! Of course! But which key it is you have no idea… if only you knew what they meant with M.River S.House. Either way, you need to find her tomorrow and get it back.

>The wine bottles are clearly involved with Edward's "secret entrance in the cellar" but for the life of me, I can't figure out how they'd be used to open it.
You try to push them, pull them and even twist them but no matter what you do they refuse to budge. These bottles seem to be built into the shelf itself! Then there’s thing Edward wrote down, the “pestilential procession of names"… what does that even mean? Maybe it’s the names of the male heirs? It’s possible… though you probably need to get into the crypt if you want to find all the heirs names.
>Also take into account Björn is the current heir.
This thing was clearly built sometime in the late 1800s, long before Björn was born. His name will probably not be part of this puzzle.

Leaving the basement enigma for later, you return to the serene light of the kitchen, where your cute little hubby is waiting for you with newly cooked dinner. As the two of you eat you get lost in thought, barely following the small talk Chris is partaking in.

>"He" being the thing that possesses people, I gather. Sounds like an alternate personality takes over the heirs. Literally a possession.
There’s definitely something that is driving the Kråkholme’s mad, but what exactly is it? Is it just a disease of the mind that plagues the family… or is there something far more sinister behind this? Is it possible that there’s some ghost from the past, or even a demon, that’s doing this? Possibly connected with the red star? Not to mention, when did it even start? With Edwards grandfather Dragomir or did it begin with Bövel himself? Maybe even before that? What is clear is that whatever it is drove Edward to kill his family before committing suicide in some kind of attempt to stop it. Of course, it seems like he failed.
>It's very likely Björn killed the rest of his family, though.
Is it? If you remember correctly the Arkham polis caught Edward red handed, literally. He was found in the wine cellar, smashing bottle while holding the axe that killed his family, covered in their blood ranting about how he set them free from the blood or some such. Edward then committed suicide in the Asylum a month later, so Björn doesn’t seem to fit in that timeline at all.
>Seems Edward was onto something, a different option other than sacrificing the red one's kin to keep him from returning, but he couldn't figure out certain things, and ran out of time and sanity.
He was clearly trying to stop whatever evil that permeate this forlorn town, but what is this about sacrifices? All you know is that he was in the end consumed by the very deranged mind he tried to escape… though if that was his goal, then why did he give away the amulet? Damn it, if only you had the rest of his dairy… or some other source of knowledge about this creeping dread.

Let us go back to the beginning… Bövel Kråkholme came here from the old country and founded this town, Crowmoor, in the 1600s. While he was alive he was a powerful and feared man, so feared in fact that as soon as he passed away the town burned his daughters at the stake, though apparently they missed one, if the painting is to be believed.

Then, somewhere between the 1600s and 1900s the Kråkholme family line returned, with Dragomir as the new heir. Then, in the 60s, he was arrested and died in prison, leaving his daughter Anna here in Crowmoor. She had Edward about the same time with some unknown father, who grew up right here in this mansion… before going mad and killing himself and his family. But what does that have to do with the red star? When did it all start? You need to find more information, but where would you look? You’ve been in every room of the house but… wait, the observatory! Where is it!? You’ve been in every room of the house, but there’s no door that leads to it! Is there more secrets doors hidden in this place?

Damn it… you need to take a moment and think… what is your next step? Maybe you should just take an early night and see what tomorrow brings?

> what is this about sacrifices?
> He was found in the wine cellar, smashing bottle while holding the axe that killed his family, covered in their blood ranting about how he set them free from the blood or some such.

That is what's about sacrifices. Edward sacrificed his family, thinking he was saving them from the red star. Or was framed for doing so. You weren't thinking about any sacrifice other than simply that. Perhaps the witch burning. That did hurt an awful lot...

> the Kråkholme family line returned, with Dragomir as the new heir

It's reasonable to assume that Dragomir was, or was descended from the rabbit depicted in the painting being spared from the witch burning. No telling whether the painting was accurate or dramatized though, or perhaps even altered to add the fleeing matron and child.

>>It's very likely Björn killed the rest of his family, though.
> Is it?

On the contrary, Björn has shown no inclination towards violence so far. Your brief possible experience with him was... rambunctious at best. And his one remaining eye as blue as the sky matched with the photograph of him as a child. It was in no way rimmed in red like the mad eyes you've seen before. Whatever drug, or... effect is turning people toward irrational violence, he is probably not yet touched by it.

Oh right, concrete plans. Yes. Do recall the old map of the house that had the phrase "Where is the dome?!!" inscribed on it. You've been in the attic, and the observatory dome is clearly on top of the house. Can you see the peaked attic roof from outside the house, and where the dome is in relation to that? Might give you some idea where the entrance to the dome might be. If the blueprints did not have the observatory in them, it may have been constructed after the building was finished. An outside entrance, perhaps?

Kaktus 2023/06/05(Mon)13:56 No. 1065214 ID: 681cb5
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>Edward sacrificed his family, thinking he was saving them from the red star. Or was framed for doing so.
He did indeed murder them in an attempt to spare them from the curse… and to make sure it didn’t continue spreading.
>It's reasonable to assume that Dragomir was descended from the rabbit depicted in the painting being spared from the witch burning.
The witches were after all the daughter of the first Kråkholme, Bövel, which means that the one that escaped should be Dragomir’s ancestor. But the question still stands… why return to a town that burned your own siblings alive?


While Chris is busy setting up the TV in living room you take a moment in an attempt to figure out where the observatory is. Looking from the outside, the dome is right next to the peaked attic roof, meaning that it’s wall to wall with the room you found the children drawing in… but there isn’t a single trace or sign that there’s ever been an entrance there. Continuing your search, you check the ceiling in both your bedroom and the corridor outside it, as the dome should be located right above it, but again the entrance to the observatory eludes you. You even take a quick run around the house in the rain to see if there’s a way in out there, but the only thing you manages to achieve is some wet clothes and muddy paws. Wherever the entrance is, it’s clearly very well hidden.


After about an hour you throw up your hands and give up, instead joining your hubby on the couch watching TV the rest of the evening. Taking a break before continuing your search tomorrow might be just the thing you need…

“That’s another symptom!”
“Of what?”
“Rabies.”
“Oh that’s fatal, you don’t want that!”

Kaktus 2023/06/05(Mon)13:56 No. 1065215 ID: 681cb5
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The rest of the day goes by without any more hiccups, leaving you and your hubby snuggling in the bed while listening to the pitter patter of rain on the windows. Maybe it isn’t so bad here after all… maybe you don’t need to worry about the curse at all? After all, Björn is the one who’s cursed, not Chris… and tomorrow you’ll get the amulet from the priest that will protect him. Things are not too bad… no need to worry, Belle. Just relax… and let sleep embrace you.

Let sleep…

Sleep…

…

zZzZz…

Close the curtains.

No, bad husband! You promised not to join the cult!

Hold him tighter until he makes squeaky noises!

Wake up and check if your husband is in his right frame of mind!

VWOOMWOOMWOOMWOOM

Roll over and continue to sleep.

You're dreaming: you went to sleep with the curtains closed, and they wouldn't lock themselves in open position from the wind.

"Hmpghf. Could you close the curtains dear?"

Make chocolate bnnuyxof