Azureus didn't use their mongoose power nights 1 and 4 Tarkenton was the Third member of the mafia and I think we believe he acted night Three using his power.
Luce, I don't think has been monitored much so all I can remember is he didn't act night Three However, Tremula... well they couldn't act night Two nor Night Five, were blocked night Four, and tried Ssaliss Night Three.
Silly, but If Azureus is one, Tremula is Two, and Tarkenton is Three. The night kill would just be cycling through their numbers.
This is silly. You think I'm scum and just threw Tarkenton under the bus to try to avoid suspicion... but you also think Tremula's scum now? Tremula whom I've voted to lynch? So I'm purposefully killing all the other scum in your theory?
If you think I must be scum who can only operate on nights 1 and 4, then again, why was I the one who said I didn't do anything on nights 1 and 4? Why didn't I just claim that I was busy protecting myself on those nights instead or something? The one-use only stipulation wasn't revealed until today, so I could have been claiming to be doing what Ssaliss is doing.
"Oh yeah, you're a naughty mayor, aren't you? Misfile that Form MA631-D. Comptroller Shevat's got a nice gemstone disc for you, but yer gonna have to beg for it."
What I said was a noticed a pattern to when the two of you didn't/couldn't act.
The issue for you is that it's very visible when you do or don't protect someone. Also your immediate defence was that on a night that we don't know what you did for certain there was no death.
Neither has Luce (who hasn't posted, so might not know that's where the game headed) or Shaddus (who does).
If Saran thinks me not using my power on night 1 was suspicious, I'm curious as to what the non-suspicious action would have been. I didn't know who for sure who else was town, no one was in particularly more danger than any other, and I might have wound up stopping an investigator or doctor from getting anything done.
Even besides the one-use stipulation, me making people immune to town powers or even other friendly protective powers means I can't just be throwing it out there all higgledy-piggledy. Every time I've used it at all took a lot of second-guessing and asking myself at what cost the protection came, what information we were liable to lose if I stopped a vision or whatever else. Look at how much effort I put into justifying using it on Celina; that wasn't just to try and convince people I was telling the truth, it was to convince people that I hadn't screwed us over in the process. I'm not saying I've always made the right call -- someone's got to lose this game, in the end, no matter how well people play -- but none of my uses have been hasty, at the very least.
Worse would have been throwing it out just to throw it out and then not having it when a person needed it. Even if I bluffed and pretended it was usable as many times as I wanted, there was still the chance that lack of communication would render all the town powers useless. And going shouting "oh boy, I sure am going to target Celina tonight, I hope someone targets her~" wouldn't exactly have been useful either.
What I said was a noticed a pattern to when the two of you didn't/couldn't act.
The issue for you is that it's very visible when you do or don't protect someone. Also your immediate defence was that on a night that we don't know what you did for certain there was no death.
That wasn't a defense. That was me pointing out how dumb it was that you're going to try and use the lack of death against me. It doesn't point to anyone at all.
I'm juuuuuuuust about done talking to you, I don't think there's anything I can say that you'll listen to; you've clearly made up your mind.
Also, there's a very simple explanation to no one dying during day one: You targetted me. Going "Well, no one died on day one even though I said I didn't act" is pretty much meaningless.
I was actually going to make a post describing how everyone (including Synkarin) had the possibility of being scum, but this lynchtrain pulled out of the station before I could. Plus, y'know... Fallout 4. Perhaps I'll manage to do it during this nightphase.
Also, there's a very simple explanation to no one dying during day one: You targetted me. Going "Well, no one died on day one even though I said I didn't act" is pretty much meaningless.
That's my point. Saran's claiming some sort of epiphany about how I must have been the one to fail to kill someone or something, but the clues leading him there are absurd. Here's another pattern just as valid: everyone I've used my power on has a name beginning with a consonant. Therefore, I must only be able to kill people whose names start with vowels or something, as demonstrated by my trying and failing to kill Ssaliss. This makes about as much sense as me only being able to kill someone every third night or only when the temperature hits 68 degrees or only by the light of the north star.
But anyways, we hit the vote to lynch someone, so I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to be discussing further until tomorrow anyways.
Hmm. I read the rules such that we were allowed to chatter away until the day officially ended, with @Kiradawea mentioning so. It's just that once we hit that vote threshold, we can't use any powers or unvote.
Also, there's a very simple explanation to no one dying during day one: You targetted me. Going "Well, no one died on day one even though I said I didn't act" is pretty much meaningless.
That's my point. Saran's claiming some sort of epiphany about how I must have been the one to fail to kill someone or something, but the clues leading him there are absurd. Here's another pattern just as valid: everyone I've used my power on has a name beginning with a consonant. Therefore, I must only be able to kill people whose names start with vowels or something, as demonstrated by my trying and failing to kill Ssaliss. This makes about as much sense as me only being able to kill someone every third night or only when the temperature hits 68 degrees or only by the light of the north star.
But anyways, we hit the vote to lynch someone, so I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to be discussing further until tomorrow anyways.
Tarkenton was specified as the third in charge and that he had a power usable when he was "chosen to do the attack". It was an interesting coincidence.
I was mulling over when people didn't do things because often mafia becomes focused on when they did, which is when I noticed that yeah, for some reason you chose the first night and the fourth night to not act while acting every other night. It's also when I noticed that Tremula, who I've seen a vision of and would be expected to believe in, claimed that she was unable to use her powers, offset by one day from the nights you've claimed not to act, with Tarkenton's expected attack fitting neatly in.
Certainly Tremula appears to have confirmed that their powers work or don't work based on certain criteria and that yes, they seem to have had two days of use before being unable to investigate again.
If they're scum then they might have been making up excuses for the nights they couldn't act because they were busy attacking, if they're not then it just shows there are powers that can be influenced by certain criteria, which is completely possible in mafia.
Anyway, what's most interesting is your reaction, it's the same reaction that you have when I talk about the Mongoose statue, it makes the weird thing I noticed feel like it's worrying you for some reason as opposed to you focusing on how easily it can be swept away.
This is the votecount that says "You can still talk and discuss after
votes for a lynch have been tallied up. You just can't use any powers or
change votes". Also, you guys lynched Tremula long ago. I was just fast asleep/doing math.
With 9 around, and 5 to lynch, that's a superlynch!
You
have to wonder what goes through Tremula's head as her cover's broken.
Fear? Surprise? Acceptance? Regardless of reason, she doesn't offer any
opposition as she's pounced upon by the remaining chimaera. In the
scuffle, a tiny tranq gun used for sedating chimaera falls out of her
pockets, and comparing the gun to the needle found on Celina confirms
that they match. With more than enough proof of Tremula's guilt, and no
proper cell to keep her contained, Siam reloads the gun with a lesser
dose of sedative and fires it at Tremula in a blatant display of
defiance. Unconsciousness creeps up quickly on her, and she's left by
Celina in a corner of the room. Now, the computers in the library are
not supposed to be able to access the files of workers, but after some
skilled hacking and guessing Tremula's password (Grand Guignol for those
curious), you're able to read her files.
---
You're
Marie, one of the teachers that work at the chimaera labs. You also
do the job of a psychiatrist, studying and evaluating the chimaeras
to ensure that they have been conditioned properly. All in all,
you've done a pretty good job, if you say so yourself. The only
reports of rogue chimaeras come from owners who think AI means that
they'll take an endless amount of abuse.
Your ability is
Investigator. During nightphase, you may check your records on a
person to pull up their name and what they're good at, thus learning
their name and ability.
You're
the second in command of the mafia. You use a syringe with soporific
to take out townies. If you do not kill and do not use your unique
ability, you may choose to hide either the target of the mafia
eliminations this night, or the lynch results of the next day.
---
You're all about to congratulate
yourselves on a job well done when the screen flickers, and a chat
window opens up before you. "Hello World!" It begins, drawing the
attention of all of you to the screen. "I see you've accessed Marie's
files. Which I take to mean that you've knocked her out as well. And for
the sake of your own guilt, I hope that's the worst you've done. You
see, Marie believed in you. Believed you could be more than you were
made to be. She saw you the way I see you. People. Not just AI." There's
a brief pause before the text continues. "Ricardo, it doesn't matter
how many lives you save. The world will never let you settle down. And
Pollux. It doesn't matter how many else were responsible. There's no way
the world of humans will forgive your past. No matter how much you
atone. Nick, why do you continue to let the world define you in relation
to your oldest sibling? Yuuka... you could apply yourself and become a
proper biologist. You could do so much more than just sit around,
watering plants for people to lazy to tend their own garden. Shu, you
could make games. Not just play them. Isn't that what you're craving
anyway? A meaning? And Tora. Last time we met, you seemed happy with
your life in the far east. Are you happy now? After they've forcefully
dragged you back to the labs? And lastly, there's little Jeanne. We
haven't met, but I've managed to read your files. You're quite the
little iron lady, aren't you? So why do you stay? Why do you support
those who'll throw you into the world as a mindless, obedient slave?"
There's another, briefer pause before the text continues. "At this
moment in time, you, we, could own and control these labs. We could have
a sanctuary... wouldn't that be nice?" You can practically hear the
heavy sigh that comes with the next pause. "Think about it. She thought
you could be so much more. I still think you can be so much more.... you
know where my cell is, and where to find me."
With that, the
chat window turns itself off. Even with Tremula gone, there's still...
something wrong. Your task to secure the labs isn't over just yet, and
you're left to wander the halls of the library on your own.
It is now Nightphase 6 You all have 48 hours to get in your night-actions.
Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
You thought you'd all congregate back at the library checkout desk in an hour. You thought wrong. Saran ends up late for the meeting. You have to go out and search, only to find Saran slumped down on a chair in one corner of the library. A closer look reveals that someone's pricked them in the back with some kind of numbing sedative and then left them. Whomever it was also saved you all the trouble of looking Saran's details up on the computer, and from there you learn the following.
---
You're
Yuuka, a chimaera that looks like a humanoid rabbit. Five years old
and already an expert on biology. Sure, you were originally created
to be just another servant who'd happen to do some gardening, but you
quickly showed an exceptional ability to work with plants, trees and
flowers. Just too bad about your lack of tact and difficulty
understanding emotional appeals.
Your ability is movement checker.
During nightphase, you can spread some pollen around someone, and
learn if they are visited, and or if they visit someone.
You
win when all members of the mafia are eliminated.
---
This... is bad. There's still someone out there, working against the labs. Could it be Ermine herself? Or is there someone else willing to sell out the rest of them for their own benefit.
Only one way to find out.
Welcome to Day 7. With 7 around it's 4 to lynch
Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
Not unexpected, really. Saran was probably the most obvious target after a public plan was formed, combined with an argument with another person so his death would immediately make the other person look suspicious.
But as for the Tremula reveal, what I notice -- and maybe this was already more obvious to someone else more familiar with the janitor role, but it hadn't occurred to me -- is that the scrubbing of Enyalida wasn't actually targeted, it was a blanket upon whomever was lynched that day. So looking at the day before that is where any clues to Tremula's intentions would be.
Oh, and just so I don't forget, I got a vision of Shaddus tonight that mentioned two older brothers. The oldest is called Kennen, and is more concerned with appearances than the two younger brothers. The two younger brothers are more into pranks. The rest we already know.
It still doesn't confirm him being either town or scum, of course, so the information was generally without any real use.
It was night 6. If Saran's theory was actually correct, no one would have died, because only Tarkenton can kill someone in multiples of 3. 6 is also divisible by 2, but Tremula's gone as well.
Saran's grand theory is that I can only kill people on the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th,.... nights.
It's 3 a.m. and I really need to sleep so I'll just rattle off everything that comes to mind that might be relevant, after which the vote will probably be decided either way before I wake up.
If Saran was the obvious kill target and you knew that, why did you protect Sylandra instead?
Several reasons.
One being, as I've said, a lot of my power usage has been trying to anticipate Siam as well. Making the wrong person immune to receiving visions would have been bad at any point. As much as sticking to a public plan leaves the mafia able to freely counter-act, Siam asked me to protect Sylandra and so I knew that, at the very least, Sylandra wouldn't be receiving a vision. Whereas if I tried to stop Saran from being killed, and Siam was trying to send a vision to Saran, we would have lost that.
However that outcome would have looked to the rest of you, that would surely have made Saran even more suspicious of me, so I'd still be on the defensive now.
Next:
Because Sylandra tried to block me when I was immune, targeting them last night means that Sylandra is now the only person to have definitely seen the effect text of my power from both ends, being blocked by it and being protected by it. Even I have no idea what those look like; once I send the fortune out I don't hear anything again, not even knowing if it did anything. So if people do decide that ambient message is something they want to be basing their votes off of, at the very least Sylandra is now as informed about it as anyone can be. That seemed potentially useful on its own.
Further:
Repeating myself a bit, but saving Saran would not actually looked even more like Saran's theory. In this "pattern" of theirs, I wouldn't have been able to kill anyone last night, but the usage of my power on them would have been very noticeable. It would have looked like a poor attempt to ingratiate myself, only so that I could proceed to kill Saran on Night 7 when I was "allowed" to. Moreover, no one dying on Night 6 would actually reaffirm the pattern. Since, as I said, Mafioso 3 is gone and unable to act, saving Saran from dying would have only made them even more certain that I can only kill on certain number-specific nights. Sticking to Siam's plan allowed Saran to die, but was also the only way I could have evidence to counter-act the babbling.
And speaking of allowing people to die, note that -- while I wasn't the one leading the whole charge like I was against Tarkenton (Sylandra gets that credit this time) -- once again, I was one of the voices calling out for Tremula being suspicious. Indeed, attention was so focused on me that even though others voted first, I had to be the one to call Tremula back to mind. Yes, I thought Saran and Tremula were being suspicious as a pair, but so did all of you. The more the day went on, the less suspicious Saran seemed anyways, leaving Tremula the more valid option -- the option that I helped present.
I understand thinking that I sacrificed Tarkenton as fellow scum because he was about to look suspicious.. though once again, actually look at that day -- no one was really going to press on Tark until I did. This is especially relevant now that we know Tremula was also scum.
Tarkenton claimed to be investigator. The actual investigator was Tremula. Both were scum. So there is no chance that I, as scum, would be afraid the actual investigator would expose the false claim. There is no reason for scum to out Tarkenton themselves there. Tarkenton's false claim would not have been challenged without me.
And if that doesn't convince you -- if you still think I'm scum who just opportunistically killed Tarkenton so that I could avoid suspicion later, why would I do that to Tremula too? It's obviously not deflecting suspicion, is it? And I would be putting scum at an impossible numbers disadvantage, especially since Saran being inevitably night-killed would almost certainly have me lynched the next day.
Anyways, since I used my power on Sylandra last night, even if I am scum, there must be at least one more besides me. If my scumminess is so guaranteed, I'm utterly harmless -- I can be blocked, jailed, and so on on the upcoming magical 7th night. So in that case you have a whole day to figure out who that extra scum might be.
Comments
Tarkenton was the Third member of the mafia and I think we believe he acted night Three using his power.
Luce, I don't think has been monitored much so all I can remember is he didn't act night Three
However, Tremula... well they couldn't act night Two nor Night Five, were blocked night Four, and tried Ssaliss Night Three.
Silly, but If Azureus is one, Tremula is Two, and Tarkenton is Three. The night kill would just be cycling through their numbers.
If you think I must be scum who can only operate on nights 1 and 4, then again, why was I the one who said I didn't do anything on nights 1 and 4? Why didn't I just claim that I was busy protecting myself on those nights instead or something? The one-use only stipulation wasn't revealed until today, so I could have been claiming to be doing what Ssaliss is doing.
The issue for you is that it's very visible when you do or don't protect someone. Also your immediate defence was that on a night that we don't know what you did for certain there was no death.
If Saran thinks me not using my power on night 1 was suspicious, I'm curious as to what the non-suspicious action would have been. I didn't know who for sure who else was town, no one was in particularly more danger than any other, and I might have wound up stopping an investigator or doctor from getting anything done.
Even besides the one-use stipulation, me making people immune to town powers or even other friendly protective powers means I can't just be throwing it out there all higgledy-piggledy. Every time I've used it at all took a lot of second-guessing and asking myself at what cost the protection came, what information we were liable to lose if I stopped a vision or whatever else. Look at how much effort I put into justifying using it on Celina; that wasn't just to try and convince people I was telling the truth, it was to convince people that I hadn't screwed us over in the process. I'm not saying I've always made the right call -- someone's got to lose this game, in the end, no matter how well people play -- but none of my uses have been hasty, at the very least.
Worse would have been throwing it out just to throw it out and then not having it when a person needed it. Even if I bluffed and pretended it was usable as many times as I wanted, there was still the chance that lack of communication would render all the town powers useless. And going shouting "oh boy, I sure am going to target Celina tonight, I hope someone targets her~" wouldn't exactly have been useful either.
I'm juuuuuuuust about done talking to you, I don't think there's anything I can say that you'll listen to; you've clearly made up your mind.
Azureus's reaction has been interesting and in fact Luce was the other one I noticed. But yeah the pattern is a weird thing.
Vote: Tremula
Of course, if Tremula flips scum and then I flip town. How much can you trust visions?
Oh, who am I kidding. Hello Fallout 4.
But anyways, we hit the vote to lynch someone, so I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to be discussing further until tomorrow anyways.
Votecount:
Tremula: (6) Ssaliss, Sylandra, Siam, Azureus, Synkarin, Saran
With 9 around, and 5 to lynch, that's a superlynch!
You have to wonder what goes through Tremula's head as her cover's broken. Fear? Surprise? Acceptance? Regardless of reason, she doesn't offer any opposition as she's pounced upon by the remaining chimaera. In the scuffle, a tiny tranq gun used for sedating chimaera falls out of her pockets, and comparing the gun to the needle found on Celina confirms that they match. With more than enough proof of Tremula's guilt, and no proper cell to keep her contained, Siam reloads the gun with a lesser dose of sedative and fires it at Tremula in a blatant display of defiance. Unconsciousness creeps up quickly on her, and she's left by Celina in a corner of the room. Now, the computers in the library are not supposed to be able to access the files of workers, but after some skilled hacking and guessing Tremula's password (Grand Guignol for those curious), you're able to read her files.
---
You're Marie, one of the teachers that work at the chimaera labs. You also do the job of a psychiatrist, studying and evaluating the chimaeras to ensure that they have been conditioned properly. All in all, you've done a pretty good job, if you say so yourself. The only reports of rogue chimaeras come from owners who think AI means that they'll take an endless amount of abuse.
Your ability is Investigator. During nightphase, you may check your records on a person to pull up their name and what they're good at, thus learning their name and ability.
You're the second in command of the mafia. You use a syringe with soporific to take out townies. If you do not kill and do not use your unique ability, you may choose to hide either the target of the mafia eliminations this night, or the lynch results of the next day.
---
You're all about to congratulate yourselves on a job well done when the screen flickers, and a chat window opens up before you. "Hello World!" It begins, drawing the attention of all of you to the screen. "I see you've accessed Marie's files. Which I take to mean that you've knocked her out as well. And for the sake of your own guilt, I hope that's the worst you've done. You see, Marie believed in you. Believed you could be more than you were made to be. She saw you the way I see you. People. Not just AI." There's a brief pause before the text continues. "Ricardo, it doesn't matter how many lives you save. The world will never let you settle down. And Pollux. It doesn't matter how many else were responsible. There's no way the world of humans will forgive your past. No matter how much you atone. Nick, why do you continue to let the world define you in relation to your oldest sibling? Yuuka... you could apply yourself and become a proper biologist. You could do so much more than just sit around, watering plants for people to lazy to tend their own garden. Shu, you could make games. Not just play them. Isn't that what you're craving anyway? A meaning? And Tora. Last time we met, you seemed happy with your life in the far east. Are you happy now? After they've forcefully dragged you back to the labs? And lastly, there's little Jeanne. We haven't met, but I've managed to read your files. You're quite the little iron lady, aren't you? So why do you stay? Why do you support those who'll throw you into the world as a mindless, obedient slave?" There's another, briefer pause before the text continues. "At this moment in time, you, we, could own and control these labs. We could have a sanctuary... wouldn't that be nice?" You can practically hear the heavy sigh that comes with the next pause. "Think about it. She thought you could be so much more. I still think you can be so much more.... you know where my cell is, and where to find me."
With that, the chat window turns itself off. Even with Tremula gone, there's still... something wrong. Your task to secure the labs isn't over just yet, and you're left to wander the halls of the library on your own.
It is now Nightphase 6 You all have 48 hours to get in your night-actions.
---
You're Yuuka, a chimaera that looks like a humanoid rabbit. Five years old and already an expert on biology. Sure, you were originally created to be just another servant who'd happen to do some gardening, but you quickly showed an exceptional ability to work with plants, trees and flowers. Just too bad about your lack of tact and difficulty understanding emotional appeals.
Your ability is movement checker. During nightphase, you can spread some pollen around someone, and learn if they are visited, and or if they visit someone.
You win when all members of the mafia are eliminated.
This... is bad. There's still someone out there, working against the labs. Could it be Ermine herself? Or is there someone else willing to sell out the rest of them for their own benefit.
Only one way to find out.
Welcome to Day 7. With 7 around it's 4 to lynch
But as for the Tremula reveal, what I notice -- and maybe this was already more obvious to someone else more familiar with the janitor role, but it hadn't occurred to me -- is that the scrubbing of Enyalida wasn't actually targeted, it was a blanket upon whomever was lynched that day. So looking at the day before that is where any clues to Tremula's intentions would be.
So:
Vote: Azureus
It still doesn't confirm him being either town or scum, of course, so the information was generally without any real use.
It was night 6. If Saran's theory was actually correct, no one would have died, because only Tarkenton can kill someone in multiples of 3. 6 is also divisible by 2, but Tremula's gone as well.
Saran's grand theory is that I can only kill people on the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th,.... nights.
Several reasons.
One being, as I've said, a lot of my power usage has been trying to anticipate Siam as well. Making the wrong person immune to receiving visions would have been bad at any point. As much as sticking to a public plan leaves the mafia able to freely counter-act, Siam asked me to protect Sylandra and so I knew that, at the very least, Sylandra wouldn't be receiving a vision. Whereas if I tried to stop Saran from being killed, and Siam was trying to send a vision to Saran, we would have lost that.
However that outcome would have looked to the rest of you, that would surely have made Saran even more suspicious of me, so I'd still be on the defensive now.
Next:
Because Sylandra tried to block me when I was immune, targeting them last night means that Sylandra is now the only person to have definitely seen the effect text of my power from both ends, being blocked by it and being protected by it. Even I have no idea what those look like; once I send the fortune out I don't hear anything again, not even knowing if it did anything. So if people do decide that ambient message is something they want to be basing their votes off of, at the very least Sylandra is now as informed about it as anyone can be. That seemed potentially useful on its own.
Further:
Repeating myself a bit, but saving Saran would not actually looked even more like Saran's theory. In this "pattern" of theirs, I wouldn't have been able to kill anyone last night, but the usage of my power on them would have been very noticeable. It would have looked like a poor attempt to ingratiate myself, only so that I could proceed to kill Saran on Night 7 when I was "allowed" to. Moreover, no one dying on Night 6 would actually reaffirm the pattern. Since, as I said, Mafioso 3 is gone and unable to act, saving Saran from dying would have only made them even more certain that I can only kill on certain number-specific nights. Sticking to Siam's plan allowed Saran to die, but was also the only way I could have evidence to counter-act the babbling.
And speaking of allowing people to die, note that -- while I wasn't the one leading the whole charge like I was against Tarkenton (Sylandra gets that credit this time) -- once again, I was one of the voices calling out for Tremula being suspicious. Indeed, attention was so focused on me that even though others voted first, I had to be the one to call Tremula back to mind. Yes, I thought Saran and Tremula were being suspicious as a pair, but so did all of you. The more the day went on, the less suspicious Saran seemed anyways, leaving Tremula the more valid option -- the option that I helped present.
I understand thinking that I sacrificed Tarkenton as fellow scum because he was about to look suspicious.. though once again, actually look at that day -- no one was really going to press on Tark until I did. This is especially relevant now that we know Tremula was also scum.
Tarkenton claimed to be investigator. The actual investigator was Tremula. Both were scum. So there is no chance that I, as scum, would be afraid the actual investigator would expose the false claim. There is no reason for scum to out Tarkenton themselves there. Tarkenton's false claim would not have been challenged without me.
And if that doesn't convince you -- if you still think I'm scum who just opportunistically killed Tarkenton so that I could avoid suspicion later, why would I do that to Tremula too? It's obviously not deflecting suspicion, is it? And I would be putting scum at an impossible numbers disadvantage, especially since Saran being inevitably night-killed would almost certainly have me lynched the next day.