Quick Fix Game 39: Corruption in the Senate 2: Allomantic Boogaloo

[A Joe in the Bush]

That is turn. Actions and votes after this post will not be counted.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Turn 8: Silence in the Senate
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They came for Annie in the middle of the night, as she was organizing Onde's desk.

A banging at the door.

"Annie Botaneaux, you are under arrest for corruption! You have 10 seconds to come peacefully with us!"

Annie froze. How -- what --

They started counting.

But --

"I-I haven't done anything," Annie said. "I'm innocent."

The door crashed forwards, and two angry-looking constables entered the room.

"Hands up! Drop what you're holding. Miss Botaneaux, you are under arrest for corruption. Come with us now before you're charged with resisting arrest too."

Annie raised her hands into the air, shaking.

"I'm just the Senator's aide! If-if you just let me write to Se-senator Onde, he, he can prove that I haven't done anything!"

They clapped handcuffs around her and shoved her out into the streets in bewildered confusion.

A few thousand miles away from the seat of power in Elendel, a portly man watched the ocean on his back porch. He leaned back in his chair, feet up on the desk, admiring the jewel-blue waves lapping at the shore. He sipped appreciatively at his wine, a gift from a fellow Senator.

By the Survivor, this was the life. Mike Onde sighed contentedly.

A young man trotted up to him.

"Mister, I got a message for you, from some Miss Botaneaux or other. It's marked urgent."

Mike cast a dismissive glance at the man. His dirty, scrawny frame and ragged clothes told Mike all he needed to know. "Put it here, boy."

The man took out the letter, but instead of placing it on the desk like Mike had ordered, he held it, looking expectant. Mike grumbled and tossed a boxing at him. "More'n you deserve. Now scram!"

The young man placed the letter on Mike's desk, then left.

Mike looked at the letter that Annie had sent him. No doubt it would be filled with more anxious missives about this vote or that, asking how he wanted to vote on the tariffs for New Seran or what he thought of mandating railings on walkways for construction workers. Useless stuff that he could get to tomorrow. Or the day after that.

Come to think of it, that was a good idea. Mike was here for vacation. He'd get around to reading that letter next week.

After all, it couldn't be anything important.

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Senator Diez (Elandera) was Lynched! She was Sentimental!
Senator Mike Onde (Arraenae) was Lynched! He was Lazy!
Senator Glacior (Devotary) was Stabbed! She was Bemused!

Lynch Vote Tally
Drake(1): Fura
Rae(2): Fifth, Drake
Elandera(2): Devotary, Bard

Constable Altea currently has 8 Boxings, the Dagger know as Sticking Point, the Dagger known as JoinTheAlleyverse, the Warrant known as GimmeYerStuff, the Ledger known as The Great and Mighty Finder of Evildoers, and the Ledger known as The Coolest Ledger that Ever Ledged,
Note: Due to Spreadsheet Error, Altea was listed as only having 1 ledger for sale during turn 7, when she actually had 2 for sale. The missing ledger has been edited into the Turn 7 writeup.

Boxing Prices:
1: Talk to an arrested player without your name being posted.
2: Open a PM with a player for the rest of the game.
4: Change someone’s Lynch vote.
1: Change someone’s Election vote.
3: Buy a random item from the Constables. 
3: Bribe a player to target someone with their item.
4: Buy a specific item from the Constables. 
40: Bribe the Constables to execute all other players. You win. Your team does not.
Note: The Execution Win con will never drop below 40 Boxings.

Player List:

 

Alive:
Araris Valerian
Butt Ad Venture
DrakeMarshmallow
Fifth Scholar
Furamirionind
Haelbarde
Hemalurgic Headshot
Rathmaskal
Shqueeves
Snipexe
StrikerEZ
Young Bard

Arrested:
A Joe in the Bush - Just Constable
Lumgol - Kleptomaniac
RayOfSunshine - Jolly
Wilson - Righteous Constable
Alvron - Impenitent
Kidpen - Childish
Bugsy - Heroic
Arraenae - Lazy
Elandera - Sentimental

Constables:
xxGaea - Alive, Unstoppable, and EVIL

Dead:
Seonid - Betrayed Governor
Burnt Spaghetti - Surprised
Elbereth - Quick-Witted
Devotary - Bemused

[Furamirionind]

@A Joe in the Bush was devotary stabbed or lynched?

Is the fact there is no alignment reveal intentional?

We have stuff to analyse now. I was redirected to Drake. I am very curious as to why this is the case, as... I dont understand why either elims or villagers would do so.

[Young Bard]

I... huh. I did not expect that.

So, the ledger is Elandera's, they claimed that last cycle. And the two ledgers were there last cycle. So Join the Alleyverse was either Devotary's or Rae's. If Rae had it/it was in Eliminator hands (I'm assuming Rae's an Elim here since the flip chance was extremely small) - then I struggle to believe it wouldn't have been used by now, since the Alleyverse dagger has been out of commission for several cycles. (In fact, last I heard I thought it was still in @Snipexe's hands - did you use the Dagger or did you pass it on, and when, Snip?)

Devotary holding/hoarding the dagger makes more sense - they're a villager, and a kill without an alignment reveal isn't especially useful.

Finally, Drake's vote was manipulated onto Rae and someone manipulated Fura's action onto Drake? I don't think that's a coincidence, though I'm not sure how they're related exactly. What was your action, Fura?

[Furamirionind]

9 minutes ago, Young Bard said:

Finally, Drake's vote was manipulated onto Rae and someone manipulated Fura's action onto Drake? I don't think that's a coincidence, though I'm not sure how they're related exactly. What was your action, Fura?

My action? Um... what makes you say that?

Anyone feel like claiming who attacked Devotary?

9 minutes ago, Young Bard said:

Devotary holding/hoarding the dagger makes more sense - they're a villager, and a kill without an alignment reveal isn't especially useful.

The dagger in the black market was probably used to kill her, not hoarded by her I think.

Edit: both to Bard and fifth, I had a real reason for suspecting fifth, and fifth didnt address it at all. However, he now seems unlikely to be an elim.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Furamirionind

[Fifth Scholar]

To clarify, I Rioted Drake’s vote onto Rae (sorry Drake, enjoy your shiny new donation to your hedge fund). She was probably my best lead, and I really, really didn’t feel like dying from two random votes yesterday. That said, I’m pretty confident that with only two votes, her flip is as accurate as it gets. 

[Young Bard]

2 hours ago, Furamirionind said:

My action? Um... what makes you say that?

That was a brain fart - you just said you were manipulated onto Drake, and I just parsed that to mean action and not vote for some reason. I'm too tired for this...

And daggers that are used to kill someone get passed to a player that voted on the stabbed person, right? Or if there are no votes on that person, it gets passed randomly, IIRC? So I thought that they wouldn't end up on the black market either way. Either way, though, I want to know know why Snip no longer has that Dagger.

[+Ed Venture]

Heyo! I’m sorry I wasn’t active last cycle! IRL school stuff was happening. 

So! It leeks like we have a total of 3 eliminators lynched and probably at least one stabbed. Of course the Lynchings are inaccurate but it’s a good baseline. So unless we are super unlucky there should only be one left!

So! I have decided now is the time for my first vote! Butt Ad Venture! why are you so inactive? Why have you never voted?

*mumbles and glass related puns*

Ok! Sounds good! Butt Ad Venture

But seriously, I’m never around for rollover, that when most voting matters. I don’t want to leave a vote hanging around. 

[Snipexe]

6 hours ago, Young Bard said:

(In fact, last I heard I thought it was still in @Snipexe's hands - did you use the Dagger or did you pass it on, and when, Snip?)

It got warranted from me

[Young Bard]

Just now, Snipexe said:

It got warranted from me

When? And did you disclose this to the thread before and I just missed it?

[Snipexe]

3 hours ago, Young Bard said:

When? And did you disclose this to the thread before and I just missed it?

Last cycle, and I did not.

[DrakeMarshall]

Alright. Well, three of my major suspects all just got put away.

I reckon the only remaining active player I think could be corrupt is Bard. Reasons:

• Bard’s voting history has already been noted as somewhat suspicious, both by me and a handful of others.
• We have been thinking of Bard as somewhat in the clear due to his part in the scanning chain, but Bard has not been scanned, and in fact the eliminators seem to have prevented that from happening.
• Stopping the scan on Bard is clearly IKYK, but that is very likely on purpose. Hear me out. The eliminators were low on cash. If they had boxings to spare on bribery, they could have and would have saved Kidpen that cycle. Instead, they spent those boxings on preventing Bard from getting scanned. If we suppose that Bard were village, that would mean the eliminators unnecessarily sacrificed a teammate just to play head games that might get a single villager framed. Remember also that so far in this game, the eliminators have been fairly direct about protecting each other and Gaea. The simplest explanation is that the eliminators prevented Bard from getting scanned because they wanted to protect a teammate.
• If Bard isn’t evil then we kind of need to start randomly lynching our way through the inactives because that’s the only other place I think corrupted could be hiding.

[Furamirionind]

6 minutes ago, DrakeMarshmallow said:

• We have been thinking of Bard as somewhat in the clear due to his part in the scanning chain, but Bard has not been scanned, and in fact the eliminators seem to have prevented that from happening.

He never needed to scan Striker in the first place, or claim he had a ledger, or whatever. He could have just kept it hidden to make certain fewer of them were in circulation.

8 minutes ago, DrakeMarshmallow said:

• Stopping the scan on Bard is clearly IKYK, but that is very likely on purpose. Hear me out. The eliminators were low on cash. If they had boxings to spare on bribery, they could have and would have saved Kidpen that cycle. Instead, they spent those boxings on preventing Bard from getting scanned. If we suppose that Bard were village, that would mean the eliminators unnecessarily sacrificed a teammate just to play head games that might get a single villager framed. Remember also that so far in this game, the eliminators have been fairly direct about protecting each other and Gaea. The simplest explanation is that the eliminators prevented Bard from getting scanned because they wanted to protect a teammate.

I also made a big deal about how I was going to scan Bard. My next most likely target based on what I said in-thread, from what I recall, was Elandera or Rae. It is just as likely an ikyk on one of them, as it is on Bard.

9 minutes ago, DrakeMarshmallow said:

• If Bard isn’t evil then we kind of need to start randomly lynching our way through the inactives because that’s the only other place I think corrupted could be hiding.

This is kindof what I feel like we need to do. At worst, items might go to the black market, but unless the remaining elim(s) have been active in the lynch, they are likely low on boxings.

[StrikerEZ]

2 hours ago, Furamirionind said:

He never needed to scan Striker in the first place, or claim he had a ledger, or whatever. He could have just kept it hidden to make certain fewer of them were in circulation.

He did scan me though. That’s how I got the ledger I used to scan Drake. Of course, an elim teammate of his could’ve used the ledger on me, but why would they do that?

[Furamirionind]

18 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said:

He did scan me though. That’s how I got the ledger I used to scan Drake. Of course, an elim teammate of his could’ve used the ledger on me, but why would they do that?

You are stating my point, though I said it in question format.

[DrakeMarshall]

It isn’t inconceivable to use a ledger on a villager as an eliminator to gain trust.

If I started with a ledger as an eliminator, the chances of me not doing something like that would be exceedingly low. That would pretty much be the only use of having an item like that.

Granted, not everyone thinks like that, but I really don’t believe that using a ledger is strongly alignment indicative.

[StrikerEZ]

39 minutes ago, DrakeMarshmallow said:

It isn’t inconceivable to use a ledger on a villager as an eliminator to gain trust.

If I started with a ledger as an eliminator, the chances of me not doing something like that would be exceedingly low. That would pretty much be the only use of having an item like that.

Granted, not everyone thinks like that, but I really don’t believe that using a ledger is strongly alignment indicative.

That’s fair. I just feel like, for me at least, the risk of that villager you gave the ledger to scanning an elim is too high to risk it. Granted, if you have the boxings, you can always redirect the scan. But there’s only so many boxings, and there are other things the elim team needs to do (like bribing votes). 

[Fifth Scholar]

I’ve had mild suspicion of Bard for a bit, and would be willing to lynch him. Drake’s points are decent, and I don’t know why people have been clearing him; if it was for the Kidpen lynch, if I remember correctly, that had a 30% chance of flipping incorrectly, and so the counterwagon on Bard wasn’t necessarily an attempt to save an Eliminator; further, it’s not like two opposing wagons, both on Eliminators, is unheard-of. 

People with money (like not-me) should probably pick up the ledgers out of the Market so we can keep scanning people. The more cleared-ish people we have, the better. 

[Young Bard]

That's fair, Drake. I was thinking after Fura's Ledger was redirected that I'd probably have been suspicious of me, too.

About the Kidpen lynch, I don't think it's as simple as saying "The Eliminators could have just bribed the vote away from Kidpen" - we saw that happen with Alv being saved, and that resulted in just about everybody wanting to lynch Alv the next cycle. I think they must have realised that, and decided to cut their losses by framing me. I don't know why they moved the Ledger onto Kidpen of all people - my suspicion is that if they moved it onto a player that didn't die that cycle, that would just continue to extend the chain indefinitely which would be worse in the long run.

This is where I hope those with knives can start dealing with inactives, but I think there has to be enough posts done at this point to get readings of the alignments of people based on their opinions on the Constables Cycle 1/2, their views and interactions with Alv, Kidpen and Rae - there's more out there than just lynching inactives. And besides, if I were an Elim, then you'd just have to start doing that next cycle anyway.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Turn 9: Performing in the Senate
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To be added.

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Senator Ventrilis and Dummy (Young Bard) was Lynched! He was Mute.

Lynch Vote Tally
Snipexe(1): Young Bard
Young Bard(2): Drake, Fifth Scholar

Constable Altea currently has 16 Boxings, the Warrant known as GimmeYerStuff,, and the Whiskey know as Comrade Vlad’s Vodacola.
Note: Due to Spreadsheet Error, Altea was listed as only having 1 Dagger for sale during turn 7, when she actually had 2 for sale. The missing Dagger has been edited into the Turn 7 writeup.

Boxing Prices:
1: Talk to an arrested player without your name being posted.
2: Open a PM with a player for the rest of the game.
3: Change someone’s Lynch vote.
1: Change someone’s Election vote.
4: Buy a random item from the Constables. 
2: Bribe a player to target someone with their item.
6: Buy a specific item from the Constables. 
40: Bribe the Constables to execute all other players. You win. Your team does not.
Note: The Execution Win con will never drop below 40 Boxings.

Player List:

 

Alive:
Araris Valerian
Butt Ad Venture
DrakeMarshmallow
Fifth Scholar
Furamirionind
Haelbarde
Hemalurgic Headshot
Rathmaskal
Shqueeves
Snipexe
StrikerEZ

Arrested:
A Joe in the Bush - Just Constable
Lumgol - Kleptomaniac
RayOfSunshine - Jolly
Wilson - Righteous Constable
Alvron - Impenitent
Kidpen - Childish
Bugsy - Heroic
Arraenae - Lazy
Elandera - Sentimental
Young Bard - Mute

Constables:
xxGaea - Alive, Unstoppable, and EVIL

Dead:
Seonid - Betrayed Governor
Burnt Spaghetti - Surprised
Elbereth - Quick-Witted
Devotary - Bemused

Edited August 14, 2019 by A Joe in the Bush

[A Joe in the Bush]

Also, I am changing the rules of the Governor Lynch. From now on, you need only a majority of active, alive, unarrested players. Active is defined as 'posted in the past cycle.' That means that, in order to be elected Governor this cycle, a player needs at least 4 votes.

Edited August 14, 2019 by A Joe in the Bush

[Fifth Scholar]

Alright, for Governor, Drake Marshall. If Bard is clean, then the whole ledger chain probably is, and Drake is the most obvious candidate for governor out of that bunch. 

As for suspicions, I’m in general agreement with sentiment last cycle that the last Elim might be inactive; however, with discussion already weakened, I don’t want to see it take another hit. Would others be willing to take out an inactive this cycle, or do we want to try lynching a more active person one more time?

[Furamirionind]

I'm voting myself for governor. I understand some people saw using a ledger as NAI, but the fact of the matter is, it's not. It is AI. It is AI, because:

why would an elim use a ledger? To get trusted

Why would an elim not use a ledger? To keep it from village hands.

There are good reasons both to, and not to use the ledger. Where villagers always use the ledger.

So now we are left in a 2/3 chance Bard was village.

He was also one of the few people posting this game.

When making lynches, it is important not only to think, "who would be good to lynch?", but also, "is this the best person to lynch?".  I admit Bard was a good information lynch, but he wasnt the best lynch.

Fura

edit, also, both ledgers, and a dagger are gone.

edit again: I'd say we take out as many inactives as possible this turn, followed by active players at the moment. When I get to a computer, I'll do the math.

edit again: it would seem 2 people git specific items, and 1 person got a random item.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Furamirionind
Spelling

[DrakeMarshall]

Yay, we can do a governor election this cycle. That should spice things up.

I was honestly planning to try and do one this cycle regardless, and offer to reimburse people who bribed inactives as a way to attain a majority. Kind of want the election to become a thing.

That said, any villager elected is a plus in my book, and I’ve been at this for kind of a while. Fura.

At this point I feel we might want to think about lynching an inactive, since I reckon that’s where the last of the elims is hiding.

I don’t believe that there is much criteria for choosing between them, so I’m gonna toss my vote on Rath.

[Rathmaskal]

If you take me out, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

Seriously though, feel free to lynch me if you don't think you have any better options.  My contributions to this game have been 100% lacking.