Mid-Range Game 28: Knives in the Dark

[Jondesu]

*hiccups* I'm…I'mma vote for Steeldancer. Cuz. I said so.

Oh gosh, I'm turning into @STINK.

[STINK]

2 minutes ago, Jondesu said:

*hiccups* I'm…I'mma vote for Steeldancer. Cuz. I said so.

Oh gosh, I'm turning into @STINK.

Again, I do not see anything wrong with that last statement.

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

1 hour ago, STINK said:

Aye, sounds like a good plan to me. Also kinda need Devotary to vote on someone for that to work too

Did you try to use your ability last cycle? If so, who did you target?

4 hours ago, Steeldancer said:

Also, i don't think there are many more elims left. We could end this in a turn or two, potentially. 

Similarly, we could lose in a turn or two. The best case is that the alignment change was neutral->good, in which case we would have a 5:1:1 good/neutral/evil ratio. The worst case is that there is an evil convert and a converter in addition to one remaining Escaped Inmate for a 3:1:3 ration, which would make a mislynch fatal. The tinfoil corollary to this is that said converter and convert are Stink and Hero, voting on Steeldancer in an attempt to get Jondesu to support them. Which is actually seeming a little bit likely, as Jondesu shouldn't normally want to lynch a contagious person.

Since we've had a consistent one non-Skybreaker kill every cycle, it seems reasonable to assume that either there is at least one Escaped Inmate, or the Escaped Inmates can't kill and that all the deaths have caused by an evil kill role. I would view the first possibility as more likely, but who knows. Eternum's death could have been caused by an unscanned player lying about their role. This does mean that a situation where an evil converter can have up to two converts in unlikely, as a maximum six evil players in a game with only 19 players, four of which are neutrals, would be extremely hard for the village to win.

1. Jondesu: Div Neutral Hiccuper(contagious)
2. Devotary of Spontaneity: Akhanaka, a fearless ardent Scholar
3. Droughtbringer Scholar(contagious)
4. STINK: Trumpet Guy, BWOOT Politician(currently exposed)
5. Madagascar: "Mad" Mapadonet, a famous pig researcher. Psychiatrist
6. Herowannabe: Nabbers, a Herdazian chouta street vendor Scholar(currently exposed)
7. Steeldancer Scholar(contagious)

If the cycle ended right now without a win for either side, the only players without the hiccuping disease would be Madagascar and I. @Jondesu, I assume that you win if the game ends with the last non-infected player dying, but could you confirm that?

The only way to confirm my role is to vote and hope for a Citizen!Stink to target me. I'm concerned about Jondesu's vote on Steeldancer, as that doesn't make any sense unless Jondesu is voting as part of a deal. I would not be at all surprised if Madagascar or I end up dead 3 hours from now. For now, I'm going to vote on Herowannabe, as he's one of the two players most likely to be the last Escaped Inmate(if any are left) and is a potential convert if indeed an evil converter exists.

[Madagascar]

This little piggy went to market

This little piggy stayed home

This little piggy had roast beef

And this little piggy had none

And this little pig went

Whee, whee, whee!

And sprang across the town and did karate with her teensy weensy hooves

Because this pig was a feminist and did not subscribe to patriarchal notions of porcine gender roles that restricted her to the home, market, and dinner plate of the oppressor.

I noticed Steel's phrasing of the possibility of an insane convert as "tenuous" seems suspicious to me. I might be reading too much into it, but I don't agree that the possibility of a converted inmate is tenuous at all. We know there was a conversion. We weren't told the details, but the possibility of a converted inmate is something that should definitely be considered. So dismissing the possibility seems to be minimizing, distracting. I think if he is a converted escaped inmate, he would want us to forget about the conversion until it was too late. So I guess since Steel’s going to keep insisting on leading my pigs off to market without giving any reason why, I suppose I'll unleash them and let them have their way with him so that his carcass can be forensically examined for signs of neurological impairment.

[Steeldancer]

I do have reasons for why I voted on madahascar, I'll enumerate them when I get home from work 

[Steeldancer]

Crap I'm glad I got on early, because my shift ends after this day does. And this lynch might be the second to last if I get lynched, or the last and the village will lose, depending on whether there are 2 or 3 elims left. 

Ok, my suspicions began when Orlok pointed out that Kynedath and Madagascar were acting odd. Kynedath turned out to be elim, so I've been keeping an eye on madagascar. Second, Madagascar has done little to nothing to be helpful. Which is why I was further suspicious of Stink saying he trusts her. Third, i believe Madagascar has been using her pigs as a screen to prevent suspicions to form on her. Obviously RP is NAI, but when you have nothing but, and you have the almost casual flippancy that orlok pointed out in his PM to me about Drake, makes me suspicious. Lynching Madagascar will give us information on Stink as well, because right now I think it was Stink who was converted, if indeed the conversion was a village- to elim conversion. He was the first one to vote on Drake, is a way better player than I am, and has a suspicious relationship with Madagascar. Which, despite my asking where the basis of this trust comes many times, still has not been answered. So, @Herowannabe @Jondesu @Devotary of Spontaneity please reconsider your votes, because I think you are still village/village sympathetic. @Droughtbringer please show up!

Furthermore, if I were an elim, don't you think maybe I would have a teammate possibly defending me? I've seen Orlok point out- often correctly- that if nobody is defending a person, there's a good chance they are just a villager. 

Now I need to get back to work. 

[Madagascar]

damnation right I'm going to be casually flippant! Do you realize how silly pigs look when they take anything seriously? They look like nerds. Fat, pink little nerds.

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

I'm fairly sure that Jondesu has sold out the village to the people actually helping him with his win condition. I suppose Madagascar is the other person most likely to be the last Escaped Inmate, so I can vote on her, not that it makes much difference. @Jondesu, if for some reason the game doesn't end after this cycle, would you mind not helping the evil players win? If I die this cycle, you will have already won, and if I don't, I will vote for a contagious player, which will trigger your win condition.

[Madagascar]

Not that I really want to help you in any way, but technically I think you're supposed to retract in green first. *pig waves trotter helpfully*

Edited April 2, 2018 by Madagascar

[Elenion]

Just now, Madagascar said:

Technically, you're supposed to retract in green first.

That depends on the GM and on player preference. I take the last vote in red; some GMs are more particular.

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

Herowannabe, Madagascar, just in case.

[Elenion]

Time! New cycle up momentarily.

[Elenion]

Akhanaka hunched over her spanreeds. She’d gotten a job at the spranreed office to support herself during her stay in Kharbranth. It wasn’t glamorous work: everyone else was asleep, but these memos to Alethkar weren’t going to scribe themselves. There was some good gossip in these, not that Akhanaka cared for that sort of thing, but it made the late-night hauls a little more bearable when you knew that the messages that you sent were more important than the standard trade reports and medical records. Then again, the medical records had been more exciting than usual as well.

“Let’s see,” she muttered to herself, “what’s next?”

Highlord Pradan, the note read, under an instruction to send it to Pradan’s estate, I have received word from a group of tradesmen that they saw your wife on the road with another man as you suspected. Rumors in a local inn have it that they are making for the Reshi Isles. We believe that we can intercept them, but we will need your authorization before we do so. Some of the deputies believe we are on shaky legal ground.

Your faithful servant, Klaus.

Akhanaka finished reading the note and a wave of disgust rose from her stomach to her head. She couldn’t blame Pradan’s latest wife for running away; that man had a reputation nearly as large as his stomach. She had heard better things about Highprince Sebarial, and that was saying something.

A thought crossed her mind: Pradan was an Alethi Highlord; he had no authority in Kharbranth. If the letter was to suddenly disappear, what could he do about it? Nobody noticed the Ardents, and he wouldn’t even know that a miscommunication had occurred until the next communication from Klaus. A knock at the door interrupted the daring plan that was forming in Akhanaka’s mind. She looked up, weighing whether or not to get it, and decided that whomever it was could wait. The spranreed office was closed. The knock came again, further derailing her train of thought. She got up. If this wasn’t important, Chana help whoever was at that door!

The knock came a third time as she was busy with the bolts on the door. She finally got them unlocked and opened the door slightly, peering through a inch-wide slit between the door and frame

“At this late of an hour, what do you think you are--”

Something heavy hit the door, slamming it into her and sending her sprawling backwards. Her head hit the stone floor, and she blacked out. The figure bent down and took her pulse. Unsatisfied, it drew a knife and finished the job.

*****

Steeldancer tapped his steelmind and zipped through the city, heedless of the clouds gathering on the horizon. He had not wanted to use so much of his reserves, but the situation in Kharbranth was becoming more dire. A group of murderous Skybreakers had been seen leaving the city, a pair of escaped inmates had been killed already, some sort of hiccuping plague was reportedly spreading, someone in the city was a traitor to someone else, and the Stormfather knew what else was going on. That had been enough to convince him to use his powers to search the seedier parts of the city for clues. Unfortunately, he was no detective, so he didn’t know much of what to look for, but he figured that he’d know what he was looking for when he saw it.

Cruising down a side alley, Steel saw a group of five people having a conference in hushed voices. The darkness and night-mist hid their faces.

“Five!” he muttered to himself, surprised, “that’s one large cabal!”

He tapped speed, drawing a shortsword as he charged toward them. To him it was an easy maneuver, but all they would see was a blur of man and steel as he cut them down.

His steelmind ran out.

The city lurched into normal-time, and the five looked up. That was no secret conference: that was the rest of the crowd from the highstorm shelter. Div, Droughtbringer, Trumpet Guy, Mapadonet, and Nabbers. The looked at him, surprised. The shortsword dropped from Steeldancer’s hand as a sheepish expression crossed his face.

“Look, about the sword, I can explain--”

Nabbers grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the side of the alley.

“I knew there was something wrong with you, Steel.”

“I swear, I thought you guys were Escaped Inmates! I was trying to save us!”

One of Madaponet’s pigs waddled up to him and stuck its nose on his chest, sniffing. It oinked distastefully and ran to Madaponet, who picked it up.”

“The pig smells you,” Madaponet said to Steel, “and it can sense great fear in you.”

“I had some bacon chouta for lunch, okay?! Your pigs can probably smell it. They’re probably angry that I ate a pig.”

They looked at him, unconvinced.

"It had extra bacon!"

“BWOOT! Prepare for an execution! BWOOT!” said Trumpet Guy.

 

Steeldancer (4): Herowannabe, STINK, Jondesu, Madagascar

Madagascar (2): Steeldancer, Devotary of Spontaneity

 

Steeldancer was lynched! They were a Scholar allied with the Kharbranth Citizens!

Devotary of Spontaneity was killed! They were a Scholar allied with the Kharbranth Citizens!

A Neutral player has declared victory! (This does not end the game.)

 

Player List:

Spoiler

1. Walin: Nalter, a tastespren scholar Kharbranth Citizens Politician
2. Jondesu: Div
3. Devotary of Spontaneity: Akhanaka, a fearless ardent Kharbranth Citizens Scholar
4. Eternum: Aiden Kharbranth Citizens Private Detective
5. Kynedath: Lo-Kag, third Horneater son Escaped Inmates Proto-Bondsmith
6. LivingLegend: Lej'elin, a teen disgusted with the Alethi for good reason Kharbranth Citizens Private Detective
7. Droughtbringer
8. Orlok: Highlord Locke Tekiel Skybreakers Nale, Herald of Justice
9. STINK: Trumpet Guy, BWOOT
10. Madagascar: "Mad" Mapadonet, a famous pig researcher.
11. Stick: Stick, a sticky stick Skybreakers Skybreaker Apprentice
12. Amanuensis: Ana Lyst Skybreakers Skybreaker Apprentice
13. Drake Marshall: Ev Escaped Inmates Proto-Lightweaver
14. Fifth Scholar: Nolan Kharbranth Citizens Lift 
15. Herowannabe: Nabbers, a Herdazian chouta street vendor
16. Coop772 Kharbranth Citizens Scholar
17. Ecthelion III Kharbranth Citizens The Undertaker
18. Steeldancer Kharbranth Citizens Scholar
19. Lady of Chaos Kharbranth Citizens Proto-Windrunner

Edited April 2, 2018 by Elenion
RP continuity

[Madagascar]

*hic hic HIC hic*

You gotta *hic* be careful showing fear around the pigs

*hic hic hic hic*

Aw man.

*chorus of pigs quietly hiccuping*

[Herowannabe]

Well, we’re down to:

@Jondesu, who is neutral and I presume has already won (I got the hiccup disease)

@Droughtbringer, who has gone inactive but we hope will return

@Madagascar who I don’t trust

@STINK who I want to trust but don’t 

and me, who I know is good. 

Welp, I guess all I can do is choose between Mad Mapadonet and the Trumpet guy *BWOOT* and hope that I guessed right and that someone will vote with me. Okay then. Madagascar, your bacon is cooked. 

Edited April 3, 2018 by Herowannabe
Grammar

[Jondesu]

*hiccup* Yup, I got my win.  I'm honestly up for helping either team win, and at this point there's no reason for either team to try and kill me. Feel free to contact me and make offers of any kind to win my support (including totally made-up and ridiculous offers ).

[STINK]

Drought

So it comes down to this. I knew it would be like this from the start, one way or another one of us was going to die. But not both of us, because that wouldn't be a duel but something from like Romeo and Juliet instead.

Basically, vote Drought so that Len has to write a cinematic showdown in his writeup. 

[Madagascar]

*hic hic hic*

Aw man, I did so much to try to keep clean. I even *hic* washed my hands after handling the pigs or *hic hic HIC* touching raw eggs. I did *hic* everything you're supposed to do to not get sick! What haaaaaaaaaaaaaappened???  

*Mad Mapadonet thinks*

Oh no ... I'm having a flashback ... I shook someone's hand! Why did I do that? It's flu season! *hic hic* You're supposed to rub elbows! Oh, dumb, dumb Mapadonet!

And now the pigs have *hic* too  Their fat pink little bodies wobble with each hiccup. Their tails curl and uncurl as their bodies are *hic hic* wracked with convulsions. Oh god. They're dying all of them dying.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

*pig oinks*

Well, that or they just have *hic*cups, I suppose.

[Herowannabe]

1 hour ago, STINK said:

Drought

So it comes down to this. I knew it would be like this from the start, one way or another one of us was going to die. But not both of us, because that wouldn't be a duel but something from like Romeo and Juliet instead.

Basically, vote Drought so that Len has to write a cinematic showdown in his writeup. 

Uh... can I ask why you’re voting for the inactive player when we’re down to 5 players? This vote will pretty much decide the game, and removing an inactive player is not the way to win it...

[Madagascar]

Pah! Well why are YOU voting for ME? No one gives Mapadonet no respect. Mapadonet votes for someone because they're making no sense. "Noooo, Mapadonet must be evil." Someone votes for Mapadonet for no reason, "Yah, makes sense, let's kill Mapadonet." Mapadonet happens to exist and this strikes someone as being intrinsically wrong. "Yes, let's kill Mapadonet, why not."

Bah. I know the score. *sniff* *hiccup*

Oh, I remember this happened to *hic* my poor widdle sister Matilda too, you know. She was *hiccup* always having to move from town to town because the villagers thought she was a *hic* witch. Just because she was hideous an' 'ad a warty warty nose and owned eleven dozen cats. The emotional and physical toll this took on her was terrible. I watched from afar as my bright, lively big sister became a drunk an' a cat hoarder.

Eventually, she were found *sob, hiccup* burned alive. Mah own sister. Mah flesh an' *hic* blood. Murdered by people she trusted and-- well, actually come to think of it, she didn't really trust them but they murdered her is the point I'm making. Just fer *sniffle* bein' different and hideous and horrible smellin'. Even worse, the meanies killed her cats too. All of them! Even the *sob* widdle kitties.

At least she was too drunk to feel the flames.

Cats weren't, though. Pretty sure they suffered incredibly.

Anyway. After that I swore that the same thing would *hiccup* never happen to me. Never ever. I thought I'd *hiccup* learn to spell and give meself a good eddication. If I was a famous professor of Pig Science, I thought, surely no one would ever been mean to Mapadonet ever again! They'd be too intimmerdated by my cognitive prowess and amazing spellinn. 

But you know what? It didn't make no difference.

And that's when I learned it don't matter what you are on the inside. Not to people. No one cares if you're a brilliant pig scientist. They only care if you gots a fancy white coat an' a piece of paper. Which were swiftly soiled with mud and eaten by a hungry pig respectively, I'll have you know. No one cares if you're the nicest, sweetest person a pig'll ever see. They only care that you smell terrible and are covered head to toe in mud and pig poopy. They'll always laff at you an' be mean an' call your pigs stupid an' useless. Always.

Cause no one sees past Mapadonet's crusty outer surface ... *sob* No one. No one except the pigs.

For the pigs are love, you see, and love is the most powerful thing in the universe. Stronger than fire. Stronger than hate. Even stronger than cats. Man if Matilda was still alive, she'd be throwin' so many cats at me right now.

Right, anyway, all this "certainty" without any reason makes me very suspicious, Nabbers. What 'ave you done that makes you so much less murderworthy than me, eh? Maybe you've *hic* got plans to make my piggies into chouta! Come to think of it, I haven't seen Professor Pinkwaffle for ages... She'd never leave Mommy without tellin' me where to go ... it's been ages since I saw her sweet widdle face and brown button eyes and curly tail, covered with dung. Aww so cute.

 

WHAT DID YOU *hiccups* DO TO HER, NABBERS?

SHE WAS AN INNOCENT!

SHE WEREN'T A PART OF THIS!

Edited April 3, 2018 by Madagascar
typorama

[Jondesu]

I've had several offers, and have considered them carefully.  Chouta seems to be a popular bargaining chip, unsurprisingly.  At this point, I'll cast my vote on Drought. I gotta give credit where credit is due, and the side that helped me the most is definitely a good side to help in return, especially if I want to be seen as a potential ally in future games.

[Droughtbringer]

2 hours ago, Jondesu said:

I've had several offers, and have considered them carefully.  Chouta seems to be a popular bargaining chip, unsurprisingly.  At this point, I'll cast my vote on Drought. I gotta give credit where credit is due, and the side that helped me the most is definitely a good side to help in return, especially if I want to be seen as a potential ally in future games.

What?

 

Also, I've returned!

I slightly forgot this was going... (sorry)

I'm reading STINK's vote on me as a STINK vote... so not much from that.

Jondesu... I'm not certain about why, but apparently he trusts STINK, out of Hero and Madagascar, Hero seemed the most concerned about lynching me as it could cost us the game, so I'm inclined to trust him.

 

Madagascar

[Madagascar]

Pah! So it comes to this. The chips are down, the masquerade is dropped, the character you forgot about in Act 1 suddenly emerges from backstage in Act 3 and turns out to have been both the murderer and your long lost identical twin from Paraguay all along. The pigs are sitting on the edge of their seats, both due to the dramatic nature of the situation and because pigs do not fit well in standard theater seats designed for human use. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Meaning I now have an excellent reason to advise we dry up Mr. Drought until he dies dramatically of dehydration as he is, like, clearly evil.

Yes, yes, I know dehydration is typically a long, slow death which not well suited to depiction on the stage in the typical sense, but I figure we can MacGyver a machine out of spare parts from the Kharbranth dump to do it right quick with the power of SCIENCE . Furthermore, his remains will be useful as theatrical props in my darlings' newest low-budget stage production (coming to a Kharbranth theater NEAR YOU this April!)

*hic*

[Herowannabe]

3 hours ago, Jondesu said:

I've had several offers, and have considered them carefully.  Chouta seems to be a popular bargaining chip, unsurprisingly.  At this point, I'll cast my vote on Drought. I gotta give credit where credit is due, and the side that helped me the most is definitely a good side to help in return, especially if I want to be seen as a potential ally in future games.

How can Chouta be a popular bargaining chip when there is only one person here who actually has any Chouta to offer, hmmmmmmm? You realize that anyone else who is offering you Chouta is a liar and making false promises.  Unless they're promising to kill me and steal my Chouta and give it to you, in which case... yeah, that's a good point. 

9 hours ago, Madagascar said:

Oh, I remember this happened to *hic* my poor widdle sister Matilda too, you know. She was *hiccup* always having to move from town to town because the villagers thought she was a *hic* witch. Just because she was hideous an' 'ad a warty warty nose and owned eleven dozen cats. The emotional and physical toll this took on her was terrible. I watched from afar as my bright, lively big sister became a drunk an' a cat hoarder.

Eventually, she were found *sob, hiccup* burned alive. Mah own sister. Mah flesh an' *hic* blood. Murdered by people she trusted and-- well, actually come to think of it, she didn't really trust them but they murdered her is the point I'm making. Just fer *sniffle* bein' different and hideous and horrible smellin'. Even worse, the meanies killed her cats too. All of them! Even the *sob* widdle kitties.

At least she was too drunk to feel the flames.

Cats weren't, though. Pretty sure they suffered incredibly.

On the plus side, all of her "cats" were actually empty whiskey bottles, so I'm pretty sure they couldn't feel anything. I bet they really helped feed the flames though. 

9 hours ago, Madagascar said:

Right, anyway, all this "certainty" without any reason makes me very suspicious, Nabbers. What 'ave you done that makes you so much less murderworthy than me, eh? Maybe you've *hic* got plans to make my piggies into chouta! Come to think of it, I haven't seen Professor Pinkwaffle for ages... She'd never leave Mommy without tellin' me where to go ... it's been ages since I saw her sweet widdle face and brown button eyes and curly tail, covered with dung. Aww so cute.

 

WHAT DID YOU *hiccups* DO TO HER, NABBERS?

SHE WAS AN INNOCENT!

SHE WEREN'T A PART OF THIS!

Who is Professor Pinkwaffle? Oh, you mean Plumpy? The one I...? Uh... yeah, she took her severance package and went on Holiday... to.... uh.... the Reshi Aisles. Great place for pigs. It's like the Reshi Isles, except instead getting to cliff jump off of giant walking greatshell-islands, you get to check out all the different types of pickles they have on Aisle 17. You'd be surprised how many types of pickles there are. Like, heaps of them. Pigs like pickles, right? Of course they do. Who doesn't like pickles? Especially on Chouta. Mmm... chouta...

Anyway, have I talked long enough that we've all forgotten what we were talking about? No? Storm it all.

 

[Madagascar]

39 minutes ago, Herowannabe said:

How can Chouta be a popular bargaining chip when there is only one person here who actually has any Chouta to offer, hmmmmmmm? You realize that anyone else who is offering you Chouta is a liar and making false promises.  Unless they're promising to kill me and steal my Chouta and give it to you, in which case... yeah, that's a good point.

1

Liberate the means of production from the corrupt bourgeoisie!

39 minutes ago, Herowannabe said:

On the plus side, all of her "cats" were actually empty whiskey bottles, so I'm pretty sure they couldn't feel anything. I bet they really helped feed the flames though. 

 

More evidence that the corrupt chouta monopolist feels no remorse for the suffering of the masses!

39 minutes ago, Herowannabe said:

Who is Professor Pinkwaffle? Oh, you mean Plumpy? The one I...? Uh... yeah, she took her severance package and went on Holiday... to.... uh.... the Reshi Aisles. Great place for pigs. It's like the Reshi Isles, except instead getting to cliff jump off of giant walking greatshell-islands, you get to check out all the different types of pickles they have on Aisle 17. You'd be surprised how many types of pickles there are. Like, heaps of them. Pigs like pickles, right? Of course they do. Who doesn't like pickles? Especially on Chouta. Mmm... chouta...

4

These are the conditions under which the exploited porcine proletariat suffer! This is what they endure! Only a living wage, unionization, and the severed head of the Great Chouta Tyrant on a pike can bring about the change we need!

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité!

*hiccup hiccup hiccup*

Edited April 4, 2018 by Madagascar
severed head