The Tiger General's Rebellion [Courtiers Win!]

[Caeli]

It was clear from the start that Minister Xandi's early accusation had set the tone for the remaining members of the imperial court. Suspicious eyes followed Minister Saffron as she strode through the imperial compound, proclaiming her innocence - but without a strong supporter, and with so many fingers pointed against her, Saffron found herself unable to do anything but leave some last words amidst the surviving officials.

She almost seemed to expect it when she heard a knock to her door, and was surprised instead to see two servants instead of two frightening assassins. She was seated in the receiving hall of her room, calmly sipping a cup of tea; and, preoccupied, she didn't think anything of the pot of tea that the servants replaced before they left again.

Death came quickly; the poisonous, tasteless powder that had been dissolved in her favorite strong brew of tea leaves was nothing if not swift. But alas, Minister Saffron was only a courtier who had only loyalty in her heart. The green jade pendant clasped in her hand was the only calling card of the Wolves of the Wind, who grieved at yet another innocent's death.

• aymelekT - Wei spy, died in battle against the Dragon General
• Beguile's Mistress - Courtier, killed by the Wei spies
• FallenAngelNajdan
• Iejir - Wei spy, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Imogen
• Kurzyk - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives, killed by the Wei spies
• LadySky - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Mithlomwen
• Remiel
• Ryven
• Saffron - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Stattick
• Valerian - Dragon General, died protecting an innocent against the Wei spies
• Xandi

There are 3 Courtiers, 1 Minister of the Treasury, 1 Wei Spy, and 2 Royal Twins remaining.

Are you sure you know who is innocent, and who is not? :-)

Wei spy, please PM me at your earliest convenience with your choice of victim. The next round shall commence shortly.

[Caeli]

Though the loyalists had struck a heavy blow only two days ago when two Wei spies had been caught out and eliminated, it didn't seem as though the remaining courtiers had any idea who the last Wei spy might be; and to make it worse, nobody knew who was masquerading as a courtier, but was in actuality one of the royal twins. Neither had revealed themselves as of yet, and nobody knew if their battle was silent, or being fought in secret.

Regardless, the days looked to be numbered for the innocent members of the Court. In the morning, Remiel was found in the armory, a bloodied sword still loosely held in one of his fists. He had tried to fight back, but unfortunately, he had lost.

• aymelekT - Wei spy, killed by the Dragon General
• Beguile's Mistress - Courtier, killed by Wei spies
• FallenAngelNajdan
• Iejir - Wei spy, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Imogen
• Kurzyk - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives, killed by Wei spies
• LadySky - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Mithlomwen
• Remiel - Courtier, killed by Wei spies
• Ryven
• Saffron - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Stattick
• Valerian - Dragon General, died in a fight against the Wei spies
• Xandi

There are 2 Courtiers, 1 Minister of the Treasury, 1 Wei Spy, and 2 Royal Twins remaining.

The fifth day has begun. Will the lone Wei spy be able to make a comeback after all?

[Stattick]

The next day, Stattick lit another candle, this time for the loyal Remiel. He spoke quietly to the departed spirit of better times that they had spent together, and set the candle adrift on the pond, another soul lost to the strife in the court. He returned to the court, and quickly drank some wine to give him courage for what he wanted to say.

"I am afraid we have lost another loyal friend last night... and obviously, there is still a spy in our midst. With no evidence in hand, we must choose another of our members, by supposition and intuition, and pray that we choose better today then yesturday.

"I cannot get Ryven's words from last night out of my head, and think that he might have been on to something. I too think that it's suspicious that FallenAngelNajdan voted for Kyrsa after she revealed herself."

"Do not think that you have evaded suspicion, FallenAngelNajdan.  If I recall correctly, you were one of the few who still voted for the later Minister Kyrsa after she had come forward.  That seems quite odd to me."

[Autumn52]

FallenAngelNajden

Xandi afraid to speak just placed her vote, written out, in a stack with the other official votes.

[Imogen]

Imogen meditated on the small terrace overlooking the Lotus Pond and thought of how its dark, mysterious surface resembled the starry sky with all the light adrift between the flowers. She folded her hands in her lap and thought of the fallen and living alike. Too many had died to treacherous hands; but they had found several of the guilty and justice had been served. And still the danger was not past.Speculating in silence, Imogen remained seated by the pool until the sound of voices drifted across the water. She rose and crossed the wooden bridge towards the speakers, folding her hands in the long, draped sleeves.

"I agree." She said quietly. "It was suspicious, but... " Imogen hesitated and looked at the many glittering lights, quiet testimony of their former errors. She mustered her courage and took a deep breath. "I'm not too sure the guilty would have drawn that kind of attention. Yet...." She mused, "it would have gone unnoticed if not for Ryven." Her eyes flitted to the main house and she bowed her head. "Stil, I wonder if the last traitor isn't rather someone quiet and careful not to draw attention. I have always considered Mithlomwen a clever and resourceful woman. Her silence in these past nights worries me."

[Mithlomwen]

Mithlomwen regarded Imogen thoughtfully and bowed her head respectfully.  "I can assure you my good lady that it is not I that is the traitor amongst us, a fact that will be proven to all of you ."  She said quietly.  "I shall place my vote on FallenAngelNajden." 

[Ryven]

"I shall also place my vote on FallenAngelNajdan"

[Blaed]

As the votes started to come in, he started to become saddened.

"I see that my voting as of late has made people think that I am one of the spies. But if you remember, I have voted for one of the spies in the past. If that does not show that I am not one of the spies, try and remember all my voting, and who I did vote for. You will see that I have voted on my own accord and not with the people that we have come to see as spies.

"Stattick has my vote. If my death does nothing more then show that I am not a spy, then so be it. But my blood will be on your hands, and I will curse you all of killing me."

[Ryven]

"If I recall correctly, you never voted for either of the deceased spies at all.  In fact, one of the previous days, you voted with Iejir who we know to be a Wei spy.  I'm afraid you look no less suspicious to me."

[Caeli]

Current Vote
The courtier with the most number of votes will
become a target of the Wolves of the Wind, who, lacking
orders from the Emperor, are attempting to eliminate the
last Wei spies by listening to the suspicions within the Court.

• FallenAngelNajdan (5) - Stattick, Xandi, Ryven, Mithlomwen, Imogen
• Stattick (1) - FallenAngelNajdan
• Mithlomwen
• Xandi
• Imogen
• Ryven

Yet To Vote (0):

Ghosts
These individuals are no longer able to serve
the emperor, due to treachery or to unluckiness.
One turn comprises of one day and one night.

• Loyal Supporters of the Emperor of China
  
  • Courtiers [5/7]
    
    • Beguile's Mistress - killed by Wei spies (Night 1)
    • Kurzyk - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 1)
    • LadySky - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 2)
    • Saffron - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 4)
      
    • Remiel - killed by Wei spies (Night 4)
  • Ministers [1/2]
    
    • Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives; killed by Wei spies (Night 3)
  • The Dragon General [1/1]
    
    • Valerian - died protecting someone against the Wei spies (Night 2)
  • Royalty: The Loyal Twin [0/1]
    
• Traitors
  
  • Wei Spies [2/3]
    
    • aymelekT - died in battle against the Dragon General (Night 2)
    • Iejir - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 3)
  • Royalty: The Traitor Twin [0/1]
    

[Blaed]

"That same vote that you speak of, Remiel voted with us, are you saying that he is a Wei spy as well? Because your proof that you have that shows me as a spy is very weak. But I have no fear of dieing to prove that I am not a Wei spy."

He looked around at all the people in the court right now.

"But, if you want to use voting with the spies that have been revealed, then you must be a Wei spy as well. In the first vote, that put Kurzyk to death, you vote along side aymelekT and Iejir, both of the spies that we have found. So, what do you have to say to that?"

[Ryven]

"It was the first vote, and no one knew the information that we know now.  You'll notice later that I began to vote with Kyrsa who we know not to be a Wei spy, yet you continue to blatantly go against this information."

[Imogen]

Imogen shook her head as the words shot back and forth and dipped a light bow towards Mithlomwen in apology. "I know it makes no difference, but I believe you and wish to show this by changing my vote to FallenAngelNajdan."

[Blaed]

"It was the first vote, but, I did not vote with the two known spies. And your "facts" that I am a spy was that I voted once with a known spy. It just seems that your wanting to see what you want to. But that is fine. My life for the Emperor."

"As I leave the court, I want everyone to remember these words. You might not be the one that pushes the blade into my heart, but my blood will be on your hands. Don't think that you can wash clean of this act. How many of our people that were not spies have you put to death? I have never been in the winning vote, so I don't have any blood on my hands. Just remember that."

He leaves the court, and goes to await his fate.

[Ryven]

Ryven laughed loudly before calling out as FallenAngelNajdan left the room.  "Only one, and I've already said I would carry their blood on my hands until I am dead.  We shall see your true allegiance soon enough."

[Caeli]

As FallenAngelNajdan paced his room later that afternoon, waiting for the Wolves of the Wind to come for him, an unexpected visitor came, armed with a pot of tea and two cups. Unsure of why someone who had clearly been siding against him wished to chat politics while he was waiting for his death, FallenAngelNajdan reluctantly stepped aside and allowed her in.

The courtier left, and he was left alone again. Not long after he had begun writing some poetry on a fresh scroll, one of the Wolves of the Wind entered. FallenAngelNajdan stiffened, but he stood, unwilling but ready to assume the fate that his fellow courtiers had given him.

But at that very moment, Mithlomwen stepped into the room. FallenAngelNajdan, surprised to see her after their earlier conversation, could do nothing but stare. She, however, wasted no time in pulling out a pendant of the darkest green jade, carved with a kilin - a unicorn that symbolized longevity for a royal child - and showing it to the Wolf of the Wind, who was utterly in shock at the interruption. She smiled serenely, waiting for the man to kneel at her feet and greet her.

"This man is an innocent member of the Imperial Court," she proclaimed. "There will be no more innocent deaths - at least, not this day."

• aymelekT - Wei spy, killed by the Dragon General
• Beguile's Mistress - Courtier, killed by Wei spies
• FallenAngelNajdan
• Iejir - Wei spy, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Imogen
• Kurzyk - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives, killed by Wei spies
• LadySky - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Mithlomwen
• Remiel - Courtier, killed by Wei spies
• Ryven
• Saffron - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Stattick
• Valerian - Dragon General, died in a fight against the Wei spies
• Xandi

There are 2 Courtiers, 1 Minister of the Treasury, 1 Wei Spy, and 2 Royal Twins remaining.

Due to the Loyal Twin's use of her ability, revealing FallenAngelNajdan to be innocent, there will be no death via the Wolves of the Wind today.

We have entered the fifth night. :-)

[Caeli]

The setback didn't discourage the lone Wei spy from the spree of killings the three of them had begun. That night, careful to avoid the pathway that passed by Mithlomwen's room, the last Wei spy carefully slipped into another of the rooms along the corridor.

The next morning, it was Minister Xandi whose body was cold and still.

The numbers of loyalists had decreased by one yet again, and it was becoming unclear as to whether they would be able to eliminate the last of the Tiger General's supporters from the imperial court.

• aymelekT - Wei spy, killed by the Dragon General
• Beguile's Mistress - Courtier, killed by Wei spies
• FallenAngelNajdan
• Iejir - Wei spy, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Imogen
• Kurzyk - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives, killed by Wei spies
• LadySky - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Mithlomwen
• Remiel - Courtier, killed by Wei spies
• Ryven
• Saffron - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Stattick
• Valerian - Dragon General, died in a fight against the Wei spies
• Xandi - Minister of the Treasury, killed by Wei spies

There are 2 Courtiers, 1 Wei Spy, and 2 Royal Twins remaining.

Day six, everyone! :-)

[Imogen]

That evening was the first in many that Imogen did not light a candle before her nightly meditations. She sat at the pool's edge and smiled pensively at its tranquil surface. Today had brought no sorrow, but joy. Not only had a loyal courtier been rescued, the rightful heir to the throne had revealed herself. Thinking that now, at last, she knew who to trust Imogen rose to rest for the night, praying to the small altar inside her chambers that she might live through this night. The morning brought sad news, as Imogen had come to respect Xandi's judgement and she postponed her visit to Mithlomwen to dedicate a candle to the brave Minister.

After performing the sad task, Imogen went in search of the Princess. She bowed and folded her hands within her sleeves. "Your highness, within this court there are few that I can safely trust. You have proven without doubt the honesty of Minister FallenAngelNajdan, and your own status is beyond question. I have my suspicions as to the rat hiding in our midst, but I would value your opinion."

[Mithlomwen]

Later that evening when everyone had convened again, Mithlomwen looked around, her gaze fixing itself on Stattick.  "I have had my suspicions of you for quite some time now.  I believe you are yet another one of the traitors among us." 

[Ryven]

"I will also vote for Stattick."

[Blaed]

He walked back into the court, and after last night, he thought that he would never see it again. He looked around, and just about wept at just how many people of the court have been claimed by this spy conflict. Even if they got them now, the spies would still have won, having weakened them past repair.

"I will have to say, that in light of what has been said and looking back, I still have my thought about Ryven being a spy. But, that could be just because he was the main person that started the vote that would have killed me. I will put off my thoughts of that until later. But right now I am going to vote for Stattick because that is one that I have a clear head about.

[Stattick]

Stattick burned a candle for Xandi at the pond before coming to court.

Once in the court, and having heard how nearly everyone had voted for him in his absense, Stattick merely nodds. "I am not the remaining spy. I'm just a simple courtier... but I cannot condemn you for voting for me, if that's your desire. I will put what I believe to be my final vote on who I do think is the spy, Ryven. When the night has passed, and the spy strikes again, remember what I said today."

Stattick then sits with those that have condemned him, and says, "If I'm to be executed by your orders tonight, let us have one final meal together then..." Stattick raises his glass of wine and offers a toast, "Let us drink to our friends, companions, and fellows that we worked so closely with for all these years, those that are still with us, and those who have recently departed. Let us drink also to the health of the Empire."

[Caeli]

Current Vote
The courtier with the most number of votes will
become a target of the Wolves of the Wind, who, lacking
orders from the Emperor, are attempting to eliminate the
last Wei spies by listening to the suspicions within the Court.

• Stattick (3) - FallenAngelNajdan, Ryven, Mithlomwen
• Ryven (1) - Stattick, Imogen
• FallenAngelNajdan
• Imogen
• Mithlomwen

Yet To Vote:

Ghosts
These individuals are no longer able to serve
the emperor, due to treachery or to unluckiness.
One turn comprises of one day and one night.

• Loyal Supporters of the Emperor of China
  
  • Courtiers [5/7]
    
    • Beguile's Mistress - killed by Wei spies (Night 1)
    • Kurzyk - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 1)
    • LadySky - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 2)
    • Saffron - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 4)
      
    • Remiel - killed by Wei spies (Night 4)
  • Ministers [2/2]
    
    • Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives; killed by Wei spies (Night 3)
    • Xandi - Minister of the Treasury; killed by Wei spies (Night 5)
  • The Dragon General [1/1]
    
    • Valerian - died protecting someone against the Wei spies (Night 2)
  • Royalty: The Loyal Twin [0/1]
    
• Traitors
  
  • Wei Spies [2/3]
    
    • aymelekT - died in battle against the Dragon General (Night 2)
    • Iejir - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 3)
  • Royalty: The Traitor Twin [0/1]
    

[Imogen]

There was a rough decision made today, and Imogen paced the gardens restlessly. There was no doubt in her mind who the traitors were, but would they claim a last victim before their final demise? Stattick was guilty as sin, that was beyond question. But the question was not if he was guilty, the question was.. what was he able to do. Would his death bring the much desired peace? Or would Ryven be the one secretly laughing and sharpening his blade for a final strike? Who was the assassin? She had believed it to be Stattick, but Ryven's vote made it all too easy... It made her look at the two again and, a deep sigh upon her lips, she stepped forward. "Stattick, I declare you a traitor to the empire, but I am not sure I believe you capable of stabbing in the dark. You are simply not quiet enough to pull something like that off." Her eyes turned to Ryven. "Therefor, Ryven, to ensure that no one else shall die, my vote shall go to you."

[Caeli]

With the opinion split yet again, the Wolves slipped out of the banquet hall one by one, meeting up again with Minister Hong to make another hard decision. If they killed wrongly, even in the name of the empire, it would almost surely mean the end of the dynasty, and mark General Wei's successful usurpation of the throne.

But the will of the remaining ministers had been clear; many of them were sure of Stattick's guilt. So, later that afternoon, when Minister Stattick was alone in the Royal Archives (for now unattended but for a single guard at the entrance, since Minister Kyrsa's untimely death), the Wolves of the Wind again swept in, did their work, and left, leaving his body to be found by the guards.

However, it seemed that the nightmare that had begun only a scant week before was now ended - for Minister Stattick had been a Wei spy. A search of his rooms after the discovery of his death (with the red pendant that marked his guilt prominent over his chest) turned up a small bottle that, upon inspection, turned out to be an antidote for the poison that had been given to the Emperor. Thankfully, it seemed not to have been too late; after a night of supervision, the imperial doctors pronounced the emperor weak, but on the road to recovery.

With her last ally eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind, the traitorous Lady Imogen disappeared from the imperial palace before she could be found out by the Wolves of Wind, and to inform General Wei that he no longer had any support in the capital - all of them were dead, or had long since left. There would be no coup d'état from within; any efforts to overthrow Emperor Zhang would be another story to tell, it seemed.

• aymelekT - Wei spy, died in battle against the Dragon General
• Beguile's Mistress - Courtier, killed by the Wei spies
• FallenAngelNajdan
• Iejir - Wei spy, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Imogen
• Kurzyk - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives, killed by Wei spies
• LadySky - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Mithlomwen
• Remiel - Courtier, killed by Wei spies
• Ryven
• Saffron - Courtier, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Stattick - Wei spy, eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind
• Valerian - Dragon General, died protecting an innocent against the Wei spies
• Xandi - Minister of the Treasury, killed by Wei spies

There are 2 Courtiers and 2 Royal Twins remaining.

Story Recap

Day 1
During the close voting, Xandi, the Minister of the Treasury, bribes a eunuch to find Beguile's Mistress' role.
Kurzyk is chosen for elimination by the rest of the Court, after a close vote between he and Xandi.
Valerian, the Dragon General, chooses to protect Xandi.
Kyrsa, the Minister of the Royal Archives, researches Xandi, revealing that she is not a Wei spy.
Beguile's Mistress is killed during the night by the Wei spies.

Day 2
Valerian and Saffron contact each other, trying to guess out the traitors.
LadySky sends out a plea to many of the players, trying to get the vote changed.
Xandi contacts several players, including all of the Wei spies and the traitor twin, pleading innocence and claiming a special role.
Xandi openly claims a special role in the game, as does Kyrsa, resulting in more vote changes.
Stattick and Imogen manage to convince Xandi of their 'innocence'.
After some heavy debate and vote-changing, votes between LadySky and Kyrsa are tied; LadySky loses by a roll of die.
Valerian chooses to protect Kyrsa, after examining the fallout of the votes.
Kyrsa spies out Iejir; he is revealed to be guilty.
The Wei spies elect to choose Kyrsa as their victim.
Due to the Dragon General's special ability, aymelekT, a Wei spy, is killed during the ensuing struggle, as is Valerian.

Day 3
Kyrsa is openly targeted by early votes. She contacts several players, including Imogen and Stattick, hinting at a special role.
She then claims openly to be the Minister of the Royal Archives, and reveals Iejir's guilt.
Remiel contacts Xandi, attempting to form a pool of information.
Enough votes are swayed that Iejir ends up being eliminated, leaving only Stattick (spy) and Imogen (royal twin) as the remaining guilty parties.
Without a protector, Kyrsa is targeted during the night by the remaining Wei spy.

Day 4
Xandi's early accusation leads to a strong following of votes against Saffron.
Saffron is eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind.
Remiel is targeted by the Wei spy and the traitor twin during the night.
At this point of the game, there are four loyal courtiers vs. two traitor characters.

Day 5
An overwhelming vote threatens the life of FallenAngelNajdan, led by Stattick and Xandi.
Mithlomwen, the Loyal Twin, uses her special ability and saves FallenAngelNajdan, revealing their innocence.
After discussing their options, the Wei spy decides to do away with Xandi.
At this point of the game, there are three loyal courtiers vs. two traitor characters.
One more death of a loyal courtier would effectively end the game, with a victory for the traitors.

Day 6
The choice is mainly between Ryven and Stattick; the remaining loyal courtiers elect to vote for Stattick.
With only the Traitor Twin (Imogen) remaining, the Tiger General's supporters lose, as the Traitor twin does not have the special ability of eliminating players during the night segment.
The loyal courtiers of the Zhang Dynasty win, with three players remaining!

Player Roles
Thank you for playing, everyone.
I hope you guys enjoyed this Chinese-flavored mafia game. :-)

• Loyal Members of the Imperial Court
  
  • Courtiers
    
    • Beguile's Mistress - killed by Wei spies (Night 1)
    • Kurzyk - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 1)
    • LadySky - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 2)
    • Saffron - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 4)
    • Remiel - killed by Wei spies (Night 4)
    • FallenAngelNajdan - revealed to be innocent by the Loyal Twin (Day 5)
    • Ryven - is never seriously targeted or suspected
  • Ministers
    
    • Kyrsa - Minister of the Royal Archives; killed by Wei spies (Night 3)
    • Xandi - Minister of the Treasury; killed by Wei spies (Night 5)
  • The Dragon General
    
    • Valerian - died protecting someone against the Wei spies (Night 2)
  • Royalty: The Loyal Twin
    
    • Mithlomwen - saves FallenAngelNajdan and reveals her role (Day 5)
• Traitors; Supporters of the Tiger General
  
  • Wei Spies
    
    • aymelekT - died in battle against the Dragon General (Night 2)
    • Iejir - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 3)
    • Stattick - eliminated by the Wolves of the Wind (Day 6)
  • Royalty: The Traitor Twin
    
    • Imogen - believed to be innocent by many loyal courtiers, and is never seriously targeted