Through the Living Hopper He/Him Posted June 17, 2025 Posted June 17, 2025 Antari wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. He waved Aral ( @Araris Valerian) over. "If we don't execute a Spiked tonight, is it over?" Var led another train today. Antari had an awful feeling in his gut. He sprinted out into the square. "Everybody! Fox is not Spiked! You need to retract your vote!" But his plea fell on deaf ears. It might have been too late.
Kasimir he/him Posted June 17, 2025 Posted June 17, 2025 2 minutes ago, ThatOneWorldhopper said: "Everybody! Fox is not Spiked! You need to retract your vote!" Keldorn frowned. "Are you claiming to have Seeked him?"
Araris Valerian he/him Posted June 17, 2025 Author Posted June 17, 2025 Just now, ThatOneWorldhopper said: Antari wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. He waved Aral ( @Araris Valerian) over. "If we don't execute a Spiked tonight, is it over?" PAFO Aral hasn't heard any word from the scouts on how close the Koloss are, but that could mean that they were ambushed. The fact that there still hasn't been an effort to fix the north wall or to organize a response to the poisoned well doesn't bode well for Blackkeep. Allomancers are another potential unknown quantity that will make any predictions unreliable.
StrikerEZ he/him Posted June 17, 2025 Posted June 17, 2025 @Araris Valerian “Aral,” Var said, “something felt off about the way Kéamen called out Fox. Is that a vote for Fox, or no?”
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 17, 2025 Posted June 17, 2025 56 minutes ago, ThatOneWorldhopper said: Antari wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. He waved Aral ( @Araris Valerian) over. "If we don't execute a Spiked tonight, is it over?" Var led another train today. Antari had an awful feeling in his gut. He sprinted out into the square. "Everybody! Fox is not Spiked! You need to retract your vote!" But his plea fell on deaf ears. It might have been too late. Jox stared at the strange man in horrible confusion. Why was he so confident? What did he know? Could he be trusted? Jox could save Fox by sacrificing Mil. Mil was one of his three suspects, but he thought it was more likely to be Fox. He decided to carefully wach for the final 5 minutes of the day, and be prepared to change his vote at the last minute if something changed.
Araris Valerian he/him Posted June 17, 2025 Author Posted June 17, 2025 Night 3: Silently to the Grave Aral had spent half the morning running around trying to let people know what had befallen Teal and Astrid, and as a result wasn't involved much in any response to the well poisoning. Which turned out to be a mistake, since apparently nobody else had spread the news about the well either. He now had confirmed reports that both Lipitor and Josha had fallen victim to the poisoning long after the well should have been blocked up, and the former was doing so poorly that the physician thought there was a chance he'd die. Aral did admire the single-minded focus of the others to hunt out the Spiked, despite his concerns that Blackkeep would struggle to stand against the Koloss in its current state even without traitors and saboteurs running around. In the end, the latrine worker-turned-mayor and her former coworker managed to convince the baker's son to support Fox's execution, and not enough voices spoke out for any of the other options. Fox glanced around at his fellow townsfolk, hoping to see some sympathy, but each face in turn yielded only stony resolve. True to his reputation, Fox voiced not one word of protest as he was lead off to his death. A thorough search of the man's body failed to turn up any spikes, though they did uncover several vials of Brass. Unfortunately the citizens of Blackkeep were a rather straightforward folk, and Soothing wouldn't have done much to save him. Greatly diminished in number, the remaining elite of Blackkeep fled for the safety of their homes as the mists blanketed the world. Fox was a Village Soother! Night 3 has begun, and will end at 10 PM Pacific Time on Tuesday, June 17th! PMs are open! If @KelsierApologist doesn't post by the end of the night turn, they will be removed or replaced! (I have one pinch-hitter lined up for now) Vote Count: Fox (3): Madiane, Var, Jox Mil (2): Keldorn, Fox Jox (1): Mil Var (1): Antari Player List: Spoiler Jox - young, thoughtful, flour-covered Baker's Apprentice @A Jo in the Bush Copper Stopper/Tin Al - copper stopping Copper Stopper/stone-cold killer Mob Boss Village Smoker Mil Veriel - resourceful Wandering Scavenger @KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren Josha - well-meaning, wimpy Wizard @TwinStorm Lijal - distrustful and shy Urchin Village Vanilla Lipitor - pompous, bratty Folk Hero @KelsierApologist Teal - awesome 10-Year Old Village Coinshot Astrid Lefflame - no-nonsense Watchman Village Vanilla Kéamen Wither - a secret-seeking Skaa Spy @Hoid Slayer John Derrick/AraRaash - Scout and Cartographer/Worldhopping Kandra Village Vanilla Keldorn - cynical, lamed Soldier and Investigator @Kasimir Fox - silent Wanderer Village Soother Antari Erlington - mysterious Mystery @ThatOneWorldhopper Var - confused but diligent Latrine Cleaner @StrikerEZ Madiane - unstable, forgetful Latrine Cleaner @Biplet 1
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 17, 2025 Posted June 17, 2025 Jox drooped, then sank down and hugged his knees. He'd done this. Led this execution. He'd thought carefully, done his best, and failed. What else was he wrong about? Could Keldorn or Var be trusted? Could any of his thoughtsor instincts be trusted? Why was he even awake and trying to think at this time? Night had fallen, but despair kept him awake. Nine people left. Eight come morning. Odds were high the spike would destroy their little town, no matter what at this point. "Jox? There you are!" He glanced through a gap in between his arms and knees to see his mother hurrying towards him. "You're supposed to be in bed an hour before Night-time. Where have you been?" Jox slowly unfolded himself and stood up. The bakery didn't feel any safer than anywhere else in town, but he disn't think his parents would like or understand that. "I was mourning Fox. I don't know that we'll survive without him. I really thought i'd found one." "There are plenty of others who's job it is to find the spiked dearie." Kistaris took his hand and began to lead him to the bakery. "Our job is to keep them fed while they do that. We're bakers, not detectives." (Jox wasn't a Baker. Jox wasn't a detective. Jox wasn't an allomancer. Jox wasn't an asset to the village's defense. Was he anything?) "Ma, have you and pa considered leaving Blackkeep? We co and start new lives somewhere else? A bigger city? A safer one?" She didn't even look at him, let alone take it seriously. "Don't be silly Jox. We've always been here. Blackkeep and it's bakers will withstand anything that gets thrown at it. You've been awake too long. Things will look better after a good night's sleep." Jox didn't reply. He hoped she was right, but he'd been wrong about everything else. Sorry, Fox, Derrick, Blackkeep. They all deserved better.
TwinStorm He/Him Posted June 17, 2025 Posted June 17, 2025 Josha winced, hearing the news. More people dead. Good people. He had spent most of the day in his shop, but hopefully tomorrow he could go out there. Help. Find out what monster was behind the murders. The door opened slightly, and a boy slipped through. "Master Josha? Is something wrong?" he asked. "Yes, Alex, things are wrong." Josha replied wearily. "It's not important right now, though. Go to bed. You need rest." "But, Master Josha . . ." "Go to bed. Listen, I . . . I'm sorry you have to grow up here. In such a time. All you can do now is hope. Hope that, Lord Ruler willing, I find those Spiked tomorrow." The boy nodded. "Alright. G'night, Master." "Goodnight, Alex."
Hoid Slayer He/Him Posted June 17, 2025 Posted June 17, 2025 And that was that. Kéamen shut his eyes as he heard the news, gripping the paper in his hand. Another innocent gone, and Kéamen couldn't shake a sense of guilt. He had considered voting for Mil, just in case, but decided against it. Perhaps, if he had payed more attention, he could've done something. He had always wanted to change the world. Now, when his chance was here he fumbled. NO. No, he couldn't afford to think like that. Not everything was his fault. He had barely slept in over a week; there was nothing he could've done. But now... as he walked to meet his mentor, Kéamen felt an odd sense of assurance. Now, many of his others concerns were done. He had a report to turn in, and after whatever happened tonight, he could finally devote more attention to the mystery in the coming days. Perhaps it was too late. But it was time for Kéamen to be there, instead of pondering on the past. Inside, an inner voice scoffed at that. Bold of him to defend his actions now, when he was on his way to face judgement. But Kéamen stayed strong. There was no point in guilt. He called the others, all of them, to help. @A Jo in the Bush@KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren@TwinStorm@KelsierApologist@Kasimir@ThatOneWorldhopper@StrikerEZ@Biplet There was still a Lurcher, a Thug among them. He called them to help Kéamen create a profile of each participant, track their votes in the past, analyze the game. It was time for Kéamen to step forward, and regain his role in the twisted game of elimination.
Kasimir he/him Posted June 18, 2025 Posted June 18, 2025 The mists gathered outside as night fell. Keldorn leaned heavily on his cane as he made his way down the street. His leg ached something fierce, as it hadn't since the day an unlucky sword-stroke in battle'd laid it open, almost to the bone. He'd spent the first part of the night trying to sleep it off before he forced himself to his feet. He needed to walk, to think. Either it was beyond his hands now, or it was not. If his reckonings and Var's had been correct, then if they presumed five villager left to four Spiked, then the events of the night were beyond their hands. He did not for a second believe there wasn't a Lurcher. God, he thought, was not this cruel, for all they'd apparently killed him at long last. Not in a world with a Coinshot already present. If miracles were still permitted to happen in the Final Empire, with the death of God, then perhaps they would have a miracle this night. If miracles happened at last, or if his reckonings and Var's had been wrong, then they would see another dawn. Keldorn hoped fervently for this. He wished the Spiked had had the decency to stab him already. The fact they hadn't, coupled with Fox's worries, made Keldorn worry he'd been mistaken about Var. Or that he hadn't pursued Jox strongly beyond the point of doubt, because he'd spent too much time worrying on and off about Mil, Kéamen, and about Fox. Stupid, Keldorn thought. He'd been fumbling around like a novice again. They had to proceed as though the situation was still winnable. As though Blackkeep could still be saved. That meant either a miracle tonight, or another dawn. In that world, where would he look towards? He listed the thoughts that came to mind. Antari'd claimed that Fox was a villager and then had vanished. Had he Seeked Fox? If so, why had he not claimed so unambiguously but left it for the last minute? Keldorn'd had his doubts, but he'd accused Mil and watched just to hedge his bets against the world in which it was a Spiked ploy. Figured he could bait the hammer and switch and then move to Fox if need be, but no hammer'd come. Keldorn wondered if Antari had been trying to claim credit for getting Fox's alignment right. Keldorn distrusted Mil. He felt that Mil's vote on Var appeared opportunistic, and didn't like the way Mil had talked about proving himself Village via voting Jox. Why was Mil dependent on Var's reasoning? It felt like Mil wasn't interested in actually finding Spiked, only in how he looked. He wished he could form coherent thoughts about Lipitor but Lipitor just hadn't been present enough for this. Truthfully, Keldorn felt that if Lipitor was Spiked, they were just going to have to find Lipitor's teammates instead, because at this point, Lipitor felt like a shot in the dark. (He supposed you could make an argument that if a kandra ate Lipitor, they might be better off, but regardless, the only reward for finding Spiked at this point would be another day on the knife's edge. If you felt there was any prospect at all that the kandra might be a better shot, then it was worth buying time.) Keldorn felt a little positive about Josha, but this just came down to Josha's questioning of Derrick's kill analysis. Whether he was placing too much emphasis on it, Keldorn didn't know, but he thought it felt like the sort of positive engagement he was looking out for, which had been scarce in the bracket of quiet people. There was maybe a world in which Josha and Jox were Spiked together. It might explain Josha's early insistence on Jox engagement, Keldorn wasn't sure. Madiane. Keldorn'd leaned positive on Madiane earlier, but wasn't sure any longer. Madiane had showed up on the first day to vote Lijal, which Keldorn didn't really feel seemed like the sort of thing she'd do as Spiked, but he questioned that assessment now. She'd shown up on the second day but declined to accuse Var despite pressing strong accusations on him, and then showed up earlier today with another Fox accusation, sealing the Fox train. If you bought what Keldorn and Var'd thought, that this was a desperate juncture for Blackkeep, forcing the misexecution was something Keldorn deeply distrusted. He continued to feel wary of Kéamen. Besides Keldorn's repeated worries about him, Kéamen'd showed up with a soft accusation for Fox that once again hadn't materialised, and the way Keldorn saw it, a Tineye claim that didn't particularly help them at this juncture but probably was going to help the Spiked work around or deal with the Lurcher. Kéamen calling on everyone to solve at this juncture just felt performative, as though he'd only been galvanised by Fox's misexecution, and wasn't himself interested in putting in the work to investigate, and Keldorn distrusted this timing. (Keldorn supposed he could also give Kéamen some credit for the misvote, but wasn't sure it read unequivocally Village.) Kéamen was part of the tangle here, too. More and more so, Keldorn felt as though there had to be at least one Spiked among himself, Jox, Var, and Kéamen. With Fox turning out to be a Villager, the pool narrowed. One answer to why the Spiked weren't killing in that pool was that there was a high preponderance of Spiked within that pool. Another answer was that the Spiked weren't feeling particularly threatened by it. The third answer was that the Spiked within the pool were using Keldorn and possibly others as camouflage. Jox and Var were an interesting conundrum. Keldorn continued to feel it was unlikely that Jox and Var were Spiked together, though one of them might very well be Spiked with Kéamen. Though he didn't think it was impossible for Spiked to get in each other's way, perhaps, he still leaned towards the thought that the way Jox and Var had stumbled over each other without awareness of what each other was doing on the evening of the second day seemed to imply they were not teamed with each other. (Maybe. He kind of felt he'd like another pair of eyes on that interaction now. He was worried he'd been too hasty, too quick to jump to conclusions.) Between the two of them, Jox had an entrance that felt strangely subdued, and that had jumped out to Keldorn when he'd taken a look at it on Fox's urging. He also wondered if Jox was, at points, overcredencing somewhat, particularly with Jox's early hedging. Var's actions on the sunset of the first day arguably were difficult to understand if he was Spiked. It felt as though he was sincerely pursuing suspicions of Lijal, and Jox had concurred. At the same time, Fox had urged Keldorn to consider if he was underestimating Var's capabilities, that of course Var would ensure consistency in that push. Keldorn didn't disagree about pushing Jox over Mil feeling...odd, evidentially, much less Var's reactionary pushback on Fox. Between the two of them, Keldorn would probably lean to wariness of Var first, though he needed to commit to going back over events from the beginning once again with a critical eye. Well, Keldorn thought. At least if the Spiked killed him tonight, he'd done his best and laid out his thoughts. What Aral Penrod or the villagers of Blackkeep did with them was their own affair.
Hoid Slayer He/Him Posted June 18, 2025 Posted June 18, 2025 4 minutes ago, Kasimir said: The mists gathered outside as night fell. Keldorn leaned heavily on his cane as he made his way down the street. His leg ached something fierce, as it hadn't since the day an unlucky sword-stroke in battle'd laid it open, almost to the bone. He'd spent the first part of the night trying to sleep it off before he forced himself to his feet. He needed to walk, to think. Either it was beyond his hands now, or it was not. If his reckonings and Var's had been correct, then if they presumed five villager left to four Spiked, then the events of the night were beyond their hands. He did not for a second believe there wasn't a Lurcher. God, he thought, was not this cruel, for all they'd apparently killed him at long last. Not in a world with a Coinshot already present. If miracles were still permitted to happen in the Final Empire, with the death of God, then perhaps they would have a miracle this night. If miracles happened at last, or if his reckonings and Var's had been wrong, then they would see another dawn. Keldorn hoped fervently for this. He wished the Spiked had had the decency to stab him already. The fact they hadn't, coupled with Fox's worries, made Keldorn worry he'd been mistaken about Var. Or that he hadn't pursued Jox strongly beyond the point of doubt, because he'd spent too much time worrying on and off about Mil, Kéamen, and about Fox. Stupid, Keldorn thought. He'd been fumbling around like a novice again. They had to proceed as though the situation was still winnable. As though Blackkeep could still be saved. That meant either a miracle tonight, or another dawn. In that world, where would he look towards? He listed the thoughts that came to mind. Antari'd claimed that Fox was a villager and then had vanished. Had he Seeked Fox? If so, why had he not claimed so unambiguously but left it for the last minute? Keldorn'd had his doubts, but he'd accused Mil and watched just to hedge his bets against the world in which it was a Spiked ploy. Figured he could bait the hammer and switch and then move to Fox if need be, but no hammer'd come. Keldorn wondered if Antari had been trying to claim credit for getting Fox's alignment right. Keldorn distrusted Mil. He felt that Mil's vote on Var appeared opportunistic, and didn't like the way Mil had talked about proving himself Village via voting Jox. Why was Mil dependent on Var's reasoning? It felt like Mil wasn't interested in actually finding Spiked, only in how he looked. He wished he could form coherent thoughts about Lipitor but Lipitor just hadn't been present enough for this. Truthfully, Keldorn felt that if Lipitor was Spiked, they were just going to have to find Lipitor's teammates instead, because at this point, Lipitor felt like a shot in the dark. (He supposed you could make an argument that if a kandra ate Lipitor, they might be better off, but regardless, the only reward for finding Spiked at this point would be another day on the knife's edge. If you felt there was any prospect at all that the kandra might be a better shot, then it was worth buying time.) Keldorn felt a little positive about Josha, but this just came down to Josha's questioning of Derrick's kill analysis. Whether he was placing too much emphasis on it, Keldorn didn't know, but he thought it felt like the sort of positive engagement he was looking out for, which had been scarce in the bracket of quiet people. There was maybe a world in which Josha and Jox were Spiked together. It might explain Josha's early insistence on Jox engagement, Keldorn wasn't sure. Madiane. Keldorn'd leaned positive on Madiane earlier, but wasn't sure any longer. Madiane had showed up on the first day to vote Lijal, which Keldorn didn't really feel seemed like the sort of thing she'd do as Spiked, but he questioned that assessment now. She'd shown up on the second day but declined to accuse Var despite pressing strong accusations on him, and then showed up earlier today with another Fox accusation, sealing the Fox train. If you bought what Keldorn and Var'd thought, that this was a desperate juncture for Blackkeep, forcing the misexecution was something Keldorn deeply distrusted. He continued to feel wary of Kéamen. Besides Keldorn's repeated worries about him, Kéamen'd showed up with a soft accusation for Fox that once again hadn't materialised, and the way Keldorn saw it, a Tineye claim that didn't particularly help them at this juncture but probably was going to help the Spiked work around or deal with the Lurcher. Kéamen calling on everyone to solve at this juncture just felt performative, as though he'd only been galvanised by Fox's misexecution, and wasn't himself interested in putting in the work to investigate, and Keldorn distrusted this timing. (Keldorn supposed he could also give Kéamen some credit for the misvote, but wasn't sure it read unequivocally Village.) Kéamen was part of the tangle here, too. More and more so, Keldorn felt as though there had to be at least one Spiked among himself, Jox, Var, and Kéamen. With Fox turning out to be a Villager, the pool narrowed. One answer to why the Spiked weren't killing in that pool was that there was a high preponderance of Spiked within that pool. Another answer was that the Spiked weren't feeling particularly threatened by it. The third answer was that the Spiked within the pool were using Keldorn and possibly others as camouflage. Jox and Var were an interesting conundrum. Keldorn continued to feel it was unlikely that Jox and Var were Spiked together, though one of them might very well be Spiked with Kéamen. Though he didn't think it was impossible for Spiked to get in each other's way, perhaps, he still leaned towards the thought that the way Jox and Var had stumbled over each other without awareness of what each other was doing on the evening of the second day seemed to imply they were not teamed with each other. (Maybe. He kind of felt he'd like another pair of eyes on that interaction now. He was worried he'd been too hasty, too quick to jump to conclusions.) Between the two of them, Jox had an entrance that felt strangely subdued, and that had jumped out to Keldorn when he'd taken a look at it on Fox's urging. He also wondered if Jox was, at points, overcredencing somewhat, particularly with Jox's early hedging. Var's actions on the sunset of the first day arguably were difficult to understand if he was Spiked. It felt as though he was sincerely pursuing suspicions of Lijal, and Jox had concurred. At the same time, Fox had urged Keldorn to consider if he was underestimating Var's capabilities, that of course Var would ensure consistency in that push. Keldorn didn't disagree about pushing Jox over Mil feeling...odd, evidentially, much less Var's reactionary pushback on Fox. Between the two of them, Keldorn would probably lean to wariness of Var first, though he needed to commit to going back over events from the beginning once again with a critical eye. Well, Keldorn thought. At least if the Spiked killed him tonight, he'd done his best and laid out his thoughts. What Aral Penrod or the villagers of Blackkeep did with them was their own affair. That… was a lot of information. Kéamen would have to go through it tomorrow; however, he did want to make a comment about his activity. Kéamen couldn’t explain exactly why he had revealed himself as a Tineye; maybe it was him just stressing out, not having the time to put together an analysis, and hoping it would be useful to someone somehow. Perhaps, Kéamen had to admit, it had to do with an ingrained sense of self-preservation, although he should have thought of the impact on the village. Kéamen’s call wasn’t just performative; he did intend to take a greater role in the future, and wanted to be caught up on the state of things. Kéamen sighed, finally stepping into the room where he had arranged the meeting with his mentor. There was so much for him to sort through, and he worried about every move. He probably should have felt tense in this moment; but he couldn’t bring himself to muster an emotion other than exhaustion. So it was with exhaustion that he met the man already standing in the room. White haired, slim, facing off into the distance. Waiting. “Hello, Hoid.”
Biplet she/her Posted June 18, 2025 Posted June 18, 2025 Damn it all. She was just as lost as always. And another person dead because of it. Var. She had to talk to Var. He’d slunk under the radar for too long.
Araris Valerian he/him Posted June 18, 2025 Author Posted June 18, 2025 Day 4: Sleep and Never Waken Lipitor came to, and immediately got the sense that something was wrong. He was standing in his room, but the bed was still occupied with... himself. He experimentally reached toward the bedstand, and his fingers passed through it, leaving an impression of the table in his head. Am I... dead? Lipitor sensed a presence behind himself and turned to see a short man with black hair, though much of the person's "body" seemed to be made up of tattered mist. The mysterious figure spoke deliberately, as if he had to exert a great effort to get each word out. "I've come to see you on. It is... my duty. Yes, that's right. My duty to the dead." "No no no. I'm the hero of Blackkeep! They need me to save them!" At the word "save", the unknown person seemed to solidify just a bit, and his eyes focused on Lipitor. "You wish to preserve them? I... but his influence is so strong here." A misty hand reached up to rub at what remained of the fellow's forehead. "I may be able to..." Distracted by the conversation, Lipitor had completely missed that someone else had entered his room through the door. Someone shrouded in a hooded cloak and bearing a knife. He reached an insubstantial hand toward the newcomer, but was unable to stop the killer's weapon from plunging into the heart of his corpse. At the sight of the attack, the focus bled out of the mist-man's eyes and his speech reverted to halting words. "As I said. His influence is... is too much for me to overcome. Even if I could have helped... My other agents... must take up this work now." Lipitor felt his essence stretch toward a distant point, and then everything went blank. Lipitor @KelsierApologist was a Village Vanilla! PMs are open! Day 4 has begun and will end at 10 PM Pacific Time on Thursday, June 19th. Player List: Spoiler Jox - young, thoughtful, flour-covered Baker's Apprentice @A Jo in the Bush Copper Stopper/Tin Al - copper stopping Copper Stopper/stone-cold killer Mob Boss Village Smoker Mil Veriel - resourceful Wandering Scavenger @KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren Josha - well-meaning, wimpy Wizard @TwinStorm Lijal - distrustful and shy Urchin Village Vanilla Lipitor - pompous, bratty Folk Hero Village Vanilla Teal - awesome 10-Year Old Village Coinshot Astrid Lefflame - no-nonsense Watchman Village Vanilla Kéamen Wither - a secret-seeking Skaa Spy @Hoid Slayer John Derrick/AraRaash - Scout and Cartographer/Worldhopping Kandra Village Vanilla Keldorn - cynical, lamed Soldier and Investigator @Kasimir Fox - silent Wanderer Village Soother Antari Erlington - mysterious Mystery @ThatOneWorldhopper Var - confused but diligent Latrine Cleaner @StrikerEZ Madiane - unstable, forgetful Latrine Cleaner @Biplet
Kasimir he/him Posted June 18, 2025 Posted June 18, 2025 Death in the night. But not for him. There were only two possibilities Keldorn could see here. If there were four Spiked to four Villagers remaining, then they'd already lost. Today, the Spiked would come out in force, and Keldorn would do his best to stand against them, but he feared they would reach a deadlock in the day, only to find another of their number dead in the night. The alternative was that there were three Spiked to four Villagers remaining, in which case their situation did not change. They stood on the knife's edge, and had to charge into the investigation once again, doing their best to stave off utter catastrophe. The same considerations as yesterday applied. You surrender when you're dead, the grizzled sergeant who taught him the sword had said, a long time ago. Keldorn drew in a deep breath, squared his shoulders together, and got up. He'd fought in more than one hopeless retreat before. There were some things he needed to make sense of, before he came to a decision. For one, he'd become more wary of Var. Had wondered if he was too quick to assert that someone like Var shouldn't have voted the way he did on the first day. Had wondered, too, about the events of yesterday. He'd pondered, but Fox had seemed correct in that if Var had more evidence to suspect Mil than he did Fox, then why Mil? Var'd said Jox's death would give more information, but that didn't ease the nagging wyrm of doubt in Keldorn's head. If, as Var had avowed, the situation was as desperate as it seemed to be, why was he going for the more informational vote as compared to the one that seemed more likely to be evil? Keldorn had views about informational accusations that were, perhaps, controversial but he also felt that being on the very precipice of disaster was the very last time one should be caring about being informational. (In stating his thoughts, Keldorn hoped someone would talk him out of it if he was tripping. He'd a tendency to go off sometimes, and he was worried he was doing that, and over-paranoiding on Var when he shouldn't be.) For another, he wanted to understand exactly why Antari had asserted that Fox was Village with such confidence. If he had scanned Fox, who had he scanned previously, and why not clear this up before the Village sustained unnecessary casualties? In fact, why not claim to Fox, since he would have known he could have trusted Fox? If Keldorn ignored Antari's claims, he was left with wondering why Antari spent so much energy insisting he wanted someone to catch him up on things while not actually bothering to do so, despite having the day to do it. It felt to Keldorn like Antari was more invested in appearing to be interested rather than really catching up. Part of Keldorn put Mil and Kéamen in the same bloody category of people he regretted not pursuing his suspicions of more aggressively. Perhaps he really needed to just go for it, at this point. Mil's votes and reasoning for them appeared unsatisfactory. At the same time, Finally, he was wary of Madiane's vote from yesterday, which sealed the Fox train. It felt like the kind of lurker vote that sealed a train, and given their current situation, Keldorn could not find himself letting go of it that easily. Madiane passing off the Fox accusation as being for information also felt somewhat lacking when the Village was, as far as anyone knew, on the edge of disaster. "Rust," Keldorn rasped as he leaned on his cane and made his way out into the market square. He felt like hell warmed over, but he was somehow still drawing breath, so he had work to do and Spiked to find.
StrikerEZ he/him Posted June 18, 2025 Posted June 18, 2025 Var was flabbergasted by the murder of Lipitor. Why kill someone likely to be left outside the city gates or replaced anyway? It made no sense. And now Keldorn, whom Var trusted, was accusing Var. what a mess. Var needed to get some rest. But first, he would cast a vote for Mil.
Kasimir he/him Posted June 18, 2025 Posted June 18, 2025 (edited) 6 hours ago, Kasimir said: The alternative was that there were three Spiked to four Villagers remaining, in which case their situation did not change. They stood on the knife's edge, and had to charge into the investigation once again, doing their best to stave off utter catastrophe. The same considerations as yesterday applied. Three Spiked to five Villagers, Keldorn corrected himself. He wasn't good at mathematics, but the idea remained - at three to five, one misexecution today meant they went three to four into the Night, and then three to three, which meant deadlock and a Village loss. One way or another, they remained at the precipice, which meant it was all the more important they find a Spiked today. Edited to add: Keldorn had wondered how to phrase this circumspectly, but he supposed this was the best he could do: he'd mistrusted that Var'd been fishing for the identity of the Lurcher at least twice. There were reasons a Villager might be doing so, and Keldorn knew what some of them might be, but in conjunction with the other considerations, they'd led Keldorn to sour on his views of Var. Edited June 18, 2025 by Kasimir
TwinStorm He/Him Posted June 18, 2025 Posted June 18, 2025 This whole mess kept on getting worse and worse, Josha told himself, struggling out of his shop smelling of cheap brandy. More murders. People he had hardly known, killed by those monsters. "The murder gives us nothing," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Low information from Lipitor. Evidently either the Spiked don't have many enemies or want to play it safe." He didn't like Madiane's vote from last night, which felt like an opportunistic move from a Spiked to try and seal a train on a Villager. The kill was also given for information, which, when Blackkeep was on the verge of disaster, felt too weak and flimsy for a serious accusation. Besides, the rest of her accusations hadn't been grounded in much. Right now, he was going to have to vote for her. Madiane. @Biplet
Through the Living Hopper He/Him Posted June 19, 2025 Posted June 19, 2025 Antari had warned them. He couldn't blame; he'd missed the signs too. Var had, as far as he remembered, started a train on a village, and voted again to kill another villager. He was confident. But if he was wrong, it was over.
Kasimir he/him Posted June 19, 2025 Posted June 19, 2025 (edited) Silence descended on the market square. Keldorn didn't like it. It set his teeth on edge, made him second-guess himself. He wasn't comfortable with the fact that Antari had apparently also decided to accuse Var. At the same time, the situation itself did not feel right. The market square was tepid, stagnant. Did this meant the accusations were incorrect? Or were the Spiked holding their nerve, perhaps waiting until the last second to hammer? He went back to his thoughts about the numbers: they were exactly on par, or there were five Villagers to three Spiked. In the first world, the Spiked, if they moved in force, could force a stalemate, and then a loss. Perhaps this wasn't practicable for them, but Keldorn was always of the belief you considered the worst case scenario in your planning. The fact there was no sign of movement made him worry about a hammer, or at least, that they'd not actually struck close to the bone so far. (In truth, in that world, they'd already lost if the Spiked forced the issue. So maybe that was an indication he shouldn't worry about it.) In the second world, they still outnumbered the Spiked, but a misexecution here brought them to the razor's edge regardless. It did mean there would be no hammer forthcoming; rather, the Spiked would seek to cause a misexecution. He supposed this meant that the vote dynamics in this situation would be more subtle. It didn't really allay Keldorn's fears about the quiet, however. He ran over his thoughts yet again. He was repeating things, and yet he didn't know if he was getting it right. He wasn't sure he could afford to be wrong yet again. Jox and Var could not be Spiked together. Or that didn't seem likely. Keldorn supposed that there could be a world where someone like Kéamen was flying under the radar, while Jox, Var, and Keldorn scrapped among themselves, and two to three other Spiked in <Antari, Mil, Madiane, Josha.> Problem was, postulating the Spiked were lying low was always a risky proposition: you didn't get to it by asserting it, you got to it by the process of elimination, and Keldorn wasn't satisfied he'd run the process sufficiently. He wasn't happy with himself for struggling to narrow the suspect pool down further, but the problem with low activity was that there was only so much you could get off reading the tea leaves. Eventually you felt like you were trying to make signs out of shapes written in water. To reiterate: for Madiane, he'd not liked the Fox accusation, which felt opportunistic. Keldorn wondered if it was a defense of Var, too, which made it all the more curious since Madiane had apparently noted wariness of Var. (Although Keldorn felt that Var and Madiane had been stumbling over each other on the first sunset, he acknowledged it was less conspicuous compared to Jox and Var stumbling over each other as Jox and Var had actively misunderstood each other. That seemed to imply a stronger unpairing.) The Lijal vote could have gone either way; while Keldorn was of the view Madiane would not have needed to cast that vote if Spiked, he didn't feel strongly enough about that given Madiane's profile. For Antari, there was the Seeker claim yesterday, which Antari still hadn't addressed, and complaints about the weight of events, which Keldorn found overblown and potentially a way to justify accusations with thin backing. While Antari was probably less likely to be Spiked if kidnapped, Antari had also shown up of his own accord, which made Keldorn think he was trying to get ahead of Aral sending the guards after him, while still avoiding some of the hustle of the market square. For Mil, there was the strangely-worded vote on Jox the day before, suggesting Mil wasn't interested in investigating or finding Spiked so much as managing his own image in the eyes of Blackkeepers. And then there was the vote on Var before that, though with Keldorn having begun to revise his own views of Var, he was no longer sure about the extent to which such a vote was damning. For Josha, he'd felt Josha's Derrick vote had been unremarkable, but extended him a bit of credit for having questioned Derrick's exclusions of Jox and Astrid from his analysis of Copper's death. He hoped the market square would come alive so he would stop re-treading the same path in the same circles, could figure out if he was just driving himself insane. Edited June 19, 2025 by Kasimir justification 2
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 19, 2025 Posted June 19, 2025 Jox walked slowly through the town, staring and stumbling. He had no idea what was going on. He didn't have the faintest sense of who to trust. He wanted to trust in Var and Keldorn, but with Fox gone, he had no idea what to think. Var, Keldorn, and Jox really shouldn't have survived this long. Jox didn't know if that meant the spiked were hiding amongst the less active, or if it meant they were hiding amongst the three of them. He was tempted to vote for Keldorn, because the man didn't have any votes on him yet. He was tempted to vote for Mil or Josha, on the presumption that his previous analysis hadn't been completely wrong. He was tempted to vote on Antari for not explaining about Fox. He wasn't tempted to vote on var, since he already had the leading votes, and there wasn't a counter train materializing to defend him. In the end, he decided to vote on Josha while he did some other investigations in private.
StrikerEZ he/him Posted June 19, 2025 Posted June 19, 2025 Var had expected there to be more talking today. With how close they were to disaster, he expected people to speak up. But maybe it was in the Spiked’s best interest to just stay quiet and let the village destroy itself. That’s what they had done thus far. Var was certain the Spiked were somewhere in the pool of [Antari, Kéamen, Jox, and Mil]. He trusted Keldorn and Madiane, and Josha had been so thoroughly out of it he suspected the poor guy was lost. Which Var completely understood. It was difficult enough trying to solve this puzzle without knowing anyone, even with years of experience under his belt. Of Var’s suspect pool, he was most suspicious of Kéamen. Why had Kéamen claimed Tineye? Why had he only posted an anonymous message that first night? Who was the mysterious Mistborn/Coinshot who had killed Teal and then disappeared? Kéamen. Kéamen is a Spiked Mistborn who acquired Tin on the first night and steel on the second. The shot on Teal was either an incredibly lucky guess or motivated by a Spiked seeker catching Teal burning steel on the first night. I am less sure of there being a Spiked Seeker, but if Kéamen is a Spiked Mistborn, then Antari is almost assuredly the Spiked Seeker. Var had ample reasons to believe they were facing a Seeker, reasons he could not go into in public. But he needed people to believe him here. Var voiced his thoughts out loud, accusing Kéamen, and called for as many people to join him on voting for Kéamen. @A Jo in the Bush @TwinStorm @ThatOneWorldhopper @KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren@Kasimir @Biplet
Kasimir he/him Posted June 19, 2025 Posted June 19, 2025 13 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said: Var was certain the Spiked were somewhere in the pool of [Antari, Kéamen, Jox, and Mil]. He trusted Keldorn and Madiane, and Josha had been so thoroughly out of it he suspected the poor guy was lost. Which Var completely understood. It was difficult enough trying to solve this puzzle without knowing anyone, even with years of experience under his belt. Of Var’s suspect pool, he was most suspicious of Kéamen. Why had Kéamen claimed Tineye? Why had he only posted an anonymous message that first night? Who was the mysterious Mistborn/Coinshot who had killed Teal and then disappeared? Kéamen. Kéamen is a Spiked Mistborn who acquired Tin on the first night and steel on the second. The shot on Teal was either an incredibly lucky guess or motivated by a Spiked seeker catching Teal burning steel on the first night. I am less sure of there being a Spiked Seeker, but if Kéamen is a Spiked Mistborn, then Antari is almost assuredly the Spiked Seeker. Var had ample reasons to believe they were facing a Seeker, reasons he could not go into in public. But he needed people to believe him here. Although Keldorn was suspicious of Kéamen, this didn't seem to pass muster. Kéamen had claimed to have been Soothed on the second night, a claim that had been backed up by Fox, who'd turned out to be a village Soother. In addition, they were still able to confer privately, which suggested a Tineye was still in operation. If Kéamen wasn't a Tineye, then he still hadn't shot Teal, and there was a second Tineye in Blackkeep who had said nothing at all. (Keldorn supposed Kéamen could've been Smoked that night, which would allow a steel shot to go through, but wasn't sure if Kéamen would then know to claim he'd been Soothed. He acknowledged he couldn't really explain the lack of a message last night, however.) He didn't really understand or agree with the Spiked Seeker assertion here, and the basis for it felt flimsy. He wondered if it was informational leak at work.
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