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

[sugarlumps]

[From just behind someone else enough to be considered behind cover-]

ROBOTS CAN'T BE WIZARDS, YOU DORK!

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ And Orpheus, as usual, is going to just try to put himself between the Wizard and Eurydice as best he can. ]

Wait. What do you mean 'if we want to leave this room alive'?

[mcfife]

It could be a spell to give him a mechanical form?

[She is right, robots normally aren't sentient enough to consider magic as a career.]

[alchemistake]

[Several things.

The circle of podiums, the fact they're being made to stand together for a trial is already stressful enough. He can't say that he was investigating the crime scene with the thought in mind that he personally might have to suss out who actually did this. Like, Varian is smart, but that doesn't mean he wants to do this at all.

But beyond that...the visage of the Wizard is enough to leave him more than briefly stunned. Here he'd just resigned himself to the fact he'd be a hidden presence forever, or maybe even a fabricated one. Turns out that's not the case.]

...an automaton??

[Also he'll get to the leaving the room alive part THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT]

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob had to be practically dragged here. Being still very much in shock, none of this felt real to him. He didn’t want to acknowledge a friend was dead and that it was almost certainly someone else’s fault. He just didn’t want to believe that he was wrong about them all being friends who will get out together.

He hugs his sides, barely even reacting to The Wizard’s appearance. He does, however, look up at him to meekly ask a question.]

Mr. Wizard, please tell me this is nothing but a cruel nightmare.

[disharmonizes]

Well, someone sounds a little robophobic.

[whatyouwant]

He could be somewhere else just controlling it with a remote or something.

[sugarlumps]

No, it's like a lumping robot or something. Duh.

[violentenvies]

[that thing is straight up horrifying. As soon as Varian says that, though, Salieri's head jerks around to look at him, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention]

A--a what? You know what that thing is?!

[sugarlumps]

That's dumb. Why wouldn't he just, like, appear with a spell or something if he's really a wizard?

[mayavericks]

[Hello, yes... Maya is here. Begrudgingly and sword in hand. At the mention of "leaving the room alive," she clutches it a little tighter and holds it up in The Wizard's general direction.]

You will not lay a hand on any of us.

[whatyouwant]

[Elle reaches over and takes Spongebob's hand, giving it a reasuring squeeze.]

[brokeforgood]

[what the fuck. Farrah looks up at the sky.]

Okay, H, babes, not what I was thinking when I asked to meet him.

[sugarlumps]

No, it's just how stuff works. Wizards are magic, robots are nerdy stuff like math and science.

[alchemistake]

Automatons are robots.

[mcfife]

Wizards want to appear powerful. This could be his most powerful form.

[...]

And he would not want to fight us the instant he appeared.

[stagemanagers]

[The Wizard just chuckles at all of this, a sort of weird mechanical sound.]

[whatyouwant]

Maybe he doesn't want us to know who he is? Or maybe he isn't a real wizard. That's how it was in the Wizard of Oz, right? Just some guy behind a curtain, pretending.

[wanderlusttitania]

[Well, Sissi is already in a state of shock, let's just terrify her some more.]

Th-that--is a robot-!?

[brokeforgood]

So, we've gotta get someone up there to pull away the curtain? [... Sorry, y'all. Unlike last round, your cheerleader has some PTSD with flying. She sure isn't volunteering anyone to yeet her up there.]

[alchemistake]

Yes- well, sortof. I've never seen one in person, I've only read about them in books...and I honestly wasn't sure if they really existed. They're written about in old texts, ancient alchemy and stuff...

[He looks more than a little overwhelmed.]

Maybe that's not exactly what it is? But...it reminds me a lot of what was described.

[howtheworldwas]

[ you go girl. have a brisk nod from eurydice. ]

[sugarlumps]

Automatotamotion is a fancy word for a car.

[violentenvies]

[THAT MAKES TWO OF THEM. Salieri is also really terrified here, but he's shifting closer to Sissi, almost taking half a step in front of her, as if to shield her]

It is some kind of mechanical monster! [his voice is low] I cannot imagine what sort of sorcery created such a thing.

[stagemanagers]

That's the way these shows work. If you find the killer, he or she will be executed for the crime. If not, they'll go free, and the rest of you will be executed in their place.