Mid-Range Game 43: Death Comes As The End

[Vapor she/her]

True. It's hard to trust, though.

[Mist she/her]

25 minutes ago, Vapor said:

That's what others have been saying too. I'm just adding on what I think. It's hard to vote when most of it is RP. I'm doing what I can and think, and for now that's enough.

That's what I think about my vote. Other reasoning is what persuaded me.

"That's enough." This part seems like saying you should agree with my argument without an argument. Edit: to me.

It helps when you add your own reasoning. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Mist

[Kasimir he/him]

1 hour ago, MysticLotus said:

What are all the different rooms again?

The list of known rooms is as follows: Growlery, Study, Kitchen, Lounge, Garden.

As for when rollover happens...

[+Lotus she/her]

6 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

The list of known rooms is as follows: Growlery, Study, Kitchen, Lounge, Garden.

As for when rollover happens...

Thank you!

[DrakeMarshall he/him]

2 hours ago, A Windrunner said:

I am going to retract my vote from Devotary of Spontaneity for now. I have looked at who could have wanted the poor old guy dead and decided that drake is dangerous, if anyone wants more of my reasoning just know that I am no longer going to the garden and instead will be going to the study you can ask me questions there.

I don't suppose I could ask you to say your reasoning? It isn't really possible for me to respond otherwise.

45 minutes ago, Orlok Tsubodai said:

Quite the opposite often - PMs allow communication without village scrutiny. Indeed, they offer a fantastic opportunity for manipulation or pocketing. I'm content to leave my vote be for now, but shall note that I am staying in the Study.

I agree that PMs can be dangerous in terms of pocketing. Whenever elims have pocketed me in past games it's been through PMs 

I disagree about this being a reason to suspect Lotus, though. Whether they're right or not, I'm pretty sure Lotus wouldn't have defended themselves by elaborating that they think elims would want to avoid PMs, unless they were sincere in thinking that.

3 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

The list of known rooms is as follows: Growlery, Study, Kitchen, Lounge, Garden.

As for when rollover happens...

Oh? Known rooms, you say? Does that mean there exist some rooms that are currently unknown???

Welp I know what I'm searching for 

 

Vote Tally
xinoehp512 (4): Gears, Mist, TJ Shade, Vapor
Vapor (3): DrakeMarshall, MysticLotus, StrikerEZ
DrakeMarshall (1): A Windrunner

[Kasimir he/him]

10 minutes ago, DrakeMarshall said:

Oh? Known rooms, you say? Does that mean there exist some rooms that are currently unknown???

Welp I know what I'm searching for 

Spoiler

S.A.F.O?

[+Lotus she/her]

Oh, so could one say, try to look for lord Talbot’s bedroom?

[Kasimir he/him]

14 minutes ago, MysticLotus said:

Oh, so could one say, try to look for lord Talbot’s bedroom?

You could, if you want to! But really, that would be flavour: anything game-relevant will appear just off the basic Search action.

[+Lotus she/her]

Alright then. I am trying to find The Master Bedroom!

[Vapor she/her]

I will look for the bathroom!

[Wind he/him]

Drake has passed my little test(I hope this doesn't go badly). Now I'm sorry Vapor but striker makes a good point. Now I think I will try one of those new rooms instead of the study, and will be going to the master bedroom.

Edited July 10, 2020 by A Windrunner

[Mist she/her]

4 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

Oh dear, I'm being sacrificed.  What is this list that I'm on that everyone seems to be condemning me for?

Spoiler

Quote

  13 hours ago, Gears said:

He was unwilling to specify, sadly. He simply mentioned its irony.

Maybe he meant it literally? Something made of Iron, perhaps a Spike? Koloss?

Okay, so I promised I'll look into the players who have played with Araris long enough to fear-kill him so here goes:

  Quote

Orlok, Striker, Eternum, Elbereth, Burnt Spaghetti, Xinoehp, Drake Marshall, Devotary, Mist

Removing players who weren't active and didn't vote. 

  Quote

Orlok, Striker, Eternum, Elbereth, Burnt Spaghetti, Xinoehp, Drake Marshall, Devotary, Mist

Huh, all 5 of them voted on Lord Silber. I'm willing to remove Burnt from the list, because her last post feels village (also, no more pretty art if we lynch her ) . I'll also remove Drake because he voted for Lord Silber first, and wasn't there when the train formed on him. Otherwise as well, he seems to drive discussion and gives off a village vibe. Devotary seemed to vote on Lord Silber in response to the warning by Araris, so that's another name removed of the list. That leaves us with:

  Quote

Orlok, Striker, Eternum, Elbereth, Burnt Spaghetti, Xinoehp, Drake Marshall, Devotary, Mist

There could be a good possibility both could be elims. Not sure whom to choose over the other. Mist's response to Araris might be genuine, but also might be a little fake. Seriously, though I'm not used to active!Mist (in-thread), so that might be it. I'll vote for Mist now.  

But please,  guys discuss whom to lynch. Mention your suspicions. Give reasons, and defend yourselves. We need a consolidated vote in order to prevent a hammer. 

I'd like to move to the Kitchen to see what in the rusts happened there. 

 

Here's the post with the list. It's in quotes, so it won't quote automatically. Sorry that it's a little weird. It's in the spoiler. @xinoehp512

Drake ISO: large question post C1. Points out hammer possibilities. RNG votes Silber. Concerned about hammer. Asks Windrunner for reasoning on Devotary. Soft trust to Vapor for voting Araris because elims probably wouldn't vote on who they were killing. Remembered a remark, but doesn't think it's significant enough to go and find it right now. Gives explanation to Windrunner. They can't see a reason to lynch Xino. Votes Vapor for assuming a mislynch.

7 hours ago, DrakeMarshall said:

But yeah me and Gears were I'm pretty sure the only ones who knew Araris claimed to have found something, for what that's worth. Didn't think it really mattered cuz I've found something every cycle and none of it's actually been useful so far, but I guess I could see how it might have been important cuz Araris was keeping whatever he found a secret (and apparently so is Kas, if such an item actually existed). I kinda don't think that elim!Gears woulda announced Araris' claim after he died, though.

For now my vote's staying put, I think.

Has anyone tried to go to a room and failed, yet? I'm curious to know what'd happen if we all voted for the same room. But probably let's not do that cuz it might hurt our chances looking for evidence.

 

Vapor. (@Vapor)

Wish I had a better suspect, but it's a little sus to plan for the lynch you're supporting to be a mislynch, and then have somebody ready to blame for it. It's true that villagers sometimes play the blame game, but it feels like you expect this to be a mislynch and you're still voting for it.

I think this is a better lynch than xino. Xino hasn't even had a chance to respond yet and the reasons for lynching them seem kinda vague and PoE based on a shaky assumption.

Didn't Vapor also know? Vapor was the only read I saw, and he switched during the cycle. Not giving reads is normally suspicious, although I'm not sure about Drake's meta. In LG 66 he gave plenty of reads C2. This makes me suspicious of him.

Vapor's defense post:

3 hours ago, Vapor said:

That's what others have been saying too. I'm just adding on what I think. It's hard to vote when most of it is RP. I'm doing what I can and think, and for now that's enough.

That's what I think about my vote. Other reasoning is what persuaded me.

As I explained above, this seems like trying to state "that's enough" for everyone. I'm realizing I'm probably reading way too much into this, but I don't like the way this feels. Xino Vapor. Sorry. 

I'm noticing in TJ's post that he said inactive and didn't vote. Not voting does not mean they're inactive.

I'll be on before rollover, although I may not post.

7 minutes ago, A Windrunner said:

Drake has passed my little test(I hope this doesn't go badly). Now I'm sorry Vapor but striker makes a good point. Now I think I will try one of those new rooms instead of the study, and will be going to the master bedroom.

What?

Oh, and don't forget to retract your first room. Otherwise you may end up in your first room listed.

Sorry for the wall of text.

[Wind he/him]

Not sure how to retract my first room. Vapor I apologise agian, I kind of don't want to vote for you, but the facts that I see and my gut say that you need to go(I really hope I'm not wrong here).

[Kasimir he/him]

32 minutes ago, A Windrunner said:

Not sure how to retract my first room. Vapor I apologise agian, I kind of don't want to vote for you, but the facts that I see and my gut say that you need to go(I really hope I'm not wrong here).

State your first room in green, then your new room in orange. Same way you retract a lynch vote.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Kasimir

[Wind he/him]

Ok thanks, study, master bedroom.

[Kasimir he/him]

Clarification from a question a player asked in a PM:

If you Search, you will always find something.

Second clarification from another PMed question:

If you try to go to a room that does not exist, you will be regarded as having not put in a room order, in which case, RNGesus decides where you end up.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Kasimir

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

I'll move to the Foyer.

Vapor (6): DrakeMarshall, MysticLotus, StrikerEZ, Windrunner, Mist, Devotary
xinoehp512 (3): Gears, TJ Shade, Vapor
Lotus (1): orlok

All right, so Xino had a bunch of votes and then everyone turned on Vapor. I understand one reason for Vapor, being in the same room as Araris and hearing his item claim is something to note even if I don't think Araris's item actually did anything. If village!Xino then elim?TJ isn't necessarily right, but it is something to consider whenever someone starts a vote like TJ did and doesn't have to mean elim looking for two dead villagers on subsequent days. I don't really see Xino, and I don't feel evil on Lotus, so I guess Vapor it is.

More people dead, and only one of them could be blamed on the killers. Relatively petty concerns on a global scale, but the unnecessary bloodshed still brought to Beral's mind the issue foremost to most critiques of Harmony and the Pathian faith. It's all well and good for Harmony to prioritise free will and avoid imposing His standards of morality on an unwilling populace, but surely part of doing so requires being at least partially responsive to the requests of people. For a being of such power, refusing calls for aid could also be counted as imposing His will, that Harmony unilaterally decided that some people who cried out in their time of need didn't deserve to have their choices reflect reality. Of course, as every Pathian especially knows, Harmony does help, though his capacity for doing so has waned over the years. He very rarely does so in a way that doesn't require the assistance of a free willed being, even his Faceless Immortals usually interact with humans to some degree, but it couldn't hurt to pray for Harmony's aid in tracking down the slayers of Tal and Aralis. Providing a clue as to their identities shouldn't impede on anyone's ability to make their own choices.

[|TJ| he/him]

11 hours ago, Orlok Tsubodai said:

MysticLotus. I'm also in the Study, and the two of you have exchanged very little by way of communication, as I'm sure @TJ Shadewill verify. I'm not sure what to make of it, but your above feels well like it may well be pocketing to me. Please explain how you think what you've said in that PM makes you think he's a villager.

Verified. Though I feel that that train of thought is normal for a player in their 2nd game. 

@DrakeMarshall, yeah as I said, the vote is a bit meta, with me assuming a few things. Didn't really have a name in my mind when I began eliminating suspects. Just started PoE, and ended with Mist and Xino. But my main point with the post was to get at least one candidate with a comfortable no. of votes on them, and for voting and discussion to ensue. Which ended up happening which eventually lead to suspicion on Vapor, which I agree with. I'll not be shifting my vote though. I'd rather have two parallel lynches to see the votes getting on and off trains, and to see which player prefers which player to lynch, I feel it gives more info than one single bandwagon. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by TJ Shade

[theTruthshaper]

I am going to the Master Bedroom.

Edited July 10, 2020 by The_Truthwatcher

[Kasimir he/him]

Please be reminded that the cycle will close in around fifty-five minutes. This will give me something to do instead of waiting with trepidation for the voting election results...  

Edited July 10, 2020 by Kasimir

[Lahilt he/him]

I will add my votes to Vapor   Growlery

[Kasimir he/him]

The cycle has closed! Please stand by for the new cycle in an hour's time! No more PMing, please!

[Kasimir he/him]

Cycle Four:

The Blue Geranium

‘Course, you might be wondering what’s taking the coppers in Bilming so long. And what we were to do about so many corpses. ‘Cause, there were more deaths. Many, many more deaths, before we get to the end.

There was a coldroom. Cook usually stores and cures the meats there. Had one of ‘em cleared out, just so we could move the bodies in there. By now, the blood had dried. Lord Tal lay cold and still. Less said about the condition of Lord Heron’s body, the better. Being right there when an explosion goes off ain’t pretty. And that’s all I’m gonna say about it.

And the murder lord—Lord Nahr Silberfarben, someone said his name was—he was mostly okay. Worse ways to go than strangulation, I s’pose. Laid them to rest for the moment in the coldroom. Tried not to feel the hairs on my skin all standing. It’s dark there, and quiet, and sometimes…

I’m sorry. I’m a superstitious fool, I am. Feels like old Ironeyes is in that same room, watching. Sets my teeth on edge. ‘Specially when it’s just so quiet.

Quiet as a tomb, even.

But anyway. We were on the coppers, weren’t we?

Lady Prissy sent me to check on the servant we’d sent to fetch the coppers. Weren’t all that far. Didn’t get so far as the railway station when I found him there, lying still in the ditch. Pretty obviously dead. The—well, they’d gotten to him. Shouldn’t say more. Ain’t fit for hearing at all. Wasn’t shot, not that I could see. Stabbed right in the back and left there. Hope it was quick enough. Poor cove. Wasn’t worth dying for at all.

I felt a chill, though, when I stood up. Wasn’t any good, was it? Felt like I was being watched. Didn’t have much on me except a small knife. If the killer came for me here and now, I’d be seeing old Ironeyes myself.

Survivor be thanked, none of that happened. 

I was gonna go fetch the coppers myself. But then I stumbled upon her. And then it completely slipped my mind.

The herb lady. The one who smiled and asked after the garden—not the one with the questions. Not the one with the stories about dangerous animals and plants. This one was quiet. Like a shadow. Always watching. Gathering some of the plants. Asked me a bit about them. As if I’d know. Told you I ain’t one for plants.

She had a blue flower in her hands. Pretty flower. Don’t think I’ve seen it in the garden. But she was dead, too. I remember her. One of the guests. Knifed as well. Ain’t that great. 

“Oh, rust,” I said. Aloud.

Survivor watch me. I wasn’t about to stick around. Was beginning to feel like I was in trouble, too. Doesn’t take a genius, does it?

Herb lady leaves, she’s dead. Phelan leaves, he’s dead. Third time’s the charm, they say. Well, I didn’t want to be third. So I made a run for it.

You would’ve, too.

 

 

Didn’t bring back the body.

I wasn’t about to go around carrying a corpse. You wouldn’t, either. Makes my skin crawl. Moving ‘em in the house was one thing. Without the coldroom, dead soon becomes dead and stinking worse than unwashed socks. They were both outside, though. Which meant they weren’t my problem.

Came back to another altercation.

I told Lady Prissy about the bodies. She sighed. Didn’t look at all surprised though. Wonder why. She said she’d send another runner.

Truth between us, I was pretty relieved it ain’t me. Don’t get me wrong. As much as Bilming’s coppers ain’t much to write about, I reckon they’re some small comfort. ‘Specially with a killer on the loose. I wasn’t feeling particularly brave, see?

I got back and the guests were arguing among themselves. Lady Prissy said to not tell them about Phelan. Said they’d only worry more. I figure she knows what she’s doing. 

The guests had started to argue about which of ‘em did for Lord Heron and Lord Silberfarben and Lord Tal. Some of ‘em figured the lord running around the house waving a cushion was to blame. Dunno ‘bout that. Seems pretty harmless to me, if...strange. Something about how the cushion lord had reason to fear Lord Heron. Seems to me as if everyone does. Lord Heron is—was pretty powerful. Connections in Elendel and the old region that used to be Tremredare.

Pity none of that power saved him.

In the end, they figured it weren’t him. For the moment, anyway. They went after the lass instead. Strange choice, in my eyes. She ain’t the sort to ice a cove up close, if you know what I mean. Far too sensitive to blood. Can’t see her setting that trap for Lord Heron, neither.

They seized her, but she fought. Fought like a wildcat, that one. Maybe ‘cause she remembered what happened to Lord Silberfarben. Maybe she just panicked. She scratched one of ‘em good. But in the struggle, well.

Not really sure what happened, myself. But then she was gone. Just like that. In the middle of all that chaos.

Someone’d done for her. Maybe they were gagging her too tightly. Ain’t supposed to cover the nose, too. Lass needs to breathe, doesn’t she? Needed, I suppose. All done for, now.

Had to lug her to the coldroom again. Ain’t right, that. Wasn’t she that deserved to die now, was it? World’s built on these small injustices. Paved by ‘em. Survivor knows.

Was in the coldroom when I found him there. One of the guests. He’d stuffed his pockets full of tarts and apples and sandwiches and dried meats and Survivor knows what else. Worse than a squirrel’s hoard, that. But then he was dead.

Thought at first he’d frozen to death. But coldroom’s not that cold, see? If we didn’t find the killers soon, we’d be drowning in rotting corpses. Ain’t that a pleasant thought. Rather have ‘em in the custody of the constables and buried, fast as we can.

Then I saw it.

Not frozen. He was stabbed.

Hadn’t died there, though. He’d died elsewhere. Then he’d been brought to the coldroom and sat up. Wasn’t any blood, after all.

I left ‘em there. Laid the blue flower down. Wasn’t lugging the herb lady’s corpse back. Figured this was something.

There was a note sticking out of Lord Silberfarben’s pocket. I hesitated, then filched it. Curiosity, I s’pose. Raw curiosity.

Then I went to tell Lady Prissy. Survivor knows, she wasn’t gonna be thrilled at all.

 

Quote

 

This is not what I expected of this party. Yes, I expected to be uncomfortable with the guests, with them not being part of my daily routine. Yes, I would most likely spend the party at the garden, without participating much beyond eating. Tal always had the best of finger foods.

I did not expect…

This

Please know, I do not blame you, as it is in human nature to fear.

And that fear must go somewhere, in this case me.

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy my life, but I just wished there had been more.

My thoughts obviously go to my family, to my wife, who I never loved enough, and to my son, for being a friend for me.

I thank you, and wish I could return with you.

I shall strive to survive, to be there for you, as you have been for me.

 

 scrawled at the bottom, almost illegible because of the splattered blood, reads:

Quote

 

perhaps...

death is too much of an abrupt ending in mafia.

yes, it is supposed to reflect the unforgiving nature of life, but perhaps there should be more than that.

yes, life is unforgiving, but why should death be so too?

could we not... participate too?

 

Vapor was lynched! She was a Guest!

El was killed by the inactivity filter! She was a Guest! Further investigation discovered she was in possession of a strange scrubby herb with sharp, blade-like leaves.

Sian Rohung was killed! He was a Guest!

The cycle has begun and will end at 2200hrs (GMT +8) on 12th July.

(Room PMs will be up shortly. Sorry for the delay! All credit to @Lord_Silberfarben for his death addendum.)

Edited July 10, 2020 by Kasimir

[Gears]

Participation after death? Truly? This is fascinating. Possibilities: The dead can roleblock someone, the dead can kill someone [unlikely], the dead can give people items. General populace, theorize more possibilities!

[+Lotus she/her]

Well, this is facinating.