This game is different from an ordinary mystery. It's a lengthy game requiring a team effort from Players, and may potentially span the entire Winter Break. Players may join at any time.

Rokkenjima has been frozen in time. You, the Players, may freely interact with Erika Furudo as she leads her investigation. You have the option of asking her questions (in green text) or giving her suggestions (in orange(color=#ff8a00)). Some questions and suggestions may be ignored, but they will mostly be carried out with the occasional improvisation from everyone's favourite detective.

Erika will keep a log of facts discovered and use these as red truth - if indeed they are true. When Erika declares something in red, it is ascertained to be 100% accurate.

If a fact has not been discovered by the players yet, Erika will not use it. Sometimes, she will surprise Players with bonus facts for nothing more than the purpose of amusement. She may also be encouraged to answer questions.

Players may theorycraft with Erika and each other as much as they like, including with blue truth, but only three accusations may be made to accuse a culprit and only three attempts may be made to explain how each murder was committed (three attempts per murder). Once every murder has been solved and the culprit has been pinpointed, the players win the game. If the players exhaust their opportunities to make accusations, they will instead lose the game.

Players making an accusation must state they will be making an accusation. Players proposing the truth behind a murder must state they are making a proposal and state the character's name.

With the exception of Knox's 2nd, Knox's Decalogue is fully in effect.

Attached to this post is a map of Rokkenjima to minimise confusion. Maps courtesy of Shadow of the Golden Witch https://sotgw.wordpress.com/ and bulgroz. http://s4.zetaboards.com/VagrantEpochers/topic/9149565/2/

As Players progressively discover information, the locations of corpses will be marked on the map. Erika's location will be frequently marked to further avoid confusion.

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)11:00:42

Attached to this post is a map of the mansion's ground floor.

Attached to this post is a map of the mansion's first floor.

Attached to this post is a map of the mansion's second floor.

Attached to this post is a map of the guesthouse's ground floor.

Attached to this post is a map of the guesthouse's first floor.

Deaths:
Names have an O marked beside them if their murder has successfully been solved, with the solution beneath. An X will appear next to a name for every failed attempt to solve their death.

Battler:
Eva:
Genji:
George:
Gohda:
Hideyoshi:
Jessica:
Kanon:
Kinzo:
Krauss:
Kumasawa:
Kyrie:
Maria:
Nanjo:
Natsuhi:
Rosa:
Rudolf:
Shannon:

Culprits Accused: (0/3)

Names will appear here suffixed with "is not the culprit" if they are guessed incorrectly or "is the culprit" if they are guessed correctly.

"One more thing: it would be too easy if I did everything for you. Please be very specific about what you'd like me to investigate. Shall we begin? There's no need to be shy, nobody's judging you on intellectual capacity here."

Erika smiles sweetly at everyone present.

Erika begins at the pier. Asking for any clarification on the rules is welcome.

So just after-the-fact investigation. Fair enough.

Hi, Witch of Truth. Did you actually witness or do anything or were you late to the party just like us? You know, we have make sure this level of reasoning is possible for you simply because corpses exist.

"I've been here the whole time. Of course, I decided to be polite about it and wait until culprit-san was finished before I went investigating."

Are you sure that's being polite? Sounds like a pretty boring and wet experience to me.

And how did she get her dress then? Culprit exposed...!

Go up the stairway and let me know if you see any corpses.

"It was quite alright. I mentally prepared a list of expectations for the crimes. Many of them were fulfilled.

... I suppose it's a bit like playing Bingo."

With a faint raise of both eyebrows, Erika remains in place for a split second. She then exhales the first note of a chuckle, lids her eyes and smiles again.

"As you wish. Just corpses, hmm?"

The percussive sound of Erika's mary-janes on hard pavement announces the detective's mansionward approach. Her walk continues for approximately 1 minute 34 seconds before abruptly stopping just short of the rose garden.

"Observer-san, I'm quite certain this isn't a corpse..."

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)12:34:04

"... but it may interest you nonetheless."

...and I was fully aware this might happen, too. Oh well, I appreciate her still letting me know anyway.

Examine the envelope. Is it still sealed? Also, is it that seal, the one of the family head? (let's not pretend we don't know what it looks like)
And before you get bored because I'm taking this too slow, how about we also open it and see what's inside?

"You needn't worry for my sake. They say it takes a boring mind to get bored."

Erika stoops down, scooping the envelope off the ground elegantly.

"I can confirm that this is the seal of the Ushiromiya family head. The envelope is unopened."

She pries apart the hitherto-unopened wax seal, producing a small letter written in full print and reading its contents aloud.

I, Kinzo Ushiromiya, hereby declare the end of my misbegotten lineage.
My good-for-nothing grandson Battler has perished.
My worthless grandson George has died as vainly as he lived.
My foolish granddaughter Jessica has paid the price of her ignorance.
My naive young granddaughter Maria has been laid to rest.
My servants have paid the price of their treachery, even the loyal liar Genji, who has been consigned to the abyss. It pleases me to know that Kanon and Shannon may yet suffer on.
My scheming sons and daughters have been punished. Krauss and Natsuhi have paid the full price for their swindling.
I despise you all. I will see you in hell when I return there now, for there is no longer anything I must do in this world.

Following her reading, she returns the letter to its envelope and places it back down on the ground. As she closes her eyes, the item returns to being the exact way it was before.

"Interesting, isn't it?"

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)13:12:38

Interesting, maybe. Of course anybody could have written this after killing everyone else and acquiring the required ring.

How about a walk through the rose garden to see if we have any more interesting encounters there?

"Sounds agreeable. I say we start over there."

Erika turns her head to face the Gazebo in the centre of the Rose Garden as she begins her steady approach. Through her eyes you can see three corpses.

The corpses appear to belong to:

Battler Ushiromiya
George Ushiromiya
Shannon

Battler and George's corpses are sitting opposite each other at the table. Shannon's corpse is leaning on Battler's. There's a rifle on the ground.

"Now, what shall we do about this?"

Erika gazes at you with an expectant smile.

Well, a clear method of murder is presented to us. This culprit is very forthcoming so far.

Check the bodies for any external wounds.

Erika wrings her hands out in front of her.

"It's a start."

She closes the distance between her and the corpses, announcing her findings as you see them through her very own eyes.

"George and Battler-kun both have wooden stakes embedded in their foreheads. They've both been labelled, too."

Your vision follows Erika's fingertips as they move from corpse to corpse. A stake has been firmly lodged in the skull of both male victims. The weapon in Battler's corpse reads "Belphegor" while George's reads "Satan". Both corpses are sitting with their eyes closed, dried blood trailing all the way from their foreheads to their jackets.

Erika then turns her attention to the third corpse: Shannon lays on Battler's shoulder. There's blood everywhere.

"There's a large wound in her skull, straight through the eye. It looks like a gunshot wound, matching the caliber of a Winchester Rifle Model 1894 - the Mare's Leg."

The detective pauses, looks at you and smiles.

"I'm sorry, I'm taking all the fun out of this."

She steps aside, allowing you to see the horrendous spectacle Shannon's face has become. It looks like something tore right through half of her skull.

"I hope you don't mind if I cut in," asks a young woman in Japanese with a heavy American accent, although it was more of a mutter than anything as she observes the scene through Erika's eyes.

"Mmhmm, yes... Wooden, eh? That's worth noting. Very odd. Anyways, best double check. Please confirm that the rifle beside them is the same style as could have made the wound, and if it has been fired recently, perhaps due to a scent of gunpowder, spent cartridges nearby, and/or missing rounds from the magazine." She pauses, then adds, "And please check for gunpowder burns on all three corpses as well. Possibly unlikely, but always worth checking... Oh, and my name is Michiko Ito, by the way," she finishes as an afterthought, more concerned with examining the scene.

"Ah, a newcomer. Pleased to meet you. I'm Erika Furudo, the detective."

Once more, she curtsies with a sweet expression. Following this, she raises her hands either side of her in a form of shrug.

"< V e r y g o o d ! > For a moment, I was afraid nobody would ask. You'll be glad to know I've already taken the liberty of performing all of your requests: only Shannon's corpse bears gunpowder burns. Furthermore, the rifle matches the wound profile perfectly and three rounds have been spent from the gun's magazine. And of course..."

She stoops down on the floor, inhaling a noseful of air a few inches away from the barrel of the gun before heaving a sigh of contentment. "I do love the smell of gunpowder in the morning, but there's a far more obvious sign..."

Erika draws your attention to a small detail: fresh tears stain Shannon's face, indicative of a recent expiration. "One more thing: there are no spent cartridges visible in the area."

She discards it back to its original position with impossible precision, folding her hands upon her lap afterwards and smiling at you.

"You've already reasoned out her cause of death, I'm sure. If not, you soon will."

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)19:24:29

Hello there, new detective. I'm Rune.

Hm, it's easily worth it.
The amount of blood makes it apparent Shannon wasn't moved after her death. The single cartridge proves one shot was fired here.
The wound is very obviously from a gun like this. Shannon was shot here at point-blank range, while possibly crying over the other deaths, with the rifle that was then left behind. You can consider this one attempt at solving her death cause why not.

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)19:30:35

The detective offers a short, punchy round of applause.

"That should do for the time being. Any other contributions or requests from either of you?"

Sure.
Pull out the stakes to see if they really killed them. Also fire the gun at something to see if it works as expected.

"Before we go running off, please investigate the stakes and the wounds on the boys' corpses. After all, wood can't penetrate skull in most cases. Based on the condition of the ends of the stakes, the edges of the wounds, and the state of the wood, how were these stakes made to be in these skulls?"

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)19:32:31

Furudo Erika lifts the gun by its end. Faint traces of smoke disperse from the end as though suddenly unfrozen. She flips it around and points it at her chin with a curious look directed at you.

"Like this?"

Click.
...
Nothing happens.

Erika sets down the rifle again without commentary before unplugging a stake from Battler's head. A gorey hole is left in his skull, stiff and unmoving as though his blood itself were frozen.

"Sorry, Battler-kun. I'll need to borrow this."

She feigns interest in the qualities of the weapon.

"The stakes are a wooden design built around a sharp metal edge, similar to an icepick but rather less sturdy. Judging by damage to the back of one of the picks, they were likely to have been hammered into the victims' skulls."

She releases the stake. For a moment, it hangs in midair before it slides back into its previous dwelling place in reverse motion.

"Everyone present here really is dead. The stakes match the only wounds found on the boys' person."

Huh... I think I see what's going on here.
See if you need to use the lever to reload the gun and eject the previous cartridge, then try again. But please, don't ruin your face.

The detective giggles at the comment given. She kicks the rifle, deftly spinning it up into her arms. She then turns, pointing it at Battler's frozen face. Finally, she pulls the lever...

... As if in slow motion, a shiny brass object pops out of the weapon and sails through the air, landing with a high-pitched noise.

"< G o t y o u >."

BLAM!!

As smoke clears from the barrel of the gun, Erika opens both eyes and discards the weapon, giggling as she stares into Battler's freshly caved-in face. There's blood on her clothing, blood everywhere - moreso than before.

"My apologies. I enjoy a little dramatic flair now and then."

As though sucked into a whirlpool, all of the new blood from Erika's clothing and the ground pools and coagulates. In reverse motion, Battler's face heals and the Winchester rifle regains possession both of the bullet and the empty cartridge it previously maintained. The smoke is sucked back into the barrel.

Erika turns, looking expectantly at everyone present.

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)20:09:11

Did you practice that? Guess you want your guns to be more effective in the future than they were in that duel at your wedding, hm?

Please loot the bodies check the pockets of the corpses for any interesting possessions, especially notes and keys.

"Well that was...interesting..." said Michiko. "Are you sure that was really necessary? Anyways, could Shannon have pulled the trigger with her fingers given the length of the rifle and her arms? If not, investigate the state of her feet and shoes."

>>20209
Try eating all the corpses one by one to see if they've been drugged or poisoned.

Also, hammer some stakes into your head. To test for reliability in amounts of blood spilled across individuals.

Last edited at 16/12/06(Tue)23:31:30

Erika seems perfectly fine until the last two commands she's given, at which point a trickle of sweat forms on her face. For several long seconds she stares at the audience - perhaps at someone in particular.

"I think I'll refrain from doing either of those, if it's all the same to you. I can however tell you from previous experience that the blood at this scene does not match what would be expected of a thorough forehead staking. There is too little. Make of that whatever you will."

Turning, the Witch of Truth once more faces Shannon's corpse. Erika lifts the arms like a puppet's and snugly fits the rifle into them, pointed at the girl.

"I can confirm that Shannon could have pulled the trigger. Her shoes appear to be perfectly normal - and of course, worn. Her feet do not appear abnormal."

She turns to Battler and George's corpses, looting them with a distracted smile. "Yes, in a manner of speaking, you could say I've been practicing my gunplay. Even so, I don't intend to visit another wedding as long as I live."

Erika produces Battler's wallet, George's wallet, a handkerchief from George's pocket and... from Shannon...

"This appears to be one of the mansion grounds' master keys."

Some form of ribbon is tied around it, connecting it to Shannon's outfit. The ribbon is fully intact, showing no signs of damage, and provides enough length only for the holder to lock or unlock a door.

"Ah, paranoid, are we? I can confirm that this is all accurate information."

"Hmm. Is it possible to tell if the ribbon on the key has been untied and then retied, or if that is even a possibility?"

"This level of reasoning is indeed possible for Furudo Erika, but only given certain forensic equipment which we will not have access to."

Are you suuure this is actually a master key? What do you know about the keys on this island?

"This is a master key."

Erika giggles.

"If I told you any more, I'd spoil the fun of your investigation. But a master key is a key capable of opening all of the doors in the mansion and the guesthouse, with the exception of Kinzo's Study."

"Goodness, I'm being awfully generous today. Don't get me wrong: it would simply be boring if nobody understood the basic rules of this mystery."

Last edited at 16/12/07(Wed)12:03:16

"They always said that blood shows all..." muttered Michiko, before firing off a couple more instructions.

"For George and Battler, check for three things: signs of a struggle that might include defensive wounds, signs of being bound or strangled, probably in the form of bruising around the wrists, ankles, or neck, and anything that might indicate being drugged or poisoned, such as discoloration of the lips, changes in the eyes, or strange scents."

"Secondly, when you shot Battler there was a considerable amount of blood spray on you. As Shannon had a similar wound, there should be similar blood spray. Check to see if there is a similar spray pattern, and if there is any noticeable gap in it, such as might be caused by someone or something obstructing it that is no longer there."

She fell silent again, though her lips twitched slightly from time to time.

Last edited at 16/12/07(Wed)21:29:31

"Everybody is a book of blood; whenever we're opened, we're red."

Erika shrugs before moving on. "It doesn't work as well in Japanese."

"Regardless, it's best to start eliminating possibilities, isn't it? None of those indications are visible, with one exception: there are signs the corpses have been lifted."

"Furthermore, the blood at the scene matches Shannon's injury perfectly. Besides the table, which has been splattered in most of the blood missing from the ground and the seat, there is only one apparent obstruction: the rifle discovered at the scene matches it perfectly, and has been fittingly covered in blood."

"This is quite a boring one, unfortunately."

Last edited at 16/12/10(Sat)16:16:30

Well, my blue might have been technically correct, except it was probably Shannon that shot herself all things considered here.
I'm ready to move on, but if others still want to be thorough I won't stop you.

Check for footprints just around and inside the arbor. Even if the rain washed them away there might still be some wet prints where people stepped from outside on the surface shielded from the rain.

"As was advertised, I will only contradict anything you say that is incorrect. In this way, it benefits you most to be specific."

The detective lids her eyes and smiles. "As you wish."

She lays her hands on her lap and begins pacing the area in a leisurely fashion. Under the pale light of her glimmering blue eyes you see details on the pavement begin to glow as though to bring them to your attention. The detective's vision unveils some footprints - a set of tracks leading away from the arbor and two leading towards it.

One of these leads to Shannon's current position - the other is less clear and easy to read as though having been more recently washed away by the rain.

As both your eyes and hers focus on every detail of the surroundings, every blood pool seared into your mind unforgettably, you notice but one especially unusual detail:

There is a single tire track marked on the ground, leading towards the Guesthouse.

Hm, I was planning to go to the mansion first, but one has to be flexible.

Follow the tire track as far as possible.