EVENT #17: EPULUM - COORDINATION POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #17 - Coordination

OOC Plotting Post ⦁ IC Event Log ⦁ Nocwich

This post is for coordination while the event is ongoing, to prevent the IC Event Log from being overrun by OOC mod and player communications. The comments section will contain applicable comments and forms for you to reply to as needed.

Use this post to:

◎ Contact the mods
◎ Submit your suspected culprit
◎ Investigate the crime or track ongoing investigations
◎ Submit noticeable actions
◎ Write rapid IC exchanges

Available Forms

For details on each form, see the sections below.
Be sure to reply under the applicable category as required.

Mod Communications

If you have any questions about the limits or scope of what you can do before you formalize it in an investigation, you can go over the details with us here. You can also submit the suspect to Celeste under the appropriate heading. Submitting the name of the suspect is not required to complete the mystery, but doing so may contribute to whether the suspect is caught or escapes.

If you have questions about non-investigative aspects of the event, see the Questions thread on the OOC Plotting Post.

Contact Us

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Submission:</b> (Describe your question OR write the name of the Witness your character will accuse as the suspect)

Investigations

To leave opportunities for others, please limit the scope of your actions per submission. For example, if you'd like to test a key, you must specify a narrow set of locks in a particular section. Additionally, while there are no strict limits on how many investigations you can be involved in, we do ask that you try to stagger them a little to help us keep pace.

You can investigate something multiple times as long as it makes sense for your character to try again. This includes following up with witnesses if characters learn new information. To investigate, fill out the form, then comment under the item you're investigating.

Investigate a witness, scene, or evidence

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Other characters involved:</b> <b>Witness/Scene/Evidence:</b> (What is the witness, scene, or evidence your character is exploring?) <b>Action:</b> (Describe what your character is attempting to do and how. If multiple characters are taking action, include their actions.) <b>Thread:</b> <a href="urlhere">Thread</a> (If applicable. Linking a thread is NOT required, but can help us tailor our responses) <b>Notes:</b> (Anything else)

IC Exchanges

Use this option if you have an interaction you'd like to play out, but setting up a standard IC thread would be impracticable. For example, if your character wants to speak to several people about a piece of evidence, you might want to do an IC exchange. IC exchanges can take place in the real world or the Horizon.

Treat this like an informal IC network thread done in person, where character reactions, snippets of dialogue, and other details can be quickly played out and concluded in-game without committing to a full log thread. Exchanges are game canon, and can count towards Activity Check under the category of a Network thread.

Start an IC exchange

Using the provided form is optional. Begin a thread freeform if you prefer.

<b>Where & when:</b> (Where and when is this exchange taking place?) <b>Purpose:</b> (What's the reason for this exchange?) <b>THREAD START</b> (Write the scenario, your character's actions, and any dialogue as usual)

Notable Actions

Submit any notable actions that are likely to gain attention from other players such as fights or disturbances.

Submit a notable action

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>When:</b> (Approximately when is this incident taking place?) <b>Where:</b> (Where is this incident taking place?) <b>What:</b> (Describe the incident) <b>Link:</b> <a href="urlhere">Thread</a> (If applicable. Actions can be submitted without a thread if they're minor.)

Comments

— summoned conspiracy, er, evidence board

[diametrically]

[ Shortly after Dan Heng's network post, "Alyx" has set up a giant screen in the middle of Dan Heng's domain (aka: the giant space train). It functions like a regular ol' conspiracy cork board but instead of paper and push pins, everything is virtual in nature.

For the time being the board is only sparsely populated with a picture of the artifact at the top of the column labelled "ITEMS OF NOTE". Beside it is a list of facts collected so far. There's several sections labelled "PEOPLE OF INTEREST", "TIMELINE", and "MISC. INFORMATION".

Summoned are welcome to manipulate the board (it grows and shrinks!), add information, and draw transparent red lines to items on the board that could potentially be connected. Timestamps will be conveniently added to all entries automatically along with the name of the person who left the entry. Dan Heng will likely be in and around the space most of the time also assisting with taking down information as it comes in. Cassian ("Alyx") is mostly absent.

Is this just a giant Miro board? Yes. Yes it is. ]

( ooc note: consider all the info here available to anyone unless specified. feel free to leave clues, information, or anything you feel might be important/relevant! after the event, all of this information will be ported into a small laptop to be placed in istredd's library. )

ANON NOTES

[ushiri]

( OOC: Kyle won't leave his name on any of these notes! I'm listing some possible leads he won't be following up on himself, so feel free to use these/follow up for your own investigations! Added links for better context on info. )


SORAYA MORAN, known to work overtime, spending time alone in the vaults - follow up with fellow Sentinels for gossip?

VAULT WARDING, noticed strange energy from the warding. Did not investigate further myself. Ikorran guards claimed not to be able to detect it. Original warding was set by IKORRAN PACT, involving multiple individuals. Deputy Sentinel claimed that for a single individual to accomplish this they would require additional power from another source.

[divinityfrompain]

The blood signature in the vault could lead us to who is responsible. If you can collect hair, saliva, or blood from people, those of us with magic should be able to match it to that. They might not make that easy, but it's worth trying to cross people out. Just don't get arrested!

[vixening]

And Marcellus claims that he's been the one encouraging Soraya to take overtime, rather than what the rumors have stated.

[cryptsleeper]

Further useful information.

1. The blood used in the warding is vampire blood, a taste sample confirmed this.
2. It is possible to steal another's blood and that will work on the warding. However, the recorded signature does not match anyone on record. This is highly unusual and needs further delving into.
2a. Resolving this may help us determine responsibility.
3. Log records do not show abnormalities. Marcellus and Retha go back decades. Soraya's is recent and aligns with her job appointment.
4. Motive - unclear at this time, this is something we need to consider beyond "object of great power." A limited number of people would know that this exists here at all. What's in it for them?

[magicalarchaeologist]

The ward contains a rune, it is not any Academic Magic that I know of. Runes are sometimes used in High Magic, which as a reminder is most commonly by Solvunn or sometimes the Lunae.

[ooc: Istredd draws the rune in question.]

Soroya said that the Nether has theoretically claimed that if the artifact exists, they want to take it from Ikorr so they can keep it safe. While neither party acknowleged its existence, the Nether was in diplomatic conversations about "if." I think it's likely they do know.

[durge]

The ravens I'm familiar with reacted to the warding in much the same way as they reacted to the vial found in the sauna. It's likely they're connected.

ITEM OF NOTE.

[exuviage]

Skull. Found inside of a taxidermied (animal?) head, with maggots in mouth. Possibly from one of the parade floats. Humanoid species.

[ordinar]

Confirmed fake. Maybe a red herring to implicate the parade float?

̶M̶I̶S̶C̶.̶ ̶I̶N̶F̶O̶R̶M̶A̶T̶I̶O̶N̶;̶ ̶ ITEM OF NOTE.

[exuviage]

Damaged wall in abandoned sauna may contain a "surprise." (Anonymous contribution.)

[ The previous entry has disappeared, thought it can be found in the "edit history" of the replacement entry. ]

Vial of Vampire Blood. Found inside of the wall of a disued sauna. Most of it is assumed to be consumed by a leech. Partial amount remains, potentially enough for identification.

[ The entry links to Alucard's note about vampire blood. ]

[diametrically]

[ At some point Cassian makes a drive-by to examine the board and notices the multiple changes and edit histories to this particular entry. He stares at it a moment...before sighing and popping out of existence. ]

do i want to know?

[cryptsleeper]

Tasted from a contaminated sample, not the vial itself but

1. The vampire was sober.
2. There's an herbal undertone I can't identify.

[divinityfrompain]

The Doctor and I talked to the performer Retha. There was an empty dressing room she said belonged to a woman named Cassia who became ill the night before. I decided to take a look and found a secret hairbrush in a compartment. I wasn't able to put it in my dress because she was coming to check on us.

If someone can go back and get the hairbrush when Retha isn't around, it should be able to be used for the blood signature. I saw Retha's hair on it, we'd be able to cross off both performers, maybe.

to Julia, mind-text upon seeing this note.

[wiedzminka]

What's the information about Cassia and why is it relevant?

If you've already been in there, anything else of note besides the hairbrush? (Also: why is it "secret"?)

[ This is Ciri indulging Jaskier's B&E whims... it's all his fault. ]

[thedreamer]

Julia and I had a bit of a chat with Retha Zelpha. Few things of note:

1. Retha's bird, Firewing, spoke of "something in the water" but couldn't elaborate beyond that.

2. As Julia mentioned, Retha's friend, Cassia, had been ill the night before. Noteworthy to Retha because the Draconae so rarely get sick and it was surprising to her. No one else has fallen ill.

[familysucks]

The bird also witnessed a long-haired individual in a rabbit mask sneaking into Cassia's dressing room three days before the festival. He spotted a leather sachet in their hand. No sign of it thus far.

[nomnoms]

[magicalarchaeologist]

The young Draconae Babis seems to know a great deal about the legend of the Twin Latchkeys, the artifact that is missing.

Soroya said it was "capable of causing unknown chaos - or even altering reality." Babis said that they heard the legends in Nether and he came here in part to see the painting. He says there are many versions of the story, but one was about a man who was told his good fortune would soon end. To stop this happening, he went to a blacksmith to make the pair of daggers that could change his future by tearing open reality, and it instead destroyed him.

While not all legends are true, we should keep in mind that there are gods and alternate dimensions all around us, so there could be truth in it. Let's make certain to find it intact, if possible.

[cryptsleeper]

Economic motivation of note here which could tie into motives.

- Marcellus' fame also comes with wealth and an investment can launch a business, which does not agree with everyone in Ikorr.
- Olenui Square, since it is controlled by the government, is understood to be leveling that playing field out, for better or worse.

The second point suggests to me that the Square itself could be in potential peril here if things are not resolved appropriately. Given that many of us rely on it as a means to see each other, well, it would be bad. Likewise, given what we know about vault access, could it be plausible that whoever is responsible is attempting to frame the Pact itself and scuttle the existing trade in the Square?

[ordinar]

Found in a leather pouch inside of a fake skull inside of a Seknias (?) head:

[There's a photo, recreated from his memory, of a seed, accordingly labeled "seed".]

According to the botanist I talked to, it can be used to make spells and potions more powerful.

If you went to the Nightbloom party in Luna 2 summers ago, the flower they had there was related to this one. But this one is only grown in Ikorr.

Talk to Wilhelm if you want to see the seed.

Babis

[rarebenedictine]

[After requirng extensive help to manipulate the strange device, Cadfael is able to put a note under PEOPLE OF INTEREST category.]

We, Kelson and myself, have spoken to young Draconae blacksmith Babis. The lad in question has earlier broken into a private cellar here in Ikorr, has paid a fine for his mischief and purports he's kept out of trouble since.

The reason he was able to even get into a private area, was that the magical locks on the place were lowered down, and the physical ones were easy to bypass.

It's pure conjecture on my part at this point, but from my assessment he makes an impression of a simple and good kid. Not the type that would be involved in any kind of grand conspiracy other then unwittingly.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility he could inspire someone to act by his antics, or unintentionally gave an idea to the real culprit. He seemed to be quite fascinated by the vault and its magical locks. By his own words, he only encountered physical ones back in his home of Nether.

[thedevilwhorose]

Emojis, amiright?

blood sample from sauna

[wiedzminka]

Aloy and I found blood in the sauna. Collected a sample, but it's not... clean. Anyone think they can extract just the blood for testing or whatever it is we're doing with blood in this whole investigative circus?

Also of note: a bystander near the baths was knocked out and hidden in the lost and found. He was attacked by 'a bear and a wolf' -- his words. Probably someone in those animal masks sneaking around. Unfortunately, he was too addled to say much, and I don't think he had more information what the bear/wolf did.

Related to the blood?

the dusk wine (+ special lockpick services)

[funbreaker]

Geralt and I put Babis in the mood to chat, though it didn't take much work, to be fair. He revealed to us proof that he did in fact steal a bottle of Dusk Wine (he had the label), but explained that he'd taken the bottle itself to Luna to avoid being caught with it.

The werewolves told him something interesting, however. They were able to detect vampire blood in the wine, which as far as Babis, Geralt, and I know, is not regular. This might throw some level of suspicion upon Marcellus that we would do well to investigate further.

He also kindly let me keep his lockpick — which I may or may not have stolen from him. It's quite well-made and between it and my own skillset, could be used to open some trickier locks. If anyone has come across any, I'm at your service.

On Marcellus and his coin

[northerndragon]

My sister Sansa, Koby, and I overheard a butcher complaining that a rich person wasn't paying their bills.

We have the butcher's ledger — never mind how, it can be given back to him. It shows that Marcellus is the man who is indebted to him. He is behind on his payments. It seems that he may not be as rich as he has claimed to be.

If he knew the stories about the Twin Latchkeys, and wanted to turn his luck around — well, I am sure you all understand what I'm implying. It isn't guilt, but it may help in the end. We will take the ledger to the proper authorities if doing so is needful.

~ Jon Snow

[OOC note: responses may come from any of the three characters mentioned!]