Long Game 42: Master of the House

[A Joe in the Bush]

Dbec sat in his daylight hideout. He had only told one skaa where it was, so they could come and tell him if there were Allomancers or angry Mobs coming. It was supposed to be even safer from the house; with the knowledge he had given the skaa, they would not betray him. They would be more loyal than any other group.



The angry mob of nobles stood in the street, trying to follow the confusing map a skaa had given them. It had strange letters on it, which they assumed pointed out street names in some phonetic approximation of the Steel Alphabet. They went through one alley, finally finding a door. Going through it, they found Dbec.



Leaflets were scattered in the street the next day, advertising positions in House Heatherlocke. Being written in that strange phonetic letter set, no one could understand it.

It was just a joke among the few skaa, who escaped Luthadel to become scholars.”

Walin was Lynched! Give him upvotes for writing his own death scene for us.

Walin (2): Fifth Scholar, Jondesu

Orlok (1): Sart

Shanerockes (1): Steeldancer

The night will end in

Player List

(Eternum) Auden Ostlin Heatherlocke

(Steeldancer) Leets Heatherlocke

(Araris Valerian) Hadrian Heatherlocke

(Straw) Straw Heatherlocke
 

(Sart) Taswell Ffnord

(Jondesu) RemartFfnord

(Shanerockes) Lebereth Ffnord

(Fifth Scholar) Count Olaf Ffnord
 

(Crimsn Wolf) Altea Meza Heron

(Mafia) Ivan Heron

 

(Orlok Tsubodai) Locke Tormander

[Eternum]

Well, well, well.

Seems like last day was eventful. I really should have gotten on earlier.

@Sart, you got a bunch of things wrong in your last post. For example, Orlok himself asked me to kill Livinglegend. I've been going along with him less because I want to win (Though I'd be lying if I said that isn't part of it) and more because, well, all the interesting things seem to involve him. For example, this whole mess! Isn't it fun?

I wholly expect to die tonight. I don't have any illusions. However, I will not go down without a fight. House Heatherlocke is far from incompetent. Since my other House members seem to be passive, I suppose I will have to show you myself. 

[Steeldancer]

Gaaahhh I forgot that Shanerocks signed up as Elbereth. tricksty gms, tricksty 

[A Joe in the Bush]

Due to due to various things happening behind the scenes, the following rule change is going into effect:

If there are two or more winners alive in the game, the least recent winner may choose to leave the game.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Day 5

Lord Leets Heatherlocke grinned and cheered as the Skaa fighters in the arena below fought each other, throwing punch after punch. They blocked and weaved, dodging and throwing fists. The crowd around and behind him cheered and screamed with him. He wasn’t the only member of the Great Houses here, but the majority of the crowd were lesser nobility, with a scattering of merchant class Skaa. The underground Skaa fights were a diversion for everyone, and unpoliced.

The bigger fighter managed to sweep the other’s arms to the side, and surged forward with a punch to the face that made the smaller man’s feet leave the ground. The crowd gasped as blood sprayed from his face. He hit the ground with a thud, and the crowd went mad. Leets sat back into his seat and waved a usher over. “Another bottle of Amberstead Wine. What’s the next fight?”

The usher took Leets’ money and replied, “An open challenge against the Champion sir. Multiple fighters or single, anyone can jump in and fight. But once you’re in, no backing out until the Champion is down, or you’re unconscious.”

“Excellent.” Lord Heatherlocke grinned. “That’ll be a fun watch.” He stood, dismissing the usher. He walked forward, and leaned against the railing overlooking the arena. A trio of Skaa were dropping in, and the Champion was advancing on them, his arms up in front of his face.

The trio split, and began to circle around him. The champion didn’t seemed concerned, instead dashing forward, despite his previous slowness. He took the first Skaa by surprise, slamming a fist upward into the underside of his chin. The other two froze in surprise, but ran forward to save their friend. The Champion turned as the first Skaa fell. He was grinning a great bloody grin, and blood dripped from his right fist.

He turned towards the further skaa, leaving his back open to the second. As the second charged in, the first jumped onto the champion’s back, wrapping his arms around his throat. The champion jumped backwards, falling down and crushing the man, then lashing out with his legs, catching the second Skaa in the torso and flinging him away.

He stood, letting the Skaa flop of of him, and brushed the dirt from the floor off his shoulders. “Only three? Come now, give me a Challenge!”

As almost a dozen more skaa poured over the side of the arena to fight the Champion, an usher approached Leets, holding a bottle of Amberstead.  “Lord Heatherlocke?”

“About time.” Leets reached forward, but the usher suddenly moved faster, jabbing the bottle into Heatherlocke’s throat. He gagged, and the usher grabbed his shoulder, and tipped him into the arena. He hit the dirt floor and his side, and struggled to his feet, gasping for breath.

He shook the dizziness away, and looked up. The Champion was heading straight for him, grinning. He was holding a Skaa in one hand, and was using the man to block blows from others as he strode inexorably towards him. Leets gasped as recognition flooded through him. The Champion was covered in ash to disguise himself, but underneath, were the features of one of Ffnord’s Pewterarms.

“Wait, no, I’ll pay—” The Champion threw his Skaa shield at him, knocking him back into the stone wall. He grunted and fought to stay upright, shoving the dead Skaa from him, only to see the Champion dashing straight forward, fist pulled back. “Please! No—”

---

Steeldancer was killed by the Ffnords! Mafia was attacked by the Heatherlockes, but survived! Straw was attacked by the Herons, but survived!

 

The Day will end in[/color]

 

Player List:

 

(Eternum) Auden Ostlin Heatherlocke

(Araris Valerian) Hadrian Heatherlocke

(Straw) Straw Heatherlocke
 

(Sart) Taswell Ffnord

(Jondesu) RemartFfnord

(Shanerockes) Lebereth Ffnord

(Fifth Scholar) Count Olaf Ffnord
 

(Crimsn Wolf) Altea Meza Heron
(Mafia) Ivan Heron

 

(Orlok Tsubodai) Locke Tormander

Edited March 1, 2018 by A Joe in the Bush

[Araris Valerian]

@A Joe in the Bush Great writeup! There is an error in the player list, since Walin is dead. I'm going to vote for Shanerockes. There are too many people in House Ffnord for my liking.

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by Araris Valerian

[shanerockes]

52 minutes ago, Araris Valerian said:

@A Joe in the Bush Great writeup! There is an error in the player list, since Walin is dead. I'm going to vote for Shanerockes. There are too many people in House Ffnord for my liking.

 

I actually quite agree with you that there are too many Ffnord house members left. But sadly, I cannot do a thing to them. I will put my vote on Mafia

[xxGaea]

Hello, my fellow SE's. It has been awhile since I've posted anything in thread, but I thought I should put my thoughts here now. 

I have worked incredible hard this game, and really want to win. It's been awhile since I last played in an SE game, because I've never really had the energy to make an actual effort into winning. That has changed this game. I've been working with other players to kill my house mates, while making my house members believe I was working with them on an 'alternate' win, where only we remained alive. All this being said, I ask you now to please help me cinch my victory, by voting for Mafia.

[Fifth Scholar]

Mmm...something about me doesn’t like deciding who wins with a lynch. It seems more fair to let things be resolved at night, where there’s the opportunity for more extensive politicking. A day lynch could quickly become a popularity contest that it’d be hard for the losing side to do anything about. Night actions, on the other hand, allow for diverse plotting and action complexity, making it a much fairer way to die. @Crimsn-Wolf, I understand your desire to win such a hard-fought game, but I think winning at night would be a fairer victory. That said, I’m not going to stand in the way of a Mafia lynch if that is the will of the majority, though I would appreciate a lynch on another Ffnord . It’s been a blast competing with you guys, but you’re too resilient for your own good.

[xxGaea]

@Fifth Scholar, I can certainly understand your reasoning, there. Not gonna lie, the reason I resorted to such tactics is because I have been trying to get Mafia killed the last, two night, I believe? Lol, growing weary of it.

However, I would be willing to try a lynch on Sart, should everyone be in more favour of deciding the victor of my house by night. While Sart may not have been an active member in the alliance, I still dislike being betrayed. There should be honour among thieves, in my opinion--especially in a game where betrayal is the norm. I do not like being stabbed in the back by an ally that was made at the beginning of the game.

[Araris Valerian]

I can definitely get behind a lynch on Sart. Shanerockes.

[Jondesu]

I’ll go along with a Sart lynch. I’d rather him than Mafia, who’s done nothing but try to win.

[Fifth Scholar]

Err...Jondesu...we can’t vote for members of our house, as lovely as that would be. Unless it’s a symbolic gesture, of course.

[Jondesu]

Aww, was hoping no one would notice. 

How about Straw instead of Sart then? At least for the Ffnords?

[Straw]

I’ll vote for Sart. The Ffnords deserve to have a member of their house dead.

[Eternum]

Yeah, I'll vote for Sart. It'll make the game more interesting to have more people closer to victory

[Orlok Tsubodai]

I’ll add my vote to Sart, mainly to test whether I’ve been soothed again.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Lord Taswell Ffnord was not happy. He was in fact, rather angry. The other nobles of both his house and his enemies’ were coming for him, despite him revealing Lord Locke’s treachery. Were they all in the man’s pocket, or just afraid of him?

Either way, it was time to abandon Keep Ffnord. It wasn’t his true home anyway. He’d only moved in during the war for the security. He had his own manor in one of the suburbs surrounding the town. He had married into the Ffnord line, but wouldn’t die with it. So he sat in his carriage as it clitter-clacked its way down the cobblestone streets. Out through the mighty Brass gates.

“Ho Driver!”

Taswell perked up. Who was outside the carriage? His carriage began to slow, and he could hear horses pulling up alongside him. Enemies or friends? Carefully, he peeked out through the curtains, to see several Obligators on horseback, surrounded by a dozen steel clad guardsmen.

“Is this Taswell’s carriage?” The highest ranked obligator, a thug, asked.

“Indeed it is my lord.” The driver replied. “Do you have business with my lord?”

“Of a sort. Taswell, could you step out the doors please?”

Taswell hesitated. He wasn’t quite certain if this was good news or bad. But in the end, he didn’t have that much of a choice. He pushed the oak door open, and stepped out onto the road, eyeing the Obligators. “Lord Quillion. How may I serve the Steel Ministry?”

“Several of the nobles in your house are quite loyal to the Lord Ruler Lord Taswell. And they have been digging.”

Ah, so he was going to die. “Digging? Do you mean physically, or metaphorically?”

“For information. About your mother. Specifically, if she actually was a noble. She was not.”

“That’s absurd!” He didn’t have to fake the anger. His mother was a noble. It was his father who wasn’t.

“The truth often is. Kill him.”

Lord Taswell tried to dive back into the carriage, but the men grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him backwards, throwing him to the ground. Two stepped forward with spear, ignoring his cries of injustice, and stabbed him through the neck.

---

Sart was lynched!

Sart (5): Araris, Crimsn, Eternum, Straw, Orlok

Mafia (1): Shane

Straw (1): Jondesu

The Night will end in

Player List:

 

(Eternum) Auden Ostlin Heatherlocke

(Araris Valerian) Hadrian Heatherlocke

(Straw) Straw Heatherlocke
 

(Jondesu) RemartFfnord

(Shanerockes) Lebereth Ffnord

(Fifth Scholar) Count Olaf Ffnord
 

(Crimsn Wolf) Altea Meza Heron
(Mafia) Ivan Heron

 

(Orlok Tsubodai) Locke Tormander

Edited March 2, 2018 by A Joe in the Bush

[Araris Valerian]

The ball had been canceled. Not enough High Nobles were willing to risk visiting another keep when each was so close to achieving leadership of their House. Hadrian wandered the streets of Luthadel, wearing a non-descript outfit that could belong to a wealthy skaa or a lesser nobleman. The mists hung heavier in the air than usual, as if the night itself knew of the murders that would be committed in the next hours. The damp air was comforting in a way that the halls of Keep Heatherlocke never could be, even though Hadrian wasn't a Tineye. His worries vanished among the swirling patterns and his resolve strengthened. He felt so much more alive out at night then he ever did among his politicking peers, during the dancing and the partying. He could only guess how much more real the world felt to a Mistborn, perfectly attuned to the nighttime. Eventually, Hadrian left the night to return to the tedious business of scheming. But the mists had comforted him, and he went to work no longer worried about whether he would live or die.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Araris Valerian
Accidentally posted before I was done writing

[Fifth Scholar]

The results of tonight will probably decide the game. Good luck to all, and may the craftiest noble win. 

If anyone has information they’d like to share with the thread, feel free! Even if it’s all lies.

[A Joe in the Bush]

And that is Time. No more actions will be accepted. Writeup and next cycle will be posted in 15 minutes

[A Joe in the Bush]

The true test of a woman's character is what she does when no one is watching.

Lady Altea Meza Heron smiled warmly at Lord Auden Heatherlocke and Lord Locke Tormander. “Well then my friends, it seems that all is settled. With our Hazekillers, the three of us will survive the night, and the Tormanders will slay that bastard Ivan, finally.”

“Indeed,” Lord Auden smiled at her, “we’ll change the world, the three of us. Though we still need a new Ffnord, since Taswell betrayed us.” He snorted, “Uppity Skaa.”
“Uppity Skaa indeed. Now then, It is getting late, and I would like to retire for the evening. Can you two see yourselves out?” Auden nodded, and rose from his seat, but Locke sat, silently. Altea cocked her head and him, and waited, still smiling pleasantly.

Locke examined her, looking almost through her eyes. Finally, he nodded as well. “I shall see the two of you tomorrow morning.” Altea and Locke rose from their seats at once, and turned and left in opposite directions. Locke engaging Auden in conversation, while Altea headed deeper into Keep Heron.

A double sized contingent of Hazekillers formed up around her as she walked to her Cousin’s study. Lord Ivan Heron, heir apparent to Wyrm. Her last obstacle, and yet her closest confidant. He looked up as she entered his study, leaving the Hazekillers stationed outside. “Lord Ivan, how are you this fine night?”

“Hoping to be better in 5 minutes.” He carefully covered the letter he had been writing, as well as several other items on his desk. He stood and walked around the desk, placing himself in between her and its secrets. “What brings you calling so late in the evening?”

“I just wanted to tell you that Lords Heatherlocke and Tormander have retired for the evening. I intend to as well. But i need to walk the walls again, and check in with the guards. Could I get some company?”

Ivan did an excellent job at maintaining a poker face, all things considered, but Altea could still see the subtle play of emotions dance across his features. He wanted to know her game. But he never would. He was one of the best players in her game, but he wasn’t good enough. “Very well my Lady. Let us walk.”

Altea’s Hazekillers formed up around the two Nobles as the exited the castle, onto the outer wall of the property. Another hazekiller, wearing a facemask, joined them, walking just behind Altea. The mist was out, and the City of Luthadel glowed warmly in the torchlight. Ivan examined the Hazekillers around them. “You’ve been recruiting, I see.”

“How could I not, after Grumbles and Astrum’s deaths?”

“A smart plan. Where did you get most of them?”

“Traded for them mostly.” She pointed at one of them at the front. “That one i managed to hire away from the Tekiels.” she gestured to the masked one behind them. “He’s borrowed from a friend.”

“Interesting.” They were nearing the front gate now, and the wall there glowed brightly, as if lit by a 1000 torches. Altea narrowed her eyes at it, in suspicion. Had Ivan actually gone and done it?
As they walked, the source of the light came into view. The Heron Allomancers all stood or crouched around a burning carriage, that Aletea could easily recognize as Lord Auden Heatherlocke’s. The man’s staff were all bleeding out around it, and the Lord himself looked to have been pinned to the burning carriage by a sword through his chest. His clothes were alight with fire.

“I must of course, apologize cousin.” Ivan smirked. “Lord Auden was a threat to me though, so I had him and Lord Tormander killed. Thank you for getting them into such an easy spot to find.”
“I highly doubt you managed to kill Locke.”

“Oh i’m certain he is dead.” Ivan grinned. “I had men waiting in his carriage for him.”

“Yes, they were fun to slaughter. A nice warmup.” Ivan froze, Altea smirked. The masked Hazekiller behind them pulled his dueling cane from his hip. “Hello Altea. Nice night isn’t it?”
“Indeed my Lord Tormander.”

Ivan turned slowly. “Ah, my lord Tormander, I didn’t know you moonlight as a hazekiller.”

Locke shrugged. “It keeps the blood flowing, and i wanted to personally make certain that Lady Altea here would have no competition in her house. A favor for a favor.” Moving with thug like speeds, he stepped forward, and jabbed his dueling cane into Ivan’s throat. As the man gagged, Locke dropped his cane, swept forward, and lifted him high off the ground. He stepped forward, carrying him above his head, and threw  him from the wall. He sailed through the air, crashing into the burning carriage below.

Locke and Altea continued to walk, leaving his body to burn.

 

Shane was killed by the Heatherlockes! Eternum was killed by the Herons! Mafia was killed by the Tormanders!
Crimsn Wolf has won for the Herons!
Player List:

 

(Araris Valerian) Hadrian Heatherlocke
(Straw) Straw Heatherlocke

(Jondesu) RemartFfnord
(Fifth Scholar) Count Olaf Ffnord

(Crimsn Wolf) Altea Meza Heron

(Orlok Tsubodai) Locke Tormander

Edited March 4, 2018 by A Joe in the Bush

[Fifth Scholar]

To fulfill a promise. Straw. Mafia, I’m sorry you died, but well done Crimsn for getting Orlok’s ear. Now let’s have a winner from Heatherlocke who actually upholds their word. 

[Jondesu]

Straw. Apparently Araris made a few friends, and I’m happy to help him get this win.

[Orlok Tsubodai]

No offence to Araris, but I’m going to vote No Lynch this cycle. If the game should have been decided at night for the Herons, I think the same should apply here.