"I did no such thing," Krauss says.

You ask if anyone knows anything about the door.

"This is a special door installed by Master Kinzo," Genji says. "He had it built as a bunker on the off-chance that his enemies might invade the island. The lock can only be activated on inside. When someone does so, it generates a password only revealed to those who are already inside."

>>15356
"I see. There is a chance the culprit is in here then."

Thinking hard I recall what could be the number combination.

"I think I'm going to try once. Otherwise we might be better off leaving it alone."

I try the numbers "2859"

"when February reaches its end and
the revival of the witch is nearly at hand"

Another notch goes down. The door doesn't unlock.

>>15358
"Oh well. What should we do now?" I ask the others.

"If the lock can only be activated from the inside, that would mean that someone is inside the trapdoor area. If only we can find out the password, we could maybe get some answers to all this. Genji you set it was a random combination shown to the person inside only. Does that mean, that the person inside picks the combination each time it is locked, it has a set locking combination, or each time it is a locked it randomly pulls up a new set of four digits?"

"The latter," says Genji. "The door picks a random set of digits and then shows them to the person inside. Those digits will then be applied to the door for forty-eight hours."

"So," says Rudolf. "The culprit can go in and out of the entrance whenever they want to, right? Then there's no point in looking for them."

"Is there any way we can break down the door?" Natsuhi asks.

"That is unlikely. Kinzo-sama wanted the door to be able to withstand impact from even a grenade."

Ozaki shrugs. "Oh well. What should we do now?"

Rudolf looks contemplative. "If there's no point in searching for the culprit or trying to get inside, we'd have the best luck trying to set up our defenses. We'd want to barricade the secret clock entrance, of course, but we have no way of knowing if there are any other exits to that room down there or if the culprit is even down there. In any case, staying in this room probably isn't safe."

Natsuhi holds up a radio she's been carrying. "I haven't had any luck contacting the outside world. It looks like we'll remain on our own until Captain Kawabata returns."

>>15361
"I guess we should figure out where we should hold up then.

This room would be the safest place to do it, but I doubt it would be very comfortable for obvious reasons. Would Kinzo's study be the next choice in that case?"

"We have both of the keys," Jessica says. "Still, going back there..."

"It's the safest place for us," George says.

Rosa purses her lips. "How can I just sit and hide while the person who killed Maria runs around?"

"You'll get your revenge," Rudolf says. "With this typhoon around us, nobody's getting off of this island. They'll have to confront us directly sooner or later."

With that, everyone moves upstairs. Once they exit the clock entrance, they barricade it with furniture.

When you reach Kinzo's study, the adults react to the vile skeletal display with revulsion.

"This...is absolutely vile," Natsuhi says. "To kill us, desecrate us, and even to shame Father's memory..."

Your group barricades the door and window to the best of their ability, but the study doesn't contain much loose furniture, so it ends up a bit flimsy.

"Damn," says Battler. "It wasn't even twenty-four hours ago that we were all alive and happy. How the hell could everything go so wrong?"

Jessica looks at you and Amy. "I guess you guys didn't pick the best place to end up, huh?"

Last edited at 14/06/27(Fri)10:28:21

>>15363
"Honestly I feel worse for you guys. I wanted catch the culprit before anything else happened but they really have us backed into a corner on this one.
In the end it looks like we will have to wait this out after all."

I cross my arms and look out the window a bit. I check the locks on the windows and make sure they are set. Then I unplug the phone. Finally I check the room for any changes since Amy and I left.

The only thing you see from the window is rain. The dark storm clouds and rain make the surrounding environment indecipherable. The lock on the window is set.

You yank the phone cord from its socket. A few people notice, but nobody objects. No more deadly calls.

The room doesn't seem to have changed since you left. If anyone's been inside, it's impossible to tell.

>>15365
I go over to Jessica.

"Hey, I was wondering. After Battler and Maria left, you and George stayed in this study right? Were their any calls after they left? When did you two end up leaving the study and why?"

I go over to Gohda and quietly ask him, so that no one else can hear I say. I ask him about what happened in the parlor after we left.

Last edited at 14/06/27(Fri)16:04:14

Jessica sighs. "After Maria and Battler were called, I called the parlor to make sure the servants watched out for Maria. But no matter how many times I called, nobody picked up. So I told the adults about the situation and we decided to look for Maria-chan. And then...you know what happened."

Last edited at 14/06/29(Sun)19:48:13

"The phone rang and I bravely picked it up. Kyrie instructed us to walk around the mansion and keep our eyes peeled. I'll admit, I didn't want to do it, but Kyrie-sama seems more ferocious than even this murderer! Unfortunately, I don't know what happened after that. I investigating the dining hall when I started hearing the other shout for Maria's name."

Someone knocks on the door to Kinzo's study.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I keep an eye on the people in the study while I am moving to the door.
I examine the door to see if perhaps it has a peephole I can use. Otherwise I will keep to the side so I am not standing in front of it and then speak.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Are you all in there? I just woke up." It's Nanjo's voice.

"Should we let him in?" Natushi asks. "He could be the culprit. Or an accomplice!"

"He's just an old man," Krauss says. "Open the door, Ozaki-san."

>>15378
"Hmm, sure."

I open the door while being on my guard. Mostly making sure nobody behind me does anything, I'll open the door so that I end up slightly behind it as Nanjo enters.

I will move so that someone from the door frame would not notice me. (Aka in the door's blindspot.)

Nanjo enters through the door. It closes behind him. "Didn't anybody notice I was gone?"

Nobody says anything.

"Dr. Nanjo," Rosa says. "Where were you?"

"Asleep in my room," he says. "Really? Nobody remembered to come get me?"

"Maria is dead," Rudolf says. "Do you know anything about that?"

"What? My word, no! I was in my room all this time, I swear it. That poor girl."

>>15383
I decide to do a detailed sweep of the room looking for any more trap doors or hidden walls. Checking bookshelves, drawers, desk and what have you.

It was supposed to be Kinzo's bunker after all, there may be another way in.

Your search reveals that Kinzo's study has no entrances and exits apart from the single door and single window.

Last edited at 14/07/03(Thu)19:27:28

>>15385
I'll wait for anything of interest to happen, keeping an eye on everyone from the corner of the room.

Hours pass where nothing interesting happens. Nobody has tried to communicate with you. There haven't been any strange sounds or voices coming from the rest of the mansion. Everything has been relatively peaceful.

The only noise in the room ever comes from a small cackle of static from Natsuhi's radio or from Krauss's groan. At one point, Kyrie asks for a pencil but refuses to explain what for except that it's "just an idea."

A little more time passes. The clock reads: 10:42.

Natsuhi's radio cackles again. Significantly longer, this time.

"Please," Natsuhi says. "This is an S.O.S. We're trapped here and someone is trying to kill us. Please respond!"

"...Copy. Can you identify yourself and report a location?"

Natsuhi's mouth droops in shock before she answers. "M-my name is Natsuhi Ushiromiya! I'm on Rokkenjima island, just south of Niijima! Please send help as quickly as you can, someone has explosives and they're trying to kill us."

"...Sorry. Didn't...of that. Get...ground?"

The radio cackles more and more and the man's voice drowns out.

Gohda raises from his spot on the floor. "We have to get higher! Someone could save us!"

"There's nowhere higher to go," Natsuhi says. "Unless..."

"No," Krauss says. "You're not doing that. It's too dangerous."

"I am doing it," Natsuhi says. "I will protect this family. If anyone wants to join me, fine. If not, that's okay, too. But I'm climbing up to the roof and I'm calling in for help. Nobody else is dying tonight."

I'll stand in her way blocking the window with my body. "Stop Natsuhi, height would not help us. The problem is the antenna on the radio, not height. Adjusting the height by going higher does not increase the power of the signal enough to actually help get one. Second, there is no way that is actually someone off the island. Since the radio is being effected by static that means it is an AM radio. There is no way a radio broadcast from Nijima is coming here, I'm sorry, but there is no one they have a radio transmitter that can send the waves our far enough for a AM radio to pick up, much less one that doesn't seem to have a good or working antenna. That broadcast is most likely not coming from Nijima, and even if it is there is a 0% chance they will actually hear you without a good antenna even if you went above the clouds in height. AM signals can't get sent very far, so there is no way that was coming from Nijima, it is just too far away. And with all the static from the lightning in the air, you'd never send a full sentence, AM radio waves are effected by all types of static interference from such things as household appliances — and especially from lightning."

"This is most likely a trap. They want you to fall for the fallacy that is going higher. The signal is not coming from Nijima, it is someone on Rokkenjima using a short-wave radio to trick you!"

Last edited at 14/07/05(Sat)09:00:39

"What she says makes sense," says Rudolf.

Natsuhi bites her lip. "To think that I was almost tricked like that. Thank you, Amy-san."

In the corner of the room, Kyrie speaks: "I've figured it out."

"Kyrie-san?" Battler says.

Kyrie looks up. "The combination on that lock. It's a year, when all of this madness began-- according to the culprit, anyway. 1981. That could have been when the culprit's fiance died, according to what I overheard during Amy's conversation with the culprit. It's the most likely possibility."

"Then let's go!" Rosa says. "The culprit could be hiding down there!"

Kyrie shakes her head. "We can't discount the possibility that there are multiple extra people on this island. After all this time, he or they've probably been scouting this room."

"I'm not going to wait here while the person who killed Maria walks around," Rosa says. "If there's a chance we can find them, I'm going!"

"That's fine," Kyrie says. "I want to go as well, to confirm my theory. I don't plan on waiting until the police get here to catch this criminal. We should move in a small group so that we can hide ourselves, however. Battler, we could use a young man in case we run into any trouble. Will you come?"

Her question surprised Battler. After practically ignoring him after finding out the truth, did Kyrie...finally accept him?

"Yeah, I'll go." He says.

Last edited at 14/07/06(Sun)14:39:42

"I will go as well Kyrie. There is something I'd like to confirm beyond that door and in the gold room itself."

I guess I'll stay with the people who decided to stay in the study then, continuing to keep an eye on them.

"I should go too," says Rudolf.

Kyrie shakes her hand. "With Krauss in his...position, you're best equip to take care of everyone. It would be bet if you stayed here."

Rudolf looks unsatisfied. "Just be careful, okay?"

Kyrie nods, then addresses everyone. "Rosa and I will take two of the guns. Since we're taking the most risk, we need the most protection. I'll leave my husband with the third. Does anyone have any objections?"

If anyone does, nobody says so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHdP6vmrzME

"We'll turn the phone back on in case you need to call us," Natsuhi says. She motions to George, who does so.

"Thank you," Kyrie says. "We're going to end this hell. We'll find the culprit and avenge everyone who died-- George's parents, Maria, and Kumasawa. I consider you all just as much my family as if we were related by blood. The culprit challenged me and I intend to meet them at full force. When the rain clears and the seagulls cry, we're all leaving this island together."

Amy's group leaves through Kinzo's door.

As you walk to the gold room, Kyrie walks beside you and talks in a hushed voice.

"I suppose this isn't how you thought your cruise would end up, is it?" she asks. "But it's odd. Neither the radio or television said anything about a fallen cruise ship. Don't you find that odd?

I do. But don't worry, I don't suspect that you're the culprit. Whatever your story is, it doesn't matter to me. Something else bothers me. Everything that's happened over the last couple of days, doesn't it feel strange? Everything that happened brought us together, like someone was trying to sure that we trust each other. If someone was trying to kill us, don't you think they would try to tear us apart and make us suspicious? That's what I would do. Instead, this culprit wanted us to believe in this phony-sounding outside person. Why do you think that is? Well, I have an idea. It's just something to think about."

Your group reaches the clock entrance. Kyrie addresses you publicly.

"Amy-san, would you wait here? I don't want someone to ambush us without our knowledge. The rest of the group should be inside Father's study, so if you hear as much as a footstep, you should run down and scream. Do you understand?"

"I suppose you're not really giving me a choice in the matter."

"Don't worry," she says. "If I'm right, I'll tell you everything we find out."

"Be careful," Battler tells you. "Don't try to be some kind of hero, okay?"

Rosa nods at you. "Good luck, Amy-san."

The group walks down the stairs and disappears from sight.

The ground around you is quiet. The sound of faint rain echoes quietly from outside. You can hear faint chatter from the stai

rs

be

low...............
...............................

.......................

Human lives are such fickle things. They can end in so many ways and break apart as quickly as rain in the atmosphere. Human plans always fail when they don't account for rogue elements. Isn't that right, Ammit? That woman thought that she would confront the truth, but the truth swallowed her as easily as night swallows islands and secrets consume men. I carry the body and I carry the body and I carry the body again.

My task is finished. The master of boards releases me to my own devices. What a shallow, meaningless ruse.

Ammit, devour the hearts of them.

For a few blissful moments, nothing interesting happens at all.

Then, from what must be two floors below, a gunshot rings through the air.

"What in the world?" Gohda says.

Another gunshot, this time even further away. Several shots at once explode in the distant air. Then another. Then another.

Silence falls.

"Kyrie! Battler!" Rudolf yanks the door open and runs at full speed down the stairs.

"No!" Jessica's face contorts. "What's happening?"

"Damn!" Krauss says. "We have to go!"

"Dear," Natsuhi says. "It could be too dangerous! What if we're hurt? What if Jessica...?"

Gohda paces around. "We're all going to die!"

"Gohda," Nanjo says. "For the children's sake, remain dignified."

"We have to go," George says. "If the culprit is down there, this might be our chance to overwhelm them."

>>15399
I make sure everyone leaves the room and sticks together as we go downstairs to investigate.

You heard the cats as best as you can manage until you reach the clock entrance. It's open and nobody is in the main hall. There's a spatter of blood on the side of the clock. It's likely that it came from some kind of gunshot wound.

You don't hear any noise.

"We killed them," Jessica says. "We let them leave our safe area and that was as good as killing them ourselves!"

>>15401
"We should go down to the gold room, there may be a survivor."

I encourage everyone to continue to stick together as we go down the stairs.

You move down the stairs with the group in front of you. It's dark, but you see a long trail of blood on the ground. Either someone was dragged down these steps or they crawled.

When you reach the gold room, the only person inside is Rudolf. Even though there are no bodies, there's a great amount of blood mixed together on the ground and on two side-by-side stacks of gold. The trap door is shut.

"They got away," George says. He punches a nearby gold stack. "Damn it!"

"The code Kyrie suggested," says Krauss. "Shouldn't we try it?"

>>15403
"First we would need to check if Kyrie didn't try it themselves."

I check to see if the pin counter thing has gone off again.
Also check the room for any corpses.
If the pin still has a chance we might as well try what Kyrie suggested.

Last edited at 14/07/07(Mon)09:18:08

You look at the pin counter. It still has one try left.

You look around the room. You don't find any corpses, but you do find a small book. With a little inspection, it appears to be Eva's diary.

>>15405
I read Eva's diary before trying the pin.

You read the diary. It details Eva's life until the family conference. Unfortunately, a great number of pages from the back of the book have been torn out. You can't find anything after she learned about George's inheritance of the gold. You also see faint traces of graphite on the sides of some pages.

You try the pin that Kyrie suggested. It fails. As it does, time around you comes to a complete hault. Everything in the vicinity freezes, as if someone took all the life from it.

"That...is the end of my tale."

"That's it?" Bernkastel asks. "Really? That's a major let-down, even from you."

"I've shown all that I have to show. Are there any questions?"

"I have a couple," Bernkastel says. "But I'll wait patiently."

>>15408
"So what now? Is there some red vs blue, or do you just want us to post one big theory?"

"I don't even get to know what my piece was doing before I died? So did I die instantly?"

"Whether your piece died instantly or you passed at, you weren't in a position to know anything more than you did."

"I have a question," Bernkastel raises her hand. "The culprit. Are you really going to try and make us believe that it's some mysterious extra person?"

"Is that important?" I look at the ceiling above me. "Very well. The culprit is someone that Amy and Ozaki saw in the course of the game. In other words, the culprit is either Krauss, Natsuhi, Jessica, Dr. Nanjo, Gohda, Kumasawa, Genji, Eva, Hideyoshi, George, Battler, Rudolf, Kyrie, Maria, Rosa, Ozaki, or Amy. Nobody apart from those 17 people on the island are the culprit. There is only one culprit."

Theories presented in the game each had their flaws. Kumasawa did not lock the door to Krauss's study, nor was her key taken from her. Genji did not give up his key, either.

In the gold room, you found Maria's corpse. You saw a red proclaimed that the person who killed Maria did not exit up the stairs. I'll also say that that person did not escape through the trap door immediately after killing Maria.

That's all I have to say."

"Excellent," Bernkastel says. "With how long bureaucracy takes, it should be just about time to get this show on the road."

"What are you talking about, Bernkastel?"

Three extra people appear in the tea party room.

"Ange Ushiromiya, you are under arrest for the production of an illegal FORGERY."

"What?" I look at Bernkastel. "You..."

"I'm just doing my duty as an upstanding citizen. You might want to run."

"This isn't over, Bernkastel."

I disappear. They follow.

Bernkastel floats proudly in the air. "I think that went well. With the withdrawal of its game master, rule of the board transfers to me. I could be greedy and just stay with my original plan to keep the board halted in oblivion, but perhaps I've gotten too generous over the years. I want to give this game board a fair shake and see what pops out.

Let's begin. Send in those theories! The game is afoot!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daeEZHSYGHM

Concealment of the Golden Witch

Ushiromiya Kinzo - Dead at the start of the game (Just stay dead already)

Ushiromiya Eva - Killed on the first twilight (Had it coming, if you ask me)

Ushiromiya Hideyoshi - Killed on the first twilight (And does anyone really care?)

Chiyo Kumasawa - Killed on the first twilight (Played a fatal game of Old Maid)

Ushiromiya Maria - Killed on the first twilight (Weren't you secretly relieved?)

????? Amy - Status unknown. Possibly killed on the first twilight (Don't be too hopeful. You're dead.)

Ushiromiya Rosa - Status unknown. Possibly killed on the first twilight (We were all just so invested in her wide character arc in this game board, too.)

Ushiromiya Battler - Status unknown. Possibly killed on the second twilight (Good riddance.)

Ushiromiya Kyrie - Status unknown. Possibly killed on the second twilight (Okay, I kind of liked her)

Toshiro Gohda - Alive at the game's conclusion. (And crucial, too)

Ushiromiya Krauss - Alive at the game's conclusion. (He's not very hand-y, though. Ha!)

Ushiromiya Natsuhi - Alive at the game's conclusion. (Go slip and die on a roof or something)

Terumasa Nanjo - Alive at the game's conclusion. (Or is he? Even he doesn't know!)

Ushiromiya Jessica - Alive at the game's conclusion. (Hopelessly in love with a dead couch)

Ushiromiya George - Alive at the game's conclusion. (Maybe he'll stay alive long enough to develop a likable character)

Ushiromiya Rudolf - Alive at the game's conclusion. (His name makes fun of itself.)

????? Ozaki - Alive at the game's conclusion. (The most flawless, excellent piece to ever grace these trash heaps of games)

The winner is uncertain. Uncertain for both you and the witch. (Yawn)

Credits:

Ange ushiromiya, Witch of Truth (Sorry she couldn't be here to say goodbye! I always had a feeling she was a bad influence.)

GreatEqualizer, Witch of Badass (Who the hell is that?)

Thanks for playing! (And don't come back.)

Final Thread: https://archive.seacats.net/gameboard/res/15426.html