SteveWaldman_gameplayWritingTest.html

You are Lord Valdemann, a vampire. You are sleeping contentedly in your coffin after having desiccated a particularly succulent youth the night before. Around midnight, the howling of a pack of wolves somewhere near your small hilltop castle rouses you from your satisfied slumber. You open your eyes to find that you are not alone... 0. [[Continue->Surrounded]]

Your coffin in the pitch-black undercroft of your castle is surrounded by ten figures, their grim faces lit by the flickering light of a single torch. You take stock of the situation. Some of the faces you recognize as belonging to the cattle from the nearby hamlet, but some are unknown to you... 0. [[Continue->Taking stock]]

You recognize the local shepherd. Next to him, eyes as wide as plates, stands his teenaged son. Holding the torch is the tavernmaster, and next to him, the fisherman. You see the local priest of Chauntea and his acolyte. You also see a figure whose face is concealed by a cloak, flanked by a pair of knights of the realm you have never seen before. And finally, you see a middle-aged man clutching a wooden stake in his quivering fist. His identity eludes you for the moment. You say... 0. [["Gentlemen...to what do I owe the pleasure?"]] 0. [["Oh, I do hate it when they get out of their pens..."]] 0. [["WHO DARES DISTURB THE SLUMBER OF LORD VALDEMANN!!?"]] 0. [[...Nothing! You must flee!]]

"L-Lord Valdemann," quavers the middle-aged man holding the stake, "you...y-you killed my son. And you must p-pay..." The knights draw their swords. The clerics raise their holy symbols. 0. [["Your son...your son...Could you be more specific?"]] 0. [["Now, now, gentlemen...let us not be hasty..."]] 0. [["You seek compensation, do you? What did you have in mind?"]] 0. [["Pay!? PAY!? HA HA HA HA HA HA!! Does the farmer pay his cattle!?"->"Oh, I do hate it when they get out of their pens..."]]

"Don't lie to me!" shouts the man with the stake, "We found 'im dead, lyin' by yer castle walls, wi' two tooth marks on 'is neck, drained of all 'is blood! You killed 'im!! And you must pay!!" The group closes in on your coffin... 0. [["Ah! I remember now. Quite delicious. My compliments."]] 0. [["Come now...is a man not entitled to defend himself in his own home?"]] 0. [["'Found him,' you say? Found him where, pray?"]] 0. [[Time to flee!->...Nothing! You must flee!]]

"Silence!" interrupts the Chauntean, flourishing his golden rose, "Our ears are shut to your silver-tongued devilry!" "Aye!" chimes in the middle-aged man, "You killed my son! What could you possibly have to say for yerself?" 0. [["Alas, I cannot deny it. Perhaps some manner of...compensation is in order?"->"You seek compensation, do you? What did you have in mind?"]] 0. [["Come now, gentlemen, I thought we had an agreement?"]] 0. [["How can you even be certain it was me?"->"Your son...your son...Could you be more specific?"]] 0. [["Very well, then...it seems the time for discussion IS OVER!!"->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]]

"C-compensation!? You k-killed my boy!" stutters the man with the stake, "What could you possibly offer as compensation!?" "More importantly," says the tavernmaster, "what could you offer us that we couldn't take after we kill you?" The other villagers' eyes seem to shine with sudden greed...all except those of the shepherd's son. There's another kind of greed in his eyes. A greed for something beyond gold... 0. [["Let's see now...what's the going rate for peasant these days...Shall we say...five golden lions?"]] 0. [["Terribly sorry for the...misunderstanding. Alas, I see I have no choice but to lead you to my hidden vault..."]] 0. [["Am I to be murdered, then? My home, plundered? Is this what you would call justice?"]] 0. [["I can offer you other gifts...gifts of great worth, that only the night can bestow..."]]

There's a very real possibility that this rabble might actually be able to harm you, if only through sheer numbers. You must find a way to escape... 0. [[You transform into a bat!]] 0. [[You turn to mist!]] 0. [[You summon rats!]] 0. [[You take control of someone's mind!]]

"You underestimate us, foul creature, but we will bring you to justice for your crimes!" exclaims the cleric. "Prepare to be sent to the Abyss where you belong!" The cleric and the acolyte flourish their holy symbols. The man with the stake raises it, preparing to plunge it into your chest. There is a strange look in the shepherd's son's eye... 0. [["Come now, gentlemen. Why do we not discuss the matter first..."->"Now, now, gentlemen...let us not be hasty..."]] 0. [["If it is a fight you want...HA HA HA HA HA!!"->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]] 0. [["Do you cattle truly believe you have the power to destroy a vampire!?"->"Do you mongrels have any idea of the power possessed by a vampire!?"]] 0. [[It seems you may be in more danger than you thought...you must flee!->...Nothing! You must flee!]]

The villagers surrounding your coffin take a step back. Their fear is palpable. Only the knights and the cloaked figure seem unmoved. "Y-You k-killed my son!" stutters the man with the stake. "I d-demand justice!" The knights draw their swords. The clerics raise their holy symbols... 0. [["IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]] 0. [[You are outmatched...or at least, outnumbered. You must flee!->...Nothing! You must flee!]] 0. [["Do you mongrels have any idea of the power possessed by a vampire!?"]] 0. [["I can see I'm outmatched. Perhaps we can discuss some sort of...compensation?"->"You seek compensation, do you? What did you have in mind?"]]

Your mocking words echo through the dark undercroft. You see the middle-aged man's face contort with rage. With a scream, he drives the stake into your chest. The shepherd raises a mallet and drives it home. ''THE END''

Your ever-so-subtle emphasis on the word "pray" is not lost on them. "I...I told you..." says the man with the stake with less bluster now, "when 'e din't come 'ome last, we searched for 'im and found 'im lyin' against one of the walls a' yer castle, dead n' dry as sand!..." 0. [["Ah! I remember now. Quite delicious. My compliments."]] 0. [["Against my castle walls, you say? What could he possibly have been doing there?"]] 0. [["Trespassing on my land? Did we not have an agreement, gentlemen?"->"Come now, gentlemen, I thought we had an agreement?"]] 0. [["AHA HA HA HA!!" you laugh, "SUCH IS THE FATE OF ALL TRESPASSERS!!"->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]]

There's a pause. It seems that this is something the gathering had not considered. "'E must've brought 'im there," growls the shepherd, "or lured 'im there wi' 'is foul magics..." "But why would 'e leave 'is body there like that, though?" mutters the fisherman, "why din't 'e 'ide it somewhere?.." They begin murmuring among themselves in confusion... 0. [["I will TELL YOU," you interrupt, "what the boy was doing there. The little thief was fleeing my castle after robbing me."]] 0. [[You can tell you're getting nowhere. "Perhaps, gentlemen, the time has come to discuss...compensation?"->"You seek compensation, do you? What did you have in mind?"]] 0. [[They're distracted...time to escape!->...Nothing! You must flee!]] 0. [[They're distracted! Now's your chance to strike!->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]]

Your voice echoes throughout the castle. "Fear not, friends!" says the cleric, "We are protected by the power of The Goddess of the Gr..." The walls of the castle undercroft shake once again, this time with your scornful laughter. The villagers are visibly terrified now. Even the two knights have stepped back from your coffin. The only ones who don't seem to be afraid are the cloaked figure and the shepherd's son. You cannot see the cloaked figure's face, but the shepherd's son has a strange look on his. A look you could almost describe as...hunger. Interesting... 0. [["What's this?" you say to the cloaked figure, "It seems you are no bumpkin. What brings one such as you here, I wonder..."->"Ah...you are no ordinary huntress, are you. What brings one such as you to a place like this, I wonder?"]] 0. [["God? I am your god now! Surrender your will to me!"->You take control of someone's mind!]] 0. [["Your god cannot save you! I...and my followers...are destined to rule over this land!"]] 0. [["IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]]

The time has come to put the vermin in their place! You must decide where to strike first... The knights are armed, but the fool with the stake and the tavernmaster are the nearest at hand. The figure in the cloak seems to be holding some kind of crossbow. Should you aim for whoever's closest? Or whoever you deem to be the greatest threat? 0. [[You attack the knights!]] 0. [[You grab the tavernmaster!]] 0. [[You lunge at the cloaked figure!->Lunge at the cloaked figure!]] 0. [[You seize the man holding the stake!]]

You change form into a bat and flap madly towards the door of the castle undercroft! Unfortunately, the fisherman, anticipating this eventuality, brought his net, and catches you in it with practiced ease. Your bat body is slammed onto the stone floor of the undercroft, stunning you. You are helpless as the villagers stomp you to death with their mud-encrusted boots. ''THE END''

You take the form of mist and attempt to float away through one of the cracks in the floor... However, no sooner do you transform than sacred flames leap from the fingertips of the cleric and his acolyte into your mist body! You growl with pain as you are forced back into your original form and drop back into your coffin... 0. [["INSOLENT CATTLE! PREPARE TO BE SLAUGHTERED!"->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]] 0. [["Now, now, gentlemen...let us not do anything rash..."->"Now, now, gentlemen...let us not be hasty..."]] 0. [["Perhaps the time has come to discuss...compensation..."->"You seek compensation, do you? What did you have in mind?"]] 0. [[You attempt to take control of someone's mind...->You take control of someone's mind!]]

You decide the best way to escape is to distract everyone. You reach out with your mind and summon all nearby rats to you, but somehow only one rat is within range to answer your call! You may as well make use of it. Where do you send the rat? 0. [[At the priest!]] 0. [[At the cloaked figure!]] 0. [[At the tavernmaster!]] 0. [[At the shepherd's son!]]

You use your dark vampiric powers to attempt to charm one of your so-called guests! Who will you take control of? 0. [[Charm the tavernmaster!->Charm the tavernmaster!]] 0. [[Charm one of the knights!]] 0. [[Charm the cloaked figure!->You attempt to cast a charming glamour on the agent!]] 0. [[Charm the victim's father!]]

You grab the tavernmaster by his shirt. He flails and drops his torch as you drag him into your coffin. The cloaked figure raises her crossbow and fires at you, but the bolt lodges itself harmlessly into the tavernmaster's back. The cloaked figure tries desperately to reload, but it is too late. By now, the torch has landed in a puddle on the floor, and is extinguished. In the utter darkness and chaos that ensues, you are free to slaughter your unwanted guests at your leisure. ''THE END''

The room falls silent. "No..." mutters the middle-aged man, "you lie...yer just...tryin' to deceive us..." But the rest of the villagers are quiet. You see the fisherman and the shepherd exchange a glance. 0. [["I tell the truth. I caught the boy leaving with a sackful of stolen valuables. I ask you, gentlemen, what would you have done?"]] 0. [["And now that you know the truth...you must pay for his crime..."->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]] 0. [["I must say, I am extremely disappointed. I thought we had an agreement?"->"Come now, gentlemen, I thought we had an agreement?"]] 0. [["That is why I had no choice. Justice was served...as was dinner."]]

"Ah!" says the cleric piously as the rat runs up his leg, "a creature of the earth, sent no doubt by the Great Mother to AAH!! THE SODDING THING BIT ME!!" The rat's jaws close on the cleric's arm, causing him to dance about in pain. Eventually, the acolyte manages to bat it away with her bare hand, sending it flying into the darkness of the undercroft. This seems to have shaken the villagers. "It's a sign!" exclaims the shepherd. "No!" counters the fisherman, "It is the work of devils!" Suddenly, the cloaked figure speaks. "SILENCE, you fools!" she shouts... 0. [[Continue...->Silence, you fools!]]

A rat runs up her cloak, but she swats it away as if it were a fly. "We'll have no more of your sad tricks, you loathsome thing," she says scornfully. She raises a crossbow, loaded with some sort of enchanted silver bolt, and aims it at your heart. "Your final words, please," she says... 0. [["Come now...what could I have possibly done to have earned such venom?"]] 0. [["I will carve them into your flesh!" you shout as you lunge at her...->Lunge at the cloaked figure!]] 0. [[This is no ordinary adversary! You must turn to mist and escape!]] 0. [["Ah...you are no ordinary huntress, are you. What brings one such as you to a place like this, I wonder?"]]

You send the solitary rat up the leg of the tavernmaster's trousers, mentally ordering it to bite whatever it can! The tavernmaster gives a yelp of pain and terror, and drops the torch. The torch lands in a puddle and goes out, instantly. The tables are now turned. In then pitch-black of the castle undercroft, you have the advantage. You slaughter your unwanted guests one by one at your leisure. Both you and the rat dine well that night... ''THE END''

You mentally order the rat to run at the shepherd's son. The rat charges up his leg, but the shepherd's son merely grabs it and places it on his shoulder like a pet. He then turns back to you, and you notice there's an interesting glint in the youth's eye, as if he knows you sent the rat. Strange boy... The summoning having failed, you realize the time has come to take a new tack... 0. [["Gentlemen...to what do I owe the pleasure?"]] 0. [["Oh, I do hate it when they get out of their pens..."]] 0. [["WHO DARES DISTURB THE SLUMBER OF LORD VALDEMANN!!?"]] 0. [[You try to flee again!->...Nothing! You must flee!]]

Your flippant remark seems to snap your visitors out of their moral confusion. "Do it..." says the tavernkeeper. Your corpse is burned, and your ashes are scattered to the winds. ''THE END''

Your attempt to reframe yourself as the victim falls on deaf ears. "'DEFEND 'IMSELF' 'e says!!" shouts the tavernmaster, "Against a boy of eighteen summers!?" "I've 'eard enough," says the shepherd. The middle-aged man plunges the stake into your chest. The shepherd drives it home with a mallet. You are never seen again. ''THE END''

With blinding speed, you hurl yourself at the cloaked figure...but you are barely out of your coffin before she fires her crossbow at you. An enchanted bolt lodges itself into your heart. Your entire body flares with agony as you fall back into your coffin, paralyzed. "Cut his head off and burn him," she says to the knights. The last thing you see is the knights approaching, swords drawn... ''THE END''

"Fitting," says the cloaked woman scornfully, "that your last words are a cowardly plea for mercy." She looses the bolt, which lodges itself in your heart. You scream in agony as you lie paralyzed in your coffin. "Cut his head off and burn him," she says to the knights. Her voice is the last thing you hear as the knights approach you with their swords drawn... "That is what you have 'earned,' wretch..." ''THE END''

You transform into mist and begin floating away. "STOP HIM!!" shouts the cloaked woman, "CLERIC!!" ...But the cleric is sitting on the stone steps of the undercroft while the acolyte nurses his rat wounds. You glide through a crack in the floor you had prepared for this very eventuality, while the cloaked woman's screams of rage echo behind you. You float towards one of your hidden coffins, there to plan a leisurely revenge... ''THE END''

"What brings me here, indeed," she says, "What brings me here are reports that a shitty little remote backwater, otherwise utterly unworthy of note, has had a filthy vampire take residence nearby. "I am a vampire hunter, sent here as an agent of the crown to investigate this matter...along with the reports that the locals are sending you victims in order to protect themselves..." Her gaze never leaves you, but she has everyone's full attention now. "...And I have been given full authority to pass judgment based on my findings." A deathly silence falls over the room. "... ... ... ... ...Eh!?" says the tavernmaster... 0. [["How interesting! And what, pray tell, are the conclusions of your...investigation?"]] 0. [["A hunter, are you? I'm something of a hunter myself..."]] 0. [[Now's your chance! Take a hostage!]] 0. [[You attempt to cast a charming glamour on the agent!]]

"My conclusions," says the cloaked woman, "are that that several prominent members of the hamlet community, including all those assembled here, have been sending criminals and hapless travelers to your castle to be slaughtered by you on a regular basis, in exchange for you sparing the villagers..." Again, the woman addresses the room without taking her eyes off you... "...And I'm afraid the Crown takes a very dim view of such things indeed..." 0.[[Continue...->A very dim view...]]

The rest of the room watches the exchange, spellbound. The agent smiles mirthlessly. "You'll be my thirteenth kill," she says. She fires her crossbow, but the bolt hits empty space! With inhuman speed, you launch yourself at her, but as soon as you get within a few feet of her, an unseen force, likely generated by a magical item on her person, sends you flying backwards! The knights step in front of the agent to hold you at bay while she reloads... 0. [[Cast a charm on one of the knights!->Charm one of the knights!]] 0. [[Cast a charm on the tavernmaster!->Charm the tavernmaster!]] 0. [[Cast a charm on the agent!->You attempt to cast a charming glamour on the agent!]] 0. [[Use the middle-aged man as a shield!->Now's your chance! Take a hostage!]]

Quick as lightning, you grab the middle-aged man, shielding yourself with his body. Without a moment's hesitation, the agent fires the crossbow at you. The enchanted bolt punches through your human shield's chest and lodges itself in your heart. The last thing you hear as your body begins to disintegrate, is the voice of the agent. "Right..." she says, "put the rest of this rabble to the sword, then dispose of the bodies..." ''THE END''

She laughs scornfully as the glamour passes over her with no effect. "I am a professional hunter of vampires," she says, "Did you not think I would be prepared for your base trickery?" She fires her crossbow, and an enchanted bolt lodges itself in your heart. Your entire body flares with agony as you fall back into your coffin, paralyzed. "Cut his head off and burn him," she says to the knights. The last thing you ever see is the knights approaching you with swords drawn... ''THE END''

After flipping a mental coin, you throw a charming glamour on the knight on the left, who immediately turns and attacks his comrade! "Stop it, you fools!" shouts the cloaked figure as the room descends into disarray. "You! Cleric! Do something to lift this glamour!" But you are long gone, having turned into a bat and escaped in the chaos. You fly through the night to one of your hidden auxilliary coffins, there to plot a slow, leisurely, gory revenge... ''THE END''

You reach out your mind and take control of the tavernmaster's. It is laughably easy. With a loving smile, your new loyal servant drops his torch in a nearby puddle. The castle undercroft descends into inky darkness, throwing your enemies into disarray. They are powerless to stop you as you slaughter them one by one in the pitch-black murk. As a reward to the tavernmaster for his service, you kill him last. ''THE END''

You reach out with dark mental tendrils and ensnare the mind of the middle-aged man. He seems confused for a moment, but then he drops his stake onto the floor. "Dunno what I was thinkin'," he says with a dazed smile, "I'd never 'arm YOU, milord! As for the...incident involvin' me son, well...fer what it's worth...I forgive you." "Do you now?" says the agent. "Well, I do not." She fires her crossbow. Its enchanted bolt lodges itself in your heart. The last things you hear are the sorrowful wails of the victim's father as his new best friend dies and turns to ashes. ''THE END''

The cloaked figure removes her hood, revealing a stern-faced woman. "You and your followers are destined to be nothing but ashes on the wind," she says. She raises a crossbow. You can see it is loaded with some kind of enchanted silver bolt... 0. [["Now is your last chance...join me."]] 0. [[You reach out with your mind...->You take control of someone's mind!]] 0. [[She is no ordinary hunter...you must escape!->You turn to mist!]] 0. [["HA HA HA HA! FOOL! I am a vampire! Do you think you can harm me with your toys?"]]

Suddenly, the shepherd's son leaps onto the cloaked figure's arm, dragging the crossbow floorward. "RESTRAIN HIM!!" she shouts, "THE FIEND MUST HAVE CHARMED HIM!!" But it is too late. The tavernmaster lies dead at your feet, his torch extinguished by a puddle of his blood. It takes you less than a minute to slaughter all your guests in the pitch-black undercroft. That is, all your guests but one. How dull it must be, you think to yourself, to be the son of a shepherd. In the darkness, covered head-to-toe in blood, the shepherd's son smiles. ''THE END''

"And I," says the woman, "am a vampire hunter. And I believe the answer is 'yes.'" She fires the enchanted bolt straight into your heart. Your entire body flares with agony as you fall back into your coffin, paralyzed. "Cut his head off and burn him," she says to the knights. The last thing you ever see is the knights approaching you with swords drawn... ''THE END''

"An...an AGREEMENT!?" exclaims the cleric, "HA!! What kind of agreement would honest, decent, godsfearing folk enter into with a...a demon such as yourself!?" ...But there is an odd note to his voice. An urgent look seems to pass between the tavernkeeper, the shepherd, and the fisherman... 0. [["My dear friends, have you forgotten? I leave the people of the hamlet be, in exchange for the occasional...offering..."]] 0. [["I see you are not moved by my words...perhaps the time has come to discuss...compensation?"->"You seek compensation, do you? What did you have in mind?"]] 0. [["HA HA HA HA HA!! YOU FILTH OF ALL PEOPLE WISH TO STAND IN JUDGMENT OF ME!!..."]] 0. [["I will take that to mean then that the covenant is broken! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]]

"What...what does he mean?" asks the acolyte. "P-pay no heed to this devil's lies!" exclaims the cleric, with a furtive glance at the figure in the cloak. But the tavernmaster says "YER the one who broke the covenant! You promised to leave us be if we send you victims!!" 0. [["There, do you see? How was I to know this boy was not a gift as part of our arrangement?"]] 0. [[You say nothing...]] 0. [[Now's your chance! Strike while they're disorganized!]] 0. [["Is that what brings you here, I wonder?" you say to the cloaked figure->"Ah...you are no ordinary huntress, are you. What brings one such as you to a place like this, I wonder?"]]

The walls of your castle reverberate with your scorn. "Quickly," mutters the tavernmaster. The middle-aged man plunges the stake into your heart, and the shepherd pounds it in with a mallet. The walls of your castle shake once again, this time with your screams. ''THE END''

Suddenly, the cloaked figure speaks. "I've heard enough," she says. "Stake him, now." The middle-aged man plunges the stake into your chest, and the shepherd pounds it home with a mallet. The last thing you hear as you depart this immortal coil is the voice of the cloaked figure... "And as for the rest of you..." ''THE END''

The acolyte steps back. "What...what covenant? What does he mean?" she asks again, her voice shaking with horror. "Criminals!" exclaims the shepherd, "Criminals and outsiders! We sent 'em to you like we promised, but you still killed one of ours!!" Suddenly, the cloaked figure standing with the knights speaks. "It is as we thought," she says, "You have been conspiring with this vampiric filth to send innocent travelers to their doom." 0. [[Continue...->We had no choice!]]

Your hand shoots up, lightning-quick, and grabs the middle-aged man's wrist. He gives a startled gurgle as the stake drops to the floor. Before you can do anything else, however, the cloaked figure raises a crossbow and fires some kind of enchanted bolt into your chest in one fluid motion. Your entire body flares with agony as you fall back into your coffin, paralyzed. "Cut his head off and burn him," she says to the knights. The last thing you ever hear is the voice of the cloaked figure as she addresses the rest of the room. "Now then," she says, as the knights approach you with swords drawn, "what's this I hear about an 'agreement'?" ''THE END''

Your flippant remark seems to snap your visitors out of their greedy reverie. "Do it," says the tavernkeeper, "and his castle 'n everything in it's ours." The middle-aged man plunges the stake into your heart. Your corpse is burned, and your ashes are scattered to the winds. ''THE END''

"HA HA!! I KNEW IT!!" exclaims the tavernmaster, "The stories are true!" "B-but what about..." starts the man with the stake, but the others ignore him. "Where is it, then?" asks the fisherman excitedly, "Is there a secret passage or somethin' 'round 'ere?" The villagers begin looking around at the walls of the undercroft. You take the opporunity to turn to mist. "WAIT!" shouts the figure in the cloak as she fires a crossbow at you. The bolt lodges itself harmlessly in the soil of your coffin as you float through a crack in the floor. "FOOLS!" you hear her shout as you escape. You cannot help but agree. ''THE END''

"Fiend!" exclaims the cleric, "How dare you speak of 'justice'!? The very word must certainly burn your tongue!" The vermin seem unmoved by your appeal to decency. You reassess the situation, and realize that your position may be more precarious than you thought... 0. [["Very well...I see I have no choice. Spare me, and I shall give you everything I own..."]] 0. [["Gentlemen, please...I do not even know what has made you so angry."]] 0. [["Come now, gentlemen, I thought we had an agreement?"]] 0. [["I see the time for negotiations has ended! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"->"IGNORANT CATTLE!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!! PREPARE YOURSELVES!!"]]

"Enough of this, you foul creature," says the cloaked figure. "I am an envoy of the Crown, sent here to destroy you, 'gifts' or no 'gifts.'" She raises a crossbow and aims it at your heart. You can see it has been loaded with an enchanted silver bolt. "Have you any last words before I send you to the Abyss, you disease?" she says... 0. [[Continue...->"Now is your last chance...join me."]]

Suddenly, the cloaked figure lets out a scornful laugh. "SPARE you?" she says. She removes her hood. "I am an agent of the Crown, and I have traveled much too far to hunt you down just to spare you." She raises her crossbow and fires an enchanted bolt into your heart. "I tire of this backwater," she says to the two knights as your body turns to ashes. "Let us go." ''THE END''

"Liar!" exclaims the middle-aged man, "Why did you offer us compensation, then?" "Fools," says the cloaked figure, "do you not recognize the thrashing of a rabbit caught in a trap when you see it? You! The stake! Now!" The man plunges the stake in your heart, and the shepherd drives it home with a mallet. The hills echo with your dying screams. ''THE END''

There is a general murmur of assent in the room. Even the man with the stake seems to have lost heart. "'Tweren't the first time, someone caught 'im thievin', neither," says the fisherman. "That is 'ow we do justice 'round these parts," says the tavernmaster. "Aye, ain't like we got solders 'r knights to protect us," says the shepherd pointedly at the cloaked figure with the two knights. "You...you didn't have to kill 'im, though," mutters the man with the stake sadly... 0. [[Continue...->The silence is shattered...]]

The silence is shattered by the cloaked figure... "FOOLS!" she shouts, "WHERE IS THE VAMPIRE!!?" ...But you do not hear this, having taken the form of a bat and escaped into the night, headed towards one of your hidden coffins, there to plot your revenge... ''THE END''

"We had no choice!" screams the middle-aged man, throwing the stake onto the ground in anger, "Yer precious nobles wouldn't send any knights to protect us 'ere! We did what we 'ad to to survive!!" "I...I had nought to do with it!" exclaims the fisherman, as the acolyte drops to her knees, weeping in horror at the revelation. No one seems to have noticed yet that you have escaped. You fly through the night towards one of your hidden coffins, smiling a bat-smile to yourself as you plot your revenge... ''THE END''

Despite the danger, you launch yourself at the knights, deeming them to be the biggest threat in the room. The first knight is surprised by your sudden onslaught, and is knocked backwards by your powerful vampire fists into the cloaked figure, knocking her and her crossbow down onto the ground. You then fly at the second knight, fangs bared. For a moment, it seems the sheer chaos created by your assault is enough to grant you the upper hand, despite the enemy's greater numbers. Suddenly, however, a searing pain grips your right arm, causing you to scream in agony... 0. [[Continue...->It is too late]]

Your hand shoots up, lightning-quick, and grabs the middle-aged man's wrist. He gives a startled gurgle as the stake drops to the floor. Before you can do anything else, however, the cloaked figure raises a crossbow and fires some kind of enchanted bolt into your chest in one fluid motion. Your entire body flares with agony as you fall back into your coffin, paralyzed. "Cut his head off and burn him," she says to the knights. The last thing you ever see is the knights approaching you with swords drawn... ''THE END''

You turn to see the acolyte of Chauntea, who alone among the villagers had the presence of mind to act, holding a now-empty vial of holy water. You move to kill the little upstart...but it is too late. The cloaked figure fires her crossbow. A bolt, magically enchanted against the undead, flies straight into your heart, paralyzing you. The last thing you see is one of the knights standing over you. He raises his sword... ''THE END''

"It is merely one of this foul creature's tricks," she continues, "and a feeble one at that..." She raises a crossbow, loaded with some sort of silver bolt, and aims it at your heart. "We'll have no more of your sad tricks, you loathsome thing," she says. Beside her, the knights draw their swords. "Your final words, please," she says... 0. [["Come now...what could I have possibly done to have earned such venom?"]] 0. [["I will carve them into your flesh!" you shout as you lunge at her...->Lunge at the cloaked figure!]] 0. [["I suppose 'good-bye' will have to do," you say, as you turn to mist...->The cleric is incapacitated! Turn to mist!]] 0. [["Ah...I see you are no ordinary bumpkin. What brings one such as you here, I wonder..."->"Ah...you are no ordinary huntress, are you. What brings one such as you to a place like this, I wonder?"]]

You take the form of mist and attempt to float away through one of the cracks in the floor... However, no sooner do you transform than sacred flames leap from the fingertips of the cleric and his acolyte into your misty body! You growl with pain as you are forced back into your original form and drop back into your coffin. "I'll take that to mean that you have none, then," sneers the cloaked woman. "Very well...I will say your final words for you..." She fires an enchanted bolt into your heart. "Farewell," she says, as you turn to ash... ''THE END''

Suddenly, the cleric, who had been sneaking up behind the cloaked woman, grabs her from behind, holding down her arms and forcing her to drop her crossbow. The fisherman and the tavernmaster tackle one of the knights, and the shepherd and the middle-aged man the other. "WHAT...WHAT ARE YOU DOING...URGH!!?" screams the agent of the Crown, as the blade of a knife sprouts forth from her chest. With blinding speed, you pounce on the incapacitated knights and tear out their throats. The fight is ended in a matter of seconds... 0.[[Continue...->See you in a fortnight]]

After the slaughter is over, the middle-aged man addresses you. "Do...do please forgive us, m-milord," he stutters, "no hard feelins, then...w-we'll j-just be on our way now, if it's all the same to you..." You watch as your guests file out of your undercroft. The last one out is the tavernmaster. "See you in a fortnight, then, m-milord..." he stutters, before leaving. ''THE END''