JKEvilGenius

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

All in all it was a great event and look forward to a second annual gathering in the future.

[/ QUOTE ]

Who said anything about these things being merely annual?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you all need to take a road trip up to Chicago so some more fans can get the chance to meet you!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

We need something like this up in the frozen Tundra that is Canada

[ QUOTE ]

William's Square - after the founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams

Louis Forest - stumped on this one. Lots of founders of things named "Louis", but none as clearly related as, for instance, Roger Williams.

Blackstone Hills - the U.S. Constitution was based, in part, on Sir William Blackstone's "Commentaries on the Laws of England" (1765).

Hutchison Park - jury's still out on this one.

The Gaspee - The HMS Gaspee was a British navy ship that was burned by American colonials after it ran aground while chasing a suspected "smuggler" in an attempt to collect taxes from the itinerant Americans. It was a fairly large event leading up to the Revolutionary War.

Red River is geographical and Liberty Town is fairly self-evidently related.


[/ QUOTE ]

OK not sure if anyone already answered about some of these (wasn't able to read the entire thread). But I believe the reference to Loius Forest and the Red River one are in fact Canadian references.

Since all of these places in Founder's are about revolution and founding stuff, I came to that conclusion. the Louis one is fro Louis Riel who, with Gabriel Dumont and some other metis leaders rose up in the town of Red River in Manitoba to break away from the country of Canada to form their own sovreign nation. Of course that failed and most of them were rounded up and hung for treason, but the war lasted a good many years and the battles stretched from Manitoba through Saskachewan and ended in Alberta. Yeah that is about the most exciting thing that has happened up here.

Chapter 4 : The Accolyte

Winston was back sitting at his kitchen table. His wife to his left, his son to his right. The three of them sitting around like they had many times before. Laughter filled the house. Winston sat there enjoying this moment. This was something he longed for with his entire being for the last 5 days. This was how things were supposed to be.

“Winston”

“Winston, it is time fulfill your promise.”

That voice. It was coming from outside the house. He knew who it was. He knew what he had to do. He wasn’t going. He had longed for this and was not about to leave it.

“Winston, don’t make me come in and get you”

Forget it. He was not going to leave them.

He could hear the handle on the door clatter, the catch unlatch and the door start to swing. All of a sudden there was a tearing in his mind. It was a pain he could not even have imagined could exist. He his eyes squeezed shut as a reflex to the pain. Then it was gone. When he opened his eyes everything was black.

The rope was still around his neck, but it was slack. The ropes on his arms were there, but they were no longer restricting him. He reached them up and loosened the knot on the slack rope, pulled it from his head and tore off the death hood. He looked around and saw the carnage that surrounded the smoldering gallows.

The screams were dying down, but there was still groans coming from the ground from those that had not yet realized they were going to die. The rest of the square was empty of life save for one person in the back corner dressed in clergy robes. Winston recognized him right away. The priest, he was responsible for this.

“Welcome back the world of the living Winston. I hope you enjoyed your respite.”

“What happened here?”

“You”

Winston had to take a second to let this sink in. How could he have done this? He died. How could a dead man have blown up an entire square?

“Wondering how it happened aren’t you?”

“Remember the burst that happened? That caused this.”

“Why, why would I have done this?”

“To punish the sins of the world. That is what you are now. You are the angel of death. Whenever a great sin happens you will be there to cleanse the world of those souls. This was the first. These people have been celebrating death for far too long, this is their punishment.”

Winston could not handle this anymore. The sheer weight of this revelation fell on him like a collapsing rampart. This was too much for him to bear. He felt his knees start to give way. He fell like a ton of bricks, but never felt himself hit the ground.

He woke up laying on some rocks. The ocean was choppy, waves crashing around him. He stood up to try and find some recognizable landmark. How did the hell did he get here?

“That is exactly how you got here Winston.”

“I don’t understand”

“When I said that you are to punish the sinners, you didn’t think that you would be working God did you? He does not punish the sinners.”

Winston finally realized what was going on. He was to be working for the Devil. Doing his dirty work.

“I won’t do it.”

“Oh, I think you will, it is not your soul that is hanging in the balance here. Let me show you.”

All of a sudden a small circle parted in the waters, Winston saw the souls of his Wife and Son being tortured again. Reliving everything they went through the hours before their deaths. Winston grimaced. How could he say no?

“We were hoping you would say that.”

“You shall be the forebearer of the Apocalypse. You need to realize that your idea of the apocalypse is different from ours. You believe it is the complete end of the world. While that is almost true it is not exact. The apocalypse is the moments before you die, you see the wrath of God in human form. You my friend are that Wrath. You are the Accolyte.”

Winston did not know how to answer to this. He could not spend eternity killing people, yet he could not bear to see the pain on the faces of his family, their deaths too fresh in his mind.

“You have made your choice I see.”

“I have made a bargain, a grim spectacle I can forsee, but a bargain none the less. I will do your work.”

The priest pulled a large book out of his robe. He handed it to Winston.

“This does me no good, I can’t read.”

“Just open it.”

Winston opened it and the illegible scribbles on the page slowly became readable. Winston flipped through some pages and saw dates, places he had only heard about, all put on maps, peoples names, and large events.

“What book is this?”

“That is not for you to know. You only need to be at those places at those times and do your job.”

Winston flipped through the book till he got to the end. The last page had the date of July 28th, 1794. The rest of the page was empty. Winston was confused, what was supposed to happen on this day? What was going to make the difference in 200 years?

“We do not know either. All we do know about that date is that you will come to a crossroads and you will either choose to stay with us, or turn against us. It shall make for interesting times for sure.”

“Can I go now?”

“Feel free. The first chapters in the book explain to you how to do your job, and how to get home again. You do miss it already don’t you? Well my friend. I have to leave you now. I look forward to seeing how well you do your job. If that first display was any indication, I know you will do just as we hoped you would.”

Winston gave him a hard look and turned his back on the priest. He heard a loud crack and there was a bright flash of light. He knew the priest was gone.

He flipped back to the beginning of the book. The words at the top of the very first page read; “Winston Wickenbottom: The Accolyte of the Apocalypse”

Chapter 3 : The Rebirth

The priest stayed long into the night. Winston listened intently as the man explained to him that he could be given near eternal life if he were do give up his soul completely to the god of the priest. His pain would go away, forever. He would be caught between two worlds, the world of living, and the world of death, with the ability to travel between the two.

Winston could hardly believe it. This man was offering him the chance to be free, to see his wife and son, to get revenge for them.

The next morning Winston got up, stretched and sat patiently for the events of the day to unfold. All he had been able to concentrate on was how this deal would be solidified when he gave up his mortal life, and his immortal life would begin.

Winston had no idea how long it took for the time to pass that day. All he could think about was the impending events. Inside he was a mixture of nervousness and uncertainty. Looking at him though, one would be hard pressed to tell if anything was going on at all.

Just before noon, the door opened, 3 men walked in. Two guards and the priest form the night before.

“Stand!”

Winston stood up and the men tied up his arms behind his back. He looked at each of them intently, remembering every detail of their faces.

“My Son, the Lord is with you in this, your time of need. Remember that you are your time of reckoning, your rebirth is at hand.”

Winston felt the burn of the rope cinching against his wrist. He relished the feeling, it was nice to feel again.

“Walk!”

Winston hesitated for a moment, heaved a sigh and went forth to realize his destiny.

The priest walking in front of him, uttering religious verses, kept a steady gait. Winston hung his head not thinking about the priest talking about the salvation of the soul, not paying attention to the guards walking with him, poking him in the ribs and back, trying to antagonize him. All that he could concentrate on was the idea of being able to see his Wife and Son. It would not be the same as it was a week ago when he last saw them alive, but it would help to remove the images that he found in his house 5 days ago.

The walk was a short one. Winston’s mind whirling with thoughts and fears of what was going to happen. He could hear the crowd buzzing before he entered the square. Upon entering the only thing that he could focus on was the gallows. Towering above the square, these gallows looked ominous. Winston suddenly became unsure of this deal.

“the Lord will guide you on your path, go forth and be reborn”

Winston heard these words, the only words he focused on above the din of the gathered crowd.

“The devil will have his way with you, killer”

The guard hissed in his ear as he jabbed the end of his stick hard into Winston’s ribs, cracking a few.

“Elizabeth, I am coming, coming home”

Winston muttered these words over and over again under his breath as he made his way up the steps to the gallows.

Winston got up to the stool, and got up on it. The hangman put the mask over his head and whispered in his ear.

“For what you did to them people, I am going to make sure you suffer for a bit before you get to die, see how’s about you like it.”

The announcement went out to the crowd that the condemned man was going to die. Winston didn’t even pay attention. He felt the noose slip over his head, around his neck, and tighten.

All of a sudden, there was a jolt and the stool was gone from beneath his feet. The rope tightened and Winston couldn’t breathe.

No struggling, no noises, just a man dangling. Winston hung there, the only thought on his mind was seeing his family. Images started flashing in his mind. He could feel life slipping away. He met this with a full relief. No longer was he of this world. He could feel his muscles tightening, starving for oxygen, his lungs feeling like they would burst.

The crowd stared at the man who opted to die quietly and with dignity. No signs of struggle, no last minute outbursts. There was some small twitching starting in his legs, and making it’s way up his body. Suddenly, this body went still. It was over.

Winston could feel the world slipping away, yet his mind was becoming clearer. He felt constrained though. Something was keeping him back. Something building up. It wasn’t the ropes, something else. Something in his mind. He struggled to break free. He was fighting an unknown force, and it was fighting back with a ferocity he had never known before. He could feel the tension coming to head, with one last effort he fought through it. He felt a burst in his mind and it was over. Everything was clear now, there was no more resistance.

The flames shot out from every pore of the body. The people nearest the front were laying on the ground, already dead. The ones towards the middle were engulfed in flames, cloth melding with the skin, searing pain giving way to death. The people at the back were burning from the intense heat given off by the body. No one could figure out how this dead body had created an explosion like a keg of black powder exploding, and yet the body was unharmed.

In the back of the square off in his own little corner, was the priest, sly knowing little smile coming across his face…

Chapter 2 : The Deal

Walking down the dark hallway, Winston was brought to a large heavy wooden door. The door was opened and he was shoved in. The door was slammed, and he was left alone, in the dark, with nothing but his thoughts.

This was the longest day of his life. He lay on the ground were he had fallen when pushed through the door. He was oblivious to the squalor in which he now found himself. There was matted up straw, caked with human waste almost invisible over one of the corners. In the other corner was a leaky wooden buck that seemed to be more for decoration than for any real purpose since anything put in there would leak out. The floors were cold and wet, and made of stone that had been smoothed by the pacing of former guests. The walls were lined with grooves, the width between each one the distance between fingers.

“This is the last room I will ever occupy”

“If I ever get out of here, whoa be to those that have hurt and punished me in this way.”

“I will let them win.”

Winston lay there day after day, not moving, not eating. Just waiting for the jailer to come and take him to the gallows. He had made the decision that if he were to die of starvation, he would not be dying a guilty man.

After four days Winston could not move if he tried. The complete and utter exhaustion of the ordeal had overcome him. He lay on the floor whimpering almost silently. Cursing the unknown names, and weeping for the mangled, loved, dead.

At the end of the fourth day a man entered the cell Winston was in. Wearing a long robe and carrying a bible, he had the jailer put down a stool for him to sit on.

He sat there staring at the pathetic form on the floor. For 10 minutes he sat and stared, not knowing how to start the conversation that was inevitable,

Winston knew someone was in the room. He knew that it was a man of the cloth. He knew what he was there to say. He didn’t care.

“My son, you know why I am here. It is not a pleasant job, but we must put your soul at ease before you can accepted by God”

Winston made no indication he had heard what the priest said.

“I see that your soul is in a lot of pain. You have been thinking sinful thoughts. Thoughts that come from the Devil himself. You cannot get into the kingdom of God with such thoughts on your mind…”

Winston lifted his head now focusing on what was being said. This man was right. How could he have let himself believe that this was an acceptable way to think.

“… the Devil will consume your soul if you continue on this path. You do not have the time to be thinking in this manner, you should be spending the rest of your earthly time putting your soul at ease…”

Winston now made a greater effort to pay attention to the priest.

“…although I do have a way to extend the time you have, should you be willing…”

Winston sat up, this was definitely worth paying attention to.

“…all it takes on your part is an oath to do work for my God. We can also arrange for you to meet the men responsible for your pain. For as you know the Lord works in mysterious ways. He has big plans for you Winston. Plans that you cannot even begin to comprehend...”

“How many years has it been?”

“Too many.”

“What year is it now?”

“2005”

“It has been too long.”

Sitting atop of one of the tenements in King’s row, like he always did in his downtime, his mind always wondered back to the beginning.

Chapter 1 : Origins

Everyone thinks that the “deal with the devil” is just a saying. Well Winston knew better. He has been alive for almost 400 years. Half of that time traveling the world bringing about the most devastating of disasters. The other half? Spent atoning for those sins.

It all seems like a bad dream to him. The pain, the heartache, the life-altering deal.

Long ago in a time that seems too long for him to remember, more like a dream than anything that actually happened, he sold his soul to he only person that could help him.

Alone in the small wreckage of a terribly shabby house in London, sitting sobbing at the rough wooden table, lost in despair and heart wrenching pain.

“How could they be gone?”

“Why would they this to us?”

“We had nothing, nothing but each other”

The house was in a state of complete ruin. The local constable was there questioning him about what happened. He was numb. He could only manage broken words, non-sensical mumblings, and of course the sobs and wails that chilled the constable.

The scene surrounding the table was utter chaos; cupboards smashed, jars and bottles broken, the hearthstones smashed and broken to bits, and amidst the wreckage lay two broken bodies. The larger of the two only had been left only semi-clothed leaving little doubt that some man had some kind of pleasure in this. She was twisted and contorted in a way that left no doubt that whatever she went through before her final breath, death was a welcome release. The smaller of the two bodies seemed to have suffered no less. One could tell just by looking at his body that his arms had been broken. There was nothing but a stump where his left foot had once been. Burns pock marked the body where he had been poked with a hot knife.

Back at the table the constable was making no effort to hide the fact that Winston was now going to be hauled off to the hangman for the crime of killing his wife and son.

Shackled and led through the streets, in full view of people he had known all of his life, Winston hung his head and wept silently. He knew that there was no hope for a poor cobbler. Who would believe him? As long as someone died for the hideous crime, the public rage would satiated.

Along the way people threw rocks, rotten vegetables, even horse droppings at him. Winston felt nothing but the mix of deep burning hatred, and life ending despair had numbed him to any physical pain he might feel.

The walk to the prison took an hour. To Winston time had not moved since walking into the house this morning and finding the grisly remains of his family.

“Why did I take that job?”

“Who would do such a thing to an innocent child and a defenseless woman?”

“There is no God”

The last thought was jarring to him. Never had he had any reason to doubt that God existed, and now he was sure that there was no such thing as God. That small, 4 word sentence was jarring to him. It brought him back to the bleak reality he was faced with. No longer was he a husband, a father, a man who was loved, and a man who loved. He was now just a man who was going to die for a grisly series of events that he had nothing to do with. His life was no longer under his own control. He was disposable, and would be disposed of in the manner that all killers and rapists were.


Winston took the time to look at the man walking with him. The worn leathery skin, the mouth issuing a foul smell. He was missing most of his teeth and the ones that remained broken and decayed. One eye missing, no patch to cover the bare cavity, the muscles twitching when the man moved his eyes. He looked like the mask of death. Winston could not help but hate this man, and given a chance, he would have his revenge.

“Don’t worry, your stay with us won’t be a long one…” the only words that came from this escort that had brought him the last gate that his living eyes would ever look on.

I thought I would give this a try. I have read alot of the stories that others have posted and figured I would have a go trying to do something for one of my favourite characters.

Please post up thoughts, advice, criticisms as I would like to get better at this. this is my first RPG and from a guy who used to play sctrictly FPS, this is a real departure.