The Drowned Palace Group 1

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Finding the Drowned Palace had proven quite the task, but fortunately for Harvey he was near someone else on the Lost earl who had figured it out. He would of course tell no one that he was here on the coattails on another. His excellent skills in deduction and observation had brought him here no doubt. That was neither here nor there in the moment though. When all of the people designated to this room had entered the space would be plunged into darkness.

Harvey did his best not to let it cause panic. It doesn't matter how courageous of a person you are. When the lights are turned out unexpectedly it makes you think twice about the situation you're in. However, this was a school for witches and wizards. Having a bit of magic on your side didn't hurt one bit. Fortunately for Harvey he had the good wits to bring his satchel with him and all of the goodies that it contained. With a bit of rummaging he would withdraw his magical candle. A strike of a match and soon it would be floating right above his head for a source of light if needed.

It wouldn't be long until a soft green glow overtook the room and its source was fluorescent algae making strange patterns on the wall. When a disembodied voice began to sing a song it nearly put Harvey to sleep as the eery magical energies threatened to overwhelm him, but the sensation was gone as soon as it came. The words stuck with him though. Some sort of riddle most likely and the key to the answer probably lie within the algae patterns. That didn't bring him any closer to knowing what ht answer was however, so Harvey drew his wand and gave it a try.

"Revelio."

Actions: Casting Revelio on the algae pattern, lighting magical candle
Stats: Stamina - 5 | Evasion - 6 | Strength - 5 | Wisdom - 7 | Arc Power - 6 | Accuracy - 6
Abilities: Extra Income | Gobbledegook | Perfectionist
Inventory: Wand, magical candle, wizard camera, locksmith's knife, hammer and nails

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Japanese -English - Thoughts

Hikari needed to learn to turn down his family's not-remotely-brilliant weapons of torture whenever they decided Hikari needed to come out of his anti-social shell.

It was bad enough that he was being made to go to yet another ball, if he could ignore the annoying amount of time it took for him to set his hair to the correct shade of blue to match his suit and then keep it in that shade, they were, yet again, in the school that had blown up in flames at the last similar event. And then Hayato had gotten him to sign up to some treasure hunt, escape room-ish sort of game for children. If only mother hadn't overheard and then taken his side. Hikari could've avoided it then. But of course, his mother was always supportive of his younger siblings' attempts to make their eldest more approachable. Hikari could never bring himself to tell them that it didn't really work.

On the bright side, Akari was with him too. It made things better, even if slightly. Hopefully they'd be assigned to the same group though.

Akari was still Hikari's only friend, even after one whole year at his school. Not that it was surprising. As far as Hikari was concerned, he'd spend the rest of his life with only Akari as a 'friend'. He didn't need more non-educational contacts.

Nevertheless, the water elements related to the ball had raised his curiosity, and so he was less reluctant to attend the ball this time, than say.... last time. Besides, it would be okay as long as he wasn't being asked to dance.

Right?

Hikari found his name on the whiteboard, and felt his shoulders distinctly loosen as he spotted Akari's name in the same bundle. Oh, thank the gods.

Water indeed. Soon, the room was bathed in a bluish-green light, emanating from flourescent algae on the walls, creating a general atmosphere of being underwater.

He starts as a song starts playing, a slow soft tune, the voice making Hikari's hair rise against his neck.

What were they meant to be doing here though?

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XXXIt was dark.

XXXNot the kind of dark that soothed your mind at the end of the day, but rather the kind that made your eyes strain to pick out some sort of shape looming ahead. You could almost see something, but not really. And then your brain would doubt itself until finally you had to reach out and poke it to check if it existed or or not. Needless to say, it wasn't a great feeling. Akari didn't like it. Not one bit.

XXXThe Enchanted Depths was an interesting concept. He could see the appeal, but there was just too much water. Akari was sure there was no way this night would end without at least one person falling into the lake. And if you didn't have a date to dance with, there didn't seem to be much else to do at the Weeping Shore. Well, he could always look for creatures living in the lake, but not only would it be hard to see through the surface of the water with the moon overhead, it was also a rather unfortunate way to spend the evening of the ball.

XXXThe light level adjusted itself very slowly, and he finally noticed the algae lining the walls casting a faint glow. But it was still too dark to see much else. He knew Hikari was in the room as well, as his name had also been on the board, but he didn't know any of the other people in their group. Overall, the game seemed a little foreboding. Akari looked around in another futile attempt to examine the room before letting out a sigh. Taking out his wand, he murmured, "Lumos," stepping a little further out into the room to cover more space.

XXXHopefully, the light would reveal more clues than the algae did. The song resonating from all corners of the room was also extremely creepy, and Akari would prefer it if they weren't just standing in a dark room listening to this strange song, especially with the way it repeated in on itself with a loud sigh. It made him want to smack whatever was producing the music. Seriously, where on earth was that coming from??

~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~✩✩✩~

Action: Casting Lumos also

@Harvey Barrows, @Rafael Kraus, @Hikari Fujimoto, @Jessamine Hemlock, @Costanza Jewelweed

There was no where else that Costanza was going to be on a ball night. After two soirées in a row of intense escape room action, the badger no longer meandered around the idea of showing up. She just did. Doing something she wanted just for the heck of it felt good, but she would never admit that. In her warped way of thinking, this was just something to pass the time or get rid of boredom. Not the part of the school year she enjoyed most.

It was unfortunate that the witch found herself in a group with the detestable Miss Hemlock, and she purposefully avoided the bird's gaze even as she enticingly waggled her fingers. Costanza sought safety in the darkness that enveloped her instead.

But the darkness didn't stick around for long. Her eyes adjusted to the green glow and her ears perked up at the sound. She listened as the voice sung the same verse and a half over and over again. It was clearly referencing both the dungeons and the small hall. Maybe they had to find the dungeons within the small hall?

Costanza wanted desperately the voice these thoughts out loud, but upon inspection of the room, she knew no one except for Hemlock. And Hemlock seemed like the type to laugh right in the badger's face for trying to hard. So she didn't say anything. She wasn't comfortable enough.

With a quiet sigh, she remembered the tavern-like escape room earlier that year. She was with Hellebore then, and she had taken his calming presence for granted. Though, they were the only two people actively doing anything in their room so that may have lent a hand to her ease back then. Now though, there was only Hemlock. And Costanza would rather be dead before leaning on that witch.

Having had enough of her self-pity, the badger decided to drown her thoughts in solving the escape room. The song, as she had already theorized, pointed to the dungeons or the small hall. But the algae on one of the walls formed a sort of fill-in-the-blank pattern. That fit with how abruptly the song ended. It wasn't complete and maybe the key to moving on was finishing the song. And those patterns on the other wall looked like words. Could she make out some of them?

THE DROWNED PALACE

04/10/25

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Hogwarts had yet again bewildered Rafael Fietje Kraus. Where he had believed their talents to lie on a threshold, the consistent transcendence was beginning to pique his interest and stir a kindling of initiative within his stomach. The eerie atmosphere of 'The Lost Pearl' had captivated him, and he had wandered off in compelled curiosity to uncover more of the vestiges of grandeur-- a preoccupation that led him to attempt discovering doors that would open to his gentle touch.

After several futile attempts, a firm twist of the knob left the young Kraus in a quiet satisfaction-- momentary indulgence in childish triumph that he momentarily succumbed to. Finding a room devoid of life was what he had expected, though it had become expeditiously clear that his suppositions would not be met tonight, for his eyes gazed upon five other souls before he was greeted by the soft click of the door. Darkness shrouded him and the others, eliciting a sharp gasp to his right, a sound that made his hand twitch towards his wand. Otherwise, his expression had barely shifted; Only his posture, shoulders tilting slightly forward, eyes scanning as the lilting melody echoed along the walls. The green glow drew his gaze to the walls, the strange pulsing algae spelling half-words that a boy had stepped towards. Under the luminous glow, Rafael was unable to distinguish his appearance, except for his minute stature.

He breathed through his nose, slow and even, as he tore his gaze away from the boy and instead stepped up beside him, immersing himself in the dim light of dark sage, and eventually, cadium orange from the boy's lit candle. As the drowsy cadence began yet again, Rafael slipped his hand into the pocket of his waistcoat, the muted silver a dull olive under the light, and took out the plain card that the sailor of outré appearance had given him. "Words often conceal others..." He murmured to himself, then held the paper closer against the light. Beneath the unruly scrawl, Kraus had noticed a subtle iridescence that he was unable to comprehend--an element that caught the light at cunning angles. While he was sceptical towards the success of his intentions, Rafael refused to pass on the opportunity to discover even the slightest hint that could be advantageous.

The voice took a long, breathy sigh, then began to murmur the lullaby once more. He fought the somnolence creeping up his neck by turning the pearl signet ring with restless precision on his finger, gritting his teeth against the sensation of friction that helped keep him awake once more, though it was likelier it was due to the song fading once more. Rafael cocked his head slightly. As predicted, the voice paused, then sighed again, a discontent that thrummed beneath the tone before it sang yet again. The droning repetition prickled his skin. It was not the perturbed atmosphere and setting that left him ill at ease, but the mere realisation that the voice was waiting for something; something they weren't providing.

Algae. That was their answer.

Candle boy -- whom Rafael now discerned to be part-goblin -- alongside a girl with dark, glossy hair, were up to the task, so he flitted away to walk amongst the furniture to search for whatever it may be that would be of use.

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PERFECTIONIST STATISTICALLY RELEVANT (+2ACC)

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Stamina: 7 ✦ Evasion: 10 ✦ Strength: 1 Wisdom: 9 ✦ ArcPower: 5 ✦ Accuracy: 8(10)

Action: (Putting the welcome card under algae light) Searching the room for whatever might be useful. | Interacting: @Harvey Barrows, @Hikari Fujimoto, @Akari Kabukimono, @Jessamine Hemlock, @Costanza Jewelweed

MOD POST - GROUP 1

The room was lit up in light. Two separate lights, plus a candle, an unnecessarily large amount of light for the small room they were all crammed into. One light would have done just fine. Nonetheless, @Jessamine Hemlock would find her wand lighting up brightly, and @ Akari Kabukimono's wand would do the same. This allowed them to see the door that they had entered through, faded and hidden in the wall. The door was not locked - there was no door. None of the crew would be leaving for the dungeons, nor would they be leaving whatsoever; it was an escape room, after all.

While the light enlightened them to the door, the algae seemed to shrink from it, sliding back and blending into the foliage of the wall. The words, barely visible before, were now altogether unnoticeable. No, this algae thrived in darkness.

@Harvey Barrows would cast a well-timed revelio, but unfortunatly the light from the lumos must have stolen a bit of his concentration, and while his spell looked good flying out from his wand, it petered out sadly just a few feet from it's target.

@Rafael Kraus had the bright idea to carry in his card from the ball, placing it under the algae's light. The algae light made the card easier to see, sure, but nothing exciting really happened. To get to the algae, however, Rafael had to pass by Harvey's candle, and as the card passed next to it, it seemed to shimmer and glow just a bit extra.

The algae continued to give off the same eerie light, and the song kept on playing, on repeat, as if tempting them to find a way to either continue this "riddle" and figure out the next steps, or plainly taunting them to make it stop at some point, since it was getting quite draining to hear it over and over again.


Rolls
Do tell me if I messed up. Moderating is hard.

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Japanese -English - Thoughts

Clearly, the room they had stepped into was never meant to be lit.

The algae was living proof of that, seeming to blend into the wall, and the words disappearing before his very eyes. The blue-haired boy could relate, truly. He normally went out of his way to keep away from the sun. Well, as much as he could considering his only friend at school practically lived during the daytime.

Hikari still wasn't sure if the dashed lines could be deciphered without magic. Having never participated in an event like this, he was completely, utterly, out of his depth. I really shouldn't have listened to my parents. Not like I have a choice though.

His... roommates seemed to have a better idea of what they were meant to be doing. One after the other, various sources of light were produced, a candle flame, a few wand tips.

Not that it really helped, but it was better than standing stupidly doing nothing.

Hikari frowned, squinting in an attempt to make out even a single alphabet of what was written on the dark wall, is that an 'a' or 's', yeah no. Probably not, as one of the boys, black hair neatly laid out in a manner that seemed to greatly resemble his father's own, cast the revealing charm at the algae.

His own revelio would fare even worse, Hikari thought to himself, as he watched the boy's spell flicker out sadly. Knowing his luck— or lack thereof, he was more likely to set the walls on fire before getting them to actually reveal anything useful. Although that might actually work, maybe someone else should try that.

He couldn't help with the spell anyway. And Hikari was getting restless just standing around. So he took to looking around the room, making himself busy, even if it was for a little while.

It didn’t help that he had no clue what he was even looking for — only that standing still felt worse.

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@Rafael Kraus

Harvey squinted as the room went from an eery darkness to a brightly lit space as two wand lit up with well cast lighting charms. While he could now clearly see the room and all of its contents, it was also now impossible to see that algae that had spelled out the riddle. His own floating candle offered a warmer illumination, but probably wasn't helping the situation.

"Damn it!" The boy whispered to himself in a harsh tone as his own spell took shape only to fizzle out but not a moment later. Magic was great and all, but the smallest of distractions could be so disruptive to the arcane. What a temperamental art form and how embarrassing to fail a cast in front of all of these people. Harvey had spent countless hours perfecting the revelio charm. Day in and day out of squeezing a free moment from of an impossibly busy day to practice the pronunciation and wand movement. All of that effort just to watch it all fail in the real world. Merlin be damned. He let his frustration out with a sigh. Hopefully no one noticed as he pretended nothing was out of sort.

As much as that failure had irritated him, Harvey had not lost his concentration altogether. Another boy passed him by and as he did so the card in his hand seemed to react to the light from Harvey's candle. "Hey you!" He called out to the other boy. "Can we look at that card of yours under the candle light here? It seemed to react to the light." There had to be some clue hidden here amongst them. No stone unturned and whatnot.

"I think all of this light was a mistake. No criticism. It was my initial thought as well, but we can no longer see the riddle." Harvey said in a very matter of fact tone while he prepared to cast his spell again. He could not see that algae any longer and hopefully the others would dim their wands, but he pointed his wand in that direction again and gave it another go. "Revelio!"

Actions: Casting Revelio on the algae pattern
Stats: Stamina - 5 | Evasion - 6 | Strength - 5 | Wisdom - 7 | Arc Power - 6 | Accuracy - 6
Abilities: Extra Income | Gobbledegook | Perfectionist
Inventory: Wand, magical candle, wizard camera, locksmith's knife, hammer and nails