"And here are probably those that caused this poor soul to be in his present state," muses Charging Bear as he see the riders. He steps back to his horse and puts an hand on the beast to steady him.

"Should we ready for a fight, or give them the benefit of the doubt? For all we know this man was a murderer? but...I'd rather not be caught unarmed..." Jack looks over to Charging Bea and shrugs, he reaches back to his horse and removes his bow, but does not go for the arrows just yet.

Five riders trot up. They look like cowhands, all dusty and rough. The leader is dressed in black, with a thin face sporting a mustache and goatee. Silver caps on the edges of his clothes sparkle in the flash of lightning that heralds them. All five have pistols drawn, though the guns are currently not pointed in a hostile fashion.

"Well, well." The leader says in a spicy Cajun accent. "What have we here, boys? Two injuns and a dead man? I think we done come across the scene of a crime."

The other riders chuckle unpleasantly.

"Well, Injun? Got anythin' to say for yerself? Or should we fill you and yer friend full o' holes right now?"

"I believe you have this all wrong neighbor. We have arrived, here same as you and came upon this poor soul who appears to have died of mistreatment rather than a bullet or arrow." Charging Bear says all of this calmly, meeting the leader's gaze with his own.

"You hear that, boys?" The rider in black calls back to his posse. "Our Injun friend here claims he just found this here dead Yank! That they just happened upon the corpse o' the very varmint we've been looking for!" He gives a cold smile to Charging Bear, before turning back to his friends. "Well, do that sound particularly likely to any of you?"

One of the other riders, a stocky, red-faced man in a black Stetson hat, pipes up, "Well, Nathaniel, I might believe it. Then again, I'd sooner believe pigs will be flying out my rosy derriere! I think we need to teach these savages a lesson about murderin' folk."

There's some general murmur of gleeful accent from the riders, and the sound of pistols being cocked...

[[OOC: Time to either bluff your way out, intimidate them, or start a fight. You can try Persuasion to improve their attitudes, Intimidate to get them to back off, or just start fighting by drawing Initiative cards.]]

Charging Bear pulls the pair of tomahawks from around his saddle and rushes at the lead rider (aka Mr Frost).

OOC:
12:48, Today: Charging Bear drew the single card: BJ! using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative.
13:00, Today: Charging Bear rolled 4,3,6,2 using 1d8+2,1d6+2,1d8,1d6, rerolling max. Fighting x2 (Main, Wild, Off, Wild).
13:00, Today: Charging Bear rolled 11 using 2d6+2, rerolling max. Damage.

Results
Initiative: Black Joker ! +2 to all trait/damage rolls
Fighting: 4,6 (One Hit)
Damage: 11 (1 Wounds)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:31, Wed 11 Nov 2009.

[[OOC: Nathaniel will spend a White Chip to attempt to soak: 10:10, Today: Nathaniel Frost rolled 2,5 using d6,d6. Frost's Soak Roll. So he soaks the wound, but you've caught him by surprise.]]

Nathaniel curses in shock as Charging Bear lives up to his name and comes at him with a pair of tomahawks. He shifts away as the hatchets tear at his leg, ripping his nice black pants and slicing his boot open.

Beside him, the red-faced thug raises his Colt Dragoon and snaps off a shot at Charging Bear, tagging him hard.

[[OOC: Gus Shaw rolled 4,0,14 using d8-2,d6-2,2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2,(6+5)11,2. shootin' at Charging Bear. That's a success and 2 raises on damage, for Shaken and 2 wounds unless you soak. Ouch.]]

The other ruffians start snapping off shots at Charging Bear and Jack Twofeather, yipping and howling like hounds. They're too busy snapping off shots and looking intimidating to hit the broad side of a barn, though.

[[OOC: 10:46, Today: The Stray rolled 0-1,-1 using d6-2,d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1,1. Dust Adders shoot. 1 at CB, 2 at JT. Wow that Unstable Platform penalty is a killer. Not that they would have hit you anyway, not with those rolls]]

Meanwhile, moving away from the belligerent Indian brave, Nathaniel pulls a small, silver charm shaped like a pentagram inside a circle with a ruby eye at the center and mutters something under his breath, making odd hand motions. Charging Bear clips him as he passes by, though, and Nathaniel hisses in pain.

[[OOC: With the Opportunity attack, Nathaniel suffers 2 wounds and is Shaken. He spends one of the White Chips from the pool to soak: 14:15, Today: Nathaniel Frost rolled 3,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. Soak. One wound soaked, so he still has a wound and is Shaken. That means he loses his action, which is spent failing to recover from shaken: 14:23, Today: Nathaniel Frost rolled 2,2 using d6-1,d6-1. Roll to recover from Shaken.]]

[[Initiative:

*Gus: Queen of Clubs (P5, T7)
3 Dust Adders: Jack of Spades (P5, T5)
*Nathaniel Frost: 2 of Spades (P5, T5)]]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:24, Wed 11 Nov 2009.

ooc: I get an attack on Frost for him leaving melee.

[[OOC: Ah, the Attack of Opportunity. What did you roll?]]

Lashing out with his tomahawk, Charging Bear clips Frost.

OOC:
16:57, Today: Charging Bear rolled 7,12 using 1d8+2,1d6+2, rerolling max. Fighting (+2 Joker).
16:57, Today: Charging Bear rolled 10,3 using 2d6+2,1d6, rerolling max. Damage (+2 Joker, Raise).

Results
Fighting: 12 (hit w/ raise)
Damage: 13 (2 Wounds)

[[OOC: Retcon actions taken into account on previous post. Now waiting for Twofeather to get in the action]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:25, Wed 11 Nov 2009.

[[OOC: If Twofeather hasn't posted by 2 pm, we'll just put him on hold and continue on to the next round.]]

[[OOC: since we seem to have lost Twofeather for the moment, I'm putting him on Hold for now and continuing on. New Round! Draw initiative cards!]]

[Initiative:
3 Dust Adders: King of Clubs (Parry 5, Toughness 5)
*Nathaniel Frost: Queen of Clubs (Parry 5, Toughness 5, 1 Wound, Currently Shaken)
[Private to GM: Undead Soldier: Jack of Daimonds (Parry 5, Toughness 7)]
*Gus Shaw: 8 of hearts (Parry 5, Toughness 7)
*Charging Bear: 2 of Spades
*Jack Twofeather: On Hold

I'll post actions once I know when everyone is going.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:37, Thu 12 Nov 2009.

OOC: Looks like I'm last
15:35, Today: Charging Bear drew the single card: 2S using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative.

I'll start drawing initiative at the end of my action to keep things flowing.

The thugs decide to take it to the ground instead of wasting bullets. They leap off their horses and rush Charigin Bear. One of them tries to grab him, while the others settle for trying to pistol whip him in the face. Charging Bear is able to slip out of the thug's grip and fend off the pair of Colt Dragoons to his face.

[[OOC: Multiaction penalty canceled out by Gang up bonus, so they're at their straight rolls. The Grabber: rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4. The pistol whippers: rolled 1,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5.]]

"Idiots." Nathaniel grunts as he nurses his wounded leg and recovers his wits. He glares murder at Charging Bear.

[[OOC: Nathaniel rolls to recover from being shaken. He has a +1 bonus from his Command edge, which is negated by his wound penalty. He rolled 6,2. He recovers, but it takes his whole action to do so.]]

They continue to try to gang-beat Charging Bear, but suddenly the red-faced man shouts out "What in the HOLY HELL!?"

[[OOC: To be continued in my next post...]]

The dead Union Soldier suddenly starts moving, rising slowly to it's feet. It gazes at the melee with glowing red eyes. It's broken ankle flops around as it begins hobbling towards the nearest thug, mouth open for a bite. The two thugs who had been whipping on Charing Bear turn tail and run as their companion screams in pain, the dead man's teeth clamped firmly on his throat...

[[OOC: And welcome the newest complication to this fight. Roll Guts, + your Grit but -3 for the area's fear level. If you fail, you are Shaken and must make a Vigor roll or suffer a -1 penalty to all further.

Results for NPCS:

Nathaniel Frost: 0, 4. Passed.
Gus Shaw: 2, 4. Passed.
Dust Adders: 4, 0, 1. One passed, 2 failed and are Panicked.

Attack against Dust Adder: 5, with a damage of 6. The Dust Adder it attacked is now Shaken]]

[[OOC: One last initiative to take care of before your action, CB}}

Ignoring the pair of Indians, the red-faced rider whirls his horse around and aims a shot at the dead Yankee. He clips it in the shoulder, but the thing doesn't even seem to feel the bullet as it continues to maul it's prey.

[[OOC: Attack:rolled 5,3 using d8-2,d6-2; Damage: Rolled 3 using 2d6+1. Halved for being a bullet against an undead means he did jack crap with his bullet.]]

[[OOC: You're up, CB]]

Charging Bear looks at the risen Union solider. Gritting his teeth the Indian brave rushes forwards his two tomahawks swinging at the newly risen creature.

OOC:
16:13, Today: Charging Bear rolled -1,5 using 1d4-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+1)7. Guts!.
16:17, Today: Charging Bear rolled 14,1,4,6 using 1d8,1d6,1d8-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (8+6)14,1,6,(6+2)8. Fighting x2 (Main, Wild, Off, Wild).
16:17, Today: Charging Bear rolled 15,5,4,5 using 2d6,1d6,2d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+5)11,5,2,2,5. Damage.
16:19, Today: Charging Bear drew the single card: 5D using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative.

Results
Guts: 5
Fighting: 14, 6 (assuming 2 hits 1 w/ raise)
Damage: 20, 4
Initiative: 5D

The tomahawks find purchase, and the thing's head goes flying off. The thug it had been munching on takes one look at Charging Bear, and collapses into a quivering heap, pleading "Oh god oh god oh god please don't kill me Mary Joseph and Jesus watch over me I'll never sin again if I live through this day..."

"What the HELL!?" shouts the red-faced rider. "What the HELL!?"

"I don't see what you're all surprised about, given what you an' yer brother do." Nathaniel grunts.

"It ain't the same Goddamned thing! That man were dead! The dead don't just get up and walk like that!"

"What're we going to do about them?" Nathaniel points at Charging Bear, who still has blood dripping from his tomahawks.

"Forget the Injuns! This one just saved our lives! I ain't got no more beef with him. We got somethin' worse goin' on. Live and let live, I say."

Nathaniel sighs. "Fuck." He looks at Charging Bear. "Well, what do you say? There's people what gots to know about this dead man walkin'. A mite more important than any brawl between us...for now. Truce?"

[[OOC: They spend their cards talking about the events, effectively On Hold.]]

Charging Bear nods slightly at Nathaniel and smiles a sly smile, as though he knows the two of them will have it out someday. "Truce." A quick flick of the two tomahawks sprays blood over the newly re-dead, solider.

The thugs collect themselves and their horses and cautiously ride off, back towards the lights of town. All that is left is the headless corpse, Twofeather, and Charging Bear.

[[OOC: And take a Red Fate Chip for being Made of Awesome. Charging Bear is a combat machine...he took on two Wild Cards and a pack of extras just about by himself, and beheaded a Walkin' Dead in one swipe. I've got another pair of characters in another thread who've been struggling to take down a single Zombie for the last 4 or 5 rounds now.]]

Charging Bear looks over the dead man again, frowning as he does so. "May you find peace in the hunting ground now." His hand drifts to the small rag doll around his neck, as though a habit he's not aware of. "Let us see about getting to town, Two Feathers... I've no desire to be out in the weather that is coming." With that he mounts up and heads towards the lights ahead.


OOC: Thanks boss, luck of the dice roller as she can be a cruel mistress. Charging Bear is built for combat, both ranged and melee which helps out when you have critters that take 1/2 damage from bullets.

[[OOC: I'm going to wait and see if Twofeather is going to show up. If he doesn't appear by tomorrow, I'll just run him as an NPC so you can get to town.]]

It takes another 15 minutes for the pair to reach the town. By then it's dark, and lanterns have been hung on the buildings. There isn't much to Main Street, just a few shops, the local stagecoach office, a general store, a livery, and a "Grand Bull Saloon," which proclaims itself with a longhorn steer skull over the entrance. The smell of bourbon mixes with southern cooking, and a sprightly piano tune filters into the air. The rain is steady, and the sky is lit with the occasional jagged bolt of lightning.

Charging Bear ties off his horse then pulls his hair back into a makeshift pony tail. Reaching into his small pack of things he retrieves a beaten up CSA coat, with a rank of Sergeant on the arm. He lightly dust off the coat before slipping it on. "In we go? and with little else he enters the Grand Bull Saloon

Let's hope this goes well... Charging Bull thinks as he crosses the threshold of the building.