In reply to Carl (msg #144):

Ward looks at Carl, then nods, apparently understand the gestures clearly. "You're right, of course. I apologize. Grab those men whom you think will come. Tell me which they decide...come with us, or search on their own. I'll give you a few minutes to discuss things with them. And if, in the end, you feel you must ride out on your own, then I'll understand." He rests a hand on Carl's shoulder. "Just remember...if Frost won't be taken alive, then at least retrieve the body, so that the Law is awae that justice has been done."

Yea, it is a rabbit. Well, she wasn't going to make the mistake of hesitation this time.  The metal thing would have been in better condition and she wouldn't have to take it all the way back to the ranch. In troubling thoughts as well, she put the thought of that thing being a bit like a child weighing on her mind, but that thought was pushed aside at the brown thing that shrieked near Danny. With her blade at the ready, she rushed forward with the firm sand pressing to the sole of the wooden sandal. A hard thrust, guagin a measure that it would try and flee, her hand steady to kill the quick little stalker.

Rolled 5 for a hit. Yay!
Rolled 6 for damage. + 2 for katana making a total of 8 damage. Yay?

Gangatsu draws Ace of Clubs for next round. Wow.

Gangatsu's sword goes *snicker-snack*, and the jackalope's head goes bouncing into the underbrush.

---

Danny collapses. "Hungry..." he moans...and grabs the still-warm corpse of the killer rabbit to start gnawing on it. Blood dribbles down his new, clean shirt as he tears strips of rabbit meat, fur and all, off the carcass, swallowing them raw.

[[OOC: Danny takes this opportunity to get at some fresh meat.

Danny Boy drew the single card: JH for next round]]

---

Gus curses us a streak at the pain, and fumbles around in the dirt for his gun.

"Well, damn." he says, not really sure just what the hell happened. He glares over at Gangatsu and Danny. "The fuck is he doin'?" He mutters, still trying to make sense of everything.

[[OOC: Gus Shaw rolled 12,2 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max. recover from shaken attempt. That's a raise, so he's able to act this turn. He spends the turn picking up his pistol.

Gus Shaw drew the single card: 5C for next round]]

Carl grips his hatbrim a bit more firmly, almost a salute, and makes to head in. He gives Ward a wry half-smile, pausing, at the clap on the shoulder and accompanying remark. "..."

Gangatsu moved back a step, she killed the bunny and a slight smirk pulled her lips. At least she'd have a good early lunch since it's still a fresh kill, yet it seemed the union boy had the same idea. He fell and started to claw at the skin, pulling it open and eating it, making a bloody mess that made a familar queasy feeling in her gut. She stepped back, moving all cautious like  without taking her eye off from the...

Hungry boy that was eating flesh and even the nice pelt, stuffing it into his mouth in a fashion that would make anyone else loose their breakfast. Gus barked up about what he's doing and she tilted her head a little in hearing it.

" You know wut'cha gotta do, darlin'. Just like all da others, he's gunna turn. Still goin to push for answers? Your pushin a bit too hard ta find da grand finale."

The raspy voice like smoke in her mind, she could easy vision Danny going bat shit insane and try to eat a bigger meal. She turned, moving a bit toward Gus.

" I need ya to calm down, Gus, he ain't a problem right now. I don't wanna fight ya, I just wanted to talk.  You wanna ease yer gun back in da hole or wut." Watching him, she was waiting a second on her turn and she couldn't believe the luck danny Boy had that she wasn't going to kill him yet. None of the stories she was hearing had matched so far and now her head was a bit more clear, she was reduce to waiting again.

Wait
Pulled card: Queen of Clubs

Danny continues to chow down on the rabbit, oblivious to his surroundings.

Gus does not holster his gun...he cocks and fires.

*BANG!*

The boy, in the middle of raising his grim feast to his lips, pitches back as the bullet slams into him. He collapses, empty eyes staring blankly at the sky.

"Fucking finally." Gus growls.

[[OOC: Gus decideds to shoot Danny Boy.

Gus Shaw rolled 2,1 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. Shooting! He spends a Red Chip

Gus Shaw rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5. red chip.

That brings his total to 7, which is a hit but not a raise.

Gus Shaw rolled 13 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11,1. Damage. That's a Shaken and 2 wounds to Danny Boy, who is already at 3 wounds.

Danny Boy rolled -2,1 using d6-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4. soak roll. Fail. Danny's incapacitated.

[Private to GM: Danny Boy rolled 5,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2. Incapacitation roll. He succeeds, thanks to his Hard To Kill edge. he takes an Injury to the arm and will be unconscious for an hour.]

Gus Shaw drew the single card: 5H]]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Sun 10 Oct 2010.

Carl moseys back into the subdued bunkhouse, picking up his shotgun on the way. The first his eye lit on was Dave, but the man was nursing sore pride and a few teeth he'd never see again, so he lets him be and catches Mike's eye, beckons once. Mike throws him a querying look, but that raggedy-ass sonovabitch would ride with him to the jaws of Hell. One.

Carl half-notices as Mike nudges Jesse, who returns a kick at Mike's shins for nudging him whilst he's trying to shave. Jesse'd not only ride to the jaws of Hell, but through them whooping blood for Dixie if not forcibly restrained; guess that makes two. Carl waits for them to come over, sweeping the room with narrowed eyes.

Jack gives him a worried look, slinking out back. Carl shrugs and gives half a smile and a hat-tug to Al and Heavy Henry as they follow him out, doubtless to make triple-sure Nate's not hiding at the bottom of any bottles at the Red Eye and to remind anyone who thinks they mighta recognised Jack they really don't. A pointed finger stops Percy in his tracks before he can slope off after them and a pointed stare suggests Percy's mother might quickly find out if the lad preferred the bar and 'bad company' to this outing. Time to learn something of honour amongst thieves. Three.

Big Tom waves him away, but Little Tom's weasel eyes meet his with interest and a small nod at Percy with a smirk ('you can always win his share off him later') brings him over. Four. Carl considers if there's anyone else, gives Frank a questioning glance. Frank hesitates - scared of Frost's hoodoo, doubtless, but it seems Carl's favour with Ward and the presence of others convinces him and he drags his hat with his lucky feather and his lucky shot-up ace off his bunk and joins them. Five.

Volunteers collected, Carl jerks his head back at where Ward was standing and waves one hand over the other as though divining by pendulum, shotgun under his arm. He meets the others' gazes and gives an open-handed shrug.

[Private to GM: Carl-translation: 'Want to ride at Ward's side and maybe curry favour, or do we go to the bolthole/s we know he's probably made for, knowing the land as we do?']

Charging Bear makes his way to the bard, thinking that's probably where Frost is if the man has not left the ranch.

[[OOC: Done in chat with Gangatsu and myself.]]

Some Mood Music

Damn it. Was what she thought would be the last thing she would ever think. The gun screamed off and she bowed her head. Holding for a moment, only to feel....

Nothing?

She was still standing...Though, glancing over to Danny Boy...Looks like his luck ran out.

"Damn." She murmured and moved over to check out the body. Well, there went a pair of her clothes and a possible clue.  Gatsu moved over to the body of the torn up rabbit and looked at its long, slender hind foot.

Ducking down, she took the two rear feet and chopped them off with her katana.  She squeezed them, leaking out the excess blood from it and figured a bit o silence was needed. Damn. She can really rub people the wrong way. It was a thought that made her chuckle.

"You think something's funny, girl?" Gus says, holding his gun in a most unfriendly manner. "I ain't forgot you whacking at my hand, you know."

"You don't think this is funny?" she gave a curious pitch to her normally monotone  vocals. "Got stuck with a  walkin dead man and a chatter box clank, both you wiped out without a fuss and if I didn't stop ya beatin on dat machine, we'd all be scatter'd round da land fer miles.  I hit your hand, least I didn't hit your neck and leave ya out 'ere. Coulda gone a lot worse..."

"Well, if the damn clank had let me shoot that sonovabitch when I had the notion, I wouldn't have had to beat it into scrap." Gus says, spitting out some chaw. "Damn thing thought the deader there were some kind of fucking pet. Well, now neither of them are problems no more. And good riddance."

"Eh, can't say I disagree." She walks up the way toward Gus. After milking out the blood from the rabbit, She stored it away, taking the moment to pull out the bullet she kept from Frost's gun. "Was keeping him alive to find out a bit more about the ghost rock.."

"You don't say." Gus replies, keeping his face neutral.

"Yeah. He told me a story, got ghost rock off him. Then that machine ate my last piece, sold the rest..." She holds up one of the bullets as if studying it with a little interest.

"Yeah. Whatever. Ain't you going to go marching off into Injun Country?"

"Mm, avoiding it?" She inquired, "Or you want me ta ask all nicely? Tried doing that once already, but you get a lil fiesty.."

"You got a funny way of 'askin' nicely,' girl." Gus growls, rubbing his hand. He hasn't holstered his un, though he isn't currently pointing it at Gangatsu's face. "And there are things you don't get to ask about. Look. I don't know what crap the greasy mic spewed wherever it was you ran into him to get you to feel sorry for him, but whatever it was, it was a sack of horseshit. No more, no less."

"I ain't got any sympathy fer noone. My husband was eaten by the dead, yeah...Tends to take the 'nice' in people away." She lifted her sword and made a little slash gesture to fling off the blood from the rabbit, then sheathed it with a scrape of metal. "Yer Lyin ta me, Gus.  Now, someone told me your da man to ask." She let out her free hand. "Let me see yer hand."

"You believe what you want. I ain't here to play twenty questions." Gus said, glaring rattlesnakes at her. "And whatcha want my hand for?"

She shook her head a little, but seemed impassive at this big angry man.  Her hand was out and she waited. "To feed on, what do you think? Your bellyachin' is gettin on my nerves. Let me see it."

"Fine." He says, with little good grace. He lets he look over the hand, bandaging it with whatever she can scrounge together.

She tore a little bit of fabric that wouldn't be missed off the side of her pants and  then resumed checking his hand. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. She had to pop his thumb back in place and make sure nothing was broke before wrapping his hand firmly in the material.

[[OOC: She uses her Extra Effort card to gain a bonus to her untrained Healing check, for a total of 5]]

She sighed a bit and then wiped off her hands a little. "So what's it take, then? You loyal to Ward or his money?"

Gus doesn't react much when his thumb is popped back into place, only lightly grimacing at a pain that would have lesser people bawling their eyes out.

"Both." He grunts. "The money's good, and Ward's overlooked my brother's...oddities."

"Eh. Not much of an achievement. He's a good fellow, a little lonely seeming." She testingly reached out and poked his chest before stepping away, looking down to his boots and jeans for a moment. "So? What stops you from just takin over da ranch with the Adders and throw Ward out o da mix?"

A warning rattle came from Gus as she reached towards his chest. "Careful there. Might get it bit off." He hisses. "You ain't been where Tex and I have been. You get all angsty 'cause yer dude got et by some monsters. Try being brothers with one o' them monsters, with everyone tryin' to kill him as a freak or use him as a weapon, and you'll learn what a rare, rare gift it is when someone treats him like a human."

"I ain't tryin ta compare, but on a scale of that, I understand he's still hurting all da time. No one treats me like a human, much less a dame. I'm just something they don't want around. It took a lot more then just my man to die to make me this way, years of hatred. But... To each d'ere own, as some dead man once said." Her head tilted a bit, and she lifted her coolie a little.

"This place is becoming more and more like hell, and all I want to do is just...Make it all stop.  I need your help or I'm just going to have to do it that long way around. Either way...I'll get there."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:49, Sun 10 Oct 2010.

"Look, you got it all wrong. Ward ain't the problem. Without him, Blackthorn would be a ghost town. You wanna know why Nate and I don't take over this outfit? It's cause we ain't got the vision. Sure, Nate thinks he could run this outfit, but he's too big for his britches. Ward has got plans. he's got a will, and he's got a way. He's the one who come up with the treatments that make them beeves immune to Texas Fever, which has killed most of the other herds about. You all were screaming about him being some sort o' witch, but he ain't. He's a scientist." Gus pauses to spit again. "Look, if'n you wanna help, don't go after Ward. Them Yankee boys were nothin' but rustlers and thieves, tryin' to steal the doc's stash of the Rock that make his treatments possible. Whatever's bringin' 'em back wants to tear down all that Doc's built up. I blame them Comanches. They got a witchdoctor...I bet this is all his fault, to tell the truth."

In reply to Carl, Charging Bear, Augustus Spotswood:

The five volunteers gather around Carl and discuss the situation. They decide to go with Ward in the end, and gather their horses. Some of them give funny looks to Augustus, hiding behind the outhouse.

It takes a few minutes for them all to gather together. Ward takes his own horse, and offers one to Augustus. Once everyone's settled, he gives the order to ride out.

---

Charging Bear reaches the barn, and feels a coldness in the air. A lingering smell of coal smoke wafts off the timbers.

The first thing he notices is that there is no livestock here. None. No horses, cows, pigs, or any other living thing moves about in the darkness.

The second thing he notices is the coal stove, now dark, next to a giant slab of marble that sits in the middle of the floor. On the slab, etched into the stone, is a giant, elaborate circle inlaid with turquoise and lapis lazuli:


Along the walls, in the stalls where livestock would be, are benches of liquids, workshop tools, and all manner of stranage devices and machines that the native son can't even begin to guess the functions of.

It looks like he's found Ward's workshop.

Upon seeing the situation change around, Augustus stands and steps out from behind the outhouse.  Trying his very best to look as though it was the most normal thing in the world to have been hiding behind the outhouse.  Striding up, he accepts the offered horse and, after a few tries, hauls himself into the saddle.  Definately no horseman.  Once mounted, he will follow the Doctor and his men.

Carl does stand in his stirrups a moment to look for the vanished Injun, but is first to ride after Ward when the man touches heels to his big black.

Carl reins his sorrel back a little, letting Ward and his peculiar new friend take the lead. The boys spread out without telling, mean and hungry as wolves (no food to be scrounged at the house, what was that all about?), Percy riding a bit further out than necessary, but no matter.

Silently, Carl thinks through his plans for the day in the saddle. Should drop in on...thingy, Charlie's woman, later if there was time. Check her'n the kid were all right. Carl rides on, shotgun nestled against him and ready, trying to remember the woman's name.

In reply to The Dust Adders (msg #155):

Charging Bear shivered, as a tingle ran up his spin. "Oh... Dr Ward what are you up to here..." Setting Augustus's Sonic Neurological Disruptor down, he moves into the space and begins to look over the place methodically. He's got the time and will be using it. Starting at the stove, Charging Bear goes over the barn like a detective looking for clues, as that's what he is really at this point.

Southwestern tribes use turquoise heavily... do they have a snake creature of note..

OOC:
11:31, Today: Charging Bear rolled 3,2 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. Notice.
11:31, Today: Charging Bear rolled 3,21 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+6+6+3)21. Notice (Red Chip Re-roll).
11:52, Today: Charging Bear rolled -1,7 using 1d4-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+3)9. Knowledge Occult (untrained).

The land darkens as clouds pass over the sun. A chill and bitter wind tinged with the dewy smell of far away rain blows through the plains, carrying the rumble of thunder with it. A storm is coming.

---

In the Barn:

Charging Bear searches through the beakers, chemicals, and odd devices in the barn. Most of the chemicals are carefully labeled. charging Bear recognizes morphine, chloroform, quinine, and other medicines, but other chemicals he can't readily identify, and can't guess a purpose for. What the heck does one use "lunar caustic" for?

The coal stove is connected to a boiler to produce steam, which seems to be piped to some of the other devices in the barn. The coal burned in the stove seems to contain a lot of Ghost Rock, if the residue CB finds is any indication.

There's also a large brass firebowl that has recently been used, set on the side of the giant circle. It's difficult to tell just what was was burned here by the ashes, but they aren't more than 8-12 hours old.

The Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, and Anasazi used Turquoise extensively, but the one that has tribe that comes to mind are the bloodthirsty Aztecs, who also had many important serpents in their pantheon of deities. Quetzalcoatl, Xiuhcoatl, Mixcoatl, Tezcatlcoatl...each of these serpents played important roles in Aztec myth, as a symbol of transmutation and renewal connected to the elements of earth and water.

---

On the Range:

Carl, Augustus, and Ward, along with the other Dust Adders, ride out on the range. Ward's land is large, and some of the Dust adders take to shooting at random rabbits and pheasants that pass by, trying to catch some food for later.

The weather worsens as the group rides and the wind kicks up. It slithers under shirts and coaxes the hairs on the skin to rise.

After a couple hours of riding, the group nears a small, dry gully where a smoldering fire sends up a small column of greasy smoke.

Ward calls for a halt. "It seems we have closed in on our quarry. Time to decide how we approach his capture."

With a sigh, Charging Bear realizes Ward knew more than he was willing to say... but that was to be expected. Blood... it will end in blood. Noting no true sign of Frost, Charing Bear shifts his thinking and begins trying to track down the man whom he'd wounded just two days earlier.

OOC:
13:31, Today: Charging Bear rolled 1,1 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1. Tracking.
13:31, Today: Charging Bear rolled 11 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11. Tracking +1d6 Blue Chip.
Total of 12

Carl meets eyes and gives slight gestures, checking for trust and ordering the sides of the gully occupied by gunmen since chance has thrown him some measure of command - no harm in it, Ward can always call them back if he thinks of a better plan. Meanwhile...well, Nate never was as bright as he thought himself, but a camp out in the open when a man's one chance to get clean away would be to bushwhack and cut down the head of any posse following, that merited a little caution.

Jesse Carl keeps by him and waits, ready to take orders and back Ward and the skinny greenhorn up or to take action if given free rein, silent, patient. He pats his restive horse to settle her, taking a glance at the sky.

Augustus seems quite happy for the pause in the ride and tries to adjust himself a bit in the saddle.  He's not had the easiest ride, but at least he kept up.  After turning so his back was to the wind as much as possible, he gives his gadgets a quick check over. He lifts a brow at Ward's comments on planning.  With a proud smile, the scientist begins adjusting dials and buttons on his latest invention, the Zoological Evocator, "Perhaps a bit of reconnaisance would help..."

OOC - A 10 on Weird Science to tune into a recon animal.  A bird, if there are any still in range, but a rabbit or somesuch will work as well.

Charging Bear:

Inside the barn there are faint traces of a wounded man, and the native son is able to get a rough idea of what had happened here...the wounded man rolled out the fire bowl, spent some time near the circle, possibly napping, then left. however, when he left, he no longer moved like a wounded man.

Charging Bear followed the trail. It took him quite a while, for though he had a good trail to follow, he was on foot, so by the time he reached the gully where the trail lead, Ward, Augustus, and the Dust Adders were already there.

---

Carl & Augustus

The Dust Adders creep along, warily. This area does seem to be a lovely spot for an ambush

Meanwhile, Augustus, fiddling with the knobs, notices the area is very, very quiet...too quiet. But he does manage to zero in on a presence in the sky. A sparrow, flapping around looking for worms, heads the call of his device and lands nearby. It looks up at him.

"Whatcha want?" It whistles.

Carrying Augustus's sonic neurological disruptor made Charging Bear long for his bow and most definitely his horse, Swift Wind. He looked into the gully and knew death awaited, he'd seen it in the war. Generals were always happy when a scout brought back information about a gully like this. Meant they could get the upper hand on the enemy. Who's the enemy today? Shouldering the device, Charging Bear looked to get to the top of the gully and hopefully see who or what was a head of the group.

Uneasy, Carl doesn't stop his horse backing a pace from Augustus' strange device, alternately watching Ward for any decisions and the landscape for any sign of Nate or one of the lads being slightly careless in their approach. It's during the latter activity he spots a dash of grey and buckskin - he clears his throat and points the figure out to Ward, realising as he does so that it's the injun again.

"..."

Once more the very proud smile curls Augustus' lips as his device tunes in. He lifts the device to speak more easily into it, depressing the transmit button as he does so, "Greetings, little friend.  We're looking for another human who may be there.  Would you mind popping over and having a look around that gully?  Just tell me what may be around that smoke?"  Releasing the transmit button, he turns to his new companions, especially the doctor, "I found a nice sparrow who may be willing to fly in and look around for us.  Lovely bird the sparrow."

Ward looks and nods. "Thank you for pointing him out. We wouldn't want the deputy to get caught in a crossfire. Signal the men to be cautious."

Meanwhile, the bird chips back to Augustus and flutters off. It flies high, circling around the camp, then returns.

"See one human all wrapped up near fire, not moving. Sleepy, maybe." it chips. "See another behind, climbing rock. Dark skin, not pale like you. Got food?"

[Private to Charging Bear: Make me a Climbing roll to get to the top of the gully.]

Augustus quickly pats down his pockets looking for something, looking quite ashamed really.  Glancing around to the group nearby, he sheepishly inquires, "Terribly sorry, but would anyone happen to have a piece of biscuit? Or bread of any kind?  Perhaps some grain or seed?"  Then more pointedly to Dr. Ward, by way of explanation for his sudden interest in foodstuffs, "The very kind sparrow says there is only one man by the fire.  He's wrapped up and not moving very much.  The bird feels that he may be sleepy.  He also says there is a darker skinned....Oh."  He trails off a little as he catches on that the others already know about the Indian.  Shaking his head a little, he mutters, maybe to himself or perhaps to the bird, "I do not look foolish...  I was just being polite..."

Something feels wrong. Something feels wrong about all of this, and it's not just that they seem to be taking the advice of a man who talks to birds. Carl nudges his sorrel a little nearer Ward, nodding at his words and looking for permission to ride on into the gulley and see what's going on.

If he gets it, he'll briefly dismount and kick over a rock/log for the bird before remounting and kicking off to a loping canter, beckoning to Jesse if he's not already at his side with the grin of the about-to-be-shot-at.