Tol-in-Gaurhoth XXVI - Úcenite Valto

[the phantom]

Where is Ang, by the way? Did he say he was leaving?

It seems like the worst possible time to leave.

[the phantom]

And that vote for you Ang. That's for trying to lynch me on Day 1!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

In the village ther was dwellynge a poure scoler, hadde lerned art, but al his fantasye was turned for to lerne a thyng most literarye, and koude a certeyn of conclusiouns to demen by interrogaciouns if that men asked hym in certein houres what he wit of tales, and he could say.

And he knew great things, and spoke with great clarity, and he made those around him smile, and during his time in the village, the Dark Lady cared most specifically to speak with him, but she did not, for she could not. A power of will she did not know possessed her kept her from him, but at his final moment, when the village had spoken, and his fate had been sealed, she could say to him many things, and she could ask him many things, and she delighted in his answers in a way she had never known before. And so bifel bidene opon a somers day Anguirel and the Quen spoke within her play.

"What is bettre than Gold?” he responded to her, “Jaspre. What is bettre than Jaspre? Wisdom. And what is bettre than Wisdom? Womman. And what is bettre than a good Womman? No thyng."

And she told him with a laugh, “The first vertue, sone, if thou wilt lerne, is to restreyne and kepen wel thy tonge.”

And for a time, her Darkness seemed more light. And she told him something: “A few miles from here a frost-stiffened wood waits and keeps watch above a mere; the overhanging bank is a maze of tree-roots mirrored in its surface. At night there, something uncanny happen: the water burns.”

And he did not shiver with fear or wonder, but was curious, as all scholars are, and as they spoke, he forgot his death, and no longer saw the villagers around him, though they spoke to him, and about him, and with him. In his mind, he spoke with the Lady, and they shared many things, and he asked her about the wood and the mere, and the burning water and her Tower, and she told him of her past, and of her present, and for a long time they spoke, but never, she thought, long enough, and she regretted that the village would end his life this evening, now, in moments, in seconds, because he had not been cruel, had not been evil, but had been a scholar, one who delighted in learning what he could, of himself, of her, and of them.

For the first time in this dark, fogged time, the Dark Lady felt a hint of remorse for the cruelty she had thrust upon the village. He did not deserve to die…

And yet… he did.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

"They were right." he murmured, looking deep into her eyes.

"And what is it," she whispered, "that they were so right about?"

Her breath was poison on the wind; her laughter was gone from midnight and moonlight, and her presence was nothing more than mist. She was beginning to fade. He responded with strength.

"They say if you stare long enough into an abyss, it begins to stare back."

She laughed hollowly. "And you have stared, O Philosophical One, into this abyss?"

"Your eyes are categorically empty of all humanity." he said, acid on his tongue. "You understand that it is imperative this game of yours end?"

"You speak bravely, for a man about to die."

"I will die with honor and with virtue, and be called a good man, if it be for the good of the many."

"We shall see with what honor and virtue you die, when death does call you, and if it is for the better of those you love." And he stared again, into her eyes across moonlight, for though she was in her Tower and he in his chamber, time did not matter, and the miles did not matter, and he heard claws on his door, and it was said ever after of him that nothing in his life became him like the leaving it; he died as one that had been studied in his death, and when it was done, it was said after, that his life had been good.

[the phantom]

THE LIVING-

Diamond18
Kath
Mithalwen
the phantom
The Saucepan Man

THE DEAD-

Boromir88 (innocent)- bravely faced the gallows on Day 1
mormegil (innocent)- bled by the WWs on Night 2
Eomer of the Rohirrim (Werewolf)- outed by shrewd villagers on Day 2
littlemanpoet (innocent)- lain carefully in grave on Night 3
Estelyn Telcontar (innocent)- kicked the bucket on Day 3
Roa_Aoife (innocent)- dreams invaded by a WW on Night 4
Anguirel (innocent)- lynched by silly villagers on Day 4
Nogrod (innocent)- removed from lynch list by WWs on Night 5

Yesterday's voting-

Ang for Fea (1)
SPM for tp (1)
Mith for Kath (1)
Kath for Ang (1)
Nog for Ang (2)
tp for Kath (2)
Di for tp (2)
SPM take back tp (1)
SPM for Ang (3)
Di take back tp (0)
Di for Ang (4)
tp take back Kath (1)
tp for Ang (5)

[the phantom]

No more logic from me. From now on it's all going to be whimsical emotions. There is no logic in this game. Everyone is on his own team and is free to act however he wants to act and is interested first and foremost in self preservation as his knowledge of himself is the only sure thing he has to hold onto.

Therefore logically there is no rational way of telling anyone apart. You will see that from Day 1 all the way until the beginning of yesterday I had Ang listed as my most innocent person. Why? Because of feelings. And my feelings were correct, weren't they? But I allowed myself to be swayed with logic and moved Ang down my list a bit.

But even then, late in the day I still didn't want Ang killed and made an offer to him to vote with him against Kath to save his skin, but he never showed up. Instead, SPM showed up and tacked his vote onto Ang, and then Di followed, and it was all over.

I should've fought for Ang's life and put my foot down. I should've trusted the gut feeling that I had the whole game. But I pushed my feelings aside and told myself they were silly.

I was a fool to allow logic to influence me, for logically there is no logic present in this village. Look no further than the nightly kills. Three nights in a row, perfectly good lynch targets have been murdered. If the WW is not playing rationally why in the world are we trying to pick him/her out with rational thinking? We must be buffoons.

So anyway, here's what I've decided.

At the end of the day I'm going to vote for exactly who I feel like voting for, and I refuse to be swayed by extravagant cases and eloquent accusations. I will post my feelings on things like voting and behavior and then I will vote with my gut. It's been right more often. It was right about Ang, Boro, and Eomer. My head hasn't been right once.

And for my first statement of feelings...

I feel like I want SPM to live till the end. I certainly don't feel him to be innocent the way I did Boro and most of the game Ang- Sauce could very well be the WW. But really, there's only a 1 in 4 chance that it's him, so that's a pretty safe bet. Plus, I can't think of a better WW to win than SPM. I like the way he's been playing and I'd love to hear him do a "Mwu ha ha! Here's how I executed my master plan..." at the end.

So, there you have it. I will only vote for SPM to save my own life.

That leaves Di, Kath, and Mith for targets.

Kath has been super quiet this game. I wish we wouldn't have been talked out of bumping her off a couple days ago. If it comes down to the final day and Kath is still around I'm going to vote for her even if I think the other person looks to be the more likely WW, simply because I refuse to allow a WW to win using Kath's ultra-quiet strategy.

I'll talk about Di and Mith later. Tonight if I get the chance, but maybe not till tomorrow after my morning classes.

Oh, and I also plan to embark on a wild goose chase involving a statement made by Fea on her blog. This village is all about her, after all. It would be rude to ignore her.

[The Saucepan Man]

Oh law, thou art a cruel mistress!

You would compel me solemnly to weigh words spoken in innocence. You would have me judge falsely the motives of those by whom they were spoken. And you would drive me to use those very words in the prosecution of those no more guilty than I.

The wisdom of the gravekeeper. The soft voice of the milkmaid. The brazen wit of the scholar. All misjudged in my ramblings and presented in a grotesque distortion of their true intent, as if spoken by the blood-thirsty murderer that ever skulks among us. Innocents all! Yet condemned by my accusations, voiced in a cloud of ignorance and self-doubt.

All I have done, I have done to serve thee my Lady. And yet the beast stalks us still.

Will you not take this blindfold from the eyes of thy poor servant and grant me the satisfaction of knowing my tormentor?

Nay, you will not. For my Lady Justice is blind, and pure hearts are brutally struck down while chaos and cruelty reign supreme.

Well, I will serve thee no more. This prosecutor is no longer in business.

********************************
I have little clue as to the identity of the remaining Wolf and, since all that I have said to date has been amiss and has achieved little but the condemnation of innocent villagers, I have little confidence left in my own judgement.

Any one of you may be a Wolf, and yet three are not. A wrong choice toDay, and we have but one chance left. The fiddler may have finished his tune, but the village burns still.

Originally Posted by the phantom

I should've fought for Ang's life and put my foot down. I should've trusted the gut feeling that I had the whole game. But I pushed my feelings aside and told myself they were silly.

Yet another self-serving comment about a lynch victim.

You seem to have a habit of portraying yourself in a good light. Although that is of little use to me, since you would no doubt do so whether guilty or innocent. Might I remind you, though, that you were all for lynching Nogrod yesterDay. Here’s a self-serving comment from me. I never had the feeling that Nogrod was anything but innocent.

Originally Posted by the phantom

At the end of the day I'm going to vote for exactly who I feel like voting for, and I refuse to be swayed by extravagant cases and eloquent accusations. I will post my feelings on things like voting and behavior and then I will vote with my gut. It's been right more often. It was right about Ang, Boro, and Eomer. My head hasn't been right once.

As my somewhat melodramatic introduction to this post indicates, I feel much the same way. Every time that I have tried logically to analyse my fellow villagers, my thoughts have missed their mark.

Originally Posted by the phantom

I feel like I want SPM to live till the end. I certainly don't feel him to be innocent the way I did Boro and most of the game Ang- Sauce could very well be the WW. But really, there's only a 1 in 4 chance that it's him, so that's a pretty safe bet. Plus, I can't think of a better WW to win than SPM. I like the way he's been playing and I'd love to hear him do a "Mwu ha ha! Here's how I executed my master plan..." at the end.

You wouldn't be trying to flatter me to divert me, by any chance, would you?

Funny, though. I feel much the same way about you. Except that I am not so sure that I want you to live to the end. If for no other reason than to put my mind at rest and ensure that, should I survive until tomorrow and the Wolf remains, I am no longer plagued by the paranoia that has beset me throughout the game as far as you are concerned.

It might assist, however, were you to explain now precisely what you meant by that first post of yours, why it establishes your innocence and why, were you a Wolf, you would not say much the same thing to give yourself a cloak of innocence. You indicated yesterDay that you might explain, if your life were in danger. It would be helpful if you were to do so now.

Some further thoughts before I go.

Would it have served the Wolf’s interests to have played this game recklessly (which would implicate Diamond/Mithalwen), quietly (which would implicate Kath) or loudly and analytically (which would implicate the phantom/myself)?

And what’s with Diamond and this constant obsession with trying to tie up the votes at the end of the Day?

I will be back later (though probably not until much later, as I am busy today) with further thoughts.

[Kath]

Hang on. How do you know that is was Nogrod that was killed phantom? I see no name mentioned in the narrative. Or have I missed something really obvious here?

[Mithalwen]

How could you kill Ang? How do I choose between such wolvish folk?

Nogrod is a philosophy teacher.... but that doesn't mean TP doesn't know too much...

[The Saucepan Man]

Just popping in briefly ...

Originally Posted by Kath

Hang on. How do you know that is was Nogrod that was killed phantom? I see no name mentioned in the narrative. Or have I missed something really obvious here?

Good point. I was working on the basis of the phantom's list, and it didn't really occur to me that no name had acually been mentioned in the narrative. Although, the references to the victim being a philospher do point towards Nogrod. Perhaps phantom just assumed. Or perhaps he did not need to ...

Another thing that I just noticed:

Originally Posted by the phantom

Nogrod (innocent)- removed from lynch list by WWs on Night 5

WWs? Plural?

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

How could you kill Ang?

Well, he himself said at some point that he looked Wolfish and that he would lynch him were he us, or something along those lines. There was a plausible basis for thinking him to be the Wolf. Then again, right now I could make out a plausible case for any one of us (myself included) being the remaining Wolf. I rather share the phantom's devloping pessimism over the chances of us catching the last Wolf on the basis of logical analysis. Which is rather annoying, as that is how I generally like to work.

[Kath]

Alright, I have to go and as we don't yet have an answer from phantom:

++PHANTOM

I know I'm not giving him a chance to explain himself, but I just have no time toDay.

[Mithalwen]

Well I have to go for a while but I think that the choice is most likely now between
Phantom and Diamond but not certain

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Clarification: Yes, it was Nogrod... I thought I posted it on the Discussion Thread, but my computer tweaked, then I had to be somewhere, then I gave up on consciousness and snuggled into bed. Sorry.

[the phantom]

Bleh. Kath already voted for me and she's probably gone now and can't take it back.

No more votes for me people!

Originally Posted by SPM

It might assist, however, were you to explain now precisely what you meant by that first post of yours, why it establishes your innocence and why, were you a Wolf, you would not say much the same thing to give yourself a cloak of innocence. You indicated yesterDay that you might explain, if your life were in danger. It would be helpful if you were to do so now.

Yes, it seems that I have no choice.

All right, everyone, mark down this day on your calendar- for this is the day that the phantom has been forced to completely remake himself. From this village onward I will play in a slightly different way, for I am now revealing how I have played up until now thus making it impossible to continue.

On Day 1 I said this-

Originally Posted by me

I am not a Werewolf.

That means I am not a Werewolf.

Do you recall what I said on your "WW Dream Team" thread some time ago? One day Mith said-

I find it virtually impossible to lie under any circumstances. So being a wolf was peculiarly stressfull

And my answer-

Then don't lie when you're a wolf, Mith.

When you read my posts in Werewolf X (I was a wolf in that game) you will find that I barely lied at all.

The key is to tell truths that don't lead to the truth.

That is the key!

If you read WW II and WW X (I was a victorious WW in those games), you will find that I never once denied being a WW. I only ever do that in games where I am innocent. Oh, certainly I defend myself in those games and explain why someone's accusations are unfounded and show how logically their "tp is a ww" theory doesn't work, but I never straight up deny it.

So there it is, SPM. That's what I was trying to point you towards. The very fact that I outright denied being a WW means that I'm not one.

[The Saucepan Man]

Some thoughts/points to consider from my review of the thread.

I must say that the phantom does appear to have been uncharacteristically “flip-floppy” in this game. Esty, for example, went from his “lynch list” on Day 1 to someone whose innocence he was apparently convinced of at the time she was lynched, and who he claims to have been sorry to see killed in only her second game. Strange that, given that he was willing to consider lynching her on Day 1.

On the other hand, he was originally convinced of the innocence of Nogrod and Anguirel, only to come round to suspecting them shortly before they both died. He was so convinced at Nogrod’s innocence, in fact, that he declared him innocent at one point, and also implored Mithalwen to retract her vote for him (on Day 2, I think). Yet he was considering him a definite Wolfish possibility yesterDay.

Yes, I know that he has explained all this (mostly ex post facto, I might add), but it almost seems that his views change depending on the way the village is thinking. And that is most unlike him, strong-minded as he generally is.

The kills – mormegil, Elempi, Roa and Nogrod.

What do they all have in common? They are all logical, analytical players. Yet, as the phantom has said, logical, analytical thinking has not got us very far to date (although, to be fair, there was a logical basis for suspecting and lynching Eomer).

Who would be more likely to target the logical, analytical players? Unpredictable types, such as Diamond and Mithalwen, since it suits them to keep the more unpredictable players around? Or the more logical, analytical types, such as phantom, Kath and myself, who may fear the sword of logic being used against them?

I really don’t know. There are reasonable arguments either way.

One of the indicators that led people to suspect Eomer was that he was quiet on Day 1. In this game, the best course for a Wolf has perhaps been to lie relatively low, while maintaining a presence. After all, there is little to lead us to a Wolf save in what people say. A Wolf would be well advised, therefore, not to say too much, and to avoid saying or doing anything controversial. Of those still with us, Kath best matches this pattern of behaviour. Although I still wonder whether a Wolf would have absented herself for a full Day. Then again, Children in Need is hardly a great excuse (for those in the dark, it is a charity telethon).

And while on the subject of Kath, Mithalwen said the following a day or so ago:

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Kath The assassin wolf par excellance would be an excellent contrast to Eomer - she has a knack of never being quite the most suspicious person.

Very true. And she has still managed never to be quite the most suspicious one here.

I was also interested by the following comment:

Originally Posted by Kath

I think that many of the people who said my silence would be a fantastic tactic for a wolf are absolutely right.

The self-confessed Wolfish behaviour ploy? That said, the kills do not bear her hallmark. Generally, I think, she tends to go for the more logical kills when she is a Wolf.

As regards Wolfish location, of those left, three are in the UK and two are in the US. Going on Mithalwen’s theory of one Wolf either side of the Atlantic, that would point to Diamond or the phantom. But I have never been overly convinced by that theory, particularly as I believe the remaining Wolf to be the one randomly (or at least indirectly) selected.

I’m not really sure where these thoughts are leading me. As I said, I could make a plausible case for anyone here being a Wolf right now. But I would like to hear from the phantom on the points that have been raised toDay, and from anyone who might have any useful thoughts, whether on my musings above or otherwise.

[the phantom]

Originally Posted by SPM

And what’s with Diamond and this constant obsession with trying to tie up the votes at the end of the Day?

Indeed, that gave me a bad feeling the way she tried to vote for me when she thought there was a chance of killing me but then quickly transfered her vote to Ang to jump on that dogpile.

Originally Posted by Kath

Hang on. How do you know that is was Nogrod that was killed phantom? I see no name mentioned in the narrative. Or have I missed something really obvious here?

You're kidding, right?

The narrative made it obvious the victim was male, and then the Dark Lady referred to him as "O Philosophical One", and as that was the only description it gave of him and it was upper case (as if it was a name) it quite obviously was intended to reveal his identity. So, I went to the planning thread and looked to see who chose "philosopher" as his occupation, and there on page 2 was Nogrod saying "I will be a retired professor of philosophy".

Simple as that.

Are you seriously going to suspect me of wolvery because, unlike you, I'm willing to spend enough time on this village to figure out simple things like who died?

Originally Posted by SPM

WWs? Plural?

Heh heh. I noticed that as soon as I posted it, but there's that darn "no edit" rule.

[The Saucepan Man]

Crossed with the phantom

Originally Posted by TP

So there it is, SPM. That's what I was trying to point you towards. The very fact that I outright denied being a WW means that I'm not one.

Well then, I did get the wrong end of the stick. I thought it was something to do with your reference to proven innocent lists.

I understand your reasoning, and it makes sense. But there is always the possibility that you changed your manner of play for this game, specifically with the intent of using this apparent "proof of innocence".

A Wolf explicitly stating that he/she is not a Wolf is rarely a damaging lie, and indeed will be implicit in much of what a Wolf says. I outright denied being a Wolf when I was one, and it did me no harm whatsoever.

And would you care to explain how you came to assume that Nogrod was the one killed last Night? I would think an innocent phantom more likely to question the Dark Lady, rather than making any assumptions.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

As regards Wolfish location, of those left, three are in the UK and two are in the US. Going on Mithalwen’s theory of one Wolf either side of the Atlantic, that would point to Diamond or the phantom. But I have never been overly convinced by that theory, particularly as I believe the remaining Wolf to be the one randomly (or at least indirectly) selected.

I’m not really sure where these thoughts are leading me. As I said, I could make a plausible case for anyone here being a Wolf right now. But I would like to hear from the phantom on the points that have been raised toDay, and from anyone who might have any useful thoughts, whether on my musings above or otherwise.

It was not so much a theory more a pondering.... but the only thing that occured t day .. as I pondered my continued existance was the fact that this game will reach it's conclusion on US thanksgiving day.

I wonder if the wolf has factored that in to his kill choices... also knowing that I cannot possibly be around to so long becasu eI must vote early and inconclusively... must adjourn to another place ... will pick up then...

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

... this game will reach it's conclusion on US thanksgiving day ... I wonder if the wolf has factored that in to his kill choices...

Not sure what you're getting at here ...

Although, if you are right, it proves my innocence, as I have (or had) no idea when Thanksgiving Day is.

In any event, the game may yet end toDay, if we make the right choice ...

And who says the Wolf is a he?

Originally Posted by the phantom

The narrative made it obvious the victim was male, and then the Dark Lady referred to him as "O Philosophical One", and as that was the only description it gave of him and it was upper case (as if it was a name) it quite obviously was intended to reveal his identity. So, I went to the planning thread and looked to see who chose "philosopher" as his occupation, and there on page 2 was Nogrod saying "I will be a retired professor of philosophy".

Simple as that.

I'm still not convinced that an innocent phantom would make such an assumption without questioning the Dark Lady. Surely, the temptation to tease our dark tormentress would be too difficult to resist.

Then again, I am far from convinced that a Wolfish phantom would make such an elementary slip up.

[the phantom]

Originally Posted by SPM

But there is always the possibility that you changed your manner of play for this game, specifically with the intent of using this apparent "proof of innocence".

I wouldn't stoop that low. That would completely strip away any feeling of accomplishment.

My whole thing about never denying being a WW was an issue of pride. I thought it was a fantastic accomplishment- being truthful to the point that you never say "I'm not a WW" and never ask "Why was so-and-so killed last night?" except in games where such statements would be true. It's hard to explain exactly. I just sort of got this insane pleasure from being a fairly truthful WW. It was a joy to tell the villagers why the WWs killed who they did the night before, when I was actually the WW and was telling them my own kill strategy. I found it sickeningly delightful.

Originally Posted by SPM

I'm still not convinced that an innocent phantom would make such an assumption without questioning the Dark Lady.

Why?

It was a fact that someone died. There is no Ranger to save us. So the fact that a death took place was in no way arguable.

It was a fact that the deceased was a male, which meant you, Nog, or I.

The thought that it was me occured to me, but that thought vanished by the time I reached the end, for there is a particular something Fea would say if it was my death. You see, I made a special request that upon my death a certain Shakespeare quote be worked in, and Fea granted my request.

So that narrowed the choice down to you and Nog. So that's when I went to the Planning Thread to see which of you was the Philosopher.

It was Nog.

Seeing as her narrative led me to a very solid conclusion, I didn't see the point in questioning her. She wasn't vague.

Originally Posted by SPM

Then again, I am far from convinced that a Wolfish phantom would make such an elementary slip up.

Bingo.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I promise Thanksgiving has nothing to do with anything. Maybe if I took part in the vague holiday festivities... but I'm not a fan. I pretty much boycott as much of it as possible and this year I even managed to schedule work on the day. If there's anything involved in it, it's coincidence.

And if I were you, I'd kill the phantom.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Dark Tower

I promise Thanksgiving has nothing to do with anything.

Bah! Bang goes my alibi ...

Then again, do you speak for the Wolf?

And if I were you, I'd kill the phantom.

I'm game. But what's in it for me?

[the phantom]

And if I were you, I'd kill the phantom.

What, am I no longer making this village entertaining for you?

Ha! I know what it is. The Dark Lady wishes so eagerly for my death because I'm distracting to her, so intense is her lust for me.

I'm right- I know I am.

Heh- I just remembered something. In post #386 Ang said this-

Some say that, maddened by the contempt with which she was spurned by a mischievous spirit of ethereal and arrogant substance, she determined to yoke all others into slavery or subsume them in death, while displaying that she knew more literature than they did.

See? I'm right. She had the hots for me and I turned her down (because of her awful taste in literature ) and that's when she turned to darkness!

So, of course she wants me dead. That's what this whole thing is about! That's the point of this village! Kill Phantom! If I survive then she loses and we win!

And here all this time I've been thinking the village was all about Fea, when in fact it's all about me! Why didn't I see this before?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by the phantom

That would completely strip away any feeling of accomplishment.

So, you accept that were you to be the Wolf and were you win, it will be a hollow victory?

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

Not sure what you're getting at here ...

Although, if you are right, it proves my innocence, as I have (or had) no idea when Thanksgiving Day is.

In any event, the game may yet end toDay, if we make the right choice ...

And who says the Wolf is a he?

Don't mistake me for one of those feminists who systematically place gender neutrality before grammar. As far as I am concerned, on gender the chances are even. I am not a wolf and unles the rest of you are not as you seem that leaves 2 male and 2 female suspects.

I think you, Sauce, said something about Di wanting ot tie up the vote at the end, and it did make me wonder if it suited the wolf to have fewer people around at the end of the day (hence mainly US side night kills) and possibly to keep someone who would have to vote early always.. who couldn't retract ..

To be honest this theory is based partly on successful wolf game when on the last day I just had to wait for one innocent to get a vote and it was game over.
The rules were rather different - can't retract, in event of a tie first to the tied number of votes dies... but I just thought it worth mentioning as a possibility...

I do want to check out DI though..our paths haven't crossed at all... it is always worth looking at those who slip under one's radar for too long...

[the phantom]

So, you accept that were you to be the Wolf and were you win, it will be a hollow victory?

Well, let me think for a second...

Okay. If I ended up being the victorious WW I would certainly congratulate myself on being able to stay alive despite all the attention (and votes) I got at various stages of the game. I would also pat myself on the back for winning Fea's game.

However I would be severely disappointed about Eomer's passing. If I was a WW you can bet that my goal would be to get to the final day with both WWs still alive. So that would dampen my spirits.

Also, the fact that I had to play so different than usual would sour the victory a bit, though I would make the excuse that this was a game unlike any other and therefore required a different style of play.

But, I stand by the fact that I would not have denied being a WW were I a WW. So I must end all speculation here. It would indeed be a "hollow victory" if I declared my innocence and then gave away my secret and skated by on the strength of it- however as I would never do that the question has no merit.

It's like asking me if I'd feel bad if I cheated on a girlfriend. I suppose I could say "yes" to that question, but it would be pointless because that's something that I simply won't do, therefore the question is meaningless.

Oh, and earlier I mentioned a "wild goose chase" involving Fea's blog.

Here's the quote from our Dark Lady-

And I realized that one of my TiG players said something dead on accurate. It made me laugh. Especially when nobody else paid attention.

What do you suppose that is? Any ideas at all?

[the phantom]

And just for the sake of stat-keeping, here are the posting numbers for our remaining five players. (I'm basing this off the assumption that SPM's last list was correct)

the phantom- 95
The Saucepan Man- 54
Mithalwen- 43
Diamond18- 35
Kath- 16

Wow. That's quite a gap- 80 posts between Kath and I.

[Mithalwen]

Bound to be me.. having an unwitting Cassandra moment again....

[the phantom]

Originally Posted by Fea

And I realized that one of my TiG players said something dead on accurate. It made me laugh. Especially when nobody else paid attention.

Originally Posted by me

What do you suppose that is? Any ideas at all?

I realize that considering how many posts there are none of us are likely to pick up on what it was Fea was speaking of (except the WW perhaps), but a couple things came to mind when I read what Fea said.

At the beginning of Day 2 I said this-

Mith for Beth?? Very odd. Were Fea's WWs given special instructions to create as much chaos as possible?

Now, I'm not trying to say that for sure Mith is the WW. What I'm theorizing is that my statement about WWs trying to create chaos was correct. The kills thus far have certainly been in order with that statement.

And later that day I said this-

Along this line of thinking, I'm wondering if maybe the WWs are killing off the least random/crazy people, and will let be individuals capable of madness and more unpredictable behavior. It would make sense after all. This is a village designed to be more random than others. If this is what the WWs are doing, then Nogrod and SPM won't live long. Mith and Di, on the other hand, have little to fear at night.

That has sort of been the case, right? lmp, Roa, and Nog, the more logical ones have died, while Di and Mith are still alive as I predicted.

But as I said earlier, this is likely a wild goose chase and Fea was looking at something completely different.

Anyone else have a better idea?

[Mithalwen]

I can only repeat that I may be a bit crazy but I am an accountant, however (to use a Pratchettism) "bursar" I had gone, as a wolf, I would not have risked wasting a kill for fun. That would not be prudent.....

However if you lynch me it would force the wolf to kill someone else tonight which might be more helpful than my death.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Mith said it.

[Mithalwen]

Wasn't the Fea is killing unlikely people at night because both wolves are dead one I suppose

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Do you really expect me to answer that?

[Mithalwen]

No but then I didn't expect you to confirm I was the truth speaker ... I know you haven't finished your sport with us..... you will have your pound of flesh

[the phantom]

Night 2 kill-

Originally Posted by Fea

"You have been brave." she murmered without turning. "But you have not been wise."

Remember way back then when we were considering what this meant, and thinking maybe the WW/WWs were on the verge of being lynched on day one?

That would implicate Di. I tied her with Boro at the last moment, but she won the coin flip.

Di seems to like coin flips. She tried to tie the voting both of the last two days. What's with that? Two days ago it was SPM she elevated and then yesterday it was me.

And she always (if I'm remembering right) uses her take back.

I'm leaning towards Di right now.

Originally Posted by Fea

Mith said it.

All right. I'm going to go back and read all of Mith's posts and dig up some possibilites.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Wasn't the Fea is killing unlikely people at night because both wolves are dead one I suppose

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

No but then I didn't expect you to confirm I was the truth speaker ... I know you haven't finished your sport with us..... you will have your pound of flesh

Ah, well, in that case...

It has zilch to do with me killing unlikely people at night because both wolvees are dead.

[Mithalwen]

You only have to read the ones pre the blog post.

[the phantom]

Here are some Mith quotes that she may have been right about.

Originally Posted by Mith

This game has heavy Shalespearean overtones and promises from witches are not to be taken at face value as anyone who has read the Scottish play will know

Originally Posted by Mith

There is that other outside possibility that Morm was a wolf and Fea is messing with our heads by picking off unlikely folk at night..

Looking through all her posts these two statements seem like the most likely to draw a reaction from Fea such as she gave.

Of course if the second one is right then you realize what this means.

But wait. Fea said that "no one paid attention". That isn't true about the "no wolves" comment made by Mith, because I paid attention.

I said this-

That thought has occured to me several times, but seeing as we have not been dismissed by our master I don't think there's anything to do besides continue lynching.

So Fea couldn't have been talking about that!

So perhaps she meant this-

Originally Posted by Mith

Diamond - was lucky yesterday, and new wolves are often nervously loud.
Eomer - was far too quiet for comfort.

Was Mith right twice in one post?

The other possible quote might be this-

Originally Posted by Mith

And I don't think we can assume that the other wolf would have been the wolf's top priority that was Sauce's theory and I shall have another look ..... It still worries me that he was so keen to know the wolves relation to each other .. and if I recall correctly he never feels he has won if he is not alive and so a wolvish sauce would take scant pleasure from the other wolf's victory if he did not survive...

And then it could also be something stupid I'm completely missing that actually wouldn't even help us in lynching.

I'm hoping it's just the first quote that she was right about- the thing about the promises of a witch.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by the phantom

What do you suppose that is? Any ideas at all?

Yes, I did ruminate over that, but nothing sprang out at me. I could not see anything that I thought significant that had not been picked up. Then again, I may have been missing the significance in something incredibly significant.

Originally Posted by The Tricksy Lady

Mith said it.

I suspected as much.

Originally Posted by Mith

You only have to read the ones pre the blog post.

I haven't time to look back now, but will do so later if I get the chance. Let us know if you find anything in the meantime, TP.

Originally Posted by the phantom

And later that day I said this-

Yes, that's another thing that I was pondering. It's what prompted my thoughts on the division of the village between the unpredictable and the analytical. Problem, is that it can lead you either way. The Wolf may have been acting unpredictably both Day and Night, on its Mistress's instructions, or it may have been hiding its true nature during the Day and acting crazily only at Night.

Originally Posted by the phantom

Remember way back then when we were considering what this meant, and thinking maybe the WW/WWs were on the verge of being lynched on day one?

Yup. Another thing that I considered when I reviewed the thread. Yet there still remains the possibility that the Wolves had incurred the Lady's displeasure at the end of Day 1 because they had not been acting sufficiently chaotically. That might be said to be true of Eomer, at least. And, of course, it's quite possible that there was no clue intended here at all.

That said, my own thoughts are turning towards Diamond. It does unnerve me somewhat that she always strives to tie the vote. On the one hand, it seems rather attention-grabbing for a Wolf. But, on the other, it is in keeping with her general approach to the game. Even an unpredictable Wolf has to make calculated choices to survive. What better way to cloak such Wolfish calcualtions than to present them as consistent with a generally random pattern of behavior?

And remember, phantom, when you warned Diamond that she would get herself lynched if she carried on the way she had been. Well, she has not really altered her behaviour, and yet she remains unlynched.

My one reservation is that I can't help feeling that she is too much the obvious choice for toDay ...

Still, it increases my confidence in you somewhat, phantom, that you and I are thinking along the same lines.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by the phantom

And then it could also be something stupid I'm completely missing that actually wouldn't even help us in lynching.

Would I intentionally hand you knowledge that would help you?