Long Game 20: Warcamp Enigmas

[Elbereth]

...Right. I'm going to be at a convention this weekend, and my first duty is to MR13 and LG19, so... If I say somthing, it'll probably be RP that I wrote up on the drive there or back. Almost certainly not actual game discussion. Sorry.

That said, I have figured out my RP character. I'm going to be a page. So if you need a messenger, or just someone to monologue to, feel free to use Tintallë!

[Hellscythe]

I'd like to sign up as Hellscythe

[A Joe in the Bush]

Sani pursed her lips as she surveyed her lodgings. They were smaller than she had enjoyed as her brother's scribe, but the, Jost had been far more important that Senna. But it hardly mattered. She had a position and a place to stay, so she wouldn't be leaving the Warcamps. She could stay, and continue her own vengeance pact.

[colour=white]The U's will reign eternal!

[colour=blue]Seonid, I accept. I shall be your scribe. Is Senna a brightlady or Lord? How much am I getting paid?

[Mailliw73]

Final Rollover decision: Rollover will be at 9pm MST. When Rollover falls on a Wednesday for the next couple weeks, writeup will be delayed by about a half hour or so. On the Tuesday and Thursdays of the first two weeks, it will be delayed at least two hours. The turn will still end at 9, but the writeups won't be up or PMs sent until those times on those days. Otherwise, writeups and PMs should be prompt.

[Master Elodin]

Sani pursed her lips as she surveyed her lodgings. They were smaller than she had enjoyed as her brother's scribe, but the, Jost had been far more important that Senna. But it hardly mattered. She had a position and a place to stay, so she wouldn't be leaving the Warcamps. She could stay, and continue her own vengeance pact.

[colour=white]The U's will reign eternal!

[colour=blue]Seonid, I accept. I shall be your scribe. Is Senna a brightlady or Lord? How much am I getting paid?[/color ]

This is what you really did. Edited April 22, 2016 by Master Elodin

[Clanky]

No time to play this one so could I just get the spec doc please?

[LUNA]

I guess I am joining upon HS request. I'll play as Luna Arryn (one day maybe I will come up with my own name for a character, but like I kinda like this one tbh).

[TheSilverDragon]

I'll sign up as, wait for it, STAR THIEF!!!!!! Big surprise.

[Mailliw73]

About 6 and a half hours till game start.

[Alvron]

Despite the late hour, the market in Highprince Roion’s warcamp was still abuzz with activity.  Torches lining the streets while oil lanterns hung at intersections.  On one corner people crowded as they watched a Horneater breathing fire while another corner held a puppeteer putting on a show.  Some street vendors hawked their wares in loaded voices while others had dark eyes moving among the crowds carrying trays that held small samplings of what they had on offer, criers selling the latest news arriving via spanreed.

 

But Alv didn’t have time to enjoy the sights.  He had business to be about, though he did stop to grab some chouta from a vendor.  Quickly making his way through the market but not so quickly that he attracted any notice, he headed into the less crowded tavern area.

 

He stopped outside one particular tavern, The Westward Warden, and listened to the murmur that drifted outside.  A mix of drunken singing and slurred shouts overlying the discordant music.  Once he was sure no one was following him, Alv swiftly slipped into an abandoned building next to the tavern.  Discarded and scattered pits of wood and stone littered the floor.  Enough so that any who didn’t know their way through would make plenty of noise.  Alv knew his way through, he owned the building after all.  It made a good meeting place most of the time but tonight, something more was needed.  Exiting out a side door he entered a small walled off section of an alley.  Two shoulder thumpers stood just outside ready to catch any that came through without being invited.  Four other doors led back inside.  Behind three of the doors waited a loaded crossbow ready to send it’s poison tipped load into anyone foolish enough to open the wrong door.  The fourth held something even worse.

 

Fortunately Alv didn’t open any of the doors.  Instead he pushed against a hidden section of the wall and entered the back of the tavern.  He stepped into the room, the door closing with barely a click behind him.  Three men and two women were seated at a table that dominated most of the room.  Two more figures stood at the back, wrapped in cloaks with swords strapped to their waists.  Neither one seemed to be paying any attention but Alv knew that they saw, and heard, everything.

 

Alv knew each member of the gathering.  He was after all the one that had gathered them together.  Ratel however was the only one that held a rank equal to his.  Easily taller and more muscled than Alv but covered from head to toe in strange markings.

 

“Where is Second?” he asked as he approached the table.

“Looking after Edaan.  The Collective didn’t think it was wise to bring him here.”  Ratel replied as he took out a chunk of dried meat from his pouch that he always seemed to carry around with him. “It seems that Kali has gotten wind of our meeting.”

 

********

 

Second lay unconscious on the floor along with three others.  What had once been a silver inlaid table was now nothing more than fancy firewood.  Standing in the midst of the carnage was one man.  He was bare chested with bands of steel ringing his arms.

 

He looked over to the only remaining conscious person left in the room before walking over and opening the door revealing another man.  This one slim of build yet clearly in charge.

 

“Edaan?  I am Swift.  You will want to come with us.”

“And why would I go with you?”

“Kiireon wishes to see you.”

 

 

Happy birthday Wilson.

[little wilson]

Kenara sat at her desk, sifting through the papers displayed in front of her. On it was everyone who’d been in at Dalinar’s banquet that first night--the night that ultimately led to Katara’s death. Whoever had taken her hand would be here, somewhere. They had to be. And she would find them.

 

A rustle sounded through the tent as the flap was thrown open and a man waltzed in. He hesitated just inside, seeing her. “Brightlady Kenara?”

 

She narrowed her eyes. Most of the people in the camps avoided her, and she was fine with that. She wasn’t here to mingle. She was here to find out what happened to her daughter. That was all. But apparently this man hadn’t gotten that message. Somehow. “What?” she said abruptly, just wanting him to have out with whatever he was here to say. She had business to take care of and he was a distraction.

 

He took a deep breath. “Kaddar sends his regards.”

 

She froze. “What?” That was a name she hadn’t heard in a while. It was a name she’d hoped she’d never hear again. So the Wit was still alive, was he? She wondered for a quick second if maybe he’d had something to do with Katara’s hand. She’d like to bleed him dry. Oh, yes she would. After all the mental agony he’d put her through before, accusing her of being a traitor to the Blackthorn, when she’d been as loyal an Officer as it was possible to be. And what had she gotten for it? A Shardblade through her spine. And the worst thing was that no one had even cared that she’d been loyal, and then she’d just been so brutally murdered. No one but her daughter. Her daughter who was now dead.

 

The man’s hand twitched, and the movement shook Kenara from her thoughts. And then the man spoke again. “I understand that you have a….cursed and possibly possessed...communications device--a spanreed. I understand that you have an immensely evil spanreed. I am to wish you a happy birthday and to attempt to exorcise it. I’m Kasim, a witch doctor of...well, you wouldn’t know where I come from.”

 

Kenara stared at him. A spanreed? She had many spanreeds, but none of them were evil. A spanreed couldn’t be evil. Or possessed. And her birthday? The day of her birth? She wasn’t even sure when that was. What kind of culture tracks that information? Who cares to celebrate a day a person began to exist? The man had to be making some sort of a joke. Exorcism? A witch doctor? She knew what a witch was, and she knew well to steer clear of them. Even if the man wasn’t making some sort of joke, he clearly had her mistaken with someone else, and if he was truly a witch, she needed him gone. She’d heard enough about the Nightwitch--well, Nightwatcher, but it was all the same thing in the end, no matter the fancy name the old witch gave herself--and wanted no part of it.

 

Wait. Witch doctor. Evil spanreed…..Kaddar. This was him. It had to be. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of reacting by throwing the man out. “Ah, yes. I think you mean this spanreed,” she said, drawing out one from her drawer, passing it to Kasim. “It has a habit of writing words I don’t mean to say. I’ll appreciate it very greatly if you can rid it of it’s odd sentience.”

 

He nodded and she sat back down, studying her papers again. Let’s see… Kaddar, Kaddar. Did you attend the banquet?

 

----

 

Hours later, Kasim was gone, and the “evil” spanreed was sitting safely in her drawer again. She wasn’t any closer to solving the mystery, though she had a nice list of everyone who’d been in attendance, rather than spread out like they had been. Brightlord Wannan, Brightlady Nivina Odict, Bortholomew the Blind, Sheon Idris, Seavul Karlon, Merliee Kavdar, Draela Heb, Vin Elendel, Badhab Eony, Em-son-of-none, Orlok, Resha, Mace, Arilir, Cleo, Kipper, Seixa, Caesarae, Leyton, Norlav, Klanal, Efrihm, Mallan, Eradin, Owain, Mortago, and Patch. And Katara.

 

“Nivina killed her.”

 

Kenara jumped at the voice, flipping around. She hadn’t heard anyone come in. But there was another woman in the tent, hip resting on the edge of the desk, looking down at the papers just like Kenara herself had been just now. “Who are you and why are you here?”

 

The other woman looked up. “You don’t recognize me?”

 

“No. Should I?”

 

She pursed her lips. “I was the messenger who spread your last words throughout Dalinar’s camp. Wilson. I’m here because I know who has your daughter’s hand.” She pointed to a name on the list.

 

Kenara looked at the name. Norlav. She glanced up. “That can’t be right. I knew him. He wouldn’t have done that.”

 

Wilson smirked. “Wouldn’t he? You knew him when he was a surgeon, did you not? He clearly has the skills and experience to saw a hand off. Given the right motivation--which he had--there’s nothing stopping him from doing so.”

 

Kenara stared at his name again. That heterochromatic chull. “Why are you telling me this? What’s in it for you?”

 

“I’m telling you because it’s the truth and because he’s part of a group that is messing with things better left untouched. As for what’s in it for me. That’s my own business.”

 

Kenara’s eyes narrowed, but before she could speak, the tentflap opened and a man she didn’t recognize entered. He was bare-chested with metal arm-bands ringing his arms. She’d never seen anyone like him before, and she couldn’t stop staring. The man glanced her way and then turned to Wilson. “My lady,” he spoke, inclining his head toward Wilson. “I found where they were keeping him and brought him back with me. He’s outside.”

 

Wilson stood abruptly. “He’s here?”

 

Kenara peeled her eyes away from the man to study Wilson. That tone was filled with emotion, and as she looked at the woman’s face, she saw half-a-dozen more emotions flit across it in mere seconds. Excitement, eagerness, worry, sorrow, fear, anticipation. Love. Who are they talking about? She wondered. Clearly someone vitally important to Wilson, but why? And why were they here? ….unless. Maybe this had to do with that group. And Norlav. Norlav. She looked away from Wilson to stare down at that name. He would pay. She wouldn’t stop until she’d bled him dry and taken that hand back from him.

 

She only vaguely heard Wilson say “Show him in,” and the tentflap opening again.

 

 

Thanks Kas and Alv.

 

Also, Alv, I ended it there since I'm not sure how willing Edaan is right now to be there, so I'll leave that up to you. Assuming, of course, that you want to continue this into the game. I'm fine either way.

[Mailliw73]

I'm ending signups now. Expect the writeup in 15 minutes and PMs shortly after.

[Mailliw73]

Day 1: Succession War

 

King Lenel Naladar had been in power for just over two years, after his elderly father had died. The two of them, along with Lenel's uncle, had united the princedoms into one nation. Vetelin, Lenel's father, had been the peaceful diplomat, as he was too old to battle. Lenel had been the warrior. Geratad, Lenel's uncle, had been assassinated by the Parshendi shortly after they had united the Highprinces. That started the Vengeance Pact. Vetelin had died of a disease after ruling Alethkar for some years. Lenel had taken over after his father's death. For some reason, he had felt destined to take his father’s place shortly after the unification.

 

King Naladar had heard rumors of secret groups trying to overthrow the government again and return to the heretics, but he had never taken them seriously. He had guards a plenty to protect him from threats. Though Deren had failed him once, long ago, to a Plate-clad assassin. Luckily, Naladar had managed to recover from the wound and the assassin had been caught by other guards as he had tried to escape.

Deren had been a guard for the King for twenty long years and never gotten much praise or reward. The King was generous, true, but also prideful. Deren was sick of it. Because of one slipup, the King had demoted him and stripped him of many privileges, treating him like a darkeyes. Deren had met with a group called the Ghostbloods who had convinced him to help them kill King Naladar. He didn’t have to do much, only drop a rope over the balcony for someone else to climb up. The night of the planned kill, he sent a missive to the leader of the Ghostbloods confirming his part in the plan. Deren waited for a moment when he was alone and tied a rope to the balcony, tossing the loose end down for the killer.

 

Deren saw the dark figure below step out of the shadows. He gave the signal and the man climbed up as Deren walked away, continuing his patrol. The assassin climbed to the top and cut the rope off, so that another Ghostblood could take it to be discarded of. The assassin killed the second balcony guard as he walked by and headed inside.

 

After the signal from the assassin coming back out, Deren ran into the King's chamber. Nauseated for a minute at the sight of the blood, he regained composure and began yelling and sounding the alarm. The King was dead.

 

By morning, the news had spread to the nobility: assassins had snuck into the palace and murdered the King. Naladar had no sons and his uncle was dead. The nobility panicked, wondering who would succeed Naladar. That wasn’t the only problem: they had to find the killers before they were all killed too. The succession war had begun.

 

King Naladar has died! He was a Noble.

You have 48 hours to discuss and decide on a lynch. A lynch requires two votes minimum and a tied lynch will result in a coin flip to see which player dies.

 

REMEMBER: Only players with Spanreeds may start PMs. Spanreeds take one action at night to turn on and then any number of PMs, with any number of players, may be created that night. There should be no PMs during this day.

 

Clarifications:

In the rules for the Painrial, by “regular attack” that means any attack not by Shardblade.

Artifabrians cannot create the same item two cycles in a row. See new clarification below. 

 Artifabrians have a two cycle cooldown between items, not one. Ex: An artifabrian makes a spanreed on C1. They can no longer make a Spanreed again until Cycle 4.

 

Player List:

 

1. Elbereth: Tintallë-Probably a goddess, definitely a ninja
2. Phattemer: Axies-In denial
3. Master_Elodin:  Eobard Thawne-Reverse-Flash
4. DeathClutch: Itachi Uchiha-Some Japanese kid
5. Alvron: Alv-Badchull Halfborn
6. ThatTinyStrawMan: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
7. Kynedath: Kayden Ianlynn-Definitely arrogant
8. little wilson: Brightlady Kenara-Looking for body parts. Definitely British.
9. AliasSheep: Kelen Taldar
10. Zas678: Kaythar
11. Twelfthrootoftwo: Teialan
12. Macen: Ace
13. Yafeshan: Geran
14. Mark: Mayelek
15. Kasimir: Karnan-Not Khas. Nope.
16. TheMightyLopen: Loopen-Just a wee bit crazy
17. Seonid: Senna Idian
18. Burnt Spaghetti: Ebony Ghetti
19. Stink
20. Nyali: Brightness Arisia
21. Orlok: Subadon-Probably secretly American
22. TheOnlyJoe: Sani Joslin-Traitor to 'Murica
23. Elkanah: Montnog Spot
24. Trelagist
25. Araris Valerian: Ardel
26. Hellscythe: Hellscythe
27. Luna: Luna Arryn
28. Silver Dragon: Star Thief

Edited April 23, 2016 by Mailliw73

[Master Elodin]

Gideon, what time period is this? Also, are we supposed to have our PMs yet?

[phattemer]

I don't, but they'll be out shortly.

Wow, I hadn't realized so many people had signed up for this.

[Mailliw73]

PMs are all out.

 

Edit: Clarification: Artifabrians must give items to other players, not themselves.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Mailliw73

[LUNA]

Hmmm. Mailliw 

 

((TOTALLY KIDDING I LOVE YOU PLS DON'T HATE ME. (for those of you who kept up on QF14...) ))

 

I really hate doing first turn lynches....

Edited April 23, 2016 by LUNA

[Mailliw73]

Another change to the Artifabrians. Ignore the clarification in the writeup. Artifabrians have a two cycle cooldown between items, not one. Ex: An artifabrian makes a spanreed on C1. They can no longer make a Spanreed again until Cycle 4.

[Elbereth]

‘Allë ran. Step. Step. Step.

She’d been running a lot, lately. With Bal and Terem dead and Renet badly injured, she was the most senior page in any of the camps. And the only one without a particular master, at the moment. Which meant twice as much work as usual, since, of course, her services were required. Constantly. By at least two or three brightlords and ladies at a time. Not to mention training the new pages at the same time.

Why they all had to go to the same storming battle... She kept running. Nothing she could do about it now. She just had to keep going, until the new pages were competent enough to go a day without making idiotic mistakes.

Like Treden, for instance. She didn’t even know what he’d done yet, but given previous...happenings, she was willing to bet that it was something absurd.

She waved briefly to the guards as she passed the entrance of the next camp. They waved back, and one even tossed her a piece of bread.

Tintallë grinned and snatched it out of the air. She hadn’t had food since... She wasn’t sure. Had she eaten this morning? She couldn’t remember. She gulped it down ravenously, in any case, and continued running. Only a little ways more.

Sheran through the marketplace, dodging and weaving through the masses of humans buying, selling, and generally obstructing her passage. She managed not to touch anyone, too, until she reached the middle of the marketplace.

Someone’s arm bumped into her hand. Just for a moment, but it was enough to set it off.

The baker. The taste of the roll she’d just eaten rose up again in her mouth. Kind. Careful. Cares.

12 years of age. His hometown, somewhere in Alethkar. The bakery. He goes in, and there’s the old baker. The scent of freshly baked bread. The warmth... The kindness... The hope.

And that kindness is still there now, reflected from his old master. Tarnished, true, by years of sadness, of hardship, of deaths. But still shining soft unwavering silver beneath the layer of abruptness.

Beautiful, effervescent kindness.

She blinked out of it, throwing herself into a nearby alleyway to recover.

She walked slowly down the alley, since it took her in the direction she wanted to go anyway, absorbing the shock of another soul touching hers.

Interesting that there was an event that time, instead of just personality. Must have been particularly important, I suppose.

She shook herself. The shock hadn’t even been that bad, this time, and she still had a duty to attend to!

She ran again, until she reached the place she’d been called to. She made herself presentable with a few short movements - page clothes intentionally didn’t show dirt and sweat, and short hair was easy enough to straighten - then entered.

So, it turns out that I have even less internet access than I thought I would have. Expect maybe one more thing in 24 hours, and then nothing until perhaps right before turnover. Sorry.

That said, anyone’s welcome to pick up with Tintallë who wants to. If no one does, I shall be forced to create my own irritated Brightlord/lady, and that would make me very sad. I like having RP partners.

Might want to be careful about letting her touch your bare skin, though.

[Kasimir]

The page entered.
 
He heard the rasp of cloth as she pulled back the flap of the tent.
 
Karnan was bent over before the scribe's desk, glancing down idly at the sheaf of papers Ivani had left behind. He traced the smooth script with a curious finger, but straightened up as the page entered. It was not a proper interest, he knew. He knew the glyphs, was permitted to study them, even, but writing was the domain of women, with their carefully-veiled safehands. War was his province, but all the same...
 
He could, he thought, not for the first time, become an Ardent. But joining the Ardentia wouldn't solve anything.
 
"Page," he said, shortly, by way of greeting. He picked up the sheaf of papers and folded them carefully into a courier's pouch. "Brightlord Terneas needs this delivered to Brightlady Mahiri as soon as possible." He handed over the courier's pouch to the waiting page, added a tip of a few spheres just as an incentive for speed. "Dismissed."
 
Okay, I'll have to cut back even more. I won't be on 17S until Tuesday because my term paper isn't going well and it's 50% of my final grade. Shouldn't miss too much.

[TheMightyLopen]

Kas and Elb doing RP. It's like old times.   Good luck on your paper Kas! 

[Kynedath]

Sorry guys, but I am going to be busy today and most of tomorrow.

 

Not that it would really affect my opinion. I'd still be against cycle 1 lynches

[Araris Valerian]

Well, fortunately for those of us who like Day 1 lynches, s long as there are at least 2 of us there isn't much anybody can do to stop the lynch from happening, haha.

 

I am gonna vote for LUNA, and would like to hear a bit more from Kynedath, although I understand you might be unavailable to respond. Anyway, regardless of whether you like a cycle 1 lynch, the general consensus has been that the lynch discussion is valuable even without a death. And in this format, the lynch has that much more weight because when somebody places that one extra vote, it can't just be tied up to stop a death.

 

I haven't looked into the items/roles very much so far, so I don't have any strategy revolving around those, but maybe I'll get around to that later today.

[Straw]

Hi! Mr. Die says that LUNA must die!

Edited April 25, 2016 by ThatTinyStrawMan

[Zas678]

I've got a question. So for the Ghostbloods, they have an "additional goal" of having a Shardblade and a Soulcaster. Is this a true Win condition? Or just extra credit? Because that should affect how we strategize. 

 

Especially with the duel. If by the duel you publicly admit to being a Shardbearer, then you pretty much set yourself up to being the next person killed by the Ghostbloods (unless you are them, or they're being sneaky, or they already have a Shardbearer). They'll attack in order to gain the Shardblade to gain their "alternate win".

 

I suppose if it is a true win condition, it makes it more likely that anyone with a Shardblade or a Soulcaster isn't a Ghostblood. But if it's just extra credit, we can't really rely on that.