PATHÉTIQUE | Hostage Trial

[starmods]

[you're ushered into a sitting room with your own team, away from everyone else. the door shuts and locks behind you.

straight ahead, sitting on the coffee table, is an indestructible clock with an indestructible starry globe... that seems to contain a small plastic figurine that looks exactly like Celeste—the one teammate missing from this room.

the outer lord's voice rings overhead:]

I've taken from you one of your teammates, and now I'd like to see how far you'd go to protect them.

Comments

DECISIONS

[starmods]

[encompassing the entirety of one wall is a large chart of the night sky's constellations, with several of the constellations and their names lit up—you instinctively understand that it's a touch-screen where you select one of the highlighted constellations to initiate the team's challenge for that round.

the constellations highlighted are as follows:]

★ Aquarius: "the waterbearer"
★ Boötes: "the herdsman"
★ Caelum: "the engraving tool"
★ Canes Venatici: "the hunting dogs"
★ Crater: "the cup"
★ Cassiopeia: "the seated queen"
★ Pyxis: "the compass"
★ Taurus: "the bull"

[comment to the R1/R2/R3 header below this toplevel with your choice; a new thread with the challenge, where you can play it out, will come up. when characters complete a challenge its constellation is no longer lit and can't be chosen again]

R1 DECISION

[starmods]

Re: R1 DECISION

[thefaultinthestars]

Taurus

R2 DECISION

[starmods]

R3 DECISION

[starmods]

R4 DECISION

[starmods]

DISCUSSION

[starmods]

Re: DISCUSSION

[dontdeadopeninside]

Which one do we pick first?

[glancing in confusion at the figure what even]

Re: DISCUSSION

[thefaultinthestars]

[well i'm displeased but]

Outer Lord, have you forgotten? You haven't specified the win conditions of this trial.

Re: DISCUSSION

[chirpchirpmfer]

[ Peering at the lil plastic Celeste. ]

... Ya think this is really her?

TO HIS CONSTELLATION.

[slicedbread]

Sponsor. Before things get messy, I'm here to give you a report on future cost projections, post-trial. These expenses may or may not be used.

R1

[starmods]

★ Taurus: "the bull"

The goddess, Ishtar, sent this bull to kill Gilgamesh for his advances.

[You are provided with a branding iron and a container of molted heat.

You understand the instructions as follows:]

"You must heat this iron as hot as possible and brand one of your teammates with it."

Re: R1

[dontdeadopeninside]

I can be branded.

Re: R1

[thefaultinthestars]

[welp grabs the iron and starts heating it.]

Any volunteers?

R2

[starmods]

★ Crater: "the cup"

A constellation depicting a krater, a cup reserved for drinking wine.

[You are provided with a single goblet of a dark liquid that smells bitter.

You understand the instructions as follows:]

"At least one person must consume the liquid in this cup to forfeit either their sight, their hearing, or their sense of touch."

[NOTE: the lost sense is ICly random, but can be OOCly determined with choice or dice. and even with the loss of touch they will still feel pain, though they won't Know this.]

Re: R2

[dontdeadopeninside]

I can do it.

Re: R2

[chirpchirpmfer]

[ STARES AT THE CUP. ]

Dude everyone knows you never pick cups on live streaming services.

Unless you're into that kinda thing in which case gross.

Re: R2

[thefaultinthestars]

Outer Lord, can you tell us now if the effects are temporary or permanent?

R3

[starmods]

★ Cassiopeia: "the seated queen"

The vain queen of Aethiopia who sat upon her throne with pride.

[You are provided with a large thorny crown of dried vines.

You understand the instructions as follows:]

"One person must wear this crown for the rest of the trial. Removing it at any point is the same as failing the challenge."

Re: R3

[dontdeadopeninside]

I can wear it.

Re: R3

[chirpchirpmfer]

[ Sniffing it. ]

This one's weirdly simple.

Re: R3

[thefaultinthestars]

[Sigh.

Just puts the crown on without ceremony or asking what anyone thinks about it.]

R4

[starmods]

★ Pyxis: "the compass"

It's not the compass of the sea, but instead a draftsman's compass.

[You are provided with a single compass and several knives.

You understand the instructions as follows:]

"You must trace a large circle onto your teammate's skin with the compass and cut out the flesh to the bone."

Re: R4

[dontdeadopeninside]

You can cut me.

Re: R4

[chirpchirpmfer]

How the fuck does this have anything to do with a compass.