Trial 4 - The First Trial

[crazynuto]

As the world around you shifts and morphs, you get the strangest sense of deja vu. You've never seen these events unfold of course, but...the pieces of what once was have been floating around in your dreams. It is only now those pieces become whole, interlocking into a puzzle of murder, lies, and deceit. 

In a land before I awoke, none held the power I contain. There are no Power Words used in this crime.

Before we begin, here is the background information:

---

Date - June 16th 1896

Victim - Amos Henry.

A farmer of middling prosperity. Found in the early hours of the morning, hanged from the flagpole in front of the Town Hall. Was found to be in an affair with the Mayor, Remaclus Brume’s wife, and was allegedly killed by Brume due to jealousy. Spent a lot of time in the Courthouse due to several drunken brawls he had been in.

Cause of Death - Hanged

Body Location - Found suspended from the town's main flag pole, in front of the Town Hall.

Time of Death - Unknown. Was found in the morning during sun's first light.

Our suspects are both familiar and unknown to you.

The Mayor, Remaclus Brume 



A tall spindly older man, who's body is stooped over from long days at a desk. A rather charismatic fellow, liked by most of the town.

The Judge 

Clad in dark robes, the Judge adjudicates over and interprets the laws of the land.

The Caretaker 



A small, delicate woman, the Caretaker is in charge of organizing, cleaning, and tending to the Eternal Requiem Inn and it's inhabitants.

The Banker 



A stocky money-obsessed fellow, the Banker is in charge of the town's inhabitants finances.

Amos Henry

Our victim, a farmer with no kin.

---

Questions:

Q1 - Who killed Amos Henry? [20 points]

Q2 - Why were there no signs of a struggle? [20 points]

Q3 - Why was Henry killed? [20 points]

Q4 - What is the Mayor’s secret? [20 points]

Q5 - Why was Henry specifically hanged at the Town Hall? [20 points]


Lastly

Bonus - Was the Cat complicit in this scheme? [XX points]



Trial Difficulty - Challenging

Threshold - 80 points


Trial shall be open for 48 hours, with another 24 hours for answers to be finished submitted. Due to the nature of this crime, you are unable to question the witnesses or suspects. You'll have to go off of your instinct, intuition, and investigative skills. He wishes you the best of luck.

[Ktoasty]

"So this is the trial we need to put to rest to get her back. Doesn't make it any less daunting if it went unsolved for over a century, but no one said it was going to be easy. Let's give it all we've got."

"Alderman Fields was a lot smaller of a town when it was first starting up. I count seven major locations on the old map, eight if we include Serendipity Cove."

"The suspects list is small too, maybe the unlisted settlers had alibis at the Inn that night. The Judge and Caretaker we know already. I think the Banker is the same person as the Hoarder. Then there's the Mayor who owned this lantern. And last is the victim, Amos Henry."

After reviewing some of the information the club is all aware of, MC looks over the questions they need to answer.

"The first thought that comes to mind is that Henry hanged himself. That would be the easiest way for there to be no struggle. I doubt it though. Henry's death must have been far worse to be able to awaken Him."

"Then there's that bonus question. The Cat told us He was still dormant until the murder already happened. Could His presence have still been in the town even then? ...I guess we'll figure that out as we solve the case."

[Evie The Bat]

The trial ground seems so empty does it not?
Perhaps you need a bit of help, lest you be left to rot.
We shall open the bridge, and tear down this guise.
Greet your old friends, the dead may once again rise.

Those who have perished, by your hands or not, are here and able to participate in the trial alongside you. Say hi everyone.

What are their goals? To help of course! Probably.

[Peregrine]

"The dead are... joining us? That means—!"


—Monika, is what that means. It also means The Cat has an especially vested interest in this trial being solved. Curious. Yuri composes herself, trying not to waste any time.




"Having examined both the body and crime scene, I agree that suicide is unlikely in this case."

"Mister Henry was undoubtedly killed from the hanging, but I don't think he could have done it on his own. The flagpole from which he was suspended is operated by a powerful winch at its base, which can only be used while it's unlocked with a specific key. The winch was locked and the key wasn't found on his person or nearby, which means he couldn't have hanged himself; there would have been no way to lock the winch by himself afterwards."

"That winch key is meant to be in the Mayor's Office in the Town Hall, but it was missing. The window into the Mayor's Office was also left partially open. As the window locks and unlocks from the inside, and there were no signs of the lock being forced or tampered with, I think this indicates someone used the window to secretly exit the Mayor's Office after stealing the key."

[verylukely]

When Yuri says “Monika”, the first figure starts to rise out of the ground. Everybody looks over excitedly, only to be immediately be disappointed when it’s just Tetsuo.

“Ah… another trial! I did enjoy these, I must admit. The circumstances surrounding them? Much less enjoyable. At least this one is distant… easier to distance yourself from the reality of…”

He looks a lot more absent minded, and has a lazy eye that you’re pretty certain he didn’t have before. But at least that means he won’t lay into you. Maybe you shouldn’t have drugged him to death and he would have been a bit more helpful, huh?

“We were… not granted the ability to investigate… Particularly unfortunate for me. But we do have access to a person who was present at the time on our side… We can ask questions but they answer in riddles… So annoying… Perhaps we will share… Perhaps not… “

[Skullmaster4]

"The ghosts? Oh no.. Are they still upset with us..?"

"I-I'm sorry guys-"

Mar 7, 2024 12:55:08 GMT -6 verylukely said:

When Yuri says “Monika”, the first figure starts to rise out of the ground. Everybody looks over excitedly, only to be immediately be disappointed when it’s just Tetsuo.

“Ah… another trial! I did enjoy these, I must admit. The circumstances surrounding them? Much less enjoyable. At least this one is distant… easier to distance yourself from the reality of…”

He looks a lot more absent minded, and has a lazy eye that you’re pretty certain he didn’t have before. But at least that means he won’t lay into you. Maybe you shouldn’t have drugged him to death and he would have been a bit more helpful, huh?

“We were… not granted the ability to investigate… Particularly unfortunate for me. But we do have access to a person who was present at the time on our side… We can ask questions but they answer in riddles… So annoying… Perhaps we will share… Perhaps not… “

Sayori can't bring herself to look at Tetsuo.



"S-So anyway- A hanging- How awful~ But Yuri's big words are convincing- I guess it couldn't have been a suicide-"

"Ah- I didn't find a lot of evidence myself- the courthouse was clean, besides a book detailing the latest election- Brume had 106 votes, The Caretaker had 101- but the 6 was written a little weird, the 6 was slightly taller than the other numbers. Eheh~ Maybe someone tried turning a 0 into a 6? That would be kinda funny~" 

She looks down at her hand, where you see a bunch of scribbles in marker. 



"Oh- oh! That's not all I have to share- the residents told me loads of stuff! B-but I need more time to think through it. I forgot some of it already, but I wrote everything important down, so don't worry!"

[Ktoasty]

So the ghosts are participating with them. This could lead to a crucial breakthrough, but that depends on who is willing to cooperate with the club. MC puts the thought aside for now.

A flagpole that operates by a winch key… And a records book of potentially tampered votes.

He shares his side of the evidence to make some conclusions.

”I received a testimony from Brume, the mayor. It could explain some of the clues Yuri found.”

“Brume said he had no reason to kill Henry. For his alibi, the only time they spent together at night was sitting next to each other at the Theatre play. He followed, though with hesitation, that he went straight to the Inn after the play to drink.”

“In his jacket pocket was also a torn piece of flag and a key. The key was unlike any of our room keys, so I have a feeling it’s the winch key that operated the flagpole mechanism. This must have been the evidence used to point him out as the culprit.”

“Aside from that, I think a major part of Brume’s secret is the election. If he tampered with the votes to get his victory, that’s definitely something he wouldn’t want anyone in town to find out about.”

[Peregrine]

Ktoasty said:

“In his jacket pocket was also a torn piece of flag and a key.”

"The flag at the Town Hall did indeed have one corner torn off. It was left at ground level, too..."


Yuri contemplates these new facts.




"Mister Henry's affair with the Mayor's wife provides plausible motive."

"The winch key being in the Mayor's Office demonstrates means."

"A history of election fraud indicates the Mayor's willingness to disobey the law, and establishes a secret well worth keeping."

"Lastly, the torn piece of flag in the Mayor's jacket pocket seems to place him at the scene of the crime. That evidence alone is damning—"




"—almost too much so."

"What reason would the Mayor have to take a piece of the flag in his jacket pocket? I can't imagine a reason for it to have been used in this murder—for every possible application, almost any other piece of fabric would be more convenient to obtain."

"Mister Henry's body was found hanged from the top of the flagpole, with the flag left at ground level, still attached to the rope. This means that during the time of the murder, the winch was only used a single time: to hoist the victim from the bottom while the flag was already at full mast."

"This leaves two options: either someone took the winch key from the Mayor's Office, lowered the flag, tore off a piece of its corner, then hoisted the flag once more sometime prior to the murder, or they tore the flag and took the corner piece immediately following the murder. In either case, I can't see a reason why the Mayor would choose to do such a thing. I can imagine a reason someone else would, though... I believe the flag piece was planted in Mayor Remaclus Brume's jacket in order to frame him for this murder."

[Skullmaster4]

"O-okay! Here's the testimony I got-"

"The Caretaker said she barely left the Inn that night- she spent the afternoon and evening tending to patrons until they left to see a show at 6:50, so they could get there with a 10-minute walk into town. The Banker was there, clutching a wine bottle. The Caretaker went upstairs to tend to Mrs. Brume while putting together a hearty feast for the patrons in between- She said most patrons returned at 7:45, although she seemed less sure about this time. Also, the Mayor and the Judge arrived together at 8. Lastly, she said she ruined the Mayor's nice coat- but she didn't clarify what happened-"

"The Banker said they overindulged a bit- and didn't remember too much- They remembered everyone going to the theatre while they stayed at the Inn with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. They then made their way to the bank and spent some time reviewing ledgers, finding some kind of error in the Mayor's account- They then fell asleep right there, waking up when Henry's body was discovered."

"The Inn Patrons told me there was a feast left for them when they got back from the theatre, and a note on the bar said the Caretaker was tending to Mrs. Brume- The food was a little cold, they ate and partied until drinks ran low, and the Caretaker came downstairs to give a refill at what they believed was 8:00, since the grandfather clock chimed around then- The Mayor and Judge arrived around then as well. They then said they don't believe in pocket watches-"

You don't know how she fit all that on her hand.

"Whew~ I think that's everything- It's all very overwhelming- but you 3 are so smart! I'm sure you can find something in this-"

[Ktoasty]

”Thanks, Sayori. Those testimonies you shared helped me figure out part of my evidence too.”

“Along with the Mayor’s alibi, I also got the Judge’s. They said Henry was a good person that would help out in the Courthouse from time to time, and they had nothing against him.”

“On the night Henry died, the Judge spent the day reviewing documents in the Courthouse. That went on until they left for the play, arriving at the Moonlight Theatre at the same time as Brume.”

“By chance, the Judge, Henry, and Brume were all sitting next to each other in that order. They noticed that Henry looked dazed or tired, but he suddenly burst out in laughter at the part of the play where Macbeth and Macduff were fighting. After they glared at him, he quieted down and fell asleep.”

“The Judge returned to the Courthouse afterward to pick up some documents on Brume that bothered them. They looked for Brume but couldn’t find him. Noticing the Town Hall’s lights were out, they decided to search for him at the Inn, and the two happened to arrive at the same time at 8pm.”

“The Caretaker was passing out drinks when they arrived, and she accidentally tripped into Brume, spilling a glass of wine on his coat. She tried to clean it afterward. The only other thing of note was the bad mood Brume was in, and for that reason, the Judge decided to drop the subject of the documents after bringing it up with him.”

After such a lengthy speech, MC takes a sip from his half-full wine glass.

”If this goes to show for anything, it’s that we have enough evidence to prove that Mayor Brume was lying about going directly to the Inn after the play. We have the Caretaker, Judge, and several other residents all saying he didn’t come to the Inn at the same time as the rest of the audience members.”

“This was likely another point against Brume in the First Trial. Falsifying your own alibi would cast doubt on anyone.”

[Ame]

[Source] Peregrine said:

"The dead are... joining us? That means—!"


—Monika, is what that means. It also means The Cat has an especially vested interest in this trial being solved. Curious. Yuri composes herself, trying not to waste any time.

"..."



"Why did they have to kill someone?"



"..!"



"...Okay, everyone. It's, nice to see you again."



"It would be lovely to chat... but it would seem there are more pressing matters."



"If we assume that Amos did not commit suicide, and that Brume did not kill Amos, we can now ask, 'Why would someone want to frame Brume?'."

[Source] Peregrine said:

"Lastly, the torn piece of flag in the Mayor's jacket pocket seems to place him at the scene of the crime. That evidence alone is damning—"

"—almost too much so."

"Then, if Yurikins is right, this is no accident; nor a crime of passion. Someone had this planned out."

"...What I find most curious is where Amos was found. The Inn Patrons would have taken the bridge between the Theatre and Inn, and not have walked past the Town Hall."

"I wonder then, if Amos had gone to the Theatre show with no intention of going to the inn afterwards. His middling success as a farmer wouldn't leave him a whole lot of disposable income, after all."

"Instead, he would head home to his farm. That would require walking past the Town Hall to the southern path."



"There's also the possibility of a coverup; a crime of police brutality and creation of an opportunity."

"...However. If he's known to get into drunken brawls, perhaps I'm giving him too much credit, and he wasn't fiscally wise."

[Vulpix]

Mar 7, 2024 12:55:08 GMT -6 verylukely said:

When Yuri says “Monika”, the first figure starts to rise out of the ground. Everybody looks over excitedly, only to be immediately be disappointed when it’s just Tetsuo.



“Ah… another trial! I did enjoy these, I must admit. The circumstances surrounding them? Much less enjoyable. At least this one is distant… easier to distance yourself from the reality of…”



He looks a lot more absent minded, and has a lazy eye that you’re pretty certain he didn’t have before. But at least that means he won’t lay into you. Maybe you shouldn’t have drugged him to death and he would have been a bit more helpful, huh?



“We were… not granted the ability to investigate… Particularly unfortunate for me. But we do have access to a person who was present at the time on our side… We can ask questions but they answer in riddles… So annoying… Perhaps we will share… Perhaps not… “

Natsuki shrinks back when she sees Tetsuo emerge. She notices a lazy eye, which she is pretty sure he didn't have before, and he looks more chilled-out. So the cocaine had an effect, then. At least that means he probably died happy. Her guilt is the tiniest bit relieved by that... maybe it's a good thing that she suggested the cocaine last-minute, huh?

"Did you... did you get a chance to eat any of the breakfast? Or the cake? Or anything?"

Mar 7, 2024 13:35:41 GMT -6 Skullmaster4 said:

"S-So anyway- A hanging- How awful~ But Yuri's big words are convincing- I guess it couldn't have been a suicide-"



"Ah- I didn't find a lot of evidence myself- the courthouse was clean, besides a book detailing the latest election- Brume had 106 votes, The Caretaker had 101- but the 6 was written a little weird, the 6 was slightly taller than the other numbers. Eheh~ Maybe someone tried turning a 0 into a 6? That would be kinda funny~" 


She looks down at her hand, where you see a bunch of scribbles in marker. 


"Oh- oh! That's not all I have to share- the residents told me loads of stuff! B-but I need more time to think through it. I forgot some of it already, but I wrote everything important down, so don't worry!"

"Was she seriously just listed as 'the Caretaker?' Didn't she have, like, a name back then?"

"I didn't get to talk to anyone, unless you count Mrs. Brume. But she was totally loopy. The Caretaker had been giving her opium. And poppy-seed milk, nightshade, and belladonna. I don't really know much about those things, though. Do you, S? You were a medic."

"Oh, I guess I did also talk to the guy who works at the docks. He was kind of useless. Apparently, on the night of the murder, he ditched his job to go get drunk with his buddies and watch a play. He really should've been working, though, because there was a shipment of seeds that showed up and was just left there. But no, instead he watched a play, and he said it sucked because some guy was cackling the whole time. I guess after that he and the others went to go get even more drunk."

"At the theatre, though, there was this one muddy wheel track that seemed to go in and out of the building. That must've been from the missing wheelbarrow..."

Mar 7, 2024 14:31:27 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

So the ghosts are participating with them. This could lead to a crucial breakthrough, but that depends on who is willing to cooperate with the club. MC puts the thought aside for now.



A flagpole that operates by a winch key… And a records book of potentially tampered votes.



He shares his side of the evidence to make some conclusions.



”I received a testimony from Brume, the mayor. It could explain some of the clues Yuri found.”



“Brume said he had no reason to kill Henry. For his alibi, the only time they spent together at night was sitting next to each other at the Theatre play. He followed, though with hesitation, that he went straight to the Inn after the play to drink.”



“In his jacket pocket was also a torn piece of flag and a key. The key was unlike any of our room keys, so I have a feeling it’s the winch key that operated the flagpole mechanism. This must have been the evidence used to point him out as the culprit.”



“Aside from that, I think a major part of Brume’s secret is the election. If he tampered with the votes to get his victory, that’s definitely something he wouldn’t want anyone in town to find out about.”

"I don't know what Brume went back to the Inn to drink for. He wasn't staying there. I guess his wife was, though. So was Amos Henry, and some other farmers and labourers, but they all shared some rooms. Mrs. Brume got a private suite. In Amos`s room there were a pair of boots covered in fresh mud, so I bet whoever was wearing those boots was also using the wheelbarrow."

"Someone was drinking at the Inn, though. There was some wine spilled near the entrance. So maybe he was telling the truth about that. Maybe he was visiting his wife there, and he got into her bottle of opium. It was almost empty."

"Oh, right. The wheelbarrow. It was from the Inn's shed. It was the only thing missing there. And Mrs. Brume's room was on the second floor, near a tree. There's scuff marks on the window there and a broken branch right under it. Seems like someone was sneaking around there."

[Ktoasty]

MC has his full attention on trial. He doesn’t even notice Monika manifest until he hears her voice.

That first question she asks shuts him down completely.

They… the literature club, they had to. Killing someone was the only was to get in His favor, and He was their only hope at getting Monika back. They had to kill someone… right?

Then why did she look so distressed?

MC thought he was acting in her best interests, but did he not consider how she’d feel to see them like this? If he were to be revived by his friends, only to find out they had sacrificed so many more lives in exchange, wouldn’t he react the same?

”Monika… I...”

The strength in his legs gives out as he fumbles and falls backwards.

”I…”

But he can’t make the words out.

[crazynuto]

Mar 7, 2024 20:14:32 GMT -6 Vulpix said:

Do you, S? You were a medic."

(in regards to the medicinal properties of poppyseed milk and nightshade/belladona)

The Survivor fumbles through their pockets, pulling out a small tincture of...some liquid.

In past times, "Milk of the Seed of the Poppy" was used to treat all manner of diseases and ailments, from broken bones and wounds to inflammation. The...modern equivalent would be Opium. I understand it is highly addictive, but it is an excellent sensory dilutor. An Opium “high” is very similar to a heroin “high”; users experience a euphoric rush, followed by relaxation and the relief of physical pain.

Of course...in higher doses it is almost assuredly fatal, especially to one that has not built up a tolerance. Signs of that include pale skin, purplish fingernails, vomiting, and of course, falling asleep and refusing to wake up.

Nightshade was believed to treat stomach irritation, cramps, spasms, pain, and nervousness.

Belladonna has chemicals that can alter the function of the body's nervous system, as well as increase one's heart rate.

This is to supposedly counteract the more...potent side effects of Opium. A healer would crush the nightshade and belladonna into a fine powder, then mix it with a tincture of opium, and have the patient drink it. 

I...can't say for certain whether Mrs. Brume would have recovered or not. From a cursory glance, she was not in the best condition. Seems she was in some sort of feverish coma from an infected wound. Those were difficult to treat in the best of conditions. The wound is...months old, still wrapped in some putrid bandages. If I had to take a guess, without proper treatment she'd live for...perhaps a month? Two if she clings on to life. 

The Survivor sighs

Honestly an awful way to go.

[Vulpix]

Mar 7, 2024 21:06:45 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

MC has his full attention on trial. He doesn’t even notice Monika manifest until he hears her voice.

That first question she asks shuts him down completely.

They… the literature club, they had to. Killing someone was the only was to get in His favor, and He was their only hope at getting Monika back. They had to kill someone… right?

Then why did she look so distressed?

MC thought he was acting in her best interests, but did he not consider how she’d feel to see them like this? If he were to be revived by his friends, only to find out they had sacrificed so many more lives in exchange, wouldn’t he react the same?

”Monika… I...”

The strength in his legs gives out as he fumbles and falls backwards.

”I…”

But he can’t make the words out.

Natsuki struggles to catch MC as he stumbles.

"Woah!"

She can barely hold him steady, and she has to use her whole body to straighten him up.

"Calm down! If she's gonna be ungrateful, that's not our problem. She's got no right to be upset at us for... for killing anyone. We were just doing what we had to, remember? And it's worked, see? We have His attention. We've forced his hand—or paw, or whatever—and we're finally getting the chance we wanted. If we win this, then we can change things for good. So don't lose focus now! Don't let yourself get distracted!"

Mar 7, 2024 21:32:27 GMT -6 crazynuto said:

(in regards to the medicinal properties of poppyseed milk and nightshade/belladona)



The Survivor fumbles through their pockets, pulling out a small tincture of...some liquid.



In past times, "Milk of the Seed of the Poppy" was used to treat all manner of diseases and ailments, from broken bones and wounds to inflammation. The...modern equivalent would be Opium. I understand it is highly addictive, but it is an excellent sensory dilutor. An Opium “high” is very similar to a heroin “high”; users experience a euphoric rush, followed by relaxation and the relief of physical pain.



Of course...in higher doses it is almost assuredly fatal, especially to one that has not built up a tolerance. Signs of that include pale skin, purplish fingernails, vomiting, and of course, falling asleep and refusing to wake up.



Nightshade was believed to treat stomach irritation, cramps, spasms, pain, and nervousness.



Belladonna has chemicals that can alter the function of the body's nervous system, as well as increase one's heart rate.



This is to supposedly counteract the more...potent side effects of Opium. A healer would crush the nightshade and belladonna into a fine powder, then mix it with a tincture of opium, and have the patient drink it. 



I...can't say for certain whether Mrs. Brume would have recovered or not. From a cursory glance, she was not in the best condition. Seems she was in some sort of feverish coma from an infected wound. Those were difficult to treat in the best of conditions. The wound is...months old, still wrapped in some putrid bandages. If I had to take a guess, without proper treatment she'd live for...perhaps a month? Two if she clings on to life. 



The Survivor sighs



Honestly an awful way to go.

"Thanks, S. That's super helpful. I guess we probably know why Amos didn't fight back, then: he was high as a kite."