week 4 - trial

[productions]

week four trial



[At 9 AM precisely, the old grandfather clock chimes once again, and the doors to the drawing room are opened. They will remain open until everyone has come inside, after which they will shut behind them. It is not possible to leave on your own, although perhaps if you have a specific purpose the hostess will allow you to go, as long as you are accompanied by a partner.

The room is set up comfortably, with several tables by the fireplace set out to assist with the trial. The Hostess will also remain in a seat near the fireplace, next to the scales on the mantle. At lunch, the doors will open to bring in a large meal on an automatically rolling buffet, and at 3 PM, tea and finger sandwiches will be served. You'll be able to enjoy the trial in comfort, of course, but the information cards set out on tables will not allow you to forget your true purpose here.

At 7 PM, the trial will adjourn for the day. Players will be escorted by the Hostess to the ballroom, where dinner and wine will be served until 10 PM, at which point players will be required to return to their wings in groups with their wingmates and will be locked in their bedrooms until 8:30 AM the following morning.]

victim



suspects



Character Statuses
Setting
Manor Rules
Cheat Sheet
Voting

Comments

[humanic]

Okay, so now that we've searched every room, can we get our suspects to explain what their item is? Gundam's looked like a regular yearbook. Susan has the rules to the freaking universe, so the incentives this week are obviously not equal in scale.

I didn't investigate the other rooms, but evidently Sonia has an angel statue, Kanaya has a spiky ball, and Touko has some kind of plant? You guys wanna give us the details on them?

[godwhisperer]

Yes, I'm certain that to mortal eyes it did indeed appear to be a mere yearbook.

[humanic]

[Oh Gundam. He's finally starting to get used to the way the guy talks.] My bad. Was it the rules to the universe disguised as a yearbook?

[godwhisperer]

Hmph, perhaps you are smarter than you let on.

No, no, it is a totem of great power that may, one day, herald the end of the universe. However, they do not understand I would not kill for it, for I intend to one day obtain it by my own abilities. It is only in being capable of obtaining it that it would have any value to me, you see...

[humanic]

Yeah, you wouldn't want to be unworthy of such a prize or anything.

Why would you want to own something that would end the universe though? Chuck that thing into the deepest pits of Mount Doom.

[speakveryclearly]

Is a yearbook anything like a sweepbook?

[humanic]

That depends. Is a sweepbook basically a collection of photographs of people from school you don't remember and never want to see again? Because if so, yes.

Anyway, spiky ball?

[speakveryclearly]

"Spiky ball" is a sort of egg from my homeworld from which the mother grub, a highly revered creature, could be hatched. It's an incredibly delicate object in spite of the protective surface - I actually used to have one in my possession but it was destroyed.

[humanic]

So it's not an yearbook, but it's not the rules to the universe either. It seems like figuring out the killer from the item they got might be a lot more difficult than we hoped.

[speakveryclearly]

The items don't seem to be as shareable as I thought they might be, either...

[teenspirit]

Well, it's... it's a talisman, a religious item coveted in my nation's church. Actually, I had not even known it existed. When it showed up in my cabinet, I was really startled...

It's said to have the power to herald a reign of prosperity.

[humanic]

Huh...so it looks like they weren't kidding about these objects being valuable. [Except for Gundam's.] Do you believe it actually has that power though? I mean normally I'd think superstitions like that are getting outdated in our world, but normally my life is full of supernatural creatures trying to kill each other anyway so what do I know?

[teenspirit]

I've always thought it was true. But, you know, I also think that hard work and fair rule can bring prosperity, anyway...

[humanic]

Plus it's way less risky than putting all your hopes on a statue. I mean, what if someone accidentally smashed it? You'd be totally screwed if you were relying on the thing to carry on your country.

[teenspirit]

I will admit that I think it's wicked cool, but I would not kill for it. I mean... my country is not a position of desperation.

[inthebones]

For the record, it's the Rules governing my universe, which we've already established is a bit different from this one, I believe.

[humanic]

[He waves a hand.] Still way bigger than a yearbook or a statue.

[aozaki]

It's a stub of mistletoe. How good are you with your Norse mythology?

[humanic]

Mistletoe? [He sounds surprised, but doesn't sound like a 'why would anyone find a plant valuable' surprise. It sounds a hell lot more like a 'oh god not this shit again' surprise.]

...Usually I'd say that the only Norse mythology I know is what happens in Marvel, but this one I'm actually familiar with. The goddess Frigg went around the world making every object both living and not swear an oath not to harm her son Baldr, but she overlooked the mistletoe. The Norse gods then got together to chuck stuff at him and watch it bounce off because cable TV hadn't been invented back then, but Loki slipped a sprig of mistletoe in there and it wound up killing him.

On a less mythological point, it's also toxic to humans and all sorts of supernatural nasties.

[notyetlost]

Also hot christmas make outs.

[humanic]

Tragically something I've yet to enjoy. Well, I had to give CPR to a girl dying from mistletoe poisoning, does that count?

[notyetlost]

[Oh Stiles.]

Did you save her?

[aozaki]

Very good. It's well known in the supernatural world for its harmful properties, the plant on its own is sometimes used in alchemical compounds or thaumaturgical rituals. Anyone with a sixth sense would be able to tell that one is different, however; it's the original one used to slay Baldr, something that by all rights should've been a priceless but lost magical artifact.

[A beat, and she gives a small shrug, because well, it's not so lost anymore, huh.]

Ironic that it was this, out of any and all mystical relics this manor's chosen to pick. It fits the murder theme, I suppose, and while I would've preferred something like Prometheus' Torch or Merlin's Diary, beggars can't be choosers, in our situation.

[allice]

So your incentive was a rare artifact, said to be lost forever. The question is if you would kill over it. You seem to value a lot of collectibles, judging by you room. Though I sincerely hope you aren't the murderer.

[Because she wants a soap sculpture carved into the shape of a sarcophagus.]

[humanic]

A plant's a plant. Original one or no, it's still just mistletoe, and you can get that anywhere. Unless this one has special properties?