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: Know Thyself: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Village Square: The simple beauty of this quaint little plaza is now marred by the pyres that hunch ominously in its center.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Burial Yard: gg
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Riverbank: gg
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Meadow: gg
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Village Tavern: A muted mood hangs heavy over the taproom. Gone is the usual revelry and song at day's end. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Village Meetinghouse: This modest house of worship serves as both church and town hall. Reverend Marston presides on devotional days.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sister Juliet: The only nun in the village, and custodian of its meetinghouse. A quiet, distant woman in her late twenties. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A Silhouette: Someone's out there, alone and still under the starlight.
  
  Do you approach? Call out? Or just leave...?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Tiffin Ashbrook: A milkmaid and daughter of Farmer Ashbrook. A strong, comely woman in her early twenties.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Know Thyself: You know *who* you are. But *what* are you?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Know Thyself: Know thy limits as well.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Know Thyself: What is it you seek in Black Elm? Your own survival? Justice for the innocent? Suffering not witches to live?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Reverend Grayrow: 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.from: human
conversations.value: May Hopling: Daughter of Miller Hopling. A fair lass in her late teens, she is seeing Jick Ashbrook, Farmer Ashbrook's son.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mr. Mathros: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Gam Bracken: The tavernkeep, a grizzled former soldier in his sixties with a booming voice and a predilection for pipe smoking.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Jick Ashbrook: A farmhand and son of Farmer Ashbrook. A doughty lad in his late teens, he is seeing May Hopling, Miller Hopling's daughter.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Village Gaol: Before the *adjurors* came, this forbidding old dungeon saw only the occasional drunk. Now it is a house of horrors...
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Hopling Mill: Run by Miller Hopling, 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Miller Hopling: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mr. Horforth: One of the *adjurors*. A slab-faced man in his late thirties, with a look of perpetual, dark amusement in beady eyes.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Nella Ashbrook: Matron of the Ashbrook farm, and mother of Jick and Tiffin. A pale, severe woman in her early forties.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Mr. Camantle: One of the *adjurors*. A soft-spoken man in his fifties, with a face like tanned leather and lips stiff as starched linen.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Farmer Ashbrook: Owner of the Ashbrook farm, and father of Jick and Tiffin. A belligerent, raspy-voiced man in his mid-forties.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Ashbrook Farmhouse: Almost a manor by rural standards, old Farmer Ashbrook's dwelling commands the largest of Black Elm's farms.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Mayor Larden: '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.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Brothers Whitleaf: The inseparable Kell and Toby manage the house and harvest crews, respectively, on the Ashbrook farm.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Roth Pellas: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Visit Nella Ashbrook: You promised Tiffin Ashbrook you would call on her mother Nella, the matron of the Ashbrook farm.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Speak with Miller Hopling: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Speak with Doney and Ginn: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Defry Howen: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Restrain Tiffin: It would probably be a good idea to keep Jick's sister in check, with his alleged accuser standing before her...
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Gain Entry to the Council: Black Elm's leading citizens have been called to a special session of the village council. What business have you?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rifled Musket: Tribulation's flintlock from the war. Slow to reload, even in skilled hands, but deadly accurate.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Skinning Knife: A simple, long-bladed knife, popular among hunters and soldiers on campaign.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Prayer Book: Reverend Marston's decades-old book of devotionals - cracking, aged, held together by faith more than binding.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Food Basket: A basket filled with bread, cheese, and a jar of Goody Fitchett's special fruit preserves.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Rusted Wheellock Pistol: 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.from: human
conversations.value: At Gunpoint (Tribulation): The war was a goodly time ago, but staring a musket barrel in the face is not something that ever feels better.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Solomon Ginn: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Thack Doney: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Jonathan Fitchett (Margaret): Owner of the Fitchett farm. He is surprised at his wife's change of heart regarding the *adjurors.*
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Jonathan Fitchett: Owner of the Fitchett farm. He looks taken aback at his wife’s apparent change of heart regarding the *adjurors.*
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Farmers of Black Elm: 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.from: human
conversations.value: A Rational Appeal: Logic can cut like a hot blade - and focus the mind. Would an argument grounded in simple fact defuse the situation?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: An Appeal of Faith: God be our witness; He has not forsaken us. Would invoking the teachings of Holy Mother Church defuse the situation?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Promethean: Miller Hopling's proposal is a shocking one: undermine the *adjurors* by false admission of guilt. Can it be worth the risk...?
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: In the House of Mine Enemy: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Midwife: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Endurance: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Giving: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Start a Family: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Gravedigger: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Pastor: You're a man of the cloth, a man with a life devoted to God and to Him only. 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Kindly: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Fearful: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Protect Your People: Whether it is witches or hysteria, you want to protect your people first and foremost, no matter what it takes. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Resolute: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Disillusioned: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Return to Normal: Most of all, you just want these fanatical outsiders to leave, so that Black Elm can go back to the way it was.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Midwife: The unofficial midwife in Black Elm.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Faith: A strong faith is the foundation for saving lives.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Strict: Your severe and stern demeanor can cause issues where a gentler tone was desired. 
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Seamstress: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Observant: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Isolation: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Protect the Children: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Keep Alive: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Blacksmith: Maker of tools, nails, horse shoes, plowshares and other hardware.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Physique: Long hours heating, hammering and shaping steel, it takes strength and endurance to get the job done.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Miser: Tight-fisted. So much that the extremely prudent people of his community have to wonder.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Find an apprentice: With the community growing and the years getting, it is an obligation to find a successor.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Hired Hand: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Personable: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Get justice for Felicity: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Simple-minded: The new Black Elm is a confusing and completely alien to Jonathan, who is used to taking everything at face value.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Allure: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Farming Know-How: As a farmer's wife, you do know some about the trade.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Night Watchman: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Trained: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Bad Reputation: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Truth: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Connections: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Friar: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Herbalist: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Ale: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Atonement: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Leap Before You Look: You don’t always think your plans through. Then, again, you don’t always have the luxury of time to plan, either.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Man of the Watch: 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.from: gpt
conversations.value: Steeped in the Word: 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.from: human
conversations.value: Contrarian: Why she disagrees is wholly not the point. The point is you are wrong.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Courage of Conviction: No matter the odds, when face-to-face with evil, you will stand and you will fight.
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sharp Wit: It takes a sharp mind to say what you will, while recalling the correct details.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Panic: 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.