[VFM] Elf Gold Rush - Game Over. Humans Win!

Yeah… me too. Don’t worry. It’ll be all over once I die.

…well, if I am going to die anyway:
/vote Zone_Q11 @Arete

Vote Count

Vote Target Voted By Votes
No-elimination WindwardAway, City, Squirrel2412 3/5
January clonedcheese 1/5
Zone_Q11 Zone_Q11 1/5
Not Voting Vulgard, min, January 3

Ping me with errors

This topic was automatically closed after 13 hours. New replies are no longer allowed.

You have five minutes to ping me with corrections.

No one was eliminated.

Night 4 begins and will end in 24 hours, at 2021-07-28T21:00:00Z. Actions are due 1 hour before the end of the night.

Actions are locked.

EoD4 Flavor

An excerpt from the official history textbook of the Human Empire, Year Six.

Part 3: The Talion Trials – Continued

One of the most common misconceptions about the Talion Trials is the claim that the brief pause in parajudicial killings represents a genuine commitment by Talion’s residents to principles of innocence or fairness. In fact, reconstructed transcripts from the day in question suggest otherwise. Take, for example, this excerpt from a speech made by Cyran, one of the leaders of Talion’s council:

The risk of voting’s simply far too great
For any error risks a final loss.
It’s far more prudent, then, to one night wait,
A death at night will help us get across.

This quote clearly demonstrates that not only were the residents of Talion not concerned with innocence, but in fact, they specifically viewed the death of someone who was innocent even under their own laws as desirable. The “death at night” was not seen as a tragedy, except when convenient to support Talion’s narrative of a human invasion. Rather, it was just another tool to help them determine who the humans were. Their ultimate goal, then, was not even the safety of their town and its residents, but the destruction of human freedom and potential.

Comprehension Questions

  1. What is the most common misconception about the Gold Rush Period?
  2. Summarize the claims Cyran made in his speech.
  3. How does Cyran’s speech undermine the claims made by the Province of Alva about the Gold Rush Mission?

Discussion Questions

  1. Despite evidence to the contrary, the myth surrounding the pause in executions persists. Why do you think that might be?
  2. How does Cyran misuse the concept of virtue in making his argument?
  3. Had you heard any other myths about the Gold Rush Period coming into this course?
1 Like

End of Night 4 Flavor

An excerpt from the most popular history textbook of the Province of Alva, typically used for children between the ages of forty and fifty.

Chapter 4: The Gold Rush

Part 9: The Reckoning

Key Terms: Councilor Cyran, retrospective divinations, judicial reforms, single accusation system, final deliberation system

With seven residents of Talion left alive, and three human spies still present, it became clear to Talion’s council that more drastic measures were necessary. Together with several of the town’s leaders, Councilor Cyran created a plan designed to enable the residents of Talion to successfully eliminate the spies. He outlined this plan in a speech given on the second Earthday of Dustmoon.

Primary Source Connection

Cyran’s speech is recorded here in full. It was reconstructed through retrospective divinations performed after the conclusion of the Gold Rush Invasion.

The risk of voting’s simply far too great
For any error risks a final loss.
It’s far more prudent, then, to one night wait,
A death at night will help us get across.

My life, I know, receives the greatest threat,
But still my duty’s clear, I shan’t forsake
Or try to flee from that eternal debt:
My dying breath shall gift you life to take.

By reconstructing voting, we at last
Shall manage to eliminate the spies
By confidence alone we’ll put this past,
By confidence alone we’ll smash their lies.

Our votes, once cast, shall ever there remain,
And someday we shall see the stars again!

In his speech, Cyran emphasized the importance of judicial reforms. Chief among these reforms was the implementation of the single accusation system. Under the single accusation system, deliberators were limited to a single vote for who among them was a human spy. Once that vote had been placed, it could not be rescinded or changed. Although Cyran’s prediction of his death came to pass, the single accusation system was immediately implemented in his memory. The single accusation system formed the basis for later reforms that spread throughout all of Alva, most notably the final deliberation system, which is discussed in the next chapter.

Practical Connection!

The final deliberation system, which is used in Alva’s courts today, forms the cornerstone of Alva’s legal system. Many courts in Alva allow visitors to observe court proceedings. Try contacting your local magistrates to find out if something like that is possible in your area. Remember to observe appropriate courtroom decorum, such as responding with the correct notes whenever the judges make a ruling, wearing the traditional courtroom frock and shift, and avoiding the use of magic while the court is in session (in most jurisdictions, the last of these is enforced through temporary mindwards placed upon entry).

Try it at home!

With your class, your teacher will facilitate a mock trial using the single accusation system. Follow their instructions carefully; further instructions and role assignments will be given to you in class. Then, after the trial, answer the following questions:
1. Which roles do you think were most important to the outcome of the trial? Which were least important? Did any of those surprise you?
2. What did you think of the single accusation system? Would it have been harder to conduct a trial without that system?
3. If you could redo the trial, what would you do differently?

1 Like

Squirrel2412 has died in the night! He was:

Cyran, an Elf.

Day 5 begins and will end in 48 hours, at 2021-07-30T21:00:00Z, or earlier if a majority is reached for execution. With 7 players alive, majority is 4.

AS IT IS LYLO, VOTES ARE LOCKED. YOUR FIRST VOTE IS FINAL AND CANNOT BE CHANGED.

@clonedcheese
@January
@Vulgard
@Zone_Q11
@min
@City
@WindwardAway

Three things.

One. DO NOT VOTE. If a single town misvotes, the game is over

Two, I won’t be avaliable for around 6-7 ish hours.

And three. If a town misvotes or a single person loses us the game, it is fine. We were going to lose 90% of the time anyway

All three of these posts are NAI. Don’t bother attempting to throw shade on me using them

…hm. Okay, I need to reconsider my POE.

I have some thinking to do
I should probably do it when I’m not tired

You had squirrel in your POE?