Haute sighed inwardly. Trust his uncle Honeysuckle to break character.
Cutie Honey glared at the stallion who called himself her uncle. How dare he?! She had no idea who he was, but there was now way she was related to a ragamuffin like him.
She thrashed furiously when the lawyer picked her up with her magic - how dare she? The indignity of it all! - but still listened to her poor excuse, among other things. She heard the servants in the room chattering, something about presents and a sitting room - and, before she was put on the ground again, saw another ratty stallion she wasn't related to slip through a hole that hadn't been in the wall before.
With a parting glare at the lawyer (not to mention a furious stomp on her hoof), Cutie went to see what he'd found (D). She couldn't figure out what he'd done to make that hole in the wall, though - it was like he'd and vanished.
It made her furious.
Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 2:30 pm
"A library?" Pennybags asked, nodding to the new entrant. Lemma craned her neck to see his player's name tag - Book Smarts, it said. Okay... Actually, he didn't recognize this phony. "Ahh - I'm Pennybags. Might I ask your relation to my father?"
Lemma was pleased to see the bigger phony winking at her, though. That totally meant they could work together, right? Provided there were clues to be found. Or, you know, maybe they could at least decide to split up next, or something. "Tragic indeed," Pennybags agreed. Moneybags hadn't been the best father, but he knew how to spoil his kids, and that went surprisingly fast when it came to winning esteem. More worrying was that so many unfamiliar phonies had shown up, and he had no ideas which ones might have wanted his father's fortune badly enough to kill him, much less have had the opportunity. "I'll certainly miss him, and more if this will turns out..." Well, if no one found the cause of death, or, worse, if someone awful figured it all out. Pennybags was at least responsible - but his old man was pretty whimsical sometimes, he guessed. Still - he could've limited the guest list to more reasonable people.
He continued looking, peeking in the cabinets or record cases if there were any. His father seemed far more likely to show off his accomplishments, but maybe there were people he knew or contracts he'd signed.
Obi was getting more and more intrigued by this mystery.
"I'm the dean of your father's alma mater. He was one of many treasured students that passed through the hallowed halls. I talked to him from time to time. Perhaps if this house had a library, it could point into the direction of who the killer might be and why he did this foul deed."
Book Smart nodded Pennybags, carefully eyeing the room. He went over to the wall, looking over the trophies.
"I was hoping he would be interested in donating some books or a wing for the school. But with the last talk I had with him, I had a feeling he was not in the mood of a ...charitable kind."
thyPOPE
Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:06 pm
Round the Third
Talk to [NPC]
Habeus Corpses: The lawyer is skimming some paperwork, trying to find... something in the will or the new version.
Wine About It: After having order brought to her court, Wine About It is taking a cigarette break.
Rank and File: It was a bit of an odd question, but he'd bite. "Usually, yes, she always cooks for the three of us staff who actually live here. Wine About It frequently has dinner with us, but her hours are odd. She's usually here quite late and so will have what she calls "fourthmeal." It's typically takeaway from one of the few restaurants that are willing to deliver out here. Chop Chop's good at planning; there usually aren't a lot of leftovers." Rank and File shook his head. The East Wing wasn’t safe… but if they wanted to risk it… “I wouldn’t go in there, if I was you. But if I wasn’t you and I wanted to go in there, there’s a way up on the second floor. Not that I’m telling you to look for a crawlspace… but if you were to find a crawlspace on the second floor, nobody could tell you not to go in there, see.” He cleared his throat and spoke at length to the room. “I imagine he wanted it open… well, if I’m being sentimental, to honor her spirit. The practical person, however, would see that he wanted it open to restore value to this wreck of a mansion. The problems in the East Wing have begun to affect the rest of the house, particularly the collapsed roof, and opening it up will at least let contractors in to have a look.” He frowned. “Whoever inherits is going to have a hell of a time with this place.” He was interrupted by the clatter of hooves and the distressed shrieking. "That sounds like it came from the- oh dear. You must excuse me. I'm afraid the parlor abuts the part of the house that's closed due to spider infestation." He sighs and opens a cupboard, removing an incredibly fancy flyswatter. "Duty calls."
Fuchsia Fussbudget: “Little black book? You want his little black book?” Fuchsia’s eyes darted around. “I mean, I can see why. He was involved with some mighty fine fillies. His little black book is in his bedroom. Bedside table. It’s locked, but…” she pulled out her keyring and whispered to the Don. “Here’s a key that opens it. Good luck with those ladies- lord knows they’re finicky!” She winked broadly then tapped her chin. “You know, it looked like he died in his sleep- but not peaceful-like. There wasn’t blood, but there was- you’ll have to excuse me, it’s indelicate. There was vomit. I don’t think I’ve ever known him to throw up. And his eyes were bloodshot, his face purple. His tongue was swollen, too, and sticking out. That’s how I knew he wasn’t asleep. You could tell.” She paused and thought about the East Wing and how much she didn’t want the guests to go in there. The liability issues were through the roof. Literally, actually- part of the roof had collapsed. “He wants to reopen it- the night of his birthday, he’d mentioned unfinished business in there. But it’s not safe for habitation. Serious dry rot in the floors and walls. It needs a lot of repair work to make it safe- hasn’t been right since your mum-in-law died. There’s…” she looked around nervously. She didn’t want to let any of them in- it was dangerous. “Really no way to access it, I’m afraid.”
Penny Earned is reminded of something from her childhood- a crawlspace in the playroom she and her brother had. It opened into a linen closet and was used to store comforters during the summer. That might be a way in… if she could find the stairs. There had always been an elevator when she was a child. There had to be stairs somewhere, though… right?
Dining Room
The dining room hasn't much changed, but additional investigation reveals the hidden panel has come ajar. It should be quite easy to access now.
A: Talk to [NPC] [HC, FF] B: Search Kitchen (or talk to an NPC within- Chop Chop is available for talking!) C: Search Great Room D: Use hidden corridor to access the Sitting Room- turns out that when a small child attacks a wall, anything springy in that wall opens up. D: Use hidden corridor to access the Powder Room/Restroom
Great Room
Not much has changed in here.
A: Search the office. B: Search the trophy room. C: Search the dining room (or talk to one of the NPCs within) D: Search the palm court (roll a d20)
Parlor
Only spiders live here now.
Sitting Room
In a normal home, this would be called the living room. It is full of that particular furniture that rich people buy but nobody enjoys due to how uncomfortable it is. A stack of birthday cards, most of them in good taste, sits on a massive wooden coffee table, along with a couple of coffee table books. Only one chair looks well-used: a plush armchair with a matching hinged ottoman. A stack of books sits next to it; the top one has a bookmark and lies open. The birthday cards seem a good place to start, so Vigorish has a look. It’s almost a game to predict which card goes with which phony. The sleek black card is from his lawyer; scribbled on the back in ink is “fountain pen.” There’s a card from his business partner; the back says “baseball tickets.” Here’s one from the Judge; the back reads “1980 Albarino,” with an addendum in a different hand- “DO NOT THANK.” The one made with construction paper with a crude crayon drawing of a filly- oh yes, that’s his grandchildren. There’s a card here from everybody in the family and all of his immediate friends… except for a few notable exceptions. These include his son, Pennybags, as well as that cousin, Horsefeathers. There also doesn’t seem to be a card from Diamante, either; however, there is a perfumed envelope on the floor, so it’s possible that card slid under the couch or something. There’s also a list of presents, which Vigorish pockets- looks like the old man’s birthday had a pretty substantial net worth. Looking over the list, there are a few presents missing from what’s on the card backs. There’s a bottle of wine unaccounted for, as well as an expensive watch and an…
…that can’t be right.
An antique dagger? What kind of birthday present is a dagger?
Vigorish contains his surprise as he is joined by Lucky Clover, who sees the cards but does not see him pocket the gift list. There's a lot to this room. It opens up onto the library, as well.
You can: A: Search the sitting room B: Search the powder room lounge C: Search the restroom D: Search the library west
Library Edelweiss ran away like a bat outta hell, flailing in the darkened room. She smashes into a wall panel... which spins and deposits her in southern wing of the library. Moneybags’s library is immense and filthy. Large sheets cover the ceiling, but plaster and dust have rained down upon the books below, covering the furniture with a grimy white powder. A faint scent of mildew hangs in the air; while the shelves that reach up to the ceiling are made from beautiful cherrywood, one gets the feeling that these books weren’t particularly well-cared for. One gets the feeling that these books were here for show moreso than reading. Two wheeled ladders kiss the shelves; with a little wiggling, they glide easily.
You can... A: Search the library north B: Search the library south (roll a d20) C: Search the library west D: Search the sitting room
Office
If you knew Moneybags well, you approach the office timidly. The old man hated to be disturbed in here; even in death, you feel a sense of reverence for this room. It is lushly furnished. A massive oil painting of Moneybags’s father hangs across from his equally massive oak desk. It glares at you as you explore the room. The desk is freshly polished; this room was cleaned recently, probably before the old man’s death. Indentations in his leather chair show how accustomed he was to sitting here. While his orderly desk might be an oasis of calm, the rest of the room speaks to something potentially awful happening here. Moneybags’s computer lays smashed on the floor, glass flecks from the antiquated CRT monitor studding the carpet like caltrops. The rug itself is rumpled and folded dramatically, as if it has been lifted recently. The portrait of his father remains untouched, but all the other paintings in the room have been knocked askew; one has fallen to the floor, its wooden frame cracked. Several books have been knocked from their shelves, and an alabaster statue of a unicorn has crashed to the floor, its tiny pointed horn snapped at the base. Something loud and violent happened in this room. However, all of the desk drawers are locked. Something might be in there- something important- but you’ll need a key… Searching under the desk, Quarter Mane finds a number of memos. Mostly little things regarding his business partners, but one sticks out in particular. “Call Dr. Scratch and Sniff. 312-876-7450. Ask about follow up appointment on Friday.” So sometime before his death, he’d been seeing a doctor called Scratch and Sniff. Curious.
You can: A: Search the office for the key (roll a d4. Evens finds the key and opens the desk; odds finds nothing.) B: Search the trophy room C: Search the great room D: Investigate the rug (roll a d20)
Trophy Room
Trophy Room: This room was one of Moneybags’s favorite places to entertain. There is a small fireplace, some comfortable leather furniture, and a bar set up inside a stuffed hippo. No, really- the bottles are stored in the hippo’s hollow interior and there’s a cutaway for mixing and serving drinks. There are a number of animal trophies from all around the world- a lion, a tiger, and exactly five bears- as well as the hippo, an antelope, and… ok, the zebra is just unsettling. Several birds are mounted on the wall, as well as a moose head and a few stunning deer. There’s even a jackalope! There are some sepia photographs on the walls of a young Moneybags and several of his companions posing dramatically- Quarter Mane is in many of these pictures, as are Judge Fudge, Checked Cheque, and Whizbang. They were all much younger then, and look extremely pleased with themselves. As the room is searched, Del jumps back. There’s a gun on the floor behind the hippo. A handsome revolver, .32 caliber. There’s no bullets And while this is a trophy room, there aren’t any revolvers in any of the pictures. There’s a gun rack- but it is locked. There’s a key on top of it, though.
You can: A: Search the palm court B: Investigate the guns C: Search the sitting room D: Search the office E: Investigate the walls (roll a d20)
Palm Court
The conservatory is downright creepy in the dark. What little light there is reflects off the water. Other than that, the quiet is eerie. Nothing seems amiss here, though you do appreciate the rattan furniture- gives the place a real tropical look. Searching along the little river, Sea Major found something interesting- a bit of dirt, like someone tracked it in. Given the spotless nature of the rest of the house, this means that somebody’s been through here recently… but as far as you know, it’s not anybody here. Besides, this is unusual dirt. It looks more like dust. Where could it have come from? Checked Cheque found nothing of major interest... but he DID aaaaaalmost fall into the water, which could have been very bad indeed.
You can… A: Search the sitting room B: Search the great room C: Search the powder room lounge D: Search the restroom
Kitchen
If you searched for another way out and rolled odd… Looking around the kitchen, you notice an area that looks heavily trafficked. Footsteps lead directly to a wall- and then stop. Huh. That’s weird. Investigating the panel, you find that it leads directly to a hallway- a service corridor- that led directly to the sitting room. There’s a mare in there- a big, blustery earth pony. “What the hell are you doing in the service corridor?” she growls. “Bloody guests. Well, what are you waiting for? Get back to the sitting room where you belong!” As she shoves past you, you can’t help but notice that her cutie mark is two cleavers. Gulp.
Wait, isn’t there a cook named Chop Chop around? Guess this must be her.
The corridor spits you out in a little alcove between a large, elaborate powder room and the sitting room. The powder room is divided into two portions; one is a lounge and the other is a functional restroom with a toilet cubicle (and yes, of course it has a bidet), fountain-style sink, mirrored wall, and various other bits and bobs for impeccable grooming.
You can: A: Search the powder room lounge B: Search the restroom C: Search the sitting room
If you searched for another way out and rolled even…
You do not notice the hidden panel, until the cook comes barging out of it. She’s all smiles when she sees your faces. “Well now, isn’t that bloomin’ lovely? Are you lot hungry? I can whip up a quick aperitif before dinner, there you are ducks. Or would you prefer a spot of tea? Some nice scones? Caviar and toasts?” She is standing directly in front of the service corridor and something tells you it’d be a bad, bad idea to try to use it.
You can… A: Return to the dining room and search it (or talk to one of the remaining NPCs, HC or FF). B: Talk to Chop Chop, the cook (and/or ask for a snack- and yes, you can specify what kind of snack) C: Search the wine cave D: Search the kitchen
...and the Others...
As Cloak and Dagger walked through the house, something snagged at her garments. Frowning, she tugged at them... and got caught up in a spinning wall panel. It deposited her somewhere dark- she didn't fall and wasn't hurt, but she had no idea where she was. Something touched her hoof. "Don't scream," something whispered. "It's not allowed to scream."
zippedsiren
Astraea Pandora
Magician Arcana
frozen_flames06
Luafien
StarieMichie
purplerosesbeauty
Atmadja
Yunonia
FrostyPeaches
cursedandwandering
Yushika
Kitty Sprightt
Huni Pi
LOLLI qAq
EchoLimaFoxtrot
thyPOPE
Biblioburro
Aric Val
15 would have dropped you in the drink! And you would have hit your noggin!
Sticky Fingers gave a good sweep of the room, ignoring the eerie dissonance in the room. A calm desk and a chaotic room. Two things that felt like they had been clipped from a magazine and slapped together without care.
Despite his best attempts, Sticky Fingers realized he wasn't going to find that damn key. Sighing, he noticed that another phony had joined the search. Oh-ho-ho? Curiously, he approached the desk and cleared his throat.
"H-hey uh..." No that's not how his character would talk, "Hey chap! Whatcha got there? Anything juicy to share?"
Quarter Mane frowned as he examined the damage in the room, his nose crinkling in distaste. "Well, there certainly was quite an exciting tussle in here..." He murmurs to himself, eyeing the handful of memos before pocketing them. Did Moneybags have health problems? He'd think his friend would have mentioned some fatal disease.
The stallion's ear twitched as yet another of the many guests started to speak him him. "Hmm?" His eyes narrowed as he looked the other phony over. He didn't recognize this 'friend.' "Just a funny little doodle. He may have been good with money, but he was terrible at drawing." The white phony let out a laugh. Oh yes, he was definitely telling the truth.
With a sniff he resumed searching under the desk, fumbling around blindly in the mess he pulled back with a shiny little key in his hoof. Eyes alight, he quickly slid the key into the locked drawers and began rifling through the contents with a loud squeal.
Abruptly desposited in the library, Ederlweiss sat on her a** for a few minutes in order to get her bearings and stare around the huge, dusty old library. She sneezed.
When it became clear that she was alone, she got up and tested one of the ladders. It slid easily back and forth. Perfect. A second later she was pushing along with one hoof, flying to the end of the aisle and back again, getting as much of a thrill as she was ever going to get unless she decided to cheat on her fiancee again.
Still hanging off the ladder, she started pulling books off the shelf and tossing them to the ground.'"Boring, boring, extra boring," she called every time she peeked in at the text and sent another one flying. She'd start searching the area properly in a moment... maybe after she'd made something fun out of the books.
Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:43 pm
Torts Illustrated had heard enough, the crawl space was just where she wanted to try and find. Again, she couldn't help but overhear what the body looked like when the poor old phony died. Sounded ghastly. Imagine! A tongue sticking out like that, all purple. Her thoughts darted to possible ways you could get like that... perhaps... poison? Before Torts run off in search of that crawl space, she decided that perhaps a little visit to the ladies would do her well.
"Thank you, Rank. That was most informative." She winked at him, "if you'll excuse me, I must use restroom." She did a funny little twist around and then sprinted off to go to the powder/rest room in the hidden corridor. The calling of nature was just a red herring.
Torts decided to go to the powder room, to investigate and see if perhaps their was something left there. All she knew was he has a sudden and horrible illness, maybe their could be a clue in the powder room. She looked at the mirror, briefly admired herself in it, and then ran her hooves over it feeling around for any strange edges to see if there may have been a medicine cabinet behind it (who didn't love going through someone's medicine cabinet and restroom things. She also turned the faucet on to make the illusion she was at least washing her hooves while she was in there and searching..
... After a little venting, which involved a goodly number of physical and verbal attacks, the secret passage came ajar anyways. It just went to show that violence was always a solution. Cutie Honey trotted along the passage proudly, and decided to poke into what she was already thinking of as her sitting room (D).
When she entered the familiar room of uncomfortable furniture, she considered giving the one good chair a whirl, but thought someone might cause a ruckus about that. Then she considered tearing up the card her mother had made her and her brother make, but that would probably also make someone waste her time attempting to scold her (which was basically the only reason she only got what she wanted 75% of the time rather than 100%).
Then, she noticed an envelope on the floor. Plying her small size, agility, and lack of concern for others, Cutie Honey then attempted to snatch the envelope out from under the adult phonies' hooves. It was probably another dumb birthday card from someone who hated the old fart, but it might have money in it or something, or a nice picture.
Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:10 pm
Trophy Room - investigate walls! roll is here + I got a six!
"I can appreciate an academic," Pennybags said to the dean guy. "The house does have a library," he shrugged. "It's - " He gestured in the direction of the palm court. Although he wasn't sure why the library would necessarily point to the killer. Sure, there might be clues in there, but it was equally likely that there were clues in every room. And books about mysteries didn't really come in handy when it came to real life. They were fictional.
Lemma jumped back as the angry phony shouted. Was that...a revolver? Oh no! (She hoped it wasn't real.) "Where - " she began, and then spotted the gun case. "There's a key here," she said, picking it up and beginning to examine it. Did it look like it went with the gun case? Had it been used to remove the revolver? Was there a missing revolver? It didn't look like Pennybags' father had used revolvers, and neither had his friends, from the photos. That...might imply the revolver was from outside? Yet where had it been discharged? Or where had it come from?
He looked between said photos and the gun case, considering. After a few minutes, he turned to the photographs on the wall, tapping each of them curiously to see whether there was anything behind. Could the key have something to do with these? A secret door, perhaps? A hidden safe? You never knew, in this house.
The Colonel's eyes lit up. There was obvious evidence something went down in here. Maybe he would find something. After poking around a bit, he jimmied the doors but they wouldn't budge. Where is a key? The Colonel searched around for a key.
Just when he was about to give up (which wasn't long, as evident by his lack of success in life), the Colonel saw a glint from the corner of his eye. There was another Phony already there, squealing at the contents they found. The Colonel quickly rummaged through the other drawers, hoarding anything thay might look useful.
Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 7:23 am
Penny ignored her nephew.
A flickering recollection, playing hide and seek and finding all sorts of places to hide, or jumping out of and scaring the staff silly. She smiled at the memories of it for a moment.
Penny spun her gears, trying to think of the best option. Phony were slowly and surely getting deeper into the house and trailing after them, finding things (or lack of things) after the fact would only mean there were more phony who could turn on her at any second. She needed to get ahead of the pack. But would Fuchsia just tell her right out or did she need to just start charging forward into rooms and finding her own way? And she was wasting more time debating it internally. She inhaled deeply and took a chance.
"It's been so long since I've spent any time at length here..Fuchsia, where were the stairs again?" she asked quietly. (Choice A)
Astraea Pandora
Crew
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Maxx D Vice Captain
Garbage Cat
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 8:51 am
A. Search the Sitting Room There was an unpleasant snarl emerging from Vigorish. The larger, Old Enough Phony stamped down a hoof with dominance, annoyed by the bewigged curly-haired Babby, but then turned his tone as he realised her sizeable use.
"I believe that envelope is empty, child," He noted, whirling it her way with a twist of his leg. "But the card may be around somewhere. As you are small and I am strong, why don't we look together?" With that, Vigorish reached down and hauled up the edges of extremely expensive looking furniture. "Have a look. We've plenty of chairs to go."
He figured if she found anything helpful that he wanted, he could drop the end on the little girl and make off with the evidence. (OK, Fireflight knew he was not to drop heavy furniture on Haute. But he would fight a Babben for it.)
Kitty Sprightt
Just as a notice that this is Fire F - Vigorish's action in relation...
Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 9:30 am
TACO went in the restroom and used the bidet to wash his undercarriage in case he found another mare who was DTF.
StarieMichie
Unicorn
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NymiiNym
Shy Wife
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 9:59 am
Bright Blessings scuffed as the secret passage came ajar, eyeing the child who had opened it before giving a brief, and polite nod. Fine. He could give credit where it was due. Now, where did he want to go? The Powder Room, most likely. He'd yet to see anyone explore it.
D: Use hidden corridor to access the Powder Room/Restroom
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