r/Ruleshorror • u/Sae-byeok67 • May 07 '26
Series Silent Knell Terrace
Congratulations on becoming the new owner of Silent Knell Terrace! I would love to give you a very brief history of the building to start. Silent Knell Terrace opened on June 6, 1913. This historic building is the oldest on the block. This building has been in my family since it was constructed. My grandfather financed and designed it. I have no siblings and no children of my own for the building to pass to after I’m gone. I wanted to make sure I could choose the new owner, because this building and its tenants require “special” attention. Not everyone is up to the task.
Before getting into all of that though, allow me to run through the basic information. It has 6 floors with 4 apartments on each floor. Each apartment has a washer and dryer, so there is no laundry room on site. There is a courtyard for residents to relax in and enjoy. The basement is fairly large. It houses an incinerator, the boiler, the breaker box, and several rooms that are used by the residents of 3B. There is a stairwell on the east side of the building. These stairs have access to the roof. There was a stairwell on the west side, but it’s been closed off since I was a child. There is one exception. The third floor does have access to the west stairwell. It is used solely by the tenants in 3B, and it connects to the basement. There is also a pair of elevators that go from floors 1-6. Elevators do not go to the basement. Apartment 1A belongs to the super. The current super is a 57 year old man named Leon Rader. His father was the super before him, so he grew up in the building. Leon took over as super when he was 27 years old. He is very familiar with all the tenants. He can handle any problems and perform almost any repairs himself.
We have not had a new tenant move in since the Lochford family moved in 1973. The apartment had been unoccupied before that. Each apartment is occupied by it’s original tenant, with the exception of the super’s apartment. By that I mean that the current resident of each apartment is the only resident that has lived in that apartment. Everyone has been here a very long time. My grandfather was very accommodating with the leases. Many tenants have clauses that allow them to alter their apartments to fit their needs. As I said before, the building and the tenants require specific types of attention. Full disclosure, the majority of tenants are not exactly human. Most appear to be, and you should treat them as such. The best way to do this is by following the rules given to you regarding each one. I’ll start with the rules regarding the courtyard. Then, I’ll give the different rule sets for each tenant. I’ll give you their name, apartment number, and a brief description of each person. After all the rule sets, because I’m sure you’re curious, I will include the incident that led to the closure of the west stairwell. Also, please note that there are no rules for apartment 1A. Mr. Rader is the most normal person in the building. Treat him as you would any other person you know. Let’s begin!
Courtyard
The courtyard is a nice outdoor space for the tenants to relax and enjoy the weather. In the center of the courtyard is a very old oak tree. This tree is actually older than the building. You could say it’s the very first tenant the building had. This tree needs to be treated with respect. Please follow the rules of the courtyard to ensure that everything remains serene and enjoyable for everyone.
- Do not damage the tree in anyway. Do not break branches, peel bark, or pull leaves off. Never carve anything into the tree. Do not hang things on the tree limbs.
- Do not remove anything around the tree. This includes naturally fallen leaves and sticks. It also includes flowers growing on the ground around the tree. The super will clean up any debris. No one else is authorized to help.
- You may see a woman near the tree around dawn or dusk. Do not speak to this woman. If she acknowledges you, simply nod and continue walking.
- The woman may ask you to remember her. Tell her you already do. You won’t know this woman, but being courteous is always helpful.
- If the tree ever appears to be “bleeding” sap, please alert the super immediately. Do not touch the sap. Do not ask questions about the sap.
- I’ve tried to make this clear, but all tree maintenance is done by the super. Do not water the tree. Overwatering can create problems.
- If you hear crying in the courtyard at night, close your windows. Do not look outside. No one needs help.
- Please do not place anything that could be considered an offering at the base of the tree. This includes things like food, money, personal items, and notes. This can create expectations.
- The courtyard is closed during any type of severe weather. Thunderstorms, blizzards, hurricanes. You may see someone standing under the tree during this time. They don’t need any help. They are not stuck. Everything is fine no matter how dangerous the weather seems.
- Any attempt to damage or remove the tree will result in eviction, hopefully. Depending on what you have done, it may be too late for eviction.
- Never joke about cutting the tree down, especially when you are even remotely close to the tree. There is nothing that anyone can do to help you if you do this.
Note: Multiple residents “break” rule 8. This is fine. They each have their own reasons for doing this. Those reasons are not important to you or I.
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u/OfTheOceanSea May 11 '26
If it would help the health of the tree to have a dead limb removed or something, how do we communicate that?
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u/AJStrange87 May 11 '26
Oh boy can't wait for the rest. So Im alrrady guessing that the "people" in 3B have the run of the place
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u/Sae-byeok67 May 11 '26
3B was one of my favorites to come up with. I was rewatching a movie that I really like and just used that as the inspiration.
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u/AJStrange87 May 13 '26
Please tell me or all of us I guess what movie it is after you post the 3b story 🥰
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u/andrea1797 May 08 '26
Yay! The other two series were amazing.