In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 20):

It's a pretty easy decision for me, since Jake spent two bennies and still failed. I'll reclaim that second bennie. Gracias, amigo. :)

In reply to Jacob Richardsen (msg # 18):

Attempting to keep the attention of the man he was determined to get a smile from, Rof slips into the order right behind Jake. "Jake, you fleur robuste, you know that you can call me Rof, I believe we must be friends enough now! And I must also say, your doux cheeks, fresh from a shave, are some of my finest handiwork yet."

Bref. I was looking to get your expert opinion on the route, but that may have been settled already?" he says with his voice trailing off as he cranes his neck around to view the other riders around him. "Perhaps I should claim a night watch... I'll take what is left."

In reply to Rofgia Beaucheveux (msg # 23):

For some reason, the Frenchie seemed to have latched on to Jake -- at least that's the way that it looked to the Texican as the other man made an effort to ease his kid in next to the rifleman in their column of travel.

~I wonder what the hell fler roe-bust means in Frenchie-talk?~ Jake mused, stroking his chin-whiskers. Given the Frenchman's tone of voice and facial expression, Jacob didn't think that it meant anything particularly bad or offensive.

~Iff'n I ree-member long enuff, I'll ask the Perfesser. Most likely he knows,~

"Reckon so," the Texican replied to Mon-shure Busy-voo's conclusion that the route that they would be taking had been decided upon.

Jake nodded again when the Frenchman volunteered to take whichever night-watch was still unclaimed. "That's the waey it use-you-allie works," he agreed. "Man waits a mite to speak up, he might end up eatin' low-down on the hog."

After riding on for a short while in silence, Jacob decided to throw out some bait on a fishin' line and see if he could tell how interested Mon-shure Bushy-voo might be in a subject that, truth be told, interested the Texican immensely. "Say, Mon-shure, can you read old-timey French? I reckon that it could be a mite diff-rent than what you speak in modern tiemes."

---

OOC: Fixed a coloration error.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:32, Sat 14 Mar 2020.

"I reckon five watches is plenty," says the rancher's son, after hearing the various men speak up.

The party had ridden past Springdale and is now a few miles east of the three towns. The nine riders had settled into a formation while they talked about their route and plans for the evening. Even with a direct route, they knew it would take at least two days ride to reach the Echo Canyon area, so planning ahead for the night's camp made good sense.

"The others can get a full night's sleep -- and then we can rotate each night."

OOC: The Judge understands the riding order as the following, with the caveat that riders may shift a little to talk or ride two abreast for a time or two. For example, right now, Jake and Rof are riding and talking so it is slightly different. However, if and when an encounter occurs, this will be the default order to start.

Red Shirt
Earnest
Jake
Tommy
Rof
Daniel
Tracy
Hyrum
Ammon

The plan for the first night watch order is:
Tommy
Earnest
Jake
Tracy
Rof

The players should continue to RP as desired as the day continues. The Judge will be posting at least one advancement to the plot daily.

After more than an hour's ride past Springdale, Red Shirt reins in Poogoo and motions for the others to halt.

"We turn here for most direct path," he states, looking to the other men for either affirmation or argument.

In reply to Red Shirt (msg # 27):

As the day wears on Tommy has grown more comfortable with the riding. Jack seems like a good horse. The pace is not hurried and everyone is at ease following the Paiute's lead.

When Red Shirt stops and gives the directions to turn left Tommy takes a minute to take a drink of water from his canteen. As he does so he looks around and scans the area for anything unusual

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23:34, Today: Thomas Pearce rolled 6,5 using d6+2,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5.  Notice roll:  general area.

In reply to Thomas Pearce (msg # 28):

Within earshot of the Texan and the Frenchman, Tracy chuckles at their interaction.

~That Beaucheveux sure is something,~ Windham thinks, smirking to himself.

As Red Shirt stops the group, Tracy offers his opinion on the matter. “I’m partial to the direct route myself.”

In reply to Tracy Windham (msg # 29):

Earnest looks towards the indicated direction.

Is this route difficult? We have some inexperienced riders... including myself!

In reply to Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg (msg # 30):

"Yes."

In reply to Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg (msg # 30):

The professor remembers the first time he had set out with the Paiute, albeit on the western route around the canyon. The going had been difficult in places, but the guide seemed to know the passages through the hills and rough terrain ... and they had managed. At the time, Windham and Walker were even less experienced ... and they had managed.

In reply to Thomas Pearce (msg # 28):

Tommy Pearce scans the terrain to the north. It's an undulating series of sandstone hills, canyons and mesas, as far as the eye can see -- which isn't very far because of the nature of the landscape. The mechanic can understand why the professor asks about the difficulty of the Paiute's direct route.

In reply to Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg (msg # 30):

"I have seen the old language before but I don't know much of it, T’sais?" Rof says in response to Jake as they ride along.

As the group slows to a halt Rof chimes in with the professor, "How difficile can it be professeur? I have foi complète that we can manage this path!"

In reply to Rofgia Beaucheveux (msg # 34):

Mon-shure Bushy-voo's reply to the Texican's bait about reading old French was noncommittal -- at least the portion of it that Jacob could understand. The rifleman was left with the impression that either the Frenchman was on the alert and had sussed  that he should feign a lack of interest in such things, or else -- if his lack of interest was genuine -- Jake found himself second-guessing his conclusion that the Frenchman was a spy who had been tasked with tracking down the knights' treasure.

By now the Frenchman was in conversation with the Perfesser, so the Texan turned his attention to idly looking over the surrounding countryside, much as the Irishman seemed to be doing.

---

OOC: 15:26, Today: Jacob Richardsen rolled 1,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,3.  Notice Check: Anything of Interest?

Notes: Hmmm . . . that is four rolls now, with nary a single success. Hopefully this trend will reverse itself before anything serious begins.

In reply to Jacob Richardsen (msg # 35):

The rifleman stares at the landscape to the north. Nothing as daunting as the western route, but certainly not the kind of ride a man might take iffin' he didn't have a good reason. Richardsen remembers the rattlesnakes, mule deer and mountain lions they had encountered previously, all ahead on the plains. Of course, he sees none of those now, just the sandstone hills, valleys and mountains in the distance.

Hearing the barber's reply to the professor, after others had already indicated the desire for a more direct route, the guide urges Poogoo northward, picking up a trail, of sorts. The Paiute leads the group along the trail as it wends its way through the hilly and rocky landscape -- with regular ups and downs and the occasional need to ride single-file -- for something that feels like a few miles, until the men find themselves on a plateau that stretches for another mile northward and eastward. To the west is a long ravine that looks passable, although that isn't the desired direction.

By the time the group has reached the northern side of this mesa, the sun is drifting westward towards the horizon. Larger rock formations raise up to the west and northwest, promising to block the sun before long. Looks like maybe two to three hours of daylight remain. Red Shirt is leading the group to a passage eastward. So far, no one has had any trouble managing the paths, although a few of the men are beginning to feel the fatigue of the day's ride.

"We get through this pass and find place to camp."

OOC: The only person questioning the direct route in any way was ENS and the Judge sees no reason to delay moving forward. PCs may of course continue any conversation, pausing here for that before next narrative post.

EDIT: some messed up punctuation and missing words that the Judge didn't notice initially.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:06, Tue 17 Mar 2020.

In reply to Red Shirt (msg # 37):

After his initial struggles regaining his comfort atop Lefty, Tracy had found a nice rhythm for the rest of the day. It felt great to be on a journey once again. This time, Tracy tried to take mental notes on the shapes of different mountain passes and hilly landscapes. The investigator wanted to practice his newfound drawing techniques once the group reached camp.

As the day went on, however, Windham grew tired; his extra energy spent at the beginning of the ride now showed its impact. He was glad when Red Shirt announced that the day’s travels would soon end. In his current state, Tracy was not one to start conversation; he remained quiet for now.

In reply to Red Shirt (msg # 37):

Jake was not all that convinced that the fastest route was necessairy the best one, given the present circumstances -- it was not as if they were in hot pursuit of the owlhoots, and the Texican did not see where the time it took to close the distance really made all that much of a difference . . . not if the quickest route was more difficult going.

But, all things considered, Jacob was not concerned enough about the route to argue the point -- he reckoned that he would deal with things as they came along, just as he had during the war.

All the same, he was secretly a little glad to hear Red Shirt say that they would be setting up camp for the evening before too much longer. For whatever reason, Jake and Sam were not a good mix, and the Texan found himself a mite winded after struggling with the troublesome horse over the course of the day.

In reply to Jacob Richardsen (msg # 39):

Earnest nods to Rof.

Most assuredly monsieur, but no sense breaking our backs in the process, ne pensez-vous pas?

When Red Shirt saw Red Shirt proceed, he gave his head a quick shake and muttered to himself.

Mountain goating again... ah well.

He urged Sweet Pea on and settled into the ride, taking in the new terrain and using his field glasses when something looked interesting. He was also glad when Red Shirt said they would be stopping soon, grinning in his usual way at the news.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:41, Wed 18 Mar 2020.

In reply to Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg (msg # 40):

Tommy is watching Red Shirt leading the group. While occasionally struggling with a mostly well behaved Jack, he notices the ease with which the Paiute rides, how the horse moves simply as an extension of the man. He wonders about Red Shirt's past. Where was he from? How was he raised? How did they live? A childhood so wildly different from his own upbringing made Tommy curious, he could only imagine...but he also judged him to be a private man of few words

~I'll probably never know too much about any of that ~ he finally thinks to himself

He adjusts himself in the saddle and looks eastward into a landscape bathed in the yellow-orange light of late afternoon. For a few minutes he just takes it all in, appreciating the beauty.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:45, Wed 18 Mar 2020.

The riders, following Red Shirt's lead, cut through the pass that winds between rising rock formations, gullies and streams. Alternatively, Intermittently, the sun is blocked from view as the men move through shadows and then sudden streams of daylight pour through gaps, putting a strain on the men's vision as eyes must adjust rapidly to the changing light.

The Paiute has slowed the pace to account for the various challenges presented by this route -- from rocky ground to narrow passages and steep inclines. The nine riders negotiate the terrain successfully, although the effort involved begins to wear on everyone, especially the two rancher's sons handing the remuda. They had to stop and string the mounts together in single file in order to navigate some stretches of the pass. And a few of the men feel the stress of a full day in the saddle, in mind, body and spirit.

Finally, after ascending a hill via a series of switchbacks, the guide reins Poogoo and waits for the rest of the group to reach a relatively flat, oval-shaped mesa. From here, the setting sun is still visible, but not for long, it appears. The men find themselves on an elevated bluff that provides decent viewpoints in all directions, except to the south. From the look of things, Red Shirt intends to make camp in this area.

OOC: The PCs that failed their Riding check for the day now have one level of Fatigue. They will recover from that with a full hour of rest (whenever they can rest, not quite yet).

Everyone needs to make a Vigor roll now. Failure will mean a level of Fatigue -- which will stack with any existing Fatigue (that is, for the men who failed the Ride check).

Fatigue means -1 to all Trait rolls, so the PCs (and NPCs) that failed the Ride check will suffer -1 to their Vigor roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:15, Thu 19 Mar 2020.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 42):

~Waal, hell -- could be that I'm gettin' older than I was a-thinkin' I was,~ the Texican thought as he slouched in the saddle, ready for the day's ride to end.

---

OOC: 18:52, Today: Jacob Richardsen rolled 3,2 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3.  Vigor Check (Fatigued).


18:56, Today: Jacob Richardsen rolled 0,1 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 1,2.  Bennie Re-Roll (Fatigued Vigor Check).

Notes: Two more failures for Jake, another bennie burned. I was trying to avoid a second level of fatigue, but 'twas not to be.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 42):

Tommy is glad to see they are finally making camp. He dismounts and immediately feels the stiffness in his back and legs but all-in-all isn't feeling too bad. He gives Jack a rub on the nose

"Well done boy" and he leads him over toward Hyrum so he can be reunited with the rest of the remuda.

He addresses the group in general:

"Well gents I'm willing to admit I'm well out of practice as a horseman, haven't rode that much in donkey's years"

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18:37, Today: Thomas Pearce rolled 1,11 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+5)11.  Vigor check --- end of first day's ride.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:09, Wed 18 Mar 2020.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 42):

Happy to finally have his feet on the ground, Earnest takes a big stretch. He retrieves an apple from Sweet Pea's saddlebag and pats her on the neck as he feeds it to her.

Good girl... we'll get you settled soon.

---

17:26, Today: Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg rolled 5,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2.  Vigor Check.

Daniel dismounts as soon as he reaches the Paiute guide his father had hired nearly a fortnight ago.

"I am not ashamed to admit," says the young Knight, "the extent of my saddlesore. These hills and valleys can make a body weary. As soon as these kids are cared for, I have a meeting with my bedroll."

The other two sons of Nouveau Zion ranchers voice their agreement with their peer, Daniel. The three of them set to feeding and hobbling the horses, as well as giving the kids a break from their saddles.