conversations.from: system
conversations.value: #Welcome to Black Elm.#
  
  For generations, this village has stood a rustic portrait of heaven on earth. Folk till the soil, work the mill, and take their livestock and produce to the towns for trade, free from the cares of the great cities. Young lads and lasses play at love in the meadows and dream of a life far away.
  
  But the world is changing. War has come. The land now quavers to the thunder of godless hosts. The rule of law is put to the torch. And, even as the high lords wage their bloody games, shadows reach out over sleepy Black Elm.
  
  Men have come to the village by night - men in dark cloaks and hats, gilded steel at their belts. They name themselves *adjurors,* in the name of King and Church. Their avowed charge: to hunt down evil, and all who traffic with it, and deliver God's justice therewith by fire and sword.
  
  By sunrise, half a dozen stand accused in the village gaol. Through that first day, folk shudder at the screams from within those dreaded walls. Pyres begin to be built in the village square. There are whispers, but no-one dares stir in defiance, for the word of the *adjurors* is law.
  
  Black Elm stands divided. Who are these outsiders? Are they merely torturers, exercising cruel license under the royal seal? 
  
  Or are they truly what they claim - and the Devil is indeed abroad in Black Elm?
  
  #Game Details#
  
  *The Pyres of Black Elm* is a story of a witch-hunt and its impact on the lives of a rural community, set against the backdrop of a village seemingly beset by the powers of darkness.
  
  The cult classic film *Witchfinder General,* as well as similar works such as Arthur Miller's *The Crucible,* serve as inspirations.
  
  This is not intended to be straight historical fiction. As such, I have elected to keep the setting vague - despite the resemblances, it's not Puritan England. There is a Church, but a Church of what, I don't know. People invoke the name of God, and abjure the Devil, but speak of 'the Son' or 'the Savior' instead of Christ. And so on. I hope this approach will allow players freedom to improvise, and take a hand in crafting the world.
  
  However, *Pyres* is at its core a grounded, human drama. I do not intend for supernatural elements or actual, metaphysical 'black magic' to feature; this is a mundane world, where the only laws that apply are those of nature. 
  
  #Player Notes#
  
  Players assume the roles of ordinary individuals who find themselves in Black Elm a few days after the *adjurors* arrive. All cards are open to customization: you can be a local of some standing in the village, or a traveler, or even a clergyman if you feel theologically inclined.
  
  In general, though, this is a time of superstition and religious mania - a time when a cruel Church holds total sway in the lives of nobles and common folk alike. Be mindful - a 17th-century Bill Maher would not be welcome to say the least.
  
  Period dialogue is encouraged, although not a must. A useful reference for this style of speech is the script of *The Crucible*, available here: http://bit.ly/1u2xBsI (PDF).
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Are you a villager? If so, what do you do for a living? Or are you a traveler, just passing through? A soldier on furlough? Even a minor member of the clergy?
conversations.prefix: Know Thyself:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The simple beauty of this quaint little plaza is now marred by the pyres that hunch ominously in its center.
conversations.prefix: Village Square:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: gg
conversations.prefix: Burial Yard:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: gg
conversations.prefix: Riverbank:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: gg
conversations.prefix: Meadow:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A muted mood hangs heavy over the taproom. Gone is the usual revelry and song at day's end. 
conversations.prefix: Village Tavern:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This modest house of worship serves as both church and town hall. Reverend Marston presides on devotional days.
conversations.prefix: Village Meetinghouse:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The only nun in the village, and custodian of its meetinghouse. A quiet, distant woman in her late twenties. 
conversations.prefix: Sister Juliet:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Someone's out there, alone and still under the starlight.
  
  Do you approach? Call out? Or just leave...?
conversations.prefix: A Silhouette:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A milkmaid and daughter of Farmer Ashbrook. A strong, comely woman in her early twenties.
conversations.prefix: Tiffin Ashbrook:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You know *who* you are. But *what* are you?
conversations.prefix: Know Thyself:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Know thy limits as well.
conversations.prefix: Know Thyself:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What is it you seek in Black Elm? Your own survival? Justice for the innocent? Suffering not witches to live?
conversations.prefix: Know Thyself:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mayor Larden's house minister: a cool, kindly, well-read man in his sixties. They say he took his holy vows in the Eternal City.
conversations.prefix: Reverend Grayrow:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Daughter of Miller Hopling. A fair lass in her late teens, she is seeing Jick Ashbrook, Farmer Ashbrook's son.
conversations.prefix: May Hopling:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: One of the *adjurors*. A thin, sallow man in his early thirties, with a voice like a whetstone on steel - and, they say, a heart just as hard.
conversations.prefix: Mr. Mathros:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The tavernkeep, a grizzled former soldier in his sixties with a booming voice and a predilection for pipe smoking.
conversations.prefix: Gam Bracken:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A farmhand and son of Farmer Ashbrook. A doughty lad in his late teens, he is seeing May Hopling, Miller Hopling's daughter.
conversations.prefix: Jick Ashbrook:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Before the *adjurors* came, this forbidding old dungeon saw only the occasional drunk. Now it is a house of horrors...
conversations.prefix: Village Gaol:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Run by Miller Hopling, 
conversations.prefix: Hopling Mill:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Owner of the village mill and father of May Hopling. A stern, taciturn man in his late forties, he is an eminent member of the community.
conversations.prefix: Miller Hopling:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: One of the *adjurors*. A slab-faced man in his late thirties, with a look of perpetual, dark amusement in beady eyes.
conversations.prefix: Mr. Horforth:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Matron of the Ashbrook farm, and mother of Jick and Tiffin. A pale, severe woman in her early forties.
conversations.prefix: Nella Ashbrook:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: One of the *adjurors*. A soft-spoken man in his fifties, with a face like tanned leather and lips stiff as starched linen.
conversations.prefix: Mr. Camantle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Owner of the Ashbrook farm, and father of Jick and Tiffin. A belligerent, raspy-voiced man in his mid-forties.
conversations.prefix: Farmer Ashbrook:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Almost a manor by rural standards, old Farmer Ashbrook's dwelling commands the largest of Black Elm's farms.
conversations.prefix: Ashbrook Farmhouse:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: 'Mayor' is a lofty title for a village headman, but this learned, well-groomed man in his fifties has earned it. He chairs Black Elm's council with a fair hand.
conversations.prefix: Mayor Larden:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The inseparable Kell and Toby manage the house and harvest crews, respectively, on the Ashbrook farm.
conversations.prefix: The Brothers Whitleaf:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The village mill's foreman. A former King's officer in his fifties, he is notorious for his draconian discipline, for which Miller Hopling prizes him highly.
conversations.prefix: Roth Pellas:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You promised Tiffin Ashbrook you would call on her mother Nella, the matron of the Ashbrook farm.
conversations.prefix: Visit Nella Ashbrook:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: May Hopling invited any who would to speak with her father, the owner of the village mill, about his recent disagreement with Farmer Ashbrook.
conversations.prefix: Speak with Miller Hopling:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Tiffin Ashbrook named Thack Doney and Solomon Ginn as the other parties in the dispute between Miller Hopling and Farmer Ashbrook. They may have their own stories to tell.
conversations.prefix: Speak with Doney and Ginn:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A farmhand and son of Farmer Howen. A bony-limbed lad in his late teens, with brooding eyes that seldom meet anyone else's.
conversations.prefix: Defry Howen:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It would probably be a good idea to keep Jick's sister in check, with his alleged accuser standing before her...
conversations.prefix: Restrain Tiffin:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Black Elm's leading citizens have been called to a special session of the village council. What business have you?
conversations.prefix: Gain Entry to the Council:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Tribulation's flintlock from the war. Slow to reload, even in skilled hands, but deadly accurate.
conversations.prefix: Rifled Musket:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A simple, long-bladed knife, popular among hunters and soldiers on campaign.
conversations.prefix: Skinning Knife:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Reverend Marston's decades-old book of devotionals - cracking, aged, held together by faith more than binding.
conversations.prefix: Prayer Book:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A basket filled with bread, cheese, and a jar of Goody Fitchett's special fruit preserves.
conversations.prefix: Food Basket:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Degory carries this old, poorly-kept relic more for appearances than utility. It hasn't been fired for longer than some of Black Elm's children have been alive.
conversations.prefix: Rusted Wheellock Pistol:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The war was a goodly time ago, but staring a musket barrel in the face is not something that ever feels better.
conversations.prefix: At Gunpoint (Tribulation):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Owner of the Ginn farm. A lame, white-bearded man in his sixties, never without his cane and seldom without a sour look for all the world.
conversations.prefix: Solomon Ginn:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Owner of the Doney farm. A quiet, thoughtful man in his early forties, held by many as the most learned of Black Elm's farmers.
conversations.prefix: Thack Doney:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Owner of the Fitchett farm. He is surprised at his wife's change of heart regarding the *adjurors.*
conversations.prefix: Jonathan Fitchett (Margaret):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Owner of the Fitchett farm. He looks taken aback at his wife’s apparent change of heart regarding the *adjurors.*
conversations.prefix: Jonathan Fitchett:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The silent majority: Makepeace Howen, Thackeray Doney, Jonathan Fitchett, and Solomon Ginn. Some of you have had dealings with some of them in the past days - where do they stand on the issue at hand? 
  
  More importantly, can they be persuaded to make a difference now, where it counts? 
  
  *Leverage what you know from past scenes if you wish to address this challenge.*
conversations.prefix: Farmers of Black Elm:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Logic can cut like a hot blade - and focus the mind. Would an argument grounded in simple fact defuse the situation?
conversations.prefix: A Rational Appeal:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: God be our witness; He has not forsaken us. Would invoking the teachings of Holy Mother Church defuse the situation?
conversations.prefix: An Appeal of Faith:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Miller Hopling's proposal is a shocking one: undermine the *adjurors* by false admission of guilt. Can it be worth the risk...?
conversations.prefix: Promethean:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: An unexpected victory - yet it is but a skirmish after all. Where will the true battle for the condemned be waged - before the dread pyres, and before God and man alike? Or in the darkness of the gaol, now the kingdom of the *adjurors*?
conversations.prefix: In the House of Mine Enemy:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: All villages are about the cycle of life. At one end is death, the release of life. On the other is birth. All women endure this, and it is the midwife who ensures neither mother nor babe passes into death as opposed to life. She is the keeper of birth.
conversations.prefix: Midwife:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A birth can take hours or days. The midwife endures. She maintains composure and serenity even in the darkest of moments when all seems lost. She has grace and strength of spirit and there is little that would see her falter. 
conversations.prefix: Endurance:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Perhaps it's your congenial nature, but you find it difficult to ignore any plea for help. You will go out of your way to ensure others are happy and content, even at detriment to yourself. 
conversations.prefix: Giving:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Despite always bringing children into the world, none have been your own. You are ready to begin the path to motherhood and being a wife, but have perhaps waited too long or have yet to find anyone who would suit you.
conversations.prefix: Start a Family:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: After you returned from soldiering abroad, you took up your father’s place as Black Elm’s gravedigger and the caretaker of its burial yard.
conversations.prefix: Gravedigger:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're a man of the cloth, a man with a life devoted to God and to Him only. 
conversations.prefix: Pastor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Part of being a shepard is knowing how to care for your flock. As the pastor of these people, you've learned to handle the people with compassion and tact. 
conversations.prefix: Kindly:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A fear of God is not the only thing that plagues your life, though your doubts and worries also keep you up at night. There are so many things that might frighten a man, after all, in this cruel world. 
conversations.prefix: Fearful:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Whether it is witches or hysteria, you want to protect your people first and foremost, no matter what it takes. 
conversations.prefix: Protect Your People:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You were a brave warrior in the King’s service, and you became familiar enough with death that your family’s trade holds no dread for you.
conversations.prefix: Resolute:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You left your home to go to war as a boy with faith in the One Above. You came home believing that there was no benevolent power looking out for mankind.
conversations.prefix: Disillusioned:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Most of all, you just want these fanatical outsiders to leave, so that Black Elm can go back to the way it was.
conversations.prefix: Return to Normal:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The unofficial midwife in Black Elm.
conversations.prefix: Midwife:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A strong faith is the foundation for saving lives.
conversations.prefix: Faith:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your severe and stern demeanor can cause issues where a gentler tone was desired. 
conversations.prefix: Strict:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You have tended to making and mending many of the wardrobe adorn by the town. It's a tedious task, but you have been willing to do it, and it has given you great patience.
conversations.prefix: Seamstress:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have grown able to pay attention to great detail. It's allowed you to notice the ticks and the out of place by others around you.
conversations.prefix: Observant:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Past pains and broken trust have left you to keep to yourself. If it has nothing to do with business, then you keep away in the recesses of your home.
conversations.prefix: Isolation:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You spend much energy saving young lives in the village; they should not be corrupted by witchcraft! Surely these adjurors could not be the problem...
conversations.prefix: Protect the Children:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The terror in town has left more reason to hide away. You just want these innocents left alone, and to still have a beating heart when the night is over. 
conversations.prefix: Keep Alive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maker of tools, nails, horse shoes, plowshares and other hardware.
conversations.prefix: Blacksmith:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Long hours heating, hammering and shaping steel, it takes strength and endurance to get the job done.
conversations.prefix: Physique:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Tight-fisted. So much that the extremely prudent people of his community have to wonder.
conversations.prefix: Miser:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: With the community growing and the years getting, it is an obligation to find a successor.
conversations.prefix: Find an apprentice:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Ever since he was strong enough to lift a scythe, Jonathan has been earning his keep as a farmhand.It is a backbreaking labor, but he enjoys it - and saves al his pay towards eventually buying his own farm.  
conversations.prefix: Hired Hand:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Although Jonathan may not know much about etiquette or higher arts, his friendly smile and pleasant attitude remain surprisingly infectious. Others warm up to him pretty quickly.
conversations.prefix: Personable:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whether there are real witches in Black Elm or not, Felicity was not one of them. Jonathan has pledged to clear hear name and  to punish those who accused her.
conversations.prefix: Get justice for Felicity:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The new Black Elm is a confusing and completely alien to Jonathan, who is used to taking everything at face value.
conversations.prefix: Simple-minded:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Having children has not made you a fool to how you look. You know the charms of being a woman-an attractive one at that-and you know just how to use them. 
conversations.prefix: Allure:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As a farmer's wife, you do know some about the trade.
conversations.prefix: Farming Know-How:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Locals who patrol their villages at night, calling out the hour, keeping a lookout for fires, ensuring that drunks and other vagrants were delivered to the sheriff. However, their low wages and the uncongenial nature of the job attracted a fairly low standard of person, and they acquired a possibly-exaggerated reputation for being old, ineffectual, feeble, drunk or asleep on the job.
conversations.prefix: Night Watchman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Muskets, flintlock pistols and even a little sword play if you need to. You're no soldier, but you are far from being a push-over. You have a sharp eyes and ears.
conversations.prefix: Trained:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your family was taken from you as a young man. You took to drink, brawls and coarse language. Folks in the village are glad you work at night and out of sight.
conversations.prefix: Bad Reputation:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There is a truth hidden here amongst the fear, folklore and rhetoric - and you will seek it out. But you must walk a fine line, or be called a heretic yourself.
conversations.prefix: The Truth:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: As the reverend of the village, you make a lot of friends, both church-goers and clergy alike, and that connection to the people, whether you know them or not, gives you more sway than many realize. 
  
conversations.prefix: Connections:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Like a monk, you live your life according to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Unlike a monk you live your life in service to society at large rather than living a cloistered life of aseticism and devotion in one locale. You travel from town to town in the land under your purview.
  
  
  
  
conversations.prefix: Friar:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have extensive knowledge of the medicinal and other qualities of various herbs and plants. Along w/ a supply of herbs you also travel with various salves and tinctures that can help alleviate the symptoms of various maladys.
conversations.prefix: Herbalist:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: While you are a godly man you do have a love of ale and other spirits. "Even the son drank wine" you often remind those who question  your imbibing of certain beverages.
conversations.prefix: Ale:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You were not always a friar. You spent many years in the infantry of the kings army. You do not talk much about your past but it is obvious that it weighed in heavily in your decision to become a friar.
conversations.prefix: Atonement:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You don’t always think your plans through. Then, again, you don’t always have the luxury of time to plan, either.
conversations.prefix: Leap Before You Look:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: All manner of men work for the Watch, but regardless, it's a brotherhood. They will aid you and stand by you (within reason of law & God).
conversations.prefix: Man of the Watch:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As a minister, you know the word of the lord as well as anyone. You are one of the most knowledgeable people, in fact, in the town, on the words of your own god. 
conversations.prefix: Steeped in the Word:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Why she disagrees is wholly not the point. The point is you are wrong.
conversations.prefix: Contrarian:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: No matter the odds, when face-to-face with evil, you will stand and you will fight.
conversations.prefix: Courage of Conviction:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It takes a sharp mind to say what you will, while recalling the correct details.
conversations.prefix: Sharp Wit:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: No longer can your nimble fingers stay still. The evil of the adjurors has pierced your soul and now the mind is clouded. Decisions aren't the best to make any longer.
conversations.prefix: Panic: