[[music!]]



The house is big and up here the air is still, but it's certainly not empty. There is light from under the far door to Adrian's left, from the lamp on the wall above him on the right and from somewhere in the hall below (presumably that's where the big clock he can hear ticking is).

It strikes him that it really is very quiet in here - he can hear the odd distant murmur of people talking elsewhere in the building and soft, muted peals of thunder, but otherwise it seems the house is soundproof.

A green glint flashes from a recess before the door to the lit room as the eyes of some night beast turn towards Adrian. Squinting a little, he can make out that the recess is in fact a spiral stair leading upward, and that the shadowed animal is perching on a dark and lumpen shape. A shape that appears to be dripping dark liquid on the floor.


[[Before you ask, it was definitely not Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with the length of lead pipe. You're outside the door of Bedroom 3. Have at!]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:15, Thu 20 Mar 2014.

Adrian looked back towards the broken window the birds had deftly carried him through, and then back at himself. The worst that had happened to him was a little frayed clothing through that. He was quite honestly surprised not to be leaking his thick, black, unnatural blood from at least one or two places. Steadying himself, he put his back up against a wall and drew upon his place of strength, that place of darkness and chaos . He curled his empty hand into a fist victoriously, a representation of the mental victory he felt was his willpower crushing the manitou into submission as he pulled down its raw power, drawing it into himself.

He could feel himself becoming more observant. That wasn't quite accurate. It was his capacity for observation that had increased. His senses were more attuned to his environs. Everything was just a little bit sharper.

The huckster took a closer look at the Thing in the Stairwell.

OOC:
Adrian is opting to Deal with the Devil instead of using his Power Points. With five hearts (KH, QH, 7H, 6H, 3H), he has a FLUSH! This means that his spell automatically succeeds with a raise!

• His Notice is boosted from d4 to d8.
• Notice: 5

17:47, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 10 cards: 4H, QD, QH, KH, 3H, 6H, 7H, 9D, 3S, 7C using the Deadlands system. Boost Notice / Deal with the Devil.
18:05, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 5,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5. Notice.

PS: Shouldn't it be Chapter 17.2.2?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:10, Thu 20 Mar 2014.

[[clearly, your super-observancy works super-well! Edited.]]

His senses sharpened, Adrian can smell blood over the normal house-scents of polish and lamp-soot, warm wood and paper. Fresh, living blood, presumably from the puddle dripping off the stairs...following the dark thread up, Adrian deduces the somewhat rotund fellow must have an injury on his upper chest, neck or head, areas currently turned away from him. There's something familiar about that impressive suit, too.

Looking further up, Adrian meets the perched animal's eyes again and notes the owlish yellow of them, taking in the graceful lines of a compact feline. Ward's cat seems remarkably calm, watching him, though its tail and hackles are somewhat fluffed. The calico's tailtip twitches, twitches, but otherwise it doesn't move.

A door opens and closes hard somewhere downstairs, bringing a distant babble of not-quite audible discussion before the door slams again.

Adrian could feel the cards shuffling in his head, like back in one of the casinos in New Orleans, or when he was on that riverboat on the Mississippi lookin' into the Royal Court. This day was more like the latter. Full House, he thought, and he crept along the wall with more stealth than he was customarily known on an ordinary day. This day had been anything but ordinary, and he knew he had to keep his head in the game if he wanted to stay alive. Or at least not die again.

He crept into the bathroom, gun drawn, and looked to see if there was anything gonna bite him, prepared to use this area as cover for the moment.

OOC:
He wants to go quickly and silently into Bath 2 without drawing undue attention and quickly assess it for any threats lurking within. If it is clear, he will lurk there waiting to see if anyone passes by or if he can hear them. Rolls and things below:

(1) Deal with the Devil for another Boost to Adrian's Stealth. He draw a Full House (10H, 10C, 10S, 7D, 7C), which counts as an automatic success and raise boosting his Stealth from d4 to d8, plus double duration.
(2) Stealth: 6
(3) Notice 11 (after a White Chip for reroll)



12:01, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 10 cards: 6C, 10H, QH, 10C, 10S, 7D, AH, 2C, 9D, 7C using the Deadlands system. DwtD: Boost Stealth.
12:06, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 6,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,1.
12:10, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1. notice.
12:10, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 11,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+3)11,1. white chip.

This message was last edited by the player at 18:15, Fri 21 Mar 2014.

The cat watches Adrian hide in the lavatory. Her yellow gaze remains focused on him, but she makes no move nor any feline comment on the action.

The room is extremely clean, quite plain and functional. Adrian jumps at a dark movement to his left, pointing the gun, but soon discovers he's threatening a mirror. A spider flees his investigation into the bathtub, but fails to get up the side.

As he shuts the door almost to, Adrian notes the faint outlines of bloody prints heading downstairs and the fact that he's left the rug askew. There's no time to correct this, however, since there's someone coming up the stairs.

"She'll come up...as soon as Abbie's in, won't she? I'm...I'm scared and I feel...I feel wrong inside, he..." The voice is a child's, probably a girl, but hard to tell between the hoarseness and the sobs. The steps on the stairs draw nearer.

"...he held me down and, and drank my blood, and he was dead...Max was just dead on top of me, biting me, like he didn't care and I feel wrong...I want Mamma and Abbie, Al, I don't want to be dead and not care and he bit me..." A old cowpoke comes into view, carrying the child. Age and years in the sun have left his race indeterminate, though when he speaks, there's a watered-out Old Virginian drawl.

"It'll be all right, hon. You've got your garlic there an' Widow Bradshaw'll git some good hot tea- oh, f...udge!" Al narrowly avoids swearing, pressing the child's head to his chest despite her squealed protest. "Don't look, sweetheart. ABRAHAM! Come quick, come careful! LIZ!"

The door at the end opens, silhouetting a slender female figure currently clutching a hanky. "Geneviève!" she holds her arms out to recieve the wounded girl. "Oh, Ginny, thank God, oh-" she stumbles, seeing the man in the stairwell, looks in utter horror at Al, then just takes the child and whisks her into the lit room in a whirl of gold and ruddy chestnut hair, leaving Al to close the door behind her and crouch beside the wounded man.

More steps sound at the base of the stairs, and at this point Adrian realises that the harsh tap-tap-tap that's been nagging at his heightened senses is the rainwater from his clothes dripping on the floor. It's not quite a puddle yet, but it might be a trail...
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:34, Fri 21 Mar 2014.

OOC:
Does Adrian recognize any of these people?

[[He might just recognise the woman in the library, since Mrs. Bradshaw would have been occasionally seen in town when Adrian was a teenager and she's only about 5-10 years older than him. Last time he saw Ginny she was a baby, though, and he's never seen Al before.

You can also make a Smarts roll to work out where you've seen the casualty's clothing before, since you didn't make a move to look at his face. There aren't that many tubby guys in fancy clothes around, though, so Adrian might guess, especially since his crow buddies referred to a Fat Controller, and Adrian has seen someone doing some serious Controlling just that afternoon...]]

OOC:
13:45, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 4,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. Smarts.

I think I have an idea who the Fat Controller is, but let's see if the dice confirm it.

[[Adrian has seen that suit in town, on one Mayor Bruebaker who somehow witchcrafted a crowd of ordinary citizens into a bloodthirsty mob.]]

When they closed the door, Adrian moved to sneak over to the other bedroom.

OOC:

I'm actually not sure what room they've gone from and what room they've gone to, so I'll trust you to guide me in the direction he's looking to go - somewhere where he might reasonably think they aren't now.

08:04, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4. stealth.

[[Al & Ginny came up the stairs, Al noticed Ginny's dad looking dead and called Widow Bradshaw from the library to take the kid inside. Al's still at the base of the spiral stairs there, examining Bruebaker and waiting for someone called Abraham he just yelled to...]]

Moving swiftly, quiet and cat-footed, Adrian slips around the door whilst the cowboy's back is turned and moves to sneak over into Ward's bedroom.

[[Dust Adders rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5. notice. Al is a decidedly Active Guard right now.]]

The cat sits up, tracking his movements; her attention causes the cowboy to whirl, drawing what looks like a sharpened wooden spoon from his belt in the same movement as though expecting a spring. "Shit-!"

Seeing Adrian has a gun, his eyes widen, then narrow when he realises he doesn't know Adrian at all. "Who the Hell are you?"

"I'm Adrian Vega," he responded. "My daddy was Vincent Vega and my mama's name was Irene Ackerman 'fore she was married. You mighta known 'em if you're from around here. Grew up here in Blackthorn. Anyway, there's a shitstorm going on outside, and I wanted to get inside somewhere, and here I am. Do you know what all that's about?"

---

OOC:

Thanks for the explanation! I don't know if I need a Persuasion for this, since everything he's saying is strictly true, but if I do I have a 6 just to persuade him to be like the Fonz. That is, to be cool.

(Casted a spell to boost his persuasion. Dealt with the Devil and won again, got more than the power points he needed with a 2 pair hand, rolled spellcasting but didn't get a raise, so that's a boost fom d4 to d6 on Persuasion)

08:33, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 6,3 using d6,d6. Persuasion.
08:33, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 7,2 using d8,d6. Spellcasting.
08:29, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 10 cards: 7S, AS, JD, 6C, 10D, 10H, 2H, JH, 3D, 6S using the Deadlands system. DwtD Boost.

The cowboy frowns. "How 'bout I tell you what I know when you've proved you're not the vam-pire that did this?" he asks, gesturing at the stricken man, though his eyes don't leave Adrian and that gun. "Don't reckon you are, since you got past the wards pretty easy, but I hafta know how you got in an' if it came in with you."

He leans back on seeing someone coming up the stairs to speak to them: "Mayor's wounded. Reckon we got one in the house."

The old man in butler's dress coming up the stairs grips the bannister with the arm not currently in a sling. "Oh Lord..." he whispers hoarsely, then swallows and resumes his climb. "I'll do what I can, but I usually assist with Doctor Ward's tableware, not his surgery."

"'s fine, I jes' need to know if we can move him," Al responds, still watching the dripping stranger warily.

Abraham comes level with the stairhead and blinks upon noticing Adrian. "Who-?"

He lowered his gun, but still held onto it. "Adrian," he said to the man coming down the stairs.

"And I ain't no vampire. I ain't tried to bite nobody, have I? Don't know how the hell to prove it, though. You can find plenty o' folk in town to vouch for me. Say, if you got wards up in the house to keep a vamp out, how the hell did one get in to bite this poor asshole?"

The cowboy bristles. The older man steps in before he can speak, however, literally placing himself between the ranch hand and Adrian.

"Mister...Adrian, none of the cattlehands currently besieging this house were previously inclined to bite anyone, at least not outside the context of a bar room brawl, until a few hours ago. The townsfolk would surely vouch for them as well."

He sighs and awkwardly fumbles out a head of garlic from his jacket pocket one-handed, breaking off and offering a clove. "Please. I believe biting this would satisfy Mr.Whitver." The butler's tone is infinitely calm, but Adrian's boosted senses note the tension in him. Nonetheless, he walks up and looks Adrian in the eye with the lack of hesitation that suggests he was a free man long before the war.

"As for the wards, that is what we are trying to determine. I'm afraid it is imperative, sir, that you tell us how and when you got in, and whether that egress might be used by our enemies."

Right then there's a great multi-voiced cawwing from the room beside the stair; the cat startles a little and stares. Adrian catches sight of lots of little red eyes all piling up around the threshold.

Al backs a step towards the library in preparation to inform the occupants of this noisy development but doesn't turn, the gun drawn under cover of Abraham's back held ready if not raised.


[[Al's recently seen most of his local buddies slaughtered and turned into bloodsucking fiends; he is not very Fonzish right now. It might pay to remember this is Blackthorn, and evasiveness is far more likely to turn NPCs hostile than being honest about supernatural stuff.]]

"I'd be glad to eat that, Mr...." he said respectfully, extending his free hand to accept the garlic clove, and waiting to see if the black man would give his name.

"Hell, I'll eat as much garlic as you need to prove it. As for how I got in, I came in through the crack in the window. This gonna sound ridiculous, but there were some magical birds and I convinced them to pick me up and fly me in. I'm dripping wet, you can follow the water trail to verify that's where I got in."

"Just Abraham," the butler replies, handing him the garlic.

"What, these guys?" Al points his spoon at the crowlets piled up at the threshold, setting them all cawwing about danger and pleading to be let in again, despite there being nothing to prevent their entry into the house visible to the naked eye.

He visibly relaxes. "I guess if Liz's birds think you're all right you're prolly some kind of Moonie or voodoo gambling man...anything we can use right now is good. They were guarding the porch - vamps kept tryin' to throw things on fire onto it, smoke us out. They're pretty keen t'have us dead by sunup."

He taps on the library door. "Liz, when you can - the birds're all in here and kicking up a racket 'bout something." There's a muffled response.

"I don't suppose you'd have any kind of medical background, would you sir?" Abraham asks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:22, Wed 26 Mar 2014.

Making sure that they were watching him, he popped the garlic clove into his mouth and chewed on it. He occasionally opened his mouth while he did so - he knew it was bad manners, or so his mama had always said - but he wanted to show them just in case they still had a doubt. When the garlic had all been chewed up he swallowed it.

"Now my breath is gonna smell like garlic, though I'd wager that would be an improvement. Hope that's enough for ya."

"I'm somethin' of a gambler, I guess you could say, but it ain't voodoo. General idea is close enough though, I suppose. If you need to put down some vamps, I am more than willin' to lend a hand. The less vamps around, the better off we all are. Anyhow, them birds, they wanna be let in. I think maybe the wards are keepin' 'em out."

The garlic is near-painfully sharp on heightened senses, but certainly bearable: the vampires must have a keener sense of smell and taste than this.

"Keeps 'em from bitin' you in the face," Al responds, then halts and stares a bit, looking from the mass of little bird-things to Adrian. "You can talk to them? I thought only Liz...ask 'em why they've up and ditched their duty, then: we need them on the porch."


Abraham goes and kneels by Bruebaker as the crows chorus their rasping objections, checking the fallen man over. "We'll need some cotton to stem the bleeding here, but his neck's not broken...his back, well, it looks all right to me, but God help me, I wish I had Doctor Ward's opinion...yes, move him. It'll have to-" This time, the interruption is a pounding on the main door down in the hall. The men look at each other.

"Shit, the porch!" Al swears, pale. The ominous thuds continue.

Through the railings, Adrian notices a compact black-clad figure limping rapidly towards the door, clearly meaning to move the small cabinet wedged against it.


[[Abraham rolled 5 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3. common knowledge Medicine, +2 for living with a doctor maybe a couple of decades. He can confirm it's possible to move Bruebaker without killing him.

NB the house is too soundproof to hear Evans from upstairs.]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:57, Thu 27 Mar 2014.

He cocked his head to the side, as he listened to the birds. "They ain't gonna guard the porch. Say there's somethin' bad in the yard, from the barn. They're scared, and they wanna be let inside the house. You said you'd tell me what you knew once I proved I ain't a vamp. Well, I ate the garlic, so how about we tell me what the bad thing from the barn is, and who all turned vamp? If I'm gonna take you down, help y'all keep that woman and kid safe, then I'd do well to know more than I do right now."

The cowboy is too distracted to answer him, having noticed the black-clad figure reaching the front of the hall and opening the door.
"NO!"

Someone downstairs has noticed, too: there's a hoarse "Jingles, I will fucking kill you!" roared from somewhere out of Adrian's vision.

Abraham grips the rail, looking down, but leaves the running down there to Al and turns to Adrian. "The madam from the travelling burlesque show appears to be the original vampire - she seduced one of the Enlightened Society, Mr. Whateley, who unfortunately probably leapt at the opportunity to become a half-dead monstrosity of the night," the calm of his tone takes a slight bitter tinge.

"We lost six hands, then Mr...Seven witnessed Whateley dragging Mr. Milburn out into the carriage house...why he opened the door, we don't know, but they were attacking the front of the house at the time. If not for Mr. Seven checking the other exits we'd be overrun." He swallows.

"Then another vampire turned up and chased the others off...we took the opportunity to barricade. If anything's in the barn, it's Whateley or his doing, but I have no idea what could scare the crows. Would you help me move him, please?" The injured butler nods down at the Mayor.

"The library and the living room have wards built into the walls in addition to the doors and windows. If all else fails..." he glances at the scene below, then concentrates on shifting the Mayor as best he can "...those rooms will hold until daylight, if we can adequately barricade the doors."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:37, Thu 27 Mar 2014.

Adrian shook his head. "I'm sorry Abraham, but I think we have priorities to see to and movin' Bruebaker should be far down the list. You just told me that there's a vampire in the house, and it's all warded up. If it was hidin' in here somehow before the wards went up, that means it might be stuck in here, and it's gonna try to kill as many of us as it can before we kill it. We gotta see that woman and the girl are safe."

He looked over to the door that had just been opened and the person that just entered. "Say, Marshal Evans, that you?" he called out.

"The wards have existed since Doctor Ward had the upper building and carriage house constructed, sir, therefore the vampire must have found a means to break in, possibly through a storm-damaged part of the roof, or been invited over a threshold and thus trapped in these very corridors and open areas," Abraham says in the same measured tones. "Even if you don't care for this man's wellbeing, he is the father of young Miss Geneviève, and she, not to mention Mrs. Bruebaker and his elder daughter, whom I pray will also soon be recovered, will be further distressed if he is left out here to bleed out at the mercy of..."

The library door opens and the slender woman reappears in her undies. There are a lot of them, taking in the lacy chemise, broad corset, several swaying layers of petticoats, the odd glimpse of long drawers and silk stockings, but the sight still leaves the butler momentarily agog.

"Don't stare, Abraham, I'm sure you've seen a woman without a dress before. I couldn't leave Ginny in those wet and filthy clothes. Now let me see to the...oh!" The woman notices Adrian dripping on the hall rug, then squints at him a bit. She seems tired, and may have been crying recently, but she seems to be on top of things for now. "Are you related to...now, what was the son's name...Adrian, is it? Adrian Vega?"

John, or Jacob, or whatever his actual name was, took a simple cat stance, arms prepared to defend upper and lower gate.

OOC: The duel rules don't quite feel right. I think a straight up fight if that's all right.

"Yes ma'am," he said politely, though he did avert his eyes from her respectfully. His body allowed him to feel no such drives in that regard, but he had memories, and knew it was the polite thing to do.

"You're Missus Bradshaw, I 'member you from when I was a kid. You mighta known my daddy Victor or my mama Irene. Don't worry, we're here to keep y'all safe." Feeling somewhat guilty, he holstered his weapon and went to help Abraham with the body. "Where we gonna move him to?"

Evans cocks his head at the shout. "Yes, Mr. Vega! I am here, just dealing with a situation. How are you?" He shouts back, then watches the drama unfold between John and the chinaman.


He eases his Gyromounted Pistol out of its holster. "Sir. Are you prepared to take this all the way? Because if you are, I will oblige you. I stand with this man, be he John Smith, Jacob Sutton, Or Johnny Appleseed."

((OOC: 10:07, Today: The Amazing Evans drew the single card: 4C using the Deadlands system.))

The Chinaman ignores Evans, keeping the wicked Sutton under his piercing jet-like stare. Oddly, he makes no shift in response to his opponent's chosen stance, simply canting his head a little and beckoning John on.


[[Initiative!

John 10S
Evans  4C
Tao Jing 2D ]]

"I'm alright," he called down. It was true enough, and if Evans had a situation to deal with, other concerns could wait. "You need help?"

"Into the li-" Abraham stops as Adrian gets distracted by the drama down in the hall and pauses rather than sighs, kneeling a moment to check Bruebaker's pulse and reassure the cat.

The Widow Bradshaw leans on the railings to see. "Ambrose!" she calls out and attempts to wave at Evans, who seems somewhat occupied with the figure in black everyone was beating up a moment ago. "Ambrose? Oh, he's busy. Never mind. Bird-ies! Come tell me what's wrong, pretty things."

The crowlets start up an utter cacophony at her approach - if she can make out anything as she kneels at the room's threshold and murmurs an incantation, she must have supremely good focused hearing.

---

Downstairs, a very soggy and somewhat muddy Gangatsu squelches into the hall from the direction of the kitchen with a sword made from a sharpened broomhandle through her sash, grumbling. Al goes over to speak to her, but she doesn't seem to care for his urgent exposition, merely raising an eyebrow at the fight.

"Ainch'a got better things to do?" she asks from a couple of paces up the stairs, then just carries on, shaking her head and muttering something about poultry.

"Birds wanna be let in, ma'am," Adrian chimed in. "Said there's somethin' bad from the barn out there, whatever that means - though I get the feelin' it means trouble. Are you the Cake Lady?"

Widow Bradshaw has an armful of crowlets by this point, holding up something unseen like a curtain for them to flutter and scurry under. She's shortly wearing or surrounded by the whole flock - crowlets on the railing, crowlets on the lamp sconce, crowlets on Adrian, on Bruebaker, and every other available surface that won't swat at them. Georgia hides behind Abraham's legs, tail lashing.

"Just a moment," she holds up a hand to Adrian. "Now, slowly, darlings."


Widow Bradshaw nuzzles her armful and the ones on her shoulders like they're a basket of kittens, not in the least afraid of the proximity of her eyeballs to things manifested as tiny flying-pirhana corvids. "It's all right, birdies...it'll all work out. Be darlings and guard this area whilst I think of what to do about the porch - and I know perfectly well you can tell vampires from human beings, so no randomly murdering people and pretending you couldn't tell."

There's a chorus of "Awww"s. "I mean it," Widow Bradshaw says sternly, in that tone that at once reminds Adrian she's somebody's mother.

She stands gracefully and comes over with her many-eyed black bouquet. "Yes, I am the Cake Lady," she says, smiling warmly. "I'm afraid I only have pancakes at the moment, though - hush, sweeties - and I think Arthur...Arthur Whateley, that is, you wouldn't know him, creepy little guy with cold hands and sort of girlish good looks. Eyes always made me think of fish. Oop, yes, anyway, Charles', I mean, Doctor Ward's summoning circle is in the old barn, sounds like Arthur's tampered with it to summon one of those nasty things from the nether depths of Hell or The Black Beyond The Stars or something, I'll have to think a bit. It really does need dealing with!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:58, Tue 01 Apr 2014.

John looks Evans. "This seems a might bit personal for him. Best if you leave it between us." Turning to Tao Jing he returned his cant with a nod and struck. His opponent may not have noticed, but John wasn't as large as he used to be. Sure his coat made him seem a little more filled out, and sure his height was still fairly average. Though to anyone who knew him from before, he had been an man of muscle, more suited to the likes of Dave. Which was why the force of his attack may have come as a surprise as an easily dodged kick was followed up with a thrusting open palm strike.

Fighting against another martial artist was like a dance where you do not know whether your partner is line dancing or ballroom dancing, so one needs to observe and adapt. Least, that was what how Zhang explained it to a rather slow pupil who took the name John Smith, and John Smith decided to show his opponent one of his dances.

OOC:
Doesn't seem much use for the duel card as there isn't any group combat to interrupt.
John Smith rolled 5,3,13 using d10,d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3,(6+6+1)13. Fighting, wing chun. Hit with a raise 13 vs. listed parry of 7.
John Smith rolled 8,5,5 using d10,d6,d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 8,5,3. Damage total of 18.

"I'll hold my own council on what is and is not important, Miss Gangatsu." He says to the wandering samurai. Though he wasn't fond of this interruption much himself. He watches the contest.

Despite John's pronouncement, Evans wasn't actually interested in seeing someone die here, and stood ready to intervene.

((OOC: Going On Hold for now))

[[You can have a duel without Adventure cards...you still need to draw initiative to see if you're faster than him, though.]]


Oddly enough, for someone with such a clear mastery of martial arts, Tao Jing's counters are sloppy, constantly an instant too slow: the kick almost makes contact, leaving him slightly off-balance when John follows up.

The blow ploughs straight through the man's defenses with the force of a bullet, landing high on the ribs; John feels bone give and crack under the heel of his hand as he draws it back, feels the body before him brace hard not to fall and looks up to see Tao Jing simply grinning past his left ear.

Tao smashes away the blow heading for his guts but keeps in close, pressing John's guard with heavy, mauling swipes before a feint for the white man's elbow suddenly becomes a hooked jab for the base of his throat.


[[3 wounds Shaken for Tao Jing. He's disinclined to soak, so simply drops his white to remove the Shaken and comes straight back atcha:

Tao Jing, rolled -5,4 using d10-7,d6-7, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+5)11. kung fu fightin'. I'm...really impressed he got a positive number there, so I'm going to give him a red chip on that.
Tao Jing, rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5. red chippit. -> 9. Hit!

Tao Jing, rolled 7,3 using d12,d4, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3. Eagle claw attack! -> 10 damage, that's 1 Wound for John Smith.

init. BJ! Wow. Dice roller likes Tao today.]]

"Into the library it is. Let's get this shit over with, Honest Abe. We have a vampire on the loose in here. No time for dawdling." With that he moved to help heave the fat man into the library with Abraham.

"At once, sir," Abraham rejoins, picking up one of Bruebaker's feet with his good arm to haul as best he can. A very soggy woman of indeterminate Oriental origin comes up and wordlessly takes the other foot, scowling at the crowlets as Widow Bradshaw lets them disperse around the upper level to take an arm alongside Adrian.

"Percy, door!"

The door is opened from within and between the lot of them they manage to get the portly mayor situated on the hearth rug. There's a fire going, a teapot and copper coffee pot on the flags, and, indeed, some pancakes. A corpse - no, a sleeping old man - is lying wrapped up on the room's impressive desk, and Ginny pokes her head out from a blanketed-off corner presumably arranged as an emergency bed for the young ladies, shrinking back when Adrian looks over at her. Georgia goes to join her.

The sick-looking young man with a rifle that opened the door gives Adrian that confused look that says he recognises the deputy, but can't think why.

"Is Miss Abigail in?" Abraham asks the wet woman as they straighten.

"Yeah - she ain't even hurt, jus' banged up a bit by them...demon fruits. fucken witches...you got som'fin dry 'round here?"

"My shirts are in the drawers of the room we just passed, ma'am, and I'm sure you could roll up a pair of my pants to fit," Abraham replies with relief. "Do you know what on Earth is going on downstairs? They're not about to start shooting, are they?"

"Nah, jus' John fighten that crazy blind guy." She squints at Adrian, palming water off her face. "Who're you, den? Some'un with sense or jus' another Moonie?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:53, Tue 01 Apr 2014.

"Well, look who done grown up. Howdy, Percy," he said as he made his way in. After setting down the body, he paused to observe the other participants in the conversation.

"I'm Adrian Vega," he answered the wet woman politely, not sure if that answer was sufficient for what she was looking for, but not really caring overmuch. There were more pressing concerns.

"I'm gonna go see what I can do to help the situation with John and Evans. We're gonna need more help sooner than later, and we don't need them fightin' that angry Chinaman for the next two hours." With that, he wandered off to get a good vantage point on the fight.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:02, Tue 01 Apr 2014.

"Howdy," Percy says, somewhat uncertainly.

"Mrs. Vega's son," Widow Bradshaw prompts, heading for the corner to check on Ginny. "You remember Irene? Geography."

"Oh yeah..." Recognition dawns on Percy's face, though there's a little of the shyness that comes of talking to the bigger boys in his smile. "Glad you came back. It's like hardly anyone cares for this town any more."

The soggy woman looks bemused, but just holds the door for him a moment as she goes out to get clothes.

"I'm back, and I care," he said to the youth with what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he passed through the door on the way to check out what he might do to speed up the situation with John and the angry Chinaman.

Out of the room, he drew his weapon again and peered about the place, reaching out to that source of power that he tapped on so well. He thought he could make it about half way down the stairs and get a good shot, but wanted to make sure the coast was clear.

OOC: Triple 8's is more than enough to power the hex to boost his notice back up (it would have faded since he last did this). He makes his Spellcasting roll with a 6 so that boosts him up one step to d6.

Notice: 6

16:41, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 2,2 using d6,d6. Notice. (Pathetic)
16:41, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1 using 1d6. (Blue Chip...still quite sad)
16:41, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 4,1,2 using d6,d6,d6. white chip to reroll it all.

16:39, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 6,4 using d8,d6.
16:32, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 10 cards: 8H, 9D, 2S, KH, RJ!, 8D, 10C, QD, 8S, JC using the Deadlands system. DwtD Boost.

Partway down the stairs, Adrian spots a soggy little white Peke next to the hall clock. It's trying to pick up a pair of pale and ladylike shoes, presumably on the assumption they're slippers. There are scuffs of blood visible on the soles.


[[Yeah...I'll believe you. Go announce thy Joker loudly upon ye chip thread, for I am halfway asleep, yea verily.

edit: Yep, definitely asleep. Sorry, no idea how that happened, I didn't mean to gaslamp-post you. O_o Really going sleeps now.]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:40, Tue 01 Apr 2014.

John had survived poisoning, survived the wasting of his once muscular form, a hit like that wasn't going to phase him none.

OOC: Forgot, just after I chided my own players about it.
Drew a white benny. Spending it since I've quite a few.
John Smith rolled 6,3 using 1d8,1d6. Soak.
John Smith drew the single card: 10S using the Deadlands system. Initiative!

Despite his sickness and the likely gravity of his wound, Tao Jing throws himself after John's parry. His clawing upward stroke is truly fearsome and a wonder of execution, save that it is performed on thin air.

Tao Jing snarls and concentrates, listening for John's breathing.


[[Tao Jing, rolled 4,0 using d10-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3. fightin'. (+2 Joker, +2 Wild attack) Tao's parry is down by 2.

Initiative!
Tao Jing BJ!
John Smith 10S   You're up!
Adrian Vega 3H
Ambrose Evans Oh Hold ]]

Adrian looked at the ridiculous looking white dog that he spotted there on his way to see what he couldn't do to help hurry up the situation with Evans and John. "Hey there, little guy," he said quietly. "You wanna go up there," he said.

Adrian pointed towards the hallway, hoping the dog would go. He remembered he had a dog growing up - a basset hound his daddy had named Agosto. They'd all just called him Aggy. He'd try to see that the thing made it, but he had priorities right now.

[[No worries - I figured it was on account of sleepiness, not that it would have bothered me in any case]]

The soggy dog halts at being talked to, ears pricking somewhere under the sodden fluff. It bounds past the combattants and up the stairs with one of the shoes, wagging its great brush of a tail, at least until it catches Adrian's scent. The Peke stops dead. "rrrrRRRRRRRRrrrr..."

He was curious about the animal's reaction for just a moment - he usually got on well with 'em. Then he remembered. You're dead now, Adrian, he thought. Even the dog don't want nothin' to do with you.

The Peke drops the shoe on the same tread as Adrian and tries to scare him away from where its humans are by barking and running around his feet, occasionally feinting at making a bite without getting overly close. It's sort of like being intimidated by a toilet brush.

"waf! waf waf waf waf waf waf! waf waf wao wao woa waf! wao waf! waf waf!"

The deputy sighed, and just shook his head at the ridiculous sight, but focused in on the fight ahead of him, ignoring the dog.

John gave Tao Jing a look of resignation, he pitied him, but he did not let the foul sick man know. "There is no honor in this fight." He said as he dodged the angry martial artists strike. "But there is more dire things afoot." He said as he struck. His blow was strong, but the intention was not to kill, rather than incapacitate.

OOC:
John Smith rolled 2,3,13 using d10,d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3,(6+6+1)13. 13 hits with a raise. Fighting, wing chun.
John Smith rolled 1,4,7 using d10,d6,d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4,(4+1)5. 12 Damage. If possible, he's aiming to knock him out. Couldn't find rules for Savage Worlds equivalent of 'subdual damage'.

[[Just declaring an unarmed strike non-lethal makes it nigh-impossible to kill someone with it.]]

Even though it has slowly dawned on John and the spectators that the man is completely blind, Tao Jing manages to block and turn away John's first salvo of punches, keeping up with bared teeth and fierce determination. The third blow strikes true, however, batting away his guard and opening him up for a kick that sends him skidding across the hall floor. Tao Jing lies still.

Two heartbeats pass. Tao Jing stirs and tries to get up again. "Coward dog..." he growls. Slowly, he pushes himself to one knee, the right leg seemingly locked and refusing to bend properly.

Blood drips to the floor from where he's bitten through his lip on landing and his arms tremble with the effort; he looks about to get up again. Tao Jing half-rises, tries to drag his useless leg into supporting him...and can't do it. He falls back to his palms, his laboured breathing for a moment the only sound in the room. "You staled man of flour," he tells the floor. "You law-fawning weather-bitten pignut, how dare you talk of honour? Wretch!"

"Look at this marked Triad head - for your sake, this hair is gone. For your sake, I am cast out among righteous and held in low regard among the wicked. You have taken China from me, you miserable botch of nature," he coughs, and suddenly it's clear that the shaking of his shoulders is not purely the strain of staying off the ground: the man is actually weeping with frustrated rage. "Taken my family from me, and my chances of marriage...and it is nothing to you: you do not even remember. I hate you, Sutton."

"My soul will hate you past death and be damned through all the Hells, as I have sworn vengeance... vengeance...and now how is chance come, that I am dying before I find you!" He thumps the boards with his fist. "Kill me, Sutton! Kill me, you barrel-scraped thug! Would you make me beg? Hgggh-" he curls over in pain.

The Dust Adders shift uncomfortably, disturbed. Tao Tao remembers he's seeing Adrian off and starts half-heartedly yapping at him again.


[[Tao Jing, rolled 6,-2 using d8-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of (8+1)9,1. stayin' up. almost there, so he drops his red on it.
Tao Jing, rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. red chippit.

...to 1 less than a raise, so I throw him one of mine from pity.
Alouette, on behalf of Tao Jing, rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3. ditto. There we go. 10 on the incap. roll.
He's out of combat and can't move unaided, but conscious.]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:39, Thu 03 Apr 2014.

Adrian sighed. He'd had enough of the ridiculous rants. This fight and whatever else was going on here...it was taking up valuable time. Maybe he could convince the crazy Chinaman to relax.

"Look, Chinatown, we got vampires and big bad things outside and maybe inside too. Actually, looks like Bruebaker got attacked in here, so there's a vampire cooped up in here with us somewhere. In other words, we got bigger fish to fry than you. So I'm gonna ask you not in my authority as a Deputy of Blackthorn but as a citizen of the god damn world to stop bein' such a ..." What was it he'd heard the Chinaman call John? "...weather-bitten pignut. You wanted a piece of John? Well you got it, and it looks like you bit off more than you could chew. Maybe you wanna try again later. Put this shit aside for now and let's take care of the vampires first and whatever else we gotta put down. And then you can go about doing whatever the hell you want."

OOC:
Persuade: 5

Rolled the worst I possibly could, spent a White chip to reroll it.
12:38, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3,5 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5. White Chip Reroll.
12:38, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,1 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:06, Thu 03 Apr 2014.

Tao Jing doesn't respond, curling in on himself where he's knelt like a dog in the last post-raging paralysis of rabid fits, cheeks sheened with tears. Although he makes no sound and Adrian's words seem to have blunted his rage a little, he's still weeping. It's a strange sight, particularly since the man doesn't look like the type to show pain at all, let alone cry over a couple of broken ribs, yet it seems to be sheer pain that's bringing this water to his eyes.

The Peke starts growling at him, then looks at Adrian and remembers he's there, so growls at Adrian, too.

"What is this all about?" asks a well-educated voice, shortly before a glorious warhorse of a woman hoves into view, towing a slightly shorter and definitely wetter version who's mostly plastered with mud.

Dave rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...Jingles opened the door to this lot, ma'am, then started picking fights. Er..." he looks to Al for help, not quite knowing how to break it to the ladies about the casualty upstairs.

"Mrs. Bruebaker, Abbie," he said, nodding to them, but ultimately speaking to the older woman.

"Ma'am, there's been something of an unfortunate incident upstairs. It seems that the Mayor has been hurt and is in a bad way. I helped Abraham move him into the library, but what we need now is a doctor to tend to his wounds," he said.

"We're also suspecting that mayhaps there's a vamp in the house. Mrs. Bradshaw and Ginny are upstairs, as are Percy, Abraham, and a soggy lookin' woman with a wooden sword."

Mrs. Bruebaker's lips compress for a second, but she quickly puts her personal feelings on finding and decking that vampire to one side, finding and squeezing her daughter's hand when the young lady lets out a soft whimper.

"I see. Thank you, Mr.Vega. At least we are well-supplied with garlic and sharpened wooden objects, and Su - the soggy one - is extremely good with a sword. We shall get all non-combattants to the library with adequate supplies for the night, then go room by room as necessary until the break in the warding is located and the creature eradicated. Evans, are you capable of offering medical assistance? Yes, there is coffee and probably some manner of brandy upstairs, so you may warm yourselves," she nods to John and Jake for the first time, acknowledging the strangers.

"-but please, we would be grateful if you would move as swiftly as possi-" Mrs. Bruebaker pauses and squints up at the mass of crowlets rimming the upstairs railing. "What are the birds doing in? Don't touch him, Abbie."

Abbie stops reaching for Tao Jing's shoulder, uncertain. "He's all but insensible with sickness, mother," she half-protests, but does back off and scoop up the Peke in coming up the stairs, giving Adrian a weak and slightly sheepish smile.

"Birds are in here cause they were scared o' whatever was out there. The big bad thing from the barn. Mrs. Bradshaw let 'em in, I think," he said, providing the woman with a bit more information.

"Alright, I'm gonna go upstairs and start checkin' the other rooms for vamps. Will I have anyone else for backup?" He looked around at the others - the Dust Adders, John, Jake and the Marshal. "I'm going either way, but I just wanted to check."

"Thing...?" Mrs. Bruebaker arches a noble brow. "You will have backup enough if you but wait, sir. It does neither you nor us any good for you to go off on your own, get killed and turned into another vampire. My husband is not an inactive or untalented man when it comes to fighting or matters occult - if the thing could best him, it would suggest the vampire is of unusual cunning and should not be faced by any one of us alone. Whitver, would you kindly go and inform the men in the kitchen of this development?"

Al nods and goes, warily.

Abbie remains paused and dripping on the stairs, baffled by the shoe. She picks it up, stares at it a bit, then decides it's probably Widow Bradshaw's and takes it upstairs to ask the same about. Adrian can half-hear some words between her and the surly Su up on the landing as she heads for the library.

The soundproof walls mute all the nightmares that might be going on outside; for a few instants all that can be heard is the slow tick of the clock and Tao Jing's ragged breathing, at least until that catches in agony. "...aaaah...augh..nn..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:38, Thu 03 Apr 2014.

"Fair enough," he responded. "I'll be waiting in the library where the womenfolk are at right now. Figure I'll help to see 'em safe for the time bein'," he responded.

"When the search starts, lemme know," he added before ducking upstairs after Abbie.

Mrs. Bruebaker nods. "I'll be up shortly." She sets to asking Evans some brief and pertinent questions as to the state of the town. Dave havers, uneasy and unsure what to do about getting the beaten man on the floor outside or locked back in the living room or at least anywhere but here.

---

The library is much as Adrian left it, save that Su (good with a sword) has taken up a place near the hearth with a blanket over her small shoulders and a mug of coffee, dressed more or less like a butler. Widow Bradshaw standing and holding up an additional sheet around the girls' nest suggests Abbie's probably changing back there. Indeed, Abraham is in the process of setting down a recently-warmed basin of water by Widow Bradshaw's feet, presumably to help deal with the mud.

"Reckon the lady vampire's hiding downstairs?" Percy asks over the medical book on his lap, holding up the shoe with its traces of blood. His hands are a little shaky and he looks sick, but seems to be coping all right. The old man on the desk doesn't wake.

As Tao Jing rants John simply stares at the man, pity in his eyes. He wasn't sure what wrongs Jacob Sutton did to the man, or even what crimes this Jingles had done himself, but he couldn't help but feel for him. It was a cruel act of fate to hate so much and find oneself blind and near death when confronted with the object of such rage. Not only that, but to find that they are utterly ignorant of your passion.

"The hell is wrong with him?" he said, more to himself. He knelt down over him, hands hovering above his shuddering body as he tried to sense the flow of his chi, tried to figure out what was wrong with the man.

OOC: John Smith rolled 3,8 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+2)8. Heal check.

Looking closely at Tao Jing where he's hunched, John abruptly notes that what looked like simple decay on the man's teeth is instead a weird and spreading darkness, coating and sharpening them as he rasps open-mouthed for breath like a poisoned animal.

It's happening to his nails, too: as Evans and Mrs. Bruebaker start up the stairs, oblivious, Tao Jing gives a kind of hoarse groan and almost pitches over, saving himself by bracing his palms on the floor. Tendons stand stark on his hands as claws dig into the wood, lengthening as John - or Sutton - watches.

"We should git him out," Dave says, distinctly ill at ease. He readies the pistol but can't bring himself to move closer.

Tao Jing looks up and in John's general direction, bronzed skin so ashy with sickness he's almost green. His useless eyes are becoming black as stones, darkened blood breaking into the whites - there's not even hatred there, such human thought scraped away by pain. Only fear remains: agonised and endless fear.

PM

The gangster's body jerks, the blood dripping from his lip becoming darker, slowing.

"Lemme see those shoes, kid," he said to Percy, taking the shoes from the young man to get a closer look at them. He didn't seem to think there was anything much to them, at least not that he could gather

"These the vamp's shoes?"

OOC:

• Casting Boost Trait: Notice
• Dealing with the Devil for power points: 2 points, which is sufficient to power the hex (phew!)
• NOT using the Joker, so no backlash.
• Spellcasting: 5 (success) - Notice boosted to D6
• Notice: 3

13:14, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 10 cards: 10D, 9D, KS, 7C, 3C, AD, RJ!, 5S, 8S, 8D using the Deadlands system. DwtD.
13:18, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 5,4 using d8,d6.
13:23, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3,3 using d6,d6.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:30, Sat 05 Apr 2014.

"Percy," Percy corrects automatically, pushing his glasses up a little, but hands him the shoe. "I don't know where the other one is - Abbie brought it up. It's not Ma's, nor any of the Bruebakers."

"We did have the lady vampire caught in the kitchen when she first appeared at the ranch, though, before Whateley let her out and went after the-" he has to pause and blink hard on grief, "-the other hands. I-I'm sorry." He takes off his glasses and scrubs the heel of his hand over his eyes, not bothering to pretend there's dirt in them but determined not to cry, either. "It might be from then."

The shoe looks much the same as when Adrian first saw it - pale, sort of fancy, more of a tassled dancing slipper than anything meant to be walked far in, with a few smudges of blood on the underside. It may or may not be related to the dim track of blood-prints away from Bruebaker Adrian saw on the stairs when he was hiding in the water closet.

"Sorry, Percy. Old habits. Guess you're a man grown now, watchin' over these womenfolk," Adrian said, hoping to bolster the youth a bit with words of encouragement.

"Anyhow, I saw the dog messin' 'round with it earlier, but I figured it was from one o' these womenfolk," he said. He put it down on a table there, and reached into his pocket where he kept a trusty deck of cards. "You play poker? We should get a game some time. After all this shit gets worked out." He dealt himself a hand and looked at them, then put them back into the deck, which he slid into his jacket pocket.

OOC:

• He's going to cast "Hunch" to see if he can't draw some aid from his powers. Needs 3 points.
• Dealing with the Devil: Two Pair (2C, 2H, 3S, 3H) which provide 4 points.
• Spellcasting: 9 (a success - and a raise)

13:17, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 10 cards: 10C, 2C, 3S, 7D, 5S, AS, 3H, JC, 2H, 9S using the Deadlands system.
15:39, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 4,9 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+3)9. spellz.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:48, Sat 05 Apr 2014.

Percy swallows and looks over at the closest woman, then has to laugh a bit. Gangatsu just rolls her eyes and sips her coffee, grudgingly accepting the cat onto her lap in response to a repeated paw-tapping at her leg.

"If by 'play', you mean 'get cleaned out for pennies', I guess," the youth smiles as best he can. "I...I hope it's done by morning, but I suppose the Comanches aren't going to go hide from the light. Were you in town?"

Gangatsu watches the dealing with suspicion.


Abbie reappears with a garish combination of what's presumably an old gardening shirt, a fancy shawl tied as a skirt and decidedly ill-fitting golf sweater over her undermost underwear (which is nonetheless ankle-length). She's still a little mud-streaked in patches, but cleaner. "Could we get some more tea for Ginny? She's awful shook up."

"N-no, I don't want it - then I'll have to pee and I don't want to go in the bucket!" Ginny protests from the corner.

"Hush, pretty - the birdies will clear the way to the facilities for you, it's all right," Widow Bradsaw says. Ginny crawls to the front of the nest to stick her head out and looks up at her a moment. Clearly the girl wants so badly to believe there's somewhere safe in the world and that the grownups can make it all right. Then Ginny gives a shuddering breath, gingerly touching her wound, then buries her face in Bradshaw's petticoats to cry.

Percy jumps to sorting tea since Gangatsu doesn't move (and has a cat on, anyway). "Did you kill any vampires or Comanches on the way in, Mr. Vega?" Abbie asks, a little awkward with his name. To be fair, 'Mr. Vega' is probably childhood memories of Adrian's father to her.

Evans, speaking with Mrs. Bruebaker, asks her a few pointed questions of his own

((OOC: Mostly consisting of "Who is still here? When did Ward leave? Just how involved were you in all this Enlightened Society business?"))

Caught up as he is getting information, he doesn't notice Tao Jing's decent...

"Well, crap." John says with a deep frown. He moved to Evans. "Marshall Evans, whatever has him, it's changing him, I'm thinkin' we need Allouette or the Father, and right quick too."

Dave notices the sick man's claws as Tao Jing grabs ineffectually for the departing John in what may be a gesture of malice or just a blind desire not to be left.

"Holy shit!" Dave looks after John as he heads upstairs after Evans, then back at the man on the floor. Tao Jing has collapsed onto his side, the deep-tendon paralysis affecting his right leg visibly taking hold in his left and spreading to his arms. "Shit shit shit!" Dave shoots him, then shoots him again and rapidly a third time, because his brain is having trouble with comprehending bullets that bounce off skin.

Mrs. Bruebaker exclaims something shocked about shooting in the house, but it's lost as an involuntary scream is finally torn from Tao Jing. The Triad twitches about on the floor in jerking spasms, claws scraping up splinters from the wood. Another hoarse, no longer human-sounding scream is ripped from him before he flops onto his back in exhaused silence. His injured ribcage moves sharply as he breathes in and out and in and out and in...and stops.

Dave has drawn a sharpened wooden salad fork; his knuckles whiten over it as he tries to will himself to go over there.

There's a considerable pause. Tao Jing's body lies utterly still for as much as three minutes, commanding attention at first by its inaction. Al reappears from the kitchen, concerned about the shots.

The body lies still.

Then, in utter defiance of all laws of physics, the corpse's arms shift to its sides and it flips straight up like a target at a county fair, stiff as a board. Dave yells as the mute dead thing starts hopping in his direction and flees into the living room.


[[musics!

Guts checks, please! As before, -7 + Grit, and apologies in advance if the thing's stats change a bit: I'm working from memory and stats cobbled together from several sources whilst waiting for the Stray to be alive enough to send me the official version.

Mighty Dave, rolled -2,-3 using d6-6,d6-6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3. fear!
Mighty Dave, rolled 16 using 1d20+2, rerolling max with rolls of 14. fear! He gains a Minor Phobia of grasshoppers.]]

"Oh yeah, I was in town when the Comanches came through. That was hell. I haven't had a chance to kill a vampire yet, but hell maybe 'fore the day's done I will. Well, I reckon this shoe do belong to the vamp - one that attacked the Mayor'd be my guess. Probably took 'em off cause she didn't wanna leave a trail o' blood. From what I saw when-" his words cut off sharply, whatever he was going to say put on hold as the sound of gunfire from below came at them.

"Well, shit. That's the sound o' trouble if I ever heard it." He drew one of the strange guns he had taken while in town, with the scythe tipped blade on it. Well, on their way over he had before jammed that blade through a sharp piece o' wood cause that would be a helluva lot more use than metal. He looked at the other stakes he had collected earlier in his belt, and bolted downstairs - though he would slow at the end to make a careful entry.

OOC:
On second thought, gonna not go down below.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:19, Mon 07 Apr 2014.

[[If you really, really want to bolt right downstairs into the stiff little arms of a jiang shi, roll Agility to get past everyone on the stairs and in the corridor, since they're mostly either blocking the way or moving in the opposite direction like sane people.]]

Percy raises an eyebrow at the weird gun and Abbie makes to speak, distracted, but Adrian's already rushing off like his arse was on fire. "..."

Immediately outside he ends up almost running into Mrs. Bruebaker, who is just as keen to rush in. "Books! I need a book on this! Not possible to...dead, he was dead! Let me in!"

Beyond her, Adrian can see a bunch of interested crowlets looking down, Evans just realising something's up on the landing with john a step below him, and Jake backing up the stairs, gripping the bannister and muttering to himself, darting glances between something below and the birds above.



[[Martha Bruebaker rolled 0 using 1d8-7, rerolling max with rolls of 7. fear! as an Extra, she's Panicked, but not too badly.
Dust Adders rolled -4 using 1d6-7, rerolling max with rolls of 3. fear! Al should probably have some Grit from living with Tex, but it makes little difference - he'll flee, Panicked, back into the kitchen and stay the hell out of this.

Alouette, on behalf of Jake Lawrence, rolled 3,1 using d10-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 6,4. fear! He'd probably want me to chip that.
 Alouette, on behalf of Jake Lawrence, rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3. blue add. 6 for Jake. He's fine, if probably just as scared of the crowlets as the Uncanny Valley-movin' corpse.]]

John cringed at the sounds of gunshots. Nothing had been right in this town, especially this evening, and he was not quite keen to encounter the next horror that arrived. It seemed Tao Jing might be that very thing. "Guessn' it's too late now." He said as he turned and readied himself for whatever might make an appearance at the bottom of those stairs. A resigned sigh seemed to be his calling card of late.

OOC:
(This was supposed to be guts check by the way. Sorry for the typo)
John Smith rolled 3,-3 using d10-5,d6-5, rerolling max with rolls of 8,2. Fear Check.
John Smith rolled 12,-3 using d10-5,d6-5, rerolling max with rolls of (10+7)17,2. Fear Check White Chip. Guts check: 12

The stiff corpse of the man that had been Tao Jing hits an invisible barrier at the living room threshold and feels it out with its claws. Dave, understandably unnerved by this performance, shuts the door on it. The jiang shi doesn't respond at all, claws now tapping and scraping along wood.

After a few moments it seems to decide the door is a wall and starts moving in eerie little stiff jumps along it until it comes to the nearest light. Long nails tap over the surface, then suddenly puncture the glass fitting, an awful strength evident in the twitch of its fingers. The light goes out.

The jiang shi pauses, still as death, then apparently gets an idea of the next nearest source of active chi and whuds alarmingly into the side of the stairs, out of the vision of the men thereon. They can hear its claws determining the obstacle, however: a soft scrape-scrape-tap.

"None too bright, is it," Jake remarks, crouching on the stairs to watch this performance. The jiang shi gradually reappears by little hops, Tao Jing's tears and blood just about dried on the man's dead face.

It has no expression as it turns, feeling the air, the stone-black eyes telling it nothing about the men watching above. It can certainly sense them, though, as it seems to point its outstretched arms at Jake, marginally closest, and hops up on the lowest step.

Evans sucks in his breath, but he'd honestly been expecting something of this sort to happen sooner or later.

((OOC: Rolling Fear!

02:50, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled -1,-4 using d8-5,d6-5, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1. Fear. Screw that. I'm using that Legend Chip I got.

02:51, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 7 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5. Legend Chip. That's more like it. Total of 6 overall, which means Evans is fine. Are we supposed to be pulling initiative?))

The hopping corpse hops up another step.

[[Not unless you want to fight it. As specially noted in the OOC thread, it's not going anywhere and can't immediately get at anyone if you all act sensibly. Adrian might be planning a Leeroy Jenkins, though.]]

"Help 'er find a book!" Adrian ordered back to the others, trying to muster up some authority in this voice before turning to make his way out the door. At the sound of Martha's voice, he decided to hold his horses. Whatever was the cause of the bullets, it clearly was the cause of concern and panic for a woman that was by his guess not unaccustomed to matters related to the occult. He knew a little bit about such matters, having learned it in his work for the Lady Luck Society, but he wasn't an academic. Everything he learned, he'd learned out in the world.

Blackthorn had shocked him into an overabundance of caution, though he'd previously - while alive - been known to show more than a little recklessness and a foolhardy nature. That recklessness was about to assert itself, but he had a second thought about throwing himself down the stairs into an unknown conflict.

Something held him back, though. The priest's words echoed in his head. He was sent on first into the fray, since he was already dead. It only made sense, sad as it was to think on, but it was about time he embraced it. He couldn't leave this room full o' innocents without some adequate defense, and Adrian Vega knew no more adequate defense than himself. Well, maybe a little caution was warranted now, but he'd put himself between whatever it was that meant to come through this door and at least buy the innocents in this room a little time to escape, or just to live for a few more minutes.

Turning, he reached out with his mind and looked pointedly at Martha Bruebaker as she made her way into the room. If she needed to know something, maybe he could give her a little help. They needed all the help they could get.

---

OOC:

• Agility: 9 - On second thought, Adrian is not going to go charging down the stairs, but will instead use that roll to avoid colliding with Martha Bruebaker as she makes her way into the Library. He's going to stay behind and guard the civilians.
• Casting Boost Trait: Knowledge: Occult on Martha Bruebaker
• Deal with the Devil: Two Pair (3C,3H, 7S, 7H) - more than enough to power the hex
• NOT using the Joker, so no backlash. But that sounds like time for another The Joker's Wild!
  
• Spellcasting: 6 (Spent a Red Chip)
• The end result should boost Martha Bruebaker's Knowledge: Occult by one step, perhaps helping her as she researches the issue.

09:51, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 9,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 9,5. Agility.
10:02, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 11 cards: 3C, 4S, 7S, 2C, BJ!, 7H, 10H, 9D, 3H, QS, 6H using the Deadlands system. Deal with the Devil.
10:08, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 4 using 1d6. Red.
10:07, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3,2 using d8,d6. Spellz.

NOTE: You may notice that I dealt myself 11 cards this time as opposed to 10 previously; it turns out I forgot to update my Grit when I hit Veteran and have been shortchanging myself one card per Deal with the Devil that whole time (and I get 1 extra card per Grit). Just realized that today.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:18, Mon 07 Apr 2014.

"On what?" Percy starts, but Mrs. Bruebaker's already flustered over to the desk and scooped some of the open volumes on the chair up onto the surface/old man.

"Chinaman downstairs - seemed to die of paralysing fits, got up again. Not like the walkers we've seen, or the vampires...he's sort of hopping...Abbie, try that volume, Ginny, come here, baby, Liz-?"

"I, ah...oh! This one," Widow Bradshaw locates a book among what seems to be a personal stash, or maybe volumes brought with her, and throws it over.

"Thank you. Mistress Su, if you can be of any help, would you-"

"Yer lookin' fer 'jiangshi' or 'gyonshee', 'pendin on whether they've writ it from Chinese or Japanese," Gangatsu growls at her, watching warily out into the corridor around Adrian but not yet uneasy enough to get up. Mrs. Bruebaker doesn't deign to respond to that tone, but starts fevrishly cross-referencing indexes. The old man being used as a bookstand stirs just enough to start snoring.

"What shall I do?" Percy asks, still not sure what's going on.

"Make tea, darling, there's a good boy," his mother responds absently, just as Mrs. Bruebaker gives a sharp "Aha!" to something handed to her by Abbie:

"Jiang shi - 'stiff corpse'...it's a kind of vampire all right..." she skims on. "Abraham, I'll need some copy paper and ink...not affected by garlic or wooden weapons...ah, 'repelled by mirrors, cooked rice, the handbells of Oriental priests and in particular by the urine of virgins'." Abbie looks a bit uncomfortable under a sudden general scrutiny.

"Male virgins - some'tin to do with the humours an' how they see, I remember now."

Everyone looks at Percy.

"I can't do that on command!"



[[So many characters in here...

Martha Bruebaker, rolled 7 using 1d4+2, rerolling max with rolls of (4+1)5. researchin'.
Gangatsu, rolled 4,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. helping! Raise for their combined Kn:Occ check. They have a good handle on dealing with this thing.]]

"Well, you're gonna have to try. There's a vampire Chinaman on the loose, and your urine could save our lives," he said. He took his everpresent flask of whiskey, and he handed it to the youth.

"Drink this. It'll make you piss, and also feel like a badass." He scanned the room for receptacles in which Percy's urine could be reasonably contained for use against Tao Jing.

"I'm gonna go get a mirror, or part of one," he said. The bathroom was just across the hall, and he would be close enough to run back for help if he needed to, so he wandered over there to see if that mirror could be gotten.

---

OOC:
Is it a standalone mirror or somehow attached to the wall?
Are there any basins that are portable or containers?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:58, Mon 07 Apr 2014.

The jiang shi takes another hop up the stairs, and another. The crowlets mutter and fluff, clearly feeling something building up here.

[[Jake Lawrence, roll Agility please.]]

Percy can't even think of a reply to that, but takes the flask. "..."

Adrian can hear the lad coughing as a result of trying to knock back a whole gulp of the coarse stuff at once as he crosses the corridor to the bathroom.


[[It's hung closely to the wall, but Adrian should be able to get it off there if he stands on tiptoe and isn't too clumsy. Wooden frame, though, so it's heavy to wrangle - give me an Agility roll to get it down without dropping it on yourself, mashing it into the floor/doorway etc.

As for containers, they have a tin bucket in the library in case they got trapped there (it's where the wardings are strongest) - Ginny was complaining about it earlier.]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:30, Mon 07 Apr 2014.

Adrian got on his toes and reached up well as he could to get that mirror down. It was a heavy thing to wrangle down, but he managed it, and thankfully managed not to drop it on himself or run into things. "Comin' through," he called out on his way back to the library, setting it down gingerly and looking over at Martha Bruebaker.

"You think magic would have any affect on it?" he asked as he brought the bucket over to Percy.

---

OOC:

• Agility: 9

16:32, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 9,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 9,5. Agility!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Mon 07 Apr 2014.

Abraham looks a little folornly at the mirror, clearly wondering how he'll get the house back in order after everything is done. Percy is stoically working on downing a pitcher of water, red to the eartips.

Mrs. Bruebaker looks up from her tomes. "About half the effect, as far as I can tell...the Orientals refer to aetheric potential energy as chi, and as far as I can make out that seems to be what the bouncing dead subsist on." She rubs her forehead with the heel of her hand at the realisation of quite how strange life has got in the past few hours.

"Oh no!" Widow Bradshaw exclaims. "Do you think it'll try and drink up my dear spirit birds? Have some more water, Percy."

"If it can catch them...I think magic would attract it: certainly anecdotal evidence here," she draws a book nearer, waking up the old man a bit. "-suggests even a peasant holding their breath is more likely to survive and pass unnoticed by the jiang shi than one that runs away screaming, purely due to the amount of disruption breath alone causes in the aether. How's the paper coming, Abbie?"

"It'll take a while," Abbie responds from the other side of the very confused old Chinese, working on something at the desk.

"What...going on?" the old man asks the room in general.

"We're getting ready to defend ourselves from a Chinese vampire using the bathroom mirror and Percy's urine," Adrian explains to the old Chinese man, succinctly summarizing the situation as far as he saw it. "Say, are you a Chinese priest with a handbell by chance?"

"I cannot believe it has come to this." Evans mutters as he waits, tracking the thing with his gyromounted pistol. "Our best hope of survival comes from someone who has in all likelihood had plenty of chances already to void their bladder in sheer terror from the goings-on."

OOC: NO clue what's going on right now, lots of reading to do ... but here's my agility
09:00, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 5,3 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3. Agility.

((OOC: Briefly--we got sniped at, ran to the porch, got confronted by an angry chinaman who had ties to John Smith, knocked him out, tried meeting with the rest of the survivors, but then the chinaman died of a disease he was carrying and turned into a jiang shi, and now the rest of us are all clustered up the stairs trying to figure out what to do about it and the other vampire that's apparently here in the house but trapped. I have no idea where Jake would be in all this.))

Four steps up, the jiang shi stiffly raises its head a little, turning it fractionally back and forth. Tao Jing's mouth opens, but no sound follows: instead, a rush, jumping two, three steps at a time, claws flexed back for a slashing blow.


[[2 'running' - not terribly impressive, but it lets y'all know the thing can seriously go for you if it's sure where you are...bet you're glad you made that Agility check, Jake!]]


Jake Lawrence barely scrambles out of the way in time, then has to duck as the little demon birds rush over his head, swirling around the corpse on the stairs and trying to push it over.



[[The birdies rolled 7 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 7. Agility.
Tao Jing, rolled 7,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3. Agility. Tie. They haven't thrown the jiang shi off the stairs yet, but it's not moving forward, either.]]

"No, miner...Comanches took my possessions..." the old man says vaguely, then fully processes what he just heard and looks alarmed. "Chinese vampire? A jiang shi, in the house?" He'd probably sit up, save for being covered in books. "Where-? Don't touch it!"

PM

"I believe it was downstairs but I think it's on its way up," he said.

"We got a mirror and some virgin urine," he added quickly. "But if you got any idea how to deal with this thing, that'd help out a lot too."

The birds caw and swoop, blackening the air over the stairs. The hopping corpse makes odd little head and claw-twitches, trying to pinpoint what's attacking it.

John silently hold his hands and motions for everyone to back up the stairs away from the strange thing Tao Jing had become, or at least his corpse anyway. It was dumb, but dangerous. He tries to urge people to move slowly without speaking. The thing seemed blind, it also seemed to react to sound, so the less they made, the better. From what he could gather, it sounded like there was a might to do about how to destroy this thing further up, and while he could not make out the details, he did hear Zhang speak which filled him with relief.

"You think it can get past the wards, Mrs. Bruebaker?" he asked.

Jake remained silent, his mind trying to sort out the happenings going on around him. Nothing is ever simple in this town, he thought. Perhaps the book might have answers ... No, it isn't exactly a friendly thing.

"Have you tried shooting it, a lot?"

"Maybe that's how it is in the North," Percy growls at Evans, crossing the upper hall to the bathroom. Then he sees the jiang shi mostway up the stairs. "Oh, Jeez!" Suddenly, he really does need to go.

The jiang shi takes a few heavy swipes at the air, claws seeking the flock. The crowlets seem to be getting a little disorientated in the body's vicinity, odd birds falling back to hang in the air as though confused before rejoining the mob.

With a sudden burst of noise, the crowlets mass together to give the thing another sound thump to the chest whilst others pull it off balance: the dead man is flung down the stairs, stiff limbs and shaven skull mercilessly bounced off every angle right down to the hall.

It doesn't seem to mind much, however, simply righting itself with that impossible straight-up movement again and pausing to re-orientate itself.


[[The birdies rolled 9 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 9. Agility.
Tao Jing rolled 3,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. Agility.]]

"Ah...they stop if someone sticks the proper prayer to their forehead, I think," Zhang volunteers, still clearly a little behind.

"I..." Mrs. Bruebaker looks down at Ginny holding for dear life to her side. "No. Nothing can hurt us in here."

Widow Bradshaw's hand raises and curls in the air like she wants to add something but can't quite get there.

"Nothin' we don't bring in, anyhow," Gangatsu growls, giving Adrian a hostile stare. "I heard ya. You're another o' dem witches whut started dis, ainch'a? Magic's always jus' dandy 'til yer luck turns an' you bring up some fucken thing too goddamn evil to put down."

"Mistress Su, I would thank you to watch your language," Mrs. Bruebaker snaps, clearly not needing the extra tension. "There are young ladies present."

[[woo...]]

The jiang shi stands stock-still for a moment, then jumps out of the stair folks' direct line of vision instead of hopping up the stairs again. There are alarmed yelps from the direction of the kitchen.

{{CRACK}}

Down in the hall, part of the wall near the front door blows in, damaging the heavywood and leaving a narrow cap through which can be seen flames. Clearly, the vampires are exploiting that exposed porch.

"Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it fast." Evans says. "We need to get that fire out. Deputy Vega, you have the mirror...try repelling the thing out the door. I'll cover you in case it attacks."

"Alright, then," he said, looking to Ginny and then again to Mrs. Bruebaker. He was taking that for a 'yes.'

Looking at Su, he shrugged. "As for startin' this up, this sh...mess been started before I even got back to Blackthorn. Call me what you will, but so far, my luck runs good. You keep that wooden stick o' yours and I'll keep my tricks. When they help keep us outta trouble, you'll thank me for it later."

At the loud sound from below, he said, "Alright, y'all get that Chinaman to write prayers and explain to y'all how to stick a prayer to its head. Percy...you do your thing too. I'm sure that'll come in handy during the fight. Marshal Evans, I'm ready when you are."

He hefted the mirror carefully and moved his way out of the library room's door, checking to see if Evans was backing him up yet. He felt a little trepidation at any approach that left him unarmed save for a mirror, but it seemed like what the situation called for. If the books were right, this might be better than a gun.

"Fer now," the small hardcase growls, eyes narrowed. Adrian gets the sense that despite being surrounded by Moonies, her hatred of magic goes a lot deeper than simple fear his gambling won't pay off.

"I'm writing one," Abigail reports from behind Desk Guy. Presumably the book open before her has an illustration she's copying.

Percy steps back onto the spiral stair to avoid Adrian coming out with the mirror, sitting a few treads up to be out of the way and setting his less-than-fragrant bucket on the bottom step. "The door's..."

There's a sudden burst of swearing from downstairs in the direction of the kitchen.
"Oh shit! Oh shit! It's gnawing though the wards!" That sounds like the Seven of Spades.
"Just close theeeeEEEee- okaymaybenot. Nononono...streuth!" There's a clattering as someone or something knocks over objects in their haste to get away.


[[Tao Jing, rolled 5,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3. wards nom nom.

Ward's house, rolled 2,2 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. ward check. Fail! The jiang shi can get into the kitchen. Seven and Laz are upset about this, though they both passed their Guts checks with flying colours. Incidentally, that last situational mod on the Guts was a point heavy; I'll try to cut y'all a break some time to compensate.]]

Evans is following behind Adrian, as stated...this is the deputy's show.

"Time's up, let's do this," he said, and making sure to avoid Percy and his bucket of urine, he carefully made his way down the stairs towards the kitchen. The voice of Seven of Spades seemed to cut at him. My murderer. He's here.

The curses shortly turn to screams as the jiang shi wreaks havoc in the kitchen. The voice Adrian doesn't recognise screams for what feels like a very long time as the Deputy struggles downstairs with the mirror, then there's more crashing and the metallic *rowrowrowwwwwwwr-r-r-rop.* of some saucepan lid or colander spinning itself to a halt.

Approaching the room, Adrian and Evans hear a wooden [thud] and a soft whimpering sound, interrupted by what sounds like something moderately heavy rolling across the floor.


[[Couple of power outages earlier, took a while.

*bleepton of rolls to check what's going on* *winces* Looking grim for the poor bastards. Al's actually made it to the dining room and is considering taking his coat to the hole in the house. JohnJohn and Jake, what're y'all up to here?

As it may become necessary, the downstairs layout of the house Ward's is based on:



Here, the downstairs bathroom is just a bunch of understairs cupboards, the stairs aren't quite flush to the living room wall and the hob island in the kitchen is just a rectangular table.

You can either lure the jiang shi out with noise/chi tricks or draw init. to jump in on the kitchen chaos.]]

OOC:

Time's up, let's do this! 6C for Deputy Vega and his Magic Mirror.

13:33, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: 6C using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

Edging into the kitchen, Adrian takes in a whole drift of flour across the floor, scattered brooms, a mop, several cooking implements and a thick trail of blood that leads to the Seven of Spades on the floor by the sink. The man's face is pale and his fingers red where they're pressed to his belly, and he's trying to hold off the jiangshi by keeping his foot braced against the knee-high cupboard door opened between himself and the corpse.

Movement nearer the way into the laundry room proves to be a small, once-dapper looking fellow with an even greyer complexion than Spades', less obviously wounded than the hitman across the way. His shirt is torn and he leans against a makeshift barricade around the laundry room exit, clutching his chest and gasping like he's just been struck by lightning. A watermelon rolls across the floor.

The jiang shi's nails tap-tap against the side of the sink; it very quickly ascertains that the sink is solid and that the barrier does not extend that high. Stiffly, Tao Jing's body straightens: in a few seconds, it'll be around that cupboard door. Something's telling Deputy Vega that it really wouldn't be that great a loss. Why not wait awhile?

Spades whimpers softly.


[[Evans Oh Hold due to lack of internets
Adrian Vega 6C
The Seven of Spades 6D
Harry Lazarus 6H
Various vampires 2D

edit to nudge post.]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:13, Fri 18 Apr 2014.

OOC:
How badly hurt is Seven?

Spades' eyes remain locked on the hopping corpse. The melon hasn't stopped rolling yet.

[[All you can tell from across the room there is that he's injured and bleeding. He looks like he could stand (and probably run) if standing up wouldn't get him nommed on by the jiang shi right now. In terms of nerves, he looks lucid and likely focused enough to shoot accurately, if terrified.]]

"Over here, Jingles!" he calls out to the jiang shi, holding forward the mirror so that he could see over it, but still using it as something of a shield. This better fuckin' work, he thought.

OOC:
Taking the Defend action, for a +2 taking him up to 6

The jiang shi turns towards the loud sound with a single hop, then stands corpse-still as though confused or stunned, arms outstretched.

[[You going to move at all/have a direction in mind?]]

OOC:
Generally, I'd like to try and force the thing out of the house, so I guess Adrian would have to slowly 'circle strafe' with the mirror facing the jiang shi and providing cover for the Marshal to hide behind him as he moves, and then towards the jiang shi once he has the right angle.

Out in the hall, the sound of someone yelling right on the porch can be heard through the hole in the wall:

"ANYONE? You're on fire there!" There's some stomping and a pounding on the door, then movement at the hole, trying to clear splinters at eye level.

Jake and John can see Al move cautiously out of the dining room, gun and sharpened spoon at the ready.

"Hello? I'm a priest, I've come to help!"
Al pauses at that, looking anxiously back at the kitchen, then beckons someone to come down for backup.


[[@ Adrian - sure. Aiming for the front door in the hall or the exit Adrian may have worked out is in here somewhere? You have 6 squares of movement to use, and a table to avoid hitting and changing the mirror's tilt, so maybe best not to use all of them. Also I will remind you here to pay attention to details, so's you don't curse me later...]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:58, Mon 21 Apr 2014.

Evans cocks his head. "Sounds like Father O'Rourke." He says, then, since being quiet was no longer the goal, he began shouting back towards the front door.

"FATHER! GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU!" he shouts, watching the creature for signs of it turning toward them. "WE ARE AWARE OF THE FIRE, BUT THERE IS ANOTHER SITUATION COMPETING FOR OUR ATTENTION! WOULD YOU KINDLY GO AROUND BACK TO THE KITCHEN? THERE IS A CREATURE THAT MR. PIERCE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE!"

There's a brief pause at that, There's a bit of what seems to be discussion and/or moving away out there, then:

"-Oh, and Pierce got rid o' the ting, that dark ting...one of your sunlight bottles. Is it Marina you're fightin'?"

"Afraid not! This is something else! Haven't found the Queen Rat yet!" Evans shouts back.

The jiang shi is now aligned directly with Evans. The corpse opens its mouth as though hoping to bite him at a distance, showing darkened, jagged teeth.

((OOC: Evans is still behind Adrian, so the jaing shi should still be looking straight into the mirror...))

((Provided Adrian's moving carefully wherever he's moving, when he decides...still, even if Evans is hiding behind Adrian behind the mirror, the thing can still hear him and express a vague, presently-frustrated desire to nom his chi. Amusingly - to me, anyway - Adrian's currently "invisible" to the jiang shi as long as he doesn't talk, since the mirror covers his manitou's primary anchor to his body at the death wound and he only breathes from habit.))

OOC:

Adrian is not going to be doing this at a run, but slowly as there are things all over the floor and he doesn't want to trip over anything, break the mirror, or fail to give Evans sufficient cover. At most, he will use three squares of movement instead of six, and his goal is to get Jingles out of the Kitchen, into the Foyer and out the front door of the house.

Jake had somehow managed to doze off, perhaps he was suffering from a little sleep deprivation. Evans yelling woke the hexslinger with a start, "Huh?!? Wha?!?" He looked around trying to figure out what was going on, his head swimming with the happenings prior.

OOC: Still alive/here, just REALLY behind due to the high post rate going on.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:47, Tue 22 Apr 2014.

[[Aw, sorry...I'll handwave that Jake got himself into the library and dozed off as Adrian was going downstairs - things are quieter in here.]]

"Coffee," the slender woman in her undies repeats, holding up a proper copper coffeepot. "Though if you'd rather sleep, there's always under the desk once Abbie's finished her prayer-paper. You look simply worn out!"

"Could you be more specific, Marshal?" William yells from outside.

"I wish I could, but I don't know what it is! Some kind of Celestial undead!" Evans shouts back. "I wonder if the wards will keep William out, too..." he muses to himself as he follows behind Adrian, his gryomounted pistol at the ready. "And I wonder if we should actually invite him in. Sure, he's our tame vampire, but he's still a bloodsucking fiend."

In reply to The Widow Bradshaw (msg # 121):

"Rough day, no way I should be sleepin'" Jake muttered as he pointed at the coffee, "I'll take some of that." He checked the six gun on his hip, before sliding it back into its holster. "What's going on Miss..."

The woman in her frillies pours a mug of coffee for Jake with remarkable grace and hands it over, setting the pot by the fire again. Being taken for a 'miss' makes her actually blush, covering her amused grin with one hand. As Jake wakes up and focuses, he can tell she's probably around 40, though less weathered than the average small-town woman and very attractive. "Mrs. Bradshaw. More precisely, Widow Bradshaw, though that sounds rather final. It's "til death do us part," after all, and I'm convinced the parting can be overcome...somehow..." She sighs and rubs at her bared arms, looking into the fire a moment before shaking out of it, suddenly all sunny smiles.

"The crows told me your name was Bitter Waters - are you one of those fellows who's lived with the savages?" The Widow Bradshaw kneels into a sitting position by the hearth.

Beside and a little behind Jake's chair, an ageing butler with his arm in a sling looks up. "On the subject of savages, sir, do you have news from town?"

The priest's voice echoes from the hall. "All right, we're heading 'round the back!"

Seven makes a bolt to get under the table, realising Adrian's circling will push the hopping corpse towards him; his rapid movement sends a fork skidding against an upturned saucepan. The jiang shi lunges with sudden hideous speed.

Seven cries out as he's tackled, then again as the jiang shi bites into his shoulder. Teeth like razors take an effortless chunk out of his coat and shirt, though fortunately the lethal points only scrape the skin beneath.

Thinking quickly, the fellow at the mini-barricade stands, picks up a crate and lobs it out into the hall - the jiang shi straightens and tries to leap towards the clatter at once, faceplanting onto the hefty table in the way with a dull *smack*. Seven hastily crawls under the table before it gets up again.

As Adrian edges around to keep the mirror trained on the undead, something heavy rolls into his ankle. It's the watermelon, which is weird because it was rolling the other way a moment before. Also weird that it seems to be - toothlessly - trying to maul him.

*zzzrl!* *zrrrl*


[[Rolls o' doom: The Seven of Spades rolled 3,0 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1. Notice? He doesn't notice it's Adrian over there. Hilarity may ensue later. He Defends as he tries to move out of munch range, albeit away from the mirror, not really knowing what that's about.

The jiang shi gets a free attack as he moves from its immediate vicinity:
Tao Jing rolled 5,9 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+3)9. fightin'. Hit, even on his raised parry.
Tao Jing, rolled 4,3 using d12,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3. *NOM* -> 7 damage. Shaken for Spades.

The Seven of Spades, rolled 6,3 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4. vigour vs. horrible deathage. Fortunately, he remains uninfected and it's already eaten all his Power Points, so it can't nom his vital chi without causing enough damage to Wound.

Harry decides to do something immediately helpful rather than drawing attention to himself with magic:
 Harry Lazarus, rolled 15,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+7)15,4. Trick the jiangshi!
Tao Jing, rolled 1,3 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,3. Resist!
The jiang shi is very tricked. It would go after the crate, save there's a table in the way -> Shaken.

The Magic 8 Ball refused to tell me which of the two then-moving targets the vampire watermelon had selected, so this is alphabetical:
Alouette rolled 1 using 1d2, rerolling max with rolls of 1. *coinflip*.
vampire watermelons rolled 5 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 5. *zzrl!*.

Adrian, Agility vs. 5, or be annoyed!

I'll get to Tao Jing when the above's resolved.]]

In reply to The Widow Bradshaw (msg # 124):

Jake shook his head at the comment about living with savages, "No ma'am, I did not spent time with the native population. Bitter Waters is what a rather crazy shaman named me as I'm still rather unhappy about having my wife and son die in my arms. My Christian name is Jake Lawrence." He turned to butler saying, As for town, things are difficult at best. Seems the natives are coming out to play and not in the fun way."

After a moment something hit him and he looked hard at the widow, "Did you say the crows told you my name?"

OOC:
Agility: 17

10:59, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 17,1 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (10+7)17,1. Agility.

Widow Bradshaw winces. "Oh, that is hard...I don't know what I'd do if I lost my baby, too. I'm sorry for your loss." She leans to lay a delicate hand on his knee in consolation, just briefly but with heavy sincerity for someone apparently content to flit about in undies. The querying of crows just makes her look confused.

"Why yes, they're out in the hallway there." She points out of the open door. "What's going on downstairs, darlings?"

The crows that hear her set up a cawwing.

"Many dead, sir?" the butler asks, tone soft but clearly concerned.

The jiang shi planks for a moment, then swings upright, hops back a couple of paces, then rapidly forward and onto the table. Steady-footed in the face of demonic melon attack, Adrian has to quickly refocus on the dead Chinaman to keep the corpse in the mirror's sights.


[[Tao Jing rolled 7,9 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+1)7. unshake jiangshi. Unshaken with raise.

Tao Jing rolled 6,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5. Agility.
Adrian, 6 Agility to beat, or risk being flanked/run (hopped?) away from.

Initiative!

Adrian Vega JS
vampire watermelon 10H
Ambrose Evans 4H
Tao Jing 3C
Harry Lazarus 3D
7 o' Spades 3S]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:19, Thu 24 Apr 2014.

OOC:

Initiative: JS
Agility: 6 (with a Red Chip)

16:29, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Red Chip.
16:29, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5. Agility, don't fail me now!
16:28, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: JS using the Deadlands system. initiative.

19:14, Today: The Amazing Evans drew the single card: 4H using the Deadlands system.

With the reflexes of a mountain cat, the deputy keeps the mirror trained on the jiang shi.

[[Adrian, go!]]

In reply to The Widow Bradshaw (msg # 128):

"Can't say, we headed out here to try to stop things from going bad ... not sure what's happenin' in town now." Jake paused to listen to the crows before he said, "We should see about leaving, not sure where would be safe but this place is one of the centers of the problem that's happenin'."

"They say a priest is dealing with the porch and people are running around downstairs," Widow Bradshaw translates. "...we really should provide some help to a man of the cross - I'll let them out again in a moment. Would you like a pancake?"

The idea of leaving makes the lady laugh, covering the flash of teeth with her hand. "Oh dear - where would we go, even if we wanted to? We're surrounded by fifty miles of wilderness filled with Comanches, bears, mountain cats and Lord above knows what else on the landward side, and to the East, the Atlantic Ocean!"

She smiles, lowering her hand. "This library, in this house, is the safest place anywhere in a hundred miles. The walls are warded, the door and windows barred to unwholesome things by the Eighth Rite and the Triple Sigil; it's all right. You're safe here. You can sleep if you like."

Adrian kept his eyes fixed on the Chinese vampire, and his feet seemed to move after but his mind momentarily went to that dark place where he drew his power to help him with these challenges that were trying to literally trip him up.

"What the hell is with that goddamn watermelon?" he asked no one in particular.

---

OOC:

Adrian is going to cast a Hex to boost his Agility, and he's also going to be moving as much as is required not to be out of range of the jiang shi while still directing him towards the exit.

Deal with the Devil: Full House (AS, AD, AC, 9S, 9D)
Boost Trait goes off with a raise for double duration, increasing Adrian's agility by two steps (from d10 to d12+2) for the next six rounds.

16:12, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 11 cards: 9S, AD, 4D, AS, 7S, KC, 9D, 8D, 2C, AC, 6H using the Deadlands system. Deal.

This message was last edited by the player at 21:27, Thu 24 Apr 2014.

[[ *whistles* May it stand you in good stead, and draw init. for next round whilst you're lucky. Also, if you're ever inclined to run, beware of leaving the melee of a vampire watermelon/setting off its chase reflex.]]

It takes some quick movements and quick thinking, but the jiang shi is corralled off the table, flexing those long, dark claws, and backed to within a couple of hops of the kitchen doorway. The men in the kitchen watch, silent and tense.

The melon attempts to get under Adrian's feet. *zzzrl!* *zzzrl!*

[[vampire watermelon rolled 9 using 1d10.
Adrian, 9 to beat with your mighty Agility die, then Evans' turn!]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:03, Thu 24 Apr 2014.

OOC:

Agility: 13
Initiative: AH

17:36, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 13,3 using d12+2,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 11,3. Agility (boosted).
17:39, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: AH using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

This message was last edited by the player at 22:39, Thu 24 Apr 2014.

Evans decides against kicking at the watermelon...he wasn't particularly agile in fisticuffs and had no knowledge of the manly art of pugilism, so stomping at the thing was liable to do more harm than good. Instead, he kept his eye on the jiang shi, prepared to shoot it with his gyromounted gatling pistol if it came too near.

((OOC: Evans is going On Hold to try and interrupt the jiang shi if it tries to charge them. Here's hoping I can beat it in an Agility contest...))

In reply to The Widow Bradshaw (msg # 134):

"The Atlantic is mighty far from here, ma'am. " James tried to figure out all the arcane gobbledygook the widow was saying but couldn't quite recall how it all fit together.

"I'll go help 'em, no sense in y'all getting hurt. I'll be back for those pancakes though."

OOC:
08:46, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 3,1 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. Know (Occult).
D`oh!

"Oh, well, something with waves in, then," Bradshaw waves vaguely Eastward.

"Wait up, sir," a young woman's voice comes from behind the book-covered old man lying on the desk. "I'm nearly done with this prayer strip. You stick it to the thing's head, he'll stop."

The jiang shi seems disinclined to charge towards the mirror, which appears to be a point of perplexity to whatever sense the corpse uses to find mortals and avoid walls. It hops away again, then abruptly twitches its head up and turns its back on the men in the kitchen, bouncing with stiff determination after something in the hall.

"Oh, shit!" Evans can just about see the older Dust Adder waver for a dangerous moment of indecision, then bolt for the living room door rather than back into the dining room, hammering on the wood. "Dave! Dave, let me in!"

[[Tao Jing rolled 1 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 1. hop  hop hophophop.
The jiang shi heads for the nearest mortal without that confusing patch o' repellent nothing in the way, moving 5 squares. It's about at the stairs again.]]

Meanwhile, the dapper fellow picks up a chair and tries to wedge it over the watermelon and recapture it. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" The sound of chair legs on flags cracks out with each exclamation, but the watermelon is far too agile for him: the man traps only floor.

Spades crawls to the other side of his sheltering table to keep the jiang shi in sight, frowning as he desperately tries to recall anything he might have heard about a thing like this.

[[Harry Lazarus, rolled 1,1 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1. catch the melon! He does not catch the melon.

The Seven of Spades, rolled -1,1 using d4-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4. what was that?! Spades doesn't know.

Initiative!
Adrian Vega AH
Seven o' Spades 9D
Tao Jing 8C
Harry Lazarus 8D
vampire watermelon 5H
Ambrose Evans On Hold

Adrian, go!]]

Holding the mirror, Adrian continued to try and drive the jiang shi through the Foyer and out into the porch.

---

OOC:
Looking to push this sucker as far as I reasonably can this round towards the porch.
Initiative Next round: 2D

14:48, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: 2D using the Deadlands system.

This message was last edited by the player at 19:57, Sat 26 Apr 2014.

As the door to the living room slams once more, Adrian realises he'll need someone to either open the door/pull it off its damaged hinges, or worsen the hole in the wall. The jiang shi, finding the prey signature vanished and currently out of range of the mirror's immediate force, takes a sharp turn and starts rapidly hopping up the stairs again after the crowlets.

[[Seven goes on Hold, unwilling to join in this craziness whilst wounded when he has a nice table to hide under.

Tao Jing, rolled 3 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 3. hop  hop hophophop. About a third of the way up the stairs.

You're going to need to box clever here, as there's lots of room for it to escape off to the sides. Feel free to talk to each other and strategise.]]

Back in the kitchen, the dapper man lowers his chair and sits on it a moment in thought, then gets up, picks up the broom, and steps out to try and lure the vampire watermelon away by shaking the head at it. The melon takes a rolling nudge at the broom, then at once loses interest and goes back to the moving mirror party, focusing its vegetable ire(?) on Adrian's ankles.

[[Harry Lazarus, rolled 3,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. trick the melon!
vampire watermelon rolled 3 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Resist!
Aie, outsmarted by a melon.

Target check (Adrian, Evans)
vampire watermelon rolled 1 using 1d2. Adrian it is, then.

vampire watermelon rolled 3 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 3. *zzrl!*. Adrian...try not to roll bust.

Initiative!
Ambrose Evans: On Hold, but wait up for him anyway
vampire watermelon AS
Tao Jing KS
Harry Lazarus 7S
Adrian Vega 2D
Seven On Hold]]

OOC:
Watermelon Avoidance

Agility: 5

10:05, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3,5 using d12+2,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5. Agility, don't fail me now!

"No!" Evans shouts as the thing heads back up the stairs. "Over here, you crepuscular cretin!"

Evans cut loose with a burst from his gyromounted gatling pistol, to keep the critter focused on them. The bullets rake the monster up the back, blowing bloody chunks from the corpse.

((OOC: Evans shoots at the monster, using three shoots from his bolt power.

08:20, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 3,5,1,9 using d6,d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5,1,(6+3)9. Shooting! 2 hits, but also a malfunction, so I'm going to spend a chip for a reroll to avoid that fate...

08:21, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 2,4,11,4 using d6,d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4,(6+5)11,4. red chip reroll. Much better. 3 hits with my pistol.

08:23, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 13,10,5 using 2d6,2d6,2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+5)11,1,(6+3)9,4,1. Damage.

That should be a Wound and Shaken for the first hit, a Shaken result for the second that rolls into a wound if it doesn't soak, and then nothing from the third hit.

Initiative for next round: KH))

[[Y'know, purely due to my own failure to pay attention (the jiang shi had 2 points of chi armour when being mobbed by the crows, but that ran out early in the kitchen fight as I forgot to maintain it), that'll actually work...

Because it's my own idocy, though, Jingles gets a soak roll:
Tao Jing rolled 6,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5. soaking! He's just Shaken. On the upside, you got its attention all right!]]

The jiang shi pauses, the long burnt gouges out of its back slowly oozing dark blood. Then suddenly it's turned and launched itself, incredibly ballistic, at the source of the shots, claws sweeping directly at Evans' head before it lands, notes Adrian's presence, and slashes snake-fast for him as well.

The goddamn watermelon simultaneously nudges hard at Adrian's lower calf, seemingly trying to bite him like a dog, without the advantages of teeth, or a mouth.


[[vampire watermelons rolled 9 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 9. *zzrl!*. Adrian, you know the drill.

Tao Jing rolled 16,4 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of (8+6)14,2. unshake jiangshi. Unshaken with raise.

Tao Jing rolled 7,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,5. super jumping skillz (modified Burst power)! Evans, Adrian, I need Agility vs. 7 from y'all please. Harry's just out of range and will go when this is resolved.

Also there is now a jiang shi between Evans and that shielding mirror. Brisk walking pace, laddie!]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Sun 27 Apr 2014.

OOC:

Agility vs. Watermelon: 16
Agility vs. Jingles:     9

13:49, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 9,7 using d12+2,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+1)7.
13:49, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 8 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8. Blue Chip.
13:48, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 8,3 using d12+2,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,3.

((OOC: 20:20, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 1,1 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1. Agility. No, I do not think so. I'll blow a red chip for a reroll.

20:20, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 5,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2. red chip reroll. Almost there. I'll toss in a Blue.


20:20, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2. blue chip.

Total of 7, which will do it.))

Evans just barely manages to avoid the heavy swipes, watching as threads from his shirt catch on the jiang shi's blackened claws. The dapper fellow does something with cards that results in a brief, howling bolt of energy passing the dead Chinaman's shoulder, but the jiang shi already has targets.

Adrian lightly steps away over the watermelon with alarcity, the claws simply tapping the frame as he swings the mirror to bear again.

[[Harry Lazarus, drew the 9 cards: AC, KH, QC, 10D, 5H, 10S, 8D, 6D, 4H using the Deadlands system. plus witchery. I see Pair, but it's enough.

Harry Lazarus, rolled 3,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. bolt!
Not going to cut it.

Adrian, go!]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:40, Mon 28 Apr 2014.

Adrian moves to position himself near where the entrance to the stairs might be, but leaves Marshal Evans enough room to get behind him, hoping to keep the jiang shi on the ground level and away from the women and children.

"Behind me, Marshal!" he called, struggling to focus on multiple things at once. This was one of those times that he had no problem wresting the power that he needed, but apparently he didn't have the focus it took to hold a mirror, steer a Chinese vampire around, give cover to his Marshal, and avoid goddamn watermelons.

OOC:
Adrian successfully deals with the Devil with a Straight 7D, 8S, 9S, 10H, JS to boost the Agility of Evans, but does not make his Spellcasting roll so the spell does not go off.

Note: Not using the Joker.

15:34, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 2,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Spellcasting (to determine raise).
15:31, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 11 cards: 2H, AH, 6C, 10H, 3C, 8S, JS, KH, RJ!, 9S, 7D using the Deadlands system. Deal.

Initiative for next round:
15:40, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: 2C using the Deadlands system.


This message was last edited by the player at 20:40, Mon 28 Apr 2014.

The hopping corpse between Evans and relative safety opens its mouth, claws stretched in front of it once more. Once the jiang shi has pinpointed where he is, it'll likely move fast again.

[[Initiative!

Ambrose Evans KH
vampire watermelon 6D
Harry Lazarus 3C
Tao Jing 3H
Adrian Vega 2C ]]

In reply to The Widow Bradshaw (msg # 140):

Jake took the prayer strip with a nod. "Just got to put it on the thing's forehead ... easy," the words rang with a false bravado which only the most naive person would miss. He looked the strip over before heading towards the door, pistol in hand.

Evans dodged back behind Adrian, his pistol rattling off a few more shots at the creature. They stitched another line of trauma up the creature, though only one of the bullets seemed to do much more than graze it.

((OOC: Shooting at the jiang shi again, while moving back behind Adrian. I'm hoping to at least make it Shaken so I can run past in safety.

09:07, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 1,4,2,5 using d6,d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4,2,5. Shooting! Not interested in a malfunction today.

09:07, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 5,5,5,3 using d6,d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5,5,3. white chip. That's more like it.


09:08, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 2,21,2 using 2d6,2d6,2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1,(6+6+5)17,4,1,1. Damage.

Nice, that's 3 wounds. for the jaing shi to deal with.

Card: 4C))
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Tue 29 Apr 2014.

The corpse doesn't react much to being shot at, despite Evans' bullets doing more than ordinary lead. The impacts throw it off just enough to run past, however.

[[Tao Jing rolled 9,1 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 9,1. soak roll. 2 wounds soaked, 1 remaining, not that that slows it down any...]]

Evans' sharp movement does, however, attract the attention of the Goddamn Watermelon.

*zzzrl!*

[[Lots o' running about...the Goddamn watermelon rolled rolls of (2+2+1)5. target check. Heads up, Evans!

The NPC Goddamn watermelon rolled 9 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 9. *zzrl!*. Evans, 9 to beat, then we'll see what Harry's at.]]

"I would do it, but my sister's already been attacked by the vampires outside...mother's been through enough," Abbie says, letting him take the prayer.

The Widow Bradshaw is already in the corridor, kneeling and holding up something invisible at the threshold of a dark room for the crowlets to let themselves out via the broken window there.

"You can take the pee if you like," she says, nodding at a bucket on the lower step of an ascending alcoved stair. "If it comes up here we'll just hole up in the library."

Evans manages to get behind Adrian just as the watermelon crashes into his legs and sends him falling to the floor with a short shout of surprise.

"Dammit!" Evans curses.

((OOC: 09:42, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 3,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. Agility. Yay. Stupid melon. that makes me Shaken.))

Seeing the Marshal's distress and the fact that Evans is about to get melon'd in the face, the dapper man raises his hands, does a little wiggle for perfect balance, and pounces.

*zzzrl!*zzzrrl!*

The watermelon is hauled into the air, all the while attempting to roll away. The jiang shi takes a hop backwards and stands, apparently confused, flexing its claws towards the mirror - clearly it knows something is there as Evans curses, but the reflective surface throws its ability to find said targets off.


[[Harry Lazarus rolled 2,7 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+1)7. catch the melon!

vampire watermelon rolled 4 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 4. Resist! He's caught the melon, folks! Not securely, but close enough...of course, he now has an armful of angry melon, so he's not much further use unless you can get him to run out in front of the jiang shi and survive long enough to drop it over there...

Tao Jing rolled 6,6 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4. unshake jiangshi. Unshaken.

Tao Jing, rolled 1,1 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3. how proof? Fail. The jiang shi is still temporarily vulnerable to magic.

Adrian, go!]]

In reply to Abbie Bruebaker (msg # 155):

A chuckle escaped Jake's lips, "I'll see if the thing down there won't mind to take the piss bucket." Thusly did Jake go downstairs, piss bucket in one hand and prayer strip in the other.

As Jake decends the jiang shi becomes agitated, hopping still further back.

[[Draw initiative for next round, Jake, and be sure to communicate...]]

OOC: 16:35, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: 5S using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative .

---

"So, what's happening down here?" Jake called as he descended the stairs. "Don't go shootin' the guy with the piss bucket."

"There's a...thing! It hops!" a fancy but somewhat roughed-up man tells Jake, turning and shaking a watermelon at him. "-and this melon's trying to kill us!"

Jake abruptly realises the watermelon is shaking itself, and in fact seems to be making muffled *zzzrl!*zzzzrl!* noises.

"Goddamn watermelons! Bitter Waters, you gotta get some of that piss on the Chinaman zombie!" he exclaimed as the Marshal was taken down briefly, clearly frustrated by his inability to act directly. Well, at least he could see if he could channel his mental energies into helping those with free hands.

OOC:
So I was going to try and have Adrian attack him, and then realized that he couldn't because he has his hands full, literally. Instead, here's another pass at boosting the Marshal's Agility:

Deal with the Devil: 2 Pair (8H, 8D, 9H, 9S) which gives 4 Power Points, enough for the spell and two additional rounds.
Spellcasting: 13 (success and raise)

This should boost the Agility of Marshal Evans by 2 steps for 3 rounds.

Note: Not using the Joker!

Next Round: KD

17:28, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: KD using the Deadlands system. Initiative.
17:28, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 13,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+5)13,1.
14:44, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 11 cards: 2C, BJ!, 9H, JD, KC, 8H, 9S, 10C, 5H, 4H, 8D using the Deadlands system. Deal.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Wed 30 Apr 2014.

The hopping thing still seems to be hesitating, claws twitching...then abruptly the dead Chinaman hops back twice then starts off to the side. There's a *bang* of wood on flags as Seven turns the table over to barricade against the door in case the suddenly-decisive jiang shi reaches the kitchen.

"No no no no..."


[[Tao Jing rolled 3,12 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+4)10. how proof? plus plus proof! 4 points of chi armour vs. magical attack back up an' rolling. Jingles also decides to retreat from that nasty blaze of unmixed chi known as Percy piddle, heading back towards the kitchen. Spades isn't keen.

Initiative!
Tao Jing RJ!
Adrian Vega KD
Goddamn watermelon QS
Harry Lazarus 5C
Jake Lawrence 5S
Ambrose Evans 4C ]]

"Die faster, you sonuvabitch!" Adrian growled at the jiang shi likely in futility. He didn't think it could understand him, nor did he believe that in the unlikely case that it did understand him that it would comply with his orders. Nevertheless, there were some things that he could do even with his hands full, and his luck was running about as hot as his temper just about now.

OOC:
Deal with the Devil: Flush (Spell goes off with a raise)

I'm using this to Lower Trait on Jingles. This should lower his vigor by 2 steps for 3 rounds.

20:49, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 11 cards: 2H, 5S, 3D, 3C, 8C, KC, 8H, 9S, 9H, 5C, 2C using the Deadlands system.

For purposes of information tracking, I believe Adrian is on the fourth round of his agility boost. He has two more before it expires.

"Dammit!" The dire melon manages to slip out of the dandy's grip. He claws and kicks at the fiendishly agile fruit, but to no avail.


[[vampire watermelon rolled 3 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 3. escape!
Harry Lazarus rolled 2,1 using d4,d6 rerolling max with rolls of 2, 1. Hold on! Nope. He's slower than an undead melon.

Harry Lazarus rolled 3,2 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. punt the melon! Fail.

Jake, go!]]

Jake took stock of the situation, leaving the piss bucket on the stairway as he did. He moved through the space towards the dead Chinaman and did his best to put the prayer x on the creature's forehead.

OOC: Touch attack +2, head shot -4 ... maybe? I'll just roll and the might GMs can decide.
10:18, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 2,4 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4. Fighting.
10:18, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1,4 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4. Benny.
10:18, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Blue Chip.
4+3 == 7 ... so yeah
10:19, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: 7C using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative .

Jake edges past the dapper man and hastens up to the jiang shi with little thought for life or limb. The clawed cadaver pauses, then suddenly rounds on him and lunges at the scuff of his footsteps.

Bitter Waters licks his stip of yellow copy paper and sticks the prayer to the thing's head.

The corpse stops, swaying to a stiff halt. Some reflex causes the fanged mouth and blind black eyes to calmly close; if not for the claws it could easily be imagined that some wry stray medical student had balanced a body upright with arms out as some kind of morbid hatstand arrangement.

[[Evans, go!]]

"Well I'll be goddamned." Evans mutters at the frozen vampire, then shrugs. "Alright. Now that that's done with for now, we have a fire and a vampire to deal with. Which order should we tackle these problems in?"

[[sure, let's go Out of Combat. Melon's still there, though.]]

The Marshal's speech is punctuated by a determined *zrrrl!*zrrrl!*

[[vampire watermelon rolled 7 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 7. *zzrl!*. Evans...you have a 2-step Agility boost from Adrian - beat 7, or be annoyed!]]

"Oh for...!" Evans shouts and kicks back at the thing butting against his leg.

((OOC: 17:23, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 6,2 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2. Agility.

Really not worth chipping that, as all the melon does at that point is lower my Parry by 2.

Evans, now having superAgility, is going to try a trick right back at the thing. Size modifiers don't apply to Tricks, so this should be just a straight roll.

17:25, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 1,8 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+2)8. Agility trick!))

Evans kicks the goddamned watermelon across the hall.

*zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllllll!!!*

[[vampire watermelon rolled 3 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Resist! Raise for Evans; the Goddamn Watermelon is kicked and Shaken.]]

"Nice job, Bitter Waters. And...what in the hell is wrong with that goddamn watermelon?" he nearly growled at the last, watching with satisfaction as the Marshal kicked the thing away. Adrian was uncertain about how he felt about being angry at a fruit, but the thing had been a pain in the neck.

"Nevermind that," he said, not really wanting a response. "I think we should deal with the fire first, and the other vampire when it becomes a problem."

"According to the others, it already mauled someone upstairs, so it may indeed be a problem, assuming I can't get to the injured in time." Evans says, keeping an eye on the watermelon. "But I heard Father O'Rourke out there, and William and Alouette were with them, and I'd much rather have at least the preacher and the holy angel clank on our side when we deal with the vampire. What's taking them so long, anyway?"

Jake gave Adrian a hard look as he said, "You call me that again, and I will shoot you."

"Yeah bringin' the holy folk, probably a smart move against vampires." He's gaze shifted as he noted the watermelon "Why is that makin' noise?"

"If you got another name you wanna be called you can ask me to call you that, but if you threaten me again, I will fuck you up and you'll be pullin' yourself outta the ground like I did this morning," he replied with cold promise, his eye now on the other huckster.

He made a mental note to keep watch on him. There was a man in this building that had actually killed him, a man outside that had tried to, and another that was threatening to, and he had had about enough of it.

Jake laughed, it wasn't at all happy laugh. No this was more like the laugh of someone who'd been to the edge of sanity time and time again and was tipping over the edge. "Well Vega if you think it'll help this situation ... then be my guest."

OOC: Jake and Adrian were introduced WAY back in Chapter 11.4: A Bullet From Rum Tum Tugger at the end of the thread -> link to a message in this game

"With everything we have goin' on in this house, I reckon' it ain't such a great idea. But I just pulled myself out of a grave this morning, put there by a man in the kitchen o' this building. There's a fuckin' vampire outside that tried to do the same and is now supposedly on our side, and now I've got you, threatening me for no damn reason. I'm sure you'll understand that I've had quite enough o' that. So I'd rather not have another enemy, but if you think that's the smart way for this to go right now, make the call, hombre," he said.

OOC:Sometime after that, I was told in a GM PM that Adrian thinks Jake's name is Bitter Waters, presumably for mystical reasons - as did other characters with Arcane Backgrounds. I know Father O'Rourke and Dr. Oswald Franklin both referred to him as such in character previously under the same presumption - without death threats to follow.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:31, Wed 07 May 2014.

((OOC: Yup, mystical reasons. EVERYONE with an arcane background knows that Bitter Waters is Jake's "real" name, thanks to Jake's interaction with Laughs at Darkness.))

The dapper man finishes checking the scratches across his chest through the rents in his shirt and hurriedly tries to pay attention.

"Sirs, please," he addresses the angry men, "It's somewhat likely your friends outside encountered trouble whilst going around to the kitchen, and if either of them is a healer it would be good to have them in here."

The melon is by now rolling in aimless arcs from where it landed, apparently unable to detect people who aren't moving.

*...zzzrl?*

"Well, I'm not sure exactly how we go about puttin' out this fire. They got sand buckets in here? That or a whole lotta water," he said to the man.

"We got one bucket with Percy's piss in it, but we should probably save that in case we got more Chinese vampires, or if that thing on his head expires. Virgin urine is apparently in short supply 'round here."

Jake remained quiet, his eyes on the strange watermelon for a long moment. "Let's get out of here, the melon is giving me the creeps."

"There are blankets that can be soaked upstairs," Harry volunteers, craning to see out of the hole in the wall. "We had the crows guarding against any threat to the porch, though - I'm not sure why they came in and didn't mob the attacker to bits..." he looks back at the top of the stairs, but the crowlets are gone.

"We can roust the men out of the living room to see to that, though, since the...jumping thing - poor man, he was screaming for his life fifteen minutes past - ah, yes, since he's...not...going. I'm sure it'll be fine." The dapper man still seems to have trouble processing the jiang shi.

"Mister Seven is hurt, though, and someone else upstairs, if I heard that right. Harry Lazarus, by the way," he offers a hand to Adrian, who can't shake it due to the mirror, and swiftly switches to offering it to the Marshal instead.

"...Personally, I think our first priority should be to get a chair over that watermelon or wedge it into a corner or something. As soon as we start moving about it'll start trying to...whatever it tries to do - bite us, I think, and I must say I'm not keen on it knocking into poor Jingles here and dislodging that paper." He rubs his chest. "I'm not sure what he did to me, but it felt quite horrible."

Adrian set the mirror down gingerly against the wall at the proper angle so that it wouldn't fall down by itself. "Adrian Vega," he said, introducing himself simply. Pretty much as soon as he set it down, he needed to make sure he was armed again, so he drew his gun.

"I can't believe I'm trying to come up with a solution to contain a goddamn watermelon. Could we maybe try luring it into that cupboard, and then shutting the door on it?" he asked.

"It's really been one of those days," Lazarus agrees, watching the confused melon nudging at the walls.

He turns to look at the cupboard. "Sounds like a good plan. Right! Co-ordination - you lure it, I shut it in, someone stands guard against it rolling awry and hitting the stiff fellow?"

"Let's get to it then," he said, moving to open the cupboard door then turning to face the watermelon. He clapped a couple of times, wondering if that would help set the watermelon coming towards him.

The melon pauses at the movement, rolling back to get a straight run at the source.

*zzzrl?* *zzzrl!*

"Try dancing!" Lazarus calls, hastening to catch up, then looks back to see the demon fruit in pursuit with alarming speed.

*zzzrl!*

"Yipe!" Harry skips awkwardly out of the way, leaving the goddamned watermelon to fruitbutt Adrian's shins.


[[vampire watermelon rolled 7 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 7. *zzrl!*. Adrian, Agility vs. 7]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:39, Thu 08 May 2014.

Adrian had spent some time in a dance hall or two, of all sorts, and so he took the suggestion Lazarus offered to heart, shuffling his legs apart hoping that the watermelon would pass right through and into the cupboard behind him.

OOC:

Agility: 8

13:41, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 7,8 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+2)8.

Ignore the first roll, as good as it was. Forgot that Adrian is no longer under the effect of that buff.

The thing rolls around Adrian's ankles as he shuffles, rolling over his toes and trying to get under his feet.

*zrrl!* *zzzrl!*


[[roll Smarts or Agility as preferred to Trick it into the cupboard without ending up in there too.]]

OOC:

Agility Trick! 5

14:27, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 4,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. Agility Trick!

[[vampire watermelon rolled 8 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 8. Resist! No sell there. It's...considerably more agile than it's smart.]]

The watermelon presses itself against Adrian's leg in an effort to devour him, or something.

*ZZRRRL!*


[[vampire watermelon rolled 2 using 1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 2. *zzrl!*.
Agility...not to crit fail. Low bar to hit, there.]]

Adrian danced back, dodging the latest roll from the watermelon, and as he did so, he had a thought. Going with the flow, he leaned back on his back foot as if teetering backwards, his front foot up in the air, hoping the draw the watermelon in towards him, but he wasn't exactly falling. "After I get out, shut the door, Lazarus!"

When it came closer he planned to jump, grab the doorframe at the top so instead of his leg, it would be tricked into moving back into the cupboard, and then swing out. First, he needed to see if he could outsmart a fruit.

OOC:

Agility to Dodge: 5
Smarts Trick! 14


14:52, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 14,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+6)14,1. Smarts Trick!
14:51, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 5,4 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4. Agility to dodge watermelon.

[[vampire watermelon rolled 3 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 3. smart melon?]]

The goddamn watermelon charges the movement, propelling itself into the back of the cupboard in a hail of bootblacking, silver polish and sundries.

*SLAM*

Mr. Lazarus dusts his hands off as muffled 'zzzrl' noises filter through the cupboard door and grins at Adrian, his spirits markedly improved by this small yet somehow intensely satisfying victory. "Well done, that man."

Adrian also felt unreasonably proud for having outsmarted the goddamn watermelon, and took a moment to catch his breath and savor the victory. "We really showed that watermelon who was boss," he said.

OOC:
Is there a chair or some object he can use to wedge the cupboard shut, or bar the handles so that it is more difficult for it to be opened from the inside?

Evans claps politely at the show. "Capital job, gentlemen!" he says. He looks at Harry Lazarus. "Mr. Lazarus, eh? Your friend Dr. Oswald Franklin was asking after you. He said the two of you had been separated. He wanted me to relay to you news of his well-being, which was decent when last I saw him, none the worse for wear after his adventures in Comanche country, from which he managed an escape."

He looks at Jake Lawrence. "Mr. Lawrence, would you kindly help me carry the wounded upstairs? I have no idea who is the more injured, so I'd like a chance to examine all the wounded before I begin treatment." He looks at Adrian. "Mr. Vega, can you find out what is keeping the rest of our party from rejoining us? I'm sure Mr. Lazarus would be happy to assist you. I'll mention the soaking of blankets to the others."

"Sure thing," Jake replied with a slight nod to Evans.

[[there are some nice heavy chairs in the dining room, though I doubt it'll get the door open any time soon.]]

"Really? Unscathed? ...and he's safe now, as much as anywhere around here's safe? I'm truly glad to hear that." He looks over at the kitchen. "I think Mr. Spades can walk, but he can be a tad uncouth."

Lazarus thinks a moment and then looks at Adrian. "Did you say buried you?"

"Unscathed as far as I could determine, though our meeting was not long. He seemed more put out by the loss of his equipment, which, given what he wound up managing to do with the damned things, may be for the best." Evans says. He gives Seven a quick once-over.

((OOC: How bad is he hurt?))

[[He's currently barricaded behind a table wedged across the kitchen doorway in a foul and paranoid mood, so you'll have to go look (and persuade him not to shoot Adrian again.) ]]

"His...? I don't see that he could cause trouble with that old stuff...unless he took a picture of the wrong person, I suppose...oh dear, does the Comanche chief think poor Oswald has stolen his soul? These savages have some odd notions about photography, I've heard."

"Raised from the dead, like Saint Lazarus, though not by God's own hand in this case, I think," he said.

"Rather more than that, I'm afraid." Evans says, nudging the door. "Excuse me, I need to move this." He says, directing his comment to the many beyond. "The creature has been neutralized for the time being, but I need to examine you so to see if you managed to escape the disease that claimed him."

While he waits for a reply, he returns the conversation to Oswald Franklin. "Apparently stealing souls was what the Comanche chieftain was after. From what I understand, the chieftain has Dr. Franklin take a picture of every brave in his camp, a picture that somehow came out in color through some sort of photographic technique. Then the shaman contacted a very dangerous aetheric entity, one that we believe lurks within an old mine near the town. We don't know what, exactly, occurred, but the braves who attacked the town had been rendered invulnerable to injury, and at the same time has lost all color in their flesh. We managed to capture the raiding party because a number of my deputies have abilities that can also tap into the aether. Have you ever read The Portrait of Dorian Gray? It's our theory that the shaman did something to mimic the effect of that tale, using the photograph your comrade produced as a focus."

"Oh." Mr. Lazarus looks at the immobilised jiangshi, then at Adrian, then makes a concerned grimace, unconsciously taking a step back. "You're not...hungry, I hope? We have eggs, I think..."

Evans soon distracts the man with worse news. "That's...that's awkward. But...does this mean that if the picture is damaged, all those Comanches will die?"

There's a cautious scraping from the kitchen.

Seeing Evans is about to be occupied, Lazarus looks to Adrian. Curiousity gets the better of him: "So...how long have you been...dead-ish? unalive? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

Spades peers out, gun in hand. The other hand is stained more deeply with red streaks, pressed to the slashed cloth over his gut. "I've done nothin' but help here," he says warily.

"I don't know." Evans sighs. "I had hoped to consult with Dr. Ward and the other members of the Enlightened Society about the matter...but then all this happened."

He looks at Spades. "Which is why you are being moved upstairs so you can be treated, rather than me stepping aside and Letting Mr. Vega finish the job that thing started." Evans says crisply. "Also. Point of fact? If the very first words out of your mouth to a duly authorized representative of the law is 'I've done nothing,' the very first thought to cross said lawman's mind is likely to be 'what has he done, how bad is the problem, and how many people will I have to shoot before the problem stops?' I have had just about my limit of unwelcome surprises, so I suggest that, if you have in fact been nothing but helpful, then you shut up, let me get you up the stairs, and then keep out of my way until I can treat you. Do we have an understanding, Mr. Seven?"

"Jus' didn't want you arrestin' me for defending myself 'gainst unnaturals - again," Spades mutters, but will limp cautiously after Evans once the Marshal's out of the doorway. He doesn't loosen his grip on his gun, however.

James leaned against the wall and let the other jabber on. "Shall we get 'em upstairs?"

OOC: yeah I'm rarely on over the weekends.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Mon 12 May 2014.

"Shut your hole and get up stairs. Only reason I didn't let that Celestial vampire do for you was that I thought it might turn you into one of it. You're lucky we have too much other shit to deal with right now to worry about murderers, or you'd be on the end of a fuckin' noose," he said to Spades.

To Lazarus he replied. "Sure ain't. Been dead just about a day, and it was him that murdered me," he said, gesturing to the departing Spades.

[[Yikes. Browbeat the Arrogant guy whilst he's wounded and make it clear the local law's on the side of the dead whilst he has a gun in his hand, why doncha...ever heard of a cornered rattlesnake?

Magic 8 ball, is he that twitchy?
21:46, Today: Alouette got the result "Yes - definitely" on the magic 8-ball. Oh boy.]]

Seven twitches. He's lost his monocle somewhere and his showman's costume is dirtied and torn, but his gaze is utterly steady. Then the fingers twitch, too: a blur of rising steel and the bone flash of pearled handle as he raises up to shoot Adrian in the chest.

*BANG!*

[[The Seven of Spades, rolled 8,1 using d10-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 9,2. shootin'. I forgot a couple of Edges there, but eh. Hit, Raise.
The Seven of Spades, rolled 13 using 3d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5,5. damage can has? 1 Wound Shaken for Adrian.]]

Lazarus jumps, eyes wide. "Don't-!"

Spades already has his gun aimed straight at Evans, breathing hard, eyes wild. "He was dead, tinhorn! Ain't voodoo keepin' him up, no...magic c'n do that, none! He talks like a live man, there is a spirit there - cain't be a soul, not if he's dead, and he is dead, I know it - that is a demon, a demon of lies pulling around that man's skin, an' the Yankee's in league with it so help me, you move and I'll shoot you." The last is snarled at Evans, who is close enough to see the sweat standing on the wounded man's forehead.

The living room door closes as Dave steps forward, armed and frowning. "The Hell's going on?"

He could have tried to get the drop on Seven earlier, but that would have made him a murderer himself. Now he was acting in self defense, and the defense of others. Even in Blackthorn, that should mean something, though maybe this was a world in which one couldn't afford to observe such niceties. Seven of Spades had gotten away with murder so far, as had William Pierce. There were reasons for that surely, but it had become a fight for survival in Blackthorn now, and they were more trying to keep the bad things at bay than upholding the law.

But Adrian was ready for this, and so he tried to brace himself for what came afterwards, though he had clearly underestimated the quickness of Spades. He pulled up his gun quickly, trying to prevent him from shooting the Marshal.

---

OOC: It was intentional. My anticipated consequences were that he'd either walk away, or that we'd be in combat and I'd get to fight him. I didn't anticipate the consequence of being shot, but somehow mechanically not being in combat.

I'll be spending a White Chip for a Soak roll. Adrian has Iron Jaw, giving him +2 to Soak rolls and Vigor d12+2:

18:32, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 6,5 using d12+4,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Soak.

Not enough...18:33, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2. Red Chip.

Vigor: 8 overcoming Shaken and soaking 1 wound.

Then to try and interrupt him from messing with Evans

18:49, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Red Chip.
18:43, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 7,4 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4.

Agility: 10


This message was last edited by the player at 23:57, Mon 12 May 2014.

[[*slides chip back* If you soaked the Wound, you can't be Shaken by its excess; 6 is enough.]]

The dapper Mr. Lazarus stares as Adrian just stands there and takes a bullet, then pales as the dead man raises his huge gun. "Deputy! If you aren't what he says you are, don't kill him in, um...please don't. Otherwise I'm...afraid I'm going to try and have to stop you."

"Please, we're on fire, we have a vampire in the house-" he turns to Spades, "-what're you doing? This is madness - don't you see, it's what the Serpent wants!"

Behind Adrian, the Mighty Dave steps up, ready to defend Lazarus.


[[The Seven of Spades, rolled 10,2 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of (8+3)11,3. Agility. Tie. Hm. Since there's no clear defender here, I'll say for drama's sake that the shots'll be simultaneous.]]

"Wha..." Evans says as more gunfire snaps around him. "Oh for Christ's sake!"

((OOC: 17:44, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 2,3 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Agility. Evans can do nothing but sputter right now.))

Lazarus tries to edge towards putting himself in the way, watching Adrian's face for any indication he's about to loose Hell.

Just then, there's a distinct rapping from the kitchen door:

*knoknok*

Adrian could feel a rush of temper well up inside of him. He was a fairly patient man, but he'd never had to reckon with the amount of straight-up assholery in his life that he'd witnessed today. He had been the subject of violence, attempted violence, and threats of violence by nearly everybody - enemies, random strangers, and acquaintances alike - without offering any of them violence beforehand. But he forced himself into a strange calm, trying to keep a lid on a dangerous situation. He might be alright, but he owed the Marshal somethin' and he wasn't gonna let him die like this.

"Mr. Lazarus, I'm going to lower my weapon in just a minute here and holster it, and maybe you can talk your friend into doing the same," he said calmly and clearly.

"Unlike him, I have no desire for pointless bloodshed. But I say this, and hear me clearly. If once having done so, he continues in his course of attempted murder upon the sitting Marshal of Blackthorn, so help me God by my authority as a Deputy I will place him under arrest and I will expect your assistance in doing so. If either you or the other man who entered the room just now offer interference, I will count you accomplices in the attempted murder of a lawman and you will face the consequences. So let's do this then...nice and slow."

Slowly, and carefully Adrian lowered his weapon, moving to holster it.


OOC:
Persuasion: 5
Notice: 7

The persuasion is to convince Lazarus. The Notice is to see if Spades is going to try and shoot again while Adrian is holstering his weapon.

1. Deal with the Devil success with 2 Pair. Boost my Persuasion by one die type to d6.
2. Deal with the Devil success with a Full House, automatic spell success and double duration to raise Adrian's Notice two steps.
3. I'm not using my Joker, but that should trigger a Joker's Wild.

10:26, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 2,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. Persuasion.
07:57, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 3,5 using d8,d6. check for raise.
07:53, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 11 cards: 9D, 10C, QS, 4H, 5S, RJ!, AC, JS, 5D, 10D, 9S using the Deadlands system.

10:51, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 7,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3. Notice.
10:49, Today: Adrian Vega drew the 11 cards: QH, 5H, 10D, JC, 2S, 6C, 4S, 2H, 8D, QC, 2C using the Deadlands system.

Jake quietly shook his head and kept leaning against the wall.

"I'm trying..." the dapper man protests, clearly unused to quite so much violence. "Come on, Spades - whatever Deputy Vega is, there are more of us than there is of him. He can't get you. On the other hand, if you shoot the Marshal, you give everyone a reason to put you down. We need all the live people we can get, whatever their character. Come on, man, he offered to help. I know what Jingles did you you felt...like it felt, he grabbed me for longer...you're off-balance, man. Not thinking st-"

"I'm not crazy! He's dead! He told you he's dead! Look at the hole in him! Why does no-one care about this?" Spades howls, eyes wild.

Lazarus swallows. "Look, he hasn't killed or bitten anyone yet - let's not give him any more good reasons to try, hm? Come on, I can see you don't know what to do, it's all right. Give me your gun, then even if Deputy Vega or the Marshal tries to shoot you, there will be witnesses that they were the aggressor, and we'll deal with them, all right? Come on, just hand it over." He inches in. Spades looks at him, then at the Marshal, tense as a cornered rat. Harry beckons, and holds out his hand.

"Well, they'd better not," Spades mumbles, pushing the gun into Lazarus' palm.

"All right," the tinhorn responds, more for something to say than agreement. He flicks a glance at Adrian to make sure revenge isn't imminent, not entirely managing to conceal his fear of the dark blood spreading sluggishly across Adrian's chest, then licks his lips and addresses Evans before any tirade can come from that direction: "Erm, sorry, Marshal. Would you please get the door? That'll hopefully be your friends."


[[Harry Lazarus, rolled 4,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5 Persuadin'. Juuust enough.]]

"Thanks," he said to Lazarus simply. "I'll get the door."

Adrian moved over to the door and opened it cautiously to see if he could identify whoever was on the other side before moving to let them in.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:13, Tue 13 May 2014.

Adrian climbs over the small barricade and heads past the laundry room to the carriage house door.

"Howdy, Deputy vega!" Alouette chirps, then cranes to see the utter bombsite of the kitchen beyond. "Did you done do rearrange My Man Abraham's world?"

"Howdy, Alouette," he said, though he felt suddenly despondent and resigned at the eventuality of having to explain the situation to the clank. If he wasn't clear enough and very precise, it would probably just get confused.

"Jingles turned into a Chinese vampire. We chased him around with a mirror, because Chinese vampires don't like mirrors. Then Bitter Waters stuck a prayer on the Chinese vampire's forehead, which made the Chinese vampire stop moving. There was also a watermelon that kept hitting us, so we put it in a cupboard. Seven of Spades shot me again, and he was going to shoot Marshal Evans, but we stopped him from doing that. Part of the house is on fire and there's one more vampire inside somewhere, maybe upstairs."

"Where are the others?"

"Who is Jingles?" the clank asks, quite happy to stand there blocking the doorway and witter. "The watermelon was probably a vampire also, but watermelons are minus teeth so they can't bite mortals though you shouldn't eat them, they would be bad for you."

"Self will tell Seven Of Spades to repent," it resolves, then straightens, its priorities jogged. "! Names William Pierce whooped the ass of a man - now the fire is in the house of beds because there was hay and a ghost rock and a thing that exploded when Names William Pierce stuck the man's head in the oven." It pauses. "Self requires damp towel: that is how to make fire stop." It clarifies.

"We're here," the priest's voice comes from the dark room behind the clank. "I think the bunkhouse might be past the towel stage, but the fire on the porch looks to be mostly burning oil. Pierce has accounted for five more of the vampires, and managed t' get the...whatever that was, with a light grenade. Are you all right?"

"I'll be alright Padre. You were right on the call not to burn the house down. There's plenty o' livin' folks upstairs that aren't vampires. Bitter Waters was supposed to go upstairs and get some wet blankets to help put the fire out. If y'all wanna come in, we can see to that," he said, stepping back and opening the door.

"Bitter Waters doesn't like bein' called that, by the way. He said he'd shoot me if I called him that again. Can you tell him to repent too, Alouette?"

"Okay!" Alouette chirps, and wanders off through the kitchen and out towards the stairs with the confidence of a clank that has been here before.

"I thank the Lord's guidance for that," O'Rourke remarks, and does briefly mouth thanks heavenwards as he blows out his dwindling lamp and steps up into the house.

The priest crosses the threshold, light and shadow making a strange play over his frost-burned coat and mauled face, then thinks of something and turns back to William. "Enter with God, my son," he says formally.

The grinding pressure in William's skull from proximity to the doorway ceases. O'Rourke hooks his light on a nearby peg and moves towards the kitchen proper. "Are there any others injured?"

Meanwhile, the clank patters out into the foyer and greets the first people it sees, which happen to be Evans and Lazarus. "Howdy Ambrose! Howdy Pretty Round Man!"

Spades starts to laugh at this random and endearing description, but finds himself being pointed at. "Repent!"

"Wha-?" the wounded man nervously edges away a little. The clank and Dave see each other at the same time.

"Repent!" Alouette points at Dave.

Dave points his gun at it. "You stay away from me."

The Dust Adder swallows and steps backwards, leading the tin can angel's sight to Bitter Waters. Alouette pivots on its heels, and points at him, too. "Repent!"

Harry Lazarus looks perplexedly at Evans. "Um. What is that, and why are we repenting?"

William enters finally, after taking a moment to set up a noise trap. Anybody coming in through that door into the carriage house would set it off. Didn't mean that would give them a warning, but it might.

"Everybody alright in here?"

"Got 'im past the wards, I guess," he said appreciatively of the holy man's handiwork as the priest uttered his formal sounding pronouncement followed by William's entrance.

"Your asshole friend shot me after I saved him from the Chinese vampire. Say, since you and I are friends now, I don't suppose there's any chance you'll shoot him for me sometime? You know...just to keep things fair."

"Come on. Let's catch up with Alouette, and get to puttin' out the fire and dealin' with the...other vampire."

The priest gives Adrian a distinctly disapproving look, and William a one of 'don't even think about it.'

"Just a joke, Padre. Lighten up," he said, flashing the priest a grin.

Evans just begins laughing as all the bad men get called on to repent their sins. "Mr. Lazarus, I'm afraid it will take a while to explain. Let me sum up--the automaton is an angel, and she calls on those she has seen sin to repent. Don't do anything to draw her ire, and you should be fine." He gives Lazarus a grin that is far, far too wide to be pleasant...or even be described as mildly sane.

Then he turns to Seven. "You heard her, Seven. Get on your knees and pray to the Lord Above to overlook your sins, and swear to do no more wrong." All traces of his former bout of mirth have vanished. "And if you don't wish to swear to Him Above, then you can swear to me, for you have wronged me and I shall seek satisfaction for my stained honor if you do not." He looks deadly serious.

((OOC: Snakeoil Salesman time!

23:00, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 16,5 using d8+3,d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of (8+5)13,2. Persuasion.

I'm just trying to put the fear of God/Evans into him for a bit via a Test of Wills.))

Spades stares at the Marshal. That grin and the fact that there was no weapon being pointed with the threat seem to make it more effective, not less. Still staring at Evans, he carefully sinks to his knees, bracing his bloody hand on the floor, then with one last truly uncertain look fishes out a small medallion of Saint Sebastian, touches his lips to the metal and genuinely starts to pray.

Dave is visibly unnerved.

[[The Seven of Spades rolled 1,3 using d6-1,d6-1, rerolling max (with rolls of 2,4. Resisting Snakeoil. Couple of Raises for Evans.]]

"Some of us have been tryin' to make sure there are as few holes in mortals as possible," the priest says, though he does clap his free hand to Adrian's shoulder in limping past. He heads towards the sink and sets his crowbar down on the counter to pump some water into it.

William rubs his forehead, as if he had a mild headache. The gunslinger seems a little unnerved by the scene in front of him.

He looks around at the various men and notices the bucket standing nearby. There's a distinct wiff of urin smell assaulting his heightened senses.

Then he shakes his head.
"Let me get this straight: While me and the priest were outside dealing with half-a-dozen blood suckers and giant black spider-scorpions from hell, all of you got together and dealt with one. Were you all busy pissing into that bucket?
And now Vega is threatening death and mayhem again?"

His tone is mildly amused, not something you'd expect from the deadly gunslinger.

"Marshal, you might want to reign in your deputy a little. Why don't we all have ourselves a truce until after we've dealt with Marina? Anybody know where she is? Or is it even her?
There's still at least one vampire unaccounted for, the one we met first."

"We let you take on the easy ones, Pierce, to boost your already considerable ego," he said dryly.

"I know you're a little late to the party, Pierce, so I'll try to explain this simply. If you want to talk to someone about keepin' a truce, you'll need to talk to Spades, who started shootin' after we dealt with the Celestial vamp. But if you're done bullshittin', there's still one vampire left in this house."

"Well, two, now that you're here, but don't tell that to Spades" he added under his breath, just for Pierce's hearing.

"Maybe that's the one you keep goin' on about. Go on and get 'er with your bad self."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:34, Wed 14 May 2014.

Jake shrugged then replied, "No." The others talked and talked, Jake waited. He was tired and had no desire to talk or think really as his mind felt like it was on edge of breaking.

Evans waits for Spades to finish his prayers. "Good!" he says. "Now, are we done with all this tomfoolery? Can we actually work together, for a short shining moment, or are we all going to be as ineffective as Mr. Pierce claims we are? I have people to treat, after all."

"Why not?" the clank asks, pattering around the jiang shi ("Howdy, Jingles!") and up near Jake to tilt its head at him. "If you remember God loves you you will have minus sad in, and high probability become a better person," it advises.

Spades, meanwhile, eventually looks up and notices William. "Oh, thank God, you're alive!" He struggles up, the blood from his belly and side smelling coarse but fresh. "Damn, Billy, I thought the Comanches had you for sure...then that guy who ain't Van Owen showed up here as a vampire, so even if you'd 'scaped them I reckoned he'd turned on ya..." the now-ragged hitman runs out of words, genuinely glad to see Pierce.

"I'll be right with you," O'Rourke calls from the kitchen, apparently tending his own wounds. "An' there'll be holy water in the sink here if anyone should need it. Those girls Pierce mentioned; might be best to take them some."

"I think that might be a good idea," he said, walking into the kitchen after the priest.

"I'll take some Padre, if you don't mind." He looked about for a container to see about getting water.

"That's got nothin' to do with repentin' tinny. God loves me regardless of what I've done or how unhappy I am with things that have happened in my life. As for peoples ... well I ain't the worse soul around these parts." Jake said quietly.

"Angel," Alouette corrects. "Logic error, Bitter Waters: if you keep going away from God, you cannot feel His love properly, even though you know it is there. To repent equals return, go back, cease wrongdoing...then you will not need to be unhappy, because you will be minus weight of guilt and sadness-for-self and done doing the right thing. Then when you die you can go to Heaven and see the people self was told not to talk about."

It tilts its birdy brass head the other way. "Self will instruct those people to repent also: it is good for them, and makes the aether minus negative energies, so there are minus demons attracted to Ranch, Texas. Where is Doctor Ward?"

O'Rourke is clearly finding it hard to concentrate, but his murmured blessing over the sink is as pure as the water. Light ripples in reflected arcs over the surface as a drop falls from the priest's cuff, making crosshatch patterns on the inside of the sink.

There are saucepans scattered over the floor and probably normal tableware in the cupboards to be found in the kitchen.

[[Father William O'Rourke, rolled 1,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5. holy-fu! (-2 wounds, +2 Conviction) *sigh*

Father William O'Rourke, rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4. red chippit. -> 5 Holy water, Batman!]]

Jake just smiled as he listened to the clank talk and talk and talk. As the tin can turned its attention else where, the huckster took off the rosary that had hung on his wrist so long and looked at it. With slight shake of his head, he set the prayer beads down on a nearby table. "Sorry Jess, can't keep these any more."

"Halloa!" a feminine voice hails from above. Abbie Bruebacker is bent over the rail with Su's broomstick sword in her hefty grip, occasionally glancing down the upper corridor whenever shadows look a little too flickery but evidently in a position to see everyone standing about like lemons. "What's the shooting about?"

A little belatedly, she also notices the house's new metal sculpture and how close it is to Jake, like it had moved there unaided to talk to him. Her expression shows a deep wariness if not distant alarm at the sight of the clank. Clearly her father's dabblings with the New Science have taken place at some remove from the domestic abode.


[[Abbie spots the clank and is dubious of its -3 Charisma. She's not noticed William yet.]]

OOC:

Can Adrian find an empty jar of some sort in the kitchen in which he can take some of the Holy Water with him?

<small>[[he can take a Notice in the pantry for such an item specifically (and maybe notice something else) if he disdains the various aforementioned saucepans, cups, jugs etc., yea verily. There's certainly no shortage of containers around. Abraham might even have a bushel somewhere.]]</small>

Adrian picks through the mess in the kitchen, noting it is well-supplied as he wanders trying not to get molasses on his shoes. The hunger that's been sitting quiet awhile resumes a certain pounding at the back of his thoughts.

Digging through one of the shelves, he found a neat and clean jar. Opening it up, he filled it with some of the priest's holy water and then closed it up again. "Ain't no sunshine grenade, but I reckon' it'll do. If I can throw it right," he said. "Thanks, Padre."

Cautiously, he cracked the door open leading out of the kitchen to see if the coast was clear before joining the others.

OOC:
Notice: 4

18:19, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,4 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4.

Jake took a moment to check his pistol, with a speed telling of a former soldier, before he went to see what he could do.

OOC: Okay, where in the house is everybody?

Jake leaves the clank and Dave at the bottom of the stairs, heading up towards Abbie Bruebaker at the rail.

Before he leaves the kitchen, Adrian realises something curious: the pantry seemed somewhat under-provisioned and was almost devoid of perishables. Even their dried stocks seemed to be running low.


[[Evans, William, Spades and now Adrian are standing a little outside the kitchen, Harry between that lot and the bottom of the stairs, and the priest is in the kitchen. Jake's heard Harry refer to 'cattlehands' in the living room, implying there's still a Dust Adder in there - Dave has come out and is bristling at the clank at the bottom of the stairs. The goddamn watermelon is shut in a hall cupboard and Jingles the Jiang Shi is where y'all left him. Jake would presume JohnJohn and all the other NPCs are in the library. There's a vampire somewhere, but no-one knows where that is, though there's still one shoe of the mysterious pair left by the hall clock.]]

"I'm gonna make sure everyone up there's alright," he said, pulling one of the wooden 'stakes' out from inside his jacket pocket that they had collected earlier on the way here.

"Got this here and a jar o' holy water from the Padre," he said. "Y'all might wanna get some too if we're gonna do for a vampire up there." Cautiously, he moved towards the stairs, trying to nonchalantly work his way around the room without having to turn his back on Pierce or Spades, both of whom had proven themselves inclined to do him violence. He had been willing to offer Pierce a modicum of trust earlier, but now that the vampire was reunited with his bosom buddy, Adrian didn't know what the two of 'em might get up to.

If he got the chance, he would work his way up the stairs, leaving the others in the room below.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:57, Wed 21 May 2014.