WW CVI: Tol-in-Westeros Game Thread

[Kath]

The Inn was quiet. Kath was polishing the bar, and Agan sat on a stool counting pennies meticulously.

“Did you see the black cloth sticking out from beneath that one person's cloak?” Agan asked. “Surely a brother of the Night's Watch on the run.”

“Or on an errand to the south,” Kath retorted. “Anyway it's not just the Night's Watch who wear black. I served beer – well, several beers actually – to somebody with amazingly violet eyes. If I didn't know better I could've sworn they were a Targaryen's eyes.”

“You've never seen a Targaryen. And they've died out. Puff. All gone, and a good thing that is. We don't need any more Mad Kings.”

“I’m not sure that a Mad King wouldn’t be better than a Lannister on the throne. I am sure I saw crimson and gold underneath some of those dark cloaks.”

Agan shuddered at the very thought of lions in her bar and peered closely at the money she was counting. She couldn’t see anything gold, but that was no real comfort.

“And better violet eyes than glowing blue.” Kath continued. “I’ve heard tales of those walkers in the North, the Night’s Watch bring strange stories in return for a drink.”

“Never mind mysterious tales from north of the Wall,” Agan interrupted. “I’ve a better story from right here in the Inn!”

Kath’s eyes glinted with interest and she leant forwards on the bar, hand under her chin, ready to listen.

“You saw those two; the big and hairy bloke and the fair-haired girl? They came in separately and sat separately but exchanged lovesick glances all evening.”

“Oh, those two! They both seemed really upset about getting beds in gender-specific dorms!” Kath exclaimed. “I rather think we are seeing a tryst here. Not that it's anything special! I wonder if they'll sneak out.”

“Do lock the door, Kath, and hide the key in its usual place! The times being what they are, we don't want any negligent lovers to leave our door open for sellswords and robbers.”

“Yes yes,” Kath said and dug the large key out of her pocket.

“I'll go bar the kitchen door,” Agan said

Heading off in different directions, the two dwarves had no chance against the evils that were about to befall them. As Agan marched off toward the kitchen, three shadows slid down the stairs and followed her trail. As Kath turned her back on the room to lock the heavy wooden door, a faint whisper, as if of hair moving in a breeze, made her turn back.

“Agan?” She called, uncertain.

There was no reply.

She hid the key and pocketed the coins Agan had left on the table. She flicked crumbs from the table idly and shifted her weight, and wondered what was keeping Agan. Then she followed her. What she saw in the kitchen made her gag. There was Agan, crumpled on the floor and covered in blood. Her throat had been slit neatly, and there were gashes and cuts all over her body. She was still breathing shallowly, but as Kath rushed to embrace her, the tears in her eyes blurring her vision, she sighed once and was still.

“Oh, they will pay for this, they will!” Kath snarled, and made for the axe behind the bar. Her tiny footprints mixed with the traces of huge paws on the bloody floor.

Even through her furious tears, something about those pawprints caught Kath’s attention. The tracks were crossed and muddled, yet there was something different. Kath bent closer to the floor, to one print in particular. Surely those others were the marks of some great cat but this one, this one was … a bear?
As though thinking of the creature conjured it before her, a great paw scythed through the air above Kath’s head. Before she could do much as scream, claws gored into her back, stabbing through her heart. Blood bubbling from her mouth, she too collapsed to the ground and was still.


~ ~ ~


As the patrons woke up gradually, they realised something was wrong. The Inn was chilly, and there was no smell of cooking. When Kitanna got downstairs, Eönwë and Inzil were already there.

“The fire hasn't been lit,” pointed out Eönwë.

“It looks like our hostesses are sleeping late this morning,” said Inzil.

“I'll take the liberty to pour myself a beer then,” Kitanna said.

A short time later, Encai pranced downstairs, followed by wilwa and Boro.

“Where are Agan and Kath?” she asked.

“Let's go look for them,” said Boro, “I want my breakfast.”

“I believe their room is in the second floor,” said wilwa.

On the stairs Boro and wilwa ran into Lottie and Nerwen, and together they proceeded to Agan and Kath's door. Lottie knocked but there was no reply, and Nerwen pushed the door open. The room was empty, the bed unslept-in.

“Something must be wrong,” Lottie said.

“They wouldn't just have left,” Nerwen agreed. Suddenly there came a cry from downstairs. G55 was standing at the kitchen floor, looking pale.

“I think... I think I've found them,” she whispered.

Greenie and WythDryden came through the doorway, having been alerted by G55’s scream.

“By all the gods,” Greenie whispered, “who could have done this?”

“Not who,” WythDryden replied, “but what.”

“He’s right!” Eomer’s voice called from the main room. As the others made their way back to him, they saw that he was pointing down at the ground, where bloodied prints were still clearly marked.

“Are those … lion prints?” Rikae asked.

“And bear prints.” Mac added after a closer inspection.

Cop, face peering through the mounds of shawls that surrounded her, nodded with a sad sigh.

“To think, two peaceful creatures murdered as we slept. It’s despicable.”

“How did they get in though – or out?” asked Nogrod. “The front door is locked, and so is the back door. I can't find the key. And the windows are too small!”

“Maybe they didn't get out. Maybe they're still here with us,” said Volo ominously to the quiet room.

“Oi! Is this a torn Lannister cloak I see?” Gil cried suddenly from a corner in his Braavosi accent, holding up a piece of crimson fabric with a lion clearly stitched on it in golden thread. “Do we have traitors in our midst?”

“I am afraid all the signs point to what Gil just said being true. There are murderers here,” sally concluded.

“And we cannot get out,” said skip, hitting the door. The lock rattled but the door didn't budge. The patrons fell silent, the realisation of their bleak situation dawning upon them. The silence was only broken by a voice from the middle of the stairs:

“What's this commotion?” asked Lommy, sleepy-eyed and smiling, “and what's for breakfast?”

~ ~ ~

DAY 1 HAS BEGUN
VILLAGERS – DISCUSS YOUR WOES!

Dead:
Agan
Kath

Alive:
Eönwë - house Royce
Inziladun - house Tully
Kitanna - illiterate peasant
Encaitare - random peasant
Thinlómien - house (Stannis) Baratheon
wilwarin538 - house Mormont
Boromir88 - house Bolton
Loslote - illiterate Tyrell cousin
Nerwen - house Martell
Galadriel55 - wildling
A Little Green - house Reed
WythDryden - house Martell
Eomer of the Rohirrim - house Stark
Rikae - house Tarth
Macalaure - house Connington
Coppermirror - crazy Northern hermit
Nogrod - house Swann
Colin "Volo" Mute - house (Euron) Greyjoy
Gil-Galad - First Baker of Braavos
satansaloser2005 - random peasant
skip spence - ex-Lannister Imp

[Kitanna]

There's three peasants, three lions. So obviously Sally, Enca, and me...oh wait. Well, that simply isn't correct...

[wilwarin538]

Would like to start by saying that the fact that House Mormont is from Bear Island and our blazon is a black bear is purely coincidental and has nothing to do with a certain role. And here I was prepared to make stupid bear puns for most of the game and they went and added that role and ruined my fun

Can't believe I'm playing WW, been like 3 years, this is so exciting

[Rikae]

Originally Posted by wilwarin538

Would like to start by saying that the fact that House Mormont is from Bear Island and our blazon is a black bear is purely coincidental and has nothing to do with a certain role. And here I was prepared to make stupid bear puns for most of the game and they went and added that role and ruined my fun

Can't believe I'm playing WW, been like 3 years, this is so exciting

And I was about to post "glares suspiciously at Wilwa Mormont" when I saw that you'd already mentioned it...

[Galadriel55]

÷÷Zil
÷÷Kit
÷÷Lommy
÷÷Boro
÷÷Lottie
÷÷Nerwen
÷÷Nog
÷÷Sally
÷÷Greenie
÷÷Cop

Because I've never played with you, ever.

÷÷Steve
÷÷Eomer
÷÷Wilwa
÷÷Rikae

Because I've just played with you a week ago.

÷÷Enca
÷÷Mac
÷÷Volo
÷÷Gil
÷÷skip

Because I've played with you every single game I played.

÷÷Wyth

Because you're such an old-timer, I'm bored of you.

I love all of you. AND I'M PLAYING WEREWOLF AGAIN!!!

[Rikae]

A week ago? You must have me mixed up with someone else.

Edit: Ah, never mind, none of that makes sense.

[wilwarin538]

Originally Posted by Rikae

A week ago? You must have me mixed up with someone else.

Edit: Ah, never mind, none of that makes sense.

My guess is she's making some sort of GoT reference based on our chosen houses in relation to her as a wilding and I just don't get it...

....or she's lost her mind.

x'ed with Coppermirror

[satansaloser2005]

Originally Posted by Kitanna

There's three peasants, three lions. So obviously Sally, Enca, and me...oh wait. Well, that simply isn't correct...

Now, now, Kit, darling, you know very well that's now how numbers work, and you know even better that Enca isn't one of us- um, useful, useful people in the game, since she only joined to help her lad.

*clears throat*

You'll have to forgive dear Kit. She learned to count by cutting into her fingers one at a time, and she accidentally removed a few during the process, so math is a bit difficult for her.

[satansaloser2005]

I found out that we will have a Very Important Visitor at work tomorrow, so I will be unable to access the Downs except during my lunch. If I wake up early enough in the morning, I'll vote before I head to work, but otherwise I'll have to pop in quickly during lunch and catch up as best I can before shooting off a quick vote. Obviously the latter is my preference, but I'll have to see how tomorrow unfolds.

I'm going to try to catch up on the thread before bed, but there doesn't seem to have been much of substance said so far, so I may put it off until morning.

[Gil-Galad]

Ah the first day, or as I like to call it "shot in the dark" day. I will be patient and do my dough-dancing for the guests.

(Just a heads up, I do have a final exam this saturday so ideally my focus will lay in studying for that. If a voting deadline is coming up and I am absent, one or all of the fabulous downers that have me on fb can feel free to msg me to remind me.)

"There is only one god, yeast, and when it refuses to rise we say 'not today'."

[Macalaure]

Mac Connington has been sitting in a corner of the inn, quietly. He was friendless here: all kinds of houses of Westeros were present, yet, the Martells aside, all of them loyal subjects of the Usurper. It made him sick. He wished he could feel different about the peasants, but he knew they cared little, as long as they were left alone and had the copper to buy an ale at the inn.

Yet now this inn didn't sell ale anymore, being violently parted from its owners. Maybe this was just the kind of stir needed to bring fat lords and witless smallfolk to a nobler cause. (Comment about incognito Targaryens withheld due to spoilers.)

Mac took off his glove, slowly and deliberately, and inspected his hand. The black nail on his index finger once again brought a frown to his face. He pulled his knife and carefully pricked the fingertip. He felt nothing, and his expression turned bitter. He put away the knife and swiftly slipped the glove back on, and then rose.

"I believe the matter at hand is clear enough. Were-Lannisters have killed our innkeeps, and there is little reason to believe they won't strike again the coming night. Since obviously we can't just leave this cursed place, we need to find who in our midst is secretly the worst among the Usurper's ilk." He looked around the common room in mistrust, then glanced again at his gloved hand. "And we don't have much time to do so! This place is suspiciously quiet and void of a sense of urgency!"

He collected himself, to voice his thoughts.

Originally Posted by Lommy

what is House Connington famous for? Being Targaryen loyalists and getting bitch slapped by Lannisters.

Lommy of House Baratheon, I name you liar! House Connington is also famous for losing crucial and extremely winnable battles.
Also, I'll say it again, I will have nothing to do with that Usurper's lickspittle Ronnel!

Originally Posted by Boro

And no one kills FOR Lannisters half as well as House Bolton.

I took the freedom to mend your quote for you, Boro of House Bolton.

Wilwa of House Mormont gives good advice concerning lovers and hunter. I agree. Galadriel the wildling adds some sense, too, but Inzil of House Tully's comments on Wilwa's points seem more looking-to-be-helpful rather than actually helpful to me. Then again, Encai finds him helpful, so maybe I'm too eager to find something suspicious in what little has been posted so far.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Macalaure

"I believe the matter at hand is clear enough. Were-Lannisters have killed our innkeeps, and there is little reason to believe they won't strike again the coming night. Since obviously we can't just leave this cursed place, we need to find who in our midst is secretly the worst among the Usurper's ilk." He looked around the common room in mistrust, then glanced again at his gloved hand. "And we don't have much time to do so! This place is suspiciously quiet and void of a sense of urgency!"

Hmmn. I do believe Mac Connington talks sense. I've been sitting here listening to you all from my dark corner, and what do I hear? "Bears... Targaryens..." Barely a word from any of you about these murderous were-Lannisters we know are among us. I wonder whose interest it might be in to steer the conversation away from that particular topic?

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Hmmn. I do believe Mac Connington talks sense. I've been sitting here listening to you all from my dark corner, and what do I hear? "Bears... Targaryens..." Barely a word from any of you about these murderous were-Lannisters we know are among us. I wonder whose interest it might be in to steer the conversation away from that particular topic?

What? Are you joking? This is such a classic wolf post I'm almost willing to give you the benefit of doubt, but not really.

Jumping on someone else's point to create suspicion against a group of people? Check. Throwing around vague suspicion that can't bear close inspection? Check.

Of course people are talking about the bear and the modified hunter this early on. It's always the exceptional rules that start the discussion on Day1 (it was the same last game, for example).

But ironically, your post has started the actual wolf suspicions (both by you suspecting the earlier posters and by me now suspecting you) so maybe I shouldn't complain.

[Thinlómien]

Okay, let me get this straight.

Good sides to having a bear
- it makes more sense for the bear and his lover to side with us (that would make the odds 18 against 3 and with a double ability to try to take out a wolf).
- even if the bear and his lover don't choose sides yet, they have a reasonable chance of killing a wolf even at random.

Bad sides to having a bear
- two kills per Night. Apparently I'm the only one freaked out by this atm. It's in the bear's interests as well as the wolves' to get rid of the gifted so this does not bode well.
- also, consequently, my maths say that if the bear and his lover choose to side with the wolves, then the worst case scenario is that we can have a total out in the open vote conspiracy that can make the village lose as early as Day4.

Also, I don't personally like the idea of a duo of people who can choose their allegiance having this much power, that's too much of a source of chaos. Otherwise, the ratio 16 innocents against 3 wolves sounds like we shouldn't be too worried, but we should not let it fool us. Let's win rather sooner than later, alright? I'm still annoyed by the wolf victory in the last game!!

In conclusion, we should focus on finding the wolves, but personally I'm not too saddened if the bear and/or his lover become casualties in our wolf hunt. No offense, but I will feel safer without a bear roaming in the Night, even if the bear is trying to kill wolves, because I don't trust anybody's judgement more than the collective judgement of the village. (And honestly I don't see the cobbler as a big problem.)

Now let's just cross our fingers and hope that the bear and the wolves kill each others for us. We can deal with the bear later if they start to become problematic.


edi: xed with Nerwen

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Also, I don't personally like the idea of a duo of people who can choose their allegiance having this much power, that's too much of a source of chaos. Otherwise, the ratio 16 innocents against 3 wolves sounds like we shouldn't be too worried, but we should not let it fool us. Let's win rather sooner than later, alright? I'm still annoyed by the wolf victory in the last game!!

In conclusion, we should focus on finding the wolves, but personally I'm not too saddened if the bear and/or his lover become casualties in our wolf hunt. No offense, but I will feel safer without a bear roaming in the Night, even if the bear is trying to kill wolves, because I don't trust anybody's judgement more than the collective judgement of the village. (And honestly I don't see the cobbler as a big problem.)

Now let's just cross our fingers and hope that the bear and the wolves kill each others for us. We can deal with the bear later if they start to become problematic.

Hi there!

Never played with a bear (and a loving Maiden fair: how beastly!) before. Like you say, they really are an added source of chaos, as if ww wasn't chaotic enough as it is. This may change of course but at present the pair will have no reason to take sides. The bear can of course try to kill a Lion at some point but if it misses the mark it will surely not hesitate to switch sides again and then again if it seems beneficiary, making them as dangerous to the Lions as to the innocents. So we'd better focus on trying to reveal the Lions rather than the Lovers, since they are clear enemies. That's the way I see things at least.

[Boromir88]

Originally Posted by Macalaure

I took the freedom to mend your quote for you, Boro of House Bolton.

*glares at Mac*

Where is Eomer of the House Stark? I'm here to let you know declare your enemies and Bolton stands behind you. Be advised not to listen to any Tully...they're not of the North and can't help us in matters of war and death.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Oh, and, why on earth does everybody assume the hunter will be a known innocent if s/he lives an extra Day when the rules make it clear s/he can't reveal?

Well, doesn't the Hunter already use his ability by surviving an extra Day, and can kinda do whatever they want since they're as good as dead by the next Nightfall? They've spent their power already, so they have nothing left to lose by revealing.

Originally Posted by Volo

Lommy's math is ominous. I would rest easier if someone proved her wrong.

What in Westeros is that supposed to mean?

Originally Posted by Nerwen

But at that point (surviving the Night-kill) the hunter would have no power to lose, so no reason *not* to reveal; at least that's how I read it.

Yes, that's what I meant. Especially since the wolves/bear always know who the Hunter is, and the village doesn't always (only if he's lynched). The wolves and lovers know who they target and Night, we don't. That means that if the Hunter stays quiet, they have a Day to mop up their tracks and we are still walking in ignorance. If we don't know who they wanted to kill, we lack that much info on who to lynch that Day. The wolves/bear have one on us.

However, and this is something I have not considered when I started writing this post, the non-kill could just be a Ranger save from their perspective. They won't know either if said person is a Hunter or an unknown someone. Heck, the Ranger could be protecting a Lion from a Bear! I need to digest this thought, I can't think of all the consequences of this right away.

Originally Posted by Aganzir

The narration will let you know if there's a ranger save or, indeed, if someone refuses to die.

Aw. That kinda kills it. Never mind the last cool thought.

Originally Posted by Macalaure

I agree that we will probably be able to figure out the identity of a hunter surviving a Night kill without too much trouble (after all, who would fake reveal at that point, other than maybe a cobbler?).

Or at any rate it could draw out a desperate wolf. Either way, I can't see any negative consequence to this, but I can see several positive ones.

Originally Posted by wilwarin538

The Lovers won't be making any specific allegiances until later in the game when it's clear which side is doing better. If we manage to get a wolf early on then they'll probably side more with us, but if we go days without being successful they probably won't. If we want them on our side we have to do well, basically.

I agree more or less with this statement, but it bothers me slightly that you are so sure about it.

Originally Posted by WythDryden

*Puts his suspicious eyes on* Getting nervous eh?

Edit: Well since reading page 2 and the posts agreeing with the strategy, maybe you are innocent after all. I'll still be keeping my eye out though. I have yet to fully trust any of you. Wilwarin's posts almost seem too helpful to be genuine after all.

Hey, it only takes a village to follow a clever wolf's lead into stupidity. It doesn't hurt to think differently. The fact that people agree doesn't make a thing less stupid. So if you think it's stupid, say that it's stupid, because maybe it just is.

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

The fact still stands though that later in the game it's entirely possible for the joined wolves and lovers to win simply by being out in the open and ruling the voting. That's worth keeping in mind.

But then the lovers risk an easy lose. If they're in the open and we lynch one to get rid of the second Night-kill and an extra wolf vote, or just lynch them for whatever reason, they don't win. They have to be sure that IF they come out, they will not be killed OR lynched.

Originally Posted by Gil-Galad

Granted that the double night kills are scary, but keep in mind that Lions and the Bear will ideally choose their marks based on the days results. The Bear's greatest threat would be Lions, and would be smart to hunt them out first. On the flip side, the Lions are right to be afraid of the Bear at night and would see that threat gone immediately, anyway possible.

On the contrary, though the Bear is somewhat unpredictalbe (ie can kill a wolf), he is their greatest helper. Heck, they can cut out the village in half the time together!