That Lawrence guy with the shifty eyes seems to be throwing some kind of fit; William can make out the priest knelt or bent low to him, presumably to help. Alouette and Evans seem fascinated by the far side of the road, which Evans seems to be scanning with one of his esoteric...no, Evans is backing a step now, attention mostly on whatever the clank's looking at among the wind-ruffled scrub. Cloud shadows race over the scene; it's likely it will soon start raining.


[[I was going to handwave it as 'about two running rolls', so sure, upper end of Medium. Even Pierce isn't going to spot darkish-mottled dogs on a darkish-mottled background without knowing what he's looking for, though.

You going to roll me a Notice check for prodding the dead horse/watching Adrian's back?]]

08:34, Today: William Pierce rolled 8,6 using d6+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2. Notice (Cats Eyes, Alertness).

Despite the distraction and hanging back from the mess itself, a detail that's been nagging at William for a while finally demands his attention.


An indistinct shape starts twitching and heaving behind Adrian as he pads past.

Adrian found himself over near what he had tried to inspect from afar, but was still close enough to hear William's question, or at least to make out that William was talking. "What's that?" he asked, turning back to Pierce, but still trying to keep his eyes on the mess of limbs that were on the ground.

OOC:
Initiative:  6H
Notice: 7

The notice is for him looking at the stuff he went to investigate to see if he can spot any patterns based upon his arcane knowledge.


15:30, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: 6H using the Deadlands system. INiti.
15:30, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 1,7 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+1)7. Notice.

Adrian is at last close enough to see that the shambles is nothing to do with human action...there are no clean cuts, just tearing and crushed bone. It's like the animal was attacked by wolves - he'd seen wolf kills before, the same long spill as the canines went for the prey's belly - but mad wolves, wolves that just kept tearing and tearing and hardly seem to have eaten anything.

The dog, now, that was a different story...


Suddenly, a dark blot detaches itself from the shadows and comes flailing across the road surface towards Adrian with an insane rocking gait. As it flicks into the moonlight it becomes clear it's trailing bloody, matted mane behind it, dead eyes staring at nothing but teeth chomping with idiot malevolence. It's the horse head, rocking along on its jaw and upper spine in a rapid beeline for Adrian's feet.


[[ *facepalm* I pulled a card just to see if it acted before Adrian and pulled the BJ! ...you both saw movement, so I'm not going to throw it on y'all directly, but here, have more Exposition Pony. It moooooves! ]]

Initiative!

William Pierce AS
Alouette RJ!
Jake Lawrence JD
O'Rourke 9C
Adrian Vega 6H
Dead dogs 5D
Ambrosius Botticelli Evans 4S

Ah, getting all the bad rolls out of the dice roller. Sound tactic, William.

09:23, Today: William Pierce rolled -2,-2 using d10-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Blue chip.
09:23, Today: William Pierce rolled 0,-3 using d10-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1. White chip.
09:22, Today: William Pierce rolled 1,-3 using d10-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,1. Shooting the horse's head.

No hit and out of chips!

William can't remember if the gun was already in his hand. But regardless if it was already there, materialized there or if he pulled it from its holster without thinking - now the barrel of the gun points at the undead horse's head, but it lurches forward the second he pulls the trigger. Instead of tracing a tunnel through the things brain, the bullet buries itself in the ground, the chamber already loaded again with another ghostly bullet.

"Watch out, to your left!" He adds, as a warning to Adrian.

[[moot with those rolls, but with William's Cat's Eyes I'd say it'd be only -2 if you really want to shoot at the dead horse, since the head is a small target in itself rather than a small target on something.]]

The clank stands and watches the beasts about to run them down.

"Angel!" the priest calls. It looks at him.

O'Rourke swallows. "Please," he asks, looking into the brightness flared in its lenses.

The clank looks back at the dogs, straightening. Sparks shimmer between its brass fingers.


[[08:55, Today: Alouette rolled 6,7 using d8+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. call down the light-ning! Damage field activated.
init. 6H

Jake Lawrence, you're up!]]
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:07, Tue 10 Dec 2013.

Jake drew his gun and ATTEMPTED to shoot the horse head, but only managed to not hit his own foot by a matter of inches.

OOC:
10:04, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 0,1 using 1d8-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Shootin' (-2 MAP).
YIKES!
10:05, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: JD using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative .

[[ Er, Jake, you're back with Evans & co.

Your problems are the things that shredded that horse, and they're bearing down fast. They are -3 to shoot at, being Small things in Dim light.]]

OOC: Dang it! So I'm now confused ... why did Alouette just go all Tesla on us?

Going to hold my action till something useful comes to mind.

((OOC: Because Alouette and Evans spotted a bunch of zombie dogs heading for us from a flanking direction.))

OOC: Alright ... I miss something and we can move along

[[ Just letting you know in case it changed your action. The dogs are fast-lurching furry death rather than entertainingly animate exposition, after all.]]


O'Rourke straightens and steps forward a pace, holding the crowbar out and ready like he knows exactly how to use it.


[[O'Rourke moves up near Evans (in front of Jake) and goes on Hold, since Evans is about to be in a world of trouble and he doesn't have a ranged weapon on him.

init. AC]]

Adrian, go! I'll get to the hounds in a wee bit.

"Fuck!" It wasn't an elegant statement, but Adrian wasn't a particularly eloquent man. Raising up, as quick as he could, he took aim, drew and fired.

---

OOC:

Shootin': 11
Damage: 19 (if I got a raise) or 8 (without a raise)

The first roll didn't go so well, but I've used a White Chip to good advantage here:
18:44, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 11,1 using d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of (6+6+3)15,5. White Chip.
18:48, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 8 using 2d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. Damage.
18:52, Today: Adrian Vega rolled 11 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11. Raise?

This message was last edited by the player at 23:56, Tue 10 Dec 2013.

Adrian catches the thing at an angle that sends it smearing to a mostly-exploded stop a good two yards away. Staring at it, the intrepid investigators notice part of a bridle still tangled in its mane. That makes no sense at all, however, since it looks like the animal had its throat cut.

[[That's a raise all right, so you get the heavy damage and avoid getting a new BFF attached to your boot. Are you up to date with your Joker chips?

Going sleeps right now, dogs tommorrow.]]

The silent hounds pound over the road surface.

One at once leaps for the clank; the machine allows the beast's jaws to meet over its forearm and flings it aside like it weighed nothing. The hound lies twitching on its back a moment, muscles locked in spasm.

The priest swings, but the cowdogs seem to flow around his blows like saw-toothed, lurching shadows. One rips the side off his sleeve with a lunge and keeps going, heading for Jake. Another hits Evans in the chest under O'Rourke's arm, tearing into the Marshal's shoulder.

Staggering under the beast's momentum, Evans twists away only to find his vision filled with the jaws of another.

Jake, three steps behind the rest of the group, watches the dog that missed O'Rourke bear down upon him. As such, he almost misses the lithe pitbull-cross coming at him from the right; its teeth go through the flesh of his calf like a leather punch.



[[All the rolls!

08:44, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Father William O' Rourke, rolled 3,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4.
08:44, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 28 using 1d8, rerolling max with rolls of (8+8+8+4)28. Agility.

08:51, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 6,14 using d8+2,d8+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(8+4)12. attack rolls, dice issues. (clank, Evans)

08:51, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 9,4 using d8+2,d8+2, rerolling max with rolls of 7,2. attack! attack! (Evans, priest)
They miss the priest. Hit 'em, O'Rourke!

09:44, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Father William O'Rourke, rolled 6,1 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (4+2)6,1. fightin' (held action). Not with a -1 for their size in melee he doesn't. Onwards!

08:57, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 2,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. damage! -> 7 damage to Alouette, no injury.
09:05, Today: Alouette rolled 10 using 2d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,3. zap damage. 1 Dog is Shaken.

08:59, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 5,5,1 using d8,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5,1. damage! -> 11 : 1 wound, shaken for Evans.
09:01, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 15,5,2 using d8,d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+7)15,5,2. ditto. -> 22 damage...good grief...4 wounds, shaken, for Evans. Lucky we have some healers about.

08:52, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 7 using 1d8+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5. dog after Jake.
09:02, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 2,9 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+3)9. dog after Jake. -> 11 damage: 1 wound, Shaken for Jake

Notice! You can hit these things in melee at -1, 'cause despite the darkness y'all know perfectly well where they are, they're just Small.

init. JH ]]

Evans, er...yeah, your go.

Evans yelps, and goes down under the doggy doom...

((OOC: Right. Time to break out the chips. First, White for the easy Soak:

19:30, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 2,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Soak!

ouch. OK, then...Attempt to soak the 4 wound attack

19:31, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 0,2 using d6-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 1,3. Soak! Well, fuck you too, dice roller.

Incapacitation roll: 19:32, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 0,1 using d6-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 3,4. Incapactiation. No. Now I'm spending chips.

19:33, Today: The Amazing Evans rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3. Red chip.  That will leave him with a Injury that lowers his Vigor by a die type until all his wounds are healed.

No card for me.))

The heavyset bulldog-cross shakes Evans like a bundle of rags until he stops moving, then crouches to leap at the priest.

[[Initiative!

O'Rourke AC
Jake JD
Dogs JH
Alouette 6H


Adrian if you want to head back to the fight, draw init.
William if you want to try shooting at range/going back there, draw init.]]

11:36, Today: William Pierce drew the single card: 7D using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

OOC:

Initiative: JC

12:28, Today: Adrian Vega drew the single card: JC using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

This message was last edited by the player at 21:55, Sun 15 Dec 2013.

The priest's eyes widen, but he manages to duck the beast's lunge as it goes for his throat, shouldering it aside to kneel down to Evans. He mutters softly as he checks the scientist's breathing "The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation...my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou...savest me from violence!" O'Rourke's voice rises in alarm as he spreads his palm against a fresh attack, shaken by instinctive fear of long white teeth.

The dog hits an invisible wall of force and falls back. O'Rourke takes a shaky breath and a moment to thank God before checking the damage inflicted on Evans.

"Vega! Pierce!" he calls as he loosens Evans' collar, hoping they can hear. "Walker dogs! - Help Bitter Waters!"


[[19:07, Today: Father William O'Rourke, rolled 3,2 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. mime aid (plus Conviction, minus enough to cover Evans). Aw, c'mon...
Father William O'Rourke, rolled 7 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5. red chippit. -> 10

init. 3C

Revised init:

Jake JD
Dogs JH
Adrian JC
William 7D
Alouette 6H


Jake up next! Remember you have 1 wound to soak if you so desire.]]

OOC: Of COURSE I'd like to soak that wound. Burning a white to attempt to soak
14:59, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 8,3 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8,3. Soak.
Which that'll do :)

---

Jake yowled in pain but reacted as a trained soldier should ... by shooting the dog presently latched onto his calf.

"My name is Jake."

OOC:
15:04, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 12,1 using 1d8,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+4)12,1. Shootin'.
That hits with raise even in melee
15:04, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 16,2 using 2d6+1,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+4)10,2. Damage (Pistol, Raise) AP1.
Not too shabby
15:06, Today: Jake Lawrence drew the single card: 8D using a deck of 54 cards. Initiative .
This message was last edited by the player at 20:09, Mon 16 Dec 2013.

Jake fires straight down into the thing's skull, spattering cold brains against his leg. It drops, just meat once more. The one coming at Jake from the front leaps, but only tears a chunk from the elbow of his shirt, barely grazing him.

The twitching dog staggers up and tries to come at the clank again with idiot determination, but just lurches a bit and falls on its side.

O'Rourke continues to administer the most basic aid to Evans, praying in a soft murmur as the dogs thud and scrabble uselessly at the holy shield. Then one circles round for a run-up, rushes and throws itself at O'Rourke's face; the priest flinches as though he did not believe the barrier was there.

That's all it takes: suddenly, the priest has to snatch up his crowbar again to strike at a lunging canine. For a fraction of a second, between smacking the mongrel bulldog hard into the earth and driving the bar in a straight punch into the other hound's ribcage, O'Rourke shuts his eyes and seems to pray forgiveness for his folly.

The dogs mill and circle, dead eyes shining like candles under the moonlight.




[[20:16, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 6 using 1d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4. unshake doggit.
20:24, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 2 using 1d8. *ahem*. No hit.

20:18, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 5 using 1d8+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3. dog after Jake.
20:27, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 3,2 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2. damage Jake. Jake is not damaged.

20:27, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 12 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+1)7. damage barrier. Well, bugger.

20:41, Today: Alouette, on behalf of Zombie Dog, rolled 3 using 1d8+2, rerolling max with rolls of 1. attack! attack! Fortunately it misses O'Rourke, but so much for getting some space to heal Evans...

init. 4H

Adrian! ]]

Evans groans and stirs at the preacher's touch.

((OOC: That will get Evans from Incapacitated to moving but with 3 wounds. Do you want me to draw a card for Evans for the current turn, or does he not get an action this turn?))

[[Sorry mate, wasn't doing anything so sensible (fighter brain tends to take over in combats). I'll spend the chip I got from Evans' red on actually making him better next Alouette or O'Rouke gets the chance.]]