MR77: Cycle Four: Why Exe?

[Archer he/him]

MR77 Cycle Four: Why Exe?

Y and X tussled on the ground.  
“I thought you were my follower,” X grunted. Their shirt ripped open, revealing a Ghostblood tattoo over their heart. 
“That's how I knew it was you.” Y slipped his attempted headlock. 
“Diamond told me you'd be trouble. I told 'im you didn't have the spheres to interfere.”
“You gave me the chance to face the truth.” Y hesitated, then plunged his dagger through X’s chest. “I had to take a stab at it.”
 

A shardblade, brought by Wei, given to Qian, and taken by X mere hours ago, appeared beside X's corpse. 
 

“Defilers!” Talik bellowed. “Thrill junkies! Deathmongers and chulldung. Get out of my sanctuary!”

The king grabbed his arm. Talik spun. “What? Oh storms.”
A narrow boat approached Relu-na, rowed by men with white spirals painted on their chests. 

Talik’s subsequent cursing spanned four languages. “Maybe they're not headed this way.”
The solemn king shook his head. He spoke for the first time.
“My dear, they veer. I fear they'll steer to here, our pier, to sear our rears. They'll leer so near. We'll hear their cheers.”

“I count about twenty.“ Captain Pladel lowered her spyglass. “I don't see any weapons on board. What're they here for?”
“Our coast will host their boats. Their dour quotes will roast us toast, to ghosts.” The king sighed. “Let's boast.”

Pladel vaguely recalled that boasts were how the inhabitants of the greatshells fought each other. “Can't you just ignore them?”
Talik started pacing. “To ignore the challenge would bring dishonour to Relu-na. We're already weak in number. To lose the challenge would crush this island's resolve.”

“You've paid to wade here. Stayed to trade. Best laid plans fade when made face raids. Please aid.”
“This isn't your fight,” said Talik with reluctance. “But we would appreciate your assistance.”

On the beach below, the visitors gathered around a glowing fabrial. 
A young boy, maybe six, spoke through it. His voice amplified to ten times the intensity. 
“I was afraid or the dark. But I made the dark my friend.”

A teenager took the fabrial as their companions stomped their feet. “I met a rooster at sea and led it to land. It gave me its finest feather!”

As more challengers spoke, Talik ushered the sailors to a section of Relu-na’s crest that had the impacted shape of an amphitheater. Sound projected especially well from its center. 
“Please. Hold them off while I gather our defenses.”

“I chased the fog and caught it."

“My buttercrem icing felled a man with its flavour. Many know the recipe, but few can execute it."

“I braved the maw of a greatshell to remove a lodged stone. I seized it, flossed Ula-til's molars, and slid to safety down its tongue."

The stomping on the beach stopped as the challengers looked up, awaiting a response to their opening volley. 

Plot hook: Defend Relu-na with your bravest boasts!

Why exe? Because sometimes you get a baddie. Coder was a Ghostblood Officer!

The First Rebuke was issued. The Ghostbloods have been told the identity and inventory of a random Merchant. 

Enmity is now 2.

Player-player PMs are permanently closed. 

Rollover is at 8pm EST Thursday, July 9. 

Votes

Hoid (1): Coder

Coder (8): TUC, Grub, Stardust, Hoid, Mint, TJ, Coco, Hopper

Cargo Hold

Quote

Shardblade
Manifest
Manifest
Lavis Beer
Lavis Beer
Lavis Beer
Bribe
Bribe
Key
Key
Chalk

Players

Spoiler

1. @Hoid Slayer as Y, an inexperienced sailor with a positive attitude and a secret. 

2. @Stardust

3. @The Unknown Character

4. @Wahrheitswächter as Ralm the Thaylen Merchant, and Babsk of Essyn, bearing a mistspren, trinkets, and secrets. Merchant Officer

5. @coco.pudding as Essyn, a Thaylen apprentice looking to prove herself worthy of her family name (which is secret).

6. @Mystic as Fickle Thief

7. @Through the Living Hopper as 1. 

8. @Ascended Grubberfly as Darak the Reshi returning home who secretly helped draft pre-written boasts. 

9. @Mint11 as Shejun

10. @Qianweilian Merchant Officer

11. @CoderDrag0n8 as X, the retired sailor brought along for his experience and his secret weapon. Ghostblood Officer

12. @Illwei Merchant Crew

13. @|TJ|

 

.

Edited 3 hours ago by Archer

[The Unknown Character he/him]

So there's too options here:

The elims didn't put in a kill because of inactivity 

We roleblocked the killer

Anyone have a roleblock to claim?

Edit: I know a lot of you don't trust me because of the exchange with Illwei, but I remind you all that Illwei said they trusted me other than that exchange, and Illwei isn't even here to explain the convo anymore. 

Edited 4 hours ago by The Unknown Character

[Ascended Grubberfly He/Him]

I think it may be inactivity, mostly based on the fact that a lot of active people are dead.

And TUC, as I am not certain on you since my reads are somewhat flimsy, I will not vote you unless I see no other option. Lets get some of the inactive people in here so we can get some reads on them.

Hey Star, you're kinda inactive and haven't said much. @Stardust

Hey @Archer the player list has a discrepancy. The exe says Coder was a Ghostblood Merchant and the list says Ghostblood Officer. Which is true?

[Archer he/him]

7 minutes ago, Ascended Grubberfly said:

 @Archer the player list has a discrepancy. The exe says Coder was a Ghostblood Merchant and the list says Ghostblood Officer. Which is true?

Good catch. Coder was a Ghostblood Officer. 

And to answer a popular question right now, the rules state that only successful attacks are listed in the writeup. All deaths are similtaneous. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Archer

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

I’m going for that Shardblade

Anyone who wants to contest me does so at their own risk

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

Oh and sidenote TUC

1 hour ago, The Unknown Character said:

So there's too options here:

The elims didn't put in a kill because of inactivity 

We roleblocked the killer

Anyone have a roleblock to claim?

Edit: I know a lot of you don't trust me because of the exchange with Illwei, but I remind you all that Illwei said they trusted me other than that exchange, and Illwei isn't even here to explain the convo anymore. 

Option 3: Elims skipped the NK because there’s no real benefit to it, all it does is reduce the pool for villagers to hunt them from, and they can then redirect attention to defenseless inactives 

2 hours ago, Archer said:

Why exe? Because sometimes you get a baddie. Coder was a Ghostblood Officer!

The implication that Coder is a baddie

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

Okay we do need to fend off these Rebukes

This one should be fairly simple

Still, people who are capable of giving Favour, please do so

I am still incapable, after trying and failing to get a Key last cycle