Twisted Tavern Group 1

Dennis, head full of unhelpful thoughts, stumbled more than walked into the Twisted Tavern escape room; dazed and confused from his encounter with Meyra. Not only had she kissed him, he also…held her hand…luckily not for 3 seconds! He almost had to marry the girl if he wasn’t so careful! Not that that would be that bad, but Dennis didn’t know how he felt, really, let alone needing to sort out being married! Was she the smartest, bravest, most loyal person he ever knew? Yes. But they were just friends, right? Right!?

The setting of the twisted tavern helped to distract him from spiraling any further. The Doctor turned Chef needed to keep his wits about him. There were saloon style chairs and a bar. He found a note that held a clue. This was different from the escape room he did in the Room of Requirement and was clear he needed to be clever. To be clever, he needed to put thoughts of Meyra out of his mind for the time being.

He sat down and considered the note while he waited for the others to show up. So something needed repaired. That seemed easy enough, he thought as he looked around. He best wait for the others to show up to see what ideas they had or if they wanted to just repair every piece of shattered glass they found.

Mentioning: @Meyra Lancaster
Waiting to Interact with: @Glen Boren, @Amelia Garnett, @Pamela Graham, @Ruth Fairchild, and @Sabrina Lyons
Actions: Waiting for the group to come.

Equipment: Dogbreath Potion

Abilities: Fearless and Impartial

Sta: 5 | Eva: 8 | Str: 1 | Wis: 8 | Arc: 8 | Acc: 10

Speech -- Thoughts

Pam was way too excited about the Twisted Tavern. She could not keep the skip out of her steps as she walked down towards the Twisted Tavern location, practically dragging Ruth along with her. Her energy meter seemed to have been recharged fully since they had left the crowded Great Hall and Pam was way too busy muttering different forms of "I'm so excited!" to notice Ruth's rather disgruntled facial expressions.

It was fine. She would come around anyway. The girl had agreed to this after all.

They were surprisingly early, for one, Pam realised as they stepped foot into the Tavern; only one more person in there. Pam recognised the boy almost at once, remembering the fact that she had caught him pranking hiding out behind a statue in a corridor. "Dennis!" She greeted him, raising her hand in a greeting.

The Tavern in itself was pretty, and Pam took a few minutes to look around, spotting a lute at a corner of the stage. "Ooh, that's a lute right? I've only ever seen those in pictures!" She picked it up gingerly, turning it over in her hands, it was pretty.

Pam's hands had moved before she could even think properly, lifting up a random bottle of potion and nearly drinking it before Ruth stole it out of her hand. "Er..oops?" She grinned sheepishly. Something was going on with her.

She turned away, towards Dennis and Ruth, about to ask what exactly they were supposed to do, when she spotted the paper with the clue. She hadn't noticed it before when she had entered the room.

"Do you think others will show up?" Pam asked the two.

𝓣here was something strange in the way Pamela was acting. The relentless hand grabbing, person dragging, breathless face. It wasn't odd, just...strangely surprising. Ruth had not seen Pamela display such signs of adrenaline since the Beauxbatons, if not since last year. It was a behaviour her best friend usually hid behind the layers of sunshine and occasional rainbows.

Ruth nodded limply along to Pamela's repetitive chatter, letting the distance between her and the Great Hall grow. Honestly, why was she so bummed about not being able to stay and dance? It wasn't like she was that good anyway. The one free hand Ruth had brushed the chiffon of her dress. She had not done it justice by leaving the ball. Would her mother be disappointed? Best leave it out in the next letter she sent home.

Ruth was still busy sulking to herself when they arrived, staring down at her pale ballet flats as she watched the collage of grey slabs of stone floor colour into a light bronze under the flickering fireplace. Only when she had glanced up had she realised they had arrived. While the Small Hall had transformed into an unfamiliar sight, a friendly figure stood amongst the scene, making the strangely eerie setting a little less unsettling.

"Chef," Ruth raised a hand in greeting as well, mimicking Pam. "That's one good outfit you've donned on there." Suddenly, the tag 'Chef' didn't sound applicable to him anymore. Would 'Prince' work? Ruth didn't ask. As Pamela drifted away to poke around the Tavern, Ruth joined Dennis' side. "It's good of you to join us in this event. I doubt Pam and I would have been able to solve it on our own," she admitted. "Some doctor instinct will come in handy."

Some clinking caught her attention, and she tore her gaze away from the redheaded Ravenclaw towards the other Hufflepuff in the room, already shuffling through the unidentifiable potions left out on the table. Her eyes widened at the sight of Pam holding one up, close to drinking it. A sudden flashback of Pamela downing the Mysterious Potion raced through her mind, and she sprinted towards the girl (as fast as she could with a dress, which wasn't the fastest, considering the tumbling), hand outstretched and ready.

Fortunately for them, the rim of the 'drink' had barely grazed Pam's lips when Ruth seized it out of her hands, panting as her heart briefly escalated. "Pam!" she hissed, setting the cup back down on the table, unintentionally harsh. Some of its contents spilled over slightly onto the table, missing her fingers by inches. "What on earth? Have you not learnt your lesson?" Ruth frowned, forehead creasing in concern. Why was she acting like this? The sheepish smile on Pamela's lips told her that she had, indeed, not reflected over the consequences of drinking random potions.

Ruth proceeded to trail after Pamela, assuming the role of some sort of 'guardian angel' and making sure the girl doesn't do anything too rash. As the Badger's attention was drawn to a paper nailed against the door, Ruth's was too. Curious, Ruth made furtive steps towards it and gingerly lifted the flap to read its contents.

Dangit. Bloody riddles.

She turned back to Pam and Dennis. "Surely it can't just be the three of us," She piped up. "We may as well wait for more people to show up before proceeding." Though...

The lute that Pamela had gone over to examine sat back in its original position. It reminded Ruth of her ukulele, only round. Instead of joining the other two, she walked over to deftly run her hands along the strings instead, creating a bland melody. She silently apologised to the lute players out there for attempting a strum on an instrument that was meant for plucking.

Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 7| Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 8 | ArcPower: 4 | Accuracy: 6
Ability: ’s Grace
Action: Admiring the lute.
Interactions: @Pamela Graham, @Dennis Tumberton
Mentions: @Amelia Garnett, @Glen Boren, @Sabrina Lyons

Amelia rushed up the stairs from the dungeons, almost tripping over the stairs. She was late, so late!! She wouldn't even have time to make an appearance at the ball! Ugh, why did she take that nap?! If only she hadn't lied down earlier today...

The sounds of laughter, music and faded conversations reached her as she ascended to the top of the stairs. The Great Hall's lights twinkled and winked at her, making her wish she was on time. She gave one longing look at the party visible through the Great Hall doors, then resumed her pace, her dress swooshing around her knees with every move.

At last, she'd reached the Tavern's entrance. Amelia took one long, deep breath before entering, moved her hand along her french braid to make sure it was still intact, and opened the door.

There were already some people inside— which was no surprise; she was late, after all. Amelia quickly surveyed the scene before her as she walked in, then closed the door behind her, standing with her back to it.

The room had a spooky vibe, and was filled with various objects. There was a table with drinks —which were probably potions— a gramophone on another, and some empty tables. There was a stage as well, with a stool and an odd looking violin. A familiar girl was standing near the musical instrument. Amelia averted her eyes hurriedly.

There was also a redheaded boy she didn't recognize. A glimpse of blonde caught her eye, and she turned her head, finding Pam, her friend, next to her.

"Sorry for being late," Amelia apologized in an undertone. She nodded in acknowledgement to Ruth, cutting off the eye contact quickly, gave a similar greeting to the boy, then gave a tiny smile to Pam.

It seemed like the other members of her group had already started to crack the riddle they were supposed to get— each was examining something else or seemed to be deep in thought. Where was that riddle, though? It was nowhere to be seen... Amelia stood in her place awkwardly, unsure what to do.

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑺:
𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂: 6 | 𝑬𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏: 6 | 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉: 3 | 𝑾𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎: 7 | 𝑨𝒓𝒄𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓: 6 | 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚: 7
𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔: entering the tavern

𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 & 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @Pamela Graham, @Dennis Tumberton, @Ruth Fairchild, @Glen Boren, @Sabrina Lyons
𝑶𝒖𝒕𝒇𝒊𝒕: the dress + a french braid (:

Dennis was about to go over and examine the very lute that would soon capture the attention of everyone else when he was stopped by others entering the room. Well, if it wasn’t Ruth and Pam! He grinned his Tumberton grin as they both wave to him at the same time. The two ladies he had anticipated dancing with at the beginning of the night were now in the room! “I guess I am very lucky,” he said, not just grinning but infused with the excitement given by Pam. “I have two stunningly beautiful girls here to help me!”

He caught that Pam, his prankster-in-arms, was pretty pepped up and Ruth was looking after her like a mother hen. Both rather weird behaviors to him, perhaps its just a different context. Who was he to question the whims of girls? The Ravenclaw chose not to dwell too much on their peculiar attitudes. He never really saw them together. While Ruth was busy saving Pam from whatever doomed sentence she would have received by drinking a mysterious liquid, Dennis walked over to the lute.

Before he could examine it further, Ruth was by his side before he could fully process what happened. Wasn’t she just with Pam. He really had to up his game if he were going to keep up with them both at the same time! “What do you think of this lute, Chef?” Dennis said, paying her back the same tease she gave him. “With two chefs, I’m sure there isn’t anything we can’t conquer.” He said confidently looking over her shoulder. He noticed a pile of shards by the lute.

Another girl, whom he didn’t recognize came in at that moment. He didn’t catch her name, or even if she introduced herself. There would be time for introductions later. Now. Dennis was in Ravenclaw mode. He took out his wand and with a well practiced flick as they were taught, said, “Reparo!” Casting the spell at the shards.

Waiting to Interact with: @Glen Boren and @Sabrina Lyons
Interacting with: , @Amelia Garnett, @Pamela Graham, @Ruth Fairchild,

Action: Casting Mending Charm on the shards by the lute.

Equipment: Dogbreath Potion

Abilities: Fearless and Impartial

Sta: 5 | Eva: 8 | Str: 1 | Wis: 8 | Arc: 8 | Acc: 10

Waiting to Interact with: @Sabrina Lyons
Interacting with: @Amelia Garnett, @Pamela Graham @Ruth Fairchild,
@ Dennis tumberton

Action: going inside of it and thinking about if they are going to begin

Abilities: curiosity, friendly

Sta: 7| Eva: 8| Str: 6| Wis: 7 | Arc: 7 | Acc: 5

With the door locked securely, the game begins. Everyone who is a part of this game seems quite eager to solve the riddle, with most of them getting straight to the point and beginning to search the tavern for what the riddle could be talking about. Despite a few late arrivals the game went about smoothly. After the Ruth had stopped Pamela from drinking the unknown potion on the table the two girls admired the lute, which led to Dennis, who joined them soon after, finding a pile of shard. The white pile of shards was plain, and after the nicely done mending charm Dennis cast it became a mug, a white mug that was completely plain save for one detail, the number "2" engraved on the side of it. If Dennis, Ruth, or Pamela and any of the other players looked into the mug they would find not one but two pieces of paper, the same type as what the first clue was written on. If they opened and read the paper they would these two clues. The first, notably shorter clue being:

It appears your wit needs to be enhanced,
look for the potion where you entranced.

and the other was:

By max tglpxk mh max vhwx rhn lxxd,
Maxg max gxqm wbzbm rhn gxxw bl makxx,
Hger hgx fhkx tgw rhn'ee ux ykxx
Max gxqm bl ghm xtlber yhngw,
T lmkbgz hy fxfhkbxl tehnw,
Fnlbv matm pbee ftdx rhn ikhnw.

Despite this group being mostly first and second year they surely would be able to figure this newclue out, right?

Group #1 players: @Glen Boren, @Dennis Tumberton, @Amelia Garnett, @Pamela Graham, @Ruth Fairchild, and @Sabrina Lyons
Rolls:

Reducio

Dennis casting Mending Charm, wdc 9
[d20 : 3] + 8=11
11>9
success

As Dennis cast his spell, the pieces of the cup seemed to clue themselves back together to display a prominent “2” on the front. “Tada!” He announced to the room playfully as he picked the cup up, proud of his work. “Did we win?” Dennis asked look from Ruth to Pam to the others in the room. He blinked a few times when there wasn’t any confetti or congratulatory announcement. “It wouldn’t be that easy, huh?” He said grinning sheepishly.

He took the contents out of the cup and sat everything back down on the table with the first clue. He read the first clue out loud in a dramatic voice and motioned to the potions. “Wit sharpening potion is pearly white. If there is a white potion we will need someone to take that.” Dennis said nonchalantly, a little bit of a Ravenclaw flex to know the color of potions. As goofy as the boy was, he was still a nerd.

He unfolded the next clue and grunted in frustration. “It’s a cipher. Anyone want to help me with his?” He looked around the room but didn’t wait for any takers. He took a seat and bent over the piece of paper muttering to himself. “This word is definitely ‘the,’ right? And then this one is…’then’ …’only’….you…” Dennis rubbed his temple. Decoding a cipher mentally was hard. “All I got is “if the code you seek, then the next you need is three. Does anyone have a paper?”

Interacting with: @Glen Boren and @Sabrina Lyons, @Amelia Garnett, @Pamela Graham, @Ruth Fairchild

Action: Attempting to solve the cipher.

Equipment: Dogbreath Potion

Abilities: Fearless and Impartial

Sta: 5 | Eva: 8 | Str: 1 | Wis: 8 | Arc: 8 | Acc: 10

One moment they were looking at a pile of shards, the next there was a cup instead. Amelia's eyes widened, and worry started seeping in. Were they already so close to the end? She had just arrived! Relief washed over her as she realized it couldn't be over yet, since another boy entered the room right after the redhead had cast the mending charm; so there was still some time to go.

Amelia stayed put, still near the door and the new guy, waiting. She felt rather useless, simply standing there, shifting in place with nothing to do. She hadn't solved anything so far, and she sure as hell did not intend to drink any kind of mystery potion. Sure, harmful potions probably weren't even available, but who knew what the definition of 'harmful' potions could be? Although a wit sharpening potion did sound nice... Maybe she'd try it one day in potions class.

Amelia rested against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, letting her bag drop to the ground with a quiet thud. Why did she even bring it? She wouldn't need her school stuff for an escape room, obviously. If only she hadn't taken that nap earlier today, she wouldn't have been so confused and late...

Amelia nodded a hello to the new boy. "We're a bit late to the party, eh?" she said to the bright eyed boy, half listening to what the other boy was saying. Something about a cipher? Ugh, she couldn't really help there either, decoding was not her strong suit.

She sighed quietly, hoping her time would co— hang on, paper?! Surely, she had that in her school bag? Amelia stood bolt upright, excited. She hadn't noticed what she took when she went out; the chances of leftover parchment or a notebook being there should be pretty high, right? She got her bag up from the floor and started rummaging through it, looking for something to write on and something to write with.

"Uh-huh!" she said in a victorious voice. "Quill and parchment, coming right up!" the parchment she pulled out was a bit crumpled from sitting in her bag for too long, and the quill was a bit crooked, but both were still working properly. She strode over to the table, where the boy had placed the riddles, and handed them over, along with an inkwell. "There ya go."

After placing the items on the table, though, Amelia was left once again with nothing to do, and with her excitement dying down. Amelia glanced at Pam, realizing her friend would probably prefer to be with Ruth. Makes sense, of course. Feeling a bit detached, Amelia cast a look around once again.

The gramophone she'd noticed earlier was nearby— maybe it was worth checking out... and perhaps it was also time to make new friends. Amelia looked at the boy who had entered after her, and gestured silently to the music box, hoping he would get the hint and join her, then turned to inspect the old object.

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑻𝑺:
𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂: 6 | 𝑬𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏: 6 | 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉: 3 | 𝑾𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎: 7 | 𝑨𝒓𝒄𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓: 6 | 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚: 7
𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔: checking the gramophone, handing parchment&ink&quill

𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 & 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @Pamela Graham, @Dennis Tumberton, @Ruth Fairchild, @Glen Boren, @Sabrina Lyons
𝑶𝒖𝒕𝒇𝒊𝒕: the dress + a french braid +a black school bag (: