Long Game 13: Traitors on the Plains

[A Joe in the Bush]

Oh right, this is still a thing. I kind of forgot about it for the past several cycles.

 

So the reasons I've been inactive:

1) Planning. I decided early on to sit back this time and to gather information. I wasn't going to post to avoid being targeted by anything. That's worked perfectly so far. Unfortunately, when I was still active in the first half of the game, All my conclusions were either posted by others, or proven Wrong. (For instance, I pegged Renegade and Hero as being Diagrammists because they were ignoring the obvious reason that Bart was killed, the fact that he had a 50% chance of having a seeking role.)

 

2) I wanted to see who would use my seeming inactivity as a chance to get a lynch train on an potentially dangerous experienced player. Twelthroot was the first to vote for me. Mailliw was the first to vote for me today, so I'll be tossing my vote on him until I have time to go back and read what's happened since Day 3.

 

3) I don't have a role. I'm just a Refugee. as such, I've been getting no PM's from the gamemaster about results of my actions and so on. Those have served as my main reminder in past games.

 

EDIT: Went to retract my vote, and discovered I'd never actually voted for him. Ah well.

Edited August 1, 2015 by The Only Joe

[Mailliw73]

Oh right, this is still a thing. I kind of forgot about it for the past several cycles.

 

So the reasons I've been inactive:

1) Planning. I decided early on to sit back this time and to gather information. I wasn't going to post to avoid being targeted by anything. That's worked perfectly so far. Unfortunately, when I was still active in the first half of the game, All my conclusions were either posted by others, or proven Wrong. (For instance, I pegged Renegade and Hero as being Diagrammists because they were ignoring the obvious reason that Bart was killed, the fact that he had a 50% chance of having a seeking role.)

 

2) I wanted to see who would use my seeming inactivity as a chance to get a lynch train on an potentially dangerous experienced player. Twelthroot was the first to vote for me. Mailliw was the first to vote for me today, so I'll be tossing my vote on him until I have time to go back and read what's happened since Day 3.

 

3) I don't have a role. I'm just a Refugee. as such, I've been getting no PM's from the gamemaster about results of my actions and so on. Those have served as my main reminder in past games.

I actually had/ve no plans to start a lynch train on you, I just wanted to call you back to the realm of the living. Now that you have, and most of your post has assuaged my suspicions, Joe. I see Eramit as a much better target than Orlok, but if we don't get enough votes to lynch, I'll switch to Orlok.

[Elithanathile]

I don't have a lot of time, so I retract my vote or mailliw, and place my vote on Eramit, for the reasons people have outlined before, I see him as suspicious.

Edited August 2, 2015 by Metacognition
Please color your votes when possible!

[Mailliw73]

BB, that should be colored. 

[Araris Valerian]

Well, I am back, but I haven't really had time to do anything pertaining to this game, so I'm just going to confirm my vote on eramit is my intention for the lynch today.

[Elithanathile]

Thanks, I'm currently stuck on mobile, and don't know an easy way to color it.

[Metacognition]

Half hour left and here's a vote count for you guys: 

 

Eradin (3): Wol, Madon, Akirsefatafesrika

Orlok (3): Torren, Eradin, Kip

Sani (2): Em C, Orlok

[Kipper]

Well crap. I got sucked into an extremely long, six-player game of Phase 10 with my family. Like, three hours. Anyhoo:

Orlok Yes, my suspicions are based mostly off hunches. I feel that there is something off about the way you interacted with Hero and Ren and proposed ideas. Indeed, all of our current suspicions are based off of hunches, and I feel that you are the most likely candidate for a Diagrammist. I will elaborate more when I have more than five minutes until cycle end.

However, I do think that someone needs to be lynched today (Yes, I know this will look like a flip flop). Some have said that eramit was trying to start a bandwagon. It could be. In fact, his entire playstyle has been somewhat erratic and he has been virtually inactive by my standards. He is suspicious as well, and as I'm running out of time to write further, eramit.

Edit: grammar

Edited August 2, 2015 by Kipper

[Metacognition]

And the day is over! The thread will be up for the night in a bit, with the write up being edited in shortly. 

[Metacognition]

Night Five: The Warrior

 

After successfully finding and lynching two followers of the Diagram, the camp had a long, long night of celebrating. The next day, most of the camp was hungover and drowsy from the revelry. Still, some few roused themselves to their duty and soon the camp had another reason to celebrate. For the past several days- ever since the saboteurs had destroyed their bridges- the camp had been stranded on the same plateau. But today, the head carpenter reported to the camp that they had finally rebuilt one of the mobile bridges, and the camp could get moving again.

 

In less than an hour the camp had packed up and was traversing the plateaus once again. It was slow going with only one bridge- the camp had to stop on every plateau and wait for the bridge to be moved to the next chasm. Plus, only a handful of men could cross the bridge at a time.

 

By the time the sun was setting they had managed to traverse a half dozen plateaus- not much, but still, it brought them that much closer to the fabled Urithiru.

 

Of course, that’s when disaster struck.

 

The army had just finished crossing onto one plateau and was huddled up against the far side of the plateau, waiting for the bridge to be carried to them, when a loud trumpeting sound echoed up from the nearby chasm. As one, everyone in the camp turned to watch as a massive chasm fiend climbed up and onto the plateau, right in the middle of the waiting soldiers!

 

Pandemonium instantly broke loose as the camp turned and scattered before the creature. Chasm fiends could be killed, but usually it was done by shardbearers, and only after they had injured it and worn it down with arrows fired from greatbows.

 

The chasmfiend, for its part, wasted no time. It began sweeping soldiers aside with its forelegs, as well as feasting on those who fell. The soldiers quickly recovered, and began loosing arrows at the beast, but none of them were shardbearers, and their arrows were shattered and deflected by the chasmfiend’s carapace. They would have had more success shooting at a wall.

 

“It’s going to kill us all!” someone cried

 

“The last of the food stores! It’s heading that way! We have to protect the stores!”

 

“Protect them!? How??”

 

“Maybe someone could distract it? Lead it away from camp?”

 

“Excellent idea! Who will volunteer?”

 

Everyone grew silent, eyeing each other nervously.

 

“I nominate Sani!” Madon said. “She’s been pretty useless lately.”

 

“Nah, the chasmfiend would catch her and eat her before she got 5 paces. How about Orlok instead?” Kip Sturm said.

 

“Not me,” Orlok said, “I got this gimp leg o’ mine. What about Eradin? He’s the best soldier in camp! I bet he could lead the thing a dozen plateaus away before it caught up to him! Who knows? He might even survive and make it back to us.”

 

Several people muttered agreements, and everyone’s eyes turned to Eradin. He returned their gazes unflinchingly. Then he sighed, and stood, gathering his spear and shield.

 

“I’ll go,” was all he said.

 

He turned and trotted towards to chasmfiend, which had paused to devour the two horses that had been with the camp. When he drew close he banged his spear against his shield in a quick one-two pattern.

 

Bang bang!

 

Bang bang!

 

The sound drew the chasmfiends’ attention, and it swiveled its hungry eyes towards Eradin.

 

Bang bang!

 

The monster responded with a bellowing quadruple-trumpet, and swung a foreclaw at Eradin. The soldier ducked under it, then sprinted away, still banging his spear on his shield. The chasmfiend trumpeted again, and took up the chase.

 

Eradin ran for all he was worth, dodging between rock mounds and supply wagons, leading the creature away from where the bridge was being set. He snatched a coiled rope off of one wagon, seconds before it was crushed beneath the chasmfiend’s claw. He turned sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding another claw, and dashed to the lip of the chasm. He hastily knotted the rope into a lasso and looped it over a rockbud outcropping, then leaped off the edge of the cliff, plummeting into the chasm below. The chasmfiend paused to trumpet one last time, then followed him down.

 

….It was the last they saw of the chasmfiend or Eradin.

 

---

 

Eradin was lynched! He was a Refugee!  

 

Votes:

Eradin (4): Wol, Madon, Akirsefatafesrika, Kip

Orlok (2): Torren, Eradin

Sani (2): Em C, Orlok

 

 

You all have 24 hours to get in any of your actions in. Remember, I need to get the actions for them to count, so please check that I am in the PM that you send your actions in. If I'm not, you'll need to send me a separate PM for them to count!

 

Edited August 2, 2015 by Metacognition

[Kipper]

Hey! Hey guys! Check out my sig!

Updated to right now, and if anything is missing (Edit: Or if you would like me to add information or nuggets of helpfulness), do let me know. Writing that on a touch keyboard was painful, but I think I got everything!

Edited August 2, 2015 by Kipper

[Herowannabe]

Hey! Hey guys! Check out my sig!

Updated to right now, and if anything is missing (Edit: Or if you would like me to add information or nuggets of helpfulness), do let me know. Writing that on a touch keyboard was painful, but I think I got everything!

That's brilliant Kipper! Next time I GM I'm going to do that.

 

Oh, and the writeup is coming. Almost done with it. 

 

EDIT: The writeup is done, just waiting for Meta to show up so he can edit it in now.

Edited August 2, 2015 by Herowannabe

[Metacognition]

And the write up is done! 

 

If you liked it, please give Hero the credit. I just posted the results; he deserves the credit for the writing. 

 

Sorry for being late-ish on it, based on when Hero finished it, but this part of why us being multiple GMs is difficult. We're doing our best to keep everything on track. 

Edited August 2, 2015 by Metacognition

[twelfthrootoftwo]

I just realized the mind games this is gonna cause (assuming you're correct and he's not a diagramist.) Do the diagramists go for him or  Macen? which one do we protect? Both? How could we possibly coordinate that correctly?

I can take care of myself. Keep protection on Macen.

[eramit]

well... i am dead... by people i trusted -.-

[Kipper]

I really am sorry about that, but just for future reference, when you don't post your reasons for voting for someone, it's very easy to misinterpret your intentions. Like we just did, thinking you were starting a bandwagon.

 

And a friendly reminder: As you are dead, I cannot discuss anything game-related with you right now. Which I think means that I can basically spout off whatever I want and you can't respond!

 

Anyway, come back next game and you might not die!

[Peng the Just]

I'm back for today and tomorrow. Would it be possible for someone to give me a brief summary of what I missed?

Edit: maybe more than 1 someone so I'm not getting all my info from a singlad source?

Edited August 2, 2015 by Peng the Just

[Kipper]

I don't think we know anything that you can't find out from a quick check of the player list or the wruteups (in my sig below).

[Metacognition]

My apologies for not getting to this sooner, but I've been away from my computer. 

 

An extension has been called, so there is an additional 24 hours to the night. The night will end in 23 hours and 15 mins from this post (so I'm only about an hour late in letting you guys know, but still, I'm sorry). 

[Clanky]

Sorry that I haven't been on much recently. I was at a wedding with no internet or cel service. I don't have much time to talk now since I have to catch  a flight and I still have another 7 hours of travel before I get home. Hopefully I will get back in time to participate at the end of the night.

[Feligon]

Yes, I have been lurking for a while, but I don't have anything to say.  Don't want to waste discussion time on me, I know you guys like to lynch inactive people.  Especially ones that are lurking.  

 

Usually, the eliminators are the most active and trying to make sure no one suspects them.  Just my 2 cents... or, chips?

[Emerald101]

Yes, I have been lurking for a while, but I don't have anything to say.  Don't want to waste discussion time on me, I know you guys like to lynch inactive people.  Especially ones that are lurking.  

 

Usually, the eliminators are the most active and trying to make sure no one suspects them.  Just my 2 cents... or, chips?

 

What I've found is that the Eliminators will have some people in every part of the spectrum. People who talk as villagers will talk as Eliminators, and people who are quiet villagers will be quiet Eliminators. If they didn't play that way, we'd (hopefully) notice the discrepancy and lynch them. 

 

Edit: spelling

Edited August 3, 2015 by Emerald101

[Metacognition]

The night is now over! Hero has already said that he won't be able to get to the write ups right away, but I'll have the night results up in a minute so you guys can start the day. 

[Metacognition]

Day 6: Maxwell's Silver Hammer

 

After their long march and the encounter with the chasm fiend the camp collapsed and slept like the dead. Most of them slept, anyway.

 

Ace pretended to retire to his tent, but snuck out the back a half hour later. He crept quietly through the tents, his destination clear. There were still saboteurs among them- he himself had helped find two of them, but he knew there was more. Ace knew they wouldn’t be sleeping, either, and he knew where they would go. The newly reconstructed bridge was the camp’s only means of traversing the plains.

 

“Come on,” he whispered. A shifting, swirling pattern of raised lines followed alongside him, but it wasn’t to the pattern that he spoke. Instead, he whispered to the small hammer clutched tightly in his hand. “The diagramists are sure to strike again, and we have to stop them.”

 

The hammer didn’t respond, but the swirling pattern did. “Why do you keep speaking to that tool? You know it cannot-”

 

“Quiet Phyllis!” Ace hissed. “We have to stop the diagramists tonight, and I can’t afford to have you pestering me.”

 

Phyllis made an annoyed sounding buzz, but continued to follow Ace.

 

After a few minutes they reached the edge of the camp where the bridge had been stowed, and Ace breathed a sigh of relief. In the faint moonlight he could make out the guards who had been tasked with guarding the bridge. Originally there had been two of them posted, but it looked like someone had been smart enough to double their number, for several figures stood near the end of the bridge conversing. Ace opened his mouth to hail them but he cut off as he saw a huge, silvery sword materialized in one of the figure’s hands. The shardbearer cut down two of the guards before they had a chance to shout an alarm.

 

The shardbearer and it’s companion- obviously diagramists- left the guards and strode purposefully to the bridge.

 

“Quick!” Phyllis buzzed by his feet, “We should-”

 

“Shut up!” Ace snapped. “Are you ready?” he said to the hammer, then without waiting for a reply he dashed out of his hiding place, creeping up behind the diagramists. When he was a half dozen paces away they heard him, and spun around. Ace shouted a wordless battle cry and charged them, hammer held high. One of the saboteurs- the one not wielding the shardblade, inhaled sharply and burst alight, stormlight rising like smoke from the figure’s skin.

 

Ace inhaled, too, sucking in stormlight from the spheres in his pouch, but the diagramist was quicker, swinging its outstretched hand down at the ground. Stormlight sprayed from the outstretched palm like paint, covering the ground between them. Ace’s boot came down and stuck firmly to the glowing pool. His momentum carried him forward and he fell to the ground just as the shardblade cut through the air where he had just been.

 

“Quick!” Phyllis said, spinning around him. “Pick me up! I can help!”

 

Ace ignored her and instead raised his hammer- awkwardly, for his hand and knee were both stuck to the ground now, too- and swung at the shardbearer. The shardbearer’s blade swung back to parry, and Ace's silver hammer and the shardblade met with a flash of reflected moonlight...

 

...And the shardblade severed the head of the hammer, sending it spinning off into the night. Ace stared quizzically at the handle still clutched in his hand.

 

The other diagramist laughed, stormlight puffing out with each chuckle, and the shardbearer paused to gloat. “You know, Ace, you’ve been quite the thorn in our side. Even though the diagram dictated that you need to die, I have to say, I’m going to enjoy this.”

 

The shardbearer raised the blade high, preparing to strike, when a third glowing figure jumped from the bridge, knocking the shardbearer aside. The new figure paused just long enough to kneel, placing a hand on the ground by Ace. Stormlight flowed from the figure’s fingers into the ground, and Ace felt the rock grow soft and pliable beneath him.

 

“Go free!” The newcomer screamed, then jumped back, dodging an attack from the second diagramist. The newcomer turned and ran towards camp, calling an alarm, with the diagramist hot in pursuit.

 

“I’ve got this one,” The diagramist shouted back to the shardbearer, “Finish Ace.”

 

Ace struggled and pulled against the soft ground, and felt it stretch and tear away. Pieces still clung to him, adhered by stormlight, but he could move. He scrambled to his feet, turning to face the shardbearer.

 

“If only I still had my hammer,” Ace said, gritting his teeth.

 

“ACE!” Phyllis shouted. She had been spinning around him chattering away the whole time, but he had tuned her out. “I keep trying to tell you, I can be a storming hammer!” Ace turned around to see her morph, forming herself into an exact replica of his hammer, wet with dew. Ace bent and picked up the hammer, and muttered, “I must not be so-”

 

His sentence was cut off as the tip of the diagramist’s shardblade flashed through his chest.

 

 

Citona Vinid stood at the edge of the chasm, looking to the west- the direction the recent highstorm had gone. Behind her, a new day was dawning, and in the distance she could hear cries of alarm from the warcamp. A gust of wind blew gently past her, and with it she heard someone speak from right behind her. “Thinking of leaving?”

 

“Perhaps,” she answered, without turning.

 

“Why did you come here in the first place, worldhopper?”

 

Citona didn’t answer.

 

“Whatever it is you want here, you won’t find it.”

 

At this Citona laughed. “I can get what I came for with but a word,” she said. “It is you who are lost. There are two roads you can go by, and the one you’re on now leads only to destruction. There’s still time to change to the road less traveled.”

 

“No,” the voice whispered. “I’m afraid not.”

 

The light shifted behind Citona, a shifting white-blue mixing with the orange light of dawn, and she turned around. The figure who had been standing behind her raised it’s hand, dripping with stormlight, and placed it on her chest.

Her gaze was fixed beyond her murderer, however, at the golden light growing in the east. Listening very hard, she seemed to hear a voice whispering on the wind, calling her to join it.

 

---

 

Ace has died! He was a Refugee Lightweaver!

Citrona Vinid has died! She was a Refugee!

 

You guys have 48 hours left in the day.  

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2015 by Metacognition

[Kipper]

Quicklinks and player list in my sig are updated.

Macen contacted me last cycle, and we said nothing of import for the most part. He told me that he already made a Squire and who that Squire is. I shall keep that information private for now. Just a little while ago, he asked me what I thought of Shallan. I did not have an opinion on her at the time, so I told him I would get back to him. I did not, in time, so I feel that Shallan's death was his doing or influence, but that shoukd be obvious.

Edit for grammar.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Kipper