The Burning of Katherine

Katherine Kendrick was burned at the stake in Salem, MA in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials. Her story was never told due to the fact that she and her children lived in a small cottage deep in the woods, and the judged that tried her, did so without the knowledge of his peers. Judge Amos Danvers was man who was used to getting his way, and when the lovely Katherine spurned his proposal of marriage, he was livid. After some shady dealings, he and a handful of his chosen followers marched on Katherine's cottage and dragged her from her home. Her children ran off into the woods to hide from the men, but unfortunately returned to watch as their mother was tied to a stake and burned alive. The oldest child, Sarah made a vow then and there to make the judge pay.
After her death, Katherine's children made their way to a family friend in another town who raised them. They only returned to Salem when the youngest was sixteen, they were ready to enact their plan of cleansing their family name and taking their revenge on the judge. Sarah and her siblings started up businesses in town and as they prospered, built a home to rival the others and name it in their mother's memory. They all soon even married, and the judge forgot -if he even remembered- that Katherine's children were still alive and knew what he had done.
The siblings had been investigating the judge as they made their lives and found that he himself had been up to the very deviltry that he accused their mother of. He had sold his soul to the devil. He wanted power and riches, as well as near-eternal youth. The devil promised him all that and more, but the judge failed to read the fine print on the deal. He would never age, unless he were killed or died, and then the devil would be able to possess his body to be free to walk the earth. And they were able to find that the devil had been able to influence another man in the town and incited to hate the judge and wanted him to kill the judge, because the devil was not content to wait for his body.
After they gained the knowledge, they called upon women their mother had known to help them stop the judge and the devil from fulfilling their compact. They planned to make sure that both were bound and the devil never to be released. On a night of the full moon, twelve of them met in the very field that Katherine was burned in and they had Sarah's brother drag in the judge.
They were unable to sever the hold the devil had on the judge, and thus bound them with strong wards and buried the judge alive, as killing him would allow the devil to gain his body. Protections were placed over the grave and were to be renewed every thirteen years or the devil could take the body and be free upon earth. At that time, there was no way to destroy the devil or even to banish him back to his realm, so they could only hope the protections held and make sure each new generation knew the ward spells.

Summary

Family tasked with the keeping of a ward on a devil who if loosened, will destroy everything in its path.

Historical Basis

Actual historical event, although known to very few. Detailed records kept and handed down through the generations. Descendants with abilities actually see the event in dreams in very accurate detail.

Spread

Known only to the descendants of Katherine Kendrick