E4 Halloween Mystery - Solution voting ends 11/9

[stagecoach]

[The following messages were posted in the Stagecoach Patreon-Only Discord channel covertly via Apple Watch during the event]

STAGECOACH
YO

STAGECOACH
THIS IS FUCKEN CRAZYYY

STAGECOACH
I’m getting my phone back I think someone just DIED

[The following is a clip from a livestream]

–Thank you StageFan69 for the gift subs. But yeah, okay, so here’s what happened.

I’m standing there watching this British lady talk about the little figurine jars and boom - lights out - I think “power outage?” Maybe some Wattrel took off from the power lines and zapped us out lol. But then everyone is screaming, there’s gunshots, people are trying to get out. Is this the sort of thing that happens at Worlds?? Scariest thing that’s ever happened to me no doubt. Chat I couldn’t believe it.

Lights come back on, it’s like 8:30, and the British lady is dead. The reporter? On the ground. The figurine jars are all messed with. This was a Team Rocket-level heist, chat. I guarantee you this was some organized criminal. I can’t believe they just hit the event like this. I can’t believe I couldn’t get any footage!!!

I was in such a hurry to get my phone and stream that I didn’t really check in with anyone else. Hopefully they’re doing okay after all the commotion.

[niece]

Round 3- The Aftermath

The Scene: During the night an unexpected storm began to brew. The winds are howling. The pelting rain assaults the windows, the power flickers several times. People begin to wake and move toward the hotel lobby they see Detective Nate standing in the bar, mouth open, staring at a cell phone. He is wearing a Hawaiian Pokémon shirt. Shock and terror on his face, he is white as a sheet. He slumps into a nearby lounge chair and mumbles something. He leaves the phone on the nearby table. He goes behind the bar, takes a bottle from the top shelf, and pours himself a very large shot. This is not a contagious virus.

Stagecoach grabs the phone from the table and promptly uploads some content. Everyone looks at their phones,except Luna.

[xileets]

Jax Shepard - Scene 3: The Aftermath, part 1

The night had been hard. Flashes of memory, pulling at my consciousness. It wasn’t helped that a storm had brewed and was now lashing at the windows. Like the moisture was trying desperately to reach the desiccated victim… Dr Bronson… I wasn’t sure what had happened myself. What I’d perceived… So unbelievable.

As I decend to the lobby, others are also gathering there. The detective, Nate [Dyl] is having a drink at the bar… Early to be drinking. What had HE learned during the night? I notice others excitedly viewing their phones, with a look of shock and fresh terror spreading over some of their faces. Perhaps that Pokemon streamer managed to share something after all. With a flick of my wrist, my phone appears in my hand. While not a fan of technological tidbits, of course, I have a liquid touch. I try to look up the streamer’s channel online. What was it? “Stage Craft”? What was the forum mentioned at the Pokemon event next door… “E9”? Damn… I drift over to other guests to see what they’re searching. “Stagecoach”! That’s right. Fun name, but as I look at my phone I realize that’s it the last fun I’ll have for quite some time…

[Dyl]

Chief Drummond - The Aftermath, Part 1

When I try to contact HQ, a service area interruption message comes on.

I need help, I can’t do all of this on my own. I need to hear from witnesses; I need volunteers; I need staff to examine the deceased.

calls out

Please come forward if you saw anything bizarre, even if you think it was unimportant. We need to understand how this could have happened.

peers for any indicator of help

Does anyone have medical or military training? We are severely understaffed for an investigation at this time.

rubs forehead, lights up a second cigar; whiskey in hand

[Will]

Sterling Castellanos - The Aftermath, Part 1

That was a rough storm last need, got at least a little sleep. I needed it…

I walked down to the lobby and saw Detective Nate looking at his phone, he had a great Pokemon Hawaiian shirt on with some Alolan Exeggutor on it. I soon notice after that he looks very unsettled. He puts his phone down, and Stagecoach grabs the phone and uploads. I head over to his patreon discord, and wow, did not expect to see that…

I notice that everyone else is looking at their phone expect for Luna. @Paper why aren’t you looking at your phone? And why does it seems like you knew what the picture was going to be?

[mrbubbles]

#6

Dr. Cedric “Cedy” Fortemain - The Aftermath, Part 1

I cannot stop thinking about what I saw at the exhibition. I barely got a look at the body but the corpse was really out of those ‘Mummy’ movies that I watched as a kid. I try, but I cannot sleep, maybe it is the storm, I try to reassure myself. I hear some commotion in the hallways and decide to go to the hotel lobby. I see a lot others gathered. I see Sterling [Will] and I am relieved.

But the relief lasts only a moment, I see the detective [Dyl] extremely worried. I sense he is trying to stay calm but his face is telling a completely different story. I see Stagecoach grab the phone on the table and do something. I get a notification - ‘Stagecoach has uploaded a new picture’. I open the notification but I wish I had not…

My rational mind is really trying to make sense of what I see. Alright Cedy, remain calm. I am sure there is a logical explanation to all of this. I see the Handyman [TJ] has kept two jars of what looks like hydrochloric acid next to his feet. Yes, that’s right, I think what I saw of the body yesterday indicated that it was burned with acid. I am confused and hesitant but I want to convince myself that I can explain all of this medically.

I feel like I need to confront TJ to put my mind at ease, “Excuse me, Sir, I noticed that you are lugging around 2 large jugs of acid with you. What in Arceus name do you need that much acid for and why at this hour? Are you trying to hide something?”

[tcgmaine]

TJ- The Aftermath, Part 1

The battering of the storm draws me away from my room and back out into the hotel. I sigh - I might as well get something done… I head to the shipping dock and retrieve the two large bottles of hydrochloric acid I’d be meaning to stow away before all of the commotion. As I make my way back through the main portion of the hotel, I’m confronted by that Dr. fella from earlier - Ceddy I think was his name.

@mrbubbles Whoa there, I can understand why you might be a bit confused, but I’m not hiding a thing! I’m the handyman here and these jugs are just used to pH the pool. I got these in earlier, but with all that has happened they slipped my mind and I haven’t gotten them to the flammable cabinet yet - stuff blows up like a bomb near fire! With the storm and all of the commotion I decided to put myself to good use and get something done. Trust me, there’s nothing shady going on. I’m just trying to make sure everything’s running smoothly! Just doin’ my job!

Thankfully, as I was defending myself that other guy (Sterling, maybe?) came and backed me up. And I’m glad he did, I mean who can be upset with a guy in a Hawaiian shirt?

[mrbubbles]

#7

Dr. Cedric “Cedy” Fortemain - The Aftermath, Part 1

I feel bad for questioning the handyman [TJ] like that. I am not sure he has a lot of stuff going on for him given the chaos. I was also relieved to see Sterling [Will] back the guy on his pool theory. What makes me happy is the fact that Sterling is able to think straight. Although it is quirky, he seems the most normal to me when he uses chemistry to explain everything. However, considering what I have witnessed now, I am sure that Sterling had some kind of an episode when he touched the Scarab Amulet.

I notice the detective [Dyl] is urgently seeking help with the investigation. Alright Cedy, the best way to stay sane and help everyone is to find a way to get to the bottom of this mystery. I can do that by trying to get close to the crime scene and see what I can uncover with my knowledge about the human body and skills.

I raise my hand and motion to the detective “I can help you officer. My name is Cedy and I am a doctor by profession. Let me know how can I be of assistance.”

[bbobrob]

Some mysterious circumstances indeed!

@Paper Luna, as the last guest leaving the exhibit room after the chaos, did you happen to take note of which exhibit pieces were missing? It also seems wise to assist detective Drummond’s (@Dyl) investigation by reporting the extra cell phones that appeared to have been left behind.

@all Everyone seems quite taken aback by the odd circumstances around Dr. Bronson’s death, but did anyone take note of anything regarding the other victim, the reporter? What exhibit was the reporter next to following their death? Ignoring the strange circumstances around Dr. Bronson, it seems strange that a planned heist in pitch darkness should desire the death of a random person. Did the reporter perhaps get in the way of thief absconding with their treasure?

@Will It appears your friend Dr. Fortemain (@mrbubbles) noticed an odd reaction from you upon touching the scarab amulet. How would you describe in your own words what happened to you at that moment?

[banks]

Dr. Alaric Weirdman - Aftermath pt. I

@Dyl

Please come forward if you saw anything bizarre, even if you think it was unimportant. We need to understand how this could have happened.

There are no coincidences.
The missing ankh, Dr. Bronson’s untimely death..

I can help by translating the Hyperboric glyphs on the scarab ankh.

The Hyperboreans were a prehistoric Egyptian race in the north. Few know that they were a race not of this world, but rather extraterrestrial. That particular ankh resembles a Sloggoth talisman as it is described in the Voynisch Manuscript from the archives of the Order of the Golden Dawn.

[stagecoach]

[The following messages were posted in the Stagecoach Patreon-Only Discord server in the moderator-only channel]

STAGECOACH
@mods hey this whole thing has gotten so out of hand and I want to get ahead of any potential drama from the community. People are going to ask questions.

STAGECOACH
Horace Williams is dead. 100%. If anyone asks about my comments ahead of the event obviously I couldn’t know what was going to happen. I was jealous he could bring his camera because we are BOTH content creators but I did not wish him any ill will.

STAGECOACH
There is a picture going around the detective found on a phone. It is messed up. It is really weird. It’s a photo of Jax Shepard with this guilty AF look on his face as Dr. Bronson has her life force sucked out by some hideous dark mass. You can see the empty artifact jar on the floor. This is real and not AI. If anyone tries to post it in the Discord please delete it.

STAGECOACH
Just focus on business as usual and ban anyone who tries to start shit.

[Paper]

Luna

Everyone looks at their phones, and sees the horrid picture I took. I can’t join them in looking because I left my phone in the envelope labeled Dr. Bronson for Detective Nate to find. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to look at the photo again. Its image has been seared in my memory, and has kept me up all night. I still remember it with deep clarity. Shepard stands horrified, with the empty canopic jar at their feet. They look guiltily at Dr. Broson’s corpse, completely sucked dry by some hideous darkness. I knew I had to leave the photo for the detective, even though it would reveal that I hadn’t stored my phone in an envelope at the exhibit.

[niece]

@bbobrob some excellent question. I will let Sterling @Will answer for himself. We are about to head back up to the ballroom to examine the bodies and the room. I think your questions will be answered then.

[Will]

Sterling - The Aftermath Part 1

To post 47 - TJ:

Some of the others were giving TJ a hard time about carrying some HCl around, but I stepped in to confirm that’s not something to be overly concerned about. What we saw goes far beyond what HCl could do, and it’s very likely it’s just for balancing the pH of the pool.

To post 49 - Bbobrob

@bbobrob I was drawn to the ankh. I picked it up. I had some sort of vision. The world in front of me swam. I heard maniacal laughing and screams of terror, I opened my eyes and before me is chaos! The world is on fire. That gurgle or was it a laugh? Oh those rattling moans. I turned and saw the source, a monster standing atop a mound of shriveled desiccated corpses, the top corpse wearing the knot of Isis, mouth frozen in a scream hollow eyes staring. The scarab ankh swings from the hideous monster’s neck.

[niece]

The Corpse
Scene: It is decided to examine the corpses. Dr Cedy, Dr Weirdman, Inspector Nate and TJ head to the ballroom. When they enter it feels drafty and there’s a chill in the air. The wind and rain are even louder here on the 17th floor. There is a fetid odor coming from the vent just above where the urn would have sat on the podium. There seems to be some sort of black mold on that vent, a good thing Dr Cedy provided everyone with masks. Cedy and Weirdman inspect the body while TJ and the Detective examine the rest of the room. The others gather in the back of the lobby by the tea and coffee service. Luna does a pretty awesome Pepper’s Ghost illusion to lighten the mood while they await the report from those going upstairs.

[Dyl]

Chief Drummond - The Corpse

Jesus Christ Almighty, what is that smell?

retches violently

proceeds to check the room, slightly ill and ragged

I look closely at each exhibit and the chaos left behind from the panicked crowd. I notice that some items are missing… the scarab amulet and one Shabiti funeral figure.

peers nervously at TJ, shouts to the rest of the room

I think some of the artifacts are missing! Could this be our motive?

[mrbubbles]

#8

Dr. Cedric “Cedy” Fortemain - The Corpse.

As per the instructions of the detective, I am supposed to help with the examination of the bodies in the ballroom. I quickly go up to my hotel room to grab my medical kit, however I feel I might be underprepared. I have a quick check in the lobby and some of the utility rooms on my way to the ballroom. I get lucky to find some masks and gloves which can come in handy during the investigation.

The handyman TJ [tcgmaine] , Alaric [Banks] , Detective Drummond [Dyl] and myself enter the ballroom. I hand them masks and gloves prior to entry. I think a little safety can go a long way since I do not know what we are dealing with. Being a pediatrician, I consider myself lucky to not deal with death a lot. Kids can be very resilient. I am hoping I can use all of my skills and experience to help out and understand what we are dealing with.

The ballroom has already started smelling and the air feels putrid. I am glad we have the masks. I try my best to maintain my composure. I first head towards the reporters body. Single gunshot wound right in the chest. Severe loss of blood. The bullet probably clipped a major artery and it was not a clean shot, so he must have struggled. The body is stiff and cold, there is nothing more to examine. I feel sad for him, since he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I look around and find a large enough cloth to cover the body. Maybe the coroners can confirm the cause of death later.

I move on to Dr.Bronson’s body. A bit sheepishly and filled with dread. At least the other guy has a body to be buried. Dr.Bronson’s body is completely bone dry. I cannot explain what should happen for a body to become like that in an instant. It was like even the soul was sucked out of this body, like she just came across a rampaging Groudon and was caught in the crossfire . I can barely look at it to perform an inspection. I still try to calm myself to carry out my job. I see her hand is clasped, I try to pry the fist open, only for it to completely disintegrate. I lose my balance and fall back. A small glyph tablet falls on top of the pile of ash that once was flesh. I see Alaric noticing the tablet and he moves in for a closer examination.

[tcgmaine]

TJ - The Corpse

I’m met by some of the guests who may have experience with these sort of things and they hand me some gloves and a mask and ask me to come along with them to examine the bodies - guess they figure my military background would be helpful. I suppose that’s an upgrade from being accused of committing the crime!

Let me tell you, I hadn’t seen something like this since my days in the military, and those particular times are most certainly not ones I recall with fondness. As soon as we walked in the room, I was hit with a wall of putrid stench. What came off as a bit odd to me was that perhaps the strongest sent didn’t seem to be coming from the bodies, but from the vent just above the urn display.

I moved through the rest of the room , taking in the scene with the calm observation skills hammered into me by the Navy. As I glanced around, my eyes locked onto the table that was holding the refreshments from earlier. On top of the table, a cup of tea had spilled, the liquid racing down the leg to puddle upon the floor. My breath caught slightly, as I noticed that next to that puddle lay a 35 mm camera. I walked over and brushed my thumb over the rewind lever, confirming what I thought may be true. There was a roll of film still inside.

[xileets]

Jax Shepard - Scene 3: The Aftermath, part2 _{before ‘The Corpse’}

Drummand asked for anyone with information to come forward. Ha! I mean, they’ll never believe me, right? How in the name of Ra’s Right Buttcheek is anyone going to believe what I saw?! But that photo has instantly made me the prime suspect. Fate has shown me it is time to come forward…

Now that The photo has been revealed, I have no choice but to tell you all, and perhaps it will lend more credibility to this insane experience.

“I have something for you all, but it’s not simply answers. It will prompt more questions.”
Hopefully, I’ll live to see another day… I sit down, scanning the faces in front of me for any glimmer of a friendly expression. I sigh deeply, close my eyes, and open them again with a look that could pierce the thickest steel. I begin.

"In that photo you see only part of what I saw with my hands and ears. When the lights went out and the shots were fired, I grabbed the Canopic Jar, that’s what I came here to do. But the seal cracked, the Jar opened, and I felt a cold dry thing slump out, into my hands… No. It wasn’t IN my hands, but AROUND them. Then it moved!

The empty Jar fell to the floor, but surprisingly only one piece broke off. It did not shatter. I swore I could feel the strange contents pulling me into itself, eating into my veins, like a siphon that was absorbing the fluid from my body. Clawing at my hands, biting at my eyes. Pulling on my mind. Dr Bronson rushed toward the clatter of the jar, just as I managed to momentarily rip myself from my existential trance and throw the thing. It hit her in the face. A muffled gasp, then a faint gurgling noise. A whimper, her voice the tone of black ink.

Yeshua! I wanted to help her, but yet I was paralyzed, as if the air had been pulled from my lungs, and my eyes had not blinked for days. More gunshots! But now into the panicked crowd! I don’t know who or why. This was not part of the plan. A flash of imagery snapped me from my delirium and while I could barely manage a thought, my instincts took over and I melted into the shadows. As I drifted into the black to wait and feel, I heard who must have been the reporter crumple to the ground. Sensation slowly returned to my fingers as the cold dry air had left me for her. The mental image of Bronson biting at my eyes. Yeshua.

I was hired by Red Jim. I and the two posing as security were sent to steal the canopic jar. The plan?
Lights out. I become the shadows. Shots in the dark cause distraction. The Jar in my hands. 20 strides to the door. Night air celebrates freedom.

Clearly, things didn’t go according to plan."

[banks]

@Swoobot create a tldr of the halloween mystery in this thread so far. Be sure to include details about each character’s motivation and resources. Finally, speculate on what you think will happen next