In a sprawling manor in the town of Mayflower Falls, the Dread family is hosting their yearly Thanksgiving dinner for their neighbors. The Dreads plan to serve delectable food catered from none other than Dread Steakhouse. To pass the time until the feast is ready, the guests will catch up on the latest neighborhood gossip and play hilarious party games.
Alas, the last year has been filled with treachery, scandal, and deceit. Many of the neighbors may not get along. The Dreads hope everyone can exist in harmony – at least until dessert hits the table.
You have received your invitation to the dinner. This is where your story begins.
Invited Guests
Alex Dread
Owner, Dread Steakhouse
Alex Dread is a workaholic owner of the most popular restaurant in town, Dread Steakhouse. Always late for everything, Alex rushes around like a chicken with no head. Known for being untidy, you can always deduce when Alex has been somewhere, as Alex leaves a path of clutter and debris. Alex and Dakota are siblings who often go through phases of rivalry.
Alex started as the head chef of the steakhouse twelve years ago. After a decade of working in the kitchen and growing the business to be a hot spot in town, the previous owner sold the restaurant to Alex. Alex hired London Dread six months ago as a favor to their Gran, but there's been nothing but turmoil ever since. The restaurant's ratings have tanked, and the dining room is half empty nowadays.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: You are one of the party's hosts, so dress in semi-formal party attire. Wear an apron over your clothes, if you wish, as you prepared the feast in the story.
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Dakota Dread
Acupuncturist
Dakota Dread is the polite and friendly acupuncturist and sibling of Alex Dread. A true introvert, Dakota uses stored-up courage and energy to attend social events but always manages to conjure a friendly smile and engage in pleasant chats. Dakota worries about Alex daily, as Alex is impulsive and doesn’t have Dakota’s best interests at heart.
There have been rumors about Dakota causing patients to get skin infections at Dakota's acupuncture clinic. If these are true, Dakota should prepare for malpractice lawsuits if the procedures, equipment, and protocols are not in order.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: You had appointments the day of the gathering, so you'll still be wearing your scrubs. Throw on a lab jacket if you wish.
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London Dread
Head Chef, Dread Steakhouse
London Dread is the bumbling chef at Dread Steakhouse and a cousin of the owner, Alex Dread. Family ties landed London the job. The restaurant already had an established following when London started in the kitchen six months ago. Still, London claims the recently added culinary delights keep the dining room’s seats filled. Food bloggers disagree.
London lacks a sense of humor, and it is impossible to make London smile, much less laugh. London is Alex and Dakota's cousin and Lumi Dread's sibling.
Since London was hired as the head chef, the restaurant's ratings have tanked from a 5 star to a 3.5. London argues that it isn't the culinary offerings that have made the ratings plummet. However, London never underwent formal culinary training, nor has London ever had a job in the food industry.
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COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: You still have on your chef's uniform, as the Dread Steakhouse served a Thanksgiving breakfast this morning. You also assisted Alex in preparing the Thanksgiving feast.
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Lumi Dread
Meteorologist
Lumi is the judgmental meteorologist for RBC TV. Short-tempered, especially when irritated, you should stay on Lumi’s good side if you want to keep the peace. Obsessed with food, Lumi is adventurous enough to taste anything offered but will comment negatively during the morning news about anything they dislike. It is no secret why Lumi doesn’t have many friends.
Lumi is the cousin of Alex and Dakota and the sibling of London.
Lumi has been known to report incorrect forecasts of storms if Lumi knows of a foe hosting an outdoor event. Lumi isn't the most trustworthy weather reporter, which has angered many Mayflower Falls people.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Wear an autumn color palette plaid polyester leisure suit. Don't want to do that? That's okay! Just wear a casual business suit worthy of a news reporter. Want to make it fun? Make a dazzling weather costume - here's a DIY.
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Nevada Fawkes
Food Critic
Nevada is the youngest child of two local farmers. Nevada is a self-proclaimed foodie who works for the website You Serve It, We Rate It. Nevada has critiqued every restaurant in the town of Mayflower Falls. Some restaurant owners are unhappy about their reviews, but what can they do about them? Nothing! Nevada is the sibling of River, Roux, and Scout.
Recently, Nevada posted an updated review about the Dread Steakhouse. Given the social media complaints about the quality of the restaurant plummeting, Nevada thought it was best to revisit the place and see what has happened. Nevada agreed with the social media posts and torched the former hot spot in the blog article. The neighbors were surprised to see Nevada get an invite to the Dread's home.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Casual attire. Or, if you wish to be funny, wear a food-inspired costume, such as a fork, pepper, hot dog, etc. Or, even a turkey hat to be fun for Thanksgiving.
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River Fawkes
Robotics Engineer
River Fawkes is an overachiever who loves to work more than relax at home. Stoic and detached from society, River spends the daylight building robots, which will soon replace many jobs humans hold, such as waiters, cooks, clerks, and more. The product launch is right around the corner, and many are said to be staging protests against the unveiling.
River, a head engineer at Silicon Robotics, Inc., has built the current generation of robots to mimic the appearance of Nevada Fawkes. Since the robots are perceived as job thieves within the community, Nevada is not flattered or happy with their appearance and has secretly vowed to prevent the release.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Nerdy casual attire. Or, if you want to be funny, wear a robot costume or mask and support what you love!
Roux Fawkes
Event Planner
A video gamer in a grandparents' basement at night and event planner by day, Roux Fawkes never sleeps – unless it’s during work hours. Roux is a wildcard whose behavior is unpredictable, even to best friends. Roux is brutally honest and super stubborn, so don’t expect Roux ever to admit fault. Roux is the second oldest of four siblings, River, Scout, and Nevada.
Roux recently got into trouble at work because Lumi Dread reported there would be storms on the day of a high-dollar wedding that Roux was in charge of planning. After the sunny, perfect day passed and the wedding had been changed to a stuffy church location, the bride and groom threw a fit because they felt cheated out of the outdoor wedding. Roux blamed Lumi's weather forecast for the change of plans. Nobody at Mayflower Event Planning is taking Roux's side.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Casual attire that's a bit slouchy - shirt un-tucked, wrinkled. You are a lazy person.
Scout Fawkes
Film Producer
Rumored to be a ghostwriter for many top-selling fiction books, Scout Fawkes is a hardworking film producer for Dream World Entertainment. Many neighbors ask Scout for movie roles, so Scout avoids most people of Mayflower Falls like the plague. Scout has agreed to come to the Dread’s feast as long as nobody asks for an audition. Scout is the second youngest of four siblings – River, Roux, and Nevada.
Since Hollywood can be expensive, many film companies, such as Dream World Entertainment, have sought cheaper locations for filming. A gargantuan film lot was established in Mayflower Falls five years ago. Scout is one of the head executive producers, overseeing casting, among many other things, for big feature films with huge celebrities.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Trendy, fashionable attire. Or a director's uniform (because producers look like everyday people) and a clapboard as an optional prop.
Sage Blaine
Ethical Hacker
Always patient, even when frustrated, Sage Blaine is known for being a great mediator. Sage is an ethical hacker for the federal government. Sage sits in a tiny cubicle each day, attempting to hack into websites, networks, and security systems to find weaknesses before the criminals do. Sage is an excellent person to know, but don’t double-cross Sage unless you want to be erased online. Sage knows how to make you disappear digitally.
Sage was busted by the FBI and CIA a few years ago and offered a deal to join them or go to federal prison. Sage chose to side on the right side of the law. Sage had been a member of a notorious hacktivist group known as Web Shadow with the mission to right the world's wrongs. Unfortunately, the group of hackers was breaking the law to help folks, so they all ended up in federal cubicles or jail cells.
Sage isn't to be trusted, and there isn't much ethical about Sage.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: A dark hoodie. If you want to be spooky, bring a mask with you.
Reagan Blaine
Private Detective
Reagan Blaine is the sibling of Sage Blaine. A private detective who always gets lost – even when given specific directions, Reagan continually complains about everything. Reagan can be employed to investigate anything from a kitty kidnapping to murder. Reagan was hired to investigate many people in the neighborhood. Therefore, many folks don’t trust Reagan.
Reagan is currently investigating both London Dread and Scout Fawkes, as Reagan was hired by their car insurance companies to see if their claims of being injured and incapacitated were valid. To date, Reagan has evidence that the fender bender didn't injure them either. Will Reagan turn over the evidence or blackmail both of them? Only time will tell.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Sherlock or Dick Tracy costume. You are a PI, so own it.
Flynn Slater
Travel Blogger
Flynn Slater is a charismatic manipulator. Flynn has five deceased spouses, all of whom have died by mysterious circumstances. Flynn was considered a suspect in each death, but no evidence was ever found.
After building a massive bank account from their late spouses’ amassed fortunes, Flynn set out to travel the world. Flynn documents every detail for Flynn’s Diary – a travel blog with over a million subscribers.
Flynn has a background in chemistry and computer science. Flynn is quite the intellect with a Masters's Degree in Analytical Chemistry and two PhDs in Computer Networking and Biochemistry. Flynn uses intelligence to get whatever they desire.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Casual attire or a tourist costume (Hawaiian shirt, shorts, camera strapped around your neck, floppy hat.)
Rolly Slater
Storm Chaser
Rolly Slater is the first cousin of Flynn Slater and an avid storm chaser. Rolly will navigate and live-stream reports from the eye of any storm and then sell the footage to the highest bidder. Outside of storm chasing, Rolly rarely leaves home.
Rolly is challenged with managing their finances carefully, as the income for storm chasing is sporadic and dependent upon weather. Rolly often asks for loans from their family but never pays anyone back. Therefore, Rolly isn't genuinely asking for loans.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Casual attire with a survivalist spin, as you never know when you'll be caught in a storm and have to ride it out. Wear cargo pants with gadgets and survival gear, a vest, a poncho folded up as an optional prop, etc.)
Tatum Leota
Server, Dread Steakhouse
Tatum Leota is the disgruntled server at the Dread Steakhouse. Since London Dread came on board as the head chef, Tatum isn’t making half the tips as before. Unhappy diners don’t leave big gratuities! Tatum has vowed to get London fired, to no avail. Alex Dread isn’t listening to the problems at the steakhouse, and the restaurant’s ratings are plummeting. Tatum is a hard worker and is seeking employment elsewhere.
Tatum and Royal Leota are cousins who don’t speak much.
Tatum has a resume posted on message boards, social media, and anywhere potential employers will see it. However, in the meantime, Tatum's tips are down due to the terrible food at the restaurant!
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: any server uniform, as you worked the breakfast shift with London Dread at the Dread Steakhouse the morning of the party.
Royal Leota
HOA Manager
Royal Leota is the HOA Manager at Parsnip Oaks, where the families attending the Dread Thanksgiving feast live. Royal is intolerant of anyone breaking the rules and is always armed with a pad of violation slips. Royal doesn’t have many friends in the neighborhood but doesn’t care – it’s all about having the perfect master-planned community.
Royal is Tatum Leota’s cousin, but they are not close.
Nobody can stand Royal in the neighborhood of Parsnip Oaks, but as they say - it's better to keep your frenemies close. Royal wouldn't miss the Dread's gathering for the world, as someone in the neighborhood keeps trying to rally against Royal and get him/her fired as the HOA manager.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: any ‘stuffy’ or nerdy casual attire, such as a button-up shirt buttoned with a bow tie or scarf. Glasses as an optional accessory.
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Oakley Algernon
Advertising Executive
Oakley Algernon is the founding partner and Creative Director at Sterling Algernon Advertising Agency. Colleagues regard Oakley as the best person ever to pitch copy to clients. Oakley was a troubled child, spending many years in detention centers for being a member of the pickpocketing ring known as the Sneaky Algers. After a stint in the military, Oakley changed for the better and is a successful businessperson.
Justice, Briar, and Oakley Algernon are siblings, with Oakley being the youngest.
Oakley has been trying for months to land a huge client that could make a difference for the ad agency. However, one person is blocking Oakley's way. This person will be at the Dread's Thanksgiving feast. This should be interesting.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: trendy casual attire. Wear something designer if you wish – or at least something stylish. Your character has it together
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Briar Algernon
Concierge, Black Card
Briar spent many years in juvenile detention centers as a member of the child pickpocketing ring known as the Sneaky Algers. Briar has come a long way since then and is currently working as a concierge for Black Card – an International Express exclusive luxury credit card. Briar often lies but is terrible at it and is afraid to eat in front of others.
Briar has been in trouble at work lately, as one client is monopolizing their time and making it appear as though they aren't handling the daily duties of a concierge. However, if they complain about this person, Briar will probably be fired. It's a conundrum.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: tuxedo or black suit of any kind. You keep it formal as you deal with the uber-rich every day. You never know when they’ll want to Face Chat with you.
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Justice Algernon
Museum Curator
Justice was the leader of the juvenile pick-pocketing ring known as the Sneaky Algers until Justice woke up and decided to do better. Justice is now a snooty museum curator at the Mayflower Falls Museum of Art, Science, and History. Justice uses rare words that nobody has heard of and tries to speak with a foreign accent to try and seem more intriguing.
Justice, Briar, and Oakley Algernon are siblings, with Justice being the oldest.
Justice has been stressed lately, as s/he has been dealing with a shady, money-grubbing blackmailer whom Justice used to consider a close friend.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: Snazzy, trendy hipster-style clothing. You stay at the height of fashion and love to dress younger than your age.
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Landry Rumkin
Rock Star
Landry Rumkin lives on a deserted island at least half of the time to get away from rabid fans. Landry’s rock group, Soul Soldiers, purchased the island as a getaway, but Landry built a home there to take advantage of the solitude. Landry’s parents live in Mayflower Falls. This rock star always comes home for the holidays.
Landry is the band's lead singer and lead guitarist and is a quiet, reserved person off-stage. Humbler than most, you’d never know that Landry lives the rock star life.
Landry, Charlie, and Tiz Rumkin are siblings.
Some people in town that grew up with Landry are harassing Landry's parents by dropping by unannounced and asking them to send things to Landry for autographs. Landry isn't happy about this and will have words with certain people during the annual holiday visit at home.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: rock star attire. Big, spiky wig, bandannas, spandex pants – anything that makes you stand out as a star. You performed a free, impromptu acoustic show this morning at the local outdoor galleria.
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Charlie Rumkin
Dance Instructor
Charlie Rumkin is the most popular dance instructor in town. Charlie choreographs the high school drill and local minor league baseball cheerleading teams. Charlie teaches dance to nearly every little one in town interested in dancing. Charlie has a bubbly personality and is known to be a bit of a jokester.
Landry, Charlie, and Tiz Rumkin are siblings.
Charlie is content with being a dance instructor but always looks for something bigger and better. Charlie dreams of being famous one day. Living in Mayflower Falls - it might be challenging to achieve that goal.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: yoga or any dance clothes. Feel free to jazz it up and wear a dance costume if you feel spunky.
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Tiz Rumkin
Dog Walker
Tiz Rumkin is the daydreaming dog walker. Tiz hardly socializes with humans, so conversations with Tiz can be awkward. Tiz is exceptionally superstitious and won’t walk on cracks or cross under ladders. If a black cat crosses the pathway, Tiz turns around without a second thought.
Landry, Charlie, and Tiz Rumkin are siblings.
There might be a secret reason why Tiz doesn't socialize with others. It might be because Tiz isn't just an ordinary dog walker. Sure, Tiz might walk dogs for everyone to see, but if you peel the onion layers, you'll find a mysterious, nefarious side to Tiz.
COSTUME SUGGESTIONS: yoga attire with a sweatband around your head. Have a leash and treats in your pocket for fun props – if you wish, it’s optional.
THANKSGIVING GEAR:
What to wear to the party is very flexible. You can come in casual clothes out of your closet, add a fun Thanksgiving themed prop (i.e., pumpkin pie hat or turkey hat), dress in a funny Thanksgiving costume like a turkey, or wear a costume that fits your character's occupation. Or if you are really festive, wear the character's occupation costume and add a Thanskgiving prop!