Awards Killing Game 2x2: Moon of Hope (Game Thread) - Day 4: Lunary Cliffs

[Lulu Azhal]

Now that we aren't panicking about solving a murder, this seems like a good opportunity to inform you all about a certain artifact, and the reason I came to this mansion in the first place...

I know that, hidden within this mansion, there is an object with even greater power than the Moon of Hope, or the Dark Moon as it's come to be known. It's called the Sun Stone, with the power that eclipses the Dark Moon, it should be able to deal with His Majesty more permanently, if we can find it.

I spent all of last night looking for clues on its whereabouts, but unfortunately our missing Gadd Zooks has not researched it as closely as the Dark Moon, so all I know is to "look for signs of the sun". If I could get all your assistance, so that we might leave with minimal casualties, and to make sure those who do die don't die for no reason.

 

[Dr. Lyra Orpheus]

Yeah, well... That tracks. Only a real freak would spend half the night making out with a car. Or killing someone, but by my calculations there's significantly more reasons to do the latter than the former.

In any case, you can take a look at the ladle I have. I found it in the Fishing Hut, but it doesn't seem to do anything observable. Maybe we can engage in a collaborative experiment, if anyone has any idea what it does.​

 

[Lash]

Thanos, Thanos, Thanos...He talked tough about the weight of taking a life or whatever, but the big guy couldn't even last one night. What was it he said before? It pisses him off when people toy with the boundary between life and death? Maybe he had a grudge against the girl from the get-go.

 

[Lin Beifong]

WINTER:
... sigh.

What happened with the Mona fills me with great sadness. But it is imperative we do not blame Jaw for this incident. The creature remains as pure and innocent as the horrific display of carnal affection it bestowed upon that vehicle in the Garage.

In truth, while I would rather avoid this kind of senseless loss altogether, it brings me a small amount of comfort that it was another scavenger that took her life. That means the death--though instigated by Gadd's savagery masquerading as a scientific experiment and thus condemnable--at least had a natural component to it. Scavenger kills scavenger.

Forthwith we must redouble our efforts to act as guardians and prevent these little critters from hurting each other. I suggest every researcher in this building pick one of the remaining scavengers and supervise them, to ensure their continued safety.

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.

WINTER:
In any case, let me supplement these notes from my esteemed colleague with my own extrapolations. I haven't been able to fully investigate the apparition's capabilities yet as I've been preoccupied with the dealings of the day. But here are my surface thoughts.

• The apparition's varying states of tangibility seem to correspond to different "modes".
  • Ethereal: physical weapons ineffective, spiritually charged weapons effective.
  • Corporeal: physical weapons effective, spiritually charged weapons ineffective.
• The apparition can change between these modes at will, but the process is not instantaneous. He must do it consciously and it takes a brief moment. It should therefore be possible to damage him by alternating between physical and spiritual attacks in quick succession, using patterns he cannot predict.
  • The paper I used against him is not mundane, it's specially treated and inlaid with spiritual energy. That's why it stuck to him even in ethereal form. He had to turn corporeal to remove it from himself, which in turn made him vulnerable to a physical attack from Silverfish. I don't think the conventionality of the attack matters. It's about stacking different types of damage before he can shift modes.
• The apparition is affected by ghost-warding talismans. The crude ones I was able to make on my own seemed only to annoy him. But someone with expert knowledge in crafting there charms properly might be able to hinder the apparition's movement more effectively.
• Somewhat vulnerable to bright flashes of light.
• No apparent ability to possess people, or didn't bother to use it.
• Disposition and temperament of the apparition appears markedly juvenile. He is prone to taunting and reacts to provocation with overwhelming rage. He lost composure and threw what amounted to a super-powered tantrum during the fight. This is what wrecked the room.
• The apparition seems to be able to control its crown through telekinesis. It appears reliant on hand gestures. This prevents the crown from being separated from the body.
• The apparition mainly fights physically, seeking to dominate with brute strength (reminiscent of a Mudwing). Its abilities seem mundane most of the time, but its strength output occasionally spikes drastically.
  • These spikes in power seem always accompanied by a signature purple glow. By observing this glow, it becomes predictable when a big attack is coming, and pre-made countermeasures could theoretically be levied.
• Halitosis. Moons alive, swallow some mint!

I'm hoping to uncover more once I have a moment to sit down and launch a deeper analysis.

 

[TPG]

So you have reached your verdict. I will not insult your intelligence - I did as you claimed.

Yesterday, I said that taking a life is the most serious action one can take. I believed it then. I believe it now. A life, once ended, should remain ended. Death is not a door to be opened and closed at one's convenience. That is why I acted.

You call her a victim. You call me a murderer. Yet from the moment I set foot in this complex, I watched her cast aside her own death as though it were a mere hiccup in her day. I am told this happens frequently, coming to and fro like the tides. That is cruelty. Not intentional, not from her, but it is cruelty nonetheless.

---

I am not of this world. Where I come from, the dead do not return simply because they want to. They do not return to finish their stories. They do not return when someone loves them enough to beg for another chance.

They remain dead. My daughter remains dead. And countless others with her. People who would have given anything to watch the sun rise again.

---

Yet that oaf. I see no balance in her careless nature. No fairness. I only see a corpse refusing its rest. A stain on the scales of the universe, one that grew every time she denied her own fate. Can you truly believe that I killed her? She was already dead. And there will be no resurrections this time.

In a small way, I am ashamed. I came here believing I could protect the living from the whims of the undead. Instead, I only served to propagate their vile game. But when the opportunity presented itself, when I was given one final chance to correct something that so profoundly called for correction, I could not look away. I could not ignore destiny in service of my conscience. Not for her. Not for anyone.

Inevitably, I choose to die with my head held high. I stand by my decision. And I accept the consequences.

 

[GBA]

Having come to a high-octane end to the first case, ultimately, the test subjects determined that it was Thanos responsible for killing Mona. With his confession in full, Mona's spirit remains awkwardly silent. Despite her safety manual helping her survive so much, she was still the same clumsy person deep down, and she knew it. Perhaps Thanos had a point, that she shouldn't have taken such advantage of the balance between life and death while claiming to champion the values of safety, even unintentionally, and yet...

...She couldn't look him in the eye as the hammer finally fell. He was responsible for her current state. He'd set back the chances of getting everyone out of this situation sooner, and for that, his actions couldn't be forgiven.

King Blocky Boo was delighted.

"Gehehehehehe! Looks like it's time for the FUN part. Shame you didn't get away with it - that was a fun little kill. Mammoth skull to the head, I'll have to remember this one!"

"But, you didn't get away with it, so it's finally time to add the first new piece to my collection! Tanner, get his spirit, will you?"​

With a wry smile, Tanner approaches Thanos, who remains standing proud in spite of his imminent demise. With a single swing of Tanner's pickscythe, the onlookers watch as Thanos' spirit is launched from his body. King Blocky Boo pulls out an empty, glowing portrait frame, and lunges. Slamming the painting down on him, Thanos finds himself falling inside the painting, tumbling through the air and landing directly in...

Spoiler: Thanos's Execution - "Crocodilian Car Chase"

His car. Realizing he's at last been reunited with his beloved automobile, Thanos guns the engine and starts to drive, taking in the beautiful seaside scenery. His drive along the coast feels normal, until the night starts to fall far faster than it should. As it goes pitch black, except for the light of the moon, Thanos hears a loud chomping sound behind him.

He turns, and realizes that a legion of ghostly crocodiles is running up the road. They're impossibly fast, and despite trying to outspeed them, they quickly start to catch up, and rip pieces of the car free. As soon as a chunk is torn away, the crocodiles start to toss it among themselves and chomp on it until it's nothing but metal dust. And yet, as he loses the bumpers, the taillights, the doors, the seats, there are always more crocodiles.

As he swings back at the crocodiles, Thanos realizes something - they do not harm him. They have no desire to harm him, even chomping carefully to go around him. They only seek Thanos's Car, and continue to rip it to shreds, Thanos trying desperately to fight them off. However, it's too late - one of the crocodiles bites out some vital wiring, and his car finally begins to go haywire.

With the crocodiles no longer chasing him, Thanos tries and fails to keep control. The car spins and drifts wildly, skidding across the road with no way for him to keep it on. He realizes he's about to go over the cliff, and for an instant, he tries to let go... only to realize he can't do it. He can't abandon the car. Not again. Never again. Holding on tight, Thanos and his Car go over the cliff together, and smash violently on the spiked rocks below.

In reality, everyone else watches as Thanos simply collapses on the spot, his spirit sealed into the portrait upon King Blocky Boo's strike, and his body rendered lifeless.

---

Thanos (Car) was executed! His role was CODE: ELLERKONGE, the Ultimate Wild Hunt!​

Code: ELLERKONGE
Ultimate Wild Hunt

At one point or another in a past life, or an alternate universe, you commanded a vast army. Now, you walk alone, a lone, eternal king chasing shadows of the past, while your army is now an endless horde of ghosts. It possesses ghostly factions of all kinds of warriors. Ghost Rats, Ghost Bats, Ghost Wolves, Ghost Mongolian Infantry, Ghost Pharmacists… you've conscripted them all to work for you. One signal, and you can summon a faction of them to your aid on the battlefield. Here, they might just become more than a folk legend.

Despite being in hiding, you received an unusual distress call from the owner of the Complex before the signal mysteriously went quiet. Having set out to reach the Valley, you've finally arrived with your spirit army in tow, though their access to the grounds remains highly restricted by the great King Perch's power. Nonetheless... the hunt begins.

---

Abilities - Ultimate Wild Hunt

• Once per night, you can signal a faction made up of any single natural creature to flood a nearby location, and command them to perform a "wild hunt": a simple goal for them to achieve by the end of the night or sooner.
  
  • As examples, your army can "hunt" for treasure, knowledge, lore, a weapon, or even a specific arrangement of furniture, so long as they have a realistic goal to meet.
  • These creatures have human intelligence, and it's possible to parlay with them and receive guidance. As in, you could call a "wild hunt" of medical researchers to work in a laboratory to develop a medicinal cure. Or, you could ask a group of hardened warriors to lift you up, and their "hunt" would be helping you scale a wall.
  • Ultimately, this ability allows you to hasten any arduous tasks through the power of ghostly group collaboration.
• All "hunts" must be initiated by you making a commanding horn signal near the room being targeted. You cannot stifle or disguise this noise, it must be loud and slightly lengthy in order to be commanding. You are waking the dead to do your bidding, after all.
  
  • You start with a simple ox horn to do this, but other loud instruments can be found on the map.
• Once the wild hunt's "hunt" is complete, they vanish and drop all items where they were. The area will be examined as if "many people" had been through it.
• This ability has the following limitations:
  
  • You can only call one "wild hunt" per night.
  • The time your army spends completing the hunt is dependent on the complexity of the goal you give them (by our discretion) and when the order is made. If the hunt somehow reaches sunrise without completing their goal, they retreat, and vanish anyway.
  • You cannot command portions of the group to do specific things, it must be one, all encompassing command.
  • Your group cannot contain powers of specific individuals, it must be a collective group with the same ability.
  • The ghost army's area can only affect one room and adjacent rooms if necessary to move items.
  • You must be near the room you wish to affect when giving the command.
  • The creatures summoned cannot be "mythical", they must possess abilities no greater than a group of humans or natural animals.
• Ghostly interactions:
  
  • Your army is only visible to entities in the Paranormal Dimension, and under darklight.
  • With the exception of yourself, your army similarly cannot restrict or be restricted by any entity that is not a ghost, or in the Paranormal Dimension. The hunt must go on. Things might get crowded for a wraith trying to enter the area, but it won't stop them from entering the location entirely.
  • Your army can grab, wield, and rearrange objects in the room you command them to "hunt" in, but they cannot completely remove evidence when they disappear, as they will leave behind anything physical they were affecting when they vanish. When not under dark-light, it will visually look like the room's objects are moving on their own.
• Weaknesses: You have no extra weaknesses, but keep in mind if you lose your starting horn or have it stolen, you'll have to find another signal of similar volume to call a Wild Hunt.
• Forbidden Action: You cannot use your army to kill a player directly. As its current leader, you take responsibility and authority over all executions. If you order a "wild hunt" to kill a player, the ghosts will turn on you instead, and you'll be forced to join them as another nameless soldier...

For Case 1 - Mona Warnewicke's Terminal Departure, you were...

Spoiler

Correct!

CASE 1 - END​

---

"Yep. Haunted paintings. I find portraits are the best way to really capture the essence of someone and their murderous achievements. My secret, artistic side. Brains and brawn, I've got it all."

"Gadd kept me trapped in a painting himself using his Ghost Portrificationizer, located right in that Dark Lab, along with a bunch of other cool ghosts who don't deserve such a fate, so excuse me if I happen to enjoy taking out a bit of karmic revenge on his latest test subjects. Bahahaha!"

"Now that I'm in control, I figure it might be worth letting a few more of them join the party. Normally, I'd let you vote for which painting you want me to revive for a bit and make your limited lives slightly more hell, but, I'm in a selfish mood after last night's little scuffle, so it's time for you to meet a proper Wraith!"​

King Blocky Boo throws a tarp off a painting, revealing a blurry, multicolored, swirling portrait. It has its own caption.

"Let's stretch our legs! That's it, feel the burn! Now, let's try it together."

Throwing the Ghost Portrificationiser in reverse, he feeds the painting into the machine, and a glowing figure begins to emerge...

---

@Smashley has joined the game temporarily as a Wraith! For Case 2, she will be able to post, submit night actions, and participate in the next investigation.

We are now in a brief intermission. Please stand by for the beginning of the next night phase. You may still post in-character, discuss lore, or other developments until Night 2 officially begins later this week.