The Thing In the Downstairs Room

Realm

The Downstairs Room

Children

• Glaive Underhand
• Haruspex Underhand
• Sonata Underhand

Related Historical Events

• 856
  Apocalypse: The Story They Will Not Tell

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Interview Excerpts: What's the last nightmare you remember having?

RESPONSES

Masons

"Ah, I believe some frivolous reworking of anxious memories from many years previously, none of them relevant today."
-- Subvizier Aloysius Mason.

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Dargent-Laureats

"Quite a dreadful one where I revealed myself by accident and destroyed the family. Who didn’t take kindly, of course."
-- Vizier Victor Dargent-Laureat.
"Oh, it was… about my parents. They blamed me for… stuff."
-- Viziera Satine Dargent-Laureat.

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Ironsides

"It’s only a nightmare if you don’t enjoy it!"
-- Vizier Balthazar Ironside.
"It… I was… hunted. For sport. Like a rhinoceros. By my father."
-- Subvizier Agamemnon Ironside.
"They’re always about my father hurting the rest of my family. Most recently it’s been my mother."
-- Katib Menelaus Ironside.
"Just… something stupid about when I was a little kid and still too small to hold my own. One of my fights with Dad. Who gives a shit."
-- Katiba Britomart Stargazer-Ironside.

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Stargazers

"Got a few rattling around that are the remnants of curses that didn’t take. Last one was a courtroom full of ghouls with a demon for a judge."
-- Vizier Leopold Stargazer.
"A rising tide and a beating heart. No business of yours beyond that."
-- Viziera Andromeda Stargazer.
"Ah… no. I’m sorry, that - I wouldn’t - It’s not something I can say, I mean I don’t w- Ask me something else."
-- Subvizier Pollux Stargazer.
"Just… something stupid about when I was a little kid and still too small to hold my own. One of my fights with Dad. Who gives a shit."
-- Subviziera Britomart Stargazer-Ironside.
"As most of my nightmares are, it was about a certain Viziera with whom I had an unfortunate experience."
-- Katib Castor Stargazer.
"I have nightmares about my research being found out at least once every couple of weeks. Usually it’s the Underhands that come for me. Sometimes the Viziera does it herself. Sometimes they go after Cassie. Sometimes they scapegoat my mum."
-- Katiba Cassiopeia Stargazer-Greenskin.

"A grand reverberation throughout the cosmos, as if some force beyond the stars rocked each from its moorings. Enthralling. Dreadful."
-- Bartleby.

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Dargents

"We named him Hugo and he’s still around."
-- Vizier Richard Dargent.
"The Rich Man’s annual reminder of our pact, and the consequences of failure. It’s much as you would expect. Ruin. Destitution. A legacy erased. His usual charm."
-- Viziera Guinevera Dargent.
"Quite a dreadful one where I revealed myself by accident and destroyed the family. Who didn’t take kindly, of course."
-- Subvizier Victor Dargent-Laureat.
"Oh, it was… about my parents. They blamed me for… stuff."
-- Subviziera Satine Dargent-Laureat.
"Um… I'd really rather not talk about that one. Suffice to say it was highly disturbing, probably magically implanted and seemed to be based on some pretty awful erotic literature. In terms of more natural nightmares, there's a recurring one where I accidentally transform before the court and get imprisoned alongside my entire family. Imagine, being caged for eternity with the four worst people in existence."
-- Katib Hugo Dargent.
"Um, something about Divs stealing me away to sacrifice. Two nights ago."
-- Katiba Scarlett Dargent.

"Glowing golden eyes."
-- Lindie Asklepa.
"Hey! You promised you wouldn't bring up dogs... gnolls and wolves count as dogs."
-- Connie Furr.
"…sometimes the old life comes back when I sleep. Hungry. Running. A snare."
-- Voltaire.

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Carterholds

"I, ah… had one recently where Bedlah got taken from us. I’d say don’t tell him that, but he’s a baby and an idiot, so, probably feel free."
-- Katiba Rouge Carterhold.

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Bakerstreets

"Incense and coffee and cloves."
-- Vizier Cobbler Bakerstreet.
"...[headshake]..."
-- Subviziera Diana Bakerstreet-Underhand.
"Huh. Good question. Next question."
-- Katib Cody Bakerstreet.
"I’ve seen a lot of crimes. I’ll let you use your imagination. You’ll be wrong."
-- Katiba Wiggin Bakerstreet.

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Underhands

"...[headshake]..."
-- Katiba Diana Bakerstreet-Underhand.

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Baharats

"I prefer not to remember them, if I can help it. Though… it was about a boy with whom I once was close."
-- Ex-Subvizier James Baharat.

"Something about lots of biting cabbages and a giant eye."
-- Beautiful Baharat Guard.
"Sometimes I still have nightmares about losing my dad when the dogcatchers came for us. They’ve become more of a thing again since James… left."
-- Martini.

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Brasseyes

"A certain entity showed me the end of the world once. Not much counts as a nightmare after that."
-- Katiba Grimoire Brasseyes.

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Darktusks

"Answering your dumbfuck questions is a nightmare."
-- Mirze Rifi Darktusk.

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Greenskins

"I would not speak on that, save that it showed men of iron and a rage that split the earth. Such images I’m sure have no meaning worth speaking of."
-- Vizier Kronk Greenskin.
"I have nightmares about my research being found out at least once every couple of weeks. Usually it’s the Underhands that come for me. Sometimes the Viziera does it herself. Sometimes they go after Cassie. Sometimes they scapegoat my mum."
-- Subvizier Cassiopeia Stargazer-Greenskin.

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Jackalslicers

"I’m afraid I will not speak of my nightmares to those outside my household."
-- Viziera Atkin Jackalslicer.
"Um, it was about being stabbed. And my friends being stabbed."
-- Katib Fennec Jackalslicer.

"…hrrr… …sack."
-- Stubby.

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Shajaras

"Oh, I think my dreams would be a little vivid for your ears, as I’m sure you must appreciate."
-- Vizier Hali Shajara.
"Ooh, some things you’re not meant to know!"
-- Viziera Cassilda Shajara.

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Brambleites

"Ah. Wolves, it regarded, and snakes, and a great many creatures of unnatural hair, and a great encroaching harvester machine of silver and marble. A dreadful sense of too many enemies on too many sides."
-- Bugsby Cottontail.
"Hey! You promised you wouldn't bring up dogs... gnolls and wolves count as dogs."
-- Connie Furr.
"I prefer not to remember them, if I can help it. Though… it was about a boy with whom I once was close."
-- James Baharat.
"Sometimes I still have nightmares about losing my dad when the dogcatchers came for us. They’ve become more of a thing again since James… left."
-- Martini.
"Oh, I don’t sleep like this - although about a year ago there was one particularly vivid nightmare about my mother that seeped a little too far into reality. Thank stars none of the nobles saw that."
-- Vulpix.
"That buzz saw I was talking about earlier. Yeah, that. And lots of sand. And teeth."
-- Warren Furr.
"Like all rabbits, I have semi-frequent nightmares about the Terrier. As I understand it, such nightmares keep us safer - more alert or something. You’d have to ask… my kids that work for the Rose Archive would probably know more about that than me. Uh, Shawney, I think."
-- Winnie Furr.

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Patchwork Empire

"If you count other people’s, then it’s just lust and perversion, the same as always, although I try to have some fun with it these days; see what references I can pull in. On the rare occasions I have one myself, it’s usually just the apocalypse again: Salsabil dimming, the stars crackling, people erupting, bricks and stone crumbling, my own body swelling and burning with a searing emptiness and the roaring, hateful call of the Lord of all Divs blossoming into my essence every time it cracks further open. I don’t choose to sleep much."
-- Pairaka.

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Undergazette

"Depends what you count as a nightmare. Most of my dreams these days aren’t scary, just… sad."
-- Krona Tailfeather.
"Glowing golden eyes."
-- Lindie Asklepa.
"I managed to steal a bunch of new drugs from a guy in the Morpheus Pleasuredome and the other night I took what I thought was all one dose and I might have guessed wrong because I woke up after sixteen hours. Anyway, I briefly had one nightmare with a vast tangle of dark roots bigger than the desert that cracked open and released untold darkness across the world like an insatiable growing tangle of blistering and unforgiving weeds, and one with a swollen shining apple at the crown of a golden tree that pulsed and thickened and drained the life from its tree until the shrivelled bark cracked and sparked and burned up like lightning, and one with a hollow, eyeless, limbless shell of a person trapped on the top of an impossibly tall tower that was flaking away to nothing while faceless women shrouded in dust and flames fought over the top of its raggedly breathing form. Pay attention to your dosages, kids."
-- Tito.

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Yvette & her Handmaidens

"I’m afraid that’s the sort of personal question you’d need to pay for."
-- Yvette, the Courtesan.
"…there’s been a recurring one the last few nights, actually, where I relive my… escapades but with every client or partner replaced by diseased, disfigured Divs. I think it’s my troublesome conscience trying to make me feel bad about getting so involved with my aunt and little cousin. Fortunately, through magical pick-me-ups and my natural charms, they haven’t been able to impede my usual bouncy bubbliness for sweet Captain Rudyard."
-- Yvette Vixois.
"If you count other people’s, then it’s just lust and perversion, the same as always, although I try to have some fun with it these days; see what references I can pull in. On the rare occasions I have one myself, it’s usually just the apocalypse again: Salsabil dimming, the stars crackling, people erupting, bricks and stone crumbling, my own body swelling and burning with a searing emptiness and the roaring, hateful call of the Lord of all Divs blossoming into my essence every time it cracks further open. I don’t choose to sleep much."
-- Pairaka.