avante en garde

[idolpro]

Escape the mansion and bring evidence of the one responsible for this incident, or die trying.

[ For as long as the game is running, idols will only be able to access the rules on their phones. They may not text/call, nor may they take pictures.

Unit abilities are off. Items are off. Each idol can hold up to 3 items at a time maximum. ]

Comments

1 - BASEMENT

[idolpro]

[ The room's stench is the first thing you notice upon waking up: it's an unpleasant mix of incense, smoke, and metal. Although the room is poorly lit, the light from the hanging wall lamps show that the room is quite big . . . and quite crowded.

Not with living people, of course. You find yourselves surrounded by corpses, mutilated beyond recognition. Vaguely humanoid shapes and limbs indicate these used to be humans—probably. . . ?

The metal smell is more easily identifiable as blood, now—though even if you could not make the connection, the floor is sticky with pools and rivers of red, so it's quite easy to tell that these—people?—met their end right here.

Yet, you won't find even a drop of blood on yourself, or even near your body. In fact, the carnage is absent on both your clothes as well as the ground immediately surrounding you, which is just as well because the blood would have otherwise obfuscated the white-chalked summoning circle that surrounds the idols.

You're situated in the center of the room.
Against the north wall is a table, where there are two oil lamps and a number of other things.
Against the east wall is a running fountain pool of sorts—the stench of blood is strongest here.
Against the south wall is a large portrait, though without coming closer, you can't make out who those people in the portrait are.
Against the west wall is a closed wooden door. ]

STARTING EVENT

[idolpro]

It seems your arrival was not entirely without injury, however: Amaranth will find themself situated in the very center of the summoning circle, atop of various sharp implements—the murder weapons, perhaps?

While the idol can safely extricate themself for the most part, there's no avoiding the sharp blade that scrapes their shoulderblade. The injury itself is negligible, both in deepness of wound and depth of pain, for it's strangely rather numbing . . . for now.

As time progresses, the idol will begin to exhibit the following symptoms:

• Weakness/numbing of limbs
  
• Fever/chills
  
• Dizziness/mind fog
  
• Difficulty moving or staying awake, sluggishness

Re: 1 - BASEMENT

[unbr8kable]

[Winces at the far-too-familiar smell, much less all the dead scattered around. She takes a step and pauses at the summoning circle before casting around to see who--if anyone--is trapped here as well]

The fuck is all this...?

[Also,]

Amaranth...?

Re: 1 - BASEMENT

[daios]

[This is. A Lot. It's so much like his nightmares. He sways, then he holds his nose and closes his eyes.]

Wh-why would it start like this? Should we just... try to leave?

Re: 1 - BASEMENT

[cuttingwords]

[Elliot has returned from hiatus-land to find himself in... this.

Lovely. Not the first time he's woken up amongst carnage but certainly the messiest... The smell of blood never gets easier.]

Ugh. This is just gross.

Re: 1 - BASEMENT → NORTH table

[worthathousand]

[ The initial (definitely for sure harmless) unpleasantness aside, she does what she always does as soon as she realizes she's without powers: search for weapons.

Most promising is the table of ...well, she can't tell exactly what's there, but that's step one, isn't it.

What is at the table? ]

!!!

[idolpro]

A sudden howl reverberates through the whole building, but especially in the room; the sound is so loud and piercing it feels like ice picks on your eardrums.

Elliot and everyone who does not cover their ears now exhibit the following symptoms:

• Ruptured eardrum(s), icepick-like pain
  
• Dizziness
  
• Partial to complete deafness

!!!

[idolpro]

The ground begins to shake violently, and blocks of stone that make up the ceiling slip out of their place.

Elliot and anyone who's not vigilant will find themselves the unfortunate beneficiaries of rocks falling from the ceiling, and will exhibit the following symptoms:

• Bleeding
  
• Dizziness
  
• Blunt force trauma (not fatal)
  
• Limb/joint injury

1 - BASEMENT -> WEST WALL

[daios]

[Once Amaranth hands him a chainsaw he is going to use it to try to bust down the wooden door.]

!!!

[idolpro]

As the door is being chainsawed, gas begins to leak into the room.

Shirasagi and Hades and everyone who doesn't cover their nose quickly enough will find themselves breathing in something most certainly chemical and painful, exhibiting the following symptoms:

• Coughing fits
  
• Blindness/eye irritation
  
• Difficulty breathing
  
• Insatiable itchiness

2 - CORRIDOR

[idolpro]

[ Having escaped the basement, you ascend the stairs, and ascend them, and ascend them . . . endlessly, they go on, spiraling up until you reach a room.

No, it's more accurate to call it a corridor, for the room is simply the joining point for three other hallways and another door. Each hallway is adorned with glistening jewels and metals: the leftmost hallway has gold lining, while the middle hallway is adorned with silver and the right hallway has a copper-like bronze plating its walls.

Hanging from the closed door is a plaque, with strange markings etched into it:




You also can turn back around and go back down. ]

Re: 2 - CORRIDOR

[unbr8kable]

[...just trying the door because of course she is. And calling downstairs:]

There's like. A puzzle thing in here!

Re: 2 - CORRIDOR

[snowbirds]

[Can Shirasagi unhang the plaque from the door?]

!!!

[idolpro]

Once everyone is in the corridor, the ground shakes violently—although this time nothing lands on anyone, the staircase leading back down completely collapses. It seems you can only go forward, now.

Re: 2 - CORRIDOR

[worthathousand]

[ By now, Amaranth is visibly weakening. She has to pause every so often to support her weight against the wall. ]

We need to work quickly—split up to check each hallway.

Re: 2 - CORRIDOR

[snowbirds]

[Randomly do these symbols look anything like the summoning circle language]

Re: 2 - CORRIDOR

[daios]

[Is there a keyhole for the bronze key? Hades will try it if so]

Re: 2 - CORRIDOR

[snowbirds]

[Will it make a difference using the silver key? because obviously i cant read]

...

[idolpro]

[ The building begins to shake violently once more—the mansion won't stand for much longer. . .

You receive a message on your phones.

Choose two to save.

There's a dropdown of the people in this room. It seems. . . you can at least choose two of you to avoid the worst happening.

Who will it be? ]

Re: ...

[snowbirds]

I am fine, you can leave me aside. I haven’t experienced any pain so I can withstand it better.

Re: ...

[worthathousand]

Elliot, Nemesis, Shirasagi—

It must be two of you.

Re: ...

[unbr8kable]

Amaranth and Hades've already been hurt. Anything else, the rest of us can take on.

FIRST SAVED

[worthathousand]

Elliot

3 - FOYER

[idolpro]

[ As you reach the top of the staircase, you're able to open up the hatch, pushing away false flooring to find yourself—finally—on the first floor of the building. It seems like you'll finally be able to get out—right?

A single wall lamp flickers unsteadily, as though the wick is nearly burnt out, so it's a little difficult to see—but. Unlike the other rooms, you feel like there could be an active danger here—for the whole room has been completely trashed, with jagged claw marks running down various pieces of furniture. You can't hear anything here, but. . .

The north wall is made entirely of glass, revealing a rather lush forest. It seems like it must be night time, given the faint light . . . There's also a glass door, but it's been boarded up.
The east side of the room has an ivory piano, which seems to be the only thing in the room that hasn't taken any damage at all.
The south side of the room has another boarded up door.
The west side of the room has several couches, which would look more comfy if they weren't torn to near shreds. There's also a fireplace and the accoutrement for fires, including a poker, a matchbox, and kindling. Well, the poker is bent, and the kindling's been knocked around everywhere, but it's all there! ]

GAME OVER/END

[idolpro]

[ Shirasagi and Elliot find themselves teleported out of the mansion. They've been saved—!

The moon is out, shining a gentle light on you as you stand on a wooden platform a little ways away. From here, you can watch the mansion collapse, crushing Amaranth, Hades, and Nemesis underneath.

Your escape wasn't successful, but at great cost you're still alive. Time to go home and mourn.

But first, please submit the evidence that reveals the one responsible for this event. One item turn-in only. ]

1/2

[snowbirds]

[After much arguing probably, she watches the mansion crumble beneath them, probably carrying Elliot alongside with her. She doesn't really say much, just keeping quiet until the mansion finally collapses until there is nothing left.]