CHAPTER 1: TRIAL

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... CHAPTER 1 - WEEK 134 Narrators Remain ; Wakey wakey, naughty murder children. It's a lovely Saturday, after all. Breakfast is served piping hot at its usual time and all of the evidence has been removed from the scenes of yesterday. No matter how you choose to spent your morning though, the clock will begin to chime the moment both hands reach the large, ornate twelve. Before your eyes materializes a door...but not just any door. Unlike the door leading to the festival, this door sits primly and properly right in front of the foyer. Whether you exit the castle on your own or you feel a friendly, invisible push, you begin to walk under an arc of wisterias. Behind you, the clock continues to chime with every step you take. By the time the time the clock strikes twelve, you've entered a beautiful garden. In front of you is a long table, 19 seats on each side. Around the garden are several glass cases containing evidence collected yesterday. As noon intensifies on the sun-shaped clock, you'll find Tiger at the head of the table, a glass-covered rose near her right hand. Tick tock, Narrators. You have nine hours to deliberate. Throughout today's trial, the snow continues to fall as it has all week, though it's gentle and soft. Instead of tea and crumpets, today's snack bar includes the makings for s'mores, including sharp metal skewers. A fire could be built, should anyone have anything flammable. Additionally, every now and then, the howls of a group of wolves will penetrate the silence that occasionally falls on the the group...and sometimes even in the heat of the moment. Welcome to your trial post! Please see here for the OOC summary of events from yesterday's investigation. In addition, please be sure to vote! Please see the voting page on how to vote, as we will have two special things to vote for. Voting will close at 9pm EST/6pm PST! If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings for the NPC to Danielle (entrappings), as she will be taking point for today's NPC, and the moderator team will be on deck for all other questions. full navigation. locations taken (statuses) stories (profiles) info & faq wishing well private conversations

Comments

soo-won's beautiful corpse

[doublecrows]

[RIGHT OKAY LET'S GET THINGS STARTED, THANKS FOR THE DELAY BELPH]

Di Angelo, 2B and I were the ones to first stumble upon Soo-Won's corpse. It was in the middle of the hedge maze, guarded by the Minotaur.

[yes, there's a minotaur]

His neck was sliced clean through. And in addition to that, he bled golden ink. There were flecks of same decorating the hedges on our way to the body, as well as a few strands of ink-covered dark hair and clean blonde hair.

If anyone has any theories, I'd like to hear them.

[axilium]

... Who the hell would risk dumping someone's corpse there? With the minotaur!?

[doublecrows]

Someone foolishly confident and willing to take a very dangerous risk. But then again, I can understand their reasoning.

Knowing there is a minotaur in the maze might discourage people from looking there. Further, the culprit may have hoped that the minotaur would have gouged the body, to hide any evidence on same.

[disilluded]

...Only flecks? Was there any blood along the ground on the way there?

[doublecrows]

[DOUBLE-CHECKING THE THREAD TO MAKE SURE]

No, not that I saw. It was only on the bushes.

[function]

There was normal blood on one of the branches leading into the maze, too. Probably belonging to the killer.

[ don't ask her about the minotaur (please ask her about the minotaur) ]

[asswipe]

[she's not going to ask. rip.]

Then— That means the killer should have some kind of injury on them, right?

[okitactless]

[dutifully raises hand]

What's a Minotaur?

[resumed]

It's a half-bull and half-man monster. They're not exactly very friendly.

[thesettingsun]

A humanoid with the head of a bull. There's a myth about a minotaur guarding a maze and killing anyone who entered.

[function]

Something I don't want to deal with again.

[doublecrows]

[oh dear]

Others have answered for me, but it's a popular monster from Greek mythology. I suppose here, in the world where stories are real, they're living, breathing monsters.

[thesettingsun]

Did anyone else get to the middle of the hedge maze before that? I didn't even try...

[doublecrows]

I believe Varian-san may have. I was speaking to him about the maze a few days prior. He's the one who told me about the minotaur.

[asswipe]

[ah, yikes.]

... Soo-Won was blond. That would mean the dark hair could belong to the killer, couldn't it?

[varas]

If there was a scuffle, it would explain some of his hair being - [ idk ] - torn off or whatever.

[ Yikes, indeed. ]

Sounds like he died violently.

[doublecrows]

Yes, that was my supposition as well. For what it's worth, the dark hair is about as long as my arm.

[hairbrain]

Golden ink....

[ she thinks long and hard about this. hm. ]

Could the Minotaur be related to one of us? Like, the suit of armor supposedly was?

[resumed]

You think someone summoned the minotaur into the maze?

[doublecrows]

[. . . . . . . huh]

I-- I don't know the answer to that question.

[londonstar]

Upon some examination of his corpse, I've determined that the cut on his neck is deep...but not deep enough to drain him of his blood.

[ a pause ]

The cleanliness of the wound makes me believe that Soo-Won did not expect his attacker, therefore there was little resistance.

Was the ink on the hair dark ink? Or gold?

[doublecrows]

It was golden. I presume it came from Soo-Won.

But if he didn't expect his attacker to assault him, then I wonder if that means he was lured into the maze willingly?

[varas]

Wait...

[ Brow furrowed, Ann twirls some hair around her finger. ]

Don't people only bleed ink once they're already dead? Or am I way off base?

[doublecrows]

No, you're right. Varian-san confirmed for us last week that the living bleed normal blood. But thanks to Gi-Gan, Evans and Soo-Won, we know the dead bleed ink.

. . . I can't imagine why that is so.

UPDATE?

[function]

Nico found a sharp branch while we were heading into the maze. The Tiger confirmed that one of the deceased had... the power to grow plants.

Given the blood on that branch, it's not too much of a stretch to assume Soo-won had that power, and he used it to stab his murderer in self-defense.