the landlord’s

The Landlord’s

Daughter

William Butler & Brendan Davis

Chicago & Toronto

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CREDITS

Written by William Butler & Brendan Davis

Editing by Sean Carroll

Proofreading by Ariana Fisch

Art by Mikolas Ales (1852-1913), Dover Publications & FCIT

Cartography by Jeff Preston

Typography & eBook Design by Richard Iorio II

Playtesting by Spencer Sisson, Steve Bowden, Anoma Chindamai, William Butler, and Brendan Davis.

The Landlord’s Daughter © 2009 by Rogue Games Inc. No part of this book may be reproduced without permission except small parts for review or scholarly criticism.

Published by Rogue Games, Inc.

Rogue Games' Rogues are Richard Iorio II & James Maliszewski

Rogue Games, Rogue Games logo, Colonial Gothic and Colonial Gothic logo are TM and © 2009 by Rogue Games, Inc. All rights reserved.

Produced in the United States of America.Sam

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CONTENTS

Chapter One 1

Chapter Two 9

Chapter Three 23

Chapter Four 29

Chapter Five 47

Chapter Six 53

Chapter Seven 58

Chapter Eight 63

Appendix One 67

Appendix Two 75

Appendix Three 77

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BACKGROUND & SETTINGThe Landlord’s Daughter is an adventure designed for 4-6 players with Average or Experienced Heroes. This tale of mystery, secret societies, pirates, betrayal, and witchcraft is set in the towns of Marblehead and Lynn in Essex County, Massachusetts, and takes place in 1777, shortly after the Battle of Princeton. With minor changes, however, The Landlord’s Daughter can be set at any other point during the Revolution.

HOW TO USE THIS ADVENTURE

The Landlord’s Daughter is structured around the Heroes’ investigation of a mysterious illness that turns out to be only a symptom of something much darker. The rest of this first chapter describes some of the history, geography, and inhabitants of the setting. It also offers some advice on how to make this adventure (and any Colonial Gothic game) more frightening and fun.

Chapter Two describes the Conspiracy against Colonel Glover. This is a key chapter, and GMs should familiarize themselves with it before running the adventure. Not only does it contain the North Shore Freemasons’ contingency plans if the assassination goes awry, it also has all the vital statistics of its members: Alasdair de Wilde, Samuel Dickenson, and Reverend Daniel Henchman.

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Chapter Three: Entering Lynn is the players’ introduction. It sets up the story with a letter that introduces the tragic case of Tabitha Newhall and begs the Heroes to come and help. The next three chapters are devoted to portions of the North Shore the Heroes might investigate: Lynn, Marblehead, and Nahant. Within each chapter are different Points of Investigation, where the Heroes uncover important clues about Tabitha’s disappearance. Key residences are also detailed in each chapter. If the Heroes decide to go to Marblehead to conduct their investigation, for example, the GM turns to Chapter Five: Marblehead Investigation, and determines which clues they uncover based on where they go in Marblehead. Should the Heroes venture to Colonel Glover’s house to warn him that he is in danger, the GM has only to find the section in the subsection labeled Colonel Glover’s House for the details.

Chapter Seven explains what happens once Colonel Glover is assassinated by the golem (assuming he is). It also describes how to run the adventure after the golem is activated. This chapter doesn’t come into play until February 5, 1777.

Chapter Eight introduces new monsters, items, skills, and rituals. A section providing Handouts for the adventure follows it, as does a select bibliography for those who wish to do more research into the setting.

MASSACHUSETTS: HISTORY

The English settlement of Massachusetts began when the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629, and the two became a unified colony in 1692.

Massachusetts is known for its unique blend of individual liberty, the sense of community inherited from its Puritan forebears, and the Congregational church structure they established. Though Massachusetts is still deeply religious, the Great Awakening—a period of highly emotional religious revivals lasting from 1720 to 1750—has led to a broader acceptance of other protestant groups in the colony.

Massachusetts also developed a reputation for resistance to English rule. Prior to the Revolution, Massachusetts was racked by periodic instances of rebellion against the English. In 1775, the first shots of the Revolution were fired at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

There has been no stable central government in Massachusetts since the British were driven out of Boston in 1776. A legislative body known as the Provincial Court (called the Great Council until 1774) exists, but it has yet to draft a state constitution. The colony is therefore without a governor. Instead, the towns in Massachusetts govern themselves, while the General Court continues to raise troops. This might sound like a recipe for anarchy, but Massachusetts remains unified thanks to a long tradition of independent townships and a strong network of old loyalties.

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MASSACHUSETTS: THE PEOPLE & THEIR LAND

The people of Massachusetts aren’t known for their hospitality. Some might consider them rude or callous, but life in this colony is hard, which makes the people harder. The residents know, too, that Massachusetts is home to many dark secrets. It doesn’t always pay to be trusting.

Massachusetts subjects her people to extreme weather, with frigid winters and steamy hot summers; the land is equally cruel. The landscape is rocky and rugged, hewn by ocean, wind, and glacier. Near the coastlines, drumlins (elongated oval hills scraped up by glaciers) push west into heavy forests of hickory, pine, and oak. Many towns are built atop these drumlins, and, for this reason, roads here are steep and uneven.

Something mysterious lies in the land’s jagged contours and twisted trees, something that fills travelers with foreboding after nightfall. The natives claim the land itself is alive—a force resisting the efforts of those trying to settle it. There is good reason to trust the native account, and the local colonists do not dispute it, though they are reluctant to speak of it.

THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 spread horror and fear throughout the colony and the surrounding region as the hysteria infected three counties surrounding Boston. The victims came not only from Salem, but also from Andover, Marblehead, Reading, Ipswich, and Topsfield. Preliminary hearings were conducted in individual towns, and trials were held in Salem Town, Boston, and Ipswich.

The hysteria began when Salem villagers Abigail Williams and Betty Parris began to suffer from strange fits, which were interpreted as the product of Witchcraft. Other girls in Salem started behaving strangely soon after. The girls initially accused just three people (Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne) of bewitching them, but that number soon grew.

A c c u s a t i o n s o f Witchcraft quickly spread throughout the Bay Colony. The girls were p a r a d e d t h r o u g h neighboring counties to help “sniff out” witches, in some cases implicating people they had never met. In September of 1692, nineteen people were hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem Village. One man was crushed to death beneath a large stone in an effort to get him to speak to the court.

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By the end of the trials in 1693, over 150 people had been arrested for Witchcraft, and as many as thirteen had died in prison.

The events of 1692-3 have had a profound effect on Essex County. The trials are a dark stain that has branded the locals superstitious and foolish. As the age of reason unfolds, the people of Essex have distanced themselves from the trials, and they are more wary of accusations of Witchcraft. Still, traces of superstition and fear remain to this day.

ESSEX COUNTY

Located ten miles north of Boston, Essex County stretches northward to Cape Anne and contains the towns of Marblehead, Lynn, Gloucester, Wenham, Beverly, Salem, Newbury, Ipswich, Danvers, and Rowley. The county was established in 1643, and is governed from county seat of Salem. The towns each have their own selectmen—town authorities—and are able to conduct their own hearings. Legal disputes are settled in Salem Court. Some may quibble over specific boundaries, but the area that Essex County occupies is usually referred to as The North Shore.

LYNN

Settled in 1629 by Edmund Engles, Lynn blossomed into a prosperous community on the strength of its expert shoe making and leather tanning. Many of the Continental Army’s soldiers wear boots produced by Lynn cordwainers, whose work rivals that of the Old World’s master craftsmen. Still, Lynn is thinly settled, and it contains large tracts of wilderness farther in from the shore.

Lynn’s terrain is richly varied: layered with hills, and carpeted with forests of oak and pine, the earth shifts from swamp to granite in a matter of miles, and cliffs of blood-red rock tumble into the sea, hugging the beaches along the North Shore coast. All of this gives Lynn one of the most interesting landscapes in all of Essex County.

DANVERS (SALEM VILLAGE)

Settled in 1636, Danvers was the origin of the witch hysteria in 1692. Lying northwest of Lynn, it was originally part of Salem Town. In 1752, Salem Village became independent and changed its name to Danvers. Mostly an agricultural community known for its root vegetables, it is also a port on the Danvers River, where ships are built and tidal mills operate. Danvers is a heavily wooded land, with stretches of farmland nestled between forest and hill. The woods are so thick in places that travel by cart is all but impossible.

SALEM TOWN

Founded in 1626, Salem Town (also known simply as “Salem”) is famous for its Puritan heritage. In 1775, residents prevented British soldiers from seizing important supplies and ammunition by raising the North River drawbridge. One of Massachusetts’s most important ports, Salem replaced Boston as the capital for a brief period during the siege of 1775. It remains a vital center for the colony and

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is the seat of the Essex County Court. A number of Salem merchants have sought wealth through privateering since the start of the war, and this “trade” has brought wealth and notoriety to the town. Salem is paradoxically also gaining fame for its vocal minority of loyalists who exert influence over the rest of the community.

MARBLEHEAD

Settled in 1629, Marblehead is a successful fishing village, as well as a major port. As the war increases in intensity, Marblehead is beginning to feel its economic effects. Many of the town’s young men have left to fight the British, either as part of the Massachusetts militia, or as part of General Washington’s Continental Army. Given the naval superiority of the British, the port is being used less and less for commercial exports. As in Salem, many of the wealthier merchants have resorted to privateering, as well as smuggling.

A dark and brooding place, with narrow roads stumbling through crooked oaks, Marblehead is plagued by rumors of ghosts and other evil beings. Adding to these rumors and mystery are the reed-riddled swamps, which abut Marblehead and Lynn.

NAHANT

Two landmasses form the single island of Nahant. The two are connected to Lynn, and each other, by a sandbar, a geographical feature known as a tombolo. Nahant’s sixteen square miles have resisted nearly all settlers since the first Europeans arrived in the region in the 1600s. Since the Witch Hysteria of 1692, North Shore locals view Nahant’s few residents with suspicion.

In 1777, three families inhabit the island: the Breeds, the Hoods, and the Johnsons. These three families inhabit the only three houses on Nahant. Samuel Breed, one of Nahant’s first residents, married Deliverance Bassett, whose mother Sarah Hood Basset was accused of witchcraft and imprisoned. Even though she was later released, some still feel there is something not quite right about the family. Some locals think Nahant is haunted, controlled by a witch who only grants people willing to serve the Devil permission to live on her land. While there is no witch living in Nahant, there is a Honochenokeh (Colonial Gothic Rulebook, page 280), called Wonderful, who has formed pacts with the Nahant families.

Nahant is known for its unsettled beauty. From craggy cliffs to green bogs, the island inspires awe and fear in those travelers brave enough to venture upon it.

THE NAUMKEAG INDIANS

The Naumkeag were the original inhabitants of Essex County and had a large settlement in what would become Salem. Even before the arrival of the White Man, the Naumkeag were nearly destroyed in wars with neighboring tribes. With the arrival of the Puritans, smallpox nearly exterminated what was left of the tribe. The Naumkeag, who thought the disease was spread by demons the settlers


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controlled, tried to appease the newcomers by selling off parts of Essex County, until they had nothing left. Only a few Naumkeag remain.

SETTING MOOD & PLOTTING TERROR

Frightening players in a roleplaying game is difficult. It’s easy to make them laugh, or to make them angry, but it’s hard to make them truly afraid. This isn’t surprising. After all, we live in an age whose entertainment is saturated with moving images, digital information, and high-tech sound. Storytelling (which includes roleplaying) is a much older medium, one that has largely fallen out of use. People are more accustomed to being scared by movies than by images in their imagination. Still, it’s not impossible to create an atmosphere conducive to spooking your players. By blending cinematic and literary techniques into your game, you can enhance the mood of dread. How? Here are a few tricks.

MUSIC

Imagine watching Friday the Thirteenth, Hellraiser, or Bram Stoker’s Dracula without any music. Would Jonathan Harker’s escape from Dracula’s castle be as frightful with no music to establish the mood? Setting your game to music is easy and creatively rewarding. Use movie soundtracks, classical music, or atmospheric instrumentals to match the scenes you have planned.

Don’t just play the same CD on a loop. Change soundtracks to match location, timeline, and situation. For example, set each chapter of this adventure to a different soundtrack. It’s important to supply each scene with music that suits its overall feel. Use intense and dynamic music to complement more action-oriented portions of the adventure, and use slow, melodic pieces for more mysterious sections. If the Heroes unwind at a tavern or dine in the company of a Supporting Cast Member, play something spirited and jovial. One easy way to add music into your game is by simply creating playlists on your computer for each setting.

LIGHTING

One of the most effective ways to set the mood is also the simplest: dim the lights before you play. Dim lighting reduces small talk and gets people focused on the game. If you have candles and incense, try those as well.

CONTRAST

A constant stream of horror—be it events, images, or feelings—dulls players to its effects. If the Heroes are forever being chased by werewolves, stalked by vampires, or betrayed by friends, they grow jaded. They need respites from the terrors of the world. Heroes must encounter beauty, as well as horror. Don’t make everything in the world sinister; let the Heroes encounter loyal friends, stunning vistas, and lively taverns. Contrasting against these glimmers of hope and beauty intensifies the terror when the Heroes do run into something truly horrifying.

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PROPS

Props help draw players into the setting and story. Props include such items as tea-stained handouts, physical objects the Heroes encounter in the game, and even food and drink. It would be irresponsible to advocate drinking alcohol at a gaming table, but you can simulate the player’s experience at a tavern by providing mugs of cider or food from the period. You are encouraged to track down a copy of The City Tavern Cookbook: Recipes from the Birthplace of American Cuisine, by Walter Staib. You might not have the time to make a habit of cooking for your game, but when used sparingly it is quite an effective technique.

Another great prop is the note, an old trick every GM should know. If only one Hero sees something, hand that player a note informing him of the details. This quickly makes the other players curious and uneasy. If the character doesn’t or can’t share the information right away, so much the better.

HINT AT HORROR

Horror is a growing sense of fear that develops as the Hero realizes he is in danger, or that the world is not as it seems. Horror is difficult to plan in advance, because it’s most effective when it arises from the Heroes’ own actions. Use hints, not sledgehammers, to make your players (not just their Heroes!) cower in their seats.

If the Heroes befriend Alasdair de Wilde, and go to his manor as guests, you can amplify the suspense by allowing de Wilde to drop occasional hints (careless remarks, perhaps) about his true nature. You shouldn’t give them enough to be certain, but just as much as it takes to slowly create a sense of dread.

The Heroes might journey to Nahant. Emphasize the natural beauty of the landscape, suggesting that it appears all but untouched by human hands. Then have the players make some Observe Tests. If they’re successful, tell them trails seem to shift, or shadows move through the trees. It should slowly dawn on them that something strange controls the island. When a werewolf finally does attack, or the nature spirit chooses to reveal itself, the players should be tense enough from the hints you have dropped to be truly horrified. The climax is easy to achieve (and is still important), but the build-up is crucial, too.

LIVING HORROR

The Landlord’s Daughter is a living adventure. Villains don’t simply wait in a room for the Heroes to arrive. Instead, Villains react to events and plan their own destinies. While this makes your job a challenge, it also creates opportunities for terror. Having Villains who are free to react in believable ways allows you to spring the unexpected on your players. While it’s fine to have preplanned set-piece traps, it’s also great for the Villains’ plots to evolve on the fly, in reaction to the Heroes’ actions. The best horror scenes are the ones that come about at least partly due to the Heroes’ own actions.

Perhaps the Heroes plan to sneak into de Wilde’s manor and steal his diary. If they’ve been indiscreet in their planning, perhaps de Wilde is aware of their intentions, and can set a trap for them. You can engineer any trap you want; just


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make sure it’s in keeping with de Wilde’s motivations. Maybe he sends two of his clay golems to ambush them. Maybe he waits for them to enter his basement study and locks the door behind them. You have the freedom to choose. Have fun, and spook your players.

In a “living adventure,” events and chronology are fluid. The Villain should operate with the same level of realism as the Hero. His plans might even change their plans midway through the adventure, depending on the actions players take, or on the outcome of key scenes. This principle also applies to the Supporting Cast. A minor character the Heroes treat well might become a key ally; one they scorn, an enemy. Either way, the result might be sizable plot changes. This requires more forethought and flexibility on the part of the GM, as well as a deeper understanding of the Supporting Cast and Villains.

The Landlord’s Daughter features three Villains, each with their own motives and personality. That can mean a lot of concurrent, connected action for the GM to juggle. To help the adventure run smoothly, GMs should keep track of time using the timeline in the next chapter.

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THE CONSPIRACY

ADVENTURE OVERVIEW

The Heroes are summoned to Lynn by a landlord (inn keeper) named Jacob Newhall. Newhall is desperate to cure his daughter of a mystery illness.

The Heroes eventually learn that Tabitha’s disappearance was an abduction, and that she wasn’t the only person to disappear at about the same time. When the Heroes investigate the cause of her condition, they discover the Freemasons’ plot to kill Colonel Glover, the commander of the 14th Continental Regiment, Marblehead Company.

Reverend Daniel Henchman, a respected pastor in Lynn, is the Grand Master of the North Shore Freemasons. Henchman and Alasdair de Wilde (a respected rum merchant) are the masterminds behind a plot to assassinate local war hero Colonel John Glover, ostensibly to aid the loyalist cause, which they secretly espouse. Their plan is to construct a frightful iron golem, powered by human souls, to kill Glover. The two are aided in their conspiracy by Samuel Dickenson, a local

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lawyer. The conspirators plan to assassinate prominent rebel leaders with their ungodly creations. Colonel Glover is but the first target in a much larger war.

Unknown to de Wilde or Dickenson, however, Reverend Henchman has his own agenda. He plans to steal control of the golem from Alasdair to use it to exact revenge on the people of the North Shore for having hung his grandmother as a witch.

If the Heroes aren’t careful, the golem pursues them, forcing them to investigate on the run until they figure out how to destroy it. They have only a short time to uncover the conspiracy and track down its members. If Henchman gets his way, the golem not only goes after Colonel Glover, but it also unleashes his vengeance on an unsuspecting community. To make matters worse, once the golem is activated it must drain human souls to remain animated; and Reverend Henchmen is only too happy to set it on the locals.

BACKGROUND

At the beginning of the adventure, The North Shore Freemasons have already harvested three human souls to power a golem that will assassinate Colonel John Glover on February 5, 1777. Those whose souls have been harvested return from the dead as zombies. One such unfortunate is Tabitha Newhall, whose father, Jacob Newhall, mistook her condition for an illness or curse and summoned the Heroes to investigate.

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Why Colonel Glover Matters

Glover’s Regiment played a critical role in the revolution in its early stages in 1776; most notably they manned the boats crossing the Delaware during the Battle of Trenton. Even before the crossing of the Delaware, Glover and his regiment were local heroes for the role they played during the Siege of Boston. Henchman and his Lodge know that killing Glover would be a demoralizing blow to the Rebels.

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Samuel Dickenson, a member of the North Shore Freemasons, helped orchestrate the disappearances by hiring Captain Johnson, a notorious pirate, to abduct three residents. The last person Johnson abducted was Tabitha. Johnson brought the victims to Reverend Henchman at the Old Church in the Lynn Woodlands, where Alasdair cast Breath of Life on them. In order to control the golem, Alasdair needed to use personal belongings of those being sacrificed during the ritual. Rev. Henchman replaced these items with his own, so that he can control the golem once it is activated.

The golem, fashioned in the form of an iron suit of armor, was then sent to Colonel Glover’s residence as a gift. The conspirators plan to activate the golem when Colonel Glover returns from the war on February 4, 1777.

ADVENTURE TIMELINE

Unless the Heroes forestall the North Shore Masons’ plans, the GM should stick to the timeline found in Table One. In the event the timeline is disrupted, the GM should adjust the timeline accordingly. In any case, on February 4, 1777, Colonel Glover returns to Marblehead amid great fanfare. Shortly after midnight, on February 5, 1777, the golem attacks and kills him.

When the Timeline reaches February 3, be sure to provide players with a copy of the Essex Gazette handout (Handout B), as it describes a gift given to the Glovers by admirers. In fact, the gift is the golem designed by the Freemasons to kill Colonel Glover. This clue not only brings attention to Colonel Glover, it also explains how the conspirators placed the golem in the Colonel’s house.

On February 5, after Colonel Glover is killed (assuming he is), the golem goes on a rampage. It murders locals at the direction of Reverend Henchman. The Heroes are forced to protect themselves while coming to the aid of the community.

If the Heroes don’t solve the mystery, and Colonel Glover is assassinated, all is not lost. The townspeople want to know what happened to their beloved Colonel, so they ask the Heroes to investigate his death and bring his killers to justice.

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Table One: Timeline of Events

Day Events

20 January Tabitha returns home after being missing for two days.

1 February Anonymous gift of iron armor arrives at Glover’s Estate.

2 February Heroes Arrive

3 February Essex Gazette handout (Handout B)

4 February Colonel Glover returns.

5 February Colonel assassinated by golem at 1:00 am.

6 February If the crime isn’t solved, the Town of Marblehead asks the Heroes to investigate Colonel Glover’s death. The golem

attacks Alasdair de Wilde and Benjamin Tarbox.

THE CONSPIRATORS

Detailed here are the major players of the conspiracy. These are the Villains who have put the plan into motion, and who work to thwart the Heroes’ investigation. To aid you in the running of this adventure, each conspirator’s description includes information on his or her goals, hooks, and obsession. This information is given to help you roleplay the reactions of the conspirators during the course of the adventure.

REV. DANIEL HENCHMAN

Might 9, Nimble 10, Vigor 7, Reason 10, Resolution 11

Faith 15, Sanity 55, Resolve 50, Vitality 40

Skills: Diplomacy [11], Language—Hebrew [8], Shoot [7], Profession—Clergy [10], Spell—Curse [10] and Control [10], Study—Demonology [8]

Hook: Mastermind behind the conspiracy. Exact revenge on the North Shore.

Goals: Make the colonies suffer under British yoke. Corrupt good souls. Kill Colonel Glover.

Gear: Cloak, Cane, Hat, Suit, Bible, Colonial Musket

Reverend Daniel Henchman, Grand Master of the North Shore Masonic Lodge, is the mastermind behind the conspiracy to kill Colonel Glover. He is the pastor of The First Congregationalist Church in Lynn, as well as a secret loyalist to the English Crown. He maintains a façade of sympathy to the rebel cause to maintain his standing within the community. Henchman wants power, and he

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leeches it from every available source in the colony, whether political, spiritual, or diabolical in nature.

Henchman wants vengeance for his family, which was wronged during the Witch Hysteria. He hopes to make the colonists suffer by keeping them under the English yoke. The only person Reverend Henchman truly loves or trusts, besides himself, is his ‘adopted’ son, Samuel Dickenson. Henchman’s hatred is well hidden, however. He is a compelling speaker who can easily convince most listeners of his benevolence. In recent months, Henchman has been unusually restless, due to his plans to betray de Wilde and use the golem to exact revenge on the people of the North Shore, and especially Marblehead.

Born in Lynn in 1730, Henchman is a widower. Elizabeth Hurd Henchman died in 1775 after discovering her husband’s deeper secrets. Though a Pastor by trade, Reverend Henchman has a darker side not even his fellow conspirators know: He is a witch, a servant of the devil.

Henchman’s real surname is Reed, and he is the grandson of Wilmot Reed, a Marblehead woman who was hanged for witchcraft during the Hysteria of 1692. Upon the death of his grandmother, the Reverend’s father, George Reed, changed the family name to Henchman.

From an early age, young Daniel Henchman was fascinated by the story of his grandmother. When he was fifteen, he came upon a ledger in the family library that contained rituals and curses penned by Wilmot Reed. Henchman learned the rituals and used one to make contact with his deceased grandmother. Wilmot urged Henchman to enter a contract with the devil, and Henchman agreed.

Henchman became a Freemason after he was ordained as a Congregationalist Pastor. Being a Pastor provided Henchman with a useful cover and influence over the community. In 1770, he was made Grand Master of the North Shore Masonic Lodge, with instructions to aid the English crown against growing sentiments of rebellion.

SAMUEL DICKENSON



Skills: Bureaucracy [12], Diplomacy [8], Observe [6], Profession—Lawyer [12], Study—Law [12]

Goals: Loyalty to Henchman. Loyalty to England. Loyalty to the Freemasons.

Hook: Loyal to the end.

Gear: Double Barrel Pistol, 2 Devil Dogs/Beagles (Tess and Bess), Wig, Hat, Suit

Samuel Dickenson is a well-known North Shore lawyer. He is Alasdair de Wilde’s lawyer, as well as his go-between with the local pirates. Known for his cunning and dry personality, Dickenson is an effective, if boring, lawyer. Cursed with a frail build, he has spent his life in study. This has made him a bitter person, filled with jealousy for those in good health. He hates his weak body, and so he has strengthened his mind to compensate. Above all, Dickenson trusts reason, and has


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a secret disdain of religion. He is loyal to Reverend Henchman, however, and would rather die than betray the man who raised him like a son. Though he does not understand his adoptive father’s obsession with Witchcraft, he humors Henchman, pretending to believe so as not to disappoint him.

Dickenson’s undying loyalty dates back to his childhood, which was blighted by illness. Henchman took pity on young Samuel, one of his favorite congregants. If not for Henchman’s intervention, Dickenson would certainly have perished before adulthood. Instead, Henchman commissioned special elixirs to be brewed by his good friend Benjamin Tarbox. The potions restored Samuel’s health, and he takes them to this day to keep his body from growing sick again. Henchman and Dickenson have been very close ever since, and Dickenson regards Henchman as a father.

Born in Lynn, Dickenson received his education in England and Boston. Returning to his hometown, he immediately made important business connections through Reverend Henchman. In time, he was recruited into the North Shore Masonic Lodge, largely because of his training in the law. Samuel is a key member of the lodge. He is so valued that the Reverend Henchman has provided him with two Devil Dogs (see below) to protect the lawyer from harm.

ALASDAIR DE WILDE



Skills: Language—Arabic [10], Hebrew [10], Profession—Merchant [10], Socialize [12], Spell—Breath of Life [10], Study—History [10]

Goals: Create life. Serve God. Serve England and the Masons. Protect his family.

Hook: A scholar who learned ancient Hebrew rituals to bring golems to life.

Obsession: Creating Life

Gear: Cross, Suit, Hat, Shoes, Pistol

A Freemason and loyalist, de Wilde uses his knowledge of the dark arts to further the interests of his lodge and the British Empire. He greatly admires the British Empire and, though he is Scottish, believes English Culture to be superior to all others. A deeply religious megalomaniac, de Wilde is a man obsessed with the creation of life; he believes it makes him like God. In his delusional mind, he is God and his golems are divine creations.

Despite these shortcomings, de Wilde desires to do good, to promote the will of God, and to benefit mankind. Though he will not acknowledge it, he knows his loyalty to the Masons has forced him to compromise his ideals. There is still room for redemption in de Wilde’s heart.

In his youth, de Wilde was an adventurer-scholar who traveled the world in search of a mystic experience with God. For years, he explored the ancient cities in the Ottoman Empire until he came to Safed, an ancient Israeli city in the Ottoman Province of Syria. There he was struck by the Kabbalah, the mystic

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practices of the Jewish residents of the city. He learned Hebrew and Arabic in order to read the Kabbalistic texts he discovered there.

In particular, the tale of the golem piqued de Wilde’s curiosity. According to the legend, Kabbalah could be used to make a man out of solid materials (usually earth or clay). This construct’s purpose was to defend the Jewish community. Alasdair began to dream of creating life from clay, as God had created Adam from the earth.

After leaving Safed, De Wilde traveled to the colonies and settled in Boston, Massachusetts. He built a large fortune with The North Shore Rum Company, distilling molasses imported into the harbors of Marblehead from the Caribbean. This gave him a large number of contacts among legitimate boat captains, and also among pirates.

De Wilde also became active in the North Shore Masonic Lodge. He secretly experimented with golem creation, using the knowledge he had gained while in Safed. He used a Kabbalistic ritual known as the Breath of Life to construct a man from clay, and to animate it with the life force of another person. Traditional beliefs that animating a golem requires only putting a slip of paper with one of God’s names written on it into the golem’s mouth turned out to be so much wishful thinking. Fortunately, he had shared his secret with Reverend Henchman, the leader of his Masonic Temple. Henchman suggested that Dickenson could work as an intermediary between de Wilde and the pirates he knew by reputation through the North Shore Rum Company. The pirates would provide the unfortunates whose souls would power de Wilde’s work.

De Wilde has used some of his golems in secret assassinations for the loyalist cause, and he has sent many of them into the swamps on his manor grounds and charged them with protecting his homestead. But the clay golems that he created wore down over time, crumbling to dust within a few short years. In order to create a stronger, more durable golem, de Wilde began to experiment with iron, instead of clay, again at the suggestion of Reverend Henchman.

Alasdair commissioned a suit of plate armor made from iron. At first, it seemed a success. It was more powerful than Alasdair’s clay golems, and far sturdier. But the iron material interacted oddly with the spell, eroding rapidly, as if the armor were being devouring by the soul as it sought to escape. Within hours the suit was gone. For each experiment, Alasdair had to obtain a new suit of armor—and a new soul. Eventually, Alasdair deduced to his horror that it was not, as he had believed, that the suit being eaten by the soul it contained, but that the suit itself was feasting on the soul. When the soul was gone, the metal rapidly degraded. By feeding the suit more souls, he was able to prevent it from falling apart so quickly. He also developed a stronger Ritual that enabled the armor to feed on souls to recharge itself.


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WAFIYAH DE WILDE



Skills: Empathy [8], Languages—Arabic [Fluent] and English (10), Lore [10], Profession—Sewing (10), Resist [6]

Goals: Serve God. Protect husband’s soul.

Hook: Not a mason, but is married to Alasdair de Wilde, and helps in the performance of rituals.

Gear: Shawl, Gown, Bonnet, Key to Old Church

Wafiyah was born in the town of Safed, a village in the Syrian province of the Ottoman Empire. Her father was a fabric merchant, and, briefly, a business partner of Alasdair De Wilde. In 1761, Alasdair de Wilde came to live in the house of Wafiyah’s father. De Wilde was fascinated by Wafiyah’s beauty and her knowledge of obscure Arab lore. He courted her, and the two married in 1763 with the blessing of Wafiyah’s father.

Wafiyah is a Sufi Muslim within the Sunni tradition. Sufism is a mystical traditional in Islam that seeks a direct and personal connection with God through a variety of practices. Wafiyah prefers a form of meditation called muraqaba. She fell in love with Alasdair because of his child-like obsession with mysticism and his deep yearning to connect with the divine.

A devoted wife, she would never betray her husband, but she is concerned about the corrupting influence of the Masons on him. She understands what he is doing, and accepts that people must die for the Breath of Life ritual to be performed. Wafiyah even assists her husband in performing the ritual, but she does not approve of using it for assassination. She believes that golems are meant to protect the People of the Book (Christians, Jews, and Muslims) and that only the souls of the willing should be extracted.

BENJAMIN TARBOX


Sanity 35, Resolve 35, Vitality 30

Skills: Bureaucracy [7], Language—English [Fluent], Lore—Elixirs [7], Profession—Brewing [9] and Cordwainer [9], Shoot [6], Spell—Liquid Courage [5]

Goal: Loyal Mason, secret practitioner of elixir brewing.

Gear: Flintlock pistol, suit

Benjamin is a prosperous cordwainer, or shoemaker, and a member of the North Shore Masonic Lodge. The Lodge often meets in the basement of Benjamin’s business, Tarbox Shoes.

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THE CONSPIRACY

For the past year, the North Shore Masonic Lodge has been using various methods, mostly magic rituals preformed by Alasdair de Wilde, to murder enemies of England. De Wilde’s clay golems proved useful, but they were too slow and bulky to pull off complicated assassinations. During the Siege of Boston, Reverend Henchman proposed making a golem out of better material—an iron suit of armor. It was ideal, he argued, because it was hollow (and therefore could move more quickly), stronger, and above all, less conspicuous. It could, after all, masquerade as a hall ornament.

De Wilde’s current ritual requires a larger number of sacrifices. In addition, each time Alasdair creates a golem, the bodies of those used as sacrifices rise again as zombies the next day. None of the conspirators realize they are creating zombies, because they bury their victims after the ritual. This is what happened to Tabitha Newhall. She was used in the Breath of Life ritual to make the iron golem, and then left for dead.

THE PLAN

When Colonel Glover returns to his home in Marblehead, he finds a gift of an iron suit of armor, which is really Alasdair’s iron golem meant to kill the colonel in the middle of the night. If the Heroes don’t interfere, the conspiracy succeeds. However, de Wilde loses control of the golem, as Reverend Henchman takes it and sends it on a rampage of revenge.

A LIVING CONSPIRACY

The conspiracy to construct an iron golem, to kill Colonel Glover, and to aid the British, is a dynamic one. Colonel Glover isn’t the first victim of the conspiracy and he certainly won’t be the last. How the conspiracy unfolds largely depends on what the Heroes do. They may fail to save Colonel Glover, but that doesn’t mean the adventure is over, for there are many enemies of the Crown the Masons wish to kill. This part of the adventure provides the GM with important information on how the Masons operate, what resources they have access to, and how they might respond to unusual events. GMs should study this chapter carefully, as it is the engine that drives the plot. Treat the foes described earlier in this chapter as active characters in the plot, who react to events. Understanding their motivations is the key to successfully running this adventure.

HOW THE CONSPIRACY REACTS

The goals and actions of the Freemasons adjust according to what the heroes do in the course of their investigation. If any of the following events occur, GMs can make use of the suggested reaction that follow.


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IF DE WILDE IS KILLED

Killing or stopping de Wilde after he has performed the Breath of Life Ritual doesn’t stop the golem. The Heroes still need to rescue Colonel Glover from assassination. With Alasdair dead, there is no one left who knows how to defeat the golem. If the other conspirators remain alive, they seek to destroy the Heroes. Reverend Henchman is a patient man and can wait for his revenge. He finds out what he can about the Heroes and seeks to thwart their efforts in the future. Henchman may try to turn the Heroes to his side before killing them. Since he planned to kill Alasdair himself, he does not take the loss personally.

Wafiyah de Wilde, on the other hand, seeks revenge for her husband’s death, learning his rituals and employing them against his killers. This may take some time, perhaps a few months, but when the Heroes least expect it, Wafiyah will reappear to take her revenge. Each month she spends plotting her revenge, Wifiyah gains 5 Skill points to spend toward the Breath of Life Ritual. Once she knows the ritual, Wafiyah creates a golem to avenge her husband.

IF DICKENSON IS KILLED

Reverend Henchman is furious over Samuel’s death and seeks revenge against those responsible. Henchman loses interest in serving the Crown and becomes obsessed with tracking down Samuel’s killers. In order to exact his revenge, he casts a Curse, which requires he obtains possessions belonging to his targets. He will most likely hire a thief to steal what he needs from the Heroes. The death of Dickenson has no impact on the conspiracy’s goals, but it impedes their ability to navigate the legal system and make contact with people in high office.

IF REVEREND HENCHMAN IS KILLED

The death of Reverend Henchman deeply affects Dickenson, causing him to lash out at the killers of his “father.” Depending on how Henchman is killed, Dickenson either uses his powers as a lawyer to have them arrested for the murder, or hires mercenaries to kill them. Samuel does not act directly or on his own. No matter how he seeks his revenge, it will be through an intermediary.

The death of Reverend Henchman does not turn the conspiracy aside from its goals, but it might make Alasdair de Wilde more open to redemption. If Henchman is killed, he cannot take control of the golem and send it to take revenge for his grandmother. The golem will still attack to feed itself, but does not go on a wild rampage. Note, however, that if he’s killed after February 4, he’s already stolen the stone with the golem’s name on it and hidden it in the graveyard of his church—de Wilde will not be able to destroy the golem by reversing the name on the stone (see Reverend Henchman’s Treachery, later in this chapter). And, since Henchman replaced the victim’s possessions with his own before the start of the adventure, de Wilde will be unable to control the golem, either (see the Stone in the Old Church, later in this chapter). Still, de Wilde is intimately familiar with the golem, and can be a great help to the Heroes. He knows, for instance that they can destroy it if they somehow manage to write the golem’s name in reverse on its body.

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IF REVEREND HENCHMAN LEARNS OF THE HEROES’

INVESTIGATION

Henchman hires thieves to sneak into the Heroes’ room and steal belongings from one among their number. He then casts a Curse on that member of the group, afflicting him with Ague Fever.

CONFRONTING THE CONSPIRACY

Eventually, the Heroes should have enough information and evidence to confront the conspiracy. There are three likely options the players can choose from in order to confront the conspirators. They may choose another path altogether, of course, but these three are the most probable.

DIRECT CONFRONTATION

At any time during the course of their investigation, the Heroes can confront members of the conspiracy if they feel they have enough proof. Taking such aggressive action will have consequences, however. Reverend Henchman will use all his power to hunt down and destroy the Heroes if they are deemed a threat. If the Heroes make any public accusations, they must be prepared to back them up with evidence. Even then, it is no longer 1692: Embarrassed by their past, the people of Lynn and Marblehead are unlikely to believe there is anything supernatural afoot.

INDIRECT CONFRONTATION

Clever Heroes may try to pit members of the Masonic conspiracy against each other. Such a ploy might work, if the right things are said to the right people. GMs are encouraged to acquaint themselves with all the Supporting Cast in this book, in order to judge how they would react to such developments. For example, Wafiyah de Wilde is deeply concerned about the well-being of her husband’s soul, and might be persuaded to help the Heroes, if she were convinced it would bring no harm to Alasdair.

Friendship

Another approach is for the players present themselves as friends of the conspiracy. If their investigation leads them to one of the conspirators, they can attempt to befriend him or her Success here can be the result of a Diplomacy Test, the reward for good roleplaying, or some combination of the two. The Heroes would have considerable difficulty gaining the trust and friendship of Samuel Dickenson or Reverend Henchman, but it’s not impossible. Alasdair de Wilde, on the other hand, is highly personable, and always interested in conversing with worldly men. Should the players seek and secure his friendship, he may even allow them to stay at his mansion. If he discovers they are in town investigating Tabitha’s disappearance, he keeps a close eye on them. If he feels the need to throw them off the trail, he may even implicate Jacob Newhall himself.


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REVEREND HENCHMAN’S TREACHERY

Reverend Henchman plots against his fellow conspirators. Not even Samuel knows of his treachery. In truth, the Reverend tires of defending the Crown. He has become obsessed with the idea of avenging his grandmother. When Alasdair performed the Breath of Life ritual to create the iron golem, Reverend Henchman replaced the personal belongings of the sacrifices with his own belongings, giving him control of the iron golem. He hopes to direct the golem against the townspeople. During its rampage, he’ll also have it all kill the conspirators except Samuel. Then he plans to use his control of the golem to pretend to defeat it, so he can be hailed as a hero.

THE ASSASSINATION

On February 5, the golem activates inside Colonel Glover’s estate, and the climax of the adventure begins. If the golem kills Colonel Glover, it turns his attention to the fresh supply of souls in Marblehead. The GM should encourage the Heroes to run away. The golem is a powerful opponent, one that should be outwitted rather than confronted directly. It is relentless, and if Colonel Glover is being protected, it tracks down and finds the Heroes wherever they hide (something that smart Heroes can use to their advantage). After the assassination, the golem is under the control of Reverend Henchman, who uses it to kill the descendants of his grandmother’s accusers (basically anyone alive on the North Shore).

After the attacks, the Heroes hear rumors of a mad man on the loose. Few believe there is anything supernatural about the attacker; the locals think someone put on a suit of armor and started attacking people. Only those witnessing the attacks and the draining of the victim’s souls can accept the supernatural explanation.

THE STONE IN THE OLD CHURCH

Taking the stone slab from de Wilde’s ritual inscribed with the word “Amit” (the golem’s name) and reversing the order of the letters automatically stops the golem. The stone is one foot across, and weighs 3 lbs. It is located in the old church until February 4, when Reverend Henchman steals it so that no one can stop the golem. He buries the stone in the ground near First Church. Heroes investigating the church grounds and making a Successful Observe or Tracking Test notice a fresh grave in the church graveyard (see the entry about First Church entry in Chapter Four for details). Heroes digging up the grave uncover the stone.

A THREAT TO ALASDAIR

Once Glover is disposed of, the next target is Alasdair de Wilde, who Henchman despises and worries might turn against the conspiracy. De Wilde, realizing he has lost control of the golem, retreats to Wilde Manor with his wife, children, and servants. On February 6, the golem breaks into the house and kills Alasdair, his family, and his servants, unless the Heroes can stop it. After killing de Wilde, the

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golem goes after Benjamin Tarbox. Once Tarbox is dead, the golem resumes its attack on Marblehead and Lynn.

ADVENTURE ENCOUNTERS

The following encounters are tools for the GM to keep the Heroes on their toes, or to simply prod them along. If the adventure lags, or if the players aimlessly explore, surprise the party with an encounter from the list below. For example, if the Heroes go to a tavern, the Drunken Crowd approaches them as they enter, and accuses them of being Loyalists; or if the Heroes have not figured out that Tabitha is a zombie, spring a zombie encounter on them. None of these central to the plot, but they should be entertaining and might be useful as well.

AUTHORITIES

This encounter occurs if the Heroes have drawn suspicion from the local authorities. For example, if the Heroes break into someone’s home to search for clues, the local constable might come after them. Or if the residents feel the Heroes’ investigation is causing trouble, and they are becoming a nuisance, then the authorities might be called in. If this occurs, the constable and five Minutemen (see the Colonial Gothic Rulebook, page 251) ask the Heroes to leave town. If they refuse, the Constable removes them from town by force.

BANDITS

Bandits are a problem in the remote areas of the colonies. If the Heroes are robbed, it could be either a simple case of bad luck, or it could be an attempt by Reverend Henchman to acquire their belongings. Use this encounter any time Samuel Dickenson or Reverend Henchman hire toughs to interfere with the Heroes’ investigation. Use the townsperson entry from Chapter Three for Bandits’ statistics.

CLAY GOLEM

De Wilde sends one of his clay golems after the Heroes when he discovers they threaten the conspiracy against Colonel Glover. This encounter can happen anywhere during the adventure. The GM should work to get across the terror of this encounter. Play up the golem’s size and ability to blend with surroundings. They can be mistaken for rocks along a trail, or as objects in a dark room. Perhaps the Heroes suddenly wake up in their room, but see nothing that could have woken them. When they get up to investigate they must make Observe Tests [-3] to detect the golem’s presence in the room. Failure means the golem appears out of the darkness and attacks, taking the characters completely off guard.

DRUNKEN CROWD

A dozen fishermen, enthused by the news of The Battle of Trenton, have spent the night drinking and working themselves into an anti-English fury. When encountered, they decide that the Heroes are Loyalists, and instigate a verbal


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the landlord’s

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