Post this to spoilers. I was going to post it to the main thread, but it basically concludes that Yuan Shao has been a recruiting demon and that Yuan Shu has had only 1 successful recruit. I thought I would conclude that Yuan Shu has been recruiting a lot, but maybe he's gaining his power another way?!
I wanted to check with the mid-day scenes to try and figure out what has been happening for the last several nights. D'rek has helpfully underlined what must be the important text, so I'm just going to make it big.
Here's Day 2:
Path-Shaper, on 10 February 2010 - 10:19 PM, said:
The imperial procession passed Xinfeng and reached the Baling bridge. It was autumn, and a sharp west wind was blowing. Hundreds of troops clattered onto the bridge, blocking the carriages. "Who wants to pass?" a harsh voice demanded. Privy Counselor Yang Qi rode onto the bridge and answered, "The Emperor. Who dares prevent us?" Two generals stepped up to Yang Qi. "We are here," they said, "at the order of General Fan Chou, we cannot allow you to pass." The Emperor was distraught. "Out of the wolf's lair," he lamented, "and into the tiger's mouth. What can we do?" His whole entourage trembled. Fan Chou's rebels edged closer. Then, to the blast of drums another general appeared from behind a hill, unfurling a giant banner reading "Yuan Shu of the Great Han." He had one thousand soldiers ready for combat.
Hearing that the Emperor was passing, Yuan Shu had come to offier his services. Now his army stood opposite Fan Chou's. Fan Chou's general, Li Meng, rode before the two lines and denounced Yuan Shu. Shu turned to his line and called for Ji Ling, who charged out, battle-axe in hand, on a superb steed. Ling went straight for Li Meng and cut him down in a quick exchange. Yuan Shu then overpowered Fan Chou's forces and drove them off some twenty li.
The Emperor proceeded to Anyi to establish his capital there. The procession enetered Anyi, but finding no building with an upper story, the royal couple had to stay beneath the thatched roof of a simple farmhouse without a gate. A screen of brambles on all sides took the place of an outer wall. In the farmhouse the Emperor conferred with his ministers while the generals stood guard outside. There, the court first learned new reports that the armies of Sun Ce, Yang Feng, Liu Biao and Gongsun Du had all fallen. The chaos was on all sides now...
Sun Ce was Anomandaris, and so his 'army falling' makes perfect sense. However, Yang Feng, Liu Biao, and Gongsun Du all had armies of their own fall that same night. I am pretty confident this means that THREE players were recruited on night 1. We don't, however, know who got off those recruitments.
We also seem to get information that Yuan Shu did something to Fan Chou, but I'm not sure what that would be, or if that is just flavor for the scene.
Here's Day 3's mid-day scene, for the events of night 2...
Path-Shaper, on 11 February 2010 - 07:19 PM, said:
The Emperor entered Luoyang and saw the ruin of his former capital - the palace buildings burned out, the streets and markets desolate. Everything was overgrown with weeds. The walls of the palaces were crumbling. Emperor Xian ordered Yuan Shu to build a small dwelling to serve as a provisional palace. In the meantime court was held in the open woods.
Grand Commandant Yang Biao appealed to the Emperor: "The decree with which you honored me has yet to be dispatched. At present Yuan Shao has the most powerful army in the northeast. He should be summoned to support the royal house." "I have so ordered," said the Emperor. "A second petition is not necessary. Send someone and be done with it." In accordance with the imperial will, an envoy was sent.
In Luoyang the Emperor found all in ruin. Even the walls were beyond repair. Moreover, reports of new threats from Fan Chou and Zhang Ji alarmed him. To Yuan Shu the Emperor said, "Our messenger has not returned. Our enemies could come at any time. What can we do?" Yuan Shu replied, "I will fight to the death to protect Your Majesty." But Dong Cheng said, "Look at our walls and how few soldiers we have! What if we fail? I recommend that Your Majesty proceed to Cao Cao's camp." The Emperor approved, and that day the court set out for the region east of Huashan. Horses were so scarce that the officials followed the Emperor's carriage on foot.
The procession was hardly under way when clouds of dust darkened the sky ahead, and the air throbbed with drums and gongs. Masses of troops loomed in the distance. Emperor and Empress were too frightened to speak. A single rider approached. It was the imperial envoy. "General Yuan Shao," he reported, "has called up every soldier in the northeast and is coming in response to your decree. He has sent Yan Liang on ahead with ten top generals and fifty thousand picked men to deal with the threat to Luoyang from Fan Chou and Zhang Ji." At last the Emperor felt safe.
At the suggestion of Shao's generals, the Emperor returned to his former palace in Luoyang. Yan Liang stationed his army outside the city. The next day Yuan Shao arrived with the main force, established camp, and was received. Prostrating himself below the stairs to the imperial dais, Yuan Shao acknowledged his sovereign. The Emperor bade him stand and commended him for his service. Yuan Shao and his advisors spent the rest of the day updating the Emperor on recent events: after Tao Qian's general Zhang Kai had killed Cao Cao's family, Cao Cao had invaded Xu and Yang. In the west, Han Sui had come into conflict with his sworn-brother Ma Teng, and a great battle was fought between them at Tianshui. Tao Qian and Han Sui's forces were both completely wiped out.
Again, we get more information about some of the power players. Fan Chou is mentioned again, but as a side note, making me think he's a flavor character, only. I was formerly Tao Qian, and I was recruited and became Yan Liang (almost mentioned in the scene). Han Sui was also recruited night 2. Who could Han Sui have been? Why, none other than Tulas Shorn.
So, we know on Night 2 that Lu Bu (Korv) and Yuan Shao (????) both got off successful recruitments. However, nobody else (including Yuan Shu) was successful, apparently. Tulas now has an alibi and cannot be Yuan Shu, as indicated.
Tulas Shorn, on 16 February 2010 - 04:25 AM, said:
Remove Vote
Vote Meanas
Why? Because his reveal is full of shit. I was recruited by Korvalain (on night 2!). Here is the PM:
Quote
The Tulas Shorn army has been routed and is now commanded by Wei Xu, an ______officer of Lu Bu (Korvalain).
Last night, I was stolen away by someone else.
Now Korv is worthy of a vote because he obviously has had some success because he recruited me earlier, but he lost me last night and is weakened for that. How strong he is, is debateable but not as strong as I suspect Meanas (or his master) to be.
Because of this, a vote on Korvalain can wait, but a vote on Meanas now seems most prudent. Not only does he admit to earlier lies, but he claims a name for Korvalain that is false, and he claims to have been recruited by Korvalain on the same night as I.
Any way you slice it, it smells like fish.
Going back just a bit, to the Day 2 lynch, the 'day end' scenes, we have been told, are NOT to be evaluated as having hints, but I still can't help but notice that the original text indicates that Lui Bei conquired Lui Baio, who was apparently recruited night 1 (see above if you forgot where I mentioned that). So maybe Lui Bei had a successful recruit Night 1, but I'm not sure how much I want to read into that. There's no indication that Okaros ever had much of a following. A case was built that Korv was fake symping him, and that certainly possible since both were warlords at the times of their deaths.
Path-Shaper, on 11 February 2010 - 04:42 AM, said:
Day 2 is ended.
13 Players still alive: Galayn Lord, Korbas, Korvalain, Liosan, Meanas, Okaros, Omtose, Ruse, Spite, Sukul Ankhadu, Telas, Tennes, Tulas Shorn
7 votes to lynch, 7 votes to go to night.
3 Votes for Spite ( Okaros, Liosan, Ruse )
7 Votes for Okaros ( Tulas Shorn, Telas, Tennes, Sukul Ankhadu, Meanas, Omtose, Spite )
Players not voted: Galayn Lord, Korbas, Korvalain
---
After Liu Bei completed his conquest of Liu Biao's domain, he turned his eyes south to the rest of Jing province. Han Xuan, governor of Changsha just south of the river, immediately sent forth his top general Wei Yan with all the troops he could muster, but the army was decimated in a fiery ambush perfectly executed by Liu Bei's strategist, Xu Shu. With Liu Bei's troops overrunning his capital, Han Xuan fled south with his son, Han Hao, to the remote regions controlled by governor Jin Xuan. Han Xuan said, "Jin Xuan's Wu Ling has tens of thousands of troops, more than enough to hold off Liu Bei. If they receive us, we can kill the governor, take his land, and rebuild our strength until we're ready to stand against Liu Bei. That way we can recover the whole of Jing." Thus agreed, father and son presented themselves. But the governor, feigning illness, postponed their reception and kept them in a guesthouse.
Before long spies reported to the governor that Liu Bei was established in Changsha and had no intentions of marching to Wu Ling. Delighted with the news, Jin Xuan positioned armed men behind the wall hangings in the official hall and had the visitors shown in. The formalities concluded, the governor bade them be seated. It was bitter cold. Han Xuan, seeing no cushions on the floor, asked, "May we have mats?" Glaring at them, the governor said, "Your heads are going on a long journey. What do you want mats for?" Han Xuan was taken aback. Jin Xuan shouted, "Guards! What you waiting for?" The executioners rushed out and beheaded the men where they sat. The governor had their heads place in a wooden box, which he dispatched to Changsha. Liu Bei received the heads and sent to Wu Ling a thousand catties of fine silk as a token of appreciation. Thereafter, Liu Bei made no plans to conquer Wu Ling.
Okaros (alt146) is dead. He was the Warlord Han Xuan.
On Day 3, we lynched Liosan, who was a symp of Lu Bu. We MUST assume, if my conclusions are correct so far, that Liosan was previously one of Yang Feng, Liu Biao, and Gongsun Du and has been recruited by Yuan Shu the first night. So at this point, Yuan Shu is back to 0 recruits, since he apparently failed the previous night, as concluded by me, previously.
On Day 4, we got the following mid-day scene.
Path-Shaper, on 15 February 2010 - 10:10 PM, said:
One day the Emperor summoned Yuan Shao to the palace. Receiving the messenger, Shao noticed that his eye was clear and his manner energetic. "You at least are plump enough. How do you take care of yourself?" "No special method," replied the man. "I have fared hard and simply for thirty years." Shao nodded and continued, "And what office do you hold?" "I was recommended for filial devotion and honesty," the messenger replied, "and have served Liu Bei, as well as Zhang Yang. When I heard the Emperor was back in the eastern capital, I came to pay my respects and was appointed court counselor. I am Dong Zhao, a native of Dingtao in Jiyin." "A name long known to me," replied Shao. "How fortunate to meet with you here."
Yuan Shao admired the aptness of Dong Zhao's replies and proceeded to ask him about the condition of the royal house. "My lord," he answered, "the loyal army you command has saved the court from chaos and rescued the Son of Heaven. For this you rank with the Five Protectors of antiquity, who safeguarded the sovereigns of the Zhou dynasty. In the present instance, however, we have many generals with many ambitions; they may not always obey you. Therefore it might be more advantageous to move the Emperor from Luoyang to Ye. On the other hand, the court is newly installed here in the former capital after a period of shuttling about, and men of near and far yearn for stability. Another move will be widely resented. Still and all, extraordinary acts win extraordinary merit. The choice is yours."
Yuan Shao, who was timid of taking bold actions, took Dong Zhao's hand and smiled. "I really wanted to move the court," he said, "but your counsel has persuaded me I dare not, lest the high ministers who oppose the move turn against me."
So it was that the court remained in Luoyang, which was eventually rebuilt and the lands about recultivated until the capital became prosperous and defensible once more. Meanwhile, Yuan Shao completed his conquest of Cao Cao's territories, eliminating Cao's forces entirely.
-- incomplete, but this basically concludes that Yuan Shao has had a few successful recruits and Yuan Shu only one --