Buried Secrets

From Gothpoodle

Latest revision as of 17:33, 10 December 2010

Sessions

• 2010-12-04

Plot

Daisy is contacted by a family which is being haunted by a poltergeist.

Connections

• KNOWN TO THE DEAD (Daisy)

New NPCs

Living

• Harold Barnes, 70 year old great-uncle (b 1940), gay theater actor, Alzheimer's, currently in a home, remembers all three hauntings. SHATTERED MEMORIES
• Daniel Barnes, 57 year old grandfather (b 1953), bank executive, Vietnam vet. Eustace told him about Pleasant as a boy. DIE-HARD PRAGMATIST.
• Jason Barnes, 38 year old father (b 1972), unemployed Gulf and Iraq War vet, PTSD and TBI. SHELL-SHOCKED.
• Melissa Barnes, 36 year old mother (b 1974), nurse. DEDICATED MOM.
• Michelle Keane, 32 year old maternal aunt (b 1978), new-age goth, the one who contacts Daisy. PERKY GOTH.
• Madison (Maddy) Barnes, 14 year old girl (b 1996), currently manifesting, focus of attacks. SWEET, SCARED KID.
• Andrew (Andy) Barnes, 12 year old boy (b 1998), RAMBUNCTIOUS LITTLE BOY.

Dead

• Teresa Bell (d 1922) - turned into a poltergeist, haunts members of the family with magical talent.
• Eustace Barnes (1889-1971) - youngest daughter of Thomas and Teresa Bell, untrained magical talent, dominated by mother's ghost.
• Helen Barnes (1908-1988) - George's older sister, flapper lesbian, ran away from home at 15 due to haunting, was a White Council wizard, AIDS.
• Nancy Barnes (1936-1991), Daniel and James' aunt, lobotomized in 1951 and institutionalized.
• James Barnes (1950-1970), Daniel's older brother, institutionalized in 1966 on anti-psychotics.
• Jennifer Barnes (1973-1987), Jason's sister, committed suicide, ouija board, diary hidden in her room (Maddy's), protecting her.

Scenes

Concerned Aunt

• Location: Daisy's shop (Friday afternoon)
• Participants: Daisy, Eva, Michelle Keane
• Setup: Michelle comes to Daisy asking for help with the poltergeist haunting her niece.

Meet the Family

• Location: Parlor of Barnes House (Friday evening)
• Participants: Jason, Melissa, Michelle, Maddy, and Andy
• Setup: The family explains what has been happening since the beginning of October (when Maddy had her first period). Minor haunting (knocking, slamming doors).

Nocturnal Attack

• Location: Maddy's room (Friday night)
• Participants: Maddy, Teresa
• Setup: Teresa attacks Maddy, who fights back with magic, leading to lots of fallout.

Grandfather

• Location: Barnes House (Saturday)
• Participants: Daniel
• Setup: Daniel has returned from his overnight business trip and is furious at whack-jobs being brought in to deal with the problem, insists it is Maddy (tricks and self-inflicted injuries). Social combat to change his mind.

Uncle Harold

• Location: Retirement Home in South San Francisco
• Participants: Harold
• Setup: Harold is suffering from Alzheimer's, but can tell them about all three hauntings if they can help him focus (pictures from the house might work). Diaspora social combat to get it out of him, Alzheimer's resists with Good (+3).

House Zones

• Basement - root cellar, basement, laundry room, storage, workroom
• First Floor - living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, pantry, office
• Second Floor - master bedroom & bathroom (Jason & Melissa), two more bedrooms (Daniel, guest), bathroom
• Third Floor - three bedrooms (Maddy, Andy, Michelle), bathroom
• Fourth Floor - attic (Teresa's things)
• Fifth Floor - hidden room (bed with restraints)

Phenomena

• Fires and wind - started by Maddy's nascent evocation ability.
• Violent telekinetic activity and attacks, cold spots - the poltergeist.

Timeline

• 1907 House built in Pacific Heights (designed by Julia Morgan) by banker Henry Barnes, moves in with his new wife Eustace.
• 1917 Henry killed in action during World War I.
• 1922 Teresa dies and immediately begins haunting her grand-daughter Helen, who has discovered her magical talent.
• 1923 Helen runs away from home, nobody believes her about the haunting.
• 1930 George marries Ruth, who moves into the house, as the family fortunes took a bad turn with the stock market crash.
• 1949 Haunting begins, focused on George's daughter Nancy. Eustace forces him to lock her in the attic room to protect the rest of the family.
• 1951 George has his daughter lobotomized, she is institutionalized shortly after and the haunting stops.
• 1953 Donald moves into the house with his family shortly before the birth of his second son, Daniel.
• 1964 Haunting begins again, focused on James, family responds by putting him on anti-psychotics and locking him in the attic room, at Eustace's urging.
• 1966 James jumps out of the attic window, is institutionalized, and the haunting stops.
• 1967 Donald's wife divorces him shortly after.
• 1970 James dies in a freak fire in the medical hospital.
• 1971 Daniel marries Patricia just before shipping out to Vietnam. Eustace dies.
• 1972 Donald dies of a heart attack.
• 1973 Ruth dies.
• 1974 Daniel returns from Vietnam, moves his family into their own home.
• 1978 Daniel's brother Charles joins the military, leaving George and Harold in the house.
• 1983 George dies, Daniel moves into the house with his family.
• 1988 Haunting begins, family blames Jennifer's dabbling with ouija board.
• 1989 Daniel's daughter Jennifer hangs herself in her bedroom shortly after "exorcism", haunting stops.
• 1991 Nancy dies in the mental hospital.
• 1992 Jason marries high-school sweetheart Melissa after returning from Gulf War, they get their own place.
• 2000 Jason's brother Brian moves to Los Angeles after finishing college, leaving Daniel to care for his sick wife and aging uncle Harold.
• 2001 Patricia dies of breast cancer.
• 2005 Harold is moved into a home as his Alzheimer's progresses, leaving Daniel along in the house.
• 2007 Jason discharged during Iraq War. Suffers from PTSD and TBI, moves family into house.
• 2010 Maddy begins suffering the brunt of poltergeist attacks.