The Syndicate

juliets PMed me some days ago about the winner banner. I know with my host banner it sometimes doesn't show up.

Please report if you have or are continuing to have issues with your winner banner. Thanks.

That first one looks appropriate, Kate. This thing wore me out! That said, I am looking forward to the next time.

Whereas Masters of the Universe took us all over the planet, X-Men will keep us all...in one room.

MovingPictures07 wrote:Wow! What an absolutely stunning game. I have to say, Robert, for your first hosting experience ever and for anyone's hosting experience regardless of how experienced they could be, this was very impressive. I agree that you have a gift; your writing, as I've always known it to be, was very outstanding. I do agree with timmer that your game turned out to be balanced, a fact I did wonder about at times. It is insane when you think about it, baddie teams with 6, something as crazy as the Magna Beam, all the possible civvie BTSC, many unconventional and risky items, but it all seemed to work out somehow. Props to you. What a game. This will go down as one of my all-time favorite mafia games, I'm sure of it.

Thank you for the kind words. S~V~S really helped me tailor this thing to make it right though, so she deserves credit too!

MovingPictures07 wrote:On Night 4, I really desperately wanted to get rid of Mekaneck, who I was after Aces, was thinking could be DH. II wasn't sure about DH being Mekaneck, I also thought he could be Man-E-Faces. But then! This was a bizarre twist in the way I had everyone pegged as roles. But as Robert explained, we got to control DH's night actions and votes via the Slime Pit. Robert told us to submit 0, 1, or 2 names, which made me think he had to be one of the roles that submitted one or two names, so then I got rid of him as Mekaneck or Man-E-Faces and I was convinced he was Buzz-Off. This threw me off of DFaraday's trail and really kind of screwed up my pegging of civvies for quite some time.
I have to stress again, what a game this was! It will certainly go down in mafia history as something else, I'm sure.

Zero names meant "I want to be human."
One name meant "I want to be a robot and role check this person."
Two names meant "I want to be a monster and try to kill the second name."

This was how you could control DH's power as Man-E-Faces without me explicitly telling you what his role was.

Kate wrote:

timmer wrote:

Kate wrote:Omg!

Thank heavens fh! Since I got killed BY TIMMER I've been screaming at my computer to lynch him!

Way to go I would have been mega pissed if he won. It was bad enough dying on night 18... Ugh!

I loved how you used the "wave to the game after death to remind people that you were killed" strategy, lol. It's like "recruits? honestly, guys? Who killed me? Just... just look at who killed me... it was Timmer. He's right fucking there. Just.... lynch him!"

I felt your pain.

Lol. I figured you were gonna be the only one to catch what I was doing...

I sure as hell didn't catch it. I was like, "Who the hell is she waving at?"

blindfaeth wrote:I cant believe you voted to kill me FH!

I couldn't believe it either!

timmer, you deserve recognition for how you handled a complex role. Either targeting offensively (to confuse people) or defend yourself (to make yourself seem invincible), and the way you spoke in the thread to manage this illusion...absolutely brilliant. I genuinely thought you had this one once the civilians began offing one another! To be the 29th out...damn!

I want to thank my darling wife Elohcin too (and rib her a little too- calling me a nerd...and now look who's here among us ). She gave me the time I needed to write posts, respond to PMs, and so forth. And we have three young children, so you can imagine!

And thanks to all who served as a replacement (especially Nevinera for doing double duty). I do hope you will join in my next adventure, which I already have in development.

Winner's banner. Grab one, civilians!



http://bit.ly/12vbqgT

Part of the fun for me was finding all the artwork for the characters, locations, and so forth. Here is a gallery of all the characters.

He-Man


Man-at-Arms


Teela


Orko


Man-E-Faces


Ram Man:


Fisto


Moss Man


Stratos


Sy-Klone


Mekaneck


Buzz-Off


She-Ra


Glimmer


Bow


Madame Razz


Skeletor


Evil-Lyn


Beast Man


Mer-Man


Tri-Klops


Trap Jaw


Hordak:



Shadow Weaver


Leech


Mantenna


Grizzlor


Modulok


The Sorceress


Zodac

Endgame Analysis

Together we’ve traveled all over Eternia, fought Illkorts, solved riddles, discovered treasure, heard stories, laughed in happiness, scowled in frustration, and did this thing we call Mafia. I never expected this event would last a whopping twenty-two Days and Nights, almost 4,400 posts, over two months in real time, over 20,000 words in Host posts (that’s a novella, folks) and over 1,000 private messages sent to me, but there we are. Thank you for your participation and your patience as this played out.

I also thank S~V~S, our marvelous Mod, without whom this would not have been possible. I do not say that as a platitudinous gesture- I mean it. She not only was the Mod on duty, she was an invaluable mentor who helped me shape and balance everything, and her criticisms and insights were vital. If I should ever meet her, I owe her a beer.

What follows is a detailed analysis of each Day and Night period, unraveling all of the mechanics and mysteries you encountered throughout the event, and my commentary.

But first, the cast of characters, their roles, and their secrets!

Cast of Characters:

Civilians

The Eternians

Prince Adam / He-Man (AceofSpaces) - Each night, Prince Adam must decide whether or not to transform into He-Man. As Prince Adam, he has no abilities. As He-Man, he role blocks any player that night and cannot be lynched the following day. He is limited to three transformations.

Man-at-Arms (blindfaeth) - Duncan is a master of technology. He is working on a “Role-Finder” device that can discover the role of any player once per day. Initially, it has a 10% success rate. Each time it fails, Duncan tweaks the machine, and increases the success rate by 2%. Has BTSC with Teela and Orko.

Teela (juliets) - Submits a player’s name each night and guards that person against lynching the following day. Has BTSC with Man-at-Arms and Orko.

Orko (Vompatti) - The silly court magician, Orko tries to help his friends, but sometimes just doesn’t get it right. He casts a spell to either boost Man-at-Arms’ technical research by 3% (80% success rate) or help Teela protect the innocent from lynching by enabling her to submit a second name (70% success rate). If the spell fails, Orko silences a random player. Has BTSC with Man-at-Arms and Teela.

Man-E-Faces (DharmaHelper) - Each night, Man-E-Faces must choose whether to be a human (no effect), a robot (may attempt a role check at a 60% success rate while doubling the number of lynch votes for himself the next day) or a monster (may attempt a night kill at a 40% success rate while quadrupling the number of lynch votes for himself the next day).

Ram Man (Russtifinko) - Uses his brute force to ram into any player, role blocking that person for the night.

Fisto (orsonkidd) - Uses his mighty gauntlet to deliver a punch to any player, role blocking that person for the night.

Moss Man (Ishar Morrad Chuain - The master of camouflage blends into his environment. He can never be lynched.

Stratos (Flyin’ High) - The prince of the skies may swoop in on two occasions to rescue someone from a night kill.

Sy-Klone (Dom) - Sy-Klone may generate a tornado that redirects his target’s night action. If the target has no night action, the whirlwind fails.

Mekaneck (DFaraday) - Uses his bionic neck to search for allies. If he finds an Eternian, he establishes BTSC with that player. Has BTSC with Buzz Off.

Buzz-Off (indiglo) - Uses his flight to spy on others. The buzzing hero selects two players and will discover if they share BTSC. Has BTSC with Mekanek.

The Etherians

Princess Adora / She-Ra (the_untamed / Nevinera) - Each night, Princess Adora must decide whether or not to transform into She-Ra. As Princess Adora, she has no abilities. As She-Ra, she role blocks any player that night and cannot be lynched the following day. She is limited to three transformations.

Glimmer (Elohcin) - Glimmer- The leader of the Great Rebellion sheds light on situations. Whenever she is targeted, she will know by whom. Has BTSC with Bow and Madame Razz.

Bow (thellama73) - Scouts for a member of The Horde each night. If he finds one, he shoots an arrow and role blocks the player. If he finds Princess Adora, he recruits her, earning BTSC. Has BTSC with Glimmer and Madame Razz.

Madame Razz (LittleTiger) - The loveable witch from Whispering Woods can conjure a spell to help her friends. She often messes up, but she means well. Has BTSC with Glimmer and Bow. (Secrets)
Madame Razz has a 70% chance to conjure something beneficial to her friends. If she fails, a random player will be transformed into a goat, and will be unable to participate in the game until Madame uses a turn to transform the player back. Beware that goats may still be lynched or otherwise killed.


Snake Mountain
Kills every odd night. Has BTSC.

Skeletor (reywaS) - The evil lord of destruction may use his Havoc Staff to place a hex on any player. While under Skeletor’s power, the target must vote during the day phase as Skeletor directs; the curse lasts two day periods.

Evil-Lyn (Roxy) - Wicked illusionist and Skeletor's right hand (Secrets).
On one night only, Evil-Lyn may cast a powerful illusion. This illusion creates a phantom double of each player in the lynch poll. One name in the poll represents the real player, and the other represents the illusion. Upon casting the spell, Evil-Lyn decides whether the first instance is real or the second. Also, she protects Skeletor against his first lynch.

Beast Man (spacedaisy) - Skeletor’s furry henchman kidnaps one player each night and brutally interrogates them regarding any previous night action. That player’s night action from the chosen night will be known to Beast Man.

Merman (AllAlongTheBoardwalk) - Merman will search the waterways each night for treasure and magical relics. His base chance to find something is 10%, but because Merman is nervous and does not wish to displease his master, it increases 6% for each lynch vote Snake Mountain receives.

Tri-Klops (He-Man) - Each night, Tri-Klops may choose an eye to see with (Circle, Triangle, or Square). The Circle enables Distavision, which allows Tri-Klops to see something from afar (he can see what votes during the following day phase are manipulated). The Triangle enables Nightvision, which allows Tri-Klops to see something that happened at night. The Square enables Gammavision, which allows Tri-Klops to see around things (thus finding a way around a situation and canceling out one role block against Snake Mountain). Each eye must charge two nights before being used again.

Trap Jaw (Boomslang) - Each night, Trap Jaw may choose an arm to use (Stunner, Hook, or Magnifier). The stunner renders a player useless for the next day. The hook parries any night action taken against Trap Jaw. The Magnifier doubles Trap Jaw’s lynch vote for the following day. Unlike Tri-Klops, Trap Jaw may use any arm he wishes on any given night.


The Horde
Kills every even night. Has BTSC.

Hordak (MovingPictures07) - The ruthless leader of the evil Horde may fire his arm cannon, taking a 20% shot at killing the targeted player outright. Alternatively, Hordak may spend his night studying science, possibly producing a piece of technology that the Horde may utilize. The success rate depends on the item’s greatness: A simple technology has an 80% chance of success. A moderate technology has a 60% chance of success. A powerful technology has a 40% chance of success.

Shadow Weaver (Disgruntled Porcupine) - Mistress of dark tidings (Secrets)
Each night, Shadow Weaver forces someone to sleep. She will then craft a nightmare to be revealed to the sleeper via PM from the host. Also, she protects Hordak against his first lynch.

Leech (>SpaghettiEverywhere) - Targets one player each night, and adopts their known night power for the next night. If there is no known night power, the drain fails. Leech must use this power before attempting to drain another player.

Mantenna (birdwithteeth11) - Pops out his eyes each night and uses his stun beam to stun someone, rendering that player useless for the next day. Alternatively, he can use his eyes to spy on someone, discovering if that player was manipulated in any way on the previous day.

Grizzlor (Snow Dog) - Can jail one player each night, rendering that player useless the next day. Alternatively, he can work with Hordak in the development of a new technology, giving Hordak a 9% technology bonus for that night.

Modulok (Stormcrow) - Grows more powerful the longer he fights! (Secrets)
Each time Modulok is targeted for anything but not killed, his lynch vote increases by one, cumulatively.


Individuals

The Sorceress (Kate) - The Protector of Castle Grayskull, The Sorceress uses her mystical power to guard against the forces of evil. She perishes if all the Eternians are slain. (Secrets)
Each night, The Sorceress may protect one player from a night kill. Or, instead, she may invoke the power of Grayskull to resurrect any player (she may do this only once). Perishes if all the Eternians are slain. Shares victory with the civilians.

Zodac (timmer) - The Cosmic Enforcer (Secrets)
Each night, Zodac can select two players and level the lynch votes they receive between them, adding them together and dividing them by two the next day. If there is ever a tie, that night Zodac chooses who among the tied players will be killed. Zodac inherits the night kill from an eliminated Snake Mountain or Horde. Inherits the Night kills from Snake Mountain or The Horde if they are eliminated. Must be the Last Man Standing.


Prologue

The mathematics of the vehicle choice were straightforward. The greatest chance of getting the prize was Wind Raider (50 points max). The lowest chance of getting the prize was Stridor (30 points max), but Stridor came with information.

Flyin’ High won the prize, which was the Amulet of Charisma. This amulet gave Flyin’ High a -2 received lynch vote total at the start of each Day period.

If you chose Stridor, you were able to choose any location on the light hemisphere and inquire about it. Stridor would give special information about that place.

The assumption among the players that Stridor’s information would be static across the board was what I hoped,

Finally, this opening poll served as a springboard for Day 1 discussion, and it worked: That was an incredible degree of conversation for an opening lynch. I really enjoyed it,


Day 1

As I said, the Day 1 discussion was riveting, and I loved watching how some were absolutely right and how others were way off the mark.

There was no vote manipulation on Day 1. It was a straight lynch, except Flyin’ High started a negative two received votes because of her prize.

I had the entire post ready to go, thinking blindfaeth was to die, when the vote tied at the last minute. This, while somewhat frustrating (since I had to rethink- and rewrite- the Day post) was exceedingly interesting.

You see, Zodac was the tie-breaker. Any time a lynch vote was tied, Zodac (timmer) got to decide who among the tied players would die, and that player would be lynched that Night. This element of his role was ancillary, but combined with his Night power, made him an interesting character: His Night power allowed him to submit two names, and those two players would receive the mean of their votes. For example, if he selected Players A & B, and A received two votes and B received fourteen, then both A & B would have eight votes apiece, and if no one had more than eight votes, Zodac would get to choose who would die, A or B, that night.

Well, timmer initially chose blindfaeth, but changed his mind, and Boomslang was lynched on Night 1.


Night 1

The players had to determine who would receive the Shield of Grayskull, a powerful item that protected a player from ALL night actions that night, but that player would have to choose someone to give the shield to for the next period.

This was an important poll for the civilians, because obviously any players who shared BTSC could pass the shield among themselves, including evil players.

Little Tiger won it.

The only manipulation in this poll was that Kate, The Sorceress, had a vote that was worth four times.

The other aspect about the shield is that if someone gave it to He-Man, it’s purpose would change to allow He-Man be protected from Night actions whenever he chose to transform, and the shield would no longer be passed. This never happened.

Snake Mountain targeted MovingPictures07, but Flyin’ High was protecting him.

That’s right, Flyin’ High. You kept Hordak alive.


Day 2

Very little to say here by now- timmer chose himself and Roxy to spit their lynch votes, and timmer got all but two of them. That meant a second tie, which meant he got to choose Roxy to die.

Ironically, Roxy missed the vote for Day 2.

reywaS confirmed that he did indeed screw up his vote, which I had interpreted as an opportunity to score more percentage points for Mer-Man.

And Vompatti...may well be the “true” individual among us, having stood alone in this one.


Night 2:

AceofSpaces survived Modulok’s assault solely because of the Furlong meat, which gave a 50% chance of surviving Night actions. Had he not chosen that, he would have indeed been a soggy corpse at the bottom of a river.

Crawler meat had no effect.

Chimparilla meat gave a 50% chance of failing one’s night action (the superstitious believe consuming it is bad luck).

And, as you all saw, Abyss Spider meat meant silence. I was taken aback that so many had chosen to consume it. I mean, what the hell is wrong with you people? Spider?


Day 3:

On Night 2, The Horde unlocked The Slime Pit, which meant the Day 3 lynch was unique. Essentially, whoever got lynched on Day 3 would be a slave to them for quite possibly the remainder of the game. The Sorceress and Zodac, however, could only be slaves for one cycle, and they would both learn about The Slime Pit and have a 25% chance of breaking the spell each night, freeing the enslaved if successful.

DharmaHelper, even though he received two fewer votes than He-Man, was slimed, because the Night prior he chose Robot mode (correctly identifying Snow Dog as Grizzlor), and had to accept 2x the lynch votes. Hence, his five became ten.

The greatest thing to happen on this day was DH’s first bad translator post, which I have adopted as my signature: "When it comes to my mind is about 500 and sorry night hope for women." Truer words were never spoken.

I think we will be seeing a lot of bad translator from here on out, don’t you?

Night 3:

In Andreenos, two players were selected to fight Webstor. AllAlongtheBoardwalk and thellama73 did that. The person to receive the most votes would fight and survive, and the second most would fight, die, and be brought back by the Andreenids.

The Ambrosia, when consumed, would double that person’s Night power. AllAlongTheBoardwalk would use it Night 6, and because he was Merman, he would get two chances to get items (which he did).


Day 4:

Once again, this was destined to not be a straightforward lynch. On Night 1, The Horde had unlocked The Magna Beam, which would gain a charge each time someone was lynched. On any Night period the beam had a charge, they could fire it, and the vote tally the next Day would transfer down each poll slot the number of charges it had. The opted to use it for the Day 4 lynch vote.

Also, DharmaHelper had just killed spacedaisy, so his vote tally started out with a 4x modifier. Interestingly enough, Skeletor had forced MovingPictures07 to vote for DharmaHelper, and MovingPictures07 had forced DharmaHelper to vote for himself.

But those votes would not affect DH, since the Magna Beam would be moving the entire vote tally down one space (i.e., the_untamed’s received votes would go to timmer, timmer’s received votes would go to AceofSpaces, etc.)

birdwithteeth11’s votes got transferred down to blindfaeth, whom Teela was protecting. Hence, no lynch happened.

The Magna Beam was an intense source of frustration throughout.

Night 4:

The weapons in this poll were selected because in the original toy line, the generic weapon accessories were a sword, ax, mace, spear, and halberd. The correct thing to do to figure it out would have been to go into the Marketplace in Gladiators. Halbred would have been the best choice (unless you were evil, then spear would have been better for you. See below).

Each player got a roll, and that equaled the number of Ilkort that player killed. If a certain number of Ilkort were not killed, the Egg of Avion would be lost, and Flyin’ High (Stratos) would have lost her powers.

blindfaeth had the highest number of kills (12), so he was chosen to carry the Staff of the People’s Voice. This staff would cancel any lynch vote manipulation for the next Day period when used, EXCEPT for Zodac’s ability to force a tie. Unbeknownst to blindfaeth, the staff was limited to just two uses.


Day 5:

Had Teela not been protecting MovingPictures07, timmer would have forced yet another tie, and the lynch vote would have been decided on Night 5. I’m quite glad it didn’t happen this way, because then I fear the players would want to lynch the Host!


Night 5:

Zodac's Mountain is the Cosmic Enforcer's retreat, where he monitors the comings and goings of the universe. It is where he meditates and determines how best to preserve a fragile balance. The computer before you responded in a language that only Zodac can understand- a tongue as ancient as the world itself. It would reveal to him and him alone how many of the selected faction remain alive, what precious objects they possess, if any, and the effects of those objects.

Zodac therefore learned that Snake Mountain had three people left, and that one of their members had Ambrosia, that allowed that person to use a Night power twice in one night.

In other words, timmer should have quickly figured out that AllAlongTheBoardwalk was from Snake Mountain.

Now the Night PMs were interesting. DharmaHelper (Man-E-Faces) attempted to kill Snow Dog, but was unsuccessful and was in turn killed by Snake Mountain.

DFaraday and indiglo also gained BTSC with blindfaeth. Moreover, indiglo learned that thellama73 & LittleTiger had BTSC. Finally, blindfaeth learned that He-Man was Tri-Klops.

MovingPictures07 and Snow Dog developed a third powerful technology: The Horde Trooper. This would harass two players at Night, making their votes the next Day worth nothing. It would also protect the Horde from being Night killed one time, and would be sacrificed in the process.


Day 6

I knew this would be a fun lynch vote to watch.

The Horde opted to use the Magna Beam again (one charge), but blindfaeth used the Staff of the People’s Voice. In other words, The Horde would be thinking that the lynch votes would shift down as they had on Day 4, and I had predicted they would try to throw one of their members under the bus. But since the votes would NOT move (due to the powerful staff intervening), a Horde member would be lynched. Or, since four civilians now knew that He-Man was Tri-Klops (DFaraday, indiglo, blindfaeth, and juliets), He-Man was a likely lynch. Either way, I was sure a bad guy was going to get it.

It turned out I was wrong, and votes for a silent Dom started piling up.

And although he pretended to be hexed, He-Man voted for LittleTiger of his own volition and even pretended to have been punished for making it obvious. A bold move, but a vain one.

Night 6

The drinks had an effect on everyone’s votes. Pelleezean liquor imparted a -4 vote, the Orakas Island red wine imparted a -2 vote, the Stilian ale imparted a +2 vote, and the Laughing Swan white wine imparted a +4 vote.

Another factor manipulating the votes was yet another Horde tech, the Horde Trooper, which repressed the votes of two targets each Day. In this case, Elohcin’s and juliets’ votes were not counted at all.

Day 7

In the end, the drinks did not matter, because Dom wound up getting the most votes, and only one person quaffed the liquor.

What did matter was that timmer was targeting Dom and orsonkidd, and, as you now know, this was the reason for orsonkidd getting lynched on Night 7.

Night 7

There was no Night 7 poll- a bit of a break for the players (and for me, since, as you recall, our car broke down and I was exhausted).

Not only would Stinkor make his targets post through bad translator, but their votes would count -4 (and the targets knew this, but were not allowed to make it obvious, although, as Snow Dog cheerfully pointed out, “How can I make it obvious through bad translator?”)

Stinkor, by the way, was my five-year-old son Simon, who had a blast picking the names of his targets and telling people he was going to make them stink.

In case you’ve not been keeping up, Snake Mountain has been all but decimated, with a lone Skeletor (reywaS) keeping Eternian evil alive.

In a remarkable turn of events (and quite canonical, I might add), The Horde would send reywaS this message via Shadow Weaver’s power:

"We know who you are, Skeletor. Your team and ours have a mutual interest: keeping the civvies from winning this game. If you're in for a truce and willing to work together, a baddie team can still win this game, even if it won't be yours. If you agree to the terms of this truce, then post in one of your posts tomorrow and have your other remaining teammate post .

If your partner in crime is missing in action or lynched on Day 7, then post in a post of yours instead, and in that same post mention the screenname of your partner in crime (assuming his or her identity is not already made public). It does not have to be the same post as the .

Assuming you accept these terms, we will communicate with you further, and we expect you will not betray our trust and likewise we will not betray yours. Unfortunately, because of double targeting, we cannot communicate with you directly every night, so we will have to try our best to coordinate lynches and NKs as often as we can. For Day 8, we should try to get timmer, blindfaeth, indiglo, or juliets lynched. In reality, whoever is lynched tomorrow will not actually be lynched, so it will set up the person with the most votes as bad, and the set-up victim can be lynched on Day 9. This is assuming nothing interferes with our plan.

If we do not hear from you within the coming day period or you try to defy us, we will assume you have declined our terms, which would be unwise. The fate of your team is in our hands and, given your situation, you don't have another good option. If any bone in your body truly aligns with that of evil as it should, you will understand the desire to crush the civilians this game and instead ensure a Horde victory. We do sincerely apologize for your team's loss, as you have played a great game. Don't take it personally.

We need your help in ensuring that evil triumphs in this game. We look forward to seeing your response.

Thanks,
The Horde"
++++

So, just like in the actual Masters of the Universe mythology, Hordak would join forces with Skeletor in order to defeat a common enemy (interestingly enough, Skeletor would also work with He-Man to team up against Hordak sometimes in the series).

Unbeknownst to The Horde, however, spacedaisy had been killed, so reywaS had no teammate by this point.

Finally, Zodac would choose orsonkidd to be lynched, while reywaS saw to the death of juliets.


Day 8:

Oh dear. This is where MovingPictures07 stepped in it.

On Day 8, The Horde elected to fire the Magna Beam again, and, as I predicted, blindfaeth chose to use the Staff of the People’s Voice for its second and final time. This meant that MovingPictures07 was taking a risk in allowing himself to be engaged with indiglo’s suspicions. Of course, MovingPictures07 would not have wanted the lynch vote to have fallen on himself anyway, since that would shift the lynch to reywaS, whom The Horde had just “unofficially” tried to recruit through Shadow Weaver.

But because of the staff, those affected by Stinkor would NOT have -4 votes, but regular +1 votes, and they would not be aware of this fact. In summary, many players believed they were manipulating the lynch vote in a certain way, but they were not doing so at all.

It’s safe to say that had blindfaeth refrained from using the Staff of the People’s Voice on Day 8, this would have been an altogether very different game, because DFaraday would have been lynched instead.

I was biting my nails up till the deadline myself. What an intense Day!

Snow Dog was lynched and MP outed himself.


Night 8:

I was disappointed that my puzzle was so easy to solve. In forty minutes, Flyin’ High had the solution. And thellama73 was right behind her. The reward for solving the puzzle first was the Eternium armor, which would protect that player from being Night killed indefinitely.

Day 9:
Unlike Day 8, Day 9 was nearly dead in terms of participation. You folks must have had a “busy” St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

While it was true that MovingPictures07 could not be lynched due to Shadow Weaver still being alive (that role protects Hordak against his first lynching), the lynch result was, again, all timmer, who had targeted MovingPictures07 & DFaraday. Due to the negative Stinkor votes, and timmer’s manipulation, the result was very close. Had someone actually believed Flyin’ High’s “reasoning” against indiglo, there would have been a three-way tie, and timmer could have opted to kill indiglo instead of DFaraday on Night 9.


Night 9:

The Horde finally had the idea to start targeting Stormcrow themselves in order to increase Modulok’s voting power. It was a gambit, and a slow-moving one (since the double-targeting rule still applies), but I was interested to see how it would work out for them.


Day 10:

MovingPictures07 was protected from his first lynch by Shadow Weaver.

Interestingly enough, if everyone had voted for >SpaghettiEverywhere, he would have been lynched despite timmer’s interference because juliets was guarding LittleTiger.


Night 10:

This was the information you received from your horoscope:

The Knife
Information on the Day 11 lynch poll
The Flower
Information on Items
The Shield
Information on who was protected from Night kill
The Lovers
Information on BTSC
The Golem
Information on the Horde Trooper
The Scales
Information on Zodac
The Adder
Information on The Snake Men
The Tower
Information on Count Marzo at the Temple of Hordak
The Crown
Information on Skeletor and Hordak
The Skull
Information on the Dead

Frankly, I was relieved that no one picked The Adder, as my development of the Snake Men was premature, and I wasn’t sure how’d they’d factor into the game later.


Day 11:

The information gleaned from the consultation with Shokoti gave everyone some insight into what was going on. Using it, the civilians managed to lynch Leech.


Night 11:

Again, my puzzle was solved very quickly, and everyone was successful in keeping Count Marzo’s ingredients balanced.


Day 12:

Madame Razz conjured A Set of Dolls the previous Night. These dolls enabled her to cast votes via proxy for anyone who did not vote on Day 12. Hence, thellama73 made the bold move of trying to convince everyone to refrain from voting.


Night 12:

This Night vote would grant Skeletor a powerful object.

A Battle Axe incrusted with the Diamond of Disappearance
Terror Claws
Armor for Panthro

I must confess that I don’t recall what all these would do, but the Armor for Panthor was chosen. This protected reywaS against a Night action, and imparted a percentage chance that whoever targeted him would be killed by Panthor.


Day 13:

Stormcrow’s vote by this point was worth six. The Horde opted to use both vials of stench on DisgruntledPorcupine, making his vote worth -1. Both Elohcin and timmer had votes worth zilch due to the Horde Trooper.

The Magna Beam was in play with a charge of one, which shifted everything down one space.

In other words, had blindfaeth actually registered a vote in the poll, it would have caused a tie between LittleTiger and thellama73. Unfortunately, he did not, so Kate had one more vote. Then the votes shifted down one.

Hence LittleTiger’s unexpected demise.


Night 13:

Regarding the rock people, the two selected players to receive the blessing would be protected against Night actions and receive a vote worth 5 in Day 14. Flyin’ High was targeted for the kill, but she had the Eternium Armor.


Day 14:

With the power of the rock people behind them, the civilians were able to take down Stormcrow.

Night 14:

A second “Sabbath.”

And Flyin’ High got targeted again for the kill. Tsk tsk.


Day 15:

Silent Dom gets lynched.


Night 15:

This was your nasty encounter with the Snake Men, in which you voted for someone to torture you.

King Hiss (not an option) “If you choose no one, then I will personally flay you myself with my fangs.” (No-show voters receive all five punishments for Day 16)

Rattlor – Bites, leaving a venomous wound (Player has a 20% chance of death)
Tung Lashor – Whips with his sticky tongue (Player begins next lynch with 3 received votes)
Kobra Khan – Debilitating mist (Player cannot speak or vote in next poll)
Sssqueeze – Uses python-like arms to squeeze (Player will be role blocked)
Snake Face – Terrifies with his horrifying visage (Player must speak gibberish)

Three people chose Rattlor, but all of them rolled safe.

Day 16:

Straightforward lynch for reywaS here.


Night 16:

The first letters of each word of the maze-keeper’s message was a message in and of itself:

“Do this. Turn left only.”

blindfaeth did this (it doesn’t make a circle, by the way, because you have to take into account how far straight one goes before making the next turn).

The Star of Lithos would let blindfaeth see how a person’s vote and received votes were affected the next Day.


Day 17:

The Magna Beam was in effect for an unprecedented three spaces. This sent DP’s vote down to the absentee Ishar Morad Churain, who, being Moss Man, couldn’t be lynched.

I almost lynched Flyin’ High by mistake, thinking the Magna Beam only had a two charge.

Night 17:

As dangerous as the Orange Sea Leviathan sounded, the only purposes of this poll was to divide up the players, such that those who stayed below deck could not target those above, and vice versa. It proved to be a moot poll, however.

The thought about the Leviathan killing everybody but DP made me chuckle. I would never be so cruel.

Day 18:

Straightforward lynch of DisgruntledPorcupine. Finally, right? The destruction of The Horde trooper also happened since the Horde was eliminated.

Night 18:

This Night poll hinted at roles.

The Hero (AceofSpaces)
The Engineer (blindfaeth)
The Light (Elohcin)
The Airborne (Flyin’ High)
The Forest (Ishar Morad Churain)
The Archer (thellama73)
The Traitor (Nevinera)
The Galaxy (timmer)

I must confess to breaking the fourth wall here a bit.

Whichever tale was chosen, I would give a clue meant for that player. In this case, the Archer was chosen (Bow), and Bow had not located Adora yet. I was hinting here that he should look “close to home,” which meant his brother-in-law who had just replaced the_untamed.

I want to point out that I had NO idea what tale would get told. No clue, and I sure as hell wasn’t writing eight different short stories. I came up with and wrote the tale of the archer in ten minutes.


Day 19:

Everyone has to lynch timmer to win, but timmer could not be lynched on Day 19. I’m sure you’ve figured out why by now. He was blending the votes of AceofSpaces and himself.

Which meant AceofSpaces would be lynched on Night 19.


Night 19:

There were no more Night polls or puzzles from this point on. I was tired!


Day 20:

You people had a chance to lynch timmer, and instead you entertained wild notions of thellama73 being recruited. Recruited to what? There were two Mafia teams, not one. Also, what if a Mafia member had been resurrected instead?

Then half of you voted without hearing from Flyin’High or blindfaeth!

timmer knew what he was doing when he withheld his kill (though he wound up role blocked by Nevinera anyway).

And after twenty Day and Night periods, I wound up making a bad mistake: Adora had transformed the previous Night, and so was not able to be lynched on Day 20. But I screwed up and lynched her.

It was for this reason that I invited Nevinera to replace Ishar (since he wouldn’t really know anything that wasn’t revealed except that She-Ra had transformed twice). I didn’t want to resurrect She-Ra, because that wouldn’t quite be fair to timmer (and since she was outed, thellama73 could target her and gain BTSC).

So, no harm no foul (sort of).

Sorry for screwing this up though. It does bother me.


Night 20:

Correctly believing Nevinera Mark II to be Moss Man, timmer kills him.


Day 21:

As blindfaeth found out, timmer was forcing a tie between himself and thellama73. This is how thellama73 would be lynched on Night 21.


Night 21:

For the second time this (literal) week, the game could have ended. Since timmer could have killed (but chose not to) and used his vial of stench (but chose not to), this could have resulted in a 1 on 1 game for the purpose of a lynch, and then timmer would have called that tie.

He targeted thellama73, and so upon receiving the votes (he even voted himself), thellama73 would be lynched the next Night.


Day 22:

Flyin’ High trusts Elohcin and they lynch blindfaeth. Whoops!

I have to say, all this paranoid talk of recruitment had me laughing and on the edge of my seat at the same time!


Night 22:

This was a Mexican standoff!

On Night 22, the three remaining players all used their vials of stench on someone else, meaning all players have a zero vote. This meant Day 23 would have resulted in a tie (of -1 since FH has a charm that gives her -2 received votes). timmer was averaging the vote total between himself and FH. This means:

Eloh: 0 votes received
FH: -1 votes received
timmer: -1 votes received

So timmer could not decide who would die. Elohcin would have been lynched on Day 23 no matter who voted what, since she would have had the highest total (with zero).

timmer could not Night kill Flyin’ High because of the Eternium Armor.

That meant two players remained on a hypothetical Day 24. They would both have a vote worth one. Now this is why Flyin’ High won:

The Amulet of Charisma was giving her a -2 received vote total. And timmer could not double target.

Assuming they voted for each other:

Flyin’ High: -1 vote received
timmer: 1 vote received

Resulting in a timmer lynch.

Who would have ever thought that an item won on Day 0 could decide the game? :eek :airguitar:


++++

The issue regarding no-shows with BTSC having their powers used via proxy was ultimately moot: No terribly inactive player had BTSC this game, and even those with lower post counts had passive powers.

Regarding why I chose not to modkill inactive players:

1. As a general principle, I don’t believe in the mod doing the Mafias’ job.

2. In this specific case, each of the inactive players was civilian with no BTSC.

3. One major source of lynch manipulation was The Horde’s Magna Beam, and by eliminating positions from the poll, this put active players at a greater risk of being lynched.

4. All of the inactive players were civilian. Thus, modkilling them would have unilaterally harmed the civilian cause.

++++

Here’s a list of all the stuff LittleTiger (Madame Razz) conjured. I had a lot of fun with this.

Little Tiger

Wand of Convincing

Once, Madame Razz may enable her BTSC team to have their lynch votes double for the next day. The decision to use the wand must come in the night prior to the lynch vote. Upon using it, the wand crumbles into dust.


The Hircus Flower

Madame Razz may give this gray, odorous flower to any player. Upon receiving it, that player shall transform into a goat.


The Nothing Reed

Once, Madame Razz may demand that someone’s words to be emptied of their usefulness. This nullifies that player’s next day vote.


The Book of Hidden Knowledge

This book appears to have blank pages, but when the spell caster attempts to read it, words appear, sharing new knowledge. Use this book during any one Night period to learn the mechanics behind that particular Night poll.


The Wine Glass of Exclusion

Each time this ordinary-looking glass is filled with wine from a stranger’s bottle, and a name spoken over the drink, the face of someone who is NOT that person will appear briefly. Now if only you had some wine…


The Spyglass of Actuality

Use this item one Night to see how the votes will be manipulated the next Day period.


The Scarf of Eavesdropping

Wearing this scarf at Night will not only keep you warmer, it will magically transmit a piece of information coming from a random person. This is not a one time use item: Madame Razz will receive information each Night automatically. If Razz is killed, the scarf is forfeit.


The Obedience Flute

Play this flute one Night- it only works once! It’s very quiet, and will probably only be heard by one person, but whoever hears its sound will be compelled to vote the next Day as the flute player directs!


The Blowgun of Silence

Shoot someone with this to make them be quiet for one Day period.


Magic Perfume

Give this tiny bottle to any player at any time, and they will cease to stink.


A Set of Dolls

These dolls, with emphasized mouths, appear eager to speak. At first you are confused as to what their purpose is, but then it hits you: These dolls want to speak for those who will not. But they are easily swayed to say what you want them to say! You may, in the next Day only, vote by proxy for any people who do not submit a vote in the lynch poll.


Broom

Broom is here to help you! One Night, Madame Razz may use Broom to fly to any location on the Dark Hemisphere to learn something about it.

++++

Well, that’s about it I suppose. Thanks for letting me Host. I had an awesome time.

And always remember to smile for the ass.

Flyin' High wrote:Epignosis, your host posts are simply the most epic of any game ever. I love your writing style and this game kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I seriously cannot wait to hear about all of the behind the scenes stuff because I know my teammates and I were certainly baffled at times.

Great game everyone!

Thank you for the kind words. They are a great encouragement!

And I'm sorry you lost sleep over this!

Epilogue: A New Stratum

Flyin’ High was alone, and with Zodac gone, her disguise was lifted from her.

Stratos stood there, letting the wind batter his body, and he considered all that had come to pass: He-Man was dead. She-Ra was dead. The Sorceress of Grayskull was dead. So many friends were dead, gone.

Yet Snake Mountain and The Horde were gone just as well.

Stratos stood alone, so alone, considering all that had taken place, mystified and in despair.

But Stratos could still fly.

In stoical sympathy, Stratos watched King Randor and Queen Marleena weep openly over the death of their twin children. The entire court mourned the loss of their heroes. Yet they grew in the realization that Eternia was safe, and after some time they held a banquet in honor of the one who had preserved them. It was suggested that the banners be lowered to half-staff, in memory of their fallen champions. But Stratos intervened.

“No,” he said. “For the honor and the power of Grayskull, and in memory of the strength and courage of our friends, keep the flags flyin’ high!”

Night 22: The Ruins of Zelesia

How strange it was that the group could travel so swiftly over land elsewhere, yet near the Ruins of Zelesia, it was as though their destination was a mirage. But on this night, the remaining trio beheld the ancient ruins.

They remembered, despite everything that had happened, Zanthora’s words: They must provide a sacrifice. And there was a portal of flame, ready to devour whomever that sacrifice was to be.

“I’ll do it,” Elohcin said. “For Bow.”

“Okay,” said Flyin’ High.

timmer said nothing.

Elohcin walked so willingly into the fire that the others could not help but entertain the suspicion that some ancient power within the ruins compelled her thence. Before Elohcin turned to ash, she turned to a brilliant light, dazzling and radiant.

When she was consumed, they watched as the fire died out. It was quiet, and only a steady breeze moved.

But the night would not remain so.

The pair stood among the Ruins of Zelesia and beheld strange lights in the sky. The lights grew larger and an eerie hum accompanied them as they descended. At last they identified it as a starship, one different from any craft to be found on Eternia.

Upon landing in a barren clearing nearby, strange men and women disembarked. Without a word, they surrounded timmer. Upon doing so, a tall, gaunt man with a dominant breastplate and beard spoke.

“I am Zanthor, Ambassador of the Cosmic Enforcers. You know who I am, Zodac. And you have disgraced us by failing to maintain the balance on this world.”

A shamed timmer bowed his head.

“Board our ship and depart with us. You must be chastised and reassigned.”

The visitors paid no heed to Flyin’ High, who stood there, bewildered, and watched as they led timmer to the alien vessel. Upon liftoff, it hummed so greatly that the infertile hills vibrated.

And in a moment, it was gone.

Day 22: Desperation

Four people walked the Eternian wilderness, the arid air eroding their false features by the hour. They felt as though they had aged years in a manner of days.

“It has to be you,” Flyin’ High said to blindfaeth.

“What are you talking about, Flyin’ High?” blindfaeth asked.

“It has to be you who has betrayed us, who is now the servant to our adversaries.”

“Flyin’ High! How can that be? No- your mind must be addled by this distasteful place.”

“You’ve been so quiet lately.”

Before blindfaeth could defend himself, Elohcin held blindfaeth's arms from behind, and Flyin’ High tore through his tough, grisly windpipe. He was soon dead.

Everyone was surprised to see that Duncan was clean shaven.



blindfaeth has been lynched. He was Man-at-Arms.
It is now Night 22. You have 24 hours to send in your PMS.

Night 21: A Broken Heart

Hunger ate away at the dwindling party, and thellama73 decided to hunt, even though the odds of him finding anything alive in the wilderness of the dark hemisphere were slim. He was still convulsing from his earlier encounter. He complained of headaches, but insisted he was fine enough to hunt.

He never returned to camp. That night, the rest of the starving group searched for him and found not his body, but the body of an Etherian, dead from cardiac arrest.



thellama73 has been lynched. He was Bow.
It is now Day 22. You have 24 hours to lynch someone.

Day 21: A While Longer

“We hate to deprive ourselves of your company, timmer,” thellama73 said. “But we believe it must be done.”

The impetuous man drew his dagger and plunged it into timmer’s chest. The chest gave way like a volume of a water would to a falling rock. Yet thellama73 could not withdraw his hand. Painful sensations traveled up his arm and into the rest of his body. He convulsed but could not cry out, as though his words died in his throat.

Tilting his head slightly, timmer regarded his assailant with perfect equanimity. After a time, thellama73 was able to pull back, but he could not stop shaking.

“I am afraid I must be among you yet a while longer,” timmer said.

It is now Night 21. You have 24 hours to send in your PMs.

Night 20: The Wastelands

It was as though the party had lost its way in every sense of the phrase. They wandered aimlessly through a wilderness so bereft of life that one could taste death. But they had experienced much death, and the their tongues seemed acclimated to it.

“I can be silent no longer,” said Nevinera to the shock of all. “What we are doing is wrong and driving us to madness. So I can be silent no longer.”

“Yet you will,” came a voice the rode upon a sudden wind.

When the fierce gale had passed, Nevinera was a tree, doomed to die in so barren a place.

Nevinera has been killed by Zodac.
It is now Day 21. You have 24 hours to lynch someone.

Day 20: And the Honor No More

A repugnant bickering, vile and full of bitterness, waxed hotly among the party after they had commissioned Eternia’s heroic champion into the foul earth of the Dark Hemisphere. Accusations of betrayal bounded from one bitter individual to the next.

A threesome readied their weapons, for they believed Neviera was a traitor and now a foe to Eternia.

Dissenters watched in horror and could only hope that the allegation was true.

But before anyone could lay hold of him, the weeping Nevinera drew a large knife and screamed as he tore up the underside of one forearm, and then the other. The arterial spurting colored the lifeless land upon which they trod.

As the anguished swan song burned itself into everyone else’s minds, they witnessed the unconscious male form shift into a feminine physique.

The princess’s beauty would have been as marvelous in death as in life, but the pained expression of her grief from losing her brother and being accused of treachery contorted her loveliness into a contempt for life and all things good.



Nevinera has been lynched. He was Princess Adora / She-Ra.
It is now Night 20. You have 24 hours to send in your PMs.

Kate wrote:

Epignosis wrote:My IP address at work was blacklisted, so I couldn't even see the results of the poll.

Probably for the best.

I'm having a drink and will get up the post soon.

What does that mean???

Evidently one of the computers on our IP address is being used by a Trojan to send malicious things, and so the system automatically blocked my IP.

What it means in a practical sense is that I cannot access the site from work.

Night 19: The Power No More

Darkness flooded over the shoreline.

It was so difficult to see, and this blindness reminded the party of their own internal conflict and confusion. As they traveled inland, they tried to determine who among them was a foe.

But AceofSpaces was violently ill. He quaked with a fever. Sweat dribbled down his face. Fits of dry heaving overtook him at intervals.

“I must rest,” he said.

As the day bathed the planet in sunshine again, AceofSpaces’ complexion darkened and his hair shone gold. It was as though he grew healthier, but this was only because the spell that concealed his identity was lifting, massaging away his feeble façade.

A grief like none before welled up among them.

“We are doomed.”



AceofSpaces has been lynched. He was Prince Adam / He-Man.
There were no missing PMs.
It is now Day 20. You have 24 hours to lynch someone.

Day 19: The Easternmost Shore

The boat docked peacefully at the easternmost shore. Everyone thanked the mariner for his time and trouble.

“Good journey,” he told them.

But it was not a good journey. The necessity of killing came swiftly, and the mob was ready to kill timmer.

On the shore of the dark hemisphere, the party crept up on timmer, who was looking out at the Ocean of Gnarl. He was whistling. The tried to beat him with anything- their hands and clubs and swords and curses.

All blows bounced off of him, or rather, some field that protected him. And he kept whistling.

AceofSpaces started throwing up on the beach.

It is Night 19. You have 24 hours to send in your PMs.

Night 18: The Tale of the Archer

“Archers get a lot of ridicule from the infantry, because they do their work at a distance and don’t have to look the enemy in the eye. I laugh at that because the infantry depends on the missile troops to whittle down the workload!

“Anyhow, I once knew this archer who fancied a young woman in a neighboring village. I forget her name. Some scoundrels one night surrounded her village and ransacked it, and the hapless villagers fled in all directions, some to the forest and some to the mountains, and still others to the river.

“Well, this infatuated archer was furious. He called a host of warriors together, and told them that he was going off in search of the woman. The men beat their breasts and pledged their allegiance to the man’s cause.

“The devoted fellow spent eighteen months trawling the surrounding regions, sometimes two or three times in search of her. They did not find her, and eventually all the men forgot their allegiance and deserted the archer.

“Broken by despair and loneliness, the archer returned home to his village. He went to a tavern and ordered something that might quiet his aching mind. And who was there to serve him but the woman he had been searching for! She had taken refuge in his better-protected village after hers was overrun, and the impetuous young man never thought to seek her there.

“So if you ever find yourself in search of someone else, you might do well to start close to home!

“Although in my case, I wish I could lose that bloated harpy that dwells in my house!”

The mariner erupted into obscene laughter.

The cabin had become too stuffy, and the mariner’s pipe offended the eyes and noses of many of the people, so everyone went above deck for some fresh sea air.

An eerie red light peeked through the overcast sky.

“Does everyone see that?” thellama73 asked.

The mariner grumbled, “Looks like a bad omen. We’d best go back inside, all right.”

Everyone filed back in. Just as thellama73 turned his back, the red in the sky surged forward in a mighty bolt, striking him with an otherworldly fierceness. A collective cry flew up from the group.

For a long time, everyone thought thellama73 was dead. What they failed to see in the fresh darkness that reigned over them was a mighty shield he had slung over his shoulder, which hung about his back.

“Are you okay?” thellama73 heard.

“A bad omen indeed,” he replied.

There were two missing PMs.
It is now Day 19. You have 24 hours to lynch someone.

Flyin' High wrote:
@Epignosis: What are the win conditions for this game?

I did not post win conditions. Obviously the Eternians and Etherians must defeat Snake Mountain and the Horde. But there are others...everyone must be wise.

Night 18: The Mariner’s Tale

It took a long time to explain to the mariner the exact nature of the plight of the travelers, but in time, he seemed to understand.

“That is the strangest tale I have ever been told,” he marveled. “Tonight is quiet, and I do not feel much like cards. Perhaps I can tell a tale that will rival what you have told me, at least in your own ears. I know many! What sounds like the most interesting one?”

It is now Night 18. You have 24 hours to send in your PMs.

Day 18: The Horde Trooper

“Mariner,” thellama73 said, feeling the urgency of the spell at work once more. “We are compelled by some strange magic from the Village of Veridas to try and kill someone among our party. That is why you witnessed what you witnessed yesterday.”

The mariner looked more disturbed than surprised.

“In any event,” Flyin’ High said, “It’s come down to this.” She drew her scimitars and charged at DisgruntledPorcupine.

DisgruntledPorcupine’s disturbing smile made her waver, and before she could think another thought, she was tackled to the ground, her breath momentarily stolen from her.

“How did a Horde Trooper arrive here?” someone asked.

The Horde Trooper had a stun wand, ready to shock the next one who made a move at him into a temporary oblivion. Yet the Horde Trooper’s helmet did it in, for blindfaeth was obscured in the periphery, and he swung a mighty club, bashing in the Horde Trooper’s armor. “Throw him overboard,” blindfaeth said.

DisgruntledPorcupine grinned and began waving his gaunt hands.

“Oh no you don’t. You are done!” cried thellama73, who had kept a close vigil over the harpoons. He let the blade fly and it pierced the heart of DisgruntledPorcupine.

The scream turned into a hiss, and instead of blood spurting forth, a black, ghostly vapor spewed out of the wound. It wafted toward the ceiling of the hull and dissipated. A tattered long garment and cowl were all that remained.



DisgruntledPorcupine has been lynched. He was Shadow Weaver.

Nevinera wrote:Hi! I'm completely new, so tell me - who can I trust around here? ;-)

Me.

Night 17: The Orange Sea Leviathan

Harpoons and stun blasts peppered the orange sea leviathan’s scaly skin, yet its vigor was relentless.

But after some time, the creature stopped and the waters grew calm. The orange sea leviathan looked as though someone was speaking to it. It listened to the sea air like a powerful voice rode upon it. Then it submerged underneath the waters. All was quiet for a long time.

The mariner exhaled deeply. Sweat dribbled into his eyes. Happy to have been of assistance, Kate clapped the mariner’s shoulder and smiled a reassuring smile. The expression on the mariner’s face changed to terror, and Kate turned in time to see the beast rearing its head again. It thrust forward, and with a deftness that no natural sea beast should have, plucked Kate from the deck and swallowed her.

The creature returned to the deep, perhaps satisfied by this morsel.

Kate has been killed by Zodac.
It is now Day 18. You have 24 hours to lynch someone.

Day 17: The Ocean of Gnarl

The bearer of the Star of Lithos lead everyone to the waiting ship. The captain indicated that he had been waiting for them, and had been bidden to take them around the south around the continent by a wizard of Zalesia.

The craft had scarcely rounded the northeast corner of the continent when the storm hit.

Hailstones began battering the small vessel, which bounded and careened among the turbulence. The mariner tried to usher his passengers to the relative safety that awaited them below deck, but to his surprise, they were hardly noticing the sky’s outburst at all. They moved with a violent intent.

Hands eager for blood seized DisgruntledPorcupine and beat him. Lightning split the heavens, and in the wake of its flash, the face of DisgruntledPorcupine had become the stoic face of Ishar Morrad Chuain, but the act of throwing him overboard could not be retracted.

Ishar Morrad Chuain’s expression remained flat as he fell over starboard side and became caught in the net that hung over it. He struggled to right himself and eventually pulled himself back on deck.

That evening, the weather had returned to a lull, but the quietude was momentary. A grotesque orange serpent disrupted the calm. Its writhing trunk spiraled wildly in the seawater as it thrashed the watercraft. Its bitter cry ripped through the air.

“An orange sea leviathan!” the armed mariner cried. “You can stay here below deck if you want, for it is not your place to defend what is mine. But I would appreciate any help you can offer in subduing this thing that has come upon us!”

The mariner did not despair, but he did not look sure of himself either. He indicated extra harpoons and shocker rifles by the hatch.

It is now Night 17. You have 24 hours to send in your PMs.

Night 16: Star of Lithos

Only blindfaeth was wise enough- or lucky enough- to have taken the correct path in the Corridors of Lithos, and his footsteps led him to a quiet area of the labyrinth, a secluded dead end, but one containing a white and green pillar, and a small chest atop it.

“The treasure is yours,” blindfaeth heard.

He opened the box. Inside was the Star of Lithos, a magical brooch. It sparkled beautifully.

“Wear this on your garment for guidance and direction,” the voice came to him again.

The jewelry brightened as blindfaeth put it on.

“And already it’s telling you that there is a vessel awaiting you and your party due north.”

As the dawn spilled itself upon the earth, the maze fled with the darkness. Everyone found one another easily then.

“We go north,” blindfaeth said.

It is now Day 17. You have 24 hours to lynch someone.

Night 16: Corridors of Lithos

The dwindling party came upon the Corridors of Lithos, north of Snake Mountain. The thick hedges of greenery existed in stark contrast to the barrenness that surrounded them in other directions.

A whimsical young fellow with a tall hat was standing outside of the labyrinth, smoking a long pipe. His face brightened upon seeing the party. After hinting at some reward within the maze, he said, “Do outsiders think here is salvation? The ultimate route never leaves everybody farther than other noted lanes, yes?”

The group was in no mood for potentially getting lost in a network of passageways, but something in the stranger’s wicked grin indicated that they had no choice but to enter.

Day 16: Battle Cat

Escaping to the north, they stopped midday when the urge to kill someone else swept over them, and reywaS was the near unanimous decision.

“Do not touch me, fools,” reywaS said.

“We won’t.”

Battle Cat appeared on a nearby hill and growled.

“No!” reywaS said.

The armored beast came forward but was intercepted by an armored Panthor. The two felines, green and purple, sparred with teeth and claws.

reywaS, sensing an opportunity, waved his hand and sent a magic bolt toward Battle Cat, knocking the creature down. Panthor snarled.

“You fools!” reywaS said, waving his hands and conjuring more magic. “You will soon be my slaves and help me take over Snake Mountain!”

The magical bolt soared toward the rest of the group, but it hit an equally magical field, sending the ray back to its source.

reywaS screamed as his own magical power devoured him. His face withered first, revealing a skull. His blue skin soon followed.



reywaS has been lynched. He was Skeletor.
It is now Night 16. You have 24 hours to send in your PMs.

Night 15: Torture

In the darkness, the Snake Men relished their work of inflicting varying agonies upon their unexpected guests. They bit, licked, blew, squeezed, and terrified those who had unwittingly wandered in among them.

A series of flashes blinded everyone. All they heard after that was a scuffle, curses in an unknown hissing tongue, and the sounds of death.

thellama73 felt a blade against his throat that did not belong to any Snake Man’s mouth. It pressed against his carotid artery.

Just then, the blade flew away, and his attacker was knocked to the ground.

In all the confusion, the Snake Men scattered, retreating to places of relative safety. But Kobra Khan was heard to say, “Take this!” An iridescent green mist penetrated the darkness.

“Run!” someone shouted.

The party escaped Snake Mountain as morning broke, but the effects of their torture remained with them the next day.

There were no missing PMs.
It is now Day 16. You have 24 hours to lynch someone.

Night 15: King Hiss

Having just hanged Sy-Klone, who lifelessly swung in the gale, the party retreated to find shelter from what could only be a storm.

What they ran into was far worse than the weather.

“Do not move, any of you,” hissed a reptilian humanoid with a spear. He wasn’t alone. The party was surrounded. “Come quietly with us and we may let you live.”

It was into Snake Mountain where the slithery warriors led the group. On what could only have been Skeletor’s throne sat an ominous character in green attire. He appeared to be a shriveled but somehow powerful man, and upon standing, he magnified that latter characteristic to a great extent. He held a staff upon which clung a live serpent.

“Who are these that you bring me?” he said in a voice that was barely above a whisper, yet somehow carried itself across the vast throne room.

“Prisoners, King Hiss,” said one of the Snake Men.

King Hiss was silent. He took the time to glare into the face of each one of his captives. Then he spoke again.

“These are not visitors,” he said. “For a true visitor would not know my new...rather, my old whereabouts.” King Hiss smiled with satisfaction at his self-correction. “At best- for them- they are a lost group of people roaming the dark hemisphere, perhaps in search of some objective that has nothing to do with my business. At worst, they are spies for Skeletor, who is seeking to drive me from my rightful place once again. Take them to be tortured. Question them!”

The guards prodded the group toward a passageway littered with decaying limbs and dried bones.

“Let my lieutenants do the dirty work,” King Hiss said. “They have many talents, but they can all extract information in their own way.” King Hiss laughed, having been met with an idea that was pleasing to him. “Let them each choose the one who will take care of them tonight.”

King Hiss grinned a hungry grin. “But if one among refuses to make a selection, then I will personally flay that person with my fangs.”

And then his torso and head metamorphosed into a nest of vipers, eager to bite into the flesh of the prisoners.

It is now Night 15. You have 24 hours to send in your PMs.

Day 15: Snake Mountain



By the fifteenth day, much of the party was exhausted, and very little was said. Even the power of the spell they were under, which compelled them to slay one among them, was feeble for many of them.

Dom had been silent a long time. Whoever he was, he seemed to have abandoned involvement in their plight altogether. This silence and mental desertion incriminated him in the minds of three people who willed themselves toward him.

“Do you have anything to say before we do what we are compelled to do?” asked AceofSpaces.

“Are you with The Horde or Snake Mountain?” asked thellama73.

“Answer us!” shouted reywaS, who backhanded him.

But Dom did not respond. He stared at the horizon as though mentally he were not with them.

“Put a rope around his neck and tie it to that abandoned wagon. Then send him over the cliff.”

The noose went around Dom’s neck and he did not answer it. The other end of the rope was fastened to a large heavy cart that had been carrying sacks of something. It was left on a narrow road that went up a mountainside, upon which they were traveling.

Dom let them take him to the edge, where no railing would prevent his fall.

The wagon groaned but moved little.

Even as he was dying, Dom said nothing. But his skin turned the blue hue of a Gar.

As though in mourning, a heavy wind whipped by and swung Dom’s body east toward Snake Mountain.



Dom has been lynched. He was Sy-Klone.