[Volo]

Those who woke on the second day of the untimate madness, were welcomed outside by falling snow. It fell through the great arches in the walls of the Golden Temple. The soft snow was forming a cresent on the ground. In the middle of the cresent, where Nogrod’s body had lain, a great stone stood. The side facing the snow cresent was rough, grey and rounded. The side facing away was more peculiar, it was perfectly smooth and coloured with all the colours of the rainbow. The colours were truly a part of the stone and not just reflections, although they did seem to shine, but the stone felt somehow different from a gem. Even stranger than that was that when one looked at the stone from the smooth side, one could see farther than the other end. Yes, one could also see where the stone ended with the grey side, but it was possible to see other things as well. The things one could see were just formations of the colour with no objective meaning, but if one not only stared into the stone, but also into one’s mind, he find reflections. What the warriors saw, they didn’t mention to others, especially because they thought that they were the only ones seeing things.

Thinlómien was one of those who didn’t ponder about what they saw. Instead she danced an Elvish bellydance and shouted nonsense. She was the Immortal of three dimencions. The Ancient Beast didn’t even look like the Orc-Elf anymore, though the change was small, it was noticeable. At places her skin broke and black gaps were revealed. She continued laughing in triumph and her voice was truly terrifying.

As the Whiteness entered the arena, Thinlómien became the only thing that the other warriors could see clearly because she seemed to have a black aura around her. Kath, to whom the snowfall brought hope, asked Thinlómien what her Immortality meant. Why was she here seeking eternal life, if she was already immortal?

”Immortal? I’m always immortal. I mean Immortality itself was named after me, so of course I can’t die”, Thinlómien said and sent a vicked smile at the Whiteness around her. ”You don’t scare me, Kath, I know what you are and I might even ask you the same question as you asked me. But, oh! You’ve found that your time does end?”

Menel took out his sword and said in a commanding voice. ”The Beast must be killed, now! The snow is a sign from the Moose Star. Don’t you see that the Star commands us to do it?” The Mooseslayer turned to Valier. ”And you aren't a Ranger! I know! A Ranger would never have, and hold, a sword like that. Neither was Legate a Ranger and I doubt you wouldn’t agree. How do I know? Because I am a Ranger, imbued with the power of the Valar. I got tired of being a Hunter many years ago and so I changed my profession. Good for me, haha”.

”You’re wrong. Come kill me and if you manage to do that I’ll die as a martyr. Your Star knows little to tell you such things”, answered Thinlómien in a surprisingly serious tone.

”Yeah, we can’t know if that Beast is what she says she is, so what about kicking Menel’s butt? Huh?” mumbled Brinn the Emo and struck a few ugly notes on her guitar.

”I agree. Though Menel is right, I cannot protect you at nights, he can’t either. Remember Legate’s dying words. Now those were the words of a true Ranger”, said Valier, ”I’m Innocent like the newfallen snow”.

”No way! Menel is a Protector. I’m a Jäger myself and I have heard a lot about the deeds of Menel. I even met him once before, he told me that he was getting bored of being a Hunter. Having that said, I think Valier is lying… However there is something odd in her, she doesn’t walk like a Wolf… I agree with Menel about killing Thinlómien, I know that he's a good tracker”, revealed Izz.

It took people time to recognize the man, who stood in the shadowy part of the arena, although a lot of talk had went on about him. McCaber said, ”Hmph… Menel is a liar, who doesn’t care about his life. Nobody in his right mind would reveal being the Protector as soon as Menel did”.

Menel’s tolerance ended. ”It’s time to get it over with”, he shouted and rushed at Valier. Before he was even half-way, Brinn, McCaber and Thinlómien were upon him and held him back.

”Watch it!” spat Brinn as the ex-Hunter tried to kick her off. ”There’s a chance you’re telling the truth and that is the only thing holding me back from killing you here and now. Though nah, truth be said, it’s because McCaber here looks even worse”. She let go of Menel and the other two followed.

At first McCaber defended himself. ”Me a minion of Evil? You can’t be serious! I have killed more of Morgoth’s followers than all of you have killed together, even if one also counts the countless innocents you slaughtered. In the name of Evil, no doubt! I killed every single of the Rhtch’haag, the abominable monsters the Sisterhood of the Pliers created. You need proof, ok, I’ve got it. Have you ever even heard of the Rhtch’haag? No? Hmph, I told you”. The fanatic assassin ran out of breath.

”He does look suspicious”, agreed Valier.

And he sure did, Taliesin, Aganzir, Azaelia and Thinlómien agreed with Brinn and slowly advanced at McCaber, who had already began a new story.

”-he got away, and still I seek the Vampire. Who will rid the land of such an evil if not me? Who? Who? Who was born under the Third Sigil of Fire? Not you, or-” Total silence fell when he suddenly stopped midsentence. He looked around himself and said, ”Ah, well. If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em”, in an odd voice, took a small purple vial from a hidden pocket and drank the stuff. With a smile he explained, ”Cyanide”.

”So, McCaber, are you a Wolf?” asked Aganzir.

”Nope”.

”So, McCaber, are you even the Councillor?” asked Thinlómien.

”Does it matter?”

”Ni”.

The assassin fell to the ground and began tossing around. In a few minutes he stopped moving and his shadow dissolved. A little book fell from his hand.

Taliesin stepped towards the body and lifted the book. It was a journal of some sort. The beginning was about whom McCaber had killed. Nearly all of his victims were servants of Morgoth. It was a long list. After one point there began to be more text, the thoughts of McCaber:

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McCaber’s friend back at home had recently died and he had become quite afraid of dying himself. He would not sleep and his pursuit to rid the world of Evil was slowed down. One day he stumbled upon a scholar, who had found a way to escape death. The scholar was quite old himself and didn’t dare try his plans in practise. McCaber, however, was eager and the scholar decided to tell him about his finds. The scholar told McCaber that Death could be brought into a living physical form through a complicated ritual. If one could destroy the Avatar of Death, there would probably be no death and so life would be eternal. McCaber thought that he had nothing to lose and agreed to try it out.

The physical form chosen for Death’s body was a little orphan girl who had been the scholars servant for some time. The scholar prepared everything for the experiment and McCaber tried it out. The first part worked out well, something filled the girl. She, or It, could float purposefully, but there was no sign of being able to communicate. McCaber steeled himself and decided not to waver. He killed the girl. Nothing happened.

McCaber and the scholar sat silent for the rest of the evening. McCaber would leave on the next morning. During the night he lay restless. What could have happened? Why did the girl begin to levitate and why was that all? He didn’t notice it at first but certain thoughts were trying to push themselves into his head. The thoughts grew stronger. They weren’t his own thoughts, he knew that because he couldn’t find any reason for them. Something continuously suggested that the scholar was a liar and should be punished. What McCaber noticed that the thoughts weren’t his own, he thought he could just block them and for a while he succeeded. Finally exhaustion took over and he fell asleep.

In the morning, when McCaber awoke, he saw that the scholar had prepared breakfast for him. McCaber ate peacefully and thanked the scholar, who was bringing McCaber some honey at the moment. The scholar looked quite nervous and when McCaber lifted the mug the expression of the scholar twitched a bit. McCaber’s assassin instinct said that something was wrong. He looked into the mug and saw traces of something in it. He knew what it was that instant, cyanide. McCaber slit open the scholar’s throat and ran away from the house.

---------~~

After that the journal continued with names of McCaber’s victims. The farther it went, the less his victims were of Morgoth, until there were only several names at all, those however were Morgoth’s minions. Only a few other real entries were found and all of them rotated around being unable to control himself and now not only fearing death but also life.

One entry was differed. It was quite recent. In it McCaber said that it was the first time he felt free for several months and that his Other Side was heading for the great competition on Númenor. The prize would be eternal life, but the Other Side had completely different motives. After that only one page wasn't blank. "Built from blind faith, passed down from self-induced fantasy, inflicting wounds with your cross-turned dagger" was written in blood.

Taliesin finished the story and looked around...

-----------~~

Around:
Brinniel
THE Ka
satansaloser2005
Aganzir
Thinlómien
Valier
Meneltarmacil
Kath
Naria
Azaelia of Willowbottom
Isabellkya

Gone:
Legate of Amon Lanc - lynched on Day0.1 - teleported away
Roa_Aoife - lynched on Day0.2 - joined the dance
Shastanis Althereduin - lynched on Day0.3 - reincarnated as the first Man
The Might - lynched on Day0.4 - escorted away and sailed away
Gil-Galad - lynched on Day0.5 - disappeared in a gate to a different world
Groin Redbeard - lynched on Day0.6 - returned to where he came from
A Little Green - lynched on Day0.7 - ended up on the moon
Ugh-Friedrich - wasn't allowed to enter the temple after stage1
Nogrod - lynched on Day1 - destroyed by his daughter
Rikae - hunted down by Nogrod on Day1 - carried away by the Great White Wolf
McCaber - lynched on Day2 - managed to escape

---------~~

The game ended.

Wolves win.
Counsillor wins.
Defenders lose.
Protectors lose.
Guardian loses.
Innocents lose.
Mod loses.