conversations.from: system
conversations.value: *Virginia Search and Rescue divers, coordinated by the Williamsburg Police Department, have spent a third consecutive day searching the waters of the Waller Mill Reservoir in an effort to locate the BMW 7 Series owned by David and Abigail Berkeley.*
  
  *Mr and Mrs Berkeley were last seen leaving the Fords Colony Country Club at 9:30pm Friday night, but failed to arrive home at Berkeley House. The Berkeley’s housekeeper advised police that the couple were missing when she began work on Saturday morning and a search of the surrounding area lead to the discovery of a broken section of guard rail on Route 645.*
  
  *Police currently believe that the driver of the vehicle lost control where Airport Road crosses the reservoir, crashing through the guardrail before plunging down the embankment and into the water.*
  
  *Witnesses, who wanted to remain anonymous, have confirmed the Berkeleys had been drinking heavily during dinner at the country club and that they had been involved in a heated argument prior to their departure. *
  
  *Liaisons for the Williamsburg Police Department have confirmed the tyre marks at the scene, which match the tyres fitted to the BMW, indicate that speed was likely a factor in the accident but have declined to provide further comments while their investigation is underway.*
  *~The Virginia Gazette, 14 March 1995*
  
  ***
   
  In March 1995 David and Abigail Berkeley were driving home to Berkeley House from dinner at a nearby country club. The driver of their BMW lost control on Airport Road and the vehicle plowed through a guardrail and into the Waller Mill Reservoir.
  
  After two weeks of searching Williamsburg Police recovered the vehicle. 
  
  The bodies were never found.
  
  The Berkeleys’ Living Wills contained specific instructions that in the event of their disappearance they were to be declared legally dead after 28.
  
  So, four weeks later, the couple’s solicitor filed paperwork.
  
  In early May, their three children returned home to make the funeral arrangements, pack up their childhood home and see to the administration of their parents’ significant estate.
  
  **About:** This is a story about grief, loss, the ties of family, and unspeakable horrors from the dimensions beyond this one.
  
  **Setting:** Virginia, the mid nineties, in a world inspired by the Cthulhu mythos.
  
  **Tone:** Drama, loss, grief, and dark, brooding, horror. Punctuated by lighter moments of joy, comedy and (perhaps) romance. 
  
  **Inspirations:** True Detective, Locke and Key, the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
  
  **Number of players:** 3.
  
  **Player roles:** The young adult (late teens or early twenties, not minors) children of David and Abigail Berkeley.
  
  We’ll sort out the birth order and relationships between the characters once the game is cast so it might be best to leave age a little vague in your submission unless you’ve got a really strong preference for playing (say) the eldest child.
  
  I love characters with a sense of humor, but I know that there are some players who tend to submit characters who are comic relief characters regardless of the tone of the game in question.
  
  Please don’t. 
  
  I find characters who exist solely for the purpose of slapstick to be hard work at the best of times and it's the opposite of the mood I’m aiming for here.
  
  **Game Speed:** I don’t expect this game to move fast, but I’d like it to keep moving. I’d prefer players who make moves at least every couple of days during the week. 
  
  I understand sometimes life gets in the way. I’m a bit of a worry wort Narrator and I tend to stress if players go silent so please let me know if life is getting in the way for more than a few days in a row.
  
  Similarly, please speak up early if the game is going too fast for you, I’d rather slow things down than leave good players behind.
  
  **Respect:** It’s possible this game might go to some uncomfortable places and so I expect players will be considerate and respectful. Consent is paramount. The players are more important than the game. Consider this an x-card environment.
  
  **Card Art:** Is expected, both during character creation and play. The characters are young adults, card art should reflect this. Pictures preferred.
  
  **More details via:** The forums: https://storium.com/forums#/category/lfp/thread/aq7777
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re sharp, perceptive, and quick—capable of appraising situations as well as objects.
conversations.prefix: Appraisal:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re quick and nimble, you have great balance and fast reflexes, whether you look it or not.
conversations.prefix: Agile:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You don’t have to say anything. It’s in that smile, in the way you move. It’s almost hypnotic.    
conversations.prefix: Alluring:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: With that smile, backed up by your silver tongue, it’s hard not to like you.    
conversations.prefix: Charming:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You know a lot about a great deal, that makes you a killer at trivia and gives you power.    
conversations.prefix: Educated:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re perceptive, perhaps from years of watching and observing. Nothing gets past you.
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Subtle and sneaky. People don’t often notice you until you want to be noticed.    
conversations.prefix: Stealthy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You’re physically strong and probably look it, whether you’re lean or built.
conversations.prefix: Strong:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're durable, both in body and mind. 
  
  You've seen a lot of pain and hardship, and you’re still here to suck up more.  
conversations.prefix: Tough:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have a brilliance that comes from experience and intuition more than study or memory.    
conversations.prefix: Wise:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your mouth is sometimes quicker than your mind but you’re a master of making that work for you.
conversations.prefix: Witty:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your blood sears your veins and when you lose control, you lash out.    
conversations.prefix: Angry:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re blunt, rude, or even gross sometimes. Maybe you don’t care what others think, maybe you don’t know better.    
conversations.prefix: Crass:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your abilities are sometimes diminished and dampened by your greatest enemy: yourself.    
conversations.prefix: Doubting:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Something you did gnaws at your heart and screams nightmares at you when you sleep. It’s holding you back.   
conversations.prefix: Guilty:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Someone broke your heart and you’re not willing to heal, not yet, because the pain’s what you have left.    
conversations.prefix: Heartbroken:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You think you know how things work. You think people are basically good. You’re wrong.    
conversations.prefix: Naïve :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: When you get an idea, a mission, or a fear in your mind, you can’t just let it go.    
conversations.prefix: Obsessed:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’ve come too far, done too much, worked too hard to put up with this shit from people like this.    
conversations.prefix: Proud:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Are you sure you’re right or are you just unwilling to admit when you’re wrong? Either way: stubborn. 
conversations.prefix: Stubborn:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re delicate of touch, of demeanor, and of constitution.
conversations.prefix: Delicate:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your heart bears a wound that might heal if you could only stop meddling with the scars.    
conversations.prefix: Heal the Hurt:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your world has been turned upside down, all the things that you thought were important are gone. You need to find something to give your life meaning. 
  
conversations.prefix: Find a reason to live:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your character has just suffered a terrible loss. Maybe they've come through it whole, maybe it's shaken them to their core. Either way their subplot should relate to their reason for wanting to be in Williamsburg  with their siblings.
conversations.prefix: [Write your own]:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your character’s background or concept. It might be their job, their training, or anything that defines who they are.
  
  Sure, you could go with something obvious (oldest brother, youngest sister) but you can do better than that right?
conversations.prefix: [Write your own]:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: [Rewrite this card]
  
  You're the eldest of the Berkeley children. 
  
  How did this shape your childhood and identity? How did it affect your relationships with your parents and siblings?
  
  Feel free to use this card as a placeholder until you see the other characters.
conversations.prefix: Eldest Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: [Rewrite this card]
  
  You’re the middle of the Berkeley children.
  
  How has this affected your relationships with your parents, and siblings?
  
  Feel free to use this card as a placeholder until you see the other characters.
conversations.prefix: Middle Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: [Rewrite this card]
  
  You're the youngest of the Berkeley children. 
  
  How did this shape your childhood and identity? How did it affect your relationships with your parents and siblings?
  
  Feel free to use this card as a placeholder until you see the other characters.
conversations.prefix: Youngest Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Take this card as a placeholder if you don't care about where you are in the birth order until you see the other characters.
conversations.prefix: ? Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Three stories of drab grey brick constructed in the Tudor style. The interior is all hardwood, decorated with Native American wood carving. 
  
  Local rumour is Sir William Berkeley purchased the house in England during his reign as Governor of Virginia and had it dismantled, shipped to the new world and reassembled.
  
  While there's little doubt the governor built Berkeley House he never lived here, and it's unclear if, or how, he was related to the Berkeleys who do.
conversations.prefix: Berkeley House:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Take this card as a placeholder if you don’t care about where you are in the birth order until you see the other characters. 
conversations.prefix: ? Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: [Rewrite this card]
  
  You're the eldest of the Berkeley children. 
  
  How did this shape your childhood and identity? How did it affect your relationships with your parents and siblings?
  
  Feel free to use this card as a placeholder until you see the other 
conversations.prefix: Eldest Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: [Rewrite this card]
  
  You’re the middle of the Berkeley children.
  
  How has this affected your relationships with your parents, and siblings?
  
  Feel free to use this card as a placeholder until you see the other characters.
conversations.prefix: Middle Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: [Rewrite this card]
  
  You're the youngest of the Berkeley children. 
  
  How did this shape your childhood and identity? How did it affect your relationships with your parents and siblings?
  
  Feel free to use this card as a placeholder until you see the other characters.
conversations.prefix: Youngest Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: . . .
conversations.prefix: Solicitor's Office [Scene two]:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: . . . 
conversations.prefix: Berkeley Graveyard:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: . . .
conversations.prefix: Crazed Mourner [Half Sibling,  appearance one]:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: [Half Sibling] Appearance 2 and 3
conversations.prefix: Casey Whitlock:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: . . . 
conversations.prefix: Indian:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: . . .
conversations.prefix: Solicitor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Or Mr Berkeley, or Berk, never David.
  
  Not even to mum. Not even in the midst of their most heated arguments.
  
  You know Dad was a Marine in Vietnam, that he volunteered, and went back twice to stay with his unit.
  
  Other than that he's never had a job that you can recall. One of the perks of marrying money I guess.
  
  You've met a couple of uncles and an aunt in the distant past when you were still children. Other than that, you don't know much about Dad's family, although apparently they're very poor. He certainly inherited the stereotypical blue collar work ethic.
  
  So, while he never had a job, dad was always doing things. Gardening, chopping wood, building sheds, swings, slides and all manner of things. Never mind that the family had staff to do all of that.
conversations.prefix: Dad:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Although she's preferred Abigail since you were in your teens.
  
  Abigail was born a Berkeley  and grew up in Berkeley House. She has stories of going away to college, so you know she hasn't spent every waking minute living there, but you've never known her to spend a night anywhere else.
  
  Not even for family holidays, which Dad always took you on alone.
  
  As a result, Abigail has garnered a reputation as  something  of an eccentric recluse amongst the local community.
  
  Not that anyone would dare suggest such a thing to her face. The Berkeleys have a well deserved reputation for sharp tongues, quick tempers, and long reach. Abigail excells at all three.
conversations.prefix: Mum:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: . . . 
conversations.prefix: Bacon's Ghost:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: [The Chauffer]
conversations.prefix: Michael Whitlock:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Perhaps a shared memory is the best way to break the ice?
conversations.prefix: Do you remember. . . :
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: What was going on with Mum and Dad?
  
  You know something, perhapsyou can figure it out together.
conversations.prefix: Put the pieces together.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You were on a family holiday away from the house when you saw a ghost. 
  
  Where were you? What did the ghost look like? How did Dad get rid of the ghost? What did he make you swear never to tell your mother? 
  
  As a child, you were convinced it was real, but do you still believe?
  
  [The story should instill the feeling that Dad always knew what to do or say. How do you feel without his wise counsel?]
conversations.prefix: . . . that time dad saved us from the ghost?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You know mum’s sister died in her twenties, but mum never liked to talk about it. Except that one night, when she did. 
  
  What did she tell you that night? What trinket had your mother always associated with her sister? How did mum’s sister die (the body was never recovered)? 
  
  What lesson did mum want you to learn from her loss? 
  
  [The story should instil the feeling that mum always had a way to turn a loss or an obstacle into a lesson. How do you think you’ll cope without her positive guidance?]
conversations.prefix: . . . the only time Mum talked about her family?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Pick a parent, tell a story about the time when they were fearless in protecting you from harm, in spite of mortal danger.
  
  How were you in danger? What did your parent do to protect you? How did they pay for their bravery? 
  
  Do you still feel indebted to them? Why/why not?
  
  [The story should instill the feeling that your parents, though fallible, always worked tirelessly to ensure your wellbeing. How do you feel without their protection?]
conversations.prefix: . . . I nearly died?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Heavily, at dinner.
  
  Dad never drank when he was driving and mum didn't like to drive at night.
  
  How did you hear this? What do you make of it?
conversations.prefix: I heard they were drinking.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Apparently it had specific instructions that your parents be declared dead if they went missing for 28 days.
  
  Why the rush? It seems kind of imprudent, particularly given the size of your parent's estate.
  
  How did you hear this? Do you have a theory about the motive?
conversations.prefix: I heard about the Will.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It would be weird enough for anyone to hear that their mother had moved out of home in the weeks before she died.  
  
  But your mother was renowned for being a shut in, you can't even recall a time where she spent the night away from Berkeley House.
  
  How did you hear this? Do you know why she had moved out of home?
conversations.prefix: I heard mother was staying in Williamsburg.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is bordered by James City County and York County.
  
  Williamsburg was founded in 1632 as Middle Plantation, as a fortified settlement on high ground between the James and York rivers. The city served as the capital of the Colony of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and was the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution. The College of William & Mary, established in 1693, is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the only one of the nine colonial colleges located in the South; its alumni include three U.S. presidents as well as many other important figures in the nation's early history.
conversations.prefix: Williamsburg:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Apparently your parent's instructions are quite specific.
conversations.prefix: The Will:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You started school in WIlliamsburg, your parents' church, their  friends and employees are here.
  
  Surely you've made some friends of your own.
conversations.prefix: Who do you hope to see?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Unfortunately, despite its many perks, wealth and power are not enough to ensure that everyone likes you.
  
  In fact, some would say that they pretty much guarantee an enemy or two.
  
  Who would you like to avoid?
conversations.prefix: Who do you hope to avoid?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A romance that came to a premature end. What feelings linger? What do you hope might be salvaged?
conversations.prefix: The one that got away:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A former lover whose relationship came to a nasty end. How did things unravel? Whose fault was it? Have you truly let go?
conversations.prefix: Love turned bitter:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maybe not your first friend, but the one who has stuck with you the longest. Who are they? Is it just distance, or something more, that separates you?
conversations.prefix: Your oldest friend:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A mentor who saw something in you worth nurturing. Probably older, wiser or more knowledgeable. Who are they? How did they help you grow? What do they think of who you've become?
conversations.prefix: The person who nurtured you:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Someone you wronged. Who are they? How did you mistreat them? How do you feel about it?
conversations.prefix: A victim:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A bully, provocateur or other childhood tyrant. How did they torment you? What effect does it have on you as an adult.
conversations.prefix: The bane of your childhood:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: As a child her world was filled with imaginary friends, elaborate pretend games, and lies. Reality, with all its limitations, can only hold her interest for so long.
conversations.prefix: Dreamer:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Her face is suffocating, she tears at it with her nails, ripping it to shreds. When she is finished she takes the tatters of skin and reforms her face like wet clay. Now she can be anyone.
conversations.prefix: Actor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: She walks alone. It is behind her but what it is she can't quite tell. She can hide, she is good at hiding here. It doesn't matter, it can be anyone, use anyone. Are they part of it? 
conversations.prefix: Paranoid:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Home, warmth glowing from inside her stomach. She realizes she can just reach in and take the warmth within her. Three balls of light, three magpies, home. It was never as good as when they were together.
conversations.prefix: Reconnect :
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: They'll never admit it, but parents always expect a little more from their first born... Sometimes you feel bad for letting them down, but mostly you try not to worry about it.
conversations.prefix: Eldest Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You can usually figure out how something works, and how to fix it with a little effort, even if you don't really understand *why* you undrstand it.
conversations.prefix: Intuitive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Some people might call it lazy...
conversations.prefix: 'Laid Back':
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You haven't spoken to anyone in the family for years. Probably because you just assumed they would always be there.  
  Now you realize that they may not, and you want to take advantage of the time lost.
conversations.prefix: Reconnect:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re perceptive, perhaps from years of watching and observing. Nothing gets past you.   
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’ve come too far, done too much, worked too hard to put up with this shit from people like this.  
conversations.prefix: Proud:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Berkeley legacy is in your hands. If you can look after your siblings and pull them together, maybe you'll become something you can all be proud of.  Hell, maybe your parents would actually be proud, too.  
conversations.prefix: Protect Them:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: When people talk about you, there's always a sigh, or a wave of hand. That Zoe, they seem to say, what can really be done about her?
  And sometimes you really do try... but it never holds. Brat.
conversations.prefix: The Spoiled Brat:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: When people first meet you, they love you. You're so sweet! You smile at them and remind them of that high school crush they had. You listen to them. You say just the right thing. They think you're special. 
conversations.prefix: Charming:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Everything always has to be big with you, doesn't it? You can't even scratch your knee without it being a theater play with five acts. Why must you be so exhausting?
conversations.prefix: Drama Queen:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You know you're better than people think. Time to make them realize how wrong they were about you.
conversations.prefix: Prove Yourself:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Forty going on nineteen, your relatives joke. Old soul, the New Age-types at college say with a smile. Your contemplative seriousness sets you apart from your peers. You've had a lot of time to consider your principles, and you're determined to live in accordance with them at last.
conversations.prefix: Philosopher-Rebel:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When you consume new information, you remember your old English teacher's command to analyze the rhetorical situation: who's saying what, in which circumstances, and why. If only family life was a set of critical thinking questions.
conversations.prefix: Critical Thinker:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've internalized the disapproval and hostility that you've experienced over the years. Consciously or subconsciously, in ways overt or subtle, you find ways to sabotage yourself.
conversations.prefix: Self-Loathing:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Mom and Dad are dead. Maybe the past can die with them. If only he could come to terms with his family-- then, he could cast off the restrictions of his old self and start over, strong and whole.
conversations.prefix: Bury the Dead:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As the middle child, you're always the one breaking up fights between the older and younger siblings. It always seems as though you spend more time balancing out the needs of the family then tending to your own.
conversations.prefix: Diplomatic:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You’re perceptive, from years of being in the middle of everything. You are great at telling when someone is lying or trying to manipulate the situation. Nothing gets past you. 
conversations.prefix: Perceptive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You inherited your parents' need for a relaxing drink from time-to-time. And now is always the time. Being under the influence makes it hard for people to trust your judgement on occasion.
conversations.prefix: Lush:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Through the good times and the hard, your goal is to keep your family together - at any cost to yourself.
conversations.prefix: Keep The Family Together:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're good at reading people, at picking up the subtle nuances of their emotions.  You feel things deeply and it allows you usually accurate insight into the  hearts of others. 
conversations.prefix: Intuitive :
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There is nothing that upsets you more than conflict, you've never been good at standing up for yourself or speaking your mind.  You'd much rather hide in your room or let someone walk all over you.
conversations.prefix: Fear of Conflict:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: (Youngest or Middle)
  You've never really felt like you belong to the family that raised you.  You love your parents (even though you know they don't understand you) and you are furiously loyal to your siblings (even though sometimes you don't understand them) but most days you still don't understand how you fit into this weird puzzle that is your family. Maybe you never will.
conversations.prefix: ? Berkeley Child:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You listened, followed the rules, and by all appearances did what you could to please your parents.
conversations.prefix: The "Good" Kid:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: All you want is to find a place that feels like home. The place where you belong.  You never imagined that house you grew up in could be the answer, but everything is upside down now, who know's what's in store. 
conversations.prefix: Adrift:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild: