(Recommended ambiance while reading)

The following piece of fiction was played out in a tabletop roleplaying game by me and my friends; @chr7is, @xramonahx and @teachertrudi. Everything you are about to read happened in roleplaying situations and all decisions were made by the players in real-time.

Witherford

A seemingly normal northern American town in the state of Wisconsin, Witherford is surrounded by a thick bush of tall pine trees. Found in 1881 by a group of settlers looking for cover from the snow, this town certainly has a dense history. It is, to a fault, cut off from the rest of society as a whole. On the cover Witherford comes forth as a normal, decent town. What most people don’t know is the underlying, eerie horrors that terrorize residents without them even knowing it. Indescribable terrors that ignore all logic and explanation. Witherford is filled to the brim with concealed mysteries, terrifying creatures, mind-numbing nightmares, horrifying insanities, unthinkable conspiracy theories, ungodly monsters and their unimaginable lairs. Witherford is not your everyday town, it’s only fitting that it’s protected by an exceptional cast of hunters.

This is their story.

---

Chapter 1 – Introductions

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The phone rings. Standing next to a vans open trunk in a barren parking lot, a mysterious man answers.

“Has the target been dealt with?” he hears.

“Thoroughly” he responds, looking at his female partner beside him.

“Excellent. You’re next contract has been set up. Take a couple of days to recover. You’re then to travel upstate to the town of Witherford.”

“Witherford? Never heard of it.”

“We’ll send you the coordinates.” they respond. ”Intelligence claims there’s one on the loose among the residences. Investigate the scene and report back.”

“Got it.” He responds, looking at his partner and slamming the trunk

---

The two agents have been sitting in the car for roughly 3 hours. They don’t say a word to each other. They’ve been working together for only two months now. They don’t know each other at all. They’re only partners for work nothing else. They keep this silent agreement. They’re expendable, after all.

Finally, they drive into town. Witherford. A seemingly normal town lost in the ranks. As they drive through the town they see the Town hall, a park, a filling station, a bakery and even an arcade. They look at this new contract, expecting the same old job. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Turning right before the lake and following the road they end up at their stay for the remainder of the mission; The Duke & Pastor Inn. It is apparent from the outside that this building is alive with the buzz from the residents. They park the van, climb out and fetch their luggage.

They walk inside. The interior is exactly as one would expect from an inn that’s been around for a couple of decades. It’s large with high ceilings. The furniture is outdated by a couple of years and due for an upgrade, but this doesn’t seem like the place that could afford those luxuries. Left of the entrance is a lit fireplace heating up the foyer and the couches surrounding it. To the right they spot the receptionist where they receive their key to their room on the second floor. They thank her and begin to move to their room.

They’re spotted at the desk by a very cautious woman, hiding behind her laptop, that’s ridden with stickers that say ‘The moon landing was fake!’, ‘9/11 was an inside job’ and ‘The Illuminati are watching!’ These people aren’t from here, maybe they know something, she deduces. She tries to infiltrate the man’s phone, trying to find any info she can get her hands on.

Success.

Her eyes stretch as she reads his messages. They definitely know something.

---

She follows them upstairs, carefully. Peeking around corners, tip-toeing through the corridors. She spots them entering room 12. Now’s my chance.

She knocks.

Nothing.

She knocks again.

They answer

“Hi, can we help you?” The man asks with an out of place smile with the woman hanging lovingly from his shoulder.

This is odd. They didn’t seem this attached in the foyer.

“Cut the act. I know why you’re here. You’re looking for a creature.”

They look at each other, each as confused as the other.

“Sorry, miss. We don’t know what you’re talking abou-”

“It’s inhabited a house in Jackson drive. Number seven, Jenna Harvey’s place.”

“Miss, I assure you, we don’t have any idea wha-“

“I know this town inside and out. I know the people and where to find them. I know there are secrets in this town that could shake you to your core.”

“Doubt it” the man replies coldly, dropping their cover and walking back inside.

His partner looks at him and then at the woman in the doorway.

“Please, come in” she gestures, much friendlier than her partner.

“Thank you,” she says walking in and closing the door behind her “my name is Iris Winter. I saw you in the foyer, sticking out like a sore thumb. In a small town it’s very easy to-“

“Who’s Jenna Harvey?” The man interrupts sternly.

“Sorry about my partner, he doesn’t get emotions that well. I’m agent Arya Ivy and this is agent Chris van Hellsing”

Iris chuckles alone, “van Hellsing? Really?” Realizing their serious, she swallows nervously.

“So, Jenna Harvey is the woman who’s been driven out of her house. She’s been living in this inn for a couple of nights, though she’s hardly here. She usually spends her time at 30 Nails.”

“30 Nails?” Agent Ivy asks.

“Oh right, the local pub. Near the Town Hall. I’ll show you”

The agents look at each other and nod.

“Fine, but once our business is concluded we depart, don’t expect any favors from us” agent van Hellsing says intimidatingly.

Iris nods in agreement as she says “Got it” and salutes.

Arya facepalms.

This might have been a mistake

---

Thanks for reading. The story doesn't end there, our first session might conclude in the second chapter.
I intend to keep this series going as long as our little RPG group keeps playing.
I set up the stories and they play them, deciding how it'll turn out is up to them.
The players are:
Agent Chris van Hellsing: @chr7is
Agent Arya Ivy: @teachertrudi
Iris Winter: @xramonahx
The game we're playing is Monster of the Week.
Image: source

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