Odyssey Investigations: AEAEA - Chapter 2, Part 2 - The Case of the Lesser Key of Solomon DeMorge

[Dr. Lyra Orpheus]

Storm! No! This... This red... I remember this! It's just like that day, back then... aboard the Circinus...

But... it's not possible, This shouldn't be possible. not without the comet's sickly glow overhead. It shouldn't be... Unless...

What, may I ask, are the final locations of the last remnants of the comet's power, the ultimate fate of the shards that colored our journey across the seas with a stark-red crimson...? With the potential involvement of the Mycelian Bureau... and the poison that pulses through the petals of the lotus... Or perhaps, something else entirely. A curse of a different sort, another flair of Somatic trickery, hand-crafted to call back to those days. A calling card. A warning. Another flagrant display of ego.

---

Spoiler: Music

If that is the case... perhaps we can strike down two birds with one stone, eh? No offense meant, Reginald.

If we find Mr. Dazmuna's killer, we may well uncover the means to dispel this curse - and save Storm's life in the process. Thank you, Reginald, for taking up the responsibility of investigating Storm's ailment. He couldn't be in better hands, old friend. Mark my words, we not allow him to die today.

After all, I dare say he still owes us a free sample or two!

...In the meantime, I believe it best that I join ENA's investigation of Mr. Dazmuna's death. I've gleaned a degree of information over the course of the evening - information that could go a long way to uncovering the inexorable strangeness that lurks beneath the surface of this case.

I've been anticipating this for a long time now. Not Mr. Dazmuna's death, nor Storm's ailment - but the Fallen Lotus finally playing their hand. This time, however, they've made a fatal error. They've trifled with more than our humble detective agency - they've struck out at Storm DeMorge, just as he was about to finally shed the chains shackled upon him by his father's looming shadow. We can't allow that to go unpunished, can we?

No, I'm afraid we're not trapped on an island with the Fallen Lotus. They're trapped here with us. So, let's get to it, shall we?​

• I'll perform an autopsy on Otto's body, after pulling him down from the statue. Particularly, I'd like to check his eyes and look for any additional injuries.
• I'd like to investigate the statue he is impaled on. Is it otherwise damaged?
• I'll check the room we moved Otto to. It contains a number of Solomon DeMorge's old belongings, so I am curious to see if it has been touched.
• Check the room and body for Otto's gun. Point at the dirt and fire. Does it shoot an ice bullet inherently?

 

[Lakituthequick]

Oh, crap, of course!

From my journal, I want to place the sticker on Storm immediately.

 

[GBA]

Investigate the East Botanical Garden. Which areas are covered in ice? Are any of Otto's belongings scattered here, such as his gun? Check the Holderplace Boutique for a camera that can be used to photograph the crime scene from various angles before the body is disturbed.

You examine the East Botanical Garden. There is a chill in the air, not due to the fact there's a dead body hanging limp above you.

The river, the surrounding grass and plants, and roughly a 10m radius from the statue is covered in a deep frost. The temperature here has dropped dramatically, and the light rain even turns to snow when it comes close. The tropical conditions here have almost been inverted, and the plants sensitive to frost (all of them) are now effectively lifeless. The statue has an "O" and a "△" incorporated into its motif. It has stone wings, and a stone pointed sword, onto which Otto's body has been impaled. Shattered glass litters the area, making it sparkle. You take care not to step on any.

You search for Otto's belongings. You find his gun. It outwardly resembles a black revolver, and it's been loaded with "blanks". Otto may have used his own powers to create the bullets, but you'd need to confirm this with the power registry.
You note it's been fired twice.

There's a crumpled piece of paper nearby. Unfolding it, it just says "speech ideas" with one bullet point. "I'm so proud of you, Stormy"

You capture all parts of the scene with camera footage.

 

[GBA]

I'd like to compare Storm's condition to my memories of comet-strickenness from AKGO. How well does it hold up? Is it the same illness or something made to outwardly resemble it?

Comparing your memories, you can see the effect is outwardly very similar. but your deductions ring true. You recall that the injection was administered in short, sharp stages, and functions as a "curse".

First, the adrenaline-based poison mixed with a hallucinogenic drug is administered. You can't recall whether blood or ingestion would be effective. Second, a "liquid curse", which when combined with the hallucinogen, induces Comet-strickenness. The specifics of forced resonance are beyond your purview, but recall Cetus passengers speaking as if that fateful rabbit, and other Lotus members, could trigger the curse with an ancient incantation, provided the victim was drugged.

You assume that without the adrenaline-based poison, the half that induces their strength is missing.
In many ways, Storm somewhat looks like his dad did towards the end of his journey.
He'd probably hate that most of all.

Ask the staff if there are any lotus samples kept in this facility, from which poison could have been siphoned.

Soleil confirms there are multiple samples of lotus flower kept in the facility, ranging from garnishes in the Kitchen, to Quarantine. She recounts the following rooms as having lotus cultivars at present:
- Kitchen
- Main Lobby
- Justice Hall
- East Botanical Gardens
- Quarantine
- Exhibition Hall
- Lecture Hall
- Medama Penthouse

Though, not all of them are poisonous, Circe would know more. Quarantine, or the halls would be the best bets as there are a lot of plant experts at AEAEA. There are plenty of other poisonous plants on site, but most are contained in Quarantine to avoid tampering with the hotel's water purity.

Soleil then heads to her office in Med Bay to grab what she needs to attempt to alleviate Storm's symptoms, including a large tube for recovering the contents of his stomach.

Ask to see the Wydraseed in storage and check it for signs of tampering. Check the replica in the exhibit too, in case someone did a switcharoo.

You head to Quarantine. It's in a really messy state. Plenty of plants have been tipped over and tampered with, but notable is Valerie's samples have been moved and relocated. You might need to check previously examined plants specifically to confirm their status.

In the case of Wydraseed rumored to be in storage, the cabinet for it has been smashed, but the seed remains oddly in place. Your botanical expertise gives you additional insight that the seed is... a very convincing fake.

You head to the Exhibition Hall to quickly confirm your suspicions.

The Exhibition hall has been cleaned, and the paintings are all restored, save for the Lotus one, which has been snapped in half and discarded. CYMK is crouched over, crying with his head doubled over his knees.

- [CYMK] - Oh.... Storm........ everyone...... why.....

You give him a bit of space at first, and check the display. Indeed, the seed replica is missing.

Try to recall what that odd noise was, when Otto denounced Storm earlier.

It sounded like a low rumbling wavelength. Any kind of audio-communication expert might be able to analyse it better if they had access to a recording.

Can I try to follow the pipe I saw the golem mask in earlier? Ask Aldrich about special masks too.

You recall the pipe you used heading to the Cascade Main building, but beyond that, you aren't sure. You do recall all pipes eventually converging at the Thalassic Conduit at some point. Aldrich responds.

- [Aldrich] - ...hm. I have suspicions, but there are people in this world who use masks as Ritualistic items, granting powers and such when worn, just like an artifact. My golem masks are all standardized to the same model. None stand out in particular, unless one were to plunge its face in cake. Hmph.

 

[GBA]

Knock on every Cabin door in the Promenade and see if anybody's home. Look for the telltale signs of Moh spirit-channeling below every door. If necessary, have Circe or Kleidi on standby to help break down/open a door.

Circe accompanies you to the Promenade to instigate any kind of door kicking needed, and guard you in case of an attack. She keeps her sword ready. You notice a purple glow from beneath one of the doors again, and point at it for Circe to kick it down.

Inside, Moh is channeling spirits as he did before. A purple glow envelops the room as purple wisps fly around.

- [Moh] - ..........................

(Moh they broke your door.)​

Disperse.​

...

- [Moh] - ...Circe, I take it something has happened.

Quickly bringing Moh up to speed, it seems his spirit was distant for the last fourty minutes while he worked on answering questions submitted to him during the Mind Fortification event.
All players who attended this event can ask one Fallen Lotus or Astral Plane related question for Moh's spirits to answer. If the information is not known, the result will be inconclusive.

Escorting Moh to the crime scene, he stares at the body much the same way he stared at the painting. He remains as still as the statue itself. Sholmes asks him to recall everything he saw tonight, as he was a presumed person of interest, and was missing at Storm's Brewing during the time the body was found.

- [Moh] - I will recount my night. Can I ask where Storm is now?

- [Circe] - Casino, his stomach will be pumped shortly. We suspect there was poison involved, but he's been cometstruck.

Moh continues to stare at Otto, then requests Circe retrieve his body as soon as actionable.

We still have not seen bill or tail of Dr. Dendron. Is she tucked away in the Med ical Bay? Her feeling unwell might be troublesome if she's also "burning up".

Circe mentions that Dr. Dendron returned to the main island with a fever of some kind, but she couldn't be here right now. The ferry ports are closed, and the rain is coming, fast.

Go into the Hall of Eyes and call through the open ports, listen intently from the other side. Any telltale sounds are good, but in particular, any response from Kane?

Without knowing your tubical bearings in the Hall of Eyes, you note they're all grouped by general area, such as the Main Building or the lodges. You hear a faint [HORF] coming from somewhere in the Depths.

 

[MCD]

A murder?! At the famous AEAEA Conference? You couldn't write such a thing - but I could, possibly, if I can change the names and details and nobody catches on.

Let's firstly make sure my books are okay.

If anyone missed my event, I took the liberty of recording it for future reference - as well as that Trivia competition, for my documentary. Anyone want to take a look? I'm happy to host a screening in one of the Conference Rooms.

 

[GBA]

From my journal, I want to place the sticker on Storm immediately.

You hastily apply your sticker, Adrenaline Rush to Storm while Soleil rushes to grab what she needs.
With a burst of energy, Storm seems to sit upright, and yell.

Then, he stops writhing. It seems the sticker has stayed the effects of the poison to keep him from suffering, and return some of his lucidity. You can hear him faintly