Fletchley Farm
| Type | Homestead / Farm |
| Location | South of Hole |
| First Visited | Session 3 |
| Notable Residents | Bart Fletchley |
Description
A working farm south of Hole, belonging to Bart Fletchley. The cornfield is where Bart's dead family appear each day. The gang visited at night. The corn looks funny — and it gets worse the deeper you go.
Bart's dead wife (Beth Fletchley) and children (Raya, 12, and Robert, 10) appear in the cornfield daily. They vanish when Bart approaches. They never speak. The apparitions are now understood to be hallucinations caused by the spore-laden dust in the air.
The Cornfield
The corn is severely deformed: kernels the size of golf balls alongside abnormally small ones; stalks that grew up, stopped, then started growing in a different direction; some cobs that have popped like popcorn. The corn appears to grow and change as you pass by.
An iridescent dust drifts in the air, visible by moonlight. It is concentrated in two dome-shaped points within the field. Doctor Webb suspects the dust is hallucinogenic — Alfie's mask slipped in the field and he saw his dead father. Doctor Webb's theory: Bart's visions and decline may be caused by long-term exposure to the dust in his own field — unconfirmed.
A red fibrous material (resembling algae or diseased corn silk) grows on the corn and accumulates in large moist mounds from which spores emit. The ground around these mounds is moist and red. The infestation grows worse the further into the field you go.
Both mounds have now been destroyed. The first was collapsed by Cuthbert's magic in Session 3; the second in Session 4 — the quicksand it created cost Cuthbert a shoe. The spores have fully dissipated. The apparitions of Beth, Raya, and Robert were confirmed to be hallucinations, not spirits.
The graves of Beth, Raya, and Robert were never found.
Notes
- Bart's family died three years ago: children on the journey here, his wife shortly after while helping set up the farm
- Doctor Webb suspects the dust is hallucinogenic — his reasoning: Alfie's mask slipped and he saw someone dead; Bart was convinced he saw his dead family
- Alcohol may counteract the effect — it visibly clears Bart's eyes; unconfirmed
- Doctor Webb and Ms March each took a vial sample of the diseased corn for analysis
- The cold open creature (red snake / white mucus) was confirmed to be the same organism — the red algae
- The organism has been defeated as of Session 4
Session Appearances
| Session | What Happened Here |
|---|---|
| Session 3 | Gang entered at night; read the field; masked up; Doctor Webb and Ms March teleported by the dust; Alfie's mask slipped and he saw his dead father; red algae mounds found; one mound collapsed by Cuthbert's magic; iridescence began to fade; session ended |
| Session 4 | Second mound collapsed by Cuthbert (quicksand cost him a shoe); spores fully dissipated; fibrous trail traced to creek near the hot springs; gang told Bart the truth about the apparitions; mystery resolved |