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Fifth Scholar

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  1. Fifth Scholar
    Ripling turned an iron stare onto Randen, scarcely believing the words he heard from the soldier. “I am well acquainted with your presence, sir, given its particular insistence upon running a gambling ring in the middle of an official investigation,” he huffed. “Your story, however, does little to bolster your point. To be sure, the Emperor has dealt us all different hands, but to call one hand superior to another from the cards within it would be folly. Life is not a game where only a certain set of cards and results will win. I myself am not from noble background; my parents were merchants, and not particularly successful ones either, and they disdained my study of the arts and my devotion to the Emperor, which I scraped together from my own funds. Yet it is not devotion to a cause when the cause is to one’s own benefit or agreement that is to be commended, but rather the work which is done upon orders, the work which is often unpleasant or difficult, the work whose faithfulness is done in the trust of the coming results, which can truly be seen as excellent. I know little of the Emperor yet, and certainly in my time among the soldiers, there is little to be said for the ‘work’ we oft perform. Nonetheless, we do it, without expectation of reward—we do it because it is assigned us, because it is right. “Both boys you tell of sound noble to my ears, regardless of their end. But to speak of ‘oppression’ is to ignore the providence of the Emperor. Both lives were lived in maximal service to Him, and are thus in no way to be discounted by either of us. Yet gambling is different entirely, and it would be remiss to throw away the advantages and fortunes which have been given to those under orders, such as we, on such uncertain grounds.” Ripling paused, unable to summon more verse from the depths of his memory. “It seems I have had a longer nap than was perhaps fitting, and will thus be unable to meaningfully parse what you have been assiduously debating. I will leave others to beg the favour of our captain, and withdraw my opinion for the present as I consider further what has been written. Is it not justly said that the fool rushes in where angels dare not tread? Though I have suffered much, folly shall not be charged to my account for this.” ooc: Y’all I forgot how fast QFs move Going to read PMs and the thread and try to place a vote before the cycle closes—most of this post was (thankfully) saved in my text editor. If I had to pick a name out of a hat to suspect, it’d probably be Archer at this stage. Wiz, we’ll do a poetry slam later
  2. Fifth Scholar
    Ripling gravitated towards the older man as he began speaking, grateful for a more sensible voice to have begun declaiming amongst the rabble of soldiers. “Ah, my good sir. You do well to chastise these youths for their hotheadedness and impudence. Truly, to disrespect one’s elders is a grave offence, for it is nothing more than the refusal to respect a rightful authority, and there is no authority more rightful than His Excellency himself. Who should countermand an elder, when his true Elder provides for him the radiance of the Eighty Suns? Or who might gainsay a father, when the fatherly hand of the Emperor guides the Rose Empire into its new dawn? It is right that our forefathers themselves have declared of our magistrates: ‘Beneath them sit the aged men, wise guardians of the poor; Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door.’ “But certainly, sir, with this being said, you must realise your reverent position makes it all the more imperative that you encourage good and upright behaviour amongst the youth you rightly excoriate. For who can follow well, if he has not a leader to look to whose example can truly be called just? And though the Emperor provides the greatest model of rule for us all, our necessary distance from His divinity makes it all the more imperative that we have other figures who will rightly reflect the stewardship He performs perfectly. And for you, sir, to be involving yourself in the gambling and the vast uncertainty which it entails—you only risk giving these rascals who would throw off all guidance of their elders and fathers more grounding for their otherwise spurious charges of hypocrisy and neglect. “Yet on account of the respect I have for your seniority, I will say that there are likely only two in this foolish sedition. Were there three, we would be in too grave a peril, and I am reminded of another set of words from of old: ‘When beggars die, there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.’ “Were this company, and our beloved captain, in too grave a danger, a danger which three traitors in a company of eleven may well represent, the Suns themselves, held in orbit by His Excellency, would surely give warning. Yet they are silent.”
  3. Fifth Scholar
    Ripling looked over the man who had so rudely accosted him. He was a dishevelled figure, to be sure, the kind the Emperor would never permit to wander the streets if His rightful authority would simply be recognised. “A fellow poet, eh? Well did His Excellency speak, in the first verse of His most sainted address to the people of this nation: ‘Sir, I admit your general rule That every poet is a fool;’ “Yet, while His Excellency would not dwell further on such a subject, preferring instead to extend the labelling of dotards with his masterful retort, ‘Yet you yourself may serve to show it That every fool is not a poet,’ I am afraid that among the many beneficent qualities which the Emperor possesses and I do not, resides also the virtue of restraint. And so, sirrah, I address you now directly for your exceptional breach of propriety. While I may indeed be a poet and a fool for the sake of the Emperor and His wisdom, that through the folly of my verse His manifold wisdom may be more clearly revealed, I see in your comportment nothing to suggest even the remotest trace of a purpose to your exceptional folly. Pray tell, among such a den of thieves and liars, what could possibly serve you to pluck me out, a personal herald of His Excellency and a believer in the Eighty Suns which He oversees, in such a manner? Would that we were questioning these others, who gamble with their money and their livelihoods, trusting their fortunes to the tumbling of a die or the shuffling of a pack of cards, rather than the surety of the Emperor and His good purposes!”
  4. Fifth Scholar
    “…my Lord, to hold Dominion of the Cosmere is beyond your power…” it hurt. it hurt so much, why was there the line of pain across his back, through his heart, through his spine, forever bleeding out the remnants of “…it is an impossible task. Already the great factions are gathering once more, and who are we to go back into this? The ASWA is done! The assault on the Autonomous aspects failed, the trapper Returned to die, you have died, it cannot behoove you to once again…” but he was awake, awake here with the screams of the tortured and the songs of the damned, and he was damned, and the power of the damned stood before him and he knew that to reclaim it it would be to end the pain to replace it with a worse pain, that pain of need, that pain of knowing the need would only become deeper and worse and the despair mounted into “…the pact you have forged with Endowment and Honour will not permit this! They stand ready to hold you at your word, surely you cannot hope to overcome the might of not one but…” “No.” Darrel’s voice, strained, cut through the silence. “I cannot sit this out. I…” “my Lord. My Lord?” “Go,” the voice rasped, holding out a pair of badly dyed pink leather gloves. “Go for me.” Darrel is retired. But that doesn’t mean that Dr. Mattathias Gunther can’t try to do some damage on his behalf.
  5. Fifth Scholar
    I will join as Kudyard Ripling, an Imperialist Poet. His verses are quickly composed, but very pious. The eighty suns around Him swirl, The storms and tempests fury hurl, Yet watching ev’ry knave and churl Is the Emperor in His tower. Restraining every foreign pow’r With countenance serene yet dour, And ush’ring in the final hour Is the Emperor in His hold. His fury both severe and cold, His soldiers to the battle bold, His vast dominions from of old: ’Tis the Emperor on His throne. If, chance, an emblem brightly shone That claimed a power o’er His own They soon found out that He alone Is the Emperor of the world.
  6. Fifth Scholar
    I loved LG60, but I’m gonna have to plead schoolwork and sit this one out. Up to Elan whether she wants me as a half-mute in spec, or as a pinch-hitter after 12 May, if the game runs that long.
  7. Fifth Scholar
    Will decline, I believe, though I appreciate the selection—next few months look rampantly busy. I like our current share of candidates regardless
  8. Fifth Scholar
    I will take the spec doc. Time is too tight right now unfortunately :/
  9. Fifth Scholar
    Y'all were misleading yourselves so nicely in the first half of the game too had I decided on Ash's clues for fun I would have gone enhanced strength + chouta but that would have been very easy to sus out anyone want to confess
  10. Fifth Scholar
    “Noticed by bystander” seems to capture the left-behind evidence pretty well. But everything else (status of victim and his body) would seem to point to the How of the killing. Araris can swap out tiles, so it’s not inconceivable we’ll get more evidence hints later. For your part, if you think that “hint on corpse” points to evidence, what would you consider a “partial” hint or trace, as opposed to an “all-over” one? Just size?
  11. Fifth Scholar
    The strongest argument I can offer against me being the murderer in this way (because it isn't a terrible fit) is that given my options, I'd have chosen something way cooler, like an Aon-Shao-wielding Pet Monkey The issue I actually have with animal attacks is the Partial thing. Whitespines and the like aren't going to leave any part of you intact when they're done with you. Was contemplating an Air-Powered Bow but am struggling to fit it into the old slave/wilderness narrative, and there isn't great matching evidence pieces to go with there either
  12. Fifth Scholar
    Hmm. Severe injury/wilderness/sudden sound seems to be rather limiting. Not sure how much we should make of the victim information; “partial” as hint on corpse sounds vague enough that it seems Araris might not have had better options, and age/rank might rule out a few evidence pieces but probably not much else.
  13. Fifth Scholar
    O sorrow dread, The Ja is dead! Upon the Cosmere stranded, There his soul enlivened us As his life was ended. Athanasius blames the Neinth person (Aragorn) for the death of the Ja.
  14. Fifth Scholar
    Alighting as an Ardent Anti-Apostate, Athanasius.
  15. Fifth Scholar
    I'm finding the most interesting clues for me to sort through the Naked one, as well as the combination of religious worship being ongoing but the location not being temple/church. That might let us rule out a few of the more 'ritualistic' ones? Overall I agree with Sart that this is hard to piece together in my brain. edit: is it fair to rule out the more 'magic'-y methods of murder like Soulcasting, Aons, etc., since Araris didn't give us a 'supernatural' clue for cause of death?
  16. Fifth Scholar
    …I think I need to go read some Coppermind articles
  17. Fifth Scholar
    Might have to withdraw and be a possible pinch-hitter; schedule is looking a bit tight right now. :/
  18. Fifth Scholar
    Joining as the Just Judge Jehoshaphat.
  19. Fifth Scholar
    Don't be a Lurcher and I won't shoot you, what can I say Good game y'all. Was a blast even if my accuracy was less than ideal...
  20. Fifth Scholar
    Araris?? weg, weg mit dem aaaaaaaahhhhh
  21. Fifth Scholar
  22. Fifth Scholar
    What if the world is upside down and it’s Araris and TJ >>
  23. Fifth Scholar
    WAIT a horrible terrible idea just occurred to me @StrikerEZ will the convert flip as a Spiked, or as a Spiked convert? I.e. are they differentiated from regular Spiked henchmen?
  24. Fifth Scholar
    Well, rusts. We’re probably dead either way then. But I do think Bip still fits neatly in most of the elim teams. maybe once I am done translating Greek I will map out whatever the storms has been going on
  25. Fifth Scholar
    I maintain Aman is lying about being a Thug if he’s evil
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