Last refuge

Hotel Last Refuge is the place to be for any self-respecting ghost of standing. Count Exspiravit and his staff spare no effort on providing their guests with the best dining experience and entertainment. For once you can relax in complete bliss without worrying about being interrupted by bothersome people barging into your home because it has been sold after your unexpected death.
And if an occasional band of curious adventurers comes by, well, see it as a recreational activity you can participate in or ignore completely.*
*Warning, this event comes with the risk of purification and passing on to the afterlife. Participation is not recommended in case of important and unfinished business.

Purpose / Function

Hotel Last refuge is a luxurious resort on a private island of the coast of Tuvalian. Its white sand beach on the east coast is perfect to relax during a beautiful summer day or perhaps you'd prefer an outing with tea and sweats in the flower garden. Or maybe a rural picnic* among the trees on the island's south side.
The employees will be happy to do anything within their capability to provide you with the most relaxing vacation.
*All necessary items from food to cutlery and a blanket will be provided by the hotel.

Architecture

The hotel consists of a large mansion as the main building with a grand flower garden a teahouse, and a small building for the staff to stay. In case of bad weather or the desire for a late-night swim, there's an indoor, heated swimming pool on the backside of the hotel.

Main building

The main building has 3 floors and although the rooms aren't as big as most hotels for nobility they are just as luxurious. It was built on the highest point of the island which puts it near the cliffs on the island's northwest side. A covered passage connects the main building to the indoor swimming pool.
The white walls give the structure a refreshing look and make the greenery and its red roof stand out even more.
The hotel can be roughly divided into front and back sections. The front section was designed first while the back section, which contains the dining room, ballroom with stage and spa, was added to the project slightly later to create more room and accommodate indoor activity in case of bad weather.
The first floor of the hotel has a large entrance hall from which a corridor leads past the dining hall and the ballroom in the back section to the swimming pool. One can also find the kitchen and the tearoom in the north wing while the beauty parlour and a few ground-floor bedrooms are on the south side.
The second floor has guestrooms located in the front building. Count Expiravit's private room and the bedrooms for staff that needs to be directly on hand are seated in the back building. The passage between these two buildings s divided by a heavy, velvet curtain on this floor.
The third floor merely contains guestrooms that have the best view of the garden and were highly coveted by guests.
The Last Refuge is surrounded by a large flower garden in the popular fashion Rococo style with plenty of arches, statues and a large fountain. Although most of the paths and statues are overgrown and the arches have rusted, it is still possible to sneak a peek of the garden's glory days.

Staff building

The staff's sleeping quarters are located on the Southside of the island near the small forest. Though most of the staff usually arrived with the first ferry and left with the last ferry every day, these rooms were a necessity during the weekends and heavy storms.
After all, even the ferryman needed some rest after a week's work and the occasional intense storms would make it too dangerous to even leave the harbour.
The staff building contains a kitchen with a breakfast/dinner area at the centre, two communal bathrooms (one on each end) with what was the newest and best technology at the time, and roughly thirty bedrooms in total.
Each bedroom has two bunk beds and four small closets. The rooms share a toilet and washing table in groups of five. From just this, it can be seen that the Count greatly valued his staff.
Count Exspiravit usually allowed as many of his staff to go home as possible in case of heavy weather before the downpour starts but the time left or intensity isn't always interpreted correctly. Since the hotel closed due to stories of hauntings it has not seen much use.

History

Hotel Last refuge was once built as a luxurious vacation resort for the wealthy by Count Exspiravit. The small island covered in plant life and with a small white sand beach seemed to be the ideal spot despite the routine storms. In its first year, the hotel was a great hit among the nobility of the Tuvalian empire but the glory was short-lived.
During a heavy September storm every person on the small island was gruesomely killed. The storm had lasted three days and it wasn't until the fourth day when the ferryman came to deliver supplies that the brutality was discovered.
Officers of the law were quickly sent to investigate the case and find the killer who was likely still on the island. However, they ended up empty-handed.
After the investigation had been closed without a satisfying conclusion the hotel was bought by a wealthy businessman but quickly lost business as guests and the workers experienced strange events such as laughter from empty rooms, faucets turning on and off on their own, and lights floating through the hallway. The hotel was abandoned for good when people swore they saw vengeful spirits during a midsummer storm.

"It was terrible! Truly the work of a mad man! The corpses were all in a terrible state. Not even one was left intact. If they hadn't been disembowelled their bones were completely shattered or their limbs had been ripped off. And the creepiest thing of all was that they were all grinning with their eyes still wide open. I should never have gone in to check on them" - Jeff, ferryman

Answer to the mystery

Count Exspiravit was an avid enthusiast of strange foreign delicacies and a thrower of great parties. The nobles who came to hotel Last Refuge came, for the most part, to experience the expensive food and enjoy his recreational activities.
During the storm of their final nights' Count Exspiravit had prepared a menu combining a special type of jellyfish with red wine and seabass. Though it probably tasted good, as no leftovers were found there were two major problems with this dish.
First of all, the count nor the chef had properly investigated how the jellyfish was used by the local people and had falsely assumed it was consumed as food. In reality, it was an ingredient in a very efficient painkiller. This resulted in each plate containing almost ten times the amount recommended for human consumption. The end result was that every guest was high as a kite after dinner and could not feel any sensations in their bodies.
The second problem was that these jellyfish also contain another enzyme that would normally pose no problem, but by cooking it in wine it became a strong hallucinogenic poison. This meant that as the evening progressed the patrons started to sea each other and staff members as either terrible monsters that needed to be exterminated or celestial beings that should be freed from their mortal bodies.
They started to harm each other while completely unaware of their own physical state. Those with a more brutal mindset even searched the island to ensure no 'demons' were left alive. In the end everyone was either killed or died after several hours from their injuries.
Many of the guests failed to realise what happened even after death and simply continued enjoying their vacation without ever realising something was wrong or that over a century had already passed them by.

Guests

Most of the guests who died tragically during that first year of hotel Last refuge are still around and barely aware of their own demise. They believe that it's still the day after that storm and they're right as rain. Unless one tries to forcefully show them the truth they are no different from their living selves even if they look a bit gruesome.

Duchess Fue d'Artifice

Title: Duchess

Cause of death: Burned alive
Best known for:Her fashionable appearance and political aptitude.
The duchess, one of the original guests, is by far the most notable presence in the hotel. Her graceful manners and delicate voice easily grab the attention of her fellow patrons while her gentle, yet direct personality and sharp mind ensure adoration and respect.
Her company simply lights up any room she enters.

Sir Confodere

Title: Knight, lieutenant
Cause of death: Thrown in front of a carriage and split in half by the weels
Best known for: His accomplishments during the battle with the country Uberian.
Sir Confodere is one of the few ghosts who died elsewhere and comes to take a break from his haunting business. During his life, he was a respected lieutenant who earned the people's praises by lobbying for and setting up evacuation missions during the war.
His life was cut short when his wife found out about his mistress and his mistress finally realised he was never going to choose her over his marriage. The two then collaborated to murder him and made it look like an accident to claim his inheritance.
He has been diligently haunting them ever since.

Staff

A proper hotel would be nowhere without its staff and hotel Last refuge is no different. Though only the essential staff members were present during the storm the hotel has no shortage of skilled workers. There's a surprisingly large amount of servants who regret failing their masters and come to the hotel to satisfy their final wishes.

Count Expiravit

Title: Count, owner of hotel Last Refuge
Cause of death: Excessive bloodless due to loss of limbs
Best known for: His adoration of good food and games.
Count Expiravit is the owner of hotel Last refuge. He set up the hotel as a way for him to share his passion for food with his associates while providing an opportunity to relax.
More than that, he believes that a business is only as good as its employees. As such he's always gone to great lengths to ensure his workers can live comfortably though not luxurious. Schooling, re-schooling and opportunities to grow are also provided by him.

Chef J. Uligo

Title: Chef
Cause of death: Drowned in the stormy sea after falling of the cliff
Best known for: His seafood dishes and red velvet cake
Chef Uligo is a master when preparing fish, squid and shellfish. He leaves no ingredients wasted and if the guests won't eat it the staff members surely will. Funnily enough, when it comes to desserts it's as if he's put all his talent in a single dish and none in the rest. They say that you can move on peacefully after tasting his red velvet cake.

Clair d'Or

Title: Loyal maid to the Duchess
Cause of death: Suicide
Best known for: Her dedication to Duchess Fue d'Artifice and the loss of her left eye
Clair d'Or was inconsolable when she heard the news her mistress had died a gruesome death. After all, the duchess had given her a home, a job and education when she had nothing. She didn't even flinch whenever she saw the scar covering the left side of Clair's face.
Overcome with grieve Clair decided to follow her lady even in the afterlife. She was thrilled to find her Duchess was still at the hotel and got herself hired at hotel Last refuge.

Abram Adiecta

Title: Mucisian, violinist
Cause of death: Beheaded
Best known for: His violin solo's of sonata's and his excessive use of alcohol
Abram Adiecta had been hired to perform during the storm. Thinking of it as a small paid vacation among the high-class nobility he accepted. Sadly, he got caught up in the tragedy and lost his head in a moment of fear and anger.
He's one of the few original ghosts who know they are dead and he wants revenge for his death. the problem is, what revenge is there to get on someone who's already dead?

Tourism

Most people who visit Tuvalian will encounter tails about the tragedy that took place at hotel Last Refuge. After all, it has accumulated the same amount of local fame as famous legends such as the Loch ness monster. One simply can not go on vacation here and not gain at least a bit of curiosity.
Lucky for those people, ghost tours around the island are big business in the small fishermen's villages nearby. Especially during the summer when the majority of tourists visit to cool down by the sea.
The braver tour guides can be hired for a few extra coins to more at the island's old dock and make a round around the island. However, any fishermen with half a brain will refuse to enter the buildings on the island which, even now, still look pristine.

Ghost Tourism

Most of the ghosts residing at the hotel are the original guests from 1321 who died a gruesome death. They barely realise the nature of their demise or the passing time and still continue their daily routines as if its the day after that night. They are usually decent people, although some are a bit peeved at the presence of the 'lowly commoners' who seem to dock on the island's beach every now and then.
The other ghosts know better than to wake the original residents from their delusions. These ghosts are all either Tuvalian nobility, aristocrats or rich merchants with unfinished business in the mortal realm. Because even after death hotel Last Refuge has realised its promise of outstanding service.

Hotel Last Refuge

RUINED STRUCTURE
1322

Founding Date

1320

Alternative Names

Gate hotel, haunted island

Type

Pub / Tavern / Restaurant