Tol-in-Gaurhoth Threefold and Six: The Night Guard

[Eönwë]

'Twas a dark night in Upper Downsbury. Eönwë was filled with restlessness, and could not sleep for the entire night. He sensed that something bad was about to happen.

Three silent shadows swept across the deserted streets of the village. The people of the village had switched their lights off, and darkness reigned supreme. It was a starless night, and if any villager had been outside, they would have been able to see nothing, save for a blacker heart of darkness within the darkness. With each day they grew stronger, and the dread that had on the first night only enveloped them now grew and lay upon the entire village like a shroud of death.

As well as their power, their confidence had also grown. Whereas before they had crept in the shadows and the corners, now the strolled down the streets, back straight and shoulders and head held high in foul grimaces.

It was a cold night, and their breath steamed, but it was barely visible in the darkness. They walked on, their feet leaving no imprint upon the ground. The only thing that a human observer would have seen would have been the red eyes that burned with the hatred of the fires of Angband. But any who would have beheld them would have been filled with an uncontrollable terror for the short time that marked the end of their lives. The large torches that served as street lights at night extinguished themselves as the Werewolves walked past.

They were almost in control now, it would only take two more days, and they would overrun the village and its inhabitants, raze its buildings and tear the inhabitants to pieces.

And then the reason for the starless night became clear. A flash of lightning in the distance pierced the night.

They reached the house of their choice. This was the most luxurious house in the small village, almost twice as large as any other. As they reached forward to open the door, it was opened before them, and in front of them stood a man, clothed in fine armour, sword in hand. Nogrod looked at them fiercely.

"You will not kill me, as you have done to the others!" he declared defiantly.

Lightning flashed again, this time nearer, and the thunder came, a deep rumble.

A strange sound was released by the wolves, a terrible sound, which Nogrod could only assume was laughing. He stood, bolder than ever, staring the evil right in the face. He would not falter.

And then one of the wolves stepped forward. It brought its head down to Nogrod's height, and let out a roar. This was no ordinary roar. The roar could be heard across the entire village, waking up most people. A baby could be heard crying the distance. The sheer power of the roar, with the wolf's thick saliva dripping through its teeth, almost knocked Nogrod off his feet, and forced him to take a step back, his head pounding, his ears deaf.

But the wolf spoke straight into his mind. Now, old man, you will taste the bitterness of death.

"I will not be killed in this way" bellowed Nogrod.

Lightning split the sky, directly above them this time. The thunder cracked like the whip of Morgoth and the landscape was lit in the blazing light for an instant.

But Nogrod's valiant efforts were in vain. The wolf stepped forwards and bit upon Nogrod's helmet. The teeth punctured and bend the metal as if it were clay. Nogrod stood no chance against such an evil. The creature of darkness bit hard, and ripped Nogrod's head from its body.

The body was eaten, but the head kept for a very special purpose.

And then the rain started, heavier than had ever been seen before in that land, streaming down in torrents, going down from the rooftops onto the streets, and washing away the blood from Nogrod's doorstep.
---

The Werewolves walked back together. The rain had abated slightly, but the icy droplets still fell. But the wolves didn't care. They had just destroyed one of their greatest enemies, and knew that they were in a good position.

As they passed a house, they saw Nessa walk out of her door, and plunge a long dagger into herself.

"See, they're doing our job for us," said one of the wolves.

The two others chuckled hellishly, and feasted upon her flesh.

---

Morning broke upon the village, and a bloody sunrise greeted the townspeople. The air was fresh and clean, yet it could be told that foul deeds had been committed that night.

And as the villagers assembled in the square, the extent of the night's evil became clear.

Standing in the centre of the village square, was the severed head of Nogrod, cloven from its body. The blood had been mixed with the rain, and there was a large reddish-puddle around it. This was the grisly scene that all who assembled that morning beheld.

Eönwë addressed the village. "So, we have lost Nogrod," he said solemnly. The people nodded, trying hard, but failing to ignore the terrible sight in front of them.

"And I see also that Nessa is missing. This is terrible news, terrible news indeed."

The people looked at their mayor, waiting to see the cause of his despair.

"This means that we only outnumber the beasts by two."

The crowd gasped in realisation.

"What it means for us is that we must catch a wolf today, or we are all going to die."

A mass-panic hit the village. People were shouting and screaming. Eönwë called for quiet. "Silence! Silence!" he said. "We must have peace today. For today we shall make the most important decision of our lives."

And so the discussion began.

Living:
A Little Green- the village butcher
Boromir88- the village pig farmer
Brinniel- the village witch
McCaber- chief (only) miner, head of miners' guild
Nienna- the village potter
Nilpaurion Felagund- the village fool
Pitchwife- the village mason
satansaloser2005- The village librarian (Mistress of the books)

The Dead
Kitanna- the village hermit - Seer
Mnemosyne- the village coquette - Innocent
Legate of Amon Lanc- the village broker - Innocent
Thinlómien- the village chief gardener - Innocent
Inziladun- the village brewer - Wolf
alonariel- the village blacksmith - Innocent (modfired)
Hakon- the village innkeeper - Innocent
Shastanis Althreduin- the village apothecary - Innocent (modfired)
Nerwen- a wandering minstrel - Innocent
wilwarin538- the village barmaid - Hunter
Nessa Telrunya- the village seamstress - Innocent (modfired)
Nogrod- the retired bourgeois - Innocent

[Nienna]

*Bangs head against wall*

I take full responsibility for Wilwa's death. I'm terribly sorry... I was worried about another Hakon-like lynch with McCaber and Brinn and Boro had made some good points against Wilwa... I totally second guessed myself and that sucks.

A Little Green
Boromir88
Brinniel
McCaber
Nienna
Nilpaurion Felagund
Pitchwife
satansaloser2005

In this list are 3 wolves. We need to lynch one today or we are pretty much doomed.

I'm thinking there is a wolf in either McCaber or Pitchwife and the other two between Nilp, Greenie, and Brinn.

*Wonders if there will be people posting today*

I'm also thinking of taking the I will lynch-vote you if you have less than 10 posts today because it is crucial to have everyone making a contribution so the wolves can slip and so that the innocents can work together. If you aren't contributing (unless you have serious RL issues) then you don't deserve your win. [/emo-rant]

[Boromir88]

Nienna now you know why I backed away wilwa.

I read this post as a hint to some sort of giftedness, and tried to back off without making it look too suspicious, or apparent that I thought she was a gifted. The wilwa lynch had to be wolf driven, and good news is tomorrow I have absolutely nothing to do (besides work for a few hours in the morning).

So, after the start of the NFL season today, I shall return.

[Brinniel]

Urgh, this is really frustrating. I'm feeling quite stunned as I was so sure this time wilwa was a baddie and now I find I was wrong...gah, I'm very confused now. Obviously I need to go back and re-examine everyone; toDay we can't take anything for granted.

Originally Posted by Nienna

I'm also thinking of taking the I will lynch-vote you if you have less than 10 posts today because it is crucial to have everyone making a contribution so the wolves can slip and so that the innocents can work together. If you aren't contributing (unless you have serious RL issues) then you don't deserve your win. [/emo-rant]

I do agree it's annoying to have players who don't contribute much, but I hope you don't take that route and vote for someone just because they don't post much. We can't afford to risk that toDay as we won't know whether someone isn't posting due to RL issues or because they are just lurking. Contribution is a factor, but voting based on suspicious behaviour is even more important.

[satansaloser2005]

++Cabbie


Because I'm not likely to change my mind anyway. (Unless someone else starts looking really, really bad.)


Well, people, we more or less have to get this right toDay. Our ranger is out and about, but there's no guarantee that she'll get the save right. Heaven knows she's not gotten one right yet. But enough self-deprication and demotivation. Let's discuss!

*runs off to make a vote tally of DOOM to analyze*

[McCaber]

Originally Posted by satansaloser2005

++Cabbie


Because I'm not likely to change my mind anyway. (Unless someone else starts looking really, really bad.)

Good morning to you, too.

Well, I should be around for most of the Day for once, so that's a good thing. And since we've got the preliminary "three of us are wolves" posts out of the way, I can get straight to business. wilwa either aimed at Boro and he was guarded (probably not, but I had to say it), or at an innocent. I should go through her posts yesterDay and see if anyone can tell who was Hunted, because there's probably a hint or two in there.

But hey, I'm not dead yet, so that's another good thing. Woo.

[satansaloser2005]

Originally Posted by McCaber

Good morning to you, too.

*hugs you*

Sorry, but you must understand. Besides, it's not like I'm writing a petition to hang you up by your toes, cover you in hot sauce, and tell Phantom you're a very large hot wing.

....

....

....

Yet.


*toddles off to do vote stuff*

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

All right, the more I read the post I mentioned, the more I believe wilwa tried to hunt McCaber. So most likely I'll not vote for him toDAY.

And the more I read yesterday's posts the more Nienna becomes suspicious to me.

Originally Posted by Nienna

I wonder why Nerwen and not Nog or Nilp? Nerwen was trusted by some but recently it seemed as if more people trusted Nog and Nilp. Thoughts?

Trying to get people suspicious with the two of us? If you're the Werewolf of course you'd know why Nerwen was killed . . .

Originally Posted by Nienna

Nog: I thought that post pretty self-explanatory. At the time I didn't really know where her suspicion of Wilwa was coming from. Today I have asked and found out so am now feeling better about Brinn and worse about Wilwa.

Sniffing the air for signs of a bandwaggon? Perhaps the pack (or some of them) got the Hunter-clues wilwa left behind and tried to get her lynched instead of wasting a NIGHT kill. I don't know if Brinn's been unwittingly used as a bird-dog or a co-conspirator; I'm inclined to think the latter. However she was suspicious of wilwa even before this DAY, which attenuates my suspicion towards her. But not by much.

Originally Posted by Nienna

I'd be game for last minute Wilwa lynch. She has just been a little off and looking at others opinions of her I think the same... I'm not entirely comfortable voting for Pitchwife or McCaber right now...

Here we go. Setting up the whole thing. Her vote for wilwa follows (along with Nogrod's and Brinn's, not five minutes apart.)

Why kill Nogrod, though? Nog's a part of that sudden bandwaggon, and would therefore be suspicious the next DAY . . . (Come to think of it, 'twas Nienna who first pointed out that the Guard tally was miscounted--the Night Guard shifted from Nogrod to Boro, who would have been a better kill candidate in this scenario. Why, though? It would have been better if they did not point it out . . . Blast, I've just created reasonable doubt in my own case.

Perhaps it would have been noticed by someone else, anyway, and pointing it out herself helps her cover. Perhaps killing Nogrod would have helped make her (them if Brinniel and/or Sally's part of the pack) look innocent in a roundabout way. A bluff to the effect of, 'See? Nogrod who voted for wilwa is innocent. The whole thing's an innocent mistake.' But . . . I dunno. )

Originally Posted by Nienna

*Bangs head against wall*

I take full responsibility for Wilwa's death. I'm terribly sorry... I was worried about another Hakon-like lynch with McCaber and Brinn and Boro had made some good points against Wilwa... I totally second guessed myself and that sucks.

A Little Green
Boromir88
Brinniel
McCaber
Nienna
Nilpaurion Felagund
Pitchwife
satansaloser2005

In this list are 3 wolves. We need to lynch one today or we are pretty much doomed.

I'm thinking there is a wolf in either McCaber or Pitchwife and the other two between Nilp, Greenie, and Brinn.

*Wonders if there will be people posting today*

I'm also thinking of taking the I will lynch-vote you if you have less than 10 posts today because it is crucial to have everyone making a contribution so the wolves can slip and so that the innocents can work together. If you aren't contributing (unless you have serious RL issues) then you don't deserve your win. [/emo-rant]

Takes full responsibility for wilwa's death. Haha, does that mean Brinniel is not part of the pack? Interesting that Sally was not mentioned in her possible wolf groups . . .

All in all, perhaps this was all a slip from Nienna's otherwise perfect Werewolf performance, probably induced by their proximity to a victory. But that thing with the Night Guard tally error and the NIGHT kill . . . *sigh* Does not compute.

[Nienna]

Though I would love to have a perfect ww performance it is not at all true. As an ordo my last minute jump onto Wilwa was terrible and I know that. This is not at all how I act as a wolf and after the last game where I won as a wolf I think I'd stay with what seems to be working.

Right before deadline yesterday I was frustrated and confused and was basically like "whatever something needs to happen" and I didn't want to be part of the Hakon-like McCaber lynch... though maybe it would have been better because then we would still have our Hunter.

Greenie is worrying me the most today. I'll go through some of her posts as well as some of Sally's though I'm pretty sure Sally is an innocent.

[Nienna]

Oh and PS about the guard vote mistake: I was counting the votes wondering who would be guarded and saw that Boro had more. When Mayor Steve posted that Nog was being saved I was very confused. So I asked. I also put that he was allowed to not answer me. If he didn't count Sally's vote then this would mean that there could be people who's votes aren't counting and it would have been interesting to discuss. So I wanted to know if it was a mistake and if it was then it needed to be fixed regardless of the people's roles and if it wasn't then it was something that could be talked about.

Edit: Ex-ed with McCaber

[Boromir88]

McCaber on Inzil, nothing much to be honest. He votes for Inzil Day 2 (interesting enough the Day when it's pretty clear Legate will be lynched. However, I can't find any reason why Inzil was his "top suspect" for the 1st 2 days.

It seems some of the biggest points against me are voting for Inzil twice, both when he was in no danger of being lynched.~#590

Problem is McCaber, you only voted for Inzil once. You voted wilwa on Day 1.

The most suspicious thing about McCaber, is his back and forth about Legate:

This is from Day 1:

Although we shouldn't be hasty to lynch someone we protected if there's only one kill. That seems to be a very easy way for the pack to manipulate the village. Granted, it would only work one time at most, but it could still backfire horribly.

[Boromir88]

In the post above I accidentally hit enter when I didn't mean to. So, I will just continue. Then Day 2 McCaber changes his tune:

In 198

Well so far I don't have any more brilliant insights. Although for what it's worth I think we have time for a Legate lynch toDay, and be ready to sort things out later.

Saying a Legate lynch would be good today, despite the day before saying the wolves could easily manipulate the guard vote?

In 305

Well, I'm back. And toDay has certainly been more interesting than I originally wanted. We have Legate arguing his innocence, and ... just about everyone but Legate wanting to lynch him.

Right now I'm not prepared to argue either way, but I'll stay connected and think about what this shows about the "everyone but Legate" crowd.

Pointing out that everyone except Legate seems to believe Legate is guilty, but McCaber stays back and plays it cautiously, saying he won't argue either way.

In #319 he then says he can't vote for Legate, based on what he pointed out on Day 1, so he votes Inzil...and this is a vote he would know full well would not pick up any steam. Since, Day 2, it was clear Legate was going to be lynched.

In #368, brags about being correct on Legate:

Well, all that I can say is that I was right. The guarding was an extremely easy tactic for the wolves to manipulate. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Legate lynch was largely driven by the wolves to see how much they could get away with.

In #514 he suspects Hakon, but defends Pitch:

Hakon is doing his level best to appear suspicious, while Pitchwife is doing the exact opposite. He's taking actions which look suspicious, but he explains himself well and seems genuine. I know, a rather simple analysis, but it works for me.

But then in #590, after calling Pitch geniune he stays away from the Hakon wagon, and votes Pitch in #591.

Flip-flopping back and forth about people is one thing, but how does Pitch go from geniune to a vote? Your voting McCaber has appeared to be conscious attempts to stay out of lynching innocents. Day 1, it was wilwa, Day 2 it was Inzil when it was clear Legate would be lynched, and Day 4 you steer from the Hakon wagon, to vote for someone you thought was genuinely innocent?

[McCaber]

Originally Posted by Nilpaurion Felagund

All right, the more I read the post I mentioned, the more I believe wilwa tried to hunt McCaber. So most likely I'll not vote for him toDAY.

That's what I picked up on, too, but I couldn't really say it given the situation.

I just had a discouraging thought. If an innocent votes for another ordinary villager, the game is lost. So it could be over already, depending on the alignments of sally and I. Rather a disturbing thing to wake up to, no?

Anyway, I'm back.