Ask to Join Party at the Mysterious Mansion of Wonders

[Captain Cardboard]

Discussion: https://pokecharms.com/threads/party-at-the-mysterious-mansion-of-wonders-discussion.21343/

The Cromwell Mansion has stood at the edge of Normalville for as long as anyone can remember. Barely obscured by the nearby forest, the children and younger members of Normalville have always felt a strange, mysterious aura from that house. But, even stranger then that feeling you get when you walk by it is the fact that the adults of the town act like it doesn't exist. In fact, upon one's 19th birthday, it's as if the Cromwell Mansion simply ceased to exist. Or was treated as nothing more then a children's imaginary game. Research into the mansion's history show no records of it ever being built... then again, the town's more ancient records were lost to a fire long ago.

One day, various children and younger members of Normalville receive a message. Some by a text from an unknown number. Some from an email from an unknown sender. Some from a paper that seemed to have magically appeared in their things or in their room. The message read as follows...

Greetings, curious one!

You are hereby invited to a feast and party located at none other than the Cromwell Mansion. We sincerely hope you will join us, as this will be one of the few times our door will be open to guests. This is not a formal event, so please come dressed in your everyday clothes. Once again, we sincerely hope you will join us!

This RP will be focusing on the kids and teens that decided to attempt to attend the party, and the mysterious things they find at Cromwell Mansion...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The girl stood before the mansion gate. She was early, she supposed. The Mansion loomed shortly beyond the gate, partially obscured by the thick forest that had grown around it. It was clear that the mansion had been here and uninhabited for a long time, as the forest looked like it was reclaiming it. Lana knew it wasn't a good idea to be here. Anyone could have sent that letter, anyone! It could be a trap from someone who knew she had an interest in the old Cromwell Mansion. The old Cromwell Mansion... It really was the strangest place. Lana's sister, Kelly, had talked about it nonstop. Or at least, she had used to. Then she turned 19, and it was as if she had never heard of the place. There was something going on here. Something suspicious, and Lana was determined to figure out all she could about this place. She wanted answers! ...But maybe not as sketchy as this.

Still... Lana had the strangest feeling that it wasn't a trap. The girl ran a hand through her long blonde hair and shifted, adjusting her grip on her bag. The gate was closed... Was someone going to come out and let them in? Squinting, the 16 year old girl peered through the mansion gate and attempted to see into the mansion. Was that... movement in the windows? It was too hard to see from this distance...

 

[Nombre De Usuario]

Alix stood before the gate, this was scary, who would send her a message to come here, it could be anyone, but sudden curiosity just filled her, that's why she came here, it felt like she's going to die here, but thank god, she's not the only one here, "uh, h-hi, were you invited here too" Alix asked Lana, though it seems Lana is peering into the gate, she peered in too, but what she saw already made her want to go home, it seems like a person inside the Cromwell Mansion, waiting for them to go in.

 

[Havoc_The_Gandalf]

Shadows danced across the grass as if in an endless combat; the trees casting them swayed from side to side and groaned, warning him to turn back. But something inside Marc told him that he should go forward, towards the old and forbearing gate - towards curiosity...

Marc had heard many a story from the young ones about the old Cromwell Mansion, but nothing from the grown-ups. It was probably because they thought such chatter was pointless, he tried to convince himself. However he knew in his heart of hearts that something truly was off with the place. It was intriguing and frightening all at the same time; exactly as his books had illustrated. These turn of events did seem oddly like a story, especially the note, he thought to himself, before dismissing his mental chatter.

He approached the gate until he was only a few meters and saw that there were others there too, they must have received the odd note as well. He again look at the Mansion and the people beside him, at least one was older, though they were not at the odd age in which people seem to forget about the Mansion. It seemed to him as if a large part of his mind was instructing him to enter the building, giving reasonable excuses and reasons...but there was a small part; maybe even a sane part; a light part, which said leave and turn back. That light was soon diminished as he stepped right up to the gate a peered behind its bars at the forest, and the Cromwell Mansion itself...

 

[Barefoot_Kittens]

The day was early, the scent of morning still lingered in the air and a vague coldness bit at Carter's exposed skin. The boy's gray eyes watched the ground beneath his feet, the shadows formed by trees and all the patches of light within them. A nonchalant expression slid smoothly across Carter's face, illuminated by the pale light, as he stood staring at the Cromwell Mansion: a strange place that had never much interested him. Perhaps he lacked the curiosity or sense of adventure that the other kids around the town possessed so dearly, but he had a nice family and was popular in school- dying wasn't exactly on his bucket list. If there is one thing that horror movie taught Carter, it was to avoid creepy things. And yet, here he was- face to face with the creepiest thing he'd ever come to know about. Carter turned a small glob of mint gum under his tongue before forcing it to the back of his cheek, his lips moving slowly as he brought his gaze up to the the other people gathered around the gate. As the rumors suspected, it was only children who got the invitation. Carter stood a few feet behind the others- in case a demon were to come roaring out of the gate as soon as it opened. Why had Carter decided to attend the party- after a scary invitation that had danger written all over it? Honestly, he had a reputation to uphold. He wasn't an 8 year old scardy-cat kid anymore, at his age it was time to stop believing in stupid ghost stories. People would think he was afraid if he didn't go. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Carter quickly grew tired of standing.

Iris's feet moved quickly under her stout body as she rushed down the street. Was she late? Iris ran as quickly as she could, though she had never been much of an athlete. The dark purple bag, which thumped repeatedly against her shoulders as back with each step, made a rattling noise. Inside the girl's bag was all the necessities- she brought an extra water bottle, a cell phone, a change of clothes, and of course her detective kit. What was mere rumors to some, was Iris' biggest investigation. Since a young age, the girl had been overly-fascinated by the Cromwell Mansion. Nothing on the outside gave information about the history or details of the building- except for rumors of shadows int he window or screams at night. And now- out of nowhere, the girl was getting the opportunity to research from the inside. She'd interview the owner, and perhaps look around a bit. The girl couldn't help but smile at the thought of her opportunity. Her make-shift detective kit wasn't anything to be proud of, a notebook and pen, a magnifying glass, an audio recorder, and a flashlight- but she intended to make large discoveries with just those simple tools. While thinking, Iris didn't notice that she had already arrived at the Mansion's gates. Unable to stop herself, the girl's eyes grew wide as her body collided flat against another young male's. ( @Havoc_The_Gandalf )

 

[wintersolstice]

Upon receiving a text from an unknown number, Leora Stewart has been invited to the Cromwell Mansion.
Now, getting a text in the first place was a bit bizarre, as Leo didn’t possess many friends, let alone strangers reaching out to her from inaccessible numbers. But to get a text revolving around the greatest mystery in Normalville, well... that was on another level in itself.
Cromwell had always intrigued Leo, but it also intrigued everyone. Kids at her school were already nearing the age where it would soon cease to exist in their memories. Adults who did “remember” just insisted it was a fragment of younger generation’s imaginations. That it was the Santa Clause and Tooth Fairy of Normalville.
But sure enough, as the girl rode up on her bike with the wind nipping gently at her skin, she was fairly positive that the gloomy building before her was said mansion. She hopped off her bike and eased it to a stop, slowly walking up with her hands lightly holding the handlebars. Morning dew clung to her shoes with each step, bringing bits of grass along with it. She crinkled her face in distaste, trying to brush the grass off.
It was then that it occurred to her that she wasn’t alone. How hasn’t she noticed, of course she wouldn’t be alone. An invitation to Cromwell wouldn’t come to her specifically. She surveyed the kids around her curiously, before coming to the conclusion that she was probably smack-dab in the middle of the age range. She kept a bit of a distance from them, especially Carter Whatshisface, the only one she really recognized. He was a grade above her. She didn’t have anything against him, really, but his status at school greatly outranked hers in the fact that he was popular and she was not. For whatever reason, she found this to be incredibly intimidating, and diverted her gaze.
There was another girl his age, although Leo didn’t recognize her. And everyone else present was probably two or three years younger than herself.
The girl craned her neck for a moment, trying to see past the gate, instead taking a step backwards as she watched some girl crash into the boy standing at the gate. She cringed slightly, inwardly hoping they were okay, but she didn’t intend on walking up to see.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

A voice spoke up next to Lana, and the blonde girl looked over to see another young girl, looking no older than twelve or thirteen, standing next to her. She looked quite nervous, and Lana offered her a reassuring smile.
"Yeah. I did. But I don't know how we're supposed to get to the party if the gates are closed. I thought they said their doors would be open." Lana said. Some movement caught her eye, and Lana looked over to see quite a few more kids approaching. First was a boy in a red hoodie, who stepped right up to the gate and looked through to the mansion. Also standing not to far off was a kid Lana's age, a taller boy in a blue tank top. She recognized him... He had been in a few of her classes. C... Caleb? She wasn't sure. A small crash jerked away Lana's attention once again, and the blonde looked over to find another girl, a younger, shorter redhead, had bumped into the boy with the red hoodie. Oof. Finally, Lana looked up to see another girl on a bike approach as well. Lana recognized her as well, she had seen this girl around at school. They weren't in the same grade, but Lana had still seen her before. It looks like quite a crowd was forming.

"Uh..." But before Lana could say anything else, there was a loud click from behind her. The large padlock on the gate (which Lana had been sure was locked shut) dropped to the ground, and the gates to Cromwell Mansion slowly began to swing open with a loud creak. Lana, a little nervous, took a step back. That... was rather odd.
"Well... It, uh... looks like they were expecting us after all..." Lana said to the group, trying to lighten the mood. She turned her attention back to the Mansion, and felt, well... A pull in her gut. She could go into the mansion now... What was it about this place?
"Well, uh... Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?" Lana said to the group. Slowly, she began to make her way towards the mansion. The large, stone walls that surrounded the courtyard seemed to cast unnatural and spooky shadows, and made her want to get into that mansion even more.

 

[Havoc_The_Gandalf]

Marc stood leaning precariously against the old gates, his chin was pressed against the ice-cold bars and his hair dangled down across his face. He continued to avert his gaze from the two that were already there, mesmerised by the horror house; he had never been good at first time social encounters and the Mansion seemed so...enticing. His eyes darted from one point of the house to the other; something kept appearing in the windows, drawing his eyes towards it before vanishing in the very fleeting second he caught a glimpse of it. He felt a small gust of wind from behind and turned his head just in time for...
CRASH
Marc pushed himself carefully of the gate, his arms and head ached with a dull pain, the impact had not been the problem, it was the smash onto the gate behind him that hurt. He twisted around and stretched as the shock faded away and then turned his head to larger group of people and the girl that had collided into him. "A-are you alright?" He inquired, quite shook, "I'm sorry if I hurt you, or got in your way..."

Just then there was a clang as the lock tumbled off the gate and ricocheted on the ground below. Marc inclined his head backwards to the lock that had just fallen, then his attention went to the now open gate and the girl that had begun walking in.

 

[Nombre De Usuario]

Alix was relieved Lana also got invited, but before she could even reply, people started to swarm near the gate too, well at least she was not alone anymore, but before she can even reply to Lana again, the lock just swooped right up, and the gate opened, "WHAT THE HELL!, WHO DID THAT!?" Alix shouted nervously, she calmed herself down and followed Lana to the Mansion, as she walked she felt like someone was tapping her shoulders, she looked back only to find no one, she just went here, because she thought there was food, and also because she was curious.

 

[Barefoot_Kittens]

Iris eyed the boy up and down. Stupid! Of course she would go an embarrass herself first thing. "I'm fine!" Iris quickly stated, perhaps raising her voice a bit to much. The girl shook her head and gestured with her hands- "I'm sorry. That was my fault- it won't happen again." Iris apologized rapidly, the words were clearly rehearsed and meaningless but in her panicked state she couldn't tell. When the lock fell to the ground, Iris' gaze flicked to the gate and she gasped. Iris took a step back to look at the gate- without warning she whipped out her bag and took her phone out. Iris tapped onto an application where she'd be able to take photos- but the entire device suddenly shut off. "Oh-" Iris muttered lowly, putting the phone away and slinging the bag back over her shoulder. One girl, a bit older than her, began entering- Iris watched for a moment before composing herself and following silently.

Carter jumped when the lock fell and clanked against the ground. The boy's stormy grey eyes grew wide as he stared at the lock- "Yeah. That's not concerning at all." Carter muttered as a few of the kids entered through the gate. Carter let out a long sigh, shaking his head as he already regretted the decision. Carter followed behind the others, watching his own feet with each step before slowly moving his gaze upwards and he blinked blankly at the mansion. "Nobody brought a weapon? Smart." Carter huffed sarcastically as he looked around.

 

[wintersolstice]

Leo shifted her weight from one foot to another, feeling rather uncomfortable with the whole scenario. Her curiosity got the best of her, though, so she tried her best to ignore the ominous feel that made her hairs stand on end. The girl who had blindly ran into the boy seemed to be okay, which offered a small bit of relief to Leo. She looked down at her bike, trying to find something to distract herself with. She could sense that the first girl here- the blonde girl a bit older than herself- was looking over the group. Leo bit her inner cheek as the girl's gaze drifted over to her, so she fumbled awkwardly with her bike lock to seem like she was doing something, her mind going blank.
A quiet thump of something hitting the dirt caught her attention, causing Leo's head to snap up, to see the padlock on the ground and the massive gate slowly swing open with a creak like it hadn't been moved in years. One girl proceeded to shout in fear, and Leo felt her mouth go dry.
She suddenly got an awful feeling about this.
Reluctantly, she nudged the kickstand of her bike down with her foot, reaching for the bag dangling on the handlebars. Leo always had a bag with her, but it's contents were nothing special: she had her phone and charger with her at all times, just in case. Other than that, a water bottle, a deck of cards, her house keys, and a few scattered band-aids strewn on the bottom were the only things in the little backpack. With a gentle sigh to try and collect her thoughts, she slung the bag on her shoulders and reluctantly followed those who were braver than her. She glanced up to Carter as he muttered something sarcastic under his breath, and she frowned slightly but looked away. He had a point, but he sounded so annoyed...
It occurred to her that maybe she should've brought a weapon, but she could try and put her keys between her fingers if something really bad was happening.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

As Lana approached the door to the mansion, she glanced back at Carter. A large stone wall surrounded the mansion, giving it a strange, enclosed vibe.
"Not true." Lana said. Reaching into her pocket, she revealed a small spray can of mace. "I'm not totally unprepared. You're Carter, right? I've seen you around the high school. We've had some classes together. I'm Lana."
Putting the mace back into her pocket, she turned her attention back to the doors. They were huge and made of some sort of wood, and it suddenly occurred to Lana how much the Mansion seemed to loom over the group of kids. For some reason, it reminded her of big monster, or venus flytrap. Just waiting to lure them in. Maybe this wasn't a great idea...

Just as Lana took a step back, the girl watched as the two oaken doors slowly creaked open by themselves.
"Jeez, what is this... a scooby-doo episode?" Lana joked, trying to relieve the utter nervousness she felt. It was like the house was trying to invite them in. Slowly, Lana stepped into the Mansion and looked around nervously. The entrance hall had an old, classy Victorian Era feel, with dust covering nearly every surface. Strangely enough, it still looked relatively intact. There wasn't any major damages from the elements, and no graffiti either. In fact, it still looked livable if it wasn't for the thick layer of dust coating everything. Closed doors lined the entrance halls to rooms yet to be explored.
"Whoa..." Lana said, relaxing slightly. Approaching a mirror, Lana used a sleeve to wipe off the dust. She looked back at herself for a moment before something else caught her eye. A plaque with some writing on it. Lana wiped the dust off of that as well. The Plaque read:

Cromwell Mansion:
Floor Four: Paradisio
Floor Three: Wishes
Floor Two: Daydream
Ground Floor: Dreamland
Basement: Thriller
Sub-Basement 1: Nightmare
Sub-Basement 2: Night Terror

Lana crinkled her nose at the plaque.
"Who names their floor Nightmare?" Lana muttered. But before Lana could ponder the strange Plaque, a distant music could be heard from deeper inside the Mansion. The music... actually wasn't that particularly creepy. It sounded rather upbeat and jovial, coming from some sort of violins and other classical instruments. Lana faced the noises, then turned back to the group.
"Do... you guys hear that?" Lana asked.

 

[Havoc_The_Gandalf]

In many of his books, groups such as his travelled to some threatening, creepy or mysterious place- they always came with a reason as well. Some may have come for the so called 'thrill' and 'adventure of it'; others to solve a mystery or to maintain a position. There were so many other reasons Marc could think of, but none of them seemed to fit his description. None of them seemed... right.

As he walked into the seemingly harmless building, musical notes wafted there way through the air and into Marc's ear. Music had never been an appeal to him so he found it rather irritating; a sort of clamours concoction of twings and thwangs and screeches. He turned his head towards the girl at the front who stood before a mirror, and a plaque engraved with a series of floors entitled with odd names. "Who even names floors?" He muttered to himself after hearing her exclamation. He then merely sank back to the corner, not wanting to do much but watch and follow for the time being.

 

[Nombre De Usuario]

As Alix went near the door of the Mansion, she got scared immediately, the doors freaking opened by themselves, she slowly went in, and noticed lots of dust covering the furniture and probably everything, but something caught her eye, a plaque covered in dust, Alix saw Lana, wipe that dust away, the plaque read:

Cromwell Mansion:
Floor Four: Paradisio
Floor Three: Wishes
Floor Two: Daydream
Ground Floor: Dreamland
Basement: Thriller
Sub-Basement 1: Nightmare
Sub-Basement 2: Night Terror

Alix went closer to read it better, and what she saw made her pause for a moment and ask Lana, "umm, w-we're going up, righ-", but before she can even finish her sentence, a distant music can be heard from deeper into the Mansion, it didn't really seem scary, it's rather something you would hear in an actual party, hearing Lana's question, made Alix reply faster than she would expect, "indubitably".

 

[Barefoot_Kittens]

Iris walked with her chin down and shoulders up, her eyes careful and steps quiet. "Do people even live here?" Iris asked nobody in particular. How could anyone live in a place like this? But if nobody lived here, who sent the invitations? Iris felt a lump in her throat when the music began, she turned ever slowly towards it. The girl fiddled with her fingers as she fell deep in thought. Each door that has opened as been leading the children- this music must have the same goal in mind. Should they go into the trap? Or purposefully go the wrong direction? Split up? Iris's deep brown gaze lifted before she furrowed her brows in determination, the best way to get answers is to go to the heart of the problem. "Let's go towards it. I mean, I'm choosing fun music over Nightmare basement any day." Iris quickly added the last part upon realizing that her first command had sounded a bit too assertive. Her gaze went towards Lana, the older girl had kinda been the leader of the group so far.

Carter pressed his lips together and nodded towards Lana, a very unsure nod but part of him was glad at least the girl sort of knew who he was. Actually, all the kids probably went to the same school as him. The boy huffed- would people notice if 5 kids suddenly went missing form school? Of course, Carter had told all his friends before he left- he wrote a will and everything; but some of these kids didn't seem to be as socially aware as he was. The boy furrowed his brows, why him? Carter kept his fingers crossed as he walked into the building, expecting the door to slam behind them like in every horror movie. "Don't touch it!" Carter's voice, a squeak despite his attempted masculine attitude, was too late as Lana revealed the Plaque's descriptions. Carter shook his head rapidly- he was with a bunch of people who wanted to die. When the music started, Carter let out a whimper- "I'm not scared, don't get me wrong. But at least we know nothing in this part of the house is alive. I'd rather not risk by going into what very well could be a Skeleton Strip Club." Carter stated softly.

 

[wintersolstice]

The mansion was way too eerie for Leo's liking. The massive stone wall made it feel even more closed off than it already was, and the dust around them didn't help her nerves. Seriously, when was the last time someone had been in here...?
The girl peered cautiously at the plaque, reading the inscribed words as she gnawed at her inner cheek. The higher the floor, the happier the name.
What kind of house has a sub-basement, let alone two of them?
She fiddled with her hands, listening to the group discuss. Carter spoke up, obviously attempting to sound less scared than he was. She didn't laugh, instead just a faint huff out her nose as she faintly shook her head. Oldest and the tallest here and he seemed the most unstable out of everyone. Leo flinched at the sound of... party music. It seemed to be drifting to them from a few rooms over, but for whatever reason, it made her blood run cold. It was then that she decided to speak up for the first time.
"I dunno," she murmured aloud, anxiously cracking her knuckles. "Maybe it's, like, reverse psychology... I mean, they obviously want us to go upstairs, otherwise they wouldn't have named it all those happy things, right? I-I mean, maybe you're right, but.. I just have a bad feeling about it, that's all.."
She finished quickly, suddenly aware of their eyes on her. She looked awkwardly to Lana, seeking her opinion; the blonde girl was braver than all of them, so naturally she was going to be seen as the leader of the group.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Lana flinched at Carter's squeak, then looked around at the little group as they voiced what they should do. It took her a moment to realize that they were all looking to her to make a decision. Shifting uncomfortably, the blonde looked back in the direction of the music.
"Well... I'm going to check out where that music is coming from." Lana said, giving a bit of a smile and nodding at Iris.
"I think it's a good idea if we stick together, too. We don't really know what's here, so at the very least if we have to break off we should go in pairs. But overall, I think it's probably safest if we travel together as a group." Lana continued. She tried to keep a brave face, and act like this was still all one big adventure with little to no risk. Still, there was no doubt that the nervousness of everyone else was making Lana a little nervous.

The girl let out a breath and smiled at the group.
"Shall we begin?" Lana asked, and began to head down the hall where the music was coming from. As she walked down the hall, Lana noticed that there were quite a few doors leading off to different rooms. Each door had a sign on it as well. Mirror room... Gallery... Library... Study... Lana made a mental note to check out the Library later. She had always been interested and reading, and if they figured out that there was nothing odd or strange with the mansion.
"So... does anyone want to share their names so I know what to call out when I'm getting... attacked by the Skeleton Strip Club?" Lana joked, trying to lighten the mood.

After walking down the hallway which turned a few times, Lana found herself looking at the origin of the classical party music. Two large double doors stood at the end of the hallway. Above them stood the sign, "Gold Ballroom". And that wasn't all. Now that they were closer, Lana could clearly hear the sounds of laughing, talking, and eating going on from inside the Gold Ballroom, along with the classical party music. Still, the thick dust in the hallway showed no signs of anyone going in or out of the Ballroom. Slowly, Lana approached the door and gripped the handles. She was going to find out what was going on in this mansion if it was the last thing she did!

Lana threw open the doors to the Gold Ballroom, and it was as if a switch was thrown. The noise instantly stopped, as if someone had paused the sound. The doors opened to reveal... Nothing. A completely empty ballroom, covered in a fine layer of dust with sun streaming through the large, glass windows. Confused, Lana stepped into the ballroom.
"What the heck...?" Lana muttered.