In the 5th Edition game of Dungeons and Dragons that I've been playing our wizard died a couple of weeks ago. He was minding his own business, throwing nukes at mobs, when, just after clearing a room, he was struck down. A bugbear had been sneaking up behind our party for an hour or so, shadowing us, and managed to get the drop on our most vulnerable friend. A bugbear weighs about 300 lbs of muscle and wields a morning star. The morning star collapsed his head like an accordion and there was nothing we could do. He was dead.
Or so we thought.
The evil book we had been planning to destroy made itself known. It reached out and tempted us to use it to bring our friend back to life. When we refused, there was a struggle but it managed to fly into the hands of the wizard's corpse and resurrect him.
Time will tell the fate of the wizard with an undead book for a heart.
As for another story of horror, I continued the Call of Cthulhu game I began two years ago by running the spectacular Mansions of Madness scenario, set in 1920's Massachusetts, "The Crack'd and Crook'd Mans". I made one small addition in the way of introducing a new character:
Johnny grew up at a trading post in the Amazon. He was not born Johnny. It was the name the British missionaries gave him. His tribe lived at and around the trading post since it served as a way for them to make a living and the mission supplied many charitable acts like education, medicine, and other necessities. He learned many of the old legends of his ancestors, the Yandalapuma tribe or "Missing Peoples", but he didn't take much heed of it. He eventually became a guide, leading white men through the rain forest, and helping to keep his people's livelihood afloat. Johnny's life wasn't special but it was good.
Until Arthur Cornthwaite arrived. A friendly American man who came talking to the Yandalapuma members and, eventually, asked if they would show him to the "grey dome". The elders refused and forbid anyone help him. After all, the grey dome was beyond the "undrinkable river" that even the tribe members were not allowed to cross and all that fell in the shadow of the grey dome were "taken by ghosts and never seen again".
But Johnny could only think of what he could do with the money the man offered.
So, he came to Cornthwaite and secret and agreed to show him to the river. He took him and his men to the darkest part of the rainforest in the shadow of the dome but refused to join them beyond the river. He waited for a few days for them to return to no avail and so he returned home. A fortnight later, Arthur Cornthwaite stumbled into the trading post, looking like he had seen a ghost. His men were no where to be seen and he quickly left to get the first boat back to America. Johnny used the money to do a lot of good for his people but something was eating a way at his conscience.
He had weird dreams about the dome, about a dark pit, about men screaming, about shadows that crawl and about Arthur Cornthwaite being followed home by a shadow. Eventually, distressed, he told his grandfather. The man was disappointed. He told him that he had broken tribal law and that he had allowed a great darkness to cross the river. The elder told him that if he wishes to have his spirit freed of guilt that he must find the man and kill the ghost following him before it is too late! He sent Johnny on the task and gave him a small pouch filled with a fine white crystalline powder said to ward off the ghosts. Johnny made his way, quick as he could, up to Gamwell, Massachusetts where Mr. Cornthwaite was missing and strangeness was afoot.
Will Johnny succeed in his quest? I won't know until next week!
My friends thing Five Nights at Freddy's frightened me. They are wrong!
I was simply startled by the loud noise and flashing animation when I jumped out of the chair. The reason I don't want to play is the tension. I swear. Why would I lie?
I ain't 'fraid of nothin'!
(But seriously, if you haven't experienced Five Nights, you should check it out. Also, the latest game theory video about it is really creepy and fascinating. Enjoy.)
