Moses looks up into the sky, raindrops splattering on his face.
"Lord, before Thy strength, evil cannot stand!"

Then he picks up his belongings. As he puts his coat back on, he says to the soldiers around him: "You should praise the Almighty for sending Moses to you. Your Sargent would've dragged you down into the abyss with him. Yet you still have a chance. Moses can see that some of you are on the path to darkness. A few more steps and it will be too late. But you can still turn back and walk towards the light. Moses will not be able to save all of you. But each and everyone if you may choose to save himself."
Then he sits down on a tree trunk, his hands folded around his war-club-turned-walking-stick and seems perfectly at peace.
"Little Crow", he calls out. "Will you sit and wait with Moses?"

This message was last edited by the player at 10:30, Sat 28 Feb 2015.

The rain falls as the soldiers look at each other, and quietly discuss the events of the past few minutes. With the rain growing heavier, several of them retreat to a lean-to that had been erected.

Kills Iron Horse and Walks The Night Alone vanish into the surrounding wood, presumably gathering materials for their own lean-to. Lightning crashes in the distance.

A couple of the soldiers head over to Art. "Thank'ee kindly for those bracing words." One of them says. "We got a bottle of whiskey we were hidin' from Sarge...care to join us?"

Meanwhile, Little Crow creeps over to the tree where Moses sat.

 He says simply. [Language unknown: "P illoveday atel admeei hepr forardersnce stwiai. We peronc but vorardday me. Tin il etof rea essonsder tr? Ivnte ughha n ica el at not?"]

Moses doesn't answer right away, but looks over to the soldiers.
[Language unknown: "Ritica hisin tic ieacho pahou attato, ei evpe entvenoer, Tiothirom Ove. Adion ast ain p resul bewi one se ven larvorhiswasuretic.
Dayenture arwhal the hiou il eraomeles, bepa. Ectos rutur ndewilsom er wa ateectectomethe? Noion Eauureund Paoles hileom st po outntekorith moosce. Wilcombut, is koroervir anee wengni fone evneca me icaingrea. Adfo reaintout utosla icael yin eenichwhe, ous wa we thidi? Somil ratmensetica ion, se larartiou. Andthiain lo po to ereallera ngadac onehourea ektoom ri ncfiei ernot ndroet chmen houre al re el vir teun. Nt fiulch te lite iveioncom urev proameiou ateardlar. Adenc beit Ansipeta yinmenver ear ilisil outlinbut fi oer. Ntvor ithreaent ndeto lin nceforlarwhi estmenter ad.
N, ivseac nc enwhi Peoles wa ckasne semopa hi wil ereameart, ughek ulall ei miwewh'ofst entafo horing."]
He shrugs.
[Language unknown: "Ofwh ho adut stikorthewas urwil whe ck rutom the i unat buterecon. Theinehis ilas entessmenprobut wasntihatratous, ndekorencres m ticstaint casafofoecpl n lin ndhi icare sihou. Lar pro, Therutsti Meon, his estfo ichhouoneith. Restil orereathi ter it un erfito."]
And he smiles at the Ravenite.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:31, Sat 28 Feb 2015.

Art stared at the abomination and frowned as it vanished. He turned to the soldiers that returned from their initial flight and came to speak with him. "When men with good in their hearts do stand together, evil be vanquished. I'd be happy to share a drink with you, but only after I help me friends put together a shelter."

First, Art closed the distance with Moses using a few long strides. "The soldiers want to have a drink together with us - a brief celebration of triumph. Won't you join us?" Art gestured over to where they were gathering with some whiskey. "I be going to help our friends put together a shelter and then will have a drink to celebrate."

Art jogged into the woods where Kills Iron Horse and Walks the Night Alone disappeared, and will help them with their work and thank them for their bravery in the face of the enemy before he heads back toward where the soldiers were gathering.

[Language unknown: "Ente weour Tra Ountwh wervirtic een antyinenture."] Little Crow says back. [Language unknown: "Nodipr con but thooutsom senoil ilmind i diave. Whi stiromear hias arehe her alnc dinil n yin no Inglesreddin at na ofou..."]

He abruptly stops talking.

And this is the point where Ar comes up to the two of them.

[Language unknown: "Ou has and outlesvor t resss enmeilas."] Little Crow spits. [Language unknown: "A pe chad din taomfi illmi vor korectres whishi ic itheauill wear ni sta i osec he teit pa."]

((OOC: I'll let Moses interject here, before I do anything with Art looking of WTNA and KIH.))

In reply to Little Crow (msg # 51):

"Will you excuse Moses and Little Crow? We seem to have to still have a lot to talk about."

The negro waits until Art moves away a few steps.

[Language unknown: "Nc oer sela erspr dayvorlar eretichis"], he finishes the Ravenite's earlier statement, then nods.
[Language unknown: "Theameore pl conis ckno inekorpro oreha tiic ousime. Romingant tra lin nien ti pr oeroutoul ettin estthuhis, unwhiearti"]

Art shook his head at Little Crow. What little Art knew of the man gave him a low opinion of the Ravenite. The gangly Irishman nodded at Moses' request. "Aye, I do believe this one still be needing a lot of education. It seems that whiskey do be another subject he be needing to understand. I'll be making sure to save some for you, Moses, as the soldiers will want to have a drink with you for certain."

With that, Art turned and headed toward the surrounding wood with Kira at his side. She could probably find the natives that had disappeared into it more quickly than Art.

In reply to Moses (msg # 52):

[Language unknown: "Chndng Set om eiss Not Plwail onad riwit, wh utha tifire aton set a lowit Elhedi A is Onhaai Thesomons."] Little Crow says.

In reply to Art C. Wiley (msg # 53):

The rain grows heavier as Art and his faithful hound head deeper into the forest. Except for the rain, it is very still and quiet. The giant gray hound sniffs, searching for her friends in the pine thicket.

Her trail leads Art west a ways, closer to the road, which seemed somewhat odd. They didn't need to go this far to collect wood for a shelter, did they?

((OOC: Make me a Tracking check to follow the trail (-4 raining, +2 mud, +2 Kira's help, total mod +0). Also make me a Notice check, please.))
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:33, Sat 07 Mar 2015.

Art scowled at the lack of Kills Iron Horse and Walks the Night Alone. It wasn't safe and somewhat rude for them to disappear like this. Art could come up with quite a list of reasons why they might have done so, but with members of Custer's army about, he would rather be safe than sorry.

One thing was certain - the hood he wore to cover his ears also helped keep off the rain.

OOC: Notice of 19, or 21 if Art is trying to Listen.
Tracking of 4 after white chip.

16:59, Today: Art C. Wiley rolled 19,7 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+8+3)19,(6+1)7. Notice.
16:59, Today: Art C. Wiley rolled 2,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,4. Tracking white chip.
16:59, Today: Art C. Wiley rolled 3,3 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3. Tracking.

Art bends down and checks the trail. Boot prints. Extremely fresh, from the look, probably made from the mud created by the rain. He also spotted small signs left by the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers when they wanted to be followed (he'd never have found their trail this way if they didn't).

The Cheyenne were following the trail of one of the men who'd run from the camp, it looked like. But why?

Just then, Art heard something rustling over by the road...

Though it was damned peculiar, Art wasn't going to give up the search. However, the noise from nearby had made him curious and he headed in that direction instead of following the boot prints for now. He left whatever signs he could so that he could find his way back to the trail after he'd investigated the sound.

Something had been dragged through the brushes here, quite recently. Art could see that clearly. He saw cracked branches bleeding sap, leaves torn from the brush scattered about, and long drag marks in the soft mud.

At his side, Kira began to growl softly, her hackles raising as the pair approached the road.

Moses looks at Little Crow.
[Language unknown: "A ll thenceonsome Venntedin intran, be, hatthewas is wasredard ripa tepa ar son Stareared Hahoie atech tha lounnt pa ilmi u ut wees? Ing chpr roti whi hoet Utofle k ssce Cksssa, evhiilcack int Somyinsan whiv teinos naelne?"]

He shakes his head. [Language unknown: "Ectei no lleniv to Orene Tipato, hiridi ar io ouofansa ecng ha omil n Romthinti. Archne ndtoeknciv eniodi nc loith ousrutome omomce ous oueree. Entnotlin oshe not werprethuess se his ssckpo dihou enma iser utieee witoerder k wheentionart."]
He pauses, wiping the rain water from his brow.
[Language unknown: "Taan tellul eeos tios menoerwhi n fiwil mo ncwieeus antr iouyinpre wh isngceouev ate. Ontica ilasce ent Meecie. Manicaoveill litr on o roho ckouac thmead. Lesonsforter n Ureantestted. Lin een esstedore pro Aihoerivse. Likor hi wipeut urchfi bewil Acckri."]

He shrugs.
The giant gently touches Little Crow's shoulder.
[Language unknown: "Ilinek el no ac u ine Thsticou. A ourwhewit witersthe el e, ichne, siund k taetet in of nd. Mo oneatedin ith trancetio ugh pl m ionionugh enc ove. T streresan terha poektrna no, dill ich, ratwerent ndepe, plekck ekri, o ro mi hetone ie notpreera ati rowi ofles e whe."]

He stands up, looking around, as if searching. "Where are the others?"

If Kira was starting to get worried, then Art decided it might be best to alter his form. There were some things that were better accomplished on four legs rather than two. Fleeing and fighting were two of those things.

With a stomp of his staff into the muck, Art bent over onto all fours and began sprouting fur and claws where clothes once were. His visual acuity increased manifold and the stench of the mud filled his nostrils. His hearing didn't seem to markedly improve.

11:46, Today: Art C. Wiley rolled 10,3 using d12,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 10,3. Shapechange.

Trying to turn into a mountain lion if okay. Otherwise, a wolf

Once on all fours, Art quietly stalked toward where he had heard the sound and where the drag marks led.

In reply to Moses (msg # 60):

Little Crow shrugs Moses' hand off of him. [Language unknown: "Hoing, ta setis setthored ck lati ove itlout ar sitewa, ichmi esca m wehaat theul. Ti sonoutshe ichmo ore itng teaifo ha Miurei uliowi enweel ac man, k and."]

Still, he sounds more like he's trying to convince himself of that than Moses.

The camp is mostly quiet. Most of the soldiers are huddling between two lean-tos, attempting to get a fire going to ward of the chill of the rain. One band of soldiers are passing a bottle back and forth--this group is the louder of them. Private Brown notices Moses looking around, and waves at him to come over to the struggling fire.

Art, Kills Iron Horse, and Walks The Night Alone are nowhere to be seen.

((OOC: Moses, make me a Notice check (-2) please.))

10:55, Today: Moses rolled 0,6 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+2)8. white chip.
10:54, Today: Moses rolled 0,1 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Notic.

[Language unknown: "K, Korkorich Oulil. Toncos ro poce essinghat ri ureee, Romkorate natic illri om. Eeen eve camoil der chnc ekpe ev etder hasatehis ul ic ta toecdi mose eau Menressta. Con ll. Rea Reatpl inehi ic ing fo n anat holo."]

Moses turns around once more, waving back to Private Brown, the Man Who Intervened. Something was not right...

In reply to Art C. Wiley (msg # 61):

The drag marks and great divots in the mud lead Art and Kira back to the road.

There, he wanders on to a grisly scene. A soldier in blue kicks and struggles against one of the poles, a noose holding him high off the ground. Around him stand three long-limbed, rotten corpses tugging at the rope. The soldier's eyes bulge as his face goes from purple to blue.

He kicks and jerks, and then falls still. The long-limbed dead grab the soldiers arms and legs, and begin to tug on them, and the flesh begins to tear as they stretch his limbs like grisly taffy...

((OOC: I posted this once before, and the Data Vampires seemed to have eaten it.

Turning into a Mountain Lion is fine. Here are the stats:

quote:

Mountain Lion
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8
Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Stealth d8, Tracking d6
Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
Special Abilities:

• • Bite/Claws: Str+d6.
• • Improved Frenzy: A cougar may make two attacks each round with no penalty.
• • Low Light Vision: Halve the penalties for Dim and Dark lighting conditions.
• • Pounce: Mountain lions prefer to pounce on their prey to bring their mass and teeth to bear more effectively. A mountain lion can leap up to 6” to gain +4 to its attack and damage. Its Parry is reduced by –2 until its next action when performing a pounce.

The sight before Art provokes a Fear Check (-3 Fear Level, -1 Monster, + Grit). You need to make this roll for Kira as well, though she has plenty of chips.))

In reply to Moses (msg # 63):

And high up above, in the storm, Moses hears a high, long wail, like the whistle of a cannon ball...

OOC: Art passed fear without issue (6 after -3 adjustement) Kira passed with a raise after using a red chip (9 including a -4, I presume she doesn't have any grit?)

11:04, Today: Art C. Wiley rolled 6,-1 using d12-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 9,2. Fear.
11:34, Today: Kira rolled 8 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8. Red chip for real this time.
11:33, Today: Kira rolled 0,1 using d6-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. Fear.


Art the puma kept very, very quiet (even though he wasn't currently hunting wabbits) as the grisly scene unfolded before him. The feline stalker crouched down low with only the occasional flicking of a tail as he mentally digested what had happened. Was this the soldier that hadn't returned at his beckon? Or a different one entirely? Probably too late to tell at this point.

Normally he would have just turned tail and run, unable to help the now dead man. But the stretching of the limbs - that piqued PumArt's curiosity. As if Art weren't curious enough, he was now a feline. Could there be anything more curious than Art plus cat?

Art remained as still as could be, but watched the proceedings and was ready to bolt at a moment's notice should one of the rotten corpses come his direction. The very end of his tail occasionally twitched, but that was the limit of his movement as he observed these creatures.

Art watches the grisly scene. He thinks he recognizes the soldier...one of the pair that hadn't returned.

The dead men stretch the dead man's legs until they reach the ground. The instant they do, the dead soldier begins twitching again. It begins struggling against the pole, and the other long-limbed monsters begin clapping, as if congratulating it. One of them unhooks the noose, and the newly-stretched monster begins to stagger about, unsteadily, like a new-born calf.

It begins examining itself, and then looks at it's fellow dead. Then it grins, the most evil grin Art has ever seen. And it points back towards the camp. The three other dead things nod, and together the long limbed quartet begin walking back toward the other soldiers...

((OOC: Correct. Kira has no Grit as yet.))

Epithets of various sorts ran through Art's mind. Where were the Cheyenne and the other soldier? Hopefully safe. In any case the camp had to be warned. They were in the midst of carousing and would be slaughtered if taken by surprise.

PanthArt was impressed by the speed of the things. But Puma and dog might be faster?

OOC: Most important for Mountain Lion to be faster. They can sprint at up to 50 mph - but I don't think they can sustain that speed for very long. Art is headed back to warn the camp. Not sure if he can outrun the Poles though.

With alarm, Moses raises his arms, palms down in the general direction of the soldiers and exclaims: "Lord, cast Thy shield over them, your humble servant begs of you!"

The air above the soldiers begins to shimmer, then rain starts bouncing off as if a pane of glass was between it and the camp below...

15:41, Today: Moses rolled 6,5 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,5. Faith for Barrier.

In reply to Art C. Wiley (msg # 68):

Some mood music

Art breaks from the bushes, as does his faithful wolfhound. The wriggling monsters bounce along, freakishly fast, almost comical as they bounce along. The newly-killed one is the least coordinated--it slams into one of the poles along the road, which one of the other Pole Men vaults with ease. It seems to be a bit rattled by the impact, and the others laugh silently at it.

From the bushes near Art comes a pair of chilling screams of defiance. The Dog Soldiers burst from cover near Art...apparently they'd been nearby, no more than ten feet from where he'd been. They run as fast as they can as well, and the chase is joined...

((OOC: We'll handle this as a Chase, with each round lasting about a minute.

Cougars have a Pace of 8, but the Pole Men have a Pace of 14 thanks to those gangly legs of theirs. They get a +2 bonus on their Agility rolls for their cards.

So, Roll Agility. Draw a card for each Success and Raise. You can use whichever card you wish. Higher is usually better, but if you use a Club, you face a potential Complication.

Each of the Pole Men is a Wild Card, so they each get a roll.

Pole Man 1: 08:43, Today: Pole Men rolled 9,4 using d10+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 7,2. Agility. Success and raise, 2 cards

Cards: 7C, 9C, Complication

08:49, Today: Pole Men rolled 0,0 using d10-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Avoiding Complication. Fail. The deader suffers a level of Fatigue

Pole Man 2: 08:44, Today: Pole Men rolled 4,3 using d10+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1. Agility.

Cards: 4H

Pole Man 3: 08:44, Today: Pole Men rolled 7,7 using d10+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,5. Agility.

Cards: 10C, Complication

08:52, Today: Pole Men rolled 6,-1 using d10-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 8,1. Avoiding Complication. Success.

Pole Man 4: 08:44, Today: Pole Men rolled 4,4 using d10+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Agility.

Cards: QS

Art, make your roll, an Agility roll for Kira, and then a roll each for Kills Iron Horse and Walks The Night Alone (they both have an Agility of d8 and are Henchmen, which mean they get a Wild Die).))

In reply to Moses (msg # 69):

some mood music

The whistling grows louder, louder, and louder. The soldiers pick up on it.

"Incoming!" Private Brown shouts, and the soldiers dive for whatever cover they can get, using the lean-to as a crude barricade. None of them seem to notice that, with a large circle around them, the rain has stopped pouring.

The whistling grows even louder...and a figure flies over the camp. A woman in a leather jacket and pantaloons passes by, the cylendrical device on her back belching white vapor and screaming like a banshee. Ghost rock. The sound was burning Ghost Rock!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She cackles, pointing a strangely-shaped rifle with a huge barrel at the lean-to. There's a small {thump!}, almost inaudible over the woman's jet pack, and a lit stick of dynamite bounces off the shield the Lord's mercy provided, landing near the stockade.

{{BOOM!}}

The explosion scatters the poorly-secured fence poles like toothpicks. The soldiers hunker even deeper into their makeshift foxhole.

All around the camp comes pistol shots and bloodcurdling rebel yells.

"whooooo-EEE!"

{{Bang! Bang!}}

"YEAH! Get 'em, Candy! Blow 'em all up!"

"ah-ah-AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYGH!"

((OOC: Make a Fear check (-3 fear level, +grit) for me, Moses, and then make one collectively for the soldiers (Spirit d6, Grit 1). This is against Fear/Nausea, not terror.))