Night. April 11th, 1879. The local church, Blackthorn, Texas. Good Friday.

The group at the church had finally gotten around to not pointing weapons at each other. Gus had reluctantly given up the flamethrower, though he kept his own pistols and knife.

Father O'Rourke asked them all back inside, where they met up with Jake.

"So. Now that we have a brief respite from conflict, why don't you share what it was you've learned?" Father O'Rourke asks William and Jake.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:55, Fri 02 Nov 2012.

"Nothing overly good." Jack said with a grim tone.

"Seems our men of blessed science got to talking to a snake spirit which they believe to from Tezcatlcoatl's Brood. The spirit offered to give protection against Texas Fever, ringworm, and sickness to these guys cattle... so it was in the end about money. BUT My guess is the snake got to doing more than just help with cows. There are some notes about the dead coming back to life in the tome's margins."

OOC: Does Jake know anything about else Tezcatlcoatl himself?
09:58, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 2,5 using 1d4,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. Know (Occult).

This message was last edited by the player at 14:00, Fri 02 Nov 2012.

"Bitter Waters, what in the hell is Tez Cattle Cottle?" asked Adrian, feeling uncomfortable in the church. He looked a bit abashed at the Father.

"I mean heck."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:13, Fri 02 Nov 2012.

"Ain't just about money." Gus grumbles. "That ranch is the only thing keepin' Blackthorn from becoming a ghost town. Other herds in Texas have been damn near destroyed by Texas Fever. Before we done started Ward's inoculation treatments, we nearly lost everything. Because of the die-offs, beef prices are at an all-time high. This year's herd can buy enough to reopen the mine...once the damn bone thing is kilt off."

"self has all the guns!" the clank tells Jesus at the other end of the church.

William isn't aware of anything about snakes or gods they had found. Then again, he had been late to the party at the creepy mansion. And he had been almost killed by an enraged clank. Alouette.

"There were crates in the cellar, used to transport bodies to a fellow called Caleb  Feigenbaum. We hope it was bodies when the lids where nailed shut, anyhow.
Lot's of embalming fluid there, too.
Somebody has been trying to resurrect dead bodies. And judging from that doorman, he succeeded."

He eyes Gus Shaw, wearily.
Snake spirits and snake men...

"What damn bone thing?"

Come to Blackthorn, the perfect place to lie low...

"Can't be the actual Feigenbaum." Gus says. "The Jew was in the mine the day o' the cave-in, doin' some kind of inspection. He was an accountant and assayer for the Wendell people. I think he might have been checking on the load...might even have found the Ghost Rock. Not that it did him a world o' good."

Gus frowns deeper. "You know, that sick fuck Whateley wanted to be the undertaker pretty bad. He's a creepy one...he was lustin' after Ethyl Deeps pretty hard. So hard that Mr. Deeps, our original undertaker, decided to up and leave town. After that, we was without an undertaker fer six months...no one wanted to let him anywhere near their loved ones, not even the other Moonies. Then Silas Underhill came to town, peddling snakeoil, and got offered the job. Whateley didn't like that much. It wouldn't fuckin' surprise me if Whateley was a bodysnatcher on the sly. Hey...he also moved into Feigenbaum's old place, too."

Gus shrugs at William. "It's a big monster made o' bones. It lurks near the Ghost Rock seam that we uncovered. It ain't always there...but we can't kill it. We've tried. Bullets don't do shit, and every time we done break it up, it comes back. He's seen it." He hikes a thumb at Danny, who curses at him. Gus ignores the invectives. "We can't clear the cave-in and see if there's more Ghost Rock in the mine until we figure a way to kill it for good."

(((OOC: just a nudge...no one's yet asked Alouette to write out the scribblings it ate in the Lodge...just sayin'...))

"You sure it's the same bone thing? Sounds more like someone making more than one. Find the one creating them, end them."

William shrugs. He had killed a lot over the years. Sometimes you had to do it directly. Sometime you had to get creative. And sometimes you needed more information. That rings a bell....
"Alouette... can you tell us what was in those books you, uhm, ate?"

"Necromancy!" the clank chirps happily, pattering up.

[[It did write out part of the notes (in sticky!) but Jake either dropped them or put them away somewhere when he was trying to get the Hawk not to eat William...Danny's asked it since, but it'd need writing stuffs rather than an armful of guns...it also mentioned the thing in the scratched-up box was a lady who didn't want to be buried]]

"YES!!" Danny and Gus say in unison.

They begin babbling over each other.

"...giant tail, like a snakes...got a stinger on it..."

"...broke seventeen bones, but the damn thing just flowed like a river back together..."

"...you could see all the times the bones had been broken before...bony claw-blade-things..."

"...hell, it blew itself apart, like it done had dynamite in it's chest...then the damn bones started rolling back together..."

"...half a dozen fuckin' human skulls, all screamin' as one..."

"...got Smitty down, then started carving him open...it pulled his bones out o' his fuckin' leg and stuffed them into it...we barely got him away, and he couldn't walk anymore after..."

"...where the fuck d'ye get bones like that? Where the fuck, eh? They weren't natural at'all except the ones that came from men..."

Evans frowns, and retreats into the back vestibule. A few minutes later he returns with an armful of paper sheets and an inkwell.

"Alouette, can you replicate what you read here? Give the guns to Father O'Rourke and come over here if you can."

William strokes his beard.
"Alright, one bone thing. Nice to see that the two of you have something you can agree on." He seems to try to lighten the mood, but his tone of voice and the look on his face kill the punchline - if there even was one.

"Okay - hold please!" Alouette not so much asks as announces, giving the armload of guns to O'Rourke with the caution to take care of Pierce William Pierce's ghost friends currently dwelling in one.

"Those are Bad Words and should not be used inside the House," it tells Gus and Danny in passing, then finally ambulates itself into the vicinity of Evans.

"Ambrose requires self to make the little marks also?" it inquires.

Seeing as his question was rendered moot by talk of some type of bone creature in the mine and some books that the clank had apparently eaten, he decided that he had no idea what was going on. Determined to make either head or tail of the situation, he said, "Well, go ahead, Alouette. Show us what you read. Then we can go kill the bone thingy in the mine."

Jake looks up as things slide into place in his mind, "Hey guys... who's eaten any of the local cattle?"

"I recall reading in this lovely book we found, that the local cattle barons made a few deals with the less than nice spirits to keep their cows from getting sick. I've bad feeling that whatever made the cattle stay well, might bleed over into whoever ate 'em."

"Witchcraft always causes clay to become vulnerable to demons, Bitter Waters," Alouette responds to the huckster, a metal hand flying across the paper with the ink given to it (it prints out a perfect book-sized page of well-set type, going from bottom to top).

"Something like that yes." Jake says with a slight tone of annoyance. His eyes gaze upon the page that the tin can angel is writing.

Evans picks up the pages as Alouette finishes them and looks them over.

"Huh. Shorthand. I should be able to make the out."

He begins to read:



"Well." Evans says, pausing for breath. "That's...that's quite interesting..."

John listened to Evans read from the transcript Alouette had provided and found himself more than a little interested in the content. "Huh." was all he said, it seemed like the folks at this meeting, Dr. Ward among them, were at the core of the problems in the area. He had little input of his own to make so he simply focused on keeping his eyes and ears open in the event of trouble. Last time he had been here a living tumbleweed had attacked him after all.

William listens, incredulous. Then he clears his throat.
"Sounds like the shit really hit the fan in the last few days, hm? Want to round these fellows and the woman up, Marshal? They should have a lot of answers."
He keeps his eyes on Shaw and Vega (Assuming that at some point after going into church names were exchanged), when he continues: "you want my help with that, Marshal? I'll just be needing my guns then."

"Y'all should round up the cows that were rustled," the local angel interjects, "otherwise Comanches may consume cattle and witchcraft also."

It ticks for a bit.

"Self will go and tell Doctor Ward to repent," it announces shortly. "Thirty-two pounds ghost rock equals many chicken souls, also high possibility warriors, other lost, and many holes...it is not good to have holes open from world to another place done minus angels, the crow-spirits and small wicked things come for the bits of souls that burn, then bigger demons." It looks at Jake.

"Witchcraft also attracts attention of demons, example 'Harbinger'." It points at the copied pages of printed text.

Jake shrugs at Alouette's remark. "Or the local spirit build up caused it. This places seems to be very active in terms of spirits thanks to mine as well as these nit wits trying to take too much control over things."

"And what caused the spirit build up?" Evans says. "No, it's becoming clear that Alouette is right. Witchcraft is the source of the town's current problems, and we shall need to confront the Enlightened Society of the Weeping Moon and convince them to put the genie back in the bottle. Or, failing, that, enlist their aid in destroying what their hands have wrought."

"Now wait just a goddamn minute!" Gus says.

"For what, Mr. Shaw!?" Evans shouts back, waving the sheaf of papers in his face. "For an engraved invitation!? Shall we wait for the Comanche renegades to regroup for another assault, perhaps? How many people have died over this, Mr. Shaw? How many more will have to die and rise again for you to see the truth!? Whatever you thought to gain by all this, it's not worth the cost!"

"So what are you gonna do? Ride out and slaughter the herd? Blow up the mine? You plannin' to fuck all of Blackthorn in the ass, is that it!?" Gus grips the handle of his sheathed knife.

"Ambrose will allow Shepherd to bless water supply of cows, humans, grown crops," the clank puts in seriously. "Not that. Those are Bad Words."

There's a distinct *crackle* and electric flicker of brightness as the automaton looks at Gus, the air taking on a sort of tinny taste and a closeness that makes the low vampires instinctively whimper and press nearer the priest like chickens in the shadow of a hawk.

"Out." One brass hand is raised in a warding fashion as it steps towards Gus. It's unarmed, and if Gus doesn't back up/out the door he'll just get prodded in the face, but somehow the idea of being touched by the insane, inhuman thing is utterly abhorrent and sets something writhing frantically in his chest.

[[17:56, Today: Alouette rolled 11,16 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+3)11,(6+6+4)16. Intimidating Gus.]]

Now that's interesting. The marshal's on his own.
William watches the confrontation. Having been on the receiving end of Alouette's wrath he almost feels pity for the snake. Almost.

Even though it wasn't directed at him presently, he could feel a chilling sensation from Alouette, and he didn't envy Gus. Full of piss and vinegar as he was, even he had to feel some sense of trepidation. "Look, instead of killing cows, how about we kill the Comanches first. Then we can kill the bone thing in the mine. And then we can figure out what we do with the cows. I mean, Gus does kinda have a point, as much as I know y'all don't like him. That ranch is kinda what's been keepin' the town together since the mine was closed."

He didn't even convince himself. "Actually, I think I'm just gonna shut up now," he muttered.

OOC:
21:16, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,1 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1. Persuasion.

Jake manged to hold in the laughter he so desperately wanted to unleash at Evans. Apparently he's not made the connection between his own scientific inventions and the spirits I contact for power. What I wouldn't give for Doc Frost to be here.

The huckster was quiet as the others argued. His eyes shifted between each as they spoke or shouted but not with any apparent interest. Perhaps Doc won't mind me tell him the tin can got obliterated before I got here.

Gus Shaw snarls at the clank. For one, brief moment it seems like he'd whip out this knife and leap at the clank...

But then he pivots, and stalks out the door.

"Ain't done with you yet..." He says as he takes his leave.

There's a moment of silence, and then Evans sighs and looks at Adrian. "You're right, of course. Shaw has a point. What are we going to do? I don't wish to cause hardships for the folk of Blackthorn, but something has to be done..."

he's interrupted by a shouting coming from outside.

"Slim! Get the boys! Evans' gone crazy, wants to shoot up the damn herd! We gotta stop him and that crazy clank once and fer all!"

"Oh." Evans says, deflating a bit. "Oh dear."

((OOC: Gus Shaw attempts to resist the Intimidate attempt...

23:36, Yesterday: Gus Shaw rolled 6,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,1. resisting Intimidate. Not enough. I'll burn a red.

23:36, Yesterday: Gus Shaw rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. red chip. Still not enough. I'll spend a White to reroll all of it.

23:36, Yesterday: Gus Shaw rolled 7,8,2 using d8,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+2)8,2. white chip. That's a 10, which is still a fail and a raise for Alouette. He's going to slink off for now.))

The clank follows him to the door and points after him. "Repent!"

"Self will go to Doctor Ward and tell him to repent, and Shepherd can start blessing the waters of the land around Blackthorn, Texas," the automaton repeats patiently.

"Then the cows and the other things will drink, because they do want to drink, and everything will be fixed. You all can tell the cattlehands Gus Shaw is lying and that he is a Bad Man, then they will not shoot you," it reassures the party, "Especially if y'all are minus weaponry."

"Alouette, I'd like those shootin' irons back," he called out loudly as the clank wandered off to chastise Gus further, as if it would do any good. Removing the Harbinger's cloak, as the thing seemed to have outlived its usefulness in a scheme that never came to fruition, he folded it and kept it to the side on a windowsill.

"Marshal, I think it might be best to avoid mentioning plans about doing in the ranch around the ranch hands, if that's what you're planning. In fact, if we're going to do anything in, it shouldn't be talked about in front of people that value the thing we're going to do in. Especially when those people are Dust Adders. You know better than I do that like some folks with baser instincts, they shoot first before they really know what's goin' on, and use what passes for their brainpans later." He very deliberately did not look at William while saying that last part.

"I'll have my guns back as well, then, Alouette."

He strokes his beard.
"That doesn't sound like a man who's listening to reason, Marshal. That sounds like a man who's forming a posse."

I should be able to tell, I've been hunted by a few, he thinks, but keeps that part to himself.

"Girls... watch the other entrances. Wouldn't serve us if they got to surround us."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:25, Mon 19 Nov 2012.

"Increased probability y'all will be shot minus church plus weaponry," the clank points out, though it doesn't hinder either of them from approaching the priest and the armful of weapons.

There follow a few moments of ticking and soft static murmurs.

"Ranger Hawkins said not to leave Danny Albatross alone," it informs the men, then adds: "Y'all should protect the Shepherd also: he can fix the cows with the right words in. Advise remaining in church and being excellent to each other."

It goes over to Danny of all people, apparently trusting his achievement of not attempting to randomly stab his teammates for a full hour or more signals some kind of moral awakening. "Help the other differently alive people not become minus humanity," it charges him, then picks up the broom and asks the priest:

"What kind of stick is the stick of the sweeping implement?"

William carefully checks his guns before putting them back into holster and belt.
"Don't worry, Alouette. Not intending to leave the church and endanger the priest. I figure the snake will find a few friends, then come back and, in the snake's words, 'stop him once and for all'. His kind always needs friends."

He nods at Danny. "You're good with a knife, Irish, can you handle a gun, too? I guess us Yankees need to stick together. I'd include you in that, marshal, but I guess your principles won't allow you to stand with us."

His left fingers play with the handle of Jenny's gun in his belt, his right hand hanging by his side, when he turns to Adrian.
"When the snake returns... will you be with him or with us? If it's the former, I'd rather have you step out of the church now. Not itching for a fight in here and I guess you could say I owe you one for shooting you. You were trying to take out my friend, though. Don't deny it, I've been in enough gunfights to recognise a man getting ready to shoot someone."
He licks his lips. "Be it by pistol or... other means."

"You need to pick better friends. Whatever his real name is, if he goes by the Seven of Spades, he's a member of an organization known as the Royal Court. It's a well known name if you've ever been down New Orleans way though most people don't know nothin' but rumors. My bad luck that I happened to stumble upon their wicked devilry once when I was in New Orleans and it's nothing but pure black hearted evil and wickedness possessed by the kinda folk that sell their souls to the devil. But I saw what they were up to, and that's why they sent that fucker to kill me," he said.

"Now, if you name that sorta man a friend…then I'll give you the benefit of the doubt - though you sure don't deserve it - surely he’s done you some kinda favor. Try to understand the position I'm in. I come back to town, get shot by some asshole I never done wrong to, then later while I'm trying to arrest the first asshole that shot me, a second asshole - no offense - comes in and shoots me again. Whatever remains of my life is saved by Gus Shaw and Marshal Evans. That's not the first time they did me a kindness today either. I'm a deputy in Blackthorn, for whatever that's worth, and I'm not gonna stand against either the Marshal or my fellow deputies. But I can't see right to let Gus get killed, so I gotta make sure that doesn't happen. I don't have much left after what your friend took from me earlier today, but I've still got loyalty. At least I can still have that.”

Evans sighs. "For the record, I had no plans for shooting or blowing up anything. I just wanted to talk to Ward, see what could be done..." He looks out the window. "Not that it would seem to make much difference now."

Danny looks up at Alouette. "I'm...I...I can't promise anything. I..." He grabs at his chest. "ARRRRRGH!" He cries as he topples over.

He's not alone. Both the vampire girls grab their heads and shriek, while William, Adrian, and Jake feel something stirring within them...
This message was last edited by the player at 07:21, Tue 20 Nov 2012.

"Y'all can shoot Gus Shaw many times," the automaton assures them. "It will not done harm him."

Static crackles as things get crazy in the church; Danny's shriek brings the clank to his side at once, brass fingers brushing his cheek in bizarrely human-like concern. Then it straightens, looks around at the others affected and calls to the priest:

"Father! Help hug everyone! They need more God in!"

[[Aiming to get some holy blessin' on all y'all for a decent bonus to dominion - Stray, can Alouette help with this, besides coralling everyone into a group hug?]]

This message was last edited by the player at 13:24, Tue 20 Nov 2012.

Total roll: 8.

10:29, Today: William Pierce rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5. Red chip on top of that.
10:29, Today: William Pierce rolled 2,3 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. Dominion roll, white chip.
10:29, Today: William Pierce rolled 2,0 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2. Dominion roll.

William's about to give a reply to Adrian, when his vision starts to blurr and he sees Adrian's eyes take on an evil yellow glow, with bloody tears running down from them. His canines seem to grow a few inches with a sickly pulsating sensation.

Then a slap across his face with a belt buckle from his bastard father and he's in back in the little alley, a rusty knife in his hand, snow falling softly around him.

The slap actually helps clear his mind, just a little, but it's all William needs to regain his composure. His father lashes his belt once more toward William, but this time, he catches the belt and pulls, hard, making his father lose his balance.
"I told you to go and fuck yourself, you bastard. Do I have to kill you again and again?!" He yells at him, spittle flying from his lips. Then he takes a quick step forward, then another and jams the rusty knife into one of his father's eyes, gleaming yellow, like Adrian's. He twists and turns the knife, black blood gushing over his hand.

Then he's back in church, steadying his pace. His right hand dart for his pistol as he quickly checks first on Danny - Alouette has him, good - then on to Jake and Adrian.
I'll take care of your passenger, boy, if you can't do it yourself.

Jake appears to be in deep concentration, a bead of sweat breaks on his brow.

OOC: 08:02, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 19,3 using 1d10-4,1d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of (10+10+3)23,(6+1)7. Spirit (-4 GM).
YES!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:09, Tue 20 Nov 2012.

His hands clenched themselves into fists as some shred of humanity that remained within him fought with all its might for control, for salvation from the horror that lived within him. A wave of darkness washed over him, the sounds of death and bleak laughter. A flood of sheer pleasure and exhilaration and exultation from the prospect of power rose up within him, and a stomach wrenching sickness came up from inside to meet it. A voice whispered to him, telling him to hurt everyone and everything around him. An image in his head of clawing his way out from the dirt, and a feeling of desperation and overwhelming failure threatened to overcome him.

He gave himself a shake, and blinked, and looked at the tense scene around him. "What hell is goin' on?" he said, as he cautiously backed away from Pierce, planting his back against the wall. His voice was low and taut, laden with emotion, exhaustion and the mantle of ever-present wariness he had taken up since returning to town. In another, quieter voice laced with doubt and resignation, meant only for himself, he mused, "and what the hell is wrong with me?" He had never been afraid of death, no more than most people, though he never expected it to be like this. This was in some ways worse than being dead for true. Maybe it was his own special hell. Maybe the clank was right, and what he did was witchcraft, and God had punished him with this condition. Was any salvation possible for him? Any repentance for the sinful life he'd lead? Could he give up his dark arts? Would he want to?

---

09:37, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 6,2 using d12,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2. Dominion.

My Dominion+4 cancels out the -4, leaving me with the 6

some mood music

Danny yanks the clanks hand away from his face. "Get away from me!" He snarls, grinding the brass beneath his fingers. The metal begins to bubble and corrode in his grip. "I am not your hatchling!" Electrical sparks snap along the brass casing of the clank's arm as the corrosion spreads. "I am my own creature! I do as I will! I name myself Wendigo, eater of man flesh, and pledge myself to Tezcatlcoatl the Mirror Serpent! Flee, Grandmother Thunderbird! Flee this place forever, or be destroyed!"

Black talons slide from his fingers, and his eyes turn dark and empty, like the eyes of some great bird of prey. Sparks ripple through the boy's hair, standing it on end as his face assumes a more hawkish countenance.

The vampire girls stop their screaming, and turn their eyes toward the group, snarling, showing lots of pointy teeth.

From outside the church, there's a gunshot. "Listen up in there!" comes Gus's voice. "Let's all make this real easy. Toss out the clank and the marshal, and no one else has to get hurt! Defend them, and we'll kill you all! You got ten seconds to make up your minds!"

((OOC: Danny fails his roll, and the Spirit within him gets loose. The spirit in Danny, though, is angry and volatile. The spirit uses its Wither ability on Alouette.

23:23, Today: Danny Boy rolled 7,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4. Wither.

Alouette, roll Spirit to resist. If you fail, you permanently lose a die type of Strength. If Danny scores a Raise over you, you lose a die type of Strength and Vigor.

We are in combat now. Draw cards for initiative. Those of you who are Shaken may attempt to Unshake.))

---

Turn Order:

The Vampire Girls: KD
Danny Boy: QS, 2S (he gets to go twice per round)
Gus and the Dust Adders: 4S

Adrian Vega: Not Drawn Yet
John Smith: Not Drawn Yet
Alouette: Not Drawn Yet
Jake Lawrence: Not Drawn Yet

Father O'Rourke: Someone please take control of this Wild Card. He will go on your action.
The Amazing Evans: Someone please take control of this Wild Card. He will go on your action.

09:43, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 10S using the Deadlands system. Initiative

I'll be happy to control the priest.

"Danny Al-?" *tssh* Sparks run down those complex patterns of scrollwork, leaving golden streaks amid the dull green-brown of corrosion. Static murmurs, building.

[[08:54, Today: Alouette rolled 1,10 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+4)10. go go gadget incorruptability.
init. 4H]]

John watches the display before him from a distance. Everything was so tense, so... wrong. His Master had taught him harmony in the most mundane of tasks, well, as mundane as mining ghost rock could be, and this was anything but. He had begun to make his way to the door, what Gus was up to could ruin everything and he was almost to the door before the commotion began, he looked back and scowled and then towards the door trying to decide what the best course of action to take might be...

OOC: John Smith drew the single card: 9H using the Deadlands system.

OOC: 07:52, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1 using 1d35, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Fate Chip.
That's a white chip
07:53, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: 3S using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative.
And going slowly today

---

Jake seems to be slightly groggy or perhaps overly tired.

OOC:
09:26, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: 3D using the Deadlands system.

Are there windows looking out from the church to where the Dust Adders are?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:33, Wed 21 Nov 2012.

OOC:

@Adrian: Nope. There are windows, to be sure, but there's also a building in between city hall (where Gus is gathering his troops) and the church.

I've posted a map with the initial positions of everybody. I'll post actions for all those NPCs tomorrow, but does anyone want to take Evans for this before I do?

---

Turn Order:
The Vampire Girls: KD
Danny Boy: QS, 2S (he gets to go twice per round)
The Amazing Evans: QH
William and Father O'Rourke: 10S (William starts the fight Shaken)
John Smith: 9H
Gus and the Dust Adders: 4S
Alouette: 4H
Jake Lawrence: 3S (Starts the fight Shaken)
Adrian Vega: 3D (Starts the fight Shaken)

some mood music

The vampire girls leap at Evans, and he screams as they bite down. He's able to shake them away before they get more than a mouthful of his blood, and fumbles for his flamethrower. He brings the nozzle of the weapon up.

"Back! Back, both of you, or so help me I'll do what I've been longing to do since I saw the pair of you writhing about in the Oriental! I shall purge you with flame if you do not disperse!"

The two half-naked vampires giggle at him.

"Go ahead." Darla says.

"Try it." Carmilla echoes.

"The Mistress would be scared of that..."

"But we're made of hardier stuff!"

Evans' face goes pale.

Meanwhile, Danny beings to rise into the air. Static crackles as his eyes glow, and then the room shudders as a bolt of lighting explodes from the boy's eyes, lancing through the clank and into the wall behind. The stained windows burst away from the clap of thunder that rattles the wooden building...

((OOC: I hate it when NPC actions clump like this. Alrighty.

The two Vampire girls attack Evans, which means each gets a +1 Gang-up bonus against him. Darla is a Henchman, while Carmilla is an Extra.

They both attempt to bite, since that's a Touch Attack.

00:39, Today: Vampire Dance Hall Girl rolled 6,5 using d6+3,d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. she bites! (Darla). Hit.

00:40, Today: Vampire Dance Hall Girl rolled 4 using 1d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 1. she bites! (Carmilla). Also a hit. Evans has Crap for Parry, not having invested in any Fighting whatsoever.

Evans rolls vigor to resist.

00:41, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 4,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4.
00:41, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 14,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+2)14,5. Vigor.

Success on both. He manages to fight them off.

Danny Boy shoots a bolt of Lightning at Alouette. He opts for one Bolt at 3d6. he has to roll vs. Alouette's Parry, since he's in Melee Range.

00:44, Today: Danny Boy rolled 7,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4. Hit, but Danny Boy is going to spend a Red chip to make that a Raise.

00:46, Today: Danny Boy rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. red chip. That's all he needed.

Damage: 00:47, Today: Danny Boy rolled 22 using 4d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+1)13,4,2,3. 22 Damage total. That's a Shaken and 3 wounds for Alouette, and Alouette also needs to roll Vigor or suffer a -2 penalty to Parry from the Electricity messing up the clank's clockworks.

Evans has crap for melee and a further -2 to hit with any stake...but he does have other options. He spends his action drawing his flamethrower and making a Persuasion Test of Wills against the vampire girls. He has a -2 MAP penalty, a +1 Charisma bonus, and no bonus from his Snake-oil Salesman edge because this is a Combat use of Persuasion.

00:54, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 2,2 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3. Persuasion ToW.

Not even going to roll. The two vampire girls are not Vulnerable against fire. They laugh in his face.

Cards for next round
Evans: 3S
Vampires: 4D
Danny: Still has an action (2S).))

---

Up next: William and Father O'Rourke!
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:11, Sun 25 Nov 2012.

The majority of the lightning acts according to nature, travelling over the clank's brass surface and down to earth. There's a smell of charred wood from the boards below the heated metal.

[[09:49, Today: Alouette rolled 3,7 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+1)7. epic soak attempt
09:50, Today: Alouette rolled 9 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+3)9. red chippit. -> 16
Oh, and Vigour.
09:55, Today: Alouette rolled 6,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,1. resistivity.]]

O'Rourke has an open question. I'll post his action later.

William's eyes dart back and forth between Danny and the vampires. His first instinct is to take out the Irishman, more out of an act of pity than anything else, but Alouette's in the way... and who knows what his gun would do to that clank.
But a marshal who's in debt to him, no that might come in handy later.

He takes a few steps forward, just to get a somewhat clearer line of firing.
He thinks back at what Vincent had told him, a stake to the heart will kill the hired help.
He didn't have a stake, but he had a mighty gun. While not kill her, it could slow her down.
Aim for her cold, dead heart, he tells himself. Then see what happens.

He squints his eyes, follows Darla's movements, then squeezes off two rounds in quick succession. The bullets scream past the marshal and land with an eerie thud in Darla's chest.

Doubletap to Darla's heart- I think that's -6 to hit, +1 from the double tap.
16:35, Today: William Pierce rolled 4,-2 using d10-5,d6-5, rerolling max with rolls of 9,3. Shooting.
That's a hit!

16:36, Today: William Pierce rolled 11 using 3d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4,2. Ghost Gun damage.

Initiative next round
16:37, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: QS using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

O'Rourke pushes past Evans, brandishing te cross on his elaborate rosary in Camilla's face.

"Back! Get back, woman! I know there is still good in you, you have to fight down the temptation!"
He keeps the cross trained on her face, like the crosshairs of a rifle, making sure that Evans is behind him.

OOC: Multiaction!
First: Faith to gain Protection
18:55, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 2,3 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. Faith for Protection.
Hm, crap. Can I spend William's chips on the priest's rolls, too?
EDIT: 19:55, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2. Red chip for Protection. Total of 5.

Secondly, Persuasion:
18:56, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 5,2 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 7,4. Persuasion.


This message was last edited by the player at 18:55, Sun 25 Nov 2012.

In reply to Father William O'Rourke (msg # 50):

((OOC: Father O'Rourke has 1 white chip and 1 Red chip of his own, though you can spend William's chips on his behalf as well.))

Edited my roll above

It takes a little while for Jake to clear his head from the mental assault he'd just been under. His eyes take a few moments to focus on the melee happening before him.

OOC:
09:30, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 5,1 using 1d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1. Unshake.
That'll clear the shaken but can't "act" oh well.

12:17, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: QC using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative.

Darla staggers back, and snarls. The powder burn on her bare chest from the bullet begins to fade as her skin heals over, but she's still a little disoriented.

"All that blasted work to make a vampire-killing device that won't harm vampires..." Evans mutters from behind O'Rourke, but in front of him the vampire girl winces.

"I...I..." she stammers. A bloody tear drips from the corner of her eye. "I c-can't...k-k-kill m-" And the thing that was once a woman shudders, and her face twists in to a parody of animal lust. "Come on, sugar. Drop the cross. I promise I'll make you scream in pleasure before you die..."

((OOC: @William: That will make her Shaken, but won't actually injure her.

@O'Rourke: Carmilla will need to roll Spirit on her turn to attack you or Evans, assuming neither of you attack back. Since that occurs as part of the action, I'll save her roll until she actually attempts to break through the Protection.

As for the Persuasion roll, I'll count that as a Trick, since she's not in her right mind. She rolls Spirit to resist:

21:40, Today: Vampire Dance Hall Girl rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4. Resisting Test of Wills. Fail. She has a -2 Parry until Father O'Rourke's next action.

@John Smith: Actually, have you checked the House Rules thread? I'm using a House Rule that allows you to act if you succeed on a Shaken roll but don't raise--you simply get a -2 MAP tacked on to any action you take.))

---

Up next: John Smith!

John wasn't sure what to do. Gus was outside fixing to come in guns blazing at everyone and anything. There were vampires attacking and this Wendigo thing not to mention Gus outside with his posse. "Dammit." he spat.

He took a breath and fingered a stone surveying the scene. The man who had once been on their side coldly shot one vampire through the heart, Father O'Rourke seemed to be fending off the other, the newcomer Alouette called a 'Witch' seemed dazed, and Danny was turning into... something and the words he spoke sent a chill through John's spine. Instinct screamed that this Danny Wendigo was the greatest threat and the sight of Alouette being attacked by him seemed to confirm it.

He took a second breath, took aim, and launched a bolt at the monstrosity that Danny had become. "I'm sorry." he said to whatever powers there were that might listen. He could only hope this was the right course of action.

1pp to shoot a bolt at Danny Wendigo.
John Smith rolled 5,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5. Hit at range with 5 Bolt. Not sure what modifiers are involved. Rerolling.
John Smith rolled 7,16 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+6+4)16. 16 hit with a raise White chip re-roll.
John Smith rolled 13 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8,5. 13 Damage.
John Smith rolled 16 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+4)16. Raise Damage.
Holy Crap. That's a hit with a raise at 16 and that's 29 damage.

The stone's path is true, and Danny flies back. He pinwheels in the air, crashes through the stained glass window behind him, and lays in a crumpled heap next to the steps...and the giant barrel of flour and dynamite that had been left there earlier.

"Give them up!" Gus shouts at the church as he and his men run toward the building. "Or have ya'll forgotten we can blow you sky high at any time? Give up the Marshal and the Clank, or feel the fires of HELL descend on you!"

((OOC: That's 6 wounds for Danny. He has no chips left and there's only 2 GM chips left, so it's not worth trying to soak. Instead, I roll for Incapacitation. Danny is Hard To Kill, but if that wound's to the head, he's not getting up again.

10:23, Today: Danny Boy rolled 3,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. Incapacitation. That indicates a Wound that will go away when all his damage is healed.

10:20, Today: Danny Boy rolled 6 using 2d6. Injury. Nope. Not a head shot. Danny's hit square in the torso. He's re-deaded, but not permanently.

Meanwhile, Gus and the Dust Adders spend their action getting into sniping position. Gus offers an ultimatum, which acts as an Intimidate Test Of Wills against everyone inside.

10:32, Today: Gus Shaw rolled 7,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3. Ultimatum!

Everyone inside, roll Spirit.

The Dust Adders Hold their action to fire at the barrel of explosives if they see anyone try to go for it. Anyone who wants to make the attempt will have to beat them in an Opposed Agility roll,

Card for next round: 6D))

---

Up next: Alouette!

OOC:
12:50, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1,3 using 1d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,3. Spirit.
That won't do.. burn a white chip to reroll that mess.
12:50, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 19,10 using 1d10,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (10+9)19,(6+4)10. Spirit - White Chip.

There's a sudden gasp of coldness as Danny's hit, a catch in the aether like the missed beat of a mother's heart. Then the clank shakes itself with a soft murmur of "...foolish child...*tsssh* static error..." and makes a grab for Darla, heading for the door.

"An unkin who harms a mortal is a demon."


[[hokay, so, a white and a red netted a 10 vs. Gus
...and a blue gave us 6 for grapple. If it suceeds the clank'll move doorwards a bit.

The clank's in control for now, since the Hawk just pulled all her power into checking Danny was all right.

init. 8S]]

20:44, Today: William Pierce rolled 2,8 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+2)8. Spirit.

"Great...." he growls, biting his lip, half-turning toward Gus.

"Well, shit."

---

12:43, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 8,2 using D12,D6, rerolling max with rolls of 8,2. Spirit. (For the roll just called for from Gus's intimidation)

((OOC: It's Jake's turn. He rolled to unshake and succeeded, so he gets an Action at -2 as per my house rule, but if ya'll are planning to spend an Adventure Card, that's not covered by turn order. So decide what you're going to do: High Noon? Parley? Here Comes the Cavalry? Let me know what the plan is.))

[[er...resolve vampire grapple please?]]

((OOC: 12:14, Today: Vampire Dance Hall Girl rolled 5 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5. Fighting! Fail. Alouette has the girl good and caught.))

John looked to Alouette "Should we finish him?" he said. He hadn't seen too much of the other times Danny had gone rabid but this one seemed to have gone further. He knew he was tough and his shot likely didn't put him down for good. When he heard Gus's ultimatum he winced as though expecting the barrel to explode then and there.

John Smith rolled 7,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,5. spirit reroll white chip.

The automaton looks over at John as it grips the vampire, recently-molten scrollwork glittering golden on the curse-blackened surface of its left forearm.

"Gus Shaw will not be harmed by mortal means, John John Smith: the snake in his chest will fix him." there's a smell of singed hair from where it's holding the struggling dead whore; its casing must still be hot from the lightning.

"Gus Shaw should be ended..." it ticks a bit. "Perhaps if y'all cut him open and put bricks inside him then he would be slow and minus dangerous to mortals."

The possibility that he might have meant the sacred Albatross rather than the current threat doesn't seem to have entered its thinking gears.

The clank had a point.
William took the situation in once more. One vampire held at bay by the priest. The other in a strangehold of Alouette. Danny dead. Ish.
That left Gus the only real threat out there.

He nods at John. "Nice shot. Damn shame about the Irish boy, but you did what you had to."

Again he looks at the wall that stands between him and the men outside, then at the barrel of explosives. Then at Adrian. Still looking at the huckster he says:
"Marshal: I think it might serve us all well if you swear me in, if you please."
He pauses, keeps his eyes on Vega, nodding his chin toward the threat outside.

"This will not end peaceful. You know that. He wants blood and he won't stop until he gets it. I don't like that kind of attitude. If I go out and stop him - will your loyalty to the Marshal and everbody else in here win out over whatever loyalty you have to him? Think for a second before you answer. He's not bluffing when he says he'll blow up the church. Doesn't seem to matter one bit to him that his friend's in here with us."

"Marshal, this man here is a loose cannon. You don't want nobody as a Deputy that's just gonna walk around and start shootin' whoever he damn well pleases whenever he damn well wants to - a man that keeps company with cold blooded murderers, and probably is little better than one himself," he said at Pierce's suggestion that he be sworn in.

"As for the rest," he said, turning to Pierce, "Gus Shaw was an acquaintance of mine many years ago 'fore I left Blackthorn. I didn't know him that well, and I can't never say we was friends as such. For what I did know him for, he ain't near the same man as he used to be. I don't know what came over him since I left, but it's somethin' awful." He paused before continuing, but only long enough to wet his lips. At most times a quiet fellow, he wasn't used to talking this much.

"To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what yer askin' but I'll take a gander at it. In most situations, on most days, if I saw you out in the street tryin' to do for Gus Shaw - after what happened back at the saloon I'd prolly join forces with him against you. Not like there's much choice in it, for me at least - maybe there would be for you. A man must have a code...if he's a man at all." He exhaled deeply, and went on.

"This is turning out much differently than I thought it would earlier. Earlier, just before we stood down, I would have jumped on Gus's side against you in a heartbeat. If that's what he was comin' back for, it woulda been a little more complicated, but at least then there would have been some room for discussion. Gus Shaw has made his own choices, and his decision is to try and do in the Marshal and Alouette, and the rest of us too, if he has to. He's taken away any grounds for trying to persuade anybody to spare his life. I might have spoken to our resident steel angel here about whether or not there was any possibility of salvation for the man, but that's no longer a tool in my arsenal I think. So for this day, and this moment, if you're going to try and settle this with Gus man to man, I think that might be for the best."

After a moment he added, "that means I'm not gonna shoot you in back while you're at it."

Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a deck of cards and began to shuffle them around. He'd flip open a card every once in a while and look at it and then shuffle it back into the deck. After a while, he put his cards away. For a moment, he clutched the badge that he had found earlier in the day, and then just leaned against the wall with his hands at his sides in contemplation.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:18, Mon 03 Dec 2012.

William nods at the last part.
"Fair enough. And marshal, I'm not looking to retire as your Deputy. But I'd like some insurance that you'll consider whatever the outcome will be as legal. I'd hate to solve another of your problems and then have you come after me for cold-blooded murder. No offense, but it's hard to trust somebody who'd be willing to kill me without me actually having commited any crime in his jurisdiction."

"Don't go pretendin' you're an innocent now. You did just walk into a saloon and try to murder me without cause. Don't think anybody here's forgotten about that," he said. He might be willing to let bygones be bygones, but that didn't mean he was just gonna let the man pretend he wasn't a criminal.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:25, Mon 03 Dec 2012.

Fucking rebels. Can't let anything go, those stubborn sons of bitches. It's not like he got hurt or anything.

William shrugs. "Guess I was confused. You know, on account on me being killed not half an hour after coming to town, then waking up being dressed up in a wedding suit... and then a black guy holds a pistol aimed at me not three feet away and a bloody indian shoots me unprovoked in my back."
He shrugs again.
"Under the circumstances, I think I assumed that was just general behaviour in this town and maybe just wanted to fit in with the folklore."
He smiles a thin smile. "You certainly remember that I got shot in the back to, in that little bar brawl. Guess you fellas should just go ahead and drop the L from your town's name."

Jake remains quiet, letting the others argue as they seem to every time something difficult comes up. He leans back on the pew he's been sitting on and rolls his rosary over in his hand.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:05, Mon 03 Dec 2012.

"The Serpent spoke; witchcraft, wickedness answered," the clank hisses during a murmur of static, bringing a feral shriek and more frantic struggling from Darla as it hauls her towards the font.

"Gus Shaw is wanted for armed robbery, cattle rustling, causation of general disturbances," it adds as though the preceeding statement was never uttered, "-and he uses Bad Words: high probability Gus Shaw is liable to be shot at from unspecified distance." It pauses, ignoring the fact it's being clawed at.

"Perhaps all y'all could shoot Gus Shaw until he lay done down in the street, then arrest him and not let him go until he's sorry," it chirps. Then, since Pierce William Pierce and Deputy Vega seem to be getting distracted: "Y'all can shoot each other plus equally from ten paces away later, then it will be fair...though y'all should not shoot each other too often or Pierce William Pierce will get plus plus hungry and Deputy Vega will be minus minus humanity, like Danny Albatross."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:15, Mon 03 Dec 2012.

"Shut up! Shut up, the pair of you!" Evans shouts. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but there's still a damn vampire attempting to gnaw my face off!" he ducks as Carmilla lunges for him again, only to be repelled by Father O'Rourke's holy symbol. "I can't swear in anyone! If you want to shoot it out with the Dust Adders, do it, by thunder! I can't give a good goddamn about the legalities right now! Can someone get me holy water? I think I can adjust the formula of my fuel mixture..."

Here it goes: Playing the High Noon card.
I read your OOC comments, Adrian, but I'd like to do this myself.

William flexes his fingers, seemingly lost in thought. Then, slowly, methodically, he pulls Jenny's gun from his waistband, checks the chambers, then puts it back - but this time, in his back, hidden from view by his heavy coat.

He pulls the gun from his holster a few times, feeling the weight of the coat, where it pull or might hang until he gets the feeling for it. The contorted faces on the silvery frame of his gun seem to sneer and snicker at him, but he seems not to notice. As he doesn't seem to notice the others watching him.
As the holster itself is new as well, he pulls the gun a few times more, slowly and quickly in alternate tries. Not lightning fast... just, fast. William doesn't seem to be that quick on the draw.
Finally, he puts the gun down, undoes the belt buckle and nicks the leather in a few places with his knife. Then he puts everything back on and draws the gun a few more times.
Apparently pleased, he nods to himself.

Cleary, he has done that sort of thing before.

He walks over to the nearest window.
"HEY! SNAKE! I HAVE A PROPOSITION FOR YOU!"
He licks his lips, his right fingers drumming on the gun grip. He waits for some reaction from Shaw that isn't blowing up the church, then continues, yelling not quite as loud.
"You and I got unfinished business between us. And I know your type. You don't like to leave any loose threads dangling that would arise if you just brought the roof crushing down on us. Not satisfactory enough, ain't that right?
So how about you and me handle this in the street, huh? Man and snake. What say you?"

Jake picks up a discarded penny and side arms it towards at the vampire trying to attack the Marshall. The penny is enveloped in a sphere of arcane energy which explodes as it impacts the vampiress. Unfortunately the exertion leaves the huckster a little dizzy.

OOC: 1 3d6 bolt for a vampire coming right up!
07:45, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled -1,15 using 1d10-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+6+5)17. Spellcasting (3d6 Bolt).
Great... backlash... and back to shaken status
07:47, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 11 using 4d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4,2,1. Damage (Bolt+Raise).

PP: 8/10
07:52, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: 4C using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative.

He didn't know how to kill vampires. Well, he had some ideas about it, though he'd never had to do it before. He'd only heard talk of them, not really seen any. But he was pretty sure a bullet wasn't really going to do the trick, and that was only confirmed for him by what he saw. Still, maybe one of the guns that he'd taken from the remains of the Harbinger might do the trick. Raising up, he fired a shot at one of the vampire girls, though partially his mind was still on the conflict with Gus that was about to happen. Whatever was going on though, he couldn't abandon Evans.

---

OOC:

Unshake: 5
No raise, so I'll spend a White chip to unshake.
Shoot: 4
Damage: 17

10:20, Tue 27 Nov: Adrian Vega rolled 17 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11,5.
10:19, Tue 27 Nov: Adrian Vega rolled 4,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2.
10:18, Tue 27 Nov: Adrian Vega rolled 4,5 using d12,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. Unshake.

Initiative for prospective second round: JH

11:20, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: JH using the Deadlands system. Next round?


This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Thu 06 Dec 2012.

"You wanna throw down?" The roughneck shouts back. "This ain't your fucking fight, Yank. But if you think you can take me, then come on out and try!"

Meanwhile, Carmilla goes flying as the bolts and bullets hit home. But true to her nature, begins struggling to stand, the holes torn into her sealing over as the pair watch.

"Try stabbing it through the chest with something wooden!" Evans shouts at Adrian and Jake. "Through the heart! Or get me some holy water, and maybe some silver..."

((OOC: The Vampire girl is hit by both attacks, but her Invulnerability protects her. She's only Shaken.))

As William walks by the clank and Darla, he grabs the nail still stuck in her wrist and twists it.

"Focus on the pain, girl", he hisses at her. "Focus! If you can't fight the beast down within you, I'll put you down myself once I've dealt with the snake. Get a fucking grip on yourself... and then calm her down!" He nods in Carmilla's general direction.

Then, to Alouette: "I promised the girls I wouldn't abandon them like their mistress did... if you can keep them save for themselves and for the other, I'd be obliged."

Then he kicks the door open, his hand on the pistol at his hip. Once he's satisfied that there are no shots raining down on the opening, he slowly steps out.

Once he sees Shaw, he yells back: "You threatening blowing up the church and killing the priest is what makes this my fight, snake. It's time someone put you down for good."
Casually, he walks forward and off to the side a bit, until he's in the middle of the road. He stares down the Dust Adders standing nearest to him, until his glowing red eyes convince them to take a few steps back.


"You might want to call off your dogs, snake. Just to make sure you won't hit them when you miss me."

some mood music

William passes the explosive barrel and the unconscious Danny on his path to the middle of the road.

The roughneck and a posse of five Dust Adders stare him down from the other end of the street. Gus steps forward, his Winchester resting casually on his shoulder.

"I done told you...All we want's the Marshal and the Clank!" He shouts back. "It's you who done want to be obstinate about this! Looks like Evans hired on another piece o' murderous scum to do his dirty work for him!"

The Dust Adders around him nod and mutter.

"I thought when he took on Adrian, we might be able to work out some kind o' accord. I thought that mebbe he wasn't just some power hungry Yank with delusions o' grandeur. But he wants to strangle the town. That's what this is about! Kill the herds, blow up the mine, hire dirty Yankee killers against the free folk o' town, sic that crazy metal beast o' his on anyone what looks at him crosseyed...it's all about power, and he done pushed us too far! There will be no peace as long as Evans lives!"

The Dust Adders around him cheer.

"Kill the bastard!"

"Hang him from the nearest tree!"

"Tar him! Feather him! Run him out on a rail!"

"This is our fuckin' town, Yank! You, your Mick friend, your tinhorn dandy and his crazed automaton...you came to us! We didn't invite ya, and now it's time you paid the price for sticking your nose where it don't belong!"

"Hate to disappoint you, snake, but I ain't the marshal's pawn. You managed to get my attention all by yourself."

He slowly pushes back his coat, revealing his pistol.

"And that oughta give you a bit of pause, you and your men. What in the hell did you do to attract the attention of William Pierce. Because believe me, snake or not - you don't want the full attention of me. Not in the street. Not staring down at you across the barrel of my gun while a bullet burries itself in your brainpain.

Now, are you gonna skin that smokewagon or just stand there and gawk?"

He flexes his fingers, the fingertips slightly twitching, as if reaching for his gun.

Intimidation!: 10:47, Today: William Pierce rolled 6,12 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+4)10. Intimidation.
I'd be willing to red/blue chip that to get even higher if I need to. I really want to beat Shaw at this and make him go for his gun first.

"Fine. Die." The roughneck growls. The buzz of an angry rattlesnake fills the air. He shifts his rifle off his shoulder and brings it to bear.

Instinctively, William realize that Gus isn't aiming at him, but past him...

And at the barrel of dynamite and flour next to the church's outer wall.

((OOC: Doesn't look like spending a chip will be necessary.

18:44, Today: Gus Shaw rolled 5,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2. Intimidate.

There's no way Gus is going to get higher than 12 without a supremely lucky roll on a Red Chip, and Gus would rather save his chips for battles he knows he can win.))

Suddenly, the whole world turns quiet. An idle thought travels through William's mind - how many times have I done that before? - but he let's go of it without pursuing it further.

Gus' rifle moves slowly, inch, by inch. William's eyes narrow, following the gun, then looking at the snake's eyes. Then he realizes that the snake is not going to shoot at him, but is looking at the fucking barrel.

Fitting for the fucking snake. Should I knock the rifle out of his hand? Nooo... let's end this once and for all.

As if his arm had a life on its own, it draws the gun from his holster, the pistol already being cocked before it fully left the holster.
William's fast enough to be able to raise the gun level, allowing him to take careful aim while Shaw is still trying to bring his longarm around.

The grey-silvery gun coughs, once, and a bullet screams toward Shaw, the faces on the gun contorted with joy and hatred.
It hits Shaw right under the left eye, the bones shattering and getting pushed inside. Shaw's rifle is still not finished traversing when as the bullet tumbles through his brain.
Then the back of the snake's head explodes in a fountain of blood and brains and bone splinters.

Shaw is thrown a step back, his knees buckling under him. He falls to the ground, heavily, but his right still grasps his rifle.

Time fast forwards now, back to normal, just as Shaw's body slumps down on the muddy ground.

William nods, satisfied, his eyes searching the other Dust Adders, just to make sure they don't try anything stupid.
Them there's laughter, coming from the ruin that was Shaw's face.

"Ain't...over...yet...boy..." The roughneck gurgles. "Didn't you know...I'm immortal?"

Shaw sits halfway up, proping his rifle up against the ground, aims it, then squeezes off a shot.
William can't do as much as shout a warning as the rifle bullet penetrates the barrel's frame and ignites the flour/powder mixture inside.

21:33, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: AS using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

The bullet sparks when it hits the rim of the barrel. There's a gout of flame as some of the flour dust ignites...

((OOC: William, you need to make a Guts check, -4 for the local Fear level, + Grit, for watching Gus still moving when he oughta be stone dead.

Everyone in the church needs to make an Agility check (-2) to dive for cover at Murphy's warning.

Success for those in the church gets you +4 Armor against the damage. A raise will give you enough time to get out of the template's area and avoid the damage entirely.

William, since you're out in the open, you can make an Agility (-2) check for cover, but it won't be as good. You can get +2 cover on a successful Agility check, and +4 on a Raise. You need 2 raises to get out of the area entirely. This is assuming you don't blow your Fear check and wind up Shaken, of course...))

He had known that nothing good would come of this, and as he dived for cover, he realized that Gus had tried to kill him. He was already dead, but he was pretty sure the Marshal and the preacher weren't. He didn't really know whether Alouette could be considered alive, but it would be a safer bet to figure so than not. Or at least a more moral one, just in case.

---

Agility: 8 (With the penalty, and a red chip tossed in).

17:23, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4.
17:22, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 6,4 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,4.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:50, Mon 10 Dec 2012.

The clank throws the vampire to the floor and moves with grace it shouldn't have, static crackling.

[[Alouette rolled 1,-1 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. go go gadget blast avoidance! (No, the Hawk's not going to duck.)
23:35, Today: Alouette rolled 5 red chippit -> 6]]

09:14, Today: William Pierce rolled 6,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5. -4 Fear level, +4 Grit.

09:16, Today: William Pierce rolled 1,14 using d10-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(6+6+4)16. Agility to dive for cover.




William grinds his teeth.
"Hell, you and every-fucking-body else in this fucking town, looks like."

Then Shaw pulls the trigger and William, already moving toward the snake, jumps forward and to the side, rolling on the ground and makes it behind a horse trough, just as the rifle bullet ignites.

"You're a fucking coward, Shaw!"

Might be I can't kill you, but I still can take you out...

On to Father O'Rourke...
09:22, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Agility, blue chip from William.
09:22, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 3,2 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4. Agility, white chip from William.
09:22, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 1,-1 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. Agility, white chip from William.
09:22, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 1,-1 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1. Diving for cover.

Of course the blue chip gets me a 1. Barely a success.  Not sure if/how many chips the preacher has, so I'm spending William's.

"Son of a!" Jake says as he moves like a shot away from the blast area. "Everybody move!" He tries to help others get clear as he does.

OOC:08:30, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 3,-1 using 1d8-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1. Agility (-2 GM Mod).
08:30, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 3,2 using 1d8-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4. Agility - white reroll.
08:44, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 18,1 using 1d8-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (8+8+4)20,3. Agility - white reroll.
That's a raise and then some

The barrel goes up, blowing a wide hole through the wall. Almost everyone inside is able to take cover against the initial explosion, but the heat from the flour ignition has set the roof on fire, and the timbers holding the place up creak alarmingly...

((OOC:03:31, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 11,-1 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+1)13,1. Dive for cover! Success and Raise

Alouette: +4 Armor
O'Rourke: +4 Armor
William: Avoids Damage
Jake: Avoids Damage
Adrian: Avoids Damage
Evans: Avoids Damage
Vampire Girls: Will take full damage, but since it's not sunlight, they don't care.
John Smith: Not rolled yet...I'll cover him when he does
Danny Boy: Can't take cover, but is already dead.

Damage: 5d6, counts as a Heavy Weapon

03:34, Today: The Stray rolled 14 using 5d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2,3,2,2. Boom goes the dynamite.

That's somewhat disappointing, but it's enough to take out the wall. Alouette is Shaken, Father O'Rourke takes 1 wound, which he can soak if he has the chips.

Of course, now you're in a church that is missing a wall, and is on fire...))

Spending the priest's red chip to soak...
12:57, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 5,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5. soaking.

The priests feels the heat wash over him like a wave as he ducks behind one of the pews. He crosses himself, uttering a quick prayer than cries out in dismay as the church catches fire.

The roar of the explosion sweeps up to heaven with a crackle of sparks and a hiss of damp wood, which might explain how the clank got onto the remnants of the wall unnoticed, its casing virtually singing with static. It straightens with the poise of a bird.

"INFIDEL."

Fire twists and blossoms behind the clank, catching in odd currents as though the machine flexed blazing pinions of a size to block out the sun. There is fury in that voice, a wrath like nothing on earth.

The clank drops down, a gleam of decending grace like a well-shaped dagger, and paces over to Gus, lenses bright and merciless as the desert sun. William's seen this before: when the brass foot decends on Gus' chest, the man's bulk jerks as though gripped by huge talons.

[[white chip unshake.
21:11, Today: Alouette rolled 10,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+2)10,4. activation. Gus is at -2 to resist.
21:15, Today: Alouette rolled 4,7 using d4+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. attack, -2 MAP, +2 touch, +2 card. Threw in a red, for good measure -> 8
21:23, Today: Alouette rolled 4,10 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+4)10. spirit! +2 card -> 12.]]

The roguhneck yells as Aloutte stomps him, but he has the presence of mind to go for his pistol.

"Kill it! Kill it boys! Don't worry about me, just shoot the goddamn thing! Shoot it!" He yells.

The Dust Adders bring their pistols up. The crack of powder fills the air. Bullets bounce off the brass casing of the machine, score the metal, but, ultimately, fail to find any vital spots.

"Goddamn it." Gus grunts, his empty pistol slipping from his hand.

((OOC: Gus' Spirit roll is at -2 for the Raise, and -2 for the wounds (he has Nerves of Steel). But the red chip and the card gave me some chips to work with, so we'll see what happens.

15:06, Today: Gus Shaw rolled -1,0 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. Resisting Soul Nom. Spending a White Chip.

15:06, Today: Gus Shaw rolled 2,1 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5. white chip. It's a positive number. Spending a Red Chip

15:06, Today: Gus Shaw rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4. red chip.

Total of 6, which means Alouette gets only a Success and Raise from the 12. That's 2 levels of Fatigue. Not enough to put him down permanently.

Gus orders the Dust Adders to take Alouette out and not worry about hitting him. There are 5 Dust Adders.

15:13, Today: The Dust Adders rolled 7,7,2,3,3 using d6,d6,d6,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,(6+1)7,2,3,3. Shooting! Two hits, no Raises.

15:14, Today: The Dust Adders rolled 6,3 using 2d6,2d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1,2,1. Damage. Even with AP 1, neither of those hits are going to seriously hinder Alouette.

Gus himself is not dead yet, so he can shoot, too. He has a Colt Dragoon and opts to Fan. It will be a miracle if his bullets hit Alouette at all. He has -2 (wound), -2 (fatigue), -2 (no quick draw), -4 (fanning penalty). That's -10, and he has to hit Alouette's Parry score. Ah well, he has nothing to lose by trying. He fans 6 bullets.

I roll...nothing. I spend a White Chip just because there were an embarrassing amount of 1's on the roll.))

The clank screams rage, brightness flickering in scatters and curves over its 'beak' as it shakes off the bullets like so many raindrops, attention only on the man beneath.

"LIAR! SCALPER! MURDERER!!"

Though it still aims like something half-blind, there's lethal intent in the downward flash of metal.

[[...but I have rounds left before it needs PP!
Already touching, so:
22:33, Today: Alouette rolled 4,7 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+1)7. nom! +2 card: 9]]

The clank's beak comes down with lethal force...but the wounded man catches it.

"Fuck. You." Gus says, his snake eyes meeting the glowing eyes of the automaton. Then he heaves. His muscles strain. Blood pumps out of his ruined face. And yet, the movement is enough to send the clank off balance. It's either stagger back a couple steps, or be knocked over.

And it's that bit of leverage that gives the Dust Adders the chance to shoot again.

Fanning the hammer isn't as easy as the dime novels make it out to be. The ranch hands waste a lot of lead shooting up the clank, and man seriously jam their guns up. But this time one of the slugs rips through one of the patches in the automaton's brass skin, causing a sudden loss of pressure in one of the clockwork servos in Alouette's shoulder mechanism.

The damage they do to their boss is more impressive. By the time the smoke clears, Gus's body is riddled with bullet holes, and his blood is simply oozing all across the ground. But there's a smile on what's left of his face.


((OOC: Gus is at -2 (spell effect), -2 (wound), -2 (fatigue). Total of -6

23:11, Today: Gus Shaw rolled 0,-5 using d8-6,d6-6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,1. Spirit. I have only a couple White Chips left. Gus will spend one in a white chip, just to see.

23:11, Today: Gus Shaw rolled 13,-4 using d8-6,d6-6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+8+3)19,2. white chip. ...huh. he beats Alouette with a raise, whcih means he's going to be able to shove the clank off him. Alouette will need another Touch Attack to affect him.

Again, he orders the Dust Adders to attack. He orders them all to Fan The Hammer at Alouette.

There are 5 Dust Adders, and each has 5 bullets left in their guns. But all their Guns are El Cheapo. To make this somewhat more fair, if any die comes up 1 during a Dust Adder's roll, the guns fall prey to the El Cheapo and breaks, negating any further attacks they would have dealt.

23:17, Today: The Dust Adders rolled 7,-3,-1,-2,-1 using d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11,1,3,2,3. Fanning the Hammer! One hit, broken gun.

23:18, Today: The Dust Adders rolled 1,0,-2,-3,1 using d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4,2,1,5. Fanning the Hammer! No hits, broken gun.

23:19, Today: The Dust Adders rolled -1,-3,4,4,1 using d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1,(6+2)8,(6+2)8,5. Fanning the Hammer! Two hits negated by broken gun.

23:20, Today: The Dust Adders rolled 3,0,-1,-3,1 using d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,4,3,1,5. Fanning the Hammer! No hits, broken gun.

23:21, Today: The Dust Adders rolled 7,-1,1,-2,5 using d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11,3,5,2,(6+3)9. Two hits

Three hits total.

23:22, Today: The Dust Adders rolled 6,7,14 using 2d6+1,2d6+1,2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3,3,3,4,(6+3)9. Damage.

Two of the hits don't do anything more than further score Alouette's casing, but one of them hits a vital spot. Alouette takes 1 Wound and is Shaken.

This is not all that happens. As per the Innocent Bystander rule, Gus is hit as well. Several times, in fact.

Gus is not getting up. For a while, at least. He's been killed by something other than his Weakness or Alouette's soul nom, which means he's eventually going to regenerate. Healing the Fatigue damage will take some doing, of course...the spirit was seriously injured.))
This message was last edited by the player at 06:44, Sat 15 Dec 2012.

The clank hops back, the felt/unfelt thud of a beaten wing shivering through some other air.

"INSÍL! INFIDEL! DEFILER! PRIEST-KILLER!" the thing shrieks, head turning sharply even as it regains balance. It pursues something no-one else can see with the rolling gait of a grounded bird, 'beak' low to the ground as though that thing slithered.

Baulked of its invisible prey by a porch, the automaton throws itself at that particular foot-square patch of plankwork with livid violence, 'beak' and feet. It would be hilarious, save that the hardened, weathered wood shaves and splinters as though raked by unseen talons - talons that leave deep ruts in the mud when it hops down and tries ineffectually to dig the creature out - and the 'beak' rips chunks out as though the glimmer of metal came down to a lethal hook. "MURDERER! NAHUATL DOG! FACE ME!!!"

Eventually it seems to get the idea the house is immovable and straightens, crackling. It starts to stalk at increasing pace towards the reloading Dust Adders, movements that bit unbalanced but sheathed in grace and certain as gravity. "If any man worship the Beast and his image...and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the Wrath of God."


[[Dammit. Sorry, William. That porch is really defeated, though.
08:41, Today: Alouette rolled 7,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,1. soak attempt. She soaks and continues not to care.
08:44, Today: Alouette rolled 2,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Intimidation. Haha, no. Any circumstancial bonus for being an angry metal angel from a church on fire whilst they're out of ammo?
08:47, Today: Alouette rolled 1,11 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+5)11. white chippit.]]

William doesn't know about counting coup, so he really has no idea that he might miss out on something. :-)

William gets up from behind the horse trough, drawing Jenny's pistol with his left, covering the panicking Dust Adders with his pistols.

"You all better start dropping your pieces before I start dropping you."


09:31, Today: William Pierce rolled 8,11 using d6+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+1)7. Super-Intimidation. (For Ghost Gun being drawn and all)

"We gotta get the hell outta here," he rasped. Oddly, Adrian didn't sound overly perturbed, afraid or worried. He was already dead, after all. But there were others here that weren't and he still felt some concern for them. His voice bore the hallmarks of winter, as cold and emotionless as it had ever been.

"Marshal Evans, if we can sneak you out the back door, Gus might think that you died in the church fire. Then we can come back on him and take him by surprise. Any mercy that I might have shown him goes out the door now that he's tried to kill me." That last part seemed more for himself than anyone else. Still, he gestured towards the door.

The Dust Adders don't seem to have any stomach for facing down the angry clank, nor for the gravel-voiced killer.

They break and run, scattering into the streets away from the burning church. Most of them leave their useless guns behind. In a few moments, the street is empty, save for the discarded pistols and Gus' corpse.

((OOC: hmm...two rolls of 11 on intimidation. I'm not even going to bother to roll. The Dust Adders panic and scatter, dropping their jammed or empty pistols  and moving their pace in random directions away from the group.))

In reply to Adrian Vega (msg # 96):

Evans pulls himself from under the pew where he'd dived for cover. "I think that's a capital id..."

Then he screams as two burning naked vampire girls leap on him and plunge their fangs into him.

((OOC:  Forgot about them, didn't you?

12:12, Today: Vampire Dance Hall Girl rolled 7,4 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,2. Drain! Both hit, one with a Raise. Evans has to roll Vigor, at -2 on one of his rolls for the Raise.

12:14, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 3 using 1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5. Vigor. Fail! that's a level of Fatigue for Evans.

12:15, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 3 using 1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 4. Vigor. That's another Fail, and another level of Fatigue.))

In reply to The Amazing Evans (msg # 98):
OOC: Nope...

---

Jake looks about quickly for a bit of debris wood to help Evans.

OOC: 15:40, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1,4 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4. Notice.

William walks over to Shaw's corpse, kicking it slightly in the side.
"Guess you really kicked the chicken on that one, snake."

Then he looks over to Alouette.
"Is he dead or will he pop back up anytime soon?"

The priest slowly stands up and again raises his cross towards the vampires.
Walking towards them, and Evans, apparently blind to the raging fire around him.

"Back! Back you devils! You shall not have this brave man's soul! Back!"


21:54, Today: Father William O'Rourke rolled 3,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. Faith for Protection.

In reply to Jake Lawrence (msg # 99):

There is plenty of wood that can be used as stakes, given the explosion. Much of it is on fire, but they can do in a pinch.

One of the vampire girls gives a strangled, cat-like yowl as Father O' Rourke shoves the cross in her face. She pulls away, blood streaming down her face as her skin begins to heal from the fire damage. The other closes her eyes clamps down tighter, eliciting a screech from the Marshal.

((OOC: 14:24, Today: Vampire Dance Hall Girl rolled 7,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,2. Resisting protection. That will turn away one of them. The other, however, resists.))

He had some inkling as to how this thing could be killed, but not the means so he decided to go for something traditional. Lunging in, he stabbed at the vampire woman with the scythe-blade atop his gun, and pulled the trigger at the same time. Hopefully that would give Evans enough time to get away with the priest.

"Just die already," he said, his voice as hot as it had just been cold.

---

If my Fightin' was a raise, which I think it is, I can roll shootin' as a free action. Unfortunately, the roll went quite badly!


Fightin': 11 (Raise?)
Damage: 10
Shootin': Snake Eyes

22:41, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,1 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1. Shootin.
22:40, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 7,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3.
22:39, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,11 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+5)11. Fightin.

The slice rips the girl away from Evans, but she slaps the gunblade just as Adrian pulls the trigger. Evans screams as the bullet grazes his temple and a gout of blood begins pouring down his face.

((OOC: Yes, that's a Raise. Their Parry is only 5 (which you can see in their tagline)

Ooo, Snake Eyes on a shooting roll in Melee. That's an Innocent Bystander hit. Guess who? }:D

22:20, Today: The Stray, on behalf of Adrian Vega, rolled 7 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1. Innocent Bystander damage.

That makes Evans Shaken.))

The glowing-lensed, spark-ridden thing that just sent a bunch of cowboys fleeing out of range of its 'beak' and banshee shrieks of rage turns, straightens, and stalks back through the mud. Head angled as though it had trouble seeing William, it points at the mangled bit of porch across the way.

"If the serpent-child returns to the flesh, it will rise," the voice from the static crackles, as though it were force of anger rather than excess electricity that smoothed the clank's movements.

"Still." It places a brass foot on the corpse and pulls back sharply, laying the man open as though great talons cut there and his bones were no hardier than a dove's. It stares at its brass hand a moment like a drunkard with a doorkey, then tears Gus' heart from his chest and takes it to Danny, letting blood fall on the boy's lips.

"Fools. Warned them, warned the top-tin hat-star-wearer and the crow-heart, each by each..." it murmurs, then looks back at William. "If he wakes ravening for live flesh, I cannot help him."


[[3 strength vs. ribcage +2 card -> 5 if needed.
William wouldn't know of coup, it's true, but his vampire instincts would probably react strongly to being offered first blood...Danny doesn't know either, and he almost swallowed a jackalope when fledgie thunderbird lurched at its corpse...]]

In reply to Vampire Dance Hall Girl (msg # 102):

Jake snags a piece of unburning debris and moves to help Evans.

OOC: No map so I'm guessing that Jake is able to draw, moving, and attacking with only a -2 multiaction penalty.
08:12, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 0,8 using 1d4-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+4)10. Fighting (-2 MAP).
Totally forgot that I need to call shot the heart which is a -4 and would mean Jake misses.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:14, Tue 18 Dec 2012.

William watches, mesmerized, as the clank pulls the heart from Shaw's body, his jaw aching as he sees droplets of blood dangle deliciously from it, then fall to the ground, making wonderful, beautiful little splashes, like crowns, on the muddy ground.
His tongue probes one of his canines and the sensation pulls him back, into the here and now.

No... not even from him. I might be a predator... but I won't be a monster.
There is snickering in the back of his head, as if to say: What are you but a monster?

But he pushes the thought from his mind.
"Alouette... or whoever I'm talking to right now."
He holsters the ghost gun, but draws Jenny's again with his left, hiding it behind his back.
"Please go back inside and help them. And take the snake's head with you and toss it into the fire. Might slow down his getting up."

He nods at Danny, the Irish boy's mouth already covered in blood.
"I'll take care of the boy. One way or the other. Whatever is necessary."
Then he just stands there, a few feet away from Danny, waiting..., well for something.

PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:05, Tue 18 Dec 2012.

"Shit," he said. "Help him out, Father, he's been hit!" He had been worried that he'd shoot one of the others, but this hadn't been how he thought it would've gone. He didn't know whether he should be relieved that he'd accidentally shot the Marshal rather than having shot him while something else had control of him. The thought almost made him sick.

"Not on holy ground. He has...defiled enough." Still, after leaving the  heart lodged at the hollow of Danny's throat and chest and stroking back his hair like that of a sleeping child the automaton does stoop to sever what's left of Gus' head.

It casts the lump into the flaming remnants of the barrel and stalks back into the church.

[[init.?]]

In reply to The Stray (msg # 108):
This message was last edited by the player at 14:32, Wed 19 Dec 2012.

The vampire girl looks at the stake in her chest, then at Jake, and then begins crumbling to ash. Soon, there's nothing left but a few bones and an iron nail rolling across the floor of the church.

The timbers above creak as the fire claims them. The other vampire girl, pulling herself to her feet after the slash from Adrian's gun, looks up at the burning church and runs out the front door.

"Don't worry about me!" Evans hisses, prodding the hole in his side. "It's just a graze. We need to stop that thing from causing more damage to others!"

He begins limping toward the front door after the vampire.

Outside, the blood doesn't seem to be doing much for the charred body of Danny. His skin knits a tiny bit, but the damage is too extensive to be quickly repaired.

((OOC: He actually has to eat (or be fed) the meat, so just dropping blood on him doesn't do anything.))

The clank makes a grab for the vampire pelting past.

[[08:22, Today: Alouette rolled 2,3 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. go go gadget vampire-grabbin'. Hey, she might roll a 1. When does that legend chip turn into a blue, by the by?]]

The priest hurries after the Marshal, offering him a hand to ease the limp.

With a well practiced motion, Adrian holstered his weapon, his eyes lighting up at Jake's example. He had heard that kinda thing would have worked, but had been too blind to see that the splintered shards of the building crumbling around them could have served as stakes. Seeing the vampire fleeing from him, he scooped up a sizeable wooden shard with a mind to copy the other Huckster's example.

"Get back here!" he called, chasing after it. He didn't know why he said it, as he was pretty sure it was an order that wouldn't be followed. It just seemed like the thing to do at the time. He went as fast as his legs would carry him and lunged at the vampire with the wooden shard.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:26, Tue 01 Jan 2013.

The vampire is able to slip out of Alouette's bloody grasp, but the distraction holds her in place long enough that Adrian can line up his shot with perfect precision.

The stake slips in between her ribs, and she screams as she crumbles to ash.

Evans reaches the door, and absently kicks the skull of the vampire girl out of his path.

"It seems we've survived." He says. "With any luck, Ranger Hawkins and Cantrell heard that commotion and are going to keep the Dust Adders remaining at city hall a good talking-to. But the others are probably getting the Dust Adders back at the Grand Bull, the ones we left guarding the Comanche prisoners. I don't feel inclined to another gun battle with them tonight. We need to get to the Circle W and confront Ward. Perhaps we can untangle this mess without any more deaths."

Adrian stood holding the stake, righting his balance as the target of his attack had now crumbled into dust right before his eyes. He had known it was coming, but hadn't planned for the immediate absence of mass in front of him before he swung. Looking down at his feet, he saw the dust blowing in the wind. It was on the ground in a messy pile, and on his boots and now on his pants. I have death all over me, he thought.

"I'd prefer to avoid another fight as well, Marshal, but it doesn't seem like that's the way things are going today. Too much killin' already."

He tossed down the piece of wood into the pile of ash, sending another puff of corpse dust into the air.

"Well, we'll deal with that when the time comes." Evans says. "We need to reach my steam wagon. I haven't had much use for it since I came to town, and I dearly hope it hasn't been vandalized in the intervening months since my arrival and today. It should be in a garage behind the livery."

He looks at William. "Thank you for facing down Shaw. What are your plans now?"

Jake all but collapses as the creature vanished into dust and bone. "Not exactly what I was expecting..."

"Good thinking, Bitter Waters. I didn't know that would really work, and I never thought about those wooden splinters." He didn't know exactly why he called the man that, but it seemed to fit.

The huckster's eyes flash with something for a moment but it passes. "Make do with what ya got my boss always tells me. I'm sure he'd appreciate the simplicity of the solution."

"What ya got at your wagon Evans?"

"Hopefully something that blows a lot of shit up," he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He sounded very sincere, and not flippant.

William shoots Evans a sideways glance.
"Dealing with Danny here. One way or the other."

"Sadly, no. I have some tools that I can use to adjust this device," he hefts his flamethrower, "so that I can actually affect vampires of the sort we just waded through, and I can build a useful device, if you can buy me half an hour, but I'm mostly interested in the wagon's capability for speed. It can hold all of us, assuming one of you wants to ride shotgun with me while I navigate, and will get us to the ranch in a matter of minutes."

He looks at the fallen body of Danny. He nods. "Do what you must, then."

"No!" Father O'Rourke gasps. "You cannot simply kill him!"

"My mercy, unlike the Lord's, is finite." Evans snaps back. "The beast in his breast has tried to commit mass slaughter not once but twice now. You heard what it said, just as well as I did. There is nothing left to save, and when something goes rabid, the kindest option is to put it down."

A blackened brass hand falls on Evans' shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.
"And when the Serpent's strength overpowered his reason, still the Little Fierce One asked that I should save myself...do you think, Top-Tin-Hat...Star-Wearer, that such strength as that was turned against you when Little Iron-Striker gave his mind to nightmare and the Eater?"

[[00:42, Today: Alouette rolled 12,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+4)12,3. spirit! ]]

In reply to The Amazing Evans (msg # 124):

"Not planning on killing him, Father." William replies. "Not unless I have to. We'll have to wait and see what comes back to life here.
The boy - or the demon."

"If you need a half hour, I guess I might could try buyin' it for you, but the way things've been goin' I don't think that's very likely. I mean maybe now. Gus seems put away, whatever Alouette said, and some of the Dust Adders too. The Comanches been dealt with. We done chased off the Mayor. Pierce's murderin' friend hasn't tried killin' anybody else in a bit. We might just could find some time, but I think maybe the towns cursed and that won't happen. Still, I can try to safeguard you while you build whatever it is you'd build. If it doesn't work, well, it doesn't work. But if you think we might as well get a move on, I'd be happy to ride shotgun with you."

Evans looks at Alouette, opens his mouth to say something...then closes it again.

"Fine. We don't have time to argue about this. Grab him and let's be on our way. He's your burden."

He looks over at Adrian. "I appreciate that. We should get moving."

Finally, Evans looks at Jake Lawrence, who had been quiet for a while. "And what about you? I know you mentioned not being interested in being a deputy, but where do you stand on putting a stop to all this?"

In reply to The Amazing Evans (msg # 128):

Jake smiles as his right hand works the tired rosary around and around in it's grasp. "I've a feelin' we're all going to need each other if we're to have much hope of staying this side of the grave, Evans."

"Besides there's a right nasty snake that needs puttin' down."

"Sometimes...the difference between 'angel' and 'demon'...is whose hand your strength is lent to," the static-storm in the brass casing murmurs, tenderly feeding strips of semi-human heartstring to Danny as though he were a sickened baby bird whilst William aims a gun at them. "Yet...a metal box with the Little Fierce One, free or unfree, waking, a last memory of battle? Slaughter-gift. I...will walk. With him."

Blood-splattered brass glimmers as it shakes its 'beak', as though troubled by the cut of physical restraints. "Two warnings: those that leave now must...keep leaving, abandon those here, if they make no approach to...chicken-kicking curs, half-dog mine-men, Blackthorn's brothers. Another: the song that makes men bulletproof...draws its own." The static is fading now, though it's been stronger, far longer than any other interruption of the clank's normal chatter.

The group picks up the fallen soldier boy and creeps through the darkened streets of Blackthorn.

((OOC: Make Stealth Checks, please.))

[[Alouette rolled 4,11 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (4+2)6,(6+6+1)13. sneakin'. Wow. Reckon the Hawk held on longer than expected there.]]

OOC:
Stealth: 9

15:12, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 7 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7. Red.
13:05, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 2,1 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1. Stealth.

OOC:
10:09, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 11,0 using 1d4-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (4+4+4+1)13,2. Stealth (Untrained).
Yay exploding d4!

20:01, Today: William Pierce rolled 5,9 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (4+3)7,(6+5)11. White chip.
20:01, Today: William Pierce rolled 0,-1 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1. Stealth, unskilled.

Evans leads the posse through the streets of Blasckthorn. Miracle of miracles, they manage to remain quiet enough to escape unnoticed.

They pass the Grand Bull and head into the livery, where Evans heads to a large, tarp-covered object in the back. He removes the tarp, revealing a colorfully-painted steam stagecoach with the words "Evans & Jones' Old-Fashioned Remedies and Miracles of Modern Science!" emblazoned on the side.

"It looks like everything's in good order." Evans says as he examines the wagon. "I'm rather glad I let Jones keep the horses, now." He opens the door to the wagon and rummages around inside. "I'm going to get the boiler heated up!" he says. "I also need to make a quick adjustment to my device...it needs to actually harm vampires. I don't know where the other dance hall girls got to, but if they made it to the ranch we could be in a lot of trouble. Why don't you folks discuss our plan of attack while I work?"

((OOC: So...sound off, gang! We've got Alouette, Adrian Vega, John Smith, Jake Lawrence, Father O'Rourke, and William Pierce here, and it's been some months since you were in character. Take the opportunity to discuss your current situation))

"Attacking people, objects, livestock may cause harm to mortals and property," Alouette reminds Evans, who by then is too deep in an engine to heed it. The clank is still carrying Danny about at a reasonable distance from any mortals.

"Should the minus colour Comanches go out of Blackthorn, Texas, also?" it asks, slightly more to the priest and Jake, since he's closest. "They were sleeping in the street when self told the others to shoo: high probability they did not hear, and may cause plus fear and alarm to folks when awake."

"We should put down the Comanche for good, by any means. Or we could lock them up if we don't know how. Then we ride out after Marina and her girls."

William has holstered his guns now, but he keeps his hands close to the handles. And he keeps watching Danny.

"What are we going to do about the boy?"

Adrian stood there by the Marshal while the Yankee did his mechanical work on the steam wagon, ready to defend him if need be, as he had promised he would. About all he could do was watch the others around him, and scan the area for any oncoming threats - as if they needed any more of those. Given how his time in Blackthorn had been, though, constant vigilance was important. And it wasn't just threats from without that he had to worry about. There was Danny, who the best Adrian could make out was at least partially a deranged lunatic. On top of that, there was William Pierce, a sociopathic gunslingin' Yankee vampire that walked into the Grand Bull and shot him in the back. A fella he'd met in the Lady Luck Society had once told him that he should keep his friends close, and his enemies closer, which it seems was how things were playin' out right there.

Still, it was hard to get his mind on the present situation, given what had happened not long before that. Gus Shaw weighed on his mind heavily. When he had grown up, the Vega family had a Blue Lacy dog named Lucky. It'd been a stray dog that he had adopted as a child, and that had soon became a beloved part of the family. At least until it got bit by some critter or the other and went rabid. His father had explained it to him that when that happened, there was only one thing to be done. Gus and he weren't what you'd call buddies, but you work a deep mine with a fella, you look out for one another.

It wasn't too long before that when Pierce had shot him in the back, Gus had been the one to stand tall and back him up. He'd been willing to give the man, whatever he'd become, a long rope on account of that loyalty. But it turns out that loyalty came with a price, and that was betraying Marshal Evans, who'd done as much and more for Adrian since his return to Blackthorn even though he didn't well know him. Just before he met his maker, it had become clear that Gus Shaw was a rabid dog, and it had been Adrian's place to put him down like his father had done for Lucky so many years ago. Adrian pushed all those thoughts away, saving them for further contemplation, and focused his mind on the task a hand.

"Well, I don't know the Weeping Moon folks that well, but I think there's a chance they'll cause problems from what I've heard. If they're playin' ball with the Royal Court, we might have even more problems. Goin' into the situation, we don't know how it's gonna play out at the end. I think it'd be good to clarify which side everyone's standin' on." He turned his gaze pointedly onto Pierce.

"You've got an admitted affiliation with a murderer, the man that goes by the nickname Seven of Spades. If things get confrontational and it ends up bein' us against them, well...let's just say that you have somethin' of a history of shootin' Blackthorn lawmen in the back on account o' yer bosom buddy Seven. If he's on the other side o' that line, are you gonna start plantin' lead in us?"
This message was last updated by the player at 07:55, Sat 04 May 2013.

"Down where, Pierce William Pierce? Eighty percent of large not-house buildings are exploded, minus Town Hall: high probability folks in houses or Town Hall may be alarmed by addition of Pure Blooded Comanches," the clank points out.

"Reccomend removal of minus colour Comanches from Blackthorn, Texas," it adds, then looks down at Danny, whom it'd been gently chick-feeding scraps of heart to until that creepy static hiss had faded from its casing. "Also Danny Albatross."

"Self is on God's side," it chirps happily to Adrian's question of alliances.

From the wagon comes the mournful wail of burning ghost rock. "Boiler should be heated in a few minutes." Evans says from the wagon. He continues bustling around, apparently fiddling with something. "The Comanche are the least of our worries, right now, Alouette." He opines from within the wagon. "I'm for removing them, too, but until we can break whatever spell keeps them immortal, well, the best we can do is let the Dust Adders watch over them and hope for the best." There's a {sproing!} noise and a whistling sound,and some insistent but mild cursing. Once the cursing stops, Evans continues speaking.

"At any rate, the Dust Adders are not likely to speak to us on any sort of good terms. We cannot deal with them right now without the potential of yet another gunfight. I get the impression that the major source of our troubles has been doing it's level best to keep us trapped in town, throwing one resource after another at us to keep us pinned and eliminate us. I saw how most of you reacted just before the church blew up. Something seized control of the vampires, it unleashed the boy's evil side, and it tired to do the same to the rest of you differently alive and warlock sorts. That suggests that it's trying to divert us any way it can. The damn Comanches are in custody. Leave them there for now."

There's a banging from inside the wagon, and the whistling stops. "There! Now to adjust the mixture..."

Pierce scratched his beard and smiles a rueful smile.
He's not gonna let this slide, is he? Well, I might as well not, if I run into that damn indian again.

"Let's see. In a town that's all gone to hell, Seven has been the closest I had to an ally around these parts. The marshal was going to kill me as quickly as he laid eyes on me. Not for what I did, mind you, I'm quite used to that, but for what I am. Not that I had any choice in the matter."

He turns to fully face Adrian now.
"Then there's the situation between the two of us. You were making a move against Seven, don't deny it. I've been in too many gunfights to know you were. All I did was trying to help out a buddy, who was outgunned and outnumbered. Friends do that for each other, you know?"

He breaks into a big, fake smile. "Oh, right, I forgot. Your friend tried to kill you, the marshal and everybody else in that church. Hell, he blew up that church. Not the good christian thing to do, neither. So I see how you might get confused about what friends do. Lucky you had me on your side to take him out."

Then his face turns dead serious again. "Seems there's an awful lot of us here who got a monkey on their back. I saw you struggling, lawman."
Adrian might notice that William chooses a term distinctly more respectful than "law dog".
"So... I guess we'll all have to see what happens, right? Who's telling me that you won't see a chance for a little revenge on the spot and shoot me in the back. Or maybe your monkey does and takes you along for the ride.
Maybe the marshal decides at a certain point that I've outlived my usefulness and hopes he gets lucky."

He chuckles. "Hell of a bind we're all in. Nothing like going into battle with uncertain allies. Keeps everybody alert and on their toes. But I tell you what, lawman: I will do everything I can and I need to take that bitch Marina down. She's mine. Her girls", he points vaguely toward the burning church with his chin, "said she'd be at the ranch. You want to go there, looks to me we're on the same side. I get Marina. You can take care of the others, I don't mind that. Is that good enough for you, lawman?"

"Gus Shaw weren't no friend o' mine. You work a mine with a fella, you get used to lookin' out for one another, that's all. Elsewise folks get to dyin'. I gave the man a long rope cause he stood tall when you walked in and started puttin' lead in the air for no cause. But in the end, Gus Shaw was a bad man...a rabid dog, and if you hadn't stepped out to put 'im down, I woulda done for it," he said, honestly.

"I suppose you might could say the best we could do is go in on blind trust, and maybe that's true. We've all more or less been at odds with you, and maybe you've got as much reason to be suspicious as we do. I think we might could do a little better than that, though. Ain't much better, but it's somethin'."

"I offer you a truce. Long as each of us is in control, we don't try to kill the other. It ain't much, but it's somethin'. I don't know what your word's worth, and you don't know what mine is - but after this is over, we might know somethin' more than we did before." He extended a hand to Pierce.

William regards the hand for a second, then looks around, taking in the strange company he's keeping these days. He'd be in some weird outfits, but never one as weird as this one here.

He takes the hand in a firm grip, shaking it.
"A truce it is."

When he releases the hand, he adds: "Last time a lawman shook my hand, it was Wild Bill Hickok up in Kansas. I considered him a friend. Damn shame what happened to him."

"Deputy Vega's spirit friend is not a monkey on his back, Pierce William Pierce," Alouette interjects helpfully. "It is a plus handsome crow, who lives in his chest."

It sidesteps to crane and see what Evans is doing without getting Danny too near the mortal. "Are you making sticky with holy water in, Ambrose? Holy sticky is plus plus deterrent to vampires, fiends, undead. Also, sticky."

Adrian simply nodded to William, looking somewhat relieved to have one less problem to deal with.

"Crow or monkey, it ain't no friend," he said with a wry smile, amused at Alouette's description of the thing that periodically tried to take him over and kill everybody around him. Well, at least the good people. It hadn't tried to take him over and kill Gus Shaw or the Mayor.

"Now, I think with the Dust Adders watchin' the Comanche, that's two problems taken care of at once that we can just leave aside for now. If there's any problems between the two, well, that might be one less problem we have to deal with later."

"Sticky sunlight, actually." Evans says from the wagon. "...you'll see what I mean when I fire it off. There's holy water in, though. Also, I think I can make a small collection of grenades with this stuff...might prove handy."

"Now that we've established a truce...what are we to do with young Danial?" Father O'Rourke says. He's standing beside the fallen boy. "I might be able to mend some of his wounds...if the consensus is that he would be a useful ally in this. I won't let any of you harm him, though."

"Your crow friend done keeps you alive differently, Deputy Vega," Alouette points out. "It would be good to feed it happy thoughts, so that it does not wish to consume the negative energies of the painfully betrayed."

It sidesteps away from the priest, still not putting Danny down or letting mortals close. "Positive energies are plus plus good for Danny Albatross...but he would need lots, because he is minus flesh and got killed again; he will be very hungry and minus minus humanity." There's a bit of ticking.

"What is grenade?"

"A grenade is a weapon that you throw and it explodes. It can do a lotta damage, cover a lotta area. If the Marshal makes one fulla holy water and sticky sunlight, maybe that'll be good for fightin' you know...certain kinda things," he said, as usual feeling pretty confident handing out partial bits of knowledge.

This occasions a bit more ticking, then the clank sort of starts, trying to see Evans again to be sure he's not going to explode. "Ambrose! Critical logic error!"

Reassured once it can see the Marshal, it adds: "Holy grenades should be minus sticky: sticky is hard to throw."

[it's ahead of its time with that thought... cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_bomb]

There's an exasperated sigh. "The sticky is on the inside, Alouette. When the primer explodes, it will spread the concoction around in an area. Then the elixir will ignite when exposed to air, and we'll have a glow as bright as daylight for as long as it burns...hopefully. If everything goes according to plan. If I make the mixture right. So I would very much appreciate it if you did not break my concentration further while I'm mixing this stuff...it's unfortunately rather volatile."

"That all sounds lovely. How do you plan on making sure that this will only affect the bad guys?"

The clank pauses at this, then goes to bother Adrian. "What is primer, concoction, ignite, volatile? Can self help?"

"Ambrose will not throw grenades at good guys, Pierce William Pierce," it reassures William with confidence.

"He better not, Alouette, but grenades have a tendency to be picked up and thrown back or bump against obstacles and roll back to the thrower or just be thrown badly or be dropped..."

He shrugs.
"I rode with Danny 'Dynamite' Johnson for a while, until he managed to blow himself up by cutting the fuse too short. Didn't find enough of him to bury, afterwards."

Not that we would've had time, with the Pinkertons on our trails.

"I don't." Evans says. "These devices will be crude enough as it is. You will have to live with the uncertainty, I'm afraid."

"You should be."

"Are you threatening me, you abominable blood-sucking bastard?" Evans growls from inside the wagon. "If that's a threat, then so help me I will douse you in this shit right now to test if I've got the mixture right! If you want me to honor our truce and let you live long enough to get your revenge and then flee across the plains, then I would kindly suggest you shut the hell up!"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:48, Mon 06 May 2013.

Pierce's tone is mild.
"You're the one doing the threatening, Marshal. Just pointing out that you shouldn't be too sure of going into battle with a weapon that may decimate your own posse while staring down some nasty creatures. Being afraid might just serve to keep you alive. Just try not to panic. That wouldn't serve you - or us - at all."

He turns to Vega again.
"How many of you have been in larger gun fights before? And how many people will we have to face at the ranch?"

"Alouette, I don't think your help is necessarily needed. Best we can do is not distract the Marshal too much while he's whipping up his grenades," he said.

"I just got back in town not long before you did, so I can't say rightly what kinda man power Ward's got up at the ranch. As for large gunfights, I think we been in a few. I know I have. Alouette, do you know what Ward has up at the ranch?"

"Larger than what, Pierce William Pierce?" Alouette asks, then is entirely distracted by Adrian's question.

"Doctor Ward has lots of buildings and a barn where he talks to his snake friend and a barn with cows...and some horses and a house and a carriage which is broken and a Chinese and a cat and a pit where the bodies are buried and 34 spoons...also My Man Abraham, who is a Creature of Habit, and Percy who shot the damned Yankee when it was there, and ghost rock and plus plus ants and 7,824 grains of rice and Dave who is a Bad Man and sheets and a machine like God that lives in his kitchen."

The machine appears to consider whether it's left anything out that Adrian might want to know about. "Doctor Ward also has a green table that has balls in his house and sometimes he has fire there, too, but the fire has to stay in the lamps or it damages property, and if you damage Doctor Ward's property he will shoot you from ten paces away."

Jake sat quietly listening to the others talk about the current situation. His mind was working over it as well as little tidbits of the others conversation seeped in. As he thought his right hand worked the rosary in it with a well practiced motion. The sound of serpents hissing and crows' cawing echoed in huckster's mind causing him to look about with a start.

"Unstable weapons are all we have. It's the only reason I'm working with you, after all." Evans says from the wagon. He fills in some of the bits that Alouette's ramble left out. "Aside from the ranch house, the two barns, and a tool shed, Ward also has a barracks where the rest of the Dust Adders stay when they work on the ranch. I'm guessing Alouette didn't visit that in her tour of the place. Ward employs upwards of thirty people, half of whom were in town when the Comanche attacked. I don't know how many are at the ranch, but I would assume at least the Mayor, that prat Arthur, and perhaps that Mrs. Bradshaw woman the minutes talked about. There might be members of the Enlightened Society that we don't know about. There would also be Ward himself. I suspect there to be about fifteen Dust Adders there, all told."

Fifteen doesn't sound too bad.

"Alouette, can you draw a map of the ranch?"
The something clicks as he replays the clank's speech in his head.
"Wait, what snake friend?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:30, Mon 06 May 2013.

Adrian found Alouette's summation of things partially helpful, but mostly confusing. It all seemed to make more sense when Evans filled in the gaps.

"So fifteen Dust Adders, Abraham, Percy, a prat called Arthur, a Chinaman, Dr. Ward, a bad man called Dave, and maybe a bad man that calls himself the Seven of Spades. And that's if we're underestimating things. On our side, there's just the five of us? And two of us aren't supposed to use our tricks cause that's apparently makin' everything worse. Odds sure don't look good in a fight."

He turned to Alouette. "Are Abraham, Percy, Arthur, the Chinaman, and Dr. Ward also bad men?"

"You're forgetting Marina. She's a wildcard and might prey on Ward's folks if she gets the chance."
He shrugs.
"Forget about the 15 Adders. Who's their leader? I take him down, the rest might falter. You saw what happened after Shaw went down. But seriously: What snake friend?

"Nathanial Frost was their leader." Evans says. "He's dead now. I think leadership passed to Carl Allans, who was captured by the Comanche. I don't know what happened to him. Next in line seemed to be Gus, who's dead for now. I have no idea who'd be calling the shots at the ranch. But it's a sure bet they won't remain leaderless for long."

"My Man Abraham is a Creature of Habit," the clank states what it knows, calculating, "-he was broken when we all had a legal dispute with the Pure Blooded Comanches but John John Smith fixed him. He is hostile to ants, but he gives folks food if they sleep in the house."

"Percy is good at shooting...self has not spoken to him, but he has not shot at self, so he is probably a very good man," it decides.

"Arthur is a Bad Man, he put a lady in a box when she didn't want to be in a box and buried her when she was alive until she wasn't. That was a Bad Thing to do. Self has not seen the Chinese do anything or spoken to him - we all dug him out of the ground and he was sick so Doctor Ward and AUG-US-TUS with a trumpet and God were making him better. Doctor Ward is a Man of Genius and Complicated," it summarises, apparently now on firmer ground.

"A spirit snake friend-" Alouette's words momentarily falter under a furious hiss of static. "False god, belly-writher, this, Foe, Tezcatl- *tzzap* -from another plane and eats the chickens and people in the ghost rock. It is plus plus big."

Pierce strokes his beard.

"Next time, you might want to lead with that. And if that thing eats people, I'm not so sure I'd call his friends for the 'good guys'. I think we can forget about the 15 guys for now and focus on the fucking snake friend. Do you know how to kill it?"

"Is the snake friend inside him? Like my...crow friend?" One thing he had learned from the Ranger was that sometimes he just had to suck it up and start using animal metaphors if proper communication was to be achieved, even if he didn't quite like it. It seemed that the same kinda thing worked with Alouette.

"I have absolutely no idea." Evans says. He exists the wagons, carrying what looked like three whiskey bottles with some sort of gadgetry on top with him. "Nor do I have any idea how to remove it if it is, or stop it if it isn't. But Ward might. The serpent is probably the source of the town's troubles, and the only ones who have put any study into it would be the Enlightened Society members. They're the ones who opened the bottle of this particular genie...we need to get in contact with them to figure out how to get it back in. Speaking of bottles..."

He offered the whiskey bottles up for inspection. "They're done."

The bottles are half full of some clear liquid solution, and half full of a mix of powders separated from the fluid by what looks like a cardboard divider. The top of the contraption has what looks like a gun hammer, a small-caliber bullet, a trigger mechanism, and gum to keep everything in place.

"Now, the basic principle is this." Evans says. "Cock the hammer, then pull the trigger. That will fire the round. If I've calculated everything right, that will cause the bullet to hit the divider and not break the glass, mixing the solids and the liquids. With it broken, shake the mixture until it starts to glow, and then toss like you've never tossed anything in your life. The sodium metal shavings will react with the holy water, causing an explosion, at which point the mixture with be in contact with the air. Everything touched by the mixture will glow as white hot as the sun for a second or two as the secondary components I've added burn off, creating intense heat and light. Theoretically."

"So it's not just dangerous to Marina and the likes of me? You could burn your arm off as well? I think I'll stick to my pistols. Maybe pick up a nice stake somewhere."

"I might want to point out that you tried that once, and look where it got you." Evans replies. "The vampires implied that aside from being staked, sunlight was the only way to kill a vampire. Your guns will quite likely be as worthless against Marina as they were against the others. This is sunlight in a bottle. If you want to be the one to kill Marina, this is going to be your best weapon."

"Those are Bad Words, Pierce William Pierce, and should not be used in polite company," the clank chides. "Doctor Ward's snake friend does not live in him like the little snake friend of Gus Shaw: it is big, like a mountain, or the the Archangel Sky Coyote, and it does not live on this plane."

It ticks a bit. "If the Snake was on this plane, medium possibility y'all could explode it with plus plus dynamites and holy grenades if y'all got plus close...but if the Snake was on this plane high probability of apocalypse being triggered from Blackthorn, Texas, result: many other things to fight. Self was going to tell Doctor Ward to stop feeding it ghost rock in case it got fat and fell into the world, but then Ranger Hawkins said to help people not be alarmed by the Pure Blooded Comanches so self stayed because self is a Person or Thing of Interest to the Confederated States of America, which means self should do what Ranger Hawkins says."

"Ramps help," it adds to Evans' commentary. "-or possibly onions."

"Well, looks like we might not have to fight all the bad people. Just convince them that they need to stop feeding ghost rock to a magical demon-snake and then maybe only kill some of them. The vampire, I guess. Maybe some Dust Adders."

"If y'all harm a mortal, self is not required to protect you," Alouette warns, with a certain implication it might do the opposite.

"Some mortals might try to harm us when we try to take out Marina and the big snake, though."
Pierce points out.

"So what's the plan, now, Marshal? Ride to the ranch, ask Ward to stop feeding the big snake in the barn and if he refuses, we start shooting? Or what exactly?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Mon 06 May 2013.

"That is the plan, unless you have a better one."

"Self can tell them not to," Alouette tells William.

"Depends. Can somebody give the layout of the buildings and whatnot?"



He shrugs. "Alright. If it's that easy. But then what about Marina?"

Also: What time is it? Am I about to find out if I burst into flames in sunlight?

"So you'd defend a mortal, even if they're - as you put it 'a bad man', over one of us?" he asked Alouette. He figured it was important to figure out exactly where the clank stood on this issue.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:50, Mon 06 May 2013.

"Primary command: protect," Alouette affirms. "Primary command is minus limitation to sex, species, race, or morality. Priority: mortals, secondary priority: differently alive, teritary priority: lost souls, spectres, small spirits, ghost friends."

"If Pierce William Pierce will hold Danny Albatross tightly self can do pointing," it offers the vampire. The question of Marina merits a little ticking thought. "Pierce William Pierce can tell the mortals to stand in a different place, then throw holy grenades at her," it suggests.

"But, and not that I'm going to go after it - but it might just come up because there's a history - were I to enter into a conflict with the Seven of Spades, you'd side with him because he's a 'mortal'?" he asked, scratching his chin while considering the matter.

"Self would prevent Deputy Vega from causing harm to mortal, and warn mortal of consequences of causing harm to Deputy Vega," the clank clarifies, insofar as anything can be clarified by the clank.

"So basically deputy clankenbot won't let people harm each other if'n it can help it." Jake mused then with a rather sarcastic tone said, "Seems like it'll be very busy should the injins arrive." He shifted his glaze to the automaton, "What would you do should a group of people be fightin' one another? As such will soon be the case I've a feeling"

"Self can tell the Pure Blooded Comanches to shoo if they come back for arrested Comanches before self is removed from Blackthorn, Texas," Alouette assures Jake.

"Self would tell them to stop fighting, and that continuation may occasion a Writ of Restraint, whooping the ass of a man and/or arrest," the clank informs him cheerfully.

The huckster pondered the clank's words for a moment, or at least appeared to. "I wish you much luck in that, though I wonder when you're not here who's to protect these good folks. I digress. We're here talkin' bout headin' out to Wards and dealing with the pointy toothed dancing gals, right?"

"Heading to the ranch, yes. Hoping not to deal with any more of the dancing girls, but I'm preparing for the worst." Evans says. "Who would like some bottled sunlight?" He holds up his makeshift whiskey-bottle grenades.

"Reckon I'll take one."
If only for making sure that it's not going to be thrown at me.

"Also, have you got any of that holy water left? Dipping my bullets into them might be useful as well."

Jake nodded to Evans, "Sure but I'm expectin' every thing of evil to possibly mildly bad within a twenty square mile area to have randomly wandered over to that ranch... just seems to be the luck of this place."

"The other angel Ranger Hawkins can tell the Comanches to shoo if they return in abscence of self," Alouette assures Jake with remarkable confidence in a single, newly-fledged Texas Ranger.

"Not luck, Bitter Waters: witchcraft," the clank corrects, with mechanical patience. "The little demons come to eat minor negative energies from aetheric disruptions, then the bigger demons come to eat those and lost souls, and cause plus plus disruption...then the crow-spirits come, for the scraps."

"Thanks for that reassurance." Jakes said with an eyeroll that would probably have gotten him slap in his youth.

"Well, I can shoot pretty good, but I'm not such a good hand at throwin', but I might could take a hand at it if'n we need me to," he said.

Evans hands a bottle each to William and Adrian and hands the last one to Father O'Rourke.

"I don't have any holy water left to spare, I'm afraid." He says to William. "I need the rest of it for my flame-throwing device." The boiler begins to wail faintly, like a teakettle left on the stove...or a damned soul being torched in the fires of hell. "Well, we're as ready as we're going to be, I'm afraid. We should probably get going before the steam wail draws attention."

((OOC: The Bottled Sunlight Grenades act like the blast power. You make a Throwing roll to try and land it where you wish, otherwise it deviates. They have a range of 5/10/20 and deal 3d4 damage in a Medium Burst Template. This counts as a Heavy Weapon. On your next action, it deals 2d4 damage (unless the victim takes an action to wash off or strip out of the covered area). It can ignite flammable objects (6 on a d6, or 4-6 for very flammable objects like dry straw) and creates a glow on the target that negates darkness penalties until the stuff stops dealing damage. This glow is equivalent to natural sunlight with regard to creatures harmed by it. If you roll a 1 on your Throwing die (regardless of the Wild Die), the bomb goes off in your hand, and you become the center of the burst, suffering all the effects above.))

He took the bottle in one hand, and sort of shrugged, holding onto it, not knowing quite what to make of it. Adrian, leaned down and picked up one of the fallen shards of wood, sticking it in his belt - just in case.

"Saddle up," he said, looking at the others, drawing his gun. "Lock and load." He didn't say much more at the moment, getting into the steamwagon.

"Father O'Rourke can make lots of things plus godfulness," Alouette points out. It looks around for the saddle that is up, but seems to presume the lock is already loaded and just waits.

It doesn't appear to have any intention of getting on the wagon, but considering it's not going to get tired running along and that it's carrying a lad who might just turn into an all-consuming fiend at some unspecified time, that's probably a good thing.

Jake glanced around wishing he'd had his horse. He took a moment to check his pistol then stepped onto the wagon, else he'd have to run rather fast.

"Guess we'd best get movin' if we're going to be of any good."

John was not terribly stealthy, at least not like some of the natives he had encountered, or some of the practitioners of the Black Arts of Gung Fu his sifu had told him about, but he had a way of going unnoticed by simple merit of being silent and keeping his thoughts to himself. He wasn't dumb, per se, but his time being nursed back to health from whatever event had stolen his memory, made him think long and hard about things, often giving the illusion of simplicity. In any case, while he couldn't sneak up on most people, he tended to fade into the background when he felt he had nothing to contribute.

As the discussion went on he thought of his part in it. He wanted nothing to do with the bottled sunlight they had discussed, so he didn't ask for one, and hoped to stay well clear of it when it went off. He also was considering their 'enemies'. He had saved Abrahams life, and while he might not hold as much value on life as Alouette, he had been taught that it meant he was somewhat responsible for that life. The Doctor had also risked himself in helping him save his Sifu, and while honor was something sketchy at best, he had an obligation towards the man to some degree, one that was modified in no small part by his Sifu's continued presence on the Ranch. Things were getting complication.

"Abraham and the Chinaman, my Sifu, shouldn't be harmed." He said to no one in particular. "I should warn you, I'll defend against him when necessary and if'n I'm able, but I cannot raise an offensive hand against Dr. Ward himself unless absolutely necessary. He saved Sifu when he had no cause to, even risked himself and his people t'do so, I owe him that much." he said, looking finally at Evans. "Just layin' my cards out on the table as it were."

"I will endeavor to avoid harming them, if at all possible." Evans says as he puts the steam wagon into gear. "The key words being, if possible. I'm not looking for trouble, but somehow...somehow, I always seem to find it."

And with that, the steam wagon rolls out of the stables and down the road.

((OOC: This thread is now closed. Please resume posting on the Chapter 17.2: The Hollow Men thread.))