Poe Area Concept #1                                       -*-org-*-

Design a MUD area based on works of Edgar Allan Poe, primarily "The
Fall of the House of Usher". This will be a very literary area
emphasizing plot and atmosphere. Use Poe text in descriptions. Player
exploring area should receive similar impression to reading Poe
story.

* Direction

- Be fun for current players and attractive to new players.

- Appropriate for low-level characters, levels 5-20

- Concentrate on atmosphere, puzzles, plot

- Steady-state (house doesn't fall except as special event)

* Subareas

- Approach: wilderness & tarn

- Roderick's studio

- Bedroom

- Crypt

- Library: books are portals to other similarly themed or off-themed
  areas (King in Yellow, Sesame Street, ...)

- Cask of Amontillado

- Hop Frog's swinging flaming orangutan puzzle

* Mobs

- Roderick

- Madeline

- doctor

- servants: numerous and strong enough to be moderate leveling
  challenge.

- Fortunato

- Eight orangutan maskers

- (PC is in role of Usher narrator, Montresor, Fortunato(?), Hop
  Frog)

  

* Sights and Events

- White crypt painting

- Snatches of ballad "The Haunted Palace" (name area for it?)

- Sound of Madeline breaking out of crypt.

- fall of house (special event (Halloween?))

- Berenice's teeth (not sure I want to make area a Poe pastiche, but
  also doubt my ability to make a satisfactory area drawing on only a
  single Poe story.)