| ◄ |
General |
“What Are You Afraid Of?” |
Transcript |
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More information will be added as more facts are known. Speculation or even partially unconfirmed details should be avoided. |
| What Are You Afraid Of? | |
|---|---|
| |
| General information | |
| Season | Moonlit Legacy |
| City | Ashbury |
| District | Blackbloom Woods |
| Case # | 1 |
| Initial release date | January 28th, 2021 |
| Partner(s) | Maataello Zhang |
| Case chronology | |
| ← Preceded by | Succeeded by → |
| — | Fearing the Undead |
| “ | On a not-so-fateful night, an explorer meets his doom as his body is found in an enchanted coffin, suffocated to death! Will you unveil the truth behind this mystical murder and find who made this man breathe his last? | „ |
| —Case Teaser |
What Are You Afraid Of? is a case featured in Criminal Case where it appears as the first case in Moonlit Legacy and the first case in the Blackbloom Woods district of Ashbury.
Plot[]
The player and their team commerced on the side of the road a few nights after the player was hired into their ranks following the casualty of a previous member. It had taken some time to get used to the player being around, especially for their ghostly coroner, but overall, they were welcomed with open arms. Jada, one of the player’s hunting partners, had brought them a drink and asked how they were holding up, knowing that this type of life on the road would be a lot to take in, especially given they’d be away from the ones they care about. Before she was able to finish, the chief called her away, in need of her assistance, before Maataello (or Mateo as he preferred to be called), the player’s other partner, slid up close to them and asked them to take a walk with him and get some fresh air. He led them through Blackbloom Woods to a cemetery, where he would explain that there was something on the other side he’d link them to see, but unfortunately, their peaceful walk was cut short upon the discovery of an ominous coffin that sparkled with magical particles. Being too curious for his own good, Mateo opted to open the coffin himself, and with much effort, the lid finally popped open, only to reveal the body of an explorer he soon recognized as Christopher Shaw.
Realizing that there had been no way he would’ve accidentally gotten himself locked in an enchanted coffin, he came to the conclusion that this had to have been murder. Jennifer’s autopsy confirmed that he had died of suffocation, but it had been mere hours apart from his time of death to the discovery of his body. In the scene, they were able to find a pair of dogtags near the coffin and torn pieces of a hand fan, both of which were traced to the victim’s cousin Javier Ortega and Japanese vampiric princess Lia Murata respectively. Javier said he knew nothing of his cousin’s murder, noting the fact that they hadn’t talked in years, and Lia, while showing her fangs and popping open another hand fan, exclaimed that the one they found weren’t hers, and it wasn’t even made with the proper material. Hers are one of a kind, and to think that a cheap knock off was hers was insulting. She did reveal though that she thinks she may have seen someone wearing that raggedy coat in the cave tavern where all the Nightworlders hung out for a drink, Mateo not knowing that the same explorer he met before knew of the Nightworld.
At the tavern, he uncovered a note addressed to the victim written by a certain Robin, who not even he recognized given he liked to blow off steam by visiting this place often. When notified of the explorer’s death, Robin simply nodded and said it was a shame. Mateo asked what exactly she wanted to talk to the victim about, and Robin simply lifted her hood up and placed it over her hair, turning around and saying it was nothing he needed to know. Although he pressed further, he stopped once she started to give him an icy glare that would send shivers down one’s spine, even one who had been exposed to many strange and scary phenomenons. He then tried to ask her what role she played in the Nightworld, or what had been her species, before she shrugged and disappeared into the shadows. They also spoke to charming warlock Jeremy Carter after they discovered his spellbook in the victim’s satchel, Jeremy placing a hand on his chin and wondering where exactly he placed it. Per his words, he only turned away for a few moments to get a drink at the tavern, but could not find where his book had gone afterwards. It wasn’t like he needed it though, as he’s had centuries to memorize that book like the back of his hand and figured some young magician would need it far better than he did. Following Jeremy’s interrogation, a raven had circled on top of Mateo for a while now, and once he whistled it down, it flew directly on top of his head and had a folded paper in its mouth...
Mateo took the paper from the raven’s mouth and opened it, revealing a map from a circled point to the woods. He recognized it as the victim’s own handwriting and always did remember that he carried a raven around with him, so it must make sense that the bird was his. Stroking the raven’s wing, he allowed it to perch on his shoulder while thinking that it might be worth checking out the place Christopher circled, which had led them to his own shack. Inside, they found a business card belonging to scientist Kimberly Dixon, who eagerly wanted an interview with the victim. When they asked her what it had been about, she had been shocked that he had ended up dead, but let them know that Christopher happened to stumble upon a supposed lost artifact that was said to be cursed on his property, but of course it happened to have rightfully belonged to him. All she wanted to do was to possibly get the chance to examine its contents up close or see if Christopher had been experiencing any weird feelings recently. Furthermore, proof was found the victim’s cousin had lied about the two not having seen eachother for years per the pocket knife found lying on the floor, and Javier was easily provoked, exclaiming that Christopher had not been the same person he knew when they last met and he had changed for the worse. He had been chasing some urban legend that was nothing more than fantasy, and he was too caught up in his own head that he began to push away everyone else, but after seeing how arrogant he had been, he gave up in trying to get through to him.
Subsequently, Mateo and the player investigated the tavern once more and discovered the killer quoted a line from the book ‘Into the Woods’ to lure Christopher towards the cemetery. Not only that, the victim’s journal provided insight onto what exactly he had been after, the heart of the Tree of Life, but Matt wondered how he came to know of that given it wasn’t something mere mortals were supposed to know of. Either way, he wouldn’t be able to get his hands on such a dangerous and important item, as it had been protected by it’s own guardian and a woodland spirit said to have been over a thousands years old, but no one’s ever come face to face with one of them. At least, no one that lived to tell the tale. Anyway, Christopher had also written that a gorgeous vampire, that seemed to be describing Lia, had been stalking him. The vampiress though digressed it was the other way around; at every corner she turned to, she seemed to run into the explorer, and even she grew frustrated of it. She flaunted her fan once more and clarified that she had other matters to attend to than follow some weird legend hunter and as her parents told her, would surely not kill him, as a princess never dirties her hands.
After finding a broken pin on the ground where Christopher’s booth had been, Mateo groaned as he recognized who it had come from, a weird conspiracy theorist by the name of Brent Smith. As Mateo told it, Brent is a human who somehow finds his way to the tavern with no knowledge of the nightworld, no matter how many times they’ve had to erase his memories. The kid wasn’t harmful, to say the least, but he sure could be annoying at times. Mateo and the player spoke to Brent, who, as Mateo said, had been his normal, intrusive and energetic self, recognizing the merman right away and asking if he also saw the bartender pour water into the glass without touching it. Mateo ignored his question and instead asked about the victim, Brent’s eyes lighting up as he remembered him as the one who said he was close to discovering something out of this world. They conversed for a bit, but Christopher seemed to be in a hurry and left Brent behind after he told the kid to get them both a glass of water.
In the end, they reported back to their chief, who scratched his chin and explained he was able to discover more of the victim. However, he has had reasons to suspect that the artifact the scientist spoke of was dangerous, so he would like the two hunters to retrieve it at his shack. What had awaited them, however, was the door to the shack forced open, and items lying all over the floor...
It was obvious that someone had broken inside in search of something, possibly the item Mateo and the player were sent to retrieve, he thought. With further investigation of the wreck, it was proven that the one who broke into Christopher’s shack was Robin. Even after being caught, she refused to reveal her intentions for going in the victim’s shack, saying that they had no authority over her. If she were to kill someone, she wouldn’t do it in such a lousy manner that would set herself up to be caught. If they were to suspect, they should look at the scientist who she had seen with her own eyes threaten Christopher. Kimberly looked shocked when the pair of hunters asked her about Robin’s account, though did not deny her quarrel with the explorer. She just could not help it knowing that something so precious that could change the world was with Christopher, and he wouldn’t anyone to see it. They also spoke to Jeremy after finding that he sold the victim a potion, and the warlock scratched his chin and suddenly recalled that it was something he indeed had done. The potion would allow him to have ten minutes of incredible resistance and endurance, but he simply did not question it since all that mattered was that everyone he sold to paid the price for the potion. Furthermore, Brent was interrogated after uncovering Christopher had taken Brent’s videocamera with a recording of Christopher talking to, what the camera showed, nothing but air. This infuriated Brent, especially after Christopher told him to get lost and call him a kid who knew nothing of what he would be getting into.
In the end, it was discovered that the explorer’s killer was Jeremy. Mateo and the player confronted the warlock, who put on his usual facade and attempted to flirt his way out of the situation with the hunters. Although Mateo had been slightly swoon by Jeremy’s charms, he reminded himself that he had a boyfriend already and murdering someone in cold blood had been a huge turn off. The more Mateo pressed, the more agitated Jeremy had become, until he eventually cracked and asked why they couldn’t just let some things remain hidden. He confessed to what he had done, killing someone like that, but he explained that he just couldn’t help himself. The Nightworld wasn’t ever supposed to be a place bounded by laws and regulations like mere mortals live out their lives, dictated by a higher power, but instead, were supposed to rule the world or at the very least not live out their boring immortal lives. So, as simple as it may have been, his motive for killing Christopher had been simply because he had bored and wanted the thrill of the kill he’d been longing for ever since The Council had restricted it! He thought it’d be fun to target a hotshot explorer who was too nosy for his own good, and of course Christopher had fallen into his trap, hook, line and sinker. Jeremy admitted that he was impressed at how much of a fight the explorer put up, but naturally, he overpowered him and stuffed into a coffin, enchanting it in the end to make sure he couldn’t get out. To Jeremy, that had been the most exciting thing he had ever done in decades, and that was saying something. Mateo was disgusted at his blatant disrespect for human life and properly restrained the warlock with devices that would restrict his powers, then letting him face the three faces of The Council, Ambrosia the intimidating vampiress, Caspian the surprisingly playful yet powerful warlock, and Zephirine the quiet yet cunning fae. Caspian perked up at the sight of Jeremy and eagerly asked what he had been here for this time. When being told of what Jeremy was charged with, Ambrosia groaned and called Jeremy a fool. The rules the council established were there so that the supernatural wouldn’t all turn into bloodthirsty animals and monsters like the mortals depicted them to be, in case that their cover were to be blown one day. They did not need pointless bloodshed on all sides where humans could be caught in crossfire and bring destruction to the world. Although Zephirine remained quiet, they all talked amongst themselves and Caspian then pouted, exclaiming that Jeremy better think about what he’s done during his time-out, which was 60 years in the Nightrealm prison, Jeremy accepting his sentence and noting that at least he had something eventful happen to him after a life of boredom!
After the trial was over, Mateo crossed his arms and had been upset that a murder had ruined their afternoon, but that didn’t mean the night had to be over yet, and holding a small bash would be great for the player to properly settle in with the team. Jada would approach the player soon after, claiming that she needed help with Jennifer.
Summary[]
Victim[]
- Christopher Shaw (suffocated in an enchanted coffin)
Murder Weapon[]
- Suffocation
Killer[]
Suspects[]
Killer's Profile[]
- The killer uses rosewater.
- The killer is superstitious.
- The killer has read 'Into the Woods'.
- The killer's blood type is B-.
- The killer is a man.
Crime Scenes[]
| Cemetery | Memorial Stone | Cemetery Bonus |
| Cave Tavern | Booths | Cave Tavern Bonus |
| Victim's Shack | Countertops | Victim's Shack Bonus |
Steps[]
Chapter 1[]
- Investigate Cemetery. (Clues: Coffin)
- Examine Coffin. (Result: Unlocked Coffin)
- Investigate Cemetery. (Clues: Victim’s Body, Horseshoe, Dogtags, Torn Pieces; Victim Identified: Christopher Shaw)
- Examine Dogtags. (Result: Initials)
- Analyze Initials. (09:00:00; New Suspect: Javier Ortega)
- Inform Javier Ortega of his cousin’s murder. (Prerequisite: Initials analyzed)
- Examine Torn Pieces. (Result: Hand Fan)
- Ask Lia Murata about her hand fan being at the scene. (Prerequisite: Hand Fan repaired; New Crime Scene: Cave Tavern)
- Investigate Cave Tavern. (Prerequisite: Lia interrogated; Clues: Victim’s Satchel, Faded Note)
- Examine Victim’s Satchel. (Result: Spellbook; New Suspect: Jeremy Carter)
- Question Jeremy Carter about his spellbook being in the victim’s possession. (Prerequisite: Spellbook found)
- Examine Faded Note. (Result: Note Writing)
- See what Robin wanted with the victim. (Prerequisite: Note Writing revealed)
- Analyze Horseshoe. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer is superstitious)
- Autopsy Victim’s Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer uses rosewater; Murder Weapon registered: Suffocation)
- Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)
Chapter 2[]
- Investigate Victim’s Shack. (Result: Card, Pocket Knife)
- Examine Card. (Result: Woman identified; New Suspect: Kimberly Dixon)
- See why Kimberly Dixion wanted the victim to talk to her. (Prerequisite: Woman identified; Profile updated: Kimbely Dixon is superstitious)
- Analyze Pocket Knife. (12:00:00)
- Ask Javier Ortega why he lied about not seeing the victim. (Prerequisite: Pocket Knife analyzed; Profile updated: Javier Ortega uses rosewater)
- Investigate Booths. (All tasks above must be completed; Clues: Trash Can, Journal, Broken Pieces)
- Examine Trash Can. (Result: Crumbled Paper)
- Analyze Weird Note. (12:00:00; Attribute: The killer has read ‘Into the Woods’)
- Examine Journal. (Result: Unlocked Journal)
- Confront Lia Murata about stalking the victim. (Prerequisite: Journal unlocked; Profile updated: Lia Murata uses rosewater and is superstitious)
- Examine Broken Pieces. (Result: Pin)
- Talk to Brent Smith about the murder. (Prerequisite: Pin restored; Profile updated: Brent Smith uses rosewater)
- Go to Chapter 3. (No stars)
Chapter 3[]
- Investigate Countertops. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: Broken Doorknob, Bottle)
- Examine Doorknob. (Result: Fingerprints)
- Analyze Fingerprints. (06:00:00)
- Confront Robin for breaking into the victim’s shack. (Prerequisite: Fingerprints analyzed; Profiles updated: Robin uses rosewater, is superstitious, and has read ‘Into the Woods’; Javier Ortega is superstitious)
- Ask Kimberly Dixon about her threats to the victim. (Prerequisite: Robin interrogated; Profile updated: Kimberly Dixon uses rosewater and has read ‘Into the Woods’)
- Examine Bottle. (Result: Substance)
- Examine Substance. (Result: Hair Gel identified)
- Question Jeremy Carter about the potion he gave to the victim. (Prerequisite: Hair Gel identified; Profile updated: Jeremy Carter uses rosewater, is superstitious, and has read ‘Into the Woods’)
- Examine Videocamera. (Result: Unlocked Video Camera)
- Talk to Brent Smith about the victim taking his camera. (Prerequisite: Videocamera unlocked; Profile updated: Brent Smith is superstitious and has read ‘Into the Woods’)
- Investigate Memorial Stone. (All tasks above must be completed; Clues: Bloody Stone, Fabric)
- Analyze Bloody Stone. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer’s blood type is B-)
- Examine Fabric. (Result: Substance)
- Analyze Substance. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer is a man)
- Take care of the killer now!
- Go to From the Ground Up (1/6). (No stars)
From the Ground Up (1/6)[]
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| Cases in Moonlit Legacy | |
|---|---|
| Blackbloom Woods | What Are You Afraid Of? • Fearing the Undead • Frozen Hell • Rain of Death • Bane of Mankind • Nature's Vengeance |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |
| TBA | TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA |