Game summary for October 25, 2024, League of Extraordinary Zeroes campaign, Dread Roleplaying Game, for Expeditions-R-Us. Session included: C3P0 (Zero played by Ellie Edmonds), Carlton Banks (Zero played by Keaton King), Eric Cartman (Zero played by John Edmonds), Hank Hill (Zero played by Logan Stanfield), Kronk (Zero played by Katy Jenkins), Patrick Star (Zero played by Spencer Ford), Shaggy Rogers (Zero played by Jacob Harmon), Steve Urkel (Zero played by Kyler Shaw), and Waluigi (Zero played by Matt Colter). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.
The party consisted of some of the biggest losers known to man, a League of Extraordinary Zeroes…
They had booked a weekend tour of Black Hollow Manor, a place steeped in mystery and once home to the enigmatic occultist Alistair Blackwood. The manor had been privately owned for centuries but had recently opened to the public for tours, and they were among the first to walk its shadowed halls.
As their van crossed the bridge over the river, Black Hollow Manor came into view. Once a grand estate built in the 1800s, it now stood as a decaying monument to another era. Dark ivy crept up the crumbling stone walls, and tall windows glinted ominously in the fading light. The dense forest surrounding the manor was unnaturally still, as if bracing itself for their arrival.
The van driver got out, unloading their bags with a muttered remark about how remote the place was. “This is Black Hollow,” he said flatly, nodding toward the imposing structure. “You’ll find the caretaker inside.” Without waiting for a response, he climbed back into the van and drove off, leaving them standing before the darkened mansion.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves. As they approached the entrance, the large wooden doors creaked open, revealing a tall, gaunt figure standing in the dim foyer.
The man stepped forward, his sunken eyes dull and his clothes neat but distinctly old-fashioned. His frail frame seemed barely able to bear the weight of his dark overcoat. His voice, when he spoke, was soft, barely more than a whisper.
“Welcome to Black Hollow Manor,” he greeted them, his lips barely moving. “I am Reginald Moore, caretaker of this estate. Mr. Blackwood left instructions for me to tend to the house… even after all these years.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over them. “I will show you to your rooms. Please, make yourselves comfortable.” With slow, deliberate steps, he turned and gestured for them to follow him inside.
Once they crossed the threshold, the heavy door closed behind them with a resounding thud. The house was dimly lit, scattered lamps casting long shadows over the ornate but decaying furniture. Dust hung in the air, and the walls were lined with portraits of stern-faced men and women whose eyes seemed to follow them as they moved deeper into the manor.
Reginald led them down a narrow hallway. “Black Hollow has stood here for over a century,” he murmured. “Mr. Blackwood was a man of… unusual interests. Some say his experiments never truly ceased. Others claim the house itself is… haunted.”
He halted in front of a heavy wooden door, gesturing for them to enter. Inside was a sparse room—a bed, a wardrobe, and a small table illuminated by a flickering lamp. “This will be your room for the night,” Reginald said, his eyes lingering on them a moment too long. “Please, do not wander too far. Black Hollow has a way of… keeping its guests.”
With that, he turned and disappeared down the hall, leaving them alone in the stillness of the manor.
The group split up and started exploring the house. Some went to the kitchen, and others went looking down a hallway. They discovered several bizarre items: a plastic jack-o-lantern, a Native American headdress, and a red clown nose. The group convened in the kitchen while Shaggy fried chicken and Hank cooked a steak. They talked to Reginald a bit before the power went out. Hank went to get the generator out under the pavilion running. Out there he saw a lit carved jack-o-lantern and a figure moving through the woods. Ignoring them, he fired up the generator and returned.
The group talked a bit and heard a buzzing sound outside. They went down the hallway and found glowing jack-o-lanterns. From upstairs they could hear drums. Hank ran up the stairs, and at the top a scalped spectral Native American woman grabbed him, pulled him into a room, and slammed the door! The group ran up and threw open the door. Inside, Hank hung upside down from the chandelier. He had been scalped and had his throat slit. Blood was sprayed everywhere.
They called for Reginald, who had “run” off with the items they had discovered and moved down a hallway. Kronk entered a bathroom and found the spectral woman in the mirror! She disappeared as lightning crashed outside. Cartman covered himself in a sheet to disguise himself as a ghost. Patrick found Alistair’s suit and put it on.
Reginald came to the top of the stairs and Kronk accidentally broke his hip and then caused him to pass out in pain. They put him in the bloody bed beneath Hank who suddenly woke up! He was seriously injured but alive! So, the team cut him down.
The group heard buzzing across the house and went to investigate. From within a room, they heard buzzing. Patrick opened the door and slammed it back! He had seen an enormous mosquito. Next, they heard laughing. They set a trap with banana peels, sheets, and Waluigi as bait. Opening the door a clown with razor teeth charged out, slipped on the peels, and crashed down the stairs! Moments later, a giant mosquito rose up from the stairwell, and Waluigi hit it with a tennis racket!
Kronk and Shaggy had fled to a bedroom to find an animated pumpkin-head scarecrow! Kronk tried to disguise himself by smashing a jack-o-lantern on his own head as a mask. Shaggy tried to set the spirit on fire and Kronk tried to blow out its flaming eyes. They were able to slip out of the room but C3P0 was killed.
The group fled and talked to Reginald. They learned Alistair Blackwood’s spirit haunts the manor along with other entities. Then, for some reason, they killed Reginald on the bed! They went downstairs to seek the lab Reginald mentioned before his untimely demise. They saw the ghostly form of Blackwood who taunted him. In the library they found a secret door, and the key stolen from Reginald unlocked it.
Down below they found Alistair’s lab. It contained old electrical equipment and some kind of diving bell with portholes. Looking within they found spirits trying to break out! Suddenly, Steve Urkel and Carlton Banks, came dancing down the stairs. They broke out the glass releasing the spirits! Kronk threw a table into the equipment, destroying it but discovered a journal in the process.
They learned Alistair had built the equipment to capture souls but needed more time than his lifetime would allow. He had anchored himself and other deadly spirits to items in this world. Alistair’s anchor was the lightning rod on the roof. The scalp taker ghost drifted through the wall, but Hank used the “propane punch” to knock her back out of the room.
They ran upstairs and out onto the balcony. Around the great spire, Alistair circled the lightning rod. He was charged each time the lightning struck, and souls floated up from below merging into his being. Carlton climbed up the spire and nearly reached the rod before he slipped and plunged to his death below, his spirit getting sucked up into Alistair! Waluigi clambered up on the roof as well, but he was able to snatch the lightning rod and break it! Spirits emerged from Alistair and ripped him into shreds and down into a vortex into another dimension! The team had broken his power and defeated the wicked man! The spirits were freed and moved on to the next life!
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