3 May 2025, 04:42
Twisted Tavern
banner made by the fantastic Elena Clark
RPing as Zophyr Qethnis from Uagadou
april 11 2025 | evening
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music @Mellani Miller @Ara Villa
☽ Stamina: 10 | Evasion: 9 | Strength: 9 | Wisdom: 5 | Arcane power: 5 | Accuracy: 8 ☾
's Grace | Broken Broomshaft | Sixth Sense
Action: playing the lute. questionably. like, not well. but don't tell them
4 May 2025, 19:43
Twisted Tavern
RP as Kanae Suzuki
Interacting with:Reuben Garcia (@Mellani Miller) and Zophyr Qethniz (@Mahlioz Evethisawe)
Mentioning:
ReducioKanae looked at the jumbled letters, then the other note with a clearer message: look for a potion that would give you more wit. "Well I guess we need to identify some potions..." she muttered.
Knowing she wasn't that good with potions, she looked back to the disarray of letters. The girl pondered if it was supposed to be a cipher or something, perhaps a shift cipher? It honestly looked like one to her. She turned to the more familiar person in the room and spoke, "Do you know what a shift cipher is?"
The only reason she could figure it out is because she was really into mysteries as a kid, she loved puzzles and researched a ton on random topics like codes and ciphers in her free time. Kanae herself was suprised she can figure it out so quickly.
Putting together the other clues in context, she could get a few things. First of all, 2 was one of the digits needed in the combination lock on the door. Second, someone needs to identify the potions (and not just chug one randomly). "You didn't really drink a potion, did you?" she asked the same boy worriedly. Third, she needed to figure out this cipher. The text seemed quite long and it might as well give her a lot of information. Fourh, who was playing the lute?
Kanae looked to the side and noticed one of the people she was stuck with playing the lute rather...inexperienced-ly. "Er— Are you sure you know how to play that?" Being musically inclined, she knew how to play way too many instruments any sane person would — even the lute.
Her eyes bore into the note. English being her second language didn't help at all. The only word she can make out was that perhaps "By" meant "If" or "It" in this context, those two letter words were. quite common in starting poems. Speaking of poems, Kanae inferred that this note might as well be an encrypted one since most of the other written clues were. For example, the one on the door and the other note.
Knowing shift ciphers, there has to be a consistency in the shift. She counted. There were 19 shifts between B and I, which meant the first word was likely "If" since Y and F were also 19 shifts between those two.
Was she right though?
The girl had to decode at least a line to figure out if she was on the right track or not. Looking again at the familiar, "Do you perhaps have a pen and paper?"RP Word Count: 432/200
Stats: STA 7 | EVA 7 | STR 10 | WIS 8 | ARC 7 | ACC 9
Abilities:Evasive Maneuvers
Action: (mostly) Figuring out the encrypted text.
OOC:
8 May 2025, 17:20
Twisted Tavern
| banner by the amazing Mahlioz Evethisawe |
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15th Feb | English | Arabic | Spanish |
Reuben knew the moment that Kanae answered that she meant it when she said she had been better, though she was quick to change the topic and focus on the "game" that they had gotten themselves into. She suggested fixing whatever was broken, which did make sense.
The next moment Zoph decided to reply to Reuben's lie. Reuben laughed at the horrified expression on their face. "Relax Zoph, I don't drink potions unless I'm sure they won't make me embarrass myself, especially not at a ball with very pretty girls." By "pretty girls", he was referring to only one in particular, who was currently asking them if she should try to fix the broken shards, but Zoph did not need to know that.
"Yeah, Zoph's right, that sounds like a great plan!" As the girl cast reparo, the shards came together to reveal their next clue. Or clues, plural. Reuben stopped looking at the potions and decided to go see the clues first.
He started with the one that didn't look like someone had just asked a kid who had learnt the alphabet and been asked to write them down in random order. The clue clearly directed them to the potions, which was where Reuben was about to go again, when Kanae spoke to him asking him if he knew what a shift cipher was. He did not, but there was no need for her to know that. Also the name sounded pretty obvious.
"Yeah, it's the one where you shift the letters around and they start making sense, right? Like unscrambling" He said it with so much confidence, that anyone who did not actually know what shift cipher actually was would believe him in an instant.
Kanae then asked him if he didn't really drink a potion. Had he really sounded that convincing? He would have to use that voice of his somewhere in the future. "No, I just like seeing looks of horror on Zoph's face", he said, smiling at Zoph.
Just as Reuben took Zoph's name, they started playing the lute, and it sounded very, very bad. "Yes Zoph, I haven't forgotten about you, no need to make everyone's ears bleed to remind us you exist", Reuben joked, though maybe playing the lute would also make something in this game happen? Who knew?
Kanae then asked him if he had a paper. He wished that he could pull out one from his pockets just to satisfy her, but sadly he couldn't. "Sorry... I don't. I came prepared for a ball, the last thing I would carry is study-related stuff"
Mentioning: @
Calming Presence | Evasive ManeuversReducioOOC: Calming presence in effect
Open to interactions
Action: Looking at the clue alongside Kanae
iNPC: Reuben Garcia
12 May 2025, 11:42
Twisted Tavern
With the small group attempt to decipher the text, who's remaining participants were yet to join and aid the three who were trapped within the tavern, worked together, it quickly became apparent that instructions were not followed; resulting in a flickering lights above the trio. Soon after, a small array of fog began to sweep into the hall, moving swiftly towards the direction where the bar was located, housing an array of potions. Potions it appeared the group were aware of, yet made no movement towards, much to the dismay of the Twisted Tavern, who appeared to enjoy the different outlook the trio had, eager to keep them imprisoned for longer.
Though, despite their attempts to decipher the next clue, the mention of muggle stationary only enraged the tavern, resulting in an increase of fog which would only decrease their visibility should they attempt to solve the mystery that way. Yet, all but one area housed the growing fog, the bar oddly remained fog-free, as though attempting to indicate something, the tavern growing tired of the slow movements and frivolous yet awkward flirtation attempts.
Should certain players wish to spend the remainder of their time complimenting others, more sinister things would come the trio's way.
Group #4 players: Kanae Suzuki (@Ara Villa), Reuben Garcia (@Mellani Miller), Zophyr Qethnis (@Mahlioz Evethisawe), @Astra Norrick, @Keiran Kith, @Vikus Storm
ROLLS
ReducioNone.
14 May 2025, 13:18
Twisted Tavern
It had been a dumb idea.
Astra had played it safe this round, she thought. After avoiding the Fall Ball, stuck an anxious mess in her dorm, she thought maybe- just maybe- to face the fear head on would be optimal. That had been a solution so far, hadn't it? The lake still gave her the creeps but no longer was she horrified at its mere existence since that staff supervised and sanctioned swimming event.
And it was an escape room! Okay, in hindsight, she should've just gone to the normal ball, but in the adrenaline filled, unreasonably optimistic moment, an escape room had sounded fun. And safer. Though in retrospect, that assessment was, without a doubt, idiotic.
And unlike previous events, Astra was neither trying to integrate friend groups nor going solo and unprepared. No. She had Keiran. It was sort of funny and kind of sad if you thought about it too hard, how they'd managed to go to the ball together. Both laying on her floor as their brains halfway recovered from a particularly stressful brewing for their potions project, Astra far too tired to be doing any thinking at all, much less about important things like this. " They've got an escape room at the ball this time, you want to sign up with me?" she'd blurted. And he'd said yes, the moron (with love).
The outfit was simple. A little run to Hogsmeade for a few choice pieces had done the trick. Deep green shirt, leather bracers and a pauldron, a cloak, a nice brooch, a few silver necklaces and rings at the insistence of Helena who'd helped her with the whole outfit process and even decided it was a fantastic idea to lend her youngest cousin-in-law a sword- enchanted to be safe, she promised- for the adventurer aesthetic. Astra loved it, and she really did love the sword though she wished it were more functional- no, no, she had not a clue how to use it, it was a good thing she couldn't chop anyone, it'd still work to clobber any person-
Kei looked nice. She said as much as they stood outside the tavern. Her palms were slick under the leather arm pieces, hovering near the sword sheath with the ride-along wand sheath at her left side.
A moment of impulse. Those happened a lot. Her right hand grabbed Keiran's left. " I'm fine," she lied through her teeth, convincing no one, "I'm a little dizzy is all. Perfectly fine."
A little dizzy was more like Category 5 panic attack that she refused to attribute to event-related anxiety and a healthy dose of post-traumatic stress disorder. Keiran was kind enough to stand with her in the far corner once the heavy door shut on the students inside, as the others began to work on escaping and Astra just had to deal with the consequences of her stupid, stupid, rash decisions that she'd decided to follow through on. Dear God, dumber than a jellyfish and they didn't even sport a brain.
"Sorry," she muttered when breathing came easier and it didn't feel like her heart was about to escape the confines of her skeleton. The spiral had lasted longer than she'd ever intended, and now a fog spread across the room, hiding specifics about the other people in the room. "Do you, uh, want to take a look at the potions? It's the only place without fog so I'd reckon it's where we need to be." She held on tight to his hand as they moved, examining the shelves of colorful liquids and vials of various shapes and sizes. Astra put her brain to the task of trying to identify them by color and apparent dosage size, to keep back the ravenous, growling anxiety prowling her animal brain, fringing on her frontal lobe.
Astra had played it safe this round, she thought. After avoiding the Fall Ball, stuck an anxious mess in her dorm, she thought maybe- just maybe- to face the fear head on would be optimal. That had been a solution so far, hadn't it? The lake still gave her the creeps but no longer was she horrified at its mere existence since that staff supervised and sanctioned swimming event.
And it was an escape room! Okay, in hindsight, she should've just gone to the normal ball, but in the adrenaline filled, unreasonably optimistic moment, an escape room had sounded fun. And safer. Though in retrospect, that assessment was, without a doubt, idiotic.
And unlike previous events, Astra was neither trying to integrate friend groups nor going solo and unprepared. No. She had Keiran. It was sort of funny and kind of sad if you thought about it too hard, how they'd managed to go to the ball together. Both laying on her floor as their brains halfway recovered from a particularly stressful brewing for their potions project, Astra far too tired to be doing any thinking at all, much less about important things like this. " They've got an escape room at the ball this time, you want to sign up with me?" she'd blurted. And he'd said yes, the moron (with love).
The outfit was simple. A little run to Hogsmeade for a few choice pieces had done the trick. Deep green shirt, leather bracers and a pauldron, a cloak, a nice brooch, a few silver necklaces and rings at the insistence of Helena who'd helped her with the whole outfit process and even decided it was a fantastic idea to lend her youngest cousin-in-law a sword- enchanted to be safe, she promised- for the adventurer aesthetic. Astra loved it, and she really did love the sword though she wished it were more functional- no, no, she had not a clue how to use it, it was a good thing she couldn't chop anyone, it'd still work to clobber any person-
Kei looked nice. She said as much as they stood outside the tavern. Her palms were slick under the leather arm pieces, hovering near the sword sheath with the ride-along wand sheath at her left side.
A moment of impulse. Those happened a lot. Her right hand grabbed Keiran's left. " I'm fine," she lied through her teeth, convincing no one, "I'm a little dizzy is all. Perfectly fine."
A little dizzy was more like Category 5 panic attack that she refused to attribute to event-related anxiety and a healthy dose of post-traumatic stress disorder. Keiran was kind enough to stand with her in the far corner once the heavy door shut on the students inside, as the others began to work on escaping and Astra just had to deal with the consequences of her stupid, stupid, rash decisions that she'd decided to follow through on. Dear God, dumber than a jellyfish and they didn't even sport a brain.
"Sorry," she muttered when breathing came easier and it didn't feel like her heart was about to escape the confines of her skeleton. The spiral had lasted longer than she'd ever intended, and now a fog spread across the room, hiding specifics about the other people in the room. "Do you, uh, want to take a look at the potions? It's the only place without fog so I'd reckon it's where we need to be." She held on tight to his hand as they moved, examining the shelves of colorful liquids and vials of various shapes and sizes. Astra put her brain to the task of trying to identify them by color and apparent dosage size, to keep back the ravenous, growling anxiety prowling her animal brain, fringing on her frontal lobe.
action : examining and attempting to identify potions
stats : sta • 8 | eva • 7 | str • 7 | wis • 7 | arc • 6 | acc • 7
abilities : prodigal charms, terrible presence
inventory : wand, hand and a half sword (dull), exploding bon bons
interactions : @keiran kith
mentions : @mahlioz evethisawe ∆ @ara villa ∆ @mellani miller ∆ @vikus storm
perms : keiran kith and astra norrick have godmod permissions on each other
notes : sorry so late guys, banner and such tba
17 May 2025, 21:13
Twisted Tavern
banner made by the fantastic Elena Clark
RPing as Zophyr Qethnis from Uagadou |
april 11 2025 | evening
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@Mellani Miller @Ara Villa @Astra Norrick
☽ Stamina: 10 | Evasion: 9 | Strength: 9 | Wisdom: 5 | Arcane power: 5 | Accuracy: 8 ☾
Action: looking for something to put in the gramophone, whether it's a record or just something disc-like
18 May 2025, 00:45
Twisted Tavern
RP as Kanae Suzuki
Interacting with:Reuben Garcia (@Mellani Miller), Zophyr Qethniz (@Mahlioz Evethisawe), and @Astra Norrick
Mentioning:
Reducio"Gomen-e... Wasn't trying to insult," she replied to the person that was on the lute. "L..Loverboy?" though she was quite fluent in English, she wasn't as good with the slang
As the fog concealed her vision, she held onto the note as well as holding on to the nearest person beside her—Reuben. Kanae held onto his hand, of which were actually quite soft. Kanae squinted through the fog as if she could see better with her eyes becoming narrower. She saw part of the tavern that wasn't covered with fog—the bar section.
Perhaps it was a sign they should go ahead and try the potions? No. It was too risky. It'd be best to know the potions before chugging one down. The girl dragged Reuben along with her to the bar where another person was. "Hello.." Kanae greeted softly before pulling out the note and examining it again.
She pulled out a brush tip from her pocket and started listing out the alphabet in the shift cipher she figured out a while ago on Reuben's hand. How did it fit? No idea.
Slowly but surely, she started decoding the text. "By max tglpxk mh max vhwx rhn lxxd," means "If the answer to the code you seek". Then, "Maxg max gxqm wbzbm rhn gxxw bl makxx," means "Then the next digit you need is three,". Now, "Hger hgx fhkx tgw rhn'ee ux ykxx. Max gxqm bl ghm xtlber yhngw," means "Only one more and you'll be free. The next is not easily found,". She figured out each line slowly but surely. In the end, the back of Reuben's hand was filled with letters. "I got it!" she exclaimed. Kanae read out her findingsFormat: Actual Letter = Code
A = T
B = U
C = V
D = W
E = X
F = Y
G = Z
H = A
I = B
J = C
K = D
L = E
M = FN = G
O = H
P = I
Q = J
R = K
S = L
T = M
U = N
V = O
W = P
X = Q
Y = R
Z = S
"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"
Kanae figured most of it out from there. "Two and three... Probably 2 of the 4 digits needed for the combination lock..." she mumbled. Though she doesn't look like it, Kanae was a smart one. She has vibrant navy blue robes back at Mahoutokoro, the second most prestigious robe color, given to consistently outstanding students who succeed in every class. She was the beauty and the brains (and soon to be brawns).
She was stuck on the last two lines for a bit. She figured that it'd be the gramophone. "String of memories", perhaps it's because gramophones are considered vintage nowadays?
She heard a cough behind her, it was the same person who was playing the lute earlier. The girl didn't see their face all that well, but she did somehow recognize their voice.
"Hmm, I don't think so? But I do think that machine—that gramophone—would lead us in the right direction based on the note..." She used her signature smile at them. "Thanks for taking a look," Kanae then looked at Reuben. "Gomen-e, I used your hand as parchment. I wish I could give you something to clean your hand with."RP Word Count: 575/200
Stats: STA 7 | EVA 7 | STR 10 | WIS 8 | ARC 7 | ACC 9
Abilities:Evasive Maneuvers
Action: figuring out the encrypted text (finally did it)
OOC:
20 May 2025, 10:57
Twisted Tavern
With the arrival of another participant, who moved in the right direction, aiming to identify the array of potions at the bar where the fog oddly refused to locate itself. Unfortunately, her attempts were in vain, albeit being the only one to move in the direction to do so, given the earlier failed attempt. Sensing the refusal to conform and adhere to the rules set by the old hag who ran the tavern as though it were a military operation, the fog only increased, decreasing their overall visibility within the tavern.
Upon the revelation of one participant, Kanae Suzuki (@Ara Villa), her mere deduction, Sherlock worthy — although he arrived at a later time. Should the group move further, they'd notice an array of papers, one appearing hidden, in the direction they seek, should they make the adequate connection. Fortunately, the fog began to disperse, slipping beneath the gaps of the wooden door which remained half opened, awaiting the final participants and aiding their search.
Though, it appears that this group, was different than the others. Spending most of their time in idle chatter, horrific flirtation attempts — showcasing the lack of care towards the overall aim of escape. Perhaps they desired nothing less than to remain locked in the Twisted Tavern for the remainder of the academic year.
Group #4 players: Kanae Suzuki (@Ara Villa), Reuben Garcia (@Mellani Miller), Zophyr Qethnis (@Mahlioz Evethisawe), @Astra Norrick, @Keiran Kith, @Vikus Storm
ROLLS
ReducioAstra identifying potions, WDC is 20 due to being a second year.
[d20 : 6] (+7) = 13, fail.