Fifth Scholar

Thanks to Devotary for putting up the aftermath; as I mentioned in my comment on the QF, my connection issues combined with an old phone and a sleep-deprived me made rollovers difficult this game. Luckily, the connection and probably the sleep issues are getting fixed, so this state of affairs hopefully won’t be perpetual. I will put the finishing touches on Ularid’s death, and edit it in. My final thoughts on the game are that it was an overall success, but had several points of failure. 1) Low playercounts. There is nothing to be done about this, but it made balance very tricky, and great lengths were gone to in order that no team would get an unfair advantage from the start. Unfortunately, this was not always successful. One glaring flaw in my role design was vote manipulation; I gave the Eliminators, in essence, six votes to start the game, and while this was mitigated by powerful 1A items given to villagers, it was still likely too much. Had Drake not died to inactivity, the village would have likely been crushed. 2) I expected the thief to play a balancing role in the game, keeping large item clusters from forming. Xino’s inactivity removed this balancing force, and his quick death ultimately resulted in players being able to brazenly claim items without fear of retribution, making information more public than I’d intended, and perhaps slightly favouring the village (though Aman made quick work of any argument against him for the vast majority of the game, which is a testament to his excellent play). 3) The Heiring system. Devotary and I’s complaints on this are peppered throughout the spec doc, but wow was that a headache, and one I’d not have resolved without Devotary’s consistent help. The ultimate problem was that almost nobody bothered to Heir except the Elims (which was utter madness), and the resulting random redistributions gave the last players large clumps of powerful items. This was an issue specific to Maill’s old ruleset, and the new one removed items from circulation much more easily, but again the village was to be favoured slightly from this simply because there were only so many items the Elims could retain. It was partially responsible for Aman’s demise; the other half of that coin was the coins themselves, which seemed to harbour animosity towards the village at the beginning and the Elims at the end. Without the Heiring system, less random chance would have ensued, and the game would likely have been fairer. On a more positive note, the game certainly did see excellent play from both sides, and was close enough in the end that I’m on balance happy with how it turned out. Props to @Elbereth for preventing the Eliminators from spiralling out of control, @Amanuensis for his silver tongue which almost carried Team Evil to victory, and @Coda for an excellent showing as a newcomer. Don’t worry about being pocketed by Aman; it happens to everyone, including a certain GM who will go nameless. it’s me Finally, I’d like to thank both @Devotary of Spontaneity and @Snipexe, but especially Devotary. As a GM, it shames me to admit that I was not very fair to either of them, accidentally falling asleep on occasion and at other times (such as last night) having my connection issues take me out of commission for long stretches of time. Both were very helpful and patient through all of that, Devotary being consistent and active enough that she could probably GM a game of twice this complexity by herself, and Snip’s assistance with filling in the margins on the writeups with hilarious interludes was highly appreciated. They both deserve your upvotes and praise. Overall, I hope that despite my personal shortcomings here, you all enjoyed this game, and I do hold out hope that one day I’ll get to run my initial ruleset with more players. Thank you all for joining and making SE wonderful.

You’re fine, and welcome back! It’s nice to meet you Sorry to interrupt, everyone, and you can get back to your regularly scheduled programming of deciding who to murder

@Elkanah Welcome back to SE! One of the changes that was perhaps made in the time you were away is that blue text is now reserved for OOG information which you cannot lie about most likely bearing on activity, such as “I was experiencing connection issues again last night and couldn’t get back on to finish the LG aftermath writeup” (which, incidentally, I’m not lying about, and isn’t just an example), instead of being for Out of Character talk. All gametext now, whether RP or not, is black (though if you want to differentiate using something like purple, that works too). For everyone else: I’m the IM for this game.

The cycle is closed! Stay tuned for an aftermath just for this lynch’s results.

The Ghostbloods were not the only secret society who had infiltrated the nobility of Alethkar, and not all sought political change. Brightlord I.N.’s immediate mission was far more botanical in nature: his goal was to transplant samples of Ashyn flora on Roshar’s rather more inhabitable surface. So far, things were not going well. Roshar as a whole may have been intact, but the Shattered Plains were a terrible place to grow vegetation. Any plants that managed to take root in the bare rock were washed away by the frequent highstorms that were at their most devastating this far east. I.N. had complained to his superiors after every failure, begging them to consider a more arable location for their plan to preserve the dying Ashyn species. Every time, his superiors had refused, saying they couldn’t afford to have their only Rosharan agent give up his position in the Alethi hierarchy. When I.N. brought up the possibility of inserting a second agent somewhere with agriculture, they had not even considered his request, instead demanding that I.N. acquire another of the dwindling number of native plants, submit it for approval, and begin the journey back to Roshar with his precious cargo. Even with the Surge of Transportation and the general nonexistence in the Cognitive Realm of the vast distance between the two planets, the trip back to the Shattered Plains was a lengthy one. One did not physically tire running through the solid expanse representing vague thoughts about space, but making the same run week after week took its toll. As always, his spren Tolb tried to convince him to circumvent his orders. Like all of her kind she was bound by oaths, but she felt there could always be a way to fulfill promises while still undergoing to most reasonable course of action. Last time, she’d persuaded him to try and create a duplicate plant. I.N. was paid well enough to possess emerald broams, and such gemstones could be used as a focus to Transform any material into a plant substance. The results of this experiment had not been especially promising, as being able to produce a plant did not mean he could replicate vegetation perfectly, but he had planted his hybrid species in Jah Keved anyway. He would check on it when he arrived at the Horneater Peaks; perhaps he had been more successful than he’d thought. Just as he was thinking of them, I.N. found himself at the Perpendicularity that led to the top of the Horneater Peaks. Being merely a third ideal Radiant, this was as close to the Shattered Plains as he could get from the Cognitive Realm. Leaping through to Roshar, he summoned Tolb as a shield and began to sled down the mountains. So far, he had never died doing this, and it was certainly the fastest way down. This time, I.N. managed to only obliterate half his bones and didn’t even end up with a concussion, which qualified as a rousing success. After repairing his shattered body with all his remaining stormlight, I.N. ran at normal human speed towards is makeshift garden and stopped with subpar human grace when he saw someone else already there. I.N. recognised the man as an Alethi, one of Leiken’s underlings. I.N. panicked and began to reach out his hand to summon Tolb as a weapon, but the other man raised his hands in a calming gesture. He explained that he was merely a messenger, informing I.N. that the other nobles had voted to strip him of his title and holding in his absence. I.N. remained in shocked silence as the messenger turned to leave, recommending that he stay here and tend to his garden instead of returning to the Shattered Plains. As the man disappeared from view, I.N. couldn’t help but think this was a good idea. And the LORD answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain GM, which made an LG for his community, and sent forth his co-GMs to call them that were bidden to the game: and they would not sign up. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are in Discord: Behold, I have prepared my game: my NPC character and my co-GM’s character are killed, and all role PMs are ready: sign up for the LG. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his college work, another to his pressing RL obligations: And the remnant took his ruleset, and entreated it spitefully, and slew it. But when the GM heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his bot armies, and destroyed those unwilling, and broke up their Discord. Then saith he to his co-GMs, The LG is ready, but they which were entreated were not worthy. Go ye therefore onto the Shard, and as many as ye shall find, invite to the game. So those co-GMs went out into the forum, and gathered together all as many as they found willing, both villager and Eliminator: and the LG was furnished with players. And when the GM came in to observe the players, he saw there a man which had not posted for two cycles: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having posted for two cycles twice? And he was speechless. Then said the GM to the co-GMs, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into the spec doc, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. Brightlord Ekard was sleeping again. As the congregation of nobles discussed who to kill, and seemed intent on disposing of those who spoke up and were suspicious, Ekard felt that the best way for him to carry out Mraize’s work was to simply say nothing at all. Then, he wouldn’t be killed. The solution had worked wonderfully thus far, with Elhokar’s men largely ignoring him. Moreover, he had found an outdoor pavilion which made for an excellent resting place, and carried the additional benefit of being screened from obvious notice. Much trouble—too much trouble—would have to be gone to in order to do anything with him besides criticise his absence and move on. Unfortunately, having closed his eyes earlier last night, Ekard could not use them to discern the unplanned highstorm which brewed above the horizon, moving with unnatural speed towards the warcamps. The Stormfather was determined to punish apathy this time, and Ekard’s own strategem of avoiding notice had worked too well. Not having seen him, all the people of the warcamps fled inside for cover as nature’s wrath was poured out around them. The stormwall hit the warcamps with a deafening rumble. Ekard started, awakened at last, and his eyes widened as he realised the dire straits he was in. He sprinted for the door of the nearest barracks, but was not nearly quick enough; a gust of wind threw his body into the air and over a chasm, and a defiant yell was the last heard of a man who truly placed himself at the mercy—or lack thereof—of the Almighty. Young Bard was lynched, but survived! Vote Count: Bard (3): Aman, Coda, Stink Drake Marshall died of inactivity! He was a Ghostblood with a Spanreed, Pain Knife and Reverser! Night 6 has begun! It will end in 48 hours on Friday 29 November, at 9 PM EST. Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving. For my part, I’m thankful for the chance to moderate and be a part of this wonderful community, and am also thankful for my co-GMs, who have helped tremendously this game. Please show your thanks by upvoting Devotary, who did the writeup for Bard’s not-really-death. EDIT: I’m also thankful for @Elbereth, without whom none of you would know which items deceased players held. Spanreeds may open new PMs during this Night turn at the cost of an action. Good luck! Player List: 1. Elandera as Brightness Ellarel, a flighty scribe who nonetheless remains tethered to the ground Noble 2. Rathmaskal/Young Bard as Brightlord I.N., whose reversed name conceals his role as a secret member of the Knights of Ni 3. Butt Ad Venture as Brightness Hmynyes, a connoisseur of classical Vorin music Noble 4. Xinoehp512 as Brightlord Rashor, a man who determinedly believes that blue wine is a plague from the Voidbringers Thief 5. Araris Valerian as Brightlord Arilar, a recently arrived spy with ties to the Kholins Noble 6. StrikerEZ as Brightlord Nalakor, a professional chull breeder and racer and close friend of the King’s Wit Noble Spy 7. Furamirionind as Brightness Dohila, a lighteyes who insists on wearing only orange and green lace Noble 8. Hemalurgic Headshot as Rat, a pet of Brightlord Joe and a secret worldhopper Noble Pet 9. Sart as Tleir, a Purelaker trying desperately to impersonate the missing Brightness Drella while House Sebarial hunts for her Ghostblood 10. STINK as Jumae III, a Brightlord whose eccentricity in fashion contrasts sharply with a docile and even temperament 11. DrakeMarshmallow as Brightlord Ekard, a man at the mercy of the Almighty Himself Ghostblood 12. Amanuensis as Brightlord Ularid Leiken, a man hunting a chull with a green shell which once insulted his mother 13. Coda as Brightness Dejda, one of Adolin’s former girlfriends who now hates the Kholins with a passion 14. Straw as Brightlord Straw, an effigy of Gavilar which was officially recognised as a lighteyes of the fourth dahn 15. Elbereth as Brightness Tintallë, whose title has come under charges of redundancy by expert Quenya scholars Noble

The cycle is closed!

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright Round yon Ghostbloods, Hidden with Blade Silent Kill’rs, to the shadows they fade, Sleep in the grave’s embrace; Sleep in the grave’s embrace. Silent night! Holy night! Bridgeman quake at the sight! Brightlords fear of assassins above Ghostbloods laugh as the knife in they shove. Blades, the sharpest, be used! Blades, the sharpest, be used! Mraize put his head into his hands and let out a sigh. Around him the crowd applauded the young Ghostblood. He looked around the tavern, his eyes still refusing to believe what was before them. Someone, who he noted would not be around for much longer, had decided that rather than actually doing their assigned work, that of killing people, it would be a great idea to throw a party celebrating some Thaylen holiday or another, while they should have been out killing people. He slipped the mug of wine into his hands, sipping it through a tube into his mask. It was terrible. But it was better than what was assaulting his ears. Whoever was singing needn’t bother with knives. A few warbling notes, and their victim would kill themselves. He finished his drink, then held it up. He would need quite a few more to stop himself from killing everyone in the room. Domand surveyed the night, looking alternately down by the narrow light of his spheres at his feet, and up at the stone silhouette of the warcamps. A fall was not fatal to one of his talents, but it was inconvenient, and surviving one of them raised questions—as experience had borne out. He picked his way through the crem-covered rock formations which topped the chasms, peering out at the camps. An eerie quiet hung over them. No chull racing; no duels; no screams splitting the night air. It was a nice evening, and he intended to make the most of it. Smiling slightly at himself, and at the nostalgia of being a street vendor in the alleys of Silverlight, Domand began setting up his booth. It was always profitable—only the marketing needed to be changed. No longer Shard-invested items, the technically correct term which made the highly intellectual Silverlight scientists salivate at the prospect of studying them, but “blessed by the Almighty” for these more superstitious people—never mind that Honour was in very few of the things he was selling. The enemy was in more of them, in fact, as he knew himself. As was now a common occurrence at night, a light black steam began rising from the poorly dyed pink leather gloves which Domand wore. He tried not to think of what that meant. He was not here to see if Dominion could hold sway over the Lord of Hate, and he was not about to find out. After his conversation with Arrdel, the Council had largely stopped giving him grief publicly, but if he tried something like that, he’d be lucky to not be killed on the spot by the very group he’d founded. And for good reason. Realising he’d allowed his thoughts to wander, Domand shook his head. I need to stay more alert, he chastised himself. Adonalsium alone knows what could happen on this forsaken world. Indeed, as he stood underneath the black sky, Domand slowly heard a distant yet approaching rumble; looking east, his suspicions were confirmed. A mere line on the horizon now, the stormwall would strike in hours. He sighed, packing his booth back up. It appeared the lasting peace which he sought would still need to be achieved, and the temporary truce keeping the king and the Ghostbloods apart would be torn to shreds by the coming storms. And with nobody any closer to consolidating and creating order, the reaction was bound to be even more violent. Watching the chull who had adopted her after the death of the previous owner, Kay once again questioned why the beings best suited to understanding the Almighty’s will were among the least able to abide by it. Any animal was capable of blasphemy of course, but for the most part they did not attempt to predict the future or otherwise usurp the Almighty’s domain. This chull appeared more intelligent than others of her kind, but she still tended to limit her behaviours to those promised to have a specific outcome. Consuming rockbuds, cremlings, and grain had been declared to provide sustenance, and so eating these when hungry was not heresy. Experimenting was not forbidden either, so long as no firm conclusions were drawn and the outcome remained in doubt. Kay questioned whether her new companion truly understood this second part though, as failing to provide grain upon a plaintive bleat merely led to louder, more insistent cries. Yet Kay was sure that this creature didn’t spend time wondering whether the people who had killed her former master would be caught and executed. Kay tried to avoid these thoughts as well, but every time she saw the chull she was reminded of the circumstances by which they met. There could be no evident solution to this conundrum, as any plan to remedy it would require an attempt to shape the future. It wouldn’t do to imagine the possible steps required to offer the chull’s services to a Highprince as a beast of burden, or return her to the races to find a new rider, or sell her to a chouta vendor for food. Instead, Kay made the decision as she’d been instructed, impulsively and impermanently. Every time, Kay decided to keep her new friend. And every time, the decision became a little easier. Nobody was attacked! Day 6 has begun! It will end in approximately 47 hours, on Wednesday 27 November at 9 PM EST. Should a Night 6 be necessary, it will be 48 hours as well. Americans, enjoy your Thanksgiving with whomever, and don’t worry about getting orders in for SE. Spinach casserole is far more important. An obligatory reminder that spanreeds may not open new PMs. Thanks to Snip for an inventive parody of Silent Night, and to Devotary for continually excellent character development. Good luck! Player List: 1. Elandera as Brightness Ellarel, a flighty scribe who nonetheless remains tethered to the ground Noble 2. Rathmaskal/Young Bard as Brightlord I.N., whose reversed name conceals his role as a secret member of the Knights of Ni 3. Butt Ad Venture as Brightness Hmynyes, a connoisseur of classical Vorin music Noble 4. Xinoehp512 as Brightlord Rashor, a man who determinedly believes that blue wine is a plague from the Voidbringers Thief 5. Araris Valerian as Brightlord Arilar, a recently arrived spy with ties to the Kholins Noble 6. StrikerEZ as Brightlord Nalakor, a professional chull breeder and racer and close friend of the King’s Wit Noble Spy 7. Furamirionind as Brightness Dohila, a lighteyes who insists on wearing only orange and green lace Noble 8. Hemalurgic Headshot as Rat, a pet of Brightlord Joe and a secret worldhopper Noble Pet 9. Sart as Tleir, a Purelaker trying desperately to impersonate the missing Brightness Drella while House Sebarial hunts for her Ghostblood 10. STINK as Jumae III, a Brightlord whose eccentricity in fashion contrasts sharply with a docile and even temperament 11. DrakeMarshmallow as Brightlord Ekard, a man at the mercy of the Almighty Himself 12. Amanuensis as Brightlord Ularid Leiken, a man hunting a chull with a green shell which once insulted his mother 13. Coda as Brightness Dejda, one of Adolin’s former girlfriends who now hates the Kholins with a passion 14. Straw as Brightlord Straw, an effigy of Gavilar which was officially recognised as a lighteyes of the fourth dahn 15. Elbereth as Brightness Tintallë, whose title has come under charges of redundancy by expert Quenya scholars Noble

The Night is over. Please stand by as we put up the new cycle.

Protections come before all kills in the Order of Actions. Edit: HH’s items are now public. Thanks to @Elbereth for the reminder.

Rat squeaked, feeling the tumbling of Joe’s ash taco cart as the man enthusiastically wheeled it ahead of him, heedless of his rodent cargo, which was being jostled about quite severely. He could share in the Brightlord’s thrill, however—who knew ash tacos would sell so well in Roshar, where the warcamps’ only consistent consumption seemed to be wine? Yet it was counted as a foreign delicacy, and Joe’s last worldhopping had brought with him a large supply of the ash so crucial in their construction. The chouta merchants seemed baffled by the innovation, unable to sell their wares as they had in the past, and times seemed to be looking up. Except for the rattling of the cart beneath his claws, of course. As the cart neared the warcamps, Joe began rambling enthusiastically, addressing Rat in a low voice. “Maybe I’m not completely useless after all!” he exclaimed, gesturing at the full pouch of spheres tucked inside his cart. Having said this, and just after having made the turn into the warcamps proper, Joe tripped, sending the cart rolling along the uneven rocky ground. Miraculously, it remained upright, but even so Rat was nearly thrown from the top of the cart, and was forced to make an awkward scramble and a quick dart under the canvas layering towards the bottom of the stand to remain safe and out of sight. The runaway device did not stop with Rat’s safety, however, and the small rodent found himself jarred by the sudden collision with...something. He couldn’t see anymore. “...this cursed ash taco stand!” a bellow came, sounding like Brightlord Ularid. “Joe, storm you! Get over here!” The scurrying sound of footsteps made Rat believe Joe was coming nearer, but the folds of canvas were too heavy. He couldn’t see! He clawed more frantically, looking for a way out. As he squirmed, he could hear raised voices, Joe exchanging words with the crowd of nobility he had apparently interrupted. “...no clue why you keep this out-of-control stand in operation any longer. We have infiltrators and spies to root out, at the King’s orders, and your only concern is turning a little profit for yourself!” Definitely still Ularid, who was close by now. “Look, I’m useless, okay? Leave me alone; I’m not trying to get anyone hurt here. I tripped and fell, and whatever rocks you have in this area are very unforgiving on the knees.” That was Joe. Scrambling, Rat managed to free himself, and found himself looking up at three figures with weapons drawn, staring at the hapless Joe and his cart. He froze, hoping none of them had noticed his appearance, which was limited to a bulge in the canvas from which two eyes peered out. One of the three, neither Ularid nor Joe, cast a greedy eye over the pouch of spheres hanging on the cart. “Look,” he said to Joe, “I might not suspect you like Brightlord Ularid does. But we do have the rights to do customs inspections on your merchandise, which we haven’t done yet, unless the Highprince of Investigation has. Have you seen him?” Joe gulped. “No.” “Good,” said the man, and began heading toward the cart. He found his way blocked by the thick arm of Brightlord Jumae. “I don’t think so, my lad,” he said quietly. The tension in the air crackled, but no move was made. Rat grew increasingly uncomfortable with Ularid. Not looking at either Jumae or the Noble he was restraining, and keeping Joe back with one arm, he seemed to be peering...directly at Rat. His eyes narrowed, and his muscles tensed. Too late, Rat tried to scurry away. “How now, a rat?” he cried. “Dead for a ducat, dead!” The thrust came; Rat gave one last gibbering shriek, and was forever lost. The last thing he heard were the tears of his faithful master, Joe, and the cries of the other nobles as the cart was overrun and plundered. Hemalurgic Headshot was lynched! He was a Noble with an Alerter, a Spanreed, and a Painrial! Vote Count: HH (3): Aman, Coda, HH Aman (1): Stink Night 5 has begun! It will end in approximately 23 hours, on Monday 25 November at 9:00 PM EST. New Spanreed PMs may now be opened. If you have a PM open with a player already, it is acceptable to re-open that PM with your spanreed instead of creating a new one with identical membership. Good luck! Player List: 1. Elandera as Brightness Ellarel, a flighty scribe who nonetheless remains tethered to the ground Noble 2. Rathmaskal/Young Bard as Brightlord I.N., whose reversed name conceals his role as a secret member of the Knights of Ni 3. Butt Ad Venture as Brightness Hmynyes, a connoisseur of classical Vorin music Noble 4. Xinoehp512 as Brightlord Rashor, a man who determinedly believes that blue wine is a plague from the Voidbringers Thief 5. Araris Valerian as Brightlord Arilar, a recently arrived spy with ties to the Kholins Noble 6. StrikerEZ as Brightlord Nalakor, a professional chull breeder and racer and close friend of the King’s Wit Noble Spy 7. Furamirionind as Brightness Dohila, a lighteyes who insists on wearing only orange and green lace Noble 8. Hemalurgic Headshot as Rat, a pet of Brightlord Joe and a secret worldhopper Noble Pet 9. Sart as Tleir, a Purelaker trying desperately to impersonate the missing Brightness Drella while House Sebarial hunts for her Ghostblood 10. STINK as Jumae III, a Brightlord whose eccentricity in fashion contrasts sharply with a docile and even temperament 11. DrakeMarshmallow as Brightlord Ekard, a man at the mercy of the Almighty Himself 12. Amanuensis as Brightlord Ularid Leiken, a man hunting a chull with a green shell which once insulted his mother 13. Coda as Brightness Dejda, one of Adolin’s former girlfriends who now hates the Kholins with a passion 14. Straw as Brightlord Straw, an effigy of Gavilar which was officially recognised as a lighteyes of the fourth dahn 15. Elbereth as Brightness Tintallë, whose title has come under charges of redundancy by expert Quenya scholars Noble

The cycle is closed! Come back to see who is right...and who is dead. How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!

Please do not use any PMs opened by Araris, as he is now dead and the spanreed connection is broken.

Araris’ death has now been edited in.

The cycle is closed! Please bear with us whilst we sort out rollover.

Rollover will be extended by an hour, pending changes in my schedule. Please get in all your actions by 10:00 PM EST, a little under four hours from this post.