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The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

The Salem Witch Trials


Merelas

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The vedict was the same. Guilty. Always they returned with a verdict of guilty. Samantha Bones mounted the gallows.

 

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us of our tresspasses, as we forgive those who tresspass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil--for thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever. Amen."

 

She said it over and over as she stood there above the trap-door in the platform. The croud was silent. No witch was supposed to be able to recite the Lord's Prayer because of their satanic connection... yet here she was, reciting it none the less.

 

Justice Hawthorne was unconvinced. "Widow Bones, will you confess to your crimes of witchcraft?"

 

"Our Father, who art in heaven..."

 

"Widow Bones! Will you not confess your crimes of witchcraft??"

 

"... on earth as it is in heavan. Give us this day our daily bread, and..."

 

"Widow Bones!" he shouted the question again.

 

"... as we forgive those who tesspass against us..."

 

"I will not ask you again! Will you confess and save your eternal soul?"

 

"For thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forev--"

 

The trap-door dropped her, and her legs shot through. The rope pulled taut, but her neck resisted, and wouldn't break.

 

"Amen," she said, as her life passed away.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

OOC: Samantha Bones was a godfearing woman, and no witch. She was a peasant in this game, and a regular member of society. Night Phase begins--Witch, Witness, please send me your requests.

 

I remind you that your numbes are dwindling, and that you have little time to lose to catch the witch. The scorecard is as follows:

 

Katzaniel-- Amelia Parcel

Eyremoon-- Samantha Bones: Victim of the Trial

Tanuchan-- Anne Arthur

Vahktang-- Thomas Parcel

Dragonqueen-- Allison Whitney

Lady Celes Crusader-- Silence Whitney

DeantheAdequate-- Reverend Arthur Victim of the Witch; FaithKeeper

Cryptomancer-- Donovan James

MeThinksUFoolish-- Eric Dobbins

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Silence Whitney's eyes widens in shock and suddenly faints. Aillison quickly makes maneuver to swiftly awakening her. When the teenager finally wakes up, she sits up and cries. Allison hugs her daughter in her arm, understanding the whole pain she was probably feeling. The mother gives a sever looks to those who had accused her daughter before getting up and bring her along.

 

- Let's go home. You've seen enough of this.

 

A teary Silence quietly follows her mother.

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Govenor James sat by the hearth, feet on a stool, drawing thoughtfully on the end of his pipe. 'Time to seek the path of leadership in full again. With the reverend dead, these people are turning into a mob. Time that the office that I have been appointed to by the King be used to lead them.' Donovan's thoughts dwelt on the best approach, and on the ones he could turn to for support. 'The church would have records of those that donate well to its coffers, no witch would donate to the house of the Lord. I think it is time I talked to the treasurer.'

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Anne looks at her husband's grave, lost in thoughts. Her face is lined with sorrow and concern.

 

Give me strength... I must complete your work. Or at least I must not let it fail. Evil has to be rooted out...

 

She turns to the farther corner of the cemetery, locating the new grave. Mrs. Bones... may that you have joined your husband and found peace at last.

 

She leaves the cemetery, meeting Amelia on her way home.

 

"I'm so worried, Amelia... "

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'The church would have records of those that donate well to its coffers, no witch would donate to the house of the Lord. I think it is time I talked to the treasurer.'

A knock at the door in the early evening.

Amelia looks up from her knitting, Thomas from his reading, the children from their storytelling.

The adults share a look and Thomas gets up.

"Who is it," he calls to the outside.

"Governor Donavan James," says the outside visitor. I would have a word with you."

Thomas opens up the door and steps outside to save his family from the wind and cold.

Governor James was a little miffed at not being invited inside and Thomas picked up on that.

"I am sorry, Governor. It is late and we are not prepared for an official visit-"

"If this was an official visit I would visit you officially. Umh, harump. In any case, I invite you to join me at the store, to discuss matters."

Thomas was honored that the Governor would come here himself and invite him. He had heard of the strong words and weak cider that would be shared by men of importance in the colony over to the store on occaision. This was his first invitation.

"Why, of course, your honor. I would be honored. Let me just get my cloak," he said, just then feeling the bite of the wind.

He begins to enter the house when the governor catches his arm.

"And bring the books, the accounts."

Then releases him.

Thomas goes to grab his cloak and mentions to his wife that he will be out and not know when he will return.

"The Governor, himself, asked me to attend."

He does not mention his suspicions.

That he had been going over the accounts himself to try and find who may be witches and there had been no evidence, no pattern, that cried out "This, this one does not follow god!"

Maybe the Governor would see something in the numbers that Thomas did not, but he doubted it.

The Governor's skills did not extend to the minutae of accounts and finances.

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Anne checks one more time the bedroom, kissing her children goodnight.

 

"Momma... I'm afraid..." whimpers little Hannah, clinging to her hands.

 

"There's no reason to be afraid, sweetling... " Her voice is soft, full of love. "In the darkenss, in this house, there's just the peace needed for a good night's rest. Nothing can touch you if you trust in our Father's mercy."

 

Caressing Hannah, she smiles reassuringly. "I will leave the small candle here. It will be dark if you wake in the middle of the night, remember that."

 

"I will remember, momma." She nods sagely, smiling brightly, "And if I am afraid I will whisper a prayer to the Father and will go to your bedroom, and knock your door."

 

"That's it, sweetling. Goodnight, now.... close your eyes, I will stay a little with you... " She starts humming a baby's lullaby, forcing herself to keep her voice steady in spite of the tears that come unbidden to her eyes.

 

Charles loved to hear my singing... from the beginning, when we had just met... he would stay with me when I sang our babies to sleep, sometimes he would sing with me...

 

Some time later she closes the door, going to the kitchen.

 

"Have you finished, Nell?"

 

The girl nods. "The bread Goodwife Parcel brought ealier is here... " she points "... and the butter farmer Stone sent is here."

 

"Thanks, Nell." There's a knock at the door, and Anne dismisses the servant. "You can go now, thank you."

 

I supppose it's Goodwife Parsons and Jenny Hart, they said they would stay with me for a while... it's nice of them...

 

Anne and her guests settle in the room, each with their knitting, talking in soft tones.

Edited by Tanuchan
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Donovan walked in silence for a short while before he raised the subject of the meeting. "Thomas, you are a good man, strong in your faith and support of the church. I fear that this is a time of trail for us all, to test our resolve, and our faith." Donovan's spoke quietly, as if he feared to be over heard. "Our discussion tonight needs to be kept in the strictest of confidence. To do otherwise would alert those amoung us that have strayed, and we shall find it harder to destroy this evil that has rooted itself in our midst."

 

Thomas nodded, still keeping his silence, his mind playing over his own suspicions. He knew the books well, and had found nothing. What more could be found?

 

They reached the store, and Donovan entered, holding the door untill Thomas had his hand on it, then leaving Thomas to close the door behind them, taking off his cloak and sat by the fire that burned already. Pouring two mugs of cider, Donovan invited Thomas to sit.

 

"I wish to know if you have already looked to the accounts of the church for anything that may reveal the witch to us. How deeply have you scrutinised the patterns of donation and support?"

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Silence was by her bed's side when she prays.

 

- All mighty God, I'm praying for everyone in this village because I wish we catch the witch that disrupt our peace. I'm also praying that no one else suffers the Reverend or Mrs. Bones' fate. I'm also praying that you give to everyone the strenght to overcome these harsh time.

 

The she grabs her rosary and starts to say it under Allison's careful watch.

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The next day began in chaos.

 

Dawn came with the hanging of another witch, and nearly the entire village was there to watch yet again. There was only one face missing from the otherwise complete crowd of church-goers... Amelia Parcel, Thomas' wife, wasn't there.

 

"She's a witch!" someone cried. "She couldn't bear to see another of her sisters hang!"

 

An angry mob burst into the Parcel house, with an anxious Thomas in tow.

 

They came upon the body with a start. Lying face down in her porridge, Amelia Parcel sat otherwise flawlessly at the kitchen table. "That's... that's where I left her this morning," Thomas stuttered.

 

As the sherriff reached out towards her, they saw the other side of the chair. The hanging-candle chandalier lay mangled on the floor, and her head was bashed in, covered in porridge.

 

"A terrible accident, and nothing more," said one spectator, and the crowd murmured... less in agreement than bewilderment.

 

OOC:

 

Many apologies for the hold-up of the game. My internet at home is faulty at best, and I didn't get the chance to post at school. Day phase begins. Please post your votes/accusations as soon as possible

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Allison receives the news of Amelia's death with tears and anxiety. Silence looks on beside her. The second death she's seen in two days... Oh, Lord. Poor Amelia. Why do these evil witches plague us? We are a God-fearing town... Her thoughts troubled, Allison turns and leads Silence away from the scene. Such a good girl...so innocent. Praying for us all, like a guardian angel. And these witches want to take that from her? No. As long as I breath, they won't touch a hair on her head...

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"Goodman Parcel... if I may be of any help..."

 

Thomas turns, and nods silently to Anne. Her children talk to his, united by the grief of losing a parent to witchcraft.

 

"Amelia helped me find strength when Charles died... I share your loss, as I know you shared mine. Please, don't hesitate to call me if I, or my children, can help."

 

She blinks tears away, voice trembling somewhat.

 

Amelia... my dear friend...

 

"I am sorry also for telling you this, Goodman Parcel... but both Charles and Amelia seem to have been victim to the evil we are both commited to fight. Goodwife Parsons visited me last night, and she commented that she saw you and our governor walking towards the store... is it possible that you have any suspicions as to who is this Satan's tool?"

 

Silence... Amelia suspected Silence... but she didn't trust Goodwife Bones either... Who else could have done it? The Governor has always supported Charles, they trusted each other, or so I believe... our Usher has been silent lately also, he didn't seem at ease to visit us after Charles' death... What am I saying? He is the one who keeps the order during services! I must think... innocents cannot die.

 

 

(OOC: no vote yet)

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Silence was in shock! Whoever was the witch, she or he was evil. It was clear that the witch wanted the clergy representative to pay dearly for this. While she's been carried away from the scene by Allison, the teenager couldn't help but to think that perhaps the people will glare at her again.
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"...is it possible that you have any suspicions as to who is this Satan's tool?"

 

While Goodman Parcel seems to think about her question, Anne sees Silence gazing quietly at the church. Waving her to come to hear, she smiles at her gently.

 

"Silence... sometimes children have some insights that we miss. I see you looking at the church, and you are probably wondering why we have been so hardly hit lately..."

 

She observes carefully Silence's reaction, as the girl looks again at the church with a sad face.

 

She looks so innocent...

 

Allison calls her daughter to her, nodding to Anne in a worried greeting. Silence murmurs, "The witch is against the church... our Reverend, and now our Treasurer's wife... How can someone be so evil, Widow Arthur?"

 

"The danger of evil, sweet Silence, is that it comes disguised as something innocent, something that we don't think will go against God's law. That's why we should be always on guard and never neglect to nurture our soul with the Lord's teachings."

 

Her gaze falls again on Silence as she nods and looks at her mother. Sighing soflty, Anne looks again at Goodman Parcel.

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Thomas suddenly breaks down.

Screams:

"Amelia!"

He looks to the governor, murder in his eyes.

He leaps towards him and only the quick work of several strong men keep him from physically assaulting the governor.

"Good, good job men," says Donovan, taking a step back. "He is sick with grief. His counsel is disturbed. He needs time for this unfortanate-

"Witchcraft! By you, your honor," Thomas says, the last phrase scornfully.

"That candle holder was held solid to the wall. It was no accident. Only through magics dark and unchristian acts can this deed be done and made to look innocent.

"And the doer of the deed is one who is above reproach. One who we see as our protector.

"Governor Donovan James.

"I have the proof. I see things in the numbers that others don't. The books I keep on all of you, the accounts of the colony, they tell the tale.

"Despite what may happen to me, I accuse Governor Donovan James of the foul deed of witchcraft, and I will prosecute him myself in court to prove it."

 

OOC:

There, a public accusation. Thought it was time for one.

Oh, I accuse Cryptomancer--Donovan James

Of being a wolf.

Edited by Vahktang
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Anne, stunned at first by Goodman Parcel's reaction, recovers quickly and talks to him for a few minutes, frowning at what she hears. Then, she looks at the governor's grim face.

 

I don't have any reason to doubt Goodman Parcel either... and Amelia has always trusted her husband, she has always said how sharp his mind was...

 

"Governor, please... " Her voice is mild, but there's strength behind it. "You and Goodman Parcel have been discussing the books, as he told me. What did you expect to find, or else... what did you find?"

 

The governor frowns at her, but she presses the subject. "The church is my responsibility as much as it is Goodman Parcel's, and more now with both our spouses gone. My husband trusted the Treasurer deeply. Why did you search him out after my husband is gone?"

 

Did he want to find something in the books that led to a witch, or did he want to know who could track something he didn't want known?

 

 

((OOC: when does this day phase end?))

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Donovan stands, facing the crowd that accuse him.

With a sombre expression he looks from face to face of the people that he has been appointed to govern.

 

"My brothers and sisters in the Lord. I forgive you. In times of crisis, the people turn on their leaders if it is seen that no help is coming from them. My discussion with Thomas, was my last resort, to try to find the evil in our midst. Thomas had looked for a pattern of decreasing donations, I looked for something else. The Good Lord, in his Word, in the very pages of the Bible, tells us that no one can serve two masters, that wealth is not to be accumutated. I was looking to see who may be holding to tightly to the wealth of this world, trying to gain for themselves earthly riches, and failing to seek the true wealth of a life serving God."

 

"I found one, Thomas Parcel. The treasurer of the Church, seduced through the longings for wealth. Envyous of all that the Church receives. Longing to gain some for himself. It was in his home that Amelia died. He tells us it took dark arts to make the 'accident' happen. How would he know, if it was not by his own hand, practicing the evil, under his own roof."

Donovan turns an accusing finger at Thomas, "He was no doubt practicing them last night, for when I called he refused me entry to his home, least I should witness him working his evil, consorting with satan under his own roof."

 

[i accuse: Thomas Parcel/Vahktang]

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Thomas again launches himself at the Governor.

Again the strong men hold him back.

"There, there is the proof we need."

"He accuses the accuser."

"That is no defence."

"A man comes late at night, to his home, uninvited, and the visitor is surprised when he is not allowed inside?

"Courtesy for uncourtesy, for not calling at a more opportune time.

"No surprise there."

 

He looks at those holding him.

"Unhand me and take him up."

 

OOC: no, I don't want to continue with two votes.

Wait till tomorrow.

(On the otherhand, since the two votes _are_ against the governor...

Let it stand.

:):):))

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Anne rests a light hand over Thomas' arm, but looks at the Governor.

 

"Sir, I respect you as our Governor but you cannot accuse an honorable member of the church without proof. Have you seen Goodman Parcel communing with the devil? What have you seen in the books that makes you so certain he is involved with witchcraft? He has been with us long, and we've known each other since Charles and I moved into this town. You, on the other hand, has been appointed to your office much more recently. And although I have no proof against you, I would support Goodman Parcel unless there is something else you are not saying."

 

 

((OOC: for now, I'm voting against Donovan James/cryptomancer))

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"Who among us has our trust, so that he can walk freely into our very homes. The one that would know the times to destroy those strongest amoung our number. The reverend was a true man of God, he would have seen the evil growing in Thomas' soul. His wife who trusted him most, lies dead. The safty of her own home, no protection from the evil that lived with her. Her death, as a victem of evil, evil that she saw in her husband, that Amelia would have fought, regardless of her love. For Amelia knew what it meant to place the Lord first in all things."

 

Donovan looked through the crowd, seeking support in the eyes of the people that he had tried to lead.

 

"I am no wizard, I have stood along side all of you, against this evil. I have helped seek it out. Thomas, has hidden himself with the books of his trade, sitting in evny of the weath they contain, his avarice growing by the day. He has told me that there is no pattern, but only because he did not look at his own soul."

 

[Edit: spelling]

Edited by cryptomancer
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Slowly Donovan starts to back away from the fear and alarm that is growing in the crowd, the emotions building on the greif of lost, and fast turning to anger.

 

"Wait! Stop! This is treason! I am the King's appointed Govenor!"

 

Donovan starts to panic, the crowd becoming a fully angered mob, and as the move to grab him, Donovan draws a pistol from inside his coat.

 

"Dont move! Stop! I will protect myself if I need to!"

 

As the People hesitate in the face of the drawn weapon, Donovan turns and flees.

 

:raven:

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