Not Quite Lovecraft
- Thread starter Blacksheep
- Start date
- Fantasy Historic Mystery Horror
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X]Visit Harold, the survivor of the attack, check contagions
Vote closed
New
- Pronouns
- She
Convalescence
New
- Pronouns
- She
You didn't waste time the next day going out to look for Harold Short. You dropped by the local convenience store. The couple that ran it were highly cheerful, and more than happy to give you directions to his home once you purchased a small map of picnic areas from them. It wasn't a good sign when you arrived to find his home tightly locked up. You spent the morning asking around about him and trying to find out where he was. The constable was the one to inform you that Harold had gone to convalesce with his brother in another small town since the attack.
That wasn't good news. Thankfully the constable was more than happy to let you use his phone to call Harold's brother and check in on him. He was rather short on the phone, firmly telling you that Harold was recovering, and not to be disturbed. When you tried to press about being concerned for him, he remarked that his brother had been having nightmares about being attacked by a foul smelling beast, and he would not be subjecting his brother to further terror.
Unfortunately enough, nightmares were a highly common trend among those who had a brush with the occult. That alone didn't tell you anything about the man's condition.
[ ]Visit the Vanes in their castle to meet Eloise
[ ]Visit the Vanes in their castle to study their lineage for clues
[ ]Help the reverend search the old journals
[ ]Check on the families of the dead to see if they saw anything
[ ]Write-in
That wasn't good news. Thankfully the constable was more than happy to let you use his phone to call Harold's brother and check in on him. He was rather short on the phone, firmly telling you that Harold was recovering, and not to be disturbed. When you tried to press about being concerned for him, he remarked that his brother had been having nightmares about being attacked by a foul smelling beast, and he would not be subjecting his brother to further terror.
Unfortunately enough, nightmares were a highly common trend among those who had a brush with the occult. That alone didn't tell you anything about the man's condition.
[ ]Visit the Vanes in their castle to meet Eloise
[ ]Visit the Vanes in their castle to study their lineage for clues
[ ]Help the reverend search the old journals
[ ]Check on the families of the dead to see if they saw anything
[ ]Write-in
- Location
- Earth
[ ]Visit the Vanes in their castle to study their lineage for clues
[ ]Help the reverend search the old journals
So, are the Vanes hiding something? If so, going in (academically) unarmed is likely unhelpful. If they are helpful, they don't know enough to resolve this on their own. As such, third party is my vote.
[X]Help the reverend search the old journals
[ ]Help the reverend search the old journals
So, are the Vanes hiding something? If so, going in (academically) unarmed is likely unhelpful. If they are helpful, they don't know enough to resolve this on their own. As such, third party is my vote.
[X]Help the reverend search the old journals
[X]Visit the Vanes in their castle to meet Eloise
Vote closed
New
- Pronouns
- She
The Vanes
New
- Pronouns
- She
You stopped by the church to inform the reverend you would be going up to visit with the Vanes. You wanted as much information as possible to help them with this curse, and learning about them personally and their history would help. You were curious why the curse had gone dormant for some time before reemerging, perhaps a clue there could help you with resolving things.
You headed up to the castle. It was a beautiful stroll to take, were it not for the persistent drizzle that even now coated everything. You were lucky that you no longer got cold from being wet. The castle sat near a cliff that let it overlook the small county. You passed another path that turned off to the left as you walked up and headed towards the rocky hills. You knocked politely and a butler answered the door. He looked heavily displeased to see a stranger coming up unannounced to his master's home.
"Hello, I am Oliver Heartwork. I'm doing some research into local history, and I heard the Vanes family has been here for some time. I was hoping to request access to their library to do some research."
The butler straightened up with some pride at that. "I will ask Lord Vane. Please, come in." You were escorted to a sitting room and you settled down in a seat. You took out your notebook to sketch some of the sights you had seen while you waited.
Lord Vane proved to be an older man than you had expected. He was balding, and wore a thick walrus moustache he was clearly quite proud of. He held himself with all the dignity of a noble who truly believed in noblesse oblige. "Mister Heartwork. I am Lord Arthur Vane. I am afraid my family has been rather busy recently, I cannot give you long in my library, but you are welcome to browse it for the afternoon."
You thanked him for his generosity, and gently probed him for his family history. Lord Vane puffed himself up and proudly informed you that the Vane family had held Plum Castle for seven centuries, since his ancestor Wellington Vane aided King Charles the II in some discrete affairs. The castle had been refurbished in 1537, but had stayed close to its roots as one of England's original Norman fortresses. When it stopped being held as a military fortress the Vanes had shifted to mining, and owned the local mine Blue John Cavern. The fluorspar mined there was quite popular in jewelry. They also made a business in mining lead.
Lord Vane was clearly deeply proud of his family, and spoke with fondness of his children. They had come to him late, but he was sure his son Lawrence would be a fine lord in his own right, and Eloise was a sweet girl. Interestingly he was much more eager to talk of his son than his daughter, and what Lawrence would bring to the family. Eloise was almost brushed over, despite the genuine fondness in his voice when he'd spoken of her.
You quickly began to dig through the library, doing what research you could. Lesser Edale was a small county, and truthfully there was little of note in the area. There was a very old hillfort nearby, but little was known of it and it had not been disturbed by the local populace. There were only two things of note: an ancient slim journal written in archaic english you couldn't read by a Vane ancestor, and a book speaking about the witch trials in 1608. It seemed Lady Evangeline Vine had been a key witness for the trial of Annie Stafford, who had cursed the lady with the mark of the beast.
Meeting more of the family would be helpful, you would be able to get a better grasp of what may lay on them then. You finished jotting down your notes. To your surprise and pleasure the butler arrived to inform you that you had been invited to join Lord Vane for dinner.
It was a wonderful feast, with baby roast potatoes, fresh steaks (Lawrence and Lord Vane preferring rare to your medium rare), a selection of cheeses to sample, and asparagus with a lovely mushroom sauce, finishing with a plum pudding. Lord Vane was generous as he asked after your research. Interestingly Lawrence was more tense over the meal, seeming distracted. You asked after Eloise, but was informed that she was feeling poorly and was not able to attend. You asked if she had been terribly upset by the local murders, and Lord Vane agreed that it had been difficult for his daughter's delicate constitution.
You couldn't sense anything particular on Lawrence or Lord Vane, which left Eloise as the one you would need to get closer to. You asked if there was any chance you would be able to meet with her, but Lord Vane was quite firm in brushing you off.
You hoped you could do more, mentioning that you were aiding the local reverend in his research, but Lord Vane didn't seem to pick up any of it, and sent you off. You were thinking of other ways to reach Eloise when Lawrence showed up, offering to escort you back to the church.
He halted you only a hundred yards down from the castle, and looked around nervously. "You seem to be a discrete, sensible man, and you are well educated. So I feel I must beg you for your help," Lawrence said.
"I am at your disposal. What is the problem?" you said quickly.
"My sister...well, as my father said, she hasn't been well. She...you spent the afternoon in the library, yes? Did you read about the witch trials?"
"I did."
"The curse of the beast...it's real. My sister has been transforming into some sort of monster. We don't know how to help her. Locking her up has been working so far, but that's not a solution! I want my sister to be able to live her life, not this...nightmarish toil."
"I need to meet her to see what I can do."
"Come back tomorrow evening," Lawrence said quickly. "I will bring you to her then."
[ ]Speak to the reverend about your research
[ ]Explore the church
[ ]Visit the town inn for drinks and gossip
[ ]Spend time painting
[ ]Prepare for a possible confrontation
[ ]Write-in
You headed up to the castle. It was a beautiful stroll to take, were it not for the persistent drizzle that even now coated everything. You were lucky that you no longer got cold from being wet. The castle sat near a cliff that let it overlook the small county. You passed another path that turned off to the left as you walked up and headed towards the rocky hills. You knocked politely and a butler answered the door. He looked heavily displeased to see a stranger coming up unannounced to his master's home.
"Hello, I am Oliver Heartwork. I'm doing some research into local history, and I heard the Vanes family has been here for some time. I was hoping to request access to their library to do some research."
The butler straightened up with some pride at that. "I will ask Lord Vane. Please, come in." You were escorted to a sitting room and you settled down in a seat. You took out your notebook to sketch some of the sights you had seen while you waited.
Lord Vane proved to be an older man than you had expected. He was balding, and wore a thick walrus moustache he was clearly quite proud of. He held himself with all the dignity of a noble who truly believed in noblesse oblige. "Mister Heartwork. I am Lord Arthur Vane. I am afraid my family has been rather busy recently, I cannot give you long in my library, but you are welcome to browse it for the afternoon."
You thanked him for his generosity, and gently probed him for his family history. Lord Vane puffed himself up and proudly informed you that the Vane family had held Plum Castle for seven centuries, since his ancestor Wellington Vane aided King Charles the II in some discrete affairs. The castle had been refurbished in 1537, but had stayed close to its roots as one of England's original Norman fortresses. When it stopped being held as a military fortress the Vanes had shifted to mining, and owned the local mine Blue John Cavern. The fluorspar mined there was quite popular in jewelry. They also made a business in mining lead.
Lord Vane was clearly deeply proud of his family, and spoke with fondness of his children. They had come to him late, but he was sure his son Lawrence would be a fine lord in his own right, and Eloise was a sweet girl. Interestingly he was much more eager to talk of his son than his daughter, and what Lawrence would bring to the family. Eloise was almost brushed over, despite the genuine fondness in his voice when he'd spoken of her.
You quickly began to dig through the library, doing what research you could. Lesser Edale was a small county, and truthfully there was little of note in the area. There was a very old hillfort nearby, but little was known of it and it had not been disturbed by the local populace. There were only two things of note: an ancient slim journal written in archaic english you couldn't read by a Vane ancestor, and a book speaking about the witch trials in 1608. It seemed Lady Evangeline Vine had been a key witness for the trial of Annie Stafford, who had cursed the lady with the mark of the beast.
Meeting more of the family would be helpful, you would be able to get a better grasp of what may lay on them then. You finished jotting down your notes. To your surprise and pleasure the butler arrived to inform you that you had been invited to join Lord Vane for dinner.
It was a wonderful feast, with baby roast potatoes, fresh steaks (Lawrence and Lord Vane preferring rare to your medium rare), a selection of cheeses to sample, and asparagus with a lovely mushroom sauce, finishing with a plum pudding. Lord Vane was generous as he asked after your research. Interestingly Lawrence was more tense over the meal, seeming distracted. You asked after Eloise, but was informed that she was feeling poorly and was not able to attend. You asked if she had been terribly upset by the local murders, and Lord Vane agreed that it had been difficult for his daughter's delicate constitution.
You couldn't sense anything particular on Lawrence or Lord Vane, which left Eloise as the one you would need to get closer to. You asked if there was any chance you would be able to meet with her, but Lord Vane was quite firm in brushing you off.
You hoped you could do more, mentioning that you were aiding the local reverend in his research, but Lord Vane didn't seem to pick up any of it, and sent you off. You were thinking of other ways to reach Eloise when Lawrence showed up, offering to escort you back to the church.
He halted you only a hundred yards down from the castle, and looked around nervously. "You seem to be a discrete, sensible man, and you are well educated. So I feel I must beg you for your help," Lawrence said.
"I am at your disposal. What is the problem?" you said quickly.
"My sister...well, as my father said, she hasn't been well. She...you spent the afternoon in the library, yes? Did you read about the witch trials?"
"I did."
"The curse of the beast...it's real. My sister has been transforming into some sort of monster. We don't know how to help her. Locking her up has been working so far, but that's not a solution! I want my sister to be able to live her life, not this...nightmarish toil."
"I need to meet her to see what I can do."
"Come back tomorrow evening," Lawrence said quickly. "I will bring you to her then."
[ ]Speak to the reverend about your research
[ ]Explore the church
[ ]Visit the town inn for drinks and gossip
[ ]Spend time painting
[ ]Prepare for a possible confrontation
[ ]Write-in
JayTar
Idea briefcase
Kinda funny, but we didn't sense anything on them.
Tomorrow evening. Huh.
What is the current phase of the moon? Meeting in the evening is far more concerning if it is nearly full moon then if it is not.
[ ]Speak to the reverend about your research
If we have some time until the moon we could do something like sealing the curse in a painting. Get the siblings to donate a little blood to speed things up so it doesn't take us a whole month. Sure it would look questionable as hell if someone walks in in the middle, but we know what we are doing. And if it works we get a neat new painting out of it (which can perhaps be reworked later into a useful form).
I would want to get a look at her first though just to check things out with our magic sense. It is possible the curse is fully external rather then being attached to them.
To compare the research we did and what the reverend told us:
So we have names (Which might help the reverend speed up his search if he doesn't already know them), and we know of a journal which may be important, but which we can't read. Hopefully our notes are enough for the reverend to know if the journal is important or not.
Plus maybe the reverend has found something since we last talked.
[X]Speak to the reverend about your research
-[X] Check how long to the next full moon.
- Pronouns
- She
The full moon is tomorrow, and the next two days after that too. Transforms for three days, not just one!
- Location
- Romania
[X]Speak to the reverend about your research
-[X] Check how long to the next full moon.
-[X] Check how long to the next full moon.
Vote closed
New
- Pronouns
- She
Truth's Encounter
New
- Pronouns
- She
You headed back down to the chapel to speak with the reverend. He didn't look in good condition when you entered. "Reverend Stratton?"
"What?" He looked up at you. "Ah, Oliver! I hope you have been having better luck than I." He waved at his desk of papers.
"Lawrence Vane asked me to meet his sister tomorrow to try to help her," you informed him. "I was hoping you might have more information about the nature of the beast."
He sighed and shook his head. "I had truly hoped that one of my predecessors in caring for this church knew something, but I have found nothing. Merely the reference to the curse plaguing the Vanes and prayers for them."
You frowned and thought carefully. You knew tales of people turned into great beasts that would hunt people on the full moons. A weakness to holy items and silver was common. You did not know of a cure from the tales, but that didn't mean one didn't exist. After all, the Deep Ones were a far cry from the merfolk in tales, and they were very real. You decided to use that to arm yourself, getting some silver chains from a jewelry store and of course, a cross from the church.
Lawrence was highly nervous as he met you once more and lead you down to see his sister. You entered the dungeon. Already there was a tremendous inhuman howl echoing through the chambers. You braced yourself to face the beast as you turned and looked at the cell Eloise Vane was trapped in.
A hideous gray skinned ghoul with red eyes stared at you. She opened her mouth and shrieked revealing back insides and fangs that filled a too large mouth. The way she moved was indeed bestial. You could feel the hunger and death magic clinging to her body. Interestingly, it was not like the ghouls you had encountered feeding off the orphanage, or even similar to the mummified beings that had been used as guards in the cultist shop in New York. This was a curse, not a chosen state or gradual transformation. But you knew the hunger would be strong. The ghoul howled and flung herself at the bars trying to break them down.
[ ]Call on Isis for aid
[ ]Use the purification spell for the dead
[ ]Turn back, create a ritual to peel the curse off her
[ ]Write-in
"What?" He looked up at you. "Ah, Oliver! I hope you have been having better luck than I." He waved at his desk of papers.
"Lawrence Vane asked me to meet his sister tomorrow to try to help her," you informed him. "I was hoping you might have more information about the nature of the beast."
He sighed and shook his head. "I had truly hoped that one of my predecessors in caring for this church knew something, but I have found nothing. Merely the reference to the curse plaguing the Vanes and prayers for them."
You frowned and thought carefully. You knew tales of people turned into great beasts that would hunt people on the full moons. A weakness to holy items and silver was common. You did not know of a cure from the tales, but that didn't mean one didn't exist. After all, the Deep Ones were a far cry from the merfolk in tales, and they were very real. You decided to use that to arm yourself, getting some silver chains from a jewelry store and of course, a cross from the church.
Lawrence was highly nervous as he met you once more and lead you down to see his sister. You entered the dungeon. Already there was a tremendous inhuman howl echoing through the chambers. You braced yourself to face the beast as you turned and looked at the cell Eloise Vane was trapped in.
A hideous gray skinned ghoul with red eyes stared at you. She opened her mouth and shrieked revealing back insides and fangs that filled a too large mouth. The way she moved was indeed bestial. You could feel the hunger and death magic clinging to her body. Interestingly, it was not like the ghouls you had encountered feeding off the orphanage, or even similar to the mummified beings that had been used as guards in the cultist shop in New York. This was a curse, not a chosen state or gradual transformation. But you knew the hunger would be strong. The ghoul howled and flung herself at the bars trying to break them down.
[ ]Call on Isis for aid
[ ]Use the purification spell for the dead
[ ]Turn back, create a ritual to peel the curse off her
[ ]Write-in
JayTar
Idea briefcase
Er, which spell is "the purification spell for the dead"? None of the spells on our character sheet quite meet that description.
I'm worried if we go for the straight purification it might kill her. It might be a good idea to meet with/examine her while she is normal to have a point of comparison?
Might be worth checking if the Blessing of Isis works to repel her in this state too? Confinement obviously isn't a perfect solution as people have been hurt and killed previously, but if the blessing works then we won't have to worry about her breaking out while we prepare a ritual.
Hm, how long would it take us to invent a ritual? A couple days?
Or actually, could we cast Empty Mind on her to help her regain her senses (and then maybe teach her the spell if it works)? Sure transforming is very unpleasant, but it's less of an issue if you can keep your mind.
Thinking about it, even if we cure her of the curse, it is still an open question how the curse is being maintained and why it reactivated now. I guess it's possible it was just in remission, but there might be a more physical component too like a cursed object/site which spreads the curse.
Anyway draft:
[X] Plan No breakouts
-[X] Check if the Blessing of Isis repels her, if so reinforce the cell with it.
-[X] Ask Lawrence how the previous attacks happened. Did Eloise break out?
-[X] Inform him of your intent to create a ritual to remove the curse, and solicit his help for when the time comes to enact it.
-[X] If the reverend is unoccupied, suggest he try translating the journal we found in the Vane Library.
If the blessing works it both prevents complications and proves we are the real stuff. Because lets be honest, we don't have a month to hang around and do things the slow way. It would be nice for someone else to donate their blood. We have bigger concerns right now after all.
Plus showing what we can do and saying how we are going to help should prevent Lawrence from doing anything desperate in the meantime.
I'm worried if we go for the straight purification it might kill her. It might be a good idea to meet with/examine her while she is normal to have a point of comparison?
Might be worth checking if the Blessing of Isis works to repel her in this state too? Confinement obviously isn't a perfect solution as people have been hurt and killed previously, but if the blessing works then we won't have to worry about her breaking out while we prepare a ritual.
Hm, how long would it take us to invent a ritual? A couple days?
Or actually, could we cast Empty Mind on her to help her regain her senses (and then maybe teach her the spell if it works)? Sure transforming is very unpleasant, but it's less of an issue if you can keep your mind.
Thinking about it, even if we cure her of the curse, it is still an open question how the curse is being maintained and why it reactivated now. I guess it's possible it was just in remission, but there might be a more physical component too like a cursed object/site which spreads the curse.
Anyway draft:
[X] Plan No breakouts
-[X] Check if the Blessing of Isis repels her, if so reinforce the cell with it.
-[X] Ask Lawrence how the previous attacks happened. Did Eloise break out?
-[X] Inform him of your intent to create a ritual to remove the curse, and solicit his help for when the time comes to enact it.
-[X] If the reverend is unoccupied, suggest he try translating the journal we found in the Vane Library.
If the blessing works it both prevents complications and proves we are the real stuff. Because lets be honest, we don't have a month to hang around and do things the slow way. It would be nice for someone else to donate their blood. We have bigger concerns right now after all.
Plus showing what we can do and saying how we are going to help should prevent Lawrence from doing anything desperate in the meantime.
Hmm, I'm reminded of the other family curse we had to deal with, the one we learned the Water of Forgiveness to stop. That was from people killed on a certain date, this might have a similar trigger. Since it's just her changing, it's likely something specific to females of the family, or possibly specifically daughters.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan No breakouts
Vote closed
New
- Pronouns
- She
An Ugly Past
New
- Pronouns
- She
Right, the most important thing for now was making sure that the ghoul couldn't break out of her cell. She was currently a ravenous monster with no control, and had already killed when she had been out before. You carefully brought out the blessing of Isis you had used previously as a seal and applied it to the cell door. As expected, the ghoul was repelled. Interestingly, it didn't act as a physical barrier as it had previously, instead causing her to shriek and retreat in pain when she touched it.
"Eloise!" Lawrence looked to you anxiously. "What did you do?"
"A spell meant to hold back the undead. Your sister doesn't quite qualify, but it is holding her back for now," you said softly. "Lawrence, how did she escape before, to murder those people?"
Lawrence shifted uneasily. "The first time...we didn't truly know what was happening. Eloise had gone missing, and there were rumors of a feral dog, but there's always been those tales around here. It was only the second month that we saw Eloise transform. But please, don't tell her. She doesn't know what's happening, she doesn't remember changing at all."
You nodded. "Alright. I intend to create a ritual to lift her curse. It will take some time for me to do the research necessary for that. This spell should keep her from escaping for now." Lawrence nodded rapidly.
With his fervent promises of whatever aid he could lend, you received permission to take the family journal you had noted back with you. You headed back to the chapel to speak with Reverend Stratton. The man looked tired, his years of age weighing clearly on him. He gave a smile to welcome you anyways. "I don't know if this would be helpful or not, but perhaps you could check if the Vanes' ancestors knew anything more that could help?"
The reverend agreed with relief and you turned your mind to designing a ritual. It would have been much easier if you could use runes. You leaned more heavily towards pictology for your rituals, and they tended to be abstract with meaning that you personally imbued into it. You tended to work more freely with painting to affect the world, rather than more traditional spell work. A ritual was what this situation called for however, and so you would do your best to shape one.
A ghoul was an undead driven by endless hunger for human flesh. The examples you had met before had been willing transformations. The unwilling nature of the current transformation Eloise was experiencing made it more tricky. You adapted from the water of forgiveness you knew, hoping that could severe the curse's hold on her.
The days of the full moon passed, and it would be another month before Eloise transformed again. The reverend finished translating the journal and came to you with a troubled look on his face. "We have found something that should have remained hidden," he told you sorrowfully.
You accepted the translation that Reverend Stratton had written down and looked inside. An Edgar Vane from the sixteenth century wrote of how he had researched his ancestors, and discovered references that in the past the Vanes had been devil worshippers, specifically of an idol called "Mordee-ganee" if he had phonetically translated it properly. They had performed acts of cannibalism and grave desecration in honor of their foul god. He had not been able to find any hard evidence of it, but there was clear unease in the journalist's words as he tried to dismiss it, referencing his mother and sisters' fates briefly without ever mentioning what that was.
Those acts would explain why the curse had taken the form of a ghoul. Perhaps it hadn't even originally been considered a curse, but a blessing for their line. Something had happened though, turning the family away from it, and the truth was lost, only a taint in the line from magic so long ago that most would think it would have faded. But that wasn't how these things worked. The Vanes had contacted a god, and it had left its touch on them. The Vanes had not claimed that god for centuries, but it still had not let them go.
That changed your focus. There were ways you could use this to alter the ritual.
[ ]Talk to Eloise, have her actively reject the god as part of the ritual
[ ]Focus on giving control of her ghoul form to her
[ ]Continue on your first vein of severing the curse with a purity ritual
[ ]Write-in
"Eloise!" Lawrence looked to you anxiously. "What did you do?"
"A spell meant to hold back the undead. Your sister doesn't quite qualify, but it is holding her back for now," you said softly. "Lawrence, how did she escape before, to murder those people?"
Lawrence shifted uneasily. "The first time...we didn't truly know what was happening. Eloise had gone missing, and there were rumors of a feral dog, but there's always been those tales around here. It was only the second month that we saw Eloise transform. But please, don't tell her. She doesn't know what's happening, she doesn't remember changing at all."
You nodded. "Alright. I intend to create a ritual to lift her curse. It will take some time for me to do the research necessary for that. This spell should keep her from escaping for now." Lawrence nodded rapidly.
With his fervent promises of whatever aid he could lend, you received permission to take the family journal you had noted back with you. You headed back to the chapel to speak with Reverend Stratton. The man looked tired, his years of age weighing clearly on him. He gave a smile to welcome you anyways. "I don't know if this would be helpful or not, but perhaps you could check if the Vanes' ancestors knew anything more that could help?"
The reverend agreed with relief and you turned your mind to designing a ritual. It would have been much easier if you could use runes. You leaned more heavily towards pictology for your rituals, and they tended to be abstract with meaning that you personally imbued into it. You tended to work more freely with painting to affect the world, rather than more traditional spell work. A ritual was what this situation called for however, and so you would do your best to shape one.
A ghoul was an undead driven by endless hunger for human flesh. The examples you had met before had been willing transformations. The unwilling nature of the current transformation Eloise was experiencing made it more tricky. You adapted from the water of forgiveness you knew, hoping that could severe the curse's hold on her.
The days of the full moon passed, and it would be another month before Eloise transformed again. The reverend finished translating the journal and came to you with a troubled look on his face. "We have found something that should have remained hidden," he told you sorrowfully.
You accepted the translation that Reverend Stratton had written down and looked inside. An Edgar Vane from the sixteenth century wrote of how he had researched his ancestors, and discovered references that in the past the Vanes had been devil worshippers, specifically of an idol called "Mordee-ganee" if he had phonetically translated it properly. They had performed acts of cannibalism and grave desecration in honor of their foul god. He had not been able to find any hard evidence of it, but there was clear unease in the journalist's words as he tried to dismiss it, referencing his mother and sisters' fates briefly without ever mentioning what that was.
Those acts would explain why the curse had taken the form of a ghoul. Perhaps it hadn't even originally been considered a curse, but a blessing for their line. Something had happened though, turning the family away from it, and the truth was lost, only a taint in the line from magic so long ago that most would think it would have faded. But that wasn't how these things worked. The Vanes had contacted a god, and it had left its touch on them. The Vanes had not claimed that god for centuries, but it still had not let them go.
That changed your focus. There were ways you could use this to alter the ritual.
[ ]Talk to Eloise, have her actively reject the god as part of the ritual
[ ]Focus on giving control of her ghoul form to her
[ ]Continue on your first vein of severing the curse with a purity ritual
[ ]Write-in
