There are several ways your characters can pinpoint the suspects, following logically from any of the initial options:
• If they asked Lien to fingerprint the glass, Lien will tell them there are only two peoples’ fingerprints on it; the personal butler and the maid. The fingerprint analysis process, however, will finally give them two names. The butler is called Yongnian, and the maid is called Rou.
• If the characters followed up at Stark Industries about the properties of the poison testing, they’ll discover that neither of the liquids they were given actually test for poison. If they confront Lien about this, Lien will tell them he got the liquids from the Snakes - revealing the name of their third suspect, a guard called Genghis.
• The personal butlers live in the mansion, in their own little sequestered quarters. (These are actually unused bedrooms, but for the purpose of the Mystery Games, personal paraphernalia like pictures and small statues have been put in the rooms.) The magnifying glass will reveal small traces of black sand in Yongnian’s bed, and using the same two chemicals as before will result in the same reaction as before - it’s definitely the same sand.
• By contrast to the butlers, the maids live apart from the mansion, though almost always within a one block radius. (This is certainly not true outside of the Games.) A little asking around will reveal Rou’s address, and the characters can go knock on her door. There are a couple of different ways to approach her, since a formal accusation of murder only counts if it’s made to Lien. Accusing Rou of the murder will make her burst into tears, and she’ll haltingly explain to the group that she didn’t murder anybody - she tricked her way into a maid position because she’s secretly stealing from the Snakes, and if Yunxu finds out, she’s dead. If on the other hand the characters approach her in a more subtle and compassionate way, she’ll admit to having followed Yongian home one day, and been utterly confused when his home turned out to be a glass blowers’ studio.
• If your characters decide to try and confront Yongnian, he will be mysteriously impossible to find.
• Genghis, on the other hand, is almost always on patrol just outside the lobby, and fairly easy to bump into. He’ll be tight-lipped no matter how your characters choose to approach him, but not out of stubbornness or spite. The more observant among the players might notice the fear in his eyes.
Once your characters have taken some or all of these methods, Lien will approach them and say he can’t let them run around the mansion for very much longer - he needs to know who did this, and he needs to know it now. At this point, your characters must formally accuse one of the three suspects (or, if they’re feeling ambitious, any one of the other NPCs involved in the Serpent’s Demise, though it will perplex the heck out of Lien.)
no subject
• If they asked Lien to fingerprint the glass, Lien will tell them there are only two peoples’ fingerprints on it; the personal butler and the maid. The fingerprint analysis process, however, will finally give them two names. The butler is called Yongnian, and the maid is called Rou.
• If the characters followed up at Stark Industries about the properties of the poison testing, they’ll discover that neither of the liquids they were given actually test for poison. If they confront Lien about this, Lien will tell them he got the liquids from the Snakes - revealing the name of their third suspect, a guard called Genghis.
• The personal butlers live in the mansion, in their own little sequestered quarters. (These are actually unused bedrooms, but for the purpose of the Mystery Games, personal paraphernalia like pictures and small statues have been put in the rooms.) The magnifying glass will reveal small traces of black sand in Yongnian’s bed, and using the same two chemicals as before will result in the same reaction as before - it’s definitely the same sand.
• By contrast to the butlers, the maids live apart from the mansion, though almost always within a one block radius. (This is certainly not true outside of the Games.) A little asking around will reveal Rou’s address, and the characters can go knock on her door. There are a couple of different ways to approach her, since a formal accusation of murder only counts if it’s made to Lien. Accusing Rou of the murder will make her burst into tears, and she’ll haltingly explain to the group that she didn’t murder anybody - she tricked her way into a maid position because she’s secretly stealing from the Snakes, and if Yunxu finds out, she’s dead. If on the other hand the characters approach her in a more subtle and compassionate way, she’ll admit to having followed Yongian home one day, and been utterly confused when his home turned out to be a glass blowers’ studio.
• If your characters decide to try and confront Yongnian, he will be mysteriously impossible to find.
• Genghis, on the other hand, is almost always on patrol just outside the lobby, and fairly easy to bump into. He’ll be tight-lipped no matter how your characters choose to approach him, but not out of stubbornness or spite. The more observant among the players might notice the fear in his eyes.
Once your characters have taken some or all of these methods, Lien will approach them and say he can’t let them run around the mansion for very much longer - he needs to know who did this, and he needs to know it now. At this point, your characters must formally accuse one of the three suspects (or, if they’re feeling ambitious, any one of the other NPCs involved in the Serpent’s Demise, though it will perplex the heck out of Lien.)