#The RavenKeeper

[ravensvalley]

#NorthernRaven

Early morning visit from a friend… maybe too early. Mountainous Parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

@BenAdrienProulx December 12, 2024.

[zecoritheweirdone]

congrats guys, you get two (2) whole pieces of art today! anyway, take this very rough comic of an sbk blood on the clocktower au me, aces, and someguy thought up like ages ago in the discord.

[boneless-mika]

This might be the worst beginner game of botc I’ve ever seen

[axolator]

Script-A-Day #11: Bait and Switch by Jeremy

Shenanigans beget shenanigans beget shenanigans

Featured characters: Lycanthrope, Magician, Goon

Jinxes:

Lunatic/Mathematician: The Mathematician learns if the Lunatic attacks a different player(s) than the real Demon attacked.

NOTE: It’s a little unclear how to run Mathematician when the Lunatic didn’t wake up on a night the Demon did, and vice versa. Some STs (like myself) will ping the Mathematician only if the Lunatic actually attacked someone (since that’s the malfunctioning ability in question), while others will ping the Mathematician on any discrepancy in the kill selections. Make a decision, and tell your players how you’ll run this jinx before playing.

Fang Gu/Scarlet Woman: If the Fang Gu chooses an Outsider and dies, the Scarlet Woman does not become the Fang Gu.

Complexity: Intermediate-Advanced. Recommended for players who are here for a good time, not a long time, and those who enjoy lying for fun and for glory.

Database link (find the PDF and JSON for running it there!) - Note that the most recent version (v6.0.0) is one that I don't think holds up as well. v5.0.0 is my preferred version of this script to play and run.

Writeup below the cut!

Bait and Switch is a silly, goofy time centering around the Lycanthrope and Evil’s various methods of defusing it. Good has some very strong info and potential to control the night deaths in Lycanthrope, but if evil can take advantage of the misinfo they have access to & can outfox the Lycanthrope through clever Innkeeper, Goon, or Recluse bluffs, it can lead the good team down some very, very wrong tunnels.

A lot of the good team is highly synergistic with each other. Lycan/Ravenkeeper in the same bag can let good proc the latter at the perfect time, and the Mathematician picks up on a surprising amount here, often being the key to solving the game. In exchange, the Witch and Cerenovus can kill and silence the info-gatherers the good team needs, the SW can give the Demon an out, and the Poisoner can make a right mess of everything.

There is no Spirit of Ivory on the script, so be careful when putting Fang Gu and Goon in the same bag. I’d avoid it entirely in smaller games, and would advise you to be very mindful in larger games. With the Goon in general - make sure both Good and Evil can turn them. 3/4 Minions choose a player each night, and there are only so many Fortune Tellers, Innkeepers, Lunatics, and Lycanthropes to go around.

Some notes:

Consider running the General on a 5-star scale (introducing thumb slightly up/down ratings for good/evil slightly winning) to more comprehensively capture the state of the game. There's a lot to pick up on, both socially and mechanically - your General will appreciate the clarity!

Make sure you know how to run the Lycanthrope + Pukka interaction! If the Lycanthrope kills a player, then the Pukka poisons the Lycanthrope, the previously poisoned player will die, resulting in a doublekill that night. This is very powerful for the good team, since it confirms the Demon is a Pukka and hard confirms the Lycanthrope. This will probably happen if you put the two in the bag at the same time, so be prepared for that and build the bag accordingly.

How do we feel mid-way through Mathematician week? A math "ping" is +1 to their number:

If a player gets false information due to Recluse misregistration or external drunkenness or poisoning, it pings the Math.

If a mechanical ability (e.g. Innkeeper, Lycanthrope) fails to function due to misregistration or external drunkenness or poisoning, it pings the Math.

If a killing ability fails to kill someone due to them being unable to die that night (via Innkeeper, Lycanthrope, or Goon), their ability pings the Math.

If the Fang Gu can't jump to an Outsider due to being Innkeeper-protected, the Fang Gu pings the Math.

Oh, yeah, and the Fang Gu / Scarlet Woman jinx does not ping the Math. There's an argument to be made that jinxes count as an abnormality, but it's kind of silly in this case - I wouldn't.

That's kinda it, actually? The Mathematician isn't particularly hard to run here. :P

This writeup was written before the Lycanthrope ability got updated. If you’re using that version of the ability (not pictured but mentioned in the Lunar Eclipse post), here are some quick interaction notes with the Faux Paw (the one good player that globally misregisters as evil):

They cannot misregister meaningfully to the Clockmaker

The Empath sees them as evil

The FT’s red herring cannot be on them

They must misregister to the Savant (so be careful with how you craft your info!)

The Seamstress sees them as evil

If they choose the Goon and become drunk, the Goon turns evil

Important: as written, the Faux Paw must misregister to the Mathematician, meaning that none of these interactions ping them. Strongly consider houseruling this so that the Mathematician can track it.

That's it from me! This script is super fun and very silly - take it for a spin! See you tomorrow!

[destinygoldenstar]

Betraying My Own Team To Win As Said Team

Oh legion…

Legion is far from my favorite demon type tbh. Mostly because I’m not good at the game with one demon as is. So when you throw this into the mix, you get everyone playing you.

First time I was in a legion game, I was one of the good players. When I picked up it was a legion game, I was FRUSTRATED. Because I was undertaker, and all my info would naturally be bs.

So don’t even get me started with vortox completely screwing me up.

We won, but it was NOT thanks to me. Not at all. I was the worst of the three of us. The other two are smart people.

The next legion game I was one of said legion. But I was one of the earlier killed legions. So there’s not much to say on my end. We lost anyway.

Yeah legions have a lot more disadvantages than you think.

So I go into my third legion game as one of the legions. We do ten player games usually, so there were seven of us.

I just don’t trust myself as a demon. As I said in the past I’m usually pretty bad at being evil. So I was kinda hoping the storyteller would just kill me early. So I was kinda quiet on the first day and letting my fellow legion decide what we were doing.

So I got together with two of them to discuss what our bluffs were. The thing about legion is you get no bluffs, you kinda just have to wing it and hope one of the good players isn’t actually that role. Because if that happens, then that’s bad luck, and you put the entire legion in trouble. Because usually, you don’t want the good players to pick up on it being a legion game.

USUALLY. Heh heh…

Knowing this and the legion game rules, I decided I would bluff Ravenkeeper. Because the other two were going to bluff a minion (Spy, to try and pry out the good players roles), and bluff fortune teller respectively.

My thought process behind choosing Ravenkeeper was that it was a role that wants to die at night. And since it’s a legion game and I’m a legion, I had firm reason to believe I would die at night. So when I did, I could lie and say I picked a good player and they’re an evil role. Thus we could get rid of that good player. AND since legions get killed in the night and not good players, then there’s absolutely no way in hell one of the good players was a Ravenkeeper.

And I was correct in that logic, none of them were Ravenkeeper.

So the first good player I talked to straight up asked me “What role are you?”

I said “I’m not telling you that! You could be evil! Are you kidding me?!”

Because you can’t just say you’re the Ravenkeeper, especially bluffing it, you have to actually sell the idea you’re playing as this role.

So I said “All I will say is I don’t want to die. My roles quite good, ya know? I want to get as much info as I can get…”

Something a Ravenkeeper would say to bait a demon kill.

I asked, “Can I swap with your role to get a target off me by any chance?”

They told me, “You really don’t want my role. You’ll get in serious trouble.”

Sounded like a virgin to me. I asked, “Why? Cause you’re so pure you’d kill someone?”

“Yeah…”

So they claimed Virgin.

Here’s the thing: I knew they were full of shit. I didn’t believe them at all.

Why would there be a legit virgin in a legion game? Most players here couldn’t even activate those powers. They were hiding what they actually were, because they were suspicious of what game it was.

But, you know, I played along because I wanted their trust, and pushing it further would make me seem suspicious.

My other legions were pushing the vortox narrative, so we executed the one bluffing Chef, who said there was a pair. But the narrative was that their info would be wrong.

So... basically: Vortox game, they're 'bluffing' Empath (1), Investigator (2) tells us there's a Poisoner in play, but there's not, the minion is actually a Spy (3). The Fortune Teller gets wrong info (4), the Ravenkeeper (Me) will get wrong info when they die, the Chef that we just executed has wrong info (6), and the outsider is a recluse (7).

THAT WAS THE PLAN.

I KNOW THAT'S CONFUSING. We have a Legion bluffing Vortox bluffing Empath for example. But look up how the game works.

Spoilers, this plan fell apart almost immediately.

So I was ready as ever to have the storyteller kill me!

...they didn't. They killed the 'fortune teller' legion.

I was a bit frustrated, because COME ON, I GAVE YOU THE PERFECT REASON TO PICK ME TO DIE!!

I swear the storyteller is never on my side.

And to make matters worse, ONE OF THE GOOD PLAYERS WAS AN ACTUAL FORTUNE TELLER. OUR LEGION TOLD TO THEIR FACE THEY WERE THEIR ROLE.

So... yeah, thanks dude, you just screwed over your legion team. XD

So we go in nominations and they say "Um, *name I'm not revealing for privacy* told me they were my role to my face. And now they are dead. I have firm reason to believe they were evil."

Before that, a good player (not the one I talked to on the first day) and the actual fortune teller they believed the 'fortune teller' legion was evil.

I asked, "Why do you think that? They're dead."

Turns out they're the Undertaker, and they dug up that they were a poisoner. (Legions register as Minions)

I outwardly said, "That makes no sense. Why would the demon kill their own minion?"

They suggested, "The investigator revealed there was a poisoner, I could've been poisoned last night, so I would get wrong info."

"Sure. Let's go with that."

I asked, "Can I swap with one of your roles? I'm the Ravenkeeper. I want to die at night."

Both said no. Especially not after the Double Claim going on.

I KNEW that the original plan was going to fail after that Double Claim revealed itself, and I knew they were getting suspicious.

One way or another, they WOULD figure out it was a Legion Game. And if I wasn't careful, they would figure out I was one of them.

So most of the nomination discussion was regarding the Fortune Teller double claim. The others were trying to suggest "Well Fortune Teller is Demon Bait" (we always say that cause it's true) "so it makes sense that they're dead if you both confessed to it. I think you're the one that's lying about your role."

But I DIDN'T join them. I just mumbled "Mmm.... I don't know about that... there are other possibilities..." And then I did not join the vote on them, even though there was a good player also voting.

Because if they did figure out it was a Legion Game, they were gonna keep track of who was voting, and I would not appear on that list. It would make me seem good, because if I was a legion I would've joined in on trying to execute that good player.

We ended up not executing the Fortune Teller. We just ghost executed because we weren't sure.

Again, we do these games in our college dorms and common room, so at night we just go to our rooms. The walls block sound pretty well so long as you're not screaming. So I was in my room begging, "COME ON! KILL ME! I AM A RAVENKEEPER! I CAN HELP!"

They didn't. They killed the 'investigator' legion.

WHYYYYYYYYYY

I realized then I had to change the plan. Our original narrative was not going to work. We would get caught. They would figure out it was a Legion Game.

So... why not just accept getting caught?

That SOUNDS like you're admitting defeat saying it like that. BUT HEAR ME OUT.

And guess what? Next day, we did.

The 'Virgin' player came to me, the Undertaker, and the 'Recluse' legion, and outright said, "Here's my guess as to what is going on: I think this is a Legion Game. Everyone that is dead right now is a Legion."

The other two were iffy on that guess (a correct guess), the 'recluse' for obvious reasons. But I said, "Hang on, I think they might be onto something here."

"So I'm the Ravenkeeper. I wanted to get killed at night, but I'm still here. If it really was a vortox game, even if they did figure out my role, surely they would've killed me so I would get wrong info. And a Legion Game would make perfect sense as to why I'm not a target at all. I think you're right, it might be a Legion Game."

So... yeah. I, a legion, AGREED with the good player's suspicion that it is a Legion Game.

I WAS TURNING ON MY OWN TEAM.

It actually WORKED, as it gained me a lot of trust from that player. Because, of course, WHY WOULD A LEGION PUSH EXPOSURE TO THEIR OWN TEAM?

But I didn't really communicate this to my Legion Team that well to be fair. Two of them, one being the 'recluse', asked me "What the hell are you doing? Do you want to get caught?"

I said, "No, I want YOU to get caught. I'm a traitor. I ain't sticking with this dumbass cult!"

We proceeded to execute the 'Spy' Legion, who was bluffing Monk, poorly mind you they did not understand that role, and the 'Recluse' Legion died in the night.

So it was just two Legions left. Me and the one bluffing Vortox bluffing Empath.

And the other guy was DEFINATELY BUSTED.

Cause that 'Virgin' player? Yeah, they're actually an Empath. A DRUNK Empath, but still an Empath in their mind.

They got me and the Fortune Teller together and said, "This is 100% a Legion Game, and the three of us are the good players."

"*Other Legion Guy* told me they were my role. It's no coincidence anymore."

(I was, in my head, screaming in rage "OH MY GOD PEOPLE WHYYYY😠")

I asked, "They're saying Virgin?"

I was trying to act oblivious to the Legion's plan and go off of what this player told me.

They explained, "No. I lied cause I didn't originally trust you, Golden. I wanted to see what you would do if I told you I was the Virgin. I'm actually the Empath."

I said, "Ah, okay, that makes sense. Everyone that's dead right now is Legion. We're the innocents. I completely agree with this."

I completely agreed with their sentiment that it's a Legion Game. Because again, why would a legion do that?

They explained, "I didn't originally trust Golden, or anyone, so I went around saying I was the Virgin to get reactions and see what you would do. The fact that you didn't nominate me-"

"Because I'm Ravenkeeper. I wouldn't want to be executed."

"-Makes sense to me, and you didn't tattle on me either. Then I've been getting a zero for awhile on my Empath power, and last night I got a one between you and *undertaker*, but the fact that they’re still denying it’s legion, that's..."

So, basically, they trusted me completely because I was agreeing with their suspicions, and they got no ping on me. They thought the Undertaker was the other Legion. BECAUSE THEY'RE DRUNK.

"Unless this is a 200IQ play and one of you is Legion, I have firm belief the three of us are the innocents."

...thanks, I try. :)

We agreed the safer kill was the lying 'Empath', and made that our plan going into nominations.

I was the one that nominated them btw.

ALL my Legion friends were SO BAFFLED at me pushing to kill the only other Legion left over a good player.

Before we got there, my Legion partner pleaded, "I'm at a loss on what to do here. Help me out."

And I smirked and said, "No."😏

Bye bye dude.

And now I'm the only Legion left.

I was scared, I admit, going into the last night. Cause it was all up to me. If I screwed up, it was over. And ALL the blame would be on me, because I was taking a gamble on betraying my own team.

The storyteller killed the Fortune Teller. They kinda had no choice here cause I was the only Legion left.

The narrative plan was to push the Drunk Empath into believing the Undertaker was the final Legion.

And, as you can imagine, they were both fighting for this.

And I just kept up where my 'suspicion' was the whole time.

"If I was the Legion, why would I keep digging up these wrong roles?"

"Because Legions register as Minions. We ALL know this. Just because you're good, doesn't mean you don't know how this game works. So obviously, knowing that's the rule, you paint that narrative."

And so you know, because we all knew it was a Legion Game, we demanded that Legions were not allowed to speak through this entire thing. "SHUT UP EVIL PLAYERS! YOU DON'T GET OPINIONS! THIS IS BETWEEN US!!"

And, it was NOT entirely between them. They DID suggest I could be the Legion too. The Undertaker suggested this.

"Golden could be playing us very hard right now."

"I've been Ravenkeeper the whole game."

"Then why do you not have info?"

"Because I have to DIE to get it! That's how my role works!"

"It's a good Legion bluff."

"EVERYTHING is a bluff if you're a Legion! Don't discriminate my ravens!"

"You just need them on their side cause otherwise the vote won't go through."

"Exactly. You need them to vote to get rid of one of us, so you, the Legion, win."

I also pointed out, "I actually said it was possibly a Legion Game quite early, along with these other two guys. *Drunk Empath* told both of us at the same time 'Is this a Legion Game?' Whereas I agreed with them and humored it because I am, as you imagine, a good player, YOU on the other hand, dismissed the idea along with *Recluse*. Because OF COURSE you wouldn't want us to know it's a Legion Game."

And... it worked. The other two players agreed with me and that logic.

Then the suspicion on me dropped because it was the Empath that first initiated the Legion Game idea aloud, not me.

We got to successfully execute the Undertaker.

They were PISSED, and screaming, "THEY PLAYED YOU! THEY PLAYED YOU!! THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!"

And, you can imagine the others faces, when the Storyteller announced Evil Won, and the Final Legion was ME.

😮

"So let me get this straight, you BETRAYED our own Legion, to help the Legion win?"

"Yep. That was pretty much the strat."

This is now officially the second time I have won as a Demon. If this counts, anyway.

Who said Legions were one big hivemind? Get creative with it.

My Mind Belongs To My Ravens :)

[imsomadds]

god blood on the clocktower is so fucking fun. as the narrator, i made a drunk librarian think that either the empath or the ravenkeeper was the drunk

[deondoneit]

Changing Jimmy from the Virgin to the Ravenkeepeer because how did I not think about that before, except instead of ravens, it's canaries.

[bonelessenthusiast]

“the ravenkeeper is kinda a silly role” 😭😭😭😭

[adak56]

#ravenkeeper

[yourenotreadyforus]

"Ravenkeep is a good city not far from here. Would be easy to get to. Cost of living isn't too high either." He said. Alright now was the time to ask. He'd go whether she agreed or not, but it'd be nice to not go alone." You could come with me there if you like. I have a cart. So you wouldn't have to walk or sneak. "

𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚝.   muse a is from a pretty well known supernatural family/clan. on the opposite side of the field is muse b’s group, also well known and respected. both sides have been committing with each other for centuries. it’s gotten to the point that they don’t even know why they’re still at war with one another or fighting. muse a and b finally meet alone one night, barely recognizing each other, and hit it off. then the next morning they realize who the others is and have to decide. is family more important than their heart? 

It's so odd. Ekal isn't really what you call a people person to begin with. Easily annoyed and quick tempered as he is even many in his own clan avoid him. He's a good fighter though, and that always pleases Lucifer. So he does well for the demon clan. His strength and skill mean he's almost always fighting, but not tonight. For once he's allowed to relax and he doesn't really mind. There's something soothing about the moonlit path he now walks along as he hums softly to himself. @the--variant

[ravensvalley]

#KlondikeHighway

Experience the scenic history of the Klondike Highway… also known as the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896.

@BenAdrienProulx January 25, 2025.

[wyvernquill]

I am NOT writing a Dreamling Anastasia AU 

  ...but. If I were...

(Edit: I am, find the masterpost here!)

It would not, actually, be a full human AU. The Endless are still Endless, but humanity has risen up against them, to terrible results. Their “domains” are still somewhat intact, so humanity can mostly go on as normal, but the personifications have been torn from them, weakened, have barely any control over them anymore. Their realms have crumbled, their tools are damaged, and they’re in exile...

And Death has offered immortality to whosoever will return her lost brother, Dream of the Endless, to her.

Enter Hob Gadling, vagabond, mercenary, and not very fond of dying as a concept; and Gilbert, a dream who survived the destruction of the Dreaming, and has lived among the humans ever since.

Dream of the Endless has been captured, turned human, and killed. They all know it, everyone does - it would be a pretty story if someone recovered him, a pretty story indeed, finally bringing peace and comfort to his family and the remainder of his subjects, but it won’t ever come true...

...unless someone were to make it true. Of course. Out of pure charitable sentiment, and not for the immortality reward at all.

All Hob and Gil would need is a lookalike they can pass off as “Dream of the Endless forcefully turned human” - and the amnesiac ravenkeeper “Murphy”, misanthropic and eccentric to the utmost, might be just what they’re looking for.

(But the traitor at Dream’s court has not yet given up on destroying him utterly, and is following after them with a razor-sharp knife and three mouths hungry for “Murphy”’s blood...)

---

(A scene I typed out just for funsies, from later in the plot, under the cut - also, tagging @10moonymhrivertam who I believe was interested in this!)

[Context for the scene:

Murphy-pretending-to-be-Dream has already presented himself to Unity, Desire’s Queen Consort, mentioning that he vaguely recalls being saved from captivity by a young guard shattering his glass cage with a sledgehammer. Soon after, he finds out that Hob had ulterior, selfish motives for this plot, and does not take it at all well.]

When Murphy is finally called to stand before the siblings to prove his identity, only Gilbert is accompanying him inside... and he's glad for that. Betrayal rankles in him, the first buds of love trampled brutally underfoot by the man's selfish human cruelty - a lie and a con for immortality! What a low cur! Murphy despises him, and if he does not see him again until 100 years' hence, it will still be too soon.

The Endless siblings await him in a room that seems perfectly cosy, but also painfully small. Beings such as them are made for grand halls, and to see five of them crammed together on a couch and some chairs seems... wrong, almost.

Destiny sits in an armchair hood drawn low, arms curled around the charred and torn remnants of what was once a book. Death sits on the couch, radiating a solemn sort of warmth, while Despair is huddled up next to her, eyes wide and uncertain, with her twin's hand resting protectively on her shoulder from where they are perched on the armrest, the other holding Unity's, who is seated in the second armchair.

("And Despair... oi, Murphy, are you listening?" says Hob's voice in his head, warm with fondness and a broad grin. "Despair was killed but reborn in a new aspect during the uprising. She'll still have all her old memories, though, so remain on your guard even around her."

Oh, those endless lessons. He will never forget a word of them.)

The youngest, Deligh- Delirium is seated on the floor, humming to herself and drawing swirling, colourful patterns onto the carpet. She hasn't as much as looked up at him.

Gilbert steps forward.

"Your Highnesses," he murmurs, politely removing his hat and squishing it in anxious hands. "May I present: Dream of the Endless."

 -

They ask him questions all over again, particularly Death and Desire - hers gentle and probing, theirs sharp and cutting - and Murphy answers as best he can, trying to ignore the longing in those eyes. The hope.

They want, so badly, for him to be something he is not. It is heartbreaking.

And then, finally, Death says "one last test, if you please," and Desire adds, spitefully, "this is the one they all fail," their twin nodding jerkily.

Death calls for Lucienne - ("Lucienne has always been your most faithful servant," Gilbert explains, "a librarian like no other, wise and ever loyal. She remained in the Dreaming, praying for your return, until it crumbled under her very feet...") - and Lucienne strides in.

She freezes, when she locks eyes with Murphy, and there it is again. The flash of hope, quickly tempered, but forever burning.

"The final test." Death instructs her, and with a bow Lucienne sweeps out again, only to return mere moments later with...

 -

...with a raven perched on her arm, white-breasted and fine-boned, dark and keen eyes observing Murphy curiously.

 -

"Jessamy!" He blurts out, and Death nods.

"Jessamy." She confirms, as Lucienne transfers the raven to her. "My brother's trusted companion. Touch her, now, give her a pat - and if she accepts you as her master, we'll know you're really him."

-

(Gilbert feels the tranquil summer day he has in place of a heart sink. This is what it all hinges on, then?

This is something they had no way of preparing Murphy for. No way to influence it. Jessamy will know him for a fraud, that much he is quite certain of, and their game is up, now. Their game is up.)

Murphy rises up, and goes to kneel at Death's feet, on eye level with the raven - and one has to hand it to him, he looks at her so softly, so adoringly, as if she really were part of his mind and soul and heart, the way Matthew is for Murphy, in truth.

He reaches out one trembling hand, all eyes in the room on him.

(Jessamy twitches her wings, gaze fixed on his hand.)

And then he drops it again.

 -

"Jessamy the Raven died as she attempted to rescue me from imprisonment," he says, and his voice echoes, deep and dark as midnight. "Lady Death, you hold an illusion on your arm."

 -

Silence in the room. Nobody dares to as much as breathe.

And then Not-Jessamy squawks, bright and approving - and bursts into hundreds of Delirium's incandescent butterflies, dispersing in the air.

They're all staring at him as Murphy gathers his robes up and returns to his seat.

Death stands. If her gaze was glowing with hope before, it is now like a firebrand on his skin.

"Despair? Bring his tools," she says, too soft to be an order, but with steel underneath it.

Despair scrambles up, and returns in moments with the strange helmet that is the symbol of the Dreamlord's power, and his ruby - cracked, but not broken.

(Gilbert, staring at Murphy as if in a trance, produces the sand pouch, and adds it to Despair's arms. Some thought flickers through his mind that those tools would, all taken together, kill a mere human - but that is not what Murphy is, after all, is he.)

Desire takes the ruby, and drapes the chain over Murphy's neck - and he sees it in their golden eyes, feels it in the tremble of their caress against his neck, that they have never desired anything more than their brother back.

Death takes the sand pouch, and presses it into Murphy's hand, closing his fingers around it with such gentleness - she had thought her beloved brother dead for so many years, dead and gone, and there is relief in every fibre of her being.

And then Destiny sets the scraps of his books aside, and takes the helmet in his hands, bidding Murphy to incline his head so that it might be fitted onto him, and he might recover all his past, present, and future.

 -

Murphy takes a deep breath.

Closes his eyes.

And bows his head.

 -

The helmet slides over his skull as if it was made for him...

And it was.

-

Something changes in the air.

A shifting, like air flowing in to fill up a vacuum.

And something about the-man-who-used-to-name-himself-Murphy changes.

The chapped and broken skin on his hands smooths to the point where his fingertips would not even leave prints; the fabric of his robe sparkles with stars, and floats like mist at nighttime about his form; and when he raises his behelmed head, his spine seems to crack and lengthen, taller now than he was before, too tall and thin to be human.

(Matthew squawks outside the window - and with one beat of his wings he is inside the room, settling on a narrow shoulder.)

 -

Hands that have folded lovingly around so many newly-created dreams and nightmares come up, to lift the helmet off again...

And where Murphy's eyes were a watery blue, Dream of the Endless's eyes are midnight-black, with only a single star each glowing in their depths.

 -

He blinks.

Looks down at his helmet, then up, at the roomful of Endless - his family - all staring at him in something between disbelief and incandescent joy.

"...siblings," Dream breathes, his chest warm and full as it never was when he was human except perhaps when Hob Gadling smiled at him, surrounded now by all of them...

And "BrOTheR!" Delirium squeals in rainbow tones, jumping up from the floor to throw herself into his arms, where she is immediately held.

"Brother," echoes Death, hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes - and then she, too, is folding him in an embrace, and Desire, and Despair, joining... even Destiny rests one wizened hand on Dream's head, tender and brotherly.

Lucienne is crying into a handkerchief from joy, and Gilbert keeps whispering "oh my. oh, goodness. oh my."...

And Dream holds his siblings close to him, home at last.

-

"Robert! Robert!" Gilbert is gasping, having hurried as quickly as he could. "Robert, you will not believe-"

Hob drops his nearly-done cigarette on the ground, grinds it out with his boot.

"And?" He smiles, though it hardly reaches his eyes. "Did they buy it?"

"He's real! Oh, goodness gracious me!" Gilbert rests one hand on his chest, as if to clutch at pearls there. "He is- Robert, he is the true Dream of the Endless! He, he knew that- and when they gave him the tools-"

"Ah!" Now Hob actually laughs. He fiddles for another cigarette, offers the package to Gilbert, who declines with nothing more but a distracted wave. "That. Yes. I knew that."

"You KNEW!?" Gilbert flusters.

"Since the talk with Unity." Hob's lighter takes a few tries to work. Ghastly thing. "It was me, you know."

"I don't follow." Gil blinks.

"It was good work for hired muscle, guarding some prison in a cellar - and they did say that greater rewards were in store. Riches. Fame." Hob grimaces. The cigarette smoke tastes like ash in his mouth, but he takes a drag anyway. "...immortal life. Thought it would be the best work available to me - and it was. But I couldn't stand it, watching him in there."

Hob blows the smoke up into the air, and thinks of a pale, inhuman face behind a glass pane - and then that same face haggard but human, blue eyes twinkling at him with challenge and fondness both.

"I was the guard who took the sledgehammer to Dream's prison. Woke up a few hours later with a splitting headache, and soon enough they were saying they'd killed him when he tried to escape. Quit, ran, and never looked back."

"By Jove!" Gilbert gasps. "Robert! You've saved him twice over, first in the cellar of the Magus - and now! Returning him to his family! Bless you, lad, bless you!"

Hob lets Gilbert grab his hand and shake it enthusiastically, though he can hardly muster up anything more than a weak smile.

"You should- oh, you should come inside! You must tell this story, see Lord Morpheus returned to full form, the siblings shall wish to thank you-" Gilbert babbles joyfully. "And your reward! Of course! Twice earned, my young friend! Twice earned!"

"Hmm. I don't... think I should." Hob carefully ducks out from the arm Gilbert has thrown over his shoulder. "Leave them to their joyful reunion, eh? Give them a little time to breathe before I remind them of... business."

"Ah, but-" Gilbert tries to protest, but Hob is already starting down the street. He should quit smoking - he already nearly has. Only does it when he's stressed, or heartbroken... or both.

 -

He will not bother Dream of the Endless, the man who once was Murphy, with his presence now.

[necrcmance]

"Malcolm, darling... would you like a kiss?" She waits a moment too long before smiling and holding out her hand, a Hershey kiss sitting in the middle of her palm.

confusion blurs Malcolm’s expression, leaving him doe-eyed and soft, but against expectations – not actually reluctant. he blinks ( twice! ), before bending at the waist ( just a touch, for Alice is wonderfully —and conveniently— tall ) to present his forehead, in expectations of a kiss.  instead, he is presented with a minuscule piece of cheap chocolate. Malcolm’s gaze stares at it in condemnation. stares at her. stares back at it.

. . . ..... then straightens and opens his mouth, much akin to a child, to receive it anyway.

[eagletdoesthings]

Blood OT Clocktower x Ace Attorney #2

[axolator]

Script-A-Day #21: Witch Hunt by Kenoboi

Cut through the silent safety nets and go straight to the Demon!

Featured characters: Dreamer, Damsel, Boomdandy

Jinxes:

Marionette/Lil' Monsta: The Marionette neighbors a Minion, not the Demon. The Marionette is not woken to choose who takes the Lil' Monsta token, and does not learn they are the Marionette if they have the Lil' Monsta token.

Marionette/Balloonist: If the Marionette thinks that they are the Balloonist, +1 Outsider might have been added.

Marionette/Damsel: The Marionette does not learn that a Damsel is in play.

Spy/Damsel: If the Spy is (or has been) in play, the Damsel is poisoned.

Lil' Monsta/Scarlet Woman: If there are 5 or more players alive and the player holding Lil' Monsta dies, the Scarlet Woman is given the Lil' Monsta token tonight.

Complexity: Advanced. Recommended for players who can exercise caution with who they execute, lest they trip a Boomdandy or reveal a Damsel too soon.

Writeup under the cut!

Witch Hunt requires caution and careful planning from both teams. The good team must navigate the treacharously silent Minions, and determine if there's a Spy in play, a Xaan poisoning their info, a Scarlet Woman to kill or a Boomdandy to dodge, while the evil team has to be careful about which worlds they push and which players they kill to avoid giving the game away too soon!

This script was the runner-up for the Lord of Typhon contest, so it's unsurprising that it plays well along with the other two Demons on the script. The Lil' Monsta and Imp are hyper-mobile, and can make previous Minion candidates scarily viable as potential Demons in the late-game. Importantly, they're quiet enough to where a Lord of Typhon team who votes carefully and kills each other at night can frame the game as an Imp or LM game, with the good team none the wiser! Characters like the Empath, Dreamer, Oracle, and Ravenkeeper are the good team's keys to victory and figuring out which Demon type is in play.

Some notes:

If the Clockmaker gets a number that isn't a 1, that's incredibly powerful information for the good team, since it all but deconfirms a Marionette in play and eliminates Lord of Typhon worlds. Be cautious with putting it in the bag with evil teams that could produce a larger number, but do consider puzzledrunking or Xaan 1-ing a Clock that should've gotten a 1 into getting a higher number to spread confusion if your group has caught on.

Make sure you have a plan for who to leave alive when the Boomdandy explodes. Characters like the Clockmaker and Shugenja can quickly narrow possible Demon candidates after the bomb goes off, and if you're not careful, you can accidentally solve the game for the good team by leaving the wrong people alive! Make sure you keep the info town has available to them in mind when deciding who to leave as a possible Demon.

Be careful when building Lord of Typhon bags. Characters like the Shugenja, Empath, Balloonist, Oracle, and Philosopher can be incredibly threatening to a Typhon team, since a ping in the wrong direction can spell the end of the entire line. Consider leaving some of the Typhon counters out of the bag, keeping them as bluffs for the evil team.

That's it from me! Note that the grim screenshot I'm about to attach is from an older version of the script with Goblin over Boomdandy - nowadays, the Boomdandy tends to fit a lot better. Anyways, see you tomorrow with the next script!

[concerningwolves]

HOLY SHIT FOLKS THERE US A JOB THAT IS LOTERALLY DEDICATED TO CARING FOR RAVENS AT THE TOWER OF LONDON BC IT'S BELIEVED THAT IF ALL THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER WOULD CRUMBLE AND THE COUNTRY WOULD FALL IM ACTUALY SKSKSKSKKK