wh1-02-swans_v1 2

WH:DP1-02 Swans of 22

Credits

Author(s): P. Dennis Waltman

Editor(s): Brian Schoner and Gail Reese

Thanks to all the playtesters

Introduction

Pieter Hansen is the pastor of the Dutch Reformed

Church in Boswyck, New Netherlands (on the west

end of Long Island, near modern-day Brooklyn). A devout Calvinist, he is staunchly against drinking

liquor or ale, one of the many sins that the people of

Boswyck commit. He regrets that New Netherlands allows religious freedom and does not crack down

on false faiths, like the Puritans in New England do.

While there are sinners everywhere, he has identified

several specific people in town who tempt his flock and lead them astray. He has prayed for guidance

and spoken in sermons, to no avail.

Then one night, his prayer changed. He asked not for

guidance, but for the hand of the Lord to smite the

evildoers and aid him in bringing his congregation back to the fold of righteousness. He asked the Lord

to send him an angel…and an angel came. The

Archangel Michael arrived with his great sword and

said that he had come to assist Pastor Hansen in this time of need.

Of course, it wasn‟t really the angel Michael, but rather a Demon, who answered this prayer steeped in

Wrath and Pride. Like all demons, it had once been

an angel, but refused from the start to put man above the angels and so was banished. He took the name

Angelmichael so he would always speak the truth to

his victims when he said that he was "the angel

Michael."

The first victim of Pastor Hansen‟s wrath was Sarah

de Groot. She was a dressmaker who occasionally made clothing for men (and had men over,

unchaperoned, for “fittings.”) She had her own

business and had been heard to say that she

remained unmarried by choice. The Pastor also learned that Sarah was skilled with herbs and often

gave women concoctions to help them with their

"woman troubles." The trouble was, women who took Sarah‟s potions generally stopped having

children as well. Pastor Hansen sent his "Angel" to

stop her, and the Demon struggled with her while

she was in bed and strangled her with her

bedclothes. He accidentally lost three feathers from one wing. Her touch was hurtful to him as she was a

Witch Hunter herself, a member of the Fellowship of

the Ashen Cross, though mostly retired.

When given his next victim, the innkeeper who

brews sinful beverages for the village, the Demon

decided to kill him in a more indirect fashion so he did not have to touch him, in case he too was blessed

with goodness.

With two people out of the way, the Demon plans to

have Pastor Hansen commit the next murder

personally, thus sealing his corruption completely.

However the arrival of the Witch Hunters forces the demon to act quickly.

Adventure Summary

While numbered, the scenes in this event will not

necessarily take place in the following order, and some may not take place at all. The players'

decisions will determine the structure of the

adventure after the opening scene.

In Scene 1, the Witch Hunters arrive at the Three

Swans Inn on the outskirts of Boswyck. They may learn about the strange death of Sarah de Groot.

Their peaceful luncheon is interrupted by a bizarre

attack, when the wort which the innkeeper is boiling

seems to come to life and attack him. They may catch a glimpse of Pastor Hansen watching the

attack from a distance.

Scene 2 covers inquiries at Pastor Hansen's church.

The Witch Hunters may learn that Hansen harbored

ill will towards both Sarah de Groot and the innkeeper, and may find a curious book and feather

in the church, but will not have enough evidence to

accuse him of any wrongdoing.

Scene 3 involves a visit to Sarah's brother, who lives

next to the inn. He can provide several useful clues

to the PCs, most notably Sarah's staff, which warns them of impending danger to the innkeeper's son.

Investigations in the village proper are discussed in

Scene 4. These may include inquiries at the other church in town, visits to Sarah's home, and a


potentially rewarding conversation with her solicitor

(lawyer).

In Scene 5, the Witch Hunters return to the Three

Swans, where Angelmichael is preparing to kill the

inkeeper's son as the last part of his infernal bargain with Pastor Hansen. The demon is too powerful for

the Witch Hunters to truly defeat, but they can at

least save the boy, and perhaps see that Pastor Hansen receives appropriate punishment.

Scene 1:

Signs and Portents

Ominous signs and restless dreams started

three days ago. They called you to the village of

Boswyck, in New Netherlands, and you have

almost arrived. It is now Friday. The road has been

long.

The day started overcast, threatening rain, but

nature never lived up to its promised deluge.

Instead, not far from the Boswyck, the sun breaks

from its cloudy prison and touches the land with

brightness. An owl hoots once, as if it too is

surprised at the sudden light. The sun’s glow

reminds you of the hours since your last meal. At

the edge of vision, across the vast tobacco fields,

you spot an Inn, and a few minutes' walk brings

you to its door.

A sign at the front shows three white geese

and has lettering on it, as well. [Characters who

can read Dutch will read it as "The Three

Swans."] The smell of boiling wort comes from

somewhere in the back. The malt aroma promises

ale to be had within – if not now, then in the

future. The smell of roasting meat wafts on the

breeze.

A D2 Myth and Lore check indicates that in

English folklore, three swans is a sign of ill luck when someone sees them. If the character is English

and has the Myth and Lore skill then they get this

without rolling.

Anyone with a D1 Myth and Lore skill check

reveals that an owl hooting in daylight means bad

luck for the rest of the day, especially as dusk approaches.

The Witch Hunters should stop for a bite to eat at the inn. Coax them with rumbling stomachs if

necessary. If they do not and continue down the

street, jump to the boxed text on page 5 "Suddenly,

the back door slams open" and adjust since the PCs

were not inside.

If the PCs go inside the Inn, continue with the following.

The inn has a dozen or so tables and most are

empty this time of day. The proprietor greets you (speaking English)

as you enter and leads you to a table not far from

the other patrons of the establishment, “Good

afternoon, I am Frederick van Rijn, the proprietor

of this inn. I am afraid all we have left for the mid-

day meal is eggs and turnips, meat pie or the

venison soup. I can give you a good spruce ale or a

small beer. What can I bring you?"

Note: Wort is dissolved malt sugars in water, the

first step in making ale or beer. Wort has a distinct malt aroma that most people who frequent ale

houses would have smelled before. Hops being

uncommon in the New World, ales were spiced with more native ingredients, spruce and pine being

common. Small beer is a barely fermented malt

beverage that is sweet, with very little alcohol.

Frederick will take the characters' food and/or drink

orders. He does have well water and goat‟s milk, for

those who want it, and some apple cider that was not alcoholic when laid down in the fall but has aged

and fermented over the months since. Once he has

taken orders, he will head to the kitchen to prepare them.

At this point, character, descriptions would be

appropriate. Characters will recognize each other as fellow Witch Hunters, and so might well move

together to talk and discuss the luck (?) to have so

many of their number in one place.

When Frederick returns with food and drinks, he

will try to engage the characters in conversation. He likes to talk and to listen, and can answer some basic

questions of the characters and provide information

and rumors that he knows.

GM Note: The purpose of this part of the game is to

get the PCs to like Frederick as a person. If the

characters have a connection with him, his death or


disfigurement gives much more of a horrific aspect

to the game. Do not spend too much time on this, but encourage characters to talk and interact with

Frederick as well as with each other.

Frederick is a widower, his wife died giving

birth to twin daughters five years ago. The daughters died a year later from the pox. He

has a son William that helps him with the

Inn, a son Joris who is an apprentice bookbinder in New Amsterdam, and a son

Hans who serves on an East India Company

ship.

Frederick can brag that Boswyck now has

over 400 residents including two churches,

the Dutch Reform and Lutheran and two

inns. And a Catholic priest comes through town every couple of weeks.

Frederick will sell his spruce ale or small

beer on any day of the week except Sunday. On Sundays he is closed. If people need a

place to stay, he clears the common room

and lays down some pallets for them to sleep on. There is a stable for about six horses as

well.

If asked about anything strange happening in

the village, he doesn‟t know of too many strange things. A robin flew in his inn the

day before, but since it flew in and out of the

door, he didn‟t take it as an ill omen He hasn‟t heard an owl hoot in day or anything

like that. If he is asked, an owl hooting in

the day time is considered bad luck for the rest of the day.

A D1 Myth and Lore check reveals that if the robin

had flown in the door and out the window that would mean very bad luck, perhaps even a death in

the house.

The weather recently has been overcast,

raining by the end of the day. It has been a

little cooler than usual, but otherwise quite

pleasant. Crops have been planted without

delay. He heard that the farmers expect a good crop of tobacco and corn this year.

Frederick is quite open-minded when it comes to his

patrons. Woman, Indians, Frenchmen, Catholics, and virtually anyone else are all given the same

greetings and good hosting.

Note: Anyone who drinks a Spruce Beer prior to the Wort-event receives +1 to Toughness for the day.

Fredrick van Rijn (Merchant)

STR 3 EDU 2 COU 2

AGI 3 REA 4 INT 3

TOU 3 WIL 2 PER 4 Health Track: 6/5/3/3/2 Skills: Speak Dutch 3 (L), Speak English 2 (L), Hand to Hand 1, Charm 3, Empathy 3, Evaluate 1, Gossip 1, Notice 3, Animal Care 1, Trade (brewer) 2, Pantomime 3, Ride 1 Talents: Haggler (Merchant), Expertise +1 Trade (brewer) Initial Disposition: Friendly

The back door opens with a slam, and along

with the young man that hurries into the room

comes the strong aroma of wort, this time with a

clear smell of spruce to it. “Father,” the young

man calls, “it's time to add the other spices.”

Frederick nods, and says, “This is my son William.

I need to see to the spices, I’ll be back. William

here will be you host until I return.” Frederick

heads out the back, closing the door carefully so it

does not slam. The young man, who is probably

fourteen or fifteen years old but stands nearly as

tall as his father, turns to you and asks, “Is there

something I can get for you?”

After the father has gone from the public

room, William says to you, “Father thinks his

special spices are a big secret, but most of the

village knows he puts spruce, hemp, and chicory in

it. The seamstress says – said – there is willow bark

in there too. A right medicinal brew, my father

makes.” William frowns, and continues, “I guess I

won’t hear Miss De Groot go on about the brew

any more.”

William is not nearly as tolerant as his father. He

will not speak to Indians or French characters unless there are no others present, and then he is very

clearly reluctant. He does not give less service, food,

or drink, but is not friendly to such characters. William does not understand English, but he has a

variety of other languages.


If the characters ask for elaboration:

William will say the seamstress, Sarah de

Groot, had a fit two weeks ago and died. Some

animal probably scared her. She was really scared

of any animal other than cows and dogs.

If the characters ask further about Sarah:

William will say that the adults all said she

died in her sleep, but he is friends with Hans

Christiansen, the doctor’s son, and he heard she

was all tangled up in her bed clothes and they

found three big feathers in her room.

Other information William knows about Sara de

Groot:

William knows that Sarah de Groot sometimes

saw men in her house without a chaperone, and

that she had the audacity to comment that she

chose never to marry. William van Rijn (Merchant)

STR 2 EDU 3 COU 1 AGI 2 REA 4 INT 3 TOU 2 WIL 2 PER 5

Health Track: 4/3/2/2/1 Skills: Speak Dutch 3 (L), Speak English 1, Speak Spanish 1, Speak German 1, Speak Latin 1, Knife 1, Charm 3, Deceive 1, Empathy 1, Evaluate 1, Gossip 1, Notice 3, Animal Care 3, Trade (brewer) 1, Pantomime 1, Stealth 1 Talents: Haggler (Merchant) Initial Disposition: Neutral

Only basic questioning can take place before the

next incident happens. There is enough time to have

William provide his information if asked, but he cannot elaborate.

Suddenly, the back door slams open, and an

extended scream of fear and pain echoes through

the common room. The scream stops for but a

breath before beginning again, this time with more

anguish. The scream stops and begins again,

proceeded with a garbled, “Lord help me it burns”

in Frederick’s voice.

William grows pale, and cries, “He must have

spilled hot wort on himself! I’ll get the doctor.”

William rushes out the front door.

Note: Count the rounds it takes for the player

characters to move out back. If they take more than

one round, this counts against Frederick's survival

rounds.

The brew house sits next to the kitchen

building in the yard behind the inn. The red-hot

cast iron kettle sits on a cast iron stand with a wood

fire beneath. The sweet wort is not just boiling as it

should be, but has extended three long tentacles of

boiling wort to grab and hold Frederick van Rijn.

His skin is black where the wort tentacles hold him.

As you arrive, one tentacle reaches towards the

door you are coming out of.

Fear Difficulty 1

Trained Knowledge: Science D1 or General

Knowledge D2: A wood fire should not get a cast iron kettle so hot.

Notice D2: A man in a pastor‟s cassock is

apparently watching from a church some 300 yards away. He turns away during the first round and goes

into his church.

Notice D3: There seem to be no sounds from outside

the inn making it to the yard.

When combat begins, please use the GM Combat

sheet, Appendix 1.

The wort tentacles are a manifestation of the Demon‟s power. The tentacles go last in the

initiative order, and have no Defense Points. The

tentacles have Strength 3 and Grapple 3. When they first hit an opponent, they do 1 point of damage; if

they hold their grapple, they do 2 damage each

round.

Frederick starts with two of the tentacles grappling

him. He has taken 6 damage so far. He is completely

petrified with fear and is not resisting the grapple. When he takes 19 total damage he will die. Two

tentacles holding the grapple will do that much

damage in 4 rounds.

Attacking the tentacles: The wort tentacles do not

take or track damage in the normal way; each

tentacle must be severed in a single blow. This requires a D2 attack roll using a melee weapon with

a DM of at least +3; smaller weapons, or fewer

successes, inflict only shallow "wounds" that


instantly refill with more wort and have no effect on

the tentacles. Severing a tentacle will release a burst of hot steam, which does 4 damage to the character

severing it; each success on a Reflexes check

reduces this damage by one.

Shooting into the kettle (whether with guns or

offensive magic) will cause a cloud of hot wort to

splash all those adjacent to the kettle, doing 2 points of damage.

A D2 Grapple roll will enable a character to pry one tentacle loose from Frederick. However, given the

heat and danger from the boiling wort, making such

an attack will require a D2 Resolve check first, and

will do damage equal to (8 minus the number of successes on the attack roll) to the character making

the attempt. If this succeeds, however, the character

doing so should certainly gain a Hero Point if Frederick survives.

If Frederick is pulled away from the kettle, or all three tentacles are severed, the tentacles stop,

Frederick passes out, the fire goes out, and the kettle

begins to cool naturally.

Tipping the cauldron: The characters may also try

to tip the red-hot cauldron over, spilling the wort.

Angelmichael is mystically holding it in place. It takes a total of (2x the number of players)

successes on a Strength check to tip the kettle. With

each success the kettle visibly tips so the characters

know they are making progress. A maximum of three characters can work together on this task (two

pushing and one pulling), using the standard

"Working Together" rules (Witch Hunter,p. 103). A character pulling the kettle toward himself will

receive a bonus die on his Strength check, but

should be aware that the boiling wort will probably spill onto him when the cauldron finally tips. Again,

if this saves Frederick's life, a Hero Point is certainly

appropriate.

Characters pushing or pulling the kettle with their

bare hands will take 5 points of damage per round,

minus one per success on an Endurance check. Characters wearing heavy gloves, using levers, or

otherwise manipulating the cauldron without using

their bare hands should receive bonus dice on the Endurance check to resist this damage.

Any tentacles not grappling Frederick will attack

those trying to tip the kettle, grappling them to get the characters to stop.

Once the kettle is tipped over, the wort explodes in a

cloud of sugar steam and the tentacles dissolve. Anyone in close proximity to the kettle when it is

tipped (including those pushing it, and possibly

Frederick) takes 5 points of damage, minus one per success on an Endurance check. – gloves and levers

do not help here. A character pulling on the kettle

will take 10 points of damage minus one per success on an Endurance check. If still conscious, Frederick

will pass out from his injuries at this point.

Breaking the stand: The kettle stand counts as reinforced metal for purposes of breaking it (see

Witch Hunter, p. 106).

Using Magic: Once Frederick begins to scream,

anyone starting a non-Prayer-based spell or ritual

smells rotted meat very strongly. Inform the player of this and ask if the character is continuing to cast.

Successfully casting a non-Prayer spell or using a

ritual requires a D1 True Faith check to avoid

gaining a point of Damnation. Once the tentacles are defeated, the risk to magic or rituals goes away.

The Doctor: The doctor, Anibal Christiansen, lives only a few

houses down. He will rush back with William since

he knows how serious the injury could be. It takes

him 5 minutes to arrive, which leaves plenty of time for the player characters to save Frederick and

investigate the scene. Anibal is not a Physician by

education, but knows something of the healing arts and herbalism for the farmers in the area.

Anibal Christiansen (Grave Robber)


Health Track: 4/3/2/2/1 Skills: Speak Dutch 3 (L), Speak Latin 2 (L), Speak English (1), Charm 1, Ride 1, Climb 1, Firearm 1, Hand to Hand 1, Evaluate 1, Endurance 1, Resolve 3, Search 1, Heal 4, Herbalism 2, and Stealth 3 Talents: Seen it All (roll Resolve twice, take best), Night Vision, Skilled (Heal) Weapons: Pistol, Knives (3) Initial Disposition: Neutral


If Frederick dies, Dr. Christiansen will take William

back to his home three farms down, leaving the body in the inn for later tending.

If Frederick survives, he will remain unconscious.

Dr. Christiansen will treat his immediate burns, then take him upstairs to his room above the inn to tend

him with William‟s help. This frees the PCs to

investigate. A character with the Physician background will be able to tell that "Doctor"

Christiansen is not formally trained as a physician.

Any signs of magic use by the PCs will be treated as

witchcraft by Dr. Christiansen and William; an

appropriate Charm roll will resolve this without any

hard feelings, but William will not allow any further magic to be used on his father.

If Frederick survives, Dr. Christiansen will be happy to answer some questions for those who helped his

neighbor. Otherwise a Charm, Command or

Intimidate check is needed to question him.

If asked about Sarah de Groot’s death:

Sarah de Groot died in her sleep two weeks ago. She

had a fit of some type She was very afraid of animals and there were three large owl feathers

found in her room. She is survived by her brother

Eric de Groot who owns the property on the on the back side of the Inn.

If asked what happened to the feathers:

He believes that, like her other effects, the feathers were left in her house on Rose Lane.

If asked about the Pastor: He knows that Pastor Hansen did not get along well

with either Frederick or Sarah de Groot. The pastor

is a Calvinist and the innkeeper a Lutheran. Dr. Christiansen never saw Sarah go to Church. The

Pastor has been here eleven years.

If asked about another or the other inn: The other inn is presently closed, because its owner

and his family took a trip to Amsterdam to claim an

inheritance.

If the characters go to the Dutch Reformed Church

(Pastor Pieter Hansen), go to Scene 2.

If the characters go to the Eric de Groot‟s farm, go to

Scene 3.

If the characters go into the village proper, go to

Scene 4.

Scene 2:

Dutch Reformed Church

If the characters noticed someone watching the

combat from the church and then entering the church,.an obvious point to start their investigations

would be with that person and that church.

Note: The Dutch Reformed Church is the official

church of the Dutch colonies and homeland. The

Dutch have a strong sense of religious freedom, so

while they have an official church, other churches can freely practice.

The church is a simple white church with a

single centered bell tower. There is an attached

rectory with small vegetable garden. In front of the

church is a sun dial eight feet across with a stone

bench at each side.

If the characters go inside, continue:

The church is simple on the inside as well.

There is a single bell that is rung with a rope pull.

Inside are pews for about a hundred people and a

lectern with a large Bible. The church has

openings high on the walls and under the eaves,

which have slotted shutters for the colder months.

A white man in his early thirties, wearing

spectacles, with brown hair, in a Dutch Reformed

Church cassock stands at the lectern. He is clearly

practicing a sermon as you enter, finishing with

“The fact that some receive from God the gift of

faith within time, and that others do not, stems

from his eternal decision. For all his works are

known to God from eternity – “

Trailing off, he looks at you. “How may I help

you?”

If people come into his church visibly armed he will

tell them to leave their weapons at the door, saying

that "this is a place of the Lord, a place of peace." In this case daggers are not considered weapons, but

even gentlemen must leave their rapiers at the door.

If asked about the commotion at the tavern: Pastor Hansen can honestly say he did not hear

anything going on at the Inn. He also does not see


far distances well with his eyesight and noticed

something going on, but he figured it was just "further debauchery by those who tempt men to

partake in strong drink."

D2 Empathy and the PC will be able to tell that Pastor Hansen is pleased if Frederick is mentioned

as being maimed or killed. D3 Notice and a PC will

hear a strange inflection in the pastor‟s voice denoting the same sense of satisfaction / pleasure

noted above.

If the characters mention an odd occurrence at

the brew kettle:

Pastor Hansen will not ask what it was, but only say

something like, "No good can come to a man who

would brew and serve the devil's liquid on days we

have services." Note that today is Friday. The

church has services on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

Characters who explore the church a little while others talk with the pastor should make a Notice

check. Whoever rolls the most successes will see a

book under the back pew that has had a place

marked with a large white feather.

The book is entitled The Decision of the Synod of

Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands and is written in Latin on one

side of the page and Dutch on the other. It is an

exposition on five points of doctrine in dispute in

17th century Dutch Calvinist Churches. The feather

marks a summary of the first six articles of faith,

with Article 4 circled in red ink (blood); give the

players Player Handout #1.

A D3 Heal or Trained Knowledge (Science) check

will indicate that the "red ink" is blood without tasting it. Otherwise, wetting one‟s finger and tasting

the ink will confirm it is blood…but tasting a

demon's blood has consequences! First, the tasting

character must roll a D2 Toughness or Will check or lose 1 point of Reason and 1 point of Will for the

rest of the day due to sudden feelings of dizziness

and nausea. Regardless of the result of this check, the character will have a -2 die penalty on all checks

made against Angelmichael. Finally, the character

will take a permanent -1 die penalty to all Will checks against Demons until the curse is removed.

The feather is pure white, and two feet long. A D2

Survival or Trained Knowledge (Science) check can deduce it is like a white owl feather, but the

wingspan would have to be 20 feet or more across.

A D4 Myth and Lore check can deduce it matches

descriptions of an angel‟s feather.

Any character that smelled the rotted-meat smell in

the wort tentacle fight smells the aroma strongly again when touching or handling the feather and

must make a D1 True Faith check to resist gaining

one point of damnation. Only one damnation point can be gained in this manner, so if the character

failed the first check, they do not have to make this

one. Likewise, continuing to handle the feather can

only result in one damnation point for the game.

One person who destroys the feather by burning it,

gains a Hero Point. Only one HP can be gained in this manner, so burning more than one feather has no

benefit to a single character.

If Pastor Hansen is asked about the feather: He will say that perhaps one of this parishioners left

it; certainly the feather does not belong to him (true).

If asked about angels:

Pastor Hansen will admit to having seen angels

before (true). He will not provide any details, stating that such things are between him and the Lord.

If confronted about the attack on Fredrick: Pastor Hansen will admit that he prayed that Frederick would be punished for his actions in this

world, just as he would surely be punished in the

next. However, he is truthful when he says he took no action against him. “Perhaps the hand of the

Lord is in the disaster.” He will encourage any non-

Calvinists in the party to convert.

If asked about Sarah de Groot: He will reply, “She was a godless heathen, and the

devils whore, who did her lover‟s work in this world. She took men into her home without a

chaperone. She attended neither church in the

village. She has been said to have drank wine on Sundays. And she did the devil's work with herbs to

prevent women from obeying the Lord‟s command

at the beginning of time, „Be fruitful and multiply.‟ The Lord sent an angel to this town to wipe her taint

from the land.” He will denounce her as a witch that


got what she had coming to her. Though again, he

did not do anything to her himself.

Pastor Hansen knows that Sarah de Groot‟s brother

lives next to the Three Swans, but will not speak of

it. He will say that the man is in mourning (explaining why he is wearing all black) and is not a

member of his congregation.

Note: Pastor Hansen has no recollection of asking

Karl Anders to dig a grave, nor of paying him for it.

If attacked, Pastor Hansen will not defend himself;

at this point accepting death instead of committing

violence by his hand. This will stop further attacks,

though Angelmichael will try and finish off William and Frederick as part of the original bargain.

Pastor Pieter Hansen (Priest)


Health Track: 4/3/2/2/1 Skills: Speak Dutch 3, Read Dutch, Speak Latin 1, Read Latin, Speak English 1, Speak French 1, Charm 1, Command 3, Intimidate 4, Resolve 2, Concentrate 3, Research 1, Subterfuge 2, Trained Knowledge (Philosophy & Theology) 3, Grapple 1. Talents: Skilled (Intimidate), Night Vision. Once per scene he may negate 3 hits from True Faith. True Faith: 3 Damnation: 1 Initial Disposition: Neutral (Hostile to anyone with the smell of alcohol on their breath (3 or more drinks))

Scene 3:

Neighbor

It is quite possible that the characters might visit

Eric more than once. It is also possible that the adventure will end before the party checks out the

village, if the right words are used to Eric.

Eric de Groot is a local tobacco farmer. He has been out doing chores in his yard. Eric de Groot is a forty-

year old white man, slightly taller than average, with

brown hair and brown eyes. He is wearing black work clothing. He is Sarah de Groot's brother, and

remains in mourning.

If asked about hearing the commotion at the

tavern: He heard nothing unusual from the tavern. He could

smell the wort of course, but that was a nice smell.

He usually spends a few hours each day at the tavern

taking in a few ales and the occasional late cider.

If asked about his family, including his sister:

His wife and six daughters have gone to New Amsterdam for a few days to pick up supplies and to

get away from this area. His two sons (Eric and

Hans) are in the Dutch Navy.

Both Eric and Sarah were of the Roman Catholic

faith. A priest makes a circuit once every couple

weeks and they take confession and communion at that time. When Eric married, he converted to the

Lutheranism of his wife‟s family.

Eric can relate that Sarah was found wrapped up in

her blanket. She had apparently had a fit of some

type and accidentally strangled herself (Eric doesn‟t believe it either).

Pastor Hansen had denounced Sarah from his pulpit

for being a heathen woman, and stated that no one should do business with her. Given that Sarah was

the only competent seamstress around, and for that

matter could tailor men‟s clothing as well, few people followed his instructions, and several had

commented to Eric that they thought Pastor Hansen

was being unduly harsh. Eric knows that Sarah was

also skilled with herbs.

When Sarah was younger, she traveled widely,

mostly in Europe. She had a very bad encounter with animals in Western Prussia, and had been deathly

afraid of them since.

Her solicitor, the executor of her will, is in

Boswyck. Eric and his wife each received money in

her will; with a successful Charm check he will tell

them that they received ₤25 each.

Eric also has one of the feathers found in Sarah‟s

bedroom. Treat it as the first feather found (see Scene 2) with the exception that destroying it will

not give a character a second Hero Point. Eric keeps

the feather wrapped in cotton cloth.


If asked specifically if anything odd happened

around his place or regarding Sarah: Sarah asked to be buried face down. He does not

know why, but assumes it was in her will. (A D2

Myth and Lore or Occult check reveals that face

down burials are uncommon, but have been used in some cultures to make it more difficult for corpses to

dig their way out (they tend to dig in the wrong

direction). They are also characteristic of people who have been buried alive.)

Sarah went to the Rhode Island colony to have her Last Will and Testament drawn up. Her lawyer is in

Bosywyck at the moment, though he is originally

from Rhode Island.

At her burial in the village cemetery, there were

three woman of Sarah‟s age he had never seen

before. None of them spoke Dutch. They shed no tears.

If he is told that Sarah has gone hunting again (or

shown the note (Player Handout 2)):

He will bring out the quarterstaff/walking stick that

she carried and kept with her as she traveled (to

drive away animals she said). Beyond his understanding, it was found outside his door the

night she died. The walking stick is made of ash

wood and has many carvings on it; the top of the staff is an elaborate crucifix (not a cross). All along

the sides of the staff are carvings of rosaries and the

Virgin Mary. It is clearly a Catholic item.

Anyone touching the staff with with the Demon

feathers in their possession leaves mud on the staff

where they touch it – smelly rotting swamp mud. There is nothing special about the mud, though it

goes away within minutes if the person stops

touching the staff.

A character with Damnation points takes damage

equal to their Damnation points each time they

handle the staff, each success on an Endurance

check will eliminate one point of this damage.

A Witch Hunter that handles the staff will hear Sarah‟s spirit. Eric has also heard Sarah speak

through the staff, but assumed he was hearing things

and will not tell the PCs about this unless they say they hear her as well. He will willingly give the staff

to those who speak of Sarah going hunting again.

When the staff is handled by the PCs:

Sarah will tell them that she was a Fellow of the Ashen Cross and that she was slain by a Demon in

the guise of an Angel. Her gift of foresight told her

that Frederick would be the next to be attacked,

followed by his son the very same day; then her brother, then the Lutheran Pastor, and finally Father

Henri (the traveling Catholic priest).

She will ask the person holding the staff to give their

word that they will stop the Demon, and if the

character has no Damnation points, ask that the character take the staff with them, so that she might

be present at the defeat of evil.

She will say that Eric has also heard her, and, if they have not already told him the phrase, to tell him that

Sarah must again hunt.

Sarah is insistent that Frederick and William are in

great danger. If the player characters do not go to

their location after this warning,within two hours, then Fredrick and William will both die (go to

Conclusion B).

Eric de Groot (Laborer)


Skills: Speak Dutch 3 (L), Speak English 1, Speak German 1, Hand to Hand 2, Firearms 1, Command 1, Construct (Leatherwork) 1, Swim 1, Ride 3, Drive 3, Endurance 3, Gossip 2, Swim 1, and Trade (Farmer) 4, Trained Knowledge (Politics) 1 Talents: Combat Driving, Danger Sense Sturdy: Once per day per point of your Toughness score, you can shrug off a number of hits equal to your Toughness.

True Faith: 2 Initial Disposition: Neutral.

If the player characters heed Sarah‟s warning they

should move to Scene 5.

If the player characters want to speak to Pastor

Hansen, go to Scene 2.

If the player characters want to visit the village peoper, go to Scene 4.


Scene 4:

It Takes a Village

This scene covers various matters in the village of

Boswyck. There are a variety of NPCs that can be found, and some can even give useful information.

Gossip: Sarah de Groot is still a focus of conversation in the

village. A Gossip check will take an hour and will

get one piece of information per success. Each additional hour spent also gets an extra piece of

information if at least one success is rolled. Give out

information that the player characters don‟t already know. If more than one character seeks out gossip,

they should not get the same information.

Sarah de Groot died two weeks ago when she had a fit and accidentally strangled

herself

Sarah de Groot was buried without the

benefit of clergy in the village cemetery (not true, but neither pastor in the village did it)

Eric de Groot, her brother, was an heir. He

has a farm outside the village next to the Three Swans Inn.

Sarah was attacked by owls when she died.

A week before her death Pastor Hansen

denounced her as a witch. Most of his congregation thought this was excessive,

and few followed his instructions to boycott

her business; a few even left his church over the matter. Pastor Hansen also spoke at

length of the evils of alcohol and those who

brew it.

Sarah had an English attorney draw up her

last Will and Testament. The attorney is in

the village arranging the sale of her

property.

Sarah was the best seamstress for miles

around and could tailor men‟s clothing as

well.

Sarah did indeed have men in her home

without a chaperone, but only in respect to

her business.

Sarah was skilled with herbs and had many

remedies for ailments.

Sarah has lived in the village for seven

years. Before that she lived in Prussia.

Many times, Sarah was heard to say that she

chose not to marry because she did not need

a man to support her or run her business.

Sarah‟s house is the third right-hand house

on Rose Lane heading out of the village.

To a woman only: Sarah had things to help

women at their time.

To a woman of at least 30 years of age

only: Women who had had 4 or more

children could go to Sarah to get something to prevent more pregnancies. Sarah would

only give it to a woman who had given birth

4 or more times.

Village Cemetery

The village cemetery is surrounded by a

wrought iron fence. Most markers are tasteful in

size and shape, but there are a few more ornate

ones as well. There is a freshly dug grave; the smell

of the earth is fresh, and the dirt pile loose. A man

in working clothes tends one of the graves with an

ornate headstone.

Sarah de Groot‟s grave is well tended. Her headstone has a cross upon it, the words “Sister

Sarah de Groot” on the first line. “Order of Saint

Eugenia” on the second line, and Job 4:3-4 on the third line.

A D2 Trained Knowledge (Theology) check will

identify the Bible verse, or a character with a Bible on hand can simply look it up:

Job 4:3 Behold, you have instructed many,

and have made firm their feeble hands.


Job 4:4 Your words have upheld the

stumbler; you have strengthened his

faltering knees.

A D3 Trained Knowledge (Theology) check

(Catholic or Anglican characters need one less success) will identify Saint Eugenia. A martyred

saint in the early Christian years, she wore men‟s

clothing to escape initial persecution and pretended to be a man when she entered a monastery,

eventually becoming abbot. The order is unknown to

the character.

Karl Anders, the laborer, will not approach the

characters, assuming that they are here to pay their

respects to someone. However, if approached, he will be happy to converse with the characters. Karl Anders (Mercenary)


Health Track: 8/6/4/4/2 Skills: Charm 2, Concentrate 2, Endurance 3, Firearms 3, Gamble 1, Hand-to-Hand 3, Notice 1,

Parry 3, Reflexes 3, Ride 2, Speak Dutch 3 (L), Speak German 1, Speak Spanish 2, Track 1, and Trade (Grave Digging) 1 Talents: Second Wind, Charismatic, Lucky Damnation: 1 Initial Disposition: Neutral

If questioned, Karl has the following to share: Karl originally came to the village to visit his

father‟s grave. He found the village quite peaceful

and the graveyard ill-tended. He has stayed on,

doing odd jobs in the village and keeping the cemetery tended. He was paid by Pastor Hansen who

asked for Sarah's grave to be dug the day prior to her

funeral.

He was present for the burial of Sarah de Groot. A

Catholic Priest and three women came to her service, as well as her brother. He had heard that the

woman had been placed face down in her coffin, but

he did not see it himself. The priest stayed after the

service, waiting for Karl to fill the grave. The priest put in beads and water at different times as he filled

her grave.

A D1 Myth and Lore check can confirm that many

creatures of the night feel pain at the touch of

blessed water or rosaries. Such precautions would

make it painful for such beings to dig in the grave.

A D2 Myth and Lore or Occult check reveals that

face down burials are uncommon, but have been

used in some cultures to make it more difficult for corpses to dig their way out (they tend to dig in the

wrong direction). They are also characteristic of

people who have been buried alive.

Note: If the party is small or weak and are fairly

open about their investigation, they can hire Karl to

help them for 4s. He will make it plain that he is getting tired of hanging around the village and will

soon move on to find some excitement. He has

worked for merchants to protect merchandise in the past. He will pick up his satchel and go with them. It

has two pistols, a powder horn, 20 shot, three knives

and a club (all mostly for dealing with thugs or

animals). Karl has seen many odd things in his career, but nothing as odd as Angelmichael. He has

seen Animist spellcasting before.

Lutheran Church On the edge of town is a very small church, probably

only big enough for twenty people. Beside it, a much larger church has been built, clearly finished in the

last year. Outside the smaller church is the Lutheran

Pastor, Torick Johannsen.

He is happy to speak to the player characters, but he

will be interested in why they are asking so many

questions.

What Pastor Torick Johannsen knows:

He did not know Sarah de Groot, as she was not a member of his flock. He knew of her as the

seamstress and someone who had gained the ire of

Pastor Hansen. Her brother is a member of his flock.

Pastor Hansen denounced Sarah as a witch, but

Pastor Johannsen discounted these accusations.

Pastor Hansen is vehemently against strong drink,

and since Sarah was of the Catholic Church, she

drank wine as part of her worship. He knows that a Catholic Priest comes through the village about once

a month, and he assumes she took the rites then.

When Pastor Johanssen came here there were few Lutherans. In the three years he has been here his

congregation has grown from 20 to 200. In fact,

several families left Pastor Hansen‟s church after he


began denouncing sinners left and right. In Pastor

Johannsen‟s experience, few Dutch Reformed clergy are as intolerant as Pastor Hansen seems to be.

Torick Johanssen (Priest)


Health Track: 4/3/2/2/1 Skills: Speak Dutch 3 (L), Speak Latin 1 (L), Speak Swedish 1, Speak Iroquois 1, Deceive 1, Command 3, Charm 4, Resolve 2, Concentrate 3, Research 1, Subterfuge 2, Trained Knowledge (Philosophy & Theology) 3, and Firearm 3. Talents: Skilled (Firearms), Night Vision. Once per scene he may negate 3 hits from True Faith. True Faith: 2 Initial Disposition: Friendly

Sarah de Groot’s house As the characters approach the house that has been

identified as Sarah de Groot‟s, a well-dressed man is

exiting the house. He is carrying a brief-case. This is Thomas Chandler, a lawyer.

GM Note: Keep track of the name of the character that FIRST speaks to Thomas Chandler. This

character is the beneficiary.

What Thomas Chandler will share: He is from the Rhode Island colony and is English.

Sarah de Groot came to him a year ago to have a

Last Will and Testament drawn up and she did not want it done by anyone in the Dutch colony.

If the PCs approach and begin questioning

without proper respect and protocol: Thomas is very close-mouthed about Sarah‟s affairs.

He was named executor of her will and has been inventorying her belongings for sale, but to nosy

characters he will only say that he is the executor of

her will and he has business there.

If the characters are interested in going inside, he

will not care to show them, but will tell them that the

villagers cleaned up inside so if they wanted to see where the “witch” lived, they were too late.

If the PCs act appropriately and introduce

themselves before questioning Thomas The FIRST character who introduces himself/herself

will cause Thomas to brighten up, and invite that

character and his/her friends inside the house. He

will announce that Sarah de Groot named that person

as a beneficiary in her Last Will and Testament. He will take notes out the case, give the character a

small package, and have them sign a document or

make their mark. If necessary, the will can include a

few details to make clear that it is referring to that specific character.

Inside the package are ₤5 and a letter addressed to the character (the character‟s full real name and any

titles). Inside is a single piece of parchment; provide

Player Handout #2 (it is in the native language of the character).

To the beneficiary he has no problem discussing

details of the Will. Sarah came to him in the Rhode Island Colony a

year ago to have her last will and testament drawn

up.

There were fourteen persons named in her Will, each

getting packages that usually contained money and some words of wisdom; her brother‟s wife received

₤25 he knows.

The house and its contents are to be sold and the proceeds sent to one Bishop Adolphus in the

Prussian town of Marienburg.

If asked, he will confirm that Sarah asked to be

buried face down and with both hands severed (but

placed in the coffin). He does not know the

significance of this.

If asked about large feathers, he will say that he

found one such item under her bed, but it made him feel uncomfortable, so he burned it.

Thomas Chandler (Lawyer)

STR 1 EDU 4 COU 4 AGI 3 REA 4 INT 2 TOU 2 WIL 3 PER 2 Health Track: 4/3/2/2/1 Skills: Speaks English 3 (L), Speak Dutch 1 (L), Speak Latin 4 (L), Charm 2, Deceive 2, Intimidate 2, Research 2, and Trained Knowledge (Law) 4, Resolve 1 Talents: Basic Hermeticist, Greater Hermeticism, Expertise +1 (Law) True Faith: 5 Damnation: 2 Initial Disposition: Neutral except to clients or beneficiaries.


When making an Interaction roll to convince another character of something, you may substitute Reason for Personality. In addition, on any Reason-based action roll, you can re-roll a single die result of 1.

Thomas Chandler is a potential contact for the Witch Hunters if they meet him. He is a lawyer in

Providence in the Rhode Island colony. He has had

contact with odd things, and is not ruffled by them.

Wandering Around It is possible that the characters will not meet with Thomas Chandler in a meaningful way; will not get

much help at the cemetery and will not find aid in

Gossip.

Pick the character with the most outlandish name or

the character who comes from the farthest away

location. This character becomes the beneficiary named in Sarah de Groot‟s will. Thomas Chandler

has been going around the town trying to find this

person, whom Sarah assured him would be in Boswyck when he went to execute the will. The

name and the homeland of this person are so

outlandish that some of the locals find it quite funny.

The characters will come upon one Aelbert Cuyp

laughing to himself. He will settle down to a more

appropriate somber demeanor when the player characters come by, but he can‟t keep a smile from

his lips.

When asked what is funny or humorous

The English lawyer asked if he knew of the

whereabouts of a resident who had no chance of

actually living in the village. Aelbert found the Englishman and his insistence that the person lived

in the village quite funny. He will provide the name

of the person.

If a character admits that he is that person, Aelbert

will stop chuckling, be very shocked, and leave saying, perhaps Pastor Hansen was right about Sarah

being a witch.

Aelbert Cuyp (Merchant)


Health Track: 4/3/2/2/1 Skills: Speak Dutch 3 (L), Speak French 1, Speak German 1, Speak Latin 1, Knife 1, Charm 3, Deceive 1, Empathy 1, Evaluate 1, Gossip 1, Notice 3, Animal Care 1, Trade (cartwright) 3, Pantomime 1, Stealth 1 Talents: Haggler (Merchant) Initial Disposition: Neutral

This should direct the characters back to Thomas

Chandler, who they can find wandering the village,

giving them an additional chance to interact appropriately with him. If the characters meet

Thomas Chandler in this manner, he is not a

potential contact for them.

If the characters go to the Dutch Reformed Church

(Pastor Pieter Hansen), go to Scene 2.

If the characters go to Eric de Groot‟s farm, go to

Scene 3.

If the characters return to the Inn of Three Swans,

there is nothing out of the ordinary there unless they

have already gotten Sarah's staff from Scene 3. Essentially the events in Scene 5 are triggered by the

revelation of the staff.

Scene 5:

Full Circle This scene is triggered once the characters go to

Scene 3 and receive Sarah's staff. If the characters

did not go to the Three Swans directly after

receiving the quarterstaff, then go to Conclusion B.

If it is daylight when the characters head back to the

Three Swans, then they hear owls hooting as they move to the tavern. If it is night time when the

characters head back to the Three Swans, they hear

robins singing. Either way, this is a bad omen.

The common room of the Three Swans Inn

looks quite different than it did before. The tables

are pushed into one corner with the chairs stacked

upon them. It looks like a make-shift throne.

Sitting on this throne is a tall man – almost seven

feet tall. He has a large set of white wings folded


on his back. He is bare-chested, wearing only white

pants and shiny black boots. On his chest is a small

black footprint; a similar black handprint is on the

left side of his face and neck. He has no visible

weapon and his eyes are on another person in the

room.

In the corner stands William van Rijn. At his

feet is the decapitated body of his father, and the

weapon used in that decapitation lies against

William’s throat, as his arms shake to prevent the

axe from decapitating himself.

“Ah,” the winged being says, “the meddlers

have come. Are you brothers and sisters by blood to

that witch Sarah de Groot? No matter, for now I

have taken precautions against your touch, and

you cannot hope to stop the righteous destruction

of these peddlers of damnation, these creators of

strong drink."

In four rounds, William will finally fail to resist Angelmichael‟s powers and the axe will cut off his

head.

At this point combat may begin, or the characters

may want to talk with Angelmichael.

Angelmichael is happy to speak with the PCs. He is playing with William, and also clouding the mind of

Pastor Hansen. He would prefer not to have to fight,

especially as it‟s clear that these are a bunch of people of the type that Sarah de Groot was (though

not as strong). He will deny being a devil, as he

never joined with the Adversary against God.

When combat begins, please use the Angelmichael

GM Combat sheet, Appendix 1.

A D1 Myth and Lore, Occult, or Trained

Knowledge (Theology) check reveals him as an

Angel in appearance. A D3 check reveals that he is more likely a Demon, one of the angels that chose

not to follow God before the Adversary fell from

grace. Demons are usually very powerful beings,

very old.

Dealing with William

One or more Witch Hunters may try to stop William from killing himself with the axe. This can be

accomplished in a couple of ways. First, they may

try to know him out. Use the following stats. Second, they may try to wrestle the axe away, this is

opposed Strength checks. If / when this happens,

Angelmichael will target PCs trying to stop William with the compulsion power. That character must

make a D3 Will check or attack one of the other

Witch Hunters. This compulsion only lasts for one

round, and the character must make an honest attack roll as if the nearby person was an enemy.

Angelmichael (Demon) He is in a much reduced form since he found out

how painful Sarah‟s touch was (her footprint and

hand print have left a mark). However, he is overconfident and using much of his power trying to

dominate William, cloud Pastor Hansen‟s mind, and

place spells of silence and avoidance on the Inn.

Angelmichael will not use the Dodge action because

he is concentrating on other things, and he will not

attack the characters either. Instead he uses one of his last powers to affect the PC; a supernatural

compulsion power.

Each round Angelmichael will target a different

character from the last round. That character must

make a D3 Will check or attack one of the other

Witch Hunters. This compulsion only lasts for one round, and the character must make an honest attack

roll as if the nearby person was an enemy.

Each point of True Faith gives the character one

extra die on the roll to resist this compulsion.

Angelmichael will know who carries his feather and who has tasted his blood. He will focus his

compulsions on those characters first. If the

character has one of Angelmichael’s feathers on

his person he needs 2 additional successes to

resist. If the character tasted Angelmichael’s

blood, they roll 2 fewer dice.

Attacking Angelmichael

The Demon is incredibly attractive in a horrible sort

of way. If he is aware of your presence, there is a Fear Difficulty 3 to come within melee range of his

person. The bearer of Sarah‟s staff is immune to this

effect.

Acting directly against Angelmichael is a Fear

Difficulty 1 each round. Failure prevents attacking him directly (though fearful PCs can attempt to help

William without penalty).


Using Sarah‟s quarterstaff against him gives the

wielder two extra dice to roll to attack or resist his compulsion. The staff also has an extra +2 DM (total

of +4) when attacking Angelmichael. If a character

attacks Angelmichael with the staff and damages

him, they will receive a Hero Point. This happens only for the first PC to hit Angelmichael with the

staff, and only the first time he is damaged with the

staff.

For purposes of this fight, Angelmichael has a

Strength of 10, Agility of 3 (Reflexes 3), and Toughness of 6 (Endurance 4). He is immune to fear

and magic. He is unable to use his other skills

because of his focus on other tasks.

Angelmichael's Health track is 8/6/4/4/2. When he

fails an Endurance check due to damage, he is

banished (if he takes 25 points of damage he is banished regardless). As he leaves he says, “I will

see you again! In the Old World.” Proceed to The

Demon is Banished, below.

If William kills himself with the axe, Angelmichael

will say, “My part of the bargain is done” and

disappear. Proceed to The Demon Vanishes, below.

Striking Angelmichael bare-handed does extra

damage equal to the character‟s True Faith minus Damnation (minimum of zero).

The Demon is Banished

Once Angelmichael is banished, all of his workings disappear. His spells are dropped, William stops

trying to kill himself, Pastor Hansen realizes what he

has done and likely dealt with, and other unnamed

people have had compulsions stripped (fodder for other games).

Everyone will hear an intense scream of pain and anguish shortly after Angelmichael is banished. It is

not loud inside the inn, and in the direction of the

Dutch Reformed Church. The church is 300 yards away. The characters have (24 – number of party

members) rounds to get to the church and stop

Pastor Hansen from burning his church and then

hanging himself from the bell rope.

The Demon Vanishes

Angelmichael immediately transports himself to the Dutch Reformed Church, where he tells Pastor

Hansen that Frederick and William have been

righteously slain. Now Pastor Hansen must fulfill

the Lord‟s purposes by slaying Eric de Groot. Thirty rounds after William dies, Pastor Hansen will pick

up a container of flammable oil (naphtha) and a

torch and walk to Eric de Groot‟s home to set it on

fire. If the PCs arrive within 30 rounds, they can fight Angelmichael some more; the Pastor will then

leave immediately. Angelmichael still has all the

damage he has taken so far, but has used more power and now has an Agility of 2, Toughness of 5,

and Strength of 8.

If the Demon is banished at this point, the Pastor

dumps the flammable liquid on himself and sets

himself alight, wherever he is, doing 10 points of

damage per round.

A Retreat It is also possible the characters will retreat from the

confrontation. If they leave William behind, he will

die and the Demon will continue on with his plan as

per The Demon Vanishes, above.

If they take William with them, Angelmichael will

set the inn on fire, and vanish to the church where he will tell the Pastor that William will soon be dead.

Note that William is not protected from the

compulsion to kill himself, and unless the characters tie him up, he will try to do so.

Conclusion A

The Demon is banished. If Pastor Hansen survives, then the characters need to decide what should or

will happen to him. He will accept any punishment

the characters lay out except conversion to another

faith. The PCs may decide to leave his fate in the hands of the people of Boswyck; if so, he will be

sentenced to hang. If William was slain, Pastor

Hansen has 4 additional Damnation. What they do with Pastor Hansen is reflected on the Adventure

Journal.

William has slain his father under the Demon‟s

compulsion. The characters need to decide what

should happen to him.

Sarah‟s spirit will leave the ash quarterstaff, but

leave behind a trace of her power. For the next six

adventures the quarterstaff adds the wielder‟s (True Faith minus Damnation) to damage rolls when the


PC uses the weapon in combat. If the wielder is not

Catholic, the damage bonus is halved (round down, minimum of +1).

Thomas Chandler will become a contact for the

characters if they met him amicably.

Eric de Groot will become a contact for them if his

house was not burned down by Pastor Hansen.

If Karl Anders assisted the characters with

Angelmichael and the demon is banished, then he will become a contact for the characters. He has

decided to move on from the village. He thinks he

will settle in New France, but he may turn up

elsewhere in the future.

Conclusion B

If Angelmichael was not banished, then he is free to

wreak other havoc in the New World.

Pastor Hansen may or may not be alive. If he

survives and is in the characters' custody, they will

need to decide what to do with him. What they do with Pastor Hansen is reflected on the Adventure

Journal. The PCs may decide to leave his fate in the

hands of the people of Boswyck; if so, he will be sentenced to hang.

Sarah‟s spirit will leave the ash quarterstaff, but

leave behind a trace of her power. For the next six adventures the quarterstaff adds the wielder‟s (True

Faith minus Damnation) to damage rolls when the

PC uses the weapon in combat. If the wielder is not Catholic, the damage bonus is halved (round down,

minimum of +1).

Eric de Groot will become a contact for them if his

house was not burned down by Pastor Hansen.

Thomas Chandler will become a contact for the characters if they met him in polite circumstances

The End

SP Rewards

Characters who survive the adventure receive 1 SP if

they saved William van Rijn‟s life, 2 SP for banishing the Demon, and 1 SP if they role-played

well, for a possible maximum of 4 SP per character.

Adventure Codes

Adventure Codes represent things which the characters did that may impact them in the future,

though the PCs are not aware of exactly how. Circle

the appropriate codes on each character's Adventure

Journal according to the guidelines below; not all characters will necessarily have the same codes. Do

not tell the players what the codes mean!

Circle Adventure Code 7 for the character that

received Sarah de Groot's bequest.

If William van Rijn killed his own father (i.e., the

PCs saved Frederick in Scene 1), circle Adventure

Code 8.

If Angelmichael was banished by the PCs in combat

(i.e., they did not flee and William did not kill

himself), circle Adventure Code 9.

Any PC who argued in favor of sparing Pastor

Hansen's life after his crimes were revealed should have Adventure Code 10 circled.

Any PC who argued in favor of killing Pastor

Hansen's after his crimes were revealed should have Adventure Code 11 circled.

Possible Treasure Sarah de Groot‟s quarterstaff. Sarah‟s spirit will

leave the ash quarterstaff, but leave behind a trace of

her power. For the next six adventures the

quarterstaff adds the wielder‟s (True Faith minus Damnation) to damage rolls when the PC uses the

weapon in combat. If the wielder is not Catholic, the

damage bonus is halved (round down, minimum of +1). If the Witch Hunter that possesses the quarter

staff also possesses a Demon Feather, the bonuses

do not apply.

The book entitled The Decision of the Synod of Dort

on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in

the Netherlands. It is written in Latin on one side of the page and Dutch on the other. It is an exposition

on five points of doctrine in dispute in 17th century

Dutch Calvinist Churches. Article 4 is circled in red ink (blood); details are in Player Handout #1.

£5 and letter - The FIRST Witch Hunter that introduced himself/herself to Thomas Chandler was

named as a beneficiary in Sarah de Groot‟s Last Will

and Testament.


Possible Contacts Eric de Groot – if his house was not burned down by Pastor Hansen.

Thomas Chandler – if the PCs interacted well with

the solicitor. If they meet him in polite circumstances, he will be a contact.

Karl Anders – if he assisted the Witch Hunters with Angelmichael and the demon is banished, then he

will become a contact for the characters. He has

decided to move on from the village. He thinks he will settle in New France, but he may turn up

elsewhere in the future.

Possible Damnation Any Witch Hunter parties that did not have at least

one PC actively trying to keep William from killing

himself in Scene 5 will receive 1 Damnation point (the entire party). Attempt is what counts, not

success.

Any PC who keeps a Demon Feather will receive 1

Damnation point for each feather they possess. In

addition, if a Witch Hunter has one of these feathers

and attempts to cast a spell, they will smell rotting meat and need to make an additional True Faith

check (Difficulty equals the number of feathers

carried) for the spell to be cast successfully.

Appendix 1 – GM Combat Sheets

Scene 1 – Wort Tentacles Init: Init: Init: Init: Init: Init: Init:

Wort Tentacles (Demonic Manifestation) – Qty. 3 STR 3 AGI 0 TOU N/A

Fear Rating: 2 (Resolve + True Faith)

Skills: Grapple 3

Prices: Go last in initiative and have no Defense pool, Dodge, or Perry.

□ Tentacle 1 □ Tentacle 2 □ Tentacle 3

When they first hit an opponent, they do 1 point of

damage; if they hold their grapple, they do 2 damage

each round.

At the start of combat, 2 tentacles are grappling

Frederick. He has taken 6 damage so far. He is

completely petrified with fear and is not resisting the grapple. When he takes 19 total damage he will die. Two

tentacles holding the grapple will do that much damage in

4 rounds.

Attacking the tentacles: The wort tentacles do not take

or track damage in the normal way; each tentacle must be

severed in a single blow. This requires a D2 attack roll using a melee weapon with a DM of at least +3; smaller

weapons, or fewer successes, inflict only shallow

"wounds" that instantly refill with more wort and have no effect on the tentacles. Severing a tentacle will release a

burst of hot steam, which does 4 damage to the character

severing it; each success on a Reflexes check reduces this damage by one.

Shooting into the kettle (whether with guns or offensive

magic) will cause a cloud of hot wort to splash all those adjacent to the kettle, doing 2 points of damage.

A D2 Grapple roll will enable a character to pry one tentacle loose from Frederick. However, given the heat

and danger from the boiling wort, making such an attack

will require a D2 Resolve check first, and will do damage

equal to (8 minus the number of successes on the attack roll) to the character making the attempt.

If Frederick is pulled away from the kettle, or all three tentacles are severed, the tentacles stop, Frederick passes

out, the fire goes out, and the kettle begins to cool

naturally.

Tipping the cauldron: The characters may also try to tip

the red-hot cauldron over, spilling the wort.

Angelmichael is mystically holding it in place. It takes a total of (2x the number of players) successes on a

Strength check to tip the kettle. With each success the

kettle visibly tips so the characters know they are making progress. A maximum of three characters can work

together on this task (two pushing and one pulling), using

the standard "Working Together" rules (Witch Hunter,p. 103). A character pulling the kettle toward himself will

receive a bonus die on his Strength check, but should be

aware that the boiling wort will probably spill onto him

when the cauldron finally tips. Again, if this saves Frederick's life, a Hero Point is certainly appropriate.

Characters pushing or pulling the kettle with their bare hands will take 5 points of damage per round, minus one

per success on an Endurance check. Characters wearing heavy gloves, using levers, or otherwise manipulating the

cauldron without using their bare hands should receive

bonus dice on the Endurance check to resist this

damage.

Once the kettle is tipped over, the wort explodes in a cloud of sugar steam and the tentacles dissolve. Anyone

within 1 yard of the kettle when it is tipped (including

those pushing it, and possibly Frederick) takes 5 points of damage, minus one per success on an Endurance check

– gloves and levers do not help here. A character pulling

on the kettle will take 10 points of damage minus one per

success on an Endurance check. If still conscious, Frederick will pass out from his injuries at this point.

Breaking the stand: The kettle stand counts as reinforced metal for purposes of breaking it (see Witch

Hunter, p. 106).

Using Magic: Once Frederick begins to scream, anyone starting a non-Prayer-based spell or ritual smells rotted

meat very strongly. Inform the player of this and ask if the character is continuing to cast. This is to "spook" the

PC.

Angelmichael GM Combat Sheet

Init: Init: Init: Init: Init: Init: Init:

Angelmichael (Demon)

Angelmichael is very powerful and is unconcerned about

the Witch Hunters. He knows they are not powerful

enough to kill him however, they are powerful enough to "hurt" him, temporarily.

STR 10 AGI 3 TOU 6

Fear Rating: 3 (to get within 3 yard - melee range) / 1

(to attack/ each round) Health Track: 8/6/4/4/2 Attack: N/A

Skills: Reflexes 3, Endurance 4… and others

Powers: Domination for sure Immunity: Fear, Magic, Command, Intimidate, etc.

Prices: He's a Demon….

Talents: Too many to list Initial Disposition: Indifferent, willing to talk.

Healthy Light Mod Hvy Dying

00000000 000000 0000 0000 00

If Angelmichael fails an Endurance check due to damage, he will be banished. If he takes 25 points of damage, he

will be banished.

Tactics: He is in a much reduced form since he found out

how painful Sarah‟s touch was (her footprint and hand

print have left a mark). However, he is overconfident and using much of his power trying to dominate William,

cloud Pastor Hansen‟s mind, and place spells of silence

and avoidance on the Inn. He will not attack the Witch

Hunters. Instead he uses one of his last powers to affect the PC; a supernatural compulsion power.

Each round Angelmichael will target a different

character from the last round. That character must make a D3 Will + True Faith check or attack one of the other

Witch Hunters. This compulsion only lasts for one

round, and the character must make an honest attack roll as if the nearby person was an enemy.

Angelmichael will know who carries his feather and who has tasted his blood. He will focus his compulsions

on those characters first. If the character has one of

Angelmichael’s feathers on his person he needs 2

additional successes to resist. If the character tasted

Angelmichael’s blood, they roll 2 fewer dice.

Attacking Angelmichael The Staff: The bearer of Sarah‟s staff is immune to the

Fear effect. Using the staff gives the wielder +2 dice on

the attack and/or to resist the compulsion. The staff also has an extra +2 DM (total of +4). If a character attacks

Angelmichael with the staff and damages him, they will

receive a Hero Point. This happens only for the first PC

to hit Angelmichael with the staff, and only the first time he is damaged with the staff.

Bare-handed attack: Striking Angelmichael bare-handed does extra damage equal to the character‟s True

Faith minus Damnation (minimum of one).

Dealing with William One or more Witch Hunters may try to stop William

from killing himself with the axe. This can be

accomplished in a couple of ways. First, they may try to know him out. Use the following stats. Second, they

may try to wrestle the axe away, this is opposed

Strength checks. If / when this happens, Angelmichael will target PCs trying to stop William with the

compulsion power on his next turn. That character must

make a D3 Will + True Faith check or attack one of

the other Witch Hunters. This compulsion only lasts for one round, and the character must make an honest attack

roll as if the nearby person was an enemy.

If William kills himself with the axe, Angelmichael will

say, “My part of the bargain is done” and disappear.

Appendix 2 – Player Handout #1

Appendix 3 – Player Handout #2

My brother waits. He needs to know immediately that I am hunting again. Your sister in spirit, Sarah de Groot

wh1-02-swans_v1 2

Documents