*comment ñáéç…— *hide_reuse *advertisement *if ((sporting_goods > 1) or temperance_movement) or ((memphis_baseball or (finance > 0)) or (stlouis_baseball_corruption > 1)) *set stl_vda_drama true *if baseball_failed or browns_sundays_moved *set stl_vda_drama false *set year 1888 *temp beneficent false *comment Entertainments New And Old It's the end of May, and it's been four years since P.T. Barnum's circus visited St. Louis. Now rebranded "The Greatest Show on Earth," it is touring the middle of the country. That, of course, means several days in St. Louis. @{circus_1884 You fondly recall your previous attendance.|You can't help but wonder if your decision not to attend the circus before was an oversight. Their imminent arrival has truly electrified the people of St. Louis.} *choice *if (circus_1884_date = "becard") #I invite Sabine to attend the circus with me once again. *label circus_becard *set circus_1888_date "becard" *set becard_rapport %+15 The evening at the circus is delightful. *gosub circus_description Afterwards, you return Sabine to the spot from which you fetched her. Before alighting to the ground, she gives your hand a quick squeeze. Though you watch, she does not look back as she strides into the night. *label exit_circus *if (circus_1888_date = "none") and (circus_1884_date = "none") *set becardeliot_romance true *page_break Several Months Later *goto zappeion *if (circus_1884_date = "eliot") #I invite Hiram to attend the circus with me once again. *label circus_eliot *set circus_1888_date "eliot" *set eliot_rapport %+20 The evening at the circus is delightful. *gosub circus_description When the performance is over and the attractions have closed, you return Hiram to his home. He holds your eyes for what seems an interminable time before bidding you goodnight. As the coupé pulls away, he stands on his steps, waving goodnight. *goto exit_circus *if (circus_1884_date != "becard") and (becard_rapport > 45) #I invite Sabine Bécard to attend the circus with me. *set discretion %+5 Sabine's response is equivocal, but you arrive at the suggested corner at the suggested time, and are delighted to see that she has chosen to keep the rendezvous. You open the door to your coupé and she ascends into the privacy of the interior. ${stlouis_valet} issues a "Ha!" and the carriage jerks forward. *goto circus_becard *if (circus_1884_date != "eliot") and (eliot_rapport > 45) #I invite Hiram Eliot to attend the circus with me. *set discretion %+5 Hiram sends a swift acknowledgement. The night of the rendezvous, you arrive at his home at the appointed time in your coupé. He ascends swiftly, and soon the two of you are off to the circus with nary a backward glance. *goto circus_eliot *if (stlouis_affair = 2) #I arrange a rendezvous with Annie Jones. Jones is nonplussed by the offer of a rendezvous; her indecision is explicit in her written response. But mid-letter, she find the conviction to accept, with the caveat that, because of her performance, she is unable to see you before three in the morning—a time considered generally unfit for polite company. That does not deter her; she has already accepted the role of the sort of woman about whom busybody matrons like to gossip to their charges. Eluding her husband gaze's is no small feat either. *label annie_1888 When she arrives outside the tent of the fortune-teller Sosostris, she is out of breath, her long beard heaving with the exertion. "Where is your husband?" you inquire. "Is that how you start all your assignations with married women?" she retorts. @{(charm >= 3) "Who said this was an assignation?" you reply coyly.|"I…this is…" you stutter.} She breaks into a broad smile. "He's passed out in the tent. And not due to my skillet neither—however much he may have deserved it." An awkward silence descends upon you, though it is soon shattered by the bray of a donkey from a nearby pen. "Shall we?" she erupts, taking your arm in hers. *page_break You have the hirsute woman to yourself. It is the wee hours of the morning. The air is thick and sticky. *choice #Enough of this dalliance. I feed from her until I am full—though it will mean her death. *set stlouis_affair 10 *set compassion %+10 *set discretion %+10 Your fangs sink into her neck. Her beard is surprisingly soft against your chest. It catches most of the blood that misses your lips. When her heart has gone still, you toss the body into the lions' cage—the better to disguise your crimes. #I ask her to share the secrets of the circus with me. *set stlouis_affair 3 She laughs. Gossip among the freaks is no small matter. "I used to hate@{(ethnicity = "african") …people like you," she says, clearing her throat before continuing. "| the darkies. }It was all I'd been taught; it was all I knew. Even once I joined the show, I found reasons to see the worst in @{(ethnicity = "african") people like you|them}. The way @{(ethnicity = "african") your kind walks, smells|they walk, smell}. Even the way @{(ethnicity = "african") you|they} smile when @{(ethnicity = "african") you|they} laugh. "And then, one evening, I heard this Pygmy couple arguing in the next tent. They were frequently arguing in their language, with those clicks and ticks and tocks…they almost sound like a broken cuckoo clock! But it was louder than I'd ever heard before. And then I heard a clang, and I finally roused myself from bed to see what in damnation they were doing. "I threw open the flap to their tent, and there was the wife, standing over her husband, holding a frying pan almost as big as she was. She looked up at me—I could see the fear in her eyes. But I just started howling with laughter. "I helped her put her man into bed—he stank of beer, but I'd smelled worse—and suddenly she and I were friends." Annie pauses for a moment. "At first I hated the circus. That I had to put myself on display for the amusement of other people. How they call me 'freak.' But once I realized that I was working alongside people from all over the world—working day in and day out on this magnificent morass of canvass and peanuts and elephant shit—I realized how much we had in common. And, moreover, how rare an opportunity it was to share the scuttlebutt with people that I otherwise never would have met," she concludes with a wink. And with that, she launches into several stories about life on other continents, in tenors and shades you've never imagined. Shortly before dawn, you try to excuse yourself. As you stand, however, Annie reaches forward, grabs you by the @{male lapel|hand}, and pulls you into a quick kiss. "That's very forward of you, Mrs. Jones," you utter when your lips part. "You forget, I've spent time in France." You exchange quick promises of correspondence, then you flee before the first rays of sunlight. #I seize the opportunity to drink from her. *set stlouis_affair 2 *set compassion %+5 *set discretion %+5 Guiding her between two railcars, you push her up against the rough wood. Despite the late hour, there are still numerous workers about, so you have little time for romance. You bare your teeth and sink them into her neck, and she exhales in ragged ecstasy. Her beard is surprisingly soft, though it has the annoying tendency to catch those drops of blood that escape your lips. That will be harder to explain, you suppose, but you presume that she is up to the task. As you separate, she draws a handkerchief and wipes the sweat from her brow, a giddy smile on her face. She reaches out and pulls you back in for a kiss, perhaps not aware that it's her own blood that now wets her mouth. Again you separate. She makes noises about correspondence, but she will remember this encounter with only the haziest of details. Any future contact will likely be dependent on your initiation. *goto exit_circus #I will attend the circus by myself@{(stlouis_affair = 2) , doing my best to avoid Annie Jones|}. *set discretion %-5 *if circus_1884 = false The circus is truly a spectacle. Not only for all that it is, but for all the chaos that surrounds it and yet sustains it. *gosub circus_description *if stlouis_affair = 5 Of course, there is also a certain pall over most of the staff. The feeling of discomfort at returning to the site of the grisly murders of Annie Jones and her husband is not easily shaken. When the main show has concluded and the attractions have closed, you make your way home in silence. *goto exit_circus *elseif stlouis_affair = 1 When the main performance is over, you make your way to the Museum Tent and other sideshow attractions. Before long, you find yourself seated for the showcase of human wonders. The presenter, Frank Hoffman—he says his name multiple times, to make sure you remember it—crows loudly about the upcoming specimens of humanity. *if saw_annie Again, Annie Jones headlines the night. @{(perception > 1) Her performance is more perfunctory than last time—you sense that she is tired of the literal song and dance she must perform for all these men.|} She plays her mandolin, jests with the crowd, and chastises her husband repeatedly. The role of the shrew is something new, but she could not play the ingenue forever. Eventually, the act comes to an end and the crowd burts into applause. *else *gosub_scene stlouis_1884_circus annie_performs *choice #I intend to introduce myself to Ms. Jones. *goto annie_1888 #I make my way home. The attractions and Museum Tent are closing. You make your way home in silence. *goto exit_circus *else When the main performance is over, you peruse the ancillary tents. A strong man bends bars of iron, a contortionist breaks free from his ropes, and a magician pulls a rabbit from a hat. @{(perception > 1) Where there is illusion, you are able to see through the charade. But many of the performances are not illusory—simply the culmination of years of hard, focused work.|} When the dawn draws near and the elephants have gone to their berths, you summon your ${coupe} and return home. *goto exit_circus *if (stlouis_enterprise = 2) or (streetwise > 2) *if met_henshaw *if circus_pickpocket_deal #I reach out to Mr. Henshaw to see if the terms of our deal are still suitable to him. It does not seem that Henshaw has forgotten you, so much as he seems to have hoped that you had forgotten him. When your shadow darkens his doorstep once again, he readily agrees to the same terms as before. *if streetwise > 3 *set wealth +5000 *goto end_henshaw *elseif streetwise > 2 *set wealth +4000 *goto end_henshaw *elseif streetwise > 1 *set wealth +3000 *goto end_henshaw *elseif streetwise = 1 *set wealth +2000 *goto end_henshaw *else *set wealth +1000 *label end_henshaw As you bid your goodbyes, you wonder silently to yourself if, next time, you might save yourself the trip, and send ${stlouis_valet} instead. *goto exit_circus *if circus_pickpockets_nixed #I pay Mr. Henshaw a visit and remind him to keep his thieving hoodlums in check. *set shepherd_credentials %-10 Mr. Henshaw is willing to carry your agreement forward into the present. You do not give him the opportunity to amend the deal. *goto end_henshaw *if (circus_pickpocket_deal = false) and (circus_pickpockets_nixed = false) #I pay Mr. Henshaw a visit. Perhaps this time he will listen to reason. *set compassion %-20 *set shepherd_credentials %-20 *set beneficent true Mr. Henshaw recognizes you. Though, you do leave an impression, if you do say so yourself. He listens to your entreaty again, with a surprising degree of patience. *gosub_scene stlouis_1884_circus meet_henshaw_again *goto zappeion #I pay Mr. Henshaw a visit. If he will not be convinced, perhaps I should share in his profits. *set shepherd_credentials %-10 Mr. Henshaw recognizes you. Though, you do leave an impression, if you do say so yourself. He listens to your entreaty again, with a surprising degree of patience. *gosub_scene stlouis_1884_circus meet_henshaw_again *goto zappeion *if met_henshaw = false #Certainly there will be pickpockets and other thievery during the circus; I want to make sure to get my cut. *set shepherd_credentials %-10 *gosub_scene stlouis_1884_circus meet_henshaw *goto zappeion #Certainly there will be pickpockets and other scams during the circus; I want to make it clear such deeds will not be tolerated in St. Louis. *set compassion %-20 *set shepherd_credentials %-20 *set beneficent true *gosub_scene stlouis_1884_circus meet_henshaw *goto zappeion *label circus_description *if circus_1884 *set anachronism %+5 The show is almost exactly as you remember it. There have been a few improvements and several of the performers have changed, but by-and-large, it is just as exciting as it was before. *else *set anachronism %+15 You see a variety of animals—such as elephants—that you had only seen drawn in storybooks before. Of course, there is also the ethnological congress, with specimens of humans from around the globe. It is hard not to marvel at Chang the Chinese Giant or exclaim at the dwarfs Admiral Dot and Major Atom. *return *label zappeion *if stlouis_baseball_corruption > 2 *page_break The World Series nears and Farrow once again knocks on your door. ${stlouis_valet} escorts him in, disgusted. @{(perception > 0) The besotted Farrow sways on his feet.|} He demands more money from you. Enough that the conspiracy is of no value to you. @{(discretion > 50) That makes him of no value to you.|} *temp dead false *choice #I promise him his money and then kill him when he comes to collect. *set discretion %+5 *set compassion %+5 *set wealth +25000 *set dead true *label dispose_body *set exposure +1 *set stlouis_valet_loyalty %-10 You direct ${stlouis_valet} to dispose of the body near the railyard. The body is soon found and rumors abound regarding his history of intoxication, his gambling, and the variability in his performance as a player. @{dead Moreover, the value of this hustle is much lower than in previous years; Farrow was unable to sway the game enough for a big payout.|} #I tell him to leave and never return. *set discretion %-5 Farrow spits in your face when you reject his demands. *if (discretion > 65) and (willpower < 3) In response, you kill him. He should not have dared to do that. *goto dispose_body *if (discretion <= 65) or (willpower >= 3) *set exposure +2 *if ((perception > 0) and ((stlouis_enterprise = 5) or (stlouis_enterprise = 8))) #I have him committed to the Lunatic Asylum for excessive drunkenness. *set discretion %-5 Farrow is surprised by the maneuver. As the men in white carry him away, he screams about conspiracies and corruption. @{keeley_gold_cure The Lunatic Asylum does not have the comforts of a Keeley Center, but neither are you seeking to see Farrow comforted.|} *page_break *comment November? The Zappeion was "opened" 10-20-1888. TS Eliot was born 9-28-88. "My dominus' wishes are finally fulfilled." Eliot folds the newspaper in his hands. It's early November—yet another November—and a small fire in a stove does nothing to warm you. @{(compassion < 35) You suppose, upon reflection, that it has brightened your mood, despite its limitations.|} "Pardon?" Eliot passes you the folded *if literate paper; the headline proclaims the opening of the Zappeion in Athens. The building, funded by the estate of Evangelis Zappas, is meant to facilitate the return of the Olympics to Athens. *else paper, but you push it back. "Tell me what it says." "Really, ${given_name}…" he says, @{(eliot_rapport > 65) mildly exasperated. The fact that you still have not learned to read grates on him.|rolling his eyes. This is not the first time your literary limitations have frustrated him.} "Just tell me…" you retort. "The Zappeion is opening in Athens," he sighs. "It is funded by the estate of Evangelis Zappas, with the goal of resurrecting the Olympics of yore." *if heard_of_zappas = false *set heard_of_zappas true "The return of the Olympics?" "Yes, through his philanthropic work, he convinced the Greek monarch to reorganize the Olympic Games. They had their first outing in '59; I'm told it was something of a sorry affair. The stadium had yet to excavated, as Zappas had demanded. Instead, it was held in the main square of the city. Not an ideal venue, as you might imagine. But they tried again in '70, and that was much more successful. At least they had the stadium by then, anyway." *comment endif "Why is the restoration of the Olympics so important?" "Since the Greeks established their independence from the Ottomans, they have sought to define themselves. Their first king was Bavarian, but he was deposed by the parliament; and now they have a Dane on the throne. They only exist because Britain, France, and Russia will them to exist. How can they be proud of this? "Anyway, it was my dominus' desire to give them something to bring them together, and remind them of their great history." *if eliot_in_greece = false *set eliot_in_greece true *comment Hiram fought aboard the Karteria, the first steam-powered warship to ever be used in combat operations. "Did you spend much time in Greece?" "I helped liberate it from the Turks. Ninety years ago, St. Louis was even more of solitary outpost in the wilds than it is today. Seeking adventure, I went down the Mississippi and signed on with a merchantman. But then the Greek War of Independence broke out. I had always admired the Greek people, even if they are only a shadow of what they once were. So I signed on with the revolutionaries when we put in at Milazzo." "Did you see many battles?" "Several. They even developed a certain affection for me, even giving me a British redcoat…despite my being a Yankee." He smiles at the memory. *if literate You look back down at the article, as something else has caught your eye. "His head is being relocated?" you exclaim. *else "If only he could have kept his head." "His head?" you exclaim. "Yes. My dominus spent much of his unlife in the Balkans, where they have different stories about our powers. He did not want to rise again. So he directed his head to be severed from his body four years after his first burial, with it enshrined at the Zappeion and his body enterred in Albania." *if eliot_in_greece = false "A moment. Your maker…?" "The real Evangelis Zappas—a distant descendant of my dominus—was consumed and replaced. It made my dominus' involvement in mortal affairs that much easier." "I see. And his beheading? That's a tad extreme, don't you think?" *if eliot_in_greece "That's a tad extreme, don't you think?" *set histoire_recit true "He had been alive for centuries. I suppose that, by the time he found the courage to commit suicide, he wanted to be certain that it took." *choice #"Is that common? To replace a descendant?" "For those who take it upon themselves to meddle in the affairs of men, yes. I would say it is common. Though I suppose you have to be of a certain age—young enough to still care about remaining hidden, while old enough to have descendants off sufficient quantity and age that one could be replaced without too much disturbance." "So, I should not worry about such for another century or so?" "Hah, I think not." #"Do many of our kind kill themselves?" Eliot grows somber. "It's hard to say. Sometimes, our kind go to sleep for decades. I'm not certain that sleeping helps, though. If one finds themselves at cross-purposes to the world, I do not see how forcibly separating oneself from it will help matters." *if discretion > 50 "You did not answer my question." "No…I suppose not," he frowns. *else "No, I don't see how either." A moment passes in silence. "I did not answer your question, however," he resumes. "But I do not know the answer; which is, I suppose, what I was attempting to communicate. We are a solitary species, after all. When one goes missing, there are often rumors one way or the other, but it is very hard to find clarity on such matters. Without a witness, anyway. And even if there is a witness…well, there are problems with that as well." *if diablerie You run your tongue over your teeth. Problems you are all to familiar with, you suppose. #"Do you have any grand projects in mind, like the Zappeion?" Hiram laughs. *if eliot_rapport > 65 It's a charming laugh. You wonder what it portends. "No, no grand schemes. I want to see to the well-being of my family. Is that so much to want?" *if compassion < 50 "Many have wanted the same throughout history, Hiram. It could be said that it has only led to misery." *elseif discretion >= 50 *set eliot_rapport %-10 "But why? Do you intend to use them as replacements too?" "No…no! Certainly not!" @{(perception > 1) Though, he certainly looks discomfited by the question, despite his protestations to the contrary.|} You shrug, and he seems to want to let the matter drop. *else "And what happens when they die out? Or grow too numerous to count?" He consider a while before answering. "I shall answer that question when the time comes." The two of you fall back into silence for a time. *if becardeliot_romance and (eliot_rapport > 60) "Tell me, what do you think of Sabine?" Eliot @{(perception > 1) erupts. He's been suppressing this question for a long time.|inquires.} "What ever do you mean?" "She asked me to the circus! And I went with her." "You sound like a schoolboy." "No, no…" "@{(intelligence > 2) [i]The lady doth protest too much, methinks[/i].|If you were still alive, I suspect you'd be blushing, Hiram.}" Hiram mock-frowns. "See if I confide anything in you in the future." "I'll see that you do." "I should go." "Do you have somewhere to be?" "In fact, I do. I have a baptism to attend." "A baptism?" "Well, a celebration of such. It is for my brother's grandson, Thomas Stearns. They're a bit late with the whole thing, but he was a bit sickly, and they feared a thorough dousing would worsen the matter. But he has recovered and today was the day." *if (rationalism >= 65) *if religious_tradition = "catholic" *set eliot_rapport %-15 "But you are not Catholic?" "No, we are Unitarian. Back several generations, in fact." You do your best to suppress a shudder. The Unitarian denial of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is repugnant to you. *elseif religious_tradition = "reformed" "Congratulations to you and your family." "Thank you." *elseif religious_tradition = "pagan" "It is good to teach the child the ways of his ancestors." "There is no fear of that in my brother's household," he says with a chuckle. *else *bug no other religious possibility *elseif rationalism >= 50 "You must be very proud." "I am," he says, with a sincerity that strikes you. *else *if discretion > 50 *set eliot_rapport %-15 You make no effort to conceal your disdain for such foolishness. *else You keep your thoughts on such superstitious nonsense to yourself. "If you still had a mortal family, would you not seek to remain a part of it?" he asks. *choice #"Why seek to hold on to things that will wither and die? We must not become trapped by nostalgia." *set anachronism %+10 *set eliot_rapport %-10 Hiram tilts his head, considering your position. "Do you not fear for your sense of humanity? If you reject the transient, what do you have to hold on to?" "I am a vampire. I will hold on to that." "And all our struggles? How can you find peace in our society?" "I never said I sought peace." Eliot purses his lips at this. "Aren't you expected somewhere?" you continue, by way of dismissal. *if (male = false) and ((ethnicity = "german") and pitchforks_in_saintcharles) #"I went home, to St. Charles parish, after I was turned. My family was dead or gone." *set anachronism %-10 *set eliot_rapport %+20 "I'm sorry to hear that. You could find no trace?" "I found my childhood home, empty of any inhabitants. There was no record of their departure, and I was able to claim the property as mine own." "How strange." "It was. Perhaps I should have spent more time investigating their disappearance, but other obligations preoccupied me." "You had just been turned?" "Yes." "I can understand, then. I'm sure there were many things to learn besides the fate of your family." You nod slowly, your mind elsewhere. "Won't you be late?" you note suddenly. *else #"I would; I regret that I cannot." *set anachronism %-10 *set shepherd_credentials %+10 *set eliot_rapport %+10 *if ethnicity = "spanish" *set eliot_rapport %+5 "Why not?" "They were living hinderances." "Whatever do you mean?" "They were Spanish colonists in New Iberia, an area in the swamp to the west of New Orleans. After several decades of living there, they knew the lay of the land. The Spanish Viceroy paid them to stay, encouraging them to become increasingly fierce and suspicious of strangers. "What purpose could that possibly serve?" "Ten years after the Spanish crown signed away New Iberia, several British regiments made the mistake of trying to land in New Iberia and march on New Orleans. The British regiments were ruined, yes; my family, my cousins, everyone I once knew were annihilated." "I'm sorry to hear that." *else Hiram looks at you sympathetically. *if (eliot_rapport > 75) and (perception > 0) For a moment, it almost looks like he is going to put his hand on yours, but he seems to resist the urge. "I cannot imagine existence without my brother's family. I am thankful that I do not have to." There is a moment of silence between you. Finally, you break it. "Off you go, then. They'll be waiting for you, I'm sure." #"I suppose that, like the original Zappas, husbanding a bloodline could prove useful." *set compassion %+10 *set discretion %-10 *set shepherd_credentials %-20 *set eliot_rapport %-10 *if perception > 1 Eliot's nose wrinkles ever so slightly. *if compassion > 60 "Yes, I suppose you would see the utility in that." *else *set eliot_rapport %-10 "Really? I'm surprised to hear you say that." You shrug. "Speaking of, don't you have a bloodline to tend to?" "Yes, yes. *if eliot_rapport > 65 But we should do this again sometime." You open your mouth to respond, but he is already halfway out the door. *else I will see you again soon. Farewell for now." And with that, he departs. *finish Next