Quest for the Holy Grail (Quest 4: Extensive? Peril)

[mathgrant]

Oh, crap. I honestly don't know what came over me. The PM I sent to Cordelia says I gave my stuff to Dented Ford, but somehow, I sent a PM stating "I gave my stuff to you" to the wrong person.

I promise I will make it up to that person, somehow. If that person is still willing to talk to me. . .
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My logic puzzle blog

[Cordelia]

(repost of items)

[raekuul]

I don't like this. I don't like this one bit.

That rabbit's too easy to see past.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Dented Ford]

No sensible ideas of my own - but embarrassed thanks to mathgrant. I can pass things on to your nominee if you like, or you can have them back. Or wait and see what suggestions come up and do something sensible (ish) with them according to your input.

[mathgrant]

For the traitor thing, can I choose myself and one item I have, and thus betray myself to survive?

What happens if multiple traitors choose the same player and item?
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My logic puzzle blog

[Cordelia]

Sorry, definitely can't choose yourself mathgrant, changing it in the post
If there is any doubling up of items, only the first player to PM his or her traitivity counts.

A question was asked via PM. The resolution of items/events at the end of a quest should be in the order they are presented (for instance, Holy Grails are awarded before mundane rewards).

Not that you can do anything in between those events, but it's worth mentioning.

[raekuul]

I'd rather lose my minstrel than my tracts of land, but then again he's been standing here singing Pop Goeth The Weasel for the past five hours.

[ShadowSword]

If I trade away my halved coconuts and receive halved coconuts from someone else, am I still at risk of loosing my nuts to a traitor?
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"Heads you're good, tails you fail" says my fortune cookie

[Jaguar]

Inconceivable! I mean, Impostors!

Ni! Peng!

[Cordelia]

A Halved Coconut is a Halved Coconut...if you had wanted more variable coconuts, you should have gotten Migratory ones...which I'm told are lighter and easier to store. (Yes, it's tied to the name of the item, not the actual item.)

[3iff]

I used to have a Migratory coconut...but it split.

[Scurra]

But a Migratory Coconut isn't going to get you anywhere useful, is it?
Apart from Africa for the winter.
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_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[raekuul]

Is everyone hiding inside of the trojan rabbit or something?

[Cordelia]

Was there someone in the Trojan Rabbit to begin with?

Just a reminder that the update will be late tomorrow night, after most east coast people are long asleep.

[Cordelia]

Ever feel like you did something completely wrong? Of course a Trojan Rabbit was an awful idea. Especially since no one bothered to get in it! Sir Clifford (affectionately called "the Manatee") realized the error of his ways far too late. Sir Clifford is now affectionately known as "the Sea Cow."

The Knights Who Say Nay saw through the paltry distraction attempt launched by the adventuring knights. The Knight Who Says Ni, however, could not be bothered with this silly quest. Time was better spent on a special quest...to steal Sir Tain's name. And since he traded away his other name, Sir Tain is now just known as . It's very hard to address him.

Actions
Zag: Flagellant's Board -> Undercover Monk
Jaguar: Possibly Another Quest -> HWTG 3
Dented Ford: Name -> Scurra
Shadow Sword: Trojan Rabbit donated
Scurra: Halved Coconut -> Dented Ford


Nearly half of the Knights turned into blubbering babies before the Knights Who Say Nay.

"We've got all sorts of great things to give you," Sir Robin pled.

"Yes, yes," agreed Sir Isaac, with Sir Prize, "We have lots of coconuts and names. You like names? We'll give you their names. And coconut steeds!"

Both the Knight Who Says Ni and Sir Neville agreed vehemently, blubbering and sobbing that they didn't want to die. None, however, was as apologetic and tearful as Sir Clifford the Sea Cow, who was feeling particularly blubberish.

Traitors
Zag X raekuul (Migratory Coconut)
3iff X ShadowSword (Halved Coconut)
lexprod X Undercover Monk (Name)
mathgrant X Scurra (Halved Coconut)
Jaguar X Dented Ford (Name)


The unholy punishment for trying to deceive the Knights Who Say Nay is losing your most recently received item. (Timeline: Jaguar will receive the HWTG reward after the Dire Punishments.) I believe Scurra and Dented Ford were trying somehow to avoid traitorousness, but they should have really traded BOTH of their Names and Coconuts in order to protect one.

Oh, and yes, to assuage any of your annoyances, there were players who knew what the Dire Consequences were. I have stricken through the traitored items (taken off the front of the list) followed by the consequenced items (taken from the back of the lists).

Stricken Item List
raekuul: Halved Coconut, Minstrel, Migratory Coconut, Tract of Land
milkshake: Minstrel, Name, Holy Grail
Zag: Minstrel, Holy Grail
mathgrant: Holy Grail
MatthewV: Minstrel, Mostly Fair Scales, Name, Possibly Another Quest
ShadowSword: Halved Coconut, Mostly Fair Scales, Possibly Another Quest
Jaguar: Minstrel, Mostly Fair Scales, Flagellant's Board
3iff: Halved Coconut, Mostly Fair Scales, Flagellant's Board, Possibly Another Quest
Undercover Monk: Name, Minstrel, Holy Grail, Mostly Fair Scales, Flagellant's Board
jesternl: Minstrel, Excalibur, Halved Coconut, Possibly Another Quest
Scurra: Halved Coconut, Minstrel, Possibly Another Quest, Tract of Land, Name
Dented Ford: Flagellant's Board, Holy Grail, Mostly Fair Scales, Name, Tract of Land, Halved Coconut
lexprod: Halved Coconut, Excalibur, Possibly Another Quest, Migratory Coconut


Lastly, Zag wins The Artist because of his creative attempts to circumvent the rules.

[Cordelia]

As part of the punishment for trying to trick the Knights Who Say Nay, the adventuring knights are banished to Castle Anthrax. There, they are seduced by Midget, Piglet, Zoot, and her twin sister Dingo. No, I didn't come up with those names.

The knights are quite distracted from their search for the Holy Grail, what with all of the [censor][/censor] with [censor][/censor] in the [censor][/censor]. [censor][/censor][censor][/censor][censor][/censor]. And then Sir Elton John [censor][/censor] and exciting underwear.

Quest 4: Go Back in There and Face the Peril
Objective: Donate Coconuts.
Dire Punishments: Yes, well, obviously there is no real peril...
There are both mundane and Holy Grail rewards for this quest (or at the very least, a Grail-shaped reward). There is also a HWTG reward. Players with a Coconut will receive a mundane reward at the end of the round.


Take It Slow
In Castle Anthrax, it's best to keep at it slow. Slow and steady is nice. An additional mundane reward will be given to the last three players to PM to me a message with the subject: Oh, wicked, bad, naughty, evil Zoot! Do not PM me with the message twice, or you will not receive the reward. The deadline is of course when I check my mailbox for the last time, whenever that is.


Still looking for suggestions on how to handle the holiday...I'm sure I'll come up with something...

[3iff]

I take it a halved coconut is not a Coconut? If so, are two halves the equivalent of a Coconut?


As for the holiday, I'll be AFK for the whole week (and weekends) after Christmas...a perfect time to sneak in a couple of rounds behind my back...

[Cordelia]

Both Migratory and Halved varieties are Coconuts.

And it is not Half of a Coconut, but a Halved Coconut. That's one coconut that has been halved. Two Halved Coconuts are equal to two Coconuts.

[Scurra]

[raekuul]

I've got a ba-a-a-a-ad feeling about this...

then again, it is a grail-shaped reward...

[3iff]

Thanks Cordelia. I just wanted to clarify the Coconut situation as I guess people like to play with semantics (even though they're fragile and easily broken).

[Zag]

[Cordelia]

You will not receive rewards if there were dire punishments...

You only get rewards for successfully passing the quest. :D

[MatthewV]

Out of curiosity, what would it have taken to pass that quest?

[Cordelia]

It was impossible. Like I said in the Dire Punishments, it was a matter of how severe you wanted the consequences to be. If no one donated a Trojan Rabbit and everyone gave their Minstrels to one person, exactly one Minstrel would have been lost amongst all of the items on the table. That would have required some information exchange and sharing of item. It all depends on how you rate "success." If you got out of that without losing anything, that was pretty successful, right?

Then again, sometimes the better part of valor is knowing when to execute a 180-degree attack. (And when to stop mixing metaphors.)

Despite all of that, there were mundane and HWTG rewards, one of which went to Jaguar.

[Cordelia]

Not to put a damper on anything, but I can tell everyone is really busy, likely with holiday/school/etc.

I have, for instance, received only 3 PM's since the quest began. And it was supposed to end today. So, not to sound plaintive or anything, but, where is everyone?

So, in the interest of making sure the game does return to a relatively reasonable clip, it is going on hold until January 5th, a Tuesday. At that time, Quest 4 and all related subquests will end.

Until that time, I'm going to take a hint from WoW (which I don't play) and offer a holiday quest.

Singing Minstrels
Sir Robin's Minstrel is singing. Everyone's Minstrels are singing. It's a regular carolcophany.

The minstrels are singing holiday songs: a traditional Christmas carol, a holiday comedy song, and an "other." Before next Tuesday, name one of them to get a Holiday Achievement. Whatever that is...

[raekuul]

They're singing
Hark! The Herald Angel Sing
Batman Smells
and
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer

[Jaguar]

They're also singing:

Deck the Halls
Bob and Doug McKenzie's version of The Twelve Days of Christmas
and
I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me....

BEER"

[lexprod]

My Minstrels sing:

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
12 Days of Christmas by John Denver and The Muppets
and
Christmas in Hollis

[MatthewV]

I hear the minstrels singing...
Christmas is Coming, Dead, Dead, Dead (South Park Children's Chior), and Christmas in Prison (John Prine).

[Cordelia]

Okay, so, I'm putting this up there...the quest will officially end tomorrow (Wednesday) evening. I realized that I should at least put out a day-prior warning. If I don't get much response, I'll assume everyone has submitted what they wished to send.

[Cordelia]

So, I just want to say, this game is probably way more entertaining for me than anyone else; I'm constantly amused by everyone's PM's. Thanks :D

[Cordelia]

The Minstrels were singing...
Silver Bells (My source and I discussed it, and we didn't entirely agree on what constituted a "traditional" song; the winning argument was: if carolers will sing it, it's a Christmas carol, even if it's a secular song.)
Zag
Bob Rivers (Comedy Corp) - 12 Pains of Christmas
I'm giving this to Jaguar for a variation on the same song that was also produced by a Bob. Close enough, right?
Mannheim Steamroller - Faeries (also acceptable are: Nutcracker Suite or Dance of the Sugar Plum Faerie/Fairy, by any artist)
Since no one got this, I'm going to give it to UM, for giving me "Don't Stop Believing" as the "other" song...cute

Congratulations to Sir Robin, the Knight Who Says Ni, and Peasant Dennis...interestingly enough, those are also the only players that chose an actual character from the movie. I would include raekuul, but I believe the actors playing with coconuts were squires of some manner.

Your prize is a complete revelation regarding The Meaning of Life. What does this have anything to do with the holiday quest? Here you go.

[Cordelia]

Sir Neville shouted out amongst the naughtiness occurring in Castle Anthrax, "This is going too fast for me. Could we take it a little slower?" Sir Neville pleaded, with Sir Cumstantial, Sir Prize.

"Pansies," hissed a few of the revellers. But Dingo, aghast at all of the spanking that Zoot was receiving, and probably just a little bit jealous of all of the peril, shone the Grail-shaped light on the proceedings. Everyone stopped in mid-gesture, suddenly realizing that they had been distracted from the quest.

Zoot pouted, "But, look, we have firm, ripe coconuts." So everyone said "what the hey" and continued engaging in peril.

Except for an intrepid trio, who knew the value of their aspirations. They stood up to the wicked sisters of Anthrax. "Yaha!" Sir Neville again shouted amongst the naughtiness. "You women think you can easily distract us?" "Neigh," chimed in the Trusty steed, with Sir Prize, "there will be none of that. We are so adamant in achieving our quest, that we brought our own coconuts...we don't need yours."

"Yeah," Sir Neville nodded vigorously, "and we've got THREE, so nyeah."

The rest of the knights, realizing that they had all of the coconuts that they needed, quickly beat a hasty retreat--and only a hasty retreat--from Castle Anthrax.

Actions
Jaguar: Minstrel -> mathgrant
raekuul: Halved Coconut donated
lexprod: Migratory Coconut donated
3iff: Halved Coconut donated

The Zootiful people are Scurra, 3iff, and lexprod...in a way, this subquest was even more diabolical than I had intended; I hadn't expected the holiday-funk to set in so early!

Holy Grail reward: Holy Grail to each player who sacrificed the only Coconut of each type (in other words, only lexprod)
HWTG reward: HWTG4 to the rest of the Coconut donators.
Mundane reward: Grail-Shaped Beacon to each player with a Coconut.
Mundane reward: Something Truly Disturbing to each player who didn't get anything else during the quest...this includes the holiday quest.

Something Truly Disturbing can be used (given up) in order to remove a non-Grail item from any player, including yourself. The item will be removed after the current quest is complete (in other words, you can't use it to suddenly get rid of something that is pertinent to the "current" quest).


Current Item List
raekuul: Minstrel, Tract of Land
milkshake: Minstrel, Name, Something Truly Disturbing
Zag: Minstrel, Holy Grail, The Artist, The Meaning of Life
mathgrant: Holy Grail, Minstrel, Something Truly Disturbing
MatthewV: Minstrel, Mostly Fair Scales, Name, Something Truly Disturbing
ShadowSword: Mostly Fair Scales, Something Truly Disturbing
Jaguar: Mostly Fair Scales, Flagellant's Board, The Meaning of Life
3iff: Mostly Fair Scales, Flagellant's Board, Possibly Another Quest
Undercover Monk: Minstrel, Holy Grail, Mostly Fair Scales, The Meaning of Life
jesternl: Minstrel, Excalibur, Halved Coconut, Grail-Shaped Beacon
Scurra: Minstrel, Possibly Another Quest, Tract of Land
Dented Ford: Flagellant's Board, Holy Grail, Mostly Fair Scales, Tract of Land, Something Truly Disturbing
lexprod: Halved Coconut, Excalibur, Possibly Another Quest, Holy Grail, Grail-Shaped Beacon

raekuul and 3iff will also be receiving the HWTG4 via PM from me.

I've already spent too much time on this tonight. I will hopefully have the next quest up tomorrow night, though I expect that it will still be due by Tuesday night (12th).

[lexprod]

lexprod: Excalibur, Possibly Another Quest, Migratory Coconut, Holy Grail, Grail-Shaped Beacon


I donated my migratory coconut, so I should still have my halved one.
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I'll have a P please...

[MatthewV]

I'll donate anything to anybody who can give me a solid idea about what this game is about.

[Cordelia]

whoops...uhhh, that changes just your list, thankfully, so yeah, phew

[3iff]

[Zag]

I was just wondering whether or not all you implied-rule-followers only guessed one holiday song per category. Of course, Cordy said that the minstrels sang three songs, and that we should try to name one. She never said that we could only name three songs. I sent her Wikipedia's complete list of Christmas songs, figuring that at least one of the three would be on there.

Ha Ha! Cordy, I have now doomed you to getting massive emails from everybody from now on!

[Jaguar]

I have to admit that the first time I read Cordelia's post I read Grail-Shaped bacon instead of beacon... I wonder how to cook that...

Not so patiently waiting for the next quest.

Ni!