Greenwood House (A Haunting)

[alice and the flowers]

Greenwood House

In 1892, business man Thomas Greenwood completed construction on his brand new home - Greenwood House.

It looked like a setting in a Gothic story, something heady and romantic; over the odd 100 years it had stood, ivy had crawled up its' grey stones, moss settling under it. The gable ends and curving towers looked out over the unkempt grounds, the woodland area that hemmed Greenwood in, away from the busy town beyond it. Being in Greenwood was like being in a world apart, a sleepy, quiet twilight time where hours slipped away or turned back at random.

There were ten rooms in all, as well as a library on the ground floor with dark oak shelves and a rich carpet. The master bedroom had its' own en-suite, with one bathroom on the second floor and another downstairs. Both had deep porcelain tubs with golden taps and painted tiled floors.

Thomas Greenwood had lived here until his mysterious death in 1921, at sixty-one years of age. He left behind no family. His wife had passed on earlier. His young daughter, Elizabeth Claire, the light of his life, had died of illness just after the house was completed.

Greenwood House was sold in auction in 1922, and then sold again just after the second World War, where its' third owner kept the property within the family for the next sixty-odd years.

It went neglected, in disrepair. Put on the market cheaply it sat there for years none-the-less, more and more forlorn.

Eventually, however, it was bought. Though the location was obscure for most, too inconvenient for young families or those with elderly to consider, it was perfect to the Yorkes.

Felicity and Kevin Yorke were both retired English professors. Felicity was a avid historian who had written and overseen the state-wide syllabus and text-books used in high schools. Kevin was a novelist, and had recently found bashful success with his series of suspense thrillers about a teacher who had recently lost his family and turned to detective work.

The house with all its' neglected charm was a dream come true for them. They would have space to spread out the kids, privacy, their own studies and that glorious library - and all for a reasonable price, considering. And it was a change, one that they needed. The real-estate agent had been ecstatic at the sale, surprised that they had even wanted to view the listing, let alone buy it.

There were rumours about the place. There are always rumours about such places. Empty houses grand and alone made for good scares during slumber parties, bonfires. But with Greenwood... with Greenwood, it was different. People stayed away from it. School kids still talked about it, but any speculation ended with nervous giggling and a quick change of topic. The Yorkes, newcomers to the area, knew nothing of this.

Nothing until it was too late.

Out Of Character

A ghost story. I'm thinking... violent ghost, as opposed to Casper-friendly. A family moves into Greenwood and experience a range of weird happenings, before it all comes to a head.

Player characters are family members. Ideally siblings; the teenaged/young adult children of the Yorkes. I think it would be easier to pull together a story and the characters if the PCs are around the same age.

Plus I've just come from a long stint of watching multiple/big family reality TV.

I like the idea of playing something out of the ordinary, relationship wise. Like... twins, maybe, or triplets. Quads? Hahahaha. I know that might be tipping the scales to the ridiculous side but I think it'd be fun, and interesting.

I was also thinking perhaps the family had suffered a death, earlier on? An older sibling, maybe, or one of the multiples if we go in that direction. I was toying with the idea of having a co-dependant sort of character (which I feel ties into the large family/multiple siblings thing) and I am a big fan of Flowers in the Attic/V.C. Andrews type drama, (which, if I'm going to be subtle about it, could best be described as... dysfunctional) so maybe there's some weird tension? I dunno, just throwing ideas out.

That's what I have so far. Felicity and Kevin are both scatterbrains, Felicity being the disciplinarian only because Kevin can never bear to bring himself to punish anyone. They are both extremely fond of their work, and rely on the family to be self-sufficient. Neither one of them is fond of things like cooking or grocery shopping and only do it if they absolutely have to.

Any questions?

[Æther]

[Rushes into the thread.] Hello! Æther, at your service! And despite my misgivings about the detrimental effects a role-play of this genre could have on my psyche, I’m here to post my interest. I suppose that’s how these sorts of experiences always unfold, isn’t it? Although you know it may be the start of a sleepless night, you venture into the abandoned house or deserted alley anyway, caught halfway between fear, and the desire for something terrible to happen…[Drones off into an embarrassed silence.]

[Claps her hands together.] So, uhm! I do hope that I’m not too late in expressing my interest. And if this role-play is still open, then I also have a question. I was wondering about the level of involvement the Yorkes would have with the world beyond Greenwood. Would the family generally be fairly secluded, with the children all being home-schooled, for instance? Or would they have regular jobs, and go to school, in the town outside Greenwood?

Anyway, I suppose I’ll wrap up my post here, since I’m not even sure if this proposal is still on the table. >w< I hope there remains an opportunity for this role-play to flourish; but if you’ve already moved on, then I’m sorry to have dredged up a stale topic. [Fidgets with the hem of her shirt.] Uhm…either way, I hope to hear from you soon!

[alice and the flowers]

I'm sorry for the late reply! I hope you'll forgive me, I normally check the site once a day, but then I went away for the weekend.

If you're still interested, lemme just answer your question.

I think, for the most part, the Yorkes should be fairly isolated; it'd help with building the fear, I reckon, as well as general atmosphere. Flick and Kev would be total isolationists, it would come with the territory of their jobs, but the kids would mingle more. I think they should go to school in the town, if you want them school-aged, which'd give them some exposure to the story.
Plus one of them should be able to drive, they would've had to learn to look after themselves with their parents being off in their own worlds so much.

I think I'd prolly make my own character have just finished highschool, but I'm not sure yet. I can't decide what would play better, ahahaha.

[ElRey]

I'm definitely interested.

[alice and the flowers]

Exciting! Was there any sort of kind of character that you'd think you'd want to play, EIR? As I said in my starting post, mine would probably be very co-dependant, with a very soft sort of girlishness. I am extremely fond of creating wussies, and with a ghost story it would be rather funny to have the token wimp, so I might just stick with that.

[ElRey]

Hmm. Well it depends. If you're creating a bit of a wuss then I'd probably try to create a dynamic with my own character.

Maybe like a 10-14 year old who acts tougher than he is and picks on his younger siblings for being scared to make himself feel more secure or some such thing.

That's just my initial feeling anyway.

[Sgt. Tacoz]

Æ has quintessentially drafted me, but I am definitely interested. Sounds like you have a great premise here and I'd love to join when you get this started up. :3

Also, I don't talk much so sorry if this seems short. ._.,,,,

[Æther]

[Flails.] It was nothing like that! >w<

Ahem. Anyway. [Smiles weakly.] I'm glad you hadn't given up on this role-play yet, Alice! And it's good to see some more interest being shown. This looks really fun, and it would've been a shame if the role-play had simply languished here in the interest check stage.

I'm still considering what kind of character I should create, but I suppose I wouldn't mind playing an older sibling, if you and ElRey would like to play the younger, or more dependent, characters. It could help to have someone who can take charge — or at least, attempt to — when things go...awry. But it all depends on what everyone finds entertaining. Let me know what you think!

I also really liked the ideas you outlined in your introduction, Alice — and I just thought of something that we could maybe use to build on your idea of an earlier death in the family. Perhaps one of the siblings (a triplet, for instance) had somehow, inadvertently, caused the death of another sibling? And although it was purely accidental — the unfortunate error of a child — there may still be some guilt and resentment lingering within the family. It could create an interesting dynamic — and maybe even help to explain the presence of the ghost. From what I've seen, malevolent spirits are often the manifestations of negative emotions, like fear and hatred. So perhaps the ghost was conceived after an event with powerful emotional undercurrents (the death of Thomas Greenwood?), and its existence is now perpetuated by the tensions within the Yorke family.

I'm not sure if I'm getting ahead of myself, though. You probably already have plans for the ghost. ^ ^; It's just that I'm getting really excited about this role-play. That, and my thoughts tend to become random and muddled at this hour. So I apologize if I've rambled incessantly about things that aren't helpful. [Bows awkwardly and scampers off to sleep.]

[alice and the flowers]

I actually love that idea. Originally, I was just going to have the ghost be Thomas's daughter, the young one that died, but I like yours much better. Their guilt/ghost would just sort of... meld with the anger of the house, I suppose, maybe the anger/pain of the young daughter (perhaps Daddy Greenwood bad touched her?), and then go on from there. Does that sound good?

Also, I was thinking of doing an older character too. At least seventeen. Or eighteen, maybe, I'm not sure.

[Æther]

I'm glad you like the idea! Admittedly, I was feeling a little apprehensive after I had reread my post the following day. It's been some time since I've voiced my opinions in a group role-play setting. And I didn't want to make it seem like I was trying to usurp your role as the administrator of this role-play, or anything. So it's a definite relief to hear that you approve. >w<

I have absolutely no problem with the concept of the ghost being Greenwood's daughter! I think it'd be neat to do a combination of the two ideas, as you described, with the dregs of both families' histories fusing together and deepening the pall that hangs over the house. The pain, anger, and humiliation suffered by the victims would be the common thread that perpetuates the curse, so to speak, until more lives are swallowed, or someone finds a way to dispel the spirit. Or something like that. [Curls up in her chair and yawns widely.]

Anyway, I think this addresses the last of the questions that I had before the start of the role-play, so I won't impede our progress any further. [Smiles apologetically.] Thank you very much for your patience!

[SalvagedC4]

This is looking very good. I would like to partake in this as well.

My suggestion for a character for me would be (most likely outside the family) a trouble-maker sort of child or young adult. The reason being why I choose to either do this around the family, or to one person within the family would probably be decided on the flow of the story. I feel this character would be seeing other things the rest of the children would not, as he tends to cause these pranks at night, mainly outside of the home.

A possible reason for the ghosts actions could be mimicking my characters, as possibly the ghost is either naive or mentally slow. Or he could be doing a "karma" like punishment to me in order to either protect the home or the people within. Maybe Multiple spirits could inhabit this home or at least the grounds. Gardens and Fields could play a role, if the house indeed has them.

I really hope I can participate, this is really looking good!

[alice and the flowers]

The OOC!

Æther; it's been my pleasure. Thank you for being interested.

SalvagedC4; It'd be great having you aboard! My only concern, with a character outside of the family, is that they wouldn't get many... opportunities, posting wise? I mean, we'll be concentrated in the home and within the clan, you'd really have to have your character there, constantly, maybe more than realistic, hahahahaha. Think about it, though!

[SalvagedC4]

Ah ok, good point. Ill try to work something in. Another family member would be interesting (keyword). Guess im trying too hard to think outside the box. We will see in time though - cant wait xD

[Ruu]

Hmm...I've been looking at this for a while and I do think this would be an RP that I would really enjoy. I was just a little nervous to post interest because this would be my first advanced RP that I've joined. Are there still spots open or are there too many characters already? If there are, that's fine, I just wanted to check. I was kinda thinking of making a very inquisitive, curious character, always asking questions and poking about the house and getting into trouble like knocking over things and stuff even though he doesn't mean to. I thought he might be a little younger, between 6-10 years of age. But if that doesn't work, that's totally fine.

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