ROOM 6

[dramatispersonae]

[You enter a pleasant sitting room: there are nine plush comfy chairs in a semi-circle in front of a crackling fireplace, and a table set with various finger-foods and two carafes, one of water and one of wine. It'd be a very nice room ... if not for the dummy lying facedown on the floor with a giant butcher knife sticking out of its back and a little bottle by one of its hands, marked with a tiny skull and crossbones. There's a hangman's noose around its neck, though the other end looks rather frayed.

The pleasant voice of a woman -- not the persona -- begins to speak:]

Hello and welcome. I wish it could have been under better circumstances, but today has some interesting circumstances. As you can see, my good associate, Mister X, has met an unfortunate end. I've reason to believe it might be one of you! Shall we see if I'm right?

Comments

NUMBERS

[dramatispersonae]

[on the table, by the food, are seven envelopes, accordingly numbered]

((please comment here with a number 1 - 9. this is for assigning your randomized acting roles and isn't meant to take long))

Re: NUMBERS

[squirreledaway]

8

Re: NUMBERS

[ichtreteihrgesicht]

7

Re: NUMBERS

[oh_brother]

2

Re: NUMBERS

[ranoutofmemories]

1

Re: NUMBERS

[glorious]

4

ROLES AND CLUES

[dramatispersonae]

1 - the weak hero from a big family, who has worked hard to better the community
2 - the ambitious singer with more than meets the eye, determined to overcome all odds
3 - the frustrated bodyguard, irritated with the system and failed dreams
4 - the agile hunter on the run from the law, also fast-talking and free-wheeling
5 - the arrogant rascal, belligerent and ready to fight at a moment's notice
6 - the cooperative inventor that is a complete fraud, fronts well but with some anxiety
7 - the graceful, peaceful traveler, whose still waters may run very deep
8 - the enduring, calm teacher, who has seen many terrible things and stands strong
9 - the open-minded adventurer haunted by flashbacks, anxious but eager to listen and please


CLUES
* Mister X appears to have died by poisoning
* Mister X was involved in a great deal of community projects, including a number he canceled without warning
* Mister X traveled a great deal in his youth, and came into contact with all sorts of people

START

[dramatispersonae]

[when you open your envelopes, there is a short description provided. also printed under the that are three clues. but one of you has something extra ...]

((This is the murder game! Everyone is playing the detective, but one of you has been randomly assigned as the "culprit." It will be up to everyone to play detective, and for the "culprit" to do their best to remain undetected.))

Re: START

[squirreledaway]

[......... you have got to be kidding me.

Off to a great start with this long suffering face.]

Re: START

[glorious]

[...eyeing that face.]

Re: START

[ichtreteihrgesicht]

[... just ... staring ... at her card ....]

[..........]

[all the fox ear twitching. all of it]

Re: START

[glorious]

An unpleasant role?

Re: START

[glorious]

...I'm afraid my role doesn't suit me very well.

Re: START

[ranoutofmemories]

I guess you can't switch . . .

Re: START

[oh_brother]

[sigh]

Interesting.

Re: START

[ranoutofmemories]

Um . . . what is?

Re: START

[ranoutofmemories]

[well, okay]

Re: START

[ichtreteihrgesicht]

[hhhhhffff]

[okay fine i guess i will CHECK OUT THE DEAD BODY]

[first]

Re: START

[glorious]

[While Ginger's checking out the body, I'm going to check out the wine.]

CONCLUSION

[dramatispersonae]

[a book appears where the envelopes were before, along with a pen. it opens itself and flips to a blank page. (attempts to read earlier will show that the pages are filled, but with a great deal of illegible scribbles.)]

I'd like to hear what you have to say, in order to defend yourselves.

[please give your conclusion of who the culprit is, no matter how outlandish. those who cannot read or write will be able to just narrate, and the pen will fill out your answer for you.]

Re: CONCLUSION

[oh_brother]

Apparently I murdered my father with the power of music.

Re: CONCLUSION

[squirreledaway]

[heavy sigh, then... singing?]

I've been a looooong tiiiime gone, and I ain't coming back again.

Re: CONCLUSION

[ranoutofmemories]

I can't defend myself in this situation. It was me. Mr. X had betrayed my people so many times even though my family has worked so hard to build it up. Promise after promise, he broke them all, and even after that, he made another one. I could see the strain in the townspeople's eyes, and I couldn't allow them to suffer any further. If he broke any more promises, the town would have been in ruins, but . . .

I don't have the strength to take him down on my own. They all call me a hero, but the truth is, I'm weak. That's why I forced him to take the poison. The others know how I did it so they'll explain it further.

I'll take the punishment that I deserve.

Re: CONCLUSION

[ichtreteihrgesicht]

The sunshine-clothed girl did it. She confronted Mister X in the middle of a suicide attempt and used the butcher knife to cut the noose, but she only cut it partway - it broke the rest of the way itself. During the struggle, she stabbed him in the back with the knife, and eventually she forced him to drink the poison with his own hand.

But she's really just a tool. The real culprit is a conspiracy called the Order, who manipulated Mister X into wasting the money he meant to help the people of her town on their own projects, and used her to eliminate him when it became clear they could no longer rely on his financial support. The Mister X I knew would have never done this to her town deliberately.

Be gentle on her.

Re: CONCLUSION

[glorious]

I have obtained a confession from the young lady Jet. She was woman who cared for and loved the community she served, and the victim was a man who was constantly undermining that community. Making promises to improve that community, raising resources for various projects and then canceling them...That places distrust amongst the people of that community, destabilizing it, and she could stand it no longer. Mister X could not be trusted in a position of power and the people under him were all content to be trodden over, too weak-willed to stand up for themselves. In such a situation, could you not blame her for taking matters into her own hands?

Her actions may have been extreme but they were ultimately for the betterment of the community as a whole. Now the community she served is free -- truly free and are finally able to stand on their own two feet. They are able to gather their resources for themselves and improve their homes with their own power. Is it truly a crime when her necessary actions have resulted in stronger, more vibrant community?

And of course, there remains the question of what happened to the resources that Mister X gathered. Where did they all go? What happened to them? We all know they had to go somewhere.

In the end, it's obvious that Mister X was involved with a conspiracy with the Order. Whenever a project that undermined their goals arose, he used his power to not only cancel that project but to drain whatever resources could be used away from the community. The Order was threatened by this community and sought to ground it into dust.

I know, for I was a member of that Order. I have escaped from their grasp and been pretending to be nothing more than a crass drunkard, in order to escape their eye. But now I am making myself known.

I am Selenia Sapphire, and I will overthrow the Order and make it answer for its crimes.

That is a promise that shall be kept.