The Trial Of: Act IV - Selsig

ACT IV: Selsig

You, Scraps, Sheriff Antony, his horse, and Rocksworth have finally hit the road again after your destructive escape from The Kingdom of the Rats. You and Sheriff Antony are now enemies of the rat people, but Rocksworth wasn't there at the time, so he's cool.
Your adventuresquad is following a path northward, and you crest a hill and see a small village down in a valley.

>Examine village

It appears to be a human village, with no rat people in sight. It's got a fair few more buildings than Zerikzee, and it's nowhere near as destroyed and plague-ravaged as Noeth. You're pretty happy about all of that.

>Head into the village

You walk into the village, which is called Selsig. There is the standard tavern and shop, as well as some houses, a church, and a city hall. The shopkeeper is standing on the steps to his shop, and seems to be waving you over.

>Go see what the shopkeeper wants

You walk over to the shopkeeper, who immediately tells you that he is the brother of the shopkeeper in Zerikzee, and has been warned not to sell anything to, as he puts it, "a guy with stupid hair wearing rags (moustacheless version)". You are offended. Not only did he not notice your nice khakis, he called your hair stupid. You are not going to stand for this, and you are definitely going to give this shopkeeper a piece of your mind, then go back to Zerikzee and give that first shopkeeper what for. The Selsigian shopkeeper continues, however, and tells you that you cannot possibly be the man he was talking about, because your hair is awesome, and your khakis are really nice. He welcomes you into the shop with genuine enthusiasm. You take back all of your thoughts about this shopkeeper, but still plan to murder his brother.

>Head into the shop

The shopkeeper welcomes you in and informs you that they are having a sale; any customer who shows up in nice khakis gets a 50% discount. He tells you that this sale is meant to inspire the people of Selsig, as they are currently experiencing a drought of nice khakis, and need to see some to keep their morale. He had hoped that his sale would attract customers with nice khakis from miles around, but word hasn't left the village due to not only the strange wall appearing between Selsig and the fork to Noeth and Zerikzee, but also the vampire infestation.

>Ask about the vampires

The shopkeeper tells you that vampires have been terrorising the town and killing all the livestock. They only come out at night, and they seem to not be particularly fond of the daytime. He also says that, just between you and he, he suspects a man called Farmer Jim, as all of his livestock is right as rain. You can pick out his house easily, because there is garlic hanging on just about anything it could be hung from.

>Thank him for the information and ask to see his wares

He is impressed at your politeness, but regrets to inform you that shipments of stock have been disrupted by the vampires. All he currently has is a t-shirt for Selsig's 1996 Potato Festival, a gallon of milk, and a large anchor.

>Buy everything

The shopkeeper has been trying to get rid of the t-shirt and anchor for years now, so he gives you them all for free and throws the gallon of milk in as a "thank you" present.

>Thank him, say goodbye, and take your leave

You do just that, and leave the shop with your spoils, equipping the t-shirt, as it provides more defense than the ragshirt. Rocksworth is not very happy about having to carry the anchor around, but he'll get over it. You never know when you'll need a large anchor.

>Go back to Zerikzee and kill that shopkeeper

You would, but your milk would spoil by the time you got there, and that's no good.

>Go to the church

You decide to go to the church to pray that your milk won't spoil. The pews are all taken, but there is a priest offering a great deal on holy water.

>Buy holy water

You buy three gallons of holy water for $30, which is way below market value.

>Mix holy water with milk

...
Why, though?

>It sounds delicious

You mix the holy water and the milk together. The priest is horrified at what he is witnessing.

>Have a drink of holy milk

You begin to drink the holy milk. It's actually really good. The priest is currently vomitting on the floor.

>Down the entire two gallons of holy milk

You can't stop drinking. It's just so good. When you're done, you feel a new vigour. You now have good karma, despite what the priest thinks. Also, the holy milk will be coursing through your body for the next several days, so if you get bitten by a vampire, they'll die and you'll be fine. Plus, it's whitened your teeth a bit.

>Go back to Zerikzee and kill that shopkeeper

Now that your milk is safe and sound, you set off for Zerikzee. When you get there, you see that the shop is closed because the shopkeeper is on holiday. Rats.

>Rig a trap for when the shopkeeper comes back

You use some rags to fashion a tripwire. When the trap is sprung, the anchor will fall onto the shopkeeper, crushing him under its immense weight. You knew that anchor was a smart purchase.

>Head back to Selsig

You head back for Selsig, and arrive just before nightfall, avoiding any vampire encounters outside of town. The shop, city hall, and church are now closed.

>Enter tavern

You enter the tavern, where the bartender is, predictably, tending the bar. The place is positively packed, and you imagine there are no rooms available.

>Look around for any interesting-looking people

You glance around the bar, and see what looks like an adventuresquad in the corner. There is a large man wearing sailing gear, a guy of unknown origin, and a rat person.

>Consult the Guide to Guys

You consult your trusty Guide to Guys, and see that the guy standing over there is, in fact, a plastic guy. Unlike the wood guy you saw in Zerikzee, plastic guys and rock guys are on good terms politically. Unfortunately, you and Sheriff Antony are not on good terms with rat people.

>Slap on false moustache

You slap on your disguise, and become Hans, who is not an enemy of the rat people (yet).

>Ask Sheriff Antony to cover the entrance, then go interrogate the other adventuresquad

Sheriff Antony nods in agreement, not wanting to be surprised by a vampire. He is not particularly fond of them. You thank him, and walk over to the other adventuresquad. The sailor man introduces the group as Adventuresquad Pail, and asks what your adventuresquad is called.

>Reply with a fake name

You use a fake adventuresquad name, as Adventuresquad Shoe is an enemy of the rat people. You introduce yourselves as Adventuresquad Fork, and the sailor man says he's heard of you, but thought you had a wood guy rather than a rock guy. Rocksworth says it's an easy mistake to make.
The sailor man specialises in anchor-type weapons, and could train a stouter member of the group to use anchors as weapons. You think back to the anchor you left in Zerikzee.

>Ask the sailor man to train Rocksworth while you talk to the plastic guy

The sailor man agrees, always happy to pass down his combat arts, as he does not want them to die with him. Rocksworth receives formal training in anchor-type weapons, even though you don't presently have any.
You turn your attention to the plastic guy, who has been quiet so far. You greet him with genuine enthusiasm, and he nods his head. You think he's shy.

>Respect his shyness, and turn and head for the bar

You say your farewells to Adventuresquad Pail, leaving the rat a little annoyed that you didn't talk to him. He disregards you as a racist rather than a terrorist, though, so it's all good.

>Talk to the bartender, after removing the disguise

You approach the bartender (cognito), who tells you they are out of both rooms and alcohol due to the vampire infestation. He had tried to get Adventuresquad Pail to help, but he couldn't afford their adventure rates.

>Tell him about Adventuresquad Shoe

You talk your own adventuresquad up and down, praising it highly. He asks if you've had any notable accomplishments.

>Brag about destroying the jail in the Kingdom of the Rats

The bartender is impressed; he never liked rat people. He offers you $1,000 to stop the vampires from terrorising the town, by any means necessary.

>Accept the adventure

You accept your adventuresquad's first official adventure. No longer will all your accomplishments be just things you did; soon you will have an official adventure under your belt. The bartender writes you up an adventure contract.

>Assemble the adventuresquad and head out

You assemble the adventuresquad, and begin wandering around aimlessly. You probably should have asked the bartender if he knows where the vampires live, but you've already left, and going back in would be too embarrassing after all the bragging and gusto.
The night has fallen, and a bright full moon shines in the sky.

>Look around the town

You look and look until finally you see a shadowy figure skulking about.

>Sneak up behind the shadowy figure with a pincer attack

Your adventuresquad easily corners the figure, which turns out to be just a guy. He swears he's not a vampire, and just likes to watch a village maiden, Margaret, while she sleeps. You sympathise.

>Ask him what he knows about the vampires

He says Farmer Jim seems awfully prepared for the vampires, like he knows more about them than anyone else.

>Release the guy and head for Farmer Jim's house

You knock on Farmer Jim's door, and are greeted by a cross. Seeing that it doesn't affect you, Farmer Jim lets you in, and asks if you're here to take care of the vampires. Sheriff Antony tells him about the contract. Farmer Jim rustles around in a large sack, and pulls out a smaller sack of garlic. He tells you to eat some, and save some to smoke out the vampires so they can't bite you. Also, he hands each of you a wooden cross, which he claims will burn a vampire's skin.

>Wander around outside aimlessly, hoping to attract the attention of a vampire

Your "aimless wandering" skill increases to proficient, making your wandering even more aimless than usual.
Eventually, you attract the attention of a vampire, crouching in a tree. The vampire attempts to pounce you, but catches a whiff of garlic, and backs off. Sheriff Antony plugs the vampire full of silver bullets.

>That's werewolves you fucking idiot

Sheriff Antony doesn't hear you over the sound of his guns, which is good, because you may have hurt his feelings if he'd heard you call him such a name. Despite the fact that the silver bullets can't kill the vampire, they still hurt like the dickens, so the vampire collapses in pain.

>Interrogate vampire

You ask the vampire for A/S/L. You receive in reply 528/F/Selsig.

>This changes everything

You immediately help the vampire up, and apologise for your companion's rude behaviour, saying he thought you were a werewolf. She seems content with that answer, as it matches with the evidence presented thus far. For her part, she says she thought you too were a small werewolf, due to the gigantic mass of hair. She did think it was odd that a werewolf would wear a t-shirt.

>Invite her to join Adventuresquad

You extend an invitation to the vampire, absolutely confusing Sheriff Antony and Rocksworth. She asks what your current adventure is about.

>Tell her about the evil vampires, but play it cool

You tell the vampire about the evil vampires, but make sure to tell her that she's one of the good ones. She seems excited to kill vampires, as she is still mad about that one time when they attacked her and turned her into a vampire.
The vampire introduces herself as Gwendolyn, and joins your Adventuresquad. If any more members are obtained, they will have to be swapped in and out at taverns and campsites.
Gwendolyn is carrying her clothes, a half-empty jar of blood, and $100.

>Consolidate Adventuresquad funds and have Gwendolyn read all the skill books

Gwendolyn reluctantly hands you her last $100 bill, then begins to pore over the tomes you've acquired, learning how to pick basic locks and arm remedial bombs.

>Assault the vampires' fortress

You don't know where that is.

>Ask Gwendolyn where the vampires' fortress is

She doesn't know where that is.

>Wander around aimlessly some more

You wander around aimlessly, and hit your head on a metal sign in front of a cave entrance.

>Read sign

The sign says "Totally Not the Vampires' Fortress". Gwendolyn is skeptical, but she is naturally distrustful toward vampires since the incident.

>Enter cave

You enter the cave, and see a door.

>Knock on the door

You knock on the door, and a slit slides a way to reveal a pair of red eyes. The eyes ask you for a password.

>What password

You say "what password" to the eyes, and you hear a clicking. You are allowed in, against all odds (take a look at me now). The doorman holds out his hand for a tip.

>Stake him in the heart as a joke

You drive a wooden stake straight through the doorman's heart, turning him to dust. Everyone gets excited about the adventure ahead.

>Enter the hideout

You enter the vampires' lair, and it's nothing like you expected. Instead of black rituals, it's a gambling parlour. Vampires bet jars of blood at the tables to win even more blood. You wonder how they can possibly have so much blood on-hand. You hear Gwendolyn curse out loud, not having known this was a gambling parlour.

>Walk into the parlour

You and your Adventuresquad walk into the parlour, ready to gamble your little hearts out.
END OF ACT 4







ACT IV STATS:

Jakey's inventory:
⦁ RagSocks and Sandals
⦁ Selsig 1996 Potato Festival t-shirt
⦁ Bomber Jacket
⦁ Nice Khakis
⦁ Cufflinks
⦁ Upgraded Silver Ragpens (x2)
⦁
⦁ $1,600
⦁ Rags (infinite)
⦁ Flashlight (no batteries)
⦁ Two gallons of holy water
⦁ Lockpicks
⦁ Dry handkerchief
⦁ False moustache (Hans disguise)
⦁ Wooden cross
⦁ Sack of garlic
⦁ A Guide to Guys (an encyclopedia on various Guys)
⦁ Adventure Pet Papers - Scraps
⦁ Adventure Contract - Vampires in Selsig ($1,000 reward)
Jakey's abilities and equipment modifiers:
⦁ Dual Wielding - Ragpens (allows two ragpens to be wielded at once)
⦁ Weapons Training - Ragpenmanship (+15 damage with ragpen-type weapons)
⦁ Adventure Pet - Scraps (binds Scraps to Jakey)
⦁ Expert - Rope Bridges (allows rope bridges to be inspected for safety before crossing)
⦁ Proficient - Aimless Wandering (increases aimlessness of wandering)
⦁ Basic French (+5 Charisma when dealing with French people)
⦁ Basic Lockpicking (allows picking of basic locks with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Remedial Bomb Arming (allows arming of remedial bombs with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Disguise - Hans (can disguise self as Hans with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Amnesia (disables memory before a certain point)
⦁ Enemy of the Rat People (-1,000 reputation with rat people)
⦁ Whitened Teeth (+50 Dental Hygiene, +5 Charisma)
⦁ Good Karma (+50 reputation with "good" characters; -50 reputation with "evil" characters)
⦁ Canadian (+5 Charisma, +50 Cold Resistance, +50 Weakness to Heat, +25 Agility in snow)
⦁
⦁ Nice Khakis (+5 Charisma, +10 Exuberance)
⦁ Bomber Jacket (+5 Charisma, +10 Defense)
⦁ HIGH FASHION (+15 Charisma, +15 Style, allows entry to fancy parties and fashion shows)
⦁ Holy Milk (being bitten by a vampire kills the vampire and does no damage to self)



Sheriff Antony's inventory:
⦁ Sheriff costume
⦁ Silver revolvers (x2)
⦁
⦁ Adventure Pet Papers - Sheriff Antony's horse
⦁ Hip flask (empty)
⦁ Wooden cross
⦁ Saltwater taffy
⦁ Puppy bed
Sheriff Antony's abilities and equipment modifiers:
⦁ Dual Wielding - Revolvers (allows two revolvers to be wielded at once)
⦁ Weapons Training - Revolvers (+15 damage with revolver-type weapons)
⦁ Adventure Pet - Sheriff Antony's Horse (binds Sheriff Antony's horse to Sheriff Antony)
⦁ Animal Training - Horse (allows horses to be ridden)
⦁ Sheriff Antony's Horse - Saddlebags (allows for storage of excess items) [INACTIVE]
⦁ Appraisal - Rocks (allows accurate appraisal of rocks)
⦁ Basic Lockpicking (allows picking of basic locks with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Remedial Bomb Arming (allows arming of remedial bombs with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Enemy of the Rat People (-1,000 reputation with rat people)
⦁ British (+25 Charisma, -20 Dental Hygiene, +25 Agility in rain)
⦁
⦁ Police Uniform (+5 Style, allows entry to restricted areas)



Rocksworth's inventory:
⦁ Tuxedo
⦁ Pompadour wig
⦁ Cloak of -2 Sadness
⦁ Rockington's rock hammer
⦁
⦁ Wooden cross
Rocksworth's abilities and equipment modifiers:
⦁ Weapons Training - Rock Hammers (+15 damage with rock hammer-type weapons)
⦁ Weapons Training - Anchors (+15 damage with anchor-type weapons)
⦁ Made of Rock or Maybe Some Cleverly-Disguised Wood (+50 Strength, +50 Defense, immunity to disease and poison)
⦁ Basic Lockpicking (allows picking of basic locks with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Remedial Bomb Arming (allows arming of remedial bombs with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Neutral Karma (able to communicate with characters regardless of alignment)
⦁ Distrustful Toward Women (unable to take anything female characters say at face value)
⦁ Rock Guy (+50 Charisma when dealing with Rock Guys, -50 Charisma when dealing with other Guys)
⦁
⦁ In Memoriam (+20 damage when using Rockington's hammer)
⦁ Formal Attire (+10 Style, allows entry to fancy parties)
⦁ -2 Sadness (-2 Sadness)



Gwendolyn's inventory:
⦁ Fangs (bound)
⦁ White frilly shirt
⦁ Skirt
⦁ Socks and sandals
⦁
⦁ Jar of blood (half empty)
Gwendolyn's abilities and equipment modifiers:
⦁ Weapons Training - Fangs (+15 damage with fang-type weapons)
⦁ Vampirism (+50 to all stats at night; -50 to all stats during the day; Fangs (bound); fatal weakness to sunlight, holy water, garlic, religious symbols, churches, Christian Rock, light magic)
⦁ Bloodlust (must drink blood to survive)
⦁ Basic Lockpicking (allows picking of basic locks with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Remedial Bomb Arming (allows arming of remedial bombs with a 100% success rate)
⦁ Neutral Karma (able to communicate with characters regardless of alignment)
⦁ Distrustful Toward Vampires (unable to take anything vampires say at face value)
⦁ Vampire (+50 Charisma when dealing with other vampires, -50 Charisma when dealing with ghosts or mummies)



In the saddlebags:
⦁ Ordinary Ragpens (x2)
⦁ RagShirt
⦁ RagPants
⦁ Revolvers (x2)
⦁ Beginner's Guide to Lockpicking
⦁ An Idiot's Guide to Arming Bombs
⦁ Bottom bunk note
⦁ Top bunk note
⦁ +1 cloak of -1 everything