Long Game 86: A Stricken Match

[Mat]

47 minutes ago, Steeldancer said:

Half Masked one has said like 3 things in the whole doc, and implies that they were doing something that prevented them from using the doc for a turn. That's all I've got. 

steelrunner!Araris I think, based on that :P.

[Araris Valerian]

3 hours ago, Steeldancer said:

I disagree with this opinion. While perhaps over the course of a game it might not be much, having 5 actions at one time is a massive advantage with the competitive nature of action submissions. They wouldn't be able to block out village submissions all the time, obviously, but on a key turn? With 2 sentries? That's ridiculously good. Heck, even just screwing up the protects would be enough to make sure the elim kill would get through. 

Now, to be fair, the point where it would be most powerful - when there are the fewest players- the rules nerf the crap out of having multiple actions. But if you're telling yourself that if I were JNVs teammate, that I wouldn't have come up with some way to abuse 10 actions on the same turn, then you're kidding yourself. 

I’m just gonna say that the elims already could have had 10 actions at once if they wanted, so you should instead be arguing that it would be broken for the elims to be able to have 15 actions, which doesn’t seem that much stronger than the potential 10 we know they already could reach.

Currently my second choice is Xino but I’m going to take a closer look at things tomorrow. I do appreciate everyone that has continued to maintain suspicion of me. Y’all just keep giving the elims hope that they can vote me out .

[Elandera]

I'm home and have spent a bit of time just chilling. Time to look at the past.

First note, my suspicion of Steeldancer is gone. In JNV's first post of D2, she basically throws all the shade at Steel in what looks like an effort to cast doubt on him without actually being the one to act. This reads differently than a teammate trying to distance. She ends up voting on me for what seems like mostly self-preservation reasons. I'm also willing to trust Steel's roleclaim for now (though if we could get confirmation, it'd be nice).

Players left (excluding myself) and my reads

Ashbringer - Largely hasn't contributed. Might be worth investigating further. 

Matrim - Hmmm. I keep wanting to assign an elim read to him, but Stick's vote is the only thing holding me back. The vote count when she voted Mat was all single votes (about 5, I think). Is Stick the kind of player to risk a >20% chance of accidentally exing a teammate in order to distance?

Steel - Mild village

Araris - Village for the vote on JNV

xino - I used to think village for his vote on JNV, but based on counts, his vote disappeared (even after it was discovered late). Maybe it was distancing?

Alvron - Village

I think I'll go with Xino

 

As a side note, I am the Half-Masked one, a la Phantom of the Opera. I didn't want to claim until I actually had time to look through the threads and posts. I am also a steelrunner, though haven't opened PMs because PMs are eh. I have stored up charges, though, and have orders to open some at the end of this turn.

[Mat]

20 minutes ago, Matrim's Dice said:

steelrunner!Araris I think, based on that :P.

Well this aged poorly xD

Anyway, Elan, what do you think of my claim? Honestly, I wouldn’t put much stock into Stick’s vote since she likes to distance and for all you know she was storing a metal that negated her vote D1 (though the count had a vote on me). But at this point claiming Copper is basically the only village thing I’ve done :D.

I think I’m agreeing with you about xino, but I still want to reread myself. You mentioning the JNV post made me think of another one where Steel comments on the difficulty he found reading JNV’s posts  and I didn’t think that looked e/e either.

I can do Steel for my scan if we go xino. Or, if people want, I can do Araris or Elan.

[Steeldancer]

I... Now that Elandera claimed it throws me completely off, because hypothetically it totally makes sense for her to be an elim, after all it would make sense for at least one person in the synod to be an elim

but what if there wasn't? Is that really enough to sus on? 
You know what I'm going to go to bed and think about this more. For now I'm leaving my vote on Ashbringer, but I'm more than open to shifting votes if a better target is presented. Ashbringer, as was mentioned before, was mainly arbitrary between them and Xino. 

[Elandera]

We've got 3-ish hours left, if my math is right. Anyone else with thoughts? I think we have a grand total of two votes so far on two different people.

[Mat]

I’ll vote xino and scan Steel. Maybe it’s a mistake leaving Elan and Araris untested but idk. I was a lot busier today that I had anticipated and I might be able to squeeze in a reread before rollover but otherwise I’m going off of memory and gut.

[xinoehp512]

Oops, I meant to do a reread earlier. Well, I'm kind of out of time now. 

Ash (2): Steel, Xino
Xino (3): Elandera, Mat, Araris

I'm confident enough in the possibility of Ash being evil that I'll vote them to (maybe) survive. See you all tomorrow if I don't die.

Postscript: I protected Archer N1 and Elandera N2.

Edited June 7, 2022 by xinoehp512

[Araris Valerian]

7 minutes ago, Matrim's Dice said:

I’ll vote xino and scan Steel. Maybe it’s a mistake leaving Elan and Araris untested but idk. I was a lot busier today that I had anticipated and I might be able to squeeze in a reread before rollover but otherwise I’m going off of memory and gut.

I'll support this, I guess. Xino, Steel. I think we can brute-force a win here, and Xino hasn't been helping, so it makes sense to vote him out first.

[Alvron]

I'll be voting for Matrim. That way at least I'll be able to clear them and we can trust their report.  Otherwise it'll be a guess if he's telling the truth or not.

[Ashbringer]

Bah, I don't know. And I've got more than I realized to do today/tomorrow.

The main thing I see is Steel saying that Fifth told him something about (Fifth) not wanting the game to have one side with overwhelming action power, which... what. I don't even know if that's AI and if we've got a double-blind scan on Steel I don't know if it matters, but... that's distri info, isn't it? Why would Steel have that?

I'll also go on Xino. Not entirely sure why them over me, but self-pres is enough for me right now. 

[Araris Valerian]

40 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

The main thing I see is Steel saying that Fifth told him something about (Fifth) not wanting the game to have one side with overwhelming action power, which... what. I don't even know if that's AI and if we've got a double-blind scan on Steel I don't know if it matters, but... that's distri info, isn't it? Why would Steel have that?

In the case of elim!Steel, it could be that Fifth said that with regards to the limit on 3 elims per generic action, rather than the distro. Or it could be an outright lie. It does seem odd for Fifth to give Steel info like that, even if the content is sensible. I’m not sure what context it would come up in a villager GM PM. Seems more like an elim doc kinda thing.

[Mat]

If that’s the case, I’ll let you know next turn. I can’t shake the feeling that xino and Steel are both village but that’s just pure paranoia and we should just continue with this course of action :P.

[Steeldancer]

Ah, I'll go ahead and vote Xino

[Fifth Scholar]

Turn is over! Stand by to see who is right…and who is dead.

[Kasimir]

Night Three: Burn the Witch!

“So when did you arrive in Frebarind?” Olaf asked. “I’m aware that travel by canal isn’t as fast as it used to be, but you mentioned that events had preceded you quite a bit in Frebarind.”

“So they did,” Kais replied, his gaze distant. “I had quite a bit of catching up on the situation to do once I’d arrived. And to my horror, the local Synod there did not have a firm hand on the situation, as much as they’d claimed to. Killing one of their own, nearly attempting to murder another Synod member without having conducted the proper investigations…” he shook his head, as though in sorrow at the utter degeneracy of the world. 

“I came to Frebarind,” said Kais, “On the third day, and as it was, in an ashfall…”

 

 

 

The Synod chamber was quiet. Two more of their members were dead. Everyone in the room had to accept that they’d condemned one of their own to death, and that they’d gone willingly. Worse, another Spiked killer still roamed their streets, perhaps even the Inquisitor Sparky had spoken of before their death.

“Have we failed as guardians of Frebarind?” Raven had never heard Landis sound so defeated. From the expressions on their faces, Headband and Half-mask hadn’t either.

“We haven’t failed! Not while we’re still alive,” Headband proclaimed. Raven admired the optimism.

“We’ve killed two Spiked already,” Half-mask offered. “There can’t be many left.”

“We?” Landis remarked bitterly. “We have done nothing. Izzy claimed the reward for killing Stick, and the mob that got Sparky killed was not our design.”

“It’s gratifying that the people of Frebarind can successfully navigate a crisis,” Raven said. “That’s what you rallied them to do.”

“And how many have died for that decision?” Landis snarled. “Inadeus, Vardenwith, Stann, Eiwlil, even Stick and Sparky are my responsibilities. How did residents in this town come in contact with an Inquisitor?” 

“You cannot blame yourself for the choices of others,” Half-mask said. “All you can do is commit to doing better in the future. Vardenwith, Stann, and Eiwlil knew the risks when we accepted seats in the Synod. So do I, if it comes to that. Nothing any of us could have done would have saved Inadeus. Stick and Sparky both chose to side with the Inquisition against all of us.”

“Did they though?” Headband interjected. “We knew Stick and the Tathingdwen Tautological Society of Tautology were low on funds. The Synod could have helped her before she turned to murder. Sparky claims they met a Steel Inquisitor, and everyone knows you can’t refuse one of them.”

“Is that what happened to you?” Half-mask retorted. “Have you been their puppet all along?”

“Please!” Landis demanded. “No more infighting. After what we did to Stann, I won’t have us killing each other without absolute surety.”

“If we want surety, we should consult with the other villagers,” Raven cut in. “Half-mask and Headband have been fully involved in the proceedings, but you and I have yet to see firsthand how they track down Spiked.”

“That is for the best,” Landis agreed. “I will honour our dead by ensuring that the Spiked will never again threaten the safety of our village.” With that, he abruptly stood up and strode out the door. The remaining Synod members had no choice but to follow.

 

 

Ash fell from the skies.

“Dreadful, woeful lamentations!” Faleast cried out, from his usual place in the market square. “Eiwlil was murdered by another accomplice of the Frebarind Finisher! Will the bloodbath never end? Will Frebarind lament in an ocean of blood?”

The crowd that had gathered in the market square to listen to Faleast was diminished, as though they had generally lost interest in the course of events following the deaths of Eiwlil and Stann. Perhaps it was Eiwlil’s incessant preaching that had drawn them, with her theatrical commitment to aggressive shaking of her head. Perhaps something had gone out of the settlement—some sort of fire—as Frebarind concluded that it had matters mostly under control.

Mostly.

After all, Sparky had been killed by Jeral’s hand, and they’d found Stick almost immediately. While the killings had taken Frebarind by shock and by horror, it seemed that given enough bloodshed, you could get acclimated to that, in the same way you eventually learned to tune out X shouting to her dogs at night, or the tap-tap-tap of Artwyn’s walking staff as he passed.

“Alright,” Steel said, and he’d at least given up on acting as though the headband really did much to conceal his identity, which was just as well, since it never had, and Landis thought of the absurdity of pretending he didn’t recognise Steel everytime Steel donned the headband—well, at least they could forget about that, now. “Well, I promised Stann that I’d come clean if he died, and he died, so. I’ve been filling my bronzeminds, which is why I’ve been so tired the last couple of nights. But last night, I had a ton of wakefulness to tap, and that’s when Artwyn and I tried to fight off Eiwlil’s attacker.”

“Convenient,” Izzy said, her words like the well-placed thrust of a knife. “That you and Artwyn were there, but unable to stop the killings.”

“I secured your protection,” Steel said, dumbfounded. “And I’d like to see you do any better.”

“Could you recognise him if you saw him?” Eran wanted to know.

“Sort of,” said Steel. “Look, I’m not sure I could give you a sketch of what he looked like, but I look at Faleast and I’m pretty dang sure that it’s got to be him.”

Silence in the market square. And then, improbably, Jeral laughed.

“Faleast? Of all people? You seriously think it was Faleast?” He’d taken to wearing his copperminds openly and they glinted in the last of the light. “Come on, Faleast wouldn’t hurt a fly. You need to stop blaming the messenger for the news he delivers.”

“I know what I saw,” Steel said, stubbornly. “...I think,” he added, more quietly, but Eran’d overheard him.

“That’s not exactly reassuring,” Eran said, reasonably. “You can’t actually expect us to commit to bringing Faleast to the watch just on your say-so if you’re not even sure you and Artwyn actually fought off Faleast. We have to do these things properly. Faleast is creepy, but it’s a stretch to think he’s with the Frebarind Finisher.”

Artwyn shook his head. “Honestly, I’m not even sure it was Faleast. It was too dark for me to be sure, and he wore a hood. Where does Steel’s certainty come from?”

“Come on,” Steel snarled. “I fought him off with you, and now you think I had something to do with it?”

“I think it was X,” said Eran. “What has X really done around here? She agitates for suspects to be killed, rather than taken to the watch. That’s not the behaviour of a fine, upstanding citizen of Frebarind.”

“Vhat,” said X, flatly.

“Seize her!”

 

 

Kais stepped off the canal boat, and grimaced. The journey to Frebarind had taken about as long as expected, but there had been a delay due to the dredging of the canal on the outskirts of Tathingdwen, following a collision between two fully-laden merchant boats.

He had the sinking feeling he’d arrived too late, but as he paid the boatman in boxings and looked about him, it seemed he’d only just arrived into the thick of things.

A middle-aged lady, four snarling bloodhounds at her heels, was surrounded by a crowd. Where was Landis? What was going on?

At the head of the crowd, standing on an overturned crate of fruit, was someone decidedly not Landis, and Kais frowned. What in the name of all things sacred was going on in Frebarind?”

“I didn’t do it,” the lady snapped. “Ist obvious! I believe Steel; we should kill Faleast right now.”

“Look,” said an old woman, a basket under her arm. “I’ve told you, we have to do these things properly X. We can’t just go around killing people because you want us to do so and have wanted us to do so since the killings started!”

“Steel vould know who he fought,” replied X. “And if Faleast has been vorking with the Inquisition from the beginning, then he’s been hiding under our noses all this vhile. Ist too dangerous to be kept alive. Ist that simple.”

“He’s said it himself—he isn’t sure.”

Steel, or someone that Kais inferred was most likely Steel, shook his head wretchedly. “I think it’s Faleast,” he muttered doggedly.

“I guess I could see it being someone else,” an old man said, dubiously. “But I still think Steel’s suspicious. Wouldn’t put it past someone like him to have cut a deal with the Steel Inquisition.”

“Please,” interrupted someone, the woman on the overturned crate. “I think it’s easy to resolve. What does the Frebarind Finisher want?”

“To kill,” said Kais, quietly. If the Frebarind Finisher was who they were calling the Spiked infiltrators, then they would not be satisfied until they had spikes to return to the Inquisition, and the Synod-in-Frebarind was utterly destroyed.

“To take many lives,” said someone else, and Kais’s gaze moved to him. There was something creepy about him, something unsettling about that. He met Kais’s gaze and the corners of his mouth tilted in a smile. “The more, the better they feel. Lamentations!”

“Exactly!” crowed the woman on the crate. “The Finisher seeks to finish us off.” She tapped her palm with a sheathed knife. “Now, knowing this, how do we find any surviving accomplices of the Finisher?”

“Ve kill Faleast!” X proclaimed. “And then ve kill anyone else who goes around with the killings at night!”

“An accomplice of the Finisher,” said the woman on the crate, “wants people to die. Who, in this settlement, has been screaming for people to die all the time?”

“Everyone,” said Landis, flatly. Kais saw and began to push his way through the crowd, trying to get to Landis. 

“X,” said Eran. “She’s been pushing for us to kill suspects rather than taking them in.”

“This ist preposterous!” X was shouting. “This ist a disgrace! I merely do vhat none of you have the guts to do!”

“I guess we could have fought X,” said an old man, dubiously. He was leaning on his walking stick and had the rough clothing of a tradesman. Probably a carpenter, Kais thought. He wasn’t nearly scorched enough for a blacksmith. “Maybe if she left the hounds at home…”

“Therefore,” continued the woman on the crate, calmly, “It’s fairly obvious that X is working for the Frebarind Finisher.”

“Vhat,” said X. “I helped you find Sparky! I led the hunt for them in that manor! This is a witch hunt!”

“Well,” said the woman on the crate, reasonably, “It wouldn’t be much of a witch hunt if we took into account every single action you say proves your innocence, would it? Now, will someone get the watch?”

 

 

“So they arrested her in the end?” Olaf asked. He signalled the waiter for a refill. He didn’t drink that heavily, but the wine was good, and it was running late.

The noblewoman still had not yet touched her drink. Or had not finished it, and seemed content to sit with it. Olaf resolved to keep an eye on her.

“You would think,” sighed Kais, witheringly. “Someone decided she was too dangerous to be kept alive, so they killed her after all. Landis was about as much of a help as a wet dishcloth—said that it was too bad that she died but they couldn’t afford to take risks at this point. Because of course, X was going to waltz out of the watch’s custody, and slaughter an entire settlement while she was under guard.” He shook his head and drained his cup. “I had more respect for Landis than this.”

Something, a loose end, struck Olaf. “What happened to the dogs?”

“About that…” Kais sighed.

 

 

X / xinoehp512 was burned as a witch! She was a Village Skimmer! 

Vote Count:

Quote

xinoehp512 (4)
Matrim's Dice (1)
Ashbringer (0)

Night Three has begun! It will end in approximately 22.5 hours, on Wednesday 8 June at 10:00 PM EDT (-4:00 UTC). Get those actions in!

Thank you to @Fifth Scholar for handling PMs and spreadsheet actions. This write-up was brought to you with help from @Devotary of Spontaneity

If you tapped or filled a metalmind, you should be receiving a PM shortly. Please be patient as we send those out. 

As X has been killed, she leaves behind four bloodhounds who are now bereft of a caretaker. Any player who wishes to adopt the bloodhounds should make a case as to why you deserve to care for wonderful doggos, which will be put to the Synod for a vote. Landis, i.e. the Fifth-Kas-Devo RNG (don’t ask…) will determine the result if there is a tie.

Good luck! 

Player List:

Spoiler

 

1. @Ashbringer as Faleast, a town crier surprisingly enthusiastic about announcing woeful tidings and most bitter lamentation as the destroyer comes upon us

2. The Unknown Novel as ExMach Inadeus, an otherworldly visitor and luck epic who claims power over chromium…at the very least Village Brute

3. @Matrim's Dice as Jeral, a older gentleman who recklessly flouts the local gambling laws in hope of one day buying that gold-hilted cane-sword he covets

4. @Steeldancer as Steel, a street beggar with a shadowy past and a desire to one day join the Tathingdwen Tautological Society of Tautology 

5. Archer as Stann, a clerk with patchily dyed blue hair and immaculately maintained blue flipbooks Village Sparker; Synod

6. _Stick_ as Stick, Treasurer of the Tathingdwen Tautological Society of Tautology Spiked Full Feruchemist

7. @Elandera as Eran, an old woman who misses her twin sister who lives outside Tathingdwen and hopes her garden is doing okay

8. StrikerEZ as Vardenwith, a Terris steward in training who is sadly not catching on very well Village Brute; Synod

9. JNV as Venel “Sparky,” a noble kid who occasionally gets too emotional for their own good Spiked Sentry

10. @Araris Valerian as Artwyn, a tired old carpenter

11. xinoehp512 as X the Executioner, a middle-aged lady who yells at her four bloodhounds in a thick accent Village Skimmer 

12. @Alvron as Izzy Dedyet, who promises she has reformed her ways

13. Illwei as Eiwlil, an avid Jaist missionary who emphasises vigorous head-shaking in her preaching Village Skimmer; Synod

 

 

[Mat]

Steel is village

Back to square one I guess

[Alvron]

Mat targetted Steel N2 as he claimed and was not the one to kill Wei so unless there are 4 elims, he's clean.

[Elandera]

So, we've got:

1. Ashbringer - ???
2. Steel - Village from Mat scan
3. Mat - Village from Alvron scan (unless 2 elims left)
4. Araris - Village from JNV vote
5. Alvron - Village from Stick kill
6. Elandera - Village from JNV vote

The least secure of the village reads would be Araris and myself, since bussing is possible. Or if there were 4 elims to start, Mat and Steel. I'm apt to opt for Occam's Razor here, though. Ash is the last elim.

[Mat]

I’m leaning Araris, but I worry I’m holding onto my v!Ash read too hard. I still need to reread though.

@Fifth Scholar, kills still work tonight, correct? Because the player count is not “under six”. Work as in qualify for the 50% chance.

[Araris Valerian]

I’m actually a full Feruchemist and Elandera is clear, I used 3 charges of Tin during the day.

[Mat]

Yeah ok never mind I know nothing >>

We can all submit kill actions on Ash tonight if that still works I guess.

[Kasimir]

1 minute ago, Matrim's Dice said:

Yeah ok never mind I know nothing >>

Spoiler

You're welcome.

[Mat]

Just now, Kasimir said:

  Reveal hidden contents

You're welcome.

Mr Co-GM Sir

Do kills still work? :D.

Edited June 8, 2022 by Matrim's Dice

[Kasimir]

Just now, Matrim's Dice said:

Do kills still work?

PAFO 

Spoiler

Elim kill yes, generic kill yes as there are currently six players but with a 50% failure chance.