Werewolf XLIV: In the House of Tom Bombadil

[Aganzir]

Four wolves were running through the swirling snow, their breath steaming out into the dark sky. Tonight, there were no clouds. The moon shone brightly enough to cast their shadows on the ground. It was freezing.

”How much wood is there left in the house?” asked one suddenly.

”Not much, I'm afraid. We used it quite a lot yesterday.”

”Which is not surprising, given that it's ages since any of us lived in a real, warm house.”

”I actually find it surprising. Living like we did should have taught them thriftiness.”

”They are enjoying everything as long as it lasts.”

”Well, what I am thinking is that although we have it nice and warm now, what about tomorrow?” interrupted the first wolf. ”Remember that we won't be wearing our pretty furs then... And it will be a hell if we have to go to fetch more wood.”

”Don't argue,” said Death. She was standing on a high barrow and looking over the forest. ”I want to enjoy the landscape.”

”Hey, I got an idea!” said a wolf. ”We could make ourselves some nice warm clothes!”

”Of what?” asked another.

**

The room was full of sleepers. Their breathing was deep and their sleep looked comfortable and peaceful.

”I wonder how they can be so calm although they know what is happening here,” whispered one.

”But isn't it good if they are able to accept their fate?”

”Good for them. They are happy till the end.”

”They think it won't hurt,” said Death.

**

”Now, whom shall we take?”

”What about these?”

”Err... Are you sure? One is maybe a little too old, the other a little too small.”

”So what? I'm sure they are a good choice anyway.”

”Alright, then.”

**

It is told that geese have roused their masters if an attack is about to come, but unfortunately ducks don't seemingly have the same ability. Emily slept unaware on sally's lap when the wolves carried her to another room and put her on the floor.

Sally woke to voices whispering around her.

”I've got the knife.”

”Who brought the needle and the thread?”

”I did. Can either of you sew?”

”I could knit a hat of her hair, but I'd rather leave the sewing for you.”

”Is there enough material to make boots also?”

”Hey... what's this?” sally lifted her head and saw three white shapes in the darkness.

”Nothing, dear. Just sleep,” a familiar voice said in her ear.

”Give me a gag,” said another.

”Huh...? But hey, I know your voices... Hey... What are you doing?”

One put a gag in her mouth. Another cut her dress off her and took a knife. The third was about to clip her long white hair, but noticed soon that there was an easier way.

”Buddy, lend me that knife! I'll just take her scalp and then I can go there to knit and be out of your way.”

The last thing sally saw before she died of shock, loss of blood and cold was a wolf biting the furiously quacking Emily's head off.

”I can make this a tassel hat!” rejoiced the third wolf.

**

The night was already turning into a dark blue morning when the wolves were finally ready.

”What a beautiful coat this is! I must say I have excelled myself,” admired one.

”Indeed it is! But look at these boots of shiny shiny leather!”

”Plain gorgeous. And what about my hat! It's so soft and warm!” The third wolf shook his head so that the tassel with Emily's head pinned on it swung from side to side.

Suddenly, one of the wolves went pale.

”Did it possibly occur to either of you that we can't wear these clothes?”

”Eh? Why not?”

”Why not!? Surely the other beggars don't realise from where we got these, do you think?”

”Oh no. Of course you're right.”

”But we did beautiful work anyway. Maybe we can wear these sometime later.”

**

When the beggars woke up, they found sally's skinned and scalped body in the passage. The headless Emily was lying next to her. On the coat rack was a brand new leather coat and a grotesque white bobble hat with the duck's head hanging from it. Next to the wall was a nice pair of boots.

**

Alive:
Nogrod the Agreeable, the leader of the beggars
his wife, Nerwen
elderly couple; Rikae the Kind
and Durelin
Boromir88 the Silent One, an ex-pickpocket
his wife, Mithalwen the Perpetually Sane and Serene
their children Macalaure the Guileless
and Meneltarmacil
Volo, a young widowed man
his child, the Right Honourable McCaber
THE Ka, a blind old woman
orphaned little Thinlómien
and her little sister A Little Green

Dead:
Tom Bombadil (ranger) - killed on Night 1
Goldberry (seer) - killed on Night 1
The Barrow-wight (hunter) - killed on Night 1
Gwathagor, the child of Nogrod and Nerwen (ordo) - used as a battering ram on Day 1
Sally the Insufferable, a slightly mad crippled woman (ordo) - skinned, scalped and made to clothes on Night 2

It is now Day 2. Wolves stop PMing. Start talking.

[Mithalwen]

Am I the only one around? Shall I talk to myself? I can not stay indefinitely and may have to vote early tomorrow - so if you ignore me now don't you dare say I was quiet then!!!

I guess Sally went becasue she posted little and left little trace - but Aganzir and McCaber also had a low post count.

This gives a few possibilities .... there is a wolf among the quieter posters (statistically probable - but equally true that there will be one among the loudmouths). That Mc Caber had attracted enough suspicion for him to be a likely lynch target today and so if he is innocent the wolves stood a good chance of all surviving another day. That one of the lower number posters had posted something that might be incriminating which might be drawn attention to by that persons death. Greenie might be the likeliest candidate for that. So htat is what I am going to look at aswell as that vote mayhem.....

[Thinlómien]

I'm not sure if agree with you, Mith. I'm not sure I can follow your logic on how Sally's death incriminates Greenie. And even as the low post-count Aganzir seems to be a wolf we can't unfortunately lynch her as she's the mod.

I think Sally might have been killed because quite many considered her innocent. Also, like Mith already said, her death leaves little tracks. But none of this means we should dismiss what she said yesterDay: I will have a little look at her yesterday's post when I have time and see if there's anything interesting.

Also, yesterday's voting was a bit odd. I'm going to have a look at it right now, especially as I think there might have been a couple of things I would have responded to had I had more time.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

I'm not sure if agree with you, Mith. I'm not sure I can follow your logic on how Sally's death incriminates Greenie. And even as the low post-count Aganzir seems to be a wolf we can't unfortunately lynch her as she's the mod.
.

Gah ..yes for Aganzir read Greenie .... (if it ain't one Finn its another ) ..they all posted less than the mod which is always a little strange ... I meant that if Greenie is innocent she may have been left alive because her posting was more substantive. If she had been killed instead of Sally we would have perhaps looked at her posts and found a clue. So it isn't that Sally's death incriminates Greenie (other than increasing the probability) but that of the low posters, Greenie's death might have given us more clues.. or not...

However since Greenie presumably is sharing a computer with someone who posts a lot...there may be absolutely nothing in this...... I was thinking aloud...

[Nogrod]

The tally with minutes before the deadline the vote was cast in brackets.

(early votes)
Sally -> Boro
Gwath -> Boro 2

(-46) Menel -> Mac (Boro 2, Mac 1)
(-27) Boro -> Gwath (Boro 2, Mac 1, Gwath 1)

(-9) Greenie -> Gwath (Boro 2, Gwath 2, Mac 1)

(-6) Rikae -> Gwath (Gwath 3, Boro 2, Mac 1)

(-4) Mith -> Gwath (Gwath 4, Boro 2, Mac 1)

(-3) McCaber -> Gwath (Gwath 5, Boro 2, Mac 1)

(-2) Dury -> McCaber (Gwath 5, Boro 2, Mac 1, McCaber 1)
(-2) Nogrod -> McCaber (Gwath 5, Boro 2, Mac 1, McCaber 2)
(-2) Volo -> Ka (trying to retract to Gwath) (Gwath 5, Boro 2, Mac 1, McCaber 2, The Ka 1)

(-1) Lommy -> McCaber (Gwath 5, Boro 2, Mac 1, McCaber 3, The Ka 1)

(00) Mac -> Gwath (Gwath 6, Boro 2, Mac 1, McCaber 3, The Ka 1)

+ on overtime
The Ka -> McCaber

[EDIT: Nerwen didn't vote.]

Thoughts coming soon...

[Nogrod]

The first thing that confuses me in yesterDay's voting is the fact that even if it felt that many people started thinking lynching of Gwath a bad idea during the last half hour he still got lynched with a clear majority. And I must say that the merry agreement reached by that great numbers looks fishy indeed. Is there a greater place to hide for a wolf but within an unanimous bandwaggon?

Okay there is the question of relative risk we already discussed yesterDay. But I also think it a bit far-fetched that so many declared while voting that they don't want to see Boro lynched - which I think never was an actual option. So some sweet-talkin there?

Also Volo's vote looks not only confusing (the retraction thing) but also a bit fishy as he says two minutes before the deadline that he is "widening the vote scope"! And that in practice nailed it down and took Gwath to the gallows - or saved McCaber, whichever way you want to see it.

EDIT: X'd with a few

[Nogrod]

And some people say my narrations can be grotesque at times...

I'm bending towards the same explanation as Lommy that Sally was killed because she wasn't suspected too much and her death seems to leave no tracks. But it still is kind of out of the blue choice. Maybe the wolves just wanted us to waste the whole Day searching for the (possibly non-existant) sense behind that?

But I'm up to see the voting as well first.

EDIT: X'd with Mac and Ka

[Macalaure]

I'm surprised to see Sally dead, I have to say. What can we take from her death, apart from some warm clothing?

There's only really two things she did yesterDay, apart from being entertaining.
She defended Lommy from Menel and me, and she voted Boro on a gut feeling.

Boro, Lily and Lommy thought she was innocent (Boro repeated it several times even).

Nogrod, Durelin and Rikae thought she was suspicious, but none of them seriously considered voting for her.

Many said they were confused by Sally.

Sally’s death probably has the main goal to leave no track. I guess this is a good strategy in a giftless village. Nevertheless, it points towards careful wolves. Are they careful because it’s their nature, because they’ve been under strong suspicion already, or because it’s a cold-blooded strategy?
What I don't understand is: Why pick a no-trailer who causes confusion when other, less confusing, no-trailers are there to choose from. Maybe they thought her death would cause sufficient confusion, more than anybody else's death.

Both Boro voters are dead now. Does this point towards him being a wolf? I don’t think so. Sally went by gut when she voted him, so she would likely have changed her mind today. Boro was very sure about Sally’s innocence yesterDay and I’m not sure what to make of that.

I feel good / a little better about the people who have suspected Sally yesterDay (Nogrod, Durelin, Rikae), because to them she could have served as a future lynch candidate. I also think better of THE Ka, because she said she enjoyed Sally's posts and it would be cold-blooded indeed to kill her after that.

[Macalaure]

Originally Posted by Mith

I guess Sally went becasue she posted little and left little trace - but Aganzir and McCaber also had a low post count.

YesterDay, Aganzir only posted very early in the Day, and very close to the deadline. ToDay, it appears like she's going to do the same. I'd say this is worrying indeed.



*hides*

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Macalaure

YesterDay, Aganzir only posted very early in the Day, and very close to the deadline. ToDay, it appears like she's going to do the same. I'd say this is worrying indeed.



*hides*

*searches for the largest wooden spoon in the house*
Bear in mind young man that I am not one of those parents who don't believe in the efficacy of corporal punishment in exceptional cases ... and in some cases capital punishment might be apropriate...

[Mithalwen]

Glut of cross posting .... interesting that you all suddenly came out of the woodwork any reason why you didn't break cover sooner? I mean nothing for an hour then a flurry in ten minutes ... cannot believe you all just arrived....

[Thinlómien]

Ok, I reread late yesterDay posts. Result: I suspect McCaber even more (just look at his vote) and started suspecting Mith: she feels a bit dishonest and is treating Boro quite similarly as Rikae treated Mac in last game. (For those who don't know, Rikae was a wolf and Mac was an innocent and Rikae kept fishing for his trust by bantering with him and claiming his innocence quite loudly. I know Mith and Boro are good friends so I could very well see Mith doing something like that, especially as their in-character roles allow it so smoothly.)

Mac is confusing me. In any ordinary game I'd think he was gifted, because there is a streak of innocent aura in him, but he is wolvishly nervous. However, now the matter is more complicated... His late yesterDay post resembles lommywolf's posts. I do posts like that as a wolf and always fail to see why do people suspect me when I make them. And funnily, now I'm suspecting Mac for making a post like that. On the other hand, after rereading the post, I'm not finding it as bad as I did yesterDay. True, it's defensive but there are some good or goodish points in there and it gaves me a vaguely innocent gut-feeling. But nevertheless, it was quite nervousily defensive of him to post it at all in a manner like that so truth be told I'm quite baffled.

Nogrod - you semi-suspected a handful of people and said you'd elaborate if you have time. Do you still suspect those people and why did/do you suspect them?

Originally Posted by Mac

I also think better of THE Ka, because she said she enjoyed Sally's posts and it would be cold-blooded indeed to kill her after that.

Not sure I entirely agree. I don't think that a Wolf-Ka would suggest killing Sally, but she might agree with such a proposal, so in my opinion Sally's death does not exonerate THE Ka.

edit: xed with Mith's triple posting

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Mith

However since Greenie presumably is sharing a computer with someone who posts a lot...there may be absolutely nothing in this...... I was thinking aloud...

She is sharing a computer with me, yes, but I think her relative quietness is her own choice, I'm not occupying the computer all the time. The only change in her (or my) behaviour that can be caused by us sharing the computer is that we might be a little less vocal right around the deadline and both of us can't vote über-late.

Originally Posted by Mith

Glut of cross posting .... interesting that you all suddenly came out of the woodwork any reason why you didn't break cover sooner? I mean nothing for an hour then a flurry in ten minutes ... cannot believe you all just arrived....

Interesting observation yet I'm not sure if it means anything. For my part, I was doing a huge grimoire-research (you can check it from the time stamp of my post on that thread ) not hiding deliberatedly and waiting for someone else to post...

edit: xed with Woggles

[Mithalwen]

Well statistically one of us should be a wolf. I know it isn't me and if you are innocent Lommie it narrows the possibilities!!!!! Of course we all may have been distracted - me by fangirldom - however maybe one of us was reluctanct ot look conspicuous? I don't know.

[Mithalwen]

Ooh that put a damper on the conversation? Am I on to something or are you just winding me up?

[Macalaure]

Menel's vote looks suspicious

Lommy and Mac have been noted as odd, and I'm inclined to suspect Mac more.

He picks out two that have been mentioned by many and votes one of them. He gives no reason of his own. It looks like he tried to start a bandwaggon against one who was likely to attract a few votes.

Boro and Lily give the first votes for Gwath. Neither looks particularly suspicious or innocent.

Rikae puts him in the lead, but she votes according to her prior suspicions.

Mith's vote would look bad if Boro is a wolf

McCaber's vote looks not too good. Not so much because of who he voted for and at what time, but because of his reasoning.

Durelin and Nogrod start the counter-waggon, which is innocent-looking.

Volo's vote is entirely confused. I'm not sure whether innocently or not.

Lommy gives the third vote for McCaber. A risky vote for a wolf if the Caberwaggon would have succeeded. A smart vote for a wolf in case she reckoned that it wouldn't.

[THE Ka]

I may be blind, but poor Emily, she sounded off like an earthquack, I mean, -quake. And Sally too, it will be quite boring now being the only old wise cracking lass around. *sniff* Sometimes I think wolvies are unfair to our disabilities...


Ahem anyways, I have a bit of a question. Volo, if you changed your mind, and tried to retract a vote, why didn't you just edit it within your post, before you posted it?
No worries of course, but I am curious about your format, it seems somewhat of a signal to someone or something if you did a 'stream-of-thought' vote.
It doesn't seem something to take so lightly, now is it?

Originally Posted by Volo

He is suspicious after all.

Yes, but so are many of us, and you.

I'm also curious about citing Nogrod's early suspicions as a grounding source for your vote, could you explain your reasoning a bit more please?

That is all I have now, because I have a long day ahead where I won't be able to access a computer, but I will be back well before the deadline.
Sorry about leaving so early, but I promise I will be able to vote this time around and stop making the mistake of putting the game's deadline in my time zone...

~ Ka