First Trial

[stagemanagers]

[As the investigation ends, you'll hear Hester's voice inviting you to the auditorium. As this happens, the twin doors on either side of the concession stand, across from the gym, will click open. You can enter on either side; both go to the same place.

When you enter the auditorium, it's dark. There's only the small lights along the walkway behind all the seats, just enough to illuminate where you're going. There's a central path between the seats, down towards where you know the stage must be. That's where you must be going, right? As you pass each row of seats, the lights at their ends flick on, marking your procession and slowly making more and more of the room visible. Shortly, you can see your destination: a circle of podiums stationed in the orchestra pit, below the lip of the darkened, curtained stage. They're all identical, labeled with a cast member's name, save for Mumble's, which is draped in black crepe and has a framed monochrome photo of him - Elijah Wood him - on top.

When you reach the podiums, the lights above the stage finally come on. It's time to meet the Wizard.

The mechanical head, with glowing green eyes, is installed above the stage and the still-closed curtain. Even if you were standing on the stage, it'd be well out of reach. It peers down at all of you, its motions fluid, and speaks with a booming, artificial-sounding voice:]

Welcome to your first trial, everyone. I am the Wizard. It's time to determine who was responsible for the murder of Mumble. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves and work together - you'll have to show teamwork if you want to leave this room alive.

Comments

[mayavericks]

That is also entirely possible.

[Maya taps her chin.]

This is... perhaps far too elaborate but... What if the killer did not know Mumble was in there. They got their ice cream and locked him in while he was eating? And after realizing their folly, they attempted to save him in a way that ultimately ended his life?

[Which goes against her earlier theory of everything being deliberate buuuut.]

[sugarlumps]

So being too cold is bad but so is getting too warm after being cold.

[wow]

...Your worlds are all weird and stupid and everyone here who doesn't suck should, like, come to Ooo after this.

[alchemistake]

[Oh my god]

Could it be an accident, if that were the case? I still don't know why they moved him, other than to...

[...]

To get him somewhere warmer.

[mayavericks]

Are we certain he was sweating? If they were in the locker room, perhaps they intended to warm him in the shower. The moisture may well be water from that.

[comeandfindme]

...A hot shower or bath's one of the worst things you can do to someone with hypothermia. It's the definition of warming them up too fast.

[mayavericks]

Those were my thoughts exactly.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Right. But if you weren't from a place where that's a problem, or were panicking and not thinking straight, it might be one of the first things you try? Sometimes we get travelers who've been in the cold too long whose friends try to warm them up in hot baths, because they just don't know better.

[comeandfindme]

Most people don't know what to do in an emergency situation.

[ Why don't people learn? Why...don't they let them learn? ]

[wanderlusttitania]

Then...the reason he was in the...locker room...

[She trails off.]

[disharmonizes]

What, so maybe it just happened? Just some messed up up coincidence?

[he doesn't know if that's better or worse honestly]