Angmar: Hall of Judgement {Game/RP}

[Moriel]

Near the center of Carn Dûm is the Hall of Judgement, where the crimes of its residents are seen and punished. The Queen of Iron has not the leisure to oversee each petty remonstrance herself, and so has appointed her lieutenant Yarltang as the enforcer of her justice. The massive orc sits upon the carved basalt throne of the Hall of Judgement, the great warhammer with its carven head leaning against the throne at his side. Ordinarily the crimes brought before Yarltang are fairly mundane, but today a thrill rings the dank air of the Hall and those who mill about it buzz with excitement. Murder has been committed in Carn Dûm, and while this in itself might not be all that unusual, the murderer has promised to continue killing, one soul each night.

“Track down this murderer!” Yarltang roars to all and sundry, rising from his throne. “He must be found!”

This is a game based on the party game mafia (also known as werewolf, assassin, or witch hunt). If you know the game, you will note that it has been altered to accommodate the forum format. I have previously run this game on the old plaza via PM, so bear with me as we work out the kinks in adjusting to our new reality.

The roles in the game are these:

Murderer
Samaritan
Night-watchman
Townsperson

The game requires at least 4 people, but 7+ is preferable. During each round, the Murderer will choose someone to kill, the Samaritan will choose someone to save (you may choose yourself), and the Night-watchman will choose someone to accuse of murder. These choices will be sent to me privately. Everyone else is a Townsperson.

During each round, you will each RP either your search for or/and logic behind who you think the killer is- you may at once speak out, or you may leave the Hall in order to conduct reconnaissance, but be sure to return each night and denounce your chosen culprit. You may make as many posts between morning and night as you wish, but you must make a final accusation post making it absolutely clear who you are accusing of murder, with the accusation in bold, either in the text of your post or at the bottom, ie:

Yarltang knew his brother was an utter scumbag, and so he returned to the hall to accuse Swiltang of murder!!

or

postpostpostpostpost

Yarltang accuses Swiltang!

The following morning, Yarltang (me) will reveal who has been murdered, and whether or not ye searchers have apprehended the villain. The person whom the Murderer has chosen to kill will be out of the game each round, as well as the accused with the most votes against them, unless either of them is the person the Samaritan has chosen to save. If among the accused there is a tie, the unfortunate one will be chose by the roll of a die. If you are the Murderer, Samaritan, or Night-Watchman, be sure in your accusatory posts not to let on that you are! Otherwise, well… death is inevitable.

Once you have been killed your vote no longer counts, but you are free to continue posting as a ghost lamenting your fate or/and trying to convince others of who murdered you.

Signups
There will be 5 day sign-up period! Sign up by RP’ing your entrance to the Hall of Judgement and declaring your intention to seek out this foul murderer. One the sign up period ends, messages will be sent out to the randomly chosen Murderer, Samaritan, and Night-Watchman, informing them of their selection. The first round will then commence, following a prompt from Yarltang. If you have not received a message before the RP prompt is posted, then you are a Townsperson. At the bottom of your first post, please indicate whether you wish to be contacted via Discord or email. If you are not comfortable sharing your email or Discord handle publicly, you can simply say 'discord' or 'email' and then contact me at Moriel#5135 or [email protected] letting me know who you are.


Rounds will last ~72 hours and will continue until either the Murderer has been caught, or everyone else is dead. If all participants make their final accusation before the deadline of a round, the update may come early.

You will be killed in many creative ways throughout the course of this game.

Murderers may give suggestions for how their victims will die when they send their PM, but ultimately that gleeful description falls to me.

Updates will be made in bold black.

All are welcome, but be prepared to be subject to intense suspicion if you are not a denizen of some evil land...

[Fuin Elda]

Fuin wandered into the strange hall she wasn't entirely sure what this was but something felt strangely wrong here. "Hello?" She called only to find Yarltang staring at her.

"Are you here to find the murderer?" Came the question and after a short pause she gave a slight nod.

Discord

[Silky Gooseness]

Silendris flounced in. They had attached a bustle to their one piece to really enable the flounce to work, but they had had some trouble when getting through narrower doors. Fortunately, Silendris largely preferred entering dramatically through double doors which they pushed open with both arms at once, anyway. Perhaps they ought to remove the wiring and just go with a ruffle? Yes... this is the way.

“It is we,” they declared dramatically, pressing a hand to their breast. “We are here to find the murderer! And then we shall offer them a job, because good murdering is such a useful skill.”

Discord

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy

Before We go further, I should say something. I’m terrible with directions. I can’t really read and my attention span is probably great. That being said, I think I’m rather lost. I was having a wonderful Second Breakfast with Pearl, Pearl is wonderful by the way you should all meet her, she’s the best, she’s the one teaching me to read and all about Hobbiting, which as a Hobbit I should be doing. I used to be a… right this is isn’t the time for that. Where was I? I told you my attention span is bad. Right! Right! I was walking home from Pearl's and I got a little bit lost. I should have known I was heading in the wrong direction when I started to see big creepy mountains, or when the sun went down, but I’m nothing if not persistent! It’s amazing how lost one can get. I don’t live very far from Pearl, who is great, so it shouldn't have taken me four days of walking to get home. But here I am, in the creepy mountains in a creepy village of creepy people. I’m hungry, now that I think of it. Do you think this place has a good pub? I recently found out what a pub is, and what alcohol is, and I think it’s delightful. Where was I going with this? Right. I’m lost and hungry. Why are there wolves howling here?

Discord, or a flock of pigeons, whichever works for you

[Androthelm]

Shasta

The Sea had taken many years of Shasta's life, but now he was here -- far from his native Umbar, though not so far from Forochel where he had been stranded many a long year. The land route had been hard -- there were few paths not guarded by some friend to the impotent West -- but at least he had encountered no ice-floes in the high peaks of the mountains of the north.

Shasta was here on business--arranging alliances, ensuring that his friendships in the north were still strong after time spent back south--when he heard the whispers of crime and justice in the halls of Carn Dum. Shasta was always ready for some crime... and occasionally justice. And if he happened to prove the skill of the folk of Umbar in service to... whoever he might serve, and make some valuable friends in the elf-blighted lands of Eriador... Well, then, that was a lucky coincidence.
One day, the powers which lurked in this land would be his.

Discord is good for me, since @Mama's Murder Muffin is hoarding all the birds.

[Zôrzimril]

Belisaria

A whirling cloud of leathery wings burst into the Hall of Judgement, accompanied by the sound of much squeaking and chittering. They had come not at the command of their master but at the behest of their natural leader, a bat who stood out among the colony for her size: on wings stretching to two and a half feet wide, Belisaria flew through the vast hall. She was the first to dive, drawing the cloud of wings and striped fur spiraling toward the great orc seated on his throne.

We have come to find the murderer, the mass of bats screamed as one in their high-pitched and ancient language. At a shrill cry from their leader and a thought that reverberated from one mind to the next, they wheeled and arranged themselves into the shape of a dagger, beating their wings to hold the form steady in the air until Yarltang had seen. Belisaria in particular would savor the spoils if they caught the killer: as with any game or plot or scheme, she would play along in the hopes of a delicious reward at the end.

Discord yo

[Lady of Shadow]

Orngor

Since Naelia was busy will other responsibilities in Mordor, she sent her trusty Orcish helper, Orngor, on to investigate the wrong doings in Angmar. This wasn't the first time the Orc found himself running around the countryside trying to please the Big Bosses upstairs. He also kept being pressured into joining Mordor's Army, the Black Guard, but often had to refuse, because unlike Naelia, he wasn't based in one location; he often divided his time between the Dark Tower of Barad-dur, Minas Morgul, and now Angmar.

As the trusted Mordorian Orcish helper first stepped foot in the endless hall that seemed to be where those accused of any wrong doing learned their punishment, he recognized quite a few denizens of Angmar that he had dealings with in the past (some of them that still held a grudge against him for one thing or another) and had to resist the urge to seize some of them by the throat and crack their heads open on the nearest sharp object (which wouldn't be hard to find in this kingdom). Perhaps if he was successful in this mission, his reputation would improve, and he could finally enlist in the Black Guard (even if he had to promise to stick to one stronghold instead of constantly jumping around from place to place).

Email please, since I don't have Discord. Feel free to use my Plaza email: [email protected]

[Lail]

Soreya

A woman strode into the hall wearing more layers than she'd ever worn in her entire life. It almost felt as if she were being smothered. Though she longed to thrust her hands into fur-lined pockets, Soreya refused to show any sign of weakness though it was fairly clear she was not from around here. In fact, she was about as far from home as she could get from the sunlands of Harad.

Was a murder so unusual that it required an investigation? Still, if there was a mystery here to be solved, Soreya was determined to win. "I will find this murderer." Her voice rang out with cool confidence.

Discord for me!

[corlisswyn]

Khirra
Haradrim

Khirra stood there in shock just outside the main hall door as she watched her former best-friend now enemy Soreya show up to this call and walk right past her without noticing Khirra was even there! The nerve! Ever since that... The memory of Soreya's ultimate betrayal was too much to bear. Always the perfect one, always everyone's favorite. Soreya, Soreya, Soreya. This was supposed to be Khirra's time to shine, to find the murderer, and maybe hire him or her for Mother Czarine. At least Soreya didn't have a shot at getting in the Family. Khirra smirked at her good fortune. I'll show them who's second best...

"I'll find your murderer before she will, I guarantee it!" Khirra shouted moments after Soreya attested with that cool confidence she always carried. Khirra came up from behind Soreya, sidestepped to the left, and took a standing position just slightly ahead of the other Haradrim. She pulled down her fur-lined hood to shake out her warm deep brown hair and show her face to all those before her.

OOC @Lail: I COULD NOT RESIST when I was going to be a female Haradrim and there you were one post ahead of me. I hope you like the idea of frenemies. )
DISCORD is fine for me too.

[Moriel]

TWO DAYS LEFT TO SIGN UP

Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell your frenemies, tell random stranger.... BRING ME MORE VICTIMS

[Moriel]

Dawn light filters into the Hall of Judgement, signaling the beginning of the first day. Yarltang surveys the assembly, and all those who have gathered to search out the murderer seem supremely confident on their skills. Fools! But all it took was one of them to solve the crime... "Go, then!" Yarltang bellows, jabbing his warhammer toward the door, "And return at nightfall to tell me what you have found!"

THE GAME HAS BEGUN!
Signups are closed until the next game.
@corlisswyn @Zôrzimril @Fuin Elda @Silhouette @Androthelm @Lady of Shadow @Lail @Vampire Bob

If you have not received a message from me, you are a townsperson. Those of you who are the Samaritan, Night-watchman, and Murderer should now message me your choices. All participants should now RP their reconnaissance or/and reasoning, and return to the Hall to make their accusation!

DEADLINE FOR CHOICES AND ACCUSATIONS IN 48 HOURS

[Silky Gooseness]

Quite a lot of personages had burst into the hall. Silendris eyed them as they eyed everyone who wasn’t offering them a drink: with suspicion. A whole gang of chary, scary, scurvy, malcontent knaves. All or any of them looked excellently employable as a Murderer, to be sure.

“Well, best begin the questioning,” they sang out, to nobody in particular, before whirling on the two closest to her. “You there! Shasta! Uhh... Jorgy?” Silendris trailed off faintly. If anyone could recognise a rebodied soul, Silendris could, but some WEIRD CHOICES had been made here. “Have either of you ever killed anyone? And how efficient were you at it?”

They attempted to glare at both persons at once, resulting in one of Silendris’ eyeballs - Naokis interfering again, no doubt - wandering vaguely up skywards.
@Androthelm @Vampire Bob this isn’t a denunciation, just chattin

[Lail]

Soreya

Soreya's eyes thinned to tiny slits when she noticed Khirra. But then her lips curled into a shape halfway between a smile and a snarl. How desperate she must be to shout a challenge like that...she almost pitied the woman. "Tell me you have not followed me all the way here, Khirra, in order to out-compete me. You know you will only be disappointed," she said coolly.

At least she could rule the other Haradrim out. The murderer was obviously not Khirra; she'd never be competent enough to pull off something so clever that it would require any kind of investigation. But the others? No doubt any one of them could be (and probably were) murderers. While Silendris (who positively reeked of death) began asking questions, Soreya remained silent and studied each of them in turn.

OOC @corlisswyn: That's gold, I love it! Let the rivalry begin!

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy

The only way I was getting home was catching a murderer. Okay. I mean, that’s a weird stipulation but I used to live in Mordor and things got really weird there. Wait. Did I end up back in Mordor? I thought I was going north but as I mentioned before I am really, really bad with directions. I’m lucky I didn’t walk into the sea. I mean, I can swim okay so who knows when I would have noticed that I was in the middle of the ocean. Right, sorry, I keep getting distracted by tangents. Pearl says I do that a lot. I don’t mean to, I just have a very wibbly wobbly thought process. Sorry, did it again. Okay. Okay. Right, I was told by an orc that looked more like a troll (I used to see a lot of both in Mordor, I think I am in Mordor actually).

Okay, so I was told to find a murderer and from there I, being new in town, decided I needed to start making a map of the town. I should make a map of the Shire so this doesn’t happen again. Nope, Jorgy, focus. Focus. I was going to make a map, but to make a map I needed paper and a pen and a better ability to read than I currently possess. So I gave up. I sat on the steps and decided to look at all the people gathered. They were all strange and suspicious, especially the one that looked like they were looking at two different things at once. I will admit, even though they weirded me out, I was interested. There were also bats… which were a thing? I will admit, I was very confused at this point.

That’s when I thought… it could be the bats! Bats were vampires, right? That’s the campfire stories all said anyway and those are supposed to be true. What had I gotten myself into? I was in deep lava.

Then the person with the bilocating eyes asked me (me!) if I was a murderer and if I was any good at it. I mean… I am. I was a lava snake and I ate other lava snakes, and orcs… and rocks when I was desperate.

“No!” I declared with as much fervor as I could muster. “I am not a murderer, I am a Hobbit.”

[corlisswyn]

Khirra
Haradrim

If looks could kill... Khirra gave Soreya a curt little laugh. As Soreya continued on to study the remaining candidates, Khirra bore holes into the back of Soreya's head, releasing a knowing little smile after a moment of thought. Perhaps once Khirra was done with this assignment and the murderer identified, she might take a lesson from the murderer's handbook and, well... Would anyone really miss Soreya back in Harad? Truly?

Meantime, Khirra also started looking around. The Murderer was still out and about. Such an odd combination of suspects: an elf, a short little kid they called themselves "a hobbit", an Orc or two, and a giant bat?

Well, if they look like a duck and quack like a duck, they're likely a duck... "Orngor, you're looking a little shifty. So, what weapon did you use to commit the murder? A Scimitar?"

[Lady of Shadow]

Orngor - Orc

"Me? The murderer?' the trusted Orcish helper nearly screamed at the one called Khirra, a female Haradrim of all creatures. Orngor did come across a few female of the species of Haradrim in his long years of service, but not many. And to have one acuse him of murder of all things! The Orc would have time to defend himself, but first, he had to try and identify the murderer himself. He wasn't sure if it was this Khirra character, since why else would she accuse him if she weren't guilty of some kind of crime herself, possibly trying to put suspicion on someone else, while she attempted to take someone else out?

"Enough of this!" Orngor scolded himself, since he had no proof, as he eyed the others in the room. Besides himself, an Orc, there was also an Elf, a Halfling of all creatures, another Orc, who he eyed suspiciously, since they looked vaguely familiar (all those of Orcish origin seemed to resemble each other, but the odd one such as Orngor was able to discern slight differences), and a giant bat. Was it the bat that was just asking who the murderer was instead of accusing anyone? "No wait, I think that was the creatures known as the Silendris." the trusted Orcish helper remembered another Orc in Mordor mentioned them once or twice. Though he wanted eagerly to defend himself, he placed his beady little eyes on the only Elf in the room, since Orcs were once Elves once upon a time, so his hatred for the fair folk ran deep. "Why do you accuse a trusted helper of Orcish origin when there is an Elf in the room?" he asked Khirra. "Doesn't this Fuin character have magical powers? Don't you think she could have used it to kill someone, since doesn't there exist in Lothlorien an Elf witch? Perhaps she's of her kin and dastardly deeds run in the family?" Orngor accused, attempting to defend himself in the process of trying to find the real murderer.

Orngor accuses Fuin!

[Fuin Elda]

Fuin looked at Orngor magical powers? Was this orc daft?

Yes yes he was. She was no elf witch. "The only power I have is putting up with your baffoonish ideas." She said loud enough with a sneer on her face that was honestly as frightening as any orcish expression. "And honestly I have better things to do than to listen to you make things up, but clearly orcs aren't the brightest or they would be looking for more clues than just what race a person is." With that she narrowed her eyes at the entire host of beings there, after all it was highly likely that a murderer would stick around, try to be helpful, throw out ideas that might not be useful per say but make just enough sense that others would listen.

Indeed everyone here was very very suspicious, as she was undoubtedly suspicious to them, after all how often did elves wander willingly into the Dark Lands?

[corlisswyn]

Khirra
Haradrim

"Your protestations speak for themselves, Orc." Khirra crossed her arms over her chest as she took a renewed look at the elf when Orngor pointed to a she-elf. "Elf-witch or not, we've all heard of the Kinslaying. They do think themselves all high and mighty but are quick to jab each other with pointy objects when they upset one another."

The Orc had a point, but this just created an air of confusion to who the real murderer might be...

[Androthelm]

Shasta
Corsair

Shasta was above this, he knew. The proper thing to do would have been to stay out of all this mess, and continued on his diplomatic mission to the great folk of Angmar. But, no -- that would be no fun, and more directly he was being called out.

"Me?" he asked, when the Hobbit-thing Jorgy was done squeaking. "I have killed before, aye, though not in a place like this. The Sea and the open streets of Umbar, those are my territory, where I'm at my best -- and, of late, the frosty hills of Forochel, and long stretches of the wilderness. Alright, I'll admit -- I've killed plenty of people, and done it efficiently in plenty of placed." the old sea-dog folded his arms. "But what of you? You, Silendris, you are buffling, fluffling, dramatic creature. 'Offer the murderer a job' you say, but how can we know that the murderer isn't the employer? Have you ever killed anyone?"

[Moriel]

***TEN HOURS UNTIL THE DEADLINE***

Make sure you make an accusatory post making it absolutely clear who you are accusing of murder, with the accusation in bold, either in the text of your post or at the bottom, ie:

Yarltang knew his brother was an utter scumbag, and so he returned to the hall to accuse Swiltang of murder!!

or

postpostpostpostpost

Yarltang accuses Swiltang!

----

I realized I forgot to put this detail in the OP, so I will add it now, and if anyone fails to get a clear accusation in by the deadline but has posted speculating since the accusation period began, I will examine their post(s) to determine if they have made an accusation. Subjective, I know, but it's a newish game and this is Mordor so... deal with it.

[Silky Gooseness]

Silendris

“Well... you’re sort of a Hobbit,” Silendris agreed doubtfully, quirking an eyebrow at Jorgy. He didn’t look in great shape for murdering anybody, they had to admit, although they had a natural nervousness of hobbits. They looked just like the type of people who would take lousy care of prize jewellery, or stab important wraiths in the backs of their knees.

Silendris drew themselves up importantly as Shasta accused them of being buffling and fluffling. “Well we are a bit buff,” Silendris admitted modestly, kissing one of their biceps. “And yes we have killed lots of people, thank you, which is why we know it’s a tiresome task we have no desire to carry out ourselves. The dry cleaning is an absolute nightmare. But since you’re so efficient, we suspect it might be you, Shasta?”

Silendris accuses Shasta!

[Zôrzimril]

Belisaria & co.

The bats had hovered for a while above the small gathered group, flitting back and forth with the conversation. So much conversation! Belisaria had to wonder why it was taking them all so long to point their odd fingers at one another. As she led her colony of bats around the hall and out into the streets of Carn Dûm, the whispers from the frightened inhabitants of the city all indicated one person. And so with much swirling and whirling of wings, the pied bats burst back into the hall and made their way to Yarltang to make their accusation. I accuse the one called Soreya, she screeched. She knew Yarltang would understand.

Just to be super-clear, the colony formed a giant arrow pointing directly at Soreya

[Fuin Elda]

HOnestly as much as the orc was frustrating, she decided he was clearly not bright enough to be the murder, unless that was his game so for now she was still on the hunt for the murderer. She couldn't help as the one haradrim woman seemed to start questioning if she had magic as well. Never mind that she was no noldor, but how would these poor easterners that had never seen any true amount of power know better when their idea of power was a Maiar verse the power she had seen of old in Morgoth and the evil that he spread. Sauron was a little puppy compared to Morgoth.

"I am old enough that if I were to kill someone it would be well worth it and you'd see me standing over their body blade in their corpse and heart in my hand." She snapped at the Haradrim, "Until then for the moment our best bet is to reduce the numbers to reduce our issues. And Shashta has admitted at this point to killing people before So as far as I'm concerned Shasta can be the first that can be accused."

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy

I needed to be clear when I made my accusations, a voice that sounds very much like that of the orc sounded in my head. It was weird and creepy, hearing another person's voice in my head. Normally my head is so full of thoughts I can hardly understand myself but that voice was very, very clear... about me being clear. I had a thought as the voice's echo vanished from my head. What if the murderer... was the orc/troll thing telling all of us to go find the murderer. It would be exceedingly clever of him to throw everyone off. Though there was a hole in that theory, why would he have gathered us all in the first place? Well he didn't gather me, I kind of just stumbled in and was drafted in the search. I'm really hungry. Would he mind if I had some food? I haven't have second breakfast in days. Some ale would be nice too. Do troll/orcs drink ale? No, I bet they just drink elf blood or something like that, or dragon pee. Ugh, never mind. I'm not hungry anymore. So I had to make an accusation but how could I do that? I'd only been thinking for like, three minutes and most of that was trying to understand how I got here and then I was hungry and thought about... I'm going in circles. I had no idea of anyone's name so all I could do is point. Hopefully that would be enough for the troll/orc.

I pointed at Shasta... the mean pirate lady that said I squeaked (I lean pretty heavy on the fourth wall, I think that's why I'm so weird).

[Lail]

Soreya
She ignored Khirra's petty laugh and surveyed everyone, listening to their protestations, accusations and blatant lies. To be sure she did not care for any of them although she privately thought Silendris might have some real value despite the outlandish outfit. It didn't matter what she thought - it only mattered what made the most sense.

Orcs were as brainless as Khirra so both she and Orngor were ruled out. The others, however, were all contenders. Looks could be deceiving. Was Jorgy, the small, dirty half-human slight enough to slit a throat? Oh, she had no doubt about that. However, there was one being in particular that drew her attention...

"Funny," she said though she did not laugh as she stared at the bats flapping their wings and pointing at her. "I was about to say the same thing about you." Those bats were obviously capable of pulling off this murder.

Soreya accuses Belisaria & co.

[Androthelm]

Shasta

Things were going poorly already, and Shasta had only just stumbled into this mess. Clearly his mission of making allies among the Angmarim was in terrible danger -- not to mention, of course, his life. Three people, Silendris, the elf Fuin, and the creature which Shasta was beginning to suspect was not actually a Hobbit Jorgy had accused him -- and for what! For pointing out a clear issue in the line of questioning.

Nevermind, this was no time for a vendetta. Shasta would take his time in revenging himself upon Silendris. For now, he must just survive this conversation -- by voting cleverly, and making a friend, perhaps?

"Yes!" he cried, catching on only the very tail end of what Soreya had said. "The bats did it. I mean, the Bat-Keeper. That one, up there--" in what he hoped was a sufficiently dramatic flourish, the corsair pointed to the sky--I also accuse Belisaria & co."

[Lady of Shadow]

Orngor - Orc

Like many others, Orngor was too busy both defending himself and pointing the finger at the only Elf in the room, but he held firm. He knew (like the others) that he would have to be a liitle more clear as to who he was accusing, but he was glad that the only other Orc in the room, the one that went by the name of Soreya, seemed to be on his side, at least for the moment, since he knew that Orcs were expendable. He used to work with another one in Mordor that seemed to have disappeared, so he assumed that he was killed, since Orngor hadn't seen him around in all his travels, whether to Barad-dur, Minas Morgul and now the kingdom of Angmar.

The Elf on the other hand... Perhaps she didn't use "magic" as he claimed, but as he heard the one that accused him of murder say something about a "kinslaying", he grew more suspicious of her by the moment."So, Elves can turn against their own kin," he began, responding more to Khirra than to Fuin, "so is it possible that this she-elf that I pointed my finger at earlier is guilty of the crime here? I accuse the she-elf known as Fuin of the wrong doings in this land!" he knew it wasn't the best accusation, but Orcs weren't known for their smarts.

[Moriel]

Yarltang surveys the group, hearing each of their accusations and nodding grimly. He rises from his throne and proclaims, "You have made your accusations known! By a narrow margin, Shasta has been denounced by the most of you. Therefore, justice will be meted out in the only acceptable fashion." The huge orc whistles sharply, and immediately three pairs of glowing green eyes emerge in the shadows of the throne room, accompanied by growling and slavering. Two werewolves prowl forward into the light, fixing their gazes on Shasta. Thrusting his arm forward at the corsair, Yarltang commands, "Kill!" With ferocious joy, the werewolves leap upon the corsair and tear him to pieces.

Well satisfied, Yarltang and the searchers retire for the night.

But they were all of them deceived...

Shasta was NOT the murderer!

During the night, the murderer strikes again. When the searchers begin to trickle in again in the morning, they arrive to a gruesome sight: on the steps leading into the hall, bloated and black-faced, lies Silendris, strangled by their own bustle.

The Night-watchman failed to find the murderer.
Neither Shasta nor Silendris were saved by the Samaritan.

In the garish light of day, Yarltang surveys the group of searchers, now smaller by two, grimly. "Clearly you have failed. Come back to me with better answers tonight!"

-------

A new round has begun! You may RP as much as you like between morning and night, but must return to make a final accusation, as is now outlined in the OP. Murderer, Samaritan, and Night-Watchman should now message me with their new choices.

@Androthelm and @Silhouette, you are no longer permitted to vote, but you may continue to post reacting to your deaths or/and as a ghost lamenting your fate or/and trying to convince others of who murdered you.

DEADLINE IN 48 HOURS

[Silky Gooseness]

It’s the dead of night. Silendris is skulking, as they so often do.

An arm goes around their neck, softly, gently, from behind; draws them close to another warm body.

“Ooh,” mumbles Silendris, suspiciously. They flex their elbow and a stiletto falls into their grip, kept point up, ready to strike.

Another hand snakes round and begins... unbuttoning Silendris’ bustle attachment? ? ?

“Erm,” suggests Silendris. “This is a bit forward, really, don’t you Huurrrrkkhh?”

The last noise is produced as the arm around Silendris’ neck jerks backward, sharply, driving the breath out of them. The unhooked bustle slithers around their collar and is cinched tight. Silendris viciously elbows their assailant, to no avail, striking out with the stiletto. Their long legs kick out.

Sparks flutter behind Silendris’ eyelids. Their last sight is that of flounces and glitter. Just as it should be.

“Oh pants,” their last sigh whispers from their bloodless lips

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy

I managed to survive the night. That might seem like nothing to an outside observer, but believe me it was a heck of an achievement. I… how do I explain this. The troll/orc/demon thing seemed satisfied with the group’s conclusion, along with my own, that it was the corsair who was the murderer. I watched them get torn apart by wolves! It was so horrible! My stomach growled just then, clearly having nothing better to do in that violent moment than remind me I was hungry. I mean I was, but now wasn’t the time to be hungry. What were they going to do with the body? Could there be some bacon, or maybe some steak… wow Jorgy. There creepy. What if Pearl were here? She’d b so upset with you. She would have told you to eat before you came into the hall. Okay crisis averted. Murder caught, time to get some rest and go home in the morning.

Only that’s not what happened. Nope. Another demon/orc/behemoth thing dragged everyone back to the chambers (What happened to the first one?) and informed us there had been another murder that night! It had been Sil, that equally odd creature that had asked me if I had ever killed anyone before. I was very upset. There was clearly another murderer out there. There was no way I was wrong about that pirate. This one seemed to target weirdos and other strange personages.

“Fear not Sil!” I said as I exited the hall again, still not d to catch another murderer. “I will avenge you on behalf of oddballs everywhere!” and that’s exactly what I intended to do.

Being definitely a Hobbit, I had the natural ability to sneak around and hide. I followed the elf, Fuin Elda, believing she’d do one of three things: expose herself as the killer, get me very, very lost, or find a good coffee shop.

[Fuin Elda]

Fuin for her part was calm, she had not expected they would have much help from the Samaritan and for the moment, though she hoped that they had not been lost the night before, it tended to give a better chance at catching the murderer. She wandered pondering upon that question who to look at next, she knew the hobbit was sneaking about behind her hobbits, being skilled in stealth in woods and fields were not so good at sneaking in Mordor. At least not when trying to follow an elf.

"Hobbit." She said turning her head and looking at him. "If you are going to follow me about ceaselessly I would suggest an alliance even if it is just to make sure that hopefully both of us survive this round of accusations, though what the murderer will do is unknown at this point. I have no cause to accuse you of foul play. I think perhaps we should look at the others about us, if only because he is less than wise and a good chance of getting us killed which given that I quite like drawing breath is a bad thing."

[corlisswyn]

Khirra
Haradrim

Khirra stood still as the werewolves tore into Shasta. He had it coming, even if he wasn't the murderer apparently. Silendris would have been Khirra's second guess this morning if she had not turned up dead. Honestly, what is the deal with extra padding? The Haradrim pride themselves in their physique and appearance, and Khirra would not be caught adding fluff and padding to her derriere.

But with Shasta and Silendris out of the picture, who is the next likely culprit? The halfling? the elf? the orc? She took a look around the room and spied Soreya. Talk about someone who needed murdering. Khirra turned away to avoid meeting Soreya's eye; it was too early in the morning to deal with Soreya's pettiness. Khirra still had to identify a murderer. The Elf looked like someone who could commit not one but two murders. She eyed Fuin for a moment and walked right up to her, her voice loud and carrying in the hall, "Elf, if you were to murder someone tonight, who would it be? My vote is for Soreya, if you're taking suggestions... If any of you want to do me a favor, really!"

[Androthelm]

Shasta
Howling with the Wolves

The beasts descended on the unlucky Corsair, and his Odyssey came at last to an end and who would mourn him? He had no family left in Umbar, no sailors had accompanied him north on this fateful journey -- the people here? They had damned him. They had damned him. The Curse of Men was on him now, and as his body was rent the Corsair did not scream, but only cursed the cruel gods of the Sea and the South -- he was not ready to die...

...and, somehow, he did not. Perhaps it was the power of the Necromancer which ruled this place, albeit remotely. Perhaps it was the Witch-lord, whose favor he had come north to curry.
But Shasta did not die. Not all the way. In his final moments, as his spirit rushed out from his body it was caught and he, the free mariner of the whole western coast, he -- who had sailed south to the far capes of Harad, and was no-one's servant, no-one's slave -- he was caught.

As the sun set on the day of his death, Shasta howled -- and in the moonlight he wandered over the towers, wandered through the empty halls, crossed the open land of Angmar, and found himself trapped. He slipped through hard walls and saw the geometry of the world as he had never seen it before, learned more in an instant than he had in his entire life -- watched, with glee, as his accuser was slaughtered... And was trapped.

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy

Huh? I stopped in my tracks. Somehow the elf knew I was following her. This could have been because of a few reasons. One, I’m not actually as good at sneaking as a normal Hobbit, I thought because I was good at being a lava snake and sneaking about that I would be good at being sneaky as a Hobbit but well the evidence does not support that conjugation. Two, my stomach wouldn’t stop growling and that gave me away. That is also likely because… because I’m a Hobbit and I haven’t eaten breakfast or second breakfast. Seriously, this was bordering on cruel. I never needed to eat this much as a lava snake, why am I such a hungry, hungry Hobbit? Sorry, back to it. Third, maybe this elf leans on the 4th wall as much as I do to learn things I shouldn’t actually know. That must be it. That makes much more logical sense.

“My name is Jorgy, not Hobbit. I am a Hobbit though, definitely a Hobbit now.”

I stood up to my full, yet insignificant, height, puffed out my chest and put my hands on my hips in a defensive display (a hanger on from my lava snake days).

“Why do you want an alliance, eh? Do you think the bats are going to get you? They look scary to me too. I’ll trust you this once and give you a piece of advice.” I smirked here. “Don’t sleep in the belfry.”

Jorgy thinks Belisaria and Co. are the killee killees

[Lady of Shadow]

Orngor - Orc

"So, the she-elf is joining forces with the Halfling for some sort of protection?' Orngor almost broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter when he witnessed this. "If this Fuin character is really the one responsible for putting an end to the Silendris, it would make me shy away from her, not try to form an uneasy alliance. How does this Halfling know that she won't try to kill him in his sleep?" the trusted Orcish helper mused, though if he wasn't careful, he wouldn't be so trusted anymore, if this mission ended up getting him killed.

Orngor was starting to have second thoughts on who he first accused of being the murderer. The way the Silendris died didn't sound like something a she-elf would do, or perhaps it was, and although Khirra mentioned something about a kinslaying. the Orc doubted this was accomplished by strangling someone (or many someones in the case of the Silendris). "That's sounds like something an Orc minion would do," but since he wasn't about to turn on his own people (at least not yet, and since Soreya stuck up for him during the last accusation, he would let her be for the time being), "but since I have no proof of this, and perhaps because the only reason that someone would try to form an uneasy alliance with the one I originally pointed my finger at is because he has something to hide; I now accuse the Halfling known as Jorgy."

[Zôrzimril]

Belisaria & co.

A dead body was found. A dead body was found. A dead body was found.

May we eat the corpse? the colony shrilled at Yarltang. Belisaria would, of course, have her pick of the meat before any of the smaller bats got a chance, and she would start with the face as she always did. The bats wheeled about the hall in agitated excitement. But before they could descend in a flutter of leathery wings upon Silendris' body, Yarltang called the gathered crowd to order and bade them bring the true murderer in to answer for their crime. "Come back to me with better answers tonight!" he commanded, and the small group dispersed to do their snooping and spying.

At a thought from their leader, the cloud of smaller bats flew about, dividing into groups to follow the people through the streets of Carn Dûm. When evening fell, they returned and chittered their reports to Belisaria where she hung in wait from a great wooden beam in the hall.

Belisaria let out a cry to attract Yarltang's attention. Stretching a wide wing to point at Fuin, she declared in the language of bats and vampires, The elf is the murderer!

[corlisswyn]

Khirra
Haradrim

The day had passed, and throughout it, Khirra sat in the shadows, watching all of the remaining hunters. Something was odd in the air, and Khirra could feel it deep in her bones. She felt life in the air, but perverted and twisted and different. Or perhaps she was going a little mad. But she watched, she analyzed each of her competitors.

The one that caught her eye was Belisaria and Company. Not sure if they were hive-mind or individuals within a swarm, but they had eyes everywhere. But if they were not coming forward to declare a murderer, then perhaps their silence was actually a confession to the crime.
Khirra eyed the swarm, and as the evening came to a close, she stood out and called forth her accusation.

"I accuse Belisaria and Company of the murders! With eyes everywhere, she should have seen who did it! Her silence is a true testament of her guilt!"

[Lail]

Soreya, Haradrim
Soreya wasn't sorry to see the corsair die (Shasta). Pirates were such sea-scum smelling of salt and fish. But what a pity that Silendris had been killed. Soreya was sure they could have been a useful asset in the future. But the way in which they were killed...suggested that she was very wrong about the bats. It must have been someone else...but then suddenly her fellow Haradrim was asking people to kill her!

"If you want to see me dead, then at the very least give me the courtesy of trying to do it it yourself," she snarled at Khirra. "But I should not be surprised that you would get someone else to do your dirty work for you."

"Who here is short and slight enough to have done it without being heard by the victim?" she asked the others. "I agree - the murderer must be Jorgy." It was a whole new low to agree with an orc (Orngor ) but sometimes sacrifices had to be made.

(OOC @Lady of Shadow - Soreya is Haradrim not an orc sorry if that was confusing. No worries at all.)

[Fuin Elda]

Fuin shifted uncomfortably, she had been hoping that those that remained wouldn't turn on each other and make it so that the murder had less of a job to do. What was she possibly thinking with that. This was Mordor. She scowled at Soreya and the Orc who had accused the hobbit. She had said she would protect him as well as she could and now they were going to make it so that she had to do something she did not overly wish to do in order to keep her word.

"Strange advice with the belfry but noted." She said with a shrug to Jorgy "though the hobbit now part is quite interesting to hear I take it you were not always a halfling. Which is fine enough by me, that does not change my opinion."

She tilted her head to the side and looked over those that were gathered, after all everyone had now cast their votes. Personally she was not a fan of bats, they tended to be spies of the Enemy where she normally lived so while they could be useful when they weren't in leaguer with Sauron or Morgoth, in this case she was quite happy to make the call as it would bring them closer to finding the murderer, even if it was not in a way that she would have liked.

"I am going to cast my vote with Jorgy and Khirra. If Belisaria is not the murderer they and their swarm have been harmful to those that would find the murderer and so I accuse them."

[Moriel]

Yarltang surveys the group, hearing each of their accusations, slapping his warhammer against his palm impatiently. He rises from his throne and proclaims, "You have made your accusations known! By a narrow margin, Belisaria and her colony have been denounced by the most of you. Therefore, justice will be meted out in the only acceptable fashion." Yarltang turns around as though to face his throne, but lifts his face to gaze through the open roof of the Hall of Judgement. "Tezcacoatl!" he bellows, and with a great creaking of stones, the great purple-black dragon, ally of the Queen of Iron, appears, his head snaking over the roof's edge as one set of claws grasp its edge. "If you would do the honors?" The dragon seems to smile, his golden eyes gleaming in the gloom. The occupants of the hall scatter as he unleashes a great gout of flame, incinerating the cloud of bats instantly!

Well satisfied, Yarltang and the searchers retire for the night.

But they were all of them deceived...

Belisaria was NOT the murderer!

During the night, the murderer strikes again. They set out a buffet of poisoned bakery goods, hoping to attract the bumbling halfling Jorgy. But behold! The buffet was destroyed by a mysterious cloaked figure, and Jorgy passed by unharmed.

The Night-watchman failed to find the murderer.
Jorgy was SAVED by the Samaritan.

In the garish light of day, Yarltang surveys the group of searchers, now smaller by three, grimly. "Another failure. How many more of you have to die before you get this right?"

-------

A new round has begun! You may RP as much as you like between morning and night, but must return to make a final accusation, as is now outlined in the OP. Murderer, Samaritan, and Night-Watchman should now message me with their new choices.

@Zôrzimril you join the ranks of those no longer permitted to vote, but you may continue to post reacting to your deaths or/and as a ghost lamenting your fate or/and trying to convince others of who murdered you.

DEADLINE IN 48 HOURS

[Fuin Elda]

Fuin breathed a sigh of relief as aside from the bats they had all survived the night as had Jorgy so her mind was settled that the Hobbit even if he had been wrong about the bats was not the murderer. Just a simple, well perhaps not simple, hobbit that was doing the best he could. "I am glad to see that despite you're lack of a buffet you have managed to survived." She said calmly. At this point she had only two suspicions left. Khirra and Orngor. But which was it? there was as far as Fuin was concerned no good way to tell who it might be. and with Yarltangs comment she sat grimly. "I fear at least one more death will be required. If we are unlucky two." She paced the room trying to figure out some way to figure out which of the two she suspected was in fact the murderer. There was no good way to chose between them and she was not yet willing to make the choice, the former was devious and quick witted, easy enough to hide a murderous heart behind that. And the Orc, perhaps it was her elven prejudice but he was an orc. She was trying not to let that simple fact cloud her judgement after all chosing wrong would bring about an innocent, if one could call any inhabitant of Mordor that, death.

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy

Monsters! Vile beasts! Evil of the most foul! I thought I found a buffet, well I smelled it first and when I rushed toward the smell of scones, meatballs, hotroot soup, deeper’n’ever pie, pickled herring, sandwiches of every kind (Silas would have been so proud), it was all wrecked. Someone had wrecked a perfectly wonderful feast right out in the middle of the street in the creepiest city I’ve ever… ohhhhhhhhh! Was that feast meant to kill me?! I…. oh… oh man, oh elf, oh hobbit. This is, that was dastardly! The killer is still on the loose? It wasn’t the bats? I thought for sure those things wanted to eat my face. Maybe they did, but they weren’t the murderer. There were the two humans and the orc (two of whom actually accused me, ME, of being the murderer, crazy right? I’d never hurt anyone, not unless they were being mean to Pearl). Oh, and the elf. She said she was happy I was alive, but I thought I saw a twitch in her eye as she said it. Was she really happy I was alive? She knew I was hungry, maybe she set the feast of evuls. Though to be fair, everyone of them knew I was hungry. Drats! This was not going well, especially since I was still hungry. Where does one go for a bowl of oatmeal with butter and blueberries in Carn Dûm? Yes, I finally figured out the name of the place I was in and, even though that doesn’t help me understand where I am at all, at least I can say were I am. Dûm, Dûm, Dûm. I really like saying that. I think… oh my second breakfast Jorgy! Your life is in danger, how do you keep getting so sidetracked? Pay attention! Sil is counting on you to avenge them! And Pearl! What would Pearl of think of your constant buffoonery? She’d be so disappointed. Okay, sorry about that. I need to remind myself what’s at stake quite often, it’s a side effect of so many resurrections, I think. Okay, what to do. I needed to find the murder, they were already gunning (no those aren’t real, crossbowing?) for me. I was in danger. But who to trust!

[Zôrzimril]

Belisaria & co.

The bats swirled in a panicky cloud as the great orc declared them the accused. How dare you?! Belisaria shrieked. They were innocent! Eating the face of a corpse they had not created was no crime! Her colony echoed her cry and her question, their voices spiraling to a pitch beyond the bounds of mortal hearing.

The last thing Belisaria knew before she and her fellows were engulfed in flame was rage. As the ashes of the bats floated serenely to the ground, a drifting wind blew into the hall. The ashes swirled on the breeze and, among the tiny particles of incinerated bat, the atoms that had once been Belisaria moved and clung together, holding her consciousness intact for the time being. Although she could no longer eat faces, she would haunt these fools to their deaths.

[corlisswyn]

Khirra
Haradrim

Khirra called out to Soreya. "You aren't worth my time killing, Soreya. Once I find the murderer, you will be insignificant. Though you've vexed me enough over the years, I wouldn't mind seeing you dead, especially if I convinced the murderer to look at you as their next victim!" Khirra huffed and stormed out of the room.

[Lail]

Soreya, Haradrim
If there was one thing she hated, it was being wrong. Now it seemed she failed to identify the murderer not once, but twice, and the bats were dead. But Jorgy was still alive and therefore, quite possibly, still the murderer.

Her dark eyes trailed Khirra as she left the room. But it couldn't be her. Unless the woman had picked up some new skills since the last time they met. It was possible but not probable. To solve a murder, one had to explore all avenues. Which meant looking past prejudices. Maybe not all orcs were stupid and Orngor could be one of them.

Meanwhile, the elf (Fuin) was pacing the room and seemed not to have noticed Soreya's presence. So much for her supposed magic! Soreya decided to take the opportunity to slip out after Khirra and find out just what she was up to here in Angmar.

[Moriel]

Yarltang surveys the group, severely disappointed. He does not bother to rise. "None of you," he growls, in a low voice that nevertheless fills the room, "have seen fit to make an accusation! Do you think the murderer has gone?! I suppose we shall find out."

Yarltang and the searchers retire for the night.

During the night, the murderer (who has not gone) strikes again. Relying on the bumbling halfling to value his stomach over logic, the murderer again set out poisoned baked goods.. this time they remained in place, and the temptation was too much for Jorgy. He devoured them all, and in the morning, his bloated, purple-faced corpse was found on the steps of the Hall of Judgement.

The Night-watchman failed to find the murderer.
Jorgy was not saved by the Samaritan.

In the garish light of day, Yarltang surveys the group of searchers, now smaller by four, grimly. "You fools cost another searcher their life for no reason."

-------

A new round has begun! You may RP as much as you like between morning and night, but must return to make a final accusation, as is now outlined in the OP. Murderer, Samaritan, and Night-Watchman should now message me with their new choices.

@Vampire Bob you join the ranks of those no longer permitted to vote, but you may continue to post reacting to your deaths or/and as a ghost lamenting your fate or/and trying to convince others of who murdered you.

DEADLINE IN 48 HOURS

[Silky Gooseness]

IN MEMORIAM JORGY

The sweetest Hobbit lad that ever was,
Although his point of origin was strange,
As were his habits: that was just because
he’d gone through quite the odd, alarming change;
His skills of adaptation were immense:
From slithering about upon the ground
To chasing cats and opening presents
A new career in Hobbiton he found.
Alas: the taste for baked goods he acquired
Became his downfall: Underash was slain
Most cruelly by those devils who conspired
But can our Jorgy cheat foul Death again?
Who knows in what new shape he will arise,
To catch the villain right before our eyes...

(@Wamba_the_Fool: made it a sonnet for u)

[Wamba_the_Fool]

(( !))

[The Good Hunter]

Jorgy

Didn’t expect that did you? Neither did I. I mean, I should have. Looking back at things now as a disembodied spirit, I really messed up here. Falling for the same trick twice? Well that’s just the worst. I’m ashamed of myself. If I weren’t already dead, I would die of embarrassment. Either this killer is exceedingly clever, or they’re exceedingly lazy. It’s remarkable how often those two coincide. I bet if Belisaria were around (and wasn’t busy eating faces) she would say that laziness begets cleverness. And I don’t know about you, but I am not about to argue with a bat that can eat faces. I thought for a while about how I wanted to approach this. I thought about telling you how I choked on the bread and turned all different shades of purple but I thought against that, being as I am a Hobbit (even as a disembodied spirit, I am absolutely still a Hobbit) and that would be far to gruesome and upsetting to hear from a Hobbit.

I failed you Sil, I am sorry, wherever you are, I hope you can forgive me. I was overcome by my love of baked goods and my complete lack of self-control. Perhaps when this is all over, we can reminisce over a sandwich or two, it will be my treat.

For now though, I need to figure out how to be a Hobbit again. I thought about resurrecting again and becoming something different (maybe next time I could be a Balrog!) but I really liked being a Hobbit. Everyone should try if they get the chance. And there’s Pearl. What would I do without Pearl? She really is the greatest in the whole world and I owe it to her to be a Hobbit for as long as I can. So if you’ll excuse me, I have some semantics to sift through to see if there’s something I can use to come back and be a Hobbit.

Come by my house for elevensies! Everyone is invited. Except the murderer. They aren’t invited.

[Lail]

Soreya, Haradrim
There should be a pattern to a string of murders such as these. But it was frustratingly unclear to Soreya and she had been wrong a second time now that Jorgy was dead. He did not kill himself unless he choked to death on all of those wretched baked goods. She stepped over his body, littered with sugary crumbs, without a second glance.

Khirra had done absolutely nothing of interest when Soreya pursued her, not even so much as swatted a fly. She should have known better. The woman was harmless, if vindictive, and the list of suspects was growing thin. Thinner every day she failed and every day she was a step closer to becoming a victim herself.

“Well. It is down to one of you.” She leered at the others and narrowed her eyes at the elf (Fuin) in particular. “It seems I was blind not to see it before. Any she-elf such as yourself who wanders into a place like this is cause for suspicion. What is your business here? Where were you last night?"