Tol-In-Gaurhoth XXXVIII - E.T.T.T.S.O.W.I.

[Gil-Galad]

The sun came creeping in as bodies began to stir about on the sand. it was mid morning and it was hot. As everyone began to walk away from the wreckage they looked around. they were on an island. around the shore there were rocks of many sizes and 20 feet from the coast line there was a line of dense jungle, which reaches all the way to the bottom of a single mountain standing jagged in the middle of the island, next to that mountain was a small hill with something in the middle of it, but it was too far to judge exactly from this distance.

One by one the survivors struggled from the wreckage and got to a big rock just about halfway from the water to the trees. "what had happened?" thinlomien asked as Nogrod began trying to empty his head of water. "must have been one heck of a storm... but for some reason that isn't troubling me" Legate stated as he walked up to the group. "then it wasn't just me that heard that... i wonder what it was all about" Brinniel said asking around. Macalaure then blurted out loud "hey! wheres the captain!?" everyone began looking around, but they did not see El Gil anywhere. "alright everyone is here, lets look for Gil, hopefully he washed up on shore with the rest of us too" Shastanis Althreduin said to the agreeing nods of the survivors.

As everyone began looking around, Susielooked over and saw Peeko standing on the other side of a piece of the boat. Susieran around and eyes widen with horror. "i found him!" Susieyelled as she remained motionless. Xyzzy was the first to reach Susieand he too remained shocked. everyone came up and each of them saw the horror.

Upon the bow of the S.S. Mr.Adventure, there was El Gil pinned on it with the Bowmast sticking through his chest and Peeko on his shoulder.
"bawk. no you henchman bawk!" Peeko squacked.
"Hey listen to that bird!" Meneltarmacil said.
"bawk! the super science doctor will survive! bawk!"
"what is that bird talking about?" Nogrod stated but was quickly hushed by everyone else so they can listen to the bird.
"bawk! secret bodyguard will protect and revenge. bawk!"
the survivors began staring at the bird as it continued its rant
"Bawk! villain about. but no knows henchman! Peeko knows! Peeko knows! Bawk!"

"am i hearing that bird right? this was murder and we have the murderers with us right now!?" Legate said to the survivors
"Thats what the bird is saying... but what can we do to protect us incase we are killed again?" macalaure asked puzzling.
"well i guess we got to decide amongst ourselves and choose who we each think is one of these henchman and villain!" legate said after a period of silence. everyone looked at Legate awkwardly.
"...what? oh don't worry my comrades i love open ideas!" legate quickly responded after understanding there confusion.
"then i guess we will make a vote at the end of every day and decide who lives or dies... so that we can avenge the captains death." Brinniel stated and every nodded with agreement, though most reluctantly.
"bawk! rescue comes! who survives? Peeko knows! bawk!" Peeko squacked out as it began to fly high above the island and the everyone began to head inland towards the island.

DAY ONE BEGINS! HENCHMAN AND SPECIALS STOP TALKING! EVERYONE MAY NOW BEGIN TALKING! ENJOY!

Players:
1 - Meneltarmacil - Paranoid Conspiracy Theorist
2 - Shastanis Althreduin - a tree-hugging, fur coat-burning, hardcore animal activist
3 - Thinlómien - young and idealistic hippie maiden with flowers in her hair.
4 - Nogrod - tight upper lip conservative
5 - Macalaure - student activist
6 - Brinniel - the hypocritical peace activist who goes to all extremes
7 - Xyzzy - Fully commercialized drone.
8 - Volo - Susie, the daughter of a random goat herder in some far-away valley, who doesn't know a thing about popular culture, is a good idea.
9 - Legate - an open-minded progressive Comrade

[Shastanis Althreduin]

I saw how that bird was treated, and I for one am happy he's free of that horrible old man. You know I peeked in his room once. There was a cage.

...A CAGE. Honestly. Can you believe it? That poor parrot stuffed into a cage to while away his days like so much trash, except for the times he's paraded about like a possession. Ooh, it makes me so mad!

I'm going to go meditate. Call me if you find something.

[Nogrod]

Oh my... I thought that electing that Kennedy guy for president was the liberal nightmare! Stuck in an island with bloodthirsty henchmen and a tracherous villain - obviously commies the whole bunch - with these hippies and what not... God, do I really deserve this?

All right people. Order. That's what we need. Order. I'm afraid meditating isn't going to get us out from the trouble.

And clear rules are needed. For instance, what happens if the villain dies? Do the henchmen go on with their atrocities even if their boss is dead? Is the balance of innocents vs. baddies counted only by the henchmen or will the villain be added to the count as well? If the henchmen all die the villain looks to me to be left powerless and we will win our lives, right? Or do we have to get her/him too?

Does that odd parrot have answers or do we have to just rely on guesswork?

Oh how I hate mess and untidy situations... Ordnung muss sein.

[Brinniel]

I for one am not comfortable with the idea of there being murderers among us. But really...is this vote to decide who dies thing completely necessary? Couldn't we just vote to lock someone up?

Already one death has occurred. We should avoid letting anymore blood be spilled.

MAKE PEACE NOT VIOLENCE!

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Just wait a little, Comrades. All ideas are welcome, but we must progress systematically.

First, we should make a central commitee. Who of you, Comrades, is in the Party? Don't tell me that no one is. All right, I guess we have to skip this step. I see, Comrades, that we are really a nice company here. We have proletarians, peasants - right, Comrade Susie - even brain power, is that right, Comrade Macalaure... the trouble is that we have these subversive elements among us. Those... henchmen and villain or whatever they are called. Yes, the henchmen of the reactionary powers. They want to kill a super science doctor! That speaks for everything.

But we must not let ourselves down, Comrades! We are going to line out a three-day plan, and we are going to find the villain and the henchmen, and fulfil the plan by 150%!

Now, Comrade Shasta. Please don't just sit and... whatever you do. From each according to his ability, but don't tell me your only ability is to... sleep or whatever you do.

On the other hand, I am very pleased with you, Comrade Nogrod. There's only that unfortunate background of yours, but otherwise, your attention is really a progressive one. You see, we cannot accept you right to the Party. But if you showed some interest, let's say, prepared some nice transparent for the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, I could put in a word for you.
The questions you pose will be, no doubt, answered soon. Personally, though without the final word from Kremlin I cannot say that for sure, I am inclined to think that the henchmen, out of pure reactionary intentions, are going to continue in their attacks even after we manage to catch their leader. However, all this situation looks very complicated and I believe more clarification would help us. Perhaps the bird, however strange it is, could be of some help in this aspect.

Comrade Brinniel. We have horrible monsters among us, who will not stop with terrorizing us until we lynch them out. It is the time to raise our arms, Comrades, and do something about it. Just sitting is not going to do the job. I'm afraid some blood needs to be spilled, Comrade Brinniel. But don't worry, it will be only the blood of traitors!

So let us give everyone the chance to speak now, and then we'll know more.

[Thinlómien]

Peace. Flowers. Freedom. Happiness. Hey guys, you should listen to Brinniel. She's got the thing! Let's not lynch anybody! Let's just discuss in friendship and love. See, I've got some mushrooms...

I'm slightly confused about the deadline and the duration of the Day and Night periods. Why was last Night just 12h? Was it an exception, or are we having short Days&Nights? Which one is the deadline? 6pm or am my time?

But hey, everyone's a little confused after a few mushrooms... Anyone want to have a mushroom? We can be confused together and not bother about these henchmen and villains at all. We can be just happy and grow some weed and decorate ourselves with flowers. Doesn't that sound nice?

I guess I can now state the obvious since no one else has done it yet. Please talk, dear friends (and have some mushrooms), no one should be silent. The evil people can hide in silence (evil people? every single human being is born good and happy and freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee........... wait. Are these henchmen and villains just humans? For surely orcs or werewolves or such can be evil. Evil like the bosses of big anti-environmentalist companies who kill happy singing birds and make little children unhappy... now what was I originally talking about?) and the vocal people will just kill one another. Not a nice future vision, unless all we vocal people are henchmen - which should be matemathically impossible. You don't need to post dozens of posts (though that is nice ), but could everybody please post something of substance during this game. It would help others to make some sense who's who.

Am I right that we have double-lynches? In that case we must be careful: double lynches aid the baddies easily to their victory, because what's better from their perspective than us villagers lynching not one, but two of our own? I do not say we should not do a double lynch in any situation, just that we should consider carefully before doing so.

Lastly, if I seem to have some obsession about watching Nogrod and Volo hypocritically, it's not because I've gone crazy (though that might be possible too... the mushrooms?) but because I've had bad experiences in recent games. (I've been fooled completely by those who I know from RL, even though one could assume it'd be easiest to spot the lies of those you know... ) So, Volo and especially Noggie, you can prepare to being subjects to extra vigilance from my part.

[Meneltarmacil]

I know exactly what is going on here. You're all out to get me, every single one of you. Just how much is the government paying you for this?

You know, most of my ancestors died really early on whenever something like this came up. Do you really expect me to believe that it was just a coincidence?

Now I really don't know who to suspect first, however, all of you had better start talking. I don't trust anybody who's too silent.

[Nogrod]

If people just sticked to the family values nothing like this chaos would ever have ensued. We could just have the heads of the families to gather together and do away with the problem of those kids with too many liberties - who think they can do whatever they like and be "absolutely free", even free to play a henchman. Look at where it has lead us! The decadence of morals and sleepy idleness will be the downfall of us all so let's straighten our spine and stand firm like real men do.

Tavaritsh Legate speaks wisely - even if I disagree with him on principle as the worldview goes - when he calls for lynches and not just sitting around enjoying private trips to the psychedelic reaches of people's imagined inner universes of happines and freedom. We're in a grim reality which demands grim action and sticking to the shared patriotic values.

So let's get organised people and start searching for those spineless bead-cloathed vermins among us!

Let me throw a ball then as you seem to hesitate. My old friend McCarthy used to say that you never get the baddies if you don't use proactive tactics - a pre-emptive strike is what we need.

So why is Lommy here so keen to call for extra vigilance to look after myself and Susie who (with the added exception of Xyzzy) are the only odd people out here? Wouldn't it be perfect tactics from the part of the hippie-commie-villains to call for the execution of those ideologically different from the rest of the folks? The baddies would love to lull all the rest of you tree lovers and revisionists to believe in a cozy future with all people agreeing on the basic valueliberal-socialdemocratic ideas and then ruthlessly kill you during the Nights...

So I would like to return the compliment to the flower girl: CIA is watching you girlie.

[Gil-Galad]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

And clear rules are needed. For instance, what happens if the villain dies? Do the henchmen go on with their atrocities even if their boss is dead? Is the balance of innocents vs. baddies counted only by the henchmen or will the villain be added to the count as well? If the henchmen all die the villain looks to me to be left powerless and we will win our lives, right? Or do we have to get her/him too?

"bawk! kill henchman villain powerless bawk! nothing for villain to do without henchman bawk! Henchmane angry is boss dies bawk!" Peeko squacked above

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Good, Comrades, I just realized that my schedule today as a working man does not allow me to be here before the end of the day, and this is probably the last time I can contribute today. And unfortunately, I don't have much time on my hands even now, so I have to make it brief.

Comrade Shasta says almost nothing, and that's not good, Comrades. We don't need no idleness when there are dangerous elements lurking around. Might be as well that she is one of them, also with her particularly jumpy turn against Comrade Lommy (OOC: some things sound just terrible if combined ). It seems to me that Comrade Lommy's presumptions against Comrade Nogrod were not aimed to provoke any bandwaggoning, they were just statement of facts. The same I don't think Comrade Nogrod's reaction to that is corresponding to it. However I believe this is just a misunderstanding in both cases and there are not any other intentions behind that.

While I do appreciate Comrade Macalaure's agitative attitude, I would suggest to wait with the case of Comrade Nogrod. We all know his background is very unfortunate, but I suggest we give him a chance, at least when he is trying to help, or seems like that at least. We cannot afford any mistakes, Comrades. It is true that the lurking reaction could reveal itself in Comrade Nogrod later, but I believe there are better suspects now than him. And these are those who avoid discussion, Comrades. Yes, they avoid discussion at all, like Comrade Xyzzy over there.

Others who get me worried? For example Comrade Thinlómien. It's rather unfortunate that most of the young, perspective people here are not in the Communist Youth Union, you see, Comrades. This could not end well. I mean, Comrades, where should they get the right education about the socialistic morale. Mushrooms, Comrades. But that's not what troubles me the most about Comrade Thinlómien. As I said, I don't care about her presumtive - and I believe it's preventive - attitude towards Comrades Nogrod and Volo. But what I don't like is the sneaky attitude of posting "the obvious", as she said herself, along with the typical rambling on double-lynches. That's a poor omen, Comrades. And this:

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Not a nice future vision, unless all we vocal people are henchmen - which should be matemathically impossible.

This sounds like saying both "If any of the others who spoke reveals to be a henchman, then I am not" and "I am vocal", thus giving herself a defence against further attacks against her on this base. But concerning "being vocal", you see, she did not say much.

Comrade Brinniel, Susie, and Menel spoke but said technically nothing. About them, I can't say anything positive, but not even negative. And that's really a little, Comrades. If we are to hope for better future, this is not going to help. I know, like we sing: Not every day begins with darkness and ends with sun, but I say, Comrades, that if we work together, we can make it. But we need everyone to join and participate with something more than just a few words about nothing.

So, I am probably going to vote early and now. Well, why not - a member of the Party should lead by example and vote first. I am thinking about those who are less vocal, or Comrade Shasta, who is the most suspicious for me probably now. With Comrade Thinlómien's case, I think we can wait a little, if she presents herself as the servant of the rotten reactionary powers. She spoke only once this far, and since I am not coming back today, I will not be here to ponder any further contributions from her.

Vote coming in a few minutes, if anyone is around and wants to react quickly, you have the chance.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

So, here it is, Comrades, I have to vote.

++товарищ шаста (I mean: Shasta)

Two posts about nothing, with single attack with not much basis just to appear engaged, combined with immediate back-in-role jump to take mushrooms from someone whom he just attacked does not sound good to me.

This is my decision, Comrades. And vote wisely, don't forget we have only one retraction per game!

[Brinniel]

I do not like how Nogrod repeatedly brings up that the more free-spirited of our bunch is most likely to be evil...seems like a very typical example of scapegoating..

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Wouldn't it be perfect tactics from the part of the hippie-commie-villains to call for the execution of those ideologically different from the rest of the folks?

Yet he seems to be doing the very same thing... I wouldn't find it totally unlikely for a war-monger conservative like Nogrod to be a henchman.

Yet, while I do disagree on how he is going about his suspicions, I do actually agree with him on the matter of Mac. Mac is too quick to advocate for Nogrod's lynching without really enough evidence. For one, I don't see how wanting order makes him suspicious. This is actually something Nogrod makes sense at. We may not want some conservative close-minded government like he does, but complete anarchy would only end in violence as well. Mac has only spoken once so far...I'd like to see whether he pursues his campaign for lynching Nogrod.

As for Legate's vote, I can see where he is coming from. Taking from the one you accuse is never smart. But Shasta has said so little; I'm not sure if we should pounce on him just yet.

I apologise if anything I've said does not make complete sense...I am very tired and have had too many mushrooms...

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Shasta

I would dearly love to know why my fellow animal lover, Thinlomien, cautions vigilance against Susie (who has yet to speak) and Nogrod (though I must protest such a conservatory nature!). Shed some light, dear one?

Oh, and I'll take a mushroom.

*hands Shasta a mushroom* Note I did not caution extra vigilance against them, I only said I would keep an eye on them, for reasons stated in my previous post.

I'm a bit concerned about the state of the village. There's a lot of joking or reaction-provoking accusations around, but only a few serious accusations. I know it's just Day1, but...

Okay, here's what I think about you guys:

Nogrod - he's having too much fun, chattering endlessly and being all over the place. I think this behaviour points either to him being an ordo or him being the Villain. He himself has said that he likes the roles of an ordo and a cobbler the best, because then he can play relaxedly and have fun and this seems exactly like it. So I guess he's either ordo or the villain, but as it's matemathically more probable that he's an ordo and he has not shown any (at least any serious) signs of being evil, I won't vote him today (unless, of course, something happens that changes my opinion) and am not too worried - yet I will keep an eye on him.

Macalaure - I can't see anything particularly suspicious in his behaviour. It's slightly difficult to decipher if he feels like his normal self with all this role stuff, but I'm not too worried.

Legate - is one of the few people who've raised serious arguments this far. His vote on Shasta was a bit hasty&unreasoned, but it was probably the best vote one (regardless of is he innocent or not) could make in his situation, so... Legate doesn't seem very wolvish, but he doesn't strike me as particularly innocentish either.

Brinniel, Volo and Menel - Haven't posted almost anything, so difficult to judge. If I had to say something, I would say that I have vague bad feelings about Menel... but I seem to suspect him always... Hey, people, I'll give you FREE MUSHROOMS if you talk more!

Shastanis Althreduin - falls into the same category with the three previous ones - except that I wonder why he didn't understand what I was saying but jumped on it. Seems like a mere misunderstanding, but you can never be sure.

Xyzzy - Oh, he's playing? Where's he? I could vote him toDay if he does not come here and contribute and I continue to be this unsure about the others. If we have no assurance he's going to be around, we could remove him on Day1 just to be sure. I mean, if he was silent through all the game and was a henchman and won this game because no one thought he could be one or we never wanted to use a lynch to kill him, I'm going to roll my eyes off. On the other hand, it's quite improbable that he's a wolf (don't wolves usually show more interest on the game?) and thus probably a waste of lynch and in a small village like this we shouldn't slaughter innocents too freely... Now I'm probably thinking this too far since there's still plenty of time for Xyzzy to show up toDay, so... But please do talk, Xyzzy, you can have a mushroom.

That was all? And there should be two wolves and a cobbler in that bunch? Uh-oh... I need to think...

EDIT:xed with Brinn