FINAL INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

FINAL INVESTIGATION


[Fifteen X-Passes. Six weeks. Freedom at last.



But it's not the end. Of course it's not. There are questions to answer, and souls to save. And now that the group is outside, they can see where they are.

They are inside a massive cavern, illuminated in an eerie green light, standing on a stone path. On one side is the ship-or rather, a massive, ship-shaped tangle of bloody branches, the trunk-like roots snaking out and into the river its buoyed on, as well as into the ceiling of stalactites. Said river is wine dark, but it's clearly not water. No-it is blood.

And on the other side of their little pathway? A root-encrusted palace. It sits over a labyrinthine city, bathed in emerald, and all is eerily silent save for some sounds coming from within the castle. It's clear the infestation somehow started here. And it is here that answers are likely to be found.

The doors are right in front of the group-and they are already open, covered in branches. From the outside, it seems little more than a ruin. Once everyone goes in, though?




It's even worse. The tree has taken over. Whatever lives here is no longer in charge. There's no easy way to disentangle the Qilphoth from this place. But there is life here, somehow. You can see figures entangled within the roots as you explore. And-they are still, somehow, alive. More than alive. They are beings that bleed ichor instead of blood-beings of incredible divinity and power. They are gods. And they are hostage to the tree, forever and ever, trapped in induced ennui, unless something is done.


So welcome, Strangers, to the House of Hades.]







[Once you enter, the investigation shall begin.


Good luck.]



((OoC: And here are team assignments!))

Comments

???

[strangerpeople]

[When the living enter through Area 5 into the house in general, there's some weird banging sounds coming from behind a thick cluster of bloody vines.




That's. Hopefully not ominous, right?]

[exequte]

[.... well that's probably fine.]

H-hello?

[strangerpeople]

[There's some vague shouting behind the roots. "Watch where you put that!" "Maybe move your neck before I slice it off!" "You can't slice my neck, I'm dead!" "Watch me try!"]

[pegasinister]

[Well that's not ominous at all! Hubert, moving to tug his gloves... remembering he no longer has those, sighs, and instead uses his bow to try and push the vines aside without touching them]

[strangerpeople]

[No dice.

However, it seems someone on the other side is trying to, well. Do the same thing.

There's a rumble, there's a scream, and then...silence.]

ongoing cw in thread for suicidality and other forms of chainsaw man typical despair and violence

[yesorwoof]

[This whole atmosphere is barely discomfiting and outright familiar to Makima. She's also trying to get a scent read on these ichor-bleeding beings.]

You want to die? Who do you want to kill you?

[strangerpeople]

[Ma'am, this is a Wendy's, we just asked if you wanted a side!


There's no response. They scent is like nectar and ambrosia. These people, whoever they are, are not human. They are more than that, if anything.]

EVIDENCE LIST: HOUSE OF HADES

[strangerpeople]

AREA 1 (7 clues)

[strangerpeople]

[Please link evidence found in the Area 1 here!]

AREA 2 (6 clues)

[strangerpeople]

[Please link evidence found in the Area 2 here!]

AREA 3 (3 clues)

[strangerpeople]

[Please link evidence found in the Area 3 here!]

AREA 4 (3 clues)

[strangerpeople]

[Please link evidence found in the Area 4 here!]

AREA 5 (4 clues)

[strangerpeople]

[Please link evidence found in the Area 5 here!]

AREA 6 (12 clues)

[strangerpeople]

[Please link evidence found in the Area 6 here!]

EVIDENCE SEARCH

[strangerpeople]

AREA 1

[strangerpeople]

AREA 2

[strangerpeople]

AREA 3

[strangerpeople]

AREA 4

[strangerpeople]

AREA 5

[strangerpeople]

AREA 6

[strangerpeople]

STRATEGIZE

[strangerpeople]

[This is for anything else not related to the investigation. Gathering supplies, talking between teams, anything that wouldn't fit into finding evidence.

Once the Final Investigation has finished, everyone will be barred from entering the House of Hades until the Final Trial has concluded. Besides, whoever owns this place would be pretty mad if you stayed and messed up their house without stopping the tree.]

[pegasinister]

[Welp, that sure is a big ass building. It's look, outside the roots and the green light and the blood, though, isn't that exotic to Hubert. Finally we're getting into his fantasy setting aesthetics!!]

Shall we split off and search for the source then?

for alastor

[pegasinister]

[HERE COMES BERT, with one of those creepy white beasts, stuffed and taxidermied, under his arm, on the hunt for Alastor between/after investigations]

Welp

[not_a_lego_maniac]

[At some point, Zack collapses onto the floor near the entrance to...his? bedroom, pulling a bit as his hair with both hands. He's.


Just a tad overwhelmed.


Also, hey there people who didn't see him emerge from the blood pool/pet the good boy, he's alive.]