TEXT: THE HAUNTED MANOR
  THE HAUNTED MANOR
  THE HAUNTED MANOR
  THE HAUNTED MANOR    
  A  R a v a g e d  E a r t h  S o c i e t y
  A  R a v a g e d  E a r t h  S o c i e t y
  A  R a v a g e d  E a r t h  S o c i e t y
  A  R a v a g e d  E a r t h  S o c i e t y  A d v e n t u r e
   A d v e n t u r e
   A d v e n t u r e
   A d v e n t u r e     
   
  B y  E r i c  A v e d i s s i a n  
   
  Chillington Manor in upstate New York was home to one of the 
  Northeast’s most powerful families, at least until 1893 when its 
  patriarch—Sebastian Quincy Chillington—went insane and murdered 
  everyone in the house! Now, the abandoned mansion is the site of the 
  fabled Chillington Fortune, and treasure hunters from all over the world 
  are convening on the overgrown, decaying estate to stake their claim. The 
  heroes are drawn into this adventure through a meeting with the strange 
  and alluring Miss Xander, who makes a rather interesting proposition: a 
  cut of the treasure if the heroes help to retrieve it!  
  Who is Miss Xander? Why does she wear a veil over her face and 
  dress entirely in black? Are rumors concerning Chillington’s specter 
  holding sway over the ghosts of his victims true?  What exactly is the 
  Chillington Fortune? All of these questions may be answered if the heroes 
  are able to unravel the mystery of the haunted manor and a crime that 
  occurred over 40 years ago!  
  A Brief  History of  the Chillington Family 
  John Abbott Chillington came to America from Bristol, England in 1756. A carpenter and craftsman, Chillington opened 
  shop in New York City. Being a staunch Tory, Chillington fled the city at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Along with 
  his wife, four sons (William, Donald, Nathaniel, and Richard), and two daughters (Abigail and Sally), he settled near the 
  hamlet of Tullytown in upstate New York. Here he lived out the remainder of his uneventful life. Upon his death in 1796, his 
  prosperous business went to his sons. Donald and Richard returned to England, purchased commissions in the army, and 
  promptly gave their lives for the Crown. William decided to settle in New York City, but later joined a government expedition 
  charged with surveying the West and was never heard from again. Only Nathaniel remained to continue his father’s trade, 
  building homes and furniture in the regions around Tullytown. In 1805, Nathaniel married and had two sons (Malcolm and 
  Warrick). He continued to operate his business until his death in 1820.  
  In 1825, Warrick married the daughter of coal magnate Moses Winthrop, and inherited large tracts of woodland in 
  upstate New York. This inheritance would be the downfall of the Chillington family, for in 1827, while wandering through 
  the woods, he became lost. Wandering aimlessly for days, his hunger and thirst nearly drove him mad. Finally, in utter 
  desperation, he screamed for help until he could scream no more. Fortunately, or unfortunately, an Indian shaman heard 
  him and gave what aid he could. Once Warrick had recovered, the shaman led him to the edge of the woods from where he 
  could safely find his way home. Before he returned to the forest, the shaman offered to tell Chillington a secret in return for 
  his solemn pledge to never displace the shaman or his people from the woods. Chillington agreed, and the shaman revealed 
  the location of a cave where large diamonds were rumored to grow on the walls. The shaman warned Chillington that if he 
  broke his promise, a curse would be delivered unto his children.  
  Over the next few years, Warrick conducted several expeditions to the cave, returning home each time with sacks filled 
  with precious stones. Following the birth of his son, Sebastian in 1848, he built an opulent manor house where he lived 
  quietly and happily for the next 20 years. Upon his death in 1868, the Chillington Fortune was estimated to be worth nearly 
  $2 million, quite a sum in those days! 
  Using his father’s wealth, Sebastian invested in the stock market, buying up railroads, oil wells and cable car companies. 
  He married a beautiful actress and had five children. The family lived a life typical of the English country gentry of the period 
  and to all outward appearances was quite normal and happy. Any eccentricities, including the rumor that one of the 
  Chillington heirs was “special” (and was kept under lock and key in the manor attic), were spoken of in hushed tones and 
  written off as “one of those things to which the wealthy are predisposed”. 
  Everything was fine until that fateful day in 1893 when Sebastian snapped and butchered his entire family with an axe! 
  He also killed the maids, the butler, the chef, and the gardener before shooting himself in the head with a pistol. Police found 
  a cryptic suicide note near his body. It simply read, “The debt is paid.” 
  
  Scene One: A Mysterious Benefactor 
  The adventure starts in 1936 in New York City when the heroes are approached by a mysterious woman calling herself Miss 
  Xander. She wears a black dress and veil, which obscures her face, although by the tone of her voice, she appears distressed. 
  She claims to be a “distant relative” of the Chillington family, and tells the heroes that her uncle, Mortimer Chillington, died 
  recently and left her several old floor plans of Chillington Manor, a moldering mansion in upstate New York  (just outside of 
  Tullytown, a small village located about 50 miles northwest of Albany). She then goes on to tell the heroes the story of the 
  doomed family (see above) and that terrible night in 1893. She says Mortimer entrusted her with the map of the house with 
  specific instructions to find the family treasure. The floor plans are authentic: they were drawn up in 1849. Unfortunately, 
  they don’t reveal the location of the Chillington Fortune! 
  If the heroes agree to help find the treasure, Miss Xander provides directions to the manor house. She goes on to tell the 
  heroes that nobody has lived in Chillington Manor for years, so the place is abandoned, boarded up, and in an advanced 
  state of decay. She curtly dismisses local rumors that eerie noises can be heard wafting from the decaying structure at night 
  as well as the local belief that undead spirits are the source of the strange lights that can be seen flickering in the broken 
  windows from the weed-choked driveway. Although she concedes that strange things have been known to happen at the 
  manor, she says that she doesn’t truly believe that the place is haunted by the restless spirits of Sebastian and his family.  
   
  Since the press got a hold of the story, amateur treasure hunters have propositioned me for the map, but I have flatly refused 
  the lot of them. Of late, the mansion has been besieged with unsavory types, poking around the place in hopes of finding the 
  treasure; however, in the end they all end up either insane (babbling unseemly stories about someone or something within 
  the house) or dead (no doubt a result of the dangers of wandering about a decrepit old house).  
  There’s something else. I have another relative, Uncle Horace, who is upset because Mortimer entrusted the maps to 
  me, rather than to him. Uncle is a disturbed man and I know he will try to get the treasure himself. I need you to help me 
  recover the family fortune and fulfill Uncle Mortimer’s dying wish. If you are willing, I offer a quarter-share of whatever is 
  recovered as compensation for your time and trouble. 
   
  If the heroes press for more information about Uncle Horace, Miss Xander offers the following: 
   
  Oh, Uncle Horace lives right here in New York City, in a brownstone near Central Park. He remembers when Sebastian 
  went crazy and murdered his family. He was only a small boy at the time, and I haven’t seen him in years, but I remember 
  that he was always jealous of Mortimer. He’s a bit cantankerous, why just this morning he threatened me with violence if I 
  should persist in my search for the family fortune! 
   
  If the heroes want to pay Horace Chillington a visit, skip to “Good Ol’ Uncle Horace”; otherwise, once they have made 
  preparations for their journey, proceed to “Scene Two: The Journey to Tullytown”. 
  Good Ol’ Uncle Horace 
  Horace Chillington is 55 years old and as nasty as they come. The crotchety old man uses a crutch to walk on thanks to an 
  injury received during the Great War, where he served as a captain with the British Expeditionary Force. Horace tries to get 
  the heroes to leave him alone, saying he doesn’t like visitors and grumbling about anything and everything; however, if 
  confronted about the map or Miss Xander, he gets suspicious. If successfully Persuaded, Horace relates the following: 
   
  “I was only 12 years old when Sebastian went insane. I only know of how he killed my aunt and her family from what my 
  mother told me. I had visited them earlier that summer, and things seemed normal. Well, normal for the Chillingtons, that is. 
  Sebastian seemed nervous and irate, and once caught me poking around his private study. I noticed the painting in his study 
  seemed kind of odd, sort of out of place. When I went to examine it, Sebastian flew into a rage and threw me out of the 
  room. Three days later I left with my mother and four days after that, Sebastian murdered everyone.” 
   
  Horace says Miss Xander is an imposter, trying to usurp the family fortune. He accuses her of latching on to his brother, 
  Mortimer, in order to steal the family fortune. She approached him about getting the treasure for her, but he declined her 
  offer, saying that he did not want to disturb the dead spirits of his family. He feels differently now that he realizes that Miss 
  Xander intends to keep at it until she gets what she wants, and so offers the heroes the same deal as that offered by Miss 
  Xander…plus $1000! He also insists on accompanying them to Tullytown and doesn’t take no for an answer, after all, he 
  reminds the heroes that he has actually been inside Chillington Manor. 
  
  Scene Two: The Journey to Tullytown 
  The journey from New York City to Albany will take approximately 4 hours by train. Upon arriving in Albany, Horace 
  suggests they check into a hotel and catch the bus to Tullytown in the morning. The bus trip takes a couple of hours and 
  drops them off a mile outside the village. Because of Horace’s injury, the last leg of the journey will take at least an hour. 
  The road leading into Tullytown is an unpaved dirt road and twists through forested and hilly countryside. The thick 
  forest, full of stunted trees and shaggy underbrush, make the place seem eerie and remote. A few small farms (many in an 
  advanced state of disrepair) are the only signs of life the heroes see before reaching the town. Anyone making a Notice roll 
  (at −2) will catch brief glimpses of a shadowy figure moving through the woods parallel to the road. Any attempt to 
  investigate further will prove fruitless, and the heroes arrive outside of town without incident. A weathered wooden sign 
  proclaiming “Welcome to Tullytown – Founded 1734” greets the visitors.  
  As the heroes enter the village, Horace tells them that in its early days, Tullytown was home to tradesmen and light 
  industry, but over the years the residents fell on hard times and many left for Albany. By the turn of the century, financial 
  problems had forced even more people to leave, and by the early 1930s, Tullytown was nothing more than a collection of 
  dilapidated storefronts and houses. The village does have a permanent population, numbering around 100 brave souls. 
  Tullytown has but a single road flanked by many old buildings (most of them apparently abandoned). As the heroes enter 
  the village, the few residents that happen to be up and about greet them with suspicious looks and quickly go about their 
  business. Eventually, one of the residents will direct the heroes to the Tullytown Inn. Other than a few inhabited houses, the 
  only buildings that are obviously still in use are the following:  
   
  • 
  Bud’s Garage. Owned by Bud Henry, a shifty-eyed man with a nervous laugh, the garage performs the few 
  mechanical repairs (mostly older farm machinery) that the residents may need. An old Ford Model T sits in front of 
  the garage, a “For Sale, Best Offer” sign on its window. 
  • 
  First National Bank of Tullytown. Bank manager Absalom Croft and teller Esther West inhabit the bank. When 
  the heroes arrive, an “Out to Lunch” sign is in the window. 
  • 
  Liam’s Barber Shop. Run by Liam Carver, the barber shop is where folks congregate to swap stories and 
  whatnot. If the heroes enter, the four or five patrons suddenly become silent, and then abruptly get up and leave. 
  • 
  Mitchum’s General Store. The village’s general store, run by Cyrus Mitchum and his wife Mabel, sells provisions 
  and supplies common to a rural community. The proprietors seem sociable, at least until the heroes mention why 
  they’re in town, after which they are hurried along. Once they leave, Cyrus locks the door and puts a “Closed” sign 
  up in the window. 
  • 
  Tullytown Herald. The local newspaper, run by crusty editor Enoch Bertram prints mostly gossip. If pressed, he 
  will allow the heroes access to several back issues that report the grisly murder at Chillington Manor. 
  • 
  Tullytown Inn. A dilapidated building has the only accommodations in town and is run by Ezra Smalls. 
  • 
  Tullytown also has a town hall (where the mayor and council hold monthly meetings) and a jail (where Sheriff 
  Abraham Blythe metes justice on offenders). 
   
  If the heroes ask about Chillington Manor, have them make a Streetwise roll. If they fail, they are met with icy stares and 
  gain no information other than being told that Chillington Manor is a mile away down Chillington Lane, a weed-choked path 
  through the forest. With a success, they are told the following: “Chillington Manor. Bad news, that place. Haunted, you see. 
  Spirits of the dead stalk the halls. It’s all that Sebastian Chillington’s fault, you see.” With a raise, they are told: “Most folks 
  talk of a treasure hidden in the house. Sheriff had to pull the bodies of a few people from that place. Damn treasure hunters 
  scoff at the legends and tales of ghosts, but I tell you they’re real.” 
  Scene Three: Chillington Manor 
  Chillington Lane cuts through the forest. Heroes who take this path should make Notice rolls to detect what appear to be 
  shadowy figures moving in the trees nearby. There’s really nothing there, but play with the heroes’ fear and evoke a sense of 
  intense paranoia. The path ends at the rusted front gate of the Chillington estate. 
  The wrought iron gate, which is about 15-feet tall, is locked, and a ten-foot tall stone wall rings the property. The wall is 
  adorned with statues of griffins, gargoyles, and other grotesque creatures. A small sign hangs on the gate. It reads: “Property 
  Condemned by Order of the Tullytown Sheriff. No Trespassing.” Beyond the gate is a cobblestone driveway leading to the 
  mansion. How the players get in is up to them. A Lockpicking roll will open the lock, as will smashing the lock (Toughness 
  5). Scaling the wall requires a Climbing roll.  
  Once over the wall, the heroes are on the grounds of the Chillington estate. Dead trees and bushes grow from in a fallow 
  front lawn. The whole place seems gray, dark, and cursed. The air is heavy and a thick low-lying mist swirls about. Heroes 
  making a Notice roll will note that there isn’t a breeze. A statue of Warrick Chillington stands at the center of a cobblestone 
  oval path on the front lawn. The statue’s head had been knocked off and lies nearby, covered with vines. An inscription on 
  the statue’s base reads “Warrick Chillington—1849”.  
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  The Chillington Estate  
  The Carriage House: A ramshackle carriage house, its doors unlocked, appears dilapidated and falling apart. The house 
  contains a few stalls, where the Chillingtons kept their horses, as well as the remains of an old carriage with one of its wheels 
  missing. A few saddles, bridles and feedbags hang on hooks here, each of them unused for years. Anyone entering should 
  make a Notice roll to detect the faint sound of something stirring in the horse stalls. The noises sound like a restless horse 
  stamping in its stall. 
  Topiary Maze: A hedge maze featuring topiary animals and creatures occupies the rear lawn of the estate. The six-foot 
  high maze is browned and lifeless and vines and weeds choke the once amusing animal topiaries, transforming them into 
  nightmarish-looking monsters. Navigating through the maze takes a few Navigation or Notice rolls. Anyone entering the 
  maze feels like their being watched. The maze is a great opportunity to have the heroes taunted by other ghosts, including 
  floating orbs, will o’ the wisps, or shadow ghosts, who drift past the heroes and pass through the hedges harmlessly.  
  Gardener’s Hut: A wrecked thatched-roofed hut stands in the middle of the topiary maze. Inside the hut, heroes find a 
  closet containing gardening implements; rakes, shovel, and scythe. A small bench is also here, on which sits a hunched 
  ghostly figure, that of the gardener. The gardener appears to be whittling a wooden figure resembling a skeleton. Anyone 
  trying to communicate with the gardener finds that the spirit is not hostile. The gardener tells heroes he was murdered by a 
  member of the Chillington family. He said this family member was possessed by a malevolent spirit from the woods. If 
  Persuaded, the gardener tells the heroes that a family member escaped unharmed.  Only if heroes attack the gardener’s 
  ghost, will he attack them. The base of a sundial stands near the gardener’s hut. If the heroes have the sundial they found in 
  the secret closet in the gallery and attach it to the base, the sundial’s top begins rotating by itself. This opens a trapdoor in 
  the gardener’s hut that leads to a secret cellar. The cellar contains a silver key with the word MORTIS carved on it.  
  Family Chapel: This wooden chapel was used by the Chillington family for religious services. Like the manor house, 
  the chapel has fallen into a state of disrepair. The once vibrant stained glass windows are cracked and broken, and the pews 
  are covered with cobwebs and dust. On an altar is a silver cross and family Bible. The Bible, if any of the heroes are 
  interested, contains a family tree dating back to the 1700s. It is worth $50 to any serious book dealer. A statue of a shroud-
  covered skeleton with an hourglass and scythe stands at the front of the room, behind the altar. An inscription overhead 
  reads: “Only In Death, He Showed Us Eternal Life.” Players getting a raise on their Notice rolls in the chapel detect a small 
  keyhole at the statue’s base. If heroes found the silver key in the gardener’s hut, it fits into the keyhole. If a hero inserts the 
  key into the statue, a small compartment at the statue’s base swings open, revealing a yellowed document. This is the true 
  last will of Sebastian Chillington. Anyone reading the will discovers that one of Sebastian Chillington’s last requests was to 
  have a brass key buried with him.  
  Graveyard: This overgrown, weed-choked cemetery is the final resting place of the Chillington Family. Several 
  tombstones are here, their inscriptions weathered, but legible. Anyone reading the tombstones notices the following: “Abigail 
  Chillington – Rest in Peace – 1830-1878”, “Daphne Chillington – 1884-1893”, “Micah Chillington – 1873-1893”, 
  “Zebulon Chillington – 1862-1893”, “Cornelia Chillington – 1845-1893 – Beloved Wife and Mother”, “Here Lies the 
  Earthly Remains of Warrick Wythcotte Chillington 1801-1868”, and “Sebastian Chillington 1845-1893.” A statue of a 
  weeping angel stands over Sebastian Chillington’s grave. Anyone who digs up Sebastian Chillington’s grave finds a rotted 
  coffin and inside, the bones of Chillington. In the corpse’s breast pocket is a brass key that unlocks the safe in his study. 
  A Creepy House 
  Describing the haunted house should be done in a campy but frightening manner. The house was built in 1849 and 
  resembles a classic manor house of the period, but with years of neglect, the place is decrepit and spooky. Some of the 
  windows are boarded up, while a few of the shutters are hanging loose and slapping against the side of the house in the 
  wind. Strange shadows dance across the house’s façade, and the heroes get the feeling that some sinister presence is 
  watching them from within the abandoned house. This is a classic haunted house, so describe it as such. Turning out the 
  lights and running the adventure by candlelight or flashlight with a recording of scary sound effects also adds an element of 
  suspense and horror.  
   
  A-Haunting We Will Go 
  The ghosts haunting Chillington Manor interact with the heroes in various ways. Some move from room to room as they did 
  in real life, others follow the heroes around and cause mischief, while others will directly attack the heroes. When running 
  “The Haunted Manor,” use the ghosts however you want. Remember that they were once real people who were murdered 
  with an axe and bear their earthly injuries even as spirits. The ghosts in this adventure can be as frightening as the Narrator 
  wants—providing an actual threat or simply serving to creep out the heroes. Running a haunted house adventure is different 
  from other pulp-themed adventures in that rather than concentrating on action and adventure the haunted house adventure’s 
  primary foci are horror and tapping into the players’ primal fears. Some of these fears fit nicely in haunted house 
  adventures: fear of loneliness, dark forests, the unknown, loud noises, the unexplained, the dead, etc. The Narrator should 
  focus his efforts on frightening the players: As the heroes are moving from one room to another, or when the tone of the 
  
  game subsides, slam a book or create a loud noise to startle your players. This may jolt them a bit, and it may break the 
  tension with a few laughs by scaring the players silly, but it adds a great effect to the game.  
  For all of the ghosts, use the Ghost statistics from the Savage Worlds Revised Rulebook.  
   
  • 
  Sebastian Chillington: The family patriarch, Sebastian Chillington is a handsome man with a mustache and 
  cowlick whose eyes have dark circles under them and appear vacant and frightened. You can’t help but notice the 
  prominent gun shot wound to his right temple. He wears a suit reminiscent of the late 19th century, and wields a 
  short axe in his right hand. 
  • 
  Cornelia Chillington: Sebastian Chillington’s once-lovely wife is nothing more than a floating torso. Her neck 
  appears to have been sliced nearly off and her head wobbles disturbingly. A once pretty face is now a frozen mask of 
  horror. Her legs are missing and her entrails dangle where her legs once were. Cornelia Chillington’s arms are also 
  hacked off, and bloody stumps remain. 
  • 
  Daphne Chillington: Daphne is a small girl with braided hair and a lacey dress. She likes teasing the living and 
  playing harmless tricks on them. Daphne looks like an adorable child except for the hideous deep wound to her 
  chest and stomach. 
  • 
  Micah Chillington: One of the Chillington sons, Micah is scrawny and decapitated. He carries around his severed 
  head in the crook of his right arm and limps slightly due to an obviously dislocated leg. 
  • 
  Zebulon Chillington: Another Chillington son, Zebulon has a gaping wound in his belly and his entrails are 
  sticking out. One of his arms is severed along with a foot. When he moves, his intestines spill out and he has to 
  scoop them back inside. 
  • 
  Mr. Branson: Wilbur Branson, the family’s butler, in life was a dignified mustachioed gentleman. In death, Branson 
  looks like he fell in a meat grinder. His face is hideously mutilated and half of his skull pokes out. 
  • 
  Violet the Maid: Violet LaDue worked as the maid in the Chillington estate. Though she was badly brutalized by an 
  axe-wielding killer, she still floats around the house, tidying the place up and haunting whoever stops by. 
  • 
  Orbs: Orbs are floating energy manifested by spirits and appear as hovering spheres of spectral energy. Orbs are 
  most often seen outside in the topiary maze or graveyard. These forms of undead energy are often harmless and 
  even playful, unlike their cousins, the will o’ the wisps. 
  • 
  Will o’ the Wisps: The will o’ the wisp is a malevolent spirit resembling a floating, pulsating orb or bright light with 
  a human face. These ghosts can often be seen outside at night, usually around graveyards or old battlefields. Often, 
  the will o’ the wisp leads travelers into marshes, swamps or other treacherous ground before attacking. 
  • 
  Fog: These ghosts manifest as a chilly fog or mist rolling over an area where the living once congregated. Fogs 
  usually form around former crime scenes where murders or suicides took place. Fogs are usually harmless spirits. 
  • 
  Poltergeists: Many of these ghosts met violent ends in their mortal lives and resent the living. They bump, shove or 
  throw objects in an attempt to do bodily damage to anyone bothering them. 
  • 
  Shadow Ghosts: These ghosts resemble thick black shadows that can float through solid objects. They are private 
  ghosts that dislike the company of humans and will usually slam doors and try to frighten unwanted interlopers. 
   
  Haunted House Traps 
  Running a haunted house adventure is all about hamming up the unexplained surprises lurking in the darkened corners of an 
  abandoned building. The following tricks and traps can be used in Chillington Manor to set the mood.  
   
  • 
  Rats in the Walls: Rats are scratching around in the walls. Lots of ‘em! There are enough rats living between the 
  thin walls to put Willard to shame! These fierce rodents are hungry and will swarm to attack passers-by in the 
  darkness, biting their ankles or dropping down from above. Use the Swarm stats from the Savage Worlds rulebook. 
  • 
  Rotted Floors/Stairs: Termites love this house, as well as wood rot, for the floors and staircases are squeaky and 
  give way with too much weight. Anytime your intrepid explorers walk down a corridor, across a room or step on a 
  staircase in a haunted house, roll a 1d10. On a 9 or 10 the floor gives way, perhaps sending the hapless hero 
  tumbling through the floor and crashing to the lower level, suffering normal falling damage.  
  • 
  Spiders and Bugs: Creepy spiders, crawly millipedes and yucky cockroaches love dark, abandoned places. Bugs 
  are haunted house staples, especially spiders, whose webs cover every bit of furniture or doorways and window 
  frames. Having bugs crawl up a hero’s arm or drop down on them from above is scary enough, but try a swarm of 
  spiders or millipedes skitter around your hero’s legs and really freak them out! 
  • 
  Bats in the Belfry: Bats are nocturnal and love nesting in dark places like barns or attics. Abandoned houses are 
  also a favorite nesting place, especially for many bats, which hang upside down in attics and swarm around any 
  bright lights, including flashlights brought by unsuspecting heroes! 
  • 
  Disembodied Voices: Having noises or voices with no discernable source plague your heroes can get them 
  running for the hills, or investigating deeper into the house to uncover the source of the unfathomable sounds.  
  
  Welcome to Chillington Manor 
  The front door of the house (warped wood streaked with green mildew) bears a scowling iron knocker in the shape of an 
  imp’s head. If anyone uses the knocker, they hear the knocking reverberating from within the empty house. The door to 
  Chillington Manor is unlocked and creeks loudly when opened.  
   
  The Ground Floor 
  Foyer: The front foyer has a cracked, weathered parquet floor. Peeling wallpaper and a small gaslight covered in 
  cobwebs are also here. The room smells moldy and foul.  
  Great Hall: This large room’s prominent feature is a sweeping staircase leading to the top floor. A large chandelier 
  hangs from the ceiling, cobwebs covering its once glimmering crystals. The floor is covered in black and white checkerboard 
  tiles that are covered with an inch of undisturbed dust. A few potted ferns are here, each one browned and dead. 
  Parlor: The parlor consists of a few divans, tables and cushioned seats, each one draped with yellowed sheets. If the 
  sheets are removed from the furniture, they become animated and try to smother one of the heroes by suffocating them! The 
  hero must make an Agility roll at –2 to “fight off” the sheet; otherwise, he is considered to be grappled and will suffer one 
  level of Fatigue until he makes a successful Agility roll.  
  Billiard Room: The billiard room consists of a billiard table, a fireplace and a few lounge chairs. Cues and billiard balls 
  are also here. Anyone attempting to play billiards is in for a shock when the billiard balls rise off the table and fling 
  themselves at the players, inflicting 1d4 damage each. Assume each ball has Throwing d8. 
  Kitchen: Dust-covered cabinets and cupboards and food-preparing tables stand near a rusted, disused oven whose fire 
  extinguished years ago. A rack containing rusty knives and cutlery is also here, in case your heroes need a weapon.  
  Pantry: When heroes open the door to the mansion’s pantry, they see more than shelves with old cans of food and 
  sacks of flour. Sprawled across the floor is the bloody, dismembered corpse of the cook, his eyes open wide in death as a 
  severe hatchet wound cleaves his skull open. Have the heroes make their Guts rolls here to avoid being startled. After a few 
  seconds, the apparition vanishes, leaving a dried maroon-colored blood stain on the wooden floor. This is where the cook 
  was murdered 40 years ago.   
  Dining Room: The dining room features a long dining table ringed by high-backed chairs, a sideboard and a painting of 
  a European landscape. Cobwebs surround a few of the furnishings and the large picture window looking out on the rear yard 
  is cracked and boarded up. Anyone who sits at the dining table hears the sound of footsteps coming from the kitchen. The 
  kitchen doors swing open and an apparition in the form of the butler drifts into the room. The butler’s face has several deep 
  bloody wounds and his tuxedo is torn and ripped. He carries a covered silver platter to the table. He places the platter on the 
  table and yanks the cover off to reveal a severed head on top a pile on entrails! Have players make their Guts checks! 
  Gallery: The portrait gallery is where the Chillingtons displayed their paintings. About a dozen portraits are here, each 
  of the Chillington family members. The paintings are drab and Victorian, but there’s something odd about them. Anyone 
  making a Notice roll detects the subjects in the paintings are actually eyeing the heroes! Their heads turn ever so slightly to 
  watch the heroes walk across the room. One of the portraits (that of Sebastian Chillington) is actually a doorway to a hidden 
  closet. Players making their Notice or Search rolls discover there’s something odd about that portrait. The frame is hinged, 
  allowing the portrait to open like a door. The secret closet contains the top of a sundial.  
  Library: Bookshelves line the walls of the Chillington library, each one filled with moldering volumes whose subject 
  matter ranges from literature and history to more macabre subjects such as medieval torture techniques and European 
  folklore. Heroes making a Notice roll find a thin volume entitled “Chillington Family History.” This book, written by 
  Montgomery Chillington and published in 1886, details the family’s origins from England and traces their progress in 
  America. If the heroes get too cozy in the library, or if they poke around too much, a poltergeist attacks them by violently 
  throwing books off the shelf and hitting the heroes. After three rounds, the poltergeist vanishes and ceases attacking.  
  Statue Room: This curious room has seven statues, including a few busts of prominent Chillington family members. A 
  large statue of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine is here, along with a statue of a nymph. The marble bust of Sebastian 
  Chillington is also here, along with that of his wife Cornelia. There’s something not quite right with the statues. A Notice roll 
  determines the statues are actually moving slightly; the marble busts change facial expressions and the full-size statues appear 
  to be watching the heroes’ every move cautiously. Anyone trying to talk with the statues are surprised that the statues answer 
  back! The statues demand to know who the heroes are and what they’re doing in Chillington Manor. They then ask the 
  heroes to leave. Conversation with the statues doesn’t progress past this, as the statues quickly revert back to their original 
  inert forms following this brief query.  
  Organ Room: This room contains a few rotting benches and music stands and a faded Oriental rug. A large pipe organ 
  takes up one end of the room, its pipes covered by cobwebs and dust. The organ hasn’t been played in decades, so anyone 
  attempting to play the organ is treated to a cacophony of jarring sounds. A mischievous ghost haunts this room and plays 
  the organ, making somber music that drifts through the empty halls. The ghost is shy and won’t play the organ when 
  humans are in the room. Any time the characters are exploring another location in the manor, roll a d6. On a 1 or 2, the 
  heroes hear eerie organ music coming from the organ room. When they enter the room to investigate, the music stops.  
  
  Greenhouse: A glass greenhouse contains many browned, dead potted plants and overgrown vines. Many of the 
  greenhouse’s glass panels are broken and shattered, and door leads to an outside path. One of the vines in the greenhouse is 
  possessed by a spirit and attacks the heroes. The vine has barbed spikes that deal lashing wounds! 
  Study: This small study includes a few padded chairs, bookshelves and busts of famous ancient philosophers, all covered 
  in dust and cobwebs. If heroes make a Search roll, they detect one of the busts is actually a lever activating a revolving 
  bookshelf. The bookshelf turns with a loud creak to reveal a dark staircase leading downward into the basement.  
   
  The Second Floor 
  Trophy Room: The Chillingtons kept their most prized possessions here. A bear-skin rug covers the floor, and the 
  stuffed and mounted heads of tigers, bears, deer, and moose hang on the paneled walls. A cabinet filled with trinkets, 
  medals, and brass goblets stands beside a full suit of medieval armor. An ornate Egyptian sarcophagus (empty) is here, as 
  well. This room is perfect for impromptu haunts. The stuffed heads could come to life, their eyes glowing red as their jaws 
  snap at the heroes, or a scratching sound could emanate from the sarcophagus. The suit of armor could attack the heroes as 
  well… 
  Boudoir: This is where Cornelia Chillington rested and spent her leisure time. A few couches and ottomans are here, 
  next to some shelves and a four poster bed. The furnishings have a musty appearance and the flowery wallpaper is yellowed 
  and torn. Strangely, the room smells like woman’s perfume. This is a perfect place for the heroes to meet the unfortunate 
  ghost of Cornelia Chillington.  
  Dressing Room: A chest of drawers, a full-length dressing mirror and a privacy screen are the only furnishings here. 
  The mirror here is haunted. Anyone looking in the mirror see an image of themselves as a rotting, decaying corpse! The 
  reflections are accurate representations of their own faces and bodies but as corpses. Have anyone staring at this ghastly 
  sight make a Guts roll. 
  Play Room: When anyone approaches this room, they hear the sound of a child’s playful laughter echoing through the 
  halls. As soon as the heroes enter the room, the child’s laughter immediately ceases. The room contains a rocking horse, a 
  red ball, a doll, and some jacks. Heroes that linger see the rocking horse rock by itself or see the ball roll across the floor. As 
  soon as the heroes leave the room they hear the ear-piercing, bloodcurdling scream of a child in torment. Anyone looking 
  back at the room or entering the room can see only the toys on the floor and hear a thud.  
  Bath Room: This tiled room has a claw foot bathtub and sink, both of which have dark rings around their porcelain 
  insides. Anyone who turns on the faucets gets quite a surprise: human blood trickles out in a slow drip, then an enormous 
  rush, and a human scream fills the air! Have the heroes make their Guts rolls! After they make their Guts rolls, they see the 
  blood has mysteriously vanished.  
  Bed Room: This room has a bed in its center with no mattress. The windows here are boarded up. The closet is empty. 
  Private Study: This is Sebastian Chillington’s private study. A roll top desk, some bookshelves and a leather swivel 
  chair are here, each covered in dust and cobwebs. The desk’s drawers are empty and picked clean, presumably by treasure 
  hunters. The books on the shelves cover business, finances, mining and Indian lore and legend. There are also a few ledgers 
  that show the family fortune (between the years 1850-80) to be in relatively good shape. A large portrait of Cornelia 
  Chillington is here as well. Anyone making a Search roll finds a wall safe behind the portrait. The safe has a small lever and 
  keyhole. Anyone attempting to pick the lock suffers a –2 penalty to their Lockpicking roll.  A letter is inside the safe, along 
  with some jewelry worth nearly $400. The letter, written in a hastily scribbled hand, reads: 
   
  To Whomever Finds This Missive: 
   
  If you are reading this, it means I am dead, murdered by my own flesh and blood. The curse my father unleashed in the 
  woods after upsetting the native tribe has finally come to bear upon my own kin. Had I known what my father released, I 
  would have repaid the tribal elders with my own life. But now it is too late to do anything. The child’s screams grow ever 
  more ominous and guttural, as if a creature has possessed her small body. We hear the clanking of chains above and are 
  terrorized by her vulgar, unholy language and the scraping against the attic floor. She threatens to murder us all if she frees 
  herself from the bondage we inflicted on her. Cornelia and I assure the child it’s for her own good and safety and we pray 
  God is merciful, but I feel God has abandoned this accursed family. I now know what I must do. It is the only way to end this 
  horror. May God forgive me. 
   
  Sebastian Chillington 
  June 1893. 
   
  Master Bedroom: This is where Sebastian Chillington slept. A faded brass bed is here, the bedsprings all rusted and 
  covered in cobwebs. A bureau is here, gathering dust. A few rats scurry around the floor and scatter when the heroes enter. 
  The rats live behind the walls and are often heard scraping in their nests.  
  
  Water Closet: This small room contains a tank toilet with pull chain. Though the room appears not to have aged, a 
  ghostly apparition appears in the toilet bowl. A flailing set of human hands frantically wave while the noise of a toilet flushing 
  reverberates throughout the room. Heroes also hear the sound of a man gulping for air before the vision disappears.  
  Guest Bedroom: A bed and a wooden chest are the only furnishings in this room. When the heroes enter, roll a d6. 
  On a 1 or 6, the chest shakes and muffled noises come from within. If the heroes open the chest, they find the figure of a 
  man bound and gagged. The vision melts away, revealing an empty chest.  
  Sitting Room: This room has a few chairs, divans, rugs and framed pictures on the walls. A rocking chair is also here. 
  When the players enter the room, roll a d6. On a 6, the chair starts rocking back and forth, and the sound of an old lady 
  whistling to herself can be heard. Heroes making a Notice roll in the room also see a trap door with a small metal latch on 
  the ceiling. Anyone pulling the latch releases the trap door and a folding stairway leading to the attic.  
   
  The Third Floor 
  Attic: Heaps of boxes, crates and disused junk from the Chillington family clutter this area. There are headless dress 
  mannequins that in the dark resembled disembodied torsos, a bird cage containing a canary’s skeletal remains, a steamer 
  trunk filled with old clothes, a crate filled with dusty worm-eaten books, and a few pieces of furniture. Ten bats have taken up 
  residency in the attic. Treat these creatures as a swarm that attacks anyone entering the southeastern corner of this area.  
  Hidden Study: This is where Sebastian Chillington came to escape scrutiny and read his arcane volumes in an attempt 
  to reverse the curse put on his family by the Indian shaman. The room has a desk and chair and a few bookshelves, all 
  containing books on black magic, witchcraft, and demonology. A journal rests on the dusty desk. If players want to read the 
  journal, give them the player handout labeled “Chillington’s Journal.” 
  Xander’s Room: This room only contains a stockade and some rusty chains. A Notice roll reveals the stockade was 
  meant to restrain somebody short. On a Smarts roll, the hero surmises it might be a short adult or possibly a child. A raise 
  on a Notice roll reveals that there are deep scratches in the floorboards and stockade, as if something tried to claw its way 
  out. This is where Xander Chillington was kept. The family, ashamed of her deformity, kept the child locked away. Both 
  parents visited their daughter, but when the Indian shaman’s curse came upon the family, the ghostly entity conjured by the 
  shaman possessed the little girl.  
   
  The Basement 
  Root Cellar: This small cellar contains a few shelves stocked with jars of spoiled preserves. The earthen floor sinks to 
  the south and a few tree roots are poking through the walls.  
  Larder: This room was used to store meats and other food. The floors are tiled and the walls are paneled with wood. A 
  few bloody meat hooks hang on the ceiling, where they once held salted meats.  A few empty barrels that reek of brine are 
  piled in one corner of the room. Heroes who enter this room get a peculiarly ghastly fright: the figure of a man suspended 
  by one of the meat hooks, flails wildly at them. Have heroes make their Guts rolls. After everyone makes their rolls, the 
  apparition fades away.  
  Ritual Room: This room has a stone floor and resembles a medieval dungeon. An operating table caked with dried 
  blood is here, amid a few wall shackles. A wooden desk is here, covered with yellowed parchment filled with arcane-looking 
  symbols. Several sharp surgical instruments rest covered in dust rest on a silver tray. Six dripping wax candles are scattered 
  on the floor around the operating table. Sebastian Chillington used this room to attempt to remove the entity from his 
  daughter Xander with no success. Heroes snooping too long in this room hear disturbing scraping sounds coming from the 
  operating table. A fierce wind whips through the room and a young girl’s screams mingles with a horrendous growl bellows 
  from the room’s center. As soon as it comes, the noises abruptly cease. Anyone who moves the operating table sees an 
  irregular outline in the stone floor. It is a trap door leading downward, to the cavern below!  
  Storage: The empty stone basement is the home of a giant spider (see Savage Worlds rulebook) and her children. The 
  spider made its web in the room’s rafters, and will attack trespassers by dropping down on them. The spider’s hundred or so 
  children also drop down and attempt to wrap the heroes in a sticky cocoon (treat as the entangle power).  
  Boiler Room: A rusty boiler is here. The boiler hasn’t been used in 40 years and its levers and gears have rusted tight. 
  Upon entering, heroes hear a loud banging noise coming from the boiler. As soon as the heroes enter the room, the 
  banging ceases. The sound of disembodied laughter is heard in the room as well.  
  Cavern/Vault: This area of Chillington Manor can only be reached via the hidden passage in the Ritual Room. The 
  natural limestone cave contains stalactites and stalagmites and a small underground lake. Ancient Indian pictoglyphs adorn 
  the cavern walls. At one end of the cavern, built into the rock, is a small nook containing several wooden chests. Inside, one 
  finds the Chillington Fortune: $20,000 in greenbacks, $15,000 in gold coins, $10,000 in diamonds, stock certificates to 
  railroads and mines now valued as $100,000 and rare gems worth $5,000.  
   
  
  Scene Four: Who Wants to Kill a Millionaire? 
  Just as the heroes find the treasure, they hear a noise behind them and turn to see Miss Xander who pulls off her veil to 
  reveal a scarred and deformed face. Her eyes are glowing red and her teeth are jagged, pointy fangs. Horace recognizes her 
  as the Chillington child who was born “different” and locked in the attic. An unholy, hollow voice emanates from Miss 
  Xander: 
   
  Fools! You never realized that it was I who murdered the Chillingtons and their servants that day 40 years ago! It was I, the 
  dark one whom the Indians feared in the woods who did this to the Chillingtons! The tribe took their revenge on the 
  descendants of Warrick Chillington for his thievery and treachery. Now the treasure will be mine, while you mortals will die! 
   
  Miss Xander’s fingernails grow into hideous, curved talons and she begins floating in the air before swooping down and 
  attacking the heroes. 
   
  MISS XANDER  
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10 
  Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Taunt d8. 
  Pace: 6”; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 
  Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Vengeful, Greedy 
  Edges: Arcane Resistance, Berserk, Frenzy, Quick 
  Special Abilities: 
  • 
  Armor +2 (Demonic Hide) 
  • 
  Bite: Str (Fangs) 
  • 
  Claws: Str+d6 (Talons) 
  • 
  Fearless 
  • 
  Hardy 
  • 
  Weakness (+d6 damage: holy water and silver) 
   
  If heroes kill Miss Xander and Uncle Horace is with them, the old man expresses relief. If the heroes find Chillington’s 
  journal, Horace says the evidence will help clear his family’s name. The old man makes good on his bet and divvies up the 
  family treasure once the expedition returns to New York City.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  PLAYER HANDOUT: Chillington’s Journal 
   
  June 13, 1893 
  The experiments are not progressing as I had hoped. The child is still showing disturbing signs of distemper and odd 
  behavior. I read all of the forbidden, unholy books and practiced the dark rituals and rites. I even got the village preacher to 
  bless the child, but all to no avail. I fear the worst will come and the spirit that the Indians prayed to in the woods has taken 
  our youngest from us. Cornelia was up all night crying, her lamentations echoing throughout the house. I know not what to 
  say to comfort my dear wife or the other children. Perhaps I will have to approach this not with arcane rituals or the occult, 
  but with earthly love to banish the evil. 
   
  June 14, 1893 
  Mr. Branson interrupted me in my study this afternoon. The man was in a panic. I dreaded the worst, but our trusted butler 
  explained our youngest child was foaming at the mouth and calling for me. I rushed up to the attic, to her room, and saw the 
  girl locked in her stockade as usual. The child’s head slumped down and her hands seemed limp. As I approached her, her 
  head rose slowly. The eyes! Oh, the horror, eyes black as night! The scowling creature told me in an unearthly voice that my 
  time was almost through and that she would soon murder me. Not only that, but my reputation and that of the Chillington 
  family’s would likewise be sullied for generations! I calmly asked her the reason for all of this wickedness, and she replied it 
  was all because of what my father, Warrick Chillington, had done to the woodland Indians many years ago. The creature that 
  was now my daughter told me the Indians showed Warrick a mine which yielded precious stones, and the Indians allowed 
  him to take as many stones as he wanted, but only if he left the Indians alone in the woods. Alas, Warrick never honored his 
  deal! He obtained the land and used his newfound wealth to buy railroads and mines and mills and made himself a very rich 
  man. He built his mansion in the same woods the Indians told him to leave alone, breaking their agreement. As a 
  punishment, the Indian shaman cursed the Chillington family with ill fortune. The demonic entity that raided my young 
  daughter’s body was punishment for my father’s greed!  
   
  June 15, 1893 
  All of the family’s worldly treasures remain hidden in the caverns beneath the house where my father first discovered his 
  precious stones years ago. The problems of my father’s dealings, my family’s current predicament and what happened to my 
  youngest daughter weighs heavily on my mind. Sleep, when it comes, is difficult.  
   
  June 16, 1893 
  I prayed in the chapel all day for a solution. None came. I am forsaken. 
   
  June 17, 1893 
  The child’s cries are growing louder and more violent. It promises to kill each of us, one by one, and claim the riches for 
  itself. Cornelia and the children are scared. They want me to put an end to the child’s life, but that is unthinkable. A while 
  ago I caught my nephew Horace peeking in my study and yelled at him. The boy was scared, and I apologized. I don’t want 
  him learning these secrets. He is too young and innocent to know everything, so I sent him and his mother, my sister, back 
  to New York City. They need not concern themselves with the impending doom!   
   
  June 18, 1893 
  I have been desperately combing through arcane tomes all day and night to find a way to banish the fiend. Cornelia and the 
  children say they’re frightened. They want me to do something about this. A realization passed over me, a disturbing one I 
  cannot shake from my mind. I owe my wealth and success to my father’s treachery. All I have is because he dishonored his 
  pact with the Indians. This thought reviles and shames me.  
   
  June 19, 1893 
  I am growing slowly mad from the incessant scraping and snarling coming from the attic! Please, whatever foul creature you 
  are! Leave this family alone! 
   
  June 20, 1893 
  I have reached a somber and serious conclusion. There is no other way to stop this madness. Cornelia and the family need 
  not know. I confided in Mr. Branson. He is loyal and will help me with my task. It is the only way. 
   
  June 21, 1893 
  What have I done? The child is loose in the house! I found the body of Mr. Branson hacked to pieces and saw the little one 
  with an axe! She tricked me and Mr. Branson is dead! I hear Cornelia’s screaming for help! I must run to her now. This shall 
  be the last I will ever write. The debt is repaid. God, forgive me….. 
  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Ravaged Earth/Savage Worlds - Ravaged Earth - Adv - The Haunted Manor.pdf