Post by Mr. Pooka on May 14, 2016 13:47:56 GMT -5
Murder in Crux!
This Story Prompt will be closed at the end of this August (2016). You may still use it and play with the stories as you wish after this time for your own personal fun but there will be no more prizes after the posted date and the story itself might become more difficult to fit into more cannon Sphinxes timelines!
The Murder Mystery is one of the most classic Gothic Horror Themes and has been (and will be!) retold time after time. There are many ways to use this particular prompt list and much can be gained from running a character through it! Just choosing the character you wish to use for this story can put a different spin on this tale making each unique and personal. You can use this prompt to explore and expand your views of the City of Crux and Lamoria or perhaps the backdrop isn't nearly as important and instead you can it can be all about the character development. Feel free to develop your own people and places as you go... Large pieces of Crux are stitched together like Frankenstein's monster in my head but it is a shared Sphinx city and there is many shadows that need to be developed and explored and you are all a part of the storytelling process. Together we can create a living and vibrant city filled with a pieces of everyone's imagination!
Murder in Crux
Rank 1
1. You are called on or otherwise needed to investigate a murder. Are you a member of the city guard/guard hired medium/fortune teller? asked by a friend or family member? Dreamed about the murder but don't yet know why or how you are tied to it? Got home from work to find your house surrounded by guards or onlookers?
2. Develop you reasons for investing and/or your ties to the victim or crime. Just another day on the job for the Guard/Nightwatch/Gargoyle? You had been on one date with the victim and felt a connection only to find him dead the next day? You are (or are hiding the fact) suspect yourself and the victim is a business partner/ex-lover/friend who you publicly argued with yesterday? You've seen this type of murder before?
3. Expand on your investigation of the crime. Do you use old fashioned sleuthing? Hire a Fortune Teller? Canvas anyone who may have saw something? Try and speak to the dead with your Medium powers?
4. Narrow your investigation to a short list of suspects or perhaps even feel you know who did it. How do you start to prove your findings? Can you directly accuse your suspect? Are there obstacles such as the murderer is wealthy/supposed to be in prison/a fellow city guard/intimidating powerful/well connected/ extremely hard to find?
5. You receive a mysterious note! Is it a threat to you or those you love? Is it an anonymous clue that seems truthful or suspicious? Is it a bribe to back off? Is it a complete red herring?
Rank 2
1. Your suspect vanishes or does something incriminating!
2. You use the above as a premise to search their home/lair. Is it a wealthy/guarded (or suspiciously not) mansion, a filthy tenement? An apartment above a popular shop or bar? An ornate wooden wagon parked outside the city watched by Rani suspicious of strangers?
3. You find some horrible evidence. Describe this (at your comfort level!). Is it a collection of horrible trophies? a detailed journal? a shrine to a murderous dark god? the murder weapon?
4. Before you have to long to complete your search of the lair or perhaps on your way out, you are attacked by a monster or lackey or well meaning house guardian. Do you run away? Fight? Explain yourself to the guard? Get yourself arrested?
5. You make your accusation public (tell your boss at the guard, inform the family who hired you, rant on a street corner about how a well loved noble is really a murder cult member, tell anyone who will listen to you from your cell/stocks.)
Rank 3
1. You get/find a major lead to where your suspect has gone or is hiding! How do you get this info? scrying magic? mysterious informant again? prophetic dreams? a direct challenge from your suspect?
2. Figure out a way to get to your suspect. Is there a journey involved? hire a wizard to break past magical wards or thief to break in? make a plan to circumvent your suspects guards or protectors?
3. You have a showdown with the suspect! Does it involved a dozen guards? A one on one fight on a castle balcony/ship deck/murder cult temple? goes off like clockwork with you sneaking in and simply knocking them out in their sleep? your clues lead you to a mirror and you realized that you are the actual murderer and have a split personality/are a werewolf/have been mind controlled by a vampire?
4. Are you victorious or a failure? Does the murderer get away or prove you were wrong the whole time? you defeat the murderer and give the victims family closure/get rewarded/promoted? get captured by a murder cult and barely escape? fallen into a trap by the murderer? have your guard captain swoop in and take all the credit for your hard work?
5. Describe the very next day after the showdown. do you just take a day off? get hired for another mysterious job? hide all the evidence for your alt personality/undead master?
Conclusion!
1. Describe the lasting repercussions of this whole mystery. Do you have scars (mental/physical/both)? A medal or promotion or reward or wedding proposal? Move to another city where the whole thing starts over again the exact same way? Keep visiting the person who got put in the dungeon for the crime who you know is innocent? Spend every day looking over your shoulder for murder cult members? Leave town to get away from the negative/positive exposure?
This Story Prompt will be closed at the end of this August (2016). You may still use it and play with the stories as you wish after this time for your own personal fun but there will be no more prizes after the posted date and the story itself might become more difficult to fit into more cannon Sphinxes timelines!
The Murder Mystery is one of the most classic Gothic Horror Themes and has been (and will be!) retold time after time. There are many ways to use this particular prompt list and much can be gained from running a character through it! Just choosing the character you wish to use for this story can put a different spin on this tale making each unique and personal. You can use this prompt to explore and expand your views of the City of Crux and Lamoria or perhaps the backdrop isn't nearly as important and instead you can it can be all about the character development. Feel free to develop your own people and places as you go... Large pieces of Crux are stitched together like Frankenstein's monster in my head but it is a shared Sphinx city and there is many shadows that need to be developed and explored and you are all a part of the storytelling process. Together we can create a living and vibrant city filled with a pieces of everyone's imagination!
Murder in Crux
Rank 1
1. You are called on or otherwise needed to investigate a murder. Are you a member of the city guard/guard hired medium/fortune teller? asked by a friend or family member? Dreamed about the murder but don't yet know why or how you are tied to it? Got home from work to find your house surrounded by guards or onlookers?
2. Develop you reasons for investing and/or your ties to the victim or crime. Just another day on the job for the Guard/Nightwatch/Gargoyle? You had been on one date with the victim and felt a connection only to find him dead the next day? You are (or are hiding the fact) suspect yourself and the victim is a business partner/ex-lover/friend who you publicly argued with yesterday? You've seen this type of murder before?
3. Expand on your investigation of the crime. Do you use old fashioned sleuthing? Hire a Fortune Teller? Canvas anyone who may have saw something? Try and speak to the dead with your Medium powers?
4. Narrow your investigation to a short list of suspects or perhaps even feel you know who did it. How do you start to prove your findings? Can you directly accuse your suspect? Are there obstacles such as the murderer is wealthy/supposed to be in prison/a fellow city guard/intimidating powerful/well connected/ extremely hard to find?
5. You receive a mysterious note! Is it a threat to you or those you love? Is it an anonymous clue that seems truthful or suspicious? Is it a bribe to back off? Is it a complete red herring?
Rank 2
1. Your suspect vanishes or does something incriminating!
2. You use the above as a premise to search their home/lair. Is it a wealthy/guarded (or suspiciously not) mansion, a filthy tenement? An apartment above a popular shop or bar? An ornate wooden wagon parked outside the city watched by Rani suspicious of strangers?
3. You find some horrible evidence. Describe this (at your comfort level!). Is it a collection of horrible trophies? a detailed journal? a shrine to a murderous dark god? the murder weapon?
4. Before you have to long to complete your search of the lair or perhaps on your way out, you are attacked by a monster or lackey or well meaning house guardian. Do you run away? Fight? Explain yourself to the guard? Get yourself arrested?
5. You make your accusation public (tell your boss at the guard, inform the family who hired you, rant on a street corner about how a well loved noble is really a murder cult member, tell anyone who will listen to you from your cell/stocks.)
Rank 3
1. You get/find a major lead to where your suspect has gone or is hiding! How do you get this info? scrying magic? mysterious informant again? prophetic dreams? a direct challenge from your suspect?
2. Figure out a way to get to your suspect. Is there a journey involved? hire a wizard to break past magical wards or thief to break in? make a plan to circumvent your suspects guards or protectors?
3. You have a showdown with the suspect! Does it involved a dozen guards? A one on one fight on a castle balcony/ship deck/murder cult temple? goes off like clockwork with you sneaking in and simply knocking them out in their sleep? your clues lead you to a mirror and you realized that you are the actual murderer and have a split personality/are a werewolf/have been mind controlled by a vampire?
4. Are you victorious or a failure? Does the murderer get away or prove you were wrong the whole time? you defeat the murderer and give the victims family closure/get rewarded/promoted? get captured by a murder cult and barely escape? fallen into a trap by the murderer? have your guard captain swoop in and take all the credit for your hard work?
5. Describe the very next day after the showdown. do you just take a day off? get hired for another mysterious job? hide all the evidence for your alt personality/undead master?
Conclusion!
1. Describe the lasting repercussions of this whole mystery. Do you have scars (mental/physical/both)? A medal or promotion or reward or wedding proposal? Move to another city where the whole thing starts over again the exact same way? Keep visiting the person who got put in the dungeon for the crime who you know is innocent? Spend every day looking over your shoulder for murder cult members? Leave town to get away from the negative/positive exposure?
