WWJ IX: Psychotic Penguins: The Crossing of Helcaraxë

[the phantom]

So, Firefoot was the Hunter, eh? I'm sooooo glad you didn't come forward and argue with me when I claimed to be the Hunter. When I considered the type of people populating the village, I thought the odds of the Hunter keeping their mouth shut were pretty good, and I'm glad I wasn't wrong about that.

Right after I said I was the Hunter, Roa said this-

Thanks for your help, phantom, and good luck. Three gifteds in three nights... oh dear... Just be wary of crafty birds.

I was on the lookout for reactions from people, trying to see if someone struck me as the true Hunter. For some reason this statement caught my eye. It was like Roa was trying to enforce that I was gifted, and the "oh dear" comment was like a smirking "oh dear *snigger*, we're about to lose our fake Hunter".

It's obvious now that the comment wasn't written with that intent, but that's how part of me was trying to read it. My overworked, sleepy brain.

But then I started to believe that Valier was the Hunter. If you remember, on day 3 I eased my suspicions of her and took her off my lynch list (which was three people, two of them were Penguins! go me! ha ha!) Val's behavior seemed to indicate she didn't fear death too much, and her single-minded attack on Ang made me think even more that she was innocent. The particular frustration she seemed to have with me- I thought maybe it stemmed from the fact that SHE was the very Hunter I was trying to help and yet I was giving her a hard time.

Once I started thinking that she might be the Hunter, I decided I would keep her under the gun and bet that the Penguin wouldn't kill her that night, but at the same time I didn't keep her under the gun to the extent that I actually started a crusade to lynch her. I wasn't going to let that happen, despite my threats.

And if I waffled on my threats, I knew no one could possibly accuse me of anything, because I was a proven innocent. As a proven I pretty much had a permit to do anything I pleased.

Thanks for the dream, Lalaith.

Despite believing that she might not be the Hunter after all, I still thought Roa was innocent. Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone did. I say "unfortunately", because Penguins kill people who are too innocent. I thought Roa was the likely Penguin choice for the next night, so I didn't place Roa as my least suspicious person. Instead I put Spawn there, and tried to make Spawn look completely innocent.

I picked Spawn because I thought she would be a good Penguin kill (yes, Spawn, I was trying to set you up for death- sorry). I was pretty confident of Spawn's innocence (I've been a Wolf with her before, and that helped my thinking), and I was also pretty confident she was not the Hunter. I've played with her enough to know a bit about how she acts, and I was fairly confident that a Hunter-Spawn would find a way to hint me.

So, since she was an innocent that was distracting people's attention and I didn't think she was the Hunter, I tried to make her look completely innocent so the Penguin would choose to kill her at night.

Originally Posted by Enca

Phantom, you cheeky SOB.

Aww, thanks.

Originally Posted by Di

I actually started typing out this suspicion a couple times but then I backspaced because I thought, "Really, that kind of speculation can only help the penguins."

Good thinking.

[Anguirel]

I have one request. Lalaith, I was rather dreading being called Angurliel. Could you desist? Please? It's not my fault I was chosen as a Penguin. What's more, I didn't actually win...

This was a fairly gruelling game, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing I was beaten by the clearheaded rationale of the unpushy, laid back, relaxed, persuasive Valier...

Thankyou to both mods. You were great. phantom, you should take an Oxford degree in Werewolf Studies. Diamond, you will remain forever Audrey.

[Diamond18]

Originally Posted by Anguirel

Diamond, you will remain forever Audrey.

I have yet to thank you for inspiring my new avatar. Daffy lovers may shed a tear, but I think I am rather fond of the Audreyfication and will keep this one for a while.

[Naria]

Absolutely superb playmanship!! I don't believe I've seen a junior village as active as this one. I really had fun in this one.....even if I was oober quite.

Valier, where do you get such annoyingly-super-bang on intuitions? I just couldn't believe it when you started to go after Ang and wouldn't let up. I thought- Oh no here we go again! At that point I was sreaming at the screen- Ang get back on you need to do something and stop her before people actually start listening.

Again, great game everyone!

Kudos to both mods. Really, really great narrations Thanks for the role as well; it was nice being a baddie again.

[Lalaith]

Could you desist? Please?

Oh very well. Never let it be said I kicked a man when he was down. And you fought a valiant fight, after all. Even if you did exploit me and my silly list of suspects to your own pinguescent ends...

I was sad when I had to out myself. I was so excited about being Seer, I'd never been one before...I don't think I was very good at it at all, a good seer should have been able to stay hidden for more than a day. I was just very, very lucky with my first dream. There were a lot of players I thought it *vital* to know about, but in the end I chose Boromir from my memories of WWX. He was Mr Nice Guy, everybody liked him, everybody trusted him....a very dangerous character indeed, if on the evil side.
I was so cross though when I screwed up in my "strategy" on the first day and nearly got lynched. I've never been an early lynching candidate before, I just didn't think it would happen. Complacency is the worst WW fault, and I was guilty.

I wanted, as I said in my PMs to the mods, to lie that Phantom was the Hunter when I dreamt of him, but I thought it was too risky, the real hunter might not realise what I was up to and try to out me as a false seer. So instead I left the wording, in my revelation, ambigious enough for Phantom to do it himself once I was dead, I reckoned he would do it....

Valier's instincts are indeed amazing (her placard routine was also hilarious) but kudos also to Roa for spotting Boro on the first day like that. I thought she must be a WP, I was finding it very hard to make a convincing case against him and thought that only another WP would know he also was a WP...
One thing about this village, I don't know if it was the high calibre of the players or what....when I came to my composing my leaving list of suspects, I couldn't understand why I had such a vague and unclear feeling about everything...then I realised it was only Day Two. We really moved fast, Day One was almost like Day Two or Three....did any of the rest of you find this...?

[Anguirel]

I might as well tell you something amusing.

I had given up hope and was planning to attack the phantom the moment he chose me as a target.

Had I been able to do so, I might have been "proven innocent" and waltzed through...

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

We really moved fast, Day One was almost like Day Two or Three....did any of the rest of you find this...?

Yes indeed! We were just amazed as went on reading your gaming. And really: the next time someone starts whining about Day1's unusefulness or randomness, we can always cite this game as an example!

[Macalaure]

You did well in killing me, Anguirel.

First, because RL kept me busy much longer than I thought.
Second, because all the time I was seperated from the internet one thought kept rotating in my mind: "I need to look at Ang."
But it seems, fortunately, like my help was not needed anyway.

I came back yesterday evening with my best intentions to read through everything that has been posted and then sadly saw that I was no more. It made the decision hunt-penguins-on-downs vs. watch-football-with-friends a lot easier.

Still I need to ask you: why me? To leave a cold trail like some were thinking?


Chapeau to Nogrod and Thinlómien. The narration and the deaths were just great. That first penguin image gave me an uneasy sleep that night.

And chapeau to us villagers. We were going quite precisely after penguins and cobblers without lynching one innocent. Has that ever happened before in WW history?

[JennyHallu]

Actually, phantom, I was intensely doubtful that you were any sort of Hunter. That was just...far too convenient. Unfortunately, I couldn't say anything without being horrendously obvious...just sit there imagining how good it would feel to actually be a penguin and call your bluff.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Macalaure

And chapeau to us villagers. We were going quite precisely after penguins and cobblers without lynching one innocent. Has that ever happened before in WW history?

* Cough *Return to Midsomer Mawlin, wolves lynched on days 1, 2 & 3, in no small measure due to a very successful Boro-seer.

[Nogrod]

It took a while for the Elves to understand that they had defeated their foes. They began to laugh from relief and embraced each other.

In the midst of all the joy, they heard a broken voice speaking: ”They all died because of me.” Valier and Roa were the first to recognise it. “Lady Elenwë? You’re alive!” Valier cried out in astonishment, forgetting the pain in her broken arm. “I almost thought I had failed you, Milady”, Roa said, kneeling before her Mistress, tears in her eyes.

Everyone gathered around their Lady, relieved to see her. “What happened to you? And what has happened to us? What is this place?”

Elenwë tried to push the questions away. “We don’t have time, my friends. All I can tell you is that this island is inhabited by an evil spirit, one of the fallen Maiar, a former servant of Ulmo, who rejected his master and lent an ear to Melkor’s lies and became allured by them. He controls those damned birds, tortures their souls to make them do his bidding. As a cruel game, he took over three of you, Boromir, Naria and Anguirel, and turned them against the others. He stole their fëar and your friends became enslaved by an evil spell. The creatures you slew were but a mere shadow of your friends an alien spirit had taken over, making their bodies to obey him over their own fëar, and giving them the dark power of lycantrophy.”

The Elves were looking at her in disbelief, their mouths trying to formulate the most pressing questions, but Lady Elenwë continued in haste: “Now you must run! I’ll come to your help!”
She rushed out from the Great Hall and through the doors, leaving the confused Elves standing to the Hall.
“What did she say?” asked Dimwë.
“I’m not sure, but we will just have to follow her. Now!” answered the phantom and took after Lady Elenwë. Roa and Valier had already started after her. Firefoot, spawn and Encaitare followed them. Dimwë glanced once more to the Hall and noticed Kitanna still tied to the chair. “I promised to look after you, and so I will. Even if I’m dim-witted, I’m not dim-hearted.” She untied the ropes and took Kitanna’s bruised and soulless body by the hand. “Maybe someone can make you brighter than me again one day.”

And there was a ship down at the shore! It was very small, but still, it was a ship. All the Elves ran down the hill to reach it. Hurriedly they jumped aboard while lady Elenwë stood beside the ship and called them to hasten. When they had all gotten to the ship, lady Elenwë loosened the rope with which it had been moored and threw it onboard. The Elves were stunned as the ship took off without Lady Elenwë. Elenwë’s personal guard Roa and her chambermaid Valier ran to the rail and yelled to her in anguish “What is this? Come with us! We’ll just steer this back to take you on.”

“Nay, my dear friends. You have to go by your own. I’m bound to this Valar-forsaken island, but because of your success in the macabre game of his, you have earned your freedom. But make haste! I can’t promise that his word can be trusted” she called them back, waving her hand to say farewell.

The Elves onboard were agitated and stricken by the sudden revelation. The ship was slowly but steadily sailing away from the shore. Firefoot leaned to the rail and shouted back to her: “Why? Why aren’t you coming with us?”

“Tell my husband and my daughter that I loved them dearly!” she replied and turned her back to the Elves and the Sea that washed the shores of both Aman and Beleriand. With a heavy heart she started climbing back to the palace, and towards her fate.

The ship disappeared to the horizon, and no living soul ever saw the lost Elves nor spoke with them. Thus the tale of Elenwë was forgotten and the fate of the lost became a mystery – and the mystery became a legend.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

I was right about our sir Anguirel since Day 1! Boy, this feels good.

Thank you, Lommy and Nogrod, for great modding! The penguin pics were a clever idea, especially the first one that looked seriously murderous gave me the creeps. Too bad you didn't get to write any more deaths because they were hilarious. Oli ihan sairaan hauska peli! Kiitos.



Ms. Chinstrap, Mr. Rockhopper and Mr. Emperor, that was very brave of you...



... you just didn't have much luck.

Actually, I was a bit sad to see you go so early because it was fun playing with all of you. Some other time, then.

Lalaith - You chose your dreams perfectly. Even though you were forced to reveal yourself in the beginning, I don't doubt your picks had a huge effect on the outcome. Well done!
Macalaure - That was a great performance in your first game.
phantom - Well, you already know that you're awesome, so I don't think people need to go saying that out loud anymore.
Valier - Great job defending your views so persistently! I hope I'm never a baddie in a village where you are an innocent.
Roa - You were so helpful that at one point I thought that it had to be a bluff... yeah, me and my logics. You spotting Boro right away was great.
Firefoot - It's a pity that you didn't get your kill (that would've been fun), but the bright side of this is that you stayed alive to enjoy the victory. Well done hiding your identity.
Jenny - Your open defense of the penguins was hilarious. Good job fulfilling your duty; postponing the death of the culprits.
Kitanna - I'm sorry you had to reveal yourself, and you can blame my vote for it, too. Still, you being able to protect Lalaith was a big help.
Encai - It was interesting to read the statistics you gathered, so thanks.
Diamond - The perfect Audrey! I've wondered how on earth you manage to do so many analyses, but anyway, they are really handy. Thanks for making one for me, too.

Originally Posted by phantom

yes, Spawn, I was trying to set you up for death- sorry

"Sorry?" That's it?