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As per their long-time ritual
The Black Knights sat in a circle.
The captain sat at the head,
and to his right the colonel.
A runt sat left of the captain,
half the size of the colonel.
A bold accuser stood in the center,
and quietly his votes were cast.
When the captain was accused, not once, but twice,
the silence did not last.

What is happening here?

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    $\begingroup$ I haven't been paying that close attention, so could it possibly be rot13(gur Gehzc vzcrnpuzrag gevny)? $\endgroup$
    – Avi
    Jan 23, 2020 at 2:20
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    $\begingroup$ @Avi, Lol, good guess, but this isn't it. No specific knowledge required for this riddle. $\endgroup$
    – Earlien
    Jan 23, 2020 at 2:25

1 Answer 1

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I think the answer is

It's 12 o'clock!

Explanation:
As per their long-time ritual

Clocks are very related to time!

The Black Knights sat in a circle.

The Black Knights are the numerals around the face of the clock.

The captain sat at the head,
and to his right the colonel.
A runt sat left of the captain,
half the size of the colonel.

The captain is '12', the colonel is '11', and the runt is '1' (which is half of '11' by physical size).
The left and right might seem backwards, but it must be from the point of view of the captain.

A bold accuser stood in the center,
and quietly his votes were cast.

The accuser is the hands of the clock pointing at the Knights.

When the captain was accused, not once, but twice,
the silence did not last.

When both hands of the clock point towards the captain, the clock rings the chime.

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  • $\begingroup$ Almost certainly right, but a quibble - the silence would be broken any time the captain was accused, no? $\endgroup$
    – Rubio ♦
    Jan 23, 2020 at 3:25
  • $\begingroup$ Well done :) And @Rubio, yes you are correct, although this particular event is more notable. (It's been a while since I've visited these types of knights). $\endgroup$
    – Earlien
    Jan 23, 2020 at 3:35
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    $\begingroup$ Thank you! A wonderful riddle. @Rubio This is true, although I never said otherwise! $\endgroup$
    – Matthew Jensen
    Jan 23, 2020 at 3:39
  • $\begingroup$ You’re both technically correct. :) $\endgroup$
    – Rubio ♦
    Jan 23, 2020 at 3:42
  • $\begingroup$ As for the "point of view", that's even explicit in the text, since it does use the word "his". $\endgroup$
    – Admiral Jota
    Jan 24, 2020 at 18:20

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