Crying Lady

Inn special event requiring diamond ring from Inn Break-In module. Woman sobs loudly about lost ring, you realize you have it in your pocket (stolen during office break-in). Conscience choice: return ring for guaranteed tiger's tooth leather bracelet + random outcome (40% chance partner approves = +1 charm, 20% chance partner jealous = -1 charm, 40% chance Feelgood Vibes buff = 15 rounds 1.05x attack bonus), OR ignore her and keep valuable ring (heartless warrior). Returning ring grants +2 astuteness (Matthias module bonus). Once per day limit, capital inn location only, 25% appearance chance when holding ring without bracelet. Where you're standing in the inn minding your own business when a woman walks away from Aberforth crying inconsolably about losing a beautiful ring and how HER husband has lost it too and they'll never afford another one as beautiful and your hand involuntarily strays to the piece of jewelry in your pocket that you definitely stole from a locked office and you struggle with your conscience wondering whether you should return it or sell it for gems because it might be very valuable but also you might be a noble warrior with a true heart or you might just be a heartless thief who doesn't care about sobbing women.

Requirements

Prerequisites:

  • Must have diamond ring (from breakin/Inn Break-In module)
  • Must NOT already have tiger's tooth bracelet
  • Must be in capital inn (main village inn)
  • Haven't seen her today (seentoday = 0)

Appearance Chance:

  • 25% chance (default, admin-configurable 5-50%)
  • 0% if you don't have the ring
  • 0% if you already have the bracelet
  • 0% if you've already seen her today
  • 0% if you're not in capital inn

Once Per Day:

  • seentoday preference set to 1 when you encounter her
  • Resets at newday
  • Prevents multiple encounters same day

The Encounter

Opening Scene:

  • "As you are standing in [Inn Name], minding your own business, a woman begins to sob loudly."
  • She walks away from Aberforth toward her husband
  • Crying: "I lost it, and now HE has lost it too! We shall never afford another ring as beautiful as that one!"
  • Wrings hands, cries inconsolably

The Realization:

  • "Your hand strays to the piece of jewelry in your pocket"
  • You wonder whether you should return the ring to her
  • "After all, it might be very valuable, and perhaps you could sell it for gems"
  • "You struggle with your conscience, wondering what to do"

The Diamond Ring Source:

  • Found during Inn Break-In event (5% chance)
  • From Aberforth's locked office
  • You broke in illegally to access PvP ledger
  • Discovered ring while snooping
  • This is the SAME ring she lost

Choice: Return the Ring

The Return Scene:

  • "You approach the lady and gently touch her shoulder"
  • "As she turns around and faces you with teary eyes, you extend your hand and offer the ring"
  • "Her eyes become saucers, and she grabs the ring in gratitude"
  • "before throwing her arms about you in ecstatic gratitude"

Guaranteed Reward: Tiger's Tooth Bracelet:

  • "You are indeed a warrior of true noble heart!"
  • "Please, accept this gift of my gratitude, and wear it with pride!"
  • She grabs your wrist, ties leather band with tiger's tooth
  • "You're a little hesitant to accept such a strange gift"
  • "but you don't want to offend her, so you thank her and walk away"
  • hasbracelet = 1 (permanent, prevents future encounters)

Matthias Bonus (If Active):

  • If matthias module installed: +2 astuteness
  • One-time bonus (upmatt = 1 prevents repeats)
  • Astuteness affects various module outcomes
  • Rare permanent stat increase

Random Outcome (Pick 1 of 5):

  • Case 1-2 (40%): Partner Approves
    • "From the other side of the room, [Seth/Violet/Partner] is watching"
    • Male chars: "She beams at you for your kindheartedness"
    • Female chars: "He beams at you for your kindheartedness"
    • +1 charm
  • Case 3 (20%): Partner Jealous
    • "From the other side of the room, [Partner] is watching"
    • Male chars: "She glares at you in jealous anger"
    • Female chars: "He glares at you in jealous anger"
    • -1 charm (if charm > 0)
  • Case 4-5 (40%): Feelgood Vibes
    • "You are so tremendously happy at her reaction, that you feel fantastic!"
    • Feelgood Vibes buff:
      • 15 rounds
      • 1.05x atkmod (5% attack bonus)
      • Roundmsg: "Your positivity helps you hit harder!"
      • Wearoff: "You feel normal again."

Choice: Ignore the Lady

Heartless Warrior Path:

  • "The lady is still sobbing, but hey, you're a heartless warrior, and you don't care. Right?"
  • No rewards
  • Keep the diamond ring
  • Can potentially sell ring later (if module exists for that)
  • Maintain alignment as selfish/greedy character

Consequences:

  • Miss out on tiger's tooth bracelet
  • Miss astuteness bonus
  • Miss charm/buff chance
  • Ring stays in inventory (ring preference = 1)
  • Can encounter her again another day (if you still have ring)

Expected Value Analysis

Return Ring Rewards:

  • 100% chance: Tiger's tooth bracelet (cosmetic/trophy)
  • 100% chance: +2 astuteness (if Matthias active, one-time)
  • 40% chance: +1 charm
  • 20% chance: -1 charm
  • 40% chance: Feelgood Vibes buff (15 rounds, +5% attack)

Average Expected Outcome:

  • Charm: +0.4 - 0.2 = +0.2 charm average
  • Buff: 40% chance for decent attack buff
  • Astuteness: +2 (valuable if using modules that check it)
  • Bracelet: Permanent trophy item

Ignore Ring Value:

  • Keep ring for potential future sale
  • Ring value unclear (no gem conversion visible)
  • Roleplay value for evil/greedy characters
  • Can encounter again (another chance to choose)

Strategy Guide

Recommended: Return the Ring:

  • Astuteness bonus is rare and valuable
  • Tiger's tooth bracelet is unique trophy
  • 40% buff chance is decent
  • Average charm gain (+0.2)
  • Ring appears to have no other use
  • Feel good about being noble warrior

When to Ignore:

  • Roleplaying evil/heartless character
  • Want to keep ring as trophy
  • Don't want to risk -1 charm (20% chance)
  • Already have high charm, can't afford loss

Partner Jealousy Risk:

  • 20% chance partner gets jealous when you hug crying woman
  • Lose 1 charm if jealous triggers
  • Somewhat random/unfair mechanic
  • Worth the risk for astuteness bonus

The Ring Connection

How You Got the Ring:

  • Inn Break-In module: Sneak into Aberforth's office
  • 5% chance to find diamond ring while snooping
  • 25% chance Aberforth catches you (stocks punishment)
  • Ring stored in breakin module preference
  • Crying Lady checks for this specific ring

The Story:

  • Woman and her husband lost the ring
  • Can't afford another as beautiful
  • Inconsolable grief
  • Somehow ended up in Aberforth's office
  • You stole it unknowingly
  • Now you have chance to make things right

Module Integration

Required Modules:

  • breakin: Provides diamond ring (required)
  • Without breakin module: 0% chance to ever see Crying Lady

Optional Modules:

  • matthias: Grants +2 astuteness bonus if active
  • Without matthias: Still get bracelet/charm/buff, just no astuteness

Partner System:

  • Uses lib/partner.php to determine Seth/Violet/etc
  • Gender-specific reactions (she/he)
  • Partner watches from across room
  • Random approval/jealousy based on roll

Admin Settings

Configurable:

  • rawchance: 5-50% range, default 25%
  • Controls how often she appears (when you have ring)

User Preferences:

  • seentoday: Once per day limiter
  • hasbracelet: Permanent flag (you returned ring)
  • upmatt: Matthias astuteness already awarded

Moral Dilemma

The Conscience Question:

  • You stole the ring (illegal break-in)
  • Woman genuinely devastated (can't afford another)
  • Ring might be very valuable (sell for gems?)
  • Being noble vs. being practical
  • "You struggle with your conscience"

Character Alignment:

  • Return = Good/Lawful choice
  • Ignore = Neutral/Evil choice
  • Test of "true noble heart"
  • Actions define your character

Crying Lady: where you're minding your own business standing around in the Hog's Head Inn when suddenly a woman starts sobbing loudly and walks away from Aberforth crying to her husband that she lost the ring and HE lost it too and they'll never afford another ring as beautiful as that one while wringing her hands inconsolably and your hand involuntarily strays to the piece of jewelry currently in your pocket which you definitely stole during an illegal break-in to Aberforth's locked office when you were trying to access the inn guest ledger for PvP purposes and you had a five percent chance to find a diamond ring while snooping and you took it because you're a kleptomaniac apparently. Now you struggle with your conscience wondering whether you should return the ring to her or keep it because it might be very valuable and you could sell it for gems, and if you approach her gently touching her shoulder and extend your hand offering the ring her eyes become saucers and she grabs it in gratitude before throwing her arms around you in ecstatic gratitude calling you a warrior of true noble heart and tying a leather band with a tiger's tooth around your wrist as a gift which you're a little hesitant to accept because it's kind of a strange gift but you don't want to offend her so you thank her and walk away. Then from across the room your romantic partner Seth or Violet is watching and there's a forty percent chance they beam at you for your kindheartedness and you gain one charm point, or a twenty percent chance they glare at you in jealous anger because you just hugged another woman/man and you LOSE one charm point which seems unfair, or a forty percent chance you're so tremendously happy at her reaction that you feel fantastic and get a Feelgood Vibes buff for fifteen rounds with five percent attack bonus where your positivity helps you hit harder. Plus if the Matthias the Astute module is active you get two permanent astuteness points as a one-time bonus for demonstrating wisdom and compassion. Alternatively you can ignore the lady because hey you're a heartless warrior and you don't care right, keeping the valuable ring and maintaining your selfish greedy character alignment while she continues sobbing in the background. The whole encounter only happens once per day, only in the capital inn, only if you have the diamond ring from the break-in module and only if you haven't already returned it and gotten the tiger's tooth bracelet, with a default twenty-five percent appearance chance when all conditions are met.