WWXXXV: Werewolves among the Wolf-men

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

After the echo of the outlaw's last words faded, Shasta raised his head.
"What do you say?" he spoke. "You are going to kill me, innocent, instead of getting rid of the beasts among you?"
"First things first," said Rikae. "I think we decided to make our sleep safer!"
"You- you cannot!" shouted Shasta, standing up and drawing a sword. "You will dare! No dirt-covered outlaw shall judge me!"
"I knew he will make trouble," said Gil-Galad. "But see? He is not one of us! Let's flank him!"
"Do not move," Macalaure spoke to Shasta. "Everyone, surround him! He shall not escape!"
The outlaws reached all for some weapons, but Shasta did not wait. With sword drawn, he gave out a war cry and sprinted forward. Some of the outlaws leapt aside to avoid him, but some turned on him to strike. Right in front of the door, Rikae's staff knocked Shasta to his head and then Gil-Galad and Macalaure fell on him with blades drawn. Shasta's sapphire cloak turned to red. "I curse you, Túrin!" was the last sound that came through his lips, though it was not clear to whom this cry was meant to go.

"Is he dead?" asked Nogrod.
"It seems so," said Brinn, coming closer to the body. "Was he a Werewolf?"

He reached down, and took the hood off Shasta's face. There were several screams among the observers. Shasta's features were not as human as it seemed on first sight. His fair face was the one of Elf-kind.
"An Elf!" cried Lhuna. "Is that not Beleg, one of the Two Captains?"
The crowd came forth to examine the body closer. Mithalwen pointed at a scar at the dead's right cheek. "What is this?" she said. "He has similar on the neck. Look!" Carefully, she took off the dead's cloak. Shasta's body was covered with old scars and wounds.
"What is this?" gasped Gil-Galad.
"He was not a werewolf," said Nogrod. "And that is what should concern us. Those of us who have not slept all the day - " he glanced at xyzzy and Isabellkya - "are surely in need of a rest. Let's leave all questions till tomorrow."

The outlaws slowly walked to their sleeping corners, silent. Túrin, quietly, moved near Beleg. "It was Saeros!" he whispered. "I do not understand it, but it was him!"
"But you killed him?" said Beleg.
"I saw him falling to the chasm," Túrin replied, looking around. "But it was him, I swear. What was he doing here?"
"We may never learn," whispered Beleg. "But sh! No one should notice us."

Another night fell on Amon Rûdh. There was one less of them – but two of Morgoth's servants were still lurking in the halls.

The inhabitants of Amon Rûdh – dead:

Ibun son of Mîm, killed by a Werewolf on Night 1
Shasta alias Saeros, outnumbered and stabbed on Day 1

The inhabitants of Amon Rûdh – living:
Mîm the Petty Dwarf
Rikae
Nogrod
Macalaure
Isabellkya
Brinniel
Lhunardawen
xyzzy
Gil-Galad
the guy who be short
Mithalwen

Night 2 has begun. Outlaws are asleep. Wolves may talk. Túrin and Beleg may talk. Everyone who has something to send to me, please do so.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

It was deep night. Outside Amon Rûdh, above its crowned top, cold moon was shining in the clear sky. But inside the hill, in the vast labyrinth of caves, darkness laid heavily.
Two dark shadows were slowly passing through empty corridors. Two dark shadows in the darkest darkness of Amon Rûdh's deep halls. Their senses found the best way to their target tonight. Their senses lead them towards their prey the best and safest way.
Here it was. They entered the small room, on its further end they sensed the heat of their victim. Unbeknownst to anyone, they neared their prey.

Unbeknownst to anyone?

Suddenly, a bow sang and an arrow pierced the air. The first monster stopped in fear. Twice! That was for the second time in two nights! There was no time to think. Before another projectile could hit them, the two shadows turned and quickly disappeared in the maze of corridors.

Beleg stood silently in the dark for a minute, but then he put his arrow back in the quiver. Good work, he thought to himself. The beasts will surely not return this night. Shame he could not hit one of them. But their evil deed was foiled. "Valar grant me blessings," he muttered to himself. Slowly, he walked out of the room to hide his bow for the Day in a safe place.

Unbeknownst to him, a dark hooded figure with covered lantern in its hands joined him in the corridors. He was being followed.

Túrin woke up. It must have been still night out there, though in the darkness of the tunnels inside Amon Rûdh day or night were not any different. At the moment he awoke, he more felt than saw someone standing above him. He reached for the blade.
"It's me, Beleg," whispered the person.
Túrin put down the sword and sat up. "Something happened?"
"Yes," said Beleg. "I stopped them."
"Good!" said Túrin. "That was a favor, at last. How much time remains till dawn?" he asked.
"Not much," said Beleg. "Have you slept enough?"
"I will take a nap during the day," said Túrin. "In this company, I think nobody notices."
"Sleep for now," said Beleg. "I will as well. We have nothing more to fear this night."

Somewhere in the darkness of far corridors, the dark shadow took Beleg's bow, and disappeared.

The inhabitants of Amon Rûdh – dead:

Ibun son of Mîm, killed by a Werewolf on Night 1
Shasta alias Saeros, outnumbered and stabbed on Day 1

The inhabitants of Amon Rûdh – living:
Mîm the Petty Dwarf
Rikae
Shastanis Althreduin
Nogrod
Macalaure
Isabellkya
Brinniel
Lhunardawen
xyzzy
Gil-Galad
the guy who be short
Mithalwen

Day 2 has begun. Heroes and villains, stop your talking. Outlaws, awake.

[Mithalwen]

Mithalwen awoke to find they were all safe and in the thall of death's counterfeit, Sleep not Death itself.

"It is well" she said to herself, "some benevolent power has protected us this past night it seems - but perchance may not be able to do so tonight. Let our decisions be wise and we may survive". More I will say later but now I will sleep again."

[Nogrod]

Nogrod woke up with the earliest birds who started singing. In haste he counted all the people around him... Thank the Earth, everyone is safe!

He took what was left of his bread and chewed the piece carefully. Now it must have been Turín or this Beleg-elf... But what has happened? My dreams... what on earth do they mean? It was Beleg who stopped the wolves at Night but there was a hooded someone following him as well? And Turín was asleep when Beleg had done his part? So Turín is a sleeper then? And who is this trailer and is s/he the one who took Beleg's bow? And what does that mean? Have we lost our protector while Turín is a sleeper? Cold chills went all the way in his spine as he took a long draught of wine from his skin.

First Nogrod had thought that these were good news but now he was not so certain any more. There was something wicked in all this...

"Wake up my friends! We need to talk now! We have a reason for joy and a gratitude to pay this elven master but we also need to fear a few things..."

edit: X'd with Mith

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

As the first of the Outlaws awoke, Mîm entered the room. "I heard the Men talk," he said. "It is good to hear no one was harmed tonight, yes, Mîm's old eyes are glad to see everyone here," the Dwarf's eyes turned for a short moment to Nogrod as he spoke. "But yesterday was not much lucky, Mîm and lady Mithalwen brought some meat," he held up a dead pheasant, "but that is not enough, not for the big Men."
"Wait! Do you say we should let you leave the mountain once more?" said Gil-Galad, who just came out of one of the corridors. "No way!"
Mîm blinked. "But he kept his word until now," said Mithalwen, turning to the newcomer. "He did not act any suspicious yesterday."
"Maybe he wanted to confuse us," said Gil-Galad, still glaring suspiciously at Mîm. "To let him go out without any guard today, so he can escape."
"But we have to eat something," said Nogrod. "And it is a fact that whether he lies or not, our supplies are quite small."
"Then I shall go with him," said Gil-Galad.
Mithalwen and Nogrod looked at each other. "Well, go then," they said.
Gil-Galad glared at them, looking upset. "All right!" he said. "Damn it! I hoped to sit - or sleep!"
With these words, he turned and followed the smiling Dwarf out of the cavern.

[Nogrod]

As Mith fell back to sleep Nogrod was left alone with the pheasant on the floor where Mîm left it. Nogrod took the pheasant and started plucking it. What else can I do now?... It's not much of a dinner to ten but making a hearty soup or stew might make it suffice... just some taters or whatever and it would be perfect...

He talked aloud his thoughts while preparing the pheasant...

"Like yesterDay I would say that Rikae and Lhuna are innocents and we should pay heed to what they say as they send a preliminary aura of innocence with them. I may change my view on them as the Day goes by but at least for now I'm withholding any judgement on them...

Macalaure and the short-guy I feel a bit unnerved about. Mac's defensiveness & "outsiderness" and tgwbs's over-friendliness both raise alarms with me. I'm wary about them but not exactly keen on lynching them anyway. ..

And if you ask me about my vote-change at the last minute... well I was trying to keep myself alive as tgwbs was my top suspect of those who had spoken and I tried to grant myself yet another Day alive by openly going against him with my vote.

But now I think there is a high possibility that I was the one the wolves were after last Night - or then it was Rikae or Lhuna - other suggestions I just hold too far-fetched if you look at the general way people were suspected on Day1.

The fact that the wolves tried the same person as Beleg was defending mean that we have no sporty wolves here but bloodthirsty wanna-be winners of the game. That kind of loosens my suspicion on Macalaure and tgwbs.

I mean the wolves tried to kill someone who was generally thought innocent and Beleg did make the same deduction! That means our wolves are more likely to be in panic than in control of the things.

So who does this leave us then?"

Nogrod had finished plucking the pheasant and took his knife.

"I'll tell you what I think before I need to make a nap again... darn cave and the curse it has upon us!"

[Nogrod]

Nogrod lit a fire and brought a pot over it. After he had fried the pieces of the pheasant he added some water and herbs to it and then retreated from the fire.

He took Rikae's staff and punched all in turn leniently.

"Someone should take care of the stew as I need some sleep right now... But before I go to sleep I will wish to voice the following thoughts.

On the basis of what you people said yesterDay I would grant both Rikae and Lhuna a benefit of doubt. Because of the last Night's actions I would be willing to grant the same thing to Mac and tgwbs as well. This is subject to change with further voicing out of ideas but at this moment it is what I think.

So what does this leave me with? Brinn I find hard to catch but as his guts turned him to the same conclusion as I did, I'm ready to not suspect him too much. His vote could be seen as a safe one as he made it after a case had been made on tgwbs but anyhow I'm somewhat ready to release him for the time being.

Mith I'm ready to grant a benefit of doubt as well but am more than eager to hear what she has to say about the things so far as she has only being dropping in this far.

This leaves me with Xyzzy, Gil and Isabell. But as it is Day2 already, I'm not at all so keen to lynch the quiet ones - even if I wish to do it in principle... and if Turín is a sleeper...

I know one of the people I have claimed to get my "benefit of doubt" might be a werewolf... I know that. I'd really like to lynch all those who do not give us anything... and not least because of what happened last Night...

And if Xyzzy is not going to be here toDay either, I'd say we might go for him if we don't have any better candidates in the end of the Day. That would keep our numbers better if we make a misjudgement toDay... (if he will be killed anyway?) But if you have good candidates, please bring them forwards.

This is what I can say at this moment... I hope I have something else to chew as I wake up later..."

With that Nogrod gave a twist to the pot and went to his blanket.

[Isabellkya]

Izzy opened her eyes and sat up, upon her bed. She surveyed the sleeping inhabitants and noticed the numbers were the same. She thanked the good protectors, whoever they might be, for keeping watch through the night while they slumbered.

She rose from her bed and stretched her aching muscles. Such deep and long slumber tends to leave the body cramped and not of its full use. She eyed Nogrod near the fire as he settled down to sleep. She quietly strode over to the blaze, and took a seat nearest the cooking pot. She sniffed the contents and quickly wrinkled her nose as she turned away. Her vegetarian nature was not appreciative of pheasant; none the less she kept watch over the pot as she waited for the others to stir and awake.

[Isabellkya]

As Izzy stirred the contents in the pot, her thoughts stewed inside her head as well.
The flames of the fire flickered off Izzy's face as she thought about Beleg and Turin, and the mysterious shadow which had followed Beleg and thus taken his bow. Were Beleg and Turin protectors, only wanting to hide their identities from the wolves. Or were their intentions slightly more sinister, and thus wanting to hide from everyone?

She recalled the discussion the previous day in regards to the quiet outlaws. She agreed that if there were outlaws amongst them who did not want to contribute, they should be left behind. Izzy smiled to herself as she thought about the group of outlaws which they made; outlaws tended to be a bit rebellious by nature; and like herself preferred to live solitary lives. She thought that maybe a drink of ale would loosen the tongues of the quiet ones.