WEEK 3 - TRIAL

[productions]

week three 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

[inthebones]

...So the theory goes as follows.

The killer enters Dave's room with the skeleton key and strikes him on the back of his head while he's bent over his drawing. This leaves a small spray of blood and a bloodstain on his desk. The killer then takes an unconscious Dave out of the room to the second or third floor, stabs him repeatedly and severely, and pushes him down the elevator shaft, where he lands face-down.

I see a few points of contention, still - first, that he was so absorbed in his work that he failed to notice anyone coming into his room. Second, there are still no blood stains where they ought to be.

[vytis]

What if he was asleep at his desk? Though I'm not sure how the killer would have known to enter, unless he snores...?

[inthebones]

...Or perhaps they weren't expecting him to be at his desk and alert at all. The deed could have been done at around 3 in the morning - they expected him to be asleep and simply entered as quietly as they could. If he were in bed, they could have done the exact same thing.

Happenstance saw it that he had fallen asleep at his desk.

[humanic]

Wait, if the killer clobbered him over the his head while he was at the desk, how did they not notice the blood? I mean, you'd think it'd be one of the things to look out for.

[respecting]

Aight... I don't know about the bloodstains yet, but what about this! That drawing looks finished - um, probably - [hard to tell with how crappy it is] - so he wasn't still workin' on it. Maybe the killer just jumped him after hidin' in his room. You said he went to bed at like midnight or something, right? Then if one of the people who went to bed early was really in his room... maybe they hid under a pile of clothes and waited for him to turn around!

[notyetlost]

I didn't think you'd hear me if I shouted at you.

[No it's because Poland's a shy weenie-- but also the not being able to hear thing.]

But I guess in retrospect the rock wasn't the best idea.

[souredsweet]

Why would they do that? To garner sympathy by looking as though they were on the defense? [it seems a risky move. Kaoru gently places Dave's head back down.]

There is also the matter of whether the wounds or the fall came first, and why such excessive damage was caused if we presume Mr. Strider was unconscious from early on... [a gesture toward the bruising along Dave's front.] And the bruising here might be a result of blood pooling on the side he laid on after death rather than damage from a fall, but so many broken bones would suggest a fall from above the first floor, correct? In which case the attacker would have needed to carry him up to the second or third floor to drop him, unless they threw him down with enough force to imitate a higher drop.

[inthebones]

...It's possible they didn't expect this type of injury would leave a bloodstain. It's also possible Dave turned off his lamp before taking a nap, making it very difficult to see.

It's true, though; it seems strange not to have noticed it, particularly if Dave was already unconscious. There would have been time to ensure the scene was set up correctly.

[humanic]

That'd have to be...a really large pile of clothes, man....

[pasodoble]

( There's nothing out of the ordinary and everything is in the same condition as when they arrived; even the chloroform bottle which is still unopened and full. Someone was probably asleep during disposal meeting, oops. )

[inthebones]

Sadly, the suggestion that someone hid under a pile of clothing is actually perfectly reasonable.

But even in the mess, it would have been difficult to evade detection so long. Surely Dave couldn't have failed to notice someone else in the room - and the first thing he would have done is cry out, attracting attention.

[vytis]

It was found on the drawing and at the corner of the desk it was on, right? Maybe there used to be more, and they cleaned it up, but missed that blood because of the paper?

[herpreciousrival]

Wouldn't that most likely cause damage to the chair?

[vytis]

I would think so, yes. ...Of course, this is assuming the doors would close on anything that was blocking their path and don't have a sensor to prevent that.

[humanic]

Yeah, that seems like way too much effort for no point. It'd make sense if they held him over the shaft to stop getting blood everywhere, but they'd have to be really strong in that case, dude's a hundred and forty pounds.

[souredsweet]

[The May Standard™ for dissection is the best standard.]

I suppose that we can end our search here for now, in that case. If you can think of anything else that you would like me to check, please let me know. Likewise, I will accompany you if you wish to check anything as thanks for accompanying me. ...But first, would you be kind enough to give me a few more moments of your time so that I may wash my hands? My bathroom is right across the hall.

[respecting]

That's why they waited for him to turn his back... otherwise, I dunno... maybe nobody heard him?

[respecting]

I KNOW I read somethin' about a pile of clothes, though. Someone who saw the clothes could tell you if it was big enough.

[respecting]

Aight well... long as that's cleared up, it's okay! It was a hell of a distraction, yo.

[herpreciousrival]

It's still something worth looking at.

[souredsweet]

[Spain you're a danger. Kaoru will be taking the bottle back after finishing the search just so it can be properly disposed of later...

anyway going to flip through those books and then move on to check the liquor cabinet to see if anything is particularly out of the ordinary. the covers and beneath the bed will be checked under as well, and behind the curtains for good measure.]

Michael Altman

[reunified]

Tuesday
8-10 am: Awake but remained inside room.
11 am: Grabbed early breakfast/late lunch, ate while walking outside.
1 pm: At the servant's quarters, attempting to gain access with Miss Sto Helit.
2-3:30 pm: Finished walk through grounds.
4-8 pm: In the library.
9 pm: At the bar. Miss Nagumo was present.
10:30 pm: Went to bed.

Wednesday
8-10 am: Skipped breakfast. At the chapel. Miss Belarus was present.
10:40 am and on: Returned to main building. Encountered Miss Sto Helit. Became aware of missing person. Search and subsequent investigations began.

[reunified]

[ He hands his over automatically. ]

Here. Go through whatever you need.

[reunified]

[ Altman stands up, looking rather shell-shocked. ]

If you have any questions about where I was or what I was doing, I can answer them.

[herpreciousrival]

Ah... I feel like some clarification of my abilities is necessary.

I am aware that my skill card says that I can repel attacks among other things, but I've never gone up against a sword before... never mind whatever a katana is. [She's not from around here.] The attacks I ward off in my line of work as a Sailor Animate are of a more elemental and magical nature.

If Mr. Strider had gone after me with such a sharp weapon I'd certainly be standing before you with a significantly shorter hair cut right now.