starmods | PATHÉTIQUE | Hostage Trial

PATHÉTIQUE | Hostage Trial

[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.

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[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]

★ 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."

Edited 2021-05-08 00:21 (UTC)

★ 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.]

Edited 2021-05-08 01:06 (UTC)

★ 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."

Edited 2021-05-08 01:33 (UTC)