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Long Game 14: To Shatter a Shard

A Joe in the Bush
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A Joe in the Bush

A Joe in the Bush

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Night 13: Unforgiven

 

Please don't upvote this post. Go upvote one of Seonid's. He wanted to write his own 'death' and I let him, since it was highly amusing. As such, there aren't any hints in this one.

 

Mist curled and twisted in the air as Sheon Idris finished his final preparations. The Shards' intentions had been telegraphed clearly for some time now. As frustrating as it was, it did at least give one time to get ones final affairs in order.

 

As he finished the last few words of his letter, he heard them coming. The same voices as before, the same bickering, the same accusations as they drew near Scadrial. Well, if he couldn't convince them, then there was only one thing to do. He threw some dust in the air, speaking a few words softly, and then disappeared, leaving a circle of frost behind.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

The Stick stopped outside of the cave where the Shards had detected the traitor. The day was fine, without a cloud in the sky. That disgruntled him, their business was serious, and the weather seemed to have no sense of dramatic propriety.

 

Gathering the assembled shards together - Endowment and Survival, the only ones that he could convince to come with him - he warned them in hushed tones. "We have to act quickly. You saw what he did to Clink. Destroy him before he has a chance to talk - that voice is too dangerous."

 

He stopped as they saw motion in the cave. A figure, walking out to meet them. He wore a crown, but Hoid had always been fond of his little ostentations. Some insignificant sign from an insignificant kingdom, where nothing noteworthy had ever happened, probably.  He whispered the signal to his compatriots, and felt their power building.

 

The figure stopped a few feet away, and called out a greeting. "Hello friends! Now why have you come here on such a fi- "

 

His speech was cut off by a rushing of wind and a noise of thunder. Howling like a highstorm, the raging might of the combined Shards came crashing down on their enemy. Lightning cracked, fire streamed down from the heavens. The earth heaved and tossed, the ground breaking open to spill its molten blood. The brightness forced even the Shards to shield their eyes or turn away.

 

Finally, it was over. A light wind rose, blowing away the wisps of smoke that still hung over the scene. Sheon was gone. Could it be true? Could their enemy finally be gone - could such a blow have finally felled him? He had, after all, survived a far more powerful assault before. But it seemed to be so. Finally, the traitor was dead.

 

In the center of the scorched pocket of land lay the crown, seemingly unharmed. The Stick walked over and picked it up, turning it over and over again in his hand. It was as cool as if it had been lying there for years. The single word, written on the inside of the headband, caught his eye. Unforgiven.

 

With a quizzical laugh, he tossed it aside, not even sparing a glance as it rolled down the hill to vanish in the tall grass. He walked into the cave that had been the late worldhopper's final hiding place. It was sparsely furnished - clearly the man had been desperate, futilely spending his last remaining power to hide himself from the just vengeance of the Coalition.

 

Only a simple desk and a few rude shelves adorned the place, crockery broken and scattered on the ground from the earthquake. Some sand, dazzlingly white, lay amid the shattered fragments of a glass vial, while metal flakes in some liquid solution oozed towards the doorway from another. Colored dust and gemstones mixed together in a corner, lying on top of a stained scarf, still vibrant red.

 

On the desk lay a letter. Stick picked it up and read.

 

My dear assembled Shards,

 

What a successful Coalition you have put forward this time around! I am continually amazed at your prodigious abilities. I would love nothing more than to bandy words with you, spreading a few more insults around - you have given me such good opportunity I could scarcely resist! - but time, alas, waits for neither man nor Shard.

 

By the time you read this, I will be far gone from this place, and far out of reach of your power. I leave the war against Odium in your manifestly capable hands. (Did I say hands? I'm sorry, Stick, I must learn to be more sensitive to diversity. I'm sure if you had hands, they would be mightily capable. Of what, I am not sure, but - there I go again. You must forgive me. If time permitted, I would give you all the wit your position so richly deserves. I must leave you without insults, though. I hope this is a pardonable offense.) I feel certain that this Coalition will be among the most effective yet at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

You shall not see me again, I fear. Have a good funeral for me. Raise a glass or two. Have Tanavast buy me another drink. I'm sure I'll get it where I've gone. I apologize, but my business is far too pressing for me to show up to something as minor as my own funeral. I'm sure you'll think of something appropriate to say.

 

On second thought, if my business is resolved in a satisfactory way, you may see me one last time. I'm not sure that you will be pleased to see me then, as the reconstitution of Adonalsium does not bode well for your own dominion. But that is neither here nor there.

 

You may imagine, if you like, that this closing paragraph is filled with all of the witty insults you have come to expect from me. I simply lack the time to do them justice. I do hope you let my simulacrum finish its speech before destroying it, though. It would have filled the lack of wit that this letter cannot. If not, well, such is the lot of a Shard.

 

Until our next meeting, or the lack thereof,

 

Your humble servant,

 

Hoid

 

As the Shards looked up from where they had crowded around the letter, they could almost hear the echoes of a mocking laughter. After a moment, the Stick spoke a word, turning the letter to ashes. Then he turned to his fellows. "Well, we are done here. Let's get on with our work."

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

If anyone had been there, hours later, they would have seen a crown - worked in gold and steel - roll slowly up the hill to rest in the cave. After a moment, a fleeting shadow flew across it, and then it, too, was gone.

 

Votes: 

Seonid(4): Seonid, Kipper, STINK, Mailliw

Seonid was Hoid!

 

Player List:

  1. (IrulelikeSTINK) Leyton

  2. (Mailliw73) Maw

  3. (RavenRadiant7) Nyra

  4. (Kipper) Stick

  5. (Dowanx) Dow

 

  1. (Winter Cloud) Ruin

  2. (OrlokTsubodai) Devotion

  3. (Phattemer) Poisoner

  4. (Araris Valerian) WorldHopper

  5. (Alvom Halbin) Lifeless Operator

  6. (OstrichofEvil) Worldhopper

  7. (Alvron) Dominion

  8. (Eolhondras) Champion

  9. (Macen) Dominion

  10. (Quiver) Endowment

  11. (Antillar Maximus) Awakener, Ruin

  12. (Haelbarde) Odium

  13. (Paranoid Emperor) Lifeless Operator

  14. (The Honey Badger) Bloodsealer

  15. (TheMightyLopen) Lifeless Operator

  16. (Nicocoberru) Thug

  17. (Phattemer) Poisoner, Odium

  18. (Shallan) Honour

  19. (Clanky) Awakener

  20. (LittleWilson) Worldhopper.

  21. (Surgebound Rainspren) Thug

  22. (Seonid) Hoid

Edited by The Only Joe
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A Joe in the Bush

A Joe in the Bush

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Day 14: Time Passes.

 

Life in the Cosmere is generally energetic and active, due to Sixteen gods and numerous meddlers running about. Hardly a year goes by without some disaster or another happening. Ruin destroying towns, Hoid Slaughtering the Seventeenth Shard, Abuse sending plagues across the world, Odium driving the Highprinces to war, and many other such events happen with astonishing regularity.

 

And yet, the Cosmere survives, because in the days between those events, the Universe learns what peace is. There are always days where nothing happens. Where Shardholders sleep in, or simply play games rather than manipulating the fate of Worlds. Days when Hoid is busy with another project and Endowment decides to merely read a book.

 

The Cosmere accepts the days of strife and disaster because they always lead to days of peace. But at the same time, it must be understood that days of peace lead to weakness, loss of power, and yet more disasters. A neverending cycle of Freedom and Slavery. Love and Hatred. Honour and Abuse. Preservation and Ruin.

 

Yesterday, Preservation held sway, but Ruin is itching to let loose. Who can tell what this dawn will bring? (Not mailliw apparently)

 

Day 14 has begun!

How many people would be averse to me shortening the days to 24 hours rather than 48?

Edited by The Only Joe
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Mailliw73

Mailliw73 he/him

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"Not I," said Survival to the voice in the sky. Maw had once been a simple farmer with a penchant for fighting crime. Then he became a worldhopping fighter. When Aili died, he became furious and a period of Hate consumed him. Now, he only wanted to survive. Survival outweighed Hate, it outweighed Ruin, Preservation, Cultivation, everything. He would watch these worlds continue to burn and he would be the only survivor. From the beginning, he had picked neither side, helping and hurting each simultaneously, and now, at the culmination of this, with so few left, he saw victory. He cared not whether Odium and his Champions seized victory or if Hoid and the other Shards destroyed him. It had been a time of blood. His broken scythe had tasted blood again, so much more than before. Survival was the ultimate champion.

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Kipper

Kipper

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I don't care. STINK was offline last Night, which is why nothing happened. I suspect dowanx more than Raven, so that's where my vote goes. Full disclosure: It doesn't really matter. I just want to be done with this, and since STINK and I are both confirmed town, I don't see an outcome to end this game that doesn't end with village winning.

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dowanx

dowanx

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I am not an OC and if you guys kill me you run a very high chance of losing this game.

 

This is about to be 2v2 when I die.  You will not control the vote AND perservation still has an extra life.  You will not be able to kill someone without giving them Odium's shard.   If that happens then they will turn around and kill you.  If you guys want to kill me fine, but do so after Mail is dead.  That way it will be 2v1 once you kill me.  

 

This is by far the safest course for a Village win and I hope you guys see the wisdom in that.

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Kipper

Kipper

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I don't know why I have to keep explaining this...

We cannot lose. If you happen not to be an OC, STINK simply gifts Odium to Raven and kills her at the same time. She has no protection. Done. That leaves 2v1. If game does not end, we lynch Mailliw. He will never be able to make a kill.

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A Joe in the Bush

A Joe in the Bush

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Night 14: Sowing Salt

It was hard not to hate them for what they did, especially since he wanted to hate them. But Additional Hatred would only make the last Champion stronger.

So Dow accepted Death. All that grows must die after all.

He knew he hadn’t grown as much as the previous Holder had, but hopefully the ideas he had planted would take root in his allies, and they would realize what needed to be done. If his carefully cultivated plans failed, then the only thing that would grow would be Hatred.

They came for him. The Birdwatcher, the Farmer and the Traveler. All of them believed him to be a destroyer, one who tore things down. He was a Gardner, one who Built things up. Hoid had believed in him, but they ignored him.

Leyton was the first to approach, calling the others to arms, and decrying him a murderer. Nyra merely followed along, agreeing in her odd way. Maw was the one to strike him down, swinging his bloody Scythe with a terrible lust in his eyes.

Dow Welcomed his death, and the rest it would bring. Hopefully he wouldn't be joined by his fellows.

Dowanx was a Awakener who held Cultivation!

Days will now be shortened to 24 hours.

Votes:

Dowanx(3): Raven, Stink, Mailliw.

Raven(2: Kipper, Dowanx

Player List:

Edited by The Only Joe
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