Emma is roused by a knock at the door.  It's Pes, holding a small cat. 

"Hi Emma this is the cat I play with sometimes he's a stray and Jallarzi says not to play with strays but he's not really a stray 'cause I play with him and  [deep breath] he's really really sick and won't play with me and maybe some of that beet sugar you make would help him out?"

Emma smiles.  "I don't think the sugar will help the cat, but you can go have some, if you want.  You know where it is."

Pes squeals in delight, scampering to the kitchen.  The cat, though dark-colored, has a noticeably pale nose.  And gums.  And tongue.  As Emma begins combing through the cat's fur, her hand brushes some scabs.  Gently combing the fur apart with her hands, she finds the two piercings on the cat's neck...

The theme begins. mp3


As Bannunu comes to work at the church, he finds a small, wilted carnation left on the doorstep. Upon closer examination, a tag is tied to the stem with the legend "Jallarzi".  Going inside, he gives it to her.  And she was much confused. 

A few moments later, Ernesto brings by a new face in town - Jimmy "the Hand" Hithon.  A puzzled Mamulius agrees to let him help out around the church, much as Bannunu does, after Ernesto asks - and then abruptly leaves.  Still, Bannunu and Jimmy bond quickly, and begin mending the roof of the church.  From there, Bannunu sees the third unusual event of the morning - Emma, the herbalist, coming towards the church.  With Pes.  And a limp cat in her arms.

After sending Pes away with Jimmy to get some more beet sugar, they all examine the cat - and when they come to the conclusion that it's a vampire's bite, Bannunu rips the head off of the cat, splattering Jallarzi with blood.   So Bannunu takes the cat outside and burns it - much to the shock of a local child who happens to see this carnage.  Proclaiming her work here done, Emma goes back to her hut at the edge of town.  When she runs into a returning Jimmy and Pes, the pattern of misdirecting Pes continues, and he goes to play with a friend in the south part of town.  

Then Jimmy and Bannunu go back to work on the roof, while Jallarzi researches these creatures called "vampires".

As she grinds herbs at home, Emma remembers a local farmer who had put down several of his herd after they'd become anemic.  Curious and worried, she begins to visit those living on the edge of town, and finds several more instances of disappearing pets and strangely ill farm animals over the last two weeks.  She meets up with the others in the early afternoon.

As the midday meal approaches, Jimmy, Bannunu, and Jallarzi go to the Stumble Inn.  It's quieter than they expected, and the serving wench knows why.  "It's cause Cantos ain't here no more.  That bastard kept causin' problems an' drivin' off all the customers.  Thank the Lord that he up and left two weeks ago, and that young ruffian he hung with didn't wait too long afore disappearin' hisself!"

Jallarzi actually thinks she may remember that "young ruffian" - Tucas,  a shy kid, who would occassionally come to services.  He sticks in her memory mostly due to his one attempt to talk to her, where he turned as red as a tomato and bolted out of the church.

After causing some problems with the merchants (most notably a fine china dealer and a rugmaker), Jimmy and Bannunu go to search the south woods while Emma and Jallarzi go to shelter in Emma's hut, and the rainclouds start rolling in.  The plan is for Bannunu and Jimmy to lure the vampire to Emma's hut, where they'll "spring the trap".

• A death flower, yay! - Jallarzi
• Is it completely outside the realm of possibility that someone wants to give me a flower? - Jallarzi
• So what'd you do to get the merchant guild to bring you here for confession? - Bannunu
• Bannunu, what are you working on now?  - Mamulius     Holes. - Bannunu
• At least there's no dead cats. - Bannunu
• Not the green jar. - Emma     Do we want to know why not the green jar? - Jallarzi
• Because something bit the kittycat! -     Jallarzi  And sucked it's blood - Emma      Can you put it back? -Bannunu
• I think my work here is done. - Emma
• If he were to sit still for more than two seconds, he'd fall asleep. - Bannunu
• You're going to be a bad influence on him aren't you - Jallarzi      You've got the one who's impressionable. - Bannunu
• Why did you put chickens in the house? - Bannunu
• Tried to say he didn't have any class.  - Jimmy      Imagine. - Emma
• Or we sacrifice another small animal to it and go tomorrow when it's dry? - Emma
• I think the idea you going alone is a really bad idea - Jallarzi     Good!  I thought so too.  - Bannunu
• Oh, is that my cue to volunteer?  - Emma

Act II

Jimmy and Bannunu do find something in the woods - a set of clothes draped over a log, as if someone had fallen on it.  As the pick up the clothes, they find a sharp point of the log sticking up... just about where the chest should be.  And there's dust in the sleeves and legs of the clothes...  The clothes look to be about a week or so old in the elements.  After scooping up some of the dust, they decide to return to Emma's cottage, as it has just begun to sprinkle.

Emma and Jallarzi had gathered all the chickens in the house so they wouldn't become vampire munchies, putting them in the second floor where Emma's herbs were hung to dry.  Shortly after it began to rain, they hear a knocking on the door - it's Jimmy and Bannunu.  Moving the table out from in front of the door takes a few moments, but they let the other two in.

Once again, Bannunu has found a "gift" for Jallarzi - tacked to Emma's door.  Obviously put there VERY recently. 
Still, it's bad poetry.  pdf

Bannunu decides to camp out in a tree to keep watch so they know when to spring the trap... and it's about this point that everyone realizes that there was no lure left, nor was any real "trap" prepared... and the chittering begins.

Squirrelswav (stats) begin flocking towards the house, burrowing down through the thatch roof to get to the chickens below.  A mysterious - yet dorky - cry goes out "I am the Lord of the Night!  Fear me and my squirrel minions!"

A valiant battle ensues, but within minutes the squirrels are dust, the chickens are bloodied, and the group, though wounded, is victorious.  Again, they search out the source of the mocking dorky voice, and see his fleeing form.  A well placed arrow wounds him, Bannunu tackles him - and then chops his head off, rendering Tucas (stats) into vampire dust.  Nothing but his clothes and a small journal remains.  pdf

• Vampires turn into logs? - Jimmy
• We can take some dust, so that if it does come, it'll be missing a leg... - Bannunu
• When did a cat last disappear?  - Jimmy     About an hour ago... - Bannunu     Ones you weren't involved with... - Jimmy
• Quick, we need to get back before this dust gets wet.  It might reanimate!  -Bannunu
• Come in guys! -Jallarzi  They can't.  There's a table in front of the door.  - Emma
• I bet that fucker's gonna eat my horse. - Emma
• I am SO going to make pallets now. -  Emma
• No matter how much you beg, I am NOT sleeping with you.  - Jimmy
• I am not drinking that garlic tea.  I'd rather be attacked. - Jimmy     Stand a better chance of surviving. - Bannunu
• Faster ways down from a tree, too.  -Bannunu
• I smite thee, sucker! - Bannunu
• He would have wanted you to have this.  - Jimmy
• Unrequited love tends to throw your aim off. - Jallarzi
• He was smited by your love, then smitten by our arrows. - Bannunu
• Sorry guys, I have to go clean up chicken shit. - Emma      No, he ran. - Bannunu
• Once you get bitten by vampiric things, don't you have to get cleansed?  - Bannunu     No, I get to stake you. - Emma
• You just like hurting me. - Bannunu

End Credits  mp3

Nuts!

an original adventure by Steven Saus
Played 12/10/04
Experience Awarded - 600 xp each

Cast

Bannunu Tinari portrayed by "The Rock" played by Adam T.	Emma portrayed by Amber Benson played by Aubrey S.
Jimmy "The Hand" Hithon portrayed by James Charles Leary played by Lucas K.	Jallarzi portrayed by Brigit T. played by Brigit T.

Supporting Cast

Mamulius - High Priest
Ernesto de Trader - Merchant Guild Member
Pes - Little Kid

Monster Stat Block

Vampire Squirrels
Stats adapted from Squirrel Nutkin
Motivation: Suck the blood of the living   
CritterType: Undead
STR: 12    DEX: 18   CON:  15   INT:  -   WIS: -     CHA: 16 (or -1)
WIL:   2     FOR:  3    REF: 5    INIT: 4
AC:   15     HP:  4       HD: 0.5
Special Abilities: Suck blood, give people the wiggins when they realize they're not just cute and furry tree-rats.

Maneuvers:
Name        +HIT    DAM    Notes
Bite        +1    d3    3 hp/rnd bloodsucking


Tucas - Young Vamp
Motivation: Take over Lirius, woo Jallarzi
CritterType: Undead
STR:   13  DEX: 15   CON: -    INT: 13    WIS: 14    CHA: 8
WIL: 6       FOR:  1    REF:  3   INIT: 2
AC:  16      HP:  26       HD:3
Special Abilities:  Not much - he's too clueless...
Maneuvers:
Name        +HIT    DAM    Notes
Bite        +4     d4+1    d10 hp/rnd bloodsucking
Claws        +1     d4    (2 att/rnd)

See the director's notes for more information on vampires.