DrakeMarshall

I thought about this question for The Longest Time when I ran QF30 with basically the same activity filter. Don't Ask Me Why, but I feel strongly about what my particular brand of activity filter is supposed to do. While allowing this kind of vote would be very entertaining, it undermines the expectation that players share their thoughts in a way that measurably impacts the game (even if they don't necessarily feel confident in their thought process, or their ability to argue it to other people). I encourage you to share your thoughts, Just the Way They Are, because You May be Right.

Phase 3: Blood and Ink "Every Fae child knows this, but you mortals never seem to see. We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be." Squick swam happily in a forest stream, playing his squid-flute to keep the troupers entertained in these trying times. Dimly, he recalled that things had been different, once. Once, he was not a prized showpiece of the troupe, a squid which played the flute. Perhaps once, he wasn't even a real squid at all... It was hard to remember, these days. He didn't mind very much; being a squid was nice. No fires underwater, usually, unless the troupe firestarters were taking it a little bit far. No nasty Chandrian to come bother him, or any of the other fae for that matter. . . . The troupe stood around a bonfire of ash and rowan. The flames, thankfully, were the normal shade. Atop the fire was an iron pot, and within this pot was a small demon that had tried to gouge out a trouper's eyes earlier that day. "We need to find these Fae," one of the troupers said. For some reason, it was becoming hard to keep track of who was whom... "Yes, we must find the Fae," another spoke up. "But how I cannot say; they may appear in any way." "That so..." another pondered, but was interrupted by the lilting melodies of a flute player. This was not just any flute player, it was Squick the squid, one of the troupe's major attractions... And a decidedly unnatural one. How could a squid play the flute...? Unless it were really one of the Fae, of coarse... . . . Squick burbled an upbeat tune, swimming lazily along the stream, when a large crowd of troupers and pretend-troupers began to wade into his stream. Odd. They appeared aggravated. No, even more, they appeared angry at Squick. Maybe they didn't like his music? He launched into a new song, a flutist's rendition of the well-loved song Tinker, Tanner. He played his part skillfully, using all of his many arms to play the flute better than any human could. Beautiful harmonies echoed across the forest, hanging for a moment in the air. The mob seemed unimpressed. Seriously, how could they not like Tinker, Tanner? What was wrong with them? Squick attempted to shake his head, only to remember he had no neck worth speaking of. Instead, he settled for a burst of ink, staining the waters around him black and letting him make a graceful exit after his performance. The mob surged after him, some of them wielding weapons. Squick lead them on a merry chase. One of them lunged forward, only to miss Squick spectacularly and land face-first in the ink-laden waters, ruining a lovely cloak in the process. Another tried to block his path by standing in the way of the stream, but Squick simply slipped between the human's legs. Squick did his best to approximate a trill of laughter on his flute. Another staggered through the water after him, but it was too slow. He was escaping... And then some manner of weapon struck him from above. Squick let out a plaintive toot on his flute as he passed... The waters ran red and black. Blood and ink. . . . Steeldancer has been lynched! They were a Flutist! Vote Count Steeldancer (3)- Walin, Xinoehp, Rae, Cadmium Wonko (2)- Eternum, Orlok Fifth (2)- Drought, Snipexe Devotary (2)- Fifth, Wonko Snipexe (2)- Steel Eternum (1)- Alvron Arinian (1)- Arinian I think (1)- Bort Drought (1)- Bard Cast 1. Elandera as Ahnya Cyphus2. Eternum as Enerin3. Droughtbringer as Pyra Mainiak4. Aonar Faileas as Aorais Kipthorn5. Devotary of Spontaneity as Gaskana6. Walin as Nelden Dastardly7. Fifth Scholar as Marne8. Snipexe as Snip9. Alvron as Laon10. Steeldancer as Squick Flutist11. Megasif as Mega12. Xinoehp512 as Reyalp Nwoknu13. Arinian as Ray Fox14. Orlok as Locke15. I think I am here as Itiah II16. Arraenae as Alev17. Bort as Master Ash18. Wonko the Sane as Fifth Daughter Resterford19. Cadmium Compounder as Deric Watar20. Young Bard as Neris Countdown

Also: Eshonai?

Tempting... We'll see what the status of my KKC game is in a week; I might sign up for this. For now, I'll take a spec link.

Phase 2: The Greater Good "A word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself." Ahnya scrambled with the other performers to extinguish the brilliant blue flames that consumed Shreya's tent, clothed in glammourie to look like one of them. The trouper's eyes slid right past the false-face of Ahnya, not suspecting a thing. The occasional whisper of a name kept the flames burning brighter and hotter than they should, for a good long while. The occasional whisper of a name carried taunts and laughter on the wind to the firefighters as they worked. By the time the flames cleared, there were not even bones left behind, let alone evidence... For the seven never left behind evidence. Haliax demanded it. If the Sithe or the Amyr caught wind of this... It didn't bear thinking about. Ahnya stood over the burnt wreckage alongside the other troupers, eyes sifting through the various performers, seeking a new target as the crowd dispersed. Her power was not so subtle as those of the other six, but it was very well suited to cleaning up a camp of edema ruh, in the wrong place at the wrong time. She gave a curt nod to another one of the seven he crossed paths with, also enrobed in glammourie, but also similarly unable to completely hide the signs. She noticed as one of the performers wandered off on their own, and decided to close in after them. . . . The Amyr stood over the ashes of Shreya's tent. Her death was a shame, but it would serve the greater good. The Amyr had originally joined the troupe to keep an eye on the spread of certain stories, but this... This was a trail that lead straight to the Chandrian, not yet gone cold. They produced a candle, struck a flint, and lit it. The flame burned a bright, saturated shade of blue. The Amyr began to walk swiftly, and the flame began to glow a more intense shade of blue as they walked. Cyphus was nearby. The troupe had made an effort to find the killer. A capable effort, but their discussion had reached a gridlock. They were getting nowhere, unable to decide between two suspects. It was time for a judgment. . . . Ahnya closed in on the target, gathering flames around herself. She moved forward, about to close the gap... A searing pain as the iron teeth of a trap closed around her leg, smoke curling off the thing where it touched her skin. Slowly, her glammourie began to unravel... "Cyphus," a voice spoke, stepping forward from the trees. "I did not expect to see you here." "Nor I you," Cyphus snarled, noting the intricate red tattoos that adorned the trouper's now exposed arm. He spoke softly, but his voice carried across the winds to the Amyr. "One of the Ciridae, no less... Disguised in such an underwhelming package," he spat. "As one of the seven, for the greater good, I sentence you to death," the Amyr spoke, approaching. Cyphus began to speak a long string of names, uttering each one like a curse in a foreign tongue. The winds around him stirred, battering the Ciridae. The flames that wreathed him grew in size and intensity, enveloping Cyphus and sending out waves of heat, slowly beginning to melt the trap that held him in place. Still, the Ciridae advanced. Cyphus screamed in defiance as the Ciridae approached, the iron snare that held his leg glowing orange and buckling, but still holding. A crown of blue flames rested on his brow, and the forest around him raged with flames... But it was not enough to stop the copper blade that pierced his heart. And thus the Seven became Six. . . . Elandera has been lynched! They were Cyphus! Vote Count Elandera (3)- Droughtbringer, Orlok, Bort Steeldancer (3)- Fifth Scholar, Snipexe, Arraenae Arraenae (2)- Alvron, Cadmium Compounder Arinian (1)- Elandera Alvron (1)- Eternum Snipexe (1)- Devotary of Spontaneity Cadmium Compounder (1)- Steeldancer Megasif (1)- Xinohp Aonar (1)- Wonko the Sane Fifth Scholar (1)- Young Bard Walin (0)- Walin Cast 1. Elandera as Ahnya Cyphus2. Eternum as Enerin3. Droughtbringer as Pyra Mainiak4. Aonar Faileas as Aorais Kipthorn5. Devotary of Spontaneity as Gaskana6. Walin as Nelden Dastardly7. Fifth Scholar as Marne8. Snipexe as Snip9. Alvron as Laon10. Steeldancer as Squick11. Megasif as Mega12. Xinoehp512 as Reyalp Nwoknu13. Arinian as Ray Fox14. Orlok as Locke15. I think I am here as Itiah II16. Arraenae as Alev17. Bort as Master Ash18. Wonko the Sane as Fifth Daughter Resterford19. Cadmium Compounder as Deric Watar20. Young Bard as Neris Countdown

I hope you are enjoying your first day(?) in the Fae realm. Or perhaps I should say I hope you have enjoyed it, as it just ended. Don't worry though, the next one will start soonish.

For future reference, I don't really mind if you cast a new vote without retracting.

All non-troupe roles, and any members of the Ciridae, are all considered Fae in this game.

All PMs should now be sent out, please let me know if you didn't get one. And now I need sleep so goodnight.

"When the hearthfire turns to blue, What to do? What to do? Run outside. Run and hide." In the middle of a forest whose trees grow not in this world, no moon overhead, a troupe of performers sat around an unlit campfire. Many of them were engaged in a heated argument over how best to start the fire, or even whether to start the fire at all. Others stood on the sidelines, quietly juggling. Others peered in from the darkness, watching with interest. One waited patiently within a sprawling tree, softly chuckling to itself. . . . Shreya the stargazer looked up at the sky overhead disapprovingly. It was wrong. That was the wrong sky. She walked back towards her tent, deciding to consult her star charts. A short walk later, she sat on the floor of her tent, leafing through the star charts. This doesn't make any sense. The stars were all wrong. This wasn't even a different part of the sky, it wasn't even the same sky at all. But then... In a moment of terrifying revelation, she pieced it together. "Fae..." I have to warn the others. The candle-flame that she read by turned blue. . . . The argument grew more heated, and the unlit hearth grew more cold. It was, naturally, all in good fun. This was a troupe that specialized in displays of fire, and they took pride in the fact. Around they went, each one seemingly trying to top the last with a yet more ludicrous method of lighting the fire, the troupe becoming absorbed in the debate. And thus, they did not notice at first when an intensely bright light appeared amongst the troupe's tents. When they did notice, they more or less dropped everything, running to the source of the light. Brilliant blue flames licked around the stargazer's tent, swiftly devouring it. The troupers did all they could to put out the fire. By the time they succeeded, Shreya's tent along with two other nearby ones had been reduced to mere ashes. The stargazer herself was nowhere to be seen. . . . Shreya (NPC) has been killed! She was a Stargazer! And now the show begins. Apologies for the delay, you should all be getting role PMs soon if you don't have them yet. Burning text is overrated imo, but still is kind of the obvious choice for a fire-related title banner. Also, a small rule clarification: the master doc that the Cthaeh has access to is a version that updates every rollover, not continuously as orders are submitted. And finally, a friendly reminder that failing to cast a vote (or having it nulled) three times in this game will result in death. Cast 1. Elandera as Ahnya2. Eternum as Enerin3. Droughtbringer as Pyra Mainiak4. Aonar Faileas as Aorais Kipthorn5. Devotary of Spontaneity as Gaskana6. Walin as Nelden Dastardly7. Fifth Scholar as Marne8. Snipexe as Snip9. Alvron as Laon10. Steeldancer as Squick11. Megasif as Mega12. Xinoehp512 as Reyalp Nwoknu13. Arinian as Ray Fox14. Orlok as Locke15. I think I am here as Itiah II16. Arraenae as Alev17. Bort as Master Ash18. Wonko the Sane as Fifth Daughter Resterford19. Cadmium Compounder as Deric Watar20. Young Bard as Neris Countdown

Drake Marshall has been lynched! He was a Game Master and the last evil player! The game is now over! The Village wins! JK I apologize for the late start but I am present and the first cycle will be up imminently. I hope starting one cycle's duration later does not create problems for people. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Enjoy the show

Friendly reminder that the next new moon is slated to occur in roughly one day's time. In accordance with this fact, the cast roster has been updated. Good luck!

Yes, they do count as PMs for those two purposes. Scyphus' collateral damage impacts every single player that targeted the kill target on the night it is used. Also, player list, clarifications, and countdown should be up-to-date, please let me know if you should be on the list and are not.

Greetings, troupers and troubadors, fae and firestarters: I should like to inform you that the local stargazers have severely misjudged the date of the next new moon. It will, in fact, occur a week after the originally predicted date. As such, your performance has been rescheduled to May 20. The countdown has been revised to reflect this fact. We apologize for any inconvenience this may pose to you. Until then, try to stay away from any stormy seas or angry gentlemen.

Certainly, you will have access to the spec doc once it is created. You should probably be fine. Those who have read Kingkiller may appreciate certain references (I spent an irrational amount of time placing obscure references in the game mechanics), but the game is very much designed to be enjoyable for somebody with no knowledge of Kingkiller (although if you like the setting, you might enjoy the books ).

Glad to have all of you. I hope this game does not disappoint. I am not Evil, but I am definitely evil, yes. Now I am officially tempted to extend the signups period so Arinian doesn't murder me (actually though, if I continue hearing that people would prefer an extension, I will certainly extend the signups period by some amount)

"A clever mortal fears the night without a hint of sweet moonlight. On such a night, each step you take might catch you in the dark moon’s wake, and pull you all unwitting into fae. Where you will have no choice but stay." A troupe of Edema Ruh performers were traveling by night through a forest, and have been caught out on a night with no moon. The realms of the Four Corners and Fae have become meshed together, and nobody can quite tell the two apart. Time also is uncertain, as the forest has remained in a state of evening since the troupe's arrival. Strangers walk among the troupe, clothed in glammourie. Some may be relatively benign, as fae go. Others are quite literally the demons from folklore. In the distance, there looms a gargantuan tree, lush with dense foliage and brightly colored flowers, wreathed in a warm, welcoming light. Beckoning you to come take refuge in its branches and sustenance from its flowers… If you guys enjoy playing this game at least half as much as I did building it, I will consider it a success. Big thank you to Randuir, for stepping up to help GM this game. Without further ado, here is the game: Rules Clarifications Cast Countdown Quick Links:

Randuir, I bequeath unto you the keys to my bus. Use it to drive a point home, or to drive others off the precipice of insanity, or throw people under it in a time of need.

Can I still ask to be a spectator? I’d also be willing to pinch hit.

Why spike mice until they are about to die when you can spike mice until they can't die? I'm pretty sure that's how at least one of the alley's myriad eldritch horrors originated.

Yeah, well, that was what I was gunning for But I need to go now, and I'd rather get my final post in. I was going to post that a few seconds before rollover, but that didn't work out.

Posting this earlier than I wanted, but I realize I need to go somewhere before rollover. Ah well. I wanted to make sure I got some final RP done. Ateshao pushed his overstuffed tinker's cart along the streets of Kae, hawking his goods to a few solitary strangers who were still out and about at this hour. His eyes still spasmed unpredictably, but Ateshao was adapting. If anything, the momentary bouts of ultra-sharp clarity improved his vision in the dark. He meandered, but he did have a destination in mind. "Hello, good sirs," he said, stopping in front of a fancy-looking house, facing a pair of guards out front. "Don't suppose ya'd be interested in some of my most fine wares?" The guards eyed him warily, looking a bit unnerved by his eyes, one of them beginning to shake his head. But Ateshao insisted, rummaging in his cart for something, knocking a dusty, cracked green bottle in the process, which shattered on the pavement. "Weapons, perhaps?" he said, procuring a wickedly curved sacrificial dagger from the cart and slipping it between one guard's ribs before he knew what was happening. The other guard lashed out with a sword, pinning Ateshao to the doorframe by the shoulder and embedding itself in the doorframe. Ateshao kicked the guard in the groin, causing him to buckle in agony and letting Ateshao slide his knife along the man's throat. Ateshao winced as the pain in his shoulder began to set in. He yanked the sword from the wood, collapsing from the pain, and threw back a healing potion while curled up on the pavement, eyes watering. The pain began to fade. Handy potion, that. The potioner had given it to him as an apology for what happened to Ateshao's eyes. He got to his feet, dusting himself off and clucking in disapproval. He wiped the blood from his knife on the shirt of one of the dying guards and sheathed it. He worked silently, depositing the two dying guards facedown inside his tinker's cart next to the other body, and covering them over with the various detritus that normally occupied his overfull cart. He broke the silence only to whistle a short tune, signaling a cadre of robed figures to rush forward inside the building to destroy the blasphemous painting, and its painter along with it. Ateshao heard sounds of a struggle inside as he finished his work. Bother. That meant complications. Moments later, crimson-robed figures swarmed from the building, vaguely resembling ants from a disturbed anthill, and Ateshao joined them in fleeing. "What hapened?" he asked, breathless as he ran alongside another cultist. "JinDo happened," the masked figure said. "Guards are on our tail, don't think we'll be able to shake 'em." Ateshao came to a decision. "Right, well. This cause, we knew the cause demanded sacrifices," he said, smiling ironically at that. "This one's on me. Split up." With that, Ateshao slowed to a stop, letting the others pull ahead, waiting for the guards to get closer. He knew the others wouldn't be so foolish or idealistic as to dissuade him. They understood sacrifice. Ateshao saw the guards approaching at full speed. He waved casually, then broke into a sprint, throwing himself down allyways, twisting and turning as if his life depended on it. Which it didn't, really. He began to pull ahead of the guards, but he knew the net was still closing. By now, this entire region of the city would be sectioned off. Soon, he would make his sacrifice. It was a full moon tonight. How very appropriate. *** The guards pulled to a stop in front of Ateshao. They had finally tracked the madman back to the entrance of Kainae's house, where his cart had been left. One of them cursed as they saw it. Ateshao now stood in the center of an elaborate, twisted, spiraling diagram, painstakingly traced on the street in blood, three corpses spaced equally along the perimeter of the diagram. "You got me," he said, reaching into his coat. He produced a short, straight-edged knife of blackened steel, a strange twisted sigil in the pommel and a red ribbon tied around the grip, looking distinctively out of place. "Now remember this. Everything has a price," he said, hand shaking as he held the knife extended in one hand.He looked completely deranged, covered in blood, his eyes behaving strangely. "A tinker's debt is always paid," he said, winking. "Praise the Ja." With that, he plunged the blade into his own chest. He fell to his knees, his pupils expanding to cover even the whites of his eyes. Where there was calm, a strange wind seemed to circle the area, increasing in speed, blowing dust and debree away from Ateshao. Slowly, all of the color inside the circle seemed to bleed away into monochrome. Ateshao disintegrated in a shower of dust that scattered across the pavement, and the winds calmed. He was no more. Well, that's that then. I believe I did as well as I reasonably could have, given how utterly damning the evidence against me was. Congratulations. Your priests have apprehended another heretic. I will see you on the other side. And now I make my exit. We shall see who has the last laugh. Praise the Ja.

Well, the lynch is well and truly solidified. This is the part where I'd be saying "yep I'm Jeskeri" and start profoundly trolling the village. But y'alls were wrong about me. I suppose I can understand why (even if it strikes me that you guys lied to me more than I ever did to you). I'd register the complaint that not waiting to let me prove myself is pretty overconfident, but what was it you said? Hindsight is 20/20. True that. Unfortunate, that you didn't pendant me like I asked. Try to catch up on discussion tonight, maybe. I don't have much in the ways of final thoughts. My best lead is that Devotary is possibly Gyorn, but killing cultists is probably more important right now. Good luck.

Well, this lynch is a bit shortsighted, seeing as I can literally prove my innocence in one more turn. I don't completely fault you for it since I did lie to Len... But also, Len lied to me more than I did to him in that PM? I guess it's kind of bothersome to begin trying to participate in this game and then immediately get lynched for it. Ah well. You should be able to salvage some information from today's discussion. Hello Coop, good to see you, and good luck. And goodbye Coop Hopefully I won't see you again soon in the dead doc.

The balance issue with giving elims a Jeskeri pendant is that the JinDo’s ability already has a cooldown, and the ability to double tap on top of that would be kind of redundant. No only that, but if just one cultist had a Jeskeri pendant, than every single cultist could claim to have that pendant if they were the first to be scanned, which imo would be overpowered. Also if I were a cultist who also had a Jeskeri pendant, I definitely would have used it to double tap Aman the night he claimed priest. Also, if you do believe I have a pendant, than on what basis do you find me evil, since you haven’t cited reasons beyond the scan this cycle? I can totally understand if you are wary of me for not telling Len about my pendant, but this isn’t that. I demand that you rationalize my mislynch using sound reasoning, thank you very much Goodnight.