Where's Tutty? (An AionSource Mystery Event) [Updated with Day 5!]

[Knite]

"Dark deeds can happen anywhere, even on the peaceful island of Poeta. Compassion and caring often take a back seat to wealth, fame and power. Some times these things aren't always initially apparant, though and one particular case from only a month ago has been replaying itself in my mind. A little porgus had gone missing and was found dead and cooking in a Dukaki settlement. It doesn't seem strange at first glance, no, but the clues that were once obvious to me have begun to unravel themselves. The Dukaki of Poeta are harvesters, gatherers, and scavengers. They also hunt when they need to but they are not as bold as to leave their settlement more than a few paces- not with the mercenaries being so close to it.

I sense there is a dark secret on the island of Poeta and I shall discover it!"

Contest Details:

Welcome to AionSource's first ever mystery event! The goal of this contest is to put you in the shoes of the Chief Investigator as they question suspects and attempt to unravel what really happened to everyone's favorite porgus, Tutty.


The Mystery:

Each day, starting Saturday the 24th, the Chief Investigator will interrogate a new suspect. It will be your job to find the clues within the interrogations and gather enough evidence to make an arrest at the end of the event.



Entry:
Once all suspects have been revealed and interrogated, we will post a deadline for making your "arrest." You must then submit to us which of the 5 suspects you wish to arrest and present your reasoning in a short write-up (1-2 paragraphs should do). Please include motive, evidence, and how you think they did it.



Eligibility:

Any AionSource member may enter this contest and have a chance at one of the regular prizes. My apologies in advance to our international friends, but the grand prize can only be awarded to a person 18+ from the USA.


Prizes:

We will be giving out small prizes in the form of in-game potion packs to about 20 winners and from them a grand prize will be drawn for.

**NEW PRIZE** Anyone who receives a prize in this event, including the potion packs, will receive a custom forum title: Chief Investigator!


Grand Prize:

An Aion Launch Party bag filled with Halloween candy!

So put on your deerstalker and grab your Watson Watson- there's a mystery to be solved!

The Suspects:





Introduction

"Dark deeds can happen anywhere, even on the peaceful island of Poeta. Compassion and caring often take a back seat to wealth, fame and power. Some times these things aren't always initially apparant, though and one particular case from only a month ago has been replaying itself in my mind. A little porgus had gone missing and was found dead and cooking in a Dukaki settlement. It doesn't seem strange at first glance, no, but the clues that were once obvious to me have begun to unravel themselves. The Dukaki of Poeta are harvesters, gatherers, and scavengers. They also hunt when they need to but they are not as bold as to leave their settlement more than a few paces- not with the mercenaries being so close to it.

I sense there is a dark secret on the island of Poeta and I shall discover it!"



Day 1

My first suspect seemed a bit cliché, even to a seasoned investigator such as myself. Nevertheless, even stereotypes exist for a reason. I ventured towards Akarios Village to speak with Uno, a popular chef who takes great pride in being the incumbent winner of the annual Sanctum Cooking Contest. As I walked, I questioned a few people about Uno's entry plans for the upcoming contest and was taken back when I learned of Uno's very public disagreements with the hermit Pernos about cuisine.

Pernos had a knack for taming some of the more.. delectable... creatures of the forest such as the Fungen and Fungie. They always fetched an amiable sum at the markets due to their violent nature. The folk I questioned let on that Uno had asked Pernos on many occasions to sell him these tamed creatures for his dishes and each time Pernos refused, angry at the very suggestion. Needless to say, Uno wasn't very pleased.

The last straw had to do with Tutty. Uno wanted the tenderness of a young, tame porgus in his entry for the Sanctum Cooking Contest to fully absorb the flavor of his famous peppercorn sauce- but again Pernos refused. From an outside perspective, both sides were understandable. A hermit living alone on the Agaric Spore Road took it upon himself to create company where he lacked it and saw the creatures as his friends. A cook, on the other hand, sees such creatures in quite a different way. Interestingly enough, I heard from more than one person that Uno was seen in the area on the day of Tutty's disappearance. I wrapped my mind around the notion as I entered Akarios Village, where I quickly found Uno.




“What in Ariel's name are you getting at? Of course I wanted to win the Cooking contest. I am a cook after all and a fine one at that! Does that mean I'd run off with a porgus over it? Absolutely not. They found that little mud diver on a spit with the Dukaki. Isn't that enough for you?

It's bad enough that old hermit wouldn't sell me the pig, but then for it to be wasted on those kobolds... it just isn't right. I would have made... Tutty, was his name? Tutty! I would have made Tutty famous. If not by name, then by taste, ha! If you ask me, that porgus was a waste as a pet. Peppercorn sauce and boiled Kukuru, why I can almost taste the little guy now! Enough on that though... you were asking about why I was in the area. Well its simple, I had gone out there to try and reason with Pernos once more for the pig and those walking delicacies he calls Shroomer and Shroomin.

Only the old hermit was nowhere to be found. The Pig was gone too, so I obviously couldn't have snatched it. For all I know, the old man could have been out getting rid of it himself! He always said it was a troublesome pig, getting into his potions and chasing his Fungie pals around. I guess I'm not the only one who finds their taste irresistible.

Anyway, I really don't have any more time for this. If you're looking to pin the blame on anyone, talk to Pernos. Bah! Or that walking pillow of Kalio's! That Griffon is always getting into my meats and chasing animals around the forest. Ack! My Airon fillets are burning! Go away before your silly chatter ruins my dinner!"



Day 2

I took note of Uno's statements and took my questions to the people of Akarios. I learned very quickly that Akairos was a village of few secrets. Everyone seemed to be privy to each other's business and there was certainly no lack of gossip. When asking about Kalio, though, there seemed to not be a bad word spoken. He was the leader of the mercenary band that had moved into Poeta recently and was quite the respected figure. In fact, all my suspicions of him would have been taken care of that day if it weren't for his griffon. You see, while the townsfolk had much praise for Kalio himself, his griffon seemed to be a sensitive topic. From what I could gather, the griffon got into everything. Attacking any Kerubum that got too close to the village, chasing the qooqoo around, and even wandering off for hours at a time. I took my statements to Kalio himself.




"Oh, you're here about the griffon? Have you seen him? He ran off a few hours ago... hmm by your look I am sensing this is about something else. I've heard some of the villagers complain that he gets into their things and chases their pets around but there's not much I can do about it. He is tame, but even tamed animals retain their wild instincts. Porgus? He's a predator, I'm sure he likes it. Wait... is this about that missing porgus of Pernos'? My griffon only chases wild porgus, he wouldn't go after Tutty.


If you're looking for someone with a grudge against porgus, talk to one of my mercs, Ampeis. He's taken on a side job selling mushrooms that grow in Daminu forest and I hear he's actually hiring mercenaries of his own to keep the bellepig population low so they don't literally eat up his profits! But really, I think at the end of the day it's Pernos' fault for being irresponsible and not keeping an eye on his little pet! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my griffon."



Day 3

Any seasoned investigator will tell you that the person you least expect should be your first suspect. In this instance, that mindset lead me to Pernos. My gut feeling was that Uno's finger pointing derived from the two's bad blood but I had to be sure.

From what I had gathered, Pernos wasn't exactly a people person. He kept to himself along the Agaric Spore Road, studying his tomes, concocting potions, and offering his sagely wisdom to those who happen to pass by. One thing that doesn't really leave time for is watching over his animal friends. Along the way to speak with Pernos, I spoke with two of Poeta's wandering guard; Fredge and Nier. They told me that they often saw Tutty and Pernos' other animal friends wandering down past the Mercenary camp and often out as far as the Nymph's Pond. I continued on and eventually came upon Pernos, buried deep in a research manual.



"Interesting, indeed. Truly interesting! Oh, greetings, traveller! I can see in your eyes you have a great destiny about you! Why... you are already a Daeva! What do you seek from me? Ah, yes, my poor little friend Tutty. Tragic, isn't it? It's a sad day when a man's pet cannot even live it's life without being thought of as dinner or a mushroom theif or being chased by griffons or worrying about which potion he shouldn't... never mind that. What? Oh it's nothing. Tutty just always had a curious nature about him and we've had a few close calls with some of my concoctions he he he. Anyway, moving on-

I hope you find the culprit of this despicable scheme, dear investigator. I know in my heart that the Dukaki did not craft this crime and that only leaves that butcher of a chef, or that flying monster of Kalio's or that dreadful kinah-grabbing Shugo or or... forgive me, I'm getting flustered about the situation again. *sigh* Just find the true culprit in this caper and ease an honest old man's worries. If you're looking where to turn to next, the mercenary, Ampeis, has been upping his bellepig genocide in the name of profits. He and that Shugo will stop at nothing for a few coins, no matter who they hurt!



Day 4

Money can change even the most grounded person, but when your entire culture revolves around it, that change can be even more dangerous. Everyone in Atreia understands that the life of a Shugo is to earn kinah. In the case of Baevrunerk, this was a bit more of a struggle. I gathered from various contacts that Baevrunerk was an aspiring cube craftsman, though he was not very good at his trade, providing only very basic and inexpensive upgrades to cubes. This meant that Baevrunerk had to broaden his horizons to keep the kinah flowing.

Going on Pernos' accusations, I questioned people concerning the business arrangements of Baevrunerk and Ampeis. Those who knew anything about it were able to tell me that the two were the place to go for wild mushrooms. The reports that struck me as odd though, were the ones saying that Baevrunerk was hiring adventurers to find his cube... that he dropped in the Dukaki settlement. That's when the question presented itself, "What was a Shugo doing amongst the Dukaki?"



"Oh no no no, oh dear, you've got the wrong shugo on this one! Yep! Shugo doesn't hurt anybody! Oh mighty Daeva, you must believe! Yes yes, money is quite important to Baevrunerk, quite important to Shugo, but always always earned with only the best of morals, kind Daeva! Why, Baevrunerk offers the best of services to the humans! Very affordable cube enhancements and very affordable delicacies! Does Deava fancy a mushroom? akakak!"

"Oh sad indeed! Daeva is angry with Shugo for dealing with the Dukaki! Kind Daeva must understand that Baevrunerk is a merchant and a diplomat. He cannot discriminate with his wares, you see, Dukaki like mushrooms too, nyerk! I must have dropped my cube while dealing! Shugo is so clumbsy!

Do not ruin Shugo's great great business mighty Daeva, it is such a great business. You see, Ampeis hires glorious warriors, such as yourself, and they kill those greedy bellepigs who eat all our tasty mushrooms, nyerk! Shugo buys the mushrooms and the bellepigs from Ampeis and sells them to humans, dukaki- you see it is a good good business. Much much kinah, akakak! But never ever does Shugo do such terrible things as killing pets, no not such terrible terrible things!

Ampeis is a good partner, yes definitely good, but he is the one who hires and collects and sells such things to Baevrunerk. You, wise Daeva, must know that this would be the fault of the seller, not the buyer, nyerk! These other people you've talked to are much better suspects than Shugo, yes yes! Uno is very cheap, very very cheap. He does not pay what things are worth, that is why Shugo sells to the dukaki! And Pernos, oh Shugo does not travel there! Shugo would fear he would be turned into a ribbit, akakak! And Kalio's griffon, oh he chases me, too! Such a mean griffon to chase Baevrunerk so! Such a difficult life, it's so difficult!"



Day 5

I had only one more person to speak to before my job really began and that was the mercenary, Ampeis. As was evident from my talks with the people of Poeta, Ampeis had a side business. Ampeis discovered that the people of Poeta loved the wild mushrooms that grew in the forest. Apparently, the business was lucrative enough for constitute hiring mercenaries of his own to lessen the bellepig population. This, not surprisingly lead to accusations that Ampeis was responsible for the disappearance of Tutty.

Even his business partner, Baevrunerk, was quick to list him as a suspect, if only to take some of the suspicion off of himself.



"If you think I'm going to stop my business because someone's pet was killed, you're dreaming. Mercenary life can only pay for so much but with these mushrooms, and the means to get to them, let's just say I'm not wanting for anything. It's simple really, Poeta isn't really a place of residence for most people. We have people come through here looking for extra work and I give it to them. Kill a few bellepigs, earn a few kinah, then they're off and I don't see them again. They're happy, and I'm happy. What's the crime there? It doesn't even have to be adventurers. I've tried to get Kalio to rent me that griffon of his a few times now. That thing can sniff out a bellepig a mile away!"

"Look, I'm gonna be nice and help you with your case because I like your style. The person you need to be looking at is Uno. That stubborn man doesn't take no for an answer. Sure, he's willing to buy the mushrooms and bellepigs for his recipes, but at his price and let's just say he's not the most generous man out there. As soon as he sniffed out that Pernos was able to tame the creatures he used for his dishes, he was over there every day harassing the old man. Heck, I even saw him going that way a few times when Pernos was on one of his disappearing acts. That's where your pig Tooty went. Tutty, sorry, whatever it is.

Who knows, maybe it's even Pernos himself who done it. He's always out here preaching to me about how the forest is a sacred place and my killing and digging is blah blah blah. Funny thing is, that old man dumps so many potions into his "friends" and into the forest floor I'm surprised we're not all morphed into something else by now. I'd believe Tutty turned into daeva and flew away before I'd go pinning it on me. Anyway, I've got work to do. It's almost evening and the ground is nice and moist- perfect for digging up those little kinah caps. Best of luck and remember what I said."

[Josri]

No europe? qq

[Sardoni]

Oooo!!!! I LOVE EVENTS!!!

It was Miss Scarlet in the bedroom with her secretary... I mean knife!

[Skco]

Watson... drool

[Stonewahl]

Yay, looking forward to this!!

Although, we already know it was the butler, in the library, he used the candlestick....

[Kvinna]

Yay! Can't wait to see what people cook up. Mmmm BBQ!

[dalavita]

Heh.

I'm looking forward to all the Objection!-posts.

[Charliez]

Ehh, so I can still win potion packs, just not the grand prize if I'm in Toronto?

Also, any specific details on the potion pack?

[Sardoni]

Phoenix Wright ftw

[EmeraldArcana]

[ItsMoYo]

USA only...

[Sayha]

Whats up with the US only? Seriously?

[Knite]

Yeah, the in-game keys we're giving away are for potion packs, but I don't know the details of what you get, so they could be good or bad

And sorry for the non-US people but laws won't let me let you win the tangible prizes. If I had it my way you'd all be eligible

[Toddski]

This is madness.
P.S. nice spiderweb

[Celleron]

Like an Asmodian Daeva once said to my Asmodian little brother, 'Elementary, My Dear Daeva'.

Seriously though, these kinds of events are pretty sick. Hope Aionsource will have more seasonal events like these.