The First Task

Khaat held the gold gilded tray that held eight crystal champagne flutes that were filled with the celebratory libation they were using to toast the beginning of the first task. The drink, like champagne, was effervescent, but unlike champagne, this drink was an elegant ruby red that sparkled and glowed. It was a special beverage called Phoenix Fire and was made with the juices of blood oranges, lemons, and cranberries along with a blend of select spices. It was reserved to be shared only on the most auspicious of occasions in the wizarding world. She waited until the champions and their headmasters had arrived in the champions’ tent.

“Good afternoon, Judges,” Khaat said, looking at the headmasters and Jess Potter. The four would serve as judges for the tournament, in addition to her. “Good afternoon, Champions,” she smiled, turning her attention to the young women. She saw their eagerness, their excitement, and their anxiety. It was understandable. All the training and ceremony came down to this moment, and a great deal of responsibility rested on their young shoulders.

“Welcome to the first task of the Triwizard’s Cup,” Khaat continued. “Tradition dictates that the tasks are designed to test your wit, your strength, your endurance, and your skills. If you use your abilities to your utmost, you may find you survive. We wish you well. You are permitted your wand and nothing else. Anything else you need will be offered to you along the way if you are clever enough to find it. You will notice that you have not been given a means of exiting the task prematurely. That is because there is one way to end the task and one way only. You must complete it. One of the most important things you will need to decide along the way is this: Which is more deadly—illusion or reality?

“This is very special for us for a number of reasons. First, it has been nearly 30 years since the last Triwizard Cup, and it is the first time in the over 700 year history of the tournament that we have had three lovely ladies as our contenders. We congratulate you, and we offer you a toast in your honor.” Letting everyone select a glass at random, she offered the glasses on the tray to the judges first and offered the remaining three to the young champions. She took her glass and raised it. “To your success,” she smiled and took a drink from her glass. When everyone had taken a sip, she said, “You may find this delightful little drink may go to your head a wee bit.” Khaat watched the champions closely. It would be only a matter of a few precious seconds before this special version of Phoenix Fire would begin to affect the champions. Their vision would fade, their heads would spin, and everything would turn to silent darkness.

''At this very moment," Headmaster Doyle spoke, "you should be feeling a little dizzy, but do not let that worry you, that is the smallest problem you will experience. What you have just taken is a special potion of my own brewing and it will transport you to your first task in a matter of moments. It does have side-effects, but more on that after you wake up, and it will cease effecting your body when you finish your task. You will be transported to the Orient Express, to a small compartment of your own in the middle of the night, but only to find out that your bunk-buddy is dead, his throat slashed and his blood on you. How? Who? When? And how did he end up in your compartment when he wasn't there when you went to sleep? Those are some questions you will have to answer in order to clear your name.

"Your assistant will be a person names Wanda Boardfoot, a girl your age which will help you in your goal. You have to understand that you will be doing this task in the year 1929 and you have just enough time until the train takes a stop in Belgrade, the capital of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It means that you will have roughly two, maybe three hours time to complete everything, but do not worry about the time component. You shall receive further instructions by Wanda once you wake up in the great Orient Express. But, in order to comfort you, no need to worry, the worst thing that can happen to you is that you die, but that won't be a problem, will it? I have timed this correctly, and you should be hitting your heads on the ground right... about... now!'', he finished, as the champions fell down. ''It seems that I have done this correctly, haven't I? Timing is crucial! They should be waking up in a moments time'', he said to Khaat.

OOC: Champion, you will begin your task, and when you have completed your first post, you will be given more information from Wanda that will be sufficient to finish your task. It is a bit unorthodox from how we normally do this, but it is the way this task has been designed.

Danica was not at all surprised her drink was laced. That would have been foolish in the extreme; however, drinking it was obviously all part of this task and so she gulped it down, probably getting an even bigger dose than the other girls. What did surprise her was the vivid hallucination it brought on. The sound of the Hogwarts High Master speaking, and actually sounding serious for once.

She listened closely to his words, trying to memorise the most important parts. The Orient Express was a train that used to run through Prague. At least she'd have no trouble talking to people, though it had gone through Paris too, so Selene would have no trouble either and Jacquelline had her own version of Wanda Boardfoot to rely on. She was framed for a murder, and there were more side effects to this potion. Great, dealing with sickness was just what nobody needed when they were a suspect of anything.

The year was 1929, which was what? A little before world war II? Or just after world war I? They happened so close together it was hard to get the dates lined up, and history was never Danica's strong point. And there had been something else, something that Ministry woman said before they'd taken the potion, but Danica didn't have time to think what it was before her head hit the floor.

Wanda Boardfoot talked too much. From the moment she appeared in the compartment, she hadn't given Danica a second to get a word in. It was especially stupid considering the way she kept asking questions, but Danica decided to be generous and put it down to shock.

As the poor girl prattled on, Danica got down to the serious business of orienting herself on the train. So her cover story for being involved was that she and Wanda were acquaintances, and this was why Wanda at least would not suspect her. Wanda was obviously slightly lacking in the grey material, because Danica would definitely have suspected herself.

The problem as Danica saw it, was not so much the lack of information; that could be collected as they spoke to each suspect, it was that Wanda seemed so naive and reverent of her father. In fact, that attitude just made Wanda Danica's number one suspect. The girl herself admitted that she stood to inherit a decent fortune from her father's death.

Straight away, she struck down the idea that Richard Boardfoot had been universally loved and admired, though she said nothing to his daughter. It was plain fact that nobody was loved by everyone. And of course, there was always the possibility that Boardfoot had a business associate aboard the train that Wanda was unaware of.

As for the list of passengers, it was equally unhelpful. If it were the present day, Danica would at least be able to look these people up and make sure they actually existed (or she assumed she would). As it was, she had to take their identities at face value.

"We need to get everyone together and tell them about your father's death," Danica said, as she moved across to the washbasin. "That way we can gauge their reactions to the news."

That and make sure nobody's missing.

"And make sure nobody goes into my compartment. We have to seal the crime scene," she added.

Danica didn't know where she'd picked it up, but she had a vague idea that you were supposed to make sure nobody else touched the scene of the crime until you'd had time to examine everything.

By now, she'd managed to clean off the blood, and simply needed a change of clothes.

"Did anyone on that list get on in Paris as well?" she asked.

Champions. my apologies for some apparent confusion with this task. I am trying to make sure it doesn't happen on the second and third tasks. Bear with me.

However, here is the bit of additional OOC information you need.

You do not have to solve the murder in order to solve the first task. From an OOC standpoint, we are looking to see what you do with the information given to you already. Your task is to see what you do with your character, with very limited information in a very limited time frame. As a player, your writing abilities and creativity will be tested.

Remember, the Triwizard is a series of events. This is only the first step. You will not be getting more IC information in this particular task. If you have already posted your task information, feel free to edit if this gives you any assistance at all. Solving the crime is not as critical at this point as it is for you to do your best with what you have.

Questions?
Khaat

You may godmod any character on the train with you.