E4 Halloween Mystery - Solution voting ends 11/9

[niece]

Happy almost Halloween my fellow Pokémon enthusiast. In the spirit of this holiday that celebrates the spooky and unnatural… I present you with a horror mystery game. We being play tomorrow. On All Hallows’ Eve. The goal is to solve a puzzle without losing your mind, your life or your soul.

Playing the Game

Each Round/Scene will provide clues that lead you deeper and closer to the solution. The Host (Me) will introduce each round/scene. It is imperative that during each round the E4 community and the players find out as much as possible about the other players, their strengths, weaknesses and investigate objects and tools that could be useful. The E4 Community can ask questions and interact with players. A twist for this year,the host will initiate a poll after each round.The community will have the opportunity to choose who they believe is the weakest link. Not every player will survive. It is possible that none will.
Round 1 - Intro Background
Round 2- The Heist
Round 3-The Aftermath
Round 4- The Search
Round 5- Final Clues
Solution - The final round the host will provide the opportunity for the players and E4 Community to guess how the clues, characters, items you have discovered along the way will work together to resolve the mystery puzzle and end the adventure.The winner of the game is the person who guesses the solution. How do we survive?

Your cast:

@Niece: I am the silent witness to the tapestry of lives that intertwine within the hotel’s walls, and the keeper of its secrets, preferring to let the whispers of the trade winds carry the legends to those who are ready to hear them. I play no active role here, I am just your guide for this tale. I will be your host.

@DYL: Ignatius “Nate” Drummond - Detective Age: 63
Skills/Tools Strong,observant, gun, cuffs, Lighter, flashlight,

@Stagecoach Stagecoach/Brendan-Content creator, E4 Member, Age 34
Skills/ Tools- Media tools, sound,lights, cameras, observant, creative, agile, fast

@Will: Sterling Broadman -Middle School Chemistry Teacher, E4 member, Age: 30
Skills/Tools: Chemistry- PlastiX Kit, Large Specialized Functioning Beast Ball, 4 small pokeballs that are watertight and corrosion resistant. 2024 Pokemon Worlds backpack.

@Tcgmaine- Theodore Johnson “TJ” Mauna Kea Hotel Handyman Age 60
Skills/Objects - Tools: Tool Box ( you may assume any tool you need is in here), Handgun, Master Key to Hotel, Flashlight, Military Survival FA kit

@Mrbubbles: Dr. Cedric “Cedy” Fortemain, Pediatrician , E4 member Age: 34
Tools.Skills: Complete Dr’s kit, including surgical tools, medical background

@BANKS Dr Alaric Weirdman - Speaker, Picturing the Occult Age: 38
Skills/Objects - Tools: Strong/ Vast knowledge of other worlds and earth ancient cultures (Including Egyptian), Uses everyday objects in unusual ways.

@Paper: Luna Castellanos - E4 member, Magician, Age: 32
Skills/Tools:Tin foil hat,box illusion, mirror illusion, sling bag (contains tin foil, string, glue, cards,small battery LED lights)

@xileets - Jax Shepard, Age: 25
Skills/Tools: Stealth, agility - Daggers, small knives. Lock picks, lighter

Any questions about game play ask them here.

[coil]

Can’t believe Brendan’s still making content after that last incident.

[Will]

Looking forward to this as much as I look forward to sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid mingling and putting on a show!

[ragingkraken]

So the silent witness has no age huh?

[niece]

ageless. Like the Sage and the Hills

[eievui]

I volunteer as tribute!

[DarthEevee]

laughs nervously why doesn’t Jax have a profession listed

[niece]

Just a mysterious kinda guy I guess🫤 or just shy

[niece]

A Shadow Over Worlds

Background: Welcome to the Mauna Kea Lagoon Hotel. The hotel is full of people. A modest, but still impressive, exhibition of Egyptian artifacts is touring the United States, and is currently in Honolulu Hawaii. The Mauna Kea Lagoon Hotel is hosting the Kingdom of Fire Exhibition during the Pokémon World Championships, in the hotel’s grand ballroom on the 17th floor. The exhibition includes a little more than three dozen “travel-sized” artifacts from the 18th Dynasty (c. 1550–1292 BCE), including a few from the tomb of the great King Ahmose. The exhibition is managed by Egyptologist, Dr. Caitlin Bronson, of the British Museum, London. The crown jewel of the exhibition is a blackened canopic jar known as the Phaeophyceae Canopic Jar; the jar’s decorations include an image of Set, the Lord of Disorder.

Other events happening at The Mauna Kea Lagoon

Picturing the Occult Seminars: These seminars presented by The Order of the Golden Dawn, New Age, are highlighted by Dr. Weirdman, senior figure in The Order, he suggests that alien races have historically utilized human civilizations, media and apparatuses as tools to reveal hidden aspects of reality or laws of nature. It’s a mystical journey through the supernatural.

Society of 35 mm Photographer Annual Convention The Society is an international organization for 35mm film enthusiasts. Their annual convention is held in a different city each year, and this year it’s in Honolulu, Hawaii. In addition to lectures, the convention includes a large display of unique film samples and a complete photo lab setup.
As guests of the hotel (or its staff ), the investigators have complimentary tickets to the Kingdom of Fire Exhibition.

ROUND 1 - The adventure begins now!

The Scenario: THE KINGDOM OF FIRE EXHIBITION - 7 PM - The scenario begins just after dinner on Saturday evening, August 18th, with the investigators exiting the elevator on the 17th floor to browse the exhibition. A manned podium is stationed near the elevator to collect visitors’ tickets. Cell phones are not allowed in the exhibit. They are asked to deposit their phones in an envelope with their name and place it in a basket to be retrieved when they leave the exhibit. The exhibition has been set up so that people can guide themselves through at their own pace. Dr. Caitlin Bronson, a short, gray haired woman in a matching linen skirt and jacket, is standing next to the Phaeophyceae Canopic Jar, so she can provide details on the piece’s history and lore to the visitors. Three security guards, including Inspector Nate Drummond of the Hawaii PD are on duty. There is a draft in the room.

The Phaeophyceae Canopic Jar isn’t the only object on display. The Exhibit is well attended. Attendees mingle among interesting pieces. All of the objects are amazing and wonderous. All of the exhibition pieces are accompanied by small information cards.
• A mother scolds her kids for touching the artifacts.
• A courting couple strolling hand-in-hand through the exhibition looking only into each other’s eyes, and not at any of the exhibits.
• A person with a special pass with a notepad, pencil, and old 35mm camera (no flash). The person takes a few notes on a piece, snaps a picture of it, and then moves onto another interesting object.
• A trio of University history students quietly debating the information presented on one of the pieces.
• Lots of people are respectful and quiet as they observe and contemplate the artifacts on display. A few stand by the complimentary tea and coffee beverage service. Quietly

[stagecoach]

The following transcript is clipped a livestream taken just before the event.

We have a setback, Stagehands! No phones allowed in the exhibit. I asked if I could wear my GoPro and they said no to that too. Chat, is this real? What am I supposed to do now??

I explained that I’m a content creator and I need to bring my phone and they still said no. But, chat, there is a guy literally right there with a camera around his neck and they’re letting him in. We were chatting about 35mm out here – long live film, by the way – and he tells me he has a special pass to take pictures in the exhibit as long as he doesn’t use flash, then he gets to develop his pictures in some sort of special dark room on-site?? Don’t get me wrong - this is cool - but how do I get in on that?? Hello??? I have way more followers than Horace Williams!!

Since I can’t get any footage I’ll have to take notes and do a Q&A on my Patreon, which I’ll edit into a YouTube video later. Sorry to anyone who cleared their schedules to tune in but it looks like The Coach is going solo on this one-- Oh, actually, looks like there’s some E4 people here. We’ll have to compare notes!!

[livestream ended]

[mrbubbles]

#1

Sees the little kids being scolded by their mother and waves out to them, the kids approach

Raising two fistbumps

Hey my friends, my name is Cedric, you can also call me Cedy, or Dr.C. It is nice to meet you guys here. I work as a Doctor who specializes in treating sick children. I understand why you would want to touch the things here, I also want to see what is in that old vase. But you see guys, these things are thousands and thousands of years old and are probably covered in some Mummy dust. I think it is wise to keep our hands to ourselves since we don’t want to be covered in some old Mummy goop.

I know something better we can do, do you guys like Pokemon? I love Pokemon and love collecting Pokemon cards.

Reaches in his Pocket

Here, I have some cards with me that you can have. These are some of my favourites and now you get to take care of them. Also, your mama always knows what is best for you so make sure you always listen to her.

Alright, now be good kids. See you around! Ohh, and do you guys know why Pikachu is so bad at hide and seek?..Because they always Pika-Choose the worst hiding spots!

[BANKS]

[I step across the threshold and am beckoned by the staff to surrender one cellular device. I remove a vintage paper clip from my pocket and place it into the envelope and turn toward the exhibit.

The room is full of people, camera enthusiasts, card collectors and an ignominious influencer. Amid the placid mob, my eyes settle on two children who have laid hands on The Coptic Vase of Ritual Power. The mother notices her children’s play. Shocked, she grabs them both by the hand and quickly pulls them away. The earthenware hits the floor, landing perfectly flat without a sound, and a nearby staff member rushes to pick up the vase with his bare hands and replace it upon the pedestal. I consult myself.]

“Those children will need to wash before the crow cries.”

[I approach the vessel and cover it from the light with a linen cloth from my pocket. I laugh quietly to myself, then turn to the vase.]
“How have you been Baktiotha, you old pox?”

[I move on and approach an old friend, @mrbubbles, who is standing next to the Senet wooden game board, an alchemist and a handyman].

“Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος! It’s been an age, but you haven’t aged a day. Since we last spoke I’ve become Chief Adept of Theurgy and Hermetic Qabalah at Harlthorpe Hall for the Order of the Golden Dawn. How have you been getting on?”

[turning to @Will]
“Good to see you back, Walter”

[turning to @tcgmaine]
“What is your name young man?”

[tcgmaine]

Enter TJ

Some people view work as just that, but to me it’s a calling. It gives me purpose. Now, if you told the younger me that he would be fixing leaky faucets and patching up walls, he would have scoffed in your face and told you to shove off. We Navy vets can be like that, we can. But when you dig down, when you really drill to the core, you realize that a job like the one I’ve got is more than what meets the eye. A pipe leak doesn’t fight back, doesn’t try to make you earn every minute. But here, in this hotel, there is still a rhythm and there is still plenty to prove. Sure, there’s no humming of engines and salty sprays, but there’s a pulse of clamoring suitcases and cheerful chatter. Here, in this hotel, a man who has seen too much can throw on a worn shirt with some Hawaiian flowers, put on a smile and just be.

Now to me, today isn’t that different from any other day. Another convention, another bunch of over-enthusiastic loonies jabbering on about who-knows-what. But often I find that the looney ones have the best stories, so I don’t mind. I like to listen. As the day winds down, I make my way into The Kingdom of Fire Exhibit on the 17th floor. I meander my way around, letting the bustle of activity wash over me like the waves against the shore.

As I’m moving along the edges of the room, something in the exhibit catches my eye. It appears to be some sort of board game, crated from polished wood with a warm, honey-brown finish that captures that ancient feel of the exhibit. Now, I’ve always been one to appreciate good craftmanship and this was certainly that. I glance over at the information card and it reads “Senet game board with pieces: wooden game board with ten magnetic pawns”. I bend down slightly to examine the craftmanship further.

Memories flash inside my mind. I remember sitting around a fire, the flickering flames illuminating my hands as I put the finishing touch on a cribbage board bearing a great resemblance to the great USS Maine, an homage to my original home. I sigh as my mind then turns to Linda, God rest her soul. She never did let me use that darn thing - thought it was “too fancy to play with”.

My attention snaps back in to focus as several other people come alongside me to examine the board game. A well-dressed gentleman wearing gloves was just finishing up a conversation, but I missed what it was about - darn day dreams can make me miss some interesting stuff sometimes. There were also two others, one of of whom I recognize as the particular head-looney who has blabbering on about some other world business. Seemed nice enough though. I’m pretty sure the other guy was a doctor of some sort - I recognized him from the lobby earlier in the day.

The head-looney asks my name and even calls me a young man, which I get a good kick out of. “Evenin’.” I said with a small smile to the group. I stuck out my hand to each of them - no better first impression than a firm handshake and a good smile. “Name’s Theodore Johnson, but everyone calls me TJ. I’m the handyman here at the hotel - I keep things running ship shape, which is a funny joke givin’ a spent 20 years in the Navy. If ya ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

We exchange brief pleasantries and my eyes shift back to the board game. The detail on the pawns was exquisite. Sleek cats with gold detailing stared back at me, dripping with telltale Egyptian flair. Standing guard next to them stood several Egyptian-styled dogs, tall and elegant with perked ear and a dignified stance. Perhaps most notable were the two remaining pawns. These were two enormous mouse-like animals, almost twice the size of the other pieces. The mice perched on top of intricate flowers, watching over the rest of the board like sentries.

After one final glance, I decide to keep moving toward another item label “the Scarab Ankh”…

[stagecoach]

[The following messages were posted in the Stagecoach Patreon-Only Discord channel covertly via Apple Watch during the event]

STAGECOACH
The E4 people are talking about tokens. These people are obsessed with mysterious tokens.

STAGECOACH
The display of the seven funerary figures is cool. None of the ancient text is translated though. Not sure what I’m looking at. One of these looks like a Meowth, that’s cute. (users mass react to the message with channel emotes titled blob_meowth and meowth_supremacy)

[BANKS]

Speaking to myself
“Theodore Johnson… Theodooore Joohnsson… No that can’t be right.”

I follow Theodore Johnson toward the Scarab Ankh
“Theodore Johnson have we met before?”

[Will]

Man, this is a such a cool exhibit. Oh there’s Cedy, at least one familiar face, I’ll head over and introduce myself to the others. Always good to see E4 representation out in the world. Oh and they’re near Phaeophyceae’s scarab amulet, perfect, wanted to check that out.

Walking over, I pass a group of students talking about one of the other pieces. They’re being very analytical about it all, I appreciate that. Reminds me of how I approach my TCG investments. Glad those have worked out as well as they have, let me teach and not worry about finances too much.

Hey all, I’m Sterling, but please don’t call me Ag. Great to meet you all. I’m a middle school chemistry teacher, Cedric and I here know each other from our Pokemon endeavors. You can probably tell from my Go plus on my wrist here, big Pokemon fan. Love to organize PoGo raids at the school when I have time. Look forward to Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Vanadium, ERbium, Sulfur, Iodine, NorweGium (throwback) more with you all later.

Pulls Cedy aside

Cedy, I bought some pokeballs from the World Store earlier, they’re quite the sight. I have 4 small pokeballs here, but I got one that actually functions! Take a peek here in my backback gives Cedy brief glance at my balls (Will thinking he’s funny, not part of Sterling’s character)

I paid a pretty penny , but for a functioning pokeball, I’m thrilled to have it.

[philzcardz]

@Will

gives Cedy brief glance at my balls

[Will]

Hey Cedy and Stagecoach, what’s that over there? Looks like some sort of game board? Wait a minute, those game pieces look just like mysterious tokens? Am I seeing things?

[c0ll3ct0r]

@Will

NorweGium (throwback)

[mrbubbles]

#2

(Cue from post 16)

Cedy enthusiastically looks at Sterling’s new purchases. He is in awe of Sterling and considers him super fun to hang out with. Cedy got acquainted with Sterling via E4 and met him for the first time a couple of years ago when Sterling had organized an exclusive Pokemon Go raid for E4 members. They became instant friends sharing their common love for Pokemon. Cedy also believes that Sterling’s enthusiasm for all things Pokemon is just unmatched. Not to mention his intellect and uncanny knack for finding the best Pokemon investments. This was firmly made true when Sterling predicted that the humble Base set Machop would provide the best returns in recent years.

Cedy - “That is some really cool stuff Sterling and they look expensive. Making those investment returns work for you I guess.”

Cedy notices that Sterling is then transfixed on the Phaeophyceae’s scarab amulet. It is not the strangest piece at the convention but does look pretty.

The information card reads: The necklace is a symbol of Phaeophyceae’s station in the royal court as vizier. The obsidian scarab is set in a bronze mounting, which is connected to a beaded necklace. Etched into the scarab is an inverted ankh; where the ankh is normally associated with life, the inverted ankh suggests an association with death. The bronze mounting is also etched with pictograms.

Sterling in his enthusiasm ignores the warning and touches the amulet. Sterling immediately has a reaction and seems to have difficulties breathing and is losing colour on his face. His face looks anxious and now sweat is pouring down from his brow

Cedy - “Sterling, Sterling, are you ok? You don’t look so good my friend!”

Cedy grabs Sterling’s arm to check his pulse. Cedy makes Sterling move to a corner rest chair and have a seat.

Cedy - “Deep breaths Sterling, take deep long breaths. Try to focus on my voice.”

Sterling’s pulse is racing, but it is looks like Sterling’s eyes are now focusing back. And just like that, Sterling seems fine. He looks at Cedy and says something in a low mumbling voice, which Cedy cannot comprehend. Before Cedy can say something more, Sterling stands up and moves off to a different exhibit. Cedy is confused and worried and follows Sterling swiftly.

(Cue to post 18 by @Will)