TIG XCIV– WHere the Stars Are Strange (Game thread)

[Nerwen]

Dark was the mood of the three spies that night as they climbed the staircase that led to the Envoy's quarters.

"I care not what happens to us now," one muttered, speaking for them all, "as long as I see the blood of that accursed sorcerer!"

As they neared the landing that was their goal, they were most encouraged to see that the Envoy's door was unguarded.

"Odd, this. Magician or not, I'd say he's too confident for his own good–"

"The Envoy," said a voice behind them, "is defended better than you think." Galadriel55, the assassin, stepped into the pool of flickering light cast by one of the torches that lined the stairwell. "Shall I slay you now, Northern devils? Or will your craven souls, lusting after a few more hours of life, tempt you to surrender, that you may be led to execution tomorrow?" The light flashed on the long, sharp blade of her dagger. "Which is it to be?"

"Neither. It is you we shall slay, barbarian!" they said, drawing their own weapons.

"By Elbereth!" said one. "Is it to be only women we kill, though? Doesn't seem right..."

"A woman? Say rather, a fiend. You saw what she did to those slaves, didn't you? And she played full part in poor Nogrod's killing," replied another grimly. "Tonight the assassin shall be assassinated! For Gondor!"

"For the Empress!" shrieked Galadriel55.

Like Rikae before her, Galadriel fought with the savagery of a true fanatic. Her blade did the work of three, flashing and whirling in a deadly dance of steel. Outnumbered though she was, it seemed she might yet prove more than a match for the three spies. Then one of them managed to lunge past her guard, gashing her across the shoulder. It was not, in itself, a mortal wound, but the shock of it sent the blade spinning from her hand. Worse, it made her lose her precarious footing on the edge of the step.

The assassin teetered for a moment, arms flailing, then with a scream fell backwards and crashed down the stairs, to lie sprawled and motionless at the bottom.

The three made their way down gingerly, half-afraid she was merely shamming, but they need not have worried. Galadriel's broken neck was bent almost at right angles to her body, though she was so newly dead that the blood still ran from her wound.

"Wait, that's funny," said one of the spies, bending for a closer look.

The rip in the black cloth of the assassin's robe revealed another layer of clothing beneath– this one a brilliant scarlet, embroidered on the shoulder with a design in gold thread.

Bloody though it was, they had no difficulty in recognising the triple serpent insignia of the Captain of the Guard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Living
Boromir88 –Wealthy mûmak breeder.
Sally –Messenger girl.
Shasta –Particularly attentive guard-lieutenant.
Steve –Court Jester (from Umbar).
Pomegranate –Entertainer.
A Little Green –The Empress's favourite snake-charmer.
Pitchwife –Captain in the "Provisional Royal Númenórean Navy" and emissary of Angamaitë IX, Lord of Umbar.
Lottie –Accident-prone sorcerer's apprentice.
Inziladun –Minister of the Treasury.
Lommy! –Court physician.
Legate of Amon Lanc –Legate of Khand.

Dead
The Empress of Harad. Mod. –assassinated in her sleep.
Bom Tombadillo –Greatly afflicted beggar. Ordo. –multiple stab wounds.
Eruhen –Court eunuch. Ordo. –burned to death on the Empress's funeral pyre.
Rikae –Empress's handmaiden. Royal Executioner. –garotted with own wire.
Nogrod –Camel and coffee trader. Spy. –poisoned with own merchandise.
Galadriel55 –Professional assassin. Captain of the Guard. –neck broken in stairwell fight.

Day Three has begun.

[A Little Green]

A dead wolf is gloating next to me. I find that disturbing.

[Eönwë]

NOOOOOOO! I dreamed her as well.

[Eönwë]

Also, only one kill. I wonder what that means the first one was.

[Pomegranate]

Oh no! I guess this means one thing - Eonwe, you'll be dead after toNight, so it would be worthy of getting your one ordo.

Also, I'm ill, too much to be able to think much, but I'll try my best. That will at least mean I'll be here all the time, in my bed, following the game. Things that I managed to think about yesterDay while following the game on my phone on all the little free bits I had:

Legate. I was looking at him yesterday thinking, there's no reason an innocent person would react to Eonwe's revelation like that. I mean, yes, you can question that, you can 'not be sure' but if you don't know more than an ordo, I can see NO reason why you would dare that much with the life of our Seer. The only reason I could think for you acting like that would have been if you had been the real Seer and tried to save Nog without being exposed yourself. Now that we can be sure that's not the case, I don't think there's any explanation Legate could give that would make him less wolf-like in my head.

Besides Legate, there's still two wolves amongst us however, and of those two I don't really have any idea yet. Though it would be amusing if Greenie, Lommy and Nog had all been wolves, sitting together in the same room panicing about one of them being lynched. But that's just a funny idea, it is no suspection, nothing in-game related.

And one thing I'd like to know is where did we decide that Inzil is the acolyte and the acolyte is bad? I mean, Nog started it, obviously to get us away from himself, but besides him I think Legate (which doesn't really surprise me) and Shasta went along with it. How were you so sure, Shasta? That does make you look a lot worse in my head, at least until you explain (as well as the fact you wanted to try for double-lynch, which is scary business in general).

x/ed with Greenie and Legate

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Pomegranate

Oh no! I guess this means one thing - Eonwe, you'll be dead after toNight, so it would be worthy of getting your one ordo.

I actually suggest first NOT. Keep everyone (especially the WWs, therefore) in the dark until the end of the Day - or until most people really have to start voting, at least (=e.g. if people started to suspect you one Ordo heavily, Eönwë, you should stop them and reveal the person) - because if you don't say that yet, the WWs can be confused, we can possibly read more from their reactions... Nobody will kill you until the end of the Day, right, so no hurry with that.

Legate. I was looking at him yesterday thinking, there's no reason an innocent person would react to Eonwe's revelation like that. I mean, yes, you can question that, you can 'not be sure' but if you don't know more than an ordo, I can see NO reason why you would dare that much with the life of our Seer. The only reason I could think for you acting like that would have been if you had been the real Seer and tried to save Nog without being exposed yourself. Now that we can be sure that's not the case, I don't think there's any explanation Legate could give that would make him less wolf-like in my head.

Well it was similar - I suspected Eönwë so heavily at the moment he revealed that I thought his revelation MUST be fake, so I thought the real Seer is probably still somewhere, and wanted to make it so that the real Seer wouldn't have to counter-reveal yet, because that's what I thought Eönwë had intended (along with saving himself - there was no real logical reason for him to pretend to be the Seer if he was a Wolf. I thought he was a lame scared Wolf who lost his nerves seeing he's getting heavy suspicion and probably getting lynched, and so he tried to save his skin for at least one Day AND drag the Seer along with him. As you see, that would make perfect sense).

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

Though first you suggested waiting until the end of the Day.

Eönwë, read it:

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

I actually suggest first NOT. Keep everyone (especially the WWs, therefore) in the dark until the end of the Day - or until most people really have to start voting, at least (=e.g. if people started to suspect you one Ordo heavily, Eönwë, you should stop them and reveal the person) - because if you don't say that yet, the WWs can be confused, we can possibly read more from their reactions... Nobody will kill you until the end of the Day, right, so no hurry with that.

Here - bolding mine. I had the same thing in mind from the beginning: before the first people (likely Americans) have to vote (that "you" in the bracket is of course a typo, should be "your").

Working on Nogalysis now... will post shortly.

[A Little Green]

Originally Posted by Legate

Anyway, it's rather bad to lose the Captain, I wonder if it was a targeted thing (I would say yes - a good deal of people suspected her, so why else to kill her unless there was good chance she was Gifted or something). By any chance, you didn't leave any clues yesterDay about that you would want to dream about her, Eönwë, in case the WWs might have spotted that or something? Otherwise I don't know what she had been saying which could have triggered her death. But I would assume it was probably that the WWs assumed she was Gifted, that seems to me at least logical.

Not that it matters a great deal, but I think they did believe Gal was Gifted; she was quite nervous and jumpy a lot of the time. Also, why would Steve leave a hint as to who he was going to dream? Makes no sense, buddy.

Originally Posted by Nate

How were you so sure, Shasta? That does make you look a lot worse in my head, at least until you explain (as well as the fact you wanted to try for double-lynch, which is scary business in general).

He never wanted a double-lynch, though. What he said was,

Originally Posted by Shasta

Nog is a wolf. Fine. Lynch him tomorrow.

I started working on a vote analysis, but don't have time to finish it now. Anyway, I should be around most of the Day (and this time also at DL!), I'll be gone some hours now but back in a bit.


EDIT: x-ed with Legzy

[Nerwen]

Sorry for the delay in getting the narration up– I've been busy and the wolves, I mean spies, didn't send the kill in until very late.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Pomegranate

it would be amusing if Greenie, Lommy and Nog had all been wolves, sitting together in the same room panicing about one of them being lynched. But that's just a funny idea, it is no suspection, nothing in-game related.

I've thought of this a few times, since I've suspected them all a little bit at some time.

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

I actually suggest first NOT. Keep everyone (especially the WWs, therefore) in the dark until the end of the Day

No. No. No. Because then I'm just revealing them for the wolves, and they don't get the opportunity to go all out as a person totally free from suspicion. I'm sorry, but all the suggestions you've made about who to reveal when are ones that are detrimental to the village, disguised as a concerned remark. In fact, I still think that you're the most likely to be a wolf.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by A Little Green

Not that it matters a great deal, but I think they did believe Gal was Gifted; she was quite nervous and jumpy a lot of the time. Also, why would Steve leave a hint as to who he was going to dream? Makes no sense, buddy.

I was just checking whether he perchance didn't. Some people do, I don't know if Steve is one of them. Never heard of Seer saying something like "I might keep my eye on..."?

He never wanted a double-lynch, though. What he said was, I started working on a vote analysis, but don't have time to finish it now. Anyway, I should be around most of the Day (and this time also at DL!), I'll be gone some hours now but back in a bit.

He did not say it maybe, but he was playing with it dangerously by putting the second line of votes there.

Originally Posted by Eönwë

No. No. No. Because then I'm just revealing them for the wolves, and they don't get the opportunity to go all out as a person totally free from suspicion.

They will get that opportunity the next Day, of course! That's how it's always been done. Because toNight, of course, YOU will die, most likely (and if not, the better). So it's not revaling them only for the Wolves! And on top of that, they would have that chance after you reveal that - like I said, sometime later. Since we have Americans who will probably vote overnight European time (and should better know who is not a Wolf before the vote), then e.g. evening European time would be good. Of course, it's entirely your call.

Off for maybe half an hour or hour, I'll be back.

[Pomegranate]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

No. No. No. Because then I'm just revealing them for the wolves, and they don't get the opportunity to go all out as a person totally free from suspicion. I'm sorry, but all the suggestions you've made about who to reveal when are ones that are detrimental to the village, disguised as a concerned remark. In fact, I still think that you're the most likely to be a wolf.

Referred to this. There has been three nights - that would leave you with one ordo, Nog and G55.

[A Little Green]

Originally Posted by Eonwe

Also, only one kill. I wonder what that means the first one was.

Might be that the Acolyte only kills once, or that s/he only kills every other Night, or that s/he only kills when s/he wants to, or that s/he kills randomly, or - just about anything, really.

Well. If we want to think positive, at least we don't have to worry about accidentally lynching Gifteds any more. And likewise, we're one wolf down which means we'll have a deal to analyze toDay!

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by A Little Green

Might be that the Acolyte only kills once, or that s/he only kills every other Night, or that s/he only kills when s/he wants to, or that s/he kills randomly, or - just about anything, really.

That's basically what I think too. I never believed for a second that the Acolyte would be simply a Werebear, or anything that would kill every Night. If it had anything to do with the Acolyte, anyway.

Well. If we want to think positive, at least we don't have to worry about accidentally lynching Gifteds any more. And likewise, we're one wolf down which means we'll have a deal to analyze toDay!

Unless lynching the Acolyte counts. Let's bear in mind we still don't know if the Acolyte is evil or not.

Anyway, it's rather bad to lose the Captain, I wonder if it was a targeted thing (I would say yes - a good deal of people suspected her, so why else to kill her unless there was good chance she was Gifted or something). By any chance, you didn't leave any clues yesterDay about that you would want to dream about her, Eönwë, in case the WWs might have spotted that or something? Otherwise I don't know what she had been saying which could have triggered her death. But I would assume it was probably that the WWs assumed she was Gifted, that seems to me at least logical. And there are other priorities toDay to analyze, as it was said, namely Nogrod and his actions the previous days - so that's what we should focus on.

I'll look at it too, during the upcoming hours; I will be doing other stuff besides playing too, but I'll be popping up from time to time.