montecristohq

welcome to 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐇𝐐 !!

an intimate, plot-heavy, horror roleplay based out of monte cristo, washington.

over one year ago,  luke sinclair, a beloved student & friend, disappeared without a trace. one day he was here, the next he wasn’t— leaving behind nothing but a suspiciously sparse trail of futile evidence. officials tracked the young man as far as barlow pass in northern washington, but the case went cold. however, mr. & mrs. sinclair, alumni & generous sponsors of the university, have kept their son's legacy intact & ever-present on campus, making him & his tragedy impossible to forget. with his name slapped across buildings & face framed throughout the halls, luke’s memory lives on in the minds of others— haunting them.

as their graduate thesis, a group of students decided to take it upon themselves to discover the truth ( gruesome as it may be ) of what happened to their long-lost classmate. only, the group wasn’t just acquainted with him. they were friends— the best of friends, in fact. and this rag-tag crew knows exactly what happened to luke that summer. . . or, at least, most of what happened. under the guise of a student project to memorialize their late friend and classmate, the group is hoping to finally uncover exactly what happened to luke sinclair, as well as the parts they each played in his demise. . .

𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

inbox

cast & crew

the story so far

luke sinclair's case

timeline

guidelines

faq

application

app count

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SETTING : barlow pass & granite falls . DATE : 12a est october 4th 

before they knew it , a week flew by and the time came to make their long awaited trip back up the mountain . . . to the heart of where it all began : m̵̩̿ọ̶̡̪͔̓̒̉͠n̷̲̎̀̽͝ͅt̶͖͉̲̋̒̽e̶͎̱̖̲͛̐̄͛ ̴̪̠̥͊͌ ̶̦̆͛̀c̶̛̺̗̮̦͐̐r̶̗̰̃̒̈ȋ̶̠͉̽͆͝s̵͈̣̾̑̑t̷̹̤̍͑ͅó̶̳ ̴͙͈̌͜. loading up two cars , one with REEVE , KINGSTON , & ISLA , and the other with THOMAS , CAMILLE , ELIZA & MILO — the s̸̼̝̞̐̃̈́͋ȅ̴̻̂͛̕v̷̪̙̫͇̇͗̾ḛ̴̖̮̤̇̀̐̽n̴̥͚͙͈̔̓ readied themselves for their grand return .

GROUP ONE , naturally , got a head start . . . whilst GROUP TWO took their sweet time . considering the director's domineering sense of control — they naturally grew impatient , but , thankfully , eliza's type-a personality led to group two quickly catching up . so , a text was shot out to let the others know they would be heading out to start setup , and they could all reconvene on the mountain later . traveling in smaller groups would allow them to draw less attention , anyway , given that it was the off season in granite falls ( aka NO TRESPASSING ) . in the end — it worked out . until it didn’t . that false sense of security would shatter in a way none of them were prepared for . a storm — wild , violent , and unforgiving .

it hits when  GROUP ONE  has just parked their car at the visitor's center , about to start the trek toward their final destination . REEVE , ISLA , and KINGSTON are relieved to find that the door to the center is wide open — well , technically , off its hinges . almost like it had been kicked in and propped up . hurrying inside , they shoot a quick text to the others to let them know to meet them there – that they'd all have to wait until it passed before they can hike the grueling eight miles up B̸͍͐Ä̸͓̝́͑͝Ř̵̮̟̞͋Ḻ̶̽͝͠Ǫ̴̡̭̽̄W̷̠̫͉̹̅̈́̏'̶͓̈S̸̛͕͂̋̆ ̶̆͆́̍ͅ ̶̖̅P̸͙̽A̶̞̽̍̉̆Ŝ̶̗͉̔͛̂͜Ŝ̴̡̤̪̳̂̈ .

GROUP TWO'S arrival is delayed as thomas’s car , old and decrepit , decides to break down after an issue with the engine ( or the battery , or the exhaust , or , , , okay , multiple things ) , forcing the group to pull over . after multiple failed attempts to contact AAA , the group decides to abandon the shoddy vehicle and hike the remaining mile to granite falls . then , the storm strikes . thankfully , GROUP ONE found shelter — as if the abandoned building had been awaiting their arrival .

now , they are together . for some , they have not seen one other since the ̵͔͝͝ľ̷̳̏á̸̤̭̏̇͠s̶̢̡̯͕̃̊̌͝t̵̢̗̦̆̓ ̶͉̯̕ ̸̡̛̪̰̟̌̀̕t̵̪̩̗͖́̍̾͠ḯ̸̳̀͝m̷̜̺̽̽̕ẹ̶̺͙̈́͗ they were here . others are uninterested in bonding — choosing to pass time by counting supplies , getting their bearings , etc .

but , there's no way to predict just how long this storm will go on for .

SO , , , all they can do is wait .

the eight others loyally followed luke down the winded , earthy trail until they finally crossed over into monte cristo . it felt like stepping into an alternative universe . the barriers of the abandoned town buzzed with unidentifiable electricity . or maybe it was adrenaline  &  nerves , or a deep-rooted fear that made the hairs on everyone’s necks stand up . luke’s enthusiasm was unmatched , and as he began assigning decomposing cabins to each of his friends , a realization began to sink in that they  really  were doing this . they were camping at monte cristo , and nobody outside of themselves knew . after all , luke had instructed this excursion stay on the low . . . and everyone figured that included the finite details of it . 

no one knew for sure what waited for them in the summer mountains , what they would take from it .

or , more so , what the mountain would take from THEM .

technology is a fickle and unreliable thing , not built to survive the sometimes harsh , relentless wrath of nature . whether it be from a cabin fire , a swim in a cavern beneath a desolate mine , or a thirty foot fall ; tiny screens and aluminum casings weren't built to last . weren't built for unprecedented circumstances that happened to occur on what was originally supposed to be a camping trip .

these little devices that have the world at one's fingertips are capable of more than just communication and photographs . they can harbor secrets , dreams , memories , and undeniable truths .

there is as much to be gained by their destruction as there is to be lost , , , perhaps our crew has more in common with their phones than any of them might have thought .

time was passing , that much was clear .

analog digits on screens of dying phones continued to change , and the light shifted - day to night - as it passed through layers of thick fog and mist . however , it also felt eerily still . two members of their party were now frozen in it ; internalized clocks brought to an eternal standstill . two bodies , joining a supposed third ; KODY SUZUKI-BRAUN and THOMAS ORTESKY .

KODY's body has been gently laid in a blanket of snow , cradled by hard earth , the lower half of her beginning to crystalize from the river water that had soaked into her clothes and skin . THOMAS's remains are at the bottom of the cliff , draped atop rock like a throw blanket on a scarlet stained sofa , eyes still half-opened and staring dully up at those who looked down at him .

all eight bodies ( or was it six ?? ) remain at the top of the tracks , with CAMILLE and THOMAS having already decided they were going to scale down the cliffside to get to where his body was . KINGSTON , MILO, and ISLA offer to accompany them .

finding a climbable wall down into the drop ; CAMILLE goes first , THOMAS trailing behind . their feet find branches , protruding rocks , and tangled roots sticking out from the cliffside , using them to climb down to the foot of the drop . KINGSTON follows next , MILO close behind , , , but when ISLA's foot goes to find purchase on a loose stone ; the cliff gives a harrowing shake and, suddenly , collapses .

an avalanche of dirt and earth come cascading down the cliffside , any reliable placement for stability vanishing beneath her . ISLA makes an attempt to leap back up towards the surface and misses , scrambling not to plummet down the thirty foot drop . it is REEVE who comes to her aid , managing to grab hold of her hand and heave her body back to safety just before she is hurled down to the jagged terrain beneath . CAMILLE , THOMAS , KINGSTON , and MILO are now trapped in the pit , , , with no way to get back up .

KODY , ELIZA , ISLA and REEVE are left atop the tracks , and the groups are once again separated from one another .

for now .

not far from where THOMAS's body is , there is what appears to be a entry point for one of the mine shafts . the group is familiar with the mines — or at least what the outside of them looks like , as they have seen entry points to them — scattered all around monte cristo . this had been a mining town at one point , after all .

the eight notice these mines may be the only way for them to reunite , given as climbing back up the cliffside is not an option . with both groups having carnage in tow , the snow thickening as it piled higher and higher atop the group , their options were very limited .

and for some of them , the clock was still ticking .

it is 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟑𝐑𝐃 , 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 , , , and the alpha delta phis are hosting their largest party of the semester . naturally , it is themed in a way that encourages the least amount of clothes possible despite the crisp spring seattle air . though the brother's would argue that nothing screams SPRING BREAK quite like low fifty degree whether , an unheated pool , copious amounts of booze , and any kind of drug , or partner , a person could think of experimenting with .

the hardest part of going to a party is deciding what to wear . what to bring . who to go with . do you keep your ID in the back of the phone or do you bother with a bag or wallet ?? is there a motivation behind your attendance or is it a bad case of fomo ?? maybe you're just looking to party , or maybe there's a goal ; get drunk , get laid , experience greek life with the fraternity on campus that practically invented the term . . . whatever your reasons for going are ; you'll need something to wear .

you have been invited to the annual ' spring breakers ' party hosted by alpha delta phi fraternity . booze ! bumps ! bitches ! get ready for the greatest night that you'll never remember .

in the middle of the night , approximately 3:26am , a crack of lightening followed by the roaring of thunder shook the mountain , monte cristo , & those temporarily residing on its grounds awake .

stumbling from their cabins , swaddled in blankets & sleep clothes , each member of the group comes to realize they feel , , , different . not only have their injuries from days prior almost entirely healed over night , but their ailments have instead been replaced with new ones . cotton mouth , a nauseating headache , a total depletion in what little serotonin had already remained . it felt like they were crashing from a really bad high , the kind of comedown that would have an addict itching for more just to be reprieved from the side effects of going without .

blurry vision & flashlights catch glimpses of empty , plastic water bottles in each of their respective cabins & scattered around camp . nothing out of the ordinary there — clean water was crucial to survival , after all . however , it's the residue that clings to their interiors that gives everyone pause . chalky , thick , & almost powdery .

had someone tampered with the water supply ??

memories from the day prior are fleeting , a distorted blur that makes separating what was real from what wasn't a challenge — not to mention the headaches , the twitching limbs , incredibly dry mouths & itching throats . foggy visions flash in their minds ; familiar faces that seem so real , but so watery & unclear , it is almost difficult to distinguish whether they had really seen them or not .

drugs . it had to have been drugs .

when they leave their cabins , finding each other at the bonfire that sat in the center of camp — equidistant from each of the cabins — there is a palpable tension . a shared confusion . something feels changed , a thread that had woven them all together now cut . nobody is certain what had been put in their waters , or who had put it there . it wasn't even for certain it HAD been drugs , but uncertainty has never stopped the group from pointing fingers at one another before .

frost has clung to the earth , solidifying its soil , & a flurry has began to descend from the dark , flickering storm clouds that loom far too low in the sky . ashen grey tufts hugging the tree tops , intermingled with their canopies of now barren branches . an early winter , a blooming storm , the balance of nature itself thrown off to the point where even the mother of it has no inkling of what time of year it is .

there's a headcount , a silent assessment made of one another , before it is realized that one is missing from their party .

THOMAS ORTESKY .

after the blowout in the group chat , with multiple members turning off their phones & others going missing in action , some out searching for them & others opting to keep their hands to themselves, , , there is no way to account for where everyone was .

or what they had been doing the night before , , ,

what someone packs to go on a trip says a lot about a person ; extra underwear , excessive medical supplies , a comfort item like a blanket or a stuffed animal , a lucky charm . sometimes packing is mindless and done without thought , sometimes it's rushed and filled with last minute ' i might need this ' 's , and sometimes it's methodical and well calculated . the one thing all these methods of preparing for a trip have in common is no one truly realizes how much value those things hold , stuffed in their bag , hold until they’re GONE .

with two of group now without any of their things — that reality is coming to the forefront . for everyone . how long until someone else's precious photograph or favorite book is stolen by the mountain's fog ?? used as fuel for another fire ?? lost to the winding trees or swallowed by the mouths of a cave and misplaced somewhere in its labyrinth ??

ISLA and KODY'S cabin was now nothing more than a pile of ash and rubble , all of their personal belongings lost to the flames along with some supplies ; a first aid kid , some flashlights , some rations of food. . . new cabin assignments were in order ; ISLA opting to room with her beau , joining KINGSTON and REEVE in their cabin with KODY deciding now , more than ever , she wanted to be with her bestie ; joining MILO and her ex-boyfriend , THOMAS in their cabin . the injuries by everyone obtained vary , but one consistent truth was that none of the party were in any condition to make the eight mile hike back to their cars in GRANITE FALLS . though it would have been the ideal action to take after a certain someone showed them he had no intention of letting them leave ( not again . not that easily . ) — there was no way it was a realistic , feasible solution to their current circumstances .

the words spoken by the familiar spirit through ISLA continue to permeate the air , its monotone drawl and mocking coo echoing through the vast mountains long after the flames had subsided . its threats bristle the canopy of greenery that resides atop the trees who are still bent close and trying to listen in , and it rattles in the brains of all who were there to bare witness to it — or at least remember it .

the series is put on hold whilst injuries — mental and physical - are tended to . the air is crisp , the temperature that had plummeted in the cabin having yet to rise back up , a thick fog of mist and lingering smoke making the already unsettling ghost town of MONTE CRISTO seem that much more daunting .

all they can do now is rest , recover , and reflect. . . each of them needing to decide if they truly believe this is the calm after the storm ,

or merely the eye of hurricane LUKE SINCLAIR . . .

DAY TWO comes to a close . with their nerves somewhat calmed after the awful events that culminated upon their arrival , the group decides to kick off their long-awaited film the same way the original trip ended : a bonfire . friendly company , cheap booze , a smorgasbord of s'mores , and , of course , a few good scary stories — it's the perfect start to their week-long stay . but , as the booze flows and excitement grows , space for less than stellar ideas weasels its way into their minds .

surprisingly , it's ISLA who announces that a ouija board is tucked neatly within her other belongings , and , soon enough , the group has migrated from the fire to her and KODY'S cabin . the group , as usual , is split on the matter . some simply see it as a fun time , others wonder what entities within the ghost town will be drawn out , and the rest have no interest in partaking at all . the players vs the watchers . in a matter of minutes , despite strong arguments from the group skeptics , candles are lit , the board is laid out , and those partaking are circled around with their hands hovering at the ready .

there's no turning back .

MONTE CRISTO .

monte cristo is a ghost town northwest of monte cristo peak in washington . the town was active as a mining area for gold & silver from 1889 to 1907 , and later became a resort town that operated until 1983 . following disastrous flooding of the road in december 1980 , and the decision not to make bridge or road repairs , the lodge closed for good . it burned under suspicious circumstances in march 1983 . people who hike to the monte cristo ghost town have reported voices yelling into the void , the sound of chopping wood , footsteps inside the cabins , the sound of hoarse laughter from the center of camp , and even apparitions that seem to shapeshift amongst the trees .

on opposite ends of the trail , both teams slowly rise with the waking sun . those at the cabin come-to warily , still shaken by the unfriendly fright they encountered . the others , nestled deep within the wood , are just as rattled — death's door having been one slipped step away . but , as the sun steadily climbs and they rally themselves once more , an unsettling realization sets in . the mountain , the morning air , the chattering creatures . any signs of a storm have been wiped away ; their surroundings are so serene , so untouched , it is as if the event never occurred at all . snapped branches , flooded paths , chaos & debris are no more . the only evidence exists within themselves : their memories , injuries , damaged equipment , & water-logged belongings . that , and a noticeable drop in temperature . despite the autumnal season only just beginning , the weather atop the mountain feels frigid . a ghostly chill clings to their skin and freezes the marrow in their bones .

DATE : 12pm est october 8th — 12pm est october 15

luke loved secrets . he loved knowing them , keeping them , sharing them . he collected them as easily as he did followers , tucking each one he learned into his back pocket for safe-keeping . . . taking them to the darkness into which he disappeared .

each of the eight have something weighing on them : a betrayal , a loathing , a regret . something luke may have held over their head , or something that could have further spurned his ire that fateful night many moons ago . as they journey closer to monte cristo , the walls they have built around these unseemly vulnerabilities are slowly being chipped away — threatening to come crumbling down entirely .

SETTING : barlow pass & granite falls . DATE : 12a est october 4th — 11:59pm est tba

before they knew it , a week had flown by and it was time to make the long awaited trip back up the mountain to the heart of where it all began : monte cristo . loading up two cars , one with REEVE , ELIZA , KINGSTON , & ISLA , and the other with THOMAS , CAMILLE , KODY , & MILO — the eight readied themselves for their grand return . group one , naturally , got a head start . . . given as group two was taking their sweet time . considering reeve’s domineering sense of control , paired together with eliza’s type-a personality — they naturally grew impatient . so , a quick text was shot out to let the others know they were going to head out to start the setup , and they’d all reconvene on the mountain later . traveling in smaller groups would allow them to draw less attention , anyway , given that it was the off season in granite falls . in the end — it worked out.

until it didn’t .

SETTING: seattle, washington. the univeresity of washington DATE: 1pm est september 24th — 11:59pm est october 1st

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎it's been less than a month since the remaining eight of the monte cristo camping trip returned to campus. the university of washington is lively; crowded courtyards, a library echoing with whispers, the watchful eyes of one luke sinclair surveying their every move from within the framed memorial portraits hung in almost every building . . . it has been just over a year since they abandoned luke, left to rot alongside the tall-tales of that abandoned ghost town.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ despite their unspoken vow to never talk about what happened beyond barlow's pass . . . one REEVE AZIZ broke the silent contract and proposed an idea. thus, the project is born. a docu-mystery about the history of monte cristo’s ghost town — and the disappearance of luke sinclair — for his senior thesis ( amongst other potential motivations, but who's to say?? ).

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ mistakenly, he asked KINGSTON & ISLA for help. KODY ( who overheard isla on the phone ) told MILO, who then mentioned it to CAMILLE, before the idea finally reached the ears of THOMAS & ELIZA. now, the estranged group are reunited, and the reactions are . . . varied. they never thought they would have to talk about this again, let alone return to the scene of their collective crime. the tension between the eight is palpable; some more so than others. however, no one is willing to risk being left out — everyone has something to lose. and so, they begin to pack, begin to speculate, begin to gossip . . .

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ they are returning to monte cristo, and they all have a job to finish,

whether they liked it or not.

all of our accepted roles have been claimed and blogs have been submitted / posted — EEEEEKKKK !!

we are so wildly excited for this cast & are so thrilled with the talented writers we get to collaborate with to bring this chaotic and twisted story to life. thank you to everyone for their patience whilst we waited for the perfect roster to fill our inbox — it was worth every moment to have all of you brought to us.

and thank you again to everyone , accepted or not , who applied ; it means a lot that you took the time to look at our blog and take in this story and these muses and give them a piece of your heart.