Tol-in-Gaurhoth XXVII - Ballroom Blitz

[Durelin]

What had started off as a slow waltz turned into a quick step even the Rude Boy's rude sense of rhythm couldn't keep up with (more quick-quick-quick than slow-quick-quick), as the band moved to 2/4 time, matching the fervor that filled the ballroom.

One by one, at least half the people in the room felt like their backs were against the wall, the others closing in around them... But then they could let out a sigh of relief as someone pointed out another perfect lynchee, and the priorly accused could turn on them with the rest.

The mob mentality ate its way through the dancers, until finally, Eomer and Nogrod each took a hold of one of Kath's wings.

"What are you doing?" she asked them, attempting to break free with a small flutter.

"I don't want to see mormegil lynched for...whatever it is that makes him wolfish." Nogrod was sad, but seemed prepared to stand by his words. He had a feel about him that reminded Kath of a father dealing out a punishment to a beloved child. She rolled her eyes.

"So you'd simply rather see me die than him?"

Nogrod didn't have a chance to respond before Eomer spoke up.

"And I don't want to see two people die. Enough blood has been spilt." The Prince of Wargs, despite his fearsome appearance, was perhaps a softer sort of guy on the inside.

"We need to start getting rid of these wolves before they kill us all!" Cailín cried.

"Yes, let's kill someone!" Macalaure mimed using a stabbing motion.

"Yeah!" was the roar of the mob.

The Robin nervously drove the first spike in, followed by the mime who slammed it in with more glee, then the Choir-boy forced the third in as nicely as possible, and lastly the Warg, taking the greatest care to make sure the fourth was well in place.

Kath was securely pinned to the wall, four metal spikes through her wings holding her up above the ground. And no matter how hard she wriggled, she could not pull them free. Or perhaps she simply did not want to rip her wings. Regardless, she did not seem at all surprised when mormegil appeared, pushing his way through the dancers that surrounded her. The candlelight glinted off of something in his hand.

The Rude Boy kept his eyes down and his shades on as he ran the fifth spike into the Butterfly's heart.

The scream had scarcely ended when a third light appeared in the suspended candelabrum.

Everyone’s eyes having been on the chandelier for a moment, gasps ran through the hall as they turned them back to the body of Kath, which hung unchanged.

Two words were written under the dead Wight, in her own blood:

Acronicta innocens


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The Dead Dead

Durelin (Mod and Hostess) – Ghostbusted on Rest (Night) the First
CaptainofDespair (Co-mod and Host) – Ghostbusted on Rest (Night) the First
Kath (Ordinary Villager) – Pinned and Labeled by the Mob on Dance (Day) the First


The Living Dead

mormegil as a (Kewl-Shades) Rude Boy
Farael as a Fair-looking Orc
Rikae as an Entwife
Nogrod as a Nice Choirboy
Lalwendë as a (Mischievous Little) Christmas Elf
Kitanna as a Rejected Band Member wearing a bag with eyeholes
Naria as a Spoiled Heiress wearing a Venetian half mask
Macalaure as a Mime
Celuien as a Cowgirl
Valier as a Flighty Young Woman wearing an exotic colourful bird mask
Eomer of the Rohirrim as Vorgram, Ancient Prince of Wargs
Cailín as a Robin
Holbytlass as a Court Jester
Folwren as an Elegant, Cold, Stoic, Mysterious Countess


The eyes of the dead are closed gently; we also have to open gently the eyes of the living” ~ Jean Cocteau


And now, my guests, you must endure the silence of the Second Rest...

[Durelin]

All was silent, as the guests pondered the evils within them, each blaming themselves for Kath’s death, a heavy guilt on their hearts. All ten, anyway. Four felt no guilt, no regret. This ball was going well for them, and they could sit back and laugh silently while putting on their best frowny-faces. Luckily for them, the masks helped in keeping their true selves a secret.

There was a SLAM that echoed through the hall, but a rushed “sorry” from one of the musicians made everyone quickly forget they had heard anything. Everyone’s minds felt they had enough explanation for it, and they were too preoccupied with other concerns to really pay much more attention to strange noises.

mormegil stood quietly in the corner, wiping off the blood from the spike he had removed from Kath’s chest.

Farael had stopped showing off the blinding whiteness of his teeth, and Eomer was careful not to bear his fangs in smile or sneer.

Celuien was rounding up Valier and Cailín to keep them from flying off.

Holbytlass was muttering about how juggling without anything to juggle was a mockery of a refined art while she bitterly watched Macalaure flicking his wrists and throwing air around.

Nogrod was professing his guilt to Folwren, who answered him periodically with “you’re wasting your time.”

Naria was falling asleep listening to Rikae talk.

No one really noticed that Kitanna was missing. Not until the band was all prepared to start playing again.

The music started, but they had made it through only about three measures before all the musicians stopped playing their instruments, leaving the harpsichordist (no party is complete without one, for everyone knows the dead have this thing for harpsichords) tapping at various keys and wondering why, instead of sharp, crystalline notes, hitting a key resulted in a squelch.

“Stop playing, man!” a flautist screamed at him.

No one else could find their voices as a deep red slowly oozed forth from underneath the lid.

“I’m not opening that.”

Eomer swallowed, rolled up his sleeves, and took a few steps forward. Most admired his bravery, some watched him with amusement and anticipation in their eyes. But before he reached the instrument, he heard a soft crunch beneath one of his feet. He looked down to see brown paper shreds. One bloodied eyehole stared up at him.

No one needed to see any more. A fourth light had joined the other three above their heads, and they all knew it as the last of Kitanna.

The harpsichordist plucked a (written) note from atop his instrument.

“In the end of time
There was a man who knew the road
And the writing, was written on the stone
In the ancient time
An artist led the way
But no one, seemed to understand
In his heart he knew
The artist must be true
But the legend, of the rent was way past due
Well you think you'll be just fine...without me, but your mine!
You think you can, kick me out of the band
Well there's just one problem there
The band is mine
How can you kick me out...of what is mine
You’re not hardcore
Unless you live hardcore”*

We live hardcore.
You die hardcore.
~The Barrow-Wolves

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The Dead Dead

Durelin (Mod and Hostess) – Ghostbusted on Rest (Night) the First
CaptainofDespair (Co-mod and Host) – Ghostbusted on Rest (Night) the First
Kath (Ordinary Villager) – Pinned and Labeled by the Mob on Dance (Day) the First
Kitanna (Ordinary Villager) – Minced, Placed in the Band, and Hardcore Harpsichorded on Rest (Night) the Second


The Living Dead

mormegil as a (Kewl-Shades) Rude Boy
Farael as a Fair-looking Orc
Rikae as an Entwife
Nogrod as a Nice Choirboy
Lalwendë as a (Mischievous Little) Christmas Elf
Naria as a Spoiled Heiress wearing a Venetian half mask
Macalaure as a Mime
Celuien as a Cowgirl
Valier as a Flighty Young Woman wearing an exotic colourful bird mask
Eomer of the Rohirrim as Vorgram, Ancient Prince of Wargs
Cailín as a Robin
Holbytlass as a Court Jester
Folwren as an Elegant, Cold, Stoic, Mysterious Countess


“If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band…”
~The Righteous Brothers, Rock and Roll Heaven


Dance (Day) 2 has now begun. Werewolves stop PMing. Everyone start talking.


*from School of Rock, “The Legend of the Rent”

[Durelin]

Here is mormegil's vote:

++Celuien

He is also suspicious of Valier.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Sorry for sealing your doom Kath but I felt the need to vote for either you or Morm.

Plenty of villagers for the wolves to pick from. Why Kitanna? She made a few posts yesterday and they were clear and sensible. She suspected Rikae and Morm and then voted for Morm.

Because we have no Seer and so little to go on, I highly doubt that the wolves would be willing to pull off such a risky bluff so early. For that reason, I am inclined to believe both Rikae and Mormegil innocent (of being wolves anyway).

[Valier]

Hmmm Kitanna got killed. Now that makes me think...Ok so why would the wolves pick Kitanna. Well the first day kill is usually one made well sort of in spite, the wolves can kill pretty much anyone they want the first day and have it not really point to anyone and if it does that could just be a way for them to desguise themselves as innocent. Or else they thought Kitanna an easy kill that would point to noone...OR they knew that it would make Rikae and Lal look guilty, seeing as they voted for her. So either the wolves are crafty and don't care if the first day voting points to them (ie. Rikae and/or Lal) Or they just killed Kitanna as an easy kill as I stated earlier. So I would like to hear more from Lal and Rikae today, so we can grasp somesort of an idea of what the wolves were up to.

Now yes I will comment on Morm's not here vote and suspision of me....Let me just say Morm ALWAYS suspects me the first few days....Not to say that sometimes he isn't right, but this time he has no good evidence at all to point to my wolvishness, and I assure you I am innocent and just here to help catch us some crafty werewolves.

[Cailín]

Hmm, I am not very surprised by Kitanna's death, despite the fact that she got voted for twice. She was overall considered to be innocent and left a very small trail.

Would Wolf-Rikae or Wolf-Mormegil pull a bluff like this? Nah, I do not think they really would have seen the need.

Furthermore, I am even more inclined to believe in Morm's innocence because of his early vote. A wolf would more readily grasp the excuse of absense to not vote at all, I should think. He seems quite convinced of Celuien's guilt, which is interesting. Even though Celuien's posts were careful yesterday, I did not consider her vote for Mormegil very blatantly furry.

I will have to review yesterday's posts again before I name any suspects.

[Farael]

Originally Posted by Cailín

Hmm, I am not very surprised by Kitanna's death, despite the fact that she got voted for twice. She was overall considered to be innocent and left a very small trail.

My bolding, and this is just an example reflecting other comments said earlier on this game.

Does anyone else see the merit of my plan already? Why am I not dead? why isn't Nogrod, or Rikae, or even Folwren or Holbtlass or Celuien dead? What do we all have that Kitanna did not?

Yes, we were loud and noisy, and thus, likely to leave some sort of a trail. What have we said about Kitanna so far?

"Well, she pretty much leaves no trail, it could be a bold bluff, it could be an even bolder double bluff or it could be no bluff at all and the wolves just chose someone who would lead us nowhere"

I must say that I was the first to "abandon ship" and go against my own counsel, but it was too early to decide who was "silent". What would you have me do? vote for someone like Celuien, who became progressively more active as I went away? Since it was too early to make a judgement on the relative "silence" of every player, I was left with the more "regular" day 1 hunches.

Yet Today, not only I will probably be around for the end of the day (and thus, able to see who's been talking and who's not) but we'll also have two days worth of "history" to judge who's lurking in the shadows and who's dancing in the spotlight.

Unless anyone else has any sudden insight or theory on the identity of a wolf, I say we lynch ourselves a silent one.

A few questions that are running through my mind as I write this post.

Valier has posted, but has she said anything?
Is Naria playing this game or am I confused with another one?
Does Lawlende fool anyone with her "I'm a rookie werewolfer" claims? I believe she's smarter than what she lets on... much smarter.

Not that being smart means being a wolf, for all I know she might be a crafty ordo trying to avoid being killed during the breaks, but I'm just asking....

[Cailín]

Well, there is one obvious flaw in this plan. It makes things a lot easier for the two wolves, especially if they are notorious loudmouths themselves. They can just continue voting for the silent ones, if this becomes the generally accepted idea: silent ones who leave no trails at all once they are death and proven innocent because they voiced none of their opinions.

It is no good planning who to lynch or even what type of player to lynch. It will just make things easier for the evil creatures. Of course, there is about a 50/50 chance that there indeed is a wolf among the silent ones, but there might as well not be and then where will this plan lead us?

If there are absolutely no other options, only then it might be a good idea to lynch the ambiguous. But when I find wolvish behaviour in someone, that person will get my vote, regardless of quantity of posting.

It is nonetheless good to stimulate people to 'leave trails' as much as possible. It can be a lifesaver.

[Celuien]

Why, how rude, Rude Boy. I challenge you to a roping contest!

Kitanna ...

#49 - commentary on the lynch the silents plan. Thinks it would be better to look at moderates on day 1 and that looking at silents is better for day 2.

#59 - has conflicting ideas about Rikae in light of the lynch the silents plan. Says that Rikae's being loud about pointing out quiet players after Farael's suggestion could be suspicious, but since she doesn't know Rikae's style, she's "torn between thinking you an innocent trying to move the game along or a bumbling wolf that is trying to stay away from the quiet area due to Farael's idea of lynching them."

#62 - conflicted about Morm and his declaration of Eomer's innocence. Finds him hard to pin down.

#74 - thought Mac's first post was normal in response to a suggestion of cobblerishness from Farael, but that a later post from Mac was more suspicious.

#78 Casts a mostly random, partly old history of not trusting him, vote for Mormegil.

She earned two votes, one from Lalwende and one from Rikae.

Not much of a trail to follow at all, which I think is probably why the wolves picked her.

[Lalwendë]

Is mormegil's tale of going to the footy a smokescreen or not? Or am I getting paranoid in my old age?

Now Kitanna seemed to be playing very clever to me, a bit too incisive. That brought up my attention. Alas, I think a wolf was taking advantage of my novice status by picking on my vote as someone appropriate to kill - hoping that then attention would be driven towards moi as a wolf!

I am, however, going to begin the second dance with a fresh look at things, seeing as I got it so wrong last time.