Nelson McTavish
Of the Field Team
Role:
Mine Tour Guide – Folklorist, Lorekeeper, “That Interesting Guy”
Connection to Red McCrae:
Red used to call Nelson “The Lorekeeper of Hollow.” When Nelson was a kid, Red gave him a hand-drawn map of “forgotten shafts” and told him:
“Don’t ever follow these, kid. Just remember them.”
Red meant it as a joke. Nelson took it seriously.
Personality:
Wild-eyed, theatrical, and surprisingly insightful. Nelson talks too much, knows too much, and gets way too excited about cursed objects and ghost tunnels. But when he stops joking… everyone else stops breathing.
Background:
Nelson never left Black Hollow. He runs ghost tours, sells miner-charm necklaces, and claims to have heard voices through stone walls. People laugh — but when something goes wrong, he’s always the first one they ask.
He keeps a private journal of “shifts” in the mine — air pressure changes, voices, shadows, and dates where people got nosebleeds for no reason.
He’s noticed a pattern lately.
And Red’s death fits it.
Character Goal:
Reveal the pattern. Tell the stories. Make them listen — before the mine decides it’s time for another ending.
Storytelling Drops (Part 1)
Feel free to use a dramatic narrator voice, go quiet mid-sentence, or stare into space while recalling something "you shouldn't remember." Here is a story fragment to drop mid-game:
“You ever stand next to Shaft 13’s northern vent shaft? If you stay real still, you’ll hear voices — they’re not angry. Just hungry. Happens around 2 a.m.
Red used to say it was the shift rotation. But no shift ever started at 2.”
The Minor's chant:
“I swear my light, my lungs, my life
To walk where others fear the night.
Knock once for work, twice for woe
But three knocks means it’s time to go…”
Tasks – Track your own points
🎭 Social Tasks (1 pt each)
Deliver these lines to players privately or dramatically, in-character:
To Brittany Vale: “You’re not the first Vale to stand here, you know. The last one left in pieces.”
To Madison Greene: “You’re a numbers person — how do you explain shadows that show up before someone turns the corner?”
To Gabe Porter: “Your system’s been pinging the dead, you know. Wonder what would happen if they answered.”
🤝 Interaction Task (2 pt)
Task: Confront Someone You Suspect
Publicly call out someone for “waking up the mine.” It doesn’t have to be logical — this is about drama. Bonus if you can back it up with a story or superstition.
🔥 Suspicious Task (2 pt)
Task: Erase Your Name from the Sign-In Sheet
Quietly remove or cover your name. If asked, say “I never left the mine. You only log in if you leave.”
🕵️ Assigned Personal Questions (Answer if asked, don’t volunteer)
From Brittany Vale: “Did you really record voices from inside the walls?”
From Issac Boone: “Why do you think the mine 'chose' you?”
From Sarah Talbot: “What stories did Red tell you about Shaft 13?”
Answer in riddles, fragments, or shiver-inducing clarity. Or better yet: tell a ghost story instead.
🎯 Bonus Objective (6 pt)
Lead a 3-person group into the wrong part of the mine “on purpose.”
Spin a tale about what they’ll find. Bonus if someone freaks out. Triple points if they find something you didn’t know was there.