[Landroval] Solve-A-Mystery Roleplay Contest - October 19 at 2:30pm

[XinaLotRO]

Join us for a special solve-a-mystery roleplay event and contest on Saturday,
October 19th at 4:30pm /servertime (Eastern US)!
Meet at 9 Chestnut Street, Raglan, Bree-land homesteads.




The event features a family-friendly story and is open to characters of all levels.
The game is designed to be played by any number people. The event will last about 2 hours.
During the game, volunteers will take key roles as suspects in a mystery story.
Everyone else will roleplay Bounders, Rangers, sheriffs, and others appointed to investigate.
Clues are gained by examining evidence and interviewing the suspects.
The suspects and evidence will be located at five different, adjacent houses.

After completing their investigation, participants tell the host who the culprit is and why they commit the crime.
The first three who correctly solve the mystery win amazing prizes!
After the big reveal, we will have a costume contest.
First prize in both events is a code to unlock the premium pre-order edition of Helm's Deep!

Participants should show up dressed appropriately for a Halloween party or as investigators.
Please leave weapons larger than daggers at home. Pets should be kept outdoors.
Feel free to bring musical instruments if you would like to play.

Contact Kiralynn on Landroval or through email at kiralynn@roll3d6.com if you have questions about the event.

[XinaLotRO]

A Coursera student asked for directions to the ranch. Apparently he had some difficulty finding it with Google Maps. Here's a screenshot in case you get lost:

[XinaLotRO]

The suspects and evidence will be located at five different, adjacent houses -- the ranch at #9 Chestnut Street, the cottage at #8 Chestnut Street, the lake house at #7 chestnut street, the lodge at #4 Garden Street, and the home at #3 Fountain Street. The main party takes place at 9 Chestnut. Suspects will be located at the other houses.

Once the game begins, please stay in-character when using /say and emotes. Use /tell or the OOC channel to ask Kiralynn any game-related questions.

While you roleplay, please do not invent your own clues or evidence. This is a carefully designed scenario, not an open roleplay event.
Don't trust gossip from other participants. Only the four suspects, the chief investigator and Kiralynn have official game information.

Feel free to equip an investigator's outfit in one cosmetic slot, and your Halloween costume in another slot. Don't forget to chose a horse with scary tack to ride between roleplay locations!

Don't forget to bring your Rotten Fruit to pelt the guilty party once the solution is revealed!

[IkeIllmore]

It's a shame this will probably clash with the fellowship walk

[RavnDottir]

Feel free to equip an investigator's outfit in one cosmetic slot, and your Halloween costume in another slot. Don't forget to chose a horse with scary tack to ride between roleplay locations!

Don't forget to bring your Rotten Fruit to pelt the guilty party once the solution is revealed!

Xina .. what is Scary Tack for the horse??

Ravn

[XinaLotRO]

By "tack" I mean the equipment that your horse is wearing -- saddle, caparison, and so forth.

In order to accommodate the Fellowship Walk, we have moved the time of this event back to 4:30pm /servertime (Eastern US).

[RavnDottir]

By "tack" I mean the equipment that your horse is wearing -- saddle, caparison, and so forth.

In order to accommodate the Fellowship Walk, we have moved the time of this event back to 4:30pm /servertime (Eastern US).

I understand Tact .. I am wanting to understand what you mean by Scary Tact.
Is that just saying use your autumnal horses or is there a specific tact you are looking for.

[XinaLotRO]

It's time to announce the prizes for this weekend's events!

Both the solve-a-mystery contest and Halloween-themed costume contest have the same prizes:

* First prize - A code for the premium pre-order edition of Helm's Deep!
* Second and third prize - A code for 1,400 Turbine Points

Other door prizes will be given away during the event.

[XinaLotRO]

I understand Tact .. I am wanting to understand what you mean by Scary Tact.
Is that just saying use your autumnal horses or is there a specific tact you are looking for.

Ride whichever horse you like best. If you have put a lot of time and effort into your Halloween costume, you might want to ride a horse that will help enhance your outfit.

[XinaLotRO]

Greetings, investigators!

The solve-a-mystery roleplay event is only a few days away!
Here are some tips that can help you win the code for the premium pre-order edition of Helm’s Deep!





Each of the four suspects in the mystery will be located inside their home. The homes are located in the northwest area of the neighborhood, not far from the ranch. Items in each yard will help you identify who is inside.

3 Fountain Street is the home of Mundagar, the hobbit wheat farmer. It is located just east of the ranch, at the end of a narrow path. There is a large windmill in his yard.

4 Garden Street is the home of Mivenir, the woman poulterer (chicken farmer). It is located at the edge of the pond. There are two chicken coops in the yard.

7 Chestnut Street is the home of Yahr, the dwarf scholar. It is located down the hill at the water’s edge. You will find a pet cave-claw and a stone tomb in his yard.

8 Chestnut Street is the home of Glingil the elf painter. It is located next door to the ranch. You will see a Lorien lamp and a Gil-galad statue in her yard.

9 Chestnut Street is the home of the retired hunter, Mr. Umbridge. It is the scene of the crime. It is the largest building, with menacing stone trolls out front.

If you get lost, you can ask Dellphinia the Road Warden for directions.


Here is a map showing the location of the suspect’s homes.



Here are some tips from Chief Investigator Eliwren.

Don’t spend too much time with one suspect. Make sure that you have time to interview all four of them. Listen to what other investigators ask and pay attention to the answers. If there are too many investigators at one house, move on to the next and return later. Keep notes of any clues you find. Ask specific questions if you want useful answers. You must determine who commit the crime and why they did it. Report your findings to Kiralynn before time runs out.

[XinaLotRO]

Several days before the night of the big event, a decorating crew rode into Raglan. It was quite a task decorating the ranch, two deluxe buildings, two standard houses, and their surrounding yards. Nevanna, Carica and Bluebonnett brought an assortment of rare items and trophies. Although positioning all of the furnishings was a challenge, the most difficult part of the job was wrangling livestock — a dozen noisy chickens, a prickly cave-claw, and an unruly hound.



Visitors who arrived early gathered around a bonfire to watch a troupe of hobbits light up the night sky with an amazing display of fireworks. The bright flashes helped guide guests through the neighborhood to the ranch.



After the Fellowship Walk completed its weekly fundraising, the final guests arrived and it was time to head indoors. The air was filled with anticipation.



Die Meisterbarden von Bree, a famous band who won top honors at this year’s Weatherstock, arrived to entertain the crowd. The Halloween-themed music quickly put everyone in the mood for a party.

[XinaLotRO]

Of course, no party is complete without dancing! The chests were opened to reveal a large stock of pipe weed, ale and snacks. Kiralynn announced the beginning of the solve-a-mystery event. Chief Investigator Eliwren introduced the mystery and the suspects. Two paper mache trolls had been set up at the front door of Mr. Umbridge’s house overnight. When he discovered them in the early morning, he thought they were real and took a fright. He fell down the stairs, twist an ankle, and hit his head. After he was taken to a healer, he identified four suspects as the likely culprits — Glingil, Mivenir, Yahr and Mundagar. Investigators were tasked with determining which had perpetrated the prank.




Road Warden Dellphinia helped investigators find each of the suspect’s homes. Here is the house of Glingil, elf painter and cartographer. Glingil answered questions and sang a song to show her love of wildlife. She hated Mr. Umbridge because he hunted and fished to excess, decorating his house with gruesome trophies and bragging about it in public. Glingil’s paint had gone missing the night before.

She sprang into sight at the end of her leaping,
And peered all around her, and listened for sound.
With delicate nostrils she touches the water,
And silvery circles start gliding around.
A mystery glistens from deep in her brown eyes.
I know she will suffer. She’ll perish, I know.
I feel I am living the myth of the maiden
Who back in the old times turned into a doe.
The moonlight reflected with cherry tree blossoms
Her fairylike presence, a radiant spot.
If only the hunter’s old fingers were tired,
If only he bungled and blundered the shot!
But there was a twanging. She knelt on the pebbles,
She gazed at the stars for a final adieu,
And fell in the water, with blood rushing downstream,
A last intimation to places she knew.

This is the house of Mivenir, woman poulterer (chicken farmer). She also had a strong dislike of Mr. Umbridge because he allowed his hunting hound to run loose in the neighborhood, occasionally savaging her chickens. Rolls of chicken wire had been stolen from Mivenir’s home during the night. As you can see, Mivenir was quite angry and wise investigators kept their distance.




Here we are at the house of Yahr, dwarf scholar and explorer. He had an axe to grind with Mr. Umbridge because the man often mocked him for being short, wimpy and intellectual. Yahr’s wagon had been used to transport the fake stone trolls. Clever investigators discovered the lyrics to a song he wrote mocking his mean neighbor.

When I was a young man and no one took umbrage
I couldn’t ask aught that the ladies denied,
I hunted the forests and often the taverns
And never spoke love but I knew that I lied.

But I said to myself, Ah, they none of them know
The secret I shelter and savor and save,
I wait for the one who will see through my seeming,
I’ll know when I love by the way I behave.


The years drifted over like clouds in the heavens
The ladies went by me like snow on the wind,
I charmed and I cheated, deceived and dissembled
And I played them for sport and quite often I sinned.

But I said to myself, Ah, they none of them see
There’s a part of me pure as the whisk of a wave.
My lady is late but she’ll find I’ve been faithful,
I’ll know when I love by the way I behave.


At last came a lady both knowing and tender
Saying you’re not at all what they take you to be,
I betrayed her before she had quite finished speaking
So she swallowed cold poison and jumped in the sea.

I say to myself when there’s time for a word
As I gracefully grow more debauched and depraved,
Ah, love may be strong, but a habit is stronger
And I knew whom I loved by the way I behaved!

[XinaLotRO]

Mundagar the hobbit wheat farmer was happy to tell visitors about Mr. Umbridge’s shortcomings as a neighbor. The farmers of Raglan have a strong tradition of sharing produce with each other in years of good harvest. The grumpy hunter, Mr. Umbridge, wouldn’t share his goods and didn’t leave fish in the pond for others to catch. This offended Mundagar’s sense of honor. Sacks of flour were stolen from his windmill.




Chief Investigator Eliwren called everyone back to the ranch to compare clues. After examining the evidence, it was determined that Glingil had borrowed the wagon, stolen chickenwire and flour, mixed her own paints into shades of grey, used to flour to make glue, sculpted the chicken wire into frames, and constructed the pair of stone trolls out of paper mache. She admitted to the crime and the audience pelted her with rotten fruit. After the publish shaming, justice was served and Eliwren escorted her off of the property. With the mystery solved, it was time to announce the winners!




Swafro was the first to correctly deduce the solution to the mystery, winning a code to unlock the premium pre-order edition of Helm’s Deep. Mosby finished in second place and Yuraim in third, both winning codes for 1,500 Turbine Points. Congratulations!

Many thanks to our decorators and actors – Nevanna, Carica, Bluebonnett, Lennidhren, Byrcha, Runesdaeg, Kaerri and Talechaser. Without volunteers, these events would not be possible. Thank you to “Die Meisterbarden von Bree” for the musical entertainment. Special thanks to Sapience of Turbine for providing the amazing prizes!

Check back tomorrow for a report on the Halloween party and costume contest.

[XinaLotRO]

Saturday’s party and costume contest started with music and dancing, thanks to “A Rock and A Hard Place”. The band performed a number of Halloween-themed hits that attracted a crowd of over forty dancers. Hobbits, men, elves and dwarves arrived from all over Middle Earth in the hopes of winning the grand prize.




The crowd included a motley assortment of goblins, animals, ghosts and villains. Twenty-four contestants signed up to compete for the premium pre-order edition of Helm’s Deep. The expansion will be released on November 18th.





The avian costumes were popular this year and the birdies lined up for a group photo.




The audience voted for the winners. Almost everyone received a vote but a few of the costumes earned special approval from the audience. An honorable mention was awarded to Shuggie for an impressive metal mask, white beard, and black robes. Kilni won third place, while Carica took second, both going home with 1,500 Turbine Points. It was Sajynna in the guise of Little Red Riding Hood who won by a wide margin.




Click here to see screenshots of all costumes.
(My apologies if I spelled any names wrong. With such a long event and dozens of contestants, it was sometimes difficult to keep up with the chat window.)

Many thanks to “A Rock and A Hard Place” for making the evening musically memorable, rockin’ the kinhouse, and keeping everyone entertained during the counting of votes. Special thanks to Sapience of Turbine for providing the amazing prizes.

The next Windy Acres event is the Haunted Derby, scheduled for November 16 at 2:30pm /servertime. This is a wild race from Buckland to the Barrow Downs and back, winding through the Old Forest. All standard horses and ponies are allowed with any speed enhancements that you care to use.

Happy adventuring and we hope to see you at the races!