Roving Elves: Sepulchre of the Ancients [Concluded]

https://i292.photobucket.com/albums/...ist/RESA-1.png

“For centuries your brethren have been at the foot of the Elven Palatinate, forgotten by those gifted by the powers of Magicks and blessed by riches unknown to your kind. You are the lowest of Elvish society; the slave to the fields, the maid in the mansion, the peasant struggling to survive in the alleys and grubby shanty-towns of Malmsteena.
Your fortunes have changed. During another night in the Bad Moon, the scruffy tavern in which you squander the few gold pieces you have to your name, you and your fellow drinkers are beckoned into one of the many dark corners by an unfamiliar figure. You watch in awe as the outsider unfurls a tattered map onto the table, a map pinpointing the whereabouts of a secret entrance to the Sepulchre of the Ancients, a tomb in which the Venerables were laid to rest, surrounded by an innumerable amount of enchanted treasures and invaluable trinkets. You become frozen in deep thought; the punishment for trespassing in the Sepulchre is surely worse than death itself, but anybody who lives to tell the tale could become powerful beyond their wildest dreams.
The stranger turns to you: “Are you in?”...

Welcome! Arpeg (aTHIS, Mr.THIS) invites you to participate in his first ever mafia game, featuring useable items and varied goals to make things interesting. There is no weird hosting, and any unusual twists that arise are created by player decisions only. In this game, nobody is left plain and everybody has the potential to gain power and roles whilst also risking loss.

RULES

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- Unfortunately for you, ACTIVITY IS A MUST. Any Elves left staring into space over two phases leave their mortal souls open to the twisted forces at play in the Sepulchre and will be WOGed.
- Day phases and night phases will last a day each, and will generally end at around 10:00PM GMT.
- To Lynch, Vote: ____
- To Imprison, Imprison: ____
- To Escape, Vote: ESCAPE
- To Search, PM me Search: [ROOM NAME or NUMBER]
- I'd like to discourage PMing amongst townies, but I won't ban it outright.
- ABSOLUTELY NO DIRECT QUOTING FROM PMS OR ROLES by me or anybody else.

SEARCHING

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- When searching, you PM me a room you would like to search. You may search rooms more than once.
- Upon searching, there is a chance that you will receive an item or trap, which can be used for your benefit at any time.
- Each room contains a (pre-written) number of different items which can only be found once each. You can't keep finding the same item in the same room.
- You may use each item as directed DURING THE NIGHT PHASE, and must PM me to do so.

Sign-ups (7/7):
Pinman
Secura
Johnhughtom
Landlubber -> Replaced by Renata
TheFlax
Civplayah -> Replaced by Yaseikhaan
Split

Sign-ups are now full. I'll try and get the PMs and rules out tonight.

IN.

In, of course.

Confirmed.

I'll play.

Confirming...

I'm in.

Looks like that's the seven if Beskie takes his reserved spot.

That was quick! Yeaup, if Beskar takes his spot I'll be able to get things rolling tonight. I'll give him another 24hours to respond, otherwise his place goes to the next available.

If Beskar doesn't accept his spot, I would like to place myself to take it, if that is alright with everyone :bow:

Split can take it, as it seems he really wants to play. Thanks for saving it me though, ArgTHIS. :bow:

You respond to the stranger with a feeble nod. The audience around you begins to mutter, but one by one they step forward. “Gentlemen, ladies, welcome aboard” whispered the stranger. “The journey ahead will be uncertain, and success is also uncertain,” the stranger continued: “but I am certain that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.” Murmurs of agreement erupted from the audience. “I, for one, have been exploited by the Elven Elite for too long, and it is time to take due payment for our hard work! If, after the ill-effects of our cheap mead has worn off, you wish to continue with this band of Roving Elves, our journey will begin outside the city gates at midday tomorrow. I bid you farewell”. The stranger lowered his hood, revealing a withered face amongst a forest of black, matted hair. Without another word, he strode out of the pub and vanished into the night.
Waking up late the next day, you scramble to gather some basic rations, a few candles and a worn dagger into a sack and head to the city gates, where you are quickly pulled into a secluded ditch. Before you stands the assembly of drinkers from last night, each holding a sense of apprehension on their faces, the stranger now looking more familiar. You depart on your journey, perhaps looking back upon Malmsteena for the last time.
After a long journey into the woodlands, you reach a desolate outpost covered in vines. Following the stranger, you descend the steps into the unknown. There is no turning back.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/...4522531476.jpg

I'm starting role PMs now, expect the game to begin about 10 hours from now.

You step off the ladder into the Sepulchre, realising that your band of Roving Elves has completely splintered from civilised society; you are now outlaws. You are amazed to find that chests of all shapes and sizes fill the rooms surrounding your band of Elves, and cannot restrain yourself! “There are fortunes to be gained tonight my friends, but take care, for there lies as many traps in this place as there lies treasures” the stranger announced, quietly hoping that his band of Elves would heed his warning.

Using a dim light from his lantern, the Stranger unfurled a ragged map in front of the Roving Elves, revealing a basic outline of each room in the Sepulchre.

https://i292.photobucket.com/albums/...sist/REmap.png

"It's a shabby map, and it seems like it was drawn up by a goblin runt, but it'll do, won't it?" he asked the elves. "You've got some time to search around, take a look in some rooms and try to find treasure! Remember, we're trying to make ourselves 5,000 sovies here, but anything else found goes under the finders-keepers rule."

Begin "Day" Phase One.

FEEL FREE TO LET YOUR TEMPTATIONS LOOSE AND SEARCH A ROOM. FEELING PARANOID? YOU MAY ALSO VOTE TO LYNCH OR IMPRISON A FELLOW ELF. OH, AND DO TAKE A LOOK AT THE RULES BEFORE POSTING, I HEAR THAT SEPULCHRE SPIRITS CAN TURN QUITE NASTY ON THOSE THAT DON'T ABIDE BY GAME RULES.

Round Ends: 22:00GMT 21/07/2010

URGENT - LAST MINUTE CLARIFICATIONS
- Somebody reminded me that a town escape option is an easy way out of trouble. For that reason, THERE IS NP ESCAPE. The doors have sealed shut. Magically.
- "Searching for gold" was really intended as a narrative device and directive - there isn't really a gold tally as such, more of an incentive for you to take advantage of room searches. Just assume that when any anti-town forces are killed, you may escape and have won.

Umm, we've started people...

Imprison: Secura

You can make your name out of the letters to Sepulchre Map. And the remaining letters make phlemp. Blatant scum.

Imprison: The Flax

I want bars between me and anybody so badass that they have a 'The' in their name.

Inprison: Civplayah.
Nobody plays Civilization on these forums. Most people won't know what that means.

imprison:Johnhughtom
For having a name I don't understand. :p

Following an imprisonment approach doesn't seem like a game-winning strategy for a game of this size.

Sure, you are delaying the deaths slightly as the mafia will likely refrain from their night-killing fetishes, at least momentarily, in order to to implicate the falsely imprisoned townsperson and have them lynched as a result.

However, you are essentially wasting two lynch phases on a single person (the first to imprison them and the second to lynch), which renders such a strategy useless and unlikely to accomplish anything constructive.

The only hands that such an approach plays into is those of the mafia, and as the first person to suggest such an approach, I'm going to with johnhughthom; I find it a little off that a player as capable as you would immediately opt for imprisonment without seemingly considering the cons of doing so.

vote: johnhughthom, as my vote from my edited post might not be accepted.

30mins remaining and I only have half of the search orders. Given that this is the first round, I'll leave it open for another 12 hours.

Infact, It might be a wiser idea for me to write-up at around noon/12:00PM GMT? Would that work better for USA-ers?

I don't get why you are surprised at my approach to this Secura as I'm doing it in your game too, I don't see what difference it being a smaller game makes.

I dont mind an imprisonment approach personally.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johnhughthom

I don't get why you are surprised at my approach to this Secura as I'm doing it in your game too, I don't see what difference it being a smaller game makes.

---

There is less margin for error in a mini-game, and wasting two lynches on imprisoning and then lynching someone is a bad move.

That's my own opinion, however.

Round is over. Commencing write-up.

The dim atmosphere of the Sepulchre had already started to take its toll on the intruders; already arguments had broken out over untrustworthiness and deceit. Although none of the elves were heavily sided against, Secura and Civplayah took it upon themselves to wrestle johnhughthom to the ground and throw him in an old cell in the Cluttered Room for a while.

johnhughthom imprisoned

http://www.bastionlaw.ca/images/dungeon02.jpg

Tally:
Imprison:
Secura (1)
Civplayah (1)
TheFlax (1)
Johnhughthom (1)

Kill:
Johnhughthom (1)

No Vote:
Split
TheFlax
(You naughty, naughty elves.)


Begin Night Phase One.

- Round will end when I receive any possible actions.

The night phase passes without any unrest or trouble.

Begin Day Phase Two

- Johnhughthom has been released from the cells.

Round will end in 24 hours, regardless of votes and search orders. Sorry, but mini-games should be fast-paced.

Imprison: The Flax

No point in killing JHT yet.

Imprision: CivPlayah

Merely to log a vote for now.

So we are imprisoning at random?

Well then, imprison: Pinman for going after me twice.

More seriously, we should imprison someone else and see what happens.

imprison: landlubber

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheFlax

So we are imprisoning at random?

Well then, imprison: Pinman for going after me twice.

More seriously, we should imprison someone else and see what happens.

---

Perhaps I should have clarified. I think we should imprison somebody else and see what happens.

The reason I picked you was that this could be an obvious frame attempt on JHT. Now, of the people alive, I believe that you are a likely suspect to have done that.

The first vote was just random.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pinman

Perhaps I should have clarified. I think we should imprison somebody else and see what happens.

The reason I picked you was that this could be an obvious frame attempt on JHT. Now, of the people alive, I believe that you are a likely suspect to have done that.

The first vote was just random.

---

You think too highly of me, I'm just a blundering elf commoner.

I told you that this would happen, and now we've wasted a day phase no matter whether it was a frame attempt or our prisoner was actually the mafia, as I currently suspect.

Therefore, I'm still advocating the lynch of johnhughthom and my vote stays as it was in the previous round.

vote: johnhughthom

Yes, you did tell us. However, we don't actually have to kill JHT to prove anything.

This isn't to prove anything; I genuinely suspect that he is the mafia.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheFlax

You think too highly of me, I'm just a blundering elf commoner.

---

Imprison: TheFlax

Sure you are.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Imprison: TheFlax

Sure you are.

---

:no:

Round is over. Commencing write-up.

The quarrelling elves continue their hunt through the dungeon, and throw TheFlax into prison for the night phase.

http://www.bastionlaw.ca/images/dungeon02.jpg

Tally:
Imprison:
TheFlax (2)
Civplayah (1)
Landlubber (1)
Pinman (1)

Kill:
Johnhughthom (1)

No Vote:
Landlubber

There appears to be a distinct lack of search orders. For this reason, I will now ask that you PM me a "no search" in future, so I can gauge who is forgetting and who is choosing not to.

Begin Night Phase Two

- Round will end when all possible orders are received.

The night phase again passes without any unrest or trouble and the Roving Elves begin to wonder if they have really evaded the traps and dark forces at work in the dungeon. Cue another day for "uneventful mafia", comments the voice in everybody's heads.

Begin Day Phase Three

- TheFlax has been released from the cells.

Round will end in 24 hours, regardless of votes and search orders. Sorry, but mini-games should be fast-paced.

Due to the unusualness of sending day-phase orders, I will allow players to send search orders in during the previous night phase for the following day. Make use of it, you lazy lackies!

We're just going around in circles now and it's ridiculous; stop wasting day phases on imprisoning and let's get to lynching someone instead, because we're learning nothing this way.

I'm still going to vote: johnhughthom as my mind hasn't changed.

I'm all for imprisoning Flax again and continuing to search the compound.

Imprison: The Flax

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pinman

I'm all for imprisoning Flax again and continuing to search the compound.

Imprison: The Flax

---

Did you find something?

Imprison: TheFlax

You've got to be kidding me here... imprisonment hasn't done us any favours thus far, why the hell are you continuing to opt for it?

We've basically got eleven hours to deal with this phase and four people have failed to vote so far... can people start reading through and remotely considering what I've said instead of ignoring me and following a doomed strategy? S'like banging my head against a brick wall, sometimes. -_-'

ArpeggiateTHIS, I believe you will have to ask someone to replace civplayah; he mentioned a holiday in Beskar's Parasite Discussion thread (and thus was replaced by splitpersonality) and hasn't submitted orders in my own game and will likely have to replaced in that too. Beskar is a possibility, as he gave his place up to someone earlier, I think. :3

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Secura

Beskar is a possibility, as he gave his place up to someone earlier, I think. :3

---

Unfortunately, I cannot be a replacement due to reasons which ArpegTHIS knows why. :bow:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beskar

Unfortunately, I cannot be a replacement due to reasons which ArpegTHIS knows why. :bow:

---

You can't blame me for trying...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Secura

You can't blame me for trying...

---

I don't. I was just letting you know. :beam:

Secura, it isn't a doomed strategy.

None of us are dying, and we are gaining additional time to search the place. The only possible problem would be a conversion mechanic, but I'm pretty sure there isn't one. This is a 7 person game after all.

I think its Flax. We will see if nothing happens again tonight.

If a replacement is needed, I'll volunteer.

So I've been thinking. We seem to expect nightkills and there are none yet. For my part, I've never played a mini mafia with night kills, though I know there has been some where that is the case. It could be that this is one of those games where mafia has no kills. Now that wouldn't fit with the imprisonment unless mafia is searching for something like us. If that is the case, imprisonment might slow them down, but it doesn't solve anything and is an incorrect choice for town.

Secura why exactly should we vote for johnhughtom? You've only stated that you're sure he's scum, but why should we trust you on this?

Anyways, I think you're right on the imprisonment is the wrong choice thing, just not sure about your suspect.

For the moment it seems to me all there is are easy imprison mini bandwagons on me. Why?

A good place to start I think is looking for someone who is staying low profile and voting to imprison. Someone like split for example.

Vote: Split

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Secura

ArpeggiateTHIS, I believe you will have to ask someone to replace civplayah; he mentioned a holiday in Beskar's Parasite Discussion thread (and thus was replaced by splitpersonality) and hasn't submitted orders in my own game and will likely have to replaced in that too. Beskar is a possibility, as he gave his place up to someone earlier, I think. :3

---

Yaseikhaan will replace civ.

Is there any news on split? He's been inactive for three turns now.

I voted, was this not noted?

edit:

last round I mean.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spL1tp3r50naL1ty

I voted, was this not noted?

edit:

last round I mean.

---

Oops, my apologies. Your name conveniently slips off my page on Excel. The vote had been noted, so no worries there.

edit:

doop.


Cool thanks Mr. This

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheFlax

You've only stated that you're sure he's scum, but why should we trust you on this?

---

This is mafia, there's absolutely no reason why you should trust me or indeed anyone else, particularly in such a small game; however, we need to reach an agreement or we're just going round in circles.

I have voted the same way for three day phases now, does this strike you as the actions of a player who has no idea what she's doing? I suspect johnhughthom, he's ticking box-after-box and I'm going to continue voting for him until I'm killed or he is lynched.

So why not take the plunge and follow me on this one?

Quote:

---

For the moment it seems to me all there is are easy imprison mini bandwagons on me. Why?

---

Think about it... there was no successful kill last night, and making a bandwagon against you is an easy endeavour when the town cannot come to some form of concensus about who to lynch; at this rate, you're going back into the cells again and we're back to square one.

Quote:

---

A good place to start I think is looking for someone who is staying low profile and voting to imprison.

---

Sounds like johnhughthom to me.

Vote: Johnhughthom

Not a fan of no lynching in mafia games. Vote: Johnhughthom

Round is over. Commencing write-up.

Whilst searching the Sepulchre, you hear a muffled scream. Running to the scene, you find that Splitpersonality, after triggering a Sepulchre trap, has been constricted and tangled in chains. Despite your efforts, you cannot free him and decide to leave him until the effects of the trap have worn off. As a result, Split cannot vote or search the next day phase.

Patience amongst the Roving Elves was rapidly growing thin; the darkness and tense atmosphere within the Sepulchre had been sapping the spirits of the intruders for too long. In an instant, the elves turned on johnhughthom, drawing their knives and forcing him to back into a dark corner. Even the Stranger, who had remained calm and collected so far, drew his silver blade. Remaining silent, johnhughthom accepted his fate, allowing the merciless band to cut his throat and leave him to die within the Sepulchre. He, for one, would never see the light of day again.

Tally:
Imprison:
TheFlax (2)

Lynch:
Johnhughthom (3)
Split (1)

Johnhughthom has been lynched.

Yaseikhaan replaces Civplayah.
Renata replaces Landlubber.

Begin Night Phase Two

- Round will end when any orders are received.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ArpeggiateTHIS

Johnhughthom has been lynched.

---

Is the colour of this text indicative of anything, like "red means mafia" or whatnot? :3

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Secura

Is the colour of this text indicative of anything, like "red means mafia" or whatnot? :3

---

Nobody remained silent in memory of johnhughthom. As a matter of fact, it could be said that he was soon forgotten about as the elven low-lives resumed their rifling of chests and counting of gold. There was no glory in johnhughthom's death, and there was certainly no glory in the way that his corpse had been abandoned to one side. After all, events had been rather bland in the Sepulchre since they entered; there had been little sign of malicious forces or guards and, aside from johnhughthom's lynch, there had been no deaths. What was there to be suspicious about?

I can tell that this game is literally going to be the straw that broke the camel's back for me; it's driving me mental already.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Secura

I can tell that this game is literally going to be the straw that broke the camel's back for me; it's driving me mental already.

---

:cry: In what way? How can I avert this?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ArpeggiateTHIS

:cry: In what way? How can I avert this?

---

Don't worry, it is nothing bad on your part; just keep up the good work, treacle. :3

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Secura

Don't worry, it is nothing bad on your part; just keep up the good work, treacle. :3

---

I'll remind you of this if and when you start pulling your hair out, heh.

Even having Splitpersonality immobilised and vulnerable on the dungeon floor wasn't enough to lure the dark Sepulchre forces into the open. Once again, the intruders passed the night away without any major incident. This break-in seems like a cake-walk!

Begin Day Phase Four

Round will end in 24 hours, regardless of votes and search orders.

vote: split

Hi everybody! Wanna tell me where not to look?

Well room 5 contained nothing when I looked there.

Alright, time to reveal what I know.

There is definately a kill mechanic here, as I found an item which relates to said mechanic in one of the rooms I searched. So, by not killing, somebody is trying to deceive us. However, after the JHT kill, there was no reason to continue the charade, as nobody was imprisoned.

This leads me to believe that one of the inactives was the killer, and the replacement player didn't wish to draw attention to that fact. So, Vote: khaan.

I've still got my eye on you Flaxy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pinman

Alright, time to reveal what I know.

There is definately a kill mechanic here, as I found an item which relates to said mechanic in one of the rooms I searched. So, by not killing, somebody is trying to deceive us. However, after the JHT kill, there was no reason to continue the charade, as nobody was imprisoned.

---

That's interesting, it seems I was wrong, that is if you're telling the truth. Care to tell when you found this item?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pinman

I've still got my eye on you Flaxy.

---

Wouldn't have it any other way. :wink:

I'd rather vote Flax than Khaan if what you are saying is true, Pinman.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheFlax

That's interesting, it seems I was wrong, that is if you're telling the truth. Care to tell when you found this item?:

---

I actually don't remember. It could be anywhere from Room 8 - Room 5.

EDIT: Oh you said *when*. It was two rounds ago. So the night when you were imprisoned.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Renata

I'd rather vote Flax than Khaan if what you are saying is true, Pinman.

---

As I said, I have my eye on Flax. Not really sure if hes a more likely suspect than khaan.

unvote, vote Flax

I think he is.

After looking through the thread, and seeing that civplayah and landlubber both voted, I have to agree.

Sorry, but i've gotta unvote; Vote: The Flax. This is his style.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pinman

EDIT: Oh you said *when*. It was two rounds ago. So the night when you were imprisoned.

---

Why reveal now? I just quite can't piece together what you were trying to acheive by wanting to imprison me twice in row, especially since you knew the second time around there were kills. What did you think imprisoning me would accomplish?

And this whole crusade on me is based on what again?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pinman

This is his style.

---

Ohhh, right. Care to be more vague?

Pinman, tell more about what you found, please.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Renata

Pinman, tell more about what you found, please.

---

Not a good idea.

With a third of the alive players bieng replaced, its not easy to get a good read on the situation. I'm not convinced there is some grand strategy with the absence of kills, but possibly mafia can't kill yet. Searching rooms seems to give more power to each player in the form of items, why wouldn't be the same for mafia?

I'm going to go with my instincts from the last round and Vote: Split

vote: Pinman

Major nagging feeling about you; I might elaborate further once I've finished this writeup for TAS. :3

Vote: Renata Gut feeling.

I also discovered something relating to night kills.

I'm off to bed, no news of Split.

Vote: Pinman to tie it up, since I'd rather not get lynched, naturally. You guys decide.

Vote: Pinman

I don't like his secretiveness...


I am here, if this vote doesn't count just ignore it, I'm not sure if I can vote again but bah.


What is it Khaan?