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Night 11: The Sound of Silence

On the world of Sel, there was a room where the voiceless spoke.

It was a room of regrets, where those that had entered the hell-on-earth that was the ruined city of Elantris always ended up, their minds shattered repeatedly by the continuing, unending torment of mere existence. A persistent itch in this place could lead to clawing off the skin entirely in search for solace. The cursed beings of the city could not escape their fate; Sanity was in short supply, and even those that tried to resist it could not help but eventually give in.

Within the building, the insane gathered as though moths to a flame, drawn together by those like-minded, though they could not understand what brought them to this point. They had no thoughts of their own, no ability to comprehend the world around them through their pains. Inside, a hundred voices repeated their meaningless mantras, talking without speaking. They were in their own, personal worlds, unable to listen to the others in the room around them in the same position. Their words washed over them like a wave, each one slowly eroding down the mind, like a drip of water on a stone.

It was a madness that was both magically induced and yet entirely mundane. It was as though those within were trapped within time, reliving the moment where everything became too much, over and over again. For them, the world outside simply ceased to exist. Their pain became their entire world, their purpose and their punishment. Eyes flicked to those who entered the room, but didn't see them. They could not - their world had simply ended, consumed with the despair they felt.

On the world of Nalthis, there was a similar room.

They did not speak, but the Explorers couldn't see why not. They did not appear to have anything wrong with them physically that would prevent them. There was no lingering marker of magic that danced across their skins or left its image upon them. They simply ceased to exist, dreaming without being asleep. The world passed them by, while their minds played images of their own in front of their eyes. Ghosts danced before their vision, a torturous show all of their own of their own making. They lived in the past, their sins returning to haunt them. The House had broken them, and so they sat here, in this room, and pretended it didn't exist. But even in their own worlds, they could not escape its evil influence.

"There she is," Aralis muttered, pushing Konwa forward.

"Why me?" Konwa asked, brushing Aralis' hand off his shoulder. "You do it."

"Not a chance," Aralis held his hands up, shaking his head. "This place completely creeps me out."

"It does that to all of us," Sheon rolled his eyes as he stepped forwards towards Shara, or at least what was left of her. 

When they came up to her, she was sat on the floor against a wall, toying with a silver box in her hand. It was small, and could not contain anything that big, but considering the material the box was made from, it certainly contained something valuable or precious. Potentially both. She did not say anything as they approached, nor even acknowledge their presence until their shadows blocked out the candlelight. At that point, she finally looked up at them, but she still did not really seem to see them. She continued to fidget with the box, moving it from hand to hand as though it was too hot to hold in one for a long time.

"She doesn't look like a killer," Konwa muttered.

"Do any of us?" Aralis countered. "Do you think any of us looked that strange when we first came here? Billy or Arinian or Alberd... Appearances can be decieving, can't they?"

"I suppose," Konwa nodded, kneeling down before her but continuing to look at the two he had come here with. "But I want to be sure before. I want to ask questions. I at least want a clear conscience if we do this. She's hardly in her right mind, is she?" She turned back to Shara, "Hello, Shara. Do you remember me?"

Shara squinted a little, her hands still moving. She shook her head and stopped looking at him, returning to the object in her hands.

"It's Konwa," she said, slowly, as kindly as he could manage. "We want to ask you some questions, if that's alright."

She said nothing.

Konwa sighed. "Do you know what happened here? What's going on?"

She said nothing.

"Real good work there Doc," Aralis said.

Konwa scowled and turned back to him. "I'm a damned BioChromatic researcher, not an interrogator!" She pushed himself up violently and slapped Aralis on the back, pushing him forward. "If you think you can do a better job, then you do it."

"Hey, hey," Aralis said, as he was pushed forward. Then he sighed. ""Well, I guess we might as well start with the obvious question; what's that box?"

Finally, Shara spoke. "It's mine."

"That's not what I asked," Aralis said, gritting his teeth. "What's in it?"

"...Memories," Shara said, after a pause. Then she drew it closer. "It's mine," she added.

"Oh for..." Aralis grabbed the box off her, overpowering her easily as the people here were suffering from malnutrition, whereas the rest of them had enough of a mind to them still to eat. "Let's have a look then," he said, prising it open.

"Mine!" Shara shouted, tackling him to the ground with surprising force and knocking him to the side. They landed roughly, Shara next to the box, Aralis on the floor beside her. But the box was open, and whatever was inside it seemed to absorb and trap the light around it. It pulsed strangely, making it visible despite the fact that it was practically made from darkness. She made to grab the box, but was halted as whatever was inside started to move.

It rose up in a spiral, passing through Shara as though it was not there. As it travelled through her, she seemed to fade a little, losing all colour as though the heat were drained from her. Then her face became thinner, shriveling until it was just a skeleton. Then, as the darkness settled itself in an amorphous cloud above her, her body fell to the ground and shattered like ice, a fine layer of dust covering the floor.

But the darkness was not content with simply taking one life. It swirled around the room, before launching itself at Aralis. He rolled out of the way, barely managing to avoid the thing. Then it turned around and raced towards Konwa, aiming straight for her heart.  He was only saved by Sheon's timely intervention, who pulled him out of the way and into the wall. Konwa grimaced as her shoulder slammed into the unforgiving stone, but all things considered it was better than she had any right to expect. Instead, the shadow passed through the body of Mark, who was one of many people in the room unaware of the danger they were in. His body turned to dust before it even hit the ground. The shadow carried on moving through the wall behind Mark as though it wasn't there.

Aralis slowly got to his feet, eyes glued to the wall where it had disappeared. The three of them made their way to the centre of the room and stood back to back, each person watching a third of the room. The day carried on around them, the light slowly fading and dusk eventually breaking through the window. There was no sign of the shadow, but even after several hours watch, none of them were willing to breathe a sigh of relief.
 


Shara (Nyali) was a Shade-Trapper with a Silver Box!
The Silver Jewelery Box Omen has been vanquished!

Shara/Nyali (3): Dr Konwa Arelle (Wonko the Sane), Aralis (Arais Valerian), Sheon Idris (Seonid)
Shan Idris/Seonid (1): Shara (Nyali)

Mark (Mark IV) was an
Awakener!

Character List

Spoiler
  1. Dr Konwa Arelle (Wonko the Sane) - A biochromantic scholar.
  2. Frost (Doctor12) - He changed his name to something he thought sounded cool. Coincidentally, he is no longer invited to parties. - Surgebinder
  3. Shara (Nyali) - A real estate agent that ain't afraid of no ghost, because she doesn't believe in them. - Shade-Trapper
  4. Stick (I_Am_A_Stick) - A thin piece of wood that has been cut off or that has fallen off a tree. - Explorer
  5. Aralis (Araries Valerian) - Not all-together there.
  6. Yiferien (Daniyah) - A murderous maid with her mind on the property market. - Explorer
  7. Exion (Unodus) - Gambling with his life... - Explorer
  8. Rotiart (Paranoid King) - Not suspicious at all guys.
  9. Moro (Magestar) - Searching for treasure. - Explorer
  10. Bugsy (Bugsy6912) - Not related to any potential crook. - Explorer
  11. Doctor Ryan Oglethorpe (phattemer) - Has a strange speaking problem. - Explorer
  12. Quintus (Jondesu) - Entering the mansion. - Explorer
  13. Khaos (little wilson) - A fear junkie. - Mistborn
  14. Isaac 'The Hammer' Jones (Elenion) - In search of treasure. - Explorer
  15. Nightspud (Assassin in Burgundy) - A questionably starchy person. - Explorer
  16. Nathan (Nathanvanduij) - Signed up.
  17. Dr Artie Neuems (Arraenae) - An old gentleman comparing about today's youth. - Explorer
  18. Billy (Darkness Ascendant) - An rural man enamored by the House's appearance. - Hemalurgist
  19. Arinian (Arinian) - Appearing as himself. - Forger
  20. Greg Ronald (STINK) - TBA - Explorer
  21. Locke (Orlok Tsubodai) - George Washington in disguise. - Explorer
  22. The Guy in the Red Uniform (Ecthelion III) - Too easy... - Explorer
  23. Aon Deag (Aonar Faileas) - Has no interest in buying, so what is he there for? - Explorer
  24. Sean (polkinghorndb) - Planning on asset-stripping the House.
  25. C. L. Anky (Clanky) - Hired for investigative purposes.
  26. Prof. Alberd Hae (Haelbarde) - Searching for the research notes of the Five Scholars. - Lifeless Commander
  27. The Lady of Chaos (The_Lady_Of_Chaos) - TBA
  28. Jeffery Wilferson (jefrywlfersn) - TBA
  29. Eques Tempore (Straw) - TBA - Coinshot
  30. Sheon Idris (Seonid) - A shade of his former self.
  31. Juq (JUQ) - TBA 
  32. Huxton (The Young Bard) - He means well but does bad. - Explorer
  33. Kasther (Kasimir) - Intreped young estate agent. - Estate Agent
  34. Kresla (Elbereth) - Wide-eyed and innocent. This cannot end badly.
  35. Mark (Mark IV) - Better than Mark III. - Awakener


Kasther's Pocketwatch

 

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Edited by Alvron
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There we go! I'm not sure what there is to do now. There are still two more Eliminators to kill, I guess.

@Wyrmhero If all remaining players on the Eliminator team are inactive, would you end the game early, or would we be required to kill the inactives until we found the last 2 Traitors?

The answer to this question will let us know whether or not we should be looking for another Traitor among the active or semi-active players.

Araris is close to cleared in my mind. He's claimed to kill the House, and nobody has come forward to counterclaim. He was attacked by the Eliminators and survived on N10 - which is a ridiculous place to try a WGG. Finally, he voted on Nyali (he was the second vote on Nyali, and the one that put her in danger of the lynch) when he could have saved her by tying the lynch.

Wonko swung the lynch away from Elbereth and to Nyali - a Traitor, so it seems odd that he would do such a thing if he were on Nyali's team. You don't sacrifice your own teammates to gain trust when you have enough numbers to reasonably control the lynch, and a target that the rest of the village is on board with.

I reasonably trust Elbereth. But I have nothing to clear her other than Wilson's trust.

I know my own alignment, of course, but I'll point out that I advocated Nyali's lynch from the beginning of the cycle. If we were teammates, we could have tied it up at the end, and then killed someone tonight, leaving us controlling the lynch tomorrow.

I trust Elb, but she's the one I have least reason to trust atm. Araris, I'd advocate for killing the lurker tonight.

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Just now, Seonid said:

@Wyrmhero If all remaining players on the Eliminator team are inactive, would you end the game early, or would we be required to kill the inactives until we found the last 2 Traitors?

The answer to this question will let us know whether or not we should be looking for another Traitor among the active or semi-active players.

You've just explained why I should not be answering you :P.

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NOTE: A large section of the following was originally typed in my PM with Seonid. When I realized how much I wanted to say, I cut and pasted, then finished it here. I intended to bring it up publicly eventually, and I didn't want to type it all twice. It would perhaps be better to wait for the end of the game, but this is on my brain right now, and I wanted to get it out there. This isn't in bluetext, but it is very much out-of-game; I just hate reading and/or writing bluetext for more than a few short paragraphs.

[Referring to the rampant inactivity] ...I intend to bring this up at the end of the game, because we as a community need to discuss this. I'm just as guilty, so I don't mean to cast aspersions on anyone, but this is a problem that needs addressing. The fight against inactivity has been a part of the game since the early days of SE, but rarely have I seen it destroy games with the depressing regularity we're getting these days.

You seem to feel the same, with your public pleas, but I feel that appealing to individuals is going to be ineffective, as your target audience is specifically the group least likely to hear you. Instead, we need to come together, outside the context of any particular game, and talk this out, like what we're doing for etiquette or rules complexity.

The fact that this is happening so regularly, no matter the game, players, or circumstances, means that the problem is systemic. We can't solve this by resolving to "try harder", unless we expect a large section of players to make significant sacrifices in other areas of their lives. And since there was definitely a time when playing this game didn't require that, we need to talk through what's wrong with the status quo.

What, systemically, causes players to go inactive so often, and to stay that way for so long? What changes can we make so that keeping up with things is easier and more rewarding? How can we help players who have gone inactive to more easily return to the game? What can we do, in the possibly-inevitable event that some players do go inactive, to ensure that the game survives it with minimal damage to the experience of the remaining players?

We need to talk these questions and others over, back and forth, and consider them from every angle. It's natural to jump to conclusions: I -- like, I would guess, so many of you -- immediately want to blame the current hot-button issues of complexity creep and a hostile game environment. But that only serves to rob us of a conversation we desperately need to have. Don't be afraid to voice your first thoughts, but don't stop with them either.

Maybe what's changed is simply the player base, and we need to accept that; working not to restore the game to what it was, but to help make it into a positive experience for the players of today. Maybe expecting a major change in activity is just plain unrealistic in the near future, and our efforts would be better spent designing games that can be fun even after losing a large number of players. Maybe -- a personal observation -- this community has gradually become more and more insular and esoteric, and newer players are being discouraged from participating by a wall of obscure and confusing jargon, dizzyingly intricate strategies, and frankly hard-to-follow references to older games; things that can enrich and streamline the game for more experienced players, but scare off newbies.

My point is that we don't know, and we do ourselves a disservice if we fail to consider every possibility, no matter how seemingly outlandish, before identifying the problem -- and long, long before we decide on a course of action. The Shard has never failed to impress me with its intelligence, levelheadedness, ingenuity, and compassion. Let's put that to work, people, and solve this problem as I know only we can.

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Apologies for the intrusion. In response to Wonko's post, I would like to link people to the SE Questions & Answers thread, where there has been some discussion (although it sorta died out...) on the topic. That thread makes for a good place to have this discussion where it won't get lost or fragmented over many games.

Edited by Haelbarde
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Finale, or: House Falls, Almost Everyone Dies

"Ready?" Konwa asked, leaning her shoulder against the door. She looked at Aralis and Sheon, who stood behind her, also bracing themselves against the wood. They nodded to her firmly, steeling themselves for what they expected would just be yet another failed attempt to access the outside. "On three," she said.

"Wait," Aralis asked, waving away the little person that had taken to standing on his shoulder and standing up properly to look at her properly. He rubbed his neck, which was getting a tad sore from the posturing. "Is that on three, or after three?"

"...After three," Konwa clarified.

"So on four?" Sheon asked.

"What? No, after three, no-one says on four." Konwa said, frowning at them both. "Look, just when I say now, okay?" They nodded and pushed themselves against it lightly. "Now!" Konwa shouted, and the three of them heaved against the heavy wooden door. At first, there was nothing, but then there was a horrendous creaking that cut through the silence of the dead House. The door started to shift, dirt dislodging itself and falling on top of them. Then, finally, the door pushed open. 

They stepped outside, blearily, into the sunlight. It was strange how much brighter it seemed, despite the fact that they could see it perfectly fine through the windows. "We're out," Aralis said, grinning at the other two. "Colours, we're out!"

"It wasn't even two weeks," Sheon said, though despite that fact, he too was feeling lighter than he had done for many days.

"Well, I'm just glad to leave the damned place," Aralis said, shutting the door for emphasis. It was strange how small and light it felt from the outside, and he pushed it with far more force than was intended. The door slammed shut with a crashing sound, the shockwaves 
reverberating through his hand and the door frame. From the frame, cracks began to appear in the brickwork, traversing further and further away along fault lines until it seemed the entire House was covered in them. For a moment, nothing gave way. Then, everything collapsed in a cacophony of noise.

"...We didn't get the others out first," Konwa said, slowly and delicately.

"...It was not my fault," Aralis replied much quicker, peering around the door at the debris. He jumped over the first bit of rubble and started to dig through, looking for someone he could heal with his newfound powers. He looked back at Sheon and Konwa. "Well? Why are you standing there?! Give me a hand!"

With a sigh that was born from exasperation and frustration, the pair of them made their way over to help.


By virtue of apparently being the only active players left, the Explorers win!

Spectator Doc
Traitor Doc
Dead Doc
Master Spreadsheet

Edited by Alvron
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Yesss we won!! :D 

Gotta say it, I loved this game (sure, the inactives were a problem but still). Loved playing it and then having fun in the dead doc. Enjoyed reading the write-ups too. Thank you, Wyrm and Kas.

One thing I learned: try not to seem suspicious in PMs... 

:P 

Edited by Daniyah
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Just now, Elbereth said:

Yep. I thought of it multiple times during the night, but kept forgetting to actually send in the order. >> 

Apologies to my teammates for causing our loss. 

Anyway there was no way to win(only if Araris can't protect himself every night... or Nathan will come back :D). Sooo... thx Wyrm great game, great writeups.  

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Yeah, we were in a terrible position near the end. Two openly confirmed villagers, one who could protect and one who could vote manip, and neither of us left had useful powers. There wasn't much we could have done at that point. We couldn't get either lynched, and we had a 50% chance of failing to kill one of them at night. Even if the game went on, we had no chance.

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1 minute ago, Nyali said:

Yeah, we were in a terrible position near the end. Two openly confirmed villagers, one who could protect and one who could vote manip, and neither of us left had useful powers. There wasn't much we could have done at that point. We couldn't get either lynched, and we had a 50% chance of failing to kill one of them at night. Even if the game went on, we had no chance.

Also Wonko was Returned that will return after death...

Edited by Arinian
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8 minutes ago, Nyali said:

Yeah, we were in a terrible position near the end. Two openly confirmed villagers, one who could protect and one who could vote manip, and neither of us left had useful powers. There wasn't much we could have done at that point. We couldn't get either lynched, and we had a 50% chance of failing to kill one of them at night. Even if the game went on, we had no chance.

I actually didn't have vote manipulation. I had the role, but no metals. I was just trying to panic people into posting.

Edited by Seonid
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Thanks for running this game Wyrm and Kas! I would definitely be interested in seeing this game, or a similar one, run again. Having a random conversion triggered by the village is an interesting idea, and I think it is a good way to get around the current meta of the forum. While I kept up with it, this was also a cool environment to write RP in, and a spooky mansion is a great place for Aralis to hang out in for a while.

 

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