The Evening When The Cards Fell [Mystery game - Part 1]

Gameboards
#1

Dear friends,

I present to you a small little mystery that is to be solved.

There will be an intermission after this Part 1, and on November 22nd, Part 2 will release that day.
This part 2 will give you the final clear clues needed to solve the mystery.
However, this mystery is certainly solvable from Part 1.
That being said, I will not confirm or deny your theories until December 6th.

The final deadline to solve the mystery is December 6th. The answers and winners will be announced this day only.

The winner is the one who solves the mystery, or theorizes something the closest to the answer.

No rush, no pressure. Please treat this lightly and enjoy! And take your time, especially for Festival of Mayhem participants (myself included)!

The winner will receive a sketch by me of a character (from any series or their OC) of their choice in a neutral pose; as well as the prestige as the one who solved my humble gameboard. If it was theorized correctly before the release of Part 2 an additional prize of another sketch will be rewarded.

Without further hesitation, here is a fragment - containing my little gameboard, I give to you as a gift to be solved

As you peer into this fragment, allow the curtains to rise on this mystery.

clatter, clatter, brrng brrng, tap tap tap, clank

" Muffled sounds of people talking, drinks clanging together, lights of gold, red, black, and white flash across, lighting a darkened room. Everyone is dressed up head to toe in their finest. A neon sign over the gaming table, “THE GATES OF HELL” in bright red flashed above.

Right. This was The Gates of Hell casino & bar . Only open to the best of the best. The richest of the rich. In other words - you know what I’m talking about right?

The Elite.

Seemed like a fitting enough name for such a place. After all, isn’t Hell the hometown of vices? Gambling included them all. Gluttony of the drinks downed, Lust of the men eyeing the beautiful women who gathered in this hellhole, the Apathy of those who had grown numb, but could not stop. The Wrath of those who continuously lost but desired ever so strongly to win; those green with Envy at the winners of the games. And of course, the absolute Pride of those with winning streaks and knew how to break even - they knew how it “worked” - they were so boastful in their abilities. Funny to see the smile leave their faces.

Most of all - you guessed it - GREED.

The greed in the air of The Gates of Hell was a heavy one. You could say everyone’s heart was tainted with it. The greed. The greed. The GREEN. That’s right - the money. That was what everyone wanted. Money. Well, why else would casinos exist? Isn’t money the root of all evil? The mother of all vices?

It seemed so, at least, in this place anyway.

But I’m not here just to tell you about a strange little hidden casino only for the elite. Oh no, I’m writing to tell you, no, to ask you -

What happened that evening when the cards fell?"

DETECTIVE’S OFFICIAL NOTES

Time: 10:25pm. Detective Bradio, police, and forensics arrived on the scene
Locked down casino at 10:30pm; and surrounded the premises earlier by 10:20pm.
Location: THE GATES OF HELL Casino & bar
Crime scene:

A young man in his 30s, white, blue eyes, long blonde hair in a feminine fashion, parted down the middle. Dressed in an elegant white suit lays on the red-carpet ground.

Found recently dead with a dart lodged in the nape of his neck. Dart holes are in the shoulder, thigh, and arm. Three lightly bloodied darts are scattered on the ground.

The victim seems to have died within the last 20 minutes. Estimated time: 10:00pm

Darts had been dusted by professionals at 11:00pm.

No fingerprints present on the darts.

Forensic analysis as to cause and approximate time of death has not been completed.

The culprit has not been identified.

Casino is presently under lockdown to catch the culprit. No one can enter or exit the casino.

Reconstruction of the events before the murder, as compiled by Detective Bradio from various witnesses on the scene

Witness 1 (Emily):

It was a night like any other at The Gates of Hell, everyone had been enjoying themselves and gambling as usual. Of course, the star of the show was as always, Leopold, with his long, flowing, golden locks - his bright blue eyes that seemed to reflect the day’s sky itself. His charming smile and his pristine white suit. He won every game. If this casino was a place for the elite - he would be the top of them all. A super-elite.

But that wasn’t all. Everyone loved him. Everyone wanted to BE him. He was the star every night. In some cases, I even heard people would let him win, just to be able to play against him. He was that kind of guy. Really charming. Absolutely no one in the casino hated him, despite how he would act greedy at times, and you know, we are a tight knit group - no new members had come in as of late. So I really just can’t understand this…seeing him like this…laying there.

Witness 2 (David):
What happened at the table? Well, it was a usual game of poker at the table with him. Leopold’s childhood friend, Aidan, the fiery-haired kid with a clever smile - was also sitting with us. As well as another regular, miss Liliana with her night black hair. The four of us gambled, having a good time as usual - but it was really a game between myself, Aidan, and Liliana. We all agreed of course to let Leopold win as usual. He was greedy like that - but it was charming.

During the game, Leopold’s brother came over - a complete contrast to his brother. Scraggly brown hair, a meek face and appearance, interrupted the game to speak to his brother for a moment. Suddenly angered, Leopold threw his cards up in the air,

and they fell scattering on the ground.

His brother was taken aback, but he continued explaining people gambling on throwing darts were calling him to the other area to take part together. Leopold huffed, and agreed to go along.

In the throwing darts area, everyone was having fun gambling on a game of blindfolded darts. The thrower of the darts would be blindfolded, and people would bet on if he would hit the dartboard or not. Extra bets could be placed on the bullseye.

Leopold seemed to whisper something with agitation to his brother, but I couldn’t hear, I was watching from afar.

Next thing I know, after talking with the crowd, his brother is blindfolded, and Leopold boldly steps next to the dartboard. Dunno what they were betting on, but…

Just then, Aidan and Liliana got up from the table to watch as well. I leaned on my chair. Didn’t wanna get mixed up in the crowd.

I saw them go behind and around Leopold’s brother, but they disappeared into the crowd after that. I turned to face the table for my drink, and think about how to continue the game. Next thing I know, I hear screams, and Leopold is on the ground, numb and frozen, with multiple dart holes in him!

Witness 3: Aidan

Oh, I’ll try to talk - but I’m just devastated. I had known Leopold since we were 12 years old…we were like brothers. I knew him back when he was dirt poor.

You didn’t know? Well, I guess most wouldn’t , right…

He used to be a kid born into poverty. We met by, I’d say, fate. It was a fateful day. I saw him rummaging through the trashcan near our neighborhoods park. I invited him for dinner at my house. The rest is history

Taught him gambling. Taught him everything I knew. …overtime, he rose, he rose to the top where he belonged…and I guess…well, what goes up must come down, right? He crashed, like this. What an end, and by his own brother.

I blame it all on greed.

Did I help his brother?
Should I have helped his brother?
They both reached out their hands to me, and I took them and guided them.
I loved them both, but Leopold had the ambition…
Sorry, I just need some alone time…

Witness 4: Liliana

That’s right…I was Leopold’s spiritual advisor. But I guess even my tarot cards couldn’t predict this one, huh?
I met him through Aidan. About 8 years ago. We were relatively close. His attitude rubbed me the wrong way, pretty arrogant, but I was used to all these elites in this place be arrogant.
And greedy.
Once, he even wanted to gamble with my tarot cards as playing cards! Can you believe that? With the way he treats cards, I wouldn’t dream of allowing it.
Eeh, anyway. We weren’t so close.
Aidan and I are closer, anyway.
Oh right, what happened then?
Well, I was mostly lost in the crowd looking for a good view.
I ended up getting pushed around though.
Next thing I knew, his brother is blindfolded, shaking, there’s screaming, and Leopold is as dead as a doornail on the ground.
That’s all I saw.

END OF DETECTIVES NOTES

END OF PART 1

please enjoy theorizing as part 2 will come out Nov. 22nd!

Tip: Knox’s Decalogue does not apply to my gameboard

tumblr_inline_mhnkl45Idv1qz4rgp

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Introduce Yourself!
#2

Intriguing. I had to skip Luadog’s gameboards due to being otherwise occupied, but the generous amount of time given for solving this one means I’ll definitely be submitting an answer at some point or another.

Which brings me to my question. Since this is less a collaborative effort and more a friendly competition, should answers be submitted as private messages, or openly in this thread? Finding a winner might get murky if we can freely borrow each other’s ideas by reading their answers, so private messages seem like the more reasonable option to me, but I figured I might as well ask to make it clear since all other such gameboards have used the thread alone for tackling the mystery.

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#3

Very good question and one I should have explained earlier!

You can be free to put blue truths in this thread to get hints; but pm is the best way to send theories to keep them private.

The double edged sword aspect of the long end date is no one will know if their answer or theories are correct until Dec 6th, even after part 2. So multiple theories could be present but no one would know if any are the correct solution.

If a theory or blue truth was here in the thread and others tried to solve the mystery from it and incorporating it to their theory, it may take on different forms or even lead to a false solution.

Thus, in fitting with the theme of the mystery, posting here for blue truths is a bit of a gamble, but so is a pm

Public blue truths garners potential hints and help from me (I can limit it, so the true solution will never directly be in a hint or tip), but it runs the risk of others benefiting off your hint.

At the same time, there is a chance others will be misled by the blue truth based on liking your theory and applying it to theirs (the theory is not guaranteed as the solution until the end) vs their interpretation of my reply and can lose their footing.

If you pm you’re sure to have your theory private from others, but I wont reply any potential hints, just a friendly reply, in pm.

Its a little difficult, but so is the nature of a gamble.
Taking high risks for a better potential payoff or could lose it all…or a low risk with a safety net. What kind of path will you chose even for finding the solution during this time?

Its also fun to consider and think about. You can send as many pms and post in here as well as much as you want as well.

You can try both; but the sharp edges of these paths still remain. You can get lost in trying to barrage for the solution in the thread, but the more you post here the more you would leave vulnerable to others eyes as well. The pms as well you send, there will simply be a friendly reply or only a like, offering no guidance or hint.

In addition, Im also looking for the thought process leading to the solution, than only what you think may possiby be the answers of the whodunnit, howdunnit, and whydunnit.

This game is very much about leaving no stone left unturned - nothing is meaningless in the information given.
The solution is both guessable and provable from Part 1 - that being said, this could also change drastically with information given in Part 2. Nevertheless, don’t give up, and try your best to reach the solution!

Hope this could help :butterfly: good luck and have fun!

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#4

Hmm.

But if someone was like trying to go in for a win and was dead-set on it, wouldn’t their best move be to simply wait it out until chapter 2? Until then, they can keep their theories to themselves and simply see if the next chapter confirms or denies it.

Still, never been the competitive sort, so:

The killer is either Aidan or Liliana. They probably talked Leopold’s brother into inviting Leopold to the dart game, and knowing Leopold, he decided to make it interesting - betting for his brother to hit him with the darts while blindfolded. What’s a little pain compared to some cash, after all? Aidan and Leliana got behind Leopold’s brother, and threw a dart of their own - one that had some poison attached to the tip of it. It hit Leopold, and his brother didn’t notice it because he was blindfolded. Aidan and Liliana disappeared into the crowd, while the brothers continued with the game, throwing some more darts. Finally, the poison kicked in and Leopold died - with the culprits nowhere to be found.

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#5

They could ! But I’ve written part 2 in a way that neither confirms or denies a theory. In addition, all the theories from part 1 and 2 will be judged Dec 6th.

Everyone is free to change/update their theories as Part 2 comes out until Dec 6th, so everyone has an equal chance at the answer. It is posting here that is a gamble! (See above post)

The way to win is to have the closest theory to the answer, plus how you got to that result, so someone with a perfect score will show how they came up with their theory, what led them to think it, and the accuracy of the theory as well. PM or post your full theory here (saying it is your final theory) before Dec. 7th ! :butterfly:

Now that being said! Your blue truth is quite nice! As a courtesy, you will be given a hint/red truth for posting:

The darts that struck Leopold were not poisoned nor altered in any way.

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#6

Hm… The more I think about it, the more I feel like this particulr concept, while good, would’ve worked with a game that’s a bit less open-ended, with only one solution that could possibly work. That way - you have no reason to respond. If a player makes the wrong theory, the story itself has already probably shot it down, the player just hasn’t realized it yet and thus, they have only themselves to blame for not thinking far enough. (Given this conditions - a “one shot only” rule would work quite well I think.)

Either way, as far as this mystery goes, there really are three possibilities in my mind:

1. It’s just as it seems - Leopold’s gamble had backfired and his brother ended up htting him in the neck with a dart - possibly hitting a nerve cutting off his ability to breathe and killing him.

2. The same as the previous theory - the killer threw a dart behind Leopold’s brother, and it ended up killing Leopold by hitting him in the neck, killing him.

3. Leopold was poisoned at some point before the dart game even began and the darts were planted/tampered with to make it look like a gamble gone wrong. The lack of fingerprints supports this - given the fact that they should’ve at least had those of Leopold’s brother on them.

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#7

Thank you @DWaM ! Though this mystery does have only one solution and theory that is waiting to be solved. My responses can help those who choose to post here to get some hints to find that solution.

Think of it like reading a short story, but having a chance to ask the author for hints before you read the end of the story, to realize the end before you get to it - and have the satisfaction it’s confirmed (plus a little sketch from me!)

I don’t mind if I gave multiple hints, since I can control the hints I give, and consider how others may read them.
However, I see what you mean too. I think for the next bigger mystery, I’ll definitely be more strict and serious about it. However, this one is just for fun, so I don’t mind being more lighthearted about it :star:

That being said, at the moment I have to go on a bit of a hiatus until part 2, especially traveling to another prefecture for a week soon. ;; My apologies. So if you post I won’t be able to give you a red text hint until part 2. By that time you can give your best shot too and I’ll also reply then. PM of course is great too.

I’m glad you’re taking the time to indulge in my little snack sized mystery, at the very least!

For now I’ll leave you with a red truth, Leopold’s brother was the only person who threw the darts at Leopold.

#8

Such an intriguing mystery! I really wanna see part 2, but I might as well leave a theory around, it’s tough when there’s so little information, it makes me create so many theories while trying to explain why certain things were pointed out…

The culprit is Liliana. While mixed in the crowd, Aidan guided Leopold’s hands into hitting Leopold on the three locations where the dart holes are, the shoulder, thigh, and arm. Liliana then aided them by striking the last dart on the nape of his neck, she didn’t throw it from afar, she stealthily approached him and struck him with the dart, killing him. Leopold was an ambitious man, so Liliana disliked his arrogance, and was convinced by Aidan, the man she loved, to assist him kill Leopold. Aidan’s motives for that were that Leopold’s ambition was starting to get on his way, even if Aidan was the one who taught Leopold everything, Leopold was the one who always won, people were forced to let him win, so Aidan decided to help Leopold’s brother, who wasn’t so ambitious, and that’s why he came up with this plan to help Leopold’s brother ascension, probably after being asked for some kind of help from Leopold’s brother himself, though he probably wasn’t thinking of killing his own brother.

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#9

Hi all!

I’m sorry for the super late response - life has gotten hectic and I haven’t had a chance to take time to Rokkenjima ; (loving the new theme though) a fellow priest here at the shrine got sick so I’ve had to fill in for the duties of two people and it’s been a little hectic.

In any case! To wrap up the game board I’ll extend the final deadline for theory submissions to December 8th (Friday). Then by Monday, December 10th I’ll announce the winners.

The rules will change a bit in that, for Part 2, please only PM me one full theory once you read Part 2.

Only that complete theory will be judged.

Extra favour will be awarded if you can tell me how you came to the conclusion - than just a straight theory / answer.

I won’t reply to blues in the thread or in PM’s :sweat: Mostly because my time became constricted these days and it wouldn’t be so fair if I can’t reply right away. I’m a little sad to finish the mystery game like this but it can’t be helped!

The correct theory/winner will then be posted here, so you can all see the solution ( if it is solved! ) If it’s not solved, I’ll post the correct answer and award a prize to the closest theory to the solution!

Also @TsukiyoAlex, I love your theories, but unfortunately Leopold was in clear view of all the spectators, there is no way Liliana could have snuck up and attacked him

and @DWaM I love your theories too! but I forgot to give reds for you for 1 and 3

Leopold’s nerve was not hit

Leopold was not poisoned

With that being said, here’s Part 2 ~

DETECTIVE’S FOLLOW UP REPORT

Time: 12:00am. Detective Bradio and police remain on scene with witnesses. Forensics rushed to lab to test samples taken. Leopold’s body taken for analysis.

As Emily was dismissed and left with the police, Detective Bradio sits in a chair, at a table with Aidan, Liliana, David, and two new witnesseses.

Leopold’s brother, Hodrick, and the person who was front row beside him, and the manager of the casino, Raven, who organized the person-dart betting game itself.

Since Detective Bradio interviewed the first three already, he turned his attention to Hodrick, the potential suspect for the crime. Red eyed from crying, brown scraggy hair hiding his face, and a shabby look, he sat dejectedly in the chair, with a darkened expression.

Witness 5: (Hodrick)

I’m not really sure what happened…
I was watching the game with the crowd, since it was easy to stay out of sight in one. I don’t really like to stand out, you see. My brother is the one who deserved the attention and happiness, not me…why did I survive and not him…?

Ah, sorry…
As I watched the game being played, sometimes people would go next to the dartboard as a kind of extra gamble.

Normally, one would be blindfolded, and throw 4 darts. If you struck the dartboard, you won money in correspondence to the target hit of course, but it was a straight gamble. Pay 30$ to play with 4 darts, can win up to 100$ on bullseye with the ability to place extra personal bets on it, or up to 30$ on the outer targets, or simply loose out on 30$ if you missed the targets or if the darts bounced off. Very straightforward and low risk in terms of cost, nor a big payout. A simple gamble.

So to make the stakes higher, Raven suggested a new idea to the crowd - any volunteer could stand near the dartboard. If the blindfolded person struck the volunteer, in addition to the House fee to play, they’d also owe the volunteer money in the form of chips, alongside a penalty fee to the House - often putting someone in the negatives. If they hit the dart board with a person next to it, the casino and person would reward them with the money of the spot on the dartboard, the same amount again from the House, and then the person who volunteered themselves would give their chips in equal value to the blindfolded dart-thrower. In essence, it was a gamble for all parties involved.

Needless to say, the added risk and payout was what made everyone excited to gamble more.
Oh? Stop rambling about the game? I’m sorry…

Well, anyway, the reason I went over to my brother is because Raven suggested the stakes would go to the extremes if Leopold was the one who volunteered, and also additionally, since no one would actually try to win against him by aiming for the dart board, and it would bring in more money to the House and him. I thought so too, but actually I was worried for him. But, I figured no one would want to go against him or hurt him, they’d just want a chance to gamble with him, so I thought it would be safe…

So I went over to him, and whispered if he wanted to play the game with us. He always had a short temper with me, and reacted aggressively to my suggestion - I was startled; but not shocked. After all, he didn’t want to listen to me at all, unless something was in it for him. And even if it was, he’d never act kind or agreeable to me, even often taking credit for my idea or suggestion. Well, I guess, at least this time it was Raven’s suggestion, so I don’t feel so bad. Anyway, well, we walked toward the scene, and when we got there, he whispered to me “I agree to this because the people who would try to gamble with me would automatically give me chips without any of my effort, and I don’t have to pay a cent to the House, so why not. It’s not like a dart is enough to hurt someone anyway. I’ll endure a few mosquito bites for some money.” he shrugged to me.

So, then, we all got ready. Leopold stood next to the dartboard, and it was the last thing I saw. Raven said I should be first, and blindfolded me. She whispered that it would be more fun if the two brothers played first, and put 4 darts in my hands. A lot of people were laughing, thinking it was a fun event and harmless. No one would actually try to hurt Leopold, after all…

As you can see, also, well, I’m wearing black gloves, so my fingerprints weren’t on the darts… but of course, it was me who threw them. I-I won’t deny that…

Anyway, I tried my best not to throw them too hard, but actually the darts were lighter than I expected and I ended up hitting him, I think. I heard him yelp and scold me a little, but I continued since it was making him and the House money…everyone was laughing a lot too, and saying “that’s Leopold! Not even darts can stop him.”

Oh? You mean I would be the one to owe them? Well, I know, but all my money goes to the House and my brother anyway usually… so , just for the demonstrative game, I agreed…

How do I keep paying them? Well, with what I owe to Aidan’s help, I somehow can earn some money of my own… I’m in debt to him…

Anyway, the final dart was there and Leopold told me to “hurry up to get it over with”. So I agreed, I admit, I may have thrown it a little harder than usual…

Then, suddenly the cheers and laughter stopped, and all I heard was a kind of gasping sound…I think it was the audience, then a big thud after a few seconds, or something, I dont know, I felt so scared all of a sudden
Then after the shock, i lifted my blindfold, and I see my brother…just…frozen, and laying there. the other darts were across the ground, but the last one I think was stuck in his neck…and…and…

Detective Bradio allows Hodrick to rest. He goes into a panic and starts to cry. The police put a blanket over him and take him to another seating area. This leaves Raven.

Witness 6: (Raven)

Look, if you think I did something weird or planned this, you’re dead wr- - er, sorry, you’re just wrong.
Leopold brought the most money to this casino I’ve ever seen in my years of working here. We even agreed to let him win most games even against the House, because the amount of customers he brought in was more than enough to cover the losses of his games. We thought of it simply as paying him an unofficial salary. We had a deal. And part of that deal with his popularity was to help hype up new games for people to spend money on. That’s it.

Why did I send Hodrick to get him to play? Well, though Leopold may be aggressive to the kid, he’s one of the few if not only people he also listens to, save Aidan. After all, they’re brothers who grew up only having each other really til Aidan came around.

And since Aidan was at the table and I couldn’t leave the game unattended as I was the host - I sent Hodrick to give a message to his brother.

When the two got back, I figured it’d be perfect for them as a pair to start off first against Leopold. And it was safe too, Hodrick wouldn’t go against Leopold or the House 100%. Others may be 99% - but Hodrick was zero risk too. It was win-win for me.

Besides, these darts? They’re mistletoe brand, feel them

Detective’s note: [Raven let’s me examine the darts, they’re thin, lightweight, with an image of a mistletoe on the flight. They are extremely sharp, though, enough to draw blood. I pricked my finger on the edge to see, and it was enough to pierce my skin. I ask her the material.]

Right, they’re enough to pierce skin, but they’re not bullets, you know? Eh the material? Hell if I remember. I think it was Tungsten, maybe nickel? Or silver, maybe copper? I can’t remember. Why?

Just curious, eh? I see.
Well anyway - the darts were thrown and actually managed to pierce Leopold. He had left the first and second in, but then roughly pulled them out. He also roughly pulled out the 3rd one pretty soon after it hit him and threw them all on the ground - hence why they were bloody yet scattered. He was agitated with Hodrick and told him to hurry up. I noticed Aidan and Liliana in the crowd, and figured of course Aidan would want to watch this. Liliana being Liliana, was only there because Aidan was I figure.

Then Hodrick threw the final dart. I was cracking jokes with Leopold that it would be over soon. Then suddenly, I saw the dart strike Leopold square in his neck. I was a little shocked seeing it, but next thing I knew ,this one he was really upset with and began to look to yell at Hodrick, but his face suddenly froze, and his eyes widened

He made a weird motion with his mouth, it looked like he was trying to say something - and then began to breathe heavy. Everyone else began to gasp or even scream so I couldn’t hear what he had been trying to say. I stood in shock and confusion. It looked like he was suddenly possessed by a ghost. He went pale and then just collapsed, dart in neck. Hodrick then took off his blindfold and looked stunned. Well, we all did. I was a little dizzy, and next thing I knew in a daze, I was dialing 911.

That’s all I remember, you know? It’s really a mess. I don’t know how we’re gonna pull ourselves out of this mess to be honest. Someone died in our casino, you know?

It was just a horrible accident. You won’t arrest the kid, right? It’s his brother. I just don’t know what happened. Maybe it pierced a blood vessel or something? But he barely bled.

Detective Bradio dismissed Raven. After a half hour or so, he reclined in the chair, looking over his notes and
sighing. He called back Aidan and Liliana. They had to have seen something.

Witness 4: Liliana

I told you, I didn’t see anything. I got lost in the crowd trying to find a view.
Well, you’re asking me what I know about the relationship between the brothers and Aidan?
All I know is that Aidan blessed them with everything. If it wasn’t for Aidan, those two would still be street rats.
Hodrick is whatever, at least he knows his place with Aidan, but Leopold got a little ahead and thought of himself as king? How is that fair? Not even giving credit to Aidan. And so incredibly greedy.
Don’t talk about the dead in such a way? Huh?
Are you a Detective, or my priest?

[Sigh]

Witness 3: Aidan

Thank you for letting me get my bearings, Detective…
Oh…well, you see, like Liliana, I could also not have a good view of Leopold.
I’m sorry, I just don’t know.
At the table was usual. He had a bit of a headache, so I gave him his usual medicine.
We all were relaxing with drinks too, and…

Ah? You want to ask, would Hodrick have a reason for wanting to kill his brother?
That’s a little blunt, don’t you think?
Well, if I had to guess, after all…
I mean, both started from the same level. Both dirt poor, both anxious, scared, nervous boys.
I taught them both the exact same way - no, rather, we were friends. Gambling with toys and playing cards. But it was my lessons too.
While Leopold had the ambition and passion to follow, Hodrick was meek. He respected Leopold more than himself. But…
I can see how, it may make him jealous…
Are you sure Raven and Hodrick weren’t in on it? As a plan?
Eh? its not my place to make assumptions? I’m just saying…who else would want to hurt Leopold?

Heh…he was loved by everybody. Everyone admired him, right?
Why would anyone want to hurt him? It only makes sense a little jealous brother would, right?
Would I want to hurt him? Of course not! I was his teacher, and friend.
“Despite being his teacher, I didn’t rise to the same fame”? Haha!
Of course, that doesn’t nor didn’t bother me, I don’t need to be recognized to know my work in another. If Leopold was successful, then I could feel the success too.
Anyway, the world of gambling is like that. It’s greedy, it’s prideful, there’s gluttony and lust all around. If you don’t know that, how the hell can you expect to understand us?

[Aidan takes a surprising action of getting up from the table, going to the nearby one, and taking a swig of a forgotten glass of booze, and stumbled back to the table, his red hair falling over his forehead]

Sorry, I’m just…stressed. It’s been a rough night. I just don’t think I’ve processed this all.

Detective Bradio allows everyone to take a break. Forensics reports back with the present information, stating the analysis report

The darts were nickel-tungsten material. 70% nickel, and 30% tungsten. Mistletoe brand, as Raven said.
All darts had traces of Leopold’s blood. All darts had pierced his skin. No poisons were found in his system or the darts. Oxycodine had been ingested and found in his system, two dosage within normal amounts. High alcohol content also present. Presently Unknown if directly related to death, but suspected. Upon examination of his body, red marks, possibly blisters, had developed around the skin where the darts had pierced. The exact cause of death remains unknown, but it seems to have been by asphyxiation.

Detective Bradio leaned back

Just what happened, this evening when the cards fell?

Part 2 done!

As a reminder, again, please only PM me one full theory once you read Part 2.

Only that complete theory will be judged.

Extra favour will be awarded if you can tell me how you came to the conclusion - than just a straight theory / answer. Double brownie points if you can catch all the references and inspirations, and hidden meanings in the story!

I won’t reply to blues in the thread or in PM’s! So please think carefully!

You must give

  1. The culprit(s) - the one(s) who are truly guilty for the death of Leopold
  2. The motive(s)
  3. The (roughly explained) cause(s) of death
  4. The method of killing

Extra Points are given to

  1. Those who can identify the references/inspirations/hidden meanings in the story
  2. Those who take the time to explain how they got to their theory, and not only give a straight theory

That’s all! Good luck! Deadline to submit is Friday, December 8th. Winners will be announced Monday, December 10th~ :star:

#10

Hi everyone! I can’t believe it’s been already been 1 month and bit since I posted ;; things just got way too hectic and time flew by. Thank you for all your responses, I’ll reveal the finale here and the winner!

The answer:

[color=red]The culprit was Aidan[/color]

First of all - the hidden technique of how to solve the mystery in part 1 is by the Norse mythology references! Aidan (whose name means “little fire”) is Loki. Leopold is Balder (albeit a ruder one) and his name means “brave, or bold” - it’s also a reference to King Leopold II of Belgium. He experienced an assassination attempt with three shots (the three darts on the ground were a reference to this).

Liliana’s name means “purity, and beauty” in reference to the lily, and she was based on Sigyn, Loki’s wife. Hodrick was based of Hodr, (Hodr-ick) Balder’s blind brother. The name Hodrick doesn’t have a clear meaning, but the hint was in the first 4 letters and other characters. Raven, Emily, and David were just random names, though Raven was inspired a little by Angrboda, Loki’s other wife.

Detective Bradio’s name was also just for fun - Bradio is a Japanese artist who does kind of jazzy songs, and a lot of the music videos are set in casinos. In addition, they did the opening song for one of my favourite series, Death Parade - which also was some inspiration for this mystery in terms of setting and theme.
The whole mystery was based off/inspired by the original Norse myth - so if you could figure out the name references, you would be able to solve the mystery easily :slight_smile:

The main hints to Aidan being the culprit as well being the opening paragraph of the story - the 2nd part ties it in more, but you can read it as Aidan was the one who was thinking those thoughts. His motivation for killing Leopold lay in the years built up of resentment and jealousy to his success, and his disdain for greed. Even though Aidan was his teacher - he expected to be honored as such, not to be pushed to the side - was where his bitterness lay. If this was a longer mystery, I definitely wanted to flesh out this aspect and motivation more. But I cut it short a little for the length of the mystery.

That leads us to our winner!! @TsukiyoAlex guessed it right on the nose. His answer was

“[color=blue]The culprit is Aidan. [/color]I don’t think the darts had much to do with it, but the headache medicine is probably the cause of his asphyxia, since oxycodine can cause asphyxia and shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol, Aidan knew this and drugged him in order for that to happen, the dart might have been nothing but a trigger and whether Raven was a part of Aidan’s plan or not that might not have been too relevant. The motive is the same as my previous theory, Aidan was fed up with Leopold’s self-inflated attitude.”

Completely correct!! I added the no-Knox rule since the answer required a bit of background knowledge to some medicines, but nothing too complex :wink: In that sense, the no-Knox rule was also a hint. The dart was a red herring for people to guess it was damage from the darts that somehow got to an artery and killed him, but after all it was a bad mix. It wasn’t poison as well, which I knew would also be a popular guess. I think looking back maybe it was a little easy to guess, so I think next time someday when I feel inspired for a new mystery, I definitely want to improve and expand! Raven also wasn’t in on the murder, but I wrote her to seem pretty suspicious regardless!

As promised, I will award a small sketch comission, so I’ll PM you!

Thank you for playing my humble game!! :smile:

I recently finished replying to over 300 messages the past 2 days that I couldn’t keep up with over the New Years week rush ;; but now that everything is pretty much getting back into a regular flow, I’ll be on Rokkenjima a lot more hopefully. I missed everyone!

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