Araris Valerian

Aftermath: The House Sleeps Once More 12 graves, hidden in a courtyard walled in on all sides, the light barely reaching the ground. 12 people, dead in the span of six days. 12 souls, lost to the House. The first to die: a man none of them ever got to know, left without even a name on his gravestone. Then Warren, an innocent man doomed by circumstantial evidence, the first gone to the angry mob. Archie, who could have become so much more if he’d only had the time, who was never able to speak the Words he might have. Brax, the first killer among them, the first to find the gun, who’d known his fate was sealed the moment the Void card was drawn. Then Luminair, the first Hero among them, killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ran into Patrick, a kind man who became twisted and consumed by the gun, and was overcome with the guilt of killing another person. Then Mabel, the unsung hero, the only one to resist the gun, cursed to wander the House forever because of it. Then Talasin was killed, who had always been lurking in the background, watching and recording everything until they were pushed to the forefront. Next came Harley, who thought himself a detective but was never able to solve the mystery of the House. Then K. Tims, just 13, who entered the House on a dare and was too young for the fate she got. Randal, who got lost in the House, and would remain that way forever, beyond the reach of the bird he had begun to bond with. Then Mr Monopoly, who came in with big dreams of redeveloping the House and who might have been right about razing it to the ground. And finally, Liam. The Hero who turned his back and the last one to fall. In the end, two made it out. But some part of them would always be lost in that House, just like all the others. Variel, the Hero, who deep in his heart wondered if he would have remained so had the gun passed to him. And Verna, the final killer among them, the one everyone had wanted to save in the beginning, granting her the butler’s gift, unused these six days. In the end, perhaps a part of her had died in these dark halls, when she made that final shot. They found something on Monopoly’s body, a final parting gift: his will, all his holdings left to the survivors. Though they had been wrong about him, he respected them in the end. Perhaps the money would help them continue in the aftermath of this horror. The doors finally opened when the first rays of sun crept through the windows, casting Verna and Variel’s faces in golden light. As they stepped outside, a gust of wind blew up from behind, and when they turned back, the House appeared just as it had for so long before this: a crumbling ruin of stone and wood, no evidence left of what had transpired within. Liam @Conure1243 was killed! He was an Innocent Explorer! Variel @StrikerEZ and Verna @Doc12 escaped the House with their lives! Additionally, Luminair @Mint11 (formerly frozen mint) died a Hero and will be remembered by the survivors. Credit to @coco.pudding for most of the writeup. Also, in general, everyone should give her a big thanks for helping me keep things running smoothly this game! A big thanks to @|TJ| @little wilson for IMing the game as well. I'll post some post-game thoughts in a bit, and of course I'm curious what everyone's thoughts were on the game. I hope to rerun these rules at some point, so let me know if you have any suggestions! Links: Dead Doc Master Spreadsheet Player List:

The game has ended! Stay tuned for the aftermath!

Night 6: Let the Gods of Luck and Chance Decide Verna and Variel were quick to side against Mr. Monopoly. Why, they argued, should someone who planned to bulldoze the House be allowed to escape? "Wait a minute? The House has killed 10 people so far in the last few days! And those are only the ones we know about. Plus the butler makes at least 11, since I haven't seen him since the first night, so he's probably a goner as well." Liam felt like he was stating the obvious, but he kept going. "The first thing I will do when I get out of here is to tear the place down. You two are insane for thinking off doing anything else!" The two pairs stared at each other across the entryway, at an impasse. Neither shaky alliance had any deadly to hand, and they seemed fairly matched in physical ability. Eventually, unable to take the tension, Mr. Monopoly dashed toward Variel, brandishing his walking cane as if it were a quarterstaff. As he reached the rug covering the middle of the hall, his left foot caught the carpet's edge and he tripped, tumbling to the floor. Variel, who had been bracing himself for the attack, now rushed forward, but before he struck, he noticed that Mr. Monopoly was unnaturally still. And... that his neck was at an extreme angle to the rest of his body. Liam took the brief moment of distraction to dash back into the depths of the House. Mr. Monopoly @___ has been executed! He was an Innocent Explorer. Night 6 has begun, and will end at 8PM on Wednesday, May 6. Barring a successful protect, the game will end tonight, so get any final RP in, and let me know if you have requests for the final writeup (which may include your death). Vote Count: Striker (2): Conure, ___ ___ (2): Striker, Doc Player List:

The Day is over!

Day 6: Six Became Four Will Become Two When Verna made her way back to the entrance hall, she saw Liam, Varial, and Mr. Monopoly gathered near the main door. She hurried over, intent on joining whatever conversation was going on. Mr. Monopoly was gesturing dramatically at the door while speaking. "...I was in here when I heard the shot an some kind of roar. As if a dragon had been killed. Anyway, the number on the door changed. It was a three. Now it says two." The sturdy wood of the front door's interior appeared to be stained red with a pair of tally marks, though if one looked close, the lines wavered and pulsed, rather than remaining static. Verna chimed in, "But there are four of us left. Assuming everyone that isn't here won't be coming back... Oh." A silence fell over the room as the true meaning of the number sunk in. Randal Boar @Qianweilian was killed! He was an Innocent Explorer with an Aviar! Day 6 has begun, and will end on Tuesday, May 5. There will be a majority execution this cycle. There is no vote minimum, and ties will be decided randomly. Player List:

The Night is over!

Only if everyone who exes a player with the Gun already has it (and getting a second copy wouldn't be announced to anyone or have any effect on the game)

Night 5: Yo, Yo, Yo, and a Smoking Gun K. Tims had always been told she was smart for her age. A little odd, perhaps, but smart all the same. And so when the House opened up and the other children dared her to enter, she did. To prove her smarts, and to prove that she could be one of them. She had found several new yo-yos in the House, antiques that hadn’t been touched in years and were like none she’d ever seen before. And then she found the gun. It was sitting on a pedestal in a small room somewhere deep within the House, and she picked it up because it was a curious little thing, and somehow it called to her. And then it consumed her. Variel had found something too; a strange device that they could use on another. They didn’t quite know what it would do, but used it all the same, the next time they saw Tims. The device sensed the lingering smoke in Tims’ hair, the flecks of gunpowder that has gotten caught on her clothes, and the metallic scent on her hands. A lucky guess. K. Tims didn’t want to die. She was far too young for that. The others all knew it. But they also knew what she had done. And so they killed her all the same. K. Tims @Miss Fallen was executed! She was an Innocent Explorer! Credit to @coco.pudding for the writeup. Night 5 has begun, and will end at 8PM on Sunday, May 3. Vote Count: Miss Fallen (5): Doc, Striker, Qian, ____, Conure Striker (1): Miss Fallen Player List:

The Day has ended!

Yes, so please refrain from discussing anything from the LG in this thread.

Without confirming or denying anything specific, I gave at least one player an incorrect result to their action last night. This has now been corrected, apologies for the mistake.

Day 5: Looking for Clues Harley could feel that the House was alive, somehow. The wood and stones of its construction shuddered occasionally, as if they were breathing. His goal tonight, using his full detective persona, was to find the source of the life. Maybe, if the strange force imbuing the House were destroyed, everyone could go home. Well, not everyone. But at least the ones that were left. Several hours later, Harley's eyes were beginning to droop, but he could feel that he was close. This part of the House, wherever it was, seemed even more alive than the rest. Every couple of seconds there was a thump-thump sound. It reminded Harley of the heartbeat of some great beast. There was one last door at the end of the hallway, and if that didn't have any answers, he'd call it a night. As he stuck his head around the doorframe, Harley froze, feeling something hard press into his back. "Can't have you looking in there, can we?" A voice spoke softly from behind. Bang. Harley @Verdance has been killed! He was an Innocent Explorer. Day 5 has begun, and will end at 8PM Pacific Time on Saturday, May 2. There will be a majority execution this cycle. There is no vote minimum, and ties will be decided randomly. Player List:

Day 4: An Unsung Hero Mabel felt conspicuous. Everyone was watching her, weren’t they? She didn’t want this… “You want to draw a card?” Mabel jumped. It was Verna, sitting behind her, holding out the deck of cards she had received from Brax. “S-sure,” Mabel said, trying to slow her pulse. Stretching out a weathered hand, she selected a single card, looked at it, then tucked it away in her pocket. “Thank you,” she said. Standing up, she used her cane to make her way out into a hall. Looking both ways over her shoulder, Mabel reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the card. Talons. A great claw, closing around a figure. Sharp, phantom pricks of pains around her side. She held the gun in her hand. Was she the hunter? Or the one caught in its grip? There was one she could kill with little suspicion falling on her. Mabel set out in search of Verna. The gun was smoking- already it had begun to burn the tips of her fingers. A voice called out to her as she stalked through the halls- Brax’s, she thought. “Do it!” he called. “Save yourself! It’s the only choice!” Patrick’s voice rang through her mind as well. “Do it.” He was more reserved than Brax, but still the message was the same. “It is your life or theirs. So you must choose yours.” Mabel could feel herself weakening, giving in. She wanted to listen. They were those she had thought she could trust… She arrived at the room. Verna was sitting, shuffling Brax’s cards as she so often did. Mabel was up higher, hiding behind a potted plant. There did seem to be many of those around the House. “DO IT!!!!” Brax and Patrick cried in unison, their voices intertwining. Mabel loaded the gun, aimed, and… Verna looked up and met Mabel’s eyes. Mabel jerked back, shocked. Verna looked between the gun and Mabel, clearly piecing everything together. Then she nodded. A choice. Mabel panicked, running towards the kitchen. “NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” This one wasn’t in the voice of Patrick or Brax, but of the gun itself. “YOU MUST KILL.” Talons. The grip of the gun, slowly tightening. Verna was a friend. Could she really do this? Gain an edge. The gun felt heavy in her hand, weighing her down. The screams in her head grew louder, and she almost wanted to give in, to kill. Lose a life. In that moment, everything was clear. Time slowed and Mabel made her choice. Her choice, for once. Raising the gun to her head, she wondered if she would have the courage to- Bang. Come morning, the other explorers found Mabel's corpse. Other than the rather conspicuous head wound, the most noticeable aspect of the body was its total lack of color, as if her very essence had been drained away. Among the remaining survivors, admiration for Mabel's sacrifice clashed with an ever-present suspicion of the others present. The gun that had killed Mabel was once again nowhere to be found. Someone had picked it up, certainly, but who would be left holding the weapon come nightfall? Mabel @Through The Living Star has been killed! She was an Innocent Explorer. Also, the writeup is entirely Star's writing, so go upvote her original post from Night 3. Day 4 has begun, and will end at 8PM Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 29. There will be a majority execution this cycle. There is no vote minimum, and ties will be decided randomly. (Note: Obligatory disclaimer that the flavor portion of writeups don't necessarily reflect the game's scenario, actions taken, or the lack thereof) Player List:

The night has ended!

Just a bit over 2 hours to submit an action for the night!

Night 3: Caught Empty-Handed Writeup to come. Patrick @Fizz9 has been executed! He was an Innocent Explorer. Night 3 has begun, and will end at 8PM Pacific Time on Monday, April 27. Don't forget to submit a night action. Vote Count: Fizz (6): Fizz, Star, Doc, Miss Fallen, Striker, Verdance Player List:

The day has ended! Writeup will be delayed again, but the night will go up shortly. Not entirely sure when I'll be back on top of things, so if anyone wants to write their own deaths, feel free to send it to me in a PM.

Just under 2 hours left in the turn. Get your votes in!

Nope. The Gun eats you if you don't shoot it, and the scenario 2 gift only redirects a bullet.

Yes, it does.

Day 3: Shots Fired Writeup to come. Luminair @Frozen Mint has been killed! She was an Innocent Explorer. Day 3 has begun, and will end at 8PM Pacific Time on Sunday, April 26. There will be a majority execution this cycle. There is no vote minimum, and ties will be decided randomly. Player List:

10 minutes left to submit any actions! Expect about an hour delay for rollover.

Nope. If you get lost, you never got close enough for the other person to notice.

There is no hard limit on the number of Heroes. If possible, a new person will become a Hero anytime the person holding the Gun is executed. Also, whether or not someone was holding the Gun is not announced in the writeup.

The Gun and the Hero are distributed independently. They could go to the same player, or to different players. FFA stands for free-for-all. Another clarification that came up in a PM: If the Gun holder dies at night, the Gun passes to a random player for the day, but then passes to a new player the following night, so the intermediate holder would never have a chance to fire it.