In reply to Silas Underhill (msg #267):

Kat nods approvingly.

"That's good 'nuff.  I weren't expecting nothin' more or less.  And I'm not asking you to stick your neck out, that's my job.  I am going to leave you be sir but God help you if you ever run from me again, and you stay put, ya hear?

"But you forgot about one thing Mister. Them people that them good fer nothin's was a shootin' at earlier, they got mommas and sech too.  Someone’s got to stand up for them, and you ain't volunteerin'.

"Ya got me a might curious though who was the law here before Evans showed up?  This ol' Doc Ward must have had somebody in th' saddle."

"Well then, what are we here for?  Ward paid Underhill to cremate a body, which suggests he's hiding something.  I seem to recall Gangatsu mentioned the one she encountered said there was a really bug fella keeping them prisoner, like that big monstronsity the Dust Adders brought in.  Whatever these Yankees are doing, Ward and the Dust Adders are in it up to their necks."


10:27, Today: Robert Micklethwait rolled 13,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+5)13,3. CK - lago massacre.

"Well, that's what I've been sitting here contemplating. If we can get enough evidence together we might be able to get some leverage that we can apply. I would live to be able to work out some sort of deal with Ward, who may not be entirely unreasonable. That would probably be the best outcome for everyone, if we could work out a deal that reigns in the Dust Adders but doesn't blow back on all the townsfolk."

"Alternatively, we could work at keeping the peace here in town until Ward begins his annual cattle drive. I understand he's headed to Dodge City, which will take a good couple months. At that point, an investigation on Ward's property would be much easier, as most of the Dust Adders will be gone on the drive. I was too late coming to town for this to be an option last year, and I don't want to miss this coming opportunity. Hopefully we'll have discovered just what happened to the circuit judge by then."

"As a third alternative, and one that I really don't relish at all, we could take whatever we find and have Ward tried in the court of public opinion by selling the story to the Tombstone Epitaph. Ward can buy off judges and kill of marshals, but he can't do business if half the country thinks he's a rotten bastard with things to hide. Of course, that's a last resort, and my least favorite, because all that attention will surely not be good for the townsfolk, and is the one most prone to unforeseen consequences."

"Of course, if you have any better ideas, I want to hear them."

[Private to Robert Micklethwait: The town of Lago had trouble with a trio of bandits who had sworn to wipe out the citizenry for some sort of grievance. They hired a gunman (or called in a Ranger, the accounts vary) who was quick on the draw to protect them. The drifter's plan was to hold a "welcome back" feast for the bandits, at which point the townsfolk would ambush them. Things went south when the townsfolk who were up on the rooftops lost their nerve, and many of the people were slaughtered and the town set ablaze.

With the raise: There were a whole other group of strange rumors about the Lago massacre, too. It was said that the townsfolk promised the drifter "everything he wanted" in return for his services, which he was quick to take advantage of. He had the local hotel emptied for his personal use, demanded sexual favors from some of the women, named a local midget the town's mayor and local marshal, drank his way through half the saloon's stock, had the townsfolk paint the town red and renamed it "Hell," and, finally, left town during the shootout with the bandit, leaving the folks to fend for themselves, which is why they lost their nerve. Some say the drifter was some sort of demon, others say he was a ghost back for vengeance. Most who've heard these rumors think they're just tall tales to make a good story.]

In reply to Wildcat Hawkins (msg #269):

"I don't have much of a love for this town, Miss Ranger. I'm only here because of a series of unfortunate misunderstandings that prevent me from returning Back East to Delaware. So I would appreciate it if you didn't try to appeal to my 'community spirit.'"

"As for the previous Marshal, I think his name was Harris. And yes, I believe he was in Ward's pocket, though I really didn't meet with the man much, myself. I understand he left town after that whole Range War affair. A lot of people leave town after they've crossed Ward and the Dust adders, yes indeed. Funny, though. Marshal Harris ruled in favor of Ward in that little dispute, so I can't imagine why he'd have been run off."

"I ain't trying to appeal to nothin' Mister.  It ain't your job to stick your neck out, plain and simple.  Just because it's so don't mean nothin' other than we made diff'rent choices.

"All right I'm satisfied you ain't up to nothin' that interests me.  An' I'm satisfied you ain't gonna do nothin' stupid.  I'm even partially satisfied that maybe you actually don't like how things are done 'round here."

Gangatsu's mind was a little.. Held in.. Thinking of things.. The talk with how Tex came to be brought up  her own demons that made her  grit her teeth. She wanted to tell the big guy that he shouldn't go back to that place with the man.. She shifted her jaw, a bit angry and a bit sorrowful..  She breathed in and decided to join the rest inside..

Though the clack, clunk of her sandals paused for a moment before taking swifter steps as Robert mentioned Ward. The bastard cremated the the headless body.


" Three dead. One dead with a broken ankle out in the desert.. One survivor, Danny. He's Alive. He has the bad luck o livin'.. And another in unknown condition.. There were six men in that mine. Though that machine, those people, they were invited to Ward's ranch, weren't they.. Augustos was one o them people I arrived with.. Real sickly man with a aweful cough. Might need to talk to him, ask wut he seen.. We can back track the desert. With dead bodies and heat.. got us a horrid reek to follow.." She narrows her brow a little, taking a cup of the  filthy water looking liquid that bubbles up and took a shot down of the stuff without tasting.. Though the bitterness can't be helped, her tongue clicks a little.

" Not bad.. Could use some persimmon, make it a little dry..." Idly mentioning.

" Kaede.. That man was talkin to her, the one spyin on us earlier.." hand raising to bow her straw hat lightly to Katy Devons for a moment, her position shifts as she brings up her bag and pulls out the ghost rock she scored.

" I got one off from Danny's coat, and this one off from the Headless horse men. Danny said he begged a man named Billy to give him the smallest pieces, didn't want to be no where near it. I think..The dead man was cremated because of his blood, they say ghost rock  stains you.. Coulda gotten in their blood... The Headless man  and danny both gotten this.. Almost blackish red, tar like blood.. I really think killing them without something severe won't. They won't bleed out, but vital blows done good to end them, like mister headless John Doe.. Theory, but.. Lookin' at d'at corpse.." She shifted a little, pulling out Nathaniel's gun as she muddled through her thoughts.

" Frost's gun. D'at's evidence... And.. I heard it scream.. Da rounds.. He has Ghost Rock powder, I don't doubt. That's a sound ya ne'er ferget... Damn well dangerous.. "  She murmured with notiable amount of disgust. " I'll be look for Master Zhang in this damned town. I'll let you know what I think later.." slipping the gun back into her bag..

" But.. I would wait fer d'at drive.. No Doubt, tex and his brother Gus will be left behind to watch the ranch.. Them close brothers, the brains and the muscle. Made dealings with devils, skinned tex in order to save his life when he was gunned down.. That's a kinship ya can't break even with hell on yer ass.. We'd gotta tread lightly.. Maybe even try an' buy them off, just don't apt to kill Gus, Unless you want Tex to tear off your head. That rattler noise he makes in gettin angry be a good sign to start talkin nice ta him. Word o warnin.."

John had been listening for some time now but the mention of Zhang caught his attention and he made no attempt to hide it. His eyes were intent on Gangatsu and when she finished speaking he piped in. "We've met before through Zhang. Briefly. How do you know him?" he asked simply. He needed to know if she was a friend of Zhangs, though her calling him 'Master' made him doubt she intended to put her sword through him.

In reply to Gangatsu (msg #274):

"Four dead." Evans corrects her. "The one with the broken ankle was found by one of the other deputies as he was coming to town. Dead only for a while, though...he said the man got back up again and tried to bite someone's head off. So that leaves this 'Danny' and the unknown quantity of the sixth. And with Danny apparently in Ward's hands, I suspect we won't be hearing from him."

The fizzy drink goes down, and is remarkably relaxing. Once the prickly feeling of the drink passes, all Gangatsu's wounds seem less taxing, and her muscles relax as the pain ebbs.

"Persimmons? I might try that, next time I make a batch of this stuff." Evans muses. "As for backtracking the dead, well, that was where I and Mr. Smith here were earlier today. Unfortunately, someone got to the corpse first...it wasn't there by the time we arrived. I have a strong suspicion that it was the Dust Adders that got to it. There's the one Robert found...but that one was buried already. There's the headless one, which Ward had cremated. And then there's the one with the broken ankle, but Charging Bear said Nathanial Frost was giving him some trouble when the dead man rose, so I would lay bets that they collected that one first, then tracked down the second after."

Evans eyes the Ghost Rock and frost's gun. "Well. Aren't you resourceful? May I have that gun? I want to examine those bullets...plus there's a certain poetic irony I'm dreaming of, to face down and shoot that bastard with his own piece." He sighs. "And Ghost Rock here in town. Good lord. The very idea frightens me more than all the dead Yankees in the world. How much have you collected there, by the by? And are you interested in selling? I am going to need to repair my patented gyromounted pistol, and for that I'd need a bit of Ghost Rock myself. I'm willing to pay $5 an ounce if you're willing to part with it."

"Robert, did you ask Gabby about Ghost Rock when you spoke to him earlier? He knows the area better than anyone...he's usually good about where valuable fundaments might be found, and there was a rumor around that he'd been talking about Ghost rock not long ago."

In reply to Wildcat Hawkins (msg #273):

"Well, then. Shall we move our conversation to more pleasant topics?" Underhill says with a smile.

In reply to Silas Underhill (msg #277):

"What on earth could you possibly have to talk about that's pleasant?"

Kat's question was genuine.  The undertaker was certainly a curmudgeon if nothing else.

Robert shakes his head.  "We got side-tracked by the dead Yankee that tried to kill Gabby, the headless one.  What I meant earlier is, what I'm trying to say... you asked us to help look into what's going on around here, starting with these Yankees.  Seems to me that whatever it is, Ward's in to it up to his neck.  If you don't want to face down with him, fine, but that means we have to ignore all the walkin' corpses.  Seems to me, he sent his boys in to take you out, they failed, they'll be back.  The reason seems obvious enough, Ghost Rock.  It's worth a forture.  Ward might not even go on his cattel drive, the profits for Ghost Rock will be that much higher."

[Private to GM: OOC: Robert thinks to himself, the thing to do is tell the State Governor, Ghost Rock is a strategic resourse.  But then the CSA would have their own Rock mine right here.
OOC: my inclination is that as an agent of the US gov, Robert wouldn't want the mine to fall into the hands of the CSA, he'd want to burn it or sabatoge it.  But I'm not sure if that's something he'd do on his own initiative

I don't recall if I ever got a reply to my telegram I sent.  I did mention the ghost rock
]
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:27, Fri 03 Sept 2010.

In reply to Robert Micklethwait (msg #279):

"I did ask that, yes, and I'm not liking the answers I'm finding. I suppose it's likely that Ward might want to exploit the mine to increase his fortunes, but if that's the case, why are we only hearing about it now? The old Wendell mine has been on his property for years...why wouldn't he have tried to reopen it?"

He stops talking for a moment.

"Oh, dear. What if he doesn't want it to increase his fortune? What if he wants to use it? Like me, Ward is a student of the New Science, though he's a doctor and not an engineer. That's probably why he wanted to examine Alouette. He could have been working on something in secret...New Scientists are a paranoid lot when it comes to protecting their patents and inventions. What if the Yankees were some sort of experiment that got loose and Ward's been trying to cover it up?"

[Private to Robert Micklethwait: You did, but it was way back near the beginning of the "Afternoon In Blackthorn" thread. Here's a repost:

An Afternoon in Blackthorn:

Reply 1:

From Sheriff John Bewick Victoria Texas stop To Robert Micklethwait Blackthorn Texas stop confirm Judge Melvin Blume left Victoria stop Will investigate further stop

Reply 2:

From John Smith Houston Texas stop To Robert Micklethwait Blackthorn Texas stop received and understood stop will send experts to advise stop [Private to Robert Micklethwait: translation: I'm sending in some Agents to take over]

If Agents were dispatched from Houston, it would take them at least two days by horseback to bet to Blackthorn, and at least a day by stage.

As for giving the CSA a ghost rock mine, how much of a problem it would be for the Union depends entirely on how big of a strike it is, which certainly is something to investigate further. It could be a minor find, which would get played out too quickly to be worth much effort, or it could be a vast deposit.

Of course, there's also the fact that if it's a Ghost Rock strike of sufficient size, it could revitalize the town's economy and help out the innocent people here while reducing Ward's personal power, provided they could exploit it, but I don't know if that's something Robert would factor in to his calculations.]

In reply to Wildcat Hawkins (msg #278):

"Well, you, for starters. I've answered so many questions about myself, but I hardly know anything about you. Where are you from? What is it you enjoy doing? Do you like the theater?"

In reply to Silas Underhill (msg #281):

Kat was clearly just bored at this point, her brain trying to decide what to do next, but she guessed it was time to hurry up and wait.  Her answers came in order without much of a pause.

"Never ask a man where he's from Mister.  If he ain't from Texas there's no need to embarass him and if'n he is, he'll tell you soon enough.  Busting up fools that shoot up towns is my idea of fun.  And no.

"Any idea where I can get a shot of tequila around here?"

Underhill sighs, apparently giving up whatever fantasies he was entertaining. "Ah, well. If you want tequila, the Red Eye on Cross and Second serves that. It's also the place to go if you're spoiling for a fight, as that's where the Dust Adders drink ever since Roland tossed them out of the Grand Bull. Of course, you'd also have to deal with Old Crazy Pete, which is not something I'd wish on any lady. If there's anything left of the Grand Bull, I'd go there, myself. That's just down the street...you passed it getting here."

In reply to The Amazing Evans (msg #280):

"You originally hired us to look into the weird stuff going on around here, specifically all these damn Yankees who aren't stayin' dead like they should.  It seems that the Yankees and the Ghost Rock mine are connected to Ward somehow.  If we poke into it, we're going to butt heads with Ward.  So, right now, what do we have?  That young lady, and I need to thank here, shot one of 'em dead, right?  Do we have any evidence to hang on the others next time they come to town?  If not, all we got is a dead 'bandit', the word of the undertaker who probably will change his story if we press him, and ... that's it."

[Private to GM: OK, thanks.  So I'll sit tight and wait for reinforcements.  Depending on plot, within 8 xp I can get the Agent edge, maybe a field promotion?]

Kat picks her harmonica up off the table, having sat it down before.  "Do you play?"

In reply to Robert Micklethwait (msg #284):

"Well, we have Nathanial Frost pulling his mask off. And he went for his gun first, a clear indication of attempted murder. And it happened in front of a bar full of witnesses. Someone else other than myself and miss Gangatsu had to have seen him reach for his irons right before that giant burst in and started wrecking the place.."

"...I saw you." comes a voice from the bar. Roland, who had been cleaning up the glass from the shattered mirror, is now looking at the group. "But I did not see him. But I heard his voice. I recognize it, and I would be willing to testify to that in open court."

"I appreciate that, Roland. I think that will help, but it might not be enough, especially against an aggressive lawyer. Do you know who was sitting at the table near the other window? We were on the left-hand side...who was on the right?"

Roland thinks for a moment. "The poker players. Clem, Dutch, Greg, and Mike. They're usually at that table."

"Well, I suppose that's a start." he pulls out a pad of paper and a fountain pen. "Can I get their full names and addresses, please?"

"Richard Clemens, Cornelius van Rijn, Gregory Hobbs, and Michael Sewell." Roland says, then rattles off some directions.

Evans jots the information down, then looks at Robert. "Well, if we can convince one or two of them to testify that they saw Nathanial reaching for his gun, we might have enough leverage to start with. Does that work for you?"

[Private to Robert Micklethwait: That's the plan. I'll probably be awarding experience once I get all the characters off to sleep for the night.]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:28, Sat 04 Sept 2010.

In reply to Wildcat Hawkins (msg #285):

"A little. I can do Camptown Races, O Suzanna, and Polly Wolly Doodle. I wouldn't call myself an expert at the harmonica, though."

In reply to Silas Underhill (msg #287):

That answer seems to amuse Kat.  "Yer not so bad mister, even if ya are kind of a coward."  She stands up to depart.  "Reckon I'll be tryin' fer that shot of tequila now."

In reply to Wildcat Hawkins (msg #288):

He salutes. "He who fights and runs away lives to run another day. I surely hope you aren't biting off more than you can chew, my fair lady, and I wish you well on your inquest."

In reply to Silas Underhill (msg #289):

"Biting off more than I can chew is a personal specialty.  But it sure goes down easier with a little whiskey."  Kat says to the man by way of departure.  Resolving to leave Evans alone until the morrow, she goes back to Idjit and decides to try this Grand Bull, curious to see what the undertaker meant by his comments about it.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:38, Sat 04 Sept 2010.

In reply to Wildcat Hawkins (msg #290):

The Grand Bull is just a few blocks away, and Wildcat has a sense of deja vu. She passed this place alright...it was where the giant was bawling his eyes out earlier.

From the outside there doesn't seem to be too much damage, though the windows on the left-hand side are busted in, as if someone heaved a brick through them.

Entering the saloon, Wildcat can see the damage is much more extensive. Tables and chairs have been scattered, and there is half a table sticking through the wall behind the bar, where some shards of glass hint at the presence of what used to be a mirror.

Still, despite the mess, there's half a dozen people in here...most of then she's already seen before. There's Evens, Robert, and the temperamental Asian girl crowded around one of the few upright tables, while a gentlemen with sandy brown hair and mustache dressed in an apron picks up pieces of mirror and broken bottles behind the bar. The girl with the crack shot lounges sleepily in a chair, and a drifter type (who she thought she may have spoken to briefly earlier) stands, taking in the sights quietly.

There's also a distinct absence of either giant or tied up thug.

"Ah! Miss...Hawkins, was it?" Evans says from the table. "Pull up a chair, and welcome to The Grand Bull Saloon. Would you like a drink?"

"Came looking for that very thing Marshal.  Undertaker recommended it.  Glad I made it before the rest of it was gone."  She looks around, not saying much else just yet.  So far shutting up and listening was actually working pretty well, why not keep it up for a while?

Please continue posting on the Chapter 5.2.1 thread.