Puzzled and Trapped
In the corridor, some sound, or smell beckons the students forward, inviting them on an adventure, one that they won't forget. In the room, there is a box right in the middle. The bold or the curious do their best to avoid the temptation, but who truly would be able to avoid a mysteriously colorful box in the middle of a rather normal looking room? That does not seem dangerous, and instead seems like it would be a rather nice gift for whoever opens it.
But once someone does, instead darkness will flow from the box, covering every facet of the room, and ensuring the students are effectively blinded. Sounds will beckon from the darkness, but those who are brave enough to wander from their position near the box will find themselves being hit by random objects moving on their own. What feels like hours later but is really minutes later, the darkness disappears, candles on the wall lighting simultaneously and flickering in a mysterious wind.
The transformed chamber is full of dust circling in the air, occasionally being stirred around by movement or a mysterious wind. The stone walls are old and imprecisely carved, pieces of the stone sticking out. The magic that formed the room did not worry about making it perfect. Dim candlelight flickers, casting shadows on the walls, but not providing enough light to truly be able to see everything with the room at a glance. Furniture covered with dust clothes is placed randomly throughout the room. Age and various creatures that found themselves stuck in the room for a time having partially destroyed the fabric. The structure of the furniture themselves remain untouched by anything except for dust.
In a corner, there are faint glimmers in the candlelight. A couple of metal pieces slotted together form a ship, its mast caught in the space between two stones. A child’s toy left abandoned, perhaps based on the boats that ferried the first years across the Great Lake on their arrival at Hogwarts. Several other seemingly random metal pieces are scattered around the room, perhaps having at one time forming a small group of boats, but carelessly discarded, and left wherever they were tossed.
There are several paintings hung in no particular order, their occupants sleeping or making grim faces at the students that arrived unexpectedly. They would offer no hints, instead jeering or mutely staring at occupants, making them feel watched and judged as clues are searched for. More are stacked against the wall, weary of only seeing the back of the portrait in front of them. There are no plaques to denote who the occupants once were, though obviously at one time, they must have been important or loved enough to have been hung somewhere in the school.
-Your goal is to try to find the first object/puzzle that is hidden in the room.
-The mod post will be posted on April 23rd
-Not all group members are required to post, so mod posts will be posted as long as there was one post.
-This thread is for Group D: @Rose Moon, @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler, @Pyce Rotanski, @Aurora Coleman
Student Account: Emma Wynn | iNPC Account: Louca Dufort
Puzzled and Trapped
Banner by Julia Evans
Team: Dialogue: Words:
Darkness filled the room. It was so thick he instinctively felt the need to cough, just to make sure he could breathe through it. He stumbled back a few steps. The darkness came from the box, so it seemed like a good idea to create distance between it and himself. Besides, he didn’t really want to be taken for the idiot who caused this mess. One step back, two, and then three. Then he was suddenly hit by something. He couldn’t really tell what. It wasn’t particularly hard either, but the sudden impact made him take a step toward the box again and halting there.
It felt like forever, but the endless darkness finally lifted. He dragged a hand through his hair as he looked about. It didn’t much look like the rehearsal room anymore. Sort of dark and gloomy, and stuffed with things. The dust circling in the air made him pinch his nose to hold back a sneeze. He turned slowly where he stood, searching the room with his eyes.
The pictures were sort of creepy, so he did not want to go closer to them than necessary. Finally his attention fell to the ship made out of metal pieces. Without really thinking it over, he closed in on it to take a closer look. «You’re sorta cool…» He said the words more to the ship or himself as much as to anyone else.
He looked for a moment longer, before moving on. Seeing similar metal plates scattered about, there was no question in his mind what he wanted to do. He scurried to gather them.
Action:
Stats: Sta 6 Eva 5 Str 8 Wis 4 Arc 5 Acc 7
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
Puzzled and Trapped
Alone in the room for the moment, Maximilianus would show why he had been sorted into Gryffindor, ignoring a cautious approach, and instead enthusiastically diving into the unknown. The flying objects were their own danger, and he soon found that out. But that would not prevent him from doing his best to figure out what happened.
In an attempt to avoid the portraits, he instead focused on other aspects of the room, the metal naturally drawing the eye as the light flickered on it. The more he looked, the more he could see. Not one to wait for someone else to figure it out, he did his best to work to piece them together. Some of the pieces would allow him to slot them together, but others didn't fit, very obviously not a part of a jigsaw puzzle. Or if they were there were pieces missing, or lost. Perhaps instead they had to be manipulated into something else, but that would require more strength or some sort of tools that Maximilianus didn't have available to him.
The candlelight continued to flicker on the metal. The light partially shone through one of the slots, showing a shape of some sort, perhaps an indicator of what to do next?
-The mod post will be posted on May 8th
-Not all group members are required to post, so mod posts will be posted as long as there was one post.
-This thread is for Group D: @Rose Moon, @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler, @Pyce Rotanski, @Aurora Coleman
-One of the top three earners of Gryffindor have been assigned to your thread to cough, cough add a bit of additional chaos. If they are not able to do so for whatever reason one week, I will post as a faceless dNPC.
I've done a d6 Roll that will align with the below actions:
1-2: Minor Inconvenience
2-3: Slightly more difficult or scary inconvenience
4-5: Minor Maiming inconvenience
6: The inconvenience backfires and actually helps the individuals in question
Your roll is 6.
Student Account: Emma Wynn | iNPC Account: Louca Dufort
Puzzled and Trapped
Banner by Julia Evans
Team: Dialogue: Words:
He dragged a hand through his hair while staring at the metal pieces. He could see none other that were still scattered around the room. Maybe they were hiding among the creepy portraits? He was far from desperate enough to even angle his head in that direction. But the pieces didn’t all fit, no matter how much he turned it over in his head. He knew he had brawn in buckets, but he now sorely wished he was a little more skilled in the brains department too.
One option was of course to try to force the metal to fit. But he didn’t have any tools that would help him there. He stared at his hands for a moment, considering the possibility of just trying anyways. But he gave up the thought in the next minute, and flopped down on the ground once more.
He lifted a few he had managed to fit together, and studied them up close. He almost missed it. The dim light flickering over the metal. For a mere moment he thought he saw something. A shape? He bent down to look closer, but the light had shifted just barely. Perhaps he should bring each piece over to a candle? That seemed like the smart ting to do, but it would take forever. A determined look settled on his face and he nodded to himself. He was a wizard after all. What use was that, if he didn’t do magic? He put the metal down and pulled out his wand. «I definitely saw something, and it looked so close to…» He cut himself off. He wasn’t really sure what he had seen, but he wanted to examine it again anyways. «Lumos» His speech was clear, and he moved his wand in the familiar pattern.
Action:
Stats: Sta 6 Eva 5 Str 8 Wis 4 Arc 5 Acc 7
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
Puzzled and Trapped
An empty room consisting of one evidently frustrated lion. The room had only grown quieter as the lone cub searched for the right clue, manoeuvring himself to garner a new point of view. Candlelight flickering with light beams partially shining through the slot, the lone lion had shown no signs of giving up abruptly, continuing to ponder on his next move. It may be that the lion did not require his pack, or any company to seek some form of resolution. Minimal presence in the the enclosed in the room which enticed him earlier possibly worked in his favour.
The lone cub in this group may perhaps be the brightest of the bunch, though, nobody else confined with him, akin to the white glow emitting from Maximilianus' wand, perfectly highlighting the metal, an engraving that had previously been hidden now shown. Each piece omit a single letter, yet the combination had yet to be solved.
Individually, the puzzle pieces read; UREND HTE RTHWECA.
Moving with a mind of their own, the puzzle pieces were disordered once more, now reading; DENRU HTE ARWTCHE.
Proving his wit so early on, it was unlikely that this cub would require further assistance from dormant participants. Perhaps a thought which had been disregarded so quickly, would provide the right answer and rather than remaining under a shroud of doubt, this lion should take the leap and trust his instincts.
He had been quite fortunate in his solitude, for the time being.
-The mod post will be posted on May 14th.
-Not all group members are required to post, so mod posts will be posted as long as there was one post.
-This thread is for Group D: @Rose Moon, @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler, @Pyce Rotanski, @Aurora Coleman
-One of the top three earners of Gryffindor have been assigned to your thread to cough, cough add a bit of additional chaos. If they are not able to do so for whatever reason one week, I will post as a faceless dNPC.
I've done a d6 Roll that will align with the below actions:
1-2: Minor Inconvenience
2-3: Slightly more difficult or scary inconvenience
4-5: Minor Maiming inconvenience
6: The inconvenience backfires and actually helps the individuals in question
Your roll for this round is 1.
Momentarily taking over for this round of moderation.
Rolls:
ReducioMaximilianus casts Lumos — WDC 9.
d:20 : 8 + 4 = 12.
Maximilianus successfully casts Lumos.
Puzzled and Trapped
Banner by Julia Evans
Team: Dialogue: Words:
He held the light close to the metal pieces, one after the other. Letters showed themselves, but they didn’t connect in any words he could understand. He shuffled the pieces around, switching places, trying to make sense of it.
«Wrench the reatud?» No, that wasn’t right. He was not the smartest, but even he knew that a word like reatud couldn’t be a real word. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he attempted to focus once more.
«Under the cherwat!» That seemed at least a little closer somehow. «What if I just focus on the last word…» He mumbled to himself, deliberating the smartest approach. He decided to do just that. Shuffling the seven letters around, he eventually found a word at least. He pushed the letters together and read aloud. «Under the watcher! …what in Merlins name is that?!?» He had felt such accomplishment for a moment, proud to have figured it out all on his own. Three words, all of them actual words. Yet it gave no sense.
Having grown tired of this game, he planted his hands on the floor behind him, leaned on them and rolled his eyes at the ceiling. «The least it could do was be words with clear meaning…» His gaze started wandering the room, not really looking for anything. There could always be something else fun he had yet to spot.
His eyes were soon drawn to the paintings. They still gave him goosebumps, the way they were staring at him… «That’s it!» The words erupted in the same moment things clicked in his head. He jumped to his feet. «They aren’t staring, they are watching! So that makes them sort of watchers, right?» He was well aware that no answer would be coming, at least as far as he was expecting. But it had always helped him to think out loud.
He jumped to his feet, but paused. That he needed to get close to the portraits was for sure, but that didn’t make them less creepy. So, with hesitation he started moving in that direction. «I’m just gonna look around you all, okay? So if you could like… stop watching me for a minute, that would be great.» He doubted they would do as he requested, but he still closed the distance. Should he look along the lower wall where the pictures were hung, or should he focus on the stack sitting on the floor? He nodded to himself as he decided on both.
Action:
Stats: Sta 6 Eva 5 Str 8 Wis 4 Arc 5 Acc 7
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
Puzzled and Trapped
stamina • 5 | evasion • 6 | strength • 4 | wisdom • 7 | arcpower • 7 | accuracy • 6
xx
Skylar watches from her hidden corner in the room, curious at the way things are progressing. Max, whom she had interacted with once or twice, seems to be taking charge and solving the puzzles with rapid efficiency. A part of her yearns to participate in this mysterious room of puzzles, yet here she must remain. She does feel slightly weird hiding in a corner and watching her fellow lions like a stalker, but alas it is a task she must carry out.
It would be fun, they said. Just cause some chaos! Skylar sighs as she drags her hands down her face. Merlin's beard, what is she even supposed to do? Not wanting to harm Max, Skylar chews the inside of her cheek and ponders on her next action. What is something she could do that would only minorly inconvenience her housemate, but enough to cause some chaos?
Making sure that none of his group members were looking and that Max is occupied with his search, Skylar slowly slinks out from the shadows. She pulls her wand out in a smooth motion, carefully aiming it at his back. She mentally apologizes to Max, but what must be done has to be done.
"Steleus!" She states quietly, careful not to draw attention but enough to cast the spell. Quickly sliding back into the shadows, Skylar watches Max from her hiding place. Hopefully the Sneezing Hex will offer enough disturbance to make the escape room more interesting, but not enough to severely impede on Max's progress. Sorry about that, mate. She mentally apologizes.
OOC note: I was sent to do this I swear
sta • 5 | eva • 6 | str • 4 wis • 7 | arc • 7 | acc • 6 |
Shop | ENCYCLOPEDIA | Gallery I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. |
Prodigal Flying Learner| Y2 | Y3 Y4 | Y5 | Y6 | Y7 |
Puzzled and Trapped
Gryffindor was known for it's bravery, and occasionally that might mean assumptions were made about choices being made to dive into the unknown without much thought. But an escape room would require both action and thought, and it was up to the lions to show that they had and could use both.
Maximilianus was not going to let his house down. Lighting his wand, it gave him more control over where the light went, revealing a clue. But one that was scrambled and would give him some pause. But once again, he was able to solve it, perhaps not as quickly as a Ravenclaw student, but time didn't matter. There was no stopwatch measuring his progress, nor passing judgement.
Maximilianus' first guess on what the clue could possibly mean would lead him to the portraits, watching and perhaps even judging his progress. The portraits though could not resist when he spoke to them about not looking. "Perhaps you have something better to do but we don't." This from a rather sarcastic, thin gentleman in old fashioned garb.
Meanwhile placed off-center in the room, there is a platform that contains a statue of some long-forgotten witch or wizard. Age and the lack of careful handling have caused the features to be partially destroyed, difficult to make out. There is a sword in the right hand of the statue, it’s point leading the eyes to a grouping of several smaller portraits, and two larger landscape pieces, their subjects looking on with disdain. It may have been an inanimate object, but it would not be forgotten. It was also not bolted down, and could easily be knocked loose.
A voice would sound throughout the room, a little bit of chaos to throw into the quiet. The sneezing hex would be successfully cast, causing Maximilianus to start sneezing, almost uncontrollably. How would he be able to figure things out now?
-The mod post will be posted on May 22nd
-Not all group members are required to post, so mod posts will be posted as long as there was one post.
-This thread is for Group D: @Rose Moon, @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler, @Pyce Rotanski, @Aurora Coleman
-One of the top three earners of Gryffindor have been assigned to your thread to cough, cough add a bit of additional chaos. If they are not able to do so for whatever reason one week, I will post as a faceless dNPC.
I've done a d6 Roll that will align with the below actions:
1-2: Minor Inconvenience
2-3: Slightly more difficult or scary inconvenience
4-5: Minor Maiming inconvenience
6: The inconvenience backfires and actually helps the individuals in question
Your roll is 3.
Student Account: Emma Wynn | iNPC Account: Louca Dufort
Puzzled and Trapped
Banner by Julia Evans
People: Dialogue: Words:
The search, however, disclosed disappointingly little. Little but dust and a whole fat nothing. He sighed as he came to a halt. The clue had seemed so obvious, and he couldn’t see where he could have misinterpreted either. Not wanting to take a step back and go back to the slices of metal with the letters, he tried to scramble the last word once more in his head. »Watcher, chawter, therwach, ACHOO!» His line of speech, as well as his thought process was interrupted by a sneeze.
Using the sleeve of his jumper, he dried his nose. Holding back a second sneeze he scanned the room. Sneezing out of nowhere usually meant some sort of fur was present, and not little amounts of it either. Sneeze two and three came and went as he looked about. No creatures or fur to be spotted. He couldn’t always try to set the room on fire to get rid of it, but that seemed like a bad idea even to him.
He paused at the statue that had failed to grab his attention earlier. Since the portraits seemed to reveal little, he might as well search around the statue. After all, everything that once was made to have eyes could be considered a watcher, right? The sneezing did not let up as he crossed the room and looked up at the statue. Searching around its base revealed nothing intriguing as far as he could see. So he stopped, sneezed, and looked up at the statue.
The sword it was holding was sort of cool. Probably the sort of thing he would never be allowed to touch if there was an adult present. He really wanted to try to swing it though… Walking around the statue, he tried to find the best angle for getting the sword free. A thought entered his mind as he sneezed again. Wiping his nose once more, he followed to where the sword was pointed.
Perhaps that was it? The grouping of paintings he had yet to take a closer look at. Deciding he could always go back to the sword later, he headed for the paintings once again. «You know, if you all decide to speak up, at least you could say something helpful! That way I get what I want, and you get something that isn’t frustrating to watch!» Again he expected no response, but felt better having aired it nonetheless.
Action:
Stats: Sta 6 Eva 5 Str 8 Wis 4 Arc 5 Acc 7
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
Puzzled and Trapped
The sneezing fits would cause Maximilanus no amount of annoyance, a rather unfortunate distraction while he was trying to figure things out. Especially given there seemed no rhyme or reason to why. Only the shadowy figure would know the truth and they weren’t telling.
He had the right idea in surveying the base where the watcher stood, guarding the hidden cargo. Unfortunately, though the sword would be an excellent distraction, leading the eye to wonder to the paintings it pointed to. Unfortunately, they were just as unhelpful as the rest of the bunch, too interested in what was happening to chance solving the puzzle and allowing their entertainment to escape.
Maximilianus’ words garnered no response other than some tittering from his audience, amused that he thought they would be helpful. Perhaps though they would be unintentionally helpful. Maximilanus was nearing the groupings of paintings he was interested in but unfortunately his shoe would become untied. Though it wouldn’t seem so unfortunate when he tripped into the wall, accidentally pushing one painting to the side into another. It would set off a small cascade of 4 to 5 portraits, tipping, the last being tipped slightly into a candle’s path, the corner of the portrait on fire, but quickly growing. Behind one of the paintings, a magnet attached to the wall (for what reason, one cannot be sure) was revealed.
Another result of the rather unfortunate trip is the statute rattled slightly, drawing closer to the edge of the platform it stood on. It was quiet, but there was the sound of something hitting against an obstacle that arose mere seconds after the statue settled back at rest. Perhaps something more was hidden?
-The mod post will be posted on May 29th.
-Not all group members are required to post, so mod posts will be posted as long as there was one post.
-This thread is for Group D: @Rose Moon, @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler, @Pyce Rotanski, @Aurora Coleman
-One of the top three earners of Gryffindor have been assigned to your thread to cough, cough add a bit of additional chaos. If they are not able to do so for whatever reason one week, I will post as a faceless dNPC.
I've done a d6 Roll that will align with the below actions:
1-2: Minor Inconvenience
2-3: Slightly more difficult or scary inconvenience
4-5: Minor Maiming inconvenience
6: The inconvenience backfires and actually helps the individuals in question
Your roll is 3.
Student Account: Emma Wynn | iNPC Account: Louca Dufort