Mystery of Hyde Manor, Part I

**Mystery of Hyde Manor, Part I: Hyde and Seek** is the ninth episode of *Violent Hearts: A Western Epic* season two, the third part of the El Camino Chapter, and the nineteenth episode overall.

## Summary

### Cold Opening

The Templeton agents are investigating the Honovi ritual site that the group had visited in the last episode. Special Agent Mark Burgess investigates the center of the site, and then finds confirmation that the group has indeed been here. He tasks his subordinates with finding the tracks of the group to continue their pursuit of the outlaws.

### Present

Terminus XXII. A day after the events of the previous episode, the group finds themselves in the middle of a sudden violent thunderstorm late at night. Due to the poor vision in the rain and the quickly muddying roads, the group eagerly searches for anywhere to wait out the storm. Gwen spots a manor somewhere up ahead, and the group's caravan rides towards it when it comes further into view. The group leaves their stagecoaches outside of its gates, and hurry to the front porch. As Amaru Dorian passes by one of the windows, he sees a shadowy figure.

The group enters the the manor, and immediately begin to feel unnerved by the generally eerie atmosphere of its interior. Feeling suspicious of the suits of armor he can see, Dorian walks up to one near the right hall to inspect it. Unbeknownst to him, a yet unknown duo lurk in the shadows. As Dorian turns to head back to the group, he locks eyes with a Pergrando down the hall and freezes. The Elvish woman standing beside the Pergrando then grabs Dorian and places a machete to his throat. The group sees a shadowy figure grab Dorian down the hall, and slowly walk toward the hall, cautious with guns drawn. After a moment of tension, the group turns the corner to come face to face with the Pergrando and Elf, holding Dorian hostage.

A tense standoff ensues as the group attempts to talk the unknown duo into letting Dorian go. The tension of the situation is defused when something shatters somewhere in the manor, prompting both sides to put their weapons away. The group then introduce themselves under false names. The Pergrando reveals his name to be Roso Backhide, and the Elf reveals her name to be Leonora Ryder. The mysterious sound of a door slamming then prompts the eight to split into three groups to find the source of the strange sounds. Three parties are made: Adam, Kinta, and Koda; Gwen and Frankie; and Leonora, Roso, and Dorian.

#### Adam, Kinta, and Koda

Adam, Kinta, and Koda depart from the main group and head back into the foyer. They travel up the grand staircase, arriving at the second floor. The first room the trio enter is the Children's Suites. Exploring the four kid rooms ends up a fruitless venture, until Adam opens one of the double doors in the area. Upon the doors opening, the powerful wind from outside blows inward, extinguishing Adam's candle and covering him and Kinta in downpour. The two struggle to close the doors as Koda cowers. Going to the opposite side doors, Adam listens for the sound of weather. As he presses his head to the door, he suddenly hears knocking from the other side. Kinta instinctively knocks back twice. After several moments of silence, two knocks in response are heard. Kinta knocks again, and again the knocks respond. Kinta then knocks in a complex pattern, and silence ensues. After several moments, the knocking returns but is strong and powerful, prompting the trio to quickly leave the room.

The three head into another room, which turns out to be the master guestroom. The three begin looking around. Kinta lights the fireplace in the room, and Koda sits by it, warming himself up. Adam looks through a desk drawer, and finds a journal that is hard to read. However, from what can be gathered is that it mentions a so-called, "Jackal". Underneath one of the beds, Kinta finds a bottle of Merveille wine, which states on the label that it was "made in the Hyde Manor Wine Cellar".

The trio then head to the left side of the second floor, down a hallway. They enter what appears to be the living quarters of the female servants of the manor, as Kinta finds a maid uniform. Kinta also finds what appears to be a hastily drawn sketch of the "Jackal". Adam finds a key in one of the nightstands. The three then attempt to enter the room across from it, when a scratching noise is heard from the door at the end of the hall. The door suddenly begins to open, prompting the three to hide in the previous room. Adam trips, and drags himself into the room before slamming the door shut.

#### Gwen and Frankie

Gwen and Frankie's party venture to the left side of the manor, and begin by exploring the den. After searching the room, the door slams shut and the fireplace mysterious lights itself. Unnerved, the two continue to look around, and Gwen discovers a golden pocket mirror. Looking into it, she sees a tall, slender shadowy visage behind her. She turns around to see nothing, and looking into the reflection of the mirror shows nothing else. Gwen then attempts to ram the doors open with her body, but they open just before she runs into them, causing her to fall. She and Frankie move on down the hall and enter the library.

The two explore the library, but do not take any particular interest in the books at this time. Gwen finds a ladder that reaches the second floor, and explores up there, while Frankie remains on the first floor. Gwen finds a door leading towards the rest of the second floor. However, it is locked. Frankie joins her on the second floor, and Gwen begins to pick the lock. Gwen picks it easily and opens the door, just soon enough to see the tail of something slithering through a doorway and the door slamming shut afterwards. Dorian then reunites with the two upon climbing up the ladder.

#### Leonora, Roso, and Dorian

When the two other parties go to explore other parts of the manor in search of the noise, Dorian decides to stick with his temporary captors. Roso orders his dog Clementine to keep watch near where they are standing, and Nora begins by peeking into nearby doors. She first peeks into what becomes obviously the kitchen. Seeing nothing shattered, she continues her search to the southern end of the hall. She peeks into one of the side doors, which turns out to be a small guestroom. The double doors at the end of the hall finally pique her interest, and she opens them wide. She and Dorian then walk into what they identify as the trophy room of the manor, while Roso stands amidst the threshold. Nora and Dorian then look around the room, taking in the many treasures of the manor's owner. Seeing nothing shattered, the three walk out.

As they walk down the hall to the northern end, Dorian notices that the suit of armor he originally went to inspect has changed positions. Roso believes the Turu to be crazy. Attempting to investigate the armor, Nora lifts the helmet off of the suit, which causes it to fall apart. Wanting to return to Gwen and Frankie, Dorian asks the two if they want to reunite with the group. They decline, intent on investigating their side to completion. Dorian then wanders off to the left side of the manor in search of his friends.

Nora and Roso travel farther down the hall and open a door to the utmost right. Upon the door opening, a warm mist wafts outward, revealing the washroom. Nora finds that the washtub is full of warm bathwater. The two then head to the utmost left, and open the doors. Roso and Nora enter the grandiose dining room, and they immediately notice a broken vase near the room's grand piano. Upon inspecting the vase, the piano lets out a loud, dreadful noise that echoes through the entire manor. The duo decide to then find reconvene with the group.

#### Reunification

Gwen, Frankie, and Dorian stare at the slammed door. Gwen has her gun drawn. The door opens slightly, and Kinta's voice can be heard calling out from the room. Believing it to be some sort of ghostly trick, Gwen is undeterred. The door opens further, and Kinta's face and gun are seen. Koda then pops his head out, and the door fully opens. The group then reunites in the hall, and tell one another some of the things they discovered or experienced. Shortly thereafter, the sounds of the group leads Nora and Roso to finding them on the second floor. All eight reunited, they begin conversing. Suddenly, a very loud shattering noise is heard from somewhere downstairs. Feeling unnerved again, the group realizes that they have only scratched the surface to the mystery of this peculiar manor. Knowing that a place to retreat to if necessary is important, the group heads downstairs to the trophy room to set up a "base camp" to shortly rest, before continuing the exploration of the haunted manor.

## Characters

### Protagonists

* **Adam Andrews**
* **Roso Blackhide** (First appearance)
* **Gwendolyn S. Blackwood**
* **Amaru Dorian**
* **Kinta Gardner**
* **Frankie Mitchels**
* **Leonora Ryder** (First appearance)

### Antagonists

* **Special Agent Mark Burgess** (Cold opening)
* **The Jackal** (First appearance)

### Major Characters

* **Clementine** (First appearance)
* **Koda**

### Minor Characters

* **The Ghost of Hyde Manor** (First appearance)
* **Knocking Ghost** (First appearance)

## Insert Songs

This episode had one insert song, which played in place of the ending credits.

* "A Tall Shadow" by Graveyard Train

## Trivia

* This is the first part of the Violent Hearts 2019 Halloween Special.
* This is the debut episode for Roso Blackhide and Leonora Ryder.
* Upon entering Hyde Manor, "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" plays.