Quick Fix Game 40: Uneasy Lies

[Arrae]

Sorry for not posting here, I just met with El IRL for the first time ever.

Initial impression:

I'm annoyed the elims killed Itiah. It almost seems like the elims are murdering every single player who is trusted or is doing things that will prove they are trustworthy.

Elandera to see if we can get that lynch off this turn. By the way, @Rathmaskal, while I'm happy to see someone else voting on her, do you mind elaborating on what exactly made you think she's suspicious?

Edited October 22, 2019 by Arraenae

[Rathmaskal he/him]

1 hour ago, Arraenae said:

By the way, @Rathmaskal, while I'm happy to see someone else voting on her, do you mind elaborating on what exactly made you think she's suspicious?

As I said, through my first skim through, those posts stood out to me.  Mostly, they seemed like subtle distancing to me.  I do plan on doing a more thorough read through this evening.

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

The EO should have chosen a side, since needing to survive two additional cycles is an unnecessary risk for not too much gain. If the EO chose Discovery, there's at least four elim lives left with at most five villagers, which seems almost insurmountable.

Killing Itiah makes sense, since he was mostly cleared for lynching Alvron over Venture C2. If Bard was evil, Stink might have had a good chance of being killed, but he wasn't. I don't know if elim!Elandera would vote for the same person three times in a row; I don't remember that being a common voting pattern for either alignment.  

[Elbereth she/her]

 

Ellira stared at Urskevan, listening absently to the chaos around her. His body was odd in several ways - not only the nakedness, but the arrows. They should’ve caused a massive stain of blood over his front, but there was almost nothing, like... like the arrows hadn’t been what killed him. Like that had been just for show. 

Interesting. She wished inwardly that she could examine the body more closely for the real cause, but this information was good enough for now. 

Footsteps approached from behind her. She didn’t tense, but let a hand fall near one of her hidden knives. 

Then she saw it was only Joon. Who looked... surprisingly contrite?

He knelt in front of Ellira.

"I am such an idiot. You never were interested in me, were you?" Joon said. "You're still mourning Hannul, and you were too polite to tell me otherwise.”

Ellira blinked at him. Slowly. And tried very hard not to show how she was dying of laughter inside. 

“I’m not...” she started. “I didn’t know Hannul that long. I liked him, yes, but... I do like you, I promise. I’m just a little... confused, that’s all. Not to mention everything else going on now. I can use any friendly face I can find, really. So... how about if we survive, we’ll see how things go?”

She smiled weakly at him and offered a hand, trying to look hopeful. 

This would be such a good story to tell her master, if she made it out. 

---

(note: this is all still the first night, I’ll timeskip whenever the conversation actually ends)

Hi. I’m tired and I don’t really want to ask all my questions and whatnot but:

DISCUSS!!

Maybe that’ll work? 

Five posts is too small. >> I’m torn about Elandera’s lynch, because I think it’s valid but there’s been entirely no pushback on it - although there’s only been two posts since she accrued two votes, one of which was by one of the voters. So. Hard to tell. >> 

Still. Other than that, disagree with Stink on Burnt being suspicious - I actually read her as pretty genuinely good - and shadiness on me, well, sure if you want to. Would appreciate reasoning if you get a chance, though. 

Seven players left other than me. As mentioned, I think Burnt is village (that post at the start of the thread especially), Bard’s post last cycle was very villagey, and I like Rae’s irritation at the results. I also think none of those three would’ve killed Wilson so early, as mentioned yesterday.

That leaves Elandera, Devotary, Stink, and Rath. It’s hard to tell on Rath - really too little activity to make much of a read, unfortunately. As mentioned above, Elandera has gotten almost no defence, which I really don’t like - the elims are doing well enough that I don’t think letting her be lynched is the right call. But there’s also been so little response that I can’t really tell. Stink’s post this cycle was a lot more direct / relevant than the past couple, which kind of makes me want to say he might be the EO, but that’s a pretty unfounded guess. And I’ve got no read on Devotary, as usual.

So. If I had to guess, I’d say elim team of Devotary/Rath and Stink as the EO. But that’s based on a number of assumptions, so is unlikely to be spot on.

Well, my vote is going on Devotary for now. Anyone care to join me? Even if you don’t, please respond! To my thoughts on you or anyone else.

I should be around before turnover. Hopefully there are more posts by then.  

 

[Arrae]

No summary of reactions to Venture's lynch because there isn't very much I think that can be said about it that hasn't been said by the C2 Alv summary of reactions.

Venture is innocent, which makes everybody on the Alv lynchtrain C2 look even better. Will note, Elandera was one of the people voting on Venture C2, though she placed her vote first. Alv had a number of single vote lynchtrains to use to try to even things out, not sure if he would've voted for a teammate or not and it's Alv so I don't even want to guess. Somewhat suspicious of El and Devotary for their votes on people other than Alv C2. It's possible that they placed it as elims who didn't want to obviously commit to saving a teammate or in bussing him.

Edit: okay, El's thing about Elandera has convinced me. She really hasn't received much defense, especially when one elim is already down. Also, thought about Alv's stuff now even though I really shouldn't >.> Really don't like it. Retracting vote now.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Arraenae

[Elandera she/her]

5 hours ago, Elbereth said:

Five posts is too small. >> I’m torn about Elandera’s lynch, because I think it’s valid but there’s been entirely no pushback on it - although there’s only been two posts since she accrued two votes, one of which was by one of the voters. So. Hard to tell. >>

Sorry for my lack of involvement today. I was preoccupied cleaning my house, then errands, the LG, then a Starfinder game. I've had time to skim, but not respond to anything. I'm here to fight for myself now.  

11 hours ago, Rathmaskal said:

I just skimmed through the entire thread (hoping to get a better read off as well), and the one thing that really stood out to me was the multiple comments to the effect of, "It's always good to be suspicious of Alv"

I think I've said some iteration of that phrase in every game I've played with Alv. He's traditionally difficult to pin down as an elim, at least for me, since he's a chaotic player. I'd say the same of someone like STINK. Alv just happened to be the one up for discussion/lynch.

5 hours ago, Elbereth said:

That leaves Elandera, Devotary, Stink, and Rath. It’s hard to tell on Rath - really too little activity to make much of a read, unfortunately. As mentioned above, Elandera has gotten almost no defence, which I really don’t like - the elims are doing well enough that I don’t think letting her be lynched is the right call. But there’s also been so little response that I can’t really tell. Stink’s post this cycle was a lot more direct / relevant than the past couple, which kind of makes me want to say he might be the EO, but that’s a pretty unfounded guess. And I’ve got no read on Devotary, as usual.

So. If I had to guess, I’d say elim team of Devotary/Rath and Stink as the EO. But that’s based on a number of assumptions, so is unlikely to be spot on.

I'd at least agree STINK is unlikely for an elim. Their vote on Alv C2 wouldn't have made much sense, since it was still plausible at that time to get a tie for a chance to save Alv another turn. 

I am willing to join you on the Devotary vote. Partly looking back at the C1/C2 lynches of Alv. She was among the category to ignore Alv C1, then voted on Bard C3 for a tied situation.

[STINK he/him]

Uh, I dunno what to do here guys.

How do you people get around to 'making' others active anyhow

[Burnt Spaghetti she/her]

19 hours ago, STINK said:

I hate to sound like a broken record, but yeah guess this ain't the best.

As for now, Burnt since a quick trawl-through previous posts looks like Burnt has been on a fence for most of this game, so I'd like to see some stuff that's either a vote or not speculation on someone being something possibly you know what I mean.

Also giving El some shady eyes

 Sorry for taking so long to respond to this >> been a busy busy day that resulted in a long nap that i just recently woke from

Yeahhh I'm bad at committing to suspicions >> I fully accept that.  Alright i dunno if i'll vote (specially not this late in the cycle- I greatly dislike last minute votes, or votes that don't give someone the chance to respond) but at least ill throw in my suspicion list and see where that goes? Though I guess to a degree thats still speculation a bit hm. we'll see >>

 

So who we got alive here... Not a long list is what we've got..

Alright the higher the percentage the more i distrust them

Me- Can't comment on the percentage. As stink pointed out i've been commenting on things but have been very noncommital which he'd like to see change. El apparently  trusts me ( <3 )
Elandera- 62% So. I feel like Elanderas name keeps getting thrown around, if not as a lynch target as a suspicion. And they haven't died. As El pointed out, there's not been pushback on this at all really. This could be a case of Eliminators sitting back and letting a villager take up the heat, it could be a case of Elandera being evil and their teammates letting it happen? Because at this point with the numbers getting low I could see an eliminator team letting one member get attention and potentially lynched and use it as a way to distance themselves and stay hidden themselves? I mean. Super helpful analysis burnt. Hey guys! Elandera is either good or evil! no kidding sherlock >> That being said as Rae mentioned elanderas vote came first and alv added his vote on top that puts it in a slightly better light. Am I convinced of Elanderas evilness? No, otherwise i'd be voting on them. If I had a kill role and was going full chaotic vigilante would I take a shot at them? They would definitely be shortlisted for the dice roll. Take from that how you will
Bard 44%- seemed genuinely surprised about the alignments of wilson and alv and also surprised about the choice of killing wilson. Also had commented about wanting alv to live longer than once cylce, but given that alv had died cycle 1 in side a, that understandable and i'm not viewing that as alignment indicative
Rath- 40% Haven't been greatly active. 
Elbereth 39%- If I was going off tone and my gut, El would be someone i'd trust. I've been reading her as pretty genuine. 
Stink - 25% hm. Stink is a really interesting player. Chaotic in nature, but observant. Stink voting for Alv is definitely a strong point in his favour
Devotary - 58%  Seems to like tying up lynches?
Rae- 50% Has been focusing on elandera for defending Alv a little which is fair enough but apparently has retracted that now. 

 

Ehh thats a terrible list >>  siiiigh i should try interrogation mode in thread maybe cause i find it easier to get ideas when its questions ive asked them myself otherwise  brain is like ".....*slow blink*...."  Yes my brain blinks shush.

So i find elandera the most suspicious apparently. The thing is is that to me that feels like theres one scratch against their name which has stuck which makes me second guess that a bit. I guess its that we've only hit one eliminator currently, and there weren't that many interactions with alv to learn from concerning people who are still alive. *rubs forehead* I dont know what to think. I miss pms. why can't we have pms...too many words in threads to try parse

 

 

Also Re:

Quote

Uh, I dunno what to do here guys.

How do you people get around to 'making' others active anyhow

 Good question!

Asking people questions help. As much as i don't like being voted on, I appreciate the vote on me prompting me to talk suspicions. just didn't help that you did it on my busyiest day of the week where i only now had time to sit and type

 

 

Votes- so we got 2 on dev, one on elandera and one on me. Not a lot of votes. I'll try vote tomorrow, someone hold me to that pls. as i mentioned before- I don't like doing  late cycle votes

 

Bleh I wanted to add more to my lists and flesh them out but cycle is ending soon >> 

 

tldr: I have no clue whos evil or not and i miss pms!

[Young Bard he/him]

I agree Burnt is hedging a little bit, but that seems fairly in line with their playstyle generally - I remember she was also particularly worried about conversion in - I've been trying to work out if she's playing it up this game, but I don't think so right now, though I might change my mind depending on the next cycle or two. I haven't been able to get a good read on Elan at all.

I'm fine with a Devotary lynch, mainly due to the absence of anyone else being more suspicious to me. Is it just me, or is an Alv/Devotary team the most cliche Elim team at this point? They've been evil quite a lot together, though I'm not sure how often, exactly - I think at least 5. 

[Haelbarde he/him]

...End of Cycle

Next one may be delayed, or may not. 

[Kasimir he/him]

Cycle Five

So Close

[Insert cycle text here. There was supposed to be a write-up but I am dead tired and also I just got an email from my uni telling me my thesis has been accepted! I am the Master of Philosophy now! Or, I would be but I might have to make some urgent minor edits! Or not! I am now contacting my supervisor, deliriously happy, and also visibly confused. As a result, the write-up will be delayed but please accept your results from me while you're at it]

The shadows crept about the Frozen Moon as the sun was swallowed by the hungry horizon. Today was the seventy-ninth sun; yesterday was the seventy-eighth. Tomorrow would be the eightieth sun, before the cycle would repeat, as it always had.

As it surely always would.

Joon tucked away his cosmetics kit and flashed a smile at Ellira. Fool, Ellira thought, and wondered if she should make a break for it soon. If tonight was the night. Her master had sent the same message, over and over again.

Watch and report.

Watch and report.

Watch and report.

Watch what, Ellira wondered, but it was not hers to comprehend why her master was interested in the goings-on of a group of a group of disgruntled arbiters and academics and bleeding hearts and even the occasional ambitious citizen, looking to move up in the world.

The answer came to her almost at once, in response to the thought, in his usual soft voice. People often thought her master was weak for that, but Ellira knew better. She had seen him bleed, and she had seen his steel.

Perhaps, she thought, not for the first time, one day he would let down his guard around her. He would put aside that terrible knife he carried, and he would let her close, and then she would put her knife in his stomach and twist it, just so.

She had never killed one such as him before. She wondered how it would feel to have his blood on her hands. It would look a little like this sunset, Ellira decided. It was all blood and fire, and she smiled at the sight.

She scratched her master’s seal into the dust, surreptitiously: three interlocked diamonds, overlapping, and then brushed it out with a swift gesture.

ㄢㄋㄌ

Not everyone watched the dying of the light.

STINK gurgled, hands scrabbling desperately at his throat, struggling to breathe. 

His name wasn’t STINK, of course. Or rather, it was, in a manner of speaking. Stefan Trent Isle Nathan Kilkreath was very far from home indeed, where the various syllables of his name only served to elicit an eye roll from the citizens of the Rose Empire, rather than any sort of respect or flattery.

He’d joined the conspiracy largely because he was no stranger to intrigue. The idea of a secret gathering against the oppressive Emperor had amused him, and he’d dreamed of spies and missions, and a resistance. 

There were none to be found, in the Frozen Moon. This game, after all, had turned out to be the end of him.

“It’s nothing personal,” his assailant said, unsmiling. “In fact, it’s just good business.”

STINK would have said something, anything, but then he was dead, and then he said nothing at all.

ㄢㄋㄌ

Kwai, too, did not watch the going down of the sun and the start of the evening.

He dragged himself further into the saferoom. There were rations there, set aside for a rainy day. Wenshon had believed in being prepared, and had set aside a cache of rations, armour, disguises, a weatherproof cloak, and a small but generous array of weapons, just in case his past caught up with him one day.

It had, of course.

Kwai had written the letters. And Wenshon had died anyway, stabbed by a Striker and left to bleed out, in order to make a point. Two points. The first: that you didn’t walk away. You never did. The second: that Gamman had held all the cards and he’d willingly thrown one of them away. He didn’t need Kwai any longer. 

That Kwai was as disposable as Wenshon was, especially if he crossed Gamman. Even if he didn’t. He’d arrived far too late to do anything about Wenshon. He hadn’t had the chance to say anything, any final words. Something. The last thing Wenshon had said was that he was leaving to pick up supplies. They were running short.

And then he was dead, bled out long before Kwai could have done anything about the matter.

A helpless fury had overtaken Kwai, at the utter, unutterable waste of it all. He sat there on the wooden steps to the Frozen Moon, and tried to reconcile himself to a universe that had, all of a sudden, turned so very empty. He wanted to kill Gamman. He would have, if he could, but he was not Seo Doriye, who was the famous Sleeve of White Snow, who had killed fifteen men in various duels over the years, and who was faster than the blink of an eye on the draw.

Not even Soul Forgery could give him Seo Doriye’s skills, and his handlers in the Reform Faction, back in Kaleva’s day, had insisted that he earn any skill he might have had with the blade the hard way. With painful bruises, a broken arm, and sweat stinging his eyes, even with his hair tied back behind him.

He wasn’t going to kill his way to Gamman. Not through an entire army of Strikers; not with Gamman, who was renowned for both cunning and paranoia, who had taken increasing amounts of various poisons in order to build a resistance to them.

Instead, Kwai had dug deep. He’d put out feelers, and carefully asked questions. Approached the right contact at the right time. It’d been five years. In the end, it had been the truth of Wenshon’s death that had bought him exactly what he needed.

A few more letters slipped into the pile that Gamman had demanded he write, and then Kwai dispatched them. Worded just right, in most cases; hooked with exactly the right bait. 

He contacted the seditious, the ambitious, the fools, and the dreamers. He contacted everyone that Gamman had wanted: all of Gamman’s enemies gathered behind the flimsy walls of a single old teahouse.

And then he contacted the Discovery Faction.

Fallen from grace and bleeding a slow death since the Succession Riots, it had taken one name from his contact before the outcast remnants of the Discovery Faction would even consider granting him a meeting.

Shuos KanSeun, scholar, desposed arbiter, historian, and sometime general of the Rose Empire.

Kwai paused and rifled through a bag that had only recently been moved into the saferoom. There was a bolt extractor there, though it would hurt. There were bandages, clean enough that he would not risk woundrot or infection. There was painwort, which was unbearably bitter, but the better of the two options.

And there was bloodstanch, ground into powder a month ago, and fresh enough to form a slow seal over the wound. There was soapstone as well; he’d hoarded just enough for an emergency, and a bottle of squid ink, though it was not fresh enough. He left those alone; Flesh Forgery was difficult and dangerous under the best of conditions, and Kwai was not that desperate yet.

He ground his teeth together and began.

ㄢㄋㄌ

Bad enough, Faitren thought, that Lawrence Scholdei had been sent out to negotiate with the Strikers and had gotten killed. She grimaced. Her tongue felt thick and caked in dust. The remaining water had been saved to soothe their parched throats, a little at a time.

They could not hold out much longer. The others must know that.

Joon sat on the floor, cross-legged, his eyes almost glazed over. Ellira was nearby, a dull flush in her cheeks. Yes was sluggish, barely stirring from her curled up position on the floor to make a halting comment or to answer a question. Somi had yet to budge from under the table, while Marzia leaned against the wall, blacksmith’s arms folded across her chest. Her eyes were narrowed in distrust. Kavela stood opposite Marzia, readiness in her posture. Her lips, though, were chapped and dry.

“We need a better plan,” Faitren whispered. Croaked, rather. “We’re running out of water.” Itiah had died, they’d learned later, after his body was dumped in front of the teahouse, his eyes strangely burned out, without a single mark on him. She shuddered at the thought of what foul blasphemies Emperor Gamman’s Strikers now employed on their enemies.

Itiah had died trying to bring them water. There was half a waterskin in his pocket, and Kavela had wasted precious moisture crying out in horror as they watched the waterskin spill some of its contents into the dust.

The swift action of Ellira had salvaged the rest of the waterskin, and they added its miserable contents to their dwindling stores of water.

“How much longer can we hold out without water?” Faitren continued. “They’re happy to kill us all—or wait us out.” She didn’t want to die. Not like this. Not with the thirst a constant, nagging irritation that she couldn’t ignore at all.

She glared at the rest of them, especially Ellira. Her eyes felt gummy and stung. She tried to push past the sensation. “Say I’m selling out if you want. There’s nothing we can do now that the well’s fouled.” 

“Then you go alone,” Marzia told her, firmly. “We’re not having any of this.” Ellira’s shoulders shook, as though she was trying to cry, and Joon did his best to soothe her. Kavela simply glared at her.

“Go then,” Kavela said. “Go there and die, if you want to.” She didn’t look away until Faitren had left.

ㄢㄋㄌ

Faitren crossed the courtyard, nervously expecting a Striker’s crossbow to find her any second. There was nothing. No hum of crossbow bolts, no sound of blades. Nothing at all. The back of her neck prickled, as though she was being watched, although she hadn’t the faintest idea where her watcher might be.

She crossed into the picket line of Strikers without incident. They looked scornfully at her condition but accepted her surrender. Her arms were bound at the wrist with rawhide and she was escorted into a tent with a single Striker—a young woman who wore bright silver charms in her curling hair, and whose equipment was so fanatically polished you might have expected to see her coming several yards away.

And they gave her water.

She nearly gave herself a stomachache, drinking greedily until she felt her stomach would burst. The Striker took away her waterskin, and gave her another. And another.

Sweet, clean, pure water, and all Faitren could think of was the relief, that all the others had to do was to surrender.

She wondered what had gone wrong with Lawrence.

She heard a strange sound, almost as though something was ripping apart, and then she realised that the silken walls of the tent were falling, as someone sawed a blade through the material, cutting an opening.

A man poked his head in. And then she saw the head of a crossbow, nocked with vicious bolts.

The Striker drew her sword and lunged, and suddenly fell to the ground, dead, the knife that had cut the tent silk now protruding from her eye, sunk hilt-deep.

“So much for Glory,” said the man. He had a pleasant voice, with the hint of a burr to it, the sort that snagged and became sharp when you least expected it. “Goodnight.”

Pain ripped through her, and the last thing Faitren saw was the man shaking his head and turning away.

ㄢㄋㄌ

STINK (STINK) was killed! He was from the Heritage Faction and aligned with the Conspirators!

Devotary of Spontaneity (Faitren) was lynched! He was from the Glory Faction and aligned with the Conspirators!

The cycle will end at 9PM tomorrow, on the 23rd of October, GMT+8!

Vote Tally

Spoiler

 

Burnt Spaghetti (1): STINK
Elandera (1): Rathmaskal
Devotary of Spontaneity (3): Elbereth, Elandera, Young Bard

 

Player List

 

1. I think I am here (Itiah) Conspirator
2. DeTess (DeTess) Conspirator
3. xinoehp512 (Ecnelis) Conspirator
4. StrikerEZ (Roashina) Conspirator
5. Elandera (Marzia)
6. Burnt Spaghetti (Somi)
7. Young Bard (Kavela)
8. Rathmaskal (Yesterday ""Yes"" Jones)
9. Alvron (Asterion) Discovery
10. Elbereth (Ellira)
11. STINK (STINK) Conspirator
12. Butt Ad Venture (Lawrence Scholdei) Conspirator
13. Devotary of Spontaneity (Faitren) Conspirator
14. Arraenae (Joon)
15. Little Wilson (Wai ZhierSen) Conspirator

Edited October 22, 2019 by Kasimir

[Kasimir he/him]

Reserved for rule clarifications.

[Arrae]

Congrats, Kas!

[Burnt Spaghetti she/her]

Eyy congrats Kas!

And guys? Im worried that we're running low on villagers.

Well i said id try my pm methods so here we go

@Elandera you are not having much luck with your vote choices. So my question for you is not who you dont trust, but rather, who do you trust and why, if any?

@Young Bard that was a very very last second vote there. Why wait so late?

@Rathmaskal if you had a kill and could kill any one player off without having to worry about forming a lynch argument, who would you choose? 

@Elbereth for now i just want to know how dev flipping village affects your suspicions

@Arraenae  im going to give you the same question as rath but tweak it a little- who would be your second choice if you had a kill you had to use?

Did i miss anyone? Blehhh thats too short a list >>

Additional notes

-still no evidence of protection roles, still no thugs hit, or survivors, whatever theyre called

-no more evidence of vote manip

-elim kill seems to be targetting people who arent going to give us tonnes of info from their death. Stinks last vote was on me so i cant really comment on if that means anything from. I dont recall other things stink has done this game at this point other than voting alv, and then bard, and then myself. I dont recall if there was any more votes there

- at least half of us have gotta be evil right? Someone whos more awake than me pls go and analyse whose interacting with and/or defending who because any teaming might be indicative at this point.

[Young Bard he/him]

It was late mainly because I was busy the rest of the day, and I could only get on towards the very end of the day (getting distracted didn't help). I also hoped that if the Elims had vote manipulation, that maybe a last minute vote would counter it. Thirdly, I'd have been a lot less confident about placing a vote last minute if they hadn't already been the leading candidate, so my vote didn't actively change who was going to get lynched (at least, not unless there was vote manip going around).

[Burnt Spaghetti she/her]

15 minutes ago, Young Bard said:

It was late mainly because I was busy the rest of the day, and I could only get on towards the very end of the day (getting distracted didn't help). I also hoped that if the Elims had vote manipulation, that maybe a last minute vote would counter it. Thirdly, I'd have been a lot less confident about placing a vote last minute if they hadn't already been the leading candidate, so my vote didn't actively change who was going to get lynched (at least, not unless there was vote manip going around).

Thats fair. Thanks for answering. Id be suspicous had your vote been changing the lynch target, but as it was on the already leading candidate, thats fair enough. I dont think id expect an elim to vote so last minute like that and risk revealing themself if the lynch was already settled. And tbh i feel like it may be safe to say whoever had the vote manip may have already died since weve not seen it in a while? Unless its an elim and theyve just had noneed to yse it because were so bad at picking correct lynch targwts...

[Kasimir he/him]

3 hours ago, Arraenae said:

Congrats, Kas!

Thanks  

[Rathmaskal he/him]

2 hours ago, Burnt Spaghetti said:

@Rathmaskal if you had a kill and could kill any one player off without having to worry about forming a lynch argument, who would you choose?

At this point, definitely Elandera.  If Elandera is elim, I would definitely start looking at El as well given how quickly she jumped off the Elandera train once it actually started to form yesterday.

[Arrae]

@Burnt Spaghetti, I'm waffling over whether I want to say Elandera or not. I've been going after her for a while, but nobody's defended her, which makes me think that she might be a villager who the elims are happy to leave as a distraction >.> Plus the fact that Alv voted with her...

[Elbereth she/her]

I don’t know what I think now.

Well, that’s not quite true. I still have village reads on Burnt and Bard in particular. And my gut keeps saying that Elandera is good - I could be catastrophically wrong there and have cost us the game last cycle, but I still don’t think she’s evil. >>

I think my suspicions in order right now are Rath, Rae, Elandera, Bard, Burnt. I’m zero percent confident in that order, though.  

I will vote on Rath, though, especially for that last post. If I’m right that Elandera is good, that’s a vote which will cause a cycle of little discussion (since we’ve already tried it once), plus starts casting suspicion on me, which I don’t like given I know I’m village. 

The one bit I’m hesitant about here is that this lynch is the one which gives us the least information (except that Elandera is probably good). But I don’t want to lynch anyone I’m less suspicious of, not when this lynch will probably end the game if we’re wrong. 

Edited October 22, 2019 by Elbereth

[Rathmaskal he/him]

3 hours ago, Arraenae said:

@Burnt Spaghetti, I'm waffling over whether I want to say Elandera or not. I've been going after her for a while, but nobody's defended her, which makes me think that she might be a villager who the elims are happy to leave as a distraction >.> Plus the fact that Alv voted with her...

Oh?

43 minutes ago, Elbereth said:

 And my gut keeps saying that Elandera is good

(Yes, I know that came in afterwards)

Also, parts of this:

Starting to seem like a potential pocket as well...  Especially as the vote on me reads as an effort to make any response from me seem like I'm retaliating for a vote on me.

Edit: To clarify, the 'potential pocket' comment regarding @Elbereth (tagged since I see you in thread...don't want you to miss my edit) would be if I'm wrong and Elandera is village.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Rathmaskal

[Elbereth she/her]

A pocket on who? Not Rae, given she’s second in my list of suspicions right now. (If Elandera is evil, my bet would be Rae/Elandera as a team. I think.)  

And I’m confused about that last bit? I want you to respond. If you vote on me for it, sure, I understand, but I care a whole lot more for the information of your response than for a vote on me. 

[Arrae]

6 minutes ago, Elbereth said:

A pocket on who? Not Rae, given she’s second in my list of suspicions right now. (If Elandera is evil, my bet would be Rae/Elandera as a team. I think.)  

And I’m confused about that last bit? I want you to respond. If you vote on me for it, sure, I understand, but I care a whole lot more for the information of your response than for a vote on me. 

Can I get a why on this? Last cycle you said you thought I was village...

[Elbereth she/her]

Because there are five people left other than me?  Because I trust Burnt and Bard the most, I think Elandera is good, and unlike Burnt and Bard I have not gotten a village tone from your posts at all. (And as I mentioned above, if Elandera is evil, your vote on Devotary following me makes me think you were planning on bussing her since there was so much suspicion on her, but switched over when there was a viable alternative.) 

[Rathmaskal he/him]

OK, so I'm actually starting to get a bit more of a read on things, so things to note/ask:

• @Burnt Spaghetti - you've been mentioned as being on the fence, but you have been active.  One thing I've noticed though, you haven't placed a single vote yet, not even to retract it.  I understand the idea of wanting to get as much information as possible, but we've probably reached LYLO at this point.
• @Elandera - you tunneled as hard on Venture for the first three cycles (until he was finally lynched) harder than any tunnel I've seen aside from me in my first game.  Not sure what my question is...just seems notable.  I don't think I've seen you tunnel that hard on one player like that before.  It's not as if the lynch was ever really building.  Between cycles one and two, the only other vote on Venture was from Alvron, and that came after your vote when it was clear Alv was likely going to be a candidate for the lynch.
• @Elbereth - you've been a part of 2/3 mislynches and missed the one vaild lynch.  Seems a bit clunky for an elim to go that route, but it's possible with the Devotary lynch you were seeing the finish line ahead.  If I had to guess, if you were an elim, you were seeing the possibility of winning the game this cycle, so decided to just push for it.  Still, seems unlikely.
• @Young Bard - you, Elandera, and Elbereth have voted in sync the past two days.  I'd say at least one of the three of you is an elim.  What's your ideal date and why aren't you the elim?
• @Arraenae - you didn't place a vote last round.  Based on your comment, it looks like you had started to place one on Elandera but edited your vote to remove it?  Same comment as to Burnt - we've probably reached LYLO, what are you thinking?

So, some summary here - the fact that Bard, Elandera, and Elbereth have voted together the past two turns is mildly concerning.  From a meta-game point of view, it almost has to be V/V/E or V/N/E among the three of them, which leaves one of Rae and Burnt as the second elim.
No one is still alive who voted on Alvron.  My guess is the elims figured the spy was a part of that group and wanted to make sure they all died regardless of whether or not they thought they were going to need to assassinate someone later in the game.

Everyone needs to vote today.