Venefyxatu

Yui : I'm quite sure that Achib has more stuff than just 12 books with him ... most likely some more books and several magical items. *leans back in his imaginary leather chair, making the leather creak as he puts his fingertips against each other in an evil kind of way* I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse ... Seriously, though, I think I can do another book, so consider yourself signed up I was also thinking about having Achib use the opportunity of the Carnival to earn some extra gold. Essentially, my QQ thread would also become my carnival booth thread. Could you (or anyone else with the necessary powers) change the subtitle of the actual thread to something along the lines of "QQ and Carnival booth" ? I think that this answers Tanny's question as well - feel free to use the thread for roleplaying, both related to my QQ and the Carnival. If you're inspired, don't hesitate to use Achib in your posts either - he's the typical corrupted, cowardly Oriental vendor you see in so many movies; every single one of his magical items is somehow corrupted, and in order to get as much gold for it as possible he'll surround them with mystery, stories, and powerful properties that are not necessarily present. If you don't feel confident writing him, don't worry - I'll drop by often enough to have him offer items to anyone in his tent, or to write out his reactions should they be required. Oh, also : thank you whoever added the stickyness!

Have a safe (and good!) trip! And come say hi if you happen to find yourself in Belgium ... I know this place with internet access, and I'm sure I can disconnect myself from my keyboard long enough to give you some internet time as well

~Items~Quarterstaff : it has one sharpened end, so it can be used for stabbing as well as hitting. Of course, it makes for a nice walking aid as well whenever necessary. Bow : your regular longbow, used to shoot your regular arrows with ... Wooden Wyvern sculpture : this was a gift from Tanny. Aside from helping him focus his mind to mindspeak with any creature linked to earth, it also allows him to mindspeak with Tanny without having to link to earth.

And so it begins ... I've been rolling some percentile dice (and got some funny rolls - quite a lot below 10, two 89's in a row, twice a 20 ... how often do you see that? ) and divided who's going to get what kind of book. You don't have to do anything yet - I'll contact you and I'll know where to find you ... all of you

Finally he saw it : the Keep rose up before him, impressive in its size and sheer beauty. Even though the sight alone would've been worth the weeks of travel, the thought of getting to sell his books and maybe pick up a few magical items while he was there were what kept Achib going. Pulling at the rope he'd tied to his camel, he started walking again. “Come on You Stupid Animal IV. It's not far anymore, and I'm sure they will have a good resting place for camels as well. It looks like a very very very very nice building and I'm sure I will do some good business there. At the very least you won't have to carry those books anymore, unless of course they are not interested in them.” Later that day, some Pennites watched as a strange figure entered through the front gates. An extremely tall man, wearing a bright purple robe and a turban in the same colour (with a huge feather on top of it) was pulling along a camel which seemed to be carrying his luggage. The man's skin had a copper hue, and he had a black moustache with drooping points. Just as he was about to approach a Pennite, Venefyxatu shimmered into view before him. With a nod, he greeted Achib, not paying attention to the camel which seemed to be quite uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Welcome to the Mighty Pen, Achib. I hope it wasn't too hard to find?” “Oh nonono, it was quite easy, really. We only got lost once, but that was because You Stupid Animal IV absolutely wanted to go right where we should've turned left.” Venefyxatu frowned slightly, but let it pass. “Ehh, I see. Say, I take it you're anxious to get set up. I've prepared you a spot – you prefer a tent, right?” “Yesyes, tents are much much better to do business in sometimes.” “Good. You got here just as the Carnival is getting started, so I've set up your tent near the other booths on the beach – maybe you can do some other trading there as well. Come, I'll show you.” Achib, his camel and Venefyxatu went through the portal and arrived at the beach. Venefyxatu guided Achib to a small tent that had been set up and offered to get some refreshments. While Achib entered the tent that was set up for him and started unpacking, the necromancer shimmered out of view again. When he emerged from the tent quite some time later, it was with a slight grin on his lips. He looked at the sign posted outside the tent, nodded, and wandered off to have a look at some of the other booths. Achib's Magickel bo0k Shoppe. Now open. OOC : I'll be using the sign-up thread for any OOC purposes.

*signs on another line* I can't decide, not even with eenie-meenie-minie-moe, so I'm entering both Stephen Hascodem and Venefyxatu. Lord Panther : usually you get more than 2 days time for activities like this, don't worry

Edit : Character description is posted, and it's right there \|/ too ... Purple ninja edit : House correction Karen of Minobee Katelyn and Karen of Minobee, identical twins, have long hair the color of molten silver that glints and sparkles in the sun. Both sisters usually wear it braided and adorned with tiny jewels (blue/green/grey shades for Katelyn, red/orange/yellow for Karen). They have milky-white skin, and dark-blue eyes - the color of the sea during a storm - that can become as clear as peridot-green when they're angry. Katelyn is a minor mage, with skills in simple enchantments and illusions. It's a public secret that Karen has a fascination for dagger-throwing. The latter also has some magical ability, but not as much as her sister. In their demoness forms, both sisters are tall, with pearl-white skin, piercing violet eyes, and a mane of copper-red hair that cascades over their shoulders. Their skin is covered with thousands of tiny, perfect scales - Katelyn's glowing sapphire-blue, Karen's glowing ruby-red. The only way to tell them from each other in their human forms are the jewels in their hair, and in demon form the color of their scales.

A small, cloaked figure hops into the Cabaret room. Bouncing up and down a few times in front of a table to gain speed and altitude, it launches itself straight on top of the thing. After yelling some random stuff for a few minutes to ensure it has everyones attention, it starts making more and more sense. "Groceries baffle wardogs during hyperspace hopping and now that I have your attention I would immediately like to redirect it to someone else. Thanks to this bird ... man ... crowboy!" The figure coughs for a moment, then goes on. "Thanks to this Crowboy, dearest Pennites, the events on the splendid Carnival I see coming up will be wonderfully coordinated! Give him a round of applause on this very special day for him, and make sure that a certain lizard does not run off with the event-geld!" With that being said, the cloaked figure hops off the table towards Nyyark, careful not to be squashed, and hugs his foot. "Happy birthday!" OOC : Happy birthday Nyyark!

Written in collaboration with Wyvern. Thank you mr. Employer! Stephen smiles. "A good thing Scarlot happened to be near the portal when we came back, don't you think?" "Yeah, if we'd had to close it ourselves the Pen would've been stuck with an Orcish army trying to tear it apart. I would've led them straight to Wyvern's office, though. Speaking of which ..." "Taaannnnnny!" Tanuchan cringes as she's interrupted by an all-too-familiar almost dragonic voice. "And Ssssssstephen! So wonderful to see you two again." Stephen and Tanuchan watch as Wyvern jumps from his seat at a stand near the portal. The two adventurers notice the cartoonish cardboard depictions of themselves, and raise their brows as the lizard approaches. "I missed you so muuuuch!" The lizard gives each of them a quick greeting hug. "These spin-off products have been selling great, you should have seen the crowds!" "Spin-off products?" Stephen stares at Wyvern with a glum expression. "Well sure." The lizard sneers. "The Pen has been going Tanuchan/ Hascodem crazy as of late. Why, Degenero Angelus even bought seven of every Tanuchan product." The adventurers stare speechless as Wyvern backs up and extends a claw. The lizard's friendly tone changes to a cold and formal one. "Speaking of selling products, where's the geld that you two made off of my Almost Dragonic Brand Lemonoaid? Probably the easiest geld you two made in all your life, wasn't it?" "Well..." Tanuchan frowns. "We don't have any Lemonnoaid geld for you, Wyvern. It was lost when we-" "No geld?!" The lizard bares his teeth and throws his hands in the air. "No geld?! You came back through that portal, and you didn't bring me any geld?!" "That's right." Stephen rubs his temple. "Well, you can get outta my sight." Wyvern turns back to his booth. "And to think Sssalinye actually wanted me to pay you two for this mission. Ha! Was better off just selling the spin-offs." Stephen and Tanny stare at each other, dumbfounded, as Bravery the Elder Dwarf directs them to the door whispering that it might be better for them not to be around Wyvern for now. It's just when they're already in the Courtyard that their voices seem to find them again, and both speak at the same time. "I can't believe what..." "I didn't hear what I think..." To the surprise of the Pennites inthe Courtyard, and to themselves, both start chuckling, and in seconds they're roaring with laughter. "And we thought... " "Such fools... " "Wyvern, paying us... " "We were dreaming..." After some minutes, wiping tears, both try to leave as discreetly as they can, still giggling. Tanny changes then to her wolf form and, howling, bounds to the forest followed closely by Stephen. Stephen hands Tanny her plate, featuring a nicely roasted rabbit with herbs, and receives from her a glass of juice decorated with something that, after touching, he recognizes as a small wyvern sculpted in wood. "This is quite... well made," he whispers in surprise, running his fingers on its smooth surface. "Did you carve it?" "Yes. It's yours... " He frowns slightly, wondering why his companion would choose to give him such a reminder of their mission. Then, by now used to her ways, he extends his senses into the sculpture. And as he suspected, he feels the faint touch of earth in it. "I've woven your pattern into the wooden threads, reinforcing it with a good measure of earth. It will help you to focus your mind in the right level for mindspeaking with any creature who has any link with earth. And my pattern is there also, so we'll be able to mindspeak even when you aren't linked to earth." She smiles warmly. "Thank you for being my partner, for saving my life, and for making me laugh and have a good time in spite of that lizard." Once again, Stephen was at a loss for words. Then he smiled widely. "And thank you, too, for the same things as well as for trusting me." Still smiling, he sips his juice. And in half a second splutters and coughs, and if he could he'd be glaring at Tanny. "Lemonade?!?" "It won't poison you, Stephen... I did it with the best lemon you'll find nearby. No Almost Draconic ingredients there!" She laughs, keeping away from his hands. "Sorry, Stephen... couldn't resist. But should we prepare our little surprise for our lizard-boss?" She grins as she thinks of their plan again. Grinning just as toothily, Stephen answers, "Aye, I think so. I take it you have everything ready?" "Yes, and he deserves it doubly so with that Revival Campaign™ of his he's been setting up in the Cabaret room." Tanny's smugly smile matches Stephen's. After some days resting in her cottage, far from Orcs in general and one lizard in special, they feel quite refreshed. Those two days had also been profitable in talk, laughter, and a brilliant plan to relieve their stress. They leave the cottage for a quick dive in the lake, and then sit on its margin talking about energy flows, magic, and illusion. Lunch is provided by Tanny's hunting skills and Stephen's ranger knowledge, and so another day goes on. Later that night, half-concealed by the lengthening shadows, Tanny and Stephen step calmly into Wyvern's office. Closing the door, Tanny quickly starts putting together several manniquin limbs, threading them with strands of earth energy. She tugs at one tag, tearing it away with a grimace - it reads Tanuchan Limb Puzzle. Meanwhile, Stephen is spreading out the Almost Dragonic Brand Stephen Hascodem Queensleave Smoke Wraps on the ground around Tanny's construction. "Tanny ... could you weave something that makes a spark when Wyvern enters?" She thinks for a moment before answering. "Well ... fire isn't really my specialty, but with some flint and steel I could probably make a trap that'll send sparks flying when he opens the door. Do you think that'll be enough?" "Oh, yes ... it shouldn't become a bonfire. I don't want to roast the lizard, just smoke him a little." Tanny can't suppress a grin as she answers, "Awww ... but roasted lizard sounds de-li-cious!" They both chuckle, and Stephen leaves to get his flint and steel. Not much later, he returns with it and the trap is set. The Almost Dragonic Brand Stephen Hascodem Blind Men Canes support the entire construction, and the Almost Dragonic Brand Tanuchan Gaia Spy Action Figures are ready to start randomly moving through the puzzle as soon as it collapses to add to the confusion. After surveying their work for a few moments, the two shadowy figures leave the Office and the Keep grounds silently, headed for the forest where they'll await the morning surprises. The next morning, Wyvern barges into his Office on his daily routine. The overgrown lizard carries a sack of geld behind him, labeled "Perfect Sell Spin-off Product Profits." "Melba, clear out the Office I gotta-" Wyvern cries out as sparks begin flying out in all directions. The Almost Dragonic Stephen Hascodem Smoke Wraps begin filling the room with smoke, and Wyvern flails blindly till he collides with a large Almost Dragonic Brand Tanuchan Limb Puzzle. Flailing about in the puzzle, the reptilian Elder cries out as the Tanuchan Brand Gaia Action figures tear a large hole in this geld bag. The gold coins drop to the floor and roll towards a large crack that has been formed in the floor. "Nooooooooooooo!" In a moment of frustration-induced strength, Wyvern jumps towards the crack, carrying the entire limb puzzle along with him. The lizard careens left and right, aiming his claw for the crack. Blinded by the smoke that fills the room, Wyvern manages to stick his claw into the crack just as Tanuchan's earth energy seals it shut. "Arrrrrgh!" Wyvern pulls at his claw to no avail and coughs. "Somebody get me outta here!"

Ayshela : you showed up just in time to make the deciding vote The roles were divided as follows : Seer : Quincunx / Billie Jo Pike Cupid : Mynx / Mary Lovers : Sweetcherrie / DJ and Mynx / Mary (as if you didn't know yet ) Wolves : Dragonqueen / Irene and Ozymandias the Elder / Richard Braggins Modding this was harder than I thought it would be - especially living up to the end-of-phase deadlines I think the only thing left to say is this : a big Thank You to all of you for making the Vault come alive. I really enjoyed it!

After a few hours of darkness, everyone who was able to seemed to have gathered in the big dining rooms. Even though most didn't like admitting it, nobody liked being in the dark in the Vault - it reminded too much of a tomb like this, especially with the deaths occuring lately. People were talking quietly, but whatever the subject, most conversations drifted towards the murders and, of course, speculations. "Kyraine doesn't seem to care very much." "Always in that laboratory ..." "... wonder what she's doing there." "Mr. Braggins?" "Yeah, they say ..." "But he won ..." "And what does that prove?" "... wants to go outside." Robert McDullough had a splitting headache, and he had also heard enough. He was sick and tired of these murders, he was fed up with it continuing even though he already had two people locked up, and he was pretty sure that Kyraine was only trying to help. Together with two of his Security guys he made his way through the darkness to where he could hear Richard's voice. "Richard Braggins, come with me. I have a feeling the killing will stop if I lock you up." The writer got up, angrily, and made as if to come along. With a sudden gesture, though, he grabbed a knife from the table and lunged for Robert. His two Security guys were alert, however, and didn't hesitate. Two dry shots sounded, and the writer sunk to the ground, sighing. "No... Irene ... I only wanted ..." The crowd in the dining room was silent as his unconscious body was dragged to the secure rooms. After that day, there were no more killings. The Vault door remained closed. OOC : Ozymandias / Richard was the second wolf ... congratulations to the villagers! Check the OOC thread for more details on other roles.

As Venefyxatu came to take a look at the paper, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the twelve spots were already filled. Curling the corners of his lips slightly in something resembling a grin, he notices the last traces of ink from Salinye's name settling in at the bottom of the list. "Achib will be happy when he sees this," he mumbles to himself. Passing YanYan on his way back to his rooms, Venefyxatu gives him a friendly nod before going on. OOC : Yay! 12 sign-uppees! (is that a word? ) That means I've got no excuse anymore to put off starting the actual QQ instead of only having a sign-up thread ... one of these days I'll really make the introduction post

This doesn't look easy, but it'll be an interesting challenge. Count me in

A small cloaked figure starts bouncing as Cheermynx announces that vegetables are allowed to take part as well. In its excitement, it starts poking random bystanders and asking questions without waiting for the answers. "Vegetables? Did she really say vegetables?" "Excuse me mister, did you hear that as well?" "Missus? Can vegetables really take part in this?" "Ehh, could you gimme a hand, oh, never mind!" Excitedly, the cloaked figure bounces a few times to gain speed and altitude, and then launches itself right onto the booth next to the clipboard. Tiny arms are stretched and wrapped around the pen, and the figure starts running around excitedly, holding the pen against the paper at certain moments. When it puts the pen back down, another name has been added to the list. "Tom Atoe"

~Placeholder, for now~ One thing that has to be mentioned : Tanuchan created a portrait for Venefyxatu - and a piece of art it is!

As far as I can be the judge of it, I like this poem - the sad theme as well. I hope I'll never end up in that situation though

A poem requested by and written for Arwen.

Here we go again! Player Character Katzaniel Cook (deceased - second Wolfkill ... open it!!) Sweetcherrie DJ (deceased - first night's kill) Mynx Mary (deceased - first night's kill ... open the door!) Tanuchan Kyraine Morgan MeThinksUFoolish Chuck (Samuel Barnes) Patrick Durham John Doe (gone NPC) Ozymandias the Elder Richard Braggins dragonqueen Irene Taylor (locked up - first lynchee) Quincunx Billie Jo Pike (locked up - second lynchee ... who's this desperate?) Akallabeth Irwin Ayshela Melinda Oops ... looks like I forgot to update this last time

The next morning, there was chaos for breakfast. The kitchen helpers were unable to get themselves organised, and since Cook was nowhere to be seen to create some order, most peoples stomachs stayed empty. When one of the braver assistants went to Cooks quarters and knocked on her door, he got no answer. Afraid of what he'd find, he didn't open the door himself, but instead went to Security. By the time he came back with a worried-looking Security officer, a crowd had gathered around the door, wondering what would be found. The Security officer got even more worried from everyone staring at him, but despite the shaking hands managed to get the door open. The scene in Cooks room looked similar to that in Lennys – only here there was no grammophone stuck on one spot of a record. Cook was lying in her bed, her unseeing eyes staring at the ceiling, the biggest knife in the kitchen still stuck in her chest. From the broken furniture it was obvious that she'd put up a fight, but obviously it hadn't been enough to save her. The Security officer quickly closed the door again and sent someone back to Security to fetch Robert McDullough. He was in charge, he'd know what to do... When the latter came to, he immediately took charge. “You. You're one of the kitchen assistants, right? Get yourself and the others back to the kitchens, you're in charge now. Make sure breakfast is served within half an hour.” The assistant gulped but left the scene, taking with him the rest of the kitchen staff. “All the rest of you, get back to your quarters and stay there until breakfast is served. I don't need an audience here! Go on, go!” It took some more insisting, but eventually the crowd was dispersed and Robert could enter Cooks room calmly. The first thing he noticed was that there was another text scrawled on the wall. No food, no life, no Vault. Open it. OOC : The night brings the death of Katzaniel/Cook. Better find the killer(s), or get that door open It's now day phase. In 48 hours, there will hopefully be enough votes to lynch someone ...

Robert McDullough sighed. Even though they had a suspect locked up, there had been another kill. Two kills even! But what did that mean? That he was wrong, or that there was more than one killer? Could he take the risk and set her free again? No! After all, releasing her would harm his reputation more than keeping her locked up, guilty or innocent. And thank God, the secure rooms were ready by now. He'd have her transferred there immediately. And she'd have company, too, although not in the same room. He'd been picking up more rumours, and the latest was that Billie Jo was behind it. With a sigh he rubbed his chin – a tiny part of his mind was kicking him, and screaming that he shouldn't believe them, that he should lock people up based on results, and evidence, and other things like that. With an irritated grunt, he got up and called some of his men. Robert McDullough had made a decision. The two groups arrived more or less at the same time at the secure rooms – Irene's eyes flashed towards Billie Jo and back to her own fingers. Billie Jo didn't acknowledge her, but instead tried one last time to convince her escort of her innocense. “Look, why would I go around killing people? I can make a living here, I've got no reason to want out that badly. Besides, Jake, you should know I've got an extra income, too” Jake's cheek got a little red and he looked away uncomfortably. “Yes, I do, and I never really thought it was you, but ... you know, mr. McDullough gives orders and I have to follow them ...” His voice trailed off under her gaze, but Billie Jo resigned herself to it. “All right, lock me up then.” As she was ushered into the room, Jake slipped her a pack of cigarettes with a whispered, “I'm sorry.” Then the door was closed. OOC : The random numbers were not in favour of Quincunx / Billie Jo Pike Feel free to keep posting though, as long as you don't influence the others! (do I still need to say that? ) It's night phase. Special roles, you have 24 hours to pm me your targets! As always, no voting or speculations ...

The person above me has me wondering about several things, which could probably be answered with some searching. One of the things she makes me wonder is whether this thread was made to die because too many people were missing the aim of the game. The person above the person above me is not only a poet, but also a wonderful person to write roleplay with, and has a character that uses elemental energies.

The person above me has a fiery bird, but not a fiery fox...

Current player status : Player Character Katzaniel Cook Sweetcherrie DJ (deceased - first night's kill) Mynx Mary (deceased - first night's kill ... open the door!) Tanuchan Kyraine Morgan MeThinksUFoolish Chuck (Samuel Barnes) Patrick Durham John Doe (gone NPC) Ozymandias the Elder Richard Braggins dragonqueen Irene Taylor (locked up - first lynchee) Quincunx Billie Jo Pike Akallabeth Irwin Ayshela Melinda Let's see some more voting this time eh?

The corridors of the Vault were already empty, but someone was still walking through them. Her footsteps were echoing off the walls, and the sound got into some of the air vents where it kept echoing, weaker every time. Yet when it reached DJ's ears, it were not weakened so much he didn't recognise the sound. He'd been sitting on his bed because he couldn't sleep, pondering exactly how boring this Vault was, but he sat up straight now. Those footsteps! Why was his English Rose walking around at night? Quietly he slipped into his clothes and snuck out of his bedroom. His parents were already asleep, fortunately, and he had no problem getting out of their quarters. Hurrying after the footsteps, he had a good idea of where she was going – but what would she want to do in the kitchens at night? Had she forgotten something? He quickened his pace a bit, and started running flat out when the footsteps suddenly stopped. As he came closer, he could hear gagging sounds. With his heart racing as quickly as his feet he turned the last corner, only to see someone dropping her dead body to the ground. With a scream coming straight from his heart, DJ launched himself at the killer who was temporarily surprised by the furious and unexpected attack. The killer recovered quickly, however, and ran into the wall, making sure that the young assailant took the full hit. With a grin, the killer heard DJ gasp for breath and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. “You had to show up at the wrong moment, didnt' you? Too bad for you, I can't have any witnesses here.” Three times DJ was slammed against the wall, and after that the now dead body was dropped to the floor, next to Mary's. The killer was long gone by the time the bodies were found. OOC : The night's kill was twofold : Mynx / Mary and Sweetcherrie / DJ did not survive to see another day. It is now day phase. You have 48 hours (more or less ) to make another attempt at finding the killer.

Patrick : glad to see you're still posting Just a note to everyone : since Patrick said he'd be unable to post for some length of time he has, obviously, not received a Special Role. And another note : since I have to go soon the night phase will be extended until I'm home. As soon as I get home, however, I'll be switching to day again! I wonder how many phases will actually have their proposed length