Anniversary Game 5/Anonymous Game 4: One Final Blaze of Light

[Violet Axolotl]

2 hours ago, Amber Vulture said:

Weasel is on Scadrial, but that wouldn't work. Weasel would need to hop to Scadrial (1 action), pick up the Feruchemist Role (2 actions), and use it on themselves, since it's a Night turn action (3 actions). That's more than what even Shards get, so that can't be true.

EDIT: Ninja'd by Dragonfly

Not true. You get one action per turn(total two per cycle) or two one turn and one the other (three per cycle) if you’re a Shard. So he could’ve done it. But it’s a stretch. 

[Ivory Dragonfly]

26 minutes ago, Violet Axolotl said:

Not true. You get one action per turn(total two per cycle) or two one turn and one the other (three per cycle) if you’re a Shard. So he could’ve done it. But it’s a stretch. 

I'd assume Worldhopping goes before claiming Shardworld roles, so even a Shard would have to take a turn to Worldhop, then claim the role on the next cycle. At least that's how it worked in the previous iteration of this game. It might be worth it to ask @Seonid to confirm. Can a player acquire the Shardworld role on the same turn they Worldhopped to it?

With five current votes and only two for the nearest competitors, it appears the lynch on Weasel will be attempted. I'm apprehensive, but at this point I'm just going to give up and vote Weasel. If you went through all this just to show off your extra life, congratulations.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Reminder, you have 1 Hour left to make votes and send in actions. Any votes or actions sent in with a time stamp of 1 minute past the too of the hour will be ignored.

[Melon Dingo]

	Intiate Uplink #14256395
	<<Intializing Uplink
	<<0%
	<<25%
	<<50%
	<<75%
	<<90%
	<<99%
	<<99%
	<<ERROR: UPLINK DENIED
	Intiate Uplink #14256396
	<<0%
	<<25%
	<<50%
	<<75%
	<<100%
	<<Uplink Confirmed
	<<Welcome User: 14256396 Alias H01DS L3FT F00T
	run program “SpanChat”
	<<Running SpanChat.exe
	...
	...
	...
	__Welcome to SpanChat__
	!Open a line with “1 AM ST1CK”
	__Opening Line__
	H01DS L3FT F00T: sorry for the delay, my main link got banned
	1 AM A ST1CK: its fine
	1 AM A ST1CK: were you able to take a look at servers
	H01DS L3FT F00T: ya, its some crazy crem
	H01DS L3FT F00T: its a pretty standard mainframe for the time and after i got past the language i was able to rip through the initial blocks with ease
	H01DS L3FT F00T: but after i got through them i couldn’t do anything to get to the actual data
	1 AM A ST1CK: what do you mean?
	H01DS L3FT F00T: the walls are airtight even with the Colorbleed exploits
	1 AM A ST1CK: how? they’re 20 years old. Colorbleed works on any severs coded before the Survior patches
	H01DS L3FT F00T: its incredible. i also stopped working on it for a week, and by the time i came back, all the progress i had made was reverted
	H01DS L3FT F00T: its almost like someone else was watching what i did and countering it
	H01DS L3FT F00T: once i actually got through the first wall, using some of the hacks that i used on the Tranton mainframe and storms the data that they had in that lab
	H01DS L3FT F00T: its incredible stuff
	H01DS L3FT F00T: i went out to get some food and i got back i had been sent back to the original mainframe, and none of the things i had done previous worked
	1 AM A ST1CK: wow that’s crazy
	1 AM A ST1CK: do you think the governments still maintaining them
	H01DS L3FT F00T: thats what i thought too but the reaction time was too fast. there’s no way that any agency could get a response to some of the exploits in without me noticing.
	H01DS L3FT F00T: plus, when i was searching through the mainframe there wasn’t any connections to the fabnets. none
	1 AM A ST1CK: so
	1 AM A ST1CK:...
	1 AM A ST1CK: what do you think this means
	H01DS L3FT F00T: did you see the files i sent about project turing
	1 AM A ST1CK: yeah, but what does that have to do with this
	H01DS L3FT F00T: its the only thing that could react this fast
	1 AM A ST1CK: your serious?
	H01DS L3FT F00T: unfortunately
	1 AM A ST1CK: what kind of moss have you been rubbing
	1 AM A ST1CK: that program was shut down once Auton took power
	H01DS L3FT F00T: i know it sounds crazy, but i swear i’m serious.
	H01DS L3FT F00T: all I’m saying is that there is no other way that i could be locked out that fast
	1 AM A ST1CK: alright, assuming this isn’t some kind of joke, what does it haVe To 0:’3%%#%(3
	__ERROR__
	__NETWORK ACCESS RESTRICTED__
	!exit
	__DENIED__
	!exit
	__DENIED__
	__YOU ARE UNDER ARREST__
	__PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR LOCATION__
	__YOU ARE UNDER ARREST__
	__PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR LOCATION__
	__THE AUTONOMOUS REGIMENT IS ENROUTE__
	__ AN AUTOMATED RECORDING HAS BEGUN__
	__THE INFORMATION IT RECORDS CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU__
	__PLEASE REMAIN COMPLIANT AND REMAIN IN YOUR LOCATION__
	__IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND LETHAL FORCE__
	__THAT IS ALL__
	__THANK YOU__
	

 

[A Joe in the Bush]

Time. Please wait, as I try to consolidate info as fast as I can.

Edited January 19, 2019 by A Joe in the Bush

[Onyx Flamingo]

Exvee looked up from his crowd of people. Some weren’t exactly the brightest knives in the pantry, but they were something. One brought him some sort of violet wine as he gulped it down in one go and immediately became more confident in his enlightenment.

Soemone came up to him. Vahir? Vaire? They asked him what this was about and complimented his ability to convert. “Thank you,” He mumbled. “Though most of the credit has to go to Dave, Dave2 and Dave3. They seem to be the best at carrying out my work.”

He marched onwards, waving to the most recent recruit, Dave14. The young girl seemed to have brought back another recruit,  a stuffed bear. That was ok, Exvee didn’t discriminate.

Resting his hand on the bear’s tiny forehead and chanting his usual phrase, he dubbed the bear Dave15 and marched forwards. “Come forth, my children!” He yelled, marching into the streets. “The night is coming, and more shall join our cause!”

—-////\\\\—-

Just so everyone knows, this RP is in no way indicative of my goals. I don’t have a conversion role, as was asked to me in a doc.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Night 2 - Close Call

The atmosphere was electric in the worldhopper's conference. One of their own was being charged with...well, nobody was later quite sure exactly what he had been charged with. The Weasel (a code name, of course, because revealing your true name even in a legal proceeding was just asking to get tracked down by some fool with a spike and just enough knowledge to be dangerous) had been erratic recently, repeatedly acting 'suspiciously,' according to the official records of the tribunal.

In later years, prominent survivors would wish that they had objected to such vague grounds for dispensing death, but the highly-charged atmosphere, the machinations of secret factions, and the rapid erosion of trust between the factions all led to a single inevitable conclusion. Weasel was sentenced to death.

The execution was to be done by means of Hemalurgic excision, a brutal method which involved driving metal spikes through the body of the condemned in such a way as to sever their Spiritweb and preserve the investiture the worldhopper had collected through their long travels. The process was excruciating, and was invariably fatal.

That was what made the events of 29 March so extraordinary. According to every single available account, the Weasel was executed at exactly noon, as the sun passed exactly over Devotion's Shardpool. Four spikes - a large but not incredible number, as these things are normally accounted - were pounded through his restrained body, capturing investiture from a number of different Shardworlds. But as the spikes were removed and placed in blood for transportation and preservation, a bright and blazing figure appeared in the air above the Shardpool. Devotion, the Shard of Attachment and Connection, had come.

The extant reports differ slightly on her exact words, but the general sense is consistent. A worldhopper known only as Seran Rap offers the most dramatic account of the encounter, in a recollection penned at least two decades later.

'The sun was slightly past its zenith when the executioners finally finished collecting Weasel's fluids for preservation. The show was pretty much over - only the most hardcore Hemalurgy devotees were still watching, and the crowd was getting restless and showing signs of dispersing. I was at the front, taking notes on the procedure. They'd used the double-Henriik technique, but they were a bit more sloppy than I had hoped for. My guess would be that they had lost three percent efficiency due to alignment issues alone, and they had already lost three times more than the mandatory minimum during removal.

Suddenly, the air shimmered above us, and then a light bright enough to burn my eyes was shining down from directly above, eclipsing the sun, and surpassing it. In the near-blinding light was a blazing woman, and her voice was an echoing rumble that passed through my whole frame, as if I heard it with my body and not just my ears.

I can remember those words now, as if she had just spoken them.

"He is mine. You cannot have him."

And then, to the amazement of everybody present, the Weasel stood up - with four gaping holes still streaming blood! - and took the spikes from the stunned executioners. "I'll be needing these," he said, and inserted the spikes back into his body while the wounds closed around them. He stepped straight into the Shardpool, and was gone.'

* * * * * * * * * *

The human was a fascinating subject. Felix the Truthwatcherspren (he was proud of his name, even if the Truthwatchers were really obscure even now and even if Truthwatcherspren wasn't quite the proper way to say things) didn't know what it was that drew him to the human, but he had been following them for three days now. Right now they were...writing something? Or maybe it was reading - Felix couldn't always tell the difference. Either way, it was fascinating. Throughout the entire ordeal, the human had not shown any indication of noticing that he was there - Felix was always proud of his ability to stay secret and stealthy. So when the human closed the...thing that they were...doing whatever it was with and looked straight at him, he was a little nonplussed. He was even more surprised when they talked to him.

"Come here, little one. I have a job for you." Slowly, reluctantly, he crept up onto the proffered hand. And then the human said the most glorious Words he had ever heard. "Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination."

And then everything was different and new and incredible and fascinating and terrifying and joyful all at once. And that was only the beginning.

---

Player List:
Everyone is still alive.

Shardworld Tracker:
Yolen: 2/8 charges
The day will last until Sunday, January 20th, 12:00 AM, Mountain Time
 
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
Cycles will be ending one hour before rollover. Rollover will still be at 1:00 AM, Mountain Time, but all cycles will close at 12:00 AM, mountain time, on their designated day. The intervening hour will be used to manage the rollover. Thank you for your understanding.

Vote Count:
Indigo(7): Indigo, Violet, Fuchsia, Amber, Azure, Ivory, Cream
Scarlet(3): Magenta, Charcoal, Ambition
Magenta(2): Scarlet, Onyx
Sapphire(1): Quartz

A mob attempted to kill Indigo, but the Shard of Devotion saved them!

The Eyes of Trell has manifested on Scadrial.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Seonid

[Opal Lion]

9 minutes ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

Yolen: 2/8 charges

Someone's seriously on to this. At this point I can only assume this has to have something do to with this Shard's wincon. Assuming that both charges of investiture were sent by the same Shard. 

11 minutes ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

A mob attempted to kill Indigo, but the Shard of Devotion saved them!

ok.

11 minutes ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

The Eyes of Trell has manifested on Scadrial.

I'm assuming this is one of Autonomy's...uh...whatever they're called.

I realise I've overused the word assume in this post

[A Joe in the Bush]

I believe that all Pm's have been sent, all docs have been updated, and all assumptions have been laughed at. If you are missing a PM, or cannot access a doc, please PM me. Preferably in the next 5 minutes because I want to sleep soon.

[Saffron Iguana]

It seems to me there is a Shard out there, that only cares about 2 of their non-Yolen-investing actions at the moment.

Ok then, it seems all that speculation about Weasel wanting to become a Returned/Shade was for not. As Devotion has to pick their target during the night cycle, it stands to reason that Weasel knew they were picked, meaning either an exchange happened in their world doc (Scadrial iirc), or this was planned from their faction doc. However I am curious as to why they would do this. The only good it does is waste a lynch.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Saffron Iguana

[Quartz Zebra]

The only good it does is waste a lynch, but that’s very good if the faction wants to halt the flow of information, which seems fairly clear at this point. 

My sincere apologies to @Sapphire Elephant; I saw your post and meant to retract my vote, and probably would have added it to the Weasel lynch (for all the good it would have done), but yesterday was extremely taxing for me both physically and mentally, and I fell asleep trying to compose a post. I’ve lost it, but here are (from my vague memory) the main points: 

-A Weasel vote, with my reason being that I wanted to garner information and start Death. 

-A call for Shards to start using kill abilities, and investing in Mistborn and Dakhor Monks. 

I plan on a thorough reread of the thread today, with the analysis of that reread coming. Until then, I again apologise for my lack of presence here, and seek to rectify that in the days to come.

[Coral Swan]

8 hours ago, Opal Lion said:

I'm assuming this is one of Autonomy's...uh...whatever they're called.

Aspect is I believe the word, and I assume you're right and that it's probably part of their win con. They likely need an active aspect on each Shardworld?

And yes, let's be less boring and have some kills please?

[Ivory Dragonfly]

8 hours ago, Saffron Iguana said:

As Devotion has to pick their target during the night cycle, it stands to reason that Weasel knew they were picked, meaning either an exchange happened in their world doc (Scadrial iirc), or this was planned from their faction doc. However I am curious as to why they would do this. The only good it does is waste a lynch.

There was nothing in the Scadrial doc, so it has to be a faction discussion. They better have some really good reason to do this. I'm actually really starting to think their faction does have Odium, as Weasel's stunt has essentially sent out a message of "Hey Odium, here's who you target tonight if you want to Shatter Devotion", and I can't see why they would want to risk that for minimal gain. It's also possible their faction has Honour instead, but as that would grant them the equivalent of three protection actions every night (Devotion's redirect, Honour's protect, and a Bondsmith's protect) in addition to lynch immunity for one player, that almost makes them a bigger threat. Edit: They also could have Preservation, but they can only protect the same player every other cycle, and all else being equal, they likely would have protected their Shard N1. Still, it's a possibility, and another scary one between the Mistborn ability and Devotion's redirect.

42 minutes ago, Coral Swan said:

They likely need an active aspect on each Shardworld?

Autonomy won really quickly in LG43 with that same wincon, so I have to hope they have something more challenging this game. 

Edited January 19, 2019 by Ivory Dragonfly
Added speculation

[Indigo Weasel]

No, Devotion's redirect has worn off.

[Seonid]

And now the writeup has been edited in! You all ought to go give Joe upvotes for the work he's putting into this game.

[Magenta Albatross]

4 hours ago, Ivory Dragonfly said:

There was nothing in the Scadrial doc, so it has to be a faction discussion. They better have some really good reason to do this. I'm actually really starting to think their faction does have Odium, as Weasel's stunt has essentially sent out a message of "Hey Odium, here's who you target tonight if you want to Shatter Devotion", and I can't see why they would want to risk that for minimal gain. It's also possible their faction has Honour instead, but as that would grant them the equivalent of three protection actions every night (Devotion's redirect, Honour's protect, and a Bondsmith's protect) in addition to lynch immunity for one player, that almost makes them a bigger threat. Edit: They also could have Preservation, but they can only protect the same player every other cycle, and all else being equal, they likely would have protected their Shard N1. Still, it's a possibility, and another scary one between the Mistborn ability and Devotion's redirect.

If they've got Odium, I'd guess their goal is to keep people from dying for a certain amount of time (explaining Weasels big show, and Odium would be the tool they need to shut down Ruin and similar kill-granting shards). Alternatively, if instead they need to save a  certain number of people I'd expect them to not have a killing Shard,a s that'd make things way too easy for them to complete that win-con.

That's my initial thoughts for now. Unfortunately, I've been very busy today, and will be very busy tomorrow, so I won't be super active for the rest of this cycle or the first half of the next day-cycle.

[Azure Mouse]

So N'Nairim was to be used as a tool, being erratically transported across the cosmere to serve her faction's best interests rather than her own. Well, that suited her just fine. She didn't even know what her own interests were, with her home planet destroyed and her life meandering out aimlessly into a time unknown.

N'Nairim could try to have a purpose again. She could have allies, friends, Investiture, you name it. Yes, there was a war brewing, but would that really have any effect on N'Nairim? Would it restore streaks of emotion to her blackened hair like the magic faintly pulsing back to Yolen? Would it, by any slim chance, bring back Nalthis?

For now, she would wait. Serving her allies was the best thing she could do at this point, wasn't it? Maybe get to see some other worlds? Even if N'Nairim of Nalthis was no more, N'Nairim of the Cosmere was a person she saw herself becoming.

[Coral Swan]

For the record, while it somewhat pains me to make the choice, I'm not RP'ing so that no one gets extra clues to my identity.  It's entirely possible it'll be guessed anyway, but why make it simpler?

[Azure Mouse]

Personally, I am completely fine with people guessing my identity, which is why I RP'ed

[Sapphire Elephant]

I do not believe that anyone could guess my identity, even if I tried to RP...

And probably fail at it. It being the RP.

[Taupe Gecko]

Swirling silvery light surrounded Gilgamesh.  He couldn't breath, but just felt pulled, down and around, spinning endlessly.  It was a bizarre feeling, yet oddly not terribly uncomfortable.  Gilgamesh was wondering how long this would go on when the feeling ended abruptly, and with nothing further  Gilgamesh found himself standing on a rocky plain, outside the entrance to a cave.  Silvery mist swirled through the air, growing denser near the cave, and Gilgamesh could practically feel the power in the air.  Breathing deeply of the silvery air, Gilgamesh felt the mist enter his lungs, and it swirled oddly around him, much like the water in the pool had stirred in that odd spherical room; both moved without wind or movement, seemingly of their own accord.  Gilgamesh couldn't help but feel excited.  If any place could breed strong opponents, it was this place.  Gilgamesh grinned.  He liked it here.

Gilgamesh swung around, breathing deeply, letting his tongue taste the air.  He could feel people off in the distance, mere presences at this distance, but definitely there.  If there were people, then there would be interesting things happening.  And maybe, just maybe, he'd finally get to fight.  

Finally, he could fight.

Gilgamesh is a weird guy with weird skills.  He can definitely feel you in the distance.  

---

5 hours ago, Seonid said:

And now the writeup has been edited in! You all ought to go give Joe upvotes for the work he's putting into this game.

*tries to upvote*

Anonymous Account: "No."

*cries*

Lol I'll be sure to upvote all the writeups after the game ends.

6 hours ago, Ivory Dragonfly said:

There was nothing in the Scadrial doc, so it has to be a faction discussion. They better have some really good reason to do this. I'm actually really starting to think their faction does have Odium, as Weasel's stunt has essentially sent out a message of "Hey Odium, here's who you target tonight if you want to Shatter Devotion", and I can't see why they would want to risk that for minimal gain. It's also possible their faction has Honour instead, but as that would grant them the equivalent of three protection actions every night (Devotion's redirect, Honour's protect, and a Bondsmith's protect) in addition to lynch immunity for one player, that almost makes them a bigger threat. Edit: They also could have Preservation, but they can only protect the same player every other cycle, and all else being equal, they likely would have protected their Shard N1. Still, it's a possibility, and another scary one between the Mistborn ability and Devotion's redirect.

Maybe I'm just dense, but how would Odium know who Devotion is at this point?  Am I missing something?

Also, I'm now on Scadrial.  So... yeah.  I've got no really useful information or analysis at this point, so I figure I might as well share my location.  I'm sure most of you know at this point anyway, since I'd imagine that everyone on Scadrial has probably already shared the player list with their faction.  

Shame on you guys.  

[Ivory Dragonfly]

29 minutes ago, Taupe Gecko said:

Maybe I'm just dense, but how would Odium know who Devotion is at this point?  Am I missing something?

I spaced on Devotion's ability, and assumed that actions targeting Weasel would be redirected to Devotion, when in fact it's the actions taken last night that were redirected.

[Taupe Gecko]

10 minutes ago, Ivory Dragonfly said:

I spaced on Devotion's ability, and assumed that actions targeting Weasel would be redirected to Devotion, when in fact it's the actions taken last night that were redirected.

Ah, I see.  I misunderstood what you were saying anyway; I wasn't thinking about Devotion's ability as working that way.  Could prove dangerous to Devotion.  

This whole situation actually makes me wonder if Weasel was just trolling to draw attention.  Might not have had anything to do with any win-cons after all.

[Chartreuse Penguin]

Sel. A dangerous planet to travel to through the cognitive realm, but Steel passed through one of the few established routes where the investiture storm wouldn't rip him and his spren to shreds. 
He popper out of a pool at the top of a mountain, zipping down past the city of Elantris, wondering how he would find Thawne on one of the largest planets in the cosmere. Perhaps he should ask an Elantrian; there might very well be an Aon to help find his enemy. 
He asked around for an elantrian specializing in spiritual matters, and was told to seek out an older elantrian who spent most of her time in her studies, by the name of Faona. The glowing streets lit the night as he followed the directions he had been given. Finding the door, he knocked on it. 
He stood there for a moment awkwardly, then felt a chill run down his spine as he heard a raspy voice speak from inside. "Come in, Spirit of Speed. It is about time you came to speak with me."

[Quartz Zebra]

Radler’s first sight of civilisation on the once-planet of ash was a store for untapped metalminds, Harmony’s Bands. The owner seemed congenial enough, and he did pick up a few gold metalminds for health as a backup from her. He felt guilty promising to give them back when he was done, but he could not afford the extravagant charge of a hundred boxings a metalmind if he had to return the metal in the end. So Radler took his leave, the effusive promises coming out of his lips occupying only a portion of his mind, disappointed that none of the Worldhoppers in the store picked up on the phrases Domand had told him to use. What were they all doing here, anyway? Autonomy’s weakening had disrupted the Cosmere, but with its only surviving aspect on the planet, he had thought Worldhoppers would be a little more circumspect. Well, perhaps if Ruin hadn’t gotten to the Eyes of Trell yet, Preservation had kept him off their first planet. Finding the Shard was still his mission, but he needed information. 

Attempting to cling to the shadows of the long concrete roads lined by forests, leading towards the cities, he brought his hand over to his sword-belt. Many favoured guns or electric weapons; in this era, Radler had found that the value of a good sword in the hand of a blademaster was as high as ever. Slipping sideways as one of Autonomy’s lackeys drew near on the long road, he stumbled upon a huddled figure on the ground. It yelped, and so did he, drawing out his sword to strike at whatever had tripped him up. As he looked down, his stroke halted in midair, inches from the face of the vagrant whose dirty face looked up at him pleadingly. He lowered his sword, but had no time to spare. The brief scuffle had attracted the attention of Autonomy’s Agent, who neared him. Radler snarled at himself. This was not the time to pick up unwanted attention! He would have to kill the lumbering brute and flee. 

The Agent drew closer, arms at its sides and completely relaxed, not even pretending to be in a position ready to draw the gun at its sides. Radler snorted in derision. Had the Shard really grown so self-confident, even with half its aspects dead, to make its enforcers not even remotely concerned with a man openly carrying a sword? One, two strokes, and it lay in four pieces on the ground. Like chopping turnips. Absurd. He turned to the vagrant under his feet, hoping it would be more reasonable. “Where are you from?” he asked, then frowned. That was a dumb question to ask someone you just tripped up. Adonalsium, he must be getting truly exhausted if he was asking vagrants the test questions for Shardic Intelliegence. 

“That’s a good question,” the vagrant croaked humourously, “though not one I’m willing to answer without proof of who you are, and why you were sent.” She gave him a significant look. Stunned, Radler only had the capacity to dumbly mutter, “is this sufficient to prove me?” and pull the requisite card from his belt pouch, the strange one with the spears, branches, and crown that read ASWA. Who knew random vagrants were spies for Worldhopping organisations? But the informant was talking again. 

“Let us walk,” she said. “If I guess rightly the purpose for which you were sent, there is much you need to know...”

---

The Shard of Autonomy is currently held by one of the following players: 

Ivory Dragonfly, Quartz Zebra, Indigo Weasel, Magenta Albatross, Pearl Chameleon, Plum Rhinoceros, Cream Tuatara, Emerald Falcon, Amber Vulture, Taupe Gecko, Melon Dingo.