Bellum Letale Logs

The plaque on the wall says:

The murderer and the runaway must sing this rhyme
So find who they are to keep in time.
While the rogue must find a name
That suits him true and not his current game,
O soldier, you are not immune to our song,
Confess a thing where you were in the wrong.

This room is absolutely blank white. There are no doors, no windows, and no corners. The air smells conditioned by machine, but there is no breeze, and a steady temperature of 70 degrees.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

Tie up the canine criminal, detective,
though he must be furry and ineffective.
We'll not force a confession in this chamber aside,
Not from the lucky daughter of Dickens' bride,
But Miss Good, remember your old ties,
Mind your manners and tell no lies,
Or there will be an unfortunate consequence
In the form of small, hungry little eyes.

This room resembles a medieval subterranean dungeon. Chains hang from the ceiling. There is rotting straw strewn on the roughly-hewn cobblestones, and what little light filters through the bars at the very top of the room, some fifty feet above, does little to alleviate the gloom. On the walls various tools of medieval restraint and torture hang: ropes, whips, thumb screws, etc. Many are stained with old blood and rusting with exposure. There is an iron maiden watching from one corner, a rack in the British style along one wall. Whoever designed the room was not historically accurate: there are devices notable for their use in earlier or later periods, and they're mixed together at random. The designer knew enough not to include modern handcuffs or zip ties, however, and the occupants of the room while find little to recognize from the last two centuries.

There are rats, and yes, they're hungry. ( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

I spy with my little eye:

One who has things to hide,
One who lives with wounded pride,
One who lives in constant fear,
One who wants no one near,
Two who lie and two who don't,
Two I trust and two I won't.

It's hard to trust the liars, yes,
But I'm afraid that is the test.
Still they'll have to trust you too,
Since they must confide in you.

The room is bare, save for two tables and one, bright light above. If anyone tries to walk out of the light, the light simply expands to accommodate them. All four participants must remain in the light at the same time. There is nowhere to sit, and even if they walk endlessly, they will reach no doors and no walls.

One each table there is a box with one gun and one bullet. Each box is locked to begin with, and the word Confide is emblazoned on the lid of each of them.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

All hands on deck, the lion and fish
but not one finger for girl with the wish
to simply go home. A seance will make
free men of you all, if you undertake
to summon a spirit that will mean your freedom
you must each spell the name of one passed to death's kingdom.

A Victorian parlor with a table in the center. The furnishings are all in dark red and blue velvet, with the windows covered by curtains that will not move. It is a lush, if musty room, full of the scent of fresh incense. On the table in the center there is a Ouija board.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

the beast in the deep feeds on the dark
and in order to wake him, to give him that spark
The invisible cat must hold the book
and read his crimes in the chant
while the man who's a frog,
quite at home here, I feel
must follow him after, but rant

then comes the catalyst, brave, yet a fool
who will read to us all whom he left to die
and last but not least, the man jack will then school
us all the things that made beauty cry.

The participants will find themselves in a dark room lit only by the aquarium that makes up all four walls. It is filled with exotic fish and plant life, and the water seems to go on forever, like they've been dropped into a glass box at the bottom of the ocean, though the ceiling and floor are both plain, opaque plaster. The plaque is on the floor. If they look carefully, they might see a hint of a shark out there.

...Or something more sinister. On a stand in front of one of the walls, there is a heavy book bound in what is (hopefully) leather, emblazoned with runes. Underneath the runes there is an English translation: 'NECRONOMICON'

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

What an odd courthouse to find yourself at rest,
But a pirate's life is no joke, no jest,
So perhaps the three maids will find a way
To convince the jury to let him go where he may.
Maids, gentle though ye be,
Tell the lads a tale raucous to set the pirate free,
Or else let us hope he will stay afloat,
And does not fear the end of a rope.

An oversize courthouse that smells of lemon polish and hard benches. Russell is firmly behind the defendant's traditional seat, but he's chained there and there's no moving him. The doors to the courthouse are secured. Twelve shadows in the shape of men are watching Russell from their seats in the box; another shadow with a booming voice is on the bench. There is, thankfully, no prosecutor.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

In the Beauty's mind there is a play
From the greatest Bard of his day,
And with her to direct Phantom and his lady,
The queen of tales shall see
A scene of two star-crossed lovers,
Horrible though one may be.
A word of warning for those present here:
Not a drop of real blood shall this play house see,
Or the house will become a prison
For the offender, whoever he (or she) shall be.

A replica of The Globe Theatre, down to the last board and peg.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

On this group of lovers four,
Fate has come and closed the door.
The wedding bells chime times two,
One chime for each two of you.
Obsessions all, obsessions one,
Share yours before the hour is done.
Should your confessions truthful be,
The wedding feast shall come to thee.
The confessionals are in the rear,
Go forth, if you have naught to fear.

One more caveat for you lot:
A double wedding this is not,
It's up to you who ties the knot.

The room resembles a bright, airy church, and the four people within it are dressed for a wedding. The pews are filled with faceless party guests, and while there is no ancient mariner who stops one of three, there is a cleric at the altar in black robes, which waits for them. Should all four approach the altar, they will be ignored and the cleric will not begin the service - nothing will happen.

The women are dressed as brides and the men as grooms. Any attempt to leave the church will result in entering the church again, over and over, ad infinitum.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

Tick tock tick tock goes the clock,
Take the rides, swallow your pride.
Look to the ringmaster
To announce your success or your disaster.

This carnival's tent is a challenge of four
One for each must achieve to open the door.
Plus one final goal, for all as one
Take the last bow for a task well done.

It's a five ring circus under the big top, and smells of hay and cotton candy. They begin in the first ring and cannot leave, and each task is designated by color. Aiden is in black, Boyd is in Red, Hannah is in blue, and Mina is in Green.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

Sit down for tea with friends at last,
And have a chat about days gone past.
Memories, old and new, are your currency in this room;
Tell us your first and tell us your best,
And tell us true, or the tea will be done quite soon--
It is rude to get up before you're through.

This room is absurdly pleasant, were it not for the lack of doors. The windows show a bright spring morning outside, but they do not open, and there is nothing to see but impossibly green grass in any direction. The wallpaper has yellow posies on it, the armchairs are covered in lace doilies and smell like grandmothers, while the tables are cluttered with china dogs and similar knick knacks. There is tea and cucumber sandwiches on the sitting room table.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

The Count must keep his mouth closed tight,
As he has done quite enough biting, if I'm right,
While the Prince must put his charm to sticky-fingered work
and find the suits hidden in the suits.

Gentle maidens, some attention paid:
'Ware your moves and steps staid,
for if you ring a bell or touch a spade,
you all must start again, and there are fifty-two yet to raid.

Here's a hint, because I'm kind:
the suits with blood are the ones to find.

This room is circular, with a radius of about fifty yards, and lit with tubes of electric light. It is filled from wall to wall with dress manikins, some standing on plaster legs, others on wire strings, and still more on metal poles held steady on platforms of wood. The press of manikins makes it difficult to move. Each faceless manikin wears a man's suit, of different cuts, colors, and makes, and each suit is strung over with tiny silver bells. It will take a master to inspect a suit by touch without ringing the bells.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

Let us all play hide and seek,
Though the room has sprung a leak.
But who shall seek and who shall hide?
That is where the riddle lies.
And with the water rising thick,
I recommend you make it quick.

The one who seeks is seldom seen,
And of this fact he's very keen.
He keeps it secret, close and quiet,
But to free you all, he cannot hide it.

One more thing before you play,
Underwater is where you must stay.

The room is a giant fish bowl - this is obvious (after examination), given the rounded edges of the glass, the distorted view beyond, the little plastic castle and the pirate chest, all on pink gravel. At the offset, however, there is no water in the fish bowl. The room beyond is visible, but it is completely empty and seems to be comprised only of walls with no doors.

As the plaque is read, water begins to fill the bowl and the room beyond, and the under-gravel filter kicks in, making standing hard.. Everything goes dark when the last word is read and it remains completely dark until the seeker is determined, at which point the bowl is full and the water overflows to the room beyond. Jumping out of the fishbowl is not an option, as the fall would kill the jumper. Once the seeker is chosen, the fish bowl illuminates, but the only light is the small fish-bowl light, and the participants will find they share space with hungry fish, much larger than they are.

( Directions. )

The plaque on the wall says:

A motley crew, if e'er I saw,
And not a one against the law,
Except for that one tiny thing,
But it was hardly worth the sting.
Babies, see, are very small,
And barely worth the fuss at all.

So this boat is in the clear,
From dock to dock and pier to pier.
Except, you see for smaller dings,
Like broken hearts and hateful things.
So for this boat to stay afloat,
Kindness, friends, was all she wrote.

And this hint I give you now,
What you want is near the bow.

The room is not a room at all, but rather a pirate boat, complete with a crew that is ready to wage war against another vessel that is coming ever closer. The vessel is missing two things, which becomes immediately apparent: a captain and a name.

( Directions. )