MURDERS AT STONE MANOR
Plot:
Dark grey clouds were slowly moving across the sky. A storm was coming; “one of the heaviest in the decade” as the meteorologists kindly put it. Though it was only just past 3 PM, by how dull the sky was, you would think it was evening. Siddharth or Sid as everyone used to call him was making his way up the hill on the long road that pointed to Stone Manor. Even though it was his friend and long-time associate Stone’s house, he never exactly visited it any time even though he heard so much about it. He just never had the reason and after splitting upm he never had to visit. He didn’t even think of coming to the ceremony for Stone’s first death anniversary, but when Piérre personally invited him, he couldn’t say no. After all, Stone was his associate for such a long time.
He soon reached the gigantic iron gates of the mansion with the initials “S.M” emblazoned on it. It opened to let him in and he drove through the long driveway to the mansion. From here, he could see the vast garden with its lone fountain in its center. He’s heard there were hundreds of gardeners tending to it every day but in recent times, it’s been a bit neglected which he can tell from its current state. He drove the car to the garage and he walked to the house. He only saw how huge it was when he came close to it. The estate spans over a good 10 acres and the mansion itself would be about 8000 square feet and has 5 floors.
He rang the bell and soon Piérre, the caretaker of this mansion, opened the door and greeted him. He was invited in and seeing how empty the giant hall was, he reckoned he was one of the first guests to arrive. Piérre explained the doctor is examining Syril, Stone’s daughter, for some reason and that her aunt Adele was with her. Francesca, Stone’s second wife, came down and greeted him warmly. He had seen a few photos of her on the cover of a few magazines and she was pretty well-known in the fashion community. She had a mysterious beauty about her and the bangles on her wrist jingled as she shook hands with him. Politely declining her request to wait in the living room, he decided to look around the hall. Going around the entire mansion once would take a full day at least. This house really was huge, and most of it was not utilized considering there were only about 4 people living here, not including the many servants. They were all sent away early for the ceremony so that it would be a private gathering.
Maybe it was the silence but Sid couldn’t help but feel that this ceremony would not end well. He could hear the sounds of cars arriving and Piérre immediately appeared to greet them. It had already started raining and it would become a downpour in a few hours. Colonel James Walcott and Peter Brussels were deep in conversation as they made their way inside. As Peter looked at him and smiled warmly, he knew, something would happen in this mansion in the near future. There will be revelations, shocking ones...
He soon reached the gigantic iron gates of the mansion with the initials “S.M” emblazoned on it. It opened to let him in and he drove through the long driveway to the mansion. From here, he could see the vast garden with its lone fountain in its center. He’s heard there were hundreds of gardeners tending to it every day but in recent times, it’s been a bit neglected which he can tell from its current state. He drove the car to the garage and he walked to the house. He only saw how huge it was when he came close to it. The estate spans over a good 10 acres and the mansion itself would be about 8000 square feet and has 5 floors.
He rang the bell and soon Piérre, the caretaker of this mansion, opened the door and greeted him. He was invited in and seeing how empty the giant hall was, he reckoned he was one of the first guests to arrive. Piérre explained the doctor is examining Syril, Stone’s daughter, for some reason and that her aunt Adele was with her. Francesca, Stone’s second wife, came down and greeted him warmly. He had seen a few photos of her on the cover of a few magazines and she was pretty well-known in the fashion community. She had a mysterious beauty about her and the bangles on her wrist jingled as she shook hands with him. Politely declining her request to wait in the living room, he decided to look around the hall. Going around the entire mansion once would take a full day at least. This house really was huge, and most of it was not utilized considering there were only about 4 people living here, not including the many servants. They were all sent away early for the ceremony so that it would be a private gathering.
Maybe it was the silence but Sid couldn’t help but feel that this ceremony would not end well. He could hear the sounds of cars arriving and Piérre immediately appeared to greet them. It had already started raining and it would become a downpour in a few hours. Colonel James Walcott and Peter Brussels were deep in conversation as they made their way inside. As Peter looked at him and smiled warmly, he knew, something would happen in this mansion in the near future. There will be revelations, shocking ones...
Character Backstories (written by @Hitomi
:Syril Stone
Jacques Piérre
Colonel James Walcott
Siddharth Nayak
Peter Brussels
Eric Blake
Francesca Moreno
Reverend Xavier
Adele Samuels
Twenty-two year old Syril Stone grew up on a military base in a country ravaged by war. When her father retired from the military, he moved them back to his hometown where he and a friend from high school started working at his old family business. When it began producing high profits and eventually grew to be a major powerhouse, it marked the start of a life of luxury for Syril. Her father, always busy at work, rarely spent time with her, but she developed a close relationship with her mother. When her mother died from illness, she had to suppress her anger toward her father, believing that he didn’t care enough to do anything for her. She turned instead toward her Aunt Adele, who loved her like a daughter.
When Stone married a new woman, she and Syril were constantly at odds and, though the woman pretended to care for her, probably only just married Stone for his money. Syril inexplicably inherited the entire fortune from her father when he died suddenly. The new CEO, Eric Blake, made advances on her frequently, but, believing that he was only after her family fortune, she rejected him time after time.
When Stone married a new woman, she and Syril were constantly at odds and, though the woman pretended to care for her, probably only just married Stone for his money. Syril inexplicably inherited the entire fortune from her father when he died suddenly. The new CEO, Eric Blake, made advances on her frequently, but, believing that he was only after her family fortune, she rejected him time after time.
Jacques Piérre
Piérre was an old gentleman who had been hired to tend to Stone’s ailing wife and other minor duties around Stone’s massive estate while Stone worked. When she died, Piérre assumed responsibility for failing the family and tried to quit, but Stone appreciated his loyalty and requested him to stay. He agreed and began managing Stone’s personal schedule. He witnessed the strained relationship between Syril and her new stepmother after the marriage and though he alone realized that the new wife didn’t love the daughter as she pretended to, he kept quiet.
When Stone died, he was the only one to suspect foul play and not illness. In an effort to weed out the person responsible for Stone’s death, he organized a small get-together with all the people close to Stone.
When Stone died, he was the only one to suspect foul play and not illness. In an effort to weed out the person responsible for Stone’s death, he organized a small get-together with all the people close to Stone.
Colonel James Walcott
Colonel Walcott grew up in a broken family with a strict military father. At a young age, he was disciplined into being a studious, disciplined man. At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the army and became a lieutenant by the age of twenty-five thanks in part to his military connections and part due to his strong leadership potential. He was stationed in a war-torn region where he met a young sergeant named Sebastian Stone. They became good friends and remained in contact after Stone returned home to tend to the family business.
Walcott remained in the army for many years and was promoted to full colonel. He eventually retired and ended up in the same town where his old war buddy now ran a successful business. The two renewed their friendship but it was more strained; Walcott disapproved of the way Stone treated his family and friends, and when Stone’s first wife died, Walcott warned him that the new woman he was seeing was only after him for his money.
Walcott remained in the army for many years and was promoted to full colonel. He eventually retired and ended up in the same town where his old war buddy now ran a successful business. The two renewed their friendship but it was more strained; Walcott disapproved of the way Stone treated his family and friends, and when Stone’s first wife died, Walcott warned him that the new woman he was seeing was only after him for his money.
Siddharth Nayak
Siddharth (or “Sid” as everyone used to know him by) and Stone were old friends from high school. Though he was of Indian origin, he was born and raised completely in the US. When Stone had an idea for a small business after returning home from duty in the military, he was more than ready to leave his family’s business and join him. He called up his old friends to help manage publicity. For several years, the two built a successful, large retail business, which had gradually grew up to be one of the major powerhouses in the nation. However, he and Stone had a major disagreement when he suggested that they open a manufacturing plant overseas to cut costs. Stone rejected this plan and soon one thing led to another and Siddharth felt he could no longer work with Stone. He left the organization and returned to his family business.
Though by this point, Stone Enterprises had grown so much and due to Stone’s insistence that no other company be able to survive in the market as long as his company was there, his business was gradually growing weaker. But right when it was in danger of dying, Stone mysteriously died in a car accident. Though the young, new CEO was good and had potential, he was never as good as Stone and the family business started to slowly regain its stature.
Though by this point, Stone Enterprises had grown so much and due to Stone’s insistence that no other company be able to survive in the market as long as his company was there, his business was gradually growing weaker. But right when it was in danger of dying, Stone mysteriously died in a car accident. Though the young, new CEO was good and had potential, he was never as good as Stone and the family business started to slowly regain its stature.
Peter Brussels
When Stone and his former business associate began having disagreements, Stone hired an advisor to help him with business decisions. It was Stone’s desire that should he become unable to continue, Brussels take over the company. Brussels kept the company running well and made a number of profitable investments and helped Stone find a young man with considerable talent to become his vice-president. When Stone died suddenly, many people wanted Brussels to become the new CEO, but he refused and favored the vice-president to take over. The new CEO, Eric Blake, kept Brussels on to help continue Stone’s legacy.
Eric Blake
Straight out of a prestigious business master’s program, he was very young but Stone had trust in his abilities and he soon became the vice-president. After Stone died, the advisor made him the new CEO rather than himself even though most people wanted the latter. Even though he has potential, the company profits gradually seemed to fall with each month. Most likely due to Eric’s lavish lifestyle: girls, clubs, bars, sport events etc etc. Recently, he’s (seemingly) started to develop a fascination for Syril, Stone’s daughter, and supposedly is in love with her (and/or has an eye for her money). It’s a public secret he wants to marry her, but somehow she keeps rejecting his advances, which has made him growingly frustrated. Thanks to Peter, Eric continues to make good investments and he continues Stone’s anti-outsourcing policies.
Francesca Moreno
Stone met his second wife at a charity auction. She's a relatively well-known model in the fashion community and has appeared on the cover of quite a few magazines. Twice divorced, she claimed to be looking for a man to settle down with permanently. She and Syril had a strained relationship from the start and she suspects the woman’s motives for marrying her father. Syril’s aunt Adele, and Francesca are constantly at odds and Syril herself believes that her new stepmother secretly had no desire to establish a close family relationship. When Stone died, Francesca expressed thinly veiled frustration that Syril inherited the entire family fortune.
Reverend Xavier
Rev. Xavier was the one who raised Stone in his convent from since he was a young orphan boy. He was the one who taught and took care of him till he was eighteen. When Stone expressed interest to join the army, he helped him along the way. When Stone returned home from the war and moved his family back into his hometown to start a new business, he quickly re-established a relationship with him.
Xavier helped instill Stone with honest business practices, which carried over to positive community feedback toward Stone’s business. Stone confided so many things to him, so many dark secrets, you could say he was Stone’s unofficial secret-keeper. But the priest never said a word about it to anyone ever; he doesn’t exactly talk much anyway to boot. Little is known of his life before the church; Stone never mentioned what the priest was like before he joined the convent and he certainly never spoke about it to anyone. He is currently over 80 years old and very weak, but when Syril invited him to come for Stone’s first death anniversary, he accepted.
Xavier helped instill Stone with honest business practices, which carried over to positive community feedback toward Stone’s business. Stone confided so many things to him, so many dark secrets, you could say he was Stone’s unofficial secret-keeper. But the priest never said a word about it to anyone ever; he doesn’t exactly talk much anyway to boot. Little is known of his life before the church; Stone never mentioned what the priest was like before he joined the convent and he certainly never spoke about it to anyone. He is currently over 80 years old and very weak, but when Syril invited him to come for Stone’s first death anniversary, he accepted.
Adele Samuels
Adele was thrilled when her sister married Mr. Stone. She was dismayed when Stone’s military duties carried them to a war-ravaged country. Several years later, Stone moved the family back to his hometown and retired from the military. When his business became more and more successful, she noticed that he gradually grew more and more apart from his sister and Syril. When Adele’s sister became ill, she moved in with the family and took care of her sister and her niece. When her sister died, Adele accused Stone of being more involved in work than in his family’s life.
When Syril turned eighteen, she spent more time at Adele’s house than her own; it was around this time that her father became engaged and eventually married another woman. Adele constantly argued with Stone about how this was an injustice to her sister’s memory and vehemently tried to convince him that the woman was solely after the money and not because she cared about Syril or the family. When Stone died suddenly, Syril inherited his entire fortune and she gave a portion of it to Adele as thanks for everything she had done for her and her mother.
When Syril turned eighteen, she spent more time at Adele’s house than her own; it was around this time that her father became engaged and eventually married another woman. Adele constantly argued with Stone about how this was an injustice to her sister’s memory and vehemently tried to convince him that the woman was solely after the money and not because she cared about Syril or the family. When Stone died suddenly, Syril inherited his entire fortune and she gave a portion of it to Adele as thanks for everything she had done for her and her mother.
Basics:
#1. There are 9 players in the game, one of them will be the “killer” whose objective is to kill a set number of players without being discovered, the others are the normal players whose objective is to find out the killer’s identity before he kills the required amount of players.
#2. There are 7 rooms or areas in this game.
* Stone’s Office Room
Expansive room on the topmost floor with one side having a large window, and Stone’s desk and chair right in front of it. The window overlooks a small part of the garden and the front driveway. On either side of the room, are bookshelves that reach the ceiling and they’re stacked with management books.
* The Gallery
Long hallway which goes the entire length of the house. One side has priceless and expensive paintings of various sizes and values down the length of the hallway, and the other side has large windows on regular intervals which overlook the garden. This is the only way that can be used to access Stone’s office room.
* Music Room
Giant room made especially for Syril. It has a piano and various other instruments as well and it’s where she practices regularly. Portraits of musical greats like Beethoven and Mozart line the walls and the room is especially sound-proofed so that once the door is closed, not a sound could be heard outside. Chairs are also lined around the room and this is where musical nights are held.
* Dining Room
Long rectangular room with an equally long table placed in its middle. It’s big enough to hold about 30 people at the same time. The room is pretty much a central point in the mansion. It has about 5 doors leading off from it, leading to the kitchen, to the main hall, to the servant’s quarters, to the bedrooms and to the gallery.
* Bar
This was made especially for when Stone has important guests and they have to be treated well. Even when there aren’t any guests to speak of, it can still be visited any time. It’s pretty small compared to the other rooms in the mansion but taken by itself, it’s still considerably wide. There is a long table with a shelf stacked with many bottles and the rest of the room is filled with small round tables and chairs for playing cards and such.
* Kitchen
Kitchen built with enough capacity to allow about a hundred chefs to work simultaneously. There are rows and rows of tables where the chefs can work on items of different cuisines. During the initial years, there were a few parties that were held in Stone Manor, and this place was buzzing with activity. Now since there only a few people to feed, not including the many servants, only a small part of the kitchen really needs to be used.
* Garden
One of the largest gardens in the state. Other than the mansion, the garden alone takes most of the remaining part of the estate. There are fields of flowers everywhere all neatly arranged in rows. There is a large fountain in the center that is neatly carved in the shape of an angel.
Expansive room on the topmost floor with one side having a large window, and Stone’s desk and chair right in front of it. The window overlooks a small part of the garden and the front driveway. On either side of the room, are bookshelves that reach the ceiling and they’re stacked with management books.
* The Gallery
Long hallway which goes the entire length of the house. One side has priceless and expensive paintings of various sizes and values down the length of the hallway, and the other side has large windows on regular intervals which overlook the garden. This is the only way that can be used to access Stone’s office room.
* Music Room
Giant room made especially for Syril. It has a piano and various other instruments as well and it’s where she practices regularly. Portraits of musical greats like Beethoven and Mozart line the walls and the room is especially sound-proofed so that once the door is closed, not a sound could be heard outside. Chairs are also lined around the room and this is where musical nights are held.
* Dining Room
Long rectangular room with an equally long table placed in its middle. It’s big enough to hold about 30 people at the same time. The room is pretty much a central point in the mansion. It has about 5 doors leading off from it, leading to the kitchen, to the main hall, to the servant’s quarters, to the bedrooms and to the gallery.
* Bar
This was made especially for when Stone has important guests and they have to be treated well. Even when there aren’t any guests to speak of, it can still be visited any time. It’s pretty small compared to the other rooms in the mansion but taken by itself, it’s still considerably wide. There is a long table with a shelf stacked with many bottles and the rest of the room is filled with small round tables and chairs for playing cards and such.
* Kitchen
Kitchen built with enough capacity to allow about a hundred chefs to work simultaneously. There are rows and rows of tables where the chefs can work on items of different cuisines. During the initial years, there were a few parties that were held in Stone Manor, and this place was buzzing with activity. Now since there only a few people to feed, not including the many servants, only a small part of the kitchen really needs to be used.
* Garden
One of the largest gardens in the state. Other than the mansion, the garden alone takes most of the remaining part of the estate. There are fields of flowers everywhere all neatly arranged in rows. There is a large fountain in the center that is neatly carved in the shape of an angel.
#3. Initially before the game begins, the players may select which area they want to visit and with each phase, you can visit a different area. Only two players maximum can visit a single room at the same time and if you pick a room with 2 people already in it, either you’ll remain in the same room you were in at the time, or you’ll be asked to pick another room.
#4. When the killer intends to make a kill, he has to PM me a room and whoever is in the room will die. The killer will be notified in advance of the details of the victim (everyone will know who is which character before the game starts), and he has to write up an entire murder scene for the victim and these will be posted as the phase changes by me. The murder scenes can contain any number of clues pointing to other characters, but it must contain at least one clue that points to his character. The killer will have complete freedom on how to write the murder scenes and may have clues that are strange and even contradicting. The intention is he has to make it seem like other characters and not him is the killer. But however it is written, the murder scene has to be reasonably elaborate and not end in a few sentences. Dialogue is also welcomed.
#5. Whenever a player has an idea on who the killer might be, he has to PM me his official guess (Guess: [Player]) along with an explanation, brief or large, on why he thinks X is the killer. Guesses without any believable reason for them will not be accepted. If right, the player wins the game and if not, he is immediately out of the game. Each player will have only one guess and there’ll be no second chances. Even if you’re dead, as long as you haven’t made a guess to me yet, you’re still in the game. You just can’t communicate with the other players, but you can still PM me your guess anytime.
#6. Whenever a player dies, they will receive a clue on the killer’s identity based on the murder scene the killer wrote up. If the killer picks a room with more than one player in it, one of them will be selected as the victim at random but here, both the victim and the other player in the room will receive a clue. If the room doesn’t have a player in it, the killer can select another room.
#7. Once a kill happens in a room, it'll be temporarily "closed" for the next phase and no one can visit the room for that phase. After which it'll be open for visits (and kills).
#8. At the start of every phase, the killer will be notified of who all are in which room for the previous phase. To allow the killer to have an idea of whom all might shift to which rooms.
#9. The game ends whenever any of these happens:
* The killer makes 4 kills without anyone guessing correctly on his identity. The killer wins.
* Six players are out of the game, including players who died and the players who made wrong guesses. The killer wins.
* Someone guesses the killer’s identity correctly before he can kill the required amount of players. Whoever guesses it first wins the game.
#10. Communicating with others might help you in narrowing down candidates for the identity of the killer. For instance, suppose X (who’s James Walcott) contacts Y (who’s Syril) and says one of his character details is that he uses a walking stick (which may or may not be true, this is just an example). But when X is killed, his murder scene doesn’t mention anything about a walking stick at all and says he tries to escape by running down the hall. This gives X possible proof that Y cannot be the killer. So talking with others would help if used right.
#11. Since if you end up being the killer, you’ll be expected to write up entire murder scenes for each character every 2 days. So sign up only if you’re going to be moderately active throughout the game (which will most likely last only about 10 days max)
#12. At the end of it all, there can be only one winner, so best of luck. ^^
Rules:
#1. As the host, I claim the right to add, edit, or delete rules as needed in this game.
#2. Warnings and/or Modkills for:
- REVEALING YOUR ROLE PM. Enough said. No photos, no to anything. If this happens, immediate removal from the game.
- FAKING A ROLE PM. Do not try it. This also counts in the “Revealing Your Role PM” rule.
- INACTIVITY. Unless you tell me before absence (up to five days at most), I will replace you or if not possible, remove your role from the game. If you think you can't remain active, you might not want to sign up.
After three days without any posts, or contacting anyone, I shall take action for the inactivity.
- POSTING AFTER DEATH, INFORMATIVE STYLE. If you're dead, don't be informative. It ruins the game. If I find any proof that a living player is involved in the mischief, then I will take action.
#3. Rules regarding PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS
Feel free to share copies of private messages (OTHER THAN ROLE PMs) however you want, via PMs, QTs, or in the public thread. You can take screenshots if you wish.
#4. I would like copies of your PMs. Conversations, planning, anything. Be sure to add @J J M in the To: field when sending PMs and replying so that I get both the PMs.
If you make a QuickTopic, please give us the link. If you use a name other than your username, tell us what name you're using in the QT. If you're using IM, at least tell us what kind of conversation you had with another player if you cannot give us a log. And if you’re having a Skype chat, make sure to invite me to the chat. Also, PM me the Skype log of the conversation in case I miss the discussion.
#5. If you have any questions, feel free to PM us.
#6. If you change your username, please announce it in the thread! It's confusing for the players and us if you don't do this.
#7. UPDATES: Each phase or “Chapter” will last for 48 hours.
All updates will occur at 3 PM GMT. Check your timezones accordingly.
I’ll let you know if anything changes regarding the update time.
Just a note; if there is no update after two hours passed since 3 PM GMT, it means I could not come in to update, and in those cases, the phase will be extended. I’ll try to let you know prior to this happening as much as possible.
#8. If you’ve read up to this point, congratulations. Oh, and the period in your sign-up post must be of a specific color. The order should be blue/green/red/purple. If the post above you has a blue period, yours should be green and so on.
#2. Warnings and/or Modkills for:
- REVEALING YOUR ROLE PM. Enough said. No photos, no to anything. If this happens, immediate removal from the game.
- FAKING A ROLE PM. Do not try it. This also counts in the “Revealing Your Role PM” rule.
- INACTIVITY. Unless you tell me before absence (up to five days at most), I will replace you or if not possible, remove your role from the game. If you think you can't remain active, you might not want to sign up.
After three days without any posts, or contacting anyone, I shall take action for the inactivity.
- POSTING AFTER DEATH, INFORMATIVE STYLE. If you're dead, don't be informative. It ruins the game. If I find any proof that a living player is involved in the mischief, then I will take action.
#3. Rules regarding PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS
Feel free to share copies of private messages (OTHER THAN ROLE PMs) however you want, via PMs, QTs, or in the public thread. You can take screenshots if you wish.
#4. I would like copies of your PMs. Conversations, planning, anything. Be sure to add @J J M in the To: field when sending PMs and replying so that I get both the PMs.
If you make a QuickTopic, please give us the link. If you use a name other than your username, tell us what name you're using in the QT. If you're using IM, at least tell us what kind of conversation you had with another player if you cannot give us a log. And if you’re having a Skype chat, make sure to invite me to the chat. Also, PM me the Skype log of the conversation in case I miss the discussion.
#5. If you have any questions, feel free to PM us.
#6. If you change your username, please announce it in the thread! It's confusing for the players and us if you don't do this.
#7. UPDATES: Each phase or “Chapter” will last for 48 hours.
All updates will occur at 3 PM GMT. Check your timezones accordingly.
I’ll let you know if anything changes regarding the update time.
Just a note; if there is no update after two hours passed since 3 PM GMT, it means I could not come in to update, and in those cases, the phase will be extended. I’ll try to let you know prior to this happening as much as possible.
#8. If you’ve read up to this point, congratulations.
Oh, and the period in your sign-up post must be of a specific color. The order should be blue/green/red/purple. If the post above you has a blue period, yours should be green and so on.
Last edited:
