It begins, as it always does, on the S.S. Charon: the seafaring vessel belonging to the Evergreen family transporting the lucky guests of this year's Halloween Extravaganza from sunny Florida to lush Evergreen Island.
After the hustle and bustle of ticket checks and room assignments, the members of the cast are escorted to the B Deck's Dining Hall for an announcement. Velanna and Vladimir Evergreen introduce themselves as children of the esteemed Lynette Evergreen. Given her playful disposition, Velanna teases to those aboard the ship that this year's party will be a bit more … interactive than their previous counterparts. Simply put, a massive mystery game, similar to Clue, was going to be held on Halloween. Velanna's intensity is foreboding, but Vladimir quickly reassures everyone that no one was going to be put in any actual danger. It's all for fun, after all.
The voyage to Evergreen Island would be roughly four hours—ample time for the esteemed guests this year to idly chat with one another. The Evergreen siblings also note that they'll be available for any questions or concerns that guests may have.
With that, the cast go about their separate ways: on A Deck, a Musician, a Romantic, a Tinkerer (as well as his bunny!), and a Waiter walk into a bar … and then wade into an outdoor pool … there is, unfortunately, no punchline to be found here; on B Deck, a certain Trickster begins making a ruckus, much to the chagrin of his fellow seafarers; on C Deck, a Protector shows an Artist a quiet room to stay, away from the clamor.
Eventually, the hours pass by, and the invitees are all shuffled once more to the Guesthouse to unpack and gather their bearings. Eventually, they are escorted to the Manor for dinner, whereupon they begin making proper acquaintances with one another. The chatter is quickly dispersed when the Matriarch, Lynette Evergreen, gently calls attention to herself by way of gently tapping against her glass.
​
"Welcome everyone. I'm more than thrilled to have you all here for the next couple days. This party is our 25th anniversary of hosting! However, I do come bearing some unfortunate news."
Her upbeat tone and expression slowly faded away to something a lot more melancholic. "I'm getting to be quite the old bat now." She chuckled. "This will likely be our last party that I can host while still being in good health. It's important that I take care of myself and my family as I would expect you all to do the same for yourselves and your family. These parties could not happen without you all though and for that, I'm eternally grateful for allowing me to experience all walks of life over the years on my secluded little island."
The expressions of the family matched Lynette's. They looked down, almost guiltily as if they had been hiding some big secret. "Tonight. We celebrate you all. And most importantly, we celebrate being alive. A waiter will be around to present our meal options; we have a wide variety to accommodate all diets. So please, enjoy your meal. Enjoy your drink. Enjoy the people and yourselves. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for coming! October 30th, we will discuss more about our game!"
Lynette took a sip from her glass and sat back down. Several staff members began scurrying around to collect orders.
Tonight, you'd simply celebrate being alive.
​
At the news of this, the mood quickly turns bittersweet. This is further exacerbated when the youngest Evergreen, Nikolas, abruptly storms out of the Dining Hall. He is chased after by his mother, Cordelia. Vladimir attempts to lighten the mood, but it does not help the atmosphere as guests talk amongst one another—some lamenting the sudden announcement, and others talking in less than savory ways about it.
Soon after, dinner is served and eaten, and the guests are escorted back to their respective rooms. A mix of trepidation, excitement, and curiosity lingers in the air for the events to come …
0-0: Introduction
From the 28th to the 30th of October, guests are given free time to spend amongst themselves and staff members. As they all mingle with one another, the anticipation for the Halloween Extravaganza looms over the air. What exactly would they be doing for the event? Luckily, they wouldn't need to wait much longer—for the dinner of the 30th would reveal whatever surprises were lurking beneath the Island.
As guests prepare themselves for the event, a note is slipped underneath their doors:
Meet me at the forestline just before dinner.
Leave before they call for you or you will fall to the Witch's cycle. We can escape.
Those who do not heed the note briefly make it to the Banquet Hall in time for dinner. As they mingle amongst one another—mainly gossiping about the perplexity of the note and what it could possibly mean—a singular figure strides into the room.
Percival Leblanc.
However, his usual attire is … different. Instead of a black-and-white mask, he now dons a pure-white visage on his face, a comical theater-like frown plastered on it. He makes a nonchalant, flippant remark about the scene, kicking his feet up on the table. His blase attitude concerns both guests and residents alike. As he exchanges remarks with the rest of the cast, a peculiar guest sat in Lynette's seat: purple gown with black lace; a black veiled hat; white masquerade mask. They seemed to be having a conversation with Victor and Leonardo.
As Cordelia is questioned about the stranger sitting in stead of The Matriarch, Percival feigns a yawn before making a confusing, yet harrowing remark:
"Well. I'm bored. Don't you think it's time to get this party started?"
Confusion descends into panic as The Trickster pulls a detonator out of his pocket. Fiddling recklessly with the button, he challenges the dinnertime menagerie to find the Witch for him.
At that moment, a new guest appears in their midst: The Influencer, Hallibell Leonte. Of course, given the nature of the Miracle that brought him there, no one bats an eye; it's as if he was there the entire time. Unfortunately, his stroke of luck leads to misfortune for those around him, as he begins to bluff to Percival about the whereabouts of the Witch. The following exchange ensues:
"We're still on that Eye Spy thing? Yeah, I mean, I know where I saw a Witch. I can take you right to the place, if you want."
"Ohh? Have you now? Why don't you tell me where or who? You'll have three tries to get it right. After that, I'll get bored of your attempts."
"Eir, their name was Eir. The Endless Witch. I saw— I saw them in the Rose Maze."
"They're in the Rose Garden? But that doesn't... Witches can't...? Are you telling the truth? If you're lying..."
"I did, I saw them. I was walking in the Rose Garden and saw someone else, so I followed them. Thought they were one of the Evergreens I hadn’t met, so we had a little chat. Just small talk, nothing much."
"Then what is their name?"
"Eir. That was what they told me. Eir, the Endless Witch."
And with that answer, Percival's reply comes instantaneously:
"Liar."
He presses the detonator, and just before the Banquet Hall erupts into embers—-
A miracle occurs.
While Mischa, The Lioness, and Hallibell attempt to flee, Mora and Cain—The Glassblower and Paramedic, respectively—instinctively lunge at Percival. Out of panic, Tooru Hoshiumi, The Romantic, throws his dining chair a second too late, attempting to somehow save those around him. However, his wish comes true in that instant— the chair morphs into a grotesque golden hand. It removes Percival's mask and The Trickster tries to scramble backwards to no avail thanks to Mora and Cain's combined efforts.
The golden hand removes Percival's face as well—almost like a cartoon—leaving behind a blank canvas. And with that, the Banquet Hall dissolves into another scene: the entrance to the Rose Maze.
Dark … darkness … darkness everlasting … Though the Island residents are familiar with the scenery around them, they are startled by how pitch black it appears. A swipe of Tooru's phone reveals that it is still somehow 5:50 PM. Beckoned by a voice from within, those left behind wander forth. Of them, Mora, Hallibell, Eri, Cain, Freya, Tooru, Eve, Imani, Huang, and Jamie are lost to the Maze; only Mischa and Nikolas make it through.
…
… And then … as if nothing happened—no, not nothing, but as though time itself had stopped momentarily—everyone finds themselves once more in the Banquet Hall, in the aftermath of the explosion. The Head of Staff, Justice Monroe, hurriedly ushers everyone out of the building. The entire Manor is in flames, embers raining down as if they were golden butterflies. As they all take in the wreckage before them, their eyes begin to drift … and they are lulled into a deep and peaceful sleep.
You're in my domain now, my little Butterflies.
0-1a: Forgotten Dinner
At 5:50 PM, the manor erupts into flames…
Now, let's rewind the clock just a little bit, back to 5:30 PM in a new setting: the Forest.
While those who attended that night's dinner were met with tragedy, there were those who chose to heed the warning(?) handed to them that evening. Whether out of curiosity, a need for entertainment, or whatever else, a group of people gathered outside of the Forest's edge.
The guests began talking amongst themselves, wondering why exactly they had been called here. Some suggest that this is part of the game, while others claim it's most likely a prank.
Their questions are further muddied when two figures step towards them: Velanna and Vladimir Evergreen. Holding the same slip of paper everyone else had been slipped prior to this engagement, the two amusedly begrudge at the predicament everyone here has found themselves in. What exactly did the message mean? What Witch was being talked about? When questioned about it, Velanna ponders if perhaps this was done on behalf of Lynette—she does, after all, love the thrill of immersion.
The conversation is interrupted by the snap of a twig coming from within the Forest. Breaths bated, the group turns towards the source of the sound. With the help of Cato—The Librarian—shining his trusty phone light between the trees, everyone gets a glimpse of what—or more aptly, who—made the sound:
Percival Leblanc.
Standing ominously from a short distance away, the group could make out his figure beyond the thicket of trees—and alongside him, captured in a headlock, was another member of staff: The Disciple, Abel Kennedy.
Sporting an all-black mask, Percival threatens the group not to make a move, or else harm would befall Abel. While the lack of light makes it difficult to discern what exactly is in The Trickster's other hand, the group is able to make out a distinct black shape pressed against The Disciple's temple.
Staring at the scene before them, everyone responds incredulously. Obviously, there is little belief that what he is holding in his hand is actually a weapon. Upon hearing a witty quip from The Silver-Tongue, Keigo, about the object in his hand being nothing more than a banana, Percival moves his arm towards the air—-
BANG!!
-—startling everyone into silence.
Alright. So not a banana.
The skeptical ambiance quickly moves straight into panic as the group is either rendered stock silent by the very palpable threat in front of them or questioning angrily why exactly The Trickster has gathered everyone here in the first place.
An unhinged, echoing laugh bubbles from The Trickster.
"Because this is the only way any of you will fucking listen! Why am I the only one that knows? Why?! Why?! Why?!"
Abel attempts to choke a response out, but Percival's grip only tightens.
"You're all going to follow me. No one will believe me. I'm not going to be stuck here again! You're going to follow me into the forest like good little guests. Don't just fucking stand there! Now you can start moving!"
Stepping backwards into the Forest so as to not let anyone out of his sight, Percival barks at them to follow him. Left with no other choice, the group descends into the woods alongside the madman. While they talk amongst themselves in hushed voices, Percival mutters to himself about having seen the Witch (or perhaps not? … Did he?).
Despite being faced with multiple questions from guests and residents alike—and failing to even notice that Vladimir had somehow slipped under his radar altogether—Percival begins muttering madly to himself. Taking this as an opportune moment to strike, Abel attempts to stomp on Percival's foot—-
-— … only to miss completely.
The two stop walking.
An uncomfortable silence befalls the group.
Abel gulps.
Percival stares.
And then turns back to everyone else.
"None of you get it. You really don't remember?"
As their captor is met with more questions, Abel continues fighting back, struggling in Percival's grasp. They reach out and manage to rip the mask off.
… But there is no face underneath.
Percival, in turn, merely begins to laugh.
And then finally:
"Ha.... ha.... ha.... ha.... Can't escape. Can't escape. But I can make it boring. Boring. Boring." He held the gun up.
Bang.
And as everyone stares in horror, waiting for the inevitable——-
… Perhaps not a miracle. But certainly, some sort of divine intervention occurs.
The bullet hangs between the two before dispersing into golden embers. From beyond the Forest depths, a single butterfly emerges. A single butterfly tinged with the same golden glow as the bullet. Then two more butterflies flutter out. Three. Four. Five. Endless—-
The faceless Trickster drops his gun, shaking in fear.
"RUN! THE WITCH IS HERE!"
The Trickster attempts to run, but is soon engulfed by the swarm. As it encroaches on those remaining in tendril-like formations, the group scatters in a frenzy to escape the same fate from befalling them.
Most of the group save for Hallibell and Velanna make it out of the Forest—for the former, a miracle occurs as he runs out of the Forest, landing him squarely into the events of the dinnertime scenario; for the latter, she is consumed by the golden mass before she is able to escape. Making their way to the back of the Manor, the two are met with a stunned Lynette and Katarina.
Abrasively, Katarina begins questioning the group before her. After experiencing such a harrowing event, no one is particularly pleased with her tone, flinging accusations towards her and The Matriarch. Luckily, at Lynette's discretion, Katarina calms down. Nissa, The Gardener, shakily explains the events that had transpired in the Forest to the two of them.
Before a lull manages to fully settle and everyone is able to let everything seep through, Katarina receives communication from Justice, within the Manor. In a hurry, she tells the employees in their midst—Abel and Nissa—to lead everybody to the Docks. As everyone is escorted towards the area in question, The Musician, Gale, checks his phone.
… It is somehow still 5:30 PM.
Herded like sheep towards the Docks, everyone watches as the head of security makes her way to the Manor—- before it abruptly erupts into flames.
The sound of the blast was enough to deafen anyone in the near vicinity. A plume of red and orange ascended into the sky tainted with twilight. Debris of what was once the Manor had been thrown about recklessly. Sounds of what you thought to be screams danced together into a cacophony that was befitting of a demon's roar. On All Hallow's Eve, the creatures of the Underworld would rise again to claim what they believed to be rightfully theirs. All you could do was stare into the sky helplessly as the golden butterflies... no. As the golden embers of those being dragged to hell rained down upon you.
Your vision blurred.
Your head swelled with a suffocating fog.
And soon…
… An unyielding void overtakes everyone at the Docks. Neverending darkness and silence. As golden ashes rain on all those present, their eyes begin to drift … and they are lulled into a deep and peaceful sleep.
0-1b: Forgotten Forest
After the events of the 30th, player characters wake up on the morning of October 31st with no memory of the day prior. However, everything seems … off. For one, almost everyone save for a select few of the cast are on the island. Not only that, but all contact to the outside world has been cut off; texting no longer works, the internet can no longer be accessed, and all of the boats seem to be missing from the Docks. Even the residents of the island have dwindled greatly in number, leaving only Nikolas, Abel, Nissa, Freya, and Cain behind with 18 guests. Eeriest of all, however, is the fact that the days seem to never change; it is always October 31st, xx25 at 6:00, no matter how many hours seem to pass. The sun rises and sets slower than before, stretching across the island as if to mock the inhabitants trapped within its borders.
On the first day of free time, player characters find on their bedside table an ornate envelope sealed by wax with the Evergreen's family crest stamped on it. Inside the envelope is a letter—more specifically, an epitaph. It reads as such:
In addition to the mysterious epithet showing up on the first day of free time, the employees and Nik convene in the Employees' Quarters of the Manor to discuss something later that evening. At the rough equivalent of 8 PM, Nikolas uses his Authority 3 Blessing to summon ghost butlers, requesting everyone to meet in the Front Gardens.
Turns out, someone's not only been caught snooping around the premises of the Manor, but something has also been stolen! Needless to say, Nikolas and the other residents on the island are… not impressed with this show of poor sportsmanship. Admonishing the guests for behaving this way, he declares that the Manor will be locked up for the time being. Only residents will be able to access the premises, and those caught sneaking around will be met with a great deal of suspicion. At the sight of the dismal mood this meeting has placed everyone in, Abel attempts to lighten it. … Unfortunately, it is not very effective …
As the meeting is concluded, Tooru and Hallibell confess to Nikolas that they were guilty of sneaking around the Manor. Accepting their apologies, Nikolas is soon made aware of a figure having been spotted in the Study during this investigation. He tells Abel that they'll look into this later. Additionally, The Artist, Cimmon, attempts to schedule a private meeting with Nikolas about something he's found. Not wanting The Heir to be alone, Abel negotiates and gets Cimmon to agree on meeting with both him and The Disciple the following morning.
Afterwards, the next two days are spent attempting to make sense of the situation. While some attempt to investigate the premises, others merely try to keep the fear at bay.
And then, in the dead of night on the fourth day, tragedy strikes.
​
The horrid six on the clocks around the island suddenly blipped out. Time was gone. There was nothing tethering you to reality anymore. Luckily, most of you were asleep at this point. It'd escape from underneath your nose.
An eerie silence settled in the air. The warm breeze blew gently through the trees. Not even the bugs of the forest would cry to break this silence.
Step- Step- Step- Step- Step-
Someone running through the night. Their feet hit against the cobblestone path that led towards the Guesthouse hard and fast. Their body carried themselves faster than they realized they were capable of. Of course, they were careful to avoid the red smears that led in the opposite direction.
The door of the Guesthouse remained cracked open. The haunting air seeped through…
The figure in question would turn out to be Jude Avery, The Tinkerer. With no caution as to who he'd be disturbing in the middle of the night, he shakily pounds against the closest possible door in the Guesthouse, voice rasp with panic. In his hands is a wooden pool cue, presumably taken as a form of self-defence.
It would be The Waiter, Aurore Belrose, who would come to the door, clearly annoyed that his rest had been disturbed.
"What do you need?" He asks Jude after admonishing The Tinkerer for making such a ruckus. He crosses his arms, patiently waiting for an answer.
"Someone— someone is— someone is…" Jude chokes on his words, unable to put the words together. He tells himself to breathe, before finally gasping out: "Someone is … dead—-"
Skeptical at first, Aurore replies, "Are you sure? It's not just some part of the event the Evergreens have planned?" In the back of his mind, The Waiter thinks that perhaps staging a fake corpse would be in-line for the Halloween event planned. Nonetheless, seeing how shaken the other is in front of him, he instructs Jude to breathe before asking about the details.
Jude's response, however, merely conveys the state of terror he's truly in: "It's-- It's not-- they- someone.. They got pushed down the stairs, in the manor. I... I didn't look- Jamie didn't tell me who it was-- I just-- I just know they're... Either very hurt, or--"
Simply put: this doesn't seem to be part of the Extravaganza.
On the verge of tears, Jude attempts to elaborate: "I-- I didn't see it happen but-- but Mamrie did. She heard it. She told me about it. It... It was scary. She couldn't feel the fear but-- but I can. I-- We- We should get everyone we can..."
Seeing how distressed The Tinkerer is, Aurore tells him to get the others. Together, the two of them knock on each Guesthouse door. Eerily enough, each bedroom floor contains a bloody footprint of some sort in front of some of the doors: on the 2nd floor, one is present; on the 3rd and 4th, two stand in front of the doors of certain guests.
Those who would be woken up by the noise voice small complaints of irritation. Others merely ponder what's happening. Upon being questioned about it, Jude admits that he didn't get a good look at whoever was responsible for the body in the Manor. He chased after them, but lost them. Anxious at the prospect of leaving Jamie alone for any longer, Jude begins to lead the group to the Manor.
Outside of the Guesthouse, bloodied footprints trail from the building onto the cobblestone path. To the left is an arrangement of sticks which seem to have been haphazardly destroyed by someone, along with a torn piece of paper. Hallibell and Tooru both quietly recognize the remnants of the display as a sundial they had attempted to make in order to tell the time.
Finally making it into the Foyer of the Manor, Jude rushes to Jamie's side. The Streamer is holding an identical pool cue in their hand. They stare down at the body before them, the blood pooling around their shoes.
​
Oh god. There was so much blood. So much blood slowly oozing from the hooded figure that rested lifelessly next to the catatonic Streamer. How could one person have that much in them? It was jarring. Horrifying. A harsh reality seeped into existence just as the eerie breeze of the silent night. There was no doubt that the dark red liquid reached the other's feet and formed around it as if trying to swallow them into the darkness...
Who?
Who was it?
Inching forward ever so slowly...
Step.
...
Step.
...
As you approached, their face became more visible as did the horrid expression of surprise and fear that contorted it. It was frozen in that state.
Who?
The blond hair tainted with crimson...
The Artist rested at the base of the staircase. Not breathing. Dead. His body didn't move. It was over. How did it come to this?
Cimmon Aiken is dead.
​
Horrified at the scene laid out before them, the guests react to varying degrees: Cato, The Librarian, decides that he can't tolerate looking at the body, choosing instead to search the Guesthouse and make note of the bloodied footprints; Keigo, distraught at the scene, barks out a demand to find The Paramedic—Cain; Mischa would attempt to examine the body, swallowing the sick feeling in her stomach in order to figure out the cause of death; and Tooru, not knowing the layout of the Manor, goes upstairs in an attempt to find Cain.
As unease fills the room, the group is joined by The Gardener, Nissa. Dressed in a plain nightgown and with muddied bare feet, she expresses shock and horror when she fully registers just what is happening. As Jude and The Scholar—Neculai—ask her if she's injured, Mischa lifts the hood of Cimmon's sweater, finding a large gash in the back of his head. Blood still oozed from the wound, covering The Lioness's hands in it.
Meanwhile, Tooru's bid to find The Paramedic is halted when he hears banging coming from a room in the right hallway of the Manor's second floor. It's Abel, rattling the locked door furiously and attempting to break through it! As they struggle, Abel tells The Romantic to find Nikolas, warning him to be careful because someone dangerous was in the Manor. The Romantic rushes down the stairs. At that point, everyone had slowly begun to collect themselves, with a few people having gone outside the Manor to calm down.
Nissa claims that she and Nikolas were searching the Manor; the former in the right wing, the latter the left. The Gardener had seen someone walk into the Rose Maze, and in an attempt to see who it was, she followed them into the Sanctuary, but the figure had seemingly vanished.
Tooru rallies whoever is in the Foyer, stating that they should split up into small groups to investigate—but not to investigate alone. He takes to the right wing of the Manor alongside Gale, Mischa, and Keigo; Hallibell and Neculai decide to investigate the Rose Maze; Jude and Nissa team up to try to free Abel; Cato, having returned from the Guesthouse after his prompt investigation, talks to Jamie about what happened beforehand.
Jamie begins to fill in the cracks of the night's timeline, explaining that Mamrie had caught something on the camera. The Tinkerer and The Streamer had gone to the Manor to investigate, only to hear a loud thudding noise at the base of the stairs. This was when they found Cimmon's body, and this was what led to the sequence of events they were all in at the moment. Cato is about to ask Jamie for more context, but the two of them are abruptly—-
Tooru, Keigo, Gale, and Mischa enter the right wing of the Manor. Opening what few doors there are, they seem to not be making any leeway in terms of finding Nikolas. However, Tooru soon encounters another red footprint at the front of one of the employee room doors. Mischa reads the nameplates on the doors, concluding that the door the footprint is plastered outside leads to Cain's room. Tooru attempts to open the door, but finds it locked. Though nervous about trespassing, he tries to search for the master keys in the Employee's Quarters, but to no avail. In a fit of rage, Keigo kicks Cain's door, lamenting at the fact that he wasn't there to save Cimmon in time. As he does so, Mischa attempts to open Freya's door, pausing when she hears groaning from the other side.
Just as Keigo offers to pick the lock, the door is opened, revealing Nikolas on the other side. He seems to be concussed, dried blood set against his head and kneeling against the door for support. The four of them quickly move Nikolas to somewhere he can sit, inspecting him for wounds. Before they're able to ask him anything, they—-
As Neculai and Hallibell enter the Rose Maze, it almost seems as if they instantly lose sight of one another. While The Scholar is able to make it to the Sanctuary, The Influencer becomes lost within the Maze. Falling to the ground, Hallibell begins to wail loudly for Neculai. Back at the Sanctuary, Neculai takes those few seconds alone to enjoy not having Hallibell clinging to their side. Of course, upon hearing his incessant bawling, they turn around and attempt to find him.
Ironically, as Neculai leaves the Sanctuary to find Hallibell, she finds herself lost within the Rose Maze. Hallibell, in the meantime, somehow finds himself within the Sanctuary after wandering around said Maze. While there, he discovers a strange stone pedestal with an epitaph inscribed on it. Due to the lack of light, The Influencer is unable to see what it says. The two manage to evade one another for a short amount of time before eventually both ending up at the front of the Maze. Perhaps they should've taken The Gardener's warning about it being confusing to navigate more seriously…
Unfortunately, just as the two are about to take a breather before investigating further, a shrill scream resounds from the Manor—-
Meanwhile, Nissa and Jude chat idly as The Gardener leads The Tinkerer to the toolshed. Grabbing what he needs to disable the electronic lock, the two head back to the Manor to free Abel from the confines of the Study. With the use of Jude's innovative thinking, the electronic lock is undone, and The Disciple emerges from the room.
As they talk about what had just happened, Nissa mentions that she was unable to open the door to the Banquet Hall. With a dawning realization of horror, Abel suddenly—-
"Hh--" Abel let out a shaky breath. "I have to. I have to check--" They darted off towards the staircase without bothering to elaborate or wait for Jude and Nissa.
They reached the divider after almost toppling down the stairs. They even almost tripped over Cimmon, startling themselves. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. That was so much-- so much-- so much-- But. They couldn't.
They ripped it open.
A blood curdling scream echoed throughout the halls of the Manor.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Followed by loud wailing. It mixed together with a horrified scream into a grating cacophony.
​
Following the source of the noise, each individual group eventually filters into the Banquet Hall …
​
If only things could go back to how they were days ago. October 28th felt like an era ago already. Everyone was so naive and took the festivities for granted. The joy. The party. The fun of going somewhere new and meeting new people. The games that were played. The drinks that were had. It was such a simpler time. It's horrible how quickly things can sour if you're not careful. Why? Why them? Why had this tragic fate overcome this party that was meant to be bright and prosperous? It wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair.
You approached the Banquet Hall cautiously. How much more could you take? Someone was already dead. This was more trauma than the average person ever had to experience in their life. Witnessing a probable murder. It could've been a terrible accident but the tension and something in the air wouldn't let you believe that.
A desperate whimpering sounded from within the hall. The place where it all began. And the place where it would all end. "Wake up. Wake up. You big-- stupid--" The voice choked mid-sentence. They couldn't stop the waterfall that released itself from their emerald eyes. "You dummy! Dummy! Dummy! Get up!"
Dread began to gnaw at your heart and a hole began to form in your stomach. Your body likely felt like it was twisted into knots. You knew something bad was about to be there. You could only brace yourself for the scene.
The divider to the Banquet Hall was left wide open, yet the warm breeze from outside wouldn't dare dance inside. The coldness would simply smite it before it could even get near. Inside... straight ahead at the center of the hall where the main family sat. Five chairs around the center table. A body in each chair. Cold. Lifeless. Hand limp. Most of them you could recognize, even if only vaguely. Something horrible had befallen them all.
Eri Okuda...
Siyu Huang...
Peyton Hayes...
Cain Lumina...
Lynette Evergreen...
All sat around the table like dolls for a tea party. There was no blood and their faces were strangely peaceful. Eyes closed. But the reality of what they were... could not be denied. Unresponsive, they were. Strange metal collars were strapped around their necks which were scarred weirdly in the surrounding area. As if some sort of light coursed through their veins. Weird looking cards sat on the table in front of them, flipped over and next to a sealed envelope. From here it'd only be a descent into a deeper despair.
Guess you found them though. Did you get what you wanted?
They all were dead. And the clocks? They read 12 pm.
​
After the shock of discovering the bodies in the Banquet Hall, the group once again splits ways. Hallibell is quick to immediately look around the Banquet Hall for clues before going up to the Gallery to search some more. Neculai, unsatisfied with having come back empty-handed, departs for the Forest. Tooru leads the group he was with—Gale, Keigo, and Mischa—outside of the Manor so they can gather their bearings before investigating again; after they've calmed down, they head back into the Manor to see what they can find. Nikolas, despondent and in denial, makes his way up to the Conservatory.
In the Banquet Hall, The Influencer notes that there are strange collars around the necks of each body. Marks similar to burn scars are present near the area. In front of each body was a tarot card. The order is as follows:
Lynette - Blank
Cain - XVIII. THE MOON
Eri - XIX. THE SUN
Peyton - VII. THE CHARIOT
Huang - XI. JUSTICE
In the center of the table lies an envelope. Contained within it is a letter, and a newspaper article. The letter reads:
"The game has begun.
Before you sits the six sacrificial keys needed to release me from the red threads that bound me to limbo. A parting gift has been left for those passed and those remaining. I would check your rooms at your earliest convenience. Play with the dolls all you'd like, they have served their purpose.
However, I now present you with a challenge. A witch versus you all. I wonder who's willpower will win out in the end? A test of endurance, if you will. Should you wish to escape my domain and save yourselves from an inevitable end, you must accomplish one thing. Find me.
It's as simple as that. Discover my name. Begin the witch hunt. Burn me at the stake. Right the wrongs that I have committed against you. In the meantime, I'll flutter down the line and grasp those from the fool's journey until none are left alive.
There is a certain peace in death though, isn't there?
- Eir, The Endless"
The article states:
"OCTOBER 31ST, XX10
A day of celebration for those leading the current projects of the Infinity Organization! Velanna Evergreen, one of the key contributors in the organization, has managed to forge the path forward to receive sponsorship from several large companies as well as access to grants to further support the other teams' work. The following sponsors are listed on the organization's website. Lumbra Minic, Erebos Inc., and Komorebi. For those who are unfamiliar with the Infinity Organization, it is a nonprofit organization (NPO) that focuses on research pertaining to medical technology. They intend to reach breakthroughs in medicine that'll further improve the quality of life and life expectancy for humanity as a whole. This could range from creating vaccines to things that were thought to be incurable to finding more efficient practices to reduce the risk rates in standard hospitals..."
The rest devolves into jargon that doesn't seem too relevant.
Without much else to do, Hallibell investigates the Gallery. Inside one of the vases is Cimmon's backpack, stashed away. He leaves it in the Banquet Hall with a note claiming where he'd found it, before walking back to the Guesthouse to rest.
Within the Forest, The Scholar is haunted. Their environment twists and turns, eerily beckoning for them to get lost within its thicket of branches. Luckily, they soon make their way into a clearing— only to stumble upon two bodies lying unconscious within it.
It was Freya, The Maid, and Eve, The Baker.
A Tarot Card was placed between them: XVII. THE STAR.
Freya violently woke up after Neculai snapped a picture of the scene. The bottoms of her feet are covered in red.
Eve, unfortunately, was found dead on arrival.
Neculai and Freya work together to carry Eve out of the Forest. Upon arriving back in the Banquet Hall, the two are shocked to find that Lynette has gone missing. Freya goes up to the Conservatory to comfort and console Nikolas.
Tooru, Keigo, Mischa, and Gale arrive back at the Banquet Hall at this time. Together, they take down the barricades blocking both entrances to the room. They also discover a canister of nitrous oxide on the premises. With how dangerous the presence of the canister is at the scene of the crime, as well as frustration at how disjointed the investigation is, The Romantic pitches to the group that they should find a whiteboard of some sort so everyone can write the individual summation of their findings in one spot. The group then heads towards the Guesthouse to do so.
While there, they pass by Jude, Nissa, Jamie, Aurore, and Abel. The five of them have gathered in the Lounge to look over the footage that Mamrie recorded. The quintet is soon joined by a sleepy Violinist—Callista Evanriel—who had somehow managed to sleep through the entire ordeal. She is quickly informed of the situation, balking in horror at the idea that this happened while she was asleep.
At the Conservatory, Nikolas is shocked upon seeing Freya. After confirming that she isn't a ghost, he tearily hugs her.
A few hours later, The Heir uses his Authority 3 Blessing once again to summon everyone to the Parlor of the Manor.
Everyone except for Aurore gathers to the room. When prompted about why they could not find The Waiter, Nikolas's ghost butlers merely state that they are unable to enter the Forest. This statement doesn't bode well for the ambiance of the room. Nikolas reprimands the guests for essentially disappearing and going to bed despite nothing having been resolved; once again, they've left all responsibility on the shoulders of someone significantly younger than most of them. In addition to this, someone's been swiping again! Freya's keys have gone missing——which means whoever's taken it is most likely the culprit.
Locking everyone inside the Parlor, Nikolas tells the guests to empty their pockets while the ghost butlers search each guestroom for the key. Unfortunately, it is nowhere to be found. Mischa, assuming the key to be in the form of a coin, takes a peculiar-looking one out of her pocket. Emblazoned on it is the crest of the Evergreen family. Abel suddenly becomes enraged, lunging at Mischa in a fury. Luckily, Nissa is able to restrain them before a physical confrontation breaks out.
After things calm down, the misunderstanding is cleared up: what Mischa had in her hand was not a key, but merely a coin. Nothing more, nothing less. It had been gifted to The Lioness by a strange figure when she passed through the Rose Maze during the events of the 30th's dinner. She had no memory of how exactly she'd received it, merely that she'd awoken with it on her bedside table the next day. Abel had merely deduced that the killer would have had to have access to the rest of the island in order to commit the murders—and in the moment, they assumed that said culprit was Mischa when she mistakenly presumed her coin to have been what was missing.
At the end of the meeting, it is concluded that because neither the residents nor guests can fully trust one another—but that they are stuck on the island with each other and thus are left with no choice but to depend on one another—they are to sleep in groups within different rooms in the Manor. Since the Guesthouse can be easily accessed by anyone, it would be best for everyone to stay in one spot—and most of all, preferably in the building that requires a key to unlock.
Due to these circumstances, it would also be determined that for the time being, they would place the bodies in the Guesthouse. Jude and Jamie volunteer to take a look at the connection on the island; perhaps they'd be able to mess around with the router and restore the internet and cell services. Hopefully, once they're able to establish connection to the outside world, they'd be able to call for help.
With that, the group disbands for the day, left to wonder how this all ever could have happened…
0-2: Descent
Sorry, this is still a WIP! Come back soon to read the full summary! ...(?)
0-0: Event Name