TRIAL | WEEK FOUR

[divus]

FOURTH TRIAL

The participants' sleep the night before is blessedly free of god-sent dreams, and when they wake and the morning dawns bright and early, they find themselves drawn to the courtyard.

The courtyard looks mostly the same as it did the day before - filled with statues of each of the participants, with frosted glass-topped coffin at the center. However, now that the trial has begun, the coffins of our victims are open, their bodies is available for examination.

Cunning, for obvious reasons, is standing alone among the statues, waiting for everyone to arrive. His arms are folded over his chest and he's leaning against whatever statue is conveniently behind him, eyeing the participants as they fill the courtyard. When the last participant arrives, he speaks.

"So hey, thanks to someone today's trial will be a little different. You know these things still need two of us, right?"

A voice interrupts him, coming from the courtyard's entrance. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you do this alone. I'm here now, so we can get this started!"

Ambition, clad in her usual mask and flowing robes, strides forward. In stark contrast to last week's appearance, she seems much more composed than before - in fact, she seems perfectly at ease, and she heads up to join Cunning, crossing her arms and surveying the group imperiously.

"Cunning's in charge of field trips today, and I'll be handling your questions. Try not to ask anything too ridiculous, got it?"

Behind them, above the doorway to the altar room, marble busts appear depicting the masked faces of the five suspected gods, names etched upon their stands: Merriment, Ambition, Justice, Cunning, and Disorder. The culprit is among their ranks, but which team will bear the burden?

Good luck, everyone. You have nine hours to cast your vote... and your time starts now.

VICTIMS;



SUSPECTS;

OOC NOTES

Hello, everyone, and welcome to our fourth trial!

Each trial is surrounded by different circumstances, so don't expect this one to play out the same way as the last, but for now we're going to cut back a bit on the overview and trust you all to go forward on your own. Still, read on for a general reminder on what to keep in mind while playing with the game's specific trial mechanics:

Participants will have the chance to investigate a preserved version of the temple as it was on murder night by providing the name of the location they wish to investigate to the appropriate host. Only one location may be investigated at a time, and no more than three characters should take part in the investigation. Clues from the death announcement dream and the characters' bodies themselves will provide hints for which places you may want to investigate, so these will serve as good ic talking points. The accompanying host is able to manipulate the environment upon request to allow you to test theories. We suggest that you visit locations to confirm or deny theories that have come up in discussion at the trial, or to search for clues if you get stuck. The others can and should continue to brainstorm while the investigation crew is away. Characters may revisit previously searched locations.

The purpose of these trials is determining which god is considered responsible for the actions of their follower, and in turn, which god will therefore lose a follower. Ultimately, your task here is to sway the group at large into voting the way best plays to your strategy and not just for solving a crime. Remember that no matter what conclusion you come to, there's never any guarantee that any actual culprit will be up for execution. We highly encourage that you start early thinking about which god may have had the most to gain from the crime, so you aren't finding yourself voting blind at the last moment. When you're ready, please place your character's vote over on the voting page. Voting will close at 6PM PST/9PM EST, and will serve as our activity check for the week, so please be sure you get your vote in before it ends unless you have contacted us previously.

If you have any questions at any time, please let do us know by pinging us on Discord or on plurk! Britt (bloodthirstiest) is taking point on the trial today, and Danielle (entrappings) is her backup.

Thank you, and have fun!

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Comments

Altar Room Findings

[arockstar]

Cinque, Alex, and I went to check out the Altar Room. We didn't find much, but, uh...

[He points to Cinque's ballsack.]

There was a pillowcase full of billiard balls hidden behind the throne? Not sure what's up with that. But, other than that, the room was clear except for a massive blood trail on the floor. I'm thinking Luna might've died there given that she was covered in red stuff and we're thinking Ruin was killed in the west wing. It could've been Ruin's blood, though. It's tough to say.

[And that's it! Except, oh, wait.]

It looked like whoever died there was dragged out of the room, too.

[sleepingkogoro]

Billiard balls in a pillowcase would make a rather good blunt weapon. That sure would leave a mark if it hit you.

[Did Luna or Ruin have anything that indicated they were battered with something? If so, that'd be of use]

[arockstar]

Man, what a weird weapon. You'd think something else would've been easier. Less unwieldy.

[That said...]

Ruin's body was pretty banged up, though. It's possible someone hit her with the balls...? But then what's up with everything those other guys found in the west wing?

[sleepingkogoro]

It's also rather unsubtle. If Ruin saw it, there's no way she didn't know she was about to get attacked.

[Anyone would fight or flee in that case. It's possible Ruin didn't see this improvised weapon]

[arockstar]

Exactly. I mean, I can't think of another explanation for it, but even so, I don't quite see how it fits in here.

Re: Altar Room Findings

[psynergy]

[Alex holds out the billiard balls numbered 1 and 3.]

And these were rolling across the floor as I approached the altar. I can't say why, unfortunately.

[heartmunculus]

Maybe they fell out of the pillowcase during the altercation?

[arockstar]

But the pillowcase was hidden behind the throne. If someone had time to do that, they certainly had time to collect all the balls.

[heartmunculus]

Hmm... Maybe it was a set up? They might have wanted the victim to trip on them for some reason.

[psynergy]

That could be. They seem entirely clean and in tact.

[usogi]

[he's going to get dizzy just from these descriptions]

That's... so brutal....

I think they said the red stuff on Luna-san was strawberry.... so maybe it was Ruin-san.

Could you follow where the trail went to out of the altar room?

[selfimmolates]

It did seem like Ruin was dragged around in the West Wing, so it wouldn't surprise me.

[usogi]

... Mm.

So maybe someone left an offering for her and she had to go answer it? Or....

[he doesn't like this]

[bakaomi]

... that seems most likely, since it worked last week.

[arockstar]

[He shakes his head.]

I don't think so. I mean, we didn't try, but the trail pretty clearly led out of the room.

[usogi]

It sounds like she might've been dragged to the West Wing anyway....

Any footprints? I mean if they got any of the blood on their clothes.... Anything that could lead us to an actual person who might've done it?

[whirlingmace]

[ She has the biggest ballsack. ]

I don't know if they were used. Did anyone find any wounds on anyone that look like they were hit super hard? I know Luna had a dent one her shoulder, but I don't know if she got that from our game.

[arockstar]

Ruin's body is pretty banged up. I assumed that was from being pushed off the mountain, but it's possible the balls in the pillowcase could've been used to bludgeon her somehow. I don't know that we'd be able to know for sure given her other injuries.

[whirlingmace]

Bummer.

[ They can't narrow much down with this :< ]

[sedulitas]

We could test it.

See if the balls in the pillowcase would have given the same results because if they don't then it was likely because she was pushed.

[ritualization]

If you think it may have been Ruin's blood... it was mentioned that she was quite bruised and damaged, was she not? With the apparent state of her body, if that pillowcase was used as some sort of makeshift weapon-- it would be hard to tell now if it was ever used on her, wouldn't it.

[for the record he is still chilling on the grass while he adds to the conversation, he's gotten comfy]

Maybe she was struck with it, perhaps left unconscious, and the injuries covered?

[arockstar]

[ishi is living his best life.]

That's very possible, yeah. I don't know that we'd be able to confirm much based on the state of her body... But I guess we could try? If it helps, I'd think the best place to whack someone with a bag full of balls would be in the head or chest. We could examine her body again for wounds there.

[ritualization]

I agree-- perhaps look specifically for injuries small enough to have been from those. The only other thing I can think of is that they were supposed to be an obstacle, but considering we have been told vulnerable gods can only delay the inevitable...

[which he still hates! he looks down at the ground, sighing.]

I do not know why anyone would think such a thing was necessary.

[whirlingmace]

There's no blood on it, but there was blood on the floor. It's weird.

[ritualization]

Then I lean toward thinking it was used to either knock someone unconscious or throw them off guard, before harming them.