Was really really surprised not to see the pendulum and the pit. Ran a part of a dungeon based on the story and was one of the most tense things I've done in the game
Particularly love the idea of the stories becoming crimes caused by this haunting bird - he looks like a crazed killer, but it's the animal all along. So much potential for who/what the Raven is. I do have direct allusions to JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis in my setting named Ronald and Jack (if you know, you know) who are a wizard and sorcerer respectively. I may be adding even more such NPCs after this font of inspiration...
I'm DM-ing a game for my son and his friends. Our halloween session(this Saturday) they're going through a dungeon based on the "The Masque of the Red Death"
Random thought but imagine an poe that is actually happy. As in, he is weird and anxious but positive and thinks he is writting comedy rather than suspense. When asked about it he would jump to the absurdus of his story "i mean, he know the crow is gonna answer the same thing and keeps asking in the same line, isnt that silly?" Or "hearts cant be heard through wood, its super silly" kind of deal xD. Also he could have a very twisted and morbid sense of humor for things that cant be explained just by being silly
Back in the day, I ran an urban crawl whodunnit based on "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and I think I just got inspired to write up a haunted castle based on "The Pit and the Pendulum". Thanks!
