Mid-Range Game 4: The Alethi War of Unification

[Wyrmhero]

This Cycle is over!

 

You have chosen...

haven't you?

[Wyrmhero]

Week 5

An unusual sight greeted Dalinar when he arrived at the command tent today. Usually his Lighteyes waited for his presence to start arguing, but today it sounded as though they'd decided to get on with it early. If only they had started earlier still, and he didn't have to be here to hear any of it.

"I'm telling you, it's that damned Darkeyed woman. What's her name..."

"Odysa?" Brightness Kenara suggested, looking through the list of prime suspects that the five of them had compiled together before her.

Brightlord Kaddar snapped his fingers. "Yes, that's it," he said, grinning a little. "I mean... It only makes sense that they'd use women to spy on us, wouldn't it? They need people who can write!"

Kenara rapped her pen on the desk irritably. "Are you suggesting that I might be one, Brightlord Kaddar?"

"Well, that makes sense too!" Kaddar declared cheerfully. "I mean, who else sees so much of what Dalinar... plans..." he trailed off as he saw Kenara's withering gaze. Clearly she was not amused. "Okay, maybe not then. But I still think that she's a good place to start."

"I disagree," Brightlord Ace said, shaking his head. "I fear that Jain was not the only one lying about his true loyalties here." His eyes flickered over to Brightlord Jost, then back to Kaddar. "Some people seem to protest a little too much."

Jost stirred from his seat. "Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting, Ace?" He was not in a good mood. Firstly, there was Tal, sitting opposite him. And now he was being forced to talk to Ace. Four weeks in close proximity to one another had not made that any easier.

"Perhaps I am," Ace said, turning back to face him. "Sometimes I wonder if the real reason you're annoyed with our young friend here is just because you wanted to take that blade back to your master. Which is it? Roion? Vamah?"

Jost stood up at such a speed and force that it knocked the small table between them all over, Kenara's papers scattering in every direction. "The only one I serve is Highprince Dalinar!" He said, staring Ace right in the eyes. "I challenge you to a duel, Brightlord Ace, unless you're too cowardly to face me."

The room went silent, all of the Lighteyes, Dalinar included, looking at Ace. He looked away. "I apologise, Brightlord Jost. I went too far."

"No?" Jost looked down at him, his voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and some small amount of elation. "I don't think that's what the problem is... You two, seize him!"

Kaddar and Tal each took an arm, though Ace did not attempt to escape. He looked up at Jost. "You can't be serious, Jost. You think me a Spy just because I insulted you? As I always do?"

"It is claimed that someone is interfering with our orders," Dalinar said, as he finally made his presence known. "If that is true, then it can only really be one of you five from this list," he said, reaching over Kenara to tap the paper, assuming it to be the correct one. "Six, perhaps, if that damned half-Darkeyed soldier is still messing about and pretending to be one of us."

"Dalinar, sir," Ace said, looking to him. He wrenched his arm out of Tal's grasp, the boy not having as much strength as a more finely trained Lighteyed soldier, and then looked at Kaddar, who dropped his arm without question. Ace stood up, and walked over to the desk. "Let me prove my loyalty to you."

*

Two days later, Ace was beginning to think that was a bad idea. Leading the assault on Prince Roion's troops, he was fine with. It would be a fierce battle, with glory and renown for all, even the dead. No, what he was less fine with was the fact that he had only been given a Darkeyes equipment - a spear and some rather shoddy leather to protect himself with.

He was also somewhat worried by the fact that Brightlord Kaddar was the one who was actually giving the orders. The man was clearly as sane as Jost was angry. Still, there had to be a reason, whatever that might have been.

Brightlord Kaddar gave the order to advance, and Ace and the rest of his troops (for he still commanded a respectable force, despite his poorly equipped status) obeyed the order. They hit Prince Roion's troops like the Weeping - calmly, but with a slow sense of inevitability.

It wasn't a battle as Ace was used to. Not with this unfamiliar weapon, or this close to the actual front of the battle. Not with the shoulder-to-shoulder advance of his fellow soldier, just one man in the mass of spears that stabbed towards their foe.

A cry came from somewhere nearby. "Archers!" Their foe retreated, clearly wary of being caught in the oncoming rain of arrows. They pushed to close the gap, but Ace stayed behind. He looked up, across the battlefield. Prince Roion's archers were meant to be the best in all the princedoms. But even so, he could barely see them, so far away on the horizon. Surely they couldn't hit anything from that dist-

"Get down!" He was tackled from the side, and hit the floor rolling, an armoured spearman falling on top of him as arrows pelted their position. The man stood up quickly, picking an arrow out of the back of his armour where it had only slightly penetrated. "Crazy Lighteyes," Ace could hear him mutter as he disappeared back off into the fray.

*

Kaddar couldn't see what was so bad about the spear as a weapon. It was not a Lighteye's weapon, that was true, but it had one redeeming feature - all the fighting was done on the other end of it - that is, not right in front of him. It lessened the Thrill a little, made it easier to keep a clear head, and not be swallowed up by adrenalin.

"Report?" he asked, not looking up from or halting in the writing of his letter as a runner entered the command tent.

"The left flank is suffering, sir," the young man reported, saluting in what he probably thought was a smart manner. "Many of their Officers have been killed by Prince Roion's archers, and they are in disarray."

"I see," Kaddar nodded, as he continued to write his letter. He should probably get on to that, but a few seconds wouldn't matter all that much.

The runner stood there, waiting, until Kaddar finished his letter, pressing his seal to the envelope and sealing it from all eyes. He threw on his set of armour and grabbed his spear from where it lay against the tent's wall. "Very well, let's go and see the damage." But not too close, of course. He didn't want to become a target, just like his officers were.

The runner took him a short distance from the front on the left flank, where his forces were apparently now weakest. But as far as he could tell from where he could see, the command structure was still in place.

Suspicions went through his mind, and he turned to the runner, but too late. As he did, a knife twisted into his side, cutting through the armour as though it were no thicker than paper. But as far as he could tell, it was not an especially dangerous wound.

"Oh, damnation," the runner muttered, a little less irritated than Kaddar would have expected, taking out another knife. "They said they'd replaced your armour, all I had to do was stab you. Well, I'll just do it again, while no-one's looking. If anyone asks, I stabbed you once, alright?"

Kaddar raised his spear, his other hand at his side. The messenger smirked a little and pushed against the spearhead with his dagger. The wood cracked a little, and then the spearhead fell off, as rot was revealed beneath. "Just try to die quickly and quietly."

"Brightlord, sir!"

The messenger turned slightly to look at the source. A few soldiers were running to his rescue. Kaddar took the opportunity and pulled the dagger out of his side, holding it between him and his would-be killer and discarding his damaged spear.

The runner scowled. "Next time, your Brightlordiness," he promised, as he ran off, away from Kaddar's saviours.


Ace was lynched, but saved by a Guardsman!

Ace (6): Jost Joslin, Eoldren, Norlav, Kenara, Odysa, Kaddar
Jost Joslin (3): Torwel, Ace, Aonar Faialen
Odysa (2): Newan, Mek
Marand (1): Reihmer
Reihmer (1): Marand

Kaddar was wounded in the Skirmish, but saved by a Guardsman!

It seems the army is deep within Prince Roion's territory, as at the end of the week, there will be a Battle against Prince Roion.

The Cycle will end at 8 PM on Wednesday.
 

 

Player List
Darkeyes:
Damon Shan, Worldhopper [Jasnah Damodred]
Norlav, a mercenary drafted by the Blackthorn [Alvron]
Wok, a Horneater princess serving the Blackthorn [Ashiok] - Messenger
Reihmer, a bad ketek poet [Renegade]
Newan, a failed (and failing) Envisager [Newan]
Odysa of Shao, a former-assassin turned mercenary [Winter Cloud]
Karlin, a Jah Keved Purelaker [surgebound Rainspren]
Aonaran Faialen, a wannabe musician [Aonar Faileas]
Marand, no further description [Mailliw73]
Mek, a defector from Highprince Yenev's army [mckeedee123]
Alinel Lenia, Horneater exile, second son [Araris Valerian]
Torwel, reluctant conscript, wants ale [twelfthrootoftwo]
Eoldren, guy with a sweet tooth and a grudge [Eolhondras]
Meller, a bridge builder for the Blackthorn [Metacognition] - Watchman

Lighteyes:
Kaddar, a one-eyed veteran spearman with a fondness for riddles. [Kasimir]
Kenara, a scribe for the Blackthorn [little wilson]
Jain, a possibly-resurrected Shin traveller with a panda [Lightsworn Panda] - Swordsman
Jost Joslin, a soldier who never had a Shardblade [The Only Joe]
Ace, a guy with an oversized mallet and a talisman [Macen]
Tal, an enthusiastic young recruit and Shardblade wielder [luckat]

Edited June 19, 2016 by Alvron

[Newan]

This means that Macen is bad and his teammate is a bad guardsman, right? Does that mean Luckat should chop Macen into little pieces?

If we choose this route, we should wait until Macen is dead before we consider lynching Odysa. If we kill Macen and he is the bad officer, Odysa is much less likely to be bad.

Also, this means Kaddar is definitely good, right?

[the winter system]

REALLY? This does not tell us anything! Nobody revealed their roles by dying. Wow. At least the guardsman saved Kaddar, but another one saved Macen. Why? Who was against the lynching of him? None in the chat that I can recall. So a pretty safe assumption was that his teammate was a spy guardsman. Or a darkeyes just didn't want him to be lynched. If option 2, step forward if you would please. If option 1, i'd like to say the same thing, but nobody would agree to it, except the Wit. And we know he's not a spy, wait can the Wit be evil?

[Macen]

I lived? Interesting. I don't see how Kaddar being good/bad is any different than myself being Good/Bad? Well, the spies have convinced you to spend another cycle wasting a vote to lynch me. I'll go ahead and start it Ace.

[Alvron]

It means nothing.  We are no closer to being sure of anyones guilt than we were at the start of last cycle.

[Macen]

I am curios as to why a guardsman would have been guarding either Kaddar or myself? If the Guardsman was good, why wasn't he protecting the only 100% confirmed person? Just curious.

[little wilson]

It means nothing.  We are no closer to being sure of anyones guilt than we were at the start of last cycle.

 

I beg to differ. There are likely only two guardsman. One evil, one good. Both of them made an appearance today. The good one saved Kaddar (no doubt counting on the Surgeon to protect luckat). The bad one saved Macen. Macen is trying to say that they used that guardsman to implicate him more, but there is no way that the spies used their one-shot protective role just to delay us for one more cycle. No. They used their one-shot protecting their Officer. Give up the charade, Macen. Start trolling. It's much more amusing that way.

 

Also, both guardsmen are now out of commission. This means that, if the three teams are in communication with each other, one of them will put a hit on Alvron, and the other two will put a hit on Luckat. Unless I can block one of them, we'll lose both our Surgeon and our Shardbearer in the battle. As it is, we're guaranteed to lose one of them.

[Kasimir]

...Let me get this straight. I basically agonised about lynching Macen for nothing? Well, ok, I guess?

 

Thanks, whoever you are. I quite appreciate it, since I'd suspected I'd be lining up as a target.

 

Edit: As my card says, with regard to my allegiances: L.A.F.O. Further attempts to discover my allegiance may be met by egregious trolling, rickrolling, and last but not least, creepypasta. You have been warned. I have creepypasta and I am not afraid to use it.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Kasimir

[the winter system]

Macen. Stop trying to convince people that you are good. Why would anyone protect you? I think us lowly darkeyes know the important of a lynch and why save someone who will get stabbed with a shardblade or lynched next turn? Obviously it was the bad guardsman trying to protect you. 

[Newan]

I don't know why people are saying that we learned nothing. The eliminators tried to kill Kasimir. Plus, unless the guardsman who saved Macen comes forward, it's almost certain he's bad.

Maybe the guardsman was convinced that Macen was legit, and just wanted to save a surgeon. Please come forward. Now that you have used up your power, I doubt you have anything to fear from the eliminators, at least for a few more cycles.

[Macen]

Because of my rugged good looks and my charming personality? Seems likely to me.

[Kasimir]

Ace doesn't matter at this point. We haven't really got new information (well, I haven't, Newan, that I'm loyal to Gavilar Dalinar isn't news to me ), and if we spend most of this cycle immediately going after Macen, we're not going to learn anything, and then we'll be in for it the moment next cycle rolls around. Say, rather, that Luckat, myself, and Alvron are likely to be the battle's targets. Now, Luckat can be protected (remember, she's a Lighteyes now), while Alv could, for instance protect me. The problem is that he can't protect himself, and unless, as Wilson said, she's very good with that roleblock, then we're in for it.

The only other good point I can see is that even if all three of us die, two being the safe roles, there's going a new Shardbearer at the end of that battle. But the problem is that all the structures so far have been based on the Messengers contacting Luckat. Now, I'm going to come out and admit that I have been previously contacted as well, but given that I wasn't Luckat, I didn't want to be the one coordinating Messengers, so there's that. The challenge will be to keep most of that structure intact, with what we have. So I do have one or two suggestions for how we can do that, but at the same time, I'd like to hear Alv and Luckat's input on that front. Especially Alv, seeing as he's the one with the most fragile protection currently existing. And before that: Ren. I notice that you and Maili basically accused each other, which is very much like what you were doing with Hero and Jaelre in QF2. Got anything else to bring to the table at the moment?

 

Incidentally, I would like to appeal to all: say more. If you've been hit by a role-block, please speak up and confirm it, especially since we're trying to trace that second Officer. We know that Officer #2 hit Meta on Cycle One but that's it. He just seems to disappear into thin air after that. Who has been role-blocked and when? Please come forward, because the more information we have, the more we can bring to bear on the problem.

 

Edit: 'Doesn't matter' = 'We can decide what to do with him later. We need some discussion now and we can't close off the possibility of talking about other things and finding other suspects.'

Edited December 8, 2014 by Kasimir

[the winter system]

Not me

[Kasimir]

A few telling/interesting things:

Compare to Luckat's table shortly before the cycle ended. [The one below is Luckat's]

Marand (1): Reihmer
Odysa (2): Mek, Newan
Ace (5): Norlav, Eoldren, Jost, Odysa, Kenara
Jost (3): Aonaran, Ace, Torwel
Karlin (1): Kaddar
Reihmer (1): Marand

1. I'm listed as voting for Karlin. I clearly retracted that (I think I retracted all my votes and one I didn't even make >>) and voted for Macen, just to be sure. I'm not really sure why that hasn't been counted.

2. Would be nice to have an account of the Lighteyes votes. I put my Lighteyes vote on Karlin, but not my actual one.

3. Marand and Aonar seem to be both missing from their respective votes. Jost only has two votes on him, while Marand just vanishes. I'm guessing they were silenced by Squadleaders, or they were Scouts. I'm favouring the former, if only because it seems rather...strange to vote on a cycle when you're away from camp, knowing that would make your vote vanish.

 

Edit: Please ignore the bit about Aonar and myself. It seems that Wyrm has just changed the votes because he's misrecorded them >> So the main takeaway is that Maili, who was voting for Ren was silenced. Interesting.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Kasimir

[Wyrmhero]

1. I'm listed as voting for Karlin. I clearly retracted that (I think I retracted all my votes and one I didn't even make >>) and voted for Macen, just to be sure. I'm not really sure why that hasn't been counted.

3. Marand and Aonar seem to be both missing from their respective votes. Jost only has two votes on him, while Marand just vanishes. I'm guessing they were silenced by Squadleaders, or they were Scouts. I'm favouring the former, if only because it seems rather...strange to vote on a cycle when you're away from camp, knowing that would make your vote vanish.

 

Actually, entirely my fault. I updated the votes on my spreadsheet but not in my writeup... Fixed.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Wyrmhero

[little wilson]

I don't think we should lynch Macen. It's pretty much a guarantee what he is. Let's start looking at darkeyes, and leave luckat to deal with Macen.

 

My current top suspects among the darkeyes: Araris and Maill. There's a reason I role-blocked Araris. I find it interesting that a few people have made mention of those who have been less active, naming Rainspren and Ren, but totally skipping over Araris. He didn't post at all last cycle, and during the highstorm, he only posted once, then twice more in the cycles before that (I didn't link to his posts in Cycle 1). He's posted just enough so people aren't really watching him, but little enough that he doesn't have to say anything of worth. And it's not like he hasn't been around. He has been. I've been paying attention. He's been reading the thread and keeping up with the game. He just hasn't been posting. I'd like him to start.

 

That's not a bad idea, Kas. Luckat skips the battle and still kills Macen. However, I highly doubt Alvron will be protecting anyone during the battle. Remember that for all intents and purposes, he's a darkeyes. I think it's safe to say that Macen will roleblock him. Which means, if Luckat skips the battle, the spies will probably target the three of us: you, me, and Alvron. Get rid of the Surgeon, the Wit, and both the Officers (since Luckat will be ridding us of Macen). That's a rather unpleasant body count. I'll do what I can to lessen it. No guarantees.

[Alvron]

I was roleblocked last cycle.  My hands trained in the art of saving lives spent the week mucking out the lighteyes latrine.  You lot are SO messy.  Lay off the bran muffins.

[Kasimir]

Actually, entirely my fault. I updated the votes on my spreadsheet but not in my writeup...

But Maili's vote on Ren was suppposed to not be there, right? I'm not mistaken in that, at least?

[little wilson]

I was roleblocked last cycle.  My hands trained in the art of saving lives spent the week mucking out the lighteyes latrine.  You lot are SO messy.  Lay off the bran muffins.

 

I had a feeling that was the case. It explains why they saved Macen. They wanted him alive to roleblock you again.

[Wyrmhero]

But Maili's vote on Ren was suppposed to not be there, right? I'm not mistaken in that, at least?

 

All the votes this Cycle are meant to be there. No silencing actions (if there were any) took effect. If I have missed any others, please let me know.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Wyrmhero

[Kasimir]

All the votes this Cycle are meant to be there. If I have missed any others, please let me know.

Thanks, understood.

I had a feeling that was the case. It explains why they saved Macen. They wanted him alive to roleblock you again.

...That's it. I've had enough. This is so on.

Anyway, Wilson: correct me if I'm wrong, but you have a Battle skip ability as well? Or did you also blow it on the first battle? The most important, I reckon, is that Luckat is still alive, because the Messenger-structure will be anchored in to her. And we're gonna have to hope that Dalinar makes a good choice in who he gives a shiny new Shardblade to.

 

[little wilson]

Yes. I have a battle skip. I'm contemplating using it on this battle, but I haven't decided.

 

Also, when Macen told us who he "protected" as the Surgeon, he said Meta in the first cycle. It's true he had an action against Meta. Do you think he might've been honest with us about his targets? If so, his second role-blocked target was Maill....

[Mailliw73]

Because of my rugged good looks and my charming personality? Seems likely to me.

 

There you go. That's how you start trolling.

 

Well done, whoever the good Guardsman is. You chose the perfect time to use your power. About Macen's save, I'm inclined to think that it was the spy on his team, but it could very well be any of the other ones, since it was pretty certain that he was a spy and they probably just wanted to save one of their own. Which means that that Guardsman just lost his save. There is no point in voting for MAcen though, since he's guaranteed. I'd say that he's a perfect Shardblade target for Tal's first kill. Wyrm, can a surgeon save themselves?

 

"Mailiw's acted like an Eliminator throughout the course of the game. I'm also suspicious of Odysa and Kasimir being in the same team. Additionally, it's always good to suspect Wilson. Still, Mailiw is a good bit more suspicious than the other three. Can't colorcode on mobile, voting for Mailiw. "

 

Jasnah, what is this about? What have I done that is "acting like an Eliminator?" I'm very curious to hear about this, particularly since you pop in just to accuse me.

 

To  try and figure out why Ren seems off to me, I went through and read his posts again. I don't really suspect him anymore, but figured that I'd post this summary of his actions since I already typed it up.:

 

Ren, during the first cycle posted twice, both with extensive RP and keteks. He also voted each time. He then said that he would be busy for the next few days. Retracted both votes. Cycle two: posted about wanting people to vote and that he doesnt like poke votes. Posted a second time, voting for Karlin. Posted Keteks at a request. Cycle 3: Posted trying to figure out why there weren't any kills during the battle. Voted for Newan. Wrote Keteks for Jain and Ash's deaths. Cycle  4: Voted for me, because of my suggestions. Posted twice about server issues. Once again, he suggested we vote and discuss more.

 

Edit:

 

Yes. I have a battle skip. I'm contemplating using it on this battle, but I haven't decided.

 

Also, when Macen told us who he "protected" as the Surgeon, he said Meta in the first cycle. It's true he had an action against Meta. Do you think he might've been honest with us about his targets? If so, his second role-blocked target was Maill....

 

I haven't been roleblocked, so I don't know whats up with his actions, but they weren't against me.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Mailliw73

[Wyrmhero]

Wyrm, can a surgeon save themselves?

 

Neither Surgeons nor Guardsmen can save themselves. They can only save other players.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Wyrmhero