Feathered Masks and Poisoned Goblets (Archived)

First topic message reminder :

Before the event begins, I would like to provide everyone with a (rather shitty) pair of maps of the accessible areas of the castle, and remind you all of the rules and gameplay.

First Floor:


Second Floor:


-An assassin will be chosen at random and messaged in secret by LyricTheBard.

-The assassin can attempt to kill targets at any time, but each attack must be spaced out between at least five consecutive moves. To do this, the assassin must first PM Lyric with “I attempt to kill (insert character's name) with (insert weapon).” Lyric will then roll a d20 dice to see if this attempt is successful. Any number lower than 15 is unsuccessful, any number above 10 but below 15 means that the character has either been wounded by the attack or otherwise knows the attack happened but did not see who attacked them, 5-9 means that the attack missed and went unnoticed, 2-4 means that they know something is amiss and increases your chances of discovery by a percentage (which will increase every time the assassin rolls a 2-4. When their percentage reaches 100%, their indentity will be revealed and the manhunt will begin), and a 1 means that there is a chance of discovery. If a one is rolled, Lyric will roll again to see if the assassin is discovered. If another one is rolled, then the assassin is revealed to the person attacked and they have the opportunity to announce the assassin's identity to the rest of the players. Any other number indicates that a clue is left behind. The smaller the number, the more damaging (and hilarious) the clue. Some clues will be in the form of attention-grabbing events.

-If you are attacked by the assassin but manage to live, Lyric will PM you with the details of the attack and the clue left behind (if there happens to be one). If you are killed by the assassin, you will be notified by the assassin themselves, who will indicate how they have killed you and their reasoning behind it. Lyric will post about the attack, and your character will be out of the game and will become a clue. You may make a single post after this describing your character's death without giving the killer's identity away. You can watch the game unfold at this point, but are not allowed to make any other posts within the thread or reveal the identity of the assassin to anyone. Please don't spoil the game for anyone!

-NPCs can be killed by the assassin, too. Guards, servants, and members of Parliament are all fair game. The assassin will message Lyric with who they want to kill and how, and how well the attack goes will be determined by a d20, same as before. Characters such as Ben, Page, and Reaver will be made harder to kill. You must roll a natural 20 TWICE in order to assassinate these characters. Lyric will interrupt the thread with the results of the attack.

-The assassin can leave false clues to incriminate another character by sending Lyric a PM with the desired clue. This can only be done to incriminate a character once per round.

-At random intervals, LyricTheBard will interrupt the thread to provide a clue or hint. Whether or not this clue or hint will be useful to the investigation is a mystery. These clues will be left in this manner: “There is a broken vase in the hall.”

-Players can choose to investigate these clues, and Lyric will then tell them what they have discovered in doing so. For example. “Myra decided to investigate the broken vase in the hallway. She searched the area for more clues.” To which Lyric will reply, “Myra found scuff marks on the floor and a few droplets of blood on the floor and wall. There was a struggle here.” Myra can then continue to search for more clues, or move on.

-A player order will be decided at random via the roll of a dice. Players must make their “moves” only during their turn, but can post roleplay replies at any time, so long as they do not indicate a move within the game. Example:







-Players can announce who they believe to be the assassin on their turn to move, but to do so is to forfeit the chance for movement. The player accused must then attempt to prove that they are not the killer. If they fail to convince the other players, they will be arrested. If they were innocent, then Lyric will announce OOC that the assassin is still at large. The arrested player must sit out of the game for one round or until there is another attack to prove their innocence.

-There will be a map created of the building to give players a better visual understanding of where they are and where clues can be found. This will be posted when the topic is created and the game starts.

-Lyric will also be playing the parts of NPCs such as the King and Queen of Gallia (a kingdom we created based off of France to add political intrigue and bolster the lore and geography), the guards, and other important characters.

-The game will begin Oct. 28th at 6pm CST, and end Oct. 31st at 12am CST. If the assassin has not been discovered by then, they will have won the game! If they have been discovered, the person who revealed their identity and captured them will have won the game! The prize will be a badge for your profile. c:



-You do not have to have a completed character application to play in this event! You must have an account with this site and at least started your character application in order to play.

-Note: This event will be considered canon, but any players who are killed in the event will not have died in the canon. This includes Reaver. Ben and Page are NOT granted this immunity.




*The Turn Order refers to movements only, not necessarily the order of replies!!! You can reply at any time, but can only move when it is your turn!

The wall seemed comfortable enough to her, it was smooth and unmoving, comforting even. Emira had squeezed her eyes shut until she got her heart at her usual rhythmic beat, then she fluttered them open to see people scattered about the room, the doors now open as the guards had monitored everyone to a destination. Some slipped passed them to explore; her ice blue eyes saw it all as she focused as hard as she could. The redhead wasn't used to such eventful gatherings, well, gatherings in general to be exact. She stepped away from the comfort of her wall and inhaled deeply, then caught the last bit of a glimpse of red hair whipping past a door frame. The kitchen.
Should she venture deeper into the castle when there was a killer on the loose? What good would it do to just stand in a single room until they were allowed to leave? None, that's what.

"A- A song?" She whipped her head up to the sound of a voice asking for a song, a distraction. That's what she needed. "Dweller Rover, yes, I've heard of it. I know it well." She needed this, so she took the liberty of smoothing out her dress again merely out of habit and made her way to Lyric's side. "I would like to volunteer, if that's alright." Emira smiled kindly.

Lyric's grin was all teeth. "Ah! How wonderful! Before we begin, what is your name, Miss?" It wouldn't do to be impolite, after all.

She cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly. "I'm Emira, Emira Wolfe-Walker. A pleasure." The redhead gave a kind curtsie and smoothed back a wild lock of firey hair, stood straight and giggled out of nervousness. "So, we just sing then, yeah? I've never really done this in front of a crowd, ya know."

"Emira! What a lovely name for a lovely young woman!" His grin only widened as he removed his hat to dip into a sweeping bow, and then held out a hand for her to take so that he could briefly press his lips to her knuckles. "There's nothing to be nervous about, Lady Emira. We'll both sing the chorus, and then I'll sing one verse and you the other, and so on. Sound good to you?"

She wrinkled her freckled nose and nodded once. "Alright, sounds like a plan to me!" She grew somewhat excited, trying to mask her nerves as she then noticed there was a crowd around where she stood beside Lyric. She swallowed the lump in her throat and exhaled deeply. 'Alright,' she thought, 'I can do this.'
She opened her mouth and began to sing the lyrics, recalling each verse as if it were only sung to her just yesterday. As Lyric played, the notes strummed harmoniously, and the tune carried her thoughts away from the party.

His hands reached for one of hers, and she immediately grew a bit red in the cheeks, and smiled nervously. "Oh no, it was quite a pleasure! Been a long while since I've sung the song myself, but it was definitely a whole other experience sharing a duet." She again bowed before him and nodded in approval, smoothing her dress again. "If you need anything else, do not hesitate to ask."

"You are too kind, m'lady." He released his hold on her hands to tip his hat, and then returned his attention to the crowd. "How about another round of applause for Emira, everybody!" Another thunder of clapping hands, and as they began to peter off into silence, he strummed a new tune on his lute, his voice carrying across the room as he sang again.

Tom had spent most of these minutes pouring water down the dying man's throat, trying his best to dilute the poison in his system the best he could. Eventually, the tycoon's flesh began to turn pink again, though he still looked more ashen and grey than the doctor would have liked. Still, it was an improvement.

At the mention of moving his patient elsewhere, Tom nodded in agreement. "He's alright to be moved. He's not out of danger yet, and we need to bring down that fever, but it's safe enough to move him out of sight for now."

Oliver's eyes-- eye, lit up, a bright smile coming to his face. "Ah, may i suggest a tea of peppermint and boneset then, for the fever? A compress, as well, may help." Already, Oliver had reached into his satchel and retrieved the two herbs mentioned, humming slightly before he set them out. "Unfortunately, all of my stock is dried, but I might be able to find some fresh in the gardens? Hyssop and Centaury, as well, may be easily found there."

Tom eyed the other man carefully and with no small amount of suspicion. But, he did need supplies... He hadn't brought any of his equipment with him, as he had not expected to be in this position. "A simple green tea would be better suited, I should think. Perhaps Chamomile. No doubt they have a stock of it here in the castle," he argued, but it was more or less for the sake of arguing. "But a cold compress--yes, that is what the ice is for."

He took the cloth bag of ice, touching it a few times to make sure it wasn't too cold, and gently placed it upon Reaver's brow. "We could do with more, though. His fever is dreadfully high..."

Oliver frowned, tilting his head. "These herbs are antipyretics," he said. "I would assume you know these would work much better than a green tea, unless you plan to wash him out completely. We could add chamomile to it, of course, but it would honestly be a bit foolish to not combine all we have for this. You know your procedures, and I know my herbs. There may be some cases where I will listen to what you say and heed your advice, and so I ask that you heed mine."

Tom scowled as he rose to his feet. "I know herbs just as well, if not better than you do, sir. I am a doctor, and how to bring down a fever with natural remedies is the very basic foundation of my education. Peppermint and boneset, otherwise known as comfrey, is good for fevers in children with chicken pox, or the measles. Not for adults suffering from poison. Do not take me for a fool, sir, and do not think I am uneducated in the same matters as yourself. I respect your knowledge, but you are wrong in this account. I know what I am talking about."

been [color=#ff0000]EXTENDED to NOVEMBER 25TH, 12:01 AM CST!!! THIS GIVES US A WHOLE MONTH TO COMPLETE THE GAME!]

Myra was running far later than she ever had to an event. The truth of the matter was that she was trying to decode an ancient book she'd found recently and had actively opted to not go the the party. She remembered going to plenty in her younger years, and how stuffy and droll it could be. Unfortunately for her, her mother had demanded to pay her a visit and bring her father along. After a it of arguing, her mother had confiscated the old book, shoved her out the door and around the corners to climb the stairs and enter her room, making her done one of her older dresses, a deep, dark green one with silver branches and leaves twining about the skirt, bodice, and flowing sleeves, and a silver mask with matching green vines over it. Not even Myra's rationale that she was a grown woman and could miss a big party if she wished to would appease the seamstress. By the end of it, the archaeologist's hair was done up, make up dress and mask donned, and she was entering the old castle to a bustle of human activity and talk. She groaned inwardly, using a plain fan to try ad make an irritate movement without it being apparent to her mother. Said woman quickly dispersed herself, husband at her side, to chat with a newfound acquaintance, letting the brunette take her leave and wander the ballroom.

It seemed the crowd around her was split for discussion. She heard rumors of foul play, finery, dancing, last weeks stocks, chickens, tragedy, a duet singing a pretty tune, and she'd heard the bard singing and the crowd cheering. There was one area that was avoided though, and her curiosity got the best of her. Folding her fan and holding it with both hands, she approached the small amount of people and saw an ashen-faced man laying on the ground unconscious and surrounded by several others. She realized, with shock, that the unconscious man was the famous industrialist Reaver, and that the woman there was the equally, if not near so, Page.

"What in the world is going on?" she asked. 'And why in the world are more people not worried about this and simply dancing about jollily?' she added mentally.

As the freckled redhead left the bard with a polite smile, she made her way to the doors where she had seen the other fiery haired woman leave to, so she thought there could be no harm. 'Curiosity killed the cat, you know.' Emira shook her head and ignored the clawing feeling deep within her gut, an instinct she normally didn't ignore, 'but maybe it had been bad wine... Yeah, that was it.' No matter what she told herself, the feeling was still buried there, but it would remain just for the time being.
The woman walked toward the door, trying to blend in as easily as possible without drawing too much attention to herself, and she flipped her long lock of hair away from her face. She was quickly addressed by a guard, who immediately halted her in her tracks, but was soon distracted by a yell from where Reaver had fallen. Emira's ears tuned in, and she heard something about possibly retrieving some herbs, or at least moving his body out of the room. 'This place is crazy...' She could take the chance now, everyone was distracted, so she decided to pursue her fellow redhead.
Emira walked through the doors and peeked around, looking for the woman.
"Uh, hello...?"

[ComicallyMacabre, in the hallway, Lyra has noticed that the portraits have intentionally cut holes and are fixed to the walls. It appears there may be something behind them, but they cannot be removed.]

As the faint sound of music playing from the ballroom echoed out into the hall, Lyra gently ran her fingers over the surface of one of the castle's many paintings, realising just what had been bothering her as she poked a finger right through a small hole in the material of the canvas; people had such little respect for art nowadays, it seemed. She raised a brow in intrigue and glanced around at the other portraits lining the walls of the hallway.

They'd all had well-concealed holes cut into them!

"How curious. ." she muttered to herself as she attempted to remove one of the portrait frames. With a grunt of effort, it became apparent that this portrait, (and the multiple others she tried,) was mounted to the wall and wouldn't budge even a bit. All she could do was lift her mask and attempt to peek through one of the paintings, hoping to make something out.

"Er. . Hello?"

The golden-clad woman froze as she heard a feminine voice come up behind her, very much aware that she looked quite ridiculous and likely more than a touch suspicious. She placed the one-eyed mask back on her face and turned, smoothing out her skirts and brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she took in the sight of a young woman in a blue gown. She cleared her throat, unsure of what to say.

"Y--Yes?"

The Skeleton was relieved when the Bard suggested a different form of entertainment, and decided that now would be the best time to hide himself as best as he could. Stealing into the hallway whilst muttering many apologies and "excuse me"s as he squeezed through the crowd, he scanned the area for a closet of some sort, or any place he could be alone until this mess was over. What he found, were two red-headed women standing in the middle of the corridor, one of them looking a touch flustered.

"Damn my eyes," he growled quietly to himself as he attempted to get around them. "Excuse me!"

[AsherKingOfWeebs, it is your turn to move.]

Oliver shrugged then, throwing up his hands in defeat. "Well, fine," he sighed. "I suppose I'll get to work on seeing what exactly the attempted assassin used." He made his way over to where the goblet had been dropped, to see if he could salvage any of the remaining wine.

Oliver ripped off a few strips of fabric from his shirt then, using the cream-coloured cloth to soak up the wine soaked into the carpet, squeezing it out into the goblet, and repeating. "Someone fetch me vials," he called. "The sooner I can figure out what exactly is hurting him, the sooner we can trace it."

Though the guards were keeping the peace well enough, but Aludra had enough of just standing by while people panicked and examined Reaver. Her periphery was hidden thanks to her mask, but she could still tell that two or three guests had moved out of the ballroom. Her stone-faced expression melted to concern when she realized this and she began to wonder if there were any other places there could be clues.

Turning around, she headed back toward the doors to explore the gardens, removing her mask as she went.

Emira stared at the redheaded woman and smiled awkwardly. "I uh, well I wanted to tell you that the guards are a bit more worked up because of the crowd in there, so you should be careful when it comes to roaming the castle now. They'll think you're up to no good."
She had seen the woman barely arrive when the commotion happened, but still, she didn't want anyone to get involved, especially taking place in the castle walls. Committing such a crime could mean a harsh punishment, maybe even death.