The fourth day of the haunting:
It was a quiet night at the Scarlet Raven Tavern. Surprisingly, most of the regular patrons were out tending to their own business, just leaving the staff alone to straighten tables, stoke the fire and re-light stubborn candles that seemed to flicker out despite all efforts to keep them lit.
Riding a scrawny goat named Cleda, Sussie was on her way to Booty Bay, but traveling the roads at night was too much for the gnome. She pulled up short at the center of Darkshire and decided it was time to call it an evening. Booty Bay would still be there tomorrow and her famous brownies for the upcoming pot luck would keep.
Sussie waddled her way into the tavern and sat herself in a chair by the fire. She waved to the innkeeper Trelayne and when the tall woman approached, she looked up at her with a tired smile, “Hi there! I’d like a big cup of tea and maybe some biscuits, please. And then a room for the night if you have one.”
The innkeeper nodded and exited to the kitchen just as the two candelabras on the table flickered and went out. Sussie’s eyes shot open wide with surprise - how could that happen? After a second, she convinced herself it was nothing…just a breeze she hadn’t felt while sitting in the solid-backed chair, obviously.
Hearing footsteps approaching from behind her, Sussie turned around, “Hey, did you know you have a candle problem he-”
The footsteps abruptly stopped. There was nobody there.
The gnome felt a shiver move down her spine. What was happening here? She stood up and walked around the tavern, but couldn’t find anyone. Her own footsteps echoing against the stone and wood floor were the only sounds except the crackle of the fire. The staff were now all conspicuously missing. She was alone.
“Hello? Hellooo?” Sussie crossed her arms and shrunk back a little. She’s always heard that Darkshire was haunted, but wasn’t it friendly ghosts? This didn’t feel friendly to her. “Where’d everybody go? I-I don’t like this. Please, come back!”
The sound of footsteps echoed again, this time coming down the stairs. Sussie ran toward them, only to be faced with…nothing. Again.
*A ringing sound suddenly came from outside. Jingle-jing. Sussie froze. Was someone after her brownies? After Cleda? Starting to move in slow motion, she brought her feet down as softly as she could and snuck toward the door. The steps creaked as she made her way closer. *
Jingle-jing.
Peeking out the door, she saw nothing. No bells or chimes or anyone who might be responsible for the sound. The Night Watch and other townsfolk were nowhere to be seen, and Cleda stook alone with a spooked look in her eyes.
“It’s alright, Cleda. I don’t know what’s going on here, but we’ll be just fine. I’ll…I’ll be right back.” Patting her goat on the neck, she tried to sound reassuring before stepping back inside.
“Okay, I don’t know if this is a joke or what, but-” Sussie called out. “But I’m just going to get a bottle of moonberry juice and I’ll leave the money on the counter. Alright?”
No one was there to answer, but the gnome took some coins from her pouch and placed them silently onto the bar, then reached for a bottle of juice. As her fingers curled around it, a bony-apparition hand darted from behind the counter and grabbed her wrist, pulling.
Sussie screamed, her high pitched wail filled the room…and suddenly she was back in her seat at the table. Everything was back to normal. Fine. The staff was back, the candles lit, no footsteps and no apparitional appendages.
…had she fallen asleep? That must have been it. She’d been tired, after all. She must have dozed off.
Trelayne delivered a big cup of tea as ordered, then turned to head back to the kitchen.
“Man, I don’t know what came over me.” The gnome talked to herself as she picked up a lump of sugar. Her gaze shifted to look down at the tea. A bony-apparition face looked back up at her. And it screamed-
It was two solid days before Sussie could tell anyone what had happened.
OOC for RP: Building off the previous prompts, we’ve now added footsteps, the hints of some type of apparitions, and screaming cups.
Please note that this is a slow-burn plot. New prompts will go out daily or every few days with new phenomena. You may RP experiencing this ICly in-game for yourself, your guild or RP group, or ICly overhear someone mention the locations and events. If you wish to respond ICly to the prompts out of game, feel free to reply on the thread or in the event post in the WrA-RP Discord. I may also host a cross-faction haunting event in-game on Monday, 10/28 if I can get a plan written.
Thomas Bates’s Guide to Ghost Items!