SAU 17: The Frosty Dozen

[Tarbo]

“Any luck?” Anleth asked when she found Tarbo in Belial’s room, hands in his pockets. She handed over a mug of coffee, and he promptly freed a hand to accept it.

“Sort of,” he replied, and nodded up to the ceiling before pluging his face down into his fresh batch of coffee.

Anleth tilted her head and looked up. She frowned, turned, and took a lengthy, more comfortable look while Tarbo gulped down a good amount of hot liquid.

“How did he...?” Anleth pointed faintly at the ceiling, and shook her head incredulously. “How did he even get up there?”

“I know,” Tarbo agreed, visibly still impressed by the feat. “I don’t know how he did it, but he got the body up and staying there.”

Anleth squinted her eyes. “Are we sure that’s Belial?”

“Only one way to know for certain.” Tarbo pressed his lips and nodded. “I can give you a boost up.”

“Very chivalrous of you.”

“All the way.”

________________

Players

1. Drainial
2. SleekDD
3. Raneth
4. Draknir
5. Deroth
6. gramash

With 6 players left, 4 constitute a majority.

Raneth (votes against)

1. Drainial

Deaths

1. sassmaw (innocent) (Day 1, inactivity) -- thoroughly 'investigated'
2. Zardock (protector) (Day 1, inactivity) -- did not dodge the wrench
3. Sidorio (infiltrator) (Day 1, voted)
4. LordAnubis (innocent) (Day 2, voted)
5. Kefka (protector) (Night 2, eliminated) -- speed kills
6. Belial (protector) (Day 3, inactivity) -- defying physical laws
7. Katash (innocent) (Day 3, inactivity) -- currently missing

It is now Evening. A majority vote will lead to an execution. Evening ends on Tuesday, around 22h00 GMT. Note that, due to Pentecost and Whit, the Evening is slightly longer than usual.

[Deroth]

"Oh sorry I dozed off again, As for what I said yesterday I still mean every bit of it. A quiet member of this council IS a liability because we dont know what is going on in their heads if they say nothing and they only serve to distract the council from the task at hand.

As for stating that I would add my vote to her unless she changed her tune, which she did and became far more vocal when people started to focus on her, I then had to give it a rethink on whether to vote for her. In the end I didn't vote for her simply because she was already gone and the morning had barely passed. I admit I was surprised that people were so quick to vote her off when they attacked me for voting for Sidorio so quickly, Belial most of all. Admittedly he was one of the last people to vote for him but Aza was still voted off far quicker than Sidorio and he was one of the people most suspicious of my quick vote and yet he did nothing to try pull back that speeding wreck."

[Deroth]

"Ah well it seems my suspicions of Belial are both incorrect and pointless"

[Draknir]

Achar pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard about Belial.

"Another warden down, is it? I see there's no reason to suspect Katash anymore either... but Raneth, you have some weird, weird points you're trying to make. You seem convinced that you just proved all my words false. I think it was the other way round, but you are not able to accept it.

Our ranks grow smaller and smaller. In this situation, I would like to remind that in my theory at least one of the people who voted for Aza is an infiltrator. We can rule out Gyla, Kefka, and now Belial and Katash. That leaves me and Gramash. Because I know I am innocent, that doesn't give me any option but to think that Gramash is an infiltrator. Go ahead and tell me it's not logical."

Vote: Gramash

[Drainial]

Glya considered, with so many going missing and their allegiances revealed the suspect list was dwindling, and Achar was making a certain amount of sense.

"My feelings tell me that Raneth is not to be trusted, but I have absolutely no evidence or real reasoning to back that up, and so I have said that I will change if another theory appears more solid and, Achar, though I doubt yours would hold up in a court of law it is better than my own, so I shall vote with you and take the probably shellacking that may well follow on charges of bandwagoning."

[Raneth]

Somehow during lunch, the ranks of the group diminished even further and likewise did the list of suspects. Deroth made quick to reinforce his standpoints to which Ran could only nod in understanding. "Fair enough, though I wish you would have at least made mention of Belial before being pressed so. Not that it matters now."

Then, to Achar: "I wished for an explanation and I got one. There is no quarrel between us as far as I'm concerned."

Withdraw vote from Deroth

[Gramash]

Achar, I have to admit that your theory seems right and therefore I'll have to vote you, because I know I'm innocent. I don't think it's very smart to go that way , because it's not really positive for the two of us, because as soon as one of us is voted off and is innocent, then the other, according to your theory must be guilty. It's not very smart if you don't want your life to rely on luck, because if we get it wrong today, I think we all are kinda well, how do i put the imminent death of all sane people here, in a nice way?
oh well don't say i didn't warn you.....

please resign your theory otherwise you force me to vote for you and then the infiltrators can just pick the guy they like and then you have it.... 2 or 3 to 1, assuming there are 2 to 1 infiltrators left so either you wont have a majority or you'll have another innocents blood spilled and if you're wrong then another innocents blood will be spilled, and most likely after that the rest of us innocents

[Draknir]

Achar turned to Gramash.

"I will resign my theory as soon as you prove that you are innocent. I know the risks, but I find this the strongest lead we have at the moment. At the moment I am not convinced of your innocence. Please share if you have a better idea of who is guilty. We need to do something."

[Drainial]

"Ah, just to make it official,"

Vote Gramash

[Gramash]

''Well... i can see where this is going.

please reconsider, i was third to vote for Sidorio, would you condemn your comrade that fast?

i will place my own vote for what it's worth.. on Achar, following the same logic he follows...

i hope your happy with more innocent blood on your hands before you get slaughtered''

[Deroth]

"I am suspicious of Sleek right now, he only seems to speak when he has to. True it is normally like listening to someone reading out a bloody essay that they have written when he does speak but mostly it is non committal and doesn't say a lot that moves the council forward"

[Tarbo]

Players

1. Drainial
2. SleekDD
3. Raneth
4. Draknir
5. Deroth
6. gramash

With 6 players left, 4 constitute a majority.

Gramash

1. Draknir
2. Drainial

Gentlemen, please make your vote explicit by adding Vote: (Name) at the bottom of your post, on a new line. To prevent ambiguity, I don't count votes that are not at least vaguely in this format.

[Deroth]

"Well looks like time is running out and no one seems to want to talk so I guess my only option is to vote for Gramash. I probably would not have chosen to vote for him if there was any chance of getting someone else voted off by the time this day ends, but as it stands it may not even be enough to vote him off and save us from retribution during the night."

Vote: Gramash

[Gramash]

''I was hoping that.... oh well it doesn't really matter

just to make my own vote count before the last deciding vote is placed''

Vote Achar

[Drainial]

"Oh don't be a tease," Gyla chided Gramash softly, rethreading her needles, "what were you hoping?"

[Gramash]

''I was hoping you guys would see the following:

lets assume there are two traitors left, from the six people
that means that if the innocent people wont work all together they can't get a successful vote off

i can't get off my mind that Raneth and Sleek haven't voted yet, i think they are just waiting for an indecision in the council and think about this:

you, Deroth and me where the first three to vote Sidorio off, i wouldn't suspect any of us, because it's not really smart to vote off your own member right away. Achar is voting for me in the first place so or he's a stupid traitor or he's innocent. I go for innocent because Sleek and Raneth both act suspicious: Sleek ain't very talkative and some people already stated he can't be trusted and as for Raneth you yourself said you thought he was suspicious

Please consider this, think it over, and let us all live to see another day

and to strengthen my resolve i shall replace my vote to Raneth, because i think he's the most dangerous:''

unvote: Achar

Vote: Raneth

[Deroth]

"Dammit I think that Gramash is right, If indeed there are 2 infiltrators left they would be content to sit and do nothing while those that are innocent vote for another innocent because it becomes impossible to reach a majority and then they can take out innocents at will. With Raneth and Sleek remaining decidedly quiet I cant help but see the two of them as infiltrators waiting for us to finish ourselves off while they profit. Unless something happens quick all of us will be dead."

Unvote: Gramash

Vote: Raneth

[Draknir]

"Well, whatever, if we prove wrong this one time then we're pretty much screwed. I find it unlikely that none of the infiltrators would have voted on Aza, but Gramash has got a point. I wish to hear Sleek speak again, he has remained quite quiet."

[Deroth]

"Maybe they didnt vote for Aza to be able to avoid some suspicion but again its impossible to tell. But unless either Raneth or Sleek vote for Gramash it is impossible to reach a majority. So if they refuse we must vote for them as a group to reach majority so we dont all die in our sleep."

[Drainial]

"Quite frankly there is something about Raneth that just doesn't sit right with me, call it gut instinct or female intuition or whatever. I am perfectly happy to subordinate such feelings to logic, but as there is now passable arguments each way, and a very pragmatic one against Raneth, I think I will have to follow that instinct."

Vote Raneth

[Draknir]

"I see. There are now three votes for Raneth. A deciding vote is needed. I feel I must now decide between my logic and someone else's gut feeling. Deroth might be right that the infiltrators sat out the Aza affair. They could have taken into account the fact that someone would be making deductions based on the names of the voters. Raneth and Sleek are suspicious. I can't deny that. I'm not sure if this qualifies as bandwagoning at this point, but I choose to follow the more trustworthy half of this bunch.

Tarbo! I think we have reached consensus."

Vote: Raneth

[Sleekdd]

"Hm, funny," Sleek says. "You call me suspicious because I haven't spoken much today and you conveniently leave out whatever I said the days before. But that's not actually the point of concern for me, the point is the following: if Raneth and me are indeed the infiltrators everyone is looking for, how come you are still alive? Why didn't I fling my vote on you and seal both your as well as everyone else's fate?"

"The reason I haven't spoken up as much today as before is because I apparently have the rare and mysterious skill of logic and game theory, which makes it harder to make bold statements that contradict themselves. If I had such liberties, I would be very talkative indeed."

"Now, as I have said before - and will do so again - I frankly have no idea what to do. So, if you feel it necessary to vote me off for this blatant incompetence, go ahead. I have poured over the words of the last few days several times now but I can't find anything that could stick to anyone, I've given you my ideas before, which you chose to ignore twice by the way. I hope you'll forgive me if I choose to spend my time with more fruitful pursuits."

"What I do find interesting, however, is how people follow Gramash his reasoning of two remaining infiltrators who chose not to end this right here and right now. There are far too many for them to be guilty so apparently I I'm not the only one around here who is clueless."

"One might work if our infiltrator was unlucky enough to miss his chance to vote Gramash off, two simply will not."

"So, I think Gyla (Drainial), Deroth and Gramash and that's all I can reliably state. The others I'm not sure about.
"You choose to vote based on a hunch? A gut feeling? Well, it has worked for Sidorio and it might do so again but we shouldn't pride ourselves on being anything more than lucky three times. Lucky that the random vote against Sidorio turend out correct, lucky that the infiltrator missed his window of opportunity if he hasn't voted along already and lucky because gut feelings saved the day."

"I don't like those odds."

[Draknir]

Achar listened to Sleek carefully. He had started to gnaw at his fingernails. He sighed deeply, rubbed his temples and spoke with a hoarse voice.

"Yes, clueless, that is exactly what we are. We are hopelessly without a clue. The only gut feeling I have is the terrible turning feeling of 'something wrong'. I, a proud member of the Elven race, a noble race, admit that I am terrified. What I can say is that the infiltrators, whoever they may be, are extremely good at what they do. My thought processes are not able to grab any reliable facts. First I try my hand at logic and suspect Gramash. Then we take a turn against Raneth with very little evidence, but seemingly it makes enough sense for me to jump on the bandwagon. This all, just makes me want to abandon bloody logic altogether.

Also, Sleek, you may want to clarify that one part. I think I missed a part or something. You say you can reliably state that Gyla, Deroth and Gramash are... what?"

[Sleekdd]

"I really should learn to complete my phrases adequately," Sleek says. "I meant to say I could reliably assume they're innocent, which is the extent of my input. Nothing new since I've said it before and it is pitifully little, I know."

[Raneth]

Ran witnessed the escalation with a look of concern on his face. Eventually the frown turned to a smile. "Gramash, in a pathetic attempt to skew off attention from yourself, votes Achar -out of the blue, without explanation- just to have his vote 'count', then points his finger at me arguing of how Achar is innocent. Laughable."

He then turned to Glya. "I can't help you not liking me, woman, but it's hardly worth sentencing someone to death for. If that's the same gut feeling that led you to vote for Aza, I urge you to reconsider." A short pause, and a chuckle; "Though I can't deny being dangerous."

To Achar, who had all but sealed his fate: "Just to create a majority, eh... it seems my unwillingness to commit this very crime, to condemn someone without ample proof, has now led to my demise. If I am sent to meet our Lord it will be with my head held high, and I'll be waiting for the one whose hands are stained with my blood. Khaine willing you may not even make it through the night."

A short cough, as he prepared for was likely to be his final statement. "Glya, you are innocent beyond doubt in my mind, though I understandably don't like you very much. You, Sleek, are unlikely to be an infiltrator. Your behaviour has been truthful, even though it has put you at great risk. Achar, you have not held back in supporting your viewpoint - despite the flaws in your logic this makes you unlikely to be a killer."

"Only two left, Gramash and Deroth. I can be short-spoken about the latter; without arguing too much himself he has voted for whoever seemed to get the majority at any time. 'Cept this one; though I believe his vote to be cast out of spite."

"That leaves you, Gramash, as a killer according to my reasoning. Your voting this round has been blatantly unjustified, accusing Achar even though you apparently knew him to be innocent. Knowing some others hold a grudge against me, for whatever reason, you have masterfully deflected attention away from yourself, but not if I can help it... Remember this, I could have easily voted for you earlier today and you would already be subject to summary execution, but I didn't because I wasn't convinced of your guilt. Now I am."

Vote: Gramash