September 11th, 1880. Early Evening. The Black Hills.

some mood music

The group of wanderers travels on into the west, following the faint glow of the eagle spirit as darkness closes in around them. Lighting still flickers in the east, but above the band stretches the pale gleam of a million stars spread across the heavens like a river. The only sound the band of heroes hear are the hushed breeze, the rustling of prairie grass, and the clink of their own gear.

The band has been traveling for an hour, hustling along in a jog. They've stopped once or twice to gather together and catch their breath, While Sky hawk examines the area to make sure he can lead the group back the way he came on his initial flight. This is more difficult than Sky hawk remembers, as he was delirious with pain and his only thought was reaching the railroad tracks and finding help from there.

Wanbli Luja's keen eyes, however, have spotted a small valley between two bluffs not to far distant, perhaps another mile or so. The area around is ominously quiet, and has turned rocky and rugged. The group is currently resting from their last stretch of jogging. It's time to plan the next move.

((OOC: So, give me an idea of how you want to approach the valley, remembering you have about another mile and a half to go yet.))

Nate sat with the rifle set across his knees.  He had pointedly not returned it to Sam.  He had also made sure to settle into a rear guard position; though it was hard to tell whether this was to keep an eye on the outlaw or dstance himself from the glowing form of the spirit eagle.  The realization that Sky Hawk might be confused about the way to go wasn't making this better.  "Maybe someone should try to sneak up there and see what's what, before we all head in?"

Xiao nods once, standing a little way across from Nate, still breathing hard.
Last week, these feet did not know they could run two days together...and now I am running a third night, but no longer away.

"Wanbli Luja should fly over the prace and see where Wovoka is, I think - his eyes many times stronger than a man's. If the Raven Men look up, he can be high enough to be taken for a shining star, so when we fall on them together we have the-" Xiao grimaces, searching for English words, "-startlement. Good?" It's primarily the braves Xiao looks to for affirmation, since they know the terrain and this mode of warfare.

"Surprise", Moses corrects the Chinese boy with his rumbling voice, watching him jump a little. He had noticed that the boy apparently was afraid of him, but didn't understand why.
Then he smiled. The Lord would provide the answer, and soon, he was sure.

"I agree. We should discreetly scout the area to the best of our ability before we descend."  He turned to Thunder Walker and Sky Hawk. "If I'm not mistaken, this is something that your people are good at. Moving through the land without making much noise or being spotted I mean. I believe it would be better for you to do the scouting rather than a large, glowing eagle spirit.  Assuming we don't want to attract unwanted attention, that is."

"I can scout the way. I can be quiet, most of the time." The last part of that was for Sky Hawk, who had witnessed his earlier failure to maintain silence. Oddly enough, it was that act of stumbling upon the Chinese boy in their forest that had sent him on a long chase that had ultimately lead to this moment. It is possible the Chinese boy's flight saved his life. In the surprise of discovering him without time for thought, it is possible Little Crow could have killed the youth before Sky Hawk or Thunder Walker had a chance to stop him. That would have lead them to the same place, and Thunder Walker himself may have been on the list of dead from the betrayal of Little Crow.

Growing up in N'Orleans Jack Boudreaux had come up against evil before, but from the sound of it these Ravenites were as dangerous as anything he had ever encountered.

"This is a rescue right? Seems to someone will have to sneak in there and be ready to find this shaman while the others cause a distraction and draw away the enemy."

"If they just think they are battling' a bunch of pale faces,and a couple of not so pale faces, they will probably not recon that we are staging a rescue of this shaman. The only question is how are we going to be able to stand up to them and how are we all going to get away?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:41, Wed 12 Sept 2012.

As the group is discussing options, the giant eagle spirit returns to the camp.

"I bring news." Wanbli luja says. "Ahead in the valley, the followers of the Ghost Dance hide. I spot five, perhaps six survivors. They shelter in caves lining the river that flows between the bluffs. Up on the hilltops, the Ravens roost. There are more than a dozen, less than a score. I cannot say the exact number...some have hidden themselves in the trees, watching for any signs of escape. I believe they will wait for sunrise to attack. They do not seem to be in any hurry."

He ruffles his feathers. "I should warn you. I saw danger as I flew back. There are kinyan tiwicakte [Private to group Siouan: "Flying Death"] on the wing, hunting for prey. I do not know who they will strike, but strike they will, and soon."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:58, Wed 12 Sept 2012.

Sam nods at Jack's suggestion. "I'm down for that. I can cause a ruckus with the best o' them."

At Wanbli Luja's estimate he goes a bit pale. "So between twelve and twenty. Yikes. Do they have any horses? I don't fancy drawin' a whole heap o' angry Sioux on my head without an escape plan, and if they got horses an' we don't, well, it'll be a real short gettaway."

"The only horses I saw were buzzard meat, down in the valley." The Eagle spirit says. "If the Ravens had horses, they hid them well away from their ambush."

"They will come fast to a fire," Xiao says, "If the river is fast with fall rain, Wanbli Luja could bring some...blanches to us and those who are hiding: we could float down the river vely fast whilst the Raven Men come back from here. I do not think the death-that-fly would come for us in the water."

Nate seemed to be in agreement with Black Jack's focus on rescuing the shaman.  He nodded lightly at any rate.  He then narrowed his eyesa bit as he listened to the information from the....spirit eagle.  Then a glance to the Chinaman's talk of fire and floating down fast moving rivers on branches.  He then looked to the pair of Sioux with no small amount of hope visible in his expression.

[Private to GM: Secret Occult Check Total - 4.  What guesses can he make about Flying Death?]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:56, Wed 12 Sept 2012.

"I like Mister Boudreaux's suggestion.  The question is, what sort of distraction would entice those Indians to leave their position en masse? We would need something so distracting, that it would make most of them come running to see what was happening."  The Professor grinned, stroking his beard in thought.  "What do you all think about an explosion?  I mean if a package of dynamite were to suddenly explode in the nearby area, do you think that would cause those men to come running?"

"Dine-o-mite?" Sky hawk asks, tasting the unfamiliar word, then thinks. "Ah. Boom stick. Fire and boom will bring many braves, I think. Not all, but many. They may think more of their fellows are coming. We can make an ambush of our own. But the kinyan tiwicakte...they may not wait. They hunt those who are on their own, may even attack a whole band if there are many of them. Li, they would even attack over water. They fly fast."

[Private to Nate Williams: The "Flying Death" they are referring to is referred to in the Agency's files as "devil bats," great big Event spawn that can carry off a man and prefer to hunt at night. They hunt by sensing sound and movement...a big boom would almost certainly draw them near.]

Something about the Professor's suggestion brightens Nate's dubious mood, "That sounds like a plan.  Big ol' boom would grab their attention over wherever we want.  More than enough distraction to go find this shaman."  A pause and a glance towards the Chinaman and Sky Hawk, "Maybe it'll scare off whatever this can-yon twik-kikity is too."  His attention hoes back to the professor as he struggles to stand back up, "So, where's the dynamite?"

[Private to GM: 20:28, Today: Black Jack Boudreaux rolled 2,5 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. knowledge occult. Does Jack know what those flying thing are, and maybe how to stop them?]

Jack looked around after hearing the others "Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone, well not birds really. What if we lure these can-yon twik-kikity in for an attack and then use the dynamite to blast them? That way we might kill some of them and cause our diversion."

"We do have some dynamite .. right? Boudreaux asked hoping the professor had not just been discussing an academic exercise.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:31, Thu 13 Sept 2012.

"Or maybe lure the Ravenites to the fire, then use the dynamite to scare up them Kin-yan things? Let 'em fight each other while we run for the rescue?" Sam adds. "I reckon if we don't actually have dynamite, we could use some shotgun shells in a pinch..."

[Private to Black Jack Boudreaux: Jack's heard of things called "Devil Bats" flying around the Black Hills...critters that are like bats, but big enough to swoop up a man and carry him off. He's heard they find prey though sound and motion, rather than eyesight. Standing still when one is swooping at you in the dark might be scary as heck, but a possible way to throw one off if it attacks.]

"I heard of things called "Devil Bats" flying around the Black Hills...critters that are like bats, but big enough to swoop up a man and carry him off. I heard they find prey though sound and motion, rather than eyesight. If we can lure the Ravenites into an ambush and keep them moving around in the open and making noise, maybe these flying things can do the dirty work." Jack said liking that a plan might be coming together.

Xiao looks to Thunder Walker then back to the others. "The Raven Men camp in the open - they may have a way to deal with the flying devils. Mister Blackjack's plan to make big white man fire, then dynamite what comes, that is better. The Raven Men might scatter and get...suspicions if a boom goes first, because when bluecoats kill many Indians, they use cannon on camp." Xiao's face is shadowed a moment recalling where that information was got, then looks up.

"One thing...for dynamite, a man must stay near here, when Raven Men and flying devils are here also - do we...we all go to two groups, one stay help him, one fetch people fast, or just leave to one man?"
Or all stay, kill the half of the Raven Men in ambush then all sneak and fall upon the others, leaving their bodies for the flying devils? the other option appauled Xiao, though within the common run of warfare.

Was there ever a boy who joined a war with just a razor? Xiao wonders.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:55, Thu 13 Sept 2012.

Zac started the journey with great excitement, as one mile turned to two, his excitement dampened. This rescue mission was turning into a whole lotta of fast walking and jogging. As they stopped again, he caught his breath, and wiped his sweat. He listened carefully to the planning, thinking a distraction was the way to go. At the mention of devil bats, the young reporter's eyes lifted to the sky.

He felt his excitement level rise again as he looked around and caught sight of the eagle god. He was on a rescue mission with an eagle god, whatever fear he felt was lost in that realization.

Moses squats down, holding his staff horizontally in front of him. He was not a man of combat tactics but he would do what the Lord required him to do.
Then something occured to him.
"What or who are kinyan tiwicakte?" he asks, looking at Thunderwalker and Sky Hawk. "Birds?"

"I do indeed have a supply of dynamite. Enough for our needs I should think."

ooc - I will, when I use my adventure card and spend a fate chip ;-)

Thunderwalker had to think for a moment to find the word to answer the question posed by Moses. "They are like bats. Large bats. They are fearsome creatures to behold. Very big." He mimes with his hands outstretched to give the impression that it is bigger than a man.

Nate looked back and forth as each person offers out suggestions.  To Sam's though, he pauses and weighs it out.  A reluctant nod indicates approval, though he doesn't want to admit he likes the outlaw's idea.  "So, lure'em with a suspicious fire...then bang goes the dynamite..."  A glance to Thunder Walker, who ave the escription, "Which will either scare off or draw in these canyon bats....  Either way, more'n enough to cause distraction."  Checking his rifle, he steps over to the Professor, "I'll give ya a hand with the dynamite and distraction.  Maybe one more?  Just in case.  The rest can head for the shaman.  Right?"