Tol-in-Gaurhoth XXI: Dueling Wizards Werewolf

[Cailín]

Difficult, difficult.

I am still reluctant to think Nogrod a wolf, because he would not have been my choice. I know he loves stirring up confusion and discussion, which would just be too risky for the EW. Then again, he might be the EW.

Aside from the fact that I would choose Lalaith and still think she'd make a good original wolf, I do not find her overly suspicious at the moment.

That's the primary lynching candidates right now. If I'd be forced to choose between them, Lalaith would be my choice. However, neither I'd be perfectly happy with.

I'd much rather repeat my vote for Oddwen, whose silence is quite disturbing. My lorebooks say nothing about her or her ancestors, but I heard some rumours that tell of a different kind of behaviour. However, I fear it would be a throwaway vote, not helpful to anyone.

My generally untrustworthy intuition is telling me to look closely at Kath and Nilpaurion Felagund.

Oh, and Fea, it's about the wolves names, not their personalities. I thought you loved alliteration? Lhuna, Lalaith and Loki would be very poetically responsible. Not to mention quite a reasonable team. Yeah. That's all.

I have to think about this.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by the phantom

In other words, for as long as possible you want us know-nothing villagers to run around lynching people without the guidance of a knowledgeable, invincible, for-sure-trusted-good-guy?

Doesn't sound like a good plan to me.

This raises an important question about the rules. If the EW call for a battle between the wizards, will that take place immediately - or "at the sunset" or something?

So has the good wizard time to announce her/his knowledge before the battle takes place and s/he dies? The EW has been granted at least the possibility of the wolves learning each others identity. It would be fair, that the villagers could also learn what the GW knew before the battle - and the death... (not revealing openly the gifteds, of course, but any other useful information s/he has by then?)

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Firefoot

My biggest impression, though, is that I'm not quite sure where all the votes for Nogrod are coming from, as he seems mostly innocent (or at least no more suspicious than most of you) to me, and if he is a wolf, I'd say he behaved extremely stupidly yesterDay.

I'm seconding you here - as you might guess.

But really. I'm quite astonished by this too.

I will spend my time now on Oddwen (Kitanna made a good point on her that kind of brought her back to my list of suspicions, from where I had already kind of thrown her out) and Roa, at least. Try to have time for some others too, but time seems to be running...

[Roa_Aoife]

Checking in from work, and I see that this needed answering.

Originally Posted by Nogrod

It seems, that one of Roa's main point is, that I have intentionally tried to do everything possible - from the first minutes of the game onwards - to lynch Loki.
1) That would be the most stupid wolf-tactics I can imagine. Just pure madness. I'm not an idiot Roa, and thence am a bit offenced by your theorizing.
2) I think that accusation fits you even better than me, as you really have been on me from your first visit here onwards (in this game). And quite happily, almost everyone have forgotten, that you were gathering some suspicion before you really ran rampant on me.

The difference between what I did and what you did, Nogrod, is that I came in late and had plenty of posts from which to draw information. You started in on Loki in the SECOND POST OF THE DAY. There is a world of difference in that. And never once did I call you stupid or foolish, nor do I think the tactic to be so. It was actually a very good move, and you got most of the village to follow you. It was also a very bold move, and a risky one at that. Niether are things that I would put past you. You've always been a bold one Nogrod.

Not so. I tried to say, that the people who had voted for me had no good reasons behind their votes and so were ill-informed (or random = Eomer). I never said or meant, they were wolvish votes!

Even so, you made a point of discrediting the people who suspected you, and that is the same in my book.

It is just trying to note the obvious and important thing about this game's dynamics! That's the way it goes. You'll see it, as the game continues. No wise EW would recruit loudmouths to her/his wolves in the beginning: with 30-villagers two or three quiet ones slip every radar. It's just more secure to the EW, to pile up more wolves that way. Just look at the DAY1 voting tally, who are there but those who speak a lot and arouse feelings? So who were safe? (Two or three I said? Yes, s/he could do well to add one experienced and skilful wolf to the team, just in case the wizard battle comes true before the EW is ready for it) I'm not sad about the fact, that this will make me look innocent. But that's only the "my side of the coin".

And again you wish to put aside the possibility that a loud player could be a choice for a wolf. Certainly, it seems suspicious to continually point out a theory that makes you look completely innocent. I'm not, however, suspecting you simply because you put forth this idea, I suspect you because you keep putting forward, over and over again.

Somewhat true, but I had no time to it. I only came home late and was too tired - and had drunk too many beers during the day to be more than in for just first day banter (the early day, game time - late night on my RL).

Ah, but I was refering to later in the Day. You still kept your posts short, and did very little more than restate what had already been said. Lots of posting, little substance. Always a bad recipe.

Mostly we post as we have time. You know it Morm. The recap issue I find odd also (it's noted by Roa too). And as Roa already noted, I tend to do a lot of them, as I want to see where we are going (I'm going to make one after this just to see, where we are now).

You say you had little time, but you had time to go back and do vote recaps? Those take time, especially in a game of 30 players. And while you may do many, you certainly never do that many. It looks too much like you trying to look active while adding nothing of significance to the village discussion. This is behavior that you would normally be on in an instant, but here you emulate it. You look more and more wolfish by the minute.

[the phantom]

Well, I have to leave now.

A couple last minute things.

GW- Prepare a code to teach your gifteds. If I'm remembering the rules correctly you can communicate with them. When you see the end approaching and there is little chance of one of your gifteds ending up on the other side as a Werewolf, give a code to your gifteds that will allow the Seer to broadcast the results of his/her dreams to the other gifteds after you are gone.

A simplified example-
If the Seer dreams someone innocent, in a sentence talking about the person, the word that follows the person's name will begin with the letters A-J, and at least one other word in the sentence will start with the same first letter as the person's name.

If the Seer dreams someone guilty, in a sentence talking about the person, the word that follows the person's name will begin with the letters K-S, and there will be at least one word in the sentence having to do with weather or color.

You get the idea.

Teach those gifteds how to continue being a team even after your death.

As for my vote... hmmm....

+ + Nilp

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I'm so proud of you, phantom.

I'm pretty much convinced Roa is innocent (just now) whatever Nogrod turns out to be. And that information at least should be discovered today.

++NOGROD

[Firefoot]

phantom's post about the gifteds speaking in code makes sense, and it's telling me that (toDay, anyway) phantom is innocent. If he were a wolf, he might think of that as being a good idea for the gifteds, but he would have absolutely no reason to post it. That would be directly aiding the other side, and phantom wouldn't do that.

[Nogrod]

Well. Oddwen is kind of a hard one. So few posts and so many amazing things.

#44 Basic in-character stuff
#97 Says

:"referring to our 'lorebooks' isn't going to help us much, only confuse us"

, Says will not vote on DAY1!

#262 Points out that the wolves don't know each other - and would like to the wizards done away with...
#264 Votes Lalaith (mentioning in character stuff + Spawns points on her)

If someone would be a quiet wolf trying to stay in the shade, this would be the way it would be looking alike? Who would go on voting with these grounds if there were bigger rows around (especially Roa is making a good work on this, I admit)

So basically: unhelpful with four posts with very little to say. And when she says something, it's against our common good (not looking at the lorebooks, wizards done away with before we have the gifteds,...) And voting with very little reassoning on DAY2, in this kind of a talkative village!

I would say, that she looks suspicious.

I'll try to have some time with Roa now - and she clearly tries to twist my words again as to more likely defend myself against her than to see her own posting. She's intelligent, I know she is. And as she has spent all the time attacking me, there probably is very little substance of her own in the posts. A very wise wolf-tactics that as well. And with the arguments so far, she could always start tomorrow by apologizing, that she was wrong...

[Kitanna]

++ Nogrod
Roa has brought very good points against him and I won't bore you by restating everyone now, but here are the reasons I have decided to pick Nogrod over Oddwen today.

1) His attack on Loki began early, suggesting Loki may have been speaking the truth about being changed from a wolf to an innocent and if that's true Nogrod's response to plant doubts about Loki early is reasonable.
2) His tactics seem to have changed today and he says he does that every game, but I don't recall past Nogrod's doing that. Maybe he speaks the truth or maybe he was an innocent yesterday and needed to change tactics.
3) He says the EW would refrain from picking someone like him because he is loud. That type of statement had me questioning Loki yesterday. Only for Loki it was why he would be picked not why he wouldn't be picked. Everytime someone uses that defense red flags go up all over my mind.
4) He restates the same thing often. Not a bad thing, but often times that is all he adds to the discussion and is giving us nothing new to look at. That doesn't seem like a very Nogrod thing to do, considering past Nogrod's have gotten angry with others for doing just that.

[Cailín]

Well, I don't think I can save Nogrod and feel no strong inclination to try and do so. However:

++ ODDWEN

For the same reasons as yesterDay and toDay for the same (basic) reasons as Spawn.

[Nogrod]

I just love this unanimosity between the villagers... You really seem to have made up your minds now, haven't you?

I can't blame you. This has been such a jungle of opinions, that making a clear and considered argument has just been a nightmare. So it's very easy to bandwagon on one who has taken the lead in the tally. You can always say tomorrow, that you were just having the same suspicions that every other one had. So nice to cover oneself in the mass-opinion. And especially for the wolves... quite handy, as there will be 10 people or more to look - and so the confusion goes on and the EW & her/his wolves grin ever more widely.

Sorry people: use your own minds for a change?

EDIT: X-posted with Cailin

[Valier]

Votes so far...

1.Nilp-->Valier (Valier 1)
2.Celuien--> Lalaith (Valier 1, Lalaith 1)
3.Oddwen-->Lalaith (Valier 1, Lalaith 2)
4.Diamond18-->Nogrod (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 1)
5.Feanor-->Roa_Aoife (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 1, Roa 1)
6.Sleepy-->Feanor (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 1 Roa 1, Fea 1)
7.Thinlomien-->Nogrod (valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 2, Roa 1, Fea 1)
8.Roa-Aoife-->Nogrod (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 3, Roa 1, Fea 1)
9.Mormegil-->Nogrod (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 4, Roa 1, Fea 1)
10.Dancing Spawn-->Oddwen (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 4, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 1)
11.Kath-->Nogrod (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 5, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 1)
12.Caranlondien-->Nogrod (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 6, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 1)
13.Phantom-->Nilpaurion (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 6, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 1, Nilp 1)
14.Eomer-->Nogrod (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 7, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 1, Nilp 1)
15.Kitanna-->Nogrod (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 8, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 1, Nilp 1)
16.Cailin-->Oddwen (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 8, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 2, Nilp 1)
17.Lalaith-->Oddwen (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 8, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 3, Nilp 1)
18.Nogrod-->Oddwen (Valier 1, Lalaith 2, Nogrod 8, Roa 1, Fea 1, Oddwen 4, Nilp 1)

[Nogrod]

Sorry Roa, I'm doing this again. But I really want to see, if I should still try to fight for myself - or try to help you a bit before I go.

So:
Nogrod 8
Oddwen 2
Lalaith 2
Valier, Roa, Fea 1

16 votes given... from 28?

We still have time to settle this right.

EDIT: X-posted with Valier & removed the similar tally out

[littlemanpoet]

Please refrain from asking for rules clarifications on this thread.

Instead, PM me directly.

You will get quicker response that way, and you will also not potentially skew the game by unintentionally alerting other players as to your role in the game.

Thank you.

[Lalaith]

I need to go now, and I'm not sure what to do. The Nogrod bandwaggon is rolling, and as someone with two votes I suppose it would be canniest for me to join it, but I'm just not convinced. The only thing that feels different about him to me, is that he didn't flood-post on the first day, and in a village this size, I'm quite grateful...

As I said before, I'm going to have to try to find wolves more by instinct, which I don't really like doing. Two players which I have felt uncomfortable about are Gurthang and Celuien. Neither have garnered any votes so far, however, so it would be a wasted vote to go for either of them. I think retaliatory voting is naff, but I know I'm innocent and I think Nogrod is quite probably innocent, so the only option is
++ODDWEN
who I think is living up to the first part of her name and is more likely to be a wolf than Nogrod.

[Roa_Aoife]

Sorry people: use your own minds for a change?

Oh, like they did yesterDay when you got them to lynch Loki? Interesting that you expect them to follow foolish reasoning to lynch someone who wasn't even there to defend himself (which you yourself pointed out was an ungentlemanly tactic) but expect to ignore sound reasoning when you are the one in danger. You contradict yourself far too much Nogrod, something that isn't like you at all.

And I'm still waiting for your analysis of me.

[Nogrod]

The one I have the most suspicion now based on some evidence, is Oddwen (I'm probably a bit weary about both Lommy and Roa - as the hunches go), as I have noted on my post #328, basing it into my belief about how the EW will have picked her/his wolves.

++ Oddwen

Trying to save my neck and do some good to the village (Sorry Roa: those two might be identical things: with my lorebooks, you are not used to see it this way... )

[Firefoot]

I am slowly rereading the posts for toDay and have finished with the sixth page. Reactions:

Diamond - seems to be innocent. She seems to pretty much be saying whatever she is thinking, and if that is so, that would speak for her innocence. Wolves tend to have to be more careful. Of course, being that the wolves don't know each other, I suppose they don't have to be as careful, but... we'll go with gut-level feeling that she's currently innocent.

Fea - is pretty much acting normally. Even though she's one of those that can act normally as a wolf, I'm going to say probably innocent right now.

Gurthang seems to be genuinely trying to be helpful.

Alcarillo seems to be getting pretty defensive.

I'm uneasy with Caran, although I'm not entirely sure why. Probably not uneasy enough for a vote, though.

On to page 7...

But first, one thing:

Oh, like they did yesterDay when you got them to lynch Loki? Interesting that you expect them to follow foolish reasoning to lynch someone who wasn't even there to defend himself (which you yourself pointed out was an ungentlemanly tactic) but expect to ignore sound reasoning when you are the one in danger.

Roa, I'm not following this. I don't think that Nogrod was trying to get people to lynch Loki unquestioningly. Maybe some of them were voting for him without reason, but that's not Nogrod's fault. It is frustrating when you're getting bandwaggoned on and a lot of people don't seem to have sound reasoning.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Roa_Aoife

And I'm still waiting for your analysis of me.

You will have to wait for the unprobable event of myself getting out of this mess now to live for tomorrow - the mess you have propagated, I might add. But you will be hearing about it tomorrow, even without me. And it will be your time to come up with some defences then. I just love the view: Roa defending herself from some very same accusations she has poured over me

But if I'm alive tomorrow, you'll have your review, surely you will.

For your earlier point on my post: see Firefoot. She said it already.

And btw. you don't look good now with your maniac insistence of twisting everything you say about me. But I'm not sure about your wolvishness either. It would be bold, it really would (maybe that's the reason why you interpreted me as being mega-bold in your interpretation? cause you were clinging to the tactics yourself? ).

[Valier]

Still left to vote...

Glirdan
Valier
Lhuna
Alcarillo
Azaelia
Naria
Jenny
Eonwe
Gurthang


I really don't suspect any of the lynchee's very much.....I do think it's odd that some of these players that have not voted yet are not around at all...I will ponder this a bit more and then vote..

[Firefoot]

Valier, you're missing a couple of people... me, at least, and I think a couple others.

[Nogrod]

Nogrod 8
Oddwen 4
Lalaith 2
Valier, Roa, Fea 1

18 votes given... from 28?

Valier: your list misses Firefoot...

EDIT: X-posted with Firefoot

[littlemanpoet]

Thirty Minutes to Day End.

[Firefoot]

Page 7 Reactions:

Eomer is talking sense.

I have been liking Cailin's posts/opinions for a while now. She seems to be talking sensibly and I agree with a lot of what she says.

Celuien seems pretty innocent and honest. Her analyses look sound to me.

As I read Nogrod's posts, I am becoming more confident, not less, that he is innocent. Maybe I should look more at his Day 1 posts as well, but no time before the Day is over...

Roa is extremely eager to jump all over Nogrod; seems like a "guilty until proven innocent" mindset.

About Oddwen:

Just hit me - the Wolves don't know who each other are, this means they aren't certain who's innocent either.

Would a wolf say this? I doubt it. She surely would have realized this before, and why would she bother commenting about it?

I am more comfortable with Lommy today, but still not completely.

I find it somewhat odd that Lalaith is getting so much attention. I'm going to have to go back to that post 176 that people keep citing... (citing post numbers is good, people... yeah, I know, I'm not doing it right now.)

And I'm finding the result of this is that I'm not really suspicious of anybody. And I'm not sure I have enough time to do Page 8 justice. Here we go, I guess...

[Valier]

Still left to vote...

Glirdan
Valier
Lhuna
Alcarillo
Azaelia
Naria
Jenny
Eonwe
Gurthang
Firefoot

Sorry bout that! I thought I was missing someone....Ok well I really don't think the baddie is Nogrod, and Oddwen's vote was weird, but enough to lynch her?...Lalaith has somewhat stood out to me, but not much and none of the others seem suspisous to me yet....I think there are definately at least two wolves hiding amongst the Nogrod voters and the placement of Kitanna and Eomer's votes are a good spot to put them for a wolf....I don't know and time is running out...

[Nogrod]

Even though Roa will jump on this, I'll still say this once - as it might be, that enough of the last voters won't show around. So it's me or Oddwen now (or very unlikely someone else). Those last voters choose it.

EW would not pick loud people to begin with. There's much more higher probability for them being lynched in the first days. The EW wants numbers now. But later on s/he will surely adjust the picking up process. Be watchful of those who have been very trusted in the first days.

[Gurthang]

Well, I've again being pushed out the door, and just when I arrive no less.

So, let's see what we've got. I am suspicious of Nogrod from yesterday, but maybe that was stemming from what other people said. Still, he did seem jumpy and I saw that in my summary earlier. The only other people I thought of are Roa and Eomer, but I'm not putting up another candidate and I don't have enough against Roa. I've got nothing against Oddwen either, despite her no vote yesterday, I don't find it too suspicious by itself. So...

++Nogrod

[Naria]

I will vote for


++Oddwen


Basically because she absolutely refused to vote yesterDay. It wasn't like there was a RL excuse, she just didn't feel like voting(must be nice to have that luxury)!

Then toDay she gets on and votes without reason, yet she claims that she does have one, but doesn't share it with us.....hmmmm. I don't like it when people do this kind of thing. I find it really annoying and unhelpful to us all.

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

Phantom, that walk was lovely. *dodges mum's battledore*

Anyhow, to business. Upon reviewing all that has been said today, I was shocked to see myself leaning, suspicion-wise, toward my own (in-game) father. This looks ludicrous, I know, to appear suddenly and hop on the bandwaggon, especially since this is the second time it's happened. But each time, the people I found myself drawn to, suspicion-wise, were the same ones already set up as a lynch waggon. His seeming habit of voting motivated by a desire to save his own neck both yesterday and today has me a little on edge. He's also getting a little aggressive, which is always a major red flag.

The fact that Alcarillo is getting defensive makes me think he's innocent, at least at this point...I know from my lorebooks that my innocent ancestors also tended to get defensive when brought under suspicion, and suspect that it's purely genetic that I would do the same thing.

I'm going to vote

++Nogrod

Forgive me, father. I hope you can, if you're innocent.

I think I'll go find my...friend the Phantom. He makes me feel safe, even in these troubled times (I think he's innocent, too).

Edit: Crossposted with Naria, Gurthang and Nogrod. (Naria does make quite the point about Oddwen--Oddy is definitely on my list as suspicious for tomorrow, though not just due to Naria's comment)

[Firefoot]

Not very many of those people seem to be around, either. Some of them may show up, I suppose. But this is a quandary: the only person besides Nogrod that really stands a chance of being lynched toDay is Oddwen, and I don't really think she's all that suspicious. Looks like a lose-lose situation to me. Unless you're completely blind-siding me, Nogrod, and I really hope you aren't.

x-posting...

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Azaelia of Willowbottom

His seeming habit of voting motivated by a desire to save his own neck both yesterday and today has me a little on edge.

Being nicely in the lead of the voting-tally kind of makes you act that way... Try it oneday? I had not ordered those votes for me anyway.

But you'll have tomorrow to discuss these things. You'll see your situation then. And be warned about Roa. My lorebook says many things about her...

[Valier]

Alright I will vote..but I will say if the two candidates tomorrow don't seem suspisious to me I will vote with my gut.

++Oddwen

Only because she is the most suspisious out of the lynchee's today not by much mind you....

[Alcarillo]

Originally Posted by Zali

The fact that Alcarillo is getting defensive makes me think he's innocent, at least at this point...I know from my lorebooks that my innocent ancestors also tended to get defensive when brought under suspicion, and suspect that it's purely genetic that I would do the same thing.

Amen. And besides, you wouldn't want to lynch your future father-in-law, would you?

I'll side with my son Eomer and vote for:

++Nogrod

[Nogrod]

Nogrod 11
Oddwen 6

You have 10 minutes to change this... enough votes still.

EDIT: Took ALcarillo vote in.

Tomorrow. Be ready to open this bandwagon. You will have some pretty evil guys in it...

[Valier]

Still to vote...

Glirdan
Lhuna
Jenny
Eonwe
Firefoot

[Firefoot]

If Oddwen were a wolf, why would she refuse to vote? Sorry, but Oddwen falls into the same category as Nogrod... if she is a wolf, she acted stupidly.

Well, there doesn't seem to be a lot of hope of anyone but Nogrod getting lynched right now (and with the timezone factor, Lhuna for sure won't be voting), but for what it's worth I'm going to vote for someone I really do think might be guilty:

++Roa

Valier – 1 (Nilp 1)
Lalaith – 2 (Celuien 2, Oddwen 3)
Nogrod – 11 (Diamond 4, Thinlomien 7, Roa 8, Morm 9, Kath 11, Caran 12, Kitanna 15, Eomer 14, Gurthang 19, Azaelia 21, Alcarillo 23)
Roa – 2 (Fea 5, Firefoot 24)
Fea – 1 (Sleepy 6)
Oddwen – 6 (Spawn 10, Cailin 16, Lalaith 17, Nogrod 18, Naria 20, Valier 22)
Nilp – 1 (phantom 13)

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Nogrod 11
Oddwen 6

You have 10 minutes to change this... enough votes still.

Well, actually. No there are not. Alcarillo nailed me.

Good night everyone. It's sad to leave a good game this early.

But in the next one then.

I was only getting warm now...

Enjoy the game!

[Nogrod]

= Firefoot
If Oddwen were a wolf, why would she refuse to vote? Sorry, but Oddwen falls into the same category as Nogrod... if she is a wolf, she acted stupidly.

Or then just bold enough...
... seemingly too bold.

Must try another day again.

And sorry family. Your daddy was a nice person once, but then something just meddled his mild-mannered mind.

Go wolves do. Sorry that I couldn't live up to the expectations. Took too many risks -and had bad timing with RL. I know.

Bye-bye everyone.
(And kudos to Roa!)

[littlemanpoet]

Voting is now over.

Evil wizard pick a player to curse.
Good wizard pick a player to scry.

Werewolves wait until you know how many you are before you nominate a kill.
Seer pick a player to dream.

Day End narration will follow in the next few hours.

[littlemanpoet]

One of the village's young men spent a year in wandering before he returned home, but did not get far. Rather, he made friends of the Dwarves of Ered Luin and learned all he could of their histories, even of the great Dwarven Cities of the First Age of Arda. Armed with this knowledge, the young man returned and married, and fathered a son whom he named Nogrod, after one of the two great Dwarven cities of old.

Nogrod proved to be a happy fellow, not at all like his city name's population. He left town when a young man, and made his way in the world as a fool and jester, and became quite good at it. Most of his time was spent in the kingdoms of the Dunedain in the North of Eriador, and he made a fine living. When he returned to Sealville, at the mildly advanced age of thirty-five, he brought back with him a small fortune, with which he found it quite easy to catch himself a bride, and not the least fair of face amongst those available. Her name was Diamond, famous in the village for everything haveing to do with carpets, and she bore him seven children, though only three survived: Lhuna, Zali, and Firefoot. As their children grew, whether mooning about the house, or playing about the bottoms of willows, or running fast from trouble they'd started, they were well cared for and suffered no want. The eldest, Lhuna, married well enough that without her to care for, the four remaining family members lived rather well.

As the years advanced, the house was known to erupt in sudden violences of temper and squeals of rage accompanied by the sounds of some stick like implement smacking against something that did not give way. "You know who wears the pants in that family," the gossips were known to say.

On the mornign of Day Two of the Evil Times, Diamond was holding forth just outside her own home, making new battledores while she talked. Nogrod was there of course, and Glirdy was over, as well as Alcarillo. Diamond talked about family rivalries, the late but not missed (by her) Loki, and how much she agreed with "that boy phantom". Celuien burst in, tears streaming down her face. "Why my poor, harmless Saucy?" Diamond tried to comfort her in her grief, which meant keeping her battledores sheathed. Celuien nevertheless gave out murmurings of suspicion, directed at various and sundry persons, including the present and listening Diamond and Alcarillo. Glirdy accused the mayor. After some more deep thinking and referring to lorebooks, Diamond barely stave off the temptation to throw another in the fire. Nogrod finally spoke his piece, but all he could say was, "This looks bad. We're really in trouble." He ducked from getting hit with a battledore just in time, then announced that he was going to take a nap.

It seemed that mormegil had been eavesdropping and took high umbrage at the death of Loki and all the nattering talk that he couldn't keep track of. In good mayoral fashion he put his hands in his vest and with all seriousness declared a few of the villagers innocent. How do you know? not a few of them wondered.

Down by the beach, Gurthang, Caranlondien, Feanor, Zali, Firefoot, and the phantom discussed the recent events. "We have to find a wizard!" Gurthang said yet again. "I don't think we can expect to find any clues in Saucy's death," said Caran. Feanor said, "Just because our ancestors acted one way, doesn't mean we'll act the same way." The others looked at her with impatience, wondering why she was saying something so obvious. "I wonder if Saucy's death is was a subtle frame-up?" said Zali. "This is completely nuts!" said Firefoot. Phantom said, "I have a plan but I'm not saying what it is." Zali looked at him moon eyed and mistily while the others clicked their tongues or rolled their eyes.

Toward noon, Celuien announced that the Salty Seal would stay open for business. The villagers gathered there for food and drink. Mormegil opened the discussions anew by pointing out that Diamond was talking an awful lot. "What's she trying to hide behind so many words?"

"So much depends on who the evil wizard is!" said Eomer.

"I think it's Valier," said Nilp. "I vote for her." And so the lynch vote began over lunch.

Lalaith became the quick receiver of two votes, noticeably one from her own orphan charge, Oddwen.

It was not a complete surprise that Diamond turned on her husband and voted for his lynching. Of course, she had warned that she would be quite willing to vote for members of her family, but no-one had taken her seriously until it happened. Some whispered behind their hands to each other, glancing evilly at the battledore maker. Others aimed an eye at Nogrod and wondered if his wife knew something about him that it would do all of them well to know.

Soon the voting coalesced around two primary nominees: Nogrod and Oddwen. The Nogrod camp considered the filthy, insane child to be hardly a serious threat. "How can such a poor thing turn into a werewolf at night? Or have the twisted intelligence needed to be the evil wizard?" Meanwhile, the Oddwen camp said "She's being a bad girl." Luckily for her she was apparently not being a bad girl enough. The final tally was 11 votes for Nogrod, and 6 for Oddwen.

They bound him and led him to the beech tree, strung up the rope, and set him on the stool.

"Do you have any final words, Nogrod?"

"It's sad to leave a good life so early," the gaffer said. "Sorry family. Your daddy was a nice person once, but then something just meddled his mild-mannered mind."

"Kick the stool already!" cried Diamond, hands on hips.

Nogrod grinned. "Bye-bye everyone!"

"Oh, I'll do it!" Diamond groweled, and came up to kick the stool. Then she shrieked and fell back. Nogrod's face began to ridge and his teeth enlarged. His nose grew into a snout, and he burst his bonds. With a roar he scratched and struggled at the noose, but Eomer and Phantom raced up and unsheathing their swords, they slew the monster with many strokes. Finally he lay on the ground, a mangle of matted adn bloodied flesh, his eyes alone red with werewolf-light. He hissed a last sibilant breath. Some heard whispered words of doom in that hiss. Shivering with the growing chill of the night, even more with the horror of the first werewolf revealed, they shuffled off to their homes, climbing under the covers even though the night was not cold.

~ The Tally ~

One evil wizard
One good wizard
Two werewolves
One seer

~ The Dead ~

Elempi, father of Diamond of the Battledore, killed on Night One
Loki the leech collector, lynched on Day One: innocent
The Saucepan Man the barkeep, killed on Night Two: innocent
Nogrod the retired jester, lynched on Day Two: werewolf

~ The Living ~

Diamond of the Battledore
Celuien the Healer and Cupper
Caranlondien the Sled-Team Driver
Roa Aoife the weaver
Dancing Spawn of Ungoliant the Baker
Kath the minstrel
Lommy the little girl who steals other children's candy
Lhunardawen the jeweler
Glirdan with the giant crush on Kath
Valier the gardener
Sleepy Ranger the former wanderer
Kitanna the beloved of Eomer
Firefoot the artist
Alcarillo the old retired sea captain
Cailín the match maker
Oddwen the filthy, insane street urchin who steals chickens
mormegil the retired mariner and current mayor
Feanor the shepherdess with a love of alliteration
Zali the seamstress and beloved of the phantom
the phantom the loud, unpredictable, adventurer
Naria the servant who empties and cleans chamber pots
Jenny Hallu the unmarried maiden & aunt
Lalaith the frivolous aunt and guardian of Oddwen
Eonwe the freeloading husband of Lhunardawen
Eomer the adventurer & lover of Kitanna
Nilpaurion the ne'er do well hubby of Dancing Spawn
Gurthang the stable-hand