alright so i just want to give a breakdown of how things went the way they did because honestly, i made tom hoping he would be the victim so the murdering thing was a struggle to work with his character.
first note was me to all you ooc, cause i totally forgot they were supposed to figure it out ic. and then everyone in the gc said “what if it’s a prank?” and i just rolled with that. so thank you!
the targeted notes were not supposed to be by a complete stranger, in the beginning they were supposed to be from tom. then i realized it was too out of character for the person i had made him out to be.
the fact all the clues were notes was because didn’t dawn on until i was creating second note that the murderer didn’t have to be telling you were to go, that i could have just created from the start and just write where it was and go into details from there. otherwise i wouldn’t have done the notes cause tom probably wouldn’t have done that.
and then i created the blog because it was a struggle not clear things up when i saw people asking questions in discord. plus i was worried that if i just used asks to clear things up, i could potentially forget to click anon and spoils things too soon.
also tom was not supposed to be against having a phone, i just dropped the ball with being active with him so i just made it part of his character to explain he was quiet with everything. i am surprised that made you guys drop your suspicions of him so quickly.
the notes from tom left subtle notes pointing to both him AND lauren because so many people were sus of her and i was worried if i made too obvious it was him it wouldn’t be entertaining anymore.
probably will do another post to explain tom’s motives depending on how event reveals go.
I offer each and every person in Stardew Valley a most sincere apologize for the actions I have taken and for all they have caused therefore after.
For taking Ismail Haq’s, for not coming out in the beginning with what I did. It had not been his life I intended to take, nor anyone else for that matter. I intended for this year to be the one I returned to my dear Ellie’s side.
Mr. Haq came to be the one to die instead because his hate for this place and his need to spread it ignited something in me that I did not know was there. That is not an excuse, of course. It is the closest to an explanation I can give to anyone.
If I knew my misguided action would have led to so much trouble for this beautiful town, I would not have let that darkness take me over that night.
I can promise I will never darken anyone doorstep here again.
I truly am sorry to everyone I have hurt with my actions.
The one asking questions is the mayor, Winston answers follow. Interview was recorded and shared with the rest of the town.
1. Where were you on the night of Tuesday, October 6?
“In the graveyard, keeping watch of the saloon. How was I watching from there? Ever head of binoculars?”
2. Can anyone confirm your whereabouts?
“Are you serious?” Cue curt laughter. “None of you even knew I was here until Miss Jaiden caught me.”
3. What was the nature of your relationship with Mr. Haq?
“The only time I spoke to him, he ignored me. I’m sure a mayor of dimwitted town like this can understand that means there wasn’t any relations between Mr. Haq and myself.”
4. How often did you interact with him?
“As I just said, I tried to speak with him once and got blown off. That was during the second concert. You know, the one with those terrible performances put on by the people of this town before what people actually cared for.”
5. When did you last see him?
“When he left the saloon. No, I did not see him leave with anyone or anyone leaving right after him. All I can tell you beyond that is he headed to his right when he exited. Towards the town center.”
6. Did anything seem out of the ordinary either in town or in your interactions with Mr. Haq prior to Tuesday, October 6?
“Mr. Haq was extra hostile towards everyone in town. Couldn’t handle losing it seems. I’m sure that was an appealing trait to have in a CEO. What a shame he couldn’t handle the backlash well enough to keep his job.”
7. Do you know anyone else who might have information pertaining to Mr. Haq’s death?
“As you probably already saw in my notes, I do have certain people I suspect. It might make you question them again. Or you can keep lounging around, Mayor Fiorini, as your people try to figure things out while your daughter and her nemesis go rogue to prove that they are more than the burnout celebrities that everyone knows they are.”
8. When did you first come to the valley and for what purpose?
“I first arrived back during the first set of concerts held by JojaMart, wanting to get a big scoop for The Zuzu Star about how an almighty corporation like Joja had worked wonders for backwoods towns like Pelican Town. All my following visits were to search up more dirt about what was really going on here. Since the murder, I haven’t left. Didn’t want to miss all the fun.”
9. Where have you been staying?
“A tent tucked away in the trees, on the ledge above Miss Carter’s home. How else would I have come up with anything about her?”
10. Why did you decide to stay in the valley?
“Your daughter was the one who gave me my first inkling that there was a much juicier story here with her little meltdown all those months ago. The town really has her to thank for that. And Miss Jillian Mercer.”
11. Why did you send fake notes? What was your process deciding who should get notes?
“My plans were to flush out the murderer. Almost worked too. They sent that second note and clue thanks to me. As far as my process for deciding, I only plan with geodes. Least likely suspects got those. I hoped targeting innocents more aggressively would be even more reason for them to speak up. That first prank note may have been the town’s saving grace to get the murderer to talk to them.”
12. Why were you watching everyone in the valley?
“I’ve already said why. I don’t like repeating myself, Mayor Fiorini.”
13. Do you have any other insights or information about the case that you wish to share?
“No. Any further questions may be presented to my lawyer. As far as another interrogation goes, well good luck trying to get the Zuzu P.D. to entertain that. They didn’t even care about a murder out here. I'll take my notes and see myself out now. I’ve entertained your supposed position of authority long enough.”
The following document is the town dossier that the ‘reporter’ has been compiling since back in June. Proceed at your own risk, for he did not hold back on certain members of the community with his snooping and harsh views. [Note: If you see something you don’t want others to speculate about your muse, let me know and I’ll edit it out. Likewise, if there is something you want to add, let me know and I’ll add. Other secrets might inspire you.]
Adria Ali
Therapist, works out of her home
Apparently has a connection to Dr. Park
Alex Huang
Town’s teacher
Worked at the general store until he was fired due to issues that arose with Joja coming to town
He is now working for his ex-employer’s competition, seems like a devious twist for such a boring person
This seems to be the motive for Jillian Mercer burning down his home
There seem to be a lot of relationship conspiracies revolving around him, again surprising for such a boring person; only one seems to be legit
Potentially in relationship with Henry Desai, saw them kissing on the beach prior to their performance, seemed more intimate than an average practice run through, suspicions only grew when he moved in with the baker
No connections to the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, not seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has connections to the library where first clue was found and was seen going to mountains before second clue found, possible motives revolves around Joja connections, still possible suspect if he is working with an accomplice.
Arthur Pena
New farmer in the valley
Has a thing for apples?
Comes off dumb a lot of the times
Close to Lizzie Johnson-Phan and Kiran Varani, appears closer to Lizzie since he fled with her mid-murder investigation
Irrelevant since he ran out of town.
Aurora Sarot
Relatively new to Stardew
A seamstress
Not too interesting except for her encounter with Ismail Haq as far as her life here goes
Apparently falls in love easily and had a torrid love affair with someone in Zuzu City before ending it abruptly, looking forward to see who she falls for first here since Ismail didn’t pan out
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, not sure if they were seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was not seen going to mountains before second clue found, possible motives revolves around their brief romantic encounter with Ismail.
Benigno Park
Town’s doctor, runs the clinic and lives above it
Another person with lots of relationship conspiracies, not surprising at all, what is surprising is that none have proven true yet
From research I have gathered he is the grandson of New York Times journalist Eugenio Rossi, who downgraded his career to become a journalist for The Daily Freeman, Dr. Park seems to take after him by leaving his position at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell to work at the clinic in Pelican Town
Found an article about his father’s restaurant from 2014 that mentions Mr. Monti having a son who was recently engaged; as far as I have gathered Dr. Park is an only child, so the article must have been speaking about him, however I have not found anything to prove or disprove this true; have not seen any mention of this on the gossip blog on the town, so it seems to be untrue
Unable to dig up more on his personal life; Dr. Park primarily speaks in other languages when communicating over the phone to family; only found what little I did by recognizing his grandfather’s name in the one English conversation I overheard during June, something about one year anniversary of his death the month prior
Was not at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, was not seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, unlikely he would team up with someone.
Cassiopeia Edwards
Astronomer
In Stardew to look at stars
Not all that interesting
Elaine Carter
Town carpenter
Recently moved back to Stardew Valley, though she is not actually from here; originally from Zuzu City, came to town after her father died?
There had been some speculation that she had been pregnant within the last couple of months, no evidence was found to confirm this
Overall quiet woman, seems to be in the same lane of boring as Alex Huang, so I highly doubt the truth behind the pregnancy
Was not at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, was not seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has been to the library and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive unless she was really upset about the phone incident, doubt she would team up with someone.
Finley Martin
Works at general store, lived in town for a year
Lots of articles on their track and field career
From their instagram it appears they do photography as a hobby?
No evidence to prove claims of them having an affair with Mr. Mercer, sort of wish it was true to add some more conflict
Found mention of them being engaged sometime before their move to Pelican Town, between engagement announcement and social media posts of family/friends, did not find any mention of why it was ended
Avid runner, seen them out with Alex Huang, Benigno Park, and Malia Jaiden, apparently used to compete with the Jaiden during their high school years, foes to friends it appears
Was at the concert the night of the fight I saw between Jillian Mercer and Sasha Fiorini; they ended up taking Jillian away that night; the two of them have become quite close since this encounter, possibly dating
Even though they have a bigger social media presence than Benigno Park, they are just as allusive with their life before moving into town
Was not at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, was not seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was not seen going to mountains before second clue found. Possible motives revolves around their general store connections, still possible suspect if they are working with a partner.
Gabriel Flores
Owns a flower shop
Has a daughter
Not too interesting
Henry Desai
Works in the clinic and runs his own bakery business
Rides around everywhere on a bike, would think a car would be more convenient due to his delivery services
All of his belongings seem to be second hand, not sure for the reason for this unnatural choice of style
Was missing from town for a month before reappearing with his niece, possible family trouble to cause this?
After his niece left, he does not appear to be taking on any new clients at his bakery, overheard conversation about him enquiring starting up therapy again; what was the reason he had to seek out therapy to begin with? Not as boring as he appears
A few relationship conspiracies for him as well, two of which may be true
Potentially in relationship with Alex Huang, saw them kissing on the beach prior to their performance, seemed more intimate than an average practice run through, suspicions only grew when he allowed the teacher to move in with him
Other potential is Sloane Pearson, there seems to be some unspoken thing there, overheard conversation about faer having to explain something that had happened between them on another night, wasn’t able to listen in more due to squirrels attacking me out of nowhere, damn forest
Was not at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, was not seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was not seen going to mountains before second clue found.
Ismail Haq
Former CEO of Joja
Rich asshole, didn’t even say no comment when I tried to question him about JojaMart, he just kept walking
After failing to keep Joja a place in Pelican Town, it seems he was fired, leading to him throwing tantrums around town, one that led him to throwing his phone at Elaine Carter
Hit Jillian Mercer with his car, unsure if it was truly an accident or not
Went on a date with Aurora Sarot, didn’t lead anywhere
Lots of relationship conspiracies, not leading anywhere except for Sarot’s one date
Not a well liked man in town, or anywhere outside Joja Corp it seems, and that’s questionable considering the fact he was fired after getting the town’s JojaMart closed and Joja kicked out
The murder victim.
Jillian Mercer
Family owns general store, she works there and temporarily worked at the bar when it was closed
Was one of two superstars from Stardew Valley who had made a name for themselves and get out of their hometown, only to land right back in years after their career took off
Often spends her nights at the bar, an apparent norm since she found herself back in her hometown after her skating incident; according to most people and old interviews I found of her skating days, she is barely a shell of who she was
Unable to uncover anymore details on the extent to her injuries nor her mental state
Anger issues that somehow correlate to arsonist tendencies; from a fire she set to herself during an annual camping trip to burning down an ex-coworker’s home after he started working at the local JojaMart
Joja seems to be some sort of trigger for her; never shy to express her distaste for the corporation
Was friends with Sasha Fiorini when they were children, they seem to have had a falling out since then from what I’ve gathered
Physically assaulted Sasha Fiorini during the Beachapalooza after Fiorini verbally abused her and put down her family
Potentially in a relationship with Finley Martin, after she was comforted by them after the beach incident, it seems they have grown quite close
Supposedly has a pet rabbit
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, was not seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. Possible motives revolves around their general store connections, still possible suspect if they are working with a partner.
Kiran Varani
Local farmer
Law school dropout, murmurs about him being a family disappointment, others say he is just misguided
Younger sister seems to be the backbone of the family, often getting him from the Saloon when he drinks too much, sometimes it’s Dr. Park
Other murmurs I heard was that he used to be a weed dealer, not sure if true or not, wouldn’t surprise me if it was
Potentially in a relationship with Mateo Moreno, suspicions proven by the fact Mateo has been staying at his place since the notes began
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, not sure if seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was not seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, unlikely he would team up with someone.
Koa Roxas
Blacksmith apprentice
Did not bother snooping too far into him since he is known as a fire hazard around town; not sure how he still has a job, the blacksmith must be desperate; still not clear why this town needs a blacksmith
Recently found out he took a pickaxe from the blacksmith that wasn’t his, probably because he thought it looked cool
He’s another one that comes off as dumb, so last point isn’t too far of a jump
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, not sure if seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, unlikely he would team up with someone.
Lauren Kang*
Journalist visiting to write story on the Joja conflict
More of a flop journalist than a real one considering where she works
Not exactly making friends out here
Apparently her mother is a small time actress
Amusing to watch her chasing wild leads, other than that not worth my time
Doubt she ever was in a relationship with Ismail
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, arrived to town between 09/28 to 10/02, has been to the library and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. Potential motive is to give a boost to her story, unlikely she would team up with someone.
Lizzie Johnson-Phan
New farmer, came during after the first of the summer concerts
Appears to be a flighty little thing, proven after she and Arthur Pena fled town mid-murder invesigation
Close friends with Arthur Pena, Kiran Varani, and Sasha Fiorini’s only friend
Likes to stick her nose in other people’s business, which is about the only thing I found likeable about her
Irrelevant since she ran out of town.
Malia Jaden
Caretaker
Stardew native
Mother was a teacher in town before dying of alzheimer's a year ago, father apparently out of the picture; word around town he was a deadbeat
Come across her name from old competitions of Finley Martin, apparently another track star
Saloon regular
Not much else is known about her
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, not sure if seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was not seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, unlikely she would team up with someone.
Mateo Moreno
New to Stardew, still not sure what he does for a living
Another one who comes off as dumb most of the time
Avid skateboarder, he’s apparently landed in the clinic enough times because of it
Have seen him going into the mansion on the outskirts of the Valley, and has been visited by a middle-aged British gentleman once or twice a week since he moved in
Potentially in a relationship with Kiran Varani, suspicions proven by the fact he has been staying at Varani’s place since the notes began
Was not at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, was seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, unlikely he would team up with someone.
Sabrina Flores*
Social Influencer
Another person who comes off as dumb most of the time
Has stirred up some trouble with her affair angle
Not sure how she is still considered a suspect
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, arrived to town between 09/28 to 10/02, has no connections to the library where first clue was found and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, possible she could have teamed up with someone.
Sasha Fiorini
Pop singer
Native to Stardew
Lovechild from a short affair between the mayor and an actress, found this out from gossip around town during the first concert
Being the center of gossip may explain her pure hatred for her hometown?
Was not aware of this hatred until witnessing her outburst during the Beachapoolza after she verbally assaulted Jillian Mercer who in turned physically assaulted her
A few direct quotes from that night: “joja is supposed to make your family go out of business.” / “i can’t fucking wait until joja puts your family out of business. im just sad i won’t be here to see it.”
Since her return, she has been back to her usual composed self, which has made for rather boring notes
She appears to have romantic feelings for Kiran Varani, what appears to be a childhood crush still lingering with how she trails behind him
No romantic attachment to Ismail Haq, would have made her a tad more interesting
Only friend appears to be Lizzie Johnson-Phan
Was not at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, was seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, has been seen at the library and was not seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, possibly she could have teamed up with someone.
Sloane Pearson
A traveling merchant
Not able to find too much information on faer, nor did I want to spend time snooping after faer, weird things kept happening when I did
Was out of town longer than normal for unknown reasons
Potentially romantically entangled with Henry Desai, unable to listen in on conversation to confirm or deny due to squirrels attacking me
Weird person
Sofia Rivera
Librarian
Also apparently a writer; she seems to do endless research in her spare time and observes people too; not sure how she hasn’t noticed me around town
Takes care of her father who is not only old but also an alcoholic; might explain why she is quiet
Conspiracist about weird stuff
Weird girl in general
Was not at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, not sure if seen leaving town between 09/28 to 10/02, works at the library where first clue was found and was not seen going to mountains before second clue found. No clear motive, unlikely she would team up with someone.
Thomas Hayes*
Previous town doctor
Since leaving he only returns to visit during October for his dead wife, Ellie
Apparently it is town’s tradition for the doctor to be a private person; not else is really known about him other than he travels the country the rest of the year and is not a fan of phones
Saw him and Dr. Park trekking to where he parked his RV and noticed that he has a problem with his left leg when walking, not sure what the problem is
Was at the saloon the night Ismail was poisoned, arrived in town between 09/28 to 10/02, has been seen at the library where first clue was found and was seen going to mountains before second clue found. Was unable to walk up the mountain. No clear motive, unlikely he would team up with someone.
another envelope is found in the mayor’s mailbox. this one is bigger than the previous one! along with the note holds several other envelopes, each addressed to damaged who had their property damaged by mr. winston. the writer asks for lewis to share the note through the group chat and to have those with envelopes pick them up.
the note
what ismail stole
was not tangible
like a hat or pair of earrings
it was a chance
his death had not been planned
more so an opportunity presented
that i took instead of my original path
all will be revealed at the end of the spirit's eve
this i promise
if the festival goes on
only then can this story be laid to rest
i will leave nothing new to find again until spirit’s eve
you will not hear from me again till then
the letters addressed to those with property damage
i apologize for the inconvenience this has placed you in. this should cover any expenses you find yourself needing to pay or make up for any you have already spent.
those with mailbox damage are given enough to buy a new one: mayor lewis, henry desai, koa roxas, aurora sarot @amethvsts.
those with window damage are given enough to cover window replacement and any additional damage the rock may have cause: ben park @alwaysgcld, finley martin, kiran varani, elaine carter @silvcrlining, sasha fiorini @jvmino.
henry desai @henrydesai is given an additional amount to cover medical costs, including a therapist if he chooses to see one
malia jaiden @jupiterdrcps is also given an amount to cover seeing a therapist if she choose to
- from this point on it is ooc info -
the final correspondence from the murderer does not point anywhere else to search for any hidden clues. it is curious for them to point out new clues. is it possible something was overlooked at one of the previous locations?
previous clues locations: the library, a space in the mountains between elaine’s home and the mines
places of importance: the saloon, the walk from there to general store & clinic, the path from there to the lake
that’s five potential spaces for your muse to scout out. not necessarily for a thread. if you are interested in having one of your muses find an additional smaller clue, slide into my dms.
it will be up to you to hold onto it until the event or share with the rest of the town
additional info that could help will be found in the fake reporter, winston, notes. plus an interrogation of our least favorite man by our favorite mayor to find out more about him.
just a reminder about the second clue post: if your characters are looking into those clues, slide into my dms so i can give you the answers they find in their investigation.
the questions left unanswered was a deliberate choice so that you all could play a bigger part in the mystery by having your character being the ones revealing what they learn with the rest of the town.
more information about note giver will be posted between now and tuesday
some of this will help narrow down the suspects for this reporter has been even more all eyes since the murder occurred
tuesday the last note & clue from the murderer will be posted
once that is up, i will be quiet until the day of the event
or will i?
edit: with the last note, i did leave a lot of questions that need to be answered. if you have your muses looking for them, whether in threads / texts / group chat / off screen, slide into my dm for answers so your muse can share them with everyone.
another note has been left on the bulletin board. and the final group of notes have been delivered to Thomas Hayes @alwaysgcld, Sofia Rivera @jupiterdrcps, Henry Desai @henrydesai, and Malia Jaiden @jupiterdrcps . two out of the four had a chance encounter with the person behind the notes. one faired better than the other.
the message left on the bulletin board:
going on a wild goose chase
the message taped onto the back door of the clinic, addressed to tom:
you can hide but you can’t run
the message nailed onto the mailbox belonging to sofia, addressed to her:
straight from the horses mouth
the message tied onto an unbroken geode (both the geode and note have specks of blood on them) that was discarded in front of henry’s home, addressed to him:
caught between a rock and a hard place
the message tied onto an unbroken geode found by malia, addressed to her:
every dog has his day
*look out for two additional posts from the one unlucky and one lucky person who came in contact with our note giver tonight*
izzy806
kaledo-art
blakekathryn
gummygunk
andulkaphoto
turnnoffyourmind