Into the Lunatic Asylum
Lunatic asylums are different to other places. Likely located in a town or city, it is probably a grim, hopeless place. Those within may, or may not, regain their freedom, and the staff are likely hardened to the suffering they see every day. The surroundings should reflect the place’s styles and theme.
Lunatic Asylum Dressing
Use this list, to add minor dressings to a lunatic asylum
Colourful, child-like writing decorates a nearby wall, recently drawn in chalk. The words are rambling and nonsensical, but some are underlined, and perhaps contain a hidden message.
An elaborately carved wooden chess set sits on a small table. Several moves have been made, and a character with knowledge of the game might recognise the opening as Ekko's Charge, a much derided opening that only a novice or savant would use.
A small piece of linen is hidden behind a potted shrub. The linen protects a tiny packet of worn paper, within which is a white, powdery substance that crumbles easily when touched.
A heavy table is covered by a large linen tablecloth that sits askew across it, Hidden beneath the table are several bowls, roughly stacked. Soup, white and fluffy with mould, remains in many of them.
Small exotic plants grow out of simple pots, their scent leaving the area stinking of rotten flesh. The air is thick with flies, which occasionally land in one of the long, sticky flowers, from which there is no escape.
This window has thick iron bars inset. Closer inspection reveals severe corrosion around the base of the bars, and a rotting substance that smells of burnt tomatoes lies thick around the bottom of the window.
Glassware in various shapes and sizes fills the tabletops. The many jars carefully stored contain a variety of substances and powders. A handwritten note pinned to the wall details a recipe for a sleeping powder designed to be burnt in a censor.
A crude mouth forms in a nearby wall. It introduces itself as Eni, the assistant, in a mono-tonal voice. Eni is apparently very happy to provide answers to any questions, but often seems to misunderstand the context of those questions.
Paintings of what might be previous members of staff decorate the walls. The wooden signs displayed their names have been deeply scratched, obliterating anything legible. The faces are extraordinarily lifelike, giving the impression that their eyes follow visitors around the room.
The bed set against the wall is immaculately made; its clean white sheets look pressed and unused, but an impressively large pile of torn and bloody toenails next to the pillow suggests someone does sleep here.
Minor Lunatic Asylum Events
A feminine voice shouts from a nearby room. The phrases are random, made up from several different languages. The voice quickly builds to an incomprehensible scream, before falling silent. A woman can be found nearby, sleeping peacefully in a cot.
A slender half-naked man stands facing a corner, repeatedly reciting a religious passage from a book he holds in hands while his whole body shakes. Crudely tattooed into his back is the word “PENITENT”.
Two men stand over a young woman, who is gagged and strapped to a bench, She twitches spasmodically, unable to move as the men calmly use a hand drill to bore into her skull. They seem pleased with their work.
Dozens of bloated leeches hang from the man lying here, while one apothecary explains to another how this technique removes the infected blood causing the patient’s insanity.
A shadow stalks through the area, its shape reminiscent of something half-remembered in nightmares. Although exuding fear so palpable that most seeing it begin to sweat, the shadow cannot be interacted with, and disappears through a wall.
A scratching, scurrying sound comes from nearby. It approaches quickly, and a foot-long rat comes into view, dragging a bloody arm. The rat immediately drops the arm and runs into a small hole in a wall. A cursory examination shows the arm has been sawn off.
This small chamber has a shallowly sloped floor leading to a drain. A chain hangs from above; if pulled, a thin stream of near freezing water pours from the ceiling. A shelf holds a slender piece of soap, and a poorly-hidden peep hole are the only other features visible.
A flash of light gives way to a humanoid, gasping and shivering in a foetal position on the floor. They wear ill-fitting white overalls with the word “INMATE" in red lettering on their back. A name is written in neat black letters on a small card stuck to a breast pocket.
Three well-dressed women take turns staring through a small window, laughing at whatever they see beyond. The alienist accompanying them explains the patient within will be beaten until they acquire the mental strength to cast out the other beings infesting their body. This is judged to be a very effective treatment.
Blood pools on the floor below a man limply suspended by chains from the ceiling. Another man holding a bloody hammer cowers back as he explains he was only letting the bad humours out.
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This is an extract from 20 Things #67: Lunatic Asylum, a System Neutral resource by Rikh Hart.
Words Rikh Hart Art Bradley K. McDevitt