The Night That Changed
One of the most popular scary stories and a cautionary tale at the same time, this story talks about how a cozy inn turned into a haunted place of nightmares: The Hunting Hostel.
At night, travelers meet at an inn on their way back to their respective clients. Some are hunters, others specialize in gathering medicial herbs, and some are treasure hunters. What all have in common, as they soon find out, is that their client is the Travelers Association. and they start suspecting that their haul has some magical properties.
Against the appeals of the innkeeper who calls for caution, his guests convince him to hand over his cauldron, and they soon start brewing away, throwing random things in the mixture. Only a young apprentice tries to stop them, but he get rebuked, more violently as the night progresses. Soon, the world around them starts to change subtly. Corners and details are starting to look more sinister and eerie, and the weather starts getting more and more ugly.
Eventually, the weather turns into a full-fledged thunderstorm with howling winds and hail pelting the house. The house has changed from cozy, half-timbered inn with flowerbeds to a dark, miniature gothic castle with dull, milky windows, black cast iron steel elements on slate grey stone walls, and the flowers have turned into thorny bushes with yellowish white, pale flowers that seem to peek in through the windows. Black and red spiders with glowing marks on their backs start showing up, first small and few, but in increasing size and numbers, as the concoction turns from one poisonous, glowing color to the other. The guests excitedly keep trying the brew, and each time they, too, change, becomeing more ugly and monstrous with every sip the take.
Their eyes become wilrd and inhuman, their skin sickly, their nails and teeth turn into claws and fangs. Warts start marring their skin, and their hair becomes a dull, washed out version of whatever color their hair had before. The apprentice gets coaxed to try the brews as well, but manages to refuse, until they finally decide to force him - but the innkeeper's cat steals from one of the leaders, and since the apprentice is the only one sober enough, he gets sent to retrieve the loot. The cat leads him to the attic, where they pry open a window and escape the house together, climbing onto the rocks at the back of the house.
As the young apprentice gets out, he feels the house shudder and screech with rage, while the cat urgently tugs at his belt. He follwos the cat, but when he looks back, he realizes the house has grown chicken legs and got up, trying to find a way to get to him. The cat meows wildly, running away, and he joins her in a wild flight to get away from that place. Ultimately, he obviously lived to tell the tale.
Like so many good stories, this one has a kernel of truth to it. The Hunting Hostel was Archie Donegal's first inn, and his intention had been to track down his missing family. His friends at the Travelers Association had warned him about having an intent this active, but like him, they believed that since it was a thoroughly positive intention, things would be okay. And it was, for a few years. But one fateful night, after several hunting and gathering parties made it back to the Hunting Hostel, a young hotshot of a guide got a bit too cocky. Placeholder McPlaceholderface loved showing off and a good dare, and he was extraordinarily talented in Alchemy. Since the haul of herbs this time had been extremely rich, he decided to show off his skills. Some people did voice vague concerns, but most of them were young, and Placeholder had indeed proven himself skilled, so a little reassurance and his trademark winning smile was enough to assuage any fears. Soon, everyone in the inn was high on potent hallucinogenics, and something happened that no one had believed possible: their collective trip started affecting the Place That Is, and soon turned into the worst trip of their lives. To this day, it is Archie's biggest regret that he did not stop Placeholder, but as his friends from the Association have told him over and over: no one could have predicted that outcome. This behavior was simply unprecedented and had never been observed. It has, however, caused a flurry of new research at the Association while they try to disentangle what is or is not safe to do in a Place That Is. Most people involved have decided not to speak up about it. The myth seems to have sprung up from their panicked, drug-induced hallucinations and utterances the victims provided those that rescued him. Not taken seriously at first, since they were scattered in the wilds and clearly under the influence, piece by piece the well-known story crystallized around it and has been enjoyed for its spooky mood on countless campfires or stormy inn evenings. Over time, all of the guests of this fateful evening have found their way back to civilization and, inevitably, to Archie. Like the good barkeep he is, it is easy for people to open up to him, and especially since he knew what it was like back then. Reflecting back on that night with others has helped alleviate his feelings of guilt a little, but it also quite literally sobered him up: he always makes sure to have non-alcoholic options available, and now his and his new inn's intent is simply to be a refuge and safe haven for anybody who could use it about right now.
Like so many good stories, this one has a kernel of truth to it. The Hunting Hostel was Archie Donegal's first inn, and his intention had been to track down his missing family. His friends at the Travelers Association had warned him about having an intent this active, but like him, they believed that since it was a thoroughly positive intention, things would be okay. And it was, for a few years. But one fateful night, after several hunting and gathering parties made it back to the Hunting Hostel, a young hotshot of a guide got a bit too cocky. Placeholder McPlaceholderface loved showing off and a good dare, and he was extraordinarily talented in Alchemy. Since the haul of herbs this time had been extremely rich, he decided to show off his skills. Some people did voice vague concerns, but most of them were young, and Placeholder had indeed proven himself skilled, so a little reassurance and his trademark winning smile was enough to assuage any fears. Soon, everyone in the inn was high on potent hallucinogenics, and something happened that no one had believed possible: their collective trip started affecting the Place That Is, and soon turned into the worst trip of their lives. To this day, it is Archie's biggest regret that he did not stop Placeholder, but as his friends from the Association have told him over and over: no one could have predicted that outcome. This behavior was simply unprecedented and had never been observed. It has, however, caused a flurry of new research at the Association while they try to disentangle what is or is not safe to do in a Place That Is. Most people involved have decided not to speak up about it. The myth seems to have sprung up from their panicked, drug-induced hallucinations and utterances the victims provided those that rescued him. Not taken seriously at first, since they were scattered in the wilds and clearly under the influence, piece by piece the well-known story crystallized around it and has been enjoyed for its spooky mood on countless campfires or stormy inn evenings. Over time, all of the guests of this fateful evening have found their way back to civilization and, inevitably, to Archie. Like the good barkeep he is, it is easy for people to open up to him, and especially since he knew what it was like back then. Reflecting back on that night with others has helped alleviate his feelings of guilt a little, but it also quite literally sobered him up: he always makes sure to have non-alcoholic options available, and now his and his new inn's intent is simply to be a refuge and safe haven for anybody who could use it about right now.
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