Corona

[NativeForeigner]

It is here that anyone within the city of Corona or within the Penfold Estate (pre-fall) shall post.

Corona:

Whether they've lived in Corona all of their lives or they're visiting for the holidays, someone can know all there is about Corona just by strolling around and striking up a conversation with the nearest neighbor.

There's really nothing too special about the town of Corona, it's rather small, the people that live there are generally decent, the weather's not too extreme, and the grocery store is just a short walk away.

The population of Corona is less than five thousand people, the crime rate is low, the air is clean, the water is good (there's even a small lake along the town's limits), there's not too much traffic, and there's only a single, large church in the center of town.

Many of the stores in Corona are residential-owned and therefore unique in their own, special ways.

The largest piece of estate in Corona is the Penfold Estate. It's been there since before Corona was even a town.

In summary, Corona is just your average, everyday small town with a big secret hidden beyond the depths of the Penfold Estate.  

[NativeForeigner]

The Penfold Estate:

The Penfold Estate is the starting point of the RP, it is an old, extremely large, previously rundown and recently restored to its former magnificence seemingly overnight.
The land surrounding the estate spans many, many acres and is decorated with clean-cut hedges, watered grass, paved walkways, and a small fountain decorating the front lawn.
The manor itself is extremely large, taking up about half of the total acreage, and standing over three stories tall and an additional story gained from the tower standing over the manor. The manor's design is based off of the castles of Ireland.
Many rumors and stories surround the Penfold Estate, and it is a place of dread to some, but to others, nothing seems out of the ordinary other than an odd feeling of being misplaced somehow.

The original owners of the Penfold Estate mysteriously disappeared in the late 1800's and no one has lived there since. The rumors started spreading soon after but no solid evidence has ever been found linking the events to the manor...

Rooms of the Manor:

The Penfold Manor holds many rooms within its walls.
Here are a few that the Guests have discovered:

Lobby:

The lobby is the first room and entrance of the Manor. The lobby is dim, slightly dank, and quite dusty, but it still has the same magnificent quality of its outer facade.
The lobby is a large, expansive room with twin, red velvet staircases lined with polished, oak banisters on each end leading upwards to the next floor. There is a double door between the staircases that leads to the dining room and two doors on each of the opposite walls.
An unseen chandelier hangs above the center of the room.
((1st Floor))

Right Hallway:

Beyond the door on the right wall of the lobby lies an excedingly long hallway, much longer than it appears it should be. The hallway is dimly lit and lined with red carpeting. There are many, many doors lining the right wall, about six or so doors in total and several paintings of the manor and unknown men adorning the left wall. After every two paintings is a single, round, ornate mirror with gold molding.
About a quarter of the way down the hallway is a door on the left leading into the Dining hall. There is another door on the left wall three-quarters of the way down and a final door at the very end of the hallway.
(1st Floor)

Dining Hall:

The dining hall at first appeared to only be a small table surrounded by a couple of chairs and holding a few candles, but turned out to be much more. The small table was, in reality, an exceedingly long table with at least a hundred candles running along it. The table spans from one end of the massive room to the other. An exquisite chandelier hangs above the center of the table, swinging back and forth gently constantly in an unseen breeze.
The massive table is surrounded with carved wooden chairs and there is a white tablecloth with gold trimming covering the table. Along the table is a variety of meals, ranging from freshly cooked turkey and pork to raw sushi and caviar. There are two doors, each at the opposite ends of the wall opposite of the entrance.
The dining hall seems to be much larger than the manor could actually sustain, giving the feeling that the manor is larger inside than out.
((1st Floor))

Dance Hall:

The Dance Hall is a large, spacious room. In the center of the room is a polished wood floor surrounded on all but the right side by a short railing separating it from several small, round tables sitting along the small pathways of unpolished wood. Each table has two chairs on opposite ends. The tables are covered in a simple, white table cloth and has a single candle and bottle of wine sitting upon it.

On the opposite end of the room is an elevated stage with a red, velvet curtain hanging above it. Towards the back of the stage are short staircases on either side. A short set of stairs leads up to the stage on the left side of the room.

At the front ends of the left and right wall are two doors. At the left end of the railing is a gate matching the rails. An identical gate is at the end of the railing by the staircase leading up to the stage.

Above the polished floor hangs a large chandelier, similar to the others, large and crystalline.
((2nd Floor))
_____________________
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|=|+++++++++++++++|_|
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|o|`````````````````` |
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|o| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
[_o_o_o_o__/__o_o_o_o_]

Key:
= stairs
o table
| or _ wall or railing
[ or ] door
` polished floor
. stage floor
/ entrance

Backstage:

Located directly behind the stage is the backstage (naturally). Backstage is a messy, mid-sized rectangular room, about half the size of the stage. Several props and costumes are spread about and three, full-sized mirrors are located on the back wall. To the left of the mirror on the far left is another door that leads to a bathroom.

The three mirrors are actually doors that lead to small dressing rooms.
((2nd Floor))

The Tower Room:

After ascending three short sets of twisting stairs, one will enter into a box-shaped room, located in the tower on top of the manor. In the center of the spacious room is an exquisite rug with archaic symbols, similar to the ones on the coins, in the center of it in gold-colored material.
On the wall directly in front of the entrance are two doors on either side of a full-sized mirror with a gold, ornate frame.
On the left and right walls of the room are three evenly spread out doors each. On all of the doors and the mirror's frame are archaic markings in the centers.
((3rd Floor))

__=__+__=__
|``````````` |
[``````````` ]
|``````````` |
[``````````` ]
|``````````` |
[``````````` ]
|`````/````` |

Key:
| __ Walls
= or [ ] Doors
+ Mirror
/ Entrance
` Rug  

[NativeForeigner]

Reserved  

[NativeForeigner]

Residents

-Crazies
-Infected

Uninvited Guests:  

[Anima Shadow]

Outside the gates of the Penfold Estate, a young girl could be found. Her long blonde hair, currently tied up in a ponytail, swished back and forth as she paced. It wasn’t that hard of a decision, not really. She had to figure out why her father would be invited to a building that had been abandoned for nigh two-hundred years. The only way to do that was to explore the grounds. So why was she hesitating?

A crow cawed and Rebecca jumped. The answer was simple: she was scared. Like all kids her age, she had heard the stories surrounding the old mansion. Still, she had to do it. It had been decided when she had first heard that school would be closed for the next few days so that a gas main could be repaired.

Trying to put off the inevitable, Rebecca pulled off the blue backpack she was carrying and looked over what she had brought. A flashlight, two bottles of water, and a box of eight snack bars stolen from the pantry, as well as various other things that had been there when she packed the bag. Then there was the silver coin. She didn’t know why she had taken it with her, just a split-second decision as she walked out the door.

Seeing that everything she thought she needed was there, Rebecca sighed. No excuse to go home now. Even her clothes, a pair of denim capri pants, a light blue tanktop and sandals were acceptable for exploring.

With nothing left to keep her, the girl steeled her nerves and reached out to open the gate.  

[Dreamshell]

The faint buzz of the bedroom alarm clock stirred Thomas Sumner from his dark dreams and he slowly realized he’d fallen asleep on the couch waiting up for his wife again.

Instinctively, Tom knew she had not come home. Ever since he’d heard of that strange invitation to the Penfold estate, he’d had a bad feeling. And though it wasn’t exactly unusual for his better half to vanish for days at a time (the price of marrying a free spirit), something wholly visceral told him this wasn’t just a case of an impulsive decision getting the best of her.

Thomas found himself compelled to track her down, if for no other reason than to prove his half-forgotten nightmares false. Checking his watch, Tom saw he was already running late for work, so he called in sick. He’d never done that before, but a creeping dread moved him.

When he found himself opening the closet and taking out the revolver, he was truly afraid. Not for the first time, he felt as if his body had been put on autopilot, leaving him helpless to do anything but watch events play out from inside his own head. Leaving his house, Tom drove his way towards where his wife had gone on her inquisitive excursion.

Corona passed by his car in a haze, like a rear projection from some old movie. But eventually, Tom found himself on the same street as the estate. As he left his vehicle behind, he caught sight of a young, ponytailed girl approaching the gates of the mansion.

His brow furrowed in confusion; why would a child be here at this hour? Or at all? Momentarily conflicted, he resigned to the fact that he couldn’t just let some little girl wander around such an old house unaccompanied. A bit self-conscious, he approached her.

“Excuse me,” he said gently, “are you lost? Is there someone you’d like to call? I’m Tom, by the way.”  

[Anima Shadow]

Pulling back her hand in shock, Rebecca looked for the source of the voice. She immediately found it in the form of the middle-aged man standing behind her. Her eyes darted left and right as she sought some sort of escape from the man's questions. Finding none, and being as close to the gate behind her as comfortably possible, she resigned herself to answering.

"Umm... no... I-I was going... to explore the place." Rebecca's voice was barely above a whisper. As she spoke, the girl fiddled with the charm bracelet around her left wrist, fingering each charm in turn. "Rebecca," she added as an afterthought. Her parents had warned her about strangers, but it'd be rude to withhold her name after the man had offered his.

After that though... Rebecca turned and pushed open the gates to the estate. Starting down the cobbled path, she left the man behind. If he followed, well, she could handle being in the company of a single person.  

[Dreamshell]

Tom watched the girl make her way for the mansion, dumbstruck. Her name was what?

That feeling of unreality was vibrant and deep; he thought perhaps he was still back on his couch, lost in another nightmare. But a moment later, he cleared his throat awkwardly and composed himself.

A coincidence, that was all. It had to be. Rebecca wasn’t a rare name, not by a long shot. Surely, there was nothing to the fact that this little ponytailed girl shared one with his wife…

This is not a good idea, Tom thought, loudly sighing to himself and glancing over his shoulder even as he stepped past the entrance gates. He had no delusions about what a man his age would look like going into what was supposed to be an abandoned old house alongside a young girl. He consoled himself with the hope that it was all indeed another bad dream.

“Well, hey now,” he called after the girl as he drew near to the estate, “you shouldn’t just go wandering around a place like this, you know. It’s pretty old, who knows what sort of state it’s in? And besides, what if the owner doesn’t like the idea of someone waltzing right into their home?”

He tried his best to come off friendly and trustworthy and not like some creep. A part of him just wanted to go back home. Wherever his Rebecca was, she’d be back eventually and he could play the outraged husband-protector with her later. But this desperate need to find her, like the subliminal orders of a Manchurian candidate, drove him ever forward.  

[Anima Shadow]

Rebecca examined the grounds around her as she walked towards the front door. It wasn’t too long ago that the grass had been dead and the hedges an unruly mess. When had that changed? Try as she might, she couldn’t place an exact date on it.

The girl turned at the man's questions, her head cocked to the side. “But my father was invited here.” Again, her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Were you invited too?” As she asked, Rebecca fished out the silver coin from her pocket, holding it up so that Tom could see. It had arrived in the mail three days prior, along with the letter inviting her father to the mansion. A day after he had left to hike in the mountains.

Before he could reply, the crow from earlier let out another raucous caw, causing the girl to flinch once again and drop the coin in the process. Looking up, Rebecca found her tormentor perched upon a windowsill on the third story. It returned her stare for a few seconds before taking off. She ignored it, instead kneeling to pick up the coin.

Outside the gate, a tumbleweed tumbled past.  

[NativeForeigner]

Rebecca become to feel uncomfortable simply standing outside and felt compelled to go inside, eager to see what her visit had in store.
She turned back to the door, still open to a response from Thomas, and gave a light knock.
A moment passed by. Then another. Finally, she decided to try opening the door herself. Rebecca gripped the handle and pushed. The door resisted at first, but gave way with little effort, swinging silently open.  

[Dreamshell]

At the mention and sight of an invitation, and especially the coin, Tom’s worries were partially allayed. His wife had shown him something like that. It was real, then. Little Rebecca seemed to have gotten the same impulse he had, brought here to find her father. If it was two people missing now—and who know, maybe plenty more—then his disquiet was justified, at least to some degree.

Watching as the girl knocked and then opened the front door, Tom decided he should go in as well. Something strange was going on with this place and in the absence of her father, it seemed Little Rebecca (a nickname quickly forming in his mind to distinguish her from his own, bigger Rebecca, whom he usually called ‘Becca,’ anyway) needed a chaperon.

“My wife came here earlier,” Tom told her, walking up the steps, “she had a coin just like the one you’ve got there. It seems we’re both missing someone, then.”

Coming to stand beside Little Rebecca, Tom shifted his attention to what lay on the other side of the door.  

[Anima Shadow]

"My father is hiking... I just wanted to explore." Rebecca blurted out, wanting to wipe away the misunderstanding as quickly as possible. "Find out why someone would invite him..." That was it, really.

The girl still wasn't comfortable with being in the company of someone else, especially someone so much older than herself. It could be seen in the way she never really looked at him when she spoke and how she moved away slightly every time he moved closer. Secretly, she was glad to have some one along who could protect her, especially if the rumors about this place could possibly be true.

"What was her name...?" Rebecca asked, looking away from the double doors that lay directly ahead to the staircase that led up to the second floor. Taking a sniff, she covered her nose. Frankly, the place smelled weird.

Only two ways to go it would seem. Up or forward. For such a large place, that was quite underwhelming.  

[Dreamshell]

Tom’s eyes swept the lobby of the estate. They followed the oak banisters up to the second level, then descended inbetween to see a door leading into another room. Peripheral scans revealed a door to either side of the pair of uninvited guests, as well, all but hidden in shadow.

“Her name was… is…” he emphasized absent-mindedly, then looked down at the girl. “Her name’s Rebecca, too.”

He offered a small, apologetic smile for how off-putting the situation must be.  

[Anima Shadow]

"Oh..." He was right, there was something strangely unsettling about sharing the name of the person he was searching for.

Rebecca shook her head to banish the thought. She had her own reasons for coming, what he came here for was his own business. To keep herself occupied, the girl moved about the room to get a better look at the decorations and any furniture there might be. Pulling out and flicking on her flashlight revealed two doors on each side of the room that Rebecca had missed in her initial look around.

Stepping up to the door on the right side, she reached out and took hold of the door knob. It was cool beneath her touch. Opening it only a crack, she peered inside using the flashlight to reveal what was inside.  

[Dreamshell]

For his part, Tom didn't feel like there was anyone in the mansion at all. Or at least certainly not in the lobby. He thought to continue onwards, maybe walking up to the second level or through the double doors between the staircases, but didn't think it right to just leave Little Rebecca unattended.

"Anything?" he asked her offhandedly, sure that there wasn't.