Trial 1

[yourghosthost]

[After everyone has finished their investigations, everyone finds themselves gathering in the stretching room once more. The door shuts behind them. The corpse swings above the proceedings, ominously, and wandering eyes can't help but draw their attention to it.

It especially draws attention when it appears to move upward.

The whole room seems to move downwards, as the walls get longer and the ceiling gets further away. A snide comment from your Host echoes throughout the room:]

Tell me. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it just your imagination?

Find your place in the graveyard. I will be with you shortly.

[After a few moments, the room stops. A new door opens.

It appears to be an outside area, covered in overgrown plants and moss. An incredibly high gated fence surrounds the whole area, and perpetual darkness (accompanied by a bright full moon) sets the mood. A cobblestone path goads you on through this area, leading to a circle of 25 tombstones, each labeled with a participants picture, name and their birthdate. They're arranged to face each other, ominously enough. On top of each tombstone is a small typewriter-esque keyboard.

The only unique tombstone here is the only marked for Karolina. It's adorned with a red rose and a glass of cognac, and her tombstone is marked with a limerick:

Here Lies Karolina Dean
She might have had a rough life
But she really didn't deserve that knife

As everyone finds their places, the Host speaks.]

The keyboard on your tombstone shall be used for voting who you believe committed this crime. Due to the...nature of some of our participants, I will be forgiving misspellings and accidental presses, but each guest shall only receive one vote, and we go by majority rules.

Take all the time you need, please. There's no turning back now.]

Comments

[yourghosthost]

Execution, of course.

[totally nonchalant]

[sentadaughter]

[Well then. Condemning someone to death like that doesn't sit well with her at all.]

There isn't a chance for another punishment? Like hard labor or something?

[kindaruledatit]

[Wendy stiffens a bit, but doesn't say anything. Phew, guy.]

[thetimebomb]

Whoa wait, you mean the murderer will die if they're caught?

[She can't decide if she likes this or not. Yeah yeah murder is never justified but also she wants to see justice be served and not have to worry about the murderer messing get with them anymore.]

[toogoodforhim]

Of course.

[Can you tell he's already Tired]

[folkscallmewander]

[...Well. Wander is quiet and stares for a moment.]

And if we let 'em go?

[They can punish them some other way, but killing someone in this room is a bit much.]

[aboyandhiscar]

Surprise, surprise.

So what happens if we don't vote?

[defyingfrigidity]

What?

[No no no, she's... she's gunna be sick....]

Condemning someone to death will make all of us guilty of murder as well. That doesn't make sense...!

[outsidethecircle]

[Please no.]

[ilovepuppies]

WHAT!? No! No more people dying!

[sixfingeredstan]

[Ford's face is basically just one big upside down C at this juncture.]

This isn't right.

[wannagetsmote]

[ Maui shrugged. It sucked but... ]

What are you going to do? Let them live? Let them kill again. That's the way of things.

[aboyandhiscar]

Not helping, big guy.

[wannagetsmote]

What do you want me to say? Let whoever killed her run free? Getting killed in war is one thing. Killing a kid that wouldn't even kill an animal for food? [ he simply shook his head. ]

[aboyandhiscar]

No, dude, we lock them up or something! It's messed up, but they wouldn't have even done anything if Casper up there hadn't set this whole thing up.

[sentadaughter]

You're right it is different. [She's a soldier, and sure technically she was only in one battle, but that's still enough for her to know.] But the reason why it happens could make a big difference. Who's to say that this wasn't a huge accident? Would the person really deserve death because of something outside of their control?

[wannagetsmote]

You show me someone who can stab a girl and let her die by accident, then we can talk.

[sentadaughter]

I- Well-

[Okay, point.

She's just going to fall silent there and look generally uncomfortable.]

[aboyandhiscar]

[gosh dangit. He gives Ping a light elbow nudge]

Don't worry about it dude, you're right. This ain't right, and even if it wasn't an accident, we're not the ones who oughta be playing executioner.

[sentadaughter]

[She's just. Going to bury her face in her hands.]

I fought in a war, you would think I would be less squeamish about people dying.

[She absolutely isn't. Not at all.]

[aboyandhiscar]

A war's a war, man. You sign up to die and off folks.

No one signed up for this. S'totally normal to be freaked out by it.

[thetimebomb]

[Quietly sweats as she realizes she agrees with Maui. Flarp with how much he doesn't like him why does he keep saying things she agreees with?]