It’s a bad time in the kingdom of Tarwyn. A few years ago a war with the nearby land of Raenor ended, and the people looked forward to a period of peace and prosperity, time to recover from the horrors of battle.
But it was not to be. Six months ago things took a turn for the worse, and nothing has gone right since. Crops are blighted, disease runs rampant among the villages, and people have been disappearing left and right. Rumors abound of horrible creatures being sighted in the woods that surround the kingdom, and of the resting places of the dead being desecrated.
The superstitious peasantry was quick to cry witchcraft, and have begun lynching anyone they suspect of being responsible for their plight. King Brian tried in vain to calm his subjects, but in the end was forced to make a compromise; he allowed them to appoint a “Witchfinder” to investigate their claims, hoping they would choose a reasonable man who would rein in the insanity.
They chose Farkus Dun, a dodgy “holy man” who had recently surfaced, claiming that the trouble was the work of demons, and that many were in league with them. His appointment did nothing but throw oil on the fire of hysteria, as he accepted the flimsiest of evidence and wildest of accusations as proof. Dozens have already been burned at the stake after brief and insubstantial trials, and you three are next in line.
Three days ago Dun burst into the inn you were at, along with a retinue of soldiers. He wasted no time in pointing you out, ranting about your obvious “impurity” (claiming that your somewhat monstrous features were signs of fiendish heritage) and demanding your arrest. The soldiers complied, and at your trial townspeople you have never even met claimed to have seen you performing acts of horrendous evil and debauchery. You were immediately found guilty.
Now you sit imprisoned in the cells beneath a local keep, awaiting your fate. The hours pass by with nothing to do but talk, wondering why the world seems to have suddenly gone mad. There was a fourth prisoner with you up until a day ago, a big brute of a man who was apparently also accused due to a rather abnormal appearance. Farkus collected him and took him for “interrogation”. He hasn’t returned. All seems lost until the night before your scheduled deaths, when all of the sudden you hear two thuds from outside the iron door of your cell, followed by a small click…
System: Dungeons & Dragons 3.5
Setting:
The World of Imbrius (homebrewed setting)
Current Players: Galliard, Magnetbox, Jack_Simth
Software: OpenRPG (or possibly Maptool)
Game Time: Saturdays, 8am Pacific Time