The day was October 4th, 1986. The Ushiromiya family has arrived to the Head's island, the island of Rokkenjima, for their annual fmily conference. The Head of the Family, Kinzo, was getting old, and his health was failing him. As such, this made the topic of inheritance a contested issue in these conferences. What's more, there was said to be a fortune in gold hidden on the island by Kinzo, and the Ushiromiya's wanted to ensure they had their fair share. Krauss, the eldest of Kinzo's children, was in line to succeed Kinzo as the head of the family, but his dubious financial situation made this unclear. Of course, the rest of Kinzo's children all desperately needed money too, and had formed a pact with one another to squeeze an advance on their inheritance out of Krauss. Such was the miserable nature of these conferences.
For the cousins here, however, it represented an opportunity to reconnect with their beloved family. And this year, Battler, who has been absent for 6 years, had returned to the family, making this the biggest conference in years.
As the family, all gathered together, were shown into the mansion by the servants, a storm had began to form. The original plan was for them to arrive in the morning on the 4th, and leave the morning of the 5th, but the storm would keep them on this island until the 6th. As if they had known what was to come, the island was mostly silent, with the cry of the seagulls nowhere to be heard.
After early pleasantries, the family conference had gone as poorly as ever. Kinzo hadn't shown up even once, and was allegedly refusing to join them for dinner too. Dinner itself was a lively affair - Maria, the youngest on the island, had been given an umbrella and a letter. When asked who had given these to her, Maria had cheerfully replied "Beatrice". This had raised eyebrows - Beatrice was the name of a lost love of Kinzo, and her portrait was the centrepiece of the hallway in the mansion. She was the Golden Witch, or so the fairy tale went, who supplied the tons of gold that Kinzo built his fortune from. The letter Maria had been given was even more interesting - it was purpotedly written by the Witch, and addressed to the family. 'Solve the riddle of my eiptaph, or I will reclaim what is mine'. As if to give it a sense of authority, the Head's Ring was left in the letter, which was also branded with Kinzo's seal.
Dismissing it as a prank in poor taste, the family went on arguing, as the cousins retired to the guesthouse. The rain had picked up, and the wind howled in sorrow. The event was an ugly window into the greed of this family, and one the cousins themselves hated to see.
As the sun rose, marking the dawn of the 5th October, the island was cold and silent. While most were sleeping, something awful had took place, and they would soon find out what the Witch had meant by "reclaiming what is hers".
Characters -
Krauss Ushiromiya - The eldest son of Kinzo, and in line to succeed the family Headship.
Eva Ushiromiya- The eldest daughter of Kinzo, and the second-eldest child.
Rudolf Ushiromiya - The youngest son of Kinzo, and third-eldest child.
Rosa Ushiromiya - The youngest daughter of Kinzo, and also the youngest child.
Natsuhi Ushiromiya - Wife of Krauss.
Hideyoshi Ushiromiya - Husband of Eva, he took her name in marriage.
Kyrie Ushiromiya - Second wife of Rudolf, whose first had passed away 6 years ago. He had married her within weeks after her death.
Jessica Ushiromiya - Daughter of Krauss and Natsuhi. She is the third-eldest cousin, but due to Krauss being the first in line, she is ranked higher than her fellow cousins.
George Ushiromiya - Son of Eva and Hideyoshi. He is the eldest of the cousins.
Battler Ushiromiya - Son of Rudolf. He is the second eldest of the cousins, and has returned to the family after leaving it 6 years ago.
Maria Ushiromiya - Daughter of Rosa. She is the youngest of the cousins, and is said to have inherited the "black blood" of Kinzo.
Terumasa Nanjo - Th personal doctor of Kinzo, and one of his few friends. Has been by Kinzo's side for decades.
Genji Ronoue - The Head Servant of the family, and one of Kinzo's closest allies. He is permitted to wear the crest of the family, the One-Winged Eagle, on his uniform.
Shannon - One of the servants serving the Ushiromiya family. She is permitted to wear the One-Winged Eagle on her uniform. Age-wise, she is around the same age as Battler and Jessica.
Kanon - One of the servants serving the Ushiromiya family. He is permitted to wear the One-Winged Eagle on his uniform. Age-wise, he is a little younger than Battler and Jessica.
Toshiro Gohda - One of the servants serving the Ushiromiya family, hired for his skill as a chef. He is not permitted to wear the One-Winged Eagle.
Chiyo Kumasawa - One of the servants serving the Ushiromiya family. She had served the family for many years, and often plays hookey while on duty. She is not permitted to wear the One-Winged Eagle.