OK, I have decided to continue playing, primarily for three reasons.
First, the basis upon which votes are to be counted and discounted is now abundantly clear.
Secondly, I cannot resist a bit of flattery.
And thirdly, while I still have misgivings over the events leading to the evictions of Khamul and Oropher,
Formendacil has put a lot of work into this game and has, on the whole, been doing an excellent job.
I would add that I do not necessarily oppose the Mod being partial. As you say,
Anguirel was incredibly biased in his game, but he was so obvious and elegant in his partiality that it was rather charming. My main gripe was that we knew not where we stood, since the basis upon which votes were to be counted or discounted was entirely unclear and it seemed wrong to me to take advantage of that to promote a previously undisclosed partiality. However, that has now been rectified as we now know where we stand, and I thank you for that,
Formendacil. I actually think that you should, going forward, discount reasoning that relies (without more) entirely on the reasoning of others, as it makes it too easy to put in a vote in support of someone. But you should, of course, give notice if you intend to follow that course.
I should perhaps make it clear that, my return notwithstanding, the Alliance of Ultra-DOOM as an entity is no longer participating in this game. It may return one day. But, for now, my participation in this game is as an independent. I am willing to cut deals with other players, but will remain, in general, unaffiliated.
And I make no bones about the fact that I dedicate myself, in the first instance, to the eviction of Elrond. I may vote elsewhere if I can see any benefit in doing so but, for the most part, my vote is likely to be for Elrond each Day until (hopefully) he is evicted.
And so, without further ado:
+ + ELROND
My reasoning.
First, he should, by rights, already have gone.
Secondly, he has already had a number of tries at winning a Survivor contest and failed on each occasion. His desperation to win is rather unappealing and faintly sad in one who should be dignified.
Thirdly, he is a cissy.
Of course, none of those reasons will count.
And so, fourthly:
It seems entirely inappropriate to me, in the midst of the turmoil of the Second Age, for one who should have been contributing so much more to the struggle to absent himself from it for large periods in order to establish what was, effectively, a Middle-earth hippy commune. All that telling tales round the fireplace, singing “Tra-la-la-lally, down here in the valley” and communing with nature is all very well, and charming in its place, but not when the forces of Sauron are encamped on one’s doorstep.
It might be said that establishing a stronghold and defending it with great power provided a valuable refuge for Elves in such a time of trouble. But that, surely, is not the true Noldorin way. Any Noldor worth his salt should be looking for any opportunity to engage the enemy and be willing to nobly sacrifice himself and his people in a vain but glorious effort to make his mark. Did Elrond not learn from the First Age that hiding away in a secret refuge very rarely comes to any good and, at the very least, does irreparable harm to one’s reputation? Just ask yourself. Which First Age Noldorian gained the greatest notoriety. Feanor or Turgon? Elrond was the Turgon of his Age.
To his credit, Elrond did march with Gil-Galad in the War of the Last Alliance, but Gil-Galad was clearly so unimpressed with his battle skills, after all that arty, tree-hugging Imladris stuff, that he relegated him to the role of a mere standard bearer. “You just carry that pretty little flag, Elrond, and keep yourself out of any trouble,” he no doubt said.
And Elrond even bungled the one serious job which fell to him in the entire endeavour, that of persuading Isildur to destroy the Ring. Had he been able to accomplish just that one, simple task, a lot of fuss and bother would have been avoided.
I implore you, my fellow players, free this game from the stranglehold of
the phantom’s machinations and let justice be done. Evict Elrond today.
Oh, and if you do decide to vote for him, don't forget to give sound Tolkien-based reasons.