*comment ñáéç…— *if (agility > 1) or ((charm > 1) or (implicit_control_flow = false)) Please refresh your browser. *restart *hide_reuse *temp random_bump false *temp suitor "suitor" *temp sire_address "empty" *temp hid_doll true *temp rebellious true *temp son "son" *temp initial_aversion false *temp sires_faith_num 1 *temp didnt_kill false *temp my_maker "my maker" *image nola_intro.png center *text_image nola_title.png center Choice of the Vampire: The Battle of New Orleans *page_break Volume One In the pre-dawn light of the January morning, fog clings to the banks of the Mississippi. The British and American armies have been camped across the river for over two weeks, staring at each other across the Line Jackson. The skirmish that will be recorded in the history books as the Battle of New Orleans is about to take place. Before the British are quite ready, however, the fog lifts. The call goes up and down the Line Jackson, cries for the Americans to open fire on the advancing British regiments. Even here, on the west bank of the river, the sound of the cannonade is overwhelming. Soon, the British bagpipers recover enough to begin their music, adding the drone of their ancestral instruments to the surreality of the morning. Whether intentionally or no, the sounds across the river admirably disguise the brigade of Redcoats quietly advancing on the American flank positions on this shore. From the farmhouse where you and your companion observe the proceedings, the Redcoats seem to flit like angry ghosts between the cypress trees, obscured by the distance and the dispersing fog. The Battle of New Orleans is joined. *page_break *label begin_again The wall of the [i]poteaux-en-terre[/i] farmhouse from which the two of you have been observing the nearby skirmish explodes inward, showering the room with [i]bousillage[/i] and timbers, while shards and splinters from the shattered shutters pelt your face. The stonework chimney teeters precariously, spraying sparks on the palmetto fronds that were once the roof, but which are now mostly scattered across the floor. Your companion is a vampire. A blood-drinking creature of the night, several centuries old, who has recently taken you as a companion. The collapsing house pins one of you under the wreckage. The fronds are already starting to smoulder from the errant sparks. Consider carefully, which of you is the one that is pinned? *choice #He is the one that is pinned. You look down at this creature of the night, now almost pitiful in his plight. Not that you are in a position to throw stones. You too are a vampire, and this creature is the one who made you; he granted you immortality at the point of his fangs. Not long ago, he made you like him, condemning you to this living death—your heart is still, your lungs have atrophied—and yet you still hunger. He reaches towards you, calling your name… *choice #I rush to his rescue! *set compassion %-20 *set sire_rapport %+30 *set independence %+10 *set perception +1 You bend down, put your arms around him, and using strength you didn't realize you had, pull your maker from the wreckage. He stirs just long enough to point out the door to a demi-cellar of which you were previously unaware. Throwing open the door, you drag him into the moist darkness, where you will be safe until nightfall. #I flee into the swamp! *set independence %-20 *set sire_rapport %-20 *set discretion %-5 *set fled_from_sire true *set agility +1 *set anachronism %-10 Turning your back on your maker, you flee into the swamp. Though you do not turn to watch, you hear the farmhouse collapse in upon itself. You wonder momentarily if your maker will survive. The rising sun forces you to take refuge in the brackish water beneath the exposed roots of a cypress tree. Here, for the moment, you tell yourself that you are safe. *goto submerged_swamp #I burn him to ashes! *achieve patricide *set compassion %+20 *set sire_rapport %-50 *set discretion %+20 *set sire_alive false *set patricide true *set your_maker "the quaestor" *set anachronism %-10 *set willpower +1 *set jesse_is_broodmate false You shovel burning embers from the fireplace onto your maker's shattered body. Within moments his clothes and then his flesh catch fire. *if sire_name = "West" He struggles for only a few moments and then he goes still. He looks at you. For the briefest moment, you think that he is thanking you. But you do not relent; you continue shoveling the coals and embers onto his body until he is consumed by flame. *else His screams are unearthly as he tries to heal himself enough to brush the coals away, but the coals pile up too quickly. Soon, his entire body is enveloped in flames. You do not relent; when it seems like he might get free, you throw another shovelful over him. When it is clear that he is no more, you turn and flee into the swamp; behind you, the farmhouse collapses in on itself. The rising sun chases you into a pool of brackish water under the exposed roots of a cypress tree. Here, for the moment, you are safe. *label submerged_swamp It is fortunate that you have no need to breathe. Submerged beneath the knees of a cypress tree, you enter something akin to sleep. During those moments between wakefulness and rest, you take a moment to reflect on what brought you here. *gosub chargen *page_break *goto nextdaywithoutsire #I am the one that is pinned. *set just_embraced true *set charm +1 The blow from the collapsing roof knocked you senseless. You are unable to tell how much time has passed, but now something cold is passing across your lips. It slides past them and into your gullet. Your eyes flutter open. The wreckage that was pinning you has already been removed, and your companion stands over you, his wrist at your mouth. You are sucking from it, a piglet at a sow's teat. The taste of the blood is both revolting and intoxicating. As much as you want to push the wrist away, once you tasted the blood, there is nothing that you would not do to drink of it. After a few more moments, he puts his free hand on your shoulder. "Enough." It takes some coaxing, even the flashing of some fang, but finally you relent. He throws open the door to a demi-cellar of which you were previously unaware, and the two of you descend into the safety of the moist darkness to wait until nightfall. *comment #Skip to STL. *comment *goto_scene timejump4 stlouis_intro *page_break In the darkness, you reflect on what brought you here, hiding in the earth while the armies of the American Republic and the British Empire clash above. *gosub chargen *page_break *if just_embraced Your thoughts return to the present, and you consider this creature beside you, resting in something akin to sleep. As the hours pass, you find yourself unable to do much more than squirm in misery as your heartbeat stills, your respiration becomes unnecessary, and your bowels begin to shrivel. Thankfully, the clash above neatly conceals any screams you may or may not have unleashed. *page_break *goto dayafterembrace *else *goto the_next_day *label chargen When you first glimpsed him, you felt a certain thrill. Taking in the sight of him, you knew that your life would never be commonplace again. Extending his hand, he introduced himself as… *choice #"…Padre Carlos. My child, when was the last time that you confessed your sins?" His cassock cut an imposing figure in the room, while he seemed to burn with an inner fire. *set met_carlos true *set heard_of_carlos true *if perception > 1 *if charm > 1 *set streetwise +1 *if charm = 1 *set charm +1 *else *set perception +1 *set sire_name "Padre Carlos" *set sire_address "Padre Carlos" *set sire_surname "Padre Carlos" *set rationalism %+10 In life, Padre Carlos was a Catalan missionary. He spent many years traveling the Caribbean, seeking to convert the heathens to Christianity through the power of his own faith. #"…Guillaume de Sainte-Chapelle, at your service." He was dressed in the finery of a courtier, and his smile disarmed any attempts at deception. *set intelligence +1 *set sire_name "Guillaume de Sainte-Chapelle" *set sire_address "M. de Sainte-Chapelle" *set sire_surname "Sainte-Chapelle" *set heard_of_sainte_chapelle true Guillaume was a person of stature, a French nobleman who relocated to the Americas some time ago. Brought up in a world with few consequences, he demonstrated little use for rules and laws. #"…Pieter van der Velde. How do you do?" A portly man, he wore the breeches and doublet common to the prior century, embroidered with gold thread and other signs of his immense wealth. *set sire_religious_tradition "reformed" *set finance +1 *set sire_name "Pieter van der Velde" *set sire_address "Heer Van der Velde" *set sire_surname "Van der Velde" Yes…he was a Dutch merchant from New York. He was also a speculator, betting on the flow of goods that pass through the ports of the New World. #"…Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca. I suppose you have heard of me?" He walked with a pirate's swagger, confident in his martial prowess. *set fighting +1 *set heard_of_villanueva true *set estefania_is_kin true *set sire_name "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set sire_address "Sr. de Villanueva" *set sire_surname "Villanueva" Yes…you soon learned that he was a friend of the pirate Jean Lafitte, who had come to New Orleans to squander some of his booty. Leading a ship of pirates into infamy, he had made a name for himself on the Spanish Main. Unfortunately for those in his way, he was not motivated by greed, but rather an unholy sort of bloodlust; he spent much of his life honing his skills with sword and musket. #"…Wallace Winters." A shifty fellow, you surmised that he had already identified all of the escape routes from your meeting place long before he first opened his mouth to speak. *set sire_religious_tradition "reformed" *set streetwise +1 *set sire_name "Wallace Winters" *set sire_address "Mr. Winters" *set sire_surname "Winters" To describe the man as a vagabond would be to pay him too much of a compliment. An ignoble scoundrel might be a better way to describe one who perpetrated crimes such as his. Yet, somehow he managed to evade Jack Ketch's noose, and found his way to the New World. #"…West." A being who seemed almost more animal than man, he moved like a cougar through the space before you, husbanding his power for a moment of need. *set met_west true *set heard_of_west true *set stealth +1 *set compassion %+5 *set independence %-5 *set your_maker "the quaestor" *set sire_name "West" *set sire_address "West" *set sire_surname "West" *set jesse_is_broodmate false He never gave you more of a name than that. You can't even say where he was born, or when. @{sire_alive At best, his piercing blue eyes tell a silent story of unremitting violence. He exists|His piercing blue eyes told a silent story of unremitting violence. He existed} like the tides, without mercy and without humanity. You remember his gaze—bypassing your skin and your sex as being irrelevant—eating its way through to your soul. You know that in the world, these things are not irrelevant, and yet he judged you on some criteria which you could neither perceive nor understand…and when he was done, he spat you out again, altogether lessened by the experience. Realizing that you had yet to respond, you… *choice #…bowed in greeting. #…curtsied in greeting. *set male false *set he "she" *set him "her" *set his "her" *set es_suh "assum" *set sir "ma'am" *set massa "mam'selle" *set bow "curtsy" *set son "daughter" *temp random_trait 0 *rand random_trait 1 13 *if wealth > 500 *set wealth 500 *if income > 0 *set income 0 ${sire_address} had recently arrived in New Orleans, seeking something… *choice #…but he found me instead. And soon his lust for me was insatiable. *set sire_rapport %+40 *if (sire_name = "West") *if perception <= 1 *set perception +1 *elseif stealth <= 1 *set stealth +1 *elseif willpower <= 2 *set stealth +1 *else *set fighting +1 *elseif patricide *if streetwise = 0 *set streetwise +1 *elseif charm = 1 *set charm +1 *elseif stealth = 0 *set stealth +1 *else *set wealth +40000 *set income +10 *else *set status +1 *set embrace_of_affection true *if sire_name = "Padre Carlos" When he first saw you, he excoriated himself for his desire. Yet, despite all efforts to the contrary, he could not stop himself from making your acquaintance. His desire for you was so overwhelming, it threatened to ruin your life if you denied it. *goto clergyman_affection *elseif sire_name = "Guillaume de Sainte-Chapelle" When he first saw you, he spared no effort to arrange for an introduction, drawing upon his extensive social network to find a suitable vector from which to make his approach. His desire for you was so overwhelming, it threatened to ruin your life if you denied it. *goto nobleman_affection *elseif sire_name = "Pieter van der Velde" Though his love for coin was great, for a brief moment you displaced that in his heart. It is unfortunate that recently you have had to struggle to retain that place of prominence. His desire for you was so overwhelming, it threatened to ruin your life if you denied it. *goto merchant_affection *elseif sire_name = "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" When he first saw you he threw caution to the wind, approaching you without regard to etiquette. Drawing up alongside you, he drew you close before you even realized what had happened. His desire for you was so overwhelming, it threatened to ruin your life if you denied it. *goto warrior_affection *elseif sire_name = "Wallace Winters" He communicated his affections subtly. In fact, it was weeks before you were even aware of his existence. In retrospect, however, the sensation that you were being observed proved justified. Soon, his desire for you was so overwhelming, it threatened to ruin your life if you denied it. *goto rogue_affection *else What moved a creature such as this to desire you mystifies you still. Yet, his desire for you was so overwhelming, it threatened to ruin your life if you denied it. *goto beast_affection #…a task for which he needed my unique talents. *set sire_rapport %-10 *set wealth +40000 *set income +25 *set suitor "patron" *if sire_name = "Padre Carlos" This priest of the Spanish Main, accustomed as he was to the arduous task of torturing native peoples until they converted to the One True Church, found himself discomforted by the den of vicious iniquity that is New Orleans. *goto clergyman_need *elseif sire_name = "Guillaume de Sainte-Chapelle" He recruited you for your ability to move through the city of New Orleans unimpeded. You found yourself running here and there, accomplishing things on his behalf, always one task away from being discharged from his service. *goto nobleman_need *elseif sire_name = "Pieter van der Velde" The Dutchman needed your familiarity with the region to facilitate his dealings. The Territory of Orleans was ripe with prospects for those with the right connections. *goto merchant_need *elseif sire_name = "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" This pirate found himself strangely at odds with the modern world. Having spent the past few decades in the bayous of Barataria, he felt himself somewhat at a loss when navigating the markets of New Orleans. *goto warrior_need *elseif sire_name = "Wallace Winters" At first he only asked you to do little things for him, favors for which you were well recompensed. In time, however, the favors became more inconvenient, yet you could never bring yourself to tell him no. *goto rogue_need *else Unaccustomed to the modern world, this individual—more beast than man—found in you a medium between his world and yours. As you spent time with him, you came to see that he exists like the tides, without mercy and without humanity. *goto beast_need *label nobleman_need And need you he did. Your occupation instilled certain skills that he found of use… *choice #I am an interpreter. Born to the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. *label choctaw_interpreter *set background 6 *set agility +1 *set charm +1 *set perception +1 *set stealth +1 *set independence %+10 *set wealth +2500 *set speaks_french true *set speaks_english true *set ethnicity "choctaw" It was there, in the city, that you met ${sire_surname}. *if male *set mr "M." *goto ask_name *else *set mr "Mlle." *goto ask_name #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Able to move among the Europeans, the slaves and the other [i]gens de couleur libres,[/i] there was no one better suited to conducting my patron's business in New Orleans. *label fpoc *set background 3 *set agility +1 *set charm +1 *set intelligence +1 *set willpower +1 *set literate true *set speaks_french true *set wealth +2500 *set independence %-10 *set ethnicity "african" It was there, in the city, that you met ${sire_surname}. *if male *set mr "M." *goto how_introduce *else *set mr "Mlle." *goto how_introduce #I was born into a family of French landowners. We have been in the region for decades, and I have connections to most of the plantations in the state. *label french_landowner *set background 5 *set charm +1 *set willpower +1 *if embrace_of_affection *set wealth +40000 *set income +10 *else *set intelligence +1 *set literate true *set speaks_french true *set speaks_english true *set independence %-5 *set rationalism %-10 *set sire_rapport %+10 *set ethnicity "french" *set able_to_identify_jews true It was here, in the city, that you met ${sire_surname}. *if male *set mr "M." *goto how_introduce *else *set mr "Mlle." *goto how_introduce #Trained in the ways of war, invoking the blood of my Germanic ancestors, I am prepared to prosecute the enemies of my patron without mercy. *label german_warrior *set agility +1 *set strength +1 *set willpower +1 *set fighting +1 *set stealth +1 *set speaks_german true *set rationalism %-5 *set discretion %+5 *set wealth +2500 *set ethnicity "german" *if male *set background 7 *set religious_tradition "reformed" Your father fought on behalf of the British during the American Revolution. He came over from Hesse, but decided to stay when the war ended. When the British and the Union came to blows in 1812, you signed up for glory, seeking to follow in your father's footsteps. Your Company was sent from your home state of Pennsylvania to New Orleans to bolster its defenses. *set mr "Herr" It was there, in the city, that you first met your ${suitor}. *goto ask_name *else *set background 8 Of course. Your family—originally from the Rhineland-Palatinate—settled on the German Coast of the Mississippi some years ago, a German settlement upriver of New Orleans. Your father, a warrior from the crown of his head to the tip of his toes, was sorely disappointed to have only girls. As you were the strongest of the lot, he decided to raise you as though you were a son. He taught you to march and to fight, and even how to disguise yourself as a man so that you could go on short campaigns against the Native Americans or the Spanish. Disguising yourself in this way was easy for you, as you are larger than most women, sporting a wide, muscular frame. *set mr "Fräulein" It was after one of these campaigns that you met ${sire_surname} while in New Orleans. *goto how_introduce *if male #An ordained priest of the Catholic Church, I had access to the resources of the Church; resources which I tapped on my patron's behalf. *label priest_stats *set rationalism %+10 *set anachronism %-10 *set charm +1 *set creation +1 *set intelligence +1 *set perception +1 *set literate true *set speaks_latin true *set wealth +2500 *set independence %+15 *set rios_rapport %+5 *set priest true *set able_to_identify_jews true You still wear your cassock, in fact. You take comfort in its weight. However, the priests of the diocese are drawn from both the French and the Spanish populations. Your parents were… *choice #…French. *set background 4 *set ethnicity "french" *set speaks_french true *set mr "Père" #…Spanish. *set background 13 *set ethnicity "spanish" *set speaks_spanish true *set mr "Padre" *goto took_away *if male #Raised in the social world of the South, I was destined for a life in the leisurely practice of the law. *label southern_lawyer *set background 11 *set charm +1 *set intelligence +1 *set willpower +1 *set literate true *set speaks_french true *set speaks_english true *set speaks_latin true *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set wealth +2500 *set rationalism %-10 *set ethnicity "southern" *set mr "Mr." That world of leisure was not enough, and you decided to leave your Georgian bower and head for the frontier. Here, a man of your talents could draw the attention of mysterious patrons like ${sire_name}, and draw his attention you did: he soon hired you to represent his interests. Of course, having to learn the [i]Code Napoléon[/i] upon your arrival in the Territory of Orleans was not easy, but your facility with languages has made you a sought-after man in legal matters. Unfortunately, a recent gamble wiped out your savings, and your sudden destitution made your patron's offer of employment that much more palatable. *goto ask_name *if male = false #Raised in the social world of the South, I am fluent in the customs of New Orleans's current and previous owners; I can interface on my patron's behalf with ease. *label southern_belle *set background 12 *set charm +1 *set intelligence +1 *set speaks_french true *set speaks_english true *set literate true *set wealth +40000 *set income +10 *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set rationalism %-10 *set ethnicity "southern" *set mr "Mlle." You were bored with life on the plantation, and when the United States purchased Louisiana, you were inundated with stories of opportunity there, where the races and sexes mixed more or less equally. Repudiating your family, you stole away to this melting pot in the hope of something more than your familial circumstances offered. It was there, in New Orleans, that you met ${sire_surname}. *goto how_introduce #One of the [i]Isleños[/i]—Spanish colonists from the Canary Islands—I was blessed with the leisure to develop a craft to noteworthy levels, and my patron hired me to produce works for him. *label spanish_craftsperson *set background 14 *set agility +1 *set perception +1 *set creation +2 *set speaks_spanish true *set wealth +40000 *set income +10 *set ethnicity "spanish" *set independence %+10 Your family came from the Canary Islands, and were settled in the swamps around New Orleans. As a child, you remember the town elders living in constant fear of a British invasion, as that is why Governor Galvez settled [i]los Isleños[/i] here: to stand in the way of a Redcoat advance. Your father was a carpenter and you were apprenticed in the craft of woodworking from the age of eight. By the time you were twelve, your woodworking developed a sophistication that drew the attention of the landowners throughout New Iberia and even into the surrounding French communities. Woodworking was not your only talent; you also evinced a clear voice for song, rhythm for dance, and even showed some skill with the violin. You're still not sure which—if any—of these talent drew ${sire_surname} to you, but he found you in that waterfront village and took you far away. *if male *set mr "Sr." *else *set mr "Srta." *goto how_introduce *if male #I am an entrepreneur, fascinated with the workings of the modern world. Though the locals consider me brash and uncivilized, my talent for technology and nose for business has trumped my Yankee upbringing. *label yankee_need *set background 15 *set charm +1 *set finance +1 *set intelligence +1 *set willpower +1 *set technology +1 *set speaks_english true *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set wealth +2500 *set ethnicity "yankee" *set independence %-15 *set rationalism %-20 *set discretion %+10 Yes, New Orleans is the land of opportunity, opportunity you sought to exploit when you decided to come here. Having escaped the Puritan society of your forebears, you fled to New Orleans for adventure and fortune. *set mr "Mr." And it was here that you met ${sire_surname}. *goto how_introduce *label nobleman_affection *choice #An interpreter of the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. It is no doubt that very fluidity that caught my suitor's attention. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Here, the rules that govern the races in the rest of the civilized world blur and become indistinct, and I am free to transcend those boundaries through the force of my will. *goto fpoc #I am the heir to centuries of French culture and refinement, communicating wit and charm through every word and deed. *goto french_landowner #Weaned on the stories of my fearless ancestors, the spirit of a warrior animates my Germanic features. *goto german_warrior #My whole village said that I must have kissed the Blarney stone, but when I talked my way onto a ship bound for new shores, even they were amazed at my brazenness. *label irishperson *set background 9 *set charm +1 *set strength +1 *set willpower +1 *set perception +1 *set streetwise +1 *set speaks_english true *set wealth +2500 *set anachronism %-10 *set independence %+10 *set discretion %+5 *set ethnicity "irish" After leaving the green shores of Eire, you arrived in New Orleans, @{embrace_of_affection where your gift of gab opened doors that would have otherwise been closed to you. It was in one of those salons that you first met ${sire_surname}.|where you turned your gift of gab into a small fortune.} *if male *set mr "Mr." *goto how_introduce *else *set mr "Mlle." *goto how_introduce *if male #A man of the cloth, my suitor no doubt took a sadistic pleasure in seducing me away from my vows of celibacy. *goto priest_stats *if male #Though I worked as a laborer during the day, at night I sang the songs and told the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. *label scotch_laborer *set background 10 *set agility +1 *set charm +1 *set strength +1 *set creation +1 *set fighting +1 *set speaks_english true *set independence %+5 *set anachronism %-10 *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set wealth +2500 *set ethnicity "scotch" You left your farm in Appalachia hoping for something more, only to find yourself dreaming of a home now out of reach. *set mr "Mr." It was in New Orleans that ${sire_surname} found you, seaching for something more. *goto how_introduce *else #Though I worked as a laundress during the day, at night I sang the songs and told the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. *label scotch_laundress *set background 10 *set agility +1 *set charm +1 *set strength +1 *set creation +1 *set willpower +1 *set independence %+5 *set anachronism %-10 *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set wealth +2500 *set speaks_english true *set ethnicity "scotch" You left your farm in Appalachia hoping for something more, only to find yourself dreaming of a home now out of reach. *set mr "Mlle." It was in New Orleans that ${sire_surname} found you, seaching for something more. *goto how_introduce #Years of labor, during which my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the spaces. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *label slave_stats *set charm +1 *set strength +1 *set willpower +1 *set creation +1 *set streetwise +1 *set sire_rapport %+10 *set ethnicity "african" *set wealth +2500 *if male = false *set mr "Mlle." When your ${suitor} came into your life, you were suspicious at first, but soon came to see him as your savior. Your days in the sun had been harsh. The foreman constantly howled at you and your family to work longer, harder… *choice #…faster. *set background 1 *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set speaks_english true *if male *set mr "Mr." *goto took_away #…[i]plus vite[/i]. *set background 2 *set speaks_french true *if male *set mr "M." *goto took_away #Thanks to yearly subsidies from the Spanish Viceroy, my [i]Isleño[/i] family was just wealthy enough to allow me to pursue my aesthetic goals. It was my craft that no doubt first attracted my suitor. *goto spanish_craftsperson *if male #Driven by the desire to escape the Puritan society of my forebears, I came to New Orleans to exploit this land of opportunity. It is this same Yankee spirit of adventure and modernity that drew the attention of my suitor. *label yankee_affection *set background 15 *set charm +1 *set intelligence +1 *set willpower +1 *set technology +1 *set speaks_english true *set wealth +40000 *set income +10 *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set Independence %-15 *set discretion %+10 *set ethnicity "yankee" *set mr "Mr." Unfortunately, the locals have not taken kindly to your aggressive personality and 'uncultured' ways. Even so, you were undeterred. Soon, ${sire_surname} introduced himself to you. *goto how_introduce *label merchant_need And need you he did. Your occupation instilled certain skills that he found of use… *choice #I am an interpreter. Born to the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Able to move among the Europeans, the slaves and the other [i]gens de couleur libres,[/i] there is no one better suited to conducting my patron's business in New Orleans. *goto fpoc #I was born into a family of French landowners. We have been in the region for decades, and I have connections to most of the plantations in the state. *goto french_landowner #Trained in the ways of war, invoking the blood of my Germanic ancestors, I am prepared to prosecute the enemies of my patron without mercy. *goto german_warrior *if male #An ordained priest of the Catholic Church, I had access to the resources of the Church; resources which I tapped on my patron's behalf. *goto priest_stats *if male #Raised in the social world of the South, I was destined for a life in the leisurely practice of the law. *goto southern_lawyer *else #Raised in the social world of the South, I am fluent in the customs of New Orleans's current and previous owners; I can interface on my patron's behalf with ease. *goto southern_belle #One of the [i]Isleños[/i]—Spanish Colonists from the Canary Islands—I was blessed with the leisure to develop a craft to noteworthy levels, and my patron hired me to produce works for him. *goto spanish_craftsperson *if male #I am an entrepreneur, fascinated with the workings of the modern world. Though the locals consider me brash and uncivilized, my talent for technology and nose for business has trumped my Yankee upbringing. *goto yankee_need *label merchant_affection *choice #An interpreter of the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. It is no doubt that very fluidity that caught my suitor's attention. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Here, the rules that govern the races in the rest of the civilized world blur and become indistinct, and I am free to transcend those boundaries through the force of my will. *goto fpoc #I am the heir to centuries of French culture and refinement, communicating wit and charm through every word and deed. *goto french_landowner #Weaned on the stories of my fearless ancestors, the spirit of a warrior animates my Germanic features. *goto german_warrior #My whole village said that I must have kissed the Blarney stone, but when I talked my way on to a ship bound for new shores, even they were amazed at my brazenness. *goto irishperson *if male #A man of the cloth, my suitor no doubt took a sadistic pleasure in seducing me away from my vows of celibacy. *goto priest_stats *if male #Though I worked as a laborer during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs and telling the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laborer *else #Though I worked as a laundress during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laundress #Years of labor, during which my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the spaces. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *goto slave_stats #Thanks to yearly subsidies from the Spanish Viceroy, my [i]Isleño[/i] family was just wealthy enough to allow me to pursue my aesthetic goals. It was my craft that no doubt first attracted my suitor. *goto spanish_craftsperson *if male #Driven by the desire to escape the Puritan society of my forebears, I came to New Orleans to exploit this land of opportunity. It is this same Yankee spirit of adventure and modernity that drew the attention of my suitor. *goto yankee_affection *label beast_need And need you he did. Your occupation instilled certain skills that he found of use… *choice #I am an interpreter. Born to the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Able to move among the Europeans, the slaves and the other [i]gens de couleur libres,[/i] there is no one better suited to conducting my patron's business in New Orleans. *goto fpoc *if male #Raised in the social world of the South, I was destined for a life in the leisurely practice of the law. *goto southern_lawyer *else #Raised in the social world of the South, I am fluent in the customs of New Orleans's current and previous owners. I could interface with the city's European population with ease. *goto southern_belle *if male #I am an entrepreneur, fascinated with the workings of the modern world. Though the locals consider me brash and uncivilized, my talent for technology and nose for business has trumped my Yankee upbringing. *goto yankee_need *label beast_affection *choice #An interpreter of the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. It is no doubt that very fluidity that caught my suitor's attention. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Here, the rules that govern the races in the rest of the civilized world blur and become indistinct, and I am free to transcend those boundaries through the force of my will. *goto fpoc #I am the heir to centuries of French culture and refinement, communicating wit and charm through every word and deed. *goto french_landowner #Weaned on the stories of my fearless ancestors, the spirit of a warrior animates my Germanic features. *goto german_warrior #My whole village said that I must have kissed the Blarney stone, but when I talked my way onto a ship bound for new shores, even they were amazed at my brazenness. *goto irishperson *if male #Though I worked as a laborer during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs and telling the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laborer *else #Though I worked as a laundress during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laundress #Years of labor, during which my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the spaces. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *goto slave_stats *label warrior_need And need you he did. Your occupation instilled certain skills that he found of use… *choice #I am an interpreter. Born to the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Able to move among the Europeans, the slaves and the other [i]gens de couleur libres,[/i] I could conduct my patron's business in many venues. War was coming. He knew that. He needed your skills to acquire the gunpowder and rifles even now being used by General Jackson's men. *goto fpoc #I was born into a family of French landowners. We have been in the region for decades, and I have connections to most of the plantations in the state. *goto french_landowner #Trained in the ways of war, invoking the blood of my Germanic ancestors, I am prepared to prosecute the enemies of my patron without mercy. *goto german_warrior #My whole village said that I must have kissed the Blarney stone, but when I talked my way onto a ship bound for new shores, even they were amazed at my brazenness. *goto irishperson *if male #An ordained priest of the Catholic Church, I had access to the resources of the Church; resources which I tapped on my patron's behalf. *goto priest_stats *if male #Though I worked as a laborer during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs and telling the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laborer *else #Though I worked as a laundress during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laundress *if male #Raised in the social world of the South, I was destined for a life in the leisurely practice of the law. *goto southern_lawyer *else #Raised in the social world of the South, I am fluent in the customs of New Orleans's current and previous owners; I can interface on my patron's behalf with ease. *goto southern_belle *if male #I am an entrepreneur, fascinated with the workings of the modern world. Though the locals consider me brash and uncivilized, my talent for technology and nose for business has trumped my Yankee upbringing. *set charm +1 *set finance +1 *set intelligence +1 *set willpower +1 *set technology +1 *set speaks_english true *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set wealth +2500 *set ethnicity "yankee" *set independence %-15 *set rationalism %-20 *set discretion %+10 Yes, New Orleans is the land of opportunity, opportunity you sought to exploit when you decided to come here. Having escaped the Puritan society of your forebears, you fled to New Orleans for adventure and fortune. Fortune you found. And your patron needed that fortune, for he knew that war was coming. He needed your skills to acquire the gunpowder and rifles even now being used by General Jackson's men. *set mr "Mr." *goto ask_name *label warrior_affection *choice #An interpreter of the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. It is no doubt that very fluidity that caught my suitor's attention. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Here, the rules that govern the races in the rest of the civilized world blur and become indistinct, and I am free to transcend those boundaries through the force of my will. *goto fpoc #I am the heir to centuries of French culture and refinement, communicating wit and charm through every word and deed. *goto french_landowner #Weaned on the stories of my fearless ancestors, the spirit of a warrior animates my Germanic features. No doubt he was drawn by our kindred spirits. *goto german_warrior #My whole village said that I must have kissed the Blarney stone, but when I talked my way onto a ship bound for new shores, even they were amazed at my brazenness. *goto irishperson *if male #A man of the cloth, my suitor no doubt took a sadistic pleasure in seducing me away from my vows of celibacy. *goto priest_stats *if male #Though I worked as a laborer during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs and telling the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laborer *else #Though I worked as a laundress during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laundress #Years of labor, during which my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the spaces. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *goto slave_stats #Thanks to yearly subsidies from the Spanish Viceroy, my [i]Isleño[/i] family was just wealthy enough to allow me to pursue my aesthetic goals. It was my craft that no doubt first attracted my suitor. *goto spanish_craftsperson *if male #Driven by the desire to escape the Puritan society of my forebears, I came to New Orleans to exploit this land of opportunity. It is this same Yankee spirit of adventure and modernity that drew the attention of my suitor. *goto yankee_affection *label clergyman_need And need you he did. Your occupation instilled certain skills that he found of use… *choice #I am an interpreter. Born to the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Able to move among the Europeans, the slaves and the other [i]gens de couleur libres,[/i] I could conduct my patron's business in many venues. *goto fpoc #I was born into a family of French landowners. We have been in the region for decades, and I have connections to most of the plantations in the state. *goto french_landowner #Trained in the ways of war, invoking the blood of my Germanic ancestors, I am prepared to prosecute the enemies of my patron without mercy. *goto german_warrior *if male #An ordained priest of the Catholic Church, I had access to the resources of the Church; resources which I tapped on my patron's behalf. *goto priest_stats #Years of labor, where my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the gaps. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *goto slave_stats *if male #Raised in the social world of the South, I was destined for a life in the leisurely practice of the law. *goto southern_lawyer *else #Raised in the social world of the South, I am fluent in the customs of New Orleans's current and previous owners; I can interface on my patron's behalf with ease. *goto southern_belle #One of the [i]Isleños[/i]—Spanish colonists from the Canary Islands—I was blessed with the leisure to develop a craft to noteworthy levels, and my patron hired me to produce works for him. *goto spanish_craftsperson *if male #I am an entrepreneur, fascinated with the workings of the modern world. Though the locals consider me brash and uncivilized, my talent for technology and nose for business has trumped my Yankee upbringing. *goto yankee_need *label clergyman_affection *choice #An interpreter of the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. It is no doubt that very fluidity that caught my suitor's attention. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Here, the rules that govern the races in the rest of the civilized world blur and become indistinct, and I am free to transcend those boundaries through the force of my will. *goto fpoc #I am the heir to centuries of French culture and refinement, communicating wit and charm through every word and deed. *goto french_landowner #Weaned on the stories of my fearless ancestors, the spirit of a warrior animates my Germanic features. *goto german_warrior #My whole village said that I must have kissed the Blarney stone, but when I talked my way onto a ship bound for new shores, even they were amazed at my brazenness. *goto irishperson *if (male) #A man of the cloth, my suitor no doubt took a sadistic pleasure in seducing me away from my vows of celibacy. *goto priest_stats *if male #Though I worked as a laborer during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs and telling the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laborer *else #Though I worked as a laundress during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laundress #Years of labor, during which my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the spaces. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *goto slave_stats #Thanks to yearly subsidies from the Spanish Viceroy, my [i]Isleño[/i] family was just wealthy enough to allow me to pursue my aesthetic goals. It was my craft that no doubt first attracted my suitor. *goto spanish_craftsperson *if (male) #Driven by the desire to escape the Puritan society of my forebears, I came to New Orleans to exploit this land of opportunity. It is this same Yankee spirit of adventure and modernity that drew the attention of my suitor. *goto yankee_affection *label rogue_need And need you he did. Your occupation instilled certain skills that he found of use… *choice #I am an interpreter. Born to the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Able to move among the Europeans, the slaves and the other [i]gens de couleur libres,[/i] I could conduct my patron's business in many venues. *goto fpoc #I was born into a family of French landowners. We have been in the region for decades, and I have connections to most of the plantations in the state. *goto french_landowner #Trained in the ways of war, invoking the blood of my Germanic ancestors, I am prepared to prosecute the enemies of my patron without mercy. *goto german_warrior *if (male) #An ordained priest of the Catholic Church, I had access to the resources of the Church; resources which I tapped on my patron's behalf. *goto priest_stats #Years of labor, where my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the gaps. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *goto slave_stats *if male #Raised in the social world of the South, I was destined for a life in the leisurely practice of the law. *goto southern_lawyer *else #Raised in the social world of the South, I am fluent in the customs of New Orleans's current and previous owners; I can interface on my patron's behalf with ease. *goto southern_belle *if (male) #I am an entrepreneur, fascinated with the workings of the modern world. Though the locals consider me brash and uncivilized, my talent for technology and nose for business has trumped my Yankee upbringing. *goto yankee_need *label rogue_affection *choice #An interpreter of the Choctaw people, I glide effortlessly between the worlds that meet at the mouth of the Mississippi. It is no doubt that very fluidity that caught my suitor's attention. *goto choctaw_interpreter #I am a Free Person of Color, a member of that creole culture unique to New Orleans. Here, the rules that govern the races in the rest of the civilized world blur and become indistinct, and I am free to transcend those boundaries through the force of my will. *goto fpoc #I am the heir to centuries of French culture and refinement, communicating wit and charm through every word and deed. *goto french_landowner #Weaned on the stories of my fearless ancestors, the spirit of a warrior animates my Germanic features. *goto german_warrior #My whole village said that I must have kissed the Blarney stone, but when I talked my way onto a ship bound for new shores, even they were amazed at my brazenness. *goto irishperson *if male #A man of the cloth, my suitor no doubt took a sadistic pleasure in seducing me away from my vows of celibacy. *goto priest_stats *if male #Though I worked as a laborer during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs and telling the tales that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laborer *else #Though I worked as a laundress during the day, at night I perpetuated my culture, singing the songs that make the Scotch-Irish a distinct people. Surely, it was this talent that attracted his attention. *goto scotch_laundress #Years of labor, during which my back was kissed by the sun and the foreman's whip, have hardened my body and spirit. As a slave, my world has been limited, but my imagination worked tirelessly to fill in the spaces. You spent your days working in the sugar-fields, and the nights singing the half-remembered songs of your ancestors. Your ${suitor} perceived this ferocity, and found himself drawn inexorably towards it. *goto slave_stats *if male #Driven by the desire to escape the Puritan society of my forebears, I came to New Orleans to exploit this land of opportunity. It is this same Yankee spirit of adventure and modernity that drew the attention of my suitor. *goto yankee_affection *label took_away But your ${suitor} came and took you away from all of that. *label ask_name First, though, he asked for your name. How did you introduce yourself? *goto name_check1 *label how_introduce First, he asked for your name. How did you introduce yourself? *goto name_check1 *label caught_stealing Of course, you were young and innocent once. Or maybe not so innocent. *page_break *if random_bump *set random_bump false "${given_name}, did you take your cousin's doll?" It's your grandmother speaking. Her hands are covered with flour…she's been baking again. She was always baking. Your cousin loved that doll. She had it with her always. But not now. It's missing. What was it that you said to her? *choice #"No, I didn't take it." But I had taken it. My cousin was a brat who never left me alone…as long as she was looking for that doll, she was not bothering me. *set compassion %+10 *set independence %-5 *set discretion %+5 #"No, I didn't take it." Because I hadn't taken it. Now maybe they will both stop bothering me. *set hid_doll false *set independence %-5 Your grandmother is a little disappointed at your sullen response. In time, however, the doll was found, and any remaining suspicion regarding your involvement was dispersed. #"No, I didn't take it, but I'll help you look for it!" I hadn't taken it, but I had some ideas as to where my cousin might have misplaced it. *set independence %+5 *set hid_doll false Your recovery of the doll is greeted with joy. You always were your grandmother's favorite for a reason. #"Yes, I took it. I'll go get it for you." *set compassion %-10 *set discretion %-5 Your contrition was rewarded with only a few switch marks, to make sure you knew never to steal the doll again. #"Yes, I took it, and I threw it in the river." *set discretion %+20 *set compassion %+10 *set independence %-5 Your grandmother sent you out to gather a switch, which she used to good effect on your bottom. You smile at the memory. No one could ever tell you what to do. *if choice_randomtest *if (ethnicity != "african") and (ethnicity != "choctaw") *comment *ending *if hid_doll But you were not always such a mischief-maker. Sometimes, you even applied yourself. When ${sire_address} asked you how you spent your free time, you told him how you… *else *set rebellious false As you grew older, rather than indulging in pointless rebellion—like so many other of your peers—you spent your free time improving yourself. When ${sire_address} asked you how you had done so, you told him how you… *choice *if (speaks_english = false) and (background > 2) #…worked resolutely to learn the tongue of this nascent nation. Many laughed at you while you stuttered through your first syllables, but it was the cruel laughter of envy. Others ridiculed you for betraying your people, but you saw the writing on the wall: once acquired by the United States, New Orleans would never trade hands again. *set speaks_english true *set anachronism %+10 *set rationalism %-10 #…spent days and nights honing my artistic talents. *set creation +1 *set wealth +5000 *if (background <= 2) Due to a warm relationship with the lady of the house, you were graced with the opportunity to play regularly on a pianoforte, a privilege that was envied by the other slaves. Unfortunately, once your skills surpassed those of her eldest, you were no longer welcome to sit at the ivories. *else Music, crafts, drawing…you took any opportunity to practice any of these activities. *if (literate and (intelligence > 1)) and (ethnicity != "choctaw") *selectable_if (finance = 0) #…became practiced with accounting figures. *set finance +1 *set anachronism %+10 *set wealth +5000 *if background <= 2 Your owner possessed an unusually trusting soul; few slave-holders would teach their slaves the art of accounting. But he did, and you took every opportunity to learn. *elseif (ethnicity = "southern") *if male As an adjunct to your legal practice, fluency with the practice of financial accounting would only benefit you. *else Though it was considered unladylike to delve too deeply into financial affairs, there were times when it was necessary for you to involve yourself with the financial affairs of your family. And once you set your mind to something, you were loath to let it go. *else An uncle was a shopkeeper, and taking note of your interest in such things, took it upon himself to educate you in the basics of bookkeeping and accounting. *if (fighting < 2) *if male or ((male = false) and ((ethnicity = "german") or (ethnicity = "african"))) #…rough-housed with the neighborhood boys. They taught me how to defend myself. And rough-house you did. You gave as good—or better—than you got. *set fighting +1 *set discretion %+10 *else #…were taught by some progressive soul how to defend myself. I take pride in the fact that I know how to handle a gun. Though many thought a young woman should not learn these skills, that did not stop you. *set fighting +1 *set anachronism %+15 *set discretion %+10 *if (literate = false) and (intelligence > 1) *selectable_if (willpower > 1) #…scratched away at the dirt, patiently learning to write the letters that make the words that make the world go round. Your peers may have laughed as you struggled to translate sounds to signs and back again, but soon they were coming to you, begging for you to read letters from their families and compose their responses. *set literate true *set wealth +5000 *set anachronism %+10 *set rationalism %-10 *if (intelligence > 1) and (lore = 0) *selectable_if (literate) #…read the works of the ancients: theology, philosophy and the occult were all read with abandon. From the arguments of the Church Fathers to the political screeds of the day, you have absorbed as much of the written word as you could get your hands on. *set anachronism %-10 *set rationalism %+10 *set lore +1 *if male or ((male = false) and ((ethnicity = "german") or (ethnicity = "choctaw"))) #…learned to stalk my prey in the wilderness. I learned how to move without being seen or heard. Your skills as a hunter are notable; you regularly provided food for your family. *set stealth +1 *set wealth +2500 *set independence %-10 *selectable_if (perception <= 1) #…learned to sense when people were being truthful with me, and when they sought to deceive. People feared you for your acuity; no one likes to be rightfully called a liar. *set perception +1 *set wealth +5000 *set discretion %-10 *if (male != false) and (ethnicity != "southern") *selectable_if (charm > 1) #…made friends with the men and women of the night, as well as the gamblers and drunks who kept them company. The urchins and pickpockets of the city became my second family. They welcomed you with open arms, grateful to have a kindred spirit in their midst. And in exchange, they taught you their ways, to know their customs and their secrets. *set streetwise +1 *set wealth +5000 *set anachronism %+10 *if literate and (priest = false) *selectable_if (intelligence > 1) #…practiced the therapeutic discipline of repairing watches. I learned to appreciate the value of predictability and reproducibility. Your tinkering was unending. And it did not extend to watches alone, but to every bit of machinery that you could find. You eagerly sought to learn the secrets of the future. *set technology +1 *set wealth +5000 *set anachronism %+20 *set rationalism %-10 *if ((ethnicity = "irish") or (ethnicity = "scotch")) or (background <= 2) *goto bonus_trait *elseif (ethnicity = "yankee") Of course, you can't reflect on your youth without reflecting your father. Your father often complained about what the family was on the verge of losing. "Your grandfather and I," he was wont to say, "did not fight to see these opportunists take over our country." Since the Revolutionary War, more and more immigrants have been arriving from the Old World. In your father's opinion, these Johnny-come-latelies should not be entitled to vote or own land in the United States. "It's crowded enough as it is!" he exclaims. *goto drunken_father *elseif ((ethnicity = "german") and male) Of course, you can't reflect on your youth without reflecting on your father. He was an auxiliary who fought on behalf of the British Crown during the Revolutionary War. He was captured and held as a prisoner, but when the war ended, he chose to remain in Lancaster County along with several other members of his regiment. Sometimes, when he drank, he bemoaned his abandonment of his homeland. He would sing a song that his grandmother had put him to sleep with, and rhapsodized about your ancestors who had worked the land for centuries. When he got like this, you… *choice #Listened carefully, to better understand my history. *set anachronism %-5 *set discretion %-5 You can still recite your lineage back seven generations, thanks to the carefully attention you paid to your father's ramblings. You long looked forward to teaching your own children to recite these names. #Counseled him to embrace his new home. *set discretion %-5 You never saw a value you in his maudlin recollections. Lancaster County was his home now; you, your mother, and your siblings were his family. Everyone else was oceans of time and space away. #Dismissed his troubles. Staying here was the best thing that ever happened to him. *set compassion %+5 Your father was wealthier here than he ever would have been back in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. Yes, he has to work every day, from morning until night, but here he owns his land, and his farm is large enough that his children and grandchildren will own land as well. #Pointed out the freedoms that he enjoys here that he would not have had back home. *set justice %-5 While you value the freedoms that you have, the idea that your father might worship differently from his parents never occured to him. Similarly, he never learned to read, so the value of newspapers that speak for themselves holds no value to him. Though, he does appreciate the fact that he will never be called upon to quarter a soldier. *elseif ethnicity = "southern" Of course, you can't reflect on your youth without considering your father. Your father often complained about what the family was on the verge of losing. "Your grandfather and I," he was wont to say, "did not fight to see the swineherds made our equals." He found the extension of the right to vote to landless white men to be an affront to the family's accomplishments. *label drunken_father One night, deep in his cups, he trotted out his favorite quote from James Madison, saying that "the first object of government is the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property." You… *choice #…kept silent. It was not my place to question my father. *set discretion %-20 *set anachronism %-10 *set independence %+20 There were reasons that you were always the favorite of your father. Soon he drifted into a fitful slumber. #…agreed with him. The sacrifices of the few were not made so that [i]hoi polloi[/i] could squander their achievements. *set discretion %+5 *set independence %-15 *set anachronism %-10 There were reasons that you were always the favorite of your father. Soon he drifted into a fitful slumber. #…urged him to pray on the matter. Perhaps he would find some divine inspiration. *set independence %+5 *set rationalism %+15 A smile creased his face; your piety was always a source of pride for your father. Soon he drifted into a fitful slumber. #…quoted the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…" *set anachronism %+10 *set independence %-10 *set discretion %+10 He raised his hand to strike you, but missed. Falling to the floor, he sat there, cursing you and your impertinence. *else Of course, you can't think about your youth without touching on your father. With the Louisiana Purchase, everything changed for your family. The Americans brought new laws, new businesses, and new customs to the people of the Mississippi. @{(ethnicity = "choctaw") The French, the Spanish, and the British had all brought these things before, but not to the same size and scale.|} One night, listening to your father railing against the changes around him, you… *choice #…kept silent. It was not my place to question my father. *set discretion %-20 *set anachronism %-10 *set independence %+20 There were reasons that you were always the favorite of your father. #…kept silent, but afterwards I did my best to learn about these Americans. *set discretion %-15 *set anachronism %+10 *set independence %+5 The Americans certainly disrupted the lives of the river-folk; @{(ethnicity = "choctaw") centuries|a century} of living and working and dying was upended in a short decade. You took every opportunity you could to converse with the strangers with whom you came into contact. #…challenged my father to consider how to make the most of the changes that were happening around him. *set discretion %+10 *set anachronism %+15 *set independence %+5 *set rationalism %-10 *set income +5 Though you went to bed that night with a bum red and burning from the switch, your father apparently listened to you, and the family was better off for it. *if ethnicity = "choctaw" #…urged my father to consult the local headman for guidance. *set independence %+10 *set anachronism %-10 *set rationalism %+20 *set discretion %-5 Your father followed your advice, and came home feeling all the more determined to trust in his faith. *else #…urged my father to consult the local @{(religious_tradition = "catholic") priest|minister} for guidance. *set independence %+10 *set anachronism %-10 *set rationalism %+20 *set discretion %-5 Your father followed your advice, and came home feeling all the more determined to trust in his faith. *label bonus_trait What you didn't tell ${sire_address} was how you were once considered exceptional among your peers. You were considered such because… *choice *if male or ((male = false) and ((ethnicity = "german") or (ethnicity = "african"))) *selectable_if (strength < 3) #…my immense strength was the talk of the town. *set strength +1 *else *selectable_if (strength < 3) #…my unlady-like focus on my physical fitness was considered scandalous. *set strength +1 *set anachronism %+5 *selectable_if (agility < 3) #…my grace and agility had a way of stunning onlookers into silence. *set agility +1 *selectable_if (intelligence < 3) #…my mind had an acuity that many found intimidating. *set intelligence +1 *selectable_if (charm < 3) #…my charm could persuade anyone to take my side in arguments. *set charm +1 *selectable_if (willpower < 3) #…my stubbornness was remarked upon roundly by everyone in my family. *set willpower +1 Not that you had to mention it. It was what drew him to you in the first place. *if religious_tradition != "pagan" *if rebellious Later…older…full of the rebellion that comes with the first flushes *else Later…older…a dutiful ${son} and grand${son}, despite the urgings of puberty…you were called to your grandmother's bedside. Her bones were brittle and her breathing shallow. With what she had of her remaining strength, she caressed your face, entreating you to tell her what comes next. *fake_choice #I kiss her eyelids goodbye, and then leave. I cannot watch my grandmother die. *set compassion %-15 *set independence %-10 Yes, you remember standing outside of the room, listening to that final exhalation. There is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. *selectable_if (willpower > 1) #Holding her hand, I seek to comfort her with distractions. She will find the answer to her questions in moments anyway. *set compassion %-10 *set discretion %-5 Patting you on the cheek, she mouthed the words "thank you" before exhaling one final time. #Though I do not believe in an afterlife, I do my best to paint a place free from care. *set compassion %-10 *set rationalism %-5 *set discretion %-5 *set independence %+5 She smiled. One final, beatific smile. And then her chest lowered one last time. There is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. #There is no afterlife, and I do her and myself a disservice if I pretend otherwise, even while she lay dying. *set compassion %+10 *set rationalism %-15 *set discretion %+5 *set independence %-5 You saw her milky eyes glisten, one final tear with which to leave this world. Unable to muster the strength to protest, she released her final breath. You watched as her body fell silent. *if religious_tradition = "catholic" *selectable_if (rationalism > 40) #I tell her about the paradise that awaits; she only need close her eyes and let go. *set compassion %-5 *set rationalism %+5 She smiles. One final, beatific smile. And then her chest lowers one last time. There is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. *if religious_tradition = "reformed" *selectable_if (rationalism > 40) #I tell her about the paradise that awaits her. Of course, she may very well be denied that paradise, as her fate was decided long before she was born; but I will lie with conviction to comfort my grandmother on her deathbed. *set compassion %-10 *set rationalism %+5 *set discretion %-5 *set independence %+5 She smiles. One final, beatific smile. Her chest lowers slowly; there is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. *selectable_if (rationalism > 40) #I tell her that God decided long ago whether Heaven was hers to share, and that if she was chosen, then bliss awaits. *set compassion %+10 *set rationalism %+5 *set discretion %+5 She seemed to nod at the wisdom of your words. Her chest lowered one last time. There is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. *if ethnicity = "choctaw" *gosub choctaw_burial *else The funeral was a simple one. The @{(religious_tradition = "catholic") priest|minister} said a few words and the family shed its tears. It was the first time that you really encountered death. *else Later…older…full of the rebellion that comes with the first flushes of puberty…you were called to your grandmother's side. Her bones were brittle and her breathing shallow. With what she has of her remaining strength, she caressed your face, entreating you to tell her what comes next. *choice #I kiss her eyelids goodbye, and then leave. I cannot watch my grandmother die. *set compassion %-15 *set independence %-10 Yes, you remember standing outside of the room, listening to that final exhalation. There is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. *selectable_if (willpower > 1) #Holding her hand, I seek to comfort her with distractions. She will find the answer to her questions in moments anyway. *set compassion %-10 *set discretion %-5 Patting you on the cheek, she mouthed the words "thank you" before exhaling one final time. *selectable_if (rationalism > 45) #I told her of Hushtahli and the spirits of the night, come to take her away to rest. She smiles. One final, beatific smile. And then her chest lowers one last time. There is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. *selectable_if (compassion < 60) #Though I do not believe in the spirit world, I do my best to paint a place free from care. *set compassion %-10 *set rationalism %-5 *set discretion %-5 *set independence %+5 She smiled. One final, beatific smile. And then her chest lowered one last time. There is nothing you will ever remember as clearly as that sound of her soul leaving the cares of this world behind. *selectable_if (rationalism < 60) #There is no afterlife, and I do her and myself a disservice if I pretend otherwise, even while she lay dying. *set compassion %+10 *set rationalism %-15 *set discretion %+5 *set independence %-5 You saw her milky eyes glisten, one final tear with which to leave this world. Unable to muster the strength to protest, she released her final breath. You watched as her body fell silent. *gosub choctaw_burial *if random_bump *goto name_check Time passed, as it inevitably does. Thoughts of your grandmother faded while novel concerns arose: *label random_trait_loop *if random_trait = 1 *if agility > 1 *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *elseif ethnicity = "choctaw" during your youth, you played chunkey devotedly. You became an expert at rolling the disk and throwing your spear. The whole village would cheer when you took the field. The smell of the pressed earth—stomped smooth under the feet of the other players—stirs your memory. *set agility +1 *set random_bump true *else during your youth you developed an affection for climbing trees, thereby cultivating your agility. The fresh scent of the leaves stirs your memory. *set agility +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 2 *if charm > 1 *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else during your youth, you were blessed with a mentor who tutored you in the finer points of social interaction. Too often, you ended up with bloody knuckles when you made a faux pas, and the shame of that memory pours through your body. *set charm +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 3 *if intelligence > 1 *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else during your youth, you were blessed with a mentor who encouraged you to think clearly and deeply about the challenges before you. The smell of his pipe-tobacco floods your senses. *set intelligence +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 4 *if strength > 1 *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else during your youth, your body responded particularly well to physical exertion. The memory of the motion of your muscles, toned by your activities, warms your insides. *set strength +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 5 *if creation > 0 *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else during your youth, you were disciplined enough to make the most of your opportunities for artistic expression. *set creation +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 6 *if fighting > 0 *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else due to the violent nature of life at the intersection of rival civilizations, you learned to defend yourself early and efficiently. The smell of blood and dirt floods your senses, sparking your memory. *set fighting +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 7 *if (streetwise > 0) or (charm < 2) *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else due to the decisions of a cousin, you learned something of the underground economy at a young age. Unfortunately for him, his adventures did not end well. The stench of his rotting corpse, the consequence of debts left unpaid, floods your senses. *set streetwise +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 8 *if ((technology > 0) or (intelligence < 2)) or (ethnicity = "choctaw") *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else thanks to a strong-willed aunt, you were tutored in the arts of mechanics, necessary for the maintenance of a family watermill. She pushed and she pushed you to learn the ins and outs of the gears. Many nights you went to bed with grease behind your ears and the smell of oil still in your nostrils. *set technology +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 9 *if (stealth > 0) or ((male = false) and (ethnicity = "southern")) *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else during your youth you learned about the secret places from which you could observe people going about their daily lives. Most never realized that you were watching their celebrations and their indiscretions. *set stealth +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 10 *if willpower > 1 *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else the trials of your youth forced you to learn to rely upon yourself to overcome the obstacles before you. *set willpower +1 *set random_bump true *elseif random_trait = 11 *if (finance > 0) or (literate = false) *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else *set finance +1 *set random_bump true the long nights spent adding up accounts, determing debits and credits as appropriate. The arcane mysteries of gold, silver, and paper money all beckoned you with their glamour. *elseif random_trait = 12 *if speaks_english or ((intelligence = 1) or (background = 2)) *set random_trait +1 *goto random_trait_loop *else *set speaks_english true *set random_bump true the challenge of interacting with the anglophones *if background = 7 who were pressing into Lancaster County. *else who were fanning out into the bayous around New Orleans. *else *if perception > 0 *set random_trait 1 *goto random_trait_loop *elseif ethnicity = "choctaw" during your youth the headman taught you something about how and why people lie. The smoke inside his cabin was noxious; he always had trouble with the ventilation. But perhaps he liked it that way? You watched carefully as he listened to petitioners and dispensed advice based on what was both said and unsaid. *set perception +1 *set random_bump true *else during your youth your mother taught you something about how and why people lie. The smell of smoked pork filled you nostrils while while she negotiated mercilessly with the local shopkeeper. *set perception +1 *set random_bump true Those days are gone. The world was changing—and you with it. *page_break The sound of bells tolling fills your ears. No, that's cannon fire. But it sounds like bells…like the bells @{(ethnicity = "choctaw") of the colonists' churches that they seem to have erected wherever they stopped to water their horses.|in the St. Louis Cathedral. Bells tolling for Sunday services.} *if sire_name = "West" Your ${suitor} sneered at the religious trappings of the @{(ethnicity = "choctaw") colonists|Europeans}. He said once that they were either hypocrites, mad, or just plain wrong about every aspect of their beliefs. You sensed @{(ethnicity = "choctaw") that, like you,|that} he was not born in a Christian milieu. *goto wests_faith On Sundays, your ${suitor}… *choice *selectable_if (sire_name != "Guillaume de Sainte-Chapelle") #…spent the evening in prayer. And I often found him praying other nights as well. *set rationalism %+10 *set sires_faith "faithful" You… *choice #…shared his deep conviction to both God and the Church. *set rationalism %+10 *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+30 ${sire_name} was grateful that your opinions about both doctrine and fervor were so compatible. *if sire_religious_tradition != religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %-20 While your degree of fervor was more or less equal, your sharp disagreements over doctrine often resulted in arguments. *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" *selectable_if (sire_name != "Padre Carlos") #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. Much to the annoyance of my ${suitor}, I still pay Hushtahli heed. *set rationalism %+15 *set religious_tradition "pagan" *set anachronism %-10 *set sire_rapport %-30 Before long, he decided to discount the little rituals and annual observances you made to your god. *goto name_check #…were happy to attend with him. On Sundays. Otherwise, I had better things to do. *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+10 ${sire_address} appreciated your efforts at appeasement, but was not fooled as to the extent of your dedication. *else ${sire_name} was disappointed both in the flimsy nature of your faith, as well as the doctrinal differences between the two of you. *set sire_rapport %-15 *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check #…tried not to offend him with my indifference to the divine. *set rationalism %-10 *set sire_rapport %-20 ${sire_address} was disgusted when he realized your resistance to God and Church. It did nothing to foster amity between you. *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" *selectable_if (sire_name != "Padre Carlos") #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. I have mostly abandoned them, but the intimation of their existence still angers my devout companion. *set rationalism %+5 *set sire_rapport %-15 *set anachronism %-5 *set religious_tradition "pagan" The occasional references to other deities did nothing to endear you to your ${suitor}. You kept them to a minimum. *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "irish" *selectable_if (intelligence > 2) #…could barely hold myself back from openly ridiculing his sense of devotion. *set rationalism %-25 *set sire_rapport %-30 ${sire_address} was furious at your open repudiation of his faith. On numerous occasions, you feared for your life. *goto name_check *else *selectable_if (intelligence > 1) #…could barely hold myself back from openly ridiculing his sense of devotion. *set rationalism %-25 *set sire_rapport %-30 ${sire_address} was furious at your open repudiation of his faith. On numerous occasions, you feared for your life. *goto name_check #…remembered to say the Lord's Prayer. *set sires_faith "observant" *set sires_faith_num 2 You… *choice #…could not comprehend his lack of fervor. I consistently urged him to take his faith more seriously. *set rationalism %+10 *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+10 At least he agreed with you on matters of doctrine. Unfortunately, he rebuffed your occasional urgings to be more respectful of God and Church. *if sire_religious_tradition != religious_tradition To make matters worse, your disagreements over doctrine did nothing to improve your relationship. *set sire_rapport %-15 *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" *selectable_if (sire_name != "Padre Carlos") #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. Much to the annoyance of my companion, my family still pays Hushtahli heed. *set rationalism %+15 *set religious_tradition "pagan" *set sire_rapport %-20 *set anachronism %-15 He did not know what to make of your pagan fervor. While observant in his way, his faith could not compare to yours. *goto name_check #…were more or less in agreement with his practice of going through the motions when it was customary to do so. *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+10 ${sire_name} was grateful that your opinions about both doctrine and fervor were so compatible. *if sire_religious_tradition != religious_tradition While your general indifference was comparable, the occasional disagreements over doctrine did nothing to improve your relationship. *set sire_rapport %-10 *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check #…tried not to offend him with my indifference to his faith. *set rationalism %-10 *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+5 At least the two of you agreed on matters of doctrine. Otherwise, things might have turned violent. *else *set sire_rapport %-5 Of course, the occasional quibbles in doctrine did nothing to improve your relationship. *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" *selectable_if (sire_name != "Padre Carlos") #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. I have mostly abandoned them, but the intimation of their existence still annoys my observant companion. *set rationalism %+5 *set sire_rapport %-5 *set anachronism %-5 *set religious_tradition "pagan" ${sire_address} was disappointed in your lack of devotion, not to mention the object thereof. *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "irish" *selectable_if (intelligence > 2) #…could barely hold myself back from openly ridiculing these observances. *set rationalism %-25 Though not overly observant himself, sometimes your blasphemies were too much for ${sire_address}. On such occasions, you feared for your life. *goto name_check *else *selectable_if (intelligence > 1) #…could barely hold myself back from openly ridiculing these observances. *set rationalism %-25 Though not overly observant himself, sometimes your blasphemies were too much for ${sire_address}. On such occasions, you feared for your life. *goto name_check *selectable_if (sire_name != "Padre Carlos") #…tried to curse less than on other days. *set rationalism %-10 *set sires_faith "indifferent" *set sires_faith_num 3 You… *choice #…could not comprehend his indifference to God and Church. But I have held the candle of my faith against stronger winds than his. *set rationalism %+10 *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+5 At the very least, when called to defend points of doctrine, the two of you did not disagree. *if sire_religious_tradition != religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %-15 To make matters worse, the two of you even argued over points of doctrine. *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. He finds my devotion to Hushtahli quaint. *set rationalism %+15 *set anachronism %-15 *set religious_tradition "pagan" He found your devotions absurd, and did little to hide his contempt for your faith. *goto name_check #…urged him to take the matter of his faith a little more seriously. *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+5 Were your points of doctrine not sympathetic, your efforts to encourage his piety might have proven incendiary. As it was, he mostly just laughed off your religiosity. *if sire_religious_tradition != religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %-10 Unfortunately, you disagreements over doctrine only inflamed your disagreements over devotion. *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. Though I have mostly abandoned the worship of Hushtahli, the occasional mark of superstition still amuses my companion. *set rationalism %+5 *set anachronism %-5 *set religious_tradition "pagan" Though your objects of indifference may have been different, the very fact of your indifference was a point of camraderie. *goto name_check #…were more or less in agreement with his indifference to the Church. *set rationalism %-10 *if sire_religious_tradition = religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %+10 ${sire_name} was grateful that your opinions about both doctrine and fervor were so compatible. *if sire_religious_tradition != religious_tradition *set sire_rapport %-5 While your general indifferance was comparable, the occasional disagreements over doctrine did nothing to improve your relationship. *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "irish" *selectable_if (intelligence > 2) #…could barely hold myself back from openly ridiculing even these vestiges of superstition. ${sire_address} did not enjoy these jests, but did not hold them against you. *set rationalism %-25 *goto name_check *else *selectable_if (intelligence > 1) #…could barely hold myself back from openly ridiculing even these vestiges of superstition. ${sire_address} did not enjoy these jests, but did not hold them against you. *set rationalism %-25 *goto name_check *selectable_if (sire_name != "Padre Carlos") #…actively sought to demonstrate his distaste for the Church and all its trappings. *label wests_faith *set rationalism %-25 *set sires_faith "atheist" *set sires_faith_num 4 You… *choice #…were deeply offended by his hostility to God and Church. But I have held the candle of my faith against stronger winds than his. Your fervor was a source of great annoyance to him. He did his best not to take offense at your constant sermonizing. *gosub choctaw_check *set rationalism %+10 *set sire_rapport %-20 *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. He finds my devotion to Hushtahli primitive and irrational. Your faith was a constant source of irritation for him. Unfortunately, when you pressed the matter, he respond with violence. *set rationalism %+15 *set anachronism %-15 *set sire_rapport %-15 *set religious_tradition "pagan" *goto name_check #…urged him to reconsider his complete dismissal of the faith. He laughed at your half-hearted attempts to bolster his faith. You had the good sense not to push him to far; any intimations in that direction were met with violence. *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. Though I have mostly abandoned the worship of Hushtahli, the occasional mark of superstition angers my companion still. His complete dismissal of your faith was a constant source of conflict. Your ritual and annual observances fueled an animosity. *set rationalism %+5 *set sire_rapport %-5 *set anachronism %-5 *set religious_tradition "pagan" *goto name_check #…were mildly disturbed at the vehemence of his abjurations. *set rationalism %-10 Thankfully, the mild disagreements in dedication did not cause any permanent rifts between you. *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "irish" *selectable_if (intelligence > 2) #…concurred with his rejection of the superstition. ${sire_name} was grateful that you were so compatible with regard to fervor. *set rationalism %-25 *set sire_rapport %+10 *goto name_check *else *selectable_if (intelligence > 1) #…concurred with his rejection of the superstition. ${sire_name} was grateful that you were so compatible with regard to fervor. *set rationalism %-25 *set sire_rapport %+10 *goto name_check #…celebrated himself as a god, fit to replace the one who died on the cross. *set sires_faith "self" *set sirethoughthewasagod true *set idea_for_cult true *set independence %-10 *set sires_faith_num 5 Though he is reticent to admit it, his cult is a violation of the Rule of Reserve: to reveal yourself to the mortals is to invite doom upon all vampirekind. And yet, your maker does this anyway. Whether to assuage his own ego or simply to ease the burden of keeping himself fed, he persists against the laws of the Society. You… *choice #…were rendered silent by his blasphemy. But I have held the candle of my faith against stronger winds than his. His constant expressions of grandiosity grated on you, but you quickly learned to keep your tongue still. Which was a good thing, because your declarations of faith were often met with violence. *set rationalism %+10 *set sire_rapport %-20 *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. He finds my devotion to Hushtahli quaint, and has often encouraged me to rethink my loyalty. He rejects the world of the spirits and that which is beyond the visible. Instead, his faith is in himself and his own power, about which you in turn express your reservations. Soon, the two of you learned to hold your tongues about matters of faith between you. *set rationalism %+15 *set sire_rapport %-10 *set anachronism %-15 *set religious_tradition "pagan" *goto name_check #…urged him to reconsider his convictions, lest the Church speak the truth. He scoffed at your warnings, confident in his own power. *gosub choctaw_check *goto name_check #…were unsure of how to conduct myself around such an individual. I have managed to circulate without incident among believers in God, but never with individuals who believed in themselves. He sought to convince you of his own divinity, but you resisted. He accepted your skepticism, acknowledging that some night, you too would become as powerful as he; then you would understand. *set rationalism %-10 *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" #…were raised by parents who still practiced the old ways. Though I have mostly abandoned the worship of Hushtahli, the occasional mark of superstition gives my companion hope that some day I will turn to the worship of him. He never realized that that very faith would save you from indulging in his hubris. The arrogance of this white man astounded and repulsed you. *set rationalism %+5 *set sire_rapport %-5 *set anachronism %-5 *set religious_tradition "pagan" *goto name_check *if ethnicity = "irish" *selectable_if (intelligence > 2) #…questioned the sanity of this man who likened himself to God, as I see no role in life for the divine. He laughed at your skepticism, pointing out the power at his command. When you questioned the limits of that power, you were greeted with violence. You soon learned to keep your criticisms to yourself. *set rationalism %-25 *set sire_rapport %-10 *goto name_check *else *selectable_if (intelligence > 1) #…questioned the sanity of this man who likened himself to God, as I see no role in life for the divine. He laughed at your skepticism, pointing out the power at his command. When you questioned the limits of that power, you were greeted with violence. You soon learned to keep your criticisms to yourself. *set rationalism %-25 *set sire_rapport %-10 *goto name_check *label choctaw_check *if ethnicity = "choctaw" Not many of your people have adopted the faith of the colonists. How did you come by it? *fake_choice #My family were converts; I was raised in the Catholic faith. *set independence %+10 #My family were converts; I was raised in the Presbyterian faith. *set independence %+10 *set religious_tradition "reformed" #A French priest organized my conversion to Catholicism when I was a teen. *set independence %-10 *set anachronism %+5 #A Yankee evangelist oversaw my conversion to Presbyterianism when I was a teen. *set independence %-10 *set religious_tradition "reformed" *set anachronism %+5 *return *label name_check All these experiences have made you who you are: shaped you and guided you and brought you here, hiding from the sun while the battle rages on the fields nearby. Yes, you have much to ponder before the sun sets. *return *label name_check1 *if ethnicity = "african" *if background = 1 *goto black_given_name *else *goto african_given_name *if ethnicity = "choctaw" *goto choctaw_given_name *if ethnicity = "french" *goto french_given_name *if ethnicity = "irish" *goto irish_given_name *if ethnicity = "scotch" *goto scotch_given_name *if ethnicity = "southern" *goto southern_given_name *if ethnicity = "spanish" *goto spanish_given_name *if ethnicity = "yankee" *goto yankee_given_name *else *goto german_given_name *label african_given_name *choice *if male #Barnabe. *set given_name "Barnabe" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname #Dembigh. *set given_name "Dembigh" *goto african_surname #Jean. *set given_name "Jean" *goto african_surname #Lazare. *set given_name "Lazare" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname #Louis. *set given_name "Louis" *goto african_surname #Theophile. *set given_name "Theophile" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname *else #Catiche. *set given_name "Catiche" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname #Coquet. *set given_name "Coquet" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname #Hélaine. *set given_name "Hélaine" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname #Lise. *set given_name "Lise" *goto african_surname #Marie. *set given_name "Marie" *goto african_surname #Salomé. *set given_name "Salomé" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname #Thérèze. *set given_name "Thérèze" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname #Zéphyrine. *set given_name "Zéphyrine" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label african_surname And your family name. It is… *choice #Beauchamp. *set surname "Beauchamp" *goto end_chargen #Bertrand. *set surname "Bertrand" *goto end_chargen #Blanque. *set surname "Blanque" *goto end_chargen #Chaigneau. *set surname "Chaigneau" *goto end_chargen #Claiborne. *set surname "Claiborne" *goto end_chargen #Guillory. *set surname "Guillory" *goto end_chargen #Landry. *set surname "Landry" *goto end_chargen #Richard. (pronounced REE-chard) *set surname "Richard" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label black_given_name *choice *if male #Abel. *set given_name "Abel" *goto black_surname #Dembigh. *set given_name "Dembigh" *goto black_surname #Joseph. *set given_name "Joseph" *goto black_surname #Jupiter. *set given_name "Jupiter" *set archaic_name true *goto black_surname #Vulcan. *set given_name "Vulcan" *set archaic_name true *goto black_surname *else #Abigail. *set given_name "Abigail" *goto black_surname #Athena. *set given_name "Athena" *set archaic_name true *goto black_surname #Diana. *set given_name "Diana" *goto black_surname #Hagar. *set given_name "Hagar" *set archaic_name true *goto black_surname #Mary. *set given_name "Mary" *goto black_surname #Sally. *set given_name "Sally" *goto black_surname #Salomé. *set given_name "Salomé" *set archaic_name true *goto black_surname *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label black_surname And your family name. It is… *choice #Brown. *set surname "Brown" *goto end_chargen #Little. *set surname "Little" *goto end_chargen #McCaslin. *set surname "McCaslin" *goto end_chargen #Rogers. *set surname "Rogers" *goto end_chargen #Sinclair. *set surname "Sinclair" *goto end_chargen #Waters. *set surname "Waters" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label choctaw_given_name *choice *if male #Hiloha. *set given_name "Hiloha" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname #Jean. *set given_name "Jean" *goto choctaw_surname #Koi. *set given_name "Koi" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname #Robert. *set given_name "Robert" *goto choctaw_surname #Talako. *set given_name "Talako" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname #Tullis. *set given_name "Tullis" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname *else #Charlotte. *set given_name "Charlotte" *goto choctaw_surname #Hatabushik. *set given_name "Hatabushik" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname #Mary. *set given_name "Mary" *goto choctaw_surname #Naniya. *set given_name "Naniya" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname #Shinkak. *set given_name "Shinkak" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname #Talula. *set given_name "Talula" *goto choctaw_surname #Taska. *set given_name "Taska" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname #Yukpa. *set given_name "Yukpa" *set archaic_name true *goto choctaw_surname *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label choctaw_surname And your family name. It is… *choice #Anoli. *set surname "Anoli" *goto end_chargen #Goins. *set surname "Goins" *goto end_chargen #Kashofa. *set surname "Kashofa" *goto end_chargen #Loiseau. *set surname "Loiseau" *goto end_chargen #Okshakla. *set surname "Okshakla" *goto end_chargen #Williams. *set surname "Williams" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label french_given_name *choice *if male #Alexandre. *set given_name "Alexandre" *goto french_surname #Aristide. *set given_name "Aristide" *set archaic_name true *goto french_surname #Eusebe. *set given_name "Eusebe" *set archaic_name true *goto french_surname #Jean-Louis. *set given_name "Jean-Louis" *goto french_surname #Jean-Présper. *set given_name "Jean-Présper" *set archaic_name true *goto french_surname #Marcel. *set given_name "Marcel" *goto french_surname #Pierre. *set given_name "Pierre" *goto french_surname #Sosthene. *set given_name "Sosthene" *set archaic_name true *goto french_surname *else #Azelie. *set given_name "Azelie" *set archaic_name true *goto french_surname #Claire. *set given_name "Claire" *goto french_surname #Hélène. *set given_name "Hélène" *goto french_surname #Leocade. *set given_name "Leocade" *set archaic_name true *goto french_surname #Madeleine. *set given_name "Madeleine" *goto french_surname #Marie. *set given_name "Marie" *goto french_surname #Susanne. *set given_name "Susanne" *goto french_surname #Zéphyrine. *set given_name "Zéphyrine" *set archaic_name true *goto african_surname *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label french_surname …and your surname… *choice #Aucoin. *set surname "Aucoin" *goto end_chargen #Breaux. *set surname "Breaux" *goto end_chargen #Claiborne. *set surname "Claiborne" *goto end_chargen #Guillory. *set surname "Guillory" *goto end_chargen #Landry. *set surname "Landry" *goto end_chargen #Richard. (pronounced REE-chard) *set surname "Richard" *goto end_chargen #Roche. *set surname "Roche" *goto end_chargen #St. Amant. *set surname "St. Amant" *goto end_chargen #St. Claire. *set surname "St. Claire" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label german_given_name *choice *if male #Andreas. *set given_name "Andreas" #Hans. *set given_name "Hans" #Jakob. *set given_name "Jakob" *set archaic_name true #Jost. *set given_name "Jost" *set archaic_name true #Konrad. *set given_name "Konrad" *set archaic_name true #Matthias. *set given_name "Matthias" #Peter. *set given_name "Peter" *else #Elsa. *set given_name "Elsa" #Eva. *set given_name "Eva" #Katherina. *set given_name "Katherina" *set archaic_name true #Margaret. *set given_name "Margaret" #Ursula. *set given_name "Ursula" *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label german_surname *if male And your family name? *comment taken from the the names of Hessian soldiers that settled in Lancaster after the Revolutionary War. *choice #Boland. *set surname "Boland" #Diehl. *set surname "Diehl" #Henning. *set surname "Henning" #Knoth. *set surname "Knoth" #Lisher. *set surname "Lisher" #Ritter. *set surname "Ritter" #Zeigler. *set surname "Zeigler" *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *else And your family name? *comment taken from the 1724 German Coast census records. *choice #Callander. *set surname "Callander" #Friedrich. *set surname "Friedrich" #Kistenmacher. *set surname "Kistenmacher" #Magdolff. *set surname "Magdolff" #Ritter. *set surname "Ritter" #Strantz. *set surname "Strantz" #Werich. *set surname "Werich" *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *goto end_chargen *label irish_given_name *choice *if male #Adam. *set given_name "Adam" #Edward. *set given_name "Edward" #Joseph. *set given_name "Joseph" #Kelly. *set given_name "Kelly" #Michael. *set given_name "Michael" #Sean. *set given_name "Sean" #Shannon. *set given_name "Shannon" *else #Adelia. *set given_name "Adelia" *set archaic_name true #Anne. *set given_name "Anne" #Brigid. *set given_name "Brigid" #Caroline. *set given_name "Caroline" #Clara. *set given_name "Clara" #Mary. *set given_name "Mary" #Rose. *set given_name "Rose" #Sarah. *set given_name "Sarah" *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label irish_surname And your family name? *choice #Bell. *set surname "Bell" *goto end_chargen #Black. *set surname "Black" *goto end_chargen #Kennedy. *set surname "Kennedy" *goto end_chargen #Murphy. *set surname "Murphy" *goto end_chargen #O'Brien. *set surname "O'Brien" *goto end_chargen #O'Neill. *set surname "O'Neill" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label scotch_given_name *choice *if male #Abner. *set given_name "Abner" *set archaic_name true #Benjamin. *set given_name "Benjamin" #James. *set given_name "James" #Joseph. *set given_name "Joseph" #Robert. *set given_name "Robert" #Thomas. *set given_name "Thomas" *else #Anne. *set given_name "Anne" #Clara. *set given_name "Clara" #Hattie. *set given_name "Hattie" *set archaic_name true #Sharon. *set given_name "Sharon" #Varina. *set given_name "Varina" *set archaic_name true *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label scotch_surname And your family name? *choice #Allison. *set surname "Allison" *goto end_chargen #Craig. *set surname "Craig" *goto end_chargen #Doak. *set surname "Doak" *goto end_chargen #Howell. *set surname "Howell" *goto end_chargen #Irwin. *set surname "Irwin" *goto end_chargen #McDowell. *set surname "McDowell" *goto end_chargen #Stewart. *set surname "Stewart" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label southern_given_name *choice *if male #Calvin. *set given_name "Calvin" *goto southern_surname #James. *set given_name "James" *goto southern_surname #John. *set given_name "John" *goto southern_surname #Obediah. *set given_name "Obediah" *set archaic_name true *goto southern_surname #Other. (pronounced OH-ther) *set given_name "Other" *set archaic_name true *goto southern_surname #Wilbur. *set given_name "Wilbur" *set archaic_name true *goto southern_surname *else #Cora. *set given_name "Cora" *goto southern_surname #Emma. *set given_name "Emma" *goto southern_surname #Lucille. *set given_name "Lucille" *goto southern_surname #Mary Margaret. *set given_name "Mary Margaret" *goto southern_surname #Myrtle. *set given_name "Myrtle" *set archaic_name true *goto southern_surname #Olive. *set given_name "Olive" *goto southern_surname #Sarah Belle. *set given_name "Sarah Belle" *goto southern_surname *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label southern_surname What is your surname? *choice #Bilbo. *set surname "Bilbo" *goto end_chargen #Browne. *set surname "Browne" *goto end_chargen #Foster. *set surname "Foster" *goto end_chargen #Jopes. *set surname "Jopes" *goto end_chargen #Laird. *set surname "Laird" *goto end_chargen #Pearson. *set surname "Pearson" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label spanish_given_name *choice *if male #Agustin. *set given_name "Agustin" #Domingo. *set given_name "Domingo" *set archaic_name true #Florencio. *set given_name "Florencio" *set archaic_name true #Gabriel. *set given_name "Gabriel" #Joachim. *set given_name "Joachim" #Lorenzo. *set given_name "Lorenzo" *set archaic_name true #Tomas. *set given_name "Tomas" *else #Antonia. *set given_name "Antonia" #Ascuncion. *set given_name "Ascuncion" *set archaic_name true #Constanza. *set given_name "Constanza" *set archaic_name true #Isabella. *set given_name "Isabella" #Magdalena. *set given_name "Magdalena" #Maria. *set given_name "Maria" #Sebastiana. *set given_name "Sebastiana" *set archaic_name true *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label spanish_surname And your surname? *choice #Aleman. *set surname "Aleman" *goto end_chargen #Corbo. *set surname "Corbo" *goto end_chargen #Gonzalez. *set surname "Gonzalez" *goto end_chargen #Marrero. *set surname "Marrero" *goto end_chargen #Navarro. *set surname "Navarro" *goto end_chargen #Rodriguez. *set surname "Rodriguez" *goto end_chargen #Tilano. *set surname "Tilano" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label yankee_given_name What's your given name? *choice *if male #Aaron. *set given_name "Aaron" *goto yankee_surname #Benjamin. *set given_name "Benjamin" *goto yankee_surname #Cotton. *set given_name "Cotton" *set archaic_name true *goto yankee_surname #John. *set given_name "John" *goto yankee_surname #Joseph. *set given_name "Joseph" *goto yankee_surname #Robert. *set given_name "Robert" *goto yankee_surname #Thomas. *set given_name "Thomas" *goto yankee_surname *else #Abigail. *set given_name "Abigail" *goto yankee_surname #Anne. *set given_name "Anne" *goto yankee_surname #Caroline. *set given_name "Caroline" *goto yankee_surname #Dolores. *set given_name "Dolores" *set archaic_name true *goto yankee_surname #Josephine. *set given_name "Josephine" *goto yankee_surname #Martha. *set given_name "Martha" *goto yankee_surname #Sarah. *set given_name "Sarah" *goto yankee_surname *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto given_name *label yankee_surname And your family name? *choice #Adams. *set surname "Adams" *goto end_chargen #Franklin. *set surname "Franklin" *goto end_chargen #Good. *set surname "Good" *goto end_chargen #Hawthorne. *set surname "Hawthorne" *goto end_chargen #Mather. *set surname "Mather" *goto end_chargen #Smith. *set surname "Smith" *goto end_chargen #Sullivan. *set surname "Sullivan" *goto end_chargen #Washington. *set surname "Washington" *goto end_chargen *if (choice_randomtest = false) #I don't like any of these. *goto surname *label given_name Well then, what is your given name? *label given_name_1 *input_text given_name *if given_name = "Alucard" You are not the son of Dracula. Please try again. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Alzbeta" There are no Slovaks in New Orleans in 1814. And even if you are, you're not one of them. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Angel" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Angelus" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Buffy" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Carmilla" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Dracula" There are no Transylvanians in New Orleans in 1814. And even if you are, you're not one of them. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Erzsebet" There are no Hungarians in New Orleans in 1814. And even if you are, you're not one of them. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Grigori" There are no Russians in New Orleans in 1814. And even if you are, you're not one of them. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Lestat" Stop your whinging, Louis! No, really. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Nadja" You're rather well-versed in vampire arcana! But no, try again. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Selene" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Sookie" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Spike" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Viktor" Your incompetence is becoming most…taxing. *goto given_name_1 *if given_name = "Vlad" There are no Wallachians in New Orleans in 1814. And even if you are, you're not one of them. *goto given_name_1 *if ethnicity = "african" *if background = 1 *goto black_surname *else *goto african_surname *if ethnicity = "choctaw" *goto choctaw_surname *if ethnicity = "french" *goto french_surname *if ethnicity = "german" *goto german_surname *if ethnicity = "irish" *goto irish_surname *if ethnicity = "scotch" *goto scotch_surname *if ethnicity = "southern" *goto southern_surname *if ethnicity = "spanish" *goto spanish_surname *if ethnicity = "yankee" *goto yankee_surname *else *goto surname *label surname What's your surname? *label surname_1 *input_text surname *if surname = "Bathory" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto surname_1 *if surname = "the Bloody" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? Stop chasing Buffy around everywhere already. *goto surname_1 *if (surname = "Compton") and ((given_name = "Bill") or (given_name = "William")) What, you want to chase Sookie around like a wounded puppy? Grow a pair…of fangs. *goto given_name *if surname = "Cullen" *if given_name = "Edward" What, you want to twinkle in the sun and chase Bella around like a wounded puppy? Grow a pair…of fangs. *goto given_name *if given_name = "Carlisle" What, you want to twinkle in the sun? Grow a pair…of fangs. *goto given_name *if given_name = "Alice" What, you want to twinkle in the sun and tell the future? *goto given_name *else Really? I'm not sure this is the right game for you. This is a no-twinkle zone. *goto surname_1 *if (given_name = "Pam") and ((surname = "de Beaufort") or (surname = "De Beaufort")) I have to give you points for taste; she really is one of the two best characters in that show. All the same, try again. *goto given_name *if (surname = "de Lioncourt") or (surname = "de Pointe du Lac") Stop your whinging, Louis! No, really. *goto surname_1 *if (surname = "Dracul") or (surname = "Dracula") There are no Transylvanians in New Orleans in 1814. And even if there are, you're not one of them. *goto surname_1 *if (surname = "Edgington") and (given_name = "Russell") Obscure and majestic. Unfortunately, you are not the 3000 year old King of Mississippi. *goto given_name *if (surname = "Malloy") and (given_name = "Daniel") Maybe you should go interview a vampire. *goto given_name *if surname = "Northman" *if (given_name = "Eric") or (given_name = "Erik") What, you want to chase Sookie around like a wounded puppy? Grow a pair…of fangs. *goto given_name *else You are not an ancient Viking warrior. Try again. *goto surname_1 *if surname = "Orlock" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? I mean, that is pretty original for this crowd, but still. *goto surname_1 *if (surname = "Patrova") and (given_name = "Katerina") Go exorcise your teenage angst elsewhere. *goto given_name *if (surname = "Pierce") and (given_name = "Katherine") Go exorcise your teenage angst elsewhere. *goto given_name *if surname = "Rasputin" There are no Russians in New Orleans in 1814. And even if you are, you're not one of them. *goto surname_1 *if surname = "Renfield" He wasn't even a vampire. *goto surname_1 *if surname = "Ruthven" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto surname_1 *if surname = "Salvatore" *if given_name = "Stefan" You probably think you can survive just by drinking from animals. Good luck with that. And, in the meantime, try again. *goto given_name *elseif given_name = "Damon" So, you want to play the badboy? Go exorcise your teenage angst somewhere else. *goto given_name *else Go exorcise your teenage angst elsewhere. *goto given_name *if surname = "Stackhouse" *if given_name = "Jason" You must be as dumb as you look. *goto given_name *else Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto surname_1 *if surname = "Summers" Really? You couldn't come up with something more original than that? *goto surname_1 *if (surname = "Swan") and (given_name = "Bella") What, you want to chase Edward around like a lost puppy? *goto given_name *if surname = "Tepes" There are no Wallachians in New Orleans in 1814. And even if you are, you're not one of them. *goto surname_1 *if surname = "Van Helsing" He wasn't even a vampire! Try again. *goto surname_1 *else *goto end_chargen *label end_chargen *goto caught_stealing *label dayafterembrace You awake, ravenous. It takes all the strength that your patron possesses to fend you off. The two of you emerge from the demi-cellar and into the ruins of the burnt-out farmhouse. The world is full of new sensations. From what you can tell, the battle here did not go well for the Americans, as most of the bodies you see are theirs. Otherwise, the west bank of the river seems almost empty of people. Your maker smiles. "Can you smell that, dear ${given_name}? It smells like someone has survived the battle." @{(perception > 0) Now that he points it out, you absolutely can.|Soon, you too can smell blood on the breeze; a fresh wound oozes nearby.} The churn of sweat and iron distinguishes it from the waterfall of blood now soaked into the soil of the day's battlefield. With a curt nod, your patron releases you in the direction of your first kill. Tonight, you will feast. *page_break Your senses reach out in the direction of the young deserter. He knows that he is being pursued, but he does not realize that it is not a court-martial that comes for him. He begins to move faster. At first, you struggle to breathe as you try to keep pace, until it sinks in that you no longer have a need to breathe. Focusing on the pursuit, you begin to let go of that vestige of humanity. @{just_embraced A sharp pain explodes in your mouth as your upper canines sharpen and extend for the first time. Running your tongue over your teeth, you feel your bottom canines have sharpened as well.|Your fangs—your upper canines—extend in anticipation.} You can feel his fear mounting. His breathing becomes ragged. He turns and catches sight of you over his shoulder—the last mistake he will ever make. He stumbles and falls to the ground, and you pounce. He begins to scream, screams that become a screech when he sees your fangs extend. It is painful, feeling them burst from your gums for the first time, but the pain is only momentary. Soon, his sweet, hot blood is pouring down your throat. You drink and drink, and drink some more. The soldier stops screaming, resisting, and soon you can feel his heart beginning to fade away. "Enough," says your ${suitor}, appearing behind you. He pulls at your clothes. "Enough!" he says, forcefully. Losing patience, he tears you from your prey. You clean your face, looking at the soldier's countenance, frozen in horror. He thought he had escaped his worst nightmare: another soldier's corpse rolled into a mass grave. But that was before you came out of the night, eyes and teeth flashing with hunger. Looking down at the corpse, a thought crosses your mind. *choice #@{(religious_tradition = "pagan") By Hushtahli|My God}, what have I become? *set rationalism %+5 *set compassion %-5 #Oh, no! What have I done? *set compassion %-20 #He was…delicious. *set compassion %+5 *set discretion %+5 All that has brought you here. *if sire_surname = "Villanueva" Here, to this swamp, where you and your maker delivered weapons and gunpowder to Jean Lafitte and General Jackson. You wonder idly who won. Momentarily satiated, your maker takes a moment to address his new progeny. "Tonight, you are flush with my blood. But by tomorrow, the power that courses through your veins will fade. You will not be stronger or faster than you were when you were alive—not for many years, anyway. In the meantime, you will have to be clever, or else you will find yourself relying on the beast that prowls within you. It is a vicious creature. You can call upon it when you are overwhelmed, but it is a devil's bargain: you will always come out the worse for the exchange. What you do have is time. You will not grow old, you will not die. In time, you will see that everything comes in cycles. Learn patience and foresight, and you will discover how to bend mortals to your will. Heed my words, and you will survive to experience all that this unlife has to offer." With that, he leads you into a future ripe with possibilities. *set compassion %+10 *set independence %+5 *page_break *if sire_name = "West" *goto 1823_beast *else *goto arrive_new_orleans *label nextdaywithoutsire You wake to a new night, free of your maker's rule. You are free…free to make your way through the night without his interference. But also free of his protection and guidance. From what you can tell, the battle here did not go well for the Americans, as most of the bodies you see are theirs. Otherwise, the west bank seems almost empty of people. *if sire_alive = false Somewhat at a loss for what to do next, you elect to go into New Orleans, the better to seek out others of your kind. *page_break *goto arrive_new_orleans *else Unfortunately, such freedom also requires decisions to be made without guidance. If you head for the city—where people congregate and money flows—it will be easier to take care of yourself, and you might find another who could mentor you. However, if your maker is still alive, that will probably be his first stop after he stitches himself back together. But be careful…unless you know how to take care of yourself in the wild—skills learnt as part of stealth—sticking to populated areas is probably the best choice. *choice #Head for New Orleans. *goto arrive_new_orleans #Head north on foot. You make your way through the bayous, scrambling for shelter along the way. The going is tough, but you are up to the challenge. *goto intro_to_karlstein *if (shapeshifting > 3) #Use my powers of Shapeshifting to turn into a bat and fly north. Shedding your mortal form, you set out into the night air, free of the fetters of the earth. Like this, shelter will be easily found. *goto intro_to_karlstein *label the_next_day The two of you emerge from the demi-cellar. From what you can tell, the battle here did not go well for the Americans, as most of the bodies you see are theirs. Otherwise, the west bank seems almost empty of people. Before long, however, a breeze carries the blood and fear of a wounded deserter to you. At first, it was difficult to distinguish the scent of his blood from that which drenches the nearby battlefield; before long, however, the smell of the fresh blood differentiates itself, drawing your undivided attention, while the churning mix of sweat and iron accentuates your hunger. Looking for guidance, you watch your maker's fangs lengthen in anticipation. *choice #Try to leave the deserter alive. *set compassion %-10 *set anachronism %-5 *set independence %+5 *set didnt_kill true *if sire_name = "West" You urge your ${suitor} to let the deserter live; he assents, drinking only enough for you to return to his haven. The first nights of your immortality pass without incident, as your maker takes his time instructing you in the ways of his kind. Soon, though, you turn away from the edges of New Orleans, and make your way into the unknown. *page_break *goto 1823_beast *else *set compassion %-5 You urge your ${suitor} to let the deserter live; he assents, drinking only enough to fuel a return to the city. When the two of you are finished, you head towards the city glittering on the Mississippi. *page_break *goto arrive_new_orleans #Feed until I am full. *set compassion %+10 Apparently, the poor young man thought he had escaped his worst nightmare: another soldier's corpse rolled into a mass grave. But that was before you came out of the night, eyes and teeth flashing with hunger. Your thirst knows no bounds as you and your patron feed until you are both satiated. Finished, the two of you head towards the city glittering on the Mississippi. *page_break *set anachronism %-5 *set independence %+5 *if sire_name = "West" *goto 1823_beast *else *goto arrive_new_orleans *if compassion < 45 *selectable_if (willpower > 1) #I do my best to resist the urge to feed. The idea of drinking the blood of humans is revolting to me. *set initial_aversion true *set knows_about_vegetarianism true *set compassion %-20 *set independence %-10 *set shepherd_credentials %+10 "No, I cannot drink someone's blood!" ${sire_surname} recoils in surprise. "What is this?" he demands. "I feel this hunger, but I cannot bring myself to hunt my fellow human." "You are no longer human. They are no longer your peers." You look at him in anguish. "But…this thing which you have done to me…" "You will not be one of these weaklings, who only drinks from animals. You will be strong. You have no choice," he thunders. He disappears for a moment, and reappears, dragging the struggling deserter to you. Taking a bite from the man's throat, the blood begins to well up. "Drink," he commands you. You do your best to resist the urge, but the smell and your hunger is too great. Bending close, your fangs extend for the first time, and you feast. When the two of you have finished, you clean yourselves up as best you can, and head towards the city glittering on the Mississippi. *page_break *if sire_name = "West" *goto 1823_beast *else *goto arrive_new_orleans *label arrive_new_orleans *if sire_alive *if sire_name = "Guillaume de Sainte-Chapelle" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Guillaume" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Sainte-Chapelle" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "M. le Quaestor de Sainte-Chapelle" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto battle_aftermath *if sire_name = "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Fernando" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Villanueva" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Don Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto battle_aftermath *if sire_name = "Padre Carlos" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Chaime" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Padre Carlos" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Padre Carlos" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto battle_aftermath *if sire_name = "Wallace Winters" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Wallace" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Winters" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Quaestor Winters" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto battle_aftermath *if sire_name = "West" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Pieter" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Heer Van der Velde" *set jesse_sire_name "Pieter van der Velde" *goto battle_aftermath *else *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Pieter" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Heer Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto battle_aftermath *else *if sire_name = "Pieter van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Fernando" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Villanueva" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Don Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set jesse_sire_name "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set heard_of_villanueva true *goto battle_aftermath *else *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Pieter" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Heer Van der Velde" *set jesse_sire_name "Pieter van der Velde" *goto battle_aftermath *label battle_aftermath *temp bolivar false It is worth noting that the War of 1812 had officially concluded before the first shot of the Battle of New Orleans was fired. However, word did not reach the generals and admirals until weeks after that decisive skirmish. As with so many events in the history of man, thousands died in an act of supreme futility. *if ethnicity = "spanish" It seems that Governor Galvez's plans to place [i]los Isleños[/i] communities as a stumbling-block to the British worked, to some degree at least. While the city was spared, the [i]Isleños[/i] communities were devastated by the British invasion. You learn soon after the dust settles that your family is dead. *if sire_alive and (sire_name != "West") *if fled_from_sire = false *if priest *page_break *gosub priest_update *page_break A local Creole millionaire by the name of Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville elects to host a birthday party for George Washington; the party will also double as a victory party for General Jackson, the hero of New Orleans. ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} secures an invitation for the two of you. The news of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war with the British, only adds to the celebratory mood of the city. February 22nd arrives; both you and ${your_maker} spend inordinate amounts of time preparing for the event. *page_break *goto arrive_at_marignys *else Arriving in New Orleans, you set about trying to make an unlife for yourself. The city is still in an uproar, but something like normalcy seems just over the horizon. *page_break It is not three weeks before your maker corners you in one of the alleys around the St. Louis Cathedral. Word of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, has just arrived, and the city is celebrating. In the confusion, you do not notice your maker until it is too late. Unable to avoid him any longer, you turn and face him. He addresses you, his voice dripping with reproach: "You left me in that farmhouse, alone and wounded. *if embrace_of_affection I thought that our love would transcend time. And yet you left me to die. Tell me, why should I not put an end to you right now?" *else Tell me, why shouldn't I put an end to your existence right now?" *choice *if embrace_of_affection = false #"I thought you were dead, and my duty discharged. I didn't mean to abandon you. Please forgive me." *set discretion %-10 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %-5 "You are even more of an imbecile than I realized." "I beg your forgiveness!" "Does that mean you acknowledge your failings, and throw yourself upon my mercy?" *choice #"Yes! Forgive me!" *label reconciliation *set independence %+10 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %+20 "You have made a wise decision. You still have so much to learn. But first, M. de Marigny is hosting a celebration this evening. The war is over, and Old Hickory carried the day. Come, I am expected." *if priest *page_break *gosub priest_update *page_break A local Creole millionaire by the name of Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville is throwing a birthday party for George Washington; the party will also double as a victory party for General Jackson, the hero of New Orleans. ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} secures an invitation for the two of you. The news of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war with the British, only adds to the celebratory mood of the city. *goto arrive_at_marignys #"No…I must go my own way." *goto exile *if embrace_of_affection #"Our love? I do not love you! How could I love a being such as you?" *set discretion %+20 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %-20 ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} looks genuinely hurt. @{(discretion <= 40) Or maybe he's only putting on a show?|} "Your words cut me to the quick. But I am willing to forgive them, this once. Dear ${given_name}, I offer you this last chance to reconcile yourself to me. If you deny me now, do not ever seek my aid again." *choice #"Yes! Forgive me! I have been too hasty…" *goto reconciliation #"No…I must go my own way." *goto exile *if embrace_of_affection #"Forgive me, my love…I thought you were dead, and in my despair, I fled into the swamp." *set discretion %-20 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %+20 ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} sighs deeply. "I knew it was a simple misunderstanding. Come here, my darling." With that, you near ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, and soon find yourself enveloped in his arms. *choice #I grit my teeth and bear it. *set discretion %-10 #I hold him close; he will keep me safe. *set discretion %-10 #I am truly grateful that he is still alive. *set compassion %-10 *goto reconciliation #"You are an abomination! It seems my prayers for your extinction have gone unanswered." *set discretion %+10 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %-40 "No more of an abomination than you." "But I have not cursed another with this relentless hunger." "Then you will not repent for abandoning me?" *choice #On second thought. "Forgive me, I spoke in haste…" *goto reconciliation #"No…I will never bow to you!" *goto exile #"I knew I should have put an end to you when I had the chance." *set discretion %+30 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %-40 "Those are big words for one so young." "I only speak the truth." "Then you will not repent for your betrayal?" *choice #On second thought. "Forgive me, my maker, I spoke in haste…" *goto reconciliation #"No…I will never bow to you!" *goto exile *else You begin to make your way among the mortals of New Orleans. *page_break *set random_bump false Upon reaching New Orleans, you meet ${new_orleans_quaestor_given_name} ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, a vampire of some age. He seems overjoyed to have another vampire in his city—especially one that pretends to listen to him—and he decides not to ask too many questions about your absent maker. *set taught_three_rules true *set lore +1 ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} instills in you Three Rules, of Reserve, Respect, and Restraint: don't get caught (by the mortals), don't interfere with another vampire's territory, and don't kill another vampire. You soon infer that killing your dominus—that deed of yours which inspires your daymares—is considered the height of crimes among vampires. Thus, the subject of your maker is one that you learn to studiously avoid. As the self-appointed Quaestor of New Orleans, ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} has taken it upon himself to enforce these rules. Otherwise, he doesn't spend a lot of time explaining to you what a quaestor actually is, but since it seems to mostly give him the authority to order you around—which he already does—you don't see how it makes much of a difference. *if sire_name != "Padre Carlos" To reflect this, he demands that you address him by the formal title, ${new_orleans_quaestor_address}. One evening, after drinking deeply of an opium-addled captain, he confides in you that such a claim is not official until the governor confirms it; he intends to use the title in correspondence with her, and hopes that she will not rebuke him for it. *if priest *page_break *gosub priest_update *page_break Some four weeks after the Battle, a local Creole millionaire by the name of Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville throws a birthday party for George Washington; the party will also double as victory party for General Jackson, the hero of New Orleans. ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} secures an invitation for the two of you. The news of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war with the British, only adds to the celebratory mood of the city. February 22nd arrives; both you and ${your_maker} spend inordinate amounts of time preparing for the event. *goto arrive_at_marignys *comment January 23rd, Jackson and a number of his troops attended a thanksgiving mass at the St. Louis Cathedral, delivered by Bishop Dubourg. *label arrive_at_marignys *set attended_marignys_party true *if (ethnicity != "french") and (ethnicity != "southern") The party is like nothing you have ever experienced before. The social world of the region arrives in as stately of a fashion as the city's limited resources can muster. A fortune must have been spent on the candles alone. *else The party is magnificent. Quite possibly the most magnificent that you have attended. Marigny must have spent a fortune on the candles alone. The attendees of the party are a riot of nations. It was a ragtag coalition—a near equal mix of American infantry, local French and German farmers, free blacks, Native Americans, and several contingents of Jean Lafitte's pirates from Barataria—that bested the English at the battle; for tonight at least, their leaders celebrate as one. @{speaks_english |You find it a small inconvenience that you do not speak English; you can already see how this will make life increasingly difficult as the State of Louisiana is further integrated into the Union.} The nearly fifty-year-old Jackson negotiates clumps of well-wishers despite his obvious pain. He carries a kerchief with him at all times to collect the blood he coughs up from a musket-ball still lodged in his lung from a campaign years ago. *if perception > 0 To make matters more gruesome, one side of his face is still swollen from a wound sustained in the battle; rumor has it that a young officer sacrificed himself by throwing himself in the path of a cannonball, but the General was still hurt in the process. At his side is his wife Rachel Donelson Jackson. She is short and plump, and his attentions attest to his ongoing devotion to her. In addition to the General, ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} points out several other luminaries of the battle: the host, Bernard de Marigny; Jean Lafitte; and the District Marshal of Louisiana, Peter Duplessis. Even Bishop Dubourg and his entourage has deigned to consort with the victors for the evening. *if (sire_name = "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca") and sire_alive Villanueva is soon drawn into conversation with his old friend Lafitte. *if priest You do your best to avoid the notice of Bishop Dubourg, lest he ask when you intend to return from your exeat. After all, you doubt that you will be free to celebrate the morning mass anytime soon. *if (perception > 0) That said, one of Dubourg's deacons seems to have noticed you. *elseif (perception > 0) One of that entourage—@{(religious_tradition = "catholic") a deacon, you surmise|an assistant priest, maybe?}—has taken an interest in you. While surveying this scene, the thought occurs to you that it would be entirely possible for you to feed on the hero of the battle. *if (sire_name = "West") or patricide *set my_maker new_orleans_quaestor_surname *choice *if (speaks_english or speaks_french) #Yes, I try to maneuver my way into a private meeting with Jackson so I can feed on him! *set discretion %+10 *label alone_with_jackson *set met_andrew_jackson true Somehow, you manage to close the door on a study, closing you in with the General. He looks at you carefully through his good eye; the other is rheumy and nearly swollen shut. "Would you like a cigar, *if male my boy?" @{speaks_english |You are surprised; you didn't realize he spoke French.} "No, thank you, General." *else mademoiselle?" @{speaks_english |You are surprised; you didn't realize he spoke French.} "I don't recall the last time I was offered a cigar, General," you reply. "You strike me as a woman who cares little for what is expected of her." "I do not disagree, General." "Please, won't you take a seat?" he says, as he himself sits in an overstuffed chair. "Yes, I think I shall," you say, capturing his gaze and moving gently towards him. "Your…virility is quite intoxicating." You watch him relax, his eyes half-closed. "Intoxicating…yes…" he says, almost as though he is hypnotized. "I just want to…feel a little of that power…running through my veins…" "Yes…" he says, as you extend your fangs and bend towards him. *page_break What's that against your chest? Jackson's cigar? "Go ahead and bite me, you leech, and you'll be dead before you can even taste my blood." It's no cigar, but rather a wooden stake, poised over your heart. "That's right. Put those fangs away, you whelp," he continues. You retract your fangs and retreat before him. "Now, get, before you make me angry," he says, gesturing towards the door with his stake, a gesture interrupted by a hacking fit that colors his kerchief red. You retreat out of the room, and think it wise to say nothing of this to ${your_maker}. *if perception > 0 Later in the evening, however, you find yourself uncomfortably close to Peter Duplessis. The Marshal seems to take the measure of you before he returns to his conversation. Or perhaps you are just imagining things? *set sod_founder "duplessis" *set sod_plot true *goto post_jackson *if sire_name != "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" #I ask ${my_maker} about the wisdom of my desire. *set independence %+10 *set discretion %-5 ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} growls at you. "General Jackson already nearly killed us both once. Do you really feel the need to risk his wrath again?" You look at ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} uncomprehendingly. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand…" "Why do you think we were in that miserable hut during the battle?" "You never told me why…" "Suffice to say that Jackson is not one with whom you should be trifling." "I understand," you reply. Soon, however, ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} abandons you to your own devices, and you are left with the responsibility of keeping yourself out of trouble. *choice #I try to maneuver my way into a private meeting with Jackson so I can feed on him! *set discretion %+20 *goto alone_with_jackson #No, I have better sense than to ignore ${my_maker}'s advice. *set discretion %-10 Probably a wise choice. Being alone with a general may be bad for your health. *label investment_opportunity Through careful positioning, you soon find yourself in conversation with the host, M. de Marigny. He informs you that he is seeking investors for a new venture; with the war over, the shipping lanes will be open again. And, considering the company you keep—he eyes ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}—he thinks you are worthy of inclusion. Would you like to invest some money in this venture? *fake_choice *selectable_if (wealth > 5000) #Yes, $250. *set wealth -4000 *set marigny_investment 4000 He seems a little disappointed at the figure you offer him. All the same, he informs you that the necessary papers will be sent over to your residence shortly. You thank him. *selectable_if (wealth > 10000) #Yes, $500. *set wealth -8000 *set marigny_investment 8000 He informs you that the necessary papers will be sent over to your residence shortly. You thank him. *selectable_if (wealth > 20000) #Yes, $1000. *set wealth -16000 *set marigny_investment 16000 He informs you that the necessary papers will be sent over to your residence shortly. You thank him. *selectable_if (wealth > 50000) #Yes, $2500. *set wealth -40000 *set marigny_investment 40000 His eyes go wide at the figure you quote him. Apparently, that was more than he was expecting. Once he recovers his composure, he informs you that the necessary papers will be sent over to your residence shortly. You thank him. *selectable_if (wealth > 100000) #Yes, $5000. *set wealth -80000 *set marigny_investment 80000 His eyes go wide at the figure you quote him. Apparently, that was more than he was expecting. Once he recovers his composure, he informs you that the necessary papers will be sent over to your residence shortly. You thank him. #No. M. de Marigny seems disappointed, but not overly so; there are many others clamoring to join in. Your business concluded, you make the rounds of the room. Now that the war is over, the élite of the room seem most concerned about the threat posed by Simón Bolívar. He has captured a very large territory in South America, and several colonies are threatening to revolt and join his cause. *set bolivar true These élites do not seem to sense the irony that they are worried about a revolutionary fighting for equality and justice when their nation just fought two wars for ostensibly the same reason. *goto post_jackson #No, I'd rather arrange an introduction with the host of the soirée. *set discretion %-10 Probably a wise choice. Being alone with a general may be bad for your health. *goto investment_opportunity *if (perception > 0) #I approach @{(religious_tradition = "catholic") the deacon|the young priest}. *set discretion %-5 *set nola_met_gonsoulin true The young man—he can't be much more than sixteen—greets you with a cock of his head. He introduces himself as Pierre Gonsoulin, of Toulouse. He is a transitory deacon@{(religious_tradition = "catholic") |—someone on the way to being a priest, you soon learn—}attached to the bishop. You introduce yourself in turn. *if priest "I don't believe we've met? Are you assigned to this parish?" he inquires, incredulous. "I'm from the parish of St. Martinville," you reply. It happens to be the truth. St. Martinville is a small town in the bayous to the west; while they report to the archdiocese of New Orleans, the roads are poor and the power exercised is minimal. "I see. Well, an honor to meet you, Father." "And you," you return. *if religious_tradition = "pagan" "Have you found Our Lord and Savior?" he inquires. "No." "Are you one of those heathens that rejects the Word?" "Yes, I suppose you could say that I am," you reply. "And you accept that your soul will burn in hell for eternity?" "I have no soul. I hope that my spirit will go to the good hunting ground, yes. But I do not fear your hell." Gonsoulin shakes his head. "The hubris of the fallen…it is something I will never understand." "What is there to understand. I do not need your pity or your concern." Surprisingly, rather than simply walking away, the deacon tries to change the subject. He must not be quite as myopic as he lets on. "Were you @{male in|a witness to} the battle?" he inquires. "I was." "I hope you have given thanks for surviving it." You smirk at the irony of his statement. @{(rationalism > 60) "I would have, had I."|"No, I have not."} Gonsoulin looks at you, @{(rationalism > 60) unsure as to how to parse your statement|disappointed by your impiety}. Before he can recover, you ask after his own well-being. "The bishop has had some difficulties with a local rector. Not to mention the lack of ordained priests in the diocese! We will be departing for Europe shortly to raise funds and recruit more priests." *choice #This seems like an opportune moment to flirt with—and feed from—the deacon. *set exposure +1 And so you do. *if perception > 1 His blood tastes of innocence; his naïveté gives the blood a veritable effervesence on the tongue that you quite enjoy. #I try to be as forgettable as possible. @{priest He can't be allowed to suspect what I am.|I can't imagine what the Catholic Church would think of my kind.} *set exposure -1 You do your best to make yourself seem as mincing and inoffensive as possible. *if discretion < 40 *set exposure -1 It's even possible that your ploy works. The rest of the evening passes without incident. *label post_jackson *page_break *comment Life as a vampire You and @{(patricide or (sire_name = "West")) the quaestor |your dominus—a more formal name for maker—}spend the rest of the spring prowling the streets of New Orleans. As far as you can tell, you two are the only members of your kind here. He worries, though, about this very fact: some day, more will come. And he does not intend to cede any rights or territory without a fight. He frets about the authority of an individual he refers to as "the Governor," who could make things difficult for him in this regard. *if embrace_of_affection *temp prey_pro_nom "he" *temp prey_pro_pos "his" *temp prey_pro_pos_pl "his" *if (new_orleans_quaestor_surname = "Padre Carlos") *set prey_pro_nom "she" *set prey_pro_pos "her" *set prey_pro_pos_pl "hers" He does his best to distract himself from these cares by reveling in the act of hunting with you—dragging out the experience as long as possible. You judge that, by extending these moments, he has less time to fixate on the precariousness of his position. "${given_name}, will you come hunting with me this evening?" "Of course." @{initial_aversion You try to push away your feelings on the matter. You have not entirely let go of your initial aversion to the idea of drinking blood from mortals, but you cannot deny the call to do so from deep within you.|Swept up as you are in the new sights and sounds of your existence, you give no thought to denying his desires.} *if new_orleans_quaestor_surname = "Villanueva" Perhaps due to the profligacy of his mortal days, Villanueva gravitates towards the whores and gamblers of the waterfront for his prey. The two of your walk to la rue de la Levée, and before long he finds a young man that suits his fancy. *elseif new_orleans_quaestor_surname = "Padre Carlos" Padre Carlos does not hesitate as he leads you to the Ursuline nunnery. A knock on a side door gains the two of you admission, and you soon find yourself surrounded by modestly-clad women of all ages. After reviewing his options, Padre Carlos decides on a middle-aged one, and the three of you adjourn to a cell. *elseif new_orleans_quaestor_surname = "Winters" Winters takes you to the Faubourg Marigny, where the city's orphans roam the streets like packs of jackals. Within moments, he has chosen a surprisingly old one…he must be fourteen or so…and invites the boy back to his haven. *elseif new_orleans_quaestor_surname = "Sainte-Chapelle" Sainte-Chapelle escorts you to the townhouse of the Babineaux family. One of the brood is visiting, and the butler admits the two of you without question. *else Van der Velde leads you to a tavern; he likes his prey as defenseless as possible. After identifying a suitable candidate, the three of you soon return to his haven. *page_break *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %-10 The prey lies between you like so much meat, ${prey_pro_pos} breathing slowed. ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s eyes glisten from between ${prey_pro_pos} legs. "Don't you see? When you have the time to drink slowly, your prey's heart can spur yours to beat again. Here, feel my pulse." You reach across the mortal vessel and much to your surprise, you feel a weak pulse beneath ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s skin. "Now, drink with me. But gently. Ever so gently." Baring your fangs, you find your point of entry at ${prey_pro_pos} neck. Letting the blood trickle past your lips, your senses explode when your heart sputters to life. *if (initial_aversion = false) and (didnt_kill = false) This isn't at all like when you drank from the deserter. Then, you were ravenous. There was no enjoyment. This…is something akin to bliss. You can feel the prey's pulse in your fingertips…soon, your heartbeat falls in step behind ${prey_pro_pos_pl}. For this moment, for the first time since the change, the iron hunger is satiated. Looking across ${prey_pro_pos} body, you lock eyes with ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, and suddenly you can feel his pulse as well…your three hearts are beating in lockstep. You cannot help yourself; you shriek with joy. Never have you felt so alive…so connected with another being. @{initial_aversion Some part of you cries out in horror, demanding that you look away, that you not relish this moment, but with hot blood crossing your lips, it is a very small voice.|} Soon…too soon…you feel ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} pulling you away from your feast. "Not tonight…we shall not kill this one tonight. Perhaps another time. But that is a whole other level of delight." You find yourself panting, your face cupped by his hand. "Yes, dear ${new_orleans_quaestor_given_name}…I…" He shushes you. *if knows_how_to_heal_bites = false *set knows_how_to_heal_bites true "Lisen to me, child. When you lick the wounds you have caused, they will heal…this allows you to hide the evidence of your existence." You lick the wounds and to your amazement, they heal before your very eyes. The flesh knits back together as though by magic. "This is how we have remained a secret for so long. Otherwise, we would have been hunted down and slain centuries ago." "Why do they not remember our teeth?" you inquire. Though, on some level, you already know the answer. You've seen it: the caught breath, the glazed-over eyes, the moans of ecstasy. "They love it when we sink our teeth in them," ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} replies. "It overwhelms their senses and clouds their memories. It is not fool-proof, but if you are careful, it is enough to ensure your survival. For your first nights, anyway; in time, you will come to learn how to use your blood to cloud the memories of those whom you encounter." "Thank you," you reply. *if just_embraced and (compassion < 30) *set knows_about_vegetarianism true *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %-5 "But, must we always feed from humans? Animals also bleed.…" ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} looks at you with disdain. "You will find the experience revolting. Sometimes, admittedly, it is a necessary evil—I have been reduced to conditions where consuming a rat or two was unavoidable. But the Beast is never satiated by such offerings." You know better than to remark on ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s opinions on good and evil. *else "Now, @{(sire_rapport > 55) if you would be so kind,|} clean up this mess." "Of course, dominus," you reply. *else One evening, while voicing his concerns about these threats, he turns to eye you suspiciously. *if (initial_aversion = false) and (didnt_kill = false) "You know that you do not need to kill in order to feed, yes?" ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} says. "I…" *else "You know how to disguise our feeding, yes?" ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} says. "I…" "You've already made it clear you prefer not to kill when you feed. But that is not all: you must disguise your crimes," he begins. "Just make sure to lick the wounds when you're done." "Lick the wounds?" "Yes. If we killed everyone we fed from, the mortals would discover us…posthaste. So refrain from doing so." *set knows_how_to_heal_bites true "But why do they not remember our teeth?" you inquire. Though, on some level, you already know the answer. You've seen it: the caught breath, the glazed-over eyes, the moans of ecstasy. "They love it when we sink our teeth in them," ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} replies. "It overwhelms their senses and cloud their memories. It is not fool-proof, but if you are careful, it is enough to ensure your survival. For your first nights, anyway; in time, you will come to learn how to use your blood to cloud the memories of those whom you encounter."" You suppose that, somewhere in the depths of his consciouness, the realization that you only know as much about being a vampire as he has told you has just occurred to him. And—as you eventually piece together—having offspring that leave dead bodies around is not how a vampire secures their reputation among their kind. *temp high false *if (background = 4) or (background = 5) *set high true *if (background = 11) or (background = 12) *set high true *page_break *if embrace_of_affection *if patricide *if high Before the Battle, your life had continued much as before your change: you spent time among the salons and drawing rooms of the city and the nearby parishes in very much the same way as you did before. No one gave any thought to the fact that your schedule had changed ever so slightly, becoming entirely nocturnal. Now, of course, you are forced to go it alone. You are better equipped than most—you have some resources on which to draw to maintain your circumstances—but you are ever-aware of the precariousness of your situation. *goto patricide_affection_choice *elseif sire_name = "West" Even before the Battle, your existence had been disrupted by West's whims. The two of you traveled between the swamps and bayous of the coast to the city of New Orleans to the riverfront plantations. You slept in hovels in and beneath the roots of cypress trees. Whatever purpose these movements held was never revealed to you. Every day you slept in West's arms; every night you supped from the same prey; you followed him without question, confident that he had some destiny for the two of you in mind. But now, with West gone and ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} the only other vampire in your ken, you find yourself returning to the routines of your life. *gosub toil *goto toil_choice *else Your life was turned completely upside down by your change. Whereas previously you had worked constantly, now the doors of the salons and drawing rooms of the city were suddenly open to you at the behest of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}. The experience was disorienting. @{(ethnicity = "irish") Luckily for you, your silver tongue made the transition surprisingly easy.|Unfortunately, you were constantly making [i]faux pas[/i] as you learnt the rules of the new environment. ${sire_surname} did an admirable job of covering for you, however.} He also established a small household for you and gave you an allowance, so that you were not always underfoot in his haven. That's all gone now that he is dead. You struggle constantly to maintain life as it was before. You are trapped between your mortal life, the life that were were living as a vampire, and the reality of your new circumstances. *label patricide_affection_choice *choice #I am willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain @{high my connections|the new position that ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} established for me}. *set compassion %+10 *set discretion %+5 *set laborvscapital %-5 *if high *set laborvscapital %-15 #This is all the more reason to show loyalty to ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}; I need allies. *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %+5 #High society is not for me. *set independence %-5 *set laborvscapital %+10 #It seems strange to me to be playing with my food like this. *set compassion %+5 *set shepherd_credentials %-10 *else *if high Your life continues much as it did before your change: spending time among the salons and drawing rooms of the city and the nearby parishes is very much the same for a mortal and a vampire. No one gives any thought to the fact that your schedule has changed ever so slightly, to become entirely nocturnal. *else Your life has been turned completely upside down by your change. Whereas previously you worked constantly, now the doors of the salons and drawing rooms of the city are suddenly open to you at the behest of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}. The experience is disorienting. @{(ethnicity = "irish") Luckily for you, your silver tongue makes the transition surprisingly easy.|Unfortunately, you are constantly making [i]faux pas[/i] as you learn the rules of this new environment. ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} does an admirable job of covering for you, however.} He further establishes a small household for you, giving you an allowance, so that you are not always underfoot in his haven. *if fled_from_sire Unfortunately, everything is a little strained between the two of you. He turned you with the intention of revelling in your mutual immortality; your flight from him at the farmhouse has fractured that idyllic vision of the future. *choice *if high #It is somehow fitting for me to slide from my role of leisure and privilege into this new condition. *set discretion %+5 *set independence %+5 *set laborvscapital %-20 *else #I do my best not to embarrass ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} further. *set independence %+5 *set discretion %-5 #I miss the days when my existence meant something beyond witty remarks and overly-complicated attire. *set laborvscapital %+5 *set independence %-5 #I am excited to learn as much as I can; I wish to absorb every aspect of this new existence. *set independence %+10 #I already regret my new condition. *set compassion %-5 *set independence %-5 #It seems strange to me to be playing with my food like this. *set compassion %+5 *set shepherd_credentials %-10 While this new existence is thrilling, the sudden distance between you and ${sire_name} is palpable. Whereas prior to your death, he would spend hours leisurely drinking your blood, luxuriating in the taste and stoking you to your own heights of pleasure, now such delights are lost: when he sinks his fangs into your flesh, there is no pleasure there, only a charge of fear and the threat of an all-consuming oblivion. And so a distance grows between you. @{(perception > 1) If anything, ${sire_name} seems angry at himself—though he would never admit as much.|} Suddenly, his temper grows short and you find yourself exchanging cross words for the first time ever. You soon make up, but it is a moment that foreshadows the difficulties to come. *else Your life continues somewhat as it did before. *if patricide or (sire_name = "West") Only now, you serve ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} instead of ${sire_name}. *gosub toil *else ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} turned you into a vampire for a reason: @{background through your own ingenuity, you managed to purchase your freedom. At ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s direction, you continue in your trade, though the hours have been adjusted to your new condition.|through your own ingenuity, you managed to purchase your freedom. At ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s direction, you continue in your trade, though the hours have been adjusted to your new condition.|as a clerk, you were privy to all matter of business affairs before the change. With the help of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, you have established your own enterprise—though now with new hours.|with the aid of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, you acquire an [i]exeat,[/i] relieving you of your usual duties in the Church. However, you still spend your evenings ministering to the faithful of the city.|your connections within the French community of the city and the countryside are now turned to serve ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s purposes.|you continue to work as an interpreter, both for ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} and for mortal clients. Those mortal clients are somewhat surprised by the change in your availability, but your talents are undeniable.|as a soldier, though, your talents are somewhat wasted during peacetime. However, there are always individuals who need to be intimidated and missives conveyed safely.|as a warrior, though, your talents are somewhat wasted during peacetime. However, there are always individuals who need to be intimidated and missives conveyed safely.|your silver tongue continues to serve ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}; he trusts in your ability to convince mortals that their interests align with his.|your influence and reputation among the Scots gives ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} leverage in certain municipal negotiations. To help explain the change in your situation, however, he establishes a small business for your to manage.|your knowledge of the law allows him to effect his will on the mortal world. At his urging, you even continue to serve select clients—though they are somewhat surprised by your new hours.|your connections with the English and Dutch gentry. Those connections extend to New Orleans and you call on them for his benefit.|with the aid of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, you acquire an [i]exeat,[/i] relieving you of your usual duties in the Church. However, you still spend your evenings ministering to the faithful of the city.|your talent with your hands. You continue in your trade, serving both his interests and continuing to work for select clients.|as an entrepreneur, you are ever on the lookout for the opportunity to apply capital to profitable ends. You continue in your investing strategies, both for his benefit and yours.} *label toil_choice *choice #I'm an immortal monster and yet I still toil for a master. I will not tolerate this for long. *set discretion %+10 *set independence %-10 #Everyone must pay their dues; if this is the first step in my journey as a vampire, so be it. *set independence %+10 *set discretion %-5 #I will need to be financially independent at some point; I do everything I can to begin that process now. *set independence %-5 #If my unlife were to be completely changed, it would be that much harder to remember what it means to be human. *set compassion %-10 #I already regret my new condition. *set compassion %-5 *set independence %-5 *if embrace_of_affection *set high true $!{your_maker} has his petty cruelties, *if patricide which he inflicts on you with some regularity. *else *if embrace_of_affection despite his professions of affection for you@{just_embraced .| and they } *if (just_embraced = false) @{embrace_of_affection |which }have only increased with the passage of time. *else which surprise you—why did he create you if it was only to torment you? One evening, not long after the party at M. de Marigny's, the two of you are at another @{high dinner-party|tavern}, where you are presented with a @{high rare vintage of wine, imported at great cost from France|cup of the best rum of the house}. The smell is @{(perception > 1) beyond delightful; you can almost feel the rain on plant as it grew in the sunshine|delightful}. It is only then that you realize that your companions are staring at you, waiting for you to drink. Not knowing any better, you @{high take a sip of|quaff} your drink. *if willpower > 2 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %+10 Only by a supreme exercise of will are you able to keep yourself from spewing the liquid over the faces of your interlocutors. You quickly excuse yourself to the privy, where you vomit the contents of your stomach into the stinking hole. Some part of your mind hopes that no one will think twice about the thick layer of blood that now coats the human waste. When you emerge, you find ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} waiting for you. He nods, duly impressed. "Why did you do that?" you demand. "I had to teach you something…but I did not expect for you to handle yourself so well. Well done, ${given_name}." *else You have only a moment—which seems like an eternity—to dread what is about to happen: and then you spew the liquid all over one of your interlocutors. There is an immediate uproar—this was not the time or place for such a display. You begin to make your apologies before the room settles into outright hostility, but only then do you realize that ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} is nowhere to be found. At a loss, you beat a hasty retreat—there to discover ${your_maker} chuckling in the street. "Why did you do that?" you demand. He wipes the blood-tears from your eyes. "I had to teach you somehow…I thought I would amuse myself in the process." "And what did you seek to teach me?" @{(willpower > 2) you say, brushing off his compliment.|} @{(willpower > 2) |He grows serious. }"That food and drink are not for our kind. @{sires_faith_num We are cursed by God to never again enjoy those delights.|We are cursed by God to never again enjoy those delights.|It is our misfortune to never again enjoy those pleasures.|Some element of our condition makes those pleasures incompatable with our wretched existence.|We must put aside any desire for such things, as they do not reflect our divinity.} We drink only blood, forever and a day. When presented with similar situations in the future, you will have to think quickly as to how you will explain away your lack of appetites." You nod, acknowledging the lesson. With a bemused smile, he leaves you to your roiling insides. You ponder his retreating frame. *choice #I look forward to repaying him in kind for these "small lessons." *set compassion %+5 *set discretion %+5 #Why does he have to take such pleasure in making myself and others miserable? *set compassion %-5 #I must swallow my pride if I am to persevere. *set discretion %-5 *if (religious_tradition != "pagan") #This is but another test of my faith. *set rationalism %+10 *if (patricide = false) and (sire_name != "West") As you adjust to your new condition, you watch as your dominus increasingly convinces himself of the righteousness of his authority over the city and its denizens. Finally, one day in June, he announces to you that he is claiming the title of quaestor for himself. Something of an empty title, when you are the only other vampire in the city, but the declaration seems important to him. *if sire_name != "Padre Carlos" To reflect this claim, he demands that you address him as ${new_orleans_quaestor_address}…as though your calling him so will make it more true. @{embrace_of_affection This demand injects a sudden distance between the two of you. You can almost see the suspicion of you growing in his eyes.|} Were his authority confirmed by the governor, the title would grant him the authority to accept and deny residence in the city to other vampires. The governor, who reputedly resides in Savannah, is a high-ranking vampire in the Society; she appoints quaestors to administer the cities of her province. @{speaks_latin The structure of the Society is clearly influenced by ancient Rome; but that only makes you wonder about the possible existence of a Consul or Emperor.|} Since he has claimed the title, rather than having been appointed to it, ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} exists in constant fear that some new vampire will arrive bearing the blessings of the governor. *set taught_about_governors true *page_break *set random_bump false ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} slams a book down on his desk. "How dare he?" It is an August evening. You look about in confusion. "@{(patricide or (sire_name = "West")) Quaestor|Dominus}?" you inquire, tentatively. "Jackson. The city has voted to rename the Place d'Armes in his name. It will now be known as Jackson Square." *if discretion > 60 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %-5 "He did command the victory over the British…" ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} whirls on you, sputtering. "He arrogates too much to himself! Before long, he will seek the presidency itself!" "Would that be so bad? He commands the respect of much of the country…" ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s eyes go wide. "It would be disastrous! Can you imagine?" *if discretion <= 60 *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %+5 "How dare he…?" you offer. "Yes! How dare he! What could he be planning?" He pauses before arriving at a conclusion: "He wants to become president." "But he's not a vampire…right? What does it matter if this General seeks the presidency?" ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} goes stiff. "You saw him eating and drinking at the celebration in his name. No vampire could do that. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to see to what can be done about this absurd decision to rename the plaza…" "Yes, Quaestor." Perhaps his concerns over the precariousness of his position have made him paranoid? Whatever the case, the nights continue to unfold before you, and his instruction in the ways of the Society and immortality continues unabated. *page_break *comment Heartbreak Day *set year 1816 *temp rich false New Year's Day arrives. @{(ethnicity = "african") Among the slaves, freedmen, and [i]gens de couleur libres,[/i] it is known by a different name: Heartbreak Day.|} Among the whites—particularly among the French, English, and Dutch landowners—it is the day to settle debts. And this particular New Year's Day, M. Lafontaine owes you a notable debt. *if (priest or embrace_of_affection) or ((ethnicity = "french") or (ethnicity = "southern")) *set rich true In the drawing rooms of New Orleans, the better set amuse themselves with cards, just as their ancestors have done for centuries. Wagers placed on the outcomes of these games can sometimes bring whole families to ruin. @{priest It took you a long time to shed your rustic manners, but your missteps are now few and far between. Or maybe they have merely grown better about hiding their amusement at your [i]faux pas[/i].|} *if rich = false In the taverns of New Orleans, wagers are placed on card games every evening. Fortunes are won or lost, and too frequently blood is drawn when an individual's livelihood is at stake. @{male |Some resist playing against a woman lest they impoverish you, but as you continue to win such concerns fall to the wayside.} *if perception > 1 With your supernatural senses, you are able to easily read your opponents, pressing and folding as needed to assure your victory. *elseif (agility > 2) Your manual dexterity makes palming cards a simple affair. You are careful to not be too successful, but you certainly win more than you lose. *elseif (streetwise > 1) Your long history with hustles and petty crimes means that you know how to win without necessarily having the best hand. You are careful not to be too successful, but you certainly win more than you lose. *elseif (intelligence > 2) Simply put, you are smarter than most of the other gamblers. And certainly less drunk. Between the two, you manage to evaluate odds with a clear eye, thereby tilting the outcome into your favor. *elseif (willpower > 2) Your immense willpower allows you to disguise your tells. Over time, you manipulate your opponents into misreading your tells, and thence to victory. *elseif (charm > 2) You are able to direct the conversation in such a way that your opponents are always on edge. They are too busy responding to your witicisms, gossip, and ramblings that they fail to pay sufficient attention to their cards and the deck. You exploit this lack of attention mercilessly. *else You are frequently lucky; you hold your cards longer than you should, and frequently that unnerves your opponents to the point of folding. This is how M. Lafontaine came to owe you such a debt. And this evening, he knocks on your door. Answering it, you find him standing there, a teenage enslaved man in tow. "What is the meaning of this? Where is my silver?" "This is Alpheus. I will return in a year to reclaim him." And so you grasp his intent: the services of a slave have a value in the market. It is customary to rent them out for a year at a time—or to loan them out as a way to repay a debt. M. Lafontaine has no money with which to repay you, but the labor of this man does. *temp alpheus 1 *choice #Accept Alpheus. With that, M. Lafontaine turns and leaves. Alpheus looks at you. Absent any other ideas, you usher him inside. The nights pass. Alpheus does some work for you around your quarters while you contemplate what to do with him. *label alpheus_loop *choice *selectable_if (discretion < 65) #First, I would like to ask him what he wants. *set discretion %-5 When you broach the subject with him, he becomes instantly fearful, anticipating some sort of trap. *if compassion > 50 Try as you might, you cannot coax an answer from him. *else In time, you manage to coax a few words from him: "What does any man want, @{male suh|mam'selle}? I wants to be free." "What about your family?" "They is all gone. Or dead. My last sister died in childbirth this summer past." He shrugs at these woes and returns to sweeping your quarters. *goto alpheus_loop *if ((creation > 0) or (technology > 0)) #I spend the year teaching him a trade, so that he will be able to buy his freedom later. *set laborvscapital %-5 *set justice %+5 *set discretion %-5 You teach him @{(creation > 0) some carpentry|the basics of watchmaking}. He treats your lessons with distrust for a long time, but at some point, he decides to take what you're offering as long as you are offering it. From that point, he applies himself with vigor to the task. *selectable_if (wealth > (100000-(finance * 10000))) #I will pay for his freedom. *set wealth -(40000 - (finance * 5000)) *set exposure +2 *if ethnicity = "african" *set exposure -1 *set compassion %-25 *set laborvscapital %+5 *set justice %-5 *set alpheus 2 It costs a substantial sum to purchase his freedom, but you make it happen. Somewhat at a loss as to what to do next, he sets out north, where he does not run the risk of being reenslaved at the whim of a white person. #I am owed a debt; I will not let Alpheus's time with me go to waste. *set compassion %+40 *set discretion %+10 *set laborvscapital %-10 *set justice %+10 Alpheus serves as your valet for the year, tending to your house and your personal needs. @{(perception > 1) He does an admirable job of disguising his hatred for you, but your senses pierce his dissimulations.|} *if (compassion < 60) #Slavery has been abolished in Spanish Florida, which is only a few days' journey east. I send him to freedom. *set exposure +3 *if ethnicity = "african" *set exposure -1 *set alpheus 3 *set compassion %-25 *set justice %-40 *set discretion %+10 Alpheus is surprised and suspicious of your generosity; he does not quite believe it even once you pack a few things for him and send him on his way. #Demand coin instead, even if it is a discount on the debt. *set alpheus 4 *set compassion %+5 M. Lafontaine is able to pay you no more than twenty percent of what he owes you in coin, but you accept it anyway. You watch as M. Lafontaine leads Alpheus away. Neither of them look back. #Absolve M. Lafontaine of his debt. *set alpheus 4 *set discretion %-5 *set compassion %-5 *set exposure +1 M. Lafontaine looks at you in surprise and then spits at your feet, dishonored by your rejection of his debt. You have made him less of a man. @{(alpheus < 4) Alpheus's arrival is not the only surprise feature of the year.|Your encounter with M. Lafontaine is not the only surprise of the year.} In later decades, 1816 will be known as the Year Without a Summer, as foul weather and a red mist blanket the northeastern United States. Snow continues to fall intermittently until June throughout the region@{literate , and newspapers carry descriptions of snow the color of blood falling in the Kingdom of Hungary and the Italian penninsula|}. Those New Englanders that can strike out for land on the far side of the Appalachians, where the bizarre weather does not seem to reach. So many colonists relocate that Indiana is able to apply for statehood that winter, and Illinois will do the same two years later. *choice #This is a sign. The earth itself rejects our kind. *set rationalism %+10 *if rationalism > 75 You do your best to repent of your sins, praying for guidance. You are still waiting for a response. *else Whether your rational mind believes in such things or not, you cannot resist interpreting events such as these as omens. And omens presage doom. *if ((finance > 0) or (sire_alive and (embrace_of_affection = false))) #If New England is in need of food, let us endeavor to sell it to them. *set laborvscapital %-10 *set compassion %+5 *set local_fame %+5 *if sire_alive and (sire_name != "West") *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport %+10 *set wealth +10000 The southern states are not so afflicted, and business booms in New Orleans as food-crops are needed both in the north and in Europe. You and ${your_maker} make the most of these opportunities. *if (literate) #I scour newspapers to see if I can discover the source of this phenomenon. *set anachronism %+5 *set rationalism %-10 *set shepherd_credentials %+5 There are reports of a volcano erupting last April in the Dutch East Indies. It erupted for two weeks straight, spewing ash into the heavens. Some men of science theorize that the ash is somehow responsible for the strange weather. *if ((male = false) and (high or embrace_of_affection)) #I join with other women of society to organize a relief effort, to feed the starving people of the northeast. *set compassion %-15 *set shepherd_credentials %+10 *set local_fame %+20 The social circles in which you move celebrate your philanthropy. The relief effort raises a reasonable amount of money, and the food it purchases is sent north to assuage the vast hunger of the populace. @{(compassion < 35) You wish you could do more.|} #As long as the weather does not immiserate the population of New Orleans, I do not concern myself with these events. *set shepherd_credentials %-20 *set compassion %+10 *set discretion %+5 Like you, the populace of New Orleans goes about their lives, blithe to the misfortunes of New England, Europe, and points further east. @{(alpheus = 3) During this time, you further occupy yourself with earning the money that you will be forced to pay when it is discovered that Alpheus escaped.|} *page_break *set senators_explained true In addition to his concerns regarding his own appointment, ${your_maker} often worries aloud about the future senator of New Orleans. Over time, you gather that once a governor appoints a quaestor, a senator may subsequently be appointed for the "new" city. The process for this appointment is unclear to you, but that may be because it is unclear to ${your_maker}. This lack of transparency only exacerbates his anxiety over the potential identity of the new senator. *if taught_three_rules = false In addition to observing the ebb and flow of ${your_maker}'s anxieties, you have the opportunity to learn something of the rules of vampire culture. He teaches you the laws of the Society, laws which govern the interactions of vampires the world over. These laws revolve around the Three Rules of Reserve, Respect, and Restraint: don't get caught (by the mortals), don't interfere with another vampire's territory, and don't kill another vampire. *set taught_three_rules true *set lore +1 *if ethnicity = "choctaw" Another lesson you are forced to learn—perhaps a subset of the Rule of Reserve—is that there is surprisingly little you can do to affect the course of mortal history. And so it is with with great sorrow that you learn of the numerous treaties between your former people and the United States. Bound to your patron, you are forced to stand by as your people are incrementally relocated west of the Mississippi, in exchange for promises of eternal freedom and self-determination. *elseif (bolivar = false) Of course, the concerns of vampires are not exclusive to vampiric affairs. ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} also frets—along with much of the élite of New Orleans society—over the unfolding revolutions in South America. Over the past decade, Simón Bolívar has led uprisings in a number of territories against the European powers—an unpleasant enough thought—but the fact that he has freed the slaves in each of those countries fills the gossips of New Orleans with dread. What if he decides to set his eyes on the United States? Considering the number of slaves throughout the young nation, he would have a ready-made source of soldiers should he decide to set sail. The idea of a massive uprising inspired or even led by Bolívar only exacerbates the already-crushing paranoia of the whites—and ${your_maker} is not exempt from these fears. *if random_bump *bug As these first years of unlife tick by, you find yourself with a small amount of free time to improve yourself or your circumstances. What do you focus on? *choice *if (literate = false) #I learn how to read and write. *set literate true *set anachronism %+5 *if (speaks_english = false) #I learn how to speak the King's English. *set speaks_english true *set anachronism %+5 *if (creation <= 2) #I learn how to play the pianoforte. *set creation +1 *set anachronism %+5 *if (fighting <= 1) #I learn how to @{(fighting = 1) better |}defend myself with sword, pistol, and fist. *set fighting +1 *set discretion %+5 *if (finance <= 1) #I @{(finance = 1) further expand my understanding|study the basics} of accounting and finance. *set finance +1 *if (stealth <= 1) #I @{(stealth = 1) convince ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} to teach me to push myself from mortals' minds—as long as I remain still|learn how to stalk my prey without being noticed}. *set stealth +1 *set discretion %-5 *if (perception <= 1) #I @{(perception = 1) convince ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} to teach me how to extend my senses beyond those of a normal human|train myself to be more observant of my surroundings}. *set perception +1 *set discretion %-5 *if (streetwise <= 1) #I @{(streetwise = 1) further develop my|develop} connections with smugglers, fences, and thugs. *set streetwise +1 *if (technology <= 1) #I spend my time learning about the latest technological advancements. *set technology +1 *if (embrace_of_affection) #I use my newfound connections—thanks to ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}—to establish a small income for myself. *set income +20 *set wealth +30000 *set year 1823 *set status +1 *set wealth +(income * 5000) One evening during the summer of 1823, the Quaestor calls you before him. His valet, Ajax, greets you at the door when you arrive, and shows you inside. *gosub exit_data *finish Next *label exile *set sire_rapport %-50 *set independence %-50 *set discretion %+20 "Very well. I hereby exile you from New Orleans, on pain of death. You will be gone by sunrise. I hope that you live long enough to regret this foolishness." "And I hope that you rot in hell." *set exiled_from_new_orleans true *set avoided_new_orleans true *page_break Good Riddance You pack what few things you had and set out for the great unknown. *if lore > 1 Upon later reflection, you conclude that he does not actually have the authority to formally exile you from the city, as he is not yet formally the quaestor of New Orleans. But de facto and de jure can get awfully fuzzy sometimes, especially when no one is there to challenge him for the title. And once the governor names him to the position… *gosub exit_data *page_break Next *goto_scene karlstein *label 1823_beast *set year 1820 *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Pieter" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Heer Van der Velde" *set jesse_sire_name "Pieter van der Velde" *set taught_three_rules true *set shapeshifting +1 *set compassion %+20 *set lore +1 *set independence %-20 *set anachronism %-20 West teaches you how to live in the wilderness. You range across the land, taking what you need when you need it. Your travels take you among @{(ethnicity = "choctaw") other tribes|the natives} and south into Mexico, where you travel with various bands of revolutionaries fighting for independence. West teaches you how to read the signs of the animals, how to listen and how to speak in their varied tongues. The forests, hills, plains, and deserts are your never-ending playland. Summer, fall, winter…and into the spring of 1816, an unseasonably cold spring. You hear rumors of crops dying and snow the color of blood falling in the north. West spends numerous nights searching the stars for answers, but finds none there. One night he stops looking to the stars for answers and turns himself to your tutelage: it is time for you to learn the customs of your kind. He teaches you how you do not necessarily need to kill to survive; with care and an exercise of will, you can feed from a mortal without drinking them dry, and further, they will usually not remember much of the experience. This is a necessary technique to passing unnoticed among the humans. He instills in you Three Rules, of Reserve, Respect, and Restraint: don't get caught (by the mortals), don't interfere with another vampire's territory, and don't kill another vampire. He further tells you of the Society, the community of vampires that rely on these Rules to keep themselves from falling at each other's throats like the beasts they are. The Society gathers at the courts of its governors and their representatives, who are known as quaestors. "Beware of Governor Overstreet of Savannah. She is a snake, always watching for the opportunity to strike." @{speaks_english |However, of all his many lessons, he does not teach you English.} *set taught_about_governors true Another seven years pass, and you find yourself dreaming of civilization again. The little [i]pueblos[/i] and [i]haciendas[/i] remind you of the bigger settlements of Louisiana. English and Scotch settlers are becoming more common in the area—they call it Texas—and West is compelled to go further into the wilderness. Seeing these larger, wealthier groups of mortals again awakens something new…the desire for attention and adoration stirs in your breast. It is time for you to leave your maker and rejoin human and vampiric society. West's piercing blue eyes show no emotion when you tell him of your desires; he releases you without prejudice. Turning your face towards the dawn, you set out for Louisiana. New Orleans is the largest city within a thousand miles; if you seek attention and adoration, you would have to travel quite far to find a more suitable site. The question at hand is whether to seek out your former haunts or find new places to terrorize. *choice #To New Orleans. You hear that it's booming these nights… *if intelligence > 1 *set taught_about_governors true Before taking your leave of West, you have the good sense to ask who the "governor" or "quaestor" of New Orleans is. He informs you that, last he passed through that town there was no quaestor, but Governor Overstreet rules the province from Savannah. "Province?" "Yes. The territory of a governor. The quaestors administer the cities of the province on behalf of the governor." "I think I understand. What cities are within Governor Overstreet's province?" "All those cities south of the Potomac. Each of them has its quaestor who speaks on behalf of the governor." *page_break *if fighting = 0 *set fighting +1 *gosub exit_data *goto_scene new_orleans_jesse *else As you make your way to New Orleans, you reflect on your time in Mexico. What did learn while you where there? *choice *if (speaks_spanish = false) #I learnt Spanish. *set speaks_spanish true *if (agility = 1) #The blood made me more nimble and fleet of foot. *set agility +1 *if ((charm = 1) and speaks_spanish) #When it came time to treat with other parties, I learned to take the lead. *set charm +1 *if (fighting < 2) #I improved my martial skills. *set fighting +1 *if (strength = 1) #The blood made my body stronger. *set strength +1 *if (willpower = 1) #I learnt the meaning of true grit. *set willpower +1 You can only hope that you are sufficiently prepared for the nights ahead. *gosub exit_data *page_break *goto_scene new_orleans_jesse #Head further up the Mississippi. *set avoided_new_orleans true You set out into the unknown, putting as much distance as possible between you and the city of sin. *gosub exit_data *page_break Next Chapter *goto_scene karlstein *label intro_to_karlstein *set avoided_new_orleans true *if sire_alive *if sire_name = "Guillaume de Sainte-Chapelle" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Guillaume" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Sainte-Chapelle" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "M. le Quaestor de Sainte-Chapelle" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto intro_to_karlstein_b *elseif sire_name = "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Fernando" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Villanueva" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Don Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *goto intro_to_karlstein_b *elseif sire_name = "Pieter van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Pieter" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Heer Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto intro_to_karlstein_b *elseif sire_name = "Padre Carlos" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Carlos" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Padre Carlos" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Padre Carlos" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto intro_to_karlstein_b *else *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Wallace" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Winters" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Quaestor Winters" *set new_orleans_quaestor_rapport sire_rapport *set jesse_sire_name sire_name *goto intro_to_karlstein_b *else *if sire_name != "Pieter van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Pieter" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Van der Velde" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Heer Van der Velde" *set jesse_sire_name "Pieter van der Velde" *goto intro_to_karlstein_b *else *set new_orleans_quaestor_given_name "Fernando" *set new_orleans_quaestor_surname "Villanueva" *set new_orleans_quaestor_address "Don Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set jesse_sire_name "Fernando de Villanueva e Itamaraca" *set heard_of_villanueva true *goto intro_to_karlstein_b *label intro_to_karlstein_b *set independence %-40 It is worth noting that the War of 1812 had officially concluded before the first shot of the Battle of New Orleans was fired. However, word did not reach the generals and admirals until February, some six weeks after that decisive skirmish. As with so many events in the history of man, thousands died in a supreme act of futility. *if ethnicity = "spanish" It seems that Governor Galvez's plan to use the [i]Isleños[/i] as obstacles to a British invasion worked, to some degree at least. While the city was spared, the Spanish communities were devastated by the British invasion. @{(compassion < 55) Some months from now, once you are settled, you will inquire after your family, only to learn that they were all slain during the invasion.|} At present, however, such concerns are far from your mind; you continue your push north, seeking refuge from the madness of the war and the city. *gosub exit_data *page_break Next Chapter *goto_scene karlstein *label stat_check *if agility > 3 Agility 4! *if charm > 3 Charm 4! *if creation = 2 Creation 2 *if creation > 2 Creation 3! *if fighting = 2 Fighting 2 *if fighting > 2 Fighting 3! *if intelligence > 3 Intelligence 4! *if lore = 3 Lore 3! *if lore > 3 Lore 4! *if perception > 3 Perception 4! *if status = 2 Status 2! *if status > 2 Status 3!! *if stealth > 1 Stealth 2! *if streetwise = 2 Streetwise 2 *if streetwise > 2 Streetwise 3! *if strength > 3 Strength 4! *if technology = 2 Technology 2! *if technology > 2 Technology 3! *if willpower > 3 Willpower 4! *goto_scene scoring *label toil @{background When you were still alive, you managed to purchase your freedom through your own ingenuity. At ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s direction, you continue in your trade, though the hours have been adjusted to your new condition.|When you were still alive, you managed to purchase your freedom through your own ingenuity. At ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s direction, you continue in your trade, though the hours have been adjusted to your new condition.|As a clerk, you were privy to all matter of business affairs before the change. With the help of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, you have established your own enterprise—though now with new hours.|With the aid of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, you acquire an [i]exeat,[/i] relieving you of your usual duties in the Church. However, you still spend your evenings ministering to the faithful of the city.|Your connections within the French community of the city and the countryside are now turned to serve ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}'s purposes.|You continue to work as an interpreter, both for ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} and for mortal clients. Those mortal clients are somewhat surprised by the change in your availability, but your talents are undeniable.|As a soldier, your talents are somewhat wasted during peacetime—and there will be no more daybreak drills for you. However, there are always individuals who need to be intimidated and missives conveyed safely.|As a warrior, your talents are somewhat wasted during peacetime. However, there are always individuals who need to be intimidated and missives conveyed safely.|Your silver tongue now serves ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}; he trusts in your ability to convince mortals that their interests align with his.|Your influence and reputation among the Scots gives ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname} leverage in certain municipal negotiations. To help explain the change in your situation, however, he establishes a small business for your to manage.|Your knowledge of the law allows him to effect his will on the mortal world. At his urging, you even continue to serve select clients—though they are somewhat surprised by your new hours.|You have maintained your connections with the English and Dutch gentry, and you call on those connections for his benefit.|With the aid of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, you acquire an [i]exeat,[/i] relieving you of your usual duties in the Church. However, you still spend your evenings ministering to the faithful of the city.|You continue in your trade, serving both his interests and continuing to work for select clients.|As an entrepreneur, you are ever on the lookout for the opportunity to apply capital to profitable ends. You continue in your investing strategies, though now for his benefit as well as yours.} *return *label choctaw_burial Your mother builds a fire outside of your home and tends it for four days to warm your grandmother's spirit. Your father and uncles built a scaffold nearby and put the body upon it, covered in a bearskin rug. *if rationalism > 60 For six months, you visited the scaffold every day and whispered to her, telling her what you did that day, and wishing her well on her way to @{(religious_tradition = "pagan") the Land of Ghosts|Heaven}. *if religious_tradition != "pagan" Your parents may have converted to Christianity, but the old ways were hard to shake. Besides, they reason, the Land of Ghosts and Heaven sound very much alike. *else For six whole months, you were obliged to visit her rotting body on the scaffold and mourn her. At the end of the mourning period, the bone-picker stripped the remaining flesh from her bones, placed them in a box, and delivered them to your family. A feast was held and the box was placed in the family crypt deep in the forest. And thus you said goodbye. *return *label priest_update *if rationalism >= 70 Much to your dismay, you soon discover that you are not able to set foot on holy ground. Standing at the entrance to the St. Louis Cathedral, you cannot bring yourself to cross its threshold. You snarl in frustration—this will make your existence much more difficult. *if (sire_name = "Padre Carlos") and sire_alive *if sires_faith = "faithful" *if rationalism > 70 *set sire_rapport %+5 Padre Carlos commiserates with you over your shared limitation. He too is unable to set foot on holy ground. He does not know the source of this prohibition, but it has baffled him for centuries. *else *set sire_rapport %-10 You soon discover, however, that Padre Carlos is not able to set foot on holy ground. Some invisible barrier prevents his entrance to such places. When he sees emerging from the St. Louis Cathedral one evening, he flies into a rage and even strikes you with the back of his hand. You plead with him for mercy but he burns with envy for weeks afterwards. *elseif (rationalism > 70) *set sire_rapport %-5 Padre Carlos frowns when you describe your inability to cross the threshold of the Cathedral. He confesses that he has heard of such immaterial boundaries, but cannot offer an explanation for them. However, he is clearly disappointed by this limitation of yours. @{(rationalism >= 70) Clearly,|As a vampire,} you are no long able to perform the duties of a priest. You apply for an [i]exeat[/i]—indefinitely releasing you from your formal duties—and with the assistance of ${new_orleans_quaestor_surname}, it is granted. The document allows you, in principle, to continue wearing the cassock and collar of a priest without antagonizing the Church hierarchy. However, you say your goodbyes to the other clergymen that you have spent the past several years worshipping beside—for all your sakes, you must withdraw from regular contact with them. *choice #I am a vampire now; best to leave all vestiges of my mortal life behind. I will shed my cassock as I shed my humanity. *set anachronism %+5 *set discretion %-5 *set priest false Freed from mortal concerns, you give up the life of a priest in its entirety. #I mourn the loss of my brothers in the church. *set compassion %-5 The too are saddened by your departure, but better to be saddened than find themselves the main course of your next meal. #No doubt the cassock will offer me opportunities that would otherwise be closed to a poor boy from the bayou. *set discretion %+3 In New Orleans, nearly everyone defers to men of the cloth. You intend to use that to your advantage at every turn. *if (rationalism >= 70) #I hope to discover the source of the supernatural barrier that prevents me from entering the Cathedral. *set rationalism %+5 You read widely but can find little to satisfy your curiosity. *return *label exit_data *if choice_randomtest For Seed Readers: Literate: @{literate Yes|No}. *line_break Speaks English: @{speaks_english Yes|No}. *line_break Speaks French: @{speaks_french Yes|No}. *return