Re: Chapter 3.1: Hickok's Revenge ((Deadwood))
"It is a lively place, isn't it?" Roger grins. "So full of history. And as for the widow Fairchild, well, she and her husband came here from Chicago to 'experience the frontier life' by purchasing a gold claim. The claim was brokered by Al Swearengen through a third party, as it turns out. Elaine's husband, Brom, was...well, he was a bit naive, I'm sorry to say. Very eager to trust. So eager, in fact, that he'd bought the claim sight unseen. As it happens, he'd been sold what seemed like a worthless claim...something that had perhaps a little gold, but not enough to support the $50 dollars a month the Sioux charge to operate mining concerns in the Black Hills."
"He confronted Swearengen about the claim, and from what I heard, threatened to involve the Pinkertons in the whole affair if he did not receive a refund should the claim prove truly worthless. Swearengen agreed to send an agent with Brom to assay the claim. Brom Fairchild and Dan Doherty went out...but only Doherty returned alive, the body of Brom stretched out across the back of his horse, tearfully proclaiming that poor Brom had fallen off a ledge. Oddly, Swearengen offered to buy the claim back--'to help with the funeral expenses,' he said."
"Obviously, Mrs. Fairchild was suspicious of this story, and wished to have someone independent verify the claim before she took her dead husband's body back home for burial. Brom and I had become acquainted over cards and had struck up a friendship, so, as I was the only person in town she knew at all, she came to me. I had the claim assayed, and it was, indeed, a going concern, one that could be quite profitably mined if the proper equipment and labor were brought to bear. I suspect, though I can't prove, that Swearengen sold the claim, believing it to be false, and then had Brom killed for threatening him. I further think that he realized his mistake about the profitability of the claim shortly thereafter, hence the buyout offer. But that is only speculation."
"Since we now had capital, Mrs. Fairchild resolved to remain in Deadwood, in order to oversee the operation. She bought the house and the land around it in order to have a place to stay, despite being warned about the haunting. Al Swearengen was quite eager to sell the property, which had been held in his trust for years...I suspect he hoped any actual haunting that occurred might convince her to sell her claim and leave town, as other had. However, Mrs. Fairchild is made of sterner stuff than that. Since I dabble in occult theory, she asked me to perform a seance, so that we could determine what might be done to keep any angry spirits at bay. This we did. I won't bore you with the details...there were many spirits, and all wanted different things. But once we got those sorted out, the spirits no longer troubled us. Oh, they are still around...but for the most part they are more mischievous than malicious."
"Unfortunately, while the gold mine we've opened is profitable, the restrictions the Sioux impose upon mining concerns means we can't quite tap it's full potential. Only five men may work a claim, and the Sioux do not allow much more than that for supervisory or security roles. Add to that the monthly tax on mining, as well as paying off the loan for the assaying, and Mrs. Fairchild thought it prudent to increase her revenue by renovating this place and opening a boarding house. And so here we are today."
The headless zombie staggers back, tripping over the twitching old corpse Matt downed earlier. They're both still twitching, though, so Matt will have to make this fast.
Unfortunately, the flensed deader grabs Matt's knife hand. Matt feels it's terrible teeth ripping into his shirt and the warm, tasty flesh beneath it...
((OOC: well, that was a waste of a shot. I thought having a headless zombie might clue you in to the fact that these particular zombies aren't vulnerable to head shots...
The knifed zombie is Shaken. It will need to Unshake before it can get at you.
The zombie already down attempts to Regenerate. 22:12, Today: Fairchild's Boarding House rolled 2 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 2. Regeneration. Fail.
The Shaken zombie attempts to Unshake. 22:13, Today: Fairchild's Boarding House rolled 3 using 1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 3. unshake. Fail, again.
That means only one deader is up and still trying to eat you. It attacks: 22:15, Today: Fairchild's Boarding House rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5. Fighting! That's a Hit. Since this used to be a PC, I guess it makes sense that it's doing so well...
Damage: 22:16, Today: Fairchild's Boarding House rolled 5,5 using d6,d4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(4+1)5. Damage. 10 damage total. Another Shaken and Wound for Matthew if he doesn't soak.
Card for next round: 10H
Again, please remember to pull your action card for the round following your action. It makes things run smoother.))