NOTW XXIII: The War Party. Game Thread.

Winston Hughes said:

Having helped to bring down Alazkan, I can hold my head up on the first point.

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You voted for him within an hour of the update when the accusations against him were so high there was practically no way to save him.

Diamondeye said:

"Look, Whoever's right of these tow women, it will discriminate the other and lead us to a liar and probably a killer. Therefore, We should not hang Winston Hughes today. Personally, I believe Chandrasekhar the most. So Stuck in Pi's death would prove whether Chandrasekhar is innocent or not. A trade-off consisting of one innocent for one killer seems like the best rate we get, any way. So redirect your votes from Winston so we can find a solution to this."

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"If you believe me more, then vote against Winston Hughes, or failing that, just support me! A vote against Stuck in Pi is a wasted vote, this late in the day, and a vote switched from Winston to Stuck in Pi might as well be a vote against me. We have only five or so hours left to go, here. There's no time to redirect this bandwagon. It's either going to be me or the Historian that dies this evening."

This day brought to me what I expected.

In light of all the events and explanations, I can now confidently place my vote on Winston Hugues.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to retire to my tent, the illness I was suffering from is nearly over, but I must not take chances and it still makes me tired.

Chandrasekhar said:

"That seems far-fetched to me. Who would give up two nights of kills to frame two inactives? And if that was the case, then why haven't the knife kills started up again?"

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someone who didn't want to appear desperate to find a new method of killing, and saw a convenient way out? it's the fact that you didn't attempt to string your bow earlier, starting a string of crossbow-kills, that is the trap. backwards logic would have seen through that easily. it does seem plausible that alazkan was the only member who started with an operational murder weapon.

i cannot in good faith change my vote, because nothing you've said is particularly convincing. i would not put it past you to connive some situation in which even the most obvious evidence of guilt is obscured... but i lack conviction without a proper explanation from the other alternative:

winston hughes, if you have 'information', as you say, now would be a good time to share it! despite what chandrasekhar says, i fear we are running out of time, and every day an innocent takes the big leap is another wasted opportunity! and while there is not much evidence to suggest your guilt, you haven't really rebuked what little there is...

Chandrasekhar, I will spare you life for one more day. Though if Winston Hughes is innocent, you're next.

GM comment: A bit less than three hours left in the day. And although I hate to do this to you given how on pins and needles you all must be, the update will certainly be somewhat late. I'll get it out as quickly as I possibly can.

It seems there's no chance for me now. I only hope that my death will help to expose the warmongers who move amongst you.

GM comment: I never should have tried to get an update in on a Sunday; I've barely had five minutes at a time to work on it all day. Aargh! Anyway, my apologies. Posting is closed, and the update will be up sometime tomorrow, likely long before the nominal Monday deadline, but no promises. What I'll do from there is try to go back to the usual schedule, with the night lasting from the point at which I post the update until the usual time on Tuesday. If my company also makes a Tuesday update impossible; well, I'll figure that out when the time comes.

GM comment: OK, I'm within a few paragraphs of being done with the update, but I have to run out on an errand. Done when I'm done, sorry again for the delay.

Evening, Day Nine

Disclaimer: Remember what I said way back in the beginning about FFH and my familiarity with and fidelity to it – or my relative lack thereof? Yeah.

The presence of the dragon was on everyone’s minds throughout that day. Though it could not be seen through the fog, it made itself known every so often as it shifted its weight – its talons clicked against the stone, and falls of pebbles and small rocks rattled down the cliff face. Towards noon, it unexpectedly lifted off and flew away, but only to return a few hours later with a fat dead deer, which it ate with much evidence of enjoyment. Most of the delegates felt vaguely ill.

There was much to distract them, though perhaps unfortunately, the peace treaty was not among those things. Few seemed to care strongly about such an abstraction any longer. Stuck in Pi’s accusation had galvanized the elves and handful of humans into a frenzy of discussion that seemed at first to be certain to end with the Bodyguard Chandrasekhar on the rocks below. By the end of the day, though, it was the Historian Winston Hughes who drew most of the blame. His defense was almost as mild as his manner, and ultimately, not effective. As the sun went down, the members of the two Honor Guards drew in around him.

“I would like to speak to KingMorgan for a moment, if I may,” said the Historian.

The Aide approached. “Something about your books, I suppose?”

“Oh no,” said Winston Hughes with an odd smile. “I have been requested to change my vote. I would like you to put in on the record that I support Chandrasekhar rather than accuse her. Do you have that? It’s very important. If I don’t cooperate, I might be killed.”

Someone somewhere let out a nervous laugh. KingMorgan just shook his head and wrote it down. “Are we done here?” he asked.

“We’re done,” said Winston Hughes.

Frozen In Ice and ZPV made as if to take the Historian’s arms. They could not; it was as if they had walked into a wall.

The Historian laughed. “Such a lot of fools and puppets you are. You really think it matters whether your silly peace treaty is signed, or who dies here and who lives? The plan for your peoples was set long before any of you were born. Those of you dreaming for peace will not change it. Nor will those of you hoping for total victory. But by all means continue on with your futile maneuverings.”

While Winston Hughes spoke, his hands were busy, inscribing a symbol in the air that none of the rest of them recognized. When he finished, a dense black smoke rose rapidly around him. He smiled condescendingly at everyone as the smoke closed in. When the smoke cleared again, he was gone.


“I have had it!” The Elohim Representative Izipo had emerged from her tent. As the stunned delegates turned their attention to her, she raised a small blue glass pendant in a clenched fist above her head. “Is everything lies and trickery here? Is anyone what they appear to be? Is even that dragon real? I have had it with illusions! It’s time for the truth!”

She smashed the pendant to the rocks at her feet.

It appeared as a ripple in the air where she stood, moving at first slowly, then faster and faster outward, like a pebble tossed into a pond. Along with the wave came a low rumble, a gathering roar that ended in a sound like a thunderclap even as the wave passed over the whole of the island and was gone. Beside Izipo, the Cook Niklas shifted uneasily, the gray coat he had been wearing under his cloak suddenly revealed to be a chainmail coat that was much too big for him. Atop the cliff, the dragon let loose with a wordless cry of delight. Few took notice of either thing at first, for something else had happened, too.

The ruined temple they had all taken for granted since they had arrived had changed. For one thing, it was about twice its former size. For another, it was no longer in ruins, but towered over them almost as it must have been when it was first built. As the delegates drew closer, it also became clear that this was no temple to Sucellus. It was something none of them had seen before.

It was a temple to dragons. The carvings on the walls testified to a former age when dragons had been numerous, and some had begun to worship them as gods. Alone in the wilderness the dragons had been dangerous enough, but paired with humans and elves who saw them as divine wrath incarnate, they were nearly unstoppable. While their cult had flourished, civilization itself had stood on the brink of destruction. Almost every one of the temple’s carved panels was a scene of devastation and suffering. Those who were old enough to have heard the stories knew what had happened then: with even the Sheaim unable to tolerate them any longer, the wild dragons had been banished from Erebus. Until, apparently, now.

“Ah, yes!” came the bass voice from above. “Things as they should be. I anticipate it with great joy.”

Accusations
Methos: Splime Winston Hughes
Splime: Methos Winston Hughes
Stuck in Pi: Chandrasekhar
CCRunner: Chandrasekhar
Catharsis: Chandrasekhar
Winston Hughes: Chandrasekhar Chandrasekhar
Ozbenno: Chandrasekhar
Chandrasekhar: Winston Hughes
Frozen In Ice: Winston Hughes
Nictel: Winston Hughes
oyzar: Winston Hughes
Diamondeye: D'artagnan59 Stuck in Pi Chandrasekhar
Niklas: Winston Hughes
The13thRonin: Chandrasekhar Chandrasekhar
ZPV: Winston Hughes
D’artagnan59: Diamondeye Chandrasekhar
Izipo: Winston Hughes

Splime: 0
Methos: 0
Chandrasekhar: 0
Winston Hughes: 9
D'artagnan59: 0
Stuck in Pi: 0
Diamondeye: 0

Vials
CCRunner: CCRunner
Methos: CCRunner
D'artagnan59: CCRunner
Splime: CCRunner
Frozen In Ice: CCRunner
Nictel: CCRunner
Winston Hughes: CCRunner
Diamondeye: CCRunner
Niklas: CCRunner
The13thRonin: CCRunner
ZPV: CCRunner

CCRunner: 11

It is now night. (Well, actually it has been for a while, hasn’t it? ) If Winston Hughes left anything interesting behind, you will find out in the morning. Speaking of which, “morning” is currently scheduled for the usual time on Tuesday, about 25 hours and 45 minutes from now, but the update may once more be late due to my company. I’ll have to play it by ear. Sleep tight.

Morning, Day Ten

That night the wind blew upriver with great force, drowning out most of the chanting. But chanting there was, as was amply demonstrated every time the gale let up a bit. If anything, it was louder and more forceful than previously, the voices’ owners perhaps influenced by the day’s events, or by the silent and intimidating presence of the dragon. The dragon itself flew off again partway through the night, its vast bulk momentarily blotting out the stars over the sapling oak. It did not return again before dawn.

When the sky began to lighten, the conference-goers gathered in the small clear space around the oak tree – since the previous evening, the temple steps had lost their attraction as a gathering site. There was little talk of the treaty. Most just waited quietly, adding each new appearance into a silent running tally in their heads. After some time, there could me no mistaking; they had come up one short. Splime was missing.

They found the Herald just inside his tent, apparently ambushed as he returned from some errand. The crossbow bolt this time was directly to the heart and must have killed him instantly. There was no indication that Splime might have been of the War Party. They did find a length of fine linen rope that might serve to strangle someone with – but no one here had died that way. It would go up for vote anyway; the delegates were getting more and more desperate for something – anything – with which to protect themselves.

Still largely silent, they brought Splime’s body into the open for burial in the river. That is where the dragon saw him, when it returned to the island with the rising of the sun. Its wingbeats faltered momentarily, and it let out another wordless cry – this one decidedly not of delight. Elves and humans scattered, as it appeared for a moment that the dragon would land among them.

It did not. Instead, it scooped up Splime’s body – almost gently -- with one clawed foot before rising briskly into the air and disappearing out of sight. It was not gone long, and it returned without the Herald’s body, again settling invisibly onto its fog-shrouded promontory. Once there, it spoke, a long and angry-sounding rant, but it was not in a language that anyone could understand.


It is now day; posting is open. The day will end at the usual time on Thursday. Votes and accusations as usual. Winston Hughes left nothing interesting behind. Votes for the linen rope in bold brown.

I must have the rope. I appear to have demonstrated my cause of peace well, and it's another thing to string my rope with.

And I made a promise that if Winston Hughes was not of the War Party, then Chandrasekhar would be dead. As far as I know, being ambivalent is not of the War Party. He may not have cared, but he was still peaceful.

More and more names are crossed of the list. The net is tightening. We got help this night from the unknown assassin, although likely unknown to him or her. We now have two enemies and it is more important than ever that we stand united in finding out who are guilty. Stuck in Pi I do not know exactly what backwards logic told you or why. But Chandrasekhar is not the killer, nor is he working for the war party nor the dragon cult. Please stop haunting him and focus on other things. Likewise, even though Chandrasekhar is not the killer Stuck in Pi is also working peace. I do not know why this happened, but you are both better served by laying your differences aside and work together to find the common enemies. My spreadsheet is filling up. I have a fair idea of who are working for peace and who are not. Such matters are best discussed in private however.

As for the rope CCRunner can have it.

{OOC: I don't know who's the assassin, but it looks like D'Art might be the dragon:

Renata said:

Once there, it spoke, a long and angry-sounding rant, but it was not in a language that anyone could understand.

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}