Werewolf IIX - Tra la la lally, here down in the Saga, ha ha!

[The Saucepan Man]

Some further thoughts on recent discussions:

Originally Posted by Lalaith

So I will say this, as a last word before my return later tonight, to those who have voiced suspicions against me: that if I am a wolf I am a very stupid one. At the time I voted, Mithalwen the wolf had six votes against her and Gurthang had three. Any fellow wolf with half a brain-cell would do one of two things. He would either decide Mith was doomed anyway and vote for her himself to divert suspicion, or he would try to save her, or at least make a tie, by voting for Gurthang, the only other possible villager who was at risk of lynching. He would not, as I did, vote for someone completely different who had little or no chance of being lynched.

On the contrary, voting for Gurthang would have put you clearly in the spotlight. I cite as evidence the suspicion that Gil-Galad (who did just that) has attracted today. There were still six votes to be cast when you voted. It was still possible that someone other than Gurthang or Mithalwen would be lynched. Your vote was for Meneltarmacil, who had already attracted one vote. The more I think about it, the more I think that this was exactly what a Wolf would do in your situation. Certainly, I do not think that a Wolf would have voted for Mithalwen when there was still a realistic chance that she might escape the noose.

Originally Posted by SamwiseGamgee

I don't know, man. I'm nowhere near voting for you, though, and I'm telling you because I really hope you can help clear yourself.

I trust (and hope) that my words speak for my innocence.

And now back to the Captain:

Originally Posted by CaptainofDespair

Striking haplessly in the dark is not a prudent course, either. You have suspicions, but can you risk killing me, should I be one of the all important gifted villagers? You might need me to die for you, not become your pin cushion of spite.

Problem is, Captain, if you are spared the noose and are indeed innocent, your own words have most probably condemned you to a grisly death tonight. You are most unlikely to be a Wolf, we are all agreed on that. But if you are not the Bear, you have all but declared yourself as a Gifted Villager and (even if you are not) you have thereby made yourself a target for the Bear to-Night.

I will not be voting tonight. I shall wait until tomorrow and probably vote late. Currently, I am inclined to vote for one of the following:

CaptainofDespair (for reasons which should be obvious)
Durelin (for her strange behaviour earlier today)
Lalaith (for the reasons noted at the beginning of this post) or
Gil-Galad (for the reasons stated earlier today)

My main concern over voting for either Durelin or Gil-Galad is that their behaviour just seems too obviously suspicious. And I remain far from convinced of anyone's guilt.

[Boromir88]

Well time is ticking for me. I may be on later tonight but it's not going to be a probability. I'm not going to cast my vote yet because I can't bring myself to voting on just one person, and who that person is going to be. I think it might take the night to figure this one out, in which case you'll see my vote (like Firefoot's probably) much later (around 7 am my time).

This however again is not a probability in that I will get up in time to vote. So right now the chance of me voting is I'd say 60% and probably likely to decrease. Just letting people aware of this if you don't see a vote from me.

[Meneltarmacil]

I believe I have waited long enough. My vote goeth to:

++CaptainofDespair

as ye persone who is believed moste likely to be ye Beare. Hopefully, only one shall die toNighte insteade of two.

[Firefoot]

Well, I'm getting too tired to think clearly and so will be turning in for the night. At this point, I honestly do not know who I will be voting for, though my (not so short) list is: Durelin, Gil, Lalaith, CaptainofDespair, Nonnacedak, in no particular order. Laitaine is still on my watch list but I doubt I will be voting for her.

I think that this vote could be telling - we shall see.

[arcticstorm]

After weighing all the evidence presented so far today, I must post my vote for

++Captain of Despair

[Oddwen]

And so decided the Villagers - that CaptainofDespair was Bearish. Enough to lynch, anyway.

"Go ahead. Lynch me. Make my day," said the Shrew Farmer. "You'll see."

He offered no struggles on the way to the faraway lynching tree, he just walked in stony silence.

They tied the rope to his neck and stood back. Pulling the stepstool from underneath him, he hung for only a moment before the change.

Where once a crooked tree had stood, with a rope attatched, there was a crooked tree on the ground, with a rope trailing in the snow.

"He is such an evil being, that the tree itself could not bear him!" cried the Villagers. "It's the hidden bulk of a bear! It's a good omen!"

But they couldn't very well hang him on a felled tree, could they? So they searched for other methods.

They tried feeding him to his own shrews, but they fawned at his feet and attempted to eat the other Villagers.

They tried to impale him on a sliver of wood from the wrecked bar, but it snapped beneath his weight and barely punctured his skin.

They tried to set fire to the bar, but surprisingly, the wood would not catch.

They tried to drown him in the horsetrough, but it sprang a leak and crumbled from disuse, leaving a wide swath of ice around it.

"Wow," they said. "He must be really evil if nothing in the natural realm will touch him! I guess it's up to us, then."

So they stood him in the Village Square, which has been noted not to be square but hexagonal, and plunged a knife into his breast.

The only change that came about was that he was no longer standing.

The Villagers wondered at that. Could they have been...wrong? Chasing after an innocent with murderous intent? Then one of them caught a glimpse of metal underneath his cloak, and uncovered a sword and shield.

Now how could that fit underneath his cloak? No wonder he had looked so bulky and seemed so suspicious!

They wondered why they had not noticed the fastening on his cloak, a many-rayed silver star.

Uh-oh...one feared to say it...Standard-issue Ranger gear.

A trip to CoD's house clinched it. Hidden in various places were more swords and shields, some worn with use.

They'd killed the Ranger, and insured that there would be two kills a night after all.

----------------------

Arcticstorm
Boromir88
Dancing Spawn of Ungoliant
Durelin
Encaitare
Firefoot
Gil-Galad
Gurthang
Laitaine
Lalaith
littlemanpoet
Meneltarmacil
Nonnacedak
SamwiseGamgee
The Saucepan Man
Wilwa

Dead:

Oddwen (Mod) - Skeletonized by Wolves on NIGHT 1
Chicken (Poultry) - Crushed by a bear on NIGHT 1
Mithalwen (Werewolf) - Cheesily lynched on DAY 1
Alcarillo (Villager) - Smashed to bits on NIGHT 2
Mormegil (Villager) - Blown away on NIGHT 2
CaptainofDespair (Ranger) - Innocent blood rejected by nature, received by men on DAY 2


It is now NIGHT 3. Sherriffs kindly stop conversing, Wolves kindly may start.
I need names from the Wolves, Seer, Hunter, and Bear.

[Oddwen]

The Lady Wormtongue wandered to her favorite moping spot outside the village, where the cliff faced out over the valley, and sat to watch the sun rise. She sighed, and remembered her Grima whining about the "Nassty yellow face", and a tear dropped from her eye.

"Stupid wizard," she sniffed to herself.

A figure materialized out of the woods. "No-one should walk alone, especially in these troubled times," it said.

"I'm always alone," replied Enca.

"I know what it is you seek. Rest assured, it is very near."

"All I want is to see my Grima again, but that is impossible. Three nameless Hobbit archers took care of that."

"I know."

The figure suddenly grea larger. "You shall see your Grima soon," it said, and its voice had grown with its figure.

The Bear roared, and charged. Enca stood bravely at the edge of the cliff, and met the onslaught. It was of course, no contest, and the Beorning swept her off the cliff.

"Griiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmaaaaaaaaa!" The cry echoed through the valley, and even years later, when a visitor chanced to shout a "Hello!" over the cliff, it would come back as "Grrrriiiimmmaaaalllo!"

-------------

Meanwhile, in the Village, two stealthy forms crept into a house, and gathered by the bedside of the occupant. They reached out clawed hands and...turned the lights on.

Firefoot sat up with a snap. "Whu? I wa'nt asleep! There was a fly in my eye and I was trapping it!"

Then she focused, and it left her speechless. There in front of her were two intruders dressed in bright clothes, odd wiggs and large red noses.

"What..." she began, but the two interrupted her.

"Hello!" they cried. "We're here to entertain you!"

"I don't want to be entertained," she said, but it was more of a question than a fact. "I have to be well-rested and alert for tomorrow, as I have important conversations to engage in."

The intruders merely started to dance and caper about, performing strange gymnastic feats. Firefoot watched hypnotically, as if to ascertain wether or not she was dreaming.

The intruders stopped their dance, and stood grinning at her.

"You liked that? Wait 'til you see our encore!" Then they struck. Firefoot put up a great struggle, but in the end she was overcome. They left her crumpled body in the middle of the room, with her Sherriff's badge atop it. Then the Wolves snuck away muttering.

"Why did I have to wear the pink? I look so silly!"

"Shut up and help me get this fake nose off..."

The Villagers were dismayed the next morning when they found the signs by the cliff, and the body of Firefoot. When they removed her body, only one stayed behind in her cabin to check in their secret hiding place for a letter.

Living:
Arcticstorm
Boromir88
Dancing Spawn of Ungoliant
Durelin
Gil-Galad
Gurthang
Laitaine
Lalaith
littlemanpoet
Meneltarmacil
Nonnacedak
SamwiseGamgee
The Saucepan Man
Wilwa

Dead:

Oddwen (Mod) - Skeletonized by Wolves on NIGHT 1
Mithalwen (Werewolf) - Cheesily lynched on DAY 1
Alcarillo (Villager) - Smashed to bits on NIGHT 2
Mormegil (Villager) - Blown away on NIGHT 2
CaptainofDespair (Ranger) - Innocent blood rejected by nature, received by men on DAY 2
Encaitare (Villager) - Thrown off a cliff by a Bear on NIGHT 3
Firefoot (Sherriff) - Killed by clowns on NIGHT 3


It is now DAY 3. Wolves stop PMing, Sherriff...uh, nevermind.

[Meneltarmacil]

Captain was ye Ranger? That's not goode. I'm sorry I voted for him. Him and Firefoot...two Gifteds deade already. Deare me...

I wonder why ye Beare killed Enca? She was ye quieteste person in ye village. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to try and silence someone who's barely spoken.

I remaine suspiciouse of Gil-Galad and Lalaith, and possibly Durelin.

[SamwiseGamgee]

In fact, Meneltarmacil, I would say that killing Enca would actually be the best course of action for the bear: kill a quiet villagers for no reason and avoid leaving a trail that leads to you. Remember, the wolves are working as a team- the bear isn't. In fact, it serves the bear to actually just kill randomly and avoid raising suspicions about him/herself. Thtat's why it's so hard to actually identify the bear.

As for the wolves, I haven't yet had a chance to go through the thread and form my suspicions on who would want to kill Firefoot, and I'm leaving for work soon. I won't be back until Midnight (GMT+1), so don't view my early post and sustained silence afterward as suspicious, please.

[The Saucepan Man]

Well, I am truly sorry for my role in CaptainofDespair's death. If only he had not reacted quite so indignantly to my suggestion that he might be the Bear and then all but revealed his secret role, he would probably be with us still.

I thought that he was bluffing when he (more or less) claimed to be Gifted. But I am pretty sure that at least one, and quite possibly two, of those who voted for him believed his claim and concluded that he might well be the Ranger. Unfortunately, they were correct.

I agree with SamwiseGamgee that poor Encaitare was a good choice of kill for the Black Beorning. Although, having said that, just about anybody would be a reasonable choice except, perhaps, someone who had accused him or her yester-Day.

I am very sorry to lose Firefoot. Her insights have always been helpful and her loss is all the more grievous in light of her Shirriff status. I have a pretty good idea who the other Shirriff may be, but it is for him or her to decide whether to reveal that. If they do, they will face almost certain death tonight, but may be able to help us today.

My suspicions concerning the Wolves are, at the moment, pretty much as they were at the end of the Day yesterday. Lalaith and Laitaine are my main suspects, although I am less suspicious of Durelin in this regard. her early vote for me yesterday, on the grounds that she believed me to be the Bear, just does not seem to me to be Wolfish behaviour. And Gil-Galad is almost certainly the Cobbler or a misguided innocent. He did not even turn up to vote yester-Day when his neck was on the line throughout much of the Day.

I am, however, retaining an open mind, and I really have no idea now who the Bear might be. Time to look back on the proceedings to date in light of last Night's gruesome and tragi-comedic happenings.

[Lalaith]

I can see why suspicion is being directed towards those of us who did not vote for Mith on the first day. But bear in mind that none of the villagers (except the 2 other wolves and very, very possibly the Seer) actually knew that Mith was a wolf.
If she had turned out to be innocent, suspicions would now be directed in a very different way. For my part, I didn't join in because I don't like bandwaggoning. But I can see why other people are keen on it, its a good way to avoid being singled out for suspicion.

As for Gil, I can also understand why he is under suspicion. I'm not too happy about him myself, but on the other hand, perhaps he is just being Gil.
I'm still feeling wary about Boromir and Gurthang. Boromir's assertions that innocence should not defend itself seemed instrumental in the lynching of our Ranger. And Gurthang because of his funny voting on the first day.
On a personal level I am of course worried about Mene and Saucie as they suspect me, but I am trying not to let personal feelings get in the way. However I do sense the hints of some kind of complicity between Mene and Boromir.

[Lalaith]

Oh and apologies for failing to notice Oddwen's reply yesterday about my Seer question.

[Laitaine]

O Horribly Depressing Day, we’ve lost more of our town
This time they were thrown off a cliff or entertained by clowns!
These werewolves have sick humor, that is one thing for sure
They are so perverse that I cannot take much more.

Clearly, yesterday we made a very grave mistake
Captain was the greatest loss that we ourselves could make
Well--no, we have the Seer still--but will (s)he too last long?
Or will I have to write for him/her a dismal funeral song?

Friends, we must be careful--we killed our main protection
Wolves would much more cunningly hide from our best detection
Even our sly Cobbler has been keeping a lowdown.
Clearly, we must scour every corner of our town.

Who did Encai talk about? Who did FF blame?
What motive would these beasts have to take out each dame?
But careful, these fiends won’t be who these two women accused!
A wolf (or bear!) would kill to frame another as a ruse.
Encai talked of several names: LMP, Non, and Gil
Firefoot had shown that lynching Durelin was her will.
Now we must look at these names, and how they have connection
With Encai’s rather hasty fall and Firefoot’s dissection.

*taps recorder in lap, frustrated*

Of course, these beasts could double-bluff--so think with thorough care.
I will not be here most of the day, but vote early? I don‘t dare.
I will come back here later tonight to see what has been said.
And now my friends, I play a song to honor our new dead.

*honks a D minor arpeggio most despairingly*

[arcticstorm]

After hearing of today's deaths I have reviewed everything said by the four killed at night. I will start by listing what was said, suspicion-wise, by the wolf victims, and then will move to the bear victims.

Morm's first list of suspicions points to Firefoot, Mithalwen, and myself. The next time he voices suspicion, he changes it to Samwise, CoD and Mith. Later he voices suspicion of anyone who voted for Mith, in case she was innocent, with special interest on Menel and Alcarillo. He then votes for Meneltarmacil. He was probably killed for his role in bringing out Mith.

Firefoot: On Day one she was only really suspicious of Mithalwen and voted for him.
On the second day, she originally posted a little suspicion or confusion toward Gil, Durelin, Nonnac. Laitaine, and Wilwa.
Later she became mionorly suspicios of CoD. With her list being Durelin, Gil, Lalaith, CoD, and Nonnacedak.
And later points out that Gurthang may be the bear.
She votes for Durelin as wolf, because there are too many people who could be the bear.

On to the Bear victims.
Alcarillo: voiced minor suspicion of Gurthang but more toward LMP. Later he put Mith on the top of the list and voted for him. NOt much to go on there yet, but I will examine it further with Enca's suspicions later. He ended up by voting for a Mithalwen.

Enca: On Day 1 she voiced suspicion of Gurthang early on, and didn't say much else for the rest of the day
On day 2: Post suspicion of LMP being a wolf. She becomes suspicious of Gil and votes for Gil. She may have beeen killed for her contributions shortly after the day was half over, but let us look at that closer.

Alcarillo's next suspect was LMP, he got himself killed.
Enca also voices some suspicion of LMP and gets herself killed by the bear. This may be a coincidence or it may be someone trying to frame LMP. Or maybe LMP is the bear. Yes Enca voiced suspicion of him being a wolf, but if people vote to kill him of wolvery, he still dies wether he is a wolf or a bear.

Right now my wolf suspicion list is Durelin first followed by Gil
and LMP heads up my bear suspicion list.

[Lalaith]

At this stage I also think both wolves and bear are killing those who are not under strong suspicion from the village. The reasoning being that they wouldn't bother killing off people that the villagers might lynch for them anyway.

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by arcticstorm

On to the Bear victims.
Alcarillo: voiced minor suspicion of Gurthang but more toward LMP. Later he put Mith on the top of the list and voted for him. NOt much to go on there yet, but I will examine it further with Enca's suspicions later. He ended up by voting for a Mithalwen.

Enca: On Day 1 she voiced suspicion of Gurthang early on, and didn't say much else for the rest of the day
On day 2: Post suspicion of LMP being a wolf. She becomes suspicious of Gil and votes for Gil. She may have beeen killed for her contributions shortly after the day was half over, but let us look at that closer.

Alcarillo's next suspect was LMP, he got himself killed.
Enca also voices some suspicion of LMP and gets herself killed by the bear. This may be a coincidence or it may be someone trying to frame LMP. Or maybe LMP is the bear. Yes Enca voiced suspicion of him being a wolf, but if people vote to kill him of wolvery, he still dies wether he is a wolf or a bear.

Right now my wolf suspicion list is Durelin first followed by Gil
and LMP heads up my bear suspicion list.

I'd like everyone to be aware that I did not read this post until after I submitted my own first of the day. Quite interesting, Arcticstorm, building up a trumped up case like this, looking for all the world like you're doing in depth analysis while only using others' words to build your own case. You are getting all the more suspicious. I won't vote for you just yet, want to read through all the posts first.