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[Persus13]

Persus13

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[zombie urist]

Where's Nerjin's roleflip?

[Mephansteras]

Sorry about that. I'm a bit tired. It's been fixed.

[Tiruin]

o_O Woah.

[zombie urist]

Ok nothing unexpected. Persus13

[Nerjin]

Surprise = 0

[ToonyMan]

This is stupid.

[ToonyMan]

I can't tell if Persus13 has given up or we've already lost.

[IronyOwl]

I can't tell if Persus13 has given up or we've already lost.

My money's on the former. Being obvscum is not fun.

Persus, Shorten.

[zombie urist]

Yeah I agree shorten

[ToonyMan]

Yeah I guess he's the only mafia left, otherwise it'd be game over.

Persus13

[Mephansteras]

The Scribe's Tally Sheet
Persus13: IronyOwl, Persus13, ToonyMan, zombie urist


  Persus13 steps forward a bit. "I know when I am defeated. This...Ritual of yours is far more effective than I would have thought. Very well, Priest. Make your mark. Let us not waste any more time on this business."

  A bit warily, the High Priest steps forward and draws the Mark of Justice upon Persus' forehead.

  He smiles slightly before his eyes unfocus, and his mouth twists in a grimace of pain.

  Then, to your astonishment, his body begins to dissolve into black dust. Bit by bit melting away and blowing off into the wind. For a brief moment you see his skull hanging in the air, and then it too crumbles into nothing. You hear a faint wisp of laughter on the wind, and then it is gone.

  The room seems...brighter, with him gone.

  "I...do not feel his presence here any more." Says the High Priest, slowly. "While I cannot assure you that his evil is ended forever, he has at least been banished from our lands. The gods protect us, as they always have. There have been sacrifices, yes, but that is the cost of our protection and bounty. Praise to them all!"

  "Praise to them all!" you intone.

  He smiles. "Well done, my friends. The Ritual is Complete, and we are safe from evil once more. Return to your lives, and may the gods bless you always!"




And that is game! Well done, town! That was a close game at the end. Quite a lot of replacements, which is a shame, but hopefully everyone had fun anyway.

Magus Chat
Necromancer Chat

Spoiler: Role PMs (click to show/hide)

Persus13

There is a core of power in every town. A set of people who, guided by the gods, keep the town whole and following the Order set down by the gods. If you wish to take control of a town, wrest that Order from the hands of the gods, then you must break this group. And since you want this town, Dark Magus, that is what you shall do.

As one of the most powerful practitioners of dark arts, you have many powers at your disposal. Each Night you may select one of the following.

Kill a Player (Counts as a Scum Faction Kill - No limit)
Make Yourself unkillable for a night (2 Uses)
Convert another player (1 Use - Gains the ability to use your Faction Kill, you will gain a Quicktopic when this is done)
Cast the Rune of Calamity - if the target player gets lynched they kill a random player when they die, except you. (1 Use)
Roleblock another player (2 Uses)
Inspect another player to see their Alignment and Role (2 Uses)
Give Yourself another vote for the next day phase (2 Uses)
 
In addition, you have the Ward of Undeath already cast, which can bring you back from Death. It will only work once, however.

------------------------------------------------

Imperial Guardsman (other)

There is great power to be found in this town, Necromancer. Power that you can use to fuel your dark arts. But first you must rid yourself of these troublesome appointees of the gods' will. To do so you may Animate a dead player and bring them back as a Zombie. The Zombie will not show up as alive and does not appear during the day, but at Night you may direct it to Kill another player. If the Zombie is destroyed somehow, you may raise another. You may only have one Zombie at any given time.

You win when all other factions have been eliminated or can no longer threaten your power.
   
------------------------------------------------   

Jiokuy (other)

The gods have played a cruel joke on you. You went to them, depressed and seeking blessings that would give your life meaning. In return, they cursed you. You are now a Werebear, doomed to wear the form of a monstrous bear at night. The rage that consumes you has no limit, no direction. You cannot hurt the gods for this affront. But, you suppose, you can hurt those who serve their will.

So you will kill. You must kill. They. Must. All. Die.

Each night you may choose to either seek out and Kill another player or wait to Ambush any that come to you.

You win when all other factions have been eliminated or can no longer prevent your victory.

They will pay for this. They will all pay for what has been done to you!

------------------------------------------------

4maskwolf (town)
You serve in the High Temple of the town as a Seer, granted powers by the gods to see beyond the masks men wear. Each night you may inspect another player to learn if they are Benign or Malevolent towards the town.

You are town.
--
   
Jack A.T. (town)
You have recently arrived in this town, a fresh young Wizard newly released from your training. Eager to help you, you can choose to Protect another player each night with powerful defensive wards that will keep them from being killed if they are attacked. Unfortunately, these types of wards are highly disruptive to the rest of your magic, so you cannot use them on yourself.

You are town.   
--

Jim Groovester (town)
    Last of those who still worship the Old Gods of the land, you are a Lone Witch. And yet the Old Gods still have power, and that power can be used. Once during the game you may go to another player's house and place the Watchful Eye upon it. From that point on you will know if the player leaves their house and if anyone else visits it during the night, although you will not know what purpose any of them have. You do not need to leave your house to See what the Watchful Eye sees.

You are town.
--   
   
Ottofar (town)
    You serve in the High Temple of the town as a Dreamwalker, one who drifts through the minds of others during the night. Usually, you see nothing but normal dreams. Chaos of color and sound, with no true meaning. But sometimes, sometimes you see what they see as they go about the Night. Each night you will randomly receive the PM of another player. If they got no PM, you will just learn that they dreamed. You will not know who's PM you are reading, but it could give you clues as to what is happening in this town.

You are town.   
--
   
Tiruin (town)
    You are a simple Townsperson. You do not know why you have been called to this circle, but you must do your best to aid it. Use your wits and your vote well, and perhaps the town can weather this evil time.

You are town.
--   
   
Toaster (town)
    You are rather surprised to find that a Thief could be called to be part of such an important circle. And yet, here you are. Well, best do what you can to help. Monsters and Dark Magic are seriously bad for business, not to mention making your night time excursions a bit more hazardous than you'd like.
   
    Each night you may choose to either Follow another player to see where they go or Watch their house to see who comes to visit them in the night.
   
You are town.   
--
   
ToonyMan (town)
    You serve in the High Temple of the town as a Priest. As one of the ordained, you have the rare power to Raise one of the slain back from the dead. But be warned, if the ritual is not performed correctly, or if your soul is not pure enough, the ritual can go wrong.
   
You are town.   
--
   
flabort (town)
    While these times are truly horrific, you find yourself rather intrigued at the puzzle before you. As a Sage you have a wealth of information available to you. Perhaps the clues to what is going on here can be gleaned from the stars? Or perhaps the answer is hidden in tomes of knowledge. You'd best get to work!
   
    You will receive a new Clue each night relating to the factions working within the town. You have managed to learn this so far.
   
    This Town is located at the center of a great Ley Node, and many seekers of power have come here in the past to tap into it.
   
You are town.   
--
   
notquitethere (town)
    Dark times, dark times. Just when you'd started to master the skills of a Warlock, too! Well, can't be helped. And perhaps the dead will have information that can aid you?
   
    Each night you may Visit the grave of a dead player and communicate with them. This action cannot be stopped, and as soon as you send in your Action to me you may begin PMing that player for the duration of the Night Phase. You may not communicate with them during the Day.

You are town.   
--   
   
zombie urist (town)
    You have a very bad feeling that you'll be busy the next few days. As the town's Sexton it is your duty to maintain the graveyard and help bury the dead. There could be a lot of dead in the next week or so. On the bright side you'll be able to warn the rest of the town if anyone starts disturbing the graves. Bad business that, messing with dead bodies. You can only hope whatever monsters out there aren't the type that come around graveyards at night.
   
You are town.   

[Mephansteras]

Spoiler: Night 1 (click to show/hide)

TheWetSheep

You sit in a small alcove, small braziers full of incense surround you. The heady scent lets you relax, lets your mind spiral upwards to receive the gifts of the gods.

You can feel their presence.

You float up a thought. A simple face. Toaster's. And you receive back a feeling of benign intent.

Slowly your thoughts return to earth, and you shake yourself awake to ponder this new information.

--

flabort 

You gaze up at the stars tonight. Viliir, the Wanderer, has intersected The Mirror. A dire Omen, for it changes the Mirror into The Death's Head. Dark, vile magic is at its most potent now, and you can feel a sinister crackling in the air, as if a dark storm were brewing.

Chilled, you close your windows and stoke the fire. But nothing helps remove the chill you feel in your soul.

--

Imperial Guardsman   

Once the streets quiet down and all is silent you make your way out to the Graveyard.

The night is still, and you can smell the wet grass and freshly tilled earth beneath your feet. You're nearly giddy with excitement! The stars align for this moment, and you can feel the barriers between the afterlife and the living world thin.

Jiokuy's grave is easy to spot, and with a bit of hard work you unearth it. He has returned to human form, and been clothed in the traditional white robes of the dead. You can't help but crack a smile as you imagine the work your new minion will do for you.

Carefully you set down your implements. A bowl of fresh blood from a rooster. A black candle, stained with the ashes of a dying fire. Oils, unguents, the powdered skull of a stillborn child. And through all this the tumbling river of arcane words, tying them to you and to the Jiokuy and to the darkness that waits beyond.

The veil of life and death parts before you. You reach out with your hand and grasp at the soul still lightly tethered to the body, and you pull it back to its proper host.

The body twitches and groans.

It rises.

Your minds connect. The Zombie is feeble and barely functional at this point, but it will perform any commands you give it. And soon it will be strong enough to carry out your will.

You command it to gather up your utensils for you as you make plans for the coming day. Yes, best to get it out of sight and hidden. Only at night can you really trust that it will be able to act undiscovered.

You issue a few orders and then return to your house. Tomorrow night you will strike your first blow against this so town. But first, you must survive the Ritual for another day.

( You now have access to a quickchat so that you and your Zombie may communicate with one another. )

--
   
Jim Groovester   

You slip through the town and arrive at notquitethere's house. Under the cover of darkness you quickly sketch the Watchful Eye upon his door, and incant the ancient bindings that will keep it hidden but allow you to see what it sees.

Then you return home, and rest. The Watchful Eye will tell you if anything happens.

And in the morning, it does. You see notquitethere returning from somewhere at some point after you placed the eye. You do not know where he went or what he did, but he was certainly gone for a time. No one visited his house, however.


--

Jiokuy   

You float in the limbo between the living world and the resting place of souls, awaiting your Final Judgement. It is peaceful, and you find that you enjoy the time to review your former life.

But then, there is a tugging.

A pull.

You are being dragged.

You struggle, but you have nothing to hold onto here. You cannot stop the Pull. You are are returning to the land of the living, whether you wish to or not.

Your eyes open to a dull world, stripped of color. Your body is unresponsive. Numb to pain, and cold. In fact, you have a hard time even feeling the ground on which you lay. Are you alive? Or is this simply some new curse to torment you?

Imperial Guardsman stands over you. You...you must obey him. You do not know why, but you must. He is your Master, now. You await his orders.

"Rise, minion. Rise and serve your new master!"

Your body is strange. Sluggish. It is difficult to make it move. But move you do.

"Good, now gather up the items around you into this bag"

You do so. Distantly, mechanically, your hands moving without you really even caring what they are doing. Soon you are finished.

"Excellent, excellent!" He grins widly. You vaguely remember happiness. Now, all you conjure up is resentment.

"Come, Zombie, it is time for us to hide you away. You shall more work to do tomorrow night!"

You follow, your gait slow and shambling. At least you feel no pain as you stub your toes on roots and rocks along the path.

( You have been raised as a Zombie by the Necromancer Imperial Guardsman. You do not participate in the day game, but you may Nightkill another player during the night at his orders. In addition, you now have access to a quickchat so that you and your new master may speak with one another)

[Note that you may no longer speak with notquitethere as the Night phase is now ended]

--

notquitethere   

You slip through the town and over to the graveyard, your boots making a trail through the wet grass.

You find Jiokuy's grave, the smell of freshly turned earth hanging in the air.

Three times you circle the grave. Three times you cast down the tokens for the dead. Three times you call forth his name.

And in your mind he answers.

Satisfied, you head back to the comfort of your house to continue the conversation. No reason to hang out here, where danger could come looking.


--

Ottofar   

You sleep, and walk through the hazy land of dreams. But then you stumble, and catch yourself in one that seems much more solid than normal. This...is no simple dream.

You sit in a small alcove, small braziers full of incense surround you. The heady scent lets you relax, lets your mind spiral upwards to receive the gifts of the gods.

You can feel their presence.

You float up a thought. A simple face. Toaster's. And you receive back a feeling of benign intent.

Slowly your thoughts return to earth, and you shake yourself awake to ponder this new information.

--

Persus13   

The night air blows cold and damp through the window as you gaze out over the moonlit city. Thousands of people here, and yet only 11 of them truly matter right now. And of those, only one can be coerced to your side.

But which one?

You pull from the shelf the skull of a small demon. The top has been sliced off and capped with a crystal orb. You gaze into it, idly looping strands of magic through the orb until an inner light shines forth.

Within the glass is a figure, skulking through the night. Clearly, Toast is up to something interesting. More importantly, he seems like he could be useful to your cause. With a low murmured incantation you set your mind upon him. A steady stream of power flows from you hand into the orb. Red eyes flare in the skull as you channel this power towards your target.

You can see the power through the glass, golden wires winding about Toaster. More and more power lashes around him, sinking in. He jerks and shudders as they fuse with him, latching onto his soul.

"You are destined for greater things, my friend, than simply skulking in the night" Your thoughts flow out and down, rushing through the crystal before lodging themselves in his head. You can feel the connection, and hear his thoughts clearly in your mind.

Fear

Confusion

"No need for fear. The fools who run this town think their puny gods give them the right to rule. I, however, know better. These gods were once men, like us. And with the long years they have become weak, complacent. I would raise us up instead."

What? Become gods? Are you mad?

"Mad? Not at all. Is it mad to see the power slipping from their aged hands, and to know that it is time for younger hands to take the reins? Is it mad to want such a thing, when I have studied so long and worked so hard to find the truth behind their lies?"

I...I suppose not. But can you do it? Could you supplant the gods themselves?

"I can. With your help." You twist the golden strands, and his thoughts turn to your design.

All right! I'm in! What do we need to do.

"Come around to my house. We have much to discuss". You send the instructions to him and then cut off the flow of power. Waste not, want not, after all. And you will need every ounce of power you can manage if you are to succeed after this ridiculous Ritual has come to an end.

Not that you could simply become a god. Not so easy, that. But the fall of this town to your power is another step upon that path to glory!

(You now have a quicktopic to share with Toaster.)

Powers Available:
Kill a Player (Counts as a Scum Faction Kill - No limit)
Make Yourself unkillable for a night (2 Uses)
Convert another player (1 Use)
Cast the Rune of Calamity - if the target player gets lynched they kill a random player when they die, except you. (1 Use)
Roleblock another player (2 Uses)
Inspect another player to see their Alignment and Role (2 Uses)
Give Yourself another vote for the next day phase (2 Uses)


--
               
Toaster   

Curious about who might have business with flabort this night you make your way stealthily to his house. Once there you settle down in a nice out of the way spot where you can watch without being discovered yourself.

It is a long night, though, and as the hours pass it seems as if he will not be disturbed.

But then...you start to feel strange. A tingling sensation all along your body. You find yourself twitching, slapping at imaginary insects.

The feeling intensifies, and a shudder runs through your entire body, leaving you gasping for breath when it has passed.

And then...a voice inside your mind.

"You are destined for greater things, my friend, than simply skulking in the night" The voice is clear, as if someone was standing right next to you speaking to you. But somehow you can tell that it comes from within your mind, and whoever is speaking is much further away than they sound.

Fear and confusion fill your mind. What magic is this??

"No need for fear. The fools who run this town think their puny gods give them the right to rule. I, however, know better. These gods were once men, like us. And with the long years they have become weak, complacent. I would raise us up instead."

What? Become gods? Are you mad? You think back at whoever or whatever is speaking with you.

"Mad? Not at all. Is it mad to see the power slipping from their aged hands, and to know that it is time for younger hands to take the reins? Is it mad to want such a thing, when I have studied so long and worked so hard to find the truth behind their lies?"

I...I suppose not. But can you do it? Could you supplant the gods themselves?

"I can. With your help."

Dreams of riches and power flow through your mind. Everything you've always wanted, yours for the taking! No more breaking into houses for a few coin. No more fearing the watchmen as they make their rounds. Could this be true? Is it too good to be true? But...fortune favors the bold, right? And thief gets rich without taking a few risks!

All right! I'm in! What do we need to do.

"Come around to my house. We have much to discuss". An image fills your mind. Persus13. Yes, you know where he lives.

You brush yourself off and head off to speak with him about his rather tantalizing offer.

(You have joined the Dark Magus Persus13 and are now part of the Scum Team. You share a quicktopic)

--

zombie urist   

You wake up feeling refreshed the next morning. Nothing like a good night's sleep after a hard day, especially one so long as yesterday!

You have a hearty breakfast and then head out to do your rounds of the graveyard before heading off to the temple.

The empty grave of Jiokuy brings your good mood crashing down, however.

You cannot tell who took the body, or why, but you it is most certainly gone. To what end? Good? Ill? You suppose you'll just have to find out.

Spoiler: Night 2 (click to show/hide)

TheWetSheep 

You settle down in the alcove, incense surrounding you once again. You have a feeling that this will be a nightly ritual for a while.

You set your mind free once again to seek the gods, and once again you can feel their presence.

It is Toonyman's face you show them this time. And again you receive back a feeling of benign intent.

Slowly your thoughts return to earth, and you shake yourself awake to ponder this new information.

--

flabort                   

Curious about the missing body of Jiokuy, you wander down to the graveyard just after sundown. Lantern held out, you scan the ground around the grave for clues. For a while, you get nothing. Footprints, yes, and empty grave, yes, but none of that tells you what happened.

But then you catch a glimmer of something in the dirt. You pick it up and clean it off. A blob of wax, mostly white with an unusual black coating on one side. Intrigued, you take it back home.

Candles have many uses in the arcane arts. Many are benign, but this one...you have a feeling about it. You leaf through tomes until you come across an interesting passage.

...as life is snuffed out like a candle, so do the ashes of a dying fire represent the fading soul. But like a coal the soul can be rekindled to life, if one weaker than its former glory. And so the ashes of a dying fire, mixed to wax in candle form, can be used to rekindle that soul to a spark of life once again...

A passage not about bringing the dead back to life by holy mean, but instead a cursed unlife. Necromancy. You believe you have discovered Jiokuy's fate. Horrible idea, that, being trapped in your own rotting body as a zombie.

But what do you do with that knowledge now?

--
               
Jack A.T. 

  You sit at your desk, reading an old manuscript given to you by your mentor. It shows the movement of the stars, and speaks of the effects the turning of the heavens has upon the lines of power that stretch through the earth.
 
  A scrape of a boot behind you snaps you from your studies. You turn, just in time to see a figure standing in the shadows near your window. You raise a hand, magical energies flowing up around you as you try to figure out who this intruder is.
 
  "Who are you! Know that I am not without my defenses!"
 
  "I doubt you can defend yourself from this!" comes the mocking reply.
 
  A blinding surge of light erupts from his hand. The energies...are overwhelming. You scream in pain as fire erupts all over you. Desperately you seek to put them out, to douse the red energy of fire with the cooling strands of water. But it is no use. For every strand you snuff out three more flow out from the figure.
 
  Your last thoughts are of pain, and fire, and wonder.

--

Jim Groovester 

  As he did the night before, the Watchful Eye shows notquitethere leaving his house for a while. He eventually returns, and you see no one else visit that night.

--

Jiokuy 

A Command in your brain. Kill Jack.

Kill Jack.

Do you want Jack dead?

Does it matter?

It seems that your body is moving, with or without your permission.

It stumbles and sways and finds its way to his house.

The place is dark. Quiet.

You cannot sense any life here.

The door is opened by your hand. Was it always that strong? You can't recall doors being removed entirely when you opened them in the past. Oh, well, your body has moved on anyway.

It stumbles up the stairs.

A small light on a desk. A nearly extinguished candle.

Smoke in the air. You think it would smell bad, but you can't really smell much any more.

A dark scorched circle on the floor.

A body, burned to bones.

It seems he is dead already. Your body stops for a while. Is it thinking? Isn't that your job? Who's thinking for this body now, anyway?

Well, however it is decided your job seems to be done. The body stumbles its way down the stairs. You keep thinking "it is going to fall? Will that hurt?", but it never does.

Eventually it finds its way back to the hiding spot.

You wonder if the rats will come back. They were nice to watch, skittering around. They kept you from being bored.

You're bored a lot, now.

--

notquitethere 

Off to the graveyard again. Off to speak with zombie urist. Time to make amends, you suppose, and see if there is anything you can learn.

The smell of freshly turned earth hanging in the air signals the newly dug grave. Your eyes glance over to where Jiokuy's grave was, still empty. You can't help but wonder where he has gone.

But no matter. Tonight you perform the ritual for a different soul. Tonight you speak with zombie urist.

The ritual complete you head back to the comfort of your house to continue the conversation.

--

Ottofar

You see nothing but the choas of light and sound that is a person dreaming. Whoever you've wandered by tonight, they have nothing for you this night.

--

Persus13

You stand in a circle of power. The lines of energy drawn into this one are those of mind and soul. You wrap them around you, shape them, and then cast them out into your hand. The porcelain ball you hold shifts and changes as you fix your mind upon notquitethere. The orb cracks and shatters, the pieces flying apart and reforming themselves into new patterns. You study the new statue for a bit, consulting the book in front of you for meaning. It seems he is your enemy, a follower of the gods here, and a Warlock to boot. Not a major threat, that, with magic so weak it can merely contact the dead. But good to know what opposes you.

The energy dies down and you place the statue on a shelf. You have much to think about.


Powers Available:
Kill a Player (Counts as a Scum Faction Kill - No limit)
Make Yourself unkillable for a night (2 Uses)
Convert another player (1 Use)
Cast the Rune of Calamity - if the target player gets lynched they kill a random player when they die, except you. (1 Use)
Roleblock another player (2 Uses)
Inspect another player to see their Alignment and Role (2 Uses)(1 Use left)
Give Yourself another vote for the next day phase (2 Uses)

--
               
Toaster 

Persus has sent you off to kill Jack A.T. with a strange glowing crystal of amber. You can't help but grin a bit when you feel the power rushing through it. A blazing heat, as if you held a bonfire in your hands, but somehow still cool to the touch. You'd have killed to get your hands on something like this!

Well, I suppose that's what you're doing now.

You make your way to Jack's house and shimmy up the side until you reach the window sill next to his study. A quick push and the unlatched frame swings free. He's sitting at the desk, head buried in some book.

You slip inside, and as you take a step towards him he lifts his head. Alarmed, he quickly stands and turns towards you.

"Who are you! Know that I am not without my defenses!" his hand starts to glow slightly. He must have some sort of magic...but that's ok, you've got a powerful magic of your own now!
 
"I doubt you can defend yourself from this!" you taunt him as you hold out your hand. You release the magic as Persus instructed. It's...like opening the floodgates of a dam. Bright orange ribbons of light cascade out and surround Jack. He screams in pain as flames consume him. You see flickers of blue light sparkle amongst the orange, snuffing them out when they touch them, but it is not enough. The torrent of energy from the crystal is far more then he can handle, and the smell of burning flesh fills the air.

After a few moments the screaming stops, and all that remains is a charred skeleton which collapses in a pile of bones onto the ground. The room, surprisingly, seems untouched other than a circle of blackened wood around his bones. Fascinating.

You tuck the crystal away and poke around the house a bit before leaving. He won't be needing any riches now that he's dead, will he?

--

ToonyMan

As the moon rises high in the night sky you walk into the graveyard and head over to zombie urist's grave. With a good bit of digging, you unearth the body.

A good man, and one who died to early in service of the gods. It is time to right that wrong.

You walk seven times around the body, shaking water infused with the smoke of the holiest of incenses over it. As the moon is at its highest point you send forth the prayers known only to the innermost circle of clerics. The prayers that will, without a doubt, reach the ears of the gods.

You beseech them to reverse the death that the Ritual bestowed, to bring this man back to life.

The moon shines, just for a moment, with a brilliant blue light. The light falls down and explodes around the body of zombie urist. You kneel down and hear the deep breaths begin in his chest, feel the blood pump once again through his veins.

You smile. The gods have heard your pleas, and they have agreed to grant your request!

You pick him up and carry him off to his bed in the Sexton's house. He'll sleep deep this night, so you leave him to return to the temple your heart full for a good deed done.

--

zombie urist 

You awaken in your bed. For a moment you think that yesterday must have been a dream, but as you get up your body spasms in pain. Every muscle is sore, and you wear the white robes of the dead. It seems that your death did in fact happen, but that someone or some thing has decided that you should live again.

But you don't feel any different, and it seems that the Ritual is still in full effect upon you. You must rejoin the others in the temple today, and fight once again to save the town from evil.

Spoiler: Night 3 (click to show/hide)

4maskwolf   

The heady scent of incense washes over your senses as your reach out again to the gods. And, as they have each night of this Ritual, they respond.

Concentrating, you focus your thoughts upon NotQuiteThere's face. And as before you receive back a feeling of benign intent.

Slowly your thoughts return to earth, and you shake yourself awake to ponder this new information.

--

flabort 

You swim through a sea of manuscripts, tomes, and scraps of arcane lore. There must be a clue in here, somewhere, for what would have caused Jack's fiery demise!

As you go you make notes, connecting bits from one journal with scraps of lore from another. And as you piece together the pieces your heart sinks.

There is only one explanation you can see. A Dark Magus of considerable power has come to the town, for reasons you can only assume bode ill for the town.

What sleep you get that night is fitful, and you do not wake feeling all that rested. You know your enemy, now, but how can you stop someone with such power?

--
           
Jim Groovester   

As he has the past few nights, the Watchful Eye shows notquitethere leaving his house for a while. He eventually returns, and you see no one else visit that night.

Later that night, you wake up in a cold sweat. Something is wrong. Every sense in your body is screaming that danger is near. Frantically you get out of bed and look around. Is the danger inside? Outside? What is it?

A chuckle from the shadows makes your heart leap in your chest as your spin rapidly to face whoever, or whatever, is there.

"Who is this? Is this some sick joke!?"

"Sorry, Jim, no joke." The voice is familiar, but before you can place it a stream of fire erupts from the figure's hand. You scream in terror and pain and tendrils of fire wrap all around your body. You beat at the flames, panic overwhelming your mind, but it is no use. They do not stop. It feels as if the tendrils are even burrowing into you. You feel the fires raging inside you!

Death is a cool, dark blessing when it comes.

--
       
notquitethere 

Jack's grave has a bit of extra sadness around it. Perhaps a residue of magic? Hard to tell.

In any case, you perform the ritual to summon his soul and then chat with him as you head home.

--

Ottofar 

Another night, another walk through the dreams of the town. But once again you find yourself in a dream that is no dream.

You wake up in a cold sweat. Something is wrong. Every sense in your body is screaming that danger is near. Frantically you get out of bed and look around. Is the danger inside? Outside? What is it?

A chuckle from the shadows makes your heart leap in your chest as your spin rapidly to face whoever, or whatever, is there.

"Who is this? Is this some sick joke!?"

"Sorry, Jim, no joke." The voice is familiar, but before you can place it a stream of fire erupts from the figure's hand. You scream in terror and pain and tendrils of fire wrap all around your body. You beat at the flames, panic overwhelming your mind, but it is no use. They do not stop. It feels as if the tendrils are even burrowing into you. You feel the fires raging inside you!

Death is a cool, dark blessing when it comes.

You awaken with a start, and a hollow feeling in your chest. Sometimes your gift feels more like a curse.

--

Persus13 

You move silently through the town, using your magic to warp the senses of the people to hide your presence. No need to let them know that you are out and about, after all.

Eventually you make your way to 4maskwolf's house. You casually walk around the house, staff dragging along the ground. When the circle is complete you pull out a pouch and walk around the house the other direction, dropping shards of obsidian inside the circle as you go. That done, you pull out a small box and very carefully pull out the insect inside. Setting it down on the edge of the circle you watch as it makes its way toward the house. It grows in side as it gets closer, pulsating with dark purple magic. Finally it passes through the walls on its way to its victim, a mere image of an insect.

You smile to yourself. That'll be a rather exciting surprise for the town when 4maskwolf dies!

--
               
Toaster   

Getting to Jim's house is easy. Getting in equally easy, especially since you've hit his house in the past. Looks like he never figured out how you did it!

Once inside you pull out the gem and slip towards his bedroom.

He bolts upright once you're in the room, and you step back into the deeper shadows of a corner while freaks out in front of you. It's pretty amusing, actually. You can't help but let out a small chuckle at his panicked flailing as he jumps out of bed.

"Who is this? Is this some sick joke!?" He spins to look towards you.

"Sorry, Jim, no joke." you reply, and hold out the gem. You release the power inside it, and exult as it flows out in a torrent of fire. Jim is engulfed, and without Jack's magical powers he is quickly consumed by the flames.

Your work done, you slip back out and head home.

Spoiler: Night 4 (click to show/hide)

4maskwolf   

You sit again in the alcove, and breath the heady scent of the incense. You let your spirit free and float towards the gods, your mind focused on Persus13 this time.

But something...something is wrong. You do not float up as you expect. You are caught, like a fly in a spiders web. Instead of the gentle light you expect, you are surrounded by chains of darkness. In the background you can hear a sinister laugh echoing through the ether.

How long you are trapped, struggling, you do not know. It feels like an eternity.

Eventually you awaken to the light of dawn. You are sore, tired, and more than a bit worried. What could have stopped you from contacting the gods last night?

--

flabort 

You look around at your study. It's not safe here now. No, too easy for the Dark Magus to find you. Time to slip out for a bit. Yes. That'd do the trick. A nice camp outside of town for the night.

You pack up a couple of bags. One of tomes, another of alchemical equipment. See if you can determine something useful from it.

Getting out of town requires some trickery, but a well placed smoke bomb confuses the guards enough for you to slip past them. Once outside you breath a bit freer. If no one knows where you are, you should be safe! Right?

Unless a Dark Magus can track you with magic. Can they?

Hmm. Maybe you should check.

You find a nice spot under a tree, pull out your lantern, and crack open a few books to do a bit of research before messing with alchemy.

Hmm.

*flip*

Maybe if I cross reference that with...*next book*

Oh. But what about... *another book*

Ah! And if that... *first book*

Well, that's worrysome. Let's look at the notes of... *another book*

And...if...zzzz *You fall asleep under the tree*

The dawn light wakes you up, and the Compulsion grips you. Time to return to the circle.

But you did learn something. A Magus has many various powers, and has a great deal of flexibility in what they can do. Dangerous enemies indeed.

--

notquitethere   

You are quite eager to speak with Jim. Perhaps he has some knowledge that will aid you in finding the source of evil? If not, then maybe a bit of wisdom, at least.

You perform the ceremony and head back to your house, perhaps a bit quicker than normal. The shadows loom large and menacing tonight, and you can't help but imagine some horror coming out of them.

But you make it home safely, and the rest of the night passes uneventfully.

--

Flandre   

You walk the paths of the dreamscape again. Things are hazy, as normal, but soon the hazy turns to a dark smoke. You cough, alarmed. This is no normal dream. A...fire? Is there fire somewhere? You struggle to wake up, alarm rising within you. Your mind thrashes around the dreamscape, rushing from one indistinct dream world to another, until eventually you find yourself back in your room. But...not in your bed?

You are floating above your bed looking down. There is a charred body there.

Your. Charred. Body.

You're...dead?

But...How? Why? Why didn't you wake up?

Are you trapped in the dreamscape now?

If in answer, a warm comforting darkness envelops you as the Void comes to claim your soul.

--

Persus13

You cloak yourself in shadows and stroll down through the town. Off to where 4maskwolf spends his nights.

When you are close enough you pull out a small box from your belt pouch. Within you release a shimmering black spider. It dances between your fingers, weaving threads of darkness into a scintillating web that reflects the night sky above you. Power wells up inside you and you channel it through the web, casting its shadow out over 4mask's abode. With a sharp clenching of your fist you crush the web, causing the shadow to collapse into the building. You chuckle. Whatever power he may have, it will avail him naught tonight.

You pluck the spider off of your thumb and return it to its box and head back to your house.

--

Toaster   

Flandre's house is as easy as any other for you to enter undetected. Even easier, apparently, as she is sleeping deeply when you find her and seems oblivious to the world. Shrugging, you release the power of the gem and watch as the tendrils of power turn her into char.

She does not awake at all throughout, and you're not entirely certain when she died. But there is nothing but bone and ash on the bed when you leave, so you assume she was granted the mercy of a painless death.

Spoiler: Night 5 (click to show/hide)

nerjin   

You settle down into the alcove again, nervously adjusting the cushions as you ponder the events of last night. The Dark Magus is dead, so you shouldn't be blocked from the gods again, right?

You take a deep breath. Only one way to find out.

Lighting the incense you slip into the old familiar patterns. You breath deep, and let your mind relax and float upwards, towards the gods. You focus on IronyOwl this time. Your mind reaches up, and the gods answer! As before, you get a feeling of benign intent.

Slowly, you return to earth and sit for a while, pondering what you have learned.

--

IronyOwl   

You read through a few old tomes, and recheck some sources you already marked as having information, but nothing new shows up. It seems that you have learned all you can, at least for now.

--
           
notquitethere   

As has become your habit over the past week, you begin your night with a trip down to the graveyard.

You linger over Reverie's grave for a bit, thinking of all the people who have been lost in the hunt for this Magus. Perhaps she can help you root out the last of your enemies?

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you clear your mind and perform the ritual. As usual, once contact is established you return to your house.

You sit for a while, chatting with her spirit and drinking a glass of wine. But she has little more to offer than she did while alive, and eventually you let her go.

As you stare into the wine glass, you hear a soft sound behind you. Alarmed, you turn around in the chair just in time to see a shadowy figure cross into the room. You start to rise up out of your chair when beams of amber light lance out at you from the figure's hands.

You scream in pain as fire burns through you. Frantically, you try to draw upon the powers of the Ether to bolster your magical defenses. For a moment, you make connection and the fire streaming towards you subsides. You smile, but your smile fades quickly as the burning reignites within you, flowing through your veins. You scream, one last time, and then you soul flees to the safety of the Void that it has connected to so many times before.

--

Persus13   

Your spirit reawakens after spending a while resting in the pocket dimension you reserved for you soul in case of your death. With a sparking of power you reform, your body coalescing within your house.

You look regretfully over at the shattered Obsidian totem that served as the receptacle of your soul. It was expensive to make, and it will take some time to procure another. But it seems it was a wise investment.

You look out at the rising sun. The Ritual will summon you again, and this time the fools of this town know who and what you are. You will need to be clever to avoid the Mark of Justice a second time.

--
           
Toaster   
                   
While you wait for Persus to revive, you still have work to do. Killing NotQuiteThere, to be specific.

You slip off to his house after night falls, easily making your way through the shadows of the streets without alerting any of the wandering guards.

Once there, you pick the lock of the back door and slip inside. You find your quarry sitting in front of his fire, a glass of wine in his hand. He looks up when you enter the room, and starts to rise as you unleash the power of the gemstone once again.

The amber flows of power lance into him, and he screams with pain. Then, to your surprise, a smoky aura envelops him and the flow of fire magic stops before him. He smiles for a moment, but the smile fades quickly and turns to a grimace of pain. He clutches his stomach in pain, and beings to scream again. Bright amber light flashes out from his mouth, and then smoke erupts from his eyes, nose, and ears. Moments later, the fire spreads out from within him and consumes him utterly.

The blackened skeleton that collapses to the ground knocks over the wine glass, and his skull sits in a pool of dark red liquid as you leave the room.
                   
--

zombie urist   

Somewhat unusual for me to send one of these, but...you'll know why when you read the day start.


You wake up as normal and go through your morning routine, carefully checking the graveyard before giving in to the compulsion of the Ritual to join the others. No graves were disturbed last night.

Spoiler: Night 6 (click to show/hide)

Nerjin   

The incense is heavy in the air around you. You sit back and focus your mind upwards, freeing your soul to visit the gods once again. zombie urist's face foremost in your mind, and answer comes again. benign.

Released, you return to the earth to ponder what you have learned.

When you open your eyes, however, there is someone elese there. You look up to see a figure in the shadows. Your mouth opens to cry out an alarm, but before you can speak a wave of amber light engulfs you. Fire burns through every fiber of your being, and he only cry you can make is scream of pain.

Death, when it comes, is a relief into the cool darkness of the void.

--

IronyOwl   
   
There seems little else to research at this point. You can only hope that this magus has no further surprises in store.
       
--

Persus13   

You slide though the shadows of the town on your way to Nerjin's. His house is locked tight, but that is of little consequence. You look thorugh a window, and then slip through the shadows of one wall to those of another.

From there you walk up the stairs, muffling the sounds with a charm of silence.

You find Nerjin sitting in an alcove, incense smoke drifting about. He opens his eyes and looks at you just as you release a torrent of magical fire upon him. He releases a final scream before he dies.

[zombie urist]

Yay I was right about Persus day 1. But I was wrong about almost everything else. 

[Reverie]

Good job, we did it!