"I think I hear gunfire." Sam says, looking up from his task towards the bluffs.

Then they all hear it.

{{BOOM!}}

The crack of a dynamite explosion rolls like thunder across the plains.

"Goddamn!" Sam curses. "They been spotted! We gotta get over there!"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:32, Mon 24 Sept 2012.

Boudreaux nodded. "Hope we are in time."

Jack followed the experienced desperado amd headed to find the others. Boudreaux kept an eye on the night sky as they moved.

Nate's shoulders fell just slightly in exasperation.  It was dark though, so probably hard to tell.  The heavy, what-the-hell-sigh was much easier to catch though.  He started off with the others, making sure the Professor also kept up, "I heard cavalry bugles..."  The scattered gunfire and explosion helped sell the idea, "There might just be a raid on...  Might have provided a better distraction.  Cavalry's good for that."

The Professor followed, allowing the other two men to blaze the trail as he moved in at the rear.  He rummaged around his satchel, pulling out a strange, Gatling like gun with two attached transparent globes filled with an oily, reddish liquid. The ghost rock powered gun looked as if it was designed to shoot this liquid, though it was unclear what the liquid was exactly.

The group runs toward the sounds of battle. The battle on the hills lasts several minutes, at least long enough for them to get within a few hundred yards of the cliff...just in time to see a group break off and run down the side. In the dark it's hard to make out exact numbers, but it looks like the Indians met their match. They tumble down the hill, withdrawing as the Union soldiers (at least, it looks like union troops...their uniforms are so dark in the moonlight they appear black) tear apart their compatriots on the other hill.

Unfortunately, the soldiers spot the fleeing Sioux, and send riders after them...

And wouldn't you know it? The fleeing Indians are heading straight for the group!

((OOC: Draw initiative cards, please. Keep in mind that all these guys are still quite a distance away))

PM

[Private to GM: 19:48, Today: The Professor drew the single card: QD using the Deadlands system. Init.]

17:54, Today: Black Jack Boudreaux rolled 5,2 using d6,d4. notice.
17:53, Today: Black Jack Boudreaux drew the single card: 10H using the Deadlands system.

[Private to GM: I cast that spell to see  in the dark. Any better idea of what is going on? Are they chasing the good injuns or the bad injuns?]

"I don't recomend standing in the way of them fleeing that cavalry. They are not likely to be too gentle." Jack said.

"We should bid this place a do my friends."

((OOC: Card: 4C))

[Private to Black Jack Boudreaux: The Indians heading your way all have rifles and are wearing warpaint. It might be a safe assumption that these were the ones causing trouble.

But there's only six of them and nearly twice that number charging down on them. And all of them are dead, rotting things in black uniforms, riding steads that are shedding hunks of flesh off their brittle bones as they charge.

The dead men remind him of his narrow escape from Baron LaCroix, on a train crewed by the damned, of the threats the Baron made of sewing his lips shut and burying him alive, then raising his corpse to use as a weapon against his grandmother...

Make a Fear check, -3 for the local Fear Level, + Grit.]

((OOC: I'm putting Nate Williams On Hold until he draws, so that the rest of you can get actions in.))

---

Turn Order: (Keep in mind that without a light source (or magic) you're in Darkness, which means a -2 penalty to attacks)
Hoarse from Roaring: AD
The Professor: QD
Black Jack: 10H
Ravenite Braves: 8D
The Black Regiment: 8D
Sam Bass: 4D (does anyone want to control Sam duing this fight, since he's an Ally?)
Nate Williams: Not Drawn Yet
[Private to Zachary O'Conner: Zach O' Connor: If you're still around, this would be a great time to get involved...draw a card and post it, and I'll work you in]

I'll have a map up and do HFM's action when I get back from work tonight. Remember, when you take an action, draw a card to cover your next round's action.

PM

[Private to GM: 13:09, Today: Secret Roll: Black Jack Boudreaux rolled 2,14 using 1d6,1d10, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(10+4)14. fear check.

I think that makes the check. Hopefully I can warn the others.]

One of the Indians running from the horsemen, a stocky man with wild hair, takes a pot shot at the approaching soldiers, though his shot goes wide. he shouts something unintelligible at the riders, probably a curse of some kind.

((OOC: Hoarse from Roaring will fire his Winchester at the approaching soldiers. He has a -2 darkness penalty and a -2 penalty because he's going to be running.

Hoarse From Roaring rolled 1,0 using d8-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4. Shooting! About what I expected. HFR tosses a Blue chip in.

Hoarse From Roaring rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Blue Chip. Well alrighty then. No hit for HFR.

He runs. He's fleet-footed, so he moves 8 squares + a d10 more. He rolls a 4, so that's 12 squares.

Card for next round: 8H))

---

The Professor is up next!
[Private to Black Jack Boudreaux: Yup, that's a success. If you want to yell out a warning out of turn order (technically, the Professor is next, but he will be gone until Sunday) go ahead.]

The Professor holds his strange weapon, waiting for a target of opportunity to present itself.

ooc - holding my action

"Those injuns are bad but what is chasing them is worse."

"Those cavalry soldiers are dead, undead rotting things in black uniforms, riding  undead mounts. They are an army of the damned and they appear to have ridden out of hell itself."

"We had better run!" Boudreaux said loud enough for the others to hear.

Zac's heart was beating from the devil bat attack. He had been in scraps before, but then his dad had usually been there with him or at least on the adventure. Now, he felt alone and scared, and he had to pee.  He looked closer at the cavalry men.  Zac had lived enough to know the cavalry riding in wasn't always a good thing.

At Jack's shout, he looked to the Cajun, then started to run in whatever direction he took off. "Just cause they're dead," he shouted through puffs of air, "How do we know they're evil, seems they're killin' the bad guys here."

The young reporter, looked for a place where the group could hide and avoid the charging undead cavalry.

[ooc: 10:51, Today: Zachary O'Conner drew the single card: 3S using a deck of 54 cards. SIngle Card Draw.
Sorry to disappear, been offline traveling the past week and a half, finally back, and caught up on posts.]

As the group discusses running, the Indian braves fire a ragged line of shots at the pursuing soldiers. One of the dead men falls off his horse, breaking apart into a greasy black mist as he hits the ground.  The Indians whoop and cheer, though they continue running...straight toward the hilltop the posse stands on!

The dead men continue to ride, ignoring their fallen comrade and returning fire. Zach and Black Jack have to duck as several stray rounds kick up dirt near them...If they are going to flee, it has to be now!

((OOC: I'll take this time to roll for the Ravenites and the Black Regiment.

The Ravenites are at Medium Range on their rifles and have a Darkness penalty. In addition, they are running. That's a total of -6 on their shooting rolls Vs. the Black Regiment soldiers.

18:05, Today: Ravenite Braves rolled -1,-3,-3,4,1,-3 using d8-6,d8-6,d8-6,d8-6,d8-6,d8-6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3,3,(8+2)10,7,3. Panicked Shooting! One of them actually hit his target.

Damage: 10 damage, which makes that soldier Shaken. I make a check to see if he stays horsed. he doesn't, and takes a crapton of damage from the fall, so that's One Undead Soldier down!

Then the Ravenites run. I roll on running die for them all. They get 7, so they run and are now perilously close to the party...

9 Soldiers remain.

The soldiers spur their horses on (They run 4 squares, in addition to the 8 from their normal pace) and return fire. There's 9 of them, they're in medium range, they have no penalty for firing from horseback and can see in the dark, so their penalty is only -4. So save my sanity, I roll them in batches of 3 each.

None of them come even close to hitting. Since none of the PCs are close enough to be considered "Innocent Bystanders," I ignore the 1's they rolled.

Next round:
Ravenites: 5S
Black Regiment: QH))

---

Turn Order: (-2 Darkness penalty)
Hoarse from Roaring: AD
Ravenite Braves: 8D
The Black Regiment: 8D
Black Jack: Black Jack is up!
Sam Bass: 4D (does anyone want to control Sam duing this fight, since he's an Ally?)
Zach O'Conner: 3S
Nate Williams: 3D
The Professor: On hold
This message was last edited by the player at 00:37, Mon 01 Oct 2012.

Nate watches the skirmish with the others.  When a part of it heads their way, he finds himself in a new and strange frame of mind: being in agreement with Black Jack Boudreaux....

OOC - 20:31, Today: Nate Williams drew the single card: 3D using the Deadlands system. Initiative!

"Don't wait and find out .. run!!" Jack said as he started to run away from the line of charge of the cavalry.

"Shit on a shingle...run where?" Sam says, following behind Jack. "We can't lead these...things back to the stage!"

((OOC: Looks like this is turning into a Chase...are all of you in agreement that the best thing to do is run? If so, I'll calculate the Chase rules for you all.))

((OOC: Still waiting on replies from The Professor and Zach O'Connor, who are next up in the Initiative order...what are you folks up to?))

Jack's words were enough for the young reporter. Jack broke into a run, following the Cajun out of the line of the Calvary charge. He looked around, his heart beating from exertion and fear -- where could the run to?  A place to hide, a place they could defend possibly?  What did the Calvary want?

The thoughts flew around his head as he tried to escape.

[OOC: Sorry, thought I had posted Zac running already. Also what's the general lay of the land, is there someplace they could run to as opposed to just trying to get out of the way of the charge and escaping Indians?]

Nate does his best to skeedadle over to whatever sparse cover can be found out here.  Scattering will make it harder to get all of them and might split up the cavalry should thy decide to come after him and his friends.  Reaching a bush, he'll shrug off his miner's pack and try to get it open...   Might be somethin' useful...

OOC - Scamper to light cover and scrounge in bag. Next card - 2S
16:24, Today: Nate Williams drew the single card: 2S using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

[Private to GM: I'd really like to pull the Gatling pistol.  Thoughts?]

((OOC: The characters are on a hilltop, with some vegetation scattered around that they had been planning to use as cover for an ambush. It's still possible to hide...make a Stealth check, which will be opposed by their Notice.))

[Private to Nate Williams: I think the appearance of a squad of The Black Regiment riding down on you counts as an acceptable time to Rock And Roll in the Agency playbook...you can explain away the Gatling pistol later.]

The prospector's boots skid on rocks as he scrambles towards cover...maybe they won't notice...

OOC - Stealth- 3

The Professor followed Nate's lead, moving quickly to hide behind a scraggly bush.  It was clear (at least to anyone but The Professor) that the man had chosen a poor spot to hunker down as he was clearly visible through the tangle of thin branches and stubby leaves.

OOC - 19:28, Today: The Professor rolled 3,3 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (4+1)5,5. unskilled stealth check.

Sam, meanwhile, relying years of bushwhacking skill, manages to conceal himself very effectively in the bushes.

((OOC: 23:15, Today: Sam Bass rolled 5,4 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4. Stealth!))

---

Zach and Black Jack, please make Stealth Checks.