RavensBlight Manor is perhaps the most notable location in all of RavensBlight County.
Although the entire county is famous for it's numerous cases of paranormal activity,
RavensBlight Manor has always been considered the epicenter of it all. Local legends
claim the house is a portal to other dimensions, and that reality somehow bends within
its walls. There is, for some mysterious reason, very little documentation still in
existence regarding the house and its various owners. Much of the actual history has
been established through stories told by local residents, a few of which still inhabit
the area. The date of construction is unknown, although people in the area report the
house having been there as far back as anyone can remember. Some claim it was built
over an ancient burial ground of some sort.
The house was originally built for use as a funeral home by a mortician named Mortimer
Stiggs. Although it isn't known where Stiggs came from, he is said to have had an English
accent and a preference for oddly styled clothing. During the year Mortimer Stiggs moved
to RavensBlight Township, nearly a forth of the towns small population reportedly died.
The funeral home was used on an almost daily basis, and Mr. Stiggs could be heard playing
opera records late in the night while he prepared bodies. Stiggs eventually became Mayor
of RavensBlight County, but continued his mortuary business for several years before
vanishing without a trace.
The next owner of RavensBlight Manor was an elderly lady from Minnesota named Mildred
Witherspoon. Mildred had been married 13 times, but all of her husbands had met horrible
untimely deaths. It was claimed that she performed various voodoo rites when the moon
was full, and that strange creatures could often be sighted scurrying about the property.
Mildred often gave the local children homemade candies and cookies, and those same
children often later suffered terrible fevers, and had dreams involving monsters made
of yarn.
When Mildred Witherspoon finally passed away at the age of 112, a gentleman from
Yugoslavia purchased the manor. His name was Count Yargle, and very little is known
about him, aside from the fact that he suffered from an odd medical condition of some
sort. His assistant, a thin pale man named Heinrick, was often seen doing repairs here
and there on the property, although he didn't seem particularly skillful at that sort
of thing. Count Yargle would upon rare occasion invite people to dinner, and he was
said to be a wonderful and generous host. He was also said to have very small maggots
crawling in his hair. Count Yargle left the country under mysterious circumstances,
and his assistant, Mr. Heinrick, was later found drained of blood and tucked into a
large storage trunk.
RavensBlight Manor was then purchased by a man named John Stash, who owned the property
during the late twenties and early thirties. Stash was said to be connected to the Mafia,
and frequently had visitors from outside the area, who would show up in black trucks
late at night. Most everyone assumed, since it was the era of prohibition, that Stash
was involved in smuggling illegal whiskey, but some witnesses claimed the barrels in
the backs of the black trucks were much too large to be liquor barrels. One person
actually complained to the police about seeing some sort of terrible creature rising
from one of the barrels, which had fallen off a truck and broken open by the roadside.
The official police investigation revealed nothing conclusive. John Stash was later
found murdered in his pajamas and the killing was blamed on rival hoodlums. The manner
in which John Stash died has never been clearly ascertained, although it was said to
be somehow unnatural.
After what was rumored to be a considerable amount of repair, the house was sold to
a couple named Hank and Martha Snoggle. The Snoggles ran a small shop in town, which
sold curios and small sculptures. These items were said to bring enormously bad luck
to anyone who purchased them, and rumors began to spread that Hank Snoggle could be
seen in the back of the shop at night laughing uproariously. The Snoggles were found
dead on the front porch of RavensBlight Manor one summer afternoon. They had apparently
both fallen victim to spontaneous human combustion, although the ice in their tea
glasses remained unmelted.
The manor was next purchased by a fellow named Marcus Silver, who was rumored to be
a direct descendant of the infamous Long John Silver. Marcus Silver kept mostly to
himself, but would occasionally drift into town for a few drinks at the local pub.
He always sat in the back of the room facing the door, and was often heard mumbling
about needing more room. The local residents noticed that Silver was removing large
amounts of lumber and plaster from inside the house, and seemed to be knocking out
walls to create larger spaces within the house. Silver's health became steadily worse,
and when he wasn't muttering to himself about needing more room he was said to be
heard speaking in several strange languages and dialects, including Lithuanian and
Greek. Eventually, Silver reportedly removed the entire upper floor from the house,
creating one large interior space. He was heard screaming one night shortly after that,
and was never seen again. Local authorities found traces of some sort of unusual mold
in the house, and what appeared to be the large wet footprints of some unknown animal.
The following owner of RavensBlight Manor was a science professor named Alex Hollister,
who felt the missing upper floor would allow more light for his large exotic plants. Dr.
Hollister added the solarium to RavensBlight Manor to facilitate his botanical research.
Hollister spent most of his waking hours in the Solarium conducting research that was said
to be somehow unwholesome and against the laws of nature. He was last seen tossing a few
possessions into his car before leaving town forever. He was said to be screaming something
about plant growth and the decomposition of meat. The Solarium door was found boarded up,
and has never been opened since that time.
The building fell into disuse for several years, although nearby residents often observed
a tall shadowy figure coming and going late at night. Lights were seen in the windows from
time to time, and it was generally accepted that someone had taken up residence in the
structure. Nothing whatsoever is known about this individual, apart from the fact that
they apparently left the area for good after the house was visited by a small group of
girl scouts selling cookies. The children reported a dark figure opening the door and
gazing at the cookies a few moments before uttering a horrible moaning sound. The figure
then floated several feet into the air and broke apart, the various pieces dissolving in
a sudden afternoon breeze.
The manor was then inhabited for several years by a rather unpleasant fellow named
Harvey Ricket. Seldom seen in town, Harvey was rumored to be insane, and carried a
large rusty shovel everywhere he went. More disturbing were the reports from area children that Harvey
could be seen walking through the woods with a small red lantern on certain nights, and
that on these nights there could be observed among the bushes several dark forms that
somehow did not seem to exist in the way that we do. Harvey Ricket was found dead by
the riverside one morning, and several parts of him were missing.
The last known inhabitant of RavensBlight Manor was a paranormal researcher named
Franklin Spackle. Franklin apparently had some mysterious theory regarding ghosts and
their habits, and was planning an experiment of some kind at the house. During a
particularly violent thunderstorm, it is said that Spackle initiated some bizarre
chain of events that resulted in the entire back wall of the house vanishing without
a trace. Spackle was found wandering around the grounds early the next morning,
completely insane and babbling something about spectral luminescence and monsters
from the void. He was subsequently placed in protective care at a nearby institution,
where his condition has failed to improve.
RavensBlight Manor has now been abandoned for many years, and there is much speculation
and controversy regarding its exact location. Some say it still stands, while others
insist that it crumbled to the ground years ago. Still others feel certain it's there
someplace but that it vanishes from time to time. Legends tell of phantom noises and
mysterious lights circling the manor. Those who claim to have located and explored
the property say there are large numbers of unusual creatures in the nearby woods,
and that glowing eyes can be seen in the dead trees behind the house. The front gate
is said to swing open by itself whenever anyone walks by it, and several people have
reported hearing strange whispering sounds coming from the cellar door. It is said that
inside the building certain things appear distorted, as though too large or small, while
other items appear oddly transparent. The walls are said to vibrate faintly for no
apparent reason whatsoever. The interior of the house is said to be unnaturally moist.
Witnesses have reported feeling extreme anxiety while exploring the area, and one
even claims to have had an unpleasant experience with their radio, which suddenly
began to emit harsh growling sounds. This individual also suffered the loss of a
flashlight when it suddenly, and without any warning, turned into a human thigh-bone.
The true nature of RavensBlight Manor, and the strange forces surrounding it,
may never be fully understood.
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