Questionably Soteriological: A Puzzle/Mystery Quest with Kids, Science, and Fun!

causticAccolade · May 28, 2016

TurtleDucks said:
[X] DFD the SMALL KEY

The CLASS MACHINATION [DEDUCTION FOR DUMMIES] has been activated!
You take the SMALL KEY, putting down the NET for now. Holding it up, you take a good, long, hard look at it. There sure are a lot of LOCKS and KEYS here, aren't there?

You passed the test with flying colours, of course - you passed all tests with flying colours. Your dad, a rail worker who had never even made it through university, would always tell you, beaming with pride, that you were a little genius. You would, naturally, respond with incredible seriousness that you weren't a genius yet, because Sherlock Holmes was a real genius, and you weren't even half as smart as him.

You remember thinking you were right to be suspicious of the very special field trip, as you and a handful of other kids, none of them from your school, clambered into a white, unmarked bus. You made conversation, of course, to try and find hints to the mystery behind this situation - that's what Sherlock Holmes would do for sure, after all. They, too, had all done well on the special test. The best in their schools, in fact, and so they were all going on this special field trip for gifted children, funded, as your teacher had cheerfully announced, by the Global Soteriology Consortium. You...

-what were you thinking about again? Oh, yeah, this KEY. Sure is a KEY. It probably like... opens things, or whatever.

Nevill said:
[X] Unlock the FUSE BOX
-[X] Call for Mary to come down below. Carefully.
--[X] Offer her the honors of opening it and looking inside. You can't make head nor tail of these strange devices anyway, and LIFE has taught you not to stick your fingers into DANGEROUS ELECTRICAL THINGIES when the power is on.
---[X] Mary: Use HIW on the insides of the FUSE BOX

"Yes, carefully, quite, indeed, whatever, Calloway!" Mari calls back, manic grin returning to her face as she unravels the GRAPPLING HOOK from the BRANCH it's wrapped itself around and begins to CLAMBER DOWN, with far more CONFIDENCE than her TOTAL LACK OF NIMBLENESS seems to merit. All is going well, until she steps on a branch that is a BIT TOO THIN and FALLS THE REST OF THE WAY. You leap forward to try and catch her, but are TOO SLOW, and she lands with another loud THUNK on the grass at the bottom of the tree.

"Mari, are you alright?" You rush over to her, only to be greeted with a highly irritated scowl.

"Get away, Calloway. I'm perfectly fine. It's not like I haven't ever had worse."

[MARI: -35 VITALITY]
[MARI: -2 ÉLAN]

When she eventually gets to her feet and dusts herself off, you gesture to her to come take a look at the FUSE BOX. Taking the FUSE BOX KEY, she opens it with a great deal of care, revealing a WHOLE BUNCH OF SWITCHES and a single VALVE accompanying DOZENS OF THICK ELECTRICAL CABLES. After examining it all for a few minutes, she talks without even looking away from the FUSE BOX.

"You could turn the lights off from here, if you wanted to. Don't see why we couldn't have just smashed it, but I'm sure you know what you're doing." This last part is said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. Reaching out, she makes some MINUSCULE ADJUSTMENTS that you DON'T REALLY GET to the VALVE. The distant sound of RUNNING WATER gets substantially louder. "The water ought to be working now, by the way, in case you decide it would be wise to take a bath. You are, pardon my language, bloody scruffy."

You THANK HER, which only gets her to SCOWL MORE, and ask to borrow the SCREWDRIVER, which she begrudgingly hands over.

Nevill said:
[X] Borrow a SCREWDRIVER and try again!

With careful application of the SCREWDRIVER, you pry a couple of EMERALDS loose from the LOCK. You don't really feel like you've achieved anything, other than making the LOCK uglier, but looking at the way they reflect the light makes you think you'd look PRETTY MAJESTIC wearing them. Wait... that gives you an IDEA.

A few minutes later, you've managed to find places to fit all the EMERALDS on the CROWN OF POSEIDON. Now, as a JUNIOR SLEUTH you of course look DASHING AND AWESOME in everything you wear, but with these on your DETECTIVE'S CROWN, which HASN'T STOPPED TOTALLY BEING A THING, you look EVEN COOLER. [CROWN OF POSEIDON NOW GIVES +7 MOXIE]

EvilPorygon said:
[X] Try to spear a hole into the grate with the Trident.

Even your mighty TRIDENT isn't that long! It's a DEEP POOL.

Andelevion said:
[X] Obtain HAIR via FINGER COMBING methods
-[X] Ask Mari for a KINDLY DONATION
--[X] Make the darn HOOK AND LINE with the aforementioned TWIGS for the darn GRATE

Unfortunately, Mari foils your CLEVER PLAN by telling you to GET LOST and that she won't be part of your HARE-BRAINED SCHEME. On the bright side, you then spend the next solid minute giggling to yourself because it was really a HAIR-BRAINED SCHEME and the pun is HILARIOUS, even if Mari probably didn't mean to make it. HAIR-BRAINED SCHEME! Heh.
[+5 ÉLAN]

causticAccolade · May 28, 2016

Nevill said:
[X] Okay, looks like as the LEAD INVESTIGATOR you have to take the part of the BRAINS of this operation. Put on your MOST STRICT FACE and politely but firmly ask Mari to CLEAN OFF the wound with water and BANDAGE it. Or else... or else you'll do it! No, you won't budge on this.
-[X] Her tights are ripped anyway.
--[X] You'd help, but if she is no less defiant on the 'no touching' rule, she'll have to do it herself.

TurtleDucks said:
[X] Insist that Mari try to be more careful. Getting hurt once or twice might not bother her much, but little wounds can pile up until they become something serious.

"Mari."

"Calloway?"

"You're hurt. Clean it up, okay? Please."

"Shan't. It's really nothing at all. It's not broken, or burnt, and there's only a little blood, so there's no point making such a fuss about it. Besides, it's none of your business. Stop worrying about me, you idiot."

Taking a deep breath, you decide to switch tactics. "We'll be able to find your father much quicker if we're not slowed down by your injury. So get it cleaned up, and tie something around it. Got it?"

She scowls, looking down at her feet. "Fine. Whatever."

As she turns to go get water from the tap, you call out after her. "Try not to get hurt like that again, okay?"

"I told you, I've had worse." Mari mutters sullenly over her shoulder, then proceeding to pointedly turn her back on you. At least you feel like you accomplished something.

EvilPorygon said:
[X] Turn on tap
[X] Fill up watering cans

Nevill said:
[X] Repeat the attempt now that you have WATER.

Andelevion said:
[X] Make FLOWER PUNS as you water the FLOWERS.
-[X] Maybe try to KEEP A STOCK of SNAPPY ONE-LINERS and BAD PUNS on hand for FUTURE REFERENCE

You wait a little while for Mari to wash off her BLOODY KNEES before you go up to the newly-fixed TAP yourself, filling up both WATERING CANS from it. You then carry them to the CIRCULAR FLOWER GARDEN, and water the PASSION FLOWERS with the HOUR WATERING CAN, and then run around the GARDEN to quickly water the EVENING PRIMROSE with the MINUTE WATERING CAN. While you do so, you decide to make some BAD PUNS to take your mind off the situation. "Hope, uh... thistle make you feel better!"

Wow. That was awful. Although you decide not to EMBARRASS YOURSELF FURTHER, the SHEER SILLINESS of that PUN succeeds in cheering you up a little. [+5 ÉLAN]

The WATER quickly SOAKS THROUGH THE SOIL, seeping into the DRY CANALS next to the FLOWERS and running into the POOL in the middle. Of course, there's not nearly enough WATER in the WATERING CANS to fill it up, right? However, after a few seconds of GURGLING as the water seeps through the GRATE at the bottom, there is a MUCH LOUDER SOUND OF RUSHING WATER, and suddenly WATER SPOUTS FORTH from the GRATE, a FOUNTAIN OF WATER quickly FILLING UP THE POOL. The fountain of water also seems to DISLODGE SOMETHING that was previously stuck in the GRATE, and you catch sight of something SILVER glinting in the light as it goes flying, landing on the grass nearby. You pick it up and discover it to be a STATUE OF A FLOWER made out of SILVER. Pretty!

TurtleDucks said:
[X] Ask Mari if she had to take a special test, one that was sponsored by the GSC.
[X] Tell her about the strange memories that the keys keep bringing up. Has something similar happened to her?
-[X] Would she be willing to see if the key has any effect on her? If so: Mari: HIW the SMALL KEY.

By the time you're done GARDENING, Mari seems ALMOST DONE patching herself up. She's discarded her UNIFORM JACKET instead of further tearing up her TIGHTS for some reason, but she's at least GOT SOMETHING WRAPPED AROUND THE WOUND. You feel a little bit better knowing that she'll be all right.

[+15 ÉLAN]
[MARI: +25 VITALITY]

"Hey, Mari. You wouldn't happen to know anything about a, uh..." You're not entirely sure what you were going to answer. You can remember, you can, you really can!

"A 'uh', no, I wouldn't happen to know anything about a 'uh', pray tell, what's an 'uh'?" The sarcasm is so thick you could cut it and then spread it with a butter knife.

"I mean, a... test. A special test." You're concentrating really hard, and you can just about REMEMBER - why is it so hard to remember?

She frowns. "Nothing of the sort."

After a few seconds of thought, you point towards the FUSE BOX KEY. "You've examined that, right?"

She stares at you for a few seconds and nods. "Yes, Calloway. It's a key. That's a little piece of metal that you use to open locks." She uses the tone of voice one would address a five-year-old with.

This, you decide, is probably a fruitless avenue of conversation.

Nevill said:
[X] Ask Mari to switch the lights off and take another look at the SQUARE GARDEN.

When Mari flicks the switches, the ARTIFICIAL SUN abruptly GOES OUT. This leaves the GARDEN completely dark, and ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO NAVIGATE. Thinking for a few seconds, you instead tell Mari to turn it back on, and to only turn it off when you're standing by the SQUARE FLOWER GARDEN.

This time, not EVERYTHING is in COMPLETE DARKNESS - some of the FLOWERS in the garden are GLOWING IN THE DARK. You're almost TOO CAUGHT UP in HOW COOL THAT IS (because, wow, glow in the dark flowers!) to notice that THEY FORM AN 'X' SHAPE.

causticAccolade · May 30, 2016

Nevill said:
[X] Before you proceed, leave a message for Red Marker. Let's become pen pals... uh, marker pals?
[X] Open the can of TINNED PEACHES and leave it as a treat to 'seal the deal'.

You decide that you might as well TRY AND COMMUNICATE with the MYSTERIOUS PERSON WITH THE RED MARKER using the method of communication they seem most comfortably with. Choosing a RELATIVELY SMOOTH patch of wall, you write out a MESSAGE.

Lucy's message said:
Dear stranger
I hope that this message finds you alive and well! I would first of all like to say that I really appreciate all of your helpful tips and the lovely gift you left for me! It was a very interesting read and has given me several clues that I think will help me to solve the many mysteries of this place. As a junior sleuth (extraordinaire!) this is obviously a very big help, Mr. or Ms. stranger!

(It would be very nice of you to write down your name for me, if you could, someplace I'd see it, after you read this. That way I'd know what to call you!) In fact, if you don't mind, the next time you're leaving messages, could you answer some questions? All for the sake of investigation of course! My questions are:

(1) How long have you been here?
(2) Do you know where I could find the person you call 'particles man?' (My client has put me on his trail!)
(3) Are we alone? You, me, and Mari, that is. (Mari is the super rude girl following me right now! She's mean and kind of a jerk, but she's my client. I'm helping her solve the mystery of her missing father.)

Thank you ever so much for your time! If there's anything I can do to help you out (that is, if you're even reading this!) just let me know!
All the best,
Lucy Calloway (Junior sleuth extaordinare!)

Message written, you open the TINNED PEACHES and set it down careful on the GRASS. What better way to earn someone's goodwill?

EvilPorygon said:
[X] Open the doorway, carefully.

You push open the DOOR to reveal a rather nice-looking OFFICE, with PLUSH CARPETING, a LARGE MAHOGANY DESK with TWO DRAWERS, assorted STATIONERY EQUIPMENT on a number of SMALL TABLES, and a LARGE STONE TABLET leaned against the opposite wall. There is a SPINNY CHAIR at the DESK, and on the DESK is a JOURNAL. On one of the SMALL TABLES lie TWO FOLDERS. How professional!

causticAccolade · May 31, 2016

Nevill said:
[X] Examine TWO FOLDERS.

Mari eventually follows you as you enter the OFFICE, walking over to the back of the room to examine the FOLDERS. The first one is titled 'STAFF REGISTER'. On the inside, someone has, in pen, doodled a PARTICULARLY ARTISTICALLY LACKING picture of a woman waving her arms around, with a speech bubble reading "DON'T TAKE CLASSIFIED FOLDERS OUT OF THE DOCUMENTS ARCHIVE, KLAUS, EVEN FOR LITERALLY JUST A SINGLE MINUTE, OR I MIGHT HAVE AN ANEURYSM FROM THE TANTRUM I THROW". Real mature, you think, sarcastically, and you're eleven! The folder itself simply contains a list of names and information, with annotation in a blue pen. A some of the information seems to have been censored.

folder

NAME: Dr. Charles Brighton
AGE: 39
SPECIALIZATION: Astrogeology, Philosophy
ROLE: Project Head
PAY: [REDACTED]
NOTES: Emotionally unstable, but it's his project and it would fall apart without him. This is far too vital to abandon.

NAME: Dr. Elaine Paris [Worst! Boss! Ever!]
AGE: 35
SPECIALIZATION: [REDACTED]
ROLE: Project Supervisor
PAY: [REDACTED]
NOTES: [REDACTED]

NAME: Dr. Klaus Helsinki
AGE: 32
SPECIALIZATION: Biochemistry
ROLE: Senior Researcher
PAY: [REDACTED] [I deserve a fucking raise for all the bullshit I put up with.]
NOTES: Not a team player. Resistant to authority. [Wow! Fuck you, too!]

NAME: Dr. Fatima Ankara [Okay, you're cool.]
AGE: 31
SPECIALIZATION: Child Psychology
ROLE: Senior Researcher
PAY: [REDACTED]
NOTES: Consistently raised moral objections have mostly been quelled.

NAME: "Dr." Takumi Geneva [Hey, turns out that apparently there's no such thing as a 'PhD in medicine from ze university of hands-on experience', who fucking knew?]
AGE: 21
SPECIALIZATION: Surgery
ROLE: Assistant Research
PAY: [REDACTED]
NOTES: Criminal record can be swept under the rug. [Oh my god.]

NAME: Marshal Kamaria Kyoto
AGE: 38
SPECIALIZATION: Containment
ROLE: Head of Security
PAY: [REDACTED]
NOTES: Pay should be raised for overtime. [Are you fucking kidding me? Overtime? She's a fucking robot, I swear to god!]

NAME: Director Jack Brighton
AGE: 37
SPECIALIZATION: Administration
ROLE: Team Oversight
PAY: [REDACTED}
NOTES: Dr. Ankara's reports are rather concerning and it would be for the best if she would stop making them.

NAME: Roger Stockholm [Huge douche. Huge creep. The worst.]
AGE: 28
SPECIALIZATION: Human Resources
ROLE: Procurement
PAY: [REDACTED]
NOTES: [REDACTED]

[I can't believe they censored all the payroll information, this was such a waste of time.]

The other one is FULL OF DOCUMENTS that have been mostly TORN TO SHREDS. The one thing you can make out is a PHOTOGRAPH OF A DARK-HAIRED GIRL, about your age, wearing the same PLAIN WHITE CLOTHES as you are. On the back, something has been written in black marker, with one annotation in a different handwriting in red marker.

Back of photograph said:
Subject #073, three months on Luna serum, pre-first stage.
Subject #073 was procured from Kolkata in December.
Subject #073 is mostly uncooperative and often refuses to speak. [don't want to talk. none of your business. i don't want to.]

EvilPorygon said:
[X] Examine the large stone tablet

Broken25 said:
[X] Examine the TABLET

The TABLET bears STRANGE RUNES, spelling out SEVEN DIFFERENT SENTENCES that you CAN'T UNDERSTAND.

EvilPorygon said:
[X] See if the drawers are unlocked. If they are, open them

One of the DRAWERS contains an EMERALD-STUDDED KEY. The other, a PAIR OF SUNGLASSES.

Broken25 said:
[X] Sit in the SPINNY CHAIR. Spin.

You sit in the SPINNY CHAIR while you THINK ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE FOLDER. At least, that's what you tell yourself you're doing, but really it's just REALLY FUN TO SPIN IN. [+5 ÉLAN]

pantherasapiens said:
[X] Examine the walls for HIDDEN SAFES.

You certainly can't see any.

pantherasapiens said:
[X] Read the JOURNAL.

journal

Hey, guess who's writing another diary! That's right, I am. Hey, guess what, I found out where the camera blind spots in this facility are, so that I can write my diaries without Dr. Paris whining at me about security risks all the damn time. I've even made a list, although I'm not sure where I put it. Anyway, how has my life been going since I last started a diary and gave up after three days? Pretty good, actually. I hear that Charles finally got a Luna to enter the first stage, which means that he's finally going to be giving me the go-ahead to start synthesizing Jupiter and Saturn!

I've never worked with stuff like this before, and honestly it's fucking great. How often do you get to work on stuff to literally save the world, right? Plus, with the stakes so high, they've given us each a floor to work with. When I'm done renovating mine, I'm going to have a way better lab than Kenneth, or Carlos, or any of those other douchebags from the GSC Induction Program. God, I bet my parents never thought I'd get this far, huh? Well, I'm sure showing them now. Or at least, I would, if, you know, everything I did wasn't highly classified.

Speaking of parents, Charles needs to keep track of his bloody kid. I opened a cupboard because I needed a mop, and there's a crying 12-year-old in there, what am I supposed to do? I mean, I can't exactly ask her what's wrong, can I? Thinking back on it, closing the cupboard door again might not have been the right thing to do, but, come on, I panic around crying people. You can't blame me. Apart from that, though things are really looking up. Onwards and upwards from here, right? Oh, shit, better stop writing, I can hear someone walking outside and it might be Paris, Seeya, diary.

Criminal Limes said:
[X] Examine all the stationery.

Most of it is just PENCILS and PAPER, but your eye is caught by what seems to be an INTACT and UNUSED NOTEPAD, as well as a FANCY FOUNTAIN PEN lying right by it.

EvilPorygon said:
[X] Observe the carpet for traces of anything unusual

Andelevion said:
[X] Feel the PLUSHNESS of the CARPET and give it a COMFORT RATING
-[X] Then if it meets standards, maybe take a MOMENT to luxuriate in THAT CARPET FEEL

After careful consideration, you decide that the CARPET scores a 7/10 on the COMFINESS SCALE. Mari raises an eyebrow at you but says nothing. The eyebrow says all that needs saying.

TurtleDucks said:
[X] Check the underside of each of the TABLES for anything.

Andelevion said:
[X] Examine the SMALL TABLES (is there anything different about them or are they all the same... Etc.)

The TABLES seem uninteresting. "Oh," you mutter. "How the tables have tabled. Wait! Wait, no, I said that wrong, heck." Fortunately, Mari didn't hear that particularly EMBARRASSING SLIPUP.

causticAccolade · May 31, 2016

Criminal Limes said:
[X] Take the key and sunglasses
-[X] Don the sunglasses, assume cool pose

pantherasapiens said:
[X] Take the EMERALD-STUDDED KEY and FANCY FOUNTAIN PEN and NOTEPAD.

You put on the SUNGLASSES, and strike a COOL POSE. Even Mari seems intimidated by how COOL you are. Or maybe she's just scowling at you because she thinks you look lame, which is wrong, because you look INCREDIBLY COOL in these. They're not actually ALL THAT DARK, but you still wouldn't want to WALK AROUND IN A DARK ROOM with them.

Criminal Limes said:
[X] Take the notepad and fountain pen

Any self-respecting JUNIOR SLEUTH should be able to keep NOTES to help them keep track of their CASE. These seem like they'll do just the trick!

Nevill said:
[X] Use IFI: Ask Mari what date does she think it is today?

Mari rolls her eyes. "What kind of stupid question is that? You really are as simple as you seem. It's July the twentieth."

The CLASS MACHINATION [INTERROGATION FOR IMBECILES] has been activated!
You FROWN. Your FIELD TRIP was in MARCH, and you don't remember anything after that, but Mari seems to be telling the truth. You... don't really want to think about the implications here.

TurtleDucks said:
[X] Copy down the runes in to the NOTEPAD, either by eye or trace them.

Nevill said:
[X] DFD the TABLET with STRANGE RUNES
-[X] Copy the RUNES in the NOTEPAD.
--[X] Use IFI: Ask Mari if she can make sense of them.

You can't use [DEDUCTION FOR DUMMIES] on the TABLET, as it is MUCH TOO HEAVY to put into your INVENTORY. Not that you know what an INVENTORY is, of course. You can, however, copy the runes down into the NOTEPAD. It takes some CONCENTRATION, but you eventually manage to COPY DOWN ALL SEVEN SENTENCES. Even if doing so is making your head hurt. You really can't make head nor tail of them! THE OLD WORDS. YOU COULD NOT HOPE TO UNDERSTAND, CHILD. Really, just, what on Earth could they mean? So confusing... what were you thinking about, again? Curiously, you show them to Mari, watching her reaction carefully.

"Do you reckon you've seen these before?"

She frowns, looking a little distant. "Mother was the one who learned how to translate those for the institute. Father said that they were very very important, and that Mother was a very clever woman who was saving the world." She sounds a little like she might cry if she keeps talking, so it's probably for the best that she stops there and turns away. She seems entirely truthful.

TurtleDucks said:
[X] DFD the EMERALD KEY

It's quite impressive how they've managed to stud this key with TINY EMERALDS. They sparkle and glitter in the light, and it's almost mesmerizing.

There was a man ready to meet you, from the Global Soteriology Consortium, as soon as you arrived. His hair was gelled to perfection, and his teeth were too white and flawless to fit in with the rest of his face. You, along with everybody else, were very disappointed to find that the first part of the field trip would be yet another test. You almost considered failing on purpose so that you could sneak off and go buy some sweets, but you were a JUNIOR SLEUTH there to investigate a mystery. You couldn't do that. The man with the perfect hair and teeth explained how the Global Soteriology Consortium needed the best of the best, the smartest, the bravest, and a lot of other words you could tell were meant to flatter you all. You didn't like it. You didn't like it one bit.

Just... really pretty. God, you love emeralds. What were you thinking about? Probably how cool you look in these SHADES, which is VERY.

EvilPorygon said:
[X] Look at the stone tablet through the sunglasses. See if anything else is revealed.

It appears exactly the same, if a little bit darker. Is that a clue? Wait, no, that's just what sunglasses do. The TABLET is perfectly ordinary.

The Laurent said:
[X] Test the Fountain Pen

You write down one of your FAVOURITE QUOTES of ALL TIME.

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

It seems to work fine!

causticAccolade · Jun 1, 2016

Nevill said:
[X] Check the PEACHES. You don't think Luna is stalking you, but it does not mean she is not stalking you!

Nevill said:
[X] Stop by your message to Luna, and write a Post Scriptum.
-[X] "4) Do the runes on the tablet mean anything to you?"

The PEACHES remain UNTOUCHED. If you're being FOLLOWED, it's clearly NOT THAT CLOSELY. You quickly make an addition to your MESSAGE, making sure to move on hurriedly before Mari reads the COMMENT ON HER MANNERS.

Nevill said:
[X] Grab the NET and TWO CANS OF TINNED FOOD (but not the PEACHES) and head out into the MAZE.

TurtleDucks said:
[X] Let's blow this popsicle stand Mari!

You collect the ITEMS you've left lying around here in the GARDEN, unlocking the DOOR with the EMERALD KEY. You grin at Mari as you put on the SUNGLASSES. "Come on, Mari. Let's blow this popsicle stand."

"Nerd." Mari mutters, but you can ALMOST SWEAR that you can see a SMALL SMILE creep onto her face.

The DOOR swings open, to reveal a WELL-LIT CORRIDOR, with CLEAN WHITE WALLS. With a shrug, the two of you set off down this corridor, Mari staying a small distance behind you. After settling into a comfortable rhythm, you decide you might try to STRIKE UP A LITTLE CONVERSATION.

"You know, I think this is one of the hardest cases I've ever had to take."

"I don't care."

Well. You were probably being OVERLY AMBITIOUS. You continue walking, the BRIGHT LIGHTS of the FEATURELESS WHITE CORRIDOR starting to get rather disorienting, even though it's only been a single straight path so far. Fortunately, the monotony is soon broken up by EXTENSIVE WALL GRAFFITI. You decide to READ SOME OF IT as you WALK.

Red marker said:
she forgot that we're children and not rats when she built this. easy to forget. no better than rats. filthy animal struggling to survive. then the boogieman starting hunting the rats. nobody looks when rats go missing. less rats on the streets makes people happy. why worry? why fear? why look? nobody looks. all better without the rats. now more hunting. except the boogieman isn't hunting this time. the minotaur is. a monster. they make monsters. perfect perfect perfect monsters. im perfect now i think. don't wanna be. don't wanna talk. don't wanna. try not to die. i don't wanna die either. mazes need monsters. be ready to run run run.

That... has put you a little on edge. You take a moment to CALM YOURSELF, looking straight ahead and walking purposefully. After all, you have to SET AN EXAMPLE for Mari. After what feels like an HOUR but was probably closer to ten minutes, or two minutes, or thirty (it's hard to keep time, in this corridor. The lights are so bright.), you find yourself at a CROSSROADS.

To the LEFT, a section of the CORRIDOR stretches FAR AHEAD OF YOU, the BRIGHT WHITE LIGHTS making it HARD TO TELL HOW LONG FOR. In front of you, the CORRIDOR continues, but at what seems to be a slight angle DOWNWARDS. And to your RIGHT, - wait, is that blood? Oh. Oh God, that's blood, and a LOT OF IT. A large puddle of crimson liquid pools at the beginning of the CORRIDOR, with small SPLASHES here and there forming a TRAIL. An ARROW has been drawn in RED MARKER, pointing the same direction as the TRAIL OF BLOOD.

[] Turn LEFT
[] Go FORWARDS
[] Turn RIGHT

Nevill said:
We have the runes copied in the NOTEPAD for future reference, yes?

Yep!

causticAccolade · Jun 3, 2016

x5 [X] Turn RIGHT

EvilPorygon said:
[X] Hold Trident at the ready

TurtleDucks said:
[X] Have the GREEN MARKER at the ready. Mark the corner of the wall wherever you make a turn.

Looking over your shoulder to make sure Mari is following, you turn RIGHT, looking warily at the TRAIL OF BLOOD. You take great care not to step in the POOL OF BLOOD - you don't want to be tracking BLOODY FOOTPRINTS everywhere, for one, and honestly, blood is kind of gross. Mari, for her part, seems totally unaffected, regarding the puddle with dull disinterest, only seeming to bother avoiding it because her shoes are fancy. Too fancy, you reckon, to get blood on.

You follow the blood trail diligently - You're a JUNIOR SLEUTH, after all, and even though most of the crimes you've solved so far have been SUSPENSION-WORTHY AT WORST, dealing with HORRIBLE STUFF like blood and murder should, theoretically, be within your purview. At a few TWISTS AND TURNS, you follow the RED ARROWS that have been drawn on the walls, and so, it seems, did whoever it is that left this BLOOD TRAIL. As you keep going, however, you start to notice something worrying - the LIGHTS are getting DIMMER, one or two of them FLICKERING.

You slow down a little, not quite so eager to continue into the DIM LIGHT, and allow Mari to catch up alongside you. She's speaking so quietly it takes you a moment to realize that she's even talking to you. "I think Father might not have been a very nice man. But I still love him a lot." The statement doesn't seem to invite much of a response, especially as her tone is more guilty than anything. You just nod, and give her your best attempt at a reassuring smile. She doesn't smile back.

It's a few more winding twists and turns before Mari says something else. But this time, her tone is different. Vastly more urgent. "Calloway. Can you hear that?"

The words get you to stop in your tracks. You take a deep breath and hold it, narrowing down your perceptions until you've blocked out everything in the world except sound. Right next you is Mari, breathing. There's a quiet, almost imperceptible noise of wind blowing through vents. There are the tiny noises of the rustle of fabric as you and Mari shift and adjust your positions. And - there. There's the sound of footsteps. You almost think you imagined it, but then you hear it again. For a moment, you consider going towards the footsteps. After all, it could be another person, right? Another kid, like you, lost and alone.

And then the lights start to go out. You blink, trying to make sure that there's not something wrong with your eyes. But there isn't. The light at the last turn just... stopped. It takes one, two, three seconds, and then the lights just after the turn go off, plunging the turn into darkness. You hear those footsteps, far heavier than a child your age or even a grown adult's should be. You want to run, but you can't. Your feet feel rooted to the ground, and you're pretty sure Mari is yelling at you, but all you can do is stare motionlessly at the oncoming darkness.

The CLASS MACHINATION [I Must Not Fear] has been activated!

You think, for a second, you can catch the glint of eyes in that darkness, before all of a sudden Mari is gripping onto the end of your sleeve and pulling you alongside her. You snap out of your trance-like state and run with her, as fast as your legs will carry you. At every turn, you follow the trail of blood and red arrows, and after looking behind you once the see the lights continuing to go out, one after the other, you decide to simply look ahead and keep running.

Just as you feel like you're about to collapse if you run any longer, you turn a corner and almost run straight into a MECHANICAL SLIDING DOOR. You spend a few seconds banging on it frantically, before you notice Mari hurriedly punching a code into a KEYPAD to the side. The DOOR slides open, and Mari once again drags you, just far enough to get you inside the door, before she slams a RED BUTTON and the DOOR slides shut behind you.

Breathing heavily, you collapse to the ground, drawing your knees up to your chin, putting your head down, and CRYING A LITTLE. But not too much. Because you're a JUNIOR SLEUTH, and you're solving a case, and you don't have TIME for crying. Even when your hands are shaking, and closing your eyes makes you feel like you're in the dark again, and you can barely stand, a JUNIOR SLEUTH can maintain her composure. Or you'll eat your hat. Which, seeing as your hat is a golden crown, would be really hard.

[-120 ÉLAN]
[Mari: -60 ÉLAN]

When you look around, you see a clean, brightly lit, ROUND ROOM. In the CORNER of the room is a PILE OF CHILDREN'S TOYS. To one side is a COMFORTABLE-LOOKING COUCH sat before a GAMES CONSOLE and FLATSCREEN TELEVISION. The walls are DECORATED with PEACEFUL LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS, and in the center of the room is a SMALL POND. There are THREE OTHER DOORS, and the BLOOD TRAIL leads THROUGH one of them. To the other side of the room is a LARGE BED that looks EXCEEDINGLY SOFT AND COMFORTABLE, and - wait! What's that moving under the bed? TRIDENT at the ready, you approach, your hands shaking so badly you almost drop the weapon. You bend down, looking underneath the bed, to discover...

A boy of about your age. He looks ABOUT AS TERRIFIED AS YOU ARE, but when he sees who you are, his EXPRESSION OF RELIEF just about MATCHES YOUR OWN. Slowly, he crawls out from underneath, standing up to reveal that he is TALLER than either you or Mari, with LIGHT BLOND HAIR that GOES EVERYWHERE in a RIDICULOUS MESS of a hairstyle. Nervously, he stares at the ground for a few seconds, before looking up with a weary expression. "Hi. Uh. My name is, uh. Owen. Owen Martinez." He's wearing WHITE CLOTHES similar to your OWN, and a NAME TAG on his SHIRT bears the symbol you recognize as representing MERCURY. He seems to be in OKAY CONDITION, apart from a SHAKEN DEMEANOUR and some MINOR CUTS AND SCRATCHES on his arms and face.

You still feel terrible, and honestly just want to curl up into a ball and stay there for a while. But you're a JUNIOR SLEUTH, and you HAVE A CASE, GODDAMMIT.

[] Introduce yourself [The success of this will depend upon a MOXIE CHECK.]
- [] FORCEFULLY
- [] POLITELY
- [] (Write-in)
[] Burst into tears [+90 ÉLAN. This will make a VERY POOR FIRST IMPRESSION.]

causticAccolade · Jun 5, 2016

x6[X] Burst into tears
x5[X] Introduce yourself SHAKENLY
x2[X] Introduce yourself POLITELY

You take a deep breath, put up a finger, and promptly start to cry. As soon as the tears start to flow from your eyes, you get mad. Mad at stupid Dr. Brighton, and mad at the stupid Global Soteriology Consortium, and most of all mad at stupid, stupid Lucy Calloway. What kind of stupid, stupid junior sleuth burst into tears when confronting a potential client? What kind of stupid, stupid- And then suddenly, you're snapped out of that train of thought by Mari, having walked up beside you, speaking. You cry a little quieter, half-listening to her.

"This is Lucy Calloway. She's a detective, and a bloody good one, and she's helping me to find my father, and she's had a very bad day."

You sniff, wiping a few tears from your face with your sleeve, and nod. You have had a very bad day. Your hands are shaking like hell, and your eyes are red, but you've managed to stop crying and, truth be told, you think that made you feel a lot better. [+90 ÉLAN]

"I'm Marinette Brighton. My friends call me Mari, so don't call me Mari."

"Uh, what? No, um, never mind, I got it. I guess you guys are, uh..."

"We're trapped in this facility the same way you are, Martinez."

"Right. Okay. Well, that's just great. Just brilliant. You know, this is exactly what my day needed, thanks for the help."

"Oh, shut up, you bloody moron. You haven't a clue what's really going on here."

"Yeah, and what, you do?"

They're about to get into a fight, you realize, and with a deep breath, you wipe away the last of the tears and stand firmly between them.

"Alright. All of us want to get out, don't we? So let's all try and get along. Please."

Mari scowls, crossing her arms, but nods. You turn to face Owen, who looks at you with a nonplussed expression.

"Okay then," he grumbles. "What do you even want?"

You take a deep breath and reply.

[] "We should work together." [OWEN MARTINEZ may JOIN YOUR PARTY] [This action requires a MOXIE CHECK]
- [] "Can I ask you..." [Write-in questions! Anything that Lucy would be willing to ask will be asked]
[] "I just want to talk a little, and then you can be on your way." [OWEN MARTINEZ will NOT JOIN YOUR PARTY]
- [] "Can I ask you..." [Write-in questions! Anything that Lucy would be willing to ask will be asked]

causticAccolade · Jun 8, 2016

The Laurent said:
Oh? High School or College? What period?

/Has a history degree, so I'm actually curious.
// Not that it'll do any good unless you do a History-based puzzle.

Alexander the Great... God, I hate Plutarch. I hate him so goddamn much. Sorry this took so long, everyone!

A whole damn lot of questions

You instantly burst into a BARRAGE OF QUESTIONS. Owen quickly puts his hands up and asks you to PLEASE REPEAT THOSE AGAIN, and reminds you that the thing attached to your face is a MOUTH, not a MACHINE GUN. You begin with questions about his situation

"I woke up in some, kind of, like, weird white hospital room. There was another room next to me, with this guy called Moth in it. We made our way through, uh, a bunch of what I can only call weird puzzle bullshit before getting into this big maze. We were lost for... quite a while, I think. Then, we found this place to camp out. Little while ago, Moth went crazy, started attacking me. His eyes were glowing and everything, real nasty I ran away and hid in here. The door over there-" he gestures to the door opposite the one you entered by. "-opens from the outside if you have a keycard. Which. I do. Which is why I was able to open it. But I guess that's obvious. I've been hiding out here since then. You're the first people I've come across, mostly."

He scratches the back of his head, furrowing his eyebrows as he tries to remember. "I can't exactly remember how I ended up here, but it's been a while. I'm a little forgetful, you know, nothing to be ashamed of, I'm not ashamed of it, but I am. Brain like a sieve, you know. All I can remember is that the food was pretty dismal. All canned stuff. Absolutely awful. Um. I'm getting off-topic, aren't I. That blood was from someone who came through here a while ago. She didn't notice I was hiding there," he points under the bed. "And she went through that door over there." He points back at the door he indicated earlier. "Not a kid. A grown-up. She was bleeding, although, uh. I guess that's pretty obvious. There's nothing behind these walls except lots and lots of maze. I was, uh, kind of planning on just staying here. Which was probably not a great plan. I'm not really a, uh, planning kinda guy."

You then decide to SWITCH TACTICS, and instead ask him about the FACILITY, as well as trying to make some progress in your CASE.

"There's something scary in the maze. It turns out all the lights, me and Moth had to run away from it a few times. I think someone's been sneaking around and leaving string and marker notes everywhere. They're really useful, if a little creepy. Guy with red hair, huh... not ringing any bells. But then, I can never remember anything. Stupid me, you know?" He listens thoughtfully as you describe the STAFF.

"Those guys sound kind of familiar... like when you see an actor on TV and you know you saw him in something before, but you can't remember what. Give me that kind of feeling. That's all, though. Wow, that was thorough. I wasn't expecting that kind of Spanish Inquisition."

"Nobody," Mari mutters under her breath, "Expects the Spanish Inquisition."

With that concluded, you lower your shades to meet his eyes with a SERIOUS EXPRESSION.

Nevill said:
We should totally finish with:-[X] "Last question, Owen. What do you call a detective who is also a crocodile?"

"I, uh. Wait, is this going to be a bad pun."

"An invest-igator!"

Mari glares at you. Owen glares at you. Your smile only widens. [+5 ÉLAN]

"Wow. God. Okay. Uh. Say, do you, uh, have anything I could eat?"

You obligingly take out the TINNED SARDINES, offering them to him. He accepts them gratefully, and, after seeming to think for a second, grins at you, revealing a large gap between his front teeth. "Alright, Luce. I'm with you."

[OWEN MARTINEZ has JOINED YOUR PARTY]

This BRIEF BONDING MOMENT is interrupted by a LOUD BANGING SOUND - somebody is banging on the door, and after a few seconds you hear the voice of an adult woman just outside. She sounds breathless and terrified.

"Let me in! Let me in, please!"

You look at Mari - her eyes seem wide in recognition, but she's looking at you almost EXPECTANTLY. Owen, when you turn to look at him, just shrugs. Looks like this is your call.

[] Let her in
[] Don't

causticAccolade · Jun 11, 2016

There's something weird about the way Mari is looking at you. Hurriedly, you turn to her, speaking quickly and firmly. "Mari. Do you know whose voice that is?"

It takes her a few seconds, but she responds, stumbling over the words a little. "Doctor Ankara. She works with Father."

There's more she knows and isn't telling you, you can tell that, but she's not lying. Thinking for a moment, you run over to the door and look at the control panel by it, slamming the largest, reddest button you can see. Large, red buttons next to doors are always the opening mechanism. Always. With a hiss, the mechanical door slides apart, and an adult woman who looks like she's in her 30s bursts into the room, gesturing frantically and yelling.

"Close it! Close it!"

You take one look through the door at the corridor through the door, and as soon as you do, one of the lights switches off. You waste no time in slamming the big red button again, internally sighing with relief when the doors close onc more. With this commotion over with, you're able to turn your attention to the new arrival. She's dark-skinned, with a pair of wire-frame glasses worn over thoughtful and intelligent brown eyes. She's wearing a green hijab over a long white labcoat, and - oh yeah - she's bleeding heavily from a gaping wound in her stomach.

After stumbling around for a few steps, she collapses in a sitting position against one of the walls, putting both her hands over her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She coughs, a rasping, painful sound, and a trickle of blood bubbles its way out from between her lips. Eventually, she manages to speak, weakly, as you, Mari, and Owen gaze on in stunned silence. Her voice is soft and soothing, or at least as soothing as the voice of someone bleeding profusely can be.

"Hello, children. My name is Fatima Ankara. You will probably not remember me, except for you, Marinette." She points a finger weakly at Mari. "I am going to be honest with you. All three of you. I designed this maze, amongst other things. I was a party of the terrible things that have been done to you. I went along with these things willingly, and I did not raise a finger to stop them. For that, I do not expect you to forgive me. But I know this maze, and I can help you all navigate it. I just need.." Her voice has been getting weaker and weaker, and as she trails off she slumps to the floor, laying on her side with her eyes closed.

You run over to her in an instant - you're a JUNIOR SLEUTH, after all, and you can't let yourself be put off by SILLY THINGS like BLOOD. A quick check of her pulse suggests that her HEART is STILL BEATING, which, although you're not quite a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, you think is probably a good thing. However, her breathing is shallow, and wow, that really is a WHOLE LOT OF BLOOD. Mari looks worried, and behind her Owen's eyes are wide in shock. Taking a deep breath, you turn to the two of them.

"She's out like a light."

Mari frowns. "I know first aid. If we find the right materials, I think I can stop the bleeding. It would make it much easier to get through this maze if we had someone else with us. Besides, she might know where Father is."

Owen shakes his head. "Nah, nah. I don't want to sound like a bad guy, but if she works here, she'll have a keycard. The one I have is old and doesn't work properly, but I bet hers can get us into all sorts of places, and she sure as hell won't give it up when she's awake."

It's a touch choice. But really, there's one obvious option.

[] Agree with Mari, and look for medical supplies. You trust this woman to lead you through the maze, especially if you help her.
[] Agree with Owen, and search her for ID. If she's one of the people behind all this, there's no way you can trust her, and it'll be useful.
[] Compromise. Search her, take anything of value, then try and patch her up. You'll risk her getting angry at you for taking her things, but you can't have everything.

AAUUGGGH WHY MUST THE DRAMATIS PERSONAE BREAK IN SUCH A BEWILDERING AND INFURIATING MANNER. grumble grumble grumble.

Questionably Soteriological: A Puzzle/Mystery Quest with Kids, Science, and Fun!

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