[Thinlómien]

Captain Nogrod had everybody's undivided attention when he told about the visions he had received in his sleep. ”Queen Nerwen – good, King Legate – no good,” he explained. ”Nogrod no good,” Legate grumbled, but no one quite believed his claims of innocence and insistences that Nogrod must be lying.

So, when the night drew closer, the guests were one-minded about who should go. Even Legate's wife, Queen Lhuna was happy to advocate the death of her husband. ”So what's the technical term for killing your own husband again? ” she asked in a sweet voice. ”Regicide,” said Nerwen. ”Disgusting,” said Legate.

”So, how shall we kill him?” asked Eönwë.
”I think we should go for the democratic model – everybody can take a dagger and stab the murderer,” said Rune.
”Let's just get it done,” sighed Sally.

Some of the guests drew daggers of their own, and a few went to the kitchen to find heavy kitchen knives.

Legate looked at the dozen people surrounding him, a small sea of short blades glimmering in the light of the setting sun. A small sea of pitifully short blades. He laughed. ”Am I to die like this?” He shook his head. ”Stabbed by twelve people, some of them wielding kitchen knives?” He laughed again. ”I always had my enemies, but I expected to die on the battlefield with a sword in my hand... how naive of me, I see that now.” With a smooth move, he drew a sword that had been cleverly hidden in his clothes. The blade was long, elegant and slightly curved... several people were gasping for air when they recognised it as one of the swords that had been left by the table with Lady Lómiel's body.

”You will not kill me like that!” Legate said. ”Truly, I am not any random petty king whom you can displace as you will, I am the greatest king and the most powerful warrior in all of the southern lands and I will have eternal glory! Is there anyone who dares to fight me in a duel? Or are you all cowards?”

There were angry murmurs, and before anyone else could react, Captain Nogrod stood up. He drew his cutlass and eyed King Legate viciously. ”Aye, I will fight you and kill you and cut that pitiful babbling about your own excellence!”

Reluctantly, others made way and the two paced around, swinging their blades and keeping close eye contact. Then Legate struck. The blow was easily parried by Nogrod. Then Nogrod struck and Legate parried. Striking, parrying, striking, parrying, nothing seemed to happen. Until Legate hit Nogrod's blade so hard that the pirate captain dropped it. With a malicious grin, the Haradian aimed a vicious blow at the direction of his unprotected enemy.

”Noooooooo!” cried the warlord Groin. ”Let me die instead!” And with a terrible speed, he dashed between the two fighters and Legate's blade hit him instead Nogrod, cutting deep into his stomach. Meanwhile, Nogrod used the distraction to his advance, picked his cutlass and attacked Legate again. Too late the rebelling king realised his sword was stuck on Groin and he had nothing to lift in between himself and Nogrod's cutlass. He fell with the strength of Nogrod's blow and lay on the floor, a pool of blood forming around him.

”There... will be... revenge,” he managed to say before drawing his last breath.

To their horror, the others saw his body vanish into thin air as if it had never been: only a pile of clothes remained. There was terrible cry piercing the air and a cold wind in the hall.

They had got rid of one enemy, but no one felt like cheering.

”I say we go to sleep,” Nerwen said after a while.
”Yeah, good idea,” Nienna agreed.
”What about poor Groin?” Brinniel asked.
”He seems pretty dead,” Lhuna said. ”Let's have the housekeeper take care of him and that... pile of rugs.”

~*~

Dead
Lommy (mod) - Lady Lómiel Starbrow, the hostess – killed on Night1
Isabellkya (ordo) - lynched on Day1
Kath (ordo) – killed on Night2
Eomer of the Rohirrim (ordo) - lynched on Day2
Kent2010 (ordo) - Black Númenórean scam artist - killed on Night3
Legate of Amon Lanc (ringwraith) - rebelling Haradian King - lynched on Day3
Groin Redbeard (ordo) - Variag Warlord of Khand - modfired on Day3

Alive
Nienna - pirate
Nogrod - Corsair Captain "The Cat O' Nine tails of Ethir Anduin"
Shastanis Althreduin - King of the Sea
wilwarin538 - sorceress
Nerwen - Queen of the Sea
Nilpaurion Felagund - fussy courtier
Rune Son of Bjarne - Tivo the Sorceror
Lhunardawen - rebelling Haradian Queen
satansaloser2005
Eönwë
Brinniel

It's Night4 now. Ringwraiths, you may plot. RW's and gifteds, you may send me your picks.