Long Game 103: Eyes of Red and Blue

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

What do you do with an evil creature,

What do you do with an evil creature, 

What do you do with an evil creature,

Early in the morning

Throw them in the sea with sea monsters,

Throw them in the sea with sea monsters, 

Throw them in the sea with sea monsters,

Early in the morning

"How're you landlubbers faring?"

Edited December 9, 2024 by Ookla the Benefflicted

[Kasimir he/him]

Of course it was a scam.

Call it what you will: the Marabethian princess, the Scadrian lord, the Elantrian official, or in one particularly memorable variant, the darkeyed Alethi king; this particular scam typology seemed to crop up throughout the Cosmere. Volo hadn't really expected anything else. 

A Marabethian princess promising bars of gold? Roshar's most commonly-used currency were chips which contained the local Investiture, which they called 'spheres.' And even if she had bars of gold, promising to send them to a random individual on the other side of the Cosmere was most definitely a scam. No one with that amount of wealth would really be so careless about it. You didn't get something for nothing. And if it was too good to be true, it was probably a scam.

Still, Volo, of course, had to spring the trap. Some people like Elimster could get away with doing a livestream from Roshar focusing on the way the locals handled Investiture. Volo though, had his niche. People, you see, detested scammers. They wanted to see those nasty vagabonds get suitable comeuppance. And so Volo had thus made the journey to one of the most savage backwaters on the Cosmere, with the exception of the Drominad, or perhaps the Threnodite, to unmask the scammer behind the Marabethian princess lure.

Well, he had unmasked the scammer. That much was a long story, involving a husky and someone who thought himself so bloody funny. From what his team had mentioned across the gemlink, his audience had liked it, enough that he'd gotten a modest uptick in positive engagement and views.

"It looks like they're interested in Roshar," Warren had noted.

"You have got to be kidding me," Volo snapped. "Nothing except war happens on Roshar!"

"I think that's part of the attraction?" Warran replied. "Look, at least 39% of all positive feedback has been asking for you to do a Rosharan special, like back when you used to do 'Volo's Guide to the Cosmere.'"

And he'd stopped because it was a bloody pain in the arse trying to run away from the latest gangster or bloody-minded local who'd rocked up at said locale. And then there was the time he'd tried a Horneater white and spent half the night sicking up because the Rosharans thought alcohol was the sort of thing you ideally used to strip paint with. It kind of killed the mood when you were trying to paint Roshar as an exotic destination to visit.

It was Elimster's sort of thing, really.

"Fine," Volo growled. He could always use the increased viewer engagement, sadly. Maybe he'd get a few more sponsorships that way, increase his earnings for the quarter. Which was more or less the story of how he'd ended up in a remote fishing village, broadcasting from his room at the inn. Sure, one of the local elders had gone stark raving mad, and really, Volo blamed the spren, nothing about Roshar was remotely functional, and even the spren seemed to be into the war, but the locals of Ru Eris had started to take exception to murder, which was more or less reasonable. 

And so, here he was, streaming surreptitiously, and wondering if the viewers would love a murder mystery special. 

He outlined the notes in his head: 

• Introduce them to the cast. A small cast of characters, but the human interest angle was always more appealing when it came to a murder mystery. Sure, there was whatever he could pull about the wretched Elder in question, but then he'd need to keep them hooked, ask if the Elder had worked alone. A singing sailor, a old lady with a loose tongue and a penchant for insisting everyone was indebted to her (Arenta), a paranoid resident who stockpiled goods while surreptitiously whispering about the apocalypse...
• Outline the stakes. The audience never got engaged until they knew what was going on. The Elder had started by swearing an oath with a large red spren, and Volo'd gotten some footage of the moment, enough to trust his team to splice and replay it for viewers. Of course, that meant there were probably more people in Ru Eris who'd taken up with some unsavoury spren. The problem was, who?
• Some research Volo'd done for the series suggested that the spren in question were the Unmade: particularly prominent and powerful spren aligned with Odium, which was troubling enough to make him wonder if he'd made the right decision, deciding to keep on streaming. Supposedly, some of the townfolk in Ru Eris had sworn their own oaths to Radiant spren, allowing them access to potent Surgebinding powers. He'd the vague intuition that the Unmade and the Surges probably balanced out, and that Sja-Anat in particular was too volatile to show up in a fishing village as small as Ru Eris. Too easy to attract attention if everyone dropped dead. All the same, he didn't feel too confident about it, especially if Sja-Anat only had that one shot at detonating that trap. It was the sort of thing you figured out as time went on and you learned more and more through the episodes.
• There were eight people that Volo had identified as crucial to the situation in Ru Eris. The Elders had also announced that (Volo hadn't the faintest idea how they'd worked it out so he was just going to handwave it and pray the viewers didn't ask too much about it) they had identified eight separate Surges in operation. Since each person could only access one Surge, he believed that everyone in Ru Eris had been granted a Surge. The numbers tallied neatly.
• Because of the presence of the Unmade around Ru Eris, the dying would often utter death rattles. This, Volo believed, could be of immense help to the living in trying to understand events that had occurred the previous night. For this reason, Volo intended to do his best to make sure he uttered a death rattle informing all of who he had previously targeted. In this way, the dead of Ru Eris could yet lead the still-living to clarity. If he had been granted access to a Surge (the idea was quaint), he would at least pass that on as well. (He had his own private thoughts about how those aligned with Odium were likely to react here, but he didn't feel it was necessary to give voice to them just yet.)
• He did not feel any particular named Surge seemed Odious. However, at the same time, Volo believed it would be possible to do basic plausibility analysis. He'd sketched it out on a piece of paper while preparing to go live for this episode.

Quote

KNOWN PROPERTIES OF THE SURGES

ADHESION: The target is added to a group PM with you and those you’ve targeted.
ABRASION: You and the target gain an individual PM.
PROGRESSION: The target is protected from an attack.
ILLUMINATION: You are notified if the target is Unmade, if only one Illumination action targeted them.
TRANSFORMATION: The target’s vote is changed to match your own vote the following day.
TRANSPORTATION: The target is swapped with you, actions that would hit one hit the other.
COHESION: The target’s action is blocked.
TENSION: The target is made immune to all actions except attacks for the night.

Gravitation and Division missing - too small a village? Too many kills would make the situation too volatile. (Are we being toyed with? Is this a game to someone?)

Progression, Transportation, and Cohesion are all kill or action interference. Unlikely for them to belong collectively to one faction.

If each person only can access a single Surge, then there cannot be more than one Illumination present, due to numbers. As such, Illumination either belongs to those of Odium, or they are capable of interfering with it. I do not feel confident in suggesting which it is in my current state of ignorance.

Because those of Odium, too, do not know their own powers, apart from what the Unmade grants them, they must decide whether to experiment on their fellows or a innocent villager of Ru Eris. This implies several consequences: (i) they may be able to fake protection or scans with impunity, depending on whether someone knows if they were attacked, (ii) being able to identify where the Surges are will partially help in hamstringing and narrowing down the room for the Odites to maneuver/lie, (iii) the Surges are probably approximately balanced in distribution, factoring in whatever abilities the Unmade may have granted them.

Knowledge is power.

He made sure the gemlink to Shadesmar was operational—once it got to Shadesmar, the relay beacons would bounce it all the way clear to Silverlight—drew in a deep breath, forced a wide grin onto his face, and began.

"Welcome to 'Volo's Special Guide to Roshar!' In this episode, I've found myself holed up in the tiny fishing village of Ru Eris in Marabethia!"

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

Sever decides not to slam a dagger into the wall opposite the strange talker. But who knows. perhaps having his oathstone be his own for ONCE in his entire life could be fun. At least he wouldnt be accused of being the Assassin in White. He was the Assassin in BLACK, thank you very much. Regardless, there were things afoot. He sauntered over to the bar, ordered himself a drink, red wine, watered down, downs it in one gulp, then sneaks over to the strange man - Volomir, wasn't it? - talking into the gemstone - perhaps he worshiped the gemstone like Sever did the stones? - And peeked over his shoulder. "I would like to make a suggestion, if I may" he mutters, pointing at the sheet. He adds a secondary sentence, almost a postscript. 

Quote

If i were to be Unmade, I would stay quiet. We can ostensibly begin with the quiet ones, however, that carries in and of itself a risk. It is always too early to start pointing fingers, so in this case it is within our best interest to see how this first day and night plays out. 

 

Sever suddenly gets a strange thought, and practically involuntarily shouts "ALL HAIL STRIKER THE GLORIOUS IM" before slamming a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from saying random things again.

[Araris Valerian he/him]

Arenta noticed one of the customers aiming to stab her wall with a dagger. Or maybe he was aiming to stab a paying customer. Regardless, a holler would put a stop to it. "Hey you! Sever! You already owe me 7 clearchips. Don't be doin' anything to make that number go higher or I'll ban you from the Bucket!"

The Leaky Bucket was the finest establishment this side of the Purelake. Though the original construction had been simple soulcast stone, previous owners had built on and enhanced the structure in various ways over the years so that now the inn had all the comforts a traveler could want. All of this was in stark contrast with the innkeeper, a crusty old lady starting to bend with age, seemingly only kept going by a desire to pry into the business of anyone and everyone that lived nearby. The only person Arenta didn't harass constantly was her brother, who happened to be the best cook in town, and probably the only reason folks still came to the Bucket. The other reason folks put up with her was that despite her appearance, the slightest bit of gossip would immediately change Arenta's attitude, making her amendable to far more than one would expect.

For now, Arenta was mostly content to let everyone trickle in for lunch (her brother was doing something miraculous with lavis grain and some rare cremlings he'd imported) and see what she could pick up while serving the tables.

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

2 minutes ago, Araris Valerian said:

Arenta noticed one of the customers aiming to stab her wall with a dagger. Or maybe he was aiming to stab a paying customer. Regardless, a holler would put a stop to it. "Hey you! Sever! You already owe me 7 clearchips. Don't be doin' anything to make that number go higher or I'll ban you from the Bucket!"

The Leaky Bucket was the finest establishment this side of the Purelake. Though the original construction had been simple soulcast stone, previous owners had built on and enhanced the structure in various ways over the years so that now the inn had all the comforts a traveler could want. All of this was in stark contrast with the innkeeper, a crusty old lady starting to bend with age, seemingly only kept going by a desire to pry into the business of anyone and everyone that lived nearby. The only person Arenta didn't harass constantly was her brother, who happened to be the best cook in town, and probably the only reason folks still came to the Bucket. The other reason folks put up with her was that despite her appearance, the slightest bit of gossip would immediately change Arenta's attitude, making her amendable to far more than one would expect.

For now, Arenta was mostly content to let everyone trickle in for lunch (her brother was doing something miraculous with lavis grain and some rare cremlings he'd imported) and see what she could pick up while serving the tables.

"I owe you jack, woman. dont test me" he shouts back. he knew her reputation. he just didnt have anything to go off of yet. there was no... wait. there was. perhaps that would work. "You hear about the Elder who went insane? i heard he took a bond with an odd acting spren that was all red, and could talk. There's gotta be something up with that, right?"

[Lord Spirit he/him]

Jonoh hurries over to the sailor.

"It's horrible! Dreadful! Terrible! The end of the world is upon us! The voidbringers are here!"

He pauses somewhat uncertainly.

"I was going to warn everyone, but I decided to do it later. I haven't even started constructing my doomsday shelter."

He suddenly gives the sailor a suspicious look.

"I don't like the look of some of these spren. You haven't been talking to one, have you? Nevermind, I can't trust your answer. I have preparations to make!"

He rushes off to make some form of plan, and then decides to do that tommorow. Time to find someone else to give his slightly delayed warning about the apocalypse.

Quote

It's going to take me a while to fully understand everything going on.

Kas, your analysis is incredible. I'm glad I'm on your side (this time). 

 

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

46 minutes ago, Ookla de los cuervos said:

Sever suddenly gets a strange thought, and practically involuntarily shouts "ALL HAIL STRIKER THE GLORIOUS IM" before slamming a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from saying random things again.

Follow me lads,

this ain't no red or white,

One pint down and you'll be shouting in the gale,

Five pints down and you'll be shaking in the jail,

We're half-seas over on the Sever Rouge

"Double up on the refrain!" called the very intoxicated sailor. 

So follow me lads!

He began, but, as no one joined, he trailed off, slumping in his chair.

Edited December 9, 2024 by Ookla the Benefflicted
After all, if I don't vote I get smote, so might as well cause some chaos

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

4 minutes ago, Ookla the Benefflicted said:

Follow me lads,

this ain't no red or white,

One pint down and you'll be shouting in the gale,

Five pints down and you'll be shaking in the jail,

We're half-seas over on the Sever Rouge

"Double up on the refrain!" called the very intoxicated sailor. 

So follow me lads!

He began, but, as no one joined, he trailed off, slumping in his chair.

Sever holds in his annoyance, if only just barely. Stones below, I very badly want to kill everyone here. but i made a promise to myself. so i wont.

[Araris Valerian he/him]

2 hours ago, Ookla de los cuervos said:

"I owe you jack, woman. dont test me" he shouts back. he knew her reputation. he just didnt have anything to go off of yet. there was no... wait. there was. perhaps that would work. "You hear about the Elder who went insane? i heard he took a bond with an odd acting spren that was all red, and could talk. There's gotta be something up with that, right?"

Arenta pulled a ledger that looked nearly as old as she was from behind the counter and leafed through a few pages before holding it up to Sever. "This here is proof to the contrary. You spilled some chicken soup on the floor last week, which I charged you 3 chips for. And the other four are cause you haven't paid for what's in front of you right now yet."

Her face softened a bit. "Course, that's quite interesting about the Elder. I wonder if it has anything to do with that Shin fellow that's been hanging around." She leaned in to whisper, "I hear he's an assassin."

Straightening up as much as she could, Arenta made a small mark in her book. "Well, I'll forgive you about the soup. Just don't forget to pay for your lunch."

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

3 minutes ago, Araris Valerian said:

Arenta pulled a ledger that looked nearly as old as she was from behind the counter and leafed through a few pages before holding it up to Sever. "This here is proof to the contrary. You spilled some chicken soup on the floor last week, which I charged you 3 chips for. And the other four are cause you haven't paid for what's in front of you right now yet."

Her face softened a bit. "Course, that's quite interesting about the Elder. I wonder if it has anything to do with that Shin fellow that's been hanging around." She leaned in to whisper, "I hear he's an assassin."

Straightening up as much as she could, Arenta made a small mark in her book. "Well, I'll forgive you about the soup. Just don't forget to pay for your lunch."

he perks up at mention of the Shin fellow. "hold on. A Shin fellow? I know it isnt me... so..." he absentmindly gives four clearmarks to Arenta, then turns to her. "You hear anything about what he looked like? any colors he wore?"

[Araris Valerian he/him]

2 hours ago, Ookla de los cuervos said:

he perks up at mention of the Shin fellow. "hold on. A Shin fellow? I know it isnt me... so..." he absentmindly gives four clearmarks to Arenta, then turns to her. "You hear anything about what he looked like? any colors he wore?"

Arenta's eye lit up at the spheres for a moment and she smiled, showing a (mostly) full set of teeth. "I take it you're planning to dine here in the near future? I'll count this against your next several meals if that's the case. And of course, if you hear anything juicy it might go a bit further." Her face darkened momentarily. "Or is this a bribe? Just cause we're settled up doesn't mean that you aren't the murderer."

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

1 minute ago, Araris Valerian said:

Arenta's eye lit up at the spheres for a moment and she smiled, showing a (mostly) full set of teeth. "I take it you're planning to dine here in the near future? I'll count this against your next several meals if that's the case. And of course, if you hear anything juicy it might go a bit further." Her face darkened momentarily. "Or is this a bribe? Just cause we're settled up doesn't mean that you aren't the murderer."

He snorts derisively. "If i wanted you dead, you would be. I want to get rid of the murderer just as much as you do." he settles back. ok, what do we know so far... practically nothing of value at the moment. i get the feeling that our gem worshiper isnt the killer we are after. the innkeep also seems nice enough, and thats all i can go by.

[CadCom he/him]

Metorem has been panicked all morning. It has been a week since the Everstorm came, and he still had no answers. No amount of crunching the numbers, even looking retroactively, had provided any insight as to any indication of a storm coming from the west of all places. 

In just a few minutes he was scheduled to make an appearance and people wanted answers. Answers he didn't have. What was that storm? What caused it? Will it happen again? No metrics used to predict a high are able to be used to predict the Everstorm. And there's only been one in all of recorded history. But he was the stormwarden. His entire livelihood was on the line if he couldn't convince the populace that he was still trustworthy

As Metorem hurriedly packed his day wares, and left his home, he noted his property was remarkably clean and undamaged compared to his neighbors who were still dealing with the aftermath of the everstorm. Something everyone always just considered an unbelievable streak of luck, but Metorem knew the real reason. Thank the Nightwatcher. 

---

15 minutes later, Metorem found himself climbing the steps to the highest pedestal in the town center, where he knew a crowd of onlookers was waiting. 

"I find myself in a bizarre, nay, exuberocious position of answering questions and defending myself to a plethora of personages who disdainfully patronize my grandiose line of work. 

"Ye who just 10 days ago superciliously criticized me for trying to predict the future. I have words first for you. For the core of your culture and beliefs disregards the art of the stormwarden in negative light. Ye believe that I try to predict the future, which you look down on with voracitiousness. But you do not judge correctly. I do not seek to predict the future, rather my aspirations be to merely understand the future

"Seeking to predict the future is an attempt to understand all causal effects. It is to seek to know what comes next with certainty. A stormwarden does not seek this. We merely seek to understand the patterns that govern our natural existence. To know what the trends are and to prepare ourselves and society for the most probable outcomes by unraveling the rules which dictate our climate. 

"Now that being said, indubitably many are here today to inquiesce of me why I gave no warning of the devistatingly incenduous Everstorm. 

"Firstly I want to emphasize no storm of this type hath ever even ventured to find a tittle of its way into our climactic annals. No record of a storm from the west has been spoken in the entiretousness of the grand history of our world. Where there is no trend there is no way to understand what is to come. 

"The Everstorm not only defied all of the physical realm, but also the essence of foresight itself. We study the unfolding of these events, kerythology, but it is feeble, feeble indeed to attempt to understand the causes. Numerology and pattern recognition will always fail to capture the chaos the shards. Odium, Honor, and Cultivation eternescently entwined in a dance of power, of lust, of control. Our miserable souls the pawns of their dance of destiny.

"Thus, the Everstorm is not a mere tempest of the skies—it is a tempest of existence itself, and to predict it, we would need to foresee all things at once. I shall not ask for forgiveness, for there is no misstep here, only the recognition of our limits as we reach for the horizon of truth. In this, we are reminded that the future is a horizon we can never quite touch, only approach.

"I know not whether this storm shall return, though I communicate via spanreed with my esteemed colleagues around Roshar, we seek to identify new trends, and receive word from those to the west should it return. The stormforsaken West. I end by reiterating my proclamations theme. Life is a tempest. I seek to understand the trends of this tempest, but I do not know the future. 

"I'll find myself enjoying a mid-afternoon meal at The Leaky Bucket should anyone seek additional clarity. I bid you all a good day."

Metorem stepped down from his pedestal and went over to the leaky bucket for some lunch. 

[Lord Spirit he/him]

47 minutes ago, CadCom said:

Metorem has been panicked all morning. It has been a week since the Everstorm came, and he still had no answers. No amount of crunching the numbers, even looking retroactively, had provided any insight as to any indication of a storm coming from the west of all places. 

In just a few minutes he was scheduled to make an appearance and people wanted answers. Answers he didn't have. What was that storm? What caused it? Will it happen again? No metrics used to predict a high are able to be used to predict the Everstorm. And there's only been one in all of recorded history. But he was the stormwarden. His entire livelihood was on the line if he couldn't convince the populace that he was still trustworthy

As Metorem hurriedly packed his day wares, and left his home, he noted his property was remarkably clean and undamaged compared to his neighbors who were still dealing with the aftermath of the everstorm. Something everyone always just considered an unbelievable streak of luck, but Metorem knew the real reason. Thank the Nightwatcher. 

---

15 minutes later, Metorem found himself climbing the steps to the highest pedestal in the town center, where he knew a crowd of onlookers was waiting. 

"I find myself in a bizarre, nay, exuberocious position of answering questions and defending myself to a plethora of personages who disdainfully patronize my grandiose line of work. 

"Ye who just 10 days ago superciliously criticized me for trying to predict the future. I have words first for you. For the core of your culture and beliefs disregards the art of the stormwarden in negative light. Ye believe that I try to predict the future, which you look down on with voracitiousness. But you do not judge correctly. I do not seek to predict the future, rather my aspirations be to merely understand the future

"Seeking to predict the future is an attempt to understand all causal effects. It is to seek to know what comes next with certainty. A stormwarden does not seek this. We merely seek to understand the patterns that govern our natural existence. To know what the trends are and to prepare ourselves and society for the most probable outcomes by unraveling the rules which dictate our climate. 

"Now that being said, indubitably many are here today to inquiesce of me why I gave no warning of the devistatingly incenduous Everstorm. 

"Firstly I want to emphasize no storm of this type hath ever even ventured to find a tittle of its way into our climactic annals. No record of a storm from the west has been spoken in the entiretousness of the grand history of our world. Where there is no trend there is no way to understand what is to come. 

"The Everstorm not only defied all of the physical realm, but also the essence of foresight itself. We study the unfolding of these events, kerythology, but it is feeble, feeble indeed to attempt to understand the causes. Numerology and pattern recognition will always fail to capture the chaos the shards. Odium, Honor, and Cultivation eternescently entwined in a dance of power, of lust, of control. Our miserable souls the pawns of their dance of destiny.

"Thus, the Everstorm is not a mere tempest of the skies—it is a tempest of existence itself, and to predict it, we would need to foresee all things at once. I shall not ask for forgiveness, for there is no misstep here, only the recognition of our limits as we reach for the horizon of truth. In this, we are reminded that the future is a horizon we can never quite touch, only approach.

"I know not whether this storm shall return, though I communicate via spanreed with my esteemed colleagues around Roshar, we seek to identify new trends, and receive word from those to the west should it return. The stormforsaken West. I end by reiterating my proclamations theme. Life is a tempest. I seek to understand the trends of this tempest, but I do not know the future. 

"I'll find myself enjoying a mid-afternoon meal at The Leaky Bucket should anyone seek additional clarity. I bid you all a good day."

Metorem stepped down from his pedestal and went over to the leaky bucket for some lunch. 

After hearing the stormwardern's speech, Jonoh decided to have a word with this alleged fortune teller. He sits down at Metorem's table.

"Nice message 'I can't predict the future, but you should still trust me to tell what's going to happen.' I knew this was coming and I was just about to tell everyone...

Anyway, your house seems to have survived the storm in good condition. Any chance I could use it as a bunker? I don't like the look of some of the people around here recently."

[CadCom he/him]

26 minutes ago, Ookla the Violist said:

After hearing the stormwardern's speech, Jonoh decided to have a word with this alleged fortune teller. He sits down at Metorem's table.

"Nice message 'I can't predict the future, but you should still trust me to tell what's going to happen.' I knew this was coming and I was just about to tell everyone...

Anyway, your house seems to have survived the storm in good condition. Any chance I could use it as a bunker? I don't like the look of some of the people around here recently."

"My esteemed sir, I cannot predict the future, but I am trained to recognize highstorm predictors. These skills make me uniquely qualified to find predictors for this new tempest. 

As for my home, under normal circumstances, I would willingly grant access to such an eloquocius visitor as yourself. However, you may have noticed that there have been madmen running around, and I would not dream of introducing a potential danger into my humble domicile."

After all, Metorem had a wife, a toddler, and twin infants at home. 

"Care for a serving of my greatshell pasta? There's more than enough. Helpings at this fine establishment are imposorific."

[Lord Spirit he/him]

44 minutes ago, CadCom said:

"My esteemed sir, I cannot predict the future, but I am trained to recognize highstorm predictors. These skills make me uniquely qualified to find predictors for this new tempest. 

As for my home, under normal circumstances, I would willingly grant access to such an eloquocius visitor as yourself. However, you may have noticed that there have been madmen running around, and I would not dream of introducing a potential danger into my humble domicile."

After all, Metorem had a wife, a toddler, and twin infants at home. 

"Care for a serving of my greatshell pasta? There's more than enough. Helpings at this fine establishment are imposorific."

“Predicting the next storm only matters if we live that long. And I doubt you could figure out a new storm in weeks when your predictions for highstorm that’s been blowing for millennia are off every once in a while. I’ve been meaning to figure out the pattern, but somehow I never got around to it. It can’t be that hard.”

 After all, it’s just a bunch of clouds and rain. 
“Good point about your house. I can’t trust someone else’s house to keep me safe. And as for the food, you can have it all. I only eat food I prepare myself. Who knows what could be posioned.”

He might put some things off longer than he should, but he had long ago learned that cooking food was not one of those things. It was too bad about the house. Still, Jonoh has managed to accumulate a few resources over the years that he could use repair and reinforce his damaged abode. Maybe tomorrow, once he has warned some more people and gathered more information. 

[TwinStorm He/Him]

Matoro whistled as he walked through the streets, spinning a coin through his fingers. At least, that was what Master Hoid had called it. He had won many chips last night at the tavern, and was in a good mood. He was looking for a meal, and a good one. 

[Kasimir he/him]

4 hours ago, CadCom said:

In just a few minutes he was scheduled to make an appearance and people wanted answers. Answers he didn't have. What was that storm? What caused it? Will it happen again? No metrics used to predict a high are able to be used to predict the Everstorm. And there's only been one in all of recorded history. But he was the stormwarden. His entire livelihood was on the line if he couldn't convince the populace that he was still trustworthy

As it turned out, at least Metorem wasn't the only one struggling to keep his job

Although he'd been unfortunately interrupted by an intrepid local who'd started scribbling on Volo's notes about the Unmade staying quiet and it being too early to start pointing fingers with the need to watch and wait.

Turned out the local was some kind of shady figure who started arguing with Arenta shortly after, but at least he wasn't as disruptive as the gang of Tarachin hooligans in T'Telir who'd repeatedly trashed the bar he was filming in due to their favourite Tarachin side having lost the match of the season. Streaming, Volo thought. Go around, see the Cosmere's sights, and repeatedly deal with...colourful characters. No wonder he'd preferred the latest scambaiting focus on his show.

10 hours ago, Ookla de los cuervos said:

"I would like to make a suggestion, if I may" he mutters, pointing at the sheet. He adds a secondary sentence, almost a postscript. 

Quote

If i were to be Unmade, I would stay quiet. We can ostensibly begin with the quiet ones, however, that carries in and of itself a risk. It is always too early to start pointing fingers, so in this case it is within our best interest to see how this first day and night plays out. 

'Course, the thing was, Volo was pretty sure this was the sort of thing that they argued to death on true crime serials, so he wasn't about to point out the utility of an actual investigation. With the small population of Ru Eris, it seemed likely the killers would overrun the fisherfolk too soon if they were passive.

The shady fellow seemed a tad too hesitant, but wasn't accusing anyone in the inn, so Volo figured there was maybe some sincerity there. He filed it as something to watch out for. After all, if the cast was what kept the audience tuning in to the drama taking place on a God-forsaken corner of Roshar, then you had to run the human angle, to keep them interested. Start profiling everyone, add a dash of "Could this be the killer's accomplices?" to that.

...And of course, somehow avoid getting murdered in the process.

He'd felt safer dealing with scammers. But the Everstorm meant there wasn't going to be traffic through Shadesmar for the foreseeable future, and he wasn't going to make money by hunkering down instead of embracing the prime streaming opportunity.

Mentally, Volo began figuring out the profiles of each person he planned to feature on the upcoming stream.

• Arenta: Wasn't sure what I was expecting. An innkeeper with a penchant for gossip would be the ideal accomplice to an Elder, wouldn't she? Still, as much as I've watched her so far, I haven't really figured out how I feel about her.
• Shady fellow - Sever, I think his name was? Seems a tad hesitant, but consistent with behaviour so far. Watch for sincerity.
• Metorem: Read the town a long lecture on the difference between predicting the future and pattern recognition which boiled down to a conflation between causal analysis and understanding. As far as I can tell, the fellow was under some pressure for having failed to predict the incoming Everstorm. His concerns didn't seem to be on the murders in his village, though whether that reflected a killer's callousness or simply a preoccupation with his job, I couldn't say.
• Matoro: Profile for a future episode.
• Jonoh: Anxious about the apocalypse, and apparently paranoid. He'd made a pre-emptive declaration about being on the same side as me, and I didn't really understand how he worked that one out. I'm not even sure who in Ru Eris might not be a killer at this point in time. Something to watch.
• Cillian: Apparently a singing sailor? Was quick to accuse, which can be uncharacteristic, but cited a worry about being thrown out, which I guess could explain his behaviour. Watch.

It was, after all, early yet.

He'd heard at last that anyone saved by Progression would know they'd been saved from an attack, which at least reduced his concerns that the killers would simply run a protection scam to gain trust from Ru Eris's inhabitants.

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

24 minutes ago, Ookla the Villager said:

As it turned out, at least Metorem wasn't the only one struggling to keep his job

Although he'd been unfortunately interrupted by an intrepid local who'd started scribbling on Volo's notes about the Unmade staying quiet and it being too early to start pointing fingers with the need to watch and wait.

Turned out the local was some kind of shady figure who started arguing with Arenta shortly after, but at least he wasn't as disruptive as the gang of Tarachin hooligans in T'Telir who'd repeatedly trashed the bar he was filming in due to their favourite Tarachin side having lost the match of the season. Streaming, Volo thought. Go around, see the Cosmere's sights, and repeatedly deal with...colourful characters. No wonder he'd preferred the latest scambaiting focus on his show.

'Course, the thing was, Volo was pretty sure this was the sort of thing that they argued to death on true crime serials, so he wasn't about to point out the utility of an actual investigation. With the small population of Ru Eris, it seemed likely the killers would overrun the fisherfolk too soon if they were passive.

The shady fellow seemed a tad too hesitant, but wasn't accusing anyone in the inn, so Volo figured there was maybe some sincerity there. He filed it as something to watch out for. After all, if the cast was what kept the audience tuning in to the drama taking place on a God-forsaken corner of Roshar, then you had to run the human angle, to keep them interested. Start profiling everyone, add a dash of "Could this be the killer's accomplices?" to that.

...And of course, somehow avoid getting murdered in the process.

He'd felt safer dealing with scammers. But the Everstorm meant there wasn't going to be traffic through Shadesmar for the foreseeable future, and he wasn't going to make money by hunkering down instead of embracing the prime streaming opportunity.

Mentally, Volo began figuring out the profiles of each person he planned to feature on the upcoming stream.

• Arenta: Wasn't sure what I was expecting. An innkeeper with a penchant for gossip would be the ideal accomplice to an Elder, wouldn't she? Still, as much as I've watched her so far, I haven't really figured out how I feel about her.
• Shady fellow - Sever, I think his name was? Seems a tad hesitant, but consistent with behaviour so far. Watch for sincerity.
• Metorem: Read the town a long lecture on the difference between predicting the future and pattern recognition which boiled down to a conflation between causal analysis and understanding. As far as I can tell, the fellow was under some pressure for having failed to predict the incoming Everstorm. His concerns didn't seem to be on the murders in his village, though whether that reflected a killer's callousness or simply a preoccupation with his job, I couldn't say.
• Matoro: Profile for a future episode.
• Jonoh: Anxious about the apocalypse, and apparently paranoid. He'd made a pre-emptive declaration about being on the same side as me, and I didn't really understand how he worked that one out. I'm not even sure who in Ru Eris might not be a killer at this point in time. Something to watch.
• Cillian: Apparently a singing sailor? Was quick to accuse, which can be uncharacteristic, but cited a worry about being thrown out, which I guess could explain his behaviour. Watch.

It was, after all, early yet.

He'd heard at last that anyone saved by Progression would know they'd been saved from an attack, which at least reduced his concerns that the killers would simply run a protection scam to gain trust from Ru Eris's inhabitants.

Quote

I am a very law abiding Shin Assassin, thank u very much. not at all shady. 

 

5 hours ago, CadCom said:

Metorem has been panicked all morning. It has been a week since the Everstorm came, and he still had no answers. No amount of crunching the numbers, even looking retroactively, had provided any insight as to any indication of a storm coming from the west of all places. 

In just a few minutes he was scheduled to make an appearance and people wanted answers. Answers he didn't have. What was that storm? What caused it? Will it happen again? No metrics used to predict a high are able to be used to predict the Everstorm. And there's only been one in all of recorded history. But he was the stormwarden. His entire livelihood was on the line if he couldn't convince the populace that he was still trustworthy

As Metorem hurriedly packed his day wares, and left his home, he noted his property was remarkably clean and undamaged compared to his neighbors who were still dealing with the aftermath of the everstorm. Something everyone always just considered an unbelievable streak of luck, but Metorem knew the real reason. Thank the Nightwatcher. 

---

15 minutes later, Metorem found himself climbing the steps to the highest pedestal in the town center, where he knew a crowd of onlookers was waiting. 

"I find myself in a bizarre, nay, exuberocious position of answering questions and defending myself to a plethora of personages who disdainfully patronize my grandiose line of work. 

"Ye who just 10 days ago superciliously criticized me for trying to predict the future. I have words first for you. For the core of your culture and beliefs disregards the art of the stormwarden in negative light. Ye believe that I try to predict the future, which you look down on with voracitiousness. But you do not judge correctly. I do not seek to predict the future, rather my aspirations be to merely understand the future

"Seeking to predict the future is an attempt to understand all causal effects. It is to seek to know what comes next with certainty. A stormwarden does not seek this. We merely seek to understand the patterns that govern our natural existence. To know what the trends are and to prepare ourselves and society for the most probable outcomes by unraveling the rules which dictate our climate. 

"Now that being said, indubitably many are here today to inquiesce of me why I gave no warning of the devistatingly incenduous Everstorm. 

"Firstly I want to emphasize no storm of this type hath ever even ventured to find a tittle of its way into our climactic annals. No record of a storm from the west has been spoken in the entiretousness of the grand history of our world. Where there is no trend there is no way to understand what is to come. 

"The Everstorm not only defied all of the physical realm, but also the essence of foresight itself. We study the unfolding of these events, kerythology, but it is feeble, feeble indeed to attempt to understand the causes. Numerology and pattern recognition will always fail to capture the chaos the shards. Odium, Honor, and Cultivation eternescently entwined in a dance of power, of lust, of control. Our miserable souls the pawns of their dance of destiny.

"Thus, the Everstorm is not a mere tempest of the skies—it is a tempest of existence itself, and to predict it, we would need to foresee all things at once. I shall not ask for forgiveness, for there is no misstep here, only the recognition of our limits as we reach for the horizon of truth. In this, we are reminded that the future is a horizon we can never quite touch, only approach.

"I know not whether this storm shall return, though I communicate via spanreed with my esteemed colleagues around Roshar, we seek to identify new trends, and receive word from those to the west should it return. The stormforsaken West. I end by reiterating my proclamations theme. Life is a tempest. I seek to understand the trends of this tempest, but I do not know the future. 

"I'll find myself enjoying a mid-afternoon meal at The Leaky Bucket should anyone seek additional clarity. I bid you all a good day."

Metorem stepped down from his pedestal and went over to the leaky bucket for some lunch. 

3 hours ago, Ookla the Violist said:

After hearing the stormwardern's speech, Jonoh decided to have a word with this alleged fortune teller. He sits down at Metorem's table.

"Nice message 'I can't predict the future, but you should still trust me to tell what's going to happen.' I knew this was coming and I was just about to tell everyone...

Anyway, your house seems to have survived the storm in good condition. Any chance I could use it as a bunker? I don't like the look of some of the people around here recently."

Sever had been listening with half an ear to the whole exchange outside, sighing. Nothing to work with here. I'm feeling that they aren't the guy we are looking for. the second man seems a bit... off however. Ill push that later if i survive to tomorrow.

[stiltedmoth she/her]

Giethri sat at her table in The Leaky Bucket, drinking in the commotion of the inn's other inhabitants. It was about all she could afford to drink, what with her latest enterprise lying on the Marabethian seabed along with whichever unlucky sailors had been out when the Everstorm struck. It should have been a simple venture. The tradelines from Herdaz had always led Giethri to a tidy profit, not a short journey by any means, but the profits from sales in Azir more than made up for the weeks on open water. Still bemoaning her losses, she turned her attention more fully to the others' whispers of Unmade.

As an unfamiliar face in town Giethri was pleasantly surprised that suspicion hadn't immediately settled on her. Arriving from the west just ahead of the Everstorm, even she had to admit the unaspicious timing of it all. She considered her options for a minute - as much as she wanted to board the next boat homewards and leave this nasty business behind her, with the Everstorm now an unpredictable obstacle it would be hard to find any vessel willing to brave the trip. With a sigh, Giethri got up from her table and sauntered over to fill the space the Shin assassin had just left. Despite his strange bouts of talking to seemingly thin air, Volomir seemed to have the most idea of what was going on, and if Giethri was staying for any length of time she needed all the information she could gather. His knowledge could as easily tie him to the current events as his apparent willingness to share it could distance him from them, but either way she wasn't going to learn any more by sitting still and lamenting her losses. She pulls up a chair at the table. "So, Volomir right? You been stuck here long?"

[Kasimir he/him]

1 hour ago, stiltedmoth said:

"So, Volomir right? You been stuck here long?"

Well, at least it wasn't one of the locals. Things had been quiet for the moment, and there was word of an announcement in about twelve hours local time. Something to do with the Elders seeking out collaborators. May as like to be that shady fellow—Volo thought he'd heard Arenta referring to him as a Shin assassin, though he could count on one hand the number of times he'd heard anything to do with the Shin when it came to Roshar.

Things being quiet was interesting, though. As far as Volo could tell, just about four names had been thrown about, with little shifting. Maybe it was too early. Or maybe it suggested the murderers were too comfortable with the current state of affairs. Sever seemed comfortable enough that he hadn't yet voiced suspicions, and yet promised to do so if given more time. Volo wasn't sure what that meant for Sever. He did want to wait a little longer to see how long he'd keep that up anyway, before drawing any conclusions.

Though Volo supposed that for all he knew, some of those red spren'd bonded just as easily to travelling strangers as to locals. He had to keep his suspicions broad.

"It's the storming Everstorm," he said, lightly. "I don't think anyone's getting any travelling done while the storm's raging through these parts. What's your thinking about things right now? An Elder stabbing a seafood vendor after taking up with a strange spren?"

[Lord Spirit he/him]

Jonoh needed to find out what was going on. Sure, he has seen the storm, but he didn’t know much about the strangers in town or the new spren that had appeared. 
Well, if Jonoh wanted reliable information, there was one person in Ru Eris who always knew what was going on. 

He walks over to the table where the shin man had been sitting. Best avoid that one. He seemed dangerous. He takes a seat and glances at the innkeeper. “So Arenta, what’s happening? The world’s ending and there’s word of the Unmade, here in our little town of all places! Can you believe it?”

@Araris Valerian

[Kasimir he/him]

According to Warren, the most recent stream was doing pretty well, even if it was just a quick snapshot of the first couple of seconds of Volo talking to one of their 'cast', the assassin in black, who seemed uncommonly sociable. The team'd uploaded the stream as a short with a couple of hot hashtags and it'd done numbers pretty quickly, with the team keeping track of what viewers seemed particularly interested in.

Volo figured they were all winging this as he went, but engagement was promising, so he wasn't really complaining at the moment.

Maybe he should keep doing cast feature shorts, one after another. Get the viewers more interested, and speculating where the other murderers might be. 

He nursed his soup—by now, Volo'd figured the locals knew to come down to Arenta's, especially when her brother was doing anything with lavis grain or cremlings, and today it was some kind of savoury broth—and worked things out as he waited to see what the travelling merchant, Giethri [moth] made of the situation. As it was, Volo figured you sometimes got better replies by knowing when to listen.

Didn't mean he had to do nothing, though.

He felt rather rusty at this sort of thing, but he reckoned that Jonoh and Arenta were unlikely to be partners in crime. He added Metorem and Jonoh to the list in his head as well, and after a moment's hesitation: Sever and Arenta. (He didn't know how many more there were, but Volo kind of figured given everything in play, they were looking at the vicinity of two more, with three being the absolute upper bound involving potential madness.)

The list in question was starting to look something like this:

Quote

X Arenta - Jonoh
X Metorem - Jonoh
X Sever - Arenta
X Cillian - Sever

The way he saw it, he figured that Arenta was the sort to push for more real distance with any kind of accomplice. She just seemed like the no-nonsense, down-to-business sort to him (unless you had gossip, and that was something else then.) Apparently she'd voiced suspicions of Sever, but Volo kind of thought Arenta wouldn't parlay it into whatever was happening, with the way Sever was interacting with her and almost hanging off her. No, two confederates would put a little more distance between them, particularly with Arenta's accusation. So he figured Arenta and Jonoh probably weren't doing evil red spren things together.

He figured there was maybe something like this as well with how blatantly Jonoh was calling for Arenta, and then how Jonoh'd singled out Metorem for casual conversation. Of course, maybe Jonoh's comfort with either of them suggested a connection beyond the obvious, but once again, Volo had the gut feeling that it worked like scams: you never wanted to appear too obviously connected, and the casual way Jonoh'd talked to them both suggested no real connection there. (He needed a better psychological profile of Jonoh to make more sense of this, alas.)

Weakest yet was the disconnect between Cilian and Sever. Apparently, in Marabethia, it often took two accusations for anything to be taken seriously. For Cilian to opportunistically insert himself into suspicions of Sever seemed to indicate he wasn't particularly concerned about Sever's welfare. He'd an inkling that Sever's nonreaction there felt...significant, and yet Volo couldn't put his finger on what it was. Confidence that a partner would soon retract his accusation? Committed nonchalance? The bliss of the innocent? The day was yet young, and Volo felt the least confident about that line of thought. He'd heard sailors had a particularly high risk tolerance, especially on Roshar where you never wanted to be caught out at sea when a highstorm came. 

Matoro'd [Ookla the Irreplaceable] had been pretty quiet, though. Showed up, and then disappeared again. Maybe Volo should work on finding out what more could be known about that one.

Edited December 10, 2024 by Ookla the Villager
bolded username as well

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

59 minutes ago, Ookla the Violist said:

Jonoh needed to find out what was going on. Sure, he has seen the storm, but he didn’t know much about the strangers in town or the new spren that had appeared. 
Well, if Jonoh wanted reliable information, there was one person in Ru Eris who always knew what was going on. 

He walks over to the table where the shin man had been sitting. Best avoid that one. He seemed dangerous. He takes a seat and glances at the innkeeper. “So Arenta, what’s happening? The world’s ending and there’s word of the Unmade, here in our little town of all places! Can you believe it?”

@Araris Valerian

Sever rolls his eyes. "If thats a try at her reputation, it isnt gonna work. it isnt really gossip if everyone knows" he sighs. no tact whatsoever, of course the stonewalkers have no tact. Sever looked to Volomir. 

 

11 minutes ago, Ookla the Villager said:

According to Warren, the most recent stream was doing pretty well, even if it was just a quick snapshot of the first couple of seconds of Volo talking to one of their 'cast', the assassin in black, who seemed uncommonly sociable. The team'd uploaded the stream as a short with a couple of hot hashtags and it'd done numbers pretty quickly, with the team keeping track of what viewers seemed particularly interested in.

Volo figured they were all winging this as he went, but engagement was promising, so he wasn't really complaining at the moment.

Maybe he should keep doing cast feature shorts, one after another. Get the viewers more interested, and speculating where the other murderers might be. 

He nursed his soup—by now, Volo'd figured the locals knew to come down to Arenta's, especially when her brother was doing anything with lavis grain or cremlings, and today it was some kind of savoury broth—and worked things out as he waited to see what the travelling merchant, Giethri [moth] made of the situation. As it was, Volo figured you sometimes got better replies by knowing when to listen.

Didn't mean he had to do nothing, though.

He felt rather rusty at this sort of thing, but he reckoned that Jonoh and Arenta were unlikely to be partners in crime. He added Metorem and Jonoh to the list in his head as well, and after a moment's hesitation: Sever and Arenta. (He didn't know how many more there were, but Volo kind of figured given everything in play, they were looking at the vicinity of two more, with three being the absolute upper bound involving potential madness.)

The list in question was starting to look something like this:

The way he saw it, he figured that Arenta was the sort to push for more real distance with any kind of accomplice. She just seemed like the no-nonsense, down-to-business sort to him (unless you had gossip, and that was something else then.) Apparently she'd voiced suspicions of Sever, but Volo kind of thought Arenta wouldn't parlay it into whatever was happening, with the way Sever was interacting with her and almost hanging off her. No, two confederates would put a little more distance between them, particularly with Arenta's accusation. So he figured Arenta and Jonoh probably weren't doing evil red spren things together.

He figured there was maybe something like this as well with how blatantly Jonoh was calling for Arenta, and then how Jonoh'd singled out Metorem for casual conversation. Of course, maybe Jonoh's comfort with either of them suggested a connection beyond the obvious, but once again, Volo had the gut feeling that it worked like scams: you never wanted to appear too obviously connected, and the casual way Jonoh'd talked to them both suggested no real connection there. (He needed a better psychological profile of Jonoh to make more sense of this, alas.)

Weakest yet was the disconnect between Cilian and Sever. Apparently, in Marabethia, it often took two accusations for anything to be taken seriously. For Cilian to opportunistically insert himself into suspicions of Sever seemed to indicate he wasn't particularly concerned about Sever's welfare. He'd an inkling that Sever's nonreaction there felt...significant, and yet Volo couldn't put his finger on what it was. Confidence that a partner would soon retract his accusation? Committed nonchalance? The bliss of the innocent? The day was yet young, and Volo felt the least confident about that line of thought. He'd heard sailors had a particularly high risk tolerance, especially on Roshar where you never wanted to be caught out at sea when a highstorm came. 

Matoro'd [Ookla the Irreplaceable] had been pretty quiet, though. Showed up, and then disappeared again. Maybe Volo should work on finding out what more could be known about that one.

Sever wasnt sure quite what Volo was thinking, but he did know one thing: the way he was eyeing the drunk sailor in the corner led him to believe that he was connecting them, and he had no connection whatsoever. "Ey, gem worshiper, I dont exactly like the sailor either. If worse comes to worse, before the end of the day I will even the vote out myself to save my own skin." he took up his dagger, hoping Arenta would forgive him for this, and wrote into the wall. 

Quote

Votes Against: Currently (My count)
Matoro: 1
Sever: 2
Arenta: 1 
Volomir: 1

he nods to himself, but cringes to himself as for what Arenta will say to him for this.

[Kasimir he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla de los cuervos said:

Sever wasnt sure quite what Volo was thinking, but he did know one thing: the way he was eyeing the drunk sailor in the corner led him to believe that he was connecting them, and he had no connection whatsoever. "Ey, gem worshiper, I dont exactly like the sailor either. If worse comes to worse, before the end of the day I will even the vote out myself to save my own skin." he took up his dagger, hoping Arenta would forgive him for this, and wrote into the wall. 

Volo didn't think Sever was connected to Cilian: he thought they were disconnected:

19 minutes ago, Ookla the Villager said:

Weakest yet was the disconnect between Cilian and Sever. Apparently, in Marabethia, it often took two accusations for anything to be taken seriously. For Cilian to opportunistically insert himself into suspicions of Sever seemed to indicate he wasn't particularly concerned about Sever's welfare.

It was true, however, that there were two points of uncertainty to Volo's thoughts:

First, Sever hadn't seemed particularly concerned about collecting two accusations, which might imply some behind-the-scenes collusion. Against that, Volo weighed the thought it was passing strange for Cilian to accuse Sever, for them to be partners in crime, and for Sever to just...completely fail to react. Something like that had happened before: he'd seen scams run where one partner just ignored the other, and one of them had behaved much like Cilian.

Second, he figured that if Cilian'd truly wanted to make some appearance of antagonism between him and Sever, there'd probably be more telegraphing of the move. Some scammers worked like that: they made big flashy moves, to distract you from the sleight-of-hand going on.

All in all, Volo's overall judgement was for the moment that Sever and Cillian were less likely to be accomplices. He was just less certain of it and thought it wise to flag his own uncertainties.