Hey guys!  I've been lurking around here a lot, reading various towns, replying to a couple of threads.  So I finally decided to give my own try at writing a town, and was inspired by the Salem Witchtrials.  Looking for comments, I think the NPC list may be a bit short but not entirely sure what to add.  I followed the advice, with going all the way to hate and murder and writing a town that made me sick!  I hope you all enjoy!

-Kenyon

The town of Walker's End was founded by Elijah Walker.  The legend is that he carried a holy seed from the East out into the frontier and planted it and founded the town.  Other's tell the legend as he walked west until he arrived at a great tree and founded the town.  However it happened, the town of Walker's End sports a magnificent tree as it's center piece.

Something's Wrong...

Walker's End has seen a tremendous amount of corruption and evil within the town.  Desperate to purge themselves of these unholy boils, the townsfolk have begun watching each other for signs of demonic influence.  Guided by the pure words of blessed children, the faithful have found corrupted soul after corrupted soul.  They have purged each soul but have yet to find the source of the darkness in their town.  So far the corrupted souls have been found in the elders of the town.  However, signs are begining to appear that implicate the younger adults as well.  In a town of a couple hundred, almost a dozen people have been hung or shot in the cleansing.

Pride

Brother Samael was Proud.

Brother Samael was an old father, 54, in a house of four people: himself, his wife, and his two sons.  He was head of his household for a long time and had recently taken a very young wife, Sister Annabelle 22. His previous wife died of consumption and in return for a lifetime of exemplary service, Steward Nathaniel and the elders of Bridal Falls allowed him to marry Annabelle. His eldest son, Brother Timothy 20, was waiting patiently for Samael to pass the head of household to him. Brother Samael became a tyrannical father.  He regularly whipped and beat his children and his young wife as punishment for the slightest transgression. 

Brother Timothy, the eldest son, decided it was time for him to take over the family from his father.  He asked Steward Nathaniel, and Nathaniel told him that the King had not passed the mantle from Samael to Timothy.  For days, Samael and Timothy fought with bitter words.  Unfortunately, it was Annabelle, the wife, and Pleasant, the younger son 12, who boar the brunt of Samael's wrath for Timothy's challenge.

Brother Pleasant came to his older sibling after a harsh beating and begged his brother to do something.  Brother Timothy exaplained knew it was time for Samael to step down and to hand over stewardship of the family, but the King had not yet willed this to happen.  Timothy had prayed and hoped Dogs would come, but nothing came of it.

"Samael is an evil man." The younger brother said, "you have to stop him."

Timothy decided then and there Samael's time had come.  He looked into his younger brother's eyes and saw the will of the King.  Guided by Pleasant's assurance that Samael was evil, Timothy confronted Samael and shot him.  Timothy declared himself head of the house and took Annabelle as his wife.

Pride: Brother Samael believed that he had led the perfect faithful life.  He was given a new bride as a sign of this.  There was no need for him to step down from his position because he was better than Timothy who was too young and rash, not properly tempered to be head of the house.

Injustice: Due to his belief in his own infallability, Samael whipped and beat his wife and children, becoming more ferocious for ever smaller problems. 

Sin: Brother Timothy, believe Pleasant to carry the voice of the King, killed his father Brother Samael.  He claimed Annabelle as his wife and declared himself steward of his house.  After the nightmare of Samael, Annabelle did not object and was happy the King had finally released her from Samael's grip.

Demonic Attacks: Brother Samus and Ezekial had long had their eye on Sister Patience, 18, daughter of Steward Nathaniel.  Nathaniel, however, did not feel that either suitor was appropriate for his daughter.  He felt they were men of "dubious" character and needed to get right with the King before either could court Patience.  When Samael was killed, Steward Nathaniel raced to Samael's house and demanded to know what happened.  It was then that Brother Pleasant, told Steward Nathaniel that he saw the evil in Samael and he had seen the evil in Patience and Althea (the Steward's wife, 41).  At the same time Samus and Ezekial broke into the Steward's house and raped his wife and daughter.  Steward Nathaniel arrived while this was happening and shot all four involved.  He then returned to Brother Timothy and said he recognized the child's sight.

False Doctrine: Dogs are not needed, guidance from prayer is not needed, the eyes of children are blessed by the King and can see those which harbor evil.  Children are unfallable.

Corrupted Worship: Brother Thomas, has devised entreaties to the King to make sure the newly born are blessed with the "divine sight".  Couples have been accepting of this ritual and Steward Nathaniel supports Thomas and Pleasant.

False Priesthood: The moment Nathaniel returned to Thomas and Pleasant after killing his wife, daughter, Samus, and Ezekial the priesthood was made.  Nathaniel leads the priesthood and Pleasant acts a prophet for it.  Though both believe they are enacting the will of the King.

Sorcery: Nathaniel's ritual allows demons to possess the children.  Nathaniel, guided by Pleasant, can direct the demons (though he does not realize this).

Hate and Murder:  The children watch everyone, and if someone upsets the children those adults suddenly become "vessels of evil".  So far those declared "evil" are also the same ones who reject Timothy's rituals and spoke openly about him.  Families and their newborn children are killed as a result.  Sometimes by hanging, sometimes by burning down their house with them in it. Brother Silas is the only one left that rejects Timothy and is still alive.

What do the Townsfolk Want?

Steward Nathaniel (43): Wants the Dogs to damn his soul.  He sees the town destroying itself and believes it is his fault.  He believes that damning his soul and destroying his body will save the town.

Brother Pleasant (Timothy's brother, 12): Wants to be told he did the right thing with Samael.  He wants to be exorcised of the demon inside him.  He also wants forgiveness and for his brother to be forgiven and not killed.  He believes Timothy is doing the right thing but cannot go on by himself.

Brother Timothy (Sorcerer, 20): Wants the Dogs to acknowledge that Dogs are not needed. The town has it well in hand.  After all, the Dogs didn't come when they were needed most and look what's happening.  Timothy believes the pervasive evil in town is the King's way of showing the faithful they must solve these problems on their own, without the Dogs.

Brother Silas (Farmer, 37): He is a holdout.  A farmer that lives several miles outside of town.  He sees what's happening. He ran a food store in town until the day several children pronounced him evil.  He killed a posse of Timothy's faithful and a child when they came to murder him and his family.  He hasn't left the house to deal with the bodies.  He wants the dogs to kill the steward and round up the demon children who are controlling everyone.

Sister Annabelle (Timothy's "wife", 22): Wants to know that Timothy is righteous.  That she is blessed by the King, as is the town, to have a man so willing to do so much to protect the town from this horrible corruption.  Samael was a horrible man that needed to die.  She wants to know she did the right thing by allowing herself to be Timothy's wife.

Sister Serenity: (Wife of Silas, 32) Wants the Dogs to protect her family and to bury the dead that her husband had to shoot.  She believes that Timothy is right but wants Dogs to tell her to solve this.  She wants them to forgive her husband Silas and make him understand the truth of Timothy's words.  She wants her daughter to be exorcised of evil so that the daughter doesn't have to die.

Sister Bethany: (Daughter of Silas, 16) Wants her father brought to the light. Wants the Dogs to do their final duty and pass their authority and power to the faithful people themselves.  She also wishes to be married to Timothy a strong brilliant man fighting a terrible war against the demons of Walker's End.

What do the Demons want?

The demons want the Dogs to transfer their authority to Timothy and others.  They want the Dogs to make sure Silas is killed.  They will do what it takes to cast Timothy in the light of a desparate man waging a desparate fight against the demons.

What would happen if the Dogs didn't come?

Silas would be killed by his own family.

The pronouncements of evil began with primarily elderly folk then spread to those that rejected Timothy's cult.  Once Silas is gone, it will not be too long until the cult turns on itself as the evil vessels become younger and younger.  Eventually only a few children will survive who will flee to nearby towns.

The Steward is in the process of hanging himself when the Dogs arrive.  He holds himself as the cause of all that's happening and hopes Timothy is holding strong against the darkness in the town.