Chaos Among Us (DAU 9) - Ulthuan In Flames (Game Thread)

[Anarion]

The pelting rain plummeted down outside the cave entrance. Izliroc Cave it was called, a bleak haven on the coast of Cothique. Only a few short weeks have passed since the horde of Anar has landed on the coast. Already the forces have chaos have made great inroads into Cothique, driving the defenders further and further from their homes. Here in the cave a rag tag band of 22 elves gathers, seeking shelter from the rain. Izliroc Cave is a large cavern of many passages and chambers, enough to hide hundreds of elves. Alas few citizens have escaped the onset of chaos to seek this shelter.

Note: 22 includes myself as host and 21 players.

GAME OBJECTIVES

- The Defenders of Ulthuan must try to find the identities of the Chaos agents and have them hanging from the nearest tree. When all Chaos agents have been unmasked and executed, the Defender side wins.
- The Chaos agents must try to kill all the innocent refugees in Izliroc Cave. This is done by assassinating the defenders under the cover of darkness, until the number of Chaos agents equals or becomes greater than the number of surviving Defenders.

Each night, the Chaos agents select one of the guests to be the target for their assassinations. When the morning comes, that player is found dead, and his true identity uncovered.

Each day, the refugees (all players) discuss amongst each other of who the guilty might be. They can choose to Vote against a player, to have him lynched. When a majority is met (I will announce the required number of votes beforehand) that player is executed and his true identity uncovered. The purpose is of course to manage to lynch Chaos agents, even though some innocent Defenders lives might have to be sacrificed to reach this goal...

THE RULES AND ETIQUETTE (with a nod to EricJ, the first host):

During the game's nights, everyone who has to do so sends Bob of Yvresse an E-mail or PM. Many of you have nighttime abilities, making it crucial to be prompt with your nighttime PM's. Nights may also take a while, so please be patient and considerate of that fact.

In the "morning" Bob will inform me of the nights events and I will announce them to everyone else.

During the daytime you discuss and vote to kill someone. I will announce beforehand how many votes are required for killing. It is my prerogative to set a time limit on the voting; I will announce that at least 24 hours before the limit expires.

Under no circumstance are you allowed to show any E-mails/PMs from Bob, me or others. If there are questions on this, PM Bob FIRST. We will allow more if you ask than we will forgive if you don't. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL GET YOU MODKILLED.

Do not edit or delete your posts. Not even to fix BB Code. Not even lightning editing. Double posting is preferred. Or triple posting. Or getting it right the first time. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL GET YOU MODKILLED.

Do not post invisitext. Do not post white, despite the fact that white is indeed not invisitext. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL GET YOU MODKILLED.

Do not post at night. Period. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL GET YOU MODKILLED.

If you wish to quit, don't be an ass and commit suicide via modkilling. PM me or Bob and we will find a replacement for you instead.

Please ensure that you participate regularly. Inactive players tend to be innocent asur and that makes things easy for both sides. All players MUST post at least once during each game 'day'. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL GE-- (you get the idea.) You do not have to post in character. Please use your username rather than any other name, particularly when voting. The only in character posts will be mine and those only for flavor and entertainment.

Please do not discuss this game via Instant Messenger, E-mails or IRL... (unless you are part of a group, and then only when it is night.) We can't police this, but please respect the game for everyone's sake.

If you are dead, you are dead. Do not post any information afterwards. Please respect the game for the remaining players.

If you feel the need to make OOC posts or posts after death and what you say has no bearing on the game please use the SignUp/OOC thread.

Votes must be in bold and of the format vote: Anarion. I do not care about capitalization. If you revote, an unvote for your previous vote is understood - you do not have to unvote unless you wish to refrain from voting at that time. Votes in quotes are not counted as votes.

Once a majority is reached, that person gets lynched. You may continue to discuss during twilight (while you walk home) but you may not post at night. The night arrives when a mod posts that it is night. Again, I will not be very forgiving on this AT ALL.

The person with a simple majority gets lynched. HALF THE VOTE IS NOT A MAJORITY UNLESS I SAY OTHERWISE.

Generally speaking a game 'night' should take no more than 24 hours and a game 'day' should take no more than 72 hours. Once 72 hours has elapsed I will typically set a 24 hour deadline. The game works best and is most fun if we all keep it moving. So please participate. That said I usually am not around on Sundays so any turn that passes through a Sunday may be longer than others.

Under no circumstances will a day end without a lynching, even if I have to specify that whoever has the most votes regardless of a majority is killed. I don't want to do that so don't force my hand. You may abstain from voting but its better for the game if you vote.

Finally, if anything is not clear or you have any questions at all, I reiterate here once and for all, please ask me or Bob by PM. Remember, its a game so have fun!

Lest it still be utterly unclear I state one final time... All night time PM's are to be sent to Bob. We are experimenting with a dual host system. Bob is handling all the roles and actions. I do not know anyone's role. I am handling all the day actions including vote tally and execution. Do not send me PM's unless they are general questions or a request to find a replacement for yourself.

It is now NIGHT. Those of you with nighttime abilities can PM Bob of Yvresse now. Since this is the first night and many haven't even seen their roles yet we will be allowing up to 48 hours for this night.

[Anarion]

IC: The grey dawn brought no end to the rain and the ragged band of refugees slowly crept through the darkened tunnels, only the light of their torches bringing any lifting of the gloom. At length all of them were assembled before Anarion. "Roll call," said that elf. "Are we all present?" The count denies this fact swiftly. "One of us is missing," says Anarion. "Find him."

The refugees break into pairs, searching the gloomy caverns for the missing one. It is not long before a cry echoes down a passageway. Convening at the source of the cry they find a body crumpled on the ground, his fine tunic torn open to expose the bare chest beneath. Bare, that is, but for the star of chaos that has been crudely and bloodily carved into it.

Illidan Hellforge is very, very dead.

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It is now Day. Discuss! With 20 players left, 11 votes are required for a majority.
*************************************************************

Deceased:
Illidan Hellforge - innocent - carved upon on Night 1

Alive:
Prince_Asuryan
LordAnubis
Tylarion
Andruillius
Amun-Lothain
The Darkness
Paraicj
Prince Elileth
lordofthenight
Allerion
cidracin
bondzy
Uther Di Asturien
kormas
Shandiar
EviIPaladin
little brother
Tuor
Khar
Tier

[Tuor]

Tuor stared down at the corpse
"That proves it," He said,"there are chaos servants among us and now we must figure out which one of us it is."

[Allerion]

So, the chaos infestation is not entirely purged. But which one or ones of you are chaos(ites? ians?)?

the only one we are all sure is not an agent of chaos is Illidan Hellforge,

[Prince_Asuryan]

Indeed it seems that some of Anar's troops remain. But how many of them are in this cave with us, and how are we to find them? Regardless, we should waste no time in dealing with them or we will all find ourselves like poor Illidan...

[Andruillius]

"Anar's troops? I think not."

Andruillius looked at Prince Asuryan.

"This is more like the work of a Slaaneshi cultist. Even if the symbol is that of Chaos undivided, the method is similar to that of the Cult. Anar's horde is not of disciplined elven assassins, but brutish norse barbarians. To find the traitors among us, we must look into ourselves. Only then can we hope to find the murder before he takes us."

Walking over to the corpse of Illidan, Andruillius bent down and ran his finger over the deep cut in the elf's chest.

"Crude, but not because the murderer lacked time, I think. Whomever it is, he still feels confident we will not find him, at least not now."

Andruillius got up and grinned sarcastically, letting his blue eyes scan the elves around him.

"Feels confident we will not find you, I mean. For you must clearly be standing there, listening intently to me, looking for any sign that I know who you are. But, unfortunately, I do not," Andruillius said, backing away from the corpse.


"Yet."

[cidracin]

Cidracin stepped toward the body.

"I agree with Prince Asuryan and Tuor we must discover who among us are worshippers of the dark powers. We currently have no clues or evidence linking anyone to this murder. Lacking this proof we therefore must make our decision based on the words spoken by the individuals gathered here in this cave. I would have everyone speak so that we may perhaps find some insight into the identity of the killer. I understand that some will want to take their time and choose their words carefully and I understand this but we must come to a decision before this day is over and the more we talk the better our chances of finding our killer will be.”

After he finished speaking he cast his grey eyes around the group of elves.

[Tuor]

"Your reply makes me wonder, for you said we and your behavior and words are very suspicious." Said Tuor to Andrullius

[Amun-Lothain]

Amun cleared his throat. "As Andruillius has so expertly demonstrated, it could not have been a human, as we are all clearly elves here." He touched one of his pointed ears and nodded in satisfaction. "Yes indeed."

"Now, with that out of the way, we can get down to the more important details. Who has shifty eyes or smirks in a sinister fashion?" Amun smiled as he glanced from elf to elf. "I say anyone possessing both of those qualities be executed on the spot! That will surely rid us of all but the most cunning villains."

[Tuor]

Tuor stared at Amun
"You should be killed for such a stupid idea and for discriminating against people who have shifty eyes thats racism that is."

[cidracin]

"Amun I surely hope that this is simply some poor atempt at humour." Cidracin saidcooly to Amun.

To Tuor he said "For my part I am with you and I am find nothing humorous or wise in what Amun has said . I see no one in this cave that on any other day I would call brother."

[cidracin]

"I see no one in this cave that on any other day I would not hesitate to call my brother. Appearances will not lead us anywhere in this investigation."

OOC Sorry about my bad phrasing in my last post but we can't edit. I proof my posts but it did not sound wrong until I posted.

[Allerion]

cidracian, you acknowledge we have no knowledge of who the agents of chaos are, but yet you are anxious to begin selecting those for death. Since we all know the majority of us are loyal asur, i see no reason to rush into this and slaughter innocent elves. Why do you wish to commence the methodical slaughter before we gather our wits and evaluate the situation, making intelligent, as informed as possible decisions? Even the youngest elf knows any decision of great magnitude must be thoroughly thought out, so why do you wish to expedite our process?

[cidracin]

"I like you Allerion wish to make the right decision and understand that we must not make our selection rashly out of haste. You want us to make an informed decision. Our only source of information is the words of this group. I seek not to expedite the selection but increase the amount of information we have to make the most informed decision possible. I am anxious because the less we talk the more likely our selection will be faulty and I like you do not want to select an innocent. I have called for no votes and I myself will not vote until all who are willing to speak have spoken. And as I said before I have no issue with those who wish to wait a while before they speak but I would like to hear from everybody at least once before the voting commences even if you wish to abstain. That said I will not vote for someone simply because they choose to remain silent but they will have my highest suspicion.”
After he finished speaking he gathered his grey cloak about himself and went over to one of the cave's walls and settled down against it.

[The Darkness]

The Darkness looked at the body but he quickly turned away as his eyes caught sight of that cursed rune. "Pour soul, we should at least do something other than leaving that body here. Let's just not get caught up in the hype of placing the blame on someone either. The last thing we want os the wrong person killed."

[LordAnubis]

"While it would be deeply unfortunate to execute the wrong person, we must consider that these murders are likely to continue until we catch those responsible. Therefore, while it may seem beneath us, it is necessary for us to beginning voting as soon as we can. It may mean that we accidentally kill one of our own, or do so through the manipulations of the enemy among us, but if we do not, we will all die here. That is the simple truth."

LordAnubis shrugged his shoulders.

"I like it no better than any of you, but the only information we have is that which comes from our words and actions - what we say and how we vote. Therefore, while I think we should wait until some more of us have spoken up, I do think that it is important to vote for someone today, even if we cannot win a majority. It might kill a loyalist. Given the probable numbers, it is far more likely to kill a loyalist. But this is war, and while we should not be overly ready to strike, we cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of the bigger picture. Everyone here who is loyal to the True King of all Elves should be ready to give their lives for the good of the loyal council members."

He threw a glance at Allerion.

"And remember also that not all of us are Asur. Some, such as myself, are servants of Malekith, not Bel-Saarin. But let us not allow minor disputes to get in the way of purging this infestation from among us."

[Khar]

'It's too early to judge anyone by now' said Khar, until this moment looking at the body in silence 'Any of us could be a chaos agent. How do we know, what is the sign of treachery? Amun's jokes, Tuor's eagerness to condemn everyone, Asuryan's blaming of Anar's warriors, curses, as far as you're awware I may just be trying to defend myself from being punished as a cultist!'
'Whatever judgement will be passed today, it won't be just. If the murderer will be caught, it will be just luck.'

[Shandiar]

"We can not sit idle and let this murderer take us out one by one. We need to act, though there isn't much evidence to act upon."

[little brother]

"Our friend Amun is wrong in his assumption that the assassin or assassins are elves." Little Brother knelt to examine the body, "Many of the forces of chaos are masters of change, and can appear how they please. Even without magic a well trained assassin can could pass amongst us unnoticed. How are we then to determine peoples guilt?"

[The Darkness]

"You say that but remember that it would be so easy for an elven assassin to blend in with us then. If one were a dark servant they could pass among us without any hinderance." He stopped and paused. "All we can really do for the time being is go with our gut instincts."

[Andruillius]

"Minor disputes indeed", Andruillius scoffed at Lord Anubis. "I trust a Loyalist little more than I trust an elf devoted to Slaanesh. Both follow false idols, and have strayed from the True path. Bel-Saarin is the only rightful leader of the elves."

Andruillius had raised an eye brow when Tuor spoke his suspicions against him. Now he walked over to Tuor, stopping close to the elf, and set his blue eyes at Tuor's.

"Suspicious, Tuor? Verily, you base your accusations on very little. Only have I stated the obvious, and you find me suspicious? What words, what behaviour, do you find suspicious?"

Andruillius turned around sharply, in a fashion that let his blonde pony tail hit Tuor in the face. Stepping away from the elf, he continued talking.

"I said "we" because I have so far no knowledge of whom the murderer might be. It could be you as much as it could be anyone else here, Tuor." Suddenly it looked like a revelation dawned on Andruillius, and he smiled. "The only one I know it is not, of course, is myself. Just like you are so sure of your own innocence." He turned, facing Tuor again. "But I do not like baseless accusations. You make a good impression of a worried elf. Is it because you feel genuine fear, the hand of death so close to you? Or have you learned to act so?"

Again Andruillius smiled, this time warmly at Tuor. "But we are all friends. At least until we vote to murder one of us. Then, our hands will be bloody, and any attempt to appear innocent will seem false as the teachings of Malekith." Andruillius' face turned into a stern grimace.

"Not that any one of us is innocent, anyway. No one on Ulthuan is."

[Prince_Asuryan]

'The Hordes of Anar may be responsible. Is Anar himself not an elf like ourselves? Surely he has some other elves with him. But you are right, Andruillius, Morathi's cultists seem far more likely to be hidden among us.'

Prince_Asuryan looked across to Tour, 'What is suspicious in the phrase "we"? Could it not be possible he is referring to all of us within the cave? You jump to conclusions very quickly my friend, although' and he looked to Amun 'humour like that will do you no favours...'

'Lord Anubis , and others, is right, and for those of you you condemn for this, think first. I do not call for baseless accusation and murder, but if we sit here and do nothing, the assassins will kill us while we sleep. Action is key, though I agree, now is too soon to make any decisions. We need more evidence...'

[Paraicj]

"A lot of empty talk is going on here. We don't have time for petty squabbles or goading. We need to work out who is guilty. For today, there is no way. None of us no each other well, beyond our allegiances, either to your Bel-Saarin or our own Dread King. Our dislike for eachother based on this will have to be set aside. Druchii and Asur will have to work together, distasteful as it may be."

"So, what to do? It is easy to say that we cannot choose somebody we find suspicious, as we know too little, but how will we find out more? Through prattling about Anar and the true leader of the elves? Does any elf here believe this to be the work of other than agents of chaos? Do any of you Asur believe a true Druchii is to blame? I hope not. We must be steadfast, and set aside our politicking, whether about false idols or usurpers. While we are here, we are Elves. We must root out the agent of chaos and end their existance. I see it not as murder, but judgement."

[little brother]

"Not everyone has had a chance to introduce themselves, so I suppose we must put up with some more of these baseless accusations, until everyone has spoken and then out of politeness we can vote. But we are voting to murder someone, what is polite about that? The cotradictions here are most amusing."

[Tuor]

Khar why are you so eager to frame me as wanting to condemn everyone? So you accuse me in order to divert attention from yourself?

[Paraicj]

"So eager? He mentions you in a group of near everyone who spoke before him. I would be careful throwing around such ideas as framing and diverting attention when so little has been said of you. It sounds over-defensive, not something any one here can afford to be. We are all suspects at this moment, knowing of no innocence except our own. Self-righteous indignation has no place here, only plain speech and a willingness for action as well as words.

But, there are still those who have not spoken at all. Why is that? Confusion? Fear? Or something more sinister?"

[Khar]

Either is Tuor suspicious or paranoid, none of these being helpful for us. You are not the only one I mention, and look! None of the others protested!
But i agree, we need the others to speak, allowing us to gather as much knowlege about our situation as possible. I'm not accusing anyone without all the informations we can get.

[Tylarion]

What reason would they have to kill Illidan, did he know that one of us was a chaos agent, did he plan to tell us?
Sadly I don't think we will get answers to any of those questions.

I agree with that we should wait with voting until everyone has spoken, though I don't think it will bring us any closer to the identity of Illidan's killer.
I do think we should give Illidan a proper burial though.

[Allerion]

yes, lord anubis, i would do well to remember that.

tylarion, while a burial is assumed, we must look at our immediate dangers.

i grow tired of mindless babel. since i will not know more concerning the matter at hand later in the day, i see little point in delaying our voting, but do wish to hear from everybody beforehand. Once Anarion prompts for a vote, mine shall be one of the first. (walks off to the mouth of the cave, mumbling to self)

[Prince_Asuryan]

Tuor, you too have condemned people. You sound very concerned at the slightest accusation, which as others have said seems paranoid. All points at this time are simply speculation but with little else to act on we have to use what we can. As for everyone... well, in my eyes everyone is guilty and innocent. It is the act of finding those more guilty. You cannot afford to assume people are innocent.