Halloween Painting Scavenger Hunt

**Halloween Painting Story Series/Scavenger Hunt**

1. --Bar of the Eternal Star--
A gorgeous satin dress is centered upon this large canvas. The bottom hem of this pristine white gown has been decorated with golden chantilly lace that is artfully frayed at the edges. Maroon glass beads have been carefully sewn into the bodice in a series of undulating waves that spiral down to the top of the waistline. Beneath the dress is a note written in an angular script.

“A kind bard has offered to recount my tale. My last wish and singular hope is that all who come across my story learn something from it. Perhaps you will fail as I did, believing that the mistakes of your past are safely locked away in the tomb of your memories. Maybe you will think that I am a fool. In either case, I beg you to look upon these paintings. They depict the day of my wedding and the loss of the one I cared for the most. As most good stories do, this one starts upon a stage. I will warn you, however, there is little good to be found in the memories of that summer day.”


2. -- Before the Stage of the Damned --
This canvas depicts a joyous scene with a note written beneath.

This painting depicts a human male and a half-elven woman holding hands while sitting at the edge of a creek. The bright blue water has been illustrated with long strokes of cerulean paint and highlighted with small white dots that sparkle beneath the lustrous rays of the sun. A ceramic plate at the edge of their picnic blanket has been stacked high with bunches of grapes, sliced cheese, and various cuts of cured meat. An open bottle of wine has been forced into the earth beside them, ensuring that it is within easy reach. Towards the bottom of the panel the paints have been gently blended into the canvas to produce a fading effect, as if the scene has no real end. In direct contrast, the faces of the duo have been reproduced in a level of detail that outshines the rest of the painting. Her blue eyes stare intently into his as a tiny dimple dances at the corner of her smiling lips. His expression is a touch smug - denoted with a disarming smirk that can only be achieved by one who is confident and deeply in the throes of love.

“This was the day I proposed to Soliania. I wasn’t thinking about Neimah or the problems that I left back home. I wasn’t even thinking about how I had used every last copper I owned to buy her the opal ring that I proposed with. My thoughts were only of her and how perfect that moment was. Nothing else mattered. I pushed it all down and away. That was my first mistake.”


3. --Before the Stage of the Damned--
This canvas depicts a momentous scene with a note written beneath.

This painting depicts the couple separated by a thin wall, surrounded by their friends and family. Soliana’s satin dress was not meant to take the entirety of the spotlight, flawless as it was. Her golden hair has been pinned into a braided bun with countless hairpins that have iridescent rhinestones at the tips. Her lips have been stained a deep crimson to match the beadwork on the dress. Beneath her, a friend helps her step into a pair of understated ivory heels. The mood of the gathering is jubilant, and all eyes are on the bride-to-be.

Across the wall, a smaller group of men support the groom. His black tuxedo has been tailored to a reasonable degree, though it did not match the elegance of his bride’s attire. Having already stepped into his shoes, he waits for the start of the ceremony in a chair crafted of cypress wood, bereft of cushions. The groomsmen are in high spirits - laughing around him at some unheard joke, clearly oblivious to the way his hands grip the edge of the chair. The anxiety illustrated in his actions is matched by his fixed stare. He seems unwilling to look away from the large door that would soon open to herald the start of his new life.

“I told everyone we couldn’t go through with it. Neimah had found me a week before the wedding. She was waiting in my thinking spot… well, it had been *our* spot, once. She demanded that I leave Soliania and the town on that very night. I was to go with her, with no one the wiser as to our eventual destination. As I walked away, refusing to speak to her, I heard her voice call out to me from beyond the willow trees, “You think you can escape that easily? I told you long ago that you would pay for hurting me, and you’re still just as arrogant. Go on. Have your perfect wedding. I’ll ensure that it ends in a procession of coffins, with not a soul left alive to mourn any of you.”


4. --Cluster of Coffins--
This canvas depicts a darkened scene with a note written beneath.

This painting is shrouded in darkness. One has to peer carefully to see the etched figure of a woman in a cowl that has been centered upon the ebony canvas. A small knife was used to pick away the paint, before filling in the thin lines with deep greys and browns. Towards the very bottom of the canvas is a small glint of color. Shards of broken glass have been arranged into the shape of a bottle. The cowled woman holds it carelessly, as blood from her mangled palms drips down the length of the bottle to rest on the bottom edge of the canvas.

“I took every precaution. I posted guards outside the church for a week before the ceremony. I convinced Soliania’s parents that we didn’t need to drink or eat within the town. We could take carriages to the next town over. How was I supposed to know that Neimah had been waiting in the rafters of the church since that night at the willow trees? How could anyone have known that she had slowly painted poison atop every surface? The dressing room mirrors, the door handles … even the altar was covered in it. It absorbed through our skin, building up over the length of the ceremony. We were doomed.”


5. --Cluster of Coffins--
This canvas depicts a tragic scene with a note written beneath.

This painting could be used as an example of a dream wedding, if one were able to ignore the terrible series of events that played across the canvas. Soliania struggles to speak her vows, as her trembling hand clutches at her chest. She manages to look elegant through it all, as if she was simply posing for her fiancee. The groom looks beyond her, taking in the entire church - and the cost of his arrogance. A pair of groomsmen can be seen in the last set of pews, vomiting profusely as sweat trails down their foreheads. A young flower girl has collapsed onto the floor, still clutching a crown of woven peonies in her swollen hands. A bridesmaid can be seen fleeing to the back of the church, holding her skirt above a pool of blood as she attempts to escape the chaos.

“Neimah taunted me from the rafters, holding up a bottle that she claimed was the antidote. She threw it to the ground, laughing with glee as it shattered and mixed with the blood and vomit. Soliania was still conscious - I remember her head moving too slowly as she tried to look at me. “Why?” was all she managed to say. I’ll never know if it was a complete question. Did she blame me? She collapsed then, and started seizing at my feet. I cried out to the heavens, praying to the divine for salvation. A figure appeared to me, then, guiding my hand as I painted the summoning circle with the blood of all those that I loved.”


6. --Chamber of Demonic Summoning--
This canvas depicts a horrific scene with a note written beneath.

This painting depicts a groom drawing sigils in blood - with a ghostly wraith above him, pointing towards areas of the marble floor that had not yet been defiled. Soliana’s lifeless form resides on the steps just beyond him, though he spares not a single glance towards her. His bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks complement panicked expression. If one were to look closely at his arm, they would see the skin starting to crack and split. Blood and bone become more visible as the

“Neimah had managed to give me an antidote before the wedding day. I’ll never know how - or perhaps I was already immune. She wanted me to live with my regrets until I could no longer stand my own existence. But something answered my prayers. I begged it to take my life in exchange for Soliania’s. I don’t remember what I said, exactly. I just remember hearing laughter echoing in my skull, demanding that I paint the sigils.”


7. --Chamber of Demonic Summoning--
This canvas depicts the ending of a scene, with a note written beneath.

This painting depicts a lone skeleton in a tattered tuxedo reaching upwards to touch a disembodied satin dress that billows in the windless room. Gorgeous wedding bouquets have withered and died, leaving shriveled petals to fall to the floor below. The bodies of their loved ones are bloated and leaking fluid onto the stained floor beneath them. There is not a single sign of life within the darkened church - and the dried blood of the sigils has begun to crack and flake away.

“Soliania, I am sorry. I do not know the terms of the deal I made. I have so many regrets, and I can feel my mind fading as I recite this tale.

Is there anything left of you in that dress? I had promised you that we would dance until we could move no more on the night of our wedding. It feels hollow now, as if I am mocking your memory.

You deserved so much better. I love you.”