[DITV] Temple Creek Branch... advice? [long]

[JC]

hi


this is my first town, so I'd like a little advice

even though I've stolen bits and pieces from other towns floating around the net, I'm worried it's not grabby enough

here goes:


TEMPLE CREEK BRANCH


INTRO: Brother August is about 35 years old, and has been married to Sister Temperance for almost half of those. She has given him two children: Nathaniel and Constance. Brother August has served the Faith with great dedication, and has now earned the right to take a second wife: the young and charming Sister Marilla. He has had his eye on Sister Marilla for some time, and is deeply in love with her. So much so that once he marries her, he starts neglecting Sister Temperance, his first wife. Sister Marilla is now pregnant.


PRIDE: Although he has stewardship over both his wives, Brother August favors Sister Marilla over Sister Temperance.


INJUSTICE: Sister Temperance is neglected by her husband, Brother August.


SIN: Sister Temperance becomes depressed. She neglects her duties towards her husband and her children. Faithlessness

SIN: Sister Temperance plots to kill Sister Marilla, who she considers responsible for her troubles. She prays the King of Life to help her. Demons answer her call. Disunity + Apostasy

SIN: Sister Temperance turns to Brother Hamilton, the Steward, for affection. They have an affair. Her desire for vengeance influences him to preach in favor of retribution (an eye for an eye). Sex + Apostasy

SIN: Nathaniel and Constance don't worship the King of Life correctly. They also dress immodestly and swear. Apostasy + Worldliness

SIN: Brother August also becomes depressed. He tries to drown his troubles in alcohol. This makes him violent. He beats Sister Temperance out of desperation, to try and get her to give up her faithlessness. Of course, he regrets hitting her afterwards, but rationalizes that it's for her own good. Worldliness + Violence


DEMONS: Nathaniel or Constance falls ill.

DEMONS: Brother August finds alcohol easily. It has a very strong effect on him.

DEMONS: Sister Marilla's pregnancy goes wrong. When she gives birth, she will die, as will the baby (unless the Dogs save one of them).

DEMONS: Should anyone (Sister Temperance, for instance) want a gun, they will find one close at hand.

DEMONS: People are impressed by the Steward's preaching, and especially about retribution. People are more and more susceptible to resort to violence if they are wronged.

DEMONS: The streams and creeks that provide the town's water are drying up. Rain hasn't fallen for much too long. The faithful don't have enough water for their crops and livestock. This exacerbates tensions between the faithful. Depending on the season, this manifestation can be replaced with frost, crop or animal disease...


FALSE DOCTRINE: It's OK to hurt someone who is unjustly favored over you.

FALSE DOCTRINE: It's OK to turn to someone else for affection if your husband neglects you.

FALSE DOCTRINE: When the person who has stewardship over you neglects his duties, it's OK to neglect yours.

FALSE DOCTRINE: It's OK to accept a mistreated married woman into your own marriage.


CORRUPT WORSHIP: Sister Temperance prays the King of Life to help her get rid of Sister Marilla.

CORRUPT WORSHIP: The Steward, Brother Hamilton, preaches retribution.

CORRUPT WORSHIP: Sister Temperance neglects her duties towards her husband and her children. She neglects her children's clothes and nutrition, as well as their religious education. As a result, Nathaniel and Constance are scrawny, dirty, and seriously lacking in religious education. They don't attend worship as much as they should.

CORRUPT WORSHIP: The Steward's wife, Sister Adelaide, is smart and understanding. She can see Sister Temperance is having an affair with Brother Hamilton, her husband. But she understands Sister Temperance is in distress. She secretly accepts Sister Temperance into her marriage, as a second wife. She covers for Sister Temperance, frequently asking her over to help with imaginary chores.


FALSE PRIESTHOOD: Sister Temperance is the priestess of a cult, which includes the Steward and his wife.


SORCERY: Sister Temperance is a sorceress. The demons do her bidding. The Steward and his wife are susceptible to possession.


BROTHER AUGUST: He wants the Dogs to talk some sense into Sister Temperance, and make her give up her faithless ways. He still loves her, but he's very sad and embarrassed, and he can't take much more of her shenanigans. He'll say he regrets beating her, but that he doesn't know what else to do. He'll say he has asked the Steward, Brother Hamilton, to talk to her, but that it apparently hasn't done any good. He'll admit to drinking, but he'll say it's her fault. He also wants them to save his children, who are turning into heathen savages. He'll say he can't understand why Sister Temperance can't be more like Sister Marilla.
When Sister Marilla starts giving birth, and it becomes clear that things are going very wrong, he'll want the Dogs to save her and her child (unfortunately, the Dogs will have to chose).
Description: 35 years old. Black beard. Going bald. Looks worried. Acts decisively.
Smells of booze sometimes.

SISTER TEMPERANCE: If the Dogs save Sister Marilla's life, Sister Temperance wants them to invalidate Sister Marilla's marriage with Brother August. She tries to convince the Dogs that it's Sister Marilla's fault that her husband has started drinking alcohol and beating her. She tries to convince them that Sister Marilla's pregnancy problems are probably a consequence of some sin she has committed. She also slams Sister Marilla for criticizing her, while she has no children of her own, and so doesn't know how difficult it is to raise them. On top of that, she'll argue that her husband was doing very well when she was his only wife (he was granted the right to take a second wife after all), and that all their troubles started when he married Sister Marilla. She'll say he never has a kind word or a moment of attention for her since he married Sister Marilla, while she's the one that supported him for so long and gave him two children. She'll say he spends too much money on alcohol, and that there's not enough left for her and her children. She'll say Sister Marilla doesn't care, since she has no children of her own.
If the Dogs save Sister Marilla's life, and refuse to invalidate her marriage, Sister Temperance wants them to marry her to the Steward.
If the Dogs don't save Sister Marilla's life, bad things will happen to Nathaniel or Constance, and Sister Temperance will ask the Dogs to marry her to the Steward.
Description: 30 years old. Black hair. Badly dressed. Looks tired. Acts hysteric.

NATHANIEL & CONSTANCE: They want the Dogs to either give them the care and affection they lack.
Description: 5/10 years old. Black hair. Dirty. Look hungry. Bad mannered.

SISTER MARILLA: Like Brother August, she wants the Dogs to show Sister Temperance the error of her ways, or to punish her (kill her, take her away...) for her terrible behavior. She is confident she has done nothing to make Sister Temperance jealous of her. She says Sister Temperance's behavior is responsible for the fact her husband has started drinking liquor. Sister Marilla also wants the Dogs to help her survive childbirth.
Description: 20 years old. Golden hair. Charming. Looks annoyed. Acts calm.

BROTHER HAMILTON: He wants the Dogs to kiss a few babies and leave. He wants to hide his relationship with Sister Temperance from them. If the Dogs look like they're planning to punish Sister Temperance, he'll side with her (he uses the same arguments she herself uses). He will then ask them to marry Sister Temperance to him instead of to Brother August (he can't do it himself, because he doesn't want to appear like he's stealing someone else's wife... even if he is).
Description: 50 years old. Grey hair. Round features. Looks hard working. Acts passionate.

SISTER ADELAIDE: She wants the same thing as her husband.
Description: 45 years old. Grey/black hair. Over-dressed. Looks wise. Acts soothing.

THE DEMONS: They consider the PCs' arrival both as a threat and an opportunity. A threat because the PCs could unravel everything that's going on. An opportunity because the PCs could start punishing the innocent and shooting everyone full of holes. In the end, they want people to fall into a spiral of retribution.


NPCs WITH A CLAIM TO THE PCs' TIME:
-   Brother August:
o   When Sister Marilla starts giving birth, he'll come to ask the Dogs to save her and her child.
o   Afterwards (or before, if the Dogs come and see him), he'll ask the Dogs to make Sister Temperance fulfill her wifely and motherly duties again.
-   Sister Temperance:
o   If the Dogs save Sister Marilla's life, Sister Temperance will come to ask them to invalidate Sister Marilla's marriage with her husband. If they refuse, she'll ask them to marry her to the Steward.

NPCs WHO CAN'T IGNORE THE PCs' ARRIVAL:
-   Brother August
o   The Dogs are the only ones who might save Sister Marilla and her baby.
o   The Dogs are the only ones who can talk some sense into Sister Temperance, since the Steward apparently didn't succeed.
-   Sister Temperance:
o   If the Dogs save Sister Marilla, they are the only ones who can invalidate her marriage (the Steward won't do it, because it would make him look like a wife-stealer).
-   Brother Hamilton:
o   The Dogs might punish Sister Temperance. In this case, he'll ask them to marry her to him instead.

AN NPC WHO'S DONE HARM, BUT FOR REASONS ANYBODY COULD UNDERSTAND:
-   Brother August has a young and charming young wife, so he neglects his first wife.
-   Sister Temperance is jealous of Sister Marilla.
-   Sister Temperance is depressed and neglects her duties.
-   Brother August is depressed and starts drinking.
-   Brother Hamilton and Sister Temperance have an affair.
-   Sister Adelaide accepts a distressed woman into her marriage.


IF THE DOGS NEVER CAME:
-   Sister Temperance would end up killing Sister Marilla with the demons' help (probably through childbirth complications, or failing that, with poison). This would break Brother August's heart. He would get very drunk and beat Nathaniel or Constance so bad they'd die. This would get him killed by the Steward or the rest of the town (if not, he'd kill himself).
-   Something bad would end up happening to Nathaniel and Constance (disease, fight with other children...).
-   Sister Temperance would end up convincing the Steward to kill Brother August for her, so she could marry him instead. She might trick Brother August into offending Brother Hamilton, who would then have an excuse for retribution. Or she could have Brother Hamilton preach that Brother August is responsible for Marilla's death, and should be punished (killed).


BANGS I MIGHT USE TO GET THINGS ROLLING:

-   After a long ride, as they approach the town, the Dogs notice how dry and dusty everything is. The sky is pure bleu. The grass is yellow, and the earth is brittle. They realize this must be tough on the people in this part of the Faith, who live almost exclusively from what they can grow.

-   The Dogs ride into town. It's Sabbath, so the town's faithful should be worshipping the King of Life in the church. But the Dogs see Nathaniel and Constance fooling around somewhere along the way (perhaps in the mud of one of the half-dried-up streams). The Dogs are surprised by their poor hygiene, their use of vulgar language, and their lack of religious education. This might prompt the Dogs to go and find the children's parents.

-   When the PCs arrive at the church, they hear the end of the Steward's speech. They are impressed at how he captivates the faithful. They might also be surprised by his talk of retribution .

-   The Steward will then ask the Dogs if they would honor the faithful with a few words of wisdom of their own. After worship, the townspeople all celebrate the Dogs' arrival together (food, singing...). They ask the Dogs if they have any mail for them, and what the news is from Bridal Falls. A young woman will ask if they can kiss and "name" her baby. A man will ask them to bless his old sick father. Some people will complain about the lack of rain, and ask the Dogs if they think it'll last much longer, and tell them they hope not, because soon there won't be enough water for everyone.

-   The Steward will then invite the Dogs into his home, to talk about the town's situation (he'll say everything is alright, and try to minimize the drought problem), and to spend the night (he doesn't seem to imply they will need to stay any longer). He tells them his house, like all those of this community, is humble, but that he can set them up in his children's room if they like (implying they might be polite and offer to stay in the barn instead). He tells them his children have left home by now. Some, like his youngest, who has recently married, live in town (Sister Hester). Others have followed their spouses and settled elsewhere (Brother Jebediah and Sister Clementine). One died, while serving as a Dog, killed by non-believing bandits (Brother Newton). When the Dogs arrive at his farm, they find Sister Temperance and Sister Adelaide in the kitchen. The Dogs will notice Sister Temperance's neglected appearance. They will also see she has some bumps and bruises (she'll say she fell). Sister Adelaide will fix the Dogs some lemonade, and Sister Temperance will conveniently be "just leaving". As she does so, she'll say she's always happy to come over and help. Sister Adelaide will then let the Dogs talk with her husband. After dinner, she'll show them her son's Coat, with a bullet-hole in it.

OTHER BANGS:

-   In the middle of the following night, Sister Marilla gives birth, and it's not going well. Brother August comes over to the Steward's farm and asks the Dogs to do something. If appropriate, they will smell alcohol on his breath. When they get there, they will find the neighboring women there, but they are all at a loss about what to do. Sister Marilla is loosing a lot of blood, and the baby's not positioned right. The Dogs can either save Sister Marilla's life or the baby's. They must make a choice. Even so, both can die if the Dogs fail (conflict with demons). Sister Temperance will not be around, either sulking by the fireplace, or outside in the cold.

-   Nathaniel or Constance falls sick, or gets in a fight with another kid and is severely injured.