The abatement of the snows for a fortnight at the new year allowed for the recovery and burial of those who had frozen and starved to death during the previous month, though no sooner were the last interrals performed than the fresh heaped earth was again smoothed by snow then heaped once more by drifts. Two dutiful members of the Town Guard were found frozen at their posts upon one of the rooftop gun towers whence they kept watch against the aerial demons that are sometimes seen in the lulls between blizzards. One such abomination lurked about the town within sight of this post holding the troopers attention until they were engulfed by a blizzard the creature no doubt summoned up from its own icy part of hell, to their undoing.
Though the storms heralding the end of winter started early it was not until the middle of the month that the true thaw began to set in, turning every way to mud, and sending meltwater gushing through previously unregarded cracks and crevices opened in the fabrics of the town by the frosts of winter, occupying all with sundry repairs and rebuilding.
As the first buds began to break and lambs to drop, a remnant menace of winter became apparent. In the harsh weather many creatures have suffered starvation, especially the natural prey of the wolves, for many of the lean grey predators appear about the fields as the flocks are driven out to spring pasture. While not an unusual event in itself the sheer numbers on occasion defeat the precautions of the Town Guard and many animals are lost, not to mention several field workers tending them. Disquieting rumours of a great white wolf of abnormal cunning leading the man-killer pack start to circulate. This is categorically denied by the Guards: They have not sighted any such beast from the field watchtowers, nor they point out, have any of the irresponsible elements that venture beyond the town's protection suffered any encounter with such a beast, or even a wolf pack of ordinary ferocity. While most accept this reasoning the Landholder councillors point this out as evidence of the beast's wiles, and possibly mindful of the forthcoming elections in September, press for at least a partial raising of the Militia to strengthen the Town Guard's patrols about the outer fields.
While these affairs are developing a group of the "irresponsible element" return from a trip westwards along the Jordan bearing the parts of a draconic beast which the more knowledgeable in such matters of esoteric law pronounce to be a wyvern. Whether wyvern, dragon, or whatsoever it was peddled as, a price was paid by a trader in hopes of netting a high profit by making vulgar display of it for the delight to those who have abandoned the godly virtue of labour for the worthless seeking of sinful pleasure and idle amusement in the corrupt lands of the southwest. It is hoped that the renewed spring crusade in God's Cause will find victory this year over the idolatrous enemy and end such displays and purge the land of pleasures that distract from the serious business of prayer and living in a sinful world. r April The end of the first fortnight brought in from the wilderness a party comprising Gustav and Felice Volger, Jacob Graft, Henryk Wolf, Johann Altenman, and Klaus Schnellinger, who headed straight to the Temple with haste unusual for those who are normally only seen at church when they are required to be. The story is soon loose that they have visited an infamous haunt of demons, the southern castle, where in the dungeon torture chamber an unnatural feast of witches and demons was interrupted by them. Fortunately prayer and the Lord's Grace strengthened them and the hags and crones were smitten, only a few escaping due to the sheer inability of the small party to physically engage them all. In fierce battle both spiritual and physical the party succeeded in driving off the attendant demons and closing their portal, after which their damned servants fled. No noticeable absences occurred about town at this time, it being construed therefore that the evildoers were of some other land. Landholder councilors renew their call for a calling up of the Militia, adding a call for a ban on adventures beyond the fields while the town is besieged by a "demon-led pack of fiends in wolf's clothing" in the words of Malachi Neuman, Landholder Councillor.
After their encounter with a coven earlier in the month Herren Wolf and Graft recruit a new band, comprising Beren Gerhardt, Luther Brock, and Gunter Gross, with the announced intention of returning to the scene of the dark rite to check that the hellish portal by which the demons escaped remains closed. Ten days later they return bearing tidings, and the head, of a hell-born wight formed as a giant man. This they declared to have sought to impede them in their courses, by an icy breath which struck to the heart several of those present. However their prayers were answered in that their most potent weapon, Graft's trigger finger, was unaffected and the creature driven off by the hot and righteous wrath of heaven expressed in the fiery blast of his musket. Judging it severely wounded Gerhardt and Graft reloaded and set off in hot pursuit, followed rather more slowly by their iced companions. The chase was successful and the quarry measured out its full 35 foot length upon the ground. As reward for their tenacity in doing God's work against such evil, much coin was found upon the huge corpse.
Upon their return there was much talk in the group of how to make best use of their new found wealth, and what to do this the head which, appropriately, currently resides (in a pickling barrel) in the cellar of Gerhardt's inn. It is hardly to be expected that these wastrels will dispose of this newfound wealth in any becomingly Christian and charitable manner. Several amongst them have even been heard to express intention to deprive the good and honest merchants of the town of their legitimate profits from these monies by travelling to the great cities of the southwest, doubtless upon unchristian fripperies such as they would be ashamed to buy here.
The early part of the month was peaceful enough with the departure of such as Gustav Volger and his wife, Jacob Graft, Lotto Luuk (a woman who has caused much amusement lately by her insistence on using a primitive bow at the butts), Henryk Wolf, Johann Keeler, and one newly fallen into the practice of adventuring, Sebastian Kurtz of the farming family, all upon the first day of May.
The regular business of the town passed on in its normal fashion, with the added bonus of the dying back of the troublesome v incursions by wolves which had been particularly heavy after the hard winter, and, many claimed, lead by a diabolically cunning white wolf of unnatural size. The policy of heavier Town Guard patrols in the fields paid off without necessitating calling-up the militia, advocated by certain of the Landholders. Landholder Councillor Malachi Neumann, who had been foremost in the demands for the militia, has distributed a broadsheet stating that the Lord had sent the white wolf as a warning against the evil that abounds in the town, particularly the wasteful practice of `adventuring' by those without the moral fibre to undertake real work. He expresses an opinion that the creature had followed the trail left by regular trips into the demon-haunted wastes and that the full responsibility for the ravages of the demon wolf should be laid at the doors (and purses) of the adventuring community.
There is some support for this point of view about town in view of the known funds commanded by certain of that crew, even after the true explanation of the problem is discovered - a coven amongst a group of field workers. Thirteen sinners (variously herders and shepherds) are brought to trial on charges of witchcraft most vile; in that they did summon an infernal spirit in the form of a white wolf which possessed them on various occasions so that they took the shapes of wolves to harry the flocks and herds of their masters and took revenges upon those that fell into their power in these times. They took their leave of this world in the usual fiery torments that will in no way prepare them for those of true Hellfire to which they are eternally damned.
Upon the second Sunday of June the party that set off upon Mayday returns, with an extra member, a somewhat bedraggled and careworn Karl Pfifer, youngest son of the Pfifers who hold much of the land south-east of New Jerusalem. It seems that he had injudiciously wagered with feckless companions upon the difficulty of hunting abominations. As fit punishment and warning against the sinful ways into which he had fallen he found himself hunted in his turn by a monstrous ogre, against which his bullets and sword blows proved ineffective. His education completed, as he fled he was fortunate enough to meet those who regard themselves professionals in the disposal of such monsters who fulfilled this role with brisk efficiency. Since his return to town and the loving but stern arms of his family Karl Pfifer has been seen rather less about the inns and eating houses he favoured of old, and rather more at church to give thanks for his deliverance, however it came about.
Towards the end of the month Fritz Gerbier, head of the Gerbier family of merchant traders who deal extensively with the inner lands via their wagon convoys, returned from a trip to the south in poor health, soon falling seriously ill and dying at the age of 56, on Tuesday 27th. He is succeeded as head of the family by his brother Gustav.
In an otherwise quiet period at the start of the month Jacob Graft, Henryk Wolf and Otto Liebnitz return to town from an excursion bearing with then the extremely and odorously dead form of a fallen sky-demon, like unto those which glide insultingly about the skies of the town, just out of reach of the guns of the guard towers (or at least, no shot fired from the region of the town has brought such a thing to earth about New Jerusalem). Having disposed v of the putrefying corpse the same brotherhood, with the addition of Beren Gerhardt, sets forth again within the week, the summer being the high season for those who care to wander the wilds.
Within a few days there are two more deaths in the Gerbier family, who call in the Church to perform services of cleansing and protection believing themselves subject of some malefic sending or curse. This being performed the family is spared further troubles but it quickly becomes apparent that the curse has not been lifted, rather moved, for a near neighbour dies in a similar feverish manner to the Gerbier victims.
Pestilence rides the streets of New Jerusalem, breathing his foetid breath through first one household's doorway, then another in random fashion, striking rich and poor, sinner and churchman, all impartially. Stricken households' doors are marked with the red cross, the traditional plague-mark, the inhabitants forbidden to go abroad during hours of daylight until those within have recovered or been collected by the nightly dead cart. Even those untouched show little inclination to mix with their fellows preferring to spend time at prayer for deliverance in their own homes. The churches run continuous prayer and psalm meetings for the few brave enough to venture forth. The town air reeks of brimstone, burnt to clear the evil humours of death, while business grinds to a halt with fully half the town imprisoned by the mark on their door.
The Council of the Faith meets and declares the town to have been accursed by the mentor of the recently purified coven, the wolf-demon they now name as Lupercal, known to be three hundred and fifty-first in the ranks of Hell, and commander of a legion of 9000 lesser demons. It is these they state, that now torment the town, the hierarchy of Hell having decided upon a concerted move against this bulwark of True Christian Faith. A mass prayer meeting and recantation in the Temple Square is ordered for Sunday 3th, which passes most successfully excepting 15 deaths in the crowd of afflicted individuals overcome by the frenzied convulsions of the demons upon finding themselves in such pious surroundings. This casting out proves to be the turning point and the plague slowly dies away. Approximately a third of the town contracted the diseases, 500 succumbing, leaving important gaps in many of the town's institutions. In particular the lower orders of the Church and the two Guards were particularly singled out for persecution by the Enemy, all being prone to doing their Christian duty to help the stricken by bringing the Word to them, or keeping them safely within their homes so no further demon nor malefic miasma be able to gain entrance and do further harm to those already suffering.
As business returns to normal (with due regard for the effects of unfilled places) people are also free to turn their attentions to the forthcoming election of the Town Council, to be held as usual upon 29th September. Several potential candidates announce that they will be working more closely with the Church to ensure no repetitions of the bygone months' disaster. As proof that flight is no protection from the malice of the pit, Beren Gerhardt and Henryk Wolf re-enter town bearing the effects of Otto Leibnitz and Jacob Graft, the former found killed while the latter is missing believed dead by his companions, during a hunting trip which had removed them from town for the whole of the plague month. v Elections The elections for places on the ninth Town Council take place as they have done every five years since the Liberation, on the 29th of September. The Council Chambers are open from dawn till dusk, to those meeting the qualifications for voting in the various classes of councillor - four Landholders, four Traders, five Guildsmen, and a Householder. It is entirely possible for a person to be entitled to vote in three of the four classes and perhaps half the voting population vote in two. Due to the ravages of the plague several of the incumbent councilors are no longer defending their positions - which makes for a strong possibility of a change in general attitude of the council rather greater than normally takes place after elections.
As votes are cast they are recorded and counted, witnessed by the Captain of the Town Guard and the incumbent Preacher of the Marketplace parish (where the Council Chambers stand). The running total being maintained during the day, as soon as voting is declared at an end the results are declared.
They are:
The balance seems to be rather more church-aligned than its independently minded predecessor. Time will tell.
In the wake of her good work during the plague people are shocked (and surprised) to hear that the Doctor, Prudence Wolff, is indited on a charge of Heresy relating to treatments during that time. Alice Ullmann, sole survivor of the Ullmann family who ran a cookhouse in the Southside district, registered a complaint with the Calvinist Guard and the Council of the Faith after her recovery from the fevers that during treatment of herself and her family (husband, two sons (one a sub-preacher of the Southside parish) daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren) the Doctor did not sufficiently emphasise the need of prayer and repentance to effect a cure, rather claiming her own treatments to be sufficient.
The trial takes place at the end of the month, Monday 30th. The relevance of the charge is denied by Doctor Wolff, saying that her treatments are specifically for ills of the body, that she would not presume to advise others on spiritual matters - having no Certificate of Orthodoxy if nothing else. Furthermore she made no claims of cure for her treatments in this case, there being nothing she could do other than relieve the suffering of the victims for as long as she was able until she too succumbed to the fevers. In reply to this the Calvinist Guard produced witnesses stating that Wolff had in their hearing indeed claimed ability to cure to several afflicted persons, several of whom later died. The Doctor's reply to this evidence that she had done so only to comfort the dying serve to v convict her - for the dying are to be encouraged to prayer and repentance ready for Judgment and to give them false hope of life might therefore jeopardise their immortal souls. Therefore while the specific charges of Alice Ullmann are not proven Prudence Wolff is found guilty of heresy. As the guilt is determined to be through ignorance and pride rather than malevolence she is sentenced to be whipped until Pride is driven out and to attend special instructional prayer and scripture meetings for such sinners as herself until she is pronounced sufficiently educated to recommence her treatment of the sick on a more sound basis. The whipping is carried out immediately after sentence is passed, at the post in the Temple Court. Fifty-eight lashes are found to be sufficient.
At much the same time as the trial Henryk Wolf and Beren Gerhardt lead a group of new and fledgling explorers and pokers into places best left alone south towards the haunted castle claimed by several of that class to lie some days away in that direction. They return within the week and the very next day Wolf, in the company of Gustav Volger (alone, his wife being extremely pregnant and unable to fit into her armour), and Lotte Luuk as additions to the party, with Luther Brock and Axel Grossenmist from the previous party.
This party too returns very quickly by usual adventuring standards, arriving in an extremely exhausted state on Saturday 4th during an unprecedented cloudburst. The downpour lasts for the next 24 hours, causing severe flooding in lower lying parts of town and cellars all over. The rain stops suddenly, near sunset on Sunday with the Sign of the Covenant arching over the town as an indication that this is not the start of a second flood, presaging the Armageddon and the Judgment.
After a while opinions pass about that the return of rapid return of the Henryk Wolf's party was not due to their concern for their powder in the heavy weather, rather to the safety of their persons upon the discovery of some sort of treasure - a theory reinforced by the enquiries of several members of the group into the purchase of property and various expensive items. Figures as high as three thousand marks circulate as the haul achieved. All estimates are met with denials by the individuals concerned, savings being cited as the unlikely source of their sudden affluence.
26th November To Gustav and Felice Volger a daughter, Chastity, 5lb 13oz. Mother and daughter doing well. Praise the Lord.
The winter snows hold off till the second week, but only a few mild flurries even then. Honest folk give thanks and recheck their preparations for the blizzards that will surely come soon, large parties visiting the edge of the forest to gather wood overseen by strong contingents of the Town Guard. Only a small proportion of these parties are disturbed by the beasts and demons of the wastes, and these are easily driven off by the Guard. However Satan cannot tolerate the frustration of his designs, and caused one casualty when Guardsman Heinrich Schultz's musket exploded, blowing away half his face and whereof he died a lingering and agonised death.
In the wake of this unfortunate event Councillor Malachi Neumann blames inferior quality powder being mixed with good town powder in the Powderstore upon the return of charges above the legal five shots allowed within the town walls. Mostly he blames those who take large quantities of powder beyond the town boundaries for days on end, where it suffers degradation before being discarded at the Store and fresh, taken on the next excursion. To combat this iniquitous practice he suggests that all powder destined to go beyond the limits should be heavily taxed and that inferior quality powder coming into, or back into town should be disposed of in a safe manner in the fields. Discussion of his suggestions continues.