It’s been a long day. Too long, some thought. Early argument had been a bit subdued (curse those weekends) but erupted again as the Day lengthened.
Fingers were pointed at several people, blaming the scum for the death of JSexton. Some said the scum pushed his death to cover up for Zeriel’s scumminess. Still others said nono, it was Hal the scum were covering for.
Once again fingers were pointed and accusations flew. And again, as the Day wore on and the contenders placed their votes, things got quieter.
The trouble with extended periods of quiet is that they give curious, intelligent people the chance to stick their noses in where they really do not belong. And so it proved this time.
While the people argued, gradually polarising into groups who thought that Zeriel, Hal, or maybe Shadowfacts should be killed, ok11 noticed something odd. A glint of metal where metal should not be. Slipping off she went to see what it was.
A great shining machine, somehow hidden in a fold of the ground, revealed it to her sight. And on the side, in huge letters, was the blazon.
ACME
SUPER EXCAVATOR
Besides the machine was a perfectly circular hole some 30’ in diameter, with a bottom lost in the darkness.
Noticing her looking at something hidden, the rest paused the debate to come over and see what she could see. They all speculated on the depth of the hole, but alas, they had no reliable measuring instruments to find how deep the hole was. Even the expedient of tossing down a stone did not yield any data, as no sound of impact was heard.
Finally, someone noticed the symbols engraved in the side of the hole. Going round to read it, they saw.
“Test Excavation to 6.77 miles.
“Max duration of stay 20 mins.
“Protective gear required.”
Sadly there was no protective gear.
They moved away slightly and resumed their debate. However, no-one seemed to be willing to shift votes at this late stage, and the choice seemed to fall on Zeriel. They then could not agree on how to kill him. There seemed to be no desire for primitive or savage methods, and the Death Ray that had killed JSexton so cleanly the previous Day had been missing since Sunrise. Finally, and with a sense of inevitability, they decided to throw him down the hole. After all, he’d be able to beat the time at depth then, wouldn’t he? That way his death would advance the cause of science.
Zeriel seemed resigned to his fate, at the end acquiescing to the group verdict. Walking to the edge under his own steam, he allowed his accusers to pick him up and throw him into the hole. With a last heave, they tossed him in, and waited. Someone made a joke about timing the fall.
No sound of impact was ever heard, but suddenly, exactly 20 minutes after Zeriel had been thrown down the hole, the lights went out. As they were plunged into the dim light of Dusk from the residual energy of the Sun, ShadowFacts was heard to mutter “Don’t blame me, I voted for the Lizard People.”
Day Three is over after a marathon 136 hours.
Zeriel, aka Lone Wolf, a Member of the SDMB, has been dropped down a hole as deep as the Marianas Trench and expected to stay there for over 20 minutes.
As usual, you have two hours for strategy talk before the residual energy of the Sun gives out.
System repairs will take until 7pm EST on Saturday 22nd November. Players with Night actions have until then to get their Night actions in or lose them.
Zeriel, please let Hawkeyeop or I know if you want spoilers.
