SAU XV: Pawn of the Dead

[Mel'reyna]

"Of course Belial, if I vote I'm wrong, and if I don't vote I'm wrong. That's rather convenient for you isn't it? No need for you to worry about yourself at the next meeting if you paint a bull's eye on my ass regardless of what I do, is there? Buys you two meetings where you'd be safe at the very least...what are you planning so far ahead for? So let's see, you essentially force me into voting against Zardcock, knowing that I would be the only one in a position to add the 5th vote, but already have a plan in case he turns out to be innocent. In fact, it seems to me like you may already know for certain that he is innocent, since you're already so focused on lining me up to be voted off next and earning yourself an easy two for one deal. Not a bad move if you're actually the bad guy, as you end up with a team of three within a council of seven by the time I'm gone, just one more kill from having a majority. It's smooth sailing for you with Sleek proclaiming you innocent for possibly the worst reason ever, all you need to do is side with the twins, eliminate their three suspects and it's game over."

[Drainial]

"Indeed she has just made herself highly suspitious to my mind, but for now I am glad that we have reached a majority. If we are mistaken we can re-examine Mel'reyna."

[Tarbo]

The final tally was complete: a majority had decided that Zardock was to be the next up for exorcism. Mioralynthia looked over the people present, then at Zardock, and nodded once. "I hear a number of people going very lightly over 'Oh, we always have another opportunity.' As the one partly suffering these exorcisms, I will remind you, ad nauseam if necessary, that if your intended target is not possessed, the backfire of the exorcism will be severe. You will not only lose a valuable member but also the initiative." That said, she rose and beckoned for Zardock to follow her.

Zardock stood and looked at his peers. For a moment, it appeared he was going to say something, but he merely shook his head and brushed past them on his way to follow the sorceress.

"Vengeful?" Mioralynthia queried when she picked up his reaction towards the others.

"Disappointed," he replied. "Just hurry this up."

"Very well."

°°°

"Sir, I may have found something peculiar in this journal." Anleth approached Tarbo, still engrossed by the book in her hands. "It says here that, while searching for Daynarii in the catacombs for several days, numerous members of Adrianna's expedition were becoming increasingly paranoid, quarrelsome, and even hostile."

Tarbo thought it over quickly. "That sounds a bit like with us. Except that it was a single member to start with, and he hurled bolts of lightning at us—but yes, I suppose that qualifies as quarrelsome."

"Some members eventually split off, going their own way into the catacombs. An unusually violent storm raged above them."

Tarbo nodded. "This journal might be of good use to us. But something about it bothers me."

"Yes?"

"If I understand correctly, what you are describing all happened before they met and defeated Daynarii. So I'm wondering... Either they did not defeat Daynarii, and Adrianne was chosen as the strongest body to leave the temple, or they did defeat him, and then we are currently not fighting Daynarii. In both cases, we are not fighting who we believe we are fighting."

Anleth nodded slowly while she considered it. "I... suppose it would be possible for a skilled necromancer to live on without his body."

"Necromancy is all about bodies. But then again, I'm no expert. I'll ask Lynthia, see what her take on this is."

KRCH-ZAP!

°°°

"What was the boop was that?" Kinslayer asked when met with the sudden flash.

"I'm guessing Zardock pleaded not guilty," Khadarel replied, and pressed his lips. "Hang on, what did you just say?"

"I said, what the boop was— What the boop? I can't say boop?"

"Well," Zenobius started doubtfully, "the mistress did say there would be significant feedback. Maybe some of the spell backfired."

"What kind of backfire negates booping curses? That's just not right! Boop!"

"Hush, Kinslayer," Belial interrupted. "We are in company of betters, after all."

"And yet it inconveniences me to no end," Mel'Reyna sighed.

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with a 'B'." Telrunya started.

"Oh, a boop!" SleekDD guessed.

"No."

"Is it a boop?"

"Getting warmer."

"...Boop?"

"Got it in three," Telrunya announced.

Khadarel sighed quietly. "Fruitcakes."

°°°

Mioralynthia held her painful head, staring ahead of her dully through half-closed eyelids. Although usually held with a straight face void of any emotion, her eyes clearly gave away how she felt: like a Nauglir rock band was drumming its way through her skull. Anleth wordlessly offered to wet her forehead, but she refused.

"Not possessed," the sorceress croaked from her throat.

Anleth nodded quietly.

"Why the exorcism? Why the intricate little ritual that gets my brain blown out of my skull? Why can't this be done like we usually solve problems; why can't we just bludgeon the man out of that body with a big, metal stick?"

Anleth skipped her eyes at the sorceress. Would that work?

"No," she answered the wordless question. "But I would feel better nonetheless."

"I should prepare them for their sortie," Anleth politely excused herself. "Will you be alright?"

"Is that asperine in your pocket?"

"I'm afraid not, mistress."

Mioralynthia rolled her eyes slowly and laid back her head.

________________________

The Chaos storm intensifies! I, Chaos is now in effect, hiding the current number of infiltrators from the expedition for the coming Day.

Players

1. SleekDD
2. Kinslayer
3. LordAnubis
4. Drainial
5. Shadow Dark
6. Telrunya
7. Belial
8. Mel'Reyna

Zardock

1. Kinslayer
2. LordAnubis
3. Shadow Dark
4. Drainial
5. Mel'Reyna

Shadow Dark

1. Zardock

Mel'Reyna

1. SleekDD
2. Telrunya
3. Belial

Deaths

• 51la5 (Pure Soul) -- Day 1, inactive
• Khel (Priest) -- Day 1, excused
• Deroth (Hunter, Haunt) -- Day 2, exorcised
• Kefka (Adept) -- Day 2, inactivity
• Demendred (Soulless One) -- Day 2, inactivity
• zzug (Pilgrim) -- Day 2, inactivity
• Zardock (Attuned) -- Day 3, exorcised

Since the exorcised player was not possessed, Day ends. It is now Night. The next Day will start on Saturday, around 20h00 GMT.

________________________

Trivia Questions for Day 3

1) Elyssa wanted to come along with the expedition because...

1. she was bored;
2. she needed money;
3. her father told her to;
4. she believed she could.

2) Why did Tarbo come to the Temple?

1. He was on vacation.
2. He was called to lend his expertise.
3. Something (or someone) needed 'fixing'.
4. To serve as Elyssa's bodyguard.

3) What does Mioralynthia suggest as an alternative to exorcism?

1. Decapitation.
2. Bludgeoning out the possession.
3. A cleansing fire.
4. Prolongued exposure to bad poetry.

4) Though Tarbo broke his fall on his spine, he later admitted that...

1. his feet were a better idea;
2. he could have hung on;
3. he hadn't really thought it through;
4. he should have aimed for Elyssa.

5) What made Elyssa want to have an officer's uniform?

1. It would look cool.
2. She wanted a souvenir.
3. She liked the colours.
4. She thinks people in uniform look hot.

[Telrunya]

Telrunya sighed while absentmindedly running his hand through his white hair.

"We have handed the initiative back to Daynarii. Please, don't be so naive as to think we can pick it up where we left it, as if Daynarii is going to return the favor." Shaking his head, Telrunya added: "We made a grave error today; one that could very well be the last nail in our proverbial coffin."

With his head hanging low, Telrunya crossed the room in order to take a rest. He stopped before Kilia and muttered under his breath: "Kilia, the last day has been particularly stressful for me. I would feel more secure during this break if you would mention my name once or twice in your daily prayers to Khaine, for strength."

[Kinslayer]

Kinslayer was sitting back between the sarcophagi, hanging his head between his hands. Zardock had been exorcised despite being innocent, and Kinslayer had been one of the ones pushing for his execution. What was worse, the chaos storm had intensified, and nobody could tell what Daynarii was up to this night. He slept lightly, trying to think of who could be an infiltrator in his mind.

[Drainial]

"Of course I shall, we could all use his help now. Though I fear that we shall need more if we are to prevail,"

With that Kalia retired, to meditate and pray.

[Tarbo]

"I hate this place," Khadarel sighed while they ploughed through thick sand layering the floor. A crack in the stone wall showed where all the sand had come from.

Kalia nodded. "It is indeed so that we are in a place of danger, but we must have the spiritual strength to overcome our adversary in his own domain."

"What? No, I mean I hate this place because the ceiling and doors are made for midgets. The whole site is a hard hat area."

Kalia rolled her eyes silently and hastened her pace gently to join up with Anleth. "Captain, about that journal..."

"I've left it with Mistress Mioralynthia," Anleth replied.

"But you're read it."

"Cursorily, yes."

"May we have a read as well?"

Anleth smiled politely, but shook her head. "Your time and concentration, pilgrim, is better spent focused on your wellbeing and that of your peers. In addition, I doubt it really holds information that will help us in our fight against Daynarii, or even carry us far through this underground maze, but I will gladly be proven wrong there."

°°°

"Well," Zenobius paused before continuing. "It looks like the artifacts we are aiming for. Do we have an index of what we are to retrieve?"

"No," Tarbo admitted, and sized up the silver-and-gold amulet. "The idea is we retrieve as much as we can, and report back to Elyssa with anything we find. After all, she is leading this expedition."

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Kinslayer looked about himself, as if she would be somewhere in the vicinity. "Base camp is set up; shouldn't she be out here with the rest of us?"

"Elyssa," Tarbo started with a sigh, "was so intrigued by the journal we've retrieved that she decided to stay in camp."

°°°

"Is it a bedtime story?"

"No."

"Is it a romantic novel?"

"No."

"Is it exciting?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No."

Elyssa pressed her lips and stared at the sorceress, hands in her sides. "You're being mean."

"Notify the press," Mioralynthia mumbled while flipping a page in the journal, otherwise ignoring the woman hunched next to her.

"Can I read it?"

"I wouldn't know. Can you?"

Elyssa sighed and tilted her head. "Duh, of course I can read! I mean, I went to like, school and everything. Did you go to school?"

"Yes," Mioralynthia replied, a whiff of infinite patience and calm carried on her voice. She jotted down a few notes in her own booklet, copying some relevant passages. "Now, I hate to be such a bother to you, but I have a splitting headache and I need to focus on this. Could you please?" Leave. Now.

"Oh, I never have any aspirine. Dad always says that headaches come from, like, worring and thinking too much."

"Ah, so you have natural antibodies."

"You know what they, like, never taught us at school?"

"No, but soon."

"How thinking works, you know? Like, the brain and all. Do you know how it works?"

"Believe it or not, but I just happen to do so for very specific brains. Hang on, I have it written down somewhere." Mioralynthia sorted through some papers lying next to her, scanned them quickly, then took out a sheet and handed it over to Elyssa. "The secrets of your brain revealed."

Elyssa held quiet for the longest time, looking and turning it over and over, before finally aiming her eyes back at the sorceress. "It's empty."

"That's right," Mioralynthia replied quietly without looking up.

"...I don't get it."

"Exactly."

"Oh, I get it now! This is, like, a riddle, right?"

"It's a mystery to some people, yes. But I really need to work, now. Could you please?" For the love of all that is holy?

Elyssa stared at the sheet a while longer, then got on her feet and took it along with her to her bedroll.

°°°

"Wait, do you smell that?"

"Oh, for the love of—" Belial smacked his hand on his own face to stop himself from finishing that phrase. "Not that booping nose again."

Kinslayer moved to a nearby sarcophagus and opened the heavy lid with all his might. He tried to peer in but failed due to lack of light. His eyes skipped around for something suitable to jam in between the lid and the box so he could better rummage around in there. Ah, this would do!

"That's a twig," Mel'Reyna commented.

"I know," Kinslayer said, and jammed it in. He poked his head in the slit held open courageously by the hopelessly outmatched twig and peered in. "I think I see something."

"Yeah, a dead guy!" Belial said. "And he's going to have an extra head if you keep yours there."

"Just a second, it'll hold..."

"Really," Tarbo cautioned when he saw the twig tremble and creak dangerously. "Leave Skeletor be. It's not worth it."

Kinslayer removed his head from the sarcophagus and smilingly held up a shiny ring. Instantly, with a surprisingly quiet snap but an all the more impressive crash, the stone lid slammed back shut, sending two tiny bits of twig whistling through the air at an astonishing velocity. Unwavered, Kinslayer handed the ring over to Tarbo. "There you go, sir."

A sincere, flabbergasted silence fell.

"There'll be no living with him after this," Zenobius sighed.

°°°

"Back already?" Mioralynthia asked when she noticed Tarbo and Anleth return to her.

"We've been searching fruitlessly for hours. These catacombs are enormous," Anleth said, and rested her tired bones on a chest.

"We did find some trinkets that may be artifacts," Tarbo said with a smile, and handed his shoulderbag to Mioralynthia. "Perhaps you could identify these for us."

Anleth stared at the bag in amazement. "How did you...?"

"We brought The Nose." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Anyway, anything new?"

"I've found some interesting passages that I'm piecing together," Mioralynthia replied. "But given that this is a personal journal, it's not accurately logging all the events. But I have managed to find out that, apparently, Adrianna's expedition split up early on to cover more ground."

"That doesn't sound odd."

"Indeed, it does not. But some time after, she refers to being attacked by the 'others', and that they are after her life. And as much as, in any other circumstance, this would be the ramblings of a paranoid delusionac..."

Tarbo nodded. "It's not paranoia if they're really after you."

"Exactly. So Adrianna did have to deal with more or less the same as us. Which gives us two plausible explanations for what is happening now. One, Daynarii somehow immaterialised when he was defeated, retaining most of his powers to corrupt others, or two, Daynarii is not the necromancer himself, but the name of an entity that had possessed him earlier, just like it is attempting to take us over at this moment."

"Anything specific on how Adrianna intended to defeat him?" Anleth queried. "Perhaps we can refine her methods."

"Nothing yet. I've been... distracted." Mioralynthia beamed a chilling gaze across the room at Elyssa. "I need someone to keep her away from me."

Tarbo and Anleth looked at each other for a while. Finally, Tarbo smiled. "Heads or tails?"

°°°

Humming a tune, Tarbo approaches the convention of targetted souls in the far end of the chamber. A bonfire has been started to help keep everyone warm, and to shed enough light to be able to see each other. Holding a few papers, he sits down against a crate, his clothes as dulled and dusty as most of yours. "Goodevening, ladies and gents," he greets you, and makes himself comfortable. "I'm not big on speeches, so... whenever you're ready."

________________________

Players

1. SleekDD
2. Kinslayer
3. LordAnubis
4. Drainial
5. Shadow Dark
6. Telrunya
7. Belial
8. Mel'Reyna

With 8 players, 5 constitute a majority. The number of infiltrators in the game is currently unknown due to the storm raging overhead.

Deaths

• 51la5 (Pure Soul) -- Day 1, inactive
• Khel (Priest) -- Day 1, excused
• Deroth (Hunter, Haunt) -- Day 2, exorcised
• Kefka (Adept) -- Day 2, inactivity
• Demendred (Soulless One) -- Day 2, inactivity
• zzug (Pilgrim) -- Day 2, inactivity
• Zardock (Attuned) -- Day 3, exorcised

It is now Day. The activity deadline is set to pass on Tuesday, at 20h00 GMT.

Good hunting.

[Belial]

Belial drapes his cloak tighter around him, and looks at Mel'Reyna, with a mocking smile.
"No speech necessarry. I said my piece yesterday."

Vote: Mel'Reyna

[Sleekdd]

“On the contrary, Belial, we should speak and sing and dance if necessary,” Sleek says, “Remember that, even if we strike true now, we still haven't rectified our mistake. There may be a new traitor among us who we need to root out and in order to find this new one, we all need to speak up.”

“That list with my thoughts of who was innocent yesterday? Well, it's rubbish today. Another price to pay for our rash actions. Every time we are wrong, we don't just give our enemies a chance to act, we also lose some of the certainties we had before.”

“No, we need to act, and we need to speak. Speak in order to be absolved or condemned. Refusing to speak is akin to treason against the Druchii, whatever side you think you're on.”

“I have made my case against Mel'Reyna yesterday and if anything, I've only grown more convinced she is the one we seek, despite my personal appreciation of her mindset. I will place my vote with her name.”

Vote: Mel'Reyna

[Telrunya]

"Yesterday, the council voted off Zardock. A big mistake, as it oh so miraculously turned out to be. Kinslayer, you stated that it would not matter so much if the council erred since we could vote Mel'Reyna today. I hope you have aces up your sleeves because I suspect team Daynarii just played their kings.

"As in the first session, we have virtually nothing to go on. Nothing. And I hope I don't have to remind y'all how catastrophically bad this first session was?"

Telrunya sighed and continued. "But we will have to salvage from this situation what we can, as this might very well be our last stand. First things first, what is our best bet on the number of hosts? Did we learn anything last night, anything at all?

"Belial, I am with Sleek here. We desperately need more information, speeches are unfortunately necessary. We can not afford the same passivity most have been showing during all the meetings."

He then turns to Mel'Reyna. "Mel'Reyna, I am not certain we need to go over your case again. On the first session, you refuse to place your vote. On the second session, Khadarel was too late for his vote to matter. You were too, but you placed your vote nevertheless, wanting to be as clear as possible that you were helping out the council. As if. In contrast to Khadarel, you were a day off.

"During the third session, you are on Sleek's suspect's list. Everyone agreed that the list was a good one, safe possibly one or two names. Everyone, but you. You had to try to tear down all progress for the simple reason you were in the wrong column. It made it obvious you were there for a good reason.

"You felt the heat rising. Voting for Zardock would doom you in the next session, so you go for a cheap option: Khadarel. For his expression of doubt on the second day. He fought for your vote on the first day, for your vote to be where it should have been, and you dare to attack him afterwards? A cheap option, Mel'Reyna, one Khadarel prepared for you. The council does not like cheap options.

"After Belial's vote, we were not in a deadlock. We were far from a deadlock. But I believe we were close to root out the last possessed. You have decided to end it there, to give yourself away by voting Zardock for a another chance at converting a fresh soul and fight the day in another body. You have condemned this council at fighting another battle."

Telrunya cleared the hair from his face with his right hand. "Zardock had a good defence yesterday, and it should have absolved him. For your sake, I hope you have a better one, for the charges are far more serious than they ever were."

Vote: Mel'Reyna

[Belial]

"You are of course right, twins. I apologize. But I had nothing new to add since yesterday. But you have said what needs to be said."

[Kinslayer]

"As always, the twins have come up with the master analysis of the situation. Rather than repeat their words, I shall just simply say that I agree. After all, was it not me that said yesterday I would vote Mel'Reyna today if Zardock was innocent?"

Vote: Mel'Reyna

[Drainial]

"Mel;Reyna does indeed apear to be the most likely suspect, and we must attempt to rectify yesterdays error as best we can. So I think that I must add my voice to the throng."

Vote Mel'Reyna

[Lordanubis]

"Well, that was quick."

Zenobius blinked around at the others nearby, fingers casually drumming on the wall.

"Can I make a suggestion though? Given that we were wrong yesterday and that there might easily be another infiltrator by now, we use the remaining time to consider who else is most likely to have someone else behind the wheel."

He paused to consider his words.

"So to speak. Anyway, my opinion is that, if Sleek is guilty, so is Telrunya most likely, and vice versa. We don't know how many there are right not, but I don't think that it is the case. However, that leaves four others to consider, exclusing Mel'Reyna and myself. Obviously, the former is soon to be gone one way or the other and, if I were guilty, I would hardly tell you that."

The older elf stood straight.

"That leaves Belial, Kalia, Kinslayer and Khadarel. The last has yet to speak today and may soon be irrelevant. However, any of the others' guilt depends quite heavily on whether Mel'Reyna is guilty. Out of the ones who are still active, I would place my bet on Kinslayer, but I would appreciate hearing the views of Sleek and Telrunya as well."

He grinned.

"This doesn't mean I suggest people remove votes from Mel'Reyna by the way. I just want to make sure that we're considering other options for later. And just to prove that (although it doesn't prove much else, given that there is already a majority), I will place my vote."

Vote Mel'Reyna

[Shadow dark]

Khadarel stumbled into the room, late and accompanied by the guards. His eyes where slightly disfocused, but noone was foolish enough to think it a sign of possession, instead attributing it to the new line of bruises on his forehead. He wandered over and flopped on the floor, catching up on the conversation before placing his head in his hands and groaning.

'What, AGAIN! This is just getting irritating. I'm sorry i'm late, but again we have sentenced someone before everyone turned up. I'm not even going to bother talking about Mel'Reyna, but we need to talk in more than two sentences, if we want to get things done. Throw about ideas. Chin wag. Chatter, babble, expound ideas and knock theories about.'

Khadarel slumped back down into the corner and started muttering about brandy and boop'ing low ceilings.

[Telrunya]

Telrunya shook his head. "I don't think it was quick, Zenobius. This was what should have happened yesterday. Then today, we should try to find the new infiltrator. If there is one. And I hope there is only one. And we are indeed not going to find him or her in this way."

"The only clue we have is that --if Mel'Reyna is indeed the person we were looking for-- then the new possessed would be handpicked by her. Who would she choose?

"Of course, I can give no hard reason as to why she did not pick my brother Sleek or myself. Daynarii did indeed try to convert me on the first chance he had. He tried to convert me on the second chance he had. He does not make the same mistake three times in a row. No, he would desperately need a new host this time.

"I can vouch for my brother Sleek, as he can certainly vouch for me. But from my perspective, this still leaves no less than five suspects to choose from. And the only way to uncover the rotten apple is through thorough discussions. Unfortunately, for all of you Daynarii would have ample reasons to corrupt you."

He straightened his baldrick wearing the family crest, took a deep breath, and continued.

"Kinslayer, your stubborness held Deroth alive on the first session. Only after the deadline has been expired, you change your vote. It was painfully obvious you felt scared because you could not hide behind Zardock anymore.

"On the second meeting, you even reprise your earlier behaviour even though you yourself have claimed to see the error in your ways earlier on. Again, you go for Zenobius while it should have been clear that only Deroth was supported by the majority of the council. After wasting our first opportunity, you try to waste the second one as well.

"On the third day, you lead the assault against Zardock. A backstab if ever I saw one. Don't tell me you were following my reasoning; I voted for Mel'Reyna, you kept on zardock and even asked my brother and me to change our votes.

"Truly, if you were not on the suspect list by then, you might never be. A thought Mel'Reyna might very well have had.

"Belial, you backed up my brother and myself with your vote, and I did not take the time to thank you properly for this. Your exchange of words with Mel'Reyna is propably the reason for all these early votes. On the down side, she might have considered you an excellent replacement. Who better than one who opposed her openly?

"Khadarel, I haven't taken the time to thank you for your efforts on the first meeting. It should have been clear for everyone you were not the acolyte we were looking for after Deroth had been uncovered. But Mel'Reyna did vote for you, and made it clear she and you are on opposite sides. If she could choose anyone, why not you?

"Kilia, I am sorry to have bothered you during your meditation yesterday. You have always been a silent one in this council and even if you spoke, relevance was often not a discerning quality. This is the less verbose version of what Mel'Reyna has been doing. If she believed it would work for her, why would it not work for her successor?

"Zenobius, for some reason, you have kept to yourself after the very beginning of the first session. You have said just enough to make it to my brother's list of innocents, but afterwards you have hardly been an asset to this council. Keep sharing your thoughts, we will need them.

"We need discussions, people. If you agree or disagree, it is your duty as a councillor to say so.

[Tarbo]

Tick... tick... tick... The metaphorical clock ticked away while people waited for the result of Mel'Reyna's soon-to-be exorcism. The ritual wasn't yet ready, they were told, and neither was the sorceress fully recovered from the previous attempt, on Zardock.

Tarbo lied comfortably against the crate he had commissioned to be his back support, his eyes closed and a slight, rarely-fading smile on his lips. When asked earlier when everything would be able to proceed, he had replied: "They'll let us know when they're ready."

Belial sat on a crate, his fingers clasped together, waiting to hear any news. Kinslayer sat next to him on a larger chest, his face resting in his hand. Sleek and Telrunya wordlessly and emotionlessly continued their rock-paper-scissors-game they had been playing for the past hour. Kalia sat against the single near sarcophagus, her head resting while staring at the ceiling or possibly at the engraved writings behind her. Zenobius slowly stroked the side of his hand over his upper lip, lost in thought to kill the slow passing of time. Khadarel sat more comfortably, leaning against the same sarcophagus Kalia was against, his long body and matching legs stretched with his hands on his stomach.

And time ticked on ever so slowly...

°°°

"Is the answer a puppy? I love puppies!"

Anleth took a deep, deep breath through her nose before smiling politely and shaking her head. "Riddles aren't my specialty," she explained her lack of authorative answer on any of the umpteen previous guesses.

"But she gave me, like, a blank sheet of paper, like it paperificated without ink or something." Elyssa stared perplexedly at it.

"Maybe the mistress meant to say that... you are a clean slate, uncorrupted by the many... worries and lingering thoughts that plague many of us."

Elyssa's stare of perplexion subtly turned from the paper to Anleth.

"She believes you're nice."

"Oh? Then why give me a blank sheet? I don't get it."

"It is a riddle."

"Oh... oh, I get it." Elyssa nodded clearly and winked once. "The answer to the riddle is what's not the answer to the riddle, right?"

Anleth felt her conscience lose the battle for supremacy over her overly tried patience, and managed to reply with a wry taste in her mouth: "Right."

"Lynsey doesn't ever, like, switch off, you know? I mean, not like in power down and go dead or anything, but just chill and party and stuff, you know?"

"...Mistress Mioralynthia is —ready, I see." Anleth instantly sprung to her feet with a feeling of elation, overwhelmed with freedom. "I should assist with the ritual."

"Oh, can I come?"

"I don't believe that's a good idea."

"Oh, please? I'll be real quiet, I promise."

"No, it is a dangerous ritual, and we should—"

"Are you really being fully cooperative?"

°°°
"Mistress," Anleth greeted Mioralynthia when she hunched next to the sorceress. "Are you ready?"

Mioralynthia nodded absently, mentally going over all the requirements while her eyes skipped from component to component. The protective barrier was in place, the charms were distributed along the currently dominating constellation—that she had to deduce from her astrological charts— incense was burning to help her focus and concentrate, and... and...

"Why is she here?" she whispered while aiming her eyes at Elyssa.

"Let us say that I had no choice but to bring her," Anleth admitted. "I would rather we ignore her for the length of the ritual."

"I could take care of her."

Anleth's brow curved.

"It is a very violent ritual," Mioralynthia explained, her voice still low. "Hers is not a very safe distance."

"Are you suggesting—"

"Accidents happen."

Anleth looked Mioralynthia in the eye, in her deadly serious but yet friendly offering eye, as if it begged her to say yes. She skipped her eyes to Elyssa and signalled her kindly but clearly to step further back. Much further back.

"Well then," Mioralynthia said with half a smile. "Shall we?"

°°°

Again, the group of lucky ones—the ones not having their souls torn from their body and run through the equivalent of a purifying flame thrower, were watching carefully from a distance. Elyssa had taken to slightly more of a distance following Anleth's clear and insistent advice. The others intently watched the three women located within the protective circle. Protective, as in, protective to the outside world.

"Ready, Anleth?" Mioralynthia asked. There was a slight smile on her lips, as if amused at the facial expression Anleth had at that very moment. "I understand if you're not feeling comfortable about this, but I could use the extra focus."

Anleth frowned. "Isn't that the incense?"

"Perhaps I should have said grounding. I could use the extra grounding in case of backlash."

Anleth nodded slowly. "What should I expect?"

Mioralynthia thought for a moment while a bound Mel'Reyna in front of her patiently awaited her fate. "Imagine a burning force powerful enough to lure out and eradicate, purify, the essence it is meant to draw out and destroy, the wandering soul of a dead necromancer having fed on Chaos energy for millenia. And try to imagine, if you can, the full of that summoned power failing to find its target and burning its way into your mind instead. Because that is exactly what is going to happen if this woman is not the one we're searching for."

Anleth pressed her lips but nodded again. Not the most pleasant outcome she could imagine. But these things had to be done. She threw a glance over her shoulder at the others. Tarbo subtly raised his thumbs for support, but he was just as far from them as everyone else. Everyone seemed far away now, on the other side of that circle.

Mioralynthia repeated the ritual from the previous times, and laid one hand on the subject's—or victim's—chest and reached her other arm for Anleth's. Candles crackled very lightly around them, the individual pointlights creating a softer, collective ambient glow around them. A subtle but distinct aura of the magical barrier hinted towards its working state.

Suddenly, forks of energy sprung from the sorceress' fingertips while a glow emanated from the palm of her hand, and immediately Mel'Reyna's body struggled with the surge it was submitted to. She clenched her teeth, but it was no longer hers to control. The darker essence in herself was being drawn to the foreground, lured outward and exposed by the promise of pure energy to feed upon. It hungered, it leered, waiting for the proper time to strike at its target.

Anleth heard—felt—the menacing, rumbling growl mere inches from her self, like the roll of thunder after a direct lightning strike. While she had originally expected a 'dud' of sorts, she wasn't sure whether she was so happy with the new development. The growl intensified to a deafening roar, and then to a screech of pain, agony. She looked at Mel'Reyna, but other than her tensed body and the small lightning forks of energy playfully emanating from Mioralynthia's fingertips, nothing else seemed to be visually happening.

Then suddenly, a tangibly dark essence burst from the bound body, assailed by a bright, colourless flame that burned it up from its tail. It screeched painfully loud in mind and heart, first in anger and fury, but then almost pleading for mercy. A bright flash knocked Anleth down, and the wail died out in an echo that seemed to last for minutes.

She blinked her eyes, trying to aim herself up after the surprise knockdown. Though shaken, she felt fine, and not in the terribly agony she had expected. She felt two supporting hands helping her sit up, and found Tarbo hunching next to her.

"Caught a big one, didn't you?" he asked with a smile. He didn't really wait for an answer—and Anleth wasn't in an authorative position to give one—then moved on to help Mioralynthia up.

"Get this woman to our infirmary," Mioralynthia groaned while being helped on her feet. "Her essence was indeed corrupted, but we may have been able to purify it. What bothers me is that it didn't put up more of a fight."

Tarbo narrowed his eyelids while thinking on it. "You mean it has a safe haven somewhere."

"It does," Mioralynthia agreed. "But there is good news: I might be able to re-energise the protective barrier and set up the ritual for another performance."

Tarbo chuckled. "Then I'll ask our finest to provide you with another subject."

°°°

Tarbo returns with a visible smile on his lips. "Gentlemen, lady," for you have only one left, "you've managed to catch the possession red-handed. Not only was Mel'Reyna indeed host to Daynarii's will, but she willingly gave him refuge.

"And there's more," he adds while he plunges down in his previous seat, if charitably called so. "Lynthia assures us that she and Anleth will be able to prepare another exorcism in a foreseeable time, so they've asked for a new..." His hand rolls momentarily while trying to find the correct word. "...volunteer?"

He reaches for the sheet with notes and waits smilingly for your decisions.

________________________

Players

1. SleekDD
2. Kinslayer
3. LordAnubis
4. Drainial
5. Shadow Dark
6. Telrunya
7. Belial

With 7 players, 4 constitute a majority. The number of infiltrators in the game is currently unknown due to the storm raging overhead.

Mel'Reyna

1. Belial
2. SleekDD
3. Telrunya
4. Kinslayer
5. Drainial
6. LordAnubis

Deaths

• 51la5 (Pure Soul) -- Day 1, inactive
• Khel (Priest) -- Day 1, excused
• Deroth (Hunter, Haunt) -- Day 2, exorcised
• Kefka (Adept) -- Day 2, inactivity
• Demendred (Soulless One) -- Day 2, inactivity
• zzug (Pilgrim) -- Day 2, inactivity
• Zardock (Attuned) -- Day 3, exorcised
• Mel'Reyna (Willing Host) -- Day 4, exorcised

It is Day still (or again)! The new activity deadline is set to pass on Friday, around 21h00 GMT.

Congratulations on finding another infiltrator.

[Belial]

"Knew it", Belial exclaimed with a satisfied voice.
He drew his legs up under him, wrapping the cloak tight around him.
"Now, as for who to go for next, I'm not sure. But if I remember correctly, we have one amonst us who didn't vote for Mel'Reyna... Khadarel, do explain again why you stayed your hand?"

[Kinslayer]

"Well done, it seems we have caught up with Daynarii again!" Kinslayer exclaimed as he saw/heard the result of the exoricism. He walked back up to his two sarcophagi and stood between them once more, leaning on the wall. Belial was the first to speak. Kinslayer was busy looking at each of those left to see who could or could not be guilty.

"I agree, perhaps Khadarel should explain himself, though there are also others to be suspicious of. Once Daynarii realised that Mel'Reynas fate was sealed, could he not have had his other pawn vote for her to further conceal themselves. So, who were the last few to change their vote to Mel'Reyna...

Drainial and Zenobius. Something of my instincts tells me Zenobius is not to blame, and that our most likely infiltrator is either Drainial or Khadarel."

[Telrunya]

Telrunya nodded. "There is a myriad of valuable ideas being thrown around. A silent council is the best place for the newest host to hide in, and that is exactly what we are not giving it. Not only have we struck home and hard by voting Mel'Reyna, but I bet the new host feels the noose tightening around his neck. As we speak. By us speaking. We have a lot to be proud of, councillors, every single one of us. Let's keep up the good work."

Rubbing his hands together, he continues. "Zenobius, thank you for sharing your thoughts earlier on, but I fear I missed why exactly you think Kinslayer would be the most suspicious one. It should be clear that, whoever is the --hopefully-- last possessed in this room, has only been possessed recently. This means that, regardless of how much damage Kinslayer's rash actions have caused the council in previous meetings, everything he did was done in good faith. But the 'in good faith'-part should go for all of us.

"Now, in contrast to Belial, I am not going to ask why --yet again-- Khadarel's vote was the only one missing when voting for someone who was possessed. But perhaps this time, the council should not take it as a sign of guilt. The one who is possessed now knew with complete certainty that Mel'Reyna was indeed corrupted. Even after Mel'Reyna's near-confession, council members only have varying degrees of suspicions. I would expect the freshly corrupted to vote, not withhold his vote, especially after a majority had been reached.

"Belial, you are one of my two prime suspects for conversion. Your dueling with Mel'Reyna has led to her near-confession. This makes you an obvious choice for Daynarii. If this is not the case, perhaps you could share your thoughts on why exactly?

"Drainial, you being my other prime suspect, perhaps you could share your thoughts on why Mel'Reyna would not pick you for conversion? Being the most silent member, you would have the least opportunity to say something wrong. Given Mel'Reyna's approach to this situation, this might very well be the criterion she used: survivability through discretion."

[Belial]

Belial shrugged. "I can't give you good reason, Telrunya, as to why I shouldn't be the new host. It makes sense, but, to my mind, unfortunately only as much as it being everyone else. If I should make any form of defence, it is that I wouldn't be the best choice. I haven't contributed much to this council, except for that last bout with Mel'Reyna. The same can be said of Khadarel, but at least I voted. If we are to indeed suspect that the last host voted for Mel'Reyna, as to defelct any suspicion, then I'd say any of us are likely to be the host. Perhaps your brother and you, more than anyone else. But I can't find a single reason why Khadarel didn't vote, so I'm going with that, for now. I do count Kinslayer out of the list. He has been outspoken, but not, sorry mate, very contributing."

[Kinslayer]

"I contribute my part, Belial. I am a hunter and not a councellor, and this is the first situation of its kind I have ever entered. Something tells me the twins have had... experiences akin to this before. Perhaps not the same, and likely not as dangerous, but they know how to talk and how to pick up on little points. Some things are so obvious that you can not miss them, like Khadarel being the only one not to vote, and like Daynarii having plenty of oppertunity to conceal his other hosts under a vote for Mel'Reyna.

My own skills, of fighting, hunting, bushcraft and other such things are of absolutely no use down here. I am, as they say, out of my element. So I am doing what anyone would, and trying to survive. Giving myself over to some darkness would not be the best way to go about that, and I have mind enough not to let him willingly inside my head. Thus, all I can do is follow you others and give what informatio I can uncover, and hopefully kill Daynarii before he kills me."

[Drainial]

"It seems to me that whoever is now possessed is only recently so. And I agree that it is most likely someone who voted for Mel'renya. And whilst I admit that I am fair game it seems to me that it was clear that Mel'renya was doomed the moment Zardoc was declared innocent. Opinion was more or less already decided on the subject. So would the new infiltrator not be more likely to vote as early as possible? Especially given the fact that Belial was already putting forward her name.

As for why I would not be chosen, I cannot prove that I am not. But I will say that it would make far more sense for Daynarii to choose someone not who not only is not under any particular suspicion at the time but also someone who is quite vocal and so quite influential on the council.

For that reason I find myself suspicious of Sleek. He came no sooner to suspect Mel'renya than anyone else but he voted for her first after Belial. Not conclusive proof by any standard. But it is all that I have."

Oh Khaine give me strength. These days are most trying. Why the hell did I volunteer to come here in the first place?

[Sleekdd]

“Well then, we've found our little acolyte – albeit with some delay – and find ourselves in a position to root out her spawn,” Sleek understands, “But here's where it gets tough. The one we seek now has only been possessed for a few hours. Not a lot to go on, right?”

“Well, that's when you've got to get a little creative to solve our problem.”

“Allow me to explain from the beginning. But don't worry, this story is a good one; it's got deception, intrigue and sacrifice and the subject didn't even know about it.”

“Session three: the council is high on success. We've just voted off Deroth after a hiccup and are now looking for a willing subject of Daynarii. A challenging task, you will agree I'm sure, and after some deliberation, Telrunya and myself pick Mel'Reyna as our suspect. Too late it seems and despite Belial's best efforts, Zardock is voted anyway. Mel'Reyna gets a lucky break and the opportunity to spawn another agent in our midst.”

“Now that gets us in a bit of a bind. You see, my brother and me are prime targets: we found both of them at the earliest possible time. The reason they survived as long as they did was sheer...luck. So, it's obvious that the ones busy nailing that coffin of Daynarii shut have to go.”

“The thing is, we knew that too,” Sleek grins, “So, what do you do when you want to stop someone who is pretty much unstoppable?”

“You sacrifice a pawn.”

“Knowing that Mel'Reyna would most likely attack us, Telrunya specifically asked Kilia (Drainial) to 'pray' for him. Obviously, Mel'Reyna would not risk wasting her efforts on someone beyond her reach. So, who is the most likely target then? The one who has the potential to stop her, of course.”

“So, when Kilia (Drainial) openly agreed she would pray for us, the pawn was moved forward.”

“Now, let's see if he took the bait.”

Vote: Drainial

[Shadow dark]

Khadarel rolled his eyes. He was enduring a distinct sense of déjà vu in the council’s debate.

"Belial," he said in a mockingly exaggerated patient voice, "Once more I arrived too late, and a majority vote was reached before I turned up. I apologise most sincerely for my lack of punctuality, but really, if you cast your mind back then you will remember that I openly explained why voting would be suspicious. I really have better things to do then repeat myself. Now, as far as I’m concerned, we are likely to find that the last host is one of the ones who voted for Mel’Reyna after it became evident that she was doomed. Therefore Drainial or Kinslayer are the most likely suspects to my mind. Now Tel’Runya, you have said that because Mel’Reyna and I where not getting on well, I could be the host. Well, there’s nothing I can really say to disprove the possibility, but it is not the only theory. The juxtaposition in stance would be obvious and bring suspicion. Far better to target one of the nearly silent, whom will have no incriminating changes of heart.”

“Overall, I have to say that I agree with Sleek. Drainial combines being a silent member of the council with being one of the last to vote for Mel’Reyna.”

Vote: Drainial