The following week Lexie and Maise came round to Debs' flat to collect the costumes she had assembled for their avatars. I met them there, so all four of us could discuss ideas for the extended roleplay we were about to embark on. I had already drafted out some plot options based on what Debs had told me about their fledgling characters, beginning with an opening letter which I could write up properly for them while they were off trying on clothes.

The girls would be taking on the roles of Larkin and Adelia Claydon, a pair of late Victorian sisters yearning for adventure. The unseen character in the narrative would be their Uncle George, the black sheep of the family who had given them their sense of adventure before being disowned and forbidden from making any further contact by their Father (his brother), who did not approve of George's beliefs and lifestyle. At the beginning of the story, Larkin and Adelia would receive a letter bringing news of Uncle George's passing, inviting them to a unique will reading at what had been his club, the Mortal Masquerade.

Elbert Makabra had been Uncle George's faithful manservant and frustrated lover, George's sexuality being just one of the things leading to his rejection by his family - the unrequited love between the two characters would become a key motivator in Elbert's villainous actions. I'll admit to channelling a little of my own relationship with Ken in this backstory. Much as I'd loved Ken during our time together, it frustrated me that he could never accept being in a gay relationship with me and needed me to present as a girl so he could feel comfortable. I imagined George fighting a similar battle with himself, which was why he could never fully accept Elbert as his life partner. George was a keen member of the Mortal Masquerade and took Elbert with him to join in, just as Ken had encouraged me to try new kinks and fetishes as Roche. I'd had a lot of fun doing it and never felt used or exploited, but it was no substitute for a proper, committed relationship.

Amethyst Annie was a gold-digging crook who had attempted to seduce George without knowing of his homosexuality, intending to murder him and take his fortune. After her plot was foiled Elbert thought it would bring him and George closer together, but instead found himself pushed away even more as his master began pining for his two favourite nieces, the last members of the family he still felt connected to. When he fell into ill health and considered changing his will in their favour, Elbert became increasingly bitter and desperate. At this point Amethyst Annie re-entered the picture, forming an infernal alliance with Elbert to dispose of the girls and secure George's fortune for themselves.

This backstory would be revealed through a series of scripted events over the course of three separate masquerades. I drafted a rough outline that could be adapted on the fly and worked with Uncle Morbid to set up the necessary games and plot points. Lexie and Maise volunteered to write journal entries in character as the story unfolded, which allowed me to receive and incorporate their ideas while keeping them unaware of what was in store for them.

The first act took place at that weekend's Mortal Masquerade, where we all met in character to open Uncle George's Last Will and Testament, which set up the contest between them and us for ownership of his legacy. The will was accompanied by letters confirming that he had known of Elbert and Annie's treachery and wished for Larkin and Adelia to prove themselves worthy by defeating us. The sisters accepted the challenge, brushing aside villainous speeches from Elbert and Annie threatening dire consequences if they got in our way.

Finally there was a riddle game based on one of the Masquerade's hanging games with a ridiculous pun solution which they thankfully interpreted correctly. Annie and Elbert sat that one out, the purpose was simply to give Larkin and Adelia their first opportunity to put their heads in nooses and begin the adventure proper. The whole thing played out better than we could have hoped for, when Maise and Lexie sent over their journals they wrote in Austen/Bronte style dripping with character and charm. The pressure was on for us to come up with something special for our next encounter.

---

It helped having Maise's old schoolfriend to call on. Gillian had told me that Maise had had a flair for Maths and History when they were at school together, so I picked her brains about the sort of history they'd learned. She told me they'd attended Ketherton Grammar School for Girls, a staunchly traditional establishment with a curriculum rich in English history, so Maise would definitely be familiar with key figures and events in British government and monarchy. Gillian also told me that Lexie was no mean academic herself, despite attending a less prestigious school. Maise and Lexie had first met at an inter-school maths contest and it was well known that they'd begun seeing each other soon after.

I asked Gillian how she'd done at history.

"I did OK," she said. "Mostly I remember little bits of trivia like Simon de Montfort inspiring Simon Says. If you want an expert, though, talk to Jess. She'll tell you the grisly details of how they all carked it, and has costumes for most of them. We're all a little morbid, those of us that found the Mortal Masquerade, but her and Hannah could write a book together."

Talking of doing things together, I had to ask Gillian about Len.

'Yeah, we've been seeing each other," she confirmed. "He's a sweet guy, we're into the same geek stuff and it turns out we'd met briefly before this plane and not known it. I'd killed him a few times at the Masquerade, but we'd never got to talk until recently."

"I know he's a wrestling fan. Would he have seen you in the ring?"

"No, he never went out to where our shows ran. But he did ask me all sorts of questions about Magistralle's costume, then when he found out I'd actually wrestled he was made up. I took him to the gym I train at and taught him how to fall and stretch properly, partly because he was keen, partly to see what he's willing to do. He took to it well, he listens to instructions and he's not afraid to dive in and take bumps. He might have made a good wrestler, he has the right attitude for it."

"I remember the show you two put on above the acid pool."

Gillian smiled. "Yes, that was really something. I don't want to be his dominatrix, but I'd love to make him my sparring partner."

"Where did you meet before?"

Gillian sucked her teeth.

"I'll tell you another time," she said. "Brief encounter, long story."

--

I caught up with Jess and Hannah when they next came to the acting academy. I told them what I was working on and that Gillian had recommended their input, all the talk of famous executions had me wondering if we could frame a puzzle around the subject. It seemed appropriate for the setting and could lead on to games based on certain examples.

"It sounds interesting, of course we'll help," said Jess. "I can certainly write you a list of memorable executions. Did you know Charles II 'posthumously executed' Oliver Cromwell? They dug up a year old corpse that died of natural causes, just so they could tear it apart in public to show how sane and righteous the monarchy was. Honestly, this country."

"Maybe we can get that in somewhere," I said, "but I really want something we can build drama around."

"This sounds like a job for you and Ben," said Hannah to Jess. "How's your axe and block routine coming along?"

It turned out that Jess and Ben had been rehearsing an illusion Uncle Morbid had designed which allowed her to be realistically beheaded by axe and block. They'd been waiting for an opportunity to present the routine at the Mortal Masquerade, this could be the coincidence of needs they were looking for.

"There is a particular romance in axe and sword executions, once you get past the gruesome horror of it," said Jess. "First of all, it was reserved for nobility, so straight away you've got glamour and status. The victim was expected to be brave and compliant, to die with dignity befitting their personage. The crimes they were being executed for were often trumped up, political and deeply unfair, but they would forgive and pay the executioner, who in turn would try to be as skillfull and efficient as possible. Can you think of any other situation where killer and victim are so co-operative? It's insane, dark and beautiful. So, what if you could arrange for Maise or Lexie to willingly put their heads on the block? Ben goes through all the motions, then fakes out at the last minute. They toddle off, then just as they think it's all over I come along and actually lose my head. Hannah's back on angel duty so she can make sure they stick around to see it."

It was an interesting idea. Together we plotted out a puzzle where Larkin and Adelia would be presented with a series of portraits of brutally executed historical figures, before a clue picked out the ones in particular who had been beheaded by axe. The next clue would be hidden in a basket just below the chopping block, visible only when the viewer knelt in position to be executed. If they were blindfolded first, as the condemned person would have been, the whole mock execution could be carried out before the clue was discovered. When I saw Simon de Montfort on Jess' list (torn limb from limb in battle), my thoughts returned to Gillian's factoid about the children's game Simon Says. From this came the concept of concealing clues in a doll called Simon, which you would have to tear limb from limb to get inside. Debs offered to sew as many of these as needed and I wrote a series of flowery riddles to guide the duo to where they needed to be.

So the idea so far was that Larkin and Adelia would play a twisted game of Simon Says which would lead them to the execution scaffold, then on to one final test. Debs had the idea to make this a Simon Didn't Say affair, where they would be given a fake command which they should choose not to obey. If they failed the final test and obeyed the command it would have to humiliate rather than kill the characters - we still had a third act to work towards, after all.

I asked Scott to take me on a trip around the hangars at Morior to find something suitable. One of them had an assortment of straw bales and farming equipment, including soil hoppers with a "pull lever to release the flow" sign. These had been used in burial deathplays in the past and could conceivably be set up to be activated by a person sat or laid beneath them, causing their own burial.
Simon dolls would lead them from the starting room to the scaffold, then to the barn. A red herring clue suggested using a long piece of straw as a breathing tube, just like the ones they used in Masquerade deathplays. Then they would lie beneath one hopper and Annie and I another, knowing that only a brave idiot would actually follow the instruction to pull the lever and bury themselves alive, believing it to be a victory condition.

The whole thing played out perfectly. Larkin and Adelia put together the history clues just as Gillian had predicted, then Larkin offered her head on the block before discovering the next Simon doll in the basket. Angel Hannah was waiting at the bar to provide scissors so they could cut out the next clues (this doll contained two riddles, to hint towards the existence of a red herring), then kept the girls in the room to witness Jess and Ben go through with their actual beheading. Jess mounted the scaffold in a dress modelled after a favourite painting of Lady Jane Grey's execution, her head tumbling in a frighteningly realistic illusion with copious amounts of blood.

Larkin and Adelia found their way to the barn as expected, then we all lay beneath the hoppers to be buried. Elbert tried to excuse himself from the game, earning a rebuke from Uncle Morbid, we then lay and listened as Adelia went to select two long pieces of straw to use as breathing tubes. We heard the clank of their handle being pulled and the heavy rustle of earth flowing into their crate, covering them over. We stood up and looked over into their crate, just in time to see the soil pile up around them and over their faces, completely burying them. We left them there for a while before digging them out, by which time they'd realised their mistake and took Elbert and Annie's gloating with quiet resignation. They'd done well up to that point and it was actually the best outcome for our ongoing narrative, levelling the score between us leading into the final act.