jack shook his head slightly "I think we just have one or two of us sneak in. Then once the diversion starts he leads the shaman and any others in the opoosite direction."

"The fire should draw some of them but once we blow the dynamite and go to shooting it seems likley the rest will come running."

"Then who among us will sneak in, and who among us will ambush the Ravens?" Sky Hawk asks. "I volunteer to move in to the rescue...they know me, and I know them."

Sam does a quick headcount. "Well, there's nine o' us altogether. I'm willing to help with the distraction. I've plotted my shares o' ambushes...I can think o' a few things to help even our odds."

Boudreaux looked around. It seemed to him that the other Injun' and the Chinaman were the best suited."Why not bring Thunder Walker and the Chinaman with you."

"That leaves the rest of us us to cause the distraction, spring an ambush and if that fails shoot it out with whoever is left."

Xiao nods to this plan and with a brief please-don't-get-killed look to Mister Nate (if he catches it in the dark) tracks over to bow deeply to Wanbli Luja. "We would be most honoured and glateful if you would be on high above us with your mighty talons, in case of flying devils fall on us while we carry wounded."

[[what's the moon like, chief?]]

((OOC: First quarter. Not really bright enough to provide much in the way of light.))

Nate shakes his head and literally digs a boot heel in, "The distraction isn't an ambush...  S'why its a distraction.  The idea is to use a small force to lure the enemy away.  Keep 'em busy like.  Allowing your main force to quickly overwhelm your real target.  In this case, the shaman.  Maybe we get a few raven boys, maybe we don't."  He glances to the eagle spirit, "Saving your shaman is what you wanted, right?  Most important?"  the not-quite-almost prospector then looks a bit uncomfortable realizing he's addressing the glowing eagle spirit directly.  To be fair, most folk would find that disconcerting.

"The distraction will allow some of us to sneak on in. If we are lucky enough to draw a lot of the Ravenites out then we double down on the diversion and make it into an ambush. Once things really blow we should be able to draw even more of the enemy away from the shaman. Hopefully that will let them sneak away."

"Make sense?" Boudreaux asked.

"I'm going to go out on a wild limb and say you ain't ever robbed a train, have you?" Sam asks Nate. "I'm with Jack. The diversion only works if it's diverting. You know that big job I pulled on Union Blue? The one that got me into the papers? We did it with a diversion that peeled off a large number of the payroll's defenders and then stuck them there with covering fire while a few of the boys went into the car, got the lock box, then got everyone's wallets and watches. The plan you're proposing will draw a few off, then when the bomb goes off maybe a few more, but it won't keep them at the site. Sure, we may get lucky and the explosion gets one or two while the devil bat things get one or two more, but that's at best. They search it, hear the gunfire from the original site, realize they've been snookered, and suddenly we're reenacting the Little Big Horn."

Wanbli Luja nods at Xiaohan. "Of course. I can even lend you my eyes, for a time, if you are willing and do not resist when my magic touches you." He blinks at Hate addressing him directly, and looks at the prospector. "Wovoka is not mine. He is important to the spirits, he speaks with them and he listens, but we claim no possession of him. That is the trouble with the white man. Always too quick to lay claim to things, to places, to people. Always so quick to own, to possess, to control. I aid Wovoka because it is right to do so, and yes, his safety is important to me. But he is not my shaman. His words are for all who would follow the Old Ways. You speak of this task as if it was a burden. You have forgotten the face of your father."

Sky Hawk looks to Moses "Perhaps you would accompany Li, Thunder Walker, and myself? There may be injured, and it is clear you have been blessed by the Great Spirit with healing powers. We would be honored if you were to join us."

((OOC: So far it's looking like it's Sky Hawk, Thunder Walker, and Xiaohan definitely going to rescue the Shaman, and Nate, The Professor, Black Jack and Sam who want to be part of the diversion, with no word yet from Moses or Zach at which group they'd be most interested in.))
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:16, Sat 15 Sept 2012.

"Moses will go help the prophet, for that is the Lord's will."
He replies, still crouching.

Not birds, big bats. But are they made of thunder?

"Woundrous is the path Thou hast chosen for Thy humble servant, Lord." he says, eyes raised to the sky, his tone not reverently, but rather as if he were talking to an old, close friend of his.

The Professor listened to the discussion, quietly nodding and stroking his beard at the more sensible suggestions.  He opened his leather satchel and pulled out a wooden box, clearly stenciled along the side in black lettering with the word 'Dynamite".  He shook the box up and down, nodding at the sound of something inside rattling about. Anyone who knew anything about demolitions would worry a bit about the casual handling of such a large amount of explosives. Dynamite had a tendency to sweat nitroglycerin (especially if it wasn't stored in a cool, dry location) making it less stable and prone to exploding when jarred about.

OOC - Used the Hidden Stash adventure card and a white fate chip for the dynamite.

The box rattles. He seems to have two sticks left. Thankfully, there was no earth-shattering kaboom at the ill treatment...

Boudreaux was glad to have Sam Bass with them. The man was experienced at just this sort of thing.

Hearing moses say he was going with the group to rescue the shaman, Boudreaux gave a side ways glance "Are you sure Moses? That job is going to require some subtle and what could even be called sneakin'. I do not associate either with you my pious friend."

Before he could get an answer the professor pulled out the box of dynamite. Jack's eyes moved to the two sticks. " Are you going to tell me that dynamite has just been bouncing around in that box on the stagecounch the entire ride?"

[Private to GM: Boudreaux patted his protective talisman or gris gris and offered thanks to the Loa for protecting him. ]

"The Lord will cloak his humble servant or strike his enemies with blindness so that he can do His will." he replies, "and if He doesn't, then it will be according to his plan."



Moses smiles a big, broad smile. "Moses keeps telling you the Lord protects him, Black Jack Boudreaux. And yet you still seem to not believe it."

The Professor glanced between Moses and Jack, nodding.  "Yes, but don't worry.  I managed to keep a hold of it after the accident. It's all here!"  As if to punctuate his comment, he rattled the wooden box again to let everyone hear the contents rattling about within.

"Many thanks, Swiftest Son of Heaven, I hope it will not go to that," Xiao replied, bowing, then tensed as the massive bird of prey remonstrated with Mister Nate, prepared to speak up if the somewhat gun-happy prospective prospector looked set to be eaten.

No immediate acts of wrath occuring, Xiao had listened to the dynamite conversation in obvious ignorance as to the danger of jostled boomsticks and is now quietly edging away from Moses into what would be the shadow of the eagle spirit if Wanbli Luja wasn't radiant. The subtlety - or otherwise - of Moses does bring a thought to mind, though.

"Sky Hawk...my clothes are very dull now, and though I good at quiet, I paler than you all," there's an indication of the braves and Moses, "-might it be wise to darken, ah..." not knowing the specific word or that Sky Hawk would recognise it anyway, the youth indicates the upper areas of the cheekbones and end of the chin, the movement in itself demonstrating the rather long sleeves sufficiently cover the backs of the hands. "-?"

Boudreaux looked at the Moses and then at the professor "Professor you keep shankin' that crate and you are going to put Big Mose' protection to the test."

Boudreaux was certain that Moses was indeed protected[Private to GM: , although Jack was sure that it was the Loa that intervened to keep the half mad Moses alive].

"So it seems we have our plan."

"How long will it take you all to sneak in there? We can get you started and then we can start the fire up. Once you spot it you can proceed on in there. You will know when they show up here because you will hear the dynamite blow. That will be your cue to vamanos."

"With luck once they discover the plan the Ravenites will break off from us and high tail it back. Then we can slip away. If not we will need to try and slip away."

Sky Hawk nods at Xiaohan. "I can help you with that. When we are ready to move, I will help disguise your paleness with mud from the river."

He looks up at Jack, then over toward the bluffs, which are dark against the sky. he holds up one hand to the moon. "If we go slowly and quiet, then the moon will pass three of my fingers from where it is now. If we find a long and float down the waters, then two."

"What's that in minutes?" Sam asks.

Sky Hawk shrugs.

Sam sighs. "Great. Wonderful."

[Private to Thunder Walker: Given the season and the size of Sky Hawk's hand, Thunder Walker could estimate that he means "roughly half an hour overland, or a quarter hour floating" in American timekeeping]

Nate doesn't seem any happier with the plan, especially being taled down to by a failed and captured outlaw about ambushes.  But, he at least doesn't see, to think any good will come from arguing it out further.  The eagle spirit's comments only seemed to serve to confuse him, so he turned to watch over the perimeter.  Trying to think it through or just tired of listening and ready to get going.

"Half an hour on foot. One quarter hour if we float down the river," he translated for those not of the people. He had been momentarily distracted, but he reaffirmed the role that others had chosen for him, for in truth it would have been the path he chose for himself.

"I will go with Sky Hawk, Li and Moses. We will bring them out safely." He tried to communicate a sense of confidence in his voice, even though he spoke quietly.

"Guess we we meet back at the stage coach. But best we all try not to lead back a bunch of hostiles." Jack said.

"So how do you plan to go, by foot or river?" Boudreaux asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:56, Mon 17 Sept 2012.

Xiaohan makes a slight amused nose-wrinkle at being helped to get covered in mud, though aware what he means. Shifting weight foot to foot and feeling full of surpressed lightning, the youth looks to the natives, then to Nate at Jack's suggestion, not thinking it wise to draw attention to a stationary stage on a plain but quite aware that with the native warriors, a bandit, a Professor of something to do with explosions and a young man who sounds like he might be ex-militia, there's far superior experience to be shared here.

No harm in addressing the latter question, though: "It depend if there is wood easy there - we not...will not search long if no logs there. Start in twenty minutes, I think: soon is better than late for us that go there."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:52, Mon 17 Sept 2012.

((OOC: I'm splitting up the thread for the different groups. If you're heading to rescue the Shaman, post on the Chapter 1.1 thread. If you're a distraction, post on the Chapter 1.2 thread.))

Looking over at his young friend, reporter Zachary O'Connor, who had grown a bit quiet jack spoke to bring him around "Zach best you stick close to me."

Zac nodded solemnly at Jack. Then with a boyish smile and a bravado that wasn't faked, he said, "Reckon you ought to stick close to me, seems we got a talent for trouble."  The teenager took a deep breath, reading himself for the adventure to come. He wasn't sure what skills he had to offer, other than a sharp wit, and an eye for grammar, but maybe they'd need his help spelling their way outta danger.

This thread is closed. Please resume posting on the Duck You Sucker thread.