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As some of you probably know from a previous thread of mine, Faegoria is getting rebooted this year. A lot of things have happened since the posting of that thread and the new rebooted theme has changed up a bit. Instead of changing themes out every year we're taking an approach similar to a few other haunts where we start small with a basic theme and build on it for a few years. After that we kick it to the curb and start a new run.
As a background, Faegoria consists of two parts -- the front yard interactive display which is what the ToTs get to experience; and the private after show dubbed "Faegoria Obscura" which is a small intimate haunted theater performance exclusively for family and friends. The theater area (my basement) is small and guests are limited to 15-20 people. The show typically is themed to go along with the haunt theme with this year bringing the two much closer together.
Starting in 2015 the running title will be "The Curse of Vodou Hollow". While it is indeed a voodoo theme we are trying to do something new and original. So we are avoiding as many of the stereotypical voodoo themed haunt tropes and cliches as possible (not that there's anything wrong with those).
I've been toying with this new theme for several months. Life has been hectic and time limited. The clock is ticking and I'm struggling to bring it all together - I'm just stuck - the creativity is not flowing. So looking for a little help with making the back story for the haunt and show more cohesive. I have a few loose vague ideas of what I want. But I just can't get them working together.
The theme of course stems from Haitian vodou instead of the stereotypical Louisiana bayou voodoo theme (and no Marie Laveau). The Loa Baron Samedi, Papa Legba, and Mamam Brigette (in the guise of Mama Bones) play heavily into the graveyard scene. The graveyard is overgrown and reminiscent of the version of Carcosa seen in the finale to True Detective season one. In fact the scarecrow hints heavily towards the King in Yellow with his yellow tatters.
Chaosium (makers of the Call of Cthulhu RPG) have toyed with mixing voodoo and the mythos already (http://www.chaosium.com/secrets-of-new-orleans-voodoo/).
Baron Samedi works out to be Nyarlathotep;
Papa Legba is Yog-Sothoth;
and Ogoun is Hastur, the King in Yellow.
These all of course work out in Faegorian mythos as well. For example, my take on Slenderman (which is seen this year as Baron Samedi) works as merely yet another mask of Nyarlathotep.
The book "The King in Yellow" will actually be a prop used in the magic show at the end of the evening. The effect plays similar to Dan Harlan's Book of Blood seen at the beginning of the video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM1qbjEVOmw
The other parts of my show do not come from that video but include two card tricks, same fun with coffin nails, a taste testing of zombie powder, and possibly even a voodoo seance.
For the story I'm trying to borrow elements from Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu (notably the 1907 cult raid in Louisiana); concepts from True Detective; references to my mother's childhood who grew up in Cajun country (yes, I'm really half Cajun); references to my father's early teen youth in Pennsylvania where he worked off the books at the Norristown State Hospital (circa 1945-1950); the legend of Esteis Liberis who in 1910 Haiti was a voodoo practitioner who ritually sacrificed and ate children.
In Faegorian mythos, the idea is that Esteis Liberis was part of a larger sect of Vodou practitioners who knew the true name of Ogoun as Hastur the King in Yellow. Part of that cult made its way to the states in the late 1800s with some located in Cajun country Louisiana. The cult busted by Det. Lagrasee in 1907 in Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu were part of it. At one point they tried to open a way to Carcosa during the 1938 Mardi Gras season under the direction of Papa Screech (see Call of Cthulhu supplement The Great Old Ones, scenario “Tell Me, Have You Seen The Yellow Sign?”). This part ties into a made up story my mother supposedly heard from her aunt Bea. A lot of the cult members who were captured alive end up in various asylums throughout the country. One having landed in Norristown. Here I have another fictional piece added where my father supposedly saw the Yellow sign (not by name of course) scrawled on one of the rooms he was cleaning. Supposedly he shared some creepy stories about it and a rough sketch which I still would have of course.
At some point I came into possession of an old satchel (origins undetermined so far) with lots of notes, old letters, a journal, old photographs, some various jars (one containing zombie powder and another supposedly a spirit vessel) inside a box, miscellaneous voodoo implements, and a tattered copy of the play "The King in Yellow". The satchel and it's contents will be presented at the show.
So... Now I'm trying to fill in the blanks and details. And I SERIOUSLY need some help here writing this up. Too many unanswered questions. Where did the satchel come from (thinking it was found by urban explorers in an old abandoned asylum)? How is it tied to the Yellow Cult? What has the cult been up to since 1938? How are they hiding in plain sight (thinking some sort of elite group hiding behind the false front of a benign yet ultimately corrupt organization - but leaning away from using a church group as that's TOO much like True Detective)? What did my great aunt know? How much did she divulge to my mother? What did my father see or know besides the yellow sign? Did my parents know more than they told me? Were they involved at all beyond hearing and seeing stuff? Is there any significance to ME coming into possession of The King in Yellow? Have YOU seen the Yellow Sign? Are we all mad?!
I'm open to any and all help with this background story including making changes to any of the info above.
Thanks,
-TM
As a background, Faegoria consists of two parts -- the front yard interactive display which is what the ToTs get to experience; and the private after show dubbed "Faegoria Obscura" which is a small intimate haunted theater performance exclusively for family and friends. The theater area (my basement) is small and guests are limited to 15-20 people. The show typically is themed to go along with the haunt theme with this year bringing the two much closer together.
Starting in 2015 the running title will be "The Curse of Vodou Hollow". While it is indeed a voodoo theme we are trying to do something new and original. So we are avoiding as many of the stereotypical voodoo themed haunt tropes and cliches as possible (not that there's anything wrong with those).
I've been toying with this new theme for several months. Life has been hectic and time limited. The clock is ticking and I'm struggling to bring it all together - I'm just stuck - the creativity is not flowing. So looking for a little help with making the back story for the haunt and show more cohesive. I have a few loose vague ideas of what I want. But I just can't get them working together.
The theme of course stems from Haitian vodou instead of the stereotypical Louisiana bayou voodoo theme (and no Marie Laveau). The Loa Baron Samedi, Papa Legba, and Mamam Brigette (in the guise of Mama Bones) play heavily into the graveyard scene. The graveyard is overgrown and reminiscent of the version of Carcosa seen in the finale to True Detective season one. In fact the scarecrow hints heavily towards the King in Yellow with his yellow tatters.
Chaosium (makers of the Call of Cthulhu RPG) have toyed with mixing voodoo and the mythos already (http://www.chaosium.com/secrets-of-new-orleans-voodoo/).
Baron Samedi works out to be Nyarlathotep;
Papa Legba is Yog-Sothoth;
and Ogoun is Hastur, the King in Yellow.
These all of course work out in Faegorian mythos as well. For example, my take on Slenderman (which is seen this year as Baron Samedi) works as merely yet another mask of Nyarlathotep.
The book "The King in Yellow" will actually be a prop used in the magic show at the end of the evening. The effect plays similar to Dan Harlan's Book of Blood seen at the beginning of the video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM1qbjEVOmw
The other parts of my show do not come from that video but include two card tricks, same fun with coffin nails, a taste testing of zombie powder, and possibly even a voodoo seance.
For the story I'm trying to borrow elements from Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu (notably the 1907 cult raid in Louisiana); concepts from True Detective; references to my mother's childhood who grew up in Cajun country (yes, I'm really half Cajun); references to my father's early teen youth in Pennsylvania where he worked off the books at the Norristown State Hospital (circa 1945-1950); the legend of Esteis Liberis who in 1910 Haiti was a voodoo practitioner who ritually sacrificed and ate children.
In Faegorian mythos, the idea is that Esteis Liberis was part of a larger sect of Vodou practitioners who knew the true name of Ogoun as Hastur the King in Yellow. Part of that cult made its way to the states in the late 1800s with some located in Cajun country Louisiana. The cult busted by Det. Lagrasee in 1907 in Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu were part of it. At one point they tried to open a way to Carcosa during the 1938 Mardi Gras season under the direction of Papa Screech (see Call of Cthulhu supplement The Great Old Ones, scenario “Tell Me, Have You Seen The Yellow Sign?”). This part ties into a made up story my mother supposedly heard from her aunt Bea. A lot of the cult members who were captured alive end up in various asylums throughout the country. One having landed in Norristown. Here I have another fictional piece added where my father supposedly saw the Yellow sign (not by name of course) scrawled on one of the rooms he was cleaning. Supposedly he shared some creepy stories about it and a rough sketch which I still would have of course.
At some point I came into possession of an old satchel (origins undetermined so far) with lots of notes, old letters, a journal, old photographs, some various jars (one containing zombie powder and another supposedly a spirit vessel) inside a box, miscellaneous voodoo implements, and a tattered copy of the play "The King in Yellow". The satchel and it's contents will be presented at the show.
So... Now I'm trying to fill in the blanks and details. And I SERIOUSLY need some help here writing this up. Too many unanswered questions. Where did the satchel come from (thinking it was found by urban explorers in an old abandoned asylum)? How is it tied to the Yellow Cult? What has the cult been up to since 1938? How are they hiding in plain sight (thinking some sort of elite group hiding behind the false front of a benign yet ultimately corrupt organization - but leaning away from using a church group as that's TOO much like True Detective)? What did my great aunt know? How much did she divulge to my mother? What did my father see or know besides the yellow sign? Did my parents know more than they told me? Were they involved at all beyond hearing and seeing stuff? Is there any significance to ME coming into possession of The King in Yellow? Have YOU seen the Yellow Sign? Are we all mad?!
I'm open to any and all help with this background story including making changes to any of the info above.
Thanks,
-TM
