Long Game 40: Ashen Rebellion

[Sami]

A slight breeze carried the unmistakable sound of yelling - who was yelling or being yelled at Liz would probably never know. She shivered slightly and shifted a little from where she sat, legs dangling over the edge of the huge building she called home. 

Rooftop excursions were not uncommon occurrences for her, but tonight was... different. The usual relaxed sense of freedom she felt up here was rather smothered by the somewhat tense atmosphere she sensed.

Liz had come up here to escape and relax from her stuffy rooms, but for some reason she couldn't. She briefly considered climbing back down and going into the street, but she decided that tonight wasn't the night. She saw a random guy going about his business in the street (in the middle of the night, for some reason) and narrowed her eyes down at him. With the recent wind of infiltrations in the houses, anyone could be a potential threat. Although she wasn't exactly sure why that particular guy was relevant. 

Hey Liz! How about we just glare suspiciously at every random person you see in the street and assume they're a threat?

She exhaled a little through her nose and patted the dagger concealed on her thigh. Guess those trust issues weren't going away anytime soon.

 

Note: Liz is open to talk to anyone who ever wishes to approach her anytime. 

[Sparkrunner]

7 hours ago, Bugsy6912 said:

It seems I missed this part of your post earlier. This is a very dangerous assumption to make. If we do even have either of those roles, there’s no guarantee that they aren’t Skaa, and even if both are present and they’re both noblemen, there’s no guarantee they’ll take care of the Skaa for us. If that were possible, the Skaa would have no chance from the start, which would ruin game balance almost certainly. If I had a better grasp of your play style, I’d even venture so far as to say this was suspicious or an attempt to deflect attention from the Skaa. Someone who has played with Roadwalker recently, is this indicative of their usual playstyle, or is my gut right that this seems suspicious?

I assume we have one Atium misting, and possibly a mistborn. Those will find help skaa, and kill them when needed. Some people may remember my disastrous attempt to direct coinshot kills in... Some LG. This is the same sentiment, but nothing so involved. I guess. I don't really know what I am saying. If you ask questions I can clarify.

--

Lawrence Arthur woke up in cold sweat. He gasped and rolled out of bed, splashing a cup of water (Checked for poison) over his face. It had happened again. The recurring nightmare that had haunted him ever since he had attempted to swallow gold flakes in order to become a gold misting. Lawrence was not a gold misting, but he dreamed in two personalities. Forcefully calming himself, he grabbed a parchment and quill and began analyzing the dream. All of the different pieces he could trace back to events or thoughts or feelings over the course of the week, except for those children with magic sticks. An oddball. He would need to record that.
~~
Lawrence strode softly down into the basement. A row of swords hung along one wall, a row of practice weapons along the other. The center of the floor was dominated by a large, dusty ring. He crossed the basement to an odd device fixed to the wall, and began turning the large crank protruding from it. He turned for about two minutes, then stepped away from the wall and began stretching. He warmed up, then seized a belt of knives from a peg on the wall. He tied the belt about his waist and took the first knife out, then crossed to the device on the wall and flipped a lever. Lawrence dashed to the far side of the room, then turned and threw the knife as a scarred wooden ball shot from the mouth of the machine. He missed, and the knife clanged off of the far wall, under the small barred window. He threw four more times as three more balls shot out of the machine, and managed to hit with three of the knives. He was getting better.
Lawrence crossed the room to where the first knife had fallen, he craned over to pick it up, and as he stood up his eyes fell to the small window. A dark figure stood silhouetted outside. Lawrence froze. The figure took off running.
By the time he had reached the street, the figure was gone. Lawrence walked over to the small window and saw, imprinted into the ash, a footprint. A series of footprints led off across the ash, disappearing into an alley.

--

Anyone want to be a dark, mysterious hooded figure?

Edited November 22, 2017 by Roadwalker

[TheMightyLopen]

5 hours ago, BrightnessRadiant said:

Mhm I doubt there would be a mistborn in one house unless they were a skaa xD...doesn't seem fair to give one noble that role and not give it to the other houses as well. I think every role should be looking for the skaa, and not just assume there are better roles who could do it for us. That said, I don't think this coming from Road is alignment indicative, as I've played with him a bunch. Just seems like a side thought.

I haven't the slightest clue how to give analysis on day one of a faction game when not much has been said but rp. I do agree that the houses shouldn't start targeting each other just to get ahead because that would be the quickest route to our failure.

As for a vote, I'll wait for more people to post in the cycle so I have more to look at.

Ehh, I wouldn't be so quick to say that a mistborn would be more likely skaa than noble. It just depends on balance, and giving the skaa a mistborn would probably focus too much of the team's balance on that one player.

Anyways, I think the village has an advantage in that we know that the skaa are spread out through the houses. I think that's important to keep in mind as we go along, since that should help us narrow things down somewhat.

GM's, will the deceased players House be shown in the write-ups? If not, it'll be hard to use that advantage until we have a clear picture of who is in which House.

As for other advice...uhhh...sending in your actions early is a very good idea. I'm also open to working with other Houses in catching Skaa and stuff, so send me PM's.  I was also going to suggest voting as early as possible, since it helps discussion, but I haven't found a place to put my vote, so I can't very well tell others to do it if I'm not. >>

[Bugsy]

1 hour ago, Drake Marshall said:

I note an early spurt of votes on me. Most interesting.

The first one, from phattemer, I completely understand. It is a poke vote to get the game moving, and I applaud the notion (although unless you have serious reason to keep the vote on me, I will point out that you have succeeded in drawing me into the conversation).

The second one, from Bugsy, seems like straight bandwagonning, and while I understand that we need a D1 lynch, I refuse to be on the recieving end of that unless you can present me with some kind of proper reason for it.

I will not retract my vote if you retract yours on me.

I will retract my vote if you better explain yours on me.

@Bugsy6912 

I’d be happy to explain, Drake. A poke vote is, in this game, effectively meaningless. Starting a vote chain on a lynched Skaa earns a ton of merit, so people will want to start their own votes on people. Poke votes, in that manner, become toothless. Yes, I was bandwaggoning, and I’ll own up to it. The difference from normal bandwagoning is that I openly said I’d remove my vote if you responded, and as you can see I’m sticking to it. That shows that, unlike a normal bandwagon, it’s not just an attempt to get an easily excused lynch. It is, rather, an attempt to lend credence to Phatt’s attempt to exert pressure. 

[DrakeMarshall]

Luthadel, the Final Empire, 1011 in the year of our Lord Ruler

Belmark Entrone had finally arrived. He disembarked from his carriage, noting the soft fall of ash surrounding him. He walked purposefully towards the Commercial District, for there he had an impending appointment with the Canton of Finance.

He examined a report from a settlement back north, not really looking where he was going.

Fifty four crates of squash. Check.

Entrone's appearance was nearly surreal, a glaring incongruity with the grimy, ash-coated streets surrounding him. He wore a creme-colored coat over an immacculately white shirt with a pressed collar and a pair of silver-aluminum alloyed cufflinks, and below an equally spotless set of trousers. His black hair was greased and parted neatly down the right side, and a single skaa tailed him with a parasol to shelter him from the lightly falling ash.

Thirty and none glass daggers forged. Check.

A house war was undoubtedly brewing. That was, obviously, why he had returned from the northern dominance: to consolidate House Entrone's power. There were allies to be made, informants and obligators to be bribed, favors to be called in... And possibly traitors to be purged. Luthadel, for all its disgusting sluminess, still had quite the flair for intrigue.

Belmark stepped carefully over the body of a fallen beggar, a disapproving frown appearing on his face. He did not tolerate distractions of this sort back in the Northern Dominance.

Skaa population increase of sixteen. Surplus of three to be transferred to surrounding settlements. Check.

Belmark had arrived at the square in front of the Canton of Finance. The front was well maintained and imposingly large. Belmark was precisely four minutes early, as he had planned to be. He motioned for his skaa to open the door.

Inside, a low-ranking obligator greeted him. Entrone smirked. The tattoos looked fresh; he was speaking to a new recruit.

"Belmark Entrone, here on appointment," Entrone explained in an ever-so-slightly condescending tone. He waited patiently, keeping a smile pasted on his face that bespoke no real joy. "I have business with Prelan Damworth."

Heart of Darkness, anyone?

Also, does a single 400 word RP count the same as a pair of 200 word RPs does, or no? (I realize the above isn't quite 400 words in any case, but the question still stands)

@Bugsy6912 I think I understand...

If we can't put together a different D1 lynch though, you honestly might as well lynch me to keep the game moving (that said, I can promise a level of activity that should keep things moving if you keep me alive).

Any other thoughts? I'm gonna think a little more about this...

But, I guess I'll go with Bugsy for now.

I'm still thinking a lot about the implications of house focii. It might be advantageous to initiate diplomatic relations with some of the houses.

Edited November 22, 2017 by Drake Marshall
Added a sentence to the RP that might explain some things.

[Steeldancer]

I'm not sure how I want to play this game yet

But you can expect more love letters to TLR. Dawn... is a little power infatuated. 

[Bugsy]

Kyrain shifted restlessly in his formal wear, not at all content with the way the night was looking. His brother had dragged him along to the event he was currently attending, and he was having far from a fun, or even comfortable, time. His night had begun well enough, with his brother bringing over a number of women for him to dance with, all of them women to whom he was a potential courter. He supposed another man might have called them attractive, but he wasn’t too interested in things like that. He’d always felt that it was ridiculous to value beauty in courtship; the windows in House Lekal’s Keep were supremely beautiful, but he didn’t wish to court them. The dancing had been nice, posing a distraction from the boredom that predominated his life, but the queue had quickly exhausted itself. He was, after all, the youngest nephew of Lord Arryn; it wasn’t as if his hand in marriage was too desireable a prospect. 

He sat alone, now, at a table, lost in thought as he gazed through the tinted glass at the mists beyond. The ball today was a veneer of normalcy, a facade of stability in the face of the unknown, but that wasn’t true at all. Just the day before, in fact, they had discovered Skaa among the noble houses, serving as infiltrators for the ever mocked and ineffective rebellion in the north. It was he thought, startling, not that the Skaa had attempted to infiltrate the nobility, but rather that they had gone so long without being detected. After all, as the ministry taught, they were little more than beasts of burden, pretending at humanity like a child playing dress up in his father's clothes. The rest, assuming there were any, wouldn’t take long to round up.

Rae, I’ve got some ideas for how to go forward in this RP. You ok if I just go for it, or would you like to confer first?

[Arrae]

Fifteen minutes before 2, Riri set out for Fountain Square. Although the night was dark and cold, she was warm under the large, dark robe that she always wore when sneaking out. It was one of Aurette's camoflauge robes, which had saved her multiple times from being discovered by Galen.

She passed by a lit window and glanced inside. People were still up at this hour? Hopefully there wouldn't be anybody else in the square, since that could be awkward.

A man glared back at her from inside the window. Their eyes met. For a moment, Riri froze, taking in his sweaty face, his brawny body, and the knife he held menacingly in one hand. He moved closer, brandishing the knife.

Riri turned and ran.

Her feet flew over the cobblestones, and for the umpteenth time, she was grateful how House Aurette's dresses were designed to allow full range of movement. She passed dark alley after dark alley after dark alley, heedless of where she ran. No no no no no, I don't want to die today, she thought. She threw a desperate glance over her shoulder, but the man didn't appear to be following. Riri pushed on, panting, still terrified. After what felt like miles of running, she stumbled into Fountain Square, and into Variel.

She threw herself into his embrace, collapsing into his arms. "Vars, thank the Lord Ruler you're here. I saw this really sketch man in an alleyway, and he had a knife, and -- and --" Riri stopped to regain her breath.

@StrikerEZ @roadwalker

I'm not going to really go into the House focus vs skaa focus. I know that games have happened where the players, to the GM's surprise, focused on factions over elims in a game that was more focused on the elims and other games have happened here the players focused on elims over factions in a game more focused on factions. At the moment, I think the best strategy is for everybody to be active, since that earns Favor and also can help generate info to catch the skaa.

Bugsy's second vote on Drake doesn't seem to be too suspicious, because it's NAI. A villager could have wanted to increase pressure for the info, as Bugsy said, or an elim could have wanted to push an easy lynch. Bandwagoning doesn't seem too bad this game. If it's the last hour and the votes aren't close at all, everybody who's on might as well pile onto whoever's going to be lynched so they could potentially get some extra favor.

What Roadwalker said about an atium misting or a mistborn seems kind of weird to assume, but I don't think it's elimy. How does seeing into the future help one tell who's an elim or not? @randuir, do you mind explaining what Roadwalker did in previous games similar to this?

Lopen's advice feels kind of half-hearted. Is "send your orders in early" really the best he can come up with? Really? 

[DrakeMarshall]

LOL I just realized we have another day left in the cycle. That removes some of my previous sense of urgency. I have time to do a mostly-coherent analysis for today's lynch.

It also lets me continue RP:

 

Belmark Entrone strode out of the Canton of Finance, much as he was before, his skaa following close behind. His dealings had taken some time, and night had recently fallen. The mists were particulalarly thick. Naturally, Belmark did not fear them; that was just a foolish skaa superstition engineered by the nobility to discourage unwarranted travel among the skaa.

Now that his business upon arrival was complete, it was time to return to Keep Entrone. It had been several years since he had last visited the place. He was raised in Luthadel, of coarse, but typically House Entrone required some members to oversee things in the Northern Dominance. The only reason he had returned to Luthadel was to help present a united front in the event of a house war.

Belmark did not conceal his distaste for Luthadel. It was, at the root of it, entirely too dirty. However, the city did offer certain advantages. This was the place he had first mastered his allomancy. It was the place he had first forged connections with the Canton of Finance, which had been a thoroughly profitable arrangement. It was also the place where House Entrone would host countless balls in its great keep in a show of extreme ostentation. The city may be poorly kept, but it was also undeniably the seat of power, for both House Entrone and the Final Empire in general.

As Belmark strolled through a large, mist-filled square, his ponderings were disturbed as he nearly ran into a stranger, who was apparently waiting in the center of the square and squinting at a hefty looking book.

@Doc12, if you want to do some RP now, I leave the opportunity open. Otherwise Belmark will continue along his way.

[A Budgie]

Guys.

Guys, it's daytime.

Why are we all writing that it's the nighttime.

 

Night had just fallen, and Lady Noodlington was in bed, trying to sleep.
What else, after all, was the night for?
Oh, you may answer with a mumble, ‘something dangerous, sketchy,’ maybe name assassins and thieves in the night, prowling the streets. And there was the mists, too, that which struck fear into the hearts of the noblemen, as much as they laughed and pretended they owned it.
Sleep was much more preferable.
Noodlington snuggled deeper into her sheets, but despite their comforting warmth she found she couldn’t sleep.
It was this business with the skaa, that was it. Or maybe it was the constant fights with the other houses, knowing at any moment you could be murdered or manipulated. Perhaps it was the fact that she was blackmailing two people with evidence of affairs, although that was usually rather fun.
Letting out a slight yawn, she got out of bed and went to the window.
The recently set sun, combined with the mist and ash falling slowing through the air, gave a rather unique colour scheme. There was the white of the mists and the yellow of a few brave lamps trying to drive away the darkness. There was the red of the sun, just distantly visible.
And, of course, there was the grey of the ash.
But that was normal.
This was the final empire, after all.
Shrugging, Lady Noodlington went back to bed.
There might be a ball later in the evening, but for now she would sleep.
She didn’t understand how the others could go all day and night without the stuff.

 

Okay, some thoughts. 
Mistborn aren't mentioned in the write-up, which seems deliberate. I'd think there probably is a Mistborn role, but prehaps it is seperate to make sure the game is balanced...a 'Kelsier' role, so to speak, a skaa Mistborn not in any of the houses. That would prevent the houses from being potentially unbalanced by having some super powerful role. Or, maybe there's a Mistborn who isn't known yet, they need to Snap, so their power provides a game-changer when things are running smoothly.
Oh, and if anyone wants to rp with Noodles, feel free to do so or contact me to arrange something.

[Doc12]

Footsteps in the square. 

Galen looked up from his book just in time to step out of the way of a stranger determinedly striding past. A small smile curled over his lips as he watched the man disappearing into the mist, trailed by a hapless skaa with a parasol. The man had been dressed in crème and white, sharp and spotless. White. In Luthadel. How he pitied the skaa who was in charge of that man's laundry. Good fashion sense though, he had to admit. Maybe he could send Riri after the stranger to offer him House Aurette's catalogue. 

In any case, he stepped further back away from the center of the square to avoid any more mishaps, just as Variel stepped into the square. Hidden as he was in the mists with his camouflaged robes (two can play at the game, sister dear), he glared daggers into the back of Variel's neck.

Suddenly, a bundle of robes came rushing into the square, crashing straight into Variel. He stumbled backwards, just as the bundle began to babble- "Vars, thank the Lord Ruler you're here. I saw this really sketch man in an alleyway, and he had a knife, and -- and --" Riri stopped to regain her breath.

sketchy man? knife?

Book tucked into his pack, Galen drew a knife of his own, and emerged from the mists, making Riri yelp. She scrabbled for Variel's knife

Ah...he was still hooded. and holding a knife. 

Holding out his palm, he pushed back his hood, exposing his messy hair and sheepish smile. 

"Hello, sister dear. What's this about a guy with a knife?"

@Ookla the Rae

[StrikerEZ]

Variel was shocked to see Riri so scared, but before he had a chance to even say anything to calm her down, and hooded man with a knife emerged from the mists and began to walk towards them. Before Variel could grab his knife, Riri had already started scrambling for the knife. The man stopped, pulling his hood down and holding his hand out towards Riri. "Hello, sister dear. What's this about a guy with a knife?" He said. 

Variel pulled Riri closer to himself, reaching to take the knife from her. He didn't recognize the man himself, but he figured this must be her older brother, Galen. He sighed, pulling his own hood down and looked at the man. There was no use hiding now. Variel didn't even bother trying to come up with a good excuse for why he was with Riri, he just looked to her to see what she'd say about the man with the knife she saw, and, eventually, why she was with him.

@Ookla the Rae 

[Droughtbringer]

A few updates about things that I have been asked a lot have been added to the start of this cycle! Please check there! (4 and 5 were added)

[DeTess]

7 hours ago, Ookla the Rae said:

What Roadwalker said about an atium misting or a mistborn seems kind of weird to assume, but I don't think it's elimy. How does seeing into the future help one tell who's an elim or not? @randuir, do you mind explaining what Roadwalker did in previous games similar to this?

To quote @Roadwalker from QF27:

Quote

Unguarded, thoughtless comments are my play style.

A more concrete example would be from MR25 where he claimed elim, and promptly got lynched for it. He wasn't the first villager to claim elim and get lynched that game either. If you want I can give more examples, but I think this covers my point?

[Megasif]

Thirmul Haht sat on a chair in a dark room, staring out of a window. The curtains were moved apart just enough so that he could see outside but not be seen from the outside. The dark calm of the room let him think. The movement of people outside didn't let him feel alone. It struck a balance for Thirmul. One he wasn't too proud of, but one he needed right now. Even if it was weird.

It was all too much too fast.

He had only just returned, after almost losing his life, thinking he coud just take it easy and relax. But the skaa? Infiltrating his house?

The backstabbing, planning and plotting had always been there. A competition between the houses. But this was different. They could strike at anytime. And no one had any idea where.

Something caught his eye. A few figures running down the street, he couldn't make out their faces. They continued until they turned the corner and Thirmul couldn't see anymore. What really caught his attention was a hooded figure following soon after, in the same direction. What is happening? 

He stood up in a quick movement and the chair fell backwards. There was someone standing on a roof down and across the street. A spy? Possibly one of the skaa? He had to do something. He had to protect his house, his family, his life.

He turned away from the window in one swift motion as he pulled the curtains close, plunging his room in complete darkness. And with it, driving away any hesitation of returning to be the man he had been for what felt like so long now, to protect what he valued.

-------------------------------------

So I haven't completely read the whole thread, just did a quick scan. I will go through it later and make a vote, and anything else that catches my eye. 

 

 

[DeTess]

Paranoia

Dorvan was sitting in his office, reading through the reports from Captain Damiel, who he’d left in charge of the final clean-up of the little rebellion he’d been dealing with. He reported good progress, with most of the plantations having resumed business as usual.

A knock on the door of his office interrupted his reading. “My lord, Lord Duvas Brunair is here to see you.” The reedy voice of his steward barely managed to penetrate the thick wood.

“Well, send him in.” Dorvan put the report to the side. “And bring us a bottle of wine and two glasses.”

***

“Ah, a 997 Tremredare red, if I’m not very mistaken.” Duvas took another sip. “That’s quite an expensive vintage if your only goal is to determine whether I am who I claim to be.” He nodded towards the  bottle, which had been stripped of its label and all other indications of what its contents might be. “Have you finally been cured of that famous frugality?”

“Hardly, my friend. It’s just that most that know me well enough would never expect me to serve such an expensive vintage.” Dorvan allowed himself to relax. This was the last of his close friends, and all of them had passed the wine test. Only Duvas had recognized it for what it was though. “It also functions as an apology for the measures these trying times force upon us.”

“Ah, that it does.” Duvas agreed. “I’m surprised, though. Wine? Parties? I’d expected a more…heavy-handed approach in your hunt for the Skaa.”

“Then what would you have me do? Wipe out all the other houses just to be sure?” Dorvan raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Duvas shrugged “That might be a bit extreme, even for you, but you get my point.”

“I do, I do.”Dorvan leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I am, in fact, working together with some of my contacts in the ministry. They’ve got information on various rebel cells in the city, and they’ve contacted me to provide the muscle in taking them out. There’s this group operating out of the basement of a forge that I suspect might have some enlightening information about this whole affair.” Dorvan indicated the exact place on a map that covered about half his desk. “I wouldn’t want to be those poor fools. Guilty or not, there won’t be much left of them by the time the ministry is done with them.”

“Ha, that’s the Dorvan I know.”Duvas grinned, then finished his glass of wine. “Though I’d love to talk more, current affairs mean that I have a lot to take care off. If you do find a lead though, I hope you’ll share it.”

***

“So, just so that I’ve got this correctly, my lord” The lieutenant spoke slowly, obviously still processing the order he’d been given. “I am to send my men to these ten locations, and just confirm that there are Skaa there? And we should be moving about like we expect to be ambushed, but if there are Skaa we are to leave them alone?”

Dorvan nodded. “Exactly, Lieutenant. And remember, if there are no Skaa, you are to come report this to me, and me alone, as quickly as possible. Is that understood?”

“yes sir… Though I don’t really understand…” The soldier began.

“You don’t need to understand, you only need to follow orders.” Dorvan spoke harshly and glared at the man. Being slow wasn’t an issue for a lower-ranked soldier, but this officer should have gotten the hint by now.

The message seemed to have finally gotten through, and the lieutenant saluted and left the room. Dorvan sighed, then moved to the map. This nights operation would both serve to confirm some loyalties, and get the other houses worried. While they sat around he was moving and striking, even if most of it was, for now, just for show.

[BrightnessRadiant]

Adela paced the length of her room for what seemed like hours. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact there could be a spy in her own house. How could she sleep when she could be murdered in her bed at any moment? She resolved to take action. Taking out a sheet of parchment and her quill she penned a note to someone she thought just might be willing to help her.

Dear sir,

Would you be interested in an alliance between our two houses? These are troubling times, and we need to work together if these traitors are to be found. I'm sure we could come to some sort of arrangement to help each other if you're willing. 

yours respectfully, Adela Rousseau

***

"Take it straight there, you understand me? Don't stop for any reason, and make certain to come to me straight away if he gives you a response."

Adela handed her note to a servant and breathed a small sigh of relief as they slipped out the back door of the servant's quarters. Normally she'd have rung her bell to call for a servant, but she didn't want to wake her family. Or the spy. 

Relaxing a little for the first time all evening, she made her way back to her room as quietly as possible.

_________________________________________________________________________

Sooooo, I'm gonna look over the thread some more to try and vote earlier than last minute heh, but here's some rp for now:P.

[Sparkrunner]

13 hours ago, A Budgie said:

Why are we all writing that it's the nighttime.

Chaos

~~

Lawrence stepped carelessly through the piles of ash, knife sheathed, looking for the intruder. Crunch Crunch Crunch, went his feet on the ash. He had thrown his cloak on, and he swept through the mist. Crunch Crunch Crunch, went his feet on the ash. He peeked into the Old Beggar's square. Two figures with cloaks stood there. He settled down to wait, and stepped backwards into the third figure.

Lawrence spun, eyes wide, as a gleam of glass swished towards him. Lawrence stood completely still, and the knife froze an inch from his neck. The intruder from earlier and another man stepped up behind him. His pulse pounded in his ears.

These are not bandits, look at the clothes! He thought to himself after an eternity. Who are they? Lawrence took in the nice clothes, the finely formed daggers, the pearl buttons. Noblemen, in a clandestine meeting. Only one thing to do, in that situation. He took out a slice of pie that he had for a snack, and proffered it to the man in front of him.

~~

@Ookla the Rae @Doc12@StrikerEZ

[DrakeMarshall]

...and the discussion has kind of died out.

I fully understand why we wouldn’t share our analysis of house focii in the open.

But for the sake of an interesting game, I hope people are discussing / have discussed this in the house docs.

[Arinian]

* * *

Last wisps of mist started to fade under the pressure of first light. Faron stood on balcony leaning on railing looking on sunrise. Mists... skaa, nobels, everyone feared them, but Faron never understood it. Why someone should be scared of so ephemeral thing as mists, the most thing that they deserved it's annoyance on them.

But Sun... sun was other than that. Bloody red disc of fire that looked over all world, truly divine... Eye of the True God. Not the false one which ruled now.

He clenched teeth peering into the blurred silhouette of Kredik Shaw. Something cracked in his hand, glass with wine... how he forgot about that?

Wine dripped on floor through the cracked glass... red almost like blood, red almost like sun...

Blood!

He threw away glass from balcony and quickly strode to his room.

White carpet in centre of room was soaked with blood. Rope hung from candelier, loop was tightened around elegant neck of young lady... Elina Tekiel beloved daughter of Lord Tekiel. Her white shirt at first white now was red... soaked with her own blood that freely poured from her slotted throat.

Faron grinned to his thoughts.

That what he called true art. Not extravagant arts or fancy poetry. How someone even can think that humans can create something more beautiful than life. But even not life was a true art. True art it's to end this life in right way. Fact that Elina once was Mistborn added even more beauty to it.

Faron stood tapping his chin with finger, and then someone knocked in door.

“Come in!” he shouted.

Man peeked through the door, it was Lars. He was tall with dark hair and dressed like all other terrismen stewards. But it was easy to distinguish him from others his skin was too white, eyes wide open as if he was scared all time and how he walked hah it was really funny. Sometimes Faron thought that this man expects that someone will try to kill him.

“Why you here Lars? Something happened?”  Faron asked walking around hanged woman.

When Lars noticed body his eyes became even wider(even if it looked that it was impossible).

“Mm... m... My Lord” He held out his hand with letter in it.

Faron pulled knife from his belt and opened letter with it. And with every word he read, the smile on his face grew wider.

“Skaa infiltrated Great  Houses of Luthadel? That’s would be fascinating!” Faron laughed throwing knife in dead body.  “Lars clean everything here and throw body somewhere near possession of House Erikell. Interesting how Lord Tekiel will react when he will find out that his daughter is dead after yesterday’s walk with young Lord Avril Erikell?”

Faron winked at Lars and left room, he was so busy, so many deals to complete today.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

That's my second faction game... but we can count this one as first, cause really first faction game for me ended on turn 3 

[livinglegend]

Jonas hated the mists. Of course, Jonas hated a lot of things. That included several noble houses, skaa in general, the color of the sky, and bread pudding. Unfortunately, he was driven out into the settling mists on an errand.

“The skaa population is too high right now to be any good anyway.” He thought as he stalked through the ash. “Clearly the laziness of the other noble houses has finally caught up to them.”

Jonas scowled at the thought of a Skaa being so bold as to think they could get away with joining nobles. They were certainly not beaten enough as children. Jonas would make sure his Skaa did not miss that correct upbringing.

Jonas had not heard what happened to the skaa who was found masquerading, but it was not handled well enough! There should have been a very public whipping and execution to teach the skaa where their place was.

Skaa needed to be cultivated with care. Treated with purpose. They must know their place and have reason to stay there. They were born to serve and then be culled as a crop to show just how little their lives matter. Jonas would not allow his skaa to even get a glint of hope.

Undoubtedly, the word had gotten even to these lowest of creatures. Jonas himself had been in his study working at the time a relative rushed in with the news. An infiltrated house was news indeed. This would not be acceptable for a house of his standing. And so, he trudged through the ash to make sure whatever happened, it would not hinder his house’s plans.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

trying to figure out how to make a spoiler

After reading through the thread a few times, the general consensus seems to be that we need to lynch someone, but we don't have enough information on whom. I tend to agree that some information is better than none and for that reason (and the off chance that I catch an inactive skaa and gain some favor), I am going to vote on CloudJumper until they post. Also on the list of people we have yet to hear from are Straw, ShaneysRus, Asterion137, Rebecca, and Young Bard. In addition, Shqueeves has only posted one word which means he has seen the thread, but not shared his/her thoughts. It’s less believable that they are afk.

I am a little suspicious of TheMightyLopen. His post feels like he is trying to look helpful without actually being super helpful. He also fell into what Phattemer suggested was a tell for Skaa by not voting. Having said this, he is also one of only nine players to post any analysis out of the twenty-seven players and I’d prefer to keep him around just for activity’s sake.

I have a detailed summary of all posts so far that I had planned to post, but I wanted to figure out how to do a spoiler first so people who already have their own version can skip mine. I also have a running list of who has posted and how much that I will refine and maybe post in a separate spoiler.

Edited November 22, 2017 by livinglegend
To turn my vote red

[TheMightyLopen]

19 hours ago, Ookla the Rae said:

Lopen's advice feels kind of half-hearted. Is "send your orders in early" really the best he can come up with? Really? 

 

13 minutes ago, livinglegend said:

 

I am a little suspicious of TheMightyLopen. His post feels like he is trying to look helpful without actually being super helpful. He also fell into what Phattemer suggested was a tell for Skaa by not voting. Having said this, he is also one of only nine players to post any analysis out of the twenty-seven players and I’d prefer to keep him around just for activity’s sake.

Both of you are basically right, in that my post was a little half-hearted and not too helpful. I mostly was just trying to post something, because I hadn't done much in the game yet. I was finishing Oathbringer yesterday though, and mainly spent my time online trying to help with House stuff. I did finish Oathbringer(wooot!), so that should free up more time for this.

Looks like we've got about 4 hours left in this Turn, and their really aren't many votes(not that I was any help, I know), but I have some time right now, so I'll try and figure out a good place to vote. Here's a vote tally:

Drake Marshal(1): phattemer, Bugsy
Bugsy(0): Drake
Cloudjumper(1): livinglegend

GM's, does it take at least 2 votes to cause a lynch, and what happens with a tie?

[BrightnessRadiant]

Okay I was gonna vote earlier like I said, but I became busy irl so I couldn't.

After reading through the thread, I can honestly say it's a typical day 1....and by that I mean, I literally have nothing to go on and zero suspicions haha. I don't like starting day 1 lynches and don't like straight up bandwagoning. But....mostly everyone has either just rp'd or said good things or things I didn't find suspicous xD. How can I vote then???? Come on guys, be suspicious and make me want to lynch you haha. Sorry, I gotta go again and I'll just have to think about this some more.

Also, y'all should really post your thoughts on the game too...not just rp.

Edit: ninja'd by Lopen 

Edited November 22, 2017 by BrightnessRadiant

[asterion137]

Warren Hasting scowled at the dozen or so Tekiel hazekillers patrolling the streets. Such a display lacked both the subtlety befitting a noble house and the actual clout necessary to intimidate high noblemen. The Tekiels are weak. Skaa interbreeding has weakened their line. As such, Warren had not been surprised when a skaa had been exposed among them, disguised as a lower member of House Tekiel, but still high enough to collect dangerously confidential information. The other Houses were growing far too lax in their rule over the Luthadel skaa, which could lead to valuable contract opportunities among their trading partners. As the third cousin to the head of House Hasting, Warren was high enough in the chain of command to authorize trade contracts, but not quite high enough to be well-known among the nobility. As a result, he spent far more time on the streets than most nobles, and knew firsthand that most of the canal business formerly owned by Tekiel would be seeking new trading partners after the scandal. He headed for the docks, hoping that his informants had been quicker than those of the other houses. A lucrative canal deal would be extremely valuable for the possible conflict ahead.

 

I know for a fact Cloudjumper has had plenty of time to post on this thread in the past day. No real advice about the game so far, except that we shouldn't get too caught up in House politics and ignore the Rebellion (We all know how that turns out, right?).

 

Edited November 23, 2017 by asterion137

[DeTess]

I suspect it doesn't particularly help D1 discussions that there's a lot to discuss in the house docs, being the specializations, as well as the things the various powers might be able to accomplish, which is a rather open question in this game.

Regarding suspicions, two people have stood out to me in a negative way. The first is Bugsy, who seemed rather aggressive in the thread, but he's also one of the few people to mostly post thoughts and strategy. With the current RP-heavy side of things it'd be far easier for Skaa to hide by focusing on RP than risk sticking their neck out by trying to channel discussion. In other words, I don't think Bugsy's aggressiveness is indicative of him being an elim right now, though I'll keep an eye on him going forward.

The things others mentioned about Lopen will make me pay more attention to him going forward as that was (in hindsight) one of his eliminator tells in a QF earlier this year (QF22, I believe), but Lopen's also not someone I'd like to lose D1 for his insight if he's village, so I'm not planning on voting on him yet.

That's pretty much it regarding my suspicions right now. I could vote on an inactive, but I'd be naturally inclined to vote on one that isn't in my house, and I don't want to vote based on house-politics, so I'll keep my vote for now. This is also going to be my last post for today barring any calamities (or major bandwagons, in which case I might join up in the off-chance that it's an elim) in the next 30 minutes.