xinoehp512

But the red herrings were actually pink salmon.

Which were an inferior form.

Maern didn’t sleep well that night. The following day was quite a struggle. Maern’s tired brain refused to focus on anything but the looming yet hidden threat that they all now faced. (He did get his homework turned in, though- there was no way he was forgetting that.) He’d been told to be wary and careful for Fae disguised as students, but… how was he supposed to recognize Fae? It wasn’t like he’d ever seen one before. And what was he supposed to do if he did get a suspicion of someone? Report it to the Masters? What if he accidently reported an innocent student as a Fae by mistake? That would hardly endear him to the student in question (or the Masters, for that matter). But he could hardly confirm that someone was Fae, either- even if he had known a way to determine for certain, was he really willing to confront a being that might be older than humanity itself? In the end, he could only come to one conclusion. Maern might not be prepared for them now, but he certainly wasn’t going to go down without a fight if he could help it. So he needed to know more about the Fae: who they were, what they could do, and most importantly, how he could defend himself against them. Because here, more than anywhere, knowledge was power.

Maern paused, letting the other Masters file out the door. “Yes, Master Rhetorician?” He paused. “Is this about my missing homework? Because-” The Master snorted. “No- although you’d better turn that in by tomorrow, you understand?” Maern nodded vigorously. “I wish to talk to you about something else.” He gave a furtive glance to the side to make sure all the other Masters had departed, then began to speak quietly. “I’m sure you’re wondering what, exactly, the crime is that you were charged with?” Surprised, Maern nodded. “I wondered, but…” “...didn’t want to ask? Yes, that would make sense. However, I feel you have a right to know.” The Master leaned in. “Did you hear what happened to the noble by the name of Onur Setyn?” Maern looked at him, confused. “He went insane, right?” A thought suddenly occurred to him. “You don’t think that I had anything to do with it… right?” The Master’s face told him all he needed to know. “But, but…” said Maern helplessly. “How could I drive someone insane? How could anyone?” The Master Rhetorician sighed. “I don’t think that it was you- and I think that the other Masters have been likewise convinced. However,” he said, voice turning serious, “we do believe that Mr Setyn’s insanity does not stem from natural causes- that it was, in fact, intentionally triggered.” Maern swallowed. “But… that’s impossible, right? No human can just… make people go insane. Right?” “No human” said the Master darkly. “But there are more things than human in this world.” Maern’s blood ran cold. “Fae,” he whispered. The Master nodded, turning away to leave. “Watch your fellow students carefully. Carry holly at all times.” He paused at the door and shot one last look back. “And, above all else, be careful.” With that, he left, pulling the door shut behind him. ---- Oh yes, right. Walin was another one who gave a reason for inactivity. Sorry, got a little mixed-up in the brain there. I concur. (Full disclosure- I also don't want to be brought On the Horns again, either. ) Perhaps his Noble station had something to do with it? It plays into the elim's interests to get rid of the powerful villagers, if they can. Araris is the last noble that has not yet been voted for (besides Coda), so I might as well throw a vote down on them. Hmm... what else to say? I guess I have a few questions. In the Tuition Reductions section, Purchasing an item from the apothecary and placing a request on the Black Market both have variable payouts. Is there a way to calculate what the value of the reduction from buying a particular item/selling a particular contract will be? On the topic of tuition reductions, what in a post will count as 'quality thread participation?' Is it just any talking that isn't RP? Does it need to be a specific color? (If it does, then I probably need to know before you lock the previous threads, because I most definitely have not been doing that). @Elbereth please and thank you.

Signing up as Hades.

Maern sat fidgeting in the chair as the Master's discussed what his fate would be. He felt warm, hot even- how had he ever thought the temperature was freezing? He tried to pay attention to to the Masters, but he could barely focus on anything besides how horrible the consequences of this could wind up being. Luckily, most of what he heard seemed favorable- but there were a few unfavorable comments here and there. Suddenly he realized that the Masters had finished speaking and were turning to look at him. The worm of dread in his stomach twisted and grew into a serpent of terror. One of the Masters cleared their throat. "We are pleased to inform you," they said, "that you have been cleared of all charges. You are free to go." Maern exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, relaxing back in his seat in relief. Cleared. Whatever it was that they thought he'd done, they'd realized that he hadn't done it. They never said what it was that I was being charged for, did they? he suddenly realized as he stood to leave. Only that it was Conduct Unbecoming. That wasn't usual, was it? "A moment, if you would," said the Master Rhetorician as Maern passed by him on the way to the exit... ---- A quick review of the thread has not guided my gut any further towards a choice of vote. I did, however, collect a player post count list, which I will post below: 1. @Haelbarde(Edema Ruh) 3 2. @Elandera (Noble) 8 3. @Burnt Spaghett(Commoner) 7 4. @DeTess(Commoner) 7 5. @Elkanah (Edema Ruh) 12 6. @Straw(Commoner) 10 7. @xinoehp512 (Commoner) 8 8. @Lord_Silberfarben(Commoner) 8 9. @Coda (Noble) 3 10. @Karnage (Noble) 6 11. @Hemalurgic Headshot (Noble) 2 12. @StrikerEZ (Edema Ruh) 5 13. @Lumgol (Noble) 2 14. @Experience (Commoner) 3 15. @Devotary of Spontaneity (Noble) 7 16. @CadCom (Edema Ruh) 2 17. @Sart (Commoner) 1 18. @Furamirionind (Edema Ruh) 4 19. @Zillah (Commoner) 4 20. @Araris Valerian (Noble) 2 21. @Rathmaskal(Commoner) 1 22. @STINK (Commoner) 1 23. @Kynedath (Edema Ruh) 4 24. @Walin (Commoner) 1 25. @GreenRover (Noble) 1 26. @Young Bard (Commoner) 27. @TheMightyLopen (Noble) 6 The only person who did not post last turn was Walin, but he's already posted this turn (and he got brought On the Horns, so we probably shouldn't vote for him anyways). Of the Nobles, Green Rover @GreenRover has posted the least- so I'll echo my vote from last turn. Interestingly enough, the category of people that posted the most on average was, in fact, the Commoners- and not by much, either. Commoners posted an average of 4.25 posts per turn, while Edema Ruh posted 4.16 and Nobles 4.11. I did not check for money earned per post, so I'm not sure how the trends regarding that statistic fall. Perhaps I will complete that task at a later date, or perhaps another will complete it for me. Anyways, 4 posts per person certainly seems like great overall activity- let's keep it up! Posting more can only help you more in your pursuit to purge the fae evil from our school. (Unless you’re a fae, of course, in which case posting will help you destroy our school. But even so, posting more will help us identify you better, so… do it anyways!)

Rather ineptly, as they were also zombies.

They swarmed the zombie army.

Meanwhile, the fully aware mind of Dr Who Octopus schemed in the metallic shell that was, for now, his physical form. He would return himself to flesh and cartilage eventually. For now... it profited him to wait. And to watch.

Maern trudged across the path between University buildings, his worry about poor Onur shifting into worry about the state of his own finances. Maybe I shouldn't have given Kendal those drabs, he thought, then quickly dismissed the idea. The music really had been worth it, and he knew for a fact that the man needed the money far more than he himself did. Besides, he had spare funds- as long as he didn't get targeted by a thief, and as long as he'd made enough of an impression on the Masters for a decently low tuition, he should have enough to pay for both that and lodgings during the next term. It's the one after that I really have to worry about. All of a sudden, a Master stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Maern looked up and into a discomfitingly stern face. "Greetings, Master Rhetorician," he said respectfully. "Did... did you need something?" His voice faltered slightly as the man's eyes bored into him. "It is my duty to inform you," said the man succinctly, "that a complaint has been filed against your name. You are to be brought on the Horns to face charges of Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum. Please report to the meeting room promptly once you have finished your subsequent instructional period." With that, he turned and walked away. Maern could only stare after him in disbelief, dread crawling like a worm in the pit of his stomach. ----- It's at this point in time that votes should start to be determined based on the previous actions of individuals. Of course, the information that we have is rather limited so far, due to the fact that the lynch has not (and likely will not) provide us with significant alignment indicative information. Really, all I have is my gut; and what my gut is telling me is rather conflicted as of yet. I think that I will reread the thread and try to pick out someone suspicious... but I'm probably just going to end up sticking it on a noble anyways. We still do have to worry about the full 45 DP from NPC masters however- which means that a wide vote spread continues to be essential. The probability of certain occurrences will be harder to calculate now that people have had the chance to move to their desired locations and therefore control the outcome in secret ways, but as we can see the current setup was not enough to ensure that people avoided harsh penalties. Whether this was due to simple bad luck or a unusually high number of individuals staying at the Golden Pony is hard to say. Finally, a question- if someone were to be expelled on a charge of Conduct Unbecoming, would the thread be informed? @Elbereth

Oh, no... I completely forgot about the Horns tuition inflation. 2 Talents? That's... wow, nearly my entire contribution for last month. Guess I'll have to do extra to make up for it this month, then. Definitely not a good time to have one's money tab glitched. :\ Which, of course, means more RP. Luckily, I have some ideas. And being brought on the Horns has, I think, given me an opportunity. ---- The Crockery... Rumors passed in quiet whispers through the softly murmuring background of the lecturing hall. Apparently someone - a rich noble, by the sound of things- had gone mad only the night before. Accounts varied, but most seemed to agree that it had been overwork and anxiety that had caused the untimely end to his career. Maern shivered. He could imagine all too well what could have led the poor man up to this- long, constant hours slaving away at schoolwork, constantly seeking out and doing anything and everything that he could do to make a good impression... things slowly building up, one at a time until one day he just- cracked. And that was that. Not exactly the most inspiring of tales, he thought, for those hoping to escape that fate. If even a noble could break, what was to stop him- a mere commoner- from doing the same? Unlike Onur, Maern had to worry about making enough to pay for his tuition, and his lodgings- both things that he had great cause to worry about. Unless he could get his tuition down a significant amount, he was likely going to be forced into less expensive accommodations. Further away accommodations, which would make it all that much harder to impress the Masters- which in turn, would probably cause his tuition to be higher. ---- Forgive me for my potential ignorance, but... wasn't there supposed to be students raised by Masters this turn? Oh, I see. For some reason I thought it would happen during rollover- but of course that doesn't work for PC Masters, does it? As a side note, is 'impressing a Master' simply filing IP at all (no elevation required) and therefore counts for the tuition reduction? If so, that would be quite excellent indeed for my strained finances. (Especially since I've also only just realized that you only get a tuition reduction for your first vote, not your second.) One final, unrelated note that most people have probably noticed anyways- the 1 talent tuition reduction perfectly counterbalances the cost of the performance. So yeah, it's basically free- you just have to have the talent upfront to pay it. (And not have your tuition maxed out, I guess- but if you have that, you probably aren't particularly worried about money.)

And because adventure, Dr Who Octopus was only mostly dead!

Dr Who Octopus cackled evilly. His plan had worked.

But that was irrelevant.

"Hey!" called the whale, who had seen the entire thing. "Whatcha think you're doing?"

It was at this point that the gasper keeled over to the floor, unconscious.

Now cured of all emotion, Dr Who Octopus decided to take over the world.

A rare octopus disease that caused extreme depression.

He became a doctor.

They brought up his IQ to 200.

But the waffles were magic waffles.

Who, surprised at his sudden existence, promptly turned into an octopus.

Who had just returned from a long hiatus.

A valiant whale swung in on a vine to save the thread from meaningless warfare!

The squid ate the waffles happily.