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

[Nerwen]

The Empress's death had thrown the Palace into chaos. Guests, courtiers and servants alike clamoured to accuse one another.

"It's the Fool from Umbar, I'd stake the Imperial Hoard on it!" declared the venerable Treasurer, Inziladun. "None of us have ever seen him before, after all!"

"No, no, it's me!" the beggar Bom piped up from his corner. "Not only am I afflicted with every disease or deformity known to Man or any other species, I'm also mad! Mad, I tell you! Lynch me at once! Or give me alms, whichever."

Everyone ignored him.

"What about Court Physician Thinlomien?" suggested Lottie, the sorcerer's apprentice. "Her Imperial Splendour trusted her– and I'm sure she has all kinds of knives and scapels and things. In fact, I could cast a divining spell on her–"

A chorus of voices pleaded with her to do no such thing– Lottie's attempts at spellcasting had been known to backfire rather disastrously– but nonetheless more than one person agreed with her.

"Grief for the death of our fair Empress has consumed me, along with preparations for her pyre," said Chief Eunuch Eruhen, "but I believe there's much in what you say."

"Yes..." breathed G55, in a sinister whisper, staring fixedly at Lommy's throat. "Perhaps someone should...deal with her, in her turn..."

"I don't believe this!" Lommy spluttered. "Me! Who has made healing her life's work! If you ask me G55 did the deed! She's an assassin, after all!"

Nonetheless, things were looking very black for Lommy, until Shasta stepped in.

"Nonsense. It *is* that so-called beggar! How better to put us off our guard?"

Many of the company were struck with this notion, and Bom was dragged to the execution-block, protesting all the way that he hadn't meant it, and that anyway he was suffering from terminal hayfever. The Executioner being, unaccountably, nowhere to be found, they took turns stabbing him. As Lommy dealt the final blow with surgical precision, the beggar's scrawny frame gave one last shudder and went limp.

The survivors looked on expectantly, but nothing happened.

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

Living
Boromir88 –Wealthy mûmak breeder.
Sally –Messenger girl.
Galadriel55 –Professional assassin.
Shasta –Particularly attentive guard-lieutenant.
Steve –Court Jester (from Umbar).
Pomegranate –Entertainer.
A Little Green –The Empress's favourite snake-charmer.
Rikae –Empress's handmaiden.
Eruhen –Court eunuch.
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.
Nogrod –Camel and coffee trader.
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.

Night Two has begun.

[Nerwen]

Drums beat slowly as the royal mûmakil, their tusks encased in beaten gold, dragged the Empress's bier into the Palace's central courtyard.

After Chief Eunuch Eruhen had extolled the late monarch's many virtues, ending with the confident anticipation that She Who Once Was Brighter than the Moon would now take her rightful place among the gods, and A Little Green, to the accompaniment of Pomegranate's mournful flute, had performed her sinuous ritual dance with the sacred serpents twining about her, a troop of fine young slaves of both sexes reverently lifted the bier and carried it to the top of the immense funeral pyre. The slaves, whom Eruhen had selected for their comeliness, then made ten circuits of the pyre, one for each year that the Empress had reigned, before being sacrificed in the proper manner. (The assassin Galadriel55 made a more-than adequate replacement for the still-missing Royal Executioner.)

Finally, Eruhen leant forward from his balcony above, and hurled a lighted torch onto the pyre. The oil-soaked wood quickly caught, and soon a wall of flames and coiling smoke hid the Empress from the eyes of her grieving subjects.

Although, with the Palace sealed to aid in the hunt for the murderers, the funeral was more modest and less well-attended than might otherwise have been expected, everyone agreed it was a most satisfying and artistic ceremony. The crowning moment came when Eruhen, in an unheralded departure from the programme, cast himself off the balcony onto the blaze that consumed his mistress's body. This was generally held to be a most touching act of loyalty, though there were those who, claiming to have seen a shadow moving on the curtain behind him, firmly believed he had been pushed.

It was all a great mystery.

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

"I'll tell you what else is a mystery," said one of the spies later, when the four were again gathered at their nightly meeting-place. "That handmaiden, Rikae– she's pretty enough, and a personal slave of the Empress– why wasn't she sacrificed along with the others? I know how these Southrons do things."

"I think you've been in Harad far too long."

"Did I say I approved, you fool? There's more to that girl than meets the eye, I'm telling you. Did any of you ever see her before this morning?"

"What matters this?" said a third member of the group. "Our only concern now is escaping the Palace–"

"Which we're not likely to do if it turns out we're suspected. That girl is more than she seems, and I believe she may know something."

"Very well, then," the other agreed. "I suppose talking to her can't do any harm..."

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

Rikae leapt to her feet, clutching her silken robe about her. "Who are you?" she demanded of the four strangers who had entered her sleeping-chamber. "What do you want of me?"

"Now, now, my lady, we just want to ask you a few questions–"

"Ask me questions? Ask me questions?" Rikae's thin smile was barely visible, but the loop of wire she held glittered in the faint moonlight. "Oh no. I believe it is I should who ask questions of you! I know you for what you are! Spies! Northern fiends! Murderers of She Who Now Walks Among the Gods!"

The smile became a baring of teeth, and with a cry of fury and bloodlust, Rikae launched herself at them.

The struggle was fierce, but in the end one of the spies managed to wrest the garotte away from Rikae. This merely sent her into a frenzy of kicking and biting. It was never quite clear what happened then, but suddenly the girl's thrashing ceased and her body sagged in their grasp. When they finally managed to get a candle lit, it was to find Rikae with staring eyes and swollen tongue, the wire pulled so tight around her throat it had almost disappeared into her flesh.

Rikae, the Royal Executioner, had suffered the same death she had dealt to so many others.

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

Living
Boromir88 –Wealthy mûmak breeder.
Sally –Messenger girl.
Galadriel55 –Professional assassin.
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.
Nogrod –Camel and coffee trader.
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.

Day Two has begun.

[Thinlómien]

Nerwen, was Eruhen modfired (perhaps upon request), or is his death really a mystery?

Anyway the situation doesn't look too good right now, with one extra death and the hunter gone without a wolf (although that tends to happen more often that way).

I can't come up with an idea why Rikae right now, I'll have a look at her posts later. Right now I have an already belated essay to finish (oops), I'll be back when I have time.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Nerwen, was Eruhen modfired (perhaps upon request), or is his death really a mystery?

Not telling.

[Pomegranate]

To me, it would seem from the narration, that Eruhen's death was indeed a mystery, and if that be the case, perhaps linked to the acolyte. Leaving it open like that would suggest that there's something going on in the palace that we don't know about, and so far, acolyte is the most obvious guess to that.

Looking into Rikae is something that definitely needs to be done. However, we should also look into Bom's lynch yesterday. True, there was reason enough for any annoyed goodie to vote for him, but it is pretty certain that there's wolves there as well, excited about the easy ordo-lynch. The votes from yesterday, in order of casting:

Greenie -> Boro
Lottie ->Lommy
Bom ->Bom
G55->Lommy (2)
Inzil->Eonwe
Rikae->Inzil
Sally->Eonwe
Eru->Lommy (3)
Shasta->Bom (2)
Legate->Bom (3)
Nogrod->Bom (4)
Eonwe->Bom (5)
Lommy->Bom (6)
Pitch->Eonwe (2)
Pom->Legate

Now, as everyone kept saying yesterNight (can you put it like that?) Shasta was the one to start the actual bandwaggon against Bom, after suspecting around. However, it's worth noticing that he wasn't the first one to suggest it, even though he was the first to actually give his vote to Bom. First one was Nogrod.

Originally Posted by Nogrod

If anyone is willing to help Bom with his suicide I'd be happy to lend a hand there.

So, we ranted too little about these no-trace votes (or we should have made the rant wider). I mean a self vote is as bad as a declared random vote in that they result in the same: there's no way of saying whom the person really wished to vote for (or whom he didn't want to vote) - or whom he faked wishing to vote for or not to vote for. Declared intentions concerning one's votes + the votes themselves are the bread and butter of this game, voting randomly or self-voting is effectively denying others the info. And thus something the wolves would love to hide in if it was looked on as having no consequences. Therefore I'm actually half-serious in proposing we lynch Bom toDay.

The other thing that makes me half-serious with it, is what Bom has actually posted.

(#113)

During his post he actually kind of talked himself out of it, but somehow it seemed more that he was giving the bait and hoping someone would go with it. And when Shasta did decide that he wants Bom lynched, Nogrod started to show his uncertainty, but then decided to go for Bom when there was a lot of people after him. His vote was the one which raised Bom’s votes higher than Lommy’s.

Continuing in a bit, this was the most striking thing for me, now hunting for more.

x/ed with everyone after Nerwen's #160

[Pitchwife]

Three of us dead already, and the hunter among them? Blargh.

I'll be getting to Rikae in a moment, but first things first: that was one of the most useless D1 lynches ever.

It's not like I can't empathize to some degree with being annoyed by Bom and wanting to set an example, but what exactly was that supposed to accomplish? I mean, you said it yourselves:

Originally Posted by Legate

Bom's death won't, after all, show much (given that his interactions with people are... close to nil).

and

Originally Posted by Nog

The chances he's a wolf are what the pure chances are 4/16

and you still decide he's the best lynch choice? After ranting at such length against random votes? How was picking Bom any better?

Yes, I know, lynch a submarine on D1 if there's no better choice, and if it has to be done, better now than later, but after all of yesterDay's controversy, was there really no better choice?

Or was there a wolf getting heat who had to be saved?

Originally Posted by Pom

Shasta was the one to start the actual bandwaggon against Bom, after suspecting around. However, it's worth noticing that he wasn't the first one to suggest it, even though he was the first to actually give his vote to Bom. First one was Nogrod.

That's actually a good find.

Originally Posted by Pom

His vote was the one which raised Bom’s votes higher than Lommy’s.

No, your vote list is confused there; Eönwë's vote was the fourth for Bom and came before Nog's.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

first things first: that was one of the most useless D1 lynches ever.

The owl of Minerva flies after dusk... It's always easy to be wise on hindsight.

On another issue, why is it that I suggested lynching Bom a find (Pom) or a good find (Pitch)? *Bom-Pom*

That's not exactly a secret. And I think I speculated on that possibility even earlier. And as Pom says correctly, I almost talked myself out of it, but then the voting kind of did the choice for me.

I was willing to discuss with the people around then (about 15 minutes before the DL or something) of the possibilities between Bom, Boro and G55 but had to take a phone-call from my colleague and when I came back people were already voting for Bom which kind of made it futile to vote differently as I had nothing against Lommy.

Just go and check.

Okay. Off now for a while.

[Pomegranate]

Lommy: I raised a point against Nog exactly once. I started my second day by pointing this one out.

Originally Posted by Pomegranate

Now, as everyone kept saying yesterNight (can you put it like that?) Shasta was the one to start the actual bandwaggon against Bom, after suspecting around. However, it's worth noticing that he wasn't the first one to suggest it, even though he was the first to actually give his vote to Bom. First one was Nogrod.

(#113)

During his post he actually kind of talked himself out of it, but somehow it seemed more that he was giving the bait and hoping someone would go with it. And when Shasta did decide that he wants Bom lynched, Nogrod started to show his uncertainty, but then decided to go for Bom when there was a lot of people after him. His vote was the one which raised Bom’s votes higher than Lommy’s.

Continuing in a bit, this was the most striking thing for me, now hunting for more.

x/ed with everyone after Nerwen's #160

After he reacted, I continued pursuing:

Originally Posted by Pomegranate

Nog, it's not a secret, but somehow Shasta managed to get all the "glory" of the lynch even though you were the one who started more or less seriously thinking about the choice. So it was worth mentioning, when going through the people who were driving Bom's lynch. You planted the idea, then let someone else grab it and drive it forward while you were hiding more in the background.

And after Legate (I think) stood for Nog, I said:

Originally Posted by Pomegranate

Though Nogrod kept saying he's semi-serious, instead of just ranting around. And isn't that exactly what baiting is (at least that's how it would sound to me, unless you use it with slightly different definition) - not a serious wish to lynch someone (I wouldn't call Shasta's actions baiting) but some kind of reminder, "hey, you know, then there's this one... anyone? Feel like continuing this discussion?"

This was all about that one post that had raised my suspicion. So I did indeed continue it for a while. It is not seen here, but I kept pursuing Legate at the same time. After this I left. I ended up deciding Legate was more suspicious, because his actions were suspicious during the whole first day, whereas Nogrod's were suspicious during that one post, and I thought he answered to well. Before this time Legate had also jumped into the waggon suspecting Eonwe, who in my eyes acted somewhat suspiciously, but not enough to gain a vote, and besides I didn't like the pile of suspicion he had already gained by that one post.

x/ed with everyone after my last

[Pomegranate]

My opinion on a double-lynch is, like earlier in the game it was, that it's scary, and has a very easy potential for the wolves to play with it. Why I was talking about it earlier (to Pitch, mainly, I assume Shasta got my point in my last message) was that I assumed we'd be dead anyway today if we happened to lynch an innocent alone - hence I thought it would be of more use than danger to think about a double-lynch. However, as I said, now that there is a relatively big chance that the acolyte is on our side, I don't think it's a good idea to attempt such today.

[Galadriel55]

So the alcolyte is some kind of werebear. *sigh* May the victims of the Night's terror rest in peace.

Edit: xed with Nerwen and Lommy

[Galadriel55]

This is something I wrote yesterday (last Night) after catching up on the game thread (you Europeans talk a lot). It's a pattern I noticed that did not look good not one bit to me. It's about Nog's "weird" (mark the vocabulary) change of mind regarding my outburst. I know it's lame to write an analysis about a discussion about you... but I really don't like this. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THE PILE OF "EVIDENCE", SKIP TO MY SUMMARY AT THE END.

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Your reaction though, it was unexpected seeing from you, because it was like reading one of my rants. "If you suspect me then suspect me!" And really over something that's normal, "Hey Rikae, what do you think about sally?" I can understand boiling over frustrations, but that was an immediate, highly-dramatic reaction.

And this:


"If you suspect her, than say so," but honestly, you're just using the semantics over question-phrasing to defend your reaction as perhaps over-the-top, but an un-wolvish one. So, I'll say it. Looks suspicious.

Well, Boro doesn’t like it.

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Galadriel looked a bit whimsy to begin with but her defence of herself looks pretty genuine.

And Nog’s ok with it.

Originally Posted by Nogrod

What bothers me about Boro is the way he painted G55 suspicious. To me her strong reaction to Rikae's question for Lottie looked very sincere indeed (as I said already back there). So Boro's attack looked to me like a wolf noticing a possible pray who has made herself vulnerable, and jumping for it. It's hard to see evil in a game, but it felt like a malvolent intent there.

And lookee – again.

#73 – Steve says I seem innocent so far.

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

G55's outburst against Rikae feels pretty genuine to me, and I don't quite get what Boro thinks was so over-the-top about it - I mean, if she had the impression that Rikae was trying to suggest Lottie suspect her, being outraged is an understandable reaction; and as Rikae's post looks just like that on the surface, who's to blame her. (Only, knowing Rikae a bit, that would have been remarkably unsubtle.)

Pitchie agrees.

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Well. Didn't look genuine to me. And perhaps I shouldn't look at it through my eyes, but I've done the same thing time and time again when I've been a wolf. Get too dramatic over the slightest of things. Not that G55 was faking being angry, but playing up being angry to hopefully get suspicion off her. As if her honor had been impugned. I've literally done the same thing, indignicantly objecting to people beating around the bush..."If you suspect me then suspect me!" stuff.

And her defense for the rant comes dow to semantics, not liking the way Rikae phrased the question to Lottie. Now tell me if you think overly-dramatic reactions to stuff like word definitions and the way questions are phrased is genuine?

In reply to Nog saying I sounded genuine. (Nog answers in #81 – and sticks to his original thought – and I’m putting this as a sidenote that’s not in chronological order)

Originally Posted by Pomegranate

G55 jumps, but it seems genuine and I won't hold it against her this time, realising it's probably pretty typical of her.

Once again. Up to now, Boro is alone in suspecting me over the outburst. But along comes Shasta…

Originally Posted by Shastanis Althreduin

G55's post #39 is an incredible overreaction (and yes, that's coming from me, no one's allowed to laugh .) But really, asking someone what they think of you isn't tantamount to "here, make this point against this person for me."

Overreaction, overdramatic. Supports Boro in this.

Originally Posted by Shastanis Althreduin

...You're kidding. Who are you and what have you done with Nogrod?! That's so unlike what you'd normally say that I'm almost forced to look for a reason why you'd be protecting G55.

Shasta continues to echo Boro, this time in asking Nog why he thinks the outburst was genuine. He says Pitch is ok with thinking so, but not Nog (well, duh, they are different!).

Originally Posted by Shastanis Althreduin

Leaning Innocent:
Boro - Two major reasons: one, I agree with him regarding G55; two, he's getting what seems to be a rather large amount of suspicion from people I'm currently suspicious of.

...

Leaning Guilty:
G55 - I was fine with her until she exploded earlier. After that, I felt like her clarification of said explosion was basically used to make people more confident of her innocence ("A wolf wouldn't act like that," etc).

Nogrod - I admit, most of the reason he's in this category is his apparent connection to G55, whom I also find suspicious. His reaction to and subsequent defense of her was so incredibly counter to normal Nogrod that I just can't see that being his real thoughts on the matter.

My, he’s serious.

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

G55 - doesn't really sit right with me, but this may well be knee-jerk.

Lommy decides I'm suspicious enough to be her votee. This is unrelated to the outburst, but it does affect the general mood.

Up to this point everyone holds their original opinion (excepting possibly the posts at the very beginning of the Day – much has changed since, and there’s good reason for opinions to change, so I’m not counting those).

Originally Posted by Nogrod

So Eruhen's vote looks like bandwagoning in major scale and G55's a possible one. Actually, I found an interesting point from back there That is said after she speculates whether Lottie or Boro might be wolves. Finally she decides to vote Lommy So with the content "there has been some talk about" but which she is not opening up in any way...

I might be getting second thoughts about the sincerity of her outburst back there as this looks much like a wolf in trouble trying to find someone to vote.

And Nog does a Legate-180. Why all of a sudden? Because there's more support for this option at the moment?

There certainly is support for lynching me. See: Legate - #125, Lommy - #126 and #129. And Nog’s post again:

Originally Posted by Nogrod

On other thoughts. Despite my initial gut feeling about G55's outburst I'd say she's quite high on my list.

Legate @ #134 briefly, Lommy @ #136

Originally Posted by Nogrod

I might vote for G55 or Boro, possibly Eruhen.

Or then I might go after Shasta and vote Bom.

Nog ends up voting Bom (#148). And at the very end of the Day:

Originally Posted by Nog

G55 and Boro do post and they can be read - and Eruhen has said all the time he was busy - so he'll have a chance to explain him toMorrow. So I think we are making a decent decision.

Apologies for so many quotes, but now you know I’m not making this up. To shorten the post instead of quoting everything I just gave references to the more general things.

What bothers me is Nog’s flipfloppiness (does this run in the family? ). In all seriousness, though – he starts out standing his ground against Boro, and keeps this up while the general mood is leaning towards me being innocent (Boro is clearly outnumbered). But then Shasta consistently and persistently sides with Boro, and Lommy joins in saying I’m not that shiny. And only now Nog has second thoughts about my outburst, and decides that it didn’t actually look good, and that my vote wasn’t well-explained either, and all that. And as the support for this keeps up, he repeats it more often.

Though when the village doesn’t actually end up lynching me, he backs off and says that it’s better that Bom is lynched.

While writing this, I had some thoughts that maybe the Empress put a cobbler in the game accidentally. I mean, I've never played with Nogwolf, but from what I heard he's as subtle as he could get. Did he expect that such an obvious thing would go unnoticed? And still, I don't think he'd flipflop like that as an innocent either.

Boro and Shasta claim that the "weird" thing is that he actually thought me innocent at first. I don't get why that's weird, but I guess it's just not like him to support emotional outbursts. And this is another thing.

Nog, you're #1 on my suspicion list.



And saying that, my participation will be very limited toDay - hence I wrote this last Night, to save time and give you time to think.

[Nogrod]

So Rikae was the hunter, but if she was to be a logical-hunter by Night, then she didn't take Eruhen with her? So what happened?

Originally Posted by the narration

This was generally held to be a most touching act of loyalty, though there were those who, claiming to have seen a shadow moving on the curtain behind him, firmly believed he had been pushed.

It was all a great mystery.

Even if some of you dislike it a little excursion into the Acolyte might be in order? (Yeah, let's not discuss it all Day)

So the Acolyte makes her/his own kills? Every Night? (Werebear kind of person) That sounds a bit too devastating as there are already four wolves. But then again the fact that the Acolyte is not counted as either in the tallies might back this kind of interpretation... So is there actually a way we could turn the Acolyte to our side? I mean many people (myself included) were discussing about things like the Acolyte choosing or being given side in one or other way at some point, but is there actually any reason to believe that is the case in things Nerwen has written?

Or did Eruhen just sign off?


EDIT: X'd with everyone...

[Thinlómien]

Or perhaps the acolyte murders someone on Night2 and assumes their role. I'm 90% sure we don't have a werebear-type guy among us since we already have four wolves.

(now going, seriously...)


edit: xed with Gal

[Thinlómien]

And saying that, my participation will be very limited toDay - hence I wrote this last Night, to save time and give you time to think.

Sure, but I sill don't like the fact you were so sure about your survival that you wrote that overNight. Also, I'll let Nogrod answer for himself but to me his change of opinion yesterDay looked like genuine unsure rethinking (whether it was innocent or a wolf doing the rethinking). Now this is the last time I say I'm going. See you guys later.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Not telling.

Great

Okay, I have no idea about this, normally I would regard it as modfire (on personal request, perhaps?), but the mystery air is annoying. I don't believe in any Werebear - what Lommy said: it wouldn't make any sense. This:

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Or perhaps the acolyte murders someone on Night2 and assumes their role. I'm 90% sure we don't have a werebear-type guy among us since we already have four wolves.

actually sounds plausible; but I would not draw too many conclusions. I think maybe we can leave this be for now and see what happens the next Night. Because I am not sure if we can actually get anything right now from speculating about it - we probably can't figure out anything certain, and we probably won't be able to use the information in any way. I think after next Night or narration we might be wiser. At least I don't think the world will crumble upon us if we don't know what the Angband was it about for one more day (and if it does, again, I think we can't really do much about it anyway).

It is at least clear (given that the Hunter is logical by Night according to the rules) that Eruhen wasn't Rikae's hunting pick.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

And Nog does a Legate-180. Why all of a sudden? Because there's more support for this option at the moment?

Well, I can see where you are coming from, but it isn't like that he would straightaway turn his opinion on the outburst itself - in the part you quote he says the reason for his suspicion of you is your vote. Which was also what made for example me consider you more, too. But yes, it might seem a bit sinister.

Shall be still around later with more...

EDIT: x-ed with Lommy. Haha.

[Nogrod]

Is it a totally alien concept to you G55 that people can change their minds, especially if they are given reasons for it? (I know there are people who stick to their beliefs whatever the case, or even if reality proves them wrong time after time, but that is a discussion on politics and religion I'm not willing to engage here.)

Well, anyway, you actually do quote my post where I explain my change of heart. I mean the sudden Lommywagon did raise some eyebrows and when I read your post where you explained your... well what could it be, change of heart (? ) to suddenly suspect Lommy when she started gathering suspicion... well that made me suspect you - and thus to reconsider the innocence of your outburst as well.

It was not only the fact that you suddenly jumped on the fast-emerging Lommy-train, but the way you did it. (Explained in my #122)

Heh, I saw Lommy posted about you confidence of being alive, to write such a strong "defence by attack" I'd say, so I'm not going to say anything more about it.


Okay. I also have a host of things to do, but will take a quick look at Rikae before I go.


EDIT: X'd with a few it seems

[Nogrod]

So looking after what might have made the wolves pick Rikae... (I'm only looking at those posts where she voices suspicion or dissatisfaction to some as I don't have time for a "full analysis")

Originally Posted by Rikae #27

I don't much care for Inzil and Bom's empty posts, Gal's banter... which does look odd... and Green's post that points out its oddness. Yep, I contradict myself, I contain multitudes, etc.

Originally Posted by Rikae #32

Inzil, as I said, I agree with Legate. Posts that demand people work on catching wolves, rather than work on it themselves, are empty posts.

Originally Posted by Rikae #36

If you're looking for people who aren't making useful posts, Lottie, I wonder: what do you think of Galadriel55?

Originally Posted by RIkae #42

I'm well aware of the risk of lynching an innocent who happens to look "odd" on day one. In fact, I'd suggest it may be more logical to leave Inzil alone for toDay precisely because he has made himself a target.

Galadriel, I'm sorry if I offended you. I can be insensitive at times. However, if you'll look again at my post, it implies just as much about Lottie and her consistency as it does about you, and as for

... I did.

Originally Posted by Rikae #53

Now Inzil, come out and claim what you're trying to claim so we can all see how implausible it really is!

Originally Posted by Rikae #61

did Inzil really join Lottie's "suspicion" (which I took as a joke) of Pitch for his "manage to", or no? I don't see where he did. Where is this coming from, otherwise?

Also, I'd like to point out that if Nogrod is innocent he will decide that I'm guilty at some point and that I have some complicated scheme up my sleeve that only Nogrod could invent.
If he fails to do so, I'll suspect him.

Originally Posted by Rikae #71

Greenie's vote for Boro looks more or less ok to me, precisely because it is so out-of-the-blue and gut-feelingish, if you get what I mean. Not to say that it's wabbit season or anything, but Greenie herself seems all right.

Eönwë is sort of blending into the background, and he seems to be doing it by hanging around in the thicket of meta-discussion, poking at multiple people while refraining from singling anyone out in a way that might attract too much attention. I'm going to keep my eye on him.

Originally Posted by Rikae #78

Haha, I just realized I mistook a coyote for a wabbit... that could be a dangerous mistake!

Originally Posted by Rikae #103

I'm going to bed and unlikely to be back again before DL, so I'm going to be with my original suspicion... I was going to vote for someone else, but the recent posts from

++Inzil

have a bad vibe to them, as if he's confident that he shifted the focus and can see one of the other suspects lynched. An innocent who dodged suspicion might be relieved, but would still be concerned about placing his own vote correctly and finding the actual wolves, and the tone of his posts seems off in light of that. In addition to my earlier suspicions it puts him in the lead.

Inzil clearly bears the brunt of her suspicion - and the vote in the end (even and maybe importantly notwithstanding that she says she was going to vote someone else!). She suspects Eönwë somewhat (only makes one point in one post though), seems to be engaged with Lottie and is pretty nasty with G55.

And then there is this odd thing about wabbits and coyotes & liking Greenie's vote on Boro - which whatever it means seems to suggest something about Boro.

So if someone felt Rikae was a threath enough to kill her it might have been Zil, Boro, or looking at how G55 reacts to things, then her (although she should have packmates to talk sense to her not to react like that). Or then someone just wished it to look that way.


EDIT: X'd with Pitch

[Pomegranate]

Oh, you’re right, Pitch. Though the vote is still in the line of the votes that ensured Bom’s lynch, not too far from the tie yet. But for further reference, Eonwe’s vote was fourth and Nogrod’s vote was fifth.

And then there’s Legate. Last night, I was convinced enough by Shasta’s notifications that I did start suspecting him more than anyone else. I’m not too convinced about Shasta either, but he did go through the messages pretty throughoutly, and especially since I had no previous opinion on Legate, I felt it was worth checking out. And Legate, unlike some others mentioned, did have a habit of sticking into his opinions. First this whole issue with Inzil, which to me seems more his making than Inzil’s. He keeps repeating the same point over and over, and over an issue after all as minor as one “This is not what we’re supposed to be doing, let’s do something else”. I can’t see that comment of Inzil's as too fishy. It feels like something all of us must've done at some point, giving a relatively useless message at the beginning of the first day.

After that he discovers Boro. After Greenie posted her vote and her suspicions, Legate gets to that as well. After I say that I agree, he’s surprised by my sharpness and says that he agrees with me, even though it was basically me agreeing with him in my post. It feels like he wants to keep the impression there’s more people noticing the same thing than there actually is. He keeps commenting on Boro until the end of the day, on this same niceness-reason. He says he would like to get him lynched. But then, when Nogrod mentions G55, he decides that she’s worth his attention as well, and keeps bringing her up as one of his major suspects. And then he follows Shasta on voting for Bom, even though he says he would like to vote for his suspects since for once he has such. He was the second person (not counting Bom himself) to go to the bandwagon, after Shasta. Boro was not far behind. Was it really so much easier to go with such an – as Pitch comments – invisible vote? Was it worth it? Or was it just that it didn’t matter which ordo you ended up killing?

That being said, I don’t say I’d trust Boro or G55 either. But Legate is way more suspicious, Boro seems just not like himself, and I haven't yet given much thought to G55 yet.

x/ed with Nog's second.

[Boromir88]

For some unknown reason I was simply out of it all Day 1. Exhausted and wound up knocking out cold. I wasn't feeling ill, and nothing was the matter, just felt mentally not present, unable to comprehend/take in anything I was read, and why Pom and others likely noticed it wasn't my usual self. And all I could do was say "nope, you're right"...which seemed to just add on to the problem?

But good news I'm feeling refreshed and actually with-a-brain today. Not happy on what the heck is going on with the Eruhen/Acolyte stuff here, but refreshed and thus can promise to do better today.

Originally Posted by Nogrod

So if someone felt Rikae was a threath enough to kill her it might have been Zil, Boro, or looking at how G55 reacts to things, then her (although she should have packmates to talk sense to her not to react like that). Or then someone just wished it to look that way.

It for certain wasn't a trailless kill. Rikae was in the thick of most of the action and pretty blunt with her opinions on people. Did the wolves think they were going after the seer then? Or perhaps a possible danger, simply because she was heavily involved and killing her to frame one of her suspects?

If they had the seer in mind when killing Rikae, I understand how it would point to Inzil, G55, and Eonwe...but no idea how Nog, you're lumping me in there? The wabbit/coyote stuff? In hindsight, it's an obvious clue, one that I noticed yesterday, but didn't say anything because I assumed Rikae would know I would pick up on it. Wile E. Coyote = my avvie, because I was a huge Looney Tunes fan as a kid and Wile E was my fav. Elmer Fudd, another Looney Tunes was always hunting Bugs Bunny, but pronounced his r's as w's, "wascally wabbit" being a famous Fudd saying. So, the coyote/wabbit was an obvious hint, one which Rikae would certainly know I would notice, "I'm leaving a Fudd clue = I'm the hunter."

If it was to set up a lynch today, that would suggest there was a wolf under some considerable pressure/threat yesterday and the wolves are hoping to redirect focus onto others. As far as the votes shook out, this would point to Lommy and possibly Eonwe...but there was such a bandwagon for Bom it's hard to make out anything about the others who've received votes. People dropping Day 1 suspicion is a fairly natural occurance because there is no evidence. So, I can't see why Eonwe or Lommy would feel like threatened wolves simply because of some votes.

Wolves still need to manufacture and manipulate the situation to create completely false suspicions. And the best way to do that is their kill. So, it certainly doesn't have to be an "either/or" here. Wolves saw Rikae as a threat/gifted and as a means to manipulate the suspicions/lynch today.

I quite like G55 so far today, a lot more than yesterday...Yesterday I thought her rant was mainly as a means to say "I'm angry! And since I'm angry/ranty I have to be an innocent." But today she's right into the action, and not playing the dramatic "I know 4 wolves who will want to use this to get me lynched" pity-me card. I'll look strongly at Nogrod today, because my notes from yesterday are quite scant on him. "Nog's all over the place and seems to not want to be a decision-maker."

Nog being scatter-brained, and piling on way too much work that he feels he has to do is quite normal, but he seemed yesterday far too willing to delegate responsibility/decisions to other people. Not that Nog doesn't consider a sort of community-input, when it come to voting at the DL, but he's usually more in-front/leading with his options, and then does the democratic approach.

Pitch's posting today is starting to make me wary of him (shall explain later) and from yesterday Lommy and Lottie (shall also explain once I'm back).

Edit: crossed with Inzil