[DitV] Repentance Crossing

[Vaxalon]

One of my players (the marvelous Dorothea Salo) posted a session summary to our private list today.

Preface:

The Dogs had discovered a town where the following events had occurred:

1> Sister Peace, a young Mountain People convert, was caught stealing a consecrated candle from the Temple, because it was pretty.
2> Brother Japheth, the Steward, punished her by burning her hand over it so badly that it was crippled.
3> Brother Hiram and some like-minded men protested by sitting in Temple services with their arms crossed in front of them.
4> Brother Japheth retaliated by barring them from the Temple unless they behaved.
5> Brother Hiram started a schismatic church in the Town.
6> Brother Japheth and Brother Hiram, along with their associated mobs of supporters, were about ready to start shooting when the Dogs showed up.

The Dogs got everyone calmed down, and brought everyone into the Temple to get the story straight, then sent everyone home.

Here's Dorothy's summary:

The townsfolk dispersed quietly after the meeting in the temple, and the
Dogs picked up their guns and discussed what to do next. All agreed that
Japheth could not stay Steward. Kazia and Job maintained that neither
should he stay Sheriff; Naphthali and Abigail rather uncharacteristically
found themselves on the same side of an argument, both wary of meddling in
Territorial Authority affairs. Naphthali suggested the compromise that won
the day: if Japheth could accept losing the Stewardship in a responsible
and appropriately repentant manner, the Dogs would not insist that he
resign as Sheriff.

(This conflict came down to dice. I like that the DitV conflict mechanic
can be used to avoid long repetitive in-character arguments.)

The Dogs then split into pairs to look for a new Steward, the girls
canvassing one side of the river and the boys the other. Abigail and Kazia
found Brother Newton, a well-respected family man in his sixties who had
gone down with a fever when the town went crazy over the Sister Peace
incident. Well, the girls smelled demons, and Kazia cast them out. It took
some persuasion (from Job and Naphthali as well as the girls) to convince
Newton he was called to the Stewardship, but at length he agreed.

That settled, it came time to discuss matters with Brother Japheth. His
house was silent, all its blinds drawn; hiding nerves, the Dogs called for
him. The door opened. Japheth stood with several of his followers around a
lit candle. The Dogs hardly had time to explain their errand before
Japheth, his eyes gleaming crimson, spat on their authority. "Get 'em,
boys."

The rush bowled Job and Abigail over in the street outside; Kazia was
trapped within. The upper windows of Japheth's house shattered, and a row
of rifles unleashed a fusillade at the unlucky Dogs.

Naphthali whipped out not his gun, but his little torn-up Book of Life and
its accompanying catechism, and strode into the house with leather
coat-tails flying, yelling for the demons to give in. Wounded and pinned
down by assailants, Job and Abigail nonetheless added their voices to
Naphthali's exorcism. The demon-ridden townsfolk dropped in their tracks.
And despite her own wounds, Kazia raised her gun and shot Japheth right in
the hand.

(Naphthali and Kazia were the Big Damn Heroes, you bet. Naphthali kicked
BUTT, since his player was the only one who could roll worth a damn the
whole session.)

Naphthali was left alone to deal with the aftermath, since the other three
Dogs were so near dead as to hear angels. Unwilling to take drastic action
by himself, he confirmed Newton in the Stewardship (since all had agreed
on that) and dumped Japheth in jail for the nonce. The Dogs spent an
entire month in Repentance Crossing recovering, during which time Japheth
managed to escape into the wilderness with some of his bully-boys behind
him.

Hiram and Japheth's wife bore the costs of doctoring three very hurt Dogs,
rebuilding Repentance Crossing and restoring its economically-damaged
inhabitants to solvency, and settling support money on Sister Peace. No
further action has (yet) been taken against the remaining men who sided
with Japheth.

Dorothy then sent some sterling observations:

Just some things that seem to have come out in play...

These Dogs clearly believe in restorative rather than retributive or
punitive justice. All their Doggish actions aim to return the town to its
proper functioning and provide suitable redress to those injured by
injustice. That done, they prefer mercy over trial or punishment. They are
Fortinbras rather than Hamlet, Daniel rather than Morpheus.

The closest they come to a decisive, authoritative actor is Abigail (who
clearly *can* assert authority and even back it up with action when she
wants to, but she doesn't much want to). They are not at their best when
quick action is necessary, being at heart deliberative and circumspect.
This may be something they grow out of -- they're young, after all. But
they shouldn't lose it entirely, or they'll find themselves jumping to bad
conclusions. (Japheth was the heretic, not Hiram, and they didn't fall
into the trap of harshly punishing Hiram, so go them.)

Faith over firepower. (Go Naphthali!) This will be very powerful in play,
if it doesn't get them killed first.

These are gentle people. (Yes, even Abigail; and *especially* sharpshooter
Kazia.) The harsh world will change them; I don't know how exactly, but it
will.