02 - General Notes

Appearance

The once rich villa lies in ruins and has obviously been consumed by a fire years ago. In many places, the roof has collapsed and much of the inside is filled with rubble. Nature has started to reclaim the place as well, with plants growing here and there, mostly along the outside and in the prior gardens, but occasionally inside the villa as well.

The southern parts of the villa are the most intact, with several rooms that are largely undamaged. The north and west are completely ruined, while the east and central parts burnt out but most of the walls are still standing.

Ghosts

As the party moves through 03 - Map of The Villa, they will meet various ghosts and illusionary replays of events.

All of these things are insubstantial, and thus will not cause the characters physical harm nor can the characters interact with them unless otherwise stated. So if, for example, a character stands in the way of a ghost, the ghost will pass through him, leaving a slight shiver but no other physical effect.

Some illusions/ghosts appear only once, others appear again and again. Each illusion or ghost description mentions which type it is.

When encountering the first illusions/ghosts, let characters with a magical ability make Fortune Rolls using magical (or Magic Paths > Illusions or Magic Paths > Perceive if they have it) to sense the illusions/ghosts for what they are. Other characters can roll mental (perception) if they investigate or examine the illusions/ghosts closely.

Resolution

Some of the ghosts can be freed. These are marked with a box like this, explaining what the characters must do to resolve the illusion and free the ghost.
Resolved illusions will shimmer in a bright golden glow before disappearing, and then never happen again. This golden glow only happens when an illusion is resolved, unresolved illusions simply fade out.

Magical Analysis

Characters with either Magic Paths > Illusions or Magic Paths > Perceive can actively analyze the illusions and ghosts.

On a success, the character will not just figure out that they are seeing illusions and ghosts, but also that there is a strong residual magic throughout the villa, years old, that is triggering and fueling them. It does not seem to have a specific source or origin.

Other Rooms

Rooms which are not explicitly described are simply buried in rubble and burnt out, with nothing interesting or important to be found.