( TRIAL - WEEK 1 )

[abhoth]

At exactly 11:30 am, all residents who are still asleep will be jolted awake by a sharp, burning pain that spreads across their whole body. A simple look will reveal no visible injuries, oddly enough, and the pain will fade away as soon as they're properly awake. Those early birds who are already up and about will feel nothing — except maybe a strange, mysterious sense of relief as they go on about their business. Lucky them. Moments later, an announcement will come through the static-filled PA system: "This is Craftly speaking. My apologies for the rude awakening [not really], but your presence is required in the Dining Hall. Our first trial is about to begin. Please do try to be there before noon. My staff members have simply too many duties to tend to, to be escorting each and every one of you out of your quarters. Good day." And true to his words, anyone who doesn't make their way to the Dining Hall before noon will be dragged kicking and screaming regardless of where they've sequestered themselves. Sucks to be you, huh? Upon arriving there, however, residents will be given the menu, one copy of the rulebook, one pencil, one notepad, and a cheque folder. Lunch and dinner will be served at the appropriate times, and appetizers, desserts and beverages (of the non-alcoholic variety) will be available throughout the trial. All you have to do is ask one of the faceless men, and your food will be delivered to you in ten minutes or less depending on what it is. The Dining Room itself looks about the same as it does any other day — save for the fact that the lights have been dimmed. Why this, you ask? Because the projector is now in use. Transparencies containing each resident's profile will be displayed on the pull-down screen, with one of the staff members rotating through the images every minute. The profiles of the deceased are included, and if current discussion deems it necessary to focus on one particular resident, anyone is free to ask the faceless man to pause on the appropriate profile for a while. A small area has been sectioned off with a transparent, plastic curtain right next to the pull-down screen. Its use will become rapidly apparent once the victim's corpse has been wheeled in. Anyone who wishes to step into this area will be asked to wash their hands in the kitchen, and they will be given a pair of latex-free gloves and a hairnet by a staff member who is stationed nearby. Residents are required to dispose of both items before returning to the dinner table; a trash bin is available outside of the curtains for this purpose. Evidence found during the investigation, on the other hand, will be displayed in the back of the room. Two, long tables have been taken out of storage for this occasion, and any items found by the residents on Friday will be displayed here for further examination. Finally — a clock above the pull-down screen displays the current hour. Please do remember you have until 9:00 PM to figure out whodunit and cast your vote. ( victim ) Welcome to our first trial! Characters will be given nine (9) hours to discuss everything related to the investigation to hopefully solve the mystery behind this week's murder. No one will be allowed to leave the Dining Hall without explicit permission from the Innkeeper (and only then to take a tinkle), and all characters must cast their vote before 9PM EST. You may do so on this week's voting page. If you have any questions or doubts, shoot us a PM or a PP over at yuggoth. ( quick navigation ) voting | profiles | menu | locations | ic rulebook

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VOTING RESULTS

[abhoth]

[At exactly 9:00 PM, the faceless men will begin to retrieve everyone's cheque folders and voting slips. Better cast your vote before they get to your seat, or something unfortunate might happen. Once all slips have been taken, Craftly will stand up from his table to begin counting all 43 (huh) of them. He will do this three times, as if to leave no room for mistakes, before he addresses the room at large.]

Well done, children. The votes have been tallied, and your participation has been noted. I believe this deserves a round of applause.

[And a round of applause is what everyone gets, as the faceless men begin to clap in eerie synchronization, hands coming together at the same time. After a brief pause, Craftly holds up a tendril to silence his staff members.]

... Unfortunately, it seems like the majority of you voted for the wrong suspect. Ms. Hana Song is innocent. A pity, but unavoidable.

[As Craftly speaks, Hana will fall to the ground, much like a puppet with its strings cut. The faceless men will soon pick her up from the ground, carrying her away with much more gentleness than one might expect from the residents of this realm. Similarly, Jason's body will be taken away on the gurney. Though the Dining Hall doors will click shut behind them, preventing anyone from following, they'll notice they both groups of faceless men seem to be heading towards the outdoor hallway.]

This game follows a set of rules but it is not without my deepest condolences that I allow the innocent party to enjoy one final night in this realm. You may find her in the Executive Suite on the second floor for your final goodbyes. While Ms. Song will find herself unable to leave the confines of the suite, the Innsmouth Motel and its staff encourages you to visit her on this evening.

[And with that, the executioner vote is available and Craftly exits the Dining Hall. The doors are now unlocked, allowing those who are curious to make their way up to the Executive Suite. True to Craftly's words, it seems like Hana has been placed there for the time being.

Oh — and for the curious? The final tally of the votes is displayed on the projector, and will remain there until midnight.]

[lohengrins]

I tried...to throw the vote, and it didnt—

[ he's shaking — not with fear, but with rage. ]

Who is it? Who the hell is it...!?

[restlessgods]

[ Rachel's eyes are hard. ]

I had thought you a man who would be above trickery.

[lohengrins]

I didn't vote for her. I wanted to see if I could—

[ he doesn't finish. ]

...Tch.

[breaksouls]

Who the hell voted for me?!

[willremember]

Seriously?

So she wasn't lying.

[crushcard]

[ sorry, property damage gonna happen - Seto's gonna slam his fist into the table - there might be a few splinters being knocked off the wood. ]

[vitamin_a]

[Apollo seethes silently. There's nothing to gain by fighting with Craftly...but damn does this result frustrate him]

[intolerable]

[ Said out loud, for the entire room to hear: ]

If I find the ghost before next week's trial is up, I'll kill them personally! No trial necessary, I'll admit it with pride!

[lohengrins]

I'll gladly help.

[splinten]

You'll get a helping hand.

[He is very, very carefully contained range, but holy shit is he angry. They knew it could've been the ghost, they tried to find evidence of that, and they had fucking nothing. They couldn't do anything.]

[willremember]

I don't disagree, but that means you'll be the scapegoat. You alright with that?

[nowyouseeit]

[balls his hands into fists at his sides]





[and then kind of. slams one against the wall on his way out the door. KAITO PLZ YOU ALREADY ALMOST BROKE YOUR KNUCKLES WHEN JASON WAS KILLED. . .]

[lohengrins]

Kaito, don't— [ he says while shaking with rage, having threatened to murder this ghastly asswipe mere seconds ago. ]

We need to find the culprit as soon as possible. Breaking your knuckles will accomplish nothing.

[bownthisway]

[Aloy takes several rapid steps towards Craftly, clearly barely restraining herself from lunging at him.]

So it was the Ghost. So much for evidence and playing fair, huh? I knew we couldn't trust you, you bastard!

[Her fist slams into the nearby table.]

Or maybe you or one of your minions killed Jason yourselves! Maybe you set this whole thing up so we'd fight among ourselves trying to find a killer who doesn't even exist!

[ninjay]

... We should figure out who's going to be the executioner, I suppose.

[thawedheart]

[So, yeah, Yukina definitely looks like she's going to puke.

She stares at the tally of votes on the projector for a few long moments, hands over her mouth, and shakes her head uselessly before turning on her heel and running out of the room.]

[godly]

[He's frowning, with absolutely nothing to say. It's obvious that this doesn't settle well with him, if the way he's glaring a bit at the results is any indication.]

[pinesforyou]

What? But that can't---

[y i k e s]

Does that mean I..... I helped..... she's going to die because I voted....?

[18x0]

N-no...

[She's sinking to her knees, horrified.]

She was innocent, and we...

[rextenebrae]

[ For a moment, his gaze is unreadable, and words quiet-- ]

... I suppose there really is no hope.