HALLOWEEN 2015- MURDER MYSTERY CYOA

[Maxx D]

A: Cross the catwalk and search a large bedroom

The open door and the promise of the Moneybags' bedroom was an immediate invitation for Vigorish. Gruffly, he marched steady towards and into the master bedroom, and noted with a low groan that the flaxen-locked child was present once again. No matter - Fireflight was not in the mood to play, and so Vigorish started to disrespectfully turn the room upside down. This was a very well set-up murder mystery the room of a very dead Phony, and he was completely incapable of giving a damn now. He kicked the rug and set it rolling into itself, shook the bookshelf for its secrets, shoved his nose under the cushion of the window seat and seized upon the jewelry box in his last motion.

The jewelry box, he considered, perhaps held something he could pawn. Vigorish was a practical Phony, and so with determination, he started to push at the lid.  

[theCorniest]

Now this was interesting. An abandoned wine glass under the bed... probably the last thing the old man ever drank.

Something about that was sort of frighteningly definite, but Cutie Honey pushed it to the back of her mind.

She picked up the wine glass, and considered what the residues in it might mean. Slick, thick, and transparent - it probably wasn't almond extract. Curious indeed. Cutie supposed she should take it back downstairs and see if someone could identify it, but the bathroom might have -

Well, never mind, Don Calamari beat her to it. (Diamond looked a little teary-eyed, and Haute could respect a person wanting a little solitude with their tears.) She'd head back down after all, then - but she'd definitely stop in the room between the master and her Dad's old room (A) on the way back. She'd passed it without so much as a glance, but perhaps this room, too, had secrets to offer her?  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Round the Twelfth

Talk to [NPC]

Habeus Corpses and Chop Chop: Slightly less furious (mostly just annoyed), Habeus and Chop Chop are still drying off. Habeus is relieved that she remembered she left her cell phone inside.

Wine About It: Dusting the bottles!

Rank and File: SPIDER WAR

Fuchsia Fussbudget: Missing in action.

Kitchen

The kitchen hasn't changed too much. Wine About It is reading the label of a bottle of wine, while Habeus Corpses drips her hair into the sink and Chop Chop dries herself with a towel.

You can…
A: Return to the dining room and search it/use the panel to access the sitting room
B: Talk to any of the NPCs
C: Search the wine cave
D: Search the kitchen

Dining Room

Nothing is new in this room, really. Habeus Corpses isn't here, though. Her case files are sitting out on the table.

Great Room

Not much has changed in here. This room appears to be completely empty.

Parlor

Rank and File is muttering under his breath. "Cannon to the left of them, cannon to the right of them. Cannon in front of them, volleyed and thundered; stormed at with shot and shell, boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of hell rode the six hundred." He says this because approximately six hundred spiders are making a desperate final charge.

Palm Court

The bats circle quietly.

Trophy Room

One of the taxidermy heads appears to move... wait, no, that's just a trick of the light.

Sitting Room

The sitting room is once again empty.

Office

The chaos of the office has been left behind.

Powder Room/Restroom

This restroom is quiet now.

Library

There is nothing new in the library; the stairs, however, are still down! Whoever plunged the house into darkness didn't mess with them.

You can...
A: Go upstairs
B: Continue on to the kitchen to ask the house staff some questions (go ahead and ask!)

The Second Floor

The second floor landing is dimly illuminated by a soft glow from below. Long shadows dance and flicker on the walls, causing severe unease.

You can...
A: Search the reading room
B: Search the lounge
C: Search the art gallery OR forego a search and press onwards into the laundry room
D: Search the bathroom
E: If you can fly, you can search the top of the palm court (roll a d4 if you want to try to fit through the bars of the catwalk; 1 is success and allows you to search the catwalk, all others are failure.)

The Art Gallery

The spider bro is very, very confused as a large horse tackles the wall. It falls to absolute splinters- seriously, the wall is just shattered. The way into the laundry room is framed by wooden stalactites and stalagmites.

The Lounge

This room is a silent testament to 1968.

The Reading Room

These boxes are full of so many interesting things! Aside from all the medical records, there’s some crayon drawings. They are yellowed and brittle and charmingly scribbled onto the backs of receipts. Penny recognizes her handiwork, as well as her brother’s. She smiles as she sees one of her brother and his imaginary friend- he had such an imagination back then!

You can...
A: Investigate the boxes
B: Search the reading room
C: Go through the art gallery to the laundry room
D: Head down to the workroom and search there

The Bathroom

Edelweiss, edelweiss, you look... well, not happy to greet me. Bright Blessings follows the foaming filly down to the bathroom, where there isn't really anything new to see... other than whatever happens to Edelweiss next.

You can...
A: Search the previously locked bedroom
B: Search the reading room
C: Search the workroom

The Catwalk

The catwalk is empty.

The Laundry Room

Both attempts to make it through to the laundry room were smashing successes. Literally. The panel's been smashed! The cavernous room echoes with the sound of dripping water; one of the taps has started to leak. The unwashed tablecloth, sheet, and pillowcase are still gross and stained. Gunky Gumshoe sits on the floor, blinking and confused. Wasn't there a wall there before? Now there are two holes leading into the laundry room.

You can...
A: Search the laundry room some more
B: Search the guest bedroom
C: Push further on and search the workroom
D: Have a look at the catwalk

The Open Guest Bedroom

This room, the one close to the laundry room, is mostly empty. The speaking tube has been uncovered, but this room doesn't really look too frequently used. However, there is still one piece of the puzzle here: the little wooden box. The key Torts Illustrated found in the library fits perfectly. The box opens to reveal a few pieces of jewelry... and a secret panel, the hidden latch fallen away and broken with time. Inside the panel there's three baby teeth and three locks of hair held together with barrettes- one black, one teal, and one sparkling gold.

You can...
A: Search the workroom
B: Search a room at the end of the catwalk that's definitely Pennybags' bedroom
C: Search another room a little further down the catwalk that's definitely Penny Earned's bedroom

The Previously Locked Guest Bedroom

This room is full of regrets. Most everybody in it regrets their decision, but nobody is as regretful as Edelweiss. The powder was horribly bitter and probably horrifically toxic. She starts foaming at the mouth and runs to the bathroom.

(Oh, Shrill X. Whatever might have happened to Edelweiss is nothing compared to the misery she is suffering now. Serves her right for licking up washing powder. Good luck getting the taste of soap out of your mouth!)

You can…
A: Search the bathroom
B: Search behind a door that is definitely a bedroom
C: Search the reading room

The Workroom
As Satin Doll searches the workroom, she finds a few sticky notes in the trash. Most of them are just little reminders, but one catches your eye. It says "PB MEETING" and is dated to a couple days before Moneybags died. The series of notes attached to it creates a copy of Moneybags's meeting schedule for the weeks leading up to his death. The last day just reads "LADY DOCTOR" and has a phone number scribbled on the bottom- the same one scribbled on the bottom of "PB MEETING."

You can…
A: Cross the catwalk and search Pennybags' bedroom
B: Cross the catwalk and search Penny Earned's bedroom

The Door That Was Probably A Bedroom Pennybags' Old Bedroom

This bedroom is blue and full of trophies, toys, and books. There is a large bed with a downy comforter, neatly made in a corner. A picture of Pennybags and his mother stands on the nightstand. There is a closet with a small child's clothes (and Pennybags remembers just how wretched these are- ugh, the Little Lord Faunterloy suits!), the sort of thing a sentimental parent might hang onto after their kid moves out, and a desk with a stack of college econ textbooks on top of it. This was clearly Pennybags' old room. The eastern wall has a door leading to a huge playroom; the northern wall has a door leading to a jack-and-jill style bathroom. Investigating this room doesn't give you anything in the way of evidence, but it does open up the way to a few far more interesting rooms.

You can...
A: Search what is really like to be a bedroom right next door
B: Go down to what is pretty much definitely a large bedroom at the end of the hall
C: Search the jack-and-jill bathroom
D: Search the playroom

The Jack-and-Jill Bathroom

This is the most neutral bathroom you've ever seen. It's all done up in shades of white and beige; swaths of creamy fabric cascade from the ceiling and then swoop back up as decoration. They flutter in a cool breeze; there's a daft somewhere in this room. There are stacks of folded towels under the two sinks, but nothing particularly personalized. There never was, really. There are two sinks, a shower, and a toilet in an alcove, giving it some privacy. However, there's nothing really out of place here.

You can...
A: Search Pennybags' bedroom
B: Search the other bedroom

The Other Bedroom- Oh, It Is Clearly Penny Earned's Room

This room is incredibly cute; the walls are a light purple with a gingham accent pattern, and the rug on the floor has daisy-shaped cutouts. This room was once Penny Earned's, and it looks like it did when she was much younger. The bed has a fluffy white comforter and tasseled pillows; the plush armchair has a small nest of dolls and stuffed animals. Pictures are tacked to the walls- childhood crayon drawings of rainforest animals provide a somber, stark contrast to glossy photos of deforestation and wildfire, added much later. There's a desk painted blue, shoved up against a wall with "SAVE THE EARTH" painted in the same blue and in a slightly askew script, as if they'd been painted by an inexperienced graffiti artist. There is a door in here that leads to a large playroom beyond.

You can...
A: Search Pennybags' bedroom
B: Search the bathroom
C: Search the playroom
D: Go down to the master bedroom and search there

The Master Bedroom

Vigorish opens the jewelry box and somewhere in the far distance, the Ode to Joy starts playing. Diamond cufflinks. Wristwatches galore. Ruby stick pins, emerald brooches- is- yes. Yes it is. That's a diamond tiara. The strings swell and rise in Vigorish's mind; there must be at least a million dollars in shiny objects. He pushes aside all thoughts of being played by an old man who was just too miserly to pay his gambling debts; no, he is in heaven. This is some truly beautiful stuff. And it's all well-placed; there's little velvet-covered foam mounts in the frame of the box, and nothing seems to be missing. If Moneybags' killer was in here, they certainly weren't after anything immediate.

You can...
A: Search Penny Earned's bedroom
B: Search the attached master bathroom
C: Search this room some more
D: Search Pennybags' old bedroom

The Master Bathroom

The master bathroom is a study in marble ostentation. Marble floor, marble tub, marble sink. Products that smell like sandalwood and bay in tasteful bottles. Stately towels that match the marble countertops- luxury like you’ve never seen in a bathroom before. Diamante finds a first aid kit under the sink. It’s sort of obvious; the sink cabinet door isn’t completely closed. The first aid kit is next to a box for an epinephrine auto-injector- a box which, while still equipped with its little instruction booklet- is empty. There’s nothing in the trashcan, suggesting that if it was used, it was used elsewhere.

You can...
A: Search more in here
B: Search the master bedroom
C: Search Penny Earned's old bedroom

...And the Others...

While things seem to be going well, not everybody has the luck of the draw. Poor Brass Tacks and Book Smart test what they think are hidden panels. They are... but where they lead is dark.

And smells like spiders.

show spoilerhide spoiler

zippedsiren

Astraea Pandora

frozenhearts08

StarieMichie

purplerosesbeauty

Atmadja

Yunonia

FrostyPeaches

The secret passage in the art gallery only leads to the laundry room.

cursedandwandering

Yushika

Kitty Sprightt

EchoLimaFoxtrot

thyPOPE

Fea Line

VerityHattress

Ruriska

elvyralani

Maxx D

Jun D

 

[Atmadja]

ICK! Ach! Blech! Gross! Clementine looked through the laundry room with sheer disgust--dirty things! Icky blechy grody bleeping dirty grossness mcgross! She wasn't about to stay around this room of utter filth and sick--she pushed past into the workroom instead, to see what she could discover there. There was someone else--of course--already there, searching about. So Clementine sneaked around, opening drawers and standing on her tiptoes to read over the other's shoulders. She felt so in the dark! Tremendously so. It was horrifically unfair in every way.  

[cursedandwandering]

C-SEARCH THE PLAYROOM


Quarter Mane smiled fondly as he looked around Penny Earned's childhood room. She used to be so innocent. He hadn't seen them much when they were children as he was usually off on adventures, but he could recall the brief visits he'd made. Both children were so adorable, especially Penny before she went grew into her edgy teenage years that it seemed she was never going to grow out of.

"The good ol' days, huh Moneybags?" He murmured to himself as he walked through. Hadn't he played with them in just the other room? With a small grin the stallion headed into the playroom, looking forward to some more nostalgia.

Flopping on a pile of stuffed animals, Paws nearly forgot she was supposed to be searching for clues as she rolled around the floor.  

[zippedsiren]

Go search Pennybag's old room.

Torts was surprised at what she found in the box, three locks of hair... two from familiar faces, Moneybags' children and the third?... It was strangely golden, but did Tort know anyone to have hair like this? The lawyer left it in place, as it was of no real use, but did provide some interesting questions.

Next, she moved on a bedroom, which appeared to belong to the son. Torts decided to search around the desk, opening any drawers and flicking though the textbooks. She glanced at the trophies as well, wondering what type of sports or teams Pennybags was on during his childhood.  

[Ruriska]

C: search the workroom

And just like that her search came a sudden halt due to her rather unwise decision to ingest an unknown substance.

Edelweiss stumbled into the bathroom and collapsed against the sink, full of deep, deep regret. "Oh nooooo," she cried, froth leaking down her chin. Oh how foolish! She could have stayed close to Brass Tacks and never ventured so far into this house.

(Okay so not sherbet. With her mouth under the sink, Shrill X was desperately trying to get the soap out of her mouth.)

"Gah!" Edelweiss cried and stumbled out of the bathroom because by golly she was not going to die here. "Help meee. I need some strong liquor!" Okay so there wasn't much Edelweiss in that last bit.  

[EchoLimaFoxtrot]

Not finding much more than crayon drawings, Colonel Whizbang gives up on the boxes and instead began to search the reading room in its entirety.  

[elvyralani]

Satin Doll made a mental note of what she found. Considering her options she decided to go and search Pennybag's bedroom.

A: Cross the catwalk and search Pennybags' bedroom  

[Yunonia]

C: Search the art gallery

The pink unicorn nodded at the filly very relieved she was okay. She followed behind Diamante as they made their way upstairs.

Pausing just outside the art gallery, Bitter Pill called out the her newfound friend. "This looks like an interesting room! Perhaps it still holds some secrets for us!"

purplerosesbeauty

 

[Maxx D]

C: Search this room (the Master Bedroom) some more

With the face of a deliriously delighted pirate-puppet, Fireflight continued his long-lasting tradition of stealing things from CYOAs Vigorish placed the jewelry box on his back and fluffed his wings upwards, closing his pinions in an admittedly strange angle over it - he'd chalk it down to an accident with the catwalk, if anyone asked. The bookie delicately stepped away from the conspicuously empty counter: well then, old man, it was good that he left a parting gift to his debtors.

To a certain extent, Vigorish has gotten what he came for, but - and he knew that twang, that twang that kept his customers coming back - there was more to be won. Another round, another round...perhaps his search of the room had not been thorough enough.

Besides, Vigorish, in attempting to smuggle the jewelry away, wasn't too keen at the thought of running into anyone else. He begun his rummaging anew. Perhaps the areas with clues would yield more. The bedside drawer and bed got a second look as he started pushing and pulling with hooves and teeth, and through the doorframe, one could see the Phony actively tapping walls and pulling books off the shelf. One last hurrah, he thought grimly with the box weighing on his back. One last hurrah.  

[thyPOPE]

Was there really nothing here? Pennybags kept searching the bathroom slowly, and then shook his head. He knew who the other bedroom belonged to - he'd grown up here. But it felt a little rude to peek in his sister's room without her being there - or, well, with her existing only a couple rooms over. Still, there was pretty clearly nothing much to find here. He harrumphed and headed into her flowery purple room, where...his daughter was. "Hello again," he told her, although in all honesty he really hadn't found much since he'd last seen her. Other than, well, the fact that his father had kept his old embarrassing outfits around. Typical Father for you, he supposed...

He was careful to check Penny Earned's desk, as well as her closet (although this with a bit more of a petty motivation than the desk - had Dad kept her embarrassing childhood clothing, too?) What else? Oh yeah - he might as well look under the bed. He did just that, circling the room slowly.