15strangers | THE FIRST TRIAL

THE FIRST TRIAL

[Soon after the final clue is found, there are three more loud, unsettling tonal clangs, all which go right to the bone. No matter where they are, the Titled will hear another, loud creak.

The set of doors on the left are slowly opening, revealing a long, long corridor, with a very long flight of stairs going upwards, just barely visible at the end of it.

The Intercessor's voice booms through the air and shakes the ground, sounding loud and clear no matter where the Titled might be standing at that moment.]

ENTER!

[The voice brooks no argument. As soon as everyone goes through the set of double doors, they close behind them. There is no choice, and no turning back. The Titled must go up the stairs at the end of the hall. They feel like they take forever, but when the stairs are finally traversed, there is a single door at the top, already open to them.

Welcome to the Debate Hall, Titled. Its the best-lit place you've seen, with gas lamps on the wall bright as possible. Its also the emptiest place they've ever seen so far - its massive and yet the Titled and the Intercessor are the only individuals to be seen in the entire area.

Seems, because there is faint chanting coming from the darkness behind that stage at the other end. There's no real way to hear what's being said, no matter how close you try to get. No way to check if there's even anyone on or behind the stage to make such chanting possible. The only person remotely close to the stage, standing on the stone steps, is the Intercessor.

There is also a faint rumble in the air, as if the world itself mourns the crime committed.

So. Take your seats at your stone desks to face one another as you debate. And yes, they are stone. Yes, they have stone chairs with which to sit in. And yes, your Title is on your assigned chair, etched in with chisel and hammer. Every desk also has a copy of the Writs with Orders 7 and 8 circled, and a copy of the autopsy file of the deceased on top of it; that is all the aid you will get from whoever brought you here. The rest, it seems, is up to the Titled, with what they have found.

Seats 7 and 8 are empty. Their copies of the rules and evidence lay untouched.

Once everyone has taken their seats, the strange, ominous chanting stops. Its time. Bound in blood, the death warrant has already been signed. The contract is complete. Its now just a question of finding the guilty party to fulfill the call for justice.

So, get ready, Titled.

The Inquisition of Laslow, the Spinner, has begun.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...in Laslow's room, I found a bunch of letters addressed to Harley. They were just the ones that they were sending us with the rules on it, but...

[Futaba closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.]

...one of them had blood on it.

H-Huh? Seriously?!

Then that's even more suspicious!

Yeah... the others were fine and it was a small spatter, but... it was definitely blood.

What kind of spatter was it? Maybe it matches the rectangle...

Rectangle? You mean the spot on the desk or whatever?

That's right. That's what the skeleton's calling it. I thought a piece of paper could go there since it's a writing desk.

That makes sense. Maybe that's why they tried hiding it in with all the other papers. Plus trying to hide the key to his room...

It all seems to fit.

I didn't see those ones when I was there. Were they really just the same as the ones left in the hall?

I mean it looked like there might have been one that was drawn on, but... I read them, and they looked like the same letters.

[I mean, there were a few so she skimmed over some of them, but nothing else that really stood out to her.]

OH NO...BLOOD??

Yeah... not a lot though.

[Enough to make it feel like her heart fell through to her stomach though.]

Maybe it dripped on it or... something like that.

[HHHHMMMMMMMM]

I SEE! SO INSTEAD OF JUST BURNING UP ALL THE LETTERS, LIKE SHE DID WITH THE PERSON SHE HURT, THE CRAZY LADY JUST STUFFED THEM INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S ROOM!

WHAT A FIENDISH TWIST!

Edited 2017-05-27 22:17 (UTC)

[Oh... OH.]

...is that why she buried the key? If we couldn't have gotten in there... that would be as good as destroying the evidence.

"It certainly seems that way. I imagine the culprit thought no one would ever be able to access the room once Laslow was gone."

"And that's less incriminating then more evidence of fire I guess."

"The only other source of fire is the firepit in the kitchen, but that room is sealed during curfew. Burning evidence is a risky proposition in this setting."

"Yeah that's what I thought. Even if you wanted to start one by yourself, it would be really hard. I don't think most people would go out of their way to do it.

"I am not even certain the tools to do so are available to us. Though I admit such a skill would be second nature to a survivalist."

NYEH-HEH-HEH!

SO SHE BURIED THE KEY! WHAT CLEVERNESS!!

You seem pretty impressed.

[But he's an idiot sometimes, so she figures she might have to set the skeleton straight.]

But what happened to Laslow could have happened to any of us. The person you're complimenting could have easily been your murderer.

Don't you think the people solving that murder... us-- the good guys-- are a lot cooler?

OF COURSE! EVERYONE IS COOLER EXCEPT THE PERSON WHO MADE THE PUZZLE!

EVEN IF IT'S A COOL PUZZLE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, COULD MAKE A MUCH BETTER AND COOLER PUZZLE WITHOUT RESORTING TO GAINING EXP!

[...you know what. She's a gamer. She understands.]

I'm glad you understand.

[....]

You know, when we're finished with this, I'd like to see one of your puzzles. Maybe we could make a trust building exercise out of it or something.

REALLY???

OF COURSE! OF COURSE!! I CAN EASILY PROVIDE!! I HAVE MANY PUZZLE IDEAS I CAN USE!!

Alright PuzzleMaster. I'll leave it to you then. God knows we could use it.

[A nice, harmless puzzle... something to bring them back together.]

...well I guess if you need a hand setting anything up, I'll help if I can.

[They're on the same team after all.]

(no subject)

defriendestration - 2017-05-28 02:53 (UTC) - Expand

.... you mean the first one or the second one? Because if it was the second one they shoved so many under my door that I had a hard time opening it, and there were a bunch left in front of it too. Someone thought it needed reinforcement, apparently. I burned most of them, that's how I found out I can do this fire stuff, but it wouldn't have been hard for someone else to get them.