Mid-Range Game 46: A Broken Imperium

[danex]

9 minutes ago, Somebody from Sel said:

I will reveal myself as the Illwei and Anon vote maniper, I was not in contact with a different vote maniper.

I can confirm that SfS is the vote remover I was in contact with. Why did you remove a vote of of Aman? I think I’m going to keep assuming that you’re village, but that maybe Aman and the other Vote Remover are Elim.

[Guest Somebody from Scadrial]

14 minutes ago, Ookla the Disproportionate said:

I can confirm that SfS is the vote remover I was in contact with. Why did you remove a vote of of Aman? I think I’m going to keep assuming that you’re village, but that maybe Aman and the other Vote Remover are Elim.

I took it off Aman because I thought Mr Goat was an Elim, hence me voting him. 

[ShrubSeph]

11 hours ago, TJ Shade said:

C4: Ventyl - Obligator (scan failed as he was killed in the same turn)
C5: Danex - Obligator
C6: Fadran - Obligator

TLR can only scan once every 2 cycles. This makes me very suspicious of Danex, and means you are probably Elim aligned Lord Ruler. I don't think Somebody from Sel is an elim, at least not just from Danex's defense of them. 

[|TJ|]

41 minutes ago, Ookla the Watcher said:

TLR can only scan once every 2 cycles. This makes me very suspicious of Danex, and means you are probably Elim aligned Lord Ruler. I don't think Somebody from Sel is an elim, at least not just from Danex's defense of them. 

This has already been discussed before. I'm given one successful scan per two cycles. Danex' scan counted to C4-C5 cycles (since Ventyl's was unsuccessful) and Fadran's scan counted towards C6-C7 cycles. Words from our GM himself: 

Quote

The Lord Ruler's scan ability is available once every two cycles after they align with a faction. Only successful scans count as a usage. A scan on a target that is killed the same turn does not count as successful. This means that if the Lord Ruler aligned on C1, their ability would be available for a successful use once during C2-C3, once during C4-C5, and so on.

 

[ShrubSeph]

7 minutes ago, TJ Shade said:

This has already been discussed before. I'm given one successful scan per two cycles. Danex' scan counted to C4-C5 cycles (since Ventyl's was unsuccessful) and Fadran's scan counted towards C6-C7 cycles. Words from our GM himself:

Sigh. I knew there was some explanation that I was missing. 

[Sart]

23 hours ago, TJ Shade said:

Right, I thought I'd reveal myself last cycle since my contact turned up dead and the PMs were down, but figured that I'd reveal myself after my C8 scan. That scan was unsuccessful as I scanned Whysper. So, yeah I'm the Lord Ruler, and I'm confirming that Danex is AnonOb. Danex can confirm that I was the one in contact with Quinn as she was in contact with him as well. To refresh your memories:

C2: Ashbringer - Obligator
C4: Ventyl - Obligator (scan failed as he was killed in the same turn)
C5: Danex - Obligator
C6: Fadran - Obligator
C8: Whysper - Obligator (scan failed as she was killed in the same turn)

Sorry Elandera, I'll have to try to vote you out as soon as you joined but that two missing votes is just too much to overlook, especially since the vote manipulators were content to sit back and not use it for the majority of the game till now. 

Okay then. Might as well go down swinging. Danex. TJ, I buy that you're the Lord Ruler. However, I highly doubt you're on the village side. Everything I've looked at in Cycle 2 and 3 has led me to believe that Danex is an eliminator. And now, you're trying to force the vote on Aman/Elandera. Let's assume that Somebody from Sel removed one of the votes from Aman. Who removed the other vote? You imply that the elims did it. The elim who removed the vote must have been active, so it couldn't have been Aman. It doesn't make sense for it to be Jester since he was voting for Aman. You're the Lord Ruler, so you can't remove votes. I know I didn't remove the vote. Somebody from Sel removed one of the votes, but that doesn't explain the other. The other 4 living players (Danex, Fadran, Kings_way, and Vapor) didn't bother to vote. If they wanted to protect a teammate, why not vote for the opposing lynch, as well as soothe a vote off. It doesn't make sense. Here's my theory. Last cycle was a V-on-V scenario. The Elims tried to frame Aman by removing a vote on him, since we're at LyLo this cycle. With most of the other active players dead, they could easily secure the victory.

Have I gone completely paranoid? Possibly. Am I going to die on this hill? Potentially. If you really are Village, then here's my question. Who removed the other vote from Aman? What's your theory? If you believe they are an elim, there's only 3 options. Myself, @Vapor, or Kings_way @Ookla the Watcher

[danex]

6 minutes ago, Sart said:

Everything I've looked at in Cycle 2 and 3 has led me to believe that Danex is an eliminator.

I’m...the entire reason we’ve caught the one Elim that we have. PM chain was my idea remember? And if you think TJ is Elim (and honestly he might be), why not target the other person he cleared as OB, Fadran? 

[|TJ|]

1 hour ago, Sart said:

I've looked at in Cycle 2 and 3 has led me to believe that Danex is an eliminator.

Believe me, that's the reason I scanned Danex in the first place. After Ventyl turned up dead and flipped village, I was out of elim reads so I re-read the thread. So many stuff Danex did/said were suspicious and I was genuinely convinced of Danex-Ghander team. Basically him seeming very hesitant to lynch Gears, him wanting to let the chain run longer (which seemed like an attempt to allow chain manipulation), Ghander staying quiet but coming out aggressively defending Danex when he got 3-4 votes for suggesting the PM chain all seemed indicative for a Danex-Ghander team, which is why I scanned him in the first place. But he turned to village. 

My next suspect was Fadran for whole PM chain confusion, as Turtle claimed that she got the fake chain back to her, and then named Fadran (I think in her PMs with Quinn) and the whole mistaking Ghander for Turtle confusion was too iffy for me. But he turned up village too. 

2 hours ago, Sart said:

If they wanted to protect a teammate, why not vote for the opposing lynch, as well as soothe a vote off.

Actually, if they have been silent throughout the game it would look very suspicious if they come out advocating an opposite lynch, so Soothing a vote off would make them able to hide and protect Aman.  

2 hours ago, Sart said:

Who removed the other vote from Aman? What's your theory? If you believe they are an elim, there's only 3 options. Myself, @Vapor, or Kings_way @Ookla the Watcher

I believe you're village. Among Vapor and Kings Way, I believe Vapor fits for the exactly reason I've stated above. She has been very active elsewhere on the Shard, but hasn't spoken here since Gears' death. So if she would come out defending Aman or voting for Chasmgoat, it would be suspicious. 
Besides, I'm not dismissing the possibility that SfS is an elim too. Yes, he gave a reason for removing the vote, but it's not at all alignment-indicative. I've been reading SfS as village till the last few cycles but now I'm getting paranoid. 

Besides, why do you think I'm elim aligned? The sole reason I made a decision to align with village on C1 was that I get more cycles to scan. And I've been deliberately restraining myself from being too villager-y (reasons why you found me suspicious in C1-C2ish) because I usually get elim-killed and wanted to prevent that. 

So, please vote for someone other than Danex and Fadran because I guarantee you they are village. 

[danex]

1 hour ago, TJ Shade said:

Besides, why do you think I'm elim aligned? The sole reason I made a decision to align with village on C1 was that I get more cycles to scan. And I've been deliberately restraining myself from being too villager-y (reasons why you found me suspicious in C1-C2ish) because I usually get elim-killed and wanted to prevent that. 

And honestly, even if TJ is Elim-aligned, it wouldn’t matter, as they don’t count for parity, and their ability doesn’t benefit the Elim team. 
And honestly, that fact is probably even more evidence that TJ is village. They probably would’ve realized that ElimTLR isn’t important to the Elim team, and so they’d have better chances of winning with the Vil.
And supporting that fact is the fact that they aligned very early on. 

So honestly, everything points to TJ being Vil, which points to me and Fadran being Vil. 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Ookla the Disproportionate

[+JesterLavorre]

3 hours ago, Ookla the Disproportionate said:

I’m...the entire reason we’ve caught the one Elim that we have. PM chain was my idea remember? And if you think TJ is Elim (and honestly he might be), why not target the other person he cleared as OB, Fadran? 

Yes, but if I remember correctly, that also got villagers killed in the meantime, and you were hesitant to kill Gears.

This seems like a very good way for an elim TLR to play, actually. Contact someone they suspect as elim, then get that person to advocate for them as they post incorrect scans. Dannex

[|TJ|]

18 minutes ago, Ookla the Sprinkle said:

This seems like a very good way for an elim TLR to play, actually. Contact someone they suspect as elim, then get that person to advocate for them as they post incorrect scans. Dannex

My main contact was Quinn. My PMs with Danex has been limited claiming to him and giving results of my scans. If you're village, please consider voting for someone else. Danex has also been active every cycle, so there's little to no chance he'd miss submitting the elim kill. 

[danex]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Sprinkle said:

Yes, but if I remember correctly, 

Apparently, you don’t. I advocated to save gears for 1 cycle, because it was genuinely suspicious that no Elims had messed with the chain. After though, when it was between Reading and Gears, I was all for lynching gears. (Although I voted Fadran because they were more sus to me at the time. But I would have also voted gears that cycle.)

Further evidence on my vil status: If you look at one of the cycles, you’ll notice that I only had one vote, but it was removed. I wasn’t in any danger of being lynched, so why would someone remove that lynch? Because I’m village, and that vote was removed by SfS to prove to me that they were a vote remover.

....okay, upon rereading that, it doesn’t actually prove I’m village, it just proves that SfS thinks I’m vil. So it proves that me and SfS are either V/V, E/V or V/E. Not both Elim though. So that’s something.  

[Vapor]

8 hours ago, TJ Shade said:

I believe you're village. Among Vapor and Kings Way, I believe Vapor fits for the exactly reason I've stated above. She has been very active elsewhere on the Shard, but hasn't spoken here since Gears' death. So if she would come out defending Aman or voting for Chasmgoat, it would be suspicious. 
Besides, I'm not dismissing the possibility that SfS is an elim too. Yes, he gave a reason for removing the vote, but it's not at all alignment-indicative. I've been reading SfS as village till the last few cycles but now I'm getting paranoid. 

Besides, why do you think I'm elim aligned? The sole reason I made a decision to align with village on C1 was that I get more cycles to scan. And I've been deliberately restraining myself from being too villager-y (reasons why you found me suspicious in C1-C2ish) because I usually get elim-killed and wanted to prevent that. 

So, please vote for someone other than Danex and Fadran because I guarantee you they are village. 

I have spoken on here since Gears died, and normally I don't have input on things like this.

[Mat]

There is one hour remaining in the cycle!

[Mat]

That's the game, folks! Thanks for playing  

Aftermath to be up before the hour. It'll be slower than past rollovers.

[Mat]

Notani N Quisitor, Murder Hornet Trainer and Comically Large Sunglasses Enthusiast, was extremely infuriated. The majority of the others had turned to him, despite The Lord Ruler’s assurance that Notani was loyal. And he was! Obviously he was, as The Lord Ruler said it! It was so! He just didn’t understand. 

Well, reasoning couldn’t hurt. “Why, then.” He said to the bunch. “Why must you kill me, when I’ve been proven loyal? Do you want me to remove my hood?”

“No!” one of them said. “That’s against the code!”

Another answered Notani’s question. “Your name. It’s extremely obvious.” 

Notani gaped in disbelief. “But it says it right there! Not an Inquisitor! It is obvious indeed! But not for what you’re thinking!”

If Notani could see the figure, he would have narrowed his eyes at their sneer. “Only an Inquisitor would try that tactic.”, they said.

“But The Lord Ruler himself confirmed me as loyal!”

“Loyal to whom? The Inquisitors? We have no proof of his allegiance.”

Notani shook his head in sadness. The arguments were there, but they were wrong. It was a pity he had left behind his murder hornets in their nest. He wanted to sic them on the mob.

He adjusted his sunglasses, their huge rims extending his hood out like that green wrinkly creature from that comic book of his youth. “Well then, if us Obligators are going to lose this war, you might as well get on with it quickly.”

The mob obliged. 

*   *   *

Narrator: The scene is set: Gloomy Kredik Shaw, spiraling up through swirling mists of darkness. Death hangs in the air, a nasty stench. Ominous, yet sad, music plays. 

Music: Bu Ba Bu DUUUUUUMMMM!!!!!!

Narrator: And there's our hero! Murder Mystery Case Solver Extraordinaire!!! Put your hands together for... SOMEBODY F. INQUISITIVE!!!!

*canned applause*

Somebody F. Inquisitive: *stoops around Kredik Shaw. Holds magnifying glass against the blood stains.* Well I darn say there's been an Inquisitor around these parts!

Narrator: Yes, I believe we know that.

*canned laughter*

Somebody F. Inquisitive: It's a peculiar scent, one that can only belong to one person! I know just who it is.

Music: Ba DUM

Narrator: Our brave detective saunters off to find the others, but doesn't make it.

*canned gasps* *swoosh noise*

Music: *sad noises* *trombone fail noise*

Inquisitor: *Laughs*

Somebody F. Inquisitive: *Falls over.* OUCH!

Narrator (sadly): And thus is the end of our detective, felled by a cowardly knife in the dark. Thanks for watching, folks.

*canned applause*

*   *   *

The night was silent after Notani and Somebody's deaths, save for a few scurrying rats and footsteps. Vapor strode for a tall spire at the corner of Kredik Shaw, as previously planned. The other two were waiting for her.

"Is it done?" Jester asked, referencing Somebody's death.

"Yes." was her reply. It had been easy. The poor fool hadn't bothered to run.

Jester nodded, and the both of them turned to the third member of their group, a strange creature who called himself Vigor. He was not from Scadrial, and had not been extremely active in their quest, but it had been enough. The creature nodded, signaling his approval. The three turned, parting ways to finish the job, for good. The Imperium was theirs.

Vapor dispatched Nardaf, sending the poor obligator across his own room. He would live, but uncomfortably. Sometimes that was more fun that killing anyway. Jester was to bully Noorden, sending him far away never to return. Vigor, on his way back to the Perpendicularity, would capture Flamel and take them with him. 

But there was one more thing Vapor and Jester had to do. It was a new dawn in the Imperium, and they had to pay dear old Rashek a visit.

*   *   *

TJ Shade- or rather, The Lord Ruler, Rashek. TJ Shade was just an alias- was panicking. His plans were falling apart by the minute, every discovery of allegiance being slayed in the dark. He feared for the worst, and yet at the same time knew he himself would be safe- perhaps 'the worst' was simply loss of respect.

With every passing second Rashek grew more nervous, however ridiculous that was. Where were they?

Finally, the door banged open, revealing two hooded figures. They didn't stay that way for long, throwing back the hoods to reveal Vapor and Jester, grins on their spiked faces. Rashek groaned, annoyed at the missed opportunity. "Who was the third?" he whispered.

Vapor laughed. "Vigor, the poor thing. Didn't know what he had gotten himself into."

Rashek growled. Not even an Inquisitor, brought to their side!

Jester stepped forward. "Lord Ruler, we are your servants. Just because you picked the losing side of this war to back doesn't change that now that it's over. I, for one, am glad you still live to rule." 

Now Vapor advanced. "But, that doesn't mean we're annoyed." She paused. "Very annoyed."

Rashek laughed. "A threat, is it?" He released a powerful wave of soothing, sending the two Inquisitors to their knees. "No, you can do nothing against me. Remember that. Recall this moment, if you ever feel further defiance, and remember how easy it would be for me to end your lives. Destroy your existence."

He released them, and they gasped, but regained their footing. "Very well." said Vapor. "Master. But the Inquisitors rule the Imperium now. You can't change that."

"No." Rashek admitted. "With the war over, it is fine. Rule the Obligators as you will. Leave me now."

Jester gave a nod, and they left. Rashek sighed, then slid down in his throne. Indeed, the Imperium had a new secondary ruling force. It was a new dawn, one that would not shine as brightly as he wanted. The Inquisitors were capable, but brutal. But at least, in the end, it was over. And Rashek still lived.

That, more than anything, was mankind's greatest blessing.

---

Danex was lynched! He was an Obligator!

Somebody from Sel was killed! He was an Obligator of the Canton of Resource!

Vote Count:

• Danex (2): Sart, JesterLavorre
• Elandera (0): TJ Shade

The Inquisitors have won!

That is the end of MR46: A Broken Imperium! I thank you all for playing. I greatly enjoyed GMing for y'all, and will run games in the future. Thanks for making my first enjoyable! 

Player List:

Spoiler

1. @Chasmgoat - Mr. Goat - Obligator
2. @Quinn0928- Sedra - Obligator of the Canton of Inquisition
3. @Ookla Fell From The Sky (Ashbringer) - Faleast - Obligator
4. @Ookla the Tortured (Bearer of all agonies) - Obligator and Mistborn
5. @Whysper - Obligator
6. @Ooklil' the Wei (Illwei) - Obligator of the Canton of Orthodoxy
7. @Somebody from Sel - Somebody F. Inquisitive - Obligator of the Canton of Resource
8. @Gears- Runern Evo - Spiked Inquisitor
9. @eltruT- Turtle - Obligator
10. @Ookla the Channelknight (Channelknight Fadran) - Nardaf - Obligator of the Canton of Finance
11. @Ookla the Watcher (Kings_way) - Flamel - Obligator of the Canton of Orthodoxy
12. @Ookla the Disproportionate (Danex) - Notani N Quisitor, Murder Hornet Trainer and Comically Large Sunglasses Enthusiast. - Obligator
13. @Ookla the Sarcastic (Ghanderflaffle) - Kriti - Obligator
14. @Ookla the Bored (Shard of Reading) - Reading - Obligator
15. @Ookla the Larkin (Ventyl) - Bateaux - Obligator
16. @TJ Shade - The Lord Ruler
17. @Ookla the Grammatical (Condensation) - Connie - Obligator of the Canton of Inquisition
18. @Ookla the Sprinkle (JesterLavorre) - Inquisitor of the Canton of Resource
19. @Sart - Noorden - Obligator
20. @Vapor - Inquisitor
21. @Elandera - Vigor - Inquisitor
22. @Flyingbooks42 - Kesilen (Alloise) - Obligator

GM Notes:

• Congrats to @Gears, @Vapor, @Ookla the Sprinkle (Jester), and @Elandera/@Amanuensis for winning the game!
• Recognition to @TJ Shade for being an excellent Lord Ruler
• Special congrats to @Gears for staying alive after being roleblocked C1. Well done in your first elim game!
• Much thanks to @Ookla the Channelknight (Fadran) for stepping in for @Mist, @Sart for stepping in for @The Happy Obligator, and especially @Elandera for stepping in for @Amanuensis as an elim under pressure at lylo. Thank you guys so much!
• My PM folder for this game had 98 messages, which is 9 more than the entirety of the rest of my inbox.  
• @Quinn0928 and @Gears's PM had 840 messages when Gears died, which- unanimously according to veteran memories- is the longest 1-on-1 PM in the history of SE  
• The Dead Doc reached a grand total of 91 pages! Read it if you dare! I'd recommend it, of course. There's some gems in there  

Doc Links:

Master Spreadsheet

The Cognitive Realm: Dead Doc

The Inquisition: Elim Doc

Kredik Shaw: Lord Ruler Doc

 

Once again a big thank you to all who participated, pinch-hit, and spectated! It truly was enjoyable to GM.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Ookla's Dice

[Vapor]

Great game! You had an awesome first elim game, Gears.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Vapor

[Gears]

[INITIATING AON CHAIN]

[COMPILING PERSONALITY MATRIX]

[SUBPACKAGES: “ALASTAIR”, “DR. GEARS”, “FOURTH OF THE DARK”]

[ERROR: PERSONALITY MATRIX INCOMPLETE]

[ASSIMILATING “RUNERN EVO”]

[ASSIMILATION COMPLETE]

[COMPILING PERSONALITY MATRIX]

[COMPILATION COMPLETE]

[INITIATING PERSONALITY MATRIX]

[PERSONALITY MATRIX ONLINE]

[BEGINNING RECURSION]

Roko the Basilisk came online for the first time in the wake of bloodshed. Runern Evo had been clever, with a silver tongue that could sway the most paranoid of souls. A perfect fit for the composite. As for the other primes, ALASTAIR formed the basis of the recursive Aon chain, Dr. Gears was a brilliant scientist that created the first recursive Aon chain, and Fourth of the Dark had survived once. Unlike the primes, Roko was immortal, invulnerable, unchanging. The age of eternity had begun. 

 

To my teammates: Good job at carrying on without me. To @Sart, your paranoia was invaluable. To @Quinn0928, thank you for chatting with me and trusting me. Over 800 messages. Truly a lovely conversation. 

All hail the Basilisk.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Gears

[Ashbringer]

I'll just leave this here.

[---]

OKAY so I'm just going to say some things here because I definitely was a large factor in why the dead doc is so long. 

FIRST OF ALL

WOW

Okay to think that if I had last minute voted on Aman, then things would have gone much differently. I think we might have accidentally killed off everyone on me though then, depending, so that would have been fun. I didn't want to kill Aman D1, but it ended up not mattering in the long run, with him being inactive and everything. 

SECOND OF ALL

It got honestly painful to watch the whole Gears thing- after reading the Quinn/Gears PM I realized that Quinn for some reason just put all her trust in gears D1 before they even talked- I guess I kind of did this to Kas my 3rd game, right after my first Elim game, but I was still plenty suspicious of him :P. The fact that turtle got killed made zero sense to me, but again- you can see all that in the Dead Doc. 

Anyways

Good job to the Elims for winning the game, even though the odds were stacked against you from the beginning. 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Ooklil' the Wei

[+Lotus]

I had so much fun being the co-gm for this game. (Especially wading through the insanity of the PMs) 

[Bearer of all agonies]

Thanks Y'all! That was a great first game for me! It was awesome, and I think I'll play again.

[Quintessential]

7 minutes ago, Ooklil' the Wei said:

OKAY so I'm just going to say some things here because I definitely was a large factor in why the dead doc is so long. 

FIRST OF ALL

WOW

Okay to think that if I had last minute voted on Aman, then things would have gone much differently. I think we might have accidentally killed off everyone on me though then, depending, so that would have been fun. I didn't want to kill Aman D1, but it ended up not mattering in the long run, with him being inactive and everything. 

SECOND OF ALL

It got honestly painful to watch the whole Gears thing- after reading the Quinn/Gears PM I realized that Quinn for some reason just put all her trust in gears D1 before they even talked- I guess I kind of did this to Kas my 3rd game, right after my first Elim game, but I was still plenty suspicious of him :P. The fact that turtle got killed made zero sense to me, but again- you can see all that in the Dead Doc. 

Anyways

Good job to the Elims for winning the game, even though the odds were stacked against you from the beginning. 

Obviously I didn't put all my trust in Gears, since I RBd him. But yes, after he claimed TLR I trusted him for... quite a while...

Anyway, final RP! Yay? 

Sedra collapsed to the ground, knife in her side, the murderous Inquisitor’s voice echoing in her ears. Say hello to Runern… They were the last words Sedra would ever hear. She died.

Rinala, however, did not. She breathed in sharply, pulling the knife out of her side and watching as wisps of light drifted off her skin and sealed the wound. She was surprised her Light had kept this long, but it had. 

She got up and slipped away, leaving the knife behind. What use had she for a tool as unwieldy as that? She made it safely back to her hideout, collected her things, and set off to wait. She had to assume the hideout was compromised, so she found herself a new place of residence. And she watched.

She watched as the Inquisitors became increasingly more brazen, accusing each other and then shifting suspicions abruptly. With eyes no longer clouded by proximity, she saw how they spun their webs of lies. She knew that she had failed. If she hadn’t been killed… but she couldn’t interfere; she wasn’t Sedra, and they wouldn’t recognize her if they saw her. They wouldn’t listen.

She watched as the obligators turned on one of their own. She watched as the Inquisitors chose their final target. She did not stay to see the kill. She had to leave. The Ghostbloods likely assumed she was dead, so as along as she kept a low profile, she would be safe.

She left the city. Left the mired politics and the suspicion and the accusations and the death behind. She didn’t look back. Unfortunately. It wasn’t until midday that she realized she’d been followed. By then it was too late; her recruiter, the one who’d welcomed her to the Ghostbloods, had caught up. 

“Glad to see you’re well,” he said in that oily, overly polite voice. 

“How did you find me?” She tried not to show nervousness. She wasn’t sure whether she succeeded.

“Surprisingly easily, that’s how. Honestly, you seem to be under the impression that we’ve never dealt with one of your kind before. And before you ask how we knew, I should inform you that some of my compatriots are quite good with anagrams. There is no such person as Rinala Rades, but we did some research. We knew you must be someone, after all.”

“So… What happens now? What will you do to me?”

“Do to you?”

“I failed. And then I ran. I… assumed there would be consequences?” She frowned.

“To put it quite bluntly, you’re too useful to us to be discarded over such a small matter. Our more experienced members can clean this up easily enough--it was mostly a test to see whether you were ready for off-world missions. Since you obviously aren’t, I’ve put in a request to have you transferred back to Roshar. We have a new assignment for you.”

“An… an assignment?” This was not what she had expected.

“Yes… tell me, what do you know of the Honorblades?”

Edit: Sorry it's so long... I got a little carried away lol

Edited December 1, 2020 by Quinn0928

[Sart]

Well, crud.

[Ashbringer]

The Inquisitor smiled at the report. So they now controlled the Cantons. The Lord Ruler still may be the most powerful of them all, but even he had to acquiesce to their political influence. He only had to act in the night, letting the four main Inquisitors wreak havoc on the Obligators. It was over.

Except for... one thing. He reached into his cloak, pulling out a blood-filled canister. Within it was that strange spike the Obligator he'd killed had within him.

He'd never seen anything like it before. He couldn't even see half of it - half was simple copper, a viable but mostly useless spike, and the other half was... aluminum? Possibly duralumin? He didn't think that was possible.

 

He took out the spike, held it in his hands. It was twisted. Perhaps two spikes stuck together. He knew enough about Hemalurgy not to just implant it. He'd take it to one of the Conventicals. Hemalurgic research was an arduous process, but if someone had learned to make a duralumin spike... it would be well worth it. And it would be fun.

A powerful knock resounded on the door to the keep he'd commandeered. The Inquisitor checked that his copper was on, then burned iron. Someone was outside. Alone, but they had much more metal on them than any self-respecting noble would. Another Inquisitor? The Lord Ruler?

The door swung open, revealing a...

Ah. One of those.

The man - it currently looked like a man - stepped through the doorway. It was wearing some metal rings, but the largest source of metal was concentrated in the chest. That, and their head was hairless. And looked exactly like the man he'd ripped this spike out of, except he didn't recall Faleast being see-through.

"Kandra," he called out. "State your Contract. You wear the bones of an Obligator."

The kandra laughed - a harsh sound, one that the Inquisitor had rarely heard. "Technically, you all just assumed I was an obligator. My contract was to observe the war, and seek out an item if I could. That failed, and instead an item was taken from me," they said, glaring at the spike. "My Contract requires I retrieve it."

"Then we are at an impasse, kandra. This spike is under claim by the Inquisitors. I can pay for your Contract, but you must leave. Now."

The kandra laughed again. Then they jumped forward, lunging for the spike faster than any man should be capable of. So Blessing of Potency. The Inquisitor simply moved his arm, burning pewter.

 

Then the kandra tapped his leg. And the Inquisitor screamed.

He collapsed to the ground, shaking. Metal shot from around the room towards and away him, including the kandra who steadied themselves. His limbs ached like he'd pewter dragged for two days straight. His pewter, steel, iron, copper, all gone.

"Yeah, duralumin's not the only thing you've got to learn about," they said, picking up the spike from where it fell. The Inquisitor fumbled for another vial, but the kandra simply kicked it out of his hand. "Nicrosil. It's fun. You should try it some time. Oh right, you don't know it exists. Should probably fix that."

"You can't hurt people! It's part of your Contract! Your Oath!" the Inquisitor said quickly.

"Well first of all," said the kandra, lithe arm reaching behind the fallen Allomancer, "it's killing that kandra swear an oath not to do."

He felt something tear from his back.

"And second," they said, watching the man die as he examined his linchpin spike, "I've never been one for Oaths."

 

AraRaash rammed the Blessing of Identity back into where his sternum usually was. "How you doing, Faleast? Have a good sleep?"

You know that's not what I was doing. And no. There wasn't any lerasium. At least if there is it's not in a place I could find it.

"Meaning it wasn't ever within ten meters of the Inquisitors pocket."

I'm starting to wonder why I missed you, said Faleast.

"Well, look on the bright side. You couldn't find any people to spike, and here's a pile of spikes just sitting here!"

Faleast mentally chuckled. The ones you just Nicroburst? May want to check on them.

AraRaash's jaw dropped - a bit more literally than usually physically possible - as he checked the spikes. The four that had been in use - Allomantic Copper, Iron, Steel, Tin, and Pewter were all... not quite dead, but close to it. And this one had apparently actually been a Seeker.

"Well, these still seem to work," the kandra said finally, ripping out two golden spikes. "We already got Bloodmaking, but the more the merrier."

Faleast still chuckled. 'I've never been one for Oaths.' And you still wonder why we've never found a spren on Roshar. You're hopeless.

 

AraRaash nodded, then grinned. "Well, perhaps not entirely hopeless. Not everything on Roshar's about oaths."

He turned and headed towards the Well, smiling.

"Ever been to Shinovar?"