View Full Version : Tol-in-Gaurhoth LXIII: The Cottage of Lost Play
Rikae
07-24-2009, 09:51 PM
Lynch. Me.
++Rikae
Like that.
autume98
07-24-2009, 09:51 PM
Hmm. While I agree that the wolves were seemingly justified in taking revenge on the one who afflicted them, if a blood lust has indeed taken them, sitting quiet would seem very dangerous to the rest of us.
I found this interesting. This is from day 1. Could Inzil have been trying to tell one of the fellow wolves to speak up more. At this point Nerwen hadn't been around and neither had Nessa.
Edit: x-ed with Rikae
Rikae
07-24-2009, 10:07 PM
Hm, I don't know, it looks like a stretch.
autume98
07-24-2009, 10:17 PM
I just found it interesting. I'm not sure if it means anything or not.
Rikae
07-24-2009, 10:37 PM
Who are you, really?
autume98
07-24-2009, 11:18 PM
*Hiccup* According to the bottle in my hand *hiccup* I'm Jack Daniels. *Hiccup*
Lalaith
07-24-2009, 11:26 PM
This house is getting stranger and stranger. *points up*
Rikae, are you feeling ok? Maybe mint doesn't agree with you...
Well, it seems so early to be making decisions but needs must....
Nerwen is I think unlikely to be a wolf because of her vote yesterday.
Eonwe made a mess yesterday but I don't think it was a wolf-mess, if you see what I mean.
Nogrod I have felt to be trustworthy through his behaviour - I could be wrong, but as I said before, this is one to wait on.
Rikae - I gave my reasons earlier, that wolf-Rikae would not be so quiet.
Nessa - well, one interpretation of her day one vote leaves her looking quite good, although I'm not convinced.
autume As we have all said, there is so little to go on. But I have thought about this and I have found grounds to suspect her, partly based on her failure to vote yesterday.
Let us say our last transformed guest is a quiet person, a newcomer. Nervous perhaps, and ill at ease. This guest sees, after day one, that votes leave trails, and are picked over by the other guests, interpreted this way and that...but that those who did not vote are not actually being overly criticised or picked on by the others. Perhaps better not to vote at all...better to lie low and stay quiet....
Well, it makes as much sense as anything else.
++autume98
autume98
07-25-2009, 12:47 AM
After drinking some coffee and sobering up a bit, I decide to go over the vote count for those of us who have been fortunate enough to survive so far.
On Day 1
Nessa votes for Fea.
Eonwe votes for McCaber.
Autume votes for Eonwe.
Lalaith votes for Shasta.
Nogrod votes for Fea.
Those that didn't vote: Nerwen and Rikae
On Day 2
Lalaith votes for Pitchwife.
Nessa votes for Pitchwife.
Nogrod votes for Shasta.
Nerwen votes for Inzil.
Those that didn't vote: Eonwe, Autume, and Rikae
After looking at these lists this is what I've come up with. Those that I believe to be innocent at this time and why:
1. Nogrod because he had no reason to vote for Fea. Yet he did thus getting rid of the first werewolf.
2. Nerwen voted for Inzil yesterDay which helped get rid of the second werewolf.
That leaves Lalaith, Nessa, Eonwe, and Rikae on my list of people of whom I'm suspicious.
I look down at my coffee mug and realize I'm out of coffee. So I get up and head to the kitchen to get more coffee.
Nerwen
07-25-2009, 01:18 AM
Nerwen walked in, looking pleased with herself, and holding a notebook covered in scribble.
"What I didn't see fit to mention earlier," she said, "was that whatever evil spell has put my camera out of action hasn't affected my field recorder." She showed the company the small electronic device. "I've recorded everything that's been said from the first day. This morning I've been hard at work transcribing Inzilawolf's statements."
After waiting to see that she had everyone's attention, she cleared her thoat and began, a little self-consciously,
"Inziladun, Day One.
Well, the first three cmments are just banter,
Then, replying to Eönwë, who said of Shasta that his going upstairs might be a sign of guilt, he says,
Maybe he's running away because he's afraid of the blood. Or maybe he's afraid of getting caught. Or maybe he's trying to cover up his Night bloodlust with the feigned fear of blood. Either way, he seemed in a hurry to go, wouldn't you say? Mighty suspicious if you ask me.
I'd say either of the above could be correct. A wolf faking a fear of blood would be a cunning tactic this early on.
And that's where the suspicion on Shasta started.
Then more banter; then he replies to Nogrod's charge of making empty, obvious statements,
It's rather hard to 'get involved' when others won't.
Nerwen cleared her throat again and flipped over the page.
"That apparently goaded him into trying to seem more helpful. He makes a list:
If anyone's listening, I'll offer a few preliminary thoughts about the situation.
Our hostess brought us all here for what we believed to be a fun, innocent gathering where we could all discuss one of our favourite subjects in a comfortable atmosphere. She then revealed a more sinister motive for it all, claimed to have made three of us into killers, and was apparently killed herself in an unpleasant manner. I say 'apparently' because she obviously intended to sit back and watch the mayhem she'd created. With the amount of planning she'd put into this, I find it most difficult to believe that her 'death' is as it appears. But what is really going on?
Fea and Pitchwife immediately got to work on cleaning the crime scene. Did anyone look for any clues? autume98 said she would help, but did not follow up. Lalaith suggested taking photos, and Fea says she did.
Boro mentioned an aversion to the blood of others, but not his own.
Shasta disappeared and explained himself by saying he went upstairs in the hope of catching one of the wolves in the midst of transformation. I found that statement rather odd.
Eönwë was giving suggestions of body disposal, and said Shasta could be afraid of the blood when he left, or was pretending to be.
McCaber has said only that we must discuss the matter. I agree, but no one seems inclined to do so at the moment.
Nogrod has been offering some quiet, carefully considered remarks while smoking a pipe. Interesting tobacco blend. Had a bit of a Turkish aroma.
It would be nice to have some more information before we have to make our decision. Perhaps some others will speak up soon.
More banter, then he replies to Shasta:
I wasn't necessarily accusing you of anything. It appeared you had said you were hoping to surprise them in the act of transforming, and I failed to see the logic there.
Replying to Boro, who didn't like his theory about Shasta:
If you'll recall, my friend, that was no theory of mine. Eönwë had brought it up, and I was responding to him.
By the way, a little before this Boro made a gesture of pointing out Inzi to Fea. Seems he'd picked Inzi as a likely wolf and didn't suspect Fea herself, but that's odd– she seemed a lot more evil, if you ask me." Nerwen sighed, "Ah well, I guess we'll never know quite what was in his mind now...
Anyway, then Boro said that Inzi's comments on Shasta were the only thing he'd really said all day, the rest being "chatter".
To which Inzi replied,
Well, what more do you want? There doesn't seem to be a great deal to work with just yet. Would it be more comfort to you if I remained silent?
At Boro's urging he gave his thoughts on McCaber, Shasta, Fea and Nogrod:
As to whether or not he is definitely a wolf, I have no idea. He has been guilty of popping in and out of things with few words other than 'something must be done', and I do find that a bit unnerving.
Other than that, the only one who has really jumped out at me thus far is Shasta. He seemed a bit defensive when I made a remark that I found his behaviour odd, and gave a explanation for it that didn't agree with what I remembered of his original statement.
Fea seems a tad too eager to please, and I have a tendancy to be suspicious of such people as a rule.
Nogrod is back into things now, and it will be interesting to hear his thoughts.
Then... let's see.. he protests about Boro's vote for him, then:
Boro was either not paying attention, or was deliberately ignoring what I said, for his own reasons.
Of the two, I find the first option so unlikely I am forced to accept the second.
I am loathe to vote for him at this point, though. I hope he's simply in need of sleep and not going to murder me in mine.
And Nessa? That had the look of a knee-jerk punch back at Fea, which I could understand. Nessa denied that was her motive, though. It's odd that she didn't voice any particular suspicion of Fea before the latter's vote for her.
Nogrod has made a list with observations that appear perfectly valid. Seems a calm voice of reason, at least for now.
I think I'm leaning toward Shasta at the moment, or maybe McCaber.
Now Eönwë's gone for McCaber.
Hmm.
And then, of course, he votes McCaber.
++ McCaber
Because he's been so unobtrusive and is now backing up Nessa's strange vote, for unknown reasons. A railroad begun by one wolf and continued by their fellow?
Hmmn... he didn't actually say much about any of the living. The things that stand out are: he's rather careful to be non-commital about Nogrod, at times appears to be working in tandem with Eönwë (but could be taking advantage of him instead), and somewhat "suspects" Nessa.
What is clear is that the Shasta-suspicion was started by Eönwë but Zil was the one fanning the flames. However, the following day, as far I recall, it was mostly Nogrod carrying it on... might be interesting to check out his relations with Zil that day.
...Anything to drink? My throat's parched."
EDIT: fixed quotes and bolding.
EDIT2: words left out.
Eönwë
07-25-2009, 05:49 AM
A few comments...
Eonwe doesn't look too good right now. On day one, he tied up the vote for Fea by voting McCaber.
You put that crazily out of context and I don't like it. First of all, he hadn't yet revealed. Secondly, at that time, as well as Fea, Nessa and Inziladun also had one vote, so I don't really get how I'd be helping Fea there. I don't like your twisting of the facts at all.
Such utter silliness on both their parts I was tempted to ignore it, but they both seem to take it quite seriously. Not that Inzil's taking Eonwe's silly accusation seriously makes them co-conspirators automatically, but the easier (and more reasonable looking) thing for wolf-Inzil to do with an innocent Eonwe's weird comment would be to turn it against Eonwe, not agree with it.
What? First we're both taking it seriously, then Inzil's taking it seriously? That's a little bit of a contradiction. And yes, in that instance, Inziladun was taking my joking suspicion and turned it into a real suspicion. I think he probably used me as a starting point here because he knew that when Shasta turned out to be innocent, it could be traced back to me rather than him (Inzil).
Rikae
07-25-2009, 07:49 AM
What? First we're both taking it seriously, then Inzil's taking it seriously? That's a little bit of a contradiction.
No, it isn't, and your grasping at straws to paint me as suspicious doesn't make you look any better.
So, it was a joke now? You certainly waited long enough to say so. And yes, you both appeared to take it seriously, and Inzil is one of the "both" - he could have gone after you for casting weakly reasoned suspicions around, but instead he chose to act as though they were strong arguments.
Rikae
07-25-2009, 07:54 AM
In other words, I'm not saying "Inzil took seriously what you meant as a joke" but "Inzil took seriously what is absurd whether you meant it as a joke or not".
Rikae
07-25-2009, 08:53 AM
I'm torn between Eönwë and Autume, but I think I'd better vote early, lest i miss the deadline again. Never done this before, but there is so little discussion ... heads, Eönwë, tails, Autume.
*digs a coin out of her purse - it happens to be an English penny. Flips it...*
Heads.
++Eönwë
Nerwen
07-25-2009, 09:06 AM
Nerwen, who had gone back to her eerily familiar room to complete the transcription of the Inziladun Files, returned looking even more pleased with herself.
"Ready for the next installment?" she asked.
"Inziladun began Day Two by feigning dismay at Boro's death.
Replying to Nessa's naive (or perhaps pseudo-naive) statement that the people who voted for Fea couldn't be wolves, he said:
Well, I can conceive of scenarios when they might vote for a fellow who is caught with no hope of escape, just to deflect some suspicion from themselves. But I don't think that's a concern in this case.
Then he tried to butter up McCaber.
Then Pitchwife asked him why he thought the innocent Boro had voted him, and he said:
I can't say what his thoughts were, of course. But he asked things of me which I complied with, then he immediately voted and left the room before hearing my response. Why? I don't know.
Which of course, sounds like an explanation, but isn't when you look at it closely. A lot of what he said was like that. I'll tell you what," Nerwen added, with real admiration, "he may have been evil, but he was good at it!
Well then, after that he's clever enough to defend McCaber against Eönwë's semi-suspicion.
I can see no logical reason a Wolfcaber would have given up his fellow on the first Day. If this is a ruse devised by the wolves, it's insanely risky for them.
He explains (at Nogrod's request) why he voted McCaber after suspecting Fea, and denies that he has shown the "trust" in Nogrod that the latter says makes him uneasy.
I did say I found her a bit unnerving, but I didn't think it enough to induce me to vote for her. I certainly never said she was innocent.
'Overwhelming trust for you'? I'm afraid not, good sir. You've been making sense, and I don't see in you anything in particular at the moment that gives me chills, but you are certainly not beyond suspicion.
Now Nogrod flip-flopped on Inzi, saying that he was "considerate and reasonable" and "made good points", but also that his vote the day before looked bad, and that he made him uneasy.
This could be a wolf deliberately throwing out a weak suspicion of a comrade.. or an innocent disarmed by Zil's move in defending McCaber.
Inzi also denied Pitchwife's accusation that he was twisting Shasta's words. Then he went to bed, saying he "eagerly awaited" Shasta's case against him.
That's all he'd said about Shasta by that point– by this time Nogrod was after Shasta pretty strongly; I suppose Inzi thought he could sit back and relax.
On his return he finally made a definite accusation, against Nessa:
I don't know Nessa well, as she hasn't been a part of our Downs community terribly long. However, such an adamant statement, that the Fea voters could not be wolves, and Fea saying no one should vote for Nessa makes me uneasy. Again, my suspicion of her (and McCaber in turn) the previous Day was based upon the fact that she voted for Fea immediately after Fea voted for her, and, after it was posited that Nessa's was a revenge vote, she denied it. Her 'explanation' of the vote never rang true to me. Couple that with her urging McCaber to reveal his dream after he's already said he wished to keep it to himself for the moment, and Nessa is highly suspect to me.
I think this looks like a genuine attack, which makes Nessa look more innocent.
He then casts suspicion on Pitchwife,
Another one wanting McCaber to divulge information about his dream. And for credibility? He gave us the name of a wolf on the First Day! What more do you need?
Eönwë (sort of– at least he castigates him for apparently continuing to doubt McCaber), and throws some more fuel on Shasta's pyre:
Shasta I still don't trust. He seems to have pretty well continued his previous pattern of popping in and out without saying anything to help our cause.
I have yet to see his case against four of us, of which one was me.
Then he voted Shasta.
Conclusion? Well, I'm inclined to leave Nessa out. Nogrod's attitude is... odd: he made some telling points against Zil, and yet was full of praise for him. Finally, there continues to be a sort of link between Zil and Eönwë. Whether this because Zil is using him, or because they're in it together, I couldn't say at this point."
EDIT:X'd with three Rikaes.
EDIT2: fixed quotes,
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 10:14 AM
"Well done Nerwen. We probably should leave Nessa in peace toDay indeed. Which would then leave me Autume and Eönwë... I try to make a closer look at both of them before the DL - but before that I need a dinner.
Oh and as you asked about my attitudes towards Inzil. Well, plain and simple: I backed the wrong horse there. As you Nerwen said he looked intelligent, productive, taking actively part in the discussions - and he shared some of my worries - so it was easy to think he'd deserve to live and contribute, whether to his own doom or relegation - as you said I had my suspicions of him as well but the scales were not that down yesterDay for me. Sorry Shasta, I was wrong with you, and I do feel bad about helping to kill you, but sure Inzil tried to participate in the discussions so I thought he would be more of help to us, whatever his alignment."
Nogrod went to the fridge and looked at the ingredients available for a while and then smiled wide. "Chantarelles! Wow! How about stuffed bell-peppers filled with rice, chantarelles, onion, herbs, pineseed...? How many portions?"
Nerwen
07-25-2009, 11:09 AM
"Are you sure they're real chantarelles?" said Nerwen dubiously. "Knowing our late hostess, I wouldn't be surprised if they're some kind of poisonous toadstool. Just another little surprise for her guests..." She shuddered.
"I sort of made the case on Eönwë while analysing Zil: they sometimes seemed to be working together both days.
Now about autumne: I didn't bother transcribing what she said the first day, because, basically, she didn't say anything. I mean, she talked, but it was just about how dreadful our situation was and how hard it was going to be to spot "the werewolf". (Her use of the singular there is strange, but I don't know about guilty-strange.)
The next day she said she believed "McAbre" "for now". Then she said:
I'd like to address me being quiet. I'm just a quiet person by nature. I tend to take things in. However I see that I'm going to have to speak up more and let my thoughts be known. I appreciate what you have to say Nogrod. Your thoughts help me out quite a bit.
I also had some doubts about Inzil for the reasons you listed Nogrod, however I'm not sure where I stand with him now.
I really haven't heard enough from some to know enough about them.
I'm looking forward to read what Shasta has to say about Inzil, Nogrod, Lalaith, and Pitchwife.
I'm not sure where I stand with Nessa. Was the vote a knee-jerk reaction?
And then she came up with a suspicion-list of sorts:
As people have been making their cases, I'm taking it all in. I've been quietly sipping my coffee and enjoying my muffin. I put my coffee mug on the table and decide to throw in my two cents worth.
Nessa voted for Fea. Could be a wolf on wolf vote. If that were the case it would be pretty risky. So for now I'm going to go with a knee jerk reaction. The vote also did help us get rid of one werewolf.
Inzil voted for McCaber when Fea needed it. Nessa brought this point up. Does seem a little suspicous. I'm keeping it in mind.
Shasta didn't vote on yesterDay.
Not sure what to think of Pitchwife at the moment. It seems that people are finding Pitchwife suspicious.
Nogrod seems ok so far. Great insight and good commentary. However no one is beyond suspicion. Could be good cover. At this time though I'm good with Nogrod.
Lalaith voted for Shasta. However there's not much to go on with Lalaith at the moment. I did find her findings about Pitchwife and Eonwe interesting.
Nerwen makes a good point that Inzil did vote for McCaber which tied the votes withFea.
I don't know enough about Rikae.
I'm not sure what to make of Eonwe. Eonwe voted for McCaber however at the time McCaber was coming across as suspicious. So could be genuine. At this time I'm ok with Eonwe.
I pick up my coffee once again and observe what is going around me.
In other words, she goes through the motions of analysing and talking about people, but doesn't really say anything.
Then she finds Eönwë suspicious because of his vote on McCaber (yes, this is an about-face).
And... that's it. A whole lot of nothing. She could be an innocent feeling her way; she could be a wolf trying to keep out of the limelight. She never voted; neither wolf mentioned her.
autume: struggling newbie or cautious wolf? Discuss."
Nerwen
07-25-2009, 11:30 AM
Nerwen waited for a while.
"Nothing to say, any of you?
Then– since I have to vote early (I hardly slept last night, you know), I'll make it,
++autume98.
Good luck."
And Nerwen went upstairs. The bedroom's resemblance to her room at home- even down to the pattern of the curtains– was anything but reassuring, but she was so exhausted that it was not long before she fell asleep.
autume98
07-25-2009, 11:39 AM
I've taken a closer look at the people I have thought to be suspicious.
I believe for the time that Nessa is innocent. She did vote for Fea. However what I really thought to be interesting is what McCaber had to say. Could the following have been his way of letting us know what he saw when he dreamt?
First of all, people I don't think are wolves:
Nessa voted for Fea, and vice versa. I have a hard time thinking that the wolves would have spent two of their votes against each other as the first votes of the day.
With that thought in mind I started taking a look at Lalaith. She's one of the reasons that I started to suspect Nessa. Could this just be a ploy to put us on the scent of someone else?
The other interesting interaction was with Nessa. She votes for her, having already said that she will vote for either Nessa and Nerwen. Then, when Nessa immediately retaliates with a vote, she responds by telling the rest of us that Nessa is clearly not a wolf.
Now, at this point, of course, Fea-wolf does not know she has been scried. Why does she make this defence of Nessa? My first thought was that such a comment was primarily intended to make her (Fea) look good...proclaiming someone else's innocence like that is not a wolfish thing to do. Could Fea also be defending a fellow-wolf? It is certainly a high-risk strategy for two wolves to vote for each other like this on the first day...but not inconceivable, particularly when followed up by Fea's comment, which could have been expert damage limitation.
Well, that's my Fea analysis. More soon.
Now we have Lalaith's comments on the voting yesterday. I found what Lalaith had to say about Inzil interesting.
So, here's my impression of my fellow houseguests.
Inziladun – active, raising good points – dismissing the ‘McCaber is a fake’ argument briskly - so again, inclined to trust for now.
Lastly I've taken a look at her vote for yesterday and her explanation. I'm not sure if this makes me think Lalaith is trying to arouse suspicion elsewhere or if this just makes Eonwe look more guilty.
I need to vote now (as stated elsewhere). I appear to have four main suspects and clearly they can't all be wolves. So my process of elimination involves asking myself - could there be an innocent explanation?
....
Then, Eonwe and Pitchwife. I may be being dense, but I can't really think of a likely innocent explanation for their double-act. It is however possible that one of them is an unwitting stooge. Which? Actually I think it is more likely to be Eonwe - he is being defensive, and Pitchwife might be taking advantage of this and fostering him as an ally. So, my conclusion is...
++Pitchwife
Edit: Crossed with Nerwen
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 12:04 PM
"Well, if these chantarelles were poisonous the poison is taking it's time to make an effect... I feel just fine and it was delicious... Try some, I made a few extra portions if some of you changed your minds."
Nogrod went back to the chair he had taken as his habitual one and pulled out the pipe and the tobacco - as usual. "Nothing crowns a meal like a good pipeful..." he sighed and concentrated in filling his pipe carefully and with precision.
"I see what you mean Nerwen - and that's the whole thing that unnerves me about Autume indeed: you can read her both ways. It would be sad to lynch her just because she was struggling to get into grips with the situation, but it would be terrible to let her live as a baddie because of her laying low. Btw. thank's for the recordings, saved my trouble to go back the memory lane all the way.
This I find a bit botherg toDay though: Rikae has a wolfish feel to her. She was a non-voter on Day 1, and I've already stated how that looks to me. She didn't vote on Day 2 either, so I'm a little dubious about that. All she's really done so far is give opinions.
Eonwe doesn't look too good right now. On day one, he tied up the vote for Fea by voting McCaber. If he were a wolf, that would be a reasonable move, saving one of his fellows. YesterDay his vote came after the deadline, but he was going to vote for Inzil. If he were innocent, easy enough to interpret, but if he weren't, could voting right at the deadline be a ruse? I can't remember if his post were particularly long or not.Why then? Because it looks like she is trying to get the two most lynchable people under suspicion... We all know how much Eönwë has been suspected thus far - and looking at Rikae's quite rare show-ups & two missed votings she could be an easy target as well.
I mean it could be interpreted in the way that she didn't want to try an open suspicion against Nerwen or Lalaith because she realises your votes at crucial times makes you two look pretty good at this point - or against me because of, well possibly a majority of the people looking at me as mostly useful person around at least for now or then just out of fear of retaliation (or whatever - I don't think I'm especially a retaliatory type though). And maybe she saw that we tend to look sympatethically at Autume - and there would have been very little to make a case against her anyway?
So she had to try something to divert the discussion from herself as a candidate? We should remember that the few comments thinking her more innocent than not were made after her post if I remember it right.
But her point on Rikae I find bad - although I must admit that I have known Rikae a lot longer and my view if her might be biased in a sense that I do trust she can deliver - or get into a mess eventually - just when she has time to concentrate. But yes, she probably doesn't know her that well so that could be overlooked.
But what she said of Eönwë is just downright bad - as Eönwë himself already proclaimed.
Nessa's first suspicion looks like a fabricated one. Voting McCaber while three others had been receiving votes (Fea included) doesn't look like "saving Fea" to me. And the thing yesterDay was just to odd from a wolf: why would he wish to garner such scrutiny and publicity with what he did were he a wolf?
But interestingly though, I must add here looking at the votes on Day1 the situation was indeed an interesting one. Inzil-wolf had a vote, Nessa had one and Fea-wolf had one. If Eönwë is a wolf he was facing some really hard choices indeed - and picking McCaber might have been a good choice indeed - looking back how he was suspected at that time.
Hmm... This is interesting indeed.
Eönwë, Autume, Nessa?
Let me hear answers to two questions if you please.
Nessa: Was your vote on Fea on Day1 a retaliatory one or was it based on something else?
Eönwë: Why did you voted for Inzil yesterDay and why did you decide to rather let a triple-lynch to take place?"
With that Nogrod fell towards his laptop that was showing the movie "Easy Rider" he had seen the last time when something like 18 years old.
"I'll be back but there's this movie you know..."
Eönwë
07-25-2009, 12:18 PM
No, it isn't, and your grasping at straws to paint me as suspicious doesn't make you look any better.
I was not saying you're suspicious, just that it seemed like a contradiction and I was wondering which one you were going to go with. The contradiction makes you look more innocent, because I think a wolf would be much more careful with what they wrote.
Eönwë: Why did you voted for Inzil yesterDay and why did you decide to rather let a triple-lynch to take place?"
Haven't I explained this? I thought that the votes had already been counted, as it was already one minute after the deadline for voting, so then I just removed my vote (as is the procedure for votes after the deadline). I did not realise that it could have counted until it was too late.
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 12:23 PM
"As you seem to be awake Eönwë, what is your take on Autume and Nessa?"
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 12:28 PM
"And..." Nogrod continued, "what would you say to those who say you were having something going on with Inzil back there?"
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 12:45 PM
"I don't know if this is for good or bad to Autume, but I do think her last speech was a bit awkward indeed - well it doesn't help me to decide anyway.
I mean she decided to pick from McCaber's posting the thing considering Nessa as the "revealement" of a seer while I'd say Nerwen or I would be much more logical outcomes - and neither of us being actually released by his comments in any believable fashion either (there was this "which group do you think you belong Nerwen" -stuff and that "I'd say he's clean" for me. But as I said that's not something we could count for as a seer dream revealed).
Then her jumping on Lalaith seems like a desperate attempt as I have argued already that Lalaith's vote on Day1 most clearly shows she's not in a team with Fea. I may be wrong and she might be that cunning - but the place for that kind of arguments is toMorrow or the Day after that. Not now.
Also the odd way she tried in the end to bring also Eönwë into the suspicious-list looks quite far-fetched.
But if she's just trying to get herself into this then it might be undertandable. Bah, I don't know..."
Votes thus far...
Lalaith -> Autume
Rikae -> Eönwë
Nerwen -> Autume 2
I would like to hear your thoughts on Nessa especially, but of everyone you who have not yet voted - and to hear from Nessa as well - before voting.
Nessa Telrunya
07-25-2009, 12:46 PM
Well, my vote against Fea wasn't necessarily a retaliation. Like many others had already said, Fea had a wolfish feel to her, so I was going on that. Hope that clears things up.
And, due to earlier conclusions, I'm not too trusting of Eonwe. soo...
++Eonwe
autume98
07-25-2009, 12:46 PM
What do you make of McCaber thinking Nessa was innocent?
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 12:52 PM
What do you make of McCaber thinking Nessa was innocent?Well that was circumstantial, not "reveal"-like. Seers have their opinions based on the actions and they have their knowledge based on the dreams they have. We need to be able to make a difference between the two as the first is just as fallible as our thoughts are, but the second is fact.
Sadly McCaber never left us a clear trail as to what he actually knew...
autume98
07-25-2009, 12:56 PM
Well that was circumstantial, not "reveal"-like. Seers have their opinions based on the actions and they have their knowledge based on the dreams they have. We need to be able to make a difference between the two as the first is just as fallible as our thoughts are, but the second is fact.
Sadly McCaber never left us a clear trail as to what he actually knew...
Which means that Nessa could've done a wolf on wolf vote...
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 12:58 PM
Which means that Nessa could've done a wolf on wolf vote...Exactly... And that's what I've been afraid for the last hours...
autume98
07-25-2009, 12:58 PM
++Nessa
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 12:59 PM
Darn... two minutes... :eek:
Eönwë
07-25-2009, 12:59 PM
The thing is, I don't like the way that yesterday people were saying that I was linked to Pitchwife, yet as soon as he dies (and is proved innocent, a ranger, in fact), they stopped mentioning it, but with Inziladun (who I was also supposed to be linked with, but this was mentioned much less than Pitchwife), suddenly I am deeply connected.
Inziladun just used my non-serious suspicion of Shasta to lynch him (this was helped a lot by Nogrod).
In fact, for tomorrow, what does everyone think of Noggie's Shasta attack?
Eönwë
07-25-2009, 01:00 PM
Ok, it's too late.
++Nessa
I will explain tomorrow.
Eönwë
07-25-2009, 01:01 PM
She seems the worst to me out of the two (Nessa and autume)
Nogrod
07-25-2009, 01:01 PM
Okay, let it be bold then...
I'll not vote.
With a triple lynch we have nice chances of winning toDay and getting out of this alive.
Mnemosyne
07-25-2009, 01:01 PM
"It has to be the way," said Nogrod. "They're our three most-suspicious looking housemates, and the sooner we can get this over with..." He shuddered.
"It isn't too late to change it?" said autume98. She swallowed nervously.
Eönwë said nothing, but stared straight ahead.
Nessa looked as if she was about to cry.
"All right," said Nerwen. "At least this time it'll be intentional. How are we going to do it?"
"Last night was a disaster," said Rikae. "I wish Tolkien had put firearms into Middle-earth, then we could do the firing squad and no one would know who had a blank."
"Well," said Lalaith, "if you think about the blasting fire, and the express train..."
Nobody laughed.
"Actually, I think there might be another way," said Nerwen. She pointed behind her to the hallway leading from the sitting room. The wide corridor was filled with trees.
"Huorns?" said Eönwë. "I guess there are worse ways to go."
"How will you know if we're wolves or not, then?" said Nessa.
"The curse is supposed to be lifted once they're all dead," Nogrod said. "I think we'll know."
"Yeah, and look who told us that," said autume.
No one had an answer for that.
Lalaith and Rikae bound the hands of the three with rope, solemnly, as if they were preparing them for burial--which, in a sense, they were.
"All right," said Nerwen. Her voice sounded remarkably steady. "Take twenty paces into the forest, and don't try to escape." She handed a longbow to Nogrod. "If you do, he'll shoot you."
Nogrod looked at the weapon nervously, but nodded.
The three disappeared under the eaves of the forest. There was a strange wind, and a stranger creaking noise. They could hear muffled cries from within.
The trees left.
"Well, that's done," said Lalaith. She walked to the end of the hallway where the door outside, scratched from the first night's kill, stood. She tugged at the handle. It was still locked.
IT IS NOW NIGHT FOUR.
The Living:
Nogrod
Lalaith
Nerwen
Rikae
The Dead:
Feanor of the Peredhil (werewolf)
Boromir88
Shastanis Althreduin
Inziladun (werewolf)
Pitchwife (ranger)
McCaber (seer)
autume98
Eönwë
Nessa Telrunya
satansaloser2005
07-26-2009, 01:02 PM
It was storming outside. She could hear the distant crash and boom of thunder. It came slowly, groaning, and climaxed in a great noise of destruction.
Nerwen rose to watch the show.
But when she opened her window, she was not greeted by the fresh smell of rain. Rather, a blast of frigid air blew at her face and stung her nose. Startled, she turned on the light and looked out.
Somehow the landscapes must have shifted, because all she saw in front of her was ice.
Opening her door and looking out, Nerwen quickly realized it was much worse than that. Her entire room had been transported to the ice field. And she realized with a shudder that the noise that had woken her up was not the sound of thunder. It was the creak of shifting ice floes.
As another crash came especially close, she quickly made up her mind and moved. This ice couldn't last forever, and she wouldn't be surprised if she'd been placed right in the middle of it. Grabbing a jacket and wrapping it around her, she stepped outside into the wintry air.
After five minutes of walking there was still no end in sight. She wasn't even sure if she was moving in a straight line anymore. But just as she thought about giving up and lying down to freeze, she saw a small light ahead. Nerwen ran towards it.
It was her camera.
And it was working.
In wonder, she stooped down to pick it up, but her fingers wouldn't hold on it and it seemed to have been anchored in the ice. She heard another creak, this one very close. With no other warning, the ice beneath her cracked open and she slipped down.
Out of sheer instinct she reached out and grabbed onto the camera. Its lens was pointed directly at her face. From behind it, she could hear footsteps. Looking up, she saw a face bending over her.
"Oh, it's you, isn't it?" she said, rather sadly. "Unless you've come to rescue me..."
Her eyes widened in fear as the figure above her transformed into a beast. A large, hairy paw stepped on her hand--just enough to loosen its tentative grip on the camera. With a cry Nerwen vanished into the ice.
And when the guests that remained awoke and made their way downstairs, Nerwen's camera was there, playing her last moments on an infinite playback loop.
Rikae tried to switch it off, or at least turn down the volume. But the controls were jammed.
IT IS NOW DAY FOUR.
The Living:
Nogrod
Lalaith
Rikae
The Dead:
Feanor of the Peredhil (werewolf)
Boromir88
Shastanis Althreduin
Inziladun (werewolf)
Pitchwife (ranger)
McCaber (seer)
autume98
Eönwë
Nessa Telrunya
Nerwen
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 01:27 PM
"Okay... my plan misfired badly. So either of you is the last wolf." Nogrod took himself to the kitchen and started grinding some coffee beans...
"Well looking at he situation, it was predictable Nerwen was killed last Night, for she sure looked the most innocent of us - looking at the possible evidence that is. So which one of you killed her?"
Nogrod put the kettle on and turned around.
"You Lalaith have strong credentials from Day1 but have made poor judgements after that. But your performance on Day1 looks pretty good indeed. What about you Rikae? You have clearly been under-performing - I'd say. You can do better. I'll be looking forwards to you making your mark here toDay. I mean this is the final Day then and I wouldn't like to help lynching you without any reason to do it."
The water was about to boil and Nogrod added some cloves, cardamon and ginger to the grinded coffee-beans and poured the almost boiling water on them. "This will just take a moment..."
He took some cream from the fridge and whipped it with some ground cinnamon and cane-sugar and when he was ready he poured the coffee into three cups adding some of the whipped cream to top the cups. Then he poured in a tiny amount of blended whisky in every cup using a spoon to get it down into the mixture.
"We'll be awake with this thing. Now let's talk."
Rikae
07-26-2009, 01:35 PM
Nog, I haven't trusted you from the beginning and, if I failed to vote you after your performance last night, I would be utterly irresponsible. Lal, if you're the wolf, well done - Nogrod, I'll give you a chance to change my mind, if only to "make things interesting", but I'm 99% certain I'm voting for you.
It's plain and simple - it was a bold plan for your wolfish self, and you probably thought you had a chance of talking your way out of the noose toDay, but if you were innocent you absolutely would have known better than to arrange that triple-lynch yesterday (and if you wouldn't, well, you should have).
Rikae
07-26-2009, 01:45 PM
Hm, I just actually thought of a fairly good reason for Nogrod to have arranged the triple-lynch. It is - I'm not sure how to say this, but sort of a meta-reason, and I might, even agree with it. But still... argh. If he did so with evil intent and I let him get away with it... :mad:
Rikae
07-26-2009, 01:51 PM
Well? Is anyone else here?
Nogrod, what do you have to say for yourself other than "my plan misfired badly", eh?
Lalaith, what are your thoughts?
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 01:52 PM
After sitting into to the armchair he used to sit in Nogrod took a few careful sips from the hot coffee and then filled his pipe. It was silent.
"Okay, if you're not wishing to talk let me begin it then. Well, as some people have noted I had no other choice on Day1 but to vote Fea there. And I was happy to do that seeing my suspicions were looking like true. But I can hardly claim that as a "proof" of my innocence even if I'd like it. Okay, had I been a wolf I could have pretended I missed the vote with one minute or something... Sure. But that's hardly fitting my line. So no special defence there.
On Day2 I misjudged between Inzil and Shasta looking at Inzil as a more productive person with whom we could think ourselves through and not being forced to roll a dice - like with Shasta who to the bitter end refused to talk for real.
YesterDay we had the three most suspicious people rounded up one minute before the deadline and I though we might end all this misery with it lynching all of them and leaving us four innocents alive (Nerwen included). Well I was wrong with it as Nerwen is now dead and three innocents lie dead out there... and one of you is the last wolf..."
Nogrod puffed his pipe and thought about the matters around.
"I feel like between the rock and the hard place right now. On the other hand you Lalaith have been soo considerate and nice it makes me suspect you; on the other you Rikae have been out of action for much of this ordeal (and I see you have given us reasons for it) but the time you have spent with us doesn't look too convincing either. But lack of time to ponder these things might as well produce bad decisions - or weird self-votes out of frustration... or whatever.
Anyway. I face a tough decision toDay as I want to get out from here alive. Now please open your mouths for discussion and not only for the coffee..."
EDIT: X'd with three Rikaes...
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:00 PM
Our three most suspicious people? Surely the possibility that none of them was a wolf must have occurred to you, and how does the certainty of killing at least two and possibly three innocents, without giving any of them a chance to talk and give us evidence for or against themselves, would help us?
Only if you were thinking of the secondary goal of keeping things interesting would your actions make any sense whatsoever.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:02 PM
Argh, double posting again, but - perhaps a Lalwolf would have more reason to expect Nog and I to vote for each other, than a Nogwolf would to expect the same from Lal and I....
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 02:09 PM
Nogrod, what do you have to say for yourself other than "my plan misfired badly", eh?Well, on top of what I said already let me elaborate...
We had three suspicious persons yesterDay - as all others had some kind of backing of not being suspicious (well that actually didn't include you Rikae as you had left us no record whatsoever - whatever the reasons but that was the fact). With the last minute I realised we had all those three under a lynch and thought we could make it lynching all of them and thus ending this misery. Surely I took the chance there. And I was wrong with it.
But you were wrong with Autume as well as Lalaith was. Or, well, either of you were making it safe and sound with knowledge.
Looking at Lalaith's vote on Day1 I can't help suspecting you more than her - as you just don't have the record to show.
But I'm afraid of her self-assuredness, agreeableness and softness - which in other situations would be reasons to love her. So let's not make this you against I which will be decided by Lalaith. She might be the rotten apple as well so why to hand the decision to her alone?
Or are you trying just that? Trying to make her believe in your case against me to win alone?
EDIT: X'd with two Rikaes...
Lalaith
07-26-2009, 02:13 PM
Well, good morning people. I am quite surprised to be still alive...although quite frankly the way I feel this morning I'm not sure if I *am* alive. I took a few recuperative stiff ones after yesterday's massacre...and I must say that even if I do make it through this "lovely week in the country" I'm not sure my liver will....where's that coffee?
Well I do very much appreciate this java, Nogs, excellent as usual....but I was dismayed by that that triple lynch decision - that was a high risk strategy, one that has turned out to benefit the wolf, and it makes me worried about you.
It is useful, I suppose, that the two people I have to decide between are people I know quite well from the Downs. Well done to whichever one is the wolf...neither of you have seemed at all wolfish to me until now.
So which one? I have to say that by elimination process, my fellow bon viveur Nogrod is my chief suspect at the moment. Not just that triple lynch - also your voting record has not contained anything to convince me of your innocence.
Rikae - your voting record is of course strangely blank - but I just can't square this triangle - I can't believe that a wolf-Rikae would be so nonchalant.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:20 PM
Am I making a case against you? I think you made the case against yourself quite well yesterDay. It's interesting you say we were both "wrong" about Autume... indeed, we were probably both "wrong" rather than "knowledgeable". You correct yourself but leave it in - why? You think it's a good defense... "you were both wrong, I could be innocently wrong too"? - the main point is not that you were *wrong*, but that what you did was an unnecessary risk which reduced the amount of evidence we could go on by ending things prematurely... as you should very well know. As you most likely do know.
Also, of course I hope Lal will vote for you - as it seems to me that's the only chance for a village win.
IF you pulled all this to liven things up, nice work. And yes, I haven't given much to go on, and yes, I'm an excellent target for you (or Lalaith) toDay because of it - which is, most likely, why I'm here.
EDIT: Crossed with Lalaith
Lalaith
07-26-2009, 02:23 PM
Okay, had I been a wolf I could have pretended I missed the vote with one minute or something... Sure. But that's hardly fitting my line
Well that's the thing...you could have said that but we probably wouldn't have believed you, you are too sensible and focused and those of us who know you, know that.
perhaps a Lalwolf would have more reason to expect Nog and I to vote for each other, than a Nogwolf would to expect the same from Lal and I....
Rikae - I've already tried myself to ponder the Nerwen kill to see if it will help me figure things out between you two, and I can't make it work...which ever way you cut this cake Nerwen was probably the most sensible option - she was the one of us whose voting record made her the least likely wolf.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:24 PM
Rikae - your voting record is of course strangely blank - but I just can't square this triangle - I can't believe that a wolf-Rikae would be so nonchalant.
Yes, and the fact that Nogrod seems to disregard what should be obvious to him, too... he knows me well enough to know better, I think. It may not be a fair thing to base my decision on (I really should have been more helpful, after all), but I'll have to use everything I can to make this decision, since everything rests on it.
EDIT: X'd with Lal again
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 02:24 PM
Our three most suspicious people? Surely the possibility that none of them was a wolf must have occurred to you, and how does the certainty of killing at least two and possibly three innocents, without giving any of them a chance to talk and give us evidence for or against themselves, would help us? Listen to yourself talking here... YesterDay you agreed that Eönwë, Nessa and Autume were the most suspicious people around. Surely I thought there were a possibility of none of them being a wolf but it was a few seconds decision and the chance of them all being innocent looked slight indeed according to what we had discussed (or whom we had been able to kind of "deduce away" from suspicion) - and looking at all those we had suspicion about were getting lynched I thought it a good idea to check it once for all. Pretty good chances of getting ourselves alive out from this nightmare as they were the ones we all suspected. I really thought we would make it by that. Sadly we didn't...
And interestingly you Rikae were left with the "survivors" because of your potential, not because of your deeds... :confused:
Edit: X'd with Rikae & Lalaith...
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:32 PM
Just because I thought they were the most suspicious people doesn't mean I thought it was a good idea to eliminate the possibility of any further evidence which might lead us to the final wolf with more certainty! Surely you can understand that? It's only in the interests of the wolves to act with less evidence when you could wait until you have more.
As for why I am a survivor, I assume you were the one who made that decision, then? I was never in much danger of lynching, so you can only mean that you left me alive last Night...?
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:33 PM
If I didn't know better, I would say there was a cobbler around.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:36 PM
Seriously, Nogrod, it's like you're begging me to vote for you. If you're innocent, I suggest you try a little harder to convince me of it, since, I assure you, if I vote wrong the wolves will win (if it were otherwise, I would have voted already).
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 02:44 PM
"Okay ladies, kill me... but one of you dies because of it. And will regret it."
Nogrod puffed his pipe slowly but enthusiastically...
"If these be my last pipefuls let me enjoy them... I see the situation but it's hard to say which one of you is riding with the other's suspicions... At the moment Lalaith looks worse like chorusing but I may be wrong. She really let Fea alone on Day1 and that I think counts. But my gut reaction right now is that Lalaith follows Rikae's suspicions and just loves the situation wheere she can choose whom to vote just looking at us arguing together.
But it's also possible you Rikae have been affirmative enough as a baddie to convince Lalaith and smile right now. Who knows?
Anyway I'd wish to see more points - also between you two - I mean just for your health why not look at each other as well? Heh, Rikae, why are you so one-sided? Because you have a clear goal here while we do not? Lalaith, why do you love to accept any cause that points away from you? Don't you realise that a wrong decision toDay will mean the end of the other innocent as well - or do you indeed realise it to well?
Believe it or not I suspect Lalaith now more than you Rikae... She's too smooth to be innocent. An innocent would be bewildered as you are - or as I am. But she's perfectly collected and fine.
What I should do? :confused:
EDIT: X'd with a few Rikaes...
Rikae
07-26-2009, 02:58 PM
Believe it or not I suspect Lalaith now more than you Rikae... She's too smooth to be innocent. An innocent would be bewildered as you are - or as I am. But she's perfectly collected and fine.
That's true. However, Lalaith is calm and collected by nature, I think, and you and I are both quite capable of feigning confusion.
As for Lalaith's supposed failure to helpFea on Day 1, I don't really see it. It didn't necessarily seem, at the time of Lal's vote, that Fea was in real danger. It's not any more necessarily innocent than yours was.
I'm going over my memories of both of you in the last few days...
Lalaith
07-26-2009, 03:07 PM
Lalaith is calm and collected by nature, I think, and you and I are both quite capable of feigning confusion.
Well, quite. We are all intelligent adults and we can all put on an act. And yes, I try to have a stiff upper lip about things but don't think I'm any less scared than either of you. This is a very creepy situation to be in, particulary as I have trusted you both up until now. My only consolation is that the wolf - which ever one of you it is - must be pretty scared too.
Anyway I'd wish to see more points - also between you two - I mean just for your health why not look at each other as well?
Actually I'm up for this. We've got time...we can spend some hours looking over the events and weighing up the evidence.
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 03:07 PM
"On a second thought..." Nogrod said after puffing his pipe for a while.
"I do think an innocent would be open to any possibilities. Now it's her life at stake, mind you. So your monomaniac style raises some eybrows to be sure Rikae. Were you an innocent you would have to look at both of us others to survive but somehow you have only one goal it seems - to lynch me. And that doesn't convince me of you being an innocent. No, rather it looks like you gamble putting all your eggs to the same basket and wishing Lalaith will buy it. With my quite daring trial to get us alive yesterDay which failed you have a nice chance to try that. Don't you? What would you have done in the similar situation?
I mean an innocent would like to hear as much as possibe and to throw suspicions around evenly to find out who answers them better or worse or whatever. To a wolf it would be enough to convince the other innocent of the other's guilt as that would win her the game.
So sorry, I maybe changing my idea of you being less suspicious... But looking at Lalaith I'm not too happy about it either - surely she pondered the question in principle from both sides but that didn't look too genuine..."
EDIT: X'd with Rikae & she partly overlapped what I said... + Lalaith
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 03:17 PM
"Btw. I think you're pretty knoweldgeable of this but I'd still like to remind you of it just in case... If an innocent casts the first vote and has it wrong the wolf will capitulate and win immediately. So hold your horses..."
Rikae
07-26-2009, 03:20 PM
Nogrod, of course the innocent-looking thing to do is do appear confused and indecisive, just as you are (rather self-consciously) doing. However, you did something blatantly wolfish just last night. I don't forget so easily, and I haven't forgotten your failure to respond to my earlier comments, either.
There is something about this situation that's giving me a sense of deja vu, though. Three people, one guilty, one pretty much certain of another's guilt, that one undecided, and the third detached. However, in that "memory" the certain one turns out both innocent and wrong. The detached one was guilty.
However, deja vu isn't necessarily right. Nogrod seems to be testing Lalaith's willingness to vote for me, once he sees I'm seemingly determined to vote for him. There was really very little effort to convince me, I thought, more just flowing along with the currents, hoping to see either one of us lynched.
EDIT: X'd with Nog's 2nd statement.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 03:22 PM
Of course I'm aware of that... however, I only need to make up my mind. Although (as I've said) I prefer to make decisions after gathering all possible evidence, if I've thoroughly made my mind up before the day is over, I'll vote then.
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 03:27 PM
I don't forget so easily, and I haven't forgotten your failure to respond to my earlier comments, either.Would you be so kind as to tell me which questions I have not answered. I'd be happy to do that. Or is this just a tom-foolery? I think I have addressed the most important questions you have made.
However, deja vu isn't necessarily right. Nogrod seems to be testing Lalaith's willingness to vote for me, once he sees I'm seemingly determined to vote for him. There was really very little effort to convince me, I thought, more just flowing along with the currents, hoping to see either one of us lynched. Surely as an innocent I'd like to see the wolf lynched (either of you)! But your "seeming determination" is just the thing that makes me worried about you Rikae! A wolf can play thus but an innocent can't!!!
Lalaith
07-26-2009, 03:30 PM
One thing that did trouble me just now, Nogs just explained what he thought an innocent person would do,
be open to any possibilities
He then ostentatiously is just that - says he thinks Rikae is most guilty-looking, then says he thinks I am, then goes back to Rikae again...
But anyway...when you say "calm and collected" I am flattered; the truth, I confess, is in fact "too hung-over to speak or think properly". :rolleyes:
I have to go to rest now and I will return in a few hours. I trust no decisions will be made in haste. Au revoir.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 03:37 PM
I think I often have a tendency to... overestimate people, somehow? I don't mean that in an insulting way, but if someone impresses me as being intelligent and then does something I consider foolish, I suspect them of evil intentions rather than considering the likelihood they simply made a mistake.
Perhaps that tendency is leading me astray where Nogrod is concerned, here... plus, it's generally a good rule of thumb that pleasant-seeming, uncontroversial types are the most dangerous.
Also...
well, it seems to me our hostess might want a certain balance to her wolf team. Lalaith, Inzil and Fea create just that - their styles are different enough, whereas Nog and Fea are perhaps too similar, in the sense of being more talkative and dominant. I don't know...
On the other hand...
Nogrod, I pointed out that your little scheme yesterday left us no chance to gather more evidence, and asked if you hadn't thought of that. (Another thing I just remembered - you asked me, earlier, what I would have done. What do you mean? In what situation?) Also, you'd like to see the wolf lynched... either of us? Eeeeh... if you were innocent, may I remind you, a specific one of us would be the wolf... and your choice would be of the utmost importance.
At any rate, rest assured - if I was really certain about you, I'd vote. Only a wolf has much reason to wait for others to vote first.
EDIT: X'd with Lalaith
Rikae
07-26-2009, 03:48 PM
Also, why exactly can't an innocent? I started the day (actually, ended the day yesterDay) strongly suspicious of you, and that because of your actions.
A wolf in this situation would be wise to fan the flames of suspicion between the two innocents - burning bridges to one by attacking them right off the bat would be a riskier strategy than feigning confusion. Of course, all this "what would a wolf do" is a bit nonsensical - any one of us is capable of using either strategy. You're thinking too simply (deliberately or no) if you're comparing my actions to what a generic wolf would do in a situation like this... the question is, what would you, Lalaith or I do as wolves on this particular situation?
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 04:11 PM
Only a wolf has much reason to wait for others to vote first.Agreed...
And I do appreciate your ponderings there looking at what you have said earlier...
Nogrod, I pointed out that your little scheme yesterday left us no chance to gather more evidence, and asked if you hadn't thought of that. (Another thing I just remembered - you asked me, earlier, what I would have done. What do you mean? In what situation?) Also, you'd like to see the wolf lynched... either
of us? Eeeeh... if you were innocent, may I remind you, a specific one of us would be the wolf... and your choice would be of the utmost importance.Okay, I'll explain it one more time. Let it be the last time.
YesterDay we were seven people. Of those Nerwen looked very good (giving the last vote to Inzil and lynching him on Day2) and Lalaith as well (leaving Fea into trouble on Day1 by introducing a new candidate for lynching when Fea already had two votes - and a bunch had one + McCaber was tied with her in two votes). I know I'm innocent myself so it left you Rikae. And as I know you had problems I thought you should be given a chance to show your qualities to whatever lord you serve.
That left me (us indeed as you agreed with the list as well) with three suspects: Nessa, Eönwë and Autume. Now they al had two votes at the DL and I had to make a decision. The probability that one of them was the last wolf looked to me about 95% (with the only exception of you possibly being the last one just sadly not being able to take part in the game) so I decided to let it be and get us four out of this mess alive.
I mean I couldn't guess which one of them three it was but being presented with a possibility to do away with all of them was just too good a deal to refuse. We would be going home after that.
But it was not to be. Either you or Lalaith is the last wolf and I was wrong - and another one of you about so. Only the wolf amongst us was happily smiling there when the results were given.
So I was thinking of survival over the evidence - well what evidence are you able to gather from Autume (or Nessa or Eönwë)? If they are the three probable wolves let's get it with them and live...
So asking "what you'd have done"? Well quite exactly "what you'd have done had you been there at the last minute"? Would you have chosen one and let the wolves do a kill by Night - and then leaving us into a situation of yet another choice between many of whom we can only throw a dice - and let the wolves kill once again with precision? And again?
There is a difference between the lynches and Night kills. The lynches are made by us all (and we can kill wolves that way), the Night-kills are made by the wolves (and never kill a wolf). So let's hail lynches and try to avoid chances for the wolves to decide who gets killed...
And yes, of course my decision will be of utmost importance, it will be the most important vote there is - alongside the other innocent's vote. That's why I feel frightened by your one-sided attack on me thus far. It looks like a wolf wishing to press her point on the other innocent more than a real innocent wishing to see the situation and ponder it for real, seeing the possibility of disaster if she got it wrong. The wolf could go for it trying to lynch one but an innocent needs to consider both options...
EDIT: X'd with Rikae
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 04:38 PM
A wolf in this situation would be wise to fan the flames of suspicion between the two innocents - burning bridges to one by attacking them right off the bat would be a riskier strategy than feigning confusion. Of course, all this "what would a wolf do" is a bit nonsensical - any one of us is capable of using either strategy. I'm not sure you're right in here. It all depends... But the goal of the wolf in this kind of "threesome" is quite clear. Assure one to vote the third. Not that more complicated.
And I can see you both doing that in the early hours of the Day. Now I just need to decide which one of you did it purposefully and who I'd need to make reconsider. That is simple as that. The wolf needs one vote in her favour and that's it. So she needs to be nice and uncontroversial looking at others run to each other's throaths and pick the results from outside or then be firm and agressive to gain a vote for her favour from the third party (Lalaith has fitted the first description and you Rikae the second). So how do I differentiate between you two?
You're thinking too simply (deliberately or no) if you're comparing my actions to what a generic wolf would do in a situation like this... the question is, what would you, Lalaith or I do as wolves on this particular situation?
Well looking at it from this angle Lalaith indeed looks suspicious: so calm and gathered - and how nicely she behaved towards me earlier in this ordeal we've all gotten through. And now she looks like ready to vote either one of us whoever either of us votes first... like she has the choice now - presuming we vote for each other as she looks to think.
I don't like that composed presence she has here right now. I'd really like to hear more from her.
But neither am I trusting you at the moment Rikae. Sorry, but I just can't.
Happily there are something like 20 hours to decide. Maybe some sleep - or some discussions - will help me / us to make right decisions.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 05:04 PM
What would I have done? Certainly voted for the one I found the most suspicious, which would have gained us one more day to discuss and gather evidence before it was the last day. With hindsight being 20/20, that may not have been better, since it could have (if I calculate right) ended up with the three of us plus one of those "most suspicious" ones on the last day, but we would have another day's discussion and voting behind us now.
Nogrod
07-26-2009, 05:31 PM
With hindsight being 20/20, that may not have been better, since it could have (if I calculate right) ended up with the three of us plus one of those "most suspicious" ones on the last day, but we would have another day's discussion and voting behind us now.Right you are, but think about the situation...
So let's say I had voted for Eönwë. Nerwen would have been killed last Night anyway (obviously as she was that innocent-looking; killing Inzil). So it would be you, me, Lalaith, Autume and Nessa. We would probably have lynched one of the two last ones with no better clue the next Day - and then the last wolf would have killed me, or one of you two - which one is not the wolf.
So on the next Day we'd have one of Autume/Nessa and two of us remaining now. So what's the next move? We/you choose Autume/Nessa - and that is a miss as we know now. So it ends up with us losing the game in favour of either of you two...
Not a great scenario.
Rikae
07-26-2009, 06:18 PM
That was what I was thinking, but we can't be sure we would have voted that way - especially since the Eonwe/Autume/Nessa trio was suspicious more by default than anything else, and Nessa and Autume seemed to be just getting more involved at the time, too. I lacked stronger suspects at the time, but that may have changed at a later date.
Lalaith
07-27-2009, 05:55 AM
This is very difficult. But I turn for inspiration to a very great detective, who declared that “when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". I said I would analyse the evidence, and here it is.
Day one –
Nogrod – is busy – there’s a lot of posts to go through. Wants to kill the careful and quiet ones. But then is worried about Shasta for being too busy. Note - this is odd. “likes” Inzil but nonetheless has a bit of a to and fro with him. Later complains about the talk being unproductive and there not being any suspicions, but doesn’t give up any suspects himself at this stage. Then he says he has been suspecting Rikae and Fea, but Boro challenges him on this and asks where. I can’t see it either. Gives a summary where he calls Fea ‘creepy’ but still feels positive about Inzil. Looks at this point like his biggest suspect is Nessa but then he likes her response so seems to backtrack. Does not vote until after McCaber’s reveal when he naturally goes for Fea.
Rikae – comes in and does her drunken rum thing. Mentions Shasta, Steve (who he?) and Pitchwife. Inzil picks up on something she says about chainsaws, but it’s all a bit random. That is the one thing we hear from her on Day One – she does not vote. Nogrod later calls this an underwhelming performance and I agree.
Day 2
Nogrod is busy again! He says he was ‘right’ about Fea. Hmm....I’m not sure that the suspicions he voiced on day one amounted to a categorical accusation. Isn’t quite as confident about McCaber as I would have liked, but he does say that McCaber should at some point give up his innocent dream...his reason however is that we might otherwise lynch them by accident. (He doesn’t mention the fact that it is useful to have a trusted innocent to listen to). Speculates about Boro’s vote for Inzil. This is an interesting point and could be taken either way. Also there is his analysis of Inzil’s vote, which (in retrospect) seems risky speculation if Inzil is a fellow wolf. But...he analyses all of us pretty closely and it would look odd if he didn’t do the same for Inzil. Interestingly, at this point he is much less happy about my Day One vote than he later seems to be. He then goes for Shasta, and tells everyone to talk...
He comes back to decide that McCaber, Inzil, myself are least suspicious and that he will also wait for Rikae and Nerwen to participate more. Then talks about the remaining four suspects and appears to be hovering towards Nessa again, or maybe Shasta. He defends Pitchwife, four minutes before deadline, but also Inzil. Then seems to get upset by the way voting is going (not sure why?) and goes for Shasta. It’s hard to read all this because so many posts are bunched together, but I suppose one interpretation is that a wolf-Nog could not suddenly vote for Pitchwife without having voiced suspicions. His vote for Shasta could be an acceptable ‘third way’ to save Inzil. Or there is the innocent interpretation, that he simply suspected Shasta.
Rikae – she comes in to say that she mistrusts Pitchwife, Eonwe and Nogrod. Her appearance is welcomed by Inzil. She then says she’s surprised that no-one has gone over yesterday’s votes (although in fact Nogrod has already done so). She concludes that Nessa, Eonwe, Pitchwife and myself are suspicious. She doesn’t find the non-voters suspicious but this may be a joke. She is herself a non-voter again.
Day 3
At this point there are no known wolves to analyse interaction with.
Nogs spends a long time looking through McCaber’s posts, trying to find an innocent. He fails to do so. He then goes over the votes, in less detail than the previous day, and includes his own. “choosing Shasta for Inzil because the latter would be playing” – that doesn’t make much sense actually. Narrows his list down to Nessa, Eonwe and autume, exonerating Rikae because he wants her to participate more. He seems to be drawing the same conclusions I did about Eonwe, but less firmly. He worries about a mix-up of mine about voting times. Later, he defends himself for defending Inzil, and has the same suspect list as Rikae – Autume and Eonwe. Then he gets worried about Nessa, having earlier said that she should be left alone. Then two people vote for her (Nessa) making it a draw. Nogs decides to leave it as a three-way lynch.
Rikae – insists that she would be ‘ashamed’ to win as the kind of wolf she would have been in this game. Is now participating more, analyses everyone, (although she never produces her promised Day 2 analysis) messes around a bit and comes down to the same suspect list as Nogrod. What happened to her earlier suspicions of Nogrod himself? Narrows things down to Autume and Eonwe, tosses a coin and votes for Eonwe.
Well, I found that very time-consuming and annoyingly not all that helpful for me to make up my mind. I can see why I trusted you both. On the surface, it would seem that Nogs has slightly more points in his favour than Rikae. But I am still inclined to think about Rikae’s failure to participate in the early days as a very strong point in her favour. And I just don’t like that triple-lynch.
So, back to today...
Day four – we are three. Both Nogs and Rikae are very vocal – arguing with each other - both are scaring me.
Rikae declares right away that she is almost certainly going to vote for Nogrod. However she is clearly contemplating the option of me being the guilty one too. This is a point in her favour because I had already indicated I was more likely to vote for Nogrod than Rikae...so if she was the wolf then she could probably risk just going for Nogs right away and I would follow suit. It looks like she is genuinely looking for the truth.
Nogrod is going from one to the other. If he is the wolf he is of course in the tricksy position of trying to persuade Rikae to vote for me, while also trying to keep me on side, so that I will vote for Rikae rather than him. Of course, if he is innocent then this could also work, he is genuinely searching for the guilty one.
This is not a situation I have ever been in before. I feel like I am tying myself up in knots, trying so hard to be fair. There is evidence, and there is instinct. From what I know of you both, the Nogrod of this Cottage could be a wolf, but the Rikae of this Cottage is a much more unlikely wolf.
I have spent much too long on this and have made myself late for Other Things. I will return later.
Rikae
07-27-2009, 10:46 AM
Steve = Eonwe.
As for Day Two analysis, I went through it all in my memory but didn't find anything in particular worth saying - it seemed as if others were saying the same things I would have.
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 10:54 AM
Nogrod was busy making an onion soup but had listened what the two others had said so far while occupied with the soup.
"You both have one thing that makes you look innocentish but another one of them has to be wrong. So which one?
Now Lalaith you surely let Fea down on Day1 if you were her mate. You'd have many options to help her discreetly there without anyone paying attention to it too much... well, possibly. After that you have voted early and safely - and for innocents (which surely innocents can do as well as wolves).
What Lalaith already pointed out, Rikae did herself state that she would be "‘ashamed’ to win as the kind of wolf she would have been in this game ". And I tend to agree with that. But then again what else could she have said in that situation? I mean I think she can make quite unforeseen turns and use quite unconventional tactics in tough situations...
So which one?
Meanwhile let me address a few things from your analysis Lalaith as I think you weren't actually too fair there. Just a moment."
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 11:07 AM
Wants to kill the careful and quiet ones. But then is worried about Shasta for being too busy. Note - this is odd.That's a bit unfair interpretation that almost smells like a deliberate one. Shasta sure was one of the most "quiet and careful" people around. Did you see any suspicion he'd have made? Any case? Any real testing questions at anyone? Anything? But yes you can say he was busy - talking all kind of stuff not related to what we had to do in the first place (checking doors and suggesting cosier room to discuss...). But really, Lalaith - what where you thinking making that comment?
With Nessa this has been a roller-coaster ride for me. I have been suspecting her a lot at times and at others I have thought her possibly innocent. Sorry, without wolf's knowledge that's how it is. And btw. in a long run that's something a wolf has hard time trying to fake but an innocent has these doubts and changing feelings naturally and it can be followed from the discussions from one Day to another.
With Inzil it's nearly the same story - but I thought that he was more helpful to us making points and sticking his neck out there - unlike some others. The good thing with that is that you can in the end start actually making some reasoned deductions from that kind of person - whether to think he's a wolf or innocent. Now comparing to Shasta fex. the difference is huge. With Shasta you could only toss a coin and hope for luck; with Inzil you could actually mull over what he had said and done.
Nogrod is busy again! He says he was ‘right’ about Fea. Hmm....I’m not sure that the suspicions he voiced on day one amounted to a categorical accusation.Did I say I had had a "caterogical accusation"? Who could come up with one on Day1? I did suspect Fea from her first speech onwards and you can go back the memory lane to check it. And yes, I felt good having it right.
He defends Pitchwife, four minutes before deadline, but also Inzil. Then seems to get upset by the way voting is going (not sure why?) and goes for Shasta.Well this is a long story but I'll try to make it short.
Now both you Lalaith and Pitchwife voted for Shasta when Fea was at lead (with McCaber - and there were a few people in one vote as well). But now the difference between you and Pitchwife was that his vote was made two minutes later than yours - and McCaber's revelation. Now sad to say there was a chance for fraud there and I couldn't trust him as openly I trusted you... But finally I decided that I have to trust his word of that being an honest cross-posting - and then he looked as white as you did Lalaith. And he was leading the votes! And my curses there were because of that situation - and more importantly because no one seemed to be around not to talk of discussing their preferences leading the situation into a mad last minute picking... In a sad way Inzil offered me a way out by voting Shasta (I didn't want to vote for Pitchwife with reasons stated just up there - or myself either - and thought Inzil was more readable than Shasta). So there you go.
“choosing Shasta for Inzil because the latter would be playing” – that doesn’t make much sense actually.It makes a lot of sense actually. I want to be able to think about people, not being forced to throw a dice as there's nothing to work with. Okay, 'nuff said.
Well that was not probably all but I'll leave it there for now. Feel free to ask more. I'm more than happy to answer. I have nothing to hide so I can answer all you have to ask.
Rikae
07-27-2009, 11:22 AM
My intuition isn't even consistent right now. At first it said Nog was the wolf, then Lalaith, and now Nog again...
I can almost feel the presence of all the deceased innocents, watching us and maybe even hoping I will vote one way or the other. Perhaps, on the other side, they know who the last wolf is. I wish they could tell me!
I am generally against double, let alone triple, lynches in principle, and I dislike the way Nogrod make such a decision unilaterally, with no discussion. True, we all allowed him to by voting as we did, but engineering a triple lynch out of the blue at the last minute is just - well, something I disapprove of. But I shouldn't vote based on disapproval, but suspicion.
Lalaith could absolutely be a wolf as well. She has done nothing, really, that convinces me of her innocence (I don't find the failure to help Fea theory convincing at all - Fea might have even expected to go early).
Nog's behavior toDay - I don't like it. As I said, he seems to be waiting to see what direction things turn, urging us to suspect each other, and only feigning confusion for himself (it strikes me more as indifference than confusion - either one of us lynched is fine by him). He doesn't seem particularly concerned about his own vote.
Then again, Lalaith's behavior looks wolfish too. She stays cool, pretty much disregarding any suspicion directed toward herself, focusing on suspecting Nogrod, mainly, which would be a safe bet for her, if she's a wolf, if I actually started the day bluntly stating a misguided suspicion. In fact, it was just what I was looking for from her when I stated my intent to vote Nog in that way - a sense of calm certainty, little reason to consider the possibility that I might be a wolf, only to cement my vote for Nog and justify her own.
On the other hand, Nog's reaction was not what I would have expected from an innocent, either. I would have expected more effort to convince me of his innocence if he thought I was likely innocent, or, if he thought I was suspicious, more effort to gain Lalaith's cooperation. I don't get the impression, though, he's really making serious wolf-hunting efforts in either direction.
I started this little speech with an idea at the back of my head of ending it with a vote, but that vote has changed three times while I was talking.
:(
Well... my intuition leans slightly more in one direction, I think... and I also think that what remains of this day is likely to shed much light on the matter. Actually, I can hardly stand the suspense.
And it seems Nog's talking right now... what he's saying reminds me of something that's bothered me about his posts... he says here "without a wolf's knowledge that's how it is", and it seems to me like he keeps making statements like that. It seems overly defensive, spelling things out too much, I don't know. Maybe it even speaks in his favor. *shakes head* But no. Then he goes on to say that's hard for an innocent to do... I don't like it at all. It's a very wolfish thing to say. It's almost as if he's telling us exactly what he deliberately did in order to appear innocent, as if he's congratulating himself on his own cleverness, right in the open.
No, no, no, you both look suspicious... you both look so evil. I need a drink.
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 11:34 AM
"Here, take some of this fine Chablis I found from the cellar. It goes fine with the onion soup also..."
Nogrood had listened to what Rikae had to say and was a bit confused.
"Well if the Day begins with you both saying you would most probably vote for me what else can I do but to defend? And really I have no definite idea about you two. That should show from my words thus far. But I'd sure love to hear more from you.
Funny... as soon as Lalaith started to speak she started to look bad as well. That's the way it goes as well. Sure, looking at her analysis gives me an air of her trying to pile up any possible or impossible thing against me - with some careful "then agains" - and if it was to be an analysis of us both she has remarkably little to say about you Rikae - like she foremostly tried to get you convinced of my wolvery so that you wouldn't suspect her.
Well, to be fair you have done quite little thus far so less things to analyse - but still I find her comments on you merely superficial or neutral while she really tries to pick up with anything I've said and done.
I'm happy to see that was not a 100% success.
Okay, I need to finish the soup but will be back right away after that.
Rikae
07-27-2009, 11:39 AM
It looks as though we're all holding our votes for the last minute, then? Say, let's all vote for the person to the right (or, er, east). That way the wolf doesn't win in any case, and our hostess may find it interesting enough to resurrect us all (if anyone is really dead at all) and set us free!
:D
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 11:46 AM
It looks as though we're all holding our votes for the last minute, then?Well, I sure would love to hear more from you both before voting... and I'll try to give my two cents after I have eaten... So not just holding a vote but actually trying to form an opinion before voting."
Rikae
07-27-2009, 11:54 AM
I'm not so sure there's anything left to find out/say, unfortunately. I'm not sure what my vote will be either at this point, but it may come down to a whim or a hunch in the moment. What do you want to know from me, that I haven't said already?
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:05 PM
Well, I'm around, and willing to talk - you say you want to hear more. Even if Lalaith doesn't say a thing, if you're innocent, figuring out my role alone would be enough for you. So where are you, Nogrod?
I have a question for you. Why have you been so eager to point out how things you've been doing would be difficult for a wolf to do? It's what's tripping my radar most about you lately.
Lalaith
07-27-2009, 12:09 PM
She stays cool, pretty much disregarding any suspicion directed toward herself,
Well, as the suspicion directed towards me seems to consist of 'oh she's so calm', well what would you like me to do - stick a banana in my ear and run around screaming 'everybody PANIC!!!'.....
My huge problem today has been that I really don't find either of you very guilty.
Nogrod, I accept some of your points against my analysis actually - I concede that if you are a wolf, as I have to conclude you are, you have played brilliantly.
And I do actually have to vote now, this brinkmanship is making me feel dreadfully nervous (so much for calm) and also there's Stuff (not allowed on the thread).
On balance, there is the stuff I mentioned earlier, and also, what Rikae is saying today just strikes more of a chord with me.
I just hope I'm right.
++Nogrod
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:09 PM
What do you want to know from me, that I haven't said already?"Well for starters an answer to the question are you a wolf or an innocent would be just fine. :rolleyes:
I'm not so sure there's anything left to find out/say, unfortunately. I'm not sure what my vote will be either at this point, but it may come down to a whim or a hunch in the moment. Sadly you're possibly quite right there.
But I will revisit that Day1 voting once more to see whether my mantra of "Lalaith acted against Fea's best interest so she must be innocent" is as believable I have taken it to be thus far.
I mean that might be a second look well taken at this point. Other than that we can discuss if would all be around soonish. That might help in making one's mind.
The problem sure is that as soon as an innocent gives a wrong vote the wolf will capitulize on it and win. So therefore the carefulness..."
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:13 PM
"Well for starters an answer to the question are you a wolf or an innocent would be just fine. :rolleyes:
I'm an innocent. Does that help? :D
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:13 PM
I have a question for you. Why have you been so eager to point out how things you've been doing would be difficult for a wolf to do? It's what's tripping my radar most about you lately.What else can one do in this situation? I need to make the innocent one of you to trust me because otherwise we lose. That is one way of trying to achieve that goal - making you consider how much probable it is that certain actions I've done are innocent - for that natural reason that they are innocent actions.
Well, huh, there it goes then! *glances at Lalaith's vote* I do hope you Rikae are an innocent now.
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:15 PM
And you're right. See? I'm not capitalizing on Lalaith's vote... if you're innocent, so am I. :Merisu:
Bah, it all comes down to me, then.
Talk, people. Somebody make a wolvish slip in the next 45 minutes, OK?
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:20 PM
Okay.
On Day1 the situation was as follows when Lalaith voted:
Fea 2 (wolf)
McCaber 2
Eönwë 1
Nessa 1
Inziladun 1 (wolf)
So to help Fea she should have voted either for McCaber, Nessa or Eönwë.
Now she probably knew it very well that I was suspecting Fea right there and there could be a third vote for her. But voting for McCaber could be too straightforwards - especially if Fea got lynched anyway. So to a wolf-Lalaith that wouldn't have been an option.
So how about Nessa or Eönwë? But even that wouldn't have guaranteed her Fea's live - but someone might look at her as trying to save her bringing more contenders to the front. So a new candidate? That would look good indeed.
It has looked so good I have basically trusted her ever since.
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:25 PM
Nog, you're not voting for Lalaith? I'm certainly not voting for myself, after all.
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:26 PM
Btw. as you say, it's all up to you Rikae.
++ Lalaith
The good thing here is that you haven't jumped on that vote of Lalaith already - which makes me think you might be an innocent (or then you just toy with me here... but why bother if you were a wolf?). But in that case we have a chance indeed.
So anything you need to know or hear. I'll do whatever I can.
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:27 PM
Nog, you're not voting for Lalaith? I'm certainly not voting for myself, after all.:)
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:33 PM
Ah, whichever of you is the wolf, innocents win. Whichever of you is innocent - well, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
I'm not voting.
:p
Maybe this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv6mPgtay6E) will cheer you up.
(Hey, it's the only way I can be sure of getting home to my family).
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:36 PM
Interesting indeed.
I think I know now that Lalaith is the last wolf - because you didn't jump on Lalaith's vote. Sadly that is knowledge only from my perspective and you can't share it.
But if you look at what I said of the Day1 voting just a moment ago, it doesn't seem to be that good case on her innocence at all.
And as you say, she has been very careful all the time. I'd like to add she has also been careful not to suspect too many people at the same time but limiting possible retaliations or possible counter-suspicions to a minimum at a time.
Ah, whichever of you is the wolf, innocents win. Whichever of you is innocent - well, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
I'm not voting.That's ingenious indeed! :cool:
Sadly it means I have to die. :(
Well. An interesting ending anyway.
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:38 PM
What if Mnemo thinks your three Days without a vote from four possible will trigger a modfire and we all die? :D
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:41 PM
Thank you. :cool: After all, even in this world, I am the same person I am in the real world... and that person has been called "true neutral". Sorry, Nogrod, I really am leaning toward considering you more innocent, but it's close to 50/50 anyway, and I have four little ones to think of.
I fear it may interfere with our dear hostess's plans, though. I hope she keeps her bargain...
EDIT: Crossed with last statement of Nog's - well, I don't recall her telling us we had a voting requirement. Then again, a kidnapper who conspires to commit murder and poisons people may not be the most trustworthy individual.
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:47 PM
Kind of an anti-climax though...
Crossed with last statement of Nog's - well, I don't recall her telling us we had a voting requirement.Well it would fit the song you linked better... :)
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:48 PM
Heh, I had that song in mind already in case you voted for me. I would have voted for Lalaith...
:)
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:50 PM
*sits back to watch Nogrod and Lalaith kill each other*
Nogrod
07-27-2009, 12:52 PM
And as a farewell note.
If you get out of this terrible place Rikae, send Lommy and Greenie my love. I do love them the most in this world. So get an opportunity to meet them and tell them I died thinking of them and hoping all the best for them in this world - and advising them never take part in any 'Downs meeting!
Rikae
07-27-2009, 12:59 PM
Of course :( I know you have a family too, Nog, but you may still be a wolf... if I help you to overpower Lalaith, you may turn on me. I hate that it has to come to this, though.
Perhaps it is all an illusion after all?
satansaloser2005
07-27-2009, 01:02 PM
"All right," said Rikae, "so I guess you both kill each other?"
"Unless you want to kill us both," said Nogrod.
Rikae shook her head.
"Then what if only one of us dies?" said Lalaith. "We're not exactly the same build."
"You'll have no choice," said Nog. "Of course, you could be the last wolf yourself--in which case, my humble congratulations--in which case you'll be more than glad to do the dirty work when it comes to that."
"And if the wolf's already dead? You want an innocent's blood on Rikae's hands?"
"Look, this is the only fair way I can see us doing this!"
"Yes, because 'fair' means 'everybody loses.' Look, there's a better way of doing this. We flip a coin. If I lose, you kill me; if you lose, I kill you. Then if it turns out the loser was a wolf, we have two innocents who walk free. If the loser was an innocent, Rikae kills the other and wins--no matter who or what she is."
"Hey," said Rikae, "that isn't fair. I never even voted for anybody!"
"It's a one in two chance you'll have to kill someone. If we left it up to combat it'd probably be less than that."
Nogrod nodded. "It does seem to be the right way to go. Rikae, you should flip the coin; it's only right." He found nearby a silver penny; it had elvish writing on it and a tree on the back. He handed it to her. "Who's calling it?" he said.
"You can," said Lalaith.
"Right. Heads I die first; tails Lal does."
Rikae threw the coin into the air; it spun and caught the red sunlight as it came in through the window. It landed on its side, rolled, and finally settled. Rikae bent over it; it showed the face of a fair woman in profile. She beckoned the others to see.
"I'm sorry, Nog," said Rikae.
"It's not your fault," he said. "But when you get out of this..."
Rikae nodded. "I'll tell them."
Lalaith walked over to the bar. "Any last requests?"
"Something strong, I hope."
Lalaith rummaged around in the back. "Does something with the label '1420' sound good?"
"Depends on what it is."
She came back out with a small, bulging bottle. "I think it's brandy," she said. She looked at the label. "Made in Buckland, if you can believe it."
"Well," said Nogrod with a faint smile, "everything from that year was supposed to be good, wasn't it?"
Lalaith opened the bottle and handed it to him. He took a swig, all propriety discarded. He nodded and returned it. "You should have some," he said. "I don't envy you your task, though perhaps you won't mind it yourself."
Lalaith took a sip. "You know," she said, "you'll make this easier if you transform now. I'm not afraid to hurt you to make it happen."
Nogrod laughed. "Wouldn't I just overpower you?"
"You wouldn't be human, that's what. And that way we'd know that we'd be free."
"I'm not doing it. I can't."
"Aren't you now?" Lalaith put his eye out.
"What are you doing?" said Rikae.
"He isn't putting up a fight. He won't. He thinks he'll be able to strike at our conscience that way, by not fighting. But if he's hurt, he'll get angry, transform--we can fight him, and he'll already be weakened that way." She looked down at Nogrod, who was clutching at his eye. She put the other one out.
"Why isn't he fighting back yet?" said Rikae.
"I don't know. If you want, you can help--"
Rikae shook her head. "I'm having nothing to do with this. Call me when you're done, or if you're in danger."
"As you wish."
Rikae walked away, but she could still hear the cries of pain as Nogrod was brutally put to death. There was a moment of silence, then Lalaith's voice came quavering. "You can kill me now," she said.
Rikae came back. Nogrod's body lay on the floor. Nearby were his hands, feet, and head: cut off one by one. "What have you done?" she said.
Lalaith looked at her, blood all over her front. "What I had to," she said.
"So, he didn't transform after all."
"Maybe I was wrong."
"We should check the front door to make sure."
They did. It was still locked.
"So that means the last wolf..." said Rikae
"...is one of us."
Rikae reached down and picked up a knife.
Mnemosyne
07-28-2009, 11:06 AM
"Oh, right," said Lalaith with a grin. "That'd be me." Standing up and stretching, she felt her muscles expand and the fur sprout out of her flesh as she transformed into the last wolf.
Rikae backed away, clutching the knife in her hands. "Get away from me! I'm not afraid to kill you!"
"Yes you are," said Lalaith. "You were too afraid to vote and too afraid to make sure both of us would die at the same time according to your precious plan."
"You're supposed to die! That's the rules!"
"No, the rules are that when there are as many of you as there are of me, I win. The end."
"Her game, maybe. But we don't have to play by her rules. We could still try to get out of here!"
"Hmm, one human and a wolf versus this place. And you think we'll be able to get out even better than when I still had my brother and sister? Don't think we didn't try breaking free! Don't you see? There's no escape unless we play by her rules!" She took a swipe at Rikae. Rikae struck out with the knife and slashed at Lalaith's chest.
"Oh, fighting, are we?" said Lalaith. "Might as well make it a good show, I suppose! Now, shall we make this like Tol Sirion?" Suddenly their surroundings shifted and they were in an old dungeon.
"Yes," said Lalaith, "that's a little more like it. Although if we want to go for real historical accuracy, you shouldn't be armed..." Rikae's knife vanished.
"That--that's not fair!"
"I know; isn't it marvelous?"
Lalaith leaped upon Rikae and tore her heart out. As she bit into the succulent meat and felt the warm blood course down her throat, she could not help but let out a long, glorious laugh of victory.
Mnemosyne
07-28-2009, 12:04 PM
The Cottage of Lost Play rang with the sound of fell laughter. Had any been around to hear it, it would have chilled the bone, the curious blend of man and beast that made up the Werewolf.
Rikae's body was mauled viciously, and there was blood all over the floor of the dungeons of Tol-in-Gaurhoth. Lalaith's fur was soaked in it from her rolling on the floor in glee.
At last the fit of laughter passed and she shrank, changing back into her natural form. She looked down at her skin, slick with blood, and then over at the body nearby.
"Oh, God," she said.
She staggered over to a nearby corner to vomit. Flesh--human flesh--came up, mixed in with the bile and blood. She was shaking, but whether from the shock, from rage, or from shame, she could not say.
A hand rested on her shoulder, delicate and red. "Drink?"
Lalaith spun around. Leaning against the dungeon wall with careless ease was someone similar to the lady in black, and yet different.
Her hair was loose, wild and matted with blood, and she still bore a few scratches on her face. She was dressed in a warrior's garb, and though her hands and forearms were still red it was not due to gloves. They seemed to have been permanently stained--but whether with blood or wine Lalaith could not say. But the light in her eyes was if anything keener and more unsettling.
"You!" said Lalaith! "We killed you; I saw--"
"Indeed you did. It was a pleasantly painful death, although I must say it was rather unoriginal. Your craft improved over time."
"Then how are you--"
"--still alive? As soon as I saw what you were going to do I fled my fána and watched from behind the scenes. Far better to watch you comport yourselves without your knowing my presence. Drink?" She snapped her fingers and a wineglass, filled with a dark red, appeared in Lalaith's hands.
"Absolutely not! After last time--"
"Oh, surely you won't reject one of my special brew? I assure you, Lalaith, I have no further games for you in mind. Your spirits simply seemed in need of lifting."
Reluctantly Lalaith took a sip. As she did new life coursed through her veins. She set the drink down. "Who are you?"
"Haven't you guessed?"
"You shouldn't be able to do this, so you must be one of the Powers, but if I've read of you I surely can't remember it."
The lady's eyes blazed in fire. "Precisely." A spear appeared in one of her hands. "Take your time if you must."
Slowly the light of comprehension dawned in Lalaith's eyes. "He dropped you, didn't he? Tolkien wrote about you, but decided he didn't need you, so he..." She thought a moment. "You're one of the M ones, a brother and a sister--"
"Meássë," the lady said. "Brought into existence by one of the greatest minds of the century and then left to rot because he decided he didn't need me. Should've made me a little nicer if he was going to do that."
"And the person who met us at first, that was Ælfwine?"
"And Gilfanon. And Trotter. There are a few others."
"And what of your brother?"
"Makar? He made this place. When we were dropped he took our house, and poured all the energy he could into making it what it is today. I maintain it, and use it to exact our revenge."
"But we haven't done anything wrong!"
"Of course you haven't. But you, the thinking, living, breathing fans, who were so touched by your Professor's work, are very dear to the one who did."
"Then just kill me already and finish what you've started."
Meássë laughed, a cold, bone-chilling laugh. "You think that's what this is about, even after all this time? I'm not interested in killing you. I'm interested in keeping you alive, weighted down with the guilt of those very deaths, going about the world on your wearying business knowing exactly what you've done. There's a certain beauty in a broken soul, wouldn't you agree? That's why the tale of Frodo touches us so."
"But it's not my fault! You made me do it!"
"Did I? I told you you'd have to kill or die, day and night, but did you ever stop to find out? No, you were too afraid. What if I were to tell you that you could have slept through each night with your strange condition, killed no one, and you all would have been released?"
"You're lying!"
"Am I? I'll never tell you. But late at night, in very early hours you'll stay awake, and wonder, and wonder, and wonder, and never learn. And years later you'll die, a broken old woman, and when you reach whatever place is prepared for you beyond the circles of the world you'll see him and tell him exactly what his creation did to you."
"You--" With a strangled cry Lalaith wrested the spear from Meássë's hand and thrust it at her heart. The spear curved from its path and snapped right back into its original position.
"I only allow myself to be killed when I'm in the mood for it, Lalaith. I'm not in the mood for it at the moment." She snapped her fingers and they were in the dining room from the first night. "I'd suggest a shower and a change of clothes before you leave. You look absolutely filthy at the moment." She paused. "In fact, so do I. And so with your pardon I must leave you. You'll find the carriage awaiting you here within the hour. And don't try to stay around or kill me or anyone again, because it won't work. Farewell." She turned and disappeared through a side door.
Lalaith did as she was told, though she never remembered much of it. When she was ready she found the front door, already healed of its scratches, sitting open into the sunlight of the real world. It almost burned her eyes.
* * *
"Well, that went well, didn't it?"
"I'll say--we got down to one!"
"And it was a wolf. They usually come out so much more scarred afterwards."
"Good. When's the next batch coming in?"
"Twenty-four hours, if we can get everything in order by then."
"I daresay I should."
"Excellent. Now, Trotter, this time you'll be getting Ms. Flieger, Mr. Shippey, and Mr. Rateliff..."
FIN
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