Families of Betrayal - Part Two

**Note: this story was created playing "Betrayal: Legacy" the game. While each experience will undoubtedly be different, please note that this may contain spoilers for the uninitiated.

November 24, 1694

A biting wind whistles through the expansive grounds of the ancient manor. The weather hadn't changed for weeks. Though nearing the end of fall, the area was locked deep in early winter. Gwendolyn Groovenier, peers out the window of her upper story landing at her uninvited guests. They- and other members of their families- had tried to befriend her before. At first, their curiosity and overtures of friendship were something that delighted her. This year had been rough on everyone, however, and she no longer felt the same. They'd become less cordial in some of their questionings. She knew then that they were no longer here for her. They were here for her house's treasures. No doubt hunger and frustration had overridden their normal sense of decorum, and they'd come as a group this time. She wanted them just to go away. It was that thought that drove her to throw a stone from the window towards one of them. She assumed it would scare them off. It hit the Rowens' brother sharply in the shoulder, but instead of driving him or the others off, it seemed to spur them into action. They made their way towards the house in a rush. Gwendolyn began to fear for her safety and goes to find one of her own weapons. A small pistol is closest at hand, one her niece names "Ma's." It would suffice.

Hendrick was startled by the attack, but wouldn't let it deter him. His hunger for knowledge was too great. Though he had enjoyed the friendship he had been developing with Gwen and the other families, he was unable to set aside the desire to learn the truth about how his brother, Edward, had died. His life had been devoted to research in hopes that he would be better equipped to tackle the strange mysteries that the world held. One of those mysteries surrounded the events that had happened here nearly thirty years prior. He believed that there was much more to the story and that Ms. Groovenier or her home were the keys to unlocking the mysteries.

After taking the blow from the stone, he decided that it was best to find an alternative entrance while his companions went for the front door. As he went alongside the house, he saw a glint in the pasture and found an old scythe. Realizing that being armed could prove useful, he decided to keep it handy. He chuckled to himself at the image of an aging forty-four-year-old scholar carrying such a large weapon. "Might as well call me "The Reaper." The laughter dies in his throat as he comes across a massive tree with an old noose swinging from one of the branches. Lying at the base is an impressive chalice. Just looking at it is like peering into the depths of knowledge. He decides to take that with him as well as he heads back towards the house.

Salamanca Saheem was a woman of science, not faith, but she found herself wishing that she'd paid a bit more attention to her mother's warnings. She'd been to this house many times over the years, but today was the first that she felt something... disconcerting. She'd heard the rumors of course. Was it her mother's letter that had shaken her so? Given to her just a few short weeks ago after her mother's passing, the final sentences were lodged in her skull. He died... but didn't die. I have seen him. In that house. The house is his sanctuary and his prison. Pray that the Lord look down upon our family, because whatever caused the events of that night came not from Heaven, but Hell...

It seemed totally unlike the woman that she'd grown up with. Strong and vibrant, even after the death of her father, she turned to faith instead of despair. She had to know more. She had to find the reason behind such a strange change in character. Though casting her gaze about her, she began to wonder if all that she would find would be the cracks in the foundation of her own faith in the natural order.

Salamanca stopped at the entryway of the house, realizing she wasn't quite ready to venture deep within just yet, and set about to wander the grounds instead. Her decision seems well-founded, as from within the house, she hears a hideous and terrifying scream.

Meanwhile...

August Rosenthorn, a fit, middle-aged man whose face seemed locked in a perpetual smirk saw his friend get hit by a stone not far away. He'd decided he'd had enough with the niceties. His family had fallen on incredibly hard times while this woman rained down stones from her gilded home. Even if he didn't believe that Gwendolyn held secrets to his sister's death, he wasn't going to put up with it any longer. Storming into the house, he searches from room to room until his gaze falls on an ornate price of jewelry. In the back of his mind part of him is screaming at him to realize that the brooch is being held by a desiccated hand, but that voice never reaches his rational mind. Picking up the beautiful piece, the body begins to stir. It stands, still rotting, but seemingly stronger. The brooch was keeping it from rising, but the trap was released by the foolish man. The revenant looks at Augustus long enough to ensnare his mind to help protect him and he runs to dispose of the foes he can feel throughout the house. 

Hendrick is only feet away from the entrance when he is laid into by a terrifying animal. It could almost be mistaken as a wolf, but also seemed strangely feline. As it tastes the blood of its victim, it pauses for a moment. It recognizes the flavor of the family's blood from many years prior. Suddenly the animal rushes away, seemingly in terror. At the same moment, he hears a terrifying scream from within the house. Though scared beyond anything he'd experienced before, he heads into the house, hoping to help his friends face whatever horror was within. Such bravery was not to be rewarded. The revenant- unwilling to face such a knowledgable foe head-on- steps through the parlor circling around the unsuspecting man. Hendrick barely had a chance to turn towards the horror before he finds himself ripped nearly in half. He watches the revenant stalk off, no doubt seeking to end his friends as well. He's unsure what he can do to aid them but resolves to try. It is then that he sees his brother walk towards him and he realizes the terrible truth. He is not experiencing his last moments. He has moved beyond them. Like his brother before him, he is fated to be another spirit roaming the halls of this terrifying abode.

Salamanca sees Hendrick run into the house, and so steels her own courage to aid those still within. She rushes in only to see the older man's final moment. The terrifying creature doesn't seem to notice her as it continues deeper into the house. Glancing down she realizes that there is little that she can do for the poor man. She begins to move on when she swears she hears a whisper, that sounds so similar to the man eviscerated beneath her. "Take them. You will need them." She suddenly senses the power of the items he was holding and takes them for her own. It is then that another presence makes itself felt. She knows with certainty that it is her father. Following his unseen guidance, she uses the chalice to gain insight into the foe that she knows she must now face. 

She chases after the revenant, attacking it from behind. Hendrick's scythe does its work as the creature loses a leg. As it collapses it slashes towards her. Though seemingly only a scratch, her blood burns. She realizes its touch is as deadly as its strength. Her experience in healing only provides her with the deadly truth, that she too, will join the dead of this accursed place.  

From upstairs, Gwendolyn hears the horrifying scream and realizes that uninvited guests are the least of her worries. Going downstairs she watches in horror as some sort of undead creature attacks Salamanca. Without hesitation, she raises her gun and fires at the revenant, but August, beset by madness runs in front of the oncoming bullet. Gwen lets out a sob as she sees him slump to the floor, his head now a bloody mass. She fires again, but the gun seems to do little damage to the mighty creature. She knows then that escape is her only hope. She rushes out through the side door, out past the stables, but a deadly fell wind pushes her back, right into the arms of the revenant. He ends her life with a snap of the neck. 

The dark creature casts about with both his eyes and his inner sense. He knows that there is one other on the grounds, but he can sense that they are retreating. No matter. His purpose is served. For now. From his mouth, strange words pour forth as he slashes his own throat. His blood splashes to the ground, hisses, and turns to smoke. The air smells of brimstone. There is much more to do, but the way has been opened once again. The families shall not find the strength to stop them now...