FIRST TRIAL

[umbralant]

Trial I

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The opera house doesn't seem to have gotten any changes. There are no lights on the windows, the lobby is dark. Only when everyone is gathered there something does happen: Rembrandt appears, opening the main stage doors, the large and heavy doors creaking when they open.

Rembrandt herds everything together, guiding them down the halls of the seating area. You better not stray from the hallway -- there's a very palpable sensation that something's deeply wrong about this place. You may perhaps see the form of something moving, blending with the darkness. Wait...it's several forms. A few pairs of intensely blue eyes, eyes that so far only Ango may have seen before, gaze at everybody. You really shouldn't try to approach. At least they don't try to come closer, cowed by Rembrandt's presence.

The main stage is the objective here. It's lit rather brightly, with the spotlights the Lady had used for her introduction a few days ago, illuminating the stage. In what's a rather ominous touch, the backdrop depicts hellfire. There aren't any props around, other than a few seats that seem to be spares for seats in one of the minor auditoriums, not even enough seats for everyone. Rembrandt blends into the darkness.

"Welcome!"

That's the Lady's voice, coming from high up. Looking up, you'll find a balcony to a side, large and with two seats. There's the Lady, wearing her dress, visible even in the darkness. She's standing up right now and leaning on the railing, shouting at them.

"Let's try to make this short and sweet. We figured it'd be fun if you all got to discuss who killed dear annoying Elliot. Give us a name, and we'll execute that person. Nice and simple, don't you think?"

"So, culprit who saved so many people from us...now you have to struggle for your own life. Oh, we never told you about this before? Don't feel bad, there's a lot we don't tell you all about. She sits down, adjusting her dress.

"I'm not going to pretend I care about you all catching the right person. Just give us a name and let the culprit go free, for all I care. Get started, we don't have all day to do this! You only have seven hours! Get moving!"

Here you are, all the actors in this impromptu play about justice, and the audience is...well there certainly is an audience larger than you were expecting. Everyone will hear the noises of those things moving around in the seating area, from time to time directing their eyes at the group, but they still make no attempt to approach. Looks like the audience that really matters is up there, in the balcony.

Let the trial for the death of Elliot Schafer begin.

[OOC NOTE: From the halfway point of the trial and onwards, you'll have the option to ask the masterminds for the chance to get a hint! Be warned, though: the price will involve some body horror for your character. Keep that in mind when deciding to use this option!]

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Comments

[apothecares]

I was also at the clock tower. Ango and I went out to the observation platform, and we found this bottle with a can and candle. Looks a bit like a homemade lantern ta me, and a newly put together one at that. The edges are all sharp, so watch your hands. [He helpfully gestures an offer to pass it to whoever wants to look at it] We also found a rope made of cloth from here [a handsweep to encompass the Opera house where the scarves tied together had to have been from] hanging off the side.

[reanbeans]

...That's strange.

[ He looks like he's thinking... ]

If it was all the way up there, I was wondering if anyone could see that from a distance. It might've been used as a way to lure for Elliot.

[notbymyside]

In addition to this, a statue dressed up in a dress and a wig was tired to the end of the 'rope'. And when I looked directly down from where the statue was hanging, I could see where Elliot's body was.

[wishuponazoi]

Did that have any blood on it?

[notbymyside]

It did not, no.

[bawcock]

Wasn't it out in the rain? Even if there was blood on it, it probably got washed off.

[ Unless the building shielded it or he's misunderstanding where it was positioned. ]

[notbymyside]

It was, yes.

[inordertobelieve]

So our culprit staged a pretend murder to draw attention to the location...?

[notbymyside]

It seems likely. They wanted to draw someone up to the clock tower, and when Elliot went up to investigate he was shoved over the side.

[inordertobelieve]

Why a female figure, I wonder? We hardly have many women in our group.

[notbymyside]

I don't know if there was a real purpose to it. It just had to look like someone in danger, if that was the trap.

[pr159]

And likewise, I could see that from where the body was.

[notbymyside]

So it was deliberately set up.

[Meaning no crime of passion or fright in the moment. This was done on purpose.]

[reanbeans]

What hair color was the wig?

[deadlygoals]

[ He's going to grab the bottle with a can and a candle. Poking the edges. Definitely sharp. ]

Maybe we should test this. Also might want to check hands in case the culprit was the one who made it.

[pr159]

I wonder if those sharp edges would account for any of the victim's hand wounds...

[ it looks ridiculous enough for him to have come up with it... based on his very shallow judgment of a kid he hardly knew, anyway ]

[inordertobelieve]

The only question then would be why it was found on the observation deck, rather than falling alongside him.

[pr159]

He could have dropped it or put it down before falling, right?

[inordertobelieve]

I was thinking that his hands might have tightened more around it due to the shock of the attack... but you're right. The injury may have simply occurred prior, leaving ample time to drop it.