Werewolf Four and Thirty: Bloodbath in the Anduin Vale

[xyzzy]

Aagh, I get on to find that people are voting me for a random comment! Horrors.

Since I know myself to be innocent, my best chance is a gamble: I'm gonig to vote

++Menel

I'd like to point out that if you want to get anything useful out of Isabellkya, you're going to have to be very direct; her playing style is like mine, but 1000% more.

I'm mildly suspicious of the various folks who've made a big deal about - may I point it out - the SECOND post in the game. Obviously, I had nothing to go on; for the most part, it was an inside joke between me and Isabellkya. (The forum where we play at besides here has an ironic habit of voting for people entirely on the basis that they were the first to post.

And while I'd like to live, I want to point out that lynching someone based on what you see as a bad playing style is often a successful strategy; if you don't kill a wolf, it's because you killed a reckless/dangerous person. Of course, I don't fancy myself reckless or dangerous, but you might.

[The Sixth Wizard]

Updatede Votes:

Xyzzy5 (not 4)
Durelin3
Menel4
Kath1
Rikae1
tgwbs1
Shasta1

Xyzzy or Menel?

(EDIT)

Xyzzy...

[The Saucepan Man]

Day 1 is done. Voting over.

Result to follow shortly ...

[Nogrod]

Let's go.

++ Meneltarmacil

I will scorn myself if Xyzzy turns out a baddie in the end though...

[Nogrod]

Oh my! Isabellkya!

That's Xyzzy then... unless one more comes in...

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

*AHEM* points up (Isabell)

EDIT: x-d, sorry

[The Saucepan Man]

With a flash, a skeletal woman robed in black carrying a great scythe appeared and started gooning and grimacing fleshlessly into the middle distance.

“Welcome back to Werewolf Four and Thirty,” she said. “The votes have been counted and verified, and I can now reveal that the first person to be lynched in Woodgard is ….”

Caught up in the moment, the assembled delegates held their breath, even though they already knew the result.

“… xyzzy!”

Gasps, cheers, and not a few boos, rang out as xyzzy stepped forward.

“Xyzzy, you have one hour to say your goodbyes,” the Grim Daviner continued, “I’m coming to get you!”

“Er, I thought that these narratives were supposed to be all atmospheric and canonical,” Kath whispered to The Sixth Wizard.

“I think that idea went out of the window when the roles started being posted,” muttered Sixth in reply.

“But how are we to kill him?” asked Rune Son of Bjarne, as it occurred to him that the village had been so intent upon its moot all day that no method of administering capital punishment had yet been prepared.

“’E’s a witch! Burn him!” shouted Nogrod, predictably, in an unfeasibly high-pitched voice.

“Can’t we just … ahem …” spluttered Shastanis Althreduin, clearing his throat. “Sorry, I’m a bit horse.”

Gasps, cheers and boos turned to groans.

“Can’t we just chop his head off?” the centaur continued.

“You should be careful that you don’t get a frog in your throat,” observed the guy who be short. “They can be fatal in these kinds of situations.”

“I say that we needlessly build an incredibly complex catapult-device-thing,” suggested Volo hirsutely, “and - er - catapult him out of the village.”

“Ye olde catapulte,” said Meneltarmacil. “Thou knowest what. It just mayeth work.”

“No!” declared de Legate of Amon Lanc solemnly. “I decree that we administer a fatal dose of poison.”

“By what authority do you make such a decree?” demanded Mithalwen.

“I am De Legate!” he replied, mysteriously.

“Look, you can’t claim to wield supreme executionary power just ‘cause some grammatically inept mod made a narrative-based pun on your name,” she challenged.

“Madam,” interjected Boromir88, “Might I ask by what authority you claim to nit-pick the moderator’s grammar?”

“But what about xyzzy?” enquired Aganzir, polishing her axe impatiently.

“We should administer a spanking!” declared Rikae, naughtily. "Spankings all round!"

“Enough with the Pythonicity already!” cried Isabellkya.

“We could just let him go,” suggested Feanor of the Peredhil controversially.

“…” said mormegil.

“…” agreed Gil-Galad.

"Hooray for Follywood!" sang out Durelin, inexplicably.

“Honorable chair, fellow delegates,” stated Thinlómien, rising from her chair. “Acknowledging the many points made by the assembled delegates in the foregoing moot and noting that voting closed over an hour ago, INSTRAW would like to propose a motion requiring that strenuous efforts be made to draw up a framework within which the conditions might be agreed for bringing about the ultimate death of the condemned delegate, xyzzy. Thank you.”

Xyzzy, in the meantime, had quietly, uneventfully and inobtrusively hung himself in a corner.

********************************

“Cheeky blighters!,” muttered Radagast some miles away in Rhosgobel, as he pruned his tomato plants. “Questioning my grammar! The very impudence of it. And now they has gone and killed an innocent.”

“Indeed they has,” observed the lark perched on his shoulder. “But look on the bright side. At least the moderator has used up all his role-based quips all at once.”

********************************

The dead:

The Saucepan Man - Slaughtered and boiled up in a spicy ghoulash on Night zero.
xyzzy - Got bored of the role-based banter and hung himself quietly, uneventfully and inobtrusively on Day 1 (Ordinary Innocent)

The living:

Mormegil
Rikae
Durelin
Aganzir
Gil-Galad
Shastanis Althreduin
Volo
Nogrod
Boromir88
Meneltarmacil
The Sixth Wizard
Thinlómien
Legate of Amon Lanc
Kath
Isabellkya
the guy who be short
Mithalwen
Feanor of the Peredhil
Rune Son of Bjarne

Those with Nightly activities, do your stuff. And don't forget to send me your choices no later than one hour before the deadline.

[The Saucepan Man]

Morning arrived, grey and bleak. The frivolity of the previous Day was no more, for the Night had witnessed grim and dark deeds.

The first sight that greeted the delegates was a trail of blood leading from Meneltarmacil’s hut. Following it into a nearby copse, they came upon a curious sight. A great Wolf lay in a pool of blood, panting and whimpering through his black fangs. The villagers hands went immediately to their weapons, but they were not needed. The beast soon died from his grievous wounds and, as he died, he transformed back into his human form. Meneltarmacil, ye Olde Knighte, had been a fearsome Beaste of the Nighte, but he was no more.

Their spirits lifted, the delegates returned to the village in happy mood. But it was not long before they discovered that two of their number were missing. In dread, they searched the absent delegates’ huts. The sights that greeted them there dashed their spirits once more.

In the first, they found a headless corpse, half-eaten. As they gaped in despair at the macabre remains, a cry of horror rang out and one of the delegates pointed to the wall. All eyes followed the outstretched finger, only to see the head of the missing delegate mounted there, leering lifelessly down at them. In his village, this delegate had been a hunter of renown. But last Night he had become the hunted and now a final scalp had been added to his trophy collection - his own. For all his hunting skills, though, Rune Son of Bjarne had merely been an ordinary innocemt villager.

No sign of the second hut’s inhabitant could at first be found. Searching, however, the delegates found sacks full of items that they recognised. Valuable items which had seemingly gone missing from their home villages. It was a veritable treasure trove. But where was the villain? It was not long before they found the answer. Durelin’s dead corpse hung from the rafters on the second floor. The delegate from Follywood had been a notorious Thief. Her folly, however, had been to pry into Nightly activities which she should not have seen. And those that she had spied on had summarily executed her for it.

The dead

The Saucepan Man - Slaughtered and boiled up in a spicy ghoulash on Night zero.
xyzzy - Got bored of the role-based banter and hung himself quietly on Day 1 (Ordinary Innocent)
Meneltarmacil - Fatally wounded in sooth he was and crawled awaye to find ye deathe in ye woodes on Nighte 1 (Werewolfe)
Rune Son of Bjarne - Hunted and added to his own trophy collection on Night 1 (Ordinary Innocent)
Durelin - Spied on things which she should not have seen and got hung for it on Night 1 (Thief)

The living:

Mormegil
Rikae - the naughty delegate from the village with the unlikely name of Castle Anthrax
Aganzir - the Dwarf delegate of a Woodsmen village
Gil-Galad
Shastanis Althreduin - the extremely detail-oriented centaur delegate from the Plains
Volo - the very hairy delegate from as far as it gets
Nogrod - the moody delegate from the Witch-burners' village who is ready and willing to form a theory to suit his feelings whatever the facts ...
Boromir88 - the filibuster delegate from Laketown, whose geography is not that good
The Sixth Wizard
Thinlómien - the Delegate of INSTRAW
Legate of Amon Lanc - the De-Legate of Amon Lanc
Kath
Isabellkya - the delegate from the village Kyaq
the guy who be short - the delegate from nearby Necropolis
Mithalwen - the delegate of an anarco-sydicalist commune, taking her turn as a sort of executive officer for the week
Feanor of the Peredhil - the slightly offbeat delegate who offers controversial suggestions to the moot regardless of lycanthropic tendencies

Day 2 has begun. Those who can PM at Night must stop. The moot is once more in session.

[Boromir88]

Well, what an eventful night, tis a bloodbath indeed! Bless the person who slew the wicked Menel at night. He should have been the one lynched yesterday, then xyzzy could have been spared.

Simply basing this off votes yesterday, but I feel pretty good about Legate and Mith who consistantly were suspicious of Menel all day and both raised good points that led to him getting under suspicion and indirectly leading to his death.

In fact all Menel voters I feel pretty good about...the only one that I have a little worries about is Nogrod. Whom supported and advocated Menel's plans yesterday, but then later on in the day switched and voted for him. If it wasn't for Isabell, Nogrod's vote would have gotten Menel lynched, but I wouldn't put it past Menel to lynch a companion to make himself look innocent.

With that being said I am immediately suspicious of Isabell who made a crucial vote sealing xyzzy's death and saving Menel from the noose, but not from a mysterious huntsmen at night. I think it's highly possible that Isabell was not planning on having Menel turn up dead in the morning, therefor she was in cohoots with him!

[Kath]

So ... how exactly did Menel die? I thought at first that it was down to Rune 'cause I skim-read and saw the word hunter but he was just an ordo. Is it possible we have some kind of 'Golden Dagger' role again?

Anyway, I missed most of yesterDay so I shall now go back over it and find out what actually happened!

[Nogrod]

Oh my... this game looks like it's name was not randomly chosen.

So three different sides who have a licence to kill running amok in the Night.

Of the killer(s) of Menel it's not in any way revealed whether it was one or more who did it. The same goes with the killer(s) of Rune. It looks to me quite deliberate choice on part of out moderator not to reveal the numbers. Of the killers of Durelin we know they're more than one as there is the:

Originally Posted by Spm

And those that she had spied on had summarily executed her for it.

It might be safe to assume at least to begin with that the one (or more) who killed Menel were goodies. So we could have goodies that can kill. But the two others then? The easy answer is that we have wolves and the werebear. The bear killed Rune and the wolves took the life of Durelin.

Durelin was a thief who had been spying on the wolves then? What does it mean or is it important anyway? This kind of bothers me. Was it just a remarkable coincidence that the wolves chose Dury while Dury chose a wolf to "thief" (whatever it is that stoling might mean) or is there something like a more meaningful relation? I mean if Dury died because of:

Her folly, however, had been to pry into Nightly activities which she should not have seen.

Then it could be interpreted in a way that those she spied were not able to kill but if spied on - kind of hunter-like baddies... or goodies? So it was not the wolves who killed her then? But who? Is this the reason why the narration is deliberately vague on the number of those who killed Rune? So the wolves killed Rune and these others who can't kill but by retaliation to any action (killing, hunting, spying, dreaming... who knows?) taken towards them killed Dury? That would a weird bunch of persons. Well Radagast said he was not seeing clearly...

Not to talk of us...

So easy explanation and a wonderful coincidence or the "thief"-thing in the narration meaning something and thence a throng of insecurities?

My brain hurts and it's late. I go and have a cigarette and sit back for a short moment to see if I have anything constructive to say before I go to sleep.

[Kath]

Day 1:

xyzzy - turns up and in typical Day 1 style throws suspicion toward the only person who has so far commented, me. This sparked quite a bit of debate but I don't really see anything wolvish in it.

Shasta - in character banter.

Menel - began the loud/quiet wolf debate. While it's great for us in terms of numbers it's almost a shame that he died so quickly, as we don't really know which side of the coin he was on.

Rune - questions Menel.

EDIT: Gah, sorry about that. Hit enter instead of tab. The rest of this post will follow in a bit.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I wrote all of this yesterday before I realized I was out of time to post. I'll post more after I catch up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boromir88
You get in their heads and get them doubting, aye, make them as lost to knowing our thoughts as we are to knowing who they are.

Bienvenido a mi vida. Work together? Quote:
Originally Posted by Mith
Fea's game had a lot of players but only two - and no gifted. Unless my memory plays tricks...

It doesn't. I chose one wolf and a friend of mine chose the other one. Eomer and Mormegil. Eomer killed Morm the first night, the village killed Eomer shortly thereafter, and I continued to choose kills via coin flip up until there was only one person left (Saucie), and declared that person the winner. In the final dramatic death scene, the phantom died (with a kiss), Mithalwen died (from a sword?), and the Dark Lady (yours truly) killed herself, leaving a very confused sole survivor.

One should never assume that the mod is a nice person.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Izzy
I can guess at what roles do from skimming other games here. But cobbler? Ranger?

I was in the first ever game here and numerous that came after. I'm still lost on half the roles. I recently made B88 explain the role of cobbler to me. I'm still only partially sure of what it is. The Ranger picks one person per NIGHT to protect. If the wolf chooses the person the Ranger picked, the person lives. The Ranger is a wonderful role, really. Quote:
Originally Posted by Legate
Anyway, I think Mith is making too much out of nothing.

I've come to hold the belief that Mith never makes too much out of nothing. I agree with her about eying Saucie's word use, given my knowledge of him. He's a fantastic writer as well as being a loyer and a generally wiley fella. Since he outright told us he'd be adding things to the narrative, it makes absolute and unarguable sense to eye every word he says with critical attention. Quote:
Originally Posted by Shasta
I'm not sure I understand your point, Nogrod. Logic is logic, isn't it?

Have you ever compared my logic to that of anybody else? Logic is never just logic. Two people can take the same exact topic and, following perfect logic, argue two perfectly opposing points, both being right. Logic is based on a set of assumptions that may not be shared by the rest of the group. My logic is not yours, Noggie's is not mine. Quote:
Originally Posted by TGWBS
Why discuss potential roles (bears etc.) when we'll find out tonight? Why discuss the intro? - I doubt it will provide anything useful. All this is a distraction from wolf-hunting.

I rather expect the intro will only prove helpful after we've learned more, if then. Like reading any other story and going back to realize that the signs were there all along. It doesn't come together until you hit a climactic moment, usually.

Though I do recommend discussing potential roles. For one thing, it clarifies some of the more obscure roles for people who have never gamed with them. For another, the roles people suggest might tell us things.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

One should never assume that the mod is a nice person.

The set-up

20+ Players:

Villagers
10+ Ordinary
1 Druid of Radagast
1 Shapeshifter (Beorning)

Forces of Evil
3 Red Claw Werewolves
3 Black Fang Werewolves
1 Priestess of Sauron

Neutral
1 Thief

Bascially, there were five teams - the Villagers, the two Wolf packs, the Priestess of Sauron and the Thief. The latter two could win with the Wolves and Villagers respectively, although only if they survived to the end, but could also win on their own.

The roles

Note - these are my own notes. Those with the roles were not aware of all aspects of them.

Druid
Dreams - the usual. Will not spot the Thief or the Priest of Sauron. Will spot the Wolves (but not their pack) and the Shapeshifter.

Wins with the village, whether he survives or not.

Shapeshifter
Has three powers, and may use any one during a Night phase:

1. Protect Self: If attacked by the Wolves or the Thief, will not die and will kill the attacker, or one of them - if more than one Wolf remains in an attacking pack, or if he is attacked from more than one source, the one who dies is chosen randomly (ie, he may not kill more than one player in any one Night when protecting himself). He may not protect himself two Nights in a row.

2. Guard: If chosen player is attacked by Wolves or the Thief, that player will not die. Attackers escape. If killed while Guarding, protected player may be killed by other attacker(s). He may not guard the same villager two Nights in a row.

3. Hunt: May attempt to kill one player. If hunts someone who is attacking him - both will die.

Wins with the village, whether he survives or not.

Wolves
Kill at Night - the usual.

Pack wins if all Wolves in the other pack are killed and number of surviving Wolves in pack is equal to or more than the number of any surviving villagers.

Priestess of Sauron
Is the only player to know at the start that there are two Wolf packs, but does not know the identity of the Wolves.

May dream each Night - will spot Wolves (and their pack name), Druid, Shapeshifter and Thief. Will be told what powers any Gifted has (eg, may Protect Self, Guard or Hunt) but not the details.

May ward off attacks by Wolves at Night.

Will be told the pack name of any Wolves that die (through clues in the narrative).

Counts as a villager for the purposes of determining game victory.

Wins with the Wolves, provided that she survives at the end. Wins alone if she survives with an equal number of Wolves from both packs and either no villagers remain or the number of remaining villagers is equal to or less than the number of Wolves remaining in each pack.

Thief
Has three powers, and may use any one during a Night phase:

1. Sneak: May spy on one selected player during the Night - will find out what that player does (whether dreams, hunts, guards etc - will also spot who is hunted or protected and, in the former case, whether they are protected).

2. Hide: If attacked by the Wolves or the Shapeshifter, will not die. Attackers escape. She may not Hide for two Nights in a row.

3. Assassinate: May attempt to kill one player.

Wins with the Village, provided that she survives. Wins alone if only she and one other villager survive when the last Wolf has been killed.

Other rules

It occurred to me shortly before the game that the situation could arise, due to Nightly attacks, whereby no one survived on the final Day. I determined that this would result in a Villager victory, since their villages would be saved.

It later occured to me, during the game (after Kath had been lynched) that a Day which began with two equal teams of Wolves might involve inequality, since the lynch would be determined by whoever was able to post first. With two or more Wolves in each team, I decided that it was up to them to deal with this. But I did decide that, if there was ever one Wolf from each team, and no one else, left, the two Wolf teams would draw.

Clues
Those who conduct Night-time activities will be told of anything that happens which they would reasonably learn. So, for example, if the Red Claw Wolves attack a villager and that villager is Guarded by the Shapeshifter, then they will be told that they were driven off by a Great Bear. The Shapeshifter will be told that he drove off a pack of [three] Werewolves.

The narratives opening each Day will also contain clues, based upon what might reasonably be discovered from the Night-time activites. For example, if the Wolf packs each attack members of the opposing pack, the villagers will discover the bodies of the two dead villagers, clawed and bloody, entwined in a deadly embrace.

Conflicts
If any conflicts arise as a result of Night time activities, they will, subject to the rules stated under each role, be resolved in a manner which allows all of the activities which may reasonably take place to take place. So, if the Shapeshifter hunts an innocent and the Black Fang Wolves hunt the Shapeshifter, both the innocent and the Shapeshifter will be found dead in the morning.

What they were told

To Legate of Amon Lanc
You are a Druid, a follower of Radagast.

Two nights ago, Radagast, fearing that the agents of evil were afoot, sent to you a white dove, who bade you come to Woodgard to assist the Woodsmen in their plight.

As a Druid, you have the Power of Seeing. Each Night, you may commune with the forces of nature to ascertain the hidden role of a fellow villager. You must send to me (by PM) the name of the villager that you have chosen to scry and you will be told whether they are a Wolf, whether they are a fellow agent of Radagast or whether they are neither.

You will win with the village, whether you survive the bloodbath or not.

To Boromir88
You are a Shapeshifter, a descendant of Beorn. Two nights ago, Radagast, fearing that the agents of evil were afoot, sent to you a white deer, who bade you come to Woodgard to assist the Woodsmen in their plight.

As a Shapeshifter, you may assume the form of a Great Bear at Night and, when in this form, you may use one of three Powers:

1. Protect Self: If attacked in the Night, you will not die but will instead kill one of your attackers. Your honour forbids you from protecting yourself for two Nights in a row.

2. Guard: You may select another villager to guard. If that villager is attacked in the Night, he or she will not die (although the attackers will escape). You may not guard the same villager for two Nights in a row.

3. Hunt: You may select another villager to kill. That villager will die before the sun rises, whether guilty or innocent.

Each Night phase, you should notify me (by PM) which Power you intend to use and, if you intend to Guard or Hunt, identify the villager you have selected.

You will win with the village, whether you survive the bloodbath or not.

To Durelin
You are a Thief who thinks nothing of others, but only of your own gain. Hearing that Woodgard was deserted, you came in search of loot, but are now trapped here.

Your foremost consideration is your own survival. Your second consideration is the possibility that the situation may be turned to your advantage. To assist you in achieving these objectives, you have three Powers and may select one to use during a Night phase:

1. Sneak: You may spy on one villager during the Night and will learn of any events involving that villager that occur during that Night.

2. Hide: If attacked in the Night, you will not die. Your curiosity and greed prevents you from hiding for two Nights in a row.

3. Assassinate: You may select another villager to assassinate. That villager will be killed, unless protected.

However, be warned. Once a Thief, always a Thief. Should you choose to Assassinate, you will not be able to resist pinching a valuable item from your chosen victim.

Each Night phase, you should notify me (by PM) which power you intend to use and, if you intend to Sneak or Assassinate, identify the villager you have selected.

If you survive to the end, you will win with the village. If, however, only you and one other villager survive when the last Wolf is killed, you may slit that villager’s throat and claim victory (and the booty) for yourself.

To Kath
You are a Priestess of Sauron. Your Lord appeared to you in a dream and bade you ride out from Dol Guldur to assist the Werewolves against the Woodsmen. He told you that the delegates would be lured to Woodgard, and that the Werewolves would be directed there also.

The previous Night, your Lord revealed to you in a further dream that two packs of Werewolves are operating in this area: the Black Fang Gang and the the Red Claw Mob. You and only you are aware of this (the Wolves themselves are not), although you have no idea who the Werewolves are. Sauron ordered you to assist both packs in whatever way you can, but also warned you that the two packs are fierce rivals and that each will as readily attack the other as they will the innocent Woodsmen. He also told you, however, that the packs may be united if they openly match each other in strength and that you will earn great reward from him if you can bring this about.

To assist you in your endeavours, you may invoke your Lord’s power each Night to learn the identity of a fellow villager of your choosing. You must send to me (by PM) the name of the villager that you have selected. If you choose a Werewolf, you will be informed of this and also which pack the Werewolf belongs to. If you choose another villager with a hidden role, you will be told of that hidden role.

You have one additional power. If the Werewolves choose you to Hunt at Night, you may ward them off and you will not be killed, although the Werewolves will not be able to select another target that Night. You may, of course, be lynched in the normal way.

Should either pack of Werewolves be victorious (which requires them to eliminate the other pack as well as the villagers), you will win with them, provided that you survive at the end (although you count as a villager for the purposes of determining victory). If, however, the game ends with an equal number of Wolves in each pack and the number of remaining villagers (including you) is equal to or less than the number of Wolves remaining in each pack, you may claim victory (and Sauron’s reward) for yourself. If all the Werewolves are killed, you will be consumed by the wrath of your Lord.

To Each Wolf Pack
You are all Werewolves together.

You may select a villager to Hunt each Night by one of your number sending to me (by PM) your chosen target. That villager will be killed, unless protected.

You may PM each other at Night, but not during the Day.

Your mission is to eliminate the villagers and you will win when the number of villagers remaining is equal to or less than the number of you that remain.

More to come ...