Patrick

Ming had her bow in her hand and an arrow on the string of it, as soon as she saw the first indication of possible danger from Dana. At first she thought that the danger was going to come from Dana herself, but then from Dana's and Robbie's body language she understood that this was not the case. She noticed Dana staring fixedly in one direction, and indeed when she strained her hearing she could hear some movement in that direction. From this distance she could not make out what she was hearing, but given that Dana was moving in that direction she would find out soon enough. She loosened several arrows in her quiver, preparing for any possibility and moved to follow Dana. Careful not to step on any dry leaves or branches and making the least amount of noise she could. Even thus, through many years of experience in the wild, Ming moved faster among the trees than Dana.

Dayphase shall end between 5 and 7 pm GMT tomorrow.

No. So only 9. One seer, one baner, two wolves and 5 villagers.

Roles have been sent out and first NPC kill posted. Everyone should have received a PM confirming what their role is.

Several hours passed as the group settled in the cave, exploring every single cavern. To Edi's immensive joy he was the one who discovered a large stash of beer in one of the storerooms, which he was able to claim for himself, before anyone else saw it. Night slowly started falling and Captain Algers set up a rotating watch for the night, getting help from the Fremen also. It was on Niab's watch that the bloodcurdling scream literally erupted from one of the inner caverns. Niab rushed to where he had heard the scream come from. At the entrance to one of the small storerooms he spotted Jenny, the daughter of a merchant, who had travelled with them. She was leaning against the wall next to the storeroom, shaky sobs heaving her small chest up and down. "Daddy..." - she softly whispered. Captain Algers came rushing from the other side of the corridor and reached the storeroom before Niab did. Even he, the experienced soldier had to struggle with his emotions at the sight which faced him in the store room. "Fremen! Take the girl away from here, she can't see this." - he ordered, even though he knew he had close to no authority over the desert natives. "I've already seen it..." - the girl whispered and her back slid down the wall, until she was crouching next to it. "Shall I still take her..." - Niab started asking, but Algers waved him down. He had noticed something in the storeroom, which hadn't been there on his first inspection a couple of hours earlier. "Blasted Harkonnens..." - Captain Algers, whispered as he fingered the sewn Harkonnen emblem he had found next to the body... OOC: Jenny's father, Gary Herts was the first NPC kill. Day phase has now started and shall end about 48 hours from now. Good luck!

Erm....Anyone else want to have a go at this?

Game thread has been posted here. Have fun! Roles shall be sent out on Tuesday just before the first kill.

"Retreat! They're breaking through! Retreat to the second defensive line!" - the voice of Captain Algers carried through the lines. Above them, several artillery shells flew past, and exploded among the houses of the settlement they were supposed to protect. Captain Algers lifted his radio. "Warren! Take your men, and commence evacuation of the civilians." ----------------- "You there! Take this gun!" Captain Algers and his barely two dozen remaining men were already fighting among the houses of the settlement, completely overpowered by the sudden assault. "What?" - Edi replied, still half-drunk from the night before. "Just take it and shoot at the Harkonnens!" - the Captain said, thrusting the Maula pistol among Edi's hands. Shots whizzed past and two more of the Atreides troopers fell to the ground. The radio on Algers shoulder crackled. "Evacuation of civilians is complete. Losses are severe, sir." - Warren reported. "Selton, Wisrag, you cover our retreat. Lay down covering fire. The others follow me. Once we're clear of the danger area, Selton and Wisrag we'll cover your retreat." "Aye, aye sir." Only four of them, including Edi made the two hundred meter run. They were joined two minutes later by Selton. "Wisrag took a shot in the neck, sir." An artillery shell exploded next to the house they had been using as cover the last ten minutes. -------------------------- "This is all that remain?" - Algers asked, upon seeing that Warren had only evacuated about three dozen people. "The rest were dead, sir. We were caught by a barrage of artillery fire." Algers glanced at the five personnel carriers, four of them packed full. He ordered his men on the fifth, and ordered the improvised convoy to head towards Arrakeen, to headquarters. ------------------------- The third jeep in the line exploded without warning, the explosive shell not having been heard over the sound of the engines. The two behind it swerved to avoid the wreckage, and stopped to look for survivors. Only one remained, a swordsmaster serving with them, Ibis Ginray, who miraculously escaped unwounded. As they were about to leave to follow the other two jeeps, the first in the line, some fifty meters ahead also took a direct hit. "We can't get through here!" - the voice of Warren came back frantically from the second jeep over the radio. Captain Algers paused only a fraction of a second. "Escape plan two!" - he ordered, and the three remaining jeeps made a U-turn, and five minutes later entered the non-forgiving desert. -------------------- "Sand killed the engine of this one also, sir." - reported Selton, the only remaining mechanic. Harkonnen thopters had chased them the first two miles of their escape and their snipers had killed and wounded several of them. Altogether, there now remained but four soldiers, including the captain and seven civilians. Two of the soldiers and one civilian were wounded, one of the soldiers severely. Fleur and Jamilla were tending to the severely injured soldier, trying to ease his pain. "We have no chance on foot against the worms out here in the deep desert." - one of the civilians remarked and from his accent Captain Algers realised that the man was a fremen. "Who are you?" - he asked, surprised at having a Fremen in the group. "Tor Salvis, fremen scout, I was passing the night in the village you were supposed to defend. I guess we share the same fate now." Tor did not bother masking the sounds of his movement. He knew that with all these people untrained to desert survival next to him his only chance of surviving an attack by a worm would be soundlessly moving off when a worm approached. "Your only chance at saving your remaining men, is an abandonded cave one mile away in that rocky outcropping." "How can we know that this is not a trap?" - Ibis Ginray asked. "We Fremen hate the Harkonnen as much as you Atreides do." - Tor replied. "I don't see any other possibility Ibis, we'll have to trust him." - said Captain Algers, then noticed Tor staring fixedly in the distance. "Worm." - the scout announced. "You'd better run for the rock." ------------------------------- "Selton!" - the captain shouted, but in vain. Selton had helped the civilians onto the rock, and in doing so had been caught by the worm. "So you know this cave?" - Captain Algers asked Tor. "I know of its existence, I have never been here before." Ten minutes later Captain Algers and his two remaining men had scouted the entirety of the cave. There were sufficient supplies for several weeks of food, and a large basin of water in a lower level. ----------------------------- Not far away "Niab, the worm took one of the men, and the jeep." - Chakyakha announced. "I saw it with my own eyes, no need to point out the obvious." - Niab replied. The five fremen huddled in a rock outcropping three miles away, hidden in the shadow. "Niab, I shall take a worm and go back with Ibrahim to Sietch Tabr, to report of the Atreides here. You three go on." Assan had been the leader and most experienced of the group. The others all accepted his judgment. --------------------------- It took the three fremen, Niab, Chakyakha and Rahnia fifteen minutes to reach the sietch where the Atreides were. The guard on duty, Ibis hadn't even spotted the three fremen before they were only ten feet away from him, so well had they blended in to their surroundings. "Who goes there?" - he asked, bearing his weapon on the three Fremen. "We're just Fremen, looking for a place to spend the next few days away from all the fighting." - Chakyakha replied. "Surely you wouldn't refuse us the shelter of this cave." OOC: free roleplay has started. First NPC kill shall be about two days from now.

OOC: Thanks to Mynx for co-writing this with me. Was real fun writing with Susan in this game! "Yes, she does deserve an explanation. It shall be hard, but I shall have to tell her." - he said, and bowed to Tsal and Lillen while mumbling a barely audible thank you. He straightened up, and realised that they had not heard him. "I thank you for not dismissing me outright." With one last look at both Tsal and Lillen Cedric turned, and walked off. He wandered around for three whole hours thinking of what he was going to tell Susan, and how he was going to tell it to her. "You don't build something like on this on lies and half-truths. The full truth it shall have to be." - he murmured, finally reaching a decision. He looked up, and found that he was in front of Doctor Mason's house. He considered that a good omen. Fifteen minutes later he knocked on the door of Susan's house, but got no reply. He was just about to turn to leave, when Susan and her mother appeared at the far end of the street, carrying a heavily laden basket between them. "Cedric!" Susan exclaimed in surprise, before remembering herself and curtseying as gracefully as she could while holding the basket. Her Mother smiled at what she merely assumed to be shyness before relieving her daughter of the basket and bowing her head to Cedric. "Would you like to stay for dinner my Lord?" "Thank you, yes," Cedric smiled. "Would you mind if I spoke with Susan for a few moments?" "Of course not. I'll just be out the back." Cedric watched Susan's mother head inside before he turned back to her and offered his arm. Susan took it hesitantly and the two set off on an ambling walk out of the way, both of the pair silent for a few moments before Susan cleared her throat. "Have you recovered from your sickness?" "Much," Cedric replied with a bitter laugh, before stopping and turning to look at his betrothed. "What about you? You still look pale." Susan flushed and dropped her head. "I'm alright. It was...worse than I'd expected. But I don't regret it at all." Susan looked up at Cedric and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I could never thank you enough for helping me. You are truly a kind man Cedric and you have been wonderful to me. I hope I can at least start to return the kindness once we are wed." Cedric grimaced slightly and looked away. "Susan, you have only seen one side of me so far, and I am grateful that you shall never come to see the other one." – Cedric said, his expression the most serious Susan had seen from him. "What do you mean?" – Susan asked, her eyes betraying her surprise. Cedric cleared his throat and prepared to tell Susan the truth. "I have done horrible things Susan, and the only excuse I have is not having been in control when doing these things." "What…" – Susan started saying, but Cedric interrupted her. "Please let me finish. I'll answer all questions you have then." "You probably heard of the madness, which had taken hold of Karen Zahn, the medical student. She was cursed with lycanthropy, and while on the hunt one night, she infected me." Cedric's expression darkened as he remembered that horrible night. "I regret to say, but during the nights following that one I took part in acts, which led to people dying in this town." He glanced around, just to check that no one could overhear them. "You need not be afraid." – Cedric said, knowing how Susan must be feeling. "Thanks to Doctor Mason, who managed to derive a cure from Karen's body, I have been healed." "Susan, you must understand that it wasn't easy for me to tell you all this. I told you, because I feel that if you are to marry me, you deserve to know the truth, and with the sheriff and the good doctor not saying a word about it, you might never have learnt." Cedric stopped speaking, and in the stillness he wondered how Susan would react. Susan blanched as though she had been slapped and for a moment couldn't speak, her arm falling away from Cedric's as she took a step back from him in fear. "Why did you kill all those people?" Cedric dropped his head and sighed. "I couldn't help myself. I couldn't fight it." "But, why them?" Susan shook her head in disbelief before uttering a nervous laugh. "I would have thought you more likely to come for me after you found out I was..." she trailed off uncertainly and all of a sudden found it very hard to raise her eyes from the ground. "I believe that the only thing, which redeemed me was the love I have for you, Susan. Two nights ago, just before seeing the Doctor, the beast I was wanted to kill Tsal. But when I got there, I found him with Lillen, and seeing the two of them together, I was reminded of what I felt for you, and managed to regain control just long enough." Cedric paused, then remembered what he had promised Tsal and Lillen, and what he had promised himself. He would have to give Susan the whole truth. "Then before seeing the doctor, I killed James Breer." Susan took this all in without looking up at Cedric. The only noise she made was a small bitter laugh at hearing the news of her rapist's demise. "I'm touched you care so much for me Cedric, and I can't say I'm unhappy about Mylord Breer's death..." Susan still refused to look up at him. "...You're sure you are cured?" Cedric nodded, before realising Susan still wasn't looking at him. "Yes. Breer was the last I killed. And it is going to stay that way." "But you can't stay here anymore, can you." Cedric hesitated, before sighing sadly. "No. I can't stay here. Even if the others could accept me after all I've done, I couldn't bear to be reminded." Susan was silent for so long that Cedric began to worry. He wanted desperately to ask her to join him and still wed him, but he was afraid she would refuse. He waited for her to look at him, to speak, to do something before his nerves destroyed him. Finally, after what seemed like an age, Susan looked up at Cedric and offered him a tiny smile. "When do we leave, my Lord?" Cedric sighed, a sigh of relief, releasing all of the pent up emotions. "Thank you." - he said in a soft whisper. "Thank you for accepting me for what I truly am." "Those concerned have told me that they shall not reveal my part in what has happened until we get married. I told them that I shall leave the town after the marriage, if the marriage still takes place. Do you still wish it to happen?" Susan looked to one side and appeared to be lost in her thoughts even as she spoke. "Two months ago, if given the chance to not get married I would have taken it, promise or not." Susan coloured slightly as she said this. "But since then I can see that you do care for me Cedric, and while I cannot truly say right now that I love you as you do me, I think that will only become a matter of time." She looked back at him and Cedric was delighted to see her smile. "Yes my Lord, I will marry you and travel with you where you wish."

After some thinking, receiving some advice, and then some more thinking I have decided to write the actual quiz posts all by myself then send them to those, whose characters are being used, to avoid characters being misplayed. Free roleplay between those not taking part in the current match is welcome of course.

And again, a newly updated list: Tanuchan - Rahnia, daughter of Niab, fremen from Sietch Tabr Akallabeth - Warren, Atreides soldier Azuran - Niab, father of Rahnia, fremen from Sietch Tabr Pillow - Tor Salvis, Fremen scout Jammeez - Jammilla Manquin DeanTheAdequate - Ibis Ginray, swordmaster Venefyxatu - Edi, drunkard Sweetcherrie - Fleur, beautiful, but naive Gwaihir - Chakyakha, jaded fremen (HappyBuddha?)

If anyone wants to be the one Alfonso is giving the riding lesson to feel free to send me a PM to work out the details, I haven't got a fixed plan at the moment.

"A kidnapping, si?" - Alfonso murmured to himself, his thoughts split between the riding lesson he was giving in half an hour and the news the royal couple and the dwarf had just announced. People around him were all glancing around, wondering whether the person standing just next to them was a possible suspect. A woman standing next to him, whom Alfonso seemed to recall was named Lady Yvonne, usually surrounded by men, seemed to be missing her entourage today. Alfonso chuckled to himself as she watched a man leaving. The spaniard wondered to himself whether the man was Lady D'Ander's next target. Alfonso had to admit to himself that he was not untouched by the Lady's beauty, even though he did not follow her around like a faithful hound, as he had seen men do in the past. Time was passing, and standing next to this woman was just wasted time. Alfonso did not weave a maze of lies for himself to get lost in. He knew that even if he managed to get this woman, she would most probably just discard him, whenever she found another plaything. Alfonso turned, the sound of his riding boots on the soft carpet marking his passage. His riding lesson awaited, and he had never missed one before. "Vamos a ver how everything unfolds."

Sorry for not posting yet, I had wanted to post last night, but for the reasons already mentioned I could not. I'll get a post done as soon as I manage to get caught up with all that has been written so far. Edit: post pending a reply to a pm.

Note: don't forget to CC the roleplay related PM's to me. Psst...Gwaihir...you forgot to CC me on at least two counts.

Woot! We have 9 people. Means that there shall be 2 wolves, seer and baner. Updated list: Tanuchan - fremen woman, details to come, probably Azuran's daughter or granddaughter Akallabeth - Warren, Atreides soldier Azuran - fremen, details to come Pillow - character to come Jammeez - probably a Bene Gesserit witch DeanTheAdequate - Ibis Ginray, swordmaster Venefyxatu - Edi, drunkard Sweetcherrie - Fleur, beautiful, but naive Gwaihir - jaded fremen, name to come

I was thinking of starting the free rp phase during the weekend, and having the first NPC kill happen on Tuesday evening (CET). Sign ups shall be accepted until roles are sent out, which means about an hour before the first NPC kill on Tuesday. Oh and about being away. If you can't be here for some reason or other for a few days, I can extend phases (I already know that I won't be able to keep as tight a schedule as Tanny did anyway, evening shall be as precise as I would guess my phase ending posts right now). Edit: there shall be a baner if 9 participants are reached. So far we have: Tanuchan - character to come Akallabeth - character to come Azuran - character to come Pillow - character to come Jammeez - probably a Bene Gesserit witch DeanTheAdequate - Ibis Ginray, swordmaster Venefyxatu - Edi, drunkard Sweetcherrie - Fleur, beautiful, but naive

Cedric’s, the werewolf’s thoughts were in turmoil. For the first time its instinct had been overcome by will power. Cedric had sincerely hoped that after Karen’s death he would be able to control these transformations, but last night he had been utterly powerless. His long, running strides took him to the edge of the forest next to town, where he fell to his knees, in his human form once again. “It has to end!” – His shout echoed into the nothingness next to him. His mind was finally made up. He would have to attempt it, for the sake of his own sanity, and the health of those around him. Even if it ended with his death. He started running towards the only house where he could possibly find a cure. Karen had told him during one of their conversations that she would like her body used for finding a cure, and Cedric knew of the letter she had written. His strides therefore carried him purposefully towards the doctor’s house. He managed to get there, without being taken by another transformation, but just as he was about to knock on the door, he turned his gaze, and spotted a light on, in the house next to the doctor’s. Ferocious instincts clicked in, and only the murder of this one individual was now on his mind. He broke down the door in his powerful wolf form and mounted the stairs, where he found the man he had been looking for. James Breer looked up in surprise from the sheet on the table in front of him. “Oh, Cedric! You scared the daylight out of me! With these horrible murders around town…” Cedric once again in his human form, could not help but smile. “Why did you do it, James?” – His voice was completely calm, betraying nothing of the emotional storm raging within. “Do what?” “Rape my future wife.” For a split second James could not reply out of surprise, but during that split second, the emotions playing around his face – guilt, fear and shame – betrayed him. It was enough confirmation for Cedric. “Cedric, I…” James never had the time to finish, as powerful wolf claws ripped his torso apart. “Doctor, I need your help!” – Cedric’s voice was urgent. He knew not how much longer he would be able to control the beast within. Doctor Mason, freshly shaken awake by Cedric tried clearing the sleep from his eyes. “Mr. Fernsworth. What seems to be the problem?” – he asked after several long seconds, during which he figured that he was in his own house and not at a majestic banquet as he had been dreaming. “The cure! Have you found it?” – There was no escaping the urgency in Cedric’s voice. “What?” – Doctor Mason was evidently still not fully awake. “The cure against lycanthropy Karen wanted you to make from her body!” “Why would you need that Mr. Fernsworth?” Cedric lowered his voice, so that the doctor had to strain to hear. “Because I am the other one.” Doctor Mason recoiled in fear as the realisation of what Cedric had just said sunk in. His terror only heightened, when he realised that a werewolf was in his house in the middle of the night, when they were the most dangerous. “I need…more…” “Time? I don’t have time! I don’t have full control over myself!” – Desperation was in Cedric’s voice. Time indeed, was against them. “…samples.” – Doctor Mason finished. Cedric was surprised by the answer. “Much of Karen’s body was badly damaged when she was taken down. I could not recover enough.” – The doctor was starting to recover his calm and his mind was racing. It seemed that Cedric genuinely wanted to get rid of his affliction. “So you shall need me in my wolf form to get samples…” – Cedric thought out loud. “Yes.” – Doctor Mason replied, fright clearly in his voice. “If you don’t mind I’d prefer going for Sheriff Clance and a few of his men. His office is but fifty meters away as you know. You’ll stay here until then?” – Doctor Mason did not want to risk taking Cedric out into moonlight. He had heard that the chances of transformation were much greater by the light of the clear moon. Cedric nodded, and Doctor Mason left, locking the door of his house from the outside, even though he knew that in wolf form a simple door like that would not stop Cedric. He got back with the sheriff and five of his men, a bit less than ten minutes later. “I suggest that you tie me down with the strong rope I see the sheriff has brought, onto that table of yours, Doctor. I would also advise you to hold me down; I can not guarantee what I’m capable of while transformed.” The sheriff and his men did as Cedric had suggested, while Doctor Mason prepared the half-finished cure. “I’m in no way sure that this shall work, Mr. Fernsworth. I can’t guarantee anything. If it doesn’t work, the sheriff has said that we shall have to…” “Kill me.” – Cedric said, knowing what the doctor was going to say. “I’m ready to accept that. I’m too much of a danger if left in this state.” The transformation came suddenly, when not even Cedric had expected it, and it took all of the strength of the three men holding him at the time to stop him from breaking his bonds. The other three joined in and suppressed Cedric’s ability to move. At a calmer period Cedric felt Doctor Mason lean in and cut a portion of skin from his thigh. It wasn’t until daybreak that he transformed back into his human form. It seemed as if the wolf part had not wanted to let go, knowing that Cedric wanted to get rid of it. The sheriff and his men were all bruised, and exhausted from holding down Cedric. “Drink this, Mr. Fernsworth.” – Doctor Mason said, handing him a vial, of purplish-green liquid, which seemed to have small pieces of werewolf fur floating on top of it. It tasted utterly disgusting, but Cedric did as he was told. “I’ll have to keep you under surveillance for the next twenty-four hours, Mr. Fernsworth.” – The sheriff’s voice intruded. “Precaution, in case the doctor’s potion didn’t work.” Cedric nodded. Two days later Thanks to the discretion both on the sheriff’s and the doctor’s part, news of Cedric’s affliction had not been released. They did not want a public lynching against Cedric as soon as he was released. The doctor had proclaimed Cedric fully cured that morning after no signs of lycanthropy during the previous two nights, even when exposed to full moonlight. Cedric had managed to avoid Susan’s questions, by sending her a note saying he was feeling unwell. But his first visit didn’t take him to Susan. He had ruined the lives of two young people, and wanted to do whatever he could to make it up for them, knowing in advance that probably they would never forgive him. He suspected where he would find them, and his suspicions were proven correct, when he found them in the late John’s workshop. “Tsal…it’s him!” – Lillen exclaimed when she spotted Cedric. She and Tsal had been asked by the sheriff, not to talk about what they had seen during that night two days ago, when they had gone to see him and report the attack in the stable. Cedric stayed in the entrance, not going any closer, as Tsal placed himself between him and Lillen. Cedric stayed silent for several, long seconds before he spoke. “I do not deny causing the two of you great pain, through my actions, and I wish I could undo all that I did, while afflicted by that accursed thing, but unfortunately such a power is not given to me.” Tsal’s hostile stance did not change. “I have been cured in body, but the memories shall never be erased. I shall have to forever live with the shame of what I had done, ever reliving the memories of the night when I was infected by the disease, and the subsequent nights, when...” – his voice died away and a tear started slowly trickling from Cedric’s right eye, which he wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt – a gesture so far from what a merchant of his social standing would have done. “I know that you two shall never forgive me for what I have done. I wouldn’t do so in your place. I came here because I wanted you to know, that two days ago, in the stable…it was seeing you two together that made me able to combat the disease and regain control for long enough, so that I could make it to Doctor Mason’s and ask him for the cure. Seeing you two, reminded the beast I was then, of what I truly felt and still feel for Susan.” Cedric paused, unable to put into words what he wanted to say. “I wanted to thank you for making me feel that one human emotion at that time. I dare not imagine what would still be happening if I had not yet been cured.” Cedric tried looking apologetically at Tsal, and Lillen who was peeking out from behind him, but knew that these two would never be able to fully forgive him, would never forget that Cedric, even though he was not in control at the time, killed the one, who had mattered so much to them.

Talk about completely forgetting something...sowwy Put it on my to-do list now. Will be done by tomorrow, I hope.

The two of them turned into a seldom used side-street far from the respectable areas of town. Here the houses were even shabbier than the ones in the poor areas of town, and the inhabitants mostly people, who lived outside the law. Few tracks were seen in the snow, and none of them were fresh. Here the snow had not been cleaned away. There was no need for it, since rarely did someone not of this part come here willingly. "I've never been here before." - Susan whispered. "It's not as bad as it seems, especially if you have a friend here." - Cedric said, trying to comfort her. "I have known the man I'm taking you to see for more than thirty years. He is respected in this district, and people would not want to anger him, by acting against a friend of his." They walked up to the before last shack on the right hand side of the street. Paint had long peeled off the walls, but the door was nearly brand new, made from polished oak. The doorknocker was polished brass, and as Cedric lifted it and knocked on the door, it let out a clear metallic ring, as it struck the metal plaque on the door. Cedric repeated the knock three more times in rapid succession, and then followed up with a final knock a few seconds later. The door opened a crack and the unshaven face of a man peeked out through the crack. Seeing Cedric, the man opened wide the door, and ushered him and Susan in. "So she's the one?" - The man asked, as he led them through a dimly lit passage into what seemed to be the living room. By the light of the fire his features were revealed. He seemed to be around the same age as Cedric, with white strands of hair already appearing both in his hair, and in his inch long beard. Kindness emanated from his eyes, as did the full weight of his years. This was a man, who had seen much in his life. He took Susan's hand and kissed it, as one would kiss a noble woman's hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, milady. My name is William, and I have been a doctor for more than twenty five years, mostly helping those, who could not get official help." - His voice was hoarse, and guessing from the pipe on the table, Susan guessed it was due to long years of smoking. "Are you ready?" - He asked her. Susan hesitantly nodded, not really sure what she should be ready for. Guessing what she was feeling from her expression he explained. "Now, this is not going to be pleasant at all. Neither for you, neither for me, because I do not like to cause pain, but as far as I understood the child is non-wanted, right?" Susan nodded, and William continued. "I shall give you some painkillers" - he pointed at some leaves on top of a cloth napkin on the table "and once you are sufficiently numbed to the pain, I shall remove the foetus." Susan hoped that the pain would not be too unbearable. She was willing to go through pain to get rid of this blasphemous pregnancy, but she did not know how much she would be able to take. "Cedric shall be here with you all along." - William added. "I shall not look of course, as that would be indecent." - Cedric quickly added. "I just need to know whether you are really sure you want to go through with this." William asked, as he put a kettle of water to boil on the fire. "I'm certain." - Susan said, while her hand unwillingly clenched into a fist as she thought of the way the pregnancy started. "Good." William spent the next fifteen minutes with preparations for the minor operation. He laid various tools out on the table, and when the water boiled, he pressed the leaves into it. He waited for a few minutes to have the water cool down a bit, and then poured some of it out into a large mug. "I need you to drink all of this." - He said, and Susan did so. Nearly immediately she felt the soothing effect of the strange leaves. William made her drink two more mugs of the strange liquid, and by that time she was drifting in the drug induced trance. For William's painkillers were nothing else, than what much later would be considered as an illicit substance. Cedric sat next to Susan, facing her, purposefully not looking the way William was going to operate. He took her hand, and whispered: "I'll be here all along." His voice drifted at Susan from far away, yet she was strangely comforted by it. She did not feel much from the operation, but when she came to her senses three hours later, she felt a definite feeling of unease, and even emptiness in her stomach. "She's awake." - She heard Cedric say. She could feel his hand still holding hers. "I might have given her too strong a dose." - William said, as he handed Susan some herbal tea. "Drink this; it'll help you get stronger." Susan tried sitting up, but felt still weak and uneasy, both from the drugs, and the operation she had just had. Cedric helped her up and she drank the tea in rapid gulps. It took Susan another half hour to fully get over the sedatives effect, and they prepared to leave. She would already have to tell her mother that they had had a very long session with the priest, mostly thinking about the seating order of the guests for the wedding. As she was leaving, William noted some last advice. "I suggest you take it easy in the next few days, let the wall of your uterus heal. Don't make any sudden movements, and try avoiding physical exertion if possible for at least two weeks. If there are any complications, don’t worry about coming to see me." He said goodbye to them with a smile, and Cedric escorted Susan home.

Seems I have forgotten to add the rules. To rectify that here they are. PM alliances are not allowed (except between wolves of course), pm-ing for roleplay purposes is allowed and encouraged, I just ask that you add me as cc for the PM, or if discussion is done through MSN, IRC or something similar that I get a copy of the chat log. And another thing. Please don't state roles IC or OOC, you are more than welcome to do so in roleplay though.

Yesterday he had managed to arrange the details with his friend for the little procedure, now he would only have to see Susan about it. While on his way to Susan's place he passed by Joseph, who was just opening his shop. He greeted the man, then was shocked into silence upon hearing that John was dead. Cedric paused for a moment, lost in thought, then continued on his way, still thinking. Deep in his heart he knew that the killer could not be Susan. Cedric also seriously doubted Lillen being the killer, albeit since he had heard the stories of what Karen had done in the inn after her transformation he was not sure what to think. Cedric had also heard rumours of Tsal wanting to be John's apprentice. He surely wouldn't have killed the man, who he admired so much? Cedric's thoughts drifted back to Joseph. Could it be him? The snow had been shovelled away in front of Susan's house, no doubt by her father, creating a stark contrast with the other houses in the street, where the snow had been but trampled down by the passing of booted feet. Cedric knocked, and to his delight it was Susan who opened the door. "Are you alone?" - Cedric asked. "My father is out behind the house, bringing in some wood, and mother has gone to help him." - she replied. "It has been arranged. The financial side has also been taken care of." - Cedric said, speaking cryptically, just in case Susan's parents were close to the back entrance. "Whenever you're ready." - he added. OOC: Vote for JDRollins/Joseph Gunalo.

Mysterious woman has become Eda in my post as Appy had requested. And I'm still waiting on which of the two methods of Stage 2 you would prefer: co-written between 3 people, or me writing the whole thing, then asking whether there are character inconsistencies before posting. Or should I decide which way to go myself?

It's here. The 25th (if 20 was cool, then how cool is 25? a full quarter of a century!) werewolf game! Now you might be wondering that if you know nothing about Frank Herbert's Dune, or it has been a long time since you have read the books, that playing in this game would be hard. Well, I have decided to base this Werewolf game only very loosely on the events in Dune, and even then only base the events on the first and best known Dune book. Therefore if you played the game, or saw the David Lynch film you already know most of what you need! If not then I shall offer a minimalistic explanation, which is all you shall need so as to be able to play in the game. Dune presents the conflict between two Great Houses, the Atreides and the Harkonnen (think about the Atreides as the good guys, and the Harkonnen the baddies). In our present game we shall be following a group of Atreides, who got seperated from the rest of their House. Unfortunately some Harkonnen (wolves) have managed to infiltrate the group. The group, after not being able to rejoin the main body of House Atreides has taken shelter in a cave, contained in one of the rocky outcroppings of the desert. Which brings us to a quite short description of the physical setting of the game. The planet called Dune, or Arrakis, is a desert planet, where the only things which break the monotony of the endless sands are the rocky outcroppings. Another essential part of the planet are the giant sandworms (possibly several kilometers/miles long), who make prolonged presence among the sands of the desert quite perilous. In the cave complex, which seems to have been a small settlement before, but is now abandoned there is a large water cistern, which is the only source of water for the group, since rain does not fall on Dune. The seer would be a member of the group, who upon arrival in the cave complex found a small container of liquid, which turned out to be spice wine (spice is a material, which is found among the sands of Dune, is quite valuable, and the worms protect it. It is used in food and drinks, and has a life-prolonging effect), which causes visions after being drunk. The baner would be someone, who had received special training.

And some more clarification after a couple of questions I was asked: You can choose whether you want to play the scene out in just one post, or in several. If you choose to go with just one post I suggest doing it here in this thread. If you choose to go with several creating its own thread, and just adding a link in this thread would be the best idea. I'd be happy with both.