Split Tree Branch

[Lance D. Allen]

Lx, Zach, and if by some odd twist Rhonda, Kory (or even Trace, who's not yet joined the group) find their way to this forum, do not read further. I intend to run this town as a one-shot for you guys at some point.












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Who's Who:

Br. Benjamin Cornell, Steward of Split Tree. Br. Benjamin was sent back east to go to a university there. Quiet, friendly and earnest in his studies and in his Faith, he met a young woman also studying there, converted her and brought her back. During his studies, he was exposed to tales of persecuted Christians back centuries ago using the Tarot as a type of Book of Life, and has since turned to the Tarot as an aid to his duties as Steward.

Sr. Lillith Cornell, Br. Benjamin's Wife. A beautiful woman, just past her prime. She met her husband at the university, and converted to the Faith in response to his deep devoutness, his kindness and his intelligence, and in no small part out of love for him. She is mostly content with the ways of the Faith, but she chafes at the idea that a wife must also be a mother.

Sr. Patience Quincy, a woman of Split Tree. After a newly-installed Steward Cornell was unable to save her son from a killing fever, her mind snapped, and she fled into the ruins around the town, where her husband was killed while looking for her. She now haunts the ruins around Split Tree, living on pity offeringsfrom the community. She blames Br. Benjamin for her son's death, and frequently denounces him in the streets. She also believes that her dead son speaks to her, and tells her the King's Will.

Sr. Althea Newton, a young mother of an infant daughter. A very social and active young woman before her daughter's birth, she was one of the first to notice Sr. Lillith's independence, and one of the first to begin listening to Sr. Patience.

Br. Hiram Cornell, Br. Benjamin's Father. A former Dog, blinded while serving, he is as concerned as his son over the growing schism in the town, but does not believe that the Tarot holds any of the answers.

Br. Derrick Newton, youngest brother of Sr. Althea's husband (who is out of town on business). He is actively courting a young woman named Sr. Bethia, but where he follow's the Steward's Tarot beliefs, she's taken to listening to Sr. Patience.

Sr. Bethia Simmons, Sr. Patience's younger sister. While she has doubts about her sister, she listens because she's always been able to trust her sister to steer her right. She returns Br. Derrick's interest, but the growing schism makes things difficult.

Progression of Sin:

Pride:
-Steward Cornell is coming to believe that the Tarot is superior to both prayer and reading from the Book of Life.
-Sr. Lillith is on a contraceptive procured back east, and refuses to have children.
-Sr. Patience believes that the Steward is evil and that she, with her dead son's advice, should take over as Steward.

Injustice:
-Those who accept the Tarot are beginning to subtly shun those who do not. Many of those who don't have begun to listen to Sr. Patience's denouncements of the Steward, as well as other things her "son" has told her.
-Many of the community's wives have noticed how beautiful and unhindered Lillith is without children, and have begun to resent their own children. They are also growing more receptive to Sr. Patience's words.

Sin:
-Apostasy: Br. Benjamin, though good intentioned, is leading the congregation away from the Book of Life and prayer.
-Apostasy: Sr. Patience is convincing the dissatisfied wives, and others who don't accept the Tarot, that her dead son holds the King of Life's Truth.
-Disunity: The growing factions are drawing lines of separation in the community.

Demonic Attacks: As the two factions grow, Books of Life are beginning to decay and fall apart. Children are beginning to sicken as their mother's resentment grows, which the Tarot faction is using as an excuse (disease) to distance themselves from the others. Finally, Sr. Patience's "son" is actually a demon, deceiving her, and through her, those who listen.

False Doctrine:
-The Tarot is the true conduit of the King's Will
-The Lost Son and his prophet will guide the town to the King's Glory.

Corrupt Religious Practices:
-The two factions still attend services together as normal, and though the Book of Life is still quoted and consulted, it's half-hearted, or as an after-thought by the members of the congregation.
-Private devotions consist more of reading the Tarot than prayer or reading the Book for the Tarot faction.
-Informal sermons are being held in the ruins by those who listen to the teachings of the Lost Son's prophet.

False Priesthood:
-Both factions still believe they are righteous.
-The Tarot faction is still only on the verge of heresy. They still follow most all of the teachings of the Book, but they believe that the Tarot is a superior means to the King's Will. If the Dogs sanction the Tarot as a tool to be used alongside the Book and prayer, their heresy will evaporate.
-The Lost Son faction is angry about being shunned (or in the case of the dissatisfied wives, that their children are such a burden on them) and misled. Doubts remain among all of Sr. Patience's listeners, but they are being worn away by the allure of her words; Most especially when she allows the Lost Son to speak, using her as a vessel.

Sorcery: Sr. Patience is quite insane with her unsettled grief, guilt and anger, or else she might be horrified at the things she is beginning to suggest at the Lost Son's advice. She is entirely unwitting, but she is a Sorcerer nonetheless.

What People Want: (bet you thought I was gonna go all the way, didn'tcha?)

Steward Cornell: He wants the Dogs to approve of the Tarot. He also wants their help in healing the schism in his town.

Sr. Lillith: She wants what her husband wants. She also wants to be assured that it's okay to not want children.

Sr. Patience: She wants the Dogs to denounce Steward Cornell (or better yet, kill him) and let her take over as the new Steward. Then she wants them to go away.

Sr. Althea: She wants to be told what's right. She also wants the Dogs to save her sick daughter, but at the same time, she wants them to somehow relieve her of the burden.

Br. Hiram: He wants the Dogs to set everything back to normal, and to take care of Sr. Patience, by whatever means necessary.

Br. Derrick: He wants the Dogs to convince Bethia that the Tarot is the right way, so he can court and marry her without difficulty.

Sr. Bethia: She wants to be told what's right, and for the Dogs to help her sister. She also wants the whole situation cleared up so that she can marry Br. Derrick. She'd also like to see the Steward punished, but not necessarily removed, for what she sees as his role in the whole mess.

What the Demons Want: The demons want Sr. Patience to convince her listeners that their children must die so that they might walk the path to the King's Glory. They want the two sects to grow hostile, and for violence to ensue.

From the Dogs, the demons want, first and foremost, for them to discover nothing. Failing that, they want the Dogs to take one side and violently oppose the other, escalating the situation to hate and murder, preferably where the Dogs themselves die.

What would happen if the Dogs never came: Children would begin to die, first sickness, then "accidents". The Steward would be forced to denounce Sr. Patience and the Lost Son cult, which would incite them to attack, killing the Steward and his wife, as well as several others in the ensuing riots. The survivors of the Lost Son cult would flee into the ruins to continue harassing the town and killing children. The Tarot sect survivors would grow increasingly paranoid and insular, eventually driving off or killing any visitors, including Dogs. The Books of Life would decay entirely, and all aspects of the Faith would fade and be replaced by a new Cult of Tarot.
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Can you believe my original idea of this was a light, uncomplicated thing? I can personally see at least two or three "right" ways to handle it, and a good half dozen bad ways. I'm sure my players will surprise me, and since writing this, I'm exceptionally eager to run my one-shot.

[Simon Kamber]

Interesting, very interesting. I'm quite curious to see how the players will fix that one.

About Sr. Patience's husband. You say he died looking for her, but how? It seems like an empty reference with some good story potential.

You could also leave him alive. If he's still in the town, he'll be able to give the dogs a good view on the town's problems.

[Valamir]

You could also leave him alive. If he's still in the town, he'll be able to give the dogs a good view on the town's problems.

Why choose.  He could be dead AND still around to give the dogs a good view on the town's problems...

[Simon Kamber]

Why choose.  He could be dead AND still around to give the dogs a good view on the town's problems...

Oh boy. That opens up some interesting possibilities if it fits the supernatural level in the game.


Imagine if the only person in the town with an unbiased view was a ghost...

[Lance D. Allen]

I've got my ideas on how he died, but it was basically accidental, so I figured I'd omit the details, and cut down on an already long document. Basically he was found in a deep hole out in the ruins a couple days after the fact, with his back broken.

To be honest, the husband was an afterthought. I realized that his being alive might have caused things to go considerably differently in the progression, and I didn't want to reimagine the whole thing, and it made sense that he might die in the perilous ruins around the town while looking for his wife at night.

I forgot to mention, also, that I have three bang-style scenes ready to toss in front of the Dogs to get them started. If they don't latch on to one of these three and start going proactive, then I'll figure something else out, but it's a start.

-Riding into town, they're met by Sr. Patience, who tells them that her son said they were coming. She'd immediately tell them all how evil the Steward is, and how he's corrupting the whole town.

-They ride in during services, so they get to see firsthand how the degeneration stands. There would be a noticeable separation between the factions even during services, and the fact that no one, even the Steward, is doing more than idly thumbing through their Books of Life will be evident.

-Some time after their arrival, Sr. Althea will go into a panic because her infant daughter has stopped breathing. I'm considering having her say things like "Don't let him take her!", referring to the "Lost Son". Perhaps she's convinced that her daughter is to be the Lost Son's bride..

[Simon Kamber]

Ok, I can see how him being alive would change quite a few things. But as it is, I know that when I heard that he had accidentally broken his back, I'd already be thinking "sorcerer", "demons" and other nasty things (which might be the point).


Of cause, if you just want to get rid of him, you could also make her a widow. That would give her even MORE reason to snap.

[Lance D. Allen]

But as it is, I know that when I heard that he had accidentally broken his back, I'd already be thinking "sorcerer", "demons" and other nasty things (which might be the point).

The thought *had* crossed my mind... ::grins:: I'm not sayin' it was, or it wasn't. If it was demons, it means that there was some sin already that left him vulnerable. If it was just an accident, maybe there wasn't any sin. I think if the Dogs decide the whole Tarot thing is a sin, then it might just turn out that demons did the husband in. And if they decide the Tarot is okay, then maybe it was just a tragic accident.

Isn't retroactive justification fun?

[Simon Kamber]

I think if the Dogs decide the whole Tarot thing is a sin, then it might just turn out that demons did the husband in. And if they decide the Tarot is okay, then maybe it was just a tragic accident.

I'd say that you shouldn't reveal it either way. It's more interesting, and more subtle, if the players 'think' it's demonic, rather than knowing.

[Lance D. Allen]

Wasn't really planning on it; The only person who might really know what happened is the husband himself, and unless the Dogs bring him back to question him, no one's really gonna know.

I just like the fact that either option could be true, depending on what the Dogs decide.