Awards Killing Game 2x2: Moon of Hope (Game Thread) - Day 1 - Notifiable Incident

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Are- are- are- are you people insane?! Not only have you played right into this- this so-called "king's" stubby little hands, you've taken out the only worker at this facility who comes within a stone's throw of trustworthy by my account! I- I will not let this stand! The perpetrator must be removed immediately so we can get back to dealing with the true threat around here!

As for Mona, it is imperative that we find her immediately before she's corrupted by the influence of the other specters haunting this complex. I fully intend to have her restored to her original body or properly sent to the afterlife by the time this is all over. Come what may.
Night 1 of the Grand Experiment
In preparation for cleaning inevitable ectoplasmic messes, I traveled to the Bathroom to collect necessary supplies, encountering Lee Chaolan as I passed through the east hallway. However, the soap was thoroughly ransacked and almost entirely cleaned out, which was no doubt the work of some no-good ghosts trying to sabotage my plans! [REVISION: Further investigation suggests this was the work of Luke Atmey, who required it for supernatural battles. I'll let it slide.]

On my way to the Kitchen I encountered Mona, carrying some documents she obtained from the Metal Lab. Gadd's incompetence has left this place enough of a deathtrap regardless of the current situation, so I inquired if I could assist with improving safety conditions. I was informed of the Kitchen's inherent dangers and the existence of a biohazard in the fridge, and asked to dispose of it. I was also informed to stay away from "the hole". When I arrived, Luke Atmey was investigating the area and standing behind an unaware Victor. I located the biohazard, which appeared to be a modified batch of surströmming with lifelike properties. Despite the appetizing aroma, I'm not foolish enough to try to consume anything Gadd has experimented on. I removed it from the fridge and emptied its container, which would later prove useful for my Enhanced Flashlight Apparatus (patent pending).

I took the Shaft down to the basement, finding subjects Boo #1,268 and Specture Striker waiting for the elevator. On my way towards the Maintenance Hub I was stopped by Thanos Scarre, who I expect to be a valuable ally in the trials to come. We had a pleasant conversation and I noted an unidentified fluid on his shoes visible via darklight. We also encountered ghostly rats scurrying south before making our way to the hub proper. Construction of the Enhanced Flashlight Apparatus (patent pending) was a success, and afterward I accompanied Thanos to the Guard Hall at his request for an experiment.

As it turns out, the suits of armor show no trace of spectral influence and are entirely mechanical, operating by motion detection. They can easily be bypassed with a decoy item or, as demonstrated by The Lash, simply moving faster than the automatons can keep up with. Note the bright green glow exhibited by The Lash during this time, suggesting that there may be some supernatural component at play and such a feat may not be easily replicable. I may have to keep a closer eye on him.

At the conclusion of said experiment, Thanos and I took the Cargo Lift together and I exited on the first floor, waiting in the Foyer for the arrival of Prince Winter per our earlier agreement. It smelled heavily of paint, and I took to examining the area under darklight in the meantime. Observations include the following:
  • The painting of the Dark Moon transforms to depict a fountain under darklight. This may be a significant clue to dethroning the "king".
  • Someone had painted the message "PFNARF IHE SOUP" on the floor near the front entrance. Unfortunately I left my collection of cipher keys in the car. May have been tampered with, judging by paint-covered footprints passing through into the west foyer.
  • Reigen Arataka walked through the paint and went east. Consider examination of further footprints in this direction if necessary.
  • MCD, Coral Glasses, and Luke Atmey entered the Archives at varying points.
Despite my objections, the prince invited some of the undead to fight the "king" also. Subject Jackson B. Humorus arrived, followed shortly afterward by subjects Boo #1,268 and Specture Striker. Some time passed before Prince Winter himself arrived, geared for the battle. I was given an egg timer meant to prevent ghostly possession. This requires further research. Unfortunately, we were unable to depose the "king" and I was knocked out cold, no doubt the consequence of allowing the undead to participate with us. Observed the following behaviors of subject King Blocky Boo:
  • Subject displays the ability to shift between varying degrees of tangibility at will.
  • Mixed effectiveness of physical weapons. Observations on individual items may be in error given the previous point. I have noted them for comprehension regardless.
    • Hammer and chain show no effect.
    • Papers temporarily stick to his form, suggesting subject's reaction time is key and a non-conventional approach is likely to be more effective in containment.
    • Rusty polearm appears to be effective. Note that subject was blinded by papers at the time. Rust may play a factor. Proceed with caution, as weapon was wielded by subject Jackson B. Humorus and may involve undead trickery.
  • Subject reacts prior to being hit, regardless of actual effectiveness.
  • Seemingly immune to the ectoplasm-soaking properties of sponges.
 

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Of course. My attempts at experimentation were an abject failure! This complex was advertised as a hotbed of science and discovery, but at least as of now, I was right to dismiss this place as a gathering of smoothbrains. A total sham. Honestly, and that's not even mentioning our so-called "captor", the big square guy. Yeah, I'm talking about you, ugly - what exactly has changed under your leadership? Kyeh, if the Bureau had a proper presence in this place, you'd be locked up in a containment room by noon and you'd never see the light of day again!

Well, at least you make things happen - not like the rest of these losers. Trashing the kitchen? Have we really, as a society, stooped so low? And someone's already dead too? I don't care if this is a Killing Game, how about someone go jump off that cliff outside? At least that'd let us check out the bottom. Discovery requires sacrifice, you know. Just not mine.

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Kyahahaha! Well, as a real scientist, I'll present my real findings - as fruitless as they were in the face of this banal dump we've found ourselves in. You know, I'm well acquainted with lakes and the secrets they hold - so my first thought was that I'd try and drain the Ice Lake to see what was at the bottom. For this purpose, I acquired a heat lamp from the Plant Nursery and a variety of equipment from the Container Yard. This was a simple operation with simple execution, and I didn't even have to waste my time with onlookers. The only person I saw was Albina, but she didn't get in my way.

I loaded everything I needed onto a pallet jack and made my way to the lake, but...


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That stupid, overgrown, patronizing lizard started following me! It wasn't enough for him to break the golden rule of personal space the other day, no, now he's on my ass! Surely seeking to steal my research for himself.

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We both went over to the lake, but I didn't want to start doing the real work until he was gone - so I just utilized the thermal output of the heat lamp to melt a hole in the ice, and investigated the fishing hut, which wasn't of much use. He spent his time collecting Ice Elementals in the meantime, but thankfully he didn't linger.

First, I attached a lamp to a heavy crate from the Container Yard and tossed it into the newly-made hole, specifically in order to gauge depth by observing the light as it sank. This, of course, would allow me to calculate a number of solutions to the problem. Turns out, it's only approximately six meters deep, and relatively low-risk for casual exploration - so I bit the bullet and did some real field work. I dived in, at which point I noticed a hatch underwater. Unfortunately, it seems I'll need either a breathing apparatus, the water to be heated, or the lake as a whole to be drained in accordance with my original plan in order to take action on this discovery. Useless. Almost froze to death for nothing.

Of course, I was hoping to use the heat lamp to melt the pump outside too in order to facilitate said drainage, but that didn't happen. Didn't work, as far as I could tell.

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(Reaearch Notes: This "pump" may not be a real pump - or rather the purpose it serves may simply be as an edifice to encourage the spawning of the Thalassic-aligned spirits known colloquially as Ice Elementals, rather than serving any greater intrinsic purpose in unraveling the puzzles of this place. This appears to be the case for several other spots around the facility as well. Further study required.)

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Anyway, I'd be lying if I said anything productive happened after that. I went down to check out the Garden, then went upstairs through the Train Exhibit to take a look around at the Nautical Exhibit upstairs. Whoever built this place is even crazier than the guy who designed our facility back home - an indoor lake on the second floor? Now that's some disregard for building code! Kyahahaha, love it! Maybe this Gadd guy is my kind of crackpot after all!

I went downstairs after that through the Terminals, and that's where I saw the dead lady. Too bad, I was hoping to find her so that we could have a productive discussion on elemental alignments within the framework of greater anomalous occurrences. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. I've got no problem chatting up a ghost.

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And that's it! Would you believe me if I told you that I never saw a single person after I left the Ice Lake? Well, except for MCD when I went inside through the Foyer, but he was just gormlessly staring at the paintings - so I don't even know if he counts. Oh yeah, and there were weird scuff marks in the dust around the rafters by the Terminal - but forensics aren't my field, so that's a you problem.

In the meantime while you run around like rats in a maze, I'm going to devise a real action plan for tomorrow. Find something real juicy. After all, the winning rat isn't the one who finds the cheese - it's the one who finds a way out of the maze. Enjoy the cheese, bozos.​
 
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"So, I suppose it's about time that I share my account of the night's events! Y'know, for your crime-solving pleasure. Before I speak my harrowing tale of my horrible trip around these hateful halls, keep in mind that this is not one of my routines! None of you paid for a ticket, so any jokes included are one hundred and ten percent unintentional! (But I still claim the rights to them so hands off, bub!)
"Now, let us parse through the spooky tale of..."
The Haunting Horrors of Humorus' HJourney!

"*ahem*"
(Artworks #1 and #2 by Minimum Wage Employee)
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"Before whatever passes for night in this godforsaken horror show came around, I was contacted by none other than the fancy phantom himself, Boo RandomnumbersthatIdidnotcaretomemorize about an important mission taking place past nightfall. Being the kind-hearted heartless individual that I am, I agreed to aid him in his quest to take down the false monarch who trapped us in the hellscape we now call home."

"With a plan in place, I rose from my chambers at the first possible hour and headed over to Hollow Tree to await my floating alibi- er, ally. We progressed downwards to the Basement once he had shown up; Wannabe Reaper (Tanner) side-eyed us on the way down but feigned ignorance in the most conspicuous manner possible. At the bottom of the stairs, Boo Phonepassword and Bluebones and I split up and I walked over to the Crypt in search of something stabby while the trick-or-treaters headed into the Cinder Mines. While in the frankly depressing room, I checked out a few coffins and desecrated a resting place by nabbing myself a gnarly polearm before trotting back into the hallway to await my two amigos. Heard a minecraft pass through the Amethyst Wing from the Roundhouse while waiting."

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"It took them long enough, but they came back and we passed through the Crystal Quarry on our way to the Dark Lab. It's a big shame that the quarry was so completely irrelevant to my night besides as a means to access the lab, because then I could have probably included a picture of it in my testimony to represent this section and have it still make perfect sense. Anyway, in the lab, the ghastly gang and I snatched canisters of glooby material for a draconic ally of ours whom we shall redact the name of to protect his wintery identity (Yap) before heading back to Hollow Tree. I spotted something shiny in the branches overhead but ignored it as we headed to the Metal Lab to drop off our cargo. I split from the trick-or-treaters when they headed to the Drafting Office and joined that Shellderly guy (WT) in the Foyer to await [REDACTED]. While there, I saw that Atmey guy come from the Drafting Office and go, as well as that weird fiery rat guy (MCD) and the one with the face problem (Rose) who appeared to come from the Archives. Oh, the skeleton crew rejoined us around the time Atmey came around."

"After a good long while, [REDACTED] showed his scaly face and told us the plan before handing me some weird egg timer and knocking on a door, causing the big blocky guy himself to show his ugly cubic face. While I could describe the brawl that ensued in all of its gruesome glory, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I drew up a masterpiece of a drawing to show you all the hyper-realistic battle that took place in the Foyer last night. Look!"

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"Isn't it stunning? It is completely and entirely accurate, too! The amount of detail I put into this is spectacular; you cannot tell me that my drawing of the Shellderly fellow is NOT the spitting image of the guy standing right over there! It's practically photorealistic! I do want to clarify that we did not actually manage to kill the king and that I got knocked out during the skirmish, unfortunately. Anyway, I've gotta go put this on the fridge, so consider my testimony complete."
"Wait what do you mean, "the fridge is dead"-"​
 
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Hmph. Since so many of you wish to hear my testimony, I suppose I'm legally obligated to do so.

I started out in my room, and from there I admired the many planes in the Aviation Exhibit. I followed up by passing through the Space Exhibit on my way to the Kitchen. In the Kitchen, I was preparing myself a meal when the Koopa ghoul doctor barged in, yelling and doing weird stuff to the fridge! The nerve of some people...

When I went to the Dining Room after that, the doctor raced through to the south without giving me so much as a word! At the very least, Porticia came in from the east after a while, and we chatted for a few minutes before she headed into the Kitchen. Come to think of it, she reminds me of that one girl I sighted in that metropolis a while back...

With Porticia gone, I headed to the south and passed by the Boo and his skeletal companion as they exited the Shaft. Passing through the West Gallery to admire the fine paintings adorning the room, I next entered the Library to find none other than Atmey there, brandishing a powerful sword! Not wanting to risk him stabbing me, I decided to work on some earthen masterpieces in the Kiln Room.

During my time firing pots, Porticia walked in from the Library and waved to me before exiting through the east. Some time after that, an explosion sounded off from farther off, shaking the room and my pots a bit and threatening to ruin my works! How dare anyone deface my magnum opuses!

Anyway, with the pottery complete, my next destination was the Horology Studio. In that room, I found the cubic Boo ruler lying upon a bed and leafing through a book, though he chose not to antagonize me... for now. The rest of my time I spent in the Greenhouse, tending to the plants.

And Ratigan... don't think I don't know what little scheme you were concocting in the hallway. Your best-laid plans shall evaporate in a puff of smoke with me around.
 
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Alright, then! It seems the game has begun. Only one thing to do now.

Shall we?

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At the start of the night I beelined to the metal laboratory. Since the proprietors searched me and confiscated my trusty pistol...s, I knew I had to find a suitable replacement. This is where I first encountered Mona, and offered to accompany her for the night. I suspected her to be a prime target, an intuition which, as you have all seen, was correct.

Still, I couldn't just carry around a gun. I needed to hide it somewhere no one would think to look. The painting was supposed to be a surprise hiding spot, but the cat's out of the bag now, so it doesn't matter too much. I briefly spotted a, er, rat fellow while I was completing my forgery in the studio, but nothing of note occurred between us. I followed Mona as she returned from the basement, my masterpiece complete.


We did quite a bit of travelling together, so I shall spare you the grief of detailing exactly what transpired unless it is needed later- just know that the last person we encountered before entering the kitchen was the stunning lady with the coral glasses, and it was a little while beforehand in the cargo lift. To head off any suspicion over my omission of this information, I will make it very clear that I am willing to discuss these events if it is needed. But if it is irrelevant to the case I will save myself a bit of time.

In the kitchen I set out to prepare my homemade French dip, a top-tier Lupin special recipe. Unfortunately, as I was selecting candles, the troubles began to pile up. Mona was cleaning up a toxic fluid- using an incinerator built into the dumbwaiter- when that Atmey fellow knocked me out like a light! He attempted to drown me in the nearby sink, which is remarkably blasé, if you ask me. I've survived much worse than that.

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Unfortunately, this was not the end of our troubles, as once I had come to, with Mona attempting to resuscitate me, a strange odor filled the room, and a spark from the dining room door created a fiery explosion. My quick thinking allowed me to use the painting for cover at the very last second, although I still suffered a light scorching. The smoke from the fire and water left over in my lungs caused me to pass out again, but not before I had ensured Mona was safely headed to the west.

And, of course, you know the rest. Our draconian friend brought me to safety, although he may have broken my spine somewhere in the process.​



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What a pain. The one member of staff here with a living body... the victim of not one, but TWO targeted attacks! That's right! Count 'em!
It makes sense, really. Who better to kill first than the person with the most intimate knowledge of the complex's inner workings? I was able to head off the first attempt, but the attacker, or attackers, were persistent.

Tanner over there stated with confidence that our culprit had no accomplice assisting them in the murder, but we can't discount the possibility of two unrelated attempts being made on the same person. Something to think about, perhaps? Give me a moment to arrange my thoughts.
 
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Winter (@Lin Beifong), if you don't mind, I would like to ask you a question. Before entering the kitchen, did you perchance see our good friend Atmey?
 
Hooded Pitohui said:
Assuming Mona is still hanging,

Standing around the Icy Lake and looking towards the Terminal, does there appear to be a figure there?
Click to expand...
You stand around the Icy Lake and look towards the Terminal. It's hard to make out any details, but you can definitely see some sort of figure at the Terminal.
 

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Fascia and I are awake now.
I spoke with her about what happened yesterday. That someone has usurped Mr. Gadd.
She's okay with it. I'm okay too, if she's okay. This is a good opportunity to make friends, since we're all here together.

My night... I spent time getting to know certain places. Fascia wanted to see different forms of art up close.
As I mentioned, I'm studying Corporism. There's a lot of different schools of art where I'm from.
Fauvism, Pointilism, Cubism...
As part of my time here, I'd like to see what other aesthetic avenues are open for Corporism.
The Maestro makes such beautiful pieces. Yet, there's a certain feeling I want to see take shape through my art.
But it wouldn't be "me" standing on an equal stage, or greater. It would be "Fascia".

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...sorry. Fascia's tightened up a bit, so I shouldn't talk on her behalf.
I'll tell you about what I did, if that's okay.



Firstly, I went to the Snowy Grounds through the Train Exhibit, then to the Icy Lake.
...I have a complex relationship with sprezzatura. The idea that works can be displayed unfinished, as they are.
I'm okay with showing everyone Fascia from afar. They should get to meet her. But, close examination reveals flaws in her structure.
Ice sculptures, by contrast, embody that artistic sense fully. They degrade into a state of non finito by design.
After I spent some time looking for supplies at the lake, I saw Mr. Thanos pass from the Snowy Grounds to the Rocky Grounds.

I wanted to visit the East Gallery, since it's home to pieces like what Maestro Callisto and I sculpt.
The door out to the east was locked. The eyes I have aren't very good, unfortunately.
I went through the Container Yard instead, to the Plant Nursery. I ran into Ms. Lyra there, as she left the Nursery to go to the Yard herself.
...I didn't want her to touch Fascia, so I kept my distance.

After that... Miss Mona and Mr. Lupin were in the hall, looking at that big hole in the floor from below.
Mr. Lupin had a painting with him. Canvases don't really interest me like sculpture work does.
I wanted to befriend Miss Mona, though. It looks like a lot of people wanted to be friends with her.
I told her a lot of interesting things I know about my art, and she told me hers, too.
For example, the primary colors used here are the elemental spirits. There are a lot of infused artworks here, in both obvious and obscure places.
Tomorrow, I'll start taking Fascia to meet her contemporaries.

Then, I went to the East Gallery, like I originally planned. I've begun creating a companion piece to Fascia as of tonight.
The Maestro calls his magnum opus 'Tibia'. At the time I envisioned mine, I wanted to call her 'Tibia 2'.
...but, reflecting on it, Fibula would be a better name. Scusi.
I've become very, very bad at thinking of names, since I've started working on Fascia. But my hands still work well.
I picked out a baseline piece for Fibula, from one of the statues there.
I don't usually create derivative works, since Fascia is my main focus.
She understood, though. Fibula isn't meant to replace her. It's meant to make befriending others easier.

Like I mentioned, I'm good with my hands. I went to the Workshop to make some alterations to Fibula.
When I was there, Mr. Reigen came in with a pillow, filling it with something.
Then, on my way out through the Container Yard, I saw Ms. Porticia coming to the Workshop herself. From the hallway, not the Yard.

I went upstairs to go to the Armory, through the Cargo Lift.
The armor I wear... isn't art.
Both Fascia and the Maestro said it's good to keep it polished. I wanted spare pieces.
I expected to see Miss Mona and Mr. Lupin there, but they weren't around.
On the way to the Armory, I heard a loud horn close by, to the north.
The best I can describe it... it was low in pitch, and closest to an instrument. But it wasn't quite like that, either.
Then, in the Armory, I browsed for the things I needed. Some weapons and armor were missing already.
When I was looking around, I heard a lot of commotion in one of the nearby rooms.

Lastly, I was going to head back down through the Terminal once I finished.
There was something near the edge. When I got closer... it was Miss Mona.
She was already dangling from one of the wires, not breathing.
...I left her there, and took one of the wires down. That's when I noticed her things were there in the snow.
I passed through the Snowy Grounds and the Train Exhibit again.
Fascia and I went to bed after that, tucking Fibula in.



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Please don't feel intimidated by my proximity to Miss Mona tonight. I'm sad to see what's happened to her.
Fascia is sad, too. She prefers the living.
If we can help her, I'll have to note down her method of revival... if it doesn't break any Taboos, it'd be useful for the movement.

If it helps, I want to be open about what I did last night. You can ask me anything.
You can check Fibula, too, if you're worried about her making the wound.
...I asked the Maestro how to best make friends, and he's always said that you need to get others to open up.
When you see what's inside, and what comprises them... then you'll understand them more. As with any art form.
I hope that makes sense. I wanted Miss Mona to open up as a friend first.
 
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There's a few questions Fascia and I have.

Does it look like a commotion happened in the Crow's Nest, Hollow Tree Heights, Parlor, Rafters, or Nautical Exhibit?
Or, is there something horn-like in one of those rooms? Anything that might be able to make that noise I heard.
Plus, Miss Mona's whistle... it should be in the snow. I'd like to blow it, and see what noise it makes.

Scusi, again. Would it be okay to turn away from others while doing the last one?
I have to take my armor off to do it.
It's very bad and selfish of me, but I don't want to open up yet, myself.
Once Fascia's more complete, I'll feel more complete as well.
 
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