Long Game 65: Dancing through Life

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

Note, this definitely isn't how Alchemy works.

Explosives had always been easy. Even as a novice, struggling to follow old recipes with whatever materials could be scrounged from around the house, every concoction had almost wanted to explode. Even lacking essential ingredients, or including poor substitutions, the incomplete mixtures had been primed to detonate, occasionally in an uncontrolled manner. Vol's bedroom had caught on fire several times, requiring buckets of sand and water to douse. Some creations that had been specifically designed not to explode had done so anyway. It wasn't until Vol began acquiring books on arcane and Alchemical theory that the reason for this was found. All Alchemical crafted substances required bound principles to alter the nature of the combined reagents, and an trained Alchemist could use their Alar to aid in the transformation. An unskilled Alchemist could just as easily introduce unintended changes and properties to the mixture, in Vol's case adding barely suppressed rage. The resulting, completely non-sapient, compounds carried that fury inside them, making them unstable and unable to contain their desire to explode. This realisation failed to correct the problem, but did point to possible solutions. Suppression was an obvious failure, and increasing production of explosives in an attempt to drain the source of rage was also unsuccessful. What ended up working was envisioning a specific purpose for each concoction as it was being made. Each creation wanted to be used, and predetermining each one's fate beforehand helped fit them to that purpose.

Spreading out the votes helped a little, but it wasn't enough to prevent people from falling afoul of disciplinary action. I would guess people will start moving out of the Golden Pony if they haven't already, especially in favour of the Windy Tower for University focused students or the Grey Man for those dedicated to Imre. That should somewhat mitigate the decreased number of players as people are sabotaged or expelled. For this turn, I'll put a vote on Lumgol to spread things out.

[Karnage]

5 hours ago, Sart said:

Sagaer Murtoy sighed. it appeared the crucial element for success in studying was focus. Unfortunately, taking care of a baby was one of the most distracting things known to man. His daughter was mercifully asleep, so now he could focus on his studies. Unfortunately, focus was hard to find these days. Everyone at the university was too noisy, chatting about this and that without focusing on the real problem at hand. The Skindancers were here. No matter what the administration might say, Onur was clearly their first victim, and there would be more if they weren't careful. However, most people were making trivial arguments in order to receive tuition deductions. He could sympathize, since his funds were also getting scarce. Still, they needed more focus. He had noted that @Walin Lin Was (Walin) had promised to give his thoughts on the matter, but Sagaer had heard almost nothing from him. So, while it was still a stab in the dark, he hoped his complaint would spur further action.

Still not gathering enough focus for his studies, Sagaer decided to stretch his legs. An evening walk might help him collect his thoughts. With the Skindancers running around, he was nervous about going out alone though. He wondered if anyone would care to join him, and started asking around.

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

Open call for joint RP if anyone wants to go on a walk with me.

I'll go on a walk with you!

---

Sorry for not posting as much this turn. As for Coda, that is really unfortunate! I don't really have any analysis to add so I'll contribute to RP.

---

Walking down the street, after his studies were done. Lasko Vietch could smell the great diversity of smells travelling from the shops and merchants that were selling their wares, trying their best to temp buyers to their shop. I am hungry but I have food at home... was that the smell of beets? Those are the best smelling beets I have ever smelled. Where is that coming from. Looking around, he was searching for the source of the smell, nowhere in sight could he see any beets. Hopefully he could find some somewhere on his walk. @Kynedath

As he continued walking the streets his thoughts kept on returning to that noble. Not being there when he broke and was sent to the Crockery, Lasko Vietch shuddered at the memory of his own parents telling him about their experience at the Crockery, or at least what they remembered from it. Noticing someone that he faintly remembered meeting in one of his classes, he tried thinking of his name. Sager... not that, Sagger... nope, Sa'gger... definitly not, Sagaer.... thats the one! Wait, didn't he say something about his having a baby? I think so. "Hey, Sagaer, wait up!" Lasko said, catching up to his acquaintance. "Hows it going, how your baby girl? Did you finish of the work for (insert shared class here)?". @Sart

---

As for voting... what commoner hasn't been voted on yet. We are onto commoners, right? Heck, I don't have time right now I will vote for Detess. If they have already been voted on just @ me and I get around to changing it.

Edited May 3, 2020 by Karnage

[Kynedath]

Traelynn looked up abrubtly, eyes looking past the horizon. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up and her spine tingled. "Someone needs my beets." She lept up and grabbed her crate of beets as well as the arm of her sitting companion Amila and ran off in a direction she knew only from instinct. Someone needed beets and she was determined to provide them!

It wasn't long until she found her way to the noble who was in need of her wonder-beets. Hoity toity as he was, his nose was tensed in exactly the way that told her he smelled her beets. There was a longing in that nose twitch, she could sense it. He was talking to another Noble - this was going to be one difficult sell. With Amila in tow Traelynn approached the nobles in their conversation with beets in hand and she saddled up to do her best 'I'm going to speak with a nobleman' voice.

"Good day gentlemen! I do hope your studies at this fine University are going well! I hope I'm not intruding, I was just hoping to do you a service! You see me and my partner here" she gestured to Amila standing behind her "have some of the finest beets in the region for sale and I would be remiss not to recommend them to you fine young hearty men! After all, with all the brain power students spend on studying you'll undoubtedly need the nutrients and vigor that my beets provide! Beta Vulgaris (or beetroots for those unaware) is packed full ofvitamin B9, or Folate for those of higher academic acumen. I have prime Ruby Queen beets right here with me and I'm even willing to give out samples and recipes for some scrumptious dishes featuring both beetroot and beet greens. So what do you say, have I whet your appetite yet?" @Karnage @Sart @Zillah

[xinoehp512]

Maern paused, letting the other Masters file out the door. “Yes, Master Rhetorician?” He paused. “Is this about my missing homework? Because-”

The Master snorted. “No- although you’d better turn that in by tomorrow, you understand?” Maern nodded vigorously. “I wish to talk to you about something else.” He gave a furtive glance to the side to make sure all the other Masters had departed, then began to speak quietly. “I’m sure you’re wondering what, exactly, the crime is that you were charged with?”

Surprised, Maern nodded. “I wondered, but…”

“...didn’t want to ask? Yes, that would make sense. However, I feel you have a right to know.” The Master leaned in. “Did you hear what happened to the noble by the name of Onur Setyn?” 

Maern looked at him, confused. “He went insane, right?” A thought suddenly occurred to him. “You don’t think that I had anything to do with it… right?”

The Master’s face told him all he needed to know.

“But, but…” said Maern helplessly. “How could I drive someone insane? How could anyone?”

The Master Rhetorician sighed. “I don’t think that it was you- and I think that the other Masters have been likewise convinced. However,” he said, voice turning serious, “we do believe that Mr Setyn’s insanity does not stem from natural causes- that it was, in fact, intentionally triggered.”

Maern swallowed. “But… that’s impossible, right? No human can just… make people go insane. Right?”

“No human” said the Master darkly. “But there are more things than human in this world.”

Maern’s blood ran cold. “Fae,” he whispered.

The Master nodded, turning away to leave. “Watch your fellow students carefully. Carry holly at all times.” He paused at the door and shot one last look back. “And, above all else, be careful.”

With that, he left, pulling the door shut behind him.

----

6 hours ago, Straw said:

I've been keeping my own activity count and got the same numbers. Do you mean Bard instead of Walin? I think Walin posted last turn. It's interesting that people's posting count varied so little based on social class. I would be very interested to see the differences in money earned per post, as some people have been doing quite a lot of RP. I agree about the activity! It's great to see so many people talking. Hopefully we can get just as much discussion as we did last turn.

Oh yes, right. Walin was another one who gave a reason for inactivity. Sorry, got a little mixed-up in the brain there. 

3 hours ago, Elandera said:

Don't forget to get your votes in. I suggest we don't vote on Coda, despite his status as a Noble. It would be rather unfortunate if he were brought on the Horns again.

I concur. (Full disclosure- I also don't want to be brought On the Horns again, either. )

3 hours ago, Elandera said:

I have no idea what to make of HH being sabotaged. It makes me wonder if the elims chose a target at random.

Perhaps his Noble station had something to do with it? It plays into the elim's interests to get rid of the powerful villagers, if they can.

Araris is the last noble that has not yet been voted for (besides Coda), so I might as well throw a vote down on them.

Hmm... what else to say? I guess I have a few questions. In the Tuition Reductions section, Purchasing an item from the apothecary and placing a request on the Black Market both have variable payouts. Is there a way to calculate what the value of the reduction from buying a particular item/selling a particular contract will be? On the topic of tuition reductions, what in a post will count as 'quality thread participation?' Is it just any talking that isn't RP? Does it need to be a specific color? (If it does, then I probably need to know before you lock the previous threads, because I most definitely have not been doing that).

@Elbereth please and thank you.

Edited May 3, 2020 by xinoehp512

[Zillah]

The corner of Amila's lip turned up in the faintest hint of a smile as Traelynn finished her most recent ramble. Traelynn's presence had definitely surprised her, but for once it felt good to be in the company of another person. She had to admit, she seemed to have taken a liking to this girl, more than she had with any other person for years. She was about to answer at least a few of the many questions when suddenly Traelynn's head shot up.

Before she knew what was going on she was beign dragged by the arm! Confusion filled her mind, but the small smile on her face persisted.  She gripped the puzzle boz tightly in her hand so as not to drop it as they weaved through the people. Man this girl was full of energy and surprises.  Before Amila knew it, she was standing beside Traelynn and a couple of noblemen. "Oh this is fantastic" she thought to herself "a bunch of stuck up rich kids". 

Traelynn began her sales pitch, and Amila was once again taken aback by the enthusiasm a single person could have for beets. . . gorguous delicious beets. The word "Partner" threw Amila for a loop, and filled her with a warm fuzzy feeling. She was beginning to feel very confused about what this girl was doing, could this be the seedlings for her first real friendship? The hope began to build before she could attempt to quell it. All she could do now was see how things ended out, and hope that it ended well.

[Elbereth]

21 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

Hmm... what else to say? I guess I have a few questions. In the Tuition Reductions section, Purchasing an item from the apothecary and placing a request on the Black Market both have variable payouts. Is there a way to calculate what the value of the reduction from buying a particular item/selling a particular contract will be? On the topic of tuition reductions, what in a post will count as 'quality thread participation?' Is it just any talking that isn't RP? Does it need to be a specific color? (If it does, then I probably need to know before you lock the previous threads, because I most definitely have not been doing that).

@Elbereth please and thank you.

Absolutely. 

Tuition reductions for the Apothecary: 5 jots per Nahlrout/Courier, 1 talent per Bloodless or Gram

Tuition reductions for the Black Market: 5 jots for the first contract that turn placed worth less than 6 talents. 1 talent for the first contract placed worth between 6 and 11 talents. 1 talent and 5 jots for the first contract placed worth between 11 and 16 talents. 2 talents for the first contract placed worth 16 talents or more. (So essentially you can get one reduction for each category. You can't get more than that, because we don't want you placing ten 1-drab contracts and getting 5 talents for it. )

 

Quality thread participation: Any game-related talk (no designated color). If you want to put your game-related talk in RP (I believe Sart did that last turn), that also counts for HQ participation. It has to be around 200 words (so, more than a line or two). Note that we do not put every single post in a word counter, so if you're at 198 words or something that's fine - the 200-word mark is just there to signify 'something substantial'. (This is the same for RP posts, but we're slightly more lenient about those.) 

 

Master elevation: We've decided to rescind my clarification from earlier that people being elevated to Master will have their field announced to the thread. Only whether someone was elevated or not will be noted in all cases. (Because it makes the Skindancer alternative win condition actually impossible otherwise, rather than just very improbable.) 

[Walin]

Hey, everyone! Sorry for not responding when I said I would--I could have, I just didn't. I'll jump into activity right now.

In terms of analysis, I don't have much to go on. I've never been one for heavy analysis in SE, so I'll just go based on the people who made vote-count lists as well as player lists of other types. It appears to me that people who keep a lot of tabs on people (aka who do heavy analysis) would do that, though it's not necessarily Alignment-Indicative. Villagers want to catch elims, and elims want to find 1-good targets, and 2-people on whom they can cast suspicion and get an effective second kill with the lynch. Heavy analysis favors both sides (though I think it favors villagers a little more, hence it might be a little villager-leaning)

 

People who posted a list of other players:

Cycle 1:

Elkanah: List of nobility and commoner-ship

Lopen: Vote list

Devotary: Vote list

Lord_Silberfarben: Player list w/ votes

Haelbarde (twice): Vote list

Straw: Vote list

Cycle 2:

Haelbarde: Vote list of last cycle

xineohp: Player posting count list

Elandera: Vote list

Me: Player listing list

 

Of course, all of this goes out the window if you consider how many other ways of performing analysis there are, not to mention that you can keep tabs on several people without bringing it up, etc. etc.

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

Lin Wa was just minding his own business, doing a bit of studying, when a thought came to mind. He had...forgotten something that transpired the day before, likely a piece of homework he had lost and eventually stopped thinking about. Oh! That was right! He had bumped into the noble Catalan, the other day. The guy looked really offended, so it was probably the reason he had received a Complaint. Since today's homework was finished, he had enough time to go seek the guy out and deliver a proper apology. After all, despite how disliked the nobles were, they were people, and beyond that, it's best to not be on bad terms with someone.

On his way over, Lin started to hear some others discussing their studies. "ending up in some random bin. War always has strange stories like that, with artifacts getting hidden wherever. Some have never been found." Oh well. He didn't have much time to listen more. He hurried on.

[Karnage]

1 hour ago, Kynedath said:

"Good day gentlemen! I do hope your studies at this fine University are going well! I hope I'm not intruding, I was just hoping to do you a service! You see me and my partner here" she gestured to Amila standing behind her "have some of the finest beets in the region for sale and I would be remiss not to recommend them to you fine young hearty men! After all, with all the brain power students spend on studying you'll undoubtedly need the nutrients and vigor that my beets provide! Beta Vulgaris (or beetroots for those unaware) is packed full of vitamin B9, or Folate for those of higher academic acumen. I have prime Ruby Queen beets right here with me and I'm even willing to give out samples and recipes for some scrumptious dishes featuring both beetroot and beet greens. So what do you say, have I whet your appetite yet?" @Karnage @Sart @Zillah

Before Sagaer could answer, a excitable young women called out to the two of them and swung a box full of beets. Lasko didn't know about Sagaer but he could barely keep up with her. Something about Beta Vulgarius..., wait, what is that? B9, Folate, higher academic acumen? I think she is talking about those beets that she is holding, trying to make a  sells pitch... I got to answer before I make a fool of myself. "Those beets look wonderful, I am sure that I can trust your word that those beets there will help with my academic studyin. I could smell those things a while away, they almost seemed to call me... how did you grow them to be so alluring? How about this.. I will buy 2 for myself and one for my friend over here his name is Sagaer. How much are the beets." Noticing another young lady, noticeably shier, she looked like she could be studying at the university as well as me. " Say, haven't I sen you at the University?"  said pointedly at he other young lady. He didn't know if either of them went to the university or not, Lasko just wanted to have some conversation as he paid of his beets. 

@Kynedath @Sart @Zillah

[GreenRover]

Two fortnights into the term found Knighter taking a contemplative walk through campus past dusk.

Knighter had seen more drama and terror than a lifetime at his parents' estate. He was still unsure what field to study, and his uncle Cotte's notes on the arcane arts were conflicting at best. His relatives hadn't yet responded to his letters. He studied from sunrise til after sunset every day, but still had no concrete plan for a subject to study. He came here on a bet with a friend, after all. When he wasn't in class, eating beets (he had bought some when he didn't recognize any other noblemen around--and begrudgingly admitted they tasted superb), or sleeping, he read his uncle Cotte's textbooks and old class material. Among other things, they contained pages of scatter-brained notes on the Skinwalkers, and Knighter got the impression that Naming wasn't the only reason for Cotte's slight insanity. Knighter knew a little about Fae before coming to the University, but those small tidbits gave way before mad ravings and overwhelming implications. His uncle's notes indicated that Skinwalkers had decimated these very halls two times in recent historical memory, and he guessed there were more times before this, forgotten (or erased) from history. And the chaos was starting again in his time here, with a fellow nobleman.

Knighter wasn't cut out for studying in this environment. Then again, he supposed no one was. Earlier that night, he had realized something. I'm a nobleman, he thought, and noblemen lead when all else fails. Within his mind, he had backed up to his firmest resolve, and found it had been chipped away. This thought reinvigorated his resolve. If we defeat the Skinwalkers and cleanse the University, it won't happen without the students doing their part. His resolve had now been fully renewed. He went off to find some other students and encourage them, only to overhear discussion about how to stop the Skinwalkers and avenge Onur. Knighter was three steps behind his fellow classmates. This dealt a blow to his ego, which made him feel like another contemplative walk. It was a night for walking, he figured. This time however, he acknowledged a lone student did not have sufficient resources to undertake the task of defeating Fae. He met Sagaer walking down the main hallway. He seemed like one of the most level-headed students--one would have to be to be a father, Knighter reasoned. Especially a commoner, who would also have a different perspective on the Skinwalkers than Knighter. As Knighter approached, so did Lasko, another (seemingly) level-headed noble. But then they all started buying beets, so he just continued walking alone until it looked they were done--he had just eaten dinner before his first walk, after all.

----

I don't have a lot of analysis here--although it looks like in previous versions of this game, the vast majority of people simply died on the streets to mercenaries. Almost none of those were Skinwalkers, so maybe as the nobles (or just villagers with lots of Names) we could set up a long-term protection for commoners or Edema Ruh who have been on the streets for more than 3 turns, allowing them to stay active and alive. To me, three turns is long enough to be cleared reasonably villager (barring the aid of fellow Skinwalkers). Other than that, I'd suggest that a couple villagers staying in The Windy Towers try with all 6 EP for the fields of study that would most help the Skinwalkers, then become the masters of those fields and get protection so the Skinwalkers can't use the field as well--or, barring that, go for the fields of study most useful for the Villagers to protect the field from being destroyed early-game.

[Haelbarde]

10 hours ago, Burnt Spaghetti said:

The halls were full of chatter. A student had been taken to the Crockery. Already? Its only been a month! That can’t be right at all. Maybe if we were approaching end of year exams then sure, I could see how someone would crack under that pressure, but we’ve only just started! A concerned frown crossed her face. Surely it had to be something serious that had happened to this poor student for this to happen. What even could send someone insane so suddenly. Was this even a sudden thing? Some things developed over time didn’t they…? But he’d seemed fine earlier… It can’t be natural...could it?
This demanded research.
Excusing herself out of the current discussion, Bryn slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the archives.

As she entered, her face moved into an expression that can only be described as “ugh”. Books were the bane of her existence. Just let her create things from scratch or learn from demonstrations, but reading was very much a chore to her. where do I even start… and how do I ask for help without sounding like i’m trying to make someone go insane…. She especially didn’t want to ask any official about what books to find and then get blamed for the insanity of other students because she seemed to take interest in it. 

There was another student nearby who was looking equally as overwhelmed by the sheer amount of books. She wasn’t too hopeful, but maybe they have a chance of helping her find a right section, and might not so easily misread her interest in this.

Worth a shot.

She approached the student, who hadn’t noticed her so far it seems. A cheeky smirk growing, she reached out and tapped his left shoulder, quickly stepping around to his right.

“Hey, do you know anything about how books are sorted here or are you as clueless as I am?”

 

8 hours ago, Straw said:

Straw Altiora had enjoyed his first month at the university, even though he hadn’t really socialized much with the other students. His studies had been somewhat enjoyable, even if they were occasionally boring. Unfortunately, this month had started out with a new student suddenly going insane, and several other students being punished for unknown offenses. There had been a flood of drama and minor complaints in the first month, but Straw hadn’t really seen any real animosity between students. It was probably just the masters getting revenge on the students who they disliked. Everyone knew the masters were corrupt, even if they had punished that one noble, Catalan.

As Straw walked into the archives, ready to find some books for class, he noticed Bryn from his introductory class talking with some other student. Hopefully, they’d be able to help him find his way around the archives. Bryn was a bit too social for his liking, but she’d talked to so many other students that she probably knew more about the archives than he did. Eventually, Straw walked up to Bryn and greeted her, “Hello, I’m Straw Altiora. You can call me Straw, but please don’t try to shorten my name any further. It never sounds good. So, do either of you two know how to get around this place?”

As Seoras considered the room before him, he heard footsteps that stopped a pace or two behind him. After a pause, there was a tap on his left should as he heard a rustle to the right. He rolled his eyes. 

Twisting around to the left, he looked around in mock confusion. "What!? Who's there?" He finshed the motion, piroutting around to face this newcomer with a grin on his face. The figure was a girl, one of the newer students he'd seen around campus. She asked if he knew anything about the organisation of the book, to which he shook his head.

"Not exactly. I've not had access to anything like this before coming to the university, and I've tried to spend as little time in here as possible. Maybe we can work it out together then? I'm Seoras, by the way."

The words barely out of his mouth and another student worked up, seeming to look for help, introducing themselves as "Straw". Turned out they also were hoping to work out how to find stuff in here. He shifted a little to allow Straw into the conversation.

"Well, that makes three of us. Want to join us in figuring it out ourselves?"

---

26 minutes ago, GreenRover said:

I don't have a lot of analysis here--although it looks like in previous versions of this game, the vast majority of people simply died on the streets to mercenaries. Almost none of those were Skinwalkers, so maybe as the nobles (or just villagers with lots of Names) we could set up a long-term protection for commoners or Edema Ruh who have been on the streets for more than 3 turns, allowing them to stay active and alive. To me, three turns is long enough to be cleared reasonably villager (barring the aid of fellow Skinwalkers). Other than that, I'd suggest that a couple villagers staying in The Windy Towers try with all 6 EP for the fields of study that would most help the Skinwalkers, then become the masters of those fields and get protection so the Skinwalkers can't use the field as well--or, barring that, go for the fields of study most useful for the Villagers to protect the field from being destroyed early-game.

I think a lot of the time, people have only been on the street due to forgetting to put in lodging orders, rather than by choice (short of maybe Aman). Why Skindancers don't typically spend time on the street is they have the benefit of people in the elim doc reminding them to put in such orders also - you can't just give people coin, I'm pretty sure. So the only way of helping financially is via things like black market contracts, or giving items that could then be sold (or I suppose held temporarily in the case of something like talent pipes). There are betters ways of trying to clear people as village than getting them to spend time on the streets. I suppose yes, if we know for sure someone has survived on the streets for 2-3 terms then yes maybe that's reason to lean village on them but I don't think it's a good idea to put people at risk as a way of trying to test allignment.

A reminder though, to everyone. Make sure you put in orders this turn for where you want to lodge next term. Even if you're going to stay in the same place, make sure you put that order in to make sure you don't end up on the streets. Even if you don't end up being able to afford lodging for the chosen venue, you'll at least end up in the next best lodging if you at least put in the order.

[Sart]

Sagaer had somehow ended up with a beet in one hand. The last thing he wanted on his walk was an agressive sales pitch, but Traelyn's love of beets knew no bounds. He quickly departed from the saleswoman, leaving Lasko to deal with the chatterbox. Sagaer, lost in his thoughts, walked in silence for a minute, before Knighter caught up to him. He sighed, and looked up at the starry night sky.

"This won't last you know." The words drifted out of Sagaer's mouth. "It's so peaceful right now. All of us working together, focusing on our studies, not a care in the world. It won't last. What was his name, Onur, I think, already went crazy. It won't stop with just him. Pretty soon, we'll be at each other's throats looking for Skindancers that might not even be there." Inwardly, he knew that the Skindancers probably were real, but he didn't say that part out loud. "I'm just filled with a sense of dread for the future. What's going to happen to us? Will my daughter ever get to see her birthday?  I don't know. I can't control what's going to happen to us. Well, there is something I can do. I'm filling a complaint against Bryn Aria (Burnt Spaghetti) @Burnt Spaghetti They seem nice enough, but they haven't contributed anything meaningful in the hunt against the Skindancers. Then again, I suppose most people haven't. Hmm... maybe I just feel guilty about not figuring out anything myself, and I'm passing on to someone else. Whatever the case, I'm hoping we can start getting leads, especially as our studies start to take off."

[TheMightyLopen]

When Leo heard that Catalan had received lashings for his, well, unbecoming conduct, as they put it, he winced. Not that he was particularly worried, but he recalled bits of Catalan's threats about feuding and tearing the University apart or something. 

Just what I needed. First there's talk of Skindancers making folks go mad, now some high minded Noble is going to be hounding after me. Well, it sounds as if he'll be incapacitated for the next few Months. Maybe he'll just forget? Hm, probably wishful thinking. If I know Nobles, and I do, they're not likely to let something like this go so easily.

"YOU THERE! STOP!"

Leo froze in place. Suddenly remembering where he was. He'd been observing the Master Alchemist and a few other Students work. He looked up to see the Master Alchemist storming over to him.

"This is no place to get lost in thought! If you aren't going to pay attention, I suggest you go the Archives or somewhere you won't cause any large explosions with your carelessness!"

"Ah, I was just..." Leo began.

"You were just leaving is what you were doing!" the Master Alchemist barked, pointing to the door.

At that, Leo lowered his head and made his way out. I don't even know what I did wrong! I was just leaning against a barrel. What's the worst that could happen? Well, I think it's safe to say the coins were right about this one. Not the occupation for me.

---

Probably will be my last RP post for the Month. My current thoughts is that the lynch is slightly less effective at catching eliminators in this one, so making sure to get your elevations early is a top priority so we can start getting some information gathering abilities. I still think we should use the lynch to pressure players we're suspicious of, as roleblocks can certainly be useful in hampering activity for said players. For now though, I will put votes on...Rathmaskal and DeTess. Just to spread it out a bit, as I don't have any suspicions to vote on currently. Might change these if I have the time before the Month ends to do some solid analysis.

Btw, Coda, I'm perfectly fine with you voting on me right now, as not much has happened and so it's difficult to find justified reasons to vote on someone, but please make sure you don't use the feud as an excuse not to look for a real reason to vote for someone!

GM's, could we get a vote count?

[Haelbarde]

4 minutes ago, TheMightyLopen said:

GM's, could we get a vote count?

Not a GM, but I can give you a vote count:

Vote Tally
Devotary(1): DeTess{1}
Lopen(1): Coda{1}
Elandera(1): Straw{1}
Rover(1): Xino{1}
Walin(1): Sart{1}
Silberfarben(1): Araris{1}
Karnage(1): Elandera{1}
Lumgol(1): Devotary{1}
DaTess(2): Karnage{1}, Lopen{2}
Burnt(1): Sart{2}
Rath(1): Lopen{1}
Zillah(1): Hael{1}

Figure I'll take the opportunity to put down a complaint on Zillah to get the tuition reduction. 

[TheMightyLopen]

1 minute ago, Haelbarde said:

Not a GM, but I can give you a vote count:

Vote Tally
Devotary(1): DeTess{1}
Lopen(1): Coda{1}
Elandera(1): Straw{1}
Rover(1): Xino{1}
Walin(1): Sart{1}
Silberfarben(1): Araris{1}
Karnage(1): Elandera{1}
Lumgol(1): Devotary{1}
DaTess(2): Karnage{1}, Lopen{2}
Burnt(1): Sart{2}
Rath(1): Lopen{1}
Zillah(1): Hael{1}

Figure I'll take the opportunity to put down a complaint on Zillah to get the tuition reduction. 

Whoops, DeTess already has one. I'll move it to...Xino.

[Zillah]

Amila watched one of the young men walk off after receiving a beet with barely a word. He seemed like a pretty typical noble, but then again she couldn't really judge too harshly, after all she had expected to act much different when she first met Traelynn. However at least she would have been slightly more polite about it. Sighing she focused back on the conversation at hand, just in time to hear the other young noble pointedly ask her a question. She paused, had she seen them? Yes, she had, but only briefly. 

The idea of talking to someone else quickly chased away all of the smiley warm fuzzy feelings she had from earlier. She looked over at Traelynn briefly, which somehow reassured her. "Yeah, you probably have. I guess I've seen you too." She pushed out far more words than she wanted to, but it was easier than having to answer another question or two. It did help slightly that this noble seemed to look down on her less than most did. She glanced at the man who was walking away, and momentarily let herself wonder what his deal might be. 

[Elbereth]

Hael's vote count is correct. 

Official Vote Count
Burnt (1): Sart
DeTess (1): Karnage
Devotary (1): DeTess
Elandera (1): Straw
Karnage (1): Elandera
Lopen (1): Coda
Lum (1): Devotary
Rath (1): Lopen
Rover (1): Xino
Silber (1): Araris
Walin (1): Sart
Xino (1): Lopen
Zillah (1): Hael
 

[Kynedath]

Wow, Traelynn knew that Amila was timid, but this was a whole other kind of timid! Ah well, it was kind of endearing! You knew exactly what she was thinking which was much nicer than most nobles she had met, although this one seemed better than most. He had seemed confused with her hoity toity speaking, so she decided to tune it down a bit.

"Oh, Amila, you know this guy? Awesome! Any friend of Amilas is a friend of mine! The name is Traelynn Weeks from Weeks Beets. I'll ask your name but I'm going to keep talking a little bit longer so could you maybe remember all the questions I ask and answer all of them? That'd be real deevy of ya. So yeah! You know my name now, what's yours?"

"A little more about me is that I'm also a student here at the University (although I might now be for very long with how expensive it is) but I spend most of my time trying to get Agriculture to be an official field of study. Amila is in the process of agreeing to help me, ain't that right Amila? We go way back, she is the first person I met here and we've been steadfast friends ever since! Shes the first best friend I ever got. You could be the next if you want! Well, if you ever tell me yer name that is."

"Also, if you don't mind my askin' what's with that other guy you were talkin' to? Somethin' got him on edge? I mean he peeled out of here really fast. I know about that one guy who went bonkers but I mean that's just the one guy, right? It can't be that huge a deal. I mean everyone's kinda been on edge, there is a different feel to the place since it happened, but I guess I convinced myself that it was all in my head." @Zillah @Karnage

[Burnt Spaghetti]

@Haelbarde @Straw

Bryn pouted slightly when the student demonstrated that she wasn't as sneaky as she had thought.

"Not exactly. I've not had access to anything like this before coming to the university, and I've tried to spend as little time in here as possible. Maybe we can work it out together then? I'm Seoras, by the way." He introduced himself

Well drat. "Ah well, was worth a try. Names Bryn. Yeah, books aren't really my thing either. An unfortunately essential part of studying it seems." She paused as another student approached them. She recalled that this student had been in some of her classes but she hadn't interacted with them to know who it was name-wise.

"Hello, I’m Straw Altiora. You can call me Straw, but please don’t try to shorten my name any further. It never sounds good. So, do either of you two know how to get around this place?”

The student she'd approached, Seoras, replied first, "Well, that makes three of us. Want to join us in figuring it out ourselves?"

Bryn laughed. of course all the lost students would find each other hoping for help. "Sorry to disappoint you mate, I'm afraid we don't know either. I just approached this fellow, uh, Sssaayrus" Nope. definitely not that "hoping to get help myself. Guess we go ourselves a book hunting party? What are you guys looking for? Myself I was going to look for books on insanity- recent events got me worried and curious."

[Haelbarde]

"...Ssssaayrus..." He chuckled. "Seoras is what you were looking for Bryant" he corrected, nodding to Straw, and winking at Bryn.

Bryn carried on talking - turns out she was looking for books on insanity? He figured it was maybe worth clarifying what she meant.

"By insanity, do you mean how to cause it? What it looks like? How to fix it? Because where ever the information is, I'd imagine you might find those different parts in quite different sections... I'd imagine if there's any physicker journals here, we might be able to find something on how to treat insanity at a pinch."

He had a look around to see if there were any section labels. "As for myself, I just got assigned a report on historical Arem numeracy notation, or somehting like that. Figure this is the only place I'm going to find anything about that. Though I'm not convinced that the topic was intentionally chosen to be impossible..."

He looked back to Straw. "Don't suppose you're looking for any of the same stuff? I'm guessing probably not, right?"

He glanced back towards the stacks. "Do we go ask someone else here, or do we split up and just start pulling books off the shelf at random?" 

@Burnt Spaghetti @Straw

[Coffeecat]

And now he had a complaint against him.

His new-found non-hate vow against humanity, and particularity against nobles, was going thorough a hard time.

A ----,---- and ---- noble had voted him just because his name contained the word ‘Lord.’

As if it mattered, Lord meant something in another language. He would have to search what it meant and in what language.

Hmm, he thought, I could go into the archives.

Sure, the place where someone had gone nuts already. Maybe not.

 

Anyway, he soon would have another of those shared introductory classes, maybe he would meet someone interesting. He hoped he would get to talk to a noble who wasn’t as arrogant as… well, a noble.

 

He left his windy alcove and headed rapidly to the class. It was good to know the place to meet other students. Maybe any of them would know what he should study, and what he should not.

 

Along the way he saw a few students in the streets, probably heading the same way he was.

 

One of them was selling beets

No.

Please.

He couldn’t afford beets.

 

He looked the other way and continued walking. He hoped to find someone who was actually a nice student.

 

 

I vote on @Araris Valerian, may he swallow his petty words.

[DeTess]

Hmmm, that post tally earlier was interesting, but I think it'd also be interesting to see a list of game-related posts, as I know there's been a couple of people that have posted a lot of RP, and little else. That's not to say you shouldn't RP. Quite the opposite in fact, especially in this game. However some game discussion is also necessary, and a skindancer might try to hide behind only RP. For this, I'm counting anything that's more than 1-2 lines of comments as game discussion (but its a lot of counting, so I'll probably be off by 1 with some regularity XD).

1. @Haelbarde(Edema Ruh)	6
2. @Elandera (Noble)	5
3. @Burnt Spaghetti(Commoner)	4
4. @DeTess(Commoner)	8
5. @Elkanah (Edema Ruh)	8
6. @Straw(Commoner)	11
7. @xinoehp512 (Commoner)	11
8. @Lord_Silberfarben(Commoner)	2
9. @Coda (Noble)	1
10. @Karnage (Noble)	2
11. @Hemalurgic Headshot (Noble)	-
12. @StrikerEZ (Edema Ruh)	4
13. @Lumgol (Noble)	1
14. @Experience (Commoner)	2
15. @Devotary of Spontaneity (Noble)	7
16. @CadCom (Edema Ruh)	0
17. @Sart (Commoner)	2-ish (game comments encapsulated in RP)
18. @Furamirionind (Edema Ruh)	4
19. @Zillah (Commoner)	1
20. @Araris Valerian (Noble)	1
21. @Rathmaskal(Commoner)	1
22. @STINK (Commoner)	1
23. @Kynedath (Edema Ruh)	0
24. @Walin (Commoner)	1
25. @GreenRover (Noble)	1
26. @Young Bard (Commoner)	1
27. @TheMightyLopen (Noble)	4

Random thought while doing this: Cadcom's short comments look village to me, mostly based on gut.

Lord Silberfraben, zillah and Kynedath stand out most to me as having a low game discussion:RP ratio. I can give Lord Silberfarben a pass on this for now, as he's fairly new, but I expect a bit more from @Kynedath and @Zillah. In fact, consider this a pre-poke, I'll seriously consider voting on them next cycle if I don't see a couple of game thoughts from them.

In the interest of spreading votes out a bit more, I'll put one on Young bard.

[Elandera]

Athdara couldn't believe it. She was nearly done with her first term at the University. She felt like she could not learn anything else ever after so many classes on entirely new topics, but at the same time she felt as if she still knew absolutely nothing. 

The professor at the front of the class was droning on again about the importance of logical arguments. It held little to no interest for her, since there was little arguing to be had in Alchemy.

She had been nervous to start studying Alchemy at first, worried she'd be terrible or it wouldn't live up to her expectations. Instead, it exceeded them. The precise measurements, the hint of magical principles. Athdara felt like she took to it naturally. At least, as naturally as anyone could with something as complex as Alchemy.

"... it's the base of communication - the most vital component." Her teacher's words snapped her back into the classroom, but only because the words were more often heard in her other, more important classes. 

Classes she wouldn't be able to continue if she failed too many of the other courses.

Adjusting her papers and sitting up straight in her chair, Athy centered her focus once again on the present.

[Burnt Spaghetti]

52 minutes ago, Haelbarde said:

"...Ssssaayrus..." He chuckled. "Seoras is what you were looking for Bryant" he corrected, nodding to Straw, and winking at Bryn.

Bryn carried on talking - turns out she was looking for books on insanity? He figured it was maybe worth clarifying what she meant.

"By insanity, do you mean how to cause it? What it looks like? How to fix it? Because where ever the information is, I'd imagine you might find those different parts in quite different sections... I'd imagine if there's any physicker journals here, we might be able to find something on how to treat insanity at a pinch."

He had a look around to see if there were any section labels. "As for myself, I just got assigned a report on historical Arem numeracy notation, or somehting like that. Figure this is the only place I'm going to find anything about that. Though I'm not convinced that the topic was intentionally chosen to be impossible..."

He looked back to Straw. "Don't suppose you're looking for any of the same stuff? I'm guessing probably not, right?"

He glanced back towards the stacks. "Do we go ask someone else here, or do we split up and just start pulling books off the shelf at random?" 

@Burnt Spaghetti @Straw

Heh. This Seoras had a sense of humour. Good.
"oh ah...aaall of the above...? ish? Just curious what sets people off, if there are toxins that do it, psychological things, fae messings, all the kinds, historical instances, anything. Just want to be prepared, to know what to look for if this happens again. That student cracking has me worried. It was too sudden to be natural. I would ask someone who works here for help but I was worried that someone would misinterpret my curiosity for intent."

Apparently Seoras was trying to do research for an assignment. That sounded utterly dreadful. "Historical Arem numeracy notation? Yikes. Good luck on that report, sounds like a headache and a half. You'd think that there's something here that would help with that for sure... Hm. Maybe things are sorted by subject area?" The suggestion of pulling books at random could work but certainly didn't seem very efficient. Surely there had to be a map, or signage right? Or was there just an expectation that everyone who comes in here lives in library's and knows by instinct where to find the very book they want. But weren't librarians usually really particular about things being in order? So everything should  be organised right?

 

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

Other thought I had, if anyone's gone to the imre this turn or future turns, put in contracts if possible. Gives people a chuckle half the time, but also having contracts available to pick up for the sake of tuition reductions can help out the poor folks. Even if its a 1 drab reward. every little bit counts

[Haelbarde]

"Oh ah...aaall of the above...? ish?"

He raised his eyebrow as he listened to her list of reasons. Thinking for a moment though, he supposed it made sense. The mornings events had had him worried also. Never hurt to be prepared, and if some one was behind what had happened... 

"Well, how about this, help me find someone who can show us how to navigate through the stacks to find something so I can write my paper, and then armed with the knowledge of the layout of the archive we can then look for other stuff. At the very least we could ask about books by physickers. That would surely be innocent enough a question."

With that, he turned to move deeper into the room. Getting closer to the stacks he could see there was some signage, but half of it didn't really seem to make sense, or was otherwise too general to be all that useful based on the size of sections the labels covered. So, doing it theirself might not work so great just yet. Plan B then - find some who looked like they worked there. Looking around, he saw an older academic who would probably know, though they seemd to be quite invested in their conversation, and Seoras didn't really feel like either waiting or interupting. Walking along looking down a number of the different aisles, he spotted someone who looked like they were reshelving some books. They'll do. He guestured to Bryn and Straw. "Hey, over here."

(@Burnt Spaghetti @Straw)

[Burnt Spaghetti]

Spoiler

2 hours ago, Haelbarde said:

"Oh ah...aaall of the above...? ish?"

He raised his eyebrow as he listened to her list of reasons. Thinking for a moment though, he supposed it made sense. The mornings events had had him worried also. Never hurt to be prepared, and if some one was behind what had happened... 

"Well, how about this, help me find someone who can show us how to navigate through the stacks to find something so I can write my paper, and then armed with the knowledge of the layout of the archive we can then look for other stuff. At the very least we could ask about books by physickers. That would surely be innocent enough a question."

With that, he turned to move deeper into the room. Getting closer to the stacks he could see there was some signage, but half of it didn't really seem to make sense, or was otherwise too general to be all that useful based on the size of sections the labels covered. So, doing it theirself might not work so great just yet. Plan B then - find some who looked like they worked there. Looking around, he saw an older academic who would probably know, though they seemd to be quite invested in their conversation, and Seoras didn't really feel like either waiting or interupting. Walking along looking down a number of the different aisles, he spotted someone who looked like they were reshelving some books. They'll do. He guestured to Bryn and Straw. "Hey, over here."

 

 

Bryn looked to where Seoras was gesturing. "Ah! well spotted Shureece" Straightening her jacket a little, she briskly made her way to the man re-shelving the books, "Pardon me good sir, but I am in need of your service. Please" she smiled sweetly.

The man glanced over, took in her posture, tone and fancy jacket (which she was holding closed in a way that hid as much of her drab, far more obviously commoner garb), and quickly finished pushing the book he was holding onto its designated shelf, "Ah, of course, these books can wait to be re-shelved, what may I help you with, miss...?"

"Aria. Surely you must've heard of me, no?" She maintained her composure, trying not to chuckle as she watched the poor mans face shift into an expression of mild panic and confusion. "Ah of course you have, you must be wondering why i'm here in your library. See, my compatriots here and I," she gesture to Seoras and straw behind her, "are trying to find some books and the signage here is simply dreadful. Where may I find journals from renowned Physickers if I may ask? And history books on..." she looked blankly at Seoras, having already forgotten exactly what he had said he was looking into. "They can tell you what they need."

The librarian told her where she could find the section she wanted and then turned to the others to ask them about what they were after.

 

(I'm not claiming control over this npc so if you want to rp their speech in your own rp please do go ahead )

@Haelbarde @Straw

 

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

 

6 hours ago, Lord_Silberfarben said:

 

I vote on @Araris Valerian, may he swallow his petty words.

 Just noticed this- typically when voting, make sure their name is in red so its easier for the gms and players to glance over thread to find the votes. Tagging is helpful so people know when their being voted for, but Its easier to tell when its a vote if you go person @person  (if knowing how to colour the name is a problem, its [colour=red] name [/colour] (but color not colour)

 

Though on that note I've also not voted yet this cycle. Where are the votes at atm...

 

Vote Count

Araris (1): Lord Silberfarben
Bard (1): Detess
Burnt (1): Sart
DeTess (1): Karnage
Devotary (1): DeTess
Elandera (1): Straw
Karnage (1): Elandera
Lopen (1): Coda
Lum (1): Devotary
Rath (1): Lopen
Rover (1): Xino
Sart (1): Burnt
Silber (1): Araris
Walin (1): Sart
Xino (1): Lopen
Zillah (1): Hael

 

Honestly don't know where to vote suspicion-wise. Hopefully we start getting useful information in that regard soon. 

For the sake of tuition reduction and spread, i'll return the favour Sart <3 I'm guessing that once people start having abilities to play with things might get more interesting, and have more things to analyse

Edited May 3, 2020 by Burnt Spaghetti
Game talk so as to not double post