REFUGEVILLE

crazy idea: try to cut the brand out of your skin. wrap with bandages.

The villagers tried doing this before they escaped the slave camp, but it only caused the Mark to appear elsewhere. Flaying oneself only causes the Mark to appear on your organs. Whatever this curse is, it's persistent and requires immense power to remove.

Unfortunately, Rimewulf is nowhere near strong enough to pull it off. Perhaps a Paradise Gem could work, but no one has seen one in years since The Signet banned them. Paradise Gems are alive, and they hate the Signet so strongly they will immediately exorcise curses without being asked. There are even stories about Paradise Gems growing limbs to fight Signet monsters, but those tales sound like nonsense.

Also, I'm thinking of summoning an animal buddy via Call of the Wild. A horse for one of our hookmen, maybe?

You activate Call of the Wild.

A mare materializes in the middle of the village. Everyone is absolutely confused, until they find Rimewulf’s rune on its body. They understand that this horse is a gift from above, though they remain unaware of your presence.



One of the hook-users climbs on top of the horse, and the mare gallops with energy. Traversing the land and chasing foes should be easier now. Your people collectively name the horse “Comet”, in the hopes that it will encourage the animal to go ever faster.

Sometimes you wish you could just possess a villager and make them do things for you instead of nudging them in subtle ways, but the ritual that turned you into a Guardian Ghost will not allow it.

Sell

3 Stone axes (6 crumbits)
2 Jars of Milk (8 crumbits)
1 deer meat (7 crumbits)
1 beef jerky (5 crumbits)
6 fish meat (12 crumbits)

which gives us 42 crumbits
With which we can buy... everything Kori has in stock if we wanted since her total adds up to 41 crumbits.
So I say let's buy everything Kori has except the fishing trap.

The people make their purchase, and the items are added to the stockpile.

Before everyone can get to work on making spears and axes, a visitor arrives from the south.



She looks very strange. Her hat is so large it might as well be touching the sky, and you yourself do not understand how it has not destroyed its wearer’s neck. However, the Shrunken Head of Asimuth is not screaming, so she is at least not an agent of the Signet.

The stranger introduces herself as Valen, ‘from down south’. Her hat is constantly changing in size, as if it’s in an ongoing argument with the cosmos over what the maximum height for hats should be. Her eyes are perpetually shifting as well, darting in every direction as if she wanted to dash everywhere at once.

Your villagers are deeply unsettled by Valen’s presence. She seems friendly enough, but her behavior and hat are just… strange. Ignoring their concerns, Valen goes straight into conversation.

Valen: Good morning! Is good to see people! Very happy that you all are safe! Once again, I am Valen, and I would like to tell you about important things!

The eldest of your people, musters the courage to talk.

Eldest: Well met, Valen. What do you wish to talk about?

Valen’s eyes continue to dart around in random directions.

Valen: Ghouls! Ghouls down south, they come from enormous box, yes? My village down south, Preeray, was attacked by ghouls and we want to fight them down to the last cadaver, but we lack the raw people-power.

Eldest: You would like us to assist you?

Valen: Goodness, yes, but not necessarily! You can donate some money to our cause so we can hire mercenaries too if you’d like! You can give food too. Food is very valuable these days, what with them Signet controlling every big farm in the world. Some people care more for food and drink than silver!

Kori warns your people this Valen person could be a liar. She has never heard of Preeray before, and Valen might be just trying to get free money or food.

Valen: Are you all scared of my eyes? Sorry, but I’m just checking for ghouls. When the ghouls attacked Preeray, they were all hidden at first. In the grass, behind walls, trees, bushes. They were just bits and pieces but they could still bite. I’m scared of ghouls. Afraid of them. So sorry for my constant vigilance.

Eldest: I see. What about your hat? Why does it keep changing its shape?

Valen: It’s a curse! Signet cursed me! They wanted my hat to get so long it could reach the sky, but they weren’t sure how to make it stay that way so it keeps getting longer and shorter! Don’t ask me WHY they did it. Nobody can make sense of them.

She points to the Sigil of Courage stitched on her hat.

Valen: Though maybe this thing is why. They hate it. Anyway, do you have food or money to spare? If not, maybe you can let me borrow a few warriors to kill some ghouls. We want to wipe them out once and for all. The box just keeps spewing out ghouls and we hate it. We want to kill it.

Eldest: Are you certain it can be done?

Valen: Of course! It’s an abomination, an affront to gods, but it’s just a big box full of dead people and if we can burn its insides, we win! We just need oil, fire, and more oil. Oh, and fire arrows maybe. Or bombs? Anything fire! Ghouls bad, fire good.

Eldest: I see. So where is your village? Preeray?

Valen: It’s inside a thick swamp. There’s only one trail leading in. We don’t let visitors in, normally. No traders. We go out of the swamp if we want to trade, and we never tell people where we’re from. Security, you see. Didn’t do much good against ghouls, though, so we thought we should stop isolating ourselves. Old chief, he’s a dead ghoul now. New chief, he’s smarter. Said we should go and find other people and ask for help. Maybe move somewhere else too, because the swamp has so many body parts it’s hard to ever feel safe anymore.

You notice Valen is carrying several weapons, partially hidden under her cloak. Clubs, blades, metal balls. She’s definitely the cautious sort. You also see something moving underneath, a small rat or a bird maybe.

Valen: So would you like to help us? Please say yes? Yes?

What should your people do?

- Send some people to accompany Valen.

- Donate crumbits.

- Donate food.

- Donate weapons.

- Donate Mycah Robe, which is perfect for ghoul-fighting.

- Donate the horse.

- Something else.

>_


Population: 12 out of 18 shelter spaces

Wealth: 1 crumbit

Animals:
1 Dog (Relief)
2 Cows (Bilin, Daina)
1 Horse (Comet)

Plants:
12 tapioca (sapling, 20 days left)
10 mangould (sapling, 16 days left)

Weapons:
Iron Knife x 1 (4 crumbits)
Stone Axe x 2 (2 crumbits)
Stone Shovel x 1 (2 crumbits)
Steel Hooked Chains x 2 (Equipped by Guards, 8 crumbits each)

Vehicles:
Crude Wooden Raft (Kori won’t buy it)

Guards:
Two Chain-Hook Users

Merchants:
Kori (Miscellaneous Goods)
Ogot (Building Materials)

Stockpile:
323 branches (1 crumbit for 4 branches)
6 beef jerky (5 crumbits each)
9 rabbit meat (2 crumbits each)
13 fish meat (2 crumbits each)
2 jar of milk (4 crumbits each)
4 loincloths (1 crumbit each)
30 pieces of clay (2 crumbits each)
191 stones

Buildings:
1 stone house (with basement)
1 shrine
1 palisade

Items:
Leather Bag
4 Treated Bandages
Construction Manual
Yaranga Phrasebook

Fishblood Lantern - A lantern that uses fish blood as fuel. Provides light and warmth. One adult fish from the river should be enough for one night. Easy to carry, even for a dog or a wolf.

Copy of Hildevert’s Journal: Hate Box - The Signet have been hunting a man named Hildevert for the past month, and he continues to elude capture. This book is about what he saw in a place called the Hate Box, a place where powerful prisoners are tortured for amusement.

Mycah Wizard Robe - Doesn’t grant magical powers, but Mycah spells are woven into it that protect the wearer from undeath. The spells repel teeth and rotten meat, so it’s perfect for fighting ghouls.

Acid Jar - A jar full of liquid that will melt anything metal. Extremely useful against armored opponents and locks.

Divine Artifacts:

Shrunken Head of Asimuth - Screams when an agent of the Signet sees Refugeville.

Blessings:

Devoted Wolfpack: Rimewulf’s followers can transform into wolves at night, granting faster movement, enhanced senses and combat strength.

Arara’s Shade: Your people can endure heat that would normally cause heatstrokes. A common blessing for desert-dwellers and those who wish to endure drought.

Call of the Wild: Once per day, you may summon one animal to appear in the village. The animal will always obey your people and never harm them.

Curses:

Marked By The Signet: The Signet will never stop sending scouts.