October Third

 Today's illustration is a bat on the wing, with hooked claws at the end of every digit, long fangs, and a derpy grin on its face.

    The chapter for October third begins at night, with Jack donning his cloak and taking his knife, and going out to hunt. Snuff, of course, accompanies him. The hunt is successful, but they're spotted, and Snuff eventually has to nip a pursuer to discourage them from continuing to chase the pair.

    Later that night, on the prowl and keeping tabs on the other players, Snuff meets a bat called Needle. Needle is the Count's familiar, and the pair of them joined the Game two nights prior. There's no question who or what the Count is, and Snuff knows as well as we do. As he tells us, "Life was suddenly even more complicated, and I'd no way of knowing if they were openers or closers."

    I think this is the first time we encounter those terms, and the use of "Game" to describe the proceedings. 

    I wonder if this would be a good premise for a roleplaying game? The player characters live in an area experiencing a wave of killings, grave robbings, thefts, and occult weirdness. Maybe ghosts are going bonkers at seances, babbling about doors and a coming darkness. Maybe the local artists are all making strange, symbol-laden art inspired by their dreams. That kind of thing. The PCs could be the local constabulary, or a mix of investigators and concerned citizens, or a knitting circle of elderly ladies (especially if you're playing Brindlewood Bay).

    The strange doings are the work of various eldritch people/beings who've moved into the area recently and are playing this Game which could end very badly for humanity, not to mention the neighborhood. And maybe the more they learn about it, the more the PCs find they're effectively playing, too -- and ultimately have to pick a side.