Ever since the theme was announced for Seven Hills 2019 as Historical, I’ve been set on taking the legend of Eyam – the famous plague village in Derbyshire – as inspiration for a one-shot.
After resurrecting Dead of Night for a trilogy of seasonal games a few weeks ago, it stood out as the natural choice for this scenario. There is nothing better for campfire survival horror in the hauntingly beautiful but ultimately bleak Peaks of Restoration England.
Scenario: Eyam 1666
System: Dead of Night
Players: 3-5
Slot: Sunday 25 May, 2:30pm – 6:30pm
Description
In 1665 they said that village lads had allowed the cows to stray into the churchyard, the nave had been fouled; soon after unnatural white crickets were spied on hearths; the Gabriel hounds were heard calling on the moors: God was displeased with Eyam. Or so the faithful reasoned when plague arrived as an unwanted guest a year later.
In 1666 plague is rife, and a slow death is creeping across England. The people of Eyam, a small village in Derbyshire, have quarantined themselves to curb its spread. You are one of these humble heroes, riding it out by isolating yourself in the village boundaries.
You’ve hardly seen a different soul in the last 18 months. Living in each others pockets was awkward after just a few weeks. Months on, not everyone who started the sacrifice is still alive.
Spirits are low, tensions are rising. Your sanctuary feels more like your prison on some days, and your tomb-in-waiting on others. Is it time to step out?
Victims: Each of the available characters are based on actual village records from the time:
- Elizabeth Hancock (pictured). Female, 41. Farmer. Dragged the corpses of husband (John) and 6 children through successive nights to bury at Riley Graves.
- George Cooper. Male, 16. Came to Eyam last year as apprentice to Rowland Mower (barrel maker, deceased).
- Marshall Howe. Male, 28. Village sexton – bell ringer, grave digger, will bury your dead so you don’t have to (for a fee).
- Robert Archdale. Male, 41. Stonemason. Carves gravestones. Sent 5 children away to escape the plague.
- Sarah Taylor. Female, 29. Excommunicated for fornication, along with in-laws (Thomas and Mary Taylor).
- Thomas Bilston. Male, 31. Butcher from Sheffield. Visiting family when the village was quarantined. They’re all dead now.
System Note: Dead of Night is a light, flexible system designed for one-shot games of campfire horror.
Content Advisory: 18+, sensitive themes
Genre: historical, horror
Tags: plague, religious, 17th century, England, sensitive themes
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