Long Game 18: Holly and Iron

[STINK he/him]

What's this? An Aturan Nobleman had filed a complaint against him? This was outrageous! Though he had to admit, having actions taken be 'for the greater good' was great when convincing others to help him with pranks, and it's not like he couldn't afford to place some bribes to some select people.

 

He was sitting in his room when he realized one problem with his current cover, that being he had somehow managed to never give out his name, or his fake one, or his fake fake one, and so on. Maybe he should go with Wilhelm Mint? Yes, that sounded good, well within the realm of possibilities for a name.

 

Now that he had a proper name, it was only natural to take vengeance on Wilem, who also seemed to have a similar name to Wilhelm, clearly he was doing as all people should do and following in my footsteps, taking inspiration along the way. It was clearly time to write another message to everyone.

 

---------------------------------------

Afternoon, Peasants.

 

I do not appreciate efforts to have me disciplined, and would find that surely you people would appreciate me for my money more.

 

Farewell.

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Short and to the point, exactly how he liked it. Now it was only time to actually have that message delivered, maybe get someone to copy it out for him multiple times? That should only take around 1 talent...

Edited February 29, 2016 by IrulelikeSTINK

[little wilson she/her]

More Clarifications!

 

Q. How does the rank system work? If I'm a Re'lar Linguist, and the Master Physicker elevates me, does that mean I'm an E'lir Physicker and a Re'lar Linguist?

A. No. Your rank is your rank. What field you're studying in is simply that. So if the Master Physicker elevates you, that makes you an El'the studying Linguistics and Physicking. You cannot be different rank in different fields. You are that rank. You just haven't studied in those other fields. But that lack of studying doesn't diminish your rank.

 

Q. How does the rank system work with the arcane fields and Insanity Points?

A. You gain insanity points based on what rank you are. It doesn't matter how much you've studied in an arcane field. If you've studied in an arcane field at all, you get the insanity points for the ranks. So if the Master Alchemist elevates you to E'lir, the Master Archivist elevates you to Re'lar, and the Master Linguist elevates you to El'the, you have 3 Insanity Points, because you are an El'the, and you've studied an arcane field.

 

You would also have 3 IP if you'd been elevated by the Master Alchemist, Artificer and Symphatist.

 

Q. Is it possible to become a Master in a field I haven't studied in? If so, what happens?

A. Yes. You gain access to all the abilities of that field, at the Master level. However, if that field has multiple action periods tied to that field, you can only use those abilities for those action periods, even if you know other abilities. The only way this would be different is if you were an El'the in a similar field that gains action periods. For example, if you'd been been elevated to El'the in only Arithmetics, you'd have 3 Arithmetic action periods. If you are then elevated to Master in Rhetoric & Logic, you have 4 Rhetoric & Logic action periods. This does not mean you have 7 action periods, however. You have 4 action periods. The first action period (the general action period anyone can use for items or services), you can use for anything. The second and third are for either Arithmetic or Rhetoric & Logic. The fourth is only for Rhetoric & Logic.

 

Q. If I've been elevated multiple times in Linguistics and have multiple action periods and study in Alchemy, can I make multiple items?

A. Yes. Action periods gained in Linguistics are not tied to Linguistics.

 

Q. If a Skindancer Master destroys a field, can they study in another field and destroy it?

A. Yes. However, it requires 15 EP to become the Master of a field. Even if you're already a Master, you cannot take over another field unless you have 15 EP in it. So if a Skindancer Master destroys a field, they have to acquire 15 EP in the other field to take it over and then they can destroy that as well.

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

With only 3 Vinitish Nobleman and with all of the potential to buy powerful items in Imre, I would make a guess one of those 3 is a Skindancer.  If none of them are Skindancers then it would have to be made up by having a higher percent of Aturan Nobleman as Skindancers. 

 

I don't think we should try to lynch or kill the top three, but as we get actions to help discover the Skindancers those should be high targets.

Ah, the good ole 'They're useful so ONE must be evil!' Argument. I remember using that argument to get the village to lynch all the protection roles in the last game I ran.

 

Sarcasm aside, I don't think the social classes are going to have any effect on Skindancers setup, precisely because it's too obvious. I Would prefer people go after genuinely suspicious people, rather than focusing on just the Noblemen.

Edited February 29, 2016 by The Only Joe

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Do three smaller posts count together as one quality post?

[little wilson she/her]

Do three smaller posts count together as one quality post?

 

No. Three smaller posts count as three separate posts, which helps your post-PM ratio.

[ostrichofevil he/him]

Aeaieis walked through the Stacks in search of a new book.  It was so strange that you could even get bored in a dream!  (It was also strange that he dreamed about the same place each night.)  He had long since found that he might as well play along with the dream and make the most of it, as he could feel pain, hunger, and sorrow even while sleeping.

 

He had heard of the recent killing in the Crockery.  A fortuitous development!  He would finally have something interesting to do for a change.  It would be a puzzle!

 

Soon, it came time to wake up.  As Aeaieis settled down in his comfortable bed, he contemplated his strange fate; things would have been so different if not for the Nightwatcher.

 

────────────────────

 

Wit woke from his slumber.  What a strange dream that he had every night!  Alas, he had no time to think; he had a list of people to torment today, and Renarin was first.

 

────────────────────

 

Lady Eris Esnaan woke with a start.  It was strange to have the same dream every night!  And worse, she had the strange feeling that many others were having the same dream at the same time.

[Araris Valerian he/him]

The University was a strange place to Amari, but recent events had only served to increase that feel. When his parents sent him off, they told him that he was smart enough to succeed there. And truth be told, they had been right. Classes were hard, but not overly so. Unfortunately, the current crisis didn't fall under any of Amari's strong suits. Mathematics wasn't a particularly useful way to kill somebody, regardless of how you looked at it. I guess I'll go try and read up on the subject. It wasn't that reading was hard, in fact, Amari enjoyed reading immensely. But reading and actually learning something, that was a different matter.

 

On the way to the Stacks, Amari picked up bits and pieces of conversations between other students. He didn't care to spend time around them too much, and as a result nobody confided in him directly. But the Masters were promoting open discussion, and it was easy to overhear what people were saying. Really only two things stuck out to him; speculation over the number of invaders, and the open hostility between some of the students. It wasn't super relevant how many Skindancers were around, because once they were all gone, people would just stop dying, at least in (relatively) unusual ways. Fortunately, Amari had been out of the way enough to both avoid complaints against him, and he also hadn't been treated poorly by anyone in particular.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Araris Valerian

[dowanx]

Ah, the good ole 'They're useful so ONE must be evil!' Argument. I remember using that argument to get the village to lynch all the protection roles in the last game I ran.

 

Sarcasm aside, I don't think the social classes are going to have any effect on Skindancers setup, precisely because it's too obvious. I Would prefer people go after genuinely suspicious people, rather than focusing on just the Noblemen.

 

I wasn't saying one of the Vintish Nobleman must be evil just that in my mind it has a higher likely hood of being there.  

 

Most games do not have as strong of an item factor as this one.  Because of that I highly doubt we have mostly Skindancer commoners.

 

That being said obviously go after those you find suspicious and not purely on social class.  

[ostrichofevil he/him]

I wasn't saying one of the Vintish Nobleman must be evil just that in my mind it has a higher likely hood of being there.  

 

Most games do not have as strong of an item factor as this one.  Because of that I highly doubt we have mostly Skindancer commoners.

 

I would agree that this is fairly likely, but let's wait until we have more evidence.

 

I disagree.  It would upset the balance of the game to shift Skindancers too much towards certain roles.

[Burnt Spaghetti she/her]

Pyra frowned and let out a deep sigh as she sat down by a tree, dumping her bag next to her. She had hoped that deciding to attend this university would be a fun and enjoyable experience but apparently some skindancers were causing some havoc. So that wasn’t fun at all. Infact, Pyra was quite annoyed about this. She wanted so spend time making friends, not working out who she should avoid at all costs. Besides she hardly had the money spare for paying for a room, let alone tuition. If she had known how dangerous coming here was going to be she may have saved the money and stayed home.

On the topic of money she groaned. She pulled out what little she had and tried to do the math, using a stick to make notes in the dirt. When she was done, she was left with a feeling of dread. She had no idea how she was going to regularly pay for tuition. She suspected that she was going to not attend during some terms. She put away her coins and leant back against the tree and started to hum. An idea came to her and she to began scribble down some lyrics that were relevant to the recent events. When she was done she reviewed what she had written. It was pretty average in her opinion but she decided to give it a test run anyway.

Shee began to sing.

“I have ventured into a far off place...Now paranoia and suspicion are now waiting for me.” Emphasis on paranoia, she thought with a smirk.

“Now the crowds will cheer...when skindancers die.” She glanced down at her hands, “And a voice keeps saying ‘do you think that they trust me?’” She paused for a bit, thinking about the enormity of the events that were going on. She had many questions. “Can I find a way? Will I live till next term? Someone could die today; Who’s side will they be on? I know every move, will be analysed. Some will do most anything to sound like they belong.” She was aware that now, everyone will be keeping an eye on each other just to find anything in your behaviour that they could complain about. But then, she realized she could do the same and keep an eye on others too. “Someone could die tonight...Will I: live till next term, Locate skindancers? Do all that I can? I know every word will be analysed...Can I build up trust so that my friends know I belong.” And that, she decided was important. Building mutual trust between other students would definitely help discover the fae that had possessed some of the students. After finishing, she began to start tweaking lines and played around with another verse.

----

Yay for parodies! There have not been enough of them recently. we should fix that : P

pyra sung a parody of 'go the distance' from hurcules.

[Silverblade5 he/him]

When Silver woke up at The Horse and Four, he decided that it was time for a change. He had spent half the term secluded in his room, studying, and in that time, the residents he'd seen there during his brief trips outside had been arrogant overconfident snobs who were only staying there for the purpose of flaunting how rich they were. Most were probably spoiled children who'd never had to work a day in their lives.

While he was a noble, he had no desire to be lumped with that lot. Because of this, he decided to stop by the admissions office to change his lodging to The Golden Pony. It was slightly more affordable, and the people there actually tried to get things done instead of sitting around, shouting about how great they were. He believed this change would give him a more productive work environment while leaving him a slightly better public image.

As he was entering the library, Silver heard some talk about murdurs, and skindancers. Well, I'm not currently in a position to do anything about this, and worrying would only be a needless waste of energy, he decided as he pulled out an advanced physics textbook. If people really want to involve me, that's fine. I'll simply wait for them to approach me first.

With this decision in mind, he opened up the textbook and started reading on rotational dynamics.

[Clanky he/him]

 

Totals:  

3 Vinitish Nobleman

6 Aturan Nobleman

6 Yllish Commoner

7 Cealdish Comoner

2 Edema Ruh

 

With only 3 Vinitish Nobleman and with all of the potential to buy powerful items in Imre, I would make a guess one of those 3 is a Skindancer.  If none of them are Skindancers then it would have to be made up by having a higher percent of Aturan Nobleman as Skindancers. 

 

I don't think we should try to lynch or kill the top three, but as we get actions to help discover the Skindancers those should be high targets.  

 

 

Another thing to take into account is that the Aturan Nobleman may have a bit less income they also pay less in tuition so the gap in spending money between the two isn't as great as it seems.  I don't however see any problem with using powers to check if the richer players are Skindancers first given that there is more purchasing power there that the traitors can use. 

 

Also GMs: Does the vote removed by the Horse and Four also negate the tuition increase that comes from being voted on?

[Mashadar Mistborn he/him]

Ashad woke up near noon, his head pounding from the previous night's revelry. Lurching out of his comfortable bed at the Golden Pony, he quickly downed a glass of water and prepared to make his way to the University. Passing through the streets, he heard voices murmuring about some sort of incident. As he came nearer to the University, Ashad found that the rumors became more and more specific, from some nebulous incident, to the injury of a student, to murder, to creatures of Fae stalking the grounds.

 

That last point was almost impossible to believe.  Gaming aside, he had been educated at the University and while he knew that the Fae did exist, he had been sure that the Skindancers had been wiped out ages ago. If the Fae walked the grounds, then even the serious students of the University would struggle against them. Ashad was just a gambler with some money and education. If he could help, he had to, for his own hide, if no one else's.

 

Stumbling onto campus, Ashad made up his mind that he would bunk in Anker's from now on. That would save him some money,  and the people who played cards at such a tavern were more likely to be desperate and to make foolish errors. If he were to survive and enjoy a luxury education for years to come, he would have to sacrifice now. Sighing, Ashad sat back in his chair and gave only half of his mind to the droning lecture. You'd think that a rhetoric teacher could be more interesting.

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Apologies for the bad RP, I'm kind of new to this.

[Elbereth she/her]

This RP isn't really in my playstyle, but I've decided I don't actually care. RP partners are welcome (particularly those who can figure out a way to get me clothes).

At the very moment when the touched the bottom of the horizon, when the last morning star was still shining in the east, a cloud of stars spiraled from the west, settling on a rooftop is a sparkling mass. The glitter slowly coalesced as the sun rose above the horizon, becoming more solid. When the last edge of the sun lifted from the horizon, a human girl was lying on the roof naked.

Varda sat up, feeling her knowledge of the divine recede until she could bear it and stay sane. She had left herself a personality, a mortal mind for a mortal body. And, of course, the first thing the mortal mind did was curse at her divine self.

"Seriously? I left myself on a rooftop. How, exactly, am I supposed to get down? It's not like there are any ladders magically appearing for me to get down with."

She heaved herself up, and then cursed again, falling over flat on her face. Her hair had tripped her. Her hair! Oh, it was beautiful. Silver and gold and shining, of course. She'd expect nothing less.

But why did it have to be five feet long?

She rearranged her hair, bundling it up in her arms, and finally managed to actually stand up.

She walked to the edge of the roof, looking down into a courtyard where a few students were lounging around, talking or studying. One of them happened to glance up, and stared.

Varda looked down at herself. Of course. I don't only have giant hair. I'm also naked! Did I intend myself to use my hair as cloth? She ducked away from the staring student, coming back into the middle of the roof.

She looked around, but apparently no one was prone to leaving clothes around on the roof. What a surprise.

Well, it seems I have limited options, she thought. Hair it is. Hmph.

---

So, what I would normally be considering right now is role distributions. Only, we don't really have 'roles' per se. We have Social Standings, and they're public knowledge (and not really things that affect other people). But I guess we can guess at the number of eliminators. If there's usually between a sixth to a quarter of the total players as eliminators, then we'd be looking at 4-6 eliminators. I'm more inclined to think that there'd be more than less, because they don't have a straight out kill - they send people to the crockery first, and would have to target them again to kill them. Which strikes me as a really slow way of killing. The alternative is destroying the uni, but there's what 9(?) different fields, and it will take some time to Master a field, particularly seeing as everyone will be contesting for favor, and it's unlikely that you'd get elevated in a field 3 times consecutively. So I guess I'm going to work with the assumption of 5, unless anyone has a better idea?

No, we can't consider role distributions in the normal way, you're correct. Because we make the role distribution. We get to decide what role we want, to an extent. This is awesome, but also potentially really confusing. (What a surprise.) Although we can consider what fields Skindancers are likely to want, which is something. (And yes, I just turned it into an IKYK, but that means either Skindancers go into fields that they know are more likely to be scanned, or they go for fields that aren't as useful to them. Win either way.)

I was going to suggest that everyone name three fields and stick to leveling up within those fields, but I have convinced myself it was a terrible idea, and claims can happen in PMs anyway. So I don't have too much to say other than that.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Elbereth

[Mailliw73 he/him]

After filing his complaint against the kraemlish smelling "noble", Wilem was heading back towards the Horse and Four, where he was currently lodging. On his way, he passed by a building. The building itself wasn't anything special, it was the shadow above it that was. Wil looked up and saw the figure of a girl, her body silhouetted by the shining sun, peering over the edge. She jumped back as she met his gaze, as she did, Wilem noticed her apparent lack of clothing. He smiled at this opportunity. Fate was making up for the Vintish incidents earlier. 

 

Wilem arrived at the roof, having first sent a servant to fetch him a small, green dress. Green had always been his favorite color. He popped his head out the trapdoor, looking over the roof. There she was. Wil climbed out and headed towards her. She was watching the sun as it rose, what a strange girl. He strode over to her, noticing her long, golden hair draped over her bare skin. He stood there a moment, appreciating her beauty. He noticed he was leering and fixed his expression, composing a welcoming smile instead of the cruel grin he had had a moment ago. 

 

"Hello," Wilem said as he stood some feet back. He held out the dress and ducked his head as she turned, feigning bashfulness. "I couldn't help but notice your lack of apparel, so I brought you a dress. I hope it fits you well enough." Oh, the Vintish only wished they had opportunities like this.

[little wilson she/her]

Joe, we've come to a decision on the idea of making contracts only specific people can take. The answer is no. It's basically just a way to skirt the rule that money isn't transferable, and while it could make for some amusing situations, we don't want to add a loophole like that for people to exploit. The juggling of finances was meant to be an aspect of this game (and with so many ways to reduce tuition, it's absolutely possible to get your tuition to 0), and we'd like to maintain that.

[Kynedath]

The Library at the University is a great place to be for most of the day, the problem is when most of the other students arrive right after their classes. Acaelus knew his teachers fairly well, meaning they knew he would do all of his work. He would arrive to class at the beginning of the day, collect the work he needed to complete, and take the rest of the day to study. Normally, that would mean heading back to his room to complete his work, then going to the library to read and study. When the other students arrived, he would huddle himself in the corner, surrounded by his books and leaning back in his padded chair. The librarians knew him, so he could claim whatever chair he wanted, but still he stuck with the one in his corner.

 

Classes must have been over for the day, since everyone was migrating to the library.  Acaelus brought his books closer to himself, trying to leave room for the rest of the students, as well as saving his books from being stepped on and abused. Acaelus knew the importance of good books. They were his true friends. Yes, he knew people in the real world, but the people in the epic fantasies, the romance novels, the crime stories, he felt as if he knew them personally. He could let himself open to them, pouring his emotions onto them. Even the cold hard facts in textbooks and scientific documentation served their purpose. They kept him logical and within reason.

 

Normally, people left him alone, knowing that he wasn't going to be invested in anything but his books. Not even the University security could get his full attention when he was invested in a book. Today though, he noticed that many of the students were coming close to his chair and just standing there, as if expecting something to happen. Some of them even blatantly stared at him. What was happening at the University? People were distrusting and paranoid. He used to have so much privacy, but now the school was crawling with people. Maybe he would just become nocturnal. That way he could stay in the comfort of the darkness and the night. Unfortunately, that is also when the mercenaries and street roughs are out. That shouldn't be a problem if he just stayed in his room and read. Oh, but of course, the library wouldn't be open. Not an option then.

 

Acaelus wasn't going to abandon his library, even if it was crowded lately. Eventually it would calm down. Besides, where else would he get his books. He couldn't buy them, he couldn't afford that. He couldn't store the books due to the space constraints. He couldn't even borrow them since he didn't have anyone to borrow from. No. He couldn't leave the Library. He needed to stay at the University. It was his entire life at this point. He didn't care if he got a reputation. Society cared about those types of things too much. Social class and popularity shouldn't be as important as they are. However, Meritocracies were too idealistic. Nobody could be trusted to keep to their moral compass let alone . . .

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

(and with so many ways to reduce tuition, it's absolutely possible to get your tuition to 0)

Can I pull a Kvothe and get negative Tuition?

[Kynedath]

Can I pull a Kvothe and get negative Tuition?

I doubt it. Universities don't usually pay you to come to them.

[Mark IV he/him]

Marcos woke to this chill of the morning biting his skin. "What time is it?" He groaned. Slowly, he got out of bed, and stumbled to the window. Fortunately, Marcos had woken up on time. The sun was just rising, and Marcos had decided to rise with it.

In the window shutter, a paper had been jammed. Pulling it free, Marcos realised it was from Pyra. Ugh! I've gotta stop talking privately to people. It'll affect my grades! Heading to the sortable, Marcos found himself thinking - What a marvelous place the Golden Pony is! I've even got my own work table.

Marcos picked up his timetable sheet he had collected the other day. "I really should have learnt this by now. So, what do i have today? Ooh! Nothing for the first half of the day. Perhaps I'll go to the library?"

And so, Marcos set off to go to the library.

Marcos had been to the library a fair number of times. So, he generally knew his way around the place. Fortunately for him, he didn't mind being barred from the stacks. The arcane was of not much interest to him.

Finally, he got the to library. "One lamp please." He said to the clerk. Accepting the offered lamp, he started wandering into the stacks. what are these lamps called? Something about being emotional. But what are they called? I just can't remember. Slowly, he made his way around the shelves, collecting a book from here. One from there. Really, all he looked for was interesting names. This was his leisure time, and he wanted to enjoy it.

Suddenly, Marcos found another person sitting in a corner, surrounded by books. "Hey there! What's your name?"

EDIT : fixed autocorrect.

-----------

Kynedath, I'm talking to you. If you don't mind RP collaborations, please continue. Thanks

Also, to the people concerned, if I don't respond in PMs, it's because of my PM - thread ratio.

(Anybody get the 'emotional lamps' part?)

Edited March 1, 2016 by Mark IV

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

I doubt it. Universities don't usually pay you to come to them.

In the book, they paid Kvothe Three Silver Talents to attend his first term.

 

Suddenly, Marcos found another person sitting in a corner, surrounded by books. "Hey there! What's you're name?"

If Kyndeth doesn't want to take it up, Reader would be happy to. 

Edited March 1, 2016 by The Only Joe

[Kynedath]

I'm coming! just give me a bit.

[Mark IV he/him]

Well, I have to leave for school now, so don't expect my reply right now.

[little wilson she/her]

Can I pull a Kvothe and get negative Tuition?

 

No. You can go negative, to counteract any inflations you may get, but if your end total is negative, it's just going to be 0. The University will not pay you. The Charisma of Kvothe was not one of the stats given out.

[Kynedath]

When Acaelus heard a person shouting, he was drawn into the real world enough to notice that he was being shaken. He didn't want to go back. He was in the middle of contemplating the current meteorological environments and their coinciding effects on the political environment of the surrounding nations. Eventually, the weight of social activity forced him back down to the earth. Who was calling him? Why were they even trying to get his attention? Was there an emergency in the University? There probably wasn't but it might be worth investigating. Maybe there was a new weather phenomenon that could shed some more light on his studies.

 

"What is going on? Marcos? What is it?"

 

The man looking back at him seemed concerned. Maybe he wasn't used to Acaelus' tendencies yet. Then again, maybe he had never truly met Acaelus before. Acaelus had definitely noticed Marcos before, but he didn't think that he had introduced himself to the man. The conversation they had before was reputedly short. Maybe Acaelus had better introduce himself again.

 

"Marcos are you alright? I'm Acaelus. We talked earlier, but maybe you just can't recall me. What do you need?"

 

Acaelus still didn't fully trust this man, but he didn't have any reason to be outright rude to him yet. Besides, it was turning out that Marcos was just a front runner in a trend that was quickly spreading throughout the University. Not even the Teachers were immune. Some of them were just slightly hesitant tolet Acaelus leave at the beginning of the day when he collected his daily work. Nothing he could do about it now though. All he could do was continue studying and reading.