Long Game 12: Shadows of Elantris

[Kasimir he/him]

So much for being closed-mouthed about my reasons, huh? Alright, Kipper, you win

Ren and I have suspected for some time that there is a second Dula. It's more a hunch than anything, partly to do with player numbers and the way Hreo phrased responses to some clarifications about the Dula and love triangles, both to me and pre-game (for the latter.)

If there is a second Dula, we've narrowed them to the set of <M'Hael, Aonar/Wyrm, Claincy, Karlin, Seonid, Meta.> This is the set of people who have never been voted on. For obvious reasons, we may want to exclude Meta from there, which is why he is at the back of the priority list.

Since the M'Hael started with poison, I had hoped to quietly test the two likeliest candidates--Wyrm and Claincy--and try to clear two people (Dula #2 and yourself) at one shot. I guess that wasn't really gonna happen, huh?

Edit: I should clarify that the overall set is not in terms of priority/likeliness. Meta was put at the end, though extremely unlikely, mostly as an afterthought and as part of a desire to be thorough.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Kasimir

[Kipper he/him]

Oh, sorry. I thought that it was pretty obvious from the way you were evasive about your reasoning. My aplogies. It ain't really a problem though, right?

[Haelbarde he/him]

Bah. I had figured from your Wyrm vote was a Dula test, but I didn't work out the list. I was guessing that it could be maybe a list of who's most likely to have a Seon. I didn't want to comment on either though. 

Edited June 8, 2015 by Haelbarde

[Kipper he/him]

FRODO, I'M SORRY!

Now I feel like a jerk. ;P

[Kasimir he/him]

Ah, well.

S'okay guys. No blood, no foul, and this subtlety thing's pretty storming hard, eh? Guess I got to work on that >> Alas.

No harm done, I'm figuring. I just figured it was no bad idea to make some progress on tracking down the Gyorn as well as interrogating Cultist suspects. Once again, we can do all the things, after all

Edit: Formatting error, I'll recolour when off mobile.

Edit 2: And finally, the colour's back!

Edited June 8, 2015 by Kasimir

[little wilson she/her]

Also, Wilson, could you clarify a bit better what you said about me last cycle?

 

Multiple in both the thread and PMs have expressed doubt about you in some way, shape, or form. I've been focused on other players, though, and haven't been paying as much attention to you. But since most of my own suspicions seem false, I'm starting to look at others. I still need to go back through the whole game to see what I find (and that'll be scouring for anything on anyone, not just you), but I was willing to throw a vote on you last cycle on the idea that that accumulation of suspicions from at least three different people about different things you've said on different cycles would prove potentially accurate. But then I was driving in a rainstorm and getting drenched trying to figure out what was going on with my friends on Saturday night and by the time I got back to my phone, it was 9:30. Ah well. Gives me more time to gather data.

 

Your first point. Not Wilson or Meta. The third SE mod - Gamma. He was a 'villager', but turned traitor and helped the Spies. If a mod of all people can just play their own game, screwing over the other innocent players in a game, for a laugh, why can't others? Interesting note, if Gamma hadn't betrayed everyone in MR6 (I think it was MR6 anyways - the Great House War), then in the interests of a villager victory, I probably wouldn't have voted for Phatt, but Gamma opened my eyes to the idea of playing my own game in SE, and Phatt gave me a reason to vote for him, so I thought, 'Why not?'

I'm not so sure I'd go so far as to say I was going off to be an Eliminator, only that matters of village obviously mean less to some people, so if I have a reason to vote for someone, I'll vote for them, regardless of their roles or powers.

 

So, just so I understand this, Gamma's duplicitous playstyle (which he had shown in two different games before he became mod) has shown you that you can play the game how you want to, so you took that opportunity to vote for someone else who was also playing the game how they want to play it?

 

I have no problems with someone playing the game how they want to play it. I've always been in full support of that. I don't personally agree with Gamma's tendency to go rogue and switch sides for a laugh, but I know he does it, and it's what he likes and that's enough. If I get betrayed by him because I trusted him, the only person I can blame is myself. That goes for everyone. If you know someone tends to be a dictator when given a position of power and you let them take power and they become a dictator, they're not to blame for that. That's just the way they play. The people to blame are the people who let that person take control.

 

I don't condone dictators. I never have. Just because someone has a safe role doesn't mean someone on their own team can't vote for them if they think the safe role is being a dictator. In MR5, I abandoned Team Epic for a short period of time because Jain was being a dictator. I told him in no uncertain terms exactly what I thought about his leadership methods and then I placed a vote on him at my earliest convenience. We patched things up later after he explained his side of things, and we got along perfectly well after that. But things were very precarious for over 12 hours.

 

My point here is that it's fine to disagree with someone's playstyle. If you don't like a dictator, you don't like a dictator. If you don't like someone on your own team betraying you and joining the opposition, I completely understand. You clearly didn't like Gamma messing things up for Team Village, but how is what you're doing right now any different? I don't know when you placed a vote on Phatt, but I'm guessing you knew about Winter's vote at some point before you left for the night. You knew that one more vote and he'd be a Hoed and be out of commission for the rest of the game. I understand disliking dictators but there's a difference between disagreeing with a person's playstyle and showing your disapproval and taking an important village role and making them useless for the rest of the game. You attempted to do the latter. Not the former. The former is perfectly acceptable for a villager to do. The latter is not.

 

Until you provide a better reason for having tried to Hoed Phatt or someone relays to the thread what Meta's scan on you revealed, I'm voting Bort.

[Kasimir he/him]

Until you provide a better reason for having tried to Hoed Phatt or someone relays to the thread what Meta's scan on you revealed, I'm voting Bort.

Yeah, well, as I mentioned last Turn, I've given away my Seon, so if another Seon-holder has not contacted Elantris, then we're kind of going to have to go on what we have, without whatever results Meta might've gotten.

 

Sorry about that :/ But it was kind of important I do so. But consequently, I'm really hoping someone contacted Elantris. It's not the end of the world if no one has, since Meta will be out in one more cycle, I believe. And we do have some discussion going on, even if it's rather weak. But it'd be awfully convenient to know for sure.          

At night, my memory of you returned

and I was like the empty field where springtime,

without being noticed, is bringing flowers;

I was like the desert over which

the breeze moves gently, with great care;

I was like the dying patient

who, for no reason, smiles.

-Faiz Ahmed Faiz (trans. Agha Shahid Ali)

Edited June 8, 2015 by Kasimir

[Bort he/him]

So, just so I understand this, Gamma's duplicitous playstyle (which he had shown in two different games before he became mod) has shown you that you can play the game how you want to, so you took that opportunity to vote for someone else who was also playing the game how they want to play it?

 

Just to point out, if Gamma has played duplicitously in any of the games I've been in (besides MR6, I mean), I hadn't realised. Probably the only reason I noticed this time was because he killed me.

 

I've heard stories about other games, with betrayals from a few people, but that was the first that I was really involved in. Besides, I didn't see my vote on Phattemer as a betrayal. There was no chance of him dying, as others had more votes anyways, so at worst, he may have been hoeded until Elantris figures out how to fix him.

 

I'll admit, if he had been hoeded, I probably would have felt a bit guilty.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Bort

[little wilson she/her]

Besides, I didn't see my vote on Phattemer as a betrayal. There was no chance of him dying, as others had more votes anyways, so at worst, he may have been hoeded until Elantris figures out how to fix him.

 

I'll admit, if he had been hoeded, I probably would have felt a bit guilty.

 

A bit guilty? I should hope that it's more than a bit. And who knows if Elantris will even be restored? He could've been Hoed for the rest of the game! And of course there wasn't any chance of him dying, but that was never the issue. The issue is Hoe-ing a Priest! And you still have no comments about that. I remain unconvinced. You'll have to try a little harder.

[Bort he/him]

Honestly, I didn't consider his role in the vote. As I said in an earlier post, it was an entirely RP choice. I would have voted for anyone who called me inferior.

 

Edit: You are right in perhaps voting for a priest was a bad idea, but like I said, I didn't expect any harm to come of it, and I was right.

 

Edit 2: I'm off out for the night, so if you have anything else you'd like to talk about, I'm afraid it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Bort

[little wilson she/her]

Honestly, I didn't consider his role in the vote. As I said in an earlier post, it was an entirely RP choice. I would have voted for anyone who called me inferior.

 

Edit: You are right in perhaps voting for a priest was a bad idea, but like I said, I didn't expect any harm to come of it, and I was right.

 

To be completely honest, it sounds like the RP is just an excuse you can use to justify placing a vote on a Priest. I'm betting you did consider it. It would be foolhardy not to. Who really places a lasting vote on someone solely for RP purposes? Also, I really don't think you can claim to have been "right" here, since you had no idea what would happen. Unless you're a Cultist and you actually did know, because you knew the shenanigans that were (or weren't) going to take place.

[Emerald101 he/him]

Just a little note here bort:

 

We (the eliminators of MR6) were planning to convert Gamma over to our side (via marriage contract) anyway, so the game would've ended no different if Gamma hadn't done what he did of his own volition.

 

Additional comment:

 

Bort, while I do largely disagree with Gamma-style betrayal, that's hardly what you've done. For a villager to vote in such away as to cripple one of the villager's most important roles, while in full knowledge of his role, is not acceptable. RP should be responded to with RP, and votes are something else entirely.

 

in light of this, I'm going to vote for bort, (assuming meta doesn't tell us he's innocent.)

 

edit: Also, I find it hilarious that the shaod took Alvron after what I said about his rep . . . almost too hilarious. Poison maybe? 

 

edit2: clarity

Edited June 8, 2015 by Emerald101

[Lightsworn Panda he/him]

Sorry guys for not posting. Be back in 8 hours. Stupid thing called sleep and revision. >>

[Herowannabe he/him]

 

To be clear, Kipper, you'd need to public vote someone to truly demonstrate that. You may put your vote on me if you wish. 

 

 

Your welcome . 

 

GM Question: Can I designate an heir for 'Official Quick Link Poster'?

 

yes.

[Haelbarde he/him]

I'm hoping that people have contacted Elantris and just haven't had the opportunity to get back on and relay information...

 

And the vote tallies:

 

---

 

Vote Tally (with history):

Bort{4}: Seonid, Haelbarde<1>, Wilson, Emerald

Clanky{0}: Araris<1>

Wyrm{1}: Kasimir

Ostrich{3}: Wyrm, Bort, Haelbarde <2>

Wilson{0}: Kipper

Claincy{1}: (Kipper)

 

Vote Tally:

Bort{4*}: Seonid, Wilson*, Emerald

Wyrm{1}: Kasimir

Ostrich{3}: Wyrm, Bort, Haelbarde

Wilson{0**}: Kipper**

Claincy{1**}: (Kipper**)

[Kasimir he/him]

Ok guys. I’m going to have to confess to lying by omission. Yes, I gave my Seon away, but an honourable man returned it. So I have been in contact with Elantris, and I have access to the results of Meta’s latest scan. Once again, delayed for reasons: and in particular, because I didn’t wish to cut off discussion by just dropping the information into the thread.

I also hoped that by feigning ignorance about Elantris, I might be able to draw some of his compatriots out into talking and trying to shift the lynch to someone else, in the hopes that Meta’s results could not make their way out of Elantris given the loss of my Seon.

Nice show, Bort. But you’re the Cultist Prince.

Because I’d like to avoid further unnecessary wrangling, I’m going to boil the situation down to the essential points:

Our putative Priest-claimant has claimed to have found another Cultist. In particular, he claims that Bort is a Cultist Prince. Now, there are really two main possibilities here. One: Bort is a Cultist Prince. We lynch him, end of story. In the second possibility, for those of you who worry about an ongoing scam: Meta or myself is lying. (And this is an inclusive-or, so we both could be lying.) If that’s the case, I recommend you lynch Bort today since it makes no sense to lynch either your Priest or his contact. If Bort turns out to be innocent, you lynch me and you lynch Meta, because I’d have been a big dupe and deserve to die (certainly not the first time), and Meta’d be a Cultist liar. As I have said, it makes no sense to lynch your Priest claimant first because if they are right, we get more information by lynching the avowed Cultist first instead.

tldr; lynch Bort. (My vote kind of needs to stay on Wyrm for Reasons. Particularly those already explained) If Bort is innocent, lynch me. Then lynch Meta. Or vice versa. I’ll be too dead to care, and I’m fine with it. This is the risk I’ve chosen to take by being the Speaker for Elantris, and by extension, for Meta. Meta knows the risk as well. We’ve taken it freely.

In Elantris, on Day Five, Bort claimed to be suspicious of myself, Meta and Wilson. In addition, he also avowed suspicion of Ostrich, Dowanx, and Luckat, but claimed to trust the M’Hael somewhat.

I wouldn’t recommend going 100% off this list, and neither does Meta, but it may be useful to compare this to the list Winter drew up.

In addition, I’ve discussed this with Meta, and y’all should know that Seonid got hit last night. (Sorry, Seonid. But the Cultists know that, so we might as well just disseminate the information.) Thanks for the save, Jindo. At this point, I’d also be inclined to ask the Duke/Duchess to step forward—after the Day, if you don’t trust us. We need to make some progress on the issue of the Gyorn and who Bort asked you to hit might be helpful in the Cultist search. Furthermore, if we are correct, the Cultists already know who you are. Anonymity thus no longer helps you.

(This is the kind of reveal I’m not opposed to: when the enemy already knows the information, so we may as well share it.)

 

Edit for spelling.

 

Edit 2: Also, Meta would like us to get some discussion about the Gyorn and Odiv and their timeframe going. So, discuss guys. Just remember: we will discuss all the things. All of them.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Kasimir

[little wilson she/her]

I'm amused that the Cultists tried to bind Meta's hands by poisoning him and throwing him into Elantris and instead, all that did was restrict him to only scanning Bort. One of their own.

 

It's safe to say that Dow is not a Cultist. I'd pretty much already assumed that, but with how hard Bort's been gunning for him, it's nearly certain. I also rather doubt Wonko/Sart is, since Bort switched the votes two cycles in a row onto Wonko. That one's less certain, but I think it's about 80%. Ostrich likely isn't a Cultist either, since Bort switched Ostrich's vote at least once and he's also voting for him right now.

 

Personally, I'm rather suspicious of Hael, and not because Bort said that he trusts him (if anything, that would make me less suspicious of Hael, but Bort's been doing a lot of things that I wouldn't attribute to an eliminator, like going head to head with me in a pretty decent argument in-thread). Hael's vote on Bort at the beginning of this turn seemed slightly contrived, particularly with how easily he retracted it. It was almost like he placed a vote knowing that he needed to because Bort had voted for Phatt, but they'd worked out a way in the doc for Bort to explain it enough for Hael to retract.

[Clanky he/him]

Bort. I may not be able to get on again before the day is over but I feel like a vote on a confirmed( assuming we haven't all been manipulated)cultist is a safe place to leave it either way. 

[Haelbarde he/him]

I'm amused that the Cultists tried to bind Meta's hands by poisoning him and throwing him into Elantris and instead, all that did was restrict him to only scanning Bort. One of their own.

 

It's safe to say that Dow is not a Cultist. I'd pretty much already assumed that, but with how hard Bort's been gunning for him, it's nearly certain. I also rather doubt Wonko/Sart is, since Bort switched the votes two cycles in a row onto Wonko. That one's less certain, but I think it's about 80%. Ostrich likely isn't a Cultist either, since Bort switched Ostrich's vote at least once and he's also voting for him right now.

 

Personally, I'm rather suspicious of Hael, and not because Bort said that he trusts him (if anything, that would make me less suspicious of Hael, but Bort's been doing a lot of things that I wouldn't attribute to an eliminator, like going head to head with me in a pretty decent argument in-thread). Hael's vote on Bort at the beginning of this turn seemed slightly contrived, particularly with how easily he retracted it. It was almost like he placed a vote knowing that he needed to because Bort had voted for Phatt, but they'd worked out a way in the doc for Bort to explain it enough for Hael to retract.

I voted Bort because he had put that vote Phat. Borta response satisfied me at face value. I was hoping that we'd hear from Elantris, and was going to wait for that, instead pressuring Ostrich in case he'd finally grace us with his presence. But now that Elantris has made contact, I'll switch my vote back to Bort.

 

Edit: Color and typo.

 

Now that I'm home and actually have time to read, I'll clarify myself - I would potentially vote (or not vote) for RP reasons if it didn't matter, though I would try to only do so if it didn't matter. Endangering a priest 'for RP reason's' is not a good idea, but I know I've not exactly carefully thought out my actions - I'm pretty sure a bunch of you have picked me up on that. So, I was willing to give Bort the benefit of the doubt until Elantris made contact, or Meta returned.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Haelbarde

[Bort he/him]

Borter Clams watched from a balcony around the throne room as the news broke. Down below, the Dula crossed to the Queen, they exchanged some words, and the Queen stood and pointed at the Borter standing with the crowd. The news rippled out from there, as one by one, people turned to look at the fisherman, and a space cleared around him, as though people were afraid on infection from him.

 

Chuckling to himself, Borter waved a hand, and the illusion of him below vanished with a pop. People recoiled even further. What was it about newly emptied spaces that made people so shocked? He turned and walked away, leaving them all to wonder what had happened.

 

=========================================================================================================

 

A short time later, the chaos in the throne room was interrupted by a gurgling noise. A spear clattered to the floor. Attention was drawn to a guard by the door leading to the Royal apartments, who had dropped his weapon and was trying to stop the blood pouring from his throat. He failed, and after a minute, he joined the ranks of the deceased, clattering to the floor. Standing in the doorway was a Jeskeri Cultist wearing fine and ornate robes. The figure was holding a bloody dagger.

 

It entered the room, watching people shy back from it, but it did not attempt to strike anyone. Eventually, it came to stand before the Queen and pushed back its hood, revealing Borter Clams' young and innocent looking face. The smirk he wore had nothing of innocence about it though, as he looked at Kiireon and said, "Hello, Mummy. Did you miss me? I must say, thank you for your help in ridding us of that dreadful Priest."

 

I'm amused that the Cultists tried to bind Meta's hands by poisoning him and throwing him into Elantris and instead, all that did was restrict him to only scanning Bort. One of their own.

 

It's safe to say that Dow is not a Cultist. I'd pretty much already assumed that, but with how hard Bort's been gunning for him, it's nearly certain. I also rather doubt Wonko/Sart is, since Bort switched the votes two cycles in a row onto Wonko. That one's less certain, but I think it's about 80%. Ostrich likely isn't a Cultist either, since Bort switched Ostrich's vote at least once and he's also voting for him right now.

 

Personally, I'm rather suspicious of Hael, and not because Bort said that he trusts him (if anything, that would make me less suspicious of Hael, but Bort's been doing a lot of things that I wouldn't attribute to an eliminator, like going head to head with me in a pretty decent argument in-thread). Hael's vote on Bort at the beginning of this turn seemed slightly contrived, particularly with how easily he retracted it. It was almost like he placed a vote knowing that he needed to because Bort had voted for Phatt, but they'd worked out a way in the doc for Bort to explain it enough for Hael to retract.

 

I didn't see myself as particularly gunning for anyone (well, apart from Phattemer, but I got him in the end, and that was nothing personal, just business. How have I been gunning for Dow? The two votes on Wonko was actually an accident. I was just playing with my Prince ability, and didn't realise I'd voted for the same person two cycles in a row (if I had, I would have changed my second Wonko vote).

 

I'll admit, I was a little annoyed I couldn't get Phattemer Hoeded, but everyone in Elantris was trying to hoed me at the time, so I had no votes I could manipulate. Shame really, but it did mean that he became my first ever Eliminator kill that night.

 

And Wilson, as for me doing a lot of things not normally attributed to an Eliminator, it seems there is something to be said for inexperience. Given your reputation though, I am rather pleased that you thought I provided pretty decent arguments. Out of curiosity, how absolutely convinced of my guilt were you? Or was there a niggling doubt?

Edited June 9, 2015 by Bort

[Wyrmhero he/him]

Nice show, Bort. But you’re the Cultist Prince.

...

tldr; lynch Bort. (My vote kind of needs to stay on Wyrm for Reasons. Particularly those already explained) If Bort is innocent, lynch me. Then lynch Meta. Or vice versa. I’ll be too dead to care, and I’m fine with it. This is the risk I’ve chosen to take by being the Speaker for Elantris, and by extension, for Meta. Meta knows the risk as well. We’ve taken it freely.

In Elantris, on Day Five, Bort claimed to be suspicious of myself, Meta and Wilson. In addition, he also avowed suspicion of Ostrich, Dowanx, and Luckat, but claimed to trust the M’Hael somewhat.

I wouldn’t recommend going 100% off this list, and neither does Meta, but it may be useful to compare this to the list Winter drew up.

 

I'm fine with your vote staying on me. I will move my vote from ostrich for this Turn then, since it seems unlikely we'll get anything from him. Heck, doubtful we'll get anything from him at any time. I will vote for Bort. I like the way he's already changed his signature .

 

Interestingly, Winter said that Bort was suspicious. Blue because I find it interesting. He was the only one she claimed to find so. The three Bort says are suspicious, Winter put in the unsure camp, with nothing to say about them. I expect that's just a bit of misdirection to get inactives lynched, personally. Of those four, I'd look at Haelbarde most of all. He has been a lot more talkative recently though. Could be because he was the only Cultist in this thread after Winter's death, perhaps.

 

Hreo, will we be informed if/when the last Cultist dies?

[Bort he/him]

I like the way he's already changed his signature .

 

Like there was any chance of my surviving this day cycle

[little wilson she/her]

And Wilson, as for me doing a lot of things not normally attributed to an Eliminator, it seems there is something to be said for inexperience. Given your reputation though, I am rather pleased that you thought I provided pretty decent arguments. Out of curiosity, how absolutely convinced of my guilt were you? Or was there a niggling doubt?

Without a Seeker scan, I am never absolutely convinced of people's guilt. Even when it seems like I am, I'm not. It's one of the reasons I get taken in initially by eliminators so frequently: I'm always willing to give second and third chances to people when they screw up, assuming they can provide a suitable explanation for the screw up. That's a lesson I learned in LG1 when I got duped by an eliminator and multiple villagers were convinced that I was an eliminator. They never even tried to talk to me to figure out if I actually was or not and I refuse to make that same mistake.

In this case though, when I placed the vote, I was about 60% sure. By the time I replied to your first rebuttal, I was 99% sure and simply trying to bait you into saying more or someone else defending you, even slightly. Shame that no one did...

[Bort he/him]

Well played, Mother, well played

[Kasimir he/him]

The light through the stained glass of the throne room was bright, fierce, even, and for a few moments, Kaian wondered if that was what it was like to be caught in Holy Jaddeth's gaze. All of it dissolved: the throne room, the gathered crowd, the treacherous Prince, and he felt the cool, worn flagstones against his knees.
 
The world was coming apart around him, coming apart at the seams, threads of golden sunlight unravelling and all of a sudden, he was someplace else entirely.
 
"This is madness," said a man.
 
Kaian could not see his features; his back was to Kaian, and he addressed another man in a strange accent. It was a cool night, Kaian realised, and they wore fine clothes, if strangely cut. Something brushed his cheek--surprised, he glanced up. Flakes of ash were falling from the night sky.
 
"No," replied the other, firmly. This was a man, Kaian thought, who used words like weapons: blunt, honest, but all the same, there was a sharp mind behind that exterior, darting about and searching for meaning, gathering pieces and setting them together. He wore a strange, beaten-down hat on his head. "We've trusted each other this far," he went on. "Penrod speaks truly. I'm certain of it."
 
"He could be lying," retorted the first.
 
His partner was already shaking his head. "No. On a matter such as this?" His hands were shoved into the pockets of his coat; presently, he withdrew them, turning his hat about in his hands. "Nuvidas is skaa. You think Penrod's like to be playin' such a dangerous game?"
 
"You can't deny it's possible."
 
"There's only one way to find out, Erikell. Are you with us?"
 
A sharp exhalation. "Fine," Erikell muttered. "Yes. I'll do it. I'll speak to them." He turned, abruptly. His pale eyes met Kaian's and seemed to look right into him, and Kaian felt that bone-deep certainty of recognition. "I hope you're right, A'lees. I'd hate for you to have led us down a blind alley." His mouth twitched in a sardonic smile. "Best hope I'm as good a Lurcher as you seem to think I am."
 
For some reason, watching the two men--Erikell and A'lees--in their quiet meeting, Kaian had the strangest sense of familiarity: that such things had happened before, were happening again, and would go on happening; as if they were pieces being played on the same game-board over and over again, cast in different forms, yet there was still something achingly familiar about this that resonated with something in him, some deep-buried part that said: yes, we have done this before, and will continue to do so again.
 
"You alright there?"
 
It was a guardsman, who'd hauled him to his feet. "Yes," Kaian managed, shakily. "I think I am."
 
"Best be going if you can't handle it," said the guardsman, nodding in the direction of the bloodied mess the Prince had left in his wake. "He's a goner now. The Queen'll see to it."
 
"Yes," Kaian said, again. "I think--"
 
How did he put words to it? That powerful feeling of deja vu continued to overwhelm him. As he glanced over at the Queen's court for the last time, he saw it again: a ballroom, with incandescent light: laughter, and shadowed faces overlaying the ones he'd grown familiar with over the past days. Where the Queen was, he saw a woman: flung to the floor of the ballroom with a sword thrust through her. Maisao had been dead for days, but now Kaian saw him standing there again, strangely defiant, smirking--except something about him had changed, and he tossed and caught a pouch full of coins.
 
"--I think I'd best leave," he said. He turned and headed for the doors, closing them quietly behind him. As soon as he'd managed some distance from the throne room, he burst into a shaky, headlong run.
 
He'd have to wait until he made it to his room to call his Seon, to see if there was any word from Elantris. Mesist--
 
He frowned. Didn't know where the name had come from. MenE, he corrected wearily. The Korathi priest--he needed to know what was going on in Kae. He pressed his head to the cool stone of the corridor wall. What was happening to him?