Long Game 30: Journey Before Destination

[DrakeMarshall]

Just now, Alvron said:

Not necessarily. @Amanuensis will you be counting Inactives for rules like the 50% execution and 75% pardon votes?

Good question.

This is kinda tentative, but I think that trying to prevent a town jailing from being wasted is not something an elim would be very likely to do. I trust you slightly more then most of the other players.

[Alvron]

1 minute ago, Amanuensis said:

I will. Anyone who is free counts.

Well there goes that plan.  Why must you ruin all my good ideas.  

[Darkness Ascendant]

25 minutes ago, Jondesu said:

Kintas drew in a breath sharply as he was slammed into the side of the wall.  Briefly, he thought Hashiv was attacking him, but then he realized it seemed to me more out of desperation and an attempt to, what, warn him?

"What stranger is there here?  Who did this to you?"  After seeing the Stormlight heal everyone's wounds from the highstorm, he had assumed there wasn't much anyone could do that would hurt any of them for long.  He drew out a pouch of spheres.

"Here, breath in the Light."

Hashiv let him ago and stumbled away from the spheres, the light repelled him. 

"The Stranger, the man from elsewhere. he did this. He stole from me.He took the light"

@Jondesu

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Darkness Ascendant

[Droughtbringer]

Petrik silently watched them, moving about, alive. They should not be alive. They had been tied up during a storming Highstorm. Mortals did not survive things like that.

"Join them" a voice whispered in the back of Petrik's mind. "You could be one of them." 

Petrik cast those thoughts away, he did not yet know how one became a Knight Radiant like they were, and he couldn't just walk up to them and join them suddenly...that would be suspicious.

Petrik walked away to go gather some more information.

[Jondesu]

18 minutes ago, Darkness Ascendant said:

Hashiv let him ago and stumbled away from the spheres, the light repelled him. 

"The Stranger, the man from elsewhere. he did this. He stole from me.He took the light"

@Jondesu

 

Kintas wasn't one to fear many things, at least not things he hadn't studied enough to know were appropriate to fear.  At the look in Hashiv's eyes, and the way he fled from the spheres, though, he backed down the hallway and fled.  This wasn't…this wasn't right.  Could He be here?  The One Who Hates, right here in our midst?

---

Okay, so I don't know if it'd be a good idea to publicly post my list of who did and didn't earn Honor yesterday (there's some grey areas because Aman gets to decide what counts as discussion, and because I didn't actually run word counts on the RP, though I think I'm at least mostly correct), but by my count, we have 5 players who didn't earn Honor last night, while half of us got the full 2 possible for the cycle.  Those who continue to earn at a pace of 2 per cycle will be far more likely to be able to bond a spren early, which is good to know, though obviously it doesn't directly tell us alignments.  I'm debating whether to actually share my list with anyone, maybe via PM, just in case, or to compare with someone else keeping track, but I wanted to let ya'll know I actually did track it last cycle.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Jondesu

[Shqueeves]

So Word deleted my RP, and because I don't have a lot of time I probably won't have it typed back up by time I need to get to bed. That being said, I'm still active, just didn't have a lot of time over the last few days (I'll have more next cycle)

[Arrae]

When the Highstorm finished, Ralaanar sat up. He glowed with the intense blue-white of Stormlight, undamaged, without a scratch. Everything that the Highstorm had done to him had been healed. He felt better than before, like the storm had been a refreshing bath instead of a deadly soaking that had almost killed him.

“What, um, what happened?” he asked.

“You’re a Radiant now,” Rissa said grumpily. “Congrats.”

“I… what?”

“I got you to swear the First Ideal so you wouldn’t die. So now you’re a Radiant, just like all the other Initiates,” Rissa said.

“You, um, don’t… you don’t sound happy about it,” Ralaanar said.

“Of course not. Someone was storming murdered out there! Murdered! Lomot was harmless, but the the Unjust killed him anyways. They’ve been killing Radiants for a while. So now you’re a target,” Rissa said. “Worse, you’re now an Initiate, and your new leader is Captain storming Kaladin, is a cremhole who deliberately forced his Initiates to stand outside in a Highstorm!”

Ralaanar stayed silent for a while, trying to absorb the implications. Finally, he asked, “How do you know this?”

“Listened around,” Rissa said.

Ralaanar tried to draw in his cloak, then realized that it had been torn away by the wind. He looked down, and realized that his havah had been completely torn apart. His legs were exposed, the right sleeve was gone, and the neckline had been torn so low that it was obvious he wasn’t a girl.

He sighed and stood up. He clutched the hem of his havah with his Safehand, so he had some semblance of a covering. Then he walked off to find himself a new cloak.

---

Ralaanar walked around, trying to find a good person to steal from.

"I thought we'd be fighting Voidbringers, not ourselves," a man grumbled.

There! If Ralaanar remembered right, that man was someone important, who wouldn’t mind if he lost something. Ralaanar slowly walked over, trying to be inconspicuous. After minutes of walking, he was within arm’s reach of the man, who was facing the other way. He reached out and grabbed the man’s cloak.

[TheMightyLopen]

16 hours ago, Arinian said:

Calm down Joe, I read all RP but first I read discussion and RP later, and when RP and discussion mixed I count it as normal discussion.(but honestly from normal discussion much easier to get read at least for me).

I will vote for Alvron.

His posts looks for me like he just trying to make look that he interested in bonding spren, also words about "will collect honor and then will spent when will choose" I count idea of collecting honor as good strategy for elims. Of course from one side it can look like not very good idea for elim to say thing like that but I looking on that like he trying to show that he open and we shouldn't be paranoid about him.

Also I'm suspecting randuir little bit cause it's his first game and he really insightful... but it's his first game so my suspicion on him is mehh... 

Ahh... and almost forgot, Aman I want more answers .

  Reveal hidden contents

Each Chapter, the Unjust are can perform one of two actions: investigate a single player to discover their most heinous crimes, or attempt to execute a player whom they know the crimes of.

Sorry if I missed it somewhere(but wording sounds like unjust can investigate only 1 player for cycle), but each unjust can investigate crimes every cycle or what(so elims can investigate 4 players in 1 cycle)?

If yes then there we will find 2 dead bodies on next cycle.

 

A couple of comments on this post. First, I sort of accuse you and Alv of being Unjust teammates, then you vote on Alv directly after, which honestly just makes me that much more paranoid about you. Maybe you are Unjust but Alv isn't, so you want to prove you both aren't teammates by killing/imprisoning Alv? Or, maybe you are both teammates and you want to distance yourself from him(though I'm of the opinion that the first case is more likely, tbh).

Then, what randuir pointed out that you specifically say "the elims can investigate 4 players in 1 Cycle." I know it could just have been an assumption on your part(I know I make a good many of those myself >.>), but it does add to my suspicion of you. Add to that that it seemed like you already understood the rules regarding the Unjusts ability to each use the faction power every Cycle(as evidenced by the fact that you said you thought they'd use their faction powers instead of bonding back on C1), it almost seems like you already know the answer to your own question.

9 hours ago, Doc12 said:

Firstly, Aman's rule clarification changes things. It means that we don't necessarily have to know the alignments of all the people in jail! As long as we lock up enough people, there's a good enough chance we can hit a significant chunk of the elim team inside

---

No Rp this post, seeing as how I'm still waiting for someone to respond to my prompt in the earlier post. @Magestar, @Drake Marshall, I believe you both have expressed interest? 

Anyway, on to analysis. 

---

Lopen, that was not what I was trying to say. What I was saying is that of the three reasons I showed that they could lose a spren (And Aman has confirmed that there are no other ways), all three reasons have very high chances of being Unjust! 1) Losing a spren through faction action. Definitely elim. 2) Dustbringer killing two villagers. 50/50 odds of being an eliminator. 3) Losing spren through inactivity. Less of a chance, yes, but possibility of being an eliminator ploy. As all three options of losing a spren show a high possibility of being eliminator, isn't it safer to be suspicious of them and imprison them anyway? 

Both Arin and Lopen suspect Alvron  The issue on the table -They both wonder about how he openly claims to be saving his honor. Lopen is guessing that Alvron is the reason Arin might understand the rules so well. Arin suspects that  Alvron is simply being too open and thus it's a ploy to gain trust. 

Perhaps amusingly, Arin and Randuir are both under suspicion for being very insightful. I agree with this. Both of them are new-ish players who have demonstrated good skill at playing the games so far. Randuir in particular has impressed me for his frequency of posting and regular advice. Arin has also a reputation of flying under the radar in most games, but being a very good player. It's not impossible that they might be elims, but insight? I believe they have both demonstrated insight since they joined, and that it isn't necessarily a product of secret questions asked in a doc.

The case on Jondesu is marginally stronger, I suppose. Amusingly, Lopen suspects him for trying to hard to seem open, such as claiming honorable, and claiming that he will share his spren targets. The other marginally more solid reason is Jondesu's weak vote. Which...really isn't enough, considering the amount of poke votes that get thrown around every first cycle. Was his vote weak? Sure. Could he be an eliminator? Sure. But this reason isn't enough to get me to join you in that vote,

 

Doc, your posts are so long.  (which is great, btw, just makes my responses look like big posts, lol)

While we don't have to know alignments, they're kind of important for us to know so that we can make more accurate accusations/clear people. >.>

Uh, yeah, given Aman has confirmed those are the only ways to lose a spren, I'll agree with you there. Can't say I'd automatically imprison them, but yes, that does add quite a bit more suspicion to someone if we hear they lost their spren.

I do not suspect Alvron.  That was just me voicing paranoid thoughts because Alv said I could pick on him. I don't legitimately think he's Unjust.

My suspicion of Arin wasn't just about insight, but the fact that he seemed to understand the rules very well so early, which usually comes from asking the GM questions about them, and I don't remember Arin really doing that very much in other games. At least, it didn't seem to me that he focused on it as much as it seemed like he was this game. That was what I was trying to say.

7 hours ago, Quiver said:

I...have to bow out.  Thought I'd have more time off, which, didn't get. Sorry...

That's really too bad. :/

1 hour ago, Ecthelion III said:

 

Unless I'm missing something, I don't see a point in wasting the interrogation on Sheep or Quiver since they're just going to leave anyway. This makes me somewhat suspicious of Magestar. The other thing is that the eliminators want to lynch and kill the most active villagers, and seeing as Jondesu has been trying to promote game discussion from the very beginning, I can't trust Lopen or Drake.

I don't really like wasting the lynch on Sheep either, since it will just delay our ability to get any solid information even more, but I am a member of the CC and I don't like lynching active people this early. So oh well.

I disagree with you that the elims want to lynch the most active villagers. They have a kill for that, so lynching active villagers would just draw attention to them. Elims will lynch active villagers sometimes if they've got the grounds to do so, but simply voting on an active player shouldn't be enough to cast suspicion on me. You don't even say anything about my logic/reasoning for my vote, just that I voted on an active player.

---

As Shinon was imagining the new terrors Captain Kaladin might have meant with his parting words, he suddenly felt something pulling on his cloak. He yelped and whipped around, ready to fend off any attackers. Instead, he saw, who was that?

"Ralaanar? Is that you? Storms, don't sneak up on me like that! With all this talk of murder, you shouldn't be wandering about...doing whatever it was you were doing." Shinon's eyes narrowed a bit. "What exactly were you doing anyways?"

She didn't look like she'd be a murderer, but then again, who could really say what murderers looked like anyway? Best not to trust anyone.

[Darkness Ascendant]

The Phatom Stranger smiled. It had been easy. Incredibly easy, convincing that fool Hashiv he was meant to be a Radiant. Easier still, sneaking up to him and spiking him for his powers. Now came the hard part, infiltrating the Knight's orders and figuring out a way to get back home. If those Oathgates could travel miles in the blink of an eye, then surely there was a secret in them that would allow him to get home.

[Amanuensis]

Another late night reminder from your friendly neighborhood GM that the turn will be closing soon. If you haven't earned all your Honor yet or put in your order for where you want it to go, you've got a little over three hours left to do it! See? Even the countdown timer agrees.

[Doc12]

"My name is Czarn,", said the earnest voice in front of him. "as I believe I said earlier -"

"I am Teresh", another voice interrupted, subtle irony coloring his voice. "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

Before Hithon could respond, Czarn cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir. I was talking to this man."

Two people? Well then. First things first. He gestured to his tattered uniform. "Greetings. First of all, I will...require the services of someone to help me mend my uniform." With a wry smile, he gestured to his eyes. "As you may perhaps have observed, there are some things I cannot do. Could one of you direct me to a seamstress?"

Secondly, the thing that he knew was on all their minds. With a vague gesture of his hand, he began, "You have heard what our...esteemed leader has said." Sensing the question on their minds, he held up his hand. A frown. "No, not the murder. Don't concern yourselves over the murderer. I myself will begin my own investigations. I'm talking about the Greatshell."

He listened to Czarn's sharp intake of breath, and Teresh' seeming lack of audible response. A smile crossed his lips. "No, I do not believe it was a figure of speech. Being unable to read faces, I have trained myself to listen to the intonations of each voice. I do not think our captain was joking."

He straightened, leaning close, knowing that it would make them uncomfortable. "I intend to survive this training, fellow initiates. I do not care if you do not consider me a friend, or if you find yourself repulsed by me. What I need is someone I can trust to hold my back if ever we are to run against a Greatshell. What are your thoughts?"

With that, he nodded sharply, and took a step back, awaiting their response. 

Don't concern yourselves over the murderer. I myself will begin my own investigations. 

Had he truly meant those words? Only last night he had convinced himself that this was not his fight, that he would have no part in whatever mess happened here. Why then was he saying this?

Because you can. You do have something the others do not. You have the skills, you will soon have the ability. And you have them. 

It was true. His past life...it had given him many skills. Skills which he had honed, and practiced even when his world went dark. They were a part of him. They set him slightly above the others. His skills in invisibility, in noticing things that most others do not. His talent for spying and his resourcefulness. And...them. The Darkness. He hated them, and they loved him. He was a puppet for them, and they laughed at his torment. But they could be useful. When it was announced that Lomot had died, he had felt their dark pleasure. They did not want the Radiants reformed. His own personal Braize, then, would surely be attracted to those who sought to do its will. He had already noticed how the deepness laughed when that man, Jonly, was near. 

In a way, his greatest curse could be his greatest asset in detecting the evil in the hearts of others. They set him apart. 

And if he did not use these skills to protect people... He...Well. He never would have lost his eyes, for one. The last time he had tried to save someone, his world went dark and the shadows descended. Could he help someone again? 

Did he have to?

He found that he did not know.

The shadows danced.

Finally, a voice tore his attention away from his introspection. One of them, Teresh or Czarn...they must have come to a decision. He turned to see what they would say.

@Drake Marshall @Magestar

---

3 hours ago, Jondesu said:

I think you misunderstood.  I didn't suspect Sheep… I literally didn't suspect anyone and basically pulled someone at random.  Because people get suspicious if you don't vote the first day, but I have nothing to go on, and I was happy that in this game I didn't have to risk an irreversible mistake.  Now that he's going to drop out, I think we should both interrogate and then execute him, since there's no good that comes from keeping inactive players in the game, unless we find a solid lead somehow before that happens.  Unlikely in the first couple cycles in my opinion, it's more about luck then anyways.

12 hours ago, Jondesu said:

Oh, I thought I already made my opinion clear.  This is a Day 1 Lynch, essentially, which I always hate even if I've begun to acknowledge that they're necessary in a standard format game, so I appreciated that we sort of had an "out" here, knowing that we can imprison people, where they can remain and we can win without killing them, and then if we manage to gain any conclusive evidence of their alignment, they can later be set free.  It's a rather genius mechanism if I do say so myself (I suggested it, though I think Aman had it in mind before that), and I was showing my appreciation for the idea of having the day 1 Lynch (which is based on virtually nothing) not be a permanent loss of a player.  I don't know why that's so suspicious.

As for the vote on Ashetvl, I just threw a vote on someone relatively active who I knew would show up and speak, but I really don't have anything more to say.  It's not like there's anything to go on, as I noted.

The discussion on what to do about spren didn't lead to a conclusion of a particular approach, sure, which it likely never would have, but that doesn't mean Elims weren't trying to nudge people towards a result they thought would be beneficial.  I just haven't worked out who was likely doing that vs honestly trying to help.

Jon, the thing about day 1 lynches is that yes, everyone throws out poke votes, and yes, most of them don't come to anything. But what I'm trying to say is that we can change that. We don't have to throw out a vote, wait for someone to get on, then retract it immediately. You say you wanted to vote on someone whom you knew would show up and speak, but you didn't have anything else to say. That's typical poke-vote logic, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not accusing you of that. I definitely understand what you mean when you say there's nothing to go on and there's no one worth actually accusing.

What I personally want is for you to vote with a question. See my mention of you in my earlier post, for example. Poke vote all you want, but can we at least make sure that our votes accomplish something besides getting someone else to post? 

4 hours ago, Ecthelion III said:

I see no point in wasting the interrogation on Sheep or Quiver since they're just going to leave anyway. This makes me somewhat suspicious of Magestar. The other thing is that the eliminators want to lynch and kill the most active villagers, and seeing as Jondesu has been trying to promote game discussion from the very beginning, I can't trust Lopen or Drake.

I don't understand this, Ecth. You say that the Unjust would try to kill the most active villagers, which I concede is a fair point, but then you say Jondesu has been trying to promote game discussion from the very beginning, thus you suspect Lopen and Drake. However, the way I've been seeing it, Lopen and Drake have been the most active in game discussion! They started from cycle 1, while Jon has only started discussing this cycle. So while I get you voting for Lopen because you believe Jondesu is in the right, the reason you stated doesn't really make sense. As for my stance on lynching inactives, see below. 

2 hours ago, Jondesu said:

Okay, so I don't know if it'd be a good idea to publicly post my list of who did and didn't earn Honor yesterday (there's some grey areas because Aman gets to decide what counts as discussion, and because I didn't actually run word counts on the RP, though I think I'm at least mostly correct), but by my count, we have 5 players who didn't earn Honor last night, while half of us got the full 2 possible for the cycle.  Those who continue to earn at a pace of 2 per cycle will be far more likely to be able to bond a spren early, which is good to know, though obviously it doesn't directly tell us alignments.  I'm debating whether to actually share my list with anyone, maybe via PM, just in case, or to compare with someone else keeping track, but I wanted to let ya'll know I actually did track it last cycle.

I myself have been keeping track in a spreadsheet. By my count, though, I would say that there were only 3 players who did not earn any honor last cycle? I would be amenable to exchanging this list with you over PM and seeing how well it matches up. 

7 hours ago, Alvron said:

With both Quiver and Sheep dropping out  I think that one of them should be voted for.  Inactive pruning is something that I am in full support of at least for the first cycle or two.  It removes an inactive and keeps active players around which can only be a good thing for the village.

With that said, I'm off to (hopefully) write some RP.

I...guess I support this strategy? It's probably a good idea to remove the inactives, due to the pardon/execute votes mentioned. There's also the fact that inactive eliminators can still be used to make kills, if I'm not mistaken. It's probably a good idea to begin pruning early. 

Other than that. there's really nothing much to go on besides asking each other questions, I guess. I have a mild suspicion read on Jon for some things he has said (Not the voting thing), and mild trusts on Lopen, Randuir and Drake. Nothing much beyond that. I'd throw a vote on Sheep, but it seems that they're getting lynched anyway. 

I'm still open to PMs and stuff. 

EDITED because Aman gave me a storming heart attack by ninjaing me while I wrote this post and making me think the cycle was over, thus posting before I was actually done >>, Seeing as no one else is online and reading, I just went back to working on it. 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Doc12

[DrakeMarshall]

Hm... I am curious to see how a blind man fares in the coming days... I don't think people become radiants for no reason, however. I am sure this one has strength.

"Apologies, Czarn, I fear I did not see you there...

If I may, I believe I can offer some answer to your questions.

In regard to mending your uniform... I may be able to help you there. Ask after Bala among the group from Sebarial's camp." Bala also used to be an informant for the Ghostbloods a few years ago... But still an excellent seamstress from what I've heard.

"As for watching your back... I don't like the idea of an initiate dying from some plan our captain windbrain cooked up.

I don't yet consider you an ally or enemy, but if it is in my power, I will not leave you to be eaten by a chasmfiend.

And, naturally, it is more likely to be in my power to do something if you stay close tomorrow, if we really are getting sent out after a greatshell."

And, for what its worth, even a blind radiant can take a lot of punishment.

I wonder what place this one has in the orders...

"I suspect, however, that for this question, addressing two people is fortunate. Czarn, what is your take on the matter?"

[Amanuensis]

Chapter Two is now closed. Chapter Three shall begin... well. Right now!

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Amanuensis

[Amanuensis]

 

 

Shadesmar really was a beautiful place, Jasnah reflected, whenever she wasn’t busy running for her life.

 

In her right hand she held an enormous glass bead. Age, here, seemed to equal size, as the orb containing the ancient road that stretched from Northgrip to Kholinar could hardly fit in her palm. Holding onto it for dear life, she sprinted across a bridge of glass beads just like it, clinging to one another, falling apart behind her and reforming ahead, as she fed it with stormlight.

 

In her left hand she held the backpack that the highspren had lent her. It was a sacred relic, apparently. A gift from a god who once visited their city, seeking answers and offering some of his own. For a sacred relic, though, it was very nondescript. Dull brown and tattered, but thankfully whole enough to protect the dozens of infused spheres nestled within.

 

She had the generosity of Herdaz to thank for those. If not for their kindness she wouldn’t have been able to return to this place to hasten her journey. While the other side might have been a little safer, assuming she didn’t run into too many of those cursed Voidbringers, it would have taken her days to travel as far as she had in the last hour alone, Stalkers chasing her or not.

 

“Are they ever,” Jasnah panted, “going to give up?”

 

Ivory, her spren that resembled a man made of ink, ran alongside her. He looked at her, then, if what he did could be described as looking. At the very least, his blank face tilted towards her, and though no lips parted, he spoke.

 

“Not until you stop being afraid, Jasnah,” he said, the words slipping over her ears like oil.

 

“Afraid?” Jasnah tried to laugh, though it came out more like a gasp of exasperation. Even if she wanted to renounce it, she had to admit, those things were frightening. Besides the unnatural shape of their lithe, violet bodies, and their jagged claws and bloody fangs, the way they moved without making any sound was disheartening at best, and terrifying at worst.

 

At least with the Grinders she could hear how far away they were as she ran. With the Stalkers, she could only use sight to judge the distance, and considering how fast they traversed this plane, it was much too risky to look back.

 

This road wasn’t exactly the most stable, either. Not only did the beads merge together imperfectly, forcing her to be careful where she placed her feet so that she wouldn’t trip, but it also took a lot of mental strength to keep the beads fused together. Even the slightest distraction could cause them to crumble beneath her.

 

Seriously. How could she not be afraid, in a scenario like this? In here she couldn’t turn Ivory into a Shardblade, and his own sword wasn’t very effective, given that it was made of the same inky substance as his flesh. Soulcasting didn’t work the same in Shadesmar, either. Perhaps if she had a bead containing a weapon, she could pull it into this place… but no. She’d either drown or be ripped to shreds before she could find one, and doing that would use up so much of her Stormlight, she might be stranded in this place again.

 

For the first time in three years, Jasnah was absolutely clueless. That, perhaps, was even more frightening than her pursuers.

 

How long could she go on like this? Forever, she supposed, so long as she had the Stormlight, but she was beginning to realize that infused spheres couldn’t heal her mental exhaustion. A chase like this might not have been demanding on her spirit, but…

 

A wail that sounded like a long, drawn out bark reverberated through the air, shaking the beads beneath her. The call sounded different where the sea-was-land, but she recognized it instantly.

 

Grinder.

 

“Harmmore…” Ivory muttered at her side.

 

“You’re really not helping, you know? Where the braize is it, anyway?”

 

As if on cue, the beast burst from the sea of beads ahead of her. It was an ugly thing, bulbous and orange with a mouth that was little more than a gaping, black hole. While the Grinder couldn’t consume the beads, Ivory had explained during her first encounter with the creature, they had no trouble devouring other spren, nor would it a fleshling like her.

 

“Ivory? Please tell me the Stalkers are gone!” Jasnah demanded in a panic. In her peripherals she saw Ivory’s top half turn completely around, despite his legs still facing the front and running with the same intensity.

 

“Oh.” Ivory replied nonchalantly.

 

“Oh?” Jasnah exclaimed, hopeful.

 

“Oh, as in, oh, you’ve attracted three more.”

 

This time her gasp of exasperation came out as a laugh.

 

“For what it’s worth,” Jasnah said as she began to slow down. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this. If I give up now, is there any way you can escape?”

 

“Give up… oh!” Ivory yelled before skidding to a halt.

 

“Oh?” Jasnah sighed, resigned.

 

“Oh! As in, oh, Grinders and Stalkers hate each other.”

 

“So what you’re saying is…?” Jasnah struggled to catch her breath as she halted by his side. Together they looked back and forth between the spren. A pair of tasty prey caught between several hungry predators.

 

“Jump!” they shouted at once, leaping into the sea of beads. As soon as she splashed into the ocean, Jasnah willed herself to sink faster, and miraculously she did. Above her, the lone Grinder and the pack of Stalkers crashed into each other, causing the glass beads to recoil with a shriek.

 

Jasnah was drowning, though fortunately for Ivory, he had no nose or mouth to let the beads in. Like before, she clasped her hands around her face and blew outward to clear out her windpipe, but the beads were many and so desperate to get inside her, to feed on her light.

 

Worse, when she jumped, she had lost the orb containing the old road. Fortunately she still held the bag, it’s strap now fastened around her shoulder, so she wasn’t entirely helpless. Desperate, she searched the beads around her for the giant orb, rummaging through spheres that contained little more than cracked rocks and blades of grass.

 

Before she knew it, the darkness was upon her again. The Stormlight would keep her alive, sure, but it couldn’t keep her lungs filled with air. If she didn’t find something useful soon, she would fall unconscious, and once that happened…

 

There!

 

Reaching out, she grasped a bead not much larger than a broam, eager to feed this one light. The orbs of glass that had nearly suffocated her were leaving now, coalescing in her hand to form the wheel of a wagon. On Roshar it couldn’t do much on its own, but here in Shadesmar, things behaved differently. It knew instinctively that it had to move and so it did, dragging her up towards the surface.

 

Jasnah burst out of the land-made-sea, the vicious spren battling behind her, not that she bothered to acknowledge it beyond the Grinder’s cries of pain. Keeping her head above the surface, she continued to command the wheel to move. Further and further until eventually… Kholinar.

 

 

Ashetvl whimpered.

 

She was beaten. Bruised. The Highstorm had been relentless. More so than Tanb had ever been, when he was drunk and desperate to prove a point.

 

This is my ship! Mine! I am the Captain, and you! Must! Listen!

 

She closed her eyes then, just as she closed them now. The pain was too much. She could hardly breathe.

 

Ashetvl could have sworn she saw Tanb’s face in the darkness, staring at her with hatred burning in his eyes. Not just hatred for what she had done, but hatred for what she was, inside.

 

He didn’t understand. Couldn’t.

 

Ignorant, backwater men like him… they despised things they couldn’t wrap their simple heads around.

 

That was what Ashetvl had to tell herself to ease the pain.

 

Breathe. She had to breathe. Once she did, all the agony would get washed away. She would be reborn again. Made into what she always knew she was. What she always wanted to be.

 

“Last night, an Initiate died.”

 

Ashetvl retreated so much into herself, she didn’t even notice the storm had stopped, or that the man who condemned her to this fate had returned. Not that she could blame him. Unlike Tanb, she understood.

 

He was trying to cull the weak.

 

“Or, should I say, an Initiate was murdered, as his eyes now resemble smoldering coals.”

 

She didn’t hear the words. Not exactly. She gasped for breath, but the Highstorm was over and there were no spheres here. Her wounds would not mend.

 

“Highprince Dalinar is convinced at least one person here was involved. Under normal circumstances, we would cease all training, but as you all know, these are desperate times, and thus we cannot afford to stop for anything. As such, he has given me permission to make your lives a living hell until all those who are responsible are found.”

 

That was it. She was being punished for being stupid and weak. How could she ever expect to become a Knight? For a day, perhaps two, she almost believed she was chosen. But then she spoke to Shallan, and her resolve was shattered, irreversibly, just like that.

 

“So take the day off to talk amongst yourselves. And don’t worry, you won’t have to leave this wonderfully frigid rain for a second. In fact, my Squires will be waiting just inside to make sure you have all the time you need to come clean.”

 

What did they want from her? She was only a girl, but they expected her to brave Highstorms, and only the Almighty knows what else.

 

“Enjoy, Initiates, and please, try not to get too sick. I’ve got big plans for you all tomorrow. Plans as big as a greatshell, in fact.”

 

Ashetvl shuddered. Inside and out, the agony was too great.

 

There was silence for awhile, other than the rain falling, the wind blowing, and her endless sobbing. With time, though, the others began to speak, although their voices sounded so far away.

 

At least until someone approached her.

 

“Hey… Ashetvl, was it? Are you okay?”

 

The man touched her shoulder and she recoiled, though the rope she had tied around her waist only tugged her back to where she sat. She hadn’t spoken with Kintas before, but she remembered his name from the day they swore the First Ideal.

 

“Get away from me!” she cried. The tears kept streaming, obscuring his face with the gray sky behind him.

 

Fortunately he did, though there was hesitance in his departure. She just wanted to be alone. Couldn’t they see that? She wasn’t strong enough for this.

 

Again, silence. Her outburst had quieted the others, it seemed. But after a few minutes, someone else had called her name, though growled would have been a more appropriate word for the way he spoke.

 

“Our mutual friend Kintas believes you to be Lomot’s murderer, but since he isn’t willing to convince others to arrest you, I’ll do it for him.”

 

He couldn’t be serious, could he? Her? A murderer?

 

But the truth was, her hands were stained with blood. Perhaps not Lomot’s, but another's. Not even a Highstorm could wash her clean.

 

Even if Ashetvl wanted to defend herself, she couldn’t cease weeping enough to respond. Perhaps if she just kept ignoring them, they’d go away.

 

Instead, more just chimed in.

 

Balthazar didn’t speak to her. He wasn’t even accusing her, it seemed. Instead, he offered her an opportunity. An out. Maybe he realized just how broken she was. That she couldn’t handle this. She might have thanked the man, if she had not been in so much pain.

 

Araon, too, wanted to get rid of her, though his reasoning didn’t sound as generous, or pleasant. Eventually Uther agreed too, though not for her sake, but the sake of the rest.

 

“So? What have you learned?”

 

That was Dalinar’s voice. When did the Highprince arrive?

 

Ashetvl wasn’t the only one who didn’t see him.

 

Startled by the stern voice booming from just behind him, Hithon jumped. “Brightlord!” he said instinctively. “I… we haven’t learned much, sir. But Ashetvl there… she’s not doing well. We suspect the shock of the Highstorm might have gotten to her, but-”

 

“-Don’t worry, Hithon,” the Highprince cut him off. “I’ll take it from here.”

 

Footsteps that crashed as heavy as boulders. A sigh like a quiet before a storm. The air felt heavier. Tense.

 

“Ashetvl. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

 

This is my ship! Mine! I am the Captain, and you! Must! Listen!

 

No…

 

Look at me! Ashetvl yelled. Look at me! She screamed.

 

I am the Captain now!

 

“I… I…” she stammered, trying to find her voice. When she did, the truth came out in a rush. “I can’t do this, Brightlord. I’m no Radiant. Six months ago, I was working as a sailor. I… convinced my crewmates to mutiny. We killed our Captain, and threw his corpse overboard. I thought I could control them, but I was wrong. They started doing terrible things. Smuggling drugs, criminals. Even robbed a fisherman blind on the open ocean, once, and left him at sea without a sail or a paddle to starve. Eventually I got away… stole some of their wealth, but only so that I could survive. But then I was robbed by bandits, and… and…”

 

Ashetvl stopped to take a breath.

 

There was one more truth she had to admit, but she couldn’t.

 

The pain was too much.

 

The world went black.

 

When she woke up, she found herself in a makeshift cell, lit by mundane lamps rather than with Stormlight. It seemed they had brought her near a few spheres. Enough to heal her serious wounds, but not enough to banish it altogether.

 

She deserved it all. The pain, the loneliness.

 

Curling into herself, Ashetvl whimpered.

 

 

Kaladin was the first to exit the Oathgate, though it wasn’t his first trip that morning.

 

Earlier, while the Initiates slept off yesterday’s trial, he had come here with his Squires to prepare for the next event. It wasn’t easy, subduing a greatshell without wounding it so much that it had no fight in it left. If not for Adolin and Elhokar he might not have managed it at all, but they knew what they were doing when it came to arranging these sorts of hunts. Only this wouldn’t go down like the ones they were used to. It would be more like the last one the royal family went on together, when the chasmfiend broke free and nearly killed the King.

 

This time the chasmfiend would be allowed free. And instead of an army and a small entourage of Shardbearers, it would be fought by Initiates, equipped with whatever ordinary weapons they favored.

 

They were nervous. At least those with any sense left in them. Kaladin had fought a Chasmfiend on his own, once. Syl was gone, then, nearly dead, but at least he had Shallan’s Shardblade to fight with. It made cutting through the creature a breeze. This battle… it would be anything but.

 

When they came to Urithiru, they had teleported atop the platform, but this time Kaladin wanted to show them the inner chamber of the Oathgate. He made sure to demonstrate how it could only work with a living Shardblade, meaning that none of them would be able to operate it on their own.

 

He had an ulterior motive, of course. Perhaps if he showed Lomot’s murderer how to use it, they would reveal themselves by trying it themselves. Dalinar had ordered his best scouts to watch the devices day and night for that very reason, in fact.

 

Rising into the daylight, Kaladin took a deep breath of fresh air. “These Shattered Plains, they made me into the man you see now. During my time as a bridgeman in Sadeas’ army, those winding chasms were as much my home as the Warcamps. Back then, I hated them. We all hated them, in fact,” he said, gesturing to Teft and Skar, who were waiting ahead, heels on the ledge, “but now we love them as much as our mothers and fathers…” and brothers, too, he thought sadly, “for they helped shape us into something greater.”

 

At the edge of the crem-crusted platform, Kaladin came to attention before his Squires. They saluted him, and he saluted back.

 

“You know what to do.”

 

With a nod, the two men straightened, then leaned back. Their heels tipped over first, and then they were gone. Vanished beneath the edge on which they stood.

 

Boots stomped and greaves scraped as the Initiates surrounded Kaladin to look at where his Squires went. They were falling towards the ancient city, Stormseat, that rested below, trailing light as they plummeted at a breakneck pace. As they approached the ground, however, they began to slow down and spin until finally they landed, feet first, with a graceful bow.

 

Kaladin grinned proudly. His Squires were learning. Soon enough he’d have friends to ride the winds with.

 

Needless to say, he couldn’t wait.

 

Teft and Skar were already running. Towards what, the Initiates did not know quite yet, though he could tell they had their suspicions. What else could be writhing beneath a tent so large, held up by ropes tied to a pair of leaning towers that in their day would have been as tall as the plateaus themselves? There certainly weren’t many options…

 

“Don’t suppose any of you have seen one of those up close, have you?”

 

Reaching the tent at a sprint, Teft and Skar leaped with so much strength that they cleared the height of it with ease. Grabbing and pulling at the cloth, they ran across the top of whatever was moving beneath it, slowly revealing its gigantic claws, its spidery legs, and its flat face with its beady eyes and razor-sharp mandibles. Atop the tilted towers, Drehy and Leyten stepped out, walking straight despite the pull of gravity, and cut the ropes binding the monster with their spears.

 

A minute later, the chasmfiend was free. Free, and very, very angry, given how quickly it swiped at one of the towers, knocking it down and forcing Leyten to jump away for safety.

 

Looking around, Kaladin had to fight to hide his amusement. Though a lot of them wore brave faces, that didn’t stop the awe from shining in their eyes, or the fearspren from crawling out of the ground where they stood. A few of them even shook their heads, maybe to answer his question, but perhaps also in disbelief.

 

“Well then I guess today is our lucky day. Cause not only are we seeing one of them up close. We get to kill one!”

 

Most of them didn't seem to like that, though Kaladin was glad to see a few of them were eager.

 

“Did I say we? I meant you all, of course. My Squires and I are only here to supervise.” Beside him, one of the Initiates gulped, so Kaladin decided to grab their shoulder reassuringly. “No better way to build teamwork than to face adversity together. Am I right?” he asked no one in particular. No one answered, anyway.

 

“In case you’re all wondering how you’re getting down there, well… I hope you listened when I said to bring every infused sphere you own, because trust me. You’re going to need a lot to survive this drop.”

 

Feeling the Initiate tremble in his grip, Kaladin let his smile grow wide, unable to fight the urge any longer. When he pushed the Initiate over the edge and turned to face the others, his smile grew even wider.

 

He learned this one watching Zahel as he mentored Renarin. Only it wasn’t a Shardplate’s limits the Initiates had to get comfortable with, but their own.

 

“So,” he said, scanning the faces of the others, taking note of those who backed away from him and those who remained at arm’s length.

“Who’s next?”

 

Edited February 14, 2017 by Amanuensis

[Amanuensis]

CHAPTER THREE

Ashetvl has been arrested. She was guilty of Mutiny, Smuggling, and Multiple Counts of Theft!

Two Bonds have been formed!

 

 

Thanks to ya'll having the interrogation figured out as soon as you did, I managed to get this write up knocked out super early, so if anyone's awake still, enjoy the extra two hours! This also means I should be able to get the GM PMs out fast.

 

If you can't be bothered to read the entire write up, I recommend you read the third part (that's right, there's only three this time, though I don't think the write up is much shorter than the rest), as it describes the scene in which your characters will be interacting this time. I know a few people have been looking forward to this scene, so I hope you all enjoy it! Note that I planned on writing the Chasmfiend death scene myself, but if you all want to finish it off before the next Chapter and start a dance party on its corpse, feel free.

 

Anyway, have fun! And good luck.

 

VOTE TALLY

 

(1) TheSilverDragon: Hemalurgic_Headshot,

(1) Quiver: Alvron,

(5) AliasSheep: Jondesu, A Joe in the Bush, Magestar, Assassin in Burgundy, Drake Marshall,

(1) Jondesu: TheMightyLopen,

(1) Alvron: Arinian,

(1) Arinian: DroughtBringer,

(1) Ecthelion III: Arraenae,

(1) TheMightyLopen: Ecthelion III,

 

 

 

INITIATES

 

1. A Joe in the Bush as Jonly

2. Assassin in Burgundy as Araon Darkblade

3. Jondesu as Kintas

4. randuir as Ranatar

5. Hemalurgic_Headshot as Sareth-son-Erneth

6. TheSilverDragon as Rea

7. Ecthelion III as Fifth Nameless

8. Arinian as Arionium

9. JUQ as Hess

10. Quiver as Veriq

11. Shqueeves as Leif

12. Doc12 as Hithon

13. Magestar as Balthazar

14. Arraenae as Ralaani

15. TheMightyLopen as Shinon

16. Drake Marshall as Teresh

17. The lazy anarchist as Lyna Telavalet

18. Alvron as Naihar

19. DroughtBringer as Petrik

20. Darkness Ascendant as The Phantom Stranger & Hashiv

21. Elbereth as Tintallë Iurnu

 

PRISONERS

 

1. Ashetvl, Guilty of Mutiny, Smuggling, and Multiple Counts of Theft.

 

CASUALTIES

 

1. Lomot the Honorable Initiate

 

COUNTDOWN

 

Chapter Three will end on Tuesday, February 14th, at 0400 EST. Chapter Four will begin approximately 2 hours later.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Amanuensis

[DeTess]

‘Guess I was right’, Ranatar thought as the greatshell was revealed. He’d intentionally eschewed armor of any sort, knowing that it wouldn’t stop an attack from this beast and would only serve to slow him down. Speed would be his armor. Ranatar knew he wasn’t as fit as some among the initates, but before coming to Urithiru he’d made a point of training with the troops in Sebariel’s warcamp several times a week.

He’d brought both a spear and a sword from the armory, and was somewhat proficient in both. and was wearing one of the uniforms he’d worn back in Sebariels camp, given that he had had little time to mend the uniform that had been wrecked in the high-storm.

He quickly went over his pockets again, making sure all spheres where still in place. Unlike some of the other initiates, he’d known the storm they’d spent the day in yesterday was coming, and had prepared accordingly. He’d gathered up every dun sphere he could find, and had traded up some of his still infused spheres for larger dun spheres. He’d just expected to be able to slowly use the hoarded stormlight through the coming days of training, instead of having to blow it all the next day.

“Did I say we? I meant you all, of course. My Squires and I are only here to supervise.” Stormblessed’s statement pulled Ranatar’s attention back from the review of his preparations with a start.  ‘There’s no way we can kill this thing without a shardbearer!’ Ranatar’s composure started to fracture, but Kalladin put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “No better way to build teamwork than to face adversity together. Am I right?”

“In case you’re all wondering how you’re getting down there, well… I hope you listened when I said to bring every infused sphere you own, because trust me. You’re going to need a lot to survive this drop.” The windrunner continued. ‘Wait! There’s no way…’ Ranatar’s thoughts where cut off as Stormblessed suddenly gave him a shove, sending him tumbling over the edge.

 

More RP to come (in an edit to this post, most likely). I just wanted to establish I was the one getting pushed by kalladin early

edit: More RP did come, not in an edit to this post.

Edited February 11, 2017 by randuir
basic syntax is hard

[Magestar]

9 hours ago, Drake Marshall said:

Oh. Sorry mage

I just pulled up Doc's last RP post after he asked to start a conversation, shoulda seen your post...

No worries.   I actually didn't mind at all, since it's partially my fault that I didn't get to responding in time.  Plus, it made for an interesting dynamic.

---

Begin RP.

Some time ago, somewhere fairly close by...

"I suspect, however, that for this question, addressing two people is fortunate. Czarn, what is your take on the matter?"

Balthazar looked up.  "Along the many paths I have traveled, I have learned that the situation is rare that cannot be dealt with better with many.  I, for one, will not say no to having good men besides me, and I will defend those who defend me.  No man should be left to be devoured, especially by a Chasmfiend.  As far as mending your garments..."

Balthazar looked down at his own clothes, and laughed.  "Well, as you can see from my clothing, I am sure that whoever Teresh suggests is likely better than I."

"And I do hope the Captain was joking about that Greatshell."

---

Some time after that...

"Ah.  So he wasn't joking."  Balthazar commented, from his vantage point on the cliff.  

"Poor fellow."  He continued, looking down at the man the Captain had pushed off.  "We should probably go do something about him."

End RP.

---

This ought to be fun.  Nice writeup, Aman.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Magestar

[Hemalurgic Headshot]

Sareth simply shook his head when he learned that they would be taking the Oathgate. He doubted there was enough soil left in his bag for any traveling out there. Nevertheless, he grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He grabbed his cloak and staff as well. A greatshell... no, this won't do. He rushed down levels to find a tailor. He was a slim man, quite fashionable, but a little under the weather. Sareth asked him where he got his dyes. The man looked confused, but then told him to look for Jemai. Sareth immediately began searching. At last, he found him, or her actually. She had only some dye left from her journey, but she had a wide variety of powders. Sareth exchanged a sphere or two for a sizable pouch of a deep red powder. He thanked her graciously, and swiftly left.

Now they were on the Shattered Plains, a landscape with the appearance of cracked soil enlarged a hundredfold. Captain Kaladin had yet another crazy plan for the Initiates. Sareth wondered whether Kaladin was the true murderer, and was attempting to get them all killed. It was certainly plausible, seeing today's task. They stood on a platform, Sareth, on a layer of dirt on top of the platform. Before them, off a little ways, was a massive tent, the sail of a massive ship stretched out. Kaladin grinned.

“Don’t suppose any of you have seen one of those up close, have you?”

Sareth slowly placed a hand on his face and dragged it down. A literal greatshell. How kind of you to be dropping hints.

“Well then I guess today is our lucky day. Cause not only are we seeing one of them up close. We get to kill one!”

Now any excited feelings were turned on their heads. Quite a few more fearspren were wriggling out of the ground. However, some looked determined. Sareth tapped his chin. Were they courageous or foolhardy?

“In case you’re all wondering how you’re getting down there, well… I hope you listened when I said to bring every infused sphere you own, because trust me. You’re going to need a lot to survive this drop.”

And with that, he pushed Ranatar off the cliff. Many of the Initiates gasped. Sareth inhaled sharply. Then from the bottom came an audible groan and the shout: "I'm okay!" Kaladin turned and yelled down at him.

"Then go kill that storming chasmfiend!"

"So, who's next?" Kaladin grinned.

[DeTess]

Panic threathened to break his sanity as he tumbled throught the air. A scream of fear forced its way past his lips as he started on the long way down. On the cliff wall, he could see a track of fear-spren following him. He tumbled around in the air, seeing the cliff with the rest of the initiates, than the ground rushing up to grab him, than…nothing.

***

Ranatar woke up again, facing the wall. A storm was raging through his veins, repairing broken bones, sealing punctured skin, refilling lost blood and removing the emotions that had threatened to overwhelm him before. ‘No, that last thing is all me.’ Ranatar didn’t feel anything. No elation at having survived the drop, no worry at was to come, no anger at the man that had pushed him. Some of that would come later, when he allowed control to slip again. For now, he had no use for these. 

This mindset of control, of supressing everything but rational thought, had come easily to Ranatar in the past. Back when he served under prince Balerad, it had helped him through long nights of strategy planning and ensured his survival on those few occasion a shardbearer had broken through the lines and reached his position. It had made him an important resource to the prince and ensured him a position of trust that wasn’t usually reserved for a bastard.

He had come to hate it.

For a moment, he tried to force it down, let control go. Then he stopped himself. ‘I’m going to need it if I’m going to survive this.'

He let the stormlight go as his body had fully healed, and then made a quick accounting of his reserves. His emerald broam had gone fully dun, but the rest of his spheres where still infused. “I’m okay!” He shouted up to the rest of the initiates. “Make sure you’ve got at least an emerald broam’s worth of stormlight before making the jump!”

Note: you could likely survive with less stormlight if you hit the ground in a controlled way, rather than the *splut* Ranatar made.

Edited February 11, 2017 by randuir

[Jondesu]

Kintas watched with a calm detachment as Kaladin pushed Ranatar off the cliff.  Kaladin was, he knew now, a sociopath.

Inside, of course, he was screaming.

Colors, the man will kill us all!  What in the name of the Iridescent Tones did he do that for!

He stared along with the others as Ranatar fell, expecting to hear a squishy thud and then nothing.

Instead, Ranatar called back up to them. “I’m okay!” He shouted up to the rest of the initiates. “Make sure you’ve got at least an emerald broam’s worth of stormlight before making the jump!”

Kintas knew he had a good bit more than that.  He'd swapped out the spheres that had gone dun since he arrived for freshly charged ones in the highstorm yesterday, at a very reasonable rate because of his status as an Initiate.  Seemed some of the merchants at least were interested in ingratiating themselves to the new Radiants. He patted his pockets holding the spheres with their precious Stormlight, reassuring himself that they were secure.  Then, before Kaladin could reach him and send him flying off in a painful and uncontrollable fall, he stepped off the edge himself.

As he began to fall, he reached out and touched the chasm wall with one hand.  He had no chance of grabbing onto handholds, but he let his hand try to catch onto ridges, slowing him slightly as he fell.  His hand screamed in pain as it tore and then healed as he breathed in his Stormlight, but when he reached the bottom, he was going slightly slower than terminal velocity.

It didn't help.

He hit the ground with a sickening crack, trying to roll as he'd learned was best during a long fall, but failing pretty miserably.  He'd never anticipated having to actually use that particular skill.  He was a scholar, after all, not a soldier or adventurer.  Well, he was now, it seemed.  His broken legs reknit themselves as he breathed in again, using up more of his store of Stormlight, but bringing sweet relief from the pain.  The memory of the pain would be slower to fade, but now he could rise to his feet and stagger over to Ranatar's side, away from where the other Initiates would be falling.

---

Okay, so now we know the minimum Honor needed to bond a spren is 3, probably 4, although some spren likely cost more.  I wonder if multiple people tried to bond the same spren and only two got them, or if only two spren were satisfied with 3-4 Honor?

And @randuir, I'm very annoyed you got to the RP first, I wanted Kaladin to push me off.  That's okay, though, I think I may like this approach better.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Jondesu

[DeTess]

I might put up a 'talking strategy' RP up once some more people have made the jump, if no one beats me to it.

One thing that might be smart to do is to quickly describe your intended fighting style and plan (IC or OOC), that would make it easier for everyone to make cooperative combat RP posts without having to coordinate with everyone to make sure their character looks right. For example, as long as Ranatar's spear holds, he'll use it to keep his distance, stabbing it between plates and other apparent weakspots of the greatshell and quickly getting out of the way before the creature manages to crush him.

@Doc12, is there any chance of you doing another comprehensive summary of the discussions like you've done last cycle?

[Magestar]

38 minutes ago, Jondesu said:

As he began to fall, he reached out and touched the chasm wall with one hand.  He had no chance of grabbing onto handholds, but he let his hand try to catch onto ridges, slowing him slightly as he fell.  His hand screamed in pain as it tore and then healed as he breathed in his Stormlight, but when he reached the bottom, he was going slightly slower than terminal velocity.

Storms.  I was going to do that.

20 minutes ago, randuir said:

One thing that might be smart to do is to quickly describe your intended fighting style and plan (IC or OOC), that would make it easier for everyone to make cooperative combat RP posts without having to coordinate with everyone to make sure their character looks right. For example, as long as Ranatar's spear holds, he'll use it to keep his distance, stabbing it between plates and other apparent weakspots of the greatshell and quickly getting out of the way before the creature manages to crush him.

I may or may not decide to jump in it's mouth.  And then tear my way out from the stomach.  With my teeth.

---

RP begins:

Some time near the present...

Balthazar slowly walked up to the edge.  The chasm went quite a ways down,  but about thirty feet to the left, and a little more than half the way down was a small ledge.  He'd have to be careful, but... 

"Well, I'm not going to be the last one off."  said Balthazar, to the air.  "I'll see you at the bottom."

And then he jumped.  With less than a foot between himself and the chasm wall, Balthazar made certain not to so much as touch the wall, for fear of pushing himself further out.  Glancing down, he saw the ledge hurtling towards him.  Grimacing, he flexed his legs... and slammed into the ledge.  It broke his fall, and he could feel his legs threatening to shatter, but the plating on his shins helped to absorb the damage.  Still, his leg muscles tore, and he flipped backwards off of the ledge, his fall only partially broken.  He spun about, using his momentum to twist himself into a nearly upright position.  And then...  The ground hit him.  There was no other way to say it.  Balthazar was certain he hadn't hit the ground, but it had definitely sucker punched him.   Balthazar coiled his legs, trying to absorb as much of the fall as possible, and rolled.  He slammed his arms into the ground, and his wrists shattered.  But his legs were working.  Ahaha, his legs were working.  He inhaled deeply, and stood.  Slowly, his wrists healed, and he began to walk towards the Chasmfiend.

RP ends.  I seriously considered landing on Kintas or Ranatar, but decided it might not be the nicest thing to do.  

Edited February 11, 2017 by Magestar

[Hemalurgic Headshot]

Sareth had finished packing what soil he had left onto the bottom of his boots. He certainly didn't have enough to be scattering it about during the battle, and he wouldn't have the time. Hopefully this would stick long enough for him to finish the job. Kintas had joined Ranatar, and Balthazar as well. It was his turn now. He edged up to the ledge and looked down. A steep incline, but with a few outcroppings here and there. He tried to judge the distance between them, but it was hard to be sure. It would have to do. He looked up, gave the rest of the Initiates a slight smile, Kaladin a sarcastic salute, then leaped.

He slid, feet appropriately angled, down the slope at frightening speed. He mentally facepalmed. Now all of that dirt has been worn off. Good job, Sareth. Then he jumped, propelling himself onto an outcropping below. He landed with a thud, but no injury. Not even a little stormlight used. Down to his left was another, but it was a good ten to fifteen or so. The surface was too small for a landing like that. With a leap, he hurtled through the air towards the outcropping. The air rushed through his hair. When he was in range, he swung out his staff and thrust it into the outcropping. With a push, his downward force was transferred to forward momentum, and he was flying through the air. He dragged his staff on the cliff, trying to slow himself down, but he was going to fast. He didn't want to snap his staff. He slammed into the outcropping, breaking his ankles and smashing the rock. He cried out in pain, and the stormlight healed him. However, he was still falling quickly. The ground was rushing up fast. When it seemed like a gruesome collision was imminent, he pushed off of the cliff, springing outward. He hit the ground and rolled, cushioning his fall and coming to a stop some distance from the other three. He stood up, panting. After he caught his breath, he looked down and checked his boots. The thick crust of dirt had worn off. Sareth facepalmed. Storms.

Since there was nothing he could do about it, he walked over to the other three. They had watched his descent, perhaps a little jealous of his minimal use of stormlight. However, their task now was to kill the chasmfiend.

[Doc12]

Hithon raised his hood over his head, a dark smile crossing his face.

He knew what Balthazar and Teresh still thought of him. Even as they had discussed strategies last night, he had noticed their hesitation in giving him any significant roles. Perhaps it was now time to prove that blind did not mean helpless.

He was not unduly terrified. Having already predicted this the day before, he had taken pains to prepare himself. His belt was full of pouches, tools of his old trade. In each pouch was some powder or deadly poison. Each of the six knives strapped to separate parts of his body had been dipped with a corrosive poison. He did not know how useful they would be against chasmfiend scales, but he had more than one trick up his sleeve. He was a man that had trained with Ghostbloods. He was as ready as he would ever be. 

When the first Initiate was pushed screaming off the cliff, Hithon took care to measure how long it took for the scream to trail off, to hear the 'I'm okay!' echo up. It was a long drop. A hundred and ten feet by his reckoning. Alright. Normally, it would be suicide, especially as he couldn't plan his landing spot without his sight. But he had Stormlight this time. He couldn't help but smirk as he strode purposefully to the edge, gently pushing past the other Initiates. He hadn't done this for so long.

Standing right at the edge, he spread his arms wide, leaned forward,  flashed a smile, and allowed himself to fall. 

Freedom. Wind whipping past his ears. Whooping. Laughing. He kept his body tight in a perfect swan dive, as he flew head first towards the ground. Even as he reveled in the freefall, exhilarated, his mind worked furiously, counting down the feet to the bottom of the tower. For several long, glorious seconds, it was just him suspended perfectly in the air, unrestrained, free. 

Finally, when he judged he was around ten feet off the ground, he tucked and forced himself into a backflip. He whipped back gracefully in the air, his body taut, and finally smashed into the ground, landing on a knee, a foot and a fist. A landing to make Kaladin himself weep. 

He shattered his kneecap and his wrist, of course. No matter how amazing it must have looked, it really had been a crazy stunt. But even as the Stormlight surged around his injuries, setting them straight, and he finally staggered to his feet...he couldn't stop himself from laughing.

@Magestar @Drake Marshall

---

As far as strategies go, Mage and I have decided long before we settled our characters that we were going to charge the chasmfiend. Yes, this was before I decided my character was blind. 

This is going to be fun, isn't it?

And well, if you think that that stunt I pulled above is familiar, let me assure you, it's justified  Please mention how awesome I am in your next RPs  

Hithon normally isn't one to attack directly, but he's going to be right beside Balthazar as the first two to charge the chasmfiend. He still isn't one to engage directly, he strikes at weak points with his poisoned daggers. He's going to need someone to shout directions to him. I'll throw him into the actual fight tomorrow, okay? Just imagine me charging at the forefront twirling my daggers.

---

Right, onto analysis. 

Randuir, even though I was going to do this anyway, try not to rely too much on me, okay? Hmph.

Hm. I think the most significant thing we learned last cycle was Aman's rule clarification that we don't need to kill all the Unjust to win, only imprison them. Other things that happened were Quiver and Sheep informing us that they were dropping out, and us agreeing to lynch Sheep based on the fact that they will be inactive. 

I don't have much to say about the discussion last cycle though, really. I'll just be sharing my thoughts on that cycle.

Of that cycle, the most active were Lopen, Randuir and Jondesu and Drake. I have a gut trust of Lopen and Randuir, as they have actually been trying to be helpful to the village. Drake also has been fairly active in discussion, even though some of his posts were solely RP. 

I'm sorry Jon, but I'm still going to be a bit wary of you. Thing is, I make it a point never to make or believe any alignment claims in PMs, for we cannot trust PMs as of this point without substantiation, and to claim is just redundant. Thus I was surprised that you were still claiming villager in our PM. This along with Lopen's argument that you claimed Honorable in-thread last cycle and promised to be open in PMs on cycle 1 does make it seem like he's trying to be open. I do realize that this accusation is colored from my own stance on PMs, though, so I'm not going to interrogate him yet, only watch him.

Another player I'm mildly interested in is Ecth. He asked a question on whether the Unjust would want to encourage discussion or not, and how active they would be in said discussions. At that point of time, I flagged it as a question I did not quite know how to answer. But as Lopen answered afterwards, there is more than one member of the elim team, and to think that all members would unanimously do the same thing in thread would be a little silly. After that, he threw a vote on Lopen for voting on Jondesu, who Ecth felt was encouraging game discussion. As I pointed out in my post earlier, Lopen has actually been far more active and helpful than Jon, which makes your claim a little weird. Well, we'll see. 

I know that there are several other people who posted last cycle, but there's nothing about Mage, Assassin, Alvron, Arin and so forth that rings any alarms or elicit trust from me, so sorry guys, but there's nothing much I have to say about you. 

On the Sheep lynch, Jondesu first voted on them because he wanted to vote, and he had no particular person in mind. And although he claimed his vote was justified later by Sheep dropping out, Sheep hadn't done so when he first placed his vote. I am just finding this a little amusing. The second vote was thrown from Joe, who wanted to add some weight to Jon's vote and force Jon's hand. After that, I believe, Sheep announced he was dropping out, and the rest of the votes - Assassin's, Mage and Drake's all cited his dropping out as reasons to lynch him. There's nothing really much to deduce from here. For what it's worth, I don't blame Jon for poke voting Sheep. It was the way you phrased it, perhaps.  This vote won't really do anything anyway but let me just throw it on a player that looks like they might respond<-- Paraphrased. Just understand that your vote matters, Jon. 

This is how it matters. Shqueeves. I have nothing on you, which is why I'm putting your name in orange. I'm hoping to hear your thoughts on the game so far. Would you want to execute or pardon Sheep this round? @Shqueeves

And finally, the spren. Interestingly two bonds were formed this cycle. I put all my honor towards one Order, but did not get anything. I suppose that not all spren are that cheap?

---

Right. So last cycle, we lynched Sheep.

As it was lynching an inactive, with several members of the lynch stating just that, there really isn't much revealed as far as voting patterns go. Sheep was a clear lead, with 5 votes, while every other member brought up for the lynch had...1. 

@Amanuensis If I get the rules right, this cycle we can have three colors going for the lynches, yeah? Orange for those we're going to interrogate, and green or red depending on whether we want to execute or pardon Sheep.

On the topic of executions and pardons, I'm leaning on execution, mainly because pardoning someone who has dropped out of the game isn't really going to do much. I believe it might be better to execute them to find out their actual alignment. Hm. Not that I feel it will reveal very much, seeing as there was no clear reason to lynch Sheep other than them going to become inactive. I took a look at the votes last cycle, and there was no one else close to being lynched except for Jondesu. Hm. No. At no time was there much chance that Jondesu would be lynched over Sheep, so I don't think there was a ploy of any sort.

Still, there are no reasons to pardon, and a weak reason to execute. I'm going to say Sheep for now, although if a case can be made for not doing so, I can reconsider. 

---

Gnight guys!

Edited February 11, 2017 by Doc12

[Hemalurgic Headshot]

For those strategizing the attack on the chasmfiend, Sareth is skilled in the quarterstaff, is swift, and has a pouch of red powder, which I intend to use to blind the chasmfiend. Hithon has out done me with the fancy powders and such, so use my presence as you will.

---

As for discussion, is the best course of action to keep Sheep in jail or to execute as soon as possible? Imprisoned players can't vote or do much anyways, but the only way to know of their alignment is to execute them. I think we need all of the information we can get now, so we have evidence to base stuff on later. But what exactly are we going to get from Sheep? Two players have formed bonds, but what are the odds that one of them will be Sheep? And if Sheep is going to be inactive, then why go through and get a bond, if only to keep others from getting it? I don't think Sheep is much any threat now, but I don't think we should pardon.