VAU: The Tale of Ivana Hoompalotte - Game Thread

[Cromenon]

Once he finished scrubbing himself clean, Carlos walked to the table, and without a word started to fill his plate with bread, fruits and some other things not touched by Duality in his earlier performance.

He started to eat and between hungry bites (the day before he didn't eat almost anything) he managed to say to no one in particular
"Be cold blooded, people. Our... hostess" the last word spat with rage "can deprive us from our clothes, but only ourselves can deprive us from our dignity. Our..." he looked intently at Duality, "...humanity."

He took another bit and continued:
"Alas, we have to remember that there are still vampires amongst us... and our votes so far have been spectacularly bad-aimed..." He stopped eating, put the plate aside, and crossed his hands on the table. "Time is running up..."

 

[Raizi]

(To Carlos)

"Why don't people just say out loud what they mean if they have something to say? Surely at this point we don't need to keep nodding and glaring and hinting and whispering? Just speak your mind, if you have something against me!"

After a short pause, Duality grabs a piece of chicken from his plate and carefully tries to chew it on the undamaged side of his jaw.

"We are to use our votes to scour the vampires from our midst and we have not been too successful in it, that's true. But still, I'd advice voting against someone who is the most likely vampire, not against the person you find the most irritating. Today the Doctor has been quiet, I wonder what he's thinking about all this, usually he's been the first one to speak out his mind when we wake up."

After a few mouthfuls of awkward chewing, Duality sets the half eaten chicken leg back on his plate.

"Truthfully speaking, seeing as the death toll took two humans last night, I wouldn't exactly put money on my odds to survive the night, but I want to make one thing perfectly clear."

Duality gives a quiet look to everyone in the room.

"We started this about twenty five strong and only two vampires have been found. Now only eight guests remain and of their standings, I know only my own. The truth is I believe most of you left are vampires so I don't exactly give a rat's piss about your dignity. "

Pointing towards the charred remains in the center of the room, Duality continues:

"As it is clear you have no understanding what the word means. If the vote doesn't get me tonight, one of the vampires here will kill me for certain."

Turning back towards Carlos

"You can save your motivational speeches to someone who cares. I apologized from the ladys because I felt I offended them with my jab about the Doctor and his... well... physique. Other than that, the only thing I regret is the vote against Wilhelmina. I will throw no accusations at this point as I have no better knowledge. No-one, anyone or everyone of you can be vampires for all I know."

 

[Feast4Crows]

Dr. von Ungeheuer pours himself a brandy and sits down at the table.

"I must apologize for my apparent inattention, I've been attempting to discern who else has been acting suspiciously, but can't seem to remember anything of any use."

He glances about at the food arrayed at the table and places some choice slices of ham into a plate and begins eating. Around mouthfuls, he continues, "It seems to me that those who have acted the most like we would expect to be vampires, have simply been humans and our paranoia has prompted us to persecute them. I suspect we all have some mannerisms that could be seen as fiendish to others. I think it likely that the monsters amongst us have been content to sit back, let us condemn each other, and do their work for them."

 

[Cromenon]

Carlos glared at Duality and replied:
"In one thing we think alike... everyone's nature have been so erratic that we cannot be sure who is, or may be, a vampire. However, you have been always very visible. You say that we should suspect of the ones that keep silent, yet at the same time you seem to make an effort to be as noticeable as you can be."

He paused for a moment, to stress the implications of his last words and then directly spoke them:
"If this is a planned strategy, I must say that it is extremely cunning."

He paused for another, longer moment. He was still seated, his eyes were cold and he was resting his chin on his crossed hands, elbows on the table.
"I must say that, even if you are not a vampire, your erratic nature may put us all at risk, and this is more and more critical now that our numbers dwindle so fast. I already stated this some two or three days ago, but now I find this critical. I am only being true to my feelings and reasonings. For these reasons, and knowing that I am the first one to vote, I must vote against you, Duality."

Vote: Duality - Raizi

 

[Raizi]

Looking at Carlos
"You are a very smart man, Carlos. It goes totally against my nature to strive to be the center of attention. Especially if I have something to say or want to find out how someone reacts to agitation. I am after all a jester, one of the best the Empire has to offer in fact. Therefore I am most accustomed to working in total silence, locked in a cell so I would not distract anyone else. I think perhaps the Doctor there or our deceased and gallant knight or even the priest-in-training would have been more suitable to perform as I have, don't you agree? Surely my actions were not befitting for a fool?"

Shaking his head, Duality slumps down in his chair and looks really tired.

"You know, I'm not sure why I try to explain myself to you, there perhaps is no point in it anymore. As I tried to approach this by logical means - and I must add, I am a most logical person - I came to the conclusion that a vampire would benefit the most by acting mildly, appeasing everyone and not drawing attention to itself, so the voters might look elsewhere. By your thinking I knew that and tried to use it to my advantage, hiding in plain sight. But when you start that mindbend, when can you actually stop? When the paranoia gets hold, you start to suspect double and triple bluffs. The paranoia got me in few votes too, much too often. I searched for signs when there were none to be seen and now I regret some of the choices I've made."

After a short silence, Duality stands up and picks the silver coin from his plate and starts tossing it in the air.

"But I must admit, I think I've had as much fun as I could have in these circumstances. If it wasn't for me, you would have been exchanging dull pleasantries or sitting in tedious silence as the days go by. After I'm dead, you can hopefully continue to do just that, without my interruptions. Or whatever it is that you vampires do to pass the time between you, I really don't know. Or care."

Duality sits back and says quietly to himself, while rolling the coin around between his knuckles.

"It's not the dying that scares me, It's what happens afterwards..."

 

[Nelganis]

To Carlos
"Why automatically cast your vote at Duality? Aren't we all agreeing that the demons have most likely just sat back and have let us kill eachother?"

 

[Cromenon]

To Duality
"Perhaps I am not so smart as others..." he shot back with half a sarcastic grin "but nevertheless I will try to explain my reasons... again..."

Then he addressed Isaac and Duality both
"My vote has two reasons, as I explained before. One is, that the most proactive member against the 'silent' people is the one less discreet. This can (and does) raise my eyebrow, but... " he glanced at Duality, with the same half sarcastic smile "this may be expected of such an eccentric jester. How not!" He stood up, arms raised over his head as if realising something very important "Laughing, making jokes, and doing cartwheels over the table is the right thing to do after this gruesome events!" He waved at the ruin that was Lorenzo's corpse.

He sat back again, his face suddenly very serious and grim.
"This is not a joke, gentlemen. Not even if you are a clown." He said, a hint of disdain in his voice. "Our lives, I'll say it again, OUR LIVES are at stake. That's my second reason. This man is a potential danger to the group."

 

[Raizi]

To Carlos
"I will give you this one piece of education for free. You can consider it a favor from one fool to another."

Duality stands up, climbs on the table and takes an apple in his hand from the platter. He puts the apple between his knees, hops on a handstand and starts to walk on his hands back and forth on the table, keeping the apple between his knees and moving his ankles in rhythm as if walking on floor with his feet.

To Carlos
"I laugh the loudest when I'm the most afraid. It gives me power over my fear. I constantly trapeze over insanity and if I give an inch to my fear, I am overcome. My words and performance create my armor, but it's made of glass. It doesn't withstand direct blows, but it can blind or distract you."

He finishes his walk to the opposite end of the long table and presses down and bends his face forward so his chest touches the table, then he bends his back so that his feet come directly in front of his face. With one fluid motion, he continues to press his feet towards the floor, while snapping his back straight and lands on his feet on the floor, facing Carlos. As he stands on the floor again he picks the apple from between his knees and takes a bite.

"If something is used against me in the sole purpose to frighten me, to make me cower in fear and paralyze me, the best counter for it is to ridicule it. To make it lesser than it is. That is the true power of the jester. I shrink things and make them easier to handle. For myself and for everyone else. Now how is that a danger to the group?"

To everyone in the room.
"For fear is a paralyzing poison, and we don't have the luxury to wait for our fates paralyzed."

Duality proceeds to his place, massaging the sore side of his jaw as he goes.

 

[Cromenon]

Carlos stared at Duality during his show. None of his muscles moved, his eyes were pure iron.

He started to shake his head slowly and replied: "This is not a joke. Sane people know where the line lies." He said, in a calm, almost sweet voice, as if lecturing a child student.

He suddenly stood up, thinking. He started to walk slowly around the table, looking for turns at the other people still alive. the doctor, still seated, apparently calm; the (no longer) Masque, he studied her face a bit more, and he noticed the scars on her fit body; Ysolda, who was cleaning herself; Christof, who was standing near the table that covered Ysolda's body (he noticed the previous sidelong glances between those two); Alessandro, who had not yet spoken; Isaac, very discreet also from his part; and finally, Duality.

He finished his walk near Duality, and snatched the apple from his hands. He took a bite, savoured it, and tossed it back to the jester.
"Alas, I do agree with you in one point. Fear is death, and.... how did it go? Oh, yes: and we don't have the luxury to wait for our fates paralyzed. " He quoted. "Wasn't it?" He half smiled to Duality, leaned towards him, until his face was mere inches from the jester's and said very quietly: "I do agree with that." And he straightened back again and concluded. "That's why I have voted. That's why I think that you all should vote today."

He got back to his seat and added a remark, looking at Ysolda. "Even if some of you don't think that you have the courage, I think that this is the time..." He waved at the charred body on the floor "to find it and put it into practice."

 

[Raizi]

To Carlos

"You have proven yourself to be of the classic character. When you lose an argument, you begin to bully. Trying to prove your point with muscle when your wits fail you, eh? Fear not, that is a most common trait amongst the people that you can fit thirteen in a dozen. You are nothing out of the ordinary."

Duality gets back to his own chair and continues to eat the chicken from his plate. He also fills his glass to the rim with brandy and takes a deep sip.

"I hope someone else would add something to this conversation. Your lowbrowed rhetorics have made it clear we two have nothing more to discuss."

 

[Bravo_10]

*To Duality*

"You are perhaps the most interesting character I have ever met. Yet still, I'm afraid I must again levy my vote against you. You have been so active and so charismatic that you must be one of our assailants hiding in plain sight. Nothing is certain in this" -she shudders- "godawful game, but I feel that I must no longer remain silent.

"And do not be afraid of death, jester. It is an integral and inevitable part of life. We must all face our demise sooner or later, and to this date only Sigmar himself has been able to transcend his mortal remains. Death is simply the beginning of another chapter in the book of time. I, for one, have no fear of my end. When my time comes, which by the looks of things will be rather soon, I will regret the things that I was unable to do, but I will embrace whatever future lies beyond this world. The only thing I truly fear is....being set on display for the world to see."

Again, crimson suffused her pale cheeks, and she curled up slightly to avoid the multitudinous sets of prying eyes.

Vote: Duality - Raizi

 

[Feast4Crows]

"I have suspected others of complex schemes. Such as Erik with his pipe and while Kristof's behavior was odd, who would suspect a priest of Sigmar? Each time I have miscalculated and have been proven wrong. Perhaps Duality is manipulating us and, if so, has done a fine job. I must admit I have my suspicions about those who seldom speak or vote. I have no hard facts to support my theory, only a gut feeling. For now though, I feel I must go with this as logic has failed me this far."

Vote: Ysolda - Zephyr

 

[Raizi]

Whispering to himself, Duality pushes his fingers into his eyes.

"It's the only thing that slowly stops the ache, but it's made of all the things I have to take. Sigmar, it never ends, it works it's way inside. If the pain goes on, I'm not gonna make it!"

To Carlos
"Tell me the reality is better than the dream, but I found out the hard way, nothing is what it seems!"

Duality stands up.

"All I've got, all I've got is insane!"

 

[Zephyr]

Ysolda takes the few items from Christof behind the upturned table, face still red. "Thank you, sir. Forgive me for speaking my mind so openly" She tries to cover herself as best as possible with the few burned scraps but eventually just settles staying behind the table watching with an open mouth when Duality performs his "gyrocopter".
"Well...I say...".

She listens intently at the discussions going on and suddenly turns an even darker shade of red when she hears her name come up.

"Care to explain why, Dr. von Ungeheuer, you have voted against me? Is it because I voted for you earlier? I already explained why I did so but I would so love to hear a better explanation coming from you apart from a gut feeling!"

She turned towards Carlos.
"It seems you are right and I will indeed have to use my vote, if only to protect myself. I will think on this for a while and in a few minutes I will have my vote ready. I need to think on this very hard and not resort to a gut feeling", she sneered.
"Rest assured Dr. von Ungeheuer it will not be you despite your vote against me."

Her face wrinkled up and after a while she finally voted.
"I am sorry to say that it has to be you Carlos. May the gods forgive me if I'm wrong but I agree with the jester that you are indeed a bully and I fear what a bully might to do with HIS vote."

Vote: Carlos Rey

 

[Feast4Crows]

"No, Ysolda, it is not in retaliation. My 'gut feeling' has more to do with the fact that you spend much of the time quietly observing and seldom seem to cast your vote. With as many humans as we've condemned, I am of the mindset that the vampires are letting us do their dirty work for them. I'm not fully convinced that you are one of these monsters, but my attempts to logically deduce who may be one of the damned have failed thus far. There is still some time left, and I'm willing to consider the theories of others."

 

[Duke Danse Macabre]

*Smiling a little sheepishly*
No need to apologize my dear, its refreshing to hear someone speak plainly now and then, even more so when its a compliment from a beautiful woman.

*Beginning to wash the blood from himself with the rags*
If you need a hand with anything, just ask.



*Turning to Address the doctor*
So in all your views and recordings you have voted men to death time and time again wrongly, I am still struggling with the fact a man died because I decided to voice my own views and yet you do it on a daily basis based off your "cold" logic.
Now that you have ran out of reasons you are just stabbing in the dark hoping to strike it lucky and find the monster whilst killing who knows how many more innocent people along the way and then you go and accuse someone because they don't throw their votes about because they have a greater sense of humanity.

*Shaking his head*
I just don't understand how you think.

 

[Feast4Crows]

"My profession put me in a place where I had a unique view of humanity. I've seen the atrocities that man can inflict on man. Not to mention the horrors that other creatures can do. I've had to amputate limbs to save lives and have walked past a mortally wounded soldier still clinging to life in order to treat his comrade who actually had a chance to live, all the while listening to his screams for help. So, yes, I can distance myself from some emotions and do what I believe needs to be done. In this situation we need to vote for those whom we believe to be vampires. I have tried. Twice, my votes have condemned innocent men and others I accused of being a monster turned out to be human, though it was the fiends themselves that slew them. Those who continuously hold back from voting are wasting the one weapon we have against these creatures. I see that as more of an affront to humanity than voting incorrectly. At this point, being indecisive and abstaining from voting jeopardizes our chances to root out one of the monsters. I'm not so much blindly choosing someone to vote for, I'm voting against someone who has withheld her votes on numerous occasions, which is something I think these things would do to try to avoid the group's attention."

 

[Duke Danse Macabre]

If you abandon your emotions in order to cope you become dangerous, life and death become nothing more than facts.
I can't be as cold and calculating as you, even a solider feels.

No, the monsters did not kill those Innocent men, it was us, our voting.
We made the wrong choice and it is something we have to live with the rest of our lives, I won't try and shrug off the responsibility of my actions as others may. *Looking tired and worn out from the weight of guilt*
Voting is a double edged sword, I would rather we took our chances at the start whilst we still had numbers and of fought out foe.
Alas that is no longer an option and I must cast my vote, like it or not.

There is one I have had my suspicions against but I have been hesitant.
It may just be his actions cause me to see things that simply are not there but a few of us have had our misgivings.
If I am wrong in this I dread to think what would happen.
*Trying to work up moisture in his suddenly dry mouth*
I Vote for Duality



Vote: Duality

 

[Raizi]

"Alessandro and Isaac still haven't cast their votes. Five have and of those, three have named me. I am surprised, I was almost certain I would have more votes on my head by now. Well, one more and I am condemned. I hope our hostess comes up with something creative when she dispatches me."

Duality fills his glass with brandy again, trying to remain calm, but his hand is trembling visibly. He raises the glass and offers a toast.

"Here's to all of you bloodsuckers and to the hopes that my blood turns to acid and burns through your guts the instant my heart stops beating."

Duality empties the glass with one long gulp and sits down on his chair, waiting for Isaac and Alessandro to cast their votes.

 

[Cromenon]

"A bully, you say?"

Carlos slowly approached Ysolda. Even though her tempting nakedness was plainly visible, his gaze never left her eyes. When he was two steps from her, he bowed his head and said:
"It seems you finally found your courage, señorita. Though, please, don't accuse me of bullying, after all you are an intelligent woman..." he said, sweetly, the last words a veiled mock towards Duality. "I'm only showing you the only weapon you have in this wicked game..." he shrugged almost casually "unless you are one of those fiends, of course."

He turned on his heels and strode towards his seat.
"However, if I may give you a recommendation to you all... don't ever forget that we are trying to find and kill the vampires." He adressed Ysolda again. "Not people you think are bullies." He sunk his stare on the floor and finished: "Use your vote wisely... that's what I try to do."

 

[Raizi]

To Carlos

"Don't vote for the one who's bully, but vote against the one apparently insane? How's that for a logic? Are either of these traits that make a person more likely to be a vampire?"

Downing another glass of brandy, Duality starts to get slightly drunk.

"You still haven't answered my question earlier, though. How is it that my behavior exactly makes me a threat to the group? Is it because I am trying to cope with the common threat with different means than those that you use? Or is it my wavering sanity that concerns you? You can consider yourself lucky if you have never met a mortal man who has a fragile mind."

Duality seems to be searching the table for something for a moment, then finds a half rotten pear amongst the ripe ones.
"This pear is flawed, but it is still no less a pear. Half of it is inedible, but the other half seems to be okay."

Duality takes a fruit knife and cuts the pear in half, leaving the rotten half on his plate. Then he proceeds to eat the ripe half.

"Delicious. But the metaphor is yet incomplete."

Duality pulls out an orange from the same platter that was filled solely with pears.

"This is something that does not belong here, it should be moved to the right place."

Duality throws the orange to the bowl, that's filled with oranges.
"You are focusing on the wrong traits, Carlos. The question is, are you a pear or an orange? Not if you are a bad pear or a bad orange."

"Ha haha hahaha HA HA! That's been the question this whole time, don't you see?"

Duality hops on the table and starts to play an imaginary lute. His hands moving somewhat disturbingly around his naked groin. He seems to be tuning his instrument for a few seconds, then plays the opening note and starts to sing:

"After sixteen pears and two oranges the remaining fruits are still unsure of their suits. They bitch and howl, still stuck to their bowl."

Duality plays another imaginary note and leaves it in the air before continuing.
"After sixteen tears and two foragers it's the final battle of the confused cattle. They argue and fight, and it soon becomes night."

Again a small pause, and Duality whispers to Carlos.
"This next part is unsuitable for children, I must advice you to leave, lest you'll have bad dreams."

As soon as he's finished taunting Carlos, Duality springs another note from the lute and continues with a faster pace.
"Their shepherd sees eight at hand, picks the one who's the most sleight of hand...

Duality bows down as if spoken to and continues:

... and when the end draws near I have a question here: as the shepherd takes the bite, and I will have lost my last fight, would you shed a tear for another lost pear?"

Duality leaves the last note from his imaginary lute lingering in the air and steps quietly down from the table and fills his glass with brandy yet again.

 

[Raizi]

After emptying his glass, Duality stands up again.
"I think I have pieced something together now. I think Carlos and the Masque work together. They roused my suspicion yesterday with their cunning feint when Carlos voted for the Masque and then withdrew it back after she wasnt agitated. That seemed way too calculated. Not that it much matters, unless Alessandro or Isaac is with me in this, but I doubt it.

I vote for Carlos Rey and I believe his associate is the Masque of Death. She has been voting against me with no real or practical reason. Carlos seems to be the mastermind, though. I think they have some way of passing information between them discreetly."

Vote - Carlos Rey - Cromenon

 

[Nelganis]

Addressing the crowd.
"While I have not been paying attention to most of the dribble that you guys have been arguing about, I'm stuck hard to place my vote where it counts..."
Looking at the Masque, Isaac inclines he head slowly.
"Of everyone here, I am almost positively certain that she is human. It might be true, it might not be but out of everyone who has gathered here...Only her, Abel and Erik have been people that I could place my trust in. And she puts her vote towards Duality, like she always does..."
Turning away and focusing on Duality.
"And now comes this clown. Honestly, I have no idea how you've made it this far Duality. You're multiple sides scare me by what they COULD hold but not what they TRUTHFULLY hold inside of them. That being said, you've escaped your death many times now by mere inches, and I must agree that I have been tempted to place my vote on you as well, out of fear of your other sides."
He paused to take a breath and ponder his options.
"I guess this is the time when my vote needs to count...And I'm sorry if this is wrong, but you are one of my major suspects for awhile now..."

 

[Nelganis]

VOTE: CARLOS REY

 

[Raizi]

"Now that is something I did not see coming."

Duality stands up from his chair, but has to take support from the table, he seems to be genuinely drunk at the moment.

"Alessandro has yet to make his appearance for the day and the vote between me and Carlos is even."

Duality turns towards Dr. Viktor.
(To Dr. Viktor)
"Your vote at the moment is without impact. Would you like to make a difference and change it? I know you are a man of reason and I am quite certain about my thesis against Carlos Rey. I am also willing to offer you this: should you vote for Carlos and he turns out to be a human, I offer my own throat for you to be cut open the first thing in the morning as we wake up tomorrow. That is how certain I am. You could also see for certainty who is the person Ysolda voted against and make your implications from that concerning her person. What do you say, Doctor?"

Duality sits back down and starts tossing the silver coin in the air again. His eyes seem to be glowing with a faint light of hope. He whispers to himself:

"Otherwise I will have to trust on you again my friend. Erik, you were my only friend here."