Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

[bubba smith]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

the discredited serviceman

discharged from the military for disobeying orders not to rescue captive team members this tenant moved in after a vacation ruined by the kidnapping of his wife whom he had to rescue singlehandedly.

because of both the circumstances of his discharge and the ocasional relapse into survival training he finds it hard to hold down a job, but he does work for the hotel as a back up security guard.

[Curufea]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Microcosm

 

All interactions between the residents within the hotel is reflected in the world outside.

If there is physical violence - war breaks out. Between where and where depends on the country of origin of the residents.

 

Variant-

It may be reported on the news and media, but does not actually occur in the world - it just seems like it.

[The Weapon]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

There's a cop who turns up soon after any report is made of illegal activity, far too soon to have actually come from the precinct. If anyone tries to find out about him or goes to the precinct and asks about him he stops coming. A week later there's a new cop that responds in the same way. Other cops get the reports of illegal activity but don't seem to know who filed them. They can't confirm if a "Detective Wayne" ever worked there (operational security).

[Mike Dean]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

This is actually kind of an obvious one...

 

The Empty Hour

 

At a certain hour of the night (3 a.m., potentially) a character wakes up to find the hotel completely devoid of life. There's nobody at the front desk, nobody in the lobby, nobody in any of the rooms. Perhaps the hotel is littered with evidence of people who were just there...TV's turned on, half-smoked cigarettes, etc., or perhaps the hotel looks for all intents and purposes like it's been shut down for the off season. Perhaps the place even looks like it's been abandoned for years. The character may hear signs of life from elsewhere in the building, muted conversations from somewhere far above or what have you, but all sounds cease before their source is found, and no people are ever seen.

 

All doors and windows leading outside are firmly barred, and outside there is nothing but darkness. The power in the hotel can be on or off as best suits the story.

 

The Empty Hour can end abruptly, with people suddenly appearing as thought they'd been there the entire time, or perhaps an NPC walks into his room just as a character is rummaging through it. Perhaps the character has to do something or go someplace specific to return to the "normal" hotel.

 

Of course, it's also possible that the hotel is not entirely deserted during the Empty Hour. Certain key residents may also be present, with their own agendas to advance.

 

Mike

[Egyptoid]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

the Niven Variant:

 

don't leave if there's fog out.

 

if the weather is foggy, there's a dimension storm going on.

normally water is transparent, so a translucent fog comes from a probability blur , Fog isn’t water droplets suspended in the air. Rather, fog is what happens when alternate timelines merge, a gateway between them. We instinctively know there’s something weird and strange and potentially creepy out there, in the fog — a world we’ve never seen before, and can never imagine.

 

so, if you walk just a block in the fog, you're on Earth C (just an example)

on this earth-c , the world trade center didnt fall...

 

if you walk farther, you're heading away from you're reality.

if you get in a car and ride in the fog, forget it...

 

fog is bad and the farther you go the worse you're screwed.

 

corollaries:

1) weird shyte also wanders in from the fog.

 

2) if you get lost, you can make it back, but you have to be lucky and studious.

the fog is a d-hopper (per se) with no instructions and no gauges,

 

3) good luck; some alternate realities are scary and weird. makes the twilight zone seems like monday night football.

[Curufea]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Also the King movie "The Mist"

[tkdguy]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

If we're going to include Stephen King stories, how about Night Shift, which featured a basement filled with giant rats?

[Eric, Omnirex]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Long been suspected, now been proved (GPS, satalite data, etc.) that the hotel moves about a centimeter an a half every year. Direction: west by north. The hotel is not just creepy but creeping.

 

Scary thing? Its been around decades but its still in same spot on the block! Its creeping, but you can't tell it! :shock:

 

 

Its called plate tectonics.

 

[Wolfgang70]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

This is actually kind of an obvious one...

 

The Empty Hour

 

At a certain hour of the night (3 a.m., potentially) a character wakes up to find the hotel completely devoid of life. There's nobody at the front desk, nobody in the lobby, nobody in any of the rooms. Perhaps the hotel is littered with evidence of people who were just there...TV's turned on, half-smoked cigarettes, etc., or perhaps the hotel looks for all intents and purposes like it's been shut down for the off season. Perhaps the place even looks like it's been abandoned for years. The character may hear signs of life from elsewhere in the building, muted conversations from somewhere far above or what have you, but all sounds cease before their source is found, and no people are ever seen.

 

All doors and windows leading outside are firmly barred, and outside there is nothing but darkness. The power in the hotel can be on or off as best suits the story.

 

The Empty Hour can end abruptly, with people suddenly appearing as thought they'd been there the entire time, or perhaps an NPC walks into his room just as a character is rummaging through it. Perhaps the character has to do something or go someplace specific to return to the "normal" hotel.

 

Of course, it's also possible that the hotel is not entirely deserted during the Empty Hour. Certain key residents may also be present, with their own agendas to advance.

 

Mike

 

That reminds me a lot of the movie Dark City. Each night, time stopped, everybody frozen in place, for an event called the "tuning." It was during this time that the Strangers manipulated the city for their experiments.

 

Wolfgang

[Mike Dean]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

That reminds me a lot of the movie Dark City. Each night' date=' time stopped, everybody frozen in place, for an event called the "tuning." It was during this time that the Strangers manipulated the city for their experiments.[/quote']

 

Do you remember the classic Twilight Zone episode where a woman found herself locked in an empty department store at night? And where it seemed like the mannequins kept moving? That's actually what got me started on the "empty hour" idea, and I just rolled with it from there.

 

Mike

[Steve]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Do you remember the classic Twilight Zone episode where a woman found herself locked in an empty department store at night? And where it seemed like the mannequins kept moving? That's actually what got me started on the "empty hour" idea, and I just rolled with it from there.

 

Mike

 

The Statues

 

Scattered around the hotel are life-size statues of people, in classical poses and dress like Greek or Roman art. What's disturbing is that they change every now and then, and the faces resemble those of former tenants of the hotel that haven't been seen for a while. There is also an expression of horror or surprise on the faces of all the statues.

 

You could also do something similar with paintings around the hotel.

[AThousandYoung]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Wow. You guys are good at this!

[Basil]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

The Stolen Painting: One of the common rooms has a goodly number of paintings, some on every wall. They're the blandly pretty sort of thing you'd expect in a public space; seascapes, vague- and vaguely-pretty-looking women, etc.

 

On one wall are three in a row, a space the right size for another, and then a fourth. Every guest or passer-through sees this.

 

Whenever someone new is hired, however, they see a row of five. They won't remark on this, they won't even really notice it. The day after the new hire receives his/her first paycheck, they will at some point dash madly to the manager's office, panting, looking surprised, even shocked. When they get to the manager, they will report that a painting has stolen. Pressed as to which, they'll describe that room, that wall, and that line of paintings.

 

The manager has learned to give a somber nod, say something about "the kind-of-brooding seascape, right?", and assure the new hire that "this will be looked into." After that, the new hire will not ever speak to anyone else who works at the hotel about the theft.

 

If a PC (or non-employee NPC) realizes the theft isn't being talked about by the employees, and asks, any employee will shrug his/her shoulder and mutter something about "it's not important" or "someone else is looking into it".

 

No non-employee will ever see the "missing" picture. Anyone who saw the gap, and is later hired, will insist the gap was filled before he/she was employed.

[Nolgroth]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Wow. You guys are good at this!

There are some truly sick talented people on these boards.

 

Like the username. Any relation to a Lovecraft monster?

[The Weapon]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Steven Duke, famous horror writer always comes here to compose the outline for his novels. Not the whole novel, just the outline. Every one of his books is dedicated to a hotel guest that disappeared or died mysteriously. Nothing bad ever happens to him in the hotel, regardless of whether he sleeps in normally dangerous rooms or does things that always preface bad things to others (e.g. orders room service after midnight when everyone else who does that gets _changed_). He buys drinks and food for guests and bribes the hotel staff to get information on some guests. Regulars know that giving this information is a sure sign you're going to die or disappear. Even his interest seems to be a bad omen. When asked what his connection is to the bad things he claims "I'm just an observer.".

[Curufea]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Hmm...

 

Sutter Kane is currently writing his latest novel on an old manual typewriter in a rundown, bare hotel room. The tapping of the keys can be heard from the hallway anywhere on that floor. It's a prequel to his last novel "In the Mouth of Madness" and is called "[PC's name]'s Descent". It's a manuscript about the PC and includes their entire life thus far and their descent into madness once they read the book about their life, or it is narrated to them. The PC realises they don't really exist and are merely characters in a story. The knowledge drives the PC insane.

 

This only occurs if the book is finished, if the book is only partly read the PC does not go insane. However - the book is indestructible. If burnt or destroyed, another original manuscript will appear as though the PC had packed it earlier, or sent it to themselves, or left it momentarily on the nightstand.

 

Others have read this book in its incomplete form and will know intimate details about the PC. These insane proof readers, editors, or random homeless folk will tend to have bleeding eyes and enquire of anyone who looks vaguely like they may be well-read or holding a book - "Do you read Sutter Kane?"

[Jinx999]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

The Old Gambler

 

He's not that old. Late forties or Early fifties. He's fairly handsome, with greying dark hair and is clean shaven. He may be Causican or Chinese, as you want. He is normally dressed in what was once a very good suit (he has several), but is now rather worn. He doesn't seem to have a job and, if asked, says he is living off his savings. He occasionally buys a set of playing cards and plays with them. His card handling skills are amazing; The cards seem to dance in his hands. After shuffling, he deals himself a hand of cards (either two or five cards), looks at it, sighs and shuffles again. He does this for a while, getting more and more depressed, then throws the cards in a bin and goes to the bar and starts drinking steadily.

 

If anyone looks to see what cards he's drawn, the five cards are always a royal straight flush. The two cards are always an Ace and a ten or face card.

[bubba smith]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

the framed prizefighter

he /she is a pro fighter who was found to have banned substances in his/her bloodstream. despite the fact that the substances were in LEGITAMATLY PRESCRIBED MEDICINE and taken unkowingly he/ she was accused of deliberatly taking steroids and barred for life from the fight game constanly being slandered as a criminal

[SatinKitty]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

She's the perfect, sweet, charming little girl, always impeccably dressed with never a hair out of place. Sometimes she roller skates around the hotel. Sometimes she plays, childishly, the piano in the bar. She also loves puzzles. All the adults love her. Her mother is a shy, almost self-effacing woman who tells you her husband is "Away in the Service". The mother is pleasant enough and takes good care of her daughter.

 

The thing is, sometimes, when another guest who has been friendly with the girl dies in an accident or fall down a set of stairs, the girl is always included in their will. She gets a trinket or small collectible item or piece of jewelry. She is most happy to get these things and becomes even more charming and lovable afterward.

 

The girl also adores presents. She is happiest when unwrapping packages sent by her Father which often come with cards saying "For no reason at all except that she is the best little girl in the World".

 

The mother always looks nervous and worried. When asked why she offers up some excuse about the heat or missing her Husband. Sometimes she looks worried sick, but will give no explanations. Any accidental death in the hotel seems to upset her terribly.

 

The two fight at times. Never in front of others, but arguing and sometimes shouting and screaming can sometimes be heard from their room. Always after these incidents the girl looks smug and the mother dazed.

 

After about a few weeks, they leave, looking like the perfect family.

 

source: "The Bad Seed" by William March

[Prometheus]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

The Burial (Another Painting)

 

One of the hotel's banquet rooms houses a modestly sized painting, inspired by, or perhaps an imperfect replica of, Courbet's Burial at Ornans

 

The painting is poorly hung, only because the viewing distance didn't seem to be taken into consideration- it's way too high on the wall for art its size. Looking at it closely will reveal odd details, but the painting's inaccessability, the hall's somber lighting, and the style, palette, and arrangement of the piece will always make them difficult to confirm. Observers may each notice different things, but there is never any problem pointing out what they think they see to others.

 

 

"Is that a woman? Right there, behind the two old ladies."

 

"Hmmm, that man's nose is awfully big."

 

"Are those crossbones? And what kind of a crucifix is that."

 

"You know, that building on the hill looks kinda like the view coming in from the highway."

 

"Hey, you see that little girl staring out of the picture? I think the painter left out her legs."

 

"Actually I don't think he's holding anything. Weird."

 

"Wait a second- that's not something draping into the hole, it looks more like... like something reaching out..."

 

 

The viewer can never be certain.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

one I actually get to deal with in real life. (ahhh the joys of retail).

 

The Time traveller

 

a man in seedy and shabby looking clothing of a late 60s/early 70s vintage. comes into the hotel bar and turns over the channel on the TV and stands right next to the set watching a rerun of a show from the 60s. before disappearing as suddenly as he arrived he comes in at all times of the day and night but never seems to purchase anything.

 

sometimes he visit more than once a day other times he will be absent for weeks at a time. the staff just seem to ignore him.

 

strangely he never seems to see a whole episode always coming in after its started or leaving before the end.

[The Weapon]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

Above the mantlepiece there is a pair of dueling pistols. They have been there without moving for as long as anyone can remember. They are secured so that any attempt to remove them would make noise and their removal and replacement would be detectable. Any time they are examined they appear to have been recently fired, but they never move and the material securing them is never damaged or disturbed. If someone examines them without someone being shot first someone will be found shortly afterwards who was shot before the pistols were examined, twice and possibly with a gun of that calibre.

[Guest Admiral C]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

The guy who was an action star from the early 70s

 

His room is full of collectibles and he doesn't let the cleaning staff in for fear of damaging them or people finding out who he is. In reality he would love to find a fan or two to talk to. He puts up the recluse act because he's afraid of internet weirdos or meeting a certain young female fan who's rediscovered his work and is pushing it online. If he meets her and she's infatuated with him he'll just feel old. Sometimes his old cast mates drop by. And maybe well recognized actor who was once a young co-star in movies and TV with him comes around and complains, "You gotta get out of this dump and make a comeback!'

 

As an action movie star he was part stuntman too so he knows how to handle a gun or do crazy stunts with a car or a plane, or even a horse! I kinda imagine a guy like Lee Majors for this.

 

I need to sit down and read this whole thread one day.

[Cancer]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

I need to sit down and read this whole thread one day.

 

Yeah, this is absolutely one of my favorite threads, bar none, on these boards.

[bubba smith]

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel

 

its a good thread allright