Death House

• The party appeases her with the fake baby
• She takes the illusion and sits in the rocking chair with it
• She says the following:

Oh Walter, you were so precious when you were born. Of course, you're father wasn't there for it -- that witch of a woman kept him away. But no matter, I loved you all the same. You were the light of my life. I would have been satisfied to simply keep you to myself.
But she -- she couldn't stand the thought of you. That's when she started to become manic. The screams from the basement would sometimes wake you up. But you were such a good baby, Walter. I'd rock you right back to sleep.

But the other children. I always loved them as well -- not as much as you, of course, Walter. But I did love them. I also pitied them. As more and more innocent people were lured into this house, those poor children would spend hours on end locked in their room. They said, of course, that it was to protect their innocence, but what's innocence when you're in a cage?

Poor baby Walter. You were my light in a dark world. I tried to protect you as best I knew how. But that woman! She couldn't be satisfied until she had you. Or rather, until I no longer had you.

• After a minute, the spell ends, and the fake baby disappears. So does she

• Maybe let Shalooti make a nature check after seeing dog prints in the dust
• The dog is hiding under a bed or something somewhere in the house
  • Maybe under the harpsichord
• Its name is Characters/Lancelot
  • It's on the collar and it answers to it
• This gives the players something to sacrifice (if they choose to)

• They have all their memories now
• They know they're dead
  • They look like ghosts; spectral and see-through
• They know they were often locked away while their parents went to "Deal with the Monster"
  • The last time, no one came back for them

We were so very hungry, but no one came when we cried. And then the hunger went away and we grew very cold and went to sleep.

• They ask for help again
• They know a lot more, but are ignorant to what their parents were doing
• Rose thinks their mother took Walter to the basement last
• She asks the players to help save their baby brother and their parents defeat the monster once and for all.
• They point to the dollhouse if anyone asks how to get to the basement

• Gustav Durst is hanging from the ceiling
  • there is a key around his neck
• There is a note on the bed: Gustav Durst's Suicide Note
• Elizabeth Durst's ghast comes from the wall eventually
  • She can speak, unlike the other ghouls
  • She has her memory
• She tells the players to get out of her room and won't fight immediately

• If they refuse to kill anyone, the cult is angry and summon Walter
  • If they do sacrifice someone (maybe Characters/Lancelot), the spirits chant victoriously and summon Walter
  • They should feel like they fucked up either way
• The Dark Power from the final sacrifice made Walter a monster after turning other cultists into ghouls
• Walter's corpse is inside of the summoned monster, crying and attached by ligaments
  • Severing the ligaments will cause the monster to fall apart
• The baby's corpse is left if the monster dies
• The spirits around the outside of the room are Shadows and fight them if they try to leave
  • they can also phase through walls, blocking the characters

• Once they defeat the monster, they'll be able to take the corpses (Walter, Rose, Thorn, and Margaret) and lay them to rest
• The tomb where they found the little coffin now magically has a coffin, and the stone has Margaret's name on it
• Once all the bones they collected (doesn't matter if they get all of them) have been laid to rest, give them inspiration

You're all suddenly struck by a vision. You see Rose and Thorn playing in their room. They're alive. The house is clean, well-kept. A young woman walks in. She must be no older than 25, and she's incredibly pretty. You recognize her. It's Margaret. She's carrying a play tea set -- although, you can't tell its a play set; it seems incredibly expensive. The children cheer as she sits in the floor with them for a tea party.

Flash forward, and you see Margaret in the kitchen, preparing the children's meals. She giggles as Mr. Durst jokes with her. Elizabeth scowls behind a coffee cup in the corner of the room.

Another flash, and you see Margaret on her bed, in labor. She's accompanied only by one of the other servants, who stands quietly by, holding her hand. Then, you see Margaret holding a newly-born baby Walter. She whispers to him, "You look just like your father", as she breaks into quiet sobs.

Then another flash. Mrs. Durst, looks sorrowfully at herself in the mirror. You can hear Margaret's screams in the distance as she's giving birth. "Where has your youth gone?", Elizabeth whispers to her reflection. "If only you were younger. Maybe then, his eyes wouldn't betray his contempt when he looks at you."

We then see Mrs. Durst in the library, furiously and restlessly reading. Just reading. She sits one book down to pick up another. You actually recognize it. It's one of the books you saw in the secret room behind the bookshelf. It's a book of dark magic. She flips to a page that has been bookmarked. The heading reads, "The Path to Immortality".

Flash. Margaret is wailing. She's begging. "Please. Please. Mrs. Durst. Not Walter. Anything but Walter. Take me. Mrs. Durst. Take me!"

Now, in the middle of altar, surrounded by what's left of her dwindling cult, Mr. Durst nowhere to be found. Elizabeth lays baby Walter on the dais. She says the required words. She pulls out a knife. She completes the ritual.

A black cloud engulfs the room. The cultists try to run, but they're swallowed up. Mrs. Durst falls to her knees, trembling. The Dark Powers have given to her the un-aging body she so desired, but she can't help but consider its cost as the inevitable full corruption of her mind is realized.

Flash once more, and you're in the Main Hall of the house. It's filthy, covered in cobwebs and dust. Before you stands a spectral Rose holding a sleeping baby Walter. By her side, Thorn cradles his doll, and for the first time, seems unfearful. Behind Rose stands a young, transparent Margaret, her hand rested on Rose's shoulder.

Rose looks up at you and says "Thank you for saving or baby brother". Margaret raises her hand in a grateful wave, as the group fades from your sight.

You now find yourselves in the Main Hall of the house.