Haunting Idea

This past weekend I watched a playthrough of a PSP story-driven game called "Corpse Party: Blood Covered ...Repeated Fear"* (Contains Blood and Gore).

Eight students and a teacher from Kisaragi Academy are in a classroom at the dead of night, telling ghost stories upon one another. They then do a charm enchantment, Sachiko Ever After. Shortly after the enchantment, a massive earthquake happens and the floor beneath them crumbles away at a rapid speed towards them, swallowing them into the abyss.

They soon awake, separated and in small groups, in another school building, but dated with smaller chairs and desks. They soon realize they're in Heavenly Host Elementary School, what was suppose to be torn down 30 years ago. It got torn down sometime after 3 students were found murdered and a principle that jumped off the roof the day before it was torn down.

The students and the teacher need to find each other, find a way out, and uncover the mystery of the school. While at the same time hoping they can survive long enough to escape it and not give in to the darkness and insanity of the place.

After watching all of that, I thought back in my days of Trickster, mainly the haunted area Oops Wharf and the dungeon Phantom School. Streets covered with ghost children in pajamas, were-crow, and pirates; and halls covered with zombie students and staff, supernatural creatures, and possessed textbooks.

While I found that area, and only that area, fascinating and mysterious, there was hardly any lore for it. All I could figure out was that some students performed some forbidden chant in a classroom and demons started coming out from a pattern they drew on the floor with candles, eventually affecting the town too. Nothing more to it... no deep details. That area had a lot of potential for background story in that game, but lacked any sadly.

Then it had me thinking... thinking of an idea for a haunted section for Antilia. While I can write the concept idea down, until I know more about the superstitions of, at least, the Taipii, I can't do much with it. I feel this may be my only way to contribute something to Antilia. Also thinking in terms of perma-content or event-content (won't have huge affect on general game play, hopefully. Debating if repeating or one-time), and either solo or small party. Maybe a bit of RP to it... we all know how much Jeff loves that.

I don't know why, but haunted things, in games anyway, really draw my attention. Wonder what happened... what dangers there are... what secrets it may hold. With a side of "wonder if we can find any treasures in there," but more on the story bit of it.

I'll let Jeff contact me about this once he has less important chores on his plate for Antilia, for now I want to write the concept for myself till I feel comfortable talking about it with him and it's finalized on my end to present. Do expect changes to come prior and after presenting to him.

*Small Spoiler: There was one major issue with the story that I saw very very constantly... NONE OF THE FEMALE CHARACTERS TOUGHEN UP AT ALL! Mid-way you believe they would at least, one way or another, get used to the danger and just accept it, or at least one of them, while still feel sad and grieving less and less as the story progresses. Nope, time to time they all keep crying and sobbing like everything is still fresh in their minds. Not sure who I hate, the writer(s) or the characters themselves... either way it was just very annoying to watch those.