[Town victory] Vanilla Mafia!

[Namohysip]

Totally Vanilla Mafia (Newcomer Friendly Edition)
​

Player List:

Altair [Galarian Yamask] (Inkedust)
Anti-Bravoman "Anti" xxDarklord99xx [Human?] (Windskull)
Astrid [Alolan Ninetales] (TheGOAT)
Bartholomew [Rotom in a yellow 3DS] (Equitial)
Clovis LeClair [Human] (Sinderella)
Ebony [Houndoom] (Chibi Pika)
Ferry [Lucario] (kyeugh)
Hana [Human] (Flyg0n)
Hazel [Type: Null] (Shiny Phantump)
Jean Ambrose [Vulpix Pokemorph] (Dragonfree)
Kent [Dracomon] (AbraPunk)
Mike [Human] (Homestar!)
Pixie [Alolan Vulpix] (Persephone)
PNS-NT [Porygon-Z] (Bench)
Porygon [Porygon?] (Bluwiikoon)
Reme [Gardevoir] (Fusion)
Salem Weir [Purrloin-human morph] (unrepentantAuthor)
Sparkleglimmer [Sylveon] (SparklingEspeon)
Steven Stone [Steven Stone] (Panoramic_Vacuum)
Wesley Lycas [Human] (HelloYellow17)

--​

More and more people trickle in to the dry, airy, grassy meadow. Aside from the fields, the place is completely featureless. The skies are a clear blue; no trees, no bushes. Only grass as far as they could see. It was eerie, in a way; unnatural how natural it all seemed. In everyone's possession--in their hands, paws, or data files--was the same letter. It described the game, how it played, and said to hang onto that letter--as soon, it would morph to reveal what powers they held, if any...

The wording was frank and to the point. It looked like it had been handwritten by someone. It had the slightest hint of brimstone to it.

We are currently in the "Day Zero" pre-game phase! No players have assigned roles or alignments yet, but feel free to roleplay your character exploring the environment, meeting other people, etc.

This phase is entirely optional and has zero mechanical relevance to the actual game, so if you'd rather sit out, you can simply wait for the start of the first phase to be announced.

The start time of the first proper phase will depend on how long it takes me to complete setup, but I am currently aiming for 11:59 PM on Sunday. One way or another, the start of the first phase will be announced about twenty-four hours in advance.

 

[Namohysip]

The night was quiet... and pitch-dark at some point, as if all sense, not just sight, had left them. Except, for some... there was more.

--

He slept fitfully, and awoke in the middle of the night.

Of course he awoke in the middle of the night. He'd kept to himself yesterday, for the most part, but what little he had said was obviously enough to betray his sharp deductive skills. His physical prowess spoke for itself. It was only natural the imposters among them would gun for him first. He'd have done the same, in their place.

Before they could seize him, he snapped to his feet and fell into a fighting stance, fists raised in front of him. "Show yourself, coward," he growled, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "Fortunately for everyone else, you chose the wrong person to mess with. Let's wrap this up quickly so the rest of us can get back to our lives." No one lunged forward at him—no surprise there, seeing as they were surely a spineless craven, after all.

"I warn you, I will not go easily," he boasted, whipping about in hopes of catching his attacker standing there. Still, nothing. He stepped backward slowly, tail swishing behind him. "I will fight for the honor of my people to my last breath. I will defend the ancient ways. I will wield the old ancestral magics and strike you down without hesitation. Approach cautiously, for I will—"

Something swept his legs out from under him. Ferry seemed to fall backward in slow motion, grasping at the air as he did. "Wait," he cried, "I didn't even get to—"

He wasn't able to make out his foe before tumbling into the portal behind him and disappearing into its bowels. Then he was gone, and the air was still and quiet again.

--

SFBINFECVJNBWCINGDCBKNBMANZAGGLEGIKNFDCHOLNESCHONGEXVUPORYGONETUJMFESVIKNRXVJJ0FHKNF10GHN0110ER1010100001111110000000

Fatal error. Unable to commence startup process.

The fizzling and buzzing slowly ceased, and a Porygon-Z was tossed into another portal. Seconds later, it closed, leaving nothing but signs of a brief struggle behind.

--

A somber, quiet atmosphere filled the air this time around. The group emerged not in a field this time, but instead a great cave complex after the night had fallen into complete and utter darkness. When light finally returned, streaming weakly through holes in the rocky ceilings, they counted eighteen strong. Two had been eliminated.

After they all entered the central cavern, Diyem tossed two letters on the ground for them all to see.

--

PNS-NT was eliminated. They were innocent.
Ferry was eliminated. He was innocent.
Night 1 will begin in 48 hours.

(Thanks to kyeugh and Bench for the death flavor!)

--

Diyem stood by, sitting in the corner of the caverns to watch with an impassive stare. "Perhaps now," he said, "you will see that this ritual is not merely a game. No matter where you look and how thoroughly you search, you will not find them. They have been claimed."

(Note, if anybody did not get any role messages from me, feel free to let me know privately! This is a big game and my first time hosting, so I might miss someone.)

 

[Namohysip]

--

It was strange, this nighttime nothingness. While it didn’t feel like sleep (not that he could sleep now even if he wanted to), it did feel like dreaming. Still, it was precious time. Time that could be spent well. Thinking, reading. He looked down at the letter in his hands. His own handwriting covered the margins around the writing of their “gamemaster”. Notes, theories, reads, it was all there; neat at first, then more and more chaotic as the game progressed.

He was trying to decipher a particularly haphazard section when a chill fell across the nothingness. It started at his feet and coiled its way up his legs in creeping, icy tendrils. Startled, he glanced down, and a grim smile made its way across his face.

“Ah, of course.”

The portal beneath where he stood grew larger. Thick, dark ribbons of magic poured out and wound around his body, trapping him. He didn’t struggle, there was no point. He’d read the letter, he knew the rules.

A little part of him was disappointed to be leaving so soon. It was a magnificent cave. But he had a role to play in all of this. His only hope was that he’d played his part well.

Steven closed his eyes as the portal dragged him down.

"My only regret is, perhaps, not knowing if I've done the right thing."

--

The air was thin and snow fell in gentle sheets. The sky was a blotchy gray. Everyone's breath came out in thick clouds of fog. Far below them was a summit that fed into thick haze that obscured its true base, and all around them was a great field of white that glowed orange with the rising sun.

Diyem held in his hands a single letter, which he tossed to the ground with the same unceremonious gesture as before.

Steven Stone was eliminated. He was innocent.

Night 2 will begin in 48 hours.

 

[Namohysip]

A sound made him tense. So they'd come for him after all. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised - leaving him alive was a huge risk, but with the rest of the town ready to scrutinize him, he'd wondered if they'd take the risk. But despite being unsurprised that they had come from him, his heart raced anyways.

It was futile to fight back, but he was a hero. It would be unbecoming of him not to try. Now or never. Just as he’d rehearsed in his head. He just hoped it was intimidating.

“I knew you dark-hearted villains would come for me eventually. It was only a matter of time.” He kept his back turned, biding his time, listening for a shift of movement. When he heard none, he took a deep breath and continued.

“During the day, you sew the seeds of discontent. Turn the innocent on each other, find ways to make us look suspect. Then you pick off the most threatening while they sleep. That’s why you’re here, right?”

Again, no response. His hand trembled as he reached up and pulled on his glove. A click echoed in the darkness.

“Well, I’m not going down without a fight!”

Spoiler: He was ready

He swung around, holding out his arm. Own hand was nowhere to be seen. Instead, what appeared to be some sort of blaster glowed with red energy, the same color as a glaring pair of eyes. A red beam shot out towards his attacker...

...only to pass through harmlessly. Then he remembered. The Bravo Blaster only worked on nameless enemies.

For just a second, he glanced towards the sky, as if glaring at the guardian that thought it would be fun to bring him here. Who thought it would be funny to make him do something useless. "Ok, seriously?! Thanks a lo-"

--

Beach time!

A bright sun struggled to peek through overcast skies. Compared to the cold air of the day before, this was a pleasant change of scenery--perhaps a little too pleasant. Diyem... appeared to be nowhere to be seen at all. Gentle waves crashed over the shoreline. In the distance was a mountain--could it have been their mountain from before?--whose summit went high above the clouds.

There also seemed to be a great leviathan flying toward them just below those gray skies.

"Hello!" the monster called, looking like a purple, skeletal dragon with a swirling core of energy in her open chest. She landed weightlessly despite her gargantuan size; on her forehead, like it had been taped there, was a letter that fell to the ground.

"Diyem isn't here right now, so I'm substituting in. Um, welcome to the ritual! I hope you've been having a fun--er, terrible time! My name is Eien. I'll be running this for now. Um, it seems that your friend was taken to Hell. I'm sorry." She bowed her head. "I'll try to help as much as I can for this ritual to complete!"

Anti (Windskull) was eliminated. He was Innocent.

Night 3 will begin in 48 hours.

 

[Namohysip]

The spear haft hit the ground, and Salem's ears flattened back against her skull, her hands flying up in a useless defensive posture. As the chains began to emerge, tears welled up in her eyes.


"N-no, it's too early! I was going to help figure it out! I'm clever, I promise, I'd help make a good game, I can be worth it–!"

[[I'm sorry, but this really is the end. There's no way out.]]

Salem reached out for her nearest allies, but there was no saving her now. The chains tethered themselves to her, ethereal and yet unyielding. The time for a chance of that had passed, and with it went the last of her composure, tears streaming down her face from wide, frightened eyes.


"No! Please, I don't want to go! I'm... I'm scared! Someone help me! Please!"

[[Be brave, sweetheart. Sacrifice in this game won't be the end for you. I'm sorry there wasn't more I could do for you. You did so well, kitten.]]

Salem clutched at her upper arms as the chains dragged her away, and closed her eyes against the horror.


"...It's okay. At least someone called me their friend and wanted me around. That's what I wanted most, anyway."

--

They appeared in a completely abandoned mansion. Dark wood furniture was untouched by time and people; a gentle fire crackled eternally in the back of the room. Plates with no food neatly lined a central table. Yet despite all of its regal splendor, there was a tense atmosphere that would never go away.

Eien was hanging around out one of the windows, too large to fit in the dining hall properly. One of the windows was open, and she, carefully, stuck her head in to drop a new letter. Because, indeed, they lost yet another of their own...

Salem (unrepentantAuthor) was eliminated. She was innocent.

Night 4 will begin in 48 hours.

 

[Namohysip]

Another night passes...

--

Hana jerked awake with a start, heart racing. Even before she saw the chains, she knew.

They'd come for her. She'd thought she would have more time, to solve this, to figure things out. She was so sure she'd been right, that she could really make it to the end. But she'd gotten ahead of herself again. Still, she'd fought a good fight, hadn't she?

She stood up, calmly, stoicly. If this was to be the end, she was determined not to cower or hide. She wanted to be the sort of trainer Raga would be proud of. The creak of the chains echoed through the darkness. They tightened around her wrists, tugging her toward an unknowable void. Fighting was futile. Wishing or praying or fleeing would all be meaningless. That was just how the game worked.

But there was one thing she had.

Hope. Hope that whatever allies of hers remained, they would fight, and win. Win for everyone who'd died. And faith. Faith that in the end, the truth would be known.

Then, before the chains could drag her away, she walked forward into the void.

--

The void was always quiet.

Kent found it incredibly lame how he was basically locked away in jail for… some amount of time, until everyone was teleported into some random environment and told to use their brains.

The one thing he was never good at. Enzo would have been much, much better at this.

Kent sighed as he waited for the "day" to come.

Then, there was a shift in the air, as though something was nearby. He instantly became aware of his surroundings, or lack thereof. This could only mean one thing.

"So! Finally realized how dangerous I am, huh?! Good for you! Maybe now you'll have an easier time killing everyone else." He said to… whoever was there, if anyone was.

"Come on, coward. Show yourself!" He instantly launched a volley of shadowy projectiles. They all scattered and went off in different directions.

He tried again. And again. Each time, the projectiles would go everywhere.

Then, there was a slight humming noise, and Kent found himself staring at one of his own projectiles.

"Oh, shi--" Was all he managed to say before it rammed into his torso. A bone cracked, and throbbing pain coursed through his body.

He doubled over and barely had time to glance up before he was hit with the rest of his projectiles. They pelted him mercilessly.

He was thrown back by the force of all the projectiles, and fell through a portal that had been opened behind him.

--

Gravity felt much weaker here. Around them all were stars and, by some merciful miracle, an atmosphere to breathe in. There was a bright, faraway star that might have been the sun to their left, and to their right and all around were more tiny specks of light. There was still a concept of 'down' as, looking that way, the planet was far, far below them. An invisible ground gave them something to walk on, which flashed with light in a gentle pulse like water any time someone took a step.

Eien stood there like usual, fidgeting nervously. "Um, well, I suppose you know how this goes by now..."

Two letters slowly, slowly drifted to the ground.

Hana was eliminated. She was Innocent.
Kent was eliminated. He was Innocent.

Night 5 will begin in 48 hours.

 

[Namohysip]

Ebony didn't sleep that night. What was the point? She already knew what was going to happen, and it didn't bother her anymore.

It had been fun, at first. She'd gotten to feel smart. She'd been a good dog. Lots of people had told her that. She should have felt good about that. The point of playing games was to win. Winning wouldn't make her feel very good, though. Not when it meant making friends and then getting rid of them. She didn't want to play anymore.

Maybe she'd see them again. Team Experiments. Maybe they'd be reunited, and they could play a better game, like Jean said.

It was the best she could hope for.

--

Little wisps floated around them in this new, misty terrain. The ground was a soft, damp texture, somewhere between dirt and mud, but mostly grass. Blackened, wet trees with drooping leaves towered over all of them in this ominous, abandoned, lifeless glade.

The cool air suggested, incorrectly, times of peace and tranquility. But, as it always went, the day had passed with one fewer person there to accompany them. Eien floated above them, passing the letter forward. "Well, um, I suppose you know by now what to do..."

Ebony has been eliminated. She was Innocent.

Night 6 will begin in 48 hours.

 

[Namohysip]

Wes snapped awake in an instant.

He couldn’t see much in his isolated dark void in the night, but he didn’t need sight to know they were there. The hairs rose on the back of his neck and he whipped his dagger out from under his coat.

They’d finally come for him. He knew it had been only a matter of time.

He raised his knife with a snarl. If they thought he was going to come quietly, they were going to have one hell of a time—

Or maybe…he could accept this.

He paused at the thought, then slowly lowered his blade. Things weren’t over yet, but they were close. Very close. And he’d done everything in his power to help the survivors.

For once, Wes could say he was proud of what he’d done.

But what about Neo and Novo? He even though of Rui, and of how upset she would be to find him missing. And yet…despite the ache in his chest, he knew they would be fine. Neo and Novo could live out their days peacefully in Rui’s hometown and finally get the happiness they deserved.

He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved at that, or bitter at the thought that the only thing standing between them and a peaceful life had been…him. He opted for a little bit of both.

He could have sworn he saw dark, shadowy chains reaching out for him, but it was hard to be sure of anything in this blackness. With a deep breath, Wes raised his head, squared his shoulders, and said quietly, “All right. Let’s do this.”

And with that, he walked into the dark’s waiting embrace.

--

Dry, bitter, red dust slowly drifted throughout the landscape. Withered, black trees loomed over them, several stories high and several arm's lengths in width, with twisted branches that reached for the sky with gnarled fingers.

"Goodness," Eien said, looking between them. "Only five of you remain, now... I'd like to congratulate you for getting this far. But I do not think there is much more for me to tell. Continue, then. Here you go!"

Another letter fell...

Wes has been eliminated. He was Innocent.
Night 7 will begin in 48 hours

[[Special note: if at least 75% of the players elect to end the day early, and more than 24 hours remain in the phase, and no other night-extension rules are in effect, the day will end early. In this case, 4 of the 5 players will need to agree to end the day early.]]