The Curse of Taloncrest Manor

Prologue, Part 1: The Manor's Dark Past

-1905- 

A large, sprawling mansion, located some distance away from the main road, Taloncrest Manor, and its surrounding estate, was the home of esteemed billionaire Bartholomew Taloncrest and his wife Jane, as well as his aide, Thomas. 

Jane was Bart's love of his life, and Bart was Jane's, in turn. You could say that it was love at first sight, and rightly so. The two of them met each other during one of Bart's many galas, and they got along almost immediately.

Thomas faithfully served Bart for many years, as well as Jane, once the billionaire married her, although there was one peculiar item of significance about him; regardless of the many outfits he wore, he always made sure to keep his favorite necklace  hanging around his neck, a purple heart-shaped jewel acting as its centerpiece.

Once, in the past, Bart asked him about the butler's prized possession. "Ahhh, this thing?" Thomas chuckled. "The heart in the middle was fashioned from my father's ashes. After he died, my mother and I chose to have him cremated into this necklace. In some ways, this ensures he can still be with me." he explained. 

Bartholomew was never stingy with his money, throwing several parties on a regular basis and being gracious enough to allow his servants the day off whenever such occurrences struck. 

Tonight was one of those parties. 

"What a wonderful night this is, my love," Bart said to Jane as they danced on the balcony. Jane chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she said as she smiled warmly at him. The night had grown cold, however, and Bart soon made the suggestion for the couple to retreat back inside. "Of course! I'm starting to feel a little chilly myself," Jane responded. 

"Good evening, Master Taloncrest!" Thomas greeted his liege as he and his wife walked inside and went downstairs to the first floor. "I trust you all had a brilliant time tonight?" he asked. "Indeed we did," the billionaire replied with a laugh. "It's getting late, though. I might be turning in for bed soon. Thomas, would you mind too terribly tending to the plants in my bedroom, as well as Jane's? After that, you may tell all the guests that they may depart for the night. I'd advise caution around the water hemlock, though. It's poisonous. Use the proper equipment. Thank goodness we have a glass pane covering that section." 

"Yes, master, it will be done." Thomas answered with a bow as he headed upstairs. Meanwhile, Bartholomew and Jane headed to the living area and sat down on the couch. "You know, I believe this has been one of the bigger parties you've thrown. You've been lucky enough to have vast amounts of money; why not use it to improve others' lives instead of your own?" Jane asked her husband. 

Bart smiled. "If that is your wish, I shall look into possible arrangements for doing so. There is a granary in the main village that is running low on funds, and it just so happens my aide Thomas holds connections to a member of their staff. I can ask him about looking into it. I'd imagine that place would be a good start."

"Wonderful!" Jane exclaimed as she looked around. "What a memorable occasion, I must say....I simply must write about it in my diary. I seem to have left it upstairs, though....I shall go retrieve it!" she said as she got up from the couch. She gasped as she came up with an idea. "We can both write that entry together! It'd be grand!" she said. "Of course, that would be delightful!" Bart replied. "I'll be right here, my love." 

Bart wandered around the main floor, talking to the guests for a while. However, he became increasingly worried as Jane had not come back for several minutes. Right after he wrapped up another conversation with a party guest, he meant to go check up on her himself, until he spotted Thomas rushing down the stairwell, in a panicked state. "Master! It's Jane! She's...." he paused for a second to catch his breath. "You must come see for yourself!" he cried. 

Bart and Thomas arrived at Jane's bedroom on the second floor to see her dead body lying face-down in the center, her diary overturned just inches away from her hand. "Jane....no! NO!" Bart cried out as he rushed over to her corpse. Thomas also accompanied him and attempted to check for a pulse. "Hmmm....nothing. Her skin's also still warm....I'm guessing she hasn't been dead for very long." "What....what happened here?!" Bart exclaimed in despair. "I haven't the slightest idea, my liege. I was watering the plants, as you ordered me to, starting with the ones in your bedroom! I just heard her slumping to the ground and by the time I came, she was unresponsive! I can put in a report to the police and get them involved as early as tomorrow, if it is your wish...." Thomas explained. 

Bart was too busy crying to answer in a competent manner. "How....how can this be?! Jane, my love....how could I possibly hope to face the world now, without you by my side....? This can't be happening...." he wailed. Eventually, he got up and bolted for his own bedroom. "Master?! What are you...." Thomas asked, sounding rather confused. 

"Without her....my life is nothing, do you hear me?! She was my everything....my rock, my shoulder to cry on, my confidant, my...." Bart sighed as he smashed the glass pane protecting the water hemlock and picked up one of the shards. "NO! No, you mustn't--" Thomas tried to intervene, knowing what his master was about to do. His necklace slipped off of his neck and fell onto the floor as he rushed forward, trying in vain to take the shard from his master's hand.

"Take care of the mansion, my friend." Bart said calmly as he slashed his own throat with the glass.

"N....no.....Master....this....this isn't how it was supposed to happen!" Thomas cried out as he fell to his knees in disbelief.

Just then, several tendrils of dark energy burst out of Thomas's necklace and flew downstairs towards the unsuspecting guests and party staff, strangling the innocent people in their grasp. With almost no effort, the tendrils caused all of their bodies to instantly dissolve, leaving no clue that they were even there. 

With all of the guests and staff effectively killed, the energy mostly faded away, except for one tendril which turned its sights upon Thomas himself. "What are you doing?! Stop! STOP!" the butler tried to protest, but the tendril proceeded to finish him off, too. 

The mansion was eerily silent and empty. Since Thomas's necklace had dissolved the mansion's denizens, the only signs of life in the entire mansion were Jane and Bart's decaying bodies in their respective bedrooms. 

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Over time, the mansion's past was largely forgotten, and Jane and Bart's deaths were both ruled as suicides by investigators. From that day on, the mansion's ownership would constantly fluctuate from bidder to bidder to bidder, until one day, a woman managed to buy it out. 

She lived in it for many years, though she definitely did not use it in remotely the same manner as Bart had. Her children made quite a mess of the place, and continued to do so for a long time. 

The day soon came, however, when those children became old enough to leave the nest, and she herself was nearing her end due to a terminal disease. With not much time left, she wrote one final letter. 

"To my dear nephew Ricardo,

I deeply regret that I will not be able to watch you grow up and live the life that you were meant to lead. You were always one of the people I looked forward to seeing the most at our family gatherings. Very likable, very playful, and very fun to get along with. I could not be more proud to be your aunt. Tell your dear mother that I said hello. I hope things are going well for you in Florida, and continue to be as such in the many years to come. 

My doctor has diagnosed me with a terminal disease that has left me mostly despondent in my now-waning years. Throughout the suffering, pain, and illness, the thought of you and the rest of our family being able to carry on our legacy gives me peace. 

To that end, I am granting you this mansion for your use, as well as every possession you can find within it. Think of it as my final gift to you. Promise me you will use it well, unlike this rather rowdy Bart fellow whom the initial sales pitch talked about. 

I hope someday we can meet again, under heaven's golden light. 

Know that I love you. Know that I have always loved you. 

-Aunt Heather"