Over the course of the last two days, Sheriff Andersen had met with each of the men he had deputized for the return to the bandit hideout. The townsfolk had gathered to address the situation after Elizabeth Knight's rescue. The elders decided to take action, now that the heroes had discovered the location of El Presidente's hideout. Concluding that the only way to know for sure that these bandits no longer posed a threat to the three towns, the elders voted to support the Sheriff's formation of a deputized force.

The men that had returned with Elizabeth, including her brother, were the first to be deputized. All five of them took an oath to uphold the law during their temporary service to the towns of Nouveau Zion. Three other citizens had joined the deputies, including the barber Beaucheveux. Lastly, on Poirier's recommendation, Sheriff Andersen had deputized the newcomer Pearce. The sheriff had shown some initial reservations ... while Andersen knew the other men or had seen the evidence of their honor and commitment, he had only met Pearce a few days ago.

The Sheriff had met with each of the men alone, in the lawman's office. The sheriff had visited with Red Shirt at the Four O'Clock ranch on two occasions. Amongst those who had shared anything of their meeting afterwards, Andersen's approach had been the same with all of them. He wanted each man to acknowledge the risks involved, eye-to-eye.

Now, all nine of the men assemble in the Grafton square, the morning of Wednesday, May 8, 1877. The sun has begun its ascent, the remuda has been readied and the nine prepare to mount up and ride out. The sheriff, having given his final instructions to the group, bid the riders farewell.

OOC: The townsfolk (Mr Knight and other ranchers) are providing horses for the group. There are twelve horses for the nine riders (including Poogoo), so horse rotation will be wise.

Feel free to post any narrative or dialogue desired. The Judge will advance the narrative and plot after the players (with Red Shirt and Daniel) discuss their desired route, figure out any riding order, night watch, etc. Please RP those discussions / decisions from this fade up. We will assume that they have already decided to take the eastern route, but how directly and at what pace and so forth should be done through some RP.

The two townsfolk are Hyrum Olsen and Ammon Carr. Like Daniel, both young men are sons of prominent ranchers. They won't talk or interact much at first. The Judge will play the two established NPCs: the Paiute and the young Knight. Probably, the Judge will designate players to handle the two new Extras if and when action is needed.

All players should finalize their gear lists, if you haven't already.

Reset all Benny counts to the starting number with +1 for the Interlude Benny.

Red Shirt begins to ride east along the road. He seems uninterested in any discussion about the route.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 1):

Jake pursed his lips thoughtfully and glanced down at the Deputy-Sheriff's badge that he had pinned to his shirt. ~I ain't so sure how I feel about wearin' this thing. I din't never swear the the blue-bellies' oath after the war*, so I don't quite know whaere that leaves me oh-fish-allie. Oh, well, we're a long waey from Warsh-ington Dee-Cee out here, an' we got us some right diff-rent waeys of doin' things. Thank goodness for that.~

The Texan cut his eyes over at the barber, Mons-shure Bushy-voo. Jake's suspicions were whispering in his ear about the man. ~What good's a barber gonna be on an ex-curshunn lieke this one? Seems to me that the man's a spy for the Frenchies, jest lieke I'm supposin' Mon-shure Pwa-reh-eh to be. That French king's still got his sights set on gettin' that old-timey knights' gold, I'd be willin' to bet. Ain't no other good reason to be fightin' tooth an' nail to hang onto a piss-poor plaece that's full of Messicans.~

---

OOC: *Jake is of the same mind as the fictional Josey Wales (and many RL Southerners) on this point.

I was going to ask the Judge whether badges had been issued by the Sheriff (at least for the PCs), but I did not think of the issue until I started writing the post for Jake, and I did not care to slow down the IC posting by asking the question. If the Judge is of the opinion that no badges were issued, 'twill be easy enough to edit Jake's post. :)

In reply to Jacob Richardsen (msg # 3):

OOC: The automatic reaction is: "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges."

The better reply is, yes, it's fine to assume at least some of the men were given a tin star of some kind. There is no actual requirement (of which the Judge is aware, at least) that a deputized citizen would need to have a badge, so it's up to the players.

In reply to Jacob Richardsen (msg # 3):

Earnest looks around at the gathered men, then focuses on Red Shirt.

Well Red Shirt, we took a long east path returning last time... shall we retrace that at a more brisk pace? Or do you have a shorter path in mind?

In reply to Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg (msg # 5):

~It certainly seems like he has something in mind,~ Tracy thinks in response to the Professor’s query.

The investigator did not particularly care which path they took. Following their adventure, he certainly trusted the Paiute’s judgement in the matter. With a slight shrug to the others, Tracy urges his mount, Lefty, after Red Shirt.

In reply to Tracy Windham (msg # 6):

OOC: Tracy's comment about Lefty reminds the Judge ... here is the full Remuda. Those who traveled to the bandit hideout last time will recognize most of these names. Tracy has claimed Lefty for the first day. RS is riding Poogoo.

Lefty
Poogoo
Jack
Ned
Sweet Pea
Lucy
Rex
Gem
Gus
Max
Sam
Pepper
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:58, Thu 12 Mar 2020.

In reply to Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg (msg # 5):

The Paiute guide shrugs. "We turn north whenever you want."

In reply to Red Shirt (msg # 8):

Rof was deaf to the first discussions about the route which the group would take as he was busy checking his bag to ensure that he had in fact packed both of his blocks of soap for the journey. "~Dieu merci that the Americans learned a lesson in hygiène and started importing more soap to the New World after that war of theirs~" It would be a tragedy if he ran out of soap and unable to wash his hair on this journey.

He looks up to see his companions starting down the road and scrambles atop Pepper. Rof was leaving his own noble mare, Mademoiselle Marie-Élise, behind with the Sheriff. This mission could turn dangerous and his gentle companion was not much of a fighting beast.


"Attends-moi!" He shouts as he gallops forward to catch up to the group, bucking slightly from side to side as he familiarizes himself with his new steed.

In reply to Rofgia Beaucheveux (msg # 9):

As the barber gets a sense of his new mount, a mare like his own, Daniel Knight rides up alongside.

"Pepper is a fine choice, sir. Do you prefer a mare?" asks the young Knight.

In reply to Daniel Knight (msg # 10):

"Oui, I am not a particulièrement skilled rider. I only ever ride from town to town, and so I enjoy the calm tempérament, much like my own Marie-Élise."

In reply to Rofgia Beaucheveux (msg # 11):

Daniel nods as he listens to the barber. The young Knight himself rides Lucy, another mare in the remuda. Most of the other kids are geldings. For the moment, Daniel has left the three unsaddled horses in the care of Hyrum and Ammon.

"A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."

OOC: It would be nice to see narrative posts from other PCs choosing their first day mounts, arranging a riding order and determining whether to take a direct or roundabout route towards Echo Canyon. The professor asked RS, but the Judge wants the PCs to coordinate the plan.

To be clear, the Judge needs:

• Daylight riding order / formation (knowing that the Hyrum and Ammon are responsible for the remuda)
• Night time watch order
• Each rider to choose a horse for the day (most have, but not all, yet)

While we are at it, all PCs should make a Riding roll for the first day. Same as the previous adventure, the Judge will use this as a daily guide for the day's journey, should any rough terrain or other circumstances require adjudication. Doing this up front will allow the Judge to advance the narrative when appropriate.

In reply to Daniel Knight (msg # 12):

"Daniel, you are always speaking the good Lord's riddles, t’sais?"

Settled now on his horse, Rofgia speaks louder to the broader group. "Cavaliers,
je préfère a short route. If I remember, Echo Canyon can be 20 kilometers even with the quickest way there."

He turns with a wide smile to Jake, "Jake, mon ami, I'm sure you have a lot of good knowledge to offer on the matter, what do you think?"

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 13):

Tommy grabs his gear and decides on Jack for his first mount. He settles in and begins to get the feel for riding again, it's been a while since he rode, especially for a full day. He knows there will be a lot more to come. He and Jack follow along just behind Red Shirt, Earnest and Tracy, he hears Rof galloping to catch up and watches him slowdown to talk with Daniel who is just behind him.

Not knowing anything about the area Tommy is more than happy to rely on the expertise of the others to decide the exact route. As he looks around and listens to the conversations ahead and behind him his mind drifts to the evening and the night watch.

He decides to stake a claim on the first watch

"Hey I'll take the first watch tonight if that's alright with you gents"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12:02, Today: Thomas Pearce rolled 4,6 using d4,d6 with rolls of 4,6.  Riding roll -- leaving town.

In reply to Rofgia Beaucheveux (msg # 14):

Earnest had re-acquainted himself with Sweet Pea before mounting and riding with the group. When Rof catches up and adds his comment, he agrees.

Yes, I think the shortest route that is not very rough would be best as well.

And after Tommy's comment.

Very good Tommy! I shall take the second watch if no one objects?

---

OOC: Earnest will demure to Tommy's stated riding order: 2nd after Red Shirt.

10:15, Today: Earnest Nicholas Samuel Ringgenberg rolled 3,4 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4.  Riding Check.

In reply to Rofgia Beaucheveux (msg # 14):


13:36, Today: Rofgia Beaucheveux rolled 2,2 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Day 1- Riding Check.

Jake was riding a kid that he was not all that familiar with -- he had been told that the horse's name was "Sam". The Texan considered himself to be an average horseman, but he had a little trouble with Sam -- the horse seemed overly skittish and inclined to crow-hop at the least hint of something being a trifle out of the ordinary, and Jacob suspected that the kid might prove to be a mite gun-shy, as well.

""Eh, what's that you say, Mon-shure?" he asked when the Frenchman asked him something. Between his being hard of hearing in one ear and focusing his attention on keeping  Sam under control, the Texican heard the barber's voice, but not his words.

---

OOC: Obviously, Jake has chosen Sam for his first day's mount. The Dice-Roller did the Texican no favors today:

16:55, Today: Jacob Richardsen rolled 3,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Second Bennie Re-roll.

16:54, Today: Jacob Richardsen rolled 3,3 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Bennie Re-Roll (Riding Check).

16:53, Today: Jacob Richardsen rolled 2,3 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3.  Riding Check.

It looks like the first and second Watches have been claimed thus far. Jake will take the third Watch, just to keep things simple.

Insofar as the riding order is concerned, Jacob usually rides near to Red Shirt and shares his field glasses with the Paiute whenever something merits a closer look.

Edit: Added a couple of extra words, as marked.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:18, Fri 13 Mar 2020.

In reply to Jacob Richardsen (msg # 18):

After initially following behind Red Shirt, Tracy drops farther back in the riding order as others begin to ride. Now just ahead of Ammon and Hyrum leading the remuda at the back of the group, Tracy attempts to get reacquainted with Lefty, his first mount from the previous journey. At first, the novice rider has issues creating a rhythm with the gelding, but eventually the twosome find their way once again.

“Good boy, Lefty,” Windham murmurs to the horse, patting the equine’s neck as he does so. Once he reconnected with Lefty, Tracy adds his own comments on the group’s plan.

“With so many people, should we go with two men at a time for the night watch? I’ll take third watch, should we decide to go one man at a time.”

At the barber’s mention of a shorter route, Tracy nods his assent. “I’d opt for a shorter ride to the caves as well. It’s already been quite some time since our first visit; time might be of the essence.”

OOC:

19:23, Today: Tracy Windham rolled 3,2 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Riding check, Lefty.

19:24, Today: Tracy Windham rolled 1,3 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,3.  Riding check, Lefty (2).

19:24, Today: Tracy Windham rolled 5,3 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (4+1)5,3.  Riding check, Lefty (3).

OOC: Succeeding at the initial day's riding roll isn't crucial to the game. The Judge appreciates that Jake and Tracy are willing to spend bennies right off the bat, but failure here isn't necessarily worth spending 2 bennies to avoid. Without telling the players exactly what failure (not Critical Failure) might mean, the Judge will allow the players to take back the second benny and stick with the failure. Of course, that is a different decision for Jake or Tracy, as the latter succeeded on the 2nd benny spend, while the former still failed, but both can choose to take back the 2nd benny and live with the failure.

NOTE: Both Jake and Tracy claimed the 3rd watch. Jake posted first, so Tracy actually claims the fourth, unless the men agree to double-up per the investigator's suggestion.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 20):

OOC:

Sorry, I didn’t see that in Jake’s post.

I’ll also elect to keep Tracy’s success and spend two Bennies. Thank you, Judge, for the option.