Long Game 30: Journey Before Destination

[Magestar]

47 minutes ago, TheMightyLopen said:

Okay, so, I suspect that Alvron is the Elsecaller. Along with my previous reasons, I think he's my best guess for Unjust right now. I'll vote to execute Shqueeves for now. I said I would switch to Drake later, but I kind of forgot we had a different option. If everyone decides to get Drakes alignment instead though, I'll switch mine over.

Oh yeah.  I'll also vote for Alvron.  Same reasons as Lopen, basically.

---

Balthazar saw several initiates heading towards a shardbearer;  A Parshendi Shardbearer!  They were going to challenge Eshonai!  Balthazar, filled with determination, began slicing his way towards them.  This was a fight he wanted to see up close.

[Arinian]

1 hour ago, TheMightyLopen said:

Okay, so, I suspect that Alvron is the Elsecaller. Along with my previous reasons, I think he's my best guess for Unjust right now. I'll vote to execute Shqueeves for now. I said I would switch to Drake later, but I kind of forgot we had a different option. If everyone decides to get Drakes alignment instead though, I'll switch mine over.

Arinian, sorry if I was over aggressive with my accusations of you. I'm just trying to point out all of my reasons for suspecting you, but I have been very frustrated with our lack of progress so far, so my tone might have been more negative than usual. And I'll admit that I've been tunneling pretty hard this game. That's another reason I've been annoyed with players calling for inactive lynches. Because as long as we keep killing inactives, my suspicions are kind of frozen in place and I can't move on.

I feel like the majority of the Unjust are among the most active players, which is why they haven't been killing players like me, Doc, or Randuir, instead going after moderately active players like Rae and HH. I suspect one of Doc or randuir are Unjust, though at this point I'm not sure which.

I've been able to gather a fair amount of information, but I can't seem to figure out who the new Edgedancer is or who Bonded the other spren this Cycle(I know one of them already). If either or both of those players would claim to me, that would be awesome.

I don't think that you was too aggressive, even if so I can't blame you for that cause I didn't brought solid point to my gut read on you. Also sorry to everyone who asked me something but I don't have time to give answers I was really busy today and tomorrow promises to be not much easier. Really sorry about that, I know it's looks like very convinient reason to avoid answers and blah blah blah, but I can't  do nothing about that. Oh also everyone can blame me in bandwagoning on Alv (it's not bandwagoning but.... mehh you can count this as bandwagoning ).

[DeTess]

Ranatar Looked around in desperation as he stumbled to a halt. He needed more Stormlight! There, a couple of steps back, the body of a dead spearman lay slumped on the ground. A little light was leaking from a pouch at his belt. Ranatar breathed in the Stormlight. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. He picked up the man’s spear as well.

Ranatar turned back to the situation ahead. The rest of the initiates had been advancing slowly on the Voidbringers, Prince Adolin taking the centre. Shallan was behind them. Adolin appeared to be setting himself up to face the enemy Shardbearer. It was the right thing to do. He could go toe-to-toe with the Voidbringer, and the rest of the initiates could probably fore their way through the Voidbringers, though it would be difficult and slow going.

Ranatar looked over Adolin again. His shardplate had been damaged in places during the fight, while his opponent would be mostly fresh, and as much as having two Shardbearers face off against each other was the right thing to do, it wasn't the logical thing to do.

Ranatar quickly rushed to catch up, drawing more Stormlight from the reserves of the initiates. He expected he’d need it more than they did, shortly. “Brightlord, push through those Voidbringers as fast as you can, then get the captain. You can worry about taking down the shardbearer once the job is done.” Ranatar said to the prince as he rushed past him, leaving him no time to respond.

Ranatar switched his new spear to his offhand, then threw his dagger. It wasn’t balanced for throwing, and even if it was, Ranatar had no experience with such things. It was either luck, or some skill imparted by the Stormlight, That caused the blade to bounce of the Voidbringer General’s helmet.

“You must be the runt of the litter.” Ranatar shouted once he'd gotten it's attention. “None of the other Voidbringers we slaughtered to get there bothered with Shardplate.” Ranatar just barely dodged a thrown bolt of lightning. The enemy shardbearer was glancing between him and the prince, seemingly unsure of who to come after. Ranatar startled circling to the right as he continued his taunting. “Despite all the power your plate and blade have given you, you’ve just cowered here, doing nothing as your men died for you. It’s clear what kind of leader you are. The kind that has no problem with sacrificing its people for a little glory and power.” 

That last remark seemed to have hit home. The Shardbearer rushed towards him, and Ranatar moved backwards, pulling it away from the other Voidbringers and giving the rest a chance to push through them and reach the rock.

Ranatar managed to dodge the first of the Voidbringer’s swipes, and jabbed with his spear, aiming for its faceplate. The monster deflected the blow with its arm, then struck again. From that point onward, all Ranatar could do was dodge the creatures strikes. It was steadily forcing him back, striking fast enough to deny Ranatar any chance to retaliate. Then, suddenly, it stopped advancing and looked back, at where the initiates where busy tearing through the Voidbringers. With an angry shout it turned around and started to head back to the fight.

Ranatar rushed up behind it, discarding his spear and drawing his sword, aiming for one of the Shardplate’s leg-joints. With strength born of Stormlight and desperation, he Slammed his blade through the joint. The voidbringer roared in pain, then struck at Ranaatr with its unarmed fist, hitting the side of his head.

Ranatar was thrown to the ground, and for a sickening moment, he lost all control and feeling in his body. Pain and control of his limbs quickly returned, but healing that damage had drained him of the last of his Stormlight. Now he was lying prone on the ground, unarmed, his body hurting from exhaustion, as the Voidbringer general slowly limped over to him, Shardblade raised for the killing blow.

@DroughtBringer, one Damsel in distress, delivered.

Also, I'm switching my vote to Alvron. Unless the majority of the current inactives are Unjust, we probably don't have too large a margin to win this vote on, especially if we consider the possibility of an unjust Willshaper. Therefore, whoever we go for, we'll have to do it with as many votes as we can get, to stop the unjust from being able to pick who they want.

[Alvron]

4 hours ago, Doc12 said:

Ecth and Alvron have been staying under the radar for most of the game. I haven't even noticed Ecth much until Drake pointed out in PM that Ecth was a lot more active than I had initially given him credit for. My read is mostly suspicious for now. 

Just how have I been staying under the radar when I've been a talked about topic for the past 4 cycles?  I don't know about you but to me, your radar seems to be set fairly high if you think I'm flying under it.  

Guess my hand is forced again and I have to vote for Ari in an attempt to save myself.  Although he still is at the top of my suspicion list.  I'm sorry Ari but anytime someone is so certain of things like Elims numbers, it always gets to me.  I can't help but see them as having inside information.

[Jondesu]

Looks like we have 5 votes to pardon Drake, and two to execute. Even if everyone switched, that's not enough votes to achieve either. Please vote, people! Since a pardon is basically impossible now (it was already a long shot) and I don't really see it getting any easier in the next round or two, sorry Drake, but I'd rather get confirmation of your alignment and some information going forward.

Can someone work up a vote tally on the imprisonment votes? I have a hard time with those anyways since new votes don't require retracting the previous one, and I'm overdue for sleep. I'll try and make sure my vote is in the right place before the cycle ends.

[TheMightyLopen]

Vote tally:

Arinian(4): Lopen, Jondesu, Rand, Drought, Alvron, Lopen
Alvron(4): Doc, Lopen, mage, Arin, Rand
Ecthelion(0): Arin

Execute Drake(3/8): Doc, Ecth, Jondesu

Execute Shqueeves(4/8): Lopen, Arin, Rand, Mage

Pardon Drake(5/12): Lopen, Jondesu, Arin, Mage, Rand

...that's kind of depressing. @Elbereth, @Assassin in Burgundy, @TheSilverDragon, @Darkness Ascendant, care to add your vote anywhere? We need you all.

I'm really conflicted about this, but I'm switching my vote back to Arinian. I've been talking with Alvron in a PM and I just have the feeling he's village. Maybe he's fooling me, that's definitely possible, but that's how I feel.

Here you go Jondesu. XD

Edit: Forgot to change the numbers

Edited February 28, 2017 by TheMightyLopen

[Ecthelion III]

With that I leave you. Farewell, friend, and may the way be clearer for you than it has for me.

-Letter from the Fifth Nameless to the First Nameless

- - - - - - -

Fifth grabbed Shallan's hand and pulled her off to the side; a small group of soldiers--presumably the Guard--followed. With the Voidbringer Shardbearer distracted by Ranatar and the other Initiates, the breakaway group managed to slip away and begin making their way around the rock formation.

This wasn't to say that they were met with no resistance. The Voidbringers were fighting harder than ever at the base of the rock. Though their formation had been breached, they still organized themselves into lethal pairs. Nonetheless, Fifth's group continued around.

When they had gone a moderate distance around the base of Rysharock (though it seemed like much more), Fifth found himself standing in the center of a circle of the guardsmen. He turned to the rock and began to use his claw swords to climb it. The soldiers prevented the Voidbringers from getting too close, although he personally doubted they would hold for much longer.

Not that it would matter if they didn't get Kaladin out quickly. Or if the rock collapsed. Fifth felt the entire formation shudder slightly each time the claw swords dug into it, and the further he got up, the less stable it seemed.

He reached into his coin bag for a long pike which Shallan could use to climb up, and as he did, he heard a scream coming from the direction of the main battle. It sounded like Ranatar! From his vantage point, he caught a glimpse of the commander Voidbringer, Shardblade held aloft, about to deliver the killing blow.

And, high up on the rock, there was nothing Fifth could do but watch.

- - - - - - -

I'm in the same position as Lopen. My gut and PM tells me Alvron is village, and I can definitely see the whole situation as the eliminators trying to frame him with the vote manipulation. While I'm not super suspicious of Arinian, I trust him less than Alvron.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Ecthelion III

[Jondesu]

Thanks, Lopen. I'll leave my vote where it is in that case. If I wake up before 4am I'll check again to be sure. :-P

Edit: We're closer to successfully executing Squeeves than Drake, and considering we haven't had an execution yet, I think we need to go through with it. Changing that vote to execute Squeeves, which means I might as well put a pardon vote on Drake as a long shot.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Jondesu

[Arinian]

23 minutes ago, Ecthelion III said:

I'm in the same position as Lopen. My gut and PM tells me Alvron is village, and I can definitely see the whole situation as the eliminators trying to frame him with the vote manipulation. While I'm not super suspicious of Arinian, I trust him less than Alvron.

 

32 minutes ago, TheMightyLopen said:

I'm really conflicted about this, but I'm switching my vote back to Arinian. I've been talking with Alvron in a PM and I just have the feeling he's village. Maybe he's fooling me, that's definitely possible, but that's how I feel.

Here you go Jondesu. XD

Edit: Forgot to change the numbers

Well what I can say I know only that I'm villager. Don't have much time and health to say something else(it's 3 AM and my brain not very good working right now so I not gonna fool you cause you already was fooled ) . So I leave all to your decision ohh and also I again claiming "I told you".

[Droughtbringer]

Nice, just what I wanted @randuir


Petrik dashed across fallen bodies, both human and not, his spear flashing wildly, taking some Voidbringers in the eye, and other exposed parts. He stabbed his spear down through a monster's chest, the weight of the body dragging his spear into the ground. He vaulted off of his spear, ripping it out of the body, and sending himself flying through the area, over the heads of multiple Voidbringers. 

As Petrik reached the crest of his 'flight' he got a glimpse of a Shardbearer facing down a lonely man. He couldn't make out any more details than that before his vision was once again blocked by the marbled bodies of the Voidbringers.

Petrik spun his spear in a flash, light seaming to dance around within it. Petrik was expected to help and serve these people, and, even though he was never supposed to be here, he still felt like he should do what he could. Two Voidbringers fell, allowing him to see the Initiate facing down the Shardbearer. 

The initiate was weaving in and out of the strokes of the blade, only just avoiding being caught by the glistening weapon. The Shardbearer glanced down at their opponent, and, not deeming him worth their time, turned to go back to the battlefield. 

The initiate dashed forward, a sudden burst of light accompanying his movements, and stabbed at the Shardbearer's leg, A roar of pain echoed across the field, as the the Shardbearer let out a scream of agony. They turned around and smacked the initiate upside the head, sending him flying. 

The faint light still emanating from the Initiate went out, as the Shardbearer approached, blade raised high. 

Petrik wouldn't be able to close in fast enough, but there was another way to save the Initiate. Petrik pulled out his sphere pouch, and threw it toward the Initiate. He pulled his spear back, and made threw it towards the group as well. The spear collided with the pouch, giving it a bit more distance. 

The blade began its decent, coming close to the Initiate's head when he breathed in a sharply, light bursting forth from his skin. He rolled out of the way of the blade with a burst of speed. The Shardbearer planted their foot on the Initiate's chest, preventing him from rolling out of the way. As the blade began it's second deadly decent Petrik finished closing the distance, jumped up, and kicked the flat end of the blade, knocking it away from the initiate.

 

---

okay so that seems like it went well. If you want to write some sort of coordinate fight with us attacking from either side of the Shardbearer, forcing her to spin and attempt to take us both on that seems like it might be what would come next. Hope you're okay with me having you do a bit there. 

Also as to not completely kill off a main villain when we shouldn't actually be able to Petrik being shot by lightning suddenly would be pretty fun...

(You have full permission to act out Petrik Randuir, also nice RP there, twas fun to read)

[Darkness Ascendant]

I just randomly chose.

Shqueeves

[Amanuensis]

Chapter Seven is now closed. Chapter Eight will begin in (hopefully) 2 hours.

[Amanuensis]

 

Shallan felt like she was suffocating. Not from fear, but malice.

 

More than anything she hated feeling helpless. Despised depending on other people for safety. Her eyes darted left and right, seeing nothing but the backs of the Initiates pressed against her and the feral visages of the Voidbringers fighting desperately to get through them to her. Being lead like this, blind to the ground below her feet and the path lying ahead, she felt like she was locked in one of those cages that slave traders fastened to the back of their wagons, enclosed on all sides and swaying along to the chaotic motions of the earth, or in this case, war.

 

And to think, that wasn’t even the worst of it. When she tried to look up the only thing she saw was that unnatural storm of red and black raging in the sky above. Instinctively she knew two things; one, that the sun had not yet set, and two, that the monolithic rock was looming somewhere in the distance, and yet the overcast was so dark she could see no hint of either.

 

Why was she here? It was a question she asked herself out of anger even though she knew the answer.

 

Kaladin was more helpless than her, both critically wounded and trapped inside a stone prison on the verge of collapsing. Dalinar was bonded to the Stormfather, the closest thing to a god she had ever seen, too proud or stubborn to become a Blade. Renarin, despite being able to breathe Stormlight, had not yet been cured of his blood sickness, and still had painful headaches whenever the Voidbringers began to chant their vile song. And Adolin… he was busy leading his soldiers against the enemy’s main force, who were responsible for the torrent of heavy rain and the bolts of scarlet lightning crashing down upon them and all around.

 

That left her the only Shardbearer free and capable of saving the day. In more ways than one, today reminded her the Battle of Stormseat, when she had saved everyone by solving the mystery of the Oathgate just before the Everstorm hit.

 

Even though she knew the Almighty was dead, she couldn’t help but thank Him for that last piece of history not repeating itself, at least.

 

Perhaps she thanked the Shadow too soon.

 

 

Two claps of thunder rang out at once. One from the sky, the other from the Stormfather.

 

KHOLIN. I HAVE BAD NEWS.

 

Dalinar watched the battle unfold from the edge of an adjacent plateau, gritting his teeth as he concentrated his powers on the fight. The concept of Surges was still confusing to him, but a few lessons with Shallan and Navani had at least helped him grasp the basics. The powers of Tension and Adhesion were his to master, and if he didn’t try to use it now, when the lives of so many valuable men and women were on the line, then what kind of Bondsmith could he truly be?

 

“Not now!” Dalinar yelled, startling his honor guard, although over the last few weeks they had become accustomed to him yelling at the sky like a madman. As soon as they realized he wasn’t addressing any of them, they returned to their vigil.

 

Dalinar couldn’t see everything, but from this vantage, he hoped he saw what mattered. As if on cue, Initiate Balthazar recklessly charged into the hoard of Voidbringers without any backup, forcing the Bondsmith to focus his efforts there. The Initiate did well enough to plow through his first three enemies, but the Voidbringers, betraying their usual tendency to fight only in pairs, began to surround him, moving closer to him in unison so that when one could strike, they all would. That way if he managed to kill any of them, one should still be able to pierce his defenses.

 

Breathing in Stormlight, Dalinar manifested that invisible cloud of his around Balthazar and the Voidbringers, forcing them to move slower. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was making the air more difficult to traverse or if he was making the combatants feel heavier than they truly were, but either way, it worked. Only problem was that if he affected both the Initiate and his enemies the same, he was just delaying the inevitable, so he ground his teeth and strained the cloud a way he never had before.

 

So far he knew he could change the clouds size, which in turn altered its strength. The larger it was, the less density it had, meaning its effect was less potent. He also knew he could shape the edges so that the cloud could fit in a square room or surround a single person. The question was, could he use this information to create a ring?

 

Exhaling a puff of glowing smoke, he took a fresh breath of Stormlight and began to push. Starting in the center, he tried to expel the cloud outward, not in one direction, but all, which was a rough process considering he had never managed to shape more than one side at a time. It took all of the power left in him to suceed, but eventually the cloud obeyed the sheer force of his will.

 

Only problem was it wasn’t enough.

 

The effects his cloud had on Balthazar were immediately relieved, allowing him to spin around and assess the situation. Dalinar couldn’t make out the expression on his face from this far, but the Initiate’s body language was clearly hesitant.

 

When Dalinar created the ring, the cloud had used the force in its middle to broaden its edges, which may have freed Balthazar but did no good otherwise. If the Initiate was going to defeat the Voidbringers alone, the monsters would need more pressure.

 

That meant the cloud needed to be stronger. Denser. Sucking in more Stormlight, he urged the cloud to shrink, afraid that it would just reform the center, but relieved when it didn’t. Instead, he smiled as he watched the Voidbringer’s backs slouched and Balthazar finally made his move.

 

Balthazar felt heavy, but it wasn’t his first time. He recognized the sensation from that morning, when he had been gathered in formation before the break of dawn, the guilt of all the things he’d done the night before weighing down on his conscious, on his soul.

This time, though, he felt guilty for breaking formation. Like usual, he got excited and jumped into a fight, heedless of the consequences. Now he was surrounded by six Voidbringers, swords at the ready, their free hands sparking with electricity. They were closing in on him and no one seemed to notice. There was nothing left he could do. Balthazar was officially doomed…

The crushing weight of guilt was lifted off his shoulders, and suddenly he was doomed no longer.

He turned in a circle, eyeing the Voidbringers for weaknesses. That one was leaning too far to the left. Trying to lessen the strain on its right leg? This one’s grip on its blade was off, its other arm bleeding from a gash that covered its entire bicep. Debilitating wound to its sword arm? These two were gravitating closer to each other than the others, one with a large beard and the other was shorter than the others, more slender. Lovers, perhaps? The last two, they looked fresh and unharmed, their weapons unbloodied. They must have just got here or not crossed paths with any Alethi yet, which made them the biggest threats. Except, that look in their eyes… were they hungry for battle? Eager to prove themselves?

Yes. Balthazar knew that feeling all too well. They would be reckless, like he had been. He could use this to his advantage, too, though it still meant the fight wouldn’t be easy.

Preparing himself, the Initiate clenched his sword hilts tighter and rolled his shoulders until he felt a satisfying pop. A few more steps, and…

The Voidbringers slumped. It was a negligible difference, but Balthazar was paying attention. Glancing at the one with the leg injury, he noticed it was leaning even further and that its hop-like step had become more lethargic.

Now!

Encouraged by the realization that the legendary Blackthorn was helping him, Balthazar leapt between the limping Voidbringer and the one who held its blade in its offhand. He had telegraphed the jump when he faced the two of them, but their swings were slow enough that he could block and maneuver their bodies with ease.

Sweeping his weapons outward, he threw both of the Voidbringers off balance and executed a sidekick on the one with the limp. Aiming not at but through the monster’s kneecap, the heel of his boot finished the job of whatever had wounded it before, breaking its leg and forcing it drop onto its good knee.

Meanwhile, he slid his left sword down the length of the offhanded Voidbringer’s blade, slicing the length of its wrist and digging the edge into the upper portion of its arm to match the wound on its other side. It held onto its weapon despite the pain, which Balthazar did not expect, so he was forced to improvise by spinning around its shoulder and kicking it in back towards one of its allies. Balthazar had only intended to stun them, but was happy to see one of the Voidbringers get impaled by the other’s sword in the fall.

Before the other three could respond, Balthazar jumped on top of his last two opponents and finished the survivor off with a quick stab in the neck.

Although he could have easily run off to join his allies or call them for help, Balthazar decided he’d rather finish what he started than flee just as the tides had been turned.

Smiling, he took a step forward.

A second later, a bolt of lightning crashed at his feet.

When the light faded, Balthazar was gone.

The Initiate could barely move or breathe, and all he saw was darkness.

 

 

Something sharp stabbed Leif in the back and heaved, forcing him to the ground and onto his face, a rockbud crunching against his jaw.

The young man was crying. Not because of the pain, but because he was weak. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t muster the strength. When he breathed and discovered the Stormlight no longer came to him, he only cried harder. For a while, he had tasted power. Now in his greatest moment of need the power refused him. That fact alone hurt him more than any physical wound, and for this pain, he had no one to blame but himself.

Everything was fine until he was forced to jump off that cliff. Leif had never been fond of heights, but it wasn’t until that moment he realized just how horrifying falling was. Despite the air literally flowing through him, his lungs refused to take any in. Powerless, he crashed into the earth full force and for a brief moment, died. If not for the Stormlight forcing its way inside him, he would not be here, now.

Tied up and gagged in the mouth. Forsaken.

He had the opportunity to help on more than one occasion. Instead he did nothing, thinking the other Initiates would be better off without him interfering. As time went on, his inclination to wait and watch became more. Laziness, perhaps, or pure cowardice.

It had been a miracle he had survived that day at all. If there was one thing more frightening than falling to your death and hungry Greatshells, it was the Voidbringers. Running away from them was one thing. It was insane, but manageable. But fighting them? From the moment he saw them gathering on that plateau, Leif knew. The only way he’d survive was if he ran.

He would have gotten away with it too, if not for Highprince Aladar’s rearguard. The man had directed some of his soldiers to remain behind and hide, to watch for any Voidbringer reinforcements and intercept them. There were no reinforcements, but they did manage to intercept one deserter.

When the spear left his back, Leif sighed with relief. Not because the pain was gone, but because he felt no blood. It was either blunt, or the soldier hadn’t pressed it too deep. Either way, Leif was thankful.

When they closed the wooden hatch over the pit they had thrown him in, surrounding him with darkness, his thankfulness dissipated.

Futily he struggled against the ropes binding him, moaned into the gag lodged into his mouth as he tried to push it out with his tongue. Neither did him any good, leaving him with only other choice.

Leif prayed for freedom, and amazingly, was greeted by a bright, warm flash of light.

When it faded, he found himself standing in the rain, his hands and feet unbound. Beside him lay the corpses of three Voidbringers, and ahead of him approached three more.

Leif fell to his knees, praying to go back to his cell. At least there he would be safe.

 

 

Jonly and Arionium stared at each other from opposite sides of the bars.

When the Kholins left with the Initiates to search for Kaladin Dullbrain, Arionium had got overconfident, or perhaps, careless. He thought that without Dalinar’s men patrolling Urithiru, he could wear his own face as he walked the city and not be bothered. Had worked for a while. He even managed to get a few drinks at Pub Seb, to ease his concerns. Would have been nice to know that Dalinar had told Sebarial about him, and that the gluttonous Highprince had soldiers of his own dedicated to enforcing the law.

Jonly, on the other hand, was found to be innocent. Or, at least, innocent of any crimes on this planet, as far as any of the Alethi were able to find out. For a while they did try to fault him for Veriq’s escape, but thanks to Teresh’s statement of witness, they were convinced Jonly had nothing to do with the switch. Not that they'd be able to discover any evidence in the contrary without a reflectionspren.

Jonly and Arionium brushed shoulders as they switched places, one of them envious and the other simply curious. Arionium doubted he could escape this time, and Jonly had other Initiates to worry about. While one plopped onto his bed, feigning the acceptance of defeat, the other ran for the Oathgate, hoping he could make it back before it was too late.

 

 

“Hey deserter! I found you a friend!” shouted Aladar’s soldier.

Prodded with a spear, Veriq stumbled towards the wooden hatch. As far as wooden hatches on rocky plateaus went, it was camouflaged rather well, which gave the most useless man in Roshar a semblance of hope for his new cell. The fact that his cellmate had apparently deserted the battle too meant that he understood what Veriq was going through. There were a lot of things he wanted to talk about, though they were the sort of things you don’t say to a soldier unless you’re craving a fight, which was his problem to begin with.

The soldier stepped around Veriq to open the hatch, but before he did he made sure to look down on the Initiate, not just physically, but morally too, if the disgust on his face was any indicator of his thoughts. As soon as Veriq realized the soldier wasn’t going to look away, he lowered his eyes.

A moment later the soldier shifted his feet, then bent to lift the hatch. He grunted as he rose it to his shoulders, then exhaled as he threw it. Without looking into the pit, the soldier grabbed Veriq by the collar and belt and threw him in. Considering the ease of it, Veriq realized the hatch must have weighed more than him.

Landing awkwardly on his face, the Initiate struggled to flip onto his back and get one last glimpse of the sky before he turned to look at his cellmate. Taking one last breath of fresh air, he tilted his head.

To his side lay Balthazar. Bound and gagged, a pool of blood formed around the Initiate, leaking from the clean slit traced along his neck like a smile. Veriq did not hesitate to scream for help. "He's dead!" the Initiate shouted. No help came, but he did get an answer. Two, in fact.

The first was the hatch closing above him with a loud thump, locking him in with the fresh corpse. Already Veriq could feel the blood seeping into his clothing.

The second was a declaration of cries, spoken without emotion through the wood. If not for his cries for help, perhaps Veriq would have heard it better. By the time he realized someone was talking at all and quieted down, all he heard was the closing statement.

"Let Justice be done."

 

 

Renarin could see the Everstorm coming over a mile away. In his dreams it was always there, looming in the distance, but now he was awake and he could see the bloody thing. It was horrifying. More frightening even then the battle taking place on the plateau below. And it hurt… oh Almighty how it did. No matter how kindly Glys whispered in his ear or how much Stormlight he breathed, the headache refused to go away.

Fighting the pain, Renarin stumbled towards Dalinar and tripped, a member of his family’s honor guard catching him before his knees could reach the ground. “Father!” he yelled, his voice quivering with agony, but in spite of it he still had to warn him. “The Everstorm is coming!”

Through eyes blurry with tears, Renarin saw the silhouette of his father looking towards the western horizon.

“I know, son,” Dalinar said, a pang of regret in his voice.

“But it’s not alone! Something wicked comes with it, urging it forward!”

“I know…” Dalinar repeated, then sighed.

“Sir, what do we do?” asked the guard holding Renarin, his tone nervous and his body trembling after hearing the sudden revelation.

“Stay and fight. We are too far from the Oathgate to retreat like last time. Attempting to flee would only doom the Captain, and without him, none of us will survive this. The Stormfather has ensured me as much. So we must keep this to ourselves, if only so that our men can finish their battle with nothing to fear. Once we’ve won, we can face whatever happens next. For better, or for worse.”

Renarin didn’t like the sound of that.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Amanuensis

[Amanuensis]

CHAPTER EIGHT

Arionium has been arrested... again!

Jonly was released from custody!

Veriq was returned to custody!

Leif was teleported out of prison!

Balthazar was teleported into prison!

Balthazar has been murdered! He was an Honorable Initiate!

One Bond has been broken!

 

Sorry guys, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night so this write up definitely isn't one of my best. I'm just happy to still be producing content. I hope all the messages above aren't too confusing. It seems very cluttered to me, but figured the more information you have, the better.

 

RP wise the battle is still underway. I wouldn't have your characters discover it immediately, but at some point soon I reckon someone should point out a stormwall is coming from the wrong direction, which can only mean one thing. Since activity was very low this previous Chapter, I hope this one gets used as an opportunity to make up for lost RP, since the next write up will include Kaladin's heroic reappearance, just in time for the Everstorm to reach the plateau. If you want to have a part in the final battle against the Last Legion, now is the time.

 

I'll try to get GM PMs out quick, but there might be a delay for some.

 

INTERROGATION

 

(5) Arinian: Jondesu, Droughtbringer, Alvron, TheMightyLopen, Ecthelion III,

(4) Alvron: Doc12, Magestar, Arinian, randuir,

 

EXECUTION

 

(2/8) Drake Marshall: Doc12, Ecthelion III,

(7/8) Shqueeves: Arinian, randuir, Magestar, TheMightyLopen, Jondesu, Darkness Ascendant, JUQ,

 

PARDON

 

(4/12) Drake Marshall: TheMightyLopen, Arinian, randuir, Magestar,

 

INITIATES

 

1. A Joe in the Bush as Jonly

2. Assassin in Burgundy as Araon Darkblade

3. Jondesu as Kintas

4. randuir as Ranatar

5. TheSilverDragon as Rea

6. Ecthelion III as Fifth Nameless

7. JUQ as Hess

8. Shqueeves as Leif

9. Doc12 as Hithon

10. TheMightyLopen as Shinon

11. The lazy anarchist as Lyna Telavalet

12. Alvron as Naihar

13. DroughtBringer as Petrik

14. Darkness Ascendant as The Phantom Stranger

15. Elbereth as Tintallë Iurnu

 

PRISONERS

1. Teresh, Guilty of Murder, Murder and More Murder!
2. Veriq, Guilty of Cowardice and Being an Accomplice to Murder
3. Arionium, Guilty of Murder, Fraud, Multiple Counts of Theft, and Jailbreaking

 

CASUALTIES

1. Lomot the Honorable Initiate
2. Ashetvl the Honorable Initiate
3. Ralaanar the Honorable Lightweaver
4. Sareth-son-Erneth the Honorable Initiate
5. Balthazar the Honorable Initiate

COUNTDOWN

 

Chapter Eight will end on Saturday, March 4th, at 0400 EST. Chapter Nine will begin approximately 2 hours later

 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Amanuensis

[Jondesu]

I'll work up some RP soon, but first...if we weren't sure the Elsecaller was Unjust before, this seals it. They put Balthazar in prison so they only needed to send one of their own to execute him, and there's no way that happened without coordination. If anyone knows or has guessed who the Elsecaller is, it's vital to take them out quickly.

[TheMightyLopen]

Just now, Jondesu said:

I'll work up some RP soon, but first...if we weren't sure the Elsecaller was Unjust before, this seals it. They put Balthazar in prison so they only needed to send one of their own to execute him, and there's no way that happened without coordination. If anyone knows or has guessed who the Elsecaller is, it's vital to take them out quickly.

I'm certain it's one of Alvron, randuir, or Doc. Which is why I'm kicking myself that I didn't lynch Alv. :/ I know who the Truthwatcher is and asked them to scan either Alv or rand. Hopefully we can get that info soon.

At this point we can execute Drake, Arinian, or Quiver. Which is it going to be? Even if the Elsecaller hadn't messed with things, we didn't get enough votes to execute Shqueeves.

[Doc12]

Something is...wrong.

Hithon frowned as he sat on top of a small plank of wood that he had conjured from the beads. Shadesmar. It was as cold as ever, but his Stormlight was ample, having borrowed some infused spheres from some of the other Initiates before diving into this realm again. Anorien's presence had greeted him, and she had seemed...agitated.

"What do you mean?" He prodded.

I...do not know. I feel it. Something is wrong with the world, and it is approaching. 

"Anorien, I don't understand."

Him. he whom you humans call...Stormfather. He is agitated, and his distress sends waves through Shadesmar. It is worrying, to know that the Stormfather is afraid.

The Stormfather? Afraid? "The Voidbringers?" Hithon ventured.

The Listerners. They of many forms. They whom we do not bond. They are summoning the Stormfather's...opposite. It...it comes.

The Stormfather's....opposite? All of a sudden, the awful realization slammed into Hithon. The stories of the Highstorm that blew the wrong way. The storm that had begun after Highprince Kholin had ventured into the heart of the plains to fight the Voidbringers. What they called the Everstorm.

It was coming?

"Anorien. Are you sure?"

Anorien buzzed in frustration. Sure. 

He frowned. "How much longer do we have?"

Time...no time. It comes soon. Fast. 

Hithon muttered a curse. Of course. Of course. Storms!!! He had to warn his companions. Kholin. Everyone else. He had been about to thrust himself from Shadesmar when a thought stopped him.

The Voidbringers. The Voidbringers were still out there. They would be in no condition to listen to him. 

And so it was that Hithon found himself holding a bead very tightly, seeing the soul of a Parshendi blade. Holding it to his forehead, he spoke to it, as Anor acted as his translator. The sword agreed to change.

And in the physical realm, a Parshendi warrior who had been about to finish off a soldier watched in bafflement as his sword became smoke and drifted way into the night sky. 

Hithon allowed himself a small smile, grabbing the souls of a few other weapons. Now this was where he felt comfortable. 

Time to wreck some havoc from the shadows.

---

You know what annoys me about this game so far? That we can't have an actual lynch. Yes, we can imprison people, but without executing them to find their alignments, it's basically a no lynch! And last cycle we didn't get to execute either prisoner. We have what, 15 free people left, and of those, 7 who are reliably active. If I'm correct, we will need 11 people for a pardon. I think we have to stop thinking about pardons now, because unless we can get the inactives back, there is no way we can achieve that. Even for an execution, we will need around 8 votes, but with the help of the Willshaper, we should be able to achieve that. Now, more than ever, it is important that we decide to execute unanimously. And we should execute, else the village might as well have no lynch in the first place. 

Right, let's talk about last cycle's lynch patterns. Early on, Jondesu suggested lynching JUQ. Lopen came on and accused Arin instead for a post of his, a vote which Jondesu jumped on. Arin was annoyed, but voted on Ecth instead. Rand followed on the Arin bandwagon. Then I expressed suspicion on Alv and voted on him, a vote that was very quickly jumped on in the span of six hours. In that time, Lopen, Mage, Arin and Rand all piled on the Alvron vote. While I am genuinely suspicious of Alvron, the speed in which the bandwagon piled up is making me suspect some sort of coordination. After this, Lopen has a change of heart after talking to Alv in PMs, and decides to switch back to Arin, and Ecth gets on and votes for Arin. 

So...firstly, does Alv have a supernatural ability to escape lynches or something? This is what, the fourth time he's been up for lynch and escaped? 

So...let's go on two assumptions here, and drawing different conclusions. 

If Arinian is an eliminator, Lopen and Ecth become more cleared for ensuring his lynch. Also, if Arin is evil, in which case those who bandwagoned on Alv when he emerged as an alternative target become suspicious, namely Lopen, Mage, Arin and Rand. And possibly me, I suppose, for suggesting the altenrative lynch and diverting attention. 

If Arin turns out to be village, then I will scream I told you so to the Stormfather and we can just finish Alv before he gets the chance to escape yet again. If Arin turns out to be village, Lopen becomes suspicious for his switch back, and those who voted on Alv become slightly more cleared?

With that in mind, I shall vote to execute Arin, hoping to gain information from his death. I'll cast an imprisonment vote tomorrow. 

[Jondesu]

Doc, that should be awesome to RP for us. 

I definitely agree on giving up on pardons now. I still voted to pardon Drake last time and will again this time only because I'm also putting my execute vote on Arinian and there's no harm in dropping that vote, but I'm also going to follow it up with an interrogation vote on Alvron. He's been the subject of too many vote swings already and we need to get info. The only reason I'll switch is if I get any sort of reliable information on who the Elsecaller is.

---

Kintas dove back into the fray, not seeking to kill Voidbringers, but to find anyone in need of help. He gaped at some of the destruction he saw around him, both from the Voidbringers who continued to both hack at the Alethi soldiers and the Initiates, and to spray red lightning among them, destructive in its wildness. He noticed a small spren was riding on his shoulder, one he'd seen out of the corner of his eye before a few times, but hadn't been able to identify.  It spoke to him now, not in words but in breaths of wind that he somehow understood as directions.

Dodge.

He spun around an attack from a Voidbringer, slapping aside its sword with his spear, but leaving it to round about and find another target as he put on a burst of speed and moved away from it.

Duck.

He dropped into a crouch as a bolt of lightning seared overhead, somehow finding another Parshendi warpair as it's target, leaving both of them sizzling and out of the battle.

Dip.

He lowered his head as he moved, a sword swinging through the space where his head had been, cutting off a few strands of hair on the way.  He stabbed out with his spear, hitting the Voidbringer's shoulder, and it spun away, yanking the spear from his hands.

Dive.

He dove over the body of a fallen Alethi spearman, coming up with another spear in his hands, which he turned crossways to block two blows coming at him.  He saw an injured lighteyed officer battling two Voidbringers with his sword while down on one knee, obviously unable to rise, and raced for him.

Dodge.

He stopped short, letting a sword pass in front of him, and slammed his spear into the side of the warrior who had swung it, knocking him off-balance and into the weapon of another Initiate who danced through the battlefield wreaking havoc.  Kintas briefly envied the fighting prowess of the other Initiate, but shook off the thought as he reached the officer.  He swung the spear towards their throats, missing, but causing them to step back and reassess.  In the moment's hesitation, two of Kaladin's squires stepped in, glowing and fearless, cutting them down in a heartbeat.  One of them nodded to Kintas, and then they moved on.  Kintas helped the injured soldier up, supporting him on the side of his bad leg, and they began heading back away from the main battlefield where the man could get some treatment.

Halfway to the bridge, two Parshendi stepped out in front of them and grinned menacingly.  They raised their swords in an expert stance, and one of them darted forward, his blade closing on Kintas' neck with no time for Kintas to either dodge or block it.

Then the sword turned to smoke.

Kintas blinked as the Voidbringer stumbled off-balance, obviously stunned by the sudden disappearance of his sword, and the lighteyed officer ran his own sword through the creature's throat.  The second Parshendi hesitated just a moment, then lept forward in rage, only to find his sword disappearing as well.  The officer finished off that Parshendi as well, and they continued across the battlefield.  Kintas stepped and threw his spear at one point, stabbing it through the thigh of a Voidbringer that was swinging its sword at Leif. Wait, Leif? I thought he ran. Kintas hadn't seen the man in a while and had thought he'd heard the report that Leif had deserted them before the battle even began, but here he was, unarmed, but in the thick of the battle.  Then the man fell to his knees, and Kintas could see the ring of light that was fading away, and he realized the man hadn't come back willingly.  He grimaced at the thought of leaving him to die, but didn't get a chance to choose as another Parshendi came at him from the side.  He scooped up a fallen Parshendi's sword, blocking the first blow mostly by chance, and swung it at the side of the Parshendi, who raised its own sword to block, but was already injured and looked to be moving too slowly.

Then Kintas' sword turned to smoke.

Figures. The Cosmere giveth, and the Cosmere taketh away.

---

Cookies for anyone that sees the unexpected reference I worked in there.  Also, I am RPing bonding a spren, which may or may not follow my true path within the game (I honestly haven't decided yet), but obviously I didn't include any particular clues within this RP to what type of spren it is. @Doc12, I hope you don't mind me having Hithon make a mistake.  I figure he's new to his powers, and also wouldn't have an easy way of quickly seeing if a Parshendi sword was actually in a Voidbringer's hand or Kintas'.  You can include that in your RP or not as you choose, of course.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Jondesu
Added RP

[DeTess]

I'll get some RP and an interrogation vote up tomorrow, as I've been somewhat under the weather (as in, I've been a bit ill) today. For now, I want to get three things out of the way. First, arinian, for the reasons outlined by Doc12. Second, Drake.

Thirdly, Drake has asked me in a PM to pass on a message to the thread. He thinks that the murder of Magestar indicates the elims are preparing a play for Dustbringer, as Magestar had indicated he'd go for Dustbringer himself. Chances are good he would have gotten it this cycle if he hadn't been killed, so if the elims want it, they would increase their chances by eliminating mage.

Edited February 28, 2017 by randuir

[Ecthelion III]

The Fifth Nameless found himself in a highly unusual situation, standing atop a tall rock formation holding a long metal rod in what was about to be the greatest lightning storm the world had ever seen.

Shallan didn't seem too happy about it either, and Fifth didn't think that was entirely because she had to climb the long metal rod.

As Shallan began her climb, Fifth surveyed the scene below him. The battlefield was littered with bodies, soldier and Voidbringer alike, including many of the Initiates. Hithon was nowhere to be seen. Kintas danced among the Voidbringers. Petrik and Ranatar fought the Shardbearer, still outmatched despite their numerical advantage.

And Fifth stood on a rock watching the whole scene unfold beneath him.

-

This is it. The time to take action has come.

-

As some of you might already know, I am the Truthwatcher. I've been scanning for the Elsecaller for quite some time, and I wonder what Lopen has to say for himself now that I've finally found him out.

[Jondesu]

12 minutes ago, Ecthelion III said:

As some of you might already know, I am the Truthwatcher. I've been scanning for the Elsecaller for quite some time, and I wonder what Lopen has to say for himself now that I've finally found him out.

Lopen, huh?  @TheMightyLopen, I would be intrigued to hear if this is true (Ecth seems to be fairly convincingly the Truthwatcher, though it's dangerous to out oneself publicly as a role like that unless you're Elim) and if you are the Elsecaller, if there's any non-evil justification of your actions?  I don't think the latter option is possible.

Ecth, mind letting us know what you're planning with the lightning rod?  I'll happily work it into my RP, but I'm honestly a bit baffled about what Fifth and Shallan are doing.

[Ecthelion III]

@Jondesu It's not actually a lightning rod. I was holding it down to Shallan to help her climb, and I was just commenting on how it was ironic that I was holding a long metal pole in a lightning storm.

[Jondesu]

Just now, Ecthelion III said:

@Jondesu It's not actually a lightning rod. I was holding it down to Shallan to help her climb, and I was just commenting on how it was ironic that I was holding a long metal pole in a lightning storm.

Yeah, I kinda figured that wasn't its actual intent (though, it could be quite interesting to use it as such), but what's she climbing to anyway?

[Ecthelion III]

Up near the top of Rysharock. Kaladin didn't tunnel in at the base (remember in the vision he was hanging from the top of the formation), and it's large enough that she'll want some help climbing up.

In actuality, that might be an interesting use of the pike

[Droughtbringer]

10 hours ago, TheMightyLopen said:

I'm certain it's one of Alvron, randuir, or Doc.

Hmm...This is a pretty interesting comment...I am not sure if I trust it that much, the word "certain" there makes things interesting.

(this is from my read through of everything Lopen has posted posted, more will come if I find anything else)