The Haunting of the House of Crum Page 3

  Flora eventually pushed her husband too far and he killed her in a rage, planting a cleaver in the back of her head. Though now reanimated, she still bears the marks of that wound.

  Melee: 1; Will: 2.

  Lucy Mae – Housekeeper

  Older and plainer than Tilda, Lucy Mae was the estate’s Housekeeper and thus had access to the bedrooms of the estate. She had come to Crum’s service after fleeing an abusive marriage and her body bore scars from the beatings she received at the hands of her husband. Her husband once came to the estate looking for her and the Master had Delany beat him to death so that he would never harm her again, thereby earning her undying loyalty.

  Lucy Mae now bears only passing resemblance to her living self. She is wild-eyed and bestial and survives on a diet of flesh, preferably that of human beings.

  Melee: 3; Will: 2.

  Afrodil – Maid

  In his blasphemous Black Masses, Crum needed a young and virginal woman whose naked body would serve as his altar. He found such a woman in Afrodil, whom he brought to the estate after searching New York for a “perfect” negro woman with all the right qualities he sought. Though ostensibly a maid, Crum treated her very well and provided for her every need, provided she never leave his domain and that she perform her “religious” duties without complaint.

  In time, Bruce seduced Afrodil and her deflowering made her no longer suitable for Crum’s purposes. He killed Bruce in retaliation and Afrodil, her sanity already tenuous by this point, took her own life by drinking poison. He tried to reanimate her like his other servants but, for some reason, the process did not work as he had hoped and the result was a semi-corporeal ghostlike being with transparent “skin” who spends most of her undead existence weeping.

  Melee: 1; Will: 3

  Undead Immunities and Resistances

  Broadly speaking, all of the household staff are undead creatures. As such, they share certain traits in common, regardless of their other unique abilities. All of the staff can see 60 feet in total darkness. They are immune to all mind-affecting special abilities (mind control, illusions, etc.), as well as to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and disease. Finally, they make no noise unless the text specifies that they do so.

  To damage the corporeal undead in combat, PCs must get 3 or more successes or their attacks cause no Conditions. Special abilities cause conditions as normal, however.

  Incorporeal undead are immune to all physical attacks; they can only be harmed by special abilities with magical sources.

  Turning Undead

  Characters can turn the undead— causing all undead within 30 feet to flee, as if suffering the Panicked condition (Severe, Sticky)—by rolling 4 or more success with Will. Crum’s curse may keep his household staff active long after their deaths, but it is not so strong that it can wholly circumvent the power inherent in the Will of the living.

  There are, however, a couple of small caveats. Firstly, all incorporeal undead who are successfully turned flee by vanishing from sight. They simply disappear and are not seen again unless and until the characters encounter them again, either by entering an area whose description includes them or as a result of a Random Event roll.

  Corporeal undead literally flee from the sight of the PC, moving as quickly as possible to a place of safety. In such a case, the GM must determine a suitably “safe” location and remember that the undead servant can now be found there.

  In the event 6 or more successes are rolled (i.e., six 6s), the servant is destroyed and thus cannot be encountered by any means for the next 24 hours. On the next day, the servant is “reborn” and can be encountered once more. However, from that point on, he or she is implacably Hostile toward the PCs and will do everything within his or her power to attack or otherwise impede them while they remain within the estate.

  Energy Drain

  The ghostly touch of Elise Vanderbilt (in location U6) causes “Energy Drain.” This is a powerful destruction of life essence that is thoroughly devastating to its victim. Here are several possible effects it has on a victim; roll 1d each time the power is employed. The effects of energy drain are permanent and cannot normally be reversed:

  Energy Drain Effects

  The victim loses one rank of Physique until they can rest and recover.

  The victim falls unconscious for 1d hours.

  The victim loses one rank of Will until they can rest and recover.

  All the victim’s rolls are at -2d until they can rest and recover.

  The victim loses youth. Each energy drain ages him or her 2d years.

  Reroll, with Elise Vanderbilt gaining the abilities lost by the victim. If the victim loses Physique, Elise gains it. If the victim’s rolls are at -2d, Elise gains +2d, etc. If the victim is aged, Elise gains +1d to her Physique and Will.

  If the victim is drained to 0 Physique or Will from energy drain, he or she dies.

  Dying Within the Estate

  A consequence of the curse is that the consciousness of anyone that dies on the grounds of the estate is trapped here forever—unless the curse is lifted. This has two effects:

  In the unlikely event that the Player Characters possess some means to restore the dead to life (such as a magic item), that restoration will be incomplete. The formerly dead individual is now “alive” in the sense that her body becomes active once again. He or she may walk, talk, fight, and generally engage in any other physical activity. However, she can no longer use special abilities or reinVIGORate. In all other respects, the character is the same as before his or her demise.

  A character that dies on the estate’s grounds can be reanimated by Crum as the result of certain results on the Random Event table. Such characters become NPCs under the control of the GM and are governed by the same general rules as the household staff (see Using the Household Staff). At the GM’s discretion, reanimated PCs may provide some assistance to their former comrades. Such assistance is limited, of course, as they will know comparatively little about the estate or Crum. Regardless, it is important that the GM treat them as undead creatures, not as the human beings they once were. They are now thralls of Crum and behave accordingly.

  Escaping the Estate

  As noted previously, Crum traps anyone who enters the grounds of his estate in the hope that they might entertain him sufficiently to free him from his boredom and thus sever the spiritual link to his former home. Thus far, he has only limited evidence that this is even possible, since all of the previous “visitors” to the estate have died before he could fully put his theory to the test, but he continues to try nevertheless. Fortunately for the characters, Crum is, in fact, correct. Unfortunately for them, freeing his consciousness requires that those trapped not merely suffer misfortune at his hands but that they survive long enough to suffer enough misfortune to divert him and thereby lift the curse.

  To do that, the GM should keep track of Crum’s Fun, as the characters explore the estate. Crum’s Fun starts at 0 and increases according to the table below. The list is not exhaustive by any means. The GM should add his own conditions to the list, using those here as a guideline. In general, positive or beneficial actions bore Crum and thus lower the running tally of Crum’s Fun, while negative or harmful actions entertain him and thus increase it. The points lost for positive actions should (again, in general) be greater than those gained for negative actions. That is because Crum, after decades of entrapment, is not easily entertained, making it much easier to frustrate his efforts at diversion than to satiate them. Crum’s Fun cannot go below 0.

  If, through the PCs’ actions, Crum’s Fun reaches 100, the PCs will then hear a disembodied voice shout out, “The curse is lifted! I am free!” The estate continues as it did before except that the GM no longer rolls on the Random Events table. Likewise, any creatures created through the agency of Crum (such as the household staff) collapse immediately into dust.

  Its master now free to move on from this earthly plane, the estate could, in theory, be claimed by the
PCs (or anyone else) as their own. In addition, the magical barrier preventing escape is now lifted and the characters may leave the estate grounds if they choose to do so. Of course, local authorities, the Church, members of the Speck family, and so on, might have other ideas…

  Crum’s Fun

  +1 per Moderate Condition suffered by any PC (cumulative)

  +1 per Lasting Condition suffered by any PC (cumulative)

  +1 per keyed area explored in the estate or its grounds

  +1 per combat in which the party engages

  +1 per failed roll by a PC

  +1 per prohibited special ability a PC attempts to use (see Front Gate)

  +1 per attempt to break through the magical barrier with any implement

  +1 per member of the household staff encountered

  +1 per time a PC utters a curse (+2 if she curses God, the saints, etc.)

  +1 per time a PC verbally expresses fear (“I’m frightened,” “This is scary,” etc.)

  +2 per Serious Condition suffered by any PC (cumulative)

  +2 per skill rank lost/drained by any means

  +2 per failed attempt to use Turn Undead on one of the household staff

  +5 if the PCs present Afrodil with lilacs

  +5 if the PCs destroy Mingo or Bruce

  +5 per new token left at the grave of Afrodil at area M12

  +10 per act of kindness shown toward Henry or Afrodil

  +20 per PC death

  -1 per Condition healed

  -2 per successful roll by a PC

  -2 per time a PC exhorts his or her companions to be brave

  -3 per skill rank gained/restored by any means

  -3 per time a PC praises God, the saints, Ifa, etc.

  -4 per successful use of Turn Undead on one of the household staff

  -5 per attempt to break through a hedge maze wall

  -10 per token taken from the grave of Afrodil at area M12

  -10 if the bones of Afrodil at area M12 are in any way disturbed

  -20 if the characters destroy Henry or Afrodil

  -25 per character restored to life by any means

  The Estate

  The estate grounds are divided into several sections, each of which is identified with a different letter. These sections are:

  Hedge Maze (M)

  Estate Grounds (C)

  Ground Level (G)

  Upper Level (U)

  Basement (B)

  Lighting

  Unless otherwise noted in an area’s description, the estate is unlit. Most rooms can be assumed to have wall sconces for candles and some even have candelabra or chandeliers. Unless lit by the PCs (or because of results on the Random Event table), however, they shed no light whatsoever. It is also worth noting that the usual day/night cycle continues to occur even after Crum has erected the magical barrier over the estate’s grounds. Therefore the GM should note the time when the Player Characters arrive, and keep track of the passage of time to tailor his descriptions of the estate’s rooms accordingly.

  Paintings

  The predominant form of decoration in the estate is the framed painting, the majority of which are portraits. Unless otherwise noted, most rooms contain 1d paintings on their walls.

  The GM is free to describe these paintings however he wishes or he can make use of the following random table for inspiration (roll 1d):

  1: Still life

  2: Nature painting

  3: Fantastical, distorted painting of nature

  4: A macabre scene

  5: An obviously foreign painting (e.g. Oyo, Japan, etc.)

  6: A battle scene

  If removed from the estate and sold, each painting is worth d66x$10.

  Other Room Contents

  The estate has been abandoned for decades prior to the arrival of the PCs. In the ensuing decades, the effects of the curse have largely preserved the estate from ordinary decay, meaning that the place still largely looks like it did during Crum’s lifetime. However, dust still accumulates in the place, spiders still spin webs, and other vermin, like rats and raccoons, still cause damage. In addition, other travelers arrived here before the characters, and their activities may have wrought some havoc. Any damage caused by visitors to the estate is generally not repaired by the curse’s effects, meaning that if, for example, the PCs break a chair or set fire to some tapestries the damage they do will remain. Consequently, the room descriptions that follow assume that many rooms are “empty” in that they have few furnishings or noteworthy features. This is intentional. First, it is intended to reflect the deleterious effects of the passage of time, including the exploration of previous travelers. Second, and more importantly, it is because, upon the PCs’ entering any room, the GM rolls on the Random Event table to determine what awaits them. In most cases, the result of that roll will provide enough mystery, interest, and/or danger to hold their attention.

  Of course, the GM should feel free to add more contents to any room, if he feels it will make for a better adventure.

  Hedge Maze

  In front of the estate proper is a large hedge maze. Its current location is a result of the curse. Originally, the maze was located behind the estate, south of the stable (C5) and kennel (C6), but still within the walls surrounding the grounds. Once the curse took effect, Crum used his newfound abilities to move the maze from behind the estate and placed it and all that it contained in front of area C1. Characters that look at the grounds will see parts of the grass and earth have been upturned, as if something large and heavy had been dragged from behind the estate to in front of it.

  Consequently, the maze is now the only way to reach the estate grounds. Though it is presently far from its original location, the magical barrier affects the maze as well. However, any character that travels above the top of the maze by any means and then descends below it again is struck by a lightning bolt, causing a Serious, Fleeting Condition (if PCs make a successful Physique roll, they only suffer a Mild, Fleeting Condition. The thorny shrubs that make up the maze stand eight feet tall. Their leaves and branches are thick enough that it is impossible to see through them to the other side. The shrubs are always well manicured by William.

  M1. Maze Entrance

  A wooden archway, emblazoned with the single word “Crum,” marks the entrance to the hedge maze. Once a character passes beyond this archway, they cannot leave the maze the way they came in, as the magical barrier described above prevents it. The only option is to move forward.

  M2. Statue of Abraham Speck

  A stone statue stands upon a plinth that identifies it as depicting Abraham Speck, father of George Crum. The sculpting of the statue is fairly crude and shows obvious signs of weathering. Abraham is depicted in full jockey gear—silks, breeches, and boots—with the helmet bearing the Speck family crest.

  M3. Lilac Bush

  Regardless of the time of year or weather, a lilac bush flourishes here. The bush smells quite fragrant. Anyone who leans in to smell its flowers must make a Physique roll or collapse into a deep sleep from which they can only awaken after 1d Turns. While asleep, the PC dreams of a beautiful woman admiring the lilacs in the company of an older gentleman. The woman is Afrodil and the gentleman is Crum. Should a character take a clipping of the flowers and later present them to Afrodil, there is a bonus to Crum’s Fun.

  M4. Pear Tree

  Growing here is a small peach tree. The tree is planted upon the place where Crum buried the body of his onetime lover, Lizbet Austen, a world-renown photographer who disappeared mysteriously decades ago. Crum murdered her, because she accused him—correctly, it should be mentioned—of having other lovers. Crum never bothered to reanimate her after death and so her remains are still here. However, the curse has affected the tree—or rather its fruit, all of which are maroon in color and bear the name of “Lizbet” on their skins, as if written in crimson ink. Eating one of these peaches has no adverse effects whatsoever; they are juicy and sweet.

  M5. Statue Of Samuel Speck


  The stone statue in this alcove depicts Samuel Speck—Crum’s paternal uncle—as identified by a plaque near its feet. Samuel is shown holding an open book in one hand. Carved upon the open pages of the book is the Mohawk proverb, “Life is both giving and receiving.”

  M6. Shriveled Bush

  A dry and bare bush stands here. There are no leaves on its branches or on the ground surrounding it, suggesting that it has been dead for quite some time.

  M7. Statue Of Diana Tull

  A bronze statue of an older woman occupies this area of the maze. The statue is disturbingly lifelike and a PC that stares at it for more than a Round must make a successful Will roll. A character who fails will believe they see the statue pivot on its plinth and is overcome with fear of it. Consequently, they will flee from it and cannot bring themselves to come closer than 10 feet to it. This effect is permanent; only appropriate special abilities can force the character to ever approach the statue without trepidation. Diana holds two goblets in her hands. Any liquid placed in the goblet in her left hand cures the drinker of any diseases or neutralizes any poison in their system. Any liquid placed in the goblet in her right hand heals two levels of Conditions (can be taken from severity, duration, or a combination of both). Each character can use the goblets a number of times equal to their rank in Physique. Any subsequent attempts beyond Physique rank seem to work but instead create a deadly poison. Liquid transformed by the goblets retains its potency even if bottled and taken elsewhere.

  M8. Faces

  The bush in this area is covered with brilliant red flowers very similar in general appearance to daffodils. However, in place of the central cup, these flowers instead have mockeries of human faces—two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. These faces take notice of anyone who approaches them by grimacing in obvious disgust. The flowers also make quiet mewling noises, as if they were talking to one another. However, these noises do not constitute any sort of communication. Therefore, even special abilities do not make them intelligible to the characters. If touched, the flowers attempt to bite (dealing a Minor, Fleeting Condition). If a flower is cut from the bush, it immediately withers and dies; its petals turn gray and the face in the center closes its eyes and mouth.