Mat

Once again, the Dalryan Council of Six reaches out to the Gropan Dynasty in hopes of forming an alliance.

Hello everyone! I have conveniently just remembered that I will not be available for rollover tomorrow morning, but Devo hopefully will be around to close the thread. If not, it ends at 10am PST just like normal. Rollover will come 2-3 hours late, and if needed I'll change the rest of the game's rollover time to the same which works out better with my Sunday schedule anyway. Sorry, and thanks!

Cycle Five: Off Course There was nothing worse than being off course in the Forests of Hell, Vinnie decided. Even if he knew roughly how to right their way, the thought of never finding the beaten path again was terrifying. His crew's escape from Wylir's suicide had sent them diagonally through the forest, and it was only due to his superb navigational skills that they stood any chance at all of finding their way. Being lost was made worse by the fact that he wasn't sure how trustworthy the rest of the crewmembers were. Surely Wylir hadn't come alone-- had his guards dosed off purposely, giving him the chance to strike? Was one of the trusted veteran explorers biding their time to strike? It seemed so impossible. Letting Silas take the lead, Vinnie dropped back, wanting to have whispered conversations with his crew. He found that a crew that talked to each other had a higher chance of survival than a crew who didn't, which made sense. Having someone at your back was irreplaceable. Jal was bringing up the rear, so he started there. "So, what's your story?" he asked. "How'd you end up on this mission?" Silence. "I know it's been hard, but you can talk to me. I'm your crewleader! Nothing will happen to you, we found the traitor." The words sounded hollow, even to himself. Again, silence. Jal's eyes pointed forward, giving no acknowledgement to Vinnie's presence. Then, quietly, "You're only talking to me to make peace." Vinnie furrowed his brow. "Whatever do you mean?" "You've heard the others. They think I was Wylir's accomplice. But I would never willfully attract Shades. I'm heir to my father's silver mining company. I'm loaded with silver dust. I hate the ghosts more than anyone here. So leave me alone." The sentences were said in a clipped manner, Jal's expression never changing. Vinnie was taken aback, but he took Jal for their word and moved back to the front. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, after that. It wasn't long after that when conversation was rendered impossible by the underbrush, which seemed to exponentially grow in from all directions. Soon Vinnie was slashing vines and leaves out of the way with his knife, and their progress slowed to a halt. Maybe it was a good thing I only talked to Jal, he thought. I'm glad I was at the front when we entered the thicket. Then, from behind them, a scream tore through the air. Vinnie turned as quickly as he could manage and backtracked through the brush, but it was dark enough and the leaves were thick enough that he had to be right on top of the fallen body to see who it was. Jal. With a knife sticking out of their torso, one that gleamed of steel. It would do nothing to ward off Shades. His eyes widened. Had they been attacked by someone taking advantage of the situation, or were they the traitor, having stabbed themselves when no one was looking? With a final gasping breath, Jal choked out a few words. "It was... It..." Jal coughed. "...was..." Vinnie knelt down. "It was who?" But Jal was gone. Vinnie cursed, putting his hands over his eyes. "Uh, boss?" someone said. Vinnie looked up. "We should... probably get out of here." Vinnie wasn't sure who the man who had spoken was, but he knew that they harbored the largest silver knife of the group. Becoming alert of how much Jal was bleeding, Vinnie nodded and stood. "Of course." That was when a Shade appeared right behind the man with the big knife, and in a moment of irony, Vinnie knew it would do nothing to save him. So he ran. He ran like the coward he was, ran like the kind of man who couldn't save his own crew, hoping that when he slowed there would be still someone to lead. JNV was executed! They were a Crewmember with Silver Dust! Ashbringer was killed! He was a Crewmember who once held a Silver Knife! Vote Count: JNV (5): Ashbringer, The Wandering Wizard, Kasimir, Turtle, xinoehp512 Turtle (1): JNV Cycle Five has begun, and will end in about 24 hours on Saturday, November 12th, at 10am PST. A few things to remember: You may create a single 1-on-1 PM this turn. It must include both myself and Devo. There will be an execution this turn, with no vote minimum. Tied votes will be RNG'd. One action is allotted per turn, to those with the ability to take one. Failure to post will result in a 40% chance of death. Failure to vote will also result in a 40% chance of death. If a Shade is executed today, Violation will take effect. Refer to the rules doc for any further questions, or let myself or Devo know. Player List:

The cycle has ended! Stay tuned for rollover. (Also, I just noticed that the clock on my computer is two minutes slow. Which is weird >> So if you've noticed that I've been a bit late, that's why :P. Fixed now though.)

Bit under an hour left! JNV (5): Ashbringer, The Wandering Wizard, Kasimir, Turtle, xinoehp512 Turtle (1): JNV

If that somehow happened, I think I’d call it a draw as all the elims are dead, but the elims also technically have parity. So yes, but everyone also would lose :P.

Nope. If the RNG hits someone with dust, that's it, it dies off. Not voting is accumulative. So if Turtle doesn't vote again, the chance of death is 50% instead of 40% for the rest of you.

Yes. I never decided whether to have it be more like an attacked/survived, and don't have a problem with revealing that if Devo thinks it's better :P. Edit: Also no, but I also can change that if Devo wants since I don't feel strongly either way. And Silver Dust isn't used up, it's just always there.

Cycle Four: Scholarly Insanity Vinnie viewed the expedition differently, now. Those rocks... they changed everything. All throughout his life, he'd journeyed back and forth across the forests. He'd lost many friends, but always had been aware and skillful enough to survive himself. Sometimes at the expense of others, though the time of his life when he valued only himself was long in the past. But no matter his age, who was with him, or what they were doing, one thing had brought them together through it all. The instinct of survival. Those rocks had been sabotaged. Deliberately. That much was obvious. He'd carefully examined the rocks further and found them all to be identical. When he thought about it, the attempt was laughable-- such a stretch of an attack, with no guarantee of success. And yet, it almost had. The absurdity of setting up a bare firepit in the middle of the Forests of Hell apparently counter-acted the absurdity of spiking some rocks with the hope of drawing blood. But Vinnie could only come to one conclusion. Someone-- or multiple people-- were not here for the purpose of the mission. They were on their own suicide mission, here to kill everyone else. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. Vinnie felt like he was living in one of the old stories, filled with intrigue, mystery, and blood. Those stories had always made it seem so glamorous, and he'd bought that entirely. But he could see now that this wasn't the case. Nothing could be worse than governing a crew where you couldn't tell the difference between the sane and the insane. His crew, it would seem, agreed. They were extremely angry about the sudden strike from the saboteur, especially Keen. Vinnie couldn't help but wonder if the older man was faking his dramatic outrage. He had thought it interesting that Keen seemingly came out of retirement for the mission. This would, however unfortunate the news would be, explain that. The target of most suspicion, however, was a man called Wylir, and Vinnie begrudgingly admitted he could see why. The scholar was already a bit crazed; throughout their journey he had snatched up leaves and traces of dirt for study, and spent long nights awake documenting his research. The fascination seemed unhealthy to Vinnie, but it wasn't his position to judge another's life choices. His crew, however, felt that there was no one else in a better place to have sabotaged the stones. "But Jal was the one to accuse Jo," Wylir had argued. "Obviously it's them." While that was true, Jal had not been the only one, and in the end Wylir's counters were all rendered as inferior to the case against him. Jeffrey Jeffrey had turned to Vinnie and asked permission to apprehend Wylir, and though he resisted the idea he reluctantly admitted that they were better safe than sorry. So Wylir had been tied up, and now sat against a tree, under constant watch. The whole business made Vinnie want to turn back and go home, but he figured that was probably what the saboteurs wanted. Hopefully now that Wylir was under guard, the rest of the mission would go smoothly. It was half past midnight when he was proven wrong. Wylir moved like lightning, springing up from his area of confinement. He had been thoroughly tied and gagged, but was able to stand and leap around without aid of his arms for balance. His guards had dozed off, and while Vinnie was awake he had been lost in thought and could do nothing but watch as Wylir threw himself at a knife held by his guard, who started awake to find Wylir bleeding out on top of him. The gag fell out of his mouth, and he began to cackle. "They're coming!" He gurgled. "They're... coming..." He slumped over, hitting the ground solidly. Dead. The whole exchange happened in less than ten seconds, and it was enough time for Vinnie to reach the scene as quickly as he dared. Though he doubted running would make the situation worse, with that much blood all over the forest floor. As they had the previous night, Shades appeared all around them, angry red eyes blazing. "Forget the silver!" Vinnie bellowed. "RUN!" Despite his words, he grabbed a handful of silver dust in his left hand and clutched a knife in the other and sprinted the opposite direction. He could hear his crew behind him, though he didn't know how many there were. In his experience, a short sprint did wonders in escaping from Shades-- it seemed counterintuitive, but slowing to a walk soon after beginning rarely did more harm than good. The mess left by Wylir would be helpful in their escape. Per his thoughts, Vinnie slowed to a walk and raised a hand, signaling the others to do the same. He tensely raised his knife, but they only had to fend off a few shades, which they easily did. As the group continued to move through the forest, Vinnie took a headcount. Everyone was here. Somehow, they had all survived. The Bookwyrm was executed! He was a Shade with Silver Dust! Vote Count: The Bookwyrm (5): Ashbringer, xinoehp512, JNV, Kasimir, The Wandering Wizard JNV (1): The Bookwyrm Cycle Four has begun, and will end in about 24 hours on Friday, November 11th, at 10am PST. A few things to remember: You may create a single 1-on-1 PM this turn. It must include both myself and Devo. There will be an execution this turn, with no vote minimum. Tied votes will be RNG'd. One action is allotted per turn, to those with the ability to take one. Failure to post will result in a 40% chance of death. Failure to vote will also result in a 40% chance of death. (Unless you're Turtle, in which case failure to vote has a 50% chance of death). If a Shade is executed today, Violation will take effect. Refer to the rules doc for any further questions, or let myself or Devo know. Player List:

Time! No funny gif today :(((

An hour and ten minutes remaining in the cycle! The Bookwyrm (5): Ashbringer, xinoehp512, JNV, Kasimir, The Wandering Wizard JNV (1): The Bookwyrm

Do you guys know who my IM will be? Assuming I still need one.

I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to that

Hey hey hold your judgement until the game is ran good sir You just might be surprised at how balanced it is As will I

Every SS and AA may submit a kill every turn.

It is passive (does not need an action slot) and is not a consumable.

Believe me, I'm aware >> Which is fine, this is a nice shiny BT but I would have rather had more in the QF (That being said, signups are most definitely still open! Call your friends! Come play! :D)

Yes You can pass an item and submit the kill, though.

You do not.

Cycle Three: Silver Linings Vinnie stayed with the crew the following night. He would not have a repeat disaster, not so soon. Silas had been right-- this was the Forests of Hell. Hoping to make it through completely unscathed had been a foolhardy wish, and he should have known better. These people knew what they'd signed up for, and so had he. But he could afford to keep his expectations somewhat optimistic. Accepting defeat only would bring it sooner. At the present moment, they sat around a ring of stones, which was obviously bare. He wasn't sure why they'd bothered to set up the ring, all it did was make Vinnie wish for the warmth of a fire more, but if it amused the crew, so be it. He needed spirits as high as possible the next few days. He wasn't sure who had done it, but it didn't really matter. They spent the night in murmured conversation, but one by one each member of the crew adjourned to their sleeping pads. Vinnie told himself he would keep watch throughout the entire night, if that was what it took to assure safety. He sat back, assuming to be alone, but Silas Keen still sat across the stones. "You can sleep, you know," Keen said. "I could say the same for you. I'm fine." Vinnie let out a breath. "I've done this before." Keen barked a laugh. "You think I haven't?" Vinnie didn't respond, and the silence stretched uncomfortably long. Finally, Keen stood. "I suppose I could use a rest." He bent down to pick up one of the stones. "Wonder why this was set up." He grabbed the stone, then immediately dropped it, recoiling his hand and cursing softly. Vinnie was up as quick as he could manage, and a chill ran through his spine. Silas's hand was bleeding. "SILVER!" he yelled, rousing the rest of the crew. "GET YOUR SILVER!" Shades appeared on the peripherals of the camp, angry red eyes that would haunt any sane man. But Vinnie had been quick enough, and they had enough silver, that miraculously, no one was harmed. After the danger had passed, Vinnie turned to Keen. "What happened?" "Spines on the underside of the stone," Keen said. "Blasted luck." Vinnie furrowed his brow, and kicked over another stone. Gleaming spines, only a centimeter long but obviously intentional, stuck out of the bottom. Another chill ran down his spine. "No," he said. "This was intentional. Someone here has a death wish. For themselves, and all of us." The rest of the crew lingered, watching the discovery. Vinnie raised his voice. "Does anyone know who set up this firepit ring?" For a moment, nobody spoke. But then, Jal nodded towards Jo. A few nods of agreement followed the accusation, and the next day when they continued on their journey, they left Jo behind to go cry to his mama. But that didn't stop Vinnie from wondering if they'd made a big mistake. Shining Silhouette was executed! He was a Crewmember with Fenweed Sap! Kasimir was attacked, but survived! Vote Count: The Bookwyrm (1): Ashbringer JNV (3): Kasimir, The Wandering Wizard, Shining Silhouette Shining Silhouette (4): JNV, The Bookwyrm, Turtle, xinoehp512 Cycle Three has begun, and will end in about 24 hours on Thursday, November 10th, at 10am PST. A few things to remember: You may create a single 1-on-1 PM this turn. It must include both myself and Devo. There will be an execution this turn, with no vote minimum. Tied votes will be RNG'd. One action is allotted per turn, to those with the ability to take one. Failure to post will result in a 40% chance of death. Failure to vote will also result in a 40% chance of death. If a Shade is executed today, Violation will take effect. Refer to the rules doc for any further questions, or let myself or Devo know. Player List:

That's the cycle! Rollover should be faster today. Probably.

I mean, at that point I'd call the game. Mathematically I believe there has to be fewer TDs than any other faction for the wincons to be fair (ask Devo, that's just what I was told ), but it'll be close.

I agree, I think. Alright official verdict: If Elk and Cin are opponents and kill Mr Misting and dannnnex the TDs on the same cycle, I'll RNG for who hit first. Both Elk and Cin will go to the dead doc, one a winner and one not, and whichever of Mr Misting and dannnex was the target of the loser survives.