DrakeMarshall

And that is the game! I am going to take a little longer on the finale, which will be online tomorrow. The game was decently close, and well played on both sides. It's been an honor.

Quick!! We must craft a 17-dimensional cookie in honor of the 17th shard!

All sorts of dying come at the end in the order of actions, so yes, it is possible to make a kill on the same cycle that you are lynched. (not confirming or denying if this is what just happened, naturally)

There were a group of people before the Ascension known as the Astalsi. They claimed that each person was born with a certain finite amount of ill luck. And so, when an unfortunate event happened, they thought themselves blessed—thereafter, their lives could only get better. They thought that different colors were indications of different kinds of fortune, and were quite detailed in their descriptions of light and color. They had a scale of colors, and used it to describe the sky of the deepest blue and various plants in their shades of green. Following the death of the two awakeners, the majority of the lifeless either retreated from the camp or were killed. The perimeter around the camp hung in a delicate balance. On one hand, the lifeless were depleted in numbers, and their hold on the boundary was tenuous. On the other hand, they had resorted to using lethal force to hold the barrier. Kind of metaphorical, Jeo mused, for the whole camp. He made eye contact with Fahmexa across the campfire. A small group at his back, a slightly larger one amassed behind her. There wasn't much left to say, really. Unless... "I disapprove of violence. Can we not find a peaceful resolution to this?" Jeo queried. Some of the soldiers murmered at this. It was a rare thing to see an enlisted pacifist. Truth was, Jeo's enlistment was a farce. He would have been wasted as a soldier. "A peaceful resolution? Not likely," Fahmexa replied, her eyes flashing with firelight. "I really don't see a way forward that doesn't involve only one of us walking away from this." "I understand," Jeo said, resigned. "I don't want anyone to die, but I understand. We can still decide this peacefully, however." He procured a small coin, holding it up in the firelight for all to see. "One last gamble. I rest my fate in the hands of fate, such as it is. A clean resolution to this." "Hm. Agreed," Fahmexa said. "Face-down, I win, face-up, you win?" Jeo nodded, casting the coin high above them and murmering a prayer to the gods of luck. It arced back down to earth, spinning all the way, before plummeting into the fire, sending up a plume of sparks and smoke... Jeo the Yellow leaned over the fire, gazing down at the coin. Face down. He cursed. The gods of luck had betrayed him. Betrayed him when it counted most. He sighed, drawing a long knife blade as the soldiers closed in on him. As much as he hated it, his hand was being forced. "We didn't want this. None of us wanted to kill you, that was never our mission. We just wanted to delay you! But you, you colorless monsters are just too bloodthirsty! You won't stop until everyone is dead, and I'm not willing to die just to avoid killing you. But you brought this upon yourself. I'm sorry." With that, Jeo charged the soldiers, lashing out at the closest target, assailing Sarcoline with a ferocity born of desperation. She brought up a shortsword to stab him in the side, and then another soldier struck him in the back with something heavy. Jeo went down, and an intense but fleeting pain in the base of his neck ended it. "Well," Ivy noted, "I'm glad nobody else was hurt." "Not... Quite... True," Sarcoline wheezed, collapsing near Jeo's body, exposing the handle of Jeo's knife protruding from her abdomen, angled upwards towards more vital organs. "Somebody with medical training, quick!" Eilen shouted. "I... don't know if that will help," Sarcoline said in a quiet voice, her breathing extremely forced. "My painting... Please," she forced out. One of the soldiers ran to fetch the painting. [To be continued. As I understand it, Ripple has an actual painting to share.] It was only later that day that the lifeless came, to claim Jeo's body where it lay slain by the campfire. Nobody made a move to stop them from gathering the body or Jeo's possessions, and the lifeless made no move to hinder the camp as they held the burial of Sarcoline. For a brief, fleeting moment, there was an unspoken peace as both sides tended to their dead in their own ways. The beginning of this scene was originally a response to the tied vote, but I think it's appropriate regardless of the final vote count, given that this is the death scene of Jeo the Yellow. Also, credits to Joe for his dying speech. And to Ripple ‘cause like I said pretty sure they have plans. Go upvote them maybe. Vote Tally Joe (4)- Devotary, Ripple, Arinian, Brightness Devotary (2)- Joe, Monster Monster (1)- Ecthelion A Joe in the Bush has been lynched! Identity of the deceased: RippleGylf has been murdered! Identity of the deceased: Player List 1. A Joe in the Bush as Jeo the Yellow Hallandren 2. Elenion as Gormund Oscarson Idrian 3. Randuir as commander Jaaver Idrian Captain 4. Livinglegend as Lucky Idrian Sentry 5. Shqueeves as Shu Idrian Awakener 6. Bort as Bort the Brute Idrian Captain 7. BrightnessRadiant as Ivy 8. Straw as Straw Idrian 9. TheMightyLopen as Vaati Idrian 10. MacThorstenson as Mac Idrian 11. Devotary of Spontaneity as Fahmexa 12. Ecthelion as Eärendil 13. Coop772 as Salthis Idrian 14. MonsterMetroid as Roid 15. Droughtbringer as Zaffer Hallandren Awakener 16. RippleGylf as Sarcoline Idrian 17. Arinian as Elien Rollover

This cycle is now closed, the following one should be together shortly.

The vote tallies are in a kind of order, but not that particular kind. It's ordered by placement in the player list, since that is also the order of players in the spreadsheet.

But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. An eye for an eye, as the saying went, was not enough. For Zaffer, double agent, Scarf-stealer, liar, deciever, monster, even, did not play to get even. He played to get ahead. There were rules, yes, but they were created by something lesser than him, something that was mortal. The sound of a hundred footsteps marching in unison pounded towards Zaffer, the sound of death. He raced across the rooftops, casting off the cloak that had covered his true form, not a litteral cloak, but a mental one. He grew larger, his muscles becoming more defined, the slight limp to his step disappearing, and he returned to what he truly was, a Returned. A God. He leaped with the strength of 10 men, his legs now pulsing with the energy of life. The footsteps began to fade, but it would not be long before they caught back up. He quickly whipped out a rope, his target underneath him. And gave the simple command, "Entangle." He entered an old warehouse, it was out of the way, but it was where is true work went on, eight figures stood there silently, each the modified form of those that had destroyed by the hatred of their brothers and sisters. The last one was ready, and he quickly spoke to it, Awaken to my Breath, serve my needs, live at my Command and at my word. Technicolor Scarf. As he gave the newest, and last, lifeless the new Security Phrase, he draped the scarf that he stole earlier across its shoulders, a slight glint still registering somewhere in his brain. He went down the line saying each security phrase, one after another, each decorated with a beautiful work of art, that seemed to contain more than just beauty, but souls. Now that they were all ready, Zaffer spoke a final command. "Destroy Shu." And the Lifeless left. The pounding of footsteps slowly returned, drawing closer to him, and he flung his 'cloak' back on him, his form returning to that of a cripple, his leg flaring with pain. The steps were closer now, closing in on him, but Zaffer was content, not only would Shu be killed, but the only source of information along with him. A pounding echoed on his door, that was followed with the sharp sound of cracking wood. Zaffer kept his eyes clothes, and could feel the sting as a blade but into his eye. Shu had been walking, having talked his way our of death, convincing those that he was good. That was when the Rope fell. It entangled him, tying his arms together in tight knots, dropping him where he stood. He moved slowly, the Rope seeming to loosen, and slowly worked his way out. His left hand was free, quickly followed by his right, his legs following after. He got to his feet, and saw someone he knew standing at the end of the road. "You wouldn't believe what just happened to me!" He exclaimed "Lucky, I-" he cut off as he realized that Lucky was dead, yet was somehow standing in front of him. Lifeless he thought, slowly backing away. Lucky advanced on him, and he turned to run, only to slam right into Vaati, knocking him to the ground. After orienting himself, he looked up only to be surrounded by dead faces, each adorned with some odd trinket. He looked at each face, Gormund, Jaaver, Straw, Mac, Salthis, along with Vaati and Lucky from before. Their hands began to decend towards him, and he let out a single scream as his eye was ripped from his socket. The guards in the area quickly rushed towards the sound of the scream, and found was used to be a body surrounded by Lifeless. They took out their weapons, and began to chop the Lifeless apart, hoping to stop anything like this from happening to anyone else. As the Scarf hit the ground, the deal was done. An eye for an eye, and more. This writeup has been brought to you by: @Droughtbringer! Go upvote them. Vote Tally Drought (7)- Shqueeves, Brightness, Devotary, Monster, Ripple, Arinian, Ecthelion Shqueeves (2)- Drought, Joe Drought has been lynched! Identity of the deceased: Shqueeves has been murdered! Identity of the deceased: Player List 1. A Joe in the Bush as Jeo the Yellow 2. Elenion as Gormund Oscarson Idrian 3. Randuir as commander Jaaver Idrian Captain 4. Livinglegend as Lucky Idrian Sentry 5. Shqueeves as Shu Idrian Awakener 6. Bort as Bort the Brute Idrian Captain 7. BrightnessRadiant as Ivy 8. Straw as Straw Idrian 9. TheMightyLopen as Vaati Idrian 10. MacThorstenson as Mac Idrian 11. Devotary of Spontaneity as Fahmexa 12. Ecthelion as Eärendil 13. Coop772 as Salthis Idrian 14. MonsterMetroid as Roid 15. Droughtbringer as Zaffer Hallandren Awakener 16. RippleGylf as Sarcoline 17. Arinian as Elien Rollover

Cycle's up. And now, you get to find out if it was Drought or Shqueeves who was evil. Stay tuned

Hmmm I'm betting a spike to the appendix can steal aluminum allomancy, because both the appendix and aluminum allomancy are regarded as useless* to possess. Time to hunt up my experiment archives on obscure bind points. *The dark alley may or may not have found uses for both of these assets, in fields including but potentially not limited to: culinary arts, sequestration of investiture, genetic experimentation, hemalurgically induced telepathy, and hemalurgically induced mind control.

Well, that's a writeup done, title art will come later. Got to go for now. EDIT: Title art is good to go too. Note to self: Try to do some of these ahead of time. The graphics are pretty simple but still. Also the countdown site is up and running again.

Actual canonical lifeless are basically mindless zombies, yep. They do inherit the skills and muscle memory of the corpse they were made from, but they don't have anything approximating free will. If I wanted a truly canonical lifeless game mechanic, I would have given the awakeners the ability to use a dead person's power. I decided not to do that for this game.

Bort the Brute rolled out of his bedroll, groaning. He didn't feel well, at all. He tried to get up, but found he was too dizzy to stand properly, even leaning on his favorite spiky club. He sat back down on his bedroll, shivering. There had been talk about disease spreading in the camp, but nothing like this. He hollered for a soldier to come. "Stay back," Bort cautioned. "What is it, sir?" one of them asked. "I've caught something. I feel bloody horrible. Tell the othe--" Bort was interrupted as he had to lean over to throw up. The soldier ran to go call for help. "I don't like this. What if Captain Bort was poisoned?" Jeo speculated. "Hm, that actually makes a lot of sense," Ivy said, nodding. "Well... If our captain was poisoned, who'd want to kill him? Maybe somebody who Bort discredited?" "So... Salthis," Zaffer concluded. The four stared at Salthis. The other soldiers seemed to be nodding their heads, and the marshal wasn't in sight to stop them. "Did you poison Bort?" they asked him. Salthis tried to respond, but was pushed to the ground, where they started kicking him. He didn't get back up. Later that night, the camp held a burial service. They dug a mass-grave close to but not over the perimeter imposed by the lifeless, depositing all of those who had died in the past few days. The soldiers stood in a loose ring, their heads bowed, while the marshal said a few words, ending on "...and may Austre give them rest." They kept their heads bowed, as one by one, the members of the camp approached the grave to say their respects, each uttering a few words of respect over the dead. When they looked up, it was obvious that something was very wrong. At some point while paying their respects, heads bowed, eyes closed, all the color had drained from the bodies of the fallen. A quiet moment of dread permeated the camp as comprehension dawned on them. Bort began to pick himself up, quickly followed by others. The ring around the grave scattered, fleeing for the town hall. They barricaded themselves in, breathing heavily, praying that the lifeless would not be able to enter. "It was you," Zaffer said in a quiet voice, looking at Shu. "I saw you do it. You created those creatures from our dead, just now." The others in the hall glanced between the two of them, stunned. Vote Tally Coop (4)- Joe, Brightness, Devotary, Drought Drought (2)- Shqueeves, Coop Arinian (1)- Ecthelion Brightness (1)- Monster Joe (1)- Ripple Ecthelion (1)- Arinian Coop has been lynched! Identity of the deceased: Bort has died of plague! Identity of the deceased: Player List 1. A Joe in the Bush as Jeo the Yellow 2. Elenion as Gormund Oscarson Idrian 3. Randuir as commander Jaaver Idrian Captain 4. Livinglegend as Lucky Idrian Sentry 5. Shqueeves as Shu 6. Bort as Bort the Brute Idrian Captain 7. BrightnessRadiant as Ivy 8. Straw as Straw Idrian 9. TheMightyLopen as Vaati Idrian 10. MacThorstenson as Mac Idrian 11. Devotary of Spontaneity as Fahmexa 12. Ecthelion as Eärendil 13. Coop772 as Salthis Idrian 14. MonsterMetroid as Roid 15. Droughtbringer as Zaffer 16. RippleGylf as Sarcoline 17. Arinian as Elien Rollover

Cycle is over. Next one up shortly.

The eliminator team needs to outnumber the village to win.

Rollover is approximately two and a half hours from now.

rip. This is what happens when I do tallies late at night. I’ll fix the tally momentarily. At least this doesn’t change the lynch outcome.

Amaranth gazed down at Gormund's dead body, slumped in a small puddle of coughed up blood. "This," he announced, voice quavering, "cannot go on. I will not sit calmly while you slaughter each other! Bring me the one who is responsible for this." The soldiers glanced at each other uneasily. "Well? Who did this??" The soldiers shuffled backwards from the marshall. Vaati wasn't quite quick enough. "Vaati. You have something to say?" "Wel--" "He did it," Eilen spoke from the crowd. "He poisoned Gormund!" "Silence, Eilen," another spoke, "I'm inclined to think you aren't exactly impartial in all of this." "Yes, captain sir," Eilen responded, looking down. Vaati nodded to the captain in appreciation. "See, I didn--" "If Eilen can't talk, I will!" Ivy spoke out, interrupting Vaati. "He's an evil minish sorceror!!" "What makes you think he is a sorceror?" Amaranth asked. "Well, he turned me into a hat!!" Eärendil volunteered. "A hat?!" Amaranth asked, genuinely flabbergasted. Eärendil paused. "I got better." "This is rid--" Vaati started again. "Very well," Amaranth said. "Murder is a serious crime. It will not be tolerated, even if there are traitors. Especially if there are traitors," he said, glaring at Vaati. "Though at this point the presence of Hallandren agents is becoming doubtful," he added. Amaranth gestured for the soldiers restraining Vaati to hold him on the ground. "The premeditated murder of a fellow soldier in wartime is a serious crime." The marshal's sword fell, severing Vaati's head from his body. "It will be met with swift judgement." Sarcoline stood in the center of the camp, glaring up at the sky. "I'm fed up with this!! YOU HEAR ME?!!" she bellowed up to the clouds. The clouds did not respond. "THINK YOU CAN IGNORE ME, HUH?! THIS IS ALL SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE, ISN'T IT?! WELL I'M ON TO YOUR TRICKS!!! I'M ON TO THEM!!!" Her voice echoed throughout the camp for a short while. Salthis walked up to Sarcoline and said "I reckon you've got the right idea. Here, let me help." "YOU UP THERE!!! YEAH, YOU, UGLY!!! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!!!" And so the pair stood together, shaking their fists at the sky and shouting profanities. The clouds overhead began to darken. "I KNOW YOU'RE LISTENING!!! ANSWER ME!!!" Salthis shouted. Brilliant multi-hued lightning flashed about overhead, a deafening chorus of thunder following a moment behind. A violet arc of electricity struck just in front of the pair, a warning shot that knocked the two of them off of their feet. The pair staggered away, running as fast as they could to seek cover as bolts of iridescent lightning rained down around them. Sarcoline crouched inside the former town hall, out of breath, leaning on the wall for support. "Well, that was close." Lucky blinked, eyes bleary from sleep, trying to get his bearings. He had been having a delightful afternoon nap; it had been disturbed by something... loud. It didn't take long to locate the source of disturbance. Scintillating bolts of lightning tore through the sky overhead, some making contact with the camp below. He blinked, half convinced he was still dreaming. Have to get inside... Part of him processed. He started towards the town hall. A bolt of viridian lightning struck just in front of him, deafening Lucky. It's okay, he reassured himself. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. He took a step forward. There was a second flash of light and a searing pain consumed him as a second bolt of lightning struck the same place. As Lucky's consciousness faded, a final thought crossed his mind. How very unlucky... Mac nibbled on a cookie, ruminating on the recent happenings. Apparently the marshal put Vaati to death, although Mac hadn't been there. Kind of ironic, really. At the end of the day, it had been just yet another murder. He finished his cookie, then glanced up at the sky, noting a nasty stormcloud that was starting to develop overhead. Probably should get inside. A multicolored flash from the sky blinded him, followed by an improbably loud peal of thunder that made his ears ring. Bolts of supernatural judgement began raining down on the camp. Definitely should get inside. He would have, too, if it weren't for the ghost that had just appeared in front of him. Hard to make out features, but there was clearly a translucent, human-shaped apparition blocking his path. Another joined the first, blocking his path. Tones. What on Nalthis did I put in that cookie, he thought. First the freak storm, now ghosts?? I'm losing my mind. It was the last thought that went through his head before he was ended in a flash of vermilion. I regret to say the activity filter was triggered this cycle, twice. I am still impressed as a whole by the activity levels in the game, though. Vote Tally Lopen (2)- Bort, Ecthelion, Arinian Arinian (2)- Joe, Coop Ecthelion (1)- Shqueeves Legend (1)- Lopen Ripple (1)- Devotary Mac (1)- Monster Brightness (1)- Drought Drought (1)- Ripple Monster (1)- Brightness TheMightyLopen has been lynched! Identity of the deceased: Livinglegend has been struck dead! Identity of the deceased: MacThorstensen has been struck dead! Identity of the deceased: Player List 1. A Joe in the Bush as Jeo the Yellow 2. Elenion as Gormund Oscarson Idrian 3. Randuir as commander Jaaver Idrian Captain 4. Livinglegend as Lucky Idrian Sentry 5. Shqueeves as Shu 6. Bort as Bort the Brute 7. BrightnessRadiant as Ivy 8. Straw as Straw Idrian 9. TheMightyLopen as Vaati Idrian 10. MacThorstenson as Mac Idrian 11. Devotary of Spontaneity as Fahmexa 12. Ecthelion as Eärendil 13. Coop772 as Salthis 14. MonsterMetroid as Roid 15. Droughtbringer as Zaffer 16. RippleGylf as Sarcoline 17. Arinian as Elien Rollover

The day is spent; goodnight. We shall soon see what happens in the next chapter of this.

Similar to when Sazed was wearing glasses while storing eyesight. It increased the amount of eyesight he could store at a given time before it would hinder his ability to function.

Because allowing those votes has the potential to significantly undermine this game's activity filter, I have reached a decision not to count those votes as legitimate. @Coop and @RippleGylf, you have been warned. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Question: Are there any secret rules or roles? Answer: Well, if there were, I probably wouldn't tell you. And if there weren't, I probably shouldn't tell you. My best recommendation is that you use your best judgement to decide. Question: Is there an eliminator team? Answer: This is stated in the game rules: The loyalists win if all the Hallandren Agents are dead. Because the game is still running, you can be certain that there is at least one player alive whose alignment is "Hallandren Agent."

Hmmm what about something like the cytonics game mechanic in the Saving Elysium QF a little while back? Basically everybody could target somebody with cytonics as an action. If the person you targeted targets you back with any action that cycle, their action fails and they die (if two people targeted each other with cytonics, pretty sure both of them were supposed to die, but I don't think that ever happened). It was an interesting game mechanic. As I recall, it didn't see very much action, because the game was over so quickly (I was on the elim team and we pretty much got annihiliated) but this mechanic reminds me a little of the poison/antidote thing.

Marshall Incarnadine glared at the soldiers. "Now, listen up! We've lost two good soldiers, and for what? Mob violence? Gambling?? Austre, we've shed more of our own blood then they have!! Put a stop to this. Next time you have reason to think somebody here's a traitor, you take them to me." He turned to leave, but paused. "Oh, and one more thing," he said, expression darkening. "I don't want to see any more gambling." Later that night, a large ring of soldiers sat huddled around the fire. "New round, everyone ante up," Jeo whispered. An assortment of coins, cookies, and a belt knife all clattered on the table. Salthis glanced at his cards, sighed, then threw them face down on the table. "I fold." "I'll raise," Sarcoline said, dropping an additional cookie on the pile. Zaffer, Ivy, Bort, Jeo, Vaati, Shu, Mac, Roid, Elien, and Gormund all followed suit. 'Round they went, as was their habit by now. This particular game went to Gormund, who claimed the sizable stack of bits and bobs that had accumulated in the game. Mac scowled as he saw Gormund hoarding his precious cookies. "Cheat," he whispered. "You rigged that hand." "Agreed. Maybe we should teach him a lesson," Eilen piped up. "Is that so? Friend, I'll play you again, game of your choosing, and I bet I'll still beat you." "What would you bet me? I don't want your pile of cookies, and nothing in your will belongs to you anymore," Eilen taunted. "Well, it's about time you raised the stakes," somebody said. "To the death!" The onlookers gazed on with a kind of hunger. Truth was, some of them had been waiting for this moment. The only way to fix things was to kill the traitor, and perhaps framing it in the form of a game helped them cope. There were few fair ways to decide who lives and who dies. "Didn't want it to come to this, but I take it there's no backing out at this point?" Various members of the crowd shook their heads. Mac laid out three identical cookies on the table, then held up a small vial. "Needless to say, all three of these are spiked, but one of them is not like the others. One of them has a poison, odorless, tasteless and highly soluble. The others don't." He glanced at Eilen and Gormund. "You two pick who eats which, then we find out." "But it's so simple," Gormund explained. "All I have to do is divine from what I know of you. Are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own cookie, or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own cookie, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the cookie in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool; you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the cookie in front of me." "You've made your decision then?" "Well, yes, actually. If I can't pick either the one in front of you or me, I'll pick the one in front of Eilen." Eilen shrugged. They each bit into their cookies. Gormund brushed the crumbs off his front, cookie finished. "So, who's supposed to die n--" He collapsed, the poison setting in quickly. "Guess my--" he stuttered, before being overcome by a fit of coughing. "Guess my cousin got what he wanted. *cough* Colors-cursed will. Do me a favor and tell him he's a--" And with that, Gormund seized up, pulse extinguished. Hope I did an alright job of the writeup on short notice; the person slated to die changed fifteen minutes before rollover and I'm trying to get these up sooner. Also: If you have special requests for death RP, I'll make it happen; feel free to shoot me a PM. Vote Tally Mac (3)- Elenion, Monster, Arinian Arinian (3)- Shqueeves, Mac, Ripple Elenion (3)- Bort, Joe, Lopen Shqueeves (2)- Brightness, Drought Bort (1)- Livinglegend Joe (1)- Devotary Brightness (1)- Ecthelion Drought (0)- Coop Elenion has been lynched! Identity of the deceased: Player List 1. A Joe in the Bush as Jeo the Yellow 2. Elenion as Gormund Oscarson Idrian 3. Randuir as commander Jaaver Idrian Captain 4. Livinglegend as Lucky 5. Shqueeves as Shu 6. Bort as Bort the Brute 7. BrightnessRadiant as Ivy 8. Straw as Straw Idrian 9. TheMightyLopen as Vaati 10. MacThorstenson as Mac 11. Devotary of Spontaneity as Fahmexa 12. Ecthelion as Eärendil 13. Coop772 as Salthis 14. MonsterMetroid as Roid 15. Droughtbringer as Zaffer 16. RippleGylf as Sarcoline 17. Arinian as Elien Rollover

...and goodnight! Morning will come in a couple minutes... For most of you, anyways

Also they also had that hydra game. Which was similar to the aforementioned QF that we were paired in as I recall.