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Long Game 74: You Want It Darker

Kasimir

By Kasimir
in Sanderson Elimination

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Kasimir
Kasimir

Back in Tremredare, the precinct had a saying. Watch gets called out for anything—a stabbing, a brawl, the sort of drek that ends up with someone iced and floating facedown in the canal in the morning

Kasimir
Kasimir

Day 0 - Interlude: Prelude for the Straying Stars “Well, some nights I wish that this all would end ‘Cause I could use some friends for a change [...] But I still wake up, I still see your gh

Stick.
Stick.

hiii I would like to sign up as...Sunny Sunny the Dolphin is a worldhopper (but that's a secret) visiting Scadrial because she'd heard of the ashfalls and they sounded wonderful She likes

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Mailliw73

Mailliw73

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Marll refused. Joe was a curious man for sure, but he had no reason to kill the duck wrangler. He rolled his dice again. Ones. Again. He had been rolling only ones all day, the Deepness’s own luck that was. Ones lost in every game Marll played these days. The dice were telling him something, weren’t they? He had lost. That’s what it was. 

“A man wanted to see the world. He had seen slums and villages, but he wanted to see what the red sun sees. Kredik Shaw’s spires offered a view, but he had almost been killed trying to climb those. Other keeps were no less guarded. The man decided he’d have to leave the city to see what the sun saw. 

“He walked day after day after day, surviving on his meager supplies, until one day, he ran out. Faced with a difficult choice he decided to snatch some food from a passing caravan. Terrispeople had never done him wrong, but he needed to see the view the sun saw. They would be fine without a bit of bread.

“The bread lasted him till the next village. He begged for supplies, but was given nothing. As he went to sleep in an alley, hungry and dirty, he saw another beggar with a single clip. The man’s hunger took over and he strangled the man for the clip. He needed to see the view the sun saw. 

“The man made it to an ashmount and began his ascent. Step after step he climbed. Trudging up the mount, starving for the view the sun saw and for food, he kept on. One foot after the other, forward little by little. He had to see what the sun saw.

“The man made it to the top of the ashmount and what did he see? 

“Nothing. The height availed him nothing when the view was obscured by plumes of ash. Strength exhausted, the man collapsed at the rim of the mount.”

Muttering to himself, Marll said, “I’m the man. Lord Ruler, but I am. Ever wanting more, making sacrifices that weren’t mine to make. Now I’ll collapse at the top.” 

Marll finished the last pair of shoes he’d make for the people of Fallion’s Tears. He’d loved this town, hoped it’d continue for the rest of his life, but he should have known that was impossible with him there. Marll, the killer. The Tineye who murdered because he couldn’t stop. Because there was always more to gain, more to see. Marll hated killing, but he now made the final pair of shoes Fallion’s Tears would see because there’d be no feet left living to be shoed once he was done. 

Do it, the voice whispered. Oh, no, Lord Ruler, please. Kill. Marll sobbed as he collapsed at his workbench. Fallion’s Tears had the same curse as the fabled Tyrian Falls, but he never imagined he’d be a part of that curse. 

 

Illwei. Reading.

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  O             |       FALLIONS TEARS
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 /   \           |
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Ruin will win (Congrats to @Devotary of Spontaneity!)

Edited by Mailliw73
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Mailliw73

Mailliw73

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30 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

No, not waiting for The Lost Metal to come out!

Just waiting!

 

(Although that is supposed to come out this year and I'm very excited :P)

Next year, I'm pretty sure, actually... Sorry :( Skyward 3 is the one slated for this fall. 

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Fifth Scholar

Fifth Scholar

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The details were stomach-churning. 

It shouldn’t have been a surprise - prior work with financial crimes and inconsistencies in the past ought to have been a better indicator that something fishy was up with the transfer of so many boxings to obscure funds in the Southern Dominance. But to embezzle funds? From the Steel Ministry? Only a madman would do—could do—such a thing. Well, that was Rostam for you. A madman indeed. Except now his madness had caught up with him, and there would be blood to pay. 

A nod to the secretary in the corner of the office sent him, bowing, down the hallway to bring Rostam into the room. It looked the same as it ever did - tall, narrow windows framed by candlelight to hide the flakes of falling ash which spewed forth from the nearby Mount Zariel, a reminder of the dominion of the Lord Ruler. 

The earring felt hard and bumpy, the only thing taken off Rostam which had been classified as a “weapon” by the Ministry secretaries. It was pure iron, more of a hook, cruelly sharp and covered with a thin layer of dried blood. Rostam had never had piercings; in fact, he’d been the austere one in the family, shunning jewellery and luxury. What was he thinking with this artefact? And why would the Inquisitors single it out, out of all the things to take off him? Nothing added up. I shook my head. Such thoughts were too distracting, and the door was opening again, Rostam entering with his head still held high. That blasted man. He even had the audacity to speak first, before the secretary had left again.

“Brother. You look tired."

“Rostam.” The contempt was still below the surface. For now. “Rusts, man, what were you thinking? The Ministry’s in an uproar over this! A few boxings here and there and they might have quietly dismissed you. Now there’s an entire trial lined up for you. In Luthadel itself! Lord Ruler, do you have any idea as to how stupid this was? And guess who’s job it’ll be to get you there?”

He looked unconcerned. Maddeningly so. “Yours, presumably. If you take the case to trial, of course.” The smile which followed was humourless, judging from experience. “That’s not a given yet.”

“You think your back is safe because you have a brother in the Ministry? What you’ve done is despicable. You deserve every punishment the Inquisitors can devise. You’ve left life in shambles for everyone not in on your petty schemes, and it’s come to an end. An end, Rostam.” 

“You’re trusted, brother. Because there’s something you’ve forgotten.” He leaned in closer, unwashed breath rancid. 

When he finished, he stepped back, looking satisfied with himself. He was laughing, in fact, laughing at the emotions which had carelessly been plastered on my face. “Well, we both know your Ministry principles are out the window now. How are you going to help me?”

Breaths. Slow breathing, one breath at a time. This was insane. Was anyone in the room? Nobody should be in the room. It’d be a whisper, then. “There are some back channels the Ministry uses to get people out who they want to publicly chastise but actually have uses for. You’d get sent through one of them, a switch that should be able to be arranged without too much hassle. If you’re crafty - if - you might get out of the way before the Inquisitors find you out.” 

Rostam was smiling fully now. “Thank you, Iste. And as for your own plans, I may perhaps be of aid to you. One brother to another.”

“The Ministry cannot be escaped.” Asserted more flatly than intended, but it was true. Rostam should know. He’d probably eventually find out, despite whatever efforts were continued on his behalf. “It is expected that one of us will fall into the hands of the Inquisitors. And it will not be you.”

Rostam shrugged. “Not sure there. Have you heard of this village called Fallion’s Tears? In the Southern Dominance, out of the way, barely exists on Ministry records. A scholar there is retiring, and there might be a perfect place for you to use your talents and do your little self-imposed penance at the same time.” The iron earring dug in, hook tearing the flesh of the palm, and other voices seemed to overlap Rostam’s. “You will have an important role to play ere your time is complete…”

I wrote Iste's backstory eleven hours before the game will possibly be decided, as Kas threatened to turn him into a duck wrangler and we couldn't have that. So instead he's a retired obligator who got involved in sketchy business twice and eventually lived the chill and peaceful life in Fallion's Tears to escape it all. Except that stupid earring...always causing trouble for us older pacifist gents :P 

Edited by Fifth Scholar
why does [hr] never work on the first attempt >>
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Devotary of Spontaneity

Devotary of Spontaneity

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Sonnah should have known there was no getting away clean from the Steel Ministry, much less an Inquisitor. It had only been three months since they had been attacked by a steel eyed enforcer on the way to the drop point with the requisite load of explosives. Sonnah had immediately pretended to surrender upon command, no sense in getting shot full of holes before she could get in close. Upon getting within 30 feet, they'd ignited one of the more portable bombs and thrown it at the Inquisitor, who made no effort to dodge it. She'd been horrified to see the terrible wounds inflicted seal up almost immediately, momentarily blanking on a plan to escape. Taking advantage of Sonnah's distraction, the Inquisitor had taken a bronze spike out of a blood filled thermos and driven it deep into Sonnah's heart. They staggered, fully expecting to die at any moment, but after a few seconds remembered the most important objective, making sure their explosives didn't fall into the hands of the Lord Ruler's servants. She'd ignited all the remaining explosives and run, fully expecting to feel coins ripping through their body at any moment. Instead, the bombs all went off at once in a tremendous explosion just as Sonnah made it to the relative safety of the woods. She looked up just in time to see the Inquisitor sailing away through the air. Sighing in relief at having survived, Sonnah took the more cautious route to the dropoff point, scrawling a letter that the shipment had been lost in an attack and that the location was no longer safe, before heading home to start working on a new batch of explosives.

The voices had begun a month later just as Sonnah had gotten over the novelty of having a permanent piece of metal embedded in their heart, whispering secrets of alchemical destruction in her head. Tried and true recipes had mysteriously changed, suggesting methods of making new, more powerful explosives. Strange voices couldn't necessarily be trusted, but chemical formulas could be tested, and they couldn't deny the efficacy of the new designs. Perhaps this new entity and its knowledge could be the key to dismantling the Lord Ruler's empire and reducing the noble houses to rubble. She didn't realise this god could be just as cruel as the previous one until she followed an anonymously delivered note's instructions to the new drop point only to find several familiar individuals, people they recognised from Fallion's Tears, similarly impaled with bits of metal in the company of a Steel Inquisitor. They tried to run only to have the voice in her head shriek so loudly she thought everyone would be able to hear it for miles. As they stopped to clutch their head, the Inquisitor had rushed to her side faster than anyone should be able to travel and shoved a vial of metal down their throat.

"Now burn them," ordered the Voice. Sonnah resisted. Allomancy was the Lord Ruler's tool, not something an honest skaa would use on behalf of his servants. "Now burn them," said the Inquisitor in the exact same tone as the Voice. She reached for a match with which to blow them all to bits but then Marll and Arenta were there, each holding one of their arms back as the Inquisitor withdrew two bloody iron spikes and with the same supernatural quickness jammed them into her thighs, then a steel linchpin in the back. Sonnah opened their mouth to scream but it was the Voice that emerged. "Unfortunate that this one wouldn't cooperate. Make sure that she's worth it." Everyone present nodded, and to their horror Sonnah did too.

"I do apologise for having to take drastic measures. Perhaps I should have explained that the Inquisitors serve me now, just as you do. Our first order of business will be to purge your little village and prepare for my ascension. I assure you, together we can make sure the thousand years of noble rule will finally come to an end. In the meantime, won't you accept the gift I have given you? The blood has cleansed its noble taint, leaving only the power." And so for the first time, Sonnah burned copper. "Once the nobles are gone, you'll be next," she told the Voice, and smiled when it didn't respond. If it couldn't hear their thoughts it could be beaten, and if there was one thing an alchemist learned it was patience.

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Stick.

Stick.

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8 hours ago, Mailliw73 said:

Illwei. Reading.

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__________
   |             |        a e s
  O             |       FALLIONS TEARS
– | –           |
 /   \           |
—————————-

Ah there we go! :P Been waiting

7 hours ago, Mailliw73 said:

Next year, I'm pretty sure, actually... Sorry :( Skyward 3 is the one slated for this fall. 

Wait is it? Skyward's really good too so I'm excited for that :0

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