Mystery Manor - Chapter Four

[Dragonator]

The EB detectives walk through the west doors of the Ballroom into the Parlour. The Parlour is a long room with a lower ceiling than all the other rooms. There is only one other entrance, this in the south wall. Opening these doors shows that they lead back into the dining room. Turning around you can survey the room in better light.

The room is floored with wooden floorboards, while the walls and ceiling are of smoothly polished and carved stone. A low hanging light at the west end of the room hangs above a low wooden coffee table covered in papers. There are two chairs around the table. A large stone fireplace protrudes from the west wall, while a barrel filled with extra logs stands in the north-western corner. The north wall is hollowed out with a number of niches; the second one from the west wall contains another statue. The centre of the room is dominated by a massive grand piano.

The west end of the room holds nothing else of interest (note the picture below is purposefully missing the hanging light).

The east end of the room (not pictured) is the way in which you entered. There is a large square rug in the middle of the floor, with two large sofas framing it on the north and east sides (note the end of the piano is along the west side). In the middle of the rug is another table with a large tray on it containing a glass decanter of red wine and a single glass. The table also holds a small wooden carved box, two coasters and a metal lighter. Around the walls there is another statue against the north wall, this one in the second niche along from the east wall. The eastern wall itself has a large sideboard running along the wall to the right of the doors and small side table to the left. The only other piece of furniture in the room is a glass-fronted cabinet on the southern wall, roughly opposite the couch on the north side of the rug.

**********

Remember that to win the game you must answer the following four questions:

WHO committed the crime?

WHERE was the crime committed (which room)?

WHAT was the murder weapon?

WHY was he killed (motive)?

There is also the optional challenge of piecing together the events of the previous night. Try to find out as much detail as possible.

For the full list of rules, please click on the picture at the top of the page or follow this link.

Participants:

1. ImperialShadows - Peter Crawford; Lawyer

2. Sandy - Susan Greenwood; Receptionist

3. WhiteFang - Dr. Phillip Marshall; General Practitioner

4. Hinckley - Max Sinclair; Actor

5. Sir Dillon - Michael Dunne; CEO of Brick Plates

6. jipay - Bernard Knightly; President of the DHPT

7. ImperialScouts - Lieutenant John Spencer; Soldier

8. Sir Nadroj - Dermot Stephens; University Student

9. Mr. Mandalorian - Dr. Gregory Grimsworth; University Professor

10. TheBrickster - Anthony Blackwater; Private Detective

11. Erdbeereis1 - Chef Frederick Valentine; Chef

(Sorry for the long delay, I hope you can still remember what was happening! Good luck!)

[Sandy]

Another room, another mystery to solve.

As usual, I'd like to start with investigating the two armored statues. I'd also like to pull each of their swords just in case they are levers to hidden doors.

[Shadows]

*opens the small wooden chest and takes out a cigar which he lights with the nearby lighter ... after a couple of puffs, a glass of wine is poured from the handy decanter nearby and placed, on a coaster, on top of the piano*

I'll inspect the piano and then sit down and enjoy my cigar and wine while entertaining the group a bit. Odd, there's no piano seat. Well, I'll drag one of these chairs over, I guess. Damn inconsiderate having a piano and no seat.

*sits down and plays "As Time Goes By"*

[Hinckley]

DUH!!!! Let's check the chimney for a key!!

[Erdbeereis]

Mr. Duh speaks the truth!

Let's look in the chimney for a key. After that we'll play piano and dance.

[WhiteFang]

Another room full of mystery await for us to discover.

I will like to examine the wooden coffee table and take a careful look at the papers if anything interesting is scribbled on it.

[Sir Dillon]

I'd like to shove Sinclair's face into the soot when he bends down to look for a key.

I'd also like to check the floor for any loose floorboards.

[Hinckley]

I'd like to shove Sinclair's face into the soot when he bends down to look for a key.

I'd also like to check the floor for any loose floorboards.

I would like to wipe the soot off of my face and help the evil Mr. Dunne look for loose floorboards because I don't trust him That doesn't mean I don't want to look for the key in the chimney!!!!

[Scouty]

Hmm, nice room. I think I'll go ahead and check the barrel of logs if there's anything in and under and around the barrel that is not a log.

[SirNadroj]

Cozy room! I'd like to check underneath the large square rug.

[Dragonator]

Miss Sandy takes a look at the suits of armour. They are of the usual design that you are coming to love and hate. Pulling on their swords does not reveal anything or have any obvious effect.

Peter meanwhile opens the wooden box on the table and finds that it does indeed contain cigars. Pulling up a chair to the piano, he begins to play, inspecting it as he does. It is a large Steinway, and looks particularly expensive. It has a fantastic sound, although the B flat above middle C sounds a little twangy.

Max walks over to the fireplace and peers up the chimney. It is pitch black, and you cannot see anything. Putting your hand up, you soon encounter a ledge carved just above the lip. Grasping something, you pull it out. You find a metal tin, covered in black soot which is rather smeared around the tin, with some patches even looking a little clean. Opening it, you find inside a piece of metal which looks like half a circle. The "straight" edge is jagged. One side is smooth while the other has a number of raised bumps forming the image of part of a dragon. It looks to be the left part of the dragon seal, only it is a mirror image of the design seen elsewhere.

Now this is interesting, I wonder where the other half is?

Dr. Phil takes a look at the small coffee table, which is just that. The papers however appear to be architectural drawings of the house. One of these shows the development of the river bank to the east, allowing for an extension to be built of the library. The drawings are very rough, and don't show very much detail in any of the rooms. They are also very new. The main focus of two of the pages is to show the various foundations that would need to be laid for the extension, including major work on those directly below the library. There are only four pages on the table, and a small fraction in the bottom right corner of each identifies them as sheet numbers 2, 3, 6 and 12 out of 13. The other pages are not on the table.

After Max pulls himself out of the fireplace, looking around indignantly for the culprit who pushed him, he accompanies Michael on a stroll around the room searching for lose floorboards. Despite their best efforts however, none are found.

John inspects the barrel of logs, but does not find anything under it or inside it (apart from logs).

Dermot looks beneath the large rug, and finds nothing but dust.

[Shadows]

Dr. Phil takes a look at the small coffee table, which is just that. The papers however appear to be architectural drawings of the house. One of these shows the development of the river bank to the east, allowing for an extension to be built of the library. The drawings are very rough, and don't show very much detail in any of the rooms. They are also very new. The main focus of two of the pages is to show the various foundations that would need to be laid for the extension, including major work on those directly below the library. There are only four pages on the table, and a small fraction in the bottom right corner of each identifies them as sheet numbers 2, 3, 6 and 12 out of 13. The other pages are not on the table.[/i]

Seems Chester was a naughty lad, up to no good. Plans for expansion can't possibly be something that frightful dragon group would approve of. Hmmm... so perhaps Mr. Dunne has another reason for being invited after all, potential construction work. I wonder if anything had been done already, maybe accidentally uncovering something or causing a problem that attracted the attention of the friendly neighbourhood dragon psychopaths. No offence intended, of course, Mr. Dragonateri, er... whatever.

So now we have half a charm to look for, some more architectural drawings, oh, and that pesky body to find, if there even is one. Yes, this is going along smashingly.

Suppose I can take a break from playing to inspect that glass-fronted cabinet on the south wall. Perhaps someone would inspect the long sideboard?

Anyone else notice that Dr. Phil wasn't running so quickly for the hanging light-source in here?

[Sandy]

Oh, these drawings! I've seen these before, at work! I still can't tell how useful they are in solving this case, however.

Hmm, what next...? Oh, I'd like to investigate the piano and see what's causing that "twangy" sound. I bet there's something hidden inside.

[WhiteFang]

Dr. Phil takes a look at the small coffee table, which is just that. The papers however appear to be architectural drawings of the house. One of these shows the development of the river bank to the east, allowing for an extension to be built of the library. The drawings are very rough, and don't show very much detail in any of the rooms. They are also very new. The main focus of two of the pages is to show the various foundations that would need to be laid for the extension, including major work on those directly below the library. There are only four pages on the table, and a small fraction in the bottom right corner of each identifies them as sheet numbers 2, 3, 6 and 12 out of 13. The other pages are not on the table.

This is very interesting. Architectural drawing of the house and plans expansion. Such a historic manor filled with rich aura of history, I find it very hard to accept that the manor is to be extended, unless there is a change of ownership. This drawings look as if it was recently drafted by someone. If we could find the rest of the pages, perhaps page 1, we could identify the company or architect in charge of this blueprint.

I wonder if there are any papers lying around which are visible in this room. If so, I will like to examine those. On another note, I will like to open and examine the small wooden carved box.

Anyone else notice that Dr. Phil wasn't running so quickly for the hanging light-source in here?

I did that on purpose. I will look at it later, after I scan the room. I couldn't want to trouble the rest of you with the chairs.

[Sir Dillon]

I would like to examine the sword over the mantle, moving it around to see if it's a lever. I would also like to look at the empty sword holder above the mantle.

[Sandy]

If we could find the rest of the pages, perhaps page 1, we could identify the company or architect in charge of this blueprint.

No bother, I already said that the Brick Plates company was behind those drawings. I can't trace it to one single person, but I've definitely seen those blueprints at work. Don't ask how a receptionist got ahold of them, but anyway.

[Hinckley]

Good idea, Miss Sandy. Perhaps the chord for that particular B flat has a note wrapped around it with an anagram or something about a ladder. We might also find a hidden compartment in the actual key!

Speaking of key, I have a half of a key? :hmpf_angry: I'd like the other half. I wonder where that dumb waiter leads. What else can we look at?

[Sir Dillon]

How about you beat Phil to looking at the light/chandelier. That'll teach him to wait!

[Hinckley]

How about you beat Phil to looking at the light/chandelier. That'll teach him to wait!

How about you?

[Erdbeereis]

I would like to look under the B flat above middle C, to see if a certain item is causing the "twang."

[Hinckley]

I would like someone to photograph me, Erd and Sandy checking out the piano at the same time so we can capture the three stooges head clunk moment forever on film.

[Erdbeereis]

I would like someone to photograph me, Erd and Sandy checking out the piano at the same time so we can capture the three stooges head clunk moment forever on film.

That would be lovely. We will pay good money to have it framed!

I would like to give Mr. Sinclair bunny ears in the picture.

[Dragonator]

Peter stops playing and walks over to the glass-fronted cabinet on the south wall. Inside is a long shelf allowing for two levels of display room. It is filled with numerous crystal drinking glasses, two silver platers, and four bottles at the right-hand end (two whiskeys, a port and a bottle of Gin). On top of the cabinet is a white cloth with a small collection of glass ornaments on display standing on it, including a small red dragon and other animals.

Miss Sandy walks over to the piano and leans over to look inside. A loud thud is heard as she smacks heads with Max and the Chef, who were also just leaning over. Rubbing their heads, the men stepped back to let Miss Sandy take a closer look. At first she can see nothing, but then she notices that a slip of paper is caught under a string, obviously what was causing the twangy sound. Pulling it out, she smooths it and reads what is written on it.

Tro rsrestlo rthehl oiho tupe oeot kelm aomhje. Lkdf debac hl dano pun iny.

Another piece of paper, another code. This guy must have been really paranoid.

Dr. Phil opens the wooden box and takes a look inside. It is full of Cuban cigars, but nothing else. The outside of the box is fairly plain apart from a dragon design inlaid into the top in mother of pearl.

There are so many gorgeous dragns in this house! Who could possibly hate living here?

Michael walks over to the fireplace and examines the sword hanging there. Moving it around does not result in anything miraculous. The empty holder is simply that; no amount of prodding it seems to make it do anything.

[Shadows]

crystal drinking glasses, two silver platers, and four bottles at the right-hand end, a white cloth with a small collection of glass ornaments on display standing on it, including a small red dragon and other animals. [/i]

I'll look in all the glasses, check the platters for engraving or any hidden notes, obviously I'm going to check out the whiskey and slip the gin in my pocket for later, then I'll move on to the glass bits on top, peering under the white cloth and then to the small red dragon, carefully examining all of it's fine details for anything helpful.

If I don't find something, I'll accidentally drop kick that sweet little dragon into the fireplace.

Anyone like some port?

Miss Sandy walks over to the piano and leans over to look inside. A loud thud is heard as she smacks heads with Max and the Chef, who were also just leaning over. Rubbing their heads, the men stepped back to let Miss Sandy take a closer look.

*immediately begins showing everyone his recorded video of the hilarious event* You know, Max, for some reason this video makes you look even shorter than usual.

Perhaps one of you lot could work out that pesky code, they make my head spin and I end up wanting another drink. Another drink? Don't mind if I do!

He's a lush.

Yeah, but he's got a cool hat.

That he does.

[Hinckley]

It's not using the fence cipher...