Murder mystery Role Play. You play the character, I'll play the mystery! You'll be working with your fellow role players to solve the mystery. Here is the beginning of the Role Play, your job is to take it away! Start your first post right where I left off. Go, go, go!:

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The wagon let out a stressed creak as its wheels bumped along the trail. Its once familiar path hadn't seen a traveler in eight months and had become overgrown with thickets and brush. The wooden wheels trudged sluggishly along, doing their best to re-plow the way they had taken so many years to work over. They'd all been through this path thousands of times, but now, the wheels, the two heavy set brown horses, and their old, long bearded driver were all begrudgingly pushing forward for what felt like their very first time going over this mountain trail. The course was slowed by the brush, but even more so slowed by his nerves. Every sound felt unfamiliar. The trees were looming over them, higher than they'd been before. The sun looked to be setting faster, like it was running away over the horizon. It too had the same disturbing feeling something awful was about to happen. The driver straightened his posture against the enclosed cabin behind him and tilted his head to raise the brim of his grey hat. He breathed deeper and shifted his eyes back and forth trying to be sure all his senses were focused on his surroundings. He loosened his grip on the reigns and let out an exhale. It was supposed to be him letting go of his fear. It didn't help.

The worn black cabin turned on the path to begin winding down the hilltop and their destination came into view. A medium sized town tucked miles away from the capital cities. It backed all the way up as far as it could to the mountains in the west and stretched out to the south into the forest line. As far as mining and foresting towns went, Bertramka had been one of the largest in Prague, supplying coal, lumber, and precious stones to cities all over the territory. Four thousand people lived here according to the census taken in 1837 and more were traveling in and out every day. But, since the stories had started, who knows how many were left.

The red shades had been drawn the entire trip. The driver had met his passengers only once when he'd picked them up that morning. They said few words, but they didn't have to. He knew who they were and what they were going to do. Anyone requesting a trip to this town had only one reason to be there. They were chasing a monster.

The wagon rolled along the final stretch on the only dirt road leading in and out of Bertramka. It too had been accustomed to much heavier traffic than this. Once bustling with heavy loaded carts of exported goods was now seeing little activity in or out. The wagon rolled off the bushy trail and clacked atop a stone road. The wagon slowed to a stop in front of a red roofed two story Gothic building. A large wooden sign stuck over the front door, [i]'First Inn'[/i], it read. A clever name to some travelers, others rolled their eyes, as it was indeed the first inn of Bertramka.

The old driver shuffled off his seat and knocked on the door. No one came. He knocked again harder, growing impatient quickly. A young Czech man with curly red hair opened the door with a bewildered look on his face.

"Well, g'evenin' sir. Haven't seen a soul on our roads in a long time. Please come in."

The driver waved away the offer, "Aint me that's stayin. Brought you folk and I'm going right back out."

"Y'aren't serious are you? It's a days travel back any direction. At least stay for a night, let your horses rest?"

The man had already turned away to open a trunk at the back of the wagon, pulling multiple large traveler's bags and cases out and placing them just inside the door. "I've already been here longer than I'd like. And I don't plan on staying a minute more."

"Are you gone in the head? It's past sunset, you won't even see the road," he protested pointlessly. While trying to both stay in and out of the old mans way as he bullheaded in and out of the door with more and more luggage. "Is this about those stupid fairy tales of missin' people and murderin's? It's all a crock of nothin' I'll tell you."

The old man latched the hinge in the back of the cabin closed, walked round back toward the front and gave the inn keeper a look of seriousness. "Well, than you'll have to tell it to these folk here they made this trip for nothin'" He opened the cabin door and the three travelers stepped out.


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Ok so this is going to be a murder mystery style of RP. I won't be playing any particular character, as the GM I will be playing the story and non player characters. Your characters can be anyone you'd like and can have any relationship with each other that you agree on. I'm only going to allow three people into the RP. If your interested you can start by describing your character. It can't be a character sheet, just write it out. If you want to use a picture that's fine, I don't use them though. I like an RP to read like a book. If what I wrote out wasn't enough back story I'll give you a little more, but I want to keep a very small amount of OOC.

General storyline is a town set in the early 19th century Prague has had some disappearing people. No one has any idea what's going on. Legends and stories have been going around that there's a monster in the woods eating people. Most people are scared. Most people think its bull. Your characters arrived to help or investigate or are for some reason interested in being here for this. That motivation is up to you. I'm going for Bram Stoker's Dracula kind of theme, but don't let that pigeon hole anything you do. This can go anyway we push it.

So that's it. Post a character if you're [i]really[/i] interested. Or just say your interested and we'll see how it goes. This is only for three players though.