Death is Coming: A Black Death Survival Story

The year is Anno Domini 1348, and Philip the Fortunate is King over the Lord's kingdom of France. It is a time chaos. What seems like an endless war with England and rampant heresy and witchcraft sweeping through the country has led to uncertain times for our little town of Midway Wood. You are the foremost elder of our small community along the King's highway. We are the midpoint between two major cities in the middle of the woods. <img src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/small.png" height="800" width="800"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> Sitting before you are two documents given to you by a kings official passing through. [[Read the letter from the King]] [[Read the letter from an unknown Priest]]

The King's seal dangles from the parchment, indicating its authority. The letter reads: To my loyal subjects, a grave threat is upon us. Death is upon us. It spreads like wildfire from the south swallowing whole towns. God's judgment is carried in this death. Men, Women, and children, peasant and priest alike are struck down in God's wrath. A rouge priest is sending letters around warning of the devils work in our country. Do not believe this heretic. He has made a pact with the devil. Judgment has come upon us because of him. It is your duty and divine call to repent, conduct proper acts of repentance, and capture this rogue if he comes upon your village or town. May the Lord grant you the wisdom to see the real evil at hand. <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Seal_of_Przemysł_II_King_of_Poland_from_1296.PNG/1024px-Seal_of_Przemysł_II_King_of_Poland_from_1296.PNG" height="800" width="800"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> [[Call a council meeting to discuss the letter from the king]] [[Read the Priest's Letter | Read the letter from an unknown Priest]]

The Text reads: Peculiar rumors have been spreading about the Evil One moving among the people of the forests and rural parts of the countryside. Devils, witches, and all other unholy forces are at work in the Kingdom. This evil must be related to the sweeping deaths taking place in the south. Be vigilant and beware of the Evil One, for he masquerades as a child of light and as a normal son of the church. But he is nothing of the sort! Search for the signs of evil among you! Capture and burn those coming down the royal road, for they are messengers of the Evil One! <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Beowulf.firstpage.jpeg" height="100%"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> [[Call the town council of elders together to discuss this development]] [[Read the letter from the King | Read the letter from the King]]

The council of elders gathered in the center of the hall. Nearly the entire village has come to hear what the King has decreed. But before you can speak, a peculiar man...or devil incarnate...emerges from the crowd wearing some kind of mask. Many in the community are frightened and fear this new evil! The man wishes to speak. What will you do? <img src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/plague-doctor.png" height="100%"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> [[Order his death by hanging]] [[Let him speak]]

The King's seal dangles from the parchment, indicating its authority. The letter reads: To my loyal subjects, a grave threat is upon us. Death is upon us. It spreads like wildfire from the south swallowing whole towns. God's judgment is carried in this death. Men, Women, and children, peasant and priest alike are struck down in God's wrath. A rouge priest is sending letters around warning of the devils work in our country. Do not believe this heretic. He has made a pact with the devil. Judgment has come upon us because of him. It is your duty and divine call to repent, conduct proper acts of repentance, and capture this rogue if he comes upon your village or town. May the Lord grant you the wisdom to see the real evil at hand. <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Seal_of_Przemysł_II_King_of_Poland_from_1296.PNG/1024px-Seal_of_Przemysł_II_King_of_Poland_from_1296.PNG" height="800" width="800"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> [[Call a council meeting to discuss the letter from the king]] [[Ignore both letters and go about normal life|Ignore both letters and go about normal life]]

Shrugging off the warnings of both the king and this unknown priest, you figure that all will be well. Things have always been the same, and they always will be. There is no threat. [[You go back to work making sure the fields are producing grain]] [[You leave for the northern city to see to the trade agreement for this years grain]]

The fields are full of grain, and the harvest is coming soon! What an incredible yield this year has brought. The Lord must surely be smiling on you! Unfortunately, the harvest will rot in the fields. Within a matter of weeks, the plague will have swept through your little village and nearly kill everyone. Unbeknownst to you, your town will be utterly forgotten and wiped clean by the sands of time only to be discovered by future scientists. <img src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/an-abandoned-672014_1280.jpg" height="500"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> GAME OVER

While on the road, you come across a traveler with red pustules that are bursting and oozing. We run and grabs you, asking for help only to die in your arms. One week later you have the same pustules, and within the week, you die a similar fate but not before spreading this plague to the entire city. <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Smallpox01.jpg/1024px-Smallpox01.jpg" height="500"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> GAME OVER

Ordering that his arms be and legs be seized, you inform the community that the king had warned you of this evil. You order that this devil is hung and then burned to make sure that not only the flesh is dead, but so too the demon in him. Everyone believed that the threat was over. Finally, we can focus on the harvest! Within two weeks, everyone in the village is dead from a mysterious plague. <img src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/an-abandoned-672014_1280.jpg" height="500"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> GAME OVER

After indicating that he may speak, the man removed his mask. To everyone's surprise, the man was a priest. "I sent you a letter warning you of the coming evil. It is upon you. Death is at your door. This mask protects me. Follow me into the woods. Abandon this village. It is doomed. I will protect you." Pondering over this proposition, you recall the words of the scripture: "even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness." (2 Cor. 2:14-15) What will you do? [[Ask him to leave]] [[Order his death by hanging|Order his death by hanging]] [[Abandon everything and follow him into the woods]]

The man placed his mask back on and retreated out the hall from where he came, never to be seen again. Everyone believed that the threat was over. Finally, we can focus on the harvest! Within two weeks, everyone in the village is dead from a mysterious plague. <img src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/an-abandoned-672014_1280.jpg" height="500"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> GAME OVER

Grabbing only the essentials, your people abandoned their fields and homes on the faith that this priest truly knew how to save them from this coming evil. In the woods, you started a new life of gathering fruit and hunting what animals you could. You built shelters and formed a new way of protecting yourselves by hiding or killing the unfortunate soul that stumbled into your community. After several years, the priest believed that God's judgment had passed and sent you and others to see what became of their town. The plague had indeed come through, but now it had passed, and the cities and farms were busting with wealth. Your community passed through this judgment and now thrived, rebuilding their little village to even greater prosperity. <img src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/4313177885_8bc92ecb21_b.jpg" height="500"/> <audio src="https://www.jonathandkeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dark-Things.mp3" controls> Error: your web browser does not support this audio player. </audio> THE END