Metacognition

Mesist removed the beaten-up, stetson-style hat from his head and turned it over in his hands. "What's wrong with it? Seems to be in decent care, as far as I can tell," he said with barely a glance towards Cadri. "Sure, it's seen some wear, but that's what happens when you actually do something for a living; not that I suspect you know much about that." As he replaced his hat, he scanned the room. He tried to catch everyone's eye. "Things seem a mighty touchy in here. That's understandable, what with things like murder and spies and such around. Now we got ourselves a good start on a lynch mob already. "Now, that ain't a reason for guilt. It just is what it is and I'd think that if the Skaa can pretend to be us so well as to be next in line for old Heron House here, then they probably don't have much to do with it. "That's why I'm thinking that Tormander needs to be watched a bit closer. He ain't given us much as far as reasoning and he's been mighty silent other than to change his mind (without explanation, I might add). "So what say you, Hyrun?"

Well, can I say this changes everything. Had to get the party started somehow, Gamma! Though the fact that you were so slow to respond, even though I saw you were on and checking the thread, does make me reconsider whether or not I might have been right from the beginning. I'll retract from Fien for now, but I urge everyone to stop focusing on their Docs and at least check in! I'm honestly surprised and disappointed. It's been almost 12 hours (not counting the extension) and we've had less than 50% of our players that deem the thread itself not worth their time. And I've seen more of you checking in than that (yes, I had no life today ). That means we can't count on you when it matters; which makes you suspect. You might be cleared in your Docs, but remember that the majority of players don't know that. If you need another way to look at it, when you do finally decide to come out of your holes, the Skaa will be able to tell which Houses you likely belong to based on when you start to speak up and who you defend! After all, I can't be the only one who saw Maill's Tonul's defense of Gamma and went, "hmmm...." You're not doing yourself, your House, or the Nobles any favors by staying quiet. What you are doing is making it easier on the Skaa. You're making it that much easier for them to hide. They only have to fool the people in your Doc rather than everyone. We need to concentrate on the larger goal first and foremost; Killing the Skaa. I will come out right now and say that I'm of a Lesser House. I'm not a threat to the Skaa, other than my deductive abilities. I'm not a threat to the Houses, as I'd have to kill off most of a Greater House to stand a chance (which should likely be obvious to everyone within that House well beforehand). I'm not asking you to all make declarations of your roles and status. What I am saying is that staying silent isn't going to help anyone other than the Skaa. We need to make them talk. We need to make them have to juggle not only what they say within the Docs they're involved with, but also the other players in other Houses! *Sorry, no time for RP, but I'll try to stay as much in character as possible from here on forward*

Mesist shook his head to clear his mind and then walked up to the new Lord Heron. As he approached, he managed a smile and patted the new Lord on the back. "Not to worry, Wyrmie; I highly doubt that these fine, upstanding citizens would even think about running from such a noble cause! "...Well, that one might," he added as he pointed in Fien's direction. "But I'm sure the rest of us will be more than accommodating."

Mesist eyed the elderly gentleman warily as he took a glass of wine from one of the servants, but anyone who was that refreshingly blunt about their dislike for Fein couldn't be all bad. He was about to answer when he noticed Cadri had joined the line of those wanting to take a stab at Fein. Those two deserve each other, he thought. One that tries to be a perfect Noble and one that pretends at it so much that she might as well be wearing a mask. What ever happened to good, old-fashioned honesty? He shook his head slightly. If the bluster between the two of them was made of mist, the entire ballroom would be so thick he probably wouldn't be able to see his hand in front of his face. Those two were a distraction though and Mesist had other things to worry about. He turned back to Asyr. "The name's Mesist; newly arrived from the Southern Dominance. And I'll tell you two things right away, friend," he said while holding up one finger. "First, I'm not here for your games. If you're looking for someone to try to use in your plotting, I suggest looking elsewhere. "Two," -he raised another finger- "I'm here for business. If you don't want to talk business, then don't waste my time. Now that that is out of the way, Asyr; what is it I can do for you and what is it you think you can do for me?" I've been busy this entire weekend, so I didn't get to ask all of my questions. The big one though is about the Informants. Could you clarify a little more on what kind of information we can give and what we can receive? Can we reveal our plans and intentions or is it strictly concrete information? Can we give information about someone else that we know about or just about ourselves?

The reason it is in the General Rules Thread is so new players can see what games are coming up to help them determine whether they want to join. We have plenty of information already within the OP of this thread, including links to all the games that have been suggested. I think moving the GM list over here wouldn't really do us much good and could be confusing with the lists of games within this thread as is, especially for new people just looking over the sub-forum. The GM list is in a spot where everyone can get to it easily and it's no harder to open the General Rules thread than it is to go to the OP of this thread, IMO. I'll get you added New One. The more GMs, the merrier!

I knew that avatar and the teeth weren't for show! You just revealed yourself, Shiv! Now you're forever the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. Except I think we'd need an UN-holy hand grenade and I don't know where to get one of those!

Okay, starting my question run (sorry Sart, I'll get back to RP once I get this out): Your wording is a bit confusing about what is revealed via day and night kills. We learn House, Alignment (Skaa or Noble), and Powers on Day kills. On Night kills, is House and Powers revealed, but not Alignment? Also, this line: "Skaa kills will be obvious, but will not fully confirm their loyalties to The Final Empire" is throwing me off something fierce. If the Skaa kill someone, we'll be able to tell via the write up, but we won't get House Affiliation in that right? Or will Skaa kills hide Alignment? Obviously, we'd all rather be clear about the information we're getting! Can a player abduct from being House Lord? Can they PM a heir and step down? How many powers can a House start out with, or is that randomly decided? The fact that the Skaa can destroy a House Power almost suggests that there might be more than one to start out with (if a Skaa gains control of a House from the beginning, they could cripple a House otherwise). Metal Poisoning sounds ineffective from what I understand. Could you please elaborate? From the sounds of it, the House Lord chooses a Metal during the night for the upcoming day and night turns. What's to stop players from not just using that Metal during that Cycle? Or is that the idea? But if that's the case, why would anyone use that Metal during that Cycle, since they have forewarning? Obligation... This is definitely one of those areas I'd like more clarification on. Yes, No, Myself, or a Specific Player or House, I get, but the requirements to abide by such a contract, I don't. What is to stop a player from lying about the question and with such perimeters, how much leeway does the player have while still fulfilling the contract? I get the other players bit (so other Skaa or House members don't have to abide by it), but how much power does this allow? For example: If I ask whether or not Player A is of a certain House, is the person I asked required to answer honestly? What form of additional requirement would they need to perform? Do they have to act like that person is of said House, even if they answer dishonestly? Another example: Let's say I enter into a contract with someone to vote for Person A. They can answer yes, no, or "?" Thus they would need to honor the contract and vote for that person... unless they decline? Could someone make Person A claim to be Skaa when their not and then have to play that out? This is one of the more open and confusing things IMO. I'm going to stop here so far, but don't think I'm done! The informants are the biggest thing I have questions about and that's why I'm stopping now, as I need some sleep! Also, if anyone is hiding in the shadows, just observing, this is the game to sign up for. If you survive here, you can survive most of the games! Come be part of the fun! We don't bite! ... Well, we maim, but we don't bite!

Mesist of A'Lees - Mephistopheles. When I came up with it, I couldn't help but grin. This way, if I'm evil, I have just reason and if not, it's still fun! Well played, Kas! As promised, your first of three.

Lord Ruler, but I hate these things, Mesist thought to himself as he rode into the unloading area outside of Heron Mansion on his own horse. It wasn't the politicking that Mesist despised (he could hold his own in that right), it was the two-faced way the nobility went about it. Mesist wasn't one for games; if he liked you, he made you aware of it. If he hated you, then you'd very well know it. His more blunt demeanor actually confused some of the nobility, as they thought there must be something hiding behind his honesty. In fact, everything about Mesist seemed to scream that he wasn't about to play their games. While other Lords and Ladies rode in carriages, Mesist arrived on horseback. As the rest of the nobility concerned themselves with fashion, Mesist's navy blue suit was out of date and disheveled from use. No matter how much Mesist might despise these parties, he knew that the connections and contracts he could gain at them would greatly help his family in the Southern Dominance. His family were horse breeders and traders. Up until recently, they had been known for having the best horses in the Southern Dominance, but that had changed. Now the animals were getting sickly and there were many stillbirths. If something didn't change soon, his House would be desitute. That was why he had traveled north, to the very center of power itself, Luthadel, to acquire the assistance he desperately needed. "Lord Mesist of House A'Lees," the servant announced as Mesist entered the ballroom. He move slightly off to the side, crossed his arms, and scanned the room. And so it begins, he thought. Another night of frozen on smiles and innuendo and - His thoughts cut off as he noticed a particular pompous fluff staring at him wide-eyed. Of course, he'd be here, He thought with a shake of his head. Mesist didn't particularly care for this Fein Urbain. In his mind, Fein was the epitome of what he hated about the nobility. Well, I should get this out of the way... Mesist wandered over to where Fein was standing. As he neared, Fein went from looking startled to glaring daggers at him. "Lord Urbain," Mesist said nonchalantly, with the barest hint of a nod. "It seems Lord Heron took it upon himself to invite just about anyone. If you're here, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he even invited a few Skaa. "I'm not here to antagonize you, though. You just stay out of my way and I won't have to embarrass you." As he looked Fein up and down, Mesist smirked. "Although, it seems that you're doing a fine job of that yourself. Your shirt is already stained. You should be more careful about how much you drink. You wouldn't want these illustrious" -he said with a sneer- "people to get the wrong impression, yes?" With that he walked away to find a glass of wine for himself and to start working on his contacts. I couldn't help myself with the name and if anyone can figure it out, I'll upvote their next three posts, just because! I've got quite a few questions for you, Wyrm, but I don't have a lot of time right now. I'll post them later tonight. Your move, Gamma!

Challenge accepted. I'll RP my entrance when I wake up. Are you ready for this?

If I had increased the reward for gambling, then the prices for all of the items would've had to increase as well. Imagine a scenario where the Mutineers get extremely lucky and they wind up killing the Quartermaster the first day and everyone gambles that day and a Mutineer wins. There were 15 players and you start with (effectively) 4 coins. If you up the prize for gambling by 1 coin per every two people, the Mutineer has 10 coins by the end of the first day. They will be able to buy the Axe on the 3rd day and everyone else will only have 4 coins to their name. To combat against such a possibility, I would have to raise the price of the Axe, which would make it even harder to get without gambling and that's not fair either, as you shouldn't be required to gamble to stand a chance at buying the Axe. Now, even if we take the Axe out of the equation, the person who wins at gambling would have a distinct advantage over everyone else when it came to bidding. They could easily win bids for an item for multiple turns in a row, thus keeping certain items out of the other faction's hand. Would you really want a Mutineer faction that could not only buy up the Grappling Hooks, but were also capable of always having a Buckler as well? That's why all prices would have to increase and that would make it even harder for those that decide not to gamble to keep up. Gambling, as it is written now, still gives the player that wins a reward without making the swing so large that it becomes overpowering. One lucky roll of the dice should not pretty much determine the outcome of the game and, IMO, increasing the reward would do that. If I had increased the reward and something like that or similar happened, then people would be saying that Gambling was far too powerful and that the game came down to luck!

Aftermath- A Time Honored Tradition The grappling hook flew straight and true, but Kiin wasn’t Captain for no reason. For as big of a man as he was, he deftly dodged out of the way, while slicing the rope attached to the hook; removing it from the battle. Kiin had been in enough fights by now that he knew that he needed to limit what they could bring against him, especially against multiple opponents. That was rule number 1. Rule number 2 was to try to keep any advantage he had and right now, his biggest advantage was surprise. So he leapt over his desk and charged Riingar. With Jatae standing in the middle, it would take Hreo some time to be able to move into an attackable position. Not much time, but hopefully enough. Riingar gulped audibly when he realized that he had brought a dagger to an axe fight. Luckily, Jatae quickly moved between them and he used the metal tray he was carrying as a shield, blocking Kiin’s swing as Riingar dived behind Jatae. Hreo, as predicted circled around, trying to get at an angle where he could take a stab at Kiin. Kiin used the bounce of his axe off the shield to keep up the momentum and spun 270° to try to catch Hreo in the side. Hreo caught the axe on his blade just in time, while Jatae rammed Kiin with his shield, throwing him off balance and away from the trio. The two groups paused briefly, as they recovered from the trade of blows. Kiin had to reevaluate his opponents. They worked well together; protecting each other and covering for each other’s weaknesses. Plus, with the element of surprise now gone, this was not going to be an easy fight. Still, Kiin wasn’t the type of person to back down. Even when his brother had taken his throne out from under him, he hadn’t just sulked off. No, Kiin wasn’t one for defending. So he squared his shoulders, preparing for his next attack… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Crew could hear the clash of weapons and the cries of battle coming from the Captain’s quarters. A few of the more intrepid crewmembers edged closer to the door to see if they could figure anything more out. It was a bad move on their part, as they suddenly heard a primal roar and the door shattered outward, followed closely by the bodies of Riingar, Hreo, and Jatae. Part of the Captain’s desk came next, along with the Captain himself, holding the piece of desk like a battering ram. Kiin threw the desk aside and pulled back out his axe when what he saw around him made him pause. As Riingar, Hreo, and Jatae, all of them covered in cuts and bruises slowly and awkwardly stood back up, Kiin now found himself facing off against the rest of the Crew. Those that had remained loyal to him were tied to the mast and they had daggers at their throats. “Ye see?” Riingar croaked. “Ye’ve lost, Crushy. Do ye still hav the dignity ta admit defeat?” Kiin looked over the Crew, but he found no compassion there except in the eyes of those who had remained loyal to him. Heartbroken, Kiin’s head drooped and his shoulders slumped. He let his axe slip from his fingers. “Right,” Riingar said as Hreo and Jatae tied Kiin up. “Take the lot of ‘em ta the brig.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It had been days since Kiin had been locked up. He had watched as, one by one, the rest of his loyal crew were taken above deck. They never told him what happened to them. Finally, it seemed it was his turn. Kiin blinked wildly as he was momentarily blinded by the first rays of sunshine that his eyes had seen in days. When his vision returned, he saw that they were anchored offshore of a tiny island with the crew surrounding him. They shoved him over to the railing, where there was a plank jutting out from the ship. Then they cut his bonds and gingerly handed him a single dagger. “We won’t be the ones to kill you,” Hreo stated. “Even after everything, we won’t treat you the same way you treated Paan. So you get a choice. You can either attack all of us and then we’ll be forced to kill you, or you can take your chances surviving on that little speck of land.” Kiin spat. “It ain’t much choice either way. Ye’ll still see me dead one way or the other.” At that point, Jatae and Riingar walked up beside Hreo. Jatae had Kiin’s axe in hand, resting on one shoulder. When Jatae saw Kiin eyeing the axe longingly, he brought it down to hold it in front of him. “It’s a fine weapon,” he said with a grin. “Hope ye don’t mind me holding onto it; not that ye get much say in the matter.” “Off with ye,” Riingar said. “We’ve got serious piratin’ ta be ‘bout. Ye gave us a few good years, Capt’n. In return, we give ye yer life… at least fer a little while longer.” The crew started to edge in on Kiin, weapons drawn and forced Kiin out onto the plank. Kiin looked out into the clear blue waters, contemplating, before turning back to the crew. He thrust out his hand that held the dagger, pointing it directly at Jatae. He was shaking ever so slightly from his barely controlled rage. “Ye best be prepared. I be coming back for me Axe.” Then he dived off the AonTeo and started swimming towards the shore. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kiin reached the beach without any problems. He had always been a strong swimmer. As he watched the AonTeo sail out of sight, he thought about the last few months and he came to a surprising conclusion; they had been right. He had been growing soft. He felt like he was becoming tamed and docile. Heck, almost civilized even! He had once been a prince and a merchant and he had let it creep back into him. No wonder the crew had mutinied! Well he wouldn’t make that mistake again. Once he got off this forsaken bit of land, he’d get himself a new crew, a new boat, and he’d take back what was his. No more trusting. He’d earn the nickname they had given him a thousand times over, until he was the most feared pirate in the world! “Never again,” he whispered to himself as he gripped the dagger by the blade with one hand. His blood dripped down to stain the white sand at his feet. The pain and the scar this would provide would be a constant reminder of this time for him. “Never again….” ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ And that’s the end of Quick Fix 2! The Mutineers win! Congratulations! Master Doc (All the write ups in one place) Spreadsheet (Who did what during each week) The Locker (Where the spirits of dead sailors reside) Messages in the Night (All of the Mutineer messages in one place) GM Notes: Sorry, couldn’t let you just kill Kiin! This takes place before Elantris, so for it to work canonically, he had to survive! I did try to make it so you guys were the reason he really became the most famous pirate on Sel! I thought this worked out pretty well overall, but I have noticed a trend with games I run; the evil faction has won every time! I’m going to work with the idea that my games are on hardcore mode here. If you have any questions about how I decided on some of the rules, I’ll be happy to explain my logic behind them. Other than that, I hope you all had fun (as I did in running it) and feel free to discuss the game and such!

Traitor! Traitors don't get to start new lives! Traitors die! You dare turn on your beloved Captain?

Oh ye of little faith! Week 10- Blood Money Luka had joined the Crew mainly for the promise of coin and adventure. She sure did seem to be getting her fill of both! Being Quartermaster had its benefits, the main one being that people would throw money at her if she just looked the other way for a few minutes. She hadn’t thought anything of it at first, but then the killing began. Oh, what fun! She thought in those early days. Pirating and a murder mystery all rolled into one! Sometimes she couldn’t believe how naive she had been. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months and the killings never stopped, Luka started to get more and more worried. What if the killings never stopped? When were they finally going to come for her? That’s why she decided that, while farming was far too boring, pirating was just a bit too dangerous. That’s why she had packed up all of her belongings and all of the coin she had amassed (it would foolish to just leave it here after all) and enough hardtack and water to last for days. She was planning on making a run for it. In the middle of the night, she started loading one of the Dinghies full of her stuff. The person who was supposed to be on guard duty was a little tied up with a Grappling Hook at the moment. It took multiple loads for the coins alone, but eventually she was ready. She lowered the boat down as silently as possible. Then she turned around to say goodbye to the ship that she had called home for the last few months. As she looked over the deck, she almost had a change of heart. Her hand was on the rope, ready to pull the Dinghy back up when she shook her head. No. Things were too deadly. If she even waited another day, it could be her that was dead next! Better to leave while she still could. She turned back to climb over the railing and down into the Dinghy when she heard the thump of someone hitting the deck behind her. Before she could react, hands reached out and clamped one hand over her mouth and the other held a knife to her throat. “Leaving so soon?” A voice said in her ear. “Fine then, enjoy your blood money.” The person holding her slit her throat and then pushed her over the railing. She landed in the Dinghy, shattering open the bags of coins. The figure cut the Dinghy loose and let her bleed out all over the coins as the ship sailed on without her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Crew had been out at sea for over two months at this point, with Mutineers stalking their footsteps the entire way. Their nerves were shot. They had seen far too many of their number either killed or driven mad. That’s why, 4 days since Wyrm and Jain went for their last dip, when Riingar spoke up, some of the Crew actually started to listen… “This be what we all signed up fer? Ta be killed off, one by one? I tell ye, Paan be right! The Capt’n be soft if’n he be unable ta take care of these Mutineers! Aye, I be one of ‘em, an I did me best to avenge Paan, but it still be the Capt’n’s fault fer letting us!’ ‘I used ta be a Capt’n meself, so ye know I know what I’m ‘bout. tell ye what, join with us an once we be rid of the Capt’n, I’ll make sure the rest of ye arr well taken care of!” While half the Crew seemed to be contemplating Riingar’s words, not all of them were, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when Riingar found himself surrounded by those that were still loyal to the Captain. Riingar smiled as a rope dropped into the middle of the circle he was standing in. “I see some of ye still not be liking survivin’. That be okay. Me and me mateys will help ye out with that.” With that, he grabbed the rope and shot up into the rigging, but not before some of the loyal Crew drew their weapons and slashed up his legs. Riingar cried out was he dragged out of sight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Crew burst into Kiin’s quarters. “Captain! We found one! We found one of the Mutineers!” Kiin sat upright in his chair. “Really? How?” “Ummm, well, ye see… he kind of told us….” “And where is he now?” “.... That be the other thing, Captain. He got away.” “He got away? He got away?!?” Kiin went from puzzled to angery in a split second. “Well find him! Bring him in! We’re in the middle of the bloody ocean, for pete’s sake! It’s not like he can go far! I want the entire ship searched from top to bottom!” __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Week 9 ends and Week 10 Begins! 24 hour, as per usual. Riingar survived! Luka just wanted adventure, not to be killed by Mutineers. She was a good and loyal Quartermaster . The Quartermaster has been killed! That means the vault is open for raiding! You can now buy items for their purchase price and they don’t disappear at the end of the cycle! Votes Riingar- lll (Hreo, Jatae, Luka, Riittidiikiir) Rittidiikiir- l (Jeno) Captain Crushthroat- l (Riingar)

Week 9- The Definition of Insanity Jain’s hunger got to the point where he could no longer sleep. All he could do was stare at all of the pandas that now covered everything. They stared back too, accusing him. Silently asking how he could’ve let something like that happen. Not that Jain could answer. His throat was so parched that he had lost his voice days ago. Now that the doctor was dead, no one cared enough to look in on Jain. It was too bad too. Jain had seen who killed the doctor. The killer seemed to have forgotten all about the fact that Jain was there. It had been a panda. The worst part of it for Jain was that none of the pandas was his panda. If he still had his, it could drive all of the rest of them away, he was sure of it. He just needed to get his panda back. Then everything would be okay. There wouldn’t be any Mutineers. There wouldn’t be a heartless Crew. And everything definitely wouldn’t be made of pandas. As the days passed, Jain became more and more sure that this was the solution, until finally he snapped. He couldn’t live with their stares anymore. He would get back his panda or die trying! He leapt from his bunk made of pandas and hit the panda made floor running. He took the panda steps that led to the deck of pandas two at a time. When he hit the fresh air, he realized that even the sea was made of pandas. A panda that was missing one of its paws came up behind him and yelled, “Boo!” Jain didn’t even jump. He was desperately scanning all of the pandas, hoping to find his. Wait! What was that on one of the waves of pandas? Could it be his? Without hesitating for even a second, Jain ran to the panda railing and peered out. Yes! That had to be his panda! He just knew it! The smile that lit Jain’s face was angelic. Finally, everything would be alright and with that, he dove into the sea of pandas…. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Crew watched the entire spectacle, but did nothing. Well, except for Wyrm, the ghost. He approached the railing, being careful not to phase through it, and watched as Jain seemed to flounder across the waves. It looked like Jain was trying to beat the water with his fists. This made Wym giggle, but it was obvious that without help, Jain was going to drown. He took a step back, struck a dashing pose and loudly proclaimed, “Never fear, my dear fellow, for I am here! I will save you!” And then Wyrm jumped off the ship as well, just barely dodging a Grappling Hook that shot towards him. Wyrm hit the water and started swimming. Even with his missing hand, his strokes were strong and powerful. It really seemed like he was going to be able to do it! Wyrm was about halfway towards Jain when he realized what he was doing. He stopped swimming right then and there and shook his head with a chuckle. Foolish Wyrm, he thought as he sank beneath the waves. You know ghosts can’t swim! __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Week 8 is done and Week 9 begins! You have 24 hours! Both Jain and Wyrm were stark raving mad. They also had another thing in common. They were both loyal Gunners! Votes Jain- lV (Riingar, Hreo, Jatae, Luka) Riingar- l (Jeno, Wyrm) Jatae- l (Jain) Sorry for the less than stellar write up. As you guys have noticed, We’ve been very busy trying to get the reworked rules and formats and such into place. I still need to go through and edit a bunch of links in the old games to make sure they work for newcomers!

Done. That makes sense to me as well.

Will do! Thanks for signing up!

Let us know where you want it to be placed and we'll add you to the GM list! The MR list isn't empty, it's just that we didn't have a place for MR GMs till now! As such, they're peppering the QF GM list right now. We're in the process of getting that sorted out right now.

Week 8- One Year Closer to Death... and Madness There was one in every Crew; that one person who had spent far, far too much time in the sun. So long, in fact, that it must have fried their brains a bit. Wyrm was that person in this Crew. He would go around calling himself an Admiral and though he had the distinct traits of the Fjorden people, he denied it every chance he got. No one knew exactly what had caused him to go slightly mad. Some thought he must have been marooned once. Others thought he had seen something so horrific that his mind couldn't take it. The prevailing theory though was that his mother must have dropped him on his head a few times too many as a babe… on purpose. As such, no one took him too seriously when he got like that. And Wyrm was in one of his moods during the weeks following the storm. He went around accusing everyone he could see for taking his shoes… which he was wearing. The night before, he had worn the Jolly Rogers as if it was a toga and proclaimed he was King of the Rogers, whoever they were. This night, he had something special in mind. He planned to take all the rigging and make a spider’s web, for tonight, he was Shelob and her hunger would not be satiated! She already had one person caught in her web, though she didn't remember how they had got there. Shelob giggled as she began getting all of the loose ropes together, so she could haul them up into the rest of the rigging, when something flashed past her and back up into the sails. Shelob couldn't follow it with her hundreds of eyes, so she just kept working. Though for some reason, one of her right claws wasn't working right… A couple hours later, some of the Crew noticed Wyrm struggling within a tangled up mess of loose ropes. As they got closer, they noticed the blood on the deck. Closer still, it was apparent that Wyrm’s right hand was missing. “Blimey, Wyrm! What happen to ye?” Wyrm stopped squirming and finally seemed to notice that his freaking hand was missing! “Oh this, gentlemen? This is just a flesh wound.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Happy Birthday, Cap’n!” The Crew had gathered around the mast, looking quite proud of themselves. They’d managed to pulverize some hardtack into the vague shape of a cake and had even taken one of the tallows from a lantern for a candle. Kiin couldn't help but be touched by the thought, if not the deed. He smiled for the first time in what felt like months. “We know it ain't much, but knowin’ that there still be Mutineers about, we wanted ye to know that we’re still behind ye, Cap’n. In fact, we even have a present for ye!” At that, the Crew parted to reveal Jene’s bloodied and crumpled form lying on the deck. Kiin’s smile faded to a look of puzzlement, then to one of despair, to finally, the grim look of barely held anger. “My gift is the murder of my 1st Mate?” He asked. The Crew didn't look as sure of themselves as they had a moment ago. There were a few averted gazes and the shuffling of feet could be heard. “Well, ummm, aye Cap’n. He be one of those dirty Mutineers, ain’t he?” Kiin took a few steps towards the Crew and then looked every one of them in the eye. Then he blew out the candle on the improvised cake. As he walked away, back to his cabin, he just said one word: “No.” ________________________________________________________________________________________ Week 7 ends and Week 8 begins! You have 24 hours from this post. Wyrm survived! Jene was a good and loyal Gunner! Votes Jene- lll (Jeno, Wyrm, Riitiidiikiir) Jain- l (Jatae) Luka- 0 (Hreo) Riitiidiikiir- l (Riingar) Hreo- l (Luka)

Well, you see, you guys might get a break today, depending on if you want me to just list the results. Today is my birthday and I've been busy celebrating it, so I haven't really had time to keep up, which means I've got a lot more work to do than normal tonight. This is not an invitation to wait till the last minute, as I'll probably still try to have the write up and day end on time, but just that there's a very good chance that I'll be late on it. Now back to your regularly scheduled mayhem!

Week 7- Traversing the Storm Kiin took to the helm the second the storm began. “Reef the sails! Furl the topgallant! Batten down the hatches! Belay anything that not be nailed down, ye scurvy swabs! An for the love of Domi, don’t be forgetting to fasten yer lifelines!” The Crew raced around, trying to get everything done before they hit the worst of it. One crew member didn’t have to worry though, as they were tied securely to the mast by a Grappling Hook. The storm raged all around them. The wind and waves tried to throw them overboard, but the Crew fought back. They were a small beacon of light and hope in a torment of rage and darkness. They were the Spartans and this was their Thermopylae. Captain Kiin never once flinched. He guided the AonTeo as if it were an extension of himself, darting between two waterspouts here and riding the edge of the Maelstrom over there to give the ship more speed. He cut through the smaller waves like a hot knife through butter and rode the larger ones like the ship was just an overtly large surfboard. For 2 days, working in shifts, they battled the storm. Never once did Captain Kiin rest though. He stayed at the helm the entire time. When they finally broke out of the storm and into calmer waters, the entire Crew cheered, especially because no one was lost. They had traversed a storm the likes of which they would likely never see again and they had come away from it unscathed. Kiin just smiled wearily before heading back to his cabin for some much deserved rest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matim spent his time the days following the storm from hell caring for all of the wounds and scrapes the rest of the Crew had received. Plus he was still keeping an eye on Jain. He wasn’t sure if he was getting better or not, but as least he was feeding himself now. It was getting late in the day and most of the Crew had been looked at, but a doctor’s life on a pirate ship was never done. Surprisingly, with all the swords and tempers and such, pirates tend to incur injuries quite often. So it was no surprise when his little infirmary that the Captain had set aside for him was barged into. Matim’s back was to the door, as he was trying to clean up, at least a little bit, his tools. “Yes?” He said. “What is it this time? How badly injured are you?” When he didn’t get a response, he straightened up and started to turn around. It was then that he heard the rasp of a cutlass being drawn and a split second later, he could see the point of the sword as it emerged through his body. Too dazed to scream out or holler, he just looked down at it. His mind, on the other hand, raced back through his primitive medical knowledge and was telling him that the second the blade was removed, he’d bleed out before he could get help. He tried to form the beginnings of a plea for mercy on his lips, but then they drew back the blade and everything went black…. ____________________________________________________________________________ Week 6 ends and Week 7 begins! 24 hours and all that! Good Luck! No one was lynched! Matim might not have liked many Fjordans, but he was a good and loyal Powder Monkey. Votes Jain- lV (Jeno, Jatae, Hreo, Riitiidiikiir) Riitiidiikiir- lV (Jene, Riingar, Matim, Luka) Wyrm- l (Jain) Jene- 0 (Wyrm)

Week 6- Choppy Waters The day after Jeno pulled himself out of a possible watery grave, the Crew realized that there must still Mutineers onboard; which meant that their job wasn’t done. As such, they gathered around the mast to try to determine whom amongst them was out to kill their fair Captain over a friendly game of dice. All expect Jain, who was happily resting in the crows nest now that Ratel was gone, and Jeno, who was still recovering below decks, showed up. They threw around a few names and there was more than a few choice words thrown around, but luckily no fists were. Eventually they all subsided, lost in their own thoughts as they tried to sort out this knot of a situation. Contrary to popular belief, pirates did not make the greatest detectives. When one of them spoke again, it seemed like they were about to go off on a tangent. “That panda thing be blastedly creepy,” said one. “Aye, seems everywhere I go, there it be,” claimed another. “It ain’t natural. Something like that could be casting an ill omen over the ship, mark me words,” a third one chimed in. A hush fell over the Crew and as one, they turned around to find Jain’s panda sitting on a crate nearby… staring straight at them. “Just ain’t natural,” whispered the third again. As the Crew stared at the panda and it stared back, Jain picked that time to land directly between them. “Hey guys! Whatcha doin?” The spell broken, the Crew moved as one. A few grabbed Jain and held him while the rest of the Crew advanced on his toy panda, drawing their weapons. “Umm, guys? Whatcha doin?” Jain asked as he struggled slightly in their grasp. As they surrounded his panda, his struggling increased and a nervous edge entered his voice. “Guys? Is everything okay? Is there anything I can do?” He struggled harder as they raised their weapons. Sweat started to bead on his brow. “Ha, ha. You guys are funny. It’s a good joke. Now, umm, could you release me and put the weapons down? ….Please?” His pleas fell on deaf ears. With the first hack, Jain cried out and tried to yank himself free. He fought and cursed and kicked and bit, but his captors had a strong hold on him. With every stab, swipe and bash, Jain cried out in pain as if they were beating him and not just his toy panda. After they had diced it into very small pieces, the Crew gathered them up and threw the pieces all overboard. By this point in time, the only reason Jain was standing was due to the crew members holding him up. When they let go, Jain slipped to the ground, crying. “You monsters,” he whispered between sobs. “How could you?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jain spent the rest of the week below deck. He never came out to eat or to drink. He never said a word to anyone. Eventually Matim went to check on him and found him half dead, still mumbling about how could the Crew do that and took him to the infirmary. With time, his body would heal, but Matim didn’t know if his mind was broken or not. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With Ratel gone and Jain comatose, Mai had been chosen for lookout duty and he hated it. It wasn’t the heights that bothered him, nor the sway of the ship on the waves from up there. It was just that being so far from everyone else, he couldn’t help find the traitors! He had made that his goal and he would see it through, come hell or high water! Speaking of high water, he spotted stormclouds on the horizon. There isn’t much worse than getting caught in a storm out at sea and this one looked to be a strong one. Still, it was on the horizon and they were sailing parallel to it, so it shouldn’t be a problem, so he sat back down to think over his suspicions. If he couldn’t be down there in the thick of things, then he would use his time wisely and try to puzzle it out up here. That way, when he finally was relieved, he could share his revelations. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice how quickly the storm had advanced until a lightning strike almost struck the ship! Pulled out of his thoughts, he stood up to see that the stormwall now blanketed the sky and there was no chance of them not being caught in it anymore. If he had been paying attention, they might have been able to change course, but now it was too late. As the clouds began obscuring the setting sun, Mai could see waterspouts, multiple of them, in this beast of a storm. He shivered at just the idea of trying to sail through this, but the Captain needed to know what they were up against. The wind had already picked up enough that he wouldn’t be able to holler down to the rest of the Crew, so he climbed out of the nest and started making his way down. Before he was even a quarter of the way down, rain started pelting the ship and obscuring things even more than the darkened sky had. It was then, in a flash of lightning that Mai saw it. Out in the middle of the storm was the biggest Maelstrom Mai had ever seen! Most wouldn’t even be able to sink a dinghy, but this one looked like it might just be able to sink the AonTeo! Now he started climbing with acclarity. This wasn’t just about something as petty as how was in charge, this was their lives! In his haste and the storm, he didn’t stand a chance of seeing the person swinging towards him. All he felt was the firm plant of two feet against his chest and he was sent flying. He cried out as he fell, but the thunder roared and the rain obscured and Mai fell into the choppy waves of the storm-thrust sea. By the time he resurfaced, the AonTeo was nowhere to be seen…. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Week 6 begins! You have 24 hours, as per usual. Jain survived! …though the panda didn’t. Mai was truly an honorable and loyal Powder Monkey. Votes Jain- V (Wyrm, Riingar, Riitiidiikiir, Matim, Luka) Jene- lll (Jeno, Jain, Mai) Mai- l (Jene) Riitiidiikiir- l (Jatae) Jeno- l (Hreo)

Week 5- Wistful Breezes After his impromptu dunking, Kal just wanted to be left alone. It was obvious that he couldn’t trust this Crew any more and even though he hadn’t really cared for them much in the first place, something about this betrayal pained him deeply. They might not all like each other and they might not all get along, but the were still a Crew, right? A Crew was supposed to have each other’s backs, not be putting knives in them. The entire Crew was yelling and singing maritime songs as loudly as they could due to Captain Crushthroat’s order, so Fang huddled up and hid in the only place that he knew he might be able to get some peace and quiet; in one of the dinghies. He just happened to pick the one on the side closest to the mysterious island they were passing. As he sat there, trying to dry off as best he could, he decided that it had to be those blasted Mutineer’s fault. He figured that the Crew wouldn’t be so harsh if it weren’t for the fear of knives in the dark. Well, he’d show them! He’d find them out if it was the last thing he did! Then the Crew could go back to being a close-knit group and they would laugh and raid together. He’d be able to start to think of them as brothers rather than strangers and eventually, they’d even all look back on this time and laugh at how wrong they were to have pushed him off the bow. He sat there, picturing a bright and wonderful future when he caught the faint sound of music on the air. He immediately perked up and strained to hear more of it, but it was gone. He was just about to settle back down when he heard it again! He bolted upright, trying to pin down the source of that haunting melody before it disappeared again. It seemed to be coming from the island, but before he could make out any of the words, the song disappeared again; replaced by the raucous cries of the Crew. He stared out towards the island, longing for just a strand or stanza more. He turned back towards the ship and tried to get the Crew to quiet down, so that he’d be able to hear it better, but no one paid him any mind. He leaned out as far as he could, perched precariously on the lip of the dinghy, in the hopes of catching the song again. When the breeze blew away from the island and Fang could hear the song again, he was struck numb by the beauty of it. It was as if some angelic being was singing specifically to him. All his thoughts of Mutineers and Crews and Futures faded into the background; leaving only him and the song. He needed to find the source! He wanted to hear this song in its entirety and he wouldn’t rest until he did! Without so much as a backwards glance, Kal FangShi dived off the AonTeo and swam towards the island…. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If Fang had even a spare thought for it anymore, it would have pained him to know that multiple crewmembers had actually seen what was going on and knew what it meant. They still did nothing to stop him from jumping to his doom. Brothers indeed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jeno had always been a crew of one before… before the incident and in many ways, he still preferred it that way. It had been days since they left Kal and that cursed island behind, but Jeno still felt like he could feel the lingering effects. Every time the wind picked up, you could still find crewmembers perking up, as if they were listening for something on the breeze. Jeno wasn’t one of them. He had already felt like he had an albatross tied around his neck; he didn’t need the added weight. As Jeno stood at the bow, looking over the far too big ocean as far as he was concerned, he reflected on how he got here. In the end, he didn’t know who he blamed more; the Dulas, the alcohol, the stupid thief, or himself. If he could go back, he would’ve turned his barge around and taken the lesser price he was offered before that horrible night. He stood there, wistfully thinking of the life he could’ve had when he heard the telltale whistle of something flying through the air. Suddenly a Grappling Hook shot up towards him from underneath the bow. It hit him in the face, ripping a scar across his left side of his face before embedding itself in his forearm. Jeno started to cry out in pain, but before he did more than gasp inwards, he was yanked forwards, off the front of the ship. As he fell along the same route Fang did, he saw a shadowy figure hanging from the figurehead. They meant to keelhaul him! Jeno hit the icy, night waters and then the AonTeo caught up to him and bashed him in the side, dragging him down into a watery grave. It’s probably better than I deserve, he thought as he skidded across the bottom of the ship. At least now I can finally be alone. Jeno had almost given into his fate when he thought about the rest of the Crew. While he wasn’t fond of any of them, he just couldn’t leave them to the hands of that shadowy figure! With a new resolve, he proved how he had been able to kill a man with only a chair and used the Grappling Hook’s rope to haul himself back out of the night-touched waters. When he pulled himself back on deck, he noticed that he couldn’t see out of his left eye. The Grappling Hook must have torn it out. He ripped off a piece of cloth and wound it around his head as an improvised eyepatch. It would do for now. ____________________________________________________________________________ Week 4 Ends and Week 5 Begins! 24 hours, as per usual. Kal FangShi found himself caught in the Siren’s Song with no one to help him! Lament for the Loyal Gunner! Jeno survived! Votes Kal FangShi- V (Jatae, Jain, Hreo, Riitiidiikiir, Luka) Mai- l (Jeno, Jene) Hreo- ll (Riingar, Mai) Jatae- l (Matim) Jain- l (Wyrm) No Votes- Kal FangShi

You're welcome.

Week 4- Siren’s Call Fang loved the feel of the wind through his hair and the smell of the sea, especially as the sun was settling on the horizon. Every evening since he signed on, he could be found at the bow, just taking it all in. Now that he was here, he was surprised that it had taken him so long to finally sign onto a crew! If he had stayed in MaiPon, he’d probably have wound up as a painter or something and would have stayed indoors most of his life. There was something liberating about sailing and Fang was reveling in it. ...Of course, as things were now, he probably should’ve sign onto a different crew. Perhaps a nice merchant vessel or something. This Crew seemed a little too happy to slit each other’s throats. Now that they were able to actually sail again, things were a little better. The Crew had their hands full keeping the ship on course and that left less time for them to argue over who amongst them was likely a dirty Mutineer. In fact, it had been almost 5 days since the last murder and Fang was just starting to hope that they had given up. So Fang enjoyed the breeze and the feeling of freedom that came with it while he could. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Kal stood at the bow of the ship, the rest of the Crew were meeting in the galley. They kept their voices to a conspiratorial whisper so they wouldn’t be overheard. The source of their discussion? Whether or not that weird Jindonese fella could be one of those no good Mutineers. They had all heard rumors of the strange powers some of his people could wield and that seemed to make the rest of the Crew a little jumpy. Could he be one of those Embedders or whatever they called themselves? It wasn’t long before they came to their decision and as a group left the galley. Fang was still standing at the bow when the Crew came looking for him. In fact, he was so lost in his own world, that the Crew decided to take advantage of it. Instead of drawing their weapons or anything like that, they just pushed Fang off the front of the ship! As Fang fell, he passed the figurehead, which Hreo was still tied to. “Bye!” Said Hreo with a close to a wave as he could while he was tied up. That was the last thing Fang heard before he hit the water with the ship barrelling towards him…. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the rest of the Crew chuckled and started to go back to their jobs, Kai peered off into the distance. The sun was almost set, so the waters had taken on a blackish color, but as every good sailor knows, there’s a difference between the black of the sea and the black, stable blobs that represent ships or land. What he was seeing wasn’t the darkness of the sea. He went to turn around and warn the others when he caught a snippet of song on the breeze, coming from the island. The sound was so entrancing that he stopped, mid turn to see if he could pick it out again. That split second hesitation cost him his life, as an arrow seemingly magically appeared, piercing his chest and going directly through his heart. But he did hear another little bit of song for it and as his body fell to the deck, even he, within his current state of mind would call it a fair trade. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Land ho!” Someone called from the rigging. Land? Kiin thought as he poured over his maps. There shouldn’t be any land out here…. But evidently there was, so Kiin left his cabin to see for himself. As he approached the bow, he noticed Kai’s body. Oh, no. Not another one. He thought grimly. But he had to be strong. He had to show his Crew that he was still in command. Plus there was the pressing matter of this mystery land to figure out. “Scupper that,” he ordered, pointing to Kai’s body as he looked out to sea. There was indeed an island ahead of them. Kiin scratched his head, as he was sure of their heading since leaving the Doldrums. Then he heard it. Just a fragment of a melody, but his entire being seemed to pull towards it. Luckily, the wind picked and blew the sound away, which seemed to clear Kiin’s head. He immediately bleached white as seafoam as he realized what that island must be. “Hard to port, you lazy dogs! Hard to port and start yelling fer all yer worth! If any of ye has a voice after today, I’ll flay ye meself!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jene was at the wheel when Captain Crushthroat started hollering and though he had no idea what was going on, he complied with alacrity. If the Captain was in one of his moods, best to just appease him. What he was not expecting was the tap on his shoulder. As far as he knew, he was the only one on the poop deck. He spun around, ready to draw his cutlass, and found himself face to face with a very unhappy and very drenched Kal FangShi. Fang glared at him and finally he said, “Not funny, you guys.” ____________________________________________________________________________ Week 3 is over and Week 4 begins! Kal FangShi survived! Kai wasn’t so lucky. He might’ve been taken in by the Siren’s song, but not by the Mutineer’s chant. He was a good and loyal Powder Monkey. Votes Kal FangShi- Vll (Jeno, Wyrm, Jatae, Riingar, Hreo, Riitiidiikiir, Luka) Jene- lll (Mai, Matim, Kal FangShi) Mai- ll (Jene, Jain) Jatae- l (Kai)