Colonial Gothic Episode 3

Episode 3, October 6, 2010

As the Heroes slept a fire raged in the Tavern. The Preacher awoke first to a heavy smoke filling the room. Waking his friend they then woke Erich and the Doctor. The Doctor went downstairs to find the common room in flames and no way to make it to the front door while the rest of the Hero's broke open the other rooms to save the other guests. Finding all the room empty the Hero's then made their escape out various windows.

In front of the tavern they were met with several of the towns people that were making a wasted effort of getting water out of a well to bucket it onto the inferno. In a few hours it had burned itself down to being contained in the stone Tavern walls. It was then that the Minister Jacob arrived. The owner of the tavern went right to him and was saying some hasty words in Germany as rest of the town stood listening. The Doctor made out that they believed that the strangers had brought demons upon the Tavern and they were responsible for the building burning down. The Doctor was quick to interject and say that they didn't do it but the Minister then told him and the crowd that the Heroes did indeed have satanic papers, as admitted to himself by the Preacher himself. And that those very same papers that they brought into a good Christan home were the most likely cause of the fire. It was here that the Heroes realized that they were encircled by angry townspeople. The Preacher offered to burn the document but instead he was grab by two men as a third ran up with a barrel of tar. The Preacher prayed for God to deliver him from the trial of being tared and feathered. At this Erich clubbed one of the townsmen that was holding the Preacher while Brian punched the other. This was all as the Doctor put his pistol to Minister Jacobs head and demanded that everyone stop.

The tar bucket was put down and the ladies with feather pillows dropped them to the ground. The Doctor explained that they did indeed have a paper like the Minister said but that they were there to root out evil and punish it. They then burnt the paper they had found with Jeremiah Knots belongings. The townspeople then cleared them a path out of town and the doctor apologized to the Minister for holding a gun to him and told him it was not loaded anyway. With that the Hero's ran out of town.

Once they got out of sight of the crowd they cut into the woods and made their way back to the church. Getting the keys and a candle with holder from the shack that was the parsonage they entered the church. The light of pre-dawn made the cut glass window behind the altar glow. This window was of an angel and devil intertwined in battle. Searching the church they found a trapdoor in the isle. Taking candles from the altar they climbed down into the cellar.

The ladder lead to a small room with a packed dirt floor they lit their candles and opened the only door in the room. Within was a dead man on one of the two operating tables that were in the laboratory. The man had been dead for some days because his skin had started to turn dark green. Looking around by candle light they found a model skeleton in the corner along with many types of medications, most being for the preservation of flesh. Finding a book on a counter brought the skeleton in the corner to life and Brian stood amazed as it reached for Erich shoulder. After quite a long scuffle they killed the skeleton.

Hearing footsteps above them the Preacher put his ear to the trap door and heard Minister Jacob talking. "Search the place. Who knows what they've done to our sanctuary or how long they've been among us. Check under the runner, there in the isle!" With that the Preacher grabbed the door ring to keep it from being open while all the rest of the Heroes hung onto him to help. The ring on the trapdoor finally broke and the townspeople started to pry it open. Trapped in the cellar Brian spent a Faith Point and found a escape tunnel leading to the parsonage.

Outside the parsonage, strange book in hand, they could see townspeople milling around the church. They then decided they needed a distraction so they could burn down the church to cleanse the evil below it. With that they went through the woods back to the empty town. They then started several of the homes on fire and escaped back into the woods to head for the church.

The townspeople had left the church to save their home and the Heroes set to starting the church on fire. As they worked Minister Jacob arrived on his horse. From a distance he cursed them and wove his hands in the air as the Doctor and Erich loaded their rifles. Brian drew his saber and charged after the villain. Once the Heroes rifles had been loaded they couldn't get a shot of because the villain and Brian were in melee. As this transpired the Preacher kept attending the fire as a hand broke out of a grave behind him. As the villain tried to escape his horse tripped throwing him from the saddle (Erich spent a Faith Point) and Brian engaged him again. Striking the villain down the zombie fell dead into the Preachers fire. In the pockets of the Minister they found several Pennsylvania notes and a cross used in Satanic rituals. Tossing the Ministers body onto the burning church fire they took to walking back to Yorktowne.

In Yorktowne the Heroes were welcomed by the Proprietress of the White Hall Inn. After a restful night sleep they were met by the minister of the Moravian church who asked them to join him at his church, if they would. At the church he blessed them and offered communion and told them that he was following what had become of the Knots boy and wanted to know what happened in Franklintown. they described the basics and told him that there were some fires and he got them to tell him about the villain and the laboratory below the church. The minister then told them that they should take the book to Mr. Franklin, in Philadelphia for him to review and then he told the hero's that he himself knew of and used magic for the good of God and if they wished he would train them as they wish.

Here we ended for the evening.