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The Haunting of a Nation - An Occult Adventure
- Location
- USA
I first came up with the premise maybe last year after I played A Choice of Games CYOA that was about investigating a manor. Probably of lesser influence is stuff like Supernatural and X-Files.
- Location
- United States
[X] Edward Ephraim Berdstead
- Location
- Ohio
[X] Edward Ephraim Berdstead
Character Creation II
- Location
- USA
Character Creation II
Berdstead Estate
January 3, 1897; 8:42 p.m.
A single gas-lit lantern gave illumination over the extensive shelves of the household study, its ghostly light providing all that was needed for your preferred armchair. It was you who bid it so, instructing Charles to darken the rest, giving life to the stretching shadows. The darkness of the house had seldom bothered you since you were a child and indeed you took some comfort in it, your spot of light a bastion of erudite literature. Or so it could be romanticized.
Your hands, unweathered by physical labor, pick delicately between the letters, those accursed correspondences from Great-Uncle Ichabod that have made themselves the specter of your imagination since his disappearance. Every stroke of the pen, every term: you refused to believe that it did not contain some form of clue as to his whereabouts. What genius laid behind his seemingly innocuous reports? Thoughts on ciphers boggled your mind with the possibilities to the point of migraine.
Removing your spectacles, you sat them gently upon your side table, resting them beside the thick tome which gathered dust there. Seeking distraction, you heaved the great beast forward and appraised its cover. With a faint smile, you recognized it as one among your favorites some years ago during your Harvard days, a detailed work that you doubt more than a dozen men had ever read. Which was a shame, for it was, in your approximation, the premier manual on...
[ ] - Nathan Cross' Apparational Experiences: 1860-1878; a compiled list of every personal investigation by one Mister Nathan Cross around rural north England. Mister Cross' work, while anecdotal, contained such a level of minutiae and scholarly rigor as to slake any initial concerns. From theories on an ephemeral line of mental communication to specific observations on the supernatural effects on temperature, mood, and benign hallucinations, to connecting significant tragedies in village records to apparaitional abundance, Cross' text proved a solid foundation for your interests in the world of ghosts and haunted sites.
[ ] - Frederick Franz von Knochenberg's The Physical Occult; a wide-spanning journal that approached parapsychological topics with a focus on the physical. Entries ranged from dissections of cryptids, to defenses of ectoplasm as a material form of the spirit world. However, where it must touched upon was Knochenberg's personal projects revolving around 'ideoplasty', transmuting the mental into the physical through what amounted to equal parts proper chemistry and mystic alchemy. Through this, it was postulated that extrasensory perception could be unlocked, producing a key to a lock for a door that humans hadn't even discovered yet.
[ ] - Pierre Bevaire's Insight into the Levant and Greater Crescent; an anthropological and archaeological study encompassing Bevaire's expeditions into numerous tombs and readings of scarcely translated tablets. While beginning with a degree of detachment, it is apparent that Bevaire's foray into the great tombs of the Egyptian rulers sparked within him a passion on the afterlife and the mystical and often malevolent entities that reside there. From pharaonic curses to Mesopotamian devils, Bevaire offered you a glimpse into a grand mythology quite unfamiliar with your western education.
As you glanced over familiar pages, your redirected attention was stolen by a creak from the hall, a clumsy footfa;; of an errant servant. You looked into the darkened doorway, expecting an embarrassed lady, before a realization struck you: Charles and the other staff had retired for the night.
Your pulse quickened and with a terror of your yesteryears you quickly adorned your spectacles. Shapes formed from the darkness, your mind trying to bring order to the nothingness you saw. One part of your brain screamed to look away while the other asked calmly to focus your eyes and figure out what awaited you in the hall. Snapping yourself from indecision, you stood and stepped forward, squinting with a brash look as if to say "what beast dares disturb me!"
Nothing leapt from the shadows to feast upon your bones, no shrill banshee, nor horrid ghoul, not even a measly cutthroat come to end your life. At once you felt relieved and ashamed to be afraid in your own home, to allow the settling of floors to shake you. What could walk your halls that would compare to the many horrors you read about?
Resigned to your shame, you abandoned your studies and crept up the main stairway to the master bedroom. Beneath the silken covers, you tried in vain to soothe your mind. As if a concession to your frantic head, you promised yourself action in the morning, to strike out from the loneliness of the house and tackle the looming issue that was the Berdstead Agency.
It was a small organization you had effectively inherited, in possession of a single office, its walls plastered with prospective cases that Ichabod had clearly intended to settle one day or another. And within that cramped space sat a single unfortunate soul, a Missus Jowers who had seemingly been a recent hire, to help mitigate the growing stacks of papers. She seemed just as overwhelmed as you and even less informed of the situation the Agency was in. It was luck then that you possessed an ally...
[ ] - Arthur Crowd; a plump journalist who had acted as one of Ichabod's informants on things believed to be supernatural in nature. Although a skeptic, he understood the marketable appeal of tall tales and ghost stories and worked with Ichabod to uncover them. He looks to you now to aid in his investigations and together you two could do well to discover an expansive web of incidents across New Hampshire.
[ ] - Madame Maria; an elderly woman of nebulous Hungarian heritage who claims an equally dubious inventory of oddities. Despite your misgivings, Ichabod clearly trusted her enough to become a regular patron of her wares. Half the items she hawked seemed explainable only by her, yet if any of them did manage to work as intended, you could have at your availability indispensable tools against the supernatural.
[ ] - Joseph Varney; an old chum from your Harvard days, Varney and you found yourselves close friends. He was of a more traditional bent, but between his similar upbringing in Manchester and his personal entertainment in your peculiar studies, the friendship blossomed. Much like yourself, he's old money, and much unlike yourself, he has utilized it to begin his own career in local politics. While public ties to the Berdstead Agency may see his efforts diminished, Varney is nevertheless willing to help provide some legitimacy to your efforts, perhaps one day allowing you to work for men of higher standing than Ichabod has thus far resorted to.
[ ] - Father Benoit; Catholic preacher beloved in Manchester and maligned beyond in Church hierarchy. While the Berdsteads were not of the Papist persuasion, Ichabod had little qualms in working with the Father in a case of a supposed exorcism, a case you had only learned of second-hand from the Father himself. It was, in his words, a failed endeavor. Father Benoit sees your efforts and the efforts of your Great-Uncle through the view of a holy war, that your mission should be lesso the research of the paranormal and moreso its expulsion back to Hell. Luckily, Ichabod has him convinced that through research, this divine mission will be carried out sooner.
A journey, of course, always began with a single step and so you would for now resolve only to meet your colleague. And from there, you would perhaps be allowed to continue onto your work with a greater foundation. So you hoped.
[X] - Frederick Franz von Knochenberg's The Physical Occult; a wide-spanning journal that approached parapsychological topics with a focus on the physical. Entries ranged from dissections of cryptids, to defenses of ectoplasm as a material form of the spirit world. However, where it must touched upon was Knochenberg's personal projects revolving around 'ideoplasty', transmuting the mental into the physical through what amounted to equal parts proper chemistry and mystic alchemy. Through this, it was postulated that extrasensory perception could be unlocked, producing a key to a lock for a door that humans hadn't even discovered yet.
[X] - Madame Maria; an elderly woman of nebulous Hungarian heritage who claims an equally dubious inventory of oddities. Despite your misgivings, Ichabod clearly trusted her enough to become a regular patron of her wares. Half the items she hawked seemed explainable only by her, yet if any of them did manage to work as intended, you could have at your availability indispensable tools against the supernatural.
[X] - Madame Maria; an elderly woman of nebulous Hungarian heritage who claims an equally dubious inventory of oddities. Despite your misgivings, Ichabod clearly trusted her enough to become a regular patron of her wares. Half the items she hawked seemed explainable only by her, yet if any of them did manage to work as intended, you could have at your availability indispensable tools against the supernatural.
- Location
- Canada
[X] - Pierre Bevaire's Insight into the Levant and Greater Crescent; an anthropological and archaeological study encompassing Bevaire's expeditions into numerous tombs and readings of scarcely translated tablets. While beginning with a degree of detachment, it is apparent that Bevaire's foray into the great tombs of the Egyptian rulers sparked within him a passion on the afterlife and the mystical and often malevolent entities that reside there. From pharaonic curses to Mesopotamian devils, Bevaire offered you a glimpse into a grand mythology quite unfamiliar with your western education.
[X] - Father Benoit; Catholic preacher beloved in Manchester and maligned beyond in Church hierarchy. While the Berdsteads were not of the Papist persuasion, Ichabod had little qualms in working with the Father in a case of a supposed exorcism, a case you had only learned of second-hand from the Father himself. It was, in his words, a failed endeavor. Father Benoit sees your efforts and the efforts of your Great-Uncle through the view of a holy war, that your mission should be lesso the research of the paranormal and moreso its expulsion back to Hell. Luckily, Ichabod has him convinced that through research, this divine mission will be carried out sooner.
I like the sound of ancient demons and holy exorcisms very much.
[X] - Father Benoit; Catholic preacher beloved in Manchester and maligned beyond in Church hierarchy. While the Berdsteads were not of the Papist persuasion, Ichabod had little qualms in working with the Father in a case of a supposed exorcism, a case you had only learned of second-hand from the Father himself. It was, in his words, a failed endeavor. Father Benoit sees your efforts and the efforts of your Great-Uncle through the view of a holy war, that your mission should be lesso the research of the paranormal and moreso its expulsion back to Hell. Luckily, Ichabod has him convinced that through research, this divine mission will be carried out sooner.
I like the sound of ancient demons and holy exorcisms very much.
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- Location
- iTALY
[X] - Frederick Franz von Knochenberg's The Physical Occult; a wide-spanning journal that approached parapsychological topics with a focus on the physical. Entries ranged from dissections of cryptids, to defenses of ectoplasm as a material form of the spirit world. However, where it must touched upon was Knochenberg's personal projects revolving around 'ideoplasty', transmuting the mental into the physical through what amounted to equal parts proper chemistry and mystic alchemy. Through this, it was postulated that extrasensory perception could be unlocked, producing a key to a lock for a door that humans hadn't even discovered yet.
[X] - Madame Maria; an elderly woman of nebulous Hungarian heritage who claims an equally dubious inventory of oddities. Despite your misgivings, Ichabod clearly trusted her enough to become a regular patron of her wares. Half the items she hawked seemed explainable only by her, yet if any of them did manage to work as intended, you could have at your availability indispensable tools against the supernatural.
[X] - Madame Maria; an elderly woman of nebulous Hungarian heritage who claims an equally dubious inventory of oddities. Despite your misgivings, Ichabod clearly trusted her enough to become a regular patron of her wares. Half the items she hawked seemed explainable only by her, yet if any of them did manage to work as intended, you could have at your availability indispensable tools against the supernatural.
[X] - Nathan Cross' Apparational Experiences: 1860-1878; a compiled list of every personal investigation by one Mister Nathan Cross around rural north England. Mister Cross' work, while anecdotal, contained such a level of minutiae and scholarly rigor as to slake any initial concerns. From theories on an ephemeral line of mental communication to specific observations on the supernatural effects on temperature, mood, and benign hallucinations, to connecting significant tragedies in village records to apparaitional abundance, Cross' text proved a solid foundation for your interests in the world of ghosts and haunted sites.
[X] - Madame Maria; an elderly woman of nebulous Hungarian heritage who claims an equally dubious inventory of oddities. Despite your misgivings, Ichabod clearly trusted her enough to become a regular patron of her wares. Half the items she hawked seemed explainable only by her, yet if any of them did manage to work as intended, you could have at your availability indispensable tools against the supernatural.
[X] - Madame Maria; an elderly woman of nebulous Hungarian heritage who claims an equally dubious inventory of oddities. Despite your misgivings, Ichabod clearly trusted her enough to become a regular patron of her wares. Half the items she hawked seemed explainable only by her, yet if any of them did manage to work as intended, you could have at your availability indispensable tools against the supernatural.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
[x] - Pierre Bevaire's Insight into the Levant and Greater Crescent; an anthropological and archaeological study encompassing Bevaire's expeditions into numerous tombs and readings of scarcely translated tablets. While beginning with a degree of detachment, it is apparent that Bevaire's foray into the great tombs of the Egyptian rulers sparked within him a passion on the afterlife and the mystical and often malevolent entities that reside there. From pharaonic curses to Mesopotamian devils, Bevaire offered you a glimpse into a grand mythology quite unfamiliar with your western education.
[x] - Father Benoit; Catholic preacher beloved in Manchester and maligned beyond in Church hierarchy. While the Berdsteads were not of the Papist persuasion, Ichabod had little qualms in working with the Father in a case of a supposed exorcism, a case you had only learned of second-hand from the Father himself. It was, in his words, a failed endeavor. Father Benoit sees your efforts and the efforts of your Great-Uncle through the view of a holy war, that your mission should be lesso the research of the paranormal and moreso its expulsion back to Hell. Luckily, Ichabod has him convinced that through research, this divine mission will be carried out sooner.
[x] - Pierre Bevaire's Insight into the Levant and Greater Crescent; an anthropological and archaeological study encompassing Bevaire's expeditions into numerous tombs and readings of scarcely translated tablets. While beginning with a degree of detachment, it is apparent that Bevaire's foray into the great tombs of the Egyptian rulers sparked within him a passion on the afterlife and the mystical and often malevolent entities that reside there. From pharaonic curses to Mesopotamian devils, Bevaire offered you a glimpse into a grand mythology quite unfamiliar with your western education.
[x] - Father Benoit; Catholic preacher beloved in Manchester and maligned beyond in Church hierarchy. While the Berdsteads were not of the Papist persuasion, Ichabod had little qualms in working with the Father in a case of a supposed exorcism, a case you had only learned of second-hand from the Father himself. It was, in his words, a failed endeavor. Father Benoit sees your efforts and the efforts of your Great-Uncle through the view of a holy war, that your mission should be lesso the research of the paranormal and moreso its expulsion back to Hell. Luckily, Ichabod has him convinced that through research, this divine mission will be carried out sooner.
[x] - Father Benoit; Catholic preacher beloved in Manchester and maligned beyond in Church hierarchy. While the Berdsteads were not of the Papist persuasion, Ichabod had little qualms in working with the Father in a case of a supposed exorcism, a case you had only learned of second-hand from the Father himself. It was, in his words, a failed endeavor. Father Benoit sees your efforts and the efforts of your Great-Uncle through the view of a holy war, that your mission should be lesso the research of the paranormal and moreso its expulsion back to Hell. Luckily, Ichabod has him convinced that through research, this divine mission will be carried out sooner.
AMTurtle
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
[X] - Pierre Bevaire's Insight into the Levant and Greater Crescent; an anthropological and archaeological study encompassing Bevaire's expeditions into numerous tombs and readings of scarcely translated tablets. While beginning with a degree of detachment, it is apparent that Bevaire's foray into the great tombs of the Egyptian rulers sparked within him a passion on the afterlife and the mystical and often malevolent entities that reside there. From pharaonic curses to Mesopotamian devils, Bevaire offered you a glimpse into a grand mythology quite unfamiliar with your western education.
[X] - Joseph Varney; an old chum from your Harvard days, Varney and you found yourselves close friends. He was of a more traditional bent, but between his similar upbringing in Manchester and his personal entertainment in your peculiar studies, the friendship blossomed. Much like yourself, he's old money, and much unlike yourself, he has utilized it to begin his own career in local politics. While public ties to the Berdstead Agency may see his efforts diminished, Varney is nevertheless willing to help provide some legitimacy to your efforts, perhaps one day allowing you to work for men of higher standing than Ichabod has thus far resorted to.
[X] - Joseph Varney; an old chum from your Harvard days, Varney and you found yourselves close friends. He was of a more traditional bent, but between his similar upbringing in Manchester and his personal entertainment in your peculiar studies, the friendship blossomed. Much like yourself, he's old money, and much unlike yourself, he has utilized it to begin his own career in local politics. While public ties to the Berdstead Agency may see his efforts diminished, Varney is nevertheless willing to help provide some legitimacy to your efforts, perhaps one day allowing you to work for men of higher standing than Ichabod has thus far resorted to.
Chapter One
- Location
- USA
St. Raphael Church
January 4th, 1897; 8:12 a.m.
With all the predictability of a dogmatic man, the Father was where he always was in the mornings, attending to his spiritual health in the house of the Lord. For roughly a decade he had come to this place of worship, sitting alone most mornings in silent contemplation. But this morning, he would be joined by another.
You entered into the church with some trepidation, the building impressing upon you an uncomfortable unease. Libraries and lecture halls were your haunts and while you were naturally raised in religious tradition as a norm, you never took to faith as your guide. Still yet, the innate reverence of the building was more than enough to affect you even as an academic. The Father, however, seemed as still as water, his head bowed, his slight frame tiny amidst the pews. In silence, you sat beside him.
Moments passed in expectant silence as you allowed him to finish his prayers. Raising his head, Father Benoit spoke, his eyes glassy and unfocused, still elsewhere.
"Has Ichabod returned?"
You expected as much. While Great-Uncle Ichabod had convinced the Father to work alongside him, you suspected Benoit bore less tolerance for you. But for the sake of the Berdstead Agency, you would need to earn the man's trust as well. Or, at least his reluctant assistance.
"I am afraid not, Father. If he's hidden his whereabouts in code, than I have yet to decipher it. In the meantime, I intend to take up his casework."
Benoit nodded and turned now to face you fully. You felt his gaze fall over you, judging you in a silent way, a hawkish way.
"And you're up for the coming war?"
He must have noticed the brief look of confusion in your eyes, for he continued in earnest.
"When the devils of the Morning Star stalk this world, and seek the blood of the innocent, it will be we who stand ready with sword and shield. We are soldiers in the name of Christ, like our ancestors before us, but what we fight are not heathens but Beast himself."
Father Benoit was now half-stood, the few tufts of white hair around his head stuck up wild, as wild as the look in his swimming eyes. You knew at once that this man terrified you in ways you hadn't considered before as he rambled before you.
"Ichabod promised me this, young man, and so will you. I have prayed on his disappearance and prayed on your rise and what God tells me is that I must be more resolute in my faith. Do you deserve this faith?"
You admit you were speechless for a few moments, but you spoke up eventually.
"O-of course, Father. As my great-uncle has said, this task will require that we know our enemy, to understand how best to combat it. Otherwise we stand without, as you said, the sword to our shield of faith."
A beat passed before the Father returned to his seat. He gave a slight grin, his teeth betraying his advanced age.
"Then consider the partnership upheld for now."
You exchanged few other words, save him arranging to visit the office later in the day. As you left, you turned to take one last glance at the Father. He had merely returned to his prayer, sitting alone and whispering to himself and to his God. He would remain there for hours.
Briefly, your mind returned to the times you and Ichabod had discussed the Father. Your great-uncle was an open man, often extolling long and meticulous on everything he was attending to in his strange career. And the fact that not even he would touch on the exorcism of his past with the Father was a fact quite unnerving.
Berdstead Agency Office
January 4, 1897; 6:03 p.m.
"Are these all?"
In your hand, you held a light stack of papers, decorated with Father Benoit's sweeping handwriting. They were notes and annotations of news articles, spanning three cases, all of which you had assumed were cold. Ichabod certainly hadn't made them a priority, considering his own notes were covered in dust. As if to follow the thought, a small cough filled the office. Missus Jowers excused herself.
"This dust really must go."
You arched an eyebrow, your concerns less with her allergies than the cases. She continued.
"He said that these were - in his words - 'sufficient for the time being'. I can have these organized and sent home with you tonight, Mister Berdstead."
You nodded and began leafing through the files, curiosity holding the reigns of your mind. You caught keywords - desecration, medieval, insanity - before returning it to Jowers. It was with eagerness that you returned home that night, prepared for a night of examining cases. Surely this would awaken your mind, remove the rust from your mental joints, and at least busy yourself from the whole Ichabod affair.
Berdstead Estate
January 5, 1897; 9:10 p.m.
In her pristine handwriting, Missus Jowers was so kind as to write briefs on each case. One took your interest, which you voraciously sank into...
[ ] - A Murder at Kimball Castle
Beloved pet project of railroad magnate Benjamin Ames Kimball, the site of Kimball Castle is three-hundred acres set upon the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. Construction began three years ago and has continued steadily until recently. While hardly publicized, the contracted masons who have been vital to the castle's construction have begun refusing to even step foot near the area, keeping tight-lipped.
Except to Father Benoit. Apparently one of the workers had heard of the Father and trusted him alone with a great deal of information, which Benoit has passed along. Ichabod himself seemed to have done little leg-work, so details you know are filtered through the rhetoric of two frightened Catholics. Nevertheless, if even an shred of it rings true, there appears to be a hellish entity tormenting the workers for reasons unknown. Their labors are mocked, their numbers are pitted against one another, and it has even turned to murder on one occasion. Kimball himself would likely be opposed to someone snooping around his estate, but perhaps you could figure out some method to resolve the issue.
[ ] - The Disappearances at the Bancroft Building
The New Hampshire Asylum for the Insane - a modern institution for psychiatric care in the state capital. But its reputation lies in stake, as numerous nurses and patients alike have seemingly vanished into thin air. Such a story would likely have been suppressed if not for a whistleblower who spoke out, their story trickling its way into the hands of Ichabod. Why he initially took the case is unknown, but his procuring of personal accounts opened the door to some eerie happenings.
The classic case of cold chills in certain areas, mysterious doctors appearing from seemingly nowhere, and of course, the growing list of people who one day checked in, but never checked out. Between this enigmatic case and the allure of dealing with proper medical experts at the same instance, this case seems perfect to begin.
Father Benoit, on the other hand, seems to lack much in enthusiam for the affair. This case bore little in the way of proper notes from him, instead consisting of jabs against men of science and their hubris. In his approximation, this was more to do with the sin of man, not the supernatural.
[ ] - A Fire at Penacook Village
Alternatively known as Fisherville, the true name of Penacook Village points to its bloodstained history. The Pennacook were among the first Natives encountered by Europeans and for that they paid heavily, decimated by disease at first and war in the ensuing weakness. The tribe was effectively dissolved, their survivors fleeing north and south, mingling with other groups. In New Hampshire specifically, they were subsumed into the Abenaki peoples.
But in Penacook Village, they are not forgotten. A sleepy town along the riverbanks, it is said that the mill town has been under some darkness for the past few years. Ichabod's earliest note-taking on the settlement note a few instances of apparitional sightings, but by this past year, there has been nearly twenty-two separate instances. Recent interest stems from a fire this past month, wherein a grove of trees was somehow lit on fire. Many fingers have been pointed, from local arsonists, to disgruntled natives, to anti-native whites, leaving the whole thing a mess.
Benoit's personal interest seemingly comes from his fear of devils at play, his notes implying that they could be working through the historic tragedies to grow stronger.
Winning Votes for last round were Bevaire's texts (on a coin flip, we had an extended tie) and, obviously, Father Benoit as an ally. WIth this new vote, we can start jumping into a case, and I plan to do another vote right after this one for Agency Actions.
My ideal structure for this will have us alternating between us "in the field" and also our broader Agency Actions working as well, with updates going between the two. For examples of such actions, things like currying more favor with our allies, researching Ichabod's fate, expanding operations, hiring new allies, etc. I'll save that vote for after this one concludes for simplicity sake but in the future, I'll likely bundle them into a big post unless someone objects to that.
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