The Game <3
A glossy white box, approximately the size of a Monopoly board game appeared upon the table, atop their gathered research. Iblis smiled enigmatically but offered no explanation. For those without psychic perceptions, the box became the forefront of attention, fingers itch with the want to touch it. For those with psychic perception, it is obviously a false compulsion to touch the box.
But you must.
Inside, there are sheets of thick cardstock paper, imprinted with various and odd designs. One carried a pattern like a carpet, green with red cabbage roses. Another looked like wallpaper, old and peeling, melting down to oak panels. Inside the box rested paper dolls, one for each player. Blank and awaiting to take on a personality.
As well as blank cardstock sheets.
The instructions were imprinted on the lid, on either side of an odd shape, like a squared off, inverted U, so dark a red in color that it seemed to glow. Odd, that.
The Rules of the Game
The paper house must first be assembled. (It seemed, as they would start to put the house together, that the only room, complete, was a parlor of sorts. The rest of the rooms were the pristine white of the cardstock, but every piece seemed to fit where it was placed until a towering house stood.)
After the assembly of the paper house, each player must choose a paper doll and inscribe their likeness upon it. (A simple enough task, only the basics were needed, the effort of imbuing the paper doll with one's own qualities in order to transfer a .. link.)
When the paper dolls are finished, they are to be placed in the parlor. The parlor is the main room and the only one decorated. (For each doll, there is a plastic clip that goes at the base, allowing the doll to stand on it's own. As the dolls gather in the parlor, a chill goes up and one notes that the house as neither doors nor windows.)
On the remaining blank papers, each player must draw their worst nightmare. When finished, turn them over, shuffle and place one nightmare per empty room of the house. Only a true nightmare will grant one entrance into The Game. (A difficult thing to do, draw one's worst nightmare. This might take much time and introspection. Those not playing, not drawing, might notice two distinct shadows moving about the attic of the paper house. Not yet fully formed, but with distinct, pinpoints of light as pupils.)
When this is finished, each player must read The Oath of The Game: I swear that I am playing The Game of my own free will. I know that The Game is real. And I swear that I understand playing could be fatal or a fate worse.
[I left it off here so that you can all do the assembling, coloring, nightmare drawing, etc and know precisely what is going on. Then, after the Oath reading, Iblis will have something to do/say before you all fall unconscious. Don't worry, he won't molest you and he will awaken you upon entering.
Apologies for this being late, lots of errands on top of having to go over progress notes for work tomorrow <3 now PLAY]