Biplet she/her Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 (edited) 1 hour ago, TwinStorm said: "As for Madiane, she's done nothing to prove she's a villager, staying in the background conveniently (something I admit to also doing, as time is pressing to me), but preferring to go about her day, discussing her duties and not focusing on the crisis at hand. All her votes have seemed relatively flimsy, and most piggybacking on another train. She seems to like to blend in, hide, and that makes me distrust her." "I don't know how else to say it other than I have been distracted with things other than this... situation and have been unable to devote much time to solving things." She pinched the bridge of her nose, looking worn down. "It's not like I'm attempting to blend in or 'hide.' You stay in the background because time is pressing on you. It is much the same for me." 46 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said: “Madiane states she and Var are both Smokers. Keldorn seems to corroborate the latter, and I am willing to believe it. But to those of you who wield these powers, I ask: how have you used them? "I'll say what I've said to Keldorn. I smoked him on the first night. The second night I intended to leave it open for seekers, but didn't realize that I must make an active action to turn off my coppercloud. Aral taught me as much. The third night I smoked myself and no one else because I did not know who to trust, and feared helping the spiked by smoking someone they wanted to conceal. Maybe it was stupid. I don't know. I've done what I can based on limited information I can figure out. It's all extremely confusing." Edited to add: "My vote stands. Three village smokers seems over the top, and Var has not provided any knowledge on who he smoked or when." Edited June 20, 2025 by Biplet
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 14 minutes ago, Kasimir said: There are just too many gaps in standard Seeking doctrine for this to be something acceptable at face value, and anyone who did believe it probably fell off the turnip cart yesterday. I'm finding it strange you thought you would be satisfied by this. Jox rubbed the back of his head. "I'm desperate for something to cling to right now. I probably would have been satisfied with it if he could give any other scans. I'm not saying I would have taken it at face value, but I do think in my current mental state I would have been easier to fool than usual. But you do raise a good point that the spiked might not have believed that. So I guess I'm back to being completely neutral on him again."
StrikerEZ he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 “I am busy with my duties. I shall finish up soon, but for now, I smoked Kéamen on night one, Jox on night two, and no one on night three. Keldorn can corroborate that last one.”
Kasimir he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 1 minute ago, StrikerEZ said: “I am busy with my duties. I shall finish up soon, but for now, I smoked Kéamen on night one, Jox on night two, and no one on night three. Keldorn can corroborate that last one.” Keldorn tiredly wondered why he was becoming the rusting dumping ground for corroboration. "For context," he said, evenly, "Var approached me last night seeking my help in identifying the likely Lurcher to Smoke them for their protection. I told him I was not comfortable doing so given the events of the day, and just wasn't a fan of Lurcher hunting. Var later told me he'd forgotten to Smoke anyone." 1
Biplet she/her Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 1 minute ago, Kasimir said: Keldorn tiredly wondered why he was becoming the rusting dumping ground for corroboration. "To be fair," Madiane said with a small grin. "I have a feeling you've been the 'dumping ground for corroboration' in the past. Just a hunch though." 1
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 6 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said: “I am busy with my duties. I shall finish up soon, but for now, I smoked Kéamen on night one, Jox on night two, and no one on night three. Keldorn can corroborate that last one.” 3 minutes ago, Kasimir said: "For context," he said, evenly, "Var approached me last night seeking my help in identifying the likely Lurcher to Smoke them for their protection. I told him I was not comfortable doing so given the events of the day, and just wasn't a fan of Lurcher hunting. Var later told me he'd forgotten to Smoke anyone." Jox wondered where Var had been to smoke him. Like, the man couldn't have an infinite range, so he would have had to be nearby the Bakery. Had he bought one of the surrounding buildings? Had he just curled up in the alleyway behind the bakery? Had he broken into the bakery at night and hid inside just to smoke him? It was a really weird thing to picture. Kinda funny, if completely irrelevant to their current hunt. Instead of vocalizing that, Jox asked the much more important question. "What was the point of smoking me on night two? What was the point of smoking at all honestly? Like, what was the thought process that led you to smoke anyone. Madiane had the right idea I think with not smoking at random to let village seekers, which I no longer actually believe exist, do their work." 1
StrikerEZ he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 59 minutes ago, A Jo in the Bush said: Jox wondered where Var had been to smoke him. Like, the man couldn't have an infinite range, so he would have had to be nearby the Bakery. Had he bought one of the surrounding buildings? Had he just curled up in the alleyway behind the bakery? Had he broken into the bakery at night and hid inside just to smoke him? It was a really weird thing to picture. Kinda funny, if completely irrelevant to their current hunt. Instead of vocalizing that, Jox asked the much more important question. "What was the point of smoking me on night two? What was the point of smoking at all honestly? Like, what was the thought process that led you to smoke anyone. Madiane had the right idea I think with not smoking at random to let village seekers, which I no longer actually believe exist, do their work." “In normal circumstances, I would agree with not smoking. But in this city, emotional manipulation can change or cancel someone’s action. I wanted to avoid that happening to villagers. I smoked you because at the time I thought you might have had a powerful allomantic ability.”
Kasimir he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 @A Jo in the Bush "Thoughts about the vote state?" Keldorn tipped his head towards Jox. Wanted to know what he thought, here and now. It was making his shoulder blades itch, as though someone had a dagger there. He didn't like it one bit. Ironically, he was starting to echo Jox's earlier thoughts, a little. It'd been a bit too quiet, since Jox had accused Madiane. Keldorn was worried it portended nothing good. As far as he could tell, it was the three of them, still standing in the market square. Watching. Wary.
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 "I'm super suspicious that Var hasn't changed his vote. A tie now gives the village one more chance to win, so Village Var should have changed his vote." Var (3): Keldorn 1, Antari 4, Kéamen 9, Madiane 10 Mil (0): Var 2 Madiane (2): Josha 3, Jox 11 Josha (0): Jox 5 Kéamen (2): Var 6, Mil 8 Antari (1): Keldorn 7 Jox (0): Keldorn (0):
Araris Valerian he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Author Posted June 20, 2025 Night 4: Lethal Indecision Aral figured that with only eight of his contacts remaining in Blackkeep, he could get away with a bit of a break, so as evening approached he visited the guard station by the town's southern gate. The room was empty; apparently the guards not on duty were getting instructions from a veteran on how best to fight against Koloss. As Aral turned to leave, a man entirely blackened by ash poked his head inside, then perked up upon seeing Aral. "You are just the person I was looking for. I'm the only scout left from the party sent out earlier this week. We were attacked by a Steel Inquisitor! I managed to hide under an ashdrift, and somehow it didn't notice me. Anyway, that's not important. The Koloss army could be here tomorrow!" Aral froze at the words, then swore softly. "Okay. You rally whomever you can to do a last-ditch repair on the north wall. I'll make sure the poisoned well is boarded up, then inform the others. Did you tell any of the guards at the gate?" The scout shook his head. "No... I know there are traitors in Blackkeep, and didn't want to risk getting stopped by one of them." A third voice spoke up, low and dangerous. "So nobody else knows, do they? Let's keep it that way." Aral was a Village Messenger! An unnamed Village Scout was killed! Night 4 has begun, and will end at 10PM Pacific Time on Friday, June 20th. PMs are Open! Vote Count: Var (3): Madiane, Antari, Kéamen Madianne (3): Var, Jox, Josha Antari (1): Keldorn Kéamen (1): Mil 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
Biplet she/her Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 “Yeah, that wasn’t suspicious at all.” Sarcasm, at the very least, she understood
Kasimir he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 (edited) Did they just... Did the Spiked just out themselves? Keldorn cursed himself for being too slow to react. "We're fecked then," he said, bluntly. Couldn't imagine another world in which they'd be satisfied to reveal themselves. "What is it, Mistborn picked up steel? Well played. I kept finding Jox off with each statement he made but you really made me want to think you Village, Var." He straightened up and took a deep breath. "Well, see you all in the morning. If we've got any Mistborn, you know what you should be doing." Keldorn didn't intend to worry too much about the things he couldn't affect. Edited to add: The way Keldorn saw it, it was hard to see a world where this wasn't just outing for Var and Jox. Jox's assertion that it would be Villagery for Var to cause a tie seemed unfounded to Keldorn. Given that Jox's vote was locked on Madiane, the only way Spiked Var could save himself would have been to cause a tie, regardless. There was no reason for Spiked Var to go willingly to the hangman's noose. Therefore, it looked as though Jox had already set out from the beginning of the day to find ways to smuggle Var into his Village reads, ranging from claiming Var was undefended (untrue with the Keamen accusations taking off, much less with Jox's own actions), to suggesting a complex system of vote rigging including preparations to counterhammer, without accounting for the chaos of Villager fog-of-war (which seemed like the perspective slip of a Spiked), which read like a way of trying to shield Var from the votes. Claiming that self-preservation was inherently Village here was just the latest in a string of contrived reasoning, and Keldorn didn't like that. The close timing between Jox's claim and Var's naked Madiane vote, too, raised his hackles. It felt as though it was orchestrated between the two of them to try to claim Village credit for the move. While Keldorn had spent the whole day going to and fro on Var, and he felt that self-preservation was inherently something any Spiked or Villager could do, he felt that the manner of Var's vote seemed more suspicious than not. On discovering that his accusations on Kéamen had been built on weak sand, Var had nonetheless left his vote there and hammered Madiane at the last second. It was as though the man'd given up on trying to defend himself or to help investigate, and had settled for shifting the votes to stay alive. But that didn't help anyone read him, particularly when a decent chunk of the Village thought him Spiked. That didn't feel like a very pro-Village mindset; it felt like a Spiked in trouble trying to deny the Village as much information as possible. Keldorn supposed they could kill him tonight, but he'd made his thoughts clear. The last Spiked (singular, plural, he wasn't terribly sure) was probably in <Mil, Josha, Antari>. He was of the view that Madiane was less likely to be Spiked with Var due to her Smoker claim (and the counterintuitive nature of the claim), and Kéamen had privately offered Keldorn some weak reason to think he was Village. (Also, if it turned out the Spiked were Kéamen, Jox, and Var exactly, Keldorn would have a God-be-damned fit, though that was neither here nor there. He resented the idea they were running rings around him in his dotage.) His leg ached. His back wept fire. He hadn't gone to the clinic. There was too much work on his plate at present. You're washed up, old man, he thought to himself. Fit only for the plantations now. Edited June 20, 2025 by Kasimir justification 1
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 "For the record, and I hope Aral can corroborate this afterwards, I attempted to change my vote seconds after Var changed his vote to ensure that Var was executed. I wasn't fast enough. I then realized less than a minute later, and said as much to Aral, that I should have retracted my vote on Madiane when I was replying to you, to ensure that Var was executed." "I'm not spiked, I'm just not quick enough of thought."
Hoid Slayer He/Him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 Kéamen sighed. He had failed. He had told the others, and they hadn’t listened. It was over. NO. No, he couldn’t afford to think like that. Yes, things weren’t great, but the Spiked had practically revealed themselves. And they likely still had a Lurcher. This could still be won. First, Kéamen was practically sure that Var and Jox were Spiked, regardless of what Jox said here. If Jox wasn’t Spiked, then he had seriously messed up. He felt good about Madiane and Antari. Antari was still weird, but Madiane sort of made a little sense - plus she voted Var. Regardless, he wanted to hear more from both of them. That left for the final Spiked Josha, Mil… and Keldorn. Kéamen had never once doubted Keldorn. But now, something nagged him. Why hadn’t the other man voted for Var? For all his opposition to Jox, why hadn’t he acted. Perhaps Keldorn had just made a mistake. But it seemed to Kéamen a grave and unnecessary one. If the Spiked trio were Var, Jox, and Keldorn… well, that would be a frightening world indeed. Kéamen shook the idea out of his head. He had to focus on the present. And right how, he was still entirely sure Var headed the enemy.
Through the Living Hopper He/Him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 Kamen had called him weird. That hurt. Antari realized he had never addressed his claim of Fox's innocence. He had offered little explanation. As he had been running out into the square, it seemed he lost all of his energy. Quote OOG: My phone was about to die, and I didn't want to risk a longer post. He had said that Fox was village because he had misread the records and thought that Var had led a train the day before, and then again that day. Antari was lost. He had no real backing for his suspicions on Var, only how hard he had pushed for Fox, and that was hardly unique. Plus, the constant merging of the new records into the larger town one made it hard for him to find things that he remembered being said. All in all, he suspected a Var+Madiane Spiked group, plus another: Kéamen, perhaps, but only because everyone else seemed marginally less suspicious. He would cast his vote later, after some more people talked.
Kasimir he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 2 hours ago, Hoid Slayer said: Why hadn’t the other man voted for Var? For all his opposition to Jox, why hadn’t he acted. "'Cause it's not my nature to damn a person immediately," Keldorn said, steadily. "I am always, always known for wanting to hear them out, down to the last minute, particularly if I have history with them, and I was struggling to juggle my thoughts about Var and Madiane on no sleep." He shrugged. "It's a character flaw. My informants have known this in previous encounters with Fox's, Var's, and Copper's predecessors. And—" he hesitated. "Wasn't as if Var didn't have some things going for him. If I felt he was Village after all and still voted to accuse him, it'd be my fault Blackkeep fell, wouldn't it? I was trying to make up my mind on him and he sounded so resigned and the accusations were stable so I was getting worried." "Still, I'll say this. If Var and I were Spiked together, unless you think Madiane is Spiked with us, which I think not, she's probably not Spiked with Var because of their identical claimed Allomantic Powers, we vote together at sunset and misexecute Madiane. In a four Spiked world, Blackkeep dies, there and now. In a three Spiked world, we have the immensely difficult task of dodging the Lurcher at night, and then deadlocking the Village in the day. Slightly longer path that completely disregards any Allomancy we may have access to, but Blackkeep still dies. There's no real reason for my failure to move with Var here if we're both Spiked." 8 minutes ago, ThatOneWorldhopper said: He would cast his vote later, after some more people talked. "I appreciate your newfound enthusiasm," Keldorn said, "But it's night. You can only vote in the day."
StrikerEZ he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 Var was tired. He had voted against Madiane solely to save himself. He had been planning on it for the last few hours of the day, before Jox had even said anything. He had been hoping to catch the Spiked unawares, to try and prevent a last minute counter-hammer against him tying the votes. Of course Jox had to go and let the cat out the bag early. For what it’s worth, Var considered the move of tying up the vote to save himself as not indicative of his alignment either way. Var knew he was village, and would know that his own death would spell disaster for the village, regardless of if there were four or three Spiked. Plus, of course, an outsider would assume that Var would also tie up the votes if he was Spiked. As for why he had not argued too hard against his own execution or not switched his vote, who would he have switched his vote to? Antari and Madiane were the only other ones who had votes. Var still trusted Madiane, and Antari only had one vote on him. That would’ve still kept Var in the lead, which he could not allow. But, tying the votes kept everyone alive and gave them another chance to live. If there were four Spiked, that meant they had to avoid the Spiked’s kill tonight. And if there were four Spiked, they must have either a Lurcher or a Thug, or else everything would be over already. So, Var wanted to play a little game of hypotheticals. He let everyone know his thoughts thus far, then called for everyone to say who they would protect tonight if they were the Lurcher. Obviously the real Lurcher should say someone besides who they’re actually going to protect. @Kasimir @A Jo in the Bush @Biplet @TwinStorm @ThatOneWorldhopper @Hoid Slayer @KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren And, just for fun, Var suggested they each say who they would kill tonight if they were the Spiked. ”I would protect Madiane if I was the Lurcher,” Var said, “and kill Josha if I was the Spiked.”
Hoid Slayer He/Him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 6 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said: Var was tired. He had voted against Madiane solely to save himself. He had been planning on it for the last few hours of the day, before Jox had even said anything. He had been hoping to catch the Spiked unawares, to try and prevent a last minute counter-hammer against him tying the votes. Of course Jox had to go and let the cat out the bag early. For what it’s worth, Var considered the move of tying up the vote to save himself as not indicative of his alignment either way. Var knew he was village, and would know that his own death would spell disaster for the village, regardless of if there were four or three Spiked. Plus, of course, an outsider would assume that Var would also tie up the votes if he was Spiked. As for why he had not argued too hard against his own execution or not switched his vote, who would he have switched his vote to? Antari and Madiane were the only other ones who had votes. Var still trusted Madiane, and Antari only had one vote on him. That would’ve still kept Var in the lead, which he could not allow. But, tying the votes kept everyone alive and gave them another chance to live. If there were four Spiked, that meant they had to avoid the Spiked’s kill tonight. And if there were four Spiked, they must have either a Lurcher or a Thug, or else everything would be over already. So, Var wanted to play a little game of hypotheticals. He let everyone know his thoughts thus far, then called for everyone to say who they would protect tonight if they were the Lurcher. Obviously the real Lurcher should say someone besides who they’re actually going to protect. @Kasimir @A Jo in the Bush @Biplet @TwinStorm @ThatOneWorldhopper @Hoid Slayer @KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren And, just for fun, Var suggested they each say who they would kill tonight if they were the Spiked. ”I would protect Madiane if I was the Lurcher,” Var said, “and kill Josha if I was the Spiked.” Ooookay Well, Kéamen wasn't going to be honest about that. "Why should we give the Spiked that information? This seems to be shallow baiting for any last scraps now that the world has turned on you, Var." 1
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 "Yeah, I don't buy it. I will absolutely be voting for you tomorrow Var. For fun though, if I was a Lurcher, I would protect my parents, Kistaris and Gurvani, and if I was spiked, I would kill you."
Hoid Slayer He/Him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 51 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said: Var was tired. He had voted against Madiane solely to save himself. He had been planning on it for the last few hours of the day, before Jox had even said anything. He had been hoping to catch the Spiked unawares, to try and prevent a last minute counter-hammer against him tying the votes. Of course Jox had to go and let the cat out the bag early. For what it’s worth, Var considered the move of tying up the vote to save himself as not indicative of his alignment either way. Var knew he was village, and would know that his own death would spell disaster for the village, regardless of if there were four or three Spiked. Plus, of course, an outsider would assume that Var would also tie up the votes if he was Spiked. As for why he had not argued too hard against his own execution or not switched his vote, who would he have switched his vote to? Antari and Madiane were the only other ones who had votes. Var still trusted Madiane, and Antari only had one vote on him. That would’ve still kept Var in the lead, which he could not allow. But, tying the votes kept everyone alive and gave them another chance to live. If there were four Spiked, that meant they had to avoid the Spiked’s kill tonight. And if there were four Spiked, they must have either a Lurcher or a Thug, or else everything would be over already. So, Var wanted to play a little game of hypotheticals. He let everyone know his thoughts thus far, then called for everyone to say who they would protect tonight if they were the Lurcher. Obviously the real Lurcher should say someone besides who they’re actually going to protect. @Kasimir @A Jo in the Bush @Biplet @TwinStorm @ThatOneWorldhopper @Hoid Slayer @KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren And, just for fun, Var suggested they each say who they would kill tonight if they were the Spiked. ”I would protect Madiane if I was the Lurcher,” Var said, “and kill Josha if I was the Spiked.” "I have a question for you, Var," Kéamen commented. "Why would you save Madiane? Why kill Josha?"
StrikerEZ he/him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 45 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said: Ooookay Well, Kéamen wasn't going to be honest about that. "Why should we give the Spiked that information? This seems to be shallow baiting for any last scraps now that the world has turned on you, Var." “I am not baiting for information. The idea behind my hypothetical is to make it harder for the Spiked to decide who to kill. The Lurcher could be anyone, and if we’re all saying we’ll protect someone, they don’t know who’s actually going to be protected. We’re making their lives more difficult if we do this.” 43 minutes ago, A Jo in the Bush said: "Yeah, I don't buy it. I will absolutely be voting for you tomorrow Var. For fun though, if I was a Lurcher, I would protect my parents, Kistaris and Gurvani, and if I was spiked, I would kill you." “But if you were a Spiked,” Var said “would you not want to keep me alive for tomorrow for the easy mis-execution? I’ve been perfectly set up here for it.” 2 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said: "I have a question for you, Var," Kéamen commented. "Why would you save Madiane? Why kill Josha?" “I would protect Madiane because she’s the one person in this town I trust. I used to trust Keldorn, but I’m beginning to worry I need to reevaluate even him. And I would kill Josha to give the village as little information as possible. That is, of course, assuming Josha was not a fellow Spiked.”
Hoid Slayer He/Him Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 14 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said: “I am not baiting for information. The idea behind my hypothetical is to make it harder for the Spiked to decide who to kill. The Lurcher could be anyone, and if we’re all saying we’ll protect someone, they don’t know who’s actually going to be protected. We’re making their lives more difficult if we do this.” That... logic didn't make sense to Kéamen. The Spiked already didn't know who was to be protected. This made no sense.
Jo and the Bush all/any Posted June 20, 2025 Posted June 20, 2025 19 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said: “But if you were a Spiked,” Var said “would you not want to keep me alive for tomorrow for the easy mis-execution? I’ve been perfectly set up here for it.” "No, i'd want you dead so that you stop weaseling out of executions. Twice now it's happened. If I were spiked, i'd kill you. I'm not, so I'll vote you instead."
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