OUR TOUR BEGINS HERE.

[yourghosthost]

[Eventually, no matter your reading comprehension or your sense of time, you all find your way to the stretching room. Once everyone has gathered, the ominous sounds of a clock ring throughout the chamber. The clock strikes 13 times, and the candles in the room light themselves up on their own.

Something...or someone is in the room with you. They make themselves known quickly, with a deep voice that echoes throughout the room.]

When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls; Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still - that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!

Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your... ghost host. Kindly step all the way in please and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now.

[The doors close behind everyone as he speaks, leaving the group stuck in the room until he finishes talking.]

Normally, we spirits don't open our manor up to temporary guests. But desperate times have forced me to extend visitations beyond our usual tours, and residency has been extended to your select group. You shall remain here permanently, unless...

Well.

[...his tone goes slightly darker for a second, with a hint of reluctance. The candlelight dims for just a moment.]

If you end the life of one of your fellow guests without being discovered, you shall be allowed to leave.

[It takes a moment, but the lights return to their normal brightness, and his tone becomes chipper once more.]

Of course, you're more than welcome to stay in the manor as long as you like! Our spirits haven't spent time with the living for a while, so they'll be excited for the change of pace.

Comments

[terribibble]

[Right. Wits. Don't break down.

How? How can he possibly not...]

I do but it -- it's not as easy as just turnin' it off. How'm I supposed to--?

[aboyandhiscar]

Never said to turn it off! Just deep breaths. You can freak out AND figure stuff out at the same time. S'not exactly an ideal set up!

[terribibble]

[HhhhhHHHHH okay. Okay, Mike is right. He's had to do this before, hasn't he, had to force himself to keep going under extreme circumstances just to survive? But the threat of death was never so very imminent then. He wasn't in a house full of 999 ghosts then, in some of kind of nexus between dimensions -- if he gets out, there's no guarantee he'll even be able to get home. There's just so much to contend with. How can he... how can he possibly...

Keep in control. He wrote that in his notebook this morning and he has a feeling it's going to become his mantra for however long he's stuck here.]

No. No, it's not. But I -- I mean, I'd like for people to stop smackin' me so I reckon I have to.

[aboyandhiscar]

Yeah, uh, folks shouldn't be smacking each other. Who's smacking who? I think we oughta lean away from physical contact after the whole 'you need to kill each other' implication!

[terribibble]

To be fair it's mainly been to calm me down, I think. Nobody's meant anythin' unsavory by it.

[aboyandhiscar]

Cool, great motivation, but let's aim for less violence all around!

Anyway, are you chill now? Cuz all things considered, at least folks all seem to be on the same page thinking this bites.

[terribibble]

Um.

I wouldn't say that I'm chill, exactly, but I can probably, ah. Keep a tight hold on the reins, and all. I'll try.

[He's been trying since this morning but things keep happening to set him off. It's not his fault. He'd be doing so much better if anything at all about this place was even a little bit normal or familiar, but it's not, except for Ford, and Ford Pines is a trigger all his own.]