Machinations of Light's Glory - death, decisions, doom

I don't want to sacrifice someone that's innocent of course--and I think Mister Sarkus probably is--and he's already dying so that seems really convenient but is anyone sure that will work? Does it count as a sacrifice if you're already mostly dead and going to die anyway? I mean, in a way that's more than how we're all going to die anyway anyway. If you know what I'm saying!

I think Mister Chance has the right of it and his sparkly cards are SO COOL and wicked convincing and I think we're better off not taking a chance--I mean, going with Chance with a capital C not not going with him. The not taking a chance is a lower case--anyway, I think that in the end we are going to be dragged down by those people who appear to be redacted sleeping the day away and not contributing. At worst they are cultists trying to keep a low profile. At best...well there's no at best there's just the slightly less worse which is not helping in circles and not contributing anything useful to trying to save the world. I mean I am sure they are good at other things and I'd love to hear about them but because they're silent I just don't know!

I vote for Phoenicity. I'm saying it now so she has time to ready herself should the vote swing her way because I don't think it's a good idea at all for anyone to go to the otherside without making their peace! I mean they might still be really angry but at least they know it's going to happen!

How many circles can we really make tonight? I assume people are going to be wanting to use artifacts or talents if they have them--who can cast? I am available--though to the Doves first of course. I may not be able to talk to them, but I can still help with a circle!

Indeed, the most logical course of action seems to be that if Sarkus is volunteering and no one is capable of healing him I will vote to sacrifice him.

As to the arguments about who was part of a sucessful circle last night, recall that I stood in place of one of the Green Custodial Service, thus one of them did not cast last night in addition to the Grey Owls. The scrying was completed before the late Ozzo was carried off by tentacles to Japanese maid heaven, which seems a somewhat fitting end considering what I have read of the historical records concerning that mythology. Something akin to Valkyries carrying off dead Viking warriors to Valhalla. Recent human mythologies are quite entertaining at times, I must say. I of course mean recent in relation to all of history, not just what we who are human consider recorded history, which is really quite insignificant in the cosmic scheme.

Honestly, I'm not sure which course is best, right now it looks like Sarkus is set to face the knife anyway even though I am almost certain he is innocent. As I must return to my board for another meditative session of intense staring the time for a decision is now. I must trust to hope that a healer will come forward at the eleventh hour and save my schoolmate while with the same breath condemn another. As such I cast my vote along the lines I outlined earlier with much regret that there are no better options.

Today, I vote for Phoenicity to face the knife.

Interesting. No communications have convinced you not to turn on your own schoolmates?

There have been none, at least none in private, and you can see the public record and now I really must retire to the board.

Yes, but the person targeted by the Falcon scry was the Falcon who did not cast, and as you well know, Mr. Lazy, that person was innocent. So that narrows the soon-to-be murderer of Sarkus down to Mr. Lawrence, Phoenicity, and PARAdoxial. Though I'm not sure if we should kill one of them right now when we should just coordinate our scrying circles to focus on them tonight. I'd be willing to switch to Phoenicity, however, if it means the difference between that and letting the shields fall for the lack of a sacrifice.

Kohei lights a cigarette and ponders the situation quietly.

I take no pleasure in stating this, but our wounded colleague seems like the best choice for the knife. No healers have come forth, not that I blame them, and sacrificing a potentially innocent person just to watch Sarkus bleed out in the night seems foolish to me. He has made his peace, and will find his way to the Heavens.

So, I vote to sacrifice Sarkus.

If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room examining the footage from last night's attack.

Possibility: Sarkus' wounds may have been inflicted by Ozzo as a retributive strike. I have heard tales of warriors with such a talent. His artifact may very well be what is preserving his life, unless anyone else knows what it does?

[SUPPOSITION/OBJECTION] My AI is telling me that no one has yet been found who could deal out retribution from a magical attack, however. Which discounts that theory.

I share a similar hope that is slowly growing fainter however... Somehow I was assuming the odds were high that there would be at least one individual here from the Arkiolojiss society with the skill or perhaps an artifact that has healing ability. Perhaps that individual is indeed trying to remain hidden for now and can only act during the day? Thus if he or she reveals themselves now and Sarkus should get sacrificed, they will surely be the target of the traitors tomorrow?

Therefore, I am willing to throw my vote behind Phoenicity, at least then we have a chance that we sacrifice a traitor. Something we will definitely not be doing, if we sacrifice Sarkus. And who knows perhaps he can be saved tomorrow?

Sarkus, then, was the focus of your scrying? Otherwise, how are you certain of his innocence?

Indeed, I was just going back to cross reference your school's members with the public record. With the recent discussions I should also add that that should someone manage to revive the poor leaking Sarkus I shall conditionally change my vote to follow the lead of Mr. Lawrence and vote for the oddly quiet Phoenicity in his place.

I am jumping to conclusions a bit, but I was postulating that he was probably attacked by a traitor with an artifact who would not have done this to an ally. Perhaps I am wrong in my assumption however, it is entirely possibly that we are dealing with a crazy killer in our midst acting on his own motives completely unrelated to the traitors!

So no, unfortunately I have no definitive proof that Sarkus is innocent.

I will vote for Phoenicity.

"Regardless of the results of the vote, shouldn't we start forming circles for tonight?"

"Relax, Meido-sama...did I get that right? Meido-chan? Meido-kun? We have all evening to do that. In the meantime, we've heard from barely half our number, which is never an encouraging start to the proceedings."

After the voting is done and a sacrifice is made, we can begin deciding what to do tonight, for now let us first get to a consensus about who we are going to sacrifice

Has anyone been keeping count of the votes?

I tentatively vote for Sarkus. For now, at least.

Phoenicity - Dan Lawrence, Quackers, AaronSofaer, TurinTuramba, Cormac, Nute, Demon G Sides
Sarkus - Lazy Shiftless Bastard, QuantumBit, Anabanana, Kohei, Bladida, Fontaine

"Oh, hey, look at that, we're still almost deadlocked." Dazzler sighs and perches on the edge of the stage, flipping idly through a rack of holodiscs.

(edited 4:25pm PST)

Ana nods.

"Just 'Ana' will be fine."

"You're right. NUTE-452 has been keeping track, I believe, but his list may be slightly outdated."

I would tend to Sarkus if I could, but I cannot; the only Gifts of Magic that my body retains are those of a near opposing effect. A grim reminder of my youth, is all that is to me anymore.

Nute, however, does raise an interesting point; was Sarkus' wound inflicted by one's physical body, or some form of artifact? If it is an artifact, then I suppose the theory of one being able to both participate in a Circle AND inflict some form of Damage at the same time. Though, I would imagine then that someone in the Circle would have seem something of the sort transpire?

Regardless, I must reluctantly claim that Sarkus be sacrificed; while Lady Phoe has indeed been silent, if Sarkus is going to perish no matter what, let it be at the hands of the Light, and enable this Noble man to die with the honor he has given us.

And if the Light decides to not give Sarkus a proper place up there in the Heavens, I'd be more than happy to make sure the Heavens give him one.

What no one's thinking is that, and this is obviously hypothetical, if there is a healer, why bother saying so? Why not just... heal Sarkus as a private action? He won't die until the END of the night turn, as we've been told, which means that they could easily make that their night turn, and then he's saved.

I'm willing to bank on the silent medic. I hate wasting a death such as this if they don't end up helping out, but I also think that the fact that Sarkus was attacked means he's less likely to be a cultist.

Knife Phoenicity

There's the question. Damn a man who ain't even awake to speak in his own defense, or a gal who ain't spoken up at all.

Even on my bad days, when I killed a man, I looked him in the eye when I was doing it.

I vote to sacrifice Phoenicity.

<sigh> Raven School can save Sarkus, if he accepts the private meeting request from one of us.

There, I said it. I waited this long at the healer's request. It's not me.

Withdrawing my vote for Sarkus but not casting another yet, as I'm hoping to give poor Phoe a chance to speak up in her defense.

Figures you guys will talk someone to death.

I ain't too convinced about Sarkus's usefulness alive, like I ain't too sure what's up with this artifact business. But I'm pretty sure that this isn't the type of situation for the healer to come out and stick a target on her back.

That said, I'd say Sarkus's chance of lasting the night will be good if he takes the meet with one of Raven's school tonight.

And if we have to knife someone, I'm not liking QuantumBit's insistence on sending Sarkus to the grave so early. Like he wants to finish the job he didn't have the skills for the first time around. It probably don't matter this late in day though, since I'll be the right only bastard saying so. but I'll say it anyway.

Sacrifice QuantumBit

Damn it! why didn't any of you speak up sooner! It doesn't look like Sarkus is any state to accept a private meeting request anymore...

In that case, I withdraw my vote and vote for Phoenicity instead.

I will not say that I wasn't one of the first to offer up Sarkus as a target, but I've taken a processing cycle to go through all the information we know right now, and it doesn't add up that he should be our sacrifice if there's a chance to heal him.

There are plenty of other options, and if he can be saved through the means of Raven school, then that is a positive thing. Unless he was stabbed because a member of the light found him helping set loose that alien on us, then it only makes sense that he's not a bad guy. His recollection of the facts proves nothing beyond hearsay, and we can't condemn someone on hearsay, regardless of what few other options we have.

If anything, his recollection does point out one very interesting tidbit that I think was glossed over quite quickly; Paradoxial threw their school under the bus almost immediately. Sarkus then told us he does not feel safe within Owl school. So who do we vote to knife? Phoenicity, who's only fault seems to be that she's a heavy sleeper and hasn't graced us with her presence very often.

If anything, I'd venture that eliminating Paradoxial should be of the utmost importance. If I am wrong, I shall eat my headcrest, but I don't think sacrificing a heavy sleeper is any smarter than sacrificing a man who could easily live another day.

I told you, the healer asked me not to. I respect my schoolmates' wishes.

And, E-man, interesting last-minute edit there.

The Demon makes some salient points...

Yeah. Just as I said the words, I felt like a pang of guilt. Odd, haven't felt that since I had the sensation removed.

As the voting currently stands, then:

Sarkus: Neopythia, Fontaine, Kohei, Anabanana, Anxifera (5)
Phoenicity: Bladida, Nute, Cormac, TurinTuramba, AaronSofaer, Quackers, Dan Lawrence, Lazy Shiftless Bastard (8)
QuantumBit: Equis (1)
Paradoxial: Demon G Sides, QuantumBit (2)

Do not ever feel guilty about accusing one of us; it is our job here to get to the root of this infestation and if you have any sort of evidence or reasoning for calling forth someone, I implore you not to hold it back, as some of our other... friends, have been doing. His head moves almost imperceptibly in the direction of Dan Lawrence.

I'm pretty sure, although I could be wrong! that what Mr. Lawrence was talking about was what Sarkus himself said--that he had an artifact and had mentioned it to his School. I would guess that Mr. Lawrence didn't want to out that information about Sarkus without Sarkus' approval.

Unless I've missed something. It's possible I've missed something! I'm still trying to write up the poems and it turns out that some people's names are really hard to rhyme!!

Also, Mr. Patch, I think Equis voted for QuantumBit and not the other way around!

There has been a miscount here. My mistress Anxifera voted to sacrifice Sarkus, which means that we have, once again, a tie.

So noted.

Well as I said earlier, since there is apparently a doctor in the house I shall change my vote to Phoenicity.

Poor Phoe. I hope she turns out to be a cultist.

If she indeed has been having issues with her communication circuits, as has been confirmed by the eye that watches over all of us, then I find it somewhat unlikely that she was the one who attempted to kill Sarkus.

The darkness would probably not be eager to draw attention to their own group for not being able to cast - as you can see, since the Owls are the only group who were unable to cast, they are now under the heaviest suspicion. If I were one of the dark ones, I'd be more interested in pretending that my group had in fact, successfully cast a circle, to give the illusion that my group did not have a traitor in our midst. The fact that Sarkus had an artifact that prevented him from casting would have been a perfect excuse for any potential traitor to sit back and not participate in a circle for the night without fear of suspicion.

ASSESSMENT OF ACCUSATION IN PROGRESS

...

RESULT: FALLACIOUS

This unit laid out the logic for its accusation dispassionately, and clearly. Upon acquisition of data from the current public record, it is implied that there is a healer who wishes to remain anonymous but may be able to heal Sarkus. Of all suggestions brought forward, the one brought by the Demon Baron is the most logically sound. Sacrificing Phoenocity for her silence has a lower probability of optimality than sacrificing Paradoxial for her poor decision, the motivation for which is currently a superposition of poor judgement and dark intentions.

This unit switches its vote to Paradoxial along with the Demon.