There's wasn't much cover on the hilltop, maybe if they had time, but in a rush like this... sure looked doubtful.  But what choice did he have? Zac scrambled forward, but he felt his feet give way, as his boots slipped on the rocks under then. He half picked himself up, and part crawl, part run, made his way forward to the little cover that existed.

He didn't have Sam's experience, but he thought he did a pretty good job of it. Of course still might be for naught.

[OOC:
12:19, Today: Zachary O'Conner rolled 1,8 using D4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+2)8. Dive for cover. ]

The party heads for the trees, diving beneath bushes and behind trunks.

But the very movement brings the attention of the fleeing Indians. Several start running for the trees themselves!

One of them, the apparent leader, points at the small copse and begins shouting!

[Language unknown: "ORTARTWHE, T TRAMENTIOCOM! EV HI HIONS NGOMIE! IE ITHFORHOU UGH WH IOILIE THNGEK COMND EEETUL HIS TOLAWA NOLILI AIOFSA CHEAR AREIAI EE WH THA RE ENCRE LLALFI ENCICHLAR! SEROM! WHHIS ALCON SANHATKOR! LEEC ICA WERTINWILTIN'EENURE!"]

And he runs for the trees himself.

Which, naturally, means the entire force of undead soldiers wheels around and follows him directly toward the posse's hiding spot!

((OOC: We seem to have lost Jack, so I'll roll for him.

10:37, Today: The Stray, on behalf of Black Jack Boudreaux, rolled -1,3 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5. Stealth!

That's 3, 3, 3, 5, 8 for the Stealth checks. This is an opposed roll vs. the Notice of those who might see you.

The Ravenites have a -2 penalty from the darkness and -2 penalty from the distraction of combat.

Ravenite Braves rolled 2,-1,-1,3,3,1 using d8-4,d8-4,d8-4,d8-4,d8-4,d8-4, rerolling max with rolls of 6,3,3,7,7,5. Notice. Two of the Ravenites notice some movement. They don't directly see the party, but thing "Hey! That's a good place to hide!" and start running in that direction...

Hoarse from Roaring also makes a Notice check, same penalties. Hoarse From Roaring rolled 1,5 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+3)9. Notice. Well, that's bad for our band.

He runs for the treeline himself, and yells at his warriors to do the same...leading the Black Regiment right to your hiding spot!

I don't have to work hard for the Professor's Trouble Magnet hindrance, do I?))

---

I'll let this go a bit freeform...post an action, and wait for the other PCs to post theirs. I'll post the NPCs at the end of the player's actions.

Having dashed to a good place to hide jakc is none to happy when the Injun's point in their direction and begin to approach their hiding spot.

OOC To be clear we are hiding in bushes on a hill top. The Injuns and cavalry will have ride up hill to reach us, correct?

In reply to Black Jack Boudreaux (msg # 67):

((OOC: Correct, but the slope is not severe enough to do more than inflict a few movement penalties.))

Nate dragged something free of his pack, though it took two hands to find and extract.  Meaning he had to set that rifle down in the meanwhile.  Hard to see just what it might be in all the dark, but his fiddling produces a ratchety soft click.  Noting that the tide has turned directly for them, he hisses a whisper, "Now would be a great time to fire, Professor."  The prospector then shouts back towards the indians and persuant cavalry in a keening facsimile (not a bad one, mind you) of a Sioux warcry.  Can't beat 'em, join 'em.

OOC - Action - Could that be a smarts trick?  Or Intimidate perhaps?  EDIT.  So, Smarts Trick on the cavalry then  With a 4.

22:57, Today: Nate Williams rolled 2,4 using D8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4. Smarts Trick.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:02, Sat 06 Oct 2012.

Several of the Ravenites hesitate, clearly confused and alarmed by the shouting coming from their supposed refuge.

The undead soldiers also seem to be very confused by the war whoops.

((OOC: The Black Regiment rolled 2,1 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1. Resisting trick.

That's a fail for them, so they get -2 Parry until Nate's next action.))
This message was last edited by the player at 06:38, Sat 06 Oct 2012.

OOC - I'm just a little confused.  I'm not sure if the PC's are being threatened, and if so by who? I got the impression that the undead were fighting the natives and we were hiding from the collateral damage.  Am I wrong?

((OOC: Posts updated to reflect the change in action! Professor, do your thing!))

"Gentlemen," The Professor stage whispers to the others.  "Mind the fire."

And with that the man stands up, in full view of the oncoming Indians and undead, hefting his strange Ghost rock powered gun.  He points it straight at the leader of the Indians and pulls the trigger.  Twin jets of an oily, red liquid squirt from the barrel, and at first glance it looks as if The Professor's goal is to soak everyone in the front rank in strange liquid. However, as the liquid arcs across the distance, it appears to react with the air and almost blossoms into a cone of fire

Rerolling twice by spending a white chip, then a red chip. Check the dice roller, it was THAT ugly (*sigh*)


08:39, Today: The Professor rolled 1,9 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+5)11. Second reroll weird sci in dark.

((OOC: So, is this placement correct?))

Sure...works for me

An arc of fire bursts forth into the night. The Sioux caught in the blast scream as the wave of flame washes over them. One of them has the presence of mind to roll out of the way, but the rest are wreathed in the hellish blaze.

((OOC: The Indians get a change to dodge out of the way, though it's going to be hard for most of them because of that 9 you rolled.

Ravenite Braves rolled 3,13,2 using d8,d8,d8, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(8+5)13,2. Agility. One succeeds, the other two are hit with Raises

Roll damage for the guys you scorched. Since you scored a raise on both of them, each damage roll gets an additional d6 of damage added on. I'll check to see if they catch fire once that's resolved.))

feel free to roll the damage. I'm out all day and eve and rather than hold things up, please roll for me.

As the ball of fure conumes the ravenites jack drops what may have been a flask and says what sound like a mix of a prayer and a curse in French.

[Private to GM: (13:24, Today: Secret Roll: Black Jack Boudreaux rolled 5,8 using 1d6,1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 5,8. cast deflection) gives me them a minus four.]

Boudreaux was impressed by the professor's attack but still concerned.

"Ravenites flambes. Not particularly appitizing but very effective. I hope you have another trick like that up your sleeve because I think the greater threat is those riding dead men."


[Private to GM: OOC Boudreaux prepres to summon a whirlwind to break up the charge of the cavalry.]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Mon 08 Oct 2012.

Zac watched the flames toast the Indians, he felt a pang of sympathy for them, before remembering just moments before they were the enemy. Still, it was never a pleasant thing to watch someone burn alive. His gaze went from the Braves to the charging undead. Jack was right, they were still a threat, and that fire blaze ruined any chance they had of hiding. Now it was time for plan B..., whatever that was.  His father would have had a plan, Zac found himself missing his dad's presence, it wasn't the fear, but rather the comfort of him being near.

"What about the devil bats, could we call them back," he asked the question to no one in particular, but it was primarily focused on Jack, he was closest to. Zac had no idea if it was a good idea, but they needed to do something, and running for it probably wouldn't get it done.

"If that don't call them back I don't know what will Zach. Just not sure they will eat dead things. Lot's of critters won't." Jack said in reply.

Two of the Indians caught in the blast of caustic flame shriek as the blaze consumes them. The grass catches, and the whole side of the hill is bathed in firelight.

In the infernal glow, the Black Regiment stands revealed. Nearly a dozen dead soldiers in uniforms stained black with dried blood sit astride rotting horses.

One of the damned soldiers raises a bugle to his putrid lips, and blows a morbidly cheerful tune. The mocking call echoes across the field.

Then as one the dead soldiers vanish, breaking apart into puffs of oily black smoke that soon vanishes.

The remaining Indians scatter back into the wilderness, leaving the posse alone on the hilltop.

((OOC: Damage for the two Ravenites:

Damage 1: 31 (!)
Damage 2: 13. Wut?

Anyhoo. That drops both of them, so I'm not even going to bother checking to see if they catch fire...the point is moot.

Meanwhile, The Black Regiment decides to bugger off, having accomplished their primary objective.))

"Nicely done indeed professor." Boudreaux said as the undead horsemen wheeled and rode off.

"Best we get going before they change their mind."

Nate narrowed his eyes against the sudden brightness of the flames and the ensuing flaming natives.  Despite the flare, he catches sight of the Black Regiment's "cheerful retreat" and the scattering of the indians.  Somehow, none of it leaves him with a particularly victorious feeling.  Stuffing something back in his pack, he starts to reshoulder it and take hold of hs rifle again, "Yeah..."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:55, Thu 11 Oct 2012.

"Thank you gentlemen. Please, lead the way through the wilderness so that we may avoid any other unpleasant encounters."

"Do you reckon that was enough o' a distraction?" Sam says wryly, slipping his gun back into his holster. "Maybe we should be headin' back to the stage now...I think whatever the Injun wanted to do up in them cliffs is done already."

"I agree," offers Nate as he begins to head back in the general stage coach direction, "I don't really think our distraction would've been nearly as good as that one...."

"I agree time to head back and make our rendezvous. It seems to me that them Ravenites had a bad day. While those cadavers surely are not on the side of light, the destruction of the followers of the Ravens struck a blow against gear." Jack said as he watched the mass of undead ride away.

Zac drew in a slow breath as the death cavalry vanished into the night.  "What a story..." he said to himself as he reached for his notebook without thinking, and jotted down some quick words to remember what he was feeling and everything he had seen. He put the book and pencil back into his pocket.

"A job done is a job well done, my daddy used to say. Something you don't know how a thing will turnout till it gets to the end." He shook his head in disbelief.

With that, the distraction group returns to the Rendezvous point.

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This thread is closed. Please resume posting on the new Chapter 1.3 thread.