Young Bard

OK, I wasn't expecting to be alive this round. No, I was in Poco-3. I'm not sure why it doesn't also mention that my shields are down? I IMP'd 2D, which I assume is still alive, because the Krell Ship that attacked me and also lost it's shields, 1F, was specifically mentioned as having been destroyed. Which means that @Lumgol didn't fire at 2D like they said they would in thread? I'll drop a vote on Sart, since I feel some of their phrasing sounds like an Eliminator trying to position themselves as a villager. Particularly this post: 'We need to lynch Gunners'? That feels like a sneaky way of trying to sneak in the assumption that Sart is a villager without anyone thinking too much. On top of that, the statement is a fairly obvious one, contributing basically nothing we don't already know.

Bleh. I promised analysis, but I'm lazy, and it's now 2am and I haven't even started. 1. Snipexe, "Scissors" - @Snipexe hasn't posted much, would like to hear more from them. Neutral.2. Xinoehp512, "Llerk" - Most of their posts that I was able to find involve trying to figure out who's targeting which ships, which is fairly NAI. Mentions a trust on DA for their annoyance at Sart. I'm actually inclined to give them a soft Elim read for trying to fly under the rader a little with NAI posts - I'd appreciate seeing them respond to lynch discussions a little more (though given this has been a fairly low activity thread, they're certainly not alone, and this level of activity isn't unusual for Xino.)3. Elandera "Bad Wolf" Brenna - Breaks the tie by moving their vote from me to Stick in order to guarantee a lynch. This is fairly consistent with their behaviour (they broke the game against themselves in the Nalthis game I ran for basically identical reasons), so I'm inclined to give them a soft trust read for that.4. Mailliw73, Millis “Storm” Stromberg - Less active than normal, but that's due to NAI stuff and having a stronger focus on the other game. Neutral.5. Devotary, “Yaw(n)” Yafrion Pilot - I was trying to think of if anything can be gleaned by this, and the answer is yes, but only with random speculation. Devotary's died a lot recently, and there are some players who tend to factor that into their thought process more than others generally. So I'm less inclined to believe Maill, Joe, and possibly Fura are Eliminators (there are possibly more, but I don't know all of your opinions on this and how much you keep track of this stuff.)6. Ark1002, Bard "Bastard" Dominion - Mainly RP - I'd like to hear a little more in the lynch discussion from them ( @Ark1002). They join the lynch on Stick early on with little reasoning, which is fairly par for the course for them.7. Furamirionind, Julis "Junior" Elliot - Soft village gut read? They mix up Sart and Straw when discussing last cycles lynch, which feels more like a villager brainfart than anything else (not too unlike my own ). 8. CadCom/Lumgol, "Preciousss" - CadCom was inactive, and we haven't really seen much from Lum yet. CadCom was one of three not to submit any action Night 1, but was online in that time (I'm inclined to just put that down to IRL reasons). They join the bandwagon on me for no reason given - so slight Elim read overall? Would like to hear more from Lum.9. StrikerEZ, Seth "Striker" Johnson - Hasn't said much - @StrikerEZ . That said, they said that at least one Elim probably voted on Stick (which, assuming a standard number of Eliminators, is statistically likely, even if they didn't find something fishy about some of those votes). They also voted on Sart - if Sart turns out to be an Eliminator, I'd put a slight trust on Striker, since it doesn't feel like distancing to me.10. Young Bard, Rivelda "Topsy-Turvy" Kline - Extremely charming and handsome, and obviously a villager. Also thinks he has a sense of humour at 2:30 in the morning (he doesn't.) 11. Sart, Sarah "Seraph" Potts - Moderate Elim read. "We need to lynch Gunners, before more of us get shot out of the sky." - I agree with DA that this line seems suspicious, since it feels like it's trying a little hard to make themselves seem like one of the villagers, and also saying nothing of substance. If I'm still alive tomorrow, they'd probably be my top lynch candidate at the moment. 12. Darkness Ascendent, Noel "Skinny Ship" Miller - I was slightly suspicious of them earlier, but I'm leaning towards trusting them now, actually. I still don't think they should be entrusted with singular knowledge of who has what ships, though. 13. Walin, Ildem "Isekai Inbred" - Basically entirely inactive. @Walin - Neutral. 14. XXGaea, Iradesca "Paradise Song" Aleh - @xxGaea- Has posted once since the start of the game, to mention that they might be inactive for a day or so. 15. A Joe in the Bush, Knowstoo "Number 4" Much - @A Joe in the Bush - Hasn't posted all that much - what they have I find fairly NAI. Neutral.16. _Stick_, Stick "somethingcool" stick Pilot17. Drake "" Marshall - I discussed this earlier - part of me really wants to trust Drake (especially since I love his RP this game), but another part feels like he's pocketing me. He mentioned in a PM that he's not typically known for doing that, which might be true, I don't remember, so... who knows. Neutral, but worth keeping a particularly close eye on. The biggest challenge this game will probably be inactives, which is a shame. I think it's just that time of year where everyone has IRL stuff to deal with, and there's another game going on that prevents people from giving this their full attention. To the people who I pinged - try and say something, about this post or one of the people who've died so far - it would be a great help.

Right, so a lynch formed on me about 5am my time, which is fun. This is probably the most awkward time for me - it's early enough that it's just before I wake up most days, so I'm not there the last 6/7-ish hours before rollover, more unless it's the last thing I check before bed. So, I missed a PM by Drake discussing his thoughts on light-lances Night 1, which probably would have changed my action, and I missed the lynch on me Day 2. Fun. Yeah, that was just a rushed brainfart on my part - I mixed up the health and destructive power of my ship. I realised a bit later, but reasoned I'd try and find another player in a Poco to take a ship down together, since I still didn't like the idea of a single player having so much knowledge (and had mild suspicions about DA's behaviour in particular), and I figured it couldn't be too hard to make my own arrangements (until I ran out of time...). If I had been an Elim, I'd have probably been much more careful about my claims, and wouldn't have so carelessly outed myself like that. Stick - mostly gut read, which I can't respond to - they have a trust read on Drake and DA, but I feel I was justified in what I said. Elandera - mostly going after a lynch, and my death provided more info than Walin's. That's fair, honestly - I might have done the same in Elan's position. CadCom (now Lumgol) - no reasoning given. I have a bad gut read about CadCom, but I'll leave that for a big post I'll try and get out tonight. DA - already addressed above. Also, per Steel's clarifications last cycle, apparently Elims can't light-lance? Which seems to me like it becomes way too easy to hard-clear people, but OK, sure. Once I realised I didn't have time to find another Poco to shoot down a Krell ship, I light-lanced Drake last cycle (which is why I knew they didn't submit the Elim kill) - by the lack of a counterclaim, that hardclears me, I think? (Which is actually kind of a problem - at least there's no protect from the Elim kill, but it means the Elims will have to kill me tonight or tomorrow just to keep the game balanced, which... yeah, I'm not thrilled about that fact, but the Elims have to do what the Elims have to do.) I think I have a soft trust read on DA. I feel like an Elim would probably have dropped the argument on my lynch when they saw it wasn't going their way, but that's an IKYK. Since I'm 90% certain I'm dying tonight I'll prepare one big post on my thoughts on all the players before the end of this turn. Since I don't think it matters anyway, I'm flying Poco 3, which is good, since we're not going to lose a really good ship like a Largo. I will IMP 2D tonight, so someone with a Fresa can finish them off. One note on balance and fun: Given that it seems as though only villagers (and the SK) can light-lance and IMP, I can think of a couple easy ways to break the game for the villagers by hard-clearing players (unless Steel does a quick change-up of the rules). I encourage people not to do this. There are a few games where a loophole like that was tried (QF16 is one, off the top of my head), but it ultimately isn't as much fun for anyone, especially the Eliminators. If you lightlance or IMP someone, try not to claim publicly that you did so, because that makes you too easy to clear. (Feel free to claim in PM's, though, since it leaves open the possibility that you're an Elim who duped a villager not in the PM into performing that action for you. If you hear a claim like that, don't drop it into the thread.)

I have a couple weird reads on Drake and DA. Drake is just a gut read - I can't shake the feeling that they're trying to pocket me. But there's nothing specifically I can point to to analyse, and I can confidently say they did not perform the Elim kill last cycle, so at the moment I'm just putting this down to paranoia. (Also, they have funny RP and I kind of want to see more. ) DA's playstyle seems quite different from normal - they're much more active and analytical than I remember them being. However, those are also attributes that I don't want to discourage, so I'm again reluctant to put a vote on them for it. On top of that, IIRC, both of them are also players that have just returned from a hiatus, which makes me even more hesitant to lynch them so early in the game. Which leaves me precisely nowhere. I'm not opposed to a Stick lynch, but for the purposes of variety I'll put a vote on Fura. Looking at their activity, they are very active in LG55 compared with here, so I'd like to hear a bit more from them about this game. (And their number on the signup list came up on the RNG. ) I'll also poke @Walin, @Cadmium Compounder and @StrikerEZ while I'm here.

I'm still not sure this is a great idea - I feel like there is some power in not publicising who has what ship. The best model on paper would probably be to have each person let each of their neighbours on the player list know of how much damage totally will be received by each ship, but not which ships they are personally piloting (e.g. I might post "1C 2 damage, 1F 5 damage" to Striker and Sart, and if/when they replied to me with new knowledge I wasn't aware of, I'd forward that on). However, that would run up on issues with timing, since not everyone is online at the same time, and it's extremely unlikely the news would make it to opposite sides of the playerlist within a single night cycle. So... Thinking about it, I might be in favour of public sharing. Not because it's the "best" system, but because I think the better systems require a greater level of communication and coordination than I believe is likely to be achievable. Topsy-Turvy smiled as they clambered into the cockpit of the plane. Slowly powering it up, they fastened up the seatbelts. Checking the dashboard - yes, the gravcaps, shields and blasters all seemed to be in good condition. Smiling, she pulled on the throttle, and took to the air. She soared, just her and the The comms started up with a hiss of static. "T, you're flying ahead. Rejoin with the group, and stick to formation. We don't want to lose anyone." That would be the squad commander. Rivelda sighed, and light-lanced onto a nearby meteor to sling around and perform an Ahlstrom loop. She sighed, content, as the gravcaps kicked in, reducing the pressure as the ship kicked around and sent her hurtling back towards the cluster of ships behind her. "And quit showing off." muttered the comms. From one of the other channels, Rivelda didn't see which one, she heard a slight chuckle. "T, show off? Never." Rivelda smirked as she slotted back into the formation. "Death to the bunnies! We will not become rabbit food today!"

Rivelda looked around. Around her, the faces were grim. Many eyes scanned the horizon, waiting for the next attack to come. Rivelda walked up to a random stranger - they had a funny nickname - she couldn't remember what right now. "Hey, do you think the Krell might actually be giant bunnies? The lifebusters are egg shaped because they want to plant their giant bunny egg on our base and hatch their new grand overlord! It makes so much sense!" Rivelda paused for a moment. "Hey, if there's a Lifebuster, why do we gun it down?" A few of the other pilots, who had been doing their best to ignore her, turned towards her and opened their mouths to try and court marshall her. "Wait, wait! So, the Rebels are planning on attacking us, right? But they also don't want the Base to go kaplooey any more than we do? So if we say 'Uhhh, hey Rebels, we're feeling kinda lazy today - if you want the Base to be here tomorrow you need to deal with the giant bunny egg over there', then we can go and get on with things, and they have less opportunity to, you know, start killing us all and all that."

Rivelda Kline, Callsign: Topsy-Turvy, reporting for duty!

OK, so the bandwagon appeared on me over my vote on Joe (well, also Lum, but that was a hasty vote made when I was tired late at night, so I acknowledge that was probably a mistake), so we should probably figure out what Joe is in order for me to prope Here's what we know. When Fura asked about Joe being in the game, Fifth responded by saying: And yet, they have not spoken in the thread, they can not be PM'ed. However, I just received clarification that they are targetable by actions, as a player. The thing is, there's one role that is fairly similar to this - Elend Venture, Fifth's GM role. Here's a clarification by Fifth last cycle about players not appearing on the player list: If Joe has a similar type of role, then it would be obvious why they have not responded in thread - they are a co-GM, not a 'player' in the normal sense, and therefore it would obviously be kind of problematic if they were to start talking and acting like a player in the thread. In fact, I found it strange to begin with that Joe would join as a player before since, as someone who was originally going to be GM'ing, they knew many of the earlier secrets. If they are actually a co-GM, just one with a mechanical effect on the game, then that's suddenly not an issue. So, if Joe is a co-GM, and has a role that is targetable by actions and presumably the lynch, then the obvious next question is what role they have. I believe this would likely have to be Jestas Lekal, which is an excellent counterpoint to Fifth's Elend role, but aligned with the Elim team. I struggle to see Joe as a Village aligned co-GM, for a number of reasons. The first is a matter of balance. I think there is a certain aesthetic that would be achieved by having two GM's, each of which had a 'player' that worked for one of the main two sides. The second (and more convincing) reason is that a number of people who defended Joe last round are people who I find suspicious. In particular, after I suggested that Joe may have a role that did not allow them to speak in thread, Fura made a post that I found extremely suspect - I'm including that in the section on the bandwagon on me below. The third and final reason is that I just don't see all that many alternatives that seem to fit like this does. I am in a PM with somebody that suggested they may actually be a role like Kelsier, who is a Cognitive Shadow, and therefore unable to speak in the thread. I... can't see this being the case. If it were a player-Kelsier, then I would find it extremely unlikely that they would be given such a restrictive role that they couldn't talk, period, because at that point it wouldn't be fun for the player. As a GM-Kelsier, it makes more sense, but I again don't necessarily see that being aligned with the village. Because of all this, I think there's a very strong case that we should lynch Joe tomorrow, as a likely stealth-Elim co-GM role. Even if I'm wrong, and I don't think I am, then it will still give us lots of information based on who was in favour and against a Joe lynch. (Now I guess I'll just wait for @Lumgol to come in and completely demolish my theory since she actually scanned Joe... ) OK, so let's have a look at the lynch yesterday. As of about 8 hours before cycle end, the lynch was wide open. Here's a vote count from that time, just as I swap to Lum: Rand (3) - CadCom, Lumgol, Ark Lumgol (3) - Araris, Fura, Bard CadCom (1) - Adavantos Rae (1) - Rand Straw (1) - HH Araris(1) - Fura Joe(2) - Maill, Lum (Note: Rae had voted on Araris previously and retracted.) Fura responds to my suspicion of Joe here: First of all, I missed where Fifth implied that Joe couldn't speak - was this in a PM, @Furamirionind? Secondly, this seems off to me. It feels like Fura started with trying to prove Joe was innocent and went to search for reasons to dissuade suspicion of him without getting too close (Stink makes a similar post, but is actually strongly worded enough that I think an Elim Stink would probably distance themselves a little more). In particular, even if Joe couldn't talk, how does that clear him in any way whatsoever? It just says he can't talk. Especially now that we know that we can't speak to him through PM's either, this looks a lot like a delaying tactic. The bandwagon on Araris appears first, and then Rae and CadCom in quick succession vote on me. Rae says that Lum could easily prove their role, so my vote makes no sense (which is... fair), and also defends Joe. CadCom provides no reasoning except that they agree with Rae - I thought they were more of an analyser than that, though they might be busy. Elan votes on me a little later, by which time it seems to be a race between Araris and I, so part of it is based on not having a suspicion of Araris, and part is based on a distrust of me wanting to lynch a powerful role. It's precisely because it was a powerful role that I was suspicious - I didn't think any villager would claim that publicly short of nearly being lynched. That said, Lum has always been much more open with claims than I would be. The final vote is Rathmaskal, who doesn't find Araris suspicious and votes for me as the other major candidate. I wish there'd been a little more analysis on why that's the case, but that's pretty normal for Rath. The order of the votes from most to least suspicious would probably be CadCom, Rae, Rath, Elan.

I don't have time to respond to the lynch on me before rollover, so I'm just going to swap my vote over to Araris. I promise I'll have a long response after rollover. The very short version is that while I was definitely too hasty in my vote on Lumgol, I am actually now more convinced that we need to be suspicious of Joe, not less - I have a theory I want to test my theory of this tonight when PM's open up.

...Well, this will probably grant your wish, if not in the way you were hoping - Joe, Lumgol. That is an extremely useful role to claim to the thread, and I struggle to see a villager making that claim to the entire thread. I'm wondering if you might be Vin, since you have to find out Joe's role today before you get a different role next cycle. EDIT: There's a lot of resistance to the Joe lynch, which I'm still certainly not opposed to - can I say that it's not just that Joe has a secret role? It's that Joe has some sort of secret role, and has not given any sort of clarification or indication as to what's going on, or even posted anything at all. Once I'd seen some sort of response (which I'd expected by this point in the cycle), I'd have removed my vote anyway.

OK, so we've gathered that Joe is a player, but not on the player list, and that's deliberate rather than GM oversight? Joe (Finn Seidel). I'd like an explanation - I'm assuming you're able to speak in the thread, but you haven't yet. (CadCom)

Hey Straw. Do you have any thoughts on the game so far? Any comments on Fura's role analysis? EDIT: So I got notified for Straw's post, but not Rand's, so I almost missed it. I'm leaning against Rand's idea - if it looks like Zane is knocking off all the primary candidates for being an Elim, then it's quite possible they'll expose themselves in the process, either by the Thug 1 role if there is one or by leaving themselves (and Vin) under suspicion as Zane knocks out the competition for the lynch. Holding our suspicions closer to our chest will make it that much harder to analyse for both the Eliminators and the Mistborn.

Hmmm... I think that's just me not talking in definites, I think. You say that the Thug 1 shouldn't claim under almost any circumstances, something I basically agree with - I'd probably extend that to a couple other roles like Tineye 1 and Rioter 1, since the existence of vote manipulator can be a strong disincentive for the Elims to bandwagon on Elend at the end of the cycle even when they have the numbers. That said, I think I'm increasingly becoming a stingy roleclaimer compared with the meta at the moment. I'm not sure why you say that Vin getting Thug 1 could guarantee an Elim death? You seem to assume they'll know the Elim target to target that player, which is a pretty big assumption. And assuming Zane will pretend to have a passive role is a pretty big IKYK (they could easily 'prove' one of the many active abilities they have if they wanted to, and after that statement it might garner less suspicion).

Alright. I expect to be on before rollover most cycles, so I'll say now that I intend to move my vote to the leading candidate at the end of each cycle to prevent a lynch on Elend/Fifth - we don't want another LG15a. I recommend others do the same if it's convenient for them to be on at that time. We haven't heard from CadCom yet - I was considering putting a joke vote on Steel, but I assume there will be enough paranoia around him this game that it would probably be unfair of me to add to it, even as a joke. I mostly agree with Fura's analysis. I think this game is role madness, though I can't remember that being confirmed for certain, so I'm kind of curious about how this is balanced. With the sudden-death-by-lynch option this game, I can't see the Elims having much vote manip power. I think some kind of protect role, probably Senn Conrad, is in the Elims, to protect from Zane (Thug 2 is unlikely, though, since that can often delay the lynch and stall conversation). A Tineye 1 Elim would be entirely possible, depending how troll-ish Fifth was feeling. There's probably a scanner of some sort, and a Smoker is plausible, but possibly not, since there's not really a role that would be all that incriminating for the Elims to be holding.

My apologies for the delay - I was really hoping to have a closing writeup and GM Thoughts here before I posted, but I'm tired and I'd rather not rush it, so I'll get to it tomorrow when I'm not feeling rushed and tired. Let me be the first to congratulate the Villagers on their victory this game - my condolences to the Elim team, who would have won two cycles ago if it hadn't been for Joe roleblocking Rand and preventing the kill that cycle. I was really impressed with how both teams played this game. Kidpen was lynched! They were the final member of the Black Shadows! Vote Count: Kidpen(3): Joe, CadCom, Maill CadCom(2): Kidpen, Strawman GM Spreadsheet Hallandren Restaurant (Elim Doc) Court of the Gods (Spec/Dead Doc)

So that's why rollovers were taking so long. EDIT: And that's the end of the cycle and game! The Epilogue will be up soon.

They had been so close. Yesterday, he practically tasted the victory . Steel had been a momentary inconvenience - it was annoying to have lost someone of his skill, but he had been foolish. Rand had been sure to make no such careless mistakes. But some damned fool person had prevented him from that final plunge of the knife the previous day, and it had cost him everything. He'd played innocent, but no-one believed him. Rand watched as a small tiny Strawman jumped up onto a table and quickly snuck their way in between the small collection of people trying to interrogate him. Rand ignored the group - clearly, nothing he said there would make any difference at this point. Maybe the Strawman could offer him something more. In a group this small, even a single Strawman could make all the difference. The Strawman moved right up to him, from where he'd been backed into a corner with little hope of escape. It lifted a hand, and reached in through a hole in the top of it's head. Something to rescue me with? The creature pulled a thin stiletto blade out from inside its hollow interior. Then it stabbed Randuir through the chest. Plans upon plans, all crumbling to dust. Rand softly let out a sigh - he'd been so careful... Then his eyes slipped close, and he collapsed to the floor. Do you know that feeling of déjà vu? When you could have sworn something that you see you've seen before? That was how those left felt that night. Like the night before, they all went to bed, but were too terrified to sleep a wink. Like the night before, one tried to prepare a defense for themselves, knowing the futility of it. Like the night before, one went from door to door, trying to find an exit that would open in order to escape this nightmare. One sat, not as content as the night before, but still scheming away. And one aimed to see if their gambit could possibly save them from death for one more night. And, when regrouped the next morning, they were all quite surprised that they hadn't lost another member of their party. Yet. Randuir was lynched! They were a Black Shadow! Vote Count: Rand(5): CadCom, Maill, Joe, Kidpen, Strawman CadCom(1): Rand Player List:Steeldancer - Awakened SteelXinoehp - ThaerbArk1002 - Katie the KolossElandera - Turquoise-Bellied Alligator (TBA)Randuir - inCadCom - Ch. Aracter TBAAlvron - Izzy DedyetLumgol - N'NairimKidpen - Buffy the Black Shadow SlayerDevotary - HohelinMaill - M'MalilRathmaskalSart - SartJoe - Jeo

The Cycle is over! Rollover will be up soon (hopefully).

Thaerb had grown up behind a small outcropping, knowing only the barest amount of rock protected him and his family from certain death by the highstorms. And yet, growing up there, he'd felt safe - the outcropping, narrow as it was, had provided an illusion of security. And that allowed him to buy food, and hang out with friends, and put the highstorms out of mind. Every now and again you heard cases of rock collapses leading to villages being destroyed, but those events were greeted with a sombre moment and quickly put out of mind. It was the only way to keep going. Thaerb had been confused when he'd first arrived at Hallandren - a great, gleaming city, filled with colour and life and vibrance in every direction. The people, the sights - it was all so different from everything he'd known back home. It was only in the last few days he realised that many things were not so different after all. A small group had gathered around Thaerb now - most of the Awakeners who were left. He could see the looks in their eyes as they drew their sword - he'd seen those looks before. Maybe, they were thinking, maybe, if we kill Thaerb, we will be safe. The deaths will stop. It was a naive hope - a last stand, a way to keep telling themselves that things were alright, that they would be alright. They'd sounded so confident, back on that first day. What was a few cowards and killers in the night against the wrath of so many Awakeners. It was always there, Thaerb realised. It was less desperate, more hopeful, but it was always there. Thaerb hadn't noticed until now - he hadn't wanted to see it - hadn't wanted to know the situation they were in. Thaerb gasped as he was stabbed through the stomach. "Who's your companion?" the swordsman demanded. "I... I just wanted to help." "We're not fooled by your lies - it must be you - who else could it be?" "I'm... sorry." Thaerb's last sight was watching the moment of realisation of the person in front of him. They'd gotten it wrong. They'd lost. And now, there was nothing in the way of the Shadows. The illusion had been shattered. No-one slept that night. Enough people had done the math - by tomorrow morning, there wouldn’t be enough people left to stop the Shadows. They didn’t know which of them would die tonight - at this stage, did it matter? One stood by the door, waiting. If they were marked for death, they might not be able to stop it’s approach, but they damnation well intended to try. One packed their bags. Perhaps, if they fled to a far off place, they’d be able to keep their life, keep the small package of Breath they’d slowly built up. Thaerb had spoken of some far-off ‘Roshar’ - maybe he’d try to travel there. Around midnight, they grabbed their bags and moved slowly down the stairs, careful not to make a sound. When they got to the ground floor, they found all the entrances sealed off. Two smiled in a dimly lit room, sensing the fear coming from the rooms nearby, and the victory that was mere hours away. And one waited impatiently, squirming on their bed, praying that their gamble would work. It’s hard to say who was the most surprised the next morning, when they all gathered below, apparently unharmed. On the table was a small dead rabbit, beaten bloody. Thaerb (Xinoehp) was lynched! They were a member of the Hallandren Alliance. End of Cycle: 10/5/19, 5:30PM AEST Vote Count: Xinoehp(4): Rand, Joe, CadCom, Kidpen CadCom(2): Xinoehp, Strawman Randuir(1): Maill Player List:Steeldancer - Awakened SteelXinoehp - ThaerbArk1002 - Katie the KolossElandera - Turquoise-Bellied Alligator (TBA)Randuir - inCadCom - Ch. Aracter TBAAlvron - Izzy DedyetLumgol - N'NairimKidpen - Buffy the Black Shadow SlayerDevotary - HohelinMaill - M'MalilRathmaskalSart - SartJoe - Jeo

The Cycle is over! Please stand by for rollover.

Izzy looked around at the assembled mob, face completely neutral. She'd followed orders. She'd done her best to try to catch and eliminate the False Shadows - she'd been mistaken about the Steel, which had seemed harmless, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. She couldn't talk, couldn't defend himself. Her orders did not call for her to do these things. There was nothing to be done about this either. She would have liked, before she died again, to have fulfilled her orders - but that couldn't be helped. She was trapped in by the wall of people, nearly everyone united against him. Izzy wasn't all that worried about dying. She'd done it once already. It wasn't all that bad. Rath knew he had a target on his back - he'd gone after Steel, had been the one to plunge the killing blow. He'd felt a wealth of Breaths flow into him, and knew that the Steel's allies would want that power back. He'd sealed himself into a room - and barricaded himself in. The doors had been barricaded, the windows had been bricked up, and he was confident that no person would be able to get back inside without a hard fight. A bunny, however, would have no such problems getting inside. The village heard screams in the night, and rushed to help, but every entrance was sealed. It was the next morning by the time they were able to crash through an opening, by which point Rath was long dead. There were scratch marks by the front door, where he'd sealed himself in from his own paranoia. Izzy Dedyet (Alvron) was lynched! They were a member of the Hallandren Alliance! Rathmaskal was killed by the Black Shadows! They were a member of the Hallandren Alliance! Vote Count: Alv(6): Rand, Xinoehp, CadCom, Rath, Kidpen, Mailliw Player List:Steeldancer - Awakened SteelXinoehp - ThaerbArk1002 - Katie the KolossElandera - Turquoise-Bellied Alligator (TBA)Randuir - inCadCom - Ch. Aracter TBAAlvron - Izzy DedyetLumgol - N'NairimKidpen - Buffy the Black Shadow SlayerDevotary - HohelinMaill - M'MalilRathmaskalSart - SartJoe - Jeo

The Steel would have rubbed his hands gleefully, if it had any. He'd figured out the key to the mastery of Spiritwebs, and he had all the Breath he needed to put that knowledge to use. He'd struck a gold-mine of Breath with N'Nairim the previous night, and he wasn't about to let it go to waste. On the dining table in front of him, he had a body. It was young, fit, healthy - the perfect specimen. He hadn't asked where it had come from - he hadn't cared. One of the perks of being a bad guy, he supposed. He'd drained it of blood, and was in the process of slowly filling the body with ichor-alcohol when there was a knock on the door. Steel thought quickly. There wasn't an easy way to move or hide the body, not in it's current delicate state. He redoubled his effort, ignoring the door. Why did they have to come now? This is such a delicate stage. Steel moved carefully around, slowly injecting the ichor-alcohol into the creatures liver. This was not a stage he could afford to rush - one slip, and the syringe could tear a hole and his work would be ruined. Cautious, but quick. That was the way to do it. Outside, it sounded like a mob was beginning to form, and someone shouted for something to crash down the door with. Well, that was just fine with him. Let's see how they liked his new friend. He paused. He couldn't technically breathe, by the usual definition of the word, but imagining taking a deep breath was still calming to him. Then, he resumed work, not hurriedly - he couldn't afford to screw up, but with a determined purpose. The mob was rising to fever pitch now - he could hear jeers and yells coming from outside the door. He'd filled all of the major organs, he just needed to make on the various arteries and veins now for peak performance. Thud. The door shook on its hinges as something heavy crashed into it from the other side. The crowd cheered. Steel sighed. It would have to be good enough. If he'd just had a little more time... Those that interrupted him would pay. Slowly, he removed the syringe he'd been using to fill the Lifeless with, and began to check for any perforations. Thud. There was a slight cracking sound as the door began to give way, and one hinge looked slightly buckled. Just one perforation, near the stomach - Steel tutted. He was normally so meticulous about these things, the others must have made him shake slightly. It wasn't a major concern, however - he could have it sewn up later - for now, he quickly and efficiently wrapped a small bandage around the wound just to be safe. Thud. The hinges snapped off cleanly, and the door was thrown backwards, narrowly avoiding Steel. The doorway was dusty, but Steel could make out the silhouettes on the other side as it began to clear. None of them seemed to be the one to go through first. Clever people. "Awaken to my Breath." Steel intoned, the words ingrained into him. "Serve my needs, live at my command and my word." His voice dropped down to a whisper. "The command word is Unfinished Business. Kill everyone who steps through the front door." The Breath flowed out of him, into the body in front of him. It began to twitch as finally, someone stepped through the door to try to get him. Steel could have smiled. Just a few moments too late. The Lifeless sat up, and slowly turned, its face entirely neutral. It stood up, and began to walk towards the leading mobster. But... something was wrong. It was moving too slowly - had he done something wrong? He thought back - no, he was sure he'd done everything he needed to, that he hadn't made any mistakes. He had been careful, as always. He looked closer at the body - it seemed to be limping on one leg. The specimen had had a limp in life. It could have made a fine Lifeless in different circumstances - but it was useless as a fighter. The mob surged forward - it wouldn't take them long to finish off the Lifeless. He had to come up with another plan. This wasn't it - this couldn't be it, it just felt wrong. Undone, by something so small? No, Steel couldn't allow that. The ichor-alcohol? He'd only had the one kadaver left, and there was no time to make another Lifeless anyway. The scalpel and the syringe were theoretically makeshift weapons on the fly, but against a dozen mobsters with swords? Ha. There was one idea left. Steel smiled. Well, it was a long shot, but it would have to do. The Lifeless fell to the ground, bleeding ichor from a hundred different wounds. It still moved sluggishly for a moment, trying to fulfil its commands, before collapsing to the ground. The mob turned its attention to the Steel, who sat, still, with a flask in front of him. "Well, it was a good run." the Steel said, nodding to the crowd. "Well done - what was it that caught me out?" The mob stared at him. "I propose a toast - for old times sake. I... uhhh, can't drink, since I don't technically have a digestive tract being Awakened Steel and all, but you go ahead. Those were fun times we had, weren't they?" Silence. "You get to celebrate! Hurrah! You caught me! Well done! I'm proud of you! What are you waiting for. Let's just toast and you can get on with the job. Maybe if you have a chat while you drink, you'll be able to get a couple names of my teammates out of me." In front of him, Rath turned to Joe. "The drink is poisoned, isn't it." "Yup." Rath drew his sword and hammered it through the Steel. Steel felt his consciousness... split. Two halves, with the fractured Spiritweb slowly untangling from where it had been severed. He... he was dying, probably, whatever that meant. All this work, to be undone... Well, not all his work. His prototype had gone well... Sart smiled. They'd caught a Shadow. And if they caught one, surely it couldn't be too hard to do it again, as many times as it took until every last one of them was gone. All in all, things were good. He strode down the street, breathing in the lively Hallandren the atmosphere. Everything cried out for his attention, and he drank it all in, smelt the flowers, admired the sights. A cart with all sorts of aromatic smells passed by, narrowly avoiding squashing a bunny as it hopped across the road. Sart knew there was a marketplace nearby, so he began to head towards it. As he approached, the bunny hopped towards him, ears flattened in fright from all noise in the big city. Sart reached down to pet it. It looked up at him, and it was only then that Sart saw the bunnys eyes, dead and grey, and entirely lifeless. The bunny lunged forward, a furious bundle of teeth and fur, aiming straight for Sart's throat. Sart moved backwards, but too slow. It was over in seconds, and the bunny's bloody Commands were done. It hopped off from the prone body, and continued bouncing along the road. For those who wonder why a bunny randomly appeared, it's a reference to a series of writeups from a while ago, last time someone ran a Breath game. A long, long while ago. I feel old now. Also, the bunny was just there as flavour - they're not an actual Lifeless. Awakened Steel (Steeldancer) was lynched! They were a member of the Black Shadows! Sart was killed by the Black Shadows! They were a member of the Hallandren Alliance. Vote Count: Steel(5): Rath, Joe, Rand, CadCom, Kidpen CadCom(3): Sart, Alv, Steel Player List:Steeldancer - Awakened SteelXinoehp - ThaerbArk1002 - Katie the KolossElandera - Turquoise-Bellied Alligator (TBA)Randuir - inCadCom - Ch. Aracter TBAAlvron - Izzy DedyetLumgol - N'NairimKidpen - Buffy the Black Shadow SlayerDevotary - HohelinMaill - M'MalilRathmaskal -Sart - SartJoe - Jeo

And that's the end of the Cycle, everyone. Please stand by for the next cycle.

...Well, I was about to say there's half an hour left, and to get your actions in - if people really want this to be the end time in future cycles I could probably do that, though.

A little under 5 hours from now.