Twisted Tavern Group 6

This group was on fire. Firstly, they solved the very first clue relatively quickly, managing to repair the mug that had been shattered into pieces, successfully gaining access to their first digit of the combination lock. They then found the next couple clues; the first, a very clear message: drink a potion. The second, a scrambled mess of letters.

This scrambled mess of letters was something that both Sere and Kaitlyn seemed to latch onto. What could it mean? How could they solve it? Was deciphering it simple enough that they wouldn’t need to bother with the other slip of paper, directing them towards the door, or would they, in fact, end up stumped? Minnie wasn’t quite as caught up as they were though. What would she discover?

Of course, she was being cautious. Rather than immediately marching over to the potions that were directly beside the door to drink them, instead Minnie decided to investigate. Although the potions are a fourth year brew, the Hufflepuff recognized the two different variants that were present: Wit Sharpening Potion and Baruffio’s Brain Elixir. Now, knowing which potions they had at their disposal, which one would they choose?

The Tavern’s games were slowly but surely progressing, and the identification of these brews could be incredibly important. How would these underclassmen react? Would they even be aware of the effects of either potion? Well, one of them was rather self explanatory, but was it the best option? Only time would tell…

Group #6 players: @Minnie Duke, @Kaitlyn Connor, @Yasmin Saade, @Lemon Goldfinch, @Sere Nade

Rolls:

Reducio

Minnie identifying the potions, WDC: 20 as a second year
[d20 : 18] (+7) = 25, success!

Interacting with: Reducio @Sere Nade Mentioning: Reducio @Minnie Duke, @Lemon Goldfinch, @Yasmin Saade

Outfit: Reducio

Notes: Reducio Speech: #3CB371 Thoughts: italics

Kaitlyn nodded at Sere’s reasoning. There weren’t many options for two letters repeated after an apostrophe. “E is the most used letter, and …” she pointed to the sets of three letters like max, rhn, hgx, tgw, and ghm, “we need three letter combinations like and, the, and others,” she suggested. Which one was which was the hard part about that. They’d have to guess and use some form of pattern recognition. Were they on a timer? She honestly had no idea.

Glancing up at Minnie, Kaitlyn smiled as the Hufflepuff was studying the potions. They definitely seemed interesting. Hopefully, they will be useful at some point! She hoped Minnie found something they could use. She would have asked, but figured it made more sense for her to continue studying the words. She wanted to help as well as she could.

Slowly, the young Slytherin was choosing letters that appeared to match. Finding the ‘the’ in the script was pretty easy, while the remaining letters took her a bit longer. For her part, she began noticing the pattern … in this case, a shift of 19 letters. Quietly mumbling to herself, she continued to wittle away at her part of the code, curious how Sere was doing. It took her more time, having to remember everything that was flowing through her mind.

Reducio

Note: 222 words

Action:
Cracking the Caesar Cipher.

Muggle Condition | Lovely Creature
Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 9 | ArcPower: 7 | Accuracy: 6

Date	:	April 11th, 2025
Color code	:	Written|Thought|Said

Max gxqm bl ghm xtlber yhngw,
T lmkbgz hy fxfhkbxl tehnw,
Fnlbv matm pbee ftdx rhn ikhnw.

Yup, that was the combinations that she had to solve. Sere's mouth mumbled to transform the random letters into sensible words, "The first word is 'THE', then the letter G... h, i, j, k, l, m, n... okay, turn to N. Next, letter X..." And so on, very slowly, while occasionally exhaling and trying to remember the new words as she managed to solve the next one. Just like what Kaitlyn said earlier, this was clearly not easy.

After successfully completing two lines of her part, Sere decided to explore the room with her gaze once again, while also taking one minute break. Kaitlyn was still busy cracking the code and Minnie was observing the potions. She hoped that Minnie had the knowledge capacity to know what kind potions were in front of her. @Minnie Duke She had also been curious about it for a while now, but the priority was to finish everything in front of her first. Alright, back to work.

Minutes passed, Sere finally managed to decode the random letters, three lines that made sense and became the answer to the second paper they found earlier. "Have you solved it too?" @Kaitlyn Connor Sere heard the first three lines of Kaitlyn's completed sentence, then combined it with hers and said it out loud,

"If the answer to the code you seek,
Then the next digit you need is three,
Only one more and you'll be free
The next is not easily found,
A string of memories aloud,
Music that will make you proud."

Sere cleared her throat, "The first one was 2, and now 3," She recalled the lines inside her mind, "But what do the last three lines mean? We have to strum something?" A possibility immediately came to her mind, "Oh gosh... perhaps... that lute?" Maybe they would have to stay in here, in the tavern, for a little longer.

Reducio

Sere's Look

Action : Solving the random words
Interacting with : This group, tagged. Permission to godmod Kaitlyn finishing her part was granted by the writer.

Thing(s) : Her Wand
Stats : STA 10 (+4)| EVA 9| STR 4 | WIS 8 | ACC 8 | ARC 7
Abilities : Statistically Relevant (STA) | Statistically Relevant (STA)

It looked as though these students decided they didn’t even need to bother with the first clue involving the potions, and instead went straight to solving the cipher. Both Kaitlyn and Sere seemed to be working together effortlessly, quickly putting the puzzle pieces together in order to make the realization that not only was it a Caesar cipher, but also the precise number of letters the alphabet had shifted, not even needing the intellectual boost that would have been provided to them, had they drunken the potions. Perhaps they merely enjoyed a challenge, and wished to solve this entire maze of a singular room without any hints or clues. Should these students have been placed in Ravenclaw? Look at their skill and knowledge!

Thankfully, they appeared to be on the right track, successfully completing the puzzle and Sere instantly pondered the lute, which had already been used in clue. Perhaps they should think back to when they initially walked into this Tavern. What stood out, felt slightly out of place? What would play “Music that will make you proud.” Or perhaps the patrons were going in the right direction when considering the lute. After all, what worked once could work again. Only time could tell…

Group #6 players: @Minnie Duke, @Kaitlyn Connor, @Yasmin Saade, @Lemon Goldfinch, @Sere Nade

Rolls:

Reducio

None :3

Action: Playing the lute & telling the others about the potions

Interacting With:@Kaitlyn Connor and @Sere Nade

Word Count: 304/200

OOC Notes: Reducio Speaking: b38900 Thinking: Italics

↜↝

Outift: Reducio A black and yellow sweatshirt, jeans, and her satchel.

Interacting with: Reducio @Sere Nade, @Minnie Duke Mentioning: Reducio @Lemon Goldfinch, @Yasmin Saade

Outfit: Reducio

Notes: Reducio Speech: #3CB371 Thoughts: italics

Kaitlyn smiled and nodded at Sere, telling her the first three lines to the riddle. Sere then finished the remainder. “Oh, great job, Sere! We made a good team,” she beamed at the Gryffindor girl. She nodded along to the other girl’s statement about the numbers. A 2, and then a 3. They were getting somewhere. Hopefully, it would help solve the puzzle they found themselves in!

Tilting her head to the side, Kaitlyn considered Sere’s words. ‘The lute, maybe? But, there is also the gramophone,’ she thought. The Slytherin turned to Minnie as the Hufflepuff talked. She smiled at her, nodding along with the potions. Her blue eyes glanced over at the table. “Oh, nice! Those potions sound helpful! Thanks!” She beamed at her. A small flush bloomed on her cheeks for being called smart. “Perhaps!” She agreed.

“Good luck!” Kaitlyn called out to Minnie as the Hufflepuff went to strum the lute. For some reason, however, she could not get the gramophone out of her mind. As the Hufflepuff strummed the iconic instrument, Kaitlyn launched herself in a pirouette, ending at the gramophone. Her eyes searched the device, trying to see if it held any significance or importance.

Reducio

Note: 200 words

Action:
Praising her teammates and investigating the gramophone.

Muggle Condition | Lovely Creature
Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 9 | ArcPower: 7 | Accuracy: 6

Date	:	April 11th, 2025
Color code	:	Written|Thought|Said

Minnie was able to identify the potions, cool! She informed Kaitlyn and Sere about that. The Gryffindor girl praised Minnie's ability silently, because she herself had never heard anything about that Baru---What was that again? Bu-Buffalo Potions? The name of the potion sounded very new to her, but as she heard the potions named Wit Sharpening Potions the girl -just like Minnie- began to think about the possibility that they had chosen the troublesome way of solving the random words one-by-one. Using the potions sounded like a quicker and easier solution.

Maybe Minnie heard her deduction about the lute. The girl was now picking up the lute and began to try to strum a note. "Sounds right in my ear. Great, now we have someone who can play it. But what song should we play? Let me see," @Minnie Duke Sere tapped her index finger on her chin, not yet finding the answer. From the corner of her eye she could see Kaitlyn @Kaitlyn Connor approaching the gramophone that had not caught her attention until now. Nice dynamics. Come to think of it, maybe the gramophone was the answer. But everything was still too confusing and Sere decided to stay near Minnie that was plucking some different notes and hummed, "Hmm... What song should we play?"

Reducio

Sere's Look

Action : Nothing. Just thinking about the song selection for Minnie to play, actually.
Interacting with : This group, tagged.

Thing(s) : Her Wand
Stats : STA 10 (+4)| EVA 9| STR 4 | WIS 8 | ACC 8 | ARC 7
Abilities : Statistically Relevant (STA) | Statistically Relevant (STA)

This group, all of whom prior had been flying through, didn’t seem to be as quick on the uptake this time. Except, you see, I lied. Someone found the next clue, as well as the next digit- but only one was in perfect view, easily visible. Sere and Minnie were quickly to examine in the lute, even playing a few chords. They would, however, be disappointed to find that there was no clue on nor around the lute, and nothing magical seemed to occur upon strumming it.

Kaitlyn, on the other hand, had hit the jackpot. Upon examining the gramophone, it was clear that there was a piece of paper partially wedged beneath the base of it. Should she choose to open it, the next clue was enclosed;

The next clue will not be in sight
Unless you charm it down by flight
On the ground it lays not
So look up and your attention will be caught

Yet again, the clue revealed vital information. Upon gazing into the rafters, it could be gleaned that there was a strip of white… paper? Parchment? Perhaps even a white rock? It was unclear from their position on the floorboards, especially considering how high up it appeared to be. Many, many feet higher than any of them were tall. And there weren’t any magic brooms in here.

And what about the next digit to the code, you ask? The gramophone itself may be able to solve their troubles. There was already a record set up and ready to be played aloud, however the needle was not down, instead propped in the “off” position. A simple hand movement would place the needle in the correct position to play, perhaps delivering them one step closer to their goal: escape.

Group #6 players: @Minnie Duke, @Kaitlyn Connor, @Yasmin Saade, @Lemon Goldfinch, @Sere Nade

Rolls:

Reducio

None :3

Interacting with: Reducio @Sere Nade, @Minnie Duke Mentioning: Reducio @Lemon Goldfinch, @Yasmin Saade

Outfit: Reducio

Notes: Reducio Speech: #3CB371 Thoughts: italics

As Minnie and Sere were working with the lute, Kaitlyn was investigating the gramophone. She had seen a few at Hogwarts and didn’t think they were particularly difficult to play. At least, in her opinion. Upon her close inspection, she noticed a piece of paper wedged beneath its base. With a quiet gasp, she carefully pulled the paper out to retrieve its contents, being careful not to ruin it. After all, that wouldn’t help them, otherwise!

“Sere? Minnie? I found a note!” Kailtyn announced, raising her voice as she spun on her toes to face the other girls.

Clearing her throat, she read from the paper.

“The next clue will not be in sight unless you charm it down by flight. On the ground it lays not, so look up and your attention will be caught,” she recited.

Her blue eyes returned to the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. “Oh wow, I wonder what that means?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side in thought.

Before going to rejoin the others, Kaitlyn spun on her heels again, back to the gramophone to return it to its original position. But now, she noticed something else. There was a record on it, with the needle propped up. “Hey, I see a record on here. I don’t know if it’ll help, but I’m going to try playing it,” she announced, carefully moving the needle to play the record. She bounced on her toes, hoping for some music she could dance to.

Reducio

Note: 247 words

Action:
telling the others about the clue and playing the gramophone.

Muggle Condition | Lovely Creature
Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 9 | ArcPower: 7 | Accuracy: 6

Date	:	April 11th, 2025
Color code	:	Written|Thought|Said

Minnie strummed the lute while Sere casted her gaze to every directions; starting from the lute itself, moving to the tables in front of her, even to the entrance, but nothing happened. "U-umm... Maybe this is not the answer?" Sere tapped her index finger on her chin once more, thinking. "This one is not easy."

At that moment, Kaitlyn -who seemed busy with the gramophone- suddenly exclaimed, saying that she found a note. Sere suddenly moved her head, eyes looking so excited. The Slytherin approached them with a paper in her hand, then read what was written on the paper. As if not finished with the gramophone, Kaitlyn went back and intended to play it. Sere nodded in agreement. Detailed examination. Love that. @Kaitlyn Connor

Remembering the clue that Kaitlyn read, Sere muttered, "On the ground it lays not, so look up and your attention will be caught..." She looked up immediately and found something strange. A white object that seemed oddly attached to the rafter of the tavern. "Look at that!" Her index pointed at the object while seeking for Minnie's attention since the girl was near her right now, "Can you see that? That white thing..." The Gryffindor continued, "The clue said that we have to charm it down by flight!" @Minnie Duke

Reducio

Sere's Look

Action : Looking up to the rafters
Interacting with : This group, tagged.

Thing(s) : Her Wand
Stats : STA 10 (+4)| EVA 9| STR 4 | WIS 8 | ACC 8 | ARC 7
Abilities : Statistically Relevant (STA) | Statistically Relevant (STA)