THE FINAL TRIAL

[vault_tech]

we'll fly away

The Final Trial

It’s been three weeks since this harrowing trial began, since your imprisonment, and now it’s finally coming to a close with little warning or fanfare. Maybe you followed the robot’s advice and got some rest, maybe you prepared.

It doesn’t matter. The air in the vault is the same as it always has been. The ghosts of the past linger, and now is your last chance to escape them before you become one of them.

Your only ally in all of this waits for you in the common room. It’s rude to keep a lady waiting for long.

NAVIGATION

Vault 113: a short-run murdergame

RULES

GAME INFO

LOCATIONS

PROFILES

IC RULES

MURDER

PCs

CHECK-INS

code credit

Comments

PRE-CONFRONTATION

[ironmaid]

Everyone, could you please come meet me in the common room?

[ It's a very gentle request over the Intercom, Kanon's voice quiet but not uncertain. There are no consequences threatened for not appearing, this time she is simply asking, from one person to another.

When people have filtered in, there is the sound of a deep inhale from her speakers. ]

... Ianthe was going to kill all of you after that last trial. She did this behind my back, taking control of the robots from me to... I suppose she was shielding me, but that was wrong of her.

[ Even her robot hands are fists right now. ]

We got the controls back in the nick of time and-- Oh. Right. Everyone who died is still here, they're stored in the main computer, where I also am. I was keeping them separate for the sake of the game, but... Not much point in that now?


They've all got access to my speaker system now. Say hi, everybody!! And if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer... for real, this time.

[magician_0f_words]

[Keiichi, armed and armored in baseball gear, latches onto something very specific right away.]

Wait, if they're stored on a computer, does that mean we could upload them into robot bodies or something?

[sourtime]

Why?

[ very specific, Deena! ]

Why was she going to kill us, why were you helping her -- who even brought her here in the first place? Is the SNART real or not? I don't know where to even start.

[namelesslancer]

So what are our chances against Ianthe looking like?

[anarchia]

[He eyes Kanon with some suspicion, following this whole ordeal. He doesn't adopt an accusatory tone, but does ask plainly:]

Whose side are you on, Kanon?

[picnicked]

So the plan is to fight her directly? If everything you're saying is true, that still doesn't leave us with any clear way home.

[discodancer]

[ The speakers come to life with a familiar, soft voice. ]

Kanon's telling the truth.

[theinstigator]

Ruby here.

[ Says another familiar voice, this one even and well-enunciated. ]

Kanon's right. We've all got administrator access to the computers, so let us know if that helps with your plan at all.

[ She'd wish you all good luck, but Ruby is fairly confident you don't need it. ]

[idecidethetruth]

If we do what you ask, is there a way for us to get back to our own worlds or not?

[justlikemob]

…if we can find a way to save her world and still go home ourselves…we should try that, right? That must have been what she was talking about before…

[nambu]

Emphasis on everyone -

[ comes another familiar voice, casual as hell as if it hasn’t been weeks since he last spoke to everyone here. ]

What about those other souls that invaded us over on this side for a bit? Don’t think they’re stored on the main computer with us.

Anyway, hi.

the ducks in a rowening

[ocenon]

So, it seems like we have two options: reason with Ianthe and work together to find a way to finish this peacefully, or fight her.

As appealing as the latter sounds, I'm not sure moving straight to that is such a good idea.

[ He seems a little sad about that, but moves on. ]

What does everyone think we should do?

[picnicked]

Surely there's no harm in trying to reason with her first? If that doesn't work out, we can resort to a fight. But I think that Ianthe probably understands the SNART best of anyone here, and I don't know if we'll be able to get it to work without her help.

And besides, Kanon's helped us out here. The least we can do is try to honor her wishes.

[namelesslancer]

Kanon said that she's trying to save the people in her planet. Do we have anything that we can offer her that can reach that goal that doesn't involve us getting killed?

[underinworld]

Reason with her.

[Yeah, that seems like the decent move]

But if she makes a move against anyone standing there and taking it won't do. Killing her isn't advisable, but restraining her will be necessary if she does attempt to harm anybody seriously.

[idecidethetruth]

Considering our odds in a fight against her – and the fact that we probably have a far better chance of getting the SNART operational with her powers than without them – we're probably better off at least trying to do what Kanon wants.

[ Unfortunately. ]

[discodancer]

Negotiate first.

Kanon's shown Ianthe's hand. We know what the stakes are for her. That's a starting point. We work it from there.

Re: the ducks in a rowening

[justlikemob]

In the end, Ianthe-san is in the same position as a lot of people who want to save something…I think she can be reasoned with.

[dharmicrevelation]

[ Kill her. Evil like her should be extinguished.

...

But, she has been doing this to save all of those lives. Can she be considered as such? He wrestles with himself, though manages an answer all the same...for now. ]

...Attempting to reason with her sounds like it would be the right course of action to take. Unless she attacks us. Then whatever happens, it is her own fault.

Phase 2: Investigation

[vault_tech]

[As you finalize your strategizing, you'll be directed to Ianthe's office, which holds the secret elevator that'll take you right to the reactor floor. The turrets are powered down and the desk is drawn back, revealing the stairway beneath it.

It's inviting. Almost like the Vault wants you to go deeper.

Down the stairs is Ianthe's living space, and beyond that is the way to the reactor. If you want to poke through her belongings, now would be the time.]

[justlikemob]

[Does she have any family photos or anything around?]

[modularized]

[ regardless of whatever else does or doesn't snoop, sopmod is going to. listen, persica built them at least in part for information retrieval. this is retrieval. plus maybe if it's tech she can? do something??? (if it's magic she's going to lie down dramatically and pout.)

anyway, what's good, what's her living space looking like. ]

PHASE 3: Confronting The Menace

[vault_tech]

[It's not too long before you stop poking through the room of a nice young woman and reading her diary before you're guided to the elevator doors. The ride is slow, and the elevator is completely glass, giving a glimpse of what only one of you has seen before.

The Supreme Noah's-Arc Alternative Reality Transportation. Or, more eloquently, the SNART.

It's a massive high tech ship, rooted to the ground and pulsing with power. It seems like Ianthe already got started. She turns and looks at you all, her eyes hovering over Kanon with something akin to exhaustion...]

[picnicked]

[Grimmer waves.]

Miss Ianthe! We were wondering if we could have a chat with you?

Power Restoration

[oversawed]

[After a lot of arguing, Ianthe finally relents and just... waves her hand. Everyone will feel a tension around them that they didn't know was there just... dissipate. Their soul is theirs again, and Ianthe lets out an exhausted breath.

She eyes everyone warily, as if preparing for one of them to strike at her. But for now...

Everyone's powers are restored.]

Alright. [She sighs.] Your abilities are yours again. You can discuss amongst yourselves which choice you'd like to make.

[magician_0f_words]

[And this is when Keiichi- no, K unleashes his evil powers that befit a dark demon lord!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nah. He's a normal human guy.]

DECISION TIME

[ironmaid]

[ After setting Ianthe down again, Kanon feels emboldened that things maybe can have a happy end somehow.

Emboldened by the feeling, she addresses the group again. ]

Maybe we should do this like at trial and put our options to a vote?

Option 1 is that we stay here and, uh, kill really bad people in the surrounding area to power the SNART and send everyone back to the correct points in time. I... think Ianthe could put me into one of those people's bodies, too, so I can leave? Everyone else can be put back into their original bodies, of course!

[ That's uncomfortable as fuck, but she'll cross the bridge when she gets to it. ]

Option 2 is that we use the accumulated energy we got from the game so far to all go to Erin's world and power the SNART with souls from the underworld? Everyone who died could still get their bodies back from Ianthe, and I'd be stored in Sopmod so we could find a solution later... Since the underworld has infinite souls, the SNART could probably remain operational for a long time?

And Option 3 is that we try to power the SNART through Shigeo channeling everyone's energy, I guess? It might be a more short-lived power, but we could probably send someone home correctly right away.

So... Everyone, pick one! And then we work from that approach!

[underinworld]

I'm fine with any option. That said, I do have some concern about Mob over there having secondary effects from channeling the energy of those who aren't human among us.

[Less so about Sopmod and Carnivac, more about herself because of demonic self]