unknownseas | FIRST TRIAL

Alright, that seems like more than enough time to poke around the crime scene. Gather at the vault door, won’t you? It seems that for many of you it will be a short walk.

[ Once you’re all gathered at the vault door, Angel meets you there and quietly taps a keycard to the side of it. There’s an enormous whirring and grinding from inside as various mechanisms within the door move and whir - until with one last shuddering thud, the door starts to swing inwards, revealing a fully-glass tunnel leading off the side of the plateau the base is built on. Small lights built into the floor illuminate as you walk forward, until finally they light up an enormous elevator, perfectly capable of holding the twenty-four of you.

Angel comes too, putting a few numbers into a keypad just outside the door and inserting her card key once everyone is inside. She’ll gestures to get in if anyone seems unsure, but doesn’t really speak or enter the car herself. ]

Going down.

[ And down the elevator goes, leaving the lights of the facility behind - from here everyone can even see some parts of the facility you don’t have access to, it’s bigger than you realized. But it’s a long and uncomfortable ride to the depths, at least a minute or two before the elevator stops.

When the doors open, enough lights flash on to show that you’ve reached the ocean floor, some distance below even the depths you knew before. Lights around the outside of the massive glass dome you've found yourselves in illuminate the barren depths of the sea, with little if any ocean life to currently disrupt it.

At the top of the dome, among the lights, is an outward-facing circle of five or six different screens, each showing the telltale spiral that indicates The Professor is as present as he ever is.

Below them, of course, are the podiums, a circle of simple metal stands with some kind of video screen embedded into each, though they’re turned off for now. Each of your names is carved into one of them, though the podium constructed for Aela seems to have been just set to display a blank red light.

The screens lower down until they’re too close to eye level for anyone’s comfort. ]

Welcome to the trial room. You have as long as you need to discover who among you killed The Huntress. Once you have, I will explain further action. Take your places.

[ The screens rise back up - welcome to your first trial. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I did not spar with her but she seemed be part of a mercenary group as well as being a great huntress. The Companions I believe? Fighting another person would have fallen into that category.

That said... [She coughs, raising the dirty lizard book.] Does anyone recognize this?

She told me once that that was why she was up at night so much. She was used to having her shield-brothers around when she slept.

[She must not have felt safe resting without them. But look at what happened.]

I got several books out of the machine, but I don't think that was one of them.

...Well, whatever it is, it looks raunchy to the point of excess.

[Like holy shit, who reads this garbage.]

It is... worse than that. I did not know Argonians were...

[Ugh she can't say it!]

Lizard...creatures.

I don't think anybody wanted to know about the deceased's fetishes.

I did not say it belonged to Aela.

What, do you think the killer decided to bring his pornography along? That's even less likely.

Someone might have left that book in the library, Anna.

[...

Lif looks genuinely disgusted and looks between the book and Rhea.]

I am deeply sorry that you had to read that swill.

Thankfully this is not the worst I have read.

[She may be a holy woman, but, she does go through the books in the library before they are approved. Or used to before Seteth took over.]

[still not totally seeing the problem here]

...What, all you have a problem with lizards?

[ Why’s that so weird!!! ]

[...She looks uncomfortable. Why did she have to mention the lizards, past self?!]

No, it just... surprised me, that is all. Reptilian creatures are often depicted as spirits in folklore and sacred myth.

...Really? Huh, color me surprised. They aren’t as common as birds, but...I’m used to just seeing scaly folks on the street, every now and then. Cultural differences, I guess.