Araris Valerian he/him Posted January 2, 2025 Posted January 2, 2025 (edited) Oh no! Koloss have begun advancing on your town, Tyrian Falls! Since The Lord Ruler died, they seem to be acting with a mind of their own. Unfortunately for you, your town is a way point between Fadrex City and Luthadel. That means you have a stockpile of metals, but that’s probably why they targeted you in the first place. On the other hand, you have a large collection of metals! You might be able to hold them off, but it seems like someone (or a conspiracy of someones) seems to be undermining your defenses. Somehow, before the Koloss arrive, you have to rid your town of these dissenters; those that are spiked. Until then, you won’t be able to mount an effective defense for your town. If you fail, everyone dies, so you better not fail! Welcome to Anniversary Game 11 and another year of SE! I will be the GM for this game, and @Kasimir will be helping me with writeups. Signups will close on Friday January 10th at 9PM Eastern Time. The game will begin at 11PM Eastern Time the same evening, which is the time all rollovers will occur at. This is an anonymous game so don’t sign up in the thread. Please sign up by PMing me privately. You can message me here, on Discord, or wherever else you like, and you'll be in so long as I respond with a "noted" within a day or two. If you message me on Discord and your handle doesn't correspond to your Shard username, let me know your current shard username). Do your best not to indicate whether or not you're playing to anyone else. If you want to spectate, PM me and I'll send you a link when the game starts. Check out the rules below and pick a cosmetic role if you wish before signing up. Rules: Spoiler Alignments: VILLAGE: Win when all Spiked are dead. SPIKED: Win when they outnumber the village, or otherwise can no longer lose. General Rules: 48-hour days, 24-hour nights. Vote minimum is 1. Ties are decided randomly. Final votes will reflect the number changed by manipulation, but not the names. Unsuccessful attacks will be announced as “____ was attacked, but didn’t die!” with no differentiation between Thug and Lurcher protection. Spiked vs. Coinshot attacks will be differentiated in the write-up, including if the attack is unsuccessful. Group PMs are allowed. Spiked are not guaranteed a role. There are no secrets. There is an inactivity filter of two cycles. You must post in the thread, or be replaced/removed. One action per turn (two allowed per cycle). Roles: THUG: They can survive a single attack. If they are killed during a night or day cycle, they survive and this will be revealed in the write up. If they are attacked again, they die… finally. TINEYE: They are messengers and are capable of writing messages to the town while remaining anonymous. Each night, they can send a message to the Game Master. The GM will then post it within the write up at the start of the next Day. As long as a Tineye is alive, players can send Private Messages back and forth. Once no Tineye is alive, they can no longer deliver messages, so no more PMs. SMOKER: The Smoker is undetectable and they can extend this power to one other person each night*. If scanned by a Seeker, the smoker or the person encompassed within their coppercloud will show up as being Smoked. Alternatively, the Smoker can turn their coppercloud off. This would allow them to be scanned accurately as a Smoker. In addition to being undetectable by the Seeker, the Smoker and their target are unaffected by emotional Allomancy. As long as the Smoker is using their coppercloud, a Soother or Rioter cannot change their vote. *Smokers can choose on D1 whether they want their copper cloud on or off, applying only to themselves. SEEKER: The Seeker can sense when someone is burning metals. In fact, they have gotten so good that they can tell whether someone is spiked or not! Once per night, the Seeker can target someone to learn their abilities and alignment. COINSHOT: The Coinshot does what they do best. They push metals around; specifically into other people’s bodies. Once per night, the Coinshot can target a person for death. Unless otherwise disrupted, that person dies. LURCHER: Where the Coinshot pushes, the Lurcher pulls. Once per night the Lurcher can target someone and that person will be saved from death. A Lurcher cannot target the same person two nights in a row. SOOTHER: Their ability to dampen emotions puts them and the Rioter in a very special position. During the Day, they can negate one person’s vote. The change will be anonymous, but since I will be posting voting results at the end of each day, those that are observant should be able to tell what votes were changed. RIOTER: The Rioter works in a similar fashion as the Soother, except once during the day round they can change one person’s vote. Using this power does nullify their own vote though. They are still capable of voting, but their vote will not be counted. The change itself will be anonymous, but since I will be posting voting results at the end of each day, those that are observant should be able to tell what votes were changed. MISTBORN: They have the abilities of all of the above, but will only be able to use one per cycle. At the beginning of every day, the Mistborn will be told which ability they have and they can use that ability until the next night. If a previously held power would be received, the die is rerolled, and the new power is granted regardless of whether or not it was previously held. VANILLA: You have no special powers, but you still get a vote every day. Who knows? Perhaps you were meant to be the one to save the town! Not all stories are about the strongest people in a group. Clarifications: Spoiler A Tineye who is killed at Night will still have their message appear in the writeup at the start of the next Day (along with their dead body). For the Mistborn, I roll a d10 each cycle. If the result is a 9, 10, or number the mistborn has already rolled, I roll a d8 and keep that result no matter what You cannot place two actions during the same turn (i.e. no elim kill + night action from the same person), but you can place two during the same cycle (i.e. day action + elim kill is fine). Day OoA: Smoking*, Soothing/Rioting**, Execution Night OoA: Smoking*, Seeking, Tineye Message, Lurching, Kills *As noted, Smoking does not extend protection to someone the turn after the Smoker dies. ** The interactions between Soothing and Rioting have already been clarified extensively. Emotional Allomancy interactions: Seeking a Smoked target will have a result of "your target was Smoked" (for role and alignment both). If a Rioter is Smoked, their own vote will not be cancelled (and the Riot will still go through). If a Rioter and a Soother try to move and cancel the same vote, the vote is moved and cancelled (with an effective result of just cancelled, plus the Rioter's own vote being cancelled). Rioting someone's vote to a Smoked player will work as normal. Soothing or Rioting a Smoked player will not move that player's vote. A Rioter's own vote will still be cancelled. Two Riots on the same target will 'cancel out' and the target's vote will stay in place. A Riot can be used to move a player to no-vote, but not from no vote to a player. Rioting/Soothing: You can Riot someone to a no-vote but not from one. If you try to Riot someone from a no-vote, your own vote doesn't get cancelled - you just get told the action was invalid (and, where possible, we'll try to prevent that from happening as your friendly neighborhood GMs, in the same way we'd alert someone who tried to Lurch the same person two cycles in a row). A Rioter trying to move Fifth's vote to Wilson will still have their own vote nullified if Fifth's vote ends on Wilson. A Rioter cannot move their own vote, and a Soother cannot self-target. Cosmetic Roles: You are highly encouraged (though not required) to take a cosmetic role. Use it however you wish and include it however much you want in your posts. This is simply for fun and for RP creativity. Spoiler Past Lives: Something never seemed quite right about your memories; perhaps they were attached to different people, or maybe you have returned even from death and retained a few of them. Maybe you dream about other lives you have led before this one. (They don't end well.) In every post, you must include something about one of your past lives. Merchant: The world might be coming to an end, but the highest good is still money, and you’ve got to get boxings out of pockets and into your hands somehow. In every post, you must advertise a good you are selling or conduct a business transaction. Gambler: The toss of the die, the coin quivering in midair—it’s these moments you live for. Your losses have been great. Your gains, so far? Greater. In every post, you must take some form of risk (whether with money or otherwise), a bet, or a comment of how you won some fabulous prize. Elderly: Your best years are behind you. You’ve lived, laughed, and loved and now you’re starting to get to the point where you’re knocking on death’s door. Whether this makes you wise, grumpy, content, etc. is up to you. In every post, you must make note of your age in some way, perhaps by reminiscing about how great (or terrible) things used to be, or lamenting the attitudes of "kids these days". High Imperial: Wasing the wanting of speaking in High Imperial. You must use it at least somewhere in your posts. Note: you do not have to use it for every sentence and you still need to be mostly intelligible. Shivertongue did this one for LG2, so if you’re curious how to remain intelligible while also using High Imperial, this is a good example of a way to do it. Survivor Priest: Kelsier wasn't just a famous crew leader for you. Perhaps you were in Luthadel during the riots. Perhaps you saw him come back. Regardless, you're a believer and must make reference to the Survivor or the Survivor religion in each post. Drunk: You're never far from a bottle. Heck, sometimes you sleep with one curled in your hands. The reason you drown yourself in alcohol is your own, but within every post, you need to slur some of your words and/or appear to be drunk in some fashion. Casanova: Good looks are such a curse; one you know all too well. While you didn't ask for it, to you, it's obvious that you are the best looking person ever and you won't let anyone forget it. In every post, you need to remind everyone of what a heartbreaker you are. The Jaist: Somehow, somewhere, you heard about Jaism and knew it to be perfect for you. Now that the Lord Ruler is gone, you've taken up the mantle of this lost religion and in Jaist fashion, you frequently mention your faith. You must end your posts with "Praise the Ja." Unlucky: Things rarely go right for you and even when they do, it always goes horribly wrong shortly after. Each post you must lament on how life is unfair to you. Hopeful Orphan: Your parents left you at a young age but they said they would be back for you one day. Each post you must either talk about your parents or ask another player if they know your parents. Terris Steward: You live to serve others. You just don’t feel complete unless you’re waiting on someone, retrieving an item, delivering a message, you name it. Each post, you must wait on someone else. Glutton: You love to eat and eat and eat. You just can’t seem to stop. Every post, you must eat at least one food item. Scholarly: Reading is your favorite pastime. In fact you are rarely seen without a book either in your hands or bulging from a pocket. Every post must contain you quoting from a book. Mistwraith Ate My Parents: You suspect your parents were eaten by a Mistwraith and now have a strong aversion to going out into the mists. Every post you must either lament the loss of your parents or curse the Mists. House Lord: As a nobleman, you’re better than the rest of the ‘people’ in this town. And you love to remind them of that fact. Every post, you must either reference your cultural or racial superiority, or you must purchase a luxury good. Narcissist: You think that you’re better than everyone else and you don’t really care about the problems of others. In every post, you must show that you’re better than everyone else or how little you care about others. Creative Cook: Food is often in short supply but you have learned to make do with what you have. Every post you must either cook some exotic food or talk about meals you created from some unappetizing/spoiled ingredients. Jokester: You look on the funny side of life. After all what's the point of living if you can't have a laugh or two. Every post must contain either a joke or a funny story. Tinker: You love to learn how things work, mostly by pulling them apart and trying to put them back together again. Each post must contain your character fiddling with a mechanical item or designing a mechanical item. Forgetful: Your mind isn't what it used to be. Each post must contain you starting one thing, either a sentence or task, and end with you doing something else completely unrelated. Excitable: You get excited about basically everything. Each post must contain you being happy about something, either something you done or something another player has done. Kleptomaniac: Whether you’re a free-spirited “trader” like Wayne or a greedy street urchin, you can’t seem to keep your hands off other people’s stuff. In every post, you must steal or ‘trade’ at least one item or try to repress your urge to swipe someone else's loot. Guardsman: Bodyguard or a part of the militia, you hold to your code. In every post, you must mention guarding something or comment about “the law.” Hobbyist: You have something that you do on the side. Maybe you collect rare metals or gardening or whatever; but you’re passionate about it. You must reference your hobby in some way in every post. Neat: You like things to be neat and clean. Ash and dirt are not things you like to see. Every post must contain you cleaning something. Gossip: You love hearing about the little tidbits that are going on in other people’s lives. Almost as much as you love spreading them! In every post, you must either acquire some new gossip or spread some new piece of gossip (remember, not all gossip always happens to be true). Handicapped: You’ve lost an eye or a leg or an arm or a hand or something and it makes your life a bit more difficult. In every post, you must reference your particular handicap in some way. Allergic to Metal: No one envies your place in life, considering the planet you’re on. You’re allergic to metals. This means no forks, no swords, no metal buttons. If you do come in contact with metal, you tend to break out in a reaction. In every post, you must show the steps you take to keep yourself safe. Obligator: You still have faith in the Lord Ruler. Whether you think his death is a hoax or you think he will return, you haven’t wavered. In every post, you must make reference to the Lord Ruler or his, er, rule. Prophetic: Perhaps you know the truth and believe Vin will doom the world. Perhaps you think you’re the “Announcer” and are heralding in a new age. No matter what you believe, you believe it entirely. In every post, you must make reference to your prophecy. Make Your Own: There have been some really creative and unique CRs in the past, like Madagascar’s Drunk Crazy Cat Lady, so have some fun with it, and I shudder to see what you all come up with this time around. Anonymous Game Notes: Spoiler At the start of the game, you will be issued an anonymous account. There are a number of rules associated with the use of an Anonymous Account. Please follow them carefully. Given the potential for abuse of Anonymous Accounts, any rule breaking using the accounts will be dealt with harshly. 1) Do not change the password of the anonymous account you are issued. The IM, co-GM, and I will have access to all anonymous accounts for the duration of the game. 2) Do not use the anonymous accounts to PM any non-anonymous account, other than the accounts of the GM(s). Please do not use your normal accounts to PM anonymous accounts. 3) Once again, do not tell any other player or individual associated with SE whether you are playing or not playing the Anonymous Game. Player identities will be revealed after the game, not on the death of their avatar. Players are asked (but not required) not to reveal their own identity after their death, until the end of the game, including in the dead/spec doc. Players wishing to spectate rather than play should PM me for a link to the spectator doc. Questions and rules clarifications should be submitted in your sign up PMs, and answers will be posted by myself in the signups thread. 4) Do not change anything cosmetic about the accounts, including member title, username, signature, and avatar. Quick Links: Spoiler Day One - All Along The Watchtower Night One - Dirt Road Blues Day Two - Cold Irons Bound Night Two - Lock Your Door Day Three - Desolation Row Night Three - Pay In Blood Day Four - Borrowed Time Night Four - End of the Line Day Five - Dead Man, Dead Man Night Five - Steel and Feathers (Don't Ever) Day Six - Every Grain of Sand Night Six - Beyond the Horizon Day Seven - Everything is Broken Aftermath - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Finale - Blowin' In the Wind Player Count: 15 Pinch Hitters: 1 Edited February 7, 2025 by Elandera 6
Araris Valerian he/him Posted January 11, 2025 Author Posted January 11, 2025 Signups are closed! The first day will be posted in 2 hours.
Kasimir he/him Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 (edited) AG11/AN15: Day One - All Along The Watchtower The roaring flames consumed the watchtower, sending up a blazing beacon across the surrounding countryside, visible even in the thin mists that draped the cool night. Dark grey smoke swirled into the mists, mingling with them. Captain Teys of the hastily-assembled Tyrian Watch had the strangest feeling that someone was trying to send a message. The volunteers of the Watch—some of them with experience soldiering in Fadrex City or elsewhere— had formed a fire line and were passing buckets of water to each link in the large human chain, hastily trying to douse the fires. Some of them, the more superstitious ones, were surreptitiously whispering prayers to the Lord Ruler, hoping to be shielded from the evils and the wraiths that lurked in the mists. It wasn’t going to work. The fires were too large, too hungry. Teys shielded his eyes with his cupped hand as he studied the burning watchtower. The oak structure of the watchtower had been charred beforehand, and sealed and treated with an oil to prevent fires, while the canvas had been soaked with water. It wasn’t the sort of structure meant to go up to just about any stray spark from a watchman’s lantern. But all of their precautions didn’t seem to have done anything against the fire. No, Teys thought, grimly. This didn’t seem like an accident at all. Someone had wanted the watchtower to burn, had wanted to blind Tyrian Falls to the threat that was surely advancing upon them, even now, in the mists that enveloped the land at night. But who? The troubles of Tyrian Falls had properly started with the merchant caravan, Aralis decided. Most normal merchants came by the canals, but sometimes, you got groups that decided they knew better how the world worked and came overland by the roads. Damnfool lot, even if they were smart enough to twig onto the idea that the yammering about lurking mistwraiths was a load of rubbish. Still, instead of mistwraiths, they’d taken to hysterics about a supposed pack of koloss, lurking in the mists several days away from Tyrian Falls. Koloss! Whatever next? Sure, the caravan had run themselves to the ground, and some of them were badly injured, but their story had more holes in it than Nibbles’s cheeses. Everyone knew that koloss didn’t just up and walk towards any random town they were fed up of, not without the Lord Ruler’s say-so. And sure, there were those rumours about the Lord Ruler’s demise, even if no one dared to breathe a word of them, but Aralis couldn’t see how someone’d finally succeeded. They’d been trying to off him for decades, if not centuries! And if the caravan had really run into koloss, judging from the condition of that mangled packhorse, and the injured guards, then how in the Lord Ruler’s name had they managed to survive? Koloss were killing machines. They were loosed when the Lord Ruler’d had enough and decided to smite some place for being naughty in his sight and they left no survivors in their wake. So how was a random merchant caravan from a made-up place Aralis had never heard of in his entire long life in Tyrian Falls somehow running into a pack of koloss, surviving, and then running off to Tyrian Falls to induce collective hysteria in the town? Rubbish, if you asked him. Absolute rubbish. Everyone was getting worked up about absolutely nothing. Mayor Tema had leaned on Captain Teys, who presumably so badly wanted to be useful for once in his life, so he’d sent out a volunteer scout to check out the koloss rumours, and the scout’d gone and gotten himself drunk or something, everyone knew you didn’t trust Cambry with anything serious, why, Aralis remembered having to whack Cambry with his thwacking staff for taking one look at a rat supposedly on Aralis’s porch and running off screaming fit to wake the dead! Hadn’t even finished the repairs Aralis’d commissioned him to. No, it had all begun with the caravan, and if Aralis’d had his way, he’d’ve given them all a good thwack with his staff and sent them off on their way. The cold, grey light of dawn had first broken through, dispelling the lingering mists when the volunteers of the Tyrian Watch had won the battle with the flames. Not because of particular valour or persistence, but simply because the flames had run out of fuel. The watchtower itself was lost. Searching through the detritus of the watchtower, through cooling ashes, and chunks of wood, and scraps of blackened canvas, Captain Teys found what he had half-expected to see, and yet, what he had not wanted to see. Blackened pottery shards, in the middle of all the debris. He squatted down and closed his eyes, trying to imagine the lay-out of the watchtower. Dead centre, and in the middle of ashes. The sides had produced some fragments of charred wood and canvas. The fire had burned the hottest here. He imagined what must have happened: an unknown saboteur, bringing a clay pot of oil into the heart of the watchtower, and then smashing it into the floor. Ignition came later, from a flung torch, or a stray spark, or a fallen lantern. There was no body. Two members of the Watch had gone as close to the blaze as they dared, earlier that night, trying to see if they could find any sign of Gam, who was supposed to be on watch. As far as they could tell, Gam wasn’t in the burning watchtower. Thank the Lord Ruler for small miracles, Teys thought, though it raised other, darker questions about where Gam fit into the series of events that had unfolded. Questions that were, fortunately or unfortunately, answered half a candlemark later when one of the searchers reported finding Gam in a ditch nearby, his throat slit. In light of everything, it was difficult not to conclude someone had it out for Tyrian Falls. “Saboteurs,” someone else whispered. Teys opened his mouth to tell Maill off for speculation, but in truth, it was a thought that had crossed his mind more than once, that night. It was the only reasonable response to the burning watchtower, and now Gam’s murder. “We need to talk to Mayor Tema,” Teys said, tersely. “No running around and getting everyone else worked up, understand?” The watchmen present muttered their assent, but nevertheless, by the time they returned to Tyrian Falls proper, it seemed that rumours and whispers of saboteurs had already made their way around the village. Gam was killed! He was a Village Vanilla! PMs are open! Please include both myself and @Araris Valerian in all PMs made. The Day has begun! It will end in 48 hours on the 12th January 2025, 11PM ET. By now, you should have received your GM PMs and your anon accounts. Please notify Araris or myself if you face any technical issues. Players are also reminded to reupdate themselves on the rules for anonymous games, here. Additionally, please do not touch, delete, or edit any PM in your inbox titled Logbook. A reminder that the IM for this game is @Ookla the Benefflicted. Please reach out to him if you have concerns. Player List: Spoiler 1. @Amber Vulture - Sauve Chad (Ruinous Skeptic) 2. @Amethyst Scorpion - Malmoc (Herbalist) 3. @Azure Mouse - (Watcher) 4. @Charcoal Hyena 5. @Chartreuse Penguin - [Ade]mordna Niugnep 6. @Coral Swan - Acks (Matchmaker) 7. @Cream Tuatara - Hayden Vendel (Drunk) 8. @Emerald Falcon - (Observer) 9. @Fuchsia Ostrich - Kael Voss 10. @Indigo Weasel - Nibbles (Chef) 11. @Ivory Dragonfly - Sew (Hopeful Orphan) 12. @Magenta Albatross - Alais Short (Gambler) 13. @Mauve Crocodile - (Jaist) 14. @Melon Dingo - Rind (Orphaned By Mistwraiths) 15. @Mint Heron - Byrar (Unlucky Craftsman) Good luck, and have fun! Edited January 30, 2025 by Kasimir 1
Cream Tuatara Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Hayden slouched forward, clutching his bottle. Murder. It had been too long since something properly interesting had happened in this backwater town. He'd spent his life fighting rebels, lost his leg for it, only to retire himself back to this bloody town. You haven't been drinking enough, he thought, sighing. He wondered if any inns were open, and staggered forward, in an attempt to find one, or simply someone to talk to. Anything to assuage the pain.
Magenta Albatross Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Alais, a hulking man built like a rock, walks up to Hayden and sits down in a nearby chair. “Alais Short,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Do you want to make a bet?”
Ivory Dragonfly Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 8 minutes ago, Cream Tuatara said: Hayden slouched forward, clutching his bottle. Murder. It had been too long since something properly interesting had happened in this backwater town. He'd spent his life fighting rebels, lost his leg for it, only to retire himself back to this bloody town. You haven't been drinking enough, he thought, sighing. He wondered if any inns were open, and staggered forward, in an attempt to find one, or simply someone to talk to. Anything to assuage the pain. "Hey there!" a small feminine voice cried out. "Are you my dad? You look like you could be my dad." 2 minutes ago, Magenta Albatross said: Alais, a hulking man built like a rock, walks up to Hayden and sits down in a nearby chair. “Alais Short,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Do you want to make a bet?” She turned to the other arrival, abruptly inserting herself into the conversation. "Or maybe you're my dad? I always wanted a last name. That seems soooo cool. What ya chattin' about?"
Magenta Albatross Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Ivory Dragonfly said: She turned to the other arrival, abruptly inserting herself into the conversation. "Or maybe you're my dad? I always wanted a last name. That seems soooo cool. What ya chattin' about?" Alais sits up a bit straighter and gruffly states, “This talk ain’t for you, little one.” He turns back toward Hayden, and says, “I’ve been hearing some rumors about sabatoge. It oughta have been done by a person. Do ya want to set some odds in which one?” Edited January 11, 2025 by Magenta Albatross I forgot I was sitting down
Fuchsia Ostrich Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 "lamps for sale! Fresh bread for sale! come one, come all! anything you could want, I have!" Kael Voss walked into the inn and saw several people sitting down at a table. "can I offer you anything? A sword? A shield? a new chair?" @Magenta Albatross @Cream Tuatara
Magenta Albatross Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 (edited) Alais looks up and calls to the bartender, “Three beers for these fine folks and myself, and whatever the girl wants, contingent on them hearing me out.” @Fuchsia Ostrich @Ivory Dragonfly @Cream Tuatara Edited January 11, 2025 by Magenta Albatross Typo
Fuchsia Ostrich Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Just now, Magenta Albatross said: Alais looks up and calls to the bartender, “Three beers for these fine folks, and whatever the girl wants, contingent on them hearing me out.” @Fuchsia Ostrich @Ivory Dragonfly @Cream Tuatara "much appriciated... what can i do for you? i am a merchant of sorts... i sell anything and everything... for a price..."
Coral Swan Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Acks stepped through the doorway of the inn. There were enough people where it just happened. He burned the eleventh metal for just a moment, almost by reflex, and immediately the population of the room was doubled. He quickly shook his head to clear the vision before anything could stick. As the visions of possible futures faded, Acks eyes were drawn towards a young woman who stood tall with a fine wedding dress on. Part of him wanted to look around the inn to see who the match was, but he had only burned the smallest amount of metal so the pretty woman disappeared almost as quickly as she had appeared. Acks shook his head. This isn't who you are anymore, Acks. He shouldn't have even taken a vial this morning, but habits died slowly. Keeping his eyes down he made his way to the bar and sat down. 1
Magenta Albatross Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 “You’ve got that good merchant’s reckoning, then,” he said, shifting closer to Kael. “Let’s set an over-under. I’ll say that there’ll be 4 and a half days of this sabatoge panic trite, then it’ll die down, or we’ll just die. Do you want the over or under?” @Fuchsia Ostrich
Cream Tuatara Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 42 minutes ago, Magenta Albatross said: Alais, a hulking man built like a rock, walks up to Hayden and sits down in a nearby chair. “Alais Short,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Do you want to make a bet?” "Uh, yeah." he said, slurring his words. "Why not?" 37 minutes ago, Ivory Dragonfly said: "Hey there!" a small feminine voice cried out. "Are you my dad? You look like you could be my dad." She turned to the other arrival, abruptly inserting herself into the conversation. "Or maybe you're my dad? I always wanted a last name. That seems soooo cool. What ya chattin' about?" "I noone's dad, leastways not right now. You can have my last name, though, don't matter to me. It was Vendel, though I supposed it yours now."
Azure Mouse Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 It's rare to find me on a night like this, alone. Wandering the streets. It's been dangerous these past few weeks, and while I like a little bit of risk in my life, there's no reason to tempt fate to her extremes. My 'ma used to work at the watchtower. Keeping a nightwatch on the warm nights, before the rumors of worse snuck in, and Nonnie had urged her off of it. Seems she had had the right idea, after the fire burned it down hungrily, and death set itself upon Gam. A ghastly thing to occur, in such an uncaring way. Not even a hint of respect for the dead. Was there no dignity in this world? Even among war, can we not be kind to die with dignity? The village coalesces, a ripe hounding mass of petty throats and shifting danger. Even among the good there would be the ugly. The scared, reckless, and those too full of their own fear to be unable to keep it within. The cracks would show soon, pressure setting on even the most calm among us. But then... the watch tower... Gam. There didn't seem to be signs of a struggle? I didn't bother to take a look myself. But something like that reflects more inwardly than out. Even among the whispers of scared sheep, surely there'd be those of duplicity as well. It'd be foolish to think of myself as much of a help. I'm no soldier, even as my 'ma had recounted her own time in service, I've always kept myself to the shadows, the quiet, content with my coins and my own folly. Even as my mothers cringe. It's hard to assess these people. I'm not familiar enough, haven't bothered enough to care. Maybe a familiar voice or shape seen by the clouds. It seems I've solidified myself to be a part of it, walking out here, and staring as long as I have. My feet walk forwards, lining up to group sat among a tavern, compelled by some instinctive force. But not enough to quite care. A focus settled towards looking. People watching. Perhaps my only skill that would have suited this conundrum well. I scan among them all. A bulky drunk. Reserved, though the glimmer in his eye appeared to imply more. A hypocrite, perhaps. Another, who had approached. Outgoing, perhaps? His name was spoken with such... enthusiasm. Sincerely out of touch. I had little time to examine them both before a distraction formed in the form of a girl. She speaks... naively. Unprepared for the events that had just transpired. A sense of dread pits in my stomach. Even she could turn to madness. A shopkeeper, peddling wares. Mysterious enough, perhaps overplayed. An interesting collection, as it would be. Then finally, some other form of a bystander, waving off some sense of madness from within. Immediately, I'm prone to a sense of relief, the natural scene I've seen so far. If its rumors meant to uncover the truth, it'd likely be Alais, who's actions rang like a warning bell among the tavern. 2
Amethyst Scorpion Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 The scents of the fire were strong. Malmoc smelled the burnt oak of the tower’s once-strong beams, the pungent oil which had set the flames in motion, the sweat and confusion in the air as men dashed about in the ruins, looking for clues and shouting for their comrades to speculate and to reflect. He sympathised with them. There would be time enough in the coming days for all of that. But he was here to investigate, and the scents ran deeper than the overpowering ones. The sharp odour of blood, just a hint, but a threatening portent all the same. Ash in the air, a different note than the ashes of the building which lay before him. The fire of the ashmounts was different than any fire men made with flint or tinder. It always had the Lord Ruler’s smell to it, he called it, a choking air that seemed to try to snuff out all competing scents and blanket everything in its dull crisp musk. But today it seemed…sharper. Almost more aware. He took a sprig of rosemary from his pouch and crushed it, letting the plant’s fragrance waft up and cleanse his nostrils. He breathed deeply, then took the sprig into his mouth, chewing softly and thoughtfully. Mihtig stirred on his shoulders, got a whiff of the rosemary herself, and launched off, hissing and pacing around him. Stupid cat. Didn’t know what was good for her. But she at least knew scents better than him, so he followed her, watching the mists retreat into the air as the sun dragged her head above the horizon and shoved it through the ashen haze. Mihtig, though, had just walked up to the largest group of townspeople she could find, around Gam’s corpse. Malmoc looked at the man grimly, then, moved by impulse, flung open his bag and plucked out jars, setting them on the cool earth. He began to realise his earlier choice of rosemary had not been an accident, and he went to work, setting sprigs around the fallen man. The townspeople watched him uneasily. Even as the questions formed upon their lips, Malmoc worked. A bit of sage. Thyme. Lavender, and, of course, the earthiness of myrrh. It was soon ground into an aromatic paste, chasing away the smell of ash, the smell of sweat, the smell of death that lay on the crumpled body before him. He inhaled, letting it fill him, and his mind attuned a peaceful rhythm. Yes. This…this is why he came. Still moving by instinct, he went with the salve to anoint the corpse, but the guard had finally gotten over his bafflement. He stepped between Malmoc and Gam. “Look, you old crank. I don’t know what your game is, but there’s a murder that’s gone on. Take your cat and mumbo jumbo somewhere it’ll serve a real purpose.” He kicked at Mihtig, who simply hopped back on Malmoc’s shoulders. Malmoc smiled. This made sense. He couldn’t know, could he? They never did. The hermit instead rubbed the paste directly between the guard’s eyes, and he blinked, then cursed, pushing him back with a kick. But what did Malmoc care? The scents of death had left him. For a time. His work here was all but done. It was time to see what would happen in the town. For a less tangible smell was also in the air that dawn. It was the keen odour of fear. 2
Magenta Albatross Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Cream Tuatara said: "Uh, yeah." he said, slurring his words. "Why not?" “Same terms as Ka- Kim— Kael! That’s right. Same terms as Kael had. Over or under, your choice. Girl can have my last name too if she wants. It don’t fit me, it was my pops’ nickname. My buddies and I joked about me having a noble last name ‘cause he had it. Eventually it stuck.” @Ivory Dragonfly “Hey,” he continued, “wanna bet on the saboteur? My senses tell me it’s that shifty guy by the bar who keeps looking at people weird. What’s his name? Acks?” Edited January 11, 2025 by Magenta Albatross Added tag, refined and closed quotations
Fuchsia Ostrich Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Magenta Albatross said: “You’ve got that good merchant’s reckoning, then,” he said, shifting closer to Kael. “Let’s set an over-under. I’ll say that there’ll be 4 and a half days of this sabatoge panic trite, then it’ll die down, or we’ll just die. Do you want the over or under?” @Fuchsia Ostrich “I always prefer things under the table. There’s a reason I have four books in my bag.” Kael smiled knowingly. It was always best to let others make their own conclusions. Especially when he planned to be gone in under a week. Edited January 11, 2025 by Fuchsia Ostrich
Magenta Albatross Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 1 minute ago, Fuchsia Ostrich said: “I always prefer things under the table. There’s a reason I have four books in my bag.” Kael smiled knowingly. It was always best to let others make their own conclusions. “And I’ll get the over. Is three boxings a good bet for you? I’d like to look at the books as well.”
Fuchsia Ostrich Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 1 minute ago, Magenta Albatross said: “And I’ll get the over. Is three boxings a good bet for you? I’d like to look at the books as well.” “Three is good with me… who are you betting on? Also three of those books are for my eyes only… one for anyone under the law.”
Azure Mouse Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Immediately, I have no reason to fall short on my suspicion. I try not to let it show, but I fear the furrowing of my brows betray me as my observation turns to light. He's pushing the blame, immediately. It's a fair thing to do, in the place of a Saboteur. Throw the suspicion early, while the village is all afraid. Looking for someone to sheep blindly, a sense of authority to keep them in mind and on the mind. But I'd like to hope my keenness can see through it. Some sense of confidence in my abilities would be nice. I don't want to point my fingers yet, but I'll be keeping Alais in mind.
Emerald Falcon Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 I'm not really sure what I'm doing here in this little village. It seems lively, at least, but there's been a building tension I've noticed in the air. The residents seem tense and wary, always looking over their shoulders and whispering furiously to each other. I've been here for a couple days, avoiding others and keeping to myself, listening to the rumors that have been going around. I'm not exactly one for social interaction - a bit shy, mostly. I prefer to observe things from a distance, and so I do, leaning against a building not far away from a nearby inn that my attention is drawn to. I'd guess there's the inn is fairly packed from the amount of noise I can hear, and I've watched a couple interesting people walk in, including a merchant who seems eager to capitalize on profits even in these times. It's a bit intimidating, so I don't move. At some point, I'll likely be forced to join the others in the inn, as I haven't found any other accommodations in the village, and it's probably best that I keep myself up to date with what's going on here. Despite the ominous rumors going around what there's someone out there trying to sabotage the village, no one has really caught my attention so far, except a person who had recently entered the inn who I had seen lurking in the shadows earlier. They strike me in a positive way, though, not seeming like one of the saboteurs with how eager they seem to hunt for the saboteurs. Nothing too interesting, but I make note of it. I suspect if there's anything else going on here, I'll have trouble figuring it out, given how much I struggle with interpreting others' words sometimes. 2
Emerald Falcon Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Usually I'd wait to see if anyone else showed up to the inn, but it seems to have gotten a bit quieter around here, and I'm drawn to the atmosphere of the place. And by the food. It'll also give me a good opportunity to take a look at everyone in the inn. Even as an outsider to the village, I figure it's in my best interests to help find the saboteurs. It should keep me from getting bored, at the very least. I currently have the energy to start looking for saboteurs, and I decide that people will forgive me for intruding on their space this much in a short amount of time as long as I'm contributing to the hunt. I slip in through the door and find a table to myself off to the side, partially concealed in the shadows. A good spot for someone like me. I settle in, ask for some food, and start observing the many people in the inn. A few things stand out to me as I watch: The person who I had noticed earlier is there, staring across the room at a man. I've decided already that the lurker (@Azure Mouse) I'd seen earlier was unlikely to be a saboteur, on a fairly weak basis. I can't be certain yet, but I like what I've seen from them so far. They're watching a loud man (@Magenta Albatross) who I could hear from outside the inn talking about making bets on who is sabotaging the town - perhaps suspicious. I find myself watching him for a while, noticing that he starts accusing a quiet man (@Coral Swan) sitting at the bar, who hasn't caught my attention yet. Perhaps this is some kind of early way to test reactions by throwing around suspicion, perhaps not. I make a note to keep an eye on the large gambler, who bothers me slightly. The merchant (@Fuchsia Ostrich) seems fully uninterested in solving the mystery, not even mentioning it once despite their constant stream of yapping, seeming to prefer to sell their wares. Perhaps avoiding trying to find the saboteurs is something a saboteur would do, but I can't be certain yet given that he's only been in the inn for a short amount of time. They don't currently bother me, so I turn my attention elsewhere. I scan the room absently, noting a couple of the others in the room, pausing on a young girl (@Ivory Dragonfly) and a drunk man (@Cream Tuatara), both near the gambler. They both don't seem to be doing much right now - the drunk seems to want to be left alone, and the girl is won't shut up on about something to do with her parents. Eventually, I find myself looking back at the lurker who's still glaring daggers across the room at the large man. Perhaps someone worth talking to. Maybe I could invite them to my table to talk? As I consider whether it's worth the anxiety of talking to someone to get up and ask, I do a quick count of who's in the inn right now. Not very many, currently. I'd guess there's likely others who aren't in the inn who I should look at, but perhaps they'll show up later. It's definitely going to confuse me if more people arrive, considering that I've already confused myself on who is who here a couple times already. Guess I might be stuck here for a while.
Mauve Crocodile Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Whispers in the crowd Eyes that watch but never speak Nervous breath betrays... Praise the Ja
Mauve Crocodile Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 EDIT: Acks/Coral Swan is clearly hiding something... Praise the Ja
Mint Heron Posted January 11, 2025 Posted January 11, 2025 Byrar stares mutely at charred remains of the watchtower. In his mind he saw his woodshop that had been consumed by a fire two years ago. He had lost much in that fire, and now Gam was dead in another blaze of ill fortune. He shouldn’t have been suprised. His entire life had been filled with accidents and foul luck. His parents dead of a mysterious illness. he had taken over his father’s very successful store, but now that Byrar was in charge, things had taken a turn for the worse. Late shipments, vanishing tools, and finally the horrid fire that has ended it all. The only thing that kept him off the streets had been his father’s dwindling fortune and some quiet deals relating to his secret talent. Best not to reminisce on the past. Byrar took a new look at the ashy ruins before him. Someone had started this. Someone had killed Gam. This time, it wasn’t an accident. And now he finally had a chance to get back at the misfortune that cursed his life. 7 hours ago, Amethyst Scorpion said: The scents of the fire were strong. Malmoc smelled the burnt oak of the tower’s once-strong beams, the pungent oil which had set the flames in motion, the sweat and confusion in the air as men dashed about in the ruins, looking for clues and shouting for their comrades to speculate and to reflect. He sympathised with them. There would be time enough in the coming days for all of that. But he was here to investigate, and the scents ran deeper than the overpowering ones. The sharp odour of blood, just a hint, but a threatening portent all the same. Ash in the air, a different note than the ashes of the building which lay before him. The fire of the ashmounts was different than any fire men made with flint or tinder. It always had the Lord Ruler’s smell to it, he called it, a choking air that seemed to try to snuff out all competing scents and blanket everything in its dull crisp musk. But today it seemed…sharper. Almost more aware. He took a sprig of rosemary from his pouch and crushed it, letting the plant’s fragrance waft up and cleanse his nostrils. He breathed deeply, then took the sprig into his mouth, chewing softly and thoughtfully. Mihtig stirred on his shoulders, got a whiff of the rosemary herself, and launched off, hissing and pacing around him. Stupid cat. Didn’t know what was good for her. But she at least knew scents better than him, so he followed her, watching the mists retreat into the air as the sun dragged her head above the horizon and shoved it through the ashen haze. Mihtig, though, had just walked up to the largest group of townspeople she could find, around Gam’s corpse. Malmoc looked at the man grimly, then, moved by impulse, flung open his bag and plucked out jars, setting them on the cool earth. He began to realise his earlier choice of rosemary had not been an accident, and he went to work, setting sprigs around the fallen man. The townspeople watched him uneasily. Even as the questions formed upon their lips, Malmoc worked. A bit of sage. Thyme. Lavender, and, of course, the earthiness of myrrh. It was soon ground into an aromatic paste, chasing away the smell of ash, the smell of sweat, the smell of death that lay on the crumpled body before him. He inhaled, letting it fill him, and his mind attuned a peaceful rhythm. Yes. This…this is why he came. Still moving by instinct, he went with the salve to anoint the corpse, but the guard had finally gotten over his bafflement. He stepped between Malmoc and Gam. “Look, you old crank. I don’t know what your game is, but there’s a murder that’s gone on. Take your cat and mumbo jumbo somewhere it’ll serve a real purpose.” He kicked at Mihtig, who simply hopped back on Malmoc’s shoulders. Malmoc smiled. This made sense. He couldn’t know, could he? They never did. The hermit instead rubbed the paste directly between the guard’s eyes, and he blinked, then cursed, pushing him back with a kick. But what did Malmoc care? The scents of death had left him. For a time. His work here was all but done. It was time to see what would happen in the town. For a less tangible smell was also in the air that dawn. It was the keen odour of fear. Byrar noticed that someone had had the decency to give Gam a decent send off and decided to thank them for their efforts. “Nice of you to give Gam those plants. He smells better than he did in life. Poor soul. I don’t know why anyone would have wanted to kill him. Do you know anything about who started this?”
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