Mid-Range Game 29: A Midsummer Night with No Moon

[Arrae]

“You are dismissed,” the Master said. He didn’t bother to disguise the impatience lacing his voice. “Should I decide to admit you into the University, I will call you back after interviewing the other candidate.”

Alev nodded and scrambled out of her chair, out of the interviewing booth. The moment she left the room, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Hey, what did he ask?” Azlin asked. Like Alev, she’d cleaned up for the interview, but anybody could see that Azlin cleaned up much, much more nicely. Her red hair framed her face in soft curls, instead of a limp mess, and she wore one of Ma’s dresses, the nicer type set aside for events like this. It fit Azlin well, accentuating her neckline and narrow waist. Alev, who was too tall and gangly to fit in Ma’s clothes, had to make do with a borrowed, old dress about twenty years out of fashion.

But, well, there was no sense in holding that against her baby sister. “Some weird questions,” Alev said. “He, uh, wanted me to describe the wind for him? Lots of math, too, I think I failed those…” Alev thought back to the interview and cringed. “He asked what Therodion said about ‘the power relations between inanimate objects and sapient beings as illustrated by the chair.’”

“Next!” the Master called.

Azlin blanched.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do fine,” Alev said. She hugged Azlin. “Go.”

The next ten minutes were agony. Alev paced around the waiting room, from wall to wall to wall. She tried breaking out into a jog, but the borrowed dress tangled around her legs too much to properly widen her stride. The answers she’d given to the Master echoed in her mind, the inadequacies within becoming more and more clear each time she ran over her answer again. “The wind is, well, different depending on time and location,” was that really the best Alev could come up with? She cringed.

Demonsin, this had been such a mistake. Alev wiped her palms on her dress. She’d roped Ma into spending money for this interview, and then had roped Ma into letting Azlin accompany her to Imre so she wouldn’t be alone. Azlin’s interview had been an unexpected bonus, too, but nobody expected her to get in.

Not that anybody expected Alev to get in either.

“Alev? I would like to see you again.”

Alev froze. Then, she ran back to the interview room, tangling old-fashioned skirts be damned.

“Please take a seat,” the Master said absentmindedly. His eyes were fixed on Azlin with a faintly pleased look. “After giving the matter much consideration, I have decided to admit you both to the University.”

Alev broke out into a grin and hugged Azlin. She wanted to jump on the table and dance a victory jig. All those months and months of studying had paid off after all! And Azlin too, that was a nice surprise.

“Your tuition, Alev Zehradaughter, will be nine talents eight jots this term,” the Master said.

Alev’s grin slid off her face and to the floor. Her mind whirled, trying to calculate how to pay for that -- maybe if Alev took a job or three here, sweeping the stables or working in a nearby tavern and living out in the streets…but no, there was no fooling herself. Alev wouldn’t be able to afford it, not if she worked herself to the bone. The missed opportunity felt like a knife to the gut, cutting far deeper than if she’d just been rejected outright. She blinked back hot tears.

“And your tuition, Azlin Zehradaughter, will be four talents nine jots this term,” the Master said. He sent a sleazy smile towards Azlin, which Azlin returned. “I hope you will join us at the University this term, my dear.”

Alev woke with a jolt, her knee aching with pain. Demonsin, she wanted to strangle that smug sonofa[redacted]! And Azlin too, what had she done? Alev had always suspected something was up, but she’d never thought Azlin would have resorted to that!

Alev scrambled out of her tangled bedroll and reached for a practice machete. No, no, not a practice one, a real one! She snatched it out of its sheath and stalked out to the night, where she was ready for -- ready for --

The cool night breeze doused her anger a little. Ready for what, exactly? Master Elodin wasn’t here with the troupe in Fae, and Azlin was studying at the University, under his tutelage...no, Alev wouldn’t think of it that way. She refused to. Azlin was her sister, and that dream hadn’t shown the real version of events, just the insecurities that only plagued her when it was pitch-black and raining outside. Master Elodin had been bored and disinterested with both of them, she had to remember that.

Alev went back and tucked the machete away. She didn’t feel like going back to sleep. Somehow, Fae had a way of bringing out the worst of her in these dreams.

At least this wilderness was calming to look at. Alev looked around at the dark trees surrounding the camp, swaying softly in the wind, and at random picked one to walk to. It was the biggest one, black against the navy sky. Tiny lights -- fireflies, maybe? -- floated around its boughs, barely illuminating large, beautiful flowers. Colorful butterflies flashed around the tree.

Alev set off at a stroll, ignoring the pain in her knee. Maybe by the time she walked to that tree and back, she’d shake off the effects of that dream.

---

Alev is about to do something very stupid  Anybody want to help an ignorant citygirl out?

Also, what if we left Wonko for the kill roles and lynched someone else today? We're not going to get much more discussion out of lynching him.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Arraenae
Formatting+spelling

[Alvron]

15 minutes ago, Wonko the Sane said:

*Sigh*. I never was a very good Elim. Also, we've been unreasonably unlucky this game. Alv, I blame your gods.

Sacrifice some animal crackers.  It usually works for me.

11 minutes ago, Arraenae said:

Also, what if we left Wonko for the kill roles and lynched someone else today? We're not going to get much more discussion out of lynching him.

I wouldn't mind doing this but we would need to shift the vote and hope a kill role is not only in the game but also active enough to see the change.  I don't think our luck is that good since the Monk seems to be using it all at the moment.

[Wonko the Sane]

16 minutes ago, Arraenae said:

At least this wilderness was calming to look at. Alev looked around at the dark trees surrounding the camp, swaying softly in the wind, and at random picked one to walk to. It was the biggest one, black against the navy sky. Tiny lights -- fireflies, maybe? -- floated around its boughs, barely illuminating large, beautiful flowers. Colorful butterflies flashed around the tree.

Alev set off at a stroll, ignoring the pain in her knee. Maybe by the time she walked to that tree and back, she’d shake off the effects of that dream.

---

Alev is about to do something very stupid  Anybody want to help an ignorant citygirl out?

As this game's self-appointed loremaster, I can help you out by letting you know that this image is actually impossible. Day and night don't happen chronologically in the Fae; they happen geographically. The Cthaeh's tree (which I assume is what you're trying to describe) is fairly far dayward, so it can never be night there. Also, it stands alone in a meadow; there aren't any other trees about it.

I'll also be willing to help with RP, assuming I survive long enough.

16 minutes ago, Arraenae said:

Also, what if we left Wonko for the kill rolls and lynched someone else today? We're not going to get much more discussion out of lynching him.

Oooh! This! I like this. We should do this one.

[Arrae]

Just now, Wonko the Sane said:

As this game's self-appointed loremaster, I can help you out by letting you know that this image is actually impossible. Day and night don't happen chronologically in the Fae; they happen geographically. The Cthaeh's tree (which I assume is what you're trying to describe) is fairly far dayward, so it can never be night there. Also, it stands alone in a meadow; there aren't any other trees about it.

I'll also be willing to help with RP, assuming I survive long enough.

...okay, maybe it doesn't have to be the Cthaeh's tree  Maybe it's just a nice, innocent tree standing all by itself that looks like the Cthaeh's tree enough for some troupemembers to panic at the sight of someone willingly walking towards it...

[Aonar]

Thoughts: Monk needs to continue to block Wonko. Yes this means a kill will probably go through. Additionally, a kill role should target Wonko, *and* he should be lynched. (I realize this weakens our ability to discuss, but there are only about half a dozen hours left in cycle anyways.) 

 

Thought process: 

Wonko is not Scraeling. Wonko must be on of: Lanre, Skindancer, Cinder.

If Lanre: has some form of protection. Double tap+RB should hopefully be sufficient to clear it. If not, who knows.

If Cinder: If is making faction kill, will attack the village kill role if they target him. Lynching or RBing and killing would suffice, however those leave open the option for Scraeling protect, and doesn't take into account the fact that the Cthaeh now has a vested interest in keeping Wonko alive and has the ability to heal; two attacks and an RB, again while maybe not enough to kill at least covers as many bases as we can. 

If Skindancer, RB becomes less necessary, but on the off chance they hit an Archer or something it's probably still worth it. Otherwise, same logic as Cinder.

Ergo: The defensive power available to the Fae+Cthaeh makes it difficult to ascertain if we can even kill Wonko, but we should make out best effort. If we could get two kill roles on it, all the better.

[Arrae]

6 minutes ago, Aonar Faileas said:

If Lanre: has some form of protection. Double tap+RB should hopefully be sufficient to clear it. If not, who knows.

If Cinder: If is making faction kill, will attack the village kill role if they target him. Lynching or RBing and killing would suffice, however those leave open the option for Scraeling protect, and doesn't take into account the fact that the Cthaeh now has a vested interest in keeping Wonko alive and has the ability to heal; two attacks and an RB, again while maybe not enough to kill at least covers as many bases as we can. 

If Skindancer, RB becomes less necessary, but on the off chance they hit an Archer or something it's probably still worth it. Otherwise, same logic as Cinder.

Ergo: The defensive power available to the Fae+Cthaeh makes it difficult to ascertain if we can even kill Wonko, but we should make out best effort. If we could get two kill roles on it, all the better.

Uh, how do you know these things?

[Alvron]

1 minute ago, Arraenae said:

Uh, how do you know these things?

It's in the role rules.

[Arrae]

1 minute ago, Alvron said:

It's in the role rules.

...bah, I thought all of the elim roles had secrets. I should go reread them >.>

Edited May 29, 2018 by Arraenae
Roles =/= rules

[Young Bard]

3 hours ago, Arraenae said:

“You are dismissed,” the Master said. He didn’t bother to disguise the impatience lacing his voice. “Should I decide to admit you into the University, I will call you back after interviewing the other candidate.”

Alev nodded and scrambled out of her chair, out of the interviewing booth. The moment she left the room, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Hey, what did he ask?” Azlin asked. Like Alev, she’d cleaned up for the interview, but anybody could see that Azlin cleaned up much, much more nicely. Her red hair framed her face in soft curls, instead of a limp mess, and she wore one of Ma’s dresses, the nicer type set aside for events like this. It fit Azlin well, accentuating her neckline and narrow waist. Alev, who was too tall and gangly to fit in Ma’s clothes, had to make do with a borrowed, old dress about twenty years out of fashion.

But, well, there was no sense in holding that against her baby sister. “Some weird questions,” Alev said. “He, uh, wanted me to describe the wind for him? Lots of math, too, I think I failed those…” Alev thought back to the interview and cringed. “He asked what Therodion said about ‘the power relations between inanimate objects and sapient beings as illustrated by the chair.’”

“Next!” the Master called.

Azlin blanched.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do fine,” Alev said. She hugged Azlin. “Go.”

The next ten minutes were agony. Alev paced around the waiting room, from wall to wall to wall. She tried breaking out into a jog, but the borrowed dress tangled around her legs too much to properly widen her stride. The answers she’d given to the Master echoed in her mind, the inadequacies within becoming more and more clear each time she ran over her answer again. “The wind is, well, different depending on time and location,” was that really the best Alev could come up with? She cringed.

Demonsin, this had been such a mistake. Alev wiped her palms on her dress. She’d roped Ma into spending money for this interview, and then had roped Ma into letting Azlin accompany her to Imre so she wouldn’t be alone. Azlin’s interview had been an unexpected bonus, too, but nobody expected her to get in.

Not that anybody expected Alev to get in either.

“Alev? I would like to see you again.”

Alev froze. Then, she ran back to the interview room, tangling old-fashioned skirts be damned.

“Please take a seat,” the Master said absentmindedly. His eyes were fixed on Azlin with a faintly pleased look. “After giving the matter much consideration, I have decided to admit you both to the University.”

Alev broke out into a grin and hugged Azlin. She wanted to jump on the table and dance a victory jig. All those months and months of studying had paid off after all! And Azlin too, that was a nice surprise.

“Your tuition, Alev Zehradaughter, will be nine talents eight jots this term,” the Master said.

Alev’s grin slid off her face and to the floor. Her mind whirled, trying to calculate how to pay for that -- maybe if Alev took a job or three here, sweeping the stables or working in a nearby tavern and living out in the streets…but no, there was no fooling herself. Alev wouldn’t be able to afford it, not if she worked herself to the bone. The missed opportunity felt like a knife to the gut, cutting far deeper than if she’d just been rejected outright. She blinked back hot tears.

“And your tuition, Azlin Zehradaughter, will be four talents nine jots this term,” the Master said. He sent a sleazy smile towards Azlin, which Azlin returned. “I hope you will join us at the University this term, my dear.”

Alev woke with a jolt, her knee aching with pain. Demonsin, she wanted to strangle that smug sonofa[redacted]! And Azlin too, what had she done? Alev had always suspected something was up, but she’d never thought Azlin would have resorted to that!

Alev scrambled out of her tangled bedroll and reached for a practice machete. No, no, not a practice one, a real one! She snatched it out of its sheath and stalked out to the night, where she was ready for -- ready for --

The cool night breeze doused her anger a little. Ready for what, exactly? Master Elodin wasn’t here with the troupe in Fae, and Azlin was studying at the University, under his tutelage...no, Alev wouldn’t think of it that way. She refused to. Azlin was her sister, and that dream hadn’t shown the real version of events, just the insecurities that only plagued her when it was pitch-black and raining outside. Master Elodin had been bored and disinterested with both of them, she had to remember that.

Alev went back and tucked the machete away. She didn’t feel like going back to sleep. Somehow, Fae had a way of bringing out the worst of her in these dreams.

At least this wilderness was calming to look at. Alev looked around at the dark trees surrounding the camp, swaying softly in the wind, and at random picked one to walk to. It was the biggest one, black against the navy sky. Tiny lights -- fireflies, maybe? -- floated around its boughs, barely illuminating large, beautiful flowers. Colorful butterflies flashed around the tree.

Alev set off at a stroll, ignoring the pain in her knee. Maybe by the time she walked to that tree and back, she’d shake off the effects of that dream.

---

Alev is about to do something very stupid  Anybody want to help an ignorant citygirl out?

Also, what if we left Wonko for the kill roles and lynched someone else today? We're not going to get much more discussion out of lynching him.

Neris slowly snuck up on Alev as she wandered towards the tree. It was a kind of a game at this point - see how close you could get before you got noticed. With the exception of a few spoilsports in the troupe, it was mostly encouraged - sneaking could be useful working backstage in the theatre to get from one point to the other to set off the appropriate effects at the right time. As such, Neris was nearly right behind Alev before smugly folding her arms.

"The troupe says I shouldn't go near that tree. Has some nasty thing inside it or summat like that. All of them want me to have less fun than Tehlu's shining nosehairs, every single one of them. It's taken me all day to get away from them to even get this close."

Neris leant in closer. "There's also other... things, around here, though they don't let me get a good look at 'em. Fair's fair, though, I don't let them see me, either. They seem to be guarding this thing. No idea how you managed to get so close, they're probably distracted or summat."

---

Neris... is not the person to stop you from trying to go to the Cthaeh. In fact, I *was* planning on doing RP of almost exactly the same thing, so it makes sense for her to bump into you.  At least Alev knows the danger now, and can drag Neris off by her ear if she wants to.

---

Right. Obviously, Wonko, though I don't want to stop discussion for the day, so let's talk about a few other people. (I can take my vote off later if that's what we decide we're doing.

I still am suspicious of Fifth, though I'll wait for other people to vote on them/say they're suspicious to prevent myself from potentially tunnelling.

I think I trust Orlok completely now, as the person who sealed the fate of both Elandara and Wonko (a double bus is... possible, I suppose, but I really doubt it.)

I also trust Alv, at this point - that first vote didn't feel like a distancing tactic to me (Fifth, by the way, I disagree with you describing Bort as 'basically hardcleared', as that vote could easily have been a distancing tactic, and had a post outlining as much before it got snaffled. )

Speaking of which, Fifth, I'm not ignoring your post, I just... don't have all that much to respond to it. You're suspicious of me, I'm suspicious of you - we'll just have to keep a close eye on each other.

Other people I intend to analyse: Bort, Walin, and anyone who on a reread seems to have been close to Wonko/Elandara (or else who seem to have deliberately distanced themselves from them.)

[Arrae]

On C1, Devotary started with RP and placed a random vote on Snipexe.

C2, Devotary really seems to pick up in effort and activity. They also look like they've read the thread C1, because they vote on Fifth based off of his C1 actions. Interestingly, Wonko voted on Devotary C2. Based off of their interaction, where Devotary attacks Wonko for what looks like a genuine elim slip, I think Devotary is probably village. Then Devotary votes on Snipexe, for something that looked really suspicious without knowing Snipexe and I were lovers. They also remove the vote too, appearing pretty responsive to evidence (not that it would've mattered for an elim, since Steel was village).

I also trust Eternum for starting that lynch train on Wonko, even if it didn't go anywhere.

Honestly, I don't want to vote on Wonko now because I'm scared that he might have some sort of Jester ability that kills everybody who voted to lynch him. Maybe not rational, sure, but this game has secrets, and I remember QF25 >.>

[Alvron]

1 hour ago, Young Bard said:

I also trust Alv, at this point 

Please don't.  As I told Rae, any time people start to publicly trust me, I end up dead.

29 minutes ago, Arraenae said:

Honestly, I don't want to vote on Wonko now because I'm scared that he might have some sort of Jester ability that kills everybody who voted to lynch him. Maybe not rational, sure, but this game has secrets, and I remember QF25 >.>

I thought about that to but as long as the Monk role blocks Wonko again, any secret abilities they have will be blocked.

[Walin]

Welp, I gotta keep voting to keep from dying due to the inactivity filters. Therefore, Wonko due to the claim here.

4 hours ago, Wonko the Sane said:

*Sigh*. I never was a very good Elim. Also, we've been unreasonably unlucky this game.

I think the ciphers may be translatable given the info we've got already, like the names of certain characters or roles.

However, it's likely that they're more easily translatable using some secrets which I have none of. Has anyone been part of a 1-7 string of clue-sharing?

 

I don't have any reads at the moment; I haven't been very active this cycle, so I'll try to get some analysis done by the end of the cycle so I'll be caught up once the next one starts. See you guys then...

[DrakeMarshall]

...and the phase is complete! The next one will be up soon.

[DrakeMarshall]

Phase 4: The Shadow's Hame
"I am Haliax and no door can bar my passing."

 

Aorais sat alone in the forest, lute on his lap, singing a ditty to himself.

"Seven things stand before
The entrance to the Lackless door. 
One of them a ring unworn 
One a word that is forsworn"

The others were arguing over who to kill, or something unsavory like that.

. . .

"I know you're one of them! I saw what happened when you touched that iron!" a trouper shouted, red in the face, a finger jabbing at Fifth Daughter Resterford and invading her personal space.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at the trouper with polite interest. For the life of her, she couldn't remember his name.

"That so?" she asked, taking a step towards the man. The man took a step back, and the other troupers tensed around the pair.

"Well, always one way to find out," another one said, slowly making a way through the throng of Ruh. The monk. She couldn't remember the monk's name, either. They were holding an iron drab in one hand.

"You seriously think I could be one of them?" she asked with a look of genuine curiosity. Behind her, the campfire began to darken noticeably, and the troupe shifted uneasily.

"Take it," the monk spoke, presenting the drab to her.

This wasn't going according to plan, ever since the Amyr had gotten involved. Fifth Daughter Resterford sighed. Than she opened her palm, allowing the iron drab to drop into her hand.

Immediately, it began to smoke in her palm. She smiled slightly as the shadows around her started to stir, pulling in closer to her and taking on a certain depth. At once, the last remnant of the glammourie disintegrated.

Haliax threw the smoking drab down at the monk's feet. A soft, inhuman laughter emanated from the well of shadows that was now his face. 

"Congratulations... You have found me. It is I, Haliax," he spoke.

Then every light in the area simultaneously flickered out of existence, and the camp was consumed by shadows. There were sounds of struggle, but even sound seemed to be muffled by the oppressive darkness. Disoriented as they were, the troupers felt a sort of baleful presence among them emanating from Haliax. Slowly, the feeling began to fade, and the lights gradually began to flicker back into existance.

. . .

Haliax retreated through the woods a short distance away, after having left the camp in disarray. Some of the troupers were already pursuing him.

He nearly tripped over a man who was sitting on the forest floor, softly playing a lute to himself, and singing too:

"One a time that must be right 
One a candle without--"

Haliax drew a broad, charcoal-black blade from his side with inhuman speed, and stabbed down, cutting off the lutist's song. Once. Twice. Thrice for good measure.

"Without light," Haliax finished the verse calmly, stepping over the swiftly dying trouper.

He moved to continue on his way, slightly annoyed by the delay.

"Nowhere left to run," the monk said from behind him, sounding satisified.

Haliax whirled around, holding his blade out, poised to strike the monk should they get close enough.

A trouper tackled Haliax from behind.

Then another. In an instant, he was completely surrounded, dog-piled by a mass of Edema Ruh. Haliax opened his mouth to speak a name, only to have somebody cram a handful of holly into his mouth. He gagged and tried to spit it out.

The trouper's worked quickly, lashing Haliax down... Down, onto something made of iron, for his skin began to smoke. Haliax strained against the bonds to look down. If one could have seen his face through all the shadows, they would have seen a horrified expression of dawning comprehension.

Not again... Haliax thought.

He was tied onto a large wheel, one forged entirely of iron. Beneath it, there lay the workings of an unlit bonfire. The humans had prepared themselves for this.

Haliax screamed in protest as the troupers backed away from his prison, cursing every one of them in languages long forgotten. He strained against his bonds, but they held.

He screamed all the louder as one of the troupers lit the fire beneath him with great fanfare, the flames rapidly spreading across the pile of lumber. Then wheel started to grow hotter...

There was no relief from the pain. Neither sleep, nor forgetting, nor madness, nor death.

The troupe watched grimly as Haliax was burned on the iron wheel. His body slowly unraveled, bits of shadow flying away from the fire, darker than mere smoke.

And then there was nothing.

Haliax was banished.

. . .

Wonko the Sane has been banished! They were Encanis!

Aonar Faileas has died due to the filter! They were a Lutist!

 

Vote Count
Wonko (7)- Eternum, Devotary, Fifth, Snipexe, Alvron, Megasif, Bard
Bort (2)- Xinoehp, I think I am here
Arinian (1)- Arinian
Xinoehp (1)- Bort
Aonar (1)- Cadmium
Drake (1)- Aonar
 

Cast

1. Elandera as Ahnya Cyphus
2. Eternum as Enerin
3. Droughtbringer as Pyra Mainiak
4. Aonar Faileas as Aorais Kipthorn Lutist
5. Devotary of Spontaneity as Gaskana
6. Walin as Nelden Dastardly
7. Fifth Scholar as Marne
8. Snipexe as Snip
9. Alvron as Laon
10. Steeldancer as Squick Flutist
11. Megasif as Mega
12. Xinoehp512 as Reyalp Nwoknu
13. Arinian as Ray Fox
14. I think I am here as Itiah II
15. Arraenae as Alev
16. Bort as Master Ash
17. Wonko the Sane as Fifth Daughter Resterford Encanis
18. Cadmium Compounder as Deric Watar
19. Young Bard as Neris

Countdown

[Fifth Scholar]

I suppose we did need a Monk to kill/banish Encanis. Nice work, mystery Monk. Just got to keep finding the rest of the Elim team for us  

I’ll look back through Wonko’s posts now that his alignment is confirmed and see what I can dig up. I’ll respond to questions, mostly Bard’s, in a bit.

[Young Bard]

Hmmm... I've gone over the vote results over the course of the game - both in thread and the manipulations. I'm not tackling content, except where it pertains to voting specifically (just for time reasons, or else I'll be here all day - I might analyse a specific players posts a bit later.)

Also... Aonar voted - should they be dead?

Cycle 1:

Elandara poke-votes Eternum, then swaps to Rae, then votes for Arinian. The Eternum vote didn't seem like a distancing tactic, just a way of sounding villager-y. The Rae vote seemed like a gambit to save themselves/lynch a villager.

Wonko voted for Bort, then Aonar Cycle 1 - the Bort vote doesn't read like a distancing tactic to me, and Aonar we know now is village.

Orlok initially votes for Wonko, then swaps to voting for Elandara, along with Bort and Snipexe.

Snipexe later moves their vote from Elan to Steel after it seems possible that Elan would be lynched - this was explained later that Snip and Rae were lovers, but it's worth mentioning for completion's sake.

Vote Manipulations:

Drought: None -> Elandara (this, combined with the Ciridae choosing to lynch Elandara, is what caused Elan to die. Presumably, for the Ciridae to send in actions knowing it would be a tie, they must be in communication with the vote-swapper in order to organise this.)
Walin: Vote Weight set to Zero

 

Cycle 2:

Wonko votes for Devotary - it seems mainly to be a defence of Fifth (which means that Fifth might be a candidate who's worth looking at more thoroughly, but that could be me tunnelling - I hope to analyse their posts this cycle).

Eternum and Orlok vote on Wonko - neither read as a distancing tactic to me (especially Orlok, who's already helped lynch Elan at this point)

Vote Manipulations:

Drought: None -> Fifth
Steel: None -> Snipexe
Devotary: Xinoehp -> None (apparently chased by Scrael. Likely not relevant to the vote on Xinoehp since Devotary was the only vote and she did so 15 minutes before Cycle end.)

 

Cycle 3:

Alv and Eternum are the first two to vote on Wonko (neither seems like a distancing tactic, and Eternum in particular seems to be authentic to me, having voted for Wonko C2 as well) and Orlok cements it as well. After that, I think most of the votes could be considered NAI, unless people can get something out of the tone of the post (which I can't).

Vote Manipulations:

Orlok: Wonko -> None
Walin: Wonko -> None

 

How close people are to dying of the inactive filter:
3 cycles without voting: Eternum, Fifth, Snipexe, Alvron, Xinoehp, Bort, Cadmium, Bard
2 cycles without voting: Drought, Devotary, Walin, Arinian, Arraenae, Orlok
1 cycle without voting: Megasif, I think I am here

 

Process of elimination:

We have 16 players left alive (the player list seems to be wrong, as it's removed Orlok for some reason?). Orlok, Eternum, and Alv, I consider to be absolutely trustworthy villagers, for having voted on Wonko. (Bort, I don't yet considered hardcleared, because it's possible they voted on Elandara as a distancing joke vote, and then didn't get on when there was a serious chance Elan would be lynched. I do find it unlikely, though.) Wonko and Devotary also seemed fairly suspicious of each other, and not in a way that seemed like a distancing tactic to me, so I include them as well. That drops us down to 12 players. I also know I'm not an Eliminator, so that's 11 for me:

3. Droughtbringer as Pyra Mainiak - Has not voted - someone has voted on their behalf twice - probably a Lover. (It's almost certainly not a Skindancer redirect, seeing as Drought was compelled to vote for Elandara Cycle 1.) @Droughtbringer
6. Walin as Nelden Dastardly - Their post at the end of the last cycle seemed really suspicious to me, but that died down a bit on the reread. I'd like to hear what they have to say in PM's before my final judgement, though.
7. Fifth Scholar as Marne - I've mentioned before I'm suspicious of Fifth - I intend to do a more thorough analysis of Fifth's posts in particular later this cycle.
8. Snipexe as Snip - Slight Elim read? (Yes, I know they're a Lover with Rae. That doesn't necessarily make them a villager, though - they could have a Cthaeh alignment together, or if Drake wanted to be trollish (and before he knew things would get so bad for the Elims), then he could still be an Eliminator.) Not a top priority, though, particularly since it brings down Rae, as well, who I'm not suspicious of currently.
11. Megasif as Mega - Too little to say. Will be killed by the inactivity filter this cycle if they don't vote. Would like to hear more, @Megasif
12. Xinoehp512 as Reyalp Nwoknu - Has been flying under the radar, and I really didn't like their vote on Bort - I'd like to hear you contribute more to the discussion on various lynch candidates and players, @xinoehp512
13. Arinian as Ray Fox - Too little to say. Has mainly voted for themselves to avoid inactivity. Would like to hear more, @Arinian
14. I think I am here as Itiah II - Too little to say - again, the Bort on vote seemed funny to me, and again, I'd like to hear more of your opinions on various players, @I think I am here. (They're going to die of the inactivity filter this cycle.)
15. Arraenae as Alev - Seems pretty villager to me at the moment. Gut read, plus I trust Orlok's read, to a certain extent.
16. Bort as Master Ash - I'm fairly inclined to say that they're a villager.
18. Cadmium Compounder as Deric Watar - I'm... torn, on CadCom. I want to read through their posts again over the next couple cycles and talk with them more in PM. If they are an Eliminator, they're playing really well for a new player.

[DeTess]

5 minutes ago, Young Bard said:

Also... Aonar voted - should they be dead?

Drake stated that a vote on a player is required to dodge the filter.

[Bort]

8 minutes ago, Young Bard said:

Bort, I don't yet considered hardcleared, because it's possible they voted on Elandara as a distancing joke vote, and then didn't get on when there was a serious chance Elan would be lynched. I do find it unlikely, though.

This is fair. I wouldn't consider me hard cleared either. My vote on Elandera was a joke vote, although distancing had nothing to do with it. I was originally planning on shifting it at the end of cycle one, since I usually wake up about half an hour before rollover. The main reason I didn't was because I hit snooze on my alarm, so didn't get up until just before rollover. By the time it rolled over, I was still too sleepy to think about someone else to vote for, so it stayed put.

So, like I said during last cycle, it just goes to show you should never insult tinkers.

Back to this cycle, for now my vote will be going onto Walin. I currently don't have massive suspicions on anyone, so this is really just to get the ball rolling and hopefully spur more conversation.

[Droughtbringer]

*pokes head in*

Sorry, been busy. I have finally made time, literally canceled plans at this point, to make more time for the game. I guess I'll start playing now based off of what we know. We know that Elandera and Wonko were on a team (Assuming that I remember the rules correctly), so interactions between the two of them should be the most telling, as it would have (probably) been at least semi scripted. So I'm going to quickly scan when they were both alive and see if they communicated at all, in thread.

Wonko:

Quote

Wow. Okay. Uh. Imma just stand... over here... (edges away from the crazy person who is taunting fate).

(Responding to:)

Quote

Tinkers were scam artists.

 

Really just a fluff interaction, but even appears to be distancing through RP.

Quote

Wonko: And you should probably be informed: Tinkers have a lot of superstition in this world; unlike in others, they are looked upon very favorably. It's considered extremely bad luck to disrespect a Tinker in any way. Most tragic stories start with the lead character being rude to a Tinker; it's a signal that "things are not going to go well for this character".

Bort: Does that mean we should be voting for Elandera, for insulting the tinkers?

Wonko: I am considering it. I don't know if he's evil, or just a fool, but I fear he will bring ruin down upon us all.

(A whlie later)

Elandra: I would never mistreat a Tinker, nor insult them out loud. I just have my own thoughts that I generally keep to myself. I know how superstitious the world can be and have no desire to bring Ruin or any other form of destruction down upon a wonderful troupe. 

More apparent distancing through RP

And then... Elandra was dead, so there was no interactions between the two of them after that.

Because I have limited time, at the moment, I will just say what I am planning on doing. I will be going through Wonko's interactions between the rest of the players and see if there were any other Distancing attempts (RP or otherwise) made, and see if there is anything else that point towards those people playing elim-like. If that doesn't work then I will spend time just analyzing living people.

[Eternum]

We just did in 3 cycles what Tehlu himself couldn't do in.. a much longer time. I can't remember

Also, Wonko died with 7 votes on him. The irony of the leader of the Chandrian being killed by 7 people.. heh.

...Guys, I just noticed. Orlok isn't in the player list anymore? Is that an error?

EDIT: I just realized that might be Encanis's special kill. In which case, well, dang.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Eternum

[Young Bard]

2 minutes ago, Eternum said:

We just did in 3 cycles what Tehlu himself couldn't do in.. a much longer time. I can't remember

Also, Wonko died with 7 votes on him. The irony of the leader of the Chandrian being killed by 7 people.. heh.

...Guys, I just noticed. Orlok isn't in the player list anymore? Is that an error?

EDIT: I just realized that might be Encanis's special kill. In which case, well, dang.

If it were a special kill, it would still be in the write-up, I would have thought. Unless Drake's trying to do some kind of baelfire-y thing of "Orlok? Orlok's not playing this game, and he never was. "

[Eternum]

18 minutes ago, Young Bard said:

If it were a special kill, it would still be in the write-up, I would have thought. Unless Drake's trying to do some kind of baelfire-y thing of "Orlok? Orlok's not playing this game, and he never was. "

Who's this Orlok you speak of?

Edit: Also, a quick question. There was another Namer message at the beginning of the last cycle, right?

Edited May 29, 2018 by Eternum

[Arrae]

Quote

"The troupe says I shouldn't go near that tree. Has some nasty thing inside it or summat like that. All of them want me to have less fun than Tehlu's shining nosehairs, every single one of them. It's taken me all day to get away from them to even get this close."

Neris leant in closer. "There's also other... things, around here, though they don't let me get a good look at 'em. Fair's fair, though, I don't let them see me, either. They seem to be guarding this thing. No idea how you managed to get so close, they're probably distracted or summat."

Alev whirled around, ready to gut the source of that noise. But, of course, it was only Neris, smug, smiling, far too clever for her own good Neris. Nothing dangerous. Alev relaxed.

"It's not the Cthaeh, that's supposed to be in a medow," Alev said, "but you know what the elders say. You're not supposed to be out here. Go back to camp."

Alev took a look at the tree -- entrancing, beautiful, swaying in the wind -- then back at the girl in front of her. She didn't trust Neris to get back to camp by herself.

First Locke and now Neris. When did I become the baby-minder?Alev grumbled to herself.

"Don't you have a stage to build? I'll walk you back," she said.

[Walin]

Yeah, I got a Namer message every cycle excluding the beginning of the first.

Also, I don't have many reads--actually, I have none. I have slight suspicions, but I'm not going to upgrade those to the status of "read," though I'll share them here.

Bard--while being suspicious of me for my posts is a villager thing to do, he may be an elim looking for the next suitable lynch candidate that wouldn't bring suspicion back to him were I cleared in death. I'd say he's a villager, though, because of the long cycle analysis he put out. That's usually a villager thing to do. Of course, the one time I was an eliminator, I didn't do villager things, but other eliminators do, so I dunno about that. Neutral then.

Rae--acting very villager-y, and a long-time SE player. This read isn't based on evidence, but more meta-gaming that if Rae were an elim, she's hiding it extremely well. In that case, a villager read until evidence against her comes to light. Village read.

Droughtbringer--I'd say villager, 'cause of the analysis he put out. Analysis is always good--though he didn't make any distancing claims on other rp, so I wonder if he's trying to clear himself with analysis. However, as I said earlier, analysis is something both elims and villagers do, so there's no reason (for me, because I don't know how to make analysis of others' posts) to call that alignment indicative. Neutral read.

I'm going to put a poke vote on Orlok to see if he's really in the player list, and because I'm not sure if he's an elim in hiding. Also, I really don't want to die due to the inactivity filter. I am willing to die due to votes or the elim kill, though. Those are less in my control.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Walin
Added two sentences ten seconds after posting

[Arrae]

I didn't get a Namer message this cycle.